1. I did not buy any new Christmas decor
As I mentioned in my recent podcast with The Finance Girlies, I keep seeing that this is the year of the Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic.
A quick Pinterest search
And I honestly do not give a crap about that. 😉
I’m just over here cheerfully using the same (mostly clearance-purchased) Christmas decorations I already have.
Maybe it’s because I’m not a decorator, but I am befuddled at the idea that we are having a new Christmas style every few years (or worse, every year!)
I have always felt there is a certain nostalgic charm about pulling out the same Christmas things each year; I would actually not want new stuff every December.
2. I bought some discount Christmas concert tickets
My college girl will be in the area for a bit over Christmas, and I noticed a Christmas pops concert was happening during that time. Sooo, I bought two discounted tickets with my student account, and we will go
3. I submitted my eye exam receipt to my eye insurance
My eye doctor doesn’t participate with my new eye insurance (bummer!), so I asked for an itemized bill when I paid, and as soon as I got home, I submitted it online through my insurance website to try to get some out-of-network benefits.
I got very good at doing this during the many years of marriage therapy; it was all out-of-network, so I became well-practiced at the out-of-network submission rigamarole. 😉
I figure anything I get back is better than $0, and it took me less than 10 minutes to do the submission.
4. I made chocolate banana “ice cream” lots of times
I had a big bunch of bananas that went to their very-slightly-overripe state in a jiffy.
(For me, this means they have a few tiny brown spots.)
So, I sliced them up and froze them on a baking sheet, transferred them to a Ziploc bag, and then used them to make several batches of chocolate banana “ice cream” for myself.
I do it basically like this, except for the chocolate version, I leave out the strawberries and I add in a tablespoon of cocoa powder.
The strawberry version:
5. I passed both my fall 2025 classes
It looks like both will be an A grade, although I am still waiting for a few last assignments to be graded in my most recent class (it ends this coming Sunday).
My hospital requires either a B or a C for tuition reimbursement, depending on the class. So either way, I safely qualify!
Regina
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
Congratulations on doing great (as usual) on your classes! I guess I'm a little behind as I have no idea what is NEW & TRENDING in holiday decorations. I too also use same decorations year after year with occasional new decorations (as gifts). My kids all got a new holiday ornament or decoration each Christmas so that when they left home they had their own Christmas decorations already. It's funny because teen & I were just out shopping yesterday & teen saw Christmas houses & commented on them. Teen did not realize that I sold all my Christmas houses before we moved a few years ago. ;)
Frugal things--- ● FREE Hallmark card ● Used $10 Bonus Hallmark Rewards & $2 Hallmark Rewards for teen to get me a Tiny Christmas ornament for $0.99 ● picked up Free Hallmark pocket calendars for few people that request them with their Christmas cards ● used Snoopy Hallmark Christmas cards I bought 4 years ago (1/2 off) multi pack (and still have some left) for Christmas cards this year (again) ● teen used my Michael's $5 Reward to get a Pineapple head rubber ducky & some more foam sheets (as part of teen Christmas stocking) ● mailed my Aunt Christmas package. Flat rate Priority (2-3 days) $32, Only Priority (2-3 days) $30, normal parcel $20 (4-5 days). I took Priority box home & flipped box inside out (so Priority lettering on inside of box) & re taped the box & repacked box for normal parcel & shipped. My Aunt called to tell me she shipped 2 (shirt size) boxes @ $20 each Flat Rate Priority. :( Postmaster said Parcel & stamps raising again January 2026. ● usual eating at home, eating from freezer & pantry.
Frugal fail--- ● I forgot (again) to turn on my Shopkick app for walk in points at stores (50+ points missed) :( ● Utility bill increased by $45 because temps been teens & single digits so I have had heat on more often. But it is cheaper than plumber or doctor visit due to cold inside house.
N
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
The only time we buy new holiday swag is when something wears out or breaks. We're currently waiting for our new tree topper to arrive because the previous one (a $10 capiz shell star we bought when first together and broke) ourtright disintegrated after 15+ years!
--My husband's work always gives out $50 grocery gift cards a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Gift card in hand, yesterday I did a big winter stock up on staples we needed (think quick rolled oats, no salt canned black beans, sugar, etc.), but only if they were at competitive prices. The gift card is for a store we don't typically shop at precisely because of its higher prices, so I planned ahead with the online ad and product database. I spent only $3.36 over, most of which was tax on non-grocery items like floss picks and garbage bags (our state has no grocery sales tax).
--The zipper broke on my favorite hoodie. Since I usually 1) wear it only around the house and 2) like a cardigan, I just carefully cut the zipper off.
--I used a $5 coupon and a 30% off coupon at Michael's to get a gift (clearance score) and dark purple dye to refresh my faded winter coat. My total was just over $3.
--I thrifted three full rolls of wrapping paper for just over $2. The same thriftstore trip garnered three brand new large mason jars for 75 cents apiece, which will come in handy for gifted spice mixes and cat treat storage.
--Related, I bought four BIG packages of clearance Halloween cat treats at $1.75 apeice. I emptied them into the largest (purple!) mason jar, simplifying the "cat stuff" cupboard greatly. :P
K D
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
1. I too decorated with holiday decor we already have. I like seeing ornaments I made with our daughter many, many years ago as well as ornaments loved ones have given us over the years.
2. DD and I had some gifts to send to New England. We combined them in a box and I paid for USPS postage online. It saves money and time at the post office.
3. DH had a hole in a pocket of a pair of suit pants. I found an old iron on patch and patched the hole from both the inside and the outside of the pocket. It may not last forever but he will switch jobs next summer and may never wear the suit again after that. He has several other suits anyway.
4. I messed up the zipper on a favorite old LL Bean fleece. DH took care of fixing the problem. He loves to watch You Tube videos on things like that. It is not the first time he has returned my fleece to wearing condition.
5. We are preheating our bed with our electric mattress pad. We turn it off when we go to bed. That allows us to keep the house a bit cooler at night. It feels like a luxury to me to get in a warm bed on a cold night. I am wearing flannel pants to bed that I got at a fill-a-bag for $5 rummage sale.
JNL
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
Due to workload I've had to skip commenting last week, but I can't miss this exercise! - My leather belt has become to loose, so I punched in a few extra holes - A colleague made me aware I will be entitled to mileage allowance for use of a private car, for business travel - Our company will be changing health care prigrams so I will be comparing and calculating which options are the best value for money in our situation - We are still paying down more of our mortgage than required by the bank - I received a non transferrable gift card for free coffee and cake (expiring by Dec 31st) at a high end clothes shop in a town nearby. After discussion with husband I decided to because we have no other business in that town in that period, have all the clothes we need anyway, and will eat more than enough cake and sweets in December without this offer.
Plus, made vegetable broth, yoghurt, and granola ( December mixed spice edition with a little extra almond)
Ruth T
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
Congrats on making it through The Worst Class Ever!
My FFT: 1. I signed up for the CVS Extra Care+ program at half price. So for $24 for the year, I get the $10 every month benefit, which I promptly used to help pay for my $22 photo order. I'm putting it in my 2026 planner to make sure I use the benefit each month.
2. I got my free team picture for coaching my 7yo's volleyball team this season. Also, this was probably my favorite team to coach ever. They were so fun and adorable.
3. I babysat my friend's kids for free so she could go to a Christmas party, but I ended up with a beautiful Christmas bouquet of flowers! They put them together as an activity at the party and had enough leftover to make one for me when I dropped the kids off. So sweet!
4. Our school uniform place had a 15% off sale last week, so I used that to buy a particular item that one of my kids wanted.
5. I'm making coffee at home. We got super low and I thought about getting coffee out once, but then realized that it would cost almost as much as a bag of grounds would and that was silly.
K D
Tuesday 9th of December 2025
@Ruth T,
I too signed up for the CVS + plan for $24. I believe the deal is available through the end of the month. I used my first $10 Extra Bucks to get pistachios that were on sale. I also noted the monthly date and when to consider cancelling. Since I drive past a CVS at least six times a week it seemed like a no brainer.