One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1642 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.

Growing Vegetables in a Greenhouse – Early April Pictures

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 2, 2013 · 13 Comments

The greenhouse is starting to fill up. The HH moved an additional table out to the greenhouse over the weekend and I’ve slowly been bringing out flats of plants I started under grow lights and hardening them off before it’s time to plant them in the ground.

The tulips and chives are coming up nicely alongside the greenhouse.

In about another month or so this baby will be packed!

Spinach was planted in the top gutter followed by mesclun lettuce, Swiss chard and romaine lettuce in the bottom set of gutters.

Spinach seedlings.

I know it’s hard to see but the strawberries I started in gutters are beginning to fill out nicely.

Pretty soon flowers will be forming.

Our only 2 folding tables are filled with seedlings. I need to find another table!

BASIL! Wahoooo! I’ll be thinning it and re-potting it soon.

The first round of tomato plants are in the greenhouse. These are my guinea pigs. If they don’t die I’ll set out the rest of them in the greenhouse house until it’s time to plant the tomatoes outside, around Mother’s Day here in the Northwest.

Onions or leeks, I can’t remember at this point. Those need to get planted in the ground as well.

And last but not least, Zinnias. I’m excited about growing these this year.

Do YOU have a greenhouse?

Where are you starting your seeds this year? Inside, outside?

Mavis wants to know.

If you are looking for a greenhouse but don’t want to spend a ton of dough on one, I highly recommend the 5 foot Pop Up Flower House. Before we had our greenhouse installed I used a smaller version of this and loved it. Plus, the reviews are great and you could even grow lettuce in the winter with this baby!

Quick and Easy Set up on Soil or Hard Surfaces in minutes
Protects your plants and extends your growing season.
Clear PVC material with UV protection for longer life.
Promotes and maintains high humidity levels to create a superior growing environment.
Open floor allows greenhouse to be setup over existing trees and bushes.

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.

FREE Groceries – Reclaimed Food Show and Tell

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 2, 2013 · 23 Comments

I’m not sure why but I always get a little excited when I see bagged lettuce in the produce “scrap boxes” Mr. Produce Guy sets aside for me each week. Maybe because I know the chances are really high that is only one or two bad leaves in there and that we’ll be eating salad out of season.

See what I mean. In the consumers eye, one leaf ruins the whole bag. If you were to spot a package on a grocers shelf you’d totally pick a different bag of lettuce.

I have no idea what was wrong with this beet, or the two other I found in the boxes of reclaimed food. Maybe you see something I don’t because all I see is a plate of free roasted beets.

Lucy and her peppers. I bagged up the good ones and tossed them in the refrigerator for her to eat/play with later in the week. When the weather is nice she likes to sun herself on the back lawn and chase raw vegetables around the yard. She doesn’t seem to mind that they don’t chase her back, but she sure has a good time.

She also stole some perfectly good lettuce.

In case you didn’t know, puggles like zucchini.

Not a huge week, but I think I did pretty good. 2 giant bags of lettuce which I’ll use for salads and tacos, apples for lunches, bananas and spinach for smoothies, beets for roasting, and a few radishes for snacking.

If I had to guess, I’d say there is about $20 worth of free produce right there.

Wahooo! I love free fruits and vegetables.

Have you tried asking your grocer for their cast offs yet? If so, was it a big chain store or a local market? Let us know in the comments below.

Have a great day,

~Mavis

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.

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.

Easy Slow Cooker Recipes – Honey Baked Chicken

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 1, 2013 · 4 Comments

I’m sure you know by know I am totally in love with my crock pot. I would totally marry it if I could and if I was ever stranded on an island that had electricity {ha!} I would total bring it along.

This recipe is will take you a whopping 3 minutes to toss together and let me tell you Bob, it was super tasty too!

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {I used frozen}
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

There are really 2 different ways to make this recipe.

If you plan on using frozen chicken breasts, simply turn the crock pot on low, and place frozen chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Melt the butter and all the remaining ingredients together and pour the sauce over the chicken, put the lid on, and cook for 8 hours {this is what I typically do}.

If you plan on using thawed chicken breasts, turn your crock pot on low, and place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot, melt the butter and add all the remaining ingredients together and pour the sauce over the chicken. Put the lid on, and cook for 3 -4 hours.

Serve over a bed of your favorite rice.

Want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time doing the things you love? Check out the book Fix-It And Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes By Phyllis Pellman Good. I own this book and am on a mission to make practically everything in there at least once!

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.

Sale Cycles – What’s on Sale in April?

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 1, 2013 · 4 Comments

One thing I’ve learned over the past few years as I’ve whittled my family’s grocery budget down from $800 a month {2008} to $100 a month {since 2010} is that there are specific times of year when groceries, household items and other goods go on sale.

Just because a certain fruit or vegetable isn’t in season in your neck of the woods, doesn’t mean grocers are not willing to have it trucked in from somewhere else {like citrus for example} to offer you a great price.

April brings Easter {usually}, as well as Earth Day, Tax Day Specials, and the beginning of the gardening frenzy. So while you are out this month, keep your eyes open for sales on the following:

Food

Candy {Easter clearance}
Eggs {For coloring Easter eggs}
Butter {Holiday baking}
Coconut
Horseradish
Ham {Make split pea soup with the leftovers}
Cheese
Dinner Rolls
Organic/Natural foods {in celebration of Earth Day}

Seasonal Produce

Asparagus
Artichokes
Avocado
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Radishes
Lettuce
Kale
Mangoes
Sweet Oranges
Papayas
Pineapples
Chili Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Rhubarb
Shallots
Spinach
Turnips

Non Food Items

Computers
Digital Cameras
Lawn Mowers {Hello spring!}
Reusable Bags
Energy efficient bulbs {Earth Day}
Travel Deals {Spring break}

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

Saving money is cool!

~Mavis

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.