Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Want to up your frugal game? Join one of our challenges.
User avatar
Jackielou
Posts: 13423
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by Jackielou »

SandiSAHM wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:10 pm You know the section of 'Forrest Gump' where Bubba recites a seemingly endless list of shrimp dishes?

This is my current situation with tomatoes. Tomato sandwiches, tomatoes in Greek-style salad, tomato basil pie, tomato foccacia, gazpacho, roasted tomatoes, salsa... Then the list of stuff tomatoes are used in (tortilla casserole, squash and lentil curry, primavera...); if you are what you eat, very shortly I'll wake up as a tomato. Last time I was tomato-like, during DS's birth, it turned out to be an allergic reaction to latex :lol:

We've given them to church members, given them to neighbors (met some neighbors this way, LOL, "Hi, I'm Will (or San), do you like tomatoes?" so far that's going well, only one who won't eat nightshades - but they smoke, and that struck me as odd, maybe they don't know tobacco is a nightshade?), it's starting to remind me of 2007, the Great Year of the Zucchini, when we had so. many. zucchini. - he was picking 30 a day and we were, quite honestly, as a family, a church, and a neighborhood, zucchini'd out. Fortunately we remembered there's a 'soup kitchen' style operation in Tulsa, they were stoked. We have yet to again meet anyone that happy about zucchini.

We have decided to tear out the carpet and put down a solid floor. Because remodeling is an addictive drug.
Our larger tomatoes have not ripened as of yet, but our small tomato plant is really producing. Probably picked at least 80 two inch diameter tomatoes from that plant. Takes two to make a sandwich, but we just can not keep up this year.

Salsa is on the list to be made.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

alliesmama4 wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 2:31 am I am jealous of your tomato bonanza. I am currently nursing a tiny tomato about the size of a marble and there is another bloom coming on.. lol. We have had horrible weather plus I am not a good gardener and been negligent in getting things going as quickly as I should have. Good idea to donate to a soup kitchen operation.
We were super surprised to have such a glut this year; DH started them (he grows them from seed under grow lights indoors 'til they're big enough to plant) late, he didn't get anything in the ground until almost the end of April :? . I thought we were toast for the year, but NO. When he gets back from work tonight there'll be at least 100 cherry tomatoes ("Sweet Million" variety, they grow so fast and if you cut the tops because they're getting too tall, they'll send out a vine from where you cut and there's so many on that vine is almost like growing grapes instead of tomatoes) and 5-6 big '1 slice is a sandwich' types. Which would last us a week, but tomorrow will bring the same.

I'm not complaining, I know the season will be over too soon. I wish I were better with preserving them (I skin, cut up, and freeze the big ones in quantities useful for soup and curries, but the little ones are a mystery to me outside of possibly dehydrating them, they'd be good on pizza and focaccia that way).

The other wild thing is SUDDENLY, he's good at butternut squash growing. Which is great, as those are fantastic in curry and freeze so well. It's just strange, because last year we got maybe 5. Which we appreciated, too, so we put in twice as many plants this year. That may have been overkill.
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Jackielou wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:41 am Our larger tomatoes have not ripened as of yet, but our small tomato plant is really producing. Probably picked at least 80 two inch diameter tomatoes from that plant. Takes two to make a sandwich, but we just can not keep up this year.

Salsa is on the list to be made.
I like making salsa, a batch is gone here inside of 3 days, DH and DD love it.
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

The tomato situation reminds me of the summer of 1977. My parents grew so many tomatoes that Dad put some in a bucket and sent me and a friend out door to door to sell them, told us we could keep the proceeds. We sold the whole bucket at ONE door, LOL, and the lady who bought them asked me if I ever baby-sat. Wound up with a full-time summer sitting job three years running, she was going back to work when her baby was 3 months old. My mother kept the child during the school year. That baby is forty-four and has grown kids of her own.

Wow I feel old.
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

$avings Challenge update: 67.2 %

:P

Even for the Julian date, we're ahead of the game.

May as well enjoy it while I can, next month I make the quarterly payment toward my taxes. It doesn't come out of savings, but it makes savings for the month lower.
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Sandi's 2021 Planned $avings Challenge

Post by HappyDaze »

SandiSAHM wrote: Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:29 pm $avings Challenge update: 67.2 %

:P

Even for the Julian date, we're ahead of the game.

May as well enjoy it while I can, next month I make the quarterly payment toward my taxes. It doesn't come out of savings, but it makes savings for the month lower.
You are doing great and I enjoy reading your updates! Jealous of your garden bounty - that is awesome! My daughter started a garden - cleared the spot, paid for dirt, plants, etc. - and never followed up with it - waste of money and time - left all the plants to die - so sad.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
Post Reply