Five Frugal Things | a free Christmas carousel
1. I got a free Christmas candle carousel
When I was a kid, my mom had one of those little metal Christmas carousels..the type that spin around when you light the candles.
I was fascinated by it as a kid, and when I saw an ad this year, I was reminded that I have always kinda wanted to own one of these myself.
So, I did some poking around online, and found this wooden one on Amazon I liked.
Then during checkout, they offered that I could sign up for an Amazon Prime credit card and get a $100 Amazon credit immediately.
So that's what I did.
My $100 credit was more than enough to cover the carousel plus 12 candles.
And now I have a decoration that I really, really love.
2. I ordered some gloves on eBay for Zoe
You know how steering wheels basically turn to ice in the winter? Well, now that Zoe's driving, she needed some thin gloves.
She tried mine on and gave them a thumbs up, and so then I hopped onto eBay and found a brand new pair.
Sweet!
3. I got a free space heater
Zoe's bedroom is on the lower level of our house, so it gets a little cold down there sometimes.
I thought a little electric heater would help her a lot, and amazingly, someone offered one on my Buy Nothing group just a few days later.
Yay!
So now Zoe's not gonna be chilly during the winter months.
4. I bought some last-chance American Giant shirts
When I was putting together the flash sale post over the weekend, I noticed that some of their shirts (in summer colors) were marked down.
Soo, I ordered a few for myself. I'm most excited about the v-neck tee, which I got in the rose color.
V-neck tee:
but in this color:
5. I...
- got a bag of sugar for $0.99 at Safeway
- bought three bags of Starbucks coffee to get the $6.99 price
- kept on drinking coffee at home
- spent all my free time studying (which equals no spending. Ha.)
I had a metal one of those carousels that I got from a church sale. It would ring little bells as it chimed. I think I was only allowed to put it out once. Heaven knows where it ended up (probably trashed by my parents or hoarded away in some box somewhere in their attic.)
My FFT. I've not been very frugal to be honest as I've been a bit busy but on the flip side, I haven't really been spending money on all that much.
1.) Got some Vans on clearance for around $20 a pair. They were some of the seasonal designs so not your standard colors hence the discount. The only complaint I have is on the red pair I got the tongue tag is a bit large but nothing a seam ripper can't fix. 😉
2.) Eating up a lot of potatoes that we have in our storage before they go back. Good thing potatoes are so delicious because we've been eating them a lot. Plus they are easy at least.
3.) Found a deal on heavy duty Aluminum foil. I know, I'm stretching here.
4.) Got scheduled for some overtime later in the week. I also was able to avoid traveling for it even though that would result in more overtime but I really don't want to be driving for hours.
5.) I bought one of those TeeTurtle reversible octopuses (octopi? octopedes?) on sale for half off. I plan on keeping it on my desk at work. I didn't need it but maybe it will brighten me up a bit.
Yes, my mom's was metal too, and had the little chimes.
@Battra92, you probably know this, but if you have freezer room, you can freeze potatoes in almost any cooked form. My favorite ways are mashed, stored flattened in Ziploc bags, potato skins (usually without toppings, I scoop the insides out and store separately for use in soup) and occasionally I even freeze whole baked potatoes, though they don't seem to last as long.
@Bobi, My favorite way to freeze potatoes is to par fry them, dry them and freeze them. Then I can put them in the air fryer when I want to cook them.
@Battra92, there was just an extended conversation on the plural of octopus on a different forum that I saw just yesterday. Apparently, because it comes from the Greek, as opposed to the Latin, octopodes is the correct, if pedantic, word.
@Bobi, I did not know that. Thank you for sharing.
@Kristen, my mom's too, and those chimes could drive a person buggy after about 3 minutes!
@Battra92, had to look up what a “tee turtle octopus” was - now plan to get one for my kid to hang on her door 🙂
@BettafrmdaVille, there are three plurals for multiple of that animal that are all considered correct. Octopuses, octopi, and octopodes all are considered correct use.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octopus
@BettafrmdaVille, are you kidding me? For 74 years I thought the plural was "octopi".
@Battra92, My daughter is really into crocheting little animals, and I think I need to tell her to start making the reversible octo-thingies because they are big sellers at craft fairs!
@Rachel,
In our cat-crazy household, we call them octopussies...meow!
Your new Christmas decoration is quite a step up from the small metal ones I remember as a child. It's lovely!
I enjoy reading everyone's Five Frugal Things every week so I can't figure out why I find it so difficult to write about. Perhaps because I don't do anything fancy like using an app or calculating what I have to buy to get freebies. Well, I don't really shop any place where there are freebies...but here are my best efforts at frugal living:
1. Drinking glorious morning caffeine - Instead of going out for fancy caffeine, I'm sitting at my dining table drinking my favorite tea, Yorkshire Gold, which was a gift from a friend. So actually, I do get freebies.
2. Tracking dollars - I just updated my monthly spending/saving spreadsheet with yesterday's purchases. I started my tracking adventure with the Every Dollar app, which is fun to use and so convenient. But three years ago I switched to a spreadsheet from Stephanie at the Six Figures Under blog. It's great to have everything in one place and to be able to look at data from years past. Interestingly, yesterday I compared our 2021 food spending to this year and it's gone down. That is such a puzzle with today's crazy grocery prices.
3. Shop around for prescription prices - Fortunately I take only one prescription regularly so I've always just thought it was the price to pay for health. But when the cost increased four times in a year, I decided to switch from Walgreens to Costco, thinking maybe it would be a few dollars less. It went from $105 to $35. Amazing!!
4. Typing this on a laptop I HATE. It's only three years and so annoying I may type out a few cuss words. I want to replace it so bad. It's slow and the stupid keypad makes the cursor jump all over the place.
5. Focusing on not wasting food. Today I plan to bake a pumpkin used for fall decorating. It's big so this will be a messy process. But all that yummy pumpkin meat will be yummy.
@Elaine N,
In your first paragraph you expressed exactly my thoughts about not being able to contribute to Five Frugal Things...
So here it goes:
I always drink my coffee at home - lots of it and always prepared by myself.
On Sunday I sat down and created a kind of budget for next year. I have never done so. And I doubt I will stick to it - after all I never had debts or a overdraft etc...and my emergency fund is constantly growing. I could cover monthly expenses for 6 month easily if I had no income.
Turns out, that I will get a refund on my gas bills. I used nearly 20 % less gas (heating, cooking and hot water) than last year!!!! Thermostat is on quite low, our showers really short. During the last 12 months gas prices went up three times - I used 20 % less and pay more than 300 % of what I used to pay in November 2022!
No idea, how much my electricity bill is going to be...there I had an increase of 150 % since Nov 2022....
Government is paying everybody's December gas bill. Not a frugal achievement on my side but nevertheless very appreciated.
Germany is not the land of coupons in general. But I did get one from my favorite shop - 15 € if I spend 90 €. I am debating wetter to use it or not. Maybe on underwear...I haven't made up my mind yet.
I was offered two free tickets for a concert of our local symphonie orchestra last Sunday. I gave them to my Ukrainian refugees. They were delighted.
I had no food waste for quite a while. I make it a point to prepare myself really nice meals - one portion I eat right away, three go into the freezer. So nice to just pull out a meal.....and several options to choose from....
Can't think of more right now
@Elaine N, Do you mean the touch pad makes the cursor jump? I hate mine, use a separate plugged in hand mouse. But there are ways to disconnect the touch pads; google for ideas.
In my former office, I plugged a stand-alone keyboard into my laptop and set it in front of the laptop so I didn't have to sit hunched over the machine.
@Lea, I'm so glad we both contributed to the blog today!
Don't give up on your budget. It will be three years in January for mine and I'm still making minor changes to it (like separating gas from other vehicle expenses, but I'm a bit OCD at times.) Sometimes I stick to it and sometimes I don't but the important thing is, every month I know where every penny went and that changes the way I look at what's important and what is not.
What a wonderful gift to your Ukrainian refugees!
@Heidi Louise, thanks for the suggestion -- I'll definitely try a work around.
@Elaine N, two things. I used to work as a medical assistant and when patients asked me where to get their RXs filled, I always suggested Costco because they had the best prices. I don't know if this is still true.
My cursor has jumped around for years. I just assumed it was my fault somehow. It never occurred to me that the laptop could be responsible. Are there certain brands that are susceptible to this, because it's as annoying as all get out.
@Elaine N, Thank you!! Reading about your baking made me remember that I had a pie in the oven. Luckily only overflowed little & can wipe up quickly. Crumble Topping just slightly dark but I usually pick off & test a few times, so no loss.
We also opened the credit card but we received a $150 credit. Weird.
1. With the Amazon credit, I was able to find a lava lite for my nephew at the Amazon warehouse, saving a few dollars. The second, for his sister, we found at Home Depot (different color combo) for $20 cheaper than on Amazon.
2. When coming home from an errand, my neighbor was giving his holly bush a big trim. I ran over and asked if I could have some of the discarded branches (he was putting them in bags for trash day) and now I have 3 large vases of berry-strewn holly for my holiday decorations.
3. Coming home from Ireland (5 of us) we waited for a van-sized taxi rather than taking 2 taxis.
4. I borrowed a lined rain coat from my BFF for the trip rather than purchase one. I did get her some yarn as a thank you, but it was still less expensive than buying one (and I didn't want to have another "thing" in my closet.
5. I did a survey through work and got a $10 gc to Amazon.
@BettafrmdaVille, Ooh-- Love the holly find!
Someone left Starbucks coffee at work so we get to enjoy the good stuff for free for a week or so.
I took several rings to our local jeweler to check stone settings and they did them all for free, now they are super shiny too.
We drove out of our county to get gas, that saved $7 on the tank, our gas prices are .60 per gallon higher than the next county (which is 10 miles away) makes no sense to me.
My fellow workers shared some already done puzzles. Yay for all of us! Ha ha they always come with the disclaimer...they don't know if their dog ate any of the pieces.
My kids bought me a puzzle board for Christmas but one side does not have wood so pieces fall off. Hubs found piece of wood to put there.
—I painted the inside of our bedroom closet door using paint and brushes we had leftover from our initial house makeover. I had skipped the inside of the door to ensure we had enough paint for the visible door side and trim, then just didn’t get back to the inside after we moved in. It’s so nice to have the inside of the door no longer be a color best described as poo-adjacent!
—Frugal 50/50: Target had a $10 off $60 coupon in their app. I’d no intention of using it, but they FINALLY had our preferred cat litter back in stock! Buying the two 40 lb buckets they had on the shelf put me halfway to $60, anyway, so I also stocked up on our boys’ canned food (also back for the first time in ages) and dry food.
—My favorite Ace is still trying to clear out their gardening supplies. I bought tulip bulbs for 75% off, or 30 bulbs for ~$7! They’re the last addition to my tulip-loving husband’s gift stash. He has an early winter birthday, so I’ll still be able to get them in the ground when I’m supposed to.
—Speaking of which, my latest Goodwill claim to fame is a *complete* glass chess set in a cherry wood case with a mirrored chess board top for $10. The same set resells for up to $175 online in perfect shape—which this one is!—but this set was destined for my husband’s birthday. He greatly appreciated the score, but then, he did marry me, so… 😉
—I cooked my husband’s birthday breakfast, cake, and dinner (lamb bought on sale) myself. We did go out for a brief coffee date, but otherwise just enjoyed celebrating his first birthday in our beautiful house
@N, "poo-adjacent" I can't stop laughing. Thank you I needed that. If you don't write for a living, you might try it.
@Ginger Bruce, what a lovely compliment, thank you!
I had one of those metal candle chime things too! There were little angels on it that would swing around and ring bells. Loved it!
My FFT:
1. Bought gifts for my soon-to-be former coworkers and bosses at Aldi. Nice gifts for super cheap.
2. Made granola and used peanutd instead of pricier nuts.
3. Been dealing with the stress of my sudden career move with retail therapy, but frugal style. Basically, I've been letting myself buy as many sale-priced raspberries at Aldi as I want.
4. Bought an advent calendar on clearance at Aldi. The fancy chocolates are definitely worth it even if I break all the Advent rules about when to eat them! Might see if I can buy more today...
5. And the biggest one: switching to full time. Frugality only goes so far, and sometimes you just need to increase your income.
@Becca, "Basically, I’ve been letting myself buy as many sale-priced raspberries at Aldi as I want." Oh, I had a lovely out-loud laugh at this one! good for you! and GOOD for you!
As for your #5 - yes, increasing income is sometimes the solution. sorry you have to work more, glad you. have found the work!
@ecoteri,
I'm happy about the change, but a little nervous about my first day tomorrow. As for the raspberries, we had them with homemade whipped cream in lieu of a salad tonight because I assume that's what rich people eat! 😉
I bought several marked down items at the supermarket and baker.
I did not spend the lowest price for our St. Nicholas presents however because I chose to support local shops. I feel this was amply compensated for by my home cooking and not buying high sugar sweets or at least so I tell myself.
We still delay putting the heating on the morning, to save on our energy bills. Some simple and effective measures: knee-length socks, woolen sweaters, and having a small carpet to put your feet on, below the desk (we have wooden floors). We try to put on the heater only in the afternoons and evenings, when we are done with our home office work. For obvious reasons some days are more successful than ithers: we cannot control outdoor temperature.
@J NL, Yay, someone else celebrates St. Nicholas! Usually people don't have a clue what I'm talking about! Do your kids clean their boots and put them in the window? Mine were very diligent about it last night so they got a few different little treats, like Hershey kisses and cocoa/chocolate bomb.
Nina
@J NL,
Oh wow! We used to do this in grade school. Forgot all about it! I am marking it down on my calandar for next year with my little one!
@J NL, We are also a St Nicholas Day family! We've been doing it since our youngest was a baby (his middle name is Nicholas). We put up the tree, start decorating for the season, and the kids get up to three gifts. Stockings on Christmas, and three gifts on Epiphany. When they were very young we did the shoes + letter to Jesus that St Nicholas would take and leave chocolate coins and candy canes. Now they are so grown up they're getting practical gifts, most of them anyway!
@Hannah and Nina,
Our kids are adults now and there are no grandchildren. So that leaves us some wiggle room with the celebration date. In fact, we will be celebrating it this year at 25th for practical purposes. However: St Nicholas chocolates and pastry, tangerines, St Nicholas poems (still some time to write those - oompf) and mitres on the wrapping paper. And a whole afternoon of board games - winner gets to take a gift from the pile and hand it to the recipient.
We did try Christmas presents one year (because: no rhymes and just unpacking, so less fuss), and we really missed St.Nicholas.
@Nina, we celebrate too! But my children did not clean their boots so I wrapped the little items. One was so excited about his gift he decided to keep it wrapped until after school!
I saw a meme yesterday with an icon image of St. Nick paired with Worf the Klingon ... and, well, now every single St. Nick with the classic bald head and forehead wrinkles makes me think of Worf. Super funny. (Did he look like that? It's hard to tell from this time distance but nonetheless amusing to think about.)
@Karen., Ha! I looked for that meme and sent it to my boys, who are big Star Trek (and Worf) fans. IIRC, when I briefly studied iconography, icons are very symbolic, not meant to be actually representative of how the person looked, but rather to reflect their virtues and characteristics.
@Karen A., My son's middle name is Nikola (Croatian) and mine is Nina which is short of Nikolina - also Croatian. And my dad's name is Nikola too. So we celebrate St. Nicholas really as part of a catholic tradition of name days (based on catholic calendar name days for saints) on top of the St. Nicholas tradition. So its doubly important for us 🙂 and my son and my dad have that special bond of sharing the name. I am trying to weave in my traditions wherever I can and this is such a fun one. 🙂
@Kaitlin, adorable!
@Karen., we called the bad guy Krampus! But I love Worf, my husband will appreciate that!
I love the carousel!
My FFT
1) Submitted receipts to wipe out our flexible spending account for the year
2) Made a pot of taco soup instead of getting takeout when I really didn't want to cook
3) Mentioned to a co-worker that our stocking holders were coming apart and she gave me a set that didn't work on her mantle
4) Made wreaths for the front door with BFF using magnolia leaves from our trees
5) DH wanted a pipe or rod or something to use to hang Christmas decorations on the porch, so I suggested he use old curtain rods that were in the garage
Not so frugal - my 2017 Swarovski snowflake ornament broke when DH was putting it on the tree. I have the annual ornament going back to 1999 so it really hurt when it broke. I got on the internet and found one at Walmart, that shipped for free and was less than half of what I paid of the original. I wonder if it will be authentic but figured I can take it back if not.
I'm guessing that a large proportion of us have those carousels (or had parents who did). My mother had one, but its fate is unknown. (She moved house three times after we kids grew up, downsizing each time.)
Now, FFT, Mild December Weather Edition:
(1) As noted in my "Right Now, I Am..." of yesterday, I met a friend for a long walk at a nearby park. We both needed and enjoyed the exercise.
(2) And I'll probably be joining the small gym where she goes, when real winter sets in and walking is often difficult or unsafe. She says that it has a discounted rate for individual seniors who go only on weekdays. And my Medicare supplement insurance will probably cover part or all of the cost through its Renew Active program (the one that used to be called Silver Sneakers).
(3) In the meantime, I continue with my regular morning walks around the neighborhood. I'm still picking up deposit cans and bottles that got blown out of recycling bins in last Wednesday's high winds!
(4) I've also visited three Little Free Libraries in the past two days. I put in two books and took out three.
(5) I got a pack of 99 cents/lb. chicken drumsticks out of the freezer and made a sheet-pan dinner with them and some sweet potatoes. (And, yes, I did see that Aldi's will have drumsticks starting tomorrow for 69 cents/lb.!)
@A. Marie, I love Little Free Libraries but there are none near me. So I always indulge when visiting my son and his family, getting rid of a book or two for me and picking up books for the grandkids. Unfortunately for their mother, I tend to get books for them that SHE donated.
@Elaine N, I feel your pain: I once bought a sweater from a thrift shop that Ms. Bestest Neighbor had donated. Fortunately, she's well aware of my shopping habits, so hilarity was general.
@A. Marie, same here. I once bought a book from our local thrift store that I knew a friend would like. It turned out she had donated it. We roared.
@A. Marie,
I bought a solid wooden little kitchen table and its four wooden chairs at a yard sale held by a women's group. The seller wasn't there when I bought it. I didn't have a way to take it home but they said the seller's husband would help me when he got there with his truck. When he arrived ... he was my next door neighbor. He said had he and his wife known I was looking for a table and chairs they would have given it to me, so I should just take it for free. But this was for a good cause, so I had them keep the money. We did have a good laugh over it, though.
I am going to try and find five frugal things but I feel like lately we've just been having major expenses.
1. I treated a small team at my work place with a pizza from a place they usually get pizzas (I work remote, at a different state, so I am not there often and don't know food places around there) and they had a special on personal pizzas, $5 each. It felt nice to treat them a bit but also not spend a fortune. Maybe more lucky than frugal but I'll take it.
2. Went simple with our St. Nicholas presents, just a few sweet treats for the kids and a magnetic phone holder for the car for my husband, we needed that anyway and he was happy.
3. Bought most of the Christmas gifts for the family and planned the rest. We're going really simple this year and only a few gifts, some of them we needed anyway for the house, like the office chair since I now work from home and the foldable chair I have is killing my back.
4. Making sure we use up our food. Our CSA started again last week, we are sharing it with some friends, but it helps with the grocery bill and can't beat the fresh organic veggies we get.
5. Started doing yoga again using free Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I love her channel. It saves me $10 per class when I used to do Oula and I also hope to stick with it since I can do it any time. Fingers crossed!
Nina
Most of my frugals center around my gift shopping....
1. I got notification I had rewards to use at the craft store. I didn't need anything so I tried to find something for someone on my gift list. I forgot this store sells baking items. My mom was looking for new muffin tins as hers are pretty old and rusty. Her birthday was yesterday. I found a tin that makes 24 muffins at a time (I had never seen one that big before). I used a 20% off coupon, plus rewards (more than I thought I had), so my total OOP was $2.11. Then I went to another store close by and found her another item on her wishlist and bought that for a discounted price. I added a box of candy I had bought from the girl scouts and had a nice gift which my mom appreciated. She loves cooking and baking.
2. I cashed in some rewards from apps and used those funds towards a gift for my youngest sister's upcoming birthday.
3. I did a quick survey on a McDonald's receipt my daughter had and earned a free drink with purchase for a future stop.
4. I needed a haircut this weekend, so I used a coupon toward it saving 40% off the cut.
5. My oldest daughter had some dress pants that no longer fit her; she said I could have them. I kept 2 of the 3 pair to wear to work.
The carousel is so cute! Good find!
This week I ... made broth with a chicken carcass from the freezer and a bag of veggie scraps I'd had in the freezer too. I got about 9 cups of broth out of it!
- I looked at the "per ounce" price when deciding which bottle of vanilla to buy this week and that paid off (or will) because the larger bottle was so much cheaper per ounce than the small one!
- I have been using deal codes for online purchases like crazy the past few weeks!
- I took myself on a solo hike date the other day and took caramel apple tea from home with me. It was cold out and I was glad for the FREE hot beverage!
- I combined trips yesterday to save on gas.
1. I finished knitting a sweater for my daughter. It's generally not frugal to make clothes instead of buying them, but once I've spent money on the yarn it's frugal to actually finish the project! Luckily it's large enough to fit her for the rest of winter, and likely next fall, too.
2. Gratefully accepted my mom's extra produce from Costco (she and my dad can't eat a kg of asparagus themselves) and some chicken soup she'd made and frozen.
3. Had two impromptu dinner guests last night and was able to feed everyone on 30 minute's notice with no resorting to takeout! I was really proud of that.
4. I had made it my goal not to buy lunch or tea at work throughout November and I did it!
5. We bought a bunch of meat on the weekend, and I took the time to freeze it in individual packages, skinned/cut into portions that we'll actually use. Not my favourite thing to do right before bed, but it really does help avoid waste.
1. Making coffee @ home....Yes. Lots of coffee here lately cause I am a tired person these days.
2. Eating all meals at home and batch cooking on the weekends to have healthy, ready to go options in the fridge for the week ahead.
3. Took advantage of a sale on Christmas lights at Lowe's this weekend to get new Christmas lights for our home. The last ones were purchased long before I was married and have lasted at least 20 years so I am counting this as frugal. Plus all are now LED which should save us a few bucks to use them.
4. Made our annual Christmas fruitcakes using items from my pantry. I know fruitcake...yuck but this is a family recipe that we have made since I was a child and everyone in my family loves it so I count it a blessing that a well stocked pantry allowed us to do this without having to purchase extra ingredients.
5. Kept the HVAC off for most of the week last week and snuggled into flannel sheets. Combined laundry loads. Entertainment via several jigsaw puzzles and Christmas music on the radio.
My parents had the metal version of that carousel as well - goodness, did everyone have them at one time? I love the darling wooden one, although wood/open flame makes me a little nervous. I'm sure that it's designed to be safe, though.
1. I finished making a memory game for a Christmas gift. I bought the wooden tiles but I had the paint/brushes/sandpaper, etc. My painting skills are a little rusty these days, so let's hope the love that prompted the gift will outweigh the lack of skill in its execution. I decided to make a bag to hold the tiles, and was surprised to find a large scrap of fabric in my box of fabrics that is quite pretty and that I didn't know I had. It made a sweet little bag.
2. I bought the last 1.5 yards on a bolt of a Christmas print fabric to make Christmas gift bags, for $3 a yard. It was originally $9.99, which I know because I'd looked at it before and passed it up due to the price.
3. I was at Hobby Lobby and saw autumn decorations at 90% off, so I picked up three big "stems" of leaves and berries for next year, since some of my current autumn stuff is getting a bit worn out. Cost, $1.80, compared to the original cost of $18.00.
4. I found gas at Costco was running 16 to 25 cents cheaper per gallon than other stations around my workplace area, so I filled up.
5. I reviewed how much I set aside each month for six month car and annual house insurance premiums, and upped the amount accordingly. The amounts only seem to go up, never down, sigh.
@JD, I love that you hand crafted a memory game!
1. My SIL works at a grocery store that over-ordered turkeys, she brought us three 16ish lb turkeys for free! She said if we’d had the freezer space, she could have brought us 20. My husband already cooked one over the weekend and I made more stock with the carcass. My meal plan this week incorporates turkey every day.
2. We keep the heater off at night now (we live on the California coast, it does not snow and it doesn’t even drop below the 40’s at night most of the time) The only reason we’d kept it on at night was when our kids were babies and we didn’t keep blankets in their cribs, they are definitely not babies now and are capable of covering themselves with a blanket. Also, I think I sleep better when it’s cold in the house!
3. I do not live in a very walkable area (in the sense that there aren’t many businesses I can walk to, I do live by a beach trail that is very walkable from an enjoyment perspective!) but try to walk to the few places it is possible. Yesterday I had to pickup a kindergarten enrollment packet for my son from the school office of his future elementary school. Walking there also allowed me to see the route and time it, to figure out how feasible it will be to walk him there next school year.
4. This is a future frugal plan, but I saw Kristen’s applesauce cinnamon ornaments and plan to make them with the kids as a free activity. We’ve had a Costco container of cinnamon for years now (we just don’t use it very fast apparently) and the same SIL mentioned above gave us a garbage full of those kids applesauce pouches (the boxes they were in were damaged, but the pouches were fine, so she saved them from the trash). My kids don’t eat those pouches as much anymore so I’ll be happy to use some of them for something else.
5. My favorite coffee was $2/lb off, it’s the only time of year they ever discount it (the coffee is from a coffee shop itself, so not from grocery stores) I bought 2 bags (would have bought more but worried it wouldn’t be as fresh)
@LB, what a score on the turkeys!! I think a lot of us would like to borrow your SIL.
1. We had a power outage on Saturday morning, with no idea of when it would be fixed (the company started out saying two hours, then kept pushing that back every time it got near the time they said it would be fixed). In the end, we were without power from 8 am Saturday until 5 am Sunday. But we didn't lose any food in either of our fridges, thanks to a very handy, hardworking husband and two generators.
2. We were able to stay in our home and stay warm thanks to figuring out how to power the furnace via one of the generators, so we saved hotel money (and we made sure the pipes wouldn't freeze and damage the house!). We were even able to let the kids watch tv and microwave food. So no takeout or restaurants. Frugal!
3. The frustration of dealing with the power company has prodded us to start looking for ways to save power and money. I'm putting my computer to sleep anytime I step away for a length of time and am encouraging the kids to do so as well. A computer in sleep mode uses a lot less power than having it sit there "on".
4. After having yet another dish shatter on our tile kitchen floor, we started hunting for unbreakable, plastic plates and bowls, and drinking vessels. DH found plates and bowls that met our requirements and were made in the USA, but I couldn't find any stainless steel or aluminum tumblers that were made in the USA. We found something that could work, but they were very expensive (over twenty bucks for one!) In frustration, I said, "Why is it we can make all those aluminum cans for seltzer (we drink quite a bit of seltzer) that are in our garage, but we can't make aluminum tumblers in the USA!" Then it dawned on DH that we could take empty seltzer cans and remove the top and make our own lightweight, unbreakable drinking cups. Brilliant. Now I am not worried about anyone dropping a glass on the tile floor and shards of glass going everywhere. And we saved a bunch of money over what we would have spent.
5. We put up our many-times reused, bought-on-clearance artificial tree, with lights we've had for years, and the kids are excited to decorate with the same ornaments we've had for years (some made by the kids, others painted by my mom ages ago). No new Christmas decor purchases. A long time ago my mother gave me a little ceramic light-up Christmas tree, made by a friend of hers in the 70's when it was a thing. Over the years the light fixture inside got wobbly and overheated and was unreliable; again, handy husband to the rescue! He fixed it and put an LED light in it, and it is gracing my desk right now so I feel downright festive.
@Karen A.,
How did you make your seltzercan cups? That sounds like it could be a really cute project especially using different colored cans, but I would worry about cutting my mouth-did you do something to the cut edge to make it safer?
@Becca, We just took a can opener to the top of an empty can! It took a little practice, but the tops come off cleanly. Our can opener is just an Everyday Living brand we got at Kroger. The SwingAway brand didn't do as good a job.
Becca, here is a link that shows more how to do it. https://www.instructables.com/Turn-Old-Pop-Cans-Into-Cups/
As I said, I think if you have trouble, try a different type of can opener.
@Karen A.,
Ok, that's brilliant...and really not sharp, huh? I'm still a bit skeptical, but now planning to try it!
My grandpa and grandma had a brass carousel that had angels on it. I've thought about finding one similar on Etsy or Ebay. I don't have a lot of Christmas decor (almost none, besides the tree and a nativity set), so it would be something fun to have.
@Tammy, "fun" until that incessant chiming has you twitching and muttering to yourself!
I love the carousel. My mom had a nice one.
1. I repaired the handle on my laundry hamper using duct tape. It resides in the basement laundry room and does not need to look fancy. It is a Rubbermaid product I bought at Caldor (they have been closed for at least 20 years). The duct tape is from 2001, when we were advised to have large sheets of plastic and duct tape on hand after 9/11 (I guess we were somehow going to protect ourselves with those items.
2. I stopped at a neighborhood Little Free Library to donate a book and discovered a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle wedged on top of books. I took it home since my husband loves to build puzzles. I will return it after he builds it.
3. Savings on food. Safeway gave me another $5 off offer. I was across the street from the store so I stopped and bought the last box of clearance priced RxBars. Sam’s Club had Keto granola on clearance for $.91/bag (the regular price was $10+ and it had been half price for a while). I bought a few bags. Lidl did give me $20 for buying a gift card the week before so I used that to buy sale priced bags of clementines for a basket of food we gave to an organization, clearance priced Pumpkin Spice oatmeal to donate, and a few items for us. My out of pocket was $.88.
4. We had to attend a fancy event for my husband’s job. I wore my “little black dress” and a jacket I bought at a thrift store several days ago. No need to buy something new.
5. We put our Christmas tree up. We bought a skinny one (it was inexpensive) a couple years ago so we would not need to move furniture to use it. We put our lights on and the ornaments we have had for many years. I use a scarf for a tree skirt as the one we had before is just too large. The lights are on a timer (one we have had for many years) so we don't have to remember to turn them off but we enjoy them early in the morning and in the evening.
@K D,
Wait, HOW can you defend yourself with duct tape?!!
@st, use the plastic and duct tape to cover windows. Think like weatherproofing a window, but instead of protection against cold, protection against airborne particles.
@st, it was supposed to be for taping off/sealing windows and doors in case of some kind of nuclear or chemical attack. I doubt it would have been very effective, but it was something. 🙂
@Dawn, @Rachel,
Thank you. Got it!!
Oh I want to offer a warning just in case your student mind is not thinking about much more than chemistry. Please be very careful about the new to you space heater. Use it only when awake and present especially until you know it is in perfect shape. Last week in the next suburb over two precious teens were lost due to a space heater fire. Six escaped. I am not sure if it was an electrical fire or if something was too close and it caught fire. The fire officials stressed keeping the heater at least 3 feet away from a wall or other object so I think it was the latter. At any rate, please be very careful.
Oh, what a sweet little carousel!
My five frugal things:
1. Gave my husband a haircut.
2. Gave a dirty rug a scrub down front and back with a brush and a bucket of mildly soapy water, then took it outside, rinsed it with the hose and left it on the garden bench in the rain for thorough free extra rinsing and deodorizing. My husband will blow dry it with the leaf blower enough to bring it back in the house to finish drying.
3. Continuing to hand-wash a small number of dishes so that our dishwasher runs only once a day. With my husband and I both home and everyone eating all their meals here, we do go through a fair number of dishes.
4. Still drying a lot of clothes on the laundry racks: our electric bill has dropped by half since last month, so that has to helping.
5. Bought cherry pie filling for Christmas at Ollie's Outlet at a savings of $1 per can.
@Ruby, Ollie's for the win, once again!
@A. Marie, Ollie's is the place for frugal people! I was sad that all the treats my old cat likes were sold out, though.
Made bean soup with some of the leftover ham from Thanksgiving. My brother in law took the extra turkey and I kept the ham. My husband loved the soup!
Quiche is in the oven with leftover heavy cream, bacon, green onion and a pie shell. Sorry Kristen, but my Aldi had heavy cream. I don't usually use it, but probably will use it in my coffee after I finish the egg nog. 🙂
Keeping the home fires burning in the woodstove. Since we only have electric or propane heat, it is cheaper to just use the wood and coal in our woodstove (it also burns coal and a whole huge bin of coal was sold with the house). However, we don't think it is that efficient when just burning wood, so we are looking at placing an order for a very efficient one. We are using up as much coal as we can so we don't have to find a way to dispose of it.
In leu of Christmas cards this year, I am making ornaments with our 40th anniversary picture on it. Not very frugal in the crafting sense because of the supplies, but I don't have to find envelopes or stamps to mail them since I will be handing delivering items this weekend.
Found some placemats at Dollar Tree. Well not really placemats, but dish drying mats in a Christmas motif. They will look great on our red tablecloth and they absorb moisture as they are dish drying mats! At only $1.25 each, I think I saved a lot over the regular cost of placemats!
And they sell a ton of those carousels in Germany at the Christmas markets. I didn't buy one, but bought a Santa that smokes a pipe (incense really). The markets in Germany were spectacular!
@Maureen,
I grew up in a home heated with a coal-fired furnace. When my dad worked night shift, I would go downstairs with my oldest sister and help her stoke the furnace for the night. I haven't seen a bin of coal in many years! Thanks for the memories!
Do you pay your hydro, Kristen, or is it included in your rent? If you pay it yourself, be very careful of the space heater electricity consumption, some are awful and can add significant cost to your bill. Living in this 150 year old house, I've tried many different types and they're not all created the same. We now only use infrared or convection type heaters (for supplemental heat) because of the energy consumption of some of the others. Ceramic electric being one of the very worse.
Five frugal things -
1. I have only spent $30 on groceries since the start of November. Living off pantry and freezer and to be honest, a pretty large shop at the start of November (about $250 Cdn for the two of us). Will have to shop this week though.
2. Sold some outgrown riding clothes of my daughter on FB marketplace.
3. Got a new phone and new plan, total cost cheaper than my last plan.
4. Got a $25/month deduction on my internet bill simply for calling and complaining about our slow rural internet!
5. Was able to get some much cheaper chemo caps on amazon, why did I never think to look there before?
1. I picked up a tube of Tom's toothpaste off Buy Nothing. It's the same kind my kids use.
2. I picked up North Face gloves off Buy Nothing for my husband. He just noticed that his winter gloves had too many holes to repair, so this was great timing.
3. I used bread odd-and-ends, that I had frozen, to make baked French toast for my kids' breakfast. I also used up 1/4 gallon of leftover milk to make the French toast. Total cost for both of my kid's breakfast for the whole week was about $3.
4. My husband ordered a face cord of wood, for our fireplace, off Buy Nothing. He found that the seller was previously offering $20 less for the wood, so he asked for that price which the seller agreed to ($80). The price also included delivery. So much cheaper than buying in the store!
5. We have been dutifully using our YMCA membership to exercise and swim.
I had left over masa and cornhusks from a tamale making party. On a whim we created a pepper jack and hatch chilies filling (from stuff I had in the fridge) and would you believe that we liked the cheese and chilie tamales better than the meat.
I added cheese to leftover soup to make it into a more full meal.
I searched Amazon for basic over-the counter medications and supplies that I could pay for with my FSA card.
We decided not to buy a Christmas garland this year. (It always takes several trips to hunt these up in SoCal and we are taking a year off.)
I have one of those--it's a pre-war angel chime from Germany. I adore it.
I have something like that as well but in metal. I'd be nervous about the possibility of fire with a wood one although yours is a lot prettier.
1. Most of this week's frugal lay in not shopping.
2. I bought books from Powell's using credit from selling them books.
3. I bought books from Amazon either used or at deep discount.
4. I avoided trips to the thrift shop by giving more things to my coworker (who's left us now, :-<) and to my handyman/general go-to guy. The former I handed over at work, the latter he'll pick up at my house.
5. For my book club I continued my trend of not buying the book (usually library) and making snacks from what I already have on hand. This week was Greek Semolina Cake, using two ingredients I want to get rid of: semolina and honey.
@WilliamB,
I love to hear book clubs' choices, if you’d be okay with sharing it.
Frugal doings:
I have making a big pot of soup on Saturdays to clean out odds and ends before grocery pick up on Sunday. We eat the leftover soup on Monday. I have been making homemade beer bread. Corn bread or 7 up biscuits to accompany soup. Very cheap for two meals. Each week is a different style soup.
Using the same o same o holiday decorations. Getting an itch for something new.
Checking out new release Xmas albums on the library hoopla app. Enjoying them while walking the dog.
Good luck with your exams!!
@Stephanie, what are 7up biscuits? I have never heard of this. Could you please share.
It was Buy Nothing to the rescue for me this week!
1. I was checking one of the nicer thrift stores on Fri. for an ugly Christmas sweater to wear to Church for Tacky Sweater Day this past Sunday, but couldn't find one. I did find a couple of tops for me, and a couple of items for granddaughter, who likes to wear whatever grandma has in the drawers rather than bring her own for sleepovers. One really cute top just needs the neckline tacked down, and that's easily done. The leggings were in great shape.
2. Did some Cyber Monday shopping last week and found the Lego horse trailer my granddaughter has asked for at 30% off! We had decided not to get that, but when we saw the deal, it was worth it. Also cashed in all the Amazon points for purchases and bought her a realllly nice wooden doll house to keep here. She has one at her house, but the one here is a playmobile or something equally toddler-oriented, and she'll be 8 in Feb, so it'll be fun to surprise her with a new one.
3. When we had decided not to get the Lego trailer, I was looking around for something else. One of the members in our Buy Nothing group was offering a brand new 3 in 1 Dinosaur Lego kit, so I asked for it--along with about 25 other people! After we bought the trailer (see #2), my name was chosen! I almost declined it, to allow someone else to get it, but then remembered the upcoming Feb birthday, and we are always scrambling to think of what to get her so soon after Christmas, so voila! One birthday gift, Free!
4. One of our BN members offered some tops and dresses in a couple of plus sizes, so was able to find several summer items in the next size down. Hopefully I will be able to wear them come spring, as I have been really lax about my eating and gained back 8 pounds. When I passed the ones I didn't want to another member, she brought over a bag of tops she just didn't have time to post about--so I just got 6 more long-sleeved t-shirts. I am set for the winter now!
5. I have an old patio swing I bought at a yard sale about 10 years ago. The mattress, and the canopy finally wore out. (In fact, the mattress had started tearing, so I let the squirrels finish it off and take the stuffing for their nests a couple of winters ago.) I have been searching yard sales, my BN group, and craigslists for a couple of years for a futon mattress, as this particular swing flattens out to be a swinging "bed" if you want it to, and I figured this would be as good a solution as any. I haven't looked in a few months, as it's coming on winter, but lo and behold, one of the BN members offered up a futon mattress this weekend--and even offered to bring it to the house for me! Now I just need to find a new, preferably waterproof or water-resistant cover for it, but it'll stay in the shed til spring. Maybe I can find a canopy, too!
@Stephanie D, the house we formerly lived in came with patio furniture and an outdoor umbrella of an unusual size. All the fabric was in bad shape. I bought a bunch of heavy polyester shower curtains at a discount store and sewed a new umbrella cover and cushion covers. The umbrella cover was probably the hardest thing I have ever made, with all the careful measuring and cutting required to get all those pie-shaped pieces just right. But it fit and looked great. Saved a ton of money to make it.
I think five overly expensive things would be easier this week. Let’s see what I can come up with for frugal:
1. Tiny St. Nicholas Day gifts that are favorite items.
2. baked lots of breakfast/lunch items which prevents us from eating out and heats up our very cold kitchen
3. Drove home from kid’s school the long way so as to avoid an untreated curvy cliff side road in the middle of a moderate snow. More gas. But gas is cheaper than the potential accident, especially as much as I was sliding on the sorta cleared road.
4. Continuing the house Renos doing as much work ourselves as we can manage. This weeks expotitions have included wiring, insulating and painting, and hunting for fabric for window shades.
5. Made black coffee (the best), bread, presents for kids’ teachers, aides, bus drivers at home.
your gray hair is so pretty!
1. After I made a turkey on Friday (purchased when it was 55 cents/lb) I made lots of broth from the carcass and froze it. Was this a good use of my time and mental energy right now? No. But it's done.
2. I needed some cards for specific things and looked at the Dollar Tree. I got 4 nice cards for a total of $2.50.
3. My son needs some silly socks for a silly sock exchange at school and I found a great pair while at the Dollar Tree. I got a matching one for him because I knew he'd love them.
4. There are a few fun dress-up days at school over the next couple of weeks and I realized last week that my oldest has outgrown all of her Christmas shirts. We went to Goodwill and found one for her with the tags still on, plus a sweatshirt she loves and a pair of boots. All for $8. On the way home she was going on about how Goodwill has awesome clothes and we should always look there first. Love it!
5. I made yogurt from a half-gallon of milk that was marked down to 99 cents.
And a 6th one... We brought home two bags full of books, audiobooks, and a movie from the library yesterday. Last week was book fair week and we always buy one book per child, but it often seems a little silly to me because we use the library so much. The 3 books didn't cost us that much and the kids have really enjoyed them, but I'm thankful that we have access to all kinds of books at the library.
@Ruth T,
Good work on the cards! You got 4 for less than 1 would have cost elsewhere!
This is the first time I've done FFT. It is fun to recognize things I do on auto-pilot are actually special. This blog validates me as frugal, rather than just "cheap". Thank you, all!
1. Rescued some round porch pillars from getting tossed and will give to a friend with an antique store so he can make a profit.
2. Remembered a gift card to a local sandwich shop in my glove box and got lunch for hubby and me.
3. Went digging through old emails and found an Amazon reward for taking a survey so I bought that wooden Advent tree with drawers and IT WAS FREE!
4. Laid a walkway at church using only found materials on the property.
5. Made it an entire month without buying any books.
@Jana, oh, I aspire to your #5! one year, in my dreams...
1. I have never been a coffee drinker, but am a tea drinker. Yea is inexpensive to make and I have a lovely metal insulated tumbler that keeps it hot.
2. We eat a lot more soup in the cold months and saving tons of scraps and bones makes for fabulous soup broth.
3. Make yogurt at home since the kids are yogurt eating machines!
4. Saved .30 a gallon on my last fill up.
5. My neighbor and I swap odd ingredients with each other always evening out over time. It keeps each of us from having to buy all of the ingredient for a very small amount.
We paid a bill before leaving the doctor's office, which they told us saved $20, so a small win.
We are participating in a "Yankee Swap" gift exchange at our church and we each need to bring a $10 gift. I was going to buy 2 items, but hunted around the house and came up with 2 brand new things that will work: a nice bag of coffee and a book. No purchases!
I took 5 boxes of stuff to Goodwill. For me, that's a frugal win. Freeing up space and less to take care of.
My best childhood friend came to visit and we just hung out, eating food on hand and watching old DVDs. She also brought me some items from a clean out of her mom's house, including 2 books by an author we both like.
On the first weekend of the month, I make sandwiches for my husband's work lunch (he only works every other day) for the whole month and freeze them. This is so much easier to pack on work mornings. It's not so much the time, but it removes the stress of forgetting if I have enough bread/meat/cheese, etc.
Love the carousel. My Grandma had a brass one...not sure which family member got it, fun memory.
- Found supplies for a friend's birthday tea wreath @ a neighboring town $1.25 Store.
- Thanking my frugal self for picking up holiday baking supplies last summer.
- Purchased a leaf blower today using my rewards + sale price and paid 75% of regular price! Yay! Next year's fall clean up will be a one day job instead of 3!
- Picked up 3 private nursing jobs for the new year. I will put the wages towards my main bath remodel.
Hope your exam went well! I love the angel/candle chimes too. My DH the physics professor loves to explain the force of rising heat making the fan move, and then make the chimes. My mom's had a lot of pieces that got lost over the years but you have inspired me to dig around for mine. Even if the chimes get monotonous, it is a pretty ornament. Yours is beautiful!
Frugal efforts this week:
Shop at Costco for bulk tissues, facial and bath. Allergies are very bad.
Restraint in shopping for decor--it is not necessary for every single door to have a wreath!
Planning baking carefully, to make birthday cakes and Xmas cookies to share, but not so many that we put on even more unwanted pounds.
Filling auto gas tank in the big city, 10 cents cheaper per gallon than near home. Saved $1.20 filling 12-gallon tank. Every penny adds up.
And shopped Black Friday sales for gifts for the neighbor children, paying less than half the retail prices.
Enjoyed the lights and decorations of our neighbors, even though ours are spare. My husband's classes begin so quickly after the holiday we can't get them un-installed and stored quick enough, and we are very selective. There is no law that says holiday decorations have to cover every inch of everything ! And we need the space for December birthdays and visitors.
I struggle to write before its many days later and I figure folks won't come back to read comments on old posts.
But, here goes -
- I returned our cans for the recycling deposit. One can return $6 at a time so I find it most efficient to wait until I think I have that many because I can't take the can return slip to self checkout.
- I gave my mother a stack of paper grocery bags since she had run out. These were probably more than 5 years old, but one never knows when one will need a non-reuseable bag.
- I made lists of everything that should be used up in the freezers and pantry and have been diligently incorporating those into meals.
- I bought only on sale proteins this week. I had gone grocery shopping the day after Thanksgiving for only bananas and milk because who needs more food at that point. Then yesterday I did more of a real shopping trip, but balanced against the above point of using things we already have combined with sale items.
- I put some deli ham slices in the freezer because we were not going to eat them promptly. I'll get them out again when we need new lunch options.
@Nora8, I'm often late in posting, but it holds me accountable, so I don't mind if no one reads them! I do the same thing with a few slices of lunch meat...it's better than the frustration of throwing them out because they got rancid.
I am so glad you were able to get that lovely candle spinner - with an Amazon hack no less! Bravo!
My FFT -
1. I resisted the urge to pick up sushi during my foray into town for doggo grooming. This was not an easy thing for me…. I was REALLY having a wasabi withdrawal…
2. I borrowed a ladder from my neighbor for hanging exterior lights.
3. I checked out and finished (2) ebooks on the Libby app.
4. I’m using my grandma’s collection of Christmas decorations for my little cabin’s interior.
5. I learned how to make plant based cream cheese from thehiddenveggies.com cook book… and it wasn’t horrible!
I like your carousel. I've always wanted one.
My list
1. My husband made most of our dinners last week using leftovers from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass and an Aldi duck dinner we had that Monday. We still have tons of homemade stock left that I'll freeze for later.
2. I decorated with the Christmas tree and decorations we have (I swap and switch things up to make it look a little new and different each year) and made a few glue repairs to some favorite tree ornaments so they can dazzle us with their weirdness for years to come.
3. I got a 20% off thank you coupon code for ordering underthings during Bamboo's Black Friday weekend sales. The Cyber Monday deal was extended when I got the thank you code and ordered a few more needed things at 80%.
4. I'm making chocolate candy using candy molds I got from a friend of a friend for a Handmade, Thrifted, or Regifted gift exchange where the emphasis is on the thought and not necessarily the price limit.
5. And a bunch of little food things:
- I got a container of slow cooked over an open fire chicken noodle soup that was leftover from a booth at the Christmas Village side hustle one evening.
- My husband and I finished the eggnog rice pudding I made for Thanksgiving dessert - often for breakfast 🙂
- Made cold brew with coffee beans that were too bitter and acidic even when filling my coffee mug half with the coffee and half with almond milk eggnog (one of the best ways to use leftover egg nog IMHO.) Cold brewing makes it drinkable to finish the rest of the package that I will never buy again.
@Lazy Budget Chef, you have left over egg nog? I bought a quart for me, to drink slowly because of the high calorie count. I blush to report I polished it off in 24 hours.
1. Our library will deliver books to shut-ins, who knew? A friend works that and when she heard I was pretty much stuck at home recovering, she arranged for the library to drop off six books for me while they were doing their regular route. It saved my poor husband an errand.
2. Bought only milk and on-sale butter at the grocery store because our freezer is very well stocked.
3. Bachelor who only eats the breast on Costco chickens dropped off two frozen carcasses full of meat for future soups and stock.
4. Talked to two friends about not exchanging gifts anymore. Both agreed, saying it was a relief and that they did not need more stuff.
5. Went through every single Christmas decoration and ended up with two boxes of things that were cluttering up our storage area. They were immediately picked up when I put out the word on our Buy Nothing group.
I'm sick to death of overpriced printer ink, so I've been printing my eBay labels for free at the library which isn't too far from the house. (Half mile?) I get a bit of exercise and save the money I would've spent to replace the ink cartridges.
My husband and I ran errands together yesterday and then stopped at Ikea for lunch. I got the $1.15 veggie hotdog and he got two child size meals, which saves $2 over getting a single adult size meal. He was embarrassed and made me order for him, (wimp!) but was really happy with the "hack" afterwards. We also enjoyed coffee, which is free if you have their free "Ikea Family" card.
@Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate, Don't you have to have a child along to order a kid meal>
@Rose,
If they do have such a rule, I don't think they should enforce it. Why can't anyone just buy anything offered on the menu?
I just wanted to say that it's lovely that you can start some new Christmas traditions for your new life.
My brain isn't working well enough to remember the frugal things, but I will tell you about my frugal fail. It involves buying a Christmas gift for my husband. I decided to buy a new pepper grinder because every time he uses our old one, he grumbles that he hates it because it doesn't work as well as it once did. So I bought one (and not a cheap one). When it arrived, I opened it and admired how pretty it was. My son did, too, and insisted I buy the matching salt shaker. So I decided to REALLY splurge and buy that, too. When it came, I gave it to the same son to open, check, and then hide until it is wrapped. But. He opened both and realized we'd orginally oohed and ahed over the salt shaker and NEITHER of us even noticed it wasn't the pepper shaker. So we had two salt shakers, and now I have to pay to return one of them. And it's not as if I don't know what a pepper mill looks like!
@Jody S.,
Before you send it back, maybe see if it will grind peppercorns. It might...
@Becca, Nope. Most definitely just a salt shaker. I looked back at my order, and it was a salt shaker.
Unless, maybe I could just pound the peppercorns really hard with it on the counter for a coarse grind 😉
@Jody S.,
Bummer. Our salt "shaker" is actually a grinder too for the coarse sea salt, so that's what I was picturing.
I'm a knitter. I got the deal from Amazon a few years ago and it paid for a set of interchangeable needles I really wanted. I got a small credit limit on the card and pay it off monthly. They give you points for your purchases, and whenever the balance gets big enough I add accessories to my interchangeable set.
I love that credit card! No fee and 5% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods. And no foreign transaction fees if you ever travel abroad, which seems rare for a no fee card. As I order far too much on Amazon, it is a great utility card that I link to my Amazon account.
1. I made ALL of our meals at home.
2. I saved some ripped jeans for a crafting project.
3. I am reusing gift bags and boxes for Christmas wrapping.
4. I am using the same free Advent calendar that I used for about 7 years now.
5. I'm still using the shovel that my parents bought me when I moved out.
6. I am also wearing the same Dr. Martens that my parents bought me (about 28 years ago).
FFT-
1. Finally went online to research & compare Medicare plans. I hate doing it, but it showed me where I’m missing out on some savings with my current plan. Submissions for reimbursement will be sent this week.
2. I mistakenly bought a new Christmas wreath, thinking that I hadn’t replaced the decades old one that was trashed a couple of years ago. I apparently bought a new one last year so a return this week will put $ back in my pocket.
3. I’ve used digital coupons and the Rakuten app for savings & cash back for recent purchases.
4. Eating from the freezer & pantry, even if it’s just soup and/or sandwiches.
5. Reading this blog daily to get new frugal ideas & tips.
My frugal things last week--
1. Yesterday my gutter contractor finally was able to make it to the house. He had originally told my $600-$700 for gutters/eaves trough & $300+ for fixing/replacing insulation & putting in vents/ventilation under back room. The home improvement stores were out of eaves & I agreed that old ones still good shape to use. Kept old gutters to take to scrap.
He only had to put in half insulation & determined that vents not needed because plenty of air movement. So after removing animal carcass & dead cat was able to close up area.
Total cost $600
2. Remembered to use my reward before expired at Bath & Body works. Had new coupons & bought Buy 3 get 1 free (thought was get 3 free but was day before) & save $10 off $40 & get free full size body care with $10 purchase. So got 4 jumbo creamy body wash & 2 body cream for $30. Plus earned another reward.
3. Checked my gas rewards & earned $0.20 plus anniversary reward save $0.15 & $0.25 (all stackable) off up to 20 gallons. Will fill up by end of week.
4. My gutter contractor was kind enough to light gas fireplace because could not figure out. Found out need to replace ignitor but showed me how to light by hand if can not start. Saved me $ for repair person. Will make him some treats & drop off. (our kids have been friends since kindergarten & I I always use local repair people if possible).
5. Bought few more gifts (for later) on sale $13 (from 20) & mail in rebate $5 off (limit 2). Bummed because did not gave grill mat (free after rebate) that my dad likes & can not ever find where he lives. Could check other stores but additional 30 minutes each way & don't need anything from stores in that direction. Maybe next time/next year.
6. Dollar general had soda on (3 day) sale 4/$12 & found holiday stocking stuffers $1 each which will go back Saturday when have coupon save $5 off $25. Dollar tree did not have anything like these & nicer/cheaper.
Got my utility bill & doubled from last month. Yes it's been in teens & single digit real feel many days. Hoping that repairs & more insulation will help not to go any higher. Of course been cooking every day at home.
My frugal 5
1. Went to Walgreens and purchased four 31 ounce bottles of Tide Simply for $9. I used $5 of Walgreens cash to bring it down to $4 + tax.
2. Picked up diapers for my friend's grandbaby. They were 2/$20 at CVS and I had a $3 off coupon and used my CVS monthly rewards to pay for them.
3. Hubby cut his hair this weekend.
4. Went to library to get my 3 books from inter-library loan.
5. Have to check out how much money is left in our FSA account and put in for some spending out of pocket.
Plan on having a no spend January.
1. Shifted bonus money to 529 plans for future me and kids.
2. Found organic pork on sale and bought a lot. Bo Ssam here I come (an amazing Momofuku pork dish).
3. Cooked a lot at home.
4. Rode my bike to Goodwill to buy new t-shirts for kids.
5. Doing exercise classes at home.
1. Enjoyed putting up Christmas decorations while drinking hot chocolate and listening to music.
2. Turning down the heat down at night.
3. Eating oatmeal and berries for breakfast every morning and having greek yogurt for a bedtime snack - trying to develope a diabetic meal plan that is as easy an doable for me as I can get it.
4. Walking everyday, and other exercises to get strong.
5. Putting on a sweater.
Posted a number of frugalitis on NCA a couple of days ago, what else do I have?
1. frugal for a friend - her daughter has a nasty cough and I offered to lend her my steamer - I have had it in the cupboard for 5 years and better check that it works, but it will save her having to purchase and will really help with that deep unhappy sound.
2. continue to avoid spending on unnecessary things at grocery - went in for milk and cream and came out with milk and cream and stirfry noodles that I had forgotten I needed but saw on the endrack- however, didn't buy THOSE, I went and found the on-sale ones in the aisle, saving $1.50!
3. continue to work with the farm insurance company as the policy has been transferred to a new insurance company and there are changes that they aren't acknowleging. I have paid the insurance so I am mostly covered, but there are things that need to be fixed. hoping it will reduce my costs.
4. I have damaged a ligament in my knee - and need to do some gentle cycling to move it while it heals. I don't want to join a gym, so have contacted a friend who has a good indoor bike and will go over to use hers 3X a week, either listening to a podcast or having a visit while I do. Win for us all, and no $ to a gym.
5. Using my library more and more - particularly to order books that are recommended in my reading. Saves me tonnes and keeps me out of the bookstore. I did purchase a new book: "The Ten Equations That Rule the World by David Sumpter", however I first asked my library to order it in, and when I was reading it realized that I want this on my shelves. I am not a math fiend, and yet this is written so I can slowly figure things out - and it is fascinating!
And #6 - I almost forgot but it is AWESOME - I won a naturally tanned sheepskin on an Instagram contest, hope to see it in the mail later this week. I entered on a whim, and had a challenge with one of the entries so got in an email conversation with the gal who did the tanning. Turns out she is a friend of the woman I call my #2 daughter, and we conversed several rounds just chatting about this and that. Then she emailed again to say that she had just downloaded the app to do the choosing and MY NAME CAME UP! We are both so pleased, and I will have that lovely fuzzy woolly to put my feet on every morning rather than the cold wooden floor in my bedroom.
Oooh, that sounds so cozy!
Love the hair!
Let's see, what did we do:
1) I continue to use colorful plain cards for all occasions. I found them 50 for $5 at a craft store a few years back, and we are slowly working our way through them. The teens know that they need to write thoughtful messages inside. When they were younger, their messages were often unintentionally funny, and they used to draw pictures. My family loves the cards.
2) Avoided buying any new holiday decorations or supplies. We have everything we need on hand.
3) I'm using rewards to get a free massage today. (I'll tip still, of course.)
4) One of my December goals is to use up random freezer items. I finally used up the enchilada sauce in my freezer, and bonus - used up the remnants of some salsa, the last of shredded cheese, and a few other things to make an enchilada chicken rice dish that was very tasty.
5) Picked up the Friday Freebie at the grocery store (crackers) & noticed there was also an iBotta offer, so the freebie became a small money maker.
1. Spent a few hours cutting up and cooking some fruit that has been neglected in the fridge/kitchen for a while. Now I have cut pineapple, pomegranate arils, peach crumble, cranberry orange bread and pureed pumpkin prepped and ready to eat and didn't let it go to waste. (I did have a fail and had to throw out several mini cucumbers that went slimy after we forgot to eat them. I've learned so much from Kristen about food waste and trying to prevent it!).
2. Cut my son's hair. Glad that both my boys still let my husband I cut their hair, as they are 14 and 11 and can be very picky about certain things.
3. Planning a trip to Banff for next summer with some friends. Used credit card points to help buy plane tickets for one part of our trip.
4. Able to find new items from my gift stash at home for a Toys for Tots donation, most of my MIL's Christmas gift requests, and for a White Elephant Christmas party coming up this weekend. Most of the items we bought on sale or were gifted to us and so I'm thankful for past me to buy those items cheap and keep on hand! (For one of the white elephant gifts, it is supposed to be a gag/funny gift, but I'm putting together a bunch of new cleaning products and supplies that are at least useful because I can't stand giving crappy junk, even for fun.)
5. Got selected for more product taste testing, this time for plant-based burgers and spicy snacks. I have to buy the products myself to do the test, then answer the questionnaire and upload a couple of photos, but always get reimbursed for the item plus around $2-5 on top of that. (In case anyone is interested in applying, here is my referral link for the plant-based burgers and second one is for spicy Cheez-Its)
https://tester.flavorwiki.com/share/9adycpjo9gf-281929?referral=638e6304ff1e3c6bcb6f2111
https://tester.flavorwiki.com/share/jekvos7pegm-61230?referral=6390c069b22f2853d8ea27eb