Frugal Friday - Week 34 of 52


We had a week that seemed very scattered this week - here and there and everywhere, it seemed!  We did make two plans for "summer" before summer finishes and one is our now-annual trip to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store in Jordan MN.  It is a hike from where we live but once a year it's SO worth it - we love to go and look more than anything else but the children love to buy a few things too.  It is not necessarily frugal but it's something we all look forward to and we can spend as little or as much as we want to.

I have to say my favorite part of the whole trip was a little girl - she looked preschool age - looking at a women I'm assuming is her mother in disbelief when she was told she could have both a package of gummy bears and a candy necklace!  It was SO cute!  Her eyes were so big and she looked so excited!

I also enjoyed watching our children explore all the different candies and other items that were available.  They have a lot of other items too - a LOT of puzzles, pasta, pickles, popcorn, and other food items as well as a huge soda pop selection.  We always buy gourmet root beer to enjoy at home later.  My husband bought a pickles - he LOVES pickles - and I purchased some fun pasta.  We did come home with giant taffy and giant licorice and a few other things too.  I think we're good for candy until next year now!

The photo at the top of this post is the selection of rock candy on a stick - our children love rock candy and we spent a lot of time exploring the different flavors.  They each came home with three to try.

* We made BLT's (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches), Biscuits, Oatmeal Cookies, two types of Salsa, and Marinated Cucumbers this week. So much garden produce to use this week!

* I blanched and froze carrots, green beans, kohlrabi, and broccoli this week.  I also sliced and froze peppers and blueberries.  These will be used over the winter.

* I washed all the slipcovers for the furniture and the curtains this week.

* The children and I started preparations for our freezer cooking session.  We will assemble our meals next weekend to be ready for the school year.

* I did all our ironing.  I always feel so on top of things when I do not have anything hanging in the laundry room waiting to be ironed!

* We attended a free outdoor concert with a light dinner.  It was lovely and  the weather was perfect to the evening!   A local band wanted to say "Thank You" to the community for their support. Since we know a couple of the band members we went and had a great time.  It was so fun to listen to the music and visit with friends we had not seen for a long time.

* We picked tomatoes, green beans, and winter squash from our garden. I think we have enough winter squash to last through February now!

* Our daughter picked flowers from our yard for a bouquet on the table.

* The children power washed the outside of the house while I weeded the flower beds. We have an attachment for the garden hose that turns it into a lower-pressure pressure washer.  It is perfect for washing the outside of the house!

* I had dental work done this week.  By paying the post-insurance balance of the bill at the time services were rendered, I received a reduction of 10% off my bill.

* Our children watched a friend's children for two days this week, earning a bit of money that they are putting toward their class trip later this year.

What did you do this week?


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