One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 927 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.

Mavis Butterfield | Backyard Garden Plot Pictures 2/15/15

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By Mavis Butterfield on February 15, 2015 · 8 Comments

Yesterday was a pretty magical day in the garden. The weather here in the Pacific Northwest has been crazy delicious and the temps were touching 60 degrees yesterday. In February. Imagine that!!

I spent the morning transplanting 75 strawberry plants in the side garden. When I ordered the berry plants last fall I had no idea where I was going to plant them but would you believe, I had the exact amount of strawberry plants I needed for this spot? It was meant to be if you ask me.

I also made the decision to transplant my 9 blueberry plants opposite of the side garden as well. Instead of planting an evergreen shrub there now I’ll have an edible one. Pretty genius if you ask me.

While I was outside working in the side garden I also mapped out a plan. There is so much space available I think I’ll have plenty of room to grow a few rows of vegetables alongside the perennial herbs I’ll be planting. Since the herbs will get taller as the season goes on I think it will work out perfectly.

Do you have moss in your lawn? Gag. This stuff is everywhere, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get rid of it because it seems like practically every lawn in our neighborhood has it.

I’ve decided I’m going to work on pulling out the moss this spring and re-plant the patchy areas with grass seed this summer. If it works, great. If not, I’m just not going to worry about it anymore. I have no desire to pump a bunch of money and chemicals into the lawn every year if the moss is here to stay.

And last but not least, my friend Jenny is planning a road trip to visit me in early April. She does not have a garden and all she wants to do is plant vegetables. Can you believe that? So now all I need to do is build those 4 garden boxes the HOA finally approved and I’ll be ready to put her to work. 😉

Yee-Haw! Spring is on the way!

What’s happening in your garden?

Mavis wants to know!

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.

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The $20/$20 Challenge: Take a Peek Inside Chef Selena’s Pantry

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By Mavis Butterfield on February 15, 2015 · Leave a Comment

I was so excited to see this email for the $20/$20 Challenge come through the inbox. I mean, we get to peak inside a real chef’s cabinets and fridge {you can check out Chef Selena’s website HERE or her food blog, Flavor Palate}. That is fascinating to me! Here is Selena’s story:

Hey Mavis!

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get $20.00 sent to the food bank by just sending you some photos and a few details about my family and me. You are just full of really great ideas and I love that each move made is for the greater good!

I am married with two young girls, ages 9 and 6. We are pretty healthy eaters in my family, we stick to the basic diet of protein, starch and vegetables or fruit. I try not to overload the plates and I also try to cut back on the meat and dairy a few times a week. As you know having children and keeping them happy in the kitchen department is a challenge in itself.

Luckily my girls are both very visual people, they like things that are pleasing to the eye. This works well for me because I too have a touch of OCD. So the use of clear containers and clear spice jars and well as clear plastic tubs to store food is helpful in knowing what you have on hand and at the same time is easy on the eyes.

One may think that having a chef as a mom means gourmet cuisine every night. Well I’m here to tell you that is not true. Chefs are people too, and most chefs didn’t grow up eating gourmet food, plus who can afford it?

If I had to categorize my family I would say that we are health concise and enjoy trying new things. We eat a good variety of fruits vegetables both store bought and home grown. We balance our diet with lean meats and complex carbohydrates and we all drink a lot of water.

Here are a few photos of my kitchen cabinets and a few of the extra storage we have for food because I have the smallest kitchen on the face of the earth. Again almost everything is visible and that is done on purpose. I want to know what ingredients I have to work with, not have them hidden only to find years later, expired or worse.

Selena

Are you getting your pantries camera ready? You can participate in the $20/$20 Challenge by simply sending in pictures of your pantry. Find out more about the $20/$20 Challenge: Show Your Pantry – Fill a Pantry!

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How to Divide and Transplant Daylilies

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By Mavis Butterfield on February 14, 2015 · 4 Comments

We have 5 clumps of daylilies in our front yard. I am not a particularly big fan of daylilies, especially the yellow daylilies, so I decided to move them to the side of the house.. Even if you don’t want to transplant your daylilies, sometimes, they do need to be divided. They can get a bit dense and it will affect their bloom and how manicured they look.

Early spring is the best time to transplant daylilies, but you can also do it in the late fall, when you know that their flowering is done. Either way, know that they may not flower the year that you transplant them. Likely, they will just send up green shoots and die back, feeding themselves for the NEXT flowering season.

Dividing daylilies is really pretty simple. Start by loosening the soil all around the base of the plant. Lift the plant out of the ground in one big clump. Then, using a garden fork or even a hand shovel, loosen the root ball. Pull out smaller clumps of daylilies, making sure that you have both the root and at least three sets of leaves. If you plan on transplanting the pieces you have divided, cut the leaves back to about 6 inches long. If you aren’t moving the daylilies, just put the smaller divided pieces back into the hole you just pulled them up from. {For the best results, follow the transplant directions even if you are putting it back into the same hole–it will help the divided daylilies acclimate faster.}

To transplant the daylilies, prepare a spot by loosening the soil and digging a hole about 10″ deep. It’s best to plant them with a bit of compost that you have worked into the soil in the newly dug hole. Space each transplant at least 18 inches apart. When you set the daylilies into the hole, make sure to fan out their roots before you cover them with dirt. Back fill the hole completely with dirt, and then pat down and water in well.

Daylilies grow CRAZY fast, so you may find that you need to repeat the dividing process every 3 years or so to keep them looking spiffy.

Now go divide and conquer.

~Mavis

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One Hundred Dollars a Month – Mavis’ Weekly Highlights 2/14/2015

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By Mavis Butterfield on February 14, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Mavis Butterfield on Instagram – Follow me as I share some random goodness

Garden Updates

Recipes

Mornings with Mavis

Tips and Tricks

Weekly Shopping Trips and Other Stories

Videos

Peace Out Girl Scouts, have a great weekend!

♥ Mavis

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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.