Frugal Friday! Week of October 3-9, 2021

 

Good Morning Frugal Friends!

How are you doing?  I hope this week finds you and your family well and doing good! Our weather has been beautiful—I hope yours has as well, and that you have been able to get out and enjoy some of it!

What frugal things did you find to do this week?  Our first frugal activity was that *our daughter had her Book 7 violin recital.  In the Suzuki books, there are a total of ten books, and at the finish of each book the student is supposed to give a recital of the entire book, usually completely by memory—though there are sometimes some exceptions made.  My daughter worked hard ever since she started book 7, to try and memorize the pieces as she went along, so she would not be left at the end scrambling to try and get everything memorized.  She did very well, if I do say so myself as a very proud of her mama! 

She preformed pieces on the viola, as well as the violin.  Some pieces were unaccompanied, some had a piano accompaniment from Dr. A—a WONDERFUL, very kind pianist in our area, and some pieces she was able to have a string quartet that she is a part of accompany her. Music is ALWAYS more fun and enjoyable when shared with friends! 

She had a nine year old friend that came to support and listen to her at her recital.  This friend drew a picture of my daughter playing, along with the quartet accompanying her, and then gave my daughter the picture at the end.  Such a sweet thing for the friend to do, and the picture is now proudly displayed in my daughter’s bedroom, next to her graduation certificate from Book 7.  Friendship like this is priceless, because it cannot be bought or sold but is given from the heart!

*I dried apple slices to add to a little bag of things for my daughter in law.  I soaked the apple slices first in lime juice and water, to help them keep their color.  You could use lemon juice as well if you like. 

*I made up some home made granola to take to my son, at his request. I was happy to know of something that he would like. 

*I used the peels from the apple slices to make apple peel jam for my daughter.  I simply chop the peels up small, add some water and date pieces, and simmer it until thick.  This can be used as a jam, or spread on pancakes or waffles.  Normally I leave the peels on my apples, for nutrition, but not when drying as when dried the peels are a hard little thing hanging there on the side of the apple and just not pleasant at all.  If I am making an apple pie or apple crisp or anything like that I leave the peels on.  But dried apples are my exception.  Just a personal preference.

I put the “jam” into freezer containers, and we take them out as needed.

*My niece came over to our house to get something when I was gone, and when I arrived home I discovered a Butternut squash left for me!  I was delighted, and turned it into soup for a meal during the week! 

The Butternut Squash Fairy is welcome to visit my house any time she likes!!! :) 

*I was able to purchase a new pair of slippers for myself, normally $32, for only $11 due to coupons, sales, and such. It is still pretty warm in my area, but I know these will be very much appreciated come this winter when the cold weather gets here! Now I am keeping my eyes open for more sales and coupons, so I can get a nice new pair for my daughter.

*We visited our son and his beautiful bride.  We left bright and early—actually it was dark and early.

  

We saw a beautiful sunrise along the way.

Breakfast was eaten in the car.  This saved time as well as dollars in stopping.  My daughter and I had leftover apple crisp that I had warmed in the microwave right before we walked out the door, and then wrapped in a towel.  They were still warm, which was wonderful.  My hubby ate his usual—granola—which he eats out of a cup as he drives. I had some apple crisp along for him as well, which he ate at another meal that day.

The route takes us over a beautiful lake.

While there visiting, we went to a botanical garden together. The flowers were beautiful!

My daughter and I were both enjoying taking flower pictures! It was almost hard to walk, because we kept seeing more flowers that we wanted to take pictures of!

I thought these were roses at first, but upon closer inspection, they were not.  They sure are lovely!

I really liked these cheerful bright pink ones as well!

And camellia! When we lived in California, I used to see camellia’s around all the time.  I don’t see so many in the other places I have lived.

I loved these plants being right next to each other, as their leaf coloring is the opposite!

The pink in these leaves is really lovely as well!

While there, my husband helped our son install a curtain rod in their apartment so they could put up some room darkening curtains. We stayed overnight, and then drove home the next morning.  My sweet friend picked up our dog from the kennel, which was closing before we could get back in town.  This saved us an additional night’s boarding cost for the dog, which I really appreciated.  It also made it so she was only in the kennel for two nights, instead of three that it would have been.  She is an old dog, and it is better for her stress level to be home instead of boarding in a kennel with a lot of other barking dogs.  She is quiet and elderly, and home is the best place for this sweetie. Most of the time, you can find her right at my feet.

Well that was my week!  What did YOU do to save money and bless your family?  It is not always dollars you know—sometimes we bless others with our time or with our sharing or with effort to help. I would love to hear what your week was like!

~Susan

Frugal Friday! Week of September 26-October 2, 2021

 Good Morning Frugal Friends!

I hope you are all doing well!  We had a busy week—as usual! As I have said before, I am blessed to never EVER be bored!!!

So on with my frugal things!

*I accepted my daughter’s offer to start teaching me how to play the viola. She has already been teaching me violin—I started playing the violin when she gave me a beginning violin book as my Christmas present, completely unexpected (and unasked for, I might add!).  I knew that Christmas when I opened up that book that it was not merely a gift of a music book—behind that book came the unspoken offer of my daughter to teach me how to play the violin.  It was an invitation into her world.  And so I could not resist accepting.  I had never had anyone believe in me in this way before.  And so at age 53, I started playing the violin, having exactly zero musical background upon which to build. I am having to learn EVERYTHING, and this “old dog” does not necessarily learn “new tricks” quickly. But it fills a hole in my heart that I didn’t even know was there.

Well, for some time my daughter has also been offering to teach me viola, as she plays and loves both instruments. I have felt like perhaps I should not confuse my poor old brain too much, and have continued to tell her “not yet.” I wanted to become more firm and knowledgeable on what I am already confused on before adding to the confusion! ;) Well, I am not yet firm, and certainly not very knowledgeable, but through some very sad circumstances, another viola has come to live in our house.  You see, a precious, dear friend of ours passed away very unexpectedly.  When my hubby was sharing his condolences with her husband, they were catching up on what each has been doing since we moved miles apart some years ago.  My husband shared that he has taken up playing the viola as an adult, and our friend was very surprised, as his wife had done the very same thing.  He immediately offered my husband his deceased wife’s viola, which was a blessing as my husband had literally been saving to be able to purchase himself a better quality instrument.  And so that is the story of how there are now three violas currently “living” in our house.  One belongs to my daughter, and two belong to my husband.  And I have been invited to love on any of the instruments.  And so it happened, that even though I am still only crawling my way through book 2 in violin, I have now added starting to crawl my way through learning viola at age 56.  Surely this is all good for my brain, as I am definitely learning new things!

*I adapted a magazine holder that I already had, to hold the viola books that have been passed down to me.  Our friend sent my husband his wife’s viola books, as well as the instrument.  My husband looked through the stack of books, and gave me several that he was advanced beyond. And so my viola music library has begun, out of the kindness of a friend passing on what was no longer being used in his home.  Every time I use these books, or  play on the viola so sweetly passed on to my husband, I will remember the courage and tenacity of another woman who took up playing the viola at age 69.  

My magazine holder was not broken, but if it is holding my music books it will be slid on and off of the book shelf quite a bit. I didn’t want the metal to end up scratching up the book shelf, so I hot glued on a bottom of soft felt.

It only took a few minutes of time, and now is already put to work!

*I hiked every day with my daughter. I am so glad I did, as this week is turning out to be another week of solid rain for us. 

As we hike, we talk. We laugh.  We ponder.  We discuss what she wants to do with her life and where she feels God is leading her.

We discover the beauties of nature. 

Sometimes we illustrate in our nature journals. Always we come back home refreshed.

*We tasted something new to us—“Moon drop” grapes!  We had seen these before at Trader Joe’s, at a price far beyond my grocery budget for purchasing fruit!  So when I saw the last bag on a shelf in my Aldi’s, I snapped them up.  They were definitely sweet—and VERY fun to try!  If I see them again at Aldi’s for a good price, I would definitely buy them again!

*I accepted my brother’s kind offer of passing his old phone down to me, as he is purchasing a new to him phone from a friend of his who is updating. I guess this is the week for friendship blessings!  I so appreciate those that have been shared with us—the viola, viola books, and phone.  And it reminds me to watch for how I can bless others.  It may not be money or even a physical object.  It might be time, or a listening ear, or food made and brought over.  But whatever form it takes, whatever it is you do, it spells L-O-V-E.

Have a beautiful week my friends!

And I would love to read about how you saved and blessed your friends and family this past week!

~Susan