What A Sale!!

I am so excited right now. I just got our weekly, free newspaper. I was flipping through the sales fliers to see if there was anything good and darn near fell off my chair.

At A&P this week, whole chickens are on buy one get one FREE!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Now, the price per pound is $2.99 which is no great deal, but hey, free is free, right? Even if I pay $10.00 for one, I'm getting two chickens for $5.00 each.

And oh how I can make a whole chicken stretch! Did you know that you can get at least 2 meals out of one chicken? More if you make soup with the leftovers.

I am sending hubby over first thing tomorrow morning after he's done work to pick up 2 chickens, which will give us 4. I'm also going to stop by and pick up a few more when I go in to the Mission tomorrow afternoon. And I may just pick up a few more on Sunday when I go to my mom and dads for lunch. We'll have to see how the budget sits by then. I will definitely be getting as many as I can afford though.

God is so great!!

We Have Babies!!

If you were reading this blog when it was over at WordPress, you'll already know the story. For the benefit of those who weren't, I'll give you a rundown.

About 32 days ago, my goat Otis took an intense dislike to our bunny Sadie's cage. He used his horns to tear the chicken wire that keeps her in. I went out one morning and there she was hopping happily around the pen. Right where our un-neutered male was housed. Yikes. Rabbits are incredibly inventive and even though he was caged as well, I was pretty sure that they would have found a way.

And they did.

I've been watching her very closely for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday morning I noticed that she was pulling fur from her chest which is a surefire indicator that babies are on the way. Once they start pulling fur, you're looking at about 3-24 hours until there are babies. So, I kept checking and checking and nothing.

This afternoon I went in to check again and still I couldn't find anything. Just as I was putting her nest back together, I felt something warm inside her blanket. I carefully unwrapped it and sure enough there were two of the tiniest little bunnies. I almost squealed they were so cute!

So, we are now the proud grandparents to two new baby bunnies, one black and white just like Mama and one pure white. They are just so cute!! They are nice and fat and active and as healthy as all get out. Hopefully they stay that way. The mortality rate for bunnies is fairly high which is why the litters are generally large. But it will be as God wills.

I hope He wills they live!

I'll be taking some pictures later this afternoon when my son gets home from school. He's going to be so happy. He was hoping she was pregnant and hoping against hope that there would be a white one. For his sake alone, I hope that one lives!

Anywho, I just thought I'd share my happy news!

Thankful Thursday

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

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Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our day to day lives, so inundated with doom and gloom from the news and those around us who are feeling the pinch, we forget to thank God for all He has done for us. But, as you can see (and probably already knew!) it's right there, in the Bible that we are to be joyful, pray continually and give thanks NO MATTER WHAT, in all circumstances.

That's a tough one, I know. When your furnace is broken, you have no idea how you're going to pay for it and winter is coming; when the bills are piling up and no money is coming in; when you lose a loved one; when everything looks grim, how in the world are we to be thankful? What are we to thank God for when nothing looks positive?

It's very important that we look to the positives in our lives. Did you wake up this morning? Well, thank God that you did! Do you have a family that loves you? Do you have a church family that prays for you? Are you assured of your Salvation through the Blood of Jesus? Well then, we need to get on our knees and thank God that we do!

So, to help myself and in the process anyone who stops by here, I've decided to start a Thankful Thursday posting. I will post here a few things that I am thanking God for today. I encourage you to do the same.

I will be making a button soon for people to grab to put on your blog to show that you've taken part in Thankful Thursday.

Here is my Thankful Thursday list:

1. My new Homestead. We wouldn't be here without God's help.
2. My children and husband. They are truly the most important thing to me here on this earth.
3. I have heat!
4. I have a Heavenly Father that I can put my trust in. He will not fail me!
5. I have food in my cupboards to feed my family, where so many don't.

I could go on and on, but I think I'll stop at 5.

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

The Frugal Times - Issue #1

Welcome to the very first issue of The Frugal Times. I'm so very excited to be able to bring this to you.

We all know that things aren't looking all that great on the economic front. But, no matter what happens, whether things get better or worse on the markets, learning to live a frugal life is a good idea. So, to that end, I've decided to start this weekly article with ideas, recipes, tips and hints to help you achieve that frugal lifestyle we're all looking for.

If you have anything you would like to contribute to The Frugal Times, email me and I will be sure to add it in for you.

Now, on to the fun stuff!

Frugal Decorating

Ok, I'll admit, this isn't exactly a decorating tip, but it will save you money. ;)

Burning scented candles and potpourri is a great way to give your home a wonderful, welcoming smell. It can get a bit expensive though as we can go through candles at an alarming rate. It's frustrating when they don't burn evenly too. It seems like such a waste to throw away that unburned portion. So, don't do it! Save all the unused bits of wax in a baggie. Then, using a potpourri burner you can use up those last little bits. Just place a small amount in the top and burn like normal. The candle wax will melt and you'll be able to use up every last little bit of your favourite scent!

This also works well if you spill the melted wax. Just let it harden, scrape it up and put it in a baggie.

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Frugal Recipes

This is a recipe that I make fairly often for my family. Everyone likes it and it costs about $5.00 to make if you get the meat on sale. It doesn't have a name, though. I just haven't taken the time to come up with one!


1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (you can use more or less according to your family's tastes)
1 onion, chopped.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can corn
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cook hamburger, salt, pepper and onion together until fully cooked. Stir in soup, parmesan cheese and corn until fully mixed. Pour mixture into lightly greased casserole dish.

Mix Bisquick, milk and egg until blended. Pour over hamburger mixture.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

This is also a good way to use up leftover corn or another vegetable. Rather than using a new can, just use up what's in the fridge. Because we are saving what we don't eat, right? ;)


Wacky Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

From the wonderful blog Pregnant With Cancer

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Money Saver Tip

Why waste money on sandwich bags? Just save your milk bags! When you empty one, open the top, wash it out really well and let it dry. Now you have a free sandwich bag that you can use. And because it's heavier plastic, you can use it over and over again!

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Interested in advertising in The Frugal Times? Email me for accepted sizes and costs!

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That's it for this issue. Be sure to stop by on Monday for more!

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Luke 16:10-12 - “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Introducing The Frugal Times!

In these uncertain times, we're all looking for ways to cut costs and live a more simple, frugal life. In fact, that is what this blog is all about, my family's journey towards living that kind of life.

I ran a poll on the first My New Homestead blog. The question was "With the economy in the shape it is, are you trying to live a more simple, frugal life?" or something along those lines. Quite a few people answered yes, but what I found mostly was that more people wanted to, but didn't know how.

I'm learning as I go. There is still a lot I don't know about living a simple, frugal lifestyle. But, I realized I'm not alone! Isn't that great? That means that you're not either!

So, to help myself and all of you, I've decided to put out a weekly newsletter entitled The Frugal Times. I'll be posting it here and it will have tips and hints, frugal recipes, cleaning tips, organizing tips, money saving ideas, frugal craft ideas, frugal decorating ideas, whatever I happen to have handy when I'm writing it. ;)

I'll be looking for contributors too. So, if you have something to share for The Frugal Times, email me and I'll be sure to add it in!

I hope this will be helpful to someone other than myself. But if nothing else, I will have fun doing it!

I'm working on the first issue right now. It should be up later today or tomorrow, then will run every Monday from there.

I hope you enjoy it!

I'm So Excited!

I just sold 5 dozen eggs! I'm so happy right now I could just spit. LOL! I know, that's disgusting, but it's one of my favourite sayings. ;)

I placed an ad on http://kijiji.ca yesterday for the eggs and also for some bulbs I've dug up from my one garden (photo's coming soon, I promise!). Today a couple came and bought eggs and took some bulbs too! Isn't that cool?

I now have enough money in my pocket to buy more chicken feed. Which is good, because I just emptied the bag this morning.

And I still have 3 dozen eggs in my fridge, not counting the carton we're eating from. And tomorrow I'll gather at least another dozen. I love having chickens!

Where Do I Fit In?

Where do I fit in? That's a question that has been plaguing me for some time now. I just didn't realize that was what was bothering me.

I've been doing a lot of thinking (as I mentioned in a previous post) about myself, God's plan for me, the state of the world economy, etc. And that has brought me to a realization that I am missing out on what God's plan for me really is.

I've been spending too much time lately in the carnal (self driven) world. I haven't been paying enough attention to what really matters, my relationship with God. The things I do don't make Him happy. They hardly make me happy for crying out loud!

Because I've been short circuiting the power that God sends to me with my grumbling and my carnal (self driven) thinking, I'm missing out on His blessings, and my ministry. God has a ministry for all of us. The problem is, what is it?

I'm going to be doing a lot of praying and meditating on His word, listening for Him, for His guidence. Where does He want me to be?

Do you know? Because I sure don't! ;)