*Frugal Ways * Fixing things Up* Using what you have*

I think most people are feeling the pinch of this downed economy our country is in and many of us are finding ways to fix up what we have in order to cut our costs whatever way we can.
I know we sure do feel the crunch, our income is down about 40% all the while the cost of food, fuel, & health care skyrocket.


I have gone to great lengths the past couple of years to learn how to
substantially cut our expenses. We have expanded our garden and I have started canning a lot more of our own food. I have joined a food co-op where I purchase a basket of fresh fruits and veggies each week for only $15 a week and I have refinished some beat up furniture to take care of some of the girls needs and fix up their rooms.


I even  refinished our dinning room table, it is made of pine and over the years all the kids had beat it up pretty bad. We had a friend cover the top with a crackle look formica for $150 then I painted the legs and sanded them to create a distressed finish. I had  done this several years ago to my coffee table and end table in the family room so now they all match :o)


I just brought home a beat up bookshelf unit for Paris. I am going to refinish it and put it in her room to hold all her books (because of home school curriculum she has a lot) one tall unit and a shorter unit that will sit next to it to hold her tv and dvd player. (only dvd's in the girls rooms, no connection to regular tv) :o) best part is.....It was FREE!!!........thanks mom! Now I can move her books out of her closet and have more room in there for her other junk toys that are stuffed under her bed. I love it when I can find inexpensive and simple solutions to make things function around here a little bit better. :o) I will post some before and after photos soon.

 we also had two leafs done to match so that on
holidays we can expand the table. There are two more of the side chairs that go and a bench that matches....when it is all put together we can sit 10.

 can you believe this top is formica? The best part of this is the kids can't hurt it now! LOL
Not a bad looking table for $150

I don't have to have the best and I love to take old things and fix them up and re purpose them for a new use or just to fix them up and keep going with them but I hate it when my things get tore up. It's funny, I love the distressed look but it has to have been meant to have looked that way LOL

 This is my bag from Bountiful Baskets last weekend.....this is quite a bit of produce for $15

 Saturday morning after returning from picking up my basket I came home and made this breakfast casserole....with my hens laying between 12 and 16 eggs a day I do look for recipes that will use up eggs quick and this recipe used 10 eggs :o)

Breakfast Casserole

3 slices of bread diced

10 eggs

2 cups milk

1 onion diced

1 bell pepper diced

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1 lb ground sausage cooked

a little salt and pepper

Saute peppers and onions with a bit of olive oil

brown and crumble sausage

Butter a 13x9 in baking dish

place diced bread on bottom and spread with the shredded cheese

whisk eggs and milk and pour over the cheese

top with sauteed peppers and onions and the crumbled cooked sausage

salt and pepper then bake @350 for 45-55 min until set

That's what Iv been up to

Blessings!

*Susan*