Comments On Article: It Is The Simple Things

Rose P - I had never thought to put sand in the drum with the fire underneath to use as an oven. That is a clever idea. We will keep the lid next time so we can give that a try. We have a camp oven we place in the coals to roast or bake. We have an off cut from a piece of new cattle truck flooring that we grill on. We also cook on top of the grill with a cast iron fry pan and use jaffle irons in the coals. When I was a child, my father would shoot a wild pig and spit roast it in a 44 gallon drum. That was a good way to feed a crowd and we would all sit on hay bales taken from the barn. 

Debbie - that is so very true what you said. The steps we take may only be very small sometimes in themselves, but they add up over time. 

G. Donna - I smiled to read that Charles felt he might have been missing out by not having a special mended towel. My husband would be the same I think. I have never washed towels every day. I hang them out to dry each day in the sun and fresh air and then put them back in the bathroom and wash them weekly. 

I have a natural gas stove and use a pressure pan.  It is quicker than an instant pot from what I've observed watching vlogs.  Using gas is cheaper than electricity.    Of course, you do have to stay in the kitchen and pay attention plus use a timer.  I don't mind as I got my pressure pan new in its box at an auction 20 years ago for $5 so see no need to add another appliance.  I actually have a second pressure pan that I got with trading stamps back in the 1960's that still works great.  Both are Presto brand and parts can be replaced.  My m-i-l and I used to trade our pressure pans back and forth so I'm no longer sure whether I have my original or hers!! 

It was interesting when you talked about what you had growing up. I remember my mother going to the laundromat before she got a wringer washer. When she got a wringer washer, she dried the clothes on the clothesline. It was many years before she got a regular washer and dryer. It was probably when she got a job. We didn't have a telephone until I was in about the second grade. We had neighbors very close, so I guess my mother would have used someone else's phone in an emergency. When we got a phone, I was so happy and proud. I told the kids at school about it, but they thought I was weird. I guess they'd all had phones for a long time. We had a party line, too. We didn't have a TV at first. It was a few years before we got our first black and white set. We probably had a radio, but the record player came later. We always had just one car, which my father drove to work. My mother never did learn to drive. We walked wherever we wanted to go until years later when I got a bike. Cake was a rare treat for us, too. Even on our birthdays, there wasn't a cake. My mother didn't do any baking, and a boughten cake would have been too expensive, so we got Hostess cupcakes with a candle. That was the only time she bought Hostess Cupcakes, so it was still special. A few times a year, my mother bought a frozen Neapolitan ice cream pie. It was so good. I don't see it anymore. We were beyond thrilled when my Dad got a job at John Morell. He started bringing home sausages of all different kinds. We only had that before around the holidays, so we couldn't believe our fortune in having it every day. My mother really knew how to stretch food for our family of seven.. We often had Spanish Rice. She also made something where you put a tiny meatball in a refrigerator biscuit. It was very good. She made a lot of casseroles and one-pot meals. My Dad also brought home very strong magnets. He said they put them in the cows' stomachs to collect things they may have eaten. We had a lot of fun with those. My brother had a few Matchbox cars that we played with. We had a sandy spot by the side of the house, and we spent hours making roads and buildings with the dirt. We had a lot of imagination. We lived about a half mile from the lake, so we went swimming often. I saved the comics from Bazooka Joe gum because when you saved enough, you could send for a prize. We read a lot and often walked to the library. When I was little, I coveted getting a library card of my own. However, you had to be able to write your name in cursive to get a library card, so I don't think I got it until I was in the third or fourth grade. I remember Dairy Queen used to have very tiny ice cream cones for kids. We probably got those once a year. The highlight of the summer was when we went to White Castle, which was probably 25 miles away. The lady set the tray on the window and we all got a rare treat. Once or twice in the summer, we would also go to a drive-in movie. My mother would pop popcorn at home and bring us some special treats. The drive-in theater had a playground where we would play until the movie started. I remember my mother putting us in our pajamas before we went so we'd all be ready for bed when we got home. A couple of times a year my mother would give us a quarter and send us to the movie theater. I think it was .15 to get in. There was a Ben Franklin's store across the street and we bought penny candy there before we went to the theater. We all shared bedrooms and even a bed. I didn't get my own room until I was much older and my older sister had moved out. I guess by today's standards, we would have been very poor, but it was all we knew, so we weren't bothered by it.

Oh, I just loved hearing your memories. How wonderful!

I remember my grandmother telling me when she got her 'first washing machine' and dryer. I believe she was referring to the front loading ones as opposed to wringer washers. She said she used to watch it go around and around with the washing. So easy.

Thank you for sharing, it was lovely to read. <3

I mended a pair of undies a few months ago after reading a comment here about mending. Although I sew I've never been an enthusiastic mender! Lol. But now I am! So the 1st thing I had to mend after reading the comment was underwear. It's not the most beautiful repair but it's held up. 

I have a very nice winter jacket that has a broken zipper. It's hard to get it started to zip closed and once I do the zipper falls open. I don't think I can replace the zipper as there are several layers (it's insulated). But it also has snaps down the front. I'm thinking about cutting the zipper out very close to the jacket and just use the snaps. Do you think that would work?

The talk about nutritional needs is very interesting.  I have written about the fact that in my grandmothers' and great grandmothers' days they ate lard and tallow and butter but growing up we ate seed and corn oils.  My mother was 'modern' and if there was a new mix or a new processed item it came home with her and somehow, she'd incorporate it all into our diets.  BUT we also ate lots of homegrown fruit and veggies that she put up and sometimes we had homegrown meats.  My dad was convinced that they were 'less' than store bought varieties though and he really put his foot down when his mother started trying to provide us with raw milk...

All of my adult life we have relied heavily on the foods that were not processed at all because they were least expensive.  At one point we relied on carbs to help stretch a small amount of protein to feed our family of seven.  Today we tend to have about 4 ounces of protein daily and we eat whole grained pasta and rice.  I am a type 2 diabetic.  I heard from so many that I had to stop eating all carbs.  NOT TRUE!  The hardest thing I had to un-learn was that carbs are just as necessary as protein to balance blood sugar levels.   Ten years in and I am managing to stay at a lower blood sugar level with only Metformin daily although I did find two herbal supplements that are a tremendous help: Oregon Grape Root Extract (or you can pay more for Berberine which is OGRE in a more processed form) and Citrus Bergamot.  Those three things and monitoring the diet has been all I've needed to manage.

We recently made the decision to have fiber optic internet connected to the house.  Our cell bill is similar to GDonna's though it's through a different carrier.  It does include unlimited data, a hot spot modem.  However, fiber optic can be had for less than half the phone company's cost for hot spot and internet plan.  That will put our actual phone bill down around the $50 a month mark.

Grandma Donna Wrote,  

Margaret P, it would depend on the fabric that your coat is made of.  There may be someone here that has more sewing experience than I do.  I can sew but I can also play the piano if I make up the song or play something I have heard before by ear. :)  It depends if this is your nice coat that you go out in for special occasions. I am not a fancy dresser, most of my clothing comes from thrift stores. I do have one nice long coat.   If you cut the zipper off close to the teeth and do a blanket stitch down the side possibly that would work.  Let us know if you do figure it out. Donna 

The good thing about mending undies is that no one will ever see them ... at least not mine!

When towels or washcloths start wearing around the outside edges, I run a zigzag completely around to stop the fraying.  The mend usually lasts several years, then I might need to repeat the zigzag.  

Regarding the towel with the hole, one time I had a towel with such a hole and before I could mend it dh used it, got his toe caught and nearly fell.  Good to catch problems and mend them before they become dangerous!!  I look at each item as I fold and put away laundry and, if something needs mending, I do not put it away, I put it into mending pile.  A tiny hole in a knit can easily be repaired but left to be worn and washed again might ruin the garment.

Yes, I think using the snaps will work.  You might want to add some Velcro between the snaps if it gaps.  A friend in a wheelchair had the zipper break on a full-length coat and managed with the snaps.  Another friend was going to replace the zipper for her, but could not find one as long as needed.

I hope you all don't mind a little jumping around.  

I wanted to share a couple of observations from the market yesterday.  Firstly, I saw several employees that about broke my heart.  The first was a gentleman that must've been near 80.  While it's entirely possible that he's there by choice, I tend to think not.  He was stocking shelves and it seemed difficult for him.  Then I saw 2 different women that were probably 70ish.  Both were struggling to walk and very slow.  I have a feeling we're going to be seeing that kind of thing more often.   My other observation was that our produce section has really declined in quality since COVID.  Nothing is as fresh as it was before that.  I've had to ask for something fresher in my last three visits.  It's not a poor part of town thing.  My area is very affluent.  I can't imagine what the less affluent areas are getting.  It's ridiculous.

Loved the post about life growing up.  I used to save Bazooka comics for the toys, too!  One of my favorite memories is going to Woolworth's with Grandma.  We'd share a BLT in their little cafe and then a piece of Apple Pie a la Mode!  It was so delicious and such a treat.  Then we'd go to the sewing section.  My grandma would get yarn, fabric, etc.  And she let me get a piece of felt and 1/4 yd. of pom pom trim.  I used to make little mice from them.  Then, with an old shoe box and food boxes, I'd make a mouse house for my critters. My grandma would give me empty spools and such.  It was so much fun to get new colors of poms and felt to add to my collection!

I recently read something written by a Boomer who regretted selling her home and buying a condo to be near her kids.  It was her kids' idea.  She said it didn't really save her money because the fees kept increasing and she really missed her space and privacy.   She advised that if you really love your home, do whatever you can to keep it as long as possible.  I took that message to heart.

Thanks for sharing, all.  It's so helpful.

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Debby B, I have those memories of Woolworth's.  Do they even have  Woolworth's anywhere anymore?  I loved sitting at the soda fountain and I too loved their BLT and Pie.  They also had lemon pie.  Their milkshakes were so good!   I am so happy that you have those memories of your Grandma. :)  

We have a elderly lady that works at our Lowe's and I feel that she is not there because she wants to be.  They have a chair for her to sit at her register and a heater to blow on her in the winter time. Charles and I have been seeing more and more of that.   Donna

Thank you for the inspiration. I have stitched and patched a 2 inch L shaped tear on the side of a sheet before it got any worse. 

It is strange but I am rather pleased with the sheet. It is just a sheet, but now it is special to me, the one I mended. 

We were taught knitting and useful sewing at our village Junior school in the 1960s. The headmistress lived in the right hand side of the Victorian building

Your last few posts have been wonderful, thank you.  When you split out your medical costs I thought, well…that can’t be right, it is too high.  So I looked at mine, and you are right, those costs are correct, mine differ a bit but overall same idea.  Horrifying when it shows like that.  I hadn’t looked at the amounts removed from my social security check.  I also pay my Medicare supplement once a year, so I don’t see that amount each month.

I track my spending on an excel worksheet.  So I know what I spent, but I leave a bit of cushion in my monthly budgets, and that has allowed me to overspend.   By spending a little over each time, it sure adds up to real money at the end of the money.  It is sloppy and I will determine a plan to not do that.   Thank you for this topic, I find your thoughts and methods very thoughtful provoking.

The first home my husband and I purchased was a townhouse (we always called it a condo but I think throughout the country condos have units stacked on top of each other and townhouses have shared walls but no upstairs or downstairs neighbors are they aren’t built that tall).  At the time we thought our association fee was reasonable because the complex didn’t have a pool and it covered the water bill, landscaping, and insurance for the building exteriors.  But today that HOA fee is $335, and that is a low fee for condos and townhouses near us, most of which have HOA fees closer to $500 per month.  They are generally less expensive in planned communities with single family homes, but it still adds up.  We always tell our children that HOA fees always go up and that they can also do special assessments for things like roofing and require lump payments in addition to the monthly fee.  Soon after we sold our townhouse the association did a special assessment requiring $1000 from everyone.

We’ve been lucky to see several of our neighbors choose to age in place.  Without an HOA, they are able to make necessary changes without running afoul of the HOA.  Mostly people add in handrails for steps as we are all on raised foundations.  A couple of houses have ramps.  Their children can come visit to help and when they stay over they can park on the street overnight, which many HOAs don’t allow.

We love our home and our neighborhood, and think it well suited for aging in place.  25 years ago we intentionally chose a single story home without a pool, as we felt that would work best as we got older (and also because pool costs are expensive).  We chose a home that is right sized for us, even if it felt small at times with two teenagers!  Being close to our downtown we can walk many places, and it is a walkable neighborhood in general — fairly flat and without cul de sacs — with neighbors walking by throughout the day.

Kimberly F, your neighborhood sounds lovely. Your forethought for a home, long term, was very wise. 

We built our home in 1981, we were so young and dumb in some ways (2 bathrooms would have been nice...) but one thing we did right was plan for being older in this home.  Downstairs 2 bedrooms and 1 upstairs.  Bath right across from bedrooms, 3 small steps to get in the front door that can easily become a ramp if needed. Rails installed and a kitchen built for a short person.

I now live alone and it is all I will ever need. It is easy to clan and while there I at times bemoan the fact of not enough storage but....one way I try to look at it is, storage is for things not being used. Do I really need to keep things not being used? Sometimes yes but for me not often.   

Todays money saving thing is canning tomato sauce and reviving and using 8 small potatoes that were getting dry for the DD and she said if I can't use them feed them to the chickens. I "revived" them in hot water after scrubbing and then will make some scalloped cheese potatoes. 

Picked my first yellow /zucchini squash and looking forward to having that fried in a bit of bacon grease. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get anything from those vines. Second crop of green beans are flowering and the onions will need pulled and dried soon. Acorn squash are forming but tomatoes are slow going. Cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders so next year I will mix in more compost and humus......

Kimberly F-

Our first home was also a townhouse.  2 story, attached on 2 sides.   We were thrilled to have a small private yard as well.  When we bought it, the HOA fees were $95 per month.  Very affordable even with 2 pool areas and 2 small playground areas for kids.  When we moved 10 years later, they were about $150.   But we got lucky.  There were no assessments in the time we were there.  They were only a year old when we moved in.

Joyce C-  The smartest thing we did was listen to my aunt when we bought this house!!  She advised us to go single story and to make sure the laundry was on the main floor and not the basement.  She said we wouldn't be young forever and if everything was on the main floor, that we'd be happier.  Since we knew there was a chance that one or both moms might need to move in, we wanted a second full bath and 2 extra bedrooms on the main floor.  As it turned out, only one mom moved in, but the other would visit so it all worked out.   My aunt had learned the hard way- they had to sell their dream home when my uncle developed rheumatoid arthritis at 50 and then her mom moved in.

Debby B, I’m sorry to hear that your uncle had rheumatoid arthritis!  My mom also had it, and it was before they had the newer biologic drugs to help with it.  My SMIL has had RA for about 15 years now and it is well controlled with Embrel.  But it is a debilitating disease that truly deserves the adjective crippling

Our laundry is also on the main floor, as while we are on a raised foundation (4 steps up to the house) we don’t have a basement.  We are lucky to have 2.5 bathrooms in a house that was built with only one, as one previous owner turned a closet into a half bath, and another added a primary bathroom.  It’s a little weird in that the original bathroom has a clawfoot tub (we put one back in) and the added bathroom has a shower, but it works for us as I am a bath person and have been my entire life.  I’d rather take a bath 2-3 times per week than a shower everyday!  Although I only allow a full luxurious soak once a week.

Our biggest mistake with our townhouse was selling it!  We should have kept it a rental until our children were grown.  But we had no idea!

I am enjoying the conversation about diets and what we should eat. When I think about it, we had a very high-carb diet when I was growing up. Most of our meals revolved around some type of carb. We rarely ever had meat by itself. (Maybe only 5 or 6 times a year.) Once in a while, we had hamburgers, but when we did, my mother always added one package of Lipton's Onion soup mix, an egg, and oatmeal or some other filler. There was always a lot of filler in those burgers. However, even though we ate high-carb, all 5 of us kids were thin. My parents were also of a reasonable weight. I, too, find it hard to know which diet to adhere to. It's like, are eggs healthy this week? Is fat bad again? It seems like the only thing people agree on is that we should give up junk food. If you look at different periods in history and different locations, people ate and were sustained on a wide variety of foods. From what I've read about the diet in WWII when food was rationed the people were healthier than ever before or since. I think each person needs to figure out what works for them.

Cynthia, I'm so glad you are almost in complete remission! My daughter has Crohn's disease, and after one surgery and years of fighting it, she is finally in remission. She is taking Remicade and Imuran to stay in remission, which she wants to somehow get off of, but at least she is doing well for now. She has even been able to gain about 25 pounds. She is finally up to 115 pounds, which is a major milestone for her.

If you are thinking of handicapped remodeling, the biggest issue for bathrooms is access.  Our bathroom door is too narrow for a wheelchair and does not have the turning radius needed for a wheelchair.  My late dh's walker would not go through the door so I got him a narrower walker just for the bathroom.  We left it parked in the hallway outside the bathroom.  If the curb was removed from the shower, there would be enough of a turning radius for a wheelchair IF the door was widened to allow access.

There are books available on handicapped access remodeling which are very helpful.  

Things we learned about our house besides the bathroom door being too narrow include that an ambulance gurney will not go through any door except the front door and access from the garage is great except for the bottleneck between the fridge and cupboard that will not allow a walker to go through straight.  No way would a wheelchair go through.  That bottleneck means the laundry room is not accessable from the kitchen.  

My kitchen table is bolted to the floor and when a friend in a wheelchair visited she loved that she could pull herself up or push back from it.

I have grab bars in various places suggested by my late dh's therapist and I use them all the time.  There are no longer any throw rugs in my house.  The bathroom rug is only on the floor when the shower is in use.  No tripping hazards on pathways i.e. don't drop your shoes or purse anywhere, put them away, books and magazines on tables not the floor, etc. 

When I have a home I love it should be pretty safe for me when I am a senior too. Maybe some extra bars, removal of rugs, bolt down some furniture. No major structural changes.

Someone commented that they would like to see what other people can buy and for how much. I was able to get all of the items in the pictures for $19.53! Most of the items were .50 each. I was thrilled to get the big bags of dried cranberries (Craisins) for .50 each. They will go in the oatmeal that was also .50. The peaches are the big number 10 cans. I am going to can them in jars. If it works out well, I will buy many more cans since I am getting them for about $2.50 each, and each can has about 6 pounds. Fortunately, these peaches are canned in juice instead of syrup. It would be nice to see what other people are buying. If anyone has a salvage/discount grocery store within 50 miles, I encourage them to check it out. That is where I get these .50 bargains.

I tried to price Grandma Donna’s cart of food at Aldi, but they don’t have buttermilk.  Even at the price Grandma Donna paid for buttermilk, her cart of food would have been less expensive at my Aldi, and that’s with having to buy bags of fruit and pay a crazy high price for eggs.  At my regional chain store it comes to about $40 with good buttermilk and a better quality chicken.  But any other grocery store in my area would probably have cost what Grandma Donna paid, or more, even the chain discount store.

We save money on groceries by buying in bulk and making many foods from scratch.  Today I baked 3 large loaves of whole wheat bread (each was nearly 2.5 pounds of dough) for under $5 in ingredients.  I made soy milk that comes in at 23¢ per 32 ounces vs. $2.29 for the same amount at the market.  I tried my hand at oat milk yogurt and made 32 ounces for 60¢ vs. $8 for 24 ounces at the market.  It turned out very thick and my son thought it was good.  I’ve been trying to come up with snacks that don’t cost very much money and this will be good.  For dinner I cooked beans and rice from scratch, and my husband made a batch of TVP.  I had planned to cook some zucchini but a young friend needed sewing machine help so my husband finished cooking the meal and I didn’t tell him about the zucchini.  I had a piece of fresh bread for my supper as I had a bigger lunch.  To get the best prices on grains and legumes I buy them in bulk from Azure standard, where they are usually 1/3 the price of the local stores.  I buy some foods in bulk from Costco as well.  Where I am a dozen eggs is at least $4 at the grocery store, but at Costco 2 dozen eggs are $4.39 so we buy the larger amount.

I downloaded the Grocery Outlet app to look at the deal prices, and they seemed very high to me!  We no longer have a salvage grocery store in our area.  I think we do best with a combination of Costco, Aldi, and Azure Standard., with occasional stops at the regional chain for loss leaders (and buttermilk!).

Lisa in CA.  Here is southeast AL we live in an 1800 square foot house.  New homes this size in our neighborhood run around $230,000. You can find cheaper.  Yearly property tax runs $450. Yes that isn’t monthly that is yearly.  Now that we are past 65 we don’t pay that.  Wages are far lower here than in CA.  But our costs are less for many things.

Donna, the best prices I have found on chicken and meat is at the Piggly Wiggly.  I buy when stuff goes on sale, divide the packages and freeze.  We got an upright freezer, not a large one, and that has meant a lot of savings.  Plus of course getting veges from the farm stands during the summer.  my biggest saving thing currently has been actually buying things now instead of waiting a few years to buy after prices have risen.  Thankful I’ve had the money to do it!  Plus we have a very deep pantry now which has been an enormous help at times!  Because what we buy today is cheaper than what it will be months from now.  Buying just a few cans each trip to the store we quickly built a good supply.  I switched from liquid soap to goat milk bar soap and my skin is much happier.  Plus a bar lasts like 3 plus months.  The same with bar shampoo.  That was an adjustment period.  But I love it now and will never go back.  Before I began this I had a couple bottles of stored liquid shampoo I’d had for months and when I went to use it one smelled foul when I opened it.  With the bar shampoo and soaps they never go bad.  And Donna, you know we are getting an Aldi’s in town?  It will be in one of the closed Winn-Dixie stores.

My Aldi has buttermilk, but maybe the Southern stores stock it more frequently? The dairy case at my Aldi is sparse at times, however. On any given day, they may be completely out of whole milk.

Now I understand not everyone agrees with joining big box store memberships, but I was able to get whole chickens for 99 cents per pound. I haven't seen that low in months, maybe years! I was able to get 4 chickens for $20. 

Since the implementation of tariffs, our coffee has doubled in price. My mom thought I was crazy for buying a dozen bags before tariffs started, now I wish I had bought more! 

I really worry about the overall increase of grocery prices. We're a one income household since both our kids are school aged and both have ADHD and moderate to severe anxiety. I'm in charge of their day to day activities and really don't want to return to work until they are completely independent. 

Grandma Donna, keep up the great work! So many of us are beyond thankful to have your wisdom and insight. You are an inspiration!

I’m a fan of our “big box” membership.  We’ve had Costco for 25+ years and always earn back our membership fee in rewards, plus of course we save money on what we buy.  We had Sam’s Club for 3 years — we got it while our oldest was in college because there was a Sam’s Club in his college town and that first year the membership was free.  But now we aren’t sure we would earn back our membership fee so we let that one go.  We have a new Costco 10 minutes from home, with better parking than the one we used to go to (15 minutes away).  Plus there is a Costco Business Center about 30 minutes away that we stop at if we are doing other errands or visiting in the area.

I think for a big box membership to pay you need to be buying ingredients, not prepared or convenience foods and not most of the non food items, especially the seasonal stuff.  The store brand paper goods and detergents can be a good buy.  Beef is mostly not a better deal, but those 99¢ per pound whole chickens definitely are, as is pork loin when they have a sale.  Tofu is a great deal at Costco, as are eggs.  But of course not everyone has access to a big box membership store.  We have friends who live in a less populated area and their grocery stores are a choice between Super Walmart and Safeway.

Melissa S, it’s funny you mention coffee, I have that on my list for the Costco Business Center Saturday, as it’s on sale at about $7 per pound and the regular Costco doesn’t sell the brand we use in the coffee machine.  We’re driving to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and will pass a Costco Business Center on the way home, so we will be stopping.  I don’t know why the business center sells tuna without additives and my regular Costco doesn’t, or why it is only on sale at the business center.  I’ll buy 4 packs (24 cans) and be set for 6 months.  I use about 1 can per week either as tuna salad and in tuna cheddar chowder, as a good source of protein.

Donna asked what simple things we are doing to use up or save things. Here is one thing I am doing. Since I only wear dresses or skirts, I need some warm, durable skirts for winter. I heat with wood, and last year I messed up three skirts. (At least they all came from thrift stores.) They got torn or burned, so this year I wanted something more durable. We have a store that sometimes gets Amazon returns, and they put some of the clothes in a bin outside for anyone to take for free. I got two big men's sweatshirts. At first, I thought I would wear them over my dress to protect my clothes when I carry in or split wood. But I don't really like things that pull over as opposed to buttoning or zipping. I also thought it would look tacky. I kept looking at the items to see what I could do with them. Then I said to myself, "I think there is a skirt hiding in that sweatshirt and there was, as you can see in the pictures. I also have some vintage sheets that I plan to make into summer nightgowns.

In the books I've read about the Great Depression, people who were better off often gave clothing to others when they no longer needed it. The receiver had to be creative in how to make the best use of the gift, since maybe they didn't have family members of the same ages or sexes as those of the giver.

There was an interesting experience in the book "We Had Everything But Money." A woman recounted how her Grandma sent her and her brother oilskin coats when she was 2 1/2 years old. However, it was so big that her fingers didn't reach the edge of the cuff until she was in the third grade. She said by the fifth grade, it was a perfect fit. She said it was common for people to roll up the cuffs until you grew into the item. There are many excellent true experiences in this book about how people survived during the Great Depression.

Melissa,

We as a family share a Sam's club membership and while I don't buy any processed foods or paper goods I do buy coffee and meat when it is a good price.

Before the tariffs I knew when they were talking tariffs and told everyone in the family buy coffee now, it keeps. I bought 3 large containers and was also buying small packs at Aldi's every week until they raised the price by 2.00 a bag. I make perked coffee and when I make too much I put it in a jar and refrigerate it for iced coffee or warming if I want hot in the afternoon. It's too expensive to waste.

I don't buy any processed foods, I buy ingredients to make whatever. I do buy crackers but as soon as the canning season is over I will be making some. Right now I am elbow deep in tomatoes. Next is digging and curing potatoes and then hopefully pickling beets. I love this time of year canning and putting food by but it is tiring LOL.

Prices are going up weekly, I don't buy anything full price if I can help it. I either change meal plans or find a substitute.  I buy buttermilk from a local Amish store, it is real full fat buttermilk and I love it.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who stocked up on coffee! I truly don't understand tariffs on coffee since it's not a good that we can grow in our country. Seems silly to me. I, also, try not to buy any processed foods except for lunchbox snacks for my kiddos (purchased on sale at Costco). I monitor what they put in their lunches as they learn to make their lunches independently, so I make sure they only chose 1-2 per day and choose fruits and veggies first. The goodies keep them excited about school, so it's worth it!

Lunch meat and bread are purchased at Aldi. I don't have a bread machine and my arthritis keeps me from wanting to bake it myself. 

I'm so glad you have a successful garden! I have the heat issues here that Grandma Donna has. It's not worth gardening. Just  a waste of time here in the summer. Enjoy those tomatoes, yummy!

Becky Sue, I love the skirt! I am in awe of everyone who can sew and knit. I wish I had learned growing up. I do love thrift stores and will frequent them more from now on. I need a tea caddy. That's my new mission! Not today, though. Today is a no spend day!

I have repurposed clothing many times.  My biggest success was purchasing a double knit full length dress in such a large size I could not even imagine and a plisse nightgown the same size.  I made each of my dd's slacks plus one pair of shorts from the dress and a crib sheet and bibs from the nightgown.  

I turned denim jumpers into full aprons which are my large my current favorites.  I made a half apron from fabric left after cutting off the bottom of the jumper skirt.  I don't like half aprons because I need top covered too.  I can't recall how many shirts have been ruined by popping grease!

I'm working on a pair of capris pants in a light weight red denim.  Probably 15 years ago I'd cut out a longer length jumper out of the fabric and never sewed it because I realized I'd never wear it.  I have a pants pattern that I wanted to try for size and came across that cutout fabric and decided to recut it into the capris.  Just need to finish to see if they fit and then will use the pattern for full length pants for winter.

Very large sized men's shirts can easily be recut for a woman's blouse or a child's dress.  If cut carefully you can use the button placket and buttons for the new garment which I love because I hate making buttonholes and sewing on buttons.  Often the fabric in a man's shirt is in perfect condition except for the collar which becomes frayed due to a whiskers.

Becky Sue K, I love how you turned a sweatshirt into a skirt!  It is a very creative upcycle!

Joyce C, I stocked up on coffee beans too, and we still have about 7#, but since the brand we use is one sale I’ll buy more — the sale helps offset the tariffs.  I’m not a coffee drinker, but my husband and son are.

I make crackers, but I think they are a lot of work for something that gets eaten so quickly!  Plus it’s expensive to run my oven, although that won’t be a consideration after our solar is installed.

I buy almost zero highly or ultra processed foods.  Of course, we all buy processed foods — meat and chicken is processed as we don’t buy them alive, cheese is processed from milk, oat flakes are processed from oat groats, olive oil is processed from olives, flour is processed from wheat — even wheat berries are processed to remove the stalks and chaff.  So my goal is to only buy ingredients, including a few of those that are considered “processed foods ingredients” like canned tomatoes.  But I don’t buy bread or canned beans or shredded cheese.  I buy tortillas chips for my husband and son, TVP to use as protein for my husband and son, and cereal for my son.  I can’t think of much beyond those items that I would consider ultra processed.  I buy a few highly processed foods like salsa and marinara — I’m allergic to tomatoes and find it difficult to make from scratch something I can’t taste and adjust.  I bake any desserts we want rather than buying cookies, cakes, pies, etc.  I bake muffins.  I make soy milk.  I just learned how to make an oat milk yogurt starting with oat flakes.  I make ice cream with frozen bananas and either milk or soy milk, depending who it’s for, or sorbet with frozen fruit.

When I set our food budget to be the same as the maximum SNAP benefit for a household of 3 adults in my state, I was a bit worried that it would be too hard to do — the maximum SNAP benefit is lower than the USDA Thrifty and Low Cost plans.  But it does seem doable now, with almost everything being made from scratch.  I did the math and showed my husband how making soy milk from bulk soybeans saves $60 per month (I have a soy milk maker I bought brand new in box for $12 at the thrift store).  I’ve figured out that baking bread from scratch saves $65 per month for quality bread.  Homemade oat yogurt should cut $30 from the monthly snack expenditures, with the benefit of my son getting to eat more vegan yogurt which I bought rarely because of the expense.  Doing the math helps keep me inspired to continue with what I’m doing.  Next up is coming up with a macaroni and cheese recipe that freezes well.  When I was very ill there was a frozen macaroni and cheese from Trader Joe’s that I enjoyed, but I gave it up once I was up and about again, because of the expense.  I did really like it though!  It seems it will cost about $ to make a batch with a full pound of pasta, and I’m going to weight the batch when I’m done and compare it to the one I was buying.  Of course, mine will be much better because the one I was buying was definitely ultra processed (which I couldn’t focus on as much when I was really ill).

Thanks to those who commented positively on my skirt upcycle. It was my first upcycle project. I have an interesting book: ReSew: Turn thrift-store finds into fabulous designs by Jenny Wilding Cardon. It says: See what others miss, and find your fashion bliss! With a snip here and a tuck there, you can turn common thrift store items - such as sweaters, curtains, and jeans into sassy, stylish originals.

Becky Sue, I wear a lot of dresses and skirts along with harem pants and loose flowy jumpsuit/overalls. I own a couple of pairs of jeans but can't tell you the last time I wore them. I feel more comfortable in loose flowy things. Jeans are very constricting. I wear aprons over everything.

Your skirt looks great! I own enough clothes I shouldn't have to buy anything for a long time.

I love the idea of making things over.

I made a list of the groceries in your picture and then tried to find the prices we would pay in England for those items you bought.  I tried to match everything although it isn't going to be completely accurate if the size of tins (cans) or a package of butter are different from England.  The total for buying all those things in Sainsbury's (a major supermarket in the UK) came to £26.44.  I then ran what £26.44 was in American dollars - $35.18.  I was surprised because I expected your shop would be cheaper.  It's hard to understand why it's so different.   Kate in England. 

Kate E, I've watched YouTube videos of people in the UK doing their frugal grocery shopping, and the reduced prices they get are far lower than anything we'd see here in the US. 

Grandma Donna, I realized the brands in your photo of the groceries were from Walmart, so I priced out the same groceries from my local Walmart Neighborhood Store.  I think this gives a better picture, to compare the same store which is one that most people in our country have access to.  Many things are the same price!  But some were a little more expensive here, and buttermilk is less expensive here but I only have one brand to choose from (and I could have saved 66¢ if I chose the 2 quart carton, but that wasn’t how you purchased yours).  My whole chicken is a brand from California that is never frozen, but was only 8¢ more per pound.

2# organic carrots $2.62, head organic celery $2.87, 2 navel oranges@.97 each $1.94, 2 apples (I am guessing Envy based on the price) 1.1# at $2.22 per pound $2.44, 2 quarts buttermilk sold as 1 quart each for $2.42 is $4.84, 1# Colby jack cheese $3.97, 1# salted butter sticks $4.16, 2 cans mandarin oranges in light syrup $2 each is $4, 1 dozen large brown eggs $5.37, 1# grass fed ground beef $7.47, 1 chicken 5.030# @ $1.54 per pound $7.75

The total is $47.43, which is $1.05 more than at your Walmart, but we don’t have sales tax on most food in California, so I would still come out ahead.  But — I don’t think you would have paid $2 per can for the mandarin oranges!

*****

If I had to choose between Walmart and Aldi I would choose Aldi for the prices, and I would make fresh milk biscuits which I like just as much as buttermilk.  Mostly because Aldi is closer, but also because the parking lot is much better and the store is smaller and less busy.  But for basics like this I would shop at Costco.

At Costco: 6# organic carrots $3.99, 2.5# organic celery hearts $5.79, 4# Envy apples $4.29, 8# navel oranges $7.99, 2 QT buttermilk $2.99 (have to go to the business center), 2# sharp cheddar cheese (no Colby jack) $5.79, 2# Monterey Jack cheese $4.99, 4# salted butter $12.18, #10 can mandarin oranges (106 ounces equivalent to 7 regular size cans) $10.39, 2 dozen eggs $4.79, 4# organic ground beef $22.99, 2 6# whole chickens $12.  Total is $98.18.  So I would spend more overall and have to make sure it all got eaten or frozen/processed for eating later, but per unit price I save much much more.  Not everyone has access to warehouse stores, but if you do, there are good prices to be had if you stay away from the processed, prepared, and specialty foods.  For twice the price I get 6# of carrots instead of 2, more celery, 4# of apples instead of a little over 1#, way more oranges, 4# of cheese instead of 1#, 4# of butter instead of 1#, the equivalent of 7 cans of mandarin oranges instead of 2 cans, 2 dozen eggs instead of 1 dozen, 4# of ground beef instead of 1#, and 2 chickens instead of 1 chicken.  We always make back more in rewards than we spend on the membership fee.  One does have to get to a place where one can afford to bulk buy, but it evens out very quickly and less is spent overall.

Oh my goodness I can't believe how cheap your food is Kimberley F as to what we pay here in NZ. 

Remembering NZ $ here but where I live Mince $26 for 1 kilo, gravy beef and blade steak $34 for 1 kilo,  Colby cheese cheapest $13.60 for 1 kilo, eggs ( and I praise God for my hens ... you can can get them at a fruit shop for $16 tray of 20. A frozen 2 kg chicken is around $16.

Butter cheapest $8.70 for 500g

Milk for 2 litres is $4.60.

Doing the exchange rate we get 59c for every US$ so it would be approximately $69 US for the items I listed.

That's a beautiful skirt!

That is wild! I never knew food in NZ was so expensive!

We grew up with a lot of casseroles

I've never made one for my husband in all the years we've been married.  His mom didn't make them. They had a piece of meat and a starch like rice or potatoes. My mom liked casseroles and it stretches ingredients. I like them too.

I put the Resew book on hold at my library.  I really hope it gives me some good ideas.

When I shop I aim to buy everything at clearance or very good sale prices. Aldi is the only place I don't pay sale prices but that's because they're already low. Occasionally, I'll find a mark down at Aldi. They used to have a lot of markdowns of special items after holidays but that's rare now.

I try to pay 99 cents per pound or less for produce.  I buy cheese when it's less than $4 per pound. Any kind of meat between $2 and $5 per pound. I'll pay a dollar or 2 more for a special meat like steak or a big roast. I usually can find chicken for 99 cents per pound. I buy dairy on clearance or I don't get it. I do buy in bulk from Azure Standard for certain things.  Treats like candy are clearance items. I make a lot from scratch. I live in an area with a lot of grocery stores so I can take advantage of loss leaders and clearance shelves. I make the rounds every week or two. I don't usually shop with a list because I make meals from whatever I find during my bargain shopping.

My goal this year is to make more of my gifts.

My mom grew up eating casseroles almost nightly and she hated them because of that.  My dad didn’t grow up eating casseroles at all .  She made a tuna noodle casserole about every 3 years or so, when my dad wouldn’t be home, because it was the one casserole she liked, but he hated tuna.  I never ate it because it was made with milk and I have a milk allergy.  I still have a milk allergy, but it’s a whey allergy and I can eat dairy products that have most of the whey removed or if the whey is denatured as happens with high heat pasteurization.  There are a couple of casseroles I make but my son is super dairy allergic (casein) and I can’t have tomatoes, so I mostly don’t make them.

99¢ per pound used to be my benchmark for produce, but it’s gotten so hard to keep to it.  I haven’t seen apples under 99¢ per pound for several years, nor tomatoes.  $1.25 per pound is probably a more realistic number for me, but even then I can’t get tomatoes at that price.  We should grow them, but my husband has no interest.

I’ve been cutting back my meat intake (I was plant based before) and hope to be able move to a pescatarian diet.  I think with dairy, eggs, and canned tuna I should be able to get enough protein (I can’t eat beans, legumes, or nuts).

Making gifts is high on my list this year, Margaret P!  We’re living on our retirement budget in advance and I need to stretch the Christmas budget.  I have everything I need to crochet Santa hats, so I think that will be what many people get this year.  For the young adults I’ll make a few more gifts and they are also who I will spend money on, because they are worse off than we are!  I actually have a big list of potential gifts I can make, but I decided making the same gift for everyone is easier to keep track of — next year perhaps everyone will receive quilted table runners or hot pads.

Today I had a real grocery store win. I got tomatoes for 50c a pound! Or so. 11.29 for 25 lbs, Canadaian dollars. :) This is a rare deal, and it was only for large quantities. There was also 25 dollars for a full bushel of tomatoes (I think 50 lbs?)

We are also making gifts this year, we decided as a family to do so after I remarked the best gifts I love are homemade.  Will be a lot of home canned pickles, salsa, jams and jellies for the adults and for the littles hand sewn pajamas and books from the thrift stores along with a boughten item.

I help buy school clothes and supplies and this is also part of their gifts as they are needed then.... not at the holidays.

I always buy the summer fill of propane for my adult kids, I get the best price and pay for it all at once along with mine so it is a great gift and needed.  We are very clannish as a family and know what is needed amongst ourselves. Thankfully we all help one another with whatever is needed. 

The older I get the longer yard work takes me so family pitches in and I do alot of canning and processing for all....working together helps everyone. I am always happiest when helping and being around my family.

Grandma Donna, Thank you so much for your information and inspiration.  I appreciate all the comments and am learning from them.  It's comforting to me to know there are like-minded ladies who care about budgeting, saving, re-using, and stretching food dollars, I'm not the only one concerned about these times and trying to do the best for my family. 

Grandma Donna, I love your patchwork towel, made me smile, I can totally relate.  We have two towels that are quite thin, the towels have the Precious Moments children on them----our youngest daughter is 48!  We roll the towels up and use them as neck support when we are in our recliners.

Laundry idea: I asked at the Thrift Store we shop and donate to for some of those pants hangers with clips.  They were kind enough to give me bag of them.  They are wonderful for hanging up lots of items to dry, I even hang my underwear on them and hook them on the door facings, works great.

Food Budget idea:  Have started adding lentils to hamburger to help stretch then meat.  Lentils are a good source of protein.  I cook the lentils and add to taco meat or sloppy joe, etc.  I wondered if this would work, after our teenaged grandson wolfed down three tacos and didn't say a word, I knew we had a winner!

I also grate potatoes, carrots, and onions to add to ground meat for making burgers.  They are more moist and taste delicious and your get more burgers for your buck.   Same test, grandson had two burgers and no complaints. 

Thank you again, I know you devote a LOT of time to this blog, it's very helpful and a bright spot in my day.

Becky Sue K

Well done making your skirt from the sweatshirt.

I recently brought a plain pure wool blanket to make a Winter skirt. I also have a beautiful red full length coat that my daughter had made for me from a plain red blanket. It has been particularly cold here this Winter.. icy winds.. and i have worn it more . It's very cozy.

Denim fabric here to buy new is now $23-$40 a metre depending on weight and width. Way too expensive to buy to make a skirt.

I buy mostly sheet and duvet covers for sewing projects.

I noticed in a local Thrift shop they had quite a few crochet blankets for around $35. When I saw the size and how much wool would have been used it was good value. I didn't buy one .

Best buy this year... A heat pad to start my seedlings earlier for Spring planting.

Joyce C, After my husband retires we plan to learn canning together — giving home canned items as gifts is a great idea!  I didn’t think he would be all that interested, but I told him we would save money on salsa and be able to make it as hot as he likes it.  Plus we aren’t going to be able to afford the lactofermented pickles he likes, so we need to learn to make those too.

I love how you and your family are working together!  I feel like we just aren’t there yet, maybe the young adults need to get a little older.  My youngest has no desire to do anything extra that would be “work”, and my oldest is too busy to do almost anything extra, although he does take care of all of the bikes.  We are still helping both of them financially.  Reading about you gifting the summer propane fill, I’m thinking we should switch to more practical gifts for them while they are so broke themselves.  I know when we were young we had an ill-thought line of reasoning that we should spend cash gifts on things we wanted, not things we needed.  It took us the first 8 years of marriage making financial mistakes before we got ourselves on track.

Hannah A_2, That is a fantastic price for tomatoes!  After seeing your deal, I looked at the Costco Business Center page and I can get 25# of Roma tomatoes for $21 or 25# of “loose large tomatoes” for $23.  I had seen the boxes of tomatoes last time we were there, and mentioned to my husband that they could be a way for us to start canning.

Karen S, using a wool blanket as fabric for a skirt is a great idea!  Will you line it with a different fabric or perhaps wear a slip?

I was very proud of myself yesterday.  The solar guys came out again and they made a new plan for the panels with my husband.  After they left I was looking at it and asking questions.  I printed out the plan again and changed it to what I thought would work best, adding 3 panels as well.  Not only did they all think my plan would work the best, I had added just the right number of panels to create a system the size I’d originally estimated we would need using online calculators.  The solar company thought we needed less because of our overall annual usage, but our usage is very “bunchy”.  Last year our highest month was 2000 kWh (it was a much hotter month than average), and our lowest month was 400 kWh.  I want our system to be able to handle the hottest days without drawing from the grid, and I want to build in some margin for the future. 

Joyce C - That is so heart warming to read about the togetherness of your family.

Karen S - When you wrote our NZ prices it is stark isn't it? Remember how mince and sausages were once the very cheap meats we could rely on. In our local New World supermarket I noticed hardly anyone lingers at the meat counter because most of it is too expensive. The meat shelves aren't stocked fully either and I assume that's because most of us now buy very little of it.

I recently took some money I had squirreled away to stock up on some extra plunger coffee that was $2.50 cheaper on sale to store away. 6 packets. Coffee is our treat at home but we drink much less now because it's $9.99 for 250gms. I used to pick it up on special for between $5 and $6. However this stock up was a once off because I can't keep doing that. Coffee is a luxury now not a necessity. More affordable than a coffee out though at $7!!! A first world problem though.

I'm teaching myself to sew some clothes. I started with a cotton dress for my little granddaughter which turned out well and I learnt a lot in the process although you should have heard me over the buttonholes lol. I hope to make some for myself eventually and I will take a leaf out of your book Karen.S and look in the open shop for fabric.

Does anyone know why my buttonholes sew loose and wide on one side but not the other? In the end I hand stitched laborisly over the loose side.

What  a wonderful post!  I dry my clothing outside on the clothesline.  My washer and dryer from 1996.  They are trusty Kenmores.  You meals look healthy and delicious.  I eat mostly fruit and salad in the summer.  I am so sorry that your house burned down…how very sad.  Love your blog

For those wanting to learn to sew, Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing would be a good book to acquire.  My edition is the April 1978 4th printing.  This book is great because it teaches sewing terms, fabrics, equipment etc. before getting into the actual sewing process.  You need to understand these terms in order to follow a sewing pattern.  I don't have a copy of the older Singer sewing book but have checked it out from the library many times.  It is also a good book to use to learn sewing.  The newer books get into sergers which is fine, but basic sewing instruction needs to come first.  

I had three years of Home Economics in high school and my last project was a lined wool suit with bound buttonholes and matching blouse.  However, my "real" sewing I learned on my own after I was married by reading books and learning to follow pattern instructions.  I used a borrowed treadle Singer machine until my dh gifted me a Kenmore electric machine six years after we were married.  BTW I never wore the suit as it was "too much" for my lifestyle.  A seventeen-year-old can appreciate the ideal without realizing the impracticality of a project!!