Five Frugal Things | cherry chia
1. I used leftover cherry "juice"
I finished a jar of cherries from Aldi, but saved the colorful syrup, which is not at all syrupy. It's more like a juice; very different from what comes in, say, canned peaches in syrup.
Anyway, I used it to make some of the three-ingredient chia seed drink I shared here, and it worked great.
2. I did two work extras
I attended a quarterly online staff meeting, which got me a very easy hour's worth of pay (plus some helpful information!)
I also attended a free educational webinar about dignity in healthcare, and I downloaded the completion certificate to go toward my continuing education hours.
At my hospital, if you do enough continuing education and other specified activities, you can qualify for a $2,000-$5,000 bonus.
And obviously, it behooves you to find free continuing education activities. Then the bonus is actually a bonus. 😉
3. I got the free windshield wipers
Ok, so you know how a mobile repairperson was supposed to come replace Zoe's cracked windshield? They never showed up.
So, on my lunch break the next day, I called to inquire, and apparently, the appointment got canceled on their end, and no one told us.
I decided to take the option of going to the shop (they can't forget about me if I'm RIGHT THERE), and snapped up an 8 am appointment for the next day.
Zoe already had plans, so I drove her car there. During sign-in, I doubled-checked with the guy to make sure that the order included the windshield wipers that Erie gives with windshields, and he said yep.
Then, when the technician came in to tell me the car was done, I said, "Oh, thank you. And it has new wipers too, right?" and he looked confused. Somehow, the order hadn't gone through properly.
Good thing I checked! He went back out, put the wipers on, and then I was all set. Yay!
Annnnd my "very nice but also very persistent" strategy pays off again. It's the same energy to the hospital when I need to chat with doctors; I'm super pleasant, but I will get what I need for my patients. 😉
(BTW, I know these wipers aren't "free" per se, because we pay for insurance. But dang it, I want to get the full benefit I pay for.)
4. I mended a placemat
These black placemats are many years old, and during lunch the other day, I noticed that the stitching on one was coming apart.
Mending is more effective when you catch a problem early, so I did a quick little stitch on my machine before the problem got worse.
5. I bought a $10 leaf blower
I have been wanting a little plug-in leaf blower to make it easy to clean out my carport because sweeping is a little bit annoying and honestly, not all that effective.
So, I poked around on Facebook Marketplace and found a pretty crusty one for a mere $10.
I think it's missing the original extension piece, but I don't care. It's gonna work fine for blowing out the carport; it's not like I'm not doing industrial leaf removal!
And $10 is a price that's hard to beat.
This is a very kitchen-centric FFT! 😛
--I used aquafaba (i.e. chickpea goo) in a vegetarian "meat" loaf recipe because we were low on eggs. The substitution worked treat! (We're not vegetarian but are doing Lent this year. My husband's doctor asked if we could go from three meatless days to four, and my husband decided to go all in. :P) As with all meatloaf variations, this one used up several bits and bobs, including leftover red onion, homemade pizza sauce, random cheese, and mushrooms.
--Since I had to open a can of chickpeas for the above, I made hummus. This handily also used up lingering cilantro and a jalapeno and made for a filling lunch when eaten with naan.
--I slit open a squeeze tube of sour cream to get the last bit out. This was used in place of heavy whipping cream in a mushroom and lentils recipe; the change was a delicious one!
--A few weeks ago, I started using a homemade honey sugar scrub to exfoliate my face and hopefully help calm my complexion (early menopause sucks). Oh my gosh, the difference!!! And it's SO cheap!!! One tablespoon of honey + as much sugar as it will absorb (1/4 ratio, more or less) makes enough sugar scrub for a month. Mine is in a small recycled mason jar.
--Related, my jar stash is growing nicely in anticipation of preserving this year's harvest. I'm so excited to winter sow in the coming weeks!
@N, ALL menopause sucks. And if I made a honey-sugar scrub, I’d probably just eat it.
I about spewed my coffee🤣
You made me laugh out loud!!!
Lol!!!
Frugalities:
-filled up with gas near work and saved 15 cents per gallon.
-spent the gas on driving to big city for Sam's club. Bought 24 lbs of butter, among other things, which saved over $25 compared to prices at home. Also grabbed chicken that was $2 off.
- made a small batch of banana bread twice to use up leftover bananas.
- made cinnamon rolls for after school snack instead of buying cookies.
-paid bills on time, balanced the checkbook, and turned off the garage heat.
mbmom11,
Can I hang out at your house? Banana bread AND cinnamon rolls, yum!:-)
This is for your American readers- I did my research for voting today. Most of our local elections are decided in the primaries here and who is in local office has a huge impact on everyone’s financial life. These are the people who make the decisions about how your tax money is spent. They decide how to enforce our laws on everything from traffic infractions to murder, which directly affects insurance rates. Far fewer people vote in local elections and each vote has a much bigger impact. Voting in every election is the most frugal thing you can do. And voting is free!
This week I also frugally used Libby, the library app, to read for fun. I just finished Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center on the recommendation of Going Country Kristin. Thanks Kristin! It was fun!
My son is in Battle of the Books and told us that we would need to buy all of the books. I found them at the library instead. While that didn’t save as much money as voting, it did save at least $100. There are a bunch of books.
Oh yay! It is a fun book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
I just reserved a Katherine Center book from the library!
--My small Lenten penance of no cream in my coffee is saving a very small amount of cream (although I am FAR from that biggest consumer of cream in my household 🙂 ), but also coffee, which is way more expensive. I can't make coffee I'm going to drink black without it being much too bitter, so I've been using only half the amount. It may be more frugal, but I doubt I'll continue the practice after Lent. I miss my cream.
--I bought track spikes for my two older boys. They ended up with the exact same shoes, color and all, which isn't ideal, but these were the only color that would arrive in time and weren't almost a hundred dollars each.
--Planted lettuce and cabbage seeds, arugula is up, green onion is re-growing, as are the collard stalks I left in the ground. Yay, garden food!
--The only seeds I bought this year were two packets of lettuce seeds from Tractor Supply. I hate paying the shipping for seeds, and I really don't need a lot of things this year, so I just decided to go with whatever standard varieties I could find there for the lettuce.
--My mother-in-law sent a few original Nancy Drew books to my daughter, who, at 8, is a voracious reader like all the rest of the family. She got number 4, so of course she wants to read 1-3. I remembered my friend who I exchange books with all the time (who is also the mother of my daughter's best friend) had said she had a lot of Nancy Drew books, so I asked her if she had those. She's sending them to school tomorrow with her daughter and also sent me a photo of all the Nancy Drew books she has. Which is pretty much ALL of them. It's like sixty books. Yay! Such a relief to know I have a ready and free supply of books for my daughter for awhile.
Idk how you are managing black coffee. Much respect.
I like the occasional black coffee! I used to order coffee 'black as my soul!' at a place where I used to work but not everyone got it/found it amusing, so I stopped 😉
Many, MANY years ago, when I was in college, I met a young man who was from Spain. (I had a massive crush on him, and he knew it, but it never went anywhere. Sigh.) We would meet for coffee and to study together - there was a McDonald's on campus (keep in mind, this was pre-Starbucks days), so we generally met there. He told me to try drinking coffee "the way Spaniards drink coffee" - black but sweetened with A TON of sugar. I did try it, and I don't think I slept for a week after that. Lol. I have no idea if that's truly the way Spaniards drink their coffee, but I prefer mine with cream and some sort of sweetener (not a ton).
It's not as terrible as I had feared, maybe because I drink coffee with chicory, so it has some other flavor? I don't know. I mean, it's fine, I'm not hating every sip. I'm not exactly enjoying it, however, whereas I really do enjoy strong coffee with cream. So it's really the perfect penance, I guess. 🙂
cherry ames is also a series of great books as a kid. i loved nancy drew. what a treat.
right before passover i eat so much pizza i am amazed there is any left in the world.
I loved Cherry Ames! In a generous, but not-well-thought-out moment, I gave them all to my younger next door neighbor when I was in high school. Later, as an adult and mom, I couldn’t find them and was very disappointed with my past self. Finally, I found some while antiquing. I don’t have the entire series, but I have my favorites!
I loved Cherry Ames books too. As well as Nancy Drew and Tricia Belden.
I found a box of books that were my mom's and aunt's years ago and fell in love with Cherry Ames, Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew and a small series of books by Janet Lambert about 2 young women set during WWII I think. They are titled Glory Be, Dreams of Glory, Candy Cane and Woah Matilda. I ended up collecting every Cherry Ames and Bobbsey Twins books to complete the collections by shopping antique stores and eBay. Cherry Ames inspired me to change from being an OBGYN to becoming a nurse. Now I think I could write my own mini series...Med Surg Nurse, Float Pool Nurse, Surgical Charge Nurse, Nursing Supervisor, Mother Baby Nurse, Pediatric Nurse and now NICU Nurse among them!
for sure i would read your books..
Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and long Alaskan winters with very short days is how I became a reader. ❤️
@Kristin, cinnamon is a great rescuer of bitter coffee. You can sprinkle ground cinnamon in the filter with the coffee for your dripping or pour-over.
I have heard that adding a bit of salt to coffee takes away some of the bitterness. I can't vouch personally though; I'm a "cream in my coffee" girl, too.
I just started adding a few shakes of salt to my coffee in the filter, and my coffee has been very consistently delicious every morning!
A fun fact about a lot of these classic series--Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, the Hardy Boys, etc.--is that they were produced by what was called the Stratemeyer Syndicate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stratemeyer_Syndicate_series). Evidently, however, Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, and Judy Bolton were not produced by this syndicate.
My oldest sister was a big Cherry Ames fan, since she'd decided right out of the womb that she was going to be a nurse. But my own problem with Cherry was that the series started during WWII and was obviously dated from the get-go. I kept wondering how Cherry kept going on all these mysteries (and romances) well into middle age. 😛
No one has mentioned the Sue Barton books by Helen Dore Boyleston. Sue is a nurse as was the author. Boyleston was a close friend of Rose Wilder Lane. In fact, they wrote a book about their adventure of driving a Model T from Paris to Albania titled Travels with Zenobia. Anyway, I really enjoyed the Sue Barton books.
I also read Sue Barton. And the Happy Hollisters.
And somehow related by the author or ghost writer's name to Cherry Ames was Vicki Barr, flight attendant.
After many years of a healthcare career, after taking a year off, I’ve decided not to return. So I’m considering myself “retired” at 59. I am not drawing on any of our investments or retirements at this point, so the plan is to continue to live off my husband’s salary with interest from our emergency fund added as padding. This is actually weird for me; I can make the finances work as I’m naturally frugal, however I will need more to do! I’m considering an unrelated, 2 day a week job. I already use the library, I shop thrift stores, etc. As someone who has spent my entire adult life taking care of people, both at work and many family and friends, my responsibilities have really decreased. My son is in college. My elderly dog passed away, most of my elderly family has passed. My husband is still working as a teacher. I do not have many hobbies (reading, walking, some gardening). I say all this to share establish a robust plan for retirement before you retire! I’m looking for a volunteer activity, but I’m feeling a bit adrift. I have sone older friends I visit and help out, but as someone who was always busy, slowing down- without associated melancholy- has been hard for me. Trying to think of a relatively frugal way to move forward. Considering music lessons but not anxious to invest the money right now.
So, frugal friends, anyone have personal experience or suggestions? Much thanks in advance!
Is there a food pantry nearby where you could volunteer? How about a nursing home? Does your library need volunteers? Maybe an elementary school?
Thank you!
I'm in my late 50's and on long term disability. I'm volunteering at a hospice boutique about 10-15 hours a week. My main role is dressing the mannequins ( I get to pull random pieces together and create a look). I love helping people shop, and I'm good at encouraging people to try something different. It's helped me rediscover my creative side, it's also pushed me to dress in things other than yoga pants and sweat shirts. I love it.
What a cool thing to do!
After retiring, I was a tutor at a homeschool academy for a couple of years - lots of work and tons of fun! Then I took the course and became a Master Gardener. Both of those gave me great experiences and new friends.
I do love to garden, but hate the Summer heat. Maybe I can restrict my gardening activities to the early morning and very late afternoons.
I so agree with the idea of having a plan post retirement and with the difficult adjustment from busy to not.
My unplanned retirement started at 56 due to multiple spine and joint issues which have resulted in six surgeries in ten years. ( May they please be done!)
We are frugal by nature and by necessity but the adjustment to one salary was a challenge. As challenging, if not more so, has been finding ways to fill my time. Still a work in progress due to all the surgical recoveries but still a goal I am working for.
i hope your surgeries are dunzo. sending hugs your way.
@Anita, “Dunzo”!!! Great word, thanks!
thanks. i think it is a baby boomer word. and i sure am a boomer.
Oh gosh, you have had a rough road of it 😞
Kim, you could use your nursing skills to help in the community. How about teaching CPR or First Aid or parenting classes (caring for newborns for first time parents) at the Red Cross or another agency, or community college night classes, local community center or churches?
For a more intense and much needed volunteer gig: Some churches do mission trips to Third World countries and rely on volunteers to provide rudimentary health care services to the impoverished residents there.
One of my church friends is a dental hygienist and she runs a dental clinic in rural Peru for 3 weeks each summer. This is part of the church ministry, a foreign mission trip. Her dentist boss taught her how to pull teeth because in that country, even children have rotting teeth and they want the pain to go away. So the need is great. Although the actual trip is only 3 weeks, she also has to prepare for it at home -- gather supplies, pack things to be shipped, recruit/train helpers, etc. She loves serving the Lord and says she gets much more out of it than anything else she does (other than being a wife/mother.) The church mission team also has an eye clinic and health care clinic and Bible studies there.
You don't always have to go overseas: Other churches may serve impoverished areas within the US. Or put on Vacation Bible School, deliver Meals on Wheels, etc , in their own neighborhood. And Red Cross Disaster Relief services would love to get nurse volunteers. Ditto, Salvation Army, Shepherds Heart and various church denomination disaster recovery ministries.
I’m not a nurse, but a PA-C…I’ve done some medical mission trips to sone not so stable countries- my husband asked me to keep my volunteer activities a little more sedate until our son is grown. Great ideas, though
Happy retirement!
I volunteer at our free clinic, veteran's home, free community dinner and domestic abuse house. Maybe pet fostering? Senior center? Friends of the Library? CASA - court appointed special advocate?
All great ideas!
that is so fabulous to retire so early. you are retired a whole year in age before me. perhaps there are some free classes somewhere. i have a y two blocks from my apt with free classes and you don't have to be a member. they also have a class for newly retired folks. my synagogue even had one but they wouldn't let me attend because I am not newly retired. if you volunteer at an animal shelter you might find a furry friend to bring home. it so tough when they leave us but tf you got two kittens it would be a change and your doggo would not want you to mourn forever and be unhappy. good luck. sending you love and hugs.
Thank you!
my hubby is throwing in his two cents cause i read your post to him he worked at the hospital of u of penn for 20 years. he says get a puppy and a part time job.
Ha! Tell him thank you 😂
I am not yet retired, but I've already started thinking about it. There are lots of good suggestions already, but I did have a few to add. You mentioned a dog - you could volunteer at a shelter to walk dogs, but you might come home with one! Also, you mention reading - I know my local little library would be thrilled to have a volunteer come in to reshelve the books. Plus, you'll get ideas for your next read. They may also use you to help prepare the new books to circulate.
I am such a sucker for rescue animals, I might come home with a few! Maybe I can go there and volunteer, not quite ready for another yet 😞
How about being a hospice Volunteer. I did 5 years of hospice in my nursing career and it was amazing. I will be an empty nester in August and I think that is what ai might consider doing.
i volunteered at a hospice for ten years. my nurse friend that i met there was at my wedding and the baby naming of my daughter and bris of my son. she was also at their bat and bar mitzvahs. now she is moving to independent living in pa. i will miss her like crazy.
So funny you mentioned hospice, Laurie. That’s exactly one of my top volunteer options!
Substitute school nurse…My state has restrictive voting laws and no online voter registration. I recently became a volunteer deputy registrar. That means I can help people register to vote. I attended some voter registration drives on college campus. It was fun to be around the energetic college students! And some students really did need help with the form.
National parks always need volunteers.
Interesting idea!!
I volunteer at a thrift store and I love it! The thrift store is run solely by volunteers, most of us are well over seventy, and all our profits go back into the community. I love the idea of helping our community and enjoy the social aspect also. I also do senior Tia Chi and play Mah Jong one day a week. Love the life I have put together for myself. I need some social interaction but am also very content to spend time alone. Feel like I have found the perfect balance.
You have found the perfect balance!!
I'm afraid I'm going to be right there with you. My plan is to retire in a few months and I really don't have hobbies per se as I've never had time! I want to declutter my house (that will be a big undertaking), I need to spend some time spelling my niece who's living with my 91 yo mother (sadly, I don't have the caretaking gene for this one; I find her cognitive decline incredibly difficult), and I'd love to volunteer at our local-ish animal shelter. I also plan to take some time to just decompress for all these decades of full-time work.
Ironically I spent the first year of my retirement cleaning out and selling my uncles house, then decluttering ours, then caregiving for our I’ll dog. It’s like if I don’t have a project I really struggle!!
Kim from Philadelphia,
You bring up a very good point. I plan to retire in December, and I already have a long list of things I want to do - I do already have several hobbies, so having the time to indulge in those will be wonderful. As many people have mentioned already, getting a part time job can be a good idea - I will definitely be considering that, but not in my career field. Volunteering - there are so many options - hospitals, libraries, nursing homes, schools, food pantries to name only a few. I hope to volunteer with a local (to me) non profit that salvages usable food, and turns it into soups and casseroles that are then donated to local schools and senior centers in lower income areas. I believe some colleges offer free classes - meaning, you can attend the classes for free, but don't get college credit.
Hi Kim, I volunteer with two theatres. I am an usher and get to watch the traveling Broadway plays as well as other concerts, for free! I've also met a lot of friends at these volunteer gigs.
Oops, I meant Liz. Sorry.
I have set next February as my retirement date (puts me within the 18 month Cobra window before Medicare kicks in). I may extend it out a bit with FMLA - our state has paid FMLA (which we and our employer pays for), so perhaps I will officially retire after February, but not actually work more than another few shifts.
I am sooooo looking forward to having the time to declutter, work on my "to-do" lists of organizing digital photos, finally using all of my collected fabrics to make a quilt or two (or 6...), travel and so on. I'll definitely start using my gym membership! These things are difficult to accomplish between 12 hr night shifts and adhd, plus life lol! I think it could be fun to volunteer at the local food bank. I like the idea someone mentioned of volunteering at the local theater (free plays!)
For me, while I can't wait to retire, having been forced into a new kind of nursing (and back to a full time fte) when my Pediatric department closed, I am starting to feel a bit unsettled about not actually being a nurse any longer. I'll keep my license active, or in retirement mode, and tell myself I can always do something nursing related - not that I will actually want to work lol!
It makes me happy that my efforts to save and invest suring the last 19 years (I was a late starter, plus a divorce) have put me in a position to be able to consider retirement 5 years before taking SS.
See what your local libraries and rec centers offer. Check around as different branches offer different things and often there's reciprocity across systems. It's a good way to try out new things for free or close to.
Volunteering is a classic, of course. Do you have a local organization that sponsors street festivals or celebrations? The ones in my areas are usually looking for help.
Organizing events (such as at the rec center) is a classic way to meet new people.
Good luck. It's weird when things change that dramatically.
I understand, friend. I'm not quite there yet, but my hope is to volunteer to rock the babies at our local Children's Hospital. 🙂 All of my babies are (nearly) grown... boo hoo!
Are you interested in teaching?
A retired friend of mine became a substitute teacher and loves it! He says it’s all the fun of teaching without a lot of the headaches.
I work as a peer tutor (I’m a career-change student who also tutors) at our local community college, and we have quite a few retirees who work there as tutors, too. It’s usually a 20-hour/week job, and you get to work with just one student at a time.
I have working there on my list of “retirement activities”, and I’m only in my 40s!
Museum docent? Part-time job? I, too, may retire next year and am trying to come up with frugal items for myself. I live near the beach and am thinking animal sea life rescue. Good luck and enjoy!
I am 55 and EXACTLY where you are. I retired last June. No social plan. I have your same hobbies and my dog just passed last October. I am trying to find a PASSION project! I am trying very hard not to get a puppy…
Hi Kristen, and anyone else who drinks Chia water. I found that taking in anymore than 2 tablespoons at a time did a number on my stomach and kept me in the bathroom (no pun intended). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can increase my Chia seed intake?
Yay for you Kristen on getting those windshield wipers! There are so many details that don't often get relayed down the line...
The recipe I use makes about two servings and uses three tablespoons. So each serving is about 1.5 tablespoons.
Are you eating them dry? If you are, they will hit your digestive system, absorb all the liquid there, and move through quickly. They're less speedy when you consume them in the wet form, where they've already absorbed their max liquid!
Sometimes I put them in my (work lunch) cottage cheese that I pack the night before so in some way they are soaking. I will have to pay more attention to how my stomach feels when i soak or don't soak them. This is all helpful! Thanks!
I soak mine in water (1:7 ratio) and add the resulting jelly to my yogurt. Helps keep the little buggers from lodging between my teeth, too.
I don't eat yogurt, so I have to figure out different ways to eat, and also drink, them. I also hate when they get stuck in my teeth lol. Thanks for the soaking ratio!
Maybe these are possibilities? Smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, soaked as pudding, soups,
It's been weirdly busy and frantic around here.
1. Project Clear Some of the Pantry/Freezer: Made some cocoa-date bars for snacks (used half the dates,) a spinach/egg slice for my lunches (used half the frozen spinach,) quinoa salad (with last week's chickpeas, finished the quinoa), tomato sauce (from frozen partial can of tomatoes,) used up some back-of-the-fridge potatoes, and chicken broth (used up the frozen celery.) Whew.
2. I did not have time to make hamentaschen and I did not impulsively spend 50 bucks ordering delivery from a bakery. Since my parents are visiting today, I'll ask them to stop at a bakery near their house and get one for each of us.
Honestly, I think that's all. Well, a stretch, but we went out to eat on the weekend near our new place (since we were picking up the keys) and the food wasn't great. I guess knowing my homemade schnitzel is better is frugal, since we won't go out for it again!
Moving is SO MUCH WORK. That is all.
good luck with the move. what an exciting time for your family. my family went to purim last night and there were no hamentaschen. maybe they were gone by the time we got there. i don't like them but the kids were disappointed.
Meira Bear,
Do you happen to have a recipe for the cocoa-date bars? I have some date pieces I need to use up. Please and thank you. 🙂
Yes! It's this, but I add two big tablespoons of cocoa and omit the flaxseed and blueberries. I've made it with peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, and sunflower seed butter, and all of them work!
https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/blueberry-date-snack-cake/
I like your Snoopy pencil holder!
I don't know if I can make it to five frugal things this week...
1. I baked two loaves of bread using Kristen's recipe.
2. I got some good deals on food sales at the supermarket.
3. I baked muffins for someone at work and had all the ingredients on hand.
4. I used my gym membership.
5. I didn't get any takeout in February. However, that streak got broken on Sunday as it ended up being a chaotic day. I came home to an equally chaotic kitchen and just could not face cooking! I'd be lying if I said I regretted it.
Thank you! Zoe bought it for me one Christmas. 🙂
And there is no need to regret a well-deserved takeout. Sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered.
i don't know why so many people here disparage take out. when i was first diagnosed with diabetes my dr who specialized in that had me write down everything
I ate. there was a really reasonable chinese restaurant a block from my apt. most of my dinners were budha's delight. i am the takeout queen. when my hubby the chef is not home the kids know they are getting popeye's or artichoke pizza. i think they are the only kids on the planet whose mom is a junk food junke, in moderation of course.
forgot to say he is really a scientist. but that helps is cooking. he likes to experiment.
I love that your family has that dynamic! My dad did a lot of “specialty” cooking growing up - homemade pasta, fresh bagels, etc. Having a dad who cooks is awesome.
Takeout can get really expensive, especially if you have people in the family who are big eaters, and we are on a frugality blog!
For example, we can make pizza at home for maybe $20 worth of ingredients. That makes 2 cheese pizzas for my 2 teens, a supreme pizza for my husband, and a low-carb pizza for my diabetic self (I use lavash as the base instead of a homemade crust). The regular-crust pizzas are 14”.
$20 will get you exactly one 14” takeout pizza where I live. And there are zero options for a low-carb version my body & tastebuds will be happy with! (If we get takeout pizza, I can really only eat the toppings, which means throwing out a lot of the food we just bought.)
Decidedly not frugal - last week I booked a trip to Mexico for mid-March. But I used $2000 worth of credit card reward points toward the cost so that certainly helped.
I did not pay for checked luggage and am going to force myself to make due with carry-on only, which means being very strategic about what to pack. That pesky 100ml liquids rule makes taking enough suncreen challenging.
Used a $10 back promo when getting 25 litres of gas. These promos seem to be coming once per month and I hope they keep it up.
I sent in a rebate request for a new Rx food my vet put my cat on.
I continue to use up gift cards that I have, most of which were "earned" under various promotions and at no cost to me.
We bought "stick" sunscreen for our carryons. It is like a deodorant stick and is pretty much solid and are just bringing the small amount of liquid sunscreen to supplement the stick.
Yes, I have as well. I can only use mineral sunscreen though, which is harder to find in stick form.
I have gotten really good at decanting larger volume items into smaller containers. If you can put some into a couple of 3 oz bottles and spread them among family members, you could have enough. Also, something most people don't think about...TSA doesn't actually know which bags belong to who, so if you have a bit too many things for your quart bag in your carry on, you could consider an additional bag for your "personal item". Typically I won't put my backpack (my carry on), in the same bin or space as my purse/tote bag, so I can put a quart bag in each.
I'm travelling solo.
That's interesting - though it won't be TSA as I'm not American - I've never thought of two baggies in different bins. I'm not sure that that would work here though as they often ask to see the liquids bag and literally hold it in their hands to look at it. It would be horrible for one of them to get confiscated.
I feel you on the Rx cat food. After a urinary blockage when he was young, we've been buying Rx urinary care food ever since at the recommendation of our vet. He hasn't had anymore problems and he's probably 9 or so now (I can never remember). It is horribly expensive, though. Fortunately he is a "nibbler" and doesn't seem to eat much at any one time.
Yes, it adds up for sure. But, they are worth it!
I cleaned my refrigerator and freezer and made a list of odds and ends that need to be used up. Yesterday I made a small cake that used up leftover cream cheese frosting, leftover pumpkin and a small amount of leftover apricot jam. I'm determined to work my way through this list by the end of March.
My neighbor has a new puppy and she's been bringing it over once a week to play with my dogs. Free entertainment and exercise for the dogs, and we get to visit with her.
I planted seeds for peppers, tomatoes, celery, and a few other things under grow lights in my spare bedroom yesterday. The seeds were all saved from last year. I also planted carrots, arrugula, lettuce, and bok choy in the greenhouse. These were all leftover seeds as well. Gardening season has begun.
My neighbor who works at a local boutique hotel gave us a large bag of socks she had collected over a number of months -- all clean and in good condition, just left behind at the hotel. My husband and I each got several pairs for ourselves and I'm taking the rest to a men's shelter today.
Here's my five:
1. I got a free small neck and back massage because the therapist said having someone on the table helps draw people into her booth. I paid her back by hawking her services during the massage which she appreciated.
2. I did free laundry at a friend's when they flew down here and we met up to go to Disney for a day like planned ahead of time
3. The only souvenirs I bought were a few smashed pennies because nothing really appealed to me.
4. I checked out a couple of Orlando thrift shops and a Disney parks consignment store. Again no shopping because the car from the Dumbo ride I wouldn't fit into my SUV 🙂
5. I have finally figured out the ice-food ratios to successfully use my camp cooler as a refrigerator. I had. Lot of food waste last season due to unsafe food temps when the ice melted
To combat the low cooler temp situation, I used to pre-cook and freeze a lot of items for meals, like taco meat. Or, pour bbq sauce into a bag of chicken pieces then freeze it and that becomes part of the "ice". Freeze burgers, hot dogs etc. My daughter takes it a step further and freezes water in gallon ziplocks (often frozen flat) and uses those to line the cooler and lay on top. They last longer than cubes and nothing is floating in water as the ice melts.
Kudos on the free windshield wipers! We were supposed to get a "free" carwash with our car maintenance appointment on Thursday, but saw that it had not happened when we picked it up. We didn't have time to wait, so we just went without it and took it through the carwash the next day. Bummer.
My FFT:
1. I paid my dog license on time to get it for half price. It took a few days for me to get a copy of our vaccination records and I had to be persistent, but I made it just in time.
2. I got two cases of strawberries at 99 cents/lb with the intention of freezing a bunch of them for smoothies, but we ate them all! Today I can get them for $1.50/lb, so I may freeze some this afternoon.
3. I didn't get a latte at my son's basketball game on Saturday, even though I strongly considered it. I didn't need the calories or the cost.
4. I registered my kids for summer camp early enough to snag the cheaper price.
5. I'm using my Sip Club quite a bit these days! Definitely getting my money's worth!
BOO! I would have been bummed about that too. I like to get my freebies/bonuses. 😉
your #1 is #1 in my book! Congrats, and boy am I jealous. Sweet Bella has certain expectations: fresh water, clean litter, a secure supply of her $160 per bag of kibble which if my eyes are open I am to mete out to her EVERY feed-o'clock. (the minute hand touches the 12)
If I am in bed and her body tells her that it is a feed-o'clock that I'm not responding to (eyes aren't open) she will help me correct that by getting my attention in numerous ways. Kibble is served 14 kibbles at a time to stretch her 1/3 to 1/2 cup allotment, supplimented by canned food, 2 treats, and on demand sessions of lap sitting, cuddles, scritches, etc. All that is to say, I am just trying to keep up. So it came as a complete shock to me yesterday when I received a bill from my city's Animal Care & Adoption Service. Evidently, her license expired March, 2025. Not a blip on my radar. She is 14, and I don't remember ever licensing her. The letter states they have "made multiple attempts to contact you". Not in by text, mail, email, or phone! All info is the same. The license fee is $10. Okey Dokey. Not so much the $5 late fee...50%!!! GRRRRR!!!
It is a "season for saving" for me after two years of pursuing my goal to visit all seven continents. I am doing both some big-gish and small-ish saves.
I fixed my old dvd player with a converter box and cable. It cost about $20.00 bucks to change the AV to digital but now I can can check out movies and tv shows from the library. I have been in one click madness and spending about $150 a month on various subscriptions. I also explored Prime Video ( I paid that in January for the year) and made a favorites list of the live channels. Bring on the commercials.
I calculated costs to normal round trip driving destinations. Having these numbers in my head will help me combine trips, ride share or do without. I will still go to Mom's at $15.00 but not to the mall to window shop ($24.00)
I told the boss at the music academy I occasionally sub at that I am open to more days. I have 7 days lined up in April.
I continue the biggest commitment: make all of farmer Hubby's food for the day and put it in a cooler bag - sometimes multiple days in a row when I am gone. I have been doing it since August. This has saved hundreds of dollars in breakfast and lunches out but more importantly he has lost 35 pounds. We went to the doctor yesterday and he is officially off blood pressure and cholesterol medication. The little win is no meds saves us $30 a month but the big win is his health!!
Ohhh my goodness, that is an AMAZING win about his blood pressure and cholesterol! You have done him a fabulous service.
congrats that is so impressive. like kristen, i would love to visit 50 states but that isn't going to happen. and i would love to retire to panama. visit the galapagos
and see more of the caribbean. but with one kid about to be in college and another to follow in 3 years that 'aint happening. but in my youth i traveled alot. my first solo trip on a plane was at ten years old to visit my father's army buddy in washington dc.
i got to see gus grissom's grave at arlington cemetery, jfk too. i have no complaints.
That is amazing!
You didn’t just save that $30/month in meds - you saved tens of thousands in hospital bills and lack of pay due to being unable to work!
1. Drained the juice from a can of tropical fruit chunks into a glass. Added ice and had a delicious, refreshing, free beverage.
2. Made a coconut-curry tofu and veggie stir fry to use up various veggies in the fridge and freezer, a jarred sauce, and a can of coconut milk.
3. Watched Eric Dane's final interview via our inexpensive Netflix subscription. Very impactful and heartbreaking.
4. Found a tiny jar filled with Vaseline on our walk. The top and bottom of the jar were about 10 feet away from each other so I'm glad they could be reunited. Cleaned it out for later use.
5. Found two 20-peso banknotes on our walk. Learned they're worth around $1 each. Gave them to someone who could use them.
My FFT:
- Our daughter is a PT and she provided me with free therapy sessions to address my intense muscle spasms. Bonus was grandson "helping Nana" by rubbing my back as his mom worked on me.
- While at the doctor's appointment to check on my intense muscle spasms, I asked if I could have my blood drawn for upcoming yearly check-up. My lab appointment was originally Monday so it was fine to have it done on the Friday before. That saved being off work and the gas to drive to the office to get it done.
- Thanks to the great insurance my company provides, the 3 prescriptions I got were $0.84
- Went to consignment sale and bought a huge bag of wooden train tracks and trains for grandson for $20. They work with our existing Brio track pieces, which we saved from when our kids were little.
- Baked and decorated two cakes for grandson's birthday party. Not frugal for me, per se, but frugal for our daughter. The cakes were not my best decorating job ever, but considering I thought about going to the ER for my pain the day before the party, I was happy there was cake to serve.
- Baked 3 loaves of bread and shared extra loaves with our kids.
wow you have to keep after people to do their jobs properly. i am way too trusting but getting better at checking that the right thing is completed. you are so AMAZING.
I hope I can come up with 5 to share...
1. I got a check in the mail from Rakuten that I applied towards my credit card bill
2. I cancelled a specialist appointment that I no longer needed, saving my $40 copay, sick time from work and gas to drive there.
3. Trying to prevent food waste, I stuck 2 very ripe bananas in the freezer for future baking, used tomatoes from hubby's sub that he wasn't going to eat & used them in my salad
4. Received our tax bill in the mail (which our mortgage company pays from escrow). We used to have to send in the bill to the mortgage company, but the tax collector now does it, saving me a stamp.
5. Received 2 tall filing cabinets from work that they no longer needed and were going to get rid of.
1.I had bought whole milk to make a cake for a friend and there was some left over. I don’t drink whole milk and every day I would open the fridge and tell myself I needed to give it to the neighbors. Then every day I would forget. I finally pulled it out and made chocolate pudding with it, which I never would have thought of before reading this blog! Now the key is to remember to take some of the pudding over to the neighbors!
2.I had a Facebook Marketplace sale. I used that money to pay for the Girl Scout cookies I ordered from a friend’s daughter.
3.In anticipation of the water being turned off because of a leak on our street, I filled a bucket to use to flush the toilet. The water never got turned off so I used the water to clean my car. Since I didn’t put any dirty rags in the bucket, I was then still able to use what remained to fill the toilet tank.
4.I do use paper towels but it takes me a long time to get through a package (I buy select-a-size and I often tear that in half). I bought a pack and it fell off of the bottom of the shopping cart into some slushy snow on the way to my car. Two of the rolls got wet. I left those two rolls in the car. I then used some of those paper towels to clean the car out with the above bucket of water.
5. I’ve been reading books from my pile that I already have.
Being nice but persistent is a good rule to always remember!
My Frugal 5s
- My girls were inspired to do crafts through a borrowed book the read at the library so we used craft supplies we already had like beads, pipe cleaners, yarn, fabric and needles to make art.
- They also wanted to change up their 3 in 1 Lego creations to another set of animals which meant free entertainment.
- Read books and watched DVDs we already had or borrowed from the library. Using the streaming service we have.
- Saved the tags and receipt from Target for their Cat and Jack brand jeans we just brought for the girls in case they get destroyed and we’ll need to replace them within 1 year. Will have to return another pair from last year that got a hole in the knees.
- Ate at home with store brought groceries or the food already in the closet/ fridge.
- Husband baked homemade bread.
When poking in the freezer for something to make weekly meals, found some rotisserie chicken that was on the edge of freezer burn and one container of chicken soup - chopped and stewed the chicken in the soup, added more shredded carrot, some spinach and spices - and served over rice!
Helped myself to a few free fancy chocolates and a diet coke for later when leaving my Financial Advisor appt.
Found a dime.
For Sisters birthday she got a gift bag of a few goodies I hand picked for her at yard sales/thrift store. Total out of pocket was less than $10, including the 50 cent Hallmark card I thrifted! - her favorite item was a "Life is Good" branded (Stanley style) stainless thermal tumbler....periwinkle with daisy's on it -- BRAND NEW at the thrift for $3!
The usual auto-pilot items.....Reading library books, bringing my own coffee, packing my lunch, and bringing a snack when going out to run errands.
Sowing seeds and potting up Dahlias. Trimming up saved geraniums, I absolutely love this time of year.
I gave up "all the P's" for Lent: pop, pasta, potato chips, pastries. I still eat potatoes as in mashed, baked, etc.
Made sour dough crackers with discard, friend gave me a big bottle of everything spice as her family hates garlic.
Sold a pair of baby Uggs, used neighbor's stash of boxes to ship.
I volunteered to organize a friend's parent estate and prep home for sale. The house is loaded with 65 yrs of marriage. She lives in France, she bought me a new iPhone so that we can FaceTime while I clear out the 3500 sq ft home.
Washed my truck, it is now white again. It was sunny and warm yesterday.
BGF, your work at your friend's parental home sounds a lot like what CF and I are plunging into at NDN1's house--except that NDN1's would qualify for an episode of Hoarders. The good news is that we've found almost $2000 so far in stashed-away bills and coins. The bad news is that there are certain parts of this house (the kitchen pantry, the glassed-in porch off the living room, and a storage area in the basement I only just discovered) that even Major Strasser in Casablanca wouldn't have tried to invade. I'll have much more to say about this situation in the coming months, I'm sure.
Meanwhile, NDN1 herself is finally starting to settle in at the assisted living facility. The ice cream social she attended in the big common room on Sunday afternoon definitely helped. 🙂
Could you share the link for the free Webinar? It sounds interesting and this RN loves free CEUs! You're so lucky to work for a hospital that gives bonuses for completing education. We don't even get paid for the entire amount of time we spend doing our annual Healthstream modules!
I missed this, but it was a live webinar, not a recorded one, so I don't think there's a link!
1. We were projected to get snow on Saturday so I rushed to do our grocery shopping on Friday night. When you are rushing through the store there is no time to browse for impulse purchases. I stuck very firmly to my list.
2. The projected snow did not arrive. I happily spent my Saturday being homebody and worked on a crochet project that has been hanging around longer than I care to admit.
3. My crochet project’s sizing is a little off so I will have more yarn leftover than anticipated. I am going through my collection of patterns I thought were pretty (all free on Pinterest) and see if I can use the yarn I have to start a new project. Maybe a future Christmas present will be created!
4. I made sure to scan my receipts into Fetch and ended up with bonus points I wasn’t expecting. I also got my referral points form a friend signing up.
5. As tempted as I am to visit the new bookstore on my route home, I continue to read from my TBR pile and backlog of Kindle books that I got for free using Amazon credits.
A pretty good week, here Chez William.
1. The Apple store kept giving me bad info about getting my phone fixed so after mistake #3, I complained. By the time we were done, my $170 repair cost $65.
2. The $48 phone case was $5 after sale, discount, and store gift card.
3. I've been chocking down a dish for which I made a huge mistake but it used a couple pounds of shrimp so it'd have to be 100% inedible before I trashed it. Mixed with garlic sauce, rice, and extra salt it's not so bad.
4. Two neighbors offered me free large pots to use in a dyeing project. Sometimes the internet is our friend - thanks, listserve.
5. I successfully overdyed some yellow yarn (I describe the color as "what was i thinking?!?"). Since the sample worked out well enough, I can do the whole project ... once I finish it (ahem).
6. Having ripped my cereal bag beyond use, I realized I could use the bag from the box I just finished. Then I used the ripped bag to throw away excess grease.
1. I went to my annual PCP physical last week. Preventive medicine is always more frugal.
2. I mended a hole in a shirt, a pair of gloves, and my daughter's stuffed animal.
3. I used some left over homemade applesauce to make apple bread.
4. We started some of our vegetable seedlings. We are going to try to grow loofahs this year, which will hopefully provide us with a supply of sponges.
5. I prepped my coffee and lunches for the whole week
Sometimes I get decluttering confused with frugality. It all falls under a larger category of Waste Not, Want Not. Much of today’s list is about reducing excess.
1. A dear friend was visiting and needed to borrow a sweater. She liked 3 and I told her to keep them all! (I have more sweaters than cold days to enjoy them. Sigh.)
2. After several attempts to get in touch with Veterans Watchmaker Initiative, someone FINALLY replied with an address, so I mailed 5 old watches to them.
3. I accidentally ordered the wrong printer ink, so I listed it on eBay
4. My 10-key stopped printing so I bought a used one on eBay
5. I listed Husband's LLBean boots on eBay (he decided that he’d rather have slip-on than tie.
Would you be able to share the address to mail the watches?
Happy to!
VWI Inc.
P.O. Box 329
Little Creek, Delaware 19961 USA
Thank you!
1. I had been hoping to come across some “roadkill clothing” like Katy from NCA often finds- no particular reason, but I wanted the chance to wash and rescue something. Just last week I came across something in the parking lot outside our pediatric NP’s office, and it washed up nicely to be a sweet little burp rag. I’m especially happy to have it as I’m retiring some of ours that have intractable mildew/mold.
2. A longtime friend and fellow frugalista came to visit this past weekend. She made three(!) batches of scones, two huge pans of lasagna, and brought some homemade sourdough bread and soup for the freezer. Mostly it was wonderful to catch up and she also entertained our kids. Such a gift.
3. I used a gift card to buy formula.
4. I walked to put some books in a Little Free Library and I found a penny on the way home.
1. I went to the community center to walk and exchange library books. In the elevator, someone had left a plastic bag with several sets of plastic silverware and napkins (all sealed). I was glad to find all of them, including the bag, which is not free in our area, and I like to use them as wastebasket liners.
2. I found a Jewel Osco receipt on the side of the road. It was very dirty, but readable. I scanned it to Fetch, and it worked, but it read the name of the store manager as the place of business! I was befuddled about what to do. I wanted to get credit for the Jewel Osco name, as in the recent past, they have been worth more than 25 points. So for the heck of it, I scanned it again. It read it again, correctly, and credited another 25 points. I was surprised that it wasn't rejected, but not complaining! I have earned more than $10 worth so far, but won't actually cash in till I get to the $25 mark.
3. I went to the little free pantry, and there was not much there, but I came away with some teabags and an apple.
4. I updated my financial spreadsheets and found that February was the lowest spending month I've had in quite a while. I credit mindfulness -- and no big bills!
5. I stripped the bones of a rotisserie chicken I bought at Sam's and will freeze the meat and boil the carcass for broth.
If you don't get right into their faces, a lot of people will "forget " to honor the deal. Glad you were able to assert your right so that your darling daughter got her windshield fixed and the free windshield wipers. That can be difficult for a young lady to do.
Today was election day and tonight this ex news reporter is going to bed before midnight, delilerously happy she's not having to work until the wee hours of the morning covering election results! And that she won't have to drag herself out of bed tomorrow morning so that she can go in and write an "analysis" story about how the people voted and what does it all mean for the city/county/state/nation. That's not frugal or un-frugal but it makes me glad. Sorta.
1. Cut open a tube of store brand Bengay cream to apply to my sore leg. Got several more uses from the tube but my house reeks of "Eau de Bengay", pronounced as "Ooo de Bengay "stinks!
2. Used an in-store coupon to save $5 after buying a case of canned dogfood for His Majesty....who has been turning up his puppy dog nose at his dried food. Of course I have about half the 50 pound bag of it still left.
3. Boxed up more donations for my Lenten spring cleaning.
4. Got my hair cut at the discount place...what used to cost six bucks is now $20 + tip. And that's with the senior discount!
5. Changed AC filter using new filter purchased at thrift store. Yes it was still wrapped up in the original package.
hahahaha.
I'm from that weird part of the US that can't decide if it's midwestern or southern but I thank my former Louisville Mom-in-law-of-the-heart for teaching me to use that essential southern skill- sweet as honey but persistant as a hound dog. It's a practiced skill to make it clear that you will not lose your temper but WILL get what you asked for.
Also worked in some very tough middle schools. lol
Yes! Sweet but firm. 🙂
Oops, got busy yesterday and missed this. Here are my 5 --
– Hubby is a big coffee drinker and the Seattle's Best coffee he likes has gone up to about $9 a 12 oz. bag! Kroger recently had a weekend sale and his coffee was $3.99 a bag. We bought about a dozen bags that will last thru this year and into 2027. On top of that great price, I always download the double points coupon so we earned a truckload of fuel points.
– I made my weekly pot of soup and we had soup, sandwiches and chips for dinner one night. I do this every week during the winter and the soup lasts for a couple meals. So far I've made 8 different soups. A crockpot broccoli-cheese soup recipe I found on the internet is up next.
– I played MacGyver and fixed the toilet paper holder in the bathroom. When we got our bathroom remodeled we got a new tp holder with an arm that the toilet paper roll slips over. But for some reason the holder keeps tilting down just enough (even though I've tightened the holder on the wall several times) so that the top roll often fell off and hit the floor. That was making me nuts. I've been thinking about a fix. So I took a plastic lid from a nut can, trimmed it down and cut a x in it so it slips over the arm. Problem solved. This “guard” keeps the roll from falling off, is barely noticeable and it's easy to replace when you change the roll of paper.
– I answered a Kroger survey and earned 50 fuel points plus I got double points for a few things I purchased on the weekend. Hubby will get 90 cents off a gallon on his next fill up.
– I used day old croissants from Walmart, leftover ham and the rest of a carton of heavy cream to make a great breakfast casserole recipe I found online. We had it for two days.
.
Love your MacGyver fix!
1) I just got back from another academic campus visit. My mom went with me again and we drove her car because it is good on gas and low mileage. I paid for the gas, but otherwise it was much cheaper than driving my car. And I get paid mileage. I promptly turned in my receipts for reimbursement.
2) I checked our dental insurance claims and saw that our orthodontist EOB came back with a negotiated rate thousands of dollars less than the total bill we were quoted. I called our orthodontist's office, who told me that almost never happens. And they also told me that our dental insurance is saving us $2,200! Not bad.
3) I interviewed for one job this morning and applied for another one.
4) I linked my phone health app to my university wellness app. My husband and I have a goal of maxing out our wellness cash benefit before my contract runs out in July.
5) We needed mulch for spring yard work, but before we bought it at Home Depot, we first returned a couple of paint brushes I had bought a few weeks ago and never took out of the bag. Then I remembered to use up a gift card that was banging around in my purse.