Five Frugal Things | a yellowed sham fix
1. I used Dollar Tree Oxiclean to freshen up the quilted pillow shams
The Buy Nothing quilt was fairly stain-free; it mainly just needed to have the binding repaired.
Unfortunately, the shams were quite yellowed, especially the top one in this photo.
I gave them a run through the wash and there was some improvement, but not a lot.
So, I gave them an overnight soak in Dollar Tree's version of Oxiclean and then ran them through the wash again. This treatment really started to show some improvement!
I did one more overnight soak/wash, and now they are acceptably white.
I will probably do another Oxiclean soak at some point because I think they could get even whiter.
Snoopy's hand is pointing out one of the yellow stains that is faded, but still here:
I have only line-dried the shams so I know I haven't heat-set whatever staining might still be in the fabric. So, I remain hopeful I can get the last few stains out!
2. I renewed my CPR for free through my hospital
They do allow us to renew it elsewhere, but I'd have to pay for it if I went outside the hospital.
No, thank you. I'll take the free option. 😉
I had an online portion to do, and then an in-person appointment to show my skills on a Manikin (the mannequin patients used in healthcare education).
I had to pay for my first CPR certification two years ago, before nursing school. So a freebie seems miraculous to me. 🙂
3. I bought a set of sheets on eBay
When I first moved here, I bought a single set of queen sheets from Target. I was on a pretty tight budget, and I've made do with just one set ever since.
Owning one set is doable; you just have to wash 'em, dry 'em, and put 'em straight back on the bed*.
But I thought it would be nice to have a second set on hand. So, I hopped on eBay, searched for the same sheets I already have, and ordered a new-in-the-package set for half the retail price.
*I will say, one advantage to owning a single set is that you never, ever have to fold sheets!
4. I got some ice cube trays from my Buy Nothing group
My fridge here does have an ice maker, so I don't need these for regular ice cubes.
But sometimes I have wished I could freeze chicken broth in cubes so that I have a few to easily throw in a pan for a one-person sauce.
So, now I have that option. Yay!
That'll be way more convenient than thawing a whole container of broth.
5. I fixed a shirt of Zoe's
A clear strap had broken, so I decided to try a hand repair.
It was actually surprisingly easy to use the needle to pierce the plastic (? I don't know what clear straps are made of!), and hopefully the repair will hold up.
Time will tell!
I feel like I say that a lot when I do a repair. But in thinking it over, I would say that my repairs usually hold up pretty well, despite my initial misgivings.
So based on history, the odds are good this repair will last.
I'm not sure I have five but let's see what I can come up with.
1. Hit a nice free pile and got some large flower pots and a cast iron griddle that just needs a little TLC.
2. Used my gas discount for .30 off a gallon.
3. Did not buy any yarn from Knit Picks summer sale. That was a hard one.
4. We are finally eating out of the garden a bit, radishes and greens.
5. Made our food at home, including a pot of baked beans with dried beans I grew!
6. We adopted a puppy from our local shelter. After we had to have our old girl put down in November, we were without a dog for the first time in 25 years. We kept going back and forth about getting another. It is so much easier to head out for the day when you just have cats but then a fox started coming for our chickens and my husband kept sighing and wishing for a dog. So, we took the plunge. At $425.00, it doesn't seem frugal but our new girl is fixed, has her shots, vet checked and chipped and the shelter has a little more room to help other animals. We are firm believers in rescue mutts over designer dogs.
7. I did not waste tons of taxpayer money trying to distract everyone from the fact I'm just an old, demented grifter.
@Amanda, I sympathize with your #3. That can be quite the challenge. My stash approaches SABLE and I still succumb sometimes.
I hope your puppy settles in quickly. I, too, have had only shelter dogs and expect that to continue (unless roommate needs a service dog someday).
Congrats on the bean soup, I bet that feels terrific.
@Amanda, I'm so glad that you got a rescue dog instead of a designer dog.
@Amanda, Congrats on your new puppy! To me, a house always feels empty without a dog. We adopted pup last summer. Rescue is the way to go. Our guy had a very rough beginning to life and narrowly skirted death at least twice before he came to us. We are so lucky to have him, he’s such a sweet, funny, loving boy.
We are also starting to enjoy garden produce. Hoping to have more very soon!
@Amanda, lol your #3! I was doing good resisting (telling myself I don't need that much yarn to hit the free shipping threshold) until last night, when they emailed me a free shipping on any order. And I caved! But only after looking at my stash of Brava sport and confirming that yes, I will need a few skeins to make sweaters (Christmas presents)for my two newest grandbabies born this year.
@Amanda,
I can't believe your shelter charges so much! I got my Snuggly-wuggly dog for only $12 (in May, so these are recent stats), and he also had been neutered, had his shots and was chipped. (I also lost my old girl last November because she had cancer real bad. Had to take her to the vet for the final time. It broke my heart!) However, another shelter across town charged one of my store customers over $300 for Oscar the Dachshund, who comes in shopping with his owner. I almost got another dog for $54 from a rescue group that was fostering him (changed my mind when he bit me! But I would've paid it, didn't think it too awfully high). As they old saying goes, "A house is not a home unless there's a dog in it!" I'm glad you have a new baby-dog, but it begs the question: What's going on with some of these places, that they jack up the prices into the hundreds of dollars? Wouldn't they be able to adopt out more babies if the prices were lower?
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I agree with you on adoption fees. Our local shelters have become donation based so maybe more people would adopt. We will see if that helps.
@Amanda, good luck with your pup. hope she brings you years of joy. my neighbors in my apt building just got a new rescue pup after losing their 6 yr old doggo a few months ago. they are beyond happier now. me being me i told them that they need a new pup every four times i saw them. didn't want to tell them every time.
@Amanda, Shelter pets are the best! We paid about $100 for Clark K. Fluffin, which was a little over what the shelter charges, but DH wanted to give them a little extra. Definitely worth it.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
My thought is they charge the amounts they do for two reasons: 1) to help defray the costs of keeping rescue dogs (food, beds, getting them neutered/shots/etc., general overhead, etc) - I seriously doubt any animal rescue folks are getting wealthy doing what they do; and 2) they want to weed out folks who are looking for dogs to put in dog fights and similar unsavory uses. Yes, this still happens, and I wish I could say otherwise.
I know when we adopted our rescue dog, Spot, it cost $300+ (not sure of the exact amount), and that was 7ish years ago. He came to us having had his shots, deworming (which we ended up having to do again once he was home with us), and - maybe?- already neutered. I really can't remember that last one. Worth every penny. 🙂
@Fru-gal Lisa, in my area many shelters are no kill shelters and many rely heavily on donations to operate. Their fees are in line with Amanda’s experience. I think it allows them to adopt out more animals while meeting their expenses. They do run specials during kitten season and Senior adoption days.
Our current adoptee was in that range but if I had to schedule all those treatments it would have been more pricey. I am very glad that some still are able to offer the rate that you paid. The more adopted dogs the better!
@Liz B., oh, I forgot about the dog fighting issue. Thank you for reminding me.
@J,
No problem! I forgot the time that would be required to get a new dog shots, neutering, mucro chipping, etc. Well worth paying up front with all of that done!
@Amanda, those fees are similar to what my local shelters charge. There are exceptions: older pets are cheaper or free, seniors and vets (both types) get them free sometimes, sometimes someone sponsors all the frees, etc.
@Amanda, #6 - I've found adopting from a shelter to be but a pittance compared to taking in a stray. Canines or felines, our shelter has a less than $100 fee and the new family member is chipped, vaccinated, and usually spayed/neutered. 20+ years ago you got a voucher to spay/neuter if the pet wasn't already. But too many people are lazy and never got the pet spayed/neutered.
Conservatively excluding food and litter, I've spent at *least* $10K on the one stray cat we took in. It is not looking like he'll live to a ripe old age either, he's the best cat we've AND I've ever had. It is a real downer to say the least. He's only 4.5 years old
Even before orange pox somehow won another opportunity to destroy America, there were always plenty of cats (in our case) looking for a furever home.
But thank you for taking in a shelter pet. We do miss our dog (last rescue has been gone over 12 years now). Current felines are indoor only. Neighbor's cat does his best but a dog is the best guardian for a garden. Better half and last dog (the rescue) were tight - not sure if we'll ever have another dog,
@Liz B., our shelter is taxpayer funded PLUS they have an awesome auxiliary that fronts a lot of the costs. What I detest with a passion is our lives out of state shelter "director" and his "empty the shelter" BS plan.
I get euthanizing sucks. But poor animals ending up as dog fighting bait and/or other sh*t situations is far worse. Shelters are already being overrun given orange pox. It isn't going to get any better.
@Selena, What a nasty, political comment.
Do you always go around being such a rain cloud?
1) My husband and I fixed our recliner. We took it apart and found that the metal brackets that hold the seat to the frame were mostly broken. I was able to bend the intact ones with my fingers, so they were very thin metal. We spent about $10 on heavy duty brackets at Home Depot. Unfortunately, we also realized that while the visible parts of the frame are wood, some of the upholstered parts are particle board :/ So this probably isn’t a long term repair, but it buys us more time at least.
2) We had a light colored couch, which was not compatible with our dirty boys. So we found a dark colored couch at our favorite furniture consignment store for $500. We sold our light colored couch back to the store for $400. We bought the old couch in 2022 from the consignment store for $700. I guess we essentially rented it for $100/year. I’ve never rented furniture, no idea if that’s a good deal.
3) Our older son wants to go to a video game tournament. I feel like many regular commenters are going to think this is a stupid activity, and I agree that I do not see the appeal in going to an arena for 6 hours to watch other people play video games. In fact, it sounds like a good sentence for minor traffic offenses. So I was proud of myself for not blurting out, “WHY?” or, “WOW, what a terrible idea!”
Anyhow, the tickets are $84 each for the shorter Sunday day- I think it was $150 each for the longer Saturday. My husband figured out we can livestream it and offered to let Son invite some friends over to hang out and watch it with him and we will provide junk food, etc. So that’ll be more than $0 because pizza bagels ain’t free, but less than $168 plus tax and concessions.
I think I’m already over the word limit here, so let’s stick with 3.
@Tarynkay, I, too, do not see the appeal of watching others play video games, and I have three avid gamers in the house. But I want to commend you for finding a way to support your son's hobby and provide a fun environment for him and his friends--and probably a safer one than going to a tournament! And you're teaching him how to have the same sort of fun on less money, which is great.
@Tarynkay, I don't think there's a word limit. 😉 If that's the case I might be in trouble.
@Regina and Tarynkay,
I would DEFINITELY be in trouble! My posts are almost as long as "War & Peace"!
@Tarynkay, my son is a long-time gamer. He's made friends from around the world. Now, as an adult (and single with a good-paying job), he and his far-flung gamer friends often get together at amazing places around the world for conventions and to hang out IRL. He's been to California, Texas, Japan, Italy, to name a few.
@Tarynkay, I love how you supported your son in his interests and found an economical fun solution. My son once explained to me the appeal of watching others play video games is similar to me watching cooking shows! Makes sense to me! Enjoy!
@Tarynkay, I have two teen boys, and while I personally don't see the appeal, one of my teens would love to host a viewing party for his friends. Well done!
@Susan, I love that analogy!
Our employer will also host a CPR meeting in this autumn, I consider taking that training as well.
Our frugals are mainly related to the hot, humid weather we have had. Incidentally, I discovered that the NYT had an article with hot weather dishes requiring little stove/oven time - I will see if there are any suggestions there I can try on our next scorching days!
- I made cold water bottles for easier sleep, with water I froze in soft drink bottles wrapped in old towels
-I put old white sheets in front of doors and a window that catch most of the sun. They kept that side of the house remarkably cool.
-I did laundry on solar power
-I heated up water for tea, making a cup and keeping the rest in a thermos
-In the early morning hours, I made more oriental pickled vegetables so we would have something light readily available in the afternoon
Also:
-I borrowed library books
-I bought and froze soon to expire marked down meat
And (frugal fail) I returned the sun dress I thrifted a few weeks ago to the thrift shop. It had everything going for it except the fabric, which was polyester I think and which was uncomfortable in the heat and even gave off a slight smell. While I was in the thrift shop, telling myself I needed nothing, I did fall for a classic T-shirt and a wide blouse. This time I checked the label for the materials and they were 100% organic cotton and 60/40% linen/cotton respectively. I have worn both with pleasure already, the linen/cotton blouse especially is very comfortable in this weather.
@JNL, we have similar experiences with non cotton clothing. Wait until he find the clothing made out of plastic, definitely not for us.
1. Brought home the metal top of a small animal cage that was in a Bagster. I put it over some butternut squash sprouts since they were eaten after our first planting.
2. Our AC repair was $174 instead of the $1864 we were quoted. After a seasoned professional arrived to make the repair he found the problem had been misdiagnosed and we didn't need the deicing board replaced. We will be switching home service providers as they also didn't order the part we didn't need until we forced their hand.
3. I came home from the FG meetup with a few items I can use and also was able to pass along items I didn't want/need.
4. We're walking early to beat the heat. When I'm outside later in the day I'm wearing a Chill Pal around my neck. I bought it several years ago and it does help with cooling.
5. We have been paying for Hulu this month and have watched Alone and Naked & Afraid. The shows make me appreciate even more the conveniences of modern living such a plumbing, HVAC, grocery stores, appliances, electricity, etc. I'm glad some people are drawn to that adventure.
@K D, home repairs can be so scary. I hope you find a better AC service company. We had a similar experience last week with our water well and were expecting to have to replace it. $$$$$ So when the problem ended up being simply a valve replacement and the bill was less than $400, I was happy to pay it. It was great meeting you at the FG meet up!
@K D, We watched Alone on Amazon, and it was quite entertaining for several seasons. DH was interested in seeing how they built shelters and managed to build fires, but there were a few episodes where my oldest said, "I feel like I'm just watching people suffer," because of one contestant deliberately eating only 1/2 a fish a day, even though he had a good supply, because he wanted to outlast everyone and win the prize. But yes, that show definitely made us all appreciate clean water, shelter, and availability of food!
@Karen A.,
This is definitely a DH choice but I don't mind watching it occasionally. I feel bad for the Alone contestants that feel being on the show, and winning the money, is the only way to improve their lives. It can feel exploitive. I know some that haven't won have benefited by gaining business for pursuits or followers on social media. At least one benefited from a Go Fund Me campaign (to get help for his child with autism). I have found the later seasons less interesting because of what they show and don't show (fewer skills and more talking and antics).
@Book Club Elaine,
I'm glad your water well repair was simple and inexpensive.
It was great meeting you too. I think Beth was spot on about who you resemble.
There weren't many opportunities, since I just came back from a trip with my dad, who wants to die broke. So unless you count letting him pay for most of it, everything is "pay less" rather than actual frugality.
I found a hotel that wasn't inexpensive by any stretch but was less than similar hotels in equally good locations. I also checked the bill carefully and corrected a couple of mistakes.
I bought my drinks and snacks at the c-store and not in the hotel, and had leftovers in the fridge.
I checked for relevant discounts at museums and such.
I had a great time.
@WilliamB, Please tell your dad that my husband and I available for road trips. We're lots of fun and happy to let him pay. 🙂
Frugal things this week include:
1. Eating some of our garden produce-a ratatouille with zucchini and fresh herbs from our garden. I'm really looking forward to harvesting more veggies as they ripen!
2. Enjoying free activities such as bike rides and walks (mostly after 7pm when the weather cools a bit)
3. Packing lunches and making most of our meals at home.
4. Batch cooking so I'm only heating the house up 2 times a week instead of 7.
5. Enjoyed an open house event at my husband's work. This resulted in a surprisingly fun way to spend a few hours touring a new [to me] place and get a nice lunch for free :). Even my husband enjoyed showing off his work environment!
I feel like I'm still spending money like its going out of style, but here ae a couple things:
*ordered some replacement handle buttons for my Moen faucets, then they got stuck somewhere and never shipped. Quickly got a refund (thanks, Wal-Mart!) and found them even cheaper on Ebay with lightening fast shipping. A small spruce up for my bathroom.
*Going to Wal-Mart today as a matter of fact, for two new scrub tops as seen on a work bestie. This is somewhat frugal as scrubs ain't cheap and ordering them is a pain, what with shipping and not being able to try them on.
*I had $17 worth of digital coupons at HEB yesterday and got some good things to fix for easy dinners.
*Going to another freebie concert at the Long Center in Austin this week
I'm going to save my ice trays for doing the stock idea - that's very smart. Eventually, I will replace my fridge and have automatic ice once again!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, $17 in digital coupons is very impressive!
@Gina from The Cannary Family, Moen customer service has been amazing the few times we've used it. We have some Moen faucets that came with the house, and their customer service has been awesome replacing parts for free as needed, even handle pieces. Something to keep in mind for future repairs.
I hear you about some seasons feeling frugal - and others less so!
@PD, we only have Moen at old house & current house. @PD is correct about free replacement & amazing customer service. I don't buy any other brand because of this.
@Gina from The Cannary Family, I use my ice cube trays for fresh squeezed lemon juice when I have fresh lemons that are starting to look not-so-fresh. I squeeze the juice from them into a pitcher and pour it into the ice tray. Once frozen, I pop them out and put them loosely in a freezer bag. I pull out one or two when needed for a recipe or just in a glass of tea.
@Regina, sadly, Moen doesn't make the style faucet I have anymore. But I am determined not to replace my faucets if they still work perfectly fine!
I don't have a lot since we went on a road trip to Long Island and spent money - Yikes!
I did, however, save some of my waistline by having a half-sized bagel instead of a full-sized bagel. It satisfied my wanting a bagel without the extra calories that are not good for my waistline. And if you know the size of NY Bagels, this was a win IMHO.
We still drink coffee at home and even took a cup while we were heading out on Thursday evening for our weekend. We brought drinks and chicken salad sandwiches from home and ate a rest stop.
We still are cooking dinners at home and have leftovers for lunch.
1. My MIL was heading to the discount produce store so I sent a list along and reimbursed her. So great to not have to drive the 45 minutes to get there! Part of what I got was a 10lb box of bananas for $2.99. We ate a number of them and I have frozen many of them (some of which are in the smoothie I'm currently drinking.)
2. I made yogurt (also in my smoothie.) Bonus was that a local store had gallons of milk on sale for $2.
3. My daughter brought leftover hot dogs home from an event and I reheated them in the air fryer, then toasted the buns to bring them back to a delicious state.
4. I picked up an extra catering event over the weekend. In general, I'm not working this summer (someone has to watch the kids!) but I was able to work 6 hours on Saturday and it will be nice to get paid.
5. Lots of DIY happening over here. Packing and moving our own stuff. Painting. Other construction fun. All without the cost of labor. (Shoutout to my sweet MIL who has been freshening up our landscaping. She was out here mulching at 6:00 yesterday morning to beat the heat!)
@Ruth T, Oh, man, that is a great price on bananas! I go through quite a few here, for DS#4's smoothies (he's got braces, so I have to get produce in him somehow). I freeze them in slices and keep them on hand. I couldn't believe it when I saw frozen banana slices for sale at the store--so much cheaper to buy them fresh and freeze them myself!
My life feels decidedly unfrugal lately but here is my attempt.
1. I cooked at home. Chicken pot pie from leftover chicken, cheeseburgers on the grill, and we ate up leftovers.
2. We stayed home. Plants were planted, yardwork was done, organizing projects continue.
3. I made up a huge batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies for my son to take to church camp this week and share with friends. Some additional snacks were purchased but I found deals at Walmart for those.
4. I rehomed several pieces of furniture rather than having to pay to have it removed from my home. Many pieces were not ones that thrift stores would take because they are obsolete like TV Cabinets. Some friends have those in their homes still or had other uses for them that would work so that was a happy circumstance.
5. I bought a nail drimmel tool for my dog's nails. Normally I pay $15 each for their nails to be drilled down at the vet. I purchased a $20 tool and now this will happen at home.
@Angie,
My "obsolete" TV cabinet, obtained via Craigslist, is in my kitchen and is used for extra storage. It works great! I have some curb-picked square baskets on a lot of the shelves, and they are great for sacks of rice, canned goods, etc. -- they pull out like drawers, and look fantastic. When my roommate lived here, the middle part designed for the TV was a perfect place for her 3.2 cubic foot mini-fridge, which we used for storing our bottled water and soda pop. Kept it off the floor and kept us from bending over every time we wanted a cold drink. Can't believe your thrift stores don't want them, as they are still quite useful.
@Angie,
I love my obsolete tv cabinet that is in my guest room, the flat screen sits on top, we use the console space to hold an extra blow up queen mattress and linens. The glass side of the cabinet holds puzzles, books and a basket of new socks deodorant, single use eye drops, floss, toothpaste and lotion.
We painted it to match the furniture. A friend also made a cabinet into a puppet theater for her grandchildren. So cute.
The pillow sham looks much better now!
I mended a hole in the back shoulder of a favorite white blouse. It's hardly noticeable, and my hair covers it up anyway. I also shortened the sleeves of a hoody.
The local Women's Club has a huge rummage sale every other year and this was the year. Everything is well organized and priced to sell. I picked up a pair of leather Clark sandals ($7), a like-new pair of Levi's ($5), a waffle iron (mine is shorting out) ($2), a tea kettle (the lid on the one in our RV broke)($2),an REI sun shirt ($5), and a big box of fabric ($7). The fabric included a very nice piece of linen, which I've already made into a summer blouse, using a pattern I already own. I sorted all the fabric, set aside what I don't like to donate and matched the rest with patterns to make several more items. There are also a couple of nice large pieces of cotton I put away for when inspiration strikes. My husband also scored an electric snowblower -- he paid $25 and then had to order a battery for $75. But the machine costs $500 new, so I consider it's a win. We have a large snowblower for the driveway, but he bought this one for our large back deck and the back yard (he cuts paths for the dogs in winter.) Oh, and our first, big snowblower was free -- a neighbor gave it to us when she moved, since my husband had already been using it for years to clear her driveway after her husband died.
We're having friends over tonight for dinner. When we first met this couple, we always went out to eat, but I suggested eating at home instead and we've done that ever since. It's a lot less expensive and, I think, more relaxing.
I cashed in Fetch rewards for a $26 Amazon GC.
I keep a couple of ice cube trays for that very reason, only instead of broth I typically put some of my tree's lemon juice in them, for when a recipe calls for a tablespoon or two. I got the trays for free - my daughter had bought them for DH's assisted living apartment which had a refrigerator with freezer Once he moved to the nursing home, no one else wanted them, so I took them. I also freeze herbs in them in a little water.
Pet peeve of mine: recipes that list "the juice of one (two, etc.) lemon(s)". My lemons are huge; just tell me how much juice I need in ounces, tablespoons, milliliters, I don't care, but be specific. And same issue for those who only have bottled juice on hand. I get tired of having to go look up how much juice is in an average lemon.
It's been a spendy month - spring - year- few years. Let's see what I can think of for FFT. Some of these aren't going to be my doing.
1. I pressure cooked a pork butt to make pulled pork without using the oven for an unimaginably long time. Forty minutes under pressure and it was fork tender and easy to shred, plus, my house stayed cool and I used less electricity.
2. The plumber who came on this past blistering-hot Saturday to work on my water pump had to buy several new parts and worked over two hours in that hot pump house and still only charged me $270. That could have easily been double that.
3. I had more celery than I realized in the bag I bought, so I made celery slaw to go with the pulled pork. I use celery in cooking, but I'm not a fan of eating it as celery sticks, so I like to find other ways to use it up rather than have to toss it.
4. My generous DD2 has booked a vacation house for all of us for the first weekend in August, and only asks that the rest of us provide food and perhaps state park entry fees, or something similar.
5. Found a DVD of "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert for 25 cents at a thrift store. I watched it this weekend and it's in perfect shape. I love old movies.
@JD,
Re lemon juice: if your homegrown lemons are as fragrant as I expect, I would always err to the generous side, no matter what the recipe says. A splash of lemon lifts up many a dish!
I feel the same when a recipe calls for "1 onion". Like...that can vary a LOT!
@JNL,
True, but I have a Meyer lemon tree that produces enormous, grapefruit sized lemons. That would be one tart dish if I put all the juice in, ha.
@Kristen,
The same with “a clove of garlic” but I measure garlic with my heart so it’s a nonissue
@Lazy Budget Chef, The heart always calls for more garlic.
Frugal things:
- We picked enough cucumbers from our garden to make Asian cucumber salad, which I have been having with my lunch.
- A coworker brought in yellow squash from their garden that I took home and cooked for dinner last night. His garden is overproducing on squash, so we made a deal where he'll bring me squash, and I'll make him a lemon cake.
- Took advantage of the company provided lunch before staff meeting. Leftover chips have supplemented my lunch a few days since.
- We went to a local minor league baseball game using four free VIP tickets and parking passes from my company. Our friends that joined us bought us a round of beer as a thank you for inviting them to join us.
- We made a sourdough starter over the weekend. I'm looking forward to making bread and pizza dough with it.
Frugal fail: We went to the produce stand and bought shelled lady peas. They were $8.99/pound and I didn't realize the quart bag would cost me over $16! We'll be having peas every day this week until we use them all up!
Travel - we are flying to a grandson's out of state birthday party later this week, not frugal, but happily worth every penny. It is the last planned trip with free checked bags, boo hiss to Southwest for the policy change.
Fun - with a visiting daughter and grandson who want to go to the beach tomorrow. I have a senior's lifetime county park pass so there's no cost except a little gas.
Reading - books on Libby. I'm currently going through the Miss Read Thrush Green series, a perfect antidote to the craziness of the news and disturbing internet reactions.
Home maintenance - I'm watching roofers replace the leaky roof of a shed. Hey, it's cheaper than replacing the entire shed. We used to get at least 3 estimates for work to be done, but at this point in life, have found that when you find a reliable company that does good work, it's generally not worth it to find a cheaper company.
Encouragement - the FG meet up was so fun, meeting people face to face and swapping frugal stories.
@Book Club Elaine,
Gosh, tell us more about the FG (Frugal girl, I assume?) where,how many FGs and how did it get organized?
@Book Club Elaine, Miss Read is one of my favorite comfort read authors! I have all of the Village School series, I should reread those. I'm currently rereading Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books, another cozy favorite.
1. Purchased a pound of orzo at Trader Joe’s for a mere 99 cents.
2. Scheduled four get-togethers within a few days of each other so that I only had to clean the house once, maximized cocktail/mocktail fixings (like limes, open bottles of tonic water and wine), and made food that could be served over several days (like strawberry shortcake). We don’t own a pitcher so I used a large 64-ounce Mason jar for the lemonade.
3. In a pinch, I turned over a glass lid from a Corningware casserole dish to use as a slightly elevated serving plate on an appetizer buffet.
4. At one of the get-togethers, neighbors gifted me with hand lotion, beautiful stationery and Prosecco.
5. For this week’s Adventure Club outing with my older and only sister, we visited the Textile Center. For those of you in the Twin Cities area, consider catching this amazing exhibit: https://textilecentermn.org/stitching-black-legacy/
I am too lazy to fold my sheets!
1. I did another park run on Saturday which is free (and was also very hot!)
2. I went to a Midsummer bonfire last night. I bought a drink and an ice cream but the event was free.
3. I went outdoor swimming a few times (including after the park run!)
4. I made all my meals at home.
5. I passed all my Danish classes which were given for free by the government.
@Sophie in Denmark, Good job on your classes! Learning a new language can be so daunting.
@Karen A., Thank you! I studied German at school which I think helped, but I've always loved languages.
@Sophie in Denmark, When I was in high school taking my 4th year of French, another teacher who was German offered to give free German lessons to anyone who wanted to take them. On Saturday mornings. I had so little social life I thought that was a great idea! She was German, her husband was Russian, and they had a little boy to whom she only spoke German and her husband only spoke Russian. The kid was trilingual at the age of 4. And I remember a little German, but mostly songs like "Du, du, liegst mir am Herzen", which I still like to listen to. I just could never get used to verbs waiting until the end of the sentence, by which time I had forgotten what the sentence was supposed to be about.
@JDinNM, That's so cool! I have an ex-boyfriend who was trilingual and I was very jealous. I studied French, German and Latin at school but I was never fluent in any. Inversions in Danish always trip me up!
This week hasn't been very frugal but let's see
1) Got a couple of free plant starts from a local farm
2) Got some free mushrooms and cheese for volunteering w/ a food rescue org
3) Took the nephew to the matinee of Lilo & Stitch. Advantage of waiting a few weeks to do this was that we had the entire theater to ourselves.
4) Didn't succumb to ordering takeout last night during the many hrs of hulling and processing 8 qts of strawberries. Managed to scramble up something from what we have in the apt
You may have already thought of this (or someone else may have mentioned it), but in addition to chicken broth the ice cube trays could be quite nice for coffee ice cubes for iced coffee. I have a similar tray type and I find them quite easy to use with the silicone bottom.
Let me see if I can come up with five.
1. I ordered new license plates from the state, keeping the same number, because my current plates are peeling. Because I had more time before my registration is due, it only cost me $20 instead of $40. It would have been free for brand new plates, but I find the convenience of not having to change my number to be worthwhile. I still need to update my registration, but this will save me a step.
2. I have done a respectable job of eating my fruits and veggies from my CSA before they go bad so far this season, which means I am composting less food, and the money I spend on the CSA is going farther. I am also fighting to take less home when it is "all you care for", to keep the proportions into what I can actually put to use.
3. I saved $5 on lunch with a friend by pre-loading funds to pay for it on my card. (Frugal Fail- I put more money on my card just in case because I wasn't confident on the cost, and that will need to be used at set establishments). I am practicing remembering that a discount will often make me spend more money than I would opt to for full price items.
Most of the things I would consider frugal fails, are when a "good deal" gets the better of me. It can lead to a higher level of inventory than I can manage, and more waste than I would prefer. Luckily I am also practicing remembering that it is a muscle that I can grow and strengthen, and I can take opportunities as a chance to make a new decision. What I decide now does not need to be the same decision for the rest of my life.
4. A friend thinned her garden bed of strawberry plants, and I now have an abundance of plants. While they are young and not quite producing, I have a handful of strawberries for the cost of water and weeding.
5. I have some astilbe plants that I thought were a goner due to neglect last year, they have come back, and I am making sure to water then during the current heat wave to give them a fighting chance until I can get them in the ground.
Ooh good idea for the coffee cubes!
@ElbowGrease,
Great idea for ice coffee!
Frugal things---
● used Meijer rewards for FREE orange slushie
Frugal fail---
● put slushie on teen vehicle hood while looking at windshield & forgot to grab it, my purse knocked slushie onto ground loosing over half the cup
Frugal things---
● day #5 of heat dome of feels like 100*+ & been able to use A/C about half time (giving it breaks) with tower fans all the time keeping house closed up to keep cool
● eaten all the ice cream, non fruit popsicles & part of the fruit popsicles from freezer (previously purchased all on sale & currently not on sale if available at all)
● found New duplicate painted metal bucket/container like I already had at Goodwill $4 & $1 (10) plastic hangers from Habitat RE Store.
● Ace Hardware $10 off $50 coupon & used my blood donation (Ace) $20 gift card to get weed wacker string
● next day Ace Bonus 3 day coupon $6 off anything & redeemed Ace $5 Reward for more weed wacker string
Frugal fail---
● returned discounted weedwacker string that didn't fit to Lowe's & cashier refunded $ back to credit/debit card I no longer have (hacked card number) after I told don't have this card anymore.
@Regina, Go back to Lowe's and speak with the manager. I've always had success with Lowe's by (politely) saying if I can't get X, I will take my business to Home Depot instead. I've found they'll move Heaven and Earth to retain you as a customer. So I'd use this tactic and ask them to refund the money in cash, since it was their employee's fault. And if the store manager refuses, contact Lowe's corp. hq. They owe you a refund!
How much of the Dollar Tree ocy product is needed for one load of laundry? I buy sodium percarbonate (active ingredient in oxy clean) in bulk to wash my family’s martial arts uniforms and wonder if it is s cost savings.
It says to use one scoop, but I'm not sure how much a scoop is!
My Mom is a quilter- to get the yellow out, make a little oxy clean paste, apply to the yellow and let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours, and then wash! Should take it right out.
I love sewing to things myself! It's so satisfying to give something a second life.
My frugal things:
-- Frugal and fun! I have a good college friend who lives in Massachusetts and I live in Arkansas but we’ve stayed in contact for 40+ years. We are both crafty, creative people. She recently got a new light -colored sofa and was looking for a pillow she'd seen a while back that said “white wine sofa” but couldn't find it anywhere. She was telling me about it and I said, “I should do that in cross stitch for you!” she taught me to ctosd stitch when we were in college. So I cross stitched the words “white wine sofa” with materials I had in the color she wanted and sent it to her. Now she's going to make her own unique pillow. It gave me a creative break I needed and it was frugal. We joked that she may want a “red wine chair” later and I offered to stitch that as well.
– In the spirit of The Tightwad Gazette, I melted down deodorant ends from several deodorant sticks in the microwave and poured them into one single deodorant stick container. It made enough deodorant to probably last two or three weeks.
– I don't always have homemade chicken broth to use so I will occasionally buy a carton of broth. But it's always too much. I only used about half a carton in a recipe. Sometimes it'll sit in the refrigerator, but this time I poured it into a few one– cup containers and froze it. I put the blocks of frozen broth in a bag a Ziploc bag and labeled it for later use.
– I saved some broccoli before it went bad. I bought a 2 lb bag of fresh broccoli at Sam's and kinda forgot I had it. So before it all went bad, I tossed a little bit that was bad and blanched the rest and froze it.
– I visited the local Air Force base thrift shop on what happened to be half- off day (!!) and spent a whole $1.75. I got a nifty collage craft book for a friend who's into collage and a beautiful sheer scarf top for me. The colors of the top jumped out at me. It was way too long on me so I shortened it. Then I used the fabric I cut from the front and back to create a long narrow scarf by sewing the ends together and finishing the raw edge I cut from the original top. The top will look great over a tank or other simple shirt and I have a cute scarf to wear with other outfits. Two looks for $1.25!
My biggest frugal excitement for the summer is that I received a STEM scholarship covering the tuition fees (crazy $$$) for my summer grad class. This scholarship can be re-applied for prior to each semester session, covering only one class per session (which is my current goal). I'm optimistic that since I qualified for it this summer, that I'll also be eligible to qualify in subsequent semesters. While there are some nerves about the overall journey, relieving the financial investment helps "lower the stakes" a bit (so mostly a personal time investment at this point). I don't work full time for either of my jobs, so don't directly qualify for their educational benefits.
Other frugal fun... a lovely time with fellow FG readers at the recent gathering. Free pavilion, byo lunches, fabric tablecloths, homemade graduation cupcakes & toppers, free-swap, and of course the infamous CD label name tag stickers.
Taking care of routine oil changes, batching errands, cooking at home, DIY home repairs, returning purchases that are no longer needed...
Random one- I realized some of my pajamas are about 25 years old. They're still fine! This kind of baffles me, considering my MIL asks for new pajamas every Christmas. Does this topic need a formal study or group survey? 🙂
@PD, They must be made of sturdy fabric. I find I wear out pyjamas (as in wearing out big holes in them) more than other clothes. In fact, most of the rags in my cleaning rags box are old pyjama's fabric. However, I really only like 100% cotton pyjama's, and perhaps they aren't as sturdy.
YAY!!! So glad you got a scholarship!!
@Lisa K, I prefer cotton too! The ones I'm thinking of are basically shorts and tees. Nothing fancy.
@Kristen, thanks, me too!!
@PD, Congratulations on the scholarship!
@PD, I am an admitted "pajama whore", so I am firmly on team MIL. I also ask for pjs every Christmas-only gift I ask for.
You can never have too many, after all there are 4 seasons to fill. The world would be a much more peaceful place if we just wore pajamas. First of all, why wouldn't you want to wear the most comfortable type of clothing? Plus pajamas are like wearing a hug. It is hard to get stupidly angry when wearing a hug, right? Just a little something to think about. (if there is a 12 step program I don't want to know about it!)
Just give pajama peace
a chance.
Haha this whole comment made me giggle!
I haven't been particularly frugal lately. However, I have mostly been spending on the things that are important to me, which is why I am frugal in the first place. Most of the frugal wins that I can think of are my everyday frugal activities.
1. Made coffee at home.
2. Requested books from the library for me and my children rather than buying them.
3. Cooked dinner at home even though it was hot and my children were really pushing for takeout.
4. Home manicures and pedicures, which are really simple and inexpensive since I don't wear nail polish
5. Using the deodorant that my DD was allergic to in myself rather than throw it out.
Yard sale edition!
I am retouching a shelving unit using:
$2 sander
free paint from a yard sale (the almost full gallon is only a few months old)
My husband is beating back the hedge with a $5 electric hedge trimmer
I found three golden books that my toddler loves for a dollar.
And I did not buy toddler clothes at the yard sale. (My daughter has six older cousins and I can count on drowning in hand-me-downs.)
I finally figured out how to redeem my Casey's rewards for gas. I have "only" 17,000. I bought gas $.14 off of $2.82 for 250 points this week after emptying the tank as closely as I dared.
I was not frugal in buying two meals out. One to Dominoes but...I got four meals out of that delivery. The other was for a meal I'd been eyeing at a restaurant known for using local and fully sourced products. I did get two meals from that meal pickup. I like their concept, supporting them and the food is great.
I got two 8lb. bags of ice free from a convenience store because the store freezer was not working as well as it should have been. I buy ice for the same reason I distill water. That's because I'm just not sure of the additives especially with thyroid disease. The crud that builds up on the distiller surface makes me glad I go to the trouble. It means being judicious about when I run it, as it does put off heat. That's great in the winter, but not so much this time of year. I often run it at night, or when I'm at work.
I got two pair of shoes from Zappos. One pair was half price and the other was marked down. The latter are too big so I'm very glad they do not charge shipping or shipping on exchanges or returns.
I did not realize, Kristen, that there were shams with the coverlet. Nice job on getting them to sparkle. One of my college roommates used to say, "You wouldn't notice it on a trottin' horse!" I wash the set of sheets from my bed and put them back on w/o folding, too. I do have a spare set. I do fold my comforter, because I do my laundry at the laundromat and it fits in the basket more easily.
Another decidedly unfrugal weekend as we attended a tournament 7 hours away from home. Overall it was a very fun trip and my son made so many memories with his teammates.
1. I packed breakfast options for us that we could easily eat in our hotel room: oatmeal cups, protein bars, fruit. I also made sure we had plenty of healthy snacks so we wouldn’t have to buy overpriced snacks on site.
2. I brought ALL THE beverages. Our room fridge and cooler were packed with sparkling water, Gatorade, electrolyte water, and iced coffee. I kept jugs of water in the car just in case they were needed after a game. We filled our water bottles at the filling stations each day before leaving the hotel.
3. I made sure we had board and card games to play back in the hotel and packed swimsuits for pool time.
4. My son has summer reading for next year’s English class, so I found the audiobook at the library and we listened to it on the hours long drive.
5. The tournament my son was playing in had a “stay to play” policy where we had to book a contracted hotel in the area to be able to play in the tournament. We would have booked anyway considering how far we had to travel, but after overhearing some other teams we ended up with a much lower rate for our hotel and the hotel was actually nice. We ended up with a frugal option by accident, but I’m thankful!
Wow, those pillows shams really did whiten up!! I love the quilt, and that's great the way you were able to fix up the binding!
Question...any tricks on whitening up a (new!!) white shirt that accidentally got washed with something pink? I has the slightest tint of pink that most wouldn't notice, but I do! I tried soaking it in Oxyclean but had no success yet. I've only hung it to dry, so if there is a solution to be found, at least the pink isn't heat-sealed into the fabric yet!
For all stains on white fabric (including Kristen's pillow shams), try leaving them in bright sun for several hours. It is a surprisingly good method for removing stains. I had a blouse with a coffee stain on it that I couldn't get out with any cleaning products, but an afternoon in the sun did the trick.
I have used that trick lots of times in the past but this time I was nervous because of the colored embroidery. If it was all-white, I'd go for it, but I'm worried the sun will lighten the embroidery along with the stain. What do you think?
@Kate,
Thanks for the tip! As soon as I get home from work it's going on the wash line! We've definitely got sunshine here right now!
Would out in the sun and inside out work, without affecting the embroidery?
If the stain goes all the way through the cloth? Or is it sort of on the top layer?
I believe it's only on the top layer, unfortunately!
my company offered cpr training. thank g-d i never had to use it. it was pretty hot in my apt last night i gotta admit. went with the fam to a cafe on stuy town property called 5 stuy cafe. twas nice to have air for a few moments. could not stay cause our cockapoo buddy was outside with the hubby. got the stuff to go. we tried to adopt but in nyc everything is complicated. anyway, buds came with a food storage container, sample food, two toys and the breeder came with us to show us what he needed at the pet store. she was a very nice woman and a very responsible breeder. here in stuy town people get adopted dogs from korea, aruba, brazil and who know where else. the breeder called him buddy and we kept the name because he knew it.
That is a beautiful quilt, Kristen! And it looks like the perfect summer weight sleeping cover.
Going to try for Five Frugals, though lately I feel not very frugal:
1. Got a free watermelon at Kroger after using rewards points (chicken drumsticks, too).
2. Baked said drumsticks early this morning so as to not heat the house later, and we'll heat them up in the microwave for dinner. Along with the watermelon, which thankfully turned out to be a good one! First watermelon of the season for us.
3. Mended a canvas Trader Joe's bag--I've had these bags for over a decade, and this is the first rip I've seen. Most likely from my zealous bagger, DS#3, who helps me shop but sometimes overstuffs the bags so as to avoid having to use the plastic ones. It was an easy fix, though.
4. The heat makes line-drying laundry a no-brainer. Even with the humidity, things are drying so quickly!
5. Found some nice, not-made-in-China men's t shirts at Kroger, on sale, and got a few for DS#2, who was low on shirts.
IDK if I can come up with five, but here goes.
1. I bought marked-down meat and vegetables at the grocery store. $3 off a package of chicken breasts, originally $5, is a good deal to me. They went into the freezer, and I would have bought more if I'd had the freezer space.
2. I cooked and ate at home all meals. No eating out this past week for me!
3. I've been walking in the very early morning, but I subscribed to Spotify for the music. It helps me walk faster and further, so I'm looking at it as an investment in my health and not a frugal fail. Ditto with the ($130 ouch) sneakers I bought. I finally went to a shoe store and had my feet measured and shoes fitted, and I actually should be wearing a size larger than what I'd been wearing (which might explain why my feet were starting to hurt). But again, an investment in my health.
4. I didn't buy more pairs of workout shorts. I went through all of my workout clothing and found several pairs of shorts I'd forgotten I had.
5. I hung all the laundry out on the line to dry this week, instead of using the dryer. Hey, take wins where we can get them, right?
1. Sunday night, I went to Olllie's Outlet. They were having a private sale for those of us in "Ollie's Army." Armed with a scrap from my living room floor, measurements and their 15% off coupon, I selected some luxury vinyl plank flooring that was maybe half a shade different from what's already been installed. I got 11 boxes, enough for the roommate's old bedroom (it'll be my computer room once more), and saved $89+. This product is in stock, so hopefully I'll be able to eventually do the hallway and master suite with the same flooring. You can't see the living room-dining room from the other rooms, so no one will be able to tell it's not all the same flooring.
2. The Ollie's guys loaded my car for me, and I somehow got the 11 boxes home myself, without having to hire someone to haul it.
3. Found a handyman who quoted me a really good price for unloading the car, installing the flooring and 2 ceiling fans I got from Walmart. I will be replacing the 15-year-old thrifted fan whose light no longer works, and getting a brand new fan on the covered patio.
---Frugal problem: why do these handymen come over when they want, hours late, and stay on the job way too long? The guy who installed the bathroom flooring and overhead lights in the den, would sometimes not show up until very, very late, if at all. (Decided not to hire him again.) And this new one didn't come over until 9:45 last night when he said he'd be there at 7. He was installing the bedroom fan, so I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. His evening session was after he'd been working that morning and I had to practically shoo him out of the house so I could go to work for my 1-6 p.m. shift. (I finally told him, "If I don't go to work, I don't get paid, and if I don't get paid, neither do you!") Right now, I'm waiting for a roofing guy to come over and give me an estimate and HE is an hour late! So irritating!!!!
4. Read a free large print book I got from a Little Free Library while waiting.
5. Bought some individually-packaged doggie chew sticks on clearance for 88 cents. Opening the first one, it smelled bad, but Snuggles liked it. He didn't get sick, so I decided to use them up ASAP. The packages contained those little square dehumidifier packets that keep the moisture out, and I'm saving them for other uses. (Luckily, the packets don't stink.)
1. My husband thought I should get some bloodwork done and he had a referral code that gave him a kickback. I did a quick search for additional coupon codes and found one that knocked the price down even further. Ended up saving 40%!
2. The last time my daughter wanted to see a concert, her dad was all in. I don't think her sister cared much but felt a little FOMO. And I felt like a bad mom for not sharing interests with my family. So all four of us went and dropped way more money than it was worth. This time, same daughter wants to go and dad is on board but younger sister and I are staying home so way more affordable when we take our emotions out of it.
3. I did not buy a reading chair and ottoman for our bedroom. I probably don't need it.
4. My in-laws always wanted to buy a set of encyclopedias for their kids but couldn't afford it when my husband and his sister were kids. My SIL said she would like a set for her kids so they ordered one. Something went wrong with the order and they ended up with two sets. They gave one to us. Encyclopedia set looked beautiful on our bookcase but wasn't used even once in almost 5 years. I listed it on OfferUp without much hope and surprisingly sold it fairly quickly to someone who was buying it to donate to an Amish school. It couldn't have been more perfect. He was having a hard time finding a full set that was affordable; I didn't think anyone would buy it; it ended up going somewhere it could get used.
5. Remembered to use a $5 gc from Target that was given for spending $40 on items that we needed to stock up on anyway. Half the items were on sale so I think it ended up working pretty good. Also clipped some coupons in the circle app and saved more.
try putting lemon juice on the stained part and hang in full sunshine for the pillow shams the sun has a bleaching effect on stains.
The comforter and the shams are really pretty , well done for keeping them out of landfill.
Five faintly frugals:
I’ve been sprouting sweet potato plants from grocery store potatoes. Out of 4 potatoes, each one cut in half, only one of the halves has produced sprouts. ELEVEN from one potato! So while I wasted those other potatoes, this one has more than compensated. I planted 5 last night in an area with gopher mesh at the bottom. Then I flipped gopher cages upside down over each plant and dusted them with diatomaceous earth to ward off the roly-polies.
I’m wearing a great skirt that my sister can no longer fit in (don’t tell her that I need a pinchy-clip to keep it from falling off.)
Still driving my old car because I haven’t registered Mom’s car yet. Besides, I love my old car (in spite of getting worried each time I yawn that the exhaust leak might be trying to off me.)
Reading library books.
Only eating 2 meals a day due to this blasted Intermittent Fasting.
Quilt shams are looking SOOO much better! It really is amazing what Oxiclean + patience can achieve (I do have trouble with the "patience" part of that equation sometimes, though - haha). I got some free ice cube trays from my local Freecycle group and it has been one of my favorite things I've received thru them. I use mine the most for making garbage disposal "cleaning ice cubes" using vinegar and cut up lemon rinds! They work really well and I love having a second use for my lemons.
I know...it's so hard to wait for the soaking to be done. I'm like a kid on Christmas morning when it's time to take the item out of the oxiclean soak. Ha.
@Kristen, Agreed, it's just so rewarding to use! Can really just brighten up those white colors like no one's business. And I'm always so happy to not have to be using straight up bleach around here. I really hate that stuff!
I'm always amazed when simple mending makes your frugal wins list on Tuesday, but that's because my mother used to darn holes in socks, and she had five kids so there must have been lots of sock holes! What do people do nowadays? Throw something away because it has a broken strap? I always think about the "olden days," like Little House on the Prairie days, when mom would have to sit by the fireplace and KNIT A WHOLE NEW PAIR OF SOCKS to replace worn out ones. We are so lucky that good socks are available at reasonable prices!
Oh yes, I have observed lots of people get rid of a shirt because a button came off. If you don't have basic sewing skills, even a small repair is out of reach and makes a garment unusable.
Your post reminded me to make some veggie broth cubes. I have 1 ice cube tray, but it doesn't get used for ice cubes, because I don't love ice in drinks, even when it's hot. I have now frozen some veggie broth cubes for future cooking, and will use the rest of the broth to make butternut squash soup (using frozen butternut squash "cubes" that I also had forgotten about).
Also, your posting about the Dollar Tree Oxi cleaner (BTW, the blanket and shams are looking great!) reminded me that I saw someone post in a video on YouTube that Dollar Tree is raising their price to $1.75 on June 27. So if anyone wants to stock up before the price increase, today through Thurs are the days.
Kristen, I have had good luck getting rid of discoloration in the laundry by soaking items in Rockin’ Green detergent. That detergent is also good for bodily fluids, except blood. It is especially useful if caring for freshening clothing subjected to incontinence odors.
1. We’ve been staying with my parents in Texas and have been enjoying extra help with the kiddos and my mom’s good cooking. Rest and naps are frugal, when you can get them!
2. Mom fixed about 5 different items I brought with me, including putting on a new button from her stash.
3. We went to Once Upon a Child today to get some shoes for the kids, who are wearing shoes that are literally destroyed. We got some great clearance deals on both books and lots of shoes, including some to grow into. We’ve run out of hand-me-downs so this is the next best option for now.
4. I’ve spent some of my free time in TX catching up on some emails and working on some of our yearly health rewards, which is important because we will lose our health insurance when DH gets laid off (he’s a federal employee). So every little bit helps.
5. My mom gave me a retirement card from her stash so I didn’t have to go buy one.
My frugal five:
1. Cashed out Fetch points for a $25 Walmart gift card. It will come in handy for some odds and ends.
2. Hubby was able to finish roofing the shed with the shingles that our roofers left us. Didn't have to buy new shingles. He borrowed his buddy's ladder and his buddy to hold the ladder for him.
3. I got a free scarf from Daughters of the American Revolution. I am a member. Kinda happy I've got a scarf to use. Feels very silky.
4. Reading library books. I had stocked up as I thought I would be getting my knee replaced on June 11th but my insurance has denied it. I have to go through an appeal now. So not happy!
5. I'm on Ozempic - which is free to me as I've met my prescription out of pocket deductible - so I'm eating way less. I've lost 19 pounds so far. Eating less so dh didn't do any grocery shopping last week.
@auntiali,
I really hope your insurance appeal gets approved. I had my right knee replaced about 19 months ago, and its been a game changer. On the other hand - my insurance WOULD NOT cover gel shots to help avoid getting a knee replacement, and does not cover Ozempic. Go figure.
Hmmm, let's see if I can scrounge up 5 Vacation Theme frugal things.....
1) we drove to and from our beach vacation last week, which is a lot less expensive than flying would have been (plus would require a rental car).
2) we stayed in a rental condo, brought our own food and drinks, and ate breakfasts, lunches and snacks there.
3) Frugal, long term, I hope: DH decided to buy a Shibumi sun shade, after spending $20 for about 45 minutes for a beach umbrella on our first day at the beach. A full day of beach umbrella renting is $40+, and the free beach umbrella I was given in my Buy Nothing group is, um, really not up to the challenge of beach winds, plus bulky to try and transport. I have to admit, the Shibumi is pretty cool, folds up into a skinny cloth bag, and provides needed shade for us sunburn-prone folks (we use a ton of 70 or 100 SPF sunscreen, too). I know we'll use it for many future beach vacations.
4) Cleaned out the car we took on vacation yesterday (yeah, I know....during a heat wave! What was I thinking?). Found all manner of rubbish that I removed. Wiped down all surfaces, then DH took it to the local car wash that offers free vacuums (plus, this car wash is cheaper than all the local car washes that have pay vacuums, and does just as good a job). Car now looks sparkling clean inside and out.
5) a button popped off a pair of shorts while on vacation. I didn't overeat, they weren't too tight - I think the thread was just worn. I have the button and the skills to resew the button back on these (thrifted) shorts.
Bonus 6: did not buy any souvenirs. Did go thrift shopping, and found a nice Japanese inspired framed print for DS, and a few greeting cards.
Whew! Good to see a bit of frugal on what was a spendy vacation. Now, to get back to our regular frugal activities. 🙂
These soup cube freezers are awesome.
You can get different sizes, but I prefer the one cup and then I put the frozen cubes in a container or large freezer bag and this not only saves freezer space but then I’m not putting all my containers in the freezer either.
https://www.amazon.com/Souper-Cubes-Extra-Large-Silicone-Freezing/dp/B07GSSR5V2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=2H02UJEP08KDD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wiFtcGcgmrSWRRBlbNQNEsKYFO54yV4NG8JyOG91ER9GkoVee5kLfPm9LU1SCIb1aV-HHqW9TZn87y-xO1ok_JRD39VlHFHA8b7OmCJpFYyNeMabcxaiGPfqKhN_44YrT7T1iBZtDOAKngEriYDQqxJfSrAb_R5zR75Z0aMEFZcMASj7J5iJqW85C1TkwjXg1YVvM_E7Tnnp-zSregaxCw.-7K6v-Qq5_YqE0aClWBrZItEEy5uk4FnMUAPiyYq6l4&dib_tag=se&keywords=souper+cubes&qid=1750810556&sprefix=soup%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
I LOVE your new quilt and pillow shams. So beautiful.
I love them too! A nice simple, uncluttered kind of quilt design.
1. I inventoried my freezers to use up the meat we already have. It’s so easy for things to get pushed back and then get freezer burn.
2. We went to a church fellowship bbq and potluck on Sunday afternoon instead of eating out.
3. I made pico de gallo out of the tomatoes from my own garden.
4. I quit the expensive CrossFit gym that was killing my knees and went back to my own workouts at the cheap mega gym ($144 a year.) My knees feel much better, and I can choose my own workout. I have also been enjoying the cooler temps at 6:00 AM to go for walks in the park.
5. I discovered that my paid Spotify has audio books!
Here is my entirely sewing related list:
1. A few months ago, I bought a used scout uniform. It didn't have a single patch on it. Now I have all the necessary patches that need to be sewn on.
2. Also, the oldest has outgrown their scouting uniform and needs a new one. I agreed to move all the patches from one shirt to the next. (This is future frugality, because the kid needs to try on the shirts as it's a new manufacturer and style.)
3. I also fixed my child's sports uniform... by sewing up a hole.
4. I saved money on my child's theater camp by agreeing to volunteer. Now I am the costume assistant.
5. I cut up an old, holey pair of jeans which will become part of a quilt for one of the kids. It was a child's size, so it doesn't add much fabric though.
So to an attempt at five frugal things:
1 - not frugal but because I am frugal, a monetary gift to a senior citizen. LIHEAP grant didn't hit her account (wow, no surprise - red state). She expects it to be applied (I have to trust her). I'd hoped she could get stocked up before all the tariff excrement hit (and it will hit - orange pox sending letters, well google the m* word and sex to see what an economist says).
Ugh hit enter too soon
2 - better half has been on a winning streak for marked down meats. $4 for meat and a pittance for the potatoes, carrots, and cream of soup for 4 meals is a deal
3 - realized I have zuke seeds in my stash - will plant a few, still time in the growing season. Will do a better job of caging than better half.
4 - mark down hamburger will be the star of tomorrow's lunch (soup which we'll share).
5 - monthly cost of dental insurance won't cover the entire cost of my replacement crown Do NOT get me started on the pissing match between now out of network dentist and insurer. If need be, I'll file a complaint with my state, which will investigate. Why yes, I live in a blue state in case you haven't figured that out.
1. Shopped my retiring teacher friend's liquidation sale of teaching supplies, books, games, etc. Got tons of deals, but also left things I wasn't sure I would use.
2. Passed on classroom supplies to coworkers that I won't use next year. Now I don't have to store them.
3. Gave away stickers that had been given to me that I won't use to another teacher. A short time later, she came back with an old style $5 bill she had found inside the sticker packet. Yay for found money! I'll put it toward classroom supplies.
4. No frugal--the watermelon I bought was tasteless, hard, and fibrous. I decided it was inedible. Frugal--I inquired among my coworkers and found someone with chickens, so I gave the watermelon to them instead of sending it to the landfill. (We have problems with attracting bears, so I can't really do a compost pile.
5. Reading books on my to-be-read pile, rather than acquiring more.
6. Reduced my stash of children's books by giving them out as end-of- year gifts to my students.
7. I couldn't face making lunch one more day last week, so I used a gift card to treat myself to lunch purchased at a local independent coffee shop. This was a lovely treat as usually I don't have the option to leave work long enough at lunch hour to purchase something.
Sorry about my many duplicate posts - no idea how that happened
So great that you were able to celebrate your graduation with others!
My Frugal 5s
- Saved on lodging by camping an hour away from Yellowstone and carrying our own camper and everything we needed in it for sleeping and eating.
- Used the water and toilets provided at the parks.
- Free entertainment by hiking the trails, swimming at the many waterfalls, playing cards we had at home and a made up games of sticks, reading books brought from home and listening to free audiobooks on audible, and watching DVDs from the library and our home collection.
- Handyman Hubby partially fixed a broken wheel bearing on our camper which fortunately, was still drivable 8 hours home.
- Renewed overdue books and had no fees because of their new policy.