Five Frugal Things | adding to the Converse collection
1. I fixed up my eBay Converse
I bought a blue pair on eBay a few weeks ago; they were a good price, but they were a little dirty and they didn't come with laces.
I used Aldi's version of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean up the white rubber parts of the shoes.
And I ordered a replacement pair of laces.
So now I have a pretty new-looking pair of shoes for less than half the price of a new pair.
Once you know your size, eBay is an awesome place to buy Converse. 10/10.
2. I went to Aldi, not Safeway
I needed some ingredients for dinner last night, and I allllmost gave in to the temptation to go to Safeway, which is the closest grocery store.
But then I punched the addresses for both Safeway and Aldi into Google Maps, and apparently, Aldi is only six minutes further away.
I decided an extra six minutes (and the bit of extra gas) was worth the vast savings I would find at Aldi.
Safeway is convenient, but it is also stupid-expensive.
3. I used GetUpside again
I think I am still on the introductory rate plan, because when I filled up this week, I had another pretty good offer in there; it was about $0.15 cheaper than Royal Farms, which is where I usually fill up (I used GasBuddy to check!).
And this gas station is practically right next door to the Royal Farms anyway, so it's not like I'm driving any extra to get gas; I just filled up when I was in the area.
Also: I did indeed get $7 back in my app after my first fill-up. It just took a day or two to appear.
If you are new to Get Upside, you can use this link or offer code 97N2J to get an extra $0.15/gallon discount (and I think I get the same discount too.)
4. I used up some naan to make lunch pizzas
I was looking around for something to make for lunch, and I remembered that I had a few leftover naans in the freezer that needed to be used.
(Now that I don't have a chest freezer, I am forced to be quicker about using things up in my kitchen freezer, or they'll get freezer-burnt.)
So, I made a few naan pizzas for the two of us, and now my freezer is a little emptier. Yay!
5. I...
- made a menu plan
- customized my Hungry Harvest box so I wouldn't get things I don't need
- walked to class yesterday instead of driving
- used my $10 CVS Carepass before it expired
my FFT this week -
-I skipped greengrocery shopping for a week, to use up everything in the fridge drawer;
-We went to a fair, but did not buy food there. We had "15 min carbonara" upon our return;
-We stored our garden furniture in the garage until next summer;
-I borrowed a stack of books from the library;
-We only use heating in the evenings, although it is pretty cold for the time of year. I've started wearing my woolen sweaters already, because my desk work will not keep me warm.
—The tiny thrift store in the next town over is proving a good hunting ground every few weeks. My latest jaunt provided $3 (much-needed) jeans for my husband and a $7 queen size fuzzy blanket for snuggling on the couch.
—I recaulked two windows using caulk we already had. I snipped the corner off a piece of scrap cardboard and used the tiny slanted edge for smoothing out said caulk neatly vs. making a mess using my finger.
—Despite last month being AC-heavy, our electric bill was only $57 again. I love our little house. 🙂
—I reorganized my office storage closet, freeing up a large square basket. Said basket joined a $6 Goodwill grab-bag of office folders (over 30 folders, easily) to further/better sort our important records and papers. The previous folders were falling apart from use and/or were stuffed with related categories (I.e. the cats shared a folder for vet records vs. each having their own). It’s part of my ongoing “If I were hit by a bus tomorrow” quest to organize things so that they make sense to someone besides me. 😛 There are A LOT of medical and insurance records that are hopefully more user-friendly now.
—Thanks to our neighbors’ generosity, we’re swimming in free garden tomatoes. I don’t mind in the least, as homemade tomato soup is one of my favorite things, no matter the season.
Yes, a small house provides advantages like that in so many ways...cheaper to heat, cheaper to cool, less to maintain, and so on!
@N, I really need a good homemade tomato soup recipe, if you care to share. 🙂
@N, Yes to little houses! We downsized from over 2000 sq feet to 1600 sq feet (and we have six people here), and according to my husband we did it just in time, before the electricity rate hike. Despite the 50% increase in electricity costs, we're not paying any more than at the old place. Really looking forward to seeing what our heating costs will be this winter, in a weird way. 😀
@Karen., Absolutely! It’s another gem from BudgetBytes: https://www.budgetbytes.com/garden-tomato-soup/ I normally skip the carrots, use a handful rice in place of bread if we’re out of the latter, throw in a bit of red pepper, and a touch of heavy cream at the very end after I’ve immersion-blended the soup. I’ve only made it in the crock pot (four hours on high) so I can tell you it converts just fine!
@Karen., I forgot to mention skipping the celery, too. I’m happy to use carrots and celery if I have them on hand, but the soup manages just fine without.
@N, thank you!!
@Karen A., Love my 1200 sq foot house. Three bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen, living room, half finished basement with other side being laundry room and wood shop.
1. I finally used Flash Foods and bought a box of produce for $5. There were about thirty pieces of produce including citrus, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, avocados, apples, and stone fruits. Everything so far has been edible.
2. My husband noticed some curbside giveaways while he was walking over the weekend. They were still there yesterday so I swung by on my way home from an appointment and picked up rounded concrete blocks and some pots.
3. My daughter and I visited my sister and her family over the weekend. We stayed with them and on Saturday attended a football game. Since it was college D-3 football the tickets were inexpensive and the seats were great. We packed snacks for the trip, drank airlines beverages, got a ride to/from our local airport, and rented a small cheap car to get to our destination.
We ate lunch at Culver's and I redeemed ten Scoopie Tokens for a free kids meal and filled out the receipt survey to earn a free scoop of frozen custard. They have wonderful frozen custard. 10/10
4. An appointment yesterday was near Aldi so I stopped in to buy a few items including winter squash and pears on sale.
5. I ordered hiking stick tip covers from eBay since we were missing one. The package contained two tip covers so now the challenge is to figure out where to store the extra.
@K D,
I'm away for the month, but I used FlashFoods the week before I left to get a great deal on ground pork to stash in the freezer! For those who want to try it: this code will get you $8 off your first order if it is over $10: BETH3WPYM
@K D,
I love FlashFoods! I have bought those $5 mixed produce boxes several times, and it's always been a great deal.
@K D, if I'm ever in Wisconsin I plan on visiting Culvers and Menards.
@Battra92,
We have also eaten at Culver's in MN and IA as well. Menard's is also in IA, they have an enormous store in my hometown but they are headquartered in Eau Claire WI.
@Battra92,
We have both Culver's and Menards in SW Ohio, too.
1) Altho we got delivery, I made a large salad to go with the pizza (which made for a more nutritious meal AND saved $$$ not adding salad to the order) Besides I HATE paying for simple stuff I can put together easily.
2) I started lavender from clippings (rather than buying plants) I have started three HUGE lavender plants from clippings--
3) After washing!!!! I mended a tricky LARGE hole in a down comforter (rather than buying a new one) Don't ask but rats chewed into the comforter when it was stored)
4) Made my own enchilada sauce from scratch (SO easy and much cheaper than canned)
5) rather than pulling them out? I am babying and extending the life of my last lingering tomato plants (I would LOVE to harvest the last five tomatoes and the one lone cucumber before there is danger of frost)
What do you use your lavender for?
@Millicent, can you share enchilada sauce recipe?
@Constance, Not Millicent but I love this one.
https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/make-ahead-chicken-enchiladas-with-red-sauce/
@Millicent,
How do you start lavender from clippings? I have a lavender pant in my garden, but would love to propagate more. Thanks!
Not frugal related but where are your denim shorts from in your picture??
I got them from Old Navy this summer. I tried Target first, but all of their shorts were the style with a tiny waist and then huge baggy legs...I looked so ridiculous. I think maybe they are designed for people who are more hourglass-shaped?
The Old Navy ones fit me way better.
@Kristen,
Thank you! I’ll look there!
Good job on the naan! We are now empty nesters and are trying to do a freezer clean out. I’ve had some interesting lunches but we are starting to see some empty spots!
5FT college visit edition:
1. Went for family weekend visit for freshman but were late to make hotel resy. Used college’s corporate rate to save $100/night.
2. Drove the 8 hours each way to said college to avoid airfare + car rental.
3. Really didn’t feel like cooking after a stressful work day post-travel. Bought a rotisserie chicken and made easy sides. Much less $$ than take out.
4. Stocked the freshman up on snacks from grocery store and brought her drinks from Costco so she doesn’t pay the convenience store prices on campus.
5. Didn’t register for the campus package b/c it mostly involved food she can’t eat and football she doesn’t watch. We spent money on things she would enjoy instead.
It was a lovely weekend and good to see in person that she’s doing well. The hugs were priceless.
@Susan, Sounds really nice!
@Susan, what a lovely weekend- I'm sure your daughter loved having time with you!
I love Aldi❤️ I also love converse. I wish I could wear them. I have very high arches and they make my feet hurt something fierce. But they are soooo cute!!!
A weird thing: I have super-duper high arches. But somehow Converse are fine.
Do you wear shoes with extra high arch support? I just always go without arch support because the supports are never high enough to touch my arches!
@Kristen, That's so weird! I have high arches and Converse kill my feet. They're so cute though so I hate not wearing them. But I value comfort over all. I'm glad they work for you 🙂
@Lindsay, Ha, I was once at a Hamptons party with Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd bassist, and I said, "Mr. Waters, you always wear black Converse." (He does.) He said, "They work for me."
@Kristen, I have very high arches too, and wide feet. I have a custom orthotic arch that fits into my shoes. The podiatrist who prescribed it told me I needed shoes with stiff soles, so I have learned to shop smarter for shoes that fit my width and the arch support. It makes a huge difference in stamina. Your nursing training might offer you some additional info, but you will be glad you paid good attention to your feet. You need them!
@Rose,
Oh, man! Super envious of getting to meet Roger Waters!!
treat yourself you deserve it. they look fabulous. wear them in good health.
We are having our windows replaced this week. On one hand, that is not frugal because it's very expensive, but on the other hand, our current windows are from 1948, so these will be much more energy efficient which is frugal. Also, we saved money over the years to pay for these, so we aren't accumulating debt.
We had several large and celebratory meals with family and friends to observe Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and are now enjoying all the good leftovers.
Ann, Shana Tova!
For my sabbatical, my partner and I are abroad for the month.
1. Airline lost our luggage for 9 days! We were entitled for reimbursement for replacements & I bought a pair of sneakers that I have been wanting (Superga: sorry, Converse fans!), and a new pair of jeans. My jeans that I packed are getting well worn in the usual areas, and I know that I will need to replace them sooner rather than later.
2. Shopping daily at the local fresh produce market, which I LOVE (in Ljubjlana, Slovenia) it is so much cheaper than the farmer's market at home.
3. We are mostly cooking and eating at our Airbnb rather than eating out, and saving eating out for special restaurants, etc.
4. We are staying at the same place where we've stayed several times now. We discussed directly with the owner (as it has been 4 times now, that we've stayed at her apartment) that we both feel comfortable booking directly with her, saving us both some $$.
5. We found the local Hofer/Aldi here to supplement our farmer's market produce/cheese/meat/bread purchases
@BettafrmdaVille,
I was able to visit Ljubjlana on an Adriatic tour about 10 years ago and was enchanted - what a lovely city! And I know the produce market - beautiful veg! Enjoy your stay.
1) A pair of pants I wear often for gardening, etc. developed a tear at the corner of the back pocket where I keep my phone. I put an iron-on patch on the wrong side, and then hand-stitched over the tear. I’m sure they’re ready for another year or two of outside chores.
2) We’ve been feeding our flock of 10 chickens vegetable and fruit scraps this summer to supplement their purchased feed consumption.
3) We’ve planted extra greens in our fall garden so we can continue to supplement their feed in the winter.
4) We finished up a chicken and rice casserole I made a few days ago. If we like something enough to make it, it doesn’t bother us to keep eating leftovers until it’s gone. (Sometimes I freeze the last few portions.)
5) We’re picking up apples that drop from our trees and have canned enough applesauce for us. We’re now making apple juice to keep in the fridge for drinking.
1. I used a North Face $10 off coupon to buy my teenage son two long sleeve shirts, both already on sale, with free shipping. He likes name brand clothing, and I learned (the hard way!) I’m better to buy what he wants to wear, instead of trying to force him to wear something he doesn’t want to wear!
2. I plan to make a trip to Kroger today to use up the monthly coupons they sent me! One is for a free box of Frosted Flakes, which I love! Not all will get used, but most are a good deal (such as money off produce and coffee!). I drive by it on my way home, so it’s worth it to run in and use them before they expire!
3. I played my Circle K game online and won a free coffee! I also used my discount card they gave me for September to get $0.20 off a gallon (for the whole month). It’s expires on the 30th, so I filled up today and we will see what the end of week brings!
4. My car had an alarm go off letting me know I was low on coolant. I stopped by the dealership who topped it off with no charge. I also bought a container of coolant to have on hand, just in case! $28 may not be frugal, but it will save me an unexpected trip if it runs low again!
5. The county fair was last week and I wanted to go. However both my kids showed little to no enthusiasm about going - so I stayed home instead! I’m sure that easily saved me $50-60 by not attending!
6. BONUS - My Verizon wireless plan has free iTunes included, something I was already paying for FOR YEARS now. Apparently after 11/30 that deal is no longer good, and I had already been meaning to figure out how to switch it over for two months. I finally sat down, read the instructions, and switched it over in about five minutes! No more bill for $10.69 a month - YAY! And my bill was no different than before when I didn’t have it included - SO GOOD DEAL! If you have the same plan, and you haven’t switched yet - GET ON IT! It won’t last forever!
And how was YOUR week?!??
@Michaela, so very true about teenagers and clothes. It is not frugal to buy something they won’t wear and truly not worth the strife! My kids would rather have less clothes than a lot they don’t love which is really what we should be going for anyway!
@Susan, the same goes for food too with my son. He ONLY eats Dave’s Killer Bread, and he sees himself as a health nut LOL. I have to buy that bread, or he will just forego eating bread - until I get it again! So Dave’s it is! I also let him get away with this because he is autistic, very high functioning mind you - but he’s just a little more sensitive. It’s easier to let him make his decisions on what he wants, so he gets exactly what he wants, and in the process I don’t buy him anything he won’t use! Over winter he saw Hoka’s were good shoes (I had bought myself a pair, and was watching lots of podiatry videos on YouTube!) and he wanted a pair too. So I signed up for their emails, and when they went on sale - I helped him pick out a pair. Now he proudly wears his Hoka’s to walk to school and back! I’m just trying to teach him to watch for sales, and to be to mindful of EXACTLY what he wants, and the cost of it! You can have it all, if you’re smart about it!
Question. Why do things get freezer burnt more quickly in the fridge freezer? I hadn't thought about that, but I'm considering it now...
@Sarah C., it's the frost-free feature. To prevent frost, it actually goes through a daily cycle where it warms up and dehumidifies, and then cools back to freezing temps. That heat-refreeze cycle causes freezer burn quickly.
Yup! That's precisely the problem.
@Karen., Thanks for the info! I honestly did not know that. I had some bagels to get freezer burned upstairs and it made me doubt my bread in my deep freezer. I won't count my deep frozen bread out!
I think I can come up with 5…. (I shared this over at the Nonconsumer Advocate yesterday.....
1. Our dryer quit working and Hubby took it apart and ordered a part for $11 and put it back together and it’s working again. He also found $1.33 in change inside after taking it apart. Put that in the change jar.
2. Hubby had bought a gun raffle ticket for $50 which is quite pricey, but they also had more expensive guns, etc on the ticket. He ended up winning a $600 crossbow. I’m glad he more than recouped his $.
3. My daughter’s boyfriend brought us some tomatoes from his co-worker which I washed and froze for future meals.
4. I cashed in on $10 rewards from fetch that I redeemed to use on an Amazon purchase.
5. I went to a garage sale with my daughter this past weekend and it was $5/bag. We got a ton of children’s books for her future classroom (she’s a senior in college going for teaching), some craft items she can use, and I got 2 packs of envelopes, a package of note cards, a pair of denim sneakers, a pair of black sneakers (both pair of shoes were washed and look like brand new) and a bingo game. We scored.
Bonus: I received a refund check from insurance company for an overpayment. Glad to get $ in the mail!!
1) Last week my company celebrated our 20th anniversary with a big party after work. They encouraged us to take home any leftovers we wanted so we used the leftover taco meat to make tacos and burritos over the weekend
2) Also snagged sliced vegetables leftover from the party that I had with hummus for lunch
3) Made muffins to use up a sad lonely sweet potato
4) Canceled the trial subscription to Fubo. We're trying to cut the cord so we're trying out different streaming services for live TV to see what will work best for us.
5) Made menu plan around what we had in the freezer and pantry so I only had to do a small grocery run. Made a huge pot of taco soup and shared it with our son so he could work on finishing his class and not worry about dinner.
1) Filled the car w gas this a.m. in the town where I work. Their Casey's has it $.05 cheaper than in the town where I live. (Twelve miles away.) Headlines are talking about "higher prices."
2) Finally used up the leeks I got in last MisFits box, along w some potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower in a hearty soup. Also used up the last bit of some melty cheese and last bit of some chicken broth.
3) Shopped at Aldi yesterday on the way home after church instead of making a special trip. Did do a little impulse buying but hadn't been to the grocery store for anything other than milk for a month. Or anywhere else for that matter. And still only spent about $30.
4) Still eating fresh tomatoes from my garden.
5) Saving money on gas for mowing. The heat burned most of the grass. We did get some much needed rain this week but grass/weeds are not catching up.
1. Refreshed most of last week's worn-to-work clothes with a short fluff on low in the dryer instead of washing them. This gets out the wrinkles and pet hair. I work in an office, so my work clothes are almost always good for a second wear.
2. So glad I looked through the music CDs at the small Goodwill near my house. Found one I'd wanted for years but balked at the $21 price tag when it was new. $1.99 is much nicer!
3. Cleaned out another abandoned office at work (one that had been used for storage for a few years) and brought home three clear plastic shoe boxes with lids and forty full-sized bars of unwrapped new bath soap. The soap had a plastic wrapper that had torn, so no one wanted it, even though it was stored in a clean and dry closet. My family is not squeamish, so we're set for bath soap for quite a while.
4. Have the next four e-books in a series to read for free on the Libby app.
5. Doing all the daily usual: packing a home-cooked lunch to work, rocking the head-to-toe thrifted outfits, driving my 12-year-old gas-sipping car like it's an egg, and annoying my family by being the utility use police around the house. 😀
Made a thank you card and birthday card with watercolor and card stock instead of buying one at the store.
Foraged some shrimp of the woods mushrooms and put them in stir fry.
Trimmed my own bangs instead of going to the salon.
Foraged a ton of maitake mushrooms and honey mushrooms. Made creamy mushroom pasta, mushrooms, mushroom omelettes, bibimbap with mushrooms, and dried a bunch for later.
Made a birthday cake from scratch at home instead of buying one at the store for the boys’ birthday party.
1. Enjoyed watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD with my kids. The DVD collection was a birthday gift from my wonderful husband, and watching something at home, with our own snacks, is always preferable to going out somewhere! Plus I get to introduce them to one of my favorite shows of all time. I snagged a 99 cent Kindle Next Generation book as well, and have been enjoying that.
2. Got some books at the library for my kids' school, using my educator card. By using the educator card I get a longer borrowing time--less time driving to return books, less worrying about fines.
3. The gorgeous weather we're having meant we had the windows wide open and no A/C or heat on for two days in a row (we do have the furnace on for the chilly nights). Fresh air in the house!
4. Used up odds and ends from the fridge and freezer for lunch and dinner yesterday, and leftovers as well.
5. I can't think of another thing. We continue to avoid eating out, unnecessary spending, and paying for entertainment (aside from our Prime and Disney + subscriptions).
@Karen A.,
I love star trek TNG! What a fun time with your family.
@Vicky Mac, The boys completely lost their composure during the first episode with the Ferengi ("The Last Outpost"). I believe my oldest said something like, "They're trying to act menacing, but it just looks like interpretive dance," and we were off and couldn't stop laughing and imitating them. They do *like* the show, but we can't help snarking when it's completely silly. They were equally appreciative of the Original Series, of course, but there's something so goofy and earnest about the first season of TNG.
@Karen A., My parents, particularly my mother, were original superfans of the Original Series, and if you ask my mom today about it you will get a long screed about how it was ridiculous for the series to be canceled because everyone watched it etc.
So I grew up reverently watching it practically every day in reruns. Then I went to college. My boyfriend's college (Yale) had a giant TV where TOS were shown daily. I watched with him and then was paralyzed with shock and dismay when Yalies started snarking about the show. Whoops, some redshirts were killed! It's Miller Time! etc. My attitude was YOU CAN'T MAKE FUN OF STAR TREK!!!
Of course, still love watching with my kids, but now snark myself. "Oh look, Kirk and Spock have beamed down into a Spirit Halloween store...." Heh.
This not a frugal post today, so bear with me. Ds graduated college last summer and moved to Tampa for work. He is staying there instead of evacuating Hurricane Ian and while I know he is old enough to make that decision, as a mama, I'm scared for him. If you could, take a moment and say a prayer of protection for him or just send a kind thought. He has taken every measure we could think of and done a few more so its all over but the waiting.
For anyone else in FL or anyone who will be affected in some way, my most sincere prayers will be with you and yours. Oh, and for those who were hit by Fiona, especially in Canada, I'm still thinking of y'all.
Hugs and prayers coming your way.
@Jennifer, Good thoughts and prayers for your boy and the city.
@Jennifer, my undergraduate alma mater in Sarasota has canceled class for the rest of the week and encouraged (though not required) the students to evacuate. Sending my good thoughts to all who will be affected by Ian and all who have already been affected by Fiona--as well as everyone on the India/Pakistan/Bangladesh subcontinent who has been affected by extreme weather.
@Jennifer, Praying for your boy right now
*Eating from home with little snacking has frugal benefits
*Cancelling our 4-day roadtrip due to illness is money saved
*returning cans and bottles for more cash toward groceries
*used up cvs reward $
*shopping only from a list-no impulse shopping for groceries at all has lowered our monthly grocery bill significantly
*one weeks worth of gas commuting saved once again due to being sick in bed all week
*working 2 extra hours this coming week will bump my pay next paycheck
*drinking less coffee and making it at home has been a real savings
You folks are really inspiring me to up my frugal living!!
So I had a whole list typed up and my phone went bonkers. I hate when that happens!
As for the Converse, very nice! I don't have much luck on the secondhand side for shoes so I just keep some deal alerts set up in Slickdeals and such. Often times I can get a pair of classic style sneakers (Converse, Vans, PF Flyers etc.) for less than the cost on eBay with shipping. You just have to be willing to try a lot of colors.
Speaking of ...
1.) Since my Converse were mostly down to the bare rubber on the bottom, I have been slowly rebuilding my shoe wardrobe. I got myself another pair of Vans which, if they are nice when they come in, will bring my total number of shoes to 3. I really need to get rid of most of the Converse. Sadly, there is no Nike store nearby anymore so I'm not sure how to recycle shoes anymore.
2.) I picked up some media at the thrift store for $0.50 each as they were clearing out a lot of stuff. Usually it's about $2 per item (CD, DVD etc.) Even at $2 it's still a pretty good price if it's something you will watch and/or listen to. I feel like CDs get neglected but there's a lot of good stuff out there to listen to (I'm not a streamer.)
3.) Eating out of the freezer. It's partly to save money but also partly because some of that stuff has been in there for a long time and just needs to get cooked and eaten.
4.) Used a gift card at Red Robin. The next time we go it will be for our free birthday burgers.
5.) Mostly just doing the usual stuff: cooking at home, working overtime, buying very little outside of needs etc.
You look great in your Converse! Let's not talk about how many Toms and Vans I have, okay?
1. There is very few fleamarkets up here but there is one annually that is about an hour drive on a very bad road. Went with a friend and her kids when she was planning on visiting her dad. Found old Christmas textiles to sew reusable giftbags, plus an umbrella, a nice wool cardigan and a cowl for myself. I’m making a boucherouite rug so since there was a fixed price for a bag of clothes, I took some colorful t-shirts as well for my rug.
2. Made muffins with the currants my MIL picked when they were visiting. She had handpicked one and one so it seamed a waste of all that work to use them to make currant jelly as then I just cut of whole stems and strain it afterwards. The muffins was delicious so now I know that I can use currant to baking (and it will actually get eaten).
3. Finally got a TGTG bag at the local grocer. They are crazy popular and sells out the minute they are available in the app. And reading Kristen’s number 3, I thought to check the app if there was any at the gas station. And the grocer had added two more for sale! Crossing my fingers that they’re good.
3. We’ve had an old travel chest (they are funnily called America suitcase directly translated) filled with toys for when our friends with kids were visiting. Now there is only one little girl in our circle of friends and I haven’t seen her in ages since her mother bought a horse 😀 So I’ve started selling the toys and got my first sale already. $30 in my pocket and a local pick-up so no need to go to the post office yet.
4. Went back to the fleamarket. My partner went hunting in the same area, so I took the bus up and waited on him so we could drive back together. Now in retrospect I realise I spent two hours on a bus with small kids, two hours at the fleamarket, two hours waiting and an hour driving back. Oh well, a year until next time. And I got home with some really nice findings. And a lot of jersey clothing for my rug.
5. First year setting potatoes, have started harvesting and preparing the garden for winter. Have over a hundred cuttings from my strawberry plants. So in two years we’ll hopefully be self sufficient. They are really the best up here, perhaps because of the midnight sun and the long time they use to grow.
-Used up a bunch of stuff from our freezer, including a mini curry for myself, when I was home alone for lunch
-Volunteered at a soccer tournament on Saturday evening, saving $100 off of club fees for the kids
-Used up the last of a bunch of fridge items to make scrappy meals, several days. Most with eggs! 😉
-Sold a vintage ski hat on eBay
-Went through my eBay pile, gave away a bunch on Buy Nothing, donating the rest. Having a cleaned up area makes everything easier.
-Thought about canceling a workout class at the last minute (you have to pay, if you don't have 8+ hours notice), & decided to suck it up. Went, & felt amazing afterward. So happy I convinced myself. It started as a frugal choice, but ended up making me feel happy & healthy. Double win! Arranged carpools, took advantage of free workout class/car charging/meals at work, etc.
I have not had a frugal week!
(1) Drove around all weekend with an almost-empty gas tank waiting to find gas cheaper than $3.87/gallon. Had to finally buy gas on Monday for $3.89.
(2) Discovered that I have entered the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole and had to pay $153.00 for a prescription rather than my normal co-pay of $40. I knew it was coming but could not get good information about what the cost would be. Went to the drug company's website to apply for assistance but discovered their income limit for a single person is only $14,000. Thankful I have more income than that.
(3) When the pandemic first sent us all home I ordered three sweatshirts from a company I shall not name (NB they were expensive!). I wore them on rotation through almost three winters, and when I took them out this year they were too terrible to wear any longer, so they were cut into rags (frugal). Therefore it cost over $30 per winter per sweatshirt (NOT frugal). I have Patagonia clothing I've owned and worn for 20 years, I expected these to last similarly!
(4) I went to an estate sale on the first full-price day and not during the last half-price afternoon. I only spent $43 but had a hard time judging prices -- when I looked at the tags (at full price) I automatically thought of them as half-price out of habit.
(5) I haven't canceled any of my streaming services yet. I'm procrastinating until fall program schedules are announced. I have to cancel before October 1st payments are automatically charged, but I'm taking a risk.
Sometimes you win, and sometimes it's a disaster!
@Jean,
Don't give up on medication assistance. There are patient foundations (not the manufacturer programs) that will help, although the one I now use refused me at first. I had to submit a second form to them that said, basically, I swear I cannot afford this medication, then I finally got accepted. If you are on Medicare, you can't use the manufacturer's assistance program anyway, but you can contact the manufacturer and ask for patient assistance foundations that help people on Medicare. The drug manufacturer's program rep gave me the list of phone numbers of different foundations to try once I got on Medicare. It's worth a try.
There is also this place. I have not used it but friends have and are very happy.
https://costplusdrugs.com/
@Jean, I'm with JD, don't give up on medical assistance. Have you talked to your doctor's secretary or billing clerk? I once had to get a drug that would have cost thousands out of pocket because the insurance company refused to cover it---if I stayed in the hospital for three months while they administered it, the insurance would pay but if I self-administered at home they would not. The doctor's clerk happened to be walking by and heard me practically in tears (I was pretty ill so cried over everything). The drug is manufactured by Nestle (yes, as in the chocolate company). She wrote them a letter and explained how ill I was and how I could not afford the drug back then and that staying in the hospital would not be helpful to my mental health. About two weeks later, here comes the postman with 12 huge boxes of the stuff, all because of the letter she sent. Nestle never talked to me, they just sent it; the shipping alone to Alaska must have been horrific. All of which is to say, sometimes the clerical people are the biggest help.
@JD, thank you. A little research will go a long way!
I just have to wonder why someone would sell shoes with dirt on them. How hard would it be to clean them up first? The shoes are cute now, though!
1. Well, since Ian has been, until today, practically drawing a bee-line over my house, I've been preparing frugally by getting all my water containers ready (I'm on a well) and filling gallon bags with ice from the ice maker in my refrigerator and fitting them in the gaps in my freezer and refrigerator freezer. I already had PB powder, tuna, home-canned stew, dried fruit, dried veggies, powdered coconut milk and gluten-free bread in my pantry. I made a fresh batch of kombucha, which doesn't need refrigeration. I had bought a camp stove with extra propane with a gift card a year or so ago, so I can heat water and cook (outside, of course). I have two handed-down oil lamps plus extra oil, two gifted-to-me battery powered lanterns, plus batteries and matches. Since my generator quit, I'm doing what I can to be ready to get along without any power, just in case.
The facility where my husband is has back up generators and evacuation plans, which I hope they don't need!
Stay safe, my fellow Floridians.
2. I have an account at Capital One and I've been using their rewards program when shopping online. I just earned enough for a $25 gift card, which I redeemed this week.
3. I noticed a tiny slit starting in a fitted sheet. I'd already replaced the elastic in that sheet. I machine-stitched up the slit, and it is good to go again.
4. I accepted a nice table lamp from my daughter. I have just the spot for it.
5. And this isn't frugal in itself, but after going back and forth for almost a year, I've decided to adopt another dog so my dog won't be all alone so much of the day. He's a rescue who was very badly mistreated by his original family, but is amazingly sweet even so. My daughter loaned me a crate since his foster caregiver crate-trained him, and I already had enough food bowls and water bowls. He is thoroughly enjoying the doggy toys we already have. He came heartworm negative and is neutered, so I'll just have the "routine upkeep" of vaccines and heartworm preventative for him.
@JD, When I sell things locally that are a mess to clean up, like one of our chicken coops, I say something like, "$500 if I have to clean it up, but $400 if you take it as is." I have never had someone pay the higher price. I sold a BBQ that way, too, and a motorcycle frame designed to carry your golf clubs so you can cruise to the golf course on your Harley. The latter was pretty scratched up so I said I would clean and paint it or the buyer could for $125 less. I had no ide there were so many Harley people who like to golf!
@JD, bless you for No. 5.
@JD, I went to yard sale to buy 2inch white blinds for my windows. They were very reasonably priced. The woman said to me they are dirty but at this price I am not going to clean them.
I told her I understood and cleaned them myself which I preferred since now I knew they were cleaned the way I wanted them cleaned.
Safeway is my closest store too. Just a few blocks from home. Most of the time I cave to the convenience and do my shopping there.
My 5 Frugal Things:
1. I reattached a dangling button before it came off my pants.
2. I bought 50# of sugar and a 10# flat of mushrooms (for canning) at a restaurant supply store.
3. I'm caning 15 jars of vegetable soup for warm cozy winter meals.
4. Carrots, onions, potatoes green beans and tomatoes for the soup are all from the backyard garden
5. I bought a 99 cent blouse at St. Vincent's. I will taper the side seams and shorten the sleeves to fit my tastes.
A button on car shifter shattered, dealership would replace free but they want half a day to do it plus they are 30 miles away. Ordered part from amazon for 9 bucks and with youtube video fixed it in 10 minutes.
Stopped in 1/2 of 1/2 name brand clothing and they had 3 racks of johnny was stuff and I had and extra 25% off coupon. Indulged and now have an over $400 beautiful embroidered duster for $50, I want to frame it and hang it on the wall as art...but I want to wear it all the time too.
Omicron this year made my spring allergies so bad I wondered if this fall would be too. Sure enough. Upped my vitamin C & D and probiotics, plus tons of water and its really helped. Plus just protein and non starchy vegetables for a while.
@Tiana, I like Johnny Was. You can often find the brand quite cheap on ebay too. Score!
@Rose, I try not to look for it, I always find something I like. In the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie Jane wore a beige embroidered bathrobe that I always loved and this duster, though machine made, reminds me of that hand made garment.
Haven't you said your daughter is a textile artist?I really admire that medium.
@Tiana, She is. I also embroider but my daughter can literally do anything. She has several shows going on right now, in fact. She also knitted a Shetland lace shawl that took her one month just to spin the yarn, even better than the stuff in textile museums. You name it--she does it.
I collect and have written books about a particular type of embroidery. So I'm an expert in one small corner, but my daughter is truly amazing.
@Rose, It all sounds so beautiful. My mother had mad skills.
Five frugal fails:
1. Sold a pair of shoes on eBay and an antique framed embroidery. The shoes were not really frugal in that I paid way too much for them, they were too big for my daughter, I didn't send them back to England in time for a refund and they sold for $90, much less than I paid. On the other hand, I finally got them out of the house.
2. My freelance payment was inexplicably late this month so several charges bounced, resulting in $30 charges. Whoopee.
3. I threw out some rotting garden produce instead of dropping it at the Little Free Food Pantry while it was fresh.
4. My auto insurance went up because of a speeding ticket my son got.
5. I apparently owe New York State $600 in income tax.
Ya win some, ya lose some.
Just one this week . . .
My dad built me a solar oven and brought it to me this weekend. So now I get to play with it, whee! This is my idea of fun.
I don't expect it will really save me a lot in propane (our cookstove fuel), but it will keep me from heating up my kitchen in the summer. Given that we don't have air conditioning, that is a priceless benefit to my happiness in general. I hate being hot.
@kristin @ going country,
I have thought numerous times about a solar oven - sunshine is pretty easy to find here in Florida, even in winter - but I worry about bugs getting into it when it first starts cooking, especially fire ants. Will you let us know how it works for you?
@JD,
We don't have fire ants around here (thank God!) but we do have plenty (too many!) regular ants and they were never a problem for our solar oven. You could always create a little moat of sorts around it if you're worried.
@Becca,
With the model we have, you basically had to turn the oven every 20 minutes or so to keep the angle of the sun focused, so you would catch any insect issues pretty quickly.
@JD, We definitely do not have the insect life here that you have in Florida, so I never even considered bugs being a problem. The oven heats before you put the food in, though, so I wouldn't think ants would want to be in there at 200 or so degrees. It was only about 80 degrees here today, with a little wind, and still the temperature was around 200 degrees. I don't have an oven thermometer in it, but the rice I put in there was cooked in the amount of time it would take in a slow cooker on low, and that's around 200.
My dad made mine, though, so I don't know how hot commercial models get.
Using it is about as much of a pain as grilling or smoking, because you have to be outdoors to mess with it, but I can see that it will work quite well in the full heat of summer, and any minor annoyance will be mitigated by the fact that I will not be standing in an 85-degree kitchen to cook.
@kristin @ going country,
I can testify that using the solar oven during heat waves is the way to go!
OHHH, this is fascinating. Will there be a blog post about it??
@Kristen, I'm sure I will, but probably not until next summer. We juuuust passed the right weather for it to work really well, and for me to not want the extra cooking heat in my house. I just had to try it out one time (new toy!) before putting it away for the winter, but I am far from an expert with it right now.
1. I checked Ibotta before I headed to WalMart this morning and saw a deal for $10 back on $15 in Oikos yogurt. Yes, please! My family loves yogurt and the price has gone up enough at Aldi that I'm far more open to sales of other brands. I also used a gift card from Ibotta to pay for most of my purchase.
2. For our life group potluck Sunday night I brought FG french bread. It's always a huge hit and costs very little to make 4 loaves. We used 3 and had the leftover loaf last night with some soup I pulled out of the freezer.
3. I saved my birthday money from March for tickets to a comedy show that I just purchased. My favorite comedian is coming to Michigan next month and it was totally worth savings my birthday money for over 6 months so I could buy the tickets.
4. I made Kristen's banana chocolate chip muffins with some past-prime bananas. Big thanks to the person in the Facebook group who shared a picture of theirs to give me the idea. My third grader pulls one out of the freezer everyday for snack now.
5. I am drinking coffee from this morning that I reheated in the microwave.
Frugal fail: I did not take Kristen's advice of "Don't let perfect be the enemy of done" when it came to mailing my nephew's birthday gifts. I waited too long hoping that all 3 kids would make him a card instead of just 1. His birthday is today and I rushed it to the post office this morning without a box. The priority mail box I purchased from the post office was stupid expensive and I've learned my lesson. One of the dumb parts of it all is that I forgot to stick in the card that the one child made. Sigh. I should have just found a random box last week and mailed it instead of being in a rush today.
I used an intro offer from Chewy to save $20 on my first order. We needed some cat stuff.
I used $5 in PetCo rewards this week too.
We shopped around for a kennel to use for one of our cats this week and found what we needed at Walmart for much less than anything else nearby. It took a bit of online research but it was worth it.
We've eaten at home all week and I'm still picking things from the garden.
I like Converse, but have never purchased a pair due to the cost. I will keep a look out on eBay!
1. My husband and I took a nutrition class via Zoom for the past 6 weeks. They paid us $15 each, per class in coupons, for our public market. Our public market has amazing prices on produce and most of it is local. We have been dutifully using some of the coupons weekly. We purchased a large container of cherry tomatoes this week that I have since dehydrated.
2. I have been wanting a pair of short boots to wear in the cold weather. I found a pair I liked, but they are $100. Someone on Buy Nothing posted a similar pair that I picked up for free!
3. I got a Nielson radio survey in the mail. My husband and I have to record what we listen to on the radio for 1 week. We will get paid $25.
4. We are using carrots (in beef stew) and tomatoes (in a Tuscan tofu pasta) from our garden. I also ate some kale from my garden in scrambled eggs. I am using foraged apples in my oatmeal this week.
5. Patched a pair of pants this week and sewed a hole in my son's teddy bear
Fellow Converse lover here....the only answer to your question, Kristen, is NO. 🙂
I snagged a pair of purple sparkly Converse from my Buy Nothing group, and they bring me endless joy.
Do I have FFTs? Hmmm......
1. Made beef barley soup on Sunday, even though I didn't feel like it....having dinner ready for Monday after work is a big help. The recipe called for celery, which I skipped (didn't have any), I used the rest of some baby potatoes that needed to be used up, as well as the last bits of some fancy Italian tomato paste that comes in a tube.
2. Cleaned out my closet, and offered up a pile of clothes and shoes on my Buy Nothing group. Discovered things I haven't worn in a long time. Maybe not so frugal for me, but shoes and clothes not worn by me need to be used by someone else. Seeing my decluttered closet every day makes me feel so good.
3. A friend offered me a watermelon from her garden. Yes, please!
4. Hubby and I had our side yard cleared out...it was an overgrown mess of weeds, tree stumps, and tiny volunteer trees. Not frugal that we paid a local company to clear it, but maybe frugal that no paid work time was lost (we both have bad knees and bad backs, so trying to DIY it would have been painful). Frugal in that we are covering the bare soil with cardboard (brought home free by me from work) to smother any lingering weeds until we decide what to do with this piece of yard.
5. Still taking advantage of the free meals at work (breakfast and lunch). I'm not "taking advantage" in the sense of taking more than I will eat, but grateful that my employer offers this.
I, too, love Converse, but I'm ok having only one pair at a time. I just switch colors when I wear them out. I try to pick up a very discounted pair before the previous one gets holes.
1 - I got another set of Bath & Body Works coupons. I do not need more soap, but I stopped in for the free, no purchase required item when I was next door for something else.
2 - I'm currently turning my last frozen turkey carcass into broth. This plus the initial batch of soup I'll make with it tonight will use up the celery and onions that need to go.
3 - I'm currently making Kristen's potato bread from some leftover mashed potatoes.
4 - I promptly returned a pair of sneakers my son didn't like. Though, I did also order another pair for him to try. His one pair is way overdue for replacing, but he's picky.
5 - I found bigger soccer and baseball cleats for a different son on the basement shelf of hand-me-downs. I truly value keeping that organized as I pull something out every season.
I recently moved in with my sister, who is an avid 'collector' of shelf stable food in case of emergency (think 20+ cans of coconut milk, 20+ cans of tuna). While in principle a good idea- she lived w/o electricity for 2 weeks after a hurricane hit her town years ago- it had gotten a bit out of hand due to no recent natural disasters. I've been meal planning specifically to use up food before it goes bad and this week has included a big pot of lentil soup and tuna salad on lettuce leaves for lunch. Next week is a big pot of curry to use up some coconut milk and rice! Saves food waste and grocery money!
@Mia B., We have over 60 cans of tuna. At one point I got some for 10 cents a can so I stocked up. We eat a lot of tuna chowder during the winter.
@Lindsey, Wow! You definitely surpassed us on tuna! 🙂
It's frugal to be a student : I spend all my ''free'' time reading or studying, therefore I'm not spending money, aha!
Seriously, though :
* I buy my prescription glasses on Zenni Optical. It's incredibly cheap compared to buying at the optometrist! 16 pairs for 335$ canadian, no taxes, shipping included, I use them as fashion accessories too, hence why I have so many of them. And I find them to be at the same quality level that what I'm used to from the optometrist office.
* We have So-Much-Food at home, I'm really focusing on eating what we have before stocking up again. This is always a big challenge for me...
* Got a membership at Costco (not frugal) and got puppy food there for a really good price (frugal)
* I lost a library book that I have to pay for (not frugal), but by using the public library I'm saving soooooo much money (avid reader here!)
* I had a wifi problem with my laptop and got it fixed for 90$ (not frugal), but it's now good as new (frugal, not having to buy a new one)
Nice kicks!
My FFT:
1. Stayed away from the siren song of the grocery store this week.
2. Used a gift card a coworker gave me to buy a bag of coffee to make at home.
3. Did lots of u-picking and organized all my finds so they won't go bad.
4. Chipped the frost off the sides of the big freezer and organized it so we can find all my stock up items easily.
5. Made scrambled eggs to use up some frozen peppers and some annoyingly tiny onions. Made sausages using just half a roll of sausage and other filler ingredients-shredded carrot, diced red pepper, chopped herbs from the farm, an egg and panko crumbs. Tasty, pretty, healthy and cheap! Made an entire box of pancakes and froze the extra for quick breakfasts. Also made hardboiled eggs and overnight oats using random fruit and veg we had on hand. I made all the breakfast foods this weekend!
6. Since I was off yesterday, I made a bunch of money-related phone calls and emails I had been putting off. Most of them will require more calls still, but progress has been made.
1 I hand washed my Brooks...goodness they look almost new again.
2 I skipped grocery shopping this week...we're leaving town midweek so I'm making do & using this week's grocery budget for trip food.
3 I'm using this week's grocery budget for trip food to lower the cost of our vacation. I can do this because I've been able to keep my my pantry topped out.
4 I was given some free stationery (I write a lot of letters) & a nice pair of gym pants
5 I collected garden seeds, mostly flower, some herbs
1) I "elder sat" for a dear friend today while her son had a minor procedure done, and as I was leaving, he told me to take all the apples I wanted. He has a small orchard and had bags and bags of apples in his garage. I took 3 bags, and am very happy! I'll be canning some applesauce soon.
2) Our church is collecting for Thanksgiving baskets for those in need, and I went through my pantry and found quite a number of items on the list. It's nice to have a stocked pantry!
3) My husband brought home 2 cans of ginger ale from a staff function. We rarely buy soda, so it's nice treat.
4) My goal with "shelftember" was to spend less than $100 this month and eat up what we have. I've done very well cleaning out the freezer. I'm at $123 right now, and I don't foresee spending any more, so I'm happy.
5) I signed up for DSC for my hubby. Thanks for posting about it Kristen! He was really needing new razors, so I hope this works out for us.
And on a "not so frugal" note, the check that we got from Hong Kong that was cashed by our bank ended up being "uncashed" and they took the money back. Long story, and a bummer, as not many US banks are playing nice with China/Hong Kong right now--understandably. So now I am trying to find a way to get an international check cashed. Any ideas???
You have inspired me to "document" my frugal habits. Some I've done for so long, I don't even think about it as being frugal, just habitual. However, I often feel like I need to do more to be frugal and/or environmentally wise. So, my beginning of October resolution is to keep a list of frugal/smart things we do. Thanks, Kristen for inspiring me!
And then you can come share them here! So fun.
The Converse are so fun, love them!
Whew, this week was the shake-life-like-a-snowglobe and see what happens next. Had childcare all lined up for the 4 kiddos and was getting ready to head out of town for a short getaway when hubby (who hadn't been feeling great) got a positive Covid test. First official one ever, although 2 family members have antibodies but no recollection of contracting it . So, quarantine instead of a getaway and planning nice meals for 6 with what was on hand for 5+ days. Sooooo....
1. Pumpkin muffins with a cake mix and canned pumpkin (no egg since we used them up for breakfast). Turned out awesome. Also, a chocolate cake was made with mayo subbed for said eggs, super moist and a bit crumbly but still good.
2. Sliced up 49 (not a typo!) free jars of dill pickle spears and added goodies to make our annual sweet/hot Christmas gift pickles. The pre-sliced ones I usually buy have nearly doubled in price this year, so I saved $$$ by using what we had. Also future me is happy that I won't have to think about this closer to Christmas. Listed jars for free on FB and my phone is exploding with folks wanting them. I'm planning to make some of your Frugal Girl grape juice jelly for extra gifts!
3. Not necessarily me but my husband's frugality. He's feeling better and is working on a bathroom renovation during our quarantine. He's handy, but is also great at finding YouTube videos on things he needs to learn, so he's expanded his knowledge a lot over the last 20 years. All we're out is materials (we had them all here already) and the new flooring was free through a company that ships products to consumers to try and give reviews on. We're putting a few of the removed pieces on FB for sale.
4. Was able to clean out a chest freezer and unplug it until needed later. It's an older model so I know it's pulling lots of power.
5. Spent an absolutely delightful afternoon making cute upcycled note cards from destroyed children's books. I find cheap envelopes at thrift stores, have a tub of cardstock and the like from a friend that cleaned out her office, and all I'm out is the adhesive. They make sweet gifts and I love seeing books that were headed to the trash be made into treats that brings smiles.
* Extra win for checking all of the college info postcards that are coming through the mail to my high school senior. Several of them have had codes for waiving the application fee and we're encouraging him to spread a wide net to see what comes up. He can't lose on a free application for college.
1. Fixed the wireless phone package by upgrading to a new program that will allow unlimited data. I have to do an update to get paperless statements and automatic bank withdrawals which in all saved me $40. Daughter was the one going over our 2GB limit.
2. Ate all food from home.
3. Skipped shopping at the drugstores i.e. Walgreens and CVS.
4. Turned off the AC in the house.
5. Filled up car at Costco for $3.29/gal on Friday and then stayed home on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
1. We paid off our house mortgage and are completely debt-free! It felt good to make that last payment and we were able to pay it off in 10 years.
2. Sold a few of toys and games that my kids have outgrown. I had posted them for sale on our local FB group before but no takers. I have found that reposting at different times of the year makes a big difference! Yielded almost $50 and my kid was happy to get almost half of that from his toys.
3. Gave away some other non-saleable items on freecycle and were happy to get them out of the house! Also gave away our kids' plasma car to another family with young kids at our church who should get many more years of play out of it.
4. Bought several baby books in brand-new condition from Goodwill for a friend's baby gift. Made sure I wiped them down first! Used $5 Kohl's cash and a 40% discount to buy an on-sale baby outfit to complete the gift.
5. Used up a bag of overripe tomatoes from the produce discount section, cleaned out and reorganized the fridge and freezer to better use what food we have, hung clothes out to dry, batched errands, cashed out my earnings from Top Cash Back for a visa card and used it to buy printer ink from Amazon, and recycled an old envelope to mail an item to return postage-free.
Not as frugal, but:
-I bought my son a pair of soccer cleats from ebay (not the cheapest available, but the ones he wanted to wear) and the seller took a week before shipping it out. When I sent a polite message to see if he really was going to ship it out by the stated arrival date (otherwise I would need to buy another set of cleats for my son to wear when the season started), he sent it out, it arrived on time and included a pair of new socks!
-Son wanted to buy a book for the upcoming school's author visit. I did, even though it was more expensive than I would have liked because: 1) he normally needs lots of encouragement to read, and it's rare that he'll ask for a book, and 2) it was supporting a local book store instead of the big box chain.
@Debbie,
Congratulations on paying off your mortgage! What an accomplishment!!!
@Debbie, how wonderful to have the mortgage paid! I love being mortgage free, and I am being disciplined about putting that same amount away into a savings account, I have three big expenses coming up including an electric car and a fairly. intense reno-addition on my home. I want to have the money in hand before I start the reno, which means serious scrimping. The pretend 'mortgage' payment is just automatically being pulled out for the savings account, so that means I am fairly quickly going to be able to get to my goal, and every month I am trying to squirrel away more, although THAT account seems to be used for emergency stuff like replacing a hot water heater...
@Ecoteri, keeping the pretend mortgage payment is such a great idea! I'm thinking that we're going to convert that mortgage payment into college savings for my kids.
Facebook Marketplace for my grandchildren Xmas presents. I always fine something they would want and it save me a ton of money !