My frugal productivity last week #3

/

frugal

My frugal productivity this last week was largely filled with excess produce.  Everyone is cleaning out their gardens and filling their jars and freezers with foods to eat through the next coming year.

I myself, do not have a large garden, something I hope to have one of these days but for now, we have been hugely blessed with people’s extras.

I was reminded this week of John 6 where the little boy had the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and how Jesus multiplied and fed the crowd.  Then when they were finished he told them to gather up the fragments.

Jesus was concerned about the leftovers.  I thought about Christ gathering all those fragments, those leftovers, those things that no one in the crowd wanted any more, and He gathered them for a purpose. What was His purpose in gathering these leftovers? He was going to use them.

I can apply this to my life and think how God will use the fragments of my life.  A life that was filled with brokenness until I came to know Him.  It is amazing how He can pick up all those little bits and pieces of my life and turn them into something worthy of His love.  It gives me hope for my life.  No matter what I had done or gone through in my life, He makes everything NEW in my life.  That I am grateful for. His unfailing Grace each day.

Now those fragments that I want to talk about it, is the fragments leftover from other people’s gardens.


 IMG_20140922_115529We were given tomatoes and they were the “fragments” from their plants.  

IMG_20140922_115533

I washed them, had my daughter cut them, and then we put them into the food processor to puree them.  I came out with about 50 quarts of tomato puree. We did a few bushels that we bought from the store for real cheap.  Here is how we did them.   I put them in the freezer and then when we need to make some tomato based food, I will pull it out and thaw it.  I don’t premake any of our spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce.  I just throw it all together in a pan when I am cooking it.  Maybe one day I will take the time to make it and then freeze it, but for myself it doesn’t take too much longer to throw a few spices in the pot with the tomato ingredients.

IMG_20140915_120228

I made some bread this week.  Of course my preschoolers love to help me out when making it.  Here they were punching down the bread after it had rised.

Having the homemade bread was a cheap treat for them to have in the afternoon to hold out their tummies until dinner.  We spread a little bit of butter and they loved it.  We like to make Ezekiel bread, a sweeter made with honey bread.

IMG_20140915_123643

I also have upped our Kombucha making system.  I now have 8 gallon brewing at different times.  IMG_20140915_122648

We have been experimenting with different flavors:

  • cranberry
  • strawberry
  • raisin
  • apple
  • cinnamon
  • raspberry

If we had to list them in order of favorite flavors…this would be the order.  I am loving the cranberry.

IMG_20140915_123712

My children are starting to enjoy this more.  Definitely a healthier alternative than soft drinks.  Plus all the added health benefits.  

Another “fragment” that we had acquired much of was cucumbers.  We really like cucumbers and have eaten our share this past summer, but we are getting to that point of being tired of cucumbers.  I had to find something else to make.  I make this Greek cucumber side dish and love it.  Tzatziki  is the official name.  
IMG_20140917_144923

I peeled the cucumbers and then put them through my food processor mandolin slicer.
I added about 1 tsp salt and mixed them up.  I let them sit for about 15 minutes.  I then added:

  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp  pepper
  • 1 tsp dried onion
  • 3 T sour cream

I just mixed it up and let it set.  This was very good as a side dish and have made it every day.

We also received bushels of corn.  I had only done corn once by myself before back in the day.  I was doing it in jars and I remember seeing it start to ferment as it was waiting to go in the pressure cooker.  I called my dear friend and she said, throw it all out, come up and we will do a bunch of corn for your freezer.  I learned that it can go quite quickly when you have lots of helpers.

This year, I had lots of helpers, I had a few children out husking it and then I had a helper inside.  We blanched it in 3 different pots for about 6 minutes and then took it out and put in a cooler filled with ice and water for the same amount of time.  I took it out and then cut the kernals off on top of a cookie sheet.  I had read about using a bundt pan.  You would stick your ear of corn in the center and then it would drop in the pan.  I just don’t own one so I had to use my cookies sheets.

IMG_20140920_163318

 

We then put them into ziploc bags and froze them.  This was something that actually went pretty fast.  I enjoyed doing it.  IMG_20140920_163328

I have been diligently trying to keep the lights off in the house.  We can leave lights on in the basement and the garage for days on end.  Part of being frugal, I am trying to keep that electric bill down, because it will be going up as cold weather fast approaches.  I am working on reminding the children to shut the lights off as well.

This week we also had a bunch of errands to do and it kept us away from the home part of the day. I made sure to always take food with us to eat and have a meal ready in the crockpot for when we came home.  This saved on not spending anything for meals while out.

We took peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch along with apple slices.  For dinner I made these in the crockpot:

For every meal this week, we served corn on the cob, cucumber salad, and watermelon.  These were items that we had received in excess, so we gathered up our fragments and served them.

It was  an inexpensive week for groceries.  Thank goodness for everyone’s extras.

I also sewed a few pairs of leggings for my girls.  I had some that were too big in the waistline but plenty long for them.  I am not a big sewer but I can sew a straight line to take in the pants.  Now the girls have pants that won’t fall down when running.

We also went to town this week and had an empty trunk.  Each time we went, I made sure to fill up on wood pallets.  We chainsaw these up and use them as starter wood for our household heat.  I never like to come home with an empty trunk, costs too much in gas.  At least we picked up free wood.

Despite, doing much running this week, we still did ALL of our school.  My goal is not to fall behind if not necessary.  The household cleaning took a back seat, but it will catch back up this next week.

How about you?? Any frugal productivity for your week?

Where does your security lie?

/

Being a woman, wife, and mother, I like being “secured.”  I appreciate feeling sheltered, safe, and cared for.

Merriam Webster defines security as:

the state of being protected or safe from harm

things done to make people or places safe

freedom from fear or anxiety

Some of us have a strong sense of security when they think of their husband, family, friends, and sometimes church group.  Sometimes we take for granted too often the security that we can find in being part of an extended family and community.

Being fleshy human beings, what I myself really wish to define security in my life is a lack of want and worry.

Here is my list of securities:

  1. I want a full pantry stocked with all of the groceries that we would need for long term use.
  2. I want a freezer full of produce and meat that we have prepared and put up for the next year.  If I had a cellar, I would want it filled with canning jars full of fruits and vegetables that I worked hard at canning.  I would love to see baskets of fruit saved for the winter, and bins of potatoes that we would use throughout the coming winter months.
  3. I would love to see a huge pile of firewood, all stacked up nice and neat.  This would ensure that we would not go cold even for a second in the coming winter months.
  4. I would love to have my closets and drawers full of clothing and shoes to fill every child’s need.  Even if we had to throw a few away throughout the winter, I still would want to have enough outfits to make it through the coming year.
  5. I would love to have financial security, probably one of my greatest desires.  Money in the bank to adequately cover our living expenses.  Do I need to go to the store?  Not a problem.  Want to help a friend in need? Money can be freely given.  Unexpected medical bills?  Not a problem there is an ample cushion for whatever emergency needs arise.

Instead I am reminded that there is NO REAL SECURITY in today’s world.  The pantry can be full and well stocked one month, and then running low the next as we feed our growing children. Our wood supply is getting low and a storm is expected to hit in the next few days.  Clothes wear out and there isn’t the time or money to be able to go get replacement ones.

And these are just the petty cares in my world.

In other areas, floods, wars, hurricanes, and tornadoes, storms, and earthquakes rage all around us.  We never know when the next disaster will strike.  If we solely focus on the upheaval in nations around us it can fill us with dread.  I know it is not good to focus on the turmoil out in the world.

As for financial security, that is hard to capture as well.  Bills can accumulate as fast as we can pay them.  Prices rise up on groceries, gas, and taxes.  Sometimes it can almost seem impossible to make ends meet.  But guess what? We do.  We always manage somehow.  Yet it sometimes causes me worry and fret.

Since I can find no REAL security in the world, I turn to the ONLY one who can provide that for me.  In God’s word,  He promises in Proverbs 3:5,6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

God’s word can be a comfort in times of need and stress.  His word is full of promise and comfort.  We can  ALWAYS look to God for comfort, peace, safety, and shelter when the cares, responsibilities, and trials of this world appear.

If you want a more in depth study of what true security means through faith alone I encourage you to read Habakkuk 2:2-11.

God tells Habakkuk in these verses that He is in control.   His revelation is certain to occur at exactly the right time, even if it seems to  be delayed. Habakkuk is to live by faith, believing that God will fulfill His plans exactly at the right moment, and trusting in God’s good character. He is supposed to believe and trust even when circumstances seem to indicate that God is not good, or not in control.

So where is your security? What do you trust?

  • Your financial assets?
  •  Your husband? Your parents? Your friends?
  • Your strength? Your abilities? Your self-assurance?

All of these things can and will fail.  You can lose your financial investment overnight.  Just as the thousands of Americans who lost it all back a few years ago.  People will one day let you down, because we are human fleshy beings.  All of your strengths and abilities can crumble in one full swoop when trials arise.  We should never put our security in these things.

The only true security you will find in this world is in God alone.

  • He alone is our rock and our salvation.
  • He alone will never leave you nor forsake you.
  • He alone frees you from the need to watch out for yourself, to harm others to protect yourself
  • In Him alone will you find the life that is filled with a joy and peace that no one can understand.

As a Mother, wife, woman, and child of God, I put my life and security in the ONLY one that I know will keep me protected and safe.

God gives me the ability and power to provide as best I can here on earth for my family. He gives me the knowledge to plan and prepare and stock my pantry as best I can.  He provides the resources to prepare financially for our future.  When the outlook looks bleak at times, I continue to put my faith in Him and He ALWAYS works things out.  No need to waste time worrying, He has it ALL figured out.

Scroll to Top