Five Frugal Things | the prunes, they are gone!
1. I finished the prunes!
Remember how I told you all I was working through an extremely leathery container of prunes?
Well, many bowls of oatmeal later, I found the bottom of the container.
Whew.
In the last month or so, with oatmeal as a vehicle, I have now finished:
- the container of prunes
- half a bag of dates
- a ¾ full bag of currants that I bought for who knows what reason
- a very elderly container of unsweetened coconut
And I'm currently on a container of dates that have been living here for quite some time.
Obviously, I need to be a little more circumspect about my dried fruit buying in the future!
Here's how I make my one-serving microwave oats.
2. I called Cigna to fix two problems
One claim had been denied altogether, despite being in-network.
Good news: that one is the doctor's office's fault, and they will take care of it.
The other problem was a self-submit claim from December that's been sitting there in final processing for a long time.
The rep and I looked over what I'd submitted, agreed that everything was as it should be, and she sent it back out for resubmission.
And since this one is from December, when our deductible was met, this resubmission should result in a check for me!
3. I took care of a $2543 dental bill
Sonia had her wisdom teeth out in October, and I just got a letter saying we needed to pay $2543 and that her oral surgeon was out of network.
None of that seemed right to me!
So, I called and found out that Delta Dental requires an EOB (explanation of benefits) from Cigna, our medical insurance, before they will pay.
I got that PDF sent over, and now our balance owed should be a tidy $0.
PSA: Know your medical plans and make it a habit to question your bills. You can save thousands of dollars this way and these savings can outpace a zillion other frugal habits in a hurry. Totally worth your time!
On a related note, here are six things I learned from submitting out-of-network medical bills.
4. I used up the last of the Nutella
My level of virtue is high, no?
I used a spatula to get every last bit out, and I spread it on banana chunks.
Bananas with Nutella make a very nice dessert, and as desserts go, this one does have some redeeming nutritional qualities.
And that fits right in with my, "Add in more of the good stuff" dietary philosophy.
5. I used some wrinkly potatoes for science
The biology class Sonia and I are taking called for another potato experiment this week.
I figured this would be a perfect use for some rather wrinkly potatoes I found on the pantry shelf, and they did indeed work just fine.
Bonus frugal school thing: I printed this week's lab manual pages on the back side of last week's lab manual pages.
I don't know if I will get to five but here goes.
1. I noticed a discrepancy on my grocery bill and I had checked the bill before leaving the store and I received one item for free and a refund of jut over $8.
2. Next shopping trip was very very expensive at $80 plus for one small bag. Two items were returned as they were luxuries.
3. I repaired my grown son's t-shirt.
4. This was a case spending money to hopefully save money. I replaced my pegs and a sock drier with steel versions. I hang almost every single load. Pegs rot quickly in the Australian climate.
5. As usual I am doing my best to avoid food waste. There has been a lot more thought into the cooking process of late.
I'll lead right off with a fail that I had to rectify. I found three 3-pound bags of onions in my husband's office (the closest I can get to a cellar here) that I had completely forgotten about. Oops. A couple in every bag were literally moldy, and a couple more were sprouting. So I spent about twenty minutes pulling off the moldy exteriors, cutting off bad parts, and slicing them thinly (20 minutes of processing onions is NOT 20 minutes of fun) to caramelize in the oven with the bull brisket I was cooking, or dicing them to put in the freezer. I saved probably 2/3 of the onions in the end.
I finally decided the time had come to deal with some of the excessive quantity of dried pinto beans we had on hand. Not because of COVID stock-ups, just because of a combination of a high school fundraiser that involved big bags of pintos (this is pinto country) and my husband inexplicably coming home with a 25-pound bag. I pressure-canned 12 pints of beans and found I really like the texture of the canned beans. And it's only 75 minutes in the pressure canner, rather than hours on the stove. So I'll do some more of that. I have plenty more dried beans to work through.
I also pressure canned some more bull meat while I had the canner out. This saves more hours on the stove and results in ready made food for nights when I haven't planned well or whatever.
All three of my sons started sprouting holes in their socks at the same time. (How is it that all the socks fail at the same time?). I had to buy socks for the younger two, but my eldest son can wear my socks now, so I just gave him a few pairs of mine. I had more than I needed. And now I have LOTS of holey socks for dusting with.
The tomatoes are starting to sprout! Whee! Inside, I mean. I started 30 seeds this year in hopes of being able to freeze and can a lot of tomatoes this year. Whole canned tomatoes are one thing I buy quantities of throughout the year, and I would like to be able to use my own tomatoes again. It's been a lot of years since I've grown enough that I haven't had to buy tomatoes in the winter. Maybe I'll manage it this year.
Over the past week I have worked through the surplus of food that I bought when we got our initial Covid+ phone call and all the food friends and my mom dropped by.
1.Turned a container of cooked chicken and broth, a few tired potatoes, the last of the carrots in the fridge and a partial bag of egg noodles into a meal! Not everyone likes soup around here but it has thickened up nicely and there was no waste!
2.Took all the birthday balloons that were hanging out here and did a surprise drop to a girl on my daughter and I rec ball league. She got sent into Q due to a school exposure and missed our last game night and was stuck at home on her 13th bday.. So a $5.00 Starbucks card, a cake pop, a card and a dozen balloons with just enough air added from the bike pump to make them look full again!
3.Scored some MAJOR deals on walgreens.com! The prices are lower online, they stack manufacture and store coupons and often have additional discount codes for online order/pick up! (I watch slickdeals.net and those people do all the sleuthing..)
4.Made a call to the local hospital since I have not received a bill for my surgery in December.. They kept waiting for more info from insurance. Billing told me it was handled and the bill was on its way.. She told me the total and said it can be lowered if I pay in full.. Will definitely be calling about THAT.. and when we get my husbands ER bill I will also play that card!
5.Stood my ground firmly with kindness and demanded the local credit union order checks for my son's account and pay for them! I had went to the CU to get the exact string of numbers for his account number ( normally only a 6 digit string but they add more for checks). The lady printed out the info and I went home and we ordered from an online cheaper option. 2 days later she called me to tell me she forgot a number on that paper.. Checks could not be cancelled and arrived and are unusable. I went to CU once off Q and explained the situation and that I wanted them to order him a set and cover the cost since their teller made the error.. They denied me, i asked for the correct string and said I would see if my son wanted to stay there or switch banks.....They tried to make the checks work, found out they would not and called me the next day saying they were ordering a set for him at their cost...:)
1. I have been working through some prunes that had been languishing by adding them to my morning oatmeal mix. I sometimes make oatmeal with raisins and honey (both dried out) as an afternoon snack. Thank you Kristen for the inspiration.
2. I'm still far from being vaccinated so I don't go places to spend money much these days. Thank goodness for good weather last week for a greatly expanded outdoor social life.
3. We were granted an extension on spending the funds in our 2020 and 2021 Flexible Spending Accounts. I don't have to find OTC items that we might use in the future to use it or lose it. The money will be better spent by waiting.
4. I have been working on the yard. Vines grow into our yard from adjacent yards. For the price of yard waste bags it's fresh air and exercise.
5. I have been getting more and more creative in how I cook the chicken breasts that we so often eat. Variety while keeping it low in sodium works for us.
--Downloaded the Target app, which resulted in a 10% off promo code for my entire purchase. I downloaded the app specifically to activate the 15% off bedding sale (we needed new sleeping pillows--ours were well beyond flat) and the discounts stacked at checkout--score! Bonus: I only bought the sought-after pillows.
--I used the old pillows to fluff up the couch cushions. Our cat certainly seems to appreciate the upgrade.
--Used two CVS coupons for free beauty items to replace my favorite lip gloss and face cleaning wipes. Masks or no, I feel naked without lip gloss, and the wipes help remove waterproof sunscreen. My pasty self requires layers upon layers of sunscreen for my almost daily hike.
--Used a $5 off $20 coupon at Ace to restock the car trunk with antifreeze, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid. We don’t have a garage, but we do have a mighty 1980s trunk at our disposal. 😛 I do my best to keep only the essentials in there to avoid impacting mileage.
--Pants that fit the way I like (petite, but baby got back) are nearly always made for someone taller. Thus, two of the three pairs I found new-with-tags at Goodwill needed hemmed by 5.” Since I don't have a sewing machine, it makes for a nice excuse to put on music or comedy routines via YouTube and zen out for a bit while hand stitching.
1. I made some Heinz-style "baked" beans from a recipe I found online, though I reduced the sugar. It helped me use up half a can of tomatoes that was hanging out in the fridge.
2. I found a box of barley tea (soba cha) in my cupboard, and am using it to make delicious iced caffeine-free tea.
3. I made sure that I have a hospital coffee shop giftcard loaded on my phone, so that I'll actually use it.
4. I reprinted a sewing pattern that I already own, to make in a larger, maternity-friendly size, out of fabric that I already own, to wear on Passover.
5. Non-frugal: I majorly splurged on a piece of fabric that I really, really wanted. It's been "out of print" for nearly a decade, but I've been scouring the internet for it. And I found it! It's on its way from Japan, to be mine-all-mine! 🙂
1. Our local buy nothing group has been a great little community. Yesterday I picked up a box of school supplies. All of the folders I will donate to the local college's student affairs dept. They keep extra school supplies for students in need. I was able to score some note cards that I will stamp as my "thank you cards" that I put in my Ebay packages.
2. Thankful that our electric dog fence is now working. In the fall, it wasn't working but our doggie didn't wander too far. However, once the snow melted, she started running after loud cars and the Mennonite horse and buggies. I immediately tried the electric fence and found that it was working again! We were afraid we would need to re-dig the entire line and re-buy the fencing.
3. Thought for about 3 hours of "buying" Noom for weight loss. After the initial trial, I just didn't see anything different than tracking calories. I know of other free websites for that. So after those three hours, I decide NO GO.
4. Realized that I did NOT need to go to Costco this weekend. I made myself make a list of what I "thought" I needed and promptly decided those same items could be purchased at the dollar tree OR could wait a week or so.
5. I also realized that I do not need to go to Costco for gas anymore. A Sheetz opened up close to our house and they carry the Flex Fuel. Low and behold my van takes flex fuel. 30 cents cheaper that regular unleaded!!
No. 3 I can relate to. My 1200 calorie a day diet was just not working and I kept thinking of buying into one of the plans where they send you the food. I decided that, for me, that was crazy. I would have to learn to eat normal food at some point after I lost the weight.
So I made myself just buckle down. I was often using math that 1300-1400 calories was close enough to 1200. 😀 Anyway, now the scale is starting to edge downwards.
Possibly the cursing at it frightened it into movement.
The visual of you cursing your scale made me chuckle.
I should start cursing at mine. 😀 And teach my husband that one cup is not all you can possibly heap into and onto a cup!
I looked into signing up for Noom and got as far as giving them my e-mail address, then decided I was actually reasonably at establishing and sticking to good habits on my own if I wrote myself a daily note. And that's absolutely free.
Have you tried My Fitness Pal? It's free and I get daily emails with tons of great recipes and other info. No cursing necessary. 😉
Eureka -- I just haven't yelled quite enough at my scale -- shall rectify immediately 🙂
1-3. Mended the worn elbow of my husband's flannel shirt. Bonus points in that the shirt was thrifted to begin with, but it's a beautiful color and is one of his favorites. The interior patch material came from a thrifted t-shirt our son wore out and the thread was in a tin of sewing supplies passed down to me by someone who couldn't sew but had inherited a deceased relative's stash of thread. Total frugal win!
4. Earned a $10 gift card through Fetch Rewards. We buy very few name brands, but they do add up eventually.
5. Diced up the last two slightly shriveled colorful baby bell peppers and froze them.
Hi, not sure if you know but for Fetch, you can scan all kinds of receipts. You get at least 5 points for non food related receipts. I just scanned a dental one & got 5 pts. Good luck!
We do that too. I scanned one from take-out pizza the other night and one from our dentist too.
You can also add hot milk to the nutella jar, close it and give it a good shake. Then it will be a chocolate nutella milkshake and it will take care of the pesky little bits that always get stuck at the bottom.
Ummmm, genius! Sticking that in my back pocket for next time!
Great idea!
Mmmm, I'm going to try this with the end of the peanut butter jar. I don't want to clean out the last little bits. I'll use it for a smoothie for breakfast then. Thanks!
My local humane society takes "used" peanut butter jars that aren't scraped clean. I save my and drop them off by the bagful (we love on here.) They add kibble and give them to the shelter dogs for free toys/treats.
*we love pb here! dang autocorrect!
1. My hubby needed some things. His belt broke etc. we are not shoppers! Bought new belt socks and one shirt from kohl’s for 30 percent off and free shipping.
2. Been really trying to shop for all fruit and veggies from ALDI. Saves about 20 bucks or more a week. I do not live ALDI bananas however.
3. Cooking and eating at home. Really working thru my frozen pesto and produce from last summer.
4. Walking my dog for exercise while listening to free to me podcasts.
5. Packing my lunch every day now that we are back to in person school. ( Note: I was so nervous. Most kids are doing a great job of wearing masks correctly ! It has been just fine!)
I'm amazed at the $0 wisdom teeth! We have Delta Dental, too, but clearly our local health insurance is no Cigna. We paid $1000 for one kid and almost $2000 for the other. The oral surgeon gave out (the best) chapstick, and I'd like to show up over there and pick up a handful -- I've certainly paid for it!
Oh, we definitely did have some copays back in October. I just meant that the outstanding balance they're trying to bill me will go down to $0.
Our copays weren't anywhere near $2000, though...that's awful for you guys!
Only Zoe still has her wisdom teeth, so we are almost through with this stage of parenting. Whew.
I didn't get my wisdom teeth out until I was 27 I think? So there's still time hehe
Yeah, I was pregnant with Lisey when I got mine out, so I was....22. And well off of my parents' healthcare at that point!
I was 36 when I had mine removed. I.V. sedation was so expensive that I sucked it up and did it with just numbing shots. It would have been far easier at half that age!
I’m curious: what do your kids think of your non-food-waste habits? Is it something they’re intentional about as well, or do they just humor you?
No one who lives here is QUITE as obsessed with fighting food waste as me. Ha. They're willing to eat stuff I make to fight food waste, and they're pretty good about looking around to see what produce is available, but they're definitely not as intentional as I am.
I would imagine that when they move out and buy their own food, they will be more motivated (as most of us are when it hits our own pocketbooks!)
I missed the frugal 5 post last week - so glad to see it this week!
1. I got some fantastic deals at Kroger by stacking sales, digital coupons and app rebates.
2. Fetch failed to credit me 1,000 points for a particular kind of cereal I bought. I contacted them and was promptly given credit. The very nice customer service agent also gave me instructions on how to get errors corrected myself in the app in the future.
3. I picked up 2 bags of clearance produce for 99 cents each. One had 2 green peppers, 2 oranges and a grapefruit. I used some of the peppers on pizza and the rest to make stuffed peppers. I stuffed them with a mix of Aldi beef rice, onions, kidney beans, a can of Aldi rotel tomatoes and shredded cheese. They were delicious! The 2nd bag had 2 bags of the small potatoes. I plan to roast some, stew some and make potato soup with the rest.
4. I volunteered to take a bunch of stuff from my sister's house to Goodwill for her. There were a lot of children's books that I decided to keep and post on Nextdoor. Someone snatched them up right away, and I got $20.
5. I spent several hours over 2 days working in my yard. We are required to put yard waste in massive plastic bags. I ended up with 7 of them on my curb. Free exercise and vitamin D in the warm sunshine!
1) I switched to dryer balls awhile ago because I couldn't stand the smell of fabric softener on my cloth masks. I'd go without static reducer altogether if we didn't have a white-haired shedding machine at our house... Black pants covered in tiny white dog hairs is not the best look.
2) I wanted some bigger lined post-its for a work-related writing project. I put them in my online shopping cart, but decided to check the supply closet in my department. Jackpot!
3) My field uses APA guidelines for publication, which were revised in 2020. Instead of spending $25 out of my own pocket, I asked my department to purchase a copy. Sure, I could use an online guide...but it's really nice to just have it next to me - especially when I lock down my browser to work.
4) Still eating my daily healthy frozen meal instead of vending machine junk or eating out.
5) It's spring break and we stayed home. To be fair, we're still in a pandemic and we live in Texas, so it's not really safe to go anywhere. I'm still counting it.
Oh! I remembered one after seeing someone's comment below about Kohl's. I bought new jeans and a t-shirt on sale. I still got $10 in Kohl's cash. So the next week, I looked for a nice work shirt. I paid around $11 for a very lovely blouse on clearance.
My biggest 'no waste' win this week was that I signed up for the "waste avoidance protocol" list at Walmart. When someone cancels their vaccine appt they call you so they can at least give someone a vaccine without wasting one they'd already gotten out! So I was able to get my first shot Sunday and that meant I helped the pharmacy avoid wasting a COVID vaccine!
If you're still not eligible for one due to age, etc., call around and see if your pharmacies are offering a wait list.
In other frugal activities...there hasn't been much news. We're definitely using up bits of this and that in the fridge and freezer, eating all the leftovers, etc., etc.
really awesome that you got your shot and it wasn't wasted ;)!
1) I used up bits and bobs and made a clean out the refrigerator frittata for breakfast. A handful of grape tomatoes, a crown of leftover steamed broccoli, 2 slices of ham and 3 kinds of cheese made a great breakfast.
2) Scanned all my receipts to Fetch and ibotta. Ibotta is slow for me. I buy so little that is processed or name brand, but somehow it adds up a dime at a time.
3) I have been doing a spring declutter listing things on eBay, buy nothing, and donating to the food pantry thrift store.
4) Reading a library book
5) Made an arrangement of Gerber Daisies from my garden
I do Ibotta and had always transferred it to PayPal to get a check. New rule: they give you a 1099 so that you can be taxed on those dimes. I am now trying the option of getting gift cards from Ibotta. Hope this is better.
What?! Et tu, Ibotta? That stinks. I had no idea. I'll look into gift cards now, too...
1. I put another large bill on my cash back credit card, paid it off, and used the cash back as a statement credit on my next month's charges.
2. My employers allowed us to order more logo shirts - I now have enough to wear them every day of the week plus two days, plus I got a lightweight cardigan with a logo to wear in cold weather, so I will be "in uniform" and can cut down my own wardrobe some. I love that we get to pick out the shirts we want - I choose colors carefully so that I can wear the shirts with gray, black, tan and navy slacks and skirts.
3. My office is getting a new printer, and the printer company rep gave my bosses and me each a mug, pad of paper, 2 pens, a letter opener and drink can cooler. I will use all of it.
4. I need to centralize our files, and am on the lookout for a better file cabinet. Our old one is from a yard sale, is small, and is no longer in good shape. I'm aware that we could scan all these 7 years of tax returns, insurance plan books, medical receipts, etc., but we don't have a scanner and our laptop is old and slow. Plus, it would take forever to scan, and I don't have that kind of free time. I'd rather spend $15 on a better second-hand cabinet.
5. I went to the food co-op for a couple of things and made sure to pick up the free pound of Tillamook butter that I got for being a co-op owner. The first week of March they gave away a bottle of olive oil. This week owners get a pound of grass-fed ground beef for free. We are getting one free item for every week in March.
That happened when my son had his wisdom teeth out. They called it surgery so the dental ins. Wouldn’t pay for 2 teeth but I didn’t know I could check with the medical insurance. The dentist never told me that. They put the wrong code down and wi up don’t change it. Because there was no surgery. It is a mess.
Nice school picture. I take classes online and we used zoom.
I just made a “tart” using crumbled spiced wafers and butter as the crust and then “prune purée” made with some geriatric prunes and water. I topped it with some sliced “older “ strawberries.
Sounds weird but it was wonderful with and without some vanilla ice cream.
1 - Pretty happy with my soup rescue this week. I used shallots, celery (sticks & diced), turnip, carrots, herbs, and turkey bones from the freezer to make broth and then soup one night.
2 - When I went online to file an FSA claim for an OTC product, I noticed they were requiring a scanned receipt for something I'd used the card for in person. Glad I caught that because they would have billed us.
3 - This can only really be considered frugal post COVID. Two of my kids only wear very specific items from the GAP. One very specific shirts and another a single type of pants, every single day. Pre-COVID these were both relatively easy to find at yard/rummage sales, especially since I could buy the bigger sizes when I saw them too. Now those are gone so I when the shirts came up 50% this week off I grabbed three - enough to get free shipping.
4 - I picked up my two bags of carrots for $0.47 each this week.
5 - Grocery shortages seem to have finally come to an end here so I'm resisting the urge to continue maintaining extra supply. I'm starting to be able to see the back of the kitchen shelves again.
I am planting seeds instead of buying plants, I am starting the seeds in the plastic berry containers. My pots were bought in bulk and shipped for free from dollar tree. I root the begonias cuttings when I trim them. I am growing herbs from seed.
1.) Vigilantly eating up leftovers and working one meal (in this case, ham) into many meals.
2.) Resisted the urge to buy a new tack puller tool and instead made do with the junky one I already had. If I find myself if need of this tool again, I will upgrade the one I have. I've been pretty bad about this lately.
3.) Replaced the broken keyboard on my wife's laptop. I had to order one from China of all places and it works like new despite being an aftermarket device. I was also "in for a penny, in for a pound" in the repair and found myself cleaning out years of dust and debris that made its way into the device.
4.) Bought myself a cutting mat for my workbench. I bought it on sale at Amazon and used the slow shipping digital credit option that I can use in the future on some Kindle books.
5.) Submitted work expense travel reports and worked some overtime.
And here's a couple fails:
F1: Attempted to repair my wife's laptop charger. I soldered a new connector on it but apparently when the wires shorted they appear to have done something to the supply itself and it now appears to emit a high pitched whine. Unfortunately switching power supplies such as those on laptops aren't really repairable and honestly it's not worth it. I ordered a used supply (her laptop is old and new OEM supplies aren't available) on eBay for less than $15.
F2: We have spent quite a bit on groceries this month. Some of it is stocking up but some of it is
I really liked your cleaning out your wife's keyboard. I wouldn't even know how to GET to the inside of my keyboard and since I eat while web surfing I have always pictured an entire field of grain growing inside there.
I actually was cleaning out the fans and such inside the laptop itself.
If you go on YouTube there are a ton of old computer techs who do videos of cleaning and restoring vintage keyboards (something totally up my alley!)
My laptop fan has been getting extremely loud. I need to open it up and clean it. Even my dog has been giving me concerned looks every time it gets screechy.
The place where I work still has desktop PCs with plug-in keyboards. I keep a slightly worn-down artist's paintbrush in my pen & pencil mug and run the bristles around the keys to clean out fuzz and crumbs.
As an IT guy I find it amusing that you think having desktops is a novel thing. 😛
Your Nutella one makes me feel better about finishing off the last couple of spoonfuls of frosting in the container in the fridge. Ha!
1. My first grader had a 4-day weekend off school and my husband took yesterday off. We used our Zoo membership and the AZA reciprocal program to get 50% off admission to an aquarium in our state. My 2yo was free. We figured it'd be pretty empty since it was a school day (it was) and I was happy that some of our tourism dollars were able to be spent in our state since so much of that kind of money in our county has been flooding to the state to the south of us that's more open. I've got to imagine that an aquarium that typically has a steady stream of school groups is really struggling.
2. I packed lunches and snacks for us to eat in the van on the way to the aquarium.
3. Meijer was cleaning out their winter gear and I got a nice pair of gloves for myself - regularly $18, I paid 63 cents. I also got a 2-pack of gloves for my first grader for 28 cents. Crazy.
4. We were supposed to celebrate my birthday with my parents and brother on Sunday, but my parents had to bail (COVID doesn't care about my birthday) so my options were to either get takeout or make my own birthday dinner. Takeout for 6 is expensive, so I took a pork roast out of the freezer, did a couple of easy sides, and made a pie for dessert. (For the record, my wonderful husband is making dinner and cake for my actual birthday.)
5. Stopped by my library's book sale and got a nice hardcover book for my kids for 25 cents.
1. Cooked a 19 lb turkey from the freezer that I bought last November for about $9. The four of us ate two dinners of roast turkey from it and 3 lunches. I repurposed the last of the meat along with a pot of black beans, frozen peppers from our garden and frozen sofrito from our garden to make 4 pans of enchiladas. We ate a pan for dinner, a pan went into the freezer for an easy meal at a later date, I sent a pan to a neighbor that fed her family of 3 dinner and lunch, and the last pan went to our friends & fed the 4 of them dinner. One turkey made 35 meals...I love that!
2. Took our dog to the vet for her annual shots which was expensive. How is this frugal? Well it keeps her healthy and helps avoid costs down the road. Plus we got a $75 rebate after ordering flea & heartworm meds for the year...and we met our insurance deductible for the year so any additional vet bills for this year will be reimbursed at 90%. This is savings since her allergy shots are $100 each time she has them which usually happens about 6 times per year depending on the severity of the allergy seasons for her.
3. It is pollen season in GA! Hooray for Costco brand Zyrtec purchased last year for $7.99 for a one year supply! Used Flex dollars to pay for a long overdue visit to an orthopedist to diagnose a very painful shoulder. Relief for me and use of what is already being taken from my paycheck each week.
4. Finally broke down and purchased a bottle of Bonner's concentrated soap. The large bottle was $13 which is why I have held off for so long but a small amount diluted in gallons of hot water cleaned my baseboards and LVP floors better than anything else has. This saved me time as I didn't have to scrub the floors more than once and I am betting that the bottle will last several months and be useful in cleaning many things around the house.
5. As Spring is arriving I am glad to see that all of my hydrangeas are returning as well as several babies that I transplanted off of my largest plant - hello free plants! The Lantana, verbena, dahlias, daisies, and marigolds are all showing signs of return. I am always so glad to see them return.
Pollen season in neighboring North Florida too. Everything is covered in yellow dust. I could not survive without the very affordable Costco generic Zyrtec. My pup who passed away last spring used to take it too.
1. I could tell that my new favorite blouse was going to look shabby pretty soon with pilling. I just decided to hand wash it, and it was quick and easy. I think the gentleness of hand washing will keep it looking nice for a much longer time.
2. I have been using vegetable scraps for making vegetable broth for soups instead of waiting for chicken or beef bones. I've been adding a lot of onion skins which gives it a rich color. Also, I read that the onion skin is particularly high in antioxidants.
3. Add some milk that was starting to go bad and used it all for pancakes and naan.
4. Mended a few items while the holes were very small.
5. I am thinking about decoupaging my Easter eggs this year with tissue and napkins. I looked up the recipe for Modge Podge and its just school glue and water, so I will be using that. I've never decoupaged eggs before, but it should be fun.
Thank you for that good idea - I keep waiting for bones too - but I have plenty of veg scraps, but I hadn't thought to use them without the bones!
I have been using the grocery store apps to compare prices. Surprisingly Kroger is cheaper on lots of things compared to Walmart. Walmart &kroger are very good for nutritional information also. Being on a low salt diet thanks essential
Hm, five.
1. I got a very large bag of Purina Cat Chow from a friend for the feral cats I feed. Yay! I don't mind buying those sweeties food. I just wish they weren't feral, sigh. Yes, they're all neutered as a registered colony with our local rescue. This being a fishing community, I always have a few seagulls I give some cat food too. Eyeroll. Luckily I like seagulls.
2. ButcherBox! I got my first ButcherBox last month via Kristen's link, and we loved the meat. Food is so expensive here ButcherBox is actually comparable in price, so why not support humanely raised meat?
3. I haven't purchased any new clothes for myself in a long, long time. I never seem to go anywhere!
4. I had a frugal get together with a friend. We drank mulled wine (from a box!) on my deck overlooking the ocean and ate pizza. And laughed, laughed and laughed some more.
5. I gave away amaryllis bulbs via FreeCycle and sprouted tomato plants from seeds saved from last year.
neat to see your school photo! A great use for potatoes too:)
1. Bought clearance bagels & yogurt, and switched to store brand on a splurge item bought often.
2. Used ILL to request a book the library didn't have. Loved the reference book and now will keep an eye out for a used copy sometime.
3. Sold homeschool books, and listed more. Some that just won't sell (after rock bottom prices/waiting 12 months) are now in a homeschool closet donation box.
4. Manicures at home, all the time. Doesn't take much effort, and feels good when done. Rocking a spring blue, and receiving lots of compliments:)
5. can't think of anything, and quiet time is done!
1. We were meeting my sister and niece to drop off the young niece and nephews' Christmas presents. Yes, it is March but covid did a number on Christmas this year. On the way, we saw a Crazy Coupe in excellent condition. I pulled over and my husband put it in the trunk. My niece's kids were thrilled.
2. I used Flash Food for the first time a couple weeks ago and we managed to eat the entire large box of vegetables with no waste. Between that and the .99 a bag markdowns at Krogers, produce has been abundant lately.
3. My spring decor was looking a bit sad so I made 2 huge bunnies from embroidery hoops that were given to my daughter. They're charming and I only used material and trims that I had.
4. I'm also making scrap wood bunnies from post tops my husband cut down for a building project. I made pumpkins from the same four years ago and they've held up great. And again, it's materials we already had.
5. I had Kohls reward money I was having trouble spending. I waited and, finally, the underwear I like went on sale and I was only out of pocket a dollar and change. I used store pickup also.
1. Made a vat of chicken-in-the-pot soup to eat for the week with a 3 pound chicken we got for 99 cents a pound. Also made some matzo balls to go in it.
2. Hubby made a batch of Bolognese sauce to last for a few days and used up some wilted veggies that get sautéed down anyway.
3. Did some more mending and darning to keep some clothes in my closet and out of the rag bin.
4. Good timing got us a chunk of parmesan focaccia at a really good price to have with the Bolognese. It was half price because it was a day old, nothing a little time in the oven can't fix. What a treat!
5. As usual I waited a week to go back to a website where I thought I wanted to buy some clothes I truly didn't need, just wanted. Forgot all about it and by the time I went back the urge to buy had passed.
6. Unsubscribed from retailer emails to further avoid the temptation to shop. What really bugs me are the ones that use cookies to send you an email to ask if "you are still interested in the item you looked at?" Stop it! That is just downright creepy!
Big Brother is always watching and it IS creepy!
Love using up all the "elderly" stuff - veggies, dried fruit, and dang it -- I have thrown out dried coconut thinking it was beyond hope. Will remember for next time 😉
1.All the usual stuff -- eating in/taking lunches most every meal. Also, eating only 2 meals a day is supposedly addressing potential blood sugar issues but also saving money. And once a week 1 meal a day is helping, too.
2. Plowing through all the old-but-seemingly-new clothes (seriously, I saved everything) living in the closet and bureau. Wearing all the old things and feeling spiffy.
3. Since getting my first vaccine I feel a bit safer doing my usual tour of markets to catch all the markdowns instead of rushing in once a week and rushing out (meats close to use by date, produce for 1/3 the usual price but perfectly good, etc.)
Also my favorite salad mixes often marked down at Ralph's. A lot of hardy cabbage and crucifers in them so them last a bit past the stated date and are delicious with add-ins.
4. Continuing to enjoy all the free outside stuff here in SoCal -- hikes to waterfalls (surprising to find them in this desert), the beach, etc.
5. Cannot think of anything else -- just tootling along.
I love waterfalls! I have actually hiked to two in SoCa when visiting. One was in Solstice Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains and the other was outside of Ojai in the Los Padres National Forest. Beautiful places!!
Kristen I tried carrots in my oatmeal yesterday and it was lovely! I'm excited to make my own oatmeal instead of using the little packets. So easy and tastes so much better!
1. I sold 2 items on ebay for a profit of $75.
2. We opened a checking account with a bank that offered $400 if you keep the account open for 6 months and did monthly direct deposits. Well, it has finally been 6 months, so my husband closed the account today. That's $400 in our pockets!
3. We had 3 extra gallons of milk, so we made 2 lbs of mozzarella and 1lb of farmer's cheese. The cheese came out great! It will go on pizzas this week.
4. Used some homemade tomato puree (homegrown this summer) and homemade beef stock (using vegetable peels and scraps) to make beef stew. Used some homemade pear butter I had frozen to put in my yogurt this week. The pears were picked from a neighbor's tree this summer.
5. My husband got his COVID vaccine!
1) We will be moving from Hong Kong back to the US in June, so I am in "use it up" mode with the pantry. Like Kristen, I have used up odds and ends in my oatmeal, wondering what I ever bought some of these items for in the first place!
2) I signed up for an online savings account that gives you a bonus of $700. Better than the "high interest" I was getting in another account, so I made the switch.
3) Along the lines of moving...my husband and I are using older MacBook Pros at work, even though the school upgraded last year. We asked if we could buy them when we leave, and were surprised when they said yes. And only $128 USD each, too! I've been needing a "newer" personal computer, so this is a huge blessing.
4) We are scheduled to have our 2 free Covid Vaccines here before we move. I definitely have reservations, but I also don't want the travel rules to change last minute and not be able to get home without them, so we are getting it done.
5) We have a 10 day spring break coming up, and I am using some points to stay free in local hotels a couple of nights since we can't go anywhere else.
I am impressed by using up so many odds and ends in your oatmeal. I need to figure out something to use up my goodies. I don't like oatmeal but maybe yogurt or breakfast cereal?
1. I made homemade bread from the 10lb bag of bread flour I bought when that was the only thing on the shelf during shortages. I still need to make a lot more bread or other things to use it up soon.
2. Even though I do check out digital books from my library and the library is also open for pick up - I am working my way through my collection of to-be-read books on my shelf. Most of these were purchased for 50 cents or a dollar at library sales, or were given to me. I had about 90! I have read about 10 of those recently.
3. I came in under budget at the grocery store the last two weeks. This is a HUGE frugal win for me because I am always tempted to go over.
4. I am not buying any crafts this year. I am on my 3rd project from my stash for 2021. I probably have enough supplies to last well beyond a year.
I had potted a lot of cuttings, since I'm trying to populate the empty yard at our fixer upper entirely for free. Lots of the little cutting had grown nicely, so I planted them into the ground today. I love free plants! Water from the rain barrels was used to water the new plantings.
Linen pants at Old Navy were on sale for $15. They had enough of a hem that I could let the hems down another inch. Every inch counts when you're 6 feet tall!
Yesterday I made brownies and it seemed such a waste to have the oven on for just one thing, so I quickly mixed up gluten free banana muffins and put those in too. I did all baking in the morning since our electricity plan has changed to time-of-use. We are changing our habits to run the dishwasher either after 9pm, or first thing in the morning. Our daughter (staying with us) has a 5 am zoom meeting tomorrow morning, so she will run the dishwasher then!
Loving the better prices on Pirate ship for mailing things. I just sent our youngest's clarinet lyre back to her old band director, so it can be given to another student.
Enjoying no due dates at the library. Hoping that stays around long-term
Yes on using the oven again! I baked a casserole for supper and while it was finishing I whipped up some brownies last night. Husband asked why I was making those.. My response was that since the oven was heated up why not keep it going? Its not like he is going to complain about dessert? NOW in the heat of the summer.. yeah that mightbe a different discussion!
It's good to hear of creative ways to use dried fruits. Maybe plumping them in hot water and then chopping them so they can be added to muffins and breads would work.
My Fab Frugal Five-
1) I signed up for a credit card and got the $200 cash bonus.
2) I'm working on getting $ from Swagbucks and have $17 so far. It will be used for a birthday gift.
3) We had a plane credit since the airline cancelled our trip in 2020. We only have a year to use the credit, so we are taking a small trip and going first class. Helloo leg room.....
4) I stockpiled lots of shelf stable items back in the Fall and decided to check their dates. I have to use some in the next 6 months and if I don't think I can, they are going to the food bank.
5) I found a silk pillowcase on ebay for $18 total. Real silk. Hopefully, it will stop hair breakage and keep my skin wrinkle free. That's the claim, anyways.
Let’s see if I make five this week - and manage to write them in English.
1. Sold spare parts from my collectable cutlery and made quite a bit more than I paid for it.
2. Watched an online lecture from Avene for work and won a goodiebag. Got facial cream and eyecream I can use. The facial mist I will give away to someone who will use it.
3. Tried a new (for us) vegetarian dish. Had everything in my kitchendrawers and the recipe made three servings for us, so ate one and freezed two. It was yummy so it will be added to our mealplan rotation.
4. Earlier this winter I scored big at the local Facebook selling group. Six Arne Jacobsen 7-chairs for $25. Now I found matching screws for the ones missing so now we only need to cut the legs of the dining table. Since it’s old chairs they are a bit shorter. We can buy extenders for the chairs, but this way we save the $150 cost for those.
5. Sold some yarn that I won’t be using after all. Since I bought it at a discount I managed to sell it for the same price I bought it for.
FFT
1. After 2 years of persistence all the medical, bills from my husbands injury have been paid!
2. Facebook Market started out with a bang. Most if what I sold I scored for free so total,profit. Sold two things for either what I paid for it years ago or fir more than I paid for it. So far for March $260 March
Wet Jet kit $30
Tv mount $20
Vera Bradley tote. $20
Growler. $5
Electric kettle $10
Starbucks mugs. $70
Dog food $40
Vera Bradley bag. $10
Terrible Towel $10
Sound machine $20
Doll High chair $10
Blender $15
3. Found a Wendy’s gift card in the street. Checked and it had $5 left on it. Yes please! Bought two large chilies paid .70, added a .50 can of black beans, baked a .50 box of corn bread. Served it with grated cheese, hot sauce and sour cream and called it dinner! YumM
4. I’m selling Easter baked goods for a friend and will get thanked in baked goods.
5. Rescued a stack of old art canvases from a trash pile. Keeping two fir upcoming projects and giving one to a friend.
6. A bonus one! Signed our son up for a 4-H virtual program about barred owls. They sent him a kit with an owl pellet to dissect during the class, a work book and work sheets and everything he needs to build an owl house during the next class. All this counts towards his homeschooling. And did I mention it was free? If you have kids consider joining 4-H. In Pennsylvania it is only $20 a year and you can join as many;clubs as you want. This Thursday he is taking a speech prep class and next month he is attending a three day virtual civics class about how bills become a law complete with mock legislation. Just go online to your county 4-H extension office to see all the clubs. You do not need to live on a farm or have any animals/pets to join.
Oh wow, congrats on getting all those bills paid. I know medical/insurance issues take so much persistence sometimes.
Hurray for #1! That is a HUGE relief, I'm sure!
And good points about 4-H.
paying neighbor one hour every two weeks to help organize. That way I get 2 hours work done in one hour and don't feel so lost. She carts paper lawn and leaf bags of junk to thrift store. Right now just doing kitchen and pantry and laundry. So grateful. Getting rid of tiny never used appliances is very relieving
I can relate to the Prunes and Nutella. It feels good to finally use things up that have been hanging out forever.
A New Years goal here is to use up, repurpose, re-home or donate one item every day. I'm proud to say that so far we've hit the mark - even if it's just using the last drop of mustard in the bottle on a hamburger. Today I crushed up a stale sleeve of saltines to use in meatloaf. It's become a fun game.
Our five frugal things for the week:
1. My workmate and I are making crocheted hand bags from scrap yarn. We are giving them as Christmas gifts to about a dozen coworkers. They are colorful, super cute and free! We're working on them every day during lunch. We had four huge garage bags full of yarn given to us by our boss. His mother-in-law, an avid knitter, passed and he knew we would use it up.
2. Finished sewing a cardigan started many moons ago. It only needed sleeve and bottom hemming. I had put it aside when my serger decided to act up and make my life miserable.
3. Pulled three pairs of pants needing fly buttons out of the mending pile (mountain). Fifteen minutes later they were fixed. One pair for me and two for the hubster.
4. Eating down/date rotating the food stash.
5. Our anniversary is at the end of the month. I've been watching for a sale on the fancy, shock absorber, rocking camp chair my husband wants for when he goes motocross racing. It finally happened! $30 off with a sale and coupon.