I just discovered your site. Where do I start?
First, welcome. Glad you found me. I hope you’ll stay awhile! Next, in order to direct you to the right area, I need to know what brought you here? If you’re a gardener or a wannabe gardener, click on over to the garden section. Looking for tasty recipes? I’ve got you covered HERE. Looking for frugal tips, deals and tricks? Check out the Daily Deals box on the right hand side of the site. Want to get to know the crazy lady who runs this site? THIS should tell you everything you ever wanted to know about me and a bunch of stuff you didn’t.
How can I find an older post, deal or recipe?
See that box in the tippy top right hand corner of the site? That’s a magical box. It’s like a Magic 8 Ball. Type in what you’re looking for, like “Do llamas actually like wearing pajamas?” and the little gnomes behind the scenes will scour the entire sight looking for everything and anything about llamas. Of course if you’re actually looking for info on llamas, you’ll be sorely disappointed. We hang out with chickens and puggle dogs around these parts.
You can also glance at the navigation bars at the top and the rainbow boxes up and down the right hand side of the site to find my most talked about and blogged about topics.
Can I visit your garden?
Only if you know the magic word. And no one knows the magic word.
Can you come to my garden and help me plant it?
I wish I had the time! I’d hang out in your garden, my garden and stranger’s gardens every second of the day if the family didn’t demand dinner, the dishes didn’t need to be washed and this here blog didn’t need to be maintained. But as it stands, I barely have time to brush my teeth, so sadly I won’t be able to help you plant your peas.
How big is your property? We live on 1.25 acres and probably use about 10% of it for the entire garden. That goes to show you don’t need a lot of space to produce a lot of produce. Oh man, I crack myself up sometimes.
I want to start gardening. How and where do I begin?
Well you’ve come to the right place! I try to offer some step by step growing guides and planting guides for newbies, but before you even start reading, you need to make a plan. What sort of space do you have to work with? What do you want to get out of your garden? Do you want to feed your family with it or watch it produce pretty flowers? Do you want a pallet garden? Square foot garden? Greenhouse garden? Once you’ve got your plan in place, then start navigating the site for specifics about the type of garden/plants you’re looking to grow.
What does your Husband think of your goal to grow 2 tons of food in the backyard? Well he hasn’t left me yet, although he does want to move to a condo.
Does your entire family enjoy gardening? Define enjoy? They enjoy eating the end result. My husband and son lift heavy objects for me as needed, and they also take care of the lawn. My daughter helps by harvesting vegetables and photographing the garden for me. But I might be the only one who truly enjoys it. And you have to when you set a lofty goal like growing 4,000lbs of food!
What does your husband think of all your boyfriends? Does he get jealous? I could light myself on fire and my husband wouldn’t bat an eye. I seriously doubt the man is afraid of someone running off with me, and if the right offer came along, he’d probably trade me for a pallet of Slim Jims and some Doritos for Monkey Boy.
How long have you been married? 19+ years.
Why don’t you show your family’s faces? Although they play a vital role on this site, my family’s privacy is very important to me.
Where do you get your free produce from and who is Mr. Produce Guy? Sorry, but I cannot reveal my sources, and not just because I’m afraid you’ll steal all my moldy strawberries. He’s asked me not to divulge that info, so I’m honoring that request.
Why did my comment not appear or get deleted?
Because crazy spammers try to leave ridiculous comments all the time, the spam filter setting on comments is pretty high. Occasionally, a regular comment gets sucked into the spam filter. Because there are hundreds of spam comments that get caught in the filter, unfortunately I don’t have time to search through them for any stragglers. So while I’m so grateful you took the time to comment, it’s possible yours was one of them. Also, if you’ve included a link in your comment, it automatically has to be approved before it gets posted. You’ll normally see that comment appear within 24 hours.
Now if you’re being mean, name calling, leaving idiotic comments, or generally acting like a grade-schooler, you’ll be blocked, banned and tossed to the curb. I simply don’t have the time or energy to deal with people who can’t play nice with others, and my awesome readers shouldn’t have to either.
Do you ever sleep?
Only when I have to, which I’ve learned is about 4 hours a night. There’s so much planting to do, who has time for sleep?
Do you really drink 20 cups of tea a day?
Yes. I don’t deny it. But if you know of a Tea Drinkers Anonymous, I’d like that number. Pronto.
Why did you start couponing?
I started couponing heavily in 2010. I initially started because I’m frugal to the core and the idea of spending less really appealed to me. As my garden has grown I’ve tried to eliminate a lot of the processed food from our pantry. My priorities have shifted and couponing has taken a backseat to gardening. Both can save you a ton on your grocery budget, but only one gives me peace of mind knowing I’m filling my family’s bellies with edamame, not Ramen!
Where do you get all your newspapers?
Dumpsters, recycling bins, Starbucks, and sometimes my neighbors save them for me as well.
You wear a lot of costumes. Is there something we should know about?
If you’re thinking of having me committed, get in line. Seriously though, I think people take life too seriously sometimes. Life is fun and should be enjoyed. Dressing up in silly costumes every now and then is a blast and always brings smiles to the faces of others. Try it sometime. Before you know it you too might be shopping at the Halloween store year-round.
Can I link to or use your post on my site?
I’m flattered that you’d want to, so share away with these guidelines. All of my pictures, posts and content are copyright materials. If you’d like to link up or take a snippet of my posts to use on your own site, go for it. If you’re planning on copying and pasting a post in its entirety, you’ll have to get permission from me first. I put a lot of time and effort into my site, so I’d just like a say in where my content lands.
How do I subscribe to your site?
Head on over HERE to subscribe. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
Do you give talks, lectures or presentations?
I can. I can’t always guarantee I’ll be the most eloquent of speakers because hours in the garden rehearsing my communication skills on plants does little to improve my public speaking skills, but I can guarantee I’ll show up on time {and in costume if you’d prefer}.
Where do you get your seeds?
From the coolest seed company on the planet: Botanical Interests. The company is owned by the coolest people, employs the coolest people and has the coolest seed packets and packaging, hands down. Oh, and as a bonus, their seeds also happen to be the best.
How do I start a blog?
I think the question should be, “Should I start a blog?” And the answer would honestly be NO to most of you. Not because I don’t think you’re capable. I suspect there are many of you out there whose blogs I’d love to read. But man is it a ton of work. I love my blog. I love my readers. But it requires a bit more work than it looks like. This is a full-time job. And while I wouldn’t trade it for anything, you have to be willing to put in the time. It’s not a part-time gig. So if that’s what you’re looking for, I’d suggest you walk away. But if you’re serious about starting a blog, then the best advice I can give is to write, write and write. And then be patient. It takes time to build up a loyal following, but they won’t come unless you’re posting relevant content.
Mavis Butterfield
P.O. Box 2083
Gig Harbor, Washington 98335
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