Five Frugal Things | basil, lasagna noodles, & more
Hello, hello! Time for your regular midweek dose of normalcy. 🙂
1. I planted basil
When I made my last grocery trip, I picked up a packet of basil seeds for $2.
I'm kind of a black thumb, as I've mentioned before, but basil is pretty easy even for black thumbs to grow. You just need a nice sunny spot for it.
Basil is an herb that is really lovely to have growing, since it does not do at all well once it's cut.
It's gonna be a while before these plants are useful, but at least I've got them started.
2. I am using zero cellular data.
This is a very handy time to have a pay-as-you-go kind of plan!
I'm on wifi all the time now, and since Ting only charges for what you use, this is making my cell bill nice and low.
(If you want to switch to Ting, go to this link for $25-$50 off your first month's bill)
Over here, I wrote some thoughts about Republic Wireless, if you're looking for other inexpensive options.
3. I used up 3 packages of lasagna noodles.
Partial packages, that is.
I had three packages that had just a few noodles in them, so I combined them all and made a skillet lasagna, using a recipe from Cook's Country.
4. I made no-knead bread for panini.
I normally have a one pound Costco bag of yeast in my freezer, but sadly, I do not right now.
(WHYYYYYY? My timing is terrible.)
So, I've been trying to be conservative with my yeast usage.
I made a big loaf of no-knead bread, which only uses ½ teaspoon of yeast.
We ate half, and then I used the other half to make some panini for dinner.
5. We defrosted our frozen freezer coils.
I think that someone accidentally didn't shut the freezer door all the way, because everything inside was covered with frost, the coils were totally frozen, and the fridge was warm.
The last time this happened, we had someone come out to look at it, and I watched him take apart the freezer and defrost the coils.
So this time, I thought we could probably handle it ourselves.
It took a little YouTube watching, but Mr. FG and I did get it apart and then we used a hair dryer to melt all the ice.
So far, so good; the fridge is cold for now.
If it's a problem from something other than the door being left open, time will tell. But hopefully it will turn out that we have indeed saved ourselves an appliance repair bill.
(plus this is a win on the trying-to-stay-away-from-other-people side of things!)
Since you're good at being patient, thought I'd mention two ideas:
1. Basil is ridiculously easy to root in water-you can snip sections that have two leaves and a bit of stem off grocery store herb bunches or a plant that is growing in your yard or a neighbor's yard, place the stem in water, then plant in dirt once roots appear-sometimes just takes a couple days. Your new plant will be a clone of the parent plant, so you know exactly what you'll get. Many other herbs will root this way too.
2. Use sourdough starter instead of yeast-you can even "cheat" and jump start your starter using yeast or "capture" wild yeast by waiting. Just takes a little extra attention and regular baking/usage to keep it going in a glass jar.
By the way, if you put basil stems from the grocery store in a vase with water and place the vase in a sunny window, the basil will root and keep growing for quite a while just in the water and you can snip off what you need. The plants do get unhappy in the winter, but I can usually keep them going for months this way during spring/summer/fall-like a floral bouquet that doesn't wilt!
Wow. Becca--thanks so much! You've changed my basil-loving life!!
I was running low on yeast, too, so I was planning on starting some starter the "cheating" way. Then my husband found one of the large bags at a local bulk foods grocery. However, because I talked up sourdough, my family is expecting it anyway; they were so disappointed when my last sourdough went moldy.
Just last night I made a casserole that used up several leftovers in my refrigerator--including the broken bits from the last of three bags of tortillas--and I was so proud I made something actually tasty out of some very uninspiring ingredients.
It doesn't take much to increase my opinion of myself, obviously. Camouflaging leftover mutton will do it. 🙂
Baking supplies like flour and can be bought at bakeries. There was an article about a wholesale bakery that supplies resturants, sports events and such that will sell flour and fresh yeast. They are also doing weekly bread deliveries. In our area a culinary school has set up a market for meats, vegetables and other items used in their classes. They explained that they get supplies from a different source than grocery stores and such. The suggestion was to ask at your local bakery because not everyone is advertising this. One bakery is even giving away sourdough starter.
I have yeast and some flour but wanted bread flour which I'm out of. The bakery set up a web page and has deliveries twice a week. 5lb flour is $4, which is about what I paid last time I bought it. They are employing drivers from a restaurant that is closed. The $5 fee is going to the drivers. Or you can pick up with no charge.
We are supposed to be sewing mask for work and my fancy machine got stuck in bobbin mode. I started trying to take the top off and look at it, thinking the whole time I was probably making it worst. But I didn't see a trip to the shop anytime soon so keep going. Found a loose screw which fixed it, only took me two hours and a few choice words.lol Today I'll be back to sewing. This is a way for employees to work from home and get a few hours pay.
1) I continue go through my pile of items that I purchased for resale and am putting as many items as possible on eBay. People are still buying some things here and there.
2) I cleaned up my flower beds and rooted some perennials.
3) One of my neighbors was looking for a local farm that delivers fresh produce and eggs. I referred her to one that I have used for a long time and received $5 off my next delivery.
4) My husband and I took a walk last night after dinner and found a place to watch the moon rise. We prefer to watch from the beach near our house. Sadly, the beaches are closed and big fines are handed out to anyone who defies this order. But we found a lovely spot over looking one of the salt water lakes. I am always calmed by the beauty of nature.
5) I watched a British drama series, Keeping Faith, on Hoopla, an App offered by my local library that I downloaded onto our Television.
1. I was able to use the senior concierge service at Sam's Club last week. Since I'm over 60 my daughter does not want me to go into stores. They had almost everything on my list and were nice as can be. I listed to an audio book while I waited. I tried to tip but they don't accept tips. I'll just donate more to the local food bank instead.
2. I am using an old tee-shirt and some elastic to make washable masks. I also have some old bandanas we can use.
3. I made pancakes for dinner. They were very satisfying, in a comfort food way. Leftovers went in the freezer for future breakfasts.
4. We're taking advantage of the spring weather to walk once or twice a day. We also have done some yard work.
5. I continue to clean out files and other things, cook mostly with what we have, and remember that we can do hard things, one moment and day at a time.
1) I purchased an eBook from Amazon for our book club, not frugal, though it does allow both my husband and I to read the assigned books simultaneously on our respective Kindles) and the book included a link to read another book for free online. The online book service is s l o w as molasses, but I am happily reading Love Anthony by Lisa Genova at zero cost, as my free book.
2) I continue to follow up on all the various events that we purchased tickets for, and that are now cancelled due to our state's Shelter In Place provisions. A good amount of refunds should be forthcoming as a result.
3) Cancelled our gym memberships because walking outside, as we are now doing a ton of due to gym being closed, is 100% nicer than working out indoors. Plus, we have unused free weight handbells that are no longer going unused.
4) Subscribed to Zoom at $14.99 a month, not free, but uninterrupted broadband time with family and friends? Priceless. Plus, it saved the cost of two bottles of wine when we recently hosted our book club on Zoom vs. in our home. Ha!
5) Zoom has allowed us to replace cancelled dinners out with friends with stay-in video share dinners instead, saving us a lot of money. We set our respective laptops on our individual dining tables, and Zoom'd away. It is close enough to actually being there that we go to bed tired out from socializing. This extrovert loooooves Zoom!
Easter idea: We are doing a Zoom Easter dinner with our families on Sunday, all sitting down to dinner at the same time in our individual homes, talking and seeing each other as we do so via our laptops/iPads.
(1) I made myself a face mask for errands, out of a pair of disposable shorts I once got at my orthopedist's (non-woven fabric) plus some Velcro tape I found on DH's workbench in the basement. Taking it for a test run this morning while the in-home aide (who's still allowed to come) sits with DH this morning. It should at least work better than the bandanna I've been wearing like a bandit on previous shopping trips.
(2) The elderly mother of a friend stopped by to do a "TP for produce" swap. In return for 8 rolls of the TP I order regularly by the 80-roll case (and had just ordered before the crisis), I now have enough veggies for an army, notably three heads of cabbage, two bags of Brussels sprouts, and a bagful of beets. (The mom takes friends from her church to a local food giveaway, and all this stuff was going begging. I have only her word for it that it's virus-free, but I didn't take anything I don't plan to cook thoroughly first.)
(3) Roasted a bag of the Brussels sprouts last night (Ina Garten recipe). Yum yum!
(4) The weather's improved enough here in Upstate NY that I've been able to start garden cleanup/prep. Thank goodness for gardening, fresh air, and exercise. And the neighbors stop by regularly to socialize with DH and me (at a respectful distance, of course) while we're out.
(5) And I've started onion, leek, and shallot seeds under lights in the house. (My gardening plan this year involves a lot of onion/garlic family crops and herbs, since the deer don't eat those!)
A. Marie---have you ever made leek pie? It is very yummy and uses only the pie crust, leeks, and some cream or thickened milk. Plus salt and pepper, of course. Leeks grow well in this part of Alaska and they are very expensive and old in the grocery store, so I grow literally hundreds every summer. (Four 100 compartment flats of starts are on the counter as I write this.)
Sounds delicious, Lindsey, and I'll have to give that a try this year. (In general, my leeks go into vichyssoise and roasted root veggies.) And I plant relatively few because of (1) lack of space and (2) my dependence on Dr. Bestest Neighbor to plant mine (his knees are in better shape than mine, although he's 18 years older!). Your 400 starts are awesome!
I tried to get a sourdough starter going.. I made a batch of pancakes and did a batch of rolls.. and I am just not having great success.. I give up only because I did get a bag of fresh yeast at the local Mennonite store last week!
Cooking at home- I already have the food and it is less expensive than *supporting local* for our budget right now..
Taking lots of walks as stress relievers- to get out of the house...
Its hard to come up with frugal things right now since everything is so limited!! Its ALL Frugal! lol
I finally got my sourdough starter going but it took two weeks and while I did use some of the discard, it felt wasteful to toss it out. To those of us who can get them going I highly suggest giving some to friends so they can get theirs going.
If you want to try again with minimal cost, Cooks Illustrated came up with a mini-starter.
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/2268-make-your-own-mini-sourdough-starter-with-the-quarantinystarter-project
https://www.google.com/amp/s/zerowastechef.com/2014/07/10/sourdough-crackers/amp/
There are lots of recipes that use sourdough starter discards. Here is one, and she has several more on her site.
Thanks for sharing! I've always avoided trying to start because of all the waste and being a small household. This looks really cool, I can't wait to start.
Our dryer dies last week and the repair guy refused to go out in public to fix it. With some You Tubing and Googling, Hubby found the part for $65 (as opposed to $100-$150), got an extra $20 off because he was friendly to the person on the phone AND replaced it himself for zero service fee. He also replaced a breaker (which was a side effect of the heating thing going out) saving us $$ on that service call.
Yesterday I made a huge pot of butter beans and a ham bone which was delicious and cheap.
We found some termite damage in a soffet near the front door so we will totally fix that ourselves. Also going to do some tree trimming ourselves this weekend.
I will sign the lease for youngest's college apt early and this will lock in his already very low rent.
Lastly - we've been eating up the food we already have before I go out and buy more. And since you can't get flour (or Crisco, or yeast) here, I made beer bread with some of my precious flour yesterday and it was tasty and comforting with those beans.
OH! And I made my own disinfecting wipes:
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/2020/04/i-made-my-own-bleach-wipes.html
Happy rest of your week!
1. We have also baked no-knead bread and biscuits, for breakfast and to go with a big batch of cabbage soup (Victory soup!)
2. As many here, tending to my garden. It helps to have a routine to remember to water it. After work, I go for a run and then cool down watering.
3. Been working extra. It's tiring but I should not complain as I can do it safely and from home.
4. I ran out of printing paper, but found a big stack of paper where I can still use the other side for printing school assignments for my kids. I like for them to do some assignments on paper rather than everything on the screen.
5. Your TING post reminds me to go and deactivate a phone line on my account, to save the $10 a month fee to keep the number. I've kept it suspended for my son who moved overseas. However, his overseas stay is now more permanent so it's time to cut the cord.
1. We read all of the library books we got for my son before we were in quarantine. A neighbor gave us a big bag of books for him.
2. Our friend left a sourdough starter on the porch this week. I have fed it and used it to make sourdough bread and pancakes. Helps conserve yeast and it tastes so good!
3. Bought used hiking boots off eBay for a fraction of the price. We hike alot!
4. Speaking of hiking, my husband got a tick bite this weekend. I work in healthcare and my employer started offering telemedicine urgent care visits this year. It took all but 30 minutes to schedule the appointment and see the doctor electronically. And from the comfort of our home, which saved gas money and unnecessary exposure of going into a doctor's office right now. It was our normal copay for a doctor's visit ($30).
5. My husband printed us respirator-type masks on his 3D printer. They cost pennies in material and help us stay healthy.
Happy Easter week everyone!
1. I just put in a pick order for Krogers. Their pickup is currently free, all sale prices apply and you can use coupons. I called to ask about buying the bags we purchase for trash pickup. They checked to see how to do it and were very helpful. The bags are much, much cheaper than regular trash pick up here.
2. Planning meals more carefully than ever, using up every little part. I managed to get another cutting from the kale in the garden with one more cutting I think. What a blessing that little pack of seeds has been!
3. We moved the day lilies starts that are popping up around the perimeter of the house. We moved them from our previous house to this one which had no landscaping at all. They've done great and now we have a nice thick layer around the house broken up by limestone rocks from the yard and inexpensive shrubs.
4. I'm cleaning out the garage and have a massive garage sale pile. I love re-purposing items for garden art so I have a whole box of materials. Looking forward to next week when I can start to create.
5. Have started a couple new series on Acorn and Prime, both of which are on my sister-in-law's account. We been well entertained during this isolation time.
Be safe all! And wash your hands!!!
Kristen, check out creativesavv's blog post yesterday on using less yeast. She made a sponge with half the normal amount of yeast and multiple times to rise and it turned out well. Since you are home all the time anyway, you could pull that off in this season of life.
1. Doing creative makeovers with leftovers. Trying to avoid grocery shopping at ALL COSTS !
2. Not driving anywhere saves money on gas.
3. Shopping my basement for outdoor decor.
4. Finding perennials off of buy nothing site. Have to dig them out myself. Only choosing those that are very close to where I live.
5. Spray painting ratty outdoor items to refresh so not to buy new!
1. I've discovered that I don't have much casual wear, as I usually just wear casual on weekends. I'm not buying any more clothes, though, as being home is (I hope!) a temporary situation.
2. I took some still-good bagged dirt that my husband never got a chance to use last year, and added peat we already had and worm castings from my worm bucket to start a raised bed planter in one section of a 55 gal. plastic drum that my husband had cut into planters a few years back. I had bought two clean drums as surplus for $5 each at my old workplace. He had drilled holes in the bottoms for drainage and they have worked out well. Basil is one of the things I have planned to plant. I love its flavor, and it's actually good for us, too.
3. Being home has allowed me to hang out 95% of our laundry.
4. I will not be spending money on (pre-owned!) Easter clothes, candy or a big dinner this year. It's frugal, but I'm not happy about this one.
5. I contacted the clinic - again - where my husband had a procedure, to remind them that they have still not billed his additional insurance after Medicare, and that I won't be paying the $119 they have billed me again, even though I gave them all the insurance information last time. Medical bills, what a headache!
1.) Continuing my purge at home. It's not frugal in the truest sense but I've found some things I forgot I had and now I don't have to buy new ones. I've also been getting tons of stuff for donation once they open that back up.
2.) We have a Shark steam mop whose fabric heads have seen much better days. Come to find out they sell replacement ones. I found some cheap enough on Amazon for all of $6 for two.
3.) Stopped into Big Lots and they were discounting their Easter candy early. I got a small bag of black jelly beans for $0.50! I'm not a sweets guy but I can't refuse black jelly beans!
4.) Helping others with things we bought or otherwise acquired over the years. We found tons of liquid bodywash and hotel soaps and that sort of thing whilst cleaning out. What we didn't decide to force ourselves to use we are giving away. Better that people can actually use things than to have them tossed out!
5.) Not driving and the cost of gas plummeting means I have spent almost nothing on gas. We actually had been spending a lot less anyway so we decided to retool our budgets and make them more relevant. So at least that's one big upside.
1). Our dishwasher broke and my husband was able to fix it after spending $35 on a part on Amazon. We avoided a costly service call or replacement and avoided contact with other people.
2). Took a freezer inventory to get a good handle on what we actually have.
3). My kids usually fend for themselves when they are home for lunch. I’ve taken over making lunch for them to ensure we are being extra diligent about food waste and stretching our grocery visits as long as possible.
4). I set up Hoopla on my kids’ Kindle Fires so they can continue the book series they’ve been reading and avoid buying ebooks.
5). Reading library books, watching streaming services we already have, playing the games we own, and using all of the craft supplies we have on hand.
1. I made soup stock. My local grocery does their own butchering, so they have random bits and pieces for super cheap, so I got turkey backs for almost nothing, and used up leftover chicken bones.
2. Spray painted an older wicker planter so I can hang some herbs for my kitchen. The planter was a gift from a friend, so $0.
3. I went through my sewing stash and found some old elastic left over from another project, so I was able to make masks for myself and my extended family out of scraps! Very needed right now, as my brother and mother both work in essential businesses.
4. Staying home right now means I'm not spending anything on gas or the train that I usually take to work 2 days a week. It still saves me money, even if it's not voluntary!
5. Fixed my shower drainage problem (for now) saving me an expensive plumbers visit, although I'm not sure I would have been able to get anyone to come out anyways?
It looks like you have the same fridge/freezer we did, and we had ours for 10 years with no problems! Last summer it started freezing up like yours and the fridge would get warm, so we had someone come out, they replaced a little part in the back of the fridge, but sadly, that didn't quite do the trick, and we ended up having to replace it (Lowes had an identical model to what we purchased before at least so we didn't have to figure out new sizes, because we love the setup in the one we had). Good luck, though!
Oh man, that stinks. I hope that we can keep our fridge, but I guess time will tell.
Let's see, here's what we've done:
-(Almost) no driving (saving gas, wear & tear & later mileage on our car insurance)
-Planted a few seeds & starters, for a garden
-Stocked our fridge & freezer, so we could stay home for two weeks & avoid shopping
-Listing something every day on eBay, and have sold a few items
Kelly- Glad your DH could fix the dishwasher! Our washing machine died after 19 years, so we had to replace it, unfortunately.
Here's my Fab Five-
1) We recycled our washing machine by giving it to someone who will take it to the recyclers. No gas for wasted and we didn't have to pay anyone to haul it away. Savings- $25
2) The local bakery is selling sourdough bread today for $2/loaf. Can't beat that. Savings- $1.50/loaf
3)Best Buy sent me a GC and I got n online gaming subscription with it. Sone will get it for his birthday.. Savings- $5
4) Earned a $6 GC to Ebay and got a stocking stuffer Bionicle toy in a package. Savings $6
5) With the DMV closed, our state requires an eye exam now when you renew your license. With everything closed and only online licenses being issued, I got my license early, saved gas, didn't need to get eye doc paperwork or stand in line forever!
Found two ants in the house. It is much too early for them as the temperatures haven't stabilized above freezing. We occasionally get several indoors over the summer, usually right before a big rain storm.
I had read that they don't cross talcum powder lines, so I pulled out my ancient bottle of baby powder and drew lines across all our exterior thresholds. So far, it is working, though looks like a drug deal gone really bad.
Using up leftovers and using up hidden food items from the cupboards.
Sprouting green onions; planted a few seeds in indoor pots. The squirrels watched through the windows, I'm sure. Remembered some ancient plant fertilizer a friend gave me when he moved, and sprinkled it around all trees and shrubs outside. Either won't hurt or I have now killed them all.
Saving by not shopping or driving, though I would rather be doing so.
Continuing to do five minute Tai Chi stretching to YouTube with husband and son every day. It wouldn't be much for many people, but with various physical issues, it is for us. The recording messed up last week, first freezing with our arms in the air, then moving in arm circles at triple speed. As husband said it was like being high school pompon girls, which is not what one would expect of our aging body types.
Stay close, all!
Drug deal gone bad lol
This is refreshing after a very non-frugal start to the week. I did a big 2-week shopping trip Monday morning and wasn't quite as organized as last time, so I felt like I overbought on a number of things and the next 2 week segment will have to be planned better.
1. My aunt dropped off a number of succulents last night and I'm planting them in a couple of long flower pots that I have.
2. Before my store trip on Monday, I used an old onesie and a couple of hair ties to stitch together a mask. It worked, but wasn't great and probably won't stand up for as long as we'll be needing them. A friend who's a sewer just dropped off two masks she made - one for me and one for my husband. I offered to pay her in cash, flour, or TP but she declined payment.
3. Used my birthday money to buy a "together time" puzzle when I was at the store. It has large pieces, medium pieces, and small pieces so that kids and adults can do it together. I don't have any coffee dates in the near future to save my money for, so I'm putting it towards the puzzle, I got a $3 magazine, and will put the rest towards food.
4. I repurposed a yogurt cup, the bottom of a creamer bottle, and an old McD's cup as pots to start some plants.
5. My kids made and mailed birthday cards for their friend that turned 5 today. Hopefully it will help her birthday at home be a little brighter.
Staying home is a great way to save money if one's household electronics don't break. We had to send our robovac back for a repeat repair, but the company agreed to do it under warranty, and the Roku remote went flaky, but our friend who is staying with us fixed it. So narrow escapes there. Onto the frugal five:
1. Dug in my fabric stash and came up with fabric from a heavy twill shirt my husband wore the elbows out of. Sewed it into a great fabric mask for him.
2. Ordered vacuum cleaner bags from the same small business we bought the vacuum from several years ago. Also ordered soy granules (they are added to our dog’s food to treat her spay incontinence) from another small company.
3. Cooked several big dinners using stocked up goods from the freezer so that we had plentiful leftovers.
4. Spent several quiet, sunny afternoons weeding our back yard.
5. Have been enjoying listening to music on the old iPhone we resurrected from the dead with a power cord and an external speaker. It's been great having music while I sew.
Question: I have no yeast. Is there a substitute? I don’t have beer either. Breads looks so good.
Make a sourdough starter!
Ok I’ll try that. I’ve never made it except from starter given to me.
There are a lot of directions on line for how to make starter from the yeasty spores all around us. It takes some days to get it to the point where you can use it, but it does work.
Would you have biscuits instead of bread? Those use baking powder or baking soda.
You can also make soda bread--actually, there are quite a few bread recipes out there that use baking powder or soda! If you have eggs, you can make popovers in a muffin tin.
What brand of refrigerator do you have? I have an LG with freezer on the bottom and my ice maker hasn’t worked in quite a while. I you tubed it and that’s what it said to do as well. I have yet to do it and ended up buying $1.00 ice cube trays at the dollar store. My freezer is still too full. Get crackin’ Maureen!
I've gotten really into sourdough bread baking the last few months. It costs me something like $1 per load vs the $4 a loaf sourdough I was buying.
A great tip I recently learned is to scrunch your parchment paper into a small ball and then smooth back out before you use it to line bowls or pans. It allows it to tuck in around the bread dough a little nicer. Give it a try!
That's a great tip, thanks! My parchment often sticks in funny ways to my wet dough.. hopefully this will help!
So glad to help! I couldn't believe I had never thought of that after struggling with parchment paper for years.
Thank you so much for the parchment tip!! I'm sharing it with my family fellow bakers!
I was really impressed with how well it worked!
1 I recently lost almost 30 pounds, so cleaned out dresses, tops and pants to sell once the pandemic is over.
2. Bought mulch at the 2 day sale at lowes (it will cover 90% of what I need)
3. Have been going through my stockpile of books to read
4. Cooking only what I have in my freezer, refrigerator and pantry
5. Put a hold on several subscriptions that come on a monthly basis until I use up all the skin and hair products I have
1.My friend called to say she was going to leave a dozen duck eggs on the front porch, as she was going out anyway to try and find toilet paper. I told her about my inadvertent hoarding by ordering 21 instead of 2 cases of toilet paper and she was welcome to some. We worked out a deal for weekly exchange for a dozen duck eggs and two dozen chicken eggs for toilet paper. When the wealthy were fleeing Russia at the time of the revolution, they sewed their jewels into the seams of their clothes. I have visions of fleeing with rolls of toilet paper secured to my person!
2. I hate bananas once the peels all solid yellow because the texture is too soft for me. Husband saw two on the counter he knew were past it for me, so requested banana pancakes for dinner three nights running, to use them up. Bless him.
3. Husband runs the few errands we have and said he was going to buy some wet wipes to keep in the car. I cut up a king sized flannel sheet that was in the rag bag and made some that fit into a small container he is now keeping in the car. They smell faintly of bleach, but so what for now. I can wash and reuse or he can throw them away.
4. Repaired, for the 1000th time, the dogs stuffed animals. He destroys nothing else in the house, so I will keep fixing them. Right now I am not going to the thrift shop to buy more of them. Seamster husband found some canvass, so says he will make some more stuffed toys for him.
5. I found a small container of eggplant parm in the freezer. I added some macaroni and more cheese to stretch it out and ate that the nights the husband was eating banana pancakes. I love eggplant but seldom make anything with it because he doesn't like it.
I love your list Lindsey!!
I renewed my car insurance today and received a $58 credit for having driven low annual kilometres. I paid for a year in full which knocked it down even more.
I divided and replanted about 200 strawberry plants so now we have an even larger berry patch.
I hung two loads of laundry on the line today as it is perfect line drying weather and nothing smells better than sheets dried in the fresh air!
I sifted my backyard compost and added it to the beds where I’m planting onions and leeks.
I divided and planted a rhubarb plant rescued from the side of the road and hopefully it will produce stalks later this spring. At least the deer won’t eat it!
1) Defrosted our garage freezer! We once paid for a guy to come and tell us that a box of waffles had turned up the temperature in the freezer (but seriously, WHY is the push button temperature control at the back of the freezer about 12" from the bottom????). We paid a second time for someone to defrost our freezer, but he gladly showed my husband how to defrost it himself. Now we can deal with this issue on our own without losing our precious precious ice cream.
2) Successfully baked sourdough bread. It felt so good and was allllllmost worth wasting five pounds of bread flour to figure it out. We also got some delicious pancakes out of the deal.
3) Shopped my desk at work. I don't know when I'll be back in my office on a regular basis, but I have lots of shelf-stable food there (tuna, Clif bars, cans of soup, etc...). I also had a stash of toiletries up there. I brought it all home and am set for those items for awhile.
4) Made two dozen cloth masks from materials I already had at home. For once in my life, my sewing hoard paid off in spades. Now 8 people have enough masks to wear one, have one in the wash, and have a backup for an emergency.
5) Got gas for $1.63. It's not really anything I did, but it was quite shocking to see the price lower than I have in probably 20 years.
Your freezer looks exactly like mine, I wonder if we have the same fridge? If so, it may not have been a case of "someone didn't shut the freezer" as much as "something is slightly wrong with the freezer and it's almost impossible to get closed." If so, drop me a line and I can tell you what I did to solve the problem.
FFT:
1) I am cooking a lot at home. I'm spending a lot when I go to the store but perhaps that is because one, we're eating at home 95% of the time and two, I'm going to the store far less frequently, meaning a bigger bill each time. And maybe three, I'm tipping the baggers more than I used to and buying snacks for the checkout clerks.
2) Continuing to watch movies at home instead of in the theater.
3) Not spending money on anything else.
4) Not spending money on anything else.
5) Not spending money on anything else.
Working from home had led to me exercising more, but since I wasn't spending money on exercise before there's no change to cost.
Oh - here's an actual one. A small workout space I quit in December, kept charging my credit card the $120/month. After a few calls to the owner, I had the credit card company reverse the charges. After that, the owner got back to me and we worked it out.
I am always so impressed with your appliance repairs.
We have had COVID-19 making the rounds here, but very mild cases, thankfully. This seems to result in increased grocery costs, but gives the only mildly ill person a lot of time to return emails, sort through budget issues, catch up on shows and eat super basic things, since we aren't hungry anyway. Meanwhile, the momentarily healthy parent was primarily feeding children with low standards. Pasta with meat sauce. Soup. Quesadillas. Lol. Cheap, cheap, cheap.
1) Cheap meals while sick.
2) We several unexplained Apple charges every month. Not super expensive per, but lots of them. No one seems to know how this happened and canceling them has been tried and did not work. So...I canceled all of those debit cards. By hook or by crook.
3) I needed a book for my online book club. I made a short term less frugal approach because I see it as long term financially smarter. Let me explain: I bought the book via Bookshop, which is slightly more expensive, because it uses independent local bookstores. I am worried about our economy through this, which is an altruistic worry but also selfish. If people are broke in May, when we hope to reopen our service business, we will not have sales. That's not cool. Was that rational to spend more locally (in many ways lately) to support future possibilities and to share some financial love? It fit in the budget. ♀️ I don't know but I think so it made sense. Also...I am feverish and thinking oddly, so who knows.
4) I am lining and mending a curtain. It is red, which looks garish from the street, so I cut up an old white flat sheet as lining and I am attaching it.
5) It is warm here but breezy, so the windows are open instead of a/c. I love the spring and the beautiful fragrance from the flowering trees in our neighborhood.
Be well, fellow Frugal People.
Just before the pandemic, I tried to buy yeast at Costco. My store said no longer selling. I didn’t want to go back to sams, so I’m using the smaller jars I have.
FYI if you have a sams plus/business membership, you can get the yeast shipped free, but you have to order 2 (4 bags!).
Both on and off topic: I just downloaded a new free app (no affiliation) called “Supercook.” It lets me speak the name of all my on hand ingredients and then it gives me recipes to try. Fingers crossed it helps me lengthen my visits to the store (although, I’m a little nervous to run low on anything important right now). If anyone else has used it, I’m curious as to your results. I’m hoping it’s handy for inspiration as I think the idea is brilliant.
I’ve been meaning to tell you, I got a salad spinner because of your recommendation. You’re exactly right, I wouldn’t take it as one of my three things to a dessert island but man oh man does it extend the life of lettuce! Well worth the $10-$15 (can’t remember now) I spent.
Oooh....I'm saving that app name! That sounds handy!!
You can stretch your yeast out pretty much indefinitely, by making a poolish, and keeping it alive exactly like you do with sourdough starter. So you start with a bit of yeast, and equal parts flour and water. When you go to bake, sub in like 20% of the weight of flour and yeast with poolish you fed like 8 hours prior, and that yeast will multiply.
I've got like 3 tbsp left of dry yeast, so I've just got a poolish hanging in the fridge ready to feed next time I need it (I use that plus sourdough starter when I make bread)
I am not sure that I have 5 frugal things to share, but I have been spending so little with staying home:
1. I have not purchased gas in a month.
2. I have not purchased take out in a month (this one has surprised even me).
3. All entertainment is the no extra cost kind of home based stuff: streaming Netflix, board games, video games, re-reading old books.
4. Only real frugal item: landscaper wanted $100 to clean up old leaves and mow lawn. As a family we saved he money and cleaned up the back and front lawns ourselves: picking up sticks and leaves, weeding front bushes, mowing lawn, line trimming edges. We had nice weather too!
* Not being able to go out sure cut costs! So this is a frugal upside related to the current situation
* I've been working full-time instead of my usual part-time for the last 2 weeks and will do so until everything is back to normal (healthcare worker)
* My main hobbies are reading book (free or super cheap), watching Netflix, playing boardgames and exercising outside or at home on my thread mill. Again, super frugal
* Not going to the grocery every 2 days helps to avoid impulse buying. Trying to go only once a week, sometimes twice.
* My baby girl is turning 8 on saturday. The birthday with friends is cancelled, but we are still planning a birthday party...with us and her favorites stuffed animals as special guests! We will play games, have a special lunch, homemade jello cake (!) and gifts. Family members will join us online to sing Happy Birthday. Pandemic or not, birthdays still deserve to be celebrated!
* Daughter needed pants. Right now. When everything except Walmart is closed. So I went to Walmart and got her 2 pairs of leggings for 10$.
Have a great day!
1. Picked up some free packing boxes from a friend who recently moved. I also had my bf pick some up from the supermarket near him on his way over.
2. I picked up some extra hours at work and have been making sure to take my breakfast/ lunch/ dinner with me.
3. Eating down the freezer. Only 3 weeks until we move so using up what we have. By doing this I saved $60 on shopping this week.
4. I filled up on almost a whole tank of petrol while the prices were low.
5. I have been enjoying warm coffees instead of putting the heater on during the day.