Five Frugal Things: Snoopy needs his nose
1. I fixed a Snoopy nose
Between the two of us, Zoe and I have a lot of stuffed Snoopies! And recently, one of hers lost his nose.
I sewed it back on, and it was actually a harder task than I anticipated! I'm still wondering if I should have made it a little more flush with his face than I did.
Now that I'm looking at these photos, I'm noticing the stitching on his one foot needs some help too. But that is another problem for another day. At least he has a nose again!
2. I returned a calculator
For my unproctored chemistry tests, I'd just been using my iPhone calculator, which is perfectly sufficient.
But the chemistry final was proctored, and the instructions said I was going to be allowed to use a scientific calculator. I certainly didn't want to get disqualified for using my iPhone calculator, so I ran out to Office Depot and bought a $24 scientific calculator.
However, when I logged into my final, it said I was not allowed to use a physical calculator; instead, they included a built-in calculator on the test website.
Which is decidedly not what the directions said.
(Once again I say: APPARENTLY NO ONE PROOFREADS ANYTHING. Sigh.)
Anyway. I have zero use for a scientific calculator, and it was still brand new. So, I brought it right back to the store for a refund, and hopefully they will resell it to someone who actually needs it.
3. I sold a pair of Goodwill shorts
Remember how I bought those two pairs, discovered they didn't fit, and then missed the return window?
Well, I listed the Adidas pair on eBay, and this week, I sold them. I think I paid $6.99 for them initially, and sold them for $6. Plus, eBay takes a cut, so this is still a loss.
But hey, it's not a total loss, and now the shorts are going to someone who can use them.
The other pair is a no-name brand, so I'm not sure they are worth listing. I may just donate those!
4. I listed a hoodie for Zoe on eBay
She cleaned out her closet and made a donation pile, and I spied a hoodie that I thought might sell for a decent amount. The completed listings look good, so I made a quick listing, and hopefully it'll sell for her.
(Obviously, I will give the money to her!)
5. I got my CPR approved!!!
If you're just joining us: my BSN school wanted me to get the American Heart Association Basic Life Support certification (BLS) instead of the Red Cross BLS that I have through my hospital, even though my BSN clinicals are at my hospital.
This would have required another $120 and a day of class, all for an active certification that I already hold.
I have sent so many emails about this with barely a response. So I finally took matters into my own hands, emailed the director of the wound clinic, and asked if she could prepare a letter saying the wound clinic was cool with my current BLS certification.
I sent that to my school this week, and now, finally, my CPR certification is approved!
I am very happy about this, although I still think there was no reason for this to require eleventy-million emails on my part.
But I saved myself $120, and I also feel satisfied about this outcome on principle. No one should need to get recertified if they are currently certified.
We went on a mini-vacation last weekend, so spending extra money was definitely involved. But we still did some frugal things!
1. Most of our meals were from food we packed for the trip and ate at the cabin. Exceptions were just meals on the road and one meal out during our big excursion.
2. We bought tickets for our excursion ahead of time online, which saved us $4 per ticket. The excursion was an example of saving money other places so we can spend it on things that matter. It was more expensive than things we normally do, but we had a blast and made a lot of memories. Totally worth it!
3. We split two pizzas and drank water for our lunch while on the excursion instead of all five of us ordering individual things. This was the first time I've had a significant amount of gluten since August, but I knew that everyone buying individual meals instead of sharing pizza would make lunch cost an extra $25-$30, so I chose to go with it. It was yummy, I felt kind of crappy for an hour or so (thankfully no eczema breakouts!), and have now resumed my GF eating.
4. I attended a fancy brunch with my husband last week at the place where I work catering. It was different to be on the attendee end of things! But my entire outfit for the fancy brunch was from Goodwill (yay!) and once the event was over, I clocked in to help with the clean up and get paid.
5. I also picked up a second part-time job filling in at my kids' school as a long-term sub for someone in the cafeteria. I only work twice a week at most, but it helps them not be so short-staffed, I enjoy working with kids, and it helps me reach my earning goal for the year.
I think it is so funny you clocked in after the fancy brunch! I like the hustle. Did you bring a change of clothes? Or did you clean up in your dressy outfit?
Snoopy looks so cute with his nose! How annoying about the calculator.
Frugals:
1. I paid money into my emergency fund and towards my student loan.
2. I went to a theme park with some friends but only bought a small snack and drink aside from the entrance ticket, and had my main meal when I got home (this was partly due to thinking it wouldn't be wise to eat and then go on a rollercoaster).
3. I wanted to see a horror film at the cinema but no one else could go/wanted to, and I was too chicken to go by myself, so I stayed in and watched Suspiria (which was more frightening than I expected!). I paid money to rent it but that's cheaper than an evening out. I also watched the Halloween episode of My So-Called Life which I own on DVD.
4. I went to a yoga class included in my gym membership.
5. When I went to Venice with my sister I gave her my mother's birthday card and a small present so that I wouldn't have to spend money on posting them.
Otherwise, all the usual things, such as mostly cooking at home, using the library and swimming outside (which reminds me that it's time for a new month's swim).
I forgot to mention this yesterday, but in regards to the 'drill sergeant', I often think 'done is better than perfect'. I am not much of a perfectionist anyway, but it helps me when I get too in my head about finishing something or hitting a goal.
Theme park food is SO crazy expensive. And haha, yes, a big meal plus a roller coaster is probably not the greatest idea.
--My parents are visiting this week (yay!), so I'll be handing off holiday gifts while they're here. That saves the cost of mailing presents later since I know we won't be traveling this winter.
--Our kitchen door's previous curtain was past it--regular washing can't compete with daily cooking/kitchen goo! I replaced the grubby white curtain for a black one made from satin pillowcases we didn't like (too warm/sweaty!), stitched together on a horrible endometriosis day when I needed a distraction. It actually looks pretty spiffy!
--I'm renewing the registration for my vehicle today so there's no chance of forgetting it as November ramps up. This will be well under $40 thanks to our rural area, plus my beloved older car ('89). Since the county seat is a fifteen minute drive, I'll also stop at that town's grocery store and thrift shop.
--On the way home, I'll stop at another little town's car wash to vacuum my loyal steed for 75 cents. Our local car wash doesn't have a vacuum, and the other town's is literally by the side of the road one takes, anyway.
--Another library board member and I worked on a state-specific community involvement grant to help cover activities, guest speakers, etc. for the coming year. We both did the brainstorming and outlining; I did the formal writing. This one is for $5k, so here's hoping!
I love Snoopy. I have a tiny (3 inches!) windup walking Snoopy in my closet that I found in my Dad's house, I think it was my younger brother's, from the early 1970's. I keep it in my closet because it always makes me smile first thing in the morning.
I went to a movie to keep my neighbor company. It was about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, of which I am abysmally uninformed. I got a senior price and I never eat at theaters anyway, so not too bad. If I had gone on a Tues or Wednesday, It would have been half price! Because I have such bad vertigo, movies can be triggering so it is rare to go at all. Extra points for my neighbor having a great time.
Not totally frugal, but my neighbor and I, who are also friends, decided to not exchange gifts this Christmas. She always showers me with interesting and well thought out (and expensive!) things and I agonize over what to get her since she is a vegan, gluten free, organic eco-terrorist! I love her but she is hard to pick out a present for. One year I spent 3 days trying to find the best compostable doggie bags! We decided to go out for a meal somewhere interesting and maybe make a day outing instead. I am relieved.
Got some Oatly for 50 cents because the top was mashed. No problem with the product, and since it is normally over $5 it might get me to the next BOGO at my grocery.
More sleeping with my windows open. A great joy in life. I don't think my a/c has kicked on in weeks.
Got some Mezzetta dilled cauliflower BOGO. I LOVE it. So, when the cauliflower is over and the brine is left, I blanch some more cauliflower and fill the glass jar back up. I could try to replicate the brine, but this tastes really good to me. For those worrying about health standards, it is like making refrigerator pickles, and I have never had a problem.
I did mucho laundry yesterday and hopefully saved a bit of $ by letting most just warm up in the dryer, getting a lot of wrinkles out, and hanging for the remainder of the drying process. It's a bit chaotic for a day, but nothing ever shrinks and I like the end result.
Y'all have a wonderful weekend!
Not a frugal share, but I remember once when I was a child that a stuffed dog that I played with a lot lost its nose. My mom sewed it back on, but she sewed it upside down. I remember thinking that the dog couldn't breathe. It really bothered me! My mom took care of the house and there were a lot of us. She did her best. The things you remember!
No time to share FFT.
Have a wonderful day, all!
I am so in love with Snoopy, and according to my mom, have been since I was 2! As an adult, I have quite a few stuffed Snoopys. Looking at the photo, I think he looks adorable! I can't sew at all, and your repair of his nose is better than I could ever do! I'd probably take my chances with super glue before a needle and thread! But the nose, along with the stitching missing on his foot, just shows what a well-loved beagle he truly is! I'm sure he holds a place of honor in your home, and that you smile whenever you see him, flaws and all!
1. Picked up a barely used chainsaw off Buy Nothing.
2. My mom gave us some fruit, vegetables, and desserts. We had a small Halloween party, so we served the desserts there, along with pizzas I bought at Aldi for 50% off.
3. I bought some Halloween treats from Aldi on clearance. I will save them for Christmas stocking stuffers.
4. To celebrate our wedding anniversary, we took a long hike at a park we had never been to and got a cup of coffee at a cafe.
5. My husband and I compared our health insurance options for open enrollment.
PS--Kristen, have you ever devoted a post to why and how you came to love Snoopy? That would be a fun read for us and hopefully a quick/easy post for you!
1. Used some denture tablets from my friend’s mom’s estate to clean toilets.
2. Gave away seven empty boxes that someone requested on Buy Nothing for wrapping fake gifts as Christmas decor.
3. Made a batch of croutons. Used the toasted crumbs left in the pan on top of a salad.
4. Husband cleaned out his truck and garage of clothing he’s no longer using. One T-shirt got washed for donation while the rest went into the Goodwill textile recycling bag.
5. Updated financial tracking spreadsheet with October results. Nothing surprising but a bit shocking nevertheless.