One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1646 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.

DIY Rustic Pea, Bean or Garden Trellis

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 28, 2013 · 3 Comments

I originally posted these photos of my rustic pea trellis last year but I thought I would share them with those of you who might have missed it and are looking for an inexpensive way to trellis you peas {or beans} this spring.

If you happen to live in an area where you can score some free sticks, you are in luck. Last spring we had a ton of saplings and dead branches that needed to be removed from the backyard.

We were able to re-purpose them and create a rustic pea trellis instead of just letting them decompose.

To make a rustic trellis, simply lay the branches down in a grid like pattern, and tie the sticks together at each crossing {I tied triple knots}.

This is suppose to be rustic, so remember, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Quirky is good!

I like to use Luster Leaf twine for my garden projects because it comes with a built-in twine cutter.

Once you have all your knots tied carefully lift your trellis and move it into place.

Another great way to grow peas is to create a teepee. Either way, fresh peas rule, and once you get your peas planted, you’ll only be about 60 days away from a delicious harvest.

Grow Baby Grow!

~Mavis

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Mavis Garden Blog – Radish, Pea and Spinach Seedlings

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 28, 2013 · 16 Comments

This morning I went outside while Lucy was napping and planted my second batch of radish seeds between my 12 cabbage plants.

I planted my first batch of radish seeds about 2 weeks ago and this is what they looked like this morning. I’ll wait a few more days before they are all up before I start to thin the tiny little seedlings.

The peas are also up as well. Colleen from facebook was worried she planted her peas too early because they were taking awhile to break through the soil. I told her not to worry, sometimes peas can take up to 2 weeks before they decide to wake up.

Also, the spinach in the greenhouse gutters is also starting to peek through the soil as well.

Starting seeds in early Spring can be torture when you have to wait for them to sprout. The cooler temps mean longer germination times, but hang in there, don’t worry, your seeds will grow.

Are you waiting for any particular seeds to break through the soil right now?

If so, what? I’m anxiously awaiting for those Toy Bok Choy seeds to pop up.

Now go out there and have some fun.

~Mavis

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10 Ways to Start Saving Money for Christmas Now

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 28, 2013 · 25 Comments

Yep, you read it right: Christmas. I know, it’s only March, but the thing is, for many of us the holidays always seem to sneak up on us.

I know there’s that whole put money aside each month and forget about it principle, and I don’t know about you, but there always seems to be a more pressing need each month. So here’s 10 easy ways to start saving now and hardly feel it:

Put any money you get that isn’t a paycheck into an envelope. When you find spare change or a $5 bill in your coat pocket, put it in the envelope. Put any money you get for shopping rebates or cash back into the envelope. If your friend gives you cash to pay her portion of the lunch bill, stash it, and put it into the Christmas envelope.
Stash gift cards. If you earn gift cards or get them as gifts, put them in the envelope. You can exchange them for presents later on {just be sure to check the expiration dates}.
Only buy things that are on sale. Put the difference of the regular price and sale price into the Christmas envelope.
Eliminate one meal out each week. Put the money you would have spent into the Christmas envelope.
If you haven’t signed up for Swagbucks, it’s a super simple way to earn gift cards that you can apply towards your Christmas shopping.
Sell your stuff. Stuff you don’t use is just clutter. Commit to selling one or two items a month on ebay or craigslist. Sell gently used clothes your kiddos have grown out of to consignment shops. Put your earnings in the Christmas stash.
Open up a Christmas account. A lot of accounts, like the Capital One 360 free online checking account will give you $50 for free, just for opening an account. {I don’t know about you, but $50 can go a long way towards Christmas.}
Cut back on your cable/dish package for just 2-3 months. This is a great way to save some money in the summer when the shows are not new and you’re outside most of the time anyway. Put the difference into, yep, you guess it, your Christmas envelope.
Lower your cell phone plan or cut the landline. This could easily free up $50 per month towards Christmas.
Round up all of your purchases, keep track and “pay yourself” daily. When you go to the grocery store and pay $4.58, round up to $5.00. Put the extra $.42 into the envelope. Rounding up all your purchases will add up fast.

How about YOU? How do you budget for Christmas?

Do you have any painless Christmas saving tips?

~Mavis

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Lucy the Puggle Dog Delivers Daffodils to Francisco

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 27, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Lucy the puggle dog and I took some time this afternoon {what a gorgeous day!} and picked a bouquet of flowers for one of our favorite neighbors, Francisco.

I think Lucy might be part Dutch.

We must have stuffed about 40 stems in a vase I found in the cupboard. Don’t they look pretty on Francisco’s table? Don’t tell Francisco, but I covet his wood plantation shutters. I want them. I wonder if there’s anything he would barter them for?

Lucy loves Francisco.

And his dogs too.

Ahhh puppies. Aren’t they the best?

~Mavis

P.S. Thank you to everyone who sent in pet submissions. It’s been really fun reading your stories and seeing all your pictures. I hope to post some of them soon.

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.