Five Frugal Things | cereal box as shipping container + more
1. I reused a cereal box as a shipping container.
Zoe sold another Calico Critter item on eBay, and we didn't have a box the right size.
I had a cereal box in the cabinet, though, so I gently took it apart, turned it inside out, taped it back up, and we were in business!
I've done this lots of times in the past with cracker boxes, cereal boxes, and other foodstuff boxes. They're not thick cardboard, but as long as you cushion the contents properly, the boxes work out just fine.
Of course, we used saved local newspaper pages as cushioning. Because, free.
(It's a free local paper that appears every now and again to all the houses in our town, and I always save them for packaging.)
2. I clamped and glued my piano bench.
When my piano tuner was here, he noticed that a side piece on my bench had almost cracked completely through.
Bummer.
I didn't have clamps long enough, but my brother-in-law happened to run into my mom at the gas station as she was heading to my house for something else entirely, and he sent some with her.
So serendipitous!
My piano tuner lent a hand, and together we got it glued and clamped together.
The hinges were bent too, so I hammered those out and after 24 hours were up, I unclamped the bench and put it back together.
Hopefully it'll stay in good working order now.
3. I used my reusable bag to store a half zucchini.
I'm still working through the four that Hungry Harvest gave me (down to 1.5 now!).
I can't eat one of these big zucchinis in a sitting, but sometimes I slice up half a zucchini, cook it in some really hot bacon grease, and top it with salt, pepper, and oregano. Plus freshly grated Parmesan.
Pretty tolerable, even for someone who's not way in love with zucchini. 😉
Anyway, I stored the extra half in my reusable bag from Grove. I love these things...super easy to use and clean, and I appreciate that you can easily see through the bag.
(Seeing food reminds me to use it up!)
4. I made chicken broth from my roasted chicken bones.
Exciting? No.
Innovative? No.
Kind of like making something out of nothing? YES.
It's such a frugal standby, but I never quite get over the magic of making such a nutritious liquid out of what are essentially scraps.
(Here's how I make my chicken broth.)
5. I...
made a teeny pot of rice pudding with a cup of leftover cooked rice, cut up a cucumber and left it out on the counter so it would get eaten (works every time!), put on slippers instead of turning on my office space heater, stored my one pair of black nylons in a plastic ziploc bag so they won't get snagged, and cooked lunch and dinner yesterday instead of eating out.
(Sundays after church are tempting times to eat out!)
I saved your chicken broth recipe for a later date. Cannot wait to try it!
I don't know if I have five but I'll start typing and see what happens!
When I met my sister at the thrift shop a couple weeks ago, they gave us a one day coupon for 5.00 off 10.00. She lives too far so gave me her coupon. So Tuesday, my husband and I headed that way.
1. We took our own coffee but went through Chick-fil-a's drive thru to get our free chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich using our calendar cards.
2. We shopped and divided carefully so we could get the most of our money. Among other things, we got a pair of skis with leather lacings for display, two old wooden camp stools, a light blue chamber pot I'll use as a flower pot and an old book of Currier and Ives lithographs. I also found a solid black Thirty One retro metro bag.
3. Rather than stopping for lunch after, we had packed a couple of cheese sticks and a cold drink. Frugal indeed!!!
4. Wednesday, we both helped serve dinner for the final night of a church ministry that helps junior high students learn business principles. We ate dinner free and there were tons of leftovers. We bought home enough for dinner on Thursday night and lunch Friday.
5. After a short meeting on Friday, I went to Krogers for their .99 coupon sales for three items including 8 oz. bags of cheese. When I got home, I realized one bag had rung up for 4.49 so while I was buying cleaning basics at Big Lots 20% off sale Sunday after church, my husband ran the cheese back and got a different cheese and they refunded the difference. No extra trip made for Krogers twice and Big Lots. Definitely was able to combine all errands this week!
And that's five!
Happy frugal week to all!
1. Made belt loops for baseball pants out of an old shoe string.
2. Returned an item I bought (out of town) to a sister store in my area. (I took a chance and asked and they said yes!)
3. Washed and reused plastic ziploc storage bags.
4. Watched a movie from our libraries digital collection and requested another one on DVD for later.
5. Googled and youtubed to fix our microwave for less than $4. It was sparking, and I found out the wave cover needed replacing. It was really easy. I couldn't find my model/size but on ebay I ordered a square and cut my own.
Super impressed with fixing a microwave, I would be terrified to do that and if I blew the house up, I would be out a LOT of money! Great job!
1. Used up my oldest last jar of Zydeco beans (spicy pickled green beans) for a pot-luck salad (with from-the-pantry corn and black beans). I had some for lunch and brought back just enough for a lunch during the week.
2. Bought a kilo (2.2 pounds) of ham ends from the grocery. Using the big slices for dinners, smaller pieces for lunches and breakfast. Will probably put some way in the freezer.
3. I can a lot, but often have odds and ends left from one season to the next. I always sort out the older items to the shelves by the basement stairs so I use these first.
4. Hit the day-old produce shelves on my shopping trip: a big head of lettuce wrapped with an English cucumber for $1, four zucchini (we use in stir-fries and pasta dishes) for $1.
5. Brought groceries home in a box which I'm reusing to gather up items from decluttering the kitchen: If I haven't used it in the last five years, it goes.
I love the cereal shipping box idea. If I know that I need to ship something soon, I will try to keep some old shipping boxes. They get cluttered pretty fast though.
1. Managed to keep all the food in my refrigerator cool during an 18 hr power outage by placing ice from the freezer in strategic locations
2. Discovered the stain removing wonders of Fels Naphtha and was surprised at its low cost
3. Found a hidden pair of jeans in my closet during a decluttering marathon
4. Remembered to redeem a free item coupon at Bath and Bodyworks(before it expired)
5. Conserved gas by running errands in the city while my daughter was at a homeschool event (my son really wanted to go home but I kept him distracted with fun shops and Burger King...not exactly frugal, but fun!)
Do you ever you use the bag inside cereal to store meat in the freezer? It was suggested to me to try it and I plan to, when I buy some more cereal. My family got burnt out on cereal so we haven't bought any lately, lol.
1. I, like another commenter, took advantage of the Kroger sale this weekend. The 2cup bags and blocks of cheese were only 99 cents. So I grabbed several for an upcoming vacation and because..cheese!
2. I also got several of the Prego 99 cent spaghetti sauces. My kids love spaghetti so it should make for some super quick meals. Also, the cheese should pair well with it!
3. I took my kids to a birthday party at a local bouncy house place. The food and drinks there are expensive. I walked next door to the grocery store and bought some bags of peanuts for 50cents and a large drink for 89cents, that we could share. The parents provided small drinks, pizza, and cake but the kids played for several hours so that wore off fast.
4. I went to a community yardsale Saturday. It was sooo cold! I got 4 summer dresses for my youngest girl that are ok to wear for now with a sweater over top. I got a few other things I will post on my blog when I figure out what I plan to do with some of it.
5. I didn't have anything for my kids for breakfast this morning because in my rush to get the sale items at Kroger, I completely forgot to pick up eggs, or bread, or anything else that would have been useful! So, since we have plenty of cheese. I put a healthy amount of cheese of some hamburger buns and toasted them. I served them with grapes and mandarin slices. They actually loved them, go figure.
Oh, and have you tried zucchini brownies? I know it's not as healthy as some of the other ways to prepare zucchini, but they are so delicious. We sometimes have a lot in the summer so I have to find ways to use it up after we tire of it.
1. I made homemade hummus (1/3 the price as premade stuff, quick to make, and tastier)
2. Enjoyed a free Sunday at home where I made some creates to sell on Etsy and went on a long walk in the woods
3. Resisted going grocery shopping and instead defrosted frozen veggies to use in my curry
4. Returned three books to the library and picked up two more
5. Called my cable company and negotiated a lower rate
I was spendy and frugal recently, so:
1. Our old garden tiller died several years ago and was not fixable (it was 30 years old). I finally broke down and bought a new one last week after looking for a decent used one for a long time. Used ones for sale tend to be pretty worn out if they are good tillers, or people get rid of newer ones because they don't work very well, so we didn't want them either. However, I asked the guy at the store, "What'll you give me as a discount?" And he said, "How about $50 off?" So, not quite as spendy as it could have been, at least. I used to never have the nerve to ask for a discount.
2. I bought extra strawberries that were on sale and froze them.
3. I kept my grocery shopping to under $50 -- we will eat what we have.
4. I stopped at the library and got a book on tape and two more in hard back. It keeps me from buying books -- even used books will add up.
5. I'm making progress on my furniture painting. The dining table is starting to look pretty good now, and I think I will enjoy this yard sale find a lot more than a $2000 set from a fancy store.
1. I finally cleaned out my purse. It was getting heavy and I knew there was loose change in the bottom. I gathered $22.56 in change.
2. I took Dylan to find a new pair of shoes Saturday afternoon. While we were shopping I found Shyla a calendar she had been wanting marked down to $3.00 at B.A.M. I also used my discount card there.
3. We stopped at Hobby Lobby while in the area. I had been wanting a couple new items to hang on my gallery wall. I found 2 items marked down 50%. I spent less than $5. It's a miracle.
4. Sunday afternoon was Zoey's birthday party. They provided corn dogs, french fries, snow cones, and cotton candy before the cupcakes. I did not have to cook at all. Win, win for me.
That's all I think of for now.
Holy moly! That's a lot of change. Wow.
1. I didn't go over my per diem on my trip last week, so I will be reimbursed for all of my food, my hotel, and my mileage.
2. Unfortunately, on the way home from my trip, I hit TWO armadillos. They ripped all of the plastic wind guard under my bumper. But, the frugal thing is... the parts are around $90-$120 on eBay (depending on what's salvageable) and the installation looks very simple. I think we'll replace them ourselves. They're also not an urgent replacement, so we'll wait until my first stipend rolls in.
3. We ate dinner entirely out of the freezer/pantry last night. (After ordering pizza the previous night...I was tired.)
4. I scheduled my meetings in three days this week so I don't have to drive in to work every day.
5. I submitted receipts for reimbursement from church and from work. Yay!
I loooove the idea of using cereal boxes. We've reused and resized boxes before, but I didn't even think of these little boxes. I gotta give that a try. 🙂
This week:
1. I bottled my homemade cherry wine and I'll start a batch of strawberry wine sometime this week. I buy frozen fruit from Costco for $10/4 pounds and it's been awesome. 🙂
2. We watched DVDs rented from the library.
3. I used dead flowers to dye a piece of muslin, which I'll use to cover my kombucha crock.
4. Hubby brewed beer over the weekend and used the leftover water to fertilize our trees and garden.
5. I made carrot cake breakfast cookies ahead of time for easy weekday breakfasts.
I'm trying to take spring cleaning literally and move things out of our house!
1 - I sold two items for a total of $115. Both were rather large also and taking up space in the basement (where they were also likely to get knocked over by the boys playing). So, happy to move those along.
2 - I returned a small item to Lowe's before the return period expired. I had bought two solutions for a problem, on purpose. Came home, analyzed the situation with the options in hand, chose one, and didn't open the second item.
3 - We did get takeout once. But, it was only for two of us so not pricey. And, considering that it is soccer/baseball season and we are booked at dinner time just about every day of the week, only once is a win.
4 - I registered for the school bus for next year by the early bird deadline so we will pay the lowest rate.
5 - I signed up the middle four for swimming lessons. These are included in the pool membership, but space is limited. Our oldest swims well enough to no longer need lessons and the youngest isn't yet old enough.
" I had bought two solutions for a problem, on purpose."
I do this with some regularity. I balance the chance of getting it right the first time, against knowing I'll have to go back once.
1. Making a huge effort to get our daughters working in the kitchen. So far, my 8-year-old made whole wheat/cheddar drop biscuits, my 9-year-old made zucchini/chocolate chip muffins, (both doing everything on their own!) and my 5-year-old helped Daddy make pancakes, and my 3-year-old helped me load the blender for smoothies. Teaching kitchen skills so they can cook and bake at home is always frugal! 🙂
2. My husband did a ton of food prep for our family over the weekend, so he and I can finish the last week of an intense fitness/nutrition program, and to help me out while he works a few weeks of looooong days. Included in the prep are meatballs for tonight (to accompany a lentil/rice/olive salad, and veg; plus a double batch of chili which is frozen for later in the week.
3. Used the Instant Pot to prep dried black beans and navy beans for the chili, using what we had on hand.
4. The kids asked me to help them with the library app to find movies they wanted to see, and we placed holds. They watched a library copy of Coco with their homemade pizza on Friday night.
5. I started working on spring cleaning, which included Friday afternoon cleaning the playroom for the kids. (It had gotten out of hand with bits and pieces of junk, papers, craft supplies, etc.) I find once in a while it needs a full reset so the kids can easily keep it tidy. Cleaning and taking care of our home makes it feel so much lovelier and brighter without spending a dime!
I can echo the need for the occasional full reset of the playroom. It sometimes gets to the point where they can't get it back to normal without getting incredibly discouraged. They are old enough that I can just guide the full reset but not quite old enough to persevere through the frustrations and problems on their own without fighting and then giving up. I love the reset because I get to encourage decluttering. Decluttering is my favorite.
Definitely. Sometimes you need to kind of declare bankruptcy and start over!
1. Ate up most of the leftovers in our fridge
2. Made soup for dinner tonight (and for lunches for the rest of the week)
3. Am working on cleaning/painting some baskets for our living room. They were free!
4. Purchased some things for re-sale
5. I'm drinking free coffee from work today, even though it doesn't taste the best.
Turning cereal boxes inside out to create a brown box is genius!
My five things...
1. Found black bean pasta on clearance for $1.25 (normally over $5) and bought what they had for a friend who can't have gluten and mostly stays away from other grains too.
2. Used a $3 off $10 coupon for the bean pasta and a few other items!
3. Recieved a free piano from friends (and gave our old one away... even though the one we were given is actually older )
4. I don't know if this is frugal or just funny... Mr LF received a taxidermy deer head as a tip from a work client.
5. I packed lunch for Mr LF every day this week.
FYI only, be careful with shipping items in previous food boxes (cereal especially). As a mother of a child with severe nut allergies he would not be able to handle anything that came to us shipped in a cereal box as almost all cereals are contaminated. Just something to be aware of.
We have had severe nut allergies in our household, too. Let's think this through... The cereal is not in direct contact with the box at any time, because it's in a bag inside the box. Then the bag is removed, the box is turned inside out, and thoroughly airs out during the mailing process. Um, where is the contamination problem, exactly?
Maybe it's when bits of cereal get outside the bag? When you have kids in the house, a few pieces always seem to make their way outside the bag down to the bottom of the box!
Yes, using food boxes is not looked kindly upon by a lot of ebay consumers. It seems trashy and the food contamination issue is real. I get the whole frugality aspect of it, but there are tins of other boxes out there for free that are better choices (find some used Amazon boxes!!!) Plus, they are not really sturdy enough to protect many items.
I love the cereal box for shipping. I’ve been teaching my sons to sell on eBay and finding boxes can be a challenge. This will help us!
1) Went to a baby shower yesterday. It started at noon and I didn't eat before it. There was so. much. food. At the end of the meal, the servers came out with boxes so people could take home leftovers! I love that idea and now I have lunch for today.
2) While I was at the shower my husband made last minute plans with my BIL & his gf to have them over for a BBQ. I also invited my sister. I was able to get by with all things that I already had on hand except I bought 1 lb of ground beef (w/ a $1.10 off coupon), buns (manager's special $0.69), and cherry tomatoes. We will have leftovers from that meal tonight and probably tomorrow for lunch too.
3) Combined a Manager's Special with a coupon at Kroger to get a pre-marinated pork tenderloin for around $2. Bought the cheese that others mentioned for $0.99/bag and ground turkey for $1.99/lb.
4) My sister brought over delicious tortilla chips & guac as an appetizer and I ate some for breakfast this morning. It was weird and not the norm but it was a rough morning and they hit the spot so, whatever.
5) I have a bachelorette party this weekend. The party is local but there events taking place Friday night (then a hotel), all and night Saturday (then a hotel) and a brunch on Sunday. Originally I said I'd be in for a pedicure during the day on Saturday but then I found out it would be $55. I backed out of that (with plenty of notice) and am just going to do the Saturday night stuff. I purchased a gift from Marshall's that had an original price tag of $48 but was marked on clearance for $10. I will buy the guest of honor a drink and feel good that I am attending the most important part while saving money on all the other parts.
1. I mended many items this weekend. I sewed a seam on my daughter's teddy bear that was coming apart. I also sewed one of her sweatshirt pockets. (she likes to shove as much in those pockets as possible). I sewed a small hole in a shirt (that has been that way for at least 6 years now) as well as a pair of socks and a hair turbie twist!!!
2. We had to go to Lowe's this weekend and found three bags of Weed and Feed in their "rescue bags" (the bags were torn open) that were 50% off! Saved us a bunch of money to keep our lawn looking nice.
3. A recent wind storm ripped some of the flashing off of our roof. I feared that hubby would not be able to repair it. Thankfully, he was able to repair it on his own and we did not have to hire anyone.
4. My Ninja chopper stopped working yesterday and I am unable to figure out the problem. I am going to email or call them over my lunch break today. hopefully, they will honor their products.
5. Hubby and I had a conversation yesterday about how both of our vehicles & camper need inspections within the next month or so. We are both concerned with "what" might pop up in absolute needs during these inspections. Money has been very tight these last few months and we are trying everything we know how to increase our income. Between his second job, me selling on Ebay and taking on a writing gig, we're pretty much "maxed out" with what we can do to increase income. I ask you all to pray for us.
Done 🙂
ditto
Received a $10 off $40 from Dollar General. I'm homebound and do shopping on the internet. I used that coupon plus I had a code for free shipping also.
Ate leftovers.
Did not buy any sodas this week. Did tea, lemonade and water.
Made dresses for dolls to go in my Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Used two coupons at Harbour Freight to get some free boy things for my boxes.
I love reading what everyone else does.
I love reading what everyone else does too 🙂
Five Frugal Things....hmmmm....
1. I put my bread machine up for sale on NextDoor. I've used it twice, I'm not overly impressed, and it takes up a lot of room, which I don't have. I had a different one years ago that I LOVED, but it's not manufactured anymore. WAH!
2. I made my own sourdough starter - two different kinds. I made two loaves of really good bread from the starter (but they're not very sour - have to make some adjustments).
3. I needed two 2-quart Mason jars for the starters. At Target, they were $8.00 each, but I went to Tractor Supply (also closer to home) and got a package of six for $9.00.
4. I bought two new interior doors for our house - I drove four miles farther than the closest lumberyard, saved $15.00 over the closest store's price, and I was going to that area anyway.
5. I started making some crocheted cotton dishcloths for my daughter and my sister so they won't have to use paper towels for wiping off the kitchen counters. The cotton yarn is coming from my yarn stash, so I'm decluttering and saving money, too!
1. I made some Easter baskets for little ones this year, using baskets, plastic grass, and hollow eggs that I already had. Most of the inputs came to me for free, over the years. Most of the candy was bought on sale after Easter last year.
2. Continued to buy candy after holidays, Easter in this case. This year the haul included $3 off a $1 item. This haul will last me to Halloween or later. Some of the bunnies I'll save for little ones' Easter baskets next year.
3. Did a mound of food prep yesterday, to be ready for the next few busy days and to prevent food waste.
4. Took home shredded paper from work (with permission, natch) for my compost pile.
5. Glad I bought many sweet peppers last week on sale, because the price reverted to normal this week. Usually produce sales last 2 weeks but not this time.
Making broth from scraps really is magical - it’s like free food!!
Our weekend didn’t feel very frugal, since we’re in the midst of remodeling. Every trip to Lowe’s feels like the opposite of frugality, BUT we’re doing as much as we can ourselves, which technically saves money on labor costs.
I also cooked dinner all weekend, which is when we usually fall into the takeout trap. 😉
1. Went to a 3-family potluck where I took garlic bread (was already making a double-batch of French bread when I found out this was a need, so yay!) and made lemonade with lemon juice and sugar I already had.
2. We needed a short curtain for our bathroom and I asked on Facebook to see if I had friends that could shorten one for me and what they charge. My aunt offered to do it for free! So now I'm just paying for the 50 cent stamp to mail a thank you note.
3. Made coffee at home instead of getting it from a coffee shop.
4. My husband is working tonight and so much of me just wants to order food for the kids and I, but I'm going to make a pizza instead.
5. I've got just under 3 months left in my pregnancy and most of my maternity shirts are close to being too short. I need to go up a size soon. Instead of waiting, I bought a new shirt on Saturday figuring that if I have to buy new clothes I would rather get 3 months of use out of them than 2.
1. Although I just moved and had purged, I kept an open box for the thrift shop at the new place and filled it up as I put stuff away.
2. Am loyal to my old thrift shop so am making a trip there. I had to take in the seams of some capris to see if they would work. I wanted to move out the pants if they didn't suit, so got the sewing machine out and tackled that.
3. Sewed up a seam on a kitchen towel with same sewing machine.
4. Hung temporary picture hooks over my heating vents. I hang damp towels over them on skirt hangers to get some moisture into the air. I redampen several times a day and it helps noticeably. Also have my clothes drying rack next to a vent.
5. Bring recyclables to work as we recycle there. That way I don't have to drive to different parts of the dump and make it more likely I'd get a nail in my tire.
6. I rinse out my dusting Swiffer refills and reuse. Also used 2 Swiffers when I moved in, one for the first really grimy swipe, and the second to finish up.
7. Had some wire baskets that slip on shelves and provide storage underneath. My new closets had the wire shelving so I couldn't use them the regular way. I turned them around and secured the back with zip ties at the right distance. Extra storage!!
8. Buy one can of spiced beets and save the liquid for an unspiced can's worth of beets.
Here is my first attempt at leaving a message and keeping myself accountable:))
1. I chopped, packaged and froze some fresh herbs that were looking a bit wilted.
2. Dropped some outgrown winter clothes at a local consignment shop.
3. Menu planned and made dinners from what I had at home.
4. Used some zuchinnis that were getting wrinkly to make zuchinni muffins.
5. Did a bunch of yard work ourselves- no cost and great exercise.
Woohoo! Welcome to Five Frugal Things. 🙂
Thanks!
1. I made broth too this weekend, chicken and veggie. Matzoh ball soup will be for dinner this coming Saturday!
2. Carefully cleaned the labels off of a lotion container and tea tin so I could refill one and use the other for storage.
3. Used up the rest of the Easter leftovers for lunch yesterday, instead of ordering in.
4. Made a toasted refried bean and cheese sandwich for lunch to use up dinner leftovers. I love when leftover medleys turn out tasty!
5. Reorganized my pantry so the open items are up front and will get used up before they go bad.
I do your #5 also - First In, First Out is more successful when the "first in" is closest at hand rather than shoved in the back.
Nice work on the piano bench Kristen! Taking care of the things we have is a good way to cheerfully live on less!
1. I made a big pot of potato soup using broth made from the bone of our Easter ham. The potatoes really needed to be used while they were still edible.
2. Our toaster stopped working. My husband checked to see if it was fixable, it seemed complicated, so we decided to get a new one. I checked out the ones at a nearby thrift store, and didn't find anything with quality. I researched online and found one at Penneys on sale and then another 20% off online. It had excellent reviews and was less than I was willing to pay.
3. We had a problem with the shower fixture and thought it was going to need a plumber, but again my husband worked on it and this time do-it-yourself paid off!
4. I just finished up using a tube of toothpaste that has been in the bathroom cabinet for awhile. It is not my preferred brand/type but I used it anyway and it is no longer taking space and now I can go back to using the one I prefer.
5. I am wearing a new-to-me thrift store shirt. It really is a great shirt and I like how it looks and feels on me!
Kristen: I grow a ton of zukes and often shred them into chili (no one notices after a few hours of cooking) and also substitute them for some of the potatoes in latkes...
1) We have a late chiropractor appointment tonight so I have ham bone soup on the stove to eat when we get home. If I don't prepare this ahead of time we are in a panic to eat anything at all because we won't be home until 6:30-45.
2) I went to my son's wedding shower this weekend and gave them Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I think giving them, as a couple, the tools to learn to budget and plan together so that we won't be helping to send their kids to college is VERY FRUGAL. 😉
3) All the kids took their lunches today, as usual, and everyone had leftovers. Leftovers are the best.
4) I did some yoga using YouTube. I also belong to a kickboxing gym, but I missed today. I can't stomach the cost of ALSO paying for yoga classes. NOPE.
5) As usual I drank water from the tap, made meals from scratch, made my own tea and so on. Making it myself is my number one frugal thing. So much so I hardly even think of it as frugal until I sit here to try and think of frugal things. At our income and savings rate we have to do everything frugally! lol!
I went to yoga at nearby community center today with " silver sneakers" 5 bucks for 45 min of great workout. I go friday for cardio exercise. If i had signed up for silver sneakers program when i bought my supplemental to medicare insurance it would be free. Free classes at locations all over town every day! Spread the word. Some great new friends waiting for you too! Bought several pairs of capris to wear at thrift store. Goodwill had 3 hardbacks for five dollars....good reading. One is a giant flower arranging book. Bought hot pink morning glory seeds at dollar tree and 2 a packs each of yellow glads and a deep red glad.....carefully examine pkgs as some may be dead and not viable.
#1. Bought organic celery on clearance to make soup. Chopped up what was left and froze it to be used again next time we make soup- no waste
#2. Made rice crispie buns to use up all the chocolate we were gifted over easter.
#3. Ate at home all weekend, made meals from scratch and used up what we had in the freezer.
#4. Read a book from the library
#5. Got 25% of a dress I bought recently
#6.Made packed lunch to bring to work.
The ideas this week are fabulous! DIY projects, discounted items, fabric dye, etc. Such great stuff!
Here's my list-
1) Returning some hoses/parts from a leaky faucet that didn't need the extra part.
2) Got free USPS packaging supplies as I sold more items on ebay. Shipping the supplies to me is free, too.
3) I got a stainless steel necklace from Amazon for $7.77 and it was too thick to fit through the hole of my pendant. DH said he would drill a bigger hole but I was afraid the edges would be jagged and rip my shirt or skin. SO, I opened the lobster clasp, put the pendant through it and also put a link from the necklace through that. Locked the clasp and it hangs from my neck with the lobster clasp part holding onto the pendant. I may crazy glue the clasp so it doesn't open up. I was able to slip the whole necklace over my head as it's long enough.
4) I joined Amazon Prime for a free 30 day trial! I just have to remember to cancel after that!
5)I found great workout videos on youtube and do those to combat gym boredom.
Hi Kristen, great idea on the newspaper & boxes. I also keep stiff cardboard to sandwich things I don't want to bend in the post. I also whizz up a whole zucchini/a carrot/celery/onion/garlic & fry gently covered for 5- 10 min, push to the side, brown 500g ground beef, mix, & the vegies disappear, then add bolognese sauce - the nieces/nephews DO NOT like zucchini but eat this with gusto
Here is my five:
1. Running late was tempted to buy lunch at work but threw a very odd bunch of stuff from fridge n freezer together.
2. VERY tempted to go out for brekky on the weekend but microwaved a piece of bacon & and egg & put it in a wholemeal multigrain bread roll - delicious.
3. Was out on the road a lot on the weekend & took food with me to avoid buying lunch/snacks & waited til I got home to have a cup of tea.
4. Reviewed my budget for the quarter - I record spending & keep a running total for each category but at the 3 mth mark I write a +/- balance compared to what I budgeted, reallocate funds as needed then write a new budget for each category
5. Need some more winter clothes & found a beautiful grey scarf on sale that will go with everything.
1. Remembered to thaw meat tonight before taking our son to musiclessons, therefore avoiding take out. I am the worst at remembering to take things out of the freezer to thaw in time.
2. Took advantage of a one day deal to buy a new book on kindle for $1.99.
3. Remembered my cloth bags for groceries.
4. Took the kids to help their Great Grandma plant her garden and came home with a box full of strawberry plants that were taking over and some dill starts.
5. Enjoying the free daffodils in my yard and in vases all over the house. It’s so nice to see things blooming.
I LOVE reading this thread! Love the ideas everyone has!
1-Last week I did not grocery shop- hubby traveling for work and 3 kids after school schedules kept us busy.. ate 2 suppers at home using up holiday leftovers and random freezer items.. 1 Wendys supper.. because.. necessity.. I had planned a particularly crazy night for Subway.. but I had the gift card already.. only bought subs.. no extras!
2- made homemade chocolate chip cookies. I used 1 bag of chips but made a batch and a half worth of recipe.. to stretch the chips.
3-prepped supper early on Sunday so after I got home from babysitting and finally grocery shopping all I had to do was toss meatloaf and potatoes into the oven
4-I have jars of broth and tomato juice defrosting right now to toss into the crock pot with veggies for a simple soup...
5- walk into the gas station and pay at the counter to save an additional .03 per gallon instead of just swiping my card at the pump...
1. Used my homemade laundry detergent to do laundry.
2. Researched whether I can freeze creme fraiche and I can! Someone had given me some, so I divided it in small glass containers and froze it.
3. Used leftover partly-used paper for my grocery list
4. Started to put together a shopping list for Vitacost, a cost-saving website. When I shop online at Vitacost (or anywhere) I use the Ebates portal if I can, then pay with a cash-back credit card. Oh yeh....
5. Gave away some homemade gluten-free cupcakes to a neighbor. It creates good karma. Since he's the unofficial "super" in the building, and very gregarious, he often does work for me at low-to-no cost. As in REALLY LOW like $5.00/hour. Win-win.
That box picture is oddly satisfying! I'm going to try your chicken broth recipe next time I make chicken broth. Here are my frugal five:
1. I colored my hair myself at home using henna and indigo powder.
2. I planted about a dozen more scallion root ends (saved from cooking) in my garden.
3. I redeemed $7.79 in cash back rewards from our credit card. We never carry a balance, so this is free money for us.
4. I purchased something from Amazon and chose the slower shipping option in exchange for a $1 digital credit.
5. I made ricotta cheese from half a gallon of milk that had just started to turn.
I’m a new FG reader and I just love these 5 Frugal Things posts! I’ve gotten some great ideas reading through the comments as well. So without further adieu, here goes my very first 5 Frugal Things:
1. Through managers specials I was able to buy 9 heads of organic romaine, 6 orange bell peppers and 12 Fuji apples for 6 dollars!
2. Resisted the urge to purchase store bought goodies and made a frugal batch of peanut butter cookies instead.
3. Needed to replace my purse and found a beautiful (new!) leather number on Poshmark for 20 dollars- retail price $100!
4. Resisted the stopping at ‘one more store’ and did some creative cooking with the food we already had in the pantry/freezer. Some of our favorite meals have been birthed this way!
5. Pulled out the hot glue gun to repair a few broken items instead of buying new.
I’m excited to continue finding frugal/creative ways to save!
1. Went to visit our daughter in Maryland. Stayed with her instead of staying at a hotel. Between her couch, extra twin bed and an air mattress we were fine.
2. Went to the aquarium that our daughter works at. She gas us some of her free passes. We also got a discount on the parking because she works there.
3. Did a CVS survey and got $5 ECB
4. Used a ham bone from the freezer and made ham and lentil soup in my crockpot. Used onion and celery from the freezer. Tomato sauce and chicken stock were homemade.
5. The kids and I got free ice cream from Ben& Jerry's because it was free cone day.
If that's the Baltimore aquarium, then those free passes are an awesome frugal thing! Aquarium tickets are so expensive.
It is. They are. It is a nice job perk for her. It was beautiful. Definitely will go back.
If you're ever in a pinch again, I've used ratchet straps as "clamps" for furniture projects in the past with great success! $2 Goodwill chair is still going strong 5+ years later!