1. Mr. FG fixed a lamp
Sonia had this white Tomons lamp for a couple of years, and sadly, the switch broke.
We bought a replacement lamp for her, but then Mr. FG took apart the broken switch on the old lamp to see if it was repairable.
A plastic piece inside the switch had indeed broken, but he found a replacement switch on Amazon, rewired the new switch in place, and now Sonia has a desk lamp and a chair-side lamp.
Which means this has all worked out very nicely for Sonia. Ha.
And I’m happy we didn’t have to throw out a lamp over something as small as a switch.
(By the way, that’s a secondhand side table I bought and painted for Sonia. Here are before and afters of that project.)
2. I bought clearance wrapping paper
I am not one to buy a bunch of Christmas wrapping paper at after-Christmas sales. For one thing, I don’t like to store it for a year.
For another, I tend to use gift bags instead of wrapping paper when possible.
But when I took Sonia out to buy some yarn, I found a few rolls of clearance wrapping paper that did not scream Christmas.
So, I picked them up for those times when a gift bag will not suffice.
3. I sold a school book that all three girls used
This was a required textbook for an English class at the tutorial my girls have gone to.
In 2016, I bought a pretty heavily used $5 copy for Lisey. Sonia used it a few years later, and finally it was Zoe’s turn last year.
I listed it on eBay as soon as she finished with it, and it has sat there for months. But this week, someone bought it for…$4.99!
This is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I do get a sense of satisfaction over the way you can sometimes buy a secondhand item, use it, and then sell it for what you paid for it.
4. I rescued some flatbread
The once-a-month food pantry where Mr. FG and I volunteer usually has bread leftover at the end of the distribution window.
The pantry can’t store it, so it gets thrown away if it’s left over.
(Leftover shelf-stable food can just stay until the next distribution day, of course.)
So, I took a bunch of the flatbreads home and threw them into my freezer. We’ll probably mostly use them for quick pizzas.
Obviously, this is not why we volunteer! But I am happy to have a chance to save some food from the trash.
5. I saved the last of the conditioner
The girls* have been using this huge Costco pump-top container of conditioner, and the problem with these bottles is always that it’s hard to get the last bits out.
*Ok, not Sonia because she uses special products for her curls!
So, I turned it upside down to drain the last bit into a travel toiletry container. That way it’ll be easy to use up.
Your turn! Share your frugal five in the comments.
Tracey
Sunday 24th of January 2021
My husband is an electrical wonder too. He rewired three lamps that we inherited. One was made from a old fashioned telephone where you lift the receiver off the hook to turn on the light.
Here's our five frugal things for the week:
1. We were gifted a whole chicken. I made four meals and froze three portions of stock from it.
2. When I was repacking the Christmas stuff I came across a box of mending that got shoved up in the attic when we redid our living room (also home to my sewing area). In addition to the items needing repair, there were a few pairs of slacks and jeans I had bought on sale and needed hemming (I'm short and have to hem everything). Excited to have new clothes to wear....once I get them hemmed!
3. My husband received a Lowes gift card for Christmas. We used part of it to purchase energy saving LED light bulbs
4. A local bakery makes fresh baguettes and sells them for $1 each. We bought three and used them for a variety of yummy sandwiches.
5. I used a Duncan gift card to buy us lunch on the road to return our daughter to college.
Isa
Friday 22nd of January 2021
What products does Sonia use? I have curly hairs and they are always so frizzy :-(
Kristen
Friday 22nd of January 2021
Off the top of my head, I know she uses Maui Moisture shampoo and conditioner, but she also uses some curl cremes. Let me ask her! And if I don't get back to you, remind me!
Tricia
Thursday 21st of January 2021
1) Our school installed a fancy coffee machine in the staff lounge that all of us can use for FREE. Exciting day. Flat White? Americano? Espresso? Anything you like! 2) The weather, which had been very cold for here, has evened out and we haven't had to use our heater the last few evenings. 3) I picked up a summer blouse on the free table...and some baby clothes for who whoever has the next female grandchild:). 4) I have been getting my 10K steps in almost every day, and being outside does so much for my well-being. 5) We haven't had any unexpected big costs in awhile. Always a blessing.
Mar
Thursday 21st of January 2021
We ate out at Jersey Mikes and used the 25% off code that paid for the tip.
Meijer is now letting you use coupons and mine was only for .25 but it was free bananas.
Hoping we will have a better week of weather as I pulled out all the items the consignment store did not sell and re-list them on FB marketplace. I was surprised all my antique dolls sold.
Our furnace is on a programmed schedule so now I am turning it down when we go to bed rather than keep the house heated with no one up. Might negate the cost a little as our dog gets up at 5 am almost every day.
Jenni
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Priskill, I totally agree that eating less is frugal. I once watched a TED Talk about "Enough". It prompted me to think about that word every time I packed a lunch, served myself dinner, got groceries, etc. When I make eggs in the morning, I ask myself, how much is enough? Sometimes I WANT 3 eggs but I know 2 are enough for me. That way, there's an extra egg to use the next day :)