Five Frugal Things: Cheap meds
1. I got my colonoscopy meds at my work pharmacy
I had to get the prescribed prep, of course (which was $0), but I also had to buy Dulcolax and simethicone (which is Gas-X).
Well, my hospital pharmacy has a few shelves of over-the-counter medication that they sell at cost to hospital employees, and MY GOODNESS, it is cheap! For both the Dulcolax and the simethicone, my total was $2.11.
I was shocked.
And I will make a point of buying all my over-the-counter meds there in the future.
(I don't buy a lot of them, but you know, sometimes we do use cold/cough meds and ibuprofen.)
2. I have resisted turning on my heat
We suddenly got some very cold overnight temperatures and woo, my house has been getting pretty chilly, at least upstairs. The basement is still pretty warm, of course, because it's largely underground.
However, it was 63 degrees in my bedroom.
I haven't turned on the furnace yet, partially because heating oil is stupid expensive this year, and partially because I am pretty cold-tolerant. I do not mind putting on extra clothes, and I actually kind of like sleeping in the cold air.
However, it takes almost nothing for me to crack and turn on the A/C; the threshhold for that is insanely low. Ha.
I'm like, "Hmmm, am I mildly sticky and uncomfortable? Well then, it's A/C time!"
3. I went to a student-ticket symphony
My schedule lined up for me to go see a performance (with some Tchaikovsky!), so I worked my chemistry-studying in before and after the midday symphony.
This one was at the symphony with a $35 yearly student membership, so obviously it behooves me to go to more symphonies to really get the most out of my $35. 😉
The unfortunate thing is that while school does get you a student discount, it also gives you very little free time! It is a conundrum. 😉
4. I am on track to finish chemistry in a month
I have been devoting nearly all my time to working on this, and I am currently on schedule to finish by October 29th, which is safely before my one-month deadline (November 5th).
Sooo, I think I will make it without having to pay another $99.
Mostly, though, my dedication to the task has been motivated by me just wanting to get it over with.
(For anyone worried about the cramming: I have done 4/6 tests, and I am passing by a very significant margin, which means I should have a lot of margin for the final, test #6, which is not open-book. I know cramming is not wonderful for long-term retention, but I am not aiming for long-term retention! I am just trying to pass.)
5. I bought a book on eBay
I was reading a Patreon post by Elisabeth (her public blog is Optimistic Musings) where she was quoting from Keep Moving, a book by Maggie Smith.
(I have mentioned Smith's book "You Could Make This Place Beautiful" many times. Highly recommend for divorcees!)
I had read a library copy of Keep Moving a few years ago, but Elisabeth's post reminded me that it's a good book to own, because the whole thing is just short, encouraging tidbits that are best read in a one-a-day fashion.
So, I ordered a used copy on eBay, and now I will have her cheery little sentences on my nightstand. 🙂
We are up on the North Shore of Lake Superior for a week at a simple cabin we rent each year. Frugal things:
-- We followed our packing list so we didn't have to run out and buy something we forgot.
-- Brought most of our own food, including coffee for the car ride.
-- Brought CDs to play in the car (love that my 2018 Subaru has a CD player).
-- Drove at or below the speed limit 99 percent of the time.
-- Stopped at one rest area and didn't buy any snacks as we had raisins and nuts in the car.
-- Gassed up before we left using our discount card.
-- Rolled up the slippery rag rugs when we got to the cabin to avoid a fall and hospital bill.
-- Brought lots of free reading material, including the manual to our new oven - I know, riveting! - because our new oven is more complicated than our previous one and I hadn't gotten around to learning the new features. So, I'm reading the manual and here's one of the first tips: "Never attempt to dry a pet in the oven." My mind boggles.
Never, ever once in my life have I had any desire to put a pet in the oven. Ha!!
LOL!
I wonder if the writer of the oven manual was making a little joke about the "poodle in the microwave" urban legend: https://urbanlegendsarchive.com/the-microwaved-pet/ (Shout out to my folklore professor Thomas Barden, who is mentioned in that link! Urban legends were something I studied in graduate school.)
Yay, you went to a concert! Good for you. Also, when will you have the results of your colonoscopy?
FFT:
Cooking: made vegetable broth from scraps and used the slow cooker a number of times
DIY: painted some scratches on window sills while I still had the paint on hand from previous DIY
Clothing: mended a shoe zipper
Laundry: today it is sunny and windy, perfect weather for laundry including my summer coats
Exercise and entertainment: Outdoor swimming, free online exercise (zumba and stretching); reading library books; knitting from my considerable stash
Delayed gratification: did not buy clothes online. Just filled up my cart and then closed the browser again.
So, my colonoscopy is on the 27th; I'm not sure how fast the results come back.
I got mine right after the procedure, the Dr came and talked to me about how it went.
I love ebay! Plus, I love supporting small businesses.
Here's my 5:
1) We purchased sourdough bread and after opening the bag, we noticed the slices had huge air pockets. I contacted this local bakery an was sent coupons for free bread! Savings- $12
2) I needed some super warm clothing and found fabulous finds at Lands End. Even a down vest and heavy thermal tops. Their sale prices were 75% off and free shipping. Savings $225
3) We needed plumbing done at the house and had bids drawn up. We got the job done at a bargain. Savings- $1300
4) I found winter tires on clearance for hubby's car. Savings- $200
5) I was sent some coupons from BBW and got a free body care item. Savings- $10
This week's frugal five:
1. Sold our two bikes. Who were we kidding, I'm in my 60s, he's pushing 80, we let go of the "we will ride our bikes again together someday". They were nice bikes from a bike shop we got about 20 years ago so we got a good price on FB M.
2. Not frugal, but maybe in the long run? DH bought weather tech mats for my new to me car. This will make cleaning it easy, and our area is muddy and sandy. DH is very good at maintaining things, like our car, so that they last.
3. Gave the carpet mats that came with the car to someone on Buy Nothing.
4. The garden is still producing jalapenos, arugula and green peppers, so I'm incorporating them into our meals.
5. Also gave away a bag of ribbons I've saved over the years from gifts. I use gift bags mostly, and realize that I rarely use ribbons. I did save the twine I keep for some gifts.
1. The change machine at the car wash was broken, so I'll have a dirty outside of car for another week. Thankfully, I had enough change for a vacuum so the inside is nice now for just 75 cents.
2. I enjoy 2-3 cups of tea today that cost 15-25 cents per bag. Even quality tea bags make for affordable drinks!
3. Bought a couple clothing items new but at the best value I could find. Was desperate time to replace some things wearing out! I don't have Kristen's sewing abilities nor patience at this point.
4. Only grocery shopping sporadically and with a list.
5. Meant to treat myself to Chipotle after work yesterday but totally forgot. Came home and figured something out, which of course ended up being more frugal.
Good luck with the chemistry cramming!
- I too have not put the heating on yet but sense we're not far off in my house (had to remind my partner last night that blankets are available, while I had been working at my desk in fingerless mittens)
- using free electricity hours at the weekend to do the laundry and charge the cordless vacuum cleaner (perk of my electricity company, Octopus, in the UK)
- painstakingly chopping up the many prunings from the overgrown tree on my allotment, to make leaf mould, wood chip and stakes - I've been at it for hours yet the pile does not seem to go down! Romanticising it by quietly listening to Poldark, Outlander soundtracks etc in my headphones and reminding myself how beautiful this time of year is. I do get immense satisfaction knowing all of this will benefit the plot and cost me nothing!
- using up the free potatoes, sweet potatoes and cabbages we were given recently. In a funny coincidence, all this food was originally intended for animals (my mum's dog and a friendly stranger's pigs, offered on two separate occasions within 24 hours) but we gratefully accepted it instead when offered.
- a future frugality: we have to travel 7 hours across the country for a family do this weekend. I will be making pasta salad, sandwiches, cookies and coffees and bringing porridge pots along to save money where we can! My partner is going to try to sneak a hip flask of whisky into the party to avoid him spending on alcohol - we joked that he's reverting to his teenage self.
My mother in law, when she was in her 80s, would sneak a flask to every event, I remember my bridal shower, which served beer and wine but not liquor, and she pulled out her flask in front of everyone.
She lived to be 102.
FFT, Glorious Fall Weather Edition:
(1) No rain here since Saturday morning, and none expected for the next 10 days (!), so I'm getting on with postponed fall garden chores (pulling out spent annuals, weeding, spreading compost, etc.) I also planted 15 cloves of garlic yesterday for next year's crop. I'm not self-sufficient in much, but I can honestly claim to be self-sufficient in garlic and most culinary herbs.
(2) I took a break yesterday morning and went to Second Time Around, where I scored 12 pieces of Syracuse China in a pattern that matches some of my current dishes (full disclosure: Syracuse China was the old hometown brand, so if you didn't know my location before, you know now!), plus an old blue Ball canning jar in excellent shape, for $11.
(3) And yesterday's Wegmans bread freebie at STA was a tomato and cheese foccacia (retail $7); I put some olives, mushrooms, and extra cheese on this and had it for lunch *and* dinner.
(4) I also stopped at one of our Thrifty Shopper chain's boutique stores, where I used a $5 off $15 digital coupon on a Columbia fleece jacket and a brand-new carafe for my brand of coffee maker.
(5) Finally, I too recently bought a copy of Maggie Smith's Keep Moving (at the recent library book sale, and because of Kristen's recommendation of Smith's other books). I too am still negotiating a life that didn't go as planned, so it's a keeper for me as well. And some of Smith's descriptions of herself during her childhood and youth have me wondering whether she isn't me in a different skin!
I just planted my garlic, too! It's my first time growing it, so here's hoping. I only started gardening four years ago, when we bought our petite house with the GIANT lot, so I still have many firsts to go (and a growing library of gardening/mini-farm books). I'd love to hear any recommendations you have, A. Marie!
Oh that is so funny that you bought a copy as well!
You WILL defeat chemistry, Kristen! You're so close!
FFT, Gift Edition
--I *think* I have all my Christmas shopping for my family done already. Eight people for under $100 isn't too shabby! The core/expensive part of the gifts are 19th century disposable pens ($10 each and so cool!) that still work beautifully from townsends(dot)us. The pens will be accompanied by fancy stationary and sketchbooks (many artists and letter writers in the family) found in Barnes & Noble's clearance section.
--Our favorite coffee pusher was having a BOGO 50% off sale, so we restocked. One bag will be set aside to include with the aforementioned Christmas gifts as the family/everyone's Christmas morning present, which is a tradition with us.
--I found a splendid hand-thrown ceramic teapot for $6 at a local thrift shop. The date on the bottom is 1968, but the teapot is in perfect condition. My tea-loving best friend's birthday is early November--score! She loves a good thrift and is a talented ceramicist, herself, so the teapot is absolute kismet.
--I *think* I'm nearly done with gifts for my husband's late November birthday. (The holiday season is a gift gauntlet--my birthday is soon after New Year's, and so is my step mom's.) I thrifted a set of four gorgeous matching antique tumblers for $2 total, plus two excellent books on building sheds, etc. from ThriftBooks. My husband's outdoor workshop/hang out space is our big 2027 project, so that's my theme. Birthday dinners and desserts are always homemade for/by both of us.
--My favourite bank teller was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. She thankfully is mostly okay, all things considered, but still required surgery on a broken bone. I left a care package for her at the bank: a gift certificate to a local coffee shop I know she likes and a paperback copy of "Gil's All Fright Diner" by A. Lee Martinez. I buy copies of "Gil's" second-hand expressly to give away--this is the seventh or eighth one. It gifted my husband and I much-needed ridiculousness and laughter in the aftermath of his medical emergency* years ago, so it is my go-to for friends facing treatments and/or recovery.
*One of his speech therapy assignments was reading aloud to me for 30 minutes every night. I immediately went to the nearest bookstore to pick something new by a favorite author, hoping to make the assignment fun. We laughed 'til our sides hurt each and every night, and the resulting feeling of "Everything will be okay" was palpable. Love that book.
Awww, I love that you dropped a gift for your bank teller! So sweet.
We love Gil's also! Have you read any of his other books? Equally hilarious! I recommend Helen and Troy's Epic Road Quest, and the Constance Verity series. For a different author, but a similar feel, Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October is one of my favorites. DH and I read it every day in October, one day at a time. Every cliche` monster from Hollywood in the 50's and 60's. Shutting up now; going in search of more coffee lol.
"Emperor Illusion and the Sinister Brain" was our gateway drug. Thank you so much for all the recommendations! You mentioned a few we haven't acquired yet, so they're now on the list.
Good Morning,
I am on East Coast time posting. I don't think that has ever happened. I flew to meet some friends at Arcadia National Park. So it is extremely East Coast Time.
Sharing costs between four generous women is always the way to go. A few like to souvenir shop. I do not but standing outside and people watching is fine with me. I purchased a $3.00 magnet, per usual.
I am now on my own driving down HWY 1 to Newport, Rhode Island. OK. I am 62 and have finally learned what "four seasons" mean. Gorgeous. I have been snacking in the car and eating one meal out.
I am staying at hotels through my IHG card. Because I only have one credit card, it is easy to acquire Diamond Elite status. That means there is a cooked to order free breakfast waiting for me and I was automatically upgraded to a corner room overlooking Portland bay. It also means they pay for the annual fee on the card.
I will meet a friend on Thursday who is taking me to Shenandoah National park. By the end of the trip I will have visited 24 of the 63 National Parks. So fun
What an amazing trip for you! I hope you got to watch the sunrise in Acadia.
Wow that is very impressive. All those national parks. Enjoy.
Oh, what a lovely time to be in Arcadia!
Shenandoah is a site of many childhood camping trips for me. 🙂
Turning green with envy over this, but happy for you, Mary Ann!
Sounds like a wonderful trip, Mary Ann! And the mention of Shenandoah National Park has gotten me gooey with nostalgia for that wonderful part of Virginia. Somewhat southwest of the park, but still in the general area, DH and I spent many happy times at a bed and breakfast outside Lexington that featured llama trekking (now closed, alas).
1. I made applesauce from over-ripe apples
2. I dehydrated some over-ripe grapes to make raisins
3. I went to a free event at our local modern art museum with a friend. It included entrance into the museum, a yoga class, and a sound bath.
4. My mom gave us some fruit, eggs, cheese, and frozen foods.
5. I made pesto using basil from our garden
Keep Moving is fantastic and definitely worth owning! That one really helped me move through some tough times.
Well done on the chemistry! I thought it might make you laugh that when my dad was in school his teacher tried doing a demonstration of 'safe' gas...and then it turned out to be noxious and everyone had to be hurried out of the lab! Similarly, my friend's husband's teacher as a kid took a sip of a 'safe' liquid he had concocted and then had to tell the class to call an ambulance (he was fine, and why he even did this in the first place I don't know). Some of my dad's classmates also had a duel with some bunson burners. I have more explosive stories (pun intended) but my own chemistry teachers were a lot more calm!
Frugals:
1. I got my hair cut earlier. As well as picking up some hair gel at the salon which they recommended, I found a hairdryer in good working condition from a charity shop on the way back. I usually just let my hair air dry but the hairdresser said my hair would benefit from being partially heat dried.
2. I picked up some kitchenware from another charity shop and a beautiful pottery bowl. I don't know how much it originally sold for but I'm very happy to have it.
3. I'm going to a social event at work later, and my workplace paid for the meal and venue.
4. I wanted to watch Don't Look Now after my trip to Venice, as the film is set there, but I couldn't find it on any streaming platforms. I checked the library and was able to watch it via their streaming service for free (double win as I love supporting the library!).
5. I cooked too much rice for dinner the other evening so I saved the remainder and used it in a curry last night I also used some ginger which I chopped and froze months ago. Maybe I'm biased, but I think the curry tasted better than takeout (having said that, I can't replicate the simosas I get from my favourite curry place)! I saved some time before my friend comes for dinner this week by prepping some of the vegetables ahead of time.
Otherwise all the typical things such as line drying clothes, saving cans for a deposit ticket and swimming outside for free exercise. This is maybe more of a frugal fail, but I decluttered some books which I'll never read again and a jigsaw puzzle which has been juding m for over a year and put them in a free stuff pile, rather than going to the trouble of listing them on Ebay (I think another reader did something similar last week). It feels good to have the space!
*judging me
Space is the key! Being able to see what you have is still frugal, I say! I am very much enjoying the space I have left without the piles of clothes, and also enjoying the peace of mind of not giving myself a job that would hang over me! We are helping other people be frugal!
I will join the happy parade of readers who recently gave away an item (in my case an expensive appliance) that has been judging me. No regrets! (in fact, glee for the reclaimed space : )
Yay for reclaimed space!
I just rememebered that Friends episode where Monica spends a lot of money on a pair of boots which look great, but kill her feet, and I think Chandler has to convince her to leave them on the sidewalk or something. Funnily enough, my jigsaw puzzle was of the Friends cast (and I really thought I would complete it, but there were several pieces and I kept getting discouraged and forgetting about it).
I guess the upside of this chemistry class is that at least I can't explode anything. 😉
Haha yeah! I heard of somebody who got a little too creative with water and magnesium ribbon and ended up being suspended from school for a couple of weeks!
I never took chemistry but I remember my high school journalism textbook had a cartoon in which a student newspaper reporter comes in to the J classroom, looking like he just survived an explosion, and says "I was at the chemistry lab but no news there." Duh!
Me, too. I have nothing left that I judge worth listing for sale. All that stuff was sold after I moved. Now it's just the occasional bits; books go to the library sale, everything else to donation.
I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I had to take a chemistry class!
1. I bought a $3 pair of scrub pants at Goodwill.
2. I had a blast digging up 65 pounds of sweet potatoes!!
3. I bought 24 pounds of clearance popcorn
4 And we had a semi-frugal family day involving icream, Goodwill, a movie and popcorn
Pictures and more details here: https://practicalwalk.com/2026/10/20/frugal-four-i-got-a-job/
Doing the fall cleanup/out which helps my frugal soul rather than buying things, so:
-filled a box and dropped things at Goodwill
-taking items to the SPCA today
-dropped two books off at the library donations area
-weekly shop at Aldi which saves us so much money! But had to go to Giant for birdseed and my husband's favorite popcorn
-bought a flat (12 boxes) of my son's favorite peanut butter bars and am trading him the cost of them for ground beef from his frozen stash
-but biggest save is my husband up a ladder still painting on our house project. The siding is complete, now he's doing the eaves & trim. I don't know nor even want to consider what a professional painter would charge for the job. And he re-sided the whole house with some help from a couple friends, our sons, and me because it takes two to hold an 8'x4' board in place to nail. We have board and batten siding on our 1960's house for that original midcentury look.
Cheering you on to get your Chemistry course successfully out of your way.
I tried very hard to keep the heat off (extra blankets and a heated blanket at night) I finally caved for a little while yesterday because my hands and nose were so cold. I turned it back down last night and hopefully won’t need it again for a while.
1. resisted the siren song of ice cream from the local place on their last day of the season. Instead accepted free cookies from work.
2.Deleted an item on Vinted then re-listed it to boost it back up. There had been no interest in it the first time around. I figured if no interest this time, it was off to the Good Will. It sold within an hour of the repost.
3. A friend gave me a chunk of Romano cheese from a large block she had purchased.
4. Made a complaint to that big online company we all end up having to buy from. I bought an item less than a year ago and it just broke in half. They did end up crediting me the price I paid for it to my account.
5. Got my flu and COVID shots and a blood test to check my immunity to measles. I can’t afford to get sick.
I mentioned my eggs yesterday, made with unsuccessful stirfry of ham and ham scraps.
Went with my roommate to a free 2 day trip by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. I also won a $100 gift card for knowing the local name of a pie.
Getting a replacement for a broken circular knitting needle. Since I have others just like it, I asked for a different type of needle instead. Fingers crossed.
Nibling decided they want a lace shawl rather than instruction, so I set out yarn I already have for them to choose from.
Continued reading books I already own (unread books now kept on their own shelf) and library books. These days I only buy books I'll read a second time.
Questions, always questions...
What kind of pie? (sounds like a fun trip for you and roommate!)
What brand of circular needle broke? (I use Addi Turbos in the overpriced interchangable set)
What is "nibling"?
A lace shawl! So intimidating, the way they grow and grow. I have yet to make one that isn't full of mistakes.
I also only buy books that I'll read again or want to mark up for referring to. BUT I CAVED IN AND BOUGHT the newest Elizabeth Berg, because I love her writing and this is an epistolary novel, which I also love.
I might get evicted from this blog for being so non-frugal.
I think a much anticipated book is a very wise expenditure, actually. 🙂
A type of Chess Pie, usually made with corn syrup or molasses.
It was an Addi circ. Most of mine are quite old and the per-use cost is almost nothing by now. This one just had a bad day.
Mistakes are just part of the process. Who's going to notice in something that big?
If i haven't been kicked out yet, then no one will be. And didn't someone out themselves as having a few million? There wasn't a hue and cry then either.
Nibling is niece or nephew, analogous to sibling.
I have spent a lot of time either at the hospital or at our daughter's house this last week after her emergency C-section so it may be difficult to come up with FFT.
- I packed drinks and snacks to take with me on every hospital visit. I took snacks and water for my son-in-law so he could avoid buying things at the cafeteria.
- I found free parking at the hospital as often as possible but the lot for the women and children's hospital, which has the pediatric ER, is almost always full. I had to pay $2 to park a few times but at least that is a minimal cost.
- We all ate breakfast muffins and burritos that I had prepped and frozen before the baby was born. I just had a feeling that I needed to get that done early and I'm glad we had those available when we are all tired and stressed.
- We ate chicken strips from the freezer with fruit to avoid getting take-out when this Nana was exhausted.
- I read quite a few Kindle Unlimited books while hanging out at the hospital and while the grandbaby was asleep. I needed something to do while he slept in my arms at 3 AM to keep me awake. I may not remember much about what I read, so it's great that I didn't purchase any of the books.
I hope every one is doing well now! And I'm so glad you are able to be there with them so much.
Kristen - yesterday was the first day our daughter's blood pressure was back in a normal range. We are thankful the medications are starting to work. The baby is doing great and is back to his birth weight at a week old.
YAYYYY!! That's such good news.
Beverly, I'm so glad your daughter is doing better, and mazel tov on the birth of your grandbaby! So happy to hear he's regained and is thriving.
We're having "more month than money" right now and are really stretching what's in the pantry and freezer. DH ran out of the gluten-free cereal he eats every day, so I made cinnamon-walnut-raisin granola, using walnuts and raisins from Ollie's Outlet, to tide him over. Used the last two small cooking-type apples to make breakfast muffins for myself.
Last night I made a cheesy vegetable chowder to use up a big potato, the last of some frozen bags of veggies, and about half of a bag of shredded cheese. Today I will cook some chili and corn muffins, and see about using up some long-open peanut butter in brownies. If the PB has gone over, we have blondes instead.
Although small sizes of things like peanut butter and baking mixes are often more expensive, I need to switch to those because we just do not eat enough as senior citizens to finish stuff off in a timely manner.
I have had to make some similar adjustments due to my household being just Zoe and me! It's a lot different than when I was buying for six people.
I was not aware peanut butter could go bad! Unless it's the natural kind? I loved peanut butter so much before I developed allergies, it didn't have a chance in our house. Ha.
I suppose perhaps the oils could go rancid. Not dangerous, just not tasty!
Yeah, I did not want to ruin the expensive butter and eggs in the recipe with iffy peanut butter. It turned out there was just barely enough cocoa left to make conventional brownies, so that's what we had.
-I was visiting home recently (flying to Europe from the U.S.), where I helped my brother clean my mother's apartment as she is now in a nursing home. We saved in not hiring a cleaner to do this and got back the deposit for the apartment, which will offset some of my mother's medical bills.
-We sold my mother's mechanical bed (also towards bills) and donated other things. She had a couple of barely used suitcases that I will use, one I placed in storage for next time I visit and will replace my slightly broken suitcase with the new one. One was a carry-on I used to carry extra things back home (lots of chocolate and bread I put in the freezer)
-During my trip, I bought a puffy winter coat that was on sale. I vacuum packed it and some other clothes in plastic bags where you can vacuum out all the air to minimize space, instead of paying for an extra suitcase. I love buying winter clothes at home as the selection is so much better there.
-Used up leftovers: A leftover marinara sauce was used in a lentil soup. The leftover lentil soup I made into veggie patties.
-Been drinking a lot of iced coffee recently although it's been getting colder outside, but my son has a later schedule and makes a second pot of coffee in the mornings. The remaining coffee goes into my afternoon coffee as iced. Soon I will have to start microwaving it, the horror.
Good for you getting that chemistry out of the way. And I'm glad you got to enjoy the symphony.
I cut open a tube of sunscreen. I'm always shocked when I do this and see how much is left.
Our new puppy is playing with toys from our 11-year old dog. We've had that basket beside the fireplace for years and it's good to see them getting some use again.
We're slowly working our way through splitting and stacking the several cords of free firewood we accumulated in the spring. It's cool enough now to light a fire every morning, so I appreciate the warmth.
I'm still getting a few vegetables from the greenhouse -- tomatoes, chard, carrots and onions. We had chard as a side dish last night and tomato soup as the main course the night before that.
It's amazing how much is left in tubes of thick ointments. Sunscreen, lotion, conditioner, you name it. All worth cutting open.
I have a few to share...
1. I received a coupon in the mail for a free watch battery at a local jewelers (i had my rings repaired there earlier in the year) so I redeemed that and am now enjoying wearing my watch again. While there, they also cleaned my ring for free.
2. A friend shared a few tomatoes with me from her garden and another friend gifted me 2 bags of veggies. We ate most of them and the abundance of red peppers, I chopped in half and froze for future stuffed peppers.
3. My oldest daughter brought a bag of clothes she no longer wanted and I took most of them to wear and what I didn't want, she wants me to donate to Goodwill. I added those items to a bag I had started.
4. My youngest daughter gifted me 2 cinnamon pumpkin bath & Body Works soap refills that she got on clearance.
5. I listed our front storm door online & sold it in less than a day. The proceeds will be used towards a new one, different color.
I wish I could go to the symphony! It's very expensive here in Chicagoland. Excellent, of course.
Congrats for being on track to save $99!
1. I have been finding things as I go about my days. Yesterday I found a reusable Aldi bag with a receipt inside which I uploaded to Fetch. This week I found 4-5 other receipts. People here drop them all the time. The other day I found a nice pen.
2. Someone who is male with big feet and good taste in shoes threw away a pair of Cole Haan casual loafers in the laundry room waste can. I grabbed them and cleaned them up. They're in very good condition except for a small gouge in the rubber sole. I thought I would donate them, but now I'm thinking about seeing if I can repair that spot, and then I would sell them. Cole Haan shoes cost a pretty penny.
3. I had a can of pumpkin in my pantry. I don't know where I got it, but I think I got it for free. I made pumpkin muffins (which made enough batter to freeze the extra), then pumpkin soup, and then pumpkin pancakes, which I will finish up this morning. It was like an endless can of pumpkin!
4. Today I'm going to Walmart to get a few groceries and supplies with the gift card I got for having a house visit from my health insurance company. I expect I will pay nothing out of pocket.
5. I paid nothing out of pocket for two bottles of MiraFiber I bought yesterday, plus I got 40% off the second bottle, which will help stretch my flex benefits.
6. Just wanted to add that I have been taking the train whenever it's feasible, because I have a ride-free card (available to seniors at a certain income level). It saves on gas and wear and tear on the car.
I loved "You Could Make This Place Beautiful". I will have to get Keep Moving. Thanks for the recommendation.
That book is so good, isn't it? Loved it, read it twice.
1. I'm conserving propane by only running the heater to warm up the trailer in the evening before bed and using an electric blanket and in the morning when I wake up stupid early on show days. On non show days I get up at a decent hour when it is warming up and I don't need the heater.
2. Fellow performer gave me an extra coffee they got for free from a coffee shop that had an opening special. It was much appreciated, my tushie was dragging after 3 cups of coffee that morning.
3. I paid zero dollars (thanks insurance!) for a prescription I got from an urgent care the day after the show closed for the weekend. Now I know why I felt so out of sorts on Sunday!
4. Bought a rotisserie chicken and have been using it for various meals.
5. More of the on the road usual: Hand washing small costume pieces because I don't have enough for a Laundromat load, topping off the cooler with ice machine ice, and cooking at home
I worked 27 years ago at a community non-profit that operated thrift stores as one of its services. As an employee, I got 50% off store items, and at the time I was expecting my first child. I would take my lunch hour and pop in next door to the thrift store and peruse their baby item donations, especially clothes. I made out with steals! After a while, they saw me coming! LOL! My baby daughter had more clothes than she could wear before she outgrew the sizes! LOL!
Fingers crossed for you that chemistry is almost done!
1) Flew to Boulder with DH and DS20 to spend family weekend with DS19. It was so much fun, and definitely not frugal. But, I used Hyatt free night awards for three nights in the hotel. Family weekend is one of the most expensive weekends of the year, so I saved a bunch of money on that. Parking (normally $25/day) was also free, due to my hotel status.
2) Used my national park pass at Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday, with DS19, DS20, my BFF & her daughter. We all got in with the park pass, and it has more than paid for itself. My BFF & I both brought snacks & drinks along.
3) Bought an easy prepped meal on Thursday, to have ready for our return on Sunday evening. It was: veggie fried rice, turkey meatballs & a crispy noodle salad kit, all from Trader Joes. I had some teriyaki sauce already at home. I made that into a bowl style meal, and everything came together in less than 15 minutes while we were unpacking.
4) I brought home the receipts for Target & Costco shopping we did with DS19, and one of the receipts triggered a 3000 point Fetch bonus. The shopping was pricey, so this was a nice mini win.
5) Sold a pair of DS19's shoes he didn't want on eBay.
Sounds like a fun trip!
Frugal? NOT. Needed? Yes.
I'm pretty sure that I've posted about the never-ending struggle to get the floors ready for new flooring. In the home stretch now, paid sons of a co-worker to move all the big stuff out (some went into the much too small u-haul truck, and the rest is everywhere LOL.) The last bits are happening this morning: sweeping the kitchen and office floors, vacuuming the other floors, and removing the last little bits of 'stuff' from the floors as needed. Stayed in a very nice Motel 6 room last night with Mr Mittens and will be staying there through at least Thursday morning
Woohooo that your flooring adventure is almost done!
I had a few frugal moments this week:
- I picked up some semi-prepared food at Wegmans on the way home from a wedding weekend instead of getting take-out. We were getting home at 6-7pm and I knew cooking was not really an option. Take-out would have been $25-60 so I opted to stop at the store and got chicken w/ artichokes and tomatoes that just needed to go in the oven. Boiled some water for noodles we had at home and sauteed up some asparagus we also had at home.
- Volunteered at a fundraising event for an organization I regularly volunteer at. We got free admission and took home enough leftovers for a few meals.
- We didn't make it to the farmers market on Saturday and will just pick up the odds and ends we need in order to make the food we have at home work instead of doing a shopping trip this week.
- We purchased 2 whole chickens each w/ $1 off as they were dated the next day. Got 6-8 qts of chicken broth and an equal amount of chicken stock that we canned for future needs.
Frugal Fail: Refused to by celery at the Star when it rang up for $5.99 (apparently you did need to buy 2 to get them for the $3 each but we were walking and couldn't carry the extra weight). I scoffed at how I wasn't paying that much for celery only to get to the butcher to get the chickens and decide I would get the celery as it couldn't be $5.99 there. It had no price on the shelf...and it rang in at $6.99.
lol!
For yiu, what is the difference between stock and broth?
FFT but from the last few weeks:
1. Got a high-quality winter jacket on Marketplace for my daughter. It was a total pain to find things this year, but seeing as I paid a total of $80 CAD instead of $328 (!!) that it would have cost new, I'm pleased. I got her a less expensive second-hand set last year, but she complained of being cold, so I went for higher quality. Reima and MEC. We'll see if it was worth it.
2. Signed up for a newsletter to save 20% on an online order of things I don't buy second-hand (underwear and socks for the kids, thin gloves for the cool weather for my older kid and for me.)
3. We did a furniture shuffle to meet our needs as baby grows. Hand-me-down bassinet is offered to another family along with the swing. Our old pack n' play came out of storage and is now in our room with a crib mattress, and a hand-me-down bouncer chair is in the living room; I can easily carry it to the basement when I need to. Nothing new purchased.
4. I submitted a bunch of receipts to my health insurance. Whatever they don't cover will run through mine and my husband's healthcare spending accounts.
5. I'm trying to eat down the freezer a bit so that we can de-frost it next week. I finished a bag of frozen peaches (eaten with pancakes) and one of mangoes (in a smoothie.)
Good winter gear is probably QUITE essential, given where you live!
Kudos to you, Kristen, on all your chemistry progress!!
Have we heard from Jody lately? Hope she's doing ok!
I was thinking the same thing about Jody. (One of the many great things about this blog is that folks worry about you when you haven't posted in a while.)
I noticed last week that both of my cats got their winter coats. They are both very dense and cuddly. Always a sign the cold weather is coming, and sure enough, it showed up this week.
I live in the deep South and my Maine Coon mix cat just finished shedding out. I was combing her the other day and remarked that it was now time to grow more fluff.
When we had a bitterly cold spell in January, she suddenly grew out a little ruff and looked very majestic.
I love my Maine Coon ruffs! I have 2 boys and 3 girls. The youngest has a ruff year 'round.
1. I made a batch of granola which used up the last of a few jars in the pantry.
2. We visited our CSA’s brick and mortar location to pick up our free pumpkin that comes with our membership. It was on the other side of the metro area so we added a stop to a nearby apple orchard. My son did the driving so that he could get more ‘behind the wheel’ hours under his belt. I enjoyed being a passenger and took the time to enjoy the fall colors.
3. I gave my boots a good cleaning and polish to prepare for fall/winter.
4. I gave my dad a bag of coffee that I didn’t love – he gave me two jars on lingonberry jam in return.
5. More books from my TBR pile, lunches as leftovers, batching errands, coffee at home.
46°F this morning. I run the furnace in zones to take the chill off, encouraging layers and blankets. The joy of a snuggly cat.
Made Apple crunch muffins this morning. Sunrise is coming later, doing chores by headlight, yoga is much later, time for morning baking.
My florist friend bought the remaining boo pumpkins and the remaining large pumpkins.
Hardened off the winter squash in the greenhouse. Got them crated in sawdust in the root cellar.
A couple of the butter cup squashes had nibbles on them, so I chunked and they are roasting in the hot oven from muffin baking. I'll throw it in the freezer for a big pot of soup.
Neighbor brought me 2 pairs of work jeans and hooded carhartt jacket to mend.
I sold a set of vintage fiesta ware from the abandoned house. I cleaned up the barrister book cases, the plan was to sell, but my friend is going to integrate them into the formal living room that we're turning into a moody library/board game room.
He is even making the game table inset for puzzles. He is also installing a French door to keep cats and dogs out. I've been collecting the components for a few years from FBMP, restore & curb pick ups at local Universities.
There were a few days in late September that temperatures dropped below my comfort level, but I held out and did not turn on my furnace until October. I turn it off May 1st. Even now I only run the furnace for an hour just to take the chill off in the morning, Then I'm usually good. For me it's more the principle of the thing rather than a money saving strategy. I have Natural Gas heat. I only turned the AC on once over the summer months.
Glad you got some entertainment; Kristen, you need a break after all that chemistry work. Also happy to hear you are almost done with the chemistry course and are doing so well! Hang in there!
1. Went to early voting on the first day of same. Luckily it was my day off because I had to stand in line for an hour. It didn't seem so long because we were outside under porch awning in incredibly nice weather. Anyway, the polling place was at a church and when you entered the actual building, you had to stand in line in a hallway before getting to the actual room where you vote. In the hallway, the church people had some card racks with free brochures and things. In one of them, were little cards from the Gideon's Bible folks that had a QR code to get a Bible app on your cell phone. They were giving them out free. I thought that is infinitely useful so I got one.
2. Shopped at Aldi and got a fairly inexpensive party platter to take to our church's game night/covered dish supper. Last time around, was a frugal fail: I got a bucket of chicken and I bought too much. Another attendee also brought fried chicken from a local joint, and most folks were eating the other fellow's food. So I had to take mine home; Snuggles and I were eating KFC for over a week and that got really old, really fast. Not to mention expensive!
3. Watering the house plants with the rainwater I collected during our last thunderstorm and stored in gallon jugs.
4. We had several chilly nights so I got out a bunch of blankets and quilts for the bed. Saves on turning on the central heat!
5. Taking advantage of specials at our store. Bought a can of Folger's coffee for $5.99 and a jug of regular vinegar for $1.99. This was after comparing prices and we were lower than everyone else in town, including Aldi and Ollie's Outlet. (Actually Aldi had off-brand decaf coffee for the same price, but I wanted "real" coffee and Folger's is a brand I really like.)
Sort of frugalish, but fairly weak:
1. Bought expensive gas down the hill, about 80¢ less/gallon than the crazy expensive gas here in town.
2. Used a gift certificate for chrysanthemums, knowing they'd probably get eaten by deer. They did.
3. Learned of a new book that my library wouldn't get for months and I bought it!! Saved $1 by buying it used (published in 2026. . . not many used copies around yet.)
4. Bought a copy of The Correspondent because I want to read it again and not wait another 3 months to get it from the library. Then I handed it to a friend to read because she is now in a nursing facility and bored out of her mind. It's 85 miles away, so I may not be getting it back any time soon.
Such extravagance—buying books!! And flowers!! (Please don't evict me from The Frugal Girl, please please...)
Haha, Jana, you are always welcome here. 🙂
$0.80 a gallon is a good savings!
1. Staying home, mostly, and that saves money! Also, DH's retirement is OFFICIAL so he will start getting retirement payments, which is nice.
2. I am going to need a tablet or something similar for clinicals--we are required to have something we can chart with that supports the software they use. A while back, DH had purchased a Microsoft Surface Pro laptop/tablet for a graduate student whose laptop had broken. Said student snubbed the laptop, claiming he would have rather picked his own out, said he didn't know how to set it up, yada yada. But he kept it, which I do not understand, except maybe he thought he could keep it and sell it. Long story short, now that DH is retiring (though he's still offering his graduate students support with their thesis projects), he asked for the Surface Pro back and I am the proud owner of a nifty little device that has a keyboard that detaches (it's magnetic!) so it turns into a tablet with a touchscreen, but we didn't have to spend any more money.
3. The Commodore, of course, has discovered the joys of sitting on said laptop if he thinks Lady is spending too much time looking at it rather than feeding him or playing with him. He even went so far as to nibble on the temptingly slender power cord--luckily I caught him in the act and DH reinforced it with electrical tape, saving us having to buy a part.
4. We biked to Aldi and stocked up on groceries for the week; what would have been over $100 at Kroger ended up being about $84. I was pleased that they had their chai black tea in stock, so I nabbed some. I have a backstock of tea now so am set for a while.
5. Library books--currently enjoying Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir. Her nonfiction got me hooked on the Tudor era back when I was in college, and her fiction is a nice escape. I also have a stack of TBR books collected from the various Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood. I know when my nursing classes start in January I'll have precious little time to recreationally read, so I'm getting it in now!
Yay for a device to use for clinicals!
We had to do all of our charting on paper for clinicals.
My main win this week is discovering that you can use frozen paratha as a sub for puff pastry (paratha is a fine layered South Asian flat with flakey buttery layers). Just let a piece thaw slightly, then shape into a pasty or a pie in a muffin tin and then fill with whatever you like and cook in the oven!. I already love them as a quick and cheap bread from the freezer but now the options are endless! A great opportunity to use up fridge remnants and bits of sauces for some lil easy pies!
That's so interesting! I'll have to look into that.
Wow! That's such a score on your meds.
My Frugal 5s+
• Batched our errands with a mini date. My husband dropped me off at the library to pick up a hold, then went to the ATM for cash to pay back our neighbor. (Our neighbor used a veteran/bulk discount at Lowe's to save us money! We're looking at fixing our driveway cracks.) Afterward, we grabbed lunch at Burger King and went for a nature walk on a local trail, which gave me a great chance to practice the photography skills I learned in class.
• Started winterizing for the season. My husband blew out the sprinklers, outside waterlines, and our camper, and plans to swap our windshield washer fluid for de-icer. We have three vehicles, two of which are on their last legs, so we are driving them until they die. Since my Toyota Corolla doesn't handle the Midwest cold well, it's going into storage, and we'll bring out the Jeep and 4WD truck for the winter.
• Kept the house at a cozy 70 degrees, while the girls and I stay extra warm at night by layering up with our fleece blankets.
• Secured a free warranty binder replacement. After checking in with Five Star when my girl's binder didn't ship within their stated timeframe, my replacement for the one with the broken zipper is finally here.
• Celebrated our oldest daughter's birthday with a family bowling night, using discount coupons from the back of our grocery receipt. The game was free, so we only paid for shoe rentals, bringing the total for all five of us to just about $25.
• Gave our oldest a journal set scored during Amazon Prime deals, plus a wall collage kit that cost $10 initially - which Amazon let us keep for free when a return wasn't required.
• Cleared out some kids' clothes. Sold two items on Facebook Marketplace (a baby swimsuit and a toddler short set) for $5 each, netting $10 total. It's a small win, but every little bit helps!
• Handled parent-teacher conferences. Per the teacher's recommendation for my youngest, we're going to use supplies and materials we already have at home to help boost her reading, spelling, and math skills.
• Shopping around for home insurance. I spoke with my current agent to see if she can lower our rate, and I'll be meeting with a few other agents soon to compare options and find something more reasonable.
My biggest frugal wins this week are
1. Making pita bread at home instead of going to get some or having it delivered. A touch more work, but so much cheaper.
2. Instead of Mister talking me into going out for pizza, I talked him into homemade pizza tonight. Again, more work but way cheaper. (We have a big eat-out expense coming up Thursday. I'm saving anyway I can
3. Taking my new dog back to the adoption center to get her spayed, microchipped, and nails done. Not only do they offer this service free of charge to dogs rescued from them, but to ALL dogs in the local area. It's a great center, and I love supporting them.
4. Using up almost expired veggies instead of letting them go to waste.
5. Instead of running the A/C, I've been opening the windows now that the air is cooler during the day.
1. Have been doing a slow, gradual pantry cleanout and was able to give away some things on Buy Nothing that have been taking up space. Yay!
2. Took part in 2 recent products tests, one for breakfast bars and one for hummus. The payout covers the price of the item plus a little bit extra, so I'm getting the items for free.
3. Got a free bar of soap using a Bath and Body Works coupon.
4. Took part in a free continuing education class for 2 hours, which I can put towards my required hours to renew my OT license at the end of the year. I will attend another free symposium next week for 7.5 hours, lunch is also provided!
5. Put a few books in my nearby Little Free Library for others to enjoy! (They were gone when I checked a couple weeks later). I got both books for free so happy they found new homes/readers.
I buy pet meds at Costco. A three month supply costs about $20 at Costco and $125!!! if I buy it from the vet. Flea and tick meds are much less expensive at Costco, too.
I was on the East Coast for my nephew's wedding. Naturally, plane tickets, hotels during leaf peeper season, and the rental car (ummm, pickup truck because cars were sooo much more) were not frugal, but my sister and I are splitting the costs, and we used a companion fare for the airline tickets. The truck got decent gas mileage too.
The dress wasn't too frugal, but I set a budget and bought one from Macy's in the price range.
I hemmed the dress so I could use heels I already owned, and were comfortable.
Our hotels had breakfast included. I went once, and brought back extra yogurt for the wedding morning.
My new niece-in-law's parents hosted a brunch the day after the wedding for all of us out of towners, so we didn't need lunch that day either.
I packed my own snacks for the plane, both directions.
We watched Thursday Night Football in my nephew's (the groom to be) suite, so no eating/drinking out during the game. We did get Panera for dinner that night (but had skipped lunch so it was our only meal out, and we both had leftovers for our lunch on the wedding day. No meals out that day either because of the leftovers and dinner at the wedding.
I brought leftover lasagna soup for work dinner last night and pulled leftover clam chowder out for tonight's work dinner.
I sold a Halloween costume on FBM yesterday and a clothing item sold on Poshmark while I was on my trip, so I mailed it when I got home.
I returned a 3 pack of protein refresher drink powders that had been sent as a subscription. The subscription was originally 1 pack so I'm not sure how my original order was sent. I was unhappy with the practices of this company so I cancelled the subscription. Every subscription I've ever had always sends an email letting you know it's getting ready to ship so you can make changes. Not this one. It just showed up. In all of my subsequent communications, they skirted the question as to how the mess up happened (at the tune of $135!!!), so I unsubscribed. 🙂
I downloaded books for the plane ride.
Although I nostalgically enjoy candy corn and candy pumpkins in small amounts, I can appreciate your feelings about it. However: clearance candy corn can be used to make an inexpensive and decadent Butterfinger bark. Simply melt equal weights of peanut butter and candy corn in a crockpot or microwave, stir, add corn flakes or rice crispies for crunch, and spread into a pan. Add chocolate chips and spread those out as soon as they turn shiny. Cut into bars before the candy is set. Yum. This makes a great holiday gift.
I'm a day late, but here goes!
1. Sold 8 items on vinted/mercari. Total profit after fees & shipping: $100.38
2. Finally earned enough cash back to cash out a reward on one of my receipt scanning apps.
3. Redeemed a birthday coupon for $15 off my order at a local Italian restaurant.
4. Got a free birthday drink at Starbucks for my fake birthday (I use a fake birthday for some places so I don't have to go crazy redeeming everything in September.)
5. I had the day off yesterday and managed to get 11 things listed for sale on different sites, as well as gather up a bunch of items to put out for free on the curb. All while the kids were at school, because there was no way I'd be able to get even a fraction of that done if they were home. 🙂
Hi Kristen, A friend and I have developed a cheat sheet of Colonoscopy Tips & Tricks. I just sent you a copy via email. I'm cross-posting in hopes you see it in time!
I just used up a cut-open tube of foot cream. What I got out of the cut-open tube lasted a month!
My mom is in the hospital right now, and I have treated myself to a $1.07 large diet coke with crushed ice from the convenience store a couple of times instead of a Starbucks drink.
Saved myself a lot of money by waiting on a new book from the library, and then finding I didn't like it at all-stopped after about 20 pages! And I had been so tempted to buy it!
This is sort of a thankful, but I am really appreciate my Mint mobile plan. I have great coverage from them and with Mom being in the hospital, it has been so useful to be able to send free texts to everyone I need to update. I also figured out that I could cut and paste from a text-game changer!!
So proud of you for powering through this horror of chemistry, Kristen!!
The hospital pharmacy selling over-the-counter medicine at cost is a tip I had never thought to check, and it makes sense to ask before paying retail for everyday items like ibuprofen. I also liked the balance in this list, from holding off on the heat to using the $35 student symphony membership, because it shows saving without giving up everything enjoyable. Finishing chemistry on schedule to avoid another $99 fee is a great reminder that finishing something on time can itself be a frugal win.