Well they all set up, even with my disasters and spill overs. I actually called a pipe fitter and he is coming to give me an estimate to run gas behind my stove tomorrow. I will not do it right away, but I want to know what it will cost to have it done then I can plan. Hubs is really wanting me to switch the stove out. I think he can tell how frustrated I am. But I can hold out. After all I went without a dryer for 10 months before we moved and I can continue to deal with this stove.
No sewing got done again today as D#2 brought both babies down,she was watching Oliver along with Kelsa. She and hubs had to get things for Schmills birthday which is today! They also had to meet with the accountant. So we had babies and were busy with that. SO fun.
Hubs had to work at the high school this evening and I took a nap. I should have been sewing:) Oh well. I got a package from my Sssie. Two beautiful Talbots heavy coat sweaters. One in navy and one in tan, two colors I wear a lot. In fact the pants I was wearing today matched the tan sweater exactly. She also sent two lovely non iron blouses, one light pink and the other light blue, which I will wear to death this spring and summer. She really keeps me in clothes. So grateful.
Today we will have the Littles for the first time since covid started. I am so excited. It is hard to believe that she will be 5 soon and he will be 4. Time went to fast. I so remember having them for the first time and he was 3 weeks old and she was barely 1. Mom so enjoyed that baby. It was her favorite day of the week. She would get up and rock that baby all day and tell me how to take care of them. Because I knew nothing.
Hubs was a little sore and cranky from his second covid shot. I could tell because he asked three different times for tylenol and was just cranky and he is usually so easy going. But he went about his normal day.
It is Schmills birthday today so after we watch the Littles we are going up to daughters to celebrate his birthday. His present came today through Amazon, thank goodness as I ordered it a little late. SO I don't know how much sewing I will get done, as the Little are older I can probably sew more. I won't have to worry about them getting into things and they understand no.
By the way as frugal as I try to be, making jam is not frugal. By the time you add the sugar, the pectin, the jar lids, the jars (although I do get many of mine back) the electricity or gas, even when you get the fruit free, it is still quite an expense. You can buy a large quart jar of strawberry jam or grape jelly for a couple of bucks here. Of course it is high fructose corn syrup, fake coloring and fake flavor and you can stick a knife in a jar straight up. Is the flavor and texture of homemade worth it? You better believe it is!
Chickens are another way that we really don't save money. By the time you buy the feed you usually don't break even. We are going to start selling our leftover eggs this year. I like to have the fresh eggs, and I like to have something that eats all food scraps. To me it is worth it.
Quilting, is another thing that really does not save money. Even if you get all your material for the quilt top free, you still have to buy the batting, and then the backing. You can buy a blanket much cheaper and a lot less work. But I love to make something from nothing. I love the skill that goes into it. I think skills are important.
I like to be thrifty, some things that I do are not. I get great joy making things and I think that is important.
Do you do anything that is more expensive than just buying something? Like do you buy good yarn and knit mittens you could buy for less money? Do you sew, when you could buy the item for less?
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.
Kim
Even though Homemade jams and jellies are not cheap, I prefer them. I remember eating muscadine jelly at my great aunt Willie's in Mississippi, and from then on, I wanted to make jam/jelly. Eggs from my yard actually were cheaper because the hens ate from a produce stand and my scraps. I never bought chicken food. I have never made a quilt, but want to.
ReplyDeleteI made a Monogram for my sisters, needlepoint, and the supplies were expensive, not to mention many hours I spent. But, it was worth the trouble for a gift.
Making things myself is part of my self definition, which is important to me.
I love muscadine jelly! Cindy in the South!
DeleteI have never eaten muscadine jelly before, I don't even know what it is. I will have to look for some when I travel south.
DeleteIt sure is nice that your sis sends you new clothes. How wonderful is that!!
ReplyDeleteI love homemade jams and jellies - they taste so much better than store bought. It is worth it.
Glad you are looking into getting gas for stove.
Well it will be a while, but it is good to know what I have to save for.
DeleteHome made is always better for you. I like to know what is in my food so it's worth it even if it costs a little more. Enjoy those kiddos!!
ReplyDeleteMe too! But then I drink diet coke so really? Does it matter? But it does to me. I don't like boxed food.
DeleteI like to cross stitch reproduction samplers. Over the many years I have done this, I have used DMC threads, which you know are beautiful and reasonably priced. For Christmas, my daughter kitted up a sampler with silk threads. It seems anybody who is anybody uses silk in the cross stitch world, so I was late to the game. However, after working with the silks, I had to ask my self if my sampler really looks 10 times better using silks. The answer is no. So I suppose this is just the opposite! In the future, I will probably go back to DMC. The silks run $5-7 per skein so upwards to over $100 or more for a sampler! Then you also need the linen and professional framing. That's too much for my frugal self! Isabella
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I took an old cross stitch my mother had done right after I was born and wanted to have it framed. They wanted $270 with museum glass. I ran not walked out of that store, went to good will and bought a frame it looks great!
DeleteWe have a huge garden this year, and the amount we've spent means these will be some very expensive veggies! Most of the cost can be amortized, as we won't be spending it next year, but we also just really enjoy the process & the fresh food. The growing season is also unusually long where we are, so we're lucky in that way.
ReplyDeleteWe have a northern California climate here, so also a long growing season. It is spendy to start a garden, but I think they pay off in just the fact that we eat better for so much of the year. Less chemicals into our bodies. The exercise to weed and pick and care for produce. Also I have learned to start most of my own seedlings and that saves a ton. I really only buy tomato plants.
DeleteThat was nice of your sister to send the two coat sweaters.
ReplyDeleteYes, when we had chickens it cost more to buy feed for them than buying eggs at the store. But they brought me great pleasure and I loved the eggs, so it was worth it to me. Same with homemade jams and jellies.
She is a sweet heart, she always thinks I look like I just crawled out of bed, and then she is usually right.
DeleteI make our jam from the organic blackberry patch hubster has grown for years. I use only 1/2c sugar per 6c fruit. I much prefer this to the jam lady at farmer's market. Just too much sugar and $6/8ounce jar. Costs me maybe $1/jar?
ReplyDeleteI was figuring $1.00 for a small jar also, but boy is it good.We have blackberries that grow like weeds here in the valley and boy do they make good pie.
DeleteI agree, home made jam SO much better, the store bought ones are not very tasty, my MIL makes delicious jam from home grown berries. I've never made jam.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually really easy, if you don't boil it all over:(
DeleteI totally agree regarding the taste of homemade Jam Kim - nothing beats it. My husband won't let me have chickens - he says it make for expensive eggs with the cost of the pellets over here. I am lucky in that I get to feed my neighbors hens as they go away alot so she keeps me in free eggs.
ReplyDeleteThey are a lot of fun. But I think putting a cooler out at the end of the driveway with eggs and a sign this year, we can probably recoop (no pun intended)most of our food costs. We should get about a dozen a day so if we sell 5 dozen a week we will be fine.
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