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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.


one hundred dollars a month

My 14 Goals for 2020 Week 28 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 10 Comments

My 14 Goals for 2020

Goal #1 – Take Full Advantage of Having My Husband Home 24/7

The HH helped me on a few of my craft projects this week {there was a lot of grumbling} and we went on several walks around town and to the beach. It’s funny, we never walked ANYWHERE together before moving to New England, but now we do it all the time.

Goal #2 – Take Better Care of Myself. 

Miss Lucy, The Girl and I dragged a giant buoy from the water’s edge to the shore this week and the whole this was rather exciting. Lucy thought for sure it was a new toy but when she realized she couldn’t drag it around herself the novelty wore off real quick. 🙂 You never know what you’re going to find at the beach, and this week, it was full of treasures.

Dear hall closet… I’m coming for you!

Goal #3 – Get Organized

  • Hot weather {indoor} project for July: Strip wallpaper and paint the hall closet
  • Cool weather {outside} projects: Paint back fence, till up side yard

Goal #4 – Get Proper Window Coverings on All Our Windows. 

All that’s left is window coverings for the sunroom. Which I’ll probably finish this fall because right now, we are enjoying the sunshine that streams through the windows all day everyday.

Goal #5 – Master Bedroom Make Over {almost done!}

Still left to do:

  • Paint Writing Desk a Glossy Black
  • Paint the Creamy Closet Doors White
  • Refinish the Floors {late summer project because I don’t have the supplies and the windows will need to be open all day because of the fumes}.

Goal #6 – Kitchen Update

We thought we were done but now I’ve decided the cabinets need to be refreshed {the cabinets are a 15+ year old cream color, and I’d like them to be white to match the tile and paint}.

I gave the HH a deadline of 30 days to figure out what kind of paint sprayer to buy so we can paint the cabinets out white ourselves {looks easy enough, right?} and it looks like he has it narrowed down to 2 sprayers. So you know, the final decision could be another few weeks. 😉 My husband and his “research” it drives me nuts!

Goal #7 – Install Vegetable Garden Done!

The vegetable garden is in!

This week we harvested sorrel, basil, cilantro, sugar snap peas, rhubarb and lettuce.

Goal #8 – Explore More of Maine 

Last week I stopped by Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine. This week though, I think we’re headed back to the St. George/Cushing area that we love so much.

Goal #9 – Host Some Sort of Get Together

Does having a yard sale count? Yes, I think it does. 😉

Goal #10 – Read/Listen to 12 Books 

So not a book, but this week I stumbled upon the series the series The Darling Buds of May on Amazon Prime. It’s light and easy and sort of a cute series, the perfect thing to watch while I’m busy hooking.

So far this year I have read/listened to:

Goal #11 – Learn A New Skill or Craft

Waiting for my neighbor to get his glass kiln so I can see if I want one too. 🙂

Goal #12 – Visit 12  Museums, Historical Homes or Botanical Gardens {and bakeries too!}

Sadly a lot of museums and botanical gardens are not open {or the effort is go is too great} that this goal has sort of fizzled. It started out great, but quickly went downhill. 🙁

January

February

March

May

June

July

Goal # 13 – Reach 5,000 Etsy Sales by the End of The Year 

As of this morning, I have made 4397 sales on Etsy. That’s up from 2804 on January 1st! Only 603 more sales to go before I hit my goal.

This past week I listed a new rug hooking kit; Happy Jack Pumpkin as well as some new wool bundles in my Etsy shop. This week I’ll be working on a few ornaments and finishing up a new pillow for my next finished rugs update on August 7th.

Goal #14 – Once a Month Menu Planning {for 2}

My breakfast this morning: Rice Krispie treat, dried apricots, tomatoes 🙂

  • The HH’s meal plan for the month: Snacking!
  • My meal plan for the month: Ice Cream, Pie, Salads and Pickety Bits

*********

Have YOU made any goals for this year? If so, DO TELL! We all want to hear about them.

Have a great Sunday everyone, enjoy the sunshine.

~Mavis

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Gardening in Maine – Zone 5b

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 13 Comments

Hello Friday… You look beautiful!

I just love a white picket fence… Don’t you? I’m really excited to see how tall the sunflowers get this year. I planted the mammoth sunflower seeds so I’m hoping they are in the 8′ – 10′ range. The tall the better if you ask me.

Round 1 of the green beans are looking good…

Our first baby bean!!

And the pumpkin patch is starting to fill out. It rained pretty good here twice this week so everything in the garden is growing like mad.

Here’s the latest aerial photo of our garden plot the HH took with his drone. It feels like we put in all those brick borders years ago… but they were only installed a few months ago. Because of the four very distinct seasons, things move quick here in New England… and I like that.

{I think} we have 6 broccoli plants, and two of them are about the size of a fist so far.

And the raspberries are right on schedule.

Getting close.

Companion planting, at it’s finest.  From left to right: Cucumbers, beets, cilantro, lettuce, basil and tomatoes. I like to pack everything in for two reasons: #1 Because the back of the seed packets lie…. You can plant things MUCH MUCH closer than they tell you to do. And #2 It cuts down on weeds. 🙂

Round 1 of our beets are currently the size of a nickle. I’m planning on putting up a few jars of pickled beets with the first batch once they get a little bigger. The second and third batch of beets I planted should be ready in late fall and we’ll roast those when we get some cooler temps.

The tomatoes are coming along… My neighbor has a few of his plants growing in a greenhouse and they are about DOUBLE the size of mine. I’ll have to go over there and take some pictures for you… It’s always interesting to see how vegetable gardens do from yard to yard.

And check it out… Our first zucchini! This is the costata romanesco variety from Botanical Interests.

 

Also, the strawberries {and their runners} have gone mad. Poor Lucy though, she hasn’t been able to eat a single berry this year because the chipmunks keep beating her to them. 🙁 Poor, poor little puggle.

And last but not least, our current forecast. Yikes!

Luckily though it’s a little cooler here than our last house {by about 7 degrees everyday} and the bugs are around 98% less PLUS, as an added bonus, I don’t have to wear a puffy coat to garden anymore}. 🙂 Summer, it’s here and in full swing. Life is good.

Have a GLORIOUS day everyone,

Keep Calm and Garden On.

~Mavis

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83 Plants You Can Create Fabric Dyes From

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 8 Comments

Because of how often I use and dye wool, I’m always fascinated by how other people dye their fabric. I knew people used plants, but after doing a little research to try it on my own, I was shocked to see how many different types of plants can be used to basically get every color of the rainbow and beyond.

Being an avid gardener, I started making a list of all the plants I was already growing that I could use to dye things. I did a little more exploration and came up with all sorts of plants to produce all sorts of colors. Dying fabric from plant dyes is going to be a fun project for me. Here are some plants you can use to make these colors:

Red: Lichen, eucalyptus, St. John’s Wort, chokecherries, beets, bloodroot, pomegranate, crab apple, juniper, rose petals, blackberries

Orange: Paprika, carrots, butternut seeds, dahlias, chicory, sunflower, turmeric

Yellow: Marigold, yarrow leaves, horseradish, saffron, sage, turmeric, alfalfa, bay leaves, celery leaves, dead daffodil heads, dahlias, dandelions, elderberry

Green: Artichokes, nettle leaves, red onion, spinach, sage, peppermint, Queen Anne’s Lace, chamomile, bayberry, foxglove, larkspur, hydrangea, lilac

Blue: Indigo, elderberries, blueberries, dogwood, hyacinth, red cabbage, purple, iris

Purple: Blackberry, blueberry, hibiscus, huckleberry, basil, hollyhock petals

Pink: Rose petals, beets, avocado seeds, cherries, lavender, raspberries, strawberries

Brown: Onion skin, eucalyptus, dandelion roots, alder bark, beet root, fennel, ivy, poplar bark, geranium, hops, pine tree bark

Black: Oregano, black walnut, blackberry, meadow sweet, oak galls, sumac leaves, sunflower

A few quick tips if you are planning on doing this. Make sure the plants/nuts/berries you use as dye are mature, ripe or in full bloom. To make your dye, you typically need 2 parts water to one part plant, etc.

Chop your plant material into small pieces and boil for an hour or two, strain, and then dunk whatever fabric you are dyeing {make sure the fabric is wet}. Simmer in the water dye until the desired color is reached.

You can also let the fabric soak overnight and skip the simmering step {when I dye wool, I like to let darker colors soak overnight to zap all the color out of the water}.

Have you ever used any plants as dye? How did it turn out? Any tips? I’d love to hear them.

Keep Calm and Carry On,

~Mavis

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Read More Posts About DIY

Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine

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By Mavis Butterfield on · 5 Comments

Live in Southern Maine and looking for hydrangeas? Boy oh boy do I have the place for you! 🙂 Last week while I was out running errands I drove past the Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine and was so gobsmacked at their display of hydrangeas out front, I had to turn the car around and go back to check them out.

Built in 1804 {and still going strong} the farm remained in the Wallingford family until 1933. {How cool is that?} For the past 20 or so years Wallingford Farm has been run by it’s current owners and let me tell you, they do a fantastic job.

Not only are they open during the spring and summer months for plant sales, but Wallingford Farm also grows tons of fruits and vegetables in their field, rents out their gorgeous barn for weddings as well as sets up bountiful displays of pumpkins and Christmas trees during the fall and winter months.

They even sell firewood and crushed seashells! And compost… and seeds and herbs and perennials, and cookies and pies in the farm store and well, the list just goes on and on.

Oh, and they’re big on birdhouses too. 🙂

Seriously, the offer every possible kind of birdseed imaginable.

And check out their dried flowers in the rafters… Did I mention they offer wreaths during the holidays? 🙂

Wallingford Farm in Kennebunk, Maine…. Add it to your list of stops when you come to Maine. You won’t be disappointed. 🙂

Have a wonderful day everyone, I’ll be out in the garden planting broccoli and onion seeds today.

Peace Out Girl Scouts,

~Mavis

Wallingford Farm
21 York Street
Kennebunk, ME 04043

Want to grow the best hydrangeas ever but don’t know how? Check out my Basic Guide to Growing Hydrangeas, I share everything you need to know in my post.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy