Five Frugal Things | work, work, work
1. I picked wineberries
These are basically a weed, which means they grow without me doing a thing, and there are quite a few of them in the backyard here.
Wineberries are a little like raspberries, but more tart, and more sticky on the outside.
We know I'm not about to say no to free berries. 😉
2. I survived A/C cycling
I am signed up with an energy-saving program through the power company here; you get a discount for signing up in exchange for them cycling your A/C off and on during times of super high demand. This helps reduce stress on the grid, and I get a credit each month. Win/win.
The cycling doesn't happen very frequently, but this past week, it happened multiple days in a row! My house didn't get that warm; it was mainly just a little more humid than usual.
Luckily, the cycling was over by bedtime, and the cold, dry air started blowing again.
3. I ordered a sturdy nursing clipboard
I used to have a foldable metal one, but somehow, I lost it at work. It's annoying to be without a clipboard, so I read a bunch of reviews on Amazon, and I picked the more expensive model because it seems more durable.
I don't want to buy this multiple times, and I fear the $8-$12 versions would break on me. In the long run, it's more frugal to buy an item that will last, and it's also more ecologically responsible.
I used my Amazon Visa reward dollars for the purchase, so it was $0 out of pocket.
I will 100% be putting stickers on this thing. 😉 And I'm excited to have a storage area for report sheets!
4. I remembered to submit work time for the residency prep
Remember how I said that this week's residency program required a 75-minute online class? We were given permission to put that in as paid time, so I logged on and added it.
Every little bit helps, as we frugal people know. 🙂
5. I worked, and I packed my food
By the end of today, I will have worked almost 65 hours in the last seven days. So, I haven't had a whole lot of time for anything very interesting in the frugal department!
But, despite the way my shifts lined up so close together, I did prep all my breakfasts, brought all my coffee from home, and packed all of my lunches.
Sooo, I earned money by going to work, and I did not spend any money at work. That is not creative or interesting, but it IS frugal. 😉
Your packed meals are so appealing-especially compared to typical cafeteria fare. I bet your coworkers are envious!
My frugal:
* paid bills on time to prevent being charged late fees. I even paid property taxes ( ouch!) in person so no stamp or online convenience fee needed.
* go to the pool using our summer pass almost every day. Kids cool down and burn energy. ( I huddle under my big hat and watch from the side. )
* buying some newborn baby clothes from thrift store. My daughter thought the baby would be on the bigger size and has mostly 3 month sizes. She is dainty, though, So I got to buy a few newborn things. I even found a newborn pajama from my youngest daughter ( 13yrs ago) in a storage tote which looks new. I'm trying not to walk by the new cute baby things in the stores. Even as petite as she currently is, she'll grow, so used is just fine.
*moving our travel date up a day to save over eighty dollars on a hotel room when we go visit the baby.
* youngest wanted puppy chow as a treat on the Fourth, and it was cheaper to buy a box of cereal and have him make it than buy it. So he got more kitchen practice- he also made homemade chocolate ice cream and edible cookie dough to celebrate.
Not frugal: I couldn't find the small shield part of my inspantpot after washing it. I even went through the garbage disposal ( yuck) and garbage (yuck^2) . So I ordered some replacements. Then in the morning it was sitting on the drain rack oh so innocently. (I know I checked there multiple times!) So I hope I can return the extras.
gotta ask–what in the world is puppy chow??? I'm think it's not a bag of Purina....
It is a snack mix, you use Chex cereal to make it.
Hi Kristen! What color clipboard did you order - or rather, what color will Snoopy stickers look best with?! I am thinking that you're getting closer to August, and being able to work fewer shifts.
May and June were expensive months in ways expected (travel, graduation party for two of my kids) and unexpected (our dog suddenly became sick and passed away, and car repairs). I'm hoping that July will be easier on the wallet. Thankfully I have savings accounts to draw some of the money from and did not have to pay for everything out of pocket.
As I am typing this, I remembered that I have to buy a new iPhone this week. Any frugal suggestions from the commentariat? Thanks in advance!
As for the phone need, it's one area that being cheap really doesn't pay. We've had multiple used phones from eBay that die in about a year. If you're intent on used, get a refurb right from Apple; otherwise, get a new one.
Beth, I am thinking that too, and also just recently my very frugal son told me that it's not worth going cheap on the phone and that I should spend the money on a decent new one. I was just checking to see what other frugal minds think 😉
We’ve had success buying the certified refurbished iPhones (usually from Amazon). We always purchase a few models ago and make sure we use screen protectors/cases. If you want longevity, I wouldn’t recommend putting it in the washing machine (ask me how I know)…
I'm going to be working 7 (yes SEVEN) days in a row. Luckily I only have to work 8 hours per day because I have a doctor's note for the screwed up trigger finger (without the doctor's note it would be anywhere from 10 to 12 hours per day). For those of you who haven't heard (can't remember if I posted about the surgery here or at NCA) I had to be back at work 12 hours after the surgery was done, got two paper cuts across the incision during that shift, and then the incision got infected. I've already done two weeks of 8 hour days, and got a second doctor's note yesterday for another 4 to 6 weeks.
I'm wearing one black glove on that hand and am jokingly saying that "I'm in my Michael Jackson era"....gotta laugh or I'll start crying!!
Hi Kristen, I am a tad surprised that your hospital expects you to buy your own equipment? I seem to recall scissors too?
We had a non-frugal week, unless you count putting items in shopping baskets and then emptying the baskets again. I felt stressed and deflated and shopping therapy felt very tempting. However, I went out swimming instead.
I also removed my pinterest account. I increasingly disliked the feed, and also did not cook as many recipes as I expected when I started.
Then, I bought a bagful of depreciated library books (a bag ful for 5 euros). And I will be picking up a book I put on hold, later in the afternoon.
I made it to 5 after all!
That is a gorgeous lunch spread!
--I have a bad habit of setting my gardening tools down as I move around the yard and then having to find them again. Thus, I spray-painted the handles hot pink courtesy of a $5 can from the same lumberyard/hardware store where my husband works. The boss gives me my husband's employee discount, hence the cheap paint and other DIY supplies.
--I fixed a rotten board on our back porch with a new replacement (delightfully cheap wood--see above). Now I just need a long enough break in our thunderstorms/humidity to repaint the whole thing.
--The thrifting gods continue to be kind. For 50 cents each, I found an enameled colander (my preference for harvesting vegetables) and a DVD of "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."
--I used a spare black bedding to make a cover for our oversized reading chair. The Lane Bryant chair was free from a friend, practically new, and COMFY--it's just pale yellow, which is a go-to with three black cats! It's new "cover" just required tucking everything in strategically--fitted sheet for the chair body, velour blanket for the cushions--so the sheets can revert to sheets again if need be. It looks so nice that I scratched "chair cover" off the household "eventually" list.
--Several t-shirts are on their last legs, so I popped onto ThredUp to see if they offered free shipping for the holiday. Lo, I discovered a $10 credit I knew nothing about that expired the very next day! After the $10 discount and free shipping, I paid $7 for two "new" shirts for me and a future birthday gift that's actually new with tags for my sister.
I celebrated our cooler weather this morning by opening all the windows and turning the ac off! 🙂
The area is having a drought so I'm back to showering by getting wet, turning off the water while scrubbing, then rinsing off in cool water–better for the environment, better for me.
I've become my parents by turning off lights when leaving a room.
I closed some vents and shut some doors to cool fewer spaces in our house during the the recent heat.
In relation to the heat and it's destructive capabilities, I canceled a trip this week which would've taken me into fire country. I couldn't come up with a single reason to go somewhere with fires very close by, smoke filled air, and that would cause me lots of worry and stress! So saved my airline points, hotel cost, shuttle fees, entertainment and food money. I'm good with staying safely at home 🙂 I'll travel in other seasons.
I'm going to free events at our libraries.
Of course, cooking all of our meals at home.
And the ultimate freebie–reading lots of library books!
Oh! Also mended a ripped out pocket on a linen sundress (I'd caught it on a drawer handle). Amazingly, I had a near match on the almost peach-colored thread so it even blends well.
Wineberries make great jam/jelly! I remember as a little girl, trekking across the fields to the edge of our farm to pick them. Of course it was always the hottest part of the year, and we got insect bitten and itchy, but we looked forward to it every year! I still pick from a patch at the edge of our neighbor's woods, with their permission, and if I just make up my mind that I'm going to be hot (long pants, long sleeves) for an hour, it's all good!