Late Summer Days & Frugal Accomplishments

I'm enjoying these late summer days, and am very much looking forward to the cooler temperatures in the forecast.  We should be able to open up the house every night, which makes me happy.  Last week, I prepared a caprese salad, tomato cheese pie, asian cucumbers and okra with our homegrown vegi's.  I washed laundry with homemade soap and hung it on the line.  I cashed in Swagbucks points for an Amazon gift card, and mended 3 pieces of clothing.  We planted the abelia bush, & the instructions said it should have mulch around it.  It just so happens our pine siding for the new room came with the bark intact, which has gradually been falling off.  J came up with the brilliant idea to break this up and use it for the abelia.  Free pine bark mulch!

After reading Brandy's Frugal Accomplishments post last week, I ordered window cleaning supplies including a squeegee & cloth set, pole & bucket.  Window washing was already on my to do list, and I'd love to have a quicker, more efficient system.  It's not a skill I feel I'm especially good at, and any tips you've got up your sleeve would be appreciated.  We have some tall windows, & it usually takes me the better part of two days to accomplish, removing screens, climbing up and down ladders and such.  If what I read is any indication, these supplies should cut that time significantly.  I bought the supplies on Amazon, and with gift card credit, I spent nothing out of pocket.

On a trip to the discount grocery store, favorite buys were natural peanut butter for $2/jar, an 8 oz log of natural Italian salami for $2 (the cheapest I found online was $7.50), bottles of maple syrup and organic honey for $3 ea, & a bag of sunflower seeds for the birds for $5.  Near the discount grocery store is a gas station with the least expensive gas I'm aware of in town.  Though I usually fill up when I get below 1/2 tank, I decided to fill up there and saved .65 from the one across town.  Every little bit makes a difference.  I used our tomatoes and a cucumber in a salad.

jujubes after drying

Our first stop on my birthday was an international market I'd been wanting to visit for several years.  Though they had quite an interesting variety of produce, I was disappointed that none of it was organic.  I decided to try some jujubes, which were on sale.  I read that they taste like dates when dried, so I put them in the dehydrator.  These really don't have much taste, but it was worth a try.  I'm glad I only bought four.  I put brown rice that we bought at the int'l market in jars . When J has time, he'll vacuum seal them.  I harvested tomatoes, cucumbers, lima beans, yellow squash, red noodle beans, crowder peas, basil, garlic chives and a few hazelnuts.  Canned a batch of red noodle beans, and prepared a squash dish with our yellow squash.  For lots more frugal inspiration, visit The Prudent Homemaker.

A few views from around the homestead last week.  The moth is this one.  Have a great week, friends!