Five Frugal Things | science experiment bread
1. I made bread after a science experiment
Zoe's biology teacher assigned a yeast-growing experiment, so after Zoe was done, I used the yeast to make two loaves of bread.
Of course, a few teaspoons of yeast doesn't cost very much, but I felt happy not to throw it away.
And I used the loaves to make panini for dinner on Sunday night, so that's something.
2. I gave Lisey a Thinx coupon
I got a $10 coupon in the mail, so I passed it on to her. A person can always use more period undies!
If you want to give Thinx a try, go through this link to get $10 off your first order.
I've only mentioned Thinx in passing; I promise I will do an actual review post soon. Short version: I think period undies are great backup protection and pantiliner replacements; I'm not as sold on them as a replacement for tampons or pads.
3. I submitted a range rebate and a contact lens rebate
I almost forgot that there was a $50 rebate to submit after we got our new stove/oven!
I submitted that one and also submitted one for my contact lenses.
I seriously love that rebates can be done entirely online now. That's so much easier (and less wasteful) than the mail-in rebates we did back in the day.
And I have to imagine that this is much simpler on the processing end; much less manual entry.
4. I got some unexpected free food/drinks
Someone on NextDoor* posted that they needed help carrying food bank boxes to people's cars during their once-a-month food pantry day, so Mr. FG and I went over to help out.
*this proves that NextDoor is not comprised entirely of petty complaints.
At the end of the shift, there were some leftover perishables, so the people in charge asked if we could take some home so they wouldn't have to throw it away.
And that is how I ended up with a LOT of bottles of orange juice in my fridge.
I would not normally buy individual bottles of OJ (too much plastic!), but in this case, the most eco-friendly thing to do is to at least drink the orange juice before it goes bad.
I also got some croissants, ciabatta, and chips, which my girls will happily eat.
Of course, free food was not why I volunteered. But I am happy to help keep things from going to waste.
5. I used a Local Flavor voucher on our date night
Local Flavor (sort of like Groupon) had a $16 offer for a $30 takeout voucher for a local restaurant. So, I bought it and we used it for our takeout date night.
We had some leftover sweet potato fries from our meal, so the next day at lunch, I refreshed them in a skillet on the stove (dry heat is so important for reheating stuff like that).
And I ate the fries with two fried egg whites, which were leftover from something I baked.
It was a very anti-food-waste lunch.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
Share and inspire us. 🙂
How does Zoe have a biology teacher other than you? Is it an online teacher then? (Don't mean to be nosy--just wondering.)
The Next Door here is very useful, too. Weather and traffic alerts for this area specifically have helped us. During a hurricane while we were evacuated in another state with family, we were able to find out when it was safe to return. And we were able to add to our dwindling-over-time dish set when a neighbor advertised that she was selling many pieces matching ours, which is no longer available in stores. Cheaper than buying a whole new set of dishes and better for my particular personality than combining our partial set with a small amount of a different design.
We have been using every morsel of food since we have food delivered in these Covid times. We ate chicken Mediterranean one night, then with some Mexican seasoning, I converted the left-overs into chicken fajitas. Chili con carne later in the week became chili con carne and corn. Etc.
I am craving an in-person grocery store visit, but we are elderly and vulnerable.
Oh, she has an online tutorial once a week for three classes. It was supposed to be in person like last year, but....covid.
Gail, I'm 100% with you about mixing plate patterns. Even though I have the Western plates and the Asian plates (bowls, plates, and dishes for dipping sauce), that's very specific and I don't like mixing them on the table.
Stay safe!
Nothing new or notable on the frugal front here, just the everyday stuff, but I had to laugh at your comment about dividing bread dough. I am terrible at that, too, and always end up with four different-sized loaves. That's fine, though, because I almost always give away at least one loaf from every baking, and I can choose a size based on the family size of the person I'm giving it to. Single people get a smaller loaf; families get a bigger one. So I'm not failing at evenly dividing dough; I'm customizing my gift.
It's all about perspective. 🙂
Another way we are twins. 😉
I know I could weigh the dough when I divide it, but...that's a little too detail oriented for me. Heh.
1. I picked up a pair of barely worn Nike sneakers for my son off Buy Nothing. They fit him now and he only had 1 pair of school shoes. I also picked up a light jacket for my daughter off Buy Nothing, a new craft kit which I will give as a gift, and 2 pairs of new shoes my son will fit into in a couple of years. All free and will save me at least $100-$200. We also typically walk or ride our bikes to pick up the items, so free exercise too. I gave away quite a few items on Buy Nothing this past week too.
2. We received an overpayment from our mortgage company (escrow account). We then realized we had some extra cash in our bank account. So we used the overpayment and the extra savings to make an extra payment on our mortgage. This extra payment will save us $30/month in interest payments. We are now scheduled to pay off the mortgage in 1.5 years! Woo hoo!
3. Pulled all the basil from our garden to make pesto and froze it. We have a nice stash of pesto in the freezer now. This should last until next summer.
4. Sold my daughter's bassinet on Marketplace and listed all of my son's clothes/shoes from this past year on Marketplace also.
5. Food related: my husband made homemade bread this past weekend, my mom gave us a large container of homemade sauce and meatballs, I used some leftover sour cream to make corn muffins, and I used some strawberry jam to make a strawberry vinaigrette.
Have a great week everyone!!
Score on the OJ, etc! That's awesome, and I look forward to seeing how it shapes your Friday menu posts.
One of my favorite things about when I worked at a hippie-run co-op was the food waste policy. They donated to the local food bank, but since the food bank only picked up twice a week, staff always got first crack at write-off to minimize waste between pick-ups. SO MUCH FREE FOOD. SO MUCH. There were days my co-workers and I would each walk out with $50+ of meat, milk, cheese, juice, you name it. My personal record was $100+, though most of that was a **ginormous** organic beef roast. (That job is why my husband and I got a [free] deep freezer, no joke!) Our $0 grocery budget was honestly one of the reasons I stayed longer than I should have, as the store wasn't in the best neighborhood, especially after dark. Eventually, I decided my personal safety outweighed having to pay for groceries again. That said, years of free food makes for some serious sticker shock, even well after the fact. 😛
Anyhow, Frugal Things!
Not frugal for me, but for a friend. Her engine light was on but not flashing. She dutifully had it checked out only to be quoted a ludicrous repair price by the chain car garage she had been using. They insisted that she had to replace her catalytic converter, to the tune of $2500! She smartly said she'd get a second opinion first and, since we'd recently been talking/reminiscing about our cars, asked about my mechanic. I **strongly** recommended my mechanic of 10+ years, who runs an independent one-man shop. Funny thing about the chain estimate--it was to repair a part that her newer make and model doesn't even have!!! The engine light merely indicated increased fuel emissions because of a faulty seal, which was an easy fix. $40 beats a $2500 rooking any day!!! Now she has a trustworthy mechanic, and I'm only too glad to send another friend his way.
A skilled and trustworthy mechanic can be as good as a great doctor! That saved us thousands over the years. And when my darling “Crazy Ron” retired at 79, I was very happy to find a less crazy, but wonderful replacement.
Now I want to hear stories about “Crazy Ron”! 😛 Tim, bless him, is the master of The Dad Joke.
1. Borrowed from the library a book that my daughter's teacher has been reading aloud over Zoom, and connectivity problems resulted in us missing a chapter. Now I have it so I can read to her whenever she misses a chapter. (Let's be honest: I'm reading the whole thing to her; it never hurts to hear a story twice, especially when there's a hearing impairment!)
2. Baked bread using ingredients I had on hand because I was out of whole wheat flour. One batch was wheat/barley blend and another batch used molasses instead of honey.
3. Have been using pencils that Amazon mistakenly delivered to us for school. We did not order the pencils, and when we notified Amazon that we had received pencils (and batteries, and other supplies), they told us to keep them.
4. In-person grocery shopped for produce at my favorite store (a first in many moons), and managed to walk out without any of their chocolate covered espresso beans or chocolate covered blueberries, or other gluten-free sweet treats. I only bought what I came to buy.
5. Bought a versatile dress from ThredUp for 1/3 of the original value, rather than purchasing new.
Hit MAJOR MILESTONES in catching up on medical bills and insurance issues. It doesn't surprise me that with everyone's processes disrupted by the pandemic, information about missed or cancelled appointments doesn't always make it to the accounting people. Yesterday I finished the last crosschecking of my calendar, the providers' calendars, the invoices, the credit card bills, and my spreadsheet. I found a half dozen or so mistakes. (I'm also pleased to report that with the exception of one provider, all offices were easy to deal with.)
Eating down the freezer again. How did it get so frosty quickly? I think I must have left it cracked open for an hour or so.
Picked out the slimy bits from a large container of elderly spinach. It's finicky work but at $7/lb for organic, that 10 minutes is the equivalent of $42/hr.
I sorted through 4 boxes of office stuff that have been living in my home office, because I changed work divisions during WFH and the stuff had to go somewhere. I now have the office supplies I need for WFH plus extra for other purposes. (I'm not stealing from my employer: I generally use my own supplies so I can have the pens, dry erase markers, etc., that I prefer.)
I want another shelf for my kitchen cabinets. I'm going to see if my neighbor still has a woodworking table to cut down the spare from a larger cabinet.
Went for a walk with a friend rather than having a drink. The main reason was it's too chilly to sit that long but that's still $5 I didn't spend.
I think that the fun factor of baking with home grown yeast also falls under no-spending for entertainment. 🙂 And just think--if we undergo another yeast shortage, you will be able to source your own.
My bread loaves are never the same size, either. Does it get eaten? Yes. So, win!
Speaking of bread, does it count as frugal if my husband made pocket pita bread instead of me making it? He was pretty proud of himself. We aren't doing anything new to save money--thankful we have been in a pattern on ongoing frugality for so long that I don't even think about a frugal lifestyle--it's second nature to me now.
Yes, please review Thinx! Inquiring minds want to know!
First, something to do with the OJ is to freeze it and thaw when you want it for smoothies or other recipes.
My husbands birthday party was this weekend and we had quite bit of leftovers, which will never go to waste, if I can help it. (I had to teach my husband to eat leftovers when first married.) To this end, I made a very large vegetable gratin with df/gf béchamel and gf crumb topping. It was really good and worth writing down!
Have turned off the AC for a few days due to lower temps and rain, YAY.
Used up the last of the nondairy creamer in an egg casserole.
I have learned to use the quick wash function of my washer to my advantage.
Working very hard to not spend frivolously. Which means I am learning to want less. YAY!!!
Haha, well, I don't know if my girls will leave any for me to freeze! I don't buy juice very much, so they are feeling super delighted to be rich in OJ temporarily. 😉
Kristen, have you tried menstrual cups instead of tampons?
Yup! That's what I use in conjunction with the Thinx. 🙂
Using up things from the fridge:
- the last of some broccoli got steamed to go with salmon and leftover grits last night.
- I used up the last of some Eagle Brand milk in the grits when I originally made them.
- We celebrate the hub's birthday with a homecooked meal instead of going out.
- I remembered to email the gym and cancel my membership before it auto-renewed!
- I bought vanilla extract at Sam's. I go through quite a bit of it and it's much less expensive to buy it there than at the grocery store!
Julie, did you know that for most products, artificial vanilla (vanillin) tastes just as good as the natural product? Cook's Illustrated tested it at least twice - I suspect that they didn't believe it the first time - and came to the same conclusion each time. The exceptions are things that either are not baked or are strongly vanilla-flavored, such as puddings and pastry creams. Now I keep a large bottle of vanillin for baking and a smaller one of vanilla for those few products.
Yep, that's what I do too, based on the CI tests! For frosting or whipped cream, I use real vanilla. But for most baked goods, I use vanillin.
My Mom wasn’t much interested or good at cooking, but she did make the very best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Her secrets? Generic artificial vanilla flavoring and generic shortening instead of Crisco or butter!
Her other secrets were generic cream of mushroom soup and name-brand Miracle Whip. (not in the cookies, but one or both in almost everything else!)
Sorry, Mom! Lol. But those cookies- fantastic!
I prefer not to use artificial vanilla due to it being synthetic, so I just make my own! Vanilla pods and cheap vodka. Let it sit for 6 months or so. Very reasonably priced!
1. I had to order some special music masks and an instrument cover for one of my band kids but the shipping was showing as $17. I realized that they were charging $4 handling per item plus shipping so I called and was given a cheaper shipping option. Took a little longer but saved me about $6.
2. I'm on week 3 of menu planning and we have not eaten out at all as a result, plus it helps to make things easier when I get home and know what I'm cooking.
3. On the same note I went to Trader Joe's and restocked some quick freezer meal options. While they are a bit pricier than cooking from scratch they're definitely cheaper than takeout in a pinch.
4. We had a bunch of eggs that were near their best by date so I hard cooked them and we've been eating them as snacks for several days now.
5. I agreed to decorate for a welcome back event at my kids' school so I hit up the dollar tree. With some creativity and time I can create a fun look for not a ton of money!
AEW, my kid's band had people make instrument covers. (I don't sew so I couldn't help with that one). I'm wondering, though, if the ones you purchase are easier for the kids to use and if they do a better job preventing spread of the virus than homemade ones. Any thoughts?
Kris I'm honestly not sure, until everyone gets their orders in a lot of the kids are currently using things like shower caps and garbage bags. I'll actually be curious to see what the one I ordered looks like, how many layers of fabric, how dense the fabric is etc. The way I look at it, the masks prevent spread by trapping the particles that are exhaled so I'd think that any bell cover would do the same as long as it wasn't a thin weave BUT I'd think the particles wouldn't be traveling as far after traveling through the twists and turns of most of the instruments? The whole thing makes my head hurt lol. In the end I'll do what needs to be done to keep the kids playing!
1. I got a free flu shot yesterday.
2. Fetch Rewards sent me an email yesterday saying I could choose another free magazine subscription. This is the third one! No credit card info is required so I feel safe doing this.
3. One of the survey sites I participate in sent me two packs of two rolls of toilet paper to try and then answer questions about. Four free rolls of TP!
4. While at Kroger getting my flu shot, I checked the clearance aisle. I picked up oyster crackers which I love in soups for 49 cents and Keebler Club crackers for $1.49. I submitted the receipt for points on the apps I use.
5. I went to Target for disinfecting wipes (they had none), and I found clearance priced school supplies that I purchased to include with Christmas gifts I donate. What child doesn't enjoy fresh crayons, colored pencils and markers, right?
My big frugal win this week was that I needed a new candelabra bulb for the hanging star light I got at IKEA last year at Christmas - I realized I love it enough to leave it up all year. At Home Depot, the only bulbs in that size and shade were a 3 pack with one broken. Since I figured it would otherwise be headed for the dumpster and I only needed one bulb anyway, I took it to checkout and asked for a discount, $5 off which made it $2.xx for the remaining two bulbs!
Now, when I got home I put in a bulb and it still didn’t work, so I may just need to get a new lamp kit for it from IKEA. But, $2 to find that out is a pretty good deal.
Let's see ...
1.) Made pumpernickel and a no knead sourdough. I've been making sandwich bread for ages and decided it was time for a change.
2.) Went through a lot of my old video game items and organized them, coiled the cords and bagged them up so they don't get tangled. I also found one controller with a busted thumbstick. The part to repair it is less than $2 so once the part comes in I will repair it.
3.) I have a toilet paper holder that has been in my bathroom for several years. Well being a bathroom it is a moist environment and it has started to rust a bit. I bought a can of spraypaint, hit it with a wire brush and sandpaper to remove the rust and gave the whole thing a couple of coats of oil rubbed bronze. It now looks as good as new. Total cost under $4. Paint is American made. Cost of a new holder $20+ and probably made in China. Since the weather is cooler I'm debating on doing a couple other small painting projects before autumn really sets in.
4.) Made more pumpkin puree with pumpkins we grew. Now we just have to find some things to make with the puree. I'm leaning toward pumpkin muffins at the moment.
5.) Was able to find a mattress for my daughter's bed. Now we just have to get a bed frame. We're still looking. Hopefully by her birthday next month.
That #2 is pretty cool! For the pumpkin puree, you can also make pumpkin custard - also known as the filling for pumpkin pie. Same recipe then cook in a water bath at 350F till done.
I'm super impressed that you have home-grown pumpkins.
My daughter wanted to grow them. I shrugged and said they probably won't grow. She made a small hill (which I mixed some compost into) and we stuck a few seeds into it. Then they grew! I'm just amazed the local wildlife didn't get them.
Add pumpkin puree to oatmeal with cinnamon and nuts. Or add to yogurt with cinnamon. I also make a very yummy pumpkin and black bean chili.
Putting this out there to hear what you all think: Often food businesses in our area donate food (frozen meat, fresh veg, bakery etc.) to the St. Vincent DePaul store and they post on FB that you should spread the word for people who need food to come and pick up a box of food. Often it's getting late in the day and they don't have the means to store the food especially when they get perishables. I share the posts but sometimes I would like to go and pick up some of the items. Here's the dilemma, I can afford groceries so I don't need the help but I also don't want the food to end up being thrown away because it was left, however, I don't want to take food from someone else that really needs it. Ideas?
I see nothing wrong with taking food that’s about to be thrown away. You could donate some of the money you saved back to that charity.
Hi! Maybe try to find out if there is someone that would need it but can't pick up due to transportation? An older couple from church that doesn't have a car or can no longer legally drive? A family that would have to take all their kids on the bus to get the box?
In our area we have a local church that takes in "situationally homeless" to keep kids from living out of their car and to keep kids in the school district without calling attention to their temporary homelessness and are always looking for potluck donations. Maybe local church could use a prepared meal?
Make a financial donation
I think it's ok to take it, to prevent waste.
If you don't pick it up, it WILL get thrown away, you know?
If you can pick it up and share it with someone in need, great. But whatever you do with it is much better than throwing it away!
I had the same hesitation about taking the food from the food bank distribution location, but they assured me that it would be thrown away otherwise. This location only receives and gives food once a month, and they can't store this stuff for that long.
Take the food and use it or share it. Maybe you could use it to make a meal and bring a portion to an elderly neighbor? You could also estimate the cost of the food and make a donation in that amount to a good cause of your choice.
This is my answer as well. Best use is for someone who needs it, then your taking it and giving/sharing with someone who needs it, then using it yourself, and throwing it out is to be avoided!
We recently discussed this question over at the NCA. (My situation: I have an elderly friend who qualifies for food giveaways on multiple counts, takes the potential throwaways, and then shares them with me.) My own solution to this, which is specific to my current life with DH, has become to offer his home care aides first choice and keep the rest. The aides appreciate this, and it has certainly inspired me to some Evening at the Improv with What's Available cooking this summer.
Aww, that is a nice way to pass on the generosity. Good for you!
1. Dyed my own hair. It'd been a while.
2. Cooking with mostly local cheap ingredients.
3. Using last year's planner for scrap paper.
4. My son is reusing tp rolls...not sure what project he's cooking up...but free entertainment I guess!
5. My friend is collecting flower seeds for me.
Katy,
I like your idea of using your last year's planning for scrap paper.
We often save our junk mail, and use the blank sides to write notes.
Good for the planet too!
You can also drink a little from each bottle and freeze the orange juice. Or measure out into ice cube trays so you can throw a few cubes in your smoothies.
And did you check the electric company for a rebate? You might get an additional rebate (if you haven’t done so already).
1. I’ve been eating leftovers every day. Yesterday I took some leftover salad and added to it and, my! that was delicious!!
2. We are trying to lose weight, and we limit our eating out. We decided that a medium pizza is a better size for just the 2 of us. Plus we save a few bucks by getting a smaller size.
3. Instead of buying an expensive iWatch, I went and plugged in my old Fitbit that hasn’t been used in 3 years!!! I’ve sync’d everything up and now I’m tracking again! And I’m using all kinds of free tracking apps.
4. My insurance agent sent an email a couple of weeks ago that our umbrella and auto insurance is up for renewal. She had done some research, and found a lower rate. When I asked how much cheaper it is to raise our deductible from $500. to $1,000 she said “that it’s usually only $20. a month and most people don’t go for that.” I said “$20. is $20. and I go for that”. So not only are we saving with the new insurance, we are also saving with a higher deductible. We do have the money for the additional deductible, so why not!
5. I can’t believe I found 4 items that I am being frugal about!
Have a great day!!
This is one of those huge frugal things we do because we have been frugal for 50 yrs. Our son rents an enormously expensive dump of an apartment in a small town. We bought a charming Craftsman bungalow he can rent from us for about a $500 per month payment. investment for us, lovely home for him and his daughter. Make you money or home equity work for you.
1. My local coffee shop gave me 4 pastries for the price of 1 when I visited just before they closed, 3 went in my freezer for future treats.
2. I keep using Fetch to scan my grocery and hardware store receipts, it takes a while but I’ll have a gift card soon.
3. I got my flu shot, free with my health plan and received a health reward, my choice was a $25 TJMaxx gift card. This will be used for Christmas presents.
4. Signed up for a no fee, cash back credit card and received $70 off my next Amazon purchase. This was a considered decision as I wanted an alternative card to my current air miles one. I use air miles for international travel and have nearly reached my miles goal for the trips I’d like to take (one day!). Cash back will add up as I use a card to pay for all purchases (and pay it off in full every month).
5. Stretched last week’s groceries an extra few days which meant breakfast for dinner a couple of nights, but who’s complaining? 🙂
I love doing breakfast for dinner!
My 5:
1. Ordered groceries for pickup, they didn't have a whole chicken I was basing a meal on but my order included all the other things for the recipe. Stopped to pick it up this morning, on sale plus 50% off because sell-by data was today. Whole 5 lb chicken was < $3 for tonight's dinner! I bought a 2nd one for the freezer.
2. My town had a bulk shredding event. I took a full box. This will save my shredder the wear and tear plus saved me from potential identity theft if I got lazy and didn't shred.
3. Rearranged some furniture to better utilize our space. Nothing new, just in new places.
4. Brought a desk chair and monitor home from my office for free. My employer is moving to a new smaller office space and I will likely be working from home permanently. They are allowing employees to take supplies for setting up WFH for the duration since the new space will have new tech/furniture and will only house about 1/5 of our work force due to social distancing needs. Before it was going to be a highly collaborative space with flexible use, so they really had to rethink the setup for the Jan 2021 move.
5.Baked my husband a key lime cheesecake for his birthday which was better than store bought and cheap too since I didn't need to buy much. My store didn't have key limes so we substituted one lime + one lemon. Tasted great!
Kristen, I think one of the best things about homemade bread, besides the wonderful taste, is that each loaf is an individual and has its own shape and personality! 🙂
My five frugals this week:
1. Our church ladies had a lunch together!!! We spread out the seating around our fellowship room so we were socially distanced. We served each food item in individual dishes, so no shared utensils. And of course we all used hand sanitizer and masks while not eating. It was so wonderful to be all together, pray, have a devotion and eat together like we used to do monthly.
The frugal part for me was that I made a huge fruit salad from produce from Aldi's and had enough leftovers for 2 days lunches.
2. While in Dollar Tree to pick up a gift bag for a baby shower I walked down the food isle. They had 2 pound bags of brown rice for $1. I got 3 of them which will last me a long time.
3. My fall spinach and lettuce seeds have sprouted pretty well in my "fancy" raised garden! It is a cattle water trough that developed a leak a few years ago. My husband filled it with soil and cow manure and it's the perfect height for not bending over an in-ground garden!
4. Cooking from scratch saves so much money!! I'm so grateful that it's something I enjoy! I cook a big meal a couple times a week and then eat leftovers on the other days. Pre-pandemic, when I went out to eat I considered it my "entertainment" fund money, not grocery money. Being together with friends and family for a meal is really entertainment, especially these days!
5. My daughters visited and we went through an antique hutch and cleaned out several items. Some for a yard sale and some they wanted to keep. Whether it produces any yard sale money for me or not, now my hutch "sparks joy"!
I have eight raised beds that are repurposed large animal watering troughs. Not only can I garden in them from my wheelchair when I need to, the metal keeps voles from being able to get into my produce---they cannot get purchase on the metal, like they can on wood raised beds (even three foot high ones!!). The other major advantage is that the soil warms up faster and to a higher temperature, which is a definite advantage in northern Alaska. I am always recommending watering trough garden beds to people.
Wonderful Lindsey! They would be perfect in your situation! Happy gardening!
One thing I like about you, Kristen, is that you show us that life isn't perfect, and neither is your bread sizing. 🙂 That made me laugh, thanks.
1. Our dog has a crate pad by my husband's hospital bed, but he wanted one for her by his chair on our porch. I was in Goodwill looking for something else when I saw a nice, memory-foam, machine washable rug, as big as the dog's current bed, for $3.99. It works just as well as the crate pad and I saved about $20.
2. I've been ordering some of my pets' food online, and recently got a $15 coupon, which I will be sure to use this week, before it expires.
3. I cleaned my 2 brewers and re-started two new batches of kombucha using the newest offspring of the "mother" in each brewer. I drink a pint of kombucha a day, so making it is very much frugal.
4. I am saving a lot by living in the country - I will have zero trick or treaters next month. And, no connection to frugality, but I am already seeing houses decorated for Halloween. Hold on there, people!
5. I froze leftovers in individual size portions for quick lunches later, I'm wearing a thrift store skirt and shoes and a ThredUp blouse, and I have some windows at the house open to enjoy this unprecedented nice weather for September in Florida.
In response to your Halloween statement. With kids not being able to trick or treat as usual and parties not happening, it’s been recommended on many parenting sites that people decorate their houses early to try and make the season as festive as they can for their kids. Our house currently looks like a Haunted Mansion so that my son (who was really sad that there wouldn’t be a Halloween like he’s used to) can still be happy about it.
My house is decorated too. I have six grandkids and we are determined to have some semblance of Halloween this year. It might be different than years past, but SOMETHING will be happening!
Our town always does a downtown "trunk or treat" type thing, sponsored by churches and stores, which they will be doing again this year, albeit with distancing. We just have some people in town who really, really like to decorate for Halloween. I remember these houses from last year - they leave the decorations up for 2 months.
But I totally get your point. Our nephew and his wife struggled to do Halloween after Hurricane Michael destroyed much of their town, so the decorations were pretty important that year.
Wow --homemade yeast -- and it worked. Now that is frugal.
1. Got free stuff from Vons; dozen eggs, Danimals yogurt (for kids but we'll take it) Missing the free Chobani and a sport water - will check another Vons.
2. The usual breakfasts/lunches at home/leftovers/lots of peanut butter. Most dinners, too
3. Pulled a pair of khaki capris from the giveaway cuz the COVID 19 made themselves apparent on my hips(ahem) so these are fitting again :). Living in them during the summer.
4. Needed new sneakers (the old ones are falling apart and hurt to walk in) Used credit that DSW sent me plus my teacher discount and brought the price down to $37 dollars. The only clothing I have bought since March (plus a tee shirt at Walmarts. Long distance teaching means only my neckline really counts 😉
5. My friend gave me a stack of her old Cooking Lights that she was purging so I have been loving all the free magazines -- so much more fun that digital -- and free.
Frugal Fail :(((( Allowed a discount tray of chicken thighs to go bad. Had used up the other one and meant to freeze this one. No excuse -- so now am freezing on the day of purchase. So mad!
Well, the yeast itself wasn't homemade; the experiment involved using store bought yeast in various conditions to see how it grew (or did not grow).
Don't give me too much credit!
Kristen, it is not possible to give you too much credit 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!
I hope you or your daughter can write a post about the yeast experiment. You helped me and others to not be afraid of yeast!
1. Unlike many of our friends, we're not turning on our heat yet. There are blankets aplenty and and an endless supply of warm drinks.
2. Called and got a 10% reduction on a medical bill for paying in full immediately. The savings was only $6.52, but since it took under 5 minutes to do, it was definitely worth my time.
3. Went for the first round of physical therapy today for an issue with my hand. The therapist asked what my copay was and assured me I only had to return once a week or so and only if I felt it was helping. I appreciated his acknowledgement that p.t. copays can be a bit steep and that there was no need for me to come twice a week.
4. Asked my professor if I really needed the new textbook with internet link access or if I could just make do with the used one the bookstore sold me even though I asked for a new one. He said we don't need the access, so I save about $70.
5. Stocked up on some gluten free pasta for my husband when we found a great sale.
1. Did a mystery shop and got our oil change for free plus $10 pay.
2. A neighbor makes gorgeous cards. She saw my dozens of pumpkins and offered 25 cards for 10 pumpkins. Our pumpkin village will be smaller this Halloween but each card would cost $5 or more at the store, so I am happy. (We grow Red Warty Things pumpkins and carve them into homes for a village. The moose always arrive within a few days after they are put out, eating them all.)
3. I did an adoption home study on a family. When I delivered the document the husband said they had enough to pay me but he wondered if I would be willing to barter. He owns a furnace company and so ended up paying by doing our yearly winterization. We would have had to pay for our yearly winterization this month anyway, so we were happy with it.
4. Sold four items on the FB sales page, making $85.
5. Decluttering I found a box containing a stunning vase that I had received as a gift and never used. However, I have literally dozens of vases so this would never get well used. I was able to regift it to someone else who loves fused glass.
My 5 are: 1. My hub had cataract surgery eye drops that insurance wont cover so it was going to be $74 and i asked if i can use my good rx app and it brought the price down to $34. 2. Continue to scan receipts into my Fetch app and almost at enough points for a $10 gift card. Also got a free magazine offer from Fetch. 3. Made a pot of red lentil soup and a pot of oatmeal with raisins that will last me most of the week for breakfast and dinner. 4. Been eating sliced tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden with every dinner. 5. Replaced my dingey white tanktops with $2 clearance ones at Walmart. Frugal fail: My doggo hasnt been wanting to eat so took her to the vet and they wanted tests done. $ 332 later they have no idea but i never feel bad about spending money on her care and grateful i have the money to do it!
My dog has a lot of gut issues since she eats underwear and socks. We have also had emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction this year. I started making home made dog food for her. I use hamburger, chicken, ham, liver. Different meat each week and purée it in my ninja. I then add to the pot zucchini, canned carrots, beans, white beans, coconut milk and then 2 cups of rice. Also I can natural pumpkin. I simmer it for about an hour. It lasts me a week and she eats 2x day. I still do buy Rachael Rays dry food with 6 simple ingredients and give her 1/2c with each feed for the vitamins and minerals. She no longer has horrible wretched gas and diarrhea and is no longer bloated. Good luck.
One of my three rescued dogs often has no appetite. After multiple tests, the Vets could find nothing wrong so they called it "anorexia". We tried appetite stimulants, anti-nausea meds, etc. Anorexia is a thing in dogs too, BTW. One day my daughter, a Vet Tech, noticed this dog's breath was "sour". After checking with the Vets we started giving her 1/4 of a Pepsid. It seems to be working because now she is the first of the three dogs to finish her meals! However, she does prefer canned chicken breast mixed in with her kibble and I'm happy to do that and the other two dogs get the same thing as she does.
1. Inventoried the pantry and freezer and let what needed to be used up dictate what meals to make. So for breakfasts I made baked oatmeal that used up a bag of frozen blueberries (from 2019 but still delicious) and for lunches I made a kind of Pasta e Fagioli, only with lentils, macaroni, spinach, and some leftover frozen garlic pork loin chopped up fine. It lacked fat, so I skimmed some fat from the meatloaf made to use up some on-sale hamburger and bread heels, added it to the Lentil Fazool and it turned out very yummy.
2. Mended two more items of clothing for my family.
3. Used a cake mix from the cupboard for brownies. The recipe saved on eggs, which we are low on, compared to my homemade recipe.
4. Made two pitchers of iced tea with tea bags from the pantry instead of spending anything on drinks this week.
5. Mended a worn-away spot in our stone tile kitchen floor with pebbles and grout. Previously I had regrouted it and it would wear away again and the hole would get bigger. This time I chipped away the weakened stone, filled the hole with flat pebbles, grouted it and colored it to match the floor with permanent marker. It's holding up very well this time.
loved "lentil fazool" 🙂
It made an excellent lunch dish, and Lentil Fazool is fun to say. 😀
I received a $90 rebate from the natural gas company, and my monthly equal payments have dropped by $12, so that’s a nice little savings.
I found rain pants for cycling in the boys section of a thrift store for $1.49. Rain pants in the women’s or men’s sections were starting at $12 so being able to wear kids sizes is sometimes a bonus!
I downloaded a free app that has lots of British and Canadian content shows and movies I actually want to watch. I don’t have cable or any subscriptions, so to find something free that I will watch is an unexpected surprise.
My neighbour was digging out and dividing perennials and I was the happy recipient. They are deer resistant too, so that’s a bonus.
I picked flowers from my garden to make an end of summer bouquet for my kitchen...the rain is forecast for tomorrow so it will brighten my day.
Lastly, my work was giving away free king sized chocolate bars, so I grabbed one for my teenager...he will appreciate it!
1. A few months ago I found a metal hose attachment in the street. I bought a new gasket and it works great. We were short one so that was free and easy. I had bought grass seed on clearance a few weeks ago and we put that out in a few bare spots. I use the sprayer attached to the hose to water the grass seeds.
2. Get togethers with friends still tend towards the free end since we're being Covid careful. I walked the neighborhood with a friend yesterday and will do the same with another friend tomorrow.
3. We got takeout over the weekend and realized the food was not as good as as it use to be and that we'd rather have leftovers than meals from the restaurant. I guess going forward we will not spend money there.
4. I continue to read books borrowed from the library, mostly e-books. We have also been watching a few movies on borrowed DVDs.
5. The weather has been perfect for not needing A/C or heat. I dug out my cooler weather clothes and it is nice to have a change of wardrobe without buying anything.
I got a free subscription to Bon Appetit and put my daughter-in-law's name down for it. She and our son are the foodies. I have ten million food allergies so no traditional recipes work for me!
My husband is out picking figs at a neighbors this very minute. If people offer to share produce and am quick and grateful to accept! Apparently we are free to pick as many as we would like, so I plan to dry some. I just bought a jar of fig butter at Trader Joes, and I may even attempt to make a homemade version of that.
We have a couple of small trees planted in half wine barrels, where they started off as tiny starts. They are now big enough to go into the ground, and I have chosen the spots for them. They require less water if they are in the ground vs in a pot.
That's about it. It's been a busy week of sewing, and I haven't been feeling well with a sinus infection. So trying to keep life simple.
Saved some milk that was past it’s expiration date by making tapioca pudding.
Used the library for books for me and the kiddos. Free entertainment.
Trimmed my own bangs
Returned some storage bins I purchased at Target by re-organizing my kid’s clothes using what I already had.
Stocked up on clearanced summer clothes and swimsuits for my son for next year. We buy a lot of secondhand but I like to always have a few brand new things for the boys as well, and it is nice to get them discounted instead of paying full price.
Kara,
HOpe your sinus infection gets better soon. They really sap your energy.
1. Made tortilla soup which used up a ton of leftovers and almost-wilted veggies in my fridge
2. My daughter gave me two big cans of enchilada sauce she can't use. I used one for the soup.
3. Considered buying a new dress online. Thought better of it. Closed the browser!
4. Cooked all my meals for the past few days.
5. Make my own coffee and tea
Here are my five for this week:
1. Attended a community consignment sale and found a bunch of fall/winter clothing items for my little guy. If purchased new I would have paid over $500 for these but at the sale I walked out for $80! A quick wash and disinfect and all items look brand new.
2. I Purchased a bushel of apples and canned 7 quarts of applesauce. I will make apple butter with the remaining half bushel and at least one coffee cake.
3. We are enjoying meals made at home and freezing or repurposing any leftovers.
4. Saved over $300 by buying our new washing machine and taking advantage of the Labor Day sale and free delivery and install. Hopefully this is the last one we will buy for a long time!
5. Turned off the ac the last two days, opened the windows and doors and let the fall breezes air out our home. This was frugal but admittedly I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t really focus on the money savings. I was too beautiful to not open the house up.
It seems like I've been busy since I got up for work this morning!
Five Frugal things:
While I'm not sure how much it costs without my insurance, I used my work insurance at the in store pharmacy and it was minimal for my eye drops. (I really appreciate seeing.)
I joined an online four week cooking class that our local hospital offered. I have two friends in the class too. It did cost 25.00, and takes two hours out of the week, but we picked up a box of food to make the meal! I had to provide four eggs, fish (or chicken), and feta cheese. Totally worth it! The lentil spaghetti was not awesome, but I was looking at the sauce and I think it can become a stew or vegetable soup. I am freezing it for a later time to put on my weekly menu.
I also chopped up all the extra vegetables I didn't use in the recipes today, and will freeze them or use them for parts of meals later.
Today I stopped by the clearance aisle on my way out of work, and found 2 cup measuring cups marked down for a dollar. I bought three as Christmas gifts. They will be added to the measuing cups (the multiples on a link) I found for .50 the other day! Not super exciting, but my oldest talks about moving out some times, and the more he has now, the less he'll need to go out and purchase spur of the moment.
This one didn't actually benefit me this time, but I noticed on my way in to work that gas had jumped up another 20 cents. I posted that it was still cheaper at the second gas station I pass, and two people let me know they were able to go get some gas before that price went up too.
Do you all know about Gas Buddy? Great app.
My fab five:
1) Since the refrigerator kicked the bucket, DH was on the lookout for another. Craigslist and Next Door didn't produce anything cheap, but a clearance outlet did. A refurbished one was $250 and it's now at our house, waiting to get plugged in....
2)I was gifted a $25 GC to Target.
3) I earned a $10 GC on Swagbucks and will get DH a gift card for Christmas.
4) With the cooler weather here, we've shut off the AC.
5) I got organic flour for 50 cents/lb at Costco.
This week's five frugal things:
1. Used some of my massive supply of frozen bananas to make a triple batch of banana nut muffins.
2. I was cleaning out a closet in the bathroom and found a bunch of nearly-full Claire's ear piercing cleaning solution bottles. I googled the active ingredients and discovered they are also used in sanitizing products. I tested it out on my sinks and it works great. Yay for repurposing!
3. Our local car wash was having a special - two ultimate washes for $20 with an expiration date of 12/31/20. That's a savings of $15. Because of where we live, we have to use the car wash in the winter to get the dirt and salt off.
4. Took advantage of a great seafood sale at my local grocery store to stock up on cod and scallops.
5. I became the recipient of two, large industrial-size spools of lace-weight wool. It's a beautiful twist of black and dark pink. Lightweight, but warm. I'm pinning knitting and crocheting dress patterns until I find one I want to make. In my stash have black fabric on hand that I can use to line it with so it doesn't itch.
1) My workplace is providing breakfast and lunch for some ProD workshops today and tomorrow. LOVE not having to think about 4 meals!
2) One of the parents at our school donated 1300 boxes of medical masks, one for each staff member and student. NICE!
3)It's cooler (a bit) so my husband and I have been walking in the evenings. Cheap exercise.
4) I pulled up a vine that grows wild and stuck it in some dirt months ago. The thing cannot be killed. Free house plant.
Love these posts:
1) Continue to list & sell things on eBay & FB marketplace. I really enjoy matching up things we don't need/want with others.
2) Used up garden produce, and emailed neighbors to give away a ton of basil, parsley, mint & jalapenos that we couldn't get through.
3) Mailed all eBay packages with recycled packaging
4) Walked to pick up the Friday Freebie at a local grocery store.
5) Devoted all income from eBay to paying down our mortgage. It's usually not month, but I typically am able to pay a bit extra every few days. Love seeing the balance go down.