One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 762 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.

Penny Pinching Tip – Don’t Throw Away Your Plant Containers!!!

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 17, 2015 · 14 Comments

Yesterday I took down the hanging flower basket and was pleasantly surprised the biodegradable pulp container was in excellent condition. I normally don’t buy many annuals {or flower baskets for that matter} but this year was a little different for us as we were knee deep in remodeling this spring and got a late start on our garden.

As I emptied the hanging basket out I couldn’t help but think the basket probably has 2 or 3 summers worth of use left in it. The same goes for all those black plastic plant packs the flowers came in.

I don’t know about you, but I’m saving all of my containers.

I’ll plant my own hanging basket next year {for a fraction of the original cost} and I’m planning on using the plant packs to start seeds for next years vegetable garden. All the containers really need is a good rise with some hot soapy water and they’ll be good to go.

It sure beats having to buy them from the store next year, don’t you think?

Do you re-use your planting containers too? Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this to save a few bucks.

~Mavis

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Weekly Grocery Shopping Savings Show and Tell {Week 33 of 52}

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 17, 2015 · 4 Comments

Fred Meyer $16.19

What a boring trip, I know. Grapes $1.28 a pound, broccoli $0.88 a pound, sweet onions $0.99 a pound, milk $1.25 per half gallon and 18-count eggs $3.09.

Albertsons $8.78

I was going through the Crock Pot recipe book Monkey Boy gave me for Christmas and found a few new recipes to try out. One of them calls for sweet potatoes and the other for a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce {which I’ll have to go back to the store for because I forgot it}. The Ritz crackers have been hidden until I can make the recipes. My son LOVES dipping Ritz crackers in soups and stews so for $2 a box I tossed them in the card.

Butler’s Apple Farm $2.50

Apples for $0.25 a pound? Can’t beat that. I have plans to go back next week to buy more. I LOVE warm applesauce for breakfast during the cooler months.

So what are some of the things we ate last week? Well, applesauce of course. 😉 I also baked a Lasagna with Goat Cheese, Mozzarella and Fresh Basil freezer meal {dinner and leftovers for lunch}. We ordered 2 $5 pizzas from Papa Murphy’s and for some strange reason the HH and I ate steel cut oats for breakfast 4 days in a row. Egg salad and grilled cheese sandwiches were also made and gobbled up.

I whipped up a batch of homemade strawberry syrup.

And served it over waffles.

Chocolate brownie cookies were baked {they lasted 3 days}.

I served breakfast for dinner. Which is always a hit around here.

The Girl and I were gone one night so we baked breaded chicken and french fries for the boys and left them on the stove top for them before taking off.

Chicken stir fry.

We snacked on fresh blueberries and green beans from the garden.

And harvested a few things like Swiss chard {great in stir fry and smoothies} cabbage beets and tomatoes. We also enjoyed steaks one night with roasted vegetables as a side dish. I forgot to snap a picture of the carrots I harvested from the front yard but they are starting to come in as well.

And in case you missed it, I also made and posted a delicious cucumber and dill salad recipe.

How about You? What have you been making for your tribe lately?

~Mavis

Total Spent This Week $27.47

Weeks 1-28 Shopping Exclusively at Costco $1,229.25 {$43.90 a week/$175 a month average}
Weeks 29,30, 31, 32 & 33 Shopping wherever the heck I want $155.38 {$31.07 a week/$124.28 a month average}
Total Spent Year to Date $1384.63

Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.

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 Kindle Books, Kindle 6 HD $69, Lilly Pulitzer, Sam’s Club Deal, Bog’s for Kids and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 17, 2015 · 1 Comment

Word of the Day: Artifice Definition: Skillful contriving, trick, craft Used in a sentence: They tried by every artifice to avoid work.

Holy canolies people, there are some GREAT DEALS this morning!!!

The Boy is coming over to to make raspberry jam this afternoon with The Girl. We figured since he’s already gone home with 3 pints of jam {and devoured it} it was time to teach him how to make it himself. Ha! It should be interesting.

Have a great day everyone,

♥ Mavis

*This deal post will be updated throughout the day so be sure and check back for deals.

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Today only get the Fire HD 6, 6″ HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB for just $69 shipped!!!

Amazon Bonus Deal of the Day – Sony MDRV6 Studio Monitor Headphones

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

Clean Eating Made Simple $1.82
DUMP CAKE COOKBOOK Free
The Stuff That Never Happened $7.99
Thought I Knew You $0.99
Retire To Costa Rica Free
Books for Kids: Bedtime Stories for Kids Free
Gifts in Jars: Over 80 Jar Recipes Free
Gardening: Square Foot Gardening Free
Backpacking: For Beginners! Free
How to Be Assertive Free
Train Station Bride: Prairie Romance $0.99
Emotional Abuse: Break Free Free
The Science of Likability $1.99

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Amazon Subscribe and Save Deals

Yuban Gold Original K-Cup Packs – 12 count $3.98 shipped when you clip the 25% off coupon and use subscribe and save.
Nature’s Bakery Fig Bar, Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon, 12 Twin Packs, 24 Ounce $5.08 shipped with subscribe and save.
Swiffer Sweeper Dry Sweeping Cloths Febreze Lavender Vanilla & Comfort Scent 32 Count $5.77 shipped when you clip the $1.00 off coupon and use subscribe and save.
Swiffer Dusters Disposable Cleaning Dusters Refills Unscented 12 Count $6.98 shipped when you clip the $1.00 off coupon and use subscribe and save.
Finish Powerball Tabs Dishwasher Detergent Tablets, Fresh Scent, 90 Count $8.08 Shipped when you clip the 30% off coupon and use subscribe and save.
Crystal Light On The Go Drink Mix, Lemon Tea, 10 Count, 0.7 Ounces (Pack of 6) $10.20 shipped with subscribe and save.
Doctor Kracker Flatbread, Seedlander, 7-ounces (Pack of 6) $12.78 shipped when you clip the 15% off coupon and use subscribe and save.

Do you have the back to school shopping blues? Check out these tips on How to Save Big on Back to School Shopping. Find more cool tips and ideas on my Back to School Pinterest Board.

Amazon has the highly rated Daswise Travel Sporty Gear Bag on sale for $16.99. This bag is great for college students and travelling in general.

Amazon has the Modern Kiwi Solid Essential Long Cascading Cardigan on sale for $23.85 and the reviews rock!! Lot’s of colors to choose from too.

6pm is having their Semi-Annual Lilly Pulitzer Sale.

Livingsocial is offering a One Year Sam’s Club Membership for $45 plus you get a $20 Sam’s gift card and $21 in FREE food. Grab this deal HERE.

Don’t miss the Amazon Summer Magazine Sale. All the titles above are just $5! Many more available for just a few bucks more.

Perfect for power outages and your emergency kit, Amazon has the GRDE Portable Solar Charger Dual USB on sale for $16.99 again. Grab it while you can.

This Old Fashioned Pear Butter is so good you might just shovel it in with a spoon. Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later. Find more recipes on my Canning Pinterest Board.

Today is the last day to enter the Kale Yeah Tote and Cool Tater Tats Fall Tattoo Pack Giveaway.

Amazon Toy Deals

VTech Slide and Talk Kids Smart Phone Toy $5.75* add on item
Hot Wheels 9-Car Gift Pack $8.29
Play-Doh Super Color, 20-Pack $11.99
Educational Insights My First Microscope $13.03
Paper Flying Dragons $13.90 {Great Birthday party gift!}
LEGO Chain Reactions: Design and build amazing moving machines $14.95
LEGO Minecraft The Cave Playset $15.99
LEGO Creator Beach Hut $21.00

Zulily has Bogs for Kids Shoes and Boots on sale today with savings up to 40% off!

Today only Use code FREESTYLE to score 50% off School Uniforms at Crazy8.com.

If you plan on going to the Puyallup Fair this year, Groupon has a sweet deal where you can score 30% off! Head over HERE to get discounted fair tickets. New to Groupon? Join Groupon Here!

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – insta-bed Queen Air Mattress with NeverFlat Pump $65.73 shipped.

Be sure and check out the REI Outlet Deal of the Week Section. There are a ton of deals on summer clearance. Below are just a few of my favorites:

Threads for Thought Memphis T-Shirt $9.73 {4 colors to choose from}
Woolrich First Forks Split-Neck T-Shirt $10.73 {2 colors to choose from}
Columbia Cross On Over II Plaid Shorts $15.73 {3 colors to choose from}
Columbia Kenzie Cove Shorts $15.73 {4 colors to choose from}
Carve Designs Hamilton Skirt $19.73 {3 styles to choose from}
Columbia Sunshine Bound Dress $35.73 {2 colors to choose from}

Walmart Value of the Day – Nextbook Ares 7″ Tablet 32GB Quad Core $49.99 shipped {was $89.99}

Enter to win the Amazon Fall Sportsman Sweepstakes presented by Bushnell. One lucky winner will receive a prize package worth over $3,000!!

Zaycon Fresh is now taking orders for their upcoming events. Below are their offerings and prices in my area.Go HERE to find out if this deal is available in your area.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.89/lb $75.60/case
Fresh Ground Beef, Lean {93/7} – 40 lbs $3.99/lb | $159.60/case
Frozen Wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets 25 lbs
Frozen Premium Alaskan Cod $5.49/lb $137.25/case
All Beef Hot Dogs $3.29/lb 10 lbs $32.90/case
Polish Kielbasa Sausages $2.79/lb 10 lbs $27.90/case
Meaty Back Ribs $3.99/lb | $143.64/case
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Fillet $3.79/lb 36 lbs 136.44/case
Pork Sausage Links $2.79 ln 20 lbs $55.80/case
USDA Choice or Higher Chuck Roast $5.79/lb $208.44/case
USDA Choice or Higher Patio Steaks $6.49/lb $214.17/case
Smoked Pulled Pork – 20lbs $4.49/lb $89.80/case

Check out the post on how we process so much Zaycon meat at one time.

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

$1.00 off TWO packages of Hefty Slider Bags
$1.00 off ONE Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water
$1.00 off 2 Juicy Fruit or Starburst Gum 3-packs
$1.00 off on any TWO Starburst or Skittles bags
$0.75 off (1) Energizer EcoAdvanced™ batteries
Buy 3 Renuzit Air Freshener Cones, Get 1 Free
$1.00 off ONE 144oz or TWO 75oz Extra™ Detergents
$1.00 off THREE Kellogg’s Cereals
$0.60 off two Renuzit Air Freshener Cones 12 oz or larger
$1.00 off TWO Welch’s Fruit Snacks
$2.00 off TWO Bags or ONE Box of Pampers Cruisers
$1.00 off ONE Old Spice Bar Soap 6ct or larger
$1.00 off ONE Old Spice Body Wash
$1.00 off ONE Old Spice Antiperspirant/Deodorant
$2.00 off any 1 Seventh Generation Detergent
$1.00 off 1 Seventh Generation Dishwash Liquid

Find More Printable Coupons

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.

Mavis Butterfield | Backyard Garden Plot Pictures 7/16/15

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 16, 2015 · 11 Comments

Hello Sunday. The last two days here in the Pacific Northwest have been an absolute dream. It practically rained all day on Friday, and yesterday it was windy and overcast all morning. Fall is in the air people. It’s AWESOME.

See the black lantern sitting next to the gate? Well to the left of the lantern are 9 blueberry bushes I planted earlier this spring. I am having a hard time deciding if I should move them to the back yard and plant some sort of ornamental tree in their place.

I like the idea of an edible landscape though {I have oregano growing around the base of the tree in the left of this picture} I’m just not sure if a blueberry hedge in the front yard is a wise idea. What do you think? We don’t have a critter problem {well there’s bunnies, but they have not bothered the berry bushes} so deer are not a problem.

Behind the garden gate the side vegetable garden {which is heavily shaded} is doing well. We harvested a cabbage and some Swiss chard this week and I am starting to see beet seedlings pop through the soil.

Strawberries are on the run.

And the bean teepees are looking marvelous. The plants greened right up after I added a wee bit of Tagro to the pots.

Tomatoes gone wild. Next year I’ll add a trellis.

Waiting for each and every tomato to turn red is torture.

The nasturtium leaves are bigger than my hands.

And Lemon, the Meyer lemon tree is BEAUTIFUL. I want to kiss her.

Kale for Lucy.

Creeping potatoes. I planted a late crop of potatoes over by the squash patch about a month ago. I think I’ll harvest these beauties in mid-september and the others just before the first frost.

We currently have 3 acorn squash growing. Not a huge number, but still, it’s exciting.

Beet and carrot seedlings growing in the garden boxes. After I pull up the last of the cucumber vines I’ll plant a few more rows for a winter harvest.

It doesn’t have to be big to be beautiful. In fact I am loving my “mini garden” here in high maintenance suburbia these days. It’s not too big that I feel all my waking hours need to be spent outside tending to raising vegetables. For the first time in about 9 years I am really starting to feel a nice balance between gardening, work and play. It’s a little weird, this feeling, but I am getting used to it.

How about YOU? How is your garden doing these days?

~Mavis

This years garden is being sponsored by the awesome folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2015 Garden Seed Catalog, or see the seeds I’ll be growing in my garden this year HERE.

Up for a tour? Read about our behind the scenes tour of Botanical Interests Seed Company.

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.