Frugal Things I Did The Last Two Weeks

The cheery pumpkins I made at my mother-in-law's house.  

The last two weeks have been challenging as Evangeline has been ill.  First she had croup, then she caught a horrible stomach virus which lasted 9 days, and the poor girl also had her first ear infection!  She was sick for over two weeks and took two trips to Children's and 3 visits to the pediatrician (and I'm not a mom that takes her kids to the pediatrician unless they are really sick).  We are so thankful that she is feeling better!  Here are a few things we did the last two weeks to save money and enjoy the simple life:

I was so thankful that we were able to eat a few freezer meals that I had made last month.  We did end up eating out a lot more than we usually do but I am thankful that our budget didn't take a bigger hit than it easily could have.  I usually have a few freezer meals or at least some soup in the freezer at all times.  I would love to try to have more muffins, breakfast meals, and desserts stocked away.  Any suggestions?  

We took a last minute trip to visit family.  It was so nice to see family that live far away.  I made the pumpkins pictured above while I was there.  I gifted the far right pumpkin to my parents when we returned.  (They are always so gracious to take care of everything at our home while we are away.)  I have been thinking about adding the phrase "Happy Fall Y'all" to one of the pumpkins but I also like them plain.  We shall see! 

I enjoyed reading some borrowed magazines and books from the library.  

We picked a big bag of peppers from our garden.  Thankfully this year our peppers were very prolific.  We ate lots of peppers in main dishes and raw as a snack.  I also chopped up a lot of peppers into strips and froze them in the freezer.  Around here peppers are expensive especially the colored ones which I love.  I think they cost about $1.80 at Meijer (not even organic) but they occasionally go on sale for $1 but that is still expensive.  Growing our own peppers has saved us lots of money this year.  I try to eat a couple of peppers each week as a snack since they are so healthy.  We also enjoy them in stir fries, chili, and various main dishes.  I definitely plan on growing just as many peppers next year if not more!

Evangeline on her birthday still not feeling very well while she enjoyed the new sling that I made. 

I made a sling for Evangeline for her birthday.  I used materials I had on hand and the pattern had been purchased for $1 last year.

We took a family trip to the zoo where we have a zoo pass.  It is always so much fun!  This time we took my sister Rebekah along with us.  We also packed a nice picnic lunch which we ate before we walked around.  Our zoo has such a nice picnic area that it really is a shame not to use it!

The happy hubby and I went on a much needed date.  :)  It was lovely and such a treat after 2 weeks of a sick baby.  We ate a wonderful dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse using a gift card we had been given.  Then we actually went swimming together which was so fun!  I think it had been over a year since we had been swimming without kids.

Eli loves playing outside!

We have spent a lot of time outside playing despite the fact that Evangeline has not felt well.  Elijah has really enjoyed finding all sorts of treasures and collecting leaves as they change colors.  The trees are absolutely gorgeous at our home.  Hopefully I will have some free time to photograph them before they all fall off!

I purchased a few books and games for Elijah at a garage sale.  I gave him one of the items (A Color Wonder Black) to occupy the time on our trip.  The rest of the items I have saved in a box downstairs for Christmas or his birthday.

I sat down and started making preparations for Christmas in the form of lists.  I follow a loose version of the Holiday Grand Plan at Organized Christmas.  Hopefully this week I will be able to start sewing!

What frugal things did you do last week?