July 2020

This post contains affiliate links. P.S. I highly recommend Book Outlet! Use my link to receive $10 off your first order of $25 or more. P.P.S. Have you heard of Bookshop? They are an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. You can check out all of my favorites on this page and I’ll be linking to Bookshop and Book Outlet as much as I can from here on out. I hope you’ll support them too!

#51. THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN by Lisa Jewell || ★★☆☆☆
I did not have nearly the same reading experience that most people did with this book! The main premise about a mother who is a hoarder was interesting, but all the rest of the dysfunctional family members…oof. Too much and almost bordered on ridiculous. I don’t know…I seem to be in the minority here.

#52. TRIALS OF THE EARTH: THE TRUE STORY OF A PIONEER WOMAN by Mary Mann Hamilton || ★★★☆☆
You know how much I love a good pioneer story! This was a first-hand account from the late 19th century and located down in the Mississippi Delta, which was a new location for me. (I usually read about pioneers headed west.) Mary sure had a full life of hard work and hardship, but her grit and positive outlook were inspiring. (This is also my 1992 pick for the 20th Century Reading Challenge.)

#53. HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson || ★★☆☆☆
I can only describe this book as one you would read in a college literature class. The one where you break down each dense sentence and formulate hypotheses about what the author meant when she said this or what the overarching theme was for that. The writing was good, but the story felt weak. Maybe I’m just not the literary type? (This was also my 1980 pick for the 20th Century Reading Challenge.)

#54. THE YEAR OF READING DANGEROUSLY by Andy Miller || ★☆☆☆☆
This was not the book that it was marketed to be and is possibly the only book that I’ve ever given one star. With rambling side stories and crass language at times, the idea was good but definitely not the execution. One positive note: it did inspire me to start picking up “harder” classics again.

#55. 33 DAYS TO MORNING GLORY: A DO-IT-YOURSELF RETREAT IN PREPARATION FOR MARIAN CONSECRATION by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC || ★★★★☆
I have previously done this Marian consecration, but with times like these, I felt it would a good time to do it again.

#56. 10 WONDERS OF THE ROSARY by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC || ★★★★☆
A quick read about one of my favorite devotions. There were a few stories I already knew, but many more that I didn’t.

#57. HANNAH COULTER by Wendell Berry || ★★★★★

As I went about my work then as a young woman, and still now when I am old, Grandmam has been often close to me in my thoughts. And again I come to the difficulty of finding words. It is hard to say what it means to be at work and thinking of a person you loved and love still who did that same work before you and who taught you to do it. It is a comfort ever and always, like hearing the rhyme come when you are singing a song. (p.107)

The chance you had is the life you’ve got. You can make complaints about what people, including you, make of their lives after they have got them, and about what people make of other people’s lives, even about your children being gone, but you mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks.” I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions. (p.113)

My first Berry novel and it certainly won’t be my last. I loved it.

#58. SECONDHAND: TRAVELS IN THE NEW GLOBAL GARAGE SALE by Adam Minter || ★★★☆☆

In 2015, Americans tossed out 24.1 billion pounds of furniture and furnishings, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Along with all those old sofas went 32 billion pounds of textiles—including clothes, bedsheets, towels, and wiping rags—and 45.3 billion pounds of what the Environmental Protection Agency calls “miscellaneous durables.” This catch-all comprises products that aren’t generally destroyed in the course of use, including everything from rakes to forks and spoons, jigsaw puzzles to jigsaws, rotary telephones to smartphones. It’s a flood that’s yet to crest. (16%)

Is it China’s fault that quality is in decline? No. Initially, at least, China’s apparel industry simply manufactured to the standards set by foreign companies seeking cheaper factories. And those foreign companies were only doing what good companies always do: responding to customers. Walmart and Ralph Lauren, alike, bet that price—more than quality—moves product. As it turned out, they were correct, and nobody in Germany complained when Walmart dropped the price of its in-house George jeans from $26.67 to $7.85 in the space of a few years. Walmart’s competitors—desperate to keep up on the price points that matter to consumers—made the same compromises. These days, critics of fast fashion complain that Walmart has lowered everyone’s quality standards. That’s probably true; but the flip side is that it’s also lowered every consumer’s expectations of what a new wardrobe, a new toaster, and a new set of furniture should cost. In a world where new consumers are minted daily, low-price expectations matter more. (36%)

An interesting deep dive into where our stuff ends up when we’re done with it. While it was a little too easy to read a few pages and then set aside for days (aka not a page turner), I did come away with a lot of things to ponder as well as a renewed interest in reuse and repair. Solid three stars.

#59. FORGIVENESS MAKES YOU FREE by Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga || ★★★★☆

Forgiveness always goes hand in hand with mercy. When you show mercy to the one who has wronged you, it opens the door for true forgiveness to flow between you. This does not mean forgetting what has happened. The pain of what you have suffered may rise up again and again, and you must be willing to bear it, even as you acknowledge the wrong that was done. The perpetrator, too, must show mercy and compassion for true reconciliation to take place. Otherwise they remain separated and closed both to each other and to God. (p.34)

Another book recommended by a trusted priest and a timely read coming off of Our Lady of Kibeho last month. It would be beneficial for all of us to listen to Fr. Ubald’s advice, especially in today’s tense times. Three and a half stars, rounded up.

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MY READING IN NUMBERS FOR 2020 Books Read: 59
Pages Read: 16,691 Fiction: 33 // Non-Fiction: 26 Kindle Books: 24 // Paper Books: 35 20th Century in Books Challenge: 28/100 Original 2020 books “to-read” total on Goodreads: 414 // Current “to-read” total: 400

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JULY’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ Summer seems to be a great time to sell old school books on eBay and I’ve been having a lot of luck. I save boxes and packaging from my own online purchases and reuse them to ship out the books. Frugal and environmentally friendly – a win/win!

+ I am in the process of sewing a scrap quilt completely by hand using a variety of fabrics that I’ve been hoarding forever – some given to me from my late grandmother, a few I purchased over a decade ago, even a couple pieces of clothing and an old pillowcase.

+ I made cutoffs for Sophia from a pair of her jeggings. They had big holes in the knees and would have ended up in the trash. Turned out so cute!

+ We had summer squash coming out of our ears this month! I cut a handful of them up in rounds and froze them for later. A few recipes we’ve made:

+ I purchased two new dresses for church on ThredUp. I had credit from sending in a clean-out bag along with enough points to get $10 off of my order.

+ I used the water from the kids’ kiddie pool to water my wildflowers in the front beds.

+ We harvested and shelled our “crop” of dry kidney beans. (This post was helpful.) We had quite the laugh since it ended up only being enough to feed us for probably two or three meals. Oops! We’ll definitely have to increase the amount we grow next year.

+ Mark gave four of the boys haircuts.

+ TJ needed new sneakers and I found an outgrown pair of J’s in the hand-me-down bins. They were still in good condition but were a little dirty around the bottoms. Nothing a Magic Eraser and a little elbow grease can’t fix! Now they’re back to white and ready to wear.

+ Ebay had a monthly promotion that waived the listing fees for 200 items. I listed 19 items, mostly books, saving me almost $7.

+ I replaced our very outdated family photos with pages I pulled from a vintage painting book. I love how unique they are and that this short-term solution was free. I’ll get those professional family photos redone someday.
Your turn! What did you do to save a little money this month?
P.S. I pin frugal ideas to this Pinterest board if you need some inspiration too!

_________________________________ Previous Frugal Accomplishments:

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The weather outside is //

Hot! This is the part of summer in Virginia when we tend to hibernate: we complete our outdoor chores/projects/exercise first thing in the morning and then stay inside until after dinner.

On the breakfast plate this morning // cinnamon and spice oatmeal and a big, (not so) hot cup of coffee As I look outside my window // everything’s looking a little crispy. Most of our grass is dead and my wildflowers are looking sad. We did get a few days of rain last week and everything and everybody is grateful for it. As I look around the house // I’m happy with what I see. I have been a crazy lady on a mission – cleaning and decluttering everything in sight! Hoping to keep up the momentum.

In the garden // is a work in progress. Woo, am I learning a lot this year! Both of my squash and zucchini plants died late last week due to squash vine borers, so I pulled everything up, found another open spot and planted both seeds again. I watched a Youtube video with a gardener in the same zone who said that this should work and that I’ll get a good fall harvest before our first frost. We’ll see! Gardening is one big experiment. On this week’s to-do list //

reorganize the refrigerator (it’s a wreck in there)
order light bulbs for the dining room
list at least 10 things on eBay
take donations to Goodwill and the ReStore
drop off return at UPS
bake oatmeal raisin cookies

On the menu this week //

Wednesday: Refrigerator Clean-Out Night Thursday: roasted pork tenderloin with vegetables Friday: bean and cheese burritos with tortilla chips and guacamole Currently reading // My fiction book right now is Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, which is way more intense than I expected! I’m also reading Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand – a random pick for me but so far, so good. My religious book is Eucharistic Miracles and Eucharistic Phenomena in the Lives of the Saints by Joan Carroll Cruz and I’m loving it. I keep reading entire passages aloud to Mark. What I’m creating at the moment // I’m about a third of the way through hand-sewing the top of my scrap quilt and still enjoying the process. Since most of my life is focused on efficiency, it is strangely refreshing to do something that is so slow and inefficient. New recipe I want to try this week // I’m dipping my toes in the skill of preserving and I think this recipe for small batch refrigerator pickles would make a good starting point. the sunflowers have opened! a renewed motivation to get things done that my son can make us homemade tortillas all by himself

the shade from our big tulip trees in the backyard

tasting cucumbers and cherry tomatoes that I grew – delicious! air conditioning on super hot days rain (finally!) after weeks of drought that we only lost power for a few minutes vs. much longer Our Lady of Sorrows a great week of sales on ebay

surprise books in the mail (thanks, Dad!)

planning bedroom and bathroom updates with my daughter cranberry lime sparkling water pink sunrises

my six healthy children

Months #7, #8, #9 and #10 for my 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge! Here are the ground rules:

Only spend 10 minutes at one time and only in one specific area.
Monday through Wednesday, seek out items that we no longer need and make a pile. Then Thursday through Saturday, make a plan for how to deal with them. (This has worked so well and avoided that dreaded box of “what should I do with these?” items.)
Possible places to find new homes for items: Ebay/Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, Trash Nothing website or the local Buy Nothing Facebook group and as a last resort, Goodwill

I feel a responsibility for the things I have and want to be intentional with how I dispose of them. Questions I asked myself: If it’s here, what purpose does it serve? Can I use it up? Can I enjoy it vs. keeping it tucked away in drawers and boxes? And if not, can I let it go to someone who may need it more?

Decluttering: COVID Lockdown Edition!

Well, this has been an interesting time for decluttering! Since we’ve been quarantined, I have focused most of my energy with actually using the things we own vs. getting rid of everything in sight. I did continue to list and sell some things on eBay, which was an unexpected bonus. All in all, not a huge dent in my goal, but something is better than nothing, right?

WHAT I DECLUTTERED THE PAST FOUR MONTHS

13 books.
One math answer book and one teacher guide. Sold on ebay.
One history activity book. I purchased this not realizing that I already owned it! I decided to sell it on ebay versus paying the return shipping. I didn’t get all of my money back, but enough to forgive my silly mistake.
One holster. Sold for Mark on ebay.
One brand new sippy cup. Sold on ebay.
One pair of sneakers and two pairs of slippers. Well loved and too beat up to give away. Into the trashcan.
One pair of boys shorts. Sold on ebay.
Six bags of wildflower seeds. These were from the BWF days. I planted them in our flower beds and they’ve completely transformed the front of the house.
One “throw and grow” pack of flower bombs. Another unsold product from the BWF days. I filled in a few bare spots in the flower beds with these.
One teacher guide and seven picture books that go with it. I’ve started lesson planning for next fall and I took another look at some of the curriculum on our shelves. I didn’t see us returning to this one, so sold it on ebay.
4 pieces of a math curriculum. Another curriculum that I don’t see us using. Summer is definitely the best time to get these sold quickly!
One DVD. Sold on ebay.
One magazine. Into the recycling bin.
3 free samples. I used up two little lotions and we finally tried out a new coffee sample that’s just been sitting in the drawer.
One bathing suit. Sophie’s bathing suit from last year is too small, so we sold it on Poshmark.
4 bags of shredded paper. Junk mail and other personal paperwork that needs to be shredded counts as clutter too! I’m counting each full container (which is the equivalent of a plastic grocery store bag) as one item. Added most of it to my compost pile.
2 grocery sized bags of random paper I’ve saved for years. Into the recycling bin.
13 pieces of Sophie’s and my clothing. I filled and mailed in a ThredUp Clean-Out Bag right before the lockdown started. So far, we’ve sold thirteen items. The return in payout is really small (like $1-$3 a piece), but something’s better than nothing, I guess!
6 pieces of clothing. Off to Goodwill. These are pieces in good condition, but don’t have much resale value and weren’t substantial enough to warrant a post on Trash Nothing.

Items decluttered: 70
Money made: $185.44 Total items decluttered so far: 573 Total money made so far: $741.84

P.S. To “count,” the item had to physically leave my house. So while I have listed a handful of things online, those aren’t counted until they have sold.

A few months ago, I was organizing my cookbooks when I came across a little book toward the back of the shelf. It was given to me years ago by my grandmother (who has now passed away) and was a collection of recipes from members of her church. I finally took the time to browse through the booklet and what a treasure trove! So many simple tried-and-true recipes were inside. I decided to start with a cookie recipe and it’s been a big hit with my kids. I’ve made it many times since. Thank you, Martha R, whoever/wherever you are! Here’s the recipe: Cream butter, brown sugar and egg. Add molasses. Mix together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Roll into balls and dip in sugar. Sprinkle with water. Cook at 350° for 14 minutes. Did you see this going around the Internet toward the beginning of lockdown? My kids always seem to rip the cardboard flaps and this has been so helpful to keep food inside their packages. 3 // SELF RELIANCE MAGAZINE With all of my gardening and homesteading searches, I think the Internet is starting to predict my interests. This magazine was an ad, but I’m so glad I clicked through! Self-Reliance Magazine is chock full of helpful advice, with everything from how to start raising chickens to how to preserve your bean crops to chainsaw care. It definitely won’t win any awards for beauty (the photos inside are just so-so) but a wonderful resource of information. I purchased these three back issues and have already referred back to them many times.

4 // THIS QUOTE

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this entire book (see my thoughts in this post), this quote made me pause:

In his book Requiem for a Species, Clive Hamilton discusses how attitudes have shifted over the past century. Hamilton writes about how we used to be a production society, focused on producing goods to meet needs in the marketplace, igniting the investor’s confidence. But over time we have become a consumer society, focused on the process of acquiring things, igniting the consumer’s confidence. This causes us all to focus less on what we produce and more on what we own, drawing more of our identity from the latter. – The Year Without a Purchase, p.58

I found it really thought-provoking and it’s made me realize how much I actually crave being a “producer” but often end up consuming, just because it’s easier. I still need to ponder this in terms of concrete goals, but I’d really like to retrain my brain in this area.

5 // NEW SOAP FROM BORDEN ACRES

New soap! I think it would be fun to actually buy soap from each artisan on my list, so I randomly chose to start with Borden Acres (affiliate links) in California. I bought three scents that seemed summery to me: Sweet Tea, Honeysuckle + Citrus, and Grapefruit + Orange. They smell wonderful and lather beautifully. I’d recommend them all!

When I speak of home, I speak of the place where – in default of a better – those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy’s tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding. – Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

order more work clothes for my oldest
bake oatmeal raisin cookies
catch up on snail mail correspondence
work on my new 100 Little Things list (my seventh year!)
completely finish the first six weeks of lesson plans
start browsing around for a new couch
get an estimate on Sophie’s bathroom tile replacement
drop off donations at Goodwill (if it’s open and accepting)
try to sell off the remaining Poshmark inventory – share my closet at least once daily
give my hair another trim
pull out the weeds in the brick walkway

that I got a handle on the beetles eating my zinnias and the caterpillars in my tomatoes my boys and their funny antics how my daughter watches and imitates me…how humbling air conditioning on relentlessly hot days starting the decluttering process again a few small sales on ebay watching my scrap quilt grow and grow podcasts in a wide variety of topics dreaming about the future with my husband how an afternoon bath can soothe a whiny preschooler painting my daughter’s fingernails in “Ballet Slipper,” the palest pink that I took the time to reorganize/declutter my closet a morning walk with Mark and the dog big bowls of salty popcorn

the smell of a freshly mowed lawn

shelling dry beans on the back deck laughing until we cried at how our “crop” of beans will probably only feed us for two meals watching the kids play in their new plastic pool a much needed afternoon with my mom and my sister a book that makes me cry when a child giggles in his sleep

how hard Mark works for our family

simple, ordinary days at home
debt freedom

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FEELING // so unmotivated, which is not like me at all. I tried to sit down to write my intentions post for July and could not for the life of me come up with anything coherent! Instead of forcing it, I just decided to coast for awhile and pick it back up in August. One day, one step at a time…

READING // so many books, all at the same time. I’m almost to the middle of Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale, which is seriously inspiring me to return to my decluttering challenge. I’m also about halfway through The Year of Reading Dangerously, which is not very good at all BUT it did inspire me to pick up Don Quixote again, so there’s that. For fiction, I’m reading Hannah Coulter, which I am absolutely loving! So much of it reminds me of my grandmothers. I already know that I’m going to be sad when it ends. For religious books, I’m almost finished with 33 Days to Morning Glory (re-consecration day is July 16: feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel!) and just a few pages into Consuming the Word.

CELEBRATING // the fact that we’re thiiiiis close to being consumer debt and student loan free! If all goes to plan, we’ll be able to make our last payment by the end of this week.

PLANNING // for school, little by little. I have all of our books purchased, but have only been working on lesson plans in fits and spurts. I need to focus! I’m thinking mid-August sounds like a good time to start, regardless of what the public schools will be doing. We have no idea if any of the kids’ extra-curricular activities will be happening in the fall, but I’ll plan what I can.

BAKING // our daily two loaves of sandwich bread along with a rare loaf of banana bread. Such a treat since fruit normally doesn’t last very long around here.

GROWING // so much in the garden right now. We have zucchini and yellow squash ready just about every other day, we just picked our first cucumber, the tomatoes are almost ripe, the peppers, the beans… Its so fun to see what’s new every morning!

SEWING // more and more pieces on my scrap quilt and enjoying the process so much. There’s something soothing about the repetitive nature of stitching and it’s been a helpful distraction with all that has been going on.

DREAMING // about future additions to our property, homesteading skills that I’d like to pursue and practice, animals we’d like to raise…the future is so uncertain, but it sure is fun to dream.

I fell down half a flight of stairs early in the week and got a nice big bruise down my right side.

The wildflowers are going crazy in the front beds! One plant is awkwardly taller than all of the rest, but I don’t have the heart to pull it out. They definitely put the “wild” in wildflowers, but I love it all the same.

In the garden, I’ve been battling beetles (eating my zinnias) and hornworm caterpillars (eating my peppers). I’ve become a little obsessed with the upkeep and am constantly researching watering recommendations, plant deficiency signs, pest control, etc. Gardening is hard work!

On my nightstand: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, Consuming the Word by Scott Hahn, and The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller. None of them are exceptional reads yet, but I’m plodding on.

Mark took Tuesday through Friday off, which was so nice. He’s had a busy second quarter, so it was well deserved. We worked on a few things around the house, but mostly just relaxed.

I’m moving right along on my scrap quilt. Mark and the kids say I look like a little old grandma when I sit in the rocking chair in my bedroom, listening to podcasts, with my quilting in my lap. Frankly, there’s no better compliment, ha! Cool and hip have never been my middle names.

We had a quiet Independence Day. I made a strawberry pie and a blueberry pie, but had to rush a bit on the construction…too many people in the kitchen talking to me! Thankfully, what they lacked in beauty, they made up for in taste.

eating food that we actually grew from our garden!
the birds that sit on the garden gate the way the sun shines through the trees in the afternoon moving artwork/home decor around the house to try something new
that I didn’t break anything when I fell down half a flight of stairs (me and stairs…oy) a sale on ebay watching P play pretend with his “guys” a big answer to prayer another step closer to debt freedom that my oldest son wanted to show off and share my chocolate chip cookies at work more little pieces added to my quilt a turkey mama with her babies trailing behind her ceiling fans on hot days

my parents (I miss them terribly!)