Five Frugal Things | scrub stuff
1. I got some black scrub pants on eBay
My most comfortable pair of scrub pants is from a store called Scrubs and Beyond. Unfortunately, they are the pants I accidentally bleached at work.
I have been making do by scribbling the bleached area with a Sharpie before a shift, but I really wanted another pair. They don't make this exact pair in black anymore, though, so I hopped onto eBay and found a pair.
I don't mind that it's just the pants with no scrub top; I like to have the pants to wear with my hospital t-shirts (like the fundraiser ones we buy during Nurses Week).
2. I repaired the seam on my bleached pair
My poor pants with the bleach marks also developed a little top-stitching problem.
So, I snipped the extra thread off and used my machine to do a repair.
Not perfect, but certainly functional enough for a pair that already has a bleach issue. š
3. I got my fridge pretty empty!
As a person who tends to have a full fridge, this is an accomplishment, made possible by fairly minimal grocery shops for two weeks in a row.
This has forced me to use up what's already in there, and I took advantage of the emptiness by doing a thorough cleaning (like, taking all the shelves out and washing them!).
Now my fridge is tidy, I know exactly what's in there, and it feels like a fresh start, which is always good when you're fighting food waste on the regular. š
4. I got a free tire repair
One of Zoe's tires had a slow leak, so we made an appointment at the Midas near us, because they offer free tire inspections and repairs.
Apparently, the problem was a previous plug that had come a little loose, so they replaced that and now her tire is good to go.
I don't think every Midas offers this service, but if you have one near you, it's worth it to check! I've gotten lots of free tire repairs over the years this way.
5. I meal-prepped
I work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week, so yesterday I did some food prep. Boring and predictable, but hey, it consistently saves me money.
I've been eating lots of overnight oats recently, but this week, I switched it up and made a batch of egg bites to cover me for breakfast (in the morning, I just heat them up and add a piece of toasted whole grain bread, plus some fruit.)
And then for lunches, I made some chili-over-rice bowls, with cilantro-lime sauce to go on top.
I really need to clean out my fridge!
Frugal things, Switzerland edition:
1. I bought a four day Swiss travel pass. This was not cheap at first glance, but it covered all public transport, boat trips, various museums and offered a 50% discount on other museums and a cable car. I used it numerous times every day (including a day where I went wrong on a mountain trail and had to take two cable cars and a bus!) so it definitely paid itself back and it saved time on buying tickets. I printed off the pass which wasn't frugal as such, but it saved time on finding it on the phone and not stressing about the phone running out of charge.
2. The hotel I stayed at included breakfast and the room had a Nespresso machine and fresh bottles of water were provided every day.
3. I brought snacks with me, such as cereal bars, mini pastries and raisins, and a water bottle. I ate dinner out one evening and otherwise had more snacky meals.
4. I went to Heidi Land (my childhood self adored the book so I had to go!) and there was a free shuttle bus to the site from the train station. You have to buy a ticket to go in but there's lots of beautiful nature to hike in for free nearby.
5. I brought toiletries and hayfever tablets with me (definitely a good decision because my allergies started going crazy!), a book to read and some food for the journey. Frugal fail: I forgot my earphones and umbrella and had to buy them (the umbrella was especially annoying because the rain stopped soon after I bought it and it didn't rain again). I don't consider this a frugal fail but I splashed out on going into the business lounge at the airport on the way back. I had never done this before and probably won't again, but there were very few places to sit or eat in the general airport area, I was tired and feeling miserable, and honestly, it was worth it to sit in a comfortable chair and to have drinks and buffet included in the price.
I spent a lot of money in general but it was completely worth it! Switzerland was beautiful and I'm so glad I went!
Your trip sounds amazing! I'm so happy for you.
Kristen,
Check out Mercari (similar to EBay) for scrubs. Some are brand new, some gently used and some have a bit of wear. Just another option to find the style you like when they have been discontinued!
Have a great day!!
--Realized that the 4 bananas I'd gotten this week at Aldi had a rough trip to get to the store and were browning faster than I like. Not wanting to heat the house by baking, I peeled them all, broke them into about 8 pieces each, and froze them flat in a ziplock bag for smoothies (or muffins) later. Freezing flat in 1 layer means they're not in a big, unusable chunk when I need them.
--Have been enjoying a big container of spring mix to get my greens š $5 at Aldi vs the $7-8 that Giant wants.
--Thought about getting some loose leaf tea that was recommended by a friend, but deleted my cart after realizing I'm perfectly happy with my Yorkshire black tea.
--Needed a "kitty exhaustion" toy to wear out my 2 yr old brother kitties so they didn't wake me at 3 AM! Tied a long shoestring onto the remnants of a stick toy and they bounced and chased through the evening. Woke me at 4:45 :))) I'm a morning person so this is fine.
--Washed my daughter's old backpack and found a new home for it with the school's counseling office for students in need.
--Used a library digital pass to go to a local arboretum with a friend & enjoyed walking their trails through the woods outside of the fenced garden area. Free vs $18 each.
--I loaned our dolly to a friend and offered to help with their upcoming house purge/reset to prepare for a family member's surgery.
--I used my $10 CVS Extra Bucks for toilet paper and snacks.
--Sale portabella mushroom caps = homemade cream of mushroom soup In the crockpot last night and mushroom "burgers" tonight.
--Using coupons and PetSmart points, I bought $30 worth of cat food and treats for $10. Have to keep our boys in the style to which they've become accustomed. š
--The garden has been contributing at least one "free" meal a day, plus turnip and beet greens for the freezer.
--I used extra wiggle room in this month's food budget to take advantage of a half-price sale from my favorite seed pusher. The weirder the world, the more I feel the need to add to my stash of vegetable seeds.