Prepping

I have a small stockpile
So it was pretty easy to Prep for Hurricane Sandy
Plus we have had plenty of time and warning
We have everyting we need to ride out the storm without electricity.
We do not have a generator, so I hope I dont lose my stockpile in the freezer.
We have ice and lots of it.

We bought extra batteries and that is about it.

Stay safe everyone.

What Have You Done

What frugal things have you done lately?

Scrubbed toilets with baking soda and vinegar
Gathered free pinecones and baked them...house smelled good (Will use to make a wreath)
Used coconut oil and brown sugar for a hand rub
Hung 1 load laundry to dry instead of using the dryer
Creative leftovers
Chatted with our community landscapers to prune my trees (free)
Bought Haunted house tickets on Living Social...been wanting to take son to Haunted House.  Tickets are 10.00 each, I got them for 2.00 each
Made Hot Chocolate mix
"Re racked"  my dishwasher tines.  The tips were getting rusty, so I used a touch up vinyl paint called "Re Racked"

FRUGAL Christmas Part 1

I say Part 1 because I am quite sure I will have more to say on the topic.
And YES I am thinking Christmas already, not because the stuff is in stores, but because it takes some time to make frugal gifts.
Currently I am making ornaments to sell at a craft show.  I hope to make some Christmas money.
But here are some of my ideas for frugal gifts

Wine cork ornament
Grow a plant from one you already have
Bake...cookies and sweet breads are great gifts.
If you can knit, dishcloths are a nice gift that people actually use.
Pinecone wreath, or make any kind of wreath (The pine cones were free for me)

Uh-Oh

Uh-O  ver
Yes, I went over my grocery budget
By 25.00.  That is a lot.
Why?  Because, when something is on sale I stock up, but I also needed the basics still, so I went over.
Peanut butter has gotten very pricey around here.  Just a year ago I could get brand name for 1.50 when on sale.  Now the generic is 2.50 or more and the brand name, well....
It was on sale, I had a coupon, I won't need P-butter for months.  We use a lot of it, I bake with it, for smoothies and the traditional PB and J.
Also coffee and cereal had a sale so I stocked up on those as well.
So these items will not be on my shopping list for a couple months, I will be able to shave off $25.00 from my next 2 trips.

What I did this morning

I have a Swagsbucks account. Got it in Jan 2012.  I do not earn much, but I do earn some.
I now can redeem my points for...
3   25.00 Restaurant.com gift cards
1   25.00 Travelocity.com gift cards

Which is good for me, because I use those sites.

$75.00 of gifts, for using Swagbucks

Not too bad

If interested in Swagbucks let me know I can send a referral to you

FREE Basil

My neighbor gave me a handful of Basil clippings
Mmmm fresh Basil.  It went on pizza, it got mixed in with tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese.

But best of all..I now have 2 basil plants of my own.
I propagated it.
I cut the plant right below a leaf node, stuck in it water and....well see for yourself

2 Basil cuttings starting to root

One Basil planted.  Look at the roots on the other one.  Will plant that one soon