A day of little frugalities
Yesterday was an unremarkable day for me, but unremarkable days are usually filled with little bits of frugality. So, I thought I'd make a list, especially since I didn't set out to make yesterday a big money-saving day.
When I got up, I hopped onto my eBay account to accept an offer on a discounted textbook for Sonia. $40 instead of $150 at her college!
I also edited my Chewy Autoship order to remove an item I didn't need and add one I did. I sometimes miss these Autoship emails so I was pleased with myself about this one!
I brought my Christmas tree stand basin inside (it had been outside to air out from the spray paint!) and admired the pretty-good-for-a-1997-item rehab job. 😉
I did an at-home weights workout using one of the workouts I saved from my time with Ben Palocko.
And then I went for a walk on the trails that I can access from my neighborhood.
I stopped to listen to the running water for a little while, of course. 🙂
After my walk, I showered, and then it was time for breakfast. I had a tomato that needed to be used up, and I had spied a bread heel in the freezer. So, I made a plate of fried eggs, toast, and a salted/peppered sliced tomato. And of course, I made some coffee.
Then I went to my 50% off haircut where I opted, as usual, for air drying afterward. My hair isn't remotely thick, so paying for a blow dry is a little bit pointless; it's dry by the time I get home anyway!
Next, it was time for a trip to Aldi, where I bought most of the groceries I needed (for the menu plan I concocted the day before).
I also needed a few non-Aldi things, so I popped in at the nearby regular grocery store (for pasta shells, Barilla protein pasta, and some bananas because I don't usually love Aldi's bananas.)
For lunch, I had oranges and a sandwich made with the last of the ham, the last of the cheddar, and a leftover bun from when I made burgers.
In the afternoon, I put away groceries, wrote some blog posts, and made a big batch of stuffed pasta shells. I froze a bunch of them on a sheet pan, and I'll put them in a Ziploc bag when they're hard.
That way, they'll make for some easy post-work meals for me down the road!
I also finished MORE paperwork for my BSN program reimbursement from my hospital (!) and watched the required online Healthstream class for onboarding into this particular reimbursement program.
I am seriously earning this reimbursement money. GEEEEEZ. I am grateful that when I started, I had no idea how much paperwork was required because I might have quaked a bit. 😉
After Zoe and I had dinner, I packed up my work lunch. I also grabbed some egg bites from the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw for the next morning's breakfast.
Then I did my PT exercises (PT appts. are a waste of money if you don't do the work at home!), and my daily Duolingo lesson.
I washed my face with one of my plain old washcloths, put on my unfancy Cerave lotion, brushed my teeth, set my 5:00 am alarm, and went to bed!
And now I am back in Hospital Mode, which means my day will be completely different than yesterday! My only frugalities today will probably be my lunch packing and my cooking dinner at home. 😉
I like the idea of celebrating the little frugalities, as that's all I've got as we're vacationing in Florida. Here goes:
--Groceries are more expensive here in Florida than back home, but we're still cooking most of our meals here at the house, rather than eating out, which is more expensive! The one exception so far has been the Publix subs, which everyone agreed lived up to the hype.
--We're doing free or cheap outings; yesterday we all biked up to a park for a hike, then biked over to Publix. We were pondering the pre-made deli offerings, when a nice employee tipped us off that the made to order Italian subs were "on sale" so we got three HUGE subs for the guys and a salad for me, some fruit and chips, then biked over to a small, dog-free park (my youngest has severe dog phobia) for an awesome picnic. We packed water from home.
--Free entertainment: I've been getting up early and biking over to the beach in the mornings to watch the sunrise. My friend's TV has a Netflix account she lets her guests use, so DH and I watched 11.22.63 together.
--Avoiding the nightlife: getting up early means we're getting to bed early, so no temptations to go out! 😉
--We were able to bring our computers (and they miraculously survived the downpour while packed in the bed of the truck, protected by many layers of trash bags!), so that DS#4 and I can start our online class--nothing frugal about missing assignments and getting a poor grade.
Pub subs are so good! Still cheaper than eating out at a restaurant. 🙂
Don't overlook the Publix fried chicken either, Karen A. During my years in FL at least (which I admit are a long way in the rear view mirror), it was some of the best takeout fried chicken available.
i agree when i worked at disney world the summer between sophomore and junior year of college publix fried chicken was the best.
Agreed on the Fried Chicken A Marie, which is an occasional treat at my house! They are sneaky as sometimes you can smell it in the parking lot - which makes you crave it LOL!
Groceries can be expensive in Florida, and Publix may be among the most expensive of all the grocery stores. As I am sure you noticed, they dominant the marketplace here. Being a Florida Native, I used to shop exclusively at Publix. Nearly everyone did. However, with the increase in prices as well as many other changes, I now shop a variety of stores to keep prices down. I know this is not something you want to do on vacation. On another note, the Publix Sub is special. When my kids would come home from college, they headed straight to the store's deli for an Italian sub.
Enjoy your stay. I hope you get decent weather. It's yucky in the northern part of the state today.
In our area here, there's a Walmart, but it doesn't have perishable groceries. There is an Aldi, but locals tell me it's not great and their refrigerators are often on the blink. So to keep our time and expenses down, we're sticking to a few simple meals--oatmeal, sandwiches, scrambled eggs.
Karen A.,
If you are from a cold-weather area, also check the thrift stores in Florida. A lot of people from "Up Nawth" move down to the Sunshine State thinking they'll need winter clothes. Eventually, they donate them and the thrift stores practically have to give them away. So the prices on very nice winter coats and clothing are extremely low. When I lived in Florida, I told a visiting friend (who had just graduated from biz school that December) to bring a nearly empty suitcase on the plane with her. She visited around Xmas. We went thrifting and soon, her suitcase was full of gorgeous dressy winter suits she could wear at her new corporate job in the Midwest! What she saved on the new wardrobe practically paid for her plane ticket...(discounted, of course, as she flew Southwest.) I think they'll still have winter clothes in January.
I shop Publix but do my menu around their BOGOs each week.
I agree about Publix being most expensive and having a monopoly in Florida! While it is closest to me, I only shop there for BOGO type loss leaders! And , the occasional Pub Sub or Fried Chicken! The rest of my items come from Aldi!
There was a Winn-Dixie in this area, and it was great, but the second year we came here it was gone and now the Aldi is there in its place. Boo. Winn-Dixie was quite a bit less expensive! Still more expensive than up north, but less so than Publix.
I haven't been on here the last few days because my computer went on the fritz. It would almost start up -- and then go right back into a black screen. Just as mysteriously, it came back on this morning. I hadn't sat down at my desk but when going into the kitchen to get my coffee, there it was, working again...I'm going to replace it very soon, but need my once-and-future computer room rewired/hooked up to Spectrum instead of the old company, Grandecom.
I have injured my back and was out a couple of days at work. Then I caught a cold. So my frugalilties are nearly non-existent.
--Using OTC medicines purchased with the Medicare Advantage OTC card, so they were "free" to me. No out-of-pocket cost.
--I took my Medicare Advantage card to the chiropractor's office and ended up only paying $15 instead of the private pay fee, which was over $99.
--I had terrible heartburn after taking the OTC pain pills, including aspirin. So I opened my "emergency can" of condensed goat milk and mixed that up. It helped quench the fire.
--Used a birthday card I already had on hand to send to a little girl at boarding school. Also included 2 of those free little notepads you get from St. Jude Children's Hospital in the envelope. They have darling little designs on them! Oh, and the card was purchased at a thrift store for maybe a dime or a quarter. (It was bought a long time ago, so I forgot exactly how much.)
Karen A.,
I can't speak to the Publix subs or fried chicken (though now I want a sub, lol!), but asking - what did you think of 11.22.63? I read the book, and enjoyed it quite a bit, but haven't watched the show.
The textbook looks interesting! I'm impressed with how much you pack into a day!
I have very thick hair so I always opt for getting it dried at the hairdresser!
My little frugalities:
1. I made lunch at home today.
2. I baked lemon cookies at the weekend.
3. I'm planning on going to the gym later. I don't have equipment at home so it's useful for me to use it there, along with the machines, and attend classes. Overall, it's a good deal for money...as long as I actually go 😉
4. I want to watch A Room With A View before going to Florence but it isn't on streaming anywhere, so I've borrowed the DVD from the library. I'll probably borrow the book from there too.
5. I went for a sunrise walk and swim the other morning which is totally free as I live in walking distance.
This is not a 'little frugality' but I have to go to the dentist for a mouth guard, which isn't cheap - worth the investment in health though!
Long time reader, rare commenter here. I read all the comments and appreciate this community so much. Sophie, just wanted to let you know A Room with a View is on Tubi, for free. :)... in case the DVD is not working quite well (which is what I often experience with the discs at my local library).
Thanks so much for the tip!
I, too, am impressed with the amount of tasks that Kristen accomplishes in a day. I know we only "see" snapshots on here, and of course there is recovery/rebound effect from those 12 hour shifts, but still, so impressive and motivating. I mean there's basically 3 workout sessions in here (weights, walk, PT routine). All amazing, all frugal. Go Kristen!
We don't have an Aldi's nearby, but we do have a Trader Joe's. Same parent corporation, and their bananas aren't very good either, enough so that we just won't buy them there anymore. Even a low price isn't cheap if they get thrown away!
Most of the produce at our Aldi locations here (Florida) have great produce, but if it looks off putting I have zero problem paying more to get better quality at Publix. With the money we save at Aldi, it’s much easier to splurge on higher quality produce elsewhere.
I agree, we don't like the bananas at Aldi, either.
Outstanding photo of Chiquita!
A day of frugalities is an excellent tutorial into how all those little habits make up a lifestyle of not wasting resources, whether time, money, or opportunities. You do more before breakfast than many people do on a day off work. Thanks for demonstrating that frugal living doesn’t mean missing out on good things.
My eldest son is doing some dual enrollment classes at a college, and his psychology professor this semester actually sent them a PDF of a whole textbook and told them to print it. Really? How many students are going to do this? This is a 758-PAGE BOOK.
We did it, though, because my husband is used to printing and binding large documents for his legal work, and actually has a binder at home. It seemed kind of ridiculous, but my son will work much better with a physical copy and even with the cost of that much paper and ink, it's still waaaay cheaper than textbooks are at a college bookstore.
&16 pages?? Yikes. I would be more likely to print out a chapter at a time, or just read it on the computer and take notes. In our nurse aide class, we were also told to print out our entire Nurse Aide Training booklet...the only parts I printed were the lists of skills (with all the steps included) that we could be tested on, so I could check off all the steps when DS#2 practiced and vice versa.
That was supposed to read 758 pages! *off to get more tea, because obviously more caffeine is needed....
Figured out that I can safely sit in my not fully assembled office chair.
Drinking water. Trying to eat at home.
Participating in the decluttering challenge for a Facebook group I belong to.
I'm not sure if this is frugal but a lot of my friends are in decluttering mode. However, they don't seem to have a clear idea of what to do with all the things they're left with. I pick up all of their items for them and organize them into different charities, ie blankets for animal Care, nice clothes and household items for charity. The things that need to be trashed I go through and fabric gets cut up for rags, recyclables go in the bin. The rags I do a zigzag stitch around and then return them to the original owners which is useful and also gives them some good memories. It's a lot of work but I think it's worth it.
You are a jewel to do that for your friends! I try to match my donation with my recipient, but so many neighbors just put it on the curb.
I am a true believer that nearly everything we need has already been manufactured in some form and it can be recycled, upcycled, repaired or reinvented.
Hear, hear!
I agree! No need to buy most things new.
I love what you're doing!
I think working too many hours to spend money on non-necessities also counts as a frugality!
We got a new Aldi not too far from me about a year ago, and I absolutely love it. Except for the bananas. So funny to hear others think the same thing! Also, I wish I could buy individual peppers there. I don't like my produce to be packaged. But I have a Walmart market nearby, also, so I can use that for the things I can't get at Aldi.
In general I don’t care for Aldi produce - with a few exceptions (like cauliflower, onions, hard squash, potatoes). The “greens” especially never taste good to me. I would rather pay a little more and get fresher, tastier produce.
I like this post because it reminds all of us that we are pretty frugal everyday with our small frugalities.
I went to the gym (so as to not waste money by paying monthly and not going), ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at home and then attended a continuing education coding class for free on my computer (and it applies to the points I need).
Thanks for the reminder that it is often the little things that we do everyday which make a big difference: paying bills on time so a late fee is not incurred, batching errands, using online bill pay to save a stamp, leaving the house with water in a refillable container, eating at home, and brewing my own coffee. I did all of this yesterday and didn't think much of it. Frugal habits.
Today's entry in the Chiquita Caption Contest: "Where IS that Chewy delivery???"
And today's small frugalities:
(1) I went for a long walk around the 'hood and collected the secrets of many former snowdrifts (in the form of NYS deposit containers) before it starts snowing again overnight.
(b) And I'm making split pea soup this morning (with Christmas leftover ham and ham bone from the freezer) for me and the neighbors. The Bestest Neighbors are just back from their London trip and may not feel like cooking, and today is NDN1's 87th birthday.
Clearly, I should have used either (1) (2) or (a) (b). The management at Chez A. Marie regrets the error. 😛
Nah. It's good to know that you're not completely perfect.
Why did I never think of freezing the stuffed shells that way? Do you thaw them before you put the sauce on them and bake?
Mended a small hole in an old pair of my joggers, so they are back to usefulness! Also had my child's Dr. do her sports physical at her appointment, so that saved us $25 and a trip to a different clinic this summer to get that done! Ate leftovers for supper and got cards for 2026 at the dollar store (can't beat 2/$1!). I always find cards perfect for what I am NOT shopping for, so in January the last few years, I bring a list of bdays and anniversaries and just knock it all out at once and put the cards in order in a small bin so I can just grab and go!
What a great idea! I have that exact same problem.
Jennifer and Lisa K.,
I have a big box and I put all my greeting cards in it. I used to use a file box, but over the years, I've accumulated too many. So I get a clear plastic bag, often a reused bag a small appliance came in, or a Ziplok type gallon bag, and put cards in there by category -- birthday, get well, graduation, etc. (Although Xmas cards go in with the Xmas stuff.) After holidays, if I see come cute cards marked down, I'll buy those and save 'em for another year. (ie, I have some Aldi Valentines ready to be used). But I also have a whole lot of cards bought from estate sales and thrift stores. I've used this system for years, and I rarely come up empty for something suitable to send. Although I almost never pay more than 99 cents per card, I prefer 50 cents and under.
Another even more frugal place to find greeting cards can be thrift stores! My mom volunteers at one and is unofficially in charge of that section. She organizes and displays them seasonally, and I think they are mostly 25c or maybe even 10c each (can't remember). Depends on the thrift store, but if you luck into one with a volunteer like my mom...a gold mine! My Christmas cards were so nice, some fancy, and made me happy to send knowing how little they cost me.
Love hearing about your normal day, Kristen! (And those stuffed shells looks so yummy, I need to look up the recipe.)
This is our first full week of getting back into a normal routine. As on most days, I worked from home and enjoyed a warm lunch of leftovers from dinner the previous day.
After work I went to the gym for my strength class. I like to leave the house after working from home all day to get in some moving time, so my normal routine is to go for a walk/run or the gym.
I try to batch errands, and on my way home from the gym I stopped at CVS. Earlier in the day I drew up a list of toiletries I needed, and looked up digital coupons or sales I could use for them. I also remembered to bring a reusable bag in the car with me as the bags at checkout are no longer free.
I found most everything I needed and also bought a couple of extra items on clearance (which I made a note of remembering I have in my storage).
At home, I met my husband who had just come home from his walk with a friend. He started cooking a dinner he had meal planned while I showered (we don't always meal plan, but this dinner needed specific ingredients he had bought before hand, other dinners we throw together from ingredients we always keep on hand).
After shower I went online to buy a pair of shoes for my son to replace his old ones that sprung a hole in the sole. I made sure to check my credit card for store-specific cash back before ordering, and also got the shoes on sale. The store has a local brick and mortar store, which makes it easier to return if I ordered the wrong size.
After dinner we packed away the leftovers for lunch next day and cleaned the kitchen, then relaxed with a TV show with the family. Before falling asleep I read a book I've owned for years but never finished, as I'm making an effort to take advantage of our home library.
All in all, a normally boring day which feels nice after the holidays and lots of travel.
I am currently on a challenge to use everything I have in a certain category before going out to buy any more - for example, I have various tinted chapsticks and lip products and I want to use them all up before buying any more. Same with lotions. I'm not an overbuyer by any means but somehow I do find that I have various bottles of things and actually when you focus on trying to use ALL of it up that they last a long time! Also applying the same mindset to my freezer and pantry.
I have become addicted to Project Pan videos on YouTube & have been using up all of my stuff, too. I categorized all of it, wrote it down, & have been getting so much satisfaction crossing used things off my list!!!
My life is all about the little frugalities! They truly do add up!
This morning I got up, took cold coffee out of the fridge (saved from the last brewing) and added creamer to make it a frappacino. The creamer was peppermint flavored, one of those holiday flavors deeply discounted after Christmas.
I had a bag of spinach I bought for salads, but it was getting a bit old, so I cooked it in butter, and added some to an omelet for breakfast. Also for breakfast, I toasted the heels of some whole wheat bread.
I had a bunch of celery to process, so I cut it into sticks for snacking. The parts that didn't work well as sticks were chopped and blanched and frozen, and I'll use them in soup or stew or pot pies. The rest -- the leaves and whatnot, are simmering in water to make veggie stock.
I ran the dishwasher but hand washed the cutting board and chef's knife and wiped out the omelet pan with a clean cloth.
Now I'm headed to the shower, where I'll also wash my hair. I'll have the hair catcher in place over the drain so I won't have to pay the plumber big bucks to remove the hair later. I'll irrigate my ears so I won't have to pay the doctor clean out the wax. I'll use just a drop of hair conditioner to lubricate my legs for shaving. Afterwards I'll wipe the shower walls and fixtures with a dry cloth so hard water stains won't develop.
I'll hand wash the bra I wore yesterday and hang it up to dry.
Later today I'm going to the doctor. We had a lot of snowfall last night, so I won't bother with cleaning off the car but will walk to the train station. The train goes right to the medical complex, and it's free for me, as a low-income senior citizen. And I won't have to pay for parking.
For entertainment today I'm going to watch All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Passport (which only costs me $5 a month) and I'll do some reading in a library book.
And I may do a little housework. You never know!
Beth, that sounds like a GREAT day!
great chiquita photo. she is so photogenic. just yesterday i was wondering how your dualingo was going and today you mention it. i have not been on it for months. was doing french and german and my son had been doing hebrew. so now if i only could know if your car is a 25 or a 26. thanks. glad you are getting money back for school sorry the paper work is a pain in the butt.
i did forget a big frugal. yesterday was hubby's birthday. zoe is still in the hospital. so noah, hubby and i went to a really nice, hugely expensive restaurant that noah wanted to go to for the longest time. we shared one entree, one side and one coke. i had told the maitre'd that it was the hubby's birthday. they gave us a free desert and sang to him. the steak alone was $79. i did not have any as i am not a steak fan. the whole bill for the 3 of us was $105. they treated us very kindly and were very attentive. we were finished in time for hubby to visit our zoe. noah is not old enough and they are very strict. patient advocate who always helped at other hospitals, never even got back to me at this one.
I have not liked Aldi's bananas either. I don't understand what makes them different but they are.
Hm, little frugalities are so automatic by now, it's hard to think of what they are. Let's see, my day starts with a breakfast of a starchy vegetable, a green vegetable and a protein, usually homemade "sausage" patties, all of which is made ahead and I just heat them up, which makes breakfast both fast and filling. I pack my lunch the night before, so I only need to put it in the insulated lunch sack I made and it's ready. Cooking more than enough for one leaves plenty for lunches, so I'm not tempted to get take out at work.
I feed my birds out of squirrel-proof feeders, except for the one tray feeder so loved by the cardinals, doves and titmice. It's made out of an old brass "fines" sieve and since it isn't squirrel proof, I mix the seed with a little vegetable oil and the hottest south Asian pepper powder I can find. It's much cheaper than buying the "hot" oil from bird stores that doesn't really deter my squirrels anyway.
I mixed hot pepper into the little suet and seed cylinder I made out of tallow I rendered and some of the birdseed.
I have 3 main ways I can leave work and drive home: closest, next closest, and a good bit farther. On days I need to refuel the car, I take the next closest way and buy gas at Costco, which is right on the way and almost always cheapest, here. There aren't any good stations on the closest way.
I usually pack a bottle of home-brewed kombucha in my lunch, reusing the bottles over and over. Store-bought kombucha is expensive; homemade kombucha is incredibly cheap.
I wear mostly employer purchased shirts and sweaters with logos at work - the rest of my wardrobe is thrifted, with very rare exceptions.
My dogs were beginning to gain weight. I'm measuring their food per the vet's recommendations and they've dropped the weight (wish it was that easy for me!), so I'm spending less on dog food and avoiding future health problems, especially for my three-legged fellow. Excess weight would be a real burden on his remaining back leg.
Nothing to do with being frugal, but I spent almost 40 years with the same vet, and now I take my pets to his son. Looking at this young man, when I remember the days of chatting with his mom in the store while he was in her cart, wearing diapers, and now calling him "doctor" makes me want to chuckle a bit. But I don't. He's a grown up and worked hard to get where he is. Like his dad, he is calm and compassionate, and I trust him with my pets.
Dare I say, it’s those little frugal habits that add up and actually feel joyous!!! I LOVE when I don’t even really have to think much to save.. it is a habit.. like making grocery lists and menus the day before my CSA basket arrives, to utilize what I know is on the way for veggies.. etc.Today I unpacked red bell peppers,mushrooms,cara cara oranges,greenbeans,squash, spinach and more.For $40 every 2 weeks,this fits into my grocery budget beautifully if I PLAN!!
GOAL FOR 2026: NO FOOD WASTE..
Another goal for me is to meet my OMEGA 3 goals and I do NOT want to buy pricey supplements, in the past, I tried, and I. CHOKE ON THEM plus $$$. I asked Chat GPT what I need to eat weekly to meet my goals with food. 2 FISH servings per week, (Mackeral,sardines, herring,salmon,tuna to a lesser amt.) and 1 Tablespoon flax meal in my oats every morning does the trick! Easey peasey and cheaper by far.I happen to love fish so 1 salmon meal and 1 sardine or herring lunch = so easy. A FRUGAL WIN!
A frugal day is just a usual day when you’re a reader of The Frugal Girl,right??
ALso finiehd my FREE John Grisham thriller, ate the last of last week’s produce, with my breakfast eggs, and rode my old bike for 30 mintues for my exercise.
FUN! All the way around! It’s a mindset!!!!
Hi Madeline,
Make sure you crush the flax seeds as you use them. I learned, by experience, that our digestive track cannot get through the hull to the oil so if you don't crush them, you are flushing them away with no benefit. We use an old pepper grinder to grind and sprinkle them. It takes a little practice to find the right setting on your grinder but it works.
I love little frugalities. Yesterday we returned from a trip and two of us are full-on sick and a third has a scratchy throat and a sore back so we're not full force. Regardless, we still made lunch and dinner at home and saved some zucchinis and marinara sauce from going bad and I got compliments on the dinner (yay!).
I also saw that Ralphs (Kroger) had a coupon for $10 off if you spend $100 and because of the holidays followed by two trips in January, we needed to stock up on some groceries so I thought this was a good time. Instead of my usual rush through the market, I took some time and stocked up on things we needed and didn't overpay on the items just to trigger the coupon. I bought some tulips on clearance, stacked some savings and got a bottle of color-safe shampoo for my daughter for 50 cents, some berries on sale, and a bunch of other deals on food that has become so expensive. Even the cashier said I did a good job - saving $70 on things we need feels good, especially when it was mostly real food instead of cereal, chips, soda, booze, etc. I basically got my King Arthur's bread flour for free, which will allow me to save even more because it will encourage me to bake bread instead of buy it. I recognize that I could easily save the $10 by shopping around more but this one stop set me up to hit the ground running with getting back on track after the holidays and travel AND it is cheaper and healthier than eating out.
I also started doing the laundry as soon as we got home so I'd be done by 4:00, which is when the higher rates kick in.
The mother of my boss (of 30 yrs) and his sister (who I have worked with until a couple of months ago when she retired at 89) had a mantra that I live by--"for better or worse but not for lunch". That being said, DH has several upcoming appointments. Today was fasting labs and tomorrow is a scan, for which he has to have a high protein, low carb food day--no fruit, no sugar, no bread, no cereal. After the blood work, I "borrowed" 2 eggs from my daughter for him to have for breakfast. Then I went out for food shopping--eggs and butter on sale, at the butcher I found some beautiful short ribs for an upcoming meal. I bought some deli turkey and cheese, which I have rolled up for his lunch. Tonight we'll have gyros bowls. And after that tonight I will go to our monthly meditative zentangle class with my friend.
A piece of my front tooth chipped off the other night as I was brushing. Thankfully, my dentist (my boss) too mky advice--as I asked her before she looked at it that she was just going to repair it, (hoping for nothing more). Of course, she laughed at me. She actually did a nice "cosmetic" job of fixing it (at least for the present--hopefully the long term).
I wash my hair before I get it cut--I found it reduces the cost of the haircut by a lot. Doing it that way, I don't mind going every 8-9 weeks.
Now I want stuffed shells! Those look great.
I've been with the same hairdresser for 30-ish years. After I had my first kid 20 years ago I didn't have time for a blow dry and style, and told her to just cut it and I was good. We have continued to do it that way every since, and though her rates have went up over the years, mine has stayed the same. I tip very well.
The other upside to having a kid and needing to simplify is that I quit fighting my wavy hair and started air drying and letting it be what it wants. No more frequent trims, no more bangs (so much maintenance), no more straightening or curling, and rarely blow drying. I get a cut or trim maybe 4 times a year now? And my hair is so much stronger and healthier than it ever was when I was messing with it all the time.
Can u share the recipe for stuffed shell pasta
I love this post! I find joy in the little frugal things.
My little frugal thing yesterday was taking time to do a fresh and frozen food inventory before writing up a grocery list. It is absolutely amazing what can be found in the fridge when it looks empty! At the end of the process I identified at least a week's worth of meal ingredients. I still need to get to the store, but my list is much shorter than I believed it could be. I learned this tip over at Under the Median and it has been very impactful. Takes 10 minutes max: Just Do It!