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Five Frugal Things

As always, hat-tip to my friend Katy for the post theme.

One

A while back, Mr. FG and I bought a Schlage handle for our front door, on the premise that a Schlage would last for a looong time.

(I love things that last.)

Well, for some reason, the finish on our handle set began to peel something terrible.   We were thinking about buying a new one and then I remembered that Schlage had a lifetime warranty.

I didn’t think I still had the paperwork, but I called anyway just to see if they’d do anything, and lo and behold, they sent us a brand new lockset, in the package.

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A replacement set would have cost us $150 at Home Depot, so I am really happy I decided to call.

Two

I made a butterflied, roasted chicken last week….

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And I saved the backbone (which gets cut out when you butterfly a chicken), plus all the other bones to make some chicken broth for soup.

Having a little bit of raw chicken (to brown in the pan before adding water) really helps to make homemade broth more delicious.

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Three

When we shopped at Toys “R” Us for our Christmas child and Toys for Tots, of course I checked out the clearance bin.

It’s good I did, because I found a four pack of Razor scooter wheels for $6.

(Which appears to be a screaming deal, because a two pack sells on Amazon for $13.)

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Zoe’s scooter wheels (especially the back one) were in pretty bad shape, so I replaced the back one right away when we got home.

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I couldn’t get the front one loose, so Mr. FG and his whiskers did that one.

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Or it might have been the Liquid Wrench he was smart enough to apply, and not his whiskers.   You never know. 😉

No one else needs new wheels at the moment, but it’s only a matter of time, so the gray pair is waiting on a shelf.

Four

My box of Schoola clothes arrived, and the girls LOVE them.   I need to get them to model the clothes so I can show you what all we bought.

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I think Sonia’s favorite thing is this Abercrombie sweater, which is just SO her.

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If you place an order with Schoola, remember to use the TRYSCHOOLA code to get 25% off.

(More about Schoola, in case you missed my earlier post.)

Five

AdoramaPix was having a 30% off sale, and since I was SO impressed with the print quality of the first book I made with them, I decided to buy another.

The only problem is that I decided to do this on the last day of the sale.   But I managed to get a 30 page book done!

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My scrapbook really peetered out somewhere in 2010, so I’m getting super close to being caught up on old photos. Yay!!

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By the way, tomorrow I’m doing an AdoramaPix giveaway….a TEN photobook giveaway, actually.   I’ll also tell you all about what I think of AdoramaPix as compared to the other services I’ve tried.

Plus I have another multi-photobook giveaway coming up next week, so a good number of you will get to have free photo books.

Which is even more frugal than my 30%-off book.

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What frugal stuff have you been up to lately?   Share five things in the comments (or four, or two, or whatever.   We’re pretty flexible around these here parts.)

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Mel

Saturday 22nd of November 2014

My husband's hours were cut back recently so we've had to trim our spending and are working to pay off some expenses from the summer. I REALLY want to do some indoor decorating this winter so I am reading blogs (like yours) for ideas :) I found a used side table that I am going to paint white and put as a night stand in our spare room - it will be my first time re-finishing a piece of furniture. I also have some dark vents that I was going to by new but now I know I just spray paint them and they will look like new.

Kristen

Saturday 22nd of November 2014

Yes! Spray painting vents is so ridiculously easy and it makes them look brand spankin' new. Definitely do it! (as long as the air where you live is currently warm enough for spray paint-the can will specify what temperatures are good.)

Laura Vanderkam

Wednesday 19th of November 2014

My husband has been fixing a lot of things himself, which is a mixed bag. He did great on installing a new doorbell and installing a replacement toilet seat for one that broke. That saved a handyman visit. On the other hand, he tried to patch my leaky tire and it didn't work, and then when I brought my car into the dealer they noted that the gel stuff you use to repair tire leaks actually shorts out the chip that registers the tire pressure. While on one hand this is incredibly annoying (you designed the car so that people basically *can't* repair it themselves?) it is what it is, and so that DIY fix didn't work. I should probably do a blog post about a few frugal wins and fails of late.

Kristen

Wednesday 19th of November 2014

Oh wow, I'd never heard of that being an issue before. That is an aggravating design.

Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Here are five fresh new frugal things:

1) I think I've found a free haircut through a local beauty school.

2) I came home early from work last night, but my family had already eaten and there were no leftovers. I foraged in the freezer and found some frozen peirogi. I cooked some eggs and toast and feasted instead of succumbing to drive through or takeout.

3) I am home alone right now, so I have the thermostat set low at 60 degrees as I'm fine either keeping busy or bundling up if I'm still. Also, an excuse to drink lots of tea!

4) I picked up some great wooden toys at the pay-by-the-pound Goodwill the other day which I'll list on Craigslist and eBay.

5) My son is being given a tour of The University of Oregon campus today. The bus there and back is only $5, and the school is treating all the students to lunch. (It's three hours each way!)

hcg

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Did I miss the recipe on how to butterfly the chicken and roast it? If anyone can direct me ...thank you!

Kristen

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Coming soon, either this week or next!

hcg

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Can some one tell me the link with instructions for butterflying the chicken? thank you!

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