I know a lot of people assume farmers’ markets are summer-only affairs. They believe that July and August are bounty months and once you miss those, oops. It’s over. Too late to enjoy the market.

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

September and even October are prime months to visit your local farmers’ market. Many fruits and veggies are ripe for the picking in late summer and early fall. So if you haven’t gone to a market yet, now’s the time to do it.

Although we have a garden, the harvest this year hasn’t been as big as we’d hoped. So I reserve about 25% of my grocery budget to buy produce at the farmers’ market. It’s a great way to support local producers and get fresh, healthy food into my family’s diet.

Today I went to the Oconomowoc market with my three girls, and we scored a wonderful variety of fantastic produce — even items that I didn’t know could grow in Wisconsin! Most of what we bought is organic, and much of the rest is low-spray or no-spray produce. The meat is pasture-raised from a local family. 

We bought:

• Jicama (My girls eat this cut up into sticks, like carrots)
• Edamame (We love to boil these and eat them lightly salted. YUM.)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Onions
• Green onions
• Potatoes
• Red and orange peppers
• Eggplant (My daughter’s choice…guess I’ll make eggplant parmigiana soon)
• Spartan apples (Too bad the cider was sold out)
• Honey sticks
• Raspberries (These didn’t even make it home)
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Ground pork and beef
• Carrots

Whew! It was quite the haul this week. I know some of it will last us through next week, when I’ll be out of town and my husband might not have time to go to the market.

I am really looking forward to the next few weeks of farmers’ markets. I will be sad when they stop at the end of October. But until then, I’ll be saving my dollar bills for the farmers at the Saturday market.

The lovely ladies at Hot Coupon World just sent me the email below, and I am pretty stoked. I started using Luvs a few months ago on my 17-month-old daughter. So far, I’m impressed! Hurry, these special coupons will go fast.

The folks at Luvs Diapers got ahold of us last week to let us know that they are going to have a link on their site starting at 12am EST on Tuesday, 9/15 to sign up for a free $5 off coupon for Luvs diapers. 

The coupon will be fulfilled to those who sign up via postal mail.  A high-value diaper coupon is going to be hot. It’s part of Luvs campaign about “Taking a Stand” and in the case with the coupon, it’s taking a stand against high prices at the store.

So if you use diapers, know someone who does, or just need a really great coupon to swap, get in on this tomorrow and get signed up fast at Luvs.com.

Spread the word, and don’t forget to sign up!

My daughter’s 5th birthday is this Wednesday, and we are all excited for the big celebration. I know she will be bombarded with gifts, so I’m trying to inject the spirit of giving — rather than just the glut of receiving — into the day.

With that in mind, I’d like my daughter to donate a birthday gift to another child. Part of my frugal philosophy includes charitable giving, so this fits in perfectly — plus it gets my kids in a charitable mood, something I think is a crucial part of child development.

But I’m having a hard time finding a child/charity to donate a gift to. Most charities cater to Christmas gifts, but it’s a little early for that. I thought about donating a gift to a women’s shelter, where a child might be having a birthday soon and wouldn’t otherwise have a gift. But I don’t know where to start with that, either.

I’m a little stumped, but I know I want my daughter to do something kind for another child this week. And I know my readers will have some great ideas!

Anyone have any suggestions where we could donate a birthday gift (or two)? Or any other ideas to give back at birthday time? Please post a comment to let me know.

Hello again!

It’s been over  a month since I posted anything, and I’m trying to get into the swing of things while we settle into a new school year routine. Please bear with me as I get some posts together. I have a lot of great ideas for the rest of the year. 

As always, if you have any questions or information to share (great deals? a fab new spot to shop? a new plan for fall and winter spending? a success story? somewhere you’d like to improve?), please let me know!