Five Frugal Things | a "try it and see" moment
1. I tried Altra Provision 6s
So, the Altras I've been wearing are the Provision 7 model, but as I've been looking for deals on eBay, I keep coming across super cheap Provision 6s, which are the previous model.
I read a comparison article that said they're pretty similar, so I added a pair to my watchlist.
Then the seller sent me a discounted offer, and I accidentally let it expire. Whoops!
I submitted an offer for the same discount the seller had offered, along with a note explaining, and the seller accepted.
Sooo, I got a pair for $30. I tried them on and they feel very similar to my other Altras. I'll wear them for a shift or two, and if they feel fine, then I will know that I can keep my eyes peeled for Provision 6 deals.
This is sort of an example of my "try it and see" frugal philosophy. I wondered if the 6s would work, and I bought a cheap pair to test it out.
It's possible this could have backfired, but I knew it was equally possible that all would work out.
As you make a habit of experimenting like this, you'll probably have more wins than losses. And besides, every win AND every loss gives you frugal information that you can use in the future.
2. I went to a symphony
The other day, I was feeling a little bummed that the symphony season is largely over in the summer...but then I looked and saw that there was a one-off concert happening, and it included Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which I do not think I've ever heard in person before!
So, I got my free ticket and my $15 parking and I wore my stripey blue Target dress. 🙂
Also of note: those earrings are from my Buy Nothing group. 🙂
3. I used GasBuddy and Upside in tandem
On the way back from an appointment, I needed to get gas. I was near Sam's Club, but I wondered if I could get a better deal with Upside and then also avoid sitting in the Sam's Club gas lines.
So, I used GasBuddy to check what the current price was at Sam's Club, and then I used Upside to check and see what the price was at regular gas stations near me.
And happily, Upside won!
(Also, I just realized that it used to be called GetUpside and now it's just called Upside. I wonder why.)
I love that GasBuddy shows me all the local gas prices; you can check deals on Upside, but they only show stations that offer a cashback deal, so I can't see what the Sam's Club or Royal Farms price is on that app.
4. I used my dehumidifier water to water my plants
My landlords instructed me to keep the dehumidifier on in the basement during the summer, and boy, it sure does take a lot of water out of the air in these hot months, even with the AC running!
The bin holds a substantial amount of water so when it's full, I try to take a sec to haul it upstairs and outside to dump it in my various plant pots out there.
Water is super cheap here, so this doesn't save me much money at all. But it feels satisfyingly not-wasteful to do it. 🙂
5. I charged my annual car insurance bill to my Amazon Visa
I have had my Amazon Visa from Chase for EONS. I'm sure I opened it because of a welcome offer many years ago, and I've kept it ever since because as a Prime member, I get 5% back on Amazon purchases with that card.
Anyway, my annual car insurance bill is rather hefty due to having what they politely call a "youthful driver" on my account.
Erie offers to let you pay it via your bank, but I opted to charge it to my Amazon Visa and then pay it off with my bank account. I won't get the 5% cashback since it's not an Amazon purchase, but still, I'll get the base rate of 1%.
And that's nothing to sneeze at on a big-ticket bill like this.
Love the shoes, still love the dress. 🙂
*We continued to water our garden by filling up plastic milk jugs and lugging them about. This is way cheaper than allowing the plants to become crispy and die. This is also way less expensive than installing any other kind of watering system which would quickly be gummed up by our un-softened well water. (Only the inside water is softened.)
*I noticed yesterday how much I use scrap paper. We have so much because my husband brings photocopy mess-ups and other not needed paper home from the church.
*I mended two pairs of pants for my son. The jeans had previously been mended and are pretty ratty looking, but they are his work pants (he works at a restaurant and comes home smelling like deep fry oil everyday). We might make these last for the summer!
*I have been hanging clothes out to dry more frequently.
*I went on a date with my husband. We needed to pick up one of the boys from work in town, so he asked me if I'd like to ride with him. We stopped at a yard sale on the way and bought a gift for a daughter for a future birthday. Then we got an ice cream (which was not inexpensive ice cream but very good and locally made) and walked on the canal towpath until son got off work. Expensive ice cream can still be a cheap date.
Early thankful: I'm thankful our electricity came back on several hours earlier than the estimate yesterday. It was not long until I started feeling the heat inside. This also made me thankful that we have A/C.
That is so true about the ice cream! Expensive coffee also makes for a cheap overall date.
@Jody S, My best friend in college worked the early shift, before classes, at the grocery's donut making section. She always smelled like grease and sugar, a donut in human form. I had to resist the urge to lick her face when she first came home from work. If they made essence of donuts cologne, I probably would have married the first man who came along wearing it.
I bet that's way better than the smell of someone who is getting off of a McDonald's shift! 😉
@Lindsey, I worked at a movie theatre for 15 years. I popped a lot of popcorn over the years. I taught religious education for many of those years. The kids would tell me how good I smelt when I smelt like popcorn.
@Lindsey, I worked at Dunkin Donuts one summer from midnight to 6AM. It was the only job I could get that worked with my summer school schedule. I absolutely hated the hours, as I am not a night owl. Plus, by midnight, the floor behind the counters was an inch thick with grease and sugar and if i wasn't careful I could easily land flat on my back. The other annoyance was this was the 80s, so at least once per night someone would intone, "Time to make the donuts...." Sometimes I pretended never to have heard that slogan. Then the people would squint at my nametag, which read "Euphemia," because I thought it was a funny name, so they could report me.
My family did love when I came home with a ton of unsold donuts at 6AM, though.
@Rose, OMG! One time I had to wear a name tag and I put that my name was Efrizelda, for the same reason as you did Euphemia.
@Lindsey, I once worked at a place so weird it felt like I was in the cantina scene of Star Wars. One of the strange otherworldly characters, er, I mean coworkers, had a nameplate reading "Zinders Poon" on his door. Probably bc he didn't want his real name on the disciplinary reports.
Our dehumidifier water also goes to the (inedible parts of) the garden. I look forward to it being cool enough to turn it on overnight again vs. having to prioritize the window AC. The latter is surprisingly effective in a small house, but we have yet to throw a breaker in our almost three years here, and I don't mean to start! (Our last apartment had a strict "one extra appliance at a time rule" that I still follow.) If the AC is on, the dehumidifier is not, and vice versa.
FFT, Thrifting Edition!
Goodwill is making up for months of pffffft with hit after hit lately! I've lucked into:
--An intricately hand-carved step stool for $5.99, still bearing the pencil marks of the (unnamed, alas) maker. It's the perfect height for reaching our upper cupboards and the perfect size to tuck the side, where its beauty can still be enjoyed.
--A like new 1970s Bread 'n Bake crock pot pan for $3.99. (Link for example.)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/305596599609 From poached fish to apple crisp, I'm a proud crock pot whisperer, and I'm excited to add bread to the list!
--A lovely stein-style mug for $1.99, hand-thrown by Sunset Hill Stoneware for the national chain HopCat Pubs. While I don't drink, I love the sassy black cat logo and variegated purple glaze. These are apparently rare, as I only had one image hit when looking up this specific mug. It's now my favorite water glass.
--I discovered ceramicist Jamie Adams thanks to another $1.99 score: a lidded container featuring an incredibly detailed rabbit. This beauty was tucked behind a crowd of random kitchen containers and stood out immediately on a quick scan of the shelf. Googling the signature on the bottom revealed Adams' Etsy shop and past charity work donating rabbit pieces like this one to raise money for the Amarillo food pantry.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JamieAdamsPottery
https://www.hppr.org/hppr-people-communities/2018-10-24/soup-draggin-jamie-adams-of-wtamu-hosts-empty-bowls-2018
I am nowhere near Texas, let alone Amarillo, so I'm curious at the journey this particular rabbit has been on!
--Not Goodwill, but Habitat Restore had a pair of construction knee pads for $2. My husband was so impressed with my car's refresh that he asked if I would repaint his, too, for his fall birthday present. My one regret after painting mine and crawling around on concrete for days was not having knee pads, so this was kismet, indeed!
@N,
There are times when I wish my found treasures could talk too. I was visiting my son in central Wyoming when I stopped in a roadside antique store. It was nestled between two little towns. One with a population of 7k and the other with a population of 13k. These were the only population center for at least 150 miles.
The store was filled with mostly Native American pieces and American vintage kitchen things. However, there was a shelf were many pieces of 19th century English majolica (pottery). I bought two pieces for my collection for a bargain price.
The store owner told me that she had bought them from someone who came into the shop. However, I often wonder how they found their way to Wyoming. With whom did they make this journey? Was it in the 1880s or recently? Now, this pottery has made another journey from Wyoming to Florida.
-the most frugal thing I have done this week is to not be in the USA anymore (vacation). The american dollar is so strong compared to my currency (NOK) that everything seemed ridiculously expensive.
-bought food before flights from grocery store and took to the airport. Still bought tons of stuff at the airport due to boredom/hunger. So maybe I just ended up with more calories.
-ordered free trial of amazon prime while in the USA because I needed some stuff anyway. Successfully remembered to cancel it while the trial period was still valid. (learning from previous mistakes)
- pre-vacation self had actually done a decent job of organizing fridge and freezer before travel, so that I had stuff I could defrost successfully on return. Froze cheeze slices, lunchmeat etc, so I did not have to run to the store immediately
- continuing to constantly order books from the library to keep me supplied. I don't mind the long wait lists, it's almost more fun to get one when I have kind of forgotten about it.
@Sk in Norway,
I hope you enjoyed your trip to the US.
It is so funny - for us Germans visiting Norway is considered very expensive as the prices for practically anything are much higher in Norway than in Germany.
Maybe now is a good time to travel to Norway since the NOK has weakend compared to the Euro.
@Lea, I think your beer/wine is still probably cheaper but maybe the rest of the prices would pleasantly surprise you!
Love the pic of Chiquita's paws next to your shoes!
1. I'm staying with my parents for a couple of weeks so am saving a lot of money that way.
2. I went to yoga with a friend earlier and she treated me to breakfast.
3. Ran outside for free exercise.
4. I really wanted a dvd set of a tv series I liked as a kid. It was insanely expensive everywhere but I found a cheap set on ebay.
5. Before going home I put leftovers in the freezer for when I get back. I'm hoping nothing will go wrong with the fridge whilst I'm away!
Ooh, I also had a good shoe week!
1. I liked my discounted new Reeboks so much that I bought a second pair in black. Together they are still cheaper than the pair of Veja shoes that I bought and returned.
2. My mom offered me a t-shirt that she shrunk. I'm shorter, so it fits me fine!
3. I had a non-frugal week last week in terms of buying food at work, so I'm trying to do things differently this week.
4. We had a free wellness activity at work of pouring paint. I made two small pieces that are nice enough to hang in my daughter's room.
5. Try it and see: I have tried Kristen's dip-dyed stationary tutorial many times and had beautiful results, but I realized I was out of dye. I tried using a dissolved watercolour disc but it didn't work. It cost me a few pieces of paper and part of a dollar-store watercolour set. Oh, well!
I was so intrigued by the Altras you mentioned, that I tried a pair. Sadly it seems they are not good for my picky feet. Shame, because I really wanted more toe space, but zero drop is not good for my arches. Luckily my youngest wears the same size I do, so I'll ask him to try them on to see if he likes them. If not, I will donate them.
I'm very thankful we have not lost power with all the strong storms coming through. Doubly thankful, because there is a half-dead tree in our backyard, with the power line running under it...DH has raised the issue with the landlord, but nothing has happened yet. DH did pull down some of the limbs with a rope a while back, though. Anyway, we've had power throughout even with up to 21K people losing theirs!
I'm thankful that I can be thankful with a low-key birthday. With lots going on, DH and the kids sort of forgot, but I've learned to not take it personally. I used Amazon reward points to order myself a couple of books for my own gift, and went bike riding, and took a nap. Such is 51 years old.
I am thankful that I do have a supportive family. I'm embarking on a new vocation and they're all behind me, at least those who are aware! 🙂
Aaaaand I just realized I mixed up Frugal Five with Thankful Thursday. Ack. Oh well, using Amazon points was frugal, and a low-key birthday was frugal, and not losing power and subsequently food in the fridge was frugal, right? *crawling back under my rock now*
@Karen A., In my book, it's never off-topic to post Thankfuls! And actually, I read your post and never even noticed which theme it was, so - further proof it was on-target. : )
Okay, trying again for frugal things:
Finally took all my loose change to the Coinstar, and used the cash to treat myself to some on-sale school supplies.
Gave everyone in the house (myself excepted) a haircut. Five haircuts=$100 bucks saved, at least.
DS#2 had dropped the hair trimmer and broke off some of the teeth, making it unsafe for what I use it for. I gave him the base and the shaving attachment so he can use it to shave, and ordered a new one for haircutting. It's a Wahl, made in the USA and I didn't mind getting a backup too much. Now DS has an electric razor, if he wants to use it.
Thought seriously about getting my hair trimmed at the salon, then decided it's long enough now that I can risk DH trimming it for me, plus I've been using deep conditioner and not blowdrying it so it's in pretty good condition. Saved some money and time.
Did not succumb to the temptation of a Starbucks treat for my birthday.
Used saved Amazon points for three books I really wanted, plus some new barber shears.
Birthday dinner and movie was homemade pizza at home and the new Planet of the Apes movie on Amazon. Wasn't super great, but $20 for six people to see a movie is a bargain.
@Karen A., no shame in being "accidentally" thankful! I enjoyed reading your list either way :-). And happy belated birthday!
@Karen A., Have you considered using an insert in the Altras to provide extra arch support?
I do know that if you've been wearing traditional shoes for a long time, there can be a period of adjustment to a more barefoot style of shoe. Traditional shoes tend to weaken the foot, according to the experts I follow. Barefoot shoe people recommended doing an hour at a time and then adjusting up as your feet get stronger.
For me, it's been no biggie; I have spent most of my days wearing no shoes (being a stay at home, work at home mom!) so my feet are already used to a zero drop life. Ha.
I struggle more when I try to wear regular shoes; I can't last long at all in them.
@Karen A., Happy Birthday! Hoping this year you get & do everything you need. 🙂
@Karen A.,
I, uhhh, am guilty of not exactly forgetting my husband's birthday in the past, but not being prepared or celebrating it in a big enough way to make him happy. It's not like he wants a huge party or anything extravagant; usually a homemade dessert, birthday cards, a gift from me and from our son (or a gift from both of us if it's a bigger ticket item), maybe dinner out (like a date night dinner, though sometimes that's the weekend before or after his birthday), or a family outing/day trip somewhere. Last year, we were out of town on vacation during his birthday week, and things were just a little too scattered to plan anything.....he was still upset with me.
I've learned my lesson, though....I did good for Father's Day, and have some plans in the works for his birthday near the end of this month.
@Karen A.,
Happy belated birthday!!
@Kristen, same here. I’m barefoot most of the time so when I wear shoes with arch support, it’s kind of uncomfortable
@Jody S, I have orthotics, but they are thick and slippery and I am a bad foot patient. I only wear them in my boots, which are a size too big, and the orthotics help them fit better.
@Kristen, I used to go barefoot all the time! Then when I was pregnant with #3 (who was 12 pounds at birth) my navicular got irritated, so...I started wearing shoes around the house. Sigh. Getting old is fun! I may try the hour at a time to build up, as you suggest.
@Liz B., And I have a husband who wants no gifts, no cards, hardly any fanfare, but still would like the day acknowledged...the first few years of our marriage were fraught as I navigated the choppy seas of how exactly to celebrate a guy who loathed attention on him on that day! Fraught, I tell you.
@Karen A., Happy birthday.
1. Thanks to reading what another reader did a few weeks ago, I took my 2 plastic hampers that had a broken or near-broken handle and wrapped all the handles in black duct tape. Now I don't have to replace them and they should last a lot longer!
2. When I dropped my oldest kid off at summer camp yesterday, I paid with cash to avoid a credit card fee.
3. I mailed my nephew's birthday gift in an old Amazon padded envelope. Using a free package is a small win when shipping feels stupid expensive, but some things (like a book autographed by an author specifically for that kid) can't be purchased through Amazon with free shipping. He was excited about it, though! And at least when I mail it myself, we can wrap it and include hand-written notes.
4. I attended my frugal 20th high school reunion. I have to say - the way they planned this made me so happy! Instead of going to a fancy and expensive restaurant, we all met at a park and packed our own picnic lunches. We got to bring the kids (one classmate went from coaching his kid's soccer team in the morning to coaching all of our kids on how to play shuffleboard in the afternoon - ha!) and it was a very relaxed atmosphere.
5. My grocery shopping time was scarce last week, so I went at 6:00 Saturday morning. Before breakfast, before coffee. While I was out I swung through Panera and got a free coffee with my free summer of Sip Club.
@Ruth T, What a great gift for your nephew!
@Meira @meirathebear, If you're in the US, and the package only contains books (or DVDs) and paper, you can use US Media Mail through USPS for a discounted shipping rate!
@Andrea Gapsch, I've done that before and it was great! Definitely recommend. You just have to allow extra time for shipping. This time, we had extra things in the package so it wasn't an option.
I did the opposite of you to save money - I did NOT use my credit card to pay for our car insurance. I planned to use it to get cash back, but was met with a notice that it would incur a 2.9% surcharge. So I paid through my bank, which is free. This was also true with all the college tuition bills I’ve paid. Also, if you contribute to a nonprofit or church online, check to see if they’re losing money from your donation through credit card fees they have to pay. I went back to making some donations by check when I found out just how much of my money was going to a credit card company instead of the intended recipient.
@Kate, this same thing happened to me for paying my T-Mobile bill, so I just switched over to automatic draft, which is free. Sometimes paying the bills seems like a board game where the rules keep changing. Always look for hidden fees!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, I have TMobile also & never have had a surcharge for paying with my credit card, just paid bill last week. Did you receive a notification stating change? (I pay through app & have paperless billing that I don't read).
Speaking of TMobile Sam's Club just announced that TMobile is now considered office phone carrier at Sam's Club. So maybe Sam's Club membership discounts in future?
My dehumidifier just goes straight into my sump pump well via a piece of old garden hose so it either goes into the ground or ends up watering my grass if the pump pushes it out.
Technically it is illegal where I live to dump or pipe dehumidifier water into a sewer line but I'm on septic so it could go down a drain if I really wanted to. Either way, hauling it all the way upstairs is not going to happen for me.
My Five Frugal Things:
1. Sold more items on eBay. So that added a little pocket cash for me.
2. Found one of those Stanley cups that all the women are going insane about at my local thrift. It was $4. It had a slight coffee stain on the inside but I filled it with hot water (not boiling but tap hot) and dropped a denture tablet in it and let it soak for a few hours. No more stain! So the wife is happy to have a new cup and it didn't cost me $45 that Target wants.
3. Got in my new glasses and sunglasses from Zenni. My mom also ordered glasses at the same time so since it was a buy more save more deal we got our glasses cheap. She paid $50 for a pair of glasses that at the local places was over $250!
4. Put a reserve on a game my daughter wanted to borrow from our local library. I also renewed my library card.
5. It's Prime Day and only bought what we came for. We are getting our daughter a Kindle for some educational applications to help her bridge the gap. We still wish we could homeschool but this is helping out.
@Battra92, $45 for a Stanley cup? Sounds like gun-less robbery. Nice job finding and restoring your wife's!
@Battra92, Zenni is the best! I bought over 40 pairs from them in the past 3 years (I might have a problem, lol) and my daughter's glasses also. I will never ever pay for glasses in stores again.
FFT, Time (and Water) but No Prime Edition:
(1) I found a working watch (Timex Ironman Triathlon model) in the middle of our street early Monday morning. I sent an email to our street's Google Group to ask whether any of the neighbors had lost it. No response yet, and if there isn't one by the end of the week, I'm keeping it. (My last wristwatch quit several months ago--even a new battery didn't help--and I've been using my flip phone as a timepiece ever since. Yes, I know I'm showing my age and Luddite tendencies with this talk of wristwatches and flip phones.)
(2) Like Kristen, I continue to conserve water for plants in the heat and drought. As noted earlier, I've been collecting water from my AC condenser. And before we finally got a good rain last night, I put two 8-gallon and two 5-gallon buckets in the best places to catch roof runoff. (DH and I used to have rain barrels, but in Central NY those had to be taken in every fall and put out again every spring, which got tiresome after a while.)
(3) It's been over a year now that Chase Visa cut off DH's Amazon Prime card the moment I reported his death, without even offering me the opportunity to get a new card in my own name. Although I remember from our discussion of this incident last year that life without Amazon is not for everyone (for various reasons), and although Kristen certainly did well to put her large bill on her card, I've managed fine. In fact, I think that not having a Prime card has saved me from several impulse purchases. I replaced the Prime card with a Discover card (with the usual cash-back features).
(4) Our friends who raise the steer that I buy 1/4 of each year have let me know that this year's beef will be ready in about 10 days. So I'm working hard on making room in the freezer, plus notifying all the friends to whom I sell some of the beef at my cost.
(5) And it's tomato time!! My next-door neighbor and I enjoyed the first two Sungolds from one of the plants we have growing in pots behind her 8-foot chain-link fence, and the tiny Sweetheart of the Patio plant I have in a pot on my deck (this is one of this year's gardening experiments) is starting to ripen cute little fruits.
@A. Marie, Capital One canceled my card the second I reported my husband’s death. And I am still quite salty about it. Everytime the ad asks, “What’s in your wallet.” I think, “A new AmEx card in MY name & my wallet will never have your card”
@A. Marie, I love wrist watches; I have 3 of them, all of them analog with a second hand dial. I a well-used one I use when exercising, I have an every day one, and I have a fancy one from a company on my 10th anniversary there (I am thankfully no longer there #micromanaging boss!).
@A. Marie,
I wear my wristwatch every day and feel naked without it. I'd much rather glance at my wrist than have to pull my phone out. DH gave me this watch but I have worn a watch of some kind since I was 13. They are so convenient.
I always have a watch on! I have for pretty much my whole life and I would feel so so weird without one.
@A. Marie, Chase pursued me vigorously over my late brother's bill while I was settling his estate. I finally called and made them back off, as there would be no money to pay the bill until the house sold. (He owed over $17K, which is crazy because he never should have been allowed to borrow that much in unsecured credit.) Chase is now forever on my poop list.
@JD, I don't know if it's a generational thing or just a fashion thing. A lot of men still insist that you can't be "stylish" without one but I always found them a bit of a nuisance, even in the pre-cell phone days.
Men can be weird about watches, though.
@Ruby, as usual, you're a better woman than I am. I used quite a few terms for Chase that were a lot stronger than "poop."
@Battra92, I have a friend who collects a specific kind of 1970s watch.
My son, Sartorial God, wanted a gold Omega Seamaster for his college graduation. I got one at auction, vintage of course. Saved a fortune but it still doesn't have a watchband and I refuse to pay for exotic skins like alligator because the animals are treated so cruelly. One a dese days.
@Diane, @A. Marie - which is why you want a joint account, not to be a just an authorized user. And if one or both of you were joint, I would have found a lawyer post haste.
@Diane,
When my parents died, we hadn't even had the funeral before the county tax office was calling to inform me that they were removing the Over 65 Exemption and the Homestead Exemption from my parents' property tax. Sheesh! Couldn't they have waited a few days? It was literally the next morning after Dad's death; they got it from the coroner's report and immediately phoned. I was still in shock and could've used a little time in order to grieve and pull myself together. Talk about heartless!
@Rose,
A lot of Native American online businesses sell watchbands made from silver and turquoise and such, in their traditional designs. You could also visit Santa Fe and find such items from local artisans. Would that work for your son's fancy watch? No animals are harmed in the making of such watchbands!
@A. Marie, My husband brags long and loud about still having just a flip phone. In fact I can't get him to shut up about it. 😀
Reusing grey water is just smart!
I also love a particular type of shoe (Asics Gel Kayano) and have found that the model is more important than the version number, if that makes sense. I regularly buy 1–2 year-old versions for significant discounts (and sometimes more exciting color choices) and have felt little difference.
Five frugal things from this week:
1. I found a screaming deal on my favorite straw water cup. It usually retails for $40 but I found one at Walgreens for $15. Now I can keep one at my office and one at home, and the convenience is worth $15 to me.
2. I stuck to my grocery budget by scouring the fridge, freezer, and pantry for things to use up. Pretty proud! This coming week is a big Costco trip, so I'm trying to both save money and use what we have in advance.
3. I asked around for a beach wagon to borrow from friends. No one had one, but I am proud of myself for getting outside my comfort zone and asking.
4. Another proud moment: I have worked very hard in therapy and my clinician and I agree we can drop the number of sessions per month. It's an emotional win and a savings!
5. We chose not to buy a pool membership this summer and have been tagging along with friends to their (much fancier than we can afford) pool. Free is cheap!
@Lauren, Congratulations on all the things you are celebrating! Especially #4! Trust in your worthfulness!
Actually it just occurred to me we should turn on our dehumidifier in the basement. It's
always humid here. I just let the water go down the drain to the septic, though. Septic system is in front of the house and my well is in the back. I don't really worry about water, fortunately.
It hasn't been hot here at all--today it's going to be 83, which is the hottest day of the summer so far, so window fans have sufficed so far and we're quite cool.
Found some old nautical rope on the beach and brought it hope. The puppies are having a whale of a time chewing it (guess it tastes salty?) and playing tug of war. The younger puppy is losing his baby teeth. They're both really fun to have around.
Daughter and I are having fun making and eating small batches of ice cream. This week it's Persian saffron and pistachio. Next week I wanna try a 1920s recipe with maraschino cherries, nuts, ginger and crushed pineapple.
1. I made all our meals at home. We ate up leftovers. My husband came home and started making coffee for us again. We accepted some milk that was about to expire.
2. I volunteered as an usher for a local amateur play production. I watched the play for free between ushering duties. I also got earned a free ticket to a future production through previous volunteer work.
3. We used the library to get free books and movies. Two kids and I earned free books (to keep) through a summer reading program.
4. I combined errands to save gas.
5. I finished refinishing two chairs from the dining room set.
6. We accepted a board game from a family member. Our version of the game came from a rummage sale and is almost completely worn out. It's nice to have a better version of the game.
7. I mended a pair of pants.
I love the Altra Provision 6s! In fact, I like them the best of all the Altra models I have tried. Glad they're working for you! Sierra Trading Post online often has Altras in stock at a much more affordable price.
I did check there but I didn't see any Provisions and I was nervous to branch out!
I bought the Altras and a pair of Brooks (from my podriatrist's list) and after wearing both, I love the Brooks better. But in a non-frugal move, I kept both. I figure I will have these feet for a long time. (: Both are comfy, but for my particular feet, the Brooks work best for my walking program. Frugally, I am still limiting my eating out even though I am cooking for just little ole me, batching car errands, and keeping my thermostat set at a reasonable temp all day long. I am also using my son's "partner card" for a discount on my HEB groceries, since he can give one to a family member.
I love that you got pretty earrings on your Buy Nothing group!
So nice that you got to go to the symphony!
1) Similar to Kristen's use of the credit card for her insurance bill, I switched our T-Mobile bill to the credit card so we'll get 1.5% back. Not a huge savings but it all adds up.
2) I got a grocery bag full of baby toys for our grandson from our Buy Nothing group. I saw in the picture that the bag contained a toy that I knew he loved. Nice to have toys at Nana's house.
3) The hem on DH's shorts has come completely detached. I will try to sew it back on, but I noticed there is also hole in the seat of his shorts, so he had to have a new pair. I bought two pair on sale from Duluth Trading online and used Rakuten for small rebate and a coupon code.
4) I had a $5 credit expiring at Uncommon Goods, so I used it to order a silly gift for DH's birthday. He loves peanut butter, and he now has a spoon that will get every last bit out of the jar. The dog will be sad since she usually gets the end of the jar. 😉
5) My company is giving me a generous 20-year anniversary gift. I have up to $750 to spend on whatever I want. I used part of it for bar stools for the new house. Now I have to decide how to spend the rest of it.
Bonus - we rented a dumpster to clear out the house before we put it on the market. When DH called for them to pick it up, they told him the price for the additional days we used it, and asked if that price was okay. He said of course, that is what we agreed to, but he'd love for it to be cheaper. A short while later, they called back and said they would take $100 off our bill. Doesn't hurt to ask for a discount!
It's Amazon Prime Day, which I marked on my calendar last week and at the same time, set up Camelcamelcamel price watches for the silicone pyrex/anchor lids I heard about on here! I did an audit of my original lid collection (which contained 90% cracked lids and lacked a few lids all together, as we bought some bowls used), figured out how many lids we'd need, and set the price watch. It's $95 to replace all our lids, but that's $20 less than it was last week! And now my homemade ice cream won't have leaks from the cracked lid...
@Andrea Gapsch, Good idea! I need to check out the Prime Day silicon lid deals too. Thanks for the tip.
OHHHHH, yay! I'm so glad you are getting new lids. I think you will love them so much.
I feel like almost nothing has been frugal at my house for the last 3 months. We made a BIG move from one state to another to be closer to our only child & his family, and moving is not cheap! Luckily my long time frugal habits/hacks have saved us here & there.
1. I bought store brand items at the grocery whenever possible. I have to get used to stores that were not available at our previous neighborhood & vice versa. The prices on some things are almost double from what I used to pay (!)
2. We cancelled the cable/internet service we originally got here & added a different internet provider & streaming service. Saved us about $70 per month.
3. I got a library card for our new town. Free books make me happy! And I am a voracious reader.
4. I promptly returned the cable equipment so we wouldn’t be charged for it.
5. I found the 1 piece of internet equipment that the movers packed in error. It will be shipped back to the previous internet provider for credit on our account.
@LDA, I agree that moving is not cheap!
1. A used engine was found for my car and was ordered. It's still expensive, but not as expensive as a new one.
2. My sister and I went thrifting and found a Kiwi box (monthly craft box for kids) that was complete and contents unopened - we carefully checked the contents and instruction manual to be sure - for $4.99. They are maybe $20-25 dollars and one has to buy a subscription to get them, normally. This will go to my younger grandkids. I also found several children's books in excellent shape, all pages tight and clean, most of them for 79 cents each.
3. My sister found some holiday décor she had been wanting. She had eyeballed it earlier in the year at stores, but wouldn't pay the retail price, so she was happy to find it dirt cheap while thrifting.
4. Even with my visiting sister here, I hung out my laundry or hung it on racks. She is frugal too, so she gets it.
5. I am sprouting a second round of okra seeds to add to my raised beds. I have only five small plants growing in the beds at this point, but have been harvesting a handful of pods daily. The seeds are "Heavy Hitter" from Baker Creek, and they do a better job of producing, even while the plants are less than half-grown.
Good Morning.
I have been in a mini spending frenzy this week trying to get ready for a bucket list, 172 mile backpack on the Tahoe Rim Trail. It is not for 9 weeks but I have started my training program and realized backpacking at 30 is different than backpacking at 60. Really? I was an avid backpacker before I had my son at 37. Since thenI have really only done a few overnights. I want to be successful. Here is another shocker. Technology has advanced a little in 30 years! I decided to upgrade my equipment by investing in what was necessary. This will be a serious hobby in my retirement
1. The big four: tent, backpack, sleeping bag and mat should weigh around 7 pounds total. I bought some at Black Friday last year ( when backpacking stuff is it's cheapest.) Still I laid out $200 this week for a new sleeping mat because good sleep is a priority.
2. I am trying to get my food under 1 pound a day. This means dehydrated and/ or high fat. You want to max calories per weight. This is exactly opposite of my food plan I am currently on. I settled on Expedition Foods. They have a 7 day pack of 450 calorie meals for $256 dollars which weighs about 4 lbs. Instead, I bought the 1000 cal meals, split them in two with my food saver, and added my own breakfasts (which is cheap and easy instant oatmeal.) My cost is $140.
3. My training program is absolutely free having been researched on the internet.
4. I use our gym for training. The gym is pricy but it is the only one hubby will use. Health vrs expense sometimes.
5. After the initial investment, backpacking is on of the cheapest and healthiest hobbies of all. Slip on a pack and hit the great outdoors.
@mary ann, that's pretty awesome you're doing that. I live in the area, where are you starting from? I've done some of the PCT but not that amount. Sadly, I couldnt do it now at 70. So good for you.
@mary ann, I'm impressed and can't wait to hear about your hike. Hopefully you'll post on here all about it. I'm a year older than you and some day hikes wear me out. We did one a couple of weeks ago that had a 1000 foot gain, kind of straight up a mountain with smaller scrambles and I'm still feeling it. Yes, hiking in our 30s was way easier.
@mary ann, Your upcoming hike is very impressive!
Re youthful drivers: if you aren’t already getting a good student discount for Zoe, strongly recommend that you ask your insurance agent or company about that. When my children were still in school, I would send a screenshot of their grades every semester for a small discount.
@Meg in SoTX, plus add your name to title also if teen/young adult has own vehicle (to drive) which helps even if you're not primary driver. Ask about any safety feature discounts, including wearing seatbelts.
@Regina, are seatbelts not compulsory in the US?
@Joan from Dublin, Ireland,
Yes, they are compulsory in all vehicles. In most states you will be ticketed for not wearing them. However, the auto insurance companies offer a multitude of rate discounts that differ from company to company.
Nothing but frugal fails this past week:
My computer crashed. I packed it up to take to my tech guys and after I got in the car and backed out of the garage, the garage door wouldn’t close. I live in a remarkably crime-free village but, still, you don’t want to leave your garage open for who knows how long. All I could do was lock up the house as best I could and hit the road.
My tech guy was able to restart the computer but we decided it was best to replace it and, from my perspective, best to have them migrate all my software and apps and data to a new one. $1300. So they said it would take at least a day, maybe more, and might bleed over to the following week. Yikes.
Got home and contacted a garage repair service who couldn’t come until the following afternoon. Boo! Then got a call saying they’d had a cancellation and could in the next half hour. Yay! Then they decided the motor couldn’t be repaired and had to be replaced. Boo! Another $400+. But they got in done in less than an hour and I could at least sleep a little easier knowing my garage door was down. And would go up again!
Then my tech guy called and said the new computer would be ready the next morning (yay!) but they were unable to download my 170,000 documents from my cloud backup service (boo!). So I spent the next 24 hours migrating folders and files and documents.
I also needed to replace my printer and ordered one from Amazon that took a couple days to arrive. And then it wouldn’t set up because the print cartridges were defective. So have boxed that up to return to Amazon but can’t start the return because I would need to print out the code that has to be scanned when I drop it off. So ordered a printer from Best Buy that should be delivered today. We’ll see how that goes …
But $2,000+ of expense and untold gazillions of stress and lost time. Some of you may remember Gilda Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna character from Saturday Night Live ("If it's not one thing it's another!).
I’m trying to think if I can turn any of this into a thankful for Thankful Thursday…
Geez, what a frustrating string of events!
@Kristen, First World Problems, but ... Yeah! It would be so nice if things only broke one at a time. I was starting to spin conspiracy theories about inanimate objects "out to get me!", but pulled myself back from the brink.
@JDinNM, I think it was "If it ain't one thing, it's anuthuh"; at least this is what I say regularly. 😎
1. My niece lives in a SMALL town in Alabama and her hubby works on an offshore oil rig. His shifts last for weeks at a time and she is about to have her first baby. I drove there Friday night and stocked her 15 cubic ft freezer with homemade lasagna, chili, pinto beans, enchiladas, muffins, quick breads, chicken pot pies, baked ziti, breakfast burritos and such. We shopped sales wisely, used everything up and now she has easy, healthy meals at the ready while she is acclimating to being a new mother and can avoid take out.
2. During my trip I stopped at a Buccee's where gas was $2.97/gallon! I filled up on my way there and on my way back.
3. Friends I have zipped up a pair of size 10 jeans and words cannot describe the joy I feel. Even more joy ensued when I discovered jeans marked down to $10/pair and grabbed 2 in my new size. This was a blessing as all of the jeans I had are now too big to wear even with a belt.
4. The season of school supplies is upon us and I took advantage of some sales to purchase needed items for school and refresh some items we use at home like crayons, notebooks, glue, etc.
5. I used CVS rewards and coupons to purchase $65 worth of toothpaste, face cream, and some other necessities for only $13 out of pocket!
@Angie, congrats on the new size pants! Always a great feeling!
@Angie, Congratulations on your #3; I know the joy you're talking about!
@Angie, your daughter is going to be so appreciative to have all those meals ready while she adjusts! Such a thoughtful and loving thing to do to support her!
Congrats on your #3. I've been trying for a while now to get down a size or two. Hearing your happiness will help me stay on track!
@Angie, what a lovely, thoughtful gift you gave your niece in your #1! Having had two babies in the last few years I can say that the best possible gift for new parents is homemade food (also sleep, but sleep is tougher to come by). 🙂
This morning I did a frugal fix on my dishwasher. One of the plastic pieces on the upper rack decided to break off, so the rack was no longer supported in one corner. I used a piece of thick wire leftover from some other project to temporarily reattach the corner. I need to look into a permanent fix, but my free fix will do for now. I really hate plastic parts for this type of thing!
@JenRR, well done!!
Brava for live music!
My frugal week:
1) Learned that the cheaper seats in our local theater are better seats than the floor seats--some very tall people sat in front of me on the main floor (I am short). Next time I'll still support community theater but with cheaper better seats!
2) Mended pants and altered a favorite blouse, made a caftan out of a light cotton shower curtain, and matching summer pants and top out of a bargain bolt of beautiful blue cotton. It's hot and sticky in Ohio in the summer. I am also so grateful for my reliable sewing machine and serger.
3) Cooked almost all meals all week, ate at home. Made it possible to make a big pot of chicken soup for friends with serious medical crises.
4) Resisted attractive sales to buy a heavy duty sewing machine I can get by without. Tempting but not necessary.
5) Took a big box of kitchen duplicates to Goodwill and came home with a set of lovely berry cups. They are perfect for berries, ice cream, pudding, jello, salad, etc., and clean beautifully in the dishwasher. And DH is happier with less clutter in the kitchen drawers.
Water from a dehumidifier is better for your plants! It doesn’t contain chlorine and other stuff-just water!
Sweet!
@Debbie H., It can contain mold, bacteria and all kinds of stuff, including lead. I think it's OK for non edible plants, but it's not pure or distilled water.
- I cut up 2 shirts to use for bathroom rags
- I made dinner on a late night after babysitting even though I really wanted faster food. Meal was filling & healthier & far cheaper
- a friend treated me for coffee (she got 6x stars which basically pays for her next one) & I got a $4giftcard for the day when they messed up my drink
- I went through our linen closet and rehomed more than half the items
- found a friend I can carpool with to the beach & go for bike ride with, we pack a lunch both days & I make homemade cold brew to bring along!
Have not been very frugal this week, resorting to the quiet ones.
1) Chai latte at home. (Adding a thankful to JD in NM for telling me about Food Service Direct. It is still the cheapest place to purchase Tazo Chai Concentrate, has free shipping on purchases over $7.50, and is usually here the next day!)
2) Ordered Jimmy John's for supper to take to work Saturday night, $5.00 off deal and fed for two meals, Ordered supper at work for Sunday night. Balanced, home cooked type meal for only $3.00.
3) Bought gas at Casey's in town where I work on the way home Monday morning. $.05 cheaper than Casey's in town where I live.
4) Okra and cucumbers and a (larger than I like) zucchini from the neighbors' garden with their blessing. (Will shred the zuke and use part in my fave "casserole" with Jiffy cornbread mix.) The neighbors are moving and there is much more produce than they can consume. My Baby Bubba Okra is producing, too. It is a much shorter plant and still produces a regular amount of pods. It is very nutritious and delicious roasted in the air fryer. Also have picked three tomatoes total from my garden. Have to time consumption of the same so as to not flare up the GERD.
5) Have had a couple of warm days requiring use of AC at night. It is cooler today so it is getting a rest. I, for one am offended that the Electric Company reminds me of my usage. We have a "wind farm" north of here that they (we) purchased and a gargantuan solar farm just south that they (we) will purchase. Both gobbled up a lot of usable farmland. But I will stop there.
I, for one, am very excited to have my Chase Card almost paid off. I have been working diligently to pay off it and the Discover Card. Poor youthful choices. Well, even a few middle-aged ones.
@Chrissy, Here's to Chai latte @ home! I need to go back to Food Service Direct and check on a couple of products that have become hit or miss (mostly miss) at the brick & mortar stores, and if on Amazon they're exorbitantly priced.
@Chrissy, Tazo chai fan here too. I love it so much. Usually iced in the summer and extra hot in the winter. I have been buying a box of the skinny and a box of the classic and mixing them half and half. A few calories for a short person.
Frugal things---
● didn't get gas last week before storms & gas went up $0.45/gallon. I waited until I absolutely had to get gas (long enough) & it had come down some, with my $0.20/gallon off I paid cheapest price before increase last week. I didn't fill my gas tank up, but did mostly (limit 20 gallons).
● another free slushie Monday only (at Meijer) & had free reward slushie 🙂
● cashed in Receipt Pal points for gift card & added to my Target account (since has been rejecting majority of receipts---even ones for that day.
● picking up receipts on ground (other people dropped) & scanning into cash back apps----one receipt yeilded over 3,000 points! 🙂
● used Ace points to get teen parts for truck tool box & a trellis I needed
● used 15% off my Domino's order & KFC discount for teen for lunch/dinner while out
● returned rain barrel evestroth/gutter pieces because ended up using (already had) flexible/adjustable plastic extension that goes on end of gutter extension (I has picked up on sale previously).
● picked up another clearance flower/daisy to add to others. The lavender plants are only flowers purchased not on clearance. Hoping they all come back next spring! It should look beautiful!
● purchased another rain barrel (not on sale) & got 5% cash back because extended promo additional day (& I got lucky got few back in stock that day--I got last rain barrel).
● picked up $5 (full size) metal garbage can at yard sale to use for fire pit ash storage to use on my plants/gardens
Frugal fail---
● Rakuten still is not working for me (& yes I'm signed into my account & it shows activation) so this is becoming very frustrating as I have missed out on a 15% cash back off on $100 purchase & some other smaller amounts. Rakuten is not even showing email confirmation of purchases also.
● $65 of English lavender plants have now died that I planted about a month ago. Between the on/off heat wave & excessive rain many of my newly planted flowers are looking bad. 🙁 I've watered (mostly), when not raining but not sure what else to do.
● apparently teen does not like fruit anymore so neighbors got whole watermelon & another neighbor got bag of grapes.
@Regina, since I don't know what growing zone you are in, I'm not sure if this info is helpful: in our neck of the woods (6b) "Phenomenal Lavender" performs the best. It has been tuned to deal a little better with more humid conditions.
@Regina, Not certain if this will help--- try logging in to your Rakuten account in another browser. Mine did the same thing on Google, but if i log in thru Microsoft Edge, it works.
They've also been waiting to "credit" any rebate I am due until the store/retailer sends them verification. So annoying and out of our control. My Rakuten may be going away soon. I'm not happy about these changes. I'm waiting to see if I get a $75 rebate from booking our hotel thru Booking.com by September. I'm sure it will conveniently not be credited.
Has anyone tried HONEY cash back app and liked it?
I hope the shoes work out for you! I am a runner and always try to stock up on previous model shoes when the new model comes out - brands almost always reduce the price of the older version when the new ones come out. Sometimes there is a big change to the updated shoe, which is a bummer, but that doesn't seem to happen every year. Still sometimes I stock up on a model I like when the new one comes out for fear of it changing! In fact the running shoes I have right now, I think I bought 3 years ago because I loved them so much and just kept them in stock until they were needed.
We have been camping for the past several weeks and paying the weekly campsite rate and eating most of our meals at camp, and with limited refrigerator space and access to only one small grocery store fugal meals have been the norm! Also we are able to "work-from-camp" so not taking PTO is also a frugal win!
1. My DS and DH went diving Sunday and caught 3 lobsters. My son's girlfriend made lobster rolls.
2. Bass Pro Shops had long sleeve swim shirts on sale for $16 and I bought 2. I wear them almost everyday when I swim. I also bought a button up shirt half price to wear hiking.
3. I've been swimming almost everyday with some neighbors, so free exercise.
4. I signed up for another business credit card with a $750 reward that I'll use for some large expenses coming up, insurance, flood repairs, etc.
5. We're flying back up to CT for a week using Southwest points.
1. It was a good week for avoiding food waste. I put half a carton of orange juice in a jar in the freezer for later, making it last two weeks instead of forcing myself to drink it all in one. I used stale tortillas in migas (scrambled eggs with cut-up tortillas and veggies) and with chili, where the staleness wasn't noticeable. And I used bread that was getting dried out to make French toast, saving the heels in the freezer for future bread crumbs.
2. I made pizza from scratch.
3. I made cornbread and used 2/3 of the amounts of oil and coconut milk (replacing some of it with water) the recipe called for since I was getting low on those ingredients. It turned out just fine.
4. After spilling food on my clothes, I treated the stains right away so they wouldn't set and ruin them. This happened twice in the past week. If I could manage to be less clumsy, that might be even more frugal!
5. I used coupons and sales to get some good deals on groceries, and I got a free box of cereal and a free container of cumin. The coupon was good for any spice, so I picked a relatively expensive one I use often.
I'm happy that my frugality this week includes enjoyment and progress!
-I ate out for my birthday with a gift card for the frugal price of FREE! And it was a delicious meal of red snapper; thoroughly enjoyed.
-I did some back-to-school shopping because my wardrobe is getting pathetically out of style and I dislike shopping for clothes. I have found a few nice pieces for reasonable prices that will let me mix-and-match easily with my poor fashion sense lol.
-I FINALLY got through all the steps to transfer some savings to a CIT Platinum account (thanks, Kristen, for the tip!). 5% interest vs. the 1% in my credit union's money market will make a huge difference!
-We enjoyed an outing to our local creek for free. Even on yet another super-hot day, the creek water was so cool that my feet got cold.
-I attended and enjoyed a regional baseball game with a friend who got free tickets through her work. It was an evening game and actually pleasant outside!
As a New Mexican living in a megadrought, I appreciate your desire not to waste water!
@Caroline Rose, I check the U.S. Drought Monitor online on occasion. The New Mexico extreme drought just hasn't improved for how long? Years now? I hope things improve for you!
@Caroline Rose, Just get a 2000 mile hose and hook it up to the spigot on the side of my house. Done!
These are frugal/not frugal, but here goes:
I saw an AARP promotion to join BJ’s for $20, so I did, which is $35 cheaper than the usual price.
With that membership we went in and bought a $400 whisper quiet, 10,000 BTU air conditioner for our bedroom. The old one was loud, clunky, not energy efficient and was dying. We have gotten our money worth for sure in this heat wave.
I canceled a couple of memberships that we don’t need.
I bought some 50 cent trucks and tractors for my sweet grandson. Every time we talk on the phone he asks if I have toys. He knows I do, and I know he has a zillion toys, but there’s nothing like a new (to him) toy! I also bought a 50 cent Shel Silverstein brand new book for his older brother.
Our library is currently closed for repairs, so I bought myself two 50 cent books that look pretty intriguing.
I wish I could wear less expensive footwear, but with all my foot problems and nerve damage I need either Brooks or Hokas, not cheap! Oh well.
My favorite post of the week!
Some of my frugals:
1. I shopped around for a new energy provider to save .764 per kilowatt hour. I'll take any savings I can!
2. My husband just switched from Verizon Wireless to Spectrum mobile and will save $63/month. Spectrum mobile runs off the Verizon towers. I had switched my service over a month ago and don't have any issues.
3. Our neighborhood held their annual garage sales this past weekend and we participated. I made the most $ this year than in the past! Stuff out, money in!
4. My poor dog has allergies (just like our previous lab had). My vet prescribed the same medicine as our last dog. I knew the tablets were pricy, but I asked for a written script instead of buying from the vet, thus saving $1.58/pill. Will save $48/month by going this route.
@Gina, also try GoodRX or another of those services. We had a dog whose meds were over $90 a month from the vet, and by using a pharmacy paired with savings from GoodRX, we were able to get the meds down to $15 per month! Hope it helps!
@Gina, I've had several dogs with allergies. The first one improved hugely with weekly shots administered by me; the second one is much better off with Benadryl. Keep in mind that many human allergy pills, including Benadryl and Zyrtec, are fine to give to dogs. You would just have to google the mg. needed for your dog's weight.
Also, folks: aspirin is OK to give to your dogs, too. If your dog is in pain but it's late and the emergency vet is far away/really expensive/both--try some aspirin, Bufferin if you have it but plain aspirin is OK. Again, google dosage for your dog's weight.
I've owned my own dogs since 1985 and I've learned not to panic over every little thing, which I think some dog owners tend to do. It's like being an experienced mom: this isn't your first rodeo so you don't immediately get too upset over a minor ailment. Sometimes, seriously, a dog just pulls a muscle (as you might) and a few days of Bufferin will see him/her through without a vet visit, any more than you might go to the doctor after a day's stiff neck.
@Rose,
I wish the Benadryl would work for my pup, but alas it doesn't. I tried that route first before making the trip to the vet. I'll have to ask about the weekly shots option. Thanks for the info 😉
@Rose, We have a feral cat who has lived in our yard for 4 1/2 years. We can pet her, but definitely not pick her up. Earlier this year she started losing hair on her hind end. We made an appointment with our vet, but could not pick her up to cage her. I was pretty upset, but the hair has now grown back.
Another of our house cats had brown stuff in his ears. Worried it might be an infection, we hauled him to the vet. $230.00 to find out he did NOT have an infection.
I'm trying to be less of a helicopter pet parent. It's expensive and hard on my nerves.
My husband and I both haven't been into the office in two weeks so that has saved us on gas and wear/tear. We both have to go back in this week....in this heat...ugh!
We had a ceiling fan we had replaced with a nice light for the dining room (that we bought frugally on facebook marketplace) when we first moved into this house. We pulled the ceiling fan out of the garage this week and installed it at the top of the stairs to blow the warm air back down. I think this will help with the AC not running as much upstairs...we will see. It has helped with the noise of the tower fan we were using before.
I mended a shirt and altered a dress I never wore before into something I will get some wear from.
I called to get a $78 overpayment from a medical office refunded back to me. When I called they said I had a $0 balance...I said I have a $78 credit...they were like "oh yes, but no balance due". Yes, well, I want my money back. This seemed a foreign concept to them haha, but they finally issued the return.
We ate at home all week though I was planning to go out last Friday. The weather was just so hot I couldn't imagine dressing to go anywhere so we stayed home. I've cooked all our meals in the air fryer outside or on the grill (in batches to cover 2-3 days) so that we don't heat up the house with anything we can avoid.
It's been ridiculously hot, so I have stayed home and done frugal stuff around the house:
Mended a tiny hole in a thrifted vintage sweater with a spool of thread gifted to me by a long-ago neighbor. Sewed up puppy damage to a few more stuffed dog toys. Dried a lot of laundry on rack instead of in the dryer. Roasted a pan of yellow-sticker chicken for our lunch and turned some cherries and plums no one was eating into a fruit crisp. The leftover situation was getting out of hand, so I took one for the team and ate an entire day of use-it-up weird combo meals.
When you are no longer a student and symphony tickets are very expensive, see if your symphony has "rehearsal concerts". Our symphony has rehearsal concerts on Saturday afternoons for $15, open seating. The soloist is there and it's a full orchestra rehearsal with the soloist. Everyone in the orchestra is in casual clothing, and the rehearsal is sometimes interrupted for the conductor to give notes about how he/she wants a particular passage to be performed. It's fascinating, and you get to hear the entire program, albeit with interruptions. Sometimes the conductor will turn around and explain what's happening to the audience.
They also give free tickets to rehearsal concerts to local elementary schools, but few families take advantage (we did!). This is a very frugal way to enjoy the local symphony.
An added bonus, the rehearsal concerts usually aren't sold out, so we can sit away from others. I'm really sensitive to fragrances (asthma trigger) and when people dress up for symphony performances they tend to wear a lot of perfume or cologne. But not so much in the afternoon, so there's less fragrance in the air and I don't have to sit too close to someone wearing it. I bring a mask just in case, but it's much more pleasant not having to wear one.
1. The alternator on my husband's car broke (while we were camping nonetheless). He was able to fix it himself for about $300, which I am guessing saved us more than $500. His dad was able to tow our camper for us thankfully.
2. I harvested the garlic from our garden and we used herbs from our garden to make pasta sauce this week.
3. Used items we had in the refrigerator to make my son's breakfast for the week.
4. Repaired 2 pairs of pants
5. Making my own iced coffee at home
1. Picking lots of garden goodies: swiss chard, lettuce, sugar snap peas, peas, raspberries, basil, parsley, mint, cilantro and sage. I am freezing, dehydrating and eating them all. I did trade with a friend for more zucchini. She threw in a bag of basil since she wouldn’t use it all. She said it was to go towards more figs. Her fig plant does noting.
2. BJ’s has been out of chocolate syrup the last 2 times I went so I made my own. It is delicious. Hubby said we don’t need to buy it anymore. I will need to do a price comparison.
3. I ate the rest of the zucchini pie as breakfast. I didn’t want it to go to waste.
4. My sister came and got her dog. She brought me 2 bags of stuff for my upcoming yard sale. She brought me a bouquet of flowers from her yard. She gave me all of the toiletries from her resort. Her thank you for watching the dog was maple syrup. She knows we like food gifts.
5. Hubby is working on the basement and making progress. We did take a morning off and go out East to go blueberry picking. They are more expensive then the store but they are worth it. First we are supporting a small local farm. Second they are amazing. Third we get to eat while we work. I also picked sunflowers for $1 a stalk which is a great deal. We were talking to the owner when he came to open up and found out that he has another stand and sells trees and bushes. We are planning on planting a few this fall so now we know where we will get them. We brought drinks and snacks with us. We ate lunch (leftovers)when we got home.
6. We hit a few garage sales while we were out East. All we bought was a vacuum sealer brand new for $4.50. The bags it comes with are worth more then that.
7. Good grocery deals this week were ground turkey for $1.99 a pound. I also got beer brats for $1.99 with manager sticker. The sales are very few right now. Glad I have the pantry and extra chest freezer.
8. Doing our usual things, hanging laundry, using my crockpot, keeping AC on only one floor at a time, using veggie washing water to water pots, keeping blinds closed to keep heat out.
@Marybeth from NY, Where did you pick blueberries? Signed, as out east as you can get. (Used to be able to pick them wild but the deer ate them all.)
Not the most frugal week due to Hurricane Beryl, but here goes:
1. Thankfully, we never lost power from Hurricane Beryl, but a couple of sections of our fence were blown down and a piece of trim from our chimney broke off. Our neighbor one one side got it repaired (we will look into replacing later when fencing prices go down) and split the cost with us, so we paid $100. The other side had a section leaning precariously and that neighbor wanted to replace the side for a really high amount, so we asked him if we could repair it for now. The handyman we asked to repair our chimney trim shored up the leaning fence for free until it can be more permanently fixed. So far, so good.
2. While my husband was driving to pick up his mom to stay with us (she lost power for a few days), a weakened tree branch fell and hit the windshield, causing a huge crack. Thankfully no other damage or injuries, although it was just really unlucky timing. We had to get the windshield replaced ASAP for safety reasons and decided to pay out of pocket instead of making an insurance claim. I was able to find an online coupon for $50 off and used my Chase visa which had a 10% cash back offer up to $42 so I will get another $42 back in a couple weeks.
3. I was in charge of favors for my friend's baby shower. I was able to mostly use items I already had on hand at home (treat bags, chocolates) and used Amazon gift cards to buy her favorite sour candy for the rest of it. I needed more ribbon to tie the bags and used another Visa gift card to pay for it, so virtually nothing was spent out of pocket and everything was consumable!
4. My son recently opened a high school checking account at Chase a couple weeks ago. Last week I noticed a promo offering $100 back when opening a high school checking account and using the debit card, Zelle or other features 5x in the subsequent 2 months. I sent an email asking if the offer could be applied to his account and they said yes! He just needs to use his debit card or Zelle 3 more times to qualify for the $100 back, which I'm sure he will easily do.
5. My younger son needed a new soccer ball and I was able to go through Rakuten for 15% back to order one online with store pickup and it was on sale for 20% off, so I saved $8 altogether and paid with my PayPal gift card from Swagbucks.
Made homemade bread a couple of times.
Washed and detailed our cars instead of paying someone to do it. We drive old cars, but when they are shiny and clean they feel like brand new.
Made a homemade birthday card instead of buying one at the store.
Did some returns that had been lying around the house for a long time.
Did some fun free activities with the kiddos: visited the library, painted rocks, went for a hike.
Foraged some chanterelles and used them in egg and mushroom fried rice.
@Becca C, Oh, I love chanterelles! I hope they were delicious.
Just went 250 miles to a medical appointment, fairly unfrugal here:
1. Took the pickup because it has a larger engine than my Accord, which is good for barreling along with traffic on freeways instead of being barreled by.
2. Paid too much for sandwiches for a meal between lunch and dinner.
Frugalish:
1. The motel gives 10% off to people with medical appointments.
2. My accompanying friend and I skipped dinner.
3. We picked up a few things at Trader Joe's that could pass for breakfast (early morning appointment and no continental breakfast at the motel.)
4. We visited a historic site that was free.
5. We stopped by a beach that didn't require paid parking on the way home.
Frugality just permeates my life, even without consciously forcing it. My friend is completely of the same mind, so there is much satisfaction in looking for bargains. We found a special seat cushion for folks with bad backs at the lunch stop, just resting on the wall waiting for my friend (with a bad back) to discover it. Thrilling, just thrilling!
If you have a drain in your basement, you can hook a hose to dehumidifier (presume new enough to have one) to avoid manual dumping. My Dad has his connected to a pump unit which sends the water into the same pipe as his water softener. Our A/C hits the sump pump and we've entertained the dehumidifier doing the same thing. But it is a bit of a run length wise. We have a septic tank so we try to limit excess water into it.
* As an avid reader I always try to get my books from the public library or free piles. But there was one book I could not find in physical form at the library (I much prefer physical books). I was ready to buy it used for 10$ but finally found it online for free, yay!
* Used a 0.99$ 7 days Prime membership offer to order proteins bars I usually pay 25$/box, for 15$/box for Prime members. I will also use this trial to watch a couple movies I don't have on Netflix, then will cancel just before it renews.
* Switched my Netflix subscription to the one with adds, for 6$/month. So far there is very little to none (adds), so it's a real deal. This is the only paid subscription I have.
* No grocery shopping this week except for milk. I have sooooo much food already, and I still buy more.... it's a problem.
* Daughter needs braces. It's 9000$ (canadian), over 2.5 years. We budgeted for it, fortunately. So while it's not frugal at all, the frugality makes it possible to have such a big expense and not go broke over it. Insurances will pay 3000$, which is also a big help.
I got a Wells Fargo card last year that had a $200 sign-on bonus and pays 2% rewards on all purchases. I still use my Amex card for groceries since it pays 3%, but I use Wells for most other purchases. I pay all my cards in full every month.
I'm a day late commenting bc my internet has been offline since this weekend. Turns out there was water in the outside line from the telephone pole to my house, no doubt from recent storms, something I could not fix by myself. The cable guy (I don't have cable TV but I get my internet and landline phone service from that co.) did more than expected, replacing the line and otherwise helping me get my computer and phone back working. I wonder: was it because he was just a super nice guy, or did he see the 2 advertisements for this company's 2 rival internet providers? (I left them on my desk, by the computer, on purpose, knowing that they don't ever want to lose an account...)
-- Went through my stash of greeting cards (mostly bought super cheap from thrift stores and estate sales or obtained via free samples sent to me) and found a good one with a 4th of July motif -- a group of little kids holding flags and sitting on the curb waiting for a parade. It was blank inside. Wrote a thank you note on it, and hand-delivered it to my neighbors' mailbox; they were the folks who hosted the block party/swim party/picnic on the 4th of July.
-- Shopped a Habitat for Humanity "Re-store", a specialized thrift store that sells mostly building supplies and household maintenance items. Found an unopened package of 4 LED nightlights for $1. They use less than a watt of electricity, per package instructions, and they have a sensor so they turn off in the daylight or if other lights are on. Put one in the bathroom so I don't have to keep the shower stall overhead light turned on every night. This saves on electricity and also ensures the built-in shower light will last longer; this is my 2nd such light and it was the devil to find one to replace the original, burned-out light. I like to leave a light in the bathroom to prevent falls.
-- Hired 2 teen boys to mow the lawn yesterday since my regular yard man hasn't shown up in the past couple of weeks.
--In the process of cleaning and de-cluttering, rounded up miscellaneous pens, pencils and notepads and grouped them all together. Come the start of school, I will have all the materials I need.
A little longer this week due to being on vacation last week and not posting!
1. I picked up some free Havarti cheese through Social Nature.
2. We were on vacation with my in-laws this past week– at a very expensive beach location. Not my preferred way to spend vacation money! But I found two quarters and a penny at our beach house… I think from my little nieces and nephews, but they had already left so I picked them up.
3. Unfortunately there was a ton of food waste. My MIL prefers to reuse cool whip containers for leftovers but then no one knows what’s inside. At checkout time we were the last people in the house and we had to throw away a huge amount of food (including a huge amount of chicken meat) that people didn’t take home in their coolers. It was frustrating because we could have eaten the chicken multiple times during the week… if we’d only known. It’s so frustrating for me to see that aspect of their life– they don’t have much money and think they live frugally but they don’t understand how much money they are throwing away, literally, when they throw away food.
We were flying home so we were limited with what we could salvage. However, we took what we could and only bought one sandwich in our day of travels.
4. DH grinds his teeth, and our dentist recommended a mouth guard for him at night. He has since ground through one mouth guard, but it came with a warranty that they would replace it if it didn’t last a certain time period. So he spoke with them, emailed a picture, and they sent us a coupon for a free one. The brand is Dentek, if anyone is curious.
5. On our flight home I held the baby while DH amused our toddler. I was able to watch two movies, which was fun because we rarely stream movies.
6. I filled out a survey after we bought Papa Murphy’s pizza recently (with a gift card and BOGO!) and had to wait an hour past their stated pick up time due to poor staffing. In the survey I made it clear that the two guys working were doing their best but that they just couldn’t cope with the amount of orders they were trying to fill. The owner said they will send me a coupon for a free large one-topping pizza.
7. Filled up the car when it was running on fumes and remembered to use my grocery store savings card, saving about $3. It’s not much but it feels good anyway!
So many great ideas! I love the Frugal 5’s.
Mine are …
1) Glued a broken arm off a toy figurine my girl broke.
2) After being on the waitlist and there being cancellations, my youngest went to a Lego event at the library. She came home with a free Lego kit and activities.
3) Brought out a bag of free legos I stashed away for my other 2 girls to play with. Hours of fun so far.
4) 2 oldest girls are finishing up their gardening camp at the library this week. They can home with free modeling clay and will be coming home with homemade herb butter today.
5) Mended holes in a dress for my youngest.