• She is like merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

How do you like the new icon? I did it myself, can you tell?? I know it's a bit blurry or pixelated or whatever the term is, but I don't have professional graphics software or the knowledge of how to fix it with what I have, so it is what it is! I'm just so glad to finally have something, I can't believe I didn't just bite the bullet and do this sooner.

At any rate, it's time for another Mission Possible. As we see week after week, it's not impossible to find to find deals and save money, even in this economy. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families!

My first attempt at shopping this week was disasterous. I wanted to make just a couple of really quick stops on Monday, so I decided to pull my coupons ahead of time and leave my coupon organizer at home. Then I got to the store and realized that yes, I pulled coupons, but no, I didn't put them in my purse. SO, I grabbed just a couple of B1G1 items at Publix that I didn't have coupons for, and left it at that.

The next day, I actually made it to Walgreens and back to Publix, this time with my coupons in my hot little hand.

$.65 OOP

First stop Walgreens, where I had $6 in Register Rewards from when I bought St Ives body wash a couple of weeks ago.

1 pkg Northern toilet tissue, $4.29

She considereth a field (or other "thingie") and buyeth it

It's been almost too hot here in Georgia to get out-and-about lately, but my husband and I decided to brave the mercury and humidity Saturday and hit a couple of local thrift stores. I'm not that good at "thrifting" yet, something has to almost jump up and grab me for me to get it-- that and the fact that I'm trying desperately to "de-clutter" my life, so I want to be careful and not just fill it with everyone else's cast-off junk. Excuse me. Junque.

But I have to admit, I was tingling with anticipation at the treasure hunt on which I was embarking. What beautiful antique, what rare jewel, what useful "thingie" might I uncover?

Goodwill was our first stop. I looked, I really did. At all of the cast off dishes and knick-knacks and appliances and, yes, true junk. And found nothing of real interest.

Next stop, Salvation Army. And again, I looked, I browsed, I picked up and put down. The only thing I found was a wonderful art-deco chest of drawers, which if I were at home I would have surely bought, but unfortunately just do not have the space at our apartment here in Georgia to store until we could take it home and refurbish it.

I was so disappointed. Disgruntled, almost. And then I remembered the Valley Rescue Mission thrift store--one I had seen in passing but had never been inside. So away we went.

My hubby found his treasure--a clockradio/cassette player that still works. Except for one little thing (which he figured out after-the-fact) that the digital readout shows "90" when it should be "50". As in, 1:90, 1:91, 1:92, etc, when it should read as 1:50, 1:51, 1:52, etc. So if you come to our apartment and see a clock that reads 8:95, don't panic, it's only 5 minutes till 9:00.

I thought I was going to leave empty handed, when I saw it. IT. My treasure.

Doesn't look like much, you say? It's really not--just a cheap little bread plate. But remember the bread box I found a while back, that sort of matched a really nice bread plate that I already had?

The "new" one is smaller, lighter, sort of beat up around the edges. It has a slightly different shape in the base, and just a generally cheaper feel. It doesn't have the black stuff in the creases (I know that's not what that's called, but I can't remember what to call it, I'm getting old!) but the pattern is the same.

I can't photograph them side by side right now because the other one is at home in Lousiana. So this is the next best thing till I get them together.

There's sort of theme developing there, don't you think?

I have really got to learn to make homemade artisan bread...

For more thrifty finds, see the links at:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Until next time...

Well, I think the consensus was clear that the simple font was the most popular. I still love the more whimsical one and I'll definitely be using it somewhere, but I think simpler is better for readability for the header.

Thanks to all who "voted" with your comments!

I've been playing with the background and header again, what do you think?

I like something feminine, but not too frou-frou, with a simple lay-out.

I've come up with too different fonts for the header, which one do you like the best?

• She considereth a field (or other "thingie") and buyeth it...

This is my most recent "thrifty" purchase. I paid $4 for this at the same thrift shop/flea market where I bought the J & G Meakins Vine fruit bowl earlier. Isn't it nifty looking? It's a Mason jar, quart sized, and has a zinc lid with a white glass or porcelain lining. It does have a big chip in the threaded neck, which was why it was marked "as is" (!). There were a few other, somewhat pricier jars there, but for some reason they didn't appeal to me as much as this one. I just loved the shape and feel of this one--as well as the price!




Here's a slightly better detail shot--it actually reads "Mason's Patent 1858" but for some reason top of the 5 didn't show up well in any of the pictures I took. I love the way the old glass has bubbles and sort of "waves" when you look through it. (Click on any of the pictures to see a larger image--you can really see the details then) It has seams, so I know it was made with a mold, not hand blown as some really old jars were. I tried to do some on-line research about vintage and antique jars, and am guessing from what I read that this one is pre-1950's, but later than the 1930's possibly pre 1930's because it doesn't have the finger grip ridges on the sides. Maybe.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this--not food storage, even for dry stuff, with that chip in the neck, but it will at some time be put on display or be used to display something. Maybe.

At any rate, this is my third "thrifty", "second hand", "vintage-or-not" buy.

I don't really know what I like yet, or why certain pieces appeal to me while others don't. I may end up with a hodge-podge of "junk" , or I may find that perfect-to-me treasure trove of wonderful things.

I'm thinking the latter.

Want to see what other thrifters are finding or showing off this week? Click over and see the links at:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Vintage Thingies at Coloradolady

More Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Until next time....

• She is like merchant's ships, she bringeth her food from afar


• She looketh well to the ways of her household

Sometimes it seems impossible to save money and stay frugal in this economy as prices continue to rise. So how do we make the impossible possible? By using the tools and resources we have at our disposal, it is possible to shop for our families and still save money.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families!

Have you done any shopping yet this week? It's been HOT here, so I haven't gotten out much, but today I had to bite the bullet and made a quick trip.

I stopped by Publix for a few things we needed and to take advantage of this week's B1G1 (buy one get one free) items before the sale changes tomorrow. Armed with my list of sale items and my coupons, this is the best of what what I bought:

Mission Possible Participants

1. Hoosier Homemade(Walgreens&CVS)

2. CravingTheSavings.com (CVS Trip)

3. Rite Aid Money Makers

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

• Who can find a virtuous woman...


• She is like the merchants ships, she bringeth her food from afar


• She rises while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household...

This post is a little bit about everything and a lot about nothing...

This has been a fairly uneventful week for me. I've really struggled with the feed and subscription issues that A Virtuous Woman has had--I've delved into technicalities that I had no desire to get into (!) and things are still not back to normal, but I've come to the conclusion that most of it hinges on a "known issue" that Google/Blogger techs are working on, so I'm going to go ahead and post as usual this next week and hope that everything gets it's "fix".

I've really been missing my Philippians 3:14 Fridays posts--even though some weeks it seemed I didn't always accomplish the things I set out to do, it really helped me in general to take a step back and reassess what I was doing, how I was spending my time, etc. I think this meme (that's blogger talk for "themed posts") has gone by the wayside due to lack of participation--much the same as my Mission Possible meme--some weeks I have good participation, some weeks none! But, even though Philippians 3:14 Friday may have "done it's last do" I plan to find another way to bring back some planning, inspiration and accountability.

I didn't post a lot this week about my bargain shopping. I think I've been doing this just long enough to start taking some of my good deals for granted, but I still find good deals almost every place I shop. They are out there, you just have to look for them! My favorites that I found this past week:

• Aveeno Positively Ageless facial cleanser for $.62-on clearanced to $2.62 at Rite Aid, less a $2 manufacturer's coupon
• 16 oz Store brand shredded cheese at Piggly Wiggly for $3.25 for mozzarella and $2.99 for cheddar
• Hebrew National wieners for $1.50--on sale 1/2 price at Publix, less a manufacturer's coupon
• Free Country Bob's sauce--with "Free" coupons I got for doing a review on my food blog
• St Ives body wash, free after Register Reward at Walgreens
• Colgate toothpaste, $.88 after coupon at Rite Aid
• Coppertone sunscreen, $1.97 after coupon at Walmart

Several of these I meant to go back and do again, but it's been entirely too HOT to get out many extra times.

Meanwhile, my sweet husband has been bringing home blackberries he's picking himself from wild berry brambles around his job site. If you follow my food blog, Secrets of a Southern Kitchen, you may have already read about the homemade blackberry pie I made this week--that's the picture at the top of this post. It looked and tasted good, even though it was a little (!) runny. And while I haven't posted the recipes yet, I also made homemade biscuits, and just this morning made blackberry freezer jam. I'll be posting these recipes this week at Secrets of a Southern Kitchen, as well as a pie of a different sort that I'll be making this week.

The temperature is supposed to peak today in the triple digits again, and then cool slightly this next week (highs will only be in the mid 90's!) so most of what I do this week will involve trying to keep cool as I go about cooking, cleaning, doing my regular bargain shopping, making it to a thrift store or two this week, and whatever else comes my way! I hope some of that includes making it to the pool at least a few days this week (that's why I need all of that suncreen I've been buying lately!)

Hoping you and yours are having a good weekend and by the way, Daddy, Happy Father's Day!

Until next time...