Tag Archives: frugality

Our favorite articles about frugality, saving money & budgeting posted on TexasHomesteader.com

Month-Long No-Sugar Challenge: WEEK TWO!

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TAMMY’S NOTE: This No-Sugar challenge documents Ashley’s 30-day attempt to remove PROCESSED SUGAR from their diet.  This challenge allows her to use natural sugars such as honey or true maple syrup, therefore it’s not meant for a diabetic alternative, simply a personal-health challenge. 

by Ashley
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I did it!  I’ve made it all the way through week two and I’ve only gone through twelve breakdowns!  Ok, so maybe it really hasn’t been as bad as I thought it might be.  I will admit that this has been, by far, one of the most difficult challenges that I have ever decided to take on.  It was mildly easier than week one, but it was still rough on the sugar cravings.

I’ve also become painfully aware of how much and how often we are surrounded by food.  Every day is someone’s birthday or a celebration of some sort where someone will bring donuts in the morning, a cake in the afternoon, or suggest going out for a nice dinner at a favorite restaurant.  Saying no almost feels like an insult on some occasions, but say no I did! If you haven’t already done so, check out how we fared on Week 1.  Then read below to see how my second week of absolutely no sugar went.

NO-SUGAR CHALLENGE - WEEK 2!! Embarking on a month-long no-sugar challenge, Ashley shares how they fared WEEK 2 & shares a fun recipe! #TexasHomesteader
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Quick & Easy – MYO Breadcrumbs

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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 Recently I was in the kitchen with our daughter whipping up a brand new concoction that we’d never heard of before. We were just making up the recipe on the fly, but our dish needed breadcrumbs. Thankfully they’re super easy to make and today I already had a jump start on them.

You see I often use a shortcut when making pizza and slice up thick rounds from bread to use as our pizza crust. As luck would have it I had a round loaf of bread that I had sliced up into thick pizza crusts for our homemade pizza the night before, but the rounded top didn’t make the cut (LOL – see what I did there??)

So I had chopped it up & sat it aside to begin drying. But now I’ll use that bread to whip up some homemade breadcrumbs in a flash.

Making your own breadcrumbs is not only an inexpensive alternative to store bought, but super quick & easy too. See how. #TexasHomesteaderPhoto Credit:  Ashley

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Unlocking The Secret To Long-Term Potato Storage

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Several weeks back a friend & I were talking about gardening. Her family had a huge garden when she was growing up and they relied on it to keep them all fed.

She was quizzing me on the different things I like to plant in my garden and I rattled off all the faves: Tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, cantaloupe, squash, green beans, etc.

She asked if I ever planted potatoes and I told her that in the past I’d planted them, but I could never successfully store them long term whether garden potatoes or store-bought. I know that freshly-harvested potatoes have to be cured but even when properly curing them, they would sprout within a short time.

She was surprised that I had any trouble keeping them long term and told me that they just used to store their potatoes on the ground in the barn and they lasted all season. I was intrigued…

Storing Potatoes Long-Term: I've heard that you can store potatoes for months on end if you do it right. I need some potato-storage advice! #TexasHomesteader

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4-Ingredient Simple Triple-Chocolate No-Bake Truffles

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

For Valentine’s day a couple of years ago RancherMan made me homemade Mint/Chocolate Truffles. I’ve always loved a chocolate/mint combination. 

Homemade truffles are my favorite gift he gives me. It’s something delicious of course, but I love that he makes them for me himself. A true gift from the heart.

Now he knows I’m a confirmed chocoholic. So this time he decided to make me Triple-Chocolate Truffles. (um, YES PLEASE!)

He’ll accomplish all that chocolaty goodness by using double-fudge-stuffed chocolate cookies because, well you know, a girl can NEVER have enough chocolate!

TRIPLE-CHOCOLATE NO-BAKE TRUFFLES - They are delicious and so easy to make. Check out the simple recipe. #TexasHomesteader

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Grocery No-Spend Challenge: FINAL WEEK!!

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by Texas Homesteader~
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WHEW, what a month it’s been! Y’all know RancherMan & I embarked on an entire month-long Grocery No-Spend Challenge. It was a rigid challenge, allowing for no purchases whatsoever on anything grocery related which included dining out, beverages and herbs, etc.

Week One wasn’t bad at all. Our pantry & freezers were full so there really wasn’t much change to our routines. 

Week Two had a few catches but it was still easily workable.

By the time we got to Week Three was a little more of a challenge and we had to make several compromises. But by then I’d pretty much hit my stride. Plus we had our eye on the end of the month, so our motivation was still pretty high which helped a lot.

But how about that last week? Read on, dear friends.

30-DAY GROCERY NO-SPEND CHALLENGE! No money spent on food for a full month - see how we survived our FINAL WEEK! Tips & recipes included #TexasHomesteader

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Grocery No-Spend Challenge: WEEK 3!

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

WHEW – things are getting interesting! RancherMan & I have embarked on a month-long grocery no-spend challenge.

Although we didn’t purposely stock up before this challenge (which to me would have defeated the purpose) we did start out with healthy & overflowing pantry & freezers.

Week One was a breeze, no real changes necessary except that I had to start making lots of homemade bread. Then Week Two was a little bit more of a challenge, but still doable.

But now the pantry is getting more & more bare & the freezers are emptying out nicely. How did we fare for week three?  Read on, dear friends.

30-DAY GROCERY NO-SPEND CHALLENGE! No money spent on food for a full month - see how we survived week 3. Tips & recipes included! #TexasHomesteader

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