One Hundred Dollars a Month

The questions keep on rolling in and so I’m going to, once again, pretend I’m smarter than I am and attempt to answer them. Keep in mind my answers are not scientific, are my own opinion and might, in fact, confuse you more. You’ve been warned.

Of course if you are an expert on any or all of the subjects covered in these questions, pretty please, for the love of Frank, pipe up in the comments below and share your knowledge with the masses. I’ve always said my I have smartie pants readers. Now’s your chance to prove it to me. And go…

Hey Mavis, with Thanksgiving coming up I’ve been writing up a menu, but am having trouble with one item. Gravy!! My family has been vegetarian for about two years and with me not being the greatest cook out there, I like to take the easy road. I thought for sure I could just go in the store and find a pre-made vegetarian gravy on the shelves. Well, the two stores in my town didn’t have any and I ran out of time to try Whole Foods. I’m not opposed to making a vegetarian gravy, just want a good tried & true recipe. I was wondering if you could ask your friend, Francisco, what he uses for gravy. We like to eat vegan too! Love your blog and have been a daily reader for a long time!

~Lisa

You’re in luck! Francisco does have a favorite vegan gravy recipe he raves about. Check out his fav Vegan Thanksgiving Gravy recipe HERE! Although I’ve never tried it, pretty much anything Francisco loves is delish. Any of you lovely readers have any other recipes you know of?

Hi Mavis, my Hubs wants to buy a freezer this coming year. We would like to start buying half sides of grass fed organic beef and such. Any recommendations for freezers and or meat farmers? We live in the PNW as well.

~ Suzanne

As far as a freezer is concerned, we bought both of ours from Costco and have loved them. They don’t sell the ones we have there anymore, but I think looking at Costco if you have one nearby is your best bet. They typically carry high quality appliances at really great prices. Plus their return policy is pretty much unbeatable! Now onto meat farmers. I love Filbert Acres is you are looking for pork, but since you asked about beef, here are my recommendations: Stiebrs Farms and Baron Farms. Both are local to you and have great reputations!

I was thinking you should do a tutorial on making the primitive rugs.  Please and thank you!!

~Megan

Considering it took my a good 6 months to finish this one, I’m not sure I’m the one who should be giving out tutorials! But I do plan on doing some sewing tutorials in the coming year, so I’ll add this to possible post ideas for sure.

I’ve been following your site for awhile and I have to say I’m so impressed by how you’ve handled The Girl leaving for college. My son left this fall and I’m a wreck. How are you keeping it together?

~Cathy

Truthfully it was totally accidental. I got busy. Super busy. And I guess that’s the big secret. If you have no time to stop and think about how much you miss them {or time to sleep or eat!}, it helps. Another thing that really has helped me is sending The Girl a bunch of care packages. Knowing she’s getting a little bit of love mailed to her often helps a lot!

Mavis, I’m trying to eat healthier and set some good goals for feeding my family more consciously before the New Year. I guess you could say I’m setting early resolutions. You have been an inspiration to me when it comes to gardening and growing my own food to help with that, but sometimes I need to supplement with some staples I can;t grow. I prefer organics and I know you mentioned a company you order from online that you like but I can’t seem to find it. Any help?

~Ellen

First, way to go on setting goals early! I think you’re thinking of Vistacost.com. Vitacost is a great site for getting specialty and organic products shipped right to your door. Shipping is always free if you spend more than $49, so I love that about them too. Plus if you sign up through this link you’ll get a coupon code for $10 off your first purchase of $30 or more via email.  I’ve always been really impressed with the quality of their products and the prices, too. Hope that helps!