BATTENING DOWN THE HATCHES

Hello dear friends!   Hope you all are staying warm.  How quickly the weather changes!   Last week we attended an auction and it was too warm for a sweater, this week we spotted the first snowflakes.   I wish we had more of the sunny 50 degree weather, but as they say, "If wishes were horses, all men would ride.".   Thanks to our woodpile, we haven't had to use the furnace yet.   I think a well-stacked woodpile is a thing of beauty.

Keeping Warm

Although we have newer windows, our house being so old and crooked, has a lot of drafts.  We use that plastic weatherproofing  over the windows in our unheated mud room and on the upstairs windows.   We also use bubble wrap as added insulation on the north side facing windows in the upstairs.   These windows face the neighbor's house ( in these old neighborhoods the houses are very close together), so we don't care about obstructing the view.   Just put the bubble wrap up on the windows, the static makes them cling, then we put the plastic weather proofing over that.  We've already noticed that the rooms are staying warmer.  BTW, we always buy these weatherproofing kits from the Goodwill store and from estate sales.   They only cost a couple of dollars there and are well worth it.   Last year our highest heating bill was around $100.   I wrote this post almost four years ago on tips for staying warm and cozy, it's become one of my most popular posts.

Auctions And Estate Sales

This past week we attended two auctions and three estate sales.   We won the bid for this washstand:

We needed more storage in our bathroom and this fit in perfectly.  It costs the same as a particle board one from the store and it's solid wood and will retain it's value because it's an antique.   Auctions are a wonderful way to furnish your home.   If you like antiques, they are a lot cheaper than antique stores and if you just want furniture and don't care about it's pedigree, furniture can be bought for pennies on the dollar.  I've seen like-new sofas go for less than ten dollars.  Many  auctions are to settle the estates of elderly people that  are not very hard on them.  Just be sure to set a limit, lest you go "bid crazy".   Never bid on the first few things, either.  Usually the bidders get excited and bid too high on them.  As the day wears on the crowds fall away, having spent all their money, and the things become cheaper.  Lucky you, if the items you want is at the end of the auction, when the auctioneer is tired out and the crowd just wants to get it over with.  Another tip is never to make the first bid.   The auctioneer  always starts out with a high amount, hoping to catch a newcomer.   I always wait until the bid comes down to one or five dollars, or for furniture, ten dollars. Even if you don't bid on anything, auctions are free entertainment.

Estate sales are wonderful places to get tools and household items.   This past year we've bought boxes of paintbrushes, sandpaper, drill bits, light bulbs, paint stripper, paint, yarn, cloth, etc.   for just a few dollars.  The prices on antiques seem to be on the high side, but if you go at the end of the last day, you can usually make a deal for 50% off the price.  Sometimes they have the last day as a half-price day.   Two places to find auctions and estate sales in your area are auctionzip.com and estatesales.net.  I wish I had known about auctions and estate sales when we were young and setting up house.   The cheap furniture that we bought (it was all we could afford)  fell apart within a year.

Ran bought me this beautiful Westmoreland milk glass swan compote at one of the estate sales.

It's a sweet reminder of one of the most memorable moments in our lives.   One day we were out for a ride when we came across acres upon acres of swans in a farmer's field.   There were thousands perhaps hundreds of thousand swans, as far as the eye could see.  The sound was deafening.  It was one of the most awesome things I ever experienced.  We live in the migration path of swans and sometimes we spot flocks of several dozens, but never did we see that many ever again. Our happiest memories have never been when we spent money.  Just goes to show you that money doesn't buy happiness.

Thrifty Meals

People always joke about eating beans and rice, but in truth they are two of the cheapest foods you can buy, especially if you buy them in bulk.   And they are filling.   Today we had bean burritos.

We make our own "refried" beans, they're cheaper  than the ones in a can and healthier too.  To make the beans we start with dried beans that we cook in a pressure cooker or ones that I have canned.  But you can make them on the stove top. Just wash and pick over the beans.   Place in bowl with enough water to cover them by a couple of inches.  Soak overnight.  In the morning rinse the beans and put in a pot with enough water to cover them by several inches.   Bring to a boil.  Once boiling turn down to a simmer and cook until the skins start to burst and the beans become as soft as you desire.   Sometimes old beans never seem to soften up enough, that's why if you are planning to make a lot of beans and rice, a pressure cooker is a good investment. (You might find one at an estate sale!)

On to the refried beans:   Once the beans have been cooked, mash them with a fork.   Add a clove of minced garlic, the juice of half a lime, salt and pepper to your liking, and about 1/4 C. salsa.  Heat through.

The rice is 1/2 C. rice cooked with a can of tomatoes and 1/2 C. water.  Add 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.  Add salt if desired.   Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer until the rice is tender about twenty minutes.

To make the burritos, spread some beans and rice on a tortilla.  Spread some salsa in a 8 X 10 inch pan.  Roll  the tortillas up and place in the pan.   Pour a can of enchilada sauce over and top with a handful of cheese.  Or leave off the cheese to make this vegan.   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the burritos are heated through.

To tell the truth, this is just as good as just the beans on top of the rice with a bit of cheese sprinkled atop.   I don't think that the tortillas add much to the flavor.   So to be extra thrifty, skip them.  I just happened to have some that I bought on the reduced for quick sale aisle.

For more tips on cooking with beans, I wrote this post.

Thrifty Baking

We're still working our way through our bushels of apples.   This applesauce cake is  wonderful  on a chilly evening with a cup of tea or better yet, a mug of cocoa.  (This is the recipe from the book, The Homecoming, cut down to practical proportions and I added the raisins)

Applesauce Cake


1/2 C, butter
1/ 2 C. sugar
1 C. applesauce
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1/2 C. raisins
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 C. flour
1 egg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg

Cream butter until soft.  Add sugar a little at a time until the mixture is smooth.
Beat in the egg.
Alternately stir in dry ingredients and applesauce.  Beat until well-blended.
Add nuts and raisins.
Pour into a well greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Frost with a thick white frosting.


Thrifty Things We Did This Week

Refinished an auction find with refinisher purchased at an estate sale.
Traded our labor for a quart of honey.
Used our Subway card for a free sub.
Got rid of our cell phone and went with a "pay-as-you-go" phone. 
Bought a grocery bag full of clothes and woolens for crafts from a church rummage sale.
Used our wood stove to heat our house.
Got more free pallets for firewood.
Watched free TV on Hulu.
Picked a bushel of pears (the last harvest of the year).

That's it for this week.   Hope you have a lovely week ahead.  Stay warm!

Jane