My Tireless Retirement – Week 102

 

After a nice relaxing weekend I hit the ground running once again.  Sunday I did go outside and clean out the chicken coop adding all the soiled pine bedding and manure to the compost bin.  I spread out a deep layer of fresh pine shavings inside the coop.  I also gave the hens the last of the mulched leaves I’d saved in a trash can for them to have this spring when it starts to get muddy in their pen area.  They got those mulched leaves all spread out and made it very nice for themselves.  They seemed to have a good time doing it too.

 

Last Monday I was up bright and early to pick up a 3# package of extra lean ground beef on sale at Fred Meyer.  I was waiting for a good sales price on ground beef so I could use it to make and can some chili con carne so I had added that item to my grocery wish list.  It worked out perfectly that it was on sale last week.

 

One of the feed stores I use is located next door to the strip mall area where Fred Meyer is located so I stopped there on the way home and picked up a new bale of Timothy hay for the bunny.  Timothy hay has leaped in price another $4 a bale since the last time I purchased it, but she is cute so I’ll keep feeding her (wink, wink).  She only goes through two bales of hay a year which makes her my least expensive pet to feed.  Nonetheless, the rising prices on hay, feed and cat food has dramatically affected this year’s pet budget.  I’ve had to double my pet budget this year.

 

Since I didn’t work or have any other plans for Thursday I made up that extra large batch of chili I was planning to make and got it all canned up.  By the time all was said and done I added XX pint jars of wholesome and nutritious, not to mention delicious, chili to my LTFS shelves.  Even better, I know exactly what is in that chili because I put it there.  REAL Food for the win!

 

While the chili was cooking in the slow cookers (I wanted the beans to par cook before I canned it) I manage to finally get outside and give the apple tree a much needed preliminary pruning.  I had two oversized limbs that needed to be removed, but every time I’ve scheduled myself to get that taken care of it was either snowing, raining or the wind was blowing like crazy.  I will still need to cut up those limbs and clean up my mess as time and weather allows, but it feels so good to finally be able to look outside my kitchen window without the constant reminder that I have a task still needing to be taken care of.

 

Ways I Saved $$: 

Other than the ground beef I purchased for the chili I canned last week all of the other ingredients I needed were already had on hand in my pantry and freezer.  I also had the canning supplies already on hand as well so no additional purchase were required to complete that project. 

I trimmed up and steamed some asparagus I had purchased a couple weeks ago and vacuum packaged it for the freezer.  This is the best time of year to buy and put away some asparagus as it is in season right now.  I reused vacuum bags I had used in previous years to seal other vegetables.  Additionally, I washed out another gallon size Ziploc bag as well as a sandwich size bag and reused them for freezer food storage.

 

Once again, I am happy to report there was no food wasted this week.  Any food scraps that didn’t go to the bunny or into the broth bag I keep in my kitchen freezer were given to the chickens. 

I rode the bus to work and back home all four days I was scheduled.  I only drove twice last week to run some errands.  I didn’t think it was very practical to try and bring home a bale of hay on the bus.

 

Things I Used Up: 

I finished up the bag of pine shavings I had in the garage when I cleaned the coop out.  I’ll need to replace it this summer so when I clean out the coop again and prepare it for winter next fall I’ll have some. 

When I did my canning project I used up quite a few things I had squirreled away in my deep freezer and pantry – homemade vegetable broth, some cans of tomato sauce, chopped and frozen peppers, the tail end of a bag of frozen red onion and a yellow onion that had been sitting in my fridge for a while, the last of a jar of jalapenos and a small can of green chiles.  I also polished off the last of the pinto beans I had in a half gallon food storage jar that I’d had in the pantry for some time as well as three packets of chili seasoning.  I do not plan to repurchase the chili seasoning, but instead plan to make my own from now on.

 

I finished up a half pint jar of homemade sweet relish using it in a small batch of deviled ham I made up for a couple sandwiches.  In the process I used up a can of deviled ham that was nearing its best buy date as well as the last few slices of a loaf of sourdough bread.

 

Meals I Prepared: 

It was another super easy week of meals for me last week which was very helpful with so much going on around here.  There was still some taco filling left from the week before so I began my meal plan last week with nachos using chips I made from corn tortillas I had in the refrigerator.  I pulled out two servings of minestrone soup as well as two servings of a macaroni & beef casserole with asparagus on the side from the freezer.  I used a can of deviled ham to make a couple of sandwiches with.  I made salads using lettuce, grape tomatoes and green olives and sprinkled sunflower seeds and a few crispy chow mein noodles on top.

 

It was definitely a busy and productive week for me and I’m very happy with all that I was able to accomplish.  With the weather warming up and the sun shining I am excited to be able to get outside and tackle a few projects outdoors.  How is your weather where you live?  Has spring finally begun to arrive?