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One Hundred Dollars a Month

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.


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Shopping with Mavis – 21 Packets of Seeds for $0.15 at The Home Depot

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Remember the $25 off Lawn and Garden Coupon I scored yesterday in the mail?  Well guess who went to the Home Depot today?  Me!

I was able to pick up 21 packets of seeds for only $0.15.  Wahoooo!  I now have enough seeds to plant my 2013 herb garden, plenty of Kentucky pole beans for The Girl, and a few varieties of pumpkins for Monkey Boy.  Hot Diggety!

While I was there I also noticed all their spring bulbs were 50% off.  So clearly, now is the time to buy.

And if you are looking for a Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving, they have those too.

When do you buy YOUR tree?

~Mavis


The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook~Available on Amazon.com

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Thanksgiving Recipes – Old Fashioned Cranberry Sauce

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One of the best things about having a blog, is the people you meet along the way. Last year I was fortunate to meet Helen.  You probably know her as Helen from Meridian if you spend much time in the comment section around here.

When I met Helen she was just as I imagined her to be; warm, kind, sentimental, and wickedly funny.

She shared her homemade cranberry sauce recipe with me last winter and I never got a chance to make it.  But I knew this year, when I picked up 2 free bags of cranberries, her recipe for homemade cranberry sauce would be the first thing I’d make with them.

Helen acquired her recipe from her late Mother in Law Juanita. I’m sharing this recipe with you today just as Helen wrote it down for me.

~ Thank You Helen. This cranberry sauce was delicious.

Ingredients

1 12oz pkg Cranberries
2 large oranges, scrubbed
2 cups sugar {less if you like it really tart} I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar

Directions

Freeze bag of cranberries, so they don’t squirt all over you as you grind them.  I put mine thru my Kitchenaid food grinder*.  Alternate 1/4 bag of the berries with sliced wedges of orange, peel and all. When you are all done, stir in the sugar.

Will keep for 2 or 3 weeks refrigerated, but probably will be gobbled up the first day.  Works well on turkey sandwiches too.  Dr. Oz approved for breakfast or snacks.

You could use your Blend-Tec*, Vitamix*or immersion blender*to chop this up too.

Can be made any time of the year if you remember to put some bags of cranberries in your freezer before they disappear from the stores.

~Helen from Meridian

Find More Recipes HERE

*Direct links to products on Amazon.com

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A Decision About Mr. Produce Guy

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Yesterday while I was working in the garden, I was able to uncover a few more potatoes and onions. Finding these gems of vegetable goodness puts a smile on my face every.single.time.  I bet it’s the same feeling gold miners had when they found gold in them thar hills.

When I opened the curtains this morning, I noticed I had completely forgotten about the lettuce growing on my patio.  Crap! There was no way I’d be able to make a salad out of it now. So I chopped the lettuce at the base, and put it in a bowl for the chickens.

On my way out to the chicken run, I also noticed a few undesirable broccoli florets.  So I brought those along as well.

As soon as I walked into the run with the food I had no interest in eating, the chickens started to gather around.  And at that moment, I realized what a dumb mistake it would be to break up with Mr. Produce Guy.

Beggars can’t be choosers. After all, I did originally ask him for “chicken scraps.” So anything I get above and beyond is just a bonus.  So instead of whining about the current lack of edible produce, I should just be thankful I’m able to feed my birds for less out of pocket each month.

Thanks for weighing in. I knew I could count on all of you.

~Mavis

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Mavis’ Backyard Garden Tour – November

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I’ll have you know I talked to Santa Claus last night.  I was telling him how everyone told me to cover my garden beds with straw and now my garden looks untidy, and how Mary Poppins would totally disapprove of the mess.

You know what Santa told me? 

“Don’t worry Mavis, all those meanies will be getting coal this year.  I’ll make sure of it.”

Broccoli

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Cauliflower

Red Cabbage

Kale

Garlic

Oh what a mess!  I don’t know if me and my OCD are cut out for winter gardening.

Hmmm.

~Mavis

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Mavis Butterfield Etsy