Hi everyone! I'm so happy it's Thursday again.
1. I dried some cranberries (above) that had been in the fridge since before Christmas. Yikes! I think I will use them with loose-leaf tea. They are very tart without any sugar. 2. I worked to keep food costs down. So far we've spent about $25.00, and I'm hoping to not spend much more than that this week. We also used a gift certificate to pay for most of our date night meal this week. 3. I repaired two pairs of jeans and a skirt. The repairs were free because I just used scrapped denim as a patch. Lately I've been trying out a new method of patching where you put a piece of fabric behind the hole or tear, and then just stitch back and forth over the hole in the direction of the fabric grain. The seams blend in well with the fabric, and the patch is flexible and won't peel off like an iron-on patch. 4. I began a germination test for some of my seeds for this year, and also started growing some microgreens for our meals NeXT week. 5. I am working on plans to start a small "farm store" at our house. Basically, I will just be moving the produce stand and/or farmer's market booth inside a small building on our property that used to be part of our old barn. This week I cleaned out the space and my husband worked on fixing a broken window. I also moved a shelving unit in there. This year we will be selling eggs, maple syrup, strawberries, goat's milk soap, and probably a few more odds and ends. My goal is not only to sell homestead surplus out of the store, but also, in time, to make it into a community hub of sorts. Eventually hold classes or meetings out there. I'd also like to build a small lending library with books on marriage, health, self-sufficiency and homeschooling; topics that I think will be more sought out but also less available as censorship continues at breathtaking rates. We have the funds now to purchase books, or even different private newspaper subscriptions, and I think it would be great to invest in our community by sharing these things. Blessings, ~Prudence~
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Hi everyone! I am so happy to be back. After Christmas and a 2-week stint away from home, I feel so refreshed and ready to tackle homemaking with a new vigor. Over the past month or so I've purchased quite a few books that I'm hoping to at least get started on. I also have a few new ideas for our farmstead that I'm really ecited about. First off, we'll get started with some thrifty things: 1. Necklace organizer: you can see my new necklace holder in the photo above. I made it from a piece of driftwood that I found at the beach, along with some small nails and a piece of string. My jewelry (all of which is pretty much costume jewelry) is so much more accessible now. Even if I never wear it, I can at least see it now, and appreciate the beauty in each piece. 2. I saved some onion bottoms and a garlic bottom to grow "chives" with. All you have to do is cut the onion or garlic end off (about 1/4") and set it, root side down, in some water. 3. I cleaned up almost all of the Christmas decorations and finished up a video editing project that has been sitting around for too long. 4. I finished up a denim skirt that I had been working on. The original skirt was too small and didn't have enough room to walk in (it was kind of like a "wiggle skirt"). Instead of donating it as I had planned, I cut open the side seams and inserted a different color of denim (salvaged, of course, from an old pair of jeans) in the sides. It turned out very nice. 5. I was able to use an old trash bag I had saved. Plans for 2021 Since the election and all of that garbage is basically done (I'm not happy about it, but at least it won't occupy my mind anymore), I feel like I can move on and focus more on personal, home and homestead goals. Health: I'm hoping to decrease my body fat this year and work on improving strength. Here's where I'm at currently: All of those numbers are pretty good, but I would like to see them a deeper green, rather than just a light shade of green.
To reach the goals I've set for myself, I'm going to focus on taking daily walks and continue intermittent fasting. These things are enjoyable, or at least doable for me long term. Home: There are a few home reno projects that I want to work on this year. Namely, painting one bathroom and our bedroom. I would like to make some knock-off Beddy's bedding for our preschooler as well, and hang some wall art. Homestead: There is a little building on our property that I want to turn into a farm store. I have been a farm stand and/or farmer's market vendor for about five years now, so basically I am just going to merge all of that into one on-site business. It will basically be recreating my farmers market stand inside the building. Eventually I would love to put new flooring and shelving in there, but until the homestead pulls in more money, I will just use what we already have. There is one window in the building that needs to be fixed. In addition to that, I will need to paint a sign for the door and probably move some potted plants over there to make it look welcoming. It will be a self-serve farm store. Things I'll be selling for sure are eggs, maple syrup and strawberries. In addition to that, I will put out what soap I still have, and depending on the week I may also sell vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers. We spent quite a bit of money on farm infrastructure in 2020, since I added a new, under-plastic strawberry bed and we acquired a steer for beef (which also required hay, fencing, and some small items). Not counting the steer and steer-related items, we ended out the year around $350-$400 loss. Most years I try to break even, but the strawberry harvest was dismal and we only made $500.00 rather than the usual $750-$1000. I think we did harvest a $350 value from the fruit, vegetables and eggs that our little farm was able to produce. I just like the idea of a financially self-sustaining farm. :) That's all I have for this week. Blessings! ~Prudence~ |
About PrudenceI am a Christian homemaker who lives in the Midwest. I enjoy sewing, gardening, reading and thrifting. Archives
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