I’m still looking for ways to save and reduce…

Oct 21, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

There has been some good sales on produce here and I’ve taken advantage of some of them. Here are some examples:

Pineapple: I bought 5 lovely pineapples for .69 euros cents a kilo and I have made, 3 kinds of jam, pineapple salsa and canned pineapple.

It’s a lot of fun for me and a nice hobby that also saves me money.

Here is the broccoli and carrots photo that I tried to load last time. These have to be frozen because I don’t have a pressure canner.

A neighbor made some “membrillo” or a sweet paste made out of quince and eaten with cheese. We love the stuff! Here is a photo:

What else have we done? Well, we are trying to sell some household items. We always appreciate your prayers in these matters.

I did stock up on a sale of chickens so I won’t be buying any meat for a while. Also I saw in a flyer that sweet potatoes are now in season ( we can only buy them a couple of months a year) and are only 1€ a kilo! I plan to stock up. I won’t be able to can them due to me not having that pressure canner, but I will store them in a cool place and look on-line for some tricks. My freezer is full.

Can you send me your money saving ideas? I’d appreciate any wisdom I can get.

A new month with new challenges

Oct 6, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

Thank you for your prayers for us! Aren’t these interesting times? We feel sometimes that we have so many challenges & trials but even in the midst of those, we know that in the Lord there is always hope. I continue to find ways to save on the ‘ol grocery budget. Some budget items have been lowered, while others have been raised, like house and fuel costs. Here are some of the “new moves” we have made:

1. we’re now unplugging the water/house heating unit during the day (it’s a diesel fuel tank we have filled) and just turn it on for our showers at night/ wear sweaters in the house.
2. we try to run any errands only once a week
3. John fixed the dishwasher! This saved us at least 100€
4. the garden is growing… we are hoping for a “crop” soon
5. eating a lot more legumes
6. eating less meat
7. buying ONLY the 30% off meat and poultry (that is out of code the next day)
8. I bought enough broccoli on sale last week to last about 4 months. I will blanch and freeze it today after I give my English class to the neighbor kids (ministry, not a job)

Bummers of the week:

1. the heating system needed a new part that cost us 100€ ($145)…ugh
2. this is a bummer/blessing: a couple in our church is getting married and the customs are different here. We each give the money for the meal that is held after the wedding ceremony at a restaurant ( at least 60€ for each person… this is a 5or 6 course meal) + we add the money for the gift for the couple on top of that. Weddings are great…. but boy are they expensive in Spain. My friends are all talking about going out to buy their new outfits and getting their hair done the day of the wedding. I will wear something I already have, and do my own hair! We all have these “unexpected expenses” that we deal with.

We hope that you are seeing victory in your lives and are feeling hopeful.

* I tried to upload some photos but I am getting an error message. I’ll try again later.