I buy everything I can from thrift --- clothing, household appliances, dishes, etc. Also purchase my CDs, DVDs, Books and Toys from Goodwill -- gives me the option to get the classics, much better quality than what you can buy new anyways.
While I grow some food, it's not possible for me to grow it all. When you shop at the grocery store, avoid anything in a package when possible. This of course means you'll be making most of your food from scratch -- which is not only cheaper but better for you.
I'm trying to get creative too for Christmas gifts.
For one of my granddaughters, I found a wooden baby doll bed at the junk yard. Gonna refinish it and make her a mattress, quilt and rag doll to go with it. PS: If you do crafts, Goodwill is a great place to get inexpensive sheets/pillowcases etc to use for fabric scraps.
I made Pine Tar soap for the guys. They LOVE this! I make it stronger than what you can buy online.
Making homemade raspberry jam and peanut butter fudge.
Cute snowman ornaments made from my leftover baby food jars.
Buying experiences for our older daughters (for one I'm getting her and her husband tickets to a local music performance, for another I'm getting a gift card for a local art venue, and the other is getting a gift card to the state parks for camping)
Still looking for ideas. What are others here doing? Especially for kids.
Hello - I really appreciate your approach on Christmas. I like all the homemade ideas. Here are mine - I am going to make sour dough starter and gift that to some friends who would appreciate it. I have a herb garden so I will dry out some herbs and gift fresh herbs. For all my children, I am making Christmas PJ pants. I will be gifting things like an aerogarden (a garden that can be grown inside their house) or a water pitcher that purifies more than a Brita does (I don't recall the name right now). I am also going to can apple sauce. Its a favorite in my family. For my grandchildren - I made aprons, bought rubber spatulas, whisks, and spoons... little ones - they were not expensive. Then included a homemade cookie mix, cake batter, etc... so they could bake with their momma.
I have been growing my own garden. Its still going pretty strong. It was an amazing feeling to harvest potatoes so I could make potato soup. I also raise chickens. Pigs. I will have cows soon. We also hunt deer and duck. I will have a fruit tree orchard, right now I have peaches, and cherries. My lemon and orange tree died...when my cow ate it.
I love to shop local whether its my farmers market or the small boutique in town. I will use second hand stuff when I can. Its not that simple to just go totally independent. It has taken me quite some time.
I always give the kids silver rounds too. This year they include one each of the Trump round among the 10 I give them each Christmas.
The wife is making the girls Christmas candles, an ornament and a holiday tin of gingerbreadman cookies.
To be honest though we also buy them store crap too. They are still too young to really appreciate the other gifts without being disappointed they didnt get the toy they asked for.
The older nieces and nephews get things like homemade venison and bear sausage and jerky and my wife made hand painted window planter for the women and the men will share in my Pappys Family Reserve.
I can’t do garden because this is not my home but I have tried to buy my food in local markets. I don’t buy Amazon,, but you are right. Buy more local.
As I said before, it is not my home, I live with my sister and brother in law and my sister never will allow any any type of gardening. She lives in a community (home association crap) I can’t complain, she is allowing me to live there. Don’t pay rent for the grace of God. Thank you so much for those words and God bless you.
So sorry! I didn't envision that specific situation. This is a great option though for those without "room", or poor soil. It can be done in urban environs in a vacant lot, on concrete, etc. We've grown beans (pole and bush), squash, tomatoes, okra (6 ft tall!) cucumbers.
My FAVORITE cookbook is Rumford Complete Cook Book 1st printed in 1908 (last print 1944) before there were processed, prepackaged mixes and foods. In preface states these recipes were collected back as far as 1790 for its high nutrient value.
You know when the economy is bad people stop shopping at malls or even Walmart and go to thrift and dollar stores. I noticed during the Obummer years in my town we got a new dollar store every 2nd block and Walmart parking lots were pretty much empty. Now in his 3rd term the same applies.
I was once asked by a lady what can she gift to teachers, neighbors, co-workers etc and I suggested 'gifts in a jar'. She told me that went over very well. I got some once that looked so pretty I kept it as decor instead of making them.
For those of you who have local farmers, a big deal this year is real honey. That in a jar or tin with sample teabags. I've also made my own tea mixes with orange or lemon rind especially for cold season.
I am right there with you. I have been raising chickens since Jan of this year and currently get 18 eggs a day. I buy my clothes from thrift stores and my meat from my pastor that raises cows. Instead of a tree, tons of decor, and gifts my kids won't even play with, we will take a family vacation and make awesome memories together ❤️
I just found out about something called a Goodyear Welt... when you buy shoes or boots, buy ones that are constructed with this feature, which makes it possible to repair and replace the sole so they will last longer.
Yeah it's an hour to the nearest thrift store so... Amazon wins. But then again I have a lot of land and we didn't but any fruit or veggies until it froze last week. We were giving away watermelons all summer, we had over a hundred plants. It's just fun who doesn't want a watermelon? They took a ton of space but no effort so it worked great.
Been doing this for the last 15 years. Buy all my clothes at thrift stores, stopped wearing makeup, grow a garden every year. Really the only thing I spend much money on is groceries.
Agreed. I try to do this as much as possible.
I buy everything I can from thrift --- clothing, household appliances, dishes, etc. Also purchase my CDs, DVDs, Books and Toys from Goodwill -- gives me the option to get the classics, much better quality than what you can buy new anyways.
While I grow some food, it's not possible for me to grow it all. When you shop at the grocery store, avoid anything in a package when possible. This of course means you'll be making most of your food from scratch -- which is not only cheaper but better for you.
I'm trying to get creative too for Christmas gifts.
Still looking for ideas. What are others here doing? Especially for kids.
Hello - I really appreciate your approach on Christmas. I like all the homemade ideas. Here are mine - I am going to make sour dough starter and gift that to some friends who would appreciate it. I have a herb garden so I will dry out some herbs and gift fresh herbs. For all my children, I am making Christmas PJ pants. I will be gifting things like an aerogarden (a garden that can be grown inside their house) or a water pitcher that purifies more than a Brita does (I don't recall the name right now). I am also going to can apple sauce. Its a favorite in my family. For my grandchildren - I made aprons, bought rubber spatulas, whisks, and spoons... little ones - they were not expensive. Then included a homemade cookie mix, cake batter, etc... so they could bake with their momma.
I have been growing my own garden. Its still going pretty strong. It was an amazing feeling to harvest potatoes so I could make potato soup. I also raise chickens. Pigs. I will have cows soon. We also hunt deer and duck. I will have a fruit tree orchard, right now I have peaches, and cherries. My lemon and orange tree died...when my cow ate it.
I love to shop local whether its my farmers market or the small boutique in town. I will use second hand stuff when I can. Its not that simple to just go totally independent. It has taken me quite some time.
You are doing great! When I was pregnant, I crocheted my kids Christmas stockings.
Wow! That is nice.
I bought both my grandsons (7 and 9) the complete set of Rush Limbaughs Rush Revere Patriot series.
https://officialrushlimbaugh.com/rush-revere/
I always give the kids silver rounds too. This year they include one each of the Trump round among the 10 I give them each Christmas.
The wife is making the girls Christmas candles, an ornament and a holiday tin of gingerbreadman cookies.
To be honest though we also buy them store crap too. They are still too young to really appreciate the other gifts without being disappointed they didnt get the toy they asked for.
The older nieces and nephews get things like homemade venison and bear sausage and jerky and my wife made hand painted window planter for the women and the men will share in my Pappys Family Reserve.
https://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/whiskey/family-reserve-15-year/
I can’t do garden because this is not my home but I have tried to buy my food in local markets. I don’t buy Amazon,, but you are right. Buy more local.
But you absolutely can!! Search “straw bale gardening”. We’ve done this several years now with awesome results.
As I said before, it is not my home, I live with my sister and brother in law and my sister never will allow any any type of gardening. She lives in a community (home association crap) I can’t complain, she is allowing me to live there. Don’t pay rent for the grace of God. Thank you so much for those words and God bless you.
So sorry! I didn't envision that specific situation. This is a great option though for those without "room", or poor soil. It can be done in urban environs in a vacant lot, on concrete, etc. We've grown beans (pole and bush), squash, tomatoes, okra (6 ft tall!) cucumbers.
Nice how tasty. I love veggies.
My FAVORITE cookbook is Rumford Complete Cook Book 1st printed in 1908 (last print 1944) before there were processed, prepackaged mixes and foods. In preface states these recipes were collected back as far as 1790 for its high nutrient value.
You know when the economy is bad people stop shopping at malls or even Walmart and go to thrift and dollar stores. I noticed during the Obummer years in my town we got a new dollar store every 2nd block and Walmart parking lots were pretty much empty. Now in his 3rd term the same applies.
I was once asked by a lady what can she gift to teachers, neighbors, co-workers etc and I suggested 'gifts in a jar'. She told me that went over very well. I got some once that looked so pretty I kept it as decor instead of making them.
For those of you who have local farmers, a big deal this year is real honey. That in a jar or tin with sample teabags. I've also made my own tea mixes with orange or lemon rind especially for cold season.
I am right there with you. I have been raising chickens since Jan of this year and currently get 18 eggs a day. I buy my clothes from thrift stores and my meat from my pastor that raises cows. Instead of a tree, tons of decor, and gifts my kids won't even play with, we will take a family vacation and make awesome memories together ❤️
I just found out about something called a Goodyear Welt... when you buy shoes or boots, buy ones that are constructed with this feature, which makes it possible to repair and replace the sole so they will last longer.
TBH, I'll probably buy MySlippers from Amazon.
Yeah it's an hour to the nearest thrift store so... Amazon wins. But then again I have a lot of land and we didn't but any fruit or veggies until it froze last week. We were giving away watermelons all summer, we had over a hundred plants. It's just fun who doesn't want a watermelon? They took a ton of space but no effort so it worked great.
You can get myslippers from many other websites besides amazon. Amazon wins? No thanks. They are communist.
Yeah we have a few stores in the little town that's 5 min away. But they can't open anything new because the county rules have gone nuts.
Been doing this for the last 15 years. Buy all my clothes at thrift stores, stopped wearing makeup, grow a garden every year. Really the only thing I spend much money on is groceries.