1. I got free food on Christmas
I packed my lunch (as usual!) for my Christmas Day shift. But when I got to work, my co-workers let me know that employees could get $10 worth of free food in the cafeteria (a kindness to those of us who had to work!)
I was not about to turn down free food, so I got some prime rib and mashed potatoes, kept my packed lunch in the fridge, and ate it for dinner when I got home. 😉
2. I reused cookie foil
My mom dropped off some Christmas cookies in a pan covered in foil. The foil wasn’t faintly dirty, of course, so I folded it and put it in the drawer.
And then I used it to bake my sweet potatoes for my work lunches. 🙂
This is obviously not a large frugal thing, but it made me happy to give the foil a second use.
3. I used my leave for my called-off hours
I was called off for the first four hours of my shift recently, and we get paid $2/hour for being on call (which is honestly just so silly. Why even bother??)
But it occurred to me that I could ask to use my personal leave hours for those four hours, and the answer was yes!
That means I’ll get $140 for those four hours instead of $8; a very easy choice.
4. I got a discounted Starbucks drink
On my most recent night shift, I was out of coffee at home. So I stopped in at Starbucks and took advantage of a $3 off after 3:00 pm offer.
I never drink caffeine in the afternoon or evening, but this is perfect for night shifts!
I also had a Starbucks gift card in my app from my Erie Your Turn rewards, so my coffee was free. But the discount helped stretch my gift card a little farther, so that made me happy.
5. A fail: I lost my work scissors
I don’t know how I lost them, but I must have put ’em down somewhere at work and left them. Sigh.
Sooo, I ordered a new pair, and I think maybe I’ll attach them to one of my badges so I can’t possibly lose the new pair.
I will be so glad when they arrive because I keep having to borrow pairs from my coworkers, or I try to make do with the not-sharp ones that come in our suture-removal kits.
Luckily, the scissors are only about $9, so this is a small frugal fail. And hopefully I will keep better track of my new pair.
You know what they say…forget the mistake, remember the lesson. And here the lesson is: Don’t put your scissors down in a patient room.
I know there’s a misspelling; I didn’t write the post-it!
Jackie
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
I use those scissors and attach them to my badge for that reason! I use metal keychain loops because I have multiple badges and multiple pairs. They really do make life easier.
Good job packing your lunch on Christmas! I try and organize a potluck or at least snacks when I work Christmas because for some reason it really depresses me to bring my lunch on Christmas (but not any other holiday). It’s probably bc I became a nurse when my babies were small and I struggled those days. Now they’re older and it’s a little easier. I did pay a young, single nurse to work Christmas Eve for me though. My dad worked shift work his whole life and when we got older he would work holidays for the guys with young kids. I’ll absolutely be doing that when I’m out of the little kid stage of life.
K D
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
1. DD had a $5 Safeway birthday reward she said she would not use. I was in a shopping center with a Safeway so I used the reward to get half price holiday candy, including some sea salt caramels. I spent $.50 out of pocket.
2. Our kitchen scale died. Target had the one I wanted in stock. I used a gift card I bought when they were 10% off to pay for it. I felt no temptation to buy other things.
3. We loaded up the car and headed to Hershey PA. We pre-purchased admission to the Sweet Light drive through light show. You pay by the car load for up to eight passengers. On the way we stopped at Chocolate World for the free "tour ride".
4. DH switched his cell coverage to Visible (a Verizon product). He paid $225 for one year for the best service. It allowed us to save $20/month on our Fios.
5. I can't think of anything though I'm sure there are more things.
April
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
Frugal wins this week..so far…. Repairing/hemming college daughters clothes, eating leftovers and frozen meals
N
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
--Ace Hardware had a "$10 0ff $10" coupon in the app. I bought clearance allium bulbs and clearance LED Edison light bulbs, both of which I wanted, anyway. The light bulbs rang up for even less than their clearance price, so I ended up grabbing a soda for my husband to hit $10 and activate the coupon. Yay free flowers, light, and mostly free soda!
--Christmas from my parents included 40lbs of venison! My little brother had two hunting tags this year and filled them both, so my step-mom sent our share with Dad when he was in town. I had to play deep freezer Tetris (and thaw a whole chicken, which we roasted Christmas day), but it all fit.
--My husband and I did just stocking stuffers for each other, as is our tradition. We both have a birthday on either side of the holiday, so we save the important presents for those. Our small gifts to each other were likewise consumable and/or practical.
--The cats have a stocking, too, of course. I took advantage of PetSmart's buy three, get two free toy deal to replace playthings that had been lost to attrition. They also received squeeze tube soft treats--a rarity, indeed--which were free with a coupon. (They get soft food daily and crunchy treats, so it's not like they're oppressed, contrary to their opinions. ;) )
--Our gifts to others were all thrifted, on sale, and always thoughtful. They included tea, clothing, spices, or books on the recipients' interests. I love that my sister and her husband are the kind of people that I can give a book explaining how to make your own earthen oven--and that they'll do it!
N
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
@N, The oven book (which I bought gently used for $10): https://www.amazon.com/dp/096798467X
Sophie in Denmark
Tuesday 30th of December 2025
Even if it's not a big frugal win, it's nice that the foil gets used more than once instead of going straight in the landfill!
1. I got a Garmin watch for a combined birthday/Christmas present. I want to increase my running this year but the watch is very expensive, so I asked if it could be a gift, and found a mid-range one which is slightly cheaper. I also got smaller things which I couldn't justify spending money on (such as a book I would probably only read once and isn't in the library).
2. I went for lots of walks with family members; some just from the house and another in the countryside which only cost the petrol in the car. We brought lunch and coffee with us.
3. I got a flight back which isn't hideously expensive, and chose a seat which was included in the price.
4. I made payments into my emergency fund.
5. In general I saved a lot of money this week simply by being home!