Five Frugal Things | Another oil change!
1. Lisey taught Zoe how to change her oil
Zoe drives a little Civic and it needed an oil change. So, Lisey went out into the driveway with her and helped Zoe do it.
And now we are a household of women that know how to do oil changes, all thanks to Lisey. 🙂
I really like how Lisey has adopted the whole "You don't need whiskers to do that." attitude.
2. Zoe and I used our carpet cleaner
She had some spots on her bedroom rug that needed cleaning, and I wanted to clean a kitchen rug (that I'd gotten from the Buy Nothing group) and the laundry room rug that was already here at the rental house when I moved in.
A carpet cleaner definitely pays for itself over time as compared to renting, particularly if you have wall to wall carpet (which I did in some areas of my other house.)
And even at this house, which has hard floors everywhere, it is handy to have the carpet cleaner for cleaning area rugs.
Plus, if you own a carpet cleaner, you can get it out for relatively small jobs like Zoe and I did. If you rent one, then you feel like you gotta clean every carpet in the whole house that day!
(I have a very old Hoover carpet cleaner; this current Hoover model looks pretty similar to what I have.)
3. I mended a pair of jeans
This pair of Old Navy jeans has* been with me for many years, and they're mostly fine, aside from a hole that's sprouting by the zipper.
*autocorrect is telling me that I should use "have" here. Isn't that wrong? I thought you figure this out by mentally removing the prepositional phrase (of Old Navy jeans) and then choosing the form of "have". Like, you'd say, "This pair has been with me.", not, "This pair have been with me."
ANYWAY.
I cut out a scrap of old denim fabric from my rag bag, pinned it on the inside of the jeans, and then sewed it on, disguising my stitches as much as possible over the existing stitches.
The fix is slightly noticeable if you look closely, but presumably, no one is going to be inspecting the zipper area of my jeans that closely when I am out and about (!!).
So, I'm not fussed about it.
(Scroll down to item #2 in this post for more details on doing a mostly invisible inside patch on clothing.)
4. I got some throw pillows from a "free stuff" group
I am part of my Buy Nothing group but there's also another free stuff Facebook group I'm in.
Someone there was offering some neutral throw pillows, and lucky me, I was the first one to respond!
I threw them into the washing machine when I got home, fluffed them in the dryer, let them air dry, and now they're on my previously pillow-less couch. Yay!
Throw pillows are a nice but not necessary thing, so I don't know that I would have gone out to buy these. But for free? I'm totally happy to have them.
No money out of my pocket, and now my house is slightly homier. That's a win for me.
So many of my freebie efforts this last year have been centered around making my house into a comfy home.
And now, almost a year in, things are looking pretty nice in here! Lots of small efforts have added up over time.
5. I...
- made iced coffee with yesterday's leftover coffee
- bought some clearance bar soap at Sam's for $0.49/bar
- ate lots of homemade yogurt (a ridiculously cheap food!)
Ah, so it links to why we call trousers ‘pairs’, which is because a leg was originally tied to the waist individually rather than attached to each other with a crotch. Auto correct is looking at ‘pair of jeans’ as a plural and suggesting ‘have’, whereas you’re seeing a pair of jeans as one item, which would mean ‘has’.
The same happens when I write about organisations because it should be ‘has’, as one organisation, but sometimes I use ‘have’ because I’m thinking of it as a group of people.
In the case of these jeans I’d use ‘has’, but there’s a reasonable argument for using ‘have’ if you’re labelling it as a pair of something.
Comments are now open for my fellow grammar nerds to disagree with me!
@Victoria, I'm with you on "has."
@Victoria, Fellow grammar nerd, totally agreeing with you. You could say "Those jeans have been with me a long time," or "That pair of jeans has been with me a long time," and both are correct. In the second case, the phrase "of jeans" is acting as an adjective, modifying "pair" and the verb should be in agreement with "pair."
@Victoria, grammar nerd AND descriptivist linguist here agreeing with you. Spell check hasn't advanced to the point that it can parse prepositional phrases acting as adjectives, thus it is picking up on 'jeans' instead of 'pair'. Grammar FTW!
@Victoria, yes, I agree! Both are fine. I would say, "THIS (singular) pair of jeans HAS (singular) been with me," but would also say "THESE (plural) jeans HAVE (plural) been with me."
@Victoria, yeppers on "has". It is ONE pair.
To add to this thread, interestingly, AP Style refers to groups of people as a single thing, so like Victoria's organization being "has", AP also says couple is an it, so the couple was visiting, was married, etc. as though the two people were in fact one. When working for the paper (yeah, that one time when it was a going concern), it was tough to tell individuals that as a couple they became an it, not a they, and no, we wouldn't reprint their 50th anniversary announcement just because they saw grammar differently than AP. lol.
@Victoria, Youre correct on the have/has issue.
@Karen., former reporter here too. There are a surprising number of words in English that seem like plurals but are correctly used as either plural or singular in sentence structure. If clarity is the goal, then one's own ear is not always helpful. I bought my own AP style book I loved its interpretations so well. My academic dictionary and the OED are still favorite references, but my editors always cautioned against getting carried away with the words. If they call attention to themselves, maybe a rewrite is in order...
1. I bought four bags of Tostitos instead of one. I was picking up snacks for a neighbor that has Covid. I walked to the grocery store nearby and Tosititos were on sale for $4.79/bag or $2.29/bag if you bought four. It might have been cheaper to go to Aldi or Lidl but this was a quick walk and required no driving. Also I had turned some of my about to expire Flexible Rewards points into $5.00 off groceries. I'd rate that a sorta frugal win.
2. I got together with a friend last night for some knit and crochet time. We both do a lot of charity knitting/crocheting and it is a frugal hobby.
3. I made a pot of GF chicken noodle soup to share with the neighbor that has Covid. Homemade soup tastes so much better than canned and is cheaper too. We will have leftovers tonight.
4. A neighbor shared some flower seeds for plants that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
5. The seasons are changing and working in the yard feels so natural and good. Doing our own yard work saves a lot of money every year.
@K D,
I also believe homemade soup tastes so much better than canned. In most cases, it is less expensive too.
@K D, Homemade is healthier, too!
Yay personal rug shampooers! I was fortunate to find one on clearance for $60 right before we moved to our house with two carpeted rooms. Two cat UTIs later, the shampooer has more than paid for itself!
FFT, Automotive Edition
Not Frugal: The computer in my husband’s ‘96 Jeep decided it was too good for this world and randomly fried itself. We certainly got our $1000 worth out of it, especially when moving, but that was a sudden “Ah, crap” we didn’t need. Rural living means two cars are a must.
Frugal: AAA for the win! The Jeep did us the service of dying in a safe place, for which we’re thankful. The doom issue started with a haywire security system that kept killing the engine, which only the dealership had the codes to hopefully fix.
Frugal: After the local dealership declared the Jeep dead—as in, the computer was scrambled beyond repair when they went to recode it—I asked our mechanic if he’d be interested in parting it out. He was, indeed, and gave us $200 in service credit. Cash for Clunkers would have paid us the same in cash, and I’d rather our mechanic got the side income from the parts.
Frugal: Since the Jeep still had half a year left on the registration, the treasurer credited the difference to the new plates for our new-to-us-car.
Frugal-ish: We found our new ride via a private seller who had the complete service history, complete CarFax, was only the second owner, and was a mechanic to boot. He even sent us home with the conditioner he uses for the leather seats and an “oil change kit” with a new filter and five gallons of oil! He was careful to tell us about any old car quirks and said to keep his number in case we have any questions. We paid with a cashier’s check for security.
Frugal: No car payment! Savings took a hit, but I have to remind myself that’s what it’s there for and there’s still more left than what we used. *DEEP BREATH* It will be okay, it will be okay….
Not frugal: Our new-to-us ‘92 Buick was *FANCY* in its day and requires a special ignition key with a resistor soldered onto the key flange. The car came with only one set of keys, which is a recipe for a lockout in my world. However, when I went to make copies, I discovered that only locksmiths now carry the correct key blanks! None of the five Aces in town (the employees at my favorite called around) had the right blank. Thankfully, one of the representatives at Autozone suggested a specific locksmith that he’s used for his own older cars. Since said locksmith had three blanks, I made three copies. The $20 apiece price tag hurt my feelings a bit, but better $60 than not being able to find this specific key blank again! The plain door key can thankfully be cut anywhere for cheap, so we now have gobs of those on hand, too.
@N, this read like an epic tale of adventure!
@BettafrmdaVille, I was riveted as well!
I can't agree with you more about the carpet cleaner. My husband was the one who wanted to buy one, and I was dragging my feet. But did I regret it when (several times) children vomited on the carpet? Absolutely not! When somebody's dog did its business on my carpet? Nope. I can't even remember all the times we've used it unexpectedly, and every single time I (at least mentally) thanked my husband for spending money.
Frugal things:
*We packed a lunch and our children last week when we went for my therapy and a field trip.
*We went to a free museum for our field trip-- the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles. (Okay, fine. We had to pay $15 for parking.)
*We also packed snacks for the drive home.
*We did not stop on the way home and eat out for supper. Instead we went to a discount grocery store along the way and bought things that we needed.
*We stopped at the grocery store on the way home (a closer one), and bought discounted, cold fried chicken for supper at home.
*We (husband and kids because it was still a little chilly out for my face) planted some early veggies in our raised beds. It's so nice when we have enough lettuce growing outside for a salad! (Not quite as nice to stand at the sink and wash it all.)
@Jody S., I love our Hoover rug shampooer. I bought mine for 1/2 price when a local store was discontinuing this product. I use it often. Mine came with an upholstery attachment which I have even used to steam clean the rugs in my car.
1. Cut my own hair. It's wavy so any imperfections (which I'm sure there are some!!) are hidden.
2. We lost power over the weekend from high winds. I was tempted to stop at a fast food place Sunday morning before church for coffee and breakfast, but we had bagels at home and my in law's graciously let us stop over there to drink their coffee and use their water.
3. The bagels in #2 were homemade. Bakery bagels have really gone up in price and I've started making my own. They are yummy!
4. We made it through the whole winter without buying any firewood. We have an outdoor wood boiler as our primary heat source so it was quite a lot of wood. Unfortunately we don't think we'll be able to source enough "free" wood continually, but at least this year we did.
5. We'll be getting a frugal puppy fix by boarding a puppy for the next week. I like getting paid to have a pet!
You said, "*autocorrect is telling me that I should use “have” here. Isn’t that wrong? I thought you figure this out by mentally removing the prepositional phrase (of Old Navy jeans) and then choosing the form of “have”. Like, you’d say, “This pair has been with me.”, not, 'This pair have been with me.'"
You are right that it should be "pair has" not "pair have." To use "have," you need to say "pairs have."
This has to do with the noun being countable (one pair, two pairS) or not (like "rice." In traditional grammar, we don't say "riceS.") "Pair" is a countable noun.
https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/countable-vs-uncountable-nouns/
Sometimes autocorrect is wrong. I tell my students that it is a tool that is useful but not perfect.
But there are many varieties of English. And the rules for countable vs uncountable may become less important like for "who" vs. "whom" since language is not static and evolves. (It is common now in spoken English to not distinguish "who" from "whom.")
@Kim S., I personally bristle whenever who and whom are used incorrectly. However, I accept the fact that language and the world have changed. Do grammar classes even discuss the differences in subjective and objective nouns anymore?
@Bee, I don't teach grammar, but because I teach writing to multilingual undergraduate writers, I sometimes do have conversations about grammar with students, including different kinds of nouns and noun forms. It depends on how much something is interfering with clarity and the sophistication and goals of the student/reader (like prof). Usually, there are much bigger fish to fry like is the student doing what the assignment is asking? Is the student making a good argument/demonstrating deep critical thinking? Is the student avoiding source misuse? Etc. And because I also work with monolingual students too (English), I know that sometimes my multilingual students have a much better handle on the fine points of English grammar.
@Kim S., English is my second language and I remember learning the rules of grammar, envious that my best friend had absorbed English with her mother's milk. I ended up loving the precision of diagramming sentences. But now it pains me to see rules about who and whom, and not ending sentences in a preposition changing. And as much as I support trans rights, my mind boggles at reading they and them instead of the singular pronouns.
@Lindsey, If grammar is taught any more, it isn't sinking in.
@Lindsey, I loved diagramming sentences too. We don't do that all anymore in my personal English for Academic Purposes (EAP) world.
You patch your jeans, I patched my van seat WITH jeans. The driver's side seat in our giant van had a tear just from the fabric wearing out. Understandable, since the van in 14 years old. I probably could have bought some kind of car seat repair patch online, but I don't care that much. so I just cut a piece of denim from my daughter's old jeans and sewed that over the tear. I am a really terrible needlewoman, and this was a very awkward place to be sewing anyway, but I got it on there. I figure eventually there will be patches all over and the van will be boho chic. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, What a cute and clever (and country and chic) idea!
@kristin @ going country, Rustic mending stitches are all the rage right now - so your van is already trendy!
@kristin @ going country,
I do NOT think you are a terrible needlewoman at ALL! It looks great!
1. We elected to tackle the enormous project of removing a cedar tree and a huge amount of juniper from the front yard ourselves instead of hiring the task out. A savings of $725. Even more if you count the unintended workouts we will be getting while doing said removal work.
2. My son and I are headed to the beach for a few days to enjoy Spring Break. I rented a small place that has a kitchen, a heated pool, washer/dryer and is walkable to lots of restaurants & shops. This will make for easy meals and entertainment.
3. I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot which will give the whole family two dinners and a lunch. We may also get a few additional singleton salads plus of course the broth.
4. Snacks packed from home to reduce expense on the road trip. Cookies baked, cooler packed.
5. Accepted a dozen eggs from a neighbors chickens and will gift him some homemade cookies today as a thank you. I love the exchange of goodies with neighbors! It is so wonderful!
Frugal Things
1. The Chick-fil-a here had a daily freebie for its one year anniversary of opening. We went every day for five days!
2. Earned $25 on insurance rewards for going to my eye exam. I have to go anyway because I wear contacts but it's nice to get a reward. Spent said insurance reward getting daughter's swimsuit and bday present
3. Used up a bag of potatoes that was getting old and made mashed potatoes.
4. Coupon for Free bag of sunchips at Kroger. Also found in the clearance bin a $1.50 bag of decaf coffee
5. Sold a running shirt on eBay
That's pretty much it for now. Lots of coffee at home and library books....
Re: the "pair has/have" question, I agree with Kim S.'s responses. (And for what it's worth, I too override autocorrect in this sort of situation. I also used to get into arguments with DH's GPS, and win them, when it was clearly sending us in the wrong direction or telling us to take the long way around!)
Now, FFT + 4, Big Apple Edition, Part II: Things I Did. (See yesterday's FFT at the NCA for Part I.)
(1) Frugal wins: On Friday 3/24, JASNA BFF and I met a mutual JASNA friend for lunch at a reasonably (for NYC) priced sandwich shop, and then were treated to a visit to the friend's small private art studio (housed in a former art school that closed). The friend has taken up painting in her retirement and is *really* good at it. This was the equivalent of a free trip to a small museum, IMO.
(2) Frugal win: We spent most of Saturday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we met BFF's younger son and the son's 7.5-year-old twins in the course of the afternoon. I didn't get in for free this time with BFF's membership (BFF needed to save her guest ticket for her son), but the Met has a new policy that NY State residents can pay what they wish for admission. I paid $10, which is still less than the $22 general admission for seniors. And of course I enjoyed every bit of the museum I had the stamina to cover.
(3) Frugal fail: BFF and I had lunch at the Met before the family came, and mine was both overpriced and overcooked. (I probably should have gotten the mushroom pizza BFF had, which was pretty good, instead of a hamburger.) However, I was starving, so I ate it.
(4) Frugal mixed bag: On Sunday morning, I went on a guided bird walk in Central Park. As a bird walk per se, it was a mixed success: The start time (9:30) was probably a bit late for good birding, and our group was probably too large and too noisy. However, I was just so glad to be out in the park on a fine spring morning (NYC's spring is about two weeks ahead of Central NY's) that I didn't much mind. I paid $10 for the walk and another $10 to rent binoculars. Next trip, I'll bring my own bins--not only for birding, but for viewing shipping traffic on the Hudson from BFF's apartment.
(5) Frugal win: On Monday morning, I met my former supervisor from my old workplace for coffee and a two-hour gabfest. She insisted on picking up the check for my coffee and cheesecake (both excellent). And it was a joy to see her again.
(6) Frugal wins: On Monday afternoon and evening, BFF and I toured the "Treasures" collection at the NY Public Library (everything from a Gutenberg Bible to Charles Dickens's desk to Virginia Woolf's walking stick), and then attended a presentation at the library by an Austen scholar about her latest project. Both the tour and the presentation were free.
(7) Frugal wins: On Tuesday, BFF and I went down to the "flower district" (28th St. between 6th and 7th Aves.), in search of cheaper houseplants and flowerpots than we'd been finding on the Upper West Side. The quest was successful, and I left BFF to continue her shopping while I popped up to my old office on 7th Ave. to say hi to other former colleagues. Because I was a telecommuter during my working days, I didn't visit the office too often even when I was an employee, so it was both a relative novelty and a pleasure to do so.
(8) Frugal wins: On Wednesday, BFF had a gym class, so I did a little shopping down on Broadway in the 80s. I stopped into Zabar's for some edible NYC souvenirs for the Bestest Neighbors and my next-door neighbor (who wouldn't rather have these than a statue of the Empire State Building?), and then I went to Harry's Shoes in quest of walking shoes (the pair I brought with me was not only giving out, but killing my feet) and found an extra-wide New Balance pair for 50% off. Cha-ching!
(9) Frugal win: And Wednesday afternoon, I repotted all of BFF's new plant purchases and most of her old plants, and then we just hung out and chatted. Priceless.
@A. Marie, Zabar's!! Lucky, lucky neighbors.
@A. Marie, I devoured your description of this visit, every part of which I too would have enjoyed to the max. Thanks for the mini tour.
@A. Marie, and speaking of statues of the Empire State Building, over forty years ago, after a trip to NYC, I brought my then boyfriend a small metal bank replica of the building. We've been married over 40 years, and it still sits on his dresser.
@A. Marie, wish I could have seen you irl. would love to meet you someday. I live in NYC in Stuyvesant Town.
I am so delighted to hear that your trip was wonderful!!
@A. Marie, Most of all you have reported, I envy you seeing the Gutenberg Bible in the flesh, so to speak. That and the bird watching. And the MMA visit. Okay, all of it. Glad you had such a full and wonderful time. Welcome back.
@A. Marie,
I still have a Zabar's bag from when I stopped in there more than 20 years ago. I love that place!
There's a great rant on how pointless couch pillows are from an old British show called Coupling which sums up my opinion on them.
But here's my frugality:
1. My wife and I were traveling and we stopped for gas at an exit and there was a Costco. We got gas but also popped in and got my allergy medicine as it's so much cheaper there.
2. Got a really nice button down shirt for Easter for all of $2 at the thrift store.
3. I made yogurt using the lunch cooler I bought way back in 2006 for less than $10. That cooler has been everywhere and has done so much.
4. Got a book from the clearance rack at Target. I don't always get to the library but I try.
5. My wife mended one of our daughter's Build a Bears whose closure threads had broken. Easy stitching if you have a good strong thread.
Not really frugal but ... I got Isabelle from Animal Crossing at Build a Bear for half off during a sale. I don't know what a middle aged guy like me needs such a thing for but hey, I guess this is cheaper than a fancy car or something.
@Battra92,
But there can be a use for sofa pillows! Those of us who are "height challenged" can benefit from a throw pillow behind the back when seated on the sofa or in a big chair, so we don't end up sitting there with our feet dangling like a kid's. They are also handy for lying down on the sofa to catch that all-too-rare nap.
That's a great price on the shirt! Around here they are about $5 at best.
@JD, I'll let Steve from Coupling make my case for me: 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp0-8Ibkczc
As for the shirt, well you have to go on the sale days and/or buy the color of the week. It's usually a lot of nothing but there seems to be a true glut of men's shirts lately.
I stopped by this morning actually as I had to run down to the drug store for some meds for my wife (yay for flexible scheduling) and it was on the way. I got an LL Bean all wool pullover for $5.
One thing I have zero luck with are pants. They always want too much for them and they are usually worn beyond the point of being nice. I do shop sales and such for pants but I am in need of jeans and I suspect I'll just have to pay out for them.
@Battra92, I would never be without couch cushions. I like them for their visual presence and for their back comfort.
@JD, raising my hand in solidarity! I detest the dangling feet feeling.
@Battra92, if you know the brand, style, and size that you want in pants, eBay is often a good option. My husband loves a style of Carharrt shorts that is discontinued, and I found 4 pairs for him on eBay, only slightly worn, at around 1/2 the cost of brand new.
@JD,
Here here for sofa cushions assisting the “height challenged!”
@Battra92, I loved the you tube piece you mentioned. I feel like he did about couch cushions.
MIL bought us a carpet cleaner years ago and it has definitely come in handy many times.
FFT:
1) Used disposable pans rescued from Mom's hoarder house to send dinner to both kids. Now I don't have to worry about getting my casserole dishes back. The pans weren't very sturdy when full, so I dug in a box from Mom's stuff and used old sheet pans to transport them.
2) Packed snacks and drinks for our trip to the hoarder house so we wouldn't stop and buy something.
3) Rescued the console stereo that my parents had when I was growing up from the hoarder house. I have fond memories of sitting on that piece of furniture for hours listening to the radio. Kristen has inspired me to try to refinish it into something more modern and functional.
4) Used Kristen's pizza dough recipe to make pizza this weekend instead of getting takeout. My pizza making skills have definitely improved with her hints and my new baking steel.
5) Continue to use my streaming exercise service to workout at home.
@Beverly, A friend of mine found a good use for one of those console radio/stereo record players. This was the kind that was a long horizontal rectangular box and you slid open the lid to access the phonograph and controls. He'd inherited his grandma's house and everything in it, so he used this piece of furniture as a stand for his very wide flat screen TV monitor. His other components went underneath the legs or in back. Even though it was Early American in style, it was just the right size. It worked great!
I have nothing this week, honestly. For whatever reason I'm feeling very unfrugal, which is not helped by just having bought a bunch of Easter candy and a large ham. In a lot of ways I dread holidays. But it will be over soon, and then back to normal life.
@Karen A., Ham at this time of year is pretty frugal considering how many people it feeds and all the wonderful leftovers.
@Karen A., I am with you on the Holiday Dread Bus. I wonder what happened in childhood to taint what should be a good time (but don't wonder enough to go roto-rooting in my past!)
@Central Calif. Artist, I think as kids we enjoy the holidays, but as adults we have to work harder to make them happen. That includes who to invite, planning a menu, shopping and cooking it, serving it, cleaning up--lots more than kids showing up and dancing away. I like to pick my holidays now but the pandemic, maybe age? have dampened my enthusiasm for hosting company meals.
1. Used the last of some Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner to get the winter's green mold off the painted siding of our screened porch and back door. It does the trick without damaging the paint.
2. Finally finished being my own landscaper. It took me multiple weekends to do what a three-man crew could have done in an afternoon, but the yard is at last finished at nearly no cost.
3. Concocted a pretty decent lower calorie salad dressing with what was on hand: Kraft sandwich spread, red wine vinegar and a dash of ketchup. It reminded me of a zingier version of Thousand Island dressing, which was very popular in my youth.
4. Found a penny in a parking lot.
5. Saved $2 on a jar of peanut butter and a box of the store-brand version of cinnamon Life cereal with store coupons.
I have a few to share that aren't going to make me rich, but I guess everything adds up....
1. My youngest daughter works at a doctor's office & she brought home 2 big containers of "expired sanitizing wipes. They're still good to use; I was happy to receive them!
2. One of our puppies is getting spayed next week and the plastic cones are cumbersome, so I ordered a soft one online and also applied a $5 amazon credit towards it. Probably still cheaper than what they'd charge for the plastic cone.
3. Hubby wanted takeout pizza one night for snack. I didn't feel like going to get it nor paying for it. I talked him into having one from the freezer instead.
4. A friend on facebook was offering $5 Kohls cash. I was the first to respond, so I claimed it.
5. I used a gift card towards subs the other night as I didn't feel like cooking, so no expense out of my pocket for dinner.
6. Hubby gave me a winning lottery ticket to cash and do whatever I wanted with it. I was responsible and used it for gas for my car.
7. Found $.68 on a shelf at the store. I put it in my coin jar.
“I have the meats!” Stand aside, Arby’s. I think the grocery stores have been overestimating their customers’ appetites for $19/lb New York strip steaks (even if they are “100% Angus grass-fed beef”), so if you happen by the meat counter the day of or just before the sell-by date, you can get them for less than half price. And the same for “prima della” delicatessen ham-off-the-bone, normally $10/lb but less than half price on the sell by date. The steaks will be cooked today and the 2 ½ pounds of thinly sliced ham has been frozen in small packages; it freezes and defrosts amazingly well. I’m not a big meat eater, and even at more than half off these were probably not what anyone else might consider “bargains” or “frugal” (especially you pioneer women who butcher your own cows), but I will now make it a point to browse the deli and meat sections whenever I’m already in the stores just to see what they might have on sale.
Side note: It was so windy when I came out of the grocery store that the empty shopping carts were rolling out of the cart corrals and into the street and oncoming traffic.
A woodworking neighbor stopped me at our mailboxes and asked if I would give him a wood pallet from a massive delivery of compost in exchange for his wood shavings and scraps to use for kindling in the wood-burning stove I use to heat my passive solar adobe house. Yes, please!
And I found a free electronics recycling service that took a couple of old televisions off my hands, including one my then 12-week-old puppy pushed off the TV stand onto the floor. After considerable thought, I decided to keep her, even though she’s a far from frugal addition to the household. But I did not bother to replace the television.
@JDinNM, "after considerable thought...."Love it! lol
Good for you doing the oil changes!
FFT:
1. My big win was that medium ground beef was 40% off and I bought 4.5 lbs! I find that medium beef is cheaper in general, I assume because it's in less demand, then coupled with the sale = big savings 🙂
2. Because we cook from scratch, we don't buy a lot of specialty groceries for Passover--doubly good because commercial Passover food is both SUPER expensive and kind of gross. The only thing I bought differently was a few boxes of matzah and matzah meal, and more meat than usual.
3. I continued working on a blouse that I abandoned in a fit of pique about a year ago. I had made some minor errors, which with the benefit of time I can calmly fix instead of starting a new shiny project.
4. When I impulse-buy snacks because I'm having a terrible horrible no good very bad Friday, I buy them at the discount grocery store on the way home from work. Heh.
5. Mr. B and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary this past weekend. My parents watched our toddler overnight--we just went out for dinner and a drink all within walking distance from our apartment, then came home and watched a movie. No gifts. The fact that we rarely go out these days makes it feel more special when we do!
Since I now have more hard floors than carpet, I gave my cleaner to my daughter with young kids, and can borrow it back any time I need. They sure use it! Buying a cleaner is definitely cheaper than renting one even just a few times.
1. I had placed a large order for my office that was several hundred dollars. I went through Capital One shopping to get the best coupon and later received $149 back in rewards from C.O. (I'm allowed to do this) I bought a $145 gift card for Lowe's and promptly bought some things I'd been wanting for at least 2 years, but wouldn't pay the price for them. I used our military discount and the gift card and spent $21.05 out of pocket for what would have been a little over $195 .
2. This was frugal just because I didn't give up. I have worked since mid-November of 2022 to get approved for a new program to fully pay for my medication, since the old program dropped anyone with insurance for 2023, even if one's insurance won't cover this drug, which mine doesn't anymore. The application and approval process was tortuous: no online accessibility, calls are rarely answered, return calls never made, and they fouled up my paperwork and my account numerous times. Finally, last week I got my first dose via the new program. I take one dose every 8 weeks so this one was late. However, since the cash price on my last dose of 2022 was $28,800+, this was worth the fight and the wait.
3. I threw a load of microfiber cleaning cloths, dusting cloths and mop pads in the washer this weekend and thought about how much I've saved on paper towels and disposable mop pads and dusters in the years I've had the reusables. I love my cloth napkins, too.
4. My daughter bought my lunch this weekend. That's always nice to have a free lunch and no cooking.
5. I received an unexpected co-pay refund from the VA so I used mobile deposit to put it into our account. That's so much easier and cheaper than using a paper deposit slip and driving to the bank.
@JD, Good grief! $28,800 every 8 weeks? That's $187,200/year. Obscene. No wonder nobody answered the phone or returned your calls. Good for you, fighting the good fight and hanging in there. Very impressive!
@JDinNM,
Thanks! I'll admit to really struggling to keep from shouting during the rare times I got someone to answer the phone. What I said after I got off the phone is best left un-repeated. 🙂
@JD, did you use "language unbecoming a lady and a Janeite," as I often do after phone calls to insurance companies? But no matter what you said, congratulations on a huge win.
@JD, Whew. Kudos to you on your persistence!
We purchased a carpet cleaner 3 years ago and I wish we had done it sooner! It's one of those things that I think is worth it for every parent of littles. Between our 3 young kids and our 3 pets we use it quite a bit! I've loaned it out to a couple of friends as well, which makes me happy.
@JD,
Holy cow, the cost of that medication is bananas - but yay you for persisting! I had a similar response from my (former) dental insurancewhen they refused to pay their part of a covered procedure....9 months later, they paid it. Persistence pays off!
@JD, Good for you for continuing the fight with the insurance company! When I get someone who is helpful at an insurance company I am always sort of amazed. It did give me pause when I started to end a conversation with an employee by saying that I intended to write a letter to the company stating how helpful she had been in getting a claim sorted out and she said, (And this is an exact quote) "Please don't do that." Very weird. Maybe when I get an unhelpful employee I should stop sending letters of complaint---perhaps they result in a promotion!
@Lindsey,
I would think that is because it is in the insurance company's financial interests to deny claims. A representative who is helpful to you is costing them money, so they would not reward that representative.
@Lindsey, I agree with Becca. I wanted to say, Please don't, when reading your plan to give the helpful girl credit. I imagined something like, Hey Insurance Co. Your lovely Jane Doe helped me to get the $600 you tried so hard to deny me. Wanted to let you know!
I've been seriously considering getting a carpet cleaner...we actually just spot treat ours and have never called in a professional, and...it shows (ha ha). I love things that really do seem to pay for themselves over time, so I'm going to look into that one you linked. Thanks for sharing!
Here are my own frugal wins, some of which may or may not have me gloating a bit this week 🙂
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/04/04/weekly-frugal-wins-case-lot-sales-compost/
1. My darling husband cannot carry a tune and hilariously fractures lyrics*, but he always has a scrap of a song on his lips. I should have known what was coming when I heard him singing, "Rug Doctor, steaming mad at dirt." (What???) Next thing I knew, he'd scored an almost-new one via CraigsList. It has paid for itself many times over. We even use it to clean the carpet in our library's community room after our quarterly book sales. The County does it once a year, at most. It grosses me out because they also use the space for Story Time. Makes me happy to freshen the carpet babies crawl on for virtually nothing.
*He is freaking hilarious. Yesterday's scrap was "Hang UP your head, Tom Dooley..."
2. Last week was Colonoscopy Week. I actually had to buy low-fiber foods. Fortunately, there was a Winco on the way home from a family gathering.
3. Total OOP for said procedure and meds was $36.05. Hooray for good insurance!
4. Wore a pair of DH's old sweatpants during colonoscopy prep and noticed a small hole forming near the pocket. Fixed it yesterday.
5. Lumpectomy scheduled tomorrow. A friend is bringing dinner by and past me has a number of meals in the freezer to make the next few days easier. Yay!
@Dicey, your #1 made me wistful, as DH couldn't carry a tune in a bucket either and fractured his share of lyrics. And best of luck on your #5.
Kristen, I believe that you, not the auto-correct, are right in your use of has/have. When I taught English, I used to have my students do a worksheet making fun of Spell Check; it used all the wrong homonyms in the sentences but since they were spelled correctly, they were not corrected. Therefore, they were taught not to rely 100% on spelling and grammar software, but to learn the rules and doublecheck their papers. It was a good lesson for all to learn!
My frugal five:
1. I've always shared coupons (fast food coupons to nearby drive-throughs, which I don't use) with the yard man and his crew or given them cold water, tea or soft drinks on hot summer days. I also let him take whatever large limbs he wants when he trims my oaks. (I don't have a wood burning stove or fireplace and he also sells firewood. I would have to pay to take the big stuff to the city dump, but he hauls it off for free.) This week, it really paid off: the yard man told me "I know you were looking for some planters and someone gave me one, and I'll bring it by next time we mow." I thought it'd be a small planting box. Wrong! It's a great big -- make that GREAT BIG! --wooden structure with a large metal tub, designed for a physically challenged person to grow square foot garden in. It's designed so that you could sit in a chair and do the gardening. I'm guessing it'd cost $100 or more at a garden center or big box store, but I got it for FREE!
2. Couldn't eat the free lunch at the teacher's lounge, since it was food I'm allergic to, but they also had a big jug of coffee. Filled up my commuter cup with some Hazelnut. That would cost an arm and a leg at Starbucks (not that I ever patronize Starbucks -- I don't!) Again it was FREE! (And I stopped by after school for another fill-up before they dumped it all out.)
3. Checked with bank to ensure it was getting one of my pension checks. The bank I use has changed its name three times over as many years. The littlest check is not coming through; I'm thinking it didn't receive word about the latest change in routing numbers. Will call them today and get it straightened out.
4. Collecting used water from iced drinks, washing dishes, etc., in buckets and then pour it out on the roses, shrubs and grass outdoors. My city is restricting outdoor watering due to a prolonged drought. Of course, this doesn't completely solve the problem but it keeps precious water from (literally) going down the drain!
5. This is not a current frugal win, but I thought I'd share: our old microwave went on the blink, and I couldn't find any at the secondhand sources where I usually shop. Targets had just what we needed on sale for half price. I also used my red Target card to get an extra 5% discount. Took the thing home and the control panel/keypad is really dark -- so much so, we couldn't read it. When I called the store, I got bad news: This microwave was the last one (of that model) they had, the salesclerk said, and they're all like that. The other models were much more expensive. So I took an old gooseneck lamp out of the garage (it was going to be in our next garage sale), and set it by the microwave. It lights up the control panel so we can see what buttons to punch. It may look weird, but it works and it saved me big bucks.
@Fru=gal Lisa, My Dad had difficulty reading the electronic read-out on his bread maker, so much so that he gave us the machine.
Turned out, he hadn't pulled the little plastic off the tiny LED screen. (Actually, that's understandable, as the fun of peeling the plastic off a device just didn't exist for most of his life). Having been corrected, it's still in use, many years later.
Your lamp fix makes sense to me, and over time, you will sort of know what to hit without looking because you probably use many of the same settings over and over.
@Heidi Louise, now I need to check the screen of my bread machine to see if there's plastic over it. It's so dark I use a flashlight to set it up to bake.
I cut my husband's hair on Sunday.
I purchased some tights and a summer skirt at the thrift store. I'm relieved to have one nicer piece in my wardrobe. (All of my skirts and dresses are just worn out.)
I made some chicken stock using a Costco rotisserie chicken.
I packed some snacks on Sunday because I knew it might be a long time before we were home. This helped us avoid take-out.
I got a lot of weeding done with our new hula hoe. It has been so rainy this year and weeds a plentiful.
@Rebekah in SoCal,
Inquiring minds want to know - what's a hula hoe?
You are right. It's "has." Your house is looking so cosy. Good for free anything. Go, girls. Free oil changes.
Man, I am so impressed with the oil changing lessons and how nice it is of Lisey to show you all.
Your Buy Nothing groups are so productive for you; much more so than ours. Throw pillows make a sitting room 100% more inviting and those are pretty.
Kristen, You have made a cosy, thoroughly outfitted warm home in such short order. Not to mention on a tight budget. You could have a sideline mentoring people starting out (or re-starting, as the case may be).
Yes, my Buy Nothing group has been so wonderful for me! Such a godsend for a tight budget.
And thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Professional editor here (who loves reading your blog every day!) and yes, you are correct about the incorrect autocorrect :). The "has" modifies "pair", not "jeans", but computers aren't always good at figuring that kind of thing out.
Congrats on being a house full of ladies with helpful life skills!
My FFT:
1. Lots of making things from scratch and freezing them: chickpeas and roasted red peppers (for hummus), black beans, guacamole, and tomato soup
2. My husband got me a recipe collection for my birthday and I asked for the pdf version because it was so much cheaper. Last week I printed it at home and yesterday I found an empty binder to keep it all in nicely.
3. I fluffed and unwrinkled the towels when they went from the washer to the dryer so they'd dry faster.
4. After hosting family all afternoon for my husband's birthday, I had no idea what to make for dinner. We remembered that we had a $30 gift card to a local restaurant and decided to use it. Right before we got there I remembered that they offered free meals on your birthday. Between my husband's meal being free and the kids meals ringing up for half of what we were expecting, the gift card covered our whole meal and we only had to pay for the tip.
5. I'm drinking coffee that I made at home.
1. I also made yogurt. Thank you for the recipe/instructions. It worked perfectly and I agree it is so inexpensive. I plan to do this regularly.
2. I'm trying to eat down my freezer, pantry, use up leftovers etc. I made a hashbrown breakfast casserole that used up the last of a bag of sprouting potatoes, free sausage my middle daughter gave me from her work and the remnants of peppers and onions leftover from another dish. It will be several days breakfast for my youngest daughter and I.
3. I've received several freebies lately including sealed bags of coffee my oldest daughter dragged out of the dumpster of a restaurant that was closing and they were throwing tons of really nice things out.
4. I also use my carpet shampooer regularly. Coincidentally I was at the library earlier today and noticed they have a library of things now which includes several carpet shampooers.
5. I added Hoopla to my Roku and I've been able to watch a couple of Acorn shows for free. Now I won't feel the urge to add one more streaming service.
@Jill A, We have a tool library in another building form the main library and now that you mention it, I have never seen a carpet shampooer there. We have one but only one small rug area so I will give ours to them and borrow it when we need it. Thanks for the idea! This is a space hog that I will gladly offload.
I am going with "has."
1. Neighbor Girl got married on Saturday, right here in the neighborhood. She wanted wildflowers in jars rather than florist's arrangements. Two of her family members and I went around the neighborhood with buckets and clippers. It was gorgeous! (Wishing we could attach photos to the comments).
2. There was leftover food from the festivities, and we benefited from the excess.
3. Our gift to her was building her "sweetheart table", which we made of scrap lumber from another neighbor's project. It was redwood!
4. I listed a book on eBay. . . will this be a frugal win? Can't remember what I paid for it, but even if I get $5, it is better than having it collect dust here.
5. Started another sweater (which I don't need) of yarn from yet another neighbor's yarn stash (she died about 7 years ago).
I absolutely love that your girls are changing their own oil and manifesting the “don’t need whiskers” mindset! Those throw pillows are also ♥️ worthy! And mending is always marvelous!
- I was able to replace my favorite tall coffee mug with a nearly identical one I found on eBay. First I marked the item as a favorite (to test if I really wanted it via cooling off period), & within a day received an offered discount from the seller which I gladly accepted.
- I forgot to put away a mushroom quinoa pre-cook in my instant pot. Not frugal! But composting it took the sting off that a bit.
- I planned my vacation to Australia wardrobe using only what I currently own. I’ve always struggled with the thought that wearing the perfect outfit would alleviate any social anxiety, so this was a BIG win for me! I just let reminding myself I’m more comfy in familiar clothing, and more comfy = more relaxed!
- I stayed with my son and DIL when I traveled to Phoenix last week saving on hotel & pet sitting expenses.
- I made my own vegan cheese with almond milk, nutritional yeast, agar agar, lemon juice, garlic powder and tapioca to make it stretchy when it melts. Is it as delish a dairy cheese??NOPE. But.. it’s good for my cholesterol controlling efforts and waaaaay less expensive than the stuff in the store.
I’ve been exercising my frugal muscles because I’m now a single mom of 3 kids without a steady career. Trying not to waste anything, and make sure I’m not splurging anywhere.
1. Chopped up stale bagels and turned them into croutons, which my kids have loved.
2. Found birthday gift for daughter second hand but in great condition. Saved me quite a bit of money.
3. Removed a nail polish stain from carpet using nail polish remover. It took some time, but it’s a great deal better looking now.
4. Canceled 2 subscriptions that I didn’t need.
5. Negotiated with supply company over supplies for my son, allowing him to get his needs met without having to pay for it.
Sending you all sorts of love, Kaitlin. I am so sorry you are walking this road.
But, I know you will survive. Big hugs.
Love that Lisey is teaching you all an awesome skill!
1) Chased down a $160 fee for a driving lesson that I knew we'd paid months ago. In the end, got the documentation we needed, and didn't have to pay again.
2) Priced out options for transportation for our spring break trip. It's international, so we're going to the bigger airport that's a further distance, and our usual approach at the local airport wouldn't work.
3) Registered for a travel promotion available via my employer (they partner with several travel brands). I think I'll actually have enough upcoming hotel nights to qualify, between our spring break trip & a business trip, so that will earn me future status & rewards (free breakfast, room upgrades, etc)
4) Charged our electric car for free at work, ate free lunch/snacks at the office.
5) I received a large bonus at work, for a project I lead, which was a very nice surprise. We will use the money to treat my husband's family to a few activities on our upcoming trip.
1. We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for 3 days. My employer had a discount for 30% off the price of the hotel. We brought coffee, snacks, water, breakfast, and lunch. We also purchased a pass, in advance, that included a bunch of activities at a discounted price. It wasn't frugal, but we did what we could to save.
2. We organized the kid's toys and books this weekend. The ones that were not wanted went into our neighborhood Little Library or on Buy Nothing.
3. I picked up a bag of size 6/7 girl's clothes off Buy Nothing. These will fit my daughter over the next 1-2 years.
4. The inserts in my son's sneakers got ruined. I considered getting him new shoes and then decided on buying new inserts instead. The sneakers were saved for $7.
5. I used some over-ripe bananas to make banana bread.
Go, girls! I wish I'd learned this at an early age. Now, in my 70s, when I get down, I can't always get up alone, and sometimes there really is no one else around!
1. Went to Ross Dress for Less to find a bargain spring/summer purse, as I am tired of black, brown, and gold purses. But I am picky about having enough zippered compartments, and only carry crossbody purses now. Couldn't find one, but decided to stop by the thrift shop on my way home and voila! There was a cute pink one for $3.50 and close by was a gray suede-looking one for $4.50 and it matches my gray suede booties perfectly! Perfect for next fall and winter! Snatched them both up and plan to put some kind of bling on the pink one as it's a bit plain.
2. Got notified by the IRS that they needed more info for the refund they owe us. I could have gone back to H&R, as they are the ones who filled them out and would have done it for free, but I took another look at the letter and realized they had a self-help page. It took about 15 minutes to figure it out and do it, but that's less time than it would take to drive TO HRB, much less drive back, and no gas required.
3. Took my truck in to get the oil changed (see first comment), with a coupon I'd printed out that was 20% off. Unfortunately, it wouldn't scan, but the really nice young man used another and I still got the 20% off.
4. We were still pretty well stocked for groceries, but there were some things we were getting low on, so I checked the ads for the local store. Turns out they were having several BOGO 1/2 off, and a couple of Buy 2, Get the 3rd one free--and there were lots of things I buy on a regular basis. So the pantry is a little crowded, but the cereal, pickles, dw deteregent, etc. will get used eventually--at a lower price than normal.
5. Was out walking my dog this morning, which is trash day in my neighborhood, and ran across a perfectly good bookshelf, and 2 tomato cages out by someone's trash, and then an outdoor baby swing with the ropes and hardware needed to hang it on a tree at another house. I grabbed my phone, took photos and posted the curb alerts on my gifting group. After getting home, I took the truck and went back, and they were still there, so I loaded them all up and have already delivered the bookshelf to someone in the group. If no one asks for the other things, I will clean them up and donate them to the thrift shop. It may behoove me to take the truck out early on trash pickup days and see if there are more items that can be saved from the dump!
1. My oldest outgrew some clothes, but we had new-to-us items and birthday/Christmas presents. No shopping necessary this time.
2. I made most of our meals at home. My husband is purchasing his lunch today from the cafe next to his work; it's a little family-owned business. Since there's (supposed to be) a blizzard, he wanted to purchase something when it was likely to be slow. It's 2 pm and the blizzard hasn't actually hit our town yet.
3. I made treats at home for a party, instead of buying them. Also did a test-run of some recipes for Easter dinner.
4. My mother gifted me a cookbook.
5. We made our coffee at home.
6. I sewed patches and badges on uniforms. I worked on a quilt using material that we have on hand. I fixed an action figure and a stuffed animal.
Good job Lisey!
One safety comment from my mechanic husband: be sure Lisey uses jack stands when crawling under a car. First thing out of his mouth. <3
Oh yes; I believe I put that in the caption on that photo. We always, always use jack stands! Lisey just likes to leave the jack there during the oil change since you need it at the end anyway.
Pair has, not have. You are right! (Ex-English teacher here.)
Fixing up those jeans, you now have an expensive pair of patched jeans. On the market place, they go for big money. I have 3 pair of jeans--2 were free. They are out of style but I wear them. They have not ripped.
Great job Ladies, doing your own oil.
We never have any leftover coffee to make it to the 'frig.
I always miss the good stuff on the Buy Nothing page but then again as I am still working on downsizing (11 yrs later), I don't really need it.
My frugality has been in the kitchen. Sunday I made ATK tuna melt sandwiches. By the time I got home Monday, it was grill cheese sandwiches. Tonight when I came home from work and asked what's for dinner, my husband suggested pizza. This would have meant my going out to pick it up. I just did not feel like getting in the car again. I found 6 meatballs with some sauce and I cooked up a little pasta. For lunch today I had leftover chowder.
Tomorrow I have to go to the grocery store--it is a must. I don't want to go closer to the weekend.
My list -
1) I cut my husband's hair.
2) I cut my own hair
3) I got a second bid from a builder rather than just take the first one I'm getting three bids....it looks like it will be the first one anyway.
4) I bought winglets on sale at the grocery store
5) I made all of my lattes at home this week
6) I colored Easter eggs with my grandson using what I had on hand.
1. We are finally close to eating up food from when the in-laws were here. This week we’ve finished off the potatoes and the lunch meat. Still working on a lone sweet potato and cream cheese.
2. Transferred money to my Roth IRA account. I’m grateful to be working enough to do this.
3. Eating foods from the freezer, preventing wasted food due to freezer burn and helping us go longer between store runs.
4. My husband is a groomsman in a wedding out of state this summer, and flights are expensive. We were able to do a little “travel hacking” by using miles to travel one way (plus $12 in fees), and then a lower-priced (but not cheap) regional airline the other way. It feels especially good to use miles because I feel like they are getting harder and harder to use.
5. I volunteered at a local emergency preparedness simulation. At the end I was able to take home four bananas, two popcorn snacks, and received a $5 gift card. I enjoyed the simulation and hope it was helpful to the local emergency preparedness groups.
Let's see if I can come up with 5 frugals:
1. Got a free 14 lb turkey from the grocery store for spending $400 in 4 weeks. Not too hard to do these days. Will use turkey for Easter dinner. Invited dsil for dinner.
2. I had two coupons for Bath and Body Works. Today I got a body lotion and a small tube of lotion for my purse. Used it and hated the smell of it. I will go back and exchange it.
3. Used two of my allowance dollars to get a 2 minute (?) long massage at one of the massage chairs in the mall.
4. Cooked at home all last week and will this week. No take away pizza. It's up to $15 now for half pepperoni and dh can make it for about $7.
5. Bought socks at Aldi but I don't really like them, plus I have socks, so they will go back.
Bonus - had my colonoscopy on 3/29 and got a lovely purple bruise on my arm from the i.v. It's huge!
* I tested positive for Covid yesterday. It cancels out our plans to travel next week-end for Easter. I'm not 'happy' about it, but I'm not devastated... I choose to see it as a little frugal win (namely, gas money not spent on the 12 hours drive). And resting time for the whole family. I've got plenty of library books, Netflix shows, Advils and a comfy bed to keep me company for the next couple of days!
* Daughter picked out 11 pieces of clothing from a gigantic bag of clothes given on my Buy Nothing group : 9 shirts, 1 pair of short and 1 coat. It's pretty difficult when it comes to dressing herself (sensory issues), so this is a big win in my book
Frugal fail : not being allowed back to work for 7 to 1o days and having no paid sick days. Another fail : I bought tickets for a show with a friend. Obviously I won't be going, so I decided to gift my ticket to her husband
Aww, I'm so sorry you got sick! I hope you feel better soon.
1. I picked up my two free items of the month at the grocery store. Everyone is excited by the hot honey, but we haven't actually tried it yet. Nobody likes the cookies.
2. I made two sales on Etsy, packaged them in envelopes I already had, and promptly dropped them at the post office one of the many times per day I drive right past it.
3. I moved a child to a bigger size soccer cleats that were already in my hand-me-down closet.
4. I got out the next size hand-me-down shirts for another child, moved his current size shirts down to yet a different kid, and set aside some of the shirts this last kid won't wear for my nephew.
5. I declared that two re-useable shopping bags that the bagger rejected for holes were still plenty useable when I'm bagging my own groceries (which is most of the time).