Five Frugal Things | ok, actually 10
1. I used up some crystallized honey.
I had two containers of pretty solid honey that I was tired of looking at.
So I made a batch of chocolate chip granola bars.
And a batch of energy balls.
2. I made soup with my butternut squash.
I got one from Hungry Harvest and it sat on my counter for a while. And, much like with the honey situation, I got tired of it taking up counter space!
(How do I decide what to cook? Apparently whatever's visually annoying to me goes on the chopping block.)
So, I made butternut soup and froze it for future lunches for me. No one else likes squash soup, so it's a perfect lunchtime thing for me to eat.
3. I got the cat a $5 rabies shot.
The vet wouldn't do a shot without also charging for an actual office visit, so the total for a visit + shot would have been $78.
But the shelter where we adopted her has a low-cost rabies clinic every week. So, Zoe and I stood in a little line in the rain with the cat (under an umbrella, mind you!) and got her all fixed up for $5.
I had to go to the shelter anyway to renew our cat's license, so this was pretty darn convenient!
And now she's all set on the rabies/license front for three more years.
4. I ordered some Lands' End tees on clearance.
As a rule, Lands' End stuff isn't really my style. But they do make some good basic t-shirts, and as long as I get the more fitted cuts, they work for me.
Anyway, I got an email about a clearance, so I hopped on and ordered a bunch of long-sleeve tees for an average of $10 apiece.
Several are good for me, several fit Lisey, and the others are going back to the local Sears store so I don't have to pay return shipping.
5. How about a catch-all?
I packed a lunch for Mr. FG, using leftovers, I brewed my own coffee at home, I watched a free documentary with Mr. FG, I shopped at Aldi after I made a menu plan for dinners this week, and I bought Zoe a shirt using a $10 coupon (which made the shirt $7).
Your turn! Share your Five Frugal Things in the comments.
I recently heard that Sears no longer will take back the Lands End mail orders. Maybe it’s just my Sears where I live? Be interesting to know if you have any problems.
Ooh, really? I'll have to call and see before I go over.
Hmm. Lands' End's website and the Sears website seem to contradict each other. https://www.sears.com/en_us/customer-service/shipping-delivery-returns/returns.html
I'll keep you posted!
Just heard on the news that a court case about Sears bankruptcy should be announced today in New York.
my local Sears store is closed all together.
Our Sears closed but now, four months later, they've opened a small (about the size of a Plow & Hearth, because that's the space they took over) standalone Lands End store. It's perfect for ordering without paying shipping and returning things that don't work.
Everything looks so nice and not low cost. I love that. I once found a pair of Chico's pants with the tags still on them for $2.99. When I looked up their retail price, they were $150! That was a score on my part! The soup looks delicious by the way. I love freezing soup for lunches. 🙂
It always makes me feel pretty amazing if I can find a deal like that! Good job.
Did you use the honey in it’s crystallized form? Does it measure like sugar that way? Or did you reliquify (not sure that’s a word) the honey first?
I just put the container into a cup of just-boiled water for a little while first, to soften it up. Then it got liquefied enough to measure.
Here's a great tip, and very timely, given today's post on Mason Jars.
Transfer your honey into glass jars before it crystallizes. Then you can zap it in the microwave or give it a hot water bath. It works like a charm! I can't tell you how many sad little bears I created before I figured this out.
I typically buy honey at Costco. I'll use it about halfway, then transfer it to glass. If I obtain a smaller jar, I transfer it to glass right away.
Fun Fact: honey never goes bad, so don't throw that crystallized honey away!
I have the sense that you need to liquify the honey for it to work properly in recipes. Honey is a very odd thing: it's sweet and it's liquid and it's hydroscopic, all of which affect a recipe's outcome. Many recipes with honey are delicately balanced to take advantage of/accommodate these unusual properties.
William I just googled 'hydroscopic" There you go; this will be my new word of the week
Good idea on the hot water - I used to nuke it in the microwave but always wonder if the plastic bottle is ok with that - and the honey can get too hot and runny
I have read that if honey gets too hot, it will alter some of its health benefits so it is recommended not to microwave or boil it. I think the preferred method is to let it liquefy by sitting the bottle in hot water.
Just an FYI for those without a shelter with that sort of discount, many Tractor Supply stores do in-store vaccines (with an actual vet, of course) for less than a vet visit. I'm pet-free but know people who've used this service.
But anyway, let's see what I've done.
1.) Did my taxes using TaxAct. The price on it has crept up over the years but I was able to lock in a sale price. Luckily with the standard deduction doubling my taxes became a lot easier.
2.) Discovered that a lot of the albums I had on my wishlist were available to stream on Amazon Prime. Sure it's not as good of sound quality as the CDs or records but for no money out I can listen to the music and decide if it's something I need to own.
3.) Took advantage of some clearance items at Lowe's. They were closing out their fiscal year at the end of January and they are phasing out Kobalt brand since they acquired the contract to sell Craftsman. So I did okay for myself.
4.) My mom's stove burner (electric) burnt out and needed replacing. I could've bought the GE original but another company (Exact Replacements) makes a compatible part for half the price.
5.) Repaired my dishwasher again. I hate the thing but it works again so that's something, I guess.
Good job on the dishwasher repair! Ours has had a zillion repairs by now too (it's 16 years old).
We have to put new rolling wheels on ours every year or so. I'm told these are purposely made to wear out. I keep a bag of them in my cabinet for when one fails.
You're all giving me a great reminder to be thankful for our dishwasher - despite the fact that it's SO loud (can only run it at night since it drowns out everything else). But, it was here when we bought the house 20 years ago, still works great, and I can't ever remember it needing a single repair. Our washing machine is also original to the house and has only needed one repair in those 20 years. Boy those older machines aren't fancy, but they're real workhorses!
Score on your no. 4! and always impressed at people who can fix things -I am my dishwasher but if I had a plug in one I would have to use a handy man - I have no clue or equipment for that kind of thing
1. I used fabric from an old shirt of my husband's to patch my favorite jeans. This is the third time I've patched them. I suspect the end is near. Does anyone have any suggestions for any brands that aren't ankle length? I need to wear socks with my jeans.
2. I've been waiting for more than a month for a book from the library and now I'm at the top of the waiting list.
3. I cut the top off the toothpaste tube and got another 5 days of toothpaste. Thank you to whoever suggested doing that.
4. I used a 20% off coupon and a 10% off coupon to get a sweater at The Gap Outlet for $8. This is a big deal because for a short person I have long arms and the sleeves of this sweater fit me perfectly.
5. I have a free fancy coffee from my local coffeeshop because it's my birthday tomorrow. Free fancy coffee always tastes better!
Happy birthday!!
Darlene, regarding #3, I do the same thing with ANY container that can be cut or pried open. It's amazing how much is left (and would be wasted otherwise).
I bought a squeeze bottle of mayo for our Christmas party. This past week I was trying to get the last of it out. No matter how many times I shook the bottle down or squeezed that last little bit around the inside lip would not come down. I was determined to get it out so I worked at it with a knife and a few minutes later I had a full 1/3 cup! Will not buy another squeeze mayo that's for sure.
If it's something I use a lot, I'll buy a small and/or squeeze bottle for frequent use and a large cost-effective bottle for storage. Then I don't use up prime storage with a big bottle and don't waste money and resources by buying tons of little bottles.
First time posting, but I’ve been mentally following along with frugal lists for quite some time!
1. I bought a snowsuit on clearance for my daughter next year... and then went back for a price adjustment three days later when the price was dropped a further 25%.
2. While I was there I noticed an outfit I’d splurged on (via gift card) for my son’s first birthday had gone on sale, so I got another price adjustment.
3. I made a quiche that used up four separate things that were in need of consumption.
4. I rediscovered Ebates and finally input my address so they can send me my cheque. (How did I lose track of this?)
5. I managed to do all of this week’s laundry on off-peak power rates.
Woohoo! Welcome to the FFT club. 🙂
Eggy dishes are SO good for using up random bits of food, aren't they?
1. After shopping, I went through the fridge thoroughly, to make sure I know what I had and when it needs to be used.
2. Last-minute Super Bowl pot-luckish party involved no extravagant purchases. I made yogurt+onion dip, refries+Rotel dip, bought 10 bags of chips on sale + coupons; bought grapes and baby carrots and used up the rest of my celery; and offered beverages I already had. I encouraged guests to bring beer, because I don't like it and so don't stock it; and another friend brought kick-ass taco makings.
3. Am deferring buying health-related items (such as band-aids) till the arrival of a pre-paid card from my insurance company. The card is a benefit for filling out an annual health-related survey. Till then I'm using my emergency kit contents. This both saves money and refreshes the kit contents.
4. However, combined Extra Bucks with healthy & beauty club discount at CVS, to buy a $14 ankle support for $7. I need the support now, not a week from now.
5. Saw "Black Panther" for free on the big screen, part of Marvel's limited-run complementary rerelease. My guess is Marvel did this to create buzz for "Black Panther" to win the Best Picture Oscar. I did not waste my savings on overpriced, over sugary, over sized snacks.
Yay for frugal cat care. Unfortunately, our cat was diagnosed with mammary cancer, and we are faced with a costly decision whether to go with surgery, palliative care or nothing. She is a 11-12- year-old rescue and still in good health otherwise, but this type of cancer can be aggressive. I so hate having to make these kinds of choice from a financial point of view. We are leaning on surgery because the price difference with palliative care (less invasive surgery to remove the tumor) is so small.
So, our frugal life goes back and forth between being frugal in small things and less so in larger things.
Bu, some small things:
1. We had a nasty bout of norovirus in the family last week. Resisted running screaming to the store to buy any fancy disposable or premixed cleaners, and used bleach that I diluted myself, as well as rags that we have plenty of. Happy to report the bug didn’t spread to anyone in the family but the two youngest who got it from school.
2. We delayed going grocery shopping until our fridge was almost empty. Took advantage of washing it out completely in my cleaning frenzy and emptied out old containers. It’s nice to see what foods we actually have in there.
3. Avoided impulse-take outs despite the rough week.
4. One of the Christmas presents I had ordered online was later delivered again, and I noticed that my bank account had also been deducted twice. I made sure I got a refund and returned the second item (what a hassle!)
5. Our Sears closed their Lands End department and I think this will happen in all stores. Unfortunately one less physical place to shop for clothes; which I haven’t done since New Years. Really need to break this streak soon
Kristina...I am so sorry your kitty has cancer and you are having to go through this with her. Thoughts of healing, comfort and compassion coming your way.
Thank you, Julie <3
Kristina - Our Humane Society dog was diagnosed with mammary cancer last year at age 13. They suggested that a causative factor was that she was not sterilized until we adopted her at age 5. They performed a chest x-ray & blood test that indicated it had not spread which helped us decide to pursue surgery for removal of the tumor. She weathered anesthesia & recuperation like a trooper & is doing well at age 14. I had no difficulty spending my own $ for her care, as this is one of the reasons I work - to have the ability to spend on what is important to me. That said, we elected to forgo the cost of a pathology analysis because there are limits to what treatments we would choose. Chemotherapy or radiation would not be something we would pursue due to her age but surgical excision seemed reasonable. These are extremely difficult decisions factoring in costs & benefits of treatment, mixed in with many emotions related to a pet who is often viewed as a family member. My heart goes out to you as you & your family go through this gut-wrenching time of decision making.
Thank you, Lisa. I'm so happy to hear that your dog is doing well! Our vet suspect the same causative factor for our cat, as she had had a litter in the wild before being rescued and was not sterilized until later.
Her lung x-rays are looking promising so we have scheduled a surgery to remove one mammary chain and a small tumor on the other side. We will also forego the pathology tests and chemo/radiation. It is a risk that the tumor comes back and we probably have to remove the other mammary chain next year. However, just doing a simple excision surgery to remove the tumors themselves (palliative care as the tumors will grow to be uncomfortable) is quite expensive already, so we rather spend a little extra to give her a chance for a few more years. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and caring!
I can only think of 3.
1. Watched a movie on Netflix for date night instead of going out to the movie theatre.
2. Read a book downloaded from the library using OverDrive app. BTW, I just heard about a new app called Libby that is easier to use and has alot of audio books.
3. Went to the grocery store on Saturday and only bought the 2 things that I needed.
Libby is AWESOME
For years I loved LE, then they became too pricey and the clothes a little less than great quality. I do love the tee shirts for women though. OK, here's my list:
*stopped myself from buying a burger and fries for lunch as I was out running errands - I will make a grilled cheese sammie at home, complete with freezer fries
*took my hearing aid in to the audiologist to be worked on and altho it was a little over a month past the warranty, the company honored it anyway, so the clinic sent it in for me and it was fixed it for free
*ran out of bread for what I was serving last night (SOS on toast) so I found some leftover onion rolls in the freezer and toasted them instead. So good!
Almost past their prime sweet potatoes, carrots, white potatoes, and stew beef went into a crockpot with some pork rib stock for an original stew that's making my whole house smell great! (I coated the beef with flour and browned them, then mixed it all up with the stock.)
1. All meals have been at home the past week. I am still working on using up the excess in the freezer and pantry. Things are looking better.
2. It was cold (for the Mid-Atlantic region) last week but I bundled up and walked outside every day. Fresh air and exercise is good for me. I also was able to attend the yoga and Pilates classes I usually attend.
3. Our clothes dryer quit working. My husband figured out a switch broke. I was able to order a new one and it will arrive tomorrow. A $5 part put it back in business, keep money in our account, and keep it out of the landfill.
4. We were able to watch the Super Bowl over the air, using an old antenna. We quit at half time but still enjoyed special food and a few commercials.
5. We emerged from our low spend January in great shape. We spent on some groceries and gas but not on much else.
All meals at home is a huge win!
1 I shopped strictly according to my list
2 and cooked up meals from scratch, also including somenearly overdue veggies
3. I sowed facecloths from old towels
4 and mended some seams on others
5 For the last few days, I've kept boiling water in a thermos rather than heat a cup every time I want some tea. The kids think it is convenient too - now they drink tea instead of soft drinks!
1. Fun/frugal family activity: We made a batch of your chewy granola bars (raisin version). I had all the ingredients at home, so there was no extra cost. Thanks for the recipe. Big hit with hubby and son.
2. Read an e-book borrowed electronically from my local library.
3. Prepped lunch for myself for the whole work week (no buying lunch)
4. Watched the Superbowl via CBS's live-stream app through our Roku. We do have a basic cable package, bundled with our internet service, but we do not rent the company's fancy cable box (saving us approx $20 per month with remote). This means we cannot watch our basic cable on our HD TV the traditional way. We rarely notice because you can pretty much stream all programming.
5. I used up a whole chicken, which is unusual in my house. We ate the roasted legs/thighs, wings, partial breast; I used the innards and backbone to make chicken stock; I used the left-over chicken breast for chicken salad sandwiches.
This will be a dig to find some frugals. We just had to have the coil replaced on our heat pump, and my TV suddenly no longer gets a signal from the antenna, yet the connections and cable look fine. Our well pump needs work and my husband isn't physically able to do it. The expensive year of 2018 is still holding on.
1. On a visit to the VA center two hours from us, for my husband, I avoided buying a meal while I waited on him by taking a protein bar and some drinks along with me.
2. I didn't have enough leftovers for lunch, but I had homemade soup portioned out in the freezer, so soup it was.
3. I remembered to freeze leftover ground beef before it started getting ugly.
4. I found a nice wire organizer basket, which I needed, at a thrift store for $1.99.
5. I caught a sale price that rang up as full-price at the cash register again. It almost never happens the other way, in my experience.
1. Someone desperate to leave Alaska quickly held a house sale---like a garage sale only you walk through the house and pick what you want from various rooms. This person had a huge stock of household items, including 19 cases, not packages but cases, of good quality toilet paper for $4 per case. You can't even get a package for that! I had enough cash in my pocket to purchase 14 cases. We had to break apart the cases and put packages under our bed and the guest room bed, plus a tower of them in the bathroom, but it was worth it. Won't have to buy toilet paper for a year!
2. The grocery store had bags of dead bananas on sale for a dollar a bag. Bought two, stashed some in the freezer, and made mom on time out's recipe for applesauce/dead bananas recipe. No egg, no butter or oil, and it tastes great. I did cut the amount of chocolate chips in half and no one complained.
3. Love being married to someone who does not care for football, but husband was envious of all the snacks people were advertising. So, on Sunday I dug up cupboard items and made artichoke-cheese dip and chili dogs. The only thing I had to buy was chips.
4. Our oldest dog is dying. Not in a lot of pain but we know it will be only a few more weeks until he leaves us. He loves hamburger and I found a good sale on hamburger so I bought a lot of it and he is getting his favorite meat for his meals. Even the vet says at this point there is no point to stick to a well-balanced diet. I would have done it anyway, but am thankful for a good sale so it does not break the bank. He is a Dane and eats a lot, even now.
5. Our internet kept going out so finally called the provider. They could not fix it remotely so sent over a repair guy. Turned out our router was so old it was breaking down. They were supposed to have traded out all of the old ones last year, and since they somehow forgot us, the house call was free!
I fought the hospital and won! I have a piece of equipment that is rented every month. The hospital is supposed to bill the insurance company and for over a year they billed them at the wrong and much lower rate. When they discovered it, they tried to back-bill the insurance and the company refused to cover anything older than six months. The hospital then sent me a bill for over $2,000, for what the insurance would not cover. It took several months and four appeal letters and an in person visit, but they finally agreed that they were at fault and would eat the cost. If insurance billing were not so incomprehensible I would have figured this out on my own, but since I can't read what is the equivalent of cuniform, I had no idea what was going on.
Very impressed with your win vs the hospital billing department!
Me too! Good job!
Congratulations on your insurance win, and for sticking with it to understand and sticking to it so you got the right outcome. Dealing with insurance is the bane of my existence and I glory in your triumph.
I'm so sorry about your Dane. It's hard to lose a loved one, including the four-footed ones. My rescue (whom I'd had for only two years) died with little warning just after Thanksgiving, and went too quickly to enjoy the treats. I'm glad you get some more time with yours and he can enjoy the indulgences.
Lindsay I am sorry you had to go through that but you just made my day - for a split second I was transported back to my year 7 history teacher saying "cuneiform", and thought wow, and I thought that would never come in handy - you have just given me a big laugh, thank you:)
Lindsey - Thank you for the idea about canine comfort food. With a geriatric dog this idea will be useful at some point in the future but fortunately, we have a 15# dog versus your Dane. 🙂
I applaud your tenacity at efforts to make the insurance world fair & equitable. It is definitely NOT that way on its own accord & I say this based on experience working with both health & auto insurance. It takes an insane amount of energy to right wrongs in those arenas, in part due to very specific lingo which is a distinct disadvantage to consumers.
My Dad once said my Mom had stocked up on enough sale toilet paper to insulate the bathroom. Sounds like you've done it!
And thank you for sticking to your rights with the insurance, however frustrating it became! I wish to believe that the more people do so, the more insurance companies and billing departments will change their ways and become more of what we pay them to be.
1. Spent no money during polar plunge days off at home.
2. Made banana bread out of eight soft bananas.
3. Bought chicken legs on mark down. Put them in crock pot with kickin chicken spice. Ate them for dinner. Then my husband picked the meat off the leftover legs for a future pot pie. Bag of chicken pieces in freezer.
4. Made two quick dinners of egg sandwiches and fruit. My kids love them. Fast and cheap.
5. Have recently cut down on paper towel usage.
1. Finished our month of free bagels each day from Panera, only missing one day due to icy roads. The shop is quite close to our house, so it wasn't a big deal for one of us to get there each day. About a third of the days we even took our own container so there wasn't so much waste.
2. Stocked up on our favorite bacon when I found it was $3 off per package. Found some other great deals to stock up on, so by the time I checked out I qualified for the $24 off a $120 purchase coupon I'd loaded on my card that I never thought I'd be able to use.
3. Finally got around to asking a friend who crochets if she had any bits of wool yarn that I could use to darn my husband's cozy wool socks that have been heel-less for a too long to admit. I used a light bulb for a darning egg and go it done!
4. This one sounds odd, but makes sense in the end. I'm taking college classes and got as many used and/or rented books as I could. Turns out that two of the books I need for three semesters, negating any savings I would get by renting them. So, I went back to the campus book store and bought them.
5. I've been taking tea and snacks with me each day to classes to keep myself from buying anything on campus. I'm done classes by 12:15 each day, so I just go home to eat whatever I can find for lunch.
1. Wore my favorite old shirts (which have a couple of holes in them) all week, since I was mostly at home all week, not too many errands.Can get a few more years out of them!!
2. Used a gift certificate for a honey baked ham to make for our hosting of a church pot luck.NO COST ENTREE!!
3. Using up bits and bobs from freezer,eating weird food combinations till it's gone!!
4. Put 2 books I REALLY want to read on hold at library and will practice patience!
5. Found a binder to hold my collections of Artist Trading cards, in the FREE pile at my meetup art group! (I also donated some supplies I no longer use..)
1) Went to an event on Saturday which was a fundraiser for 2 local animal rescues. My husband and I spent a total of $17 - $5 each for a hot dog, chips, drink and cookies, $1 each for entry into a cake walk where we won banana muffins, and $5 for raffle tickets. One of my raffle tickets won a basket with dog items that we will definitely put to good use! It was a great afternoon for a wonderful cause.
2) My class was cancelled last week due to the polar vortex which probably saved me a quarter tank of gas or more since the university isn't extremely close to my house.
3) Had some friends over for the Super Bowl yesterday. I spent $17 at Aldi and otherwise used items from my pantry. We fed everyone and have so. many. leftovers. We will eat some today and tomorrow and freeze the rest.
4) I needed an item at Bath and Body Works. I used a 20% off coupon and also had coupons to get 2 other items for free.
5) One of our fitted sheets got a tear in it. I sewed it up. Anyone who can sew would likely laugh at the job I did. It looks terrible. I really need to take a sewing class. I start at one end, sew up the tear and then when I get to the end I realize that I don't know how to end it. So I end up sewing it all the way back to the start and attempting a knot. Despite its rough appearance, the sheet has been fully functional.
Not very frugal week as our washing machine broke (the whole PCB unit): after much googling it turns out to be a really common issue with this model. Unfortunately the replacement part is very expensive and there is no guarantee that it won’t short again. So I have very reluctantly had to order a new machine. It’s so frustrating as it’s so wasteful not to be able to repair it. However hand washing sheets, at 6am on Sunday morning made me very grateful for having a washing machine. It’s a nice reminder that I have I have an awful lot to be thankful for.
1) I did manage to take my lunch to work most days.
2) I walked home from the hospital after an routine investigation, rather than take a taxi (very pleased with that as I had been starved for 36 hours so was feeling rough). The walk in bright sunshine did me a lot of good! Also looks like my routine cancer check was all clear too. Hurrah!
3) Cooked birthday lunch for my husband and all the family instead of going out.
4) Used all the Christmas leftovers for the birthday lunch... Panettone bread pudding, Christmas Pudding and Prosecco; all used from stores.
5) Had the kids make their Dads birthday cards instead of using store ones.
Great news on the cancer check!!
This week will be hard for me to come up with frugal things since we were out of town all weekend.
1) I cooked up some eggs that we needed to eat soon and make deviled eggs and egg salad that I ate for lunches and with meals for about 3 days.
2) Rather than buy snacks for our roadtrip from a gas station that would have been much more expensive we stopped into a local WinCo that was on the way out of town and bought some stuff from their bulk bins. So we saved vs the gas station AND only bought as much as we felt we needed for the weekend trip rather than having to settle for whatever size package we could find.
3) We parked and walked around town to look at the sculptures at the winter carnival rather than driving around to find them. We ended up not finding all of them (seriously some were elusive) but got in a good walk and saved some gas money! Bonus we also got to see about 7 deer that were eating berries that had fallen out of a tree right in the middle of town in someone's yard. So cool to see those animals in the middle of a mountain town just chomping away (even though my husband felt like one was chasing us!).
4) We skipped the super bowl and needing to make snacks etc... since neither of us really care for football.
5) We decided to try cross country skiing since we'd never done it before. Rather than going somewhere and paying for rentals and classes/lessons we rented everything from a local sports supply store and the employees gave us a quick description of how to use them, went to a state park to ski where we got wonderful views of the frozen and snow covered lake and got a few tips from a local skier we happened to say hello to at the beginning of the trail. We did pretty good too! We each only fell once (I was about 10 feet from the end of the trail when I fell and was so proud of myself that I was going to make it the whole way without falling too!) and had a really good time together for a relatively small amount of money. I'm sure we saved a bit vs. lessons!
Sounds like many frugal happenin's, indeed. Don't you just love when the stars align and you're able to knock out all kinds of to-dos in frugal fashion? 🙂
This week:
1. We went to a Super Bowl party yesterday, where our generous family wined and dined us. 🙂
2. We made a good meal plan for this month, so we're dedicated to largely eating out of the freezer and fridge.
3. I plan on trimming my bangs sometime this week.
4. I'm returning some library DVDs I borrowed (for free!) so we don't pay a late fee. 🙂
5. I cooked a huge batch of marinara sauce over the weekend and froze it for later.
1. Went by the car wash with the free vacuums to clean out my van this morning since the temps were a glorious 49 degrees!!! (68 degrees higher than 4 days ago.)
2. Said "no" to my daughter's request for nuggets and fries for lunch and we had leftovers.
3. I got 3 copies of my baby's birth certificate. The first copy is $16, then it's $6 for each additional copy. I know it's a frugal-way-down-the-road thing, but I'm counting it.
4. One of my baby's sleepers had a hole in the seam, so I sewed it up.
5. I got 8 avocados while Aldi had them for 39 cents and am going to freeze them for when I start giving my baby solids. For now we're still rocking the free Mama's milk.
It got even warmer here today and it was fantastic!
1. Washed and organized all the clothes our friends have passed down to us for our new baby. She has enough clothes until 3T and 12 pairs of shoes!
2. Ate all meals at home and spent about $75 on groceries this week (this includes enough meat for another few weeks though)
3. Polished my wooden floors with water, vinegar, and olive oil- worked really well!
4. I have been making iced coffee and storing in large mason jar, which has prevented me buying an iced coffee while out
5. Made deoderant and laundry detergent
1. Cleaned out my "baking shelf" in our pantry and made a batch of homemade granola and blueberry muffins to use up some more ingredients I had on hand.
2. Returned library books and DVDs on time and put some other titles on hold.
3. Hung our laundry to dry (usually I hang indoors during the "winter" in Texas, because of pollen blowing around, but it's also been rainy and wet the past few days).
4. Eating through the pantry and freezer to clear out old food before restocking.
5. Gymboree and Crazy 8 is going out of business and I went to see if I could find some socks and underwear for my kids, but all the boys' underwear was gone! I found some sale/clearance socks for additional 50% off and making them slightly under $1/pair and a cute girl's shirt for $2 for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
1. Made homemade pita bread and falafel
2. Stayed home for the Super Bowl
3. Found a shirt I had forgotten about in my closet so it feels new but I already paid for it
4. Potluck lunch on Friday and I took a loaf of homemade (bread machine) bread. Great meal for a low price plus brought home some extra bread!
5. Aldi sale produce
Oh, and my power went out for a couple hours Saturday morning so we saved some $ on electricity ; )
Ooh. Depending on where you live, that can be a very painful way to save a few dollars!
Way to go Kristen, I wasn't a fan of pumpkin soup until I tried a shop one with coconut & spices; now I love it in winter for lunch so next winter I will be making my own for the first time. As a work lunch I also add a drained mini can of chickpeas so I don't need bread with it and the protein keeps me going.
My FFT:
1. Been looking on gumtree for second hand items before going to a store - just got a rack to hold my drink bottles & kitchen wraps
2. Started keeping a pack of small long-life milks in the fridge so that when I run out of milk I don't need to make a special trip - saves time and gas
3. Keep making tea for a thermos to take when out during the day it holds 2 good size cups and stays hot for many hours
4. Over time have become much more discerning when shopping, really considering if I need something & if it is the best buy, do I already own something that would do the same job etc & finding it easy to walk away to think for a day or two & then usually not buying in the end - did this on the weekend with a few items
5. Wanted a washable multicoloured striped rug for my main entry hallway both as it was the look I wanted & multicoloured would hide a lot of dirt. Couldn't find one then tried Oxfam (fair trade shop) & got a beautiful fairtrade, hand washable, recycled cotton, multicoloured rug in just the right size - online it was $59 but when I went in store to avoid postage found the whole store was on sale & got it for $40!! Big bargain in Aus.
1. Tossed together some pantry odds and ends to make trail mix for the day's I have classes.
2. Had some spoilt produce in my Hungry Harvest box so I sent an email to customer service and got a $6 credit for my next order.
3. Wanted to start a bullet journal for tracking my food consumption in Feb. I'm using a regular spiral notebook instead of buying a fancier notebook.
4. Made a meal plan for this week based on what's already in the house. The only thing we may need to milk for the toddler.
5. Been taking coffee in a reuseable thermos to classes.
How good is it taking your own coffee/tea huh? I do it automatically now when I go out for the day; it saves money, it's just how you like it, & it's good for the planet 🙂
1. Made low carb cookies and salami wrapped cheese snacks at home to save money and stay on my diet plan
2. My husband’s surgery was covered by workman’s comp...so thankful!
3. Wrote out at study guide for Of Mice and Men to use in homeschool (I forgot how depressing it was...) and plan to put it on my Teachers pay Teachers store if my daughter likes it (my very own guinea pig)
4. Made a gallon of tea and Crystal lite instead of buying premade drinks
5. Used my dad’s air compressor to add air to my tires ( I cannot imagine paying $1-$2 for air...)
The last week has been a mix of frugal ways and not so frugal ways...
School was cancelled due to sub zero temperatures... so I used my time off work wisely! used up chicken and turkey *stuffs* and veggie scraps to make a huge vat of stock.. made a large crock pot of green beans and ham with potatoes... grabbed ground beef at a great price and made a huge vat of beef and bean chili.. so lots of heat and food making going on while the winds were blowing...
The dryer START button... died... not sure exactly what happened but it appears to be the physical button..husband popped the button off and we are now using the dryer with a tiny dowel activating the sensor...My husband usually fixes problems with youtube and amazon... he was buried in work and this was the quick fix.. works great so until we need to repair something else I am totally fine! lol
We had to travel for the girls volleyball tournament so we stayed a little further away to use free hotel points... took a lot of our own snacks.. but had to pay parking and meals....
Girl started getting sick with a cold the day we were leaving.. by the time we got home she was feeling miserable... I got laundry going and started to defrost the homemade stock... used that and leftover cooked turkey in the freezer, carrots in the fridge and yellow rice packs to make supper for those who wanted it on Sunday and for Monday night!!
Bought a rotisserie chicken at Sams with a $2.00 money back on Ibotta... Guess what we are having as part of supper tonight?
Hey, as long as I could get my dryer started, I'd be happy just like you!
1). Took my kids to a certain urgent care that does not count against our deductible - the bad news is that one tested positive for the flu, the good news is that it would have cost us $280 if we had gone to a different urgent care
2). Last weekend we spent the afternoon sledding at a local hill with other families
3). Borrowed a movie from the library for family movie night
4). Scrapped plans to go out to dinner when everyone was tired and ate from the freezer
5). Consolidated errands
Love the honey solution! We've yet to have that problem with my 2 girls loving honey, but will save that granola idea for the future.
1. Used CVS coupons to buy an item we needed for only 92 cents.
2. Reserved homeschool literature at library instead of buying several books. Also occasionally pick up picture books that go with the curriculum at thrift store so that when we re-sell we can sell as more of a set.
3. Used gift cards to purchase a new vacuum. Thankful for this!
4. Switched to Ting for my phone service--I think I heard about them first here on the blog.
5. Have not...ordered pizza, planned vacation, online shopped, updated wardrobe, went to salon, hung out with friends/family much, etc. I have used what I have, sought to maintain what I have, went outdoors when I can, kept busy with family & home, and enjoyed the things we do have. Seeking contentment in this season & also joyfully looking ahead to days when they'll be more fun & connectedness!
FFT fixing up our fixer-upper house we just bought:
1. Plumbing needed to be redone. The company charges about $4,000 and a man offered doing it himself for $2000. My husband decided to do it himself and has spent about $600-700 on supplies. Saving us thousands.
2. We bought a lot of our things, like a dryer and paint at a habitat for humanity store. The options are fewer, but the prices better.
3. We've also bought a lot of things like fans, furniture and lamps at thrift stores.
4. We're doing all the work ourselves so far (with help from family). We're painting and refinishing the hardwood floor (considering renting a big floor sander as the small belt sander is taking a long time).
5. We're trying to reuse as much as we can in the house. An old metal bed frame is here which we'll repaint, we're keeping the old windows for now, the cast iron tub we'll clean and maybe even sand and refinish, and the comode and bathroom vanity we can keep.
I wish you were blogging to give us a picture of the updates you're doing with your fixer-upper home purchase! 🙂
I think if someone asked me to re-plumb a house I would have to find someone I could pay to fix it for me. I would create a bigger mess that I could imagine if I tried! Eek!
Great job with all of your money savings!
Hmmm, dunno if I have five things, but one is so good, I'll give it a shot.
- Tuesday is Senior Day, er, Morning, at Grocery Outlet. Everything is 10% off. Found a single box of a limited edition cereal my kid had raved about. Bought it for .99 - .099 = .90 for the win. Total spend was only $13.28.
- Went to the 99 Cent Only Store across the street. Found frozen Guacamole for 99.99* cents each. Bought eight. They helped everything in the freezer bag nice stay and cool until I got home. Also got a bunch of Birdseye veg. and four "Oprah" mashed potato/ cauliflower combos for 99.99* cents each. Got out of there for about $20.00. (Too lazy to go check the receipt.)
- I do hospitality for a large group and our next meeting's coming up. I was looking for more of a specific size/color plate to augment some I had on hand. I've been looking everywhere to no avail. I was planning on hitting one last party store while I was out and about. The very last row at the 99 Cent Only Store offered up exactly what I needed. Trip saved and 80 plates cost $5.00, for which I will be reimbursed.
- Stopped at my favorite thrift store on the way home and found two unopened puzzles for 45 cents each.
- Big win of the day: For the above mentioned group, I like to use real stuff whenever possible. Every meeting is themed and I like to make/use/reuse cloth tablecloths. I'm always watching for bolts of fabric at the thrift store. Today I found a 15 yard bolt of 54" upholstery fabric for $15.00. It was still in the Joann Fabrics wrapper! It will make a lovely set of tablecloths. When I went to pay for it, I discovered it was Green Tag Day and all Green Tag items were - wait for it - $3.00! Even though I'll get reimbursed, it's still a thrill! Best of all, the selvedge is lovely, so I can get away with cutting them to the proper length for now and finishing the ends at my leisure. Saves time, saves thread and best of all, I can use them again and again.
*The 99 Cent Only Stores raised their prices to 99.99 cents a couple of years ago, but my keyboard doesn't have a cents sign. I could just call it $1.00, but that always makes me think of the Dollar Tree.
I also love to get inexpensive cloth table cloths to use for events. I often find them super cheap at thrift stores.
I've been on a spending fast since January 1 so I'm winning at five frugal things LOL.
I decided to stop using Instacart for a while because I was overspending on groceries. I think removing the "pain of paying" is to blame.
I also started a price book so I can stock up when things hit a Buy price. A LIDL opened in my area recently ...do you have any experience with them?
One is supposed to open here, but it's not turned up yet! I'm super curious to try it out.
I love all the wonderful ideas, so helpful
1. Took a light painting photography workshop with my son, free AND it counted for homeschool art!
2. Attended a lecture at a local college on the Photography of the Depression era. Free AND it counted for homeschool art and history!
3. Didn’t spend any money on food for a three day rabbit convention. Packed and did potluck.
4. Made a big pot of chili for lunches and three dinners.
5. Returned in needed items to hardware store for refund.