Living Life in Rural Iowa

What did you all do to save money these last two weeks? I had to stretch to think of what I did! I have discovered that over the last few frugal posts that I do more than I think, but some of the things I do are so ingrained in me that I don't even think about it! These last two weeks found me being as frugal as I could be! I wish I did more, but life did not happen quite that way. Vehicles needing repairs took a huge bite out of the budget and created more than a squeeze. Life happens like that sometimes! Here is the list! 1. I made my own dusting spray/solution. I ran out of store-bought dusting spray and did not wish to purchase more so I made my own. Very, very simple and effective! 2. I did a lot of cleaning and decluttering. Not my idea of a good time, but it is a very frugal activity! 3. I made a list(s) of what we use around the house. The purpose of this is two-fold: (1) to save money by not buying unnecessary things and (2) to know what I should be stocking up o

Does anyone else find it easier to clean someone else's home instead of their own? I cleaned Rob's last weekend as a thank you for changing car brakes on Shali's car and because it was his birthday weekend. The thought of cleaning my own house in that manner just doesn't do much for me, but it needs a major fall-cleaning. Maybe because I know my house will not stay that way after it is clean. Rob's house will stay clean for a lot longer! In reality I did not do that much at his house, but they added up to a big finish. The list of what I did looks like this:  - dusted the whole house including the tops of the windows and door frames  - wiped down the front inside and outside doors  - wiped down the window sills  - wiped down the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers  - cleaned some of the inside windows  - vacuumed  - dishes Again everything I did was little things, but they added up. The house looked good. What helps is that Rob is not a messy guy. He i

In yesterday's post , I mentioned we are incorporating more legumes into our diets. This recipe is one that I have used for awhile with excellent results. The meal is also very quick and easy to put together and serve. The bonus for my family is that we eat it with tortillas. They will eat just about anything when tortillas are involved. The legume involved is the fast and easy kind - a small can of baked beans. I usually use Bush's because I like the taste of theirs better than the thin tomato-y sauce kind. This recipe would work fabulously too if you have leftover homemade baked beans. I also apologize in advance if this similar to anyone's recipe. I have been making these for about twelve years and have lost the original recipe or where the recipe came from.  Chuckwagon Wraps 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped or  1 Tablespoon dried chopped onion 1 16.5 oz. can of baked beans 1 cup of frozen or canned corn (I prefer frozen sweet corn) 1-2 Tablespoon Worces

Before life interrupted the Food Storage series I started writing, I had covered spices , condiments /sauces , and grains . Today I am going to cover legumes. Quite frankly, I am still working on this area with my family. I am still experimenting with incorporating more legumes in our diet. Legumes are peas, beans, peanuts, and lentils. These are all very cheap to purchase. Beans and lentils make an excellent alternative to meat in one's diet when paired with a grain or something made with a grain. An example would be beans and rice! However, with skyrocketing meat prices, I am looking at legumes more seriously. My family seems to be willing eaters of them except for my youngest and he is learning to like them. I have discovered that the cheapest legumes are the dried variety, but the dried variety needs to have some planning to cook them. Lentils and split peas are easy in that they do not need the soaking time that regular dried beans and peas need. Canned varieties of bea

This weekend sure went by fast, didn't it? We ended up not going to Ames yesterday which helped tremendously although I think we all took the day of rest thing very seriously for the first half of the day! So what did I get done? Let's see... 1. Make out the monthly grocery list This still needs work, but I am not finding a lot we need to buy this month so I will concentrate on more food storage. 2. Make my own "instant" oatmeal packets (I haven't tried this yet, but I am looking forward to it!) DONE 3. Can the rest of the pears into something, probably pear butter DONE 4. Pick apples if I have any. I didn't have any. 5. Weed & mulch strawberries. Replant the runners if necessary. 6. Make more sweet tea. DONE 7. Make granola and granola bars. I didn't get this done. However, I made Vanilla Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies for the first time. Yum... 8. Plan meals for next week. DONE 9. Clean out refrigerator DONE 10. Get the metal shelves from

I might actually have a weekend at home this weekend. Or so I thought until I looked at the schedule! My two oldest girls are playing in a volleyball tournament in Belmond Saturday and are watching/trying out for the Iowa All-State Dance Team on Sunday in Ames. And I will be at both. Admittedly, I am gone some weekends by my own decision. As a single parent, some time to myself helps to clear my head once in a while and refresh me. In turn, this gives my kids a momma who can happily focus even more on them. Even with the busyness of this weekend, I need to get caught up and get some things done! The list includes: 1. Make out the monthly grocery list 2. Make my own "instant" oatmeal packets (I haven't tried this yet, but I am looking forward to it!) 3. Can the rest of the pears into something, probably pear butter 4. Pick apples if I have any 5. Weed & mulch strawberries. Replant the runners if necessary. 6. Make more sweet tea. 7. Make granola and granol

These last few weeks have been crazy, slightly emotional, and full of firsts/lasts. I find it very hard to believe that my oldest daughter is a senior in high school already. Time really does fly and I look at the wonderfully made, beautifully mature young woman that she has become with awe. She is experiencing a lot of lasts with a few firsts: last first day of regular school, last season of high school volleyball, etc. As her mother, I feel even more responsibility for her to be launched into the world with the character qualities that I want her to have as well as the moral fiber that will make her a strong, wise young lady. I also feel some difficulty in letting her go to make her own decisions. I have never strived to make all my children's decisions, but guide them to wise decisions. I have had to step in and make decisions for them when they do not appear to be heading the right direction. As they get older, I have felt more compelled to guide them in their decisions to av