Five Frugal Things | scrubs are simpler
I had to get dressed up several times recently, and I was reminded that a scrubs wardrobe is a simple wardrobe!
1. I sewed my button back on
I wore these pants to the nursing conference I attended with Brittany, and I noticed the threads on one side of the button were starting to come off.
So, I sewed it back on while I was on the phone with Lisey. Multi-tasking for the win.
2. I got some books from the library
At the conference I went to, the keynote speaker recommended a couple of books, so I put them on hold on my library app, including this 2021 book:
3. I got a Bath and Body Works freebie
I had a birthday gift card to spend there, and while I was in the store, I realized I had a birthday reward to use. Sweet!
I was able to get any $9.95 or less item for free, and it was good until the end of May, even though my birthday was at the end of April.
4. I reduced my PT appointment frequency
My shoulder mobility has been a lot better, so I suggested to my PT that we try going down to every other week this month, with me agreeing to keep doing my exercises at home, of course.
And he agreed, so that'll save me some decent money right off the bat because unfortunately, I have a $60 copay for each session!
I am purposely not going to add up how much I've spent on PT since December (it would be depressing) and I will just remind myself that it's way cheaper than surgery (and cheaper than missing work.)
5. I didn't buy any new clothes for dressing up
I recently had to dress up for the conference, the evidence-based-practice project presentation, and Nurses Night Out, and I did not buy any new shoes or clothes.
I do think I probably should buy a few business casual things (it's a pretty bare spot in my wardrobe). However, I was too short on time to do that, so I accidentally saved money. 😉
This week can be summed up as 'what's frugality?'
Things I managed:
1. I brought lunch to work.
2. I read a book with a free ebook trial (Good Girls Don't by Mara Wilson).
3. I made payments on loans and added to my emergency fund.
4. I went swimming in the sea for free exercise.
5. This has reminded me to go to the doctor for some back soreness, which is covered by universal healthcare. This has also reminded me to go to the gym this week!
You know, I really love to read your blog. I find frugality fun, and your attitude towards the lifestyle is exactly my mindset. I don't have five things from yesterday but I do have a few observations from reading your older blogs. First of all, from my lofty seven decades, getting your nursing degree in your forties is a no-brainer! You're going to have a wonderful long career, one that makes a difference to many. I read your blog on leaving your marriage and although it was heartbreaking, you were so hopeful towards the future at that time, that it made me happy how well it's turned out. I also read a blog about your freezer blitz. That really got me going. My freezer is full and I need to get to work on it so thanks for that. Another mention when you were doing physical therapy with a $60 copay. We really, really need universal healthcare. And on a final note, just randomly, one of the things I enjoy the most is propagating plants and herbs for my friends and sometimes strangers. At this point I have so much basil and mint that I'm going to bring trays of the little darlings to our community garden. Win win. Thanks for your easy and no judging style blog that connects so many of us from so many diverse places in life.
I too needed a reminder to eat from the freezer. Can anyone suggest what to do with too many bags of frozen green beans?
Tajines or stews, chicken cacciatore with beans come to mind
We really like this recipe when we get overloaded with green beans from the CSA: https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/asian-ground-turkey-and-green-bean-stir-fry/?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic
Elaine, how about composting them? 😎
I had this same problem and made soup. It was surprisingly tasty. Just green beans, an onion and a potato plus stock. I blended it and the potato makes the texture perfect. Enjoy!
I have made cream of green bean soup with the beans blended smooth. It was pretty good!
3 or 4 bean salad
If I had an abundance of green beans, I would:
- steam and then cool them off before tossing with sesame oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds.
- toss them with Italian dressing, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese.
- use them in a three-bean salad.
- use in a stir-fry.
- add them to a green salad.
- cook them with a bit of butter and eat as a side vegetable.
- make my husband happy by making green bean casserole.
Ooh, make sweet and sour green beans. You're so good and they go with nearly everything.
Book Club Elaine,
Where I live, the food banks will sometimes take noncommercially frozen items but not home canned. (In case someone did not follow proper canning procedures because improperly home canned foods could have botulism or other food poisoning.) You might ask if a charity could distribute the green beans. Otherwise, could you put out the word on a Buy Nothing site? Take it to church , the break room at work, or a senior citizen center and distribute? Since so many people are having trouble making ends meet, I'm sure someone could really use your unwanted food items!
Sounds like a good excuse to make green beans casserole ( providing you like it). No need to wait for a holiday meal. I also love green beans with almonds toasted in butter until it is brown. So delicious!
Three bean salad for the green beans!
I did a little sewing of my own-
1. I have a dress I love but it has odd strap placements. I created bra strap loops and this fixed the issue. I rarely wore it and it was easy to start going down the rabbit hole of buying the 'proper undergarment, when a needle, thread, and snaps I already had did the trick.
2. I ran 2nd batches through my espresso and made coffee ice cubes for my at-home iced coffees.
3. Started consciously turning on the fan instead of running the air conditioner 24/7.
4. I used my apartment gym, did yoga in my apartment, and walked on the beach- all free!
5. I made salsa with a sad handful of wilted cilantro and remnants of other ingredients- a needs-to-be-eaten papaya and a random chili pepper. It made a surprising amount- the perfect topping for 2 burritos!
I took home leftovers from the wonderful meal my son made on Mother's Day, and ate them the next day for lunch. Two free meals!
I went to the ortho doctor and, with his recommendation, decided to do nothing about my hip except reintroduce exercise slowly and see how it goes.
My wedding weekend trip involved some expense, but I spent very little on food, thanks to the generosity of my host, the fantastic reception, and my stash of food to eat on the road.
A trip to Goodwill yielded a large cutting board (much needed) and three Rubbermaid containers that matched those I already have. Now I have enough to freeze leftovers without scrounging.
I found $200 in my checking account and my new debit card in a stack of unopened mail.
Cobalt blue is an amazing color on you!
--The two hostas I got from the post office (someone left a bunch in a box marked "free"--I love our village) are doing splendidly! I planted them in the fall, when they had already died back for the winter, so it's nice to finally see some green.
--One of my free-from-a-friend peonies came with the unexpected bonus of bee balm plants. Bee balm spreads via roots, which must have tagged along with last fall's peony transplant. I moved the bee balm volunteers over to a spot where I'd planted it on purpose, as it's a major attraction for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. I know the roots mean that I'll have to keep moving volunteers until the peony is big enough to hold its own, but I'm still glad of the bonus bee balm.
--Another home haircut, 15+ years and counting. My hair is so thick that trimming 1 1/2" wet looks and feels like I took off 3" when dry. I keep moving my head to enjoy the extra floofiness. 😛
--I joined other volunteers to help whip the library park/garden into shape. We dug out weeds, planted trees, and broke ground so the kids could have their own garden along the fence. For the latter, I donated a package of "Autumn Beauty" sunflower seeds.
--A pair of jeans I ordered from ThredUp were sized comically different from the listing. As in, I passed them on to a friend for her tall, willowy teenage daughter! I am many things, but 5'4" with bronze bones will never equal tall and willowy. 😛 Thankfully my friend's daughter loves purple and her "new" purple jeans!
One thing I miss about where I used to live is we had a great library. Anytime I heard about a book, they could get it. The one where I live now is just ok. They have the popular stuff, but that's about it.
Frugal:
Used a $5 off $30 at the grocery and only bought things that were already on a good sale (and that we will use).
Building a fence ourselves to save thousands on labor
Not so much my doing, but our weather has been so lovely (feel like we are actually getting a spring in my area rather than straight to hot). My electric bill is sooo low!
Found out one of my meds is cheaper through the mail pharmacy so switched to that.
We don't eat out often, but a local place has been doing $8 burger and fries on Monday. We've done that a couple of times. It's cheaper than McDonalds.
Have you tried ReciproCard for borrowing ebooks and audiobooks from other libraries? Many municipal libraries have agreements with other library systems, allowing their members to join. My county library has agreements with two other libraries that allows me to borrow from them through Libby.
Glad your shoulder is improving!
1. U made garlic herb butter using herbs from the garden.
2. A storm watered the garden for me...and hailed on it too.
3.we finally got our storage shed cleared out
4. I picked 3 onions from the garden.
Pics and more here:https://practicalwalk.com/2026/05/12/frugal-four-mothers-day-hail-storm/
1. I patched a pair of my pants and sewed a hole in my daughter's stuffed animal.
2. I juiced some oranges and lemons that were over-ripe. The juice went into the freezer.
3. My mom gave us chicken parmesan, chicken wings, bagels, naan, sweet potatoes, bananas, and cookies. I'm eating the chicken parmesan for my lunch this week. I used the bananas to make 2 batches of banana muffins.
4. For Mother's Day my favorite museum offers free entrance for moms. I rented a $3 off coupon from our library for the museum also. Total savings was $26 in admission fees. We brought water and a picnic lunch. It was a great day.
5. I went to my annual appointment at the dermatologist. Prevention/early detection is always frugal.
Frugal things:
1. Read 3 books last week from Kindle Unlimited
2. Baked 4 loaves of sourdough bread and shared with our kids
3. Brought lunch to work every day
4. Planned weekly menu around grocery store sale and what was in the frig and pantry
5. Went to the botanical gardens when entrance was free
Did you know you know you can save a little $ money on Kindle Unlimited by buying a Kindle Unlimited gift subscription versus paying a monthly fee. Just google buy Kindle Unlimited gift subscription and it will take you to the correct page to purchase a 6, 12 or 24 month Kindle Unlimited gift subscription. If you do not receive an email within a minute or two of purchase call Amazon customer service with your order number and they will fix the technical glitch on their end. You can have multiple KU gift subscriptions on your account and once one ends another gift subscription begins without interruption. This way I don't have my payment method on my account since its paid for years. I ask for KU gift subscriptions for gifts if family asks for ideas. You can not use an Amazon gift card to pay for a Kindle Unlimited gif subscription
i used to love chico's clothes. i could never have a capsule wardrobe. however, they now charge shipping unless you buy $75 or more. i used to spend $30 or less. so i dropped their emails and will never order from chico's again.
hubby and i actually shopped from a list. although we did get a few extras at target,
I love clothes as well. The quality has dropped as the prices have skyrocketed. My favorite label is Cabi. I search Poshmark and Ebay. There is also a Cabi outlet an hour and a half away and it is a rare treat.
I loved the earlier, simpler Chico's styles. (I even actually bought a few at full retail price, in addition to the ones I found while thrifting.) But as the more recent styles have gotten more into frou-frou (ruffles, sequins, bias cuts, etc.), I've drifted away.
A. Marie,
I'm with you: I really dislike sequins and ruffles and stuff, simply because it does not last long term (and I'm talking years and years) through a zillion washes.
i never got the sequins or ruffles either.
Count me among those who cannot do frou-frou. I once cracked up the other women at group therapy: they complimented me on always wearing pink lipstick and tiny pearl earrings and I told them those are necessary accessories for someone who routinely dresses like a lady trucker. 😀
Every time I try on something with ruffles, I feel ridiculous. I see them on other people and think they look fine, but on me they just don't feel right at all!
1. My sister took our kitchen knives in for free sharpening. For those in the Twin Cities, you may bring your knives to the meat counter at any Lunds & Byerlys grocery store for free sharpening. Limit of three knives per visit, ready in 24 hours, although they said my sister could wait for them instead. I just recently learned about this free service from a neighbor. Obviously it gets people into the store, although my sister shops there already when she wants a higher end grocery experience.
2. Had landscape mulch delivered on a weekday instead of the weekend to save money.
3. After taking flaxseed oil supplements daily for years for dry eyes, I experimented with every other day and noticed no difference. I do the same with a couple other supplements to bring costs down.
4. Transferred a couple inches of milk left in the jug into a glass bottle. The milk was perfectly good but the jug itself had started to smell funky.
5. Completed April financials by downloading transactions from checking and credit card sites and adding them to my rolling one-year spreadsheet. Because I was a daily Excel user back in my professional days, I enjoy analyzing the data in different ways, but I haven't done any graphs - yet!
1. I packed a cooler with freezer meals and snacks for the trip to, during, and after last weekend's Renaissance Festival since I booked a Vrbo with a kitchen - and earned points.
2. Checked Altas Obscura and Roadside America for quirky and cheap/free roadside attractions to break up the drive to Nebraska and stretch my legs. I saw the Future Birthplace of Capt Janeway of Star Trek Voyager in Indiana, the Danish Windmill in Iowa (it looks just the window in Tivoli Gardens in Denmark!) and a few others
3. Listened to two+ audiobooks using my Spotify Permium and several improv comedy podcasts as free professional development
4. Stuck to my new on the road normal of trying to only buy gas and lodging where I get points, drinking tap water from a sports bottle, and filling my travel coffee mug with hotel/homebrew coffee
5. Didn't buy any souvenirs or things at the Ren Faire I worked besides lunch.
You can buy a 12 month Premium Spotify gift card for $99 fron Amazon versus paying $146+ for a year for a Spotify regular subscription. If you have an issues redeeming the gift card call Amazon customer service with your order #.
Love, love, love Atlas Obscura! The quirkier the adventure, the better.
I love that you knew I was going to ask about the knife sharpening! Thanks!
You're welcome!
I stepped in B&BW yesterday and was immediately landed on with the hard sell and it's so off-putting! Let me shop for a few seconds, please! Frugal things here lately:
*found the sleep spray I was looking for at the grocery store for less than $6 and I only had to buy ONE (:
*taking lunch to my daughter today and making chicken salad on croissants which is far cheaper, as we all know, than picking up take-out. Plus, she gets to keep the extra croissants and filling.
*scheduled a free bulky pick-up with City of Austin and avoided traveling to the drop off site in far east Austin.
*going to dig around in the landscape beds, finding the lighting stakes instead of giving up and buying new ones..ha! This is a stretch, I know. Note to self: don't leave them in there next time.
Your book looks interesting.
I've been reading a lot from the library lately as well. It is wonderful that so much is availavle at such a low cost- fiction and non fiction. I tend to borrow for information as well as fun. And if a book disappoints - back it goes: low cost, no clutter.
When I buy second hand books, they are sometimes musty and trigger my asthma. Library books are stored clean and dry, no problems there!
You are lucky to be so stable with regards to weight/size. It means you can invest in timeless high quality pieces! Have fun clothes shopoing - when you find the time that is 🙂
I'm going to see if I can come up with enough to share.....
1. I won 2 chinese auction gift baskets...one was a breakfast one & one was a Christmas one. I also received a free weighted blanket which I gifted to my dad since he wanted to try one.
2. As part of a settlement, I received a prepaid Visa card. I used it towards my amazon order and still have a few dollars left to use.
3. I redeemed points from donating blood & received a $15 gas card
4. My daughter is in nursing school, plus worked in a doctor's office prior. I needed to have my blood pressure taken at my doctor's as a follow up. I asked the nurse who was supposed to do it if my daughter could take my blood pressure & i could call it in and they said yes. so I saved gas and parking fee and a copay.
5. I used a coupon on my haircut saving $8.01.
1.Used a gift card to buy plants from a local nursery and only paid $2 out of pocket for 6 one gallon perennials.
2. Went to a movie matinee and only paid $5 and got a free small popcorn.
3. Ate at home after the movie despite really wanting to get take out.
4. Keeping the heat turned down despite the cold weather that keeps reoccurring. I’m sitting under a heated blanket right now. The above mentioned plants are in the house and won’t go in the ground for several days
5. Today I will set up my deck with chairs and seat cushions that I have had for years and came from a friend. Looking forward to warmer weather so I can sit out there and enjoy it.
Frugal irritation: I had been going back and forth with someone on Marketplace who wanted to buy something from me. She had canceled one meeting and I agreed to reschedule, even though it meant driving to meet her in a different neighborhood (her neighborhood) at a time that wasn’t the most convenient for me. As I was driving I realized that the one road to the meeting place was closed. I pulled over to message her to let her know I would meet her around the corner. As I clicked onto messenger I watched as she left the conversation and then she never showed up. Since she left the conversation, I wasn’t able to rate her, which made me even angrier. Time and gas wasted. Ugh!
Ugh, I'm sorry that happened to you re: Marketplace. This is exactly why I stopped selling things on Marketplace - I was ghosted one time too many.
Thanks Liz B. I haven’t given up yet but I’m only meeting where and when it is convenient for me from now on.
In terms of wardrobe I had the opposite problem: business casual from teaching, then travel maniac, now "around town" clothes. Huge gap in the last category. I live in a informal agriculture suburb. Everyone wears jeans and leggings. Neither of these are my jam.
Curating a wardrobe of fewer clothes is a huge frugal win with a big upfront cost. Everything remianing in my closet is in great condition and fits perfectly. when I wear an outfit it always gets comments from passing strangers.
What works for me:
1. A few high quality cotton, heavy weight jersey ( to hold fit) , or linen casual dresses paired with Adidas sambas. The sambas get switch out to a pair of heels from Vionic for all occasions except a very fancy wedding.
2. I have a causal suit I mix and match with the sambas or a pair of casual loafers. The jacket goes with jeans and the dresses depending on the weather.
3. I do have two pairs of wide leg jeans with a nice belt.
4. I own three different colors of Dreamblend Mid Rise Full Length Pant Pelotin pants. These have a sewn in front pleat seam. I have worn them with everything - blousy Cabi floral sheers to community meetings and gym tops to my personal trainer. The bootleg cut fits my figure.
Some of these I paid full price for, most I get on Poshmark or thrift stores.
Mary Ann - not sure you'll see this, but I copied your idea of getting heels from Vionic specifically and they were just delivered. SOOOO comfortable! Gold, to match anything and everything I might wear for dressing up. I haven't been able to wear heels comfortably for years and these I didn't even want to take off after I had walked around in them for half an hour. Gamechanger. Thank you!
--As I mentioned in another comment, I made the decision to withdraw from the nursing school waitlist. Not only does this make 1000% sense for our family right now, it is also frugal as I'll save on tuition and other costs, so we can put that money more towards DS#3's care and also DS#2 is going to be starting nursing school anyway in the Fall!
--I had some half-used notebooks that were marked up on the front, and I like to keep to do lists in these notebooks. I spent a relaxing afternoon doing some zentangle doodles to tape on to the fronts, to gussy them up a bit. I used art supplies I already had on hand and unearthed after a desk decluttering.
--We're biking to the grocery store whenever we can, rather than drive--the only times we use the car is when we're getting large items, such as laundry detergent (though i did put a flea in DH's ear when I saw these laundry detergent SHEETS that are lightweight, if only they came in free and clear varieties! Maybe eventually)
--DH showed DS#1 a fantastic biking route to his work, and now DS#1 is biking some mornings with DH up to a point on the route where they can part ways and go to their respective offices. DS loves the exercise, saving money on gas, wear and tear on his car, and DH loves the quality time they get biking and talking together.
--Instead of a walker for DS#3, we're using his wheelchair for him to push ahead of himself as he does his PT. Sometimes his younger brother sits in it to weigh it down, so we're all in on the game.
--Found a way to get insurance to pay for some blood tests we want done to monitor DS#3's health. It meant talking to a slightly tone-deaf nurse practitioner, but it saved us nearly 200 bucks, so I'll take it.
Karen A.
I did get some of the laundry sheets in free and clear from the dreaded pirate amazon to take on a trip. Definitely lighter weight and take up so much less room! Earlier, I’d had to buy a small bottle of laundry detergent in the Dollar Store and it was heavily scented, which is NOT my jam!
I am also very particular with the cosmetics or other chemical stuff I use, therefore I use empty hotel size toiletry bottles to take my own laundry detergent, shampoo etc to my trips. I buy the toiletries from thrift shops and use the shampoo for homemade general cleaner (mix it with citric acid solution) or when its conditioner bottles, use the conditioner for shaving or reviving my woolen sweaters
You look beautiful in your blue dress!
My Frugal 5s
•Finally got a free $30 cash card from a rebate off a Christmas present. I turned in the form and proof of purchase at the end of December.
• For clothes, I mended a few holes and a rip seam, washed a pair of like new crocs I got off eBay for my girl, and looked over our winter gear to see if anything needed mending before storing them for the next season. Also got all our laundry washed, folded and put away.
•Gave a pair of ballet crocs to my youngest to wear when she grows into them since they were too small for my oldest two.
• Went on a motorcycle drive with my husband through the parks and scenic areas. This was an inexpensive date minus the fast food.
• On Mother’s Day, my girls gave me homemade gifts and decorated with things we already had. My husband brought roses and breakfast pizzas which we ate with leftovers as breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also ate a free cake I got that day and as an after school snack for my girls the next day. For free entertainment, we watched a favorite movie on DVD that I borrowed from the library, walked around the block, and played a couple switch games we already had. I also took home a carnation and soda that the church gave for each mom.
For business casual clothing, I highly recommend consignment shops that sell brand name clothes second hand. Dressier clothes get very gentle wear so there is a lot to choose from, and the nice thing with consignment shops is that you can sample different brands in one store (saves time!)
My frugal things:
1. Had a work trip to London last week, so I obviously spent as much time as possible walking and exploring the city outside of mandatory meetings and events.
2. My husband joined me at the end of the week; we got a much needed getaway trip for the price of one set of airline tickets. We spent two additional nights in London and two nights at a friend's house in the countryside.
3. My husband and I borrowed bikes from the hotel we stayed in and spent a few hours biking and exploring the city (scary to bike on the wrong side, but we are very used to biking in traffic otherwise). This way we were able to cover much more of the city in the short amount of time we had. We also used the train and other public transit to get around when we were not walking and biking.
4. Went to the British Museum which is free!
5. During my work trip, used pants and a shirt that I recently bought from the secondhand consignment shop I like to go to.
Yesterday we hit the frugal jackpot when we bought the perfect replacement door at a construction supply auction company for less than a third the price of lower quality doors at Lowes.
Our front door has been needing to be replaced for several years because you can actually see light between the door and the jamb. In our younger days, Mr. Book Club would do the work himself, but we are in a new season now. So he has hired a local carpenter who has done great work on repairs for us in the past to do the installation. The total price will be lower than the price of a retail door. It's great to get a quality door and expert installation from local sources and save lots of dollars.
Love the blue dress on you.
1) Listed a few things I picked up in a free pile on eBay. Sold a pair of kids ice skates & made $58 after fees.
2) DH made me a fabulous Mother's Day meal at home, trying a new Persian recipe he'd never made before, in honor of his mom. Meanwhile, DS20 was working a double shift & made over $400 in tips, and DS19 was backpacking in Yosemite, but both wrote very sweet cards for me.
3) Attended a free Mother's Day workout class at Orange Theory. The classes aren't cheap, so I definitely wanted to go & take advantage.
4) Met friends for dinner on Friday & opted for the happy hour meal, which was plenty big & 1/2 the price.
5) Attempting to clean our dining chair cushions (that *someone* at some point flipped over vs cleaning when they got messy?!) vs buying new. They are cream, so wish me luck.
I decided to sign up for Circle K rewards and saved 25 cents a gallon when I filled up my van. I never thought paying $4.75 for gas would make me happy, but it's better than $5!
I did my weekly coupon clicking and used my earned credits. My grocery store makes it easy by sending me a one-click link for my custom coupon list based on my regular purchases. If I had to scroll through all the coupons every week, it would rarely happen.
I started moving my tomato and pepper seedlings to my free previously-used-for-frosting buckets. The soil components were partially purchased with gift cards.
I finished hauling the free mulch from my neighbors’ to my garden. Seriously, they saved me a few hundred dollars with this.
I've been getting rid of the last leftovers from my garage sale. The elementary school needed extra clothes, I filled a nearby Free Little Library, etc. It's sort of a more abstract frugal thing, but getting rid of things we don't use anymore helps my family stay in our smaller house without feeling we need to "upgrade" to something bigger and more expensive. It also helps with finding what we have so we don't end up buying extras, and when I'm able to keep track of everything I'll know when to look for sales to restock.
1 Cutting bottles of lotion and moisturizer open to get all of it out before discarding.
2 The cafe at my hospital is closed for a few weeks. Normally I buy lunch ($3.00 gets an entree and 2 sides. Iced tea and coffee are free.) The food truck that is providing food , depending on the day/restaurant , is charging $10-$15 plus sides and drinks are extra. I brought a freezer meal and saved myself approximately $10.
3 Similar to #1, I get the last little bit of dish detergent and hand soap refill out by keeping them upside down by the sink and using them until they're empty.
4 Eating all the leftovers (cooking enough to have leftovers saves time and $)
5 Washing clothes in full loads with cold water on the shortest cycle. Same with dishes, except of course, it uses hot water!
FFT, An Ethical Gray Area? Edition :
(1) I've been raking in Ollie's Army coupons left and right lately. In part, this is because I've made two relatively big-ticket purchases (two Vornado fans to use on the rare rainy occasions when I get water intrusion in the basement, replacing various motley rental property fans)--but it's also in part because I have two Ollie's Army accounts. After DH died, I opened an account in my own name and then tried to close his. But the staff and I ran into a bureaucratic snafu with this, so I just threw up my hands and kept DH's account. Ethical gray area? At any rate, I feel no need for any warehouse club membership with this arrangement. (There's no Sam's near me any more; our only Costco is on the other side of the county; and BJ's and I had a disagreement several years ago.)
(2) As soon as the Second Ice Age ends here (enough with the frost warnings already in mid-May!), I'll be moving my zinnia and mini basil seedlings out to my mini greenhouse, where my kales and the two thyme plants I bought at the Regional Market on Saturday have already been toughing it out.
(3) One of my two Sunday morning walking buddies has a mid-May birthday, and the other buddy and her husband will be hosting us to brunch next Sunday. I'm giving the birthday girl a never-used terra cotta tagine pot I found at the SA a while back, and will be giving both buddies some of my mini basil seedlings, which do nicely in containers/flowerpots.
(4) Frugal fail: My local squirrels have evidently lost their sensitivity to the Ollie's crushed red pepper I mix in with my birdseed, and they are making nuisances of themselves. I tried coating the feeder poles with Vaseline (of which I have a large supply, also from DH's rental properties), but this only worked for about half a day. So the feeders will be coming down for the summer as soon as bird spring migration is over. And I've told the squirrels I'm looking up some of the squirrel recipes in Mom's 1943 wedding present Joy of Cooking. 😛
(5) But I'm planning a good time this Saturday: I'll be going out to a local nature center's annual native plant sale, and then stopping by a Presbyterian church's chicken BBQ (my first of the season!) on my way home. As I've noted in prior years, I adore Upstate NY's charity chicken BBQs, which use a recipe developed at Cornell.
A.Marie, if you tried to be honest and close DH's account and Ollie's wouldn't let you, then it's on them, not you. I would go ahead and use both coupons and the other freebies. Goodness knows, we all need all the frugal breaks we can get in this economy!
I do the same thing with paper coupons the local grocery store mails to our house, as DS and I are not able to be separated in their database. Even though his mailer is heavy on young guy foods, there are always a few I can use.
A. Marie, by the power vested in me by no one, I hereby grant you a clear conscience for doubling up on Ollie's coupons. You tried, they failed, so enjoy your savings!
Besides, you give them a lot of free advertising here and on The NCA blog!
If I could post pictures, I'd show our squirrel defense. Aluminum pieces nailed onto each post. Then a baffle (better half cut it to put around the pole - it is plastic and has a large opening). Vaseline on both of them, both sides.
I saw a video of a squirrel trying to get up a pole to a bird feeder but someone had placed a slinky around the pole and the squirrel could not get up to the feeder because the slinky, would bounce it back down. The squirrel finally gave up. So you might try getting a slinky, put it on your pole to see if that works.
Please tell us about Nurses Night Out!
1. I cobbled together some large bandages for my son’s terrible turf burns on his arm and leg. I got a little creative with the gauze but it’s working well.
2. I brought my office plant home and chopped it into new plants because it was getting very leggy. My new office plant is a beautiful propagated pot that the plant ladies in my office are gushing over.
3. We hosted my parents and grandma for Mother’s Day dinner. Much cheaper than going out for brunch and my grandma really likes to watch my husband cook – she says it’s like a cooking show.
4. I took my car in for a routine oil change and maintenance which then resulted in a new car battery. Not the most frugal morning, but much more frugal than having to call a tow truck or panic over a dead battery.
5. All meals this week are coming from the freezer! After a freezer clean out I found more things hiding in there that I thought so we will be able to have delicious meal without the grocery store!
We saw The Devil Wears Prada 2 last night. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie this soon after its release. It was $6 ticket day, so that was reasonable. However, we love this theatre because it’s part of a local hotel/restaurant site and we can get dinner while we relax in the comfy chairs. Dinner was not frugal. I liked the movie. The chemistry of the original 4 actors was still there. The dialogue had all the snippiness of the first one and the plot was one of the best for I’ve seen for a sequel. At the end I realized her “good friend” had been in the original as well, which was a really special moment. Thus, ends my movie review (per Kristen’s request)!
I realized the other day in one of the micro frugal moments, I hadn’t bought a rubber band in years! I have a small canister and all are found/recycled rubber bands. Not sure that pays for dinner out, but it does reinforce the power of small steps.
I continue to batch errands in an effort to save gas and my time. I’m meal planning with an eye towards what I have in the freezer & pantry and what’s on sale, if anything.
I’ve gotten used to my toaster oven (reduced temperature and time) and am using it daily. It doesn’t heat up the kitchen and for just the 2 of us is working well to bake and roast.
I’m off to do laundry and hang outside! Yea for warmish weather.
Did you know Emily Blunt is Stanley Rucci's sister-in-law?
*Tucci
Yes, I listened to his audiobook, Taste. I liked the book!
Your comments about your scrub wardrobe really hit home. I have cowgirl wear, dress cowgirl wear, a summer dress, a winter dress and various jackets and cardigans. Slowly I have been building up a linen, silk and cotton casual wardrobe. Now I have dress sneaks and a dressy pair of sandals. Gone are the wearing scrubs in public, but I love wearing them to garden.
Not frugal, but fun. I bought at a junk sale, a silver plate 1920's jewelry box that was stuck shut for $2. One of the kids got it opened and inside were some cuff links, a 1965 & 1968 half dollar and a roll of buffalo nickels. I need to find a numismatist to figure their worth. I might call a former boss, he is an avid coin collector.
A friend delivered a unit of filbert shells to use on the pathways in the garden. He receives a weekly box of veggies as barter.
1. Called around for prices and found a low(er) cost vet clinic for Snuggles' vaccinations. Bonus: it's in the same part of town as we are! The vet practice where we used to go has changed hands and the new owners have jacked up the prices too doggone high.
2. Tried to get my Kindle to working, but not even the librarians could load Libby on it. So I checked out the latest 2 Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series books the old fashioned way: actually using books. I'm 3/4 of the way through Dirty Thirty.
3. Weather was great so I read out on the patio last night. So nice!!!!!!!!!!!When it got dark, I got out a flashlight and read that way.
4. My patio is a covered patio so I string clear Xmas lights, purchased at Goodwill, for my patio lighting. Using a $1 extension cord also thrifted from Habitat Restore. It was brand new in package, and our store sells the exact same thing for $4+.
5. Oops, I killed some more plants. (That's par for the course for me; I even offed a cactus once.) Took out everything to reuse or recycle: the dirt to use again as potting soil. Dead plant material for compost. Plastic pots to give to the ministry that has a greenhouse; they reuse these containers. On a related note, I collected rainwater to water the plants with, and found a rock on the parking lot to add to my collection of what is going to be flower bed borders.
Update: The vet bill was still too doggone high IMO. But Snuggles absolutely charmed the lady vet. She commented on what a sweetheart he was. (Even though he was dirty and stinky). Meanwhile, he weighed in at 61 pounds!
Two things to recommend: Yesterday's New York Times article about a woman sur viving in New York City on $48000 annual income. Lots of frugal living tips. In fact the entire Monday series is very interesting -- it gives you an idea of how people make budgeting choose.
Also, non-fiction about pandemics: I highly recommend anything by Laurie Garrett, including This Coming Plague and Betrayal of Trust. Medically sound and interesting, I discovered her writing during Covid. Go figure.
Third thing: You're a babe, even with a limited business-casual wardrobe. Your readers all know that.
Good grief! If I made 48 grand, I would've thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Few people make that kind of money down here in the south. That's big bucks to most of us!
1. I paid some healthcare expenses with nearly $200 of health rewards money which I earned through various activities like watching webinars and completing a health assessment for each Mr. B and myself. I think Mr. B pooh-poohs these things because they often only amount to $10 per activity, but I just looked and I’ve earned us close to $2500 in healthcare savings over the last 5 years by doing these "little" things. So that really adds up! (Never mind that the rapid strep test done in the pediatrics office last week cost $219, which was on top of a visit that cost $423, which also needed $700 worth of labs for a kiddo with not one but two different tick-borne illnesses.)
2. I picked up a box of recently-past-their-BB-date food from someone on Buy Nothing. Most of it is stuff my family will use. I’m not sure what to do with some of the other items, for example a can of mandarins that warns me that eating them may expose me to chemicals including lead and other Prop 65 contaminants. Actually, now that I think of it I’ve decided the contents can be dumped in the woods somewhere near our home. I don’t want to put lead into my compost pile.
3. I received a $20 gift card for taking a survey from my professional organization. They offer the survey once a year to a random subset of members, and in the past I’ve always done it without the incentive but it was nice to have one this year.
4. I brought home the sad strawberries that lingered in the work fridge from a week ago and my family ate them immediately. I also brought home the remaining 5 slices of pizza from work. I’m not sure anyone at the office would have eaten them after being in the fridge all weekend. We have no such reservations, however.
5. I took advantage of a few birthday freebies- a free car wash and a free scoop of custard at Culvers. I also vacuumed out the van before the car wash which it sorely needed.
6. I found some great items at goodwill, including a NWT backpack for my 4 year old and some plastic storage bins. I had earned a $5 reward and also had a $5 birthday reward, so I saved $10 on my purchase.
Kristen, you look so pretty in that cobalt blue top.
I bought a pair of Ryka recovery sneakers pretty cheap on eBay last month and discovered they are flat inside, which my feet objected to. This morning I removed the factory insoles, replaced them with an old pair of Power Step insoles from my box of salvaged insoles, and the fit is massively improved.
Also bought a themed t-shirt on eBay to wear to meetings of the banned books club for $5 with free shipping.
We repaired our old dishwasher again this week and received a $70 discount for paying in cash ($310 instead of $380).
Have finished all of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee novels for free through the library and have started on the sequels written by his daughter.
Dealt with my unease about political craziness today by making homemade soup, organizing the freezer, and tidying up the pantry.
My physical therapy has for now come to a screeching halt even though I am not better. I had to miss an appointment (4 hour delivery window for a new dryer, which conflicted with the PT appointment) and unfortunately was not able to cancel in time to avoid the $40.00 cancellation fee. Now, I do NOT have a problem with the cancellation fee.
I do have a problem with my physical therapist berating me for several minutes for the lack of notice. She flat out insisted that I would have received notice of the delivery time frame before 5:00 pm, however in reality I received a text message at 6:42 pm which I did not actually SEE until after 9:00 pm when I got up to go to work. I do not know if they have voice mail but I did know that 9:00 pm was too late to call (and yes this woman knew I work nights). And by the time I saw the message it was also too late to reschedule the delivery.
Every time I tried to say anything she talked over me interrupted me, continued to berate me like I was a small child. I'm not returning to that provider, she's not the only game in town, and the delivery was important (with a pinched nerve in neck/shoulder plus bone spurs in my back it had become increasingly more difficult to haul large loads of wet laundry over to the clubhouse dryer).
How unprofessional!! I support voting with your feet and taking your business elsewhere. Unless it was habitual that behavior was uncalled for.
My five frugal things:
1) I made a tiny batch of non-toxic homemade skin lotion for my cat who had a small area of irritation on her back.
2) I ate up the leftovers from a frozen pizza for my lunch, even though they didn’t taste very good. #adulting
3) Patched a hole in my favorite pair of cloud pajama pants so I can keep wearing them!
4) Returned a couple of online clothing purchases (short sleeved shirts that didn’t fit right) for a refund from Old Navy.
5) Cooked a fabulous Mother’s Day meal (citrus grilled chicken, roasted green beans, and lemon cake with strawberries and ice cream) for my MIL instead of going out to a restaurant! She was very pleased.
Not something I did, but rather, something I was blown away by (are you sitting down?)–my husband weeded his clothing, offered our son first dibs, then took the remainder to Goodwill, and then went into the store and bought a couple golf shirts!!! Shock! Color me shocked!!!!
ok, things I did:
--ran my errands, and received a call from a son who needed a ride. I had a headache so being that home was between the store and him I popped into the house to take a tylenol and make a small coffee to chase away the headache. Bonus points for walking past the Starbucks at the front of Target (there to pick up Rx), saved my son $51 on an Uber (he gave me gas $), and got some quality time with him 🙂 A funny part of this is that I used the last of a can of Starbucks instant that a friend had given my husband so I got my Starbucks after all, and I added honey and fat free milk to it.
--use my Libby app for classics that I otherwise find tough to read because of the small/tiny font generally used in the older books. I'm enjoying Anthony Trolloppe's books now.
--concentrating on frugal as a smart money move rather than cheap, I pre-ordered a book I really wanted and the library didn't even have it in their catalog and because it's brand new it can't be an interlibrary loan. Amazon had a $2 lower price on the pre-order and I'm sure I'll read it many times.
--had a day to myself so I used a museum pass from the library to visit the Audubon Center in Audubon, PA. Raining steadily and cold so I just did the visitor center and house tour. It's only 25 min from home and passes are frequently available so easy to go back for the trails when the weather is better.
--and it doesn't seem fair to count because I've done it my whole life, but yet again, took my lunch, tea, water, and breakfast with me every workday. And I keep teabags at work, and refill my water bottle from the office cooler/bottle fill.
1. Hubby got free dirt for his garden from the county's site.
2. We recently went on vacation and I brought a baloney sandwich to eat on the flight and watched the Springsteen movie and got snacks for free on Jet Blue.
3. We bought water and snacks for our hotel rooms. Hubby got a screaming deal on a two bedroom/two bath suite at a Residence Inn.
4. Went on the beaches for free. Here in NJ you have to PAY to get on the beach. Collected shells for free.
5. Used Uber to get us back and forth from the airport at home. Cheaper than long term parking. Rented a car in Florida through Costco membership.
Basic sewing skills are so important. I've seen lots of recent posts about people wanting to learn how to sew.
I still have a lot of clothes from when I worked. I've been retired for nearly 10 years. I've really only bought casual clothes since that time. I do make sure that I have a couple outfits that are appropriate if I have to dress up for something or for a funeral or something like that dresses.
Here are my 5 FFTs
– a frugal thing for someone else – it's awful to lose your cell phone! I was able to return a cell phone I saw fly off the roof of a car as it made a turn in a shopping center ahead of me. I immediately got out of my car and picked it up. I tried to catch the driver but got caught at a stop light and missed him. The owner was an older man. I posted my find on a local Facebook page and asked him to call the phone or contact me and describe it. He didn't see the post, but a helpful Walmart employee later called me his phone for him,.I answered and I was able to return it to him. That made my day! Someone on Facebook advised people to put an address sticker on the back of their phone with a phone number to reach you. Good idea.
– I fixed our wind chimes. Somehow the bottom piece that makes the chimes bump together fell off. I happened to find pieces from another set of old wind chimes that had broken and tied one onto our silent wind chimes and now they work again!
– I have trouble portioning my yogurt from a larger container. So I saved a small single serve container and use it when I want yogurt.
– I picked up a few murder mystery books from a free little library in my neighborhood for my elderly friend who loves murder mysteries. And I was able to recycle some of the books I've given her in the past and put them back in a Free Little Library.
– Our bathroom, remodeled a few years ago, has side-by-side rocker switches for a fan and heater, but they weren't labeled so people don't know which one to push, if needed. I've been meaning to do it for a while, but knowing we have overnight company coming soon, I used a permanent marker and labelled them with a small F and an H.
As a nurse it is nice that I mostly wore scrubs. The clothes in my closet I have had for over 20 years. They never go out of style.
I have surgery scheduled for May 21 and afterward, my loving, cooking-challenged husband will be in charge of meals for weeks😳. I need appetizing, high protein food and want to avoid takeout. We have a deep freezer.
1. I planned a month’s worth of meals.
2. I collected recipes for high-protein, freezable entrees. (Kristen’s chicken enchiladas included.😎) A batch of emotional support brownies will also be frozen.
3. Shopped cabinets and found lots of Pyrex containers I forgot about.
4. Ordered replacement lids from Amazon.
5. Shopping, cooking, freezing. Repeat.
1. I got a free latte and cookie last night at work for Nurse's week.
Scanned mine and my guy's receipts in Fetch. He had no idea what it was, but when 2. I explained I had already gotten a gift card to BJ's Brewhouse (one his favorite restaurants), he promptly started bringing me stacks of receipts prior to filing them. He is renovating a rental to sell, so there are LOTS of receipts!
3. Got my younger daughter and son-in-law to drive my uncle down my direction so I could take him for a cardiac ablation. They live minutes from him, and about 30 minutes from me. The procedure was about 30 minutes south of me, so we met at Costco (which they needed to go to anyway) and it saved me time and gas.
4. I'm in PT for a bulging neck disc, and am supposed to buy a cervical traction device per the neurosurgeon. I didn't pull the trigger and automatically buy one on Amazon. I'm taking some time to look at options, including one that's listed on FB marketplace. Since they are in the $350 range, I'm going to take my time.
5. My grandson's HS count's 62 as "seniors", so soccer games have cost $2 or $3 instead of $10. If I'm lucky, the state playoff games will have a discount too since that starts Saturday.
The rest of the frugals are really money/time I saved OTHER people lol!
1. Spent several days over the past couple weeks installing and caulking base and door trim for my older daughter as they prepare to list their house to move out of state. They already purchased their new house in March, so they want to get it listed soon. Saved them tons of time and money.
2. Brought extra dahlia tubers to many of my co-workers, and exchanged with my younger daughter. Unfortunately, I also found a local seller and bought a few more (but much cheaper than through sites, and she threw in some extras!)
3. It was my weekend to work, and because it was Mother's Day, my guy offered to go grocery shopping for me (it's one of my financial contributions) so saved on groceries this week.
4. Trimmed and layered my younger daughter's hair while my uncle convalesced overnight at her house. She's the only one without stairs (or 5 kids in a small house lol), so we drove there after the ablation and had a "slumber party" while doing the overnight post anesthesia/watch the groin site for bleeding gig.
5. Let my son-in-law borrow my new pressure washer attachment for the patio and driveways. I needed to make sure it worked within my return window, and he had a big project ahead of him. While it cost me something to buy it, it's been determined it works beautifully and is a HUGE time saver...and time can be money!