Hoo boy. Usually I think about Five Frugal Things ahead of time so I can take some pictures to illustrate the post, but yesterday, I completely forgot.
Will I be able to think of five things? Will there be any relevant photos?
We shall see.
#bloggingbytheseatofmypants
1. I sold a book on half.com
I usually have a couple of books listed on half.com (it’s easy, there’s no listing expiration, shipping is a breeze!) and one of them sold.
I’m shipping it today with a home-printed Media Mail label purchased through half.com. And of course, I packaged it in a reused padded envelope from a shipment we received.
I always keep a little stash of those for just such a purpose.
The packing tape was bought with an in-store instant rebate. 😉
2. I squeezed grapefruit juice.
I often pack grapefruit in Mr. FG’s lunch, and to do so, I halve, section, and scoop the grapefruit insides into a container (there’s no room in his lunchbox for grapefruit still in the peel!)
There’s still a lot of juicy goodness left inside the halves when I’m done, so I press them over my manual juicer and drink the juice.
Super tasty, and a side benefit is that the halves are more dry, which leads to compost that’s not as wet (mine always has more too-wet probs than too-dry probs.)
Our grapefruits are always from Aldi, of course. They’re $0.40-$0.50 apiece, depending on the week, and they are always so juicy and sweet.
3. I read a review and then put the book on hold at the library.
When I see someone recommend a book that looks interesting, I always head on over to my library’s site to see if I can get the book there. I love to borrow books not only because of the whole FREE thing, but also because I get to give the book back when I’m done.
No muss, no fuss, no clutter.
(The book is Jon Acuff’s Do Over)
4. I ordered some birthday presents for two of my girls, using soon-to-expire discount codes.
And that’s all I’m going to say about that, because some of those girls are subscribed to my blog.
(Actually, all of my kids are. I have four faithful in-house readers. 😉 )
5. Miscellany
I….made all three meals at home for the family, packed Mr. FG’s lunch, didn’t drive anywhere, drank tap water, exercised using the 7 Minute Workout app, wore a mixture of Goodwill/clearance-purchased clothes, and made a batch of yogurt.
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Alrighty! It’s your turn, frugal peoples. List your own five frugal things in the comments so we can cheer you on.
Madeline
Wednesday 3rd of February 2016
1. Found a bag of squash and green and yellow peppers in bargain bin at grocery.Roasted them up for use all week!
2. Found a couple of "free dates" in our local newspaper: A free concert at a local church, and a free meet the artist craft and art exhibit at local center for the arts--free snacks and evening out!
3. Ate vegetarian for 5 out of 7 nights.
4. Exercised at home, yoga videos, treadmill,bike rides.
5. Did not buy a new car! Seriously!! We sort of thought my car needed replacing, and a friend is selling her pretty nice SUV (just because! She is not in the frugal camp!).. after careful consideration,decided to keep my car till it totally wears out!
Connie Seward
Monday 1st of February 2016
Ahhh Kristen, you are such an inspiration. I admire your perseverance. In my home, frugal living is the goal, but I too soon forget and slip and fall :(
But I'm happy that I can depend on you to keep the frugal torch going!
Megg
Saturday 30th of January 2016
1. I packed my lunch 4 out of 5 days this week (usually I hit all 5, I just had a lazy morning on Thursday!) 2. We are watching Parks and Rec together on Netflix. (Though we did recently get cable...) 3. Not sure if this counts as frugal, but I got a few quotes to replace our roof and one of the companies told us we don't actually need to replace it! He gave us the name of a roof cleaner and said that should buy us a few more years. Bonus, it's only a couple hundred verses the $10,000-12,0000 we were looking at spending! 4. Rather than spending my own money or my budget, I asked parents to volunteer to donate supplies to our preschool Valentine's Day party at work. As always, I'm using as many recyclable items (empty yogurt containers, boxes, stuff like that) for our crafts as I can. 5. Rather than buying a toy or book for a friend's baby shower, I bought some pre-cut squares of flannel and made a quilt. The whole project cost less than $20 and I think it's a little more personal than just buying something off her registry (and definitely cheaper, I always seem to spend more than I mean to on those things!)
Brook Hart
Saturday 30th of January 2016
1) stopped buying soda and making iced tea or drinking water at home. This is a hard one for my children. 2) printed needed assignments at school instead of using my ink at home. 3) took lunches and snacks to school with me instead of using vending machines and or fast food. 4) made a detailed budget for the month. I have envelopes to put each allotted amount of money in for various cash expenditures. Savings has been transferred over and all bills set up for online payment. I piddle away more money than necessary. 5)Detailed menu made for the month with a detailed shopping list. All many of these are common sense, due to my hectic school schedule, I have become slack and my bank account shows. I swear, we have been spending several hundred at McDonalds alone each month. That is a BAD habit.
Alex
Saturday 30th of January 2016
1. Taught myself to do "threading" and did own my eyebrows & upper lip. Results are amazing. I am now officially baddest grandma in town. 2. Got a canteen on clearance & take my own coffee to work. 3. Got a Brita pitcher on sale & convinced adult son that home-brewed coffee made with filtered water is waay better than going out to buy it at DD. 4. Got my regular shampoo and all-purpose moisturizer on sale at Costco. 5. Switched to R******c wireless. Phone bill this month? $.28. That's right, twenty-eight cents.