I don’t know about you, but I get happy when I discover a recipe for something that I can make myself for less money (and/or better quality) than in the grocery store. Here are a few recent ideas that I’ve tried or am planning to try out soon: Dishwasher detergent –this uses my beloved...
Read more »

(First posted at myrecipes.com) Awhile back my sister brought me a batch of coffee beans fresh from Ethiopia.  She’s doing medical mission work there, and on trips home is happy to support my passion for Ethiopian coffee.  The coffee she brings me is green.  I’ve tried different ways of roasting it.  It’s possible to...
Read more »

Here’s the latest of my crafting projects. I used old jeans, quilt batting, and some of my $1 fabric to make some cute new hot pads. A couple of them even incorporate the back pocket of the jeans, making them usable as hot mitts. Each pad consists of two layers of denim, a layer...
Read more »

OK, this one is going to be pretty long since the last time I wrote about July food was the 11th.  Overall I would say that my July pantry challenge went well.  We spent $626 in July, which is a good hundred bucks less than average.  And that’s even with not taking the challenge...
Read more »

This evening while the kids were at vacation Bible school I took an hour to wander a thrift store near our church.  I’ve heard people say that they never find good things at thrift stores, but I find something good at least 75% of the time and it is not because I’m lucky.  Four...
Read more »

Friends clued me in to a sweet fabric sale the other day where I scored 20 yards of fabric for a cool $20. Crazy, huh?  A store was going out of business, and the owners were getting rid of tons of quilting fabric. Between that and pinterest, I am itching to make things. My...
Read more »

When I set out to write this pantry challenge update , I had the feeling that I was not doing well at all with this challenge.  After all, I’ve been to the store several times.  For sales, mostly.  Chicken breasts were on sale for $1.29/lb, and spaghetti sauce was 78 cents/can.  Plus there is...
Read more »

The winner of The Eve Tree is commenter #13, Faith.  Congrats, Faith! ~~~ Here are our meals so far this month.  Tonight we’re planning our annual 4th of July BBQ/Waterfight Extravaganza with the kids and their spouses.   Pictures coming if I can get them without endangering the camera.  Happy 4th of July, everyone! July...
Read more »

Not long ago I was straightening my pantry.  I realized I have TON of food just sitting there waiting to be eaten, and decided I needed to focus on USING some before I spend too much more at the store.  Then, lo and behold, I was blog-hopping, and it turns out Jessica from Good...
Read more »

When trying to keep the grocery budget down, one of the first questions a lot of people ask is ‘What about produce?  I buy organic for my family and it is so expensive!’ I agree that organic produce can be crazy-expensive.   But there are ways to decrease your family’s pesticide exposure without buying all...
Read more »