Five Frugal Things
It's a Five Frugal Things Thursday this week. Here we go!
1. I crisped up some spinach.
The last of a bag of spinach from my produce box was getting a bit sad-looking, so I put the leaves into a container with cold water, and voila! They were crisp and fresh again.
Even though I've done this 39874 times (or so), I'm still always amazed at the way a little soak in cold water revives leafy greens.
I also did this with a red pepper that was getting a bit...flexible. Peppers should not be flexible.
I cut a slice off, set the pepper in water, and an hour or two later, it too was crispy again.
So magical.
2. I made rice pudding.
I had some rice leftover from when I made hibachi, and we got some Chinese food over the weekend as well, and of course we had leftover rice.
So, I cooked it up into some rice pudding.
This is more of method than a recipe (which is unusual for me!). I dump the rice into a pot with a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon and a bit of salt, cover it with milk, and cook it on low until it's pudding-y.
My kids like to eat it warm or cold, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
3. I fixed my bench pad.
We got our table and chairs from Crate and Barrel and while we've been quite happy with the actual furniture, the pads have been less than fabulous.
I've had shrinkage issues (despite washing in cold water and air-drying!), and recently one of the ties came off.
I sewed it back on, which was a quick job. It's not really that big of a deal, but it's kind of annoying to buy something that's not cheap and then have issues with it.
<shakes fist at Crate and Barrel>
4. We fixed an electric razor.
Joshua's been using an electric razor that used to be Mr. FG's, and it's been working out great for him.
Except, the foil that covers the blade totally bit the dust.
Knowing very little about electric razors, I thought it needed to be replaced. But Mr. FG told me that you could buy replacement parts.
Yay!
He ordered one online (the foil came with a new trimmer piece too), and once it arrived, installing it was a piece of cake.
The product website says you should order a new foil and trimmer piece every three months, but that seems a bit excessive to me, especially when the person using the shaver doesn't exactly have a hefty beard to shave.
(Also, Mr. FG pointed out that they DO have a vested interest in you buying replacement pieces frequently, so....)
5. I modified a dress for Lisey.
A friend had given her a cute dress with a bird pattern, but it was a rather boxy cut, which doesn't tend to work for anyone in my house.
I took it in at the sides and back, and now I think it'll work pretty well for her.
And maybe it'll work for Sonia and Zoe too, down the road!
____________________
I am trying to reduce costs but sometimes those costs are so darn high.
1. I had to buy my first reading and distance glasses for driving. I found one pair of frames at half price and another is the lower price range. The spectacle maker has been doing mum and dad's prescriptions for years and I was given a $50 discount. It still totalled $350 AUS.
2. A number of times this week I have quietly refused eating out and eaten at home instead.
3. Still trying to reduce the pantry and I am seeing room in the fridge. Mum still has about 100 condiments in there.
4. I saved 24.7 a litre on petrol buy keeping an eagle on eye on prices this week.
5. I returned about $100 worth of yarn when I found out it was not the sort my daughter wanted.
On the non frugal side. A number of things are going quite badly, healthwise, for me and I have had to face some horrible medical tests and a real fright with my eyes. To reward myself for trying to be good and failing I bought myself a sweet little pair of slippers. Winter is gentle here but I need to protect my feet. These have an early bird catching a worm on them!
I know this is a bit late on the glasses, but have you looked into Zenni Optical?
I will vouch for Zenni too! I've gotten glasses for $9.99 and $14.99 on there. Not quite the same hefty,. heavy-duty quality as what you'd get at the doc office.... but also not nearly the price!
Thank you but I live in Australia. Mum's specs were $1000.
Clearly Contacts is an online place for getting glasses and contacts. We've had good success with them. You "try on" the glasses on a photo of yourself so you can see how they look, then they come in the mail. For a set of graduated lens glasses we had to send them back one time for adjustments, and the company was courteous and helpful. All-in-all the process took about three weeks from initial ordering to glasses that were ready to go, so a bit of a longer process than the eye doctor version. You also have to get the eye exam done prior. But with all that being said, we ended up paying about $230 Canadian for an attractive pair of graduated lens glasses that would have cost over a thousand dollars if we had gone the traditional bricks-and-mortar store route.
I just published my own frugal things + a frugal fail. Also involving limp produce (mine went into chocolate cake) among other things. 🙂 Why can't I ever remember that cold water trick? I need to put a Post-It on my fridge!
I love, love, love rice pudding!
1. Mended a shirt and pair of pants my partner was going to throw out. Hopefully he'll get a few more wears out of them.
2. Walked to work every day this week-no using up gas!
3. Have resisted buying coffee at work every day this week (I usually treat myself 2-3 times a week and I am trying to break that habit.)
4. Used a bunch of fruit nearing expiration to make delicious loaves of bread
5. Used a gift card to buy some video games the family can all play together
I too love rice pudding which I only bake (with cinnamon & raisins in 2% milk) from a left-over rice dish. Even if the rice has some left-over gravy type sauce works for me.
Cheers,
Richard from Vancouver, BC, Canada
For some reason rice pudding reminds me of The Pokey Little Puppy as that was one of the desserts offered.
So let's see: Five Frugal things for me:
1.) I repaired a fountain pen inner cap with some electrical tape. It was just a cheap Jinhao so the pen was only worth a few dollars. Still it was worth doing as it saves money, resources and makes me feel good about myself.
2.) I repaired the zippers on a diaper wet-bag and on one of those dedicates bags. Unfortunately on the wet-bag I put the zipper on backwards so it zips right to left instead of left to right. Oops! Also my sewing job isn't the best (blame my man-hands) but hey, if it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid.
3.) Worked overtime again so extra money there.
4.) Took advantage of a 1 day sale on Amazon to buy an SSD for my computer. I'm upgrading my PC for the first time since 2012. It's still got a lot of life left in it as I don't have so much time to game on it.
5.) Paid down a good chunk of the wife's student loan. We only have a small amount left so we'll be debt free (excluding mortgage) before Autumn! Of course *I* was debt free years ago. 😛
I feel like I'm missing something important but for the life of me, I can't think of anything.
What's the issue with zippers going right to left?
I go to unzip the bag to put in a wet or soiled diaper and get confused for 3 seconds why there is no zipper pull on the right.
I can see that, especially if you're in a befogged parental state.
Thanks for the tip on the spinach and peppers!! When our veggies look sad, I toss them in a freezer bag to make stock later, but it's good to know that there are other ways to bring them back.
Five Frugal Things:
We took full advantage of the three-day weekend and got to business with our frugal activities!
1. We borrowed movies from my SIL instead of going to the theatre or spending money on DVDs. We've been going to the library for our DVD needs, but it does suck waiting for them to get newer movies in stock.
2. I took a second stab at making ciabatta bread and it worked! Mr. Picky Pincher loooooves ciabatta, so it looks like that's the only bread we'll be making for a while. 🙂
3. Instead of buying treats at the grocery store, I made a chocolate cake with white frosting. It made four little mini cakes that are great for snacking on!
4. Mr. Picky Pincher made homemade marinara, chicken stock, and veggie stock. He also helped me can peach preserves that we bought on sale.
5. We are not eating out AT ALL this week, and it feels great. 🙂
1. Most of my garden is planted! It's worth: a gym membership, de-stress sessions with a therapist, and about 75% of what I would spend on organic fruit and veg if I didn't have one. Really stretches the pension I and hubby live on.
2. Set two gallons of rhubarb wine brewing. This will give me 10 bottles of wine in the fall, for the cost of 5 pounds of sugar and a wine yeast packet.
3. Made 8 pints of fruit sauce from the rhubarb that had its juice extracted (it's a sugar extraction process that leaves the pieces shrunken with some sweetness in them) for the wine plus discount nectarines and on-sale strawberries from the store.
4. Used a half-price discount from Air Miles for a roasted chicken on Sunday when it was over 90 deg F here -- so no cooking and three ample meals plus a sandwich from it.
5. Made up my own s'mores kit with enough dark chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers to make at least three times more than the kit at two-thirds the cost. All stashed in a metal tin to keep away pests (and snacking marauders).
Would you please post the receipt for the rhubarb wine? It sounds yummy!
1. Made my lunch with stale but not moldy ciabatta roll (perfect for a chopped cheese-lettuce-Italian dressing combo)
2. Made Memorial Day with food we had on hand, rather than what I had planned. Still delicious
3. Took advantage of big Penney's sale to get MUCH needed shorts, etc.
4. Decided to be content with our old sofa table instead of buying new one.
5. Making instead of buying card for a baby shower gift.
Making cards and gift wrap is HUGE. My daughter and I have committed in wrapping only in something re-usable, i.e. re-usable grocery bags. Or I make a drawstring bag from quilting scraps. Cards are outrageous and especially for something like a baby shower or child's birthday, I think a tag works just great. (The exception is Mother's Day and my mother's birthday, as there is no substitute for a card and it really should be Hallmark - she checks the back) 🙂
1. Bought almost nothing additional when I learned I have 3 houseguests this weekend, even though I don't have any main dish foods in large quantities because I'm eating down the fridge. Then I took a deep breath and realized that wasn't quite right: I have several half hams. One meal will be ham sandwiches (homemade bread - I'm trying FGs English Muffin Bread), another will be pasta (homemade sauce from on-sale canned tomatoes), the third a monster lasagna I bought for $1/serving.
2. Didn't buy breakfast at work even though I forgot the yogurt for my cereal.
3. Baked cupcakes rather than buying, using vanilla yogurt since I didn't have the plain the recipe called for. (Vanilla goes into the cupcakes anyway; if all I had was fruit yogurt I'd use that, since the fruit flavor would be very diluted by the recipe and then largely baked out).
4. Finally did a bit of weeding, in preparation for planing the watermelon starts my friend gave me.
5. Bought a ton of semi-luxury foods (soda, chips, cold cereal) at the caselot sale, saving 60%.
Nice idea, using vanilla yogurt in cupcakes! I have seen small size cupcakes going $2/per cupcake here in Vancouver BC, Canada! Artisan, I guess they call these very small cupcakes.
Cheers,
Richard in weather-wise a very nice Friday afternoon/evening.
Crazy, isn't it? I think it's the fancy icing because cupcakes themselves are easy and inexpensive to make.
Circling back to what I wrote, the lasagna was $2/serving. We were hungry! Then we went outside and had a watermelon seed fight, using half the monster-large $5.50 watermelon.
I just walked home from the neighbor's garage sale and saw your post. Yeah!!!! I get to tell someone my incredible deal!
1. I purchased a 7 qt. Le Creuset roasting pan in a lovely shade of green for........3.00!
2. I scored two free dressers from Craigslist. One is a Lexington so very solid and we will keep it. The other is nice but not the same quality. I'll put it out in the yard with another piece of furniture with prices on it and ask people to just knock on the door if interested.
3. This weekend, my husband and I painted our bedroom with a gallon of Restoration Hardware paint I got at the outlet for 18.00. My husband said "The room looks like it was always supposed to be this color!"
4. We may be moving but purchased plants and seeds for our small garden. Everything is up and blooming and looking great! Either we'll enjoy the harvest or the next family will!
5. Also, stopped at a garage sale last week on the way to the grocery store. Purchased a 5 x 7 pottery barn rug for 30.00 then asked if they were finished bringing things out. Nope, still had four heavy duty Pottery Barn dining room chairs. How much? 40.00. Yes, please! Painted they'll look incredible with the four for 30.00 Arhaus ones we already have!
Thank you, Kristen, for doing Five Frugal Things this week! I love having someone with whom to share!
Agreed! It lifts my spirit tell others about the great deals I scored.
Yes! Joy shared is joy multiplied!
Oooh, that is a ridiculously good price for Le Creuset. Yay!
Thank you, Kristen! Those deals only come along occasionally but when they do, they are awesome!
Super great deal on the Le Creuset!
"1. I purchased a 7 qt. Le Creuset roasting pan in a lovely shade of green for……..3.00!"
That is absolutely jaw dropping. No wonder you wanted to share!
Right? Those pieces are so heavy, I had trouble carrying it home!
1. Now that I'm out of school for the summer I've been walking our kindergartener to school each day instead of driving.
2. I realized I had enough bread odds and ends in the freezer to feed an army. So I made a bunch of croutons and your overnight French toast yesterday. I'm going to bake it for the kids for lunch today and we'll see how they like it.
3. With a baby and a toddler it hasn't been easy to get out to Goodwill to refresh our little-kid wardrobes. And they seem to grow out of stuff as fast as I can find it. We also need some specialty clothes for them for our trip to Iceland this summer. So I placed my first order with thredup. I found a coupon online and got everything we need for Iceland plus a bunch of much-needed shorts for my potty training man. I was impressed with the selection, the photos, and the prices. I got 22 items for $111.
4. I feel like I need clothes too, especially since I STILL haven't lost the weight I gained during my last pregnancy. I have a small wardrobe, and it is split into so many different sizes. But I resisted the urge to buy anything off of thredless. Instead I'll sort through what I have. I usually find something I forgot doing that.
5. This week we cooked from scratch, breastfeed, cloth diapered, took our oldest to the cheap (but good) city swim lessons instead of the expensive suburban lessons, didn't get cable, and followed up on medical claims to make sure insurance paid them. (I am shocked at how many mistakes are made not in our favor. Neither the insurance company nor the doctors office EVER make mistakes in our favor.)
6. Almost forgot our biggest score of the week! Our small company is growing and is about to move from our house to a commercial space. We will of course have to furnish the new studio. We saw a nice, leather office chair on craiglist. After snatching it up quickly for $135 we found out that it is a chair that retails for over $1K. It is used but in pristine condition--the kind of chair my husband can sit in for the next twenty years. I'm fighting the urge to realist it for $500.
"I am shocked at how many mistakes are made not in our favor. Neither the insurance company nor the doctors office EVER make mistakes in our favor."
That is so true! A friend told me a story about her insurance co (which is mine as well). She went in for amniocentesis and genetic testing at an in-network place. Insurance covered the amnio but not the genetic testing. Their reason? They don't cover fertility treatments. She's already pregnant, idiots! 4 months pregnant! Which insurance knows, because they'd been paying for doctors visits and the amnio.
Yes. Always, always check insurance statements.
Nice find on the chair!
I loved reading this helpful post and the comments! I'm going to start tracking my frugal 5 for ya 🙂
Have you ever made cocoa rice with leftover rice or even fresh rice? I buy my rice from Costco in the 25 lb bag because the price is just a smidgen over what the grocery store 5 lb price. I have some Samoan friends who introduced me to cocoa rice as a breakfast food. It is delicious! Kids LOVE it, but so do adults:) What's not to love about anything that tastes like chocolate though, right???
Happy Thursday!!!!
Raynee @ thefrugalbranch
Ok, now I'm gonna have to google cocoa rice. That sounds very intriguing.
1. Used the last of spinach and tomatoes that were about to go bad to make a delicious pasta dinner last night with leftovers for lunch today.
2. Ordered the running shoes that I like off of Amazon for about $50 less than purchasing in store. The color is terrible, but I don't really care about what color my running shoes are. I'll save the worn out shoes for working out in the yard.
3. Earlier this week I tried a new zucchini muffin recipe to use up a zucchini that was going to go bad. I really enjoyed the muffins, and still had half of the grated zucchini left, so I baked a second batch last night to go into the freezer. I was really tired and didn't feel like baking, but it was well worth the effort.
4. A coworker who really enjoys gardening told me that he planted some tomato plants for me at his house. He'll take care of them for me, and he'll bring me the produce. This was an unexpected and much appreciated gift!
5. Trying a new cash-only approach to my entertainment budget. I'm hoping this will curb my spending on fun activities. Thankfully most of my friends are pretty frugal, but $5 here and there adds up pretty quickly.
#4 is a sweet gift.
Brave act buying shoes online in my very humble opinion. Congrats if this works effectively for you. For me, I prefer to be in a shoes store (Hudson's Bay here in Vancouver BC is my favourite.) I like a competent sales clerk helping me out to make sure said shoes fit. Some advice: Stay away from clerks just past adolescent (even if they look pretty/hand sum/ too healthy -- like they stepped out of the cover of Vogue or GQ magazines'...sigh...) For shoes, experience seems to help.
Cheers,
Richard in beautiful Vancouver, BC., Canada.
This three day weekend was a much needed kick in the pants to clear out some clothing!
1. Took out the containers of clothing for the boys 8 and 5. Discovered that the 8 year old has all the clothing he needs for the fall, jacket and coat included.
2. Kept the best clothing in sizes 5, 6, and 7 for the 5 year old who really needs a size 3 in width and a size 5 in length. Also found a jacket and coat for the fall.
3. Gratefully and happily accepted an offer of size 24 mo. and up clothing for the baby girl who is 17 mos.
4. Ate at home and all out of the fridge and freezer with the exception of milk, fruit and a few produce items.
5. Donated all of the clothing that we could not use for any of the really quickly growing children!!
**Bonus** Donating got the clothing out of the house too!!
Yay for getting rid of clutter!
1. After getting off work late I was tempted to drive through and pick up something to eat. I volunteer my nursing skills at a local free clinic. I couldn't justify letting this cost me money so I ate cereal at home.
2. I have a hurt ankle so I have stayed out of stores since I can't walk well. This has in turn saved me money.
3. I polished my fingernails with polish leftover from my 21 year old daughter's prom night. Turns out she only used the polish one time so it was like opening a new bottle.
4. I had a coupon for Bath and Body works for a free full size bottle of body spray with any purchase. I had someone pick me up a bottle and the purchase was a small hand sanitizer. So I will put this up for a frugal gift when I need it.
5.My small container garden is thriving. The tomato and zucchini seeds my kids and I planted are so big I may have to transfer them to a bigger pot soon. My favorite part is I paid nothing for the seeds. They were a really nice freebie in the mail. I love free food and the learning experience my kids are getting.
1. Ate at home all week, brought lunches to work and to an appointment in the city
2. Shopped in Aldi with a list and working to the bottom of all the stuff we already have in the fridge and freezer
3. Parked at sisters house for hospital appointment in the city avoiding paying for parking
4. Reading books from library
5. Using old t shirts as pyjamas for summer saving buying brand new ones & using up stuff we have..
I can't quite come up with 5 things, but here are some highlights:
1) Made homemade frosting with ingredients on hand for husband's birthday cake.
2) Price compared new table top fans and used a 20% off coupon
3) Made soup at the beginning of the week for lunches
4) Finished 2 library books, instead of buying new books
Frugal fail: 40 cent late fee for late library books... 😀
1. I put up gifted produce in the freezer -- it'll be nice this winter. We also ate the first tomato from our own vines last night.
2. I repaired the heels on a pair of nice loafers I bought at Goodwill and have worn for over a year. A little shoe goo and they are great again.
3. I'm turning in my husband's blood work to our insurance policy -- it'll mean a $50 check for us because he had his PSA checked.
4. We had an appointment for him in the city, and it kept us through lunch, which we didn't expect. We ate out, but we split a single combo at Firehouse and I used the survey code on a months old receipt to get the second drink for free, to give us a cheap lunch. There was no expiration date so it was still good. I'd been carrying it in my purse for a loooong time, because we don't eat out but rarely.
5. I looked in Goodwill while in the city for an item we've needed. I didn't find it, but I also didn't buy anything else, although I was tempted by two items. Zero dollars spent and no stuff to become clutter at home.
I'm really tired. The baby (aka the 17 month old) is teething and is struggling to sleep through the night. At the end of week two of her being grumpy, chewing on her hand, and waking in the night - I'm just tired. But this too shall pass.
1. Placed an online order for some essentials: more tissues, infant ibuprofen, and kid bubble bath. I'm realizing that I save money without impulse and time (which is also money because I'm paid hourly) if I stay out of stores. It is a change for me to view the world this way and I'm still not quite used to it. I have to keep reminding myself that this is the new world order.
2. I called a nursery that had shipped us plants and reported a few as "dead on arrival." They offered to ship us new ones as replacement. It took a lot of energy to call and face the embarrassing questions ("Are you sure they are dead?" "Did you immediately give them water?") But they were dead and we spent our hard earned money on them.
3. Like a poster above, we keep the hand-me-down kids clothing cycle going. In the washing machine now is a hand-me-down pile from a family member for my kids and my sister's kids. I'll wash them and sort out what we need. Meanwhile, I pulled out my kids' outgrown clothing to find summer clothes for the younger niece and nephew.
4. I bought some replacement shoe laces at the Dollar Tree to replace shoelaces on my sneakers and some work shoes for my husband. The shoes are fine but the laces are not.
5. I bought some more hot peppers off the dented produce rack and am freezing them for pepper jam. Mmmm, pepper jam. At this point, I have several large freezer bags full of frozen hot peppers which should make many jars of pepper jam.
Ahh, I hope you get some sleep soon! These no-sleep stages feel like forEVER when you're in the middle of them.
It worked! She slept through the night last night. I'm feeling pretty wiped out anyway but am hopeful we get another good night sleep over the weekend so I can keep recharging my batteries.
This is a fun one for me today as we are celebrating my two year old's birthday today.
1. I made her puppy dog cake pops myself last night since she loves puppy dogs.
2. We decorated for her little family party with decorations left over from my grandma's 90th party last month.
3. Her birthday present was a hand me down outdoor playhouse. The kids are thrilled.
4. The previously mentioned cake pops were made from cake and frosting I had made for my 5 year old's birthday this winter. I had to cut part of the cake off to layer it up, mixed it with the leftover frosting and then froze it. They turned out great and no new ingredients had to be bought for today, besides the cake pop sticks.
5. I helped my 5 and 3 year old make homemade cards to present to their sister. They were so pleased.
My frugalness this week kind of all rolled into one day. I took my saved money and set out for a set of tires and a push lawn mower. Shopping Memorial Day sales, I found great sales. The prices were discounted on both. The tires had an additional 50.00 rebate and I used gift cards to buy the lawn mower. The gift card purchase got me 42.00 in free gas credit from my local grocery store. All combined I ended up with a surprisingly 150.00 left in cash. I ordered me a Republic phone on sale for 99.00 ( service 10.00 a month ) and bought a beautiful full size Persian rug for 79.00 at a local thrift store. The rug is 100% wool, 11 X 9 and clean. I am so excited as this was something I could never have afforded. I am over my weekly budget by 30.00 but that is just fine. The best part yet is my lawn mower is self propelled with a Honda mower. I hope it lasts forever.
We have a Honda lawnmower too, and we're hoping it lasts us for ages.
1. The two-day conference I attended had an unannounced parking fee of $35 per day!!! For Day 2 I took Uber each way, total $16. My company reimburses me, but it's the principle.
2. After strong cravings for a chain restaurant's tortilla soup I found a copycat recipe on the web. It'll do, and it used up my frozen shredded chicken, some frozen stock, and the half-can of tomatoes I had in the fridge.
3. The dried peppers for the soup were $5 at the supermarket and $1.25 at the supermercado. Score!
4. The hubs, unknown to me, had been eyeing some new fishing stuff. Out of the blue my parents sent him a Bass Pro Shop gift card for his birthday. Great job, Mom!
5. After an intense weekend of yard work and house projects our date night was an old Cary Grant movie on Netflix. It was restful and lovely.
1. Packed lunches and snacks in a big cooler for our weekend car trip, which were also available for quick snacks throughout the remainder of the trip. This saved us several stops at restaurants and therefore money and time. It also gave us the chance to focus on having fun together.
2. Paid our dog sitter with a homemade German-style loaf of bread. This is my go-to gift for many occasions.
3. Had to have the carpets cleaned and was able to use a coupon to save $45.
4. Re-used planters from previous years for my deck garden instead of buying the shiny new ones. They just needed a scrub and they still do the job.
5. Mended my son's favorite pyjama pants and a couple of sweaters instead of replacing them.
1. We had leftover hot dog buns from this weekend so my kids got banana "hot dogs" for breakfast with Aldi's version of Nutella and a banana in lieu of an actual hot dog. The buns didn't go to waste and it was a super special treat for them.
2. I went to Costco and stuck to my list. I think I spent $30 there.
3. Decided to not enroll my soon-to-be kindergartner in a summer program and instead enjoy relaxing days at home and meet ups at the park with friends.
4. Ate a late lunch instead of eating out yesterday when I was on the road. Brought snacks and drinks from home for my meeting.
5. finally planted herb packets we got from our CSA and will soon be enjoying fresh herbs in my cooking again.
6. Made lunches for my husband and meals for our family every day this week.
1. Planted two peach trees. We hope to enjoy peaches from them in a few years. LOL
2. Had Walmart price match blueberries 1 pint for $1.99 instead of $3.49 I bought 3 pints.
3. My hubby needed some new cargo shorts. I was able to find 3 pair for $7.00 each at Bargain Hunt. The tag says the retail price was $50 a pair...yikes!
4. Purchased a gallon of marked down milk for $1.69 The expiration date is still a week out.
5. I had a doctor's appointment an hour away from home. I knew I would be home by lunchtime, so I packed my lunch and a drink.
I enjoy reading about everyone's thriftiness!
1. My oldest daughter hosted a combo Memorial Day and youngest sister's birthday cookout on Monday. No cooking or food used up at my house.
2. Fixed supper at home the rest of the week. This is from last week's shopping trip.
3. Since I'm out of school for the summer, I have not had to drive everyday thus saving on gas.
4. While taking granddaughter to her baton practice I stopped in at the consignment shop picking up some money from sales.
5. Used items such as onions and lettuce from our garden to have with our meals.
Gosh, I'm trying to see what frugal things i did this week.
1) I clean with white vinegar. It's a nice streak-free cleaner for my stainless steel appliances. Plus, it cost me $1.00 for a quart of it.
2) I bought a basil plant for $2.99 for when we make grilled bruschetta. And my chicken basil dish. I give it some water, sun and some found plant food that was in my junk drawer so it should be a happy plant.
3) I know it's v-e-r-y early to be thinking about the holiday season but i have been doing online surveys and such to get the family free gift cards and comic books. Old comic books. They will love them! I'm surprised to see what people want to get rid of and since the kids like comics, it's a perfect site.
4) I cut DS2 hair outside with my clippers. I paid $20 for them about 4 years ago and it saves me a ton. I used to pay $12.95 + $3 tip for his haircuts.... Not any more!
5) The parsley that i planted in my outdoor wine bucket is sprouting this year. It survived the harsh winter and snow and I'm surprised it came up. Mind you, i have purple daisies growing there too. They'll have to share. 🙂
1. Had an very frugal at-home weekend, except for my visiting brother taking us out for supper Friday evening. I brought home enough leftovers for two days of lunch.
2. Altered a pair of seldom-worn pants to make them comfortable for wearing often, which helped out my tiny work wardrobe.
3. Bathed and groomed our dogs at home today. Got to wear the $2 rubber lab apron bought at the thrift shop to keep my clothes clean and dry. I love that thing!
4. Used the rice cooker (a cheap one bought at the drug store several years ago) and the slow cooker to help make meals today for the coming week. Gotta love those electronic kitchen assistants. 🙂
5. Have been wearing all weekend a pair of comfy old Clark's sandals that I rescued by hand-stitching and gluing a broken strap back together last fall.
1. Made brownies from leftover Easter chocolates, and random other bits of chocolate in the pantry for Memorial day BBQ.
2. Made homemade vanilla extract from vanilla beans and vodka.
3. Have avoided taking spending (fun) money out of the checking account for three months (there is a usual budgeted amount), by going through spare change.
4. Found two pairs of boys' dress shoes at great prices at Marshall's.
5. Am getting enough greens out of the garden now to serve huge daily salads. We're especially loving the lacinato kale.
1. Made chicken tomato pasta dish for dinner
2. Had it for lunch as well
3. Ate other leftovers for dinner the next night.
4. Didn't spend any money on food the past three days, except a 99 cent frosty from Wendy's
5. Had date night at the Barcade, where we played galaga a few times at 25 cents a pop
Awesome tip Kristen! I have never tried that with spinach leaves! I always threw them in the freezer for my smoothies once they started to wilt. Thanks for the tip!