Five Frugal Things
1. I used my Figs shipping bag as a trash bag
This one is honestly more resourceful and waste-reducing than frugal, but I'm including it anyway!
I had ordered a set of navy blue Figs scrubs several months ago, and they came in a pretty big shipping bag.
I came across the bag the other day and realized it could serve as a small trash can liner.
Since small plastic shopping bags are no longer a thing in my area, I do my best to conserve the stash I have here!
2. I got a great price on some iron pills
As I've mentioned, my iron levels are improving, but I need to continue with supplements for a bit because my stored iron levels are still too low.
I'd bought the name brand Slow Fe iron before, but this time I opted for CVS's generic version. Each bottle is usually $14.99, but they were buy one, get one free, plus I had several coupons and extra care bucks, so I got two bottles for $6.61!
I was very pleased with myself, and I figured that 120 iron pills should be enough to finish off my iron supplementation journey (unless I donate blood again. Ha. Which we know I will.)
3. I used my Amazon credits (partially)
Somehow, I had managed to accumulate $358 in Amazon credits from one of my credit cards (It is an Amazon-branded card, but you can use it anywhere, and I just have it auto-set to pay some of my bills).
It is one of the few credit cards from my married years that had me listed as the primary cardholder, so I have hung onto it due to the very long associated credit history.
Anyway! I obviously haven't checked my credit balance in a while, but once I discovered I had so much credit to use, I ordered a few personal care items for $0 out of pocket (some lotion, some shampoo, and the spray I use for my dry eyes.)
4. I touched up my Christmas tree stand
This one is from 1997 (!!), and a few years ago, I sanded it down, removed the rust, and repainted it.
The rehab job is holding up pretty well, but after I took my tree down this week, I saw some tiny spots of bare metal peeking through.
So, I gave it a few quick coats of spray paint (which was free from my Buy Nothing group). And now we should be good to go for next Christmas.
I love how heavy-duty this stand is; I see so many current models that are made of thin, flimsy metal. Sooo, I'd like to keep this one going as long as possible.
(Spray paint does have temperature range specifications; if you're gonna do this in the winter, be careful, because freezing temps + spray paint don't mix well. I was lucky enough to have a warmish afternoon!)
5. I booked a 50% off haircut
I had been thinking I needed a trim (which I usually get twice a year), but hadn't gotten around to making an appointment. But then I got a "We haven't seen you in a while!" text message from Hair Cuttery, offering me 50% off.
Soo, I'm going in at 10 this morning.
And don't worry: I will tip on the full price. 🙂
Happy Frugal Tuesday as always!
I
- Did not leave the house this weekend by choice. Side perk (rest being the main goal) - saved gas money and avoided misc purchases.
- Showered at the gym a couple times.
- Made some food that needed to be used up from the freezer so now I have stuff ready to go and easy for the week too!
- Have not spent personal money on my classroom so far for this semester (which we are 5 days into haha).
- Continue to be too tired for so many grocery store trips so we continue to be creative with what is here.
If it had been me I probably would have thought 'that's a job for next Christmas' and forgot about it! Good reminder to get things like that done early!
My frugals:
1. I booked a somewhat fancy hotel in Florence as it was having a winter sale, and wasn't a lot more expensive than some of the more basic places. Breakfast is also included!
2. This is slightly unfrugal, but I didn't book the cheaper late opening ticket for a museum I want to go to because I know I want to go there earlier in the day and would rather save on time. I also booked all my museum tickets ahead of time as there can be long queues and a risk of selling out.
3. I borrowed guidebooks on Florence from the library and also made an itinerary with ideas from blogs and websites on going to Florence.
4. I have not got any takeout so far this month.
5. I bought a dress in a sale which was 50% off. It was originally fairly expensive as it's from an independent shop, but it's well-made and should last a long time (plus I like supporting independent shops!).
Ha, welllll, for many years I put off rehabbing that tree stand by employing that mindset. But then December would roll around and it would usually be too cold to paint, and plus I'd be needing the tree stand immediately.
So, I have learned from my past self!
Okay, that makes me feel slightly better about myself! Haha! Learning from your past self is always a plus 🙂 I often motivate myself to get things done by thinking about how Future Sophie will be happy lol!
All mindful spending Sophie!
--High winds knocked our garbage can into the corner of the garage, tearing several corner pieces loose, but thankfully there was no structural damage. I reattached the loose pieces thanks to my power drill and some screws.
--I mended a holy shirt, a hand towel seam, and the edge of our bed's winter quilt.
--I repurposed a giant tin from gifted Christmas cookies to hold marigold seeds. The seeds were originally in smaller containers--all I had when cleaning up the garden--and completely filled the tin!!! I didn't even harvest a quarter of the total seeds, though I may have accidentally seeded our side of the village in the process....
--Ace Hardware finally put their fall flower bulbs on sale. Since we had a brief warm snap that softened the ground, I availed myself of 12 alliums and over 100 muscari bulbs for under $20.
--We've been doing a modified pantry challenge to use up ingredients that have been sitting forever despite the fact we genuinely like them. Think pearled barley, black rice, an embarrassment of canned chickpeas, etc. Related: I've made a point of referring to our physical cookbooks more vs. defaulting to online searches. My goal is to try 2-3 new recipes a month from our cookbooks.
I had so many chickpeas too, because I'd bought a case from Sam's Club. I've been using them in the copycat Aldi salad.
Im afraid I'm unfamiliar with that one! Shakshuka is my favorite way to use chickpeas and will be either tonight's or tomorrow's dinner. Cumin lime chickpea salad is another.
My area has also stopped using small plastic bags, which I used to re-use for so many things! Good idea to re-use shipping bags.
1. A small thing—we had some (clean) recyclables stored in a big clear plastic trash bag. Instead of throwing the whole bag in the recycle bin, I emptied it and saved it for later use.
2. Another small one—I cut up an old washcloth to use for drying after applying eye drops, instead of buying a specific-purpose product.
3. A used leftover yarn to crochet a tote bag. It wasn’t fun and the colors are dull, but it kept my hands busy while watching tv in the evening and it will be useful.
4. I have not thrown out and replaced my newish magnetic measuring spoons that are driving me crazy the way they stick together in the drawer.
5. My partner saw a post that someone in town had put a number of things, including a dog gate, out on their curb for free. We drove right over, but unfortunately it was not the kind of gate we need. I’m giving us credit though for attempting to “shop” in a different, more frugal way!
Too busy to comment fully, but I love any kind of product that will last! For instance, last week when the roads were covered in ice, our eldest wore the heavy duty anti slip shoe spanners he has had for over 10 years (and did not need for the last five - admittedly). They were far better than the cheaper spiked ones we had. So we ordered similar ones for ourselves and if we do not wear them out they will become part of our estate ;-).
I prefer storing a safety product you use once every five years only, to risking one bad fall. Especially now that we moved into early seniority.
I've been wearing my Birkenstock boots lately which were expensive, but SO good for walking in the snow and not slipping, so they were well worth it. Having said that, I had an embarrassing moment on the beach the other day where I didn't see a big patch of ice and slipped on my bum (my pride was more hurt than anything!).
We fixed the fridge drain tube and thawed the ice maker (a classic Samsung issue), made Sunday dinner entirely from freezer leftovers, had a plumber friend replace a bathroom faucet for a great price, and our youngest son swapped out smoke detectors and a backyard light—saving us money and a risky ladder climb.
I don't even have a tree stand. The trees we cut here have skinny trunks that I'm not sure would even be held well in a traditional tree stand. We put our Christmas tree in a galvanized metal bucket left here by the previous house owner and secure it with rocks. I actually really like how this looks. Rustic and practical. Like us. 🙂
I guess that could be considered frugal, but let's see what else . . .
--While we're waiting on the cow we got from our neighbor to fatten prior to being in our freezer in a few weeks (we decided to take this one to our house and keep her in a pen to feed her up on hay and corn before slaughter to improve the meat), I am trying not to buy any more meat that will take up room in the freezer. That means we're eating mostly pork butt and roosters from the freezer right now, supplemented with beans and chickpeas.
--I made pizza last night with the expensive cheese my husband bought. He bought it because he was at the store that has big blocks of the cheaper asadero cheese I buy and use in place of mozzarella. Except they didn't have what I usually get. He did find a block of asadero, but it was eight dollars a pound. So about four times what I used to get. He bought it anyway--I would not have--and brought it home. So our pizza was not as frugal as it should have been, but two large pizzas at the only pizza place near us would be a lot more than $12, so it's okay.
--At least the sauce on the pizza sauce was free, because I used one of the food-service-size cans of tomato puree that my sister's boyfriend brought me from the kitchen of the camp they were working in.
--I also used that tomato puree to make tomato soup for my family, all at home for our week of virtual learning, boo. The soup also had stock made from the rooster carcass and the bread that thickens it was my sourdough, so I will make myself feel better about the pizza by telling myself this extra-frugal soup makes up for it. 🙂
--One of our twin flannel sheets has a tear in the top part of it that I keep sewing up and that keeps coming apart and unraveling more. It's harder to fix every time as the material shreds, but even if the fix is inexpert and sort of lumpy--and it is--I just put the sheet on the bed upside down so I can tuck that part in. It's not like anyone sees it, and my sons for sure do not care if their sheets are on upside down. I'm lucky if their sheets even stay on their beds . . .
Kristen - I'm intrigued by the spray for dry eyes you mentioned. Can you share more info on that? I suffer from chronic dry eyes.
FFT:
- We attended my company's annual party on Saturday. I wore pants and shoes that were in my closet and DH wore his usual slacks, dress shirt, and sports coat. I did buy a new sweater for the occasion, but it was on clearance after the holidays.
- I won a JBL PartyBox as a door prize at the company party. I had no idea that it sold for over $350! Party included dinner and cocktails, so it was an inexpensive night out for us plus we came home with a nice prize.
- I used an Amazon credit to buy a book I want to read.
- I ordered face products when there was a promotion to get a free product with purchase.
- I baked sourdough bread, one loaf for us and one for our daughter and her family.
Of course, I don't know where Sophie in Denmark is located, but my daughter is in Copenhagen this week and they get a little time to sightsee. Sophie, if you happen to run across a blonde American with a Southern US accent....
1. Assembled and installed the raised garden bed I had ordered. It is not frugal to order a new raised bed for the garden then let it sit, which I admit it had done for a month or so.
2. The two bathroom and bedroom doors upstairs had contractor-installed door stops that fit onto the top hinge pin, with rubber stops that braced against both the door and the door frame as the door swings open. However, on these hollow-core doors, the stops eventually broke through the outer paneling of the doors. I pulled out and threw away those stops – no way was I using them again – inserted sections of craft sticks I already had inside the holes with wood glue and have patched the holes with wood putty I had. I’ll sand and paint the patches with paint I have when they have cured. These were the only two doors in the whole house with those kind of stops.
3. I cooked beef short ribs, which take an hours-long cooking time, but in the pressure cooker; less than five minutes to come to pressure, 30 minutes under pressure, and 15 minutes to de-pressurize off heat, to become fork tender.
4. I traded homemade frozen “lemonade concentrate” for more grapefruit with my daughter who has the grapefruit tree.
5. I used scrap fabric to sew a patch on the removable bottom cushion of one of the new dog beds (sigh) and took the cushion out of the bed, since the dog seemed to hate it. He is happily curling up in his new bed now with a folded towel in place of the bottom cushion. I guess the patched cushion will be a spare for when I wash the cushion in the other dog’s bed. The other dog loves her bed with the bottom cushion.