One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1507 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Mavis Garden Blog – Last Night’s Harvest

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 2, 2013 · 17 Comments

Rain is in the forecast again for today so last night I went out and harvested a few fruits and vegetables so I could take the day off from gardening and work on getting ready for our trip to Memphis.

If you’ve never had real, homegrown strawberries before, you need to put them on your wish list for next year. The last few years I’ve ordered the tri-star variety from Raintree Nursery and absolutely love them.

We have about 2 rows of potatoes that are ready to be dug up so last night I pulled up two potato plants and this is what I found below the surface. Someone get the butter, quick!

More beets!

The heirloom tomatoes are just starting to trickle in. We’ve been picking them every two or three days and Lucy the puggle dog is out there at least twice a day stealing the little cherry tomatoes as well.

Last nights harvest:

1 pint raspberries
1 quart strawberries
2 quarts green beans {Roma and Kentucky bush}
2 quarts tomatoes
2+ pounds potatoes
3+ pound heirloom beets

Not to shabby if you ask me. 🙂

How about YOU? What have you been harvesting lately?

Mavis wants to know.

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Vegan Recipe – Mediterranean Barley Salad

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 1, 2013 · 3 Comments

I spotted this recipe for Mediterranean barley salad in the online edition of L. A. Times and thought it looked pretty tasty. Lucky for me my neighbor Hulda had a jar of capers and we had some kalamata olives in the cupboard so I was able to make it.

It was a little different from the salads I normally liked and I LOVED it!

Ingredients for the Salad

2 cups pearl barley {Amazon or your bulk foods section}
4 cups water
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1/3 cup drained capers
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano,chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for the Dressing

2 tablespoons lemon juice {I used bottled}
1 tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil {Zoe Olive Oil is my favorite}

Directions

Place the pearl barley, water and salt in a rice cooker and cook just as you would rice.

If you do not have a rice cooker simply add the pearl barley, water and salt in a saucepan, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered, until the liquid has been absorbed and barley is tender {about 30 minutes}.

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, mustard, kosher salt, vinegar, chives and olive oil and whisk together. Set aside.

Once the pearl barley has cooled, place the barley in a large bowl, and stir in the dressing. Cover and chill for about 2 hours and then fold in the chopped olives, oregano, capers, pine nuts and chives..

Looking for more recipes like this one? Check out the book Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. It rocks!

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Sales Cycles – What’s on Sale in August?

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 1, 2013 · Leave a Comment

August is bittersweet for me. It’s the last month of summer vacation for the kids {which is both a welcome relief and a little sad, for me at least}. It’s also supposed to be the lazy days of summer, but if you’re on a mission to garden, there’s nothing lazy about it. This month while you’re out, keep an eye for sales on these items:

Food

Juice Boxes {in preparation for school lunches}
Lunchables
Ready Made Kid Snacks
Pudding Cups
Tissues
Granola Bars
Fruit Snacks
Lunchmeat
Canned Fruit
Salmon

Seasonal Produce

Apples
Beans
Blackberries
Blueberries
Carrots
Cherries
Cucumber
Corn
Peas
Plums
Raspberries
Spinach
Summer Squash
Strawberries
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Peaches
Apricots

Non Food Items

Back to school supplies
Swimwear and summer clothing {continued clearance from last month}
Tents {clearance}
Charcoal {clearance}
Water Toys {clearance}
Sunscreen {clearance}
Insect Repellent {clearance}
Swingsets
Lawnmowers
Patio Furniture
Computers {back to school}
Dorm Necessities

Is there a particular item you always notice for sale in August? Let us know in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list.

Saving money is cool!

~Mavis

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Follow Us From Seattle to Memphis: #StJudeorBust

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 1, 2013 · 9 Comments

The Girl and I spent this morning rounding up all garden gnomes from every nook and cranny in our backyard garden. No stone, leaf, or pallet was left unturned.

As of this morning we have collected a whopping 460 gnomes and $231 in cash donations! This means that so far together we have raised $4,831 for St. Jude. HOW COOL IS THAT? 🙂

Since you guys made this whole trip possible when you answered the call to Send in the Gnomes, we feel like this journey is just as much about you as it is about us. So we’re going to be documenting every last mile of our journey and we’d love for you to come along on our virtual trip!

It’s hard to believe but we leave for Memphis in just 6 days and in addition to the endless pictures and posts about all the cool people/places/things we see along the way, we’ll also be posting daily video recaps of the adventures from the day before on my YouTube channel.

We’ll even be giving you “live” coverage via Facebook, Twitter and Google+ every time we “Gnome Bomb” someone, someplace, something! We’ll be using the hashtag #StJudeorBust, so if you just want to narrow in your coverage of the trip, we’ll make it nice and easy for you. So pick your favorite social media outlet, subscribe now and buckle up. It’s going to be a crazy ride!

Here’s how to follow us:

On Facebook
On Twitter
On Google+
On YouTube

Remember to look for our #StJudeorBust hashtag to make following our journey that much easier!

Read more about our St. Jude Fundraiser

See all the Gnomes that Have Been Sent In

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.