Five Frugal Things | and now some free butter
Guys, I still cannot recommend Safeway as an overall budget-friendly option, but...
1. I got a free pound of butter at Safeway
If you have a Safeway near you, I definitely think it's worth downloading the app!
This is the second time I have noticed a freebie pop up (last time it was 10 pounds of potatoes), plus you get freebies when you first sign up.
I don't suggest doing regular shopping there, but if you drive by a Safeway all the time, it can be worth it to stop in for a freebie.
I am not sponsored by Safeway, just so you know. I kinda doubt Safeway does much work with frugal bloggers. (!!)
2. I used some Kindle credit for an ebook
I had a reading assignment that required an ebook, and happily, I had some Kindle credit from a previous ebook purchase.
3. I used a gift card to buy Zoe a birthday treat
I had just gotten back from my ski trip on her birthday, so I did not have time to make something like overnight cinnamon rolls.
So, I stopped in at Panera and used a gift card to buy her some cinnamon rolls and a coffee.
4. I made a birthday cake for Zoe
I used this not-from-a-box chocolate cake recipe, but I subbed dark chocolate cocoa powder this time, and guys, I highly recommend that!
This is the type of cocoa powder I use; most major grocers stock it. I think it made the cake about 5x as delicious.
Unfortunately, one of the layers I made had a collapsing problem.
But the girls happily ate that one as-is. I still do not quite know why it fell in that spot, but whatever.
Bread is my specialty, not cake.
Zoe and her friends are quite into frogs at the moment, so she found a frog design on Pinterest that she wanted to do.
5. I..
- put my next book club pick on hold at the library
- got Zoe's next BritLit book from the library
- used points to get a free birthday milkshake for Zoe
- made coffee at home (at least, after my last airport coffee!)
As usual, our primary frugal activities were related to food and laundry:
We ate leftovers on some days
We did laundry on solar-paneled electricity
Also:
I put Being Mortal on hold in my library, thanks Librarian E for suggesting!
I pc called my sibling instead of using the mobile subscription
I sold two items within one day of listing them! And I had happy buyers too, so they let me know.
@J NL, I Put that book on hold too! 🙂
@J NL, 🙂 Nothing makes a librarian happier than connecting readers and books! (Well, except maybe organizing things.)
@J NL, Librarian E, Kristen, and everyone else who's mentioned Being Mortal recently, this just in: Plans are in the works for turning it into a movie with Bill Murray?!
https://deadline.com/2022/02/aziz-ansari-bill-murray-to-star-in-searchlight-pictures-dramedy-1234958052/
Gosh, that's such a weird book to turn into a movie. It will be interesting to see what they do.
@A. Marie, What Kristen said!
1. I discovered an accidental frugal tip to keep in mind: scheduled my mammogram at 9am. Afterwards, since I'm rarely out that way, I thought about popping into the shops next door (I love a good bargain at Tuesday Morning). Well, they weren't open yet, so I went to work and didn't spend any money.
2. I have a bajillion frozen bananas in my freezer, and I learned how to make Nice Cream with some of them. It is really yummy and feels like soft serve ice cream.
3. A friend found a gift card in her drawer, and treated me to lunch. Nice surprise, and seeing my friends is rare these days during the pandemic, so it was good for my heart.
4. Called a company that I had sent a return to several weeks ago, and they immediately credited my account. Keeping a close eye on my account pays off sometimes.
5. Organized my freezer with older food up front. Helps me reduce waste, I hope!
Mostly related to our current kitchen reno:
- Despite having no kitchen sink, I continue to cook and have avoided takeout except for once so far
- I sourced under-the-counter baskets for $5 each at a discount dept store in town instead of $16 online
- I'm repurposing storage containers scavenged around the house rather than buying new stuff
- I'm going to (attempt to!) sew pillows for our new window seat instead of buying them
- I'm eating dinner leftovers for breakfast
Today I basin Kmart in Australia and many clothing items were bought for my granddaughters. T-shirts, shorts, skirts ranged between $1 to $3. There were three lovely dresses, all cotton and lined and a pair of Paw Patrol pyjamas all at $5. Mum bought some marked down dresses. Three linen and cotton blend boys shirts were bought for $2 each. These will go in the patchwork pile as the fabric is very suitable for embroidery etc.
At the fruit shop I bought swedes reduced to $1.50 ( 4 pieces) and a quarter of a pumpkin reduced to $1. Mum bought some fudge in a beautiful tin reduce to $3.50. I found a kilo of nectarines reduced to $1.25.
I agree with that cocoa - I used it for rum balls at Christmastime and it was the bomb. I am on a no-spend February since my Capital One bill is creeping up there and I realized I was nickle and dimeing myself into a large bill at the end of the month. So I'm eating almost exclusively at home. I down-sized my city trash collection container to save $5 a month on my utilities bill. I returned a pair of shoes I foolishly ordered then didn't like enough to justify keeping ($135!). Made a big pot of lima beans in my crockpot yesterday using the ham bone from Christmas - they were amazing. And I take my lunch to work everyday, avoiding the hospital cafeteria. I think a lot of this is changing habits - eventually the frugal lifestyle becomes second nature. At least that's what I'm discovering.
1. The monthly free item from Star market was a box of mac n' cheese. I prefer my homemade baked version much better, so I got it & dropped it off at our neighborhood free pantry.
2. Made cottage pie with free ground beef from my Mystery shop. I decided to add some lentils to both stretch it & to see if we minded it. We did not mind it. Used stock that I found in the clearance section of my store (we normally make our own, but during the winter, we make a lot of soup and need to augment our supply) and russets for the topping from the clearance section in produce.
3. We were able to cash $20 from our Ibotta account! This happens infrequently because we rarely purchase name brand/processed stuff.
4. Making dinner for a friend this week instead of our usual quarterly dinner out.
5. Got a 1/2 gallon of free milk from Mystery shop. We already have a stash in the freezer, and partner and I do not drink it, so we made homemade ricotta (used for a recipe for dinner) and I used the leftover whey to make pancakes. Froze the rest of the whey for future.
@bettafrmdaville, Same here! The only Ibotta offers that apply to me is wine. Ibotta probably thinks I'm a lush when I'm really trying to pair a wine sale and an Ibotta rebate
@bettafrmdaville, If you are looking for other mystery shop programs, this link gives a good list. The blog is by an attorney who left that life and now does a financial blog. https://financialpanther.com/best-secret-shopper-apps I shop for a number of these places, so I know this list is legit.
@Lindsey, thank you! I just signed up for another one.
@bettafrmdaville, Thanks for sharing the Turkey Meatballs in Red Curry Sauce recipe recently. I tried it, and they were delicious. I'm so glad I have leftovers to look forward to this week!
@Condo Blues, Have you tried Fetch rewards? I like it so much better than Ibotta. With Fetch, you download the app and scan any receipt you have (for any type of purchase, restaurant meal, etc.) and get points to redeem for gift cards. It's so much simpler than scrolling through Ibotta's endless lists of products and then only finding one or two that you're purchasing.
@bettafrmdaville, Ibotta is so aggravating and it’s taking me forever to get to $20 because I don’t buy much brand name stuff either. As soon as I get to $20 I’m deleting the app lol.
At least Fetch pays a minimum of 25 cents for every receipt and accepts restaurant and gas station receipts.
@T,
Another issue I've run into with Ibotta is that my local Kroger now only offers an electronic receipt on grocery pick up orders - no paper receipts. Customer service says they cannot print a paper receipt for you. I don't buy a lot of name brands, but my family insists on certain name brand items (American cheese, for one), and Ibotta will not accept an electronic receipt, or a recipt printed out on standard size computer paper. (I know other stores have Ibotta offers, but Aldi does not carry many of the name brand items they have offers for). I have emailed Ibotta about this, but have not received a satisfactory response.
I used my Bing rewards to order some free dog shampoo that will hopefully help with his itchy back.
The weather was bad at the end of last week so I asked to work from home so I saved gas and more importantly my time.
Set up an appointment to have one of my pups groomed, while it is expensive it will save me from days of back pain so frugal to me. I cut him in between cut so still cost effective.
Used a Swag receipt to buy Cream of Wheat saving $2 it is so expensive. I passed on buying Breyers Snickers ice cream it was $6.09...really??
FIL is covering our annual work on our generator so frugal this year, next year we will pay. He always bargains for a 2 for deal, last time he saved $100 on both.
—The fabric top of my storage ottoman wore out after 10+ years of constant use. I carefully slit open a seldom-used throw pillow (no zipper, alas) with identical fabric, and the ottoman top slid right in with room to spare for the stuffing. I hand-sewed the side shut again while watching a movie with the cats. Now I’ve a “new,” cushier place to rest my feet and store office supplies!
—StitchFix sent me a $20 shopping credit. Mind, the last time I bought something from there was also the last time they gave me a $20 credit, a full year ago! 😛 Like last time, I looked for the least expensive thing that I actually needed. New cushy slippers for $3.19 and free shipping? Okay!
—I scheduled a telehealth visit to renew a prescription, saving time and gas. Said prescription and visit were free through insurance.
—We’ve some major home projects coming up, so I’m making a master list of what I have already, what I’ll need, and will try to find as much as possible second-hand or free.
—Related to the above, I’m reusing plastic cat litter tubs as “project buckets.” Each one is labeled with its themed contents—cleaning, painting prep, and so on—and ready to go. Reused litter tubs also store our off-season clothing and are great make-shift sinks for super gross items, like stove burners.
@N, that is so clever about reusing the pillow cover for the ottoman, and I love your idea of using the cat litter tubs for dedicated projects. They would fit in our closet for out-of-season clothes, sewing stuff, linens and luggage much better than what I have now, so I am totally adopting your idea.
@Ruby, please feel free to adopt my litter tub reuse policy! 😛 Since we're destined to acquire the tubs (the litter our boys prefer comes in them, and I'm not risking pee wars switching back and forth), I've embraced their utilitarian side. They're also *just* sturdy enough to be impromptu stools. There's even a litter bucket in the trunk, which functions to hold car stuff as well as help me reach the roof when waxing.
Happy belated Birthday to Zoe. That cake looks adorable! Great job of decorating!
1) Made one of Joe Yonan's bean recipes for brown bag lunches. The beans aren't frugal (Rancho Gordo beans at $6-7/lb but boy are thy good!), but I used sweet peppers bought on sale and oranges that were too sour to eat. Even with expensive beans, brown bagging is much cheaper than eating out.
2) Decided my adaption to high soda prices (switching to 1L bottles of Pepsi instead of smaller containers of Coke) will be permanent.
3) Checked out another big stack of books from the library (hi Elizabeth). My local branch is no longer a good place to browse but online hold is great.
4) Over time, got the appropriate number of free COVID tests (both at-home instant and at-home mail-in), then stopped collecting them. I got them a couple at a time so others could get them as well.
5) Continued my Urban Logging (hi A. Marie): there was a pile behind the dumpster at the local dog park.
6) Instead of turning on the space heater, I'm using a warm blanket at my home desk, knitted for me by a good family friend.
7) Will be buying expensive chairs for my kitchen eat-in counter (it's a health & pain thing) but not the stunningly comfortable and elegant $1400 one.
8) Made chocolate cupcakes for book club. They were on the dry side so - literally at the last minute - I whipped up some cream cheese frosting using cream cheese from a BOGO and powdered sugar I barely ever use. I'll take the remainder to work with me. Given that I didn't like them at all, I'm very happy they used cocoa powder and not chocolate.
9) More Fail Than Frugal: I bought 3 skeins of somewhat pricy yarn for something for a friend. After knitting a sample I realized it wasn't a good choice. I returned the unused 2 skeins (frugal) but have to keep the other (fail).
@WilliamB, the joy of knitting is just worth the sometimes very sad yarn frugal fails. I feel your pain.
I find it as difficult to withstand yarn as I find declining cookies! Often more so in fact.
@WilliamB, sympathies on the frugal fail with the yarn--but kudos on the Urban Logging. DH, Urban Logger Emeritus, would be proud.
A. Marie, my dad is the ultimate urban logger; I need to take a picture of his wood stash to show you! I could take a video and post it on Twitter, or I could send it to you.
#1- Oh yes. You could practically bring crab legs to work every day and still save money over eating out. I think you should feel utterly guilt-free about your expensive beans.
@Kristen, Oh, I have n guilt about my beans at all. Just providing additional information.
@Elaine N, I consider it inevitable that sometimes we'll pick the wrong yarn. I'll find a use for it eventually, even if it's not something I would have bought had I known. No big deal.
@A. Marie, when we were younger, but still should have known better, husband and I bought our first house together. It was an old wooden one, and I had romanticized it in my mind as a "Waltons" like fixer upper.
My sister said it looked like Berlin in 1945.
In any case, our first shock was realizing the heat was supposed to come from a propane tank. We would have had to buy one but as serious city folk we were very nervous about using propane. I was certain it would be followed by instant death. We elected to use the fireplace instead, and for 12 years we burned whatever free wood came our way, from fallen trees to the scraps from an old house my MIL was tearing down. We never paid a nickel for heat.
Of course it was in southern California which made it more doable. But I'm still pretty proud of that.
@WilliamB,
10) Made another set of lunches from fake meatballs that no one liked, chickpea pasta I've had for a while, and (small bit of fail) Classico pasta sauce bought not on sale.
@WilliamB, #truelibrarianconfession I'm at the library 5 days a week and still use online holds all the time. So convenient!
@WilliamB, Bought my first load of Rancho Gordo beans, and I can't wait to try them.
Frugal activities
Using half the meat called for in recipes
Exercising at home with free YouTube walks
Eating leftovers ( not my personal fave)
Still on thrifting moratorium: thrifting prices also crazy right now IMO
My DILaw loves jigsaw puzzles. I found a bunch 60 percent off after Xmas. When my son is out at sea I like to send her a new puzzle every few weeks. They live three time zones away.
@Stephanie, don't know which walks you are doing on Youtube, but I suggest trying the ''walk at home'' serie (originally with Leslie Sansone, but they branched out)
FFT, It's an Ill Wind That Blows No Good Edition:
(1) The combination of high winds and extremely delayed recycling pickup last week has left our neighborhood (in fact, the whole east side of town) a mess. Bin contents everywhere. But there's a bright side for me: I may set a new February record for NY State bottle/can deposit money! 🙂
(2) I've also been picking up paperboard egg cartons. I prefer to save egg cartons for the farmers at our Regional Market when I can, but most of these don't qualify for reuse. They'll do perfectly well for starting fires in the woodburner, though.
(3) #1 and #2 have gotten me out of doors for some much-needed exercise. Getting back in shape = frugal.
(4) I took 5 more boxes of DH's books to our secondhand-book dealer friend. Some of these were limited-edition mysteries that I might have gotten more $ for if I'd tried to sell them online--and I commend those of you who do have the know-how and patience for this--but I was happy to sell them to our friend.
(5) Apart from one more temptation at the Salvation Army superstore (a pair of like-new Michael Kors jeans), I've been doing OK with low-spend February. I can almost see exactly what's in my freezer now!
@A. Marie,
I like your positive spin on #1! That's truly finding the bright side!
@A. Marie, Here in AZ, we don't have the bottle/can deposit, so I just put them into the recycling bin. When I lived in Michigan, I was always looking for bottles and cans to return to the store. That deposit was a great incentive! 🙂
1. A half pork shoulder was on sale for 79 cents/lb (!!) so I slow roasted it all day yesterday and that was a great dinner. It will be a good dinner tonight as well.
2. Resisted going to Barnes and Noble despite having a coupon since I didn't *need* a new book.
3. Did my taxes and despite it being more complex this year (thanks to selling more than $600 on eBay and getting a 1098-K ... ) I did still do alright with deductions and pre-payments. My goal is always to have them owe me nothing and me owe them nothing. This year I got a teeny tiny refund so I'm okay with that.
4. Working on getting a quote for some painting work. Yes it would be more frugal to do it ourselves *but* we all really, really hate painting.
5. The house had a what my boss referred to as "a case of the not Covid" in that we had a lot of the symptoms but all tested negative. Basically it was a bad cold which caused my wife and I to lose two days of work so that was money not spent on gas. I also ate a lot of soup, which is relatively cheap to eat and yet good when you're sick.
@Battra92,
@Jeanne, oops. Hand slipped. We had illness in our house in January. We all had symptoms, all were tested and only I came back positive.
@Jeanne, Yeah I was told to basically just assume I had it. It was a crummy couple of days but I'm back on my feet now.
That frog cake is absolutely adorable!
1. After a very trying few hours of doing taxes, I treated myself to a root beer at Sonic, but did so during Happy Hour so the treat (a rare thing for me) was half price.
2. Left my husband at home while buying groceries and the grocery total was magically $40 less than usual. I appreciate his help with the lifting and hauling, but there is a financial hit to his habit of putting fun things in the cart when I'm not looking.
3. Chewy had a special going on the dental chews for our dogs: spend $50, get a $15 e-gift card. Although I usually don't spend $50 on them, doing so and getting the card would equal getting a free bag. So I made an order for four bags instead of the usual three.
4. The main office of my job seems to conveniently forget to provide the external offices with little things like pencils, batteries, Post It notes, etc. I often pick up those items while doing my shopping but forget to deal with the receipts. I resolved to do better and this week turned in $54 worth of receipts for reimbursement.
5. Finally ate the last of the muffins made with the huge bag of bananas no one wanted at work. It may be a while before I want banana anything again, but at least they were not wasted.
Zoe and my son have the same birthday. Happy Birthday, Zoe!
My week has been rather ho-hum. This is reflected in a rather boring set of Frugal Things. I remind myself that the little things add up. Pennies become dimes… dimes become dollars…dollars become spending money.
1) I have been working on a major decluttering. I sold two items on eBay, so I have made a little money. I have also set aside several bags of items to donate to the Garden Club rummage sale. These funds go towards a gardening program for children that is just wonderful.
2) Publix had whole chickens on sale BOGO. 2 large chickens for $10 is a bargain in my area of Florida where food tends to be quite expensive. I roasted the chickens for dinner. The next day I cut the meat off the bones and froze it for later. I set the skin aside for Rescue Pup and made a gallon of stock which was also frozen.
3) I stocked up on coffee. It was on special for $4 off a pound. I brew my own coffee every morning. I love a latte, but I only buy them on special occasions.
4) I have a book that I put on hold waiting for me at the library, The Personal Librarian.
5) Not frugal for me, but frugal for my son.
I took care of his dogs when he went out of town for his birthday weekend celebration. I must saying having 3 large dogs in the house can be overwhelming, so we headed to the dog park where his Retriever spent two hours swimming and retrieving a ball. It was $11 well-spent. He will take care of Rescue Pup when we go out of town next month.
Wishing everyone happiness, peace and good health.
Aww, happy birthday to your son then too!
Good to know about the cocoa powder! I often add a teaspoon of instant coffee to my chocolate recipes to improve the flavor but starting out with good cocoa would be the best strategy. Great score on the butter! I was buying up butter at Aldi before Christmas and freezing it because the price was so good.
1) De-skunked my daughter's laundry. She went on a youth group retreat over the weekend and the horse barn got skunked. She went horseback riding and there was a transfer of skunkiness. Was very grateful for Google to give me info on how to manage that! Anyway, it appears that all the clothes are saved.
2) Got very good end-of-season deals for said daughter on winter clothes, including a quality 3-in-1 winter coat. We hadn't done a lot of shopping for her in the past 2 years, and it turns out that girls do a fair amount of growing between ages 14 and 16, so she was well overdue. Hooray for being able to try clothes on in the stores again!
3) We ate dinner out at a restaurant yesterday. Haven't done that in ages .... it doesn't sound frugal BUT I've been in a major midwinter funk so that was a relatively inexpensive way to perk up my mood.
4) The usual--mostly eating at home, avoiding drive-through snacking.
5) Got several dollar's worth of savings from coupons while grocery shopping yesterday.
@Kris, your "transfer of skunkiness" phrase made me laugh and brought up this memory: Our second and final dog was a problem child in many ways, one of which was her complete inability to resist chasing skunks. Her lifetime total was four (and would have been eight if I hadn't managed to grab her before she bounded up to a mama and three babies behind the Bestest Neighbors' back fence). Anyway, I was able to deal with the stink with the usual home remedies three of the four times--but the fourth, I wasn't home, and she got away from DH and rubbed her stinky neck all over the living room rug. Talk about transfer of skunkiness! It was a full 6 weeks before we could sit in the room again.
Yes! The dark cocoa powder gives a nice depth of flavor to whatever you are making. But adding a little coffee would not be wrong either. 😉
@Kristen, Adding a little coffee powder is not wrong. The coffee adds a bit of depth and complexity that even good cocoa powder alone can't do.
Yup. I think dark cocoa powder + a little coffee powder is the best possible combo!
WilliamB and Kristen, Soo true. I keep a small jar of espresso instant to add to my chocolate cake batter and it is universally wowed over. Better yet is to brew a pot of coffee for the addition—and then to enjoy a cup!
@A. Marie, oh, that sounds awful! I was fortunate in that one of my friends was chaperoning at the retreat, and she both forewarned me about the skunk situation and also had all the kids hang their clothes outside in the sun/wind to minimize the damage. We had a rare sunny day yesterday, so I was able to hang the clothes outdoors after I laundered them. Who would think there would be skunks out in mid-February in Michigan on a very chilly weekend?
@Kris, skunks here in Upstate NY start looking for mates about Valentine's Day (bless their stinky little romantic hearts), and the same may be true in Michigan. When the snow is just the right depth/consistency, I can even trace their tracks to a rendezvous.
I downloaded the Safeway app after your potato post. In addition to $5 off $25, it’s now given me a free box of macaroni and cheese so far. I agree that it’s not a frugal place to shop but considering we have 3 Safeways in my town (and sadly no other grocery stores), it’s easy enough to stop in for free items so thanks for the tip!
1. Thanks to a friend, I found another free activity for my kids. The high school near our house locks it’s large parking lot on weekends, making it the perfect spot for kids to ride bikes. It’s a large empty paved space with no traffic. We’ve gone a few weekends now and met up with friends too.
2. I’m trying to be more mindful about making purchases so I decided to try not ordering anything from Amazon, as they seem to be the worst culprit for me as far as thinking I need something and then ordering it immediately. I deleted the Amazon app from my phone and have so far gone 1 month with no Amazon purchases. There were a couple things I did need to buy but I found other ways to get them (one I picked up at a local hardware store, the other ordered from Target). I do think it reduced my impulse purchases as I had to pause and think about where I would get something and in some cases decide I didn’t really need an item.
3. I was about to throw out my sons pillow because the batting inside was so tangled, the pillow was just a big lump and wouldn’t lay flat no matter how much I tried to fix it. Instead, I cut open the seam on one side, and was able to fix the batting and then sew the pillow back up. It’s in perfect shape now. The sewing doesn’t look great (done by hand, and it’s a skill I rarely use) but it’s inside a pillow case so is hidden anyways.
4. My friend gave me 2 shirts for my son that her daughter didn’t want anymore (they were character shirts from a Disney movie that my son is currently obsessed with and her daughter has moved on from, the whims of kids!)
5. I made cookies for my mom using ingredients I already had at home. She can’t have gluten or chocolate but I already had gluten free flour from something I’d previously made her, and some salted caramel chips I found on sale awhile ago.
1. 99% of my house is now packed for next Saturday's big move. I left out my crock pot, a couple of corning ware dishes, and some disposable aluminum pans. Instead of takeout I baked pork chops last night and beef stew is simmering in the crockpot for tonight's dinner. Super simple meals but if we can eat at home it is better for us and saves money.
2. I shopped WIFI providers and chose a company offering a package savings that will lower our monthly bill by $25/month.
3. We will be purchasing new appliances and I am currently comparing sale prices and discounts to get the best possible prices and the best quality appliances that we can.
4. We reviewed quotes from HVAC companies and plumbers to save thousands on the installations.
5. Replaced needed items in my son's closet with some President's Day Sales - jeans for $11 and several basic tees that will carry him through the summer.
@Angie, Best wishes on your move! It sounds like you figured the cost of moving items vs. buying new ones, and the second was better?
I look at much of my lesser used kitchen stuff and know it could be replaced fairly easily at a thrift store over time, (pyrex pie pans, etc.), and will plan to do so when we move some day.
That cake is so cute. Happy birthday Zoe! I would love to get birthday specials, but so many times I don't get the offers because my birthday isn't on the calendar that year, that I gave up trying to sign up for them.
1. I often use the fact that I make my own kombucha as a frugal thing, so I sat down this weekend to figure out how much I was saving. I use organic looseleaf tea and organic sugar. I re-used bottles from when I was buying store bought kombucha before I started making it, but I included the price of buying bottles for my comparison and I did buy special caps, so I included that price. Being generous with what I paid and conservative with the current shelf price ($3.28 per pint at Walmart online currently, which is less than most stores), I got a figure of $2.92 to make 12 pints at home, vs. $39.36 for 12 pints store bought. Since I drink it daily, this really counts for me.
2. I weighed out my tea and sugar on my kitchen scale to figure costs. I had bought an OXO kitchen scale, paying for it with Swagbucks, and it is a frugal purchase, as I found out I do not have the eye for measurements that I thought I did, and was sometimes using too much.
3. I had garlic cloves sprouting, so I planted three of them. It's not the right time, but I figured I would give it a try. I will use up the rest.
4. I put up more of my bargain sweet potatoes and am almost done with the forty-pound box. This called for unexpected courage, as a giant wolf spider ran out from the box, and I am very spider-adverse. I made myself carry on. Thank heavens I had the box on my porch, not inside.
5. I was gifted a small alarm button to carry with me, as I am alone on highways and in health facility parking lots and garages after dark a lot. It will automatically dial for help when pressed - it's from Invisawear, for anyone who is interested.
@JD, that alarm button sounds like a really good idea. Glad you've got it.
1. Mended a pair of socks and a mitten using yarn that I had previously purchased from the thrift store.
2. On Valentine's Day, I scheduled my annual physical as a gift to myself (and those who'd like me to stay alive) and to stave off future medical bills.
3. Received another refund check in the mail from a medical provider. This is the second one I've received in as many months, exceeding the number of refunds I've received ever.
4. Was thisclose to buying some shoe polish until I realized I already had something on hand: butcherblock counter conditioner.
5. Bought groceries using our $100 rebate debit card that we had received when buying new tires.
On the spending side, I splurged on boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I already knew I was getting the shortbreads but I wanted to give the young ladies the opportunity to hone their skills. They did great! When I left, they gave each other high 5's. Well worth it.
Frugal win...I think.
After 6 years of being separated (divorce pending) I am finally receiving child support. He tends to not want to work & when he does work it is under the table. He finally got his wish to be on SSA & Disability & they garnished his SS for back child support & now my weekly child support. He still owes me $20k but I'm at least getting it now.
I've been exchanging books with a member in my freecycle book. I tend to get a lot of books free (from wins etc) so when I offer it, she grabs it & brings me a new to me book. It's fun & frugal.
Ohh, friend, I am so sorry to hear of your difficulties with child support. So much love to you, and I am happy to hear that you are finally getting some of what is owed to you.
@Meghan, Ugh, sorry, been there, done that. Took my ex to court and won. Judge offered to have ex in handcuffs and taken to the lockup and I was stupid enough to say no. What was I thinking? That would have been such sweet revenge.
Don't hesitate to take your ex to court if need be. I couldn't believe my formerly-great-father ex was willing to rob our kids. But I wasn't going to let him.
@Meghan, That's really rough! I admit to feeling a bit of scheudenfreude about his disability being garnished.
@Meghan,
Same here, Schadenfreude all over his cruel moves to deny his kids food then stepping in it with the disability.
Every good wish to you for being strong for your family from the bottom of my heart.
1. Adjusted my hungry harvest order to be as close to 30.00 as possible so as to get the free shipping without buying unnecessary items. Picked only produce that they have a good track record shipping without damage and add-on items that Aldi doesn't carry.
2. Realized I already owned a tube of the ointment my Dr prescribed me, so I didn't bother to fill the prescription.
3. Stayed home from work today since my youngest has worsening symptoms and I need to be available if the Dr calls or can squeeze us into an appointment today, but I plan to request more covid leave for this instead of using illness in family leave since I can still qualify for another 4 days of covid leave this school year, and this is definitely post-covid illness for him. 🙁
4. Shifted a vitamin order from Thrive to come a couple days earlier so that I would get the free gifts advertised for a 24 hour period. I signed up for Thrive to get pantry items while we were only ordering groceries from home, and will probably cancel after one year since I'm going into stores now. In the meantime, I am using up my monthly shipments on things like vitamin brands that are not carried at Aldi.
5. Ate all our meals at home this week.
1. Signed up for a training class that I'm hoping will strengthen my resume and make me a better candidate (I'm looking for a new job). My husband sent me a couple links for the classes his employees had taken for work and I looked a little more and found some that were accredited but cost about half the amount. Saved about $500.
2. Went to the international market and bought a bunch of veggies for way less than the chain grocery store. Made a few dishes that have used up the veggies already. The most joyful part? Seeing my kids eat the food we made. Also went to Aldi (don't shop here often because there's not one nearby) and picked up a few deals.
3. Used some credit card points to pay for a nice pair of headphones for my nephew. We're seeing him on Saturday and debated on whether we should pay for expedited shipping to ensure it would arrive in time. Received notice that it had already shipped and that it should arrive Thursday.
4. Made room in our garage cabinets to build up our pantry stock and started picking up extras on sale. The post here a few weeks ago inspired me and with food prices rising so rapidly, it seems like something I should be more intentional about.
5. A coworker mentioned that she hired someone to come and assess her kitchen and organize it. I'm way too cheap for that...took 30 minutes, some bins from the dollar store (from when items were still a dollar), some jars and the label maker and did it myself. My cabinets look awesome. Let's see how long this lasts...
@CrunchyCake, love your no. 5. I also would have done it myself.
By the way, I love your screen name, but I'm always overcome with hunger after I read it. 😀
1. I failed at getting a coat on clearance for my middle kid the other week, so I tried for a used one and it didn't work out... But! I went to the store yesterday and saw the very coat he wanted marked down to only $15! I'm so very happy about this find.
2. My oldest kiddo is going to summer camp this year and I was able to get both $30 off for registering early and an additional $10 off for attending a promo event they held yesterday. (I didn't win the free week of camp, but I'm happy for the $10 off!)
3. So many fun library freebies - - attending a fun event for the kids, interlibrary loan books, regular library books, videos, and audiobooks for the kids while we're in the car. *Side note for others with littles that love audiobooks, try the Read-Alongs category in Libby as they're geared for a younger audience than many of the ones available in the Juvenile Audiobooks category. I wish I had known this long before I did.
4. I used a number of coupons at Meijer on Friday.
5. One of my daughter's birthday gifts came with a coupon for a free subscription to Better Homes & Gardens and I filled that out and mailed it in.
@Ruth T, summer camp is so pricey. Glad you were able to save a little bit of money.
@Kris, Yes!! I feel like the price has almost doubled since I went there as a kid. But even with that, the one we chose is the cheapest of the three we were considering.
I had some savings from a few not so fun reasons:
1. I submitted a claim for an "emergency" vet office visit (our rate is low because it only covers non regular checkup vet visits.) Our dog is almost 10 but still thinks she's two and doesn't always use the dog stairs and ramps we have around the house and aggravated a back problem. Meds and bed rest are the treatment and they are working, it's just really hard to keep an independently minded pup on bed rest.
2. I'm forced into a somewhat No Spend February because I haven't gotten a new debit card for the card that expired last month so I can't access the money in that account for neither necessary or fun things. I've contacted everyone I can about it, including my state representative who is looking into the issues residents' have had with our branch for the last 4 years.
3. I composted the wilted flowers in my Valentine's Day bouquets (he couldn't decide and gave me both from Trader Joe's) and transferred the now sparse bouquets into a smaller vase I already had.
4. I whitened and sealed stained shower grout instead of the big messy more expensive job of removing and regrouting. The bottle of stuff I used seemed more expensive than a grout pens until I did the math for how many pens I'd need. I have enough leftover stuff to do another bathroom - a happy surprise.
5. I started a free online American Sign Language class. I have several friends who are also taking the class and we are going to do a Zoom study group since we all live in different cities. The school suggests you make a donation for the class if you can, which I will once the debit card situation is sorted.
I love the SWAG cake!
Kudos to my husband for the first two:
1. DH has a pair of shoes that have not worn well. They are a new model of his favorite brand and this has never happened before. He called the company, they told him how to fill out a form on their website and he is close to getting them to replace them.
2. Our Rx insurance no longer wants to cover one of DH's meds. He contacted his doctor to see if they'd work on getting Prior Authorization for it to be covered. Yesterday he received a phone call from the doctor's office and they said he's going to receive a coupon from the drug maker that will make the med price competitive. If so, it will save several thousand dollars a year.
3. I stopped at the library, while nearby, to drop off and pick up books. I was also able to pick up some KN95 masks.
4. Frugal for the planet (not sure about the wallet): I ordered some shampoo balls. There's no plastic involved. I keep mine on an old soap dish in the shower. I used an introductory offer to save 15% and ordered enough to get free shipping. So far, so good.
5. We went to Sprouts and mostly bought stuff on sale and/or BOGO.
1. I forgot to include this one last week so I'm counting it now. Kroger had a digital deal to get a Red Baron pizza for $2.77. I bought one and claimed a $4.49 rebate on Ibotta! Nothing like getting paid to buy something useful. The pizza fed me for 3 meals (I added either a salad or fruit).
2. My sister asked if I would travel with her to pick up something from her daughter in a town about 3 1/2 hours away. I asked if we could stop in a buy/sell/trade bookstore near there. We both gathered books, CDs, and DVDs and made the stop. I sold several bags of books and DVDs for $25.30. She sold a couple of boxes of books and CDs and got $48.61. We each packed lunch, water and snacks so definitely a win.
3. I worked on my taxes through Turbo Tax, and when I got to the end, they were going to charge me $159! It was a simple return so I found a different site, entered everything and paid only $21.91 (I found a 20% off coupon). I went through one of my survey sites and also earned 200 points. I e-filed so hopefully will receive my refund soon.
4. My refund was more than I was expecting so I changed the withholding amount on my monthly pension. I like to get the smallest refund possible.
5. My gas and electricity bill went up $66 in one month. Honestly, I don't see how that could happen, but increases that large are definitely not sustainable for my budget. I lowered the thermostat another degree and put on another pair of socks.
1. The husband had to travel out to one of the villages on a short job and the family was so happy with him that they sent him home with a gallon bag of home dried salmon. He does not care for it, so it is all mine, mine, mine!!
2. I went to cancel a subscription and they offered me another year for free if I did not cancel. Works for me.
3. A friend came back from Germany with jars of nice, strong mustard for us. Yum.
4. Sold a samovar from the tsarist era for $800. I inherited it years ago and loved it, but it is time for it to move on. I think I could have gotten more at an auction house in a major city, since it is in perfect shape and has the maker's stamp engraved on it, but this was less of a hassle in that I did not have to ship it and insure it and pack it just to be sure it did not get any dings on it.
5. Continued to eat out of the outdoor freezer (also known as blue Rubbermaid totes). It is 21 degrees today and may reach 32 later this week, and though it will get colder again this is a reminder that spring is coming so we need to use up the food we have been putting out in our free freezer all winter. Every time I think of buying another freezer, I remind myself of how much money we have saved by using totes from October through much of March, even though it means February becomes a forced food march through whatever happens to be out there.
Wow, $800 is nothing to sneeze at. Good for you!
@Lindsey, Hooray for the salmon!
I first (and perhaps only) heard of samovars when reading Russian plays, where one was always in the prop list. I'm glad if yours can be enjoyed, wherever it is going.
@Lindsey, totally impressed by the samovar, the home-dried salmon, and the outdoor freezer!
@Heidi Louise, I was in a Chekov play that had a samovar as a prop!
1. We’re renovating two rooms in our 1950 house so on one hand we are spending a lot of money now, but on the other so are we doing everything but the electrical work ourselves so money saved that way at least.
2. Bought kitchen cabinets from Ikea instead of a wardrobe in the guestroom. This way it could be sent by mail rather than a carrier and we saved about $550 in transport. And when we sell the house the new owner can choose to use them in the kitchen as we have no wallmounted cabinets there.
3. Sold some items on our version of Craigslist and made about $100.
4. Sold a stack of puzzles on Facebook for the same price I paid for them new. So free entertainment and bigger chance they will be used again versus donating them as I thought about first since I felt that I don’t have the time selling stuff now.
5. We got takeway one day this week. Will count it as a win since the the capacity for planning and making dinner is at a low now with the renovations.
I am impressed you are managing to cook during the renovation. That's so hard!
By the way, my grandmother immigrated from Norway when she was a little girl, so I am 1/4 Norwegian. My parents have been back to visit a few times, and my mom is quite fluent in Norwegian.
There seem to be a lot of late February birthdays around here! Our recent frugal birthday celebrations have included:
1. Homemade rather than purchased desserts (sticky buns & peach cobbler made from fresh peaches I froze last summer)
2. Taking a day off work to celebrate with my husband while the kids are at school so
a. We only paid for an Indian lunch out for 2 instead 4
b. Lunch out is cheaper than dinner
c. We didn't have to pay a babysitter
d. We can enjoy peace & quiet in our own home rather than having to pay to hang out somewhere else (Other than the library, where can you spend hours without paying for the privilege? And I love my library, but since I'm there 40 hours a week, I tend not to want to hang out there on my days off.)
3. Picking up bundlets from Nothing Bundt Cake using
a. Birthday club coupon (free)
b. 2s Day coupon ($2.22 instead of $4.50 since today is Tuesday, 2/22/22)
Bonus frugal tip not included yesterday: Marry a lacto-ova vegetarian and then move to a state whose cuisine is all meat-based. It really limits your restaurant options.
1. I defrosted a homemade cupcake (leftover from a birthday party) for my food allergy kid before a banquet and brought other safe foods for her.
2. We used materials we had on hand to make a sign for our booth.
3. I cooked all of our meals at home (except for the banquet, but we didn't pay anything extra for that).
4. I didn't buy anyone new clothes for the banquet.
5. I mended clothes instead of buying replacements.
Not frugal? I turned the heat up in the house because it got cold!
Your cake looks deelish and the frog design is just as sweet!
Here's my 5:
1) I put a whole chicken in the crockpot to cook and made several meals from it (chicken soup, mexican casserole & creamy asparagus chicken noodle skillet) and then threw the carcass in the crock to make stock.
2) I'm trying my hand at gardening this year and will be using free 5 gallon containers since I don't have ample land space. I purchased seeds from ebay and some from the store at bogo 50% off.
3) I used my CC rewards for a gift card to get a medical grade nebulizer for $10.
4) The grocery store sells clearance items and I scored organic apples/oranges, grapefruit for $1/bag. I found chex cereal for $2.29 and store brand cereal for $1.35.
5) My husband purchased a rose/lily arrangement for me for $14 (reg. $108). It was fresh and the vase alone was worth more than that.
I make a banana, peanut butter, spinach, flaxseed, cinnamon, chocolate smoothie (with a dash of cayenne) with that same cocoa powder, and it is AMAZINGLY GOOD. Breakfast this morning, in fact.
Not frugal yet a frugal win: I have desperately wanted to order a specialty dessert online for over two years. The dessert is $110 for 28 servings. Steep, yes. BUT shipping was $21. I finally got an offer for free shipping, so my DH said we should go for it. I will lovingly double wrap each piece of my dessert (it is stored frozen) and eat it over a few months, so I call that a win! My DH is even taking a day off work (he has many saved up) to save it from the rain, as it's supposed to rain when it's to be delivered, and it's on dry ice. Can you tell this means a lot to me? 🙂
@Sarah C., Anticipation is a big part of a treat!
@Sarah C., I SO want to know the name of a dessert that gets this special treatment! (I wonder if I, too, have unknowingly wanted it for two years!)
@bettafrmdaville, I don't know if you'll see this, but it's Sara Lee Bistro Collection Round Chocolate Malted Caramel Pie. It was served at a restaurant here called "Milky Way Pie" and it was my favorite. They stopped serving it because prices went up, then I found one more restaurant that served it, and they closed a couple years back! So here we are! 🙂 I've dreamed of this day for so long, ha!!
I wish we had a Safeway near us so I could get free butter too. Strange tidbit...during the height of the pandemic I admit to being a butter hoarder. At one point I had 37 pounds in the freezer (thanks to Aldi and their sales). I've since gotten that urge under control and only have about 5 pounds stashed at any one time.
Here's our Five Frugal Things for the week:
1. I received and email from Amtrak offering buy one/get one tickets for certain destinations. I booked round trip tickets super cheap for me and my daughter to NYC in July to visit my sister and do some volunteer work in Brooklyn.
2. Housing for the NYC trip will be free as we will stay at my sister's house.
3. Took advantage of several President's Day discounts. The local craft store was offering 20% off knitting needles. My youngest needed a set we did not already own for a project she is now working on.
4. I went back to the same store two days later to purchase 6 yards of corgi-themed fleece and coordinating backings to make tie blankets for the girls for Christmas (yes, I start early!). It was 60% off on President's Day.
5. Signed up to participate in a quilting retreat though the guild I belong to. You saved $50 if you booked a room with another person. Luckily I had a few good friends to choose from!
6. Took advantage of another President's Day 20% off sale at our local bookstore. I purchased a Japanese cookbook for a friend's upcoming birthday.
When we lived in Seattle, there was no Aldi. The easiest grocery stores for me to get to were Safeway and Central Market.
Safeway was a good place to get dry goods (flour, sugar, rice, beans, cleaning supplies, etc.), but the produce was not good. Meat/dairy were kind of a toss-up - sometimes you could find good deals, but you really had to watch expiration dates - they'd sell stuff right up to the day it expired, with no discounts.
Central Market was expensive if you weren't buying in season. If you were buying produce in season, though, it was at least as cheap as Safeway (and usually cheaper!) for much, MUCH better quality. Meat/dairy were usually about the same price as Safeway, maybe a little higher, but you had a lot more options.
The two stores were basically across the street from each other, so it was easy to hit up both during my shopping day.
Frugal things this week:
1. Made muffins all week for snacks. This is way cheaper than buying granola bars or something.
2. Made a hot corn dip to bring to my BIL's (he invited us for dinner) instead of picking up something pre-made.
3. Mailed some shoes to my sister - I'd realized after wearing them that they just don't fit me correctly, but I couldn't return them. Thankfully, they're exactly the right size to fit my sister! So, maybe not super-frugal for me personally, but frugal for her? 🙂
4. For the same $8 it would have cost to buy something similar new, I bought a candy jar (my spouse is a manager and wanted one for his desk at work - it's a work-culture thing there), a pie plate, and a wide-mouth jar at Goodwill. I was so pleased with the pie plate! It's exactly identical to one I already have, and we use them for dinner salads all summer, so now my spouse has one, too!
5. I ran out of muffin papers, and discovered I can just pour the batter into a 9x9 pan and cut it up. The kids called them "brownie muffins" because of the shape! I think I will do this for snacks from now on. 😉