One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1663 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.

Cool Video – Forest’s Life Shown in 3-Minute Time-Lapse

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 12, 2013 · 5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE time-lapse videos, and this one by photographer Samuel Orr is pretty freakin’ awesome.

Samuel snapped a whopping 40,000 photographs over a 15 month period and created the time-lapse video seen above.

The pictures were taken from his front window just outside Bloomington, Indiana. The short film is titled, “Forest Year”, and I think it’s pretty awesome.

I hope you like it.

~Mavis

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Mavis Garden Blog – Transplanting Spring Bulbs and Strawberries in Gutters

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 12, 2013 · 29 Comments

This morning Lucy and I headed out early and did a little work in the garden.

I transplanted some tulip bulbs I had planted in containers last fall, while she went exploring in the greenhouse.

After getting the bulbs in the ground, we planted a few gutters with strawberry plants. If you are looking for a fun or alternative way to grow berries this year, growing your strawberries in gutters might be what you are looking for.

I’m sure you all know by now my favorite potting soil is made by Miracle Gro. I have no idea why I’m addicted to the stuff. There are a million different brands out there, but this is the kind I like.

Basically if you are going to try and grow berries {or anything else for that matter} in gutters, you’ll need to line the bottom of the gutters with about 1/2 an inch of pea gravel before adding dirt. This will help to aerate the soil.

Then, all you do is plant your strawberry crowns and wait for them to grow. With any luck, you should be swimming in berries by late June or early July.

Here is a picture of what my strawberry gutters looked like last summer. Pretty niffty huh?

What’s happening at YOUR place? Have you planted anything yet? Indoors, outdoors, in your greenhouse, in your mama’s basement?

Mavis wants to know.

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How to Grow Zinnias {Start to Finish}

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 12, 2013 · 11 Comments

Last night I planted a few flats of zinnias and placed them under grow lights. I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve heard they are really easy to grow and since I’d like to expand my flower garden, I thought zinnias would add a pop of color.

These are the varieties I’ll be growing this year:

Envy – I LOVE how they are all green!
Fantasy – Purple and pink flowers are my favorite.
Fireball Blend – Normally I don’t plant red and orange flowers in my garden, but they looked cool so I’m going for it.

Brief description: Zinnias are an easy to grow annual flower. They have big blooms and provide large bursts of color to your garden, and can be cut and brought indoors for an easy bouquet.

Where to Plant Zinnias: Zinnias must have a sunny location. They will adapt to any kind of soil, but prefer well-drained soil. Depending on the variety, they make great borders in flower beds, container and window box flowers. Some varieties will even thrive in hanging baskets.

I always like to try and include photos of the seed because they are just so stinkin’ interesting!

Planting Seeds: Plant 1/4″ deep. Thin to 1 seedling per grow pot when plants are about 2″ tall. Transplant 1-2 weeks after average last frost.

Growing Tips: Zinnias are susceptible to fungal spots, powdery mildew, and bacterial wilt. You can minimize the possibility of these diseases by avoiding watering the leaves. Deadhead to promote new flowers.

How to Harvest: To harvest, just cut the stem at desired length.

Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.

Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!

Have YOU ever grown zinnias before? Do you have a favorite variety?

~Mavis

Why Plant Zinnias? Zinnias attract butterflies to your garden, and who doesn’t love that?

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Reclaimed Food Show and Tell

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By Mavis Butterfield on March 12, 2013 · 10 Comments

It was another awesome possum week in the reclaimed produce department. Every week people ask how I am able to get all this produce for free.

And the answer is really, really simple.

I just asked.

“While I was out running errands, I stopped by my favorite produce market to inquire about possibly picking up “scraps” for my chickens once a week. Although the shopkeeper was a little hesitant at first, he finally agreed to let me come by once a week and pick up whatever scraps were available on that particular day.

The reason he was a little hesitant was because people had come in before asking for free scraps, and then they don’t show up, leaving him with boxes and boxes of rotting produce. So I thanked him {profusely} and promised I would be back on the set date to pick up the scraps. April 23, 2012 – Mavis

In the end, what is really boils down to is making a connection, and following through. There have been a couple of weeks over the past year when I was not able to pick up the produce because I was out of town. But I always called or stopped by and let Mr. Produce Guy know I would not be picking up the produce on our set pick up day.

There are grocery stores, produce stands, farms and shops all over the world that would be willing to give away their scraps, if someone would just come pick them up. You just have to find one.

I’ll totally admit, I got lucky. The first store I asked said yes. And no, I won’t name the store, because big or small, chain store or Mom and Pop, East Coast, West Coast, each individual store will be different.

If you are turned down by the first store, keep asking around. The worst thing they can do is tell you no. Hopefully, if this type of thing appeals to you, at some point, you will find your Mr. Produce Guy.

It never hurts to ask.

Peace Out Girl Scouts, now go forth and find some free food {if you want}.

~Mavis

American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food

Would you like to see what else we have brought home over the past 11 months?

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.