Three Frugal Things: Today's the day
For those of you following along at home: today's the colonoscopy day. I am very much looking forward to eating something that requires actual chewing this afternoon.
I only have three things today because woo, this colonoscopy prep is very draining (ahahahaha. literally.) But, I at least wanted to get a post up so all of you could enjoy sharing your frugalities with each other.
1. I froze my raspberries
Sooo, I did some more reading about the whole "no raw fruits and vegetables for three days prior to a colonoscopy" rule, and apparently, it's best not to eat anything with peels or seeds, even if it's cooked.
I had some raspberries that were definitely going to go bad before my dietary restrictions were lifted, and I had planned to just cook them. But...raspberries are very seedy, even cooked.
So, I rinsed, dried, and froze them, and they can go in a smoothie after my procedure.
2. I ate lots of Cream of Wheat
Normally, I try to eat a lot of fiber, so Cream of Wheat is not generally on the menu.
But, when I got that random digestive illness a few months back, I bought a box, and I have been slowly trying to use it up.
The low-fiber diet they put me on for a few days prior to my colonoscopy was the perfect opportunity, though!
3. I drank lots of my homemade chicken broth
Yesterday was a clear liquids-only day, and I ended up going through quite a few containers of my homemade chicken broth.
It's nice to have a little something salty to throw in the mix, since most clear liquid options are sweet.
Best of luck on your screening 🙂 what a process. Finally feeling like I'm getting back to some frugalities in this new-to-me city.
- Went on several walks for groceries and for pleasure
- Picked up trash around the city as we walked (using discarded but clean bags)
- Used the Upside app for gas and groceries (thanks for the tip on this blog!)
- Got a library card and have made several trips to the library
- Packed lunch/snacks for hiking
Good luck on the screening Kristen!
I did not count my frugals this week. Over the weekend, I cleaned out and reorganized our attic and attic bedroom, now hobby room. In my experience, being organized often leads to be frugal. For instance, we took all jigsaw puzzles and put them in the hobby room. We do not need to buy any, we can put puzzles together and pass them on. All weights, rubber bands, and the yoga mat and pillow are also in that room. I can now do my online exercise easily without looking for things. We found an old (1920's!) bedstand that looks lovely in my husbands home office. While we were reorganizing the "small" top attic at the top of the house, we already brought down the box with the outdoors fairy lights. I had a look at the contents of the emergency cupboard and checked out the expiry dates of the water bottles. We used and replaced some and I added some more. Our government now advises to prepare for 8 days instead of 3 days of emergency, as a result of the recent security hacks. I have put a date in my agenda for a next quarterly check, because I keep a lot of water in clean glass containers. Clean tap water will keep well for at least 6 months (I read 12 months, but I decided to stick to 6 months). Within that half year I will use the water, clean the containers, and fill up again. I use masking tape by way of stickers. I also have boxes of mineral water, to make up for the minimum number of litres we should have. They keep longer, but the boxes are lined with plastic.
I also found a box of chargers and adapters; on top I had added a list with what was in it. Of course, if you have not been needing something for three years, the odds are that you can throw them out any way. But in this case I can decide that without having to rummage through the box and looking what it is and where they are fore. Also we will not buy duplicates.
More decluttering will definitely follow. I like the space for moving around and knowing what we have and where we have it!
Good luck for later! You'll feel so much better once it's done 🙂
Frugals:
1. I hosted dinner for my friend last week. I cooked a roasted vegetable ratatouille dish for dinner and baked an apple crumble for dessert, and my friend brought a bottle of wine. I needed some extra glassware and a mug, as my previous set had broken, and I got those from a charity shop. I also got a vase from there for some flowers and a pottery bowl which I put oranges in. I couldn't find any placemats, even in 'real stores' (I have some coasters for drinks but not for plates), so I used a couple of magazines (for once not throwing them out paid off) and we had a laugh over it. It wasn't perfect but it was a lot of fun! I bought some new cloth napkins and have continued to use them after the meal, so I think it was a worthy investment. Either way, the meal was a wonderful investment of time! Thanks everyone for the tips and encouragement 🙂 An unexpected bonus is that I am now enjoying a very tidy apartment!
2. I ordered a book on Ebay which never arrived, so I complained and got a refund. Possibly not totally frugal as I then ordered it from somewhere else which was more expensive than what I initially paid, but I guess better than doing so without also getting the refund!
3. I had some odds and ends in the fridge which needed using up so I made a pasta dish one evening with various vegetables and the last of some pesto.
4. I got a watch for my birthday a few months ago. At the time, I didn't think I needed it as such, because I just check the time on my phone, but the watch has actually been incredibly useful. It's helpful to quickly glance down and see the time on my wrist (and it's also cute, because my watch has cats on it), and it's also helpful if my phone dies!
5. I went to my bookclub this week, which is free aside from drinks (we meet in a cafe/bar). I ordered two and had a glass from a shared bottle of wine. When I went to pay for mine, the bottle of wine had already been taken care of and the person wouldn't take money for it. I also went to a social event last week and my workplace paid for dinner and the venue we went to after we ate.
Otherwise, same as always, such as swimming outside (which is getting colder!), buying food on sale and baking from scratch.
1. Saved $130/year while renewing our digital newspaper subscription (originally $260), just by asking nicely.
2. Went to brunch at my niece’s house and she sent me home with enough leftover quiche for two breakfasts.
3. Purged hundreds of recipes from three locations: our recipe binder, Internet favorites on our laptop, and documents (Word and PDFs), also on our computer. Found some former favorites that we’ll put back in the rotation but mainly got rid of recipes that we’ll never try, we’ll never miss, we don’t enjoy anymore, were duplicative, etc. Plus we often just compose meals now vs. follow recipes. I was inspired to do this after my niece showed me her binder of just 20 favorite dinners, printed and placed in sheet protectors. She was inspired to do this as she was tired of accessing recipes from a device.
4. Almost bought more dog food from Chewy before checking a pet store near our home. Identical price, although we’d save $4 using Chewy’s Autoship. Since my husband and I have decided to return to our former habit of making in-store visits and avoiding deliveries, this was an easy decision.
5. Spent less than a half hour getting the names of the previous homeowners permanently off various mailing lists so I don’t keep getting their junk mail and having to recycle it over and over again.
I have my fingers crossed for good procedure results today.
1. We brought home a curb picked floor lamp that is perfect for our living room. I may have been inspired by Kristen's many lamp acquisitions.
2. I made a chicken stew with the remains of a rotisserie chicken.
3. Giant offered $10 off a $50 "order" after their recent cyber security event. I stocked up and found some very clearanced items to donate.