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Five Frugal Things (In which I still wear a watch.)

You know something funny? I started doing Five Frugal Things because I thought, oh, that’ll be a quick and short post idea. And when The NonConsumer Advocate does ’em, they ARE short.

ice

But I always seem to end up having a lot to say. Over 750 words are about to come right at ya.

1. I got a new watch battery for free.

I have a watch.   I know this is vaguely old-fashioned of me, especially now that I have a smart phone.

But.

I do not always have my smart phone with me, whereas I do always have my wrist with me.

So I still feel that wristwatches are pretty handy.

free watch battery

(Handy?   Wristy?)

Mine is a 14 year old Citizen watch, and I’ve had to get a couple of repairs done to it, but the repairs are always cheaper than a new watch of similar quality.

Some years back, when the battery wore out, I went to Kay jewelers to get a new battery, and they sold me this $12 lifetime warranty, which means I get free battery replacement for as long as I own the watch.

I’m not really sure how they make money on this, unless it’s because people don’t keep their watches for long.

I was maybe not the average customer they had in mind. 😉

I’ve gotten several free batteries already, and I probably will get several more before my watch completely gives up the ghost.

2. I blended up chipotle peppers.

You know how chipotle peppers come in a small can, but you still never use them all up at once because they are SO HOT?

(Incidentally, in an episode of Worst Cooks in America, a contestant blended up a whole can and put them in a sauce.   That made me laugh so hard.)

Anyway, I’ve been freezing them for future use, but an astute reader pointed out that I could just blend them and store ’em in the fridge, because they keep forever.

how to store chipotle peppers

Done.

And now when I need to use them, they’re already pre-chopped/diced/pureed, which is perfect.

3. I noticed a medical bill error.

One of my kiddos had to have a sleep study (I seem to have passed down my large tonsils.   Boo.), and we got a bill for $1800.

(!)

Fortunately, I was expecting a rather large bill because we have a high-deductible plan and it’s early in the year, so for a while, everything’s out of pocket.

(This is why I am still fairly cheerful even after receiving the bill.   Appropriate expectations help a lot.)

BUT.

I noticed that the bill mentioned something about “if you have insurance” so I called, and it turns out, something got lost along the way and they hadn’t billed insurance.

I am super glad I called because if I hadn’t, I’d have paid the bill and it wouldn’t have even counted toward our deductible.

I’m hoping that the bill will be a bit less once it’s processed because I think there’s an in-network discount.   But at the very least, our deductible will be almost satisfied for the year.

And we do have some money put into an HSA every month, so that’ll help a bit too.

PSA: It is very worth it to know your medical plan and to check every bill you get. I’ve caught loads of errors over the years and saved hundreds of dollars by doing so.

PSA II: If you have the money available, it’s smart to pay a large medical bill all at once.   Oftentimes there is a discount (10% or so) for paying in one lump sum.   When I get the reprocessed bill back, that’s what I’m planning to do.

4. I got a discount + cashback on a birthday present.

It’s birthday season at my house (Mr. FG and all three girls have birthdays within a 6-week span), so I’ve been busy getting presents.

I signed up for an email list to get 20% off of one purchase (which shall remain secret because people in my house read my blog!), and I also remembered to shop through Upromise, which got me 9% cash back.

Not too shabby, I say.   Not too shabby.

5. Miscellaneous frugality

whole wheat bread

I….baked three loaves of whole wheat bread, made a smoothie for breakfast, cooked dinner at home, wore Goodwill jeans and a clearance shirt, washed laundry in cold water (and then dried it in my drier, because I hate line-drying), used a coupon for a free pair of undies, and mailed back some clothes I ordered and didn’t like.

(It is totally not frugal to keep clothes you don’t love. And the return shipping was free anyway.   Yay!)

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How about you?   Want to take a turn?   Leave your own Five Frugal Things in the comments!

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Molly Day

Tuesday 16th of February 2016

Hi, Kristen. I just discovered your site, and I'm thrilled to be reading through it. So many great tips, and on to read about baking whole wheat bread! :)

Cristen

Monday 15th of February 2016

One comment I did not see about watches; for job hunters, especially young people, many employers are looking during the interview to see if you are wearing one. The idea is, if not, you probably look at your phone to check the time and it is too easy to get sucked in to everything else. You might turn out to be someone who wastes a great deal of time. Many companies have phones-off-the -desk policies. So, from a former HR rep, wear a watch when you interview. It wont hurt and might help.

Emily

Monday 15th of February 2016

I love these posts because it makes me accountable for my habits!

1. Made a huge pot of Chili and Lentil soup to eat off of from the week.

2. Bought discount chicken from Food Lion (all natural, no antibiotics)

3. Used gift cards and rebate cards to buy some small gifts for my boyfriend for Valentine's day.

4. Made a few handmade Valentine's day gifts for a few coworkers who bought me Christmas Gifts

5. Took inventory of both our little chest freezer and other freezer to create meals from for the week!

JoC

Sunday 14th of February 2016

1. Finally learned how to use CoinStar. I had almost 10 dollars worth of change, mostly pennies and nickles, so I put it in my Amazon account. 2. Made soup with: carrots brought home from a work buffet, hash brown potatoes brought home from a work breakfast, marked down chicken, home made broth, and onions on sale. Yum. 3. Found out that Amazon has a trade in program, so I looked through it and found some books I don't need anymore. They send the free shipping label, and gave me Amazon credit. 4. Stayed home and made dinner for V day. 5. Signed up an employee for an award given by a major company. Appreciation doesn't have to cost anything, and even if she doesn't win, she will know I applied.

About the jewelry: I'm not one to wear a lot either, but I have a relative that feels loved and beautiful when she wears a lot of jewelry. She watches shopping channels all the time and gives some to me. I wear it for a little while, then sell it or give it to someone else.

Ruby Julian

Saturday 13th of February 2016

1. Started a new job (part-time) this week, and dressed very nicely in thrift shop finds. I buy better clothes at the Salvation Army than I could ever afford if paying retail. 2. Packed my homemade lunch and cold drinks from home in a sturdy old Igloo lunch bucket. 3. Instead of going out for our usual cheap date night this week, DH and I were tired, so we stayed home, had leftover homemade chili and homemade bread, and a couple of excellent inexpensive beers from Aldi. 4. We live near the state line, where the sales tax is much lower on the other side. I have started driving just a few minutes longer to get to the lower-sales tax stores (Aldi, Dollar Tree, Tractor Supply) on the other side. It's a tiny savings that will add up over time. 5. Been using up some lettuce and tomatoes left over from another meal to make very simple salads all week.

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