Five Frugal Things | expensive protein powder
1. I bought another bag of Promix vanilla protein powder
This does actually make sense: hear me out. My problem is that I originally bought two very big bags of plain Promix protein powder before realizing that I don't really like it.
(Unflavored is not the same as "has no flavor", I discovered.)
However, when I make my overnight oats for work, I can use one scoop of plain powder plus one scoop of vanilla in each serving, and I don't notice at all.
Sooo, the vanilla powder is helping me slowly get through my plain powder (which is stored in my chest freezer to make sure it doesn't go bad before I eat it.)
Also, I used a coupon code to get $12 off the bag of vanilla powder.
(Promix is expensive, but it has only a few simple ingredients and no artificial sweeteners. So, I fork over the cash.)
2. I canceled some of my Amazon subscriptions
I realized I had more than I needed of some of the items on my list! So, I just canceled those items. I can always resubscribe if I find I need them again in the future.
Now I have almost nothing on my Subscribe and Save list.
3. I froze my extra bananas
An oldie but a goodie: I had two bananas in the fridge that were going to get funky, so I sliced and froze them.
They'll be perfect for adding to a smoothie or making some banana ice cream. 🙂
4. I turned my extra tomatoes into soup
My neighbors gave me some of their homegrown tomatoes, and at the same time, my Hungry Harvest box had also given me six big tomatoes.
Sooo, I seasoned and roasted some of them, along with half an onion from my fridge.
And then I blended them with some homemade chicken broth (from the freezer), plus some garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes.
5. I made roasted red peppers
I was also the recipient of some home-grown red peppers from my neighbors, and I already had several in my fridge from Aldi. Soo, I roasted some of them and made a batch of this roasted red pepper & basil mayo.
I had a few extra after making the mayo, so I froze them for a future mayo-mixing session.
Now I am a little more caught up on my produce situation, which makes me feel better. Fighting produce food waste is a task and a half with a small household, even though I do eat a pretty veggie/fruit heavy diet.
1. I made a turkey yesterday to use up some of what is in my freezer and I currently have a roaster full of broth going with the carcass. I've been out of broth for a while, so I'm excited to have some more!
2. My daughter thought that her backpack needed replaced, but we took a look at it and it really just needed a good cleaning and will be good to go. So we scrubbed it with some Fels Naptha soap and it's currently soaking in OxiClean. We have a tub half full of things that are soaking - most of which were stained during our camping trip.
3. I've gotten some pretty good meat deals on FlashFood lately and shared my promo code with two friends who live in a town that just got FlashFood. I don't know if they'll use the code, but it's worth a try.
4. We got some inexpensive corn on the cob and I blanched and froze a bunch yesterday.
5. We had friends over the other night and made a taco bar (one of our faves) but I did a few things to make it more affordable. I made chicken taco meat instead of beef (save about $3/lb, also I made two family packs and froze the extra meat when the night was over) and had sides like rice and refried beans to help bulk up the meal. I also shredded the lettuce myself. I didn't plan correctly on tortillas (did I really think people would have 2 hard shells and 4 soft shells each??) But I'll use the extra soft shells this week to make enchiladas for the freezer.
For reasons I do not understand (because I have been reading with you since forever) I never noticed this sauce before. It sounds delightfully easy and delicious.
This week I
-- did my regular cleaning with my favourite cloths: squares cut from old towels. After use I just wash them on 60Celcius and they are good to go again;
-- cleaned old sticker glue from a door with sodium carbonate. It worked really well, what cannot be said for the expensive bottle of environmentally hazardous sticker remover that I bought for the purpose. Lessons learned: always try the old-fashioned solutions first: sodium carbonate or soft yellow soap;
-- made pesto from basil in the garden, but in a few days I will have enough again for the pepper/basil mayo;
--sewed on a button;
--repotted a house plant. All my plants are doing well, which means I regularly have to move my plants to a bigger pot. Sometimes I have to tear the roots in two, because space on the window sills is limited;
-- gave one of my humidity loving house plants an outdoor shower in the soft rain that has been falling since yesterday;
--rejoiced over the rain that is gurgling into my water containers. It is a soft and steady rainfall and the containers are half full now. Fingers crossed that there will be more water in the days ahead.
I always get vanilla protein powder! It's a lot more palatable.
Frugals:
1. I hadn't baked bread in months but I baked two loaves this week.
2. I made some baked oatmeal. It was questionable, but I still ate it.
3. I replaced my running gear. I invested in some good running shoes; they were expensive but hopefully will last a long time. I did the park run on Saturday, which is free, and went swimming in the sea afterwards. I also used my gym membership.
4. I cancelled Amazon Prime, which I'd renewed for a month in order to watch a series and a few films. I have it for another week, so rewatched Crossing Delancey, which is one of my favourite films (I should really get it on dvd).
5. I am planning a trip to Venice with my sister for a few days in October. We found a reasonably priced place to stay which is self-catered (and, of course, it helps to split the cost). I plan to bring my new Snoopy plate and bowl, and now feel like it was less of a waste of money - if Snoopy can ever be considered a waste of money 😉
Frugal fail: I forgot to renew some library books.
Your upcoming trip sounds amazing!!! Here's to a well-traveled Snoopy set. 🙂
I also started using Pro mix protein thanks to your review. I find it funny that the name they chose is inaccurate, as it's actually so hard to mix! Its fine when I can access a blender, but not for me in shaker bottles. Vanilla is tasty and not excessively or artificially sweet like most brands. I definitely wasted some money trying to find what worked and glad to have this option.
I swam and showered at the pool one day.
I put a container of wet wipes in a ziploc bag hoping that the inevitable end of product dryness will be less(?)
I shared more garden produce at work which is frugal for others and didn't cost me anything.
--I read about State Farm paying out dividends to its customers this fall and decided to look into it. It is, indeed, legit! You do have to apply to be included in the pay out and tell them how to pay you; our $65 and change will arrive next month via PayPal. I wasn't expecting a lot, given that both our well-loved cars (21 and 37 years old) and our <750 sq/ft house don't cost much to insure, but I'll still happily take $65!
--I donated three more items to one local coffee shop's free clothing rack and lucked into THE perfect green hoodie in the process. My last green hoodie (it must always be green) wore out last fall, and I've been hunting for a replacement with no success. I'll do another closet sweep to see if there's anything else to bring in thanks for the perfect hoodie. (I've become more ruthless about my day-to-day clothes. If I'm only reaching for something because everything else is dirty, it doesn't need to be there, and I am glad to pass on things in good condition.)
--I received a gift certificate to a different local coffee shop in thanks for donating to an upcoming charity auction. The certificate was good for one coffee and one pastry. I enjoyed a large iced coffee with mocha and chose the largest in-house made cinnamon roll; I split the latter with my husband when I got home.
--A regional natural foods store had a big sales event. I bought only what we needed--two dozen cage-free eggs for $2 total, yes please--and only took free samples that we could actually use. The main score was a nice, big free water bottle; the branding doesn't matter because it won't survive that long. My husband has a gift for losing or destroying water bottles at his lumberyard job, so free is best! Lol
--I had a coupon for a free 12 pack of Friskies canned cat food but had a neck of a time finding the pate variety. (One of our three boys is a former street cat with missing teeth, and chunky or shredded soft food gets stuck in the gaps. It's pate or bust.) I finally tried Petco, where I don't usually shop because the location is inconvenient. Victory at last! The Friskies will be alternated with their usual fancy soft food in addition to their fancy hard food. Spoiled creatures.<3
I love canceling subscriptions! I may have mentioned this earlier but recently DH and I went through my subscriptions and consolidated all our household needs on his business account...we get a bigger discount AND I'm not managing a bunch of deliveries. It felt so good to clear out my list.
1. We learned that the landfill in the neighboring county will let us take trash and recycling there, for just a couple of bucks more than for county residents. Our county doesn't have such a landfill, and after number crunching we realized it would be cheaper--even with gas and vehicle wear and tear--to cancel our curbside pick up and make bimonthly trips to the dump (and in the process we can clean out the garage and take things there that curbside won't pick up). We've already gotten a mattress and old rug out of the garage, much to the Commodore's dismay, as he liked climbing/scratching on those! Of course we will coordinate dump trips with other errands to amortize the gas costs. We'll save about $1000 a year doing this.
2. I finally used up a jar of coconut oil and have moved on to using up a jar of ghee I bought for reasons now forgotten.
3. We learned our Vitamix makes very good rice flour, which is otherwise quite expensive for those little bags.
4. DH found a new free streaming app called Plex, and to my delight it has a tv series I've always wanted to watch: "The Librarians." Also another couple of shows that look interesting, plus some delightful Sherlock Holmes movies. There are ads, but we just mute during them and I tell my kids it's like watching TV in the "olden times." Plus, Amazon Prime also has ads for some of their content now, even if you subscribe. What a racket.
5. Reading library books on my tablet. Currently enjoying The Other Boleyn Girl and The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.
5.