Because one of my challenges living in a suburban city is to avoid restaurants, I will include here my daily meals. This will keep me accountable. We were supposed to meet another couple for dinner but they cancelled due to illness.

I had picked up some pre-cooked, ready-to-eat barbecued ribs on special for $5 at Vons yesterday for the kids. That's what we will have this evening. Not homemade but frugal. Ribs with a Cesar Salad. I will skip the starchy potato side. I will cook some carrots to increase the nutrition for this meal and bake some rolls for my bread-addicted son.

I wonder if this meal journal should be another thread?

Today is my son's birthday. I could have baked him a cake which I so often do, but one of his favorites is a special tropical Paradise Cake from the King's Hawaiian Bakery so I will get one for him today. Not very homesteady but this is a special day.

When you do birthdays, do you go frugal or splashy special? I tend to think of frugality for day-to-day living but special days should be celebrations. Not that you can't be wise and frugal in order to celebrate.

What are ways you celebrate frugally and yet without deprivation?

One way for me is to make handmade cards. I dislike having to spend $4 for a greeting card that will get tossed in the trash after the party. Homemade cards tend to be saved.

I will focus on making more of them this year. I especially love nature cards and kirigami (paper cut) but also love anything crafty.

I just finished crocheting a baby blanket for my grand niece and will begin one for my grand nephew. And after that, two more babies in the family are on the way! Phew! Good thing baby blankets are small.

I love to crochet in the nooks and crannies of my time, such as waiting in the car or watching TV.

The yarn scraps will be made into little crocheted holiday magnets or amigurumi.

I don't know if you can call what I do "homesteading" anymore. Even urban homesteading. What with our artificial lawn, even though it is a MAJOR water conservation coup!

The avocado harvest has been good and if the blossoms are an omen of the harvest to come, we'll be overloaded next season.

Lemons are coming back and the orange tree is leafing beautiful after nearly dying. We managed to save the trees and that is a tremendous accomplishment.

So sad that the Santa Ana winds blew off the majority of our avocado blossoms. It's part of the natural weather pattern here so maybe it was nature's way of thinning down. The tree would never have been able to sustain all those blossoms.

I'm back on track with my desires to do more homesteading. (Please country sisters, don't laugh!)

Next month, I will plant heirloom tomatoes and lots of basil with the intention of sun-drying them. I love sun-dried tomatoes.

And, I will be making my own paneer (Indian cheese) this weekend. It seems very simple with Sadhana's recipe (Bellaonline Indian Food editor). See her site for the recipe!

Just got my cheesecloth for making homemade paneer and homemade cream cheese.

There are other fabrics one can use instead of a purchased cheesecloth but at the cost of $2.69, I thought it was a safer bet than having to figure out if the fabric is food-safe, lint-free, etc.

Another challenge to "homesteading" in the suburbs is dining out. There are fast food, casual dining and affordable restaurants everywhere you turn. With or without coupons, meals can be cheap and sometimes even cheaper than making it at home.

Of course, one can always eat more frugally at home if you eat modest meals. They generally can be healthier, too.

We love to dine out as more of an activity than just to feed the body so we have to really be on guard against temptation. Many women I know express the same sentiment with dining out.

If you have little children, it is easier and more economical to eat at home but it can be a nice relief from having to shop for groceries, prep the ingredients, cook the food and then clean up all the dishes and pots and pans.

If you are motivated, then you can make quick and simple meals that are frugal and healthy, too. I will try to focus on that since no one has $$$ to waste. And yet, our food style can be considered to be wasteful with all the eating out.

This online journal will document my efforts not only to do more "homestead-y" types of activities while living in the suburbs but also apply some of Jilly's frugal strategies.

Cutting back on eating out is this week's priority. Last week, I ate out four times.

Tonight, we are grilling some chicken breasts and hearts of Romaine. Quick, easy and both were on sale.