Christmas in July?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

Not actually LOOKING like Christmas- and certainly not FEELING like Christmas around the homestead but being the frugal planner that I am I've started really thinking about it.

We always pack Operation Christmas Child boxes and we've been collecting things for that throughout the year and are getting quite a bit together.

I've started putting some money into my budget for Christmas gift cards now. I've gotten a $15 Taco Bell gift card for my brother ( LOL) and have put it away.

I also just cashed in my Ibotta for a $30 Kohls card! I may use that for back to school purchases if we decide there is something we need like underwear or socks or shoes- but I'd like to save it for Christmas.

Speaking of Ibotta- It is super easy and of course FREE. Once you sign up here you simply scan your receipts via an app on your phone for items that you purchase at stores. There are things like " any brand bread" or " any brand milk" and each one may be .25-.50 cents. I normally make about $7.xx on each weekly shopping trip so it doesn't take long to get enough ( $25) to cash out. You can get gift cards, amazon or paypal. I hope you all find it useful.

I've gotten a few "free item" coupons from Bath and Body works in the past few months and have bought 4 small hand cremes that I'll put in small gift bags for the kids teachers.

What all are you guys doing prepping for Christmas?

Frugal Happenings: 7-8-18

Well I totally just skipped June but here is it what has been happening around the homestead this past week.

Kroger had a sale on their butter- $1.99 a lb so I got 5 lbs to put in the freezer.

The garden is insane: salsa, pasta sauce, ketchup, pickles of all sorts, relish of all sorts, ( see my hot pepper relish recipe)  pickled jalepenos etc. I'm running out of jars fast so I think I'm going to have to start freezing some stuff.

Kroger had a promotion for Bass Pro Shop gift cards: buy $50 get $10 off your groceries. I always use Bass Pro Shop cards at Christmas time and had some money in my Christmas budget so thought this was a win win.

I received some dryer balls a while back and kind of forgot about them, however I dug them out and have been using them for about a week now.

Sold 4 dozen eggs last week ( $2 a peice). I let my oldest daughter keep half then we put half towards their food. They are all still laying well so we have plenty to eat ourselves plus a little bit leftover to sell.

The girls are going to church camp (free our church pays for it) but they needed some cool skirts and a waterbottle- the Goodwill had everything we needed! The water bottles are really nice ones for $1 a peice and the skirts also look brand new and were $4 each, so $10 total plus tax from the goodwill. I looked up one of the water bottles and it was $17.99 at Target new so I would say I scored!

My dissertation is coming along. I need a draft to my professor in about 2 weeks so I'll be busy doing that, canning and raising the kiddos :)

What all have you been doing lately?

Also- any tips on freezing tomatoes especially?