Five Frugal Things | a cheap shot for the cat
1. I got a $5 rabies shot for our cat
We are required to keep her up on her rabies shots, even though she is strictly an indoor cat. A rabies shot is kind of expensive at our vet, but the animal shelter offers a $5 rabies shot clinic about once a month.
Since I got over there later than I wanted to, I figured I'd be at the end of a super, super long line.
But apparently, in this case, it pays to be late. The workers said if you come in the last hour, there's usually no wait.
So, yay! I had one person in front of me, so we were in and out super quickly.
I also needed to renew our cat's license with the county, but all I had to do was walk to the next office, fork over another $5, and now our cat is all set for rabies/license for another three years.
Ten dollars every three years is pretty darn reasonable.
(much more affordable than her $500 x-rays!)
2. I used more Erie YourTurn Rewards
Zoe was meeting up with a friend to go thrifting, and I decided to hang out at Starbucks while I waited for them to be done.
So, I redeemed some of my YourTurn rewards for a free coffee to drink while I waited.
And I read my book club selection while I waited (which, of course, I got for free from the library.)
For those who are interested, we are reading A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles.
So far, I like it much better than his earlier novel, Rules of Civility. And this is largely because in Rules of Civility, there were no quotation marks in the dialogue, and I found that to be rather confusing.
A Gentleman in Moscow has quotation marks in abundance. Thank you, Mr. Towles!
3. I found a used copy of a horticulture textbook
Zoe and Sonia are both taking a horticulture class this semester, and while they do have the ebook option through the college, Sonia really wanted a hard copy.
(Which I understand! I don't love e-textbooks because they are so annoying to "flip" through.)
Unfortunately, to buy it through the college, we'd have had to pay $199. But we hopped onto eBay and found a used one for $18.
What a steal!
I really love eBay; it's awesome for me as a buyer and also as a Seller Of Extraneous Household Items.
4. I made two more Instagram reels
Oddly, Instagram offered me another bonus this month if I make more Reels (dependent on the number of plays they get, of course.)
I made two so far and Instagram says my bonus is $112. Not too shabby for two little reels!
(I don't really know why they call this a bonus, because it's not like Instagram pays me for posting anything under normal circumstances. Ha. Also, in case you are not familiar with Instagram, Reels are short little videos.)
5. I cancelled my Hungry Harvest box this week
I do not need more produce this week, and I know if I got a box, some of the contents might go to waste.
And that really defeats the whole purpose of a Hungry Harvest box!
(Which is to rescue product that would otherwise go to waste.)
So, better to skip if I can't use the food.
1. I saw a cabinet listed on Freecycle that I thought might work for a relative in their dining room. They were interested so I requested and received it. It is perfect for their needs, they did not have to spend time and money searching for something that would work, and a well made piece of furniture has a new home.
2. I was at the grocery store and some yogurt that I like was on sale and had $1 coupons attached to some of the packages. Of course I chose the packages with the coupons on them.
3. Some of my normal gatherings have been virtual the past month. It saves time and the cost of driving though I look forward to resuming meeting in person.
4. With grocery store shortages I've been working on using up what I have in the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry.
5. No frugal for us but I've been busy giving stuff away on Freecycle. There's no point in having items in the house that you don't want/need. I'm always happy to find new homes for things.
I was cleaning the garage, as apparently I love to do the last few months, and found several items that I think are Ebay worthy, so maybe you could do a post about that, specifically, with tips and such? Maybe you already did and I missed it. Lately my frugality seems to center on food and gas. I'm spending lots of time at home, eating what I already have as much as I can. In fact, I am planning a birthday lunch for my oldest for Sunday with home cooked food and just general family socializing. Likely he will also get a haircut here for free! I am also making do and being creative with items I already own instead of hopping onto Amazon. (you really can organize your home for free, pretty much, using what you already have!)
@Gina, she has an article about selling books on eBay, which I think would help! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-sell-books-on-ebay/
@Gina, I've been buying and selling on eBay since 1998. A few tips:
More pictures= better. Clear and good photos are essential.
Measurements! So many people don't include them. I know it's a pain but important.
Also important: honest condition reports. Cracks, chips, fading, holes? Say so.
How will you ship the item? How much will it cost to ship? You can specify local pickup only but that will quite possibly limit the sales price.
Possibly most of all: know what you're selling and know what it sells for. Lots of collectibles are worth almost nothing and yet sellers keep wasting their time listing the things. Don't check out what similar items are being listed for--check on sold prices and adjust expectations accordingly. If your ex paid $5000 for your engagement ring new, don't expect to get anything near that amount for it. $1,000, maybe, depending on its quality. If you paid $5000 for your bedroom set, don't expect to get anything near that amount for it, if it was new. More like $500 at best.
So many people have such inflated ideas about the value of their items, they're going to be disappointed and angry. Sad to say.
@Emily U., Another Ebay tip, pack it like you want it to get there in 1 piece.
1. Two friends who recently moved are giving us there brand new boxes to use for our move - hooray for saving on moving costs wherever we can!
2. We are purging all of our closets, drawers, and garage prior to the move so that we can limit the stuff we have to move & to declutter in general. I started with my closet and drawers last night and donated an entire lawn size garbage bags worth of clothing to Goodwill.
3. Since we are moving I have a 14 foot chest freezer that will have to be eaten through in the next 45 days. Gulp. To that end we ate a turkey breast last week and I roasted a pork butt on Saturday. I will buy no meat or frozen veggies whatsoever in the next days in order to completely use all that we have in the freezer. I am also planning meals to eat down the pantry as well.
4. Our landlord is being so generous to let us out of our lease a month early. This is wonderful as it will help us avoid having rent & a mortgage in the same month. Total savings is about $1500!
5. As soon as temps rise a bit I will be pulling up all of my azaleas, gardenias and hydrangeas to take to our new home. These are plants we purchased ourselves and I am so grateful that we can take them with us as this is a huge savings for landscaping in our new home.
Happy Tuesday!
I am currently reading Amor Towles newest novel, The Lincoln Highway. Once again, there are no quotation marks. However, I think that it is beautifully written.
My quest to cook from the pantry and freezer continues. I made a pot of clean-out -the-freezer vegetable soup. It is never the same twice, but it is always tasty. It was dinner Sunday when the cold wind and rain hit came through the Southeast and will provide lunches for most of the week.
I went to a vision board party one afternoon this weekend. I have a friend who has one of these every January. For the unfamiliar, participants make a small collage from printed materials that reflects her goals or wishes for the coming year. It’s always fun and helps focus thoughts on what you want in the new year. (This exercise made me realize that I have no idea what I want this year other than clean closets.) I brought a few old magazines with me that we cut up and a bottle of Prosecco leftover from the holidays. It seemed to be a good use for both.
We took Rescue Pup to the dog park Saturday. We brought our own water and snacks. We also gave her a bath at home after her trip rather than paying the fee to wash her at the park. Fortunately, it was warm enough this week to wash her in the backyard.
I am turning one of the empty bedrooms into an office/ retreat for myself. Right now I work at the dining room table. It’s always a mess because I have no storage. I am doing all the work myself including the painting. My sister has given me a nice sofa bed for this room too.
I froze a cup of sweetened condensed milk leftover from a recipe I made rather throw it out. I listed 5 new items on eBay, brewed my own coffee, drank primarily filtered water, and cooked at home.
Wishing everyone peace and good health this week.
I wonder why he chose to use quotation marks in the Moscow book, but not the other two! So interesting.
I definitely am a fan of the quotation marks; makes it easier to read!
So wonderful about the office for yourself; I moved my desk into Lisey's room when she moved out and it has been so lovely to have a focused place to work and study.
@Kristen, everyone in my book club loved A Gentleman in Moscow when we read it.
I’m hoping that having my own work space will help me focus and become more productive. My husband Works from home when he is not traveling. I love him, but he does distract me. Fingers crossed.
@Bee, Your comment, "This exercise made me realize that I have no idea what I want this year other than clean closets" made me laugh so hard.
I loved A Gentleman in Moscow! It's absolutely one of my favorite books of all time! I enjoyed The Rules of Civility as well, but there's really no comparison. His new one, The Lincoln Highway is very good as well. I love the rich characters he creates. I feel like I know them all personally!
1. I got an email from the "Bought Milk" settlement administrators saying additional funds were being distributed. I received a digital MasterCard that could only be used online so I placed a Target order and picked it up in the store to avoid shipping. I stocked up on several household items (garbage bags, hand soap, etc).
2. I picked up two freebies at Sprouts: plant based "pork" ($4.99) and cinnamon granola ($6.29). While there, I took advantage of 2 for $1 avocados.
3. I stopped in Kroger to see if they had any clearance produce. They didn't, but I found 75 cent Nestle chocolate chips. I bought some and put them in my freezer for baking next Christmas.
4. I got a little concerned when I saw empty shelves and decided to buy a few groceries. I redeemed points on a survey site for a $50 Walmart card. I added up the prices as I put items in my cart. My total was $49.17. I will use the remaining 83 cents at some point.
5. I've stuck to my month long meal plan, just switching days for some meals when what was listed just wasn't what I wanted, but something further down the list hit the spot.
@BarbG, Oh no,I totally thought the bought milk email was a scam and did not click to open it.I just went and found it and I could have made $7.51. Too late now. But I was afraid it was a bad email!!
May I ask what the title of the hort book is? I'm on the hunt for a good one to use with a high school class I teach. Thank you.
The one this professor is using is Introduction to Horticultural Science, by Arteca.
Of course, I haven't the faintest idea if this is an awesome book or not, but I will know by the end of the semester!
@Kristen, thank you. I can certainly look at it online. It's really tricky finding a decent hort text. I've struggled finding one I like. Fingers crossed.
1.) Got a couple of good deals on some things we buy anyway so I stocked up on them. They included razors for my wife (she won't use a DE safety like me) and deodorant.
2.) Used a coupon at Harbor Freight to get a couple of screwdrivers to throw into my traveling toolbox (i.e. the box that I use when my parents call me up to fix something.)
3.) Still working on eating what we have and avoiding grocery shopping. I've been over budget lately and yet I have a fully stocked freezer so it doesn't make sense to keep buying food. I admit that the hoarding mentality can hit me at times.
4.) Made some bread this past week and will probably make some pretzel rolls later this week as well.
5.) Taking all the overtime I can. I'll be listing a few items on eBay soon (I hope.) Bringing my lunch the days I'm in the office. Using my porch as a walk in freezer (until the items get frozen solid and can be stacked in the freezer better) etc.
@Battra92, I am sure your parents tell you this, but having a child who comes over to fix stuff is a gift from the gods. You are a good person. We have a son who gives us a date when he is flying up to Alaska (he was a weather weenie and moved Outside as soon as he could) and tells us to have a to-do list ready for him. The money saved and the trust factor (as in no one is over charging us and the parts he buys are the best available instead of cheapos that break down again soon) cannot be overstated. Last time he was here six months ago, he spent 11 hours fixing a plumbing problem and I send him a mental note of gratitude every time I use that faucet.
@Lindsey, Well thank you. I can't do everything (just general stuff, mostly) but I try to help out where I can.
1. We have been eating dinner at home. Last week went out once and I used cash for that. All of our other meals are eaten at home.
2. I have been tracking all my spending. Cool to see where the money goes. Now to contain/reel it in.
3. Starting to organize and get rid of stuff. We have way too much "stuff" and we need to get rid of some of it. De-stash. I figured out a way to organize my Mecari account, so I just have to sit and take the pictures.
4. Was going to send my husband to get me some big envelopes for my filing, but I looked thru a box and found some. Money saved (however little it is!).
5. My husband is enjoying cauliflower rice. This is from a person that used to need a starch with every meal. But I've turned him on to cauliflower rice and he really likes that its a tasteless vegetable that fills him up. And frozen cauliflower rice was on sale at Aldi last week.
I didn’t think I could come up with 5 but I read others comments first as inspiration and now I’m there!
1. Whenever I give away a large item for free, I consider it frugal because otherwise we’d have to pay the garbage company for a bulky item pickup. To that end, I gave away the kids basketball hoop(which I had also picked up for free from someone else!) and this large puzzle floor mat we’d kept outside on the patio (it was pretty dirty so I was surprised someone wanted it right away, maybe also to be used outside).
2. Picked up a free item from Sprouts, a whole box of Lara Bars. I don’t know if I’ll like them but my sister can use them for her backpacking trips at least.
3. Pajamas are the one clothing item I usually need to buy new for my kids as it’s hard to find used. I really like Primary pajamas, they are expensive for pajamas so I waited until some went on clearance and ordered a pair for each of my kids. When my son put his on, the pants wouldn’t stay up, even though he has another pair in that size that fits fine. I compared and the new pair was the same length but a much larger waist. I took pictures and emailed the company and they responded (within minutes! I guess paying more at least gets good customer service in this case) and they sent a new pair of pajama pants for free. Hoping these ones fit correctly, they seem like they’d at least be responsive if they didn’t though.
4. We got a bad cold this 3 day weekend (fairly sure it’s a cold, took multiple Covid tests throughout the weekend and all negative) This wasn’t the most pleasant way to spend a weekend but it did save some money because we didn’t go anywhere or do anything.
5. I returned a gift I received and got a store credit, which I used mostly for things we need like kitchen tongs, some picture frames, a rubber place mat as we are about to transition my daughter from high chair to dining table, and this is a unique need to our situation but the 2 sand buckets we had both cracked in the last year, and given our proximity to the beach, we needed more so I got each kid a bucket and shovel set.
I am impressed you managed to even find tests! They have been sold out at every store where I've looked, and even if you try to order them online from CVS, it says they are out of stock online.
@Kristen, I was told, and it did appear to be accurate per my experience, that tests can be found early in the morning in the Walmart website. They appear to update their inventory on the website each night.
Ohhhh, so even online it pays to be early!
@Kristen, fortunately I already had some! An ER doctor I know told me about this site called iHealthlabs that has them. They did take about 2 weeks to arrive though so not an option if you need one immediately. I also randomly check Walgreens website and order whenever they have them in stock.
@Tamara R, If the too-large PJ pants have an elastic waist, it's super easy to make it smaller. Open up the seam, shorten the elastic as needed, sew the elastic and close the seam.
@Rose, I don’t have many sewing skills but I think even I could manage that, thanks for the idea!
@LB, Heck, you could even safety pin the elastic shorter and leave the seam open. Not that I'd ever do anything that lazy....*whistling*
@LB, In a post on The Prudent Homemaker this morning, someone mentioned that every US household can get four for free from COVIDTests.gov
@Heidi Louise, that's right about the free COVID tests from the site you mentioned. I just ordered mine. (I need all the COVID tests I can scrape up right now, since there are COVID cases in DH's nursing home again and I can't visit him unless I've had a negative test the day before a planned visit. Irksome, but necessary.)
@Heidi Louise, I ordered mine earlier. Here’s the link
https://special.usps.com/testkits
@Heidi Louise, thank you for this tip! I just ordered mine and it took less than a minute.
Oh, the meowling-cat-in-the-car syndrome. I know it well. I wonder if most cats do that? Ours does .... and when my mom was alive, I took her cat to the vet and he definitely made howling noises like I was pulling out each whisker slowly (for the record, I wasn't!). I never thought about checking at an animal shelter for shots--thanks for the tip.
The staff at the vet's office told me that in my state, a cat may be euthanized if he/she breaks the skin when biting a person if they haven't had rabies shots. We ran into this scenario when my mom was in assisted living (long story). It's worth the money to me to make sure my beloved hairy beast is up to date on his shots!
Yep; she's always fussing if she has to go somewhere in her carrier. She really does not like to leave the house. The ultimate homebody!
She is always extremely cooperative once she actually gets to where we are going.
In our county, it is the law that you have to keep your pet up on their rabies shots. Of course, I don't quite know how they actually enforce this law!
@Kris, I had a cat that loved to ride in the car. He would sit in the front seat and occasionally stretch up to look out the window. He was the one and only cat who did this.
@Kristen,
A friend of mine lives where pet vaccines are required by law, and he was bitten by an unvaccinated dog as he simply walked past a car with a window down in a stadium parking lot; a car that turned out to contain a large aggressive dog. Those were a tense few weeks for him, but in the end, the dog was somehow declared rabies-free and not euthanized and the owner was never charged with anything, not even for leaving her dog in the car during an entire college football game. My friend didn't get rabies or need the shots, thankfully, but really, that law was useless. Pet vaccine usage is only truly enforced when people need to take their pets somewhere, such as obedience training or pet sitters, that require shot records.
@Kristen, my mom's cat bit her, broke the skin, and it became infected. I took her to an urgent care center and we had scads of paperwork to fill out, I had to provide the clinic with paperwork to prove the cat was up to date with his vaccinations, and I was called by the county health department to verify the information. It probably varies based on where you live but in my county, health providers are required by law to report a bite within 24 hours.
I totally hear on you cat meows/anguish on the way to the vet. We just had a visit a few days ago. It's pitiful. In addition, our guy has developed a habit of defecating in the carry box on the way over. For some reason panic poop smells even worse than normal poop and I can feel my mascara melting from the fumes for the rest of the ride.
But we do what we have to do.
Oh no, that is awful. Luckily, all our cat has done so far is to just meow a lot. Here's hoping that continues!
@Anne, Our cats have always pooped in the carrier. The kitten's last week stank was so bad I had to pull over and clean the carrier.
Ok, well, now I am feeling extremely fortunate that our cat doesn't do this. I didn't realize it was common.
My cat will appreciate the gold stars I will now award her, thanks to your stories!
@Anne, my cat does this and it’s stress. Ask your vet for a pill to calm your cat prior to transport. Poor kitty.
@Anne, our old kitty does this if he's in the car more than about five minutes. I am so grateful our local vets are at the end of the block from us, so Old Kitty's road trips are about three minutes. It was pretty horrible back in our hometown when the vet was 25 minutes away.
@Anne,
Plus, that is what we repurpose our worn towels for!
J NL
@Anne, have you tried Feliway? It's a pheromone that calms cats and comes in a variety of ways to dispense. I had good luck using it with my mom's angsty cat after she moved to assisted living. There are plug in units, which are good to use if your cat is undergoing some sort of stress at home. There are also wipes which you can use on a car carrier. Your vet may be able to offer you samples of the wipes. I was doubtful that it would be helpful but I was pleased with the results. And if you read my comment about the cat biting my mom in an earlier comment, please know that we weren't using Feliway at the time of that event and there were many other factors that contributed to that situation.
Thanks for mentioning your book club read A Gentleman in Moscow. I *just* heard someone talking about that book yesterday too - seems like it is really the "hot read" right now. Anyway, I just recommended it to my husband! I think he'll love it!
1. I fixed all our meals at home.
2. I fixed my daughter's brand new water bottle because returning it would have been a gigantic pain.
3. I fixed some other stuff that had piled up in my junk drawer with the same epoxy that I used. It did not work on an Imaginex toy. Let me know how to glue the guy's hand back on if you know how. (Honestly, I thought those things were indestructible! It's the first time a kid broke one at our house.)
4. My husband fixed the faucet in the kitchen.
5. I gave the boys haircuts.
I always try to use the low-cost vet clinics held on a Saturday every other month in my town when my dog needs vaccines or flea meds. They stopped in 2020, but I think they are starting back up again.
1. I used leftover turkey and homemade turkey broth, both from the freezer, to make a pot pie, also using vegetables on hand.
2. I finally made my first batch of homemade "Nomato" marinara sauce, using a combination of recipes and the ingredient list off of a $10 container of nomato sauce from an AIP meal site. It turned out tasting very much like the sauce from the meal site, which is good. It is red, which is a big help in making me feel like I'm eating real tomato sauces. I spent about $2, using all organic ingredients, to get more sauce than comes in the $10 container.
3. The cold front swept through so of course, my "low tire pressure" light came on. I used our little air compressor gun that runs off the car battery to air up my own tires.
4. My neighbors had brought leftover roast beef and gravy home from a church dinner, and the husband gave me a container of it, already frozen.
5. I'm wearing my nearly 10-year-old boots to work. Long may they hold up.
Oh, so interesting about the nomato sauce. What do you put in yours?
@Kristen,
Red beets ( I used about half a can of plain, sliced canned beets to save time), then I peeled, cut up and steamed a medium sweet potato, a large carrot, half an onion, and a clove of garlic till tender. Then I added a tsp or two of fresh lemon juice, about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 tsp. dried basil and dried oregano and a little salt, and pureed it all in the blender, adding a little more balsamic vinegar to taste. I think next time I will try the food processor or a food mill, though, instead of the blender,. I did a lot of stopping to push down. I kept thinking, "I need a Vitamix!"
There are 598 holds on The Lincoln Highway. 225 copies. Wow. I just checked the NYPL website. But I have enjoyed every book I read so far when people here recommend books. Wonder how long it will take to get it.
Ugh, groceries. Everything is more expensive and shelves are not stocked! We decided that we would only buy meat for 1 dinner per week. The other dinners will either be meatless or use meat that we have in our freezer or pantry.
I made a large pot of black bean soup. This is a family favorite and we enjoyed it for dinner one night and it will be good for lunches as well.
My neighbor gave us some bagels that she didn't want. They were onion bagels which are not favorites in my family either. My daughter used them to make pizza bagels and they were delicious that way. We ate some and froze some of the pizza bagels.
I organized and cleaned the supply cupboard in my bathroom. I found a brand new pack of razors pushed behind several boxes of tissues, not my favorite brand, but certainly good enough to use!
One daughter organized all her American Girl Doll items. She decided to sell some of the things she didn't want any more. She listed on facebook and quickly sold everything, bringing in $94. She was very happy.
My husband found some stamps while cleaning his desk. Always useful to have stamps!
We are all enjoying library books and Libby books.
598 holds is a lot! But then again, 225 copies is also a lot; maybe the wait won't be too long!
Sometimes I wait so long for a book, I forget I even put it on hold, and then it's like a lovely surprise when it comes in.
1. Continued to go through Mother's things after her passing. I ended up with all her sewing supplies including her vintage sewing machine in a cabinet and more thread that I'll be able to use in my lifetime. I also found a bolt of muslin fabric that I'm using to make cherry pit bags for friends and family
2. In addition to all the sewing supplies from Mom, I also got two serger machines (not sure why she had two!) but neither had a manual so I ordered an inexpensive one online so I could figure out how to use the machine
3. Returned an item to Costco during our shopping trip.
4. Bought cheap(er) gas while we were at Costco
5. Resisted the urge to get takeout for the entire holiday weekend and instead used ingredients from pantry and freezer to make meals
@Beverly, my MIL was a professional seamstress, and in one of life's little ironies, I ended up inheriting her entire stash of thread and notions (my sewing is strictly confined to mending). I ended up passing most of these on to two friends of Ms. Bestest Neighbor's who are fabric artists.
Five Unfrugal Things--sorry, folks, I got nothin' else.
1. A dear friend's husband died; I went to his wake on Sunday. 4 hours of driving plus CFS means I am not making dinner. So I stopped to get ready-to-eat stuff at a local schmancy grocery store. Ashamed to mention how much it was.
2. Daughter didn't do her necessary county certification stuff for her public NYS college, so spring semester is going to be painfully expensive although we should get a refund. Sigh.
3. Have to get some pipes replaced to the tune of $900. This is on top of the $6000 oil tank.
4. Decided to use duck fat to make roasted potatoes.
5. Decided to get a lawyer to help with tenant eviction as I'm way over my head.
@Rose, my DH was (among other things) a landlord for most of his working life. I feel your pain on #5.
@Rose, I'm sorry you're having to deal with all that. Sometimes life is just expensive!
@A. Marie, Ugh. I thought things weren't too bad because while the tenant hasn't paid since October, the people living in the cottage (his employees--I rented as local workforce housing) left before Christmas. A New York State website has all kinds of information and forms about evicting tenants and how to do it legally. Thing is, I went actually to inspect the cottage and it's full of their junk. Plus two motorcycle/scooters (not sure which) in the yard, etc. Lease isn't up till May. Are they planning to come back? No idea what to do. Have to get a good lawyer. Plus then there's the whole Covid eviction moratorium which thankfully expired 3 days ago. Decided I needed to throw some money at the problem because there's just so much I can take at once.
1. Like some of you, I spend A LOT of time at home. Nights can seem interminable. The other night I asked my husband what time it was and he said "not late enough." One upside is that we're saving on gas and vehicle wear and tear. And I'm reading 3-4 library books per week (I'm not a TV watcher) so it's nice to make a serious dent in my reading list. Another upside is that I'm hyper focused on maintaining our home and possessions; even the littlest things like sharpening knives, cleaning out cutlery drawers, sharpening pencils, mending, etc. are sparking joy.
2. Received unexpected refund from optometrist as insurance covered more than expected. That doesn't happen very often, if ever!
3. Inside the Sunday newspaper was a paper bag from Menards promoting 15% off everything that can fit in the bag. We didn't need anything home-related but then I remembered that our Menards sells groceries, which we always need, so I purchased some canned goods for the pantry.
4. Continue to come up with new ways to use food on hand - e.g., mixed the leftover cranberry sauce from Christmas with some plain yogurt and granola for a parfait.
5. Used the generous Trader Joe's gift card from my sister-in-law. Free food, fun time.
@MB in MN, I have also become very focused on home and car maintenance. I didn't connect it with being home more, but it totally makes sense.
@MB in MN,
So true on home maintenance. I somehow feel closer to my family history, when necessity made maintenance and frugality a need not a virtue. All the present luxury of internet, plumbing etc aside my life is now closer to home, similar to the life of my mother, grandmother who were working from home as well! The smaller circle, the not going out to buy/replace something you can mend, the satisfaction of having your home in order etc. I take care especially of our living room. After office hours, the living room is our holiday resort!
1. Over the weekend I mended two stuffed animals, snow pants, a beloved blankie, and put a patch over a hole in some pajama pants (which was harder than I anticipated since it was my first time and I only sew by hand.)
2. A friend invited me out for coffee and I remembered to use my 10% off coupon.
3. We've been done with diapers for a long time, but as of last week I still had 2 kids in pull-ups at night. As of last night I had no kids in pull-ups!! Everyone's in undies now!! Hooray!!!
4. We're still checking out a ton of stuff from the library. Books, audiobooks (both on CD and through Libby and Hoopla), movies, puppets... Getting good use of both our local library and our statewide interlibrary loan system. I'm also borrowing a book from my pastor. I asked for a couple of recommendations and he lent me two books from his office.
5. We have a bunch of Amazon credit right now (a bonus from getting their credit card a month or two ago) so I'm using that to buy supplies for my daughter's upcoming cat-themed birthday party. The pinata is a few bucks more than the one in WalMart, but we'd rather use up the credit than spend the money right now.
1. Used a free Discovery+ trial to watch the pilot of “Homeboy” featuring Rajiv Surendra making beeswax candles, arranging flowers, and other artsy things. Absolutely lovely and I want more, so I hope that a season is in the works.
2. Picked up a four-hour shift at work, assuming I have not gone into labor by Monday!
3. Bought a case of TP from a brand that is usually good quality/softness, but this batch was unbelievably scratchy. Contacted customer service and they are kindly refunding me the entire case.
4. Continue to use/ use up misc. food items, including cream cheese, chips, and yet another previously frozen “fancy” cheese that went into a soup. Trying to be content with eating out of the pantry.
5. Continue to use/ use up misc. household items, including a face serum and the ends of an old laundry detergent.
6. DH shot a second deer, albeit a very small one. We will process it ourselves, including using a hand grinder purchased via FB Marketplace. We’re basically vegetarian other than this, but it’s nice to have the almost free meat and DH enjoys hunting once or twice a year.
We escaped to warmer climates this week so...
1. We're camping which is way cheaper than a hotel.
2. We're not eating out except for one trip to In and Out tomorrow.
3. We're mountain biking, so that's free since we already have all the stuff.
4. We have a house sitter. While that's not free it certainly gives us peace of mind for the house and kitties, and that's worth a lot!
5. We have a gas- efficient van which is great since gas in Utah is pretty high right now!
@Julie, so glad you guys are getting out and enjoying the outdoors! Your celebrations make me smile.
I finally remembered to keep track of a few recent frugal wins. They feel even better this month as we try to rebalance the budget after some above average spending during the holidays.
1. When we moved into our new house a few months ago, two bathrooms were without towel bars. I purchased one towel bar for the master, but before I got it hung up, a woman from my local Buy Nothing group offered up some old hooks she had removed from her wall. I was the lucky recipient of her gift. After a few coats of leftover black spray paint, I was able to mount two in the master and two in daughters' bathroom. And then return the purchased towel bar.
2. We had "free" hamburgers for dinner. My parents purchased a cow and had it locally butchered. They generously shared some of the meat with us, including pre-made burger patties. My husband's work hosted a lunch for some clients and there were LOTS of buns leftover from the catered meal. He dutifully brought them home to me, as he knows I love the challenge of reusing leftovers. So hamburgers for family dinner one night and three days of hamburger lunches for me. Good thing I love hamburgers.
3. I finally sat down and did the mending of an accumulated pile of goods, including my running hat, my middle daughter's robe, my eldest daughter's pants and a toy belonging to my son. All while listening to a library book on Libby. I am a new Libby user and I love it and have no idea why it took me so long to use it. All that time I wasted listening to nothing. 😉
4. An unexpected Eddie Bauer $10 reward certificate was sent to me. I think it was a ploy to get me to shop immediately, as it only had three days until it expired. So I did what I often do and search for out-of-season clothes on clearance in the next size up for one of my three children. And sure enough, I found a shirt of my son one size too big for $10. With free shipping it equals $0 dollars spent.
5. And the random "things we do all the time because we are frugal" items: ate leftovers, made my own coffee, met a friend for a walk instead of lunch, used coupons and Ibotta, bought loss leaders at the grocery and did NOT buy all the things that Facebook ads tempt me with.
Let's see, here are a few things we were up to:
1) Sold a pair of jeans on eBay
2) Used a grocery store gift card to pick up things we needed for a ski trip
3) I packed lunches for myself for skiing, as well as snacks & drinks for the teens. We still have to get some food, but it cuts the cost quite a bit.
4) Stopped at Costco on the drive to Tahoe for gas, and picked up a pizza to have for dinner. The pizza is huge & quite inexpensive.
5) Got up early to find free parking.
Not "cat to the vet" but "dog to the vet" Our dog has to be muzzled when she goes to the vet. She's a pain in the but and she knows it. Last time she peed all over the vet tech because she was so mad!!!
1. We are all out of COVID quarantine in our house, thankfully. The kids were climbing the walls. It did save us money to stay home all those days.
2. I also learned that our daycare can credit us for the days missed. Two weeks of daycare is expensive!
3. The same co-worker who gave me some clothes before gave me another two bins. I found some nice summer clothes I can wear to work, a few tshirts for my hubby and lots to sell on Ebay.
4. My boss let us go early on Friday and I ended up at the local auction house. This place is a mixture of flea market guys and Mennonite families (so I looked pretty flashy in my bright red work top!) With that being said, I purchased $13 worth of resell items. One being a Victor Victrola that was broken. I sold it within 12 hours on Ebay!!
5. Doing all the other frugal things, packing lunches, using a free coffee at Dunkin, etc.
@Jenelle, One of our Irish wolfhounds was so freaked by going to the vet that he would climb on top of me to get away. IWs are huge so I would end up with 180 pound baby sitting on top of me; I used to pray that the chair didn't collapse under our combined weights. Finally the vet learned to do shots and most of the exam with Alistair still in my arms. It was just easier that way, for all of us. Alistair died a few years ago and although I have had other dogs, he was the dog love of my life. I would be happy to have his hairy body and dog breath huddling in my arms again.
1. Cut my husband's hair, saving $5.
2. Bought $19 worth of egg crate foam. Used most of it, along with some scrap upholstery material, to make a new orthopedic bed for our arthritic dog. Used the remainder of the foam to plump up the beds for the other two dogs. A new orthopedic bed alone would be $29 at the clearance store.
3. Dug around in my scrap fabric box and came up with enough flannel to make new blankets for the dog beds.
4. Made two weeks worth of work lunches for the freezer on Sunday. This saves me $80 over buying lunch in our work dining hall.
5. Two of our dogs have somewhat delicate digestion and were not feeling well over the weekend. I took the pork bones I'd trimmed the meat from to make a stew for us humans, browned the bones in a skillet, and then simmered them in water with a half a cup of brown rice added. When the rice was cooked but still soupy, the bones were laid aside to cool, then the last bits of meat stripped off and added to the rice. I blended it all up into a gruel and offered it up to the two ailing ones. They ate happily and perked right up.
Replying to myself to make a correction: the haircut saved $15.
My FFT:
I discovered some dried apricots with a sell by date of two years ago, and ate them as a snack. They did not smell or taste funny, but were a bit hard as can be expected.
I collected the discount stamps ("zegeltjes" in Dutch) of some of my favorite shops and pasted them in the discount leaflets. Some local shops and market stalls have physical stamps and as I like to buy local, I collect these stamps also. The stamps qualified for free charcuterie and a discount on cheese.
I mended another t-shirt.
I ran all my errands by bike this week.
I'm cleaning out my pantry and planned our menu on items that I had stocked a little obsessively.
For this year I consider doing some household chores in monthly themes, like the 12 works of Hercules. Cleaning tthe pantry and freezer is a good one for January. Having a monthly the gives me a bit more time to do them thoroughly.
@J NL, I love your allusion to the 12 labors of Hercules! Cleaning out my pantry and freezers would be a lot like Hercules mucking out the Augean Stables.
@A. Marie,
You understand where I am coming from!
Cleaning out our youngest son's bedroom will be like killing the Hydra. Cut one head and two appear. But that is for February so let's not worry now!
1. Dollar Tree didn't have the thing I went to get. Since I was there I put some wants in my basket. The checkout line was super long all the way to the back of the store and I really didn't want to stand in it so I put everything in my basket back on the shelves. Being impatient saved me money.
2. I fixed the sagging elastic waist in a pair of winter fleece pajama pants by adding a drawstring which I had in my stash. Much easier than adding new elastic!
3. Put fresh flannel sheets on the bed ahead of the winter snowstorm. Very cozy even when the thermostat sets the temperature back at night.
4. I put heel savers on a pair of new boots. It's easier to change them out with the heels wear than getting them resoled.
5. My husband and I made homemade corn tortillas for dinner. He made the filling with things we needed to use up while I made the tortillas. Yum!
I have A Gentleman in Moscow in my bookshelf, but found it so slowgoing so I haven’t finished. But started reading it on such a nice trip with my partner so haven’t been able to donate it either..
My frugal five:
1. Took advantage of my employer discount at my old job when I was there returning my keys. Stocked up on masks, Antibac and Covid tests for half price.
2. Since I work only three days a week and get a lift back home with my co-worker I stopped buying a monthly buspass. It kinda hurts to pay $5 every time I take the bus, but in a month I save $40.
3. I can’t find my favorite saladdressing in the stores anymore and my attempts at making it myself has not been successful. Found it at an online discountstore and to take full advantage of the weightlimit on the package I ordered 1l Cola Zero for a fraction of the price at local stores. Also bought toothbrushes for my partner. Probably set for two years and saved $80.
4. Got a gold card with Scandinavian Airlines so when we’re flying to visit my partners family this weekend we can eat breakfast at the gold lounge at the airport instead of at the hotel. Saved $24 by booking the hotelroom only.
5. Had an overnight stay in Oslo. Checked the TGTG app and bought a bag of pastries at a bakery with great reviews. Got 14 pastries for $5 and put them in the freezer when I got home.
This might be a stupid question, but why do you have to get a license for your cat?
@Sherri, it's just required by law here
@Rachel,
Thanks. It just seems so strange to me. I'm wondering how common that is - is it in more urban areas only, or only certain states? I guess because I have never had to do that, I never realized it was a thing.
Well, I feel stupid. My husband just informed me that it is a thing around here. I have always lived in a rural area, never within any city limits (except during college). So, I guess it's just a gap in my experience! Like when I was in college and the power went out when the transformer outside our dorm blew. My roommate said she was going to take a shower. I could not understand how she could take a shower with the power off. She explained that the water still works when the power is out. "How??" In my experience, when the power is out, the well is off!
@Sherri, don't feel stupid. I grew up in a house that used a well and the water was definitely out when the power was out. I remember mom filling up buckets of water whenever a storm was predicted so that we could flush the toilet. I bet you have survival skills that city people don't have!
Your college experience reminded me of a funny story .... my brother is a jokester and when raising his kids, he referred to the ATM as the "funny money" machine. His daughter didn't know what her college friends were talking about when they mentioned needing to go to the ATM. I think it took a long time for her to live that down. 🙂
@Kris, Thanks for the kind words! And yes, we still fill up buckets to flush toilets ahead of major storms. But that story about the ATM is great! Thanks for sharing.
1) I ordered my 4 free at home Covid tests...because we all know we'll need them eventually! (You can go to covidtests.gov to get yours.)
2) I'm in the process of listing 10 items on ebay. I have to admit, I got a little discouraged because I haven't had much success with ebay lately, but I figured I might as well try.
3) I used a package of grouse bones/carcasses that I had in the freezer. My son had shot 6 or so of them and cooked the breasts at Christmas, but we had the bones left, so I saved them and made a veggie noodle soup with them today. It was delicious.
4) I used a referral link that I had for a credit card to sign my husband up, and the day after he was accepted, I got my $150 bonus! That was fast! (Capital One Quicksilver, no annual fee.)
5) I'm trying to use up what we have on hand and spend $100 or less on groceries each month for Jan and Feb. I had $20 worth of coupons on my Hannaford app (one for $13 off a $60 purchase), so I combined these with sales and some other discounts and got $72 worth of groceries for $46. This was my big shop for the month, and I think I'll easily be able to stay under $100.
@Tricia, is it just four per family, with no regard whether it’s for two or eight people?
@Shirley, I think it is four per address.
@Shirley, I ordered 4 for myself and then tried to order 4 for my partner through .gov website. Website only allowed 4 per residential address.
My parents brought their truck and came to visit for the weekend. We used the truck and their help to get lots of projects done.
1. We used the truck to move a free raised garden bed and dirt that a friend was getting rid of. It is such nice quality!
2. We used the truck to transport some furniture to my brother's new house so he's not needing to buy those things new. It was my parents' as newlyweds and then ours as newlyweds and now it will go to him.
3. My parents and sister are not picky eaters, so they helped me eat up all sorts of food that my kids don't like. Yay for more space in my freezer!
4. I took my eldest son and sister on a six mile bike ride on a local bike trail. Free local activity by the mountains and much enjoyed.
4. And... finding the silver lining... In the midst of supper guests and poopy toddler pants and a boy with a bloody nose, I left a pan in the stove steaming broccoli for WAY too long last night. The pan was in horrible condition when we found it. BUT... MrA. (my husband) tackled the pan and had it shining after a hard half hour's work. So thankful that I didn't need to buy a new one.
@Dorinda, your DH is a keeper!
1. I picked up a brand new Banana Republic dress off Buy Nothing. It will be perfect for work. I also picked up a hat, brand new drone, and 2 shirts off Buy Nothing for my son. The drone will be a great Easter gift for him.
2. We rented an AirBNB this weekend on a nearby lake. We were going to hike, sled, and go in the hot tub. Unfortunately, my daughter tested positive for COVID the day we were supposed to leave. The positive news is that the owner was very understanding and gave us a full refund, so it saved us $1,500. She is also out of daycare until next week, so daycare gave us a 50% discount. She so far only has a runny nose and the rest of us have no symptoms (we are fully vaxed and boostered, but my daughter is too young for a vaccine).
3. My son wanted to make homemade crayons for his classmates for Valentine's Day. We used broken crayons and small cookie molds to make them. Unfortunately, warming the crayons in the microwave broke it. It's only 3 years old, so definitely shouldn't have broken, but warranty is up. So, what we thought was a frugal gift ended up costing us $300. My husband tried to fix it, but no luck. Someone from Craigslist is picking it up tomorrow, so least we didn't have to pay for it's disposal.
3. My mom dropped off some t-shirts for my son this summer. I went through his clothes and gave a bunch away on Buy Nothing.
4. I ordered the free COVID tests through USPS.
5. We used leftover carrots and potatoes to make beef stew for this week. I am eating a bunch of frozen leftovers for lunch this week.
1. The winter storm Sunday included ice which threatened power outages. To be prepared, I made a pot of white chicken chili the day before which could be warmed on the grill if necessary. I used homemade chicken broth in the soup.
2. Sunday morning before freezing rain, I made our dinner meal which could be warmed if we had power, or eaten at room temperature if not. In case outage lasted days, we could save sandwich fixings for later. Fortunately we did not lose power.
3. At my chemo appointment on Monday, I ate the ridiculously skimpy lunch provided by the Infusion Center while my husband ate a sandwich brought from home.
4. Today we had a meal of stuffed peppers that I froze when our sweet peppers were abundant in the fall. All I had to do was thaw and bake 20 minutes. I wasn’t sure how they would freeze but they were delicious. That’s good news because I have three more stuffed pepper meals in the freezer.
5. I needed to send several thank you cards so selected some I have made in advance. There was some upfront expense years ago of various card stocks, punches, etc., but I enjoy making them and it’s good to have them available for Christmas, birthdays, get well, thank you notes, sympathy, etc.
In December I bought a loaf of stollen (bread with nuts and candied fruit) from a local bakery. The crust turned out to be far too overdone … not burnt, but definitely very, very browned and not tasty. I tossed the rest of the bread in the freezer and took it out a few weeks ago to make bread pudding. The overdone crusts got trimmed off before the rest of the bread was cubed and mixed with the wet ingredients. The pudding was a big hit with my family.
My son did an intensive driver's ed class over the holiday break. Each session was two hours long, at a high school about a 20-minute drive from our house. Instead of driving all the way back home -- only to turn around and drive back again to pick him up -- I took my laptop computer and set up shop at the public library closest to the high school while he was in class. On days when the library wasn't open, I went to the local coffee shop and bought myself treats with a Visa gift card we'd been given.
Last weekend I took part in a guided hike at a local nature preserve. It was free to participate, and the guide was friendly and interesting. With temps just below freezing and winds gusting that afternoon, I made sure to pack a thermos of hot tea to enjoy in my car afterwards.
A family member gave us about a dozen votive candles she wasn't using. We light homemade candles almost every evening in winter, so this addition to our stash was very appreciated.
Inspired by Mrs. Frugalwoods' photos of her twinkly kitchen windowsill (https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQ6Eh-gHif/ ), I did the same above our kitchen sink. The shiny things I picked -- vintage blue canning jars, some decorative blue glass pieces, a string of white twinkle lights -- were things we already had around the house. The blue-and-white theme is winter-neutral, so I'll keep it up until March.
-Bought 3 loaves of clearance rye bread and froze it.
- Went walking/running (free exercise). Used free run keeper app. Found 9 cents while out walking. The sole of my shoe fell off, so I glued it (and glued the other sole as it was starting to come off too).
- Bought multiple things at Goodwill.
- Switched house insurance and will save about $1000 a year!!!!
- Gave away a couch and washer. Not frugal for us, but we've received plenty of free things in our lives.
1. I have resumed meal planning- helps me use up what I have and limits middle of the grocery aisle planning. My adult son and daughter-in-law are staying with us in between apartments (and a big move to WY), so this has been helpful.
2. I cancelled a boat insurance policy for a boat we never use and a gym membership for a gym I never use.
3. Keeping track of monthly expenses. Helps me see more clearly where our money is going.
4. Keeping up with all my sinking funds. Made paying for car insurance and car registrations painless!!!
5. Packing lunches, making coffee at home.
Picked up an extra shift at work for bonus.
After work stopped at the cheaper further away grocery store and grabbed some clearance fruit and a clearance pork roast.
Finally did some returns that had been sitting in my car for months.
Made banana pancakes, muffins, and dried bananas with some bananas about to go bad.
Made soup with a ham bone from the freezer
Agreed that A Gentleman in Moscow is excellent! I'm on the local library's waiting list for his latest, The Lincoln Highway.