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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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FDA Bans Trans Fats

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man holding oreosDid you hear the news?  The FDA announced this month that they are rolling out a 3 year initiative that will BAN trans fats in food.  Which basically means no more partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, no more margarine—it’s all got to go.  The FDA cited that trans fats are directly connected with heart disease, and no longer fall under “the generally recognized as safe for consumption” category.  Did you know there was a classification like that?!

I found articles on treehugger and NPR that both highlighted the basics of the ban.  Basically, companies will have three years to completely remove trans fats from their products.  Both articles were unclear as to whether they will still allow any trans fats under .5 grams to be labeled as zero trans fats {apparently that is the current policy}.

So, here’s what I am thinking:  It takes A LOT for the FDA to get around and outright ban something that is bad for public health.  So, how bad has trans-fat got to be to get the ax?  Pretty dang bad, I am guessing.  Also, for the record, I have consumed my fair share of partially hydrogenated oils—it used to be in EVERYTHING, including Oreos and my beloved Crisco {luckily Crisco has moved away from it, so I can still do my baking with it}.

Although the use of trans fat has been on the decline since mandatory labeling began in 2006, I still think it’s a good thing that it will be one less thing to have to worry about in our food supply.  Now I guess I can put that worry away and move on to solving world peace.

What are your thoughts on the ban?

~Mavis

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Henrietta From the Pacific Northwest Sends in Her Garden Pictures

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A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

garden boxes
My name is Henrietta  and I live here in the Pacific Northwest (not to far from you).  I started my first container garden using plastic Rubbermaid totes 4 years ago.  Every year my garden has evolved and gotten bigger.  My gardening skills have also evolved and improved.

That is half the fun of gardening isn’t it?  Learning from our mistakes and improving with each passing year is part of the journey towards becoming more self sufficient.  I grew up on a farm, however I never really took an interest in gardening until I became interested in eating healthier and feeding my family organic foods.

About 6 months ago I quit my job working as a Nuclear Project Engineer and found myself at home with no clue as to what I would do with my new-found freedom.  So I decided to put my energy into things that make me happy and gardening was at the top of that list.  When I quit my job our family was reduced from two paychecks to one paycheck.  I quickly became motivated to be more self sufficient and to find additional ways to save money.  Luckily your blog is filled with great advice on saving money!

cedar planter boxes
I devised a plan to turn half my backyard into more garden space.  It took a little bit of time to convince my husband to come on board with this plan, but like all good husbands, he came on board and did most of the labor to make my dream come true.  The result was pretty amazing!  Both my husband and I are engineers, so every raised bed was designed with cost, stability and aesthetics in mind.  We started digging up our backyard in April and finished our raised beds in May, just in time for seed planting.
cedar garden boxes

All together I have 15 different varieties of tomato plants.  All this hot weather has been good to my tomato plants, which is very unusual for this time of year here in the Pacific Northwest.  I have never canned in my life, but I expect to learn later on this summer so keep those canning recipes coming!

growing lettuce in cedar beds

I have been growing a lot of lettuce and have 3 varieties growing right now, butter crunch, romaine and Boston lettuce.  My family has been eating lettuce practically everyday and we are not able to keep up with it so I have been giving lettuce away to friends.  My kale plants are also doing wonderful.

growing zucchini in cedar garden boxes

I also have 9 zucchini and squash plants growing.  The zucchini plants may look like they have fungus growing, but they are a different variety of zucchini including Caserta and Round Zucchini.  I’ve already harvested 3 medium size black beauty zucchini’s so far. The raised bed in the back also contain cucumbers, bush beans and snap peas.

pea trellisI made my snap pea trellis using twine and washed up beach wood I found on our beach.

cedar garden boxes

So far I’ve harvested lettuce, cilantro, zucchini, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale and strawberries.  Not too bad considering it is only mid June!

cauliflower

I’m also about ready to pick this gigantic head of cauliflower.

growing beets in raised bedsMy beets are also ready to be harvested!  Can you tell I love beets?

potatoes

I also have a potato patch that I am really excited about!  I grew Yukon and red potatoes this year and I am hoping for a high yield.

plum tree

My plum tree is also looking amazing!  Every year I let my friends pick my plums, but this year I am planning on picking as many as possible to keep, plum jam perhaps?

strawberries growing in a raised garden bed

On the other side of my property I also have 3 additional 4 X 8 raised beds that I use for strawberries, pole beans, asparagus and more potatoes.

square foot garden

I should also mention that I used the square foot gardening method along with companion gardening in all of my raised beds.
I love checking your blog everyday and a lot of my ideas I generated from your blog, so thank you for the inspiration.  It wasn’t too long ago I was sitting at a job I hated, daydreaming about gardening and homesteading full time. Little did I know that I would actually get the chance to pursue this dream.  Next year I plan to include chickens and rabbits on our little urban homestead.  Thank you Mavis for letting me share my garden and dreams with you.
You can find more of my story at my personal blog which I’ve appropriately titled “Taking My Life Back” 
Sincerely,
Henrietta
Send Pictures of Your Garden For a Chance to Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

  • Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so,  show me some picture of how you are going about it.
  • Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
  • Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
  • Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
  • Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go  HERE for the official rules.

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, Zucchini Recipes, Linen Deals, FitFlop Women’s Sandals, Kettle Chips and More

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mulctsWord of the Day: Mulcts Definition: Deprives by deceit Used in a sentence: The swindler mulcts the public of the money they need.

lucy the puggle dog

Greetings from the laziest puggle dog ever. 😉 I think Lucy is officially on summer vacation mode. Sleeping late, morning and afternoon naps and just the occasional walk outside. WHAT A LIFE this dog has. 

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!

♥ Mavis

FitFlop Sandals

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – 45% Off FitFlop Women’s Sandals

free kindle books

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

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

Amazon Subscribe and Save Deals:

How to Save Tomato SeedsDo you save your tomato seeds to replant next year? You should. Here’s How {and Why} to Save Your Tomato Seeds. Find more cool tips on my Gardening Tips and Tricks Pinterest Board.

Tomatomania

Tomatomania!: A Fresh Approach to Celebrating Tomatoes in the Garden and in the Kitchen $18.37. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

crock pot with snapping lid

My favorite Crock Pot is on sale!!

the home depot applicance sale

The Home Depot Appliance Sale is happening right now. Save up to 30% off and zero percent interest for up to 6 months if paid in full when you use your Home Depot Card.

summer movie express

Looking for something fun {and inexpensive} to do with the kiddos this summer? Regal Cinemas is hosting the Summer Movie Express on Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10am for nine weeks. Admission is $1 and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Will Rogers Institute. Go HERE to see movies listings in your area.

national geographic

Amazon has National Geographic Kids Magazine on sale for $15 for a one year subscription. This is such a fun magazine for kids! Learning is COOL!

studded earings

Cents of Style is offering a Set of 3 Studs – $7.95 & FREE SHIPPING w/code STUDSTEALS at checkout.

Original Featherstone Flamingo

Amazon has the Union Products Original Featherstone Flamingo’s, Pack of Two on sale today for $20.30 and they ship FREE with Amazon Prime. 

linen deals

Deals on Linens:

dwell magazine

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Dwell Magazine for only $4.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire 6/25/15 at midnight EST.

The Best Zucchini RecipesThe great zucchini harvest is never ending around this time each year. But I’m here to help with lots yummy zucchini recipes, like these. Here are All the Best Zucchini Recipes. Get the recipes HERE or Pin it for Later. Find more recipes on my Zucchini Pinterest Board.

rafting tube river run

Amazon has the highly rated Intex River Run I Sport Lounge, Inflatable Water Float, 53″ Diameter on sale today for $19.99. Just in time for summer fun!rei waistepack fanny pack

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – REI Journey Waistpack $19.73 {was $39.95}

REI Toddlers' Grip-N-Gulp Water Bottle - 12 fl. oz.

Get the REI Toddlers’ Grip-N-Gulp Water Bottle – 12 fl. oz. for just $3.73 each {was $9.25}.

newman's own coupons

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

$1.00 off (1) Newman’s Own Complete Skillet Meal
$1.00 off any ONE (1) Newman’s Own Frozen Pizza
$0.75 off any ONE (1) Newman’s Own Salad Dressing
$1.00 off any TWO (2) Wish-Bone Salad Dressings
$1.25 off TWO Crest Kids Toothpaste or Mouthwash
$1.50 off (1) all product
$2.50 off 1 of Kibbles ‘n Bits 35lb or larger

Find More Printable Coupons

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Simple Red Raspberry Pie

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raspberry pieOne of my all-time favorite pie recipes is this easy Strawberry Pie. It’s as easy as they come in terms of pie recipes, and that’s just why I love it. So I just knew that I would love my friend JJ’s Red Raspberry Pie recipe because it was equally as simple.  I was right. It was freakin awesome. Not that I was surprised. Mama JJ doesn’t mess around in the kitchen. Delicious food is all she knows! Here’s the recipe. I hope you love it as much as I did.

pie crust

crumb topping

frozen raspberries

fresh raspberry pie filling

fresh raspberry pie

raspberry pie

Print

Simple Red Raspberry Pie

Author Mavis Butterfield

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust
  • 6 cups red raspberries , divided
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and sugar, and set aside. Add 4 cups of the berries and the water into a saucepan.
  2. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling. Add sugar mixture to the cooking berries and stir constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and the reserved berries. Pour the berry mixture into the prepared pie shell.
  3. Using your fingers or a fork, cut together the topping ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle the mixture over the pie. Bake 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
  4. Cool before serving. Enjoy!

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 Etsy