One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1510 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 – Zucchini, Beans, Chard and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 30, 2013 · 14 Comments

After watering the garden this morning I snapped a few pictures of some of the vegetables we have growing in our backyard. Out of everything we have planted right now, I think I’m the most excited about finally having zucchini again. We had to plant zucchini seeds like 5 times this year because of all the problems we were having with slugs.

Next year I think I’ll be buying Sluggo in bulk! 😉

Ahh the Swiss chard. Isn’t it lovely?

Green beans! Our Kentucky Wonder bush beans are finally starting to come in.

So far we have only picked a few quarts of cherry tomatoes, no big ones yet. But I have a feeling we will be swimming in tomatoes in a few weeks and I can’t wait to be able to can some homemade salsa and tomato sauce.

We should be able to start picking burpless cucumbers sometime next week. How are yours doing? Mine seem like they are a little behind this year.

More lettuce! Maybe I’ll pick some for a salad tonight.

Maybe I’m weird but, I think I like looking at cabbage leaves more than I actually like harvesting cabbage. They are like little works of art. Don’t you think?

And last but not least, the pear tree. Yep, we are going to have a bumper crop this year for sure. If I had to guess I think we’ll end up with somewhere around 50 – 100 pounds. Maybe more. {I’m hoping for more!}

How is YOUR garden doing so far this season?

Are you ready for fall yet, or are you still having a blast in the garden?

~Mavis

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10 Ways to Save Money on Laundry

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 30, 2013 · 9 Comments

Laundry. It’s one of those chores that is never-ending in our house. The second I throw the last load of laundry into the wash, I usually come around the corner to find a pair of Monkey Boy’s socks hiding under the coffee table. They are there to mock me, I am sure of it.

I usually do a load of laundry a day, depending on what sports the kids are in at the time–which I think is pretty average. Even with an average amount, laundry costs can add up. So, here’s 10 ways to save some moolah on laundry:

Make your own detergent.
Make your own fabric softener.
Choose the shortest wash cycle possible for your clothes. It will save money on electricity, and unless your clothes are really dirty, they don’t need the extra time.
Wash in cold.
Hang your clothes to dry.
Do only full loads of laundry. You’ll be using the electricity either way, might as well get the most out of it.
Make sure to clean your lint trap after each load. It will make your dryer more efficient.
Don’t wash as often. Use your towel a couple of days in a row. Wear your jeans more than once, etc.
Don’t buy dry clean only clothing. Dry cleaning adds up quickly. If possible, spend the money to get high-end machine wash dress shirts instead. It will save you money in the long run.
Don’t want to make your own detergent? Use half the recommended amount to stretch it out.

How do YOU stretch your laundry budget?

~Mavis

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Food Waste In America – Banana Mania!

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 30, 2013 · 12 Comments

Wowie Zowie it was a great week in the free food department! Lot’s of peaches, apricots and pears for our spoiled chickens and oodles of bananas for us. I’m not sure what to make of all the bananas we’ve been getting in the produce boxes lately, but we’ll take them, that’s for sure.

Do you think people purchase fewer bananas in the summer because there is a better selection of fruit to choose from? Do spotted bananas just not sell? Even if marked down? Inquiring minds want to know.

Poor little broccoli head. He was tossed because one of his florets got smashed. 🙁 But you know what they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This white nectarine was deemed unfit for sale because it had a small nick near it’s stem.

And these banana chips? Who knows why they were tossed, but I’ll take them!

Here is all the food we were able to reclaim from the boxes of “scrap produce” we picked up this week from Mr. Produce Guy. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been collecting these scrap boxes for over almost a year and a half now and without fail, each week we are able to not only pull fruits and veggies for our family to eat, but plenty more for our flock of backyard chickens.

Free, nutritious food is out there, you just have to look {and ask} for it. Pretty stinkin’ cool if you ask me.

Peace Out Girl Scouts, have a great day.

~Mavis

Amazon has the Hultzer Banana Slicer back in stock! Please, I’m begging you, go read the reviews on the Banana Slicer. It will make your day! 🙂

Would you like to see what else we have brought home over the past year?

Head on over HERE to read all the past stories and to see all the pictures.

If you have just stumbled upon this series and are wondering how I got all this food for free, you’ll want to read this story first.

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Vegan Friendly Black Bean Fajitas

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 29, 2013 · 11 Comments

The other night I whipped up some vegan friendly black bean fajitas for dinner and man oh man were they delicious. Umm and easy too! 😉 I almost feel guilty posting this recipe it’s so simple.

Ingredients

1 {16 oz} can black beans rinsed and drained
1 sweet pepper sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder {See how I save on Bulk Spices}
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 dozen tortillas

Directions

Heat a medium sized skillet with vegetable oil and sauté veggies until almost done. Add all the spices and sauté for few minutes more. Remove from heat and add a little chopped cilantro. Serve with tortillas or over a bed of rice.

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.