Our income is getting ready to drop again at the end of October when my husbands state disability will end. Our monthly income will then be 1/3 of what we have lived on in the past before the ‘Great Recession/Depression’.  We’ve made a LOT of changes in our monthly budget over the past 3 years but we’re gearing up to make a few more in the next few months. I’m still working on dropping my monthly grocery budget hopefully lower. I’ve tried to keep it below $200.00 a month but I haven’t been meeting that goal consistently. It’s tough even with help from our church food pantry.  I’ve included supplements, toiletries and pet products into that number also. Our summer garden has really helped to lower my food budget this summer and will help us into the winter months to come. 

I was very surprised how much food our little garden yielded this summer. I was so pleased that I’ve started picking up seeds and plants for a winter garden. I planted napa cabbage, cauliflower, head cabbage plants yesterday evening and spinach and lettuce seeds tonight. Our weather has been 100 degrees the past two days. It was still so hot this evening that I dreaded being outside but I was concerned that the plants would die if I didn’t get them in the ground. I added some steer manure to each hole I dug for the plants. I’m hoping it will help build up the soil.

Next year we hope to plant more of a variety. We ended up with too many peppers and tomatoes. I’ve loved making homemade tomato sauce but a girl can only use so much! Today I roasted, skinned and de-seeded peppers for Chile Rellenos. I minced the rest of them and then divided them into an ice cube tray and froze them. When they are frozen I’ll put the squares of roasted peppers into a marked bag. Roasted chile peppers are so expensive and I do use them in several recipes along with stews and soups so this will save me some money this winter.  I also made another batch if jalapeno pepper jelly for Christmas gifts.

We invested about $50.00 in summer plants and seeds. At the time I thought that was too much to spend on plants and seeds.  I wish I had tracked what our little garden yielded but I can safely say that it gave back much more than our investment.  I’m hooked!

Is anyone else planting a winter garden this year?

One of the biggest ways I can stretch our income is to cook from scratch and cut expenses in my kitchen.  Thankfully, I enjoy cooking and baking so it’s not a drudgery.  I know there are women who don’t enjoy cooking and that would make it very challenging. I guess it just depends on where you want to spend your time. I see it as a trade-off… I can either spend time in my own home saving money in my kitchen or I can make money outside my home. Sometimes it comes down to those two choices.  I’ve been able to save enough money in my kitchen each month to equal a 20 hour part-time job at $10.00 an hour.

I enjoy trying new recipes and find it’s one way to not get bored by cooking the same thing week after week.   I tried 2 new recipes this week but only one will be a keeper. A friend shared this recipe with me so I’m not sure who the original author was.  I did add 1/2 cup salsa for extra flavor. You could taste it before you add the salsa to see if you like it.

Mexican Meatball Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 zucchini (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2 inch dice (remove seeds before dicing, chop seeds finely)
• 1 chayote squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice (I didn’t use this)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 quart canned low-sodium broth (beef or chicken)
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes (one 15 ounce can)
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup fresh (cut from about 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels (I used 1 small can of corn)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• (I added 1/2 cup salsa for an extra ‘pop’)

Meatballs (I already had made frozen meatballs previously)

• 1/2 pound lean ground beef, pork or turkey
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. cooked rice OR dry bread crumbs (low carbers could leave this out or use low carb bread crumbs)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 small can sliced olives, minced
• 1 egg, beaten to mix

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat.  Add the onion and 1 of the chopped jalapenos and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the zucchini and chayote, 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano, if using, and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and cook, stirring, until the zucchini starts to soften, about 3 minutes.

2.  Add the broth, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper; bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

3.  Meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, olives, jalapeno, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of the fresh oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, rice and the egg.  Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.

4.  Add the meatballs and corn to the soup and simmer until the meatballs are just done, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, if using.

I was having so much fun looking at the pictures I just uploaded from my camera that I wanted to share them with you. Our church has a yearly baptism at a nearby river. The setting is beautiful! The park has rolling hills that lead down to a peaceful river.  This year we also had an outdoor service and potblessing. I’ve been to a lot of baptism’s in my years of following Christ but I must say I enjoy the river baptisms the most.

Pastor Bettencourt preaching God’s Word with accuracy

and without apology. I’ve been attending this little rural church

for 5 years and I’m thankful that the Word we receive each week is never

weak or compromising but powerfully brought forth with conviction.

 It’s definitely worth the 30 minute drive!

Our potblessing! Lots of yummy food. It looks like the church is enjoying it!

I love my church family more and more with each passing year!

After lunch the church walked down to the river for the baptisms.

Pastor Bettencourt is explaining what baptism represents.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father

and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matt. 28:19

• Oil lamps: I only have room for 1 oil lamp in our little place. It sits on my kitchen counter. It is full of oil and ready for use with a lighter sitting next to it. 
• Flashlights: I have a flashlight sitting on my end table next to my bed, next to my husband’s chair in the ‘living room’ and one on the kitchen counter hidden behind the oil lamp. I’ve learned the hard way that when you live in the country it gets VERY dark (think ‘no street lights’) when the electricity goes out. That is NOT the time to try and find a flashlight. When we lived in a larger home I had a flashlight in every major room.  I need to check the batteries and purchase more batteries for backup. 
• Extra blankets: I’ll be pulling these out to see if they need to be washed. 
• Electric blankets: The electric blankets will need to be plugged in to make sure they are still working.  My daughter found one on sale last year so I purchased it for a backup. They are horribly expensive if you buy them in the middle of winter so I try to purchase ahead of time at the lowest price. The heat helps lessen the pain in my husband’s back so I always want to have an extra one on hand. 
• Heating pad 
• Small room heaters need to be located and cleaned. We do not have central heat and air.
• Winter clothes need to be pulled out of storage and washed. I need to take inventory of what we have and what we may need to purchase. I think we probably have enough clothes and coats to get us through another winter without any purchases. I’ve been picking up a few winter tops at the thrift store through the summer when I see them on sale. I just purchased 2 long sleeve blouses for less than a $1.00 each. 
• Cold and flu medicine: I’ll be taking inventory of what we have on hand, checking expiration dates and then watching the ads for ‘free’ products through the drug stores. We had our first round of flu and colds this past month. I was thankful to have cold medicine I had received free last year. 
• I’m researching a few herbal remedies I want to try this coming year. One is an herbal tea recipe for colds and I’m also hoping to make cough drops. 
• Soup: I made some wonderful, rich chicken broth that is waiting in the freezer to be made into chicken soup. I’ll also be watching the sales for Campbell’s Chicken Soup, just in case I’m the one who gets sick so my dear husband just has to open a can. I always try to keep a couple of extra meals in the freezer .. just in case. 

I love being able to make our home warm and comfortable. I remember how much satisfaction I felt when I used to tuck my children into a warm, clean bed at night. I miss those days but I find that same since of satisfaction knowing my husband’s needs are met and he is warm and comfortable.

That’s my beginning list. I’d love to know what you do in your households to prepare for the winter.