Five Frugal Things | 2 dishwasher things, for starters.
1. I ordered new rollers for my dishwasher's top rack.
I'm not sure what kind of plastic they make these out of, but over time, they dry out and fall apart.
(My more cynical side says this is not an accident on the manufacturing side, because good heavens, there are tons of other plastic parts in my dishwasher that don't wear out like this!)
Anyway.
I believe we replaced all four since we got this dishwasher 13-14 years ago, and one just went out the other night.
I placed an order for four, because if you're going to pay for shipping, you might as well just pay once and get all four.
And heaven knows the other three are going to give out at some point in the future. Better to be prepared!
2. I removed a piece of glass from the bottom of the dishwasher.
When it was running the other night, I heard that familiar buzzing sound, which meant that something was stuck in the chopper blade.
Luckily, I've taken apart my dishwasher around 789 times by this point in its life (at least, it feels like it!), so it only took me a few minutes to unscrew everything.
I found a piece of glass, a seed, and a piece of plastic, and once I took those pieces out and put the dishwasher back together, all was well.
We do try to keep unchoppable things out of the dishwasher, but boy, they do seem to make their way down anyway.
3. I remembered to put together receipts for reimbursement.
Like rebates, reimbursements are a thing that can get away from you if you're not careful. Just one of those annoying, nagging sorts of tasks, and if you don't get to it, you end up losing money.
We'd purchased a few (pre-approved) things for church recently, so I gathered together all the receipts, filled out the form, and turned it in yesterday.
4. I did a (late) money email.
(Read all about how and why I do money emails here.)
Normally I try to do these at the end of the month or early in the month, but I was pretty late this time around.
Buuuuut, better late than never.
This is the second month in a row where we have not had any crazy and unusual expenses and my goodness, it is really fabulous.
5. I....
...listed a book for sale on Amazon, pulled a pork roast out for pulled pork sandwiches, made a green smoothie by using the last of the frozen fruit and some Hungry Harvest spinach, and redeemed my TopCashback (affiliate link) earnings for an Amazon gift card (5% bonus!).
Your turn!
Share your own Five Frugal Things in the comments.
These are great frugal wins! Mr. FAF and I actually had a bad frugal fail last week. We spent a whopping $90 on eating out @_@. This month has 5 weeks, and we've already spent $405 on food for the first two weeks.
Hubby and I sat down to go over our budget and expenses the other day. We both agreed that we need to cut down on our food expenses by eating out less. >_<
Oh man, I feel your pain! We have had the HARDEST time getting our food budget under control. Meal planning has helped, but we're still buying too much for two people.
1. Making my menu for the week, doing meal prep, and getting ahead on feeding my family.
2. Mending some clothes instead of buying new.
3. I told my daughter that we were not going to be having her flute repaired for $300, instead we'd be buying her a used one in great shape, for $50.
4. Sending only of one of to our child's basketball game, instead of paying admission for the entire family...when they do not like watching or sitting still anyways.
5. My kids all made their own Christmas presents for each other yesterday.
Love that you can fix your own dishwasher- we save so much money when we DIY!
I don't know 'bout if i did five today so far, but let me see:
1) - Updated my pantry list, so I could see what I have and plan to make things from this list
2) - Updated several of the recipes that I printed (I'm learning how to cook)
3) - Stopped myself from going around the corner to the luncheonette to buy food when I already have a full refrigerator!
Can't think of anything else for now - but at least it's a start 🙂
Kristen, so glad you're able to fix the dishwasher and save a bunch on that! We try to do things like that as well.
Here's my top 5 Fabulously Frugal Things:
1) DH needs brakes on his car and has a leak so I know a guy....He will do the labor for the brakes for $150 if DH buys the parts and he'll see what the leak is and guide us on that as well. COOL. Savings: $300 +
2) Our youngest is looking at colleges and we schedule tours to ask questions and see what they have to offer. I always ask for the "code" that waives the application fee. Savings- $25-$50 each time
3) Turkeys are on sale here for 52 cents a pound so we're stocking up.
4)Keurig is having me test a new coffee maker and giving me 12 boxes of coffees/tea/chocolate. Savings- $250 +
5)I've been doing my Christmas shopping and looking for discounts...I found quite a bit! The kids love gaming t-shirts and whatnot, so I got each a subscription for 33% off. DS2 wanted 2 books to take online exams and it cost me $25 for both books when one book had the msrp of $60. Shaving clubs have been offering kits for a few bucks and I got them and then cancelled the subscription. If the guys like them, we can always start a subscription. I've been collecting Swagbucks for free gift cards and using rewards points for gift cards as well.
I also pulled out a pork butt to make a large batch of BBQ.
I have been looking at my dishwasher and thinking I needed to clean it. I am inspired to try.
No food waste is going well. I have even managed to rescue some food my adult daughter bought and didn't use. I honestly thought I had taught her better habits, but it does help my grocery bill. :/
I went through a box of photos and found one of me, my siblings and Mom. I texted my sisters for the photo date, and we determined it was 2001. Why is that frugal? I had on the same sweater I was wearing in the photo. It still looks good and it still fits. Frugal win! lol
My 6-week old granddaughter is wearing hand-me-downs and thrift store purchases because her mother (my other daughter) has learned to appreciate the money that is saved by buying used. The lesson is truly internalized when you see that the baby has already outgrown clothes!
Thanks for the consistent frugal inspiration. Every little bit helps.
And the great thing about baby clothes is that there are tons available secondhand. Preschoolers often wear out their clothes, so supply is lower. But babies rarely wear out their clothes before they outgrow them.
1. I resisted the urge to eat out to "celebrate " my new job. I can celebrate without eating out. We bought steak and cooked a meal for about one-fourth the restaurant cost.
2. I am making Rosemary Gladstar's face cream with ingredients I keep on hand. I use it instead of the $30 a jar stuff and can make a year's worth for less than $15.
3. I hear you about the dishwasher rollers. All of mine broke in less than two years on my last washer but they claimed the rollers aren't sub-standard. Uh-huh. I replaced them myself too. My husband just saved about $200 on a mower repair by doing it himself. Love DIY.
4. Hung out a ton of laundry in this dry weather.
5. This makes my third week of planning the menu for the week, which I never could do before. Hurray! It really does help keep me from buying random food I won't use.
Those are great!!! I had replaced all the clips on my dishwasher's top rack twice over the course of 20 years. Then I needed to replace the racks because the metal had rusted and pieces were falling off - couldn't be done - had to give in and buy and new one. But not bad, using the same appliance for 20 years. My range is even older and just won't quit. But here are my Five Frugalities from this past weekend:
1. I bought something, but had left the coupon at home - took it in with the receipt and got $10 back!
2. I bought my Thanksgiving turkey for $0.49/lb (regularly $1.99/lb), and he's over 25 pounds!
3. I made a HUGE pot of 11-Bean Soup for lunch yesterday, then portioned it out and put it in the fridge for lunches.
4. I got my hair shampooed, cut, and styled at the local cosmetology school for $5.00 (plus a $2.00 tip). They do a great job!
5. I bought a shirt with TWO coupons and got it for about 20% of the regular price.
Plus a bonus - I sent in a rebate form for yet another $10.00 (and I bought the item at a reduced price to begin with, without knowing about the rebate until I checked out)!
I think I did pretty well!
Yes, you did very well!
I had a dishwasher with racks that were starting to rust where the wires came together, and found a dishwasher repair paint to use on it. It was like a small bottle of nail polish, very thick light blue plastic-y paint. I don't know how well it held up, as we moved shortly thereafter, but at least it was an attempt at keeping something going longer.
I hate throwing out an appliance in any form. I used the silverware rack from a previous dishwasher to hold my garden hand tools in the shed, as the handles fit in the slots just fine.
Whoa, you sure did! Yay for an unexpected rebate.
And a note about plastics from your friendly chemistry major - they don't dry out, per se, but the plastic continues to react, becomes brittle, then falls apart. I had that happen to a pair of downhill ski boots - they just disintegrated!
Duly noted! 🙂
-an anything-but-chemistry major
1. We just signed up for a free 30 days of Amazon Prime. Just in time for Christmas!
2. We leave for a trip to Asia next week to visit my in-laws and my mom just brought over a bunch of luggage for us to borrow so we shouldn't have to buy any.
3. I made gravy. I don't normally do this, but it actually turned out really good and was really easy!
4. We are eating leftovers for dinner tonight. I made *the best* pork roast the other day and we will be finishing it off tonight.
5. I reheated a leftover grilled cheese sandwich for my daughter's lunch today. I didn't know how it'd turn out, but after a smidge in the microwave to get it warm, then a couple minutes on the stove to get it toasty again, it worked! So I'm glad I didn't throw out the extra sandwich from yesterday's lunch.
Also, Kristen, I'll do my best to remember to click through your site before I begin my Amazon shopping. I appreciate all you do and am happy to support you in this simple way!
I could do five just for our Saturday outing . . .
1) The wildlife museum we went to was having their free day, which saved us something like sixty dollars in admission.
2) We did let the kids pick out a treat from the cafe there--they chose a bag of chips each, which was totally reasonable--and then stopped at a gas station/deli on the way home to get them hot dogs and cocoa, which is all they wanted anyway and was way cheaper and arguably less gross than McDonald's or something. My husband and I ate the cheese and oranges I brought in the car.
3) I brought our water bottles, too.
4) I had taken out ground beef to thaw before we left so I could make hamburgers when we got home. A fast dinner ready to go is key to avoiding buying food before we get home.
5) Before we left, we stopped at the gas station that has an agreement with the grocery store for discounts based on grocery purchases. This time it was 70 cents off per gallon. Buying a lot of food at least means some money off gas. If I have to feed all these kids anyway, it's nice to get a bonus. 🙂
1) I have been on some healthy vitamins and supplements from a local company. These definitely had a beneficial effect (thyroid disease. Woo 🙁 ). These were costing about $350 every 6 weeks. I decided to switch to a different company--similar results are promised. And I'd only pay $125 each month. HUGE savings.
2) I got 4 new tires for my car. That tire company offered an $80 rebate. Filled it out online (saved on postage AND paper!). Now I wait!
3) I also got new wiper blades for my car (the rubber pieces were dangling within an inch of their lives...). That company offered a $10 rebate. Filled it out online, too. Waiting!
4) We had unexpected guests over last night... and since it was our dinner time, we opted to not make a huge dinner and instead ate snacky stuff for dinner (popcorn, meat and cheese, chips and salsa).
5) I saved my company a little bit of money on something I had to order (Ribbons). I found a promo code online. Bam. $40 off the quoted price!
Reese-- as a fellow thyroid disease sufferer, I'm curious what supplements you have found that help?
1. Found a few brand new Christmas items at the Goodwill recently. The kids will never know...nor will my husband if I remember to take the goodwill stickers off this year!! Last year I left them on (my kids are too young to read) but my hubby saw them and was a bit snarky about it. I will take them off this year for sure.
2. I resisted the temptation to purchase some gift items from a specialty gift store that I was "visiting" for work. I realized I could probably find the same item at a "normal" store for alot less.
3. Eating out: though I did eat out a few times this weekend, I was traveling for work and each meal will be reimbursed.
4. Kids clothing: Now that the weather is much colder here in PA, I forced myself to do the dreaded closet switch and came to find out that I really didn't have to buy anything for them. Score!
5. The Kmart near our house is closing and clothing and shoes were %75 off. So though I did spend $130, I was able to purchase 7 bags full of clothing and shoes for my kids to grow into. I was also able to buy 5 pairs of shoes for myself. nothing was over $5. And trust me, I needed shoes.
Sometimes it feels like nothing frugal happens!
1. I have picked up six more hours at work for the week.
2. Our grocery shopping was half the cost as normal (we had an extra expense).
3. Having a staycation for our anniversary this weekend...grandma is taking the boys!
4. Have been/will be using pantry and freezer for creative meals until Wednesday.
5. Am waiting to buy boots for my youngest...hoping I can make it until the extra 15% off on top of the 10% I'll receive for working Thanksgiving.
1. Repaired my grandmother's stove for her. She was a bit worried that she'd face a large repair bill or would have to replace it. Turns out it was just the heating element. Total cost of repair was under $20.
2. Took advantage of some coupons and sales and did some grocery shopping. We're a lot more stocked up for the holidays now.
3. I gave a magazine subscription to my brother a while back and the company decided to set me up for auto-renew without asking me first. When I called them they would swear up and down that they didn't charge me. I involved the CC company and almost instantly it was fixed.
4. Finally bought a new (to me) phone that was a damaged box one on Amazon. So far I'm really liking it. It's on Ting so it's cheap monthly service and it does everything I need a phone to do.
5. Work gave me a $100 gift card for being at the company for ten years. The problem is, the gift card was one of those corporate rewards cards which can only be used at certain stores (most of which I don't go to and I don't need anything from.) So seeing that Gamestop was one of the places I could go, I took the card to Gamestop and with it I bought a Netflix gift card. So I have $100 in Netflix credit (something I was going to buy anyway) and I don't feel like I've wasted my giftcard on something I didn't want or need.
I learn so much from other readers: codes for discount college applications, Netflix at GameStop, frugal ideas—love it.
Can I just say the dishwasher must be my favorite kitchen appliance. It seems we use it on average 1.5 times a day, I wonder why, but then realize it’s because we cook and eat so much at home.
I wish I was brave enough to take apart my dishwasher. A lot of times on things around the house (changing out a faucet comes to mind), I only get so far and then my lack of hand strength prevents me from finishing the job. I live alone and so I have to beg someone (or hire them) to come help me. Its very frustrating.
Speaking of failing parts, I am on my 3rd refrigerator door handle and 2nd oven door gasket in just over 4 years. I think both the fridge and the stove are whirlpool. I am so annoyed by the poor design.
I am afraid I have not been too frugal lately. But I do manage to pack my lunch every day, stay on budget (mostly), and make the most of free resources like the library. It's so lovely being out of debt now. I really don't mind those things anymore even though I am a born spender.
1. Ordered groceries to be picked-up at a nearby grocery store (the most frugal thing? No. But we are homebound with a VERY ill kiddo, and ordering groceries is cheaper than ordering delivery every night this week!)
2. Baked muffins full of good stuff for breakfast rather than buying unhealthy breakfast sandwiches (Can you tell food is a real struggle for us this week?)
3. Called airline and managed to get a full refund on 4 tickets for a Thanksgiving trip (pulmonologist said we couldn't go due to severity of son's illness :'( ) 32 days after booking with no travel insurance at all. Kindness goes a long way. I've never been paid so much for 15 minutes.
4. Returned a few items to the store that I realized I didn't need after bringing them home.
5. My husband listed a laptop we no longer use for sale.
1) On Sunday evening we had leftovers for supper and over the meal my husband and I meal-planned for the week. I spent $60 at Aldi to feed our family of five until Friday. We made lunches for us all from the fridge before we went to bed.
2) I am finally back to my pre-baby weight after three babies over most of this decade. The only (ONLY!) downside is that my clothes don't fit. I followed your lead, FG, and bought a couple of pairs of skinny jeans from Nordstroms for $60 each. I am so sick of cheap Old Navy jeans that wear out in a year. Luckily I had a gift card from years ago with $90 on it, so my total bill was $30.
3) Then I went to the Goodwill for shirts. I found several tops from good brands. I had a frequent shopper discount card. Then I paid for all but $3 of the bill with a gift card from the last time I returned things.
4) Last week I applied for a fellowship through my school to support my research. I also applied to teach a summer course. If I get the course it will pay for our vacation and give me another line on my cv.
5) My husband and I brainstormed over the weekend on where we want our business to be by this time next year. I'm so proud of how he has worked so hard to build a business he loves that provides for our family.
Our dog has bad kidneys &vet wanted him on special food and suplments.Vet charged $112. a month,I found them online for $75.00 a month.Crazy but I saved $37. a month. We r also researching for better food. He is an expensive addition but very well loved by all.
Your DIY ethic is admirable, and you seem really good at it. In one of my posts I mentioned trying to fix a leak in my dishwasher that I just couldn't find. I gave up and never got it fixed, and also never replaced it. If I cooked large meals more often or baked more often I'd probably get a new dishwasher, but with my easy cooking style I find it simpler and easier to just wash the dishes quickly by hand right after a meal.
Great post!
Yeah, with six of us here, the hand-washing route would be pretty tough. I mean, it's possible to do, of course, but I'm really glad I have a dishwasher!
This is my favorite of your posts each week. I used to blog, but have long since moved away from it. I still love sharing these kinds of things, so thanks for providing us a venue!
1) I used my knock-off Yeti tumbler for about the 60th day in a row. I'm saving so much on water bottles and drinking SO MUCH more water than before. It cost about $10 and it has paid for itself over and over again.
The rest of these are grocery wins from today:
2) I bought the slightly more expensive per pound unbrined turkey at the grocery store. I'm calling it frugal because I'm not paying per pound for the salt/sugar/water solution I can add at home if I brine it myself. I also just appreciate a bird that says right on it that it's minimally processed.
3) I skipped the donut at the grocery store even though I could have easily talked myself into it.
4) I used a $1.50 off 2 coupon to buy cream cheese. It was already marked down to $1.50 from $2.00 per 8 oz brick, so I got 16 oz of cream cheese for $1.50. WIN! I also used the coupon app to get $3 off a $30+ purchase and $1.50 off any chip purchase ($0.18 tortilla chips, thank you!). I'll gladly sell my shopping habits information for coupons.
5) I bought the almost-as-delicious honeycrisp apples for $0.87/lb instead of the slightly more delicious pink lady apples for $2.47. We like the pink lady apples more, but not $1.60/lb more.
In the interest of full disclosure, some non-frugal things included buying another set of pillows for guests coming next week (although I got them at TJ Maxx for less than they would have been).
I also bought some darling Melissa & Doug toys for my niece (see guests above). I didn't need to buy them for her, but I'm a sucker for a farm puzzle.
1. In the theme of dishwasher repair, ours has been broken 1/2 of the year & we are waiting to get it fixed in the spring when we can afford to. So hand washing for the contented win!
2. We are going to use 1/2 of Christmas bonus on food to put in deep freezer. Hoping this will help the tighter winter months.
3. Used my library card to check out kid's puzzles. My girls love it!
4. Also checked out art from our library for fall decor.
5. Bought new clothes (including 2 pairs of pants) for me from a garage sale site for $5. Major win!
- Just spent a chunk of money on car repairs but I hope to keep it going for a while longer I've had my car since 2004 with only service/tyre/battery costs so the bill hurts a little but not a lot.
- Been doing some major spring cleaning and found some petrol vouchers I redeemed from a rewards program ages ago and forgot about and they don't expire until March next year, that will save me about $200!
- Don't think it's a 'saving' but I did get some money back from the tax man this year - yay!
- My sis made me and a friend a delicious brunch on Saturday and we sat out in the garden on a beautiful sunny day - we figured it would have cost about $70 all up in a cafe
- I too put out some loads of washing on the line this past week and today's got dry in about 2hrs as it's 34 today.
- and as I put out the washing I winced as I remembered the roast beef slices from the deli I forgot about and will now have to go in the bin, must work on my meal plan; been slipping a bit..
I have no dishwasher DIY skills to speak of so kudos to you who do; our last dishwasher made a tragic noise and praise God I was standing next to it when black plumes of smoke came out of the top. Our new dishwasher has no cutlery basket and I am so sorry I didn't keep the old one - we now have to individually 'place' each piece on to the top tray and it drives me nuts, but I am grateful to have one.
I love reading how creative people are at saving.
I live in Australia and our prices a different and it is summer now.
1. We bought three leg hams at $6 a kilo. These are dated to almost the end of summer. so we prepared for Christmas to some degree.
2. Tonight it is hot and I am tired so I asked my daughter to bring home a chicken and coleslaw. We whipped up a salad and called that dinner.
3. I am using some fabrics I bought a while ago to make a quilt.
4. I am convincing myself that I do not need to shower my adult children with gifts. They will be give some money and gag gift for Christmas. My son owes me some money and that equals what I intended to give them all. At present my son is working in a very isolated region of the country so I am covering his bills until her returns home.
5. I am doing well at sticking to my use it up plans.
Five plus one for me this week:
1 I did my reimbursement claims in time
2 I knitted a companion for a lone glove (still had the wool in my stash) rather than buying a new pair
3 replaced a malfunctioning computer monitor with a functioning although outdated model from our attic
4 hand mended a fraying cuff on an otherwise fine sweater
5 self cooked egg salad and hummus for our sandwiches
plus one: cleaned my iron, that had gone brown and sticky for some reason. It is now working perfectly well again!
Grrr. Our Sears washer is just over five years old. It's not fancy-pants and it cost about $450 new. The bearing has been getting louder and louder as it approaches apparent planned obsolescence. DH called Sears after a Google search failed to provide happy answers. Yup, you cant replace just the bearing and the part cost $150+. DH saved shipping by ordering it elsewhere. Gah! Sears gave us the wrong part number and of course it doesn't fit! More research, and now we're waiting on another $150 part. Meanwhile, the washer's disassembled and the laundry's piling up... $300 to save a $450 washer? Ouch.
In a rental property, we have a new Whirlpool Refrigerator from Lowe's. The tenant couldn't get the first filter out, so we made a warranty call. Whirlpool replaced the entire housing and filter. Next time the filter needed to be replaced, same problem. This time, Whirlpool says the parts are "free", but we must pay $350 for their labor and we can't DIY it. I don't think so. We're trying to get Lowe's to make it right. Who buys a refrigerator that costs $350 every time the filter needs to be replaced?
So, two big frugal fails currently. Good thing we're frugal all the time so stuff like this doesn't derail us, but boy is it frustrating!
Oh man, that is so irritating! I hope the new part does the trick for you guys.
And my goodness, what in the world is up with the fridge filter issue? That doesn't seem right AT ALL.
These posts are a good reminder that a lot of the older appliances are so much sturdier (sadly)... Our dishwasher and (clothes) washing machine are both 20+ years old. The dishwasher is very loud and the washing machine doesn't "match" the dryer, so my husband periodically asks if we should replace them - thank you No - they are real workhorses! I wish we could convince manufacturers that we don't always want the latest and greatest finicky new capability that will then cost $hundreds to repair (one reason I love my 17-year-old car)..