Lockdown!

That's right! It's Financial Lockdown time again! Some friends told me once they actually looked forward to my budget tips, so I thought I'd let you know that this week, we took the last of our pumpkins and turned them into
a. soup
b. roasted seeds
c. compost!

The soup recipe was in the back of a book called Pumpkin Soup that my son checked out of the library.
The seeds we roast every year, with a little olive oil, salt, and Emeril's original essence seasoning. I put the oven on too high (I always forget the best temp) and they started popping like popcorn so I had to pull them out early. They were still good though.
The compost is looking lovely. (Note: Our jack-o-lanterns from Halloween stayed on the porch until the squirrels were done with them. Obviously they rotted early and were not used in the soup.)

Injuries:
My thumb. Small cut, big blood. I HATE PEELING PUMPKINS. But when you're on lockdown it seems like such a waste to throw a perfectly good pumpkin away.

In other budget news, tis the season to start buying GENERIC PRODUCTS.
When I try them, I'll try to remember to rate them. If you have any products to share, please do.
Today's products:
Item: Harris Teeter Black Olives
Rating: Absolutely as good as brand name
Item: Safeway's Lucerne Mozzarella Cheese
Rating: Ugh.