Five Frugal Things | $200 in book savings!
1. I'm getting $200 back on my school books
My schoolbooks for this fall total $1378.
(!!!!)
That's a lot, but many of these resources give me 24 months of access because I will be using them for all four semesters.
Soooo, next semester, my book bill shouldn't be as terrible.
Since it was so high, though, I decided to take advantage of a credit card offer I got; if you spend $1500, you get $200 cash back.
My nursing schoolbooks alone almost got me to the minimum spend level, so I should get my $200 bonus pretty quickly.
This was for all of my electronic resources; I already bought the two required hard-copy books, and I got one on eBay.
There's not really a way to save on electronic books, though, so the credit card offer was the best I could do!
(It probably goes without saying but: I only recommend credit card usage if you know you will always pay the full balance every month, and that you'll use the card the same way you use cash. Otherwise the rewards are definitely not worth the price you'll pay in interest and fees!)
2. I used a gift card to get Panera for Zoe and me
She and I had a hankering for some Panera sandwiches, so I redeemed a gift card that I had found in my desk drawer.
Yay for free sandwiches!
3. I used my Lekue lids on two melons
I bought a watermelon and a cantaloupe this past week, and I have once again been reminded of how much I love my Lekue lids.
They are so, so perfect for those times when you have a half or a quarter of a melon that you want to refrigerate.
Here's how you use one on a quarter melon:
The Lekue lids are thick and sturdy, so even though I've had mine for years, they're no worse for the wear.
Here's the smaller one on a cantaloupe.
4. I used up my last corn tortilla!
Remember that stack of tortillas from my kitchen freezer?
And remember how I felt like they were just multiplying in there?
Well, I FINALLY used up the very last one yesterday.
Yay me!!
I probably need to buy smaller packages of corn tortillas in the future.
5. I...
- bought some bags of Starbucks coffee on sale
- brewed coffee at home
- listed some boots (yes, boots. Not books!) on eBay for Zoe
- sold a college textbook from Zoe's previous semester (which I will package in reused supplies, of course)
Impressive savings!
It has been so humid, it is very hard to avoid food waste.
We did not buy fresh produce last weekend as we have some in our fridge that needs to be used
We used reusable hankies and kitchen cloths, as usual (we always wash these on a hot cycle and have never had summer flu or colics that I can remember. In summer, kitchen hygiëne is everything)
We cooked our own meals, including Dutch pancakes on a particularly lazy day
We listed some garage items for sale
We bought non perishables at clearance or discount.
Non frugal: our cat needs to stay under observation at the vet. But we can spare the expense and only need to worry about our feline comrade getting better.
@J NL, best of luck to your kitty on a full recovery!
@J NL, I hope your kitty recovers soon.
@J NL, sending good wishes for a speedy recovery of your four-legged family member. It's so distressing when they're ill.
@J NL, my Betty sends support to your feline comrade. I honestly don't know what I would have done these past few years without Betty.
1. I cut a whole watermelon into cubes and shared some of it with a neighbor. It's still the cheapest summer fruit around. I also cut a cantaloupe. It's another inexpensive summer fruit if you're willing to do the work of cutting it. Both types of melons have been good this summer.
2. We have been eating at home. Our freezers (in our two refrigerators) were full to bursting a few weeks ago so we have been focused on reducing the amount of food in them.
3. Safeway had an offer to earn a $10 off coupon for buying a $50 gift card. We seem to always shop at Lowe's so I took advantage of the offer. I also installed Google Pay on my phone to earn 5% rewards from Discover this quarter.
4. The weather has been nice enough to sit outside with a friend the past couple of weeks, instead of meeting for a beverage. I also find it more relaxing.
5. A friend and I started swapping jigsaw puzzles a few weeks ago. We will return and swap again when I see her this week.
I stayed with family this week so my frugality shifted a bit - free (keto & low carb) meals, and options to shop at stores we don’t have.
- I got my kitty, Milo 2 cardboard scratchers $3.50 each. He prefers cardboard to his real car tree scratcher.
-bought reusable straws on sale at Aldi (1 pack for travel/errands/car & 1 pack for house).
- bought winter athletic long sleeved shirts at Red White & Blue Thrift (2 for $8).
-made coffee at home every day but one rather than going to fancy coffee shops
-ate produce from their garden & a neighbor’s which are producing faster than our 1 tomato plant!
-I shopped TJ Maxx sales for Christmas gifts & stocking stuffers.
I don't know how I'd manage going to school now, with so many books available only electronically. I saved and scrimped back in the day by checking out older editions from the library (which might be off via page numbers but otherwise contained the same information) or borrowing from my professors. My mother was a secretary on a small campus, so I was definitely privileged in terms of my professors knowing me/being willing to loan books.
—I swear the Target app normally times its offers for when I've already bought what would have qualified, but this past week I got lucky. First the Target app had an offer to receive a $15 gift card if one spent $50 on household items. We're now stocked up on laundry detergent, freezer ziplocs, and trash bags.
--The Target app also had a "Spend $60, get $10 off." I used this for our needed items that didn't qualify for the household offer: new underwear for my husband, shower curtain liners, cat food, etc. I received the $10 off and then used the previous $15 gift card to bring the total down to $38ish after tax.
--Habitat Restore has been *good* to me lately! This past trip, I snagged four 8" x 20" marbled glass tiles for $1.50 each. These will be perfect for making a heat-safe platform beneath our fake hearth/space heater, which was itself Habitat find. I'll affix the tiles to a custom piece of plexiglass, caulk them, then viola!
—-I used epoxy to glue a loose sole on a pair of sneakers.
—In the spirit of avoiding food waste, I used up my handful of dinky beets—not enough for salad, soup, etc.—to make hummus. I’d never made my own hummus before this, but it will definitely be a habit from now on!
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-smoky-beet-hummus-251924
I substituted peanut butter for tahini since we didn’t have the latter. It came out so delightful, I've been sneaking spoonfuls.
@N, I've never heard of beet hummus; I'll have to check that out. Thank you.
* Last week I bought a giant bag of food that my dog won't eat, at Costco. I thought I just lost 50$ but I've learned today that I can just return it, even if it's open?! I'm shy about doing it, but for 50$ I will try.
* Been sticking to my groceries budget for the last 2 months and using up the food in the pantry and freezers
* Taking extra shifts at work to pay for a surgery I'm having in September
* Returned an item from Temu that I bought mistakenly I thought I was getting 5 containers, not 1). They gave me back the money and told me to keep the container. Okay....! free container then.
* Getting "free" organic produce from my garden 🙂
@isa, even if Costco doesn't accept the return, I'm sure a local animal shelter would be glad to have the dog food.
@isa, Costco will definitely take back opened products. It's part of their business model so no need to feel awkward about it.
@isa, what is Temu?
@Central Calif. Artist, sorry, not Isa, but - I would say Temu is an asian version of Amazon. They have everything, but they list only pictures and brief "descriptions. Sometimes it seems too good to be true, and sometimes it really *is* too good to be true. They often confuse real 100% cotton with any jersey, and when you receive the item the label inside says polyester. Uh, refund, please. Ok, no need to return, What? I donated a lovely blouse. Their sizing runs small. Their costume jewelry is excellent. Little kitchen gadgets (Like a stainless finger guard for cutting - great!) are good, but most all their plastic items are IMHO cheaply made, with quality somewhat below $Tree. Shipping is not fast, but if they are late, they give you a $5 credit on your account. Okay, I guess I've given you far too much, lol.
@Kathleen in Kansas, thank you! You gave me the perfect amount of information and now I consider myself sufficiently warned.
We were on vacation last week so I tried to implement a few things to save a little
- We packed enough snacks for the four of us to cover flights to destination and back home so we didn't have to purchase anything at the airport
- We shopped at a grocery store a couple of blocks away from Airbnb for breakfast items
- We purchased items at the grocery store to have a picnic when we went hiking at Mount Rainier
- We purchased a CityPass that gave us entry into 5 tourist attractions we wanted to visit that saved about 40%
- We packed DH stuff with mine, so we only checked one bag
On the not frugal side: our deep freezer died while we were gone and we lost the 1/4 side of beef we bought last month.
@Beverly, Sorry to hear about the freezer meat. Such a bummer
@Beverly,
Reading about your beef makes me so sad for you!
@Beverly, arrrrgh and sympathies about losing the 1/4 beef. I'd be tearing my hair out if that had happened to mine.
@A. Marie, I definitely had to take a moment when I opened the freezer door and realized all the contents were ruined. I might have even shed a tear or two. 🙁
I would have cried too!
@Beverly, OMG, I feel for you. I once had a Sears Kenmore chest freezer and its motor stopped working. Even though the running light stayed on. It was in the utility room, so we didn't go in there every day and it was a while before we realized the freezer wasn't freezing. We had melted ice cream and blood from the raw meat on the bottom of that freezer and I will never forget the horrible rank smell. I bet you had some of that, too, and I'm so sorry that happened to you!
Vacationed for a week in surprisingly expensive and gluten-free-unfriendly Montreal:
1. Stayed in a beautiful Residence Inn by Marriott for free using points.
2. Cooked almost all of our meals in our suite's full kitchen (except for the free breakfast items that we could eat medically--see above GF-unfriendly city).
3. Shopped at a great thrift store! Eva B on Laurent Blvd (https://boutiqueevab.com/) where we spent 3 marvelous hours exploring/trying on/and buying excellent quality used clothing. Spent $132 for 21 items. And they have a great cafe there, too, so I had a delicious espresso for only...75 cents!!! Yes, truly! Even their food and drinks are discounted 🙂
4. I walked all over the city rather than drive, or even take the metro, although my daughter took the metro to get to her event. Fun exercise for me, excellent sight-seeing and people observing, and I really got to see so much more of the city that way.
5. Bought a handmade present in a really high-end store for 75% off. Box checked for new baby present, and happy to have found a pretty and unique item rather than the ubiquitous giftcard.
We had a fun week 🙂
@Beth, I think thrift shops in big cities would be a real treat!
@Central Calif. Artist, It was definitely the best thrift shop I've ever been in. Tons of choices (3 floors of them) and all very cool stuff for both guys and gals. And large, private fitting rooms 🙂 Definitely recommend as an excellent place to enjoy if anyone's going to Montreal! I included their website because they also sell online, but those items are the higher end ones; the store is full of $1-$25 items.
Wow, I want to go to that thrift store!
FFT, Fun at the Flea Market/In the Garden Edition:
(1) Our Regional Market runs a flea market on Sundays. I went there this past Sunday for a bit of R&R, and I found a lady selling a box of 1950s-1960s children's books (mostly from the Weekly Reader Children's Book Club). No problem with any of them except a bit of mustiness; the books were otherwise in impeccable condition (dust jackets, original WRCBC bookmarks, etc.). I bought three of my childhood favorites for $4 apiece: Champion Dog Prince Tom, Follow My Leader, and Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Anyone who remembers any of these titles is welcome to join me in my new Weekly Reader "Second Childhood" Book Club.
(2) I looked at, but did not buy, the usual blue glass canning jars and cast iron pans. I've already got far too many of both (and most of the cast iron urgently needed cleaning anyway).
(3) A few produce vendors also work the flea market, and I hadn't been to the Saturday Farmers' Market. So I picked up tomatoes, corn, still more pickling cukes (I'm STILL cranking out refrigerator dills), and okra. Yes, fellow Southerners, we're finally getting local okra here in Central NY. Please don't laugh.
(4) Here on the home grounds, I planted a crop of mixed fall lettuces in the old Easy Washer tub I use as a giant planter. (The washer, like so many other treasures, turned up in the basement of one of DH's rental properties years ago.) I then put a trashpicked fire pit cover over the tub to keep the @#$!! deer out of the lettuce.
(5) And the spring cilantro in my self-perpetuating cilantro bed has now all gone to seed--so I pulled it out and set it gently aside, weeded the bed thoroughly, and then shook as many seeds as possible over the bed. This should give me both a fall crop and a head start on next spring's. The @#$!! deer, fortunately, don't like cilantro.
@A. Marie,
Surprise, I don't remember Follow My Leader or Danny Dunn. No surprise, I adored the Prince Tom book as a child! I'd pay $4 for it, too.
@A. Marie, I remember Danny Dunn! Time Machine and House of Tomorrow.
Was this the thing where you got a booklet to bring home each week and would shop for paperbacks from that? My Mom let us each have about a dollar, so it involved a lot of careful addition to buy our selections. I just found my 1973 Webster's dictionary again, (new word of the year, it bragged on the back, "Skinny Dip". I felt a combination of grown-up and ashamed).
@A. Marie, What do you use to remove mustiness?
I try sunlight, or packing in a box with newspapers that absorb odors, or packing with small packages of unused coffee grounds.
@A. Marie, I bought something called "Deer Out" in a concentrate form. I mix it according to directions with water in a spray bottle, and the deer have not eaten my geraniums or pomegranates this year. I spray it every week. It is very minty smelling rather than being a bad chemical. (You can buy it premixed in a spray bottle, but you are mostly paying for water.)
@Heidi Louise, the book club I think you're remembering with the paperbacks was the Scholastic Book Club. The Weekly Reader club was similar but did hardcovers. But I'm delighted that there's another Danny Dunn fan out there (besides me and DH's former rental property co-owner, who used to read his DD books to his son long after DD went out of fashion).
And I'm still experimenting with mustiness remedies. I once tried putting books in a plastic bin with baking soda, without success. But I think that coffee grounds might work as well as anything.
@JD, who could ever resist Prince Tom? But Follow My Leader was an unusually gritty and serious book for that era: The central character is blinded by a post-4th-of-July firework accident (or maybe it isn't an accident; the firecracker is given a "bad toss" by the neighborhood no-goodnik kid). The book then details Jimmy's adaptation to this major trauma, including his learning to read Braille, acquiring first a white cane and then a guide dog he names Leader, and (importantly) doing a deep dig to forgive the no-goodnik kid. I know I was impressed at the time, and I'm looking forward to rereading it.
@A. Marie, I liked Danny Dunn too! And I was in charge of children's books for many years at a used book warehouse and when Danny Dunns came in - they always sold, so there are more fans out there..
@A. Marie, Oh, I remember "Follow My Leader" about the boy and his seeing eye dog, and several Danny Dunn books, including the homework machine one! Mrs. Boulter in sixth grade let us order from Scholastic (I think it was them instead of Weekly Reader), and Mom let me buy quite a few each time. Scholastic Books triggered my lifelong addiction of buying books -- very enjoyable, but not very frugal, I'm afraid.
@A. Marie,
Wow, I'll have to look for that one!
I remember being overjoyed at finding "David and the Phoenix" in a Goodwill as an adult. It was a juvenile fiction library sale book given to us that a sibling insisted was hers only (ahem) and wouldn't let me keep it, so I was utterly thrilled to locate one by sheer accident. I still have it.
@JD, oh, wow, I'm thrilled that you mentioned David and the Phoenix. That was DH's all-time favorite kid's book, and the only reason I didn't buy it from the lady at the flea market was that I already have DH's copy (juvenile scribblings in the margins included). Great minds run in the same direction, as always.
@A. Marie, When I worked at my local library, we kept a cooler dedicated to getting odors out of books. One patron was a heavy smoker. All the books that she returned were set inside the cooler, along with crumpled sheets of newspaper. It usually took 2 weeks for the smell to disappear.
@Ellie in AR, Yes, to the cooler. We use our chest freezer and sunlight.
1. This morning I scraped the burnt part off the bottoms of yesterday's scones so people could eat them today. (Didn't throw them out.)
2. I made coffee at home.
3. I did hang a few things out on the line to dry.
4. We continued to eat from the garden.
5. I want to figure out how to replicate my Opa's pickles. I have his recipe, so I gave it a try. But. With only a couple of quarts of pickles instead of all the pickles in case it flops (as most pickling projects around here do). If it works, then in the future I know what to do, but for now, we'll eat the cucumbers fresh or make refrigerator pickles.
1. I made all our meals at home. I used up food to avoid waste.
2. We brewed coffee at home.
3. We made some special treats at home.
4. I recaulked the bathroom myself, using some caulking from a bathroom that I recaulked earlier this summer.
5. We've used materials we have on hand for various craft projects.
1. I meal-planned, for the first time in a few weeks. We have so many vegetables that we bought in a fit of enthusiasm, and I'd hate to waste them. I'll report back on Friday 🙂
2. We don't have enough chairs in our apartment to host large meals, so we regularly borrow folding chairs from my parents. They go back and forth depending on who needs them!
3. There are a few major textbooks that I use. One of them, I just need for a year, and it's about $1300. No way! I borrow it from my university's online library and read a chapter a week.
4. We bought a tricycle on FB Marketplace for my 2 y/0, the kind with a push-handle for the parent. It takes up a lot of room, but for the price we paid, we can use it for a season and sell it on or give it away.
5. I can't take credit for it, but my toddler no longer likes wearing sleepers. Sleepers are super cute, but they're expensive and hard to find second-hand. What's easy to find second-hand? Stretchy knit pants and t-shirts for pyjamas. Also a good use of her clothes that are stained.
@Meira@meirathebear, $1300 for a textbook is shocking!! How can the booksellers justify that??? Good for you for finding a way around that robbery.
1. In keeping with Kristen's first frugal thing, it's curricula season here for our homeschooling family. I only have two homeschoolers, now, and one is taking two college classes, so...a lot less than I usually order. The college classes for our high schooler are paid for by the College Credit Plus program, which is open to all high schoolers, homeschooled or not, in our state. So yay for free college classes!
2. I found and was able to use a great coupon code for my youngest's history curricula, bringing the cost from $170 to $100. Woot!
3. I was going to order a chemistry curricula through the same program I used for Earth Science last year, but then noticed they have switched to wanting to use PayPal. I do not use or trust PayPal (or Etsy) having had my card number stolen through both those systems. I hunted around and found a FREE Chemistry curriculum through the American Chemical Society: https://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/ and will be using that. I just saved myself $60 and a potential headache!
4. Unearthed writing curricula for my high schooler to use from my stash.
5. Got a deal through DoorStepInk to stock up on printer ink (this company recycles ink cartridges in the USA! So I should be set for printer ink for the school year.
@Karen A., I used to buy recycled ink cartridges against the instructions with my Epson printer. It warned against not using anything but Epson; I thought it was just a ruse to keep selling their overpriced ink. Turns out that I wrecked the printer. Sigh. I hope that doesn't happen to you. It all feels so scammy. . . sigh.
@Central Calif. Artist, We have an HP printer, and have been using DoorStepInk's recycled HP cartridges now for several years. So far so good!
@Karen A., If ever you have no option but to buy something using PayPal as the payment method, purchasing a pre-paid Visa or MC is one option. Unfortunately, they have activation fees (at least in Canada, they do) but you don't have to worry about giving out your actual credit card number.
@Tammy, Thanks for the tip! 🙂
-Had a flight yesterday where I pre-paid almost 75 dollars for meals we never received. Have sent in a complaint and hopefully the reimburse me ++.
-Am changing jobs which affects my tax status. Changed the amounts I will be pre-paying on taxes so that I am not loaning my money to the govt at no interest. Unfortunately my income will be going down a bit but the job has other upsides (stability, benefits).
-Sent husband to do grocery shopping. He buys cheaper products than I do. When I am craving strawberries or something this can be annoying but it does save money.
-Paid my credit card bill in full today, they aren't going to make any interest off of me.
@SK, doesn't it just frost your shorts that the govt. gets to use our money free of interest and then we have to ASK for it back?? On the other hand, if they decide we haven't paid enough on their time schedule, they can charge us interest! Something smells here, and it's not tuna.
@Central Calif. Artist, indeed! I actually am in Norway and I assume you are in CA but the govt tricks are the same everywhere aren't they...
@SK,
-Good luck getting the meal refund; congrats on pursuing it!
-Have to laugh about your husband grocery shopping because the rule in our house is that mine isn't allowed to darken the doors of the grocery store because he gets whatever he wants rather than price comparing. I usually revamp the week's menu on the fly. Any cravings/requests are added to the ever-growing list on the fridge door. Not on the list? Not happening unless they happen to text me while I'm still in the store.
@Central Calif. Artist,
Amen! You said it!
I’ve been adamant about saving for un-fun surprises. Unfortunately, August has already been full of them!
- We needed to replace our old basement sump pump and I’ve had a backup pump on my “to do” list for years. We have a high water table where I live and need something that works when it’s raining and the power goes out. I had it all done at once and we paid outright, so no extra fees.
- Our patio had a huge crack down the middle and had been significantly heaving over the years. The previous owner did a very poor job trying to fix it. Instead of having the whole patio jackhammered out and re-poured, I spent a fraction of the price having a company come out and level it. They instructed me on how to seal up the crack, so I did that portion of the fix myself for almost nothing.
- My back door, which is used many times a day for the dog, has been giving me trouble for years. The lock has been replaced, the latch constantly sticks, the door won’t close in ice/snow without a chisel every time the door is opened, etc. This spring it stopped latching/locking completely, so I decided to replace it. By not choosing a standard loan option, we are saving both with both their pay in full discount and not having to pay interest.
I hope we are done with these sorts of things for awhile!
@JenRR, I have two really crappy things wrong with my house at the moment too. (A plumbing issue and a faulty gutter issue). I fully sympathize. I think it is good to pay these things up front in full if possible (also it makes forgetting about the painful expense easier).
I agree with the credit card philosophy. They are only a short term money tool. Hubby used to say "you can't spend what you don't have", but we used credit cards to rack up points and cash back and its better than carrying around cash, which is not protected. Plus, credit cards used wisely help your credit score, which is something cash does not. Frugal for me lately:
I have stopped eating out altogether. Buy only the essential groceries that focus on healthy eating. And I've been keeping the thermostat at 77, which is plenty cool since it kicks on and blows air often on these 100 degree plus days we are having.
Hooray for using up those tortillas - that's something we always have in the kitchen here. I like them better than bread.
Great savings on the textbooks!
1. I harvested two pumpkins from our garden along with a pile of field peas that I will shell and freeze. Both of my gardens are done for the summer but I will be working on clearing them and planting fall veggies to enjoy. I also have at least one if not multiple batches of basil that I will pull to make pesto for the freezer.
2. I am still working to eat down our freezer. To that end I made meals to use up a pork sirloin roast, 1 whole chicken, 1 Boston butt, 4 lbs ground turkey and 2 lbs ground beef over the last couple of weeks. I also pulled all of my frozen strawberries from last year's farm visit, and made 15 pints of homemade strawberry jam.
3. We asked the company that replaced our roof to leave the pallets that the shingles were delivered on and they agreed. They would have been thrown in the trash so hooray for saving something from the landfill! My husband will use the wood to build some reinforced gates for our gardens as my youngest Boxer pup is something of a magician and can open gates and bound through rows of veggies like she is kin to a kangaroo!
4. I took advantage of a coupon deal from Target to score some laundry products that I use regularly. I bought the largest jug of Tide, Downy, Downy scented beads, bleach, a bleach cleaning spray, & dryer sheets for just $44 out of pocket. Since the items purchased were well over $100, I consider that a frugal win. I am a big fan of waiting for laundry stuff to go on sale or have coupons to reduce the cost and I buy in bulk whenever I can in this area.
5. I have finally begun using CVS coupons - I know I am late to this trend but CVS tends to be so expensive that I rarely shop there. I set up my online account and used rewards, coupons and a sale to get the moisturizer and face wash that I use for free...a savings of $40.
Enjoy the week ahead everyone!
@Angie, good score on the pallets in your #3. As you've noted, pallets have a LOT of potential uses (garden gates, compost bin walls, etc., etc.). Back in my DH's "urban logging" days, he'd find pallets on the curb and cut them up for firewood. The oak ones were best, of course, but they're getting scarce these days.
@Angie, where do you live that you are already harvesting pumpkins and that your garden is finished for the summer???
Holy textbooks! We have a high school senior & junior, so you are making me a little nervous about textbook costs. Well done on finding an option to make a little more worth your while. Sometimes, that's all you can do.
It's an expensive season for us (back to school), with senior pictures, ASB cards, new sneakers, club soccer and the like.
1) My 16 y.o. is very into all of the sports. When he came home from a visit with my parents, and wanted to pick up golfing, I encouraged him to buy a set of clubs at Goodwill. Renting clubs is $10 per time. He's already saved money with the Goodwill clubs. He also signed up for a youth course discount, which means he pays only $5/course, for many local courses.
2) I made lots of protein smoothies for the teens over the past few days, as it's been hot. Smoothies also use up: protein powder (picked up for free on BN), berries (trying to get them out of the freezer) & almond milk. I've recently discovered that my stomach isn't a fan of almond milk (newly discovered sensitivity to almonds, which is a heart breaker, because I love them), & I mix that into the smoothies as well. I wanted to avoid having to dump the almond milk, so it's been great to use it up.
3) 16 y.o. is obsessed with cucumbers. I normally pick up three packages of the TJs minis and he goes through them pretty quickly. I'd prefer to buy them at the produce stand, but they go badly even more quickly than we can get through them. TJs had two lb bags this week, and I picked up a couple. This is significantly less than the smaller packages, and a lot more cucumber. Purchased on Saturday, and there are only two cucumber left. I'm not sure how his digestive system handles all of those cucumber, but he's a fan!
4) Had to go to the office yesterday (I WFH M/F typically) & made the most of it by charging my electric car for free, and eating free lunch.
5) Helped my parents rebook a trip to Hawaii (switched to Oahu) & sorted out seats, mileage plans, etc.
Bonus: my husband ordered a garage door opener for our 80+ year old neighbor, and then installed it for her. It took him maybe 8 hours, between troubleshooting her 20+ year old garage door, cleaning her garage enough to work in it, cutting a hole in the ceiling to install, repatching & then getting it all set up. She bought us a gift card as a thank you, which was sweet but unnecessary. She's so lovely, and it's nice to help out.
@Hawaii Planner, Never discount the value of thrift store golf clubs. One of my friends (who could out-frugal all of us combined, she is so good at it) loves to golf, and also loves to shop secondhand. She habitually goes to the used golf club sections of thrift stores. Once she found an old wooden golf club, which she got for $3 at a San Antonio Goodwill, I think it was. Turns out it was a rare 19th Century golf club that she could sell for a whole lot of money! I believe it now hangs on the wall of her den as a unique decoration.
1. We had family visiting for a few days. We ate out but found some fun and free activities:
* We visited the US Air Force Museum
*We took the dog with us on a hike at a new metro park and found they had free kayak rentals on a quarry lake. We spent 20 minutes paddling around and singing sea shanties.
2. I replaced two pairs of very worn out athletic shoes (that will be downgraded to paint/messy DIY project shoes) by buying 2 pairs of name brand shoes during DSW's Back to School Sale on my state’s Tax Free Weekend for $50. One of the few small victories of needing to buy kid size shoes.
3. Shopped the house and repurposed a few worn but usable/doubles for our camping box.
4. Ate leftovers for dinner and a few lunches.
5. Did a bit of frugal gardening:
*Covered the tomato plants with last season's bug netting to keep neighbor cat and possibly deer from chowing down on our tomatoes and hopefully pumpkins.
* Watered the smaller garden pots with rain water from the rain barrel. The large containers would take forever to fill with a watering can since it takes a good while to fill them with a garden hose.
*The self watering flower pots and planters I made over are paying for themselves in saving water and having to water a little less frequently due to evaporation.
* Dehydrated garden peppermint, lemon balm, and lavender for in tea. I brew the herbs together or separately on a whim.
*My husband made a fantastic meal with garden tomatoes, basil, and eggplant.
@Lazy Budget Chef, Hurray for the Air Force Museum! Free and big enough to take all day. I can't count the number of times we've visited there since moving to the area 20 years ago.
Ouch on the books, but at least you found a way to get some of that back.
Re: A. Marie's mention of childhood books, I just remembered that several of my favorite childhood books came via the library book sales in the cities where some of my extended family lived. Even in the early 60's, I had aunts and uncles who would shop the library sales for good books selling for pennies and bring them us. Frugality runs in the family, it seems.
Nothing this past week was exciting or a big win, but:
1. I bought sale cherries and wanted to put some of them up, but I don't have a pitter. Instead of buying a pitter, I used one of my stainless steel straws and pushed the pit out, leaving the cherry intact. I discovered this trick when pitting olives we've grown. Push on the stem end, then the other end, and the pit pops out.
2. I'm working on a thrifted puzzle.
3. I hemmed some thrifted denim shorts that were probably a normal length on someone taller than 5'2". I tried that hack of using the original hem. It worked, but it's not quite as simple as some videos show it to be. One does have to measure and adjust. It also works best with a zipper foot, which I have and used, but I didn't see that mentioned in most of the videos I watched.
4. Excess cucumbers keep finding their way into pickles at my house if I don't give them away first. I eat plenty of them fresh, as well. This variety of cucumber is definitely a keeper.
5. I continue to harvest summer squash and okra. A. Marie, I'm glad you are getting some in your area now! As an FYI, my pest control woman came Friday to treat around my house (they use pet-safe controls) and said covering my squash and cucumbers at night, as I've been doing this year, is a good thing to do. She said squash bugs will come to the plants mostly at night.
@JD, You can also pit cherries with a partially unbent paper clip. Seems weird, but it works. There are videos on YouTube.
Good work on the school books!
For those who also read The Non-Consumer Advocate blog, there's nothing to see here...
1. Repurposed lip balm that I didn’t care for and am using it as a cuticle cream.
2. Received an area rug, Patagonia jacket, pajamas, iron, food and oodles of travel-sized lotions and potions from a friend whose house I’m helping to declutter. I decanted all of the little lotion, shampoo and conditioner bottles into pump bottles that I had saved. These should last for a very long time.
3. Met friends for coffee and, since I don’t drink coffee, I filled my reusable travel mug with water before leaving home.
4. Received a delicious zucchini tomato tart from a friend who is an amazing cook and baker.
5. Received a coupon in the mail for a free rotisserie chicken from a local grocery store. Since we’re vegetarians, we gave it to our niece.
@MB in MN, I use lip balm to stop the bleeding on small cuts (like shaving.) Never thought to use as cuticle cream, thanks for the tip.
@Bobi, I never thought to use lip balm on small cuts, so thanks for your tip!
1. I used over-ripe bananas to make banana bread for my kid's breakfast this week. I used a few carrots, a few potatoes, beans from my garden, herbs from my garden, and a package of tofu from my refrigerator to make an awesome vegetable/tofu bake for my lunches this week. I dehydrated some cherry tomatoes from my garden. I foraged cornelian cherries and made a large jar of jelly from them.
2. I picked up shirts off Buy Nothing for my son that will fit him next year. I picked up a dress off Buy Nothing that I will wear for a date night with my husband. I also picked up ballet leotards off Buy Nothing that will fit my daughter next year.
3. Panera Bread was offering 20% off gift cards, so I bought 1 for a co-worker for her upcoming birthday and also bought another for my family since we do eat there every couple of month (we love their salads!).
4. Someone gave me a gift card to Cheesecake Factory for my birthday. I signed up for their rewards program to get a free piece of cheesecake there when I use my gift card.
5. We took the kids to get a couple of "new" outfits for school at Once Upon a Child. The outfits, winter boots for both kids, and a pair of school sneakers for my daughter cost about $60. I spend very little on their clothing and shoes for the year by using Buy Nothing or receiving clothes handed down.
@Corrine, your #1: "I used over-ripe bananas to make banana bread for my kid’s breakfast this week. I used a few carrots, a few potatoes, beans from my garden, herbs from my garden, and a package of tofu from my refrigerator ...." OMG I was imagining you were putting at that into the banana bread, and thinking that your creativity knows no bounds (although it didn't sound awesome). Reading on, I realized that I had been mistaken, however I did enjoy my laugh at myself (after I started out laughing at YOU!.. oops)
Imagine beans in banana bread! lol
1. I made a huge pot of sauce with all of my garden tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley. Hubby made 2 dozen meatballs to go with it. We ate some for dinner and I froze 8 containers for future meals. I fried up an eggplant from the garden to go with it.
2. I made zucchini muffins and banana muffins to make sure food isn't going to waste. Basil , parsley and swiss chard are being dehydrated weekly for winter use. All scraps are going into my compost bin.
3. I washed all of the couch cushion covers. It was my sister's couch many years ago. With the dogs it is good to wash every few months. I also vacuumed the couch really well. It came out great.
4. I planted more lettuce seeds. Our second batch of lettuce is ready to start picking. We had a week of no lettuce so I used beet leaves for sandwiches. These new seeds should be ready to eat next month.
5. Went with a friend to my favorite thrift store. She had never been to this one before. I got a brand new winter coat for $10. She got a bunch of craft supplies. We also stopped at a free little library to drop off some books. We each took a book home with us. We swapped some veggies while we were at it.
These posts are some of my favorite. They always help me to keep going!
*Last week while camping, I forgot BBQ sauce for one of the dishes I was making. My hubby wanted to run into the nearest town, but I told him I could find a work around. It turns out you can create a decent BBQ sauce if you have ketchup, mustard and maple syrup!
*Staying out of thrift stores. This is huge for me since I loooovvveee thrifting.
*We are replacing our shower ourselves. The materials are still rather expensive, but not having to pay for labor is saving a lot. We have also purchased tile on closeout and used a store card that gives us no interest for six months. (it will be fully paid before the promotional period is up!)
*Bought an air mattress to use when visiting our youngest at college. It is insane what hotels and air bnbs charge!
*As always, making our coffee and food at home.
Everyone have a great week! 🙂
Getting all returns done.
Bought a cute dress for a wedding at a thrift shop for 6.99. IT EVRN HAS POCKETS
Eating at home!
Using up garden odds and ends given to us by friends.
Scheduled free to me mammogram and teeth cleaning.
I brewed decaf coffee at home. (I really wanted a latte for a treat but we settled for coffee at home.)
I worked my side job for some extra income.
We worked out in our home gym.
I listened to a free audio book and read a book from the library.
We ate leftovers.
I used egg boiling water to water plants.
@Kristen
Good job on finding ways to save on text books. Science-related books are expensive and even back in the day you were often unable to get deals because professors were likely to assign the most up-to-date version.
(They were also huge and very heavy so maybe the digital version is an improvement.)
Often I get confused between frugal activities and decluttering activities; this week I decided that my decluttering provides frugality for someone else, so here is the list:
1. Sent a book to friend who needs it more than I do
2. Sent some unused vitamins to sister who needs them more than I do
3. Got free food at the monthly giveaway in town (it is for anyone, simply to prevent food waste in the county)
4. Got 7 books at the library; it used to be called the "County Free Library", which I didn't understand until I learned that some people have to PAY MONEY for a library card!! I thought that was outrageous, until my thinking switched to understand the privilege of our free library.
5. Almost bought a dress on sale at Coldwater Creek (which I still want and do NOT need) but I closed the page without completing the sale (it even had an extra 30% off the sale price. . . wahhhh)
@Central Calif. Artist, P.S.
My plumber (not frugal) gave me tomatoes from his garden!
@Central Calif. Artist, re: frugality vs. decluttering, I consider this "a distinction without a difference" (to borrow a phrase I heard from dear Dick Cavett back in the day). Decluttering is almost always frugal.
@A. Marie, thank you for that explanation and validation.
*purchased insulation for the garage using rebates earned last year when buying lumber for said garage.
*husband and sons insulating garage themselves- my husband is an avid DIY guy.
*husband's office chair broke, and I thought to check sams club for options. A really nice chair that can handle bigger weight was the same price there as a regular one at the local stores. And with our sams club membership, shipping is free. I think the membership paid for itself with that one purchase.
* daughter going off to college decided just to used her usual sheets and blankets, and we had an extra set of nice towels that she took as well. No new linens purchased!
* with college girl gone, my grocery bill will drop. And youngest daughter eats breakfast and lunch free at school, so that will help trim the bills a little more.
I also found coffee on sale and stocked up for my husband.
I trimmed up a brisket I found on a great sale and rendered down all the fat and ended up with a jar full of tallow. It's a little more strong than other tallow, but will be great to roast potatoes or whatever.
My husband and I trimmed our trees ourselves and hauled it away rather than hiring someone which is what I wanted to do in this heat haha
Bought a nordic ware rose bundt pan for $2 at a yard sale and made a strawberry homemade cake in it for my husband's birthday.
AND, I buried the lead...I sent a wire transfer yesterday to pay off our mortgage. That will be super frugal for years to come. Yay!
@Marlena, Yes, Hooray for the mortgage pay-off!
@Marlena, congrats on the mortgage! That is awesome!
@Marlena,
Congratulations on your mortgage pay-off! We paid ours off a few years ago... such a great feeling. Congrats again!
Thanks all! It feels good! It has been a goal that we've worked towards for a long time!
@Marlena, huzzahs on the mortgage payoff! That's a huge win, always.
@A. Marie, thank you!
@Marlena, WHOOT on the mortgage paid off. I managed that about 3 years ago and boy howdy does it feel awesome to not have that monthly fee. Now, of course, I am using that to help my kids get IN to the housing market which is insane where I live ... couldn't have done it without getting the one paid off!
@Marlena, As someone who has lived in 3 different paid-for houses, I can tell you that you're going to get really spoiled really fast not having a house payment! Terrific accomplishment! Congratulations! (BTW, not to rain on your parade, but be sure and put some of that payment amount aside in an interest-bearing account -- you'll now have to pay your insurance and property taxes yourself.)
1. My dad found a Schwinn Stingray bike that looks exactly like the one he rode when he was a boy in the 60s/70s and purchased it for my son to ride. My 12-year-old has been proudly riding the bike to practice and to meet up with his friends all summer. The back tire has finally given out and was beyond repair so we took it to the local bike shop for a replacement. The bike shop guys were in a tizzy over the bike and were excited to share their stories over their bikes growing up.
2. My husband wanted to make Philly Cheesesteaks on the Blackstone since we’ve received some lovely onions and green peppers in our CSA box. We had two gift cards to our local meat store so I stopped in to get perfectly, thinly sliced meat and just right rolls.
3. My parents always have the best of luck with their tomato plants so I brought home a couple pounds to freeze after a recent visit.
4. I always plan a Leftover Night/Pantry Raid on Thursday nights to make sure the fridge is cleaned out before picking up the CSA and menu planning for the next week. This week I was able to extend that into a second Pantry Raid night on Friday night and still make an amazing vegetarian Mexican dinner.
5. A friend of mine is having a baby shower at the end of the month and I finally decided to raid my yarn stash and start a baby blanket on Sunday afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised that the colors I had left go so well together. Sunday was such a rainy, dreary day, that curling up on the couch, watching TV, and crocheting was absolutely perfect.
@Geneva, That's great about the bike. When my son needed a bigger bike, I tried to get him to want an Orange Krate or a Stingray. He said, "Mom, I don't want a cheesy 70s bike." NOT EVEN WITH BANANA SEAT???
@Rose, my son LOVES the banana seat. He's been using my bike while the the tire is getting fixed and has been complaining about how uncomfortable my seat is compared to the banana seat!
@Geneva, ha! I hope it has a sissy bar!
@Geneva, I find it almost embarrassingly exciting to figure out knitting projects combining leftover yarns!
@Rose, being number 5 of 6 kids, I got hand me down bikes that were painted so who knows what they were! I was so excited when my dad bought me a brand new banana seat for my Bike!
Thanks for the memory:)
Yikes, that is a hefty cost for your books. Thankfully, they are used over all four semesters. You're going to be THE best nurse.
Let's see if I can find 5.
1) I've gotten on the air fryer train (purchased on sale) and my, oh, my, how I love this thing. It has been far too hot to use the oven and while I have a George Foreman grill, the air fryer has come in so handy and has prevented me from getting takeout when short on time. It's also super easy to clean.
2) I've sold a few more things on kijiji and another item is to be picked up tonight. Unwanted / no longer needed items out of my house and some money back in my pocket is always great. Though not a recent revelation, the process of decluttering and selling or donating items has shown me just how much money I lose when I make impulse purchases.
3) I've taken a few boxes of items in for consignment and the contract runs for, I think, six weeks so we'll see what has sold then.
4) I've been trying to use gift cards to purchase things that I need (home reno items from Lowes, etc.) as I tend to hold onto gift cards and don't really know why. Partly, it is because I forget that I have them.
FUN FACT: I had a Bed Bath and Beyond gift card in my purse for years and BB&B recently went out of business in Canada (not sure about in the US) so I made sure to go in during their liquidation sale to use up my GC. There really wasn't much I needed, and everything was very picked over, but I do love to soak in a hot bath so picked up a few bottles of Dr. Teals Epsom salt bubble bath. Four bottles should have used up the balance on my GC but when I paid, the cashier told me that a balance remained on my GC so I picked up a few more bottles. What seems to have happened is that their system was reading my GC as being in USD so was worth approximately 30% more than I had expected.
5) I continue to strategically shop and stack offers where I can to earn points (PCO points are lucrative in Canada) on items I needed to purchase anyway, including gas.
@Tammy, what is kijiji?
@Central Calif. Artist, not @Tammy but Canadian just the same - Kijiji is like Craig's list and Used.ca - online message boards that are not particularly elegant but ARE popular. You can have images of your items, can search for the items, and aren't using Marketplace and Facebook, a win in my books. Depending on where you live in Canada, one or the other or the other are more popular - here on Vancouver Island it seems that Used.ca is more frequented than the other two, my sister on the East Coast (New Brunswick) uses Kijiji exclusively (she has discovered the joys of decluttering via selling online and she and her husband are having fun keeping track of the thousands they have 'earned' as they downsize for the future...)
@Tammy, What are PCO points? Just curious.
Kristen, good for you for finding a way to save a little on the eye-watering cost of textbooks.
My frugal five:
1. I have lost 60 pounds and my winter coat is ridiculously too big. Bought an amazing coat on Poshmark for $28 from a seller I've bought from before who takes immaculate care of her clothes.
2. Had also worn out my winter slippers and bought a wool L.L. Bean pair on last chance clearance from Zappos for $25 with free shipping. These usually sell for $70.
3. Having lost so much weight has made my feet a half size smaller. I went through all the shoes that had become too loose, and thus likely to cause me to trip, and donated them to Goodwill.
4. Cleaned out another bookshelf and donated the excess books to Goodwill. Did not go shopping there when I dropped stuff off.
5. Got the new Covid shot for free with insurance. Walgreens had a really good shot coupon this time. I fulfilled it by buying a $1 bag of their store brand white cheddar popcorn and got $5 in Walgreens cash rewards. My dogs love the popcorn, so we shared it.
Bonus: Processed a quart each of sale sweet peppers and cherries for the freezer. Made a week's worth of strawberry-blueberry baked oatmeal breakfasts with sale berries and eggs. Bought a little ham for supper with a store coupon. Baked a loaf of homemade bread.
@Ruby, you rock on the weight loss! Congratulations!! (And if I'd been around for that white cheddar popcorn, you wouldn't have had any to give to the dogs.)
@A. Marie, You took the words/popcorn right out of my mouth. And I have a dog who would have fought me for it. Well, not fought ... Just begged with beseeching big brown eyes.
@A. Marie, the popcorn is a treat that fits in my calorie budget pretty well. I've been doing so much yardwork in hot weather that the salt is necessary. My dogs are just wild for crunchy, cheesy things. The younger dog, whose lineage is 100% German (she is half dachshund and half spitz), refuses to eat unless I sprinkle cheese on her kibble!
1. My daughter needs glasses and our insurance doesn't cover all that much so off to Zenni we went to get her some glasses. It's so much cheaper that way!
2. Did grocery shopping yesterday and only bought sale items and prepared for meals etc. Sure it was still like $100 total for not a ton of food but these are the times we live in.
3. Did some small repairs around the house.
4. Went to some garage sales and got a lot of books. Books, particularly kids' books, have so little resale value it doesn't make sense to buy them new most of the time.
5. Still haven't bought the $500 ice maker. 😉
@Battra92, you showed remarkable restraint on that #5—congratulations on holding out another week!
@Battra92, I am not an ice-in-my-drinks kind of gal. Then the ice maker in our freezer broke, and I found out over the course of most of this summer that I still use ice a lot. But we've got that situation fixed now, and today I needed ice in my water at lunch because it was so hot outside working in the garden.
I well remember the crazy cost of books I had to factor in every semester of college, but I've gotta say, mine never touched that amount! I think the highest mine ever got was $800, and then after that I was pretty aggressive about buying used wherever it was possible (which I know that it isn't a lot of the time because of the convenient "updates" that the companies are constantly putting out).
This last week was hard for us. My husband unexpectedly lost his job of ten years, so we're scrambling to navigate a process that's totally unfamiliar to us, since we've been so fortunate that we've never had to deal with being unemployed before. On the bright side, I definitely racked up a LOT of frugal wins thanks to the whole "necessity is the mother of invention" concept 🙂
Here are mine:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/08/15/weekly-frugal-wins-dealing-with-unexpected-loss/
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn, good luck to you and your husband as you work through the job loss. It ain't easy in this day and age.
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn, It stinks. I was laid off (really I said s---canned) in 2019 and just a couple weeks ago. Both times when I went into the meeting the first thing they said was, "It's not about the quality of your work. Your work is great. Buuuuut...." Sigh. I'd never lost a job before 2019. In 2019 my former employer cut staff to the bone and since I made more than anyone else, I was an easy cut. Now, they're shutting down the place entirely. Waiting for my Separation Letter today; aka Welcome to Unemploymentsville, Population You. After I sign that I'll get my crummy, inadequate severance.
But it might be a good thing in the end. My job completely wore me out. I don't know if I could do a good job with the writing workshop while still working there, so we shall see. Coasting on savings for now and going back to freelancing.
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn, Sorry to hear about your husband's job; unexpected job loss feels like a real gut punch..
@A. Marie, Thank you for your words of support. We have been lucky up to this point that we've never had to deal with being let go, but it's one heck of a ride! Zero out of ten, do not recommend, ha ha...
@Rose, I'm so sorry to hear that. It's a crummy thing to go through, and I'm sorry you're in the same boat. We're hoping it's a better thing for us in the end, too -- we've been having some issues and strong differences of opinion with my husband's employment for many years now.
@Suz, Yep, you said it! Having never been through anything like this before, I've been...surprised, I guess you could say, at the level of intense emotion involved. We'll get through it in the end, though! Thank you for your sweet comment of support <3
Oh, I am so sorry to hear this! Sending you lots of love.
@Kristen and everyone,
A lot of times, it's not you, but your age. Don't tell me that age discrimination does not exist. It does! And most employers are clever enough to know how to skirt around the law so they aren't penalized for letting go of older workers. They usually come up with some excuse to penalize you and then say you're being fired for that "wrongdoing". It's like my friend Ray said when he got cut: "My company did the math and found they can get two 23-year-olds for the cost of one 46-year-old." Absolutely sick!
@Fru-gal Lisa, at my last job, the tactic was to make the older workers do heavy physical tasks, like climbing 84 flights of stairs every day. It cleared almost all of the senior-age staff out in less than a year.
@Kristen, Thank you so much! Thankfully we already have some promising leads and a very promising interview under our belt, so fingers crossed this unemployment period is short.
Zero frugal things here!
*Paid $3800 for the writing workshop
*Paid a glassblower to make an art glass shade for a beloved antique lamp. I was so excited to finally find someone willing to make an unusual size. I've always disliked the silk shade the lamp has and never thought it was original.
*My custom rug finally arrived from the Far East. Had to pay for the other half (mumble mumble on price).
*Daughter and I have felt like we've been hit by trains this week; waiting on Covid tests to arrive. So mostly takeout for Son.
*The big one, which I'm nervous about: people are arriving next week to see what to do about my usually wet-in-the-summer basement. My neighbor used these contractors and the solution cost $17K. My son says, "Let's just write off the basement and keep the money."
@Rose, ack! Fingers crossed that they have a better (and more frugal) solution for your basement!
@Marlena, They mailed me a huge packet of information about their work to read before the guys get here. It all looked like too much effort, so I handed it to my son and asked him to summarize it in three bullet points.
They were:
*You
*Are
*Hosed
Today was really frustrating. (See #1.)
1. The bill for my car payment never arrived and I knew the payment was due TODAY. I have never been late in my life on a car payment! So I got on the phone and called Kia. That was shortly after 7 a.m. my time. Their automated phone system (pardon my French) sucks. I had to go to the bank for a routing #. (Oh, and did I mention I recently had cataract surgery and it is still very, very difficult for me to see up close, esp. small print? Which is why I couldn't read the routing # in the first place.) Called back and the robot system cut me off before I could tell them my bank acct. #, slow-talkin' Texan that I am. Every time I called it took almost forever to get through the phone tree (press 1 for this, press 2 for that, etc.) and to listen to their recorded disclaimers. I called several times, more than a dozen attempts, and finally got a person. An overseas person. Couldn't understand a word they said, and believe me, I was trying hard to comprehend their accent. Tried again. Same thing. Tried the dealership, the young woman tried to tell me Kia doesn't finance and did I use this bank or that bank or that lowlife finance co.? She works there and doesn't know what she's talking about! Tried to get their GM, got put on hold. Tried again, same thing. Tried the website and what I thought my acct # was didn't line up with their records, so couldn't make a payment that way. Need a VIN number to set up a new account. Have you guys ever seen the tiny, tiny print on a Texas car registration? I couldn't read the VIN number or anything else on it, despite using my new reading glasses + a magnifying glass. Got the idea to call my ins. agent, and she very sweetly read me my VIN # over the phone so I could write it down, even though it wasn't her job. Finally called Kia again, twice, and on the second attempt I got some guy who took my payment. I told him, and I meant it, that if they do this again to me, I'm taking the car back to the dealership, and will go elsewhere and buy a Chevy. But my frugal win, if you can call it that, was that I will not be dinged for a late payment, no thanks to Kia America or their ACI Payments Inc. or Artificial Intelligence robot call system. ("Artificial Intelligence," IMO, is the ultimate oxymoron!)
2. Needed to print a business letter, and my computer printer ran dry over a year ago. So rather than paying oodles of money for new ink, I went to the trusty public library. Used their computer to compose the letter and printed it out for 20 cents per page. (My other complaint: why do computer printers require you to get ink in every color of the rainbow -- a separate cartridge for each -- when you're only needing to print in black and white?)
3. Instead of buying window film for a west-facing bedroom window, I rigged up my own sun blocker. Used an old window shade, Alien Tape, and some packaging that the Wayfair fireplace had been shipped in. Lucky me, it fit the window just right! My bedroom is no longer a solar-powered oven.
4. Took advantage of Tax Free weekend and stocked up on underwear and socks. Also got a pair of shoes tax free. Took inventory before I shopped and found that I already have ample amounts of office/school supplies and work outfits.
5. Signed up for substitute teacher dates, and already have booked myself about a month's worth of work starting Friday. This is done by computer, and you can book dates in advance. Already have one day booked for December, even! I'm checking the website several times a day; it's really paying off!
@Fru-gal Lisa, Do you actually wanna know re the printer?
Most printers contain a permanent print head that needs to be charged with all colors to work. Every time the inkjet gets ready to print, it will prime and clean the print heads. This makes sure they aren't clogged and ink will flow as needed. It will do this on all colors, even if you only print black. A small amount of color ink keeps the print head charged.
@Fru-gal Lisa, your #1 is making me twitch. That's enough to make a preacher cuss. So thankful for my '96 Accord and to never deal with those goobers (Although I've been around and around with AT&T's phone "service" too many times to remember.)
@Rose, thank you! I've been wondering about that for years.
@Rose, Thank you for that information.
Next time I'm going to look for a black and white printer.
I rarely need color, and it gets expensive.
@Central Calif. Artist, Yes. Believe me, I was cussing! And even worse, I had a perfectly good 15 y.o. Chevy Cobalt, no problems whatsoever and of course no payments anymore. Then I got in a wreck and totaled it. So I HAD to get another car. Had I not been in the wreck, I would've kept the Cobalt for many more years to come -- until it started falling apart. I'm just sick about the accident. Even worse, the Cobalt had a CD player -- the new cars don't. Although I am getting incredible gas mileage with the Kia.
1. We purchased a zoo membership to enjoy with our 2 year old grandson, who we take care of Monday through Friday. The plan was to use it once a month and so far, we have scheduled a visit each month. And I'm pretty pleased with this purchase - our grandson is loving it.
2. I cook dinner once per week for our son and grandson. One of my favorite meals to make is baked ziti. Though I had a glut of pasta in my pantry, I haven't been making it as it calls for ricotta cheese - and the price on that has been sky high lately. I found it marked down at my Kroger - from $6.99 to $1.32. Purchase made. And tonight's menu is baked ziti!
3. I continue to use the resources that my library provides - my husband does all our printing there, I take advantage of interlibrary loans (current book: The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan) and we take our grandson to Storytime.
4. We packed our own snacks and drinks for the zoo trip today. It was tempting to stop to eat lunch out on the way home but we didn't.
5. I've taken the photos to start listing on ebay again. (It's been awhile) I'm tired of looking at the pile of things in my bedroom so that's spurring me on to get going.
1. While cooped up in a hotel watching Baby E while DH participates in his conference, I’ve been enjoying fresh tomatoes sent with us by DH’s family. We also have a fridge in the room which has allowed us to keep some food on hand and avoid buying every meal.
2. We asked for more coffee pods at hotel reception to use the in-room coffee maker rather than buying coffee while out and about.
3. We went out to eat with some old friends, and we thought we were getting BOGO fish and chips. Turns out, it was buy the two-piece fish and chips, get it for the price of the one-piece fish and chips. Oh well! It was still a small savings over the full price.
4. We stayed overnight with DH’s family again on the drive back home (although they were traveling and not home), but they graciously left us breakfast foods and both fresh and dehydrated tomatoes.
5. Insert frugal happy dance here: DH’s family had an old sewing machine for me, which apparently was just refurbished. Now I can figure out how to use it for simple repairs on Baby E’s clothing, particularly his holey knees. I’m especially glad for a vintage machine as I hear those are better made (metal instead of plastic parts, for example), and I often prefer simpler technology to the newest computerized stuff.
@Lindsay B, The worst non-frugal thing my family and I ever did (besides my totaling the car) was to trade in a simple metal 1930s Singer sewing machine for a new plastic one that had all kinds of bells and whistles and fancy stuff. Turned out we could barely thread the needle.
BTW, if you can get your hands on a copy of the Tightwad Gazette (not sure which volume but it would be in the last one, the Complete Tightwad Gazette), there is a writeup about how the author, Amy (Frugal Zealot) Daczyczn, patched the knee areas of her kids' jeans, using legs from other worn-out jeans along with iron-on patches on the knees. It's supposed to make the pants last through several rounds of hand-me-downs; Amy had a really large family, so she would know.
Well, I know what I'm getting you for Christmas.....CORN TORTILLAS!
@Polly, Are you sure you're not The Grinch? LOL!
NOOOOOO.
Made coffee & sun tea @ quick bread treats and invited friends to coffee every morning. Forcing me to take a break and share the garden bounty with friends.
Bartered tractor work with fresh tuna that I received as a barter from a friend with a boat. win, win!
Making applesauce for the freezer, the gravenstein trees are abundant.
Picked up a brand new spool of heavy duty vinyl coated clothesline, a high dollar water wand, a 20x30' tarp, 4 cans of outdoor paint, brand new can of WD-40 and strip/sand/refinish kit at an estate sale, spent $12. The clothesline is installed and working great!
Hit a garage sale in a neighboring town and picked up a huge ikea $1 bag full of tropical decorations and found 5o ft of hemp rope to redo my cat scratchers, a fun stuffy toy for the pup and the rest was given to neighbor who is a 3rd grade teacher. fun!
Raked the neighbor's field after they baled the straw and got enough straw to fill my flat bed trailer. I mulched all of my peppers/tomatoes/green beans/corn/herbs/cucumbers and broccoli plants to endure the 105+ heat wave we are experiencing. It is working and all the plants look healthy and not wilted. Yay!
BBQ'd a full brisket and made up 3 separate meals for the neighbors. Right now I am baking cookies in my large toaster oven set up in my outdoor kitchen. So thankful that I had the cookie dough balls in the freezer.
The tortillas reminded me how when kids leave home it’s so hard to judge how much you need for groceries. I just can’t calibrate my grocery cart…went from 3 teen boys at home to now just one! I can’t seem to remember that if I buy 4 bananas, 3 of them should be very green.
Trying to eat at home more to not waste food. Freezer is slowly going down and am keeping up on eating the fresh veggies and fruit.
It’s almost a crime how much they charge for textbooks! Too many kickbacks and professors profiting from ones they publish!
Glad my kids are done!
FFT Aug 15 2023
Congratulations on the last corn tortilla! I never buy them as they usually are too dry up here, but I do sometimes make them. Yum. Might put that on the menu plan...
1. my truck got dinged by someone when my son had borrowed it. He did get their name (one of his neighbours) but I have been procrastinating about even beginning to look into repairs. Today I checked it out and phoned Lordco to find the cost of the taillight (of course they can't replace just the broken plastic cover, has to be the whole thing). I tried to talk to my dealer to see what THEY would charge as the repair appears to be a bit above my pay-grade this week. After 5 min of waiting on hold for the service dept I called my local 'guy' (who usually only does my older cars' repairs), and within 10 min of conversations and repeat phone calls and some photos, I got a price including a discounted used taillight (yay for keeping out of landfill) and a date tomorrow to get it fixed – at a discount for the poor kid who did the damage.
2. tempting as take-out is, in this very unusual heat, I have been eating from the fridge and pantry and freezer and garden. #2 son is great about eating leftovers, so my job is to make sure there are some! Tonight it was fish sticks and frozen tortellini with a can of pantry sauce, plus an aging cauliflower from the crisper and broccoli from the garden. Leftovers for tomorrow! No money spent on takeout.
3. So grateful for the Solar panels that mean I can run the AC without guilt. So grateful for the heatpump that was installed at the same time as the solar panels, built in AC for the win!. I can survive at warmer temps, however my dog is aging and I want her comfortable. As soon as evening comes I turn off the AC, turn on the fan from the basement, and open the doors as the night cools.
4. I just picked all the figs off my tree. First year that I have had what I could call a 'harvest'. I probably picked 2 dozen tonight, plus ate another 4 while I picked, and I have eaten at least a dozen as they've ripened over the past week. HEAVEN – figs are a real treat for me, so having my trees growing up and producing is a real joy.
5. Also picked the first small batch of cherry tomatoes yesterday, my plants were delayed getting in the ground but soon I will be drowning in tomatoes, enjoying the current state of not quite enough!
Ugh, so sorry to hear about your vehicle!
1. Got a payment from Rakuten for the past quarter for $17.87.
2. Shopped for kids' school supplies from what we have at home, but were missing a couple of items. Bought them on tax-free weekend, along with some socks my son needed.
3. Shopped for the school supplies from Target and paired with a coupon they sent me along with using a $5 gift card from a previous purchase to save over $10, and then got another $5 gift card back.
4. Gave away from extra office supplies on our neighborhood freebies page.
5. Finished our summer vacation photo book and ordered from Shutterfly using a groupon and when they offered unlimited photo pages for free. According to them, I saved over $120 for a 12x12 book with over 50 pages!
Ooof, that's a lot for textbooks! As somebody who works at an academic library, I highly recommend checking out to see what your college library can do for you. Where I work, we have course reserves (short term loans of textbooks, and you can scan chapters for free into a PDF for later reading), interlibrary loan to check out materials from other library systems, and ebooks for checkout, as well as the regular checkout of physical copies. While we may not be able to get your costs down to zero for course materials, we're usually able help in some way.
I started college in 1977 in an allied health field (OT) with many of the same classes you are probably taking, and my books cost around $1,300 per semester back then, buying used (no electronic books in those days) when possible. So considering its more than 45 years later, your book total isn't too bad at all. I sold books back at the end of the semester (no eBay or other online options to resell), and got a paltry $250 for everything I sold back. The books cost more than in-state tuition!
Science major texts are EXPENSIVE. One particular textbook was almost $400, it was not available used, and instead of buying the book I sat in the library reading my assignments for that class. Turned out to be a good call, because the professor never even referred to the reading assignments or tested on them.
My youngest daughter is a communications major. The university has a deal this year where they can get all of their texts electronically for one price, but the department she's in suggested NOT signing on for the deal and they are providing the class materials online mostly for free (she did take a class on copyright in media already--hmmmm . . .) Since she's done with all of her out of department pre-reqs, she's getting away inexpensively this year!
Wow, this is inspiring! Thank you! I am wondering gif you have ever used a company like Billcutterz to help save on bills? I just received an ad from them and am wondering if it is worth it...