It is getting near the end of the month, and as I sat down to pay bills this afternoon, I peeked into my wallet to count exactly how much grocery money I had left for the month.  $48 with a week left, and tons of food still in the house.   No problem. As I...
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Today I had a grocery list of about a dozen items. My preference, always, is to go to Winco, the most affordable grocery store in my town.  But it is half an hour from home.  And I’d be going right by a couple of different stores on the way home from church this evening:...
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Two of my favorite stores, Costco and Winco, are 5 minutes from each other.   A couple times a month I plan a trip where I visit both stores.  Most things are cheaper at Winco, but there are several things where Costco is a proven winner. This morning I made a grocery list and as...
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The tail end of summer is roaring past me at ridiculous speed. We opted to skip the ‘big’ fair this year– it costs so much!– but had a great time going to a church carnival on Saturday. They had 50-cent hot dogs, corn dogs, burgers, ice cream, snow cones and cotton candy, if you...
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OK, I am venturing into unfamiliar territory– gearing up to HAVE a yard sale this weekend instead of my usual yard sale shopping. Things I’m aiming to do: Make good signs and place them at key intersections within a mile or so. Label prices clearly. Keep prices affordable  (I’m pricing my clothes at 50...
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If you’ve never had sweet potatoes and peanut butter together, you might think this gluten free soup is a bit unusual.  But its rich quick-to-make goodness will win you over.   My entire family loves it. Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes Serves 6 1 large sweet potato, cubed 3 cups water Bring water to boil in...
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This morning we headed out the the garden to see what was going on: apparently a lot more than I realized.  We spent probably an hour picking, and then came back into the house to do something with all of our bounty. First on the agenda was sweet relish.  The kids diced about a...
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For the past two evenings John and I have had time to ourselves, thanks to vacation Bible school and the fact that the only solitary thing I was asked to do for it this year was to bring a few pounds of grapes.    (Hip hip hooray!  And thank you to all the wonderful teachers,...
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When John and I first got married, we were in school and very broke.  We’d walk to the store two blocks away, get cash with our bank card, and come back with as much food as we happened to have money for at the time.  We never came close to starving, but when the...
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I decided quite awhile ago that couponing does not work for me.  Well, in tiny amounts it is fine.  I probably use a coupon every other month, for a grand total savings of  perhaps $10 a year.  But serious couponing, with the binder and the circular-sawingcutting and the combining sales and rebates and coupons?...
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