Five Frugal Things | accidental student loans
1. I gave my student loans back
Somehow, in the midst of filling out paperwork with my new school, I got set up for student loans, even though I don't need them.
So, my school sent a $4000 refund to me (!!!) and I was like "OH NO!!"
I reached out to the financial aid office to cancel the loan, and I will just pay all the money right on back.
This is a questionable frugal win because it was my own error that got me into this loan situation in the first place. Ha.
But at least I got it taken care of.
I know student loans are good and necessary for some situations, but I most certainly do not need one when my hospital is paying for my classes.
2. I made a random lunch salad
After my many shifts + the day in Philly, I worked on getting my regular life back in order. Part of that was cleaning out my fridge, so I made a lunch salad for myself, using:
- the last of the washed and chopped lettuce
- the last of the cilantro-lime salad dressing I'd made
- the last of the cheese tortellini (un-sauced, obviously!)
- a pepper from my Hungry Harvest box
3. I did a return at an Amazon Fresh store for grocery coupons
I bought a pair of pink scrub pants (to try to build up my Wednesday pink wardrobe 😉 ), but I did not like the way they fit me at all.
I started the online return process, and saw that if I visited the Amazon Fresh store near me to do the return, I could get some grocery coupons (like $10/$40 purchase).
I decided to do it just for the fun of exploring a new store. My verdict: the prices are overall not as good as at Aldi, but the store has way more products and many more name brands than Aldi does.
The store was super duper clean and neat, and the shopping experience was good; it just took me a while to find things because I'd never been there before.
I got a $12 discount on my groceries (yay!), but I'll likely stick with Aldi both because I like the small size better and also because it's closer.
Still, it was a fun field trip. 🙂
4. I swapped some old scrubs out for a $50 Figs credit
If you visit a Figs store, as my friends and I did, you can bring a pair of old scrubs, put them in their fabric recycling bin, and get a $50 credit toward some new scrubs.
I brought an old set that I never wear because the sizing is off, and the $50 credit made my new black pants only $8.
5. I got a 15% discount on an eBay purchase
I can't tell you what it is because it's a gift for one of my kids (I'm thinking ahead to Christmas) and I don't want her to accidentally see it. 🙂
But I can tell you I employed my usual habit of adding a bunch of the listings to my eBay wishlist. This usually triggers some automatic emails from the sellers with discount offers, and indeed that is what happened.
I sifted through to find the best offer, paid, and now a Christmas gift is on the way. 😉
I had no idea that Amazon had grocery stores! I guess this is what happens when you live in the country. I'm happy with my Aldi/Meijer/WalMart/local store combo, though, and don't feel like I'm missing out.
My FFT:
1. I brought a fair amount of food home from last week. I worked an extra day (earning extra money!) and we catered an event that had some leftover food that was not enough for them to save, but enough for me to use for my family. They know that I don't like to throw away food, so they were happy to send it home with me.
2. I was making a freezer meal for a friend and made one for our family at the same time. Some ingredients only came in larger quantities and it was just as easy to make one as it was to make two.
3. I had over $30 in Ibotta credit sitting in my account for MONTHS and I finally used a bunch of it over the weekend.
4. I also starting scanning receipts into Fetch again. I had let Fetch and Ibotta rest for a while, so it's good to get back into it.
5. Frugal fail: I had gotten a bunch of corn with intentions of freezing it but took too long to get to it. When we shucked it on Saturday, it was no longer good. The bright side is that it really drove home that this is not the year to try to can applesauce. We normally can around 50 quarts, but construction on the house plus additional appointments and extra work days in my schedule are making my time a lot tighter this fall. So I won't be buying apples just to let them rot on my counter this year.
@Ruth T,
Consider the corn food for squirrels and bird- put it out husked and the critters love it. so no loss!
@Ruth T,
I know how you feel with your frugal fail. I have a few garden cucumbers in the fridge that I need to do *something* with, and soon. Maybe one more jar of refrigerator pickles. Frugal win that you realized this is not the year to can applesauce. 🙂
@Ruth T, our daughter/daughter in law brought over some corn (her mom works at a food pantry and they had too much) that they had for a few weeks. We tried the cooking in milk idea from the internet but it was a fail. So my husband plans on making chowder out of it. Fingers crossed it is better in the chowder.
I'm reaching for frugal efforts I made this past week. 1) I did finally drop off a Zappos shoe return at UPS drop station which right now is a trial because I STILL don't have my printer set up. Emailing the return label to the hub and printing it there is quite a hassle but worth the refund which was in my account in just a couple of hours after the ordeal.
2) Oh, yeah, I was able to get forms filled out for the last (?) IRA of my Uncle's. (Who passed in January). I still am astonished that he made my Lil Bro and me recipients to his wealth. The wife of my investment advisor, who is also his receptionist, secretary and partner helped me with it. I mentioned it before but utilizing her abilities to understand the jargon and process saves time and it is part of their business and good for them, too. Still unaware of the worth of this IRA but it will be a nice surprise.
3) I am not so good at this at Aldi, but I was able to go into Hy-Vee for an orange and ice and only came out with two brats ($.99 ea) along with those two items. The orange was for pork carnitas 4) which i cooked in the crockpot.
5) Filled car w gas at local Casey's with $2.89 gas. I think it's cheaper even now. As opposed to the town I work in Which was $2.94.
@Chrissy, Our gas is down to $2.49 and when I passed that sign I started reminiscing about the days when there were 4 gas stations on every corner and they'd have price wars to see how low they could go. Does anyone else remember gas at 29 cents a gallon? No? Nobody? Bueller?
@JDinNM, I remember when it went UP to 25 cents. We had a little Datsun wagon, and it cost a whopping $3.75 to fill the tank.
@Chrissy, I drove all over town in the giant family wagon, wasting gas while looking for a cheaper price than 80¢/gallon. . . this was in the late ‘70s.
@Kathleen, Of course, the minimum wage was about $2.50/hour. ;-} Not that it's much better than that now!
@JDinNM, I remember 25 cents a gallon but that was a LONG time ago
@JDinNM, I think that admitting we can remember gas at 29 cents/gallon qualifies us for automatic admission into the FG Older than Dirt Club. Along with others here, I can remember it at 25 cents/gallon. (And to think I was elated at finding it at $3.16/gallon last Saturday instead of the $3.20 I was expecting to pay...)
The best I can remember in my adult life is a brief period of $0.89/gallon, back in 1998 or so!
@A. Marie, depends on how well your childhood memory is. I remember the gas wars but I don't remember any "out of gas" signs during the oil embargo. We didn't live in a densely populated area. Remember being asked if you wanted regular or "ethyl"?
@JDinNM,
@JDinNM,
Yes, Butler PA 1971, gas war. Gas at 29 cents. 3.89 right now in Maricopa County, AZ
@JDinNM, i was a kid in the 50's so i think i do remember that! i long for those days again!
Most of our big frugal things in the last few months have been related to my husband fixing both of our bathrooms. He ripped up everything but the sinks (which were very much built in and would have then necessited replacing walls), including floors, toilets, and tubs. In our bathroom, he decided that rather than put in a new tub, he would build a shower stall. He made it out of mostly materials he already had on hand--concrete and bricks. I used it yesterday for the first time. It's pretty impressive that he built it totally from scratch without plans or anything. Especially since he's never done any real plumbing before.
I'm doing the painting now, which will include using tub finishing paint on the extremely old sinks and counters. I have no idea how much it would cost to have someone else do all the work on these bathrooms, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be less than two thousand dollars, which is what we spent with the fixtures and all.
So impressive! On both your parts.
@kristin @ going country,
Wow! You have a handy husband. (You're no slouch, yourself. Very impressive!)
My mom used to tell my dad, "If you attempt any plumbing again, it's grounds for divorce!"
She never told me the reason behind her saying that, but every time she did, my dad's face would turn red.
Must've been some frugal failure -- and a real good Tooltime Tim-type story -- there!
@kristin @ going country,
Wow, kudos to your husband for taking on both bathrooms! I can say, a friend at work had a smallish bathroom in her home renovated pre-pandemic, and she has mentioned it cost $8000-ish. That did not include new drywall (not needed), moving or removing any walls, or anything fancy (she is not a "fancy" person). I'd say you saved a ton of $ by having your hubby do it!
@kristin @ going country, a decent rule of thumb in the big city for a new tub or shower, including tiling and some plumbing work, runs $5-8,000. Goes upward steeply if you get fancy marble, custom glass, and so on. Or if you need to pull up flooring because of a leak.
Thank you for the reminder about the eBay wish list. I always say I'm going to do it and then... I never do! I have a week of vacation coming up, and while I plan to be mostly relaxing on a cruise ship, I'm going to DO THIS. Finally.
1. I received a check for a little over $150 to settle a data "incident". It was a retina specialists practice and I don't think there was any important information that could have been stolen. I never provide my Social Security number on medical forms. I thank Kristen and the commenters here for the encouragement to pursue these settlements.
2. A friend texted to let me know he has extra tomatoes. I will be passing by his home today and will stop.
3. We attended a local Fall festival. There was an in-state vendor selling maple syrup products at a reasonable price. We bought a quart of syrup, maple candies (a throw back to DH's childhood in New England), and maple sugar. I also bought an upcycled decoration for our SIL. That is an effort I can support.
4. I have a rotisserie chicken carcass to boil. The resulting broth and meat picked off the bones will be frozen for a future soup.
5. Someone in our neighborhood listed glass jars, with lids, on Freecycle. I like to think that I inspired that. I have given away jars many times.
Oh, are they giving away just things like tomato sauce jars? That has not occurred to me!
@Kristen,
I have given away marinara sauce jars and also smaller "fancier" jars. I usually like to collect several matching jars and then list them. The neighbor is giving away glass jars from peanut butter and larger jars that contained honey.
Oh, interesting!! I should try this.
What do people use them for?
@K D, @ Kristen I save these jars and use them to store nuts, chocolate chips, and other random dry food stuffs. I'd rather have them in jars than random plastic bags closed with clips stuffed in my pantry - they keep longer and look neater.
@Cheryl, same here. The bags just make a mess and while the jars take up more space, If I see the grain/nut/flour/whatever, it registers different than if I see a wadded up bag! I also like that they have form to them and everything feels tidier. There's also that theory that less labels means more calm. Don't know if it's true but I like having my stuff in clear jars so I save up the sauce jars and grab mason jars when I see them for a good price.
@Cheryl,
I use jars to hold many things including homemade granola, homemade soup in individual portion sizes, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, chopped nuts (I chop a bunch and then store them in the refrigerator), leftover canned pumpkin, and chia and ground flax seeds (that come in large plastic bags).
@K D et al., I've used the Classico sauce jars (the ones that really *are* Atlas canning jars) for a lot of the things you all have mentioned. And I use them for refrigerator pickles as well, since the 24-ounce Classicos are a happy medium for some folks between a pint and a quart.
@A. Marie,
I have some of those jars as well. They might be twenty years old. I think the size and quality of them shrank many years ago.
I have a hard time throwing jars with good lids into the recycling bin and I hope that others will enjoy reusing them as I have.
@A. Marie, My favorite Aldi Priano Pasta Sauce comes in a nice reusable jar, with measurements on the side!
@K D, Yup! Some of the jam jars are perfect for gifting homemade granola! Smuckers even had a pretty checkered lid - put a ribbon on and done!
@Cheryl, We do this too, and we also use certain jars for drinking vessels. Frog Ranch salsa, in particular, used to come in nice little jars that would fit the reusable mason jar lids I have--then they changed to a fancier, wider jar. I still reuse those jars for my homemade cheeze sauce, but not for drinking!
@K D, I have given away large lots of plastic Talenti jars. People use them to store craft supplies. I also have received those large plastic kitty litter buckets. They are wonderful for storing potting soil mix.
@ Kristen, I use them for other food, organizing Lego or small bits is hardware, making flavored vinegar, storing chopsticks and metal skewers...
@A. Marie, sometimes I buy Classico sauce so I have the jar for later.
@Bee,
I've given away Talenti jars as well. DH has a bunch of cat liter buckets from a neighbor that he uses for yard work and storing things in the garage.
@K D, I take class action settlement notices with a heavy grain of salt. My dad got an email about one (and thankfully he showed me it as well as all kinds of EOBs, mail, etc. he gets). When I researched the lawsuit, it was filed in MO for an entity violating a MO law. Dad is not in MO.
Truth be told, some of the settlements are just not worth my time - time is our most precious resource. Biggest score I ever got was almost $800 and my open every piece of mail despite it looking like junk mail paid off.
Well, it's the Jewish High Holiday season, tons of family birthdays, and super-busy work schedules for me and Mr. B. Frugality is not exactly happening at the moment, but we're doing our best!
1. I rescued some tired produce: wilted broccoli went in an omelet, three avocados turned into my lunch, a snack for my kid, and salad with a cucumber and a sad green onion.
2. I gave a bunch of homemade cards. I save all the watercolours that my daughter and I do together (usually just blobs of different colours) and make those into birthday, anniversary, and New Year cards.
3. My body changes a lot and I recently had to go into my mother's basement to locate some clothes of mine that fit, and then didn't, and then now fit again. After my daughter was born I realized that I'd be a different size every few months until I was done having kids. So I've been deliberate about thrifting/accepting hand-me-downs in different sizes (or stretchy!) And now after five years of doing that, I don't have to rush out and buy new clothes.
4. I had a reminder in my calendar to cancel a year-long free trial of Door Dash premium, so when I had a quiet moment at work, I cancelled. Not paying for it!
5. Had to do a bunch of online shopping, not my favourite. It's almost impossible to buy N95s at pharmacies anymore, so I price-compared and threw on a supplement I needed to get free shipping. For Canadians, We'll.ca was half the cost of Amazon.
@Meira Bear, I'm in Canada too and I need more masks. Thanks for the tip!
So true about body sizes changing. I had four babies between ages 21 and 27, and then there's breastfeeding in there too and all the weight/shape changes that brings. I was forever morphing into different shapes!
I too had a closet stocked with varying sizes; it's just smart for those childbearing years.
@Meira Bear, I wish you and your family a belated Shana Tovah!
@A. Marie, thanks!
@Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com),
and Gmar Hatima Tova!
Are you certain the loan error was yours and not the school’s? I’m really confused as to how you can accidentally get a $4k loan ?! There is something seriously wrong with the process, if so !
@Kim from Philadelphia, I agree that something is seriously wrong if someone can inadvertently acquire a loan. I bet they’ll hit Kristen with “service” charges and fees. (Feeling cynical after spending 45 minutes on the phone with a collection agency fighting about owing AT&T for a phone they NEVER provided or billed for—grrrr.)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I once got dunned for the interest on a bill I never owed. I threatened the collection agency with the FTC on that one (I had a high up personal connection at that time).
1. Used my bike for all my transport last week, save for one trip to the grocery store, for which I cadged a ride from one of my sons, who also needed to grocery shop.
2. On one of my rides to school I found a penny on the ground by a bike trail stop, so I've come into some money. 😉
3. The cooler nights mean the Commodore gets open windows most of the day, and free entertainment by keeping an eye on the cheeky squirrels and birds. And we're using our AC less--still haven't had to turn on the furnace!
4. Hanging laundry out most of the time. (Most of the time because sometimes I'm lazy/impatient.)
5. My school continues to offer free coffee and tea (with caffeine free options!), so I've been enjoying those. At home, resolutely using up my current stash of teas before ordering any more.
6. Library books forever. Just finished John Green's "The Anthropocene, Reviewed", which was interesting, mostly a time-killer while I waited for "Everything is Tuberculosis", which is currently waiting for me at the library.
@Karen A., #5. For some forgotten reason (maybe it was at height of the pandemic?), I acquired a boatload of English Breakfast Tea that I just recently (re)discovered in the back of a top shelf in a kitchen cupboard. It will take YEARS to go through it.
@JDinNM, I too have enough tea on hand to float the British Royal Navy, and I too am making a valiant effort to work through it. But I have an uneasy feeling that I may have to mention some of it in a codicil to my will.
@A. Marie, iced tea seems to use more bags, and maybe you can use it to tea-stain something, make it look old, wear it for one of your Jane Austen events.
@A. Marie, Well, at least the tea is personal property so it won't require preparation, execution and recording of a Transfer on Death Deed.
@JDinNM, I am down to one box of Traditional Medicinals Dandelion tea and one box of Stash peppermint, some Stash Meyer Lemon (ick, do not like), some random Celestial Seasonings, and a box of decaf English Breakfast we keep on hand. When DS#4 had his wisdom teeth out the bleeding wouldn't stop until we had him bite on black tea bags! The tannic acid helps with clotting. So I consider those last ones medicinal. 😉
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I've been making sun tea with tea bags all summer, and that's put a small dent in the supply. As for tea-staining garments, I do that pretty well without planning. 😀
@Karen A., I'll remember that trick the next time I have major dental work done.
@A. Marie, It really does work. I was kicking myself for not remembering that I had to bite on tea bags after my wisdom tooth removal (lo these 30+ years ago). DH googled "how to stop bleeding after oral surgery" and the tea bags popped up and I was all, "OH! I remember that now!" D'oh!
@A. Marie, have you heard of “tea wreaths”? Google it. Might make a fun gift for someone (s).
FFT:
1) Publix had raspberries for 99 cents a container. I bought two, one was used to make raspberry scones, the other was served with grandson's dinner.
2) Continue to make sourdough bread at home.
3) Bought diapers for upcoming baby shower at BJs using a coupon. For $5 more than at Walmart, I got 90 more diapers.
4) Purchased gas while at BJs picking up diapers.
5) Found a place to park for free downtown when we attended our SIL's grandfather's funeral. I did spend 75 cents to extend DD and SIL's time on the meter since they stayed later at the church than their two-hour allotment.
Was on vacation last week and bought gas where we had a discount. It helped a little. Didn't eat breakfast out unless we were on the road and then we stopped.
Did some bike riding where we could as we brought our bicycles with us.
Decided not to go away for a weekend and save my money for my retirement next year. I really want to go and I have the time, just not the money. And I know I'll end up spending way more money and then be more in the negative.
So I will spend the weekend at home, painting. Purchased some "mistake" paint from my husband's work for $10. each gallon when it retails for over $50./gallon. There is a slight difference in both gallons, so we will combine the 2 gallons into a large tub and use that for the area we need to paint.
Going on another vacation next week and we are using points and companion air fare so we get more discounts. Hopefully, we can get a surprise upgrade then!
A $50 credit is significant.
We took a trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Travel is never frugal, but it can be less expensive with a little planning.
DH used to travel a great deal for work and has always been enrolled in travel-related loyalty programs. Although his travel has tapered off quite a bit, he still had collected hotel points, air miles, and rental card points. We used these to greatly reduce our travel expense. Round trip tickets in business class from FL to CA for $165, 5 days of free car rental, 4 free nights in our hotel really helped to reduce our expenses
Food is always a bit of a challenge. Because DH is a hotel frequent guest, our breakfast is always free or deeply discounted when we stay in chain hotels. We always take time to have a big breakfast prior to heading out for the day and drink free coffee. We then have a late lunch as our main meal of the day and go light on dinner.
We made a few stops to buy snacks at Trader Joes and the local Farmer's Market. Sometimes these snacks also served as dinner. The first part of our journey was spent in Yosemite, so we only brought a few food items with us. Food cannot be left in vehicles, because bears will help themselves. It is just not frugal to have a bear tear off your car door.
We had multiple water bottles which we refilled daily. Hiking makes you thirsty.
DH bought his "old person" lifetime pass to our National Parks. Now he is obliged to use it often.
Wishing you all peace, good health , and prosperity.
@Bee, What a great trip! Happy anniversary, Bee and Husband!
@Bee, happy belated anniversary to you and Mr. Bee. DH and I made it to 43.5 years of official wedlock and 45 years of total togetherness, and I wish the two of you more years than those in good health.
@Bee, did you also make it to Sequoia?? Did you wave as you drove through my town??
Bears can be free entertainment, but that still wouldn’t cancel out the automotive damage. We have to always think about bear trouble avoidance, both at home and at the cabin.
@Bee,
My parents went to Yosemite for their (belated) honeymoon, right after World War II. They were tent camping, and Dad, as usual, disregarded the warning about bears. He disregarded lots of warnings.
They'd put up a card table right by the tent entrance, and by bedtime, still had some food, including a loaf of bread, on the table. Mom heard some scratching during the night and told Dad "I think there's a bear out there." Dad said it was just the pine tree branches scraping against the tent canvas, don't worry, go back to sleep.
Just then, they heard a big rip and saw a hairy arm reach through the torn wall of the tent. A bear with the biggest claws you ever saw swept all the food into its grasp and made off with their groceries. Leaving a gaping hole in their tent.
My folks lived more than 50 years after that incident. Anytime we set up the tent, Mom would point to the patch and re-tell this story. She never let Dad hear the end of that one!
@Heidi Louise, thank you!!! It's great to see your name again.
@A. Marie, Thank you!!! I appreciate your kind words.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
We did not go down to Sequoia and King Canyon this trip. We thought about it, but it was still quite smoky from the nearby fire. I was glad to hear Sequoia Grove was safe.
I actually did think about you when driving through the foothills and valley on the way to the coast.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I don't think I would let my DH forget about that incident either. We did have a raccoon steal one of my husband's shoes which is now part of our family lore.
We do own bear canisters to keep food safe, but I gave trouble opening them. My son says that is because I'm a mamma bear. 🙂
@Bee, at breakfast buffets I often make a PB&J for later, along w a piece or two of fruit.
@WilliamB, I love this tip. I often take an extra apple, orange or banana, but I have never thought about making a sandwich.
I had a very failed travel week, so someone of this is related to that.
1) DH & I each received $175 for a cancelled United flight. Doesn't make up for the headaches that ensued (full details on my blog), but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Still battling with Avis on their side.
2) Uploaded the $15 food voucher I received to Starbucks, to be used at a future date.
3) Filled out European travel cancellation form with United for second (note, entirely different flight a week later) that was cancelled when coming back from London.
4) Filled out expense report from London trip promptly, so I can get reimbursed for my expenses.
5) I am accruing a bunch of credit card points by using my credit card to travel. Trying to decide if I should move to just paying for the hotel with a personal card, as I don't need receipts for smaller transactions if I use a work card. I originally didn't get one because it was a bunch of hoops. I guess I'll see, based on number of forecasted trips for 2026. All done for 2025!!!
@Hawaii Planner, I read your account of those multiple travel disasters on your blog. The whole experience sounded brutal, and I'm glad you don't have to travel any more for business in 2025.
I hadn't heard of Amazon Fresh before. How interesting.
I'm going to try to come up with 5....
1. I received some free food: nectarines from the food pantry (operates from my work building), plums from my neighbor
2. froze 2 bags of corn from corn we bought from a farmer
3. Noticed our renewal policy for our camp was too high, so made an adjustment and saved $100/yr by making that change.
4. I'm currently enjoying 3 months of free Sirius radio in my vehicle
5. Skipped grocery shopping this week as we have plenty of food in the house to eat up.
Ugh, my backup on my computer shut off again so I had to shut down and start over.
I never knew Amazon had stores like that, either.
My FFT:
1. This didn't save me any money personally, but I ordered logo shirts from Lands End for the office, calling first to get their discount offer, which was 25% off. The next day after I ordered, they offered 50% off, so I called them and asked for - and got - 50% off instead. It saved a couple of hundred dollars, so it was no small thing.
2. The four youngest grandkids didn't have enough bags for trick or treating last year and had to carry whatever they could find. I don't know where their old treat buckets and bags had gone. I volunteered to make bags this year and got the fabric and strapping all on sale. I already had thread, of course. They were fun and easy to make, and the kids were excited to get them.
3. I was waiting for cooler weather to do some oven cooking, but our weather is still quite warm, and I needed to get some things cooked that I prefer roasted. I prepped everything and planned times, and managed to get four pans in and out of the oven, according to time needed for each, all within one hour of oven time.
4. I was gone most of the day Saturday, but I juggled laundry time so that I could hang-dry everything.
5. I'm actively shopping for better prices on health insurance, drug plans, and internet. Wish me luck. It's a nightmare of details.
@JD, If your state has a health insurance website (most do), they are very helpful as is the Medicare site if you're old enough. Also, insurance brokers can help to navigate and there's usually no upfront charge for their help. Senior centers and local health departments also have advocates that can help. I do wish you luck because health insurance is a quagmire!
As for internet, if you have any pointers, I'd be thrilled to hear them. My solution is to keep the one I have too long. 😉
A $50 credit for scrubs you no longer wear is a good deal! Scrubs can definitely vary in price but from my experience, you really get what you pay for.
I recently realized the same strategy you employed for your EBay purchases (adding items to your cart or wishlist and then receiving an emailed discount from the seller) also works on Etsy. I added a couple of items to my cart, but decided to think about them for a while (this helps me with impulse shopping.) Lo and behold, the next morning I received emails offering me 15% off coupons. So now I know to only add to cart if I really want or need the items so I’m not further tempted by a discount. Otherwise, they get added to my wishlist. (I don’t get the same offers on items on my wishlist for some reason.)
1. I juiced a watermelon and some mandarin oranges there were over-ripe. I used some of the juice to make popsicles for my kids.
2. I used over-ripe strawberries to make 3 batches of strawberry pancakes for my kids' breakfasts this week.
3. I used pesto and pizza dough my mom gave us, along with homemade sundried tomatoes and mushrooms, to make a pizza for my lunches this week.
4. My husband fixed our lawn mower and changed it's oil
5. I bought ground beef for 50% off at Aldi
1. When I picked up some medication from the pharmacy, I asked for a split payment so that I could use up the last of my FSA card balance for part of the charge. If I leave money on the card it will expire at the end of the year.
2. I keep those little sample toothpastes dentists give out when you go in for a cleaning for travel toothpaste, small enough to fit the carryon when you fly. Gave one for my husband as he left for a work trip, and will use another one soon myself.
3. Not frugal for me but in the spirit of frugal karma, offered a place to crash for a class mate who was in town for our college reunion and who had reached out to the organizers for help in finding free lodging as she was experiencing some financial setbacks (I still live in the town of our college).
4. When I was at our college homecoming, visited the college library to get a library card for their awesome book collection. Skipped buying any college-logo items at the campus store.
5. My homecoming conflicted with a sold-out festival we had tickets for. My son was able to use the ticket to go with his girlfriend who had season tickets, so luckily someone was able to use it.
I had no idea about eBay wish lists, so thank you for sharing. That sounds like a fantastic frugal strategy!
1. Agreed to listen to a sales pitch in return for a free meal at my favorite Mexican food restaurant. (Don't need cemetery plots, but whatever....) It starts later today.
2. A special needs teen-aged girl in our congregation is leaving for a boarding school, so our church gave her a send-off party on Saturday. Used an old, pretty, fabric-covered box and items from my gift closet. Made her a keepsake box with some nice toiletries (scented soap, body lotion, etc.) in it. Didn't have to rush out and buy a present.
3. Decided to swap out my "bedside table" -- actually a salvaged sewing machine table-- and replace it with my grandmother's old library table. Want to refinish the former, so I left it outside in the rain. Getting it wet enabled me to easily peel off a lot of the ugly veneer. Saves on sanding! Then I can use the chalk paint, assuming it hasn't dried up.
4. Friday, I happened by a garage sale and was able to get several cans of food for 25 cents each. Yes, they're still good -- the earliest expiration date was sometime in 2026, and most say 2027.
5. Went to a senior citizen health fair at the mall. Stocked up on all the freebies, including shopping bags, pens, hand sanitizer, calendars, funeral planning guides, snacks, plastic drinking cups, notepads --- and even a back scratcher. What I couldn't use, or had too much of, I passed along to others....such as giving the pens to the school supply drive at church and the candy to our Halloween Trunk or Treat cache at church. (Some of the candy went into my own Halloween bucket for trick or treat. Actually, trunk or treat...I usually go to the church for that.) I also got a ceramic coffee cup, which I'll donate to Goodwill in exchange for their 20% off coupon. The paper advertising will be recycled.
1. I stopped by Goodwill to find something I need to do a craft night with friends and I had the BEST thrifting day! I found a wrapped puzzle that is perfect for a Christmas gift, drinking glasses that IKEA no longer sells that I needed to replace, a Christmas gift for my husband, a jar to put pothos props in to gift, and a movie that I’m unable to stream. I found a few other odds and ends but these were my best finds.
2. I signed my son up for driver’s ed at his school. While not cheap, not having to drive him to lessons that are the same price at another place is a win.
3. I picked up five receipts at Aldi in the cart return area and loaded them into Fetch – no big points but all the little points add up.
4. I cancelled my pilates membership. My inconsistent schedule was not matching up with their class schedule. Paying per class will save me in the long run.
5. Frugal win that was out of my hands – my son had a game that would have taken me at least an hour to get to in traffic. The game was moved to his school so I didn’t have to leave work early or spend the gas money.
Developed a bad cold and am getting through it in frugal ways:
1. In desperation at the beginning, I took some long-expired OTC medication; it seemed to help. Once I got different meds, I put the old ones in a box for bringing to disposal site.
2. Used a test kit on hand to confirm that I didn’t have COVID.
3. Other things on hand were lemon drops (gift), herbal tea (marked down to $1/box of 20 bags), honey (gift), handkerchiefs (used those up before getting out the Kleenex box that I have for guests; then realized it would be more economical to use toilet paper), and sipping broth (received from Buy Nothing).
4. Took a long, hot, not-frugal shower and used my mesh bag containing soap slivers to exfoliate my face and body.
5. Applied nice-smelling lotion that I received from Buy Nothing.
6. Changed into a fresh pair of jammies that I’ve had for 15 years.
7. Replaced my toothbrush with a free one that I had received from my dentist.
8. Read four library books (Of Time and Turtles; The Next Conversation; The Anthropocene Reviewed; and Chief Rondo).
@MB in MN, that was some seriously productive frugality while you were laid up!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, thanks for that. I'm going on day 5 and I just said to my husband that it's too bad I haven't felt up to doing anything when I've had plenty of time to do it.
1. Another week, another trip to the farmers market. Lots of fresh produce and grains to nourish this pregnant Mama at very low prices.
2. Gassed up at Kroger using fuel points to save $0.40/gallon.
3. Shopped at 2 local grocery chains for the stuff I could not get at the market. Went with a list and stuck to it.
4. Stayed home this past weekend which meant I was not is stores or spending money. We played games. I batch cooked some chili and spaghetti sauce for the freezer, caught up on laundry, and did some cleaning/purging/organizing.
5. We have yet another washing machine that requires a $600 repair after owning it 2 years. This will make the 4th set of washer and dryers that we have purchased in 11 years. I considered Speed Queen but the size of the machines would have made me a slave to laundry. Next best reviews were Electrolux so I took advantage of a 40% off sale and bought a front load washer and dryer. Capacity wise they are perfect and reviews/consumer reports are some of the best in the industry. I am praying that these machines will serve us well and not cause problems and additional costs. Nothing is built with any quality anymore and I just am so genuinely upset that workmanship has gone out the window in our world.
@Angie, I have been happy with my Electrolux front loader and dryer. Got 18+ years out of my prior front loader (can't remember the mfg but I think Whirlpool) but it bit the dust when the PLASTIC belt shredded - talk about a mess to deal with. Making sure no plastic shreds got into the dryer.
Installer of the Electrolux was impressed the prior machine lasted 18+ years. With just the two of us (and me *always* checking better half's pockets - nails make a spin cycle sound like a machine gun) so it should last a while. I'd buy another set if need be.
Not frugal, but entirely fun. I grew sugar pie pumpkins this year to "you've been booed" prank that I do to friends and neighbors. Made cute tags and made sure to label the pumpkins edible. Before ring security and such I could deliver anonymously, more silly fun.
- my friend's farmer's market Stand sold out of my corn stalk bundles, so will make 50 more this morning. The proceeds go to FFA.
I went to a local Christmas tree farm and pulled dead trees from their burn piles, painted them black with a bit of glitter. This year I also collected some craggy looking fruit trees to pot up and spray. People buy them to decorate their front porches.
I hired the neighbors little kids to collect acorn caps, they get paid by the bucket, they live in an oak savanna. The acorns are saved for the acorn woodpeckers. My friend makes natural dyed wool acorns and sells them at craft fairs.
Coffee tastes extra yummy on foggy mornings.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, does your friend dye with the acorn caps?
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, Wow! That's creative community there.
I purchased wool acorns from EBay 2 years ago & paid $1 each (multipack) & that was cheapest price for best looking quality.
I actually just delivered my first Boo item (giant mum planter) tonight to neighbor. Dropping off second (chicken skeleton) to egg seller this week.
Ooo ... all these field trips are inspiring. Makes me want to go on a few myself.
My Frugal 5s+
• Spent time with my girls on free fun activities like walking the neighborhood and exploring new paths, playing at the nearby school playground, rollerblading and scootering at the school basketball courts, flying kites and having a sleepover on our trampoline while looking up at the stars. The kites, rollerblades, scooters and trampoline are things we already owned and had in years past. I'd like to think that we're getting a return for our investments and that the price per usage is going down.
• We continue to read books, play games and watch movies from home. All things we already had or borrowed from the library. I've also brought out from storage Table Topics - Conversation Starters, which we started using to get us talking more at the dinner table and so far, it's working!
• Another fun free activity that gives back - My oldest and I volunteered in the nursery this Sunday and I volunteer on Wednesdays at church to help out the kids ministry. On Wednesdays, I am blessed with a free lunch from the lovely older ladies who help in the food pantry and can bring home extra foods that they can't give out because they're damaged or aren't packaged right. I also stayed after my moms bible study this Saturday to help clean up and was gifted extra food leftover from our breakfast to bring home.
• Fixed a few broken items and toys with e6000 like a ribbon placeholder that got ripped from a library book, a game piece wear the paper was coming apart, a neon cherry plastic light that my girls threw and broke. That miracle glue is amazing! Also sewed a rip closed wear the tag was on my girl's black cardigan.
• Continue building relationships through weekly/periodic phone calls with my mom, sister and brother, and mother and sister-in-law. My mom, sister, brother and I are in the 4 corners of the U.S. and my mother and sister-in-law are an hour away so this helps.
The produce give-away in town had cantelopes, apples, and cucumbers, crates and crates full! My husband took WAY TOO MUCH, which we shared with friends, some ladies who were visiting my studio, and ultimately with all the employees at the local retreat center.
I tossed catalogs as soon as they arrived without peeking.
Will take lunch with me down the hill to teach drawing lessons which also will have to suffice for dinner, since I have a meeting immediately after my last class.
Will hit the bank and the PO and the gas station on my way down instead of further procrastinating and then having to make a special trip, “trip” being silly since those places are here in town. (WHY do I NEVER want to leave home, even for good things?)
Reminded several customers who owed money to pay up. (WHY do the emails with invoices get lost or overlooked so often??)
My five frugal things this week:
I cooked at home ( with the exception of Friday night). We ordered Chinese and there was enough leftovers for lunch the next day.
I brought my mom and the girls to a local market on Sunday. We bought some snacks, and the girls were gifted molasses cookies. We then went for a walk, and there was a free lunch being offered there! 🙂
I used up the chili in the freezer. We had it with leftover salad, garlic bread and nacho chips.
I made apple sauce this morning in the slow cooker.
I have a breakfast bake in the oven now. I used a stale baguette, diced apples, maple syrup, eggs, milk, cream, buttermilk for the base. I mixed up brown sugar, butter, oatmeal, flour, dried cranberries and chopped almonds for the top. No recipe, I just used up what I have.
That whole loan thing happened to us SEVERAL times when our youngest son was in college. SUCH a pain! And it was A LOT of paperwork to undo it and pay it back. I think they hope you won't bother and they can get the interest!
Well, that makes me feel better that someone else accidentally did this too!
It's been uneventful until yesterday so let's see what I can come up with.
Frugal things---
● Free (monthly) Hallmark card
● reduced utility bill by almost 20% from last month.
● I ordered 25' telescoping flag pole after we moved to current house & has been in garage in box (new unopened still). I figured we better get it up (& out of garage) so we hauled boxes outside. As we are opening boxes we realize that we were shipped 2 (seperate) flag poles (& I only paid for 1). Put 1 back in garage & put other together & put up in yard.
● used concrete mix already had in garage & put in hole (already dug) to put flagpole next to pole we were not able to get out.
● my neighbor Ex husband (who I also know) was found at his home yesterday unresponsive. State Police & medical Services draped American flag over body before removing from house & transporting. I shared my military benefits contacts with neighbor to pass on to their adult child. This information should save money with upcoming expenses.
Federal level military personnel can be buried at National Cemetery for Free. A full military funeral is provided graveside & military personnel family will receive American flag.
On state level it varies. You need to contact VA services for county office reside in. For this county Military personnel are cremated for free or provide small monetary amount ($300 I think) to family. A full military funeral is provided & military personnel family will receive American flag.
I will (again) take some of the big outside plant pots (teen curb find) & plant some mums in (for the family).
● used my Meijer Reward points for Free Slushie enjoying the (still) 80* weather
@Regina, How helpful of you to share the military information.
A footstone also will probably be provided for a regular cemetery, though we found with a relative that since he was being buried in another part of the state from where he died that there was a few hundred dollars charge. (Army logic, I suspect).
1. I read books on the Internet Archive.
2. ...and I borrowed physical books from the actual library.
3. I chopped and froze a batch of ginger.
4. I baked some no yeast wholewheat bread from Kristen's recipe for the first time.
5. I got back very late from work last night but made time to pack a lunch for today.
1) I continue to do health things because everything costs me $0 until the end of the year (we paid our full out of pocket max in the first few weeks of 2025). I made follow up appointments for myself and my husband for December. I made an appointment for our daughter to get the same meds for her eczema that our son got a couple weeks ago.
2) My husband and I got our Covid and flu shots this morning. I will take our two oldest this afternoon and our two youngest to the pediatrician next week for theirs. They are all, thankfully, covered through our insurance at no cost to us, but we don't have sick time to take, so avoiding being home sick for a week saves me money.
3) I followed up on a side hustle offer. We are negotiating my hourly rate now. Man, I hate haggling. But it could make a massive difference in my earnings with this side hustle.
4) Our tenant had a ceiling leak on Saturday. We are always concerned that THIS will be the thing that results in something like a new $25,000 roof. But we were able to diagnose the problem, and we think roof tape and tar that we apply ourselves will fix the leak. My husband is even up for repairing the inside ceiling himself. He's become pretty good at quickly figuring out that kind of project. We'll get the supplies we need with a 10% off coupon Home Depot mailed me. I threatened to cancel my Home Depot credit card earlier in the year, and now they send me coupons at least monthly.
5) We are all about maintenance these days. I soaked a few shirts in oxyclean last weekend. My husband and the boys gave our lizard enclosure a good cleaning. I cut the grass at the property we are renovating. My husband gave his new-to-us coffee machine a good cleaning and descaling.
The last week performing on the road before I can go home edition!!
1. I brought snacks including carrots and Aldi hummus packs with me so I didn't have to buy snacks/food for dinner after the free participant canteen closed for the day. It also helped me eat down and clear out my cooler before packing it up for the trip home.
2. I was invited to a participant breakfast potluck on a Friday School Day before kids get to the faire. A nice variation from my morning instant oatmeal (which I made through the kindness of some local cast members offering me the use of their electric teapot)
3. Signed up for several gas station rewards apps after being told that they pay off when working on the road. I love discounts but hate that every stupid thing needs an app taking up space on my own
4. Listened to an instructional standup audiobook on the drive home and got a lot of ideas for ways to tweak my show.
5. Puppy and family cuddles and smooches when I got home are a priceless dopinane hit. I am so lucky they support what I do
Urg - my phone ate my post. Again.
I can’t think of anything frugal in particular this week other than the usual and working on eating down the freezer.
Spendy But Within Budget:
The fun and unexpected visit to a fiber festival. The big indulgence was a $32 skein of hand-dyed angora and silk in Mardi Gras colors (mostly yellow!) for my friend with cancer who goes to Mardi Gras almost every year. I also bought Very Gorgeous yarn that wasn’t too expensive for a sweater’s worth, and a few skeins of machine-washable red for $5 (from a “take this off my hands” sale pile) for this charity knitting project:
https://www.fc2success.org/programsmentoring-and-support/red-scarf-project/
Frugal knitting & crocheting tip: Finer yarn is more frugal.
Natural materials, especially wool, is sold roughly by weight. So a fine yarn with many yards per ball will be very roughly the same price as a thicker yarn with fewer yards per ball, so you end up needing more balls of yarn. My Very Gorgeous yarn was $25/ball[1] but I need only 3 and a bit more[2]. A thicker version was the same price but 20-25% fewer yards per ball so I’d need 4-5 balls.
[1] This is not an unreasonable price for good quality, hand dyed 100% wool.
[2] Still need to scrounge up something for the “bit more”.
@WilliamB, what a great charity to support!
I went to the Amazon Fresh nearest my hometown today with the purpose of getting $10 off of $40 in purchases because of returning an item bought online. Like you, Kristen, I was disappointed. I expected better variety because, hey you can get anything through Amazon, right?!
Prices weren't that great; several things I was looking for were out of stock (but alternatives available at a higher price). I didn't look at the produce, which may have been the best deal... maybe.
The carts were weird - there were 3 different kinds. An employee pointed us to the orange smaller cart as opposed to the green one, but she was too rushed for me to ask why. There was also a huge green cart with what looked like a computer screen on it.
I ended up saving $2 but the aggravation was much more than that.
However, my church's food pantry now gets most of its staples from amazon and we feed a lot of people. It seems, there are special sales prices for certain items and if you know what they are, you can clean up. I'll go back to Aldi and leave Amazon Fresh for the pro's.
I did find some of their produce prices to be good! I got a big container of grape tomatoes, a 2 pound container of strawberries, and a big container of blackberries.
@Book Club Elaine, I *think* the computer/cart lets you skip the checkout line. You log in/enter your credit card/something; then put your food in the cart or scan the food or something.
I didn't pay too much attention the one time I went to an Amazon Fresh because I'm convinced there will be some kind of mistake and I'll have 3x the hassle getting it undone than I saved by skipping the line.
@Kristen, how do you find the quality of strawberries that are not in season for your area? I got so disappointed with out of season (full disclosure, I grow my own), even Driscoll's that I just won't buy them in the produce section. Driscoll's are the only brand available in my area that rarely have hollow berries (ick, ick, ick).
It really depends on the week, honestly. Sometimes they're great, as was the case with the berries last week! But of course none are as good as home grown.
My Ffts:
I froze 4 very ripe bananas for smoothies and or banana bread.
I saved foil that was clean after I used it to cover a casserole so I can ball it up to clean off the grill. It's much safer than using one of those grill brushes.
While looking in my closet for clothes for an upcoming trip, I ran across a long duster I'd bought a while back. I was never comfortable wearing it because it was slit way up the sides and seemed hard to style. I used my sewing machine and sewed up the sides. Now I might be more apt to wear it. If not, I'll give it away. And I found a few shirts I no longer wear that I'm going to give to a friend.
I had planned to have baked chicken legs and thighs one night for dinner but realized I only had a bag of legs. I was going to buy a pkg. of thighs at Kroger for full price, ($1.89 lb) and then saw another local store was going to have leg quarters on sale for $0.79 a lb. (sold in a 10 lb bag,) starting the next day. So I waited and purchased the leg quarters on sale and delayed our legs and thighs meal for a day. This saved at least $11. And I'll make chicken broth from the back pieces I cut off when I cut the quarter pieces apart.
I used some frozen, cooked navy beans instead of opening a can for a pork chop skillet dinner. I just thawed them and added a little water.
I used my glue gun to make two bead-like spacers on a craft project where I was unable to use a bead or other option.
Kristin-that is CRAZY that you accidentally got a loan that showed up as a credit. It would be great if Financial Aid used different words for LOANS and scholarships/actual aid. I am glad you noticed it and can pay it back before interest accrued. Yikes-I have 2 kids currently in college and just finished a Certificate program myself. I need to go check our BARC accounts!!
It originally appeared as a refund to me, but then I called and got the loan cancelled, which created a debt on my student account. I used the refund to pay that amount back and now we are all cleared up!
I signed up for local food bank, and have a weekly day I’ll be getting items.
Signed up for reduced fare transit locally, which I’ll only qualify for for about a month, but every bit helps.
Got a job!! Have meal planned for snacks and lunches for first 2 weeks.
Using fabric scraps from church to make a few Christmas gifts this year
Congrats on the job!!
Late but I still wanted to post!
1. I found a dime in a parking lot.
2. I sold one of our 4 old phones for $13 through EcoATM which was in the lobby of Walmart. The other three just need to be charged enough for the system to recognize them, which I can do the next time I’m headed that way. It wasn’t much money, but this was a really old phone, and at least this way it can be recycled versus causing pollution in a landfill.
3. Our water softener stopped working suddenly. DH and our DS aged 3.5 tore everything apart and found there was one part that had broken. After ordering it online for $30, it is now fixed. I’m proud of him! I would have called a repair person.
4. I received my flu shot for free as I am a PRN (as needed) employee of a local health system. I’ll get an additional $25 in health rewards money, too.
5. I swished the last bit of honey out of a jar with warm water that needed to go in a recipe. I also managed to finish the last of the frozen coconut in my morning steel cut oats. I’m working on using up odds and ends and avoiding food waste when possible.
6. I had a free coffee from the local convenience store, which I picked up before I worked an extra shift.
7. DH is a government employee who is furloughed without pay. He will either receive back pay when the government starts back up, or he will be fired as part of the threatened mass firings. Either way we will try to be more frugal in the meanwhile, which includes keeping the kids home from daycare as he can do some of the childcare.