Frugal Friday

It's time for the fun and excitement called "How I saved a few dollars this week"!  Husband and I have a debt we are trying to get paid off.  Every single penny counts when you're being charged interest on a debt, so everything we can save is going to debt repayment.  Our goal is to have this paid off by the end of April.  Sooner, if at all possible.

Bushel of Winter Squash  $30

source: Facebook/ Dorans Chance Farm

One of my favorite farm stand stores is closing for the season on Sunday.  This week, they've been running a special on winter squash.  You can pick up a half bushel of mixed winter squash for $15.  Wash them in a light bleach solution, and store them in a cool place, and you've got winter squash well into January.

I picked up a full bushel of winter squash for $30.  What am I going to do with a full bushel of winter squash?  Stick with me this winter, and you'll find out!

Just look at all of those brilliant colors!  Aren't they gorgeous?

Christmas Presents for Grandparents
This one gets harder and harder every year.  What do you get for older people, who already have everything that they need?  I used to take my Mom out - for tea, a movie, or just shopping.  Since her colostomy last year, Mom is struggling with the bag and all of the assorted issues that go with the bag.  She no longer likes to go out of the house for fear her bag is going to break and cover her and her surroundings with feces.  (Get those colonoscopies, people.  This doesn't have to be your story.)  Last year, I bought her elastic waist pants and larger shirts that would fit over the bag without binding.

This year, daughter made her a birdhouse for her back yard.  I bought hundreds of flower bulbs for spring flowering bulbs, and on Thanksgiving Day, the kids and I are going to plant them in the back yard.  We mostly picked up daffodils, but also some crocuses and snowdrops.  I'm planning on just naturalizing them in the yard.  They'll pop up early in the spring, but by the time the lawn needs to be mowed, the bulbs will have died back and she can mow them down without a problem.  I put together a picture collage for her - a small ornament from Shutterfly with pictures of the kids that she can hang on a wall, the fridge, or use as a bookmark.  (I'm planning on using mine as a book mark.)

My mother in law is a tougher bird.  I've made things for her in the past, and she's thrown them out.  Sometimes, while I'm still there.  So, I've given up on making things for her because, honestly, I don't want all of that time that I spent making something just tossed in the trash.  The least she could do is give it to the Thrift Store.  I really need to put on my big girl panties and get over that.  She loves reading about history, so husband picked up two new historical books that the author was giving away at a festival.  I also put together a small collage of pictures of the big kid events this year.  She can hang it on the wall, put it on a table, or lose it in one of the many piles of stuff she has in her apartment.  My husband will be taking her out - just the two of them - to lunch and a movie sometime before Christmas.

E-Bates
My E-Bates check for last quarter came in this week.  I'm $10 richer!  That $10 paid for a good chunk of the second half bushel of winter squash!  The other $5 came from quarters in the coin jar.  It's nice to think of dinner coming out of spare change, isn't it?

Pumpkins
Our office had been decorated with some cute little pumpkins for the past month or so.  My boss was getting ready to toss them in the trash when I decided to salvage them.  There's not a lot of them - 6 small little pumpkins, but I think that they will taste most excellent stewed into something wonderful!