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Sunday, December 27, 2015

CONTENTMENT SETTLES IN

Hello dear friends!  I hope this post finds you all safe and rested.  Did you have a jolly Christmas?   The week before Christmas we traveled downstate to visit with our son and family.  And wouldn't you know it? It snowed so we had a very slow and slippery trip back home.   Hazardous driving is becoming part of our Christmas tradition. Ha!  But in a way, I got my white Christmas.   Strangely, I found it very peaceful edging towards home on the icy roads in the warm and toasty car, confident that my dear husband would deliver us safely to our doorstep.    On Christmas eve, we attended a free screening of It's A Wonderful Life at our local theater.  I've watched  that movie dozens of times but I always shed a couple of tears at the ending, sentimental old fool that I am.  What a treat to see it on the big screen! Christmas itself, was a very quiet and nontraditional affair; lots of conversations via the phone and Skype, no presents (we're saving for a new car), and our meal was a Cajun fish dish that we really love but rarely have because fish is not usually in our price range.   You know what?  It was a perfect day! But now it's back to our normal thrifty routine.

FORAGING

 Ran has been warding off a cold by making a tea of pine needles and rosehip syrup .  To make the tea, just steep the chopped up  needles from a  red pine tree (the red pine has two needles) in boiling water.   Strain and drink.

HOW TO FEED STEAK TO A CROWD

We rarely eat meat, and even more rarely eat red meat, but every once in a great while, my body tells me I need some.  I can't explain it except to say that I start to feel very fragile.   It's taken me almost half a century to become attuned to my body; I abused it for many years eating processed foods and sweets, but one of the greatest benefits of our thrifty self-sufficient lifestyle is becoming more healthy via all the organic and wholesome foods we now grow and eat.  Also, now that we can't afford to run off to the doctor whenever we feel ill, we've had to study natural and alternative remedies.  Anyway, this is a long-winded way of saying that my body was telling me that I needed some red meat (probably iron).   Fortunately our local butcher had a cheap cut of steak on sale that was cheaper than hamburger, so I made this:
Boarding House Ragout

a few rashers of bacon, diced
4-6 med. potatoes, sliced
3-4 carrots, sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
1 lb. round steak (or any other cheap steak) cut into strips
1 C. beef broth

In a Dutch oven or large cooking pot, layer bacon, steak, onions, carrots and potatoes  Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper.  Pour broth over top.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until meat is cooked through and carrots and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. 

This is one of the old recipes from the 1920s or 30s, back when there were boarding houses.  People weren't  supposed to cook in their rooms, but often they'd sneak in a hot plate to make soups and dishes such as this.  Where have all the boardinghouses gone?   I think in these days, when people are really struggling, it would be a perfect solution for the young single working poor. Guess we've all become too independent. BTW, I think some cabbage would be good in this too (plus add more filling).  Probably wasn't included in the recipe because the smell would have alerted the boardinghouse owner.

SALVAGING

When we were out for our Christmas walk, we discovered a pile of lumber that was been thrown out at a home undergoing renovations. Well, Merry Christmas!  Beautiful old pine boards and pretty trim, some 16 feet long.   We have so much fun making cupboards, such as the one I wrote about here, and shelves from salvaged materials.  We also keep all the nice hardwood boards from free pallets.   Our garage is getting full. So many possibilities! At the very least, we can always burn it for heat, but that would be a shame.   We only half-jokingly remark that we have almost enough free wood to build a house.   More and more we talk of selling this place and building further away from everything.  Someplace where we can have a well and keep a few chickens and bees.   We always see windows and doors being thrown out, not to mention beautiful old porcelain sinks  (the old-fashioned kind with the built-in drainboards).   I bet if we put our thinking caps on, we could build a very nice little cabin very cheaply with salvaged materials.  That's when you know you are a true thrifter; when you see a home in somebody else' junk pile!

CRAFTS

Speaking of salvaging, my dear friend Mary, gave me a large bag of Ralph Lauren woolen samples from an upholstery shop.(She also gave me four skeins of that very expensive Madeline Tosh merino yarn that she found at a thrift store for 99cents each, but more about that another day).  

Such beautiful woolen pieces!   There are several samples that are large enough to make the front of a vest or maybe pillows, I haven't decided yet.  With the smaller pieces, I'm making another penny rug.

 This time in quieter tones.   I might make a table runner in the same manner as I made my woolen quilt  that I made earlier this year or perhaps pillows.  So many ideas!  Anyway, one of the life lessons  I've learned from Mary is that it doesn't hurt to ask. What's the worst that could happen?   Perhaps you know of an upholstery shop that would be glad to give you their  samples that they are getting rid of?

I also knitted  this cap for Ran, using this free pattern from Lion Brand yarns and Red Heart fleck yarn.

I call it the cosmic brownie hat, after those Little Debbie brownies. It's chocolate brown with colored sprinkles.   Jamie and I can't eat dairy so we freeze them in the summer for a special frozen treat.

Another thing that I always do after Christmas is to cut up the Christmas cards that we receive  into small rectangles and glue a piece of plain white paper on the back.  Then punch a small hole on the top and tie on a ribbon.  These I use for next year's gift tags.

WHAT I BOUGHT AT THE AFTER-CHRISTMAS SALES

The after-Christmas sales are great for getting wrap and decorations for next year, fortunately I didn't need any. But I did need wrap and ribbons for other occasions, so  I found some very non-Christmasy  wrap in silver and some spools of ribbon that were not red or green.  I also bought those nice white gift boxes and packages of tissue paper that makes hand knit or sewn items look special when giving them as presents.   Besides that I found some little stocking stuffers to put away for the shoe box Christmas charity next year.    In the past, I've bought the plain solid chocolate (the ones shaped like Santa, reindeer, etc.) and chopped them up for baking with throughout the year.  Cheaper than chips!  I also have purchased Christmas cacti and repotted them in pretty pots for next year's gift giving.  I was unsuccessful in finding any battery powered twinkle lights, which was my main mission.   Oh well!  I guess I've gotten along this far without them!

THRIFTY THING WE DID THIS WEEK

Attended a free showing of It's a Wonderful Life

Bought wrap and ribbons at the after-Christmas sale.

My son in Wisconsin sent us a gift box of assorted meats from a well-known Wisconsin meat packer and another son gave us some of his home raised turkey and lamb so we are all "meated" up for the next several months.

Started a penny rug from free woolen samples.

The fruit market is closing down for the winter and they had some great sales.  I bought  bags of chocolate chips for  99 cents a bag!  So I bought six bags, enough for the entire year.   They also  had bags of shredded cheese for 99 cents, which I froze.

We ate soup  this week using the small ham that was included in my son's gift.  That lasted for several days.  The rest of the ingredients came from the pantry and cold storage.

Salvaged a large pile of lumber.

Foraged red pine needles for a home remedy.

Took advantage of Ebay's no-fee listing to sell five items on Ebay.

Skyped with long distance relatives.

Made macaroni and cheese with all the leftovers in the cheesekeep, the remaining cream cheese and sour cream from holiday baking.  It made  a very rich dish, but now we can enter the new year with a clean  and healthy slate.

In spite of it being the Christmas week, we did pretty much what we do all year long; heat with wood, hang our clothes to dry, bake our own bread, eat from the fruit cellar and pantry, etc.

Well, this has been quite a year, with the birth of a granddaughter, friendships made and other rekindled, and new knowledge learned.  There have been some financial setbacks, but that's small potatoes in comparison  to all that we have gained.  We are looking forward to the new year, once again to face a clean slate.  One of the biggest blessings of this year has been the support of you dear friends.   May you go into the new year confidently and joyfully.

Hugs
Jane







 



31 comments:

  1. Hi Jane! It sounds as if you had a lovely week! And I enjoy reading about your cooking and thriftiness. You set a good example for me. I waste a lot but I am really trying not to. My husband keeps warning me that when he retires (soon...this spring) I have to be thrifty as we will be living off savings. I am glad you had a good visit with your son and his family and made it back safe! I bet the snow, although dangerous with driving, was so pretty!
    It would be especially neat to see if you ever move out in the country more....I can imagine what more information you could give us by your example and blogging! We plan on selling our house later this spring and house-hunting...not sure where yet although we have two areas in mind..one nearby and the other by where most of my kids went to college in Maryland. Time will tell. Love and Peace! Andrea

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    1. Hi Andrea! I was wondering what you were up to after reading your post about relocating plants. Sounds very exciting! Living off of savings is a challenge, you just don't know where inflation is going to take you. It's probably a good idea to move someplace where it's cheaper to live and where you can have a garden. All things to consider. We're just tired of all the silly zoning laws. Here we live in one of the windiest areas in the world, yet we can't put up a small windmill to generate the enough electricity to run our lights. We can't have chickens here either, yet much posher places can. What harm would having a few chickens do? The probably wouldn't make as much mess or noise as a dog. Don't get me started! Ha!

      I find it fun to be thrifty. There's so much scope for the imagination. It must be tiresome to have everything you want.

      Right now I'm selling some things on Ebay. One of the items is a Hermes scarf that I bought at a thrift store for $1. Right now the bid is up to $76 and it's only the first day. To me, that's nuts to spend that much on a scarf. I just can't imagine it. But God bless those that do! Wish I could find more of these scarves!

      Have a happy New Year!

      Love
      Jane

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    2. oh my! that is so neat about the scarf! You are smart!
      I think there is wisdom in thrifting and I am hoping with my older age I will learn. I am beginning to, in that I really hate wasting anything. I also am in no need of anything material! I always wanted chickens...you have to have 1 acre here to have them and we have 1/3rd of an acre. Thanks to you I learned to can (preserve) and other things so I think you got me started. I do have materials to learn to knit...maybe this winter if it gets real snowy! love,andrea

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    3. Well, you always know that you can ask anytime you have a question about canning and such.

      It's kind of scary about the scarf. I hate that people are bidding so much for it, especially since I found it in a thrift store. Also have a Gucci one that I picked up for 50 cents that's selling pretty well. I always check the scarf bin at the thrift stores and estate sales! It's better than panning for gold!

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  2. What a wonderful post! I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. You inspire me so much dear Jane.

    Have a great last week of 2015 and a wonderful 2016 ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thanks Rainey! Hope you had a nice Christmas! Happy New Year!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. Hi Jane!
    I have to say your posts are always so full of the fun/thrifty things you do that when I see you've posted I quickly brew a cup of my favorite tea then sit, sip tea and generally have a nice visit with you. So. fun.
    I'm so glad you got your white Christmas. At least somebody did - ours was very warm in the 70s... Ain't right, it just ain't right. Anyways, I had never heard of Boarding House Ragout, but it sounds tasty. And I love that you found the wood and are saving it to maybe build a cabin. We intend to downsize drastically when Goodman retires in a few years. I'll have to put several sets of dishes on ebay, lol.
    My jaw dropped, and my mouth gaped when I read your comment to Andrea about the scarves. Oh. my. word. on the bidding for them, but don't feel bad those folks must have loads of money, and they're having a blast in the bidding game so just enjoy the blessing of having found them and the profit you'll receive from reselling them. Love it.
    I had no idea you couldn't have chickens or a windmill where you live. That's intolerable! In the last few years our county has been passing more regs every year so we're planning to move eventually, too.
    I did find a few things on half-price sale at a big box store yesterday. I got a set of Real Tree wrapping paper and bows for guy gifts, love it. And I found some cute hermetic jars with seals of different colors for storing herbs. :)
    Have a wonderfully thrifty week!
    Toni

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    1. Hi Toni! What a sweet thing to say. Thank you!

      Guess it's my Puritan ancestry that makes me feel guilty about spending money or having others spend too much money.

      I wonder where is a good place to live that gives you the freedom to do what you want? I'm a libertarian and all these zoning laws and building codes just irk me beyond belief. It's a though we don't own our land. Well we don't I guess if you consider what would happen if you don't pay your taxes. Someone said it's becoming more like serfdom and I'd have to agree.

      Men and cammo! Guess they need to be in constant readiness. Hope they'll be able to find their presents under the tree! The jars sound cute.

      Have a happy New Year!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  4. Hello Jane,

    I found your blog from Rhonda's "If you do stuff, Stuff gets Done" blog. I've have enjoyed your most recent posts. I love how you often comment "... nothing goes to waste". This past week our middle son and a family friend were able to come up for Christmas. I routinely heard my son say to our friend, "nothing goes to waste", each time I made a large pot of soup or a casserole from leftovers. He even made the comment when all opened their homemade Christmas gift as they were all made from left over sewing and craft supplies. Now, please note, my son says this with only the highest admiration for my frugality.
    We seem to utilize many of the same frugal ideas. I hope you and your family & friends enjoy a most blessed New Year.

    In Christ,
    Mrs.B

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    1. Hello Mrs. B! Sounds like you raised your son right. What is that Bible verse in Proverbs about training up your child and they won't depart from it? I know it's about raising them to have faith, but I think thrift can be applied too, don't you? Thanks for stopping by!

      Happy New Year!
      Jane

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  5. Sounds like a wonderful week, Jane! I wish you were closer! I could use your energy! This year promises to be a wonderful one!

    I cannot wait to see your penny rug! The last was so lovely! If you are like I am, I love holding the fabric / wool and feeling it (and, I hope, filling it with love!).

    Here's to a joyous New Year!

    As ever... M

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    1. Hi Matty! I'm sure you are looking forward to the new year and a very special delivery!! I really love study the colors and textures, that's why it's so frustrating that I can't quilt. Look for a package this week. I sent it out on Saturday. Hope you like it! Happy new year, dear friend!

      Love
      Jane

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  6. Jane,
    It sounds like you had an exciting drive! I'm glad you made it home in one piece. Your Christmas sounds like it went well and was wonderful for you.

    The scarves are a blessing to you. Clearly, some things have no explanation about why certain people find them so valuable, but clearly, God decided to bless you when you found them for such an inexpensive price. That's exciting! I'm happy for you. It will be amazing to you to see how high of a price they end up at!

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    1. Hi Becky! It was a nice ride because everyone was driving carefully. But oh my! Was there ever the black ice.

      The scarf is up to $127. I guess that is a good way to think of it, as a blessing. The Lord does work in strange ways sometimes!

      Happy New Year!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  7. Hello Jane, I enjoy your weekly post so much!
    I like the name of the stew, it reminds me a hamburger soup recipe I found years ago in a Marine wives cookbook. They called it Day Before Payday soup.
    Yea for a new grand daughter and for the found wood.

    That is amazing your scarf is doing so well on EBay. You had a great eye to buy it.

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    1. Thanks Rhonda! Most of the soup we make is "the day before payday" Ha! Thank goodness for soup. It certainly is thrifty!

      I really enjoy scouring the thrift stores and garage sales for deals like that scarf. One time I bought a silver creamer for 25 cents and it sold for over $300 on Ebay. I had no idea what it was, except that I thought it was pretty. Turned out to be Georgian. I started the bidding at $5 and within minutes people were contacting me with questions as to why the starting bid was so low. The sale came right in the nick of time, too, as we were struggling to meet our son's tuition.

      Have a Happy New Year!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  8. Jane I am so glad you got to spend time with your son and his family before Christmas but more glad that you made it home safely :) Yesterday we had a blizzard go through the Midwest here but we got less snow than predicted but I'm staying put until DH gets the tractor out tonight after work and blades the lane for me. He has 4 wheel drive on his truck so he has no trouble. I'm a chicken driver to start with so I just stay home. It is plenty cold though so I'm not even walking these days, not with the wind we are having and the below teens temps. I'm pretty sure we have your dream home except we don't have a wood burner for heat except in our outbuildings. We have 5 acres, a well with a windmill, a WPA outhouse and chickens. I truly hope you are able to get one like it someday. We got new neighbors this summer, a young couple with 4 little girls and they say their new house is their dream home. Big old farm house turned Victorian by the previous owners. I am so glad they found it. They are wonderful people to neighbor with. Well, stay warm, stay thrifty and Happy New Year. Nannie.

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    1. Your place sounds like my dream, Nannie! When we bought this place, we thought we would be content just to live in a small village, but as the village government becomes more corrupt and the area becomes more trendy, we are feeling constricted living here. Love our neighbors, though. We;ll have to see how things go.

      I'm a chicken driver too! For several years I lived up here alone and in winter I was pretty much confined to home. Thank goodness we have a small grocery store that's just a few blocks away. Now I keep a well-stocked pantry so I don't have to drive.

      Our big storm turned out to be much ado about nothing! Only a couple of inches of snow.

      Happy New Year!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  9. Wow! You have been busy. I love the ragout recipe.

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    1. Ha! Not really! Just looks like more when you write it down.

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  10. Happy New Year Jane! I am making your boarding house stew today (which isn't the new year yet) (minus the bacon). I just told my husband I am glad I didn't over-buy/cook for Christmas so I can make something fresh and healthy. I forgot to say earlier, how beautiful your wool is! Andrea

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    1. Andrea, I'm so glad you wrote to me today, I was thinking of you. There was a speaker, Dr. Laurence White,on the Rick Wiles radio program that was so dynamic and inspiring talking about the sins of abortion, I thought you might like to hear it. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t6nzxfHqMY

      Believe it or not, I made the ragout today too! Ran kept looking at the picture and saying it made him hungry. We used some of the lamb that our son gave us, Really good! Such an easy meal.

      I finished making the pennies today and now I'm on to sewing them onto the foundation. Only two more days and we can put this year in the books!

      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. Thank you! I am listening now. That pastor saw it coming. My husband and I were just talking about how students aren't even taught history (probably through design!) So sad hearing of the sufferings. The devil is a liar from the start and has people really blinded! Poor little babies! I am angry I don't hear talks against abortion in my churches...it is seemingly forgotten anymore. Andrea

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  11. I noted that you put bagged shredded cheese in the freezer. [I seldom buy the pre-shredded, although I did recently when we had a crowd for our family reunion.] I seem to recall that brick type cheese [cheddar] can be frozen and is good for cooking but tends to be too crumbly after thawing to slice well for serving with crackers. Cabot's Sharp White Cheddar is our favorite and a better buy in the 2# brick than in smaller pkgs. I froze half this time as I felt guilty [wasteful] that the end of the last brick purchased went a bit moldy and off-tasting. Have you had good luck using cheese which has been frozen? We have cheese available in large pgks but I'm wary of buying it and not making good use of it all.
    I am rather envious of your stash of woolen remnants!

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    1. Hi Sharon! I find that cheese that is frozen gets rubbery so not too good for eating, but great for casseroles, etc. I always shred mine because it makes it easy to just break off as much as I want and keep the rest frozen. Cheese can last for up to six months in the freezer. Just make sure to get all the air out of the bag when freezing it so it doesn't get freezer burn taste. As a rule I don't buy pre-shredded either, unless I get a really good buy on it. Pre-shreds sometimes have fillers in them, on the label it will say something like cellulose, which is good old-fashioned wood shavings.

      Have you ever tried Cabot's seriously sharp? That's our family's favorite. I like it even better than expensive fancy-schmancy cheeses.

      Bet you could make something wonderful with that wool. I'm just finishing a penny rug with the smaller pieces. Can bear to cut into the larger pieces yet.

      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. Re Cabot's--As Vermonters born and raised [before we began moving around] Jim and I have a long love affair with Cabot's products. There is a limited access to them here, but better than in WY where'cheddar' meant a yellow cheese--not sharp white. I've bought Cabot's Hunters' Sharp when I could find it, don't think I've seen the Seriously Sharp. The 2# brick of Sharp White is the best buy at [usually] under $9. I will plan to use the frozen half in cooking. I like potatoes in a cream sauce with cheese--winter comfort food! BTW: Wal Mart [the store we love to hate] has begun to stock Cabot's yogurt.

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    3. Hi Sharon! I was curious about the Hunter's sharp and discovered that it is now called seriously sharp, so we're talking about the same thing. We get the seriously at Wal Mart. Didn't know they made yogurt. Bet that it is good. We also love the cheddar sage and Old Rat Trap, that we used to be able to buy in the Vermont Country Store catalog. The Vermont Cheddar Sage was a Christmas tradition.

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  12. dear jane,
    what a wonderful post. it sounds like a wonderful week.i love reading your post about your thrifty life......thanks for all the wonderful tips.
    i wish you a wonderful new year!!!!
    bear hugs from regina

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    1. A big New Years bear hug to you too, Regina! It's so good to hear from you again. Been wondering where you disappeared to.

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  13. Dear Jane,

    A happy New Year and belated Christmas to you! Mmm, pine needle tea and rosehip syrup; Ran should be doing well! Two of my girls have had strep throat this past couple of weeks, reminding me that we need to be careful and not eat too much dairy (the main cause of it). Always something to remember! I love your hat for Ran, and what a find, the lumber and wool! It seems that the Lord knows who has their hearts open to receive things, and those things "happen" to find their way to them. I think it is wonderful, and I do hope you can live your dream of having bees and chickens someday soon.

    Love,

    Marqueta

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    1. Hi Marqueta! Yep, that did the trick. I didn't know that an allergy could cause strep throat. Yikes! I'll have to be careful.

      We do have the same dream don't we? It would be hard to leave my little orchard that we planted and the finally now-producing hazelnut. Sometimes I get cold feet at the idea. Well, I have lots of time to pray and ponder the idea. We can't take any money out of Ran's 401K until he turns 59 1/2 and that won't be until November.

      Happy second day of 2016!

      Hugs
      Jane

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