Five Frugal Things | A little tailoring, for one
Happy Monday, friends! How about Five Frugal Things to start off the week?
1. I joined Shell's Fuel Rewards program.
We noticed that Shell has a Fuel Rewards program.
So, I signed up and now we'll get at least 5 cents off per gallon. They also have one day a week where they offer a discount on gas, so we're making sure to fill up on that day.
2. I tailored Zoe's new dress.
We got this one from Old Navy, and it fit her pretty well, except that the back gaped open.
This happens all the time with sundresses and slim girls...I've lost count of how many dresses I've modified to fix the problem!
I had Zoe try on the dress and I pinned the side seams and then sewed a new, smaller seam.
My tailoring job doesn't look exactly perfect on close inspection, but it's close enough, and it's under the arms, so no one really even sees it.
3. I used $12 of Novica credit.
I had a $5 credit, and then they sent me a $7 coupon code! So I found a pair of silver earrings on sale and got them for $9 total, which is super great for a pair of Novica earrings.
(Novica is a National Geographic company that sells goods made my artisans from around the world.)
4. I bought some marked-down fresh mozzarella.
I made grilled pizza last night and had forgotten to pick up fresh mozzarella at Aldi. Luckily, the grocery store I was at happened to have a close-to-expiration date markdown on mozzarella. Woohoo!
5. I...
...wore my Michael Kors dress from Thredup to church, read a library book on the hammock, and made a fire in the evening with fallen branches from our yard (using saved papers and leftover cooking grease as fire starters.)
The dryer died last week... WAHH! I took the 2 wet loads over to my moms house and she dried the load I just took out of the washer and rewashed the stuff I found wet in the dryer... Husband found the problem himself( broken heating coil), ordered the part on Amazon and in 2 days I was back and running for under $50!
Husband sold a ring he bought on FB marketplace on Ebay and doubled his money...
We have been going through all the kids accumulated stuff.. sold a pair of Nike Slides that had only been used 1 time( thanks growth spurt) for $2.00 less than I paid for them! ( Thanks great deals and coupon codes).
I just saw Dicks is having a 20% off cyber day today.. and I can get Ebates 10% back today.. so it looks like TODAY is the day we buy new volleyball shoes for the girl...
Accidental frugal moment happened at the store when I purchased a few items knowing I could get cash back from Savingstar.. only to be thrilled to see on my receipt that I had digital coupons on my store card that applied at the register! Yeah for proactive coupon clipping!
Not so Frugal Thing...
After fixing the dryer husband called the water company to come out and inspect our system and give us quotes... I have been telling him the water is getting stinkier.. and he keeps telling me the filters need changed.... Time to act.. and pay... Well Life.. ugh
I disagree that "spending money" = "not frugal." Not frugal would be not getting a few quotes for major repairs, or letting it so long that it gets more expensive or damages other things.
While the 2 frugal ideas' below may seem extreme, in a month when pension income has to stretch a long month like in June, the following ideas' help:
1) Ran out of hair shampoo? Saving gel (Men's) helps. It also works as bath softener with sea salt (1 cup) in a hot tub then cool-off with semi-cold shower.
2) Out of wax paper and parchment paper to line muffin tray? In a pinch salted crackers' in waxed paper sold in 4 long rows to a box, can be use. Margarine under paper works' well enough.
3) Acidity of cola drinks' beginning to feel sharp to the tongue? A 60/40 ratio of soda pop to water can help. Worked on this for myself, successfully, for several years' now over a three year period of time. Downsizing from brand name soda pop to generic grocery brand can help.
Now, if I can find a way to pay for an upper dental implant (already have one on lower jaw), I'd be whistling a happy tune. Right now, mentally singing "Onward Christian Soldiers' March as to war...works wonders to stave off depression.
Honestly I am shocked that you even own a clothes dryer. Hang those on a clothesline and dry them for free.
I own a dryer too! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2013/03/why-i-quit-line-drying-my-laundry/ I line-dry things that I want to be extra careful with, but I use my dryer all the time. I tried line-drying and it was just not for me.
This post may also be helpful: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2018/01/we-are-all-making-choices-with-our-money/
Sounds like tons of fun to me! Great idea with the old branches. 🙂 For the Shell program, is it a credit card you have to apply for, or is it a simple rewards program? It would certainly make up for the inconvenience of finding a Shell to save a little. 😉
This week:
1. I also wore my fave thrifted clothing. 🙂 My go-to outfit these days is yoga pants with flip flops and a nice top--all of which are secondhand from ThredUp. 🙂
2. I took a croissant class over the weekend. It's a luxury, but I've always wanted to learn how to make croissants properly. I'll be able to make fancier foods at home, so we very well might save money in the long run. 😉
3. Tonight I'm making vol au vents with leftover puff pastry in the fridge. It sounds fancy, but it's just puff pastry baked in a little cup that you fill.
4. I baked two tarts from scratch, using figs grown in our backyard for the topping. Yum!
5. Hubs trimmed our ivy and regrew the trimmings in water. Hopefully this means we'll get enough ivy to have a plant in every room. For no extra cash. 😉
We're members of the Shell rewards program and really like it! If possible, I get my gas at Sam's Club because it's almost always cheaper, but we have a Shell close by so it's nice to have the option. And you reminded me, for some reason, our rewards have gone from 5 cents off to 3 cents off/gallon. I need to figure out why that is!
Happy Monday!
With the Shell rewards program you have to have so many fill ups during a 3 or 6 month period to maintain the 5 cents off. Hope that helps!
Ahh yep! That's what it is. Since we go to Sam's most often, Shell is only a back up. I appreciate your reponse. Thank you!
1. I cooked all meals at home last week, saving us so much money! 2. I returned items to the store that I had been putting off. 3. I went through my daughter's clothes and got rid of what didn't fit and made a list of what she needs so I can thrift it. 4. My husband detailed all of our cars and washed them at home. 5. We're eating through our pantry/freezer/fridge to not have food waste!
Returning stuff you don't need is a HUGE one! I forgot we did that also! Husband found a pile of stuff he had bought for projects. Since we were heading that way we just stopped at Home Depot and Lowes and made back $10!
How returns have changed! Yesterday, I bought a t-shirt identical to one I bought last week at WalMart except in a different color. The second one had a dipping cleavage at least two inches lower than the first one. When I took it back today, the clerk didn't even ask if anything was wrong with it, just scanned the receipt and tag and had me sign the electronic pad-- I could have put anyone's name as she flung the shirt into a bin. Twenty years ago, a return involved hand-filling out name, address, phone, reason for return, and any number of other annoying moves that made it seem simpler to just keep the unwanted item. I like now better!
I love the dress! I personally would prefer it to be a bit above the knees, if I wore them but it looks great on you!
I think I'm getting over the idea that we need to eat out to have fun. We spent $40 on dinner last weekend, and I still felt so hungry afterwards. I kept thinking it's almost half of our weekly grocery budget, and I still had to have some pork dumplings when I got home. Not worth it IMO *sigh*
Those are some good frugal things! Yay for cents off gas.
1. We get 3 cents off per gallon at participating Marathon gas stations because we have Farm Bureau insurance. I just tried a Marathon that I had tried before but it didn't have the discount program set up the first time. This time it did have the discount program, so I filled up. Their gas was already one of the best prices in this area ($2.63 before discount), and it's right on my way home.
2. I had just put the last of the cat litter in the litter box, and was going that weekend to buy some. Instead, when I got home from work the next day, there was a box of two big containers of cat litters, for a trial run of each. I was chosen for the home survey on cat litter after doing a litter survey on Swagbucks. I am to use the litters, and when I complete the online survey for each litter, will get Swagbucks in my account. I don't know how much, yet, but the only other time I have done a further survey like that, I earned $50 in real dollars, so I'm hopeful. At the very least, I get free litter out of it.
3. I thought I lost a big bottle of Sal Suds, but kept looking and found it behind the dryer (?). I'm glad I didn't buy another one.
4. Someone got over-exuberant in our rocking chair, and damaged a corner of the drywall behind it. I am fixing it myself, right down to applying the orange peel texture to the repair to match our walls. Another reason to be glad I kept a jar of our living room paint.
5. I called my insurance company today about a $284 bill for an MRI. I'd already paid the $300 copay when I had the MRI. The insurance rep said I don't owe this bill, and when the claim is fully processed, that bill will go away.
5. What a relief! It must've felt wonderful when you were told that.
Yes, thanks, I felt a weight lifted!
Isn't it funny how little things like marked-down mozzarella make a frugal heart happy?
I have spent a lot of money so far this month - much more than I usually spend - but I got some deals.
1. I haven't been to a dress-up event in a few years so I had to shop for something to wear to a wedding. Using discounts and coupons I got a beautiful outfit for only $22. I also found a pair of work-appropriate black pants on clearance for only $10. I don't have the heart of a thrifter, but I pretty much only buy clothes on clearance.
2. I saved $20 by booking a junk pick-up online. (Yes, it would have been cheaper to wait for a free dump day, rent a u-haul, find or hire someone to help me load the truck- its mostly broken furniture to heavy to load myself- and drive it to the landfill myself. But sometimes it is just worth it to pay for the convenience. Especially with a weather forcast hovering near 100 degrees every day this week.)
3. I accepted that I am just not in a cooking mood so I stalked up on salad ingredients, snacky stuff, sandwich stuff, and a rotisserie chicken. Its not the most frugal grocery week but its more frugal than buying takeout every day like I did last week. And I will make Instant Pot stock out of the chicken carcass which is definitely frugal.
4. I am keeping careful track of all the free birthday offers I got in my email box and plan on enjoying over the next few weeks. I am definitely spending my $10 off a $10 purchase coupon at cost plus world market on vanilla extract since it is still soooo expensive.
5. Speaking of World Market, I found curtain panels on clearance there for only 7.84 each. So I got 4 to replace the torn up curtains that cover my big picutre window right now.
DO you have Ibotta? I am pretty sure they always have a kickback on there for Cost Plus World Market!
Thanks for the tip!
I mended a seam on a shirt.
We eat at home (I continue to aim for zero food waste).
I cut my husband's hair.
I have two items to return that we did not need nor use. Clutter out and money back in.
We exercise regularly to maintain our health, quality of life, and lower medical bills.
1. Eating through freezer/pantry and only buying bare essentials to complete a meal- planning move out of the city soon so this needs to be gone! Created a menu plan/grocery list and went to the store and ONLY bought the things on my list!
2. Walking on the paths/parks in my neighbourhood for some free exercise and fresh air.
3. Watching YouTube videos to learn a new skill
4. Wearing clothes I already have for a special event
5. Taking transit to work
1. Costco chicken carcass just finished cooking on the stove for tonight's dinner. I also have some leftover rice so dinner will be chicken and rice something.
2. We stopped at Krogers after church and, as usual, they didn't disappoint. In addition to the 3 lb. bags of frozen chicken breast and 1.99 butter, I found two eggplants, 3 red onion and a bag of mini red peppers for .99 a bag. 100% whole wheat bread was .79.
3. Still going through things for next week''s garage sale and cleaning while I go.
4. The garden is starting to produce. I tried a summer soup recipe last week we really liked. I've figured out how to make large quantities when the the tomatoes and beans come in to freeze for the winter. Yesterday's stop at Krogers brought .50 boxes of pasta that will go in it.
5. Really making good use of our Costco membership. With just the two of us, I wondered but knowing what the stock up sale prices of staples are has enabled me to buy one large bottle, etc. that will last a long time. With few trips to the grocery store these days and a desire to use less packaging, it's so worth it. And they just start carrying my favorite jeans and capris. No more shopping or waiting for sales when I need them. Hooray!
1. We are swimming in zucchini and summer squash, so I used some to make pizza bites for lunch today. I've not made them before today, but they were awesome and will become a regular for us!
2. Nursing my precious newborn.
3. I said no to going out for ice cream last night. Someone gave my kids gift cards, so my husband took them. While I do love ice cream, I knew I didn't need the calories, didn't need to spend the money, and would probably need to feed my baby around that time anyways.
4. Ate leftovers most of the weekend.
5. Renewed my inter-library loan book on time.
where can you get interlib loan these days? It died in this area a few years ago; i miss it so much!
You don't have interlibrary loan?? That would make me so sad, too! We live in SC and we have it here. We moved from Maryland last summer, and I've been REALLY disappointed in the SC libraries compared to Maryland but we DO have interlibrary loan, thankfully. I'm so sorry for you!
i should ask HOW not WHERE. How does your lib or lib system maintain ILL when most are shredding budgets?
"Where" probably is the right question for this one. I live in Michigan and we have a state-wide system. It's awesome!
Ditto! Our ILL system is pretty sweet. I've only found a few older or less popular books that I couldn't get.
Ooh, tell me about these pizza bites!
Slice zucchini or summer squash to about 1/4" thick (I used the thick setting on my mandolin slicer). Then I put them on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat, topped each slice with sauce and cheese, then baked at 400 for 8-10 minutes.
Quick and easy. 🙂 I was pleased that it worked great with the yellow summer squash. They're harder to use up than zucchini.
One of my customers gave me four bags of summer squash. Zucchini is my favorite but it was nearly all the yellow. I have been frying it up in butter and eating it with scrambled eggs every morning for a week. If I caramelize it a bit it goes from okay to yummy. Especially since it is free. 😉
1.) Bought steel cut oatmeal for $1.29/lb at the local co-op type store. That's even cheaper than Aldi prices for me! Bonus points for using my own mason jar as the container to fill up so no garbage and especially no plastic to throw away.
2.) Cucumbers are starting to flower. My poor beans aren't doing so well this year (something keeps trying to eat them) but at least I know I'll soon have more cucumbers than I know what to do with.
3.) Got some stainless steel straws and loving them. I guess it's more low waste than strict frugality but still. Now I need to get some sandwich and snack bags for my wife's lunch bag.
4.) Not really frugal but my wife and I are car shopping and I hate it. But we will be paying cash for whatever we do end up getting. We'll also be investing in some car seat covers because our little one isn't the cleanest.
5.) After a long day car shopping we did not go out for dinner and still went home to eat.
Battra92, if leaf munching insects are decimating your beans, try spraying the plants with a solution of neem oil and water. It takes very little neem in the water to deter grasshoppers, which are what like to tear up our beans and eggplants. A bottle of neem oil is available at most garden centers and online. You'll need to repeat the spray after heavy rains, of course. We find Bt spray works the best on the worms such as hornworms.
Best of luck on your garden!
JD: The problem is in rabbits. I'm trying cayenne pepper as a deterrent. Personally I'd just like some more foxes in the neighborhood.
Rabbits! It's too bad I can't loan you my little terrier. Rabbits avoid our yard....
The straws will definitely be frugal in the long run! It just will take a while.
But since they're basically indestructible, they'll eventually pay for themselves.
1) A bit of a downer in a way, but we didn't take the kids to the town carnival this year. They really look forward to it, but it was about a thousand degrees in the Northeast last week with high humidity. Friday it poured and Saturday we were booked all day. Technically we could have gone Saturday night, but tired kids at a Saturday night carnival didn't seem right so we passed.
2) Part of Saturday was an afternoon BBQ/pool party. I stopped at the grocery store for some fruit to bring that my kids would eat and found a large package of pre-cut watermelon marked down. Like the mozzarella, this was fine since we ate it one hour later.
3) We're continuing to eat through the cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, and buns leftover from our BBQ two weeks ago. I'm pulling out a few more packages from the freezer for dinner tomorrow, spreading things out so we're not eating the same thing over and over or letting things go to waste.
4) We cooked ribs and baked beans last night, both of which were bought last month on very good sales.
5) I used my Stop & Shop gas points to get $0.80 off/gallon. I can do this at Shell stations since there's no Stop & Shop with gas near us. I've seen the Fuel Rewards program, but one seems to have to choose one or the other so I haven't enrolled.
A carnival in 1000 degree weather is a horrible idea. 😉
1. The flowers I bought from the supermarket were wilting by the next morning; I returned them for a refund.
2. I bought 2 pair of walking shoes to see which are easier on my feet. I picked the winner by wearing them at home for at least 4 hrs each, and will be returning the other pair. (You can return shoes as long as they're in "wearable condition," which includes no wear on the soles.)
3. Trying, yet again, to sell some items on Craig's List. I don't like doing it and I rarely succeed, but every so often I try again.
4. Bought 6 lbs on-sale ground turkey as part of my freezer-restocking project. Bought ONLY the turkey, even though my freezer is almost empty.
5. Combined errands to get free/cheaper stuff: combining the long drive to Penzey's for this week's amazing deal (1/2 c. Pico spice and 2 oz. high-end vanilla for free) with going to the near-by Chinese supermarket for cheap produce and frozen dumplings.
6. Using the "try it for free" month on Hulu in order to watch the TV show "Timeless." I lost the episodes when my TiVo broke.
7. Had the TiVo refurbished rather than buying a new one. Among other considerations, this TiVo machine comes with lifetime TiVo service.
I hate selling things too!
I have had three tubs of clothes in the closet to sell for months now. I need to bite the bullet.
I find I have much better luck selling things in Facebook Market Place then in Craigslist.
Julia, thanks for the tip.
@WilliamB, are the items you sell things you will be shipping so there is not a need for arranging the viewing of the item at a location other than your home ?? the whole safety of not having strangers in ones home with issues mostly shuts down the idea of selling. So we make the local charity shops really happy.
How do you handle this issue ?????
I always buy gas at Sam's, but if you shop at Publix, they will let you buy the Shell Gas Cards for 20% off, $40 for $50 card if you spend $50. They don't do it every week, you have to watch the ads and their ads start on Thursdays, instead of Wednesdays and the Shell card deal normally only goes until Sunday.
I don't shop at Publix as they are WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than Aldi and Walmart, but if you do shop there, you can save on gas.
I think if you buy a WM gift card and then use it at the Murphy station, they give you .03 off, and it is just a gift card, not a credit card.
1. My husband and I drove over an hour away to a lavender festival, only to find it was overwhelmingly crowded. We bought 5 small lavender plants and left. We drove around to see some of the local shops - stopped in 7 shops and bought nothing but a $1.50 cupcake and a $2.00 soft pretzel. My husband had brought food in a cooler since he has lots of food allergies, so we didn't need to stop for lunch. About 25 minutes from home we realized we were near the closest ALDI, so we stopped and stocked up. Saved a lot of money AND didn't have to stop at the grocery store later that day.
2. Returned some things to Lowes and picked up a penny in the parking lot.
3. Weeded my flower bed. This would not be notable since I always do it myself anyway, but I'd offered to pay my kids to do it and neither took me up on it, so I'll consider that money saved. 🙂
4. Found a chrome spray paint to use to make our old towel rods match our new bathroom fixtures for much less than two new rods would cost.
5. Eating leftovers tonight.
1. Harvested 26 pounds of zucchini last Friday from too many plants that refused to die even when half had been thrown on top of the compost heap. Made zucchini tots (sort of like Tater Tots but oven baked) on Friday, King Arthur's double chocolate zucchini bread that is really a cake in disguise on Saturday, zucchini latkes on Sunday, and tonight we are having chili with tons of zucchini in it because it melts into nothing. The rest was shredded and put in the freezer for winter use.
2. One of our beloved Irish wolfhounds is dying, although for now he still seems to be enjoying life even if it is in the slow lane. He needs more meds and the vet wanted us to bring him in for a check. I called and successfully argued that he was seen three months ago and nothing has changed except that he is going gently down hill and needs meds to make it easier. He finally agreed, saving us the $150 for an office visit. Ordered the generic version of the meds on sale and shipping was free. I will miss this guy terribly.
3. Found a bag of steel cut oats in the back of the cupboard, dating from when no one knows. We ate them for breakfast every day last week and should finish them off this week. No waste, even though hot breakfasts (breakfasts in general) do not appeal to me. In fact, ate them for lunch instead of breakfast most days.
4. Picked about 20 pounds of rhubarb and dehydrated it for winter use. We rehydrate it and make an applesauce type product with it and eat it in the winter when there are no decent fresh fruits to be found in Alaska.
5. Traded cukes for fresh caught salmon with a neighbor guy who always catches more than he can eat or fill his freezer with. Eighteen pounds gutted, cleaned and put in our freezer. Yum.
I am sad to hear about your dog, Lindsey. Irish wolfhounds are some of the best.
I have only one bumper sticker: "If it is not an Irish wolfhound, it is only a dog." Best breed I have ever had and we are on our third set. The worst thing is they only live about a decade. Well, one other worst thing, in that they cannot fly on an airline unless in a horse crate. Dog crates are too small, as the requirement is that they be able to stand and turn around. So, when we leave Alaska, we drive through Canada's Yukon to Haines, Alaska, and take the ferry to Washington state. This all adds a week onto each end of a vacation.
Since it's summer many of ours relate to activities.
1. Took my son to the free Home Depot workshop Saturnday with his cousin. He absolutely loves the building and painting so has a great time there.
2. Checked out a new splash pad admission is free and kids had just as much fun as a water park. It was 40 minutes away but 15 minutes from their cousins house so we were able to meet them there.
3. Found formula on clearance for 75% off at Rite Aid yes!
4. Had to go out of town for work conference and was going to stop and grab a coffee and bagel for the drive. Decided not too and they had free coffee and muffins when I got there.
5. Ate left overs tonight. (And typically do
1) Our A/C has been acting oddly and then froze up. I don't know much about A/C units yet (our old one was a workhorse and thus I never learned a thing from it breaking down, because it never did) so I called our HVAC company and learned from them how to take my unit's panels off and clean the cottonwood fluff off. It cost me a trip charge but now I know and can do it myself every summer.
2) At the same time (literally. the same day. within a couple of hours. what?) our water stopped flowing. We are on a well, we tested the breaker, no dice. We needed a new pressure tank and switch. We called the well guys, got some quotes, went with the guy that could explain everything the best, had the middle quote, and gave us a break on his labor price. I found out we had kept our tank going about 10 YEARS longer than normal by tolerating some of the quirks it presented occasionally. That at least "feels frugal" to me. Or it makes me feel better about that big check.
3) We are about to go away for over a week and so we are eating some very unusual meals to avoid going to the store. My teen son had buttered peas and chocolate sorbet for lunch. He wasn't complaining. lol No idea what I am making for a late dinner. Maybe pasta carbonara? It is a great clean out the fridge/freezer
meal...eggs, parmesan, pasta, bacon, pepper.
4) I am attending to a pile of mending tonight. Mainly my husband's favorite shorts that have a large hole in the pocket, causing him to drop his phone at the store last week. They called him and he got it back but this amounts to an emergency.
5) I am reorganizing my office and I need more bins to sort personal and business papers as they come in. I forgot two bills and paid extra last month because they were lost in the pile of invoices. I keep random bits and bobs in my storage/mechanicals room and found a couple of sturdy tubs I can use to separate the invoices/money from the bills. It looks kind of dorky but I don't care and no one sees it but us, anyway.
1) Used Checkout 51, combined with sale prices, and cash back on next purchase and paid $5 for 4 - 6 packs of klondike bars.
2) While walking with a coworker picked up a fisher price slide someone had in their trash for her grandchild. Only needed cleaned. (Frugal for her)
3) Husband redid an old Cosco step stool chair my friend gave me when we cleaned out her moms house several years ago. I was looking for vinyl to recover it, but it would cost more than I thought was worth. Then I thought canvas, but then I remembered old jeans I had saved and he used that. Looks really nice. Free stool and the grandkids love to sit on it.
4) Found $2 thrift store shirt for grandson for Hawaiian Luau theme family reunion.
5) Making an effort to use and repurpose leftovers.
Love 5 frugal thing posts!!
1. Went to the splash pad today & kids ate free from a summer lunch program. Also I had leftover taco salad from a potluck yesterday &
that fed my friends:)
2. A library fine accrued when I knew I had gotten materials in on time. I asked about it & they fixed it for me.
3. Made DIY sugar hand scrub & did at home manicures with my daughter. We used olive oil, brown sugar, vanilla, grapefruit & lemon essential oil. It smelled liked skittles, which my 6 year old loved:)
4. This year we have a long sleeve swim top for my toddler. I wish I had done this every year. Saves sunscreen & TIME whenever we get out for water play!
5. We also have the swim diapers from my oldest that we are now using on my 2nd whenever we're in town. We bought them a few years ago in different sizes from amazon & target. So easy to use!
1. Our school district is building several new schools so they had a surplus sale to the community on extra filing cabinets, chairs etc. I picked up 3 filing cabinets, 3 tables and 4 chairs for $11.
2. We’ve had family in town for the last 10 days and we’ve managed to produce half our needed fruit and almost all our needed veggies from the garden. I wasn’t sure how well that would work with extra mouths to feed, but I’m thrilled it worked out.
3. Picking plums off our plum tree for jam and freezing.
4. Free dinner out thanks to visiting family.
5. Discovered some discounts through AAA and Bank of America for discounted tickets to museums and theaters. Planning out some fun cultural family outings based on the deals for the coming six months.
Kristen- I think you look divine in that dress!
Chris- Wow, a water tank lasting 10 years longer than expected. That's great and frugal.
Here are some frugal stuff this week:
1) Borrowed a co-worker's calculus book for my son. Savings- $10
2) Twin sis is having her birthday and I went on to reward bee for magazine subscriptions. She's getting a cooking one and a good housekeeping mag and they were FREE as I did their surveys. Savings- $24
3) I also got Sis some perfume she requested from Perfumania. Savings- $7
4) I'm using extra fabric from a project to make pillows for the holidays. I ordered the foam pillows from Joann's and they were on sale, plus free shipping. Savings- $13
5) I have my late father's stationary bike that I use 5x/wk. Savings- $150
Love five frugal things!
1. Wanted to get rid of our no longer used massive backyard swing set. Found someone who took it all away so they could get the slide and swings.
2. Sold some things on Facebook market:sandbox $10 (bought it used 6 years ago and sold it for what I paid for it), sold an extra rabbit cage $15, still have a few more things listed.
3. Said YES to a small free greenhouse that was offered to me by a friend.
4. Was given lots of free fruit and veggies this week. Having fun using up blueberries, tomatoes, spinach, eggplant, plums and peaches. Yea free food!
5. Even though it’s a busy week teaching VBS every evening all our meal will still be homemade. NO EATING OUT!
1. Received a surprise tax return from the US Government...apparently even I can make mistakes...thankfully it was in my favor.
2. Used rubbing alcohol to remove ink stains from my son's pants
3. Stocked up on Doritos and butter while they were on sale
4. Found a free math site that I will use to catch my son up on his math skills
5. Enjoyed a bucketful of banana peppers and cucumbers from my father's garden
1. Took my daughter to summer class at the library...it's free!
2. Submitted a warranty request to get a replacement Contigo water bottle lid. First time doing this, so we shall see how it goes.
3. Intentionally used an abundance of parsley from our garden.
4. Trimmed our bushes, all 21 of them, (which I HATE doing). I never would have paid to have it done, but I kept telling myself how much I was saving while doing it!!!
5. Have left our windows open every day it hasn't been in the 90s, there haven't been many, but I am trying to keep our a/c bill down as much as possible and every little bit helps!!!
1. Washed and vacuumed my car at home, which I never usually do
2. Ran out of hair conditioner, but instead of buying more, started using up samples that my hairdresser gave me the last time I was there
3. I am in the process of refinishing a dresser for my daughters room, and I am using stain and paint that we already had on hand in my husband's workshop so there was nothing to buy for the project
4.We have needed new towels for awhile so I used up an old Best Buy gift card I found in my wallet and got a pretty new shower curtain and two matching bath towels for $7.34, I saved over $25 by using up the gift card for the purchase
5. Packed my breakfast and lunch everyday this week except one lunch with a friend, but didn't order a drink like I normally would, and drank the free water instead. I ate dinner at home every day too.
This is fun! I'm starting to see the fun in frugality! 🙂 lol
I'll be very curious to see how the Fuel Rewards program works for you. I signed up a few months ago, and despite the fact that I buy gas twice a week, I've yet to see any kind of discount. Whenever I enter my ALT ID at the pump, it just says no rewards available. My online account also shows me no information. I'm not sure if my account is just buggy, or if the program is, but it's quite irritating.
Hmm, do you have the physical card? We ran into some problems using the alt id, but the card works just fine.
I've requested a card twice but still haven't gotten one! I'm glad it's working for you though 🙂 I emailed them this morning, so cross your fingers for me.