Frugal Endeavors – second week of February

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February 1 – 14, 2019

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Well, the first couple of weeks in February have been something else!

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Food in Jars Mastery Challenge for January. Lemon Curd with Bonus Lemon Extract

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My year got off to an awesome start when I realized that Marisa of Food in Jars was hosting another food preservation challenge. The challenge for the month of January was to create a preserve using citrus. The citrus challenge in 2017 where I attempted to make marmalade didn’t go very well. This year I decided to capture a bit of southern sunshine in a jar of Lemon Curd, instead of revisiting the marmalade disaster.

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Frugal Endeavors – Will it be chickens or feathers in 2019?

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January 1 to 7, 2019

Happy New Year everyone! We knew 2018 was going to be challenging but we made it through just fine. So far 2019 has got off to a running start.

I got a huge box of foraged walnuts from the retired butcher. Since I only wanted a few, I shared my bounty with some of my work mates. They were more excited by them than I was. Now the challenge is to find ways to use them and not let them get moldy, like I did last time I was blessed with a box of nuts.

I calculated our grocery costs for 2018 and we spent, on average, $318 per month for the two of us. According to the stats, this is pretty good. The amount suggested by financial gurus is $200.00 per person per month. I still want to do better. So far we are on track this month as we have spent the first week of the new year eating from our pantry and freezer. Long may it last.

December ended with an influx of work from my one side gig. I was happy for the work and I have the money I made squirreled away for our next trip to the Really Big City.

Speaking of side gigs, I found another one. It’s manual labour meaning I had to buy a hard hat and hearing protection but the pay is good. It’s also sporadic, so when the work is there, there will be chickens instead of feathers. The month of January is looking to be busy but after that, who knows! I guess I can always use my hard hat as a flower planter if the work dries up.

Via Pinterest

The time during which the old year gives way to the new is a time of reflection. I have a strong feeling that 2019 will be all about tying up loose ends and keeping old promises. I don’t know why, maybe because we are on the cusp of a new decade that some say will be full of new challenges. Regardless of what the future brings, I welcome the chance to finish projects I’ve put aside and re-evaluate the stuff I’ve been carting around for years.

On the “To Do” list is a quilt for an old friend to keep a promise made a long time ago.

In the “Out it Goes” list are these Christmas ornaments.

I made these years and years ago during a time when my life was not so good. I blew out eggs (saving the insides of course!), painted them and decoupaged them with images from magazines and calendars. Most of them are broken and can’t be repaired. I could keep the ones that are not broken but when I look at them, I don’t see a celebration of creativity and perseverance; instead I see only sadness. It’s time to let them go. Out with the bad and in with the good.

How about you? What are your expectations for 2019? Leave a comment and tell me all about it.