Five Frugal Things | $54 back at Aldi
1. I got a $54 refund at Aldi
A few weeks ago, Aldi had a special 3-pack of their organic, grass-fed ground beef; 4.5 pounds for $17.96.
So, I picked one up.
But when I got home, I realized that something went wrong with the scanning, and that I'd been rung up for $17.96 x 3.
Which made for some very expensive ground beef, even for grass-fed.
So the next time I was in, I explained the issue and the manager offered to refund me for all three packages, which was much more than I had expected.
(Luckily, this manager has been at my store for years, so he knows me and knows that I don't come in and ask for refunds all the time.)
I don't know that I deserve a lot of credit for this frugal thing, but it IS a good reminder to always check your receipts, so I wanted to share.
2. I sliced a honey container to get the last bits out
I used a serrated knife with fine serrations to slice this container open, and then the honey was very easy to access!
I know you can warm up honey containers to get the crystallized parts out, but this honey was so solid, I felt a knife was the better option.
It is also a quicker option for when you are not feeling patient. 😉
3. I helped Zoe avoid shipping fees
She wanted some khaki pants, and since she and Sonia have a clothing budget from us now, she was responsible for the cost.
We found some on sale at American Eagle online and we ordered two sizes because we weren't sure which ones would fit her. Plus, if she ordered two pairs, she qualified for free shipping.
Once the pants arrived, we kept the ones that fit, and on the way home from a doctor appointment, we popped into the mall to do the return.
Interestingly, American Eagle has a return table set up outside the store, so we didn't even have to set foot inside the actual store.
We haven't been inside a mall since February of this year, so it was a little weird to go back inside of one!
(Incidentally, if you have really slender teens, American Eagle is a serious godsend for pants. They have crazy small sizes online, like a 000. Their clothes are pretty expensive, but they do go on sale, and the quality is quite good.)
4. I redeemed Fetch Rewards for a Panera gift card
I was feeling a sandwich on our last takeout date night, so I redeemed some Fetch reward points for a Panera gift card toward our meal.
Quick summation of Fetch: useful if you buy name-brands, not so useful if you are an Aldi shopper. The introductory offer is worth doing, though:
Sign up and use code QG8V2 to receive an extra 2,000 points.
5. I used my Gap Visa card to get a $75 Old Navy credit
My Gap Visa card sometimes sends out special offers to encourage users to swipe the card outside of Gap/Old Navy/Athleta brands. The special offers are the main reason I keep the card, actually!
For the last quarter of 2020, they have an offer running that gives you $75 of rewards if you spend $1000 outside of their brands.
One thousand dollars is not very hard to spend over the course of three months, especially if you have a car maintenance bill (a brake job in our case!) and a plumbing bill.
I was going to have to pay those bills anyway, and at least this way I am getting a $75 return on that spending.
I have spent many, many hours researching and calling drivers ed classes. With all local places doing online I have been trying to find the best programs and discounts for putting twins through this.. necessity( for us right now). Prices have jumped a bit since I sent the older kid in Jan 2018 and the twin discount has lessened... I procrastinated not wanting to swipe the card... and on Black Friday, while scrolling through Instagram... I saw an ad!!! The place I sent my older son was running a Black Friday special. If you purchase a gift certificate of a class.. you got $100 off the current price!! SCORE.. So I bought 2 certificates and have saved $200 off their regular price.. The twins discount was $50 off my total so WIN!
The same weekend husband was working through his Marriott hotel points and realized he had almost enough point to cover a hotel we have booked in August 2021.. A rescheduled concert (Thanks covid) 2.5 hours from home... I thought I had heard you could buy points and a quick google found that we only needed 2800 points... and with the black Friday special.. I could buy 2000pts for $25 and get 1000 free!! So a hotel room .1mile from the venue for $25!!! I am sure we will pay near the same to park but it will be well worth it not having to drive in concert crowds!!
#3 kid decides to tell me he needs a dress up outfit for a speech final in his class.. As he doesn't dress up very often I had not purchased him any new *nicer* clothing due to his recent growing phase.. We hit Old Navy and of course the items that he chose were not the great sale priced ones.. BUT due to my above recent purchases I had a $25 reward on my account so that lowered the bill! lol
Someone on my local BST page was selling a HUGE container of dishwasher pellets that were not working in her machine. They are the brand I use.. but she was asking too much.. I know how much I pay with a coupon for that sized container at BJ's warehouse so I waited.. after a weekend and no one commented I offered my price if still available and she agreed right away! Not necessarily a huge win but I paid no tax and did not have to go into a store!
Visited my mom and got sent home with a bag of random bathroom necessities- face scrubs, face wash, bars of soap and lotions.. She is highly reactive and her sensitivity seems to change throughout the year.. When she gets irritated at stuff in her space she gets rid of it! I win!
Used an old Navy cash for a few holiday items for one kid. Realized I did not need to buy more nor did I want to spend my time trying to find things to spend money on.. I sent a friend a message and she picked up my other 2 certificates and was able to buy gifts with them!
I finally got around to rendering a package of beef fat that's been sitting in our freezer since we last got a whole cow two years ago. The processing place had ground it for me, which makes it much easier to render, but also means that what's left after the fat is drained off is essentially ground beef. Albeit ground beef with a VERY high proportion of fat. I used that to make a skillet dinner that night with rice and salsa and so on. I was not too thrilled with the heavy fat taste, but two of my children asked for seconds. Including the really skinny one who rarely asks for seconds. Guess I need to add more tallow to his food.
And then I used some of the tallow to re-fill tea lights. Two of my sons decorated jars at school to hold tea lights and those are our Christmas centerpiece right now. Unfortunately, the tea lights have so little wax in them that we only burned them for two dinnertimes before they were out. The container part of the candle is metal, though, so I just heated tallow until it was liquified and poured it into the empty metal part. I also had to make new wicks with kitchen string, but it worked. And now we can use those tea lights indefinitely, because the metal things hold about a tablespoon of tallow each, and I have about a gallon of tallow.
That one is kind of borderline crazy, so I think I'll stop there, even though that isn't five. Not going to top that one. 🙂
I spent the past week deep-cleaning the house, going from room to room. As in a knock-down, drag-out, scrub the baseboards, "We'd like our deposit back, please" level of clean. (For the record, we aim for "Company Clean" most of the time, even though we were hermits well before COVID.) I do this every year around the holidays, when the "buy, Buy, BUY!" barrage is strongest. It makes me 1) appreciate the beautiful things we already have, which I enjoy taking care of and 2) not want anything more to tend! 😛
Frugal-wise, the cleaning barrage is managed with a ten-year-old Swiffer outfitted with a parted-out bathrobe (works great for dusting textured walls!), rags, water, dish soap, baking soda and vinegar, plus ample assistance from my cat. Rather than set a formal timer, I throw on an old epic movie (the more historically dubious, the better!) and go to town for the 3-4 hour duration. Somehow, the movie elevates the whole experience; whenever I need a quick breather, the schlock on screen makes me smile!
i downloaded the coupons.com app on my phone and i find things i normally would purchase anyway and when i get home, you simply upload the receipt, and scan the items you purchased that qualified for a coupon - usually within 24 hours the money is deposited in my paypal account! so far (I've done it twice) I've gotten $12.50 back!
I worked at Aldi for 2 years and it is a great company! One thing they stress during training is the refund policy. If there is any kind of problem with a product or the pricing, the refund process should be quick and easy and make the customer happy!
This week we...
Kept our thermostat in between 65 and 68. We used our wood burning fireplace to help warm our home and bundled up to keep electric costs down.
We received about 30 pounds of sweet potatoes from a friend who couldn’t use them. I will share some with a family In my community and use some in recipes for my family.
I made a large pot of pinto beans using a leftover ham bone from Thanksgiving. We ate some of the beans with rice and tacos one night. I used the remainder of the beans to make a large pot of chili which will provide several meals this week. I also froze a gallon of chili for an easy meal later this winter.
I spoke to our insurance company and following our policies being reset and the resulting decrease in coverage costs, we are saving about $113 a month in premiums. Yay!!
I used homegrown and canned banana peppers to make a lovely Mississippi pot roast. I made two loaves of cranberry bread using up all of the homemade cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. I combined errands/trips, ran full loads in my washer, dryer, and dishwasher and continue to turn off lights on my home when not in use.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!!
1. I filled my car with gas using a 50 cent per gallon discount which dropped the price per gallon to $1.39. This was the first time I've bought gas since October.
2. I wanted to donate some items to an organization that helps the homeless downtown. I found a very nice men's winter hat on sale for 50% off at Kohl's. I used my $5 birthday reward and a 25% off coupon and paid only $1.65 including tax! I added this to new gloves, socks and an ear muff I had at home.
3. I wanted to get some snack items to donate as well and decided to see what Dollar Tree had. There was a cart full of individually wrapped boxed items that were marked 25 cents each. I found 4 boxes that weren't expired. I also picked up Keebler brand of peanut butter cracker packs for $1 and some nice men's socks.
4. I cashed in Shopkick points for a $25 Target card and bought groceries including 4 Nabisco snack packs (used a Target Circle offer for 50% off) and some cereal bars. I included the snack packs and cereal bars in my donation for the homeless and dropped it all off yesterday.
5. I took advantage of the 10% off Target gift cards sale over the weekend and bought all the cards that I will send to my daughters next year.
6. I took advantage of Walgreen's buy 2 $6.99 toys, get 2 free offer to get 8 nice toys to donate to Toys for Tots and paid only $30.68. Sometimes these toys are junk, but I was able to find brands like Barbie, Knex and Marvel. I know these will make some children very happy. It makes me happy thinking about that!
1. With Covid numbers up in our state we have stopped going indoors any where. Less driving, more Zooming.
2. Meals at home. We don't find that takeout scratches the itch so we have been eating home cooked meals for the most part. It helps that we are not picky or fancy and we don't minf leftovers.
3. I did a pick up order for groceries. I discovered that the deli meat I was given was within a few days of it's use by date. I was going to freeze it in meal size portions but the smell and feel were off. I would not have been comfortable eating it. I used the chat feature to complain and received a refund for the meat I threw away. Next time I'll check dates on perishables before accepting them (it was the first issue I'd had with that).
4. I put out Christmas decorations. I'd forgotten how festive they make the house feel and how much fun it is to remember things from years ago.
5. I have been playing the credit card game too. Some cards offer 5% cash back rewards for online shopping up to a certain amount this time of year. I have a spread sheet to keep track of my spending. We also use a double cash back credit card for our everyday spending. We just received a nice check because we had so many expenses the past couple months (charitable donations, insurance payments, and big household maintenance among them).
1. I ran into Meijers to pick up milk, bananas and raspberries they had on sale. I came out with sweet potatoes for .19 a lb, 10 lb. bags of premium potatoes for 1.19 a bag, milk for .60 cents a half gallon and four bags of marked down salad mixes, spinach and stir fry vegetables. Definitely should have gotten the larger cart but was thrilled at the unexpected deals!
2. I had some unexpected Kohls rewards and cash to use. Our church is adopting some local families so I signed up to provide something for an elementary school girl. I think I spent about 4.00 for a really, really nice outfit.
3. I had admired a gnome painting that sold for 70.00. I had an interesting wood piece that my daughter was going to send to Goodwill. My husband painted the cutest gnome on it to hang over our Christmas mantel. He is so stinkin' cute!
4. I had to do Christmas cookies on Saturday and didn't want to start from scratch. I had a red velvet cake mix and a .99 container of cool whip. With an egg, I made red velvet crackle cookies with very little effort.
5. We finally finished up the Thanksgiving turkey and I'm going to start eating out of the freezer. Except for a Christmas ham, I won't have to buy meat for quite awhile!
My wife did the same free shipping "trick" for a different store but it was actually because she was legit not sure what size would fit and the sale was online only and trying on in-store is difficult enough in normal times with a 5 year old.
1.) Replaced the washer inlet valve myself (it sounds impressive but it was really simple with YouTube.) So that saved an appliance repairman visit. Unfortunately shortly after I did that the septic tank backed up (unrelated!) so ... yeah ... that I called a professional out for.
2.) Bought two bottles of Jet Dry on Amazon during a sale cheaper than BJ's sale price AND I got a no-rush digital credit that I can use toward buying some manga for my Kindle.
3.) I needed a small amount of ginger root for a recipe so I just simply broke off a smaller piece to purchase at the grocery store instead of buying a full hand of it.
4.) Bought a new external hard drive for backup purposes. Better safe than sorry! Plus it was on sale.
5.) I have some CDs coming due relatively soon and well if you've checked the renewal rates for CDs lately ... they just ain't that good. My money market account is also not good either. So having a something not even keep up with inflation isn't all that great. I decided to just take some extra out and toss it at my mortgage and buy myself some freedom at the other end of things. Just one step closer to being debt free ...
Yep, same for Zoe. We were vacillating between two sizes and then it occurred to me that ordering both at the same time made sense on several levels!
1. I used thredup credit from sales to buy Christmas gifts.
2. I planned my purchases from Kohls so that I would have gifts left to purchase with the Kohls cash I was going to get in a few days.
3. I used left over wrapping paper to decorate the house. I used the wrapping paper on cabinet doors with glass. Wrapped empty boxes to place on shelves. Also using existing decorations. Put up the winter scene paintings I store in the garage and traded out the non seasonal paintings.
4. Did repairs on pjs that had tears and hemmed pants.
5. Sold a chintz coffee pot to an antique store. I had the teapot and coffee pot and realized I would be much happier and it would take less space in the display if I kept my teapots and sold/donated/gifted the matching coffee pots. I never used the coffe pots.
I have a slender teen, and shopping for pants for them during COVID has been challenging (no trying on). I finally have realized that he needs a 26x32 skinny cut jean. Those are...not easy to find! 🙂 We've ordered numerous brands & styles (and returned) to get to this point. He hasn't worn pants since March, so it's been a bit of time & his previously fitting jeans are now capris. We've had luck at Hollister, which is also $$, but often has sales. I'll try AE to check the options as well. Thanks for the recommendation.
As for frugal things:
1) I continue to list/sell things on eBay, and have had a few wins. I cleaned my stationery area & found four sealed Papyrus gift card holders. Listed them on eBay (perfect timing) & sold them all within a day. Gave away a bunch of treat bags, cards & other fun things on our Buy Nothing group, as I don't need them anymore.
2) Really wanted Panera soup, as I wasn't feeling great, but remembered we had chicken & dumplings in the freezer.
3) Continued to upload receipts to Fetch & those I find in the parking lot, which often are way better deals than the receipts I have. I'm a pretty boring shopper.
4) Took advantage of some deals:
-Used rewards & a coupon to place an online order for toiletries we needed at Rite Aid.
-Used a $15 eBay coupon (earned from changing over the new billing system) & bought my favorite lip balm with SPF. I'm outside a lot (CA) & trying to protect my skin. With the coupon, bought 4 for just over $3. Also clicked through to Rakuten, to earn a bit on the purchase
-Used a credit card reward & an expiring flight credit to shop for a flight for April. No idea what state the world will be like then, but if so, I'll have a very very cheap flight.
-Planned a few "experience" gifts for my husband, that are either very cheap or free
-Used a Shutterly coupon from the grocery store to get him a calendar for an inexpensive price. I figure 2020 is a year that should be commemorated with some hilarious photos.
-Received 3 free meal kits from a local delivery company that screwed up our original order.
5) The regular stuff. Line drying our clothes, keeping the heat lowered, eating leftovers, meal planning, etc.
Yes! American Eagle carries very tall, very slender pant size combos. like, 28x36 and such. Definitely, definitely check out their online selection.
1) About $250 of vitamins for about $50. Two-pack bottles (much cheaper than the two of the same bottles individually), BOGO free sale, coupons, joining the Cares Club (free for the first month), and Extra Bucks. I've been waiting for a good vitamin sale to stock up.
Funny thing: writing up this vitamin-purchasing success for last week's FFT made me realize that $25-30 of coupons and Extra Bucks didn't register. I'll be going back to the store to get that straightened out.
2) Didn't order food despite being sick for the better part of a week. (Just a cold and being tired.)
3) Saved all the Thanksgiving leftovers but the fruit (see the FAIL, below).
- Turkey, potatoes, root veggies, and cauliflower became several batches of Turkey Taterish Muffins.
- More meat and some gravy became croquettes.
- Even more meat went in the freezer.
- Picked over carcass became stock.
- Worn out meat from the carcass became tasty meal supplements for the dog.
- Tonight's dinner, for example, will be croquettes, roast potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce; all from Thanksgiving food.
4) I overbought egg whites so I plan to make meringue from CI's Pavolva recipe.
5) Since my appetite is mostly AWOL, I'm making fruit smoothie from strawberries I froze before they went bad, and bananas bought from the seconds bin.
6) Returned a few things to Michael's. Michael's will give you store credit for items that you don't have a receipt for, which is nice.
Frugal FAIL:
- Probably because I was sick, a lot of leftover fruit from Thanksgiving went bad before I could eat it, use it, or freeze it. Like $30 worth. I didn't pay for it but still very disappointing.
I hope you are feeling better soon!
What are Turkey Taterish Muffins? Sort of quiche-ish?
Turkey Tater Muffins are mashed potatoes, chopped turkey, cheese if you want it, spices, and egg or gravy to hold it together; baked in greased muffin tins to make a grab-it snack.
This week I used cooked cauliflower, roasted root veggies and only a little potato, mashed together. So I changed the name a bit.
Another Thanksgiving leftover great is Turkey Tater Tot Casserole. Layer potatoes of some sort, leftover turkey, creamed spinach and/or cheese if you want, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. Bake at 350F till hot through, then crisp under the broiler. The year I invented this, I had tater tots to use up.
Wow! Thank you!
Yay for refunds! I'm still waiting for our Aldi to come here...
1. I bought a gift and had it sent to a friend with $0 out of pocket to me, using my Swagbucks turned into an Amazon gift card, and with a $50 Amazon gift card I earned for filling out a multi-part survey. I also bought a small gift for a family member, and still have money left.
2. I'm paying our annual home insurance using one of my "sinking funds" set aside for this purpose. Since my property insurance quarterly payment, my six-month car insurance and my annual home insurance all come due in December, an already expensive month, this is the best way for me to get it all paid.
3. I tried a sale shampoo I didn't like very well after I used some of it. I now use it to clean my toilet when I brush the bowl every day, in place of my normal cleaner. I guess you could say the shampoo money is still going "down the drain" but it's being useful on its way down.
4. I was given a $1.50 coupon for a brand I don't buy, but my daughter does, so it went straight to her. She's generous to us and we're happy to be generous back, which works out well.
5. I usually have Christmas cards done by now, but not this year. I will get some out, though, using the free cards given to me by a card company employee who was allowed to keep some of the unsold boxes they remove from stores after Christmas.
And 6. My tree skirt this year will be the same $5 white sheet it has been for the past 8-10 years.
For 20 years, my “tree skirt” has been a big, red plaid piece of Christmas fabric! It gets folded lengthwise and wrapped around the base of the tree. I saw that Aldi has cute “tree collars” for $14.99, and I really wanted one. But not only could I not find one at any of the three Aldi stores near me, I really like my “tree skirt”.
We use a wildly gaudy quilt top my grandmother made at a time when her scrap bag was running heavily toward reds and greens. It looks great under the tree but would make you squint in pain as a quilt.
I have a tree skirt my Mom made us years ago, quilted. Saw a really good hack for one today, though. A red and white checked kitchen towel wrapped around a really tiny hanging tree. Full red and white checked tablecloth would look very rustic, as did this tiny tree.
1. Combined a sale and a coupon to get a $6 bag of peppermint mocha coffee for $2.69. It smells SO GOOD as it brews and it tastes super yummy and is bringing me much joy right now.
2. I needed a family picture to go in our Christmas cards and had my mom take it. We wore clothes we already owned. Was the picture as high of quality as it would have been if we had a professional do it? No. Am I bothered by this? Also no. But it turned out well and at least we used the better of the 2 phone cameras.
3. After Christmas last year I bought some clearance LED outdoor lights. This is the first year that all of our outdoor lights are LED! Big savings. I also used my fun money to buy an outdoor timer that my husband wanted.
4. Used a gift card for a local restaurant for our date night. We have a tendency to only have date nights if we have a gift card, so my husband bought a number of gift cards so we would take date nights. 🙂 It covered a good portion of our meal and didn't go to waste.
5. Took advantage of a music/reading program my library was offering with a couple of other libraries and our local symphony orchestra. They had kits we could pick up at the library and the video was on YouTube. A night of free family fun. And watching my little ones (ages 2, 4, and 6) dance around and do the motions to the various stories was so precious for my momma heart as I'm really feeling how they do grow up too fast. 🙂
1. We're hosting my younger daughter's girl scout troop's (zoom) holiday party and we put together a super cute snowman craft with supplies we had around the house - we even made little hats from scrap pieces of felt and a scarf from scrap ribbon. Always love using up odds and ends.
2. Picked up some plain white gift bags from someone on Nextdoor - had the girls decorate them with stickers and holiday stamps that were just lying around. Using them for the party supplies in #1.
3. This one is minor but it still makes my heart happy to not be wasteful...in my bin of Christmas stuff, I throw in scraps of wrapping paper and gift bags - so far I haven't had to unroll any new gift wrap - I've been able to use up the odds and ends.
4. I *almost* placed an order on shutterfly for holiday cards that seemed pricier than years past, even with the promos and coupon codes. I checked my history and ya, it was a lot pricier! So I went back and checked a few other sites and found another site to order from and saved.
5. Did a good job using up ingredients we have instead of just buying more groceries. Checked off 4-5 items that I wanted to clear out just by making a soup that I thoroughly enjoyed three times this week!
Shutterfly was much more expensive than in previous years. There was a Covid fee added when ordering.. I wish I would have shopped around, but I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking.
I thought Shutterfly was more expensive this year too. I shopped around and decided to us a postcard with a photo. It will save on postage too.
1. My daughter's daycare closed this week due to a possible exposure to COVID. This is obviously an inconvenience for 2 full time working parents, but saved us $200 this week.
2. Used leftover potatoes and frozen homemade vegetable stock to make baked potato soup for lunches this week. Used overripe bananas to make banana pancakes for breakfast.
3. Sold Barbie furniture on ebay. I have more Barbie items listed now. If it all sells, we will make about $500.
4. Gave away a few things on Buy Nothing this weekend. This is frugal because the less you own, the easier it is to keep track of everything, resulting in fewer accidental purchases. Also, it's less to clean and organize!
5. Hiking and using our indoor cycling bike for exercise
Went to Old Navy this morning, used Super cash, and scored a good deal on 2 pairs of pants for my daughter. Filled out a survey on Amazon and accrued $3 for doing this (item that didn't have many reviews on it). Have the trial version of Amazon prime, saving me tons of money on shipping fees. I will cancel it today as I don't need anything else from Amazon for awhile. Took my teens and met up with my niece and her young kids at a local park. Fun to watch the little ones enjoy the Christmas decorations. Only cost was the hot chocolate I got from McDonald's to warm us up after, and I had a coupon for that. Trying to keep up our spirits as Michigan just had our safety restrictions lengthened, which means my kids don't get to perform in band for their holiday concert.
Hey, Kristen, how about a post of what we would all like to have appear under our Christmas tree if we could actually speak to Santa directly? No charge to us.
I'll go first. I wish Santa's elves would sneak in at night and measure all my kitchen drawers and put in organizers that fit. So tired of sorting through each one.
No fair asking for a vaccine or world peace. We all want that above all. 😀
I would ask Santa for our garage door openers to be installed magically! My FIL plans to do the work, but its gonna take "forever" We joke as a family that it takes him 5 times as long to get a project done!
I suppose it's no fair asking for a cure for Alzheimer's, either--and we wouldn't get it in time to do DH any good, anyway. But this whole process is absolutely putting me through the wringer, along with millions of other caregivers. Solidarity forever to everyone who's having to go through this.
Blessings to you and your husband. My husband was born late in his parents' marriage, and his widowed mother was already coming down with Alzheimer's when we married. I cared for her until she had to go to a nursing home, and she died about a year after that. The mental and physical pain and stress is terrible for family caregivers and I remember well her fear when she realized she couldn't remember words or people anymore. I think about you and your husband a lot, and pray you will stay strong and well through this.
Big hugs to you. You are doing a hard job, with lots of grace.
A.Marie - I'm so sorry your DH is suffering from Alzheimer’s. My mom was diagnosed with severe Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia this year. It is a terrible disease and is very hard on all her care givers. Sending you positive vibes in solidarity.
Dear Marie, I am so sorry that things are tough for you and your dear husband, several members of my family had dementia (now sadly passed) and my heart goes out to you.
I also just wanted to let you know that when I am not being a mom and trying to frugal that I am an Alzheimer’s disease researcher. There are 10,000 of people like me all working to find a treatment for this terrible disease. We all hope our little efforts everyday at work will lead to something positive in the future. I just wanted to give you a little hope which I know can be very hard to come by.
Thank you, Effie!
All the efforts of many, many people contribute to medical research. Thank you for being one of them.
I would ask Santa to clean up the mess that used to be a rock garden in my back yard. DH and I are now too arthritic to be hauling around big rocks.
Anne, I'm not Santa and I can't do the work for you, but I do have a lifehack for drawer organizers. Don't measure and try to fit and get it wrong and and and... Instead, buy a boatload of organizers in a wide variety of sizes, bring them home and see what fits for you, and return the rest. And don't unwrap them till you know you want to use them.
1. Did four gas shops, at $20 per shop plus $5 worth of gas and a drink from each place.
2. Had five raw Brussels sprouts and eight mushrooms leftover from Thanksgiving preparations. Not enough for a meal and sort of wilting, so I finely shredded all of them and added them to a huge pot of chili that fed us for four nights. There was no way to tell there were Brussels sprouts in there.
3. Sold an item on FB marketplace. I was wondering if $10 was worth the trouble and then looked at my spreadsheet (yes, I am one of those people) and realized that I have made over $110 in six weeks with $10 listings. So, worth it.
4. It took me since January, but I cashed in $20.97 from Ibotta. We so seldom buy non-generic products that it takes a long time to accumulate any money but I still do it and Receipt Hog since it takes so little time.
5. Went to the deli counter to ask when they would be putting out more rotisserie chickens and the employee said that it would be about a half hour. She then handed me a voucher for a free rotisserie chicken next time I came in. Apparently, their policy is that there are always chickens and if not, then your next chicken is free. I think we have bought only five or six rotisserie chickens total since the store started selling them, so I was unaware of this policy. Which makes me wonder: what other policies am I ignorant of that could save me money?
6. Sometime in the distant past I filled out a survey on Mrs. T’s perogies. Suddenly a voucher for a free box of their perogies appeared in my mailbox. More free food!!
Gas shops? Can I get more information
I agree about American Eagle jeans and also Hollister are great for slender and long legged girls! We find her size at the store by trying on a number of different sizes and styles. Then go to Platos Closet for the specific items. Since AE and Hollister are very popular there are always many pairs there in many sizes. Price is typically $8-15 per pair.
Doing the daily frugalities: thrifted outfits, brown bagging lunches, shopping with store coupons. I found the perfect cardigan a few weeks ago on eBay and sought out another in a different color. The seller's price was a bit high, so I made an offer that was about $4 lower and it was accepted.
I rescued and cleaned up a working microwave and electric kettle from a suite of long-abandoned offices at work and rehomed them in my office, so we can now have ready access to hot meals and tea. They were very grimy but work perfectly, and would have gone in a dumpster in the spring when that suite is renovated.
FFT, The Kindness of Friends and Strangers Edition:
(1) Liberty Mutual has direct-deposited the payout on my totaled Prius, so I'm about to start considering my automotive options more seriously, once I return the plates to the NYS DMV so I can get the Prius taken off the auto insurance policy (this is a separate process from the total-loss claim). LM has been amazing throughout the claims process.
(2) An old friend (DH's former partner in their rental properties) has reminded me that one of DH's best workers on the old paint crew about a century ago is now a partner in a local used-car sales and service company. The former partner has bought two vehicles from the former worker, gets all his service done there, and speaks very highly of the whole operation. So I'll probably be giving the former worker a call once I'm ready to go car-shopping.
(3) Another former employee of DH's brought over one of his strapping teenage sons yesterday to play "musical chairs" at my request. That is, they lugged DH's old, ugly, broken-down recliner from the living room to the curb (even DH agreed that the time had come); brought a respectable recliner from the master BR that's only been doing clotheshorse duty down to the living room; and brought a small rocking chair down from the attic to the master BR. I'm very pleased by the whole rearrangement--and very grateful to the former employee and his son. (And Dad is glad to get a kid out of the house once in a while, since Mom is going cray-cray with supervising the remote learning for the four offspring.)
(4) Still another friend phoned today to touch base and offer to bring over some food once in a while, since even I am getting tired of my own cooking (I do like to cook, if I don't have to do it every @#$%!! day). This friend's late husband and DH were "classmates" in a cognitive care program a couple of years ago, so she's been there, done that, and got the Caregiver Alumna t-shirt. Bless her as well.
(5) And on a lighter note, I've started putting together the annual Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors during DH's increasingly frequent nap times. Plenty of scope for my twisted sense of humor--which, thank goodness, I still retain!
I've been wondering how things have been going with your car insurance. So glad LM has been good to you!
Well, I’d sure like to see, or hear more, about that calendar!
I've been doing this for the Bestest Neighbors for almost 25 years now. I have an archive of cut-out photos of Martha (mainly from issues of MS Living that I've been given or picked up cheaply at the flea market) that takes up an entire desk drawer in my office. Every year, I buy a themed calendar as inexpensively as possible, and then I paste in photos of Martha everywhere they work for humorous effect. I'll probably never surpass the year I used an "I Love Lucy" calendar and pasted Martha's face in on all the Lucys, but I keep trying.
And over the years, I've incorporated all of the BNs' family birthdays and other significant dates into the date part of the calendar, so it serves a useful function for them too. But the annual unveiling of the calendar has become a highlight of our shared Christmases.
Oh, that is fantastic!
I scored 2 packs of ground beef 50% off this week when I shopped extra early on Saturday. I used them for meatloaf and finished off the meal with mashed potatoes. Potatoes were on their last legs and I used up some leftover sour cream, so less food waste. As usual, I've been wearing my jeans/yoga pants a few times between washes. Baking homemade scones instead of hitting my favorite bakery for an end of finals celebration for my college kids. My HS kid did really well on her PSAT (scores published this week) so I think we can forego any prep classes for ACT/SAT which is good given the pandemic!
Hi Susan,
Did your daughter take any prep classes for PSAT? How did she prepeare? Could you please let me know? I'm asking for my daughter who is a sophmore in HS
I have SO MANY frugal items this week!
1) We got a package from Hickory Farms that had the wrong name, wrong number and wrong street and I tried to track the person down but they was no contact for them online SO I called customer service who informed me HAPPY HOLIDAYS (cause of Covid Hickory Farms has a policy of not returning any food items. So we got a FREE gift pack of sausages, cheeses, mustard and a bottle of Gratitude Cabernet! And the real gift recipient got a replacement gift box that same day.
2) My husband ordered the wrong floor vent so I tried to return it to Amazon but they said keep it AND they gave me a credit. As luck would have it, we had a heating guy working on our HVAC and I asked him he he wanted it and he said he had a collection of vent covers and he would find it a good home@!
3) Because of Covid I had a number of readings and writing workshops cancelled so I applied for a grant to cover "some" of my income losses (from an arts non-profit) and they GAVE ME A GRANT.
4) I was going to buy a new stain/sealant for my wooden bridge (fall project) BUT I found a brand new gallon of stain in the laundry room AND a brand new brush to go with it, saving me $30!!! I LOVE surprises like that
5) ordered Xmas cards (with a cartoon my husband drew) and then AFTER I ordered them, I saw a promocode SO . . frugal gurl that I am, I cancelled the original order and reordered it using the promo code SAVING $48, and I rec'd ten additional cards. So win-win.
MAN what a great week this has been for frugal triumphs. I didn't even have to mention the turkey stock I made. LOL
You did really well this week.
Thanks! It seemed like a massive miracle, quite frankly--
I love that you ot a free foody gift - btw - uh you have a bridge?? is it like in To the Manor Born? - 'and you cheat at poo sticks!'(Audrey FForbes-Hamilton)
Ha ha I LOVE playing Pooh sticks. We live in a rural canyon and the seasonal creek runs diagonally through our backyard so, to get to the other side of our yard, we need a bridge. I wish I could post a photo-- I'd be happy to do so. The afore-mentioned creek is either a class 3 rapid (during rainy season) or dry (lately since we have been in the middle of a dry spell).
I love reading every ones frugal things every week! Who knew you could freeze marshmallows?? And i didnt have time to post last week but i buy whole fresh cranberries on sale after the holidays and when i feel like i might be getting a UTI ( sorry TMI) or just want some cranberry juice i put them in a pan of water and simmer for a bit, mash in a strainer and drain into a bottle, add some honey and a squeeze of lemon or orange. Its delicious and its real juice not 85% grape juice like you buy in the store! My FFT: 1. I accident killed my old philodendron by overwatering and went to Lowes to check out their houseplants and what did i spy with my little eye but a beautiful small potted palm in perfectly healthy condition albeit rootbound marked down from $34 to $8! Happy dance. 2. Picked up 2 free at home covid tests for just in case. Our state had a grant for them and its nice to know if we get symptoms we wont have to go sit in line somewhere in the cold. 3 Ebay sales have slowed to a trickle but did sell 2 items there and 3 more on Nextdoor. 4 Trying to downsize my life as i have no children to leave my " stuff " so went through all my Christmas decorations and gave a big box away free on Nextdoor and listed a bunch of Vintage Homeco figurines for sale... Got my totes whittled down from 4 to 2 and it feels soooo good! 5. Got all my Christmas packages sent out before the major rush as we have a small town post office but a huge population boom so its always crowded and used our DirecTV refund for said gifts! Happy Holidays everyone!
Wow, what a frugal week!! I think you get credit for the beef since you checked your receipt. And gotta love anything FREE, especially if earned while doing what you would be doing anyway. Inspiring!
Well, my list is puny but every little bit . . . 😉
1. Eating in all week, all meals except for the Friday take out treat, which last Friday was Pollo Loco with $5 credit from the app so dinner for the 2 of us was $8.50-ish. Of course we then had to get drive-thru Jamocha shakes at Arby's, but the whole debacle was under $15.00.
2. Pairing cheap meals with cheap TV -- watching lots of Netflix and Amazon Prime that we already have and refusing to buy anything they charge extra for. Lots of "The Crown," old "Rhoda's" from the 70's, tons of youtube, and old Columbo's, which still hold up.
3. Library books and old books kicking around the house -- returned library book to avoid $27.00 charge (since they dropped late fines, they compensate with immediate warnings that you will owe for the whole book. Which I think is fine -- I LOVE the library and the fact that they are still functioning during COVID.
4. Picked up my free frozen pizza with groceries. Big Fat Frugal Fail -- did NOT pick up my free salad mix in time, since I keep trying to avoid being in stores. Still, very disappointing.
5. Husband poking around to find roofers -- not frugal, technically, but better to fix it than to repair inside damage if we ignore it too much longer. After 31-plus years, it is time!
6. Really working to eat up all the food and wasting much less this year. Shopping less frequently has encouraged us to THINK about what we will need to get through the week without another jaunt to the grocery.
Happy Tuesday, all 🙂
1) I got reimbursed for my minor outpatient surgery, and I ended up paying 10% of the total after copays/deductible, which was actually better than I had hoped (I expected to pay about 20%), so I was happy with that.
2) I didn't buy some books I really wanted on Kindle. I have PLENTY of books to read, so it was a small victory. The others can wait.
3) I am enjoying some gifts that came from friends. Such a blessing.
4) For date night last week, my husband and I opted to go for a walk and pack a picnic instead of going out. Now that restaurants are closing after 6 pm again starting this week, I don't know if that was such a good idea. Might be awhile before we even have the option of going out again..:(.
5)I drained all the little containers of shower gel that I have from travelling into our hand soap container in the bathroom. Different scents, but the end result was fine and the hands still get clean.
This week's five frugal things:
1. Used a gift card to pay almost all of dinner for the three of us at Red Robin.
2. Went to a small, family-owned, no frills tree farm and cut our 14 foot tree for $30. It is two to three times cheaper than the bigger tree places around. Lovely family owns the place.
3. Our daughter's phone died. We picked up a refurbished iphone 8 plus for less than $300. She is thrilled and paid half.
4. Instead of buying a new winter coat (sorely needed), I repurposed a beautiful navy wool one that has nice suade leather trim that belonged to my late mother-in-law. She had beautiful taste.
5. In the same closet as the coat were amazing sweaters that no one else wanted. I have a warm and updated winter wardrobe!
That coat sounds lovely; and you will think of her when you wear it - I am sure she would be pleased
1. Argued an insurance denial for a.colonoscopy with my insurance and doctor. He changed the coding so now it is covered. BIG win
2. Cashed in some points on several sites for gift cards for stocking stuffers
3. Said no to some books I wanted to buy and instead put them on hold at the library.
4. Got all my face creams and makeup together and how to use them before I buy another new one.
5. Cleaned out basement and have a lot of stuff for sale on Marketplace and Mercari.
I LOVE aldi's double satisfaction return policy. On store brands, if you don't like it, they'll give you your money back PLUS give you another item or something else of equal price.
I bought large jAr $12+ of mixed nuts. Stale. I got my $12 back plus another jar of nuts.
We bought a box of specialty cookies of theirs that we just didn't care for. I got my money back, plus I got a different item of the same value at no cost.
Win--Win!
Agreed. Aldi has saved us so much. I did not know about their double return policy until I read your post above. However, my husband and I have experienced it the last two shopping trips there. For Thanksgiving, they did not have a turkey Under 12 lb for the Lesser amount but for our online order they substituted an 18 pounder for the price of a smaller turkey. This last online order, we ordered two different flavored pork loins. They only had one of the flavors so they gave us two packages of Black Angus Cubed Steak 4 Hour order of one cube steak. This is a real thing and we're going to do more online orders. We love this because we don't have to go in the store and this is an additional incentive, the double return policy. Yea!
1. Our quarterly garbage bill arrived and I had saved more than what was needed. I feel like I "found" money!!!
2. I always buy my 20 something nieces and nephew gift cards. This year I ordered them all online and had them shipped for free. Saved a bit on gas money.
3. The check engine light went off in my van. I'll call that a frugal win!
4. Frugal Fail: Hubby's truck has been out of inspection for 2 months. Gosh only knows what that will cost.
5. Doing all the normal things: selling on Ebay, bringing my own coffee to work, etc.
I transfer my honey to glass jars. That way it's easier to manage if/when it forms crystals. It only took one melted bear (so sad) for me to make the switch.
Oh, that's a much better idea! I too have accidentally melted a plastic bear in an effort to get the honey out.
Yes, I do this as well. I can never finish honey before it crystallizes. I feel a little weird about microwaving the plastic bear, so I transfer honey to mason jars when I buy it.
I've put the honey bear in hot water and that usually does the trick without melting the plastic. Just takes a few minutes. But I think I still like your idea of using a glass jar instead.
I’ve read it’s better to set the jar in hot water anyway because when you heat it in the microwave it takes away it’s anti-bacterial properties.
Such a simple solution, yet I`ve never thought of it. Thanks!
Oh Diane I love that idea, this is very timely as I have been wondering what to do about my honey - I always seem to be in a hurry when I need honey that has solidified; I will cut mine out like Kristen as there's not much left but my next bottle I'll transfer to a jar.
U so.outed advice: never but “the bear”. He is the Walmart or McDonalds of honey. Take few extra cents and time to procure local honey in glass jars. Big difference in benefits.
Well, that’s a crazu spell-check version, but Zi think you get the picture!
I have the same ``problem`` with my 11yo. She has long legs and is very slim, so waist size she`s an 8, but lenght she`s a 12. I don`t know what to buy anymore!
I looked at AE and I`m not willing to pay 45$ for leggings. It would be too big anyways. So I`ll keep looking. Any suggestions? (not too expensive, and in Canada)
Look on Ebay
Yes, using a credit card for its perks are great! Esp. if you're going to spend that amount anyways. I've opened up new credit cards that were giving away $650 if I spent x dollars in 3 months. I pay tuition by CC, so it was a win for me.
I had a few bits of frugal luck this week. They are:
1) I purchased a fresh evergreen centerpiece from the Cub Scouts. It arrived by fedex and was beautifully decorated and had a battery operated candle. I looked at the website that it came from and the website charges $14 MORE than what the Scouts charged me! Savings- $14
2) I earned a GC from swagbucks and got 5 pr of hand warmers. Savings- $5
3) I earned another GC from swagbucks and got medical eqpt. Savings- $10
4) We got a quote on flooring for a kitchen and bath. It was very high. So, I called a friend and got another quote. Savings- $2200
5) I got a tutor for our son for Calculus 4. Repeating the class is way more expensive than hiring a tutor. Savings- $1135
Love the receipt checking & cutting out the honey
Don't know that I have five but we'll see;
1. Still going with free duolingo & really enjoying it
2. Needed a new phone, did the painful research & went to try & buy & accidentally coincided with black Friday sale - got $85 off; pretty happy
3. Watching free tv & utube
4. Felt like buying icecreams on the way home but didn't - had a handful of choc bits from the pantry instead.
5. Stopped myself from buying a lot of things this year - did the whole think about it & delay & changed my mind
I decided to make banana bread for gifts and pair it with handmade dishcloths. Good idea until my husband at the bread. Most of my handmade gifts were based on the same yarn so I only bought a few colors and made hand puppets, baby yodas, and a mat for the humane society.
hahahahahahahahah...
1. My husband bought two dozen eggs at Aldi and the cashier accidentally hit 22 dozen eggs. He went straight back and the cashier said "Nobody buys 22 dozen of eggs".
2. My work is having a scavenger holiday contest. I have been able to find half of the items in my own house.
3. In MI we have Meijer grocery stores. They have what is called MPerks that gives you coupons and rewards toward items. We received our recent coupon book and every item we use is in it and there is a free two liter included.
4. I found two jewelry boxes on FB Marketplace for $10 each for our granddaughters for Christmas.
5. I received $.75 cents back on IBotta. Doesn't sound like much but it put me over the $10 mark.
AE Jeans for grandson for Christmas - size 27 x 34! Hard to find that size many places.
Thanks for all your suggestions, love the new ideas!
What is the brand of sweatshirt you buy. Cannot find your blog that had the information. Thanks
Are you thinking of American Giant, maybe? https://www.american-giant.com/