1. I got some free cat food for Chiquita
Safeway had an offer for a free pack of fancy pate, and since Chiquita is not picky about her pate, I knew she would happily accept this.
In the future, I will not be buying these overpriced “gems” of pate, but I was not above taking a freebie. 😉
2. I canceled my New Mexico trip
I had originally planned to visit Albuquerque for a few days later this week (to work on my plan to visit all fifty states), but with the news of flights getting canceled, plus the concerns about air traffic control staffing, I decided to preemptively cancel.
My flight was purchased through Southwest, so it was a very easy process to cancel, and I just accepted travel vouchers to use for a future flight.
Also: when June Kristen booked these flights, she had no idea November Kristen would be dealing with the horrors of the Worst BSN Class Ever.
November Kristen is actually quite relieved to have some days at home to catch up on homework!
Because I’ve been so busy, I hadn’t even booked lodging or a car rental. And the upside of that is: I didn’t have to cancel either of those. All that had been purchased was my flight.
I dunno if this is quite a frugal thing, since I do still plan to take a New Mexico trip at some point in the future. But for the moment, I will not be spending the money on the trip.
I will stay home, eat food from my kitchen, and do my homework!
3. I bought only two things at Aldi
After my dentist appointment yesterday, I stopped in at Aldi because I needed chicken and rice. I almost picked up some fresh produce, but then I reminded myself that I have produce at home that needs to be eaten.
So, I stuck to my tiny list, and then came home and cut up/prepped my already-purchased produce for our dinner and for my work lunch.
This saved me money at the store, but also pushed me to use up what is already in my fridge, so it’s a double win.
Throwing produce away is equivalent to throwing dollar bills in the trash can; we just don’t always see it that way!
4. I transferred more money to my CIT account
I’ve mentioned before that I opened a bank account with Chase to get an account-opening bonus. One of the requirements was direct deposit for several months, so I set up my nurse paychecks to go there.
But of course, that account doesn’t pay nearly what my CIT account does! So, every month, I let the money direct deposit in the new account and then I move it to my savings account, where it can earn me some decent interest.
I’m making my nurse paychecks work for me. 😉
(The CIT links above are affiliate links because I wholeheartedly love my CIT account and I feel good promoting them. So…required stuff from CIT: For a complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures.)
5. I did not buy a Starbucks bear cup (ha!)
Have you seen the $30 Starbucks bear cup that is the hottest thing right now??
It’s just a glass bear beverage container with a straw, and for some odd reason, it has gone viral.
So people are now selling them for $300 online, and apparently buyers are paying that price. The screenshot below is of completed listings:
This is so nuts to me! It is just a bear-shaped glass cup. I’m sure you can buy any number of other cute bear-shaped beverage holders anywhere else for far less than $300.
(Oh, haha, I just googled and yes, there are copycat versions available for under $20.)
I’m gonna just keep using the beverage containers I already own.
I will say…if I happened to have one of those cups right now, I would 100% sell it online and pocket the $300. 😉
AW
Friday 14th of November 2025
My Frugal 5s+ • Sold my youngest daughter's Colombia winter coat that she's overgrown on Marketplace for $30. • Wrote to an eBay seller that I'm disappointed in the Wagner cast iron skillet they sent me. I was told it laid pretty flat and rock slightly. When I received it, it spin significantly and rock more than slightly. I won't be able to use it on my glass stove top. Hoping for a positive resolution. • Submit a request for missing/ broken lego parts online. • Switched out a toy my girl wanted for Christmas and returned the other one. • Got a kids' bedding set for free off my Buy Nothing group. • Ate a free lunch at church from the wonderful food pantry staff since I was volunteering. • Got some candied apples from the food pantry for free that was left behind. My girls enjoyed it as an after school snack. • Was able to help purchase my husband's camping spot online and saved him the trouble of doing it. • Making food from home. For tonight, I made a batch of winter melon soup using what I already had, per my daughter's request.
Lindsay B
Wednesday 12th of November 2025
1. I’ve been picking up lots of extra shifts. I really enjoy my work, and I’m especially thankful because DH has been furloughed for over a month now.
2. I’ve been especially enjoying wearing my thrifted clothes recently. Most things I own are things I enjoy wearing and they are also comfortable (maternity pants excepted as they keep sagging). I love knowing that I bought them second hand which is both super frugal and also much more sustainable for the planet.
3. I redeemed my punch card for a free coffee at my favorite local coffee shop. (But, unfortunately the next time I went they were out of punch cards until their new shipment arrives.)
4. Thanks to Katy at NCA, I saw the Papa Murphy’s $1 medium pizza offer. We ordered two, one from DH’s account and one from mine. We made sure to tip well but it was still a frugal dinner plan that lasted two nights! Happily, it also used up some wilting fridge ingredients including some green onions, homegrown roma tomatoes, homegrown basil, and part of a very wrinkly pepper.
5. I got together with a friend for a playdate, and she treated us to her family’s membership at the local children’s museum. My kiddo really enjoyed it and we were reminded that this might make a great Christmas or birthday gift from grandparents as opposed to more stuff.
6. I received another $4.01 from the FB Tracking class action. I received $40.67 earlier this year from the same settlement.
7. I made soup using up some wrinkly veggies. I also made cornbread to go with it and used flax eggs and some soured cream mixed with milk.
Geneva
Wednesday 12th of November 2025
1. I did not spend anything out of pocket on my recent business trip. I ate all my meals within my meal allowance and didn’t feel the need to give any of my money to the casinos. 2. My flight home was early enough that there was no way I was going to use my meal allowance for the day so I hit up the airport book/snack store and bought a few snacks that will be used as stocking stuffers for my son and husband. 3. Work is having a food drive so I raided the pantry and I was very happy to find some unopened spices to add to my donations. Spices and seasonings are often overlooked when donations are made to food pantries, but they are very desirable. 4. I gave the fridge and pantry a good lookover before making my menu for the week. My husband did a small grocery run while I was out of town so I wanted to use what he purchased in the meal plan. 5. Before I left our basement refrigerator stopped working. We figured it out in enough time to lug everything in the freezer upstairs (the fridge part is just for drinks). My husband discovered it was the outlet and I scheduled an electrician to come out. I asked if we could do one more thorough look of all the basement outlets to see if there was a GFCI outlet that we could have missed. Thankfully we found it and I was able to cancel the electrician.
Mindy
Wednesday 12th of November 2025
If your kitty likes Gems and you have a CVS near you, be on the lookout as they have had $1 coupons pretty regularly the last few months. When combined with other offers/rewards, I've been getting them for anywhere from $0.50 to free.
Colleen
Wednesday 12th of November 2025
I have been able to take leftovers home from work & eat 2-3 meals a day there (hello grocery savings!).
A couple weeks ago I ordered a bunch of annual cat supplies from chewy and earned 2 $30 gift cards, used one last week to buy cat food and present me thanked past me for the forethought!
While I live at home with my folks for a season, instead of paying $ for rent, I help with housework, chores & errands. I am able to save the would be rent in my CIT savings :)
I started carpooling with a friend for work days.
Since I am new at work I can choose to do my CE hours on paychecks when I am a little under which is really nice, or in time for holiday shopping & use the boost for holiday stuff.