Frugality sometimes has a bad rap. It terrifies some people as they associate it with rusty cars, dirty clothing and eating saltines for every meal. Here’s what I associate frugality as: a privilege of being home with my kid, having almost all my debt paid off except our house and collage loans, I have an emergency fund, and I pay for Christmas presents via cash and not plastic.

Frugality is freedom. Freedom to give me and my family options.Yes I spend money on new clothing, my hair, and on occasion a happy meal or two. We work to pay our debt and this is not freedom. We are forced to have a bond with the word DEBT and that is not freedom.

We have now lived successful with just my husbands income. Its not enormous, but it covers the bills.  We’re not rich (in money terms). But we are paying our bills and giving our child what he needs and loving our lives in the process.

Here is how we do it:

Groceries: This is the easiest place to trim some money from your budget. Cook most of your food from scratch. Plan your meals to minimize extra trips to the store and unreasonable purchases. Go where food prices are the cheapest. We also grow a garden and we preserver our extra produce. Buy and stock up when things are on sale. Eat out in moderation.

Clothing: I like that Calvin’s wardrobe consist of mostly hand-me-downs.  Save money by going to thrift store, consignments and end-of-season sales.  To me its is more fun finding a bargain then just choosing whats in front of me. Bargain shopping encourages contentment and helps you to become a better steward of your money.

Gift Giving:  Give simple gifts like a book, homemade play dough and craft supplies.  Shop thoughtfully for gifts. remember quality over quantity here. I would rather have my child open 5 thoughtful gifts then 10 gifts he doesn’t care about.

Vehicles: You dont need the newest car or truck. Find one with a reasonable payment and pay your debt off. My car has been paid off for  the last 3 years. No car payment helps with funds.

Education: My child will pay for his own college expense, if he chooses to go. Don’t get me wrong i will help out where I can, but I WILL NOT PAY FOR his loans. Both myself and my husband put ourselves  through college.

Activities and Enrichment: As a family we have a budget every year set aside for enrichment. Usually its about 100 a year per kid. We usually do low cost activities as of now. Things like the park and library are great for Calvin.

What do children need most from us?

They need love.  They need food, clothes and shelter. They need clear expectations and responsibilities. They need time to be kids. They need faith. But they do not need allowances, rooms of their own, TV’s in their rooms or name-brand clothing.

Most budgets will cover children’s needs. The trick is to make wise decisions about your wants and needs.

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Weird title right? From Kitchen to Garden? Shouldn’t it say From Garden to kitchen?

NOPE

Today’s Summer BLOG Challenge Prompt: Best Gardening Tips

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Here is the thing. A lot of veggies you purchase and use in the kitchen can be replanted in the garden. So don’t toss it, re-plant it. Here are a few tips on regrowing from Kitchen to the Garden.

Take for example Green Onions. When you buy them in the store, they have a bulb at the bottom. Most recipes just call for the top of the green onion. So here is what you do:

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Today’s Prompt: The best gift you ever received.

One of the best gifts I received is a very special spider plant. About 10 years ago I was gifted a piece of the forever generating spider plant from my grandmother Harriet. When I say forever generating- this thing multiplies and multiplies frequently.  This is one special plant. Not only is it easy to take care of but it came from a special lady.

My great grandma Brown. Its my dads, mothers, mother! Yeah say that ten times fast.  Any who…… Its kinda a neat tradition to keep alive(no pun intended its a plant you have to water it to keep it alive). Many of my cousins and aunts all have a piece of this plant. The babies came from my grandmother Harriet. And she got the plant from her mother.

A plant like this seems so simple but yet it carries a unique story. I plan on sprouting many babies from just one plant, which I have. They are already growing strong. I like to give potted plants for gifts sometimes and this would be such  a great gift to give. I think I might make a little story that comes with the plant. Kinda neat to think that this plant is generations old. It truly is a treasure and the hardest thing to kill. So if you want an easy plant to take care of, I can send you some baby spiders (plants) your way.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

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It was too quiet one day. I went to look for Calvin and this is were I found him.

He was on his big boy bed, playing with his computer. Such a cutie pie.

On another note, my garden is growing fast. I finally transplanted these little buggers to the big garden.

Calvin Drinking his kale, yogurt, berry smoothy! So tasty.

You think I was preggo’s with the way I have been craving coleslaw! This here is an Asian slaw. SO tasty.

Speaking of baby…………….isn’t Calvin so cute?

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Lately with the nice weather hanging out, I have been thinking about this years garden. Last year was the first time we planted a garden at our house. It took some planning and decisions. We needed to plan it where it would get mostly ALL sun and a place where the garden hose would reach for easy watering.  We found just the spot for it.

The thing we ran into was the soil. We live in an area that is full of sand. To have a good garden you need good soil. We didn’t really build up the soil to make it good for growing, but it worked. And over time the dead matter will build up the soil. This year we are going to take action with our soil. Our town has mulch that is free and I am going to get a move on it to get some. It goes fast around here. I am hoping this will bring some goodness to the soil. Also I will be rotating my crops this year. Its good to change locations each year because every plant takes different “things” out of the soil. Its best for growing.

Another idea that I had in mind this year was to use the soak-er hose from last year, but also include hand watering and spraying. I felt the garden was short on water, and this could also be I neglected to water each day.  Water helps for good growing.

Also we need to add growing items for things like cucumbers and squash to grown on. They dont do well on the ground. So this year its my goal to add some homemade growing items  for the garden. I wonder what I can come up with that I could hammer together. I am sure I have some wood around that I could use.

I am excited to start planting, but its way to early here in the Northeast. I have to wait till April/May to plant things in the ground, but I will start my more “squishy” plants indoors. This year things are going to be grown from seed. Its way to expensive to buy them at the store already 4 inches tall. Plus growing form seed you get twice as much plants for a 90% savings.  I have my seeds and ideas all ready planned out. I can’t wait to show you more.

Read here for the reasons I started a garden.

Lettuce bed plans

Last years Lettuce bed

Start of the Garden

Last years garden plans

Read about cold and warm planting times

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Really it is!

Adding a plant in each room brings some green to it. I just love having plants in my house.

This plant hangs in my kitchen window. This is where I start all my babies! ( baby plants that is, you know to make new ones, I guess u can call it the womb)

This one hangs out in our den, till one day when Calvin decides he wants to pull himself up on it. Then it will no longer be at that spot.

This one hangs out in our living room. It was given to me by my grandmother. I think this is where I go my love of plants from.

This one welcomes you as you walk through the door.

They hide in my dining room.

This pepperoni plant lives in our bed room by the window.

My rose plant hangs out in the 3rd bedroom. AKA the computer/crafting room. This plant really requires no watering or sunlight.  I guess its for those who dont have a  green thumb.

So as you can see almost every room in the house, except for Calvin’s room has a living object in it. Green is my favorite color.

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I just made a huge batch of salsa with my garden tomatoes.I can’t wait to crack some open in the middle of winter.

Here is how:

I used almost 3lbs of tomatoes 1/2 cup of cider vinegar and a pouch of Mrs. Wages Medium salsa mix. Then I put it in a freezer container like this one…..

I also pickled cucumbers. Which I also froze. I found the website from here.  And the only reason I know about this cute little blog is from my mother in law. I am now a follower. So I can’t take the credit for the recipe, but I can assure you they are very very yummy.

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Well I really feel like I have neglected my little blog. Seriously the laptop broke and it makes it hard to just in the moment write a post or 3. So I thought I would fill you in on things.

Garden: As i neglect the blog, my little old garden was a wee bit neglected as well. But with that we are still getting tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Just not enough to freeze or pickle. But good thing  i have a fabulous mother in law who loves to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. So a majority of our freezing an pickling came from here garden. Hopefully next year things will be better.

Home Improvement Projects: Well i really want to start on the kitchen table. I want to give it a much needed face lift (and it desrves it). This will take some bribing the husband to let me paint wood. He likes things natural. I like things pretty. And if that takes a can of paint, then so be it. ITs an OLD table. Even way before he was born. So i dont see the big deal. I will do i t anyways!

Cooking: now that the weather is doing a shift and its getting much more tolerable here, I have some yummy new crock pot dishes I would like to try out.

Calvin: wow he is growing like a weed. I missed a “DEAR Calvin your 10 months old post”. But I will fill you in here. He is starting to walk on his own. Seriously daddy and I practice with him at night and he is trilled to show off his moves. He loves to say mom’ma and dadda and nanananananan and kkkkkkkkkkkat.  I think that means kitty, but I am still not sure at this point.  He loves reading books with us. He often picks up a book and comes to us to read it for him.  So Calvin, Daddy and I get all snuggly together and read our baby boy a book. He absolutely loves it.  To to be frank, its down right cute.

Dishwasher: its still broke and it wont be till xmas or after the new year till we get a brand spaking new one.

Calvins bday: The day is set. I can’t wait.

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This is another unplanned post for you. I hope you are enjoying them. I have now made a list of ideas for the next few weeks to come. I hope you don’t mind so many beautiful pictures and post about my dino. Too bad if you do. He is my main focus these days and DIY projects are few and far in between. But cooking on the other hand……..this family needs to eat!

Update on the garden: because the intense heat I have had to water the garden almost 3 times a day for 30 mins. My bean plants have produced beans up the wazoo. I pick handfuls everyday.  Good think I like eating them raw and cooked. Lettuce is doing great and I need to pick some more leaves soon before they get too big and bitter. My green onions are delicious in my egg omelettes. Tomatoes have not began to ripen, but they will soon. They are monstrous this year. We have eaten 3 cucumbers and more are starting to grow.  So far I have been satisfied with my gardens progress.

House: Home improvement project have come to a hault. Kinda need some good chunk change around these parts to spruce it up.

Calvin: well you know how he is if you have been flowing my blog lately. Can’t believe he is 9 months. His daily schedule and happenings will soon be posted.  I know you can’t wait for more pictures.

I recently decided to wash all my drinking glasses again with my accidental housewife secrets. SUPER EASY. Click here for a post on how too.

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So the other day I was blog stalking (oh its so much fun) and I came across the cutest thing ever (besides my Dino).  I thought I could make this. I have a few of those laying around. Why not give it a try.

Off I went in search of the following : 10 flower pots, dirt, and flowers, long poll. They really were not hard to find. I just poked my nose in the shed to find them. AH there was a mess I have not seen in a long time. SO in the midst of searching I cleaned it up a bit. Well mostly the hubby! I helped by using the items I was searching for.

So here it is.

MY Tipsy pot planter

Dont mind the almost dead flower on top. Really I was on a budget and had to hack a bunch apart. I must have screwed the roots up a bit. Lets hope it grows.

Calvin had to come join me outside when I took this picture. So here is a picture of him stalking me.

Calvin checking out what I am doing!

I started out with a whole bunch of these that I spray painted white.

various planter pots

All I really needed was five. I only made one tipsy planter because I didn’t have enough potting soil. I was being frugal remember. I was re-using what I already had. I did have to buy a can of white spray paint.

Here is where my inspiration came from.

SUPER CUTE! I LIKE IT.

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