Five Frugal Things | in the week of the freezer challenge
Since I've been working on whittling down my freezer contents this week, some of these will be freezer-challenge related.
1. I made chicken broth.
I used up the bones from my freezer (so, check one for the freezer challenge!), plus two onion ends from the fridge.
(Here's how I make my chicken broth.)
Every time I make broth, I feel like I'm working magic. That something so nutritious can come from something you'd otherwise throw away...well, it just feels rather magical to me.
2. Joshua and I made ramen for dinner.
We used some of the broth I made, some of the bok choy from my Hungry Harvest box, and also the shrimp from the freezer challenge photo.
Last time Joshua made from scratch ramen, several of you wondered if I could share the recipe.
So, you'll be happy to know that I took pictures this time and I've got the recipe to share in a future post.
3. I made zucchini bread.
I had two in the fridge and they happened to be the perfect amount for a single loaf.
I've only been officially doing a freezer challenge this week, but I've been doing pretty well at working through the food in my fridge too!
4. I sorted through Sonia and Zoe's fall clothes.
I needed to do the seasonal switch anyway, and before I buy new clothes, I like to see what we have on hand.
After the big sort, Zoe is pretty much good to go (having two older sisters and all!)
Sonia will still need a few things, but a lot of her wardrobe needs were filled after we looked through the boxes in the closet.
I took out all the clothes Zoe outgrew, plus any hand-me-downs that don't seem like they'll ever fit Sonia and Zoe, and bagged them up for various destinations (some to my siblings' children, some to Goodwill).
5. I...
promptly shipped back a costume that didn't fit*, put library books on hold to coordinate with our history studies, stayed out of the stores, cut up random fruits from the fridge so they'd get eaten, and used fallen tree branches to build a fire in our fire pit.
*putting off returns an expensive procrastination because it's easy to keep the item until the return period has expired.
I have chicken bones in the freezer I'm planing on making broth with sometime too.
1. My husband needed a rag, so I grabbed an old ripped pair of my daughter's capris from the rag drawer. No need to spend $ on grease rags.
2.Used spinach from the garden in our peanut sauce.
3. I was able to get a couple more days out of our stove's gas tank than the last one. I want to put the solar heater back out to heat at least some of my kid's shower water to hopefully get an even longer use out of this new gas tank.
4. I'm supplementing the water for plants with leftover rinse water.
5. We've been eating all our meals at home.
Oh I need to try the homemade broth! I've always wanted to make some like that!
1. Cleaned out my closet. I'm working to become a bit more minimal in the wardrobe.
2. Packed lunches for kids to go eat lunch with their Daddy at work.
3. Pulled up an awful looking area rug, and decided to not replace it. Not spending $160, at least not anytime soon.
4. Bought a few new clothes for a conference, but all frugally from the consignment and TJ Maxx.
5. Got a pair of UGGs (I go through fluffy boots so fast!) for only $30. Cleaned them up a bit and they look pretty dang good!
Oh, got all 5 this time!! Frugal for the win!!!
1)- I had to make a business bank deposit and pick up a prescription and both are in the same grocery store.. so... knowing my love of a great grocery deal... I drove to the actual bank in the next plaza and went through the drive through to make the deposit and then went through the pharmacy drive up.. not in the store to see the deals.. not spending money! lolol
2) Eating from the freezer.. making space! used up diced chicken for a Lo Mein dish ( using up veggies in the fridge), Kids ate a bag of Tyson Chicken crispers along with microwave baked potatoes for a quick supper..., made homemade Chipotle Bowls last night- meat from the freezer, black beans, frozen corn, jasmine rice and toppings from the freezer! YUM
3) Made zucchini apple bread and muffins on Monday.. kids and husband have been snacking on those along with fruit instead of sneaking lunch box purchased items!
4) Paying bills online
5) deleting the Lands End Order I was looking at... 40% coupon code was great.. but $8 in shipping ruined it for me... Why don't they do ship to the local Sears???
6) quickly deleting the coupons that show up in my email for restaurant discounts! lol Its like they know how tired and unmotivated I am!
1. I'm trying to do a fridge clean out also. On Monday, I made two meals for a friend with a new baby. I saved enough for us to have two meals also. The cost for everything was really, really minimal.
2. Christopher & Banks keeps sending me incredible coupons. I went yesterday while running errands and found all their clearance items for 4.99. Two sweaters, a pair of white pants and a pair of capris for me and a lightweight sweater and t-shirt for my sister in law for Christmas-total-10.66.
3. The Krogers near church has some pretty incredible markdowns. I've started running in for my groceries on Sunday after church. This week, they had ground pork marked down to .69 a lb. I got several other marked down items but that one was notable!
4. Our back deck gets direct sunlight most of the day. We have an old patio umbrella with a badly faded cover. I stopped at a Ballard outlet after an unexpected errand in another city. They had all their umbrella covers marked down to 9.99. The one I got retailed for over 300.00.
5. I met old friends for a birthday lunch yesterday. The lunch wasn't inexpensive but the birthday girl is 83. We may not have many more birthday lunches for her. Added bonus was seeing her newest great granddaughter. The frugal part was my gift. A .25 plant basket with a .97 pair of kids' Fiskars scissors attached. The basket was supposed to contain an herb plant but when I stopped to purchase the plant, they were all dead! I bought a pineapple instead and we got a good laugh from the mistake.
What an amazing deal on that umbrella cover!
Thanks! I wish I could have sent out an all points bulletin for anyone needing an umbrella cover. I wasn't 100% sure on the size but it was obviously cloth that was weatherproof and I knew I could make pillow covers in a pinch for the porch swing. And alot of them at that!
Re: the "retail price" of $300- you know they can put any number there that they want. It doesn't have to be true and usually isn't. Just be aware. It was probably really worth $20 or $30 max. But $10 for an umbrella is not bad.
That price for ground pork is amazing!! My favorite meatloaf is a third ground pork, a third ground venison, and a third ground beef.
That sounds yummy. I started a large pot of zuppa toscana soup this morning. Then I went to the garden to get the kale only to discover something had chomped it off! Guess we're having potato/sausage soup tonight with no kale! Mr. Groundhog doesn't get any sausage with his kale either.
1) I made a ham and cheese sandwich for my flight yesterday. The sandwich plus the free bag of chips on the flight was all the dinner I needed.
2) I checked into my Airbnb last night and walked down to Whole Foods to pick up food for breakfast. The eggs are evidently made of gold at Whole Foods because I spent about ten times what I would have at Aldi. But breakfast will be cheaper and more healthy than eating out.
3) I brought my own tea bags on this trip. I'm only in Boston for a couple of days, and tea is so light to pack. After I saw the prices at Whole Foods I was extra glad I shoved a few packets down in my bag.
4) I also used up a frozen chicken carcass this week. It was a roasted chicken that still had a little meat on it. I didn't have time to make it into a full chicken soup, so while I was making pizza Tuesday night I made broth and picked the chicken. I put the broth and meat back in the freezer for what will be an easy chicken soup next week.
5) I applied for travel grants to cover the small amount of this conference that wasn't already paid by the organizers, I started planning to pack on Sunday to avoid any expensive purchases in Boston for forgotten toiletries or items of clothing, I packed super light so I wouldn't have to check a bag or lug a heavy suitcase around, I got a Lyft from the airport (it would have been cheaper to do public transportation but my phone was dying, and my Airbnb location changed at the last minute--this expense saved me a million headaches), I picked up library books too to prepare for next week's lectures, and I just realized I am wearing a completely thrifted outfit.
The ramen looks so delicious and beautifully garnished! I would have had no idea it was home-made!
I've been packing lunch to work this whole week and haven't eaten out at all. I also try not to buy bakery or sweets from the store since they can add up and are not particularly healthy.
My husband and I usually buy the pork bones from the Chinese & Vietnamese grocery stores to make bone soup. They are cheap, and the soup is nutritious and healthy!
I plan on making apple bread this morning with a bowls of withered looking specimens! I plan on staying out of the stores this week and getting some stuff done around my house - always a money saver. We enjoyed a pot of pintos the other night with two pork chops from the freezer added for flavor - it was great and we decided to make a simple pot of beans part of the regular rotation. And, I plan on saving some postage and drive time by sending a friend an electronic birthday card with Amazon gift certificate. We're trying to up our frugal game here - baby steps...
I'm going take a hint from you and throw some beans in the crockpot. I have a few bags of various kinds of beans and some frozen peices of ham bone in my freezer. Such an inexpensive nutritious meal.
Thanks for the tip about browning stuff before adding bones and water. I'm going to try that next time. I did roast some beef bones once for stock and the flavor was really good, more beefy that way and perfect for mushroom barley soup. I also save veggies bits and pieces like carrot tops and woody broccoli ends in a freezer bag and add it as well for extra nutrition or to make vegetable stock. We love to share a cup of broth once it's done, especially on a chilly day.
The browning step really does give it extra flavor. And color too!
1. I used up spaghetti sauce from the freezer for dinner last night and had enough for leftovers for lunch today.
2. I picked through the wilting spinach to find some good leaves to add to the spaghetti sauce. It's a nice way to get those extra greens.
3. My mom gave me two hand-me-down sweaters that no longer fit her, which will be nice to have for this winter.
4. I bought two long-sleeve tops at Sam's Club to replace two of mine that don't fit and are so old that they're falling apart. While it is spending money, I feel better that it's at Sam's Club so cheaper than other places!
5. We are decorating our office for Halloween tomorrow. I plan to make some decorations tonight using some craft supplies I have at home, rather than buying new.
1 - I remembered my lunch, and even packed enough to keep me going all morning/afternoon. I had to make a pistachio pit stop yesterday, which of course came with a candy bar because I have no self control.
2 - My lunch includes carrot and celery sticks that I cut up myself. 30 minutes of my time and $2.50 worth of veggies gets me more than a week's worth. Plus, the carrots aren't nasty baby carrots. Blech.
3 - I have my insulated stainless steel tumbler full of ice water. I've been bringing it with me pretty consistently, and I feel so much better not drinking soda or lukewarm water.
4 - I transfered a VERY high interest rate credit card balance to a 0% interest offer. Even with the transfer fee, it will save us a big chunk of change.
5 - I just finished listening to a brand-new audio book via a trial subscription to Scribd. I got to scratch that immediacy itch AND I remembered to put the cancellation date in my calendar.
0% is SO GOOD. And you'll make progress on paying it down way faster. Woohoo!!
1. Sort of frugal after not frugal -- we had a leak under the car and took it in, telling them it seemed to be an oil leak. They said our damaged transmission pan was the leak (yeah, we hit something under the car one time and it was actually damaged.) So we paid about $400, of which about $140 was the part, to have it replaced, but the car still leaked exactly the same. Turned out it was a simple o-ring replacement on the oil plug that was needed. I just got off the phone with the service manager, having convinced him to refund us $150 for the repair we would not have made if they had checked the oil plug in the first place. It's not 100%, but I feel we should at least pay for the new part and some of the labor. If this car wasn't so low to the ground, my husband could have gotten under it to check it out himself. We've learned several lessons here!
2. The weather is finally dryer and hooray, a little cooler, so I'm hanging out laundry very happily.
3. I'm saving the bones as we eat down a roasted, spatchcocked chicken, to make more broth.
4. I just bought an Amazon card with my Swagbucks, to buy another Christmas gift.
5. I just got a new job! It won't make more money (boo) but the stress will be much, much less. Yesterday I suddenly realized that for my big interview day, I had arrived in a dress from ThredUp and shoes from Goodwill. And got the job. Ha.
JD- Hope you can get some refund money on the car fix!
Shelia- Great deal on the umbrella! Your pineapple basket is funny but I hope the birthday girl enjoyed the fun.
Here's my frugal Five for the week:
1) I have enough points for a free Starbucks sandwich. Savings- $5
2) After breaking the faucet handle of my tub in a attempt to fix the leaking, we looked everywhere for a replacement. The color and design are 16 years old and it was getting stressful not being able to find it. We called the manufacturer who told us we had a lifetime warranty and they sent a new one for free!! Savings- $45
3) Getting a free sub and drink from Jersey Mike's club. Savings- $8
4) I didn't drive much in the last 6 weeks, apparently, and only spent $35 for gas.
5) I have $65 in rewards (from CC and Swagbucks) to spend on Christmas gifts. I'll probably get gift cards.
1. I was craving pizza the other night after dinner/gym, so I picked up mozzarella & sauce ($4). Combined it with mini tortillas, spinach, oregano we had at home & made pizza-dillas. Yum!
2. I'm potty training my youngest starting Monday. Haven't been buying any new diapers/wipes lately. Also dug out of storage toddler undies, and bought $1 box of m & m rewards. Here's to the process!
3. We've been eating all meals and coffee at home. It's a hard, but good discipline for this financial season.
4. We were gifted some money that we're putting toward physicL therapy bills. Hoping to knock that balance out by January.
5. Adding spinach & fruit to freezer & trying not to throw away produce. We had a power outage recently that left a lot of dairy products spoiled. I bumped up the cold setting so hopefully we don't have that happen again.
Ooh, best of luck to you on Monday! So worth it in the end, so hard in the moment.
I knew this week's grocery trip would be expensive. We needed cat food for 5 cats, dog food, cat litter, and a little extra food for a guest that's coming. So I cut down on everything else. Basically, we're eating beans, eggs, and lentils this week. And Dear Husband got this week's cereal from the ugly bin. (Sort of like ugly fruit. It's basically a damaged box area.) Darn, we still went over budget 21 bucks. But I'm telling myself it would be worse if we didn't try to cut costs where we could!
Your zucchini bread looks delicious!
Wait a sec, what is a minimalist doing with five cats?
My smiley faces didn't come thru... 🙂 🙂 🙂
I also returned something promptly (a gift, in this case) and used a gift card.
I planned our menu from our freezer (I’m working through our freezer while on maternity leave!) and ate what was in the house for lunch every day this week so far.
I breastfed the baby (very frugal!)
I have been entertaining myself with my sister’s Hulu account (she pays, we freeload!) and podcasts.
I have stayed out of stores (though this may be more related to having a newborn than anything else!)
1) Kept up on laundry - which means our family needs fewer clothes
2) Made all school lunches & snacks; both healthier and cheaper!
3) Kept my teeth clean: does everyone realize how frugal a tube of toothpaste is? 🙂
4) On the same note, took my vitamins each day
5) Mended a duvet cover I had been going to get rid of. The fabric is fairly thin in some parts, so I hadn't been going to fix the tear...but the 10 min of sewing I invested means it will last at least another 6 months.
1. Made loaded gnocchi last night and used up a few strips of leftover bacon(I have no idea how that happened), green onions that were taking a turn.
2. Have started making popcorn as an after school snack for my teen son on days I don't work(because it's always better fresh). I loves it, but was also impressed when I explained that it's healthier and far cheaper than chips or pretzels.
3. Son is also taking frozen yogurts to school for lunches. The individual smoothies are often on half-price clearance at our grocery, so I get as many as I can and throw them in the freezer. By lunchtime they're mostly thawed he loves that there is no prep when he's throwing together his lunch in the morning.
4. Have been able to skip several hair cuts because I'm growing out my hair since my hair, when short, requires a great deal of attention and the longer it is the less often I need to cut it. I look a bit of a fright right now, but it will pass. 🙂
5. My big one right now is that I excavated my desk a couple weeks ago and realized I'd never received a travel reimbursement from a trip last spring. I wrote two emails and the check is now being processed. I thought it was going to be around $90, but it's $290!
I love it when I discover things like that...$290 is nothing to sneeze at!
Awesome on the travel reimbursement! That's a nice chunk of change!!!
1. This summer I won a voucher for 4 free tickets to our town's basketball team home opener for main seat tickets. I went online & they were selling for at least $18-$20 each. I listed the voucher for $30 on my nextdoor neighbor site and they sold today, the guy came to my work to pick it up.
2. I went to the Salvation Army thrift store the other day & spotted a pair of Clarks loafers which will be perfect for fall. They were half off & i paid $3.99 for them. I know Clarks shoes are expensive.
3. Before I put our recyclabes out at the curb for pickup i pulled a few big pieces of cardboard out to make part of my Halloween costume (we have to dress up for work). I'm part of a group costume with 2 other co-workers & one of those co-workers just wanted to buy the costumes, but the other 2 of us talked her out of it & we are all 3 making our costumes. I even brought in cardboard for that co-worker to make part of hers.
4. Did a freezer inventory of our stand up freezer plus small one on top of fridge & am making a conscious effort to use up a lot of items in them soon.
5. Tempted to eat out for lunch but keep eating leftovers at home on my lunches. Saving on food waste.
6. Even though it's getting chilly at night here in the north, been keeping the furnace off for as long as we can stand it.
1. I took baked oatmeal to a brunch Monday morning and the kids and I are the leftovers for dinner that night since Daddy was working late.
2. We got a ton of books from the library yesterday and used the inter-library loan system to reserve a movie my daughter wants to see.
3. I got a cabbage as part of a grocery package deal and have used it in 2 recipes so far. I've never cooked with cabbage before!
4. My husband changed the oil in our car last night instead of taking it somewhere.
5. I am wearing a shirt I got from a yard sale.
Oh, your zucchini bread looks great! I keep meaning to make some so I can sneak more veggies into my diet. 🙂
This week:
1. I've been taking food photos in my DIY lightbox. They look professional and it cost me next to nothing to make the lightbox. 🙂
2. I'm prepping to go to FinCon next week. Instead of buying expensive downtown restaurant food, I'm planning my meals ahead of time to keep the trip frugal.
3. I'll be out of town next week, so hubs is on his own for food. I've made him an entire meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tonight we're going shopping so he'll have everything he needs to cook. Hopefully this will keep him from picking up food while his personal chef (me) is out!
4. I took on a lot of freelance work and I'm making a decent bit of extra money, which is always appreciated.
5. This weekend is my mother-in-law's birthday. Instead of taking her to a restaurant, we're eating dinner at their house.
1. I found a bar server that someone put out with the trash. Clearly, the previous owner failed at painting it and decided to toss it. Score for me! It's in excellent condition and retails at around $599! We already have all the ingredients to make chalk paint it, so it's like literally getting a free bar for my dining room!
2. I shredded and froze the zucchini and carrots in the fridge before heading to my mom's house for the weekend.
3. I found gorgeous yellow grape tomatoes on quick sale at Harris Teeter and brought them to my mom as a little gift (we love cooking together).
4. I also found organic beef hot dogs and Niman Ranch ground pork on quick sale. It's all antibiotic free. The kids will gobble up the hot dogs and my husband will love the pork in homemade stir-fry!
5. I treated my family to lunch today instead of dinner. My family appreciated the generosity and it was cheaper than dinner!
Goodmorning Kristen'
This week I
Packed my lunch everyday to take to work
Made a meat free meal to cut down on the amount of meat (expensive) we eat
Made sure all left overs were used up
Fed the compost bin all the fruit and veggie scraps
Made two loaves of light rye bread
Re-potted an avocado tree I grew from seed
Walked the little dogs for some free exercise
Decluttered another few items
And that’s about all I can think of at the mo
Have a lovely day
Fi
this is my first time posting here and I want to say big fat THANKS for your blog, for bragging sometimes, for crying sometimes, for sharing the good and the bad, but always keeping the positive outlook. It is very inspirational for me and I am sure for thousands of other readers, and helps to keep the focus on what is important.
Anyway, you mentioned on several occasions the dreaded library returns. With your kids being so mature and responsible, I think you can shift this one to their plates. Unless, of course you are referring to the books YOU READ, lol. Well, even then, the kids can learn to be your sidekick reminders, anyway,so to tech them that sometimes you help others do their job, because they are family and you care for each other. You don't have to, but you extend yourself to help others not fail -- that sort of thing, if you understand what I mean...
Two really huge frugal things (for me at any rate)
1. After many years I FINALLY paid off my student loan - I swear the sunshine was just a little brighter when I posted that last bill.
2. I always check every bill, statement, ect, ect I get (its amazing what can be overlocked sometimes). Anyway, I had a medical bill come in and I was doing my usual look over and I found 3 issues there. After 20 minutes talking to the billing department that big old bad bill of 400.00 + got knocked down to 56.00... WHEW!!! Goodness that sunshine is bright!
and now for the ordinary and not so ordinary
3. The usual: cooked every meal, toted coffee, water, tea from home, used up the leftovers like a good little kitchen warrior
BUT...don't know if it counts but I bought myself some time with a few DO AHEAD things...which helps when Madam Chaos shows up at my door...less stressing
4. Every year for Christmas our neighbors and us exchange many treats. One couple makes homemade bread and cocoa with cinnamon mix, another makes a ton of peanut filled chocolate drizzled caramel corn (dangerously addictive), and our bachelor who hunts and fishes passes out smoked salmon and homemade venison jerky sometimes pepperoni to...we do a lot of canning (the fruit is free and so were the jars (inherited) so this year our neighbors are getting a basket with black berry jam, sweet/tart plum jelly, apple chutney, and apple pie filling. knowing me I'll polish off the baskets with some homemade Chex mix - a little taste of summer/fall fruit when the snow piles up is always a awesome gift...
So Christmas is all set and ready to go for the neighbors...no last minute yay!!
and 5.
Time...its something I'm always chasing and running out of...
So finishing off the canning got me thinking about the holidays and how I could jumpstart things
So I created my lists for the holiday meals ahead of time. One master meal list, one grocery list (ready to print off) and a time schedule. Done ahead of time...just scored a coffee break sometime in November when I usually do this...
Then after checking said list I raided my pantry and found I could cross off quite a bit of canned goods....not exactly saving money so to speak but I wont have to buy later...
THEN...
Because I was in full kitchen warrior mode I did a bunch of freezer cooking and prep. Took me a couple of hours but I gained
1. At least 30 minutes on those nights when we eat these meals
2. Contentment knowing that dinner just needs to be put in the oven or on the stove or microwaved...ahhh..
3. And since Id chained myself to the kitchen I went and did lunch prep stuff (Veg, wraps, hummus ect) and breakfast...muffins, boiled eggs, and made some baked oatmeal with apples, blueberries and cinnamon.
And there you have it...my longwinded (sorry!!) frugal and timesaver story..
Hugs to all
Wow! Way to go, April! Give yourself several pats on the back for such great kitchen progress! You rock!!!
YAY!!! so glad your student loans are done. And super job on the medical bill.
Our bills have been fairly correct of late, but when we had a PPO plan, they were forever screwing up our bills. I had to call so many times to correct things.
I cut my spending back by 98% and sat home more than usual. It was fall break for the kids so we did have a little fun, but it was all lumped into one or two days. Also, picked the last of the peppers in our garden and prepared them to leave.
The weather here is getting colder at night, but I have kept the heat setting 2 degrees colder than last year so that it will not run as much.
Finally, I made a roast to eat for the night, and froze 1/2 for another meal.
I'm new to this site, but I had to get in on this! Really enjoying reading the responses!
1. Touched up my own roots (I do this every 4 weeks at home, and 1 box of $4 drugstore color lasts about 6 touch ups!)
2. Got ebooks for the family from the public library's digital site
3. Walked today to run some errands, instead of driving and paying for parking
4. My daughter needed new jeans, and instead of buying some I just gave her a few pairs I've *ahem* "outgrown"
5. Needed a gift for a special life event for my kids' friend, a son of our good friends: for $8 incl. tax I matted & framed the paper invitation (looks amazing). This is a standard gift I often give, and it gets raves every time! Plus I've started making him a platter of cookies decorated in his party colors with his initial on them, as a little something extra
Welcome, welcome!
1-Cooked/packed all meals this last week.
2-Skipped my weekly McD’s drive through for the kids’ lunch on the way home from the library. It doesn’t cost much but adds up over the month. They definitely noticed but going less often will make it more of a treat!
3-Now that it’s soup season I’ve been freezing the last portions after we’ve all eaten it once or twice and it’s not so appetizing anymore. What seems like not much to throw out is a perfect amount to fill up a thermos for my husband’s lunches. Having several to pull from in the freezer is a good feeling!
4-Cutting my kids’ hair tomorrow.
5-I need a haircut too but will wait for my mother in law’s visit in a few weeks - she’s a hairdresser.
1. It was haircut time at our house too. 4 haircuts for free!
2. Dug up and brought my giant parsley plant inside for the winter.
3. I was short of broth for soup but made up the difference with water and a piece of Parmesan rind from the freezer. It made delicious 'broth.'
4. Pulled out a new batch of 'new to him' shoes for my three year old. He's excited and I'm thrilled that we don't have to go buy shoes.
5. My Christmas shopping is on track and on budget!
1. I Bought some liquid tight containers (after a sad workbag yoghurt incident) a couple of weeks ago to divide up a big tub joghurt for work rather than buying individual serve. Worked out this week it stays much fresher when measured out daily and the fruit I have is added just before eating. I buy a low sugar low fat vanilla yoghurt that goes with all fruit. (I tried to eat natural yoghurt because I know it's even better for me but I just don't like it). A friend has given me a recipe for homemade yoghurt that I thought was delicious and when I have time I'll try making it but that's a future goal right now)
2. Started keeping fruit in the crisper instead of in a bowl on the bench where it goes sad before I can eat it, and now I am in the habit of having fruit and yoghurt for morning tea I will remember it is there.
3. Finished returning all my unwanted online shops - yay!
4. Started campaign to leave for work earlier to miss heavier traffic and use less petrol, failed today but mostly improving.
5. Washed my car with microfibre cloths to reduce water use and resisted urge to pay for carwash.
1. I used Shoe Goo to repair a pair of kids sandals. Shoe Goo is definitely my new favorite product. I've used it to fix more than just shoes!
2. We're harvesting green beans from our tiny backyard garden, so I was able to make a variation of German potato salad with potatoes, green beans, and leftover white beans I had in the fridge. We had it for our main dish, and my kids liked it!
3. I used old bananas from my freezer to make two loaves of banana bread for breakfast tomorrow to keep my kids from eating up the $12 bag of cereal too quickly.
4. I sewed up the holes in a pile of ripped kids clothing so my kids can still wear them.
5. I gave a bag of chicken bones to my house helper so she could make chicken broth for her family. She also picked a bag full of green bean leaves from our garden to cook in the broth.
That's so great! See what we learn here? Green bean leaves in broth!! Sounds healthy and good, though I wouldn't ever have thought about it if I hadn't read Katie's note here.
1. Our kids really want Pokemon cards for Christmas, so we bought some from a local teen who was selling them to earn money to buy Christmas gifts for his family. Win-win!
2. My husband and I took a 5-day trip while my mother watched our four daughters. It was a splurge (but worth it to maintain a healthy, loving marriage!) We chose a location within driving distance, stayed in an AirBnB condo, packed our food for both travel days, shopped at the grocery store and cooked all but two (planned) meals. We did a couple of amazing experiences, (a Scandinavian spa and a treetop/zip lining outing) but enjoyed really simple things other than that, like hiking together, drinking coffee and chatting, reading library books, wandering around the little shops. It was so refreshing!
3. We made a pot of tomato soup using up all the last of our garden tomatoes, some carrots, onions and garlic, and a big tub of chicken broth that was in the freezer. We ate a bunch of odds and ends of bread with it. 🙂
4. I recently discovered that my library offers a digital subscription to hundreds of magazines! I really wanted a subscription to Clean Eating, but now I can download the last year's worth of issues for free... and no extra clutter.
5. A repair that we feared would be enormous was actually only a $4.99 part. So happy!
6. Bonus... It might not seem like a frugal win, but I think you'll understand. We bought a "last year's model" Phil & Ted's stroller 10 years ago, before our first baby was born. It has been used at least 5 days a week ever since! And yesterday it finally died, after helping us raise 4 babies. My youngest is nearly 3, so I was just using it when I wanted to go for long walks and actually get some exercise for me... so it's not a necessity anymore. It feels pretty good to have gotten so much use out of it!
I completely understand number 6! It's a good feeling when you buy something that serves you well for a long time.
1) We made spaghetti sauce with the end of garden tomatoes. There was not enough sauce for a pasta meal, but enough to coat meatballs... so meatball subs for dinner!
2) My birthday was yesterday. We splurged for Red Robin. I got my free birthday burger .
3) I got a Red Robin gift card in May as a thank you. We saved it till my birthday to help pay for the rest of our meal.
4) I bought Halloween candy to use a coupon before expired. The bag is still un-opened. Yay us for the self control. Normally we cannot have bags of candy in the house! The frugal willpower will prevent the need to buy another bag prior to trick or treat.
5) Hubby took leftover for lunch vs buying.
Happy, happy birthday!
I am a few days late in doing this (as always) but here are mine:
1. We are taking advantage of free halloween/fall events this coming weekend. Our church has a "Great Pumpkin" festival that is always fun and my employer (a university) has a trick or treat in the residence halls for little kids. Free and fun.
2. Halloween costumes, wow, I will say we are 50/50 frugal on that one. I ended up buying my daughter's costume at Cracker Barrel (of all places, I know) and I'm creating my son's John Deere Monster Truck costume out of items we had around the house. Boxes, glue, spray paint and a few printables. It's looking much better than I thought I could make on my own.
3. I was tempted about 6 times to order something from Wish.com, but emptied my cart and decided against it. Not sure how I feel about that site yet. Glad I emptied the cart.
4. The one not-so-frugal online purchase I did make today was for two Christmas Presents (I guess are needed, but it is a purchase) Macy's has a few of their small appliances on sale and their is a rebate to go along with them. Though I spent $45, I will be getting $20 back in rebates. I tend to use those rebates for Christmas money.
5. Next week I am away for work the entire week and my employer will be footing the bill for my food and travel, so I will get some money back for mileage.