Four Frugal Things (with one not-frugal thing!)
I didn't have five frugal things today, so I threw in one spendy thing, just to switch things up a bit. 😉
1. I bought a $5 frame.
I got a complimentary print from Craft Street Design, but I had no frame for it. I went to the craft store armed with a 40% off coupon on my phone, but I discovered a whole aisle of marked-down frames instead.
I picked up a black frame for just $5, which was cheaper than any of the regular frames even with a 40% off coupon. Yay!
(As I was writing this post, I noticed the print I picked happens to be on sale right now for $9. Nice.)
By the way, the chalkboard to the right is one I made from an ugly old Goodwill framed print. Details on that project here.
2. I went to Target and bought only one thing.
I had to stop in to return two shirts, and after that I bought a reusable freezer pack for Joshua, who's been packing lunch on the days when he has college classes.
There's a cafeteria at college, but Joshua says there's no way he's spending his money there when he could pack food from home for free.
That's my boy. 😉
3. I cooked dinner at home.
New and innovative strategy?
Nope.
But cooking at home is one of the most effective ways I can save money, given that even cheap takeout x 6 is not-so-cheap.
(The pictured dish is Make-Ahead Chicken Enchiladas. I was so excited for dinner that night. Chipotle chilies blow my hair back something fierce. 😉 )
4. I made yogurt.
There I go again with the not-innovative thing. I've been making a gallon of yogurt once a week for years now, so it's not a new and exciting frugal strategy.
The steady plodding along the frugal path really adds up over time, though.
Yogurt is a staple food for us, given that I make green smoothies for breakfast 5/7 days a week, so it's pretty awesome that I can make four quarts for less than $3.
And since making yogurt requires almost no mental energy from me (by this point it's second nature), and the hands-on time is about 5-10 minutes or so, I can save a lot on a gallon of yogurt with only a small investment of time.
(Here's how I make yogurt, using no special equipment or machines.)
5. A Not-So-Frugal Thing
I spent $50 on two hours of ice skating.
I haven't gone ice skating since before Mr. FG and I got married, and as it turns out, taking four kids with you kind of ups the price a bit.
But the kids were happy that they got to go, we spent time with friends, and I discovered that I can still ice skate passably well after a 19 year break.
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Oh I don't know about frugal but I try. After complaining about the expense of avocado we ended up with 12. I bought two and my daughter was given ten. We are eating avocado madly and I think I may have to find out how to preserve some. Any ideas?
When shopping today I heavily scrutinised every little thing. The end the result is that only one duplicate item was bought and since someone in my home loves cucumber is should be fine.
I found very good quality hairbrushes reduced to $5 and mum bought me one.
I found a vegetarian meal kit that has everything in it with the exception of tumeric and it costs $1.50 for four serves. Miss Vegetarian has lunches next week.
I am drinking more water and saving a little that way.
Then I went to the pharmacy and bought my pills for the next four weeks and that was just over $101 dollars. I now know how much to budget each week and I don't think I can reduce that expense any further.
Love that your boy takes lunch. Only one of mine does. One of the other has really irregular class times and generally socialises for her meals while on campus. She attends three days a week and sometimes is home by twelve. But she pays for that luxury. The other is a chef and he tastes all day and is often not hungry while working. I am sure my luxury girl will slow down soon.
I believe you can mash and freeze avocado...I know I've seen something about that on Pinterest.
I have frozen avocados before. They work great in smoothies! I felt like the texture was a just slightly different when I tried to eat them plain after thawing but you should freeze them to put in other things, such as, any recipe that needs something a little creamy with a mild taste. Ex. chocolate avocado pudding. Sounds weird but it's really yummy! Also add some lemon juice and work kinda quickly. They need to be frozen pretty soon after being exposed to air to avoid the yucky brown stuff.
You can most certainly freeze avocado! I mash mine with lots of lemon and a little salt first, then spoon into a small zippy bag and flatten it to remove all the air. You can also use plastic containers if you press plastic wrap directly onto the avocado before sealing. Be sure to remove all the air and pop them into the freezer straightaway. Once defrosted, you can use as-is, or add the rest of the ingredients for guacamole. I prefer to use heavy-duty zip bags, as they take less freezer space and defrost faster.
I freeze avocado in ice cube trays! Just mash with some lime juice.
I used to use lime too, but read somewhere recently that lime masks the avocado's flavor, while lemon enhances it. Oh well, I can still use the limes for Pad Thai...
I used to use lime too, but decided I prefer guacamole with no lime.
1. I didn't grocery shop this week and have been using up items in our too full freezer.
2. I am still trying to finish up the quilting on my daughter's quilt instead of buying new, fun fabric for a new project. I'm hoping to finish it within the next couple of months.
3. I volunteered to help at my kids elementary school picture day and received a $40 credit towards spring pictures. I still didn't buy any pictures though because with 3 kids it would have cost more than that.
4. I went to the drug store to buy some medicine since I've been sick all week and didn't buy candy even though I was very tempted.
On the unfrugal front, we had take out yesterday for dinner because I didn't feel well enough to cook. I also forgot to bring a 10lb bag of potatoes in from the shed where I store them and the temperatures dropped too low and they froze...Grrrrr!
If you watch the coupons, you can get a whole packet of photos from those places at the mall (or sometimes at Sears or WalMart) for WAY cheaper than school photos. We have 4 kids (ages 15-23) and I've never bought school photos. Plus they do cute poses, not the "school picture" look.
1. I went to lunch with a friend. The bowl of chili at the restaurant is enough for a meal so that is what I ordered. It's about $3.50 plus tax. I drank water.
2. I worked on our taxes. They are ready to be submitted. Hopefully our refund will dispatched quickly.
3. I haven't shopped this week. That's good because we're using up produce and staples.
4. I baked muffins for the freezer (lunches) and made a couple loaves of Paleo bread, using almond flour that was languishing in my refrigerator. The smaller bread pan was purchased at a thrift store.
5. A Not-So-Frugal Thing: I bought a Breville Mini (Toaster) Oven. Our old basic Black & Decker was over 25 years old and just was not getting the job done when it came to making toast. This brand is highly rated, I went with the smaller model and I bought it with a Groupon (saving 10% on the cost and tax and also earning 10% back by going to Groupon through SavingStar).
We have a Breville and we use it daily. That was a good buy for us.
We were extra frugal this week!
1.) I have successfully kept my grocery budget below $50 since ringing in 2016. Note that we have a full pig, half a cow, and 60 lbs of venison in our freezer so the only meat I need to buy is chicken (the perks of having a farming family and a hunting husband). I keep it below $50 by shopping at Aldi and cutting nearly all processed foods except for crackers and some cereal.
2.) I gathered up about 40 items to sell at a local kids and maternity consignment sale. It goes all weekend, but as of the first day I've made $26.70! 🙂
3.) I sold an older Kindle Fire we had laying around that hasn't been used in years for $30, and sold a large train table my daughter no longer wants to play with for $50.
4.) I had an in home Usborne Books book fair and earned $80 in free books for my daughter - my inner book nerd is so happy!
5.) We made dinner at home each night this week so far, which like you said seems so simple, but is a big deal for us! Meal planning helps so much.
Not buying processed food is such a money saver! Not to mention a whole lot healthier. 🙂
I only have one, I think. I am planning a yard project ( framing the ground underneath our wood swing set with landscape timbers and filling it in with much, for the grandkids) and to have a yard crew do it for us would be tres' expensive. So, I hired my son, and while I'm paying him well, it's still less. And, to finance the project, I have been saving the cash from my home based dog grooming business (any time anyone pays cash instead of check or credit card, I put the cash in a money jar) and I have $250 toward the project now. I also did this cash saving trick when I was planning a trip to California two years ago. I'd already bought my plane ticket but wanted good 'ol spending money, and managed to save over $700 in the weeks preceding the trip.
Not so frugal....I bought a HUGE bottle of banana liqueur when I only need 1/4 cup. (Actually, this was my husband's purchase, but it was for me)I was making a Bananas Foster cheesecake for a family birthday. The topping called for this liqueur. And oh yes, it was delicious. But I now need to start putting the liqueur into everything I cook to make it worth it, lol. Actually there's a recipe on the bottle for banana cream pie using it, which sounds pretty darn scrumptious.
Oh I forgot another thing, and was reminded by the poster above. I sold many wedding decor items from our middle daughter's wedding six years ago. I listed them on a local Facebook selling page, and it all sold within one hour.
Wedding decor items seem to sell super quick! I got married in August and all of ours old on Facebook within a day. Budget brides 🙂
1) I darned my socks.
2) I made soup this weekend from random leftovers.
3) Library books. The "hold" option is bordering on an addiction for me.
4) We walked our dogs to the Tractor Supply Co. last night where I bought a very nice pair of "Servus by Honeywell" rain boots for $25... instead of $100 Hunter boots.
5) Non-frugal thing: a mini vacation (three-day weekend) by myself including a Christian women's conference (Nadia Bolz-Weber is the keynote!!!) and a night in a hotel room by myself, plus some visiting of family and friends. Just me and the road. 🙂
Ooh, I forgot about that one--I also made soup from veggies that were going to go bad last weekend, and brought it for lunch several times this week. 🙂
1. I bought us new heavy winter coats from Eddie Bauer- last week, I purchased them at 50% off clearance prices ($80 marked down from $250 originally), but then I noticed yesterday that they were on even deeper sale and worked out to $60 each. Since the originally ones are still in the shipping box, I reordered at the new price, and will return the ones I bought last week. Didn't even think about just calling and asking for a price adjustment. Doh! Well made, long lasting items from a company with ethical production standards? Worth the extra money, but I sure love a discount!
2. Attended a free friendly soccer game for our local MLS team last night. Our family are soccer nuts, so when we can get in on the action on the cheap, we are in!
3. At the game, they had free pizza from Papa Johns. Not only did the men eat for free, when we left, the sponsors asked if we wanted to take a whole pizza home since there were leftovers. The kids were very pleased to have a pizza lunch today 🙂
4. I was planning on taking tomorrow off and have already made up the hours during the rest of the week, but decided to work instead- we are on unlimited overtime. Any hours I put in tomorrow will be 1.5/x pay, "free money" that I can sock away for summer activities for the kids.
5- Not frugal item- Went to a Happy hour with friends last night. A group of us that used to work on the same team have all splintered into different companies/groups/schedules, so we rarely see each other anymore. Once a month we meet for a HH, split a few appetizers and catch up.
Oh, yeah! I bought a Miguelina wool overcoat for less than $20 at the consignment store. It was missing two buttons... so for another $10, I bought six new buttons (couldn't find a perfect match) and some coat thread; the two missing ones are already replaced, but I'm lazy and haven't removed/replaced the four good ones yet. Still not bad for a new, fancy winter overcoat. Ones I found online of similar cut and quality are $300!
I love my wool peacoat! I have been wanting something more hardcore for when I go visit by best friend in Minnesota, but haven't seen anything for a great price in great shape used, and have been reluctant to spring for a brand new coat, since they're so expensive. I'm quite happy with $60 bucks for an item that should last me forever and ever.. and if I have any issues with it, they have a lifetime warranty!
Good for you for having a tradition of a weekly meal out with your kids... It may not be technically frugal, but your kids will always remember it. I remember my mom treating us to donuts from a little old donut shop before Sunday evening church when we were kids. Still a sweet memory all these years later!
1. I shopped at Aldi--loving having an Aldi a bit closer, although 20-ish minutes away.
2. We had leftovers last night, so we're not wasting food.
3. I made lunch this morning to take to work, even when I didn't feel like it.
4. I didn't stop at Starbucks, and waited until I got to work where I could get coffee/use the fancy coffee machine, for free.
5. Spendy: We went out for dinner last weekend, but I did find a 20% off coupon online before we went--and I splurged on a glass of wine (how come a glass of wine at a restaurant costs as much as a bottle of wine you could buy and enjoy at home?).
Some restaurants have started letting people bring their own bottles and charge a small fee, "corking fee" I think it's called, for opening it for you.
1. I found a pair of brand new Clarks dress shoes at the Goodwill for $6.97. I didn't NEED brown dress shoes, but I would rather "invest" in Clarks because they last and have great customer service.
2. Every Wednesday before church, I treat the kids and myself to Chick Fil A. I found that it was a bit more than I wanted to spend on a weekly basis, but I looked closely at my receipt and saw that if you fill out their survey you get a free sandwich. Last night I split the free sandwich between my two kids (1 & 3 yr olds) and it was quite enough for them. The one free sandwich brought my total bill down by $4.
3. I work at a university and was driving students to a job fair and could have stopped for lunch along the way, but I thought ahead and packed. Money saved.
4. This is something that I've been waiting for, but my prescription benefits FINALLY kicked in at my employer. I will now be able to utilize insurance for my prescriptions.
5. Not so frugal and not a need in our house, but I did find a copy of Monster's Inc at the Goodwill for $2.97. Again, it wasn't much to spend, but it wasn't a need.
I that's it for me!
1) I saved the rose petals from my lovely Valentine's bouquet and I'm going to make a little sachet for my daughter to keep in a dresser drawer. She's 3 and I think she will find it really neat. Also I love that my husband always buys my Valentine's flowers from a sale at work, from which most of the proceeds go to a local charity.
2) Butter is so darned expensive, and we use a lot of it... so lately I've been doing a lot of our cooking with the bacon grease that I've saved. It had been in the back of the fridge and I kept forgetting about it, but now it's being put to good use. Just about free!
3) I'm doing pretty great at not grocery shopping the last few weeks, other than staple items. I'm on a mission to use up what is lurking in the freezer and cupboards. I still have quite a ways to go, so here's hoping I don't run out of steam/creativity. Still need to use up pesto, pumpkin puree, chili beans, tikka masala sauce, broccoli slaw, pizza sauce, apples, potatoes, lots of veggies, french fries, and hamburger buns. Oy.
4) My kids were drinking too much milk... which is expensive since we buy organic, and also spoiling their appetites for actual food. So they're cut down to two cups of whole milk per day, and other than that they get our delicious well water.
5) Not Frugal: I bought a dress yesterday for my sister's bridal shower. It was a beautiful lace dress, which is so fashionable this Spring. I have one that I could wear, but darn it, I just wanted a new one. It wasn't super expensive, but still, I probably would have done better to just not buy it. Especially considering that I'm going to have to buy a bridesmaid's (bridesmatron?) dress also.
Our favorite pesto recipe: pesto fajitas! Saute the chicken as usual, then throw in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pesto. Top with sauteed onions and peppers (no salsa). Whenever I ask my family for meal ideas, my husband always begs for this one. 🙂
That sounds great, thank you! 🙂
I had a bunch of pumpkin puree from our 2014 pumpkins in the freezer. I made pumpkin bread using this recipe http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pumpkin-spice-bread SOOOO GOOOD!
Thank you... I just made some pumpkin bread with a recipe I'd never used before and it doesn't look very good 🙁
We love pumpkin soup made with onions, broth, sausage and seasoning, and we love pumpkin muffins. And pie. Always pumpkin pie, or custard.
It sounds a little weird, but this soup is fantastic!
http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2012/08/chipotle-pumpkin-soup-with-barley-and-chicken/
Tikka Masala sauce is good on a variety of things, not just chicken/rice. I personally would try it on cubed/roasted potatoes, cauliflower if you have any, rinsed chili beans, and maybe even the broccoli slaw (sautéed first maybe?). Hamburger buns can be broiled/toasted and topped with scrambled eggs for breakfast, or made into garlic bread with pizza sauce for dipping.
Now I'm hungry 🙂
Our frugal things:
1. We harvested some of the veggies from our garden, and even used the carrot & beet tops in our green juice.
2. We made breakfast tot casserole out of some leftover chicken.
3. Some friends of ours are dismantling the raised bed garden they built and never planted, so we made plans to go get the wood frame and the good soil they filled it with.
4. I'm volunteering in my sports league, so I get free registration and a $25 bar tab each week (I use it to pay for dinner!).
Not-So-Frugal (but still kind of frugal) Thing: I ordered a very expensive thermal beer growler with a handle for my husband as an anniversary gift. He's a craft beer lover, and we do a couple of 5-day camping trips each year that are more like block parties in the woods. He will love having a great container to keep the beer cold as he samples our friends' home brews, and will use it throughout the hot Texas summers for ice water. I suspect it will become the most-used beverage container in the house after I give it to him!
1. Made a fab Indian dinner for 6 for my book club (to align with our India-themed read) for well under $10, excepting the wine. I searched out recipes that utilized items I already had on hand, bought the specialty spices in tiny, i.e. cheap, bulk quantities at Sprouts, and went to town. It was a hit!
2. Had a super low grocery spend week -$60 for two adults - because my kitchen is so well stocked from buying in bulk everytime something we use regularly goes on deep sale, and because cooking at home generates so many leftovers!
3. Treated myself to a bagel sandwich, but used a $2 off coupon, plus I don't really love meat these days, so I asked the counter guy to please only put on half the normal amount and package the rest. He did so, and now I have turkey enough for a second sandwich here at home today, yeah!
4. Bought two Shutterfly photo books for $7.99 and $9 via TravelZoo and Groupon, a couple weeks back, and completed them both yesterday. I do short 20 page books for our annual trips to foreign lands, but I wait for deals to do so, hence why one of the two books is for a trip that occurred 18 months ago. (!)
And finally, my non-frugal spend is a direct byproduct of frugal efforts 1) and 2) above - a gorgeous Whole Foods just opened near us, and I've decided to visit and buy one small luxury food item a week using a portion of whatever weekly grocery money I have leftover from my 'normal' shopping. I love that being frugal in some areas allows for slurges elsewhere!
So, mine are going to be mostly about money--but good expenditures.
1) I have four chairs at my dining room table. My table can seat 8 with the leaf in. I've wanted to host my department at work for a game night, but we'd be easily 7-8 people. So I've been keeping an eye out... I found a set of 4 upholstered chairs, normally $99 ea, for $185/4 on Craigslist. I went and got them...they're in wonderful shape! And he even reduced the price to $140. $35 a chair is my kinda deal (they're barstool height and even the cheap ones at Wal-mart were $30/ea.)
2) I've been eating a TON of fresh produce. I buy about 15-20 lb. of apples each week (I eat 3-4 apples a day), 7 lb. of grapes, and whatever veggies are on sale. And I'm happy to report I have managed to have zero food waste on any fresh produce. EVEN the bananas.
3) There was a cask tapping for a rare beer at one of our local eateries. I was planning on going, but then changed my mind at the last minute. I knew that if I went, not only would I have some beer, but I'd probably order pizza, and have way too many calories and spend way too much money. Instead, I went to the gym (have a cheap membership), came home and made dinner instead.
4) I ran out of chicken broth (I let a container sit too long in the fridge...forgot about it! oops). So while I was taking chicken off the bone for enchiladas, I threw the bones in a pot, boiled for 30-40 minutes, and made my own stock 😉
5) NOT SO FRUGAL: I decided to upgrade my car. I live on a street with a very steep hill, and one that the city doesn't plow in the winter. My little two-door escort got stuck in the snow three times in one week at night. I was thankfully helped out by my neighbors each time....but what if they weren't there? So I sold my car to a coworker who has a 15-year-old daughter (it was a 2002, and they got a great deal on it for a first-time driver!) and bought a used Nissan Juke with AWD. I've had to factor in more expensive registration, payments, higher insurance, and slightly less amazing gas mileage. My FIRST car purchase... I don't regret the purchase, just wasn't very frugal since my car was running great.
Lurker popping in to play!
1. Our monthly newspaper subscription went up seven dollars. I called to see about options and they immediately offered to keep it at the current cost.
2. Our youngest daughter turns twenty-five in March and had requested several books. I was able to find all of them used online. I also picked her up a dvd she loves still in packaging at the thrift store. She has quite the pile of gifts and I am way under budget for her birthday.
3. Dinner last night was free chipotle with the coupon they offered. Only my husband has a smartphone so we were only able to get one coupon but there was plenty to split between us with a side of tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. Thanks for tip on freezing sale priced avacado!
4. I met my sister and some other family for lunch on Monday and they surprised me with gifts and a birthday cake. Practical people that we are, my sister and niece bought me Purdy paintbrushes to use when I paint furniture. I was thrilled! And my cousin picked up the lunch tab! Before I met them I stopped at a thrift shop and got a Pottery Barn duvet cover and a Pottery Barn couch cover super cheap. I'm hoping the couch cover will fit our tv viewing couch.
5. A frugal fail: I made new kitchen curtains with kitchen towels that were manufactured badly off center. After much work, they came out horribly. I gave up and looked on ebay. I found four new Pottery Barn tiers for a total of twenty four dollars. They look great! It would have been a frugal win if I hadn't spent money on the dishtowels!!!
Thanks for letting me play, Kristen!!!
Welcome, welcome! Don't be a stranger. 🙂
1. Made meals from pantry, fridge & freezer....using up what is already bought & paid for.
2. Turned in 2 receipts to be reimbursed under my supplemental plan at work.
3. Finished reading a book & listed it for sale for twice what I paid for it on local online garage sale site.
4. Used a few coupons at the store last night on items I needed, saved $2, but it all adds up.
5. Had to do something about daughter's violin bow....the hairs were shredded. It cost $35 to replace it or to have it re-haired, it would've been over $50. Opted to replace it thus saving at least $15.
1. My favorite hairstyling product is being discontinued. I found two jars on clearance with coupons paid $1.24/jar
2. Used Ulta coupon, reward points and a coupon=$7.50 savings plus got my free birthday gift
3. Used $20 rewards at Office Depot to purchase shipping supplies for eBay and Amazon sales. Still have $.88 left.
4. Listed 22 items on eBay, have sold 3 and have bids on 2 more.
5. Used groupon for a facial, while there bought 3 more=$100. So $36.66 vs $65/facial
I gave up on making yogurt a while back after I got sick of eating it. My wife doesn't eat it and I just don't eat enough of it to justify making it. I may take it up again someday but for now I'm content with just making bread and other staples like that and skipping the yogurt.
I did drop a bit of money on some anime but I've been saving up for that and since I won't be going to the convention this year. I guess I'll be having a convention at home by myself or something.
Battra92, you can scale down the recipe to better suit your needs. If you really like the taste of homemade yogurt, try making just a quart at a time. If you have a mason-type jar, you can carefully heat the milk in the microwave and not have to even wash a pot.
Made my own salad dressing and used tiny amounts of leftover cottage cheese from !three! containers.
Boiled water for my nasal rinse, instead of purchasing distilled.
Dropped an (most likely) unneeded rider from my insurance which will save $5.00/month.
Started to look into credit cards with rewards (thank you to those who responded!).
Bought a salad spinner so that I buy less expensive lettuce for salads (not pre-washed).
1. I am making my first batch of vanilla yogurt in an effort to wean Mr. FP off his individual Chobanis. (I also bought some delicious storebought granola on sale at Sprouts.)
2. I worked out three times this week! Because having to buy new work clothes would NOT be frugal.
3. Cooked dinner every night. Yep, even when I worked until 8:15 pm! That's what the crock pot is for! Bonus: When I get home at 8:45, I want dinner NOW, not in three minutes after I microwave it. And it was still hot in the crock pot for me :-).
4. Helped a preschool teacher get books from the library. Didn't save ME any money, but it kept her out of the bookstore!
Not-so-frugal: Bought new workout pants and some low-top Chuck Taylors for weight training. I was wearing sweat pants from 1997 and running shoes from 2014!
I final ditched some well worn workout clothes. Found a good pair of walking shoes for $49.99. My old ones have no cushion and I'm developing ankle problems.
1. Have been using up he freezer stock so only fruit, milk and vegetables at the store this week.
2. Leftovers last night so no new spend for dinner.
3. Today is our 33rd anniversary and my Dh asked for pot roast for dinner and I already had every ingredient.
4. Had too many avocados and froze them whole. A friend does this and swears by it! We'll see. : )
5. Made a recipe this week for "Quiche in a Bag" off of the old Friendly-Freezer website. It is great because it uses up odd bits of proteins, cheeses, and veggies.
Quiche in a Bag
1 c. Cooked meat (any meat diced or browned and crumbled)
3/4 c. Vegetable (any raw, blanched; thawed frozen; or canned, drained)
1 c. shredded cheese (you can exclude this or use feta)
1/4 c. diced onion
1 c. milk (can sub dry milk and water, soy milk or rice milk)
4 eggs
1/8 t. Tabasco Sauce or more to taste
1/2 c. flour (may substitute rice flour)
2 t. baking powder
Combine ingredients through Tabasco Sauce. Just throw it all in a gallon zipper bag. Mix dry ingredients and add them to the bag. Seal bag. Squish to mix.
Freeze flat at this point or refrigerate (1 day only). Thaw and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until edges brown slightly. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.
You cook this in the bag??
I wondered that, but I think she must have meant to transfer it to a pan of some sort!
Sounds kinda interesting, though.
I actually have a recipe that does cook in the bag. We've done it to make individual quiches for the gatherings. Every person gets a freezer quart bag with their name on it. Put out any ingredients you would use in an omelet. Suggestions include: bacon, sausage, ham, onions, peppers, olives, mushrooms, chives and grated cheeses. Everyone puts what they want in their bag and then you add two eggs per bag. Make sure it's sealed and let them squish away. The bags then go in a large pot of boiling water for 13 minutes. Fish them out and turn them onto a plate. It may take a spoon to scrape a bit and will be a bit hot for a minute so if it's a child, an adult should assist. Enjoy!!!! And make sure that bag is sealed when you put it in the boiling water!!!
We almost always make our omelets this way. They all cook at the same time and are done at the same time. They come out nice and fluffy, too.
1. We're emptying the fridge this week because we'll be away all of March. So just bread and milk for groceries this week! (less than $10)
2. Went to 50% off winter stuff sale at Value Village and got an Eddie Bauer down-filled coat for $6. I have an Eddier Bauer coat already of the same colour, but it is not down-filled (warmer on damp, cold days), has no hood, and fewer pockets. The older one still has some use in it, so it will go to Vinnie's (local St Vincent de Paul thrift store).
3. Packed up a lot of dried stuff to cut down on our US condo grocery bills -- essential because Canadians are paying a 30+% premium on US funds right now.
4. Picked up a Groupon at 50% off for a lunch place when we travel.
5. Shortened a pair of thrift store jeans and a big shirt so they fit better and I will wear them.
My children all have birthdays in February, even having parties at home didn't prove to frugal. But I did send leftovers (tray of lasagna, French bread, chips and queso, sweets) home with my college student son's friends. Not frugal for me, but no food waste and frugal for them!
Frugalness includes cooking all meals at home this week, returning items to Target instead of letting them clutter my closet, baking the kid's cakes and cupcakes instead of buying and selling a Zumba dvd set to a friend.
On my computer, if I control-click it always opens a new tab no matter how the link was designed. For unknown and mysterious reasons, I have less resistance to control-click than right-click. But really, whatever works for ya.
Not a frugal comment, but an observation/wish: When you put links to other posts they always go to the post and leaves behind the current post. That is to say, if I click on the link I don't get to finish the current day's post. I just wish it would open on a new page, is all so I can go read it after I finish this post. Hope I make some sense. 🙂
You want a new window to open up, rather than being forced to leave the current page you are on . 🙂
May I suggest that you right click on the link instead of left click. A drop down box should appear and you can click "open in new tab." That should work on all websites.
If using a computer you should be able to right click on the links and a drop down box will let you open it another tab or page....im not sure if that works if you are reading with a phone or tablet. I used to get frustrated too until i figured that trick out (after all these years lol)
Oh, that is super weird! I always design my links to open in a new tab. I double checked them all today and they open right up in new windows for me.
Do you have this problem on other sites? I have no idea why these links wouldn't open in new tabs!
If I want a link to open in a new tab when I'm reading other blogs, I do ctrl-click to make sure it opens up in a new tab. But the ones on my blog are coded to open in a new tab.
1. I got tired of looking at my overlong hair with split ends, and last night I grabbed the scissors and whacked off two inches (it's all one length except for my bangs). I managed to get it cut straight, even. I never have time for a haircut and it aggravates me that I get charged more than my husband, when all they have to do is trim my ends and my bangs, maybe 10 minutes' work, and his is layered, clipped, and his neck shaved. And we used the same hair stylist.
2. And on that note, he's quit going out for a haircut, too. We own a set of clippers already, and he has decided that the way I cut his hair is fine for all the time, not just between professional haircuts.
3. Lunch is almost always leftovers, and it is again today.
4. Lunch includes a yummy green goddess dressing that I made at home.
5. Not Frugal: Years ago I gifted myself with a nice fountain pen, but the kind I chose requires certain ink cartridges which I have to order. I just ordered four boxes -- my birthday gift to me.
1. i made homemade hamburger helper..way better than box and makes soooo much more. so handy for leftovers.
2. my mom gave me a 10 dollar gift card for peebles that she was not gonna use so i bought a pair of earrings and a lotion set for Christmas presents and only spent 90 cents 🙂
3 I paid off my lowes credit card and somehow had a credit so bought a little greenhouse to start my plants for the garden this spring so i wont have to pay for them.
4. my not so spendthrift thing was i signed me and my husband up for lifeline screening. even though we are both in our mid forties we both deal with high cholesterol so i wanted to get peace of mind knowing our arteries are OK. it was to the tune of 300 dollars but my peace of mind is worth every penny esp. since both our fathers died of massive heart attacks....wish us luck 🙂
We have a two month old baby 😀 trying to be frugal and as minimal as possible since we are now living on my husband's grad student stipen.
1. I am staying home and have resigned from my job. We figured out I would be working to pay for child care and eating out (to minimize stress) and paying for disposable diapers. Plus, the cost of stress.
2. We are using mostly cloth diapers. A cousin and friend gave me a lot as their children ar out of diapers now. I do have to change my daughter much more frequently but the time together at the changing table has been a blessing actually.
3. I am making my own wipes.
4. I do most of our laundry, including the cloth diapers, in a really small washer (brand name Panda) and a spinner, it fits in our bathtub. We don't pay for water. It takes quite a bit of time but it saves us about $60 a month, much more if I included the cloth diapers. The launtromats in our collage town are spendy!spendy! We have budgeted for two loads a weeks at the laundromat.
5. I can't think of a non-frugal thing just now! Sometimes I do feel penny wise and pound foolish, maybe I'm getting better at this frugal life!!!
1. My mom gave me several hot dogs leftover from an event at their church that no one wanted. She couldn't bear to throw them out and she wouldn't eat them. I stashed them in the freezer and promptly forgot about them. I had one for lunch today and they still tasted good!
2. Coordinating with my ex to make a long drive together tomorrow. We still get along well enough to do it.
3. A friend and I decided to stay in tonight and play board games and have dessert rather than going out to eat.
4. I had a doctor's appointment 15 minutes out of my way today. I scrambled to finish a library book to drop off at the library near that office so I didn't need to make a second trip out of my way this weekend.
5. Nonfrugal thing: I spent an unexpected $5 this week to purchase the ingredients to make a treat for two friends. We've all been stressed out this week and I wanted to do something nice for them, even though I wouldn't normally buy special ingredients when they're not in the budget. They both really appreciated it, so the extra $5 was well worth it.
1.Cooking dinner at home (salsa verde chicken in the crockpot now!)
2. Didn't power up my computer until just now
3. Had a fancy French toast breakfast......at home!
4. Ate leftovers from dinner for lunch
5. Not so frugal (through no fault of my own!) My mortgage went up 80.00 per month! Ugh!!!
Thank goodness I've got a handle on that grocery bill! Notice that 3 out of 4 frugal things today had to do with food/groceries!
My 4 frugal... I'll try to go "big picture" instead of what I did in the past couple of days.
* We don't pay for services. No maid, no cook (I wish!), no one to shovel the snow or cut the grass or take care of the plants/garden, no babysitter (we do pay for daycare for both kids, but when we want a date night, once or twice a month, my mom babysits for free), no hairdresser (I cut hubby's hair. Myself and the girls have long hair and we don't go to the hairdresser). Everything we can do by herselves, we try to do.
* Transportation : we have one car. A 2004 Echo, paid for a long time ago (and bought used in 2008). Easy on gas, cheap insurances. Hubby bikes to work year round, which saves a lot.
* I usually buy my clothes and the kids clothes eighter at thrift stores or garage sales, or on sale. Same for winter gears, and anything that can be bought used or on sale really.
* When grocery shopping, I take a look at the flyers first to see the deals. Then I make a list, bring the flyers and do price matching. I always take a look at the reduced rack first. I also collect points using my pc mastercard (fully paid each month), that I can then exchange for fred groceries (about 500$/year). And I bring my reusable bags, which gives me a small credit. And I use coupons from time to time. I try to stick to basics, not much process foods.
My not so frugal this week : I really (really!!) needed new clothes. I spent about 200$ for a handbag, a pair of jeans, a pair of dress pants, a dress for an upcoming wedding and 8 tops. So while not thrift store cheap, still pretty good. I am happy with it.
That's a great price for all of those clothes! Enjoy your new duds.
Gosh. This week is gonna have me putting my thinking cap on..... Here goes:
1) Not so frugal- bought myself soaps/hair products after I read a blog about how fantastic these were and how the smell was so unique and fabulous. Spent $63. I'm NOT impressed. 🙁
2) Eating out of the freezer/pantry. Made a pumpkin pie yesterday.And BLT's. Had leftover beef/potatoes.
3) Washing my own car.
4)I'm not putting Spring tires on my car and keeping the winter ones on to save money. Savings- $700
5)Since quitting my FT job and working only PT at a job down the street, I don't drive much anymore. And I can put off the oil change until Summer. Gas savings per year: $750. Oil change savings per year: $80
1. Dried laundry on indoor drying rack.
2. No school today, but instead of taking the kids to one of the many, costly play places, we visited the free history museum.
3. Packed our lunch rather than pick up fast food after the museum.
4. Emailed my state representative to voice my opposition to legislation that is anti-public education.
*Not so frugal. Checked out videos and a week's worth of books from the library. Unfortunately, I also had to buy a book that my 1-year-old ripped a page from.
1. I found some Adidas shorts and a Nike shirt at Goodwill for my teenage son. The shorts are exactly what he wears for his soccer team and he is growing so fast these days.
2. I won a large jar of Hershey kisses. I am saving them for my kids Easter baskets. ** Frugal and self-control **
3. Fresh strawberries were on sale for 0.99 a package today at our discount store. I bought a bunch!
4. I cooked at home, packed lunches, and used leftovers.
5. One of our cars broke down... a tow truck and car repairs were not frugal. But cheaper than paying car payments!
1. Leaving hair another month before getting high lights redone. Got them done 2 months ago, trying to stretch them out!
2. Dried clothes on indoor drying rack overnight and finish in dryer.
3. Changed gyms, as new gyms pre opening offer a lot cheaper than what I'm currently paying even though on a student membership. Use it three times a week to get value from it
4. Cooked at home all week, using up left overs for lunchs & any leftover fruit in smoothies avoiding waste
5.Splurge for week got a take out pizza at weekend as a treat instead of cooking however did check around for cheapest offer all the same!!
I like this idea as the regular frugal things allow us to do the now and then nonfrugal things.
1. We're having more vegetarian than meaty dinners this week.
2. I've hung most of the laundry I washed this week.
3. My husband took mostly leftovers for lunch this week.
4. I patched some hand me down pants for my daughter.
5. I needed to run some errands in Boston's North End, which is the Italian neighborhood. We made a morning out of it and went for pastries and bought some Italian children's books. Both special treats for us.
1. Our week has been crazy, but we've somehow managed to eat at home or pack all meals except for the Burger King burger I bought in a mad rush to school on Monday.
2. I've been too busy to spend any money this week. Other than my BK run and my grocery run, it's the usual daycare and utility bills this week.
3. Still breastfeeding and cloth diapering the baby.
4. Skyped with my advisor today. He's in the Netherlands this semester. It's incredible to just open my laptop and have a conference call for free with someone halfway around the world.
5. Audible has a sale this week. Usually I pay no attention to sales because I only buy books I specially need for school, but this sale included one!
1. I did a surprisingly good job at using up leftovers and freezer supplies this week.
2. So did the hubs! He works at home and often goes out for lunch for social contact. For whatever reason he decided to make his own lunches this week.
3. I fought the urge to shop! It hit hard Sunday morning, and I cleaned out a closet instead.
4. Signed up for an online course that could have positive career impacts. It's free, but it's a time commitment.
Not so frugal... I was promoted a few months ago. New opportunities are available again, and the salary is attractive. But I physically can't do any more work than I already am. DH agreed our marriage and my health aren't worth it, and I've communicated my (lack of) intent to my employer. Maybe that's the more frugal aporoach in the long run. It's hard to know.
I needed to hear that last part. I have turned down opportunities lately to concentrate on family. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing, but I think I did. I would not have been able to care for my DH if I had taken the promotion.
I figure nothing comes without cost. I've worked my fanny off for my career and will continue to do so - but my limits have been established. Best to you and your family!
Let's see
1. I put 2 chickens in the crock pot on Monday for dinner then ate off them the rest of the week. There's just enough left for hubby's lunch tomorrow.
2. I saved and washed the gf bread bag to put my own homemade gf bread in.
3. I bought a glass water bottle to take out with me so I stop buying drinks in town. (And used it 4 days this week!)
4. Had left overs for lunch several days.
5. Not frugal - ate take out for dinner. $28 for a family of 7 (one is a nursling but that means momma has to eat a by more) isn't that bad but still.
Four Frugal Things
1. I didn't grocery shop this week, eating out of our freezer and pantry
2. Made my daughters a craft bin using old supplies of mine instead of buying them new ones
3. Resisted the urge to go through the drive-thru for a pops after my daughter's gymnastics class
4. Cloth diapers for my youngest all day every day this week
My not so frugal thing—a trip to Target where I bought a new CD instead of continuing to stream it for free and let my oldest two daughters pick out a new dress each, which we're saving for Easter.
1. Our anniversary was Saturday, and instead of gifts we gave each other the gift of a beautiful place--we went hiking in a gorgeous state park not far from our home.
2. We went out to dinner to celebrate that evening at an expensive restaurant, but we had appetizers instead of entrees and our bill was surprisingly low. We got to taste more things and there was plenty of food--we even had leftovers to bring home. We brought a bottle of wine with us, and they waived the corkage fee because of our anniversary (but we made sure to tip well, because the wine was still work for the server).
3. My daughter starts her first full-time job next week in a toxicology lab. She had to order her own scrubs (Amazon--she found some great deals!) because she is very petite and even then they needed hemming. I taught her how to do it herself instead of paying a lot for someone else to do it.
4. I made broth from the bones left over from braised lamb shanks. I freeze the broth in big silicone ice cube molds so that we can use it in recipes or as a soup base instead of opening a can of broth. I use an electric pressure cooker and it takes about 5 minutes of hands on time and 1 hour to make. I feel like it's "free food" since otherwise the bones would have gone in the trash.
Not so frugal: My husband lost his job--and non-urgent medical things I'd put off can't happen now because if we can even get new insurance it will have a very high deductible. :o(
Oh, I am so very sorry about your husband's job. I hope he can get a new one really quickly.
1. Updating my phone's apps as often as possible to avoid it shutting down. I need a new phone, but I'm waiting until the free upgrade date in a few months.
2. Hubs bday was the other day, but he wasn't up to going out yet. Plan to use a gift certificate to a local restaurant when he is up to it. Stayed home and ate this time.
3. A friend gave me some tuna steaks, we used them for 2 dinners. Love living near a fishing town!
4. Keeping the heat low and using the fireplace: natural gas is cheaper than electricity here.
NOT frugal: got a haircut and highlights. Way overdue, its been months, but I'm picky about where I go, so it was about 100 dollars with tip. Much needed since I have a job interview
coming up.
and thank you for having a "not frugal" option. Sometimes I feel like I'm failing when I read posts that people are eating beans, darning socks and picking trash for free things, and I'm spending money on something!
To make you feel even better: we rarely eat beans (Mr. FG doesn't like them) and I haven't darned a sock in my whole entire life!
That DOES make me feel better! I have no idea how to darn a sock. Thanks for giving us a forum for being less than perfect. 🙂