Five Frugal Things | Towels, Rolls, Eggs, Khakis, and Books
1. I mended a swimming towel.
We got this towel probably 15 years ago at an Eddie Bauer outlet and it's still holding up impressively!
Well, except for the one edge that started to fray.
I trimmed the frayed parts off, folded the edge over, and ran a zig-zag stitch down the frayed length.
It was easy, fast, and now the towel is good to go again.
On a related note, we bought some swim towels from Aldi a couple of years ago and they're really wonderful. After several years of use, they've done better at staying soft and lofty than the Pottery Barn Kids ones I splurged on a few years back.
(Scroll down in the post to see the towels.)
2. I made French Toast out of rolls.
I'd brought honey-glazed rolls to a gathering on Sunday, and I came home with leftovers. We ate a number of the extra rolls, but the last ones were starting to get a bit dry.
So, I cut them up and turned them into French toast.
You end up with kind of wonkily-shaped pieces this way, but they're still tasty!
3. I cooked up egg whites.
Two separate recipes called for egg yolks this week, so I had a container of extra egg whites in the fridge. I normally use whole eggs when I make scrambled eggs, but I heated up a bit of bacon grease and scrambled up the egg whites.
I'd have taken a picture of the finished product, but since scrambled whites vaguely resembled pillow stuffing, I decided to skip it. 😉
(Regular scrambled eggs don't look that appetizing in photos, and scrambled egg whites are decidedly not a visual improvement.)
4. I ordered discounted pants.
Mr. FG wears L.L. Bean khakis to work, and I found a pair marked down $20 online, with an additional percent-off coupon. I also got a $10 gift card with my order.
I went thru TopCashBack to get my cashback for the purchase too, so, yay me!
(Here's a rundown of the three main cashback sites I use.)
5. I used the library for history reading.
Our history curriculum gives a lot of suggested reading titles to go along with whatever we're studying, and I faithfully use the library to obtain these books. The library never has all of the suggested reading, but I put holds on whatever I do find in the database.
(It's suggested reading, which means it's not the end of the world if I don't get every book.)
I can only imagine how much it would cost to buy all of these books each year, not to mention how much book clutter we'd end up with.
The library is such a fabulous homeschooling resource. Love, love, love.
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Alrighty! Those are my five; what are yours for this week?
Here are some of mine: I had a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee in my freezer. We use a Keurig K-cup machine. So I decided to use our reusable K-cup this morning and make our coffee with the Dunkin Donuts. We will do this until the bag is gone. Waste not;want not.
The eyeglass lens cleaner bottle was empty again. So I made a bottle of homemade. Just fill the bottle with 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water. Works great so I haven't paid for store bought in years. I just keep reusing my last store bought bottle over and over again.
I had purchased a container of Earthbound Farms greens that were marked down by $ 1.00 for quick sale. They got shoved to the back of the fridge and I forgot about them. I took them out today to make a salad for lunch which I did. The greens are starting to get old so I did what I always do not to waste produce. I put them in the freezer and when they are frozen I will put them in a few bags to use in my smoothies.
I made a small loaf of banana bread in my toaster oven this morning. I only had 3 small bananas so it is not our usual large loaf. I used Splenda instead of sugar. This will be for breakfasts and snacks the next couple of days.
Isn't it wonderful to be able to freeze greens? It's such a handy way to keep them safe until you make a smoothie.
Thanks for the eyeglasses cleaner tip!
I have a carton of spring mix greens left over from company, Can I freeze ithow do I freeze it?Also, I fill my eye glass cleaner bottle at Walmart free. I paid $2 something for the little spray bottle 3 years ago. Most the time it's in my purse so if I'm getting low I just pop in when I'm by there or going anyway.. TY☺ï¸
I just throw the container into the freezer and I'm good to go! When I'm ready to make a smoothie I grab some leaves and throw them into the blender (they're pretty thin and brittle once frozen and they blend up easily.)
I am going to give it a try! Thank you so much for the tip☺ï¸
Great idea on making your own eyeglass cleaner.
Whoops, hit send too fast. If you buy the eyeglass cleaning kit at Costco (two spray bottles, two cleaning cloths, you can refill the bottles for FREE anytime at Costco. But then you have to remember to take the bottles to Costco. So it's nice to know it's easy to make at home.
I'm sure I had some frugal things this week as I have been striving to cut back on waste, eat leftovers as well as a few other things. Unfortunately, the two frugal fails stand out more. We decided we would get pizza at our favorite pizza place, and I was certain that we had points to use up to pay for it, but we didn't and ended up having to pay full price. School began on Tuesday and my plan for dinner that night was initially thwarted, but I was able to still come up with something else. I packed up all the leftovers for later in the week, but when I got up the next morning realized I never put them in the fridge! Ugh! Time to pick myself up and brush myself off and look for the next opportunity!
Oh my gosh, I HATE it when I forget to put things in the fridge. So, so frustrating.
You are not alone!
I agree. It's usually not the end of the world but I feel stupid when it happens. I don't enjoy feeling stupid.
I refinanced my house at the end of last year and it really did help "loosen" things up for me. I noticed recently even though I am "frugal" I was letting some things start to slide. Not wanting to get into a situation once again I decided it is time to get back to what I was doing before the refinance.
This past week I meal planned. I took out the flyers to look to see what store had the best deals and based my meals around what was on sale and what was in the pantry. All meals were cooked and eaten at home.
Went down to our local recycle center and picked up free soil and mulch. The garden beds in one area was low so I added soil and I will mix in some compost ( I have a compost pile) to prepare the soil for next years garden. I also put more mulch down in the flower beds since it was free and I was there instead of making an additional trip at another time.
Picked up a book at the library. Love to sit outside and read on the weekends with the nice weather we have been having. Also started to make a "list" of books I would like to read. The library also has a large selection of DVD's so I think my list may include movies to watch on the weekends.
My biggest lesson is "paying myself first". Every week I always try to put money into an emergency/savings fund but a lot of the time I find it doesn't get put in because "something" comes up. I have found that if I put the monthly amount into this "fund" account with my first monthly paycheck it is done and I don't have to worry about it and I always manage if that "something comes up". Example.....less money will be spend food shopping.
I didn't hit 5 frugal things but I think this is a good start!
Most of mine seem to be about food. We continue to use our beach for many many years, also. Some of them don't look as good as others but they still work well.
1. I made bread pudding last night out of various buns I had leftover from a camping trip. I got all the bread cut into chunks then realized I was out of eggs. I mixed a scoop of mayo in the milk mixture to replace the egg. Then I topped it with pieces of reduced bin nectarines. I made a homemade caramel sauce from milk, sugar, salt, and butter to drizzle over the top. I know it sounds odd but my husband said this was the best bread pudding he had ever tasted, and he doesn't say this kind of stuff.
2. Last night I made homemade sloppy joes. I used leftover hamburger patties that we grilled on our camping trip and mixed then in with fresh ground beef. I also served roasted asparagus. The asparagus I bought last week so it looked pretty sad. I cut off the ends yesterday morning then put them in a glass off water so by afternoon they looked perky again. This meal used up more leftover buns, and fridge hang arounds, and I had enough leftover to put a sandwich in my daughter's lunchbox.
3. I got a free exfoliation treatment from my towel,that is fabric softener free, after showering this morning. I just quit using that stuff years ago and never looked back. So not using fabric softener saves me money $ and exfoliates my skin. I would line dry and get an even crispier towel but we own a business and I am not home enough to get this task done.
4.I wrote my daughters sight words on the back of some of the papers that school sent home last week and cut them out into little "cards". If they are gonna waste all that paper by not using both sides I might as well take advantage.
5. I purchased my daughter's a Leap Pad 2 to share a few years ago for Christmas. We then had a store go out of business nearby and I purchased several games for this Leap Pad for just a few dollars and put them up in a closet for the next special occasion. Well, as luck would have it, the kids lost the Leap Pad. It has been lost for almost 2 years. I have almost got rid of those games several times over the course of 2 years. Yesterday, my husband found it under the seat of our RV! Luckily, all the games are still age appropriate. Not sure if this is frugal but it's definately like we have a new toy because the kids have not put it down.
Continue to use our beach towels, ugh..proof read before sending..Good grief!
This week I have failed with food. I have lost food and failed to use food in a timely manner. On the positive side I have made myself eat/cook at home when I truly did not want too. I have refused to buy more material twice this week. The stash must shrink first. I have plodded on with projects that I have lost interest with so that I will have some homemade Christmas gifts. I am proud of this one. At present our major grocery stores in Australia are running promotions which gain points. Iam ignoring their plans to help me over shop.
You deserve a gold star for cooking at home...I always give myself one when I manage to cook on a day when I REALLY do not feel like cooking!
Thank you. It has been a long week but it is over and brighter times are ahead.
I have been pleased with Aldi towels too.
Among this week's frugal accomplishments: buying kids' clothing from a woman standing outside the consignment shop. Eliminate the middle man!
Love this! Great job!
1. I went for groceries yesterday and kept it under $75 which is pretty good for me. I know we are only two folks but I tend to really overbuy and I'm trying to curb that.
2. Went we went to Target to pick up my prescriptions, I used my Restasis card (yay $20 savings!) and the Missus said she wanted Zakby's for dinner. I said, "I'm making fish tacos for dinner" and that's what we had (this was a major deal as she is a Zaxby's fiend and I love to eat out. But, because I had planned and knew what I was going to make and was looking forward to it, we avoided temptation!
3. We are having a couple people over for a writing circle this evening and made homemade cookies last night (she made cookies while I made her lunch for work today) so as to avoid going to meet at a restaurant.
4. We tried Blue Apron last week for $10 and decided it would be worth it to us to keep it for a little bit because it was really pleasant to cook the meals together and have that expense instead of going out to eat. I think this really helped with the choice to not go to Zaxby's and I think it's made me excited about cooking at home again-- so I'm counting that as frugal because sadly, we can spend a couple hundred a week eating out! (horrifying, I know, and something I am really trying to manage!)
5. Am reading library books, mowing my own lawn, and hanging up all not sheet and towel clothing to dry.
I'm not sure if this is the case in your state, but in Virginia if you attend one public university, you can check out books from any public university library. I know Joshua is taking college classes this year, so he might be able to check out pretty much any book you would need for history. I know I get all my books for grad school from the university close to my house (which is not the university I attend).
Here are our five frugal things:
1) Monday coming back into town I was feeling take out lazy, but my husband convinced me we had plenty of food in the house. He was right. We quickly pulled together a healthy and delicious supper and still had plenty to put in the kids' lunch boxes for Tuesday.
2) I agreed to take on a second student assistantship not because I have time but because it was an opportunity to work with a luminary in my field. Now that I am into it I realize that I was right that it was a fantastic opportunity, but I was wrong about the work. He actually doesn't have that much for me to do (maybe he's not used to assistants who are 35 year old moms whose only mode is GSD?), so the stipend increase feels like free money.
3) Started planning the kids' halloween costumes. I know it sounds crazy to think about Halloween in early September, but thinking about it a little at the time over a long time means I usually figure out how to accomplish Halloween with very little cash, as opposed to panicking three days before and ordering a bunch of stuff off Amazon. The kids have decided they want to be Captain Hook, the tick tock croc, and Smee. Our baby, who will turn one the day before Halloween will be the cutest Smee ever in the history of Smees.
4) Added a few more future grant/fellowships to my growing list. I finish classes toward my phd this semester, which means I start to apply for grants and fellowships soon. Keeping a spreadsheet will keep me organized and on point. And the more grants and fellowships I can apply for means (hopefully) the more that will go on my CV, better research opportunities, and more cash.
5. My husband bought several shirts a couple of weeks ago at a very nice local men's store. He got them at 90% off during the summer sale. But then he noticed one had a bleach spot. Instead of trashing it, he made the right color blue ink by dipping blue and black permanent markers in alcohol (oh internet with your infinite solutions). Then he dabbed it on the shirt, and now you can't tell there was ever a spot. Hopefully washing and drying will set the marker.
Wish I could see that Baby Smee! And I don't think you're crazy for planning Halloween now...heck, we start discussing it in the summer! It's a big deal around here!
I have a question about TopCashBack for you and your readers: have you ever been successful in getting a payout from them? I am stuck in a strange loop of requesting a payout, being asked to confirm my account via email, not receiving the email, reporting a problem and being promised yet another email, which I also never receive. I've contacted their customer service so many times about this; I'm not sure what else to do. I finally stopped using them because watching my points rack up and not being able to cash them out is excruciating. I've reverted to Ebates (despite sometimes-lower cash back), simply because I know I'll receive my payouts from them. TIA for any TopCashBack advice!
Wow, that is super weird! I just cashed out this week with no problems.
Let me see if I can find someone who can help you.
Update: I got in touch with someone and they said they're going to sort it out and keep me posted!
1. I had picked the last two little white eggplants off our summer toasted garden and purchased mushrooms with big ideas for them before the hurricane hit. After we got power back, I realized the eggplant were starting to look sad and the mushrooms needed to be used, pronto. I scrounged around and discovered about a cup of spaghetti sauce and some pasta. I sautéed the mushrooms and eggplant, mixed them with the sauce and served it over pasta with the very last of our shredded cheese. My husband loved it.
2. Our well pump went out. Instead of calling someone to look at it, as I was going to do, my husband, who has getting up and down issues due to circulation problems, got himself down on the floor in the pump house and discovered it was the capacitor. We paid $20 for a new one, he put it on while I did his running back and forth for tools and lights, and we were up and running again.
3. I found a dime and put it in my house improvement fund. Every little bit helps.
4. I was so tempted the other day, while doing a lot of shopping, to stop for a cold drink, since I'd run out of what I'd brought with me and it was hot. I actually stopped at one store, and they didn't have any thing I liked in the little store. I figured that was a sign, and made it on home without buying any.
5. The weather has gotten a tiny bit less hot and humid, so I can walk on my lunch hour again. Free exercise is a win-win.
1. I started using a small stainless steel container for lunches, cutting down on disposable plastic bags.
2. Used vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean most of the kitchen.
3. Used extra $ from this week's grocery budget to buy coffee at stock up price.
4. Said "no" to one impulsive lunch out.
5. I think I made a frugal choice that did not benefitt my pocketbook, but was frugal nonetheless because it avoids food waste. I had purchased three packages of lunch box raisins (packed in the little boxes) for a school function. When it turned out I didn't need them, I went back to Target for a return. The clerk was happy to take the unopened boxes back but when I asked if they could be resold, she said no - probably they would be destroyed (food safety laws).
Instead, I am donating the packages that our synagogue's program for the area food bank.
Bless you for making that choice.
I have a few frugal things for this week:
1. My biweekly pay usually increases around this time of year, as I reach the maximum contributions for some things. First higher pay was today, so I logged in and sent the extra right into the savings account.
2. Meal planned and batch cooked on Monday night with my husband.
3. Sold a couple of items on the local facebook swap page.
4. Repurposed my daughter's Nike runners - she didn't like how they fit, so I used a black sharpie and coloured in the pink areas, and now they are my son's Nikes! (I agree that boys can wear pink, but in this instance he just wanted them to look different than his sisters)
5. School started up this week, and between my husband's schedule and mine, we are able to watch a few kids after school a few nights a week, adding to the funds we can send to the savings account each month! Win win, as our kids enjoy playing with them, and gives us time to prep dinner and the next days lunches - so after dinner can be quality family time.
I love this post making me think about each & every little thing i'm doing to help save money.....
#1 We couldn't find the charger for our dog's training collar & ransacked our house trying to find it. Asked sister-in-law to double check at her house again (since they had it when they watched our pups in July). They looked again at their house & found it in one of their vehicles (they have no idea how it got in there). Finding this charger saved us $35 which is the cost of a replacement unit.
#2 Picked up another side job for one of the guys I clean house for....this will bring in a little more income to put towards the purchase of new tires for my vehicle.
#3 The community fair is this week in our area. Hubby got fair buttons from his work for us to attend as often as we like without an entrance fee....total saved $32.
#4 While attending the fair this week, we have taken a small backpack in with us with drinks and snacks to help defray our expenses at the fair.
#5 Stretched some baked chicken breasts into two meals this week for supper, plus one lunch!! Plus i eat leftovers everyday at lunch & never buy out.
I'm trying all i can to conserve time & money to stretch our income to cover all the little expenses that keep popping up.
Heh, it's funny as I was just thinking about some dishtowels that we have that are ripped and if they are worth repairing. I might see if the wife would be willing to patch them up for us.
1.) Stocked up on meat using some good sales. Our food budget looks a bit high this month but that will even out when I don't have to buy meat for a while.
2.) Working some overtime. More money in means more money saved, I suppose.
3.) Went to the fair and brought our lunch. Did eat dinner out, though.
4.) Still cutting way back on soda.
That's about all I can come up with this week.
1. I was rushed and turned into McDonalds to get breakfast. Realized I had bagels at home and could survive for an hour without food, so drove back out of the parking lot and finished my errands and went home for breakfast.
2. Burned a pan so badly that I decided to throw it away. After I sat down for a while and the frustration passed, I dug it out of the garbage and soaked it and cleaned it this morning.
3. Went through my back closet and found four pairs of pants I'd forgotten that I owned.
4. Sold two sets of my husband's duplicate tools on Craiglist.
5. Sold two quilts I inherited years ago. Made $125!
I'm happy to read that your Aldi towels have held up so well. That place just continues to impress me. I have a blanket from Aldi that is so soft and surprisingly durable through so many washes.
Up till recently, the nearest Aldi to me was half an hour away in any direction. But they just opened up one in my neighborhood and I'm beyond excited! It's brand spankin shiny new and the nicest, coolest Aldi I've ever seen. I have you to thank for nudging me in the Aldi direction. I used to think it was subpar but that is soooooooo not the case!
Yay! So excited for you!
These 5 Frugal Things always makes me think AND sometimes puts my spending into perspective. I've kinda been in a funk lately about not having money to do anything, so I really need to hear everyone else's 5 frugal things...and get myself out of the dumps.
1. Yesterday was 50% off day at Goodwill. I did go in and put multiple items in the cart and I ended up putting every piece back. Nothing I had I needed!
2. My family's annual Labor Day camping trip was this weekend. This trip allowed us to spend time with family and eat at camp. We were able to fill our camper's fridge with food from our own camper. No special buys and no money spent over the weekend while we were away. (Plus the kids were able to connect with their grandparents)
3. I really need a hair cut and one of the delivery ladies at work is a licensed beautician. I only need to call her to have her come to me to cut my hair. Hasn't happened yet, but it will be a frugal savings when I do. And I guess I'm saving money without calling.
I guess I'm only coming up with three this week. I did have two frugal fails. One morning I was feeling sorry for myself and I thought I deserved a Dunkin coffee! Another was a lunch time. I did NOT want to eat the same mac n cheese that I had for three meals, so I went out for lunch and had hot dogs. I will need to do better next week.
1. I am - slowly! - getting back into meal planning.
2. Yet again I spent under $10 to contribute my share to the neighborhood Labor Day potluck. I always bring the plates, etc. Knowing this I accumulate the paper plates, flatware, cups, and napkins over the year when they're cheap or, in the case of flatware, when they come with some delivery or another. The tablecloths are gifts/Goodwill purchases, and since they're cloth they last. This year the supermarket had big watermelons on sale for $4 so I got one of those, too.
3. So far I have resisted buying lunch at the lovely-smelling food court, which is in the building at which I'm in class this week.
4. I'm going to exercise classes at the gym at work, for which I pay $0.
5. I did an excellent job of negotiating the price for my new car. You know you've done well when you offer other dealerships the chance to beat the price, you get multiple responses of "How the hell did you get a deal that good? We're not going to be able to get close."
Fails:
1. Half the mushrooms froze in the fridge.
2. In retrospect, I think I could have gotten a better deal on the trade-in of my old car.
I like your style. In March I bought another car and bargained hard. Later on in the day I was talking to the man who is the financial controller of that group. He had to authorise the car price and he was impressed. It felt great.
Congrats back at you.
1) I've had coffee and breakfast at home every day, instead of succumbing to the siren song of the drive-thru.
2) I exchanged a future date night with a neighbor for the use of their truck and strong back (instead of renting a trailer).
3) I cooked dinner every night, even on the nights when I wanted to order out.
4) I sourced a portable dishwasher through the local Buy Nothing group instead of buying one on Craigslist.
5) I waited until Happy Hour Day to visit the new cupcake store. ($1 mini cupcakes for the win!!)
This librarian loves your love of the library as well! 🙂
If you ever come across a suggested reading book that looks particularly good and your library doesn't own it, ask about interlibrary loan. Depending on the agreement that your library has with other libraries in the state/surrounding states, they may be able to order it for you from elsewhere. It's usually still a free service, you often just can't renew the book (because another library is lending it to yours). Definitely a great way to get more obscure titles.
1) I used a 10.00 reward at Sam's Club to buy a 3 pack of candles for Christmas. These have wood wicks and crackle when they burn. My girls love them . I will break the set apart and have 3 gifts.
2) I bought some bundles of Hallmark Christmas gift bags at the salvage store. 20 for 4.00. Also a nice box of Christmas cards for a dollar .
3) Bought 4 largest size boxes of cereal for 1.00 a piece.
4) I baked a chicken this week and have been eating lunch from it instead of eating out.
5) I pulled out two old cookbooks and picked out several new recipes to try instead of eating the same ole same o.
Ate All meals at home
Did not throw away any food used leftovers for lunch
Got a few shirts at goodwill on $2 Tuesday
Cut flowers from garden for Ouse
Walked outside with dog every morning for free excerzise
1. Ok, this may sound controversial but I decided NOT to plant a square foot garden box this year to save money.I usually end up with all my greens coming in at one time, I spend more on watering, net coverings, and generally stressing over the garden, and for just 2 people, the local farmer's markets and Sprouts have all I need..I often get the large containers of Power Greens on sale. So-- I decided to plant only fresh HERBS. since they are pricey and I enjoy cooking a lot.. mint,parsley, cilantro, thyme,rosemary.
2. I am eating down the freezer and pantry this week.
3. I made up a MONTH'S menu and this helps me plan grocerying better.I find I can just shop THREE times a month instead of 4 and every day I stay out of a grocery store,I save money!!
4. Slowly purging the closet.. some high heels from the working days, pencil skirts etc. are all in demand at the consignment store and I'm not going to wear them= date night money!
5. I stayed home a lot this week!!! Ate my own home cooked food,swam in my own pool, watched old episodes of "Gilmore Girl."
1. Several weeks back, I had gotten a bill in the mail for $7 from an urgent care facility I’d visited earlier in the summer. The bill didn’t make sense to me, since I hadn’t gotten any explanation of benefits from my insurance company to match it up with. I called the number on the bill when I first got it, and was told they would research it. I called again last week to follow up, and was told to disregard the bill and that I have a $0 balance. I’m thankful for the outcome, but I’m still not a fan of those kinds of phone calls!
2. We went away for the long weekend and in those 3.5 days, ate all but two meals in. There was a day when I would’ve considered that a bad thing, but by reading this blog and all the great comments that people leave, I now realize that it’s a good thing!
3. My son found 11 cents (and gave it to his grandma – I’m not sure why but I was proud of him!).
4. I started a new library book called Light on Snow.
5. Next week I get to work an extra shift. 🙂
I'm glad you love the library as much as we do. I work there and it is so amazing that we have access to such a variety of media. We used to buy way too many books, especially cookbooks, but now I'm definitely hooked on borrowing!
1. We just donated our old car to Kars4Kids, which will save us insurance payments. I was surprised to find out that in addition to the donation receipt we will also get a voucher for a couple of nights at a hotel for free. And it is not a time share, just a thank you. So we will be doing some off-season travel soon.
2. I cooked up some scrambled eggs and used up the cut up veggies that were begging in the fridge. It was not only simple but also very delicious.
3. Instead of going to the groomers, I took it on to trim our dog's fur myself.
4. I patched up my son's pajamas for the second time, partially because they are his favorite, and now they will last him another few months before he outgrows them completely.
5 My last project is to find a cheaper carrier for phones/tv/internet, etc. Not completed, but I've done a lot of research already.
Made a big batch of steel cut oats for this weeks breakfasts.
Hit return too early!
Made a rare trip to the dermatologist. She loaded me up with samples of the treatment I need.
I'm not drinking alcohol because of new medications. Meeting friends for coffee is way cheaper than wine!
Got some great deals on niece and nephew birthday presents over the Labor Day weekend.
I have two significant expenses. I can't call them frugal fails because they're not optional. The first is glasses with progressive lenses, which my over-forty eyes desperately need. HOLY CATS they're expensive! Second, I've been referred to a specialty research hospital that requires a flight. I expect to have to dip into savings for this, but I feel that's what savings are for. Hopefully it will lead to a diagnosis that can be treated and I can get some of my functionality back.
* Really wanted to swing by McDonalds for breakfast on the go today but I brought cereals and grapes to work instead.
* Very happy our second "car" is a bicycle. My husband bikes to and from work year-round, snowy, rainy and icy days included (!!). We save SO MUCH money not having a second car or him having to take the bus. Plus, it's free exercice for him (about 80 minutes/day). He even picks the kids from school/daycare when he can, using the bike and an extension in the back for them.
* Got invited by a friend to a Halloween fair. She has free tickets, yay! Normal price : 35$.
* Free stuff coming up this week-end : city activities, plum picking with Hidden Harverst, game night with friends. Might take advantage of the 5$ offer from a good yoga studio tomorrow. You pay 5$ and you can try up to 12 differents classes (35 min each) of yoga/stretching/pilates. Good deal!
* Going groceries shopping using price matching, buying what is on sale, using reusable bags (gives money back, bonus!), bringing empty cans (gives money back), racking PC Points for future free groceries. My groceries shopping is serious stuff, hihi!
* Last but not least : Something that saves me a lot of money is something I do not do, which is Drink. I mean, I drink water and milk, but I'm not a drinker otherwise (pop, juice, alcohol, coffee, etc). It's just not an interest for me. So I'm sure I save a lot of money right there!
Have a great frugal day!
I'm not sure that I can come up with 5 things but I'll give it a try.
1. Cooked every night this week. No eating out.
2. I took my lunch to work everyday from leftovers.
3. While the girls were at baton practice I took the boys to the park across the street. No driving around wasting gas.
That's all I can think of for this week. It was a pretty quiet week.
1. I'm delaying getting my grays covered until my bday next month. I will put gift cards to my favorite salon on my "wishlist"
2. Husband did a day trip instead of staying overnight, saving the cost of a hotel
3. Put the extra money that I saved on groceries into our vacation jar, instead of using it to buy coffee out
4. It is Pumpkin Spice Latte season. I made coffee at home and used Silk coffee creamer, maple syrup (pure, of course!) and a sprinkle of nutmeg and pumpkin spice. Yummm.
5. Walked to work today instead of taking the car.
Just a thought about the library -- for the books that your library doesn't have, you can try requesting an inter-library loan. Many libraries are part of groups that will do that for free. Also, if you have a community college nearby, many of them will let members of the community get a library card there and they should be part of those free-lending library groups.
Happy frugal reading! 🙂
Dear Frugal Girl,
My five frugal tips.....
1. We nixed our Saturday breakfast and latte habit at Starbucks after our workout! ( 4 months so far)
2. I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for us everyday of the week except for a pizza, Mexican or Sushi splurge only on weekends.
3. We only buy hygiene products like toothpaste, deodorant and mouthwash at the Dollar Tree or on sale.
4. I started using Ibotta! ($40 so far)
5. I recently started using Digit for savings. ($60 so far)