You can shop for garden seeds in you kitchen cupboard. When I was a single mom back in the 1980's I had space for a garden but no money for seeds ,so I planted slices of salad tomatoes for my transplant starts and the bottom of green onions that my mom offered me and dry Lima beans and dry navy beans from the cupboard. Were they exactly what I wanted to grow ,no , but it was food and I had two little ones to feed. Mom gave me seeds and onion set for my birthday and that was my garden that year. My ex had taken the freezer and all the food in it so I had to rely on my dry supplies till the garden could kick in. Turning your garden by hand with a shovel is deadly hard work but putting a carpet upsidedown on the row will hold in moisture and encourage the worms to do the work for you. It only takes a few weeks for the grass to die out. Jane, if you put all your grass clippings and leaves under a piece of pile carpet that has been thrown away put it fuzzy side down on top of all the clippings and water it every few weeks and you will have compost faster and you won't need to turn it and you get free worms and worm castings as a bonus. *P.S. I also weeded and thinned a neighbor s garden in exchange for the thinned plants and cuttings. People are usually very happy to have someone else do the back breaking work.
Oh and just to say what a natural you are in front of the camera! So good at communicating and teaching. And how talented is our background camera guy! Well done both of you
I too have enough food in my fridge, freezer and pantry to eat through a month without grocery shopping and probably longer. We need to replace a fence or at least a portion of it. Also, I plan to add a few shrubs to my garden I plan to use money saved this month to fund our projects.
I absolutely loved this video. You have inspired me to have a bare-bones April as I overspent on groceries in March. Thanks for letting us have a poke around in your pantry, fridge and freezer. I love seeing what other people eat and store in their homes.
I wish you were closer, I started my garden in 2022 and saving seeds was my goal, I have many I could send you. You will love the garden, I have not purchased lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, swiss chard, okra or beans in a year. I put logs in the bottom of my raised beds, along with leaves, sticks, you really only need 6-18 inches of dirt depending on what you grow. Listening to you I have a budget, debt free and can put 27% of income into savings. Many thanks and best wishes.
You are both inspiring and are helping me cope after a covid job loss and now living on a much smaller income. I’ve recently turned 58 and want a more stress free life now. As I watched this, I was repairing 2 hanging hand towels that had lost their buttons. (which had been sitting there annoying me for ages). I used some fine wool thread (from a little packet I found in the sewing basket, that must have come with a garment in years gone by), buttons from my late mum’s button jar and 10 minutes of my time. All repaired and usable again. Thank you for the frugality reminder and I can repair and make do.
As we say in England. Your robbing Peter to pay Paul. Very good to remind people, that we need to be aware of what we have and what we van do with it. Great blog as always.
I ordered Mulberry tree plants yesterday. I am trying to have fruit so that if ever we could not afford fresh fruit, we could supplement our diet with fruit from my own yard.
Yes! My sister and I were going for a treat meal out tonight, but decided that it just seemed too hard. So I surveyed my kitchen. I had half of a small limp-ish cabbage, some carrots, and some eggs in the fridge. The pantry yielded rice, canned tomatoes, and spices. In less than 45 minutes I created a hearty shakshuka. Onions, cabbage, shredded carrots sautéed in chicken fat I had saved and frozen from the last time I made stock. Added canned tomatoes. Put the rice on. Added egg to the cabbage-tomato mixture let it poach. Served over the rice. And now I’m about to take the leftover rice, add milk powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins and declare it an “unbaked” rice pudding. All from odds and ends in the pantry. For the garden, don’t forget to grow from the food you buy at the market - stick the stump of green onions, cabbage and celery in the ground - they’ll grow. Save one slice of a good tomato on a piece of paper and let it ferment in a warm place for a few days, then plant the seeds or save them for later use. Use the seeds from bell peppers, (preferably red ones) and jalapeños, too. Plant the pits of cherries or plums. They may not be as good as purchased hybrid varieties, but if they do grow you have a free fruit tree. You don’t have to spend a lot of (or any) money to create a useful garden.
Last night for dinner I whipped up a can of salmon with mayo, green onion, celery and dill and served it open face on fresh sourdough slices with homemade sprouts and a thin slice of cheese. My husband loved it and said he’d be happy to have it for dinner anytime. Win win because we have tons of canned salmon in the pantry and it was such a simple delicious dinner!
"How many meals do I actually have in my house?" Great question!! That is a change of perspective that I can put to good use. Thank you! I recently started breaking out the big containers of cottage cheese and yogurt into single serving containers to last for 7 days. On the sides of each of these, it says there are 5 servings. I just made each serving a little less, and get 7 servings. Surprisingly, I have not really "noticed" I am getting "less." I'm doing the same thing with other meals - I can usually get one or two more meals by portioning it out into individual containers. That has made a difference in food spending. I started that after listening to one of your earlier videos where you discussed the rationing of the 1970s. I was alive then, and I remembered that, too, and that it WORKED well during those very hard economic times. Thanks for these great videos.
We haven't had to shop for anything for a month except for milk and occasional bits and pieces. I cook big meals to eat now and freeze for later. Saves power . We try to see how long we can go between a big shop.
🙂 I get the hemming and hawing on trying to grow things when you're on land with little soil. That inch of topsoil is about an inch more than I had. the ground here is a very fine, powdery sand. Just a quarter mile to the east, they have lovely soil, from centuries of the river overflowing occasionally. But I'm on the mesa, just above it all. I did the same thing - down to paying for it out of my grocery spend. well, the decorative was from the home maintenance end... my garden is in the front yard. I break some other rules too. :) If you have lovely tomatoes that you love - plant those seeds. Take some and dry them for next year, and an early start inside or in the green house. The same with the peppers you love... You'll need to start carrots from seed... but if you leave even one over winter and let it go to seed... (some varieties will seed in one year) Same for onions... Some will vary by the length of your season, but with that lovely greenhouse cover, you've probably extended your season by several months. And some things can be grown indoors, year round... lettuces as microgreens, i, radishes, basil, mint... Sounds like a salad, and a great budget cutter! 🥗 all in all, it's a great investment... Frugal isn't about being cheap or stingy, it's about wise investment of (frequently limited) resources!
You've inspired me. I am going away for a few days later next month and I have two freezers, a store-cupboard and fridge full of food. I'm going to see if I can get by with no food shopping. I have frozen veg which I should use up and lots of frozen milk. I even have frozen fruit. I do the "yellow stickers" shop when I do go out and get some good bargains which I make better by splitting packs up into individual freezer bags. So if I get a pack of eight sausages, I split into four packs of two. Packs of bread rolls get split up as well. It stops me from overeating because it's there. I just defrost a sensible portion. I freeze these things immediately I get them and eat the same day once defrosted. My shopping bill is way down on last year. I would like to think that I can cover some of the costs of my few days away by being frugal this month. Thank you for what you do. It's extremely useful.
We all need to grow more of our own food. A return to times when everyone had a garden and loved to bo out and pick their supper. It was frugal and fun then and will be again. I love your healthy and tasty meal ideas.
I love your videos! They’re so inspiring to me to make home baked meals. It’s not just economical, it’s actually fun. My daughter is off school and has been enjoying making meals with me ❤
I'm definitely doing a bare bone budget and I so appreciate all the advice and ideas of how to do so. Thank you both so much for making these wonderful and helpful vlogs. You make me feel not so alone in these difficult financial times. Kind regards Angeline ❤️
I love challenging myself to see what meals I can come up with from the food in the house or what comes out of the garden. You’ve explained it really well for newbies 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I love this!! ❤ on April 15, I’ll have been on a bare bones budget just eating out of my 2 cupboards, my refrigerator and freezer for 2 months in order to save up an emergency fund and pay off a credit (I’ll be cutting that up when it’s paid). 😅😅 I’m trying so hard to get back on stable soil, so listening to your podcasts are so helpful!! Thank you for all you do, Jane and Mike!!
Your pink scarf is very becoming against the blue/black top! I look forward to your videos. The graphics are great! April will be a bare bones month. I followed your advice and checked what I do have. I use what I have in the refrigerator and freezer as you suggest. I am lucky my husband will eat what I make and is not finicky. Both of you are true professionals. You explain ideas with great clarity. You can tell you were a teacher. Please keep us informed on how the raised garden progresses throughout the season. Thanks for all Mike and you do!!!
You've convinced me. I am certain I can have a bare-bones April, although someone around here is going to need to expand his limited meal repertoire! Like you, we have some expensive garden plans, and it makes sense to do this. Thanks for the inspirational video!
The only potential flaw in that plan is that the next time you go shopping the bill is likely to be higher than it was before. That is the main reason why I buy a few extra items to add to my stocks/hoard. I think I could manage a couple of no-spend months at this rate
We always pick up extras of items that we find at deep discount prices, and stash them away. We do a pantry challenge for the months of December, January and February. It helps us to go through many of our stores, but also it helps us to save more money for the coming expenses of gardening seasons. We live near the great lakes, so we are living on sand, lots of sand. It's like living on a beach minus the water. I spend more time than I care to, sweeping up sand in the house. Door mats don't matter, it's just going to come in. So we grow in raised beds and pots as well. I start a rack full of plants in the house for spring gardening, to avoid the cost of heating a greenhouse. We snowed again the past 2 days, so we use our Woodstock heat and a couple of LED lights to get a jump on the season, that is too short as is.
My husband is having a good turn out from his saved seeds from last years crops. You can take store bought green peppers or any type and dry out the seeds and plant them. Also seed swap with neighbors or barter something for seeds. Our library system has a seed give away here in the US also. Happy gardening!
You are so amazingly creative with food, Jane! Wow! I really think you guys will be happy growing your own food. It sounds like you have a really good plan for what you're going to grow. All things that you'll use. Please keep us updated on the veggie and fruit growing! And I always love to see the puppers!
Love this video. I could live out of my pantry for a month. This feels like a great challenge. You should do a challenge with us for April and do a weekly check in!
I would love to see some cooking videos. Especially, some of your vegetarian recipes. I would like a few step-by-step video. You’re awesome! Thank you!
It is amazing how many meals really are in the freezer and pantry! Except for dairy and fresh fruit & veg, I have been eating from my pantry/freezer since the beginning of the year and I still have a month or two of meals I can prepare with what is left. My grocery bill has definitely reflected this pantry focus. Great video!
I always do this but it’s always good to get other peoples take on this and new ideas and recipes. You are never to old to pick up ideas and learn something!
Aside of helping have a bare bones budget month this is a wonderful way to extend your everyday menus. Sometimes you just stick to the same things and can get into a rut. Great video!
I have always kept a well stocked pantry all of my adult life. I have a lot of stored grains for variety as well as canned ( tinned) items. I have an unexpected large bill so will do a survival budget for April in order to take care of this situation. Today out driving and tire was bad stopped and got it repaired unexpected but with my emergency fund no problem. I believe this will not be as difficult as I initially thought.
I’m enjoying watching you as I darn my husband’s homemade socks with a “Speedweve “. What a handy item. I do have my maternal grandmother’s darning egg, but this way makes a neater mend. My husband has a tray of peppers growing under the grow light. We still have a month or more until they will go outside. Happy gardening! 💙
Great video. Recently, my very old but still functional upright freezer badly needed to be defrosted, and therefore emptying. I began to use absolutely everything up, and found that, together with pantry staples, and the veg drawers in the fridge, I was able to make enough food for a month, and only had to buy a very few fresh things. It turned out to be an unintentional low-spend month on food. Funny how we tend to keep on buying food, even when we already have enough. I'm now going through the cupboards... there's no problem, I find, in mixing different types of pasta in a pasta bake and getting rid of all those annoying packets with just a handful of pasta left in each.
Good morning Jane and Michael. My name is Terrie and I'm writing from Houston Texas. I'm originally from Brooklyn NY but lived for over 25 years in Egypt after I married. I've been in Texas for 7 years and as of late, experiencing massive price increases. Being retired and on a fixed income, I started looking for tips and ideas of how to manage. I've been watching your channel for a while and thoroughly enjoy it. Must say I have NEVER commented on TH-cam videos but your last one on taking inventory and using up what you have on hand in a no spend situation hit home with me. So I thank you and will take heed of your suggestions. You've given me hope😁 Thanks
Great video Jane ,,I like the idea of how many meals I have available ,,,a different way to look at it 🧐🧐 ,,, I am starting a garden too this year , beans ,tomatoes ,,I really hope my apple tree produces this year ,it did for 2 yrs but not last year ?… ☹️ Back to the basics ,,,🤓
This was timely. I just found out yesterday that due to an error that my eye doctor's receptionist made, I will not be covered for an eye exam and glasses by my health insurance. I was out "one day". So had I gone one day later, all of it would have been covered. $560.00 Cdn. It's not like I don't have the money, but that kind of thing irks me no end. So now I will divide the 560/ 9 months that are left in the year. My budget has to drop by about 63$/month. I probably can save on home maintenance (I have been painting) but that can be put on hold. And as you point out, I can eat from my pantry! Good one!
Jane, this is very inspiring. In Canada our freezers are much larger…as I was growing up in northern Alberta my dad always shot a moose or a deer and my mom froze garden vegetables and wild berries. Not sure why I have one nowadays…it is definitely too easy to let things go to waste at the bottom. I do grow a few vegetables in my inner city garden, but I don’t like the taste and smell of exhaust on them. It can’t possibly be healthy, even after washing them.
I have a chest freezer and love it, I have the whole freezer dicked out with plastic boxes with handles and baskets so it is easy to store everything and I can get to the bottom easily :)
I love Jane all of your videos. I'm watching them on my way to work to give myself motivation. I live on tural area in Poland. I have set a big vegetable garden. Lot of my relatives are asking why do you have such a big garden. Carrots in the shop are cheap. People are to lazy to grow own food. But my garden Will feed me and my husband for 8months. So I'm not buying veggies. And on the top of that they are great quality because they are organic andbgardening shed all the stress and keep me fit.
Lovely to see your garden project plans and some great ideas for simple meals. One of my go to larder meals is pasta with 'fridge sauce' using whatever there is, it's different every time!
We love your videos so much ! This past weekend my family of four wanted some Chinese food so badly my 13 year old daughter made pork dumplings and I made vegetable lo mein for 25% of the cost to buy take out and it was so fun. Just one more way to keep us within our budget AND have a little fun ! We also save our vegetables seed to plant in our garden. We have a small hydroponic seeds starter box to help the baby plants grow a bit faster.
Great video as usual Jane. To save money on my groceries I’ve started to draw out cash every Friday and also stopped buying a big shop. Only buying what I actually need and using cash only. Once my weekly allowance is gone its gone. Also stopped buying fruit and veg from Lidl/Aldi and buying from local market. They sell half cabbage or turnip etc.
If you saw my fridge, freezer, and pantry, you would wonder why I need to go to the grocery store at all. I honestly believe that we could make it through three months of a bare bones budget. I should at least do it for one month. I am looking forward to seeing the progress in the garden.
Great video as always. A.ways enjoy listening to your ideas. I do a lot of pressure canning vegetables, fruits,from our gardens and orchards, meats. That's our way of saving money for other necessities. In my canning pantry I have many meals in jars, pot pie base, chicken a LA king base, stews, beef, chicken, turkey, soups, beans, sauces and other items to add to pasta. We have always tried to keep a 2 years supply of food including dry goods, our home-grown dehydrated and canned foods. We keep several freezers also. It's because we have to drive 100 miles round trip to shop. I am very happy you are getting berry plants ,seeds and a polythene for your garden plants. Oh how I wish you were my neighbor you wouldn't have had to spend a penny I would have given you plants and all types of garden seeds that I have saved each year. Your doing great. May God bless you and your family
I love your flexible and creative approach. Seriously, I think too often we succumb to 'I feel like......" rather than remembering it's FOOD and as long as it's healthy and tasty we should be grateful to have it!! I don't need a bare bones April but I do need to reduce my reserves so I'm up for the challenge!! Looking forward to seeing your greenhouse go up - and holy moly that's expensive for seeds!! Here too they can be that expensive, especially if you want a specific variety, but we can buy bog standard types for $2/Euro1.25 from discount stores - is that not available there? Buying seeds online can also be good value, especially if you can get free shipping. Cheers!
I’m going to do a sort of bare bones April, we have a few things on, guest etc but I only really need pet supplies and a few odd bits. I have a few things I want to square up and the kitten is being spayed so being resourceful and meal planning etc will go a long way to help
Garlic is fab to grow in raised beds, I planted garlic gloves and they've come up great. I've also left some potatoes to 'root' ,I will also try to grow onions by planting the onion bottom. They'll be going in next and i have plenty of fresh herbs coming up. Followed your advice and did a stock check and realised I have loads of ingredients for stuffed peppers which will make a few tasty meals.
that's an exciting project, I'll be interested to see how the crops do in your poly tunnel. There's nothing better than growing your own food , good luck and thanks for the video.
Love your videos especially your cooking ones see you had Yorkshire Tea in your cabinet I have to buy it online live in the US also absolutely love your little dog at the end of all your videos
I need to do a bare bones budget in April now for sure. You are so creative with your cooking, which is a great skill to have. I loved the video on the garden boxes, can't wait to see the poly greenhouse. I"ve been thinking of getting one of those myself so I'll be interested to know your opinion after hands on experience. I'm getting raspberry plants this year as well. We did blueberries and strawberries last year.
You inspired me to do a bare bones’ budget for April! As I had been building up my pantry and freezer, this will be easy. I’m going to allow myself $100 dollars for the month. With the extra money, I am able to add it to a sinking fund and buy myself a new computer cash! ❤Patti
I am happy to report that I spent $150 for the month. That included $50 for a birthday party I had to throw. I’m so happy to have done this challenge and I am looking at my pantry differently now. Before, I was not really looking at my pantry and freezer to make my meal plan. But now, I am doing that first as you recently suggested. Thank you for all your wonderful advice.
Good video. I liked how you went through your pantry and came up with meal ideas right away. A review of our food supply is a must and necessity in these times. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely garden plans. I would like to get a rotating composter this year. It is way too windy in my area for a poly tunnel. I'm thinking about a small glass house but it might blow away too. I can't believe how expensive your seeds are, at Dollar Tree here you can get 4 packs for $1.25. I'm hoping for some blackberries from the bush I planted last year. Happy gardening!
You inspired me now to go to the freezer to do a mealplan. I always do, but I think, maybe we can get through Easter without going to the grocery store? I do need milk and bread of course, but as you, my drawers in the freezer are really packed with food. My payday is the 12th every month, and I did a rather big food shop this Monday. 🌼 Good luck with the polytunnel. I bought one last year, and on my elevation that was a gamechanger. 👍 This year I am working a lot, again, I havent had the energy to start anything, and it is still winter here. I might buy plants from others instead of growing them myself from seeds.
Great blog! I had a very nice, but expensive weekend away and my whole weeks shopping budget was spent on 1 meal on Saturday night. Do I regret it? No! I’ve not had a holiday or any kind of time away in over 4 years so I feel I deserved a treat! I did plan for it though and I have more than enough food in my pantry, fridge and freezer to feed myself this week. Planning, stock taking and imaginative cooking is key to life these days and I enjoy the challenge. Exciting times for you with a new garden, I’m expanding mine this year so I’m already looking after seedlings, chilliest, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes are all from what I’ve bought to eat and, I’ve saved some butternut squash seeds so I will give those a go too. 🤞xx
We buy one thing every time we shop to put aside for just this type of month. it helps us rotate the stock and best of all it makes a bare bones month much easier to do.
great video jane....glad to see you venture into growing some of your own food.....lettuces are quite easy....word of advice regarding that polytunnel....i have the same one (about to be put up) and a replacement for the last one....i have a very windy allotment....and the last one was found frame and all, up a huge tree and the next day despite being weighted down over the stone wall on the cycle path etc...battered and bruised it certainly was.....so you need to ensure it is well secured. one of the other allotment also secured theirs but the plastic came off during strong winds despite the bottom parts being buried under soil....mikes resourceful so i think you should be right...raised beds would be amazing...use posts to secure the corners of the frame inside the polytunnel.....oh and by the way i grew the most fantastic cucumbers they were the size of marrows...and beer wells really do work with the slugs....or expensive lager....
Your videos motivate me to become creative and flexible. While I listened today, I grabbed some, um, "older" things out of the fridge freezer to use up. I ended up with caramel banana bread pudding (leftovers of all three of those) and the beginnings of a sausage pasta bake for tonight. Plus, a friend is getting another pan of homemade bread pudding as a birthday gift. Thank you beyond description. Despite the thousands of miles, I consider you as friends, and not only "those people in the videos". I wish I lived closer, as I could send you quilt fabrics!
Love this video so much! So many good ideas! We are heading into retirement by the end of the year. Enjoy hearing how to live on a fixed income. Thank you Jane and Mike!!
Don't throw away the broccoli or cauliflower stems...use a vegetable steamer basket and steam those stems. They come out extremely soft and stems have the most nutrients. Most people throw away the most nutritional parts of the vegetables!
You can shop for garden seeds in you kitchen cupboard. When I was a single mom back in the 1980's I had space for a garden but no money for seeds ,so I planted slices of salad tomatoes for my transplant starts and the bottom of green onions that my mom offered me and dry Lima beans and dry navy beans from the cupboard. Were they exactly what I wanted to grow ,no , but it was food and I had two little ones to feed. Mom gave me seeds and onion set for my birthday and that was my garden that year. My ex had taken the freezer and all the food in it so I had to rely on my dry supplies till the garden could kick in.
Turning your garden by hand with a shovel is deadly hard work but putting a carpet upsidedown on the row will hold in moisture and encourage the worms to do the work for you. It only takes a few weeks for the grass to die out.
Jane, if you put all your grass clippings and leaves under a piece of pile carpet that has been thrown away put it fuzzy side down on top of all the clippings and water it every few weeks and you will have compost faster and you won't need to turn it and you get free worms and worm castings as a bonus.
*P.S. I also weeded and thinned a neighbor s garden in exchange for the thinned plants and cuttings. People are usually very happy to have someone else do the back breaking work.
Thanks for watching
Oh and just to say what a natural you are in front of the camera! So good at communicating and teaching. And how talented is our background camera guy! Well done both of you
Thank you so much!
I totally agree with you xx
I too have enough food in my fridge, freezer and pantry to eat through a month without grocery shopping and probably longer. We need to replace a fence or at least a portion of it. Also, I plan to add a few shrubs to my garden I plan to use money saved this month to fund our projects.
Thanks so much
I absolutely loved this video. You have inspired me to have a bare-bones April as I overspent on groceries in March. Thanks for letting us have a poke around in your pantry, fridge and freezer. I love seeing what other people eat and store in their homes.
Thanks very much
I wish you were closer, I started my garden in 2022 and saving seeds was my goal, I have many I could send you. You will love the garden, I have not purchased lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, swiss chard, okra or beans in a year. I put logs in the bottom of my raised beds, along with leaves, sticks, you really only need 6-18 inches of dirt depending on what you grow. Listening to you I have a budget, debt free and can put 27% of income into savings. Many thanks and best wishes.
Best wishes to you too
You are both inspiring and are helping me cope after a covid job loss and now living on a much smaller income.
I’ve recently turned 58 and want a more stress free life now.
As I watched this, I was repairing 2 hanging hand towels that had lost their buttons.
(which had been sitting there annoying me for ages).
I used some fine wool thread (from a little packet I found in the sewing basket, that must have come with a garment in years gone by), buttons from my late mum’s button jar and 10 minutes of my time.
All repaired and usable again.
Thank you for the frugality reminder and I can repair and make do.
Thanks very much
As we say in England. Your robbing Peter to pay Paul. Very good to remind people, that we need to be aware of what we have and what we van do with it. Great blog as always.
Thanks for that
We say the same in my family here in Alabama, in USA. It's true wherever we live isn't it?
I ordered Mulberry tree plants yesterday. I am trying to have fruit so that if ever we could not afford fresh fruit, we could supplement our diet with fruit from my own yard.
Good idea
Yes! My sister and I were going for a treat meal out tonight, but decided that it just seemed too hard. So I surveyed my kitchen. I had half of a small limp-ish cabbage, some carrots, and some eggs in the fridge. The pantry yielded rice, canned tomatoes, and spices. In less than 45 minutes I created a hearty shakshuka. Onions, cabbage, shredded carrots sautéed in chicken fat I had saved and frozen from the last time I made stock. Added canned tomatoes. Put the rice on. Added egg to the cabbage-tomato mixture let it poach. Served over the rice. And now I’m about to take the leftover rice, add milk powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins and declare it an “unbaked” rice pudding. All from odds and ends in the pantry. For the garden, don’t forget to grow from the food you buy at the market - stick the stump of green onions, cabbage and celery in the ground - they’ll grow. Save one slice of a good tomato on a piece of paper and let it ferment in a warm place for a few days, then plant the seeds or save them for later use. Use the seeds from bell peppers, (preferably red ones) and jalapeños, too. Plant the pits of cherries or plums. They may not be as good as purchased hybrid varieties, but if they do grow you have a free fruit tree. You don’t have to spend a lot of (or any) money to create a useful garden.
Thanks
Tinned fish is wonderful, nutritious and versatile.another great video Jane and Mike 👍
Thanks
Last night for dinner I whipped up a can of salmon with mayo, green onion, celery and dill and served it open face on fresh sourdough slices with homemade sprouts and a thin slice of cheese. My husband loved it and said he’d be happy to have it for dinner anytime. Win win because we have tons of canned salmon in the pantry and it was such a simple delicious dinner!
"How many meals do I actually have in my house?" Great question!! That is a change of perspective that I can put to good use. Thank you! I recently started breaking out the big containers of cottage cheese and yogurt into single serving containers to last for 7 days. On the sides of each of these, it says there are 5 servings. I just made each serving a little less, and get 7 servings. Surprisingly, I have not really "noticed" I am getting "less." I'm doing the same thing with other meals - I can usually get one or two more meals by portioning it out into individual containers. That has made a difference in food spending. I started that after listening to one of your earlier videos where you discussed the rationing of the 1970s. I was alive then, and I remembered that, too, and that it WORKED well during those very hard economic times. Thanks for these great videos.
So true!
This will be helpful for post operation to have pre-prepared meals in the fridge & easy to make items in the pantry.
We haven't had to shop for anything for a month except for milk and occasional bits and pieces. I cook big meals to eat now and freeze for later. Saves power . We try to see how long we can go between a big shop.
Love that!
🙂 I get the hemming and hawing on trying to grow things when you're on land with little soil.
That inch of topsoil is about an inch more than I had. the ground here is a very fine, powdery sand. Just a quarter mile to the east, they have lovely soil, from centuries of the river overflowing occasionally. But I'm on the mesa, just above it all.
I did the same thing - down to paying for it out of my grocery spend. well, the decorative was from the home maintenance end... my garden is in the front yard. I break some other rules too. :)
If you have lovely tomatoes that you love - plant those seeds. Take some and dry them for next year, and an early start inside or in the green house. The same with the peppers you love... You'll need to start carrots from seed... but if you leave even one over winter and let it go to seed... (some varieties will seed in one year) Same for onions... Some will vary by the length of your season, but with that lovely greenhouse cover, you've probably extended your season by several months. And some things can be grown indoors, year round... lettuces as microgreens, i, radishes, basil, mint... Sounds like a salad, and a great budget cutter! 🥗
all in all, it's a great investment...
Frugal isn't about being cheap or stingy, it's about wise investment of (frequently limited) resources!
Thanks very much for watching
You've inspired me. I am going away for a few days later next month and I have two freezers, a store-cupboard and fridge full of food. I'm going to see if I can get by with no food shopping. I have frozen veg which I should use up and lots of frozen milk. I even have frozen fruit.
I do the "yellow stickers" shop when I do go out and get some good bargains which I make better by splitting packs up into individual freezer bags. So if I get a pack of eight sausages, I split into four packs of two. Packs of bread rolls get split up as well. It stops me from overeating because it's there. I just defrost a sensible portion. I freeze these things immediately I get them and eat the same day once defrosted. My shopping bill is way down on last year.
I would like to think that I can cover some of the costs of my few days away by being frugal this month. Thank you for what you do. It's extremely useful.
Thanks for watching
We all need to grow more of our own food. A return to times when everyone had a garden and loved to bo out and pick their supper. It was frugal and fun then and will be again. I love your healthy and tasty meal ideas.
Thanks for watching
I love your videos! They’re so inspiring to me to make home baked meals. It’s not just economical, it’s actually fun. My daughter is off school and has been enjoying making meals with me ❤
I'm definitely doing a bare bone budget and I so appreciate all the advice and ideas of how to do so. Thank you both so much for making these wonderful and helpful vlogs. You make me feel not so alone in these difficult financial times. Kind regards Angeline ❤️
Thanks for watching
I love challenging myself to see what meals I can come up with from the food in the house or what comes out of the garden. You’ve explained it really well for newbies 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Sounds great!
You're delightful! I love all of your ideas and your beautiful, tidy kitchen!❤
Thanks so much! 😊
I love this!! ❤ on April 15, I’ll have been on a bare bones budget just eating out of my 2 cupboards, my refrigerator and freezer for 2 months in order to save up an emergency fund and pay off a credit (I’ll be cutting that up when it’s paid). 😅😅 I’m trying so hard to get back on stable soil, so listening to your podcasts are so helpful!! Thank you for all you do, Jane and Mike!!
Your pink scarf is very becoming against the blue/black top! I look forward to your videos. The graphics are great! April will be a bare bones month. I followed your advice and checked what I do have. I use what I have in the refrigerator and freezer as you suggest. I am lucky my husband will eat what I make and is not finicky. Both of you are true professionals. You explain ideas with great clarity. You can tell you were a teacher. Please keep us informed on how the raised garden progresses throughout the season. Thanks for all Mike and you do!!!
Thanks very much for watching and commenting
Best of luck with your garden plans! Compost is your best friend!
Yep, that’s why we have compost piles. Thanks for watching
You've convinced me. I am certain I can have a bare-bones April, although someone around here is going to need to expand his limited meal repertoire! Like you, we have some expensive garden plans, and it makes sense to do this. Thanks for the inspirational video!
Thanks for watching
Nice video. I found myself anticipating your videos a LOT. Thank you!
I make up a menu and buy just what I need to make those things. Then, I'm not buying extras. Helps big time.
The only potential flaw in that plan is that the next time you go shopping the bill is likely to be higher than it was before. That is the main reason why I buy a few extra items to add to my stocks/hoard. I think I could manage a couple of no-spend months at this rate
Like seeing frugal food
Strategies of others, and hello Jane and Mike from downeast, NS,Canada.
Thank you
Thank you Jane, you inspire me to carry on being frugal, and hopefully to try and be even more frugal. xx
Thanks very much for watching
We always pick up extras of items that we find at deep discount prices, and stash them away. We do a pantry challenge for the months of December, January and February. It helps us to go through many of our stores, but also it helps us to save more money for the coming expenses of gardening seasons. We live near the great lakes, so we are living on sand, lots of sand. It's like living on a beach minus the water. I spend more time than I care to, sweeping up sand in the house. Door mats don't matter, it's just going to come in. So we grow in raised beds and pots as well. I start a rack full of plants in the house for spring gardening, to avoid the cost of heating a greenhouse. We snowed again the past 2 days, so we use our Woodstock heat and a couple of LED lights to get a jump on the season, that is too short as is.
Thanks very much for watching and commenting
My husband is having a good turn out from his saved seeds from last years crops. You can take store bought green peppers or any type and dry out the seeds and plant them. Also seed swap with neighbors or barter something for seeds. Our library system has a seed give away here in the US also. Happy gardening!
Thanks very much
I enjoyed watching this video. Now that my husband is taking early retirement, next month, I need to look at saving.
You are so amazingly creative with food, Jane! Wow!
I really think you guys will be happy growing your own food. It sounds like you have a really good plan for what you're going to grow. All things that you'll use. Please keep us updated on the veggie and fruit growing! And I always love to see the puppers!
Thank you so much!
@@Viacer I know it well.
Love this video. I could live out of my pantry for a month. This feels like a great challenge. You should do a challenge with us for April and do a weekly check in!
Great idea!!
I look forward to seeing how the garden grows
I would love to see some cooking videos. Especially, some of your vegetarian recipes. I would like a few step-by-step video. You’re awesome! Thank you!
There's hundreds of my cooking videos on my channel. Look at the play lists
Oooo how posh are you gonna be ! A little market garden ! It's gonna be a labour of love for you . Well done in advance ! 👏
Thanks very much for watching
I just love when we get to see the puppies!
Thanks very much
Your videos are thoroughly informative Thank you from the USA 🌹
So nice of you
It is amazing how many meals really are in the freezer and pantry! Except for dairy and fresh fruit & veg, I have been eating from my pantry/freezer since the beginning of the year and I still have a month or two of meals I can prepare with what is left. My grocery bill has definitely reflected this pantry focus. Great video!
Thanks
Very excited for your gardening adventures ! Best of luck and thanks for another wonderful video 😊
I always do this but it’s always good to get other peoples take on this and new ideas and recipes. You are never to old to pick up ideas and learn something!
Thanks
Aside of helping have a bare bones budget month this is a wonderful way to extend your everyday menus. Sometimes you just stick to the same things and can get into a rut. Great video!
Thanks for watching
Jane such a great idea, why didn't I think of that. Now I will put myself on a bare bones budget.
Thanks very much
Ahh, yes I also use clothes pegs for the freezer and pantry..so handy..
I hope all your seeds grow and hopefully you will be able to save seeds from the food that is grown:)
Thanks
I've been doing this for years! It's always interesting to see how someone else does it!
Thanks
I have always kept a well stocked pantry all of my adult life. I have a lot of stored grains for variety as well as canned ( tinned) items. I have an unexpected large bill so will do a survival budget for April in order to take care of this situation. Today out driving and tire was bad stopped and got it repaired unexpected but with my emergency fund no problem. I believe this will not be as difficult as I initially thought.
Thanks
Wonderful video. You've given me the incentive to take a close look at my pantry and freezer. Diane in NC.
Thanks very much for watching
I’m enjoying watching you as I darn my husband’s homemade socks with a “Speedweve “. What a handy item. I do have my maternal grandmother’s darning egg, but this way makes a neater mend. My husband has a tray of peppers growing under the grow light. We still have a month or more until they will go outside. Happy gardening! 💙
Thanks for watching
Really enjoyed that today. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video. Recently, my very old but still functional upright freezer badly needed to be defrosted, and therefore emptying. I began to use absolutely everything up, and found that, together with pantry staples, and the veg drawers in the fridge, I was able to make enough food for a month, and only had to buy a very few fresh things. It turned out to be an unintentional low-spend month on food. Funny how we tend to keep on buying food, even when we already have enough. I'm now going through the cupboards... there's no problem, I find, in mixing different types of pasta in a pasta bake and getting rid of all those annoying packets with just a handful of pasta left in each.
Thanks very much for sharing
Good morning Jane and Michael. My name is Terrie and I'm writing from Houston Texas. I'm originally from Brooklyn NY but lived for over 25 years in Egypt after I married.
I've been in Texas for 7 years and as of late, experiencing massive price increases. Being retired and on a fixed income, I started looking for tips and ideas of how to manage.
I've been watching your channel for a while and thoroughly enjoy it. Must say I have NEVER commented on TH-cam videos but your last one on taking inventory and using up what you have on hand in a no spend situation hit home with me. So I thank you and will take heed of your suggestions.
You've given me hope😁 Thanks
Thanks very much
Great video Jane ,,I like the idea of how many meals I have available ,,,a different way to look at it 🧐🧐 ,,, I am starting a garden too this year , beans ,tomatoes ,,I really hope my apple tree produces this year ,it did for 2 yrs but not last year ?… ☹️
Back to the basics ,,,🤓
Thanks
This was timely. I just found out yesterday that due to an error that my eye doctor's receptionist made, I will not be covered for an eye exam and glasses by my health insurance. I was out "one day". So had I gone one day later, all of it would have been covered. $560.00 Cdn. It's not like I don't have the money, but that kind of thing irks me no end. So now I will divide the 560/ 9 months that are left in the year. My budget has to drop by about 63$/month. I probably can save on home maintenance (I have been painting) but that can be put on hold. And as you point out, I can eat from my pantry! Good one!
Thanks for watching
Thank you for another informative talk.😃
You are so welcome!
THANK YOU !!! THANK YOU!!! GREAT BLOG. YES, WE HAVE TO Stretch our food budget.😊💯 👍
You are so welcome!
Another excellent video. Thanks to you both.
Glad you enjoyed it
I love your sage advice and wisdom
Thanks
Eating through the food stock is a good idea to save money! It reduces food waste too :)
Thanks
Jane, this is very inspiring. In Canada our freezers are much larger…as I was growing up in northern Alberta my dad always shot a moose or a deer and my mom froze garden vegetables and wild berries. Not sure why I have one nowadays…it is definitely too easy to let things go to waste at the bottom.
I do grow a few vegetables in my inner city garden, but I don’t like the taste and smell of exhaust on them. It can’t possibly be healthy, even after washing them.
Thanks for watching
I have a chest freezer and love it, I have the whole freezer dicked out with plastic boxes with handles and baskets so it is easy to store everything and I can get to the bottom easily :)
I love Jane all of your videos. I'm watching them on my way to work to give myself motivation. I live on tural area in Poland. I have set a big vegetable garden. Lot of my relatives are asking why do you have such a big garden. Carrots in the shop are cheap. People are to lazy to grow own food. But my garden Will feed me and my husband for 8months. So I'm not buying veggies. And on the top of that they are great quality because they are organic andbgardening shed all the stress and keep me fit.
@@annammazur9712 it's also anti-aging to keep physically active
Lovely to see your garden project plans and some great ideas for simple meals. One of my go to larder meals is pasta with 'fridge sauce' using whatever there is, it's different every time!
Thanks
We love your videos so much ! This past weekend my family of four wanted some Chinese food so badly my 13 year old daughter made pork dumplings and I made vegetable lo mein for 25% of the cost to buy take out and it was so fun. Just one more way to keep us within our budget AND have a little fun ! We also save our vegetables seed to plant in our garden. We have a small hydroponic seeds starter box to help the baby plants grow a bit faster.
That is awesome!
Great video as usual Jane. To save money on my groceries I’ve started to draw out cash every Friday and also stopped buying a big shop. Only buying what I actually need and using cash only. Once my weekly allowance is gone its gone. Also stopped buying fruit and veg from Lidl/Aldi and buying from local market. They sell half cabbage or turnip etc.
Love that!
If you saw my fridge, freezer, and pantry, you would wonder why I need to go to the grocery store at all. I honestly believe that we could make it through three months of a bare bones budget. I should at least do it for one month. I am looking forward to seeing the progress in the garden.
Thanks very much
Thank you Jane. Your video gives many good ideas.
I'm so glad!
I'm very excited about your gardening plans and look forward to watching how it grows. Great video!
Jane, this is so exciting! Congrats to you and Mike on your upcoming purchase. I look forward to watching as things progress.
Thanks so much!
Great video as always. A.ways enjoy listening to your ideas. I do a lot of pressure canning vegetables, fruits,from our gardens and orchards, meats. That's our way of saving money for other necessities. In my canning pantry I have many meals in jars, pot pie base, chicken a LA king base, stews, beef, chicken, turkey, soups, beans, sauces and other items to add to pasta. We have always tried to keep a 2 years supply of food including dry goods, our home-grown dehydrated and canned foods. We keep several freezers also. It's because we have to drive 100 miles round trip to shop. I am very happy you are getting berry plants ,seeds and a polythene for your garden plants. Oh how I wish you were my neighbor you wouldn't have had to spend a penny I would have given you plants and all types of garden seeds that I have saved each year. Your doing great. May God bless you and your family
Thanks
Very sensible -- you've inspired me to review our food supplies, also.
Thanks for watching
I love your flexible and creative approach. Seriously, I think too often we succumb to 'I feel like......" rather than remembering it's FOOD and as long as it's healthy and tasty we should be grateful to have it!! I don't need a bare bones April but I do need to reduce my reserves so I'm up for the challenge!! Looking forward to seeing your greenhouse go up - and holy moly that's expensive for seeds!! Here too they can be that expensive, especially if you want a specific variety, but we can buy bog standard types for $2/Euro1.25 from discount stores - is that not available there? Buying seeds online can also be good value, especially if you can get free shipping. Cheers!
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I’m going to do a sort of bare bones April, we have a few things on, guest etc but I only really need pet supplies and a few odd bits. I have a few things I want to square up and the kitten is being spayed so being resourceful and meal planning etc will go a long way to help
Thanks for watching
Garlic is fab to grow in raised beds, I planted garlic gloves and they've come up great. I've also left some potatoes to 'root' ,I will also try to grow onions by planting the onion bottom. They'll be going in next and i have plenty of fresh herbs coming up. Followed your advice and did a stock check and realised I have loads of ingredients for stuffed peppers which will make a few tasty meals.
Sounds great!
that's an exciting project, I'll be interested to see how the crops do in your poly tunnel. There's nothing better than growing your own food , good luck and thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching
Love your videos especially your cooking ones see you had Yorkshire Tea in your cabinet I have to buy it online live in the US also absolutely love your little dog at the end of all your videos
Thanks very much
I enjoyed this video very much. I do this on a regular basis. 😊
Hi Jane and Michael 🤗 This is great! We need to do this as well. Thanks for all the great tips and ideas 🥰
Thanks for watching
I need to do a bare bones budget in April now for sure. You are so creative with your cooking, which is a great skill to have. I loved the video on the garden boxes, can't wait to see the poly greenhouse. I"ve been thinking of getting one of those myself so I'll be interested to know your opinion after hands on experience. I'm getting raspberry plants this year as well. We did blueberries and strawberries last year.
Thanks
You inspired me to do a bare bones’ budget for April! As I had been building up my pantry and freezer, this will be easy. I’m going to allow myself $100 dollars for the month. With the extra money, I am able to add it to a sinking fund and buy myself a new computer cash! ❤Patti
Good luck 👍
I am happy to report that I spent $150 for the month. That included $50 for a birthday party I had to throw. I’m so happy to have done this challenge and I am looking at my pantry differently now. Before, I was not really looking at my pantry and freezer to make my meal plan. But now, I am doing that first as you recently suggested. Thank you for all your wonderful advice.
Good video. I liked how you went through your pantry and came up with meal ideas right away. A review of our food supply is a must and necessity in these times. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching
Think planning and batch cooking is the best thing we can. Love your video..we need to keep on kepping on.s
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As always your videos are so helpful and encouraging. Thank you!
Thanks very much
Lovely garden plans. I would like to get a rotating composter this year. It is way too windy in my area for a poly tunnel. I'm thinking about a small glass house but it might blow away too. I can't believe how expensive your seeds are, at Dollar Tree here you can get 4 packs for $1.25.
I'm hoping for some blackberries from the bush I planted last year.
Happy gardening!
Thanks very much
You inspired me now to go to the freezer to do a mealplan. I always do, but I think, maybe we can get through Easter without going to the grocery store? I do need milk and bread of course, but as you, my drawers in the freezer are really packed with food. My payday is the 12th every month, and I did a rather big food shop this Monday. 🌼 Good luck with the polytunnel. I bought one last year, and on my elevation that was a gamechanger. 👍 This year I am working a lot, again, I havent had the energy to start anything, and it is still winter here. I might buy plants from others instead of growing them myself from seeds.
Thanks for watching
Great blog! I had a very nice, but expensive weekend away and my whole weeks shopping budget was spent on 1 meal on Saturday night. Do I regret it? No! I’ve not had a holiday or any kind of time away in over 4 years so I feel I deserved a treat! I did plan for it though and I have more than enough food in my pantry, fridge and freezer to feed myself this week. Planning, stock taking and imaginative cooking is key to life these days and I enjoy the challenge. Exciting times for you with a new garden, I’m expanding mine this year so I’m already looking after seedlings, chilliest, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes are all from what I’ve bought to eat and, I’ve saved some butternut squash seeds so I will give those a go too. 🤞xx
Thanks
I have a ton of lentils. I’d love if you could do a video on your lentil recipes. I feel that lentils are a very frugal HEALTHY food.
I agree with your decision 100%. Very wise indeed. Good luck with this new adventure. Susan
Thanks very much
Helpful video.
Glad it was helpful!
Lovely! Thank you!
Very informative with many great ideas included!👍😊
Thanks very much
We buy one thing every time we shop to put aside for just this type of month. it helps us rotate the stock and best of all it makes a bare bones month much easier to do.
That's a great idea!
great video jane....glad to see you venture into growing some of your own food.....lettuces are quite easy....word of advice regarding that polytunnel....i have the same one (about to be put up) and a replacement for the last one....i have a very windy allotment....and the last one was found frame and all, up a huge tree and the next day despite being weighted down over the stone wall on the cycle path etc...battered and bruised it certainly was.....so you need to ensure it is well secured. one of the other allotment also secured theirs but the plastic came off during strong winds despite the bottom parts being buried under soil....mikes resourceful so i think you should be right...raised beds would be amazing...use posts to secure the corners of the frame inside the polytunnel.....oh and by the way i grew the most fantastic cucumbers they were the size of marrows...and beer wells really do work with the slugs....or expensive lager....
Yep! Done our research.
Your videos motivate me to become creative and flexible. While I listened today, I grabbed some, um, "older" things out of the fridge freezer to use up. I ended up with caramel banana bread pudding (leftovers of all three of those) and the beginnings of a sausage pasta bake for tonight. Plus, a friend is getting another pan of homemade bread pudding as a birthday gift.
Thank you beyond description. Despite the thousands of miles, I consider you as friends, and not only "those people in the videos". I wish I lived closer, as I could send you quilt fabrics!
Thanks very much for your feedback
Love this video so much! So many good ideas! We are heading into retirement by the end of the year. Enjoy hearing how to live on a fixed income. Thank you Jane and Mike!!
Thanks very much
Good luck with your bare bones month, please show us your cupboards at the end of it.
Thanks so much for the inspiration! There’s a few tools I need to make gardening easier…now I know where the $$ can come from. 😉
Thanks for commenting
Again, so inspirational.
Great video, good luck with the tunnel greenhouse- they are wonderful, the costly part is setting it up.
Thanks very much
Don't throw away the broccoli or cauliflower stems...use a vegetable steamer basket and steam those stems. They come out extremely soft and stems have the most nutrients. Most people throw away the most nutritional parts of the vegetables!
Too late love. I've been doing that for over 50 years 😆
I'm sure there is someone out there that doesn't 😊.
Could you make a video on your coslaw salad?
@@joycekastamonitis2187 of course, no nonsense British mothers have their children helping from early childhood. I could peel potatoes by 6 years old.
Excellent video, such good information.
Thanks