Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Rathbone]

My daughter came home for a visit. On our budget there will be no going out for dinner. So...french omelettes for breakfast. Potato and ham soup for lunch with homemade grilled bread. And some things I have been saving up just for this occasion. I pulled out some steaks I had found for a great price. Mashed potatoes, corn, and sweet and sour carrots. I made her personal fave - banana nut bread (been hiding the walnuts in the back of the freezer) and sent a loaf with her.
Funny thing: I worked really hard to hoard these nice little bits back so that when she got here I would have something nice to serve - you know something besides beans... After we pushed back the plates she looked over at me and said the steaks were delicious but she had thought for sure we would have bean burritos for dinner. Apparently she had been craving bean burritos. Apparently no one in Phoenix makes bean burritos as delicious as we do. Well that kind of gave me the giggles. I could have just served her bean burritos and she would have been just as happy.

 

[JD4570]

I've been trying to fill my freezer with meat cheaply as possible. Last night I got an idea when I heard strange noises coming from my fence line. It was wild hogs! If they come back somebody is gonna have a lot of pork roast, ribs, and bacon!!

Nothing is as yummy as free fresh meat!

 

[WomanInTheWoods]

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I totally agree! I've got some rabbits outside that I've been wanting to put in my freezer. My neighbor got some meat rabbits (NZ meat rabbits, if I'm not mistaken~ they're big!) some time in the spring and didn't contain them properly. The wife was perplexed at how come there were so many rabbits running loose... after all, they only bought two!

They've been running feral for months now, and I was all ready to shoot and butcher them up... when the ones inhabiting my sister's yard next door had a litter of wee little ones. Now I'm scared to death I'll get one on the chopping block and find babies inside. I just couldn't handle that. My little black panther, however, has no such qualms... he's brought me two baby bunnies so far. One was found in the back yard and the other he left as a gift on my front porch last night. How thoughtful of him...

I should just woman-up and get the job done... come spring they'll be munching my herb & veg gardens again and all that cuteness will fly right out the window again.

 

[Terri O]

oh yes, take care of it NOW! We had a few of ours go feral and my yard was covered with black and tan and white bunnies of all ages...and no tulips, no crocuses, no daffodils...you get the idea. THe neighbors were happy to come out for a rabbit shoot! I cleaned 'em all up and we had rabbit all year! T

 

[faerielady]

I've never eaten rabbit, or hog for that matter. I was raised Jewish and that's not considered acceptable to eat. However, it is nice to know that if my parents have rabbit issues out on their land, or wild hogs, maybe I could have my dad post it on craigslist and get people out there who would like to free meat.

 

[Rathbone]

There is nothing better than a present - and even sweeter when it comes from someone I met HERE!
Yesterday after work my little son came running to me with a package that had come in the mail.

Lots of "open it, open it, what's inside" from one child, the other groaning "It is probably just more books".
First of all, it was wrapped in a paper bag. I love that; it makes me think of packages from a long time ago. We peeled back the paper, ripped open the box and the most amazing aroma wafted up.
What I received was a wine making kit from a friend on here. She had heard I was going to try to make wine, and knowing my money is tight had decided to send me exactly what I needed: yeast, bubbler, sugar etc.

And what was that delicious aroma??? She had cleverly packaged it all in ... coffee beans. Not just coffee beans but vanilla creme brulee coffee beans.
And so I begin a new adventure: wine making. Thank you. How sweet to receive kindness from strangers. It makes this big world seem a little smaller and friendlier.

 

[WomanInTheWoods]

That's awesome!!!

(I love the brown paper wrapped packages, too. Very homey.

)

 

[kuntrygirl]

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Awwwww, that was so nice.

ETA: That reminds me a few weeks ago someone on BYC posted pics of the recycled feed sacks that they sew and I posted that I wanted one (because I can't sew) and posted the smiley who is crying. Immediately after, this person sent me a PM and told me that she would send me a bag. I sent her my address and a few days later I received 2 beautiful feed sacks that she had recycled and sewn into these marvelous totes. I have never met this person before in my life and my first time seeing her was on her BYC thread. She is a sweet heart and I thank her for her act of kindness.

 

[GreenGables]

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Reading this makes me smile...

 

[JD4570]

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You could also trade a couple of 80 to 100# hogs for front quarters of a deer.That part would be kosher right?