In the past, I always noticed a jump in our food budget over the winter months. You’d think that the summer with its frequent BBQs and outdoor game nights would put a more significant dent in the budget, but I’ve noticed the opposite. In the summer, we get a lot of food right from the…
Garden Planning: Crop Rotation
I’ve said it before. It’s so important for a frugal gardener to plan. While gardeners without a strict budget can afford to be a little lax when it comes to planning, those who are looking to save money, in the long run, need to be meticulous and start thinking about their garden layout months, even…
Frugal Family Activity: Snow Cake
The forecast is calling for heavy precipitation in the next few days, right in time for the new year. Most of us are still in vacation mode and parents with children are probably wondering how they’ll entertain their children while school is still out. Unfortunately, the cold means there’s no garden to tend to, and…
A Frugal Side Dish Recipe for the Holidays
I wanted to share a simple, easy, inexpensive side dish recipe with you just before the holidays. I’m always disappointed how little vegetables end up on the table this time of year. We give all the glory to the main dish, but what about the humble vegetables? I think they’re a particularly important part of…
Another Plant to Look Out for This Season: The Christmas Cactus
Last week I talked a bit about poinsettias and why they’re a great plant to grab around the holiday season. This week, I thought of another easy-to-source plant that pops up around this time of year. The Christmas Cactus is a lovely tropical plant with succulent leaves and pretty flower buds that bloom right about…
Don’t Throw Out Your Poinsettia!
The holidays have arrived, and all I see everywhere are poinsettia plants. In fact, I’ve already been gifted one! It’s a lovely plant that brightens up a room with a bit of cheer. I find it odd, though, that we only see these pretty plants around December. You blink, and they’re gone. Every year, I…
What’s a Frugal Gardener to do in the Snow ?
Where I live, the snow has arrived and is here to stay. It’s been a month or so, now that we’ve begun to shovel our walkway and donned our boots when heading outdoors. A month where I was happy to take a break from thinking about gardening tasks: I think a break is necessary for any…
Don’t Throw Out Those Seed Catalogs!
The seed catalogs are arriving! It’s like an early Christmas this time of year when I visit the mailbox and find a new catalog waiting for me. I am signed up to receive a bundle of them from various retailers. Even when I have plenty of seeds on hand for the next season, I love…
Properly Storing Seeds
At the end of the season, my seed packets are typically all in a jumble. In the spring, I start things off with the intention of being ultra-organized, but as the season progresses, I don’t always have a spare moment to store everything correctly. I’m constantly needing to access seeds during the growing season as…
Don’t Throw Those Pots Away!
The pre-winter cleanup continues. I got a jump on tidying things up in the garden when the weather forecast began calling for below zero temps, but there are still things to organize as the threat of a snowstorm looms nearer. It’s now time to clean up lingering potted plants that were happy with the cooler…