Five Frugal Things | Chiquita did this crime
1. I mended my curtain
I have some inexpensive curtains from Ikea in my bedroom (Matilda sheers), and I'm kinda glad they are inexpensive because...Miss Chiquita made a hole in one, and has caused some snags in others. 😉
I just sewed up the little hole by hand, and the repair, while visible, is not noticeable from a distance.
I also put some Fray Check on all the edges, since this loose-weave fabric is extremely prone to fraying.
I love having a little bottle of Fray Check on hand for things like this! One bottle lasts for a super long time, and it's very simple to use.
2. I made a little menu plan
I worked Friday and Saturday, had a day off on Sunday, and now I'm in the midst of a Monday-Wednesday string of shifts.
So on my day off in the middle, I made a plan for my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the following three days.
This way, I:
- will have a solid breakfast before work
- won't need to buy cafeteria food for lunch
- won't get takeout after work for dinner
Having an easy plan for dinner after work is especially important, since my time between getting home and going to bed is so tight!
3. I used my regrown green onions
I planted some green onion ends in one of my flower pots many months ago, and I've cut them off to use them lots of times.
And still, they regrow.
Obviously, this will come to an end soon (hello, winter!), but I will enjoy my free onions until we get a freeze.
This time around, I used them to make a lime cilantro sauce for burrito bowls for work lunches.
4. I bought some clearance conditioner
I was at CVS for something else, but noticed that one type of the Maui Moisture conditioner was 50% off. So, I picked up two bottles and also applied a $2 coupon at checkout.
(Maui Moisture products are supposed to be good for slightly wavy hair like mine, which is why I buy this brand!)
5. I...still have been too busy to buy a car
As it turns out, working a full-time job at the hospital plus doing a STUPID BSN CLASS (*#$@*%!!) plus running a blog is actually taking a lot of time every week.
Which means I still have not made the time to go buy my dream car*.
Which means I am still driving my trusty old minivan.
Which is definitely a frugal thing, albeit an inadvertent frugality.
Hmmm, you know what? Maybe I should go buy a car when this horrible BSN class is over! I will have more time then, and that would be a very nice reward for suffering through the class.
*Dream car = a Civic with a sunroof, if you are just joining us
A sunroof! My husband desperately wanted one for our new car, and we got one. He is super happy about that.
Also, will you calculate the price per mile of your trusty minivan, once you've bought your Dream car?
This week's frugals are mainly culinary, as usual: making my own yoghurt, granola and vegetable broth. And making salad dressings in an all but empty honey jar (honey mustard dill dressing) and an all but empty apple treacle jar (apple balsamic walnut dressing). It is the easiest way of getting the last bits out.
Plus I sold an item that I listed over half a year ago. I will list some more items on Friday, because people often go browsing in the weekend.
@JNL,
I think I said the opposite of what I intended. Nearly empty jars!
Buying your dream car seems like a perfect way to celebrate finishing your current BSN class! Love it!
My FFT:
1. I also menu planned for a busy week. This Thursday-Saturday I'll be catering all day and evening, so my husband will be handling all of the pick ups and meals while also doing construction on the house. I've got some freezer meals prepped to help make things easier.
2. I used my dehydrator to make apple chips. My kids love these! I do, too.
3. I bought tissue paper from the Christmas section for a baby shower gift. It always seems so expensive if you buy it from the normal gift wrap section (at least it is at WalMart) but you can buy it in a larger quantity and a better price in the Christmas section. Also, the gift bag was one I re-used from when my daughter was born.
4. I've started driving my husband's car for certain small trips instead of our new car. His car is a 2011 and we don't put a ton of miles on it, but we are finding that we are putting a LOT of miles on our new car. I prefer the new car (I love it - it feels so fancy!!) but we need to slow down the mileage if we're going to use it for as long as we hope.
5. We went to a family reunion on Sunday and had to eat lunch in the car after church during the drive over. I packed food for the trip so we didn't have to buy fast food. It was also way healthier!
@Ruth T,
Dumb question: do you work for a company that does catering, or do you do catering out of your home? Just curious. It always make me think of one of my sisters and brother-in law who catered BIL's sister's wedding may years ago - in their tiny, 1920s era not renovated kitchen! I have no idea how they managed it (it was a smallish wedding, but still).
The hole looks a little like a heart! Chiquita was trying to show she cares 😉
1. I finally opened an official emergency savings account. Better late than never, right?
2. I joined a union (also better late than never) and got free cinema tickets with my membership.
3. I made Kristen's granola. I also made granola bars (from a different recipe), tortillas and burrito sauce. I read Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken and it inspired/scared me into doing more cooking from scratch! It takes a lot of time though.
4. I used my gym membership.
5. I went running and swimming outside for free exercise.
@Sophie in Denmark,
My union membership offers discounts for health/self care and online courses! Plus free administrative tax support
@JNL, I am also taking advantage of an information science course! I need to look at more of the offers. I'm putting the cinema tickets to use this week 🙂
@JNL, Yay you on ER savings! You are so right about better late than never! Please pay that savings account first, then use the rest of your income for necessities, then lastly the fluff. That way the fluff (if anything) gets shorted NOT the savings. Such an important lesson for future security.
@AZ Lynn, oops, hit wrong reply button. JNL, would you please pass along to Sophie? lol
@AZ Lynn, I still got the reply! Thank you 🙂 I'm trying to cut down on fluff!
@Sophie in Denmark, there's a saying: the best time to plant an apple tree is 50 years ago. The next best time is today.
Your opening your emergency account and joining the union are like planting the apple tree today. Go you!
@WilliamB, Thank you! I'm very fond of that saying!
@Sophie in Denmark, that book sounds so interesting, I just placed a hold on it from my library .
@Elaine T, I hope you enjoy it!
For what it's worth, velvet curtains hold up well to cat claws! None of our three boys are declawed, so we've learned through cloth attrition. 😛
FFT
--The produce fairy left several spaghetti squash at the village post office. Since that fell within my personal "I didn't plant it and/or failed to grow it" rule, I took one spaghetti squash for Wednesday's dinner.
--Word has gotten around that we're pumpkin people. When the library found themselves with more pie pumpkins than kids to give them to, they offered me the extra ones. Pumpkin puree, ahoy! For the record, I gave the library six volunteer tomatoes for their kids' garden back in spring and shared my own tomatoes and basil with the staff all summer long.
--I was sent a coupon for a free full-size Arm & Hammer cleaning product. Yay laundry detergent! Sensitive skin dye and perfume free for the win.
--I also received a coupon for $4 in Purina cat treats. Our boys eat a mix of Tiki Cat and Purina for both their soft and hard foods, so the Purina app is proving a good way to earn freebies/money off products we purchase, anyway.
--A friend's cat passed away at the start of October; she posted that while the ashes had come home, she was still looking for a worthy container. I immediately thought of a handmade ceramic jar (with lid!) I bought as a teenager because it was so beautiful, but in 20+ years I'd never figured out what to do with it beyond admiration. The woodland design complimented her cat's fiction-inspired name, so I offered it to her; she happily accepted, and her soul kitty's remains are now safe.
@N, I'm so happy you were able to help your friend and give a home to the kitty's soul.
@N, your fifth item in particular is great.
And it reminds me of a story about an aunt of Ms. Bestest Neighbor's, who was a fun-loving lady and a "think outside the urn" type. Before her death, she selected a cookie jar in the shape of a cat for her ashes. When the rector of her Episcopal church unveiled the jar at her memorial service, a distinct ripple of mirth went through the congregation--exactly as the aunt would have wanted it.
@N, aaaawwwww, I love your generous gift of a beautiful final resting place. <3
@N, what a lovely gift for your friend!
@A. Marie,
This is a wonderful story. Auntie must have had a great sense of humor.
@N, Thank you for the heads up on the Purina app! I downloaded it so I can get more savings on our cat food/treats!
@Bee, oh indeed, Auntie did. Her obituary photo was a picture of herself seated in the curled trunk of a cooperative circus elephant. No kidding.
@A. Marie, LOL, that's awesome! It reminds me of actress Carrie Fisher having her ashes in a container made to look like a giant Prosac pill.
@N,
Awww, that was so nice to offer the beautiful jar to your friend! Full disclosure: we have the ashes of our Sunny (Best Golden Retriever Ever) and my kitty Punkins (grouchy old man to everyone but me), still in the bags they came in. I have wanted to buy urns or pretty boxes or something to honor them, so will keep a lookout while thrifting for pretty covered jars.
@Liz B., You'll know when you find the right one. HUGS. All of our prior cats are in 1) either small plastic urns provided by that specific vet (and VERY well sealed) or 2) thrifted wooden boxes that I wood-burned to match their occupants (in velvet bags, like yours). Not to be morbid, but I already have a container set aside for our current feline trio.* I happened across a box at Goodwill that suits all three AND has enough room for them to rest together. They were forged brothers at the shelter (they shared a kennel for 2+ years) and came as a set; this way, they can remain together after their individual times come.
*Don't worry, they are all in splendid health!!! My husband and I hope to have many more years under their benign rule.
@Cheryl, Glad to be of service! 🙂
@N, Absolutely love your thoughtful gift for your friend's cat's ashes. That is deep kindness. (also wish I'd known about velvet curtains being able to survive cat claws...my sheets have a whole new design and have basically been smocked by one of our cats). She has been the most destructive kitty I've ever had... Couch, chair, wood dresser drawer top edges, doorways, jeans...
I didn't even know Purina had an app! Thank you for that, too.
@N, we have our 2 doxies in beautiful redwood boxes that have a pboto space in front that i found on amazon for them. I bought 2 when we lost our 1st so they matched. Now they are together forever on the mantel. I also have a tiny bit of their ashes in urn lockets i wear every single day and never take off. I will need to find something complementary when my dog I have now comes to the clearing at the end of her path.
Kristen, you are just... amazing. I can't wait for you to finish this class and get your car! What a fitting reward.
1. Made a meal last night with stuff that needed to be used from the freezer. Bought so long ago that I can't remember the price and at this point it counts as avoiding food waste! It was thankfully still good enough and not freezer burned.
2. Drove 2.5 hours each way to visit a friend this weekend. Didn't buy anything except gas!
3. Just discovered a brand of corn tortillas that is refrigerated and has no preservatives and tastes incredible! $2.99 for 36 tortillas feels good to me when considering the cost per tortilla and the quality vs my skills at homemaking them (poor! Ha!)
4. Didn't spend any money on Halloween. Made up a costume from things I already have to wear through the school day. Living very rurally = no trick or treaters. I'm not really for or against Halloween, but I don't really feel guilty about not sugaring up the youth any more than they already are. Trunk or treats are cute but no thank you!
5. Used a teacher lottery ticket (free chance to win) that gave me $5 to try energy drinks that I see my students drinking all the time and I was curious about the hype. I've barely had energy drinks since red bull first became popular. Verdict: they're much yummier now but probably still terrible for us. And I only drank half at a time bc my system is not used to 200mg of caffeine!
Can you share the recipe for the lime cilantro dressing, please?
Thank you
I believe I have the same trusty minivan. It is my biggest frugal win. It has seen me navigating alone through major snowstorms (it's like driving a tank), ferrying three kids to and from elementary, middle, and high school, college dorms and apartments, family vacations, hauling cargo, pulling a sailboat, and grocery shopping. It has almost 250K miles and I have spent very little money for repairs. I have had it for over 10 years. We've not had to rent another vehicle because we have had this van. I am vascilating between selling it and buying a new (used) smaller car, but am not yet ready to spend. (It's also a "contractor model" which meant it is bare bones and not at all fancy!)
Oh, Chiquita! We have a tacit rule for Clark that he's allowed to claw anything that is not part of the house (since we rent). We have a burlap stool that he adores, and for some reason our rugs are perfect for scritching, so we always praise him when he's going at those.
Five Frugal Things, heavy on biking edition:
1. I made the decision to chop my hair short after four years of growing it out. This was made frugal mainly because I cut everybody else's hair, saving us at least 100 bucks when I do (5 guys x $20 haircuts), so I had 'earned' the money for a cut at Great Clips (as well as the purchase of a flat iron to help style it). Pulling my hair back always gives me headaches, and in my nurse aide class we're expected to have our hair off the collar/pulled back, and I was not going to do that for 8 hours. I love being able to wash it in 30 seconds flat! And bonus: Clark doesn't attack my hair as much when I'm not getting out of bed fast enough for him. 😉
2. First day of nurse aide training, DS#2 and I both packed lunches and water, and plan to do so for the duration. We've already spent money on tuition, no need to spend it on snacks or Starbucks runs.
3. Biking to anatomy class today to offset having to drive yesterday--we have to be there very early, which if we were cycling would mean leaving while it's very dark outside.
4. Of course I biked to my haircut--and found to my delight that the shop actually has a bike rack outside, which means this is my go-to haircutting place now. It's frustrating when businesses don't have bike racks (looking at you, my closest Kroger).
5. However, DH did discover the abovementioned Kroger is near a Chase bank that DOES have a bike rack (it's a very new build, which is probably why). So that will be our destination when we bike to the grocery store.
The day you buy that car, I’m going to be sooo happy for you. The liberation of no longer driving a minivan is real! You will be a sexy beast in that Civic and I can’t wait to read about it.
@Cate, the day Kristen buys that car, I think that virtual confetti is going to be tossed by the Commentariat worldwide!
Kristen - if your class ends in December, you may want to scout the Honda dealerships towards the end of the month. I bet they will have a great sale on the end-of-year vehicles 🙂 Just a frugal tip for The Frugal Girl 🙂
* I found boxes of granola bars at half price, also with 2 extra bars each. They were in clearance from the back to school sales, I guess ( a school bus on the box design). As it's basketball season, I need a quick snack for the boy in the car. I did buy all 3 boxes- cones to 12 cents per bar.
*I remembered to use gas rewards before they expired. I had my son bring the other car, so we filled up both.( 20 gallon limit). Saved 35 cents per gallon. I need to be thrifty, with basketball's long drives ahead of us.
* used what I had in the fridge and freezer to make meals, after a bunch of food waste last week.
* I bought too much Halloween candy, so I have plenty of leftovers for cheap lunchbox snacks.
* I bought my daughter new sneakers in the color that was half-price. It's confusing (all kids have black sneakers now) but well get used to it.
I've given up on our couches with the cat clawing. They don't claw the corduroy one or the sort of velvety one, so noted for next couch purchase.
We love our Civics! I hope you can find one easily. I don’t know about the availability of brand new ones; we buy used and then keep them “forever “ if possible. My daughter’s was mine and is 12 years old and still running beautifully. Mine is 7 years old though I’ve only had it 2 years. My husband has a 13 year old CRV but mainly drives my car since he also loves the Civic.
I love planning whether it be for meals or setting goals,etc. Someone recently told me that if I function better with a plan ( which I do) then I must be a Type A personality. I’m definitely not! I just know that with a plan in place, I’m more likely to accomplish what I’ve set out to do. If I go food shopping without a list, I end up spending way more money than I should. If I plan our meals, I know exactly what I need when food shopping.
On another note, since October was my birthday month, I was able to use some extra discounts on gifts for family Christmas. So believe it or not, we’re mostly ready for that aspect of the holiday season. Now we can focus on Thanksgiving and then start decorating after that. I love both of these holidays.
@Martha O., proud owner of nothing but Accords since 1981 here. Just got my very first 4-door, automatic, 6 cyl. engine. . . boring to drive compared to stick. But here’s the funny thing: it’s a 2004 and only has 60,000 miles on it.
Treating the purchase of your new car as a reward is a fun idea and something to look forward to!
Frugal things this week include:
1. We've managed to spend $100 per week for groceries for the last two weeks for a family of 4 (with food intolerances). This is 20-40% less than I typically spend. It helps that we had a moderately stocked panty of dry goods and are willing to eat vegan a few days a week.
2. We participated in free community events that included food and entertainment-so easy this time of year.
3. Our miscellaneous spending has been greatly reduced to needs only essentials.
4. I canceled my kindle subscription and downloaded our library app.
Kristen, you have such sunny windows. Couldn't you bring th onions in before freeze?
Speaking of your sunny windows, I have often admired your shears. Seeing the texture in the close up was a pleasant surprise. Although, I would probably have been scared off by the fabric. But seeing your repair has changed my mind completely. Am now anticipating the frugal universe connecting me with the shears of my dreams. 🙂
Yay you for finding another positive spin on the dreaded class! 3rd week down and 5 more to go! Almost to the half way point and a shiny new-to-you CRV! WOOHOO!
FFT, Success at City Hall Edition:
(1) I finally got my ample rear end down to City Hall Monday morning and applied successfully for the senior citizen exemption on my property taxes. The bad news is that this won't start kicking in till July 2026, but the good news is that I will eventually get 50% off those taxes. Woo hoo!!!
(2) I also swung through the post office and dropped in my application for a re-cut check for my NY State inflation refund in my name alone. (The first check was made out to both DH and me.)
(3) My last stop was my Salvation Army superstore, where I dropped off two boxes of general donations plus a bag of donations for the SA's food pantry. And I'll be making an online donation to the local food bank before the day is out. The SNAP situation can't be ignored.
(4) After all these exertions, I gave myself the rest of Monday off, except for making a batch of Leah Chase's Gumbo. (I used to use an Emeril recipe, but Leah Chase was a doyenne of New Orleans cooking before Emeril was out of diapers.) I've put out the word about this to all my gumbo-loving friends (Dr. Bestest Neighbor, my yard/snow guy, and my eventual executor--with whom I had a productive chat about my estate planning over the weekend). They haven't started coming out of the woodwork yet, but I expect they will today.
(5) And I'll be going to my bank on Wednesday to discuss a CD that matures then. Unless the bank can offer me a better interest rate than it's giving me now, I'm going to move the money into one of my other accounts while I decide what to do with it. As Kristen/the Commentariat and my financial advisor all say, I could be earning more through various means.
@A. Marie,
I applaud your number 3. Yesterday I donated to both the large food bank in our metro area and also the emergency assistance organization that serves people in our suburb. I was glad I was able to do so.
@A. Marie, YES to your number 3!! I also dropped non perishables at my local pantry, and a little free community pantry at my library. And, I mailed my Brother (a disabled Vet who gets SNAP) an Aldi gift card so he can have everything he wants on his Thanksgiving table.
I haven't been all that frugal, unless you count using Kohl's cash, free shipping, and Cap One rewards to buy myself some clothes. In my defense, I wear things a long time. One of my favorite tops is from 2016. However, I didn't buy new clothes last Fall and I needed some basics. To offset this, I can:
*eat at home - currently doing a freezer clean out
*batch errands
*avoid using my central heat until it dips below 50 (I'm hot-natured anyhow)
Also, since my youngest finally got his own car insurance, my monthly premium will go down AND I get a very small raise at work which I gratefully accept!
(love my sunroof - especially in this weather we are enjoying!)
@Gina from The Cannary Family, 50 degrees; that's hard-core! I've been waiting to turn the heat on, thinking maybe we can hold out till we start getting paid again.. The house is pretty chilly but you inspire me to keep holding on at least a few more days : )
@Gina from The Cannary Family, (I feel like this should be in block caps, except I don't want to yell at anyone):
Spending money is not the same as being wasteful!
[gets off soapbox]
@WilliamB, preach it! I’ll shout, in case anyone missed it (not shouting at you Gina from The Cannary Family —just increasing the volume for a wider reach).
SPENDING MONEY IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING WASTEFUL!
I broke down and bought a new car this summer. It was time. My old car was a 2010 and had 220,000 mile. It still drove very well, but I could not keep with all the little repairs. I finally decided it was time when I had to open the door to roll down the window. 🙂
1. I bought a nice sweater dress at my favorite thrift store which supports our local emergency food program. While there, I also bought a sterling silver tray for $0.75. It should scrap for $200 which I plan to donate back to the food bank.
2. I picked up my book club's monthly selection at the library.
3. I recycled some old tech items at Staples and received reward points to use in the future. I have earned $17 in rewards for doing this.
4. I used my $5 birthday coupon from ACE Hardware before it expired. Yay! These birthday offers often go unused, because I don't need anything.
Frugal Fail -- Kristen wrote about a similar situation a while back. I received a speeding ticket for going 26 miles an hour. (I am such a speed demon!) The council recently expanded the length of the school zone by one of the small private schools in our area and added a speeding camera. I was "caught" at 2:30 in the afternoon and school does not even get out until 3 PM. The ticket is currently sitting on my desk. It seems a bit unfair, and I haven't decided what to do about it. I wonder if they are ticketing the golf carts too?
Wishing everyone peace, goodwill, and prosperity.
@Bee, if you have time, challenge the ticket. That would really chap my arse! Can’t hurt to ask, and the worst is that they’ll say no.
@Bee, I feel you on the school zone bust. My city has just plastered almost all the school zones with cameras and warnings. The only reason I haven't yet gotten a ticket (for running the stop sign in front of one school because I was concentrating so hard on going 20 mph!) is that a lot of the cameras are malfunctioning. According to my irascible but usually correct neighbor on the other side of NDN1, they're "cheap junk" and tend to overheat and fry themselves when in use. 😀
@Bee, Where do you sell silver for scrap?
@Bee, look around that area for a sign that says school zone (hours). It is usually an extra hour around normal school hours. And just so you know school zone tickets can be double points & double fines.
@Heidi Louise,
I trade with someone in the jewelry business that I have known for a long time. You can check with local jewelers, coin shops, pawn shops, or smelters in your area to find buyers. You can also search for buyers at antique stores or shows. There are several online buyers, but I never have used one. Therefore, I am not certain how they do business.
If you do decide to sell your silver, make sure that you weigh your item(s) prior to selling them and look up the current scrap value online. For example, the piece that I purchased weighed 170 grams. Sterling silver is currently sell for $1.54 a gram.
170 x 1.54 = $262. A reputable dealer should offer you at least 80% of the price or in this case approximately $210.
Good luck! Gold is also trading very high. This is a great time to sell the broken pieces in your jewelry box or the single earrings.
@Bee, Thank you!
(We have a small silver or silver plated plate that was given to my theatre director husband from the cast of "You Can't Take It With You." I think but don't know if they saw the irony in that gift).
In which I actually buy things (frugally) . . .
--Every year when daily savings time ends, I put up what I call my Time Change Lights. These are a string of small warm white lights that I wind around this decorative iron divider that runs along the ceiling between my open kitchen and dining room. I bought a new string last year, packed them away carefully, and . . . only half of them worked when I plugged them in. (I said a bad word. WHY does this happen with lights now?) I did try replacing one bulb that looked burned out, but when that didn't work, I hung them over the window in the kitchen rather than throwing them out. I did buy a new string, but at least now we'll have more lights.
--Basketball season is upon me, and I remembered just in time to order my son shoes online so they would be here in time for practices to begin. He has wide feet. Basketball shoes don't actually come in wide sizes, although there are some brands that are wider than others. I spent quite some time researching this and going through all the options to find some that were A) Not hideous, and B) Not two hundred dollars. I found some, and I got the size right the first try so I wouldn't have to send them back. He is 13 years old and wears a size 11. I just hope his feet stop growing at size 12, like his older brother's, so I don't have to start ordering the way more expensive and harder to find bigger sizes.
--I didn't do it for the basketball shoes, but for almost everything else I order on Amazon, I choose the slower shipping to get digital credits. This way my children can watch their occasional rented movies for free.
--A somewhat surprising realization in my middle age is that I like wearing perfume. I don't wear it a lot, but for church or a special event, I like it. I have a bottle of Chanel No. 5 that was my husband's grandmother's, but it's a much more "winter" scent, and I wanted to find a lighter, more summery one for, well, summer. I can't easily get to a department store or anything to try a bunch of scents, so I ordered a set of sample fragrances on Amazon. There were I think 30 different name-brand scents in tiny spray vials. This allowed me to try them all several times (or only once if I hated them, ha), and my husband and children could weigh in, too. I found the one I wanted--Versace Bright Crystal Absolu--and then found it on sale at Walmart a couple of weeks back. Perfume is not cheap, but this was the most inexpensive way to get it, and it will last a LONG time, given how sparingly I use it.
--I got fifty pounds of potatoes, twelve cans of black beans, and a bag of pears from the excess commodities food in the village this week (like a food bank, but it's delivered). Then an elderly friend gave us a bag of pasta and microwave popcorn he couldn't use. Free food is my favorite.
@kristin @ going country, re perfume, I also like wearing perfume, but only for a limited number of months. I wear it in the Autumn and winter. In the Spring/ Summer, from about the end of April through to October, I do not wear scent at all as mosquitos and other insects are attracted to scent, and I will do anything to minimize the biting season. I wear deodorant only.
I do hope you'll get your dream car when you're in a position to. My eyes are really sensitive to light so I very rarely have my sunroof open.
I'm not sure that some of these actually fit in the frugal category but the cash back is sizable for very little effort and I have more than five this week.
1 - Opened a chequing account during a promo offering $450 after opening and completing two different transactions.
2 - Transferred my payroll direct deposit to a different, already existing chequing account as they were offering $100 for doing so.
3 - Existing bank was offering $10 for setting up auto-deposit on e-transfers so I set that up and then sent myself a few dollars from a different account.
4 - Bought gas cards during a promo and got bonus Walmart GCs ($30)
5 - Got a $52 refund as the bathroom vanity I bought three weeks or so ago went on sale.
6 - A national retailer sent me an offer via their app to get $20 cash back for spending $5. It's where I buy my cat litter so that was a super easy $20.
7 - Same retailer sent another offer of $25 cash back when getting $25 in gas and spending $25 in-store. This offer stacked with the one above so I spent $25 in-store on cat litter and coffee, got $25 in gas, and received $45 cash back.
We live in the tri state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia whichI think is your region. There are a lot of online auctions here and sometimes they sell cars. I was able to snag my dream car, a 2007 Pontiac G6 Hard top Convertible with all the upgrades and with 47,000 miles for just $8k. I've had it for a year and it is a dream come true. We only pay cash for our cars.
I wish you lovely use of the sun roof. I never ever use either of mine (both cars happen to have one). I find the interior of the car way too loud when it's open, and I don't notice any difference if I just have the cover open and not the sunroof itself.
Buying your new car as a reward for finishing the class is a great idea. I know you will love driving a Civic (I drove DH's yesterday). The only thing you might miss about the minivan is the ability to haul stuff!
FFT:
- DH took my car to the dealership for a free oil change. Oil changes are covered for the first 3 years of ownership.
- Canceled auto-renew on our BJ's membership. Not happy with their customer service and now Costco is only a couple of miles away so we'll just use Costco instead.
- Returned bras that I ordered that did not fit the way I liked.
- Made online purchase at Ulta for shampoo and makeup. Got $15 off purchase plus I will get $13 back from Rakuten.
- My work provided us with breakfast this week to "celebrate" clocks falling back. Personally, I hate it being dark so early so breakfast was more like a consolation prize.
Purchasing a car after your class is finished would be the icing on the cake! And by the end of the year, there will be deals.
This week I started painting the kitchen and dining room with very expensive paint that cost us $10. per gallon because it was mis-tinted. I mixed the 2 gallons together because they didn't match 100%. And better than the dark gray that is there now. Well the color - a tan-ish color with a hint of pink is lighter than the dark gray. We will have to repaint some of the white trim because it's old and abused, but it should be OK. Hoping to be all done by the time my guests get here for Thanksgiving.
Have been living here for 3-1/2 years and just went to the library and got a library card. It's a small library, but all of them around here are small and there is inter-library lending, so that is good.
Even tho the kitchen is a mess, we have been eating what is on hand. And, of course, coffee is always made at home.
Cleared out the pants drawers in my dresser and have a bunch of jeans that are too big. While I was doing that, I found a few pairs of leggings that fit and are perfect for the gym. So I don't need to guy buy any leggings for colder days at the gym.
I did not allow my insurance company's malicious(1) complications to deter me from (trying to) get what they owe me.
I had lots of *chocolate* candy for trick-or-treaters, courtesy of the deep freezer, bought on sale in months past.
I bought half-price Halloween candy (mostly chocolate) for next year.
I returned a few things that didn't work, such as an under-sink organizer and, weirdly, cookies that were stale when I bought them. I also called Pepsi about some soda that, also weirdly, wasn't carbonated, getting coupons in return.
I am eating the chicken my roommate accidentally left out overnight, after boiling it hard for 10 min, adding it to soup. Not only was it an entire chicken, it was pastured as well. My cast-iron stomach seems to be handling it just fine.
I keep walking out of the monthly knitting guild meeting with a lot more yarn than I went in with. This time it was a silk-alpaca blend! 1350 yards in greys. Also other odds and ends I said I'd try to find a home for, so the leaders didn't have to deal with it.
(1) There's a saying: don't take for maliciousness what can be ascribed to stupidity. This insurance company has done so far beyond that, I'm wondering how much of what they're doing is illegal.
@WilliamB,
I bet your state's insurance commission would also wonder how much of the insurance company's actions are illegal. But you have to report it first.
And sometimes when a company gets a call from an official investigating them, it's amazing how fast they straighten up and fly right!
@WilliamB,
You are brave eating that chicken!!! I have tossed a whole pot of yogurt I left out at night. I want to rethink that since people make yogurt by leaving it out? Right?
I do use the "EAT BY Date website that gives me lots of tips. I think it is still too conservative.
This weekend, my big win was teaching my daughter how to shop smarter. She needed some winter items and found a winter hat and sweatpants she really liked, but they were more than I was willing to pay for them. She’s 11 and is on the brink of that big growth spurt, so I’m definitely not investing in clothing right now! I told her we’d likely find something similar for significantly cheaper somewhere else. We did, and spent only 20-30% of what the first items cost. She was just as happy with them, so it was a double win.
I also took apart the bottom portion of my dishwasher to clean out all the gunk. It is so gross and I hate doing it! However, keeping up with maintenance is definitely more frugal than not.
The week has barely started but already, our TV died, the arm broke off the toilet handle, and I noticed my winter Snoopy (he’s sledding) pj pants have worn through in one spot. I’m out of luck with the TV, but plan to fix/mend the other two things.
The new car will be an awesome Christmas present!!
That's a good mend; I just hope Chiquita doesn't consider the curtains fair game now that she's started. I love cats, but they can be a wee bit destructive at times.
My FFT:
1. My first ever attempt at growing sweet potatoes actually produced sweet potatoes. From one potato that started to sprout, I got several pounds of potatoes, which just amazed me. I'm curing them now and keeping my fingers crossed that none go bad.
2. I found an item I needed to make a Christmas gift, then found a better and cheaper option a few days later. I was able to return the first one for free, thankfully.
3. I have kept the heat off still, even though the temperature dropped to 39 last night and has been in the 40's at night for at least a week. I'm not a masochist - I will turn it on when the house no longer warms up during the day, but I loved seeing my lower usage on my recent bill, and I've been comfortable, except that first moment of getting out of my warm bed in the morning. It's over quickly, though.
4. My younger grandkids happily carried the treat bags I sewed for them, on Halloween, saving their parents from having to buy new ones after their old ones finally gave up. I spent very little on each bag and it was fun.
5. I cut up an old hand towel and made a mop head out of it. The mop head that came with it always drags on my floors and pulls loose.
Good Morning,
I continue to try and use up "one off" pantry items.
A Frugal Fail: Soaked pumpkin seed to a make a butter to add to a homemade granola. Nope. Everything went into the trash. Baked, they were too much for my digestive track.
The homemade granola ended up with home grown figs in it, honey and brown rice protein powder I am trying finish. It is not great but I add it to homemade yogurt and 2 T. of three year old cranberry sauce from a can. Good enough.
I am in charge of bringing internet to the ranch office. I initially took a $3,000 bid for Starlink assuming it was reasonable since the ranch is remote and needs professional installation.. By the afternoon I didn't feel good about the bid. I dove back into the research being completely uncomfortable with the whole process. In the end, I learned I had to purchase through Starlink website then get one of the contractors to install. This saved about $2300. How is it so different? I keep learning that I can't trust people's pricing and patter. It really makes me sad.
We spent yesterday morning splitting and stacking another cord of the free firewood we collected last fall. The pile is starting to look smaller.
Our next door neighbors texted Sunday evening that they were pulling fresh pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) out of the oven and they wanted to bring us some. Yes! So good.
We're getting our septic tank pumped tomorrow (regular maintenance.) We teamed up with a neighbor who is getting his pumped the same day and received a $25 discount. Every little bit helps.
We're having friends over for dinner tonight. I was determined to do the whole meal with stuff I had on hand, so we're having lasagna, salad, and homemade bread. I am going to pick up a bottle of wine while I'm in town this morning.
I'm still getting lettuce, arrugula, and chard from the greenhouse.
A car would be a great reward for finishing a challenging class.
My Frugal 5s+
- Eating at home and through our supply.
- My girls and I handed out candy we already had and went trick or treating around our neighborhood in costumes they came up with at no extra costs. They ate a lot of their treats that day. My girls were also kind enough to share with me some of my favorites from their lot.
- My kind and helpful neighbor used his lawn mower to pick up all the leaves that fell from our maple tree in our front yard. My girls and I just need to rake our back yard.
- Went online to pay my husband’s credit card since he doesn’t have good cell reception for calls, online access, or internet connection while kayaking the Mississippi River.
- Brought an excellent used cast iron Wagner Ware No. 10 (11.75”) skillet for $75 on EBay. It needs just a bit of cleaning and seasoning. I’m hoping this was a good deal. It’s suppose to replace my 12” heavy Lodge skillet.
- Sewed a hole closed in my girl’s scrunchie and a loose bow back on my girl’s favorite dress, fixed a corroded battery compartment of my girl’s toy puppy, and removed batteries from toys that aren’t played with much as preventative measures.
- Registered my girls for a free acting class and take home art craft at the library. Also reserved the rest of the books from a series my youngest was interested in and a kids’ DVD that was recently released through the inter library loan. Will batch run errands tomorrow like return items due, pickup the reserved ones, and go to classes. Still playing the switch game together that we borrowed from the library.
@AW, my beef with Lodge cast iron seems to be the same as yours: You need to have the arm muscles of a stevedore to pick up the larger pieces. I'm loyal to my smaller Lodges because the Lodge factory is in a town in TN near my original hometown--but I donated my Dutch ovens and a few other larger pieces to a local art charity that hosts cookouts and such a while ago (and got a nice tax deduction for same).
@A. Marie,
I have visited your home town many times when my daughter attended a near-by university. Yes, cast iron cookware is so heavy but lasts forever. I bought an ancient Wagner #8 chicken frying skillet for $5 at auction 40 years ago, and I still use nearly every day.
1. I dehydrated the last of the tomatoes from our garden
2. My mom gave use a whole bunch of over-ripe apples, stir fry vegetables, and some kefir. I used the apples to make home made applesauce. The vegetables we used to make a peanut stir fry and the kefir I am using to make smoothies.
3. We invited a bunch of people to trick-or-treat with us. It ended up being very rainy, windy, and cold here. So we bought pizzas at Aldi for 50% off and had everyone over for food and Halloween movies once the kids were cold.
4. I purchased from Halloween-themed trail mix from Aldi for $1/each.
5. My daughter wanted to give a birthday gift to a friend at school. I had some brand new gifts in storage that I had picked up off Buy Nothing over the years. The wrapping paper she used to wrap the present was also from Buy Nothing.
My suggestion is to make the dream car your reward/graduation gift to yourself for getting your BSN diploma. Maybe that will motivate you to "get 'er done". Shopping for cars takes time and energy, so if the van's still running OK, maybe put the Honda on the back burner for now.
1. Discover Card has a 5% cashback bonus for purchases at drug stores. (Like the one I work at!) So I'm using it at work, even charging my snacks and 19 cent bottles of water, and paying off the card every week. I have $35 built up in bonus money, although not all of it is from our drugstore. But every little bit helps!
2. While shopping elsewhere for groceries, they had a 40-pound sack of dog food on sale. Got it for Snuggles.
3. I have not been successful in finding any drapes/curtains for my room. (You'll recall that in an epic frugal fail, I ruined the bedroom drapes over one window; when I put 'em in the washing machine, they came out all stuck together. And were unrepairable.) So after I couldn't find any at Salv. Army thrift store or the clothing/furniture consignment store, I went over to the mall. Dillard's, a very fancy dept. store, used to sell matching drapes and comforters. I was hoping they had some on clearance. Not only do they not have it on clearance, but they no longer sell drapes. Very proud of myself for coming out of Dillard's without buying anything. This is a feat Past Me would never have accomplished! (PS--if anyone knows of any online sources of thermal drapes and matching comforters or bedspreads, pls. let me know. Hopefully, I can get these items during a pre-Black Friday sale.
4. Bundled up in sweaters and under quilts instead of turning on the central heat full blast. Also am using the electric radiator in my bedroom at night. And I'm sleeping under lots of blankets, quilts, comforters, etc. Body heat is very frugal!
5. Used my 1o% off Ollie's Outlet coupon and bought some needed items. (Including bones for Snuggles, LOL!)
Your curtains are cute. 🙂
Let's see if I can come up with 5 as things have been kind off stagnet/boring, which I'm ok with at the moment.
Frugal things---
● teen did first oil change self (saved $20 to pay mechanic/we buy own supplies). Did pretty good after asking about few struggles & I gave advice while warching/standing by. I made sure all my kids knew some basic auto care & how to change a tire.
● bought some NWT Bath & Body Works mini light clip/hand sanitizer holders for 50% off for few small gifts
● got my new utility bill, only $3 more than previous month & I've had heat on more than few overnights
● took my Recycling people some homemade mini loafs of banana bread when dropped off recycling. I try to do service people holiday Thankful for You in November instead of Christmas.
● brought home 14 glass gallon jugs from recycling. Will need to clean & sterilize before can use for water or maple syrup. I need to find & purchase screw on lids but that should ok as I kept some from plastic maple syrup gallon jugs if can't find right away
● LEAVES, LEAVES & STILL MORE LEAVES! I can't imagine how much money it would cost to have someone come each week to get leaves taken care of. So thick in some places that neighbors who usually mow with big lawnmower decided cheaper to not mow than repairing/unclogging mower. Sad thing is we are not even half way point yet. 🙁 But we continue to get leaves to curb hoping city will pick up before wind does.
Frugal fail--
● purchased 2 Sam's club Rotisserie chicken & did not pull apart & freeze 1, which is still in my fridge. 🙁
● cleaned out the fridge, goodbye 8 pints of homemade stock that's been in the fridge for almost a year
Gloating: gas is $2.64 where I live. $2.78 where I work. I can't get over the discrepancy in just 10 miles. Both Casey's.
I had a sunroof in my last vehicle and sadly, took very little advantage of it. Looking forward to you getting your dream vehicle and getting your BS from this wretched system of education. My dream vehicle is a noisy Dodge pickup like my Dad used to drive as a farm manager. Or a decent pickup in that vintage. But as a second vehicle. Wasteful, yes, a dream, yes.
Frugal: My favorite one this week! I have arranged for "the girls" to come and clean week after next. My house desperately needs it and I am resigned to not being able to do it myself. This is the family of eleven children, four girls (still at home)(six boys still at home, too). There will be one girl from another family. All with the mantra "Many hands make light work" and diligent workers. The last few days I have been tossing and giving away. I have a brand new Bissel Pet vacuum cleaner that I made a quick purchase of when I thought my Dyson died (it needed the filter cleaned). The Bissell hasn't even been out of the box, and I've tried to sell it on swap shop for two years! I asked the Mom who suggested this cleaning idea if they needed a new vacuum cleaner. "Yes, yes we do!" I'm so happy that's worked out! I also have two turkeys in the freezer, suitable for a large family!
You should just buy a car online through your local dealership. You can do it completely online and just go in to sign the paperwork and pick up the car. (assuming you have driven one and know for sure that your dream car is your dream car).
*I burnt up my food processor a few months ago and have kept my eye out for one. Finally, scored one at goodwill that was new in the box (still plastic wrapped) for $20. It retails for about $225. It is sooo quiet compared to my old one.
*Our new neighborhood has no trick or treaters which is sad, but very frugal. When I was in my last neighborhood, we could easily spend $150 on candy and still run out.
*I sold some 20 lb hand weights on FB marketplace for $35. I tend to use the 20lb kettlebell rather than separate weights.
*I bought a sewing pattern for a long jacket for $2. I had been looking for one for a bit (patterns are nearly $20 now!). I had one before and gave it to my mom. I use them to make quilt coats.
*used up some yarn I already had in my craft bin to make sweaters for my cats for winter. It's been getting chilly here in the evenings.
Good plan for the car buying! I’ve had sunroofs for many years in my Accords and don’t use them much because it seems that the sun cooks my head too hot.
Never heard of spray Fray Check—I thought it was some fabric-like stuff that melted with an iron.
TFT: (because of husband’s surgery, only 3, all courtesy of a dear neighbor)
1. She brought us a Costco roasted chicken
2. She shared some red/green bell peppers from the local food pantry
3. She picked up some veggies for us while she was in Big Town
Your post title made me actually laugh out loud at my desk!! Cat crimes are so funny (when they're not happening to me!) Free my girl Chiquita, she is innocent, Your Honor!!!!
Nice fix on the curtain. I love the billow-y-ness of sheer curtains. I believe whole heartedly in rewards for tough classes. I did something similar when I finally stopped procrastinating and filled out my retirement paperwork. My reward was a new to me low hours Kubota tractor. Now I'm having a blast with it and busy procuring implements, gently used of course!
1. Potted up my geraniums to over winter in the greenhouse, this saves about $700 per year over buying new plants in the spring. Plus I take cuttings and make new plants.
2. Was gifted a set of very vintage LeCreuset pots. Listed my Wagner ware set gifted from a great auntie.
3. Took a large laundry basket of read books to fill up neighborhood little libraries on my way to my twice yearly hair cut. Found 3 books to read, gave away 25. I can hear my house sigh. Turned in our ballots.
4. Donated 10 lbs of frozen blueberries to a friend who is fighting long term cancer, he makes smoothies daily.
5. Thankful to my past self for hoarding coffee beans, paying $3/lb this particular brand is now almost $9/lb. grateful for freezer space.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, The blueberries are a great and thoughtful gift!
I've always wanted a car with a sunroof but now need one with a roof rack for travel.
1. Finally mended some clothes I carted around on my last tour and didn't mend because I was side hustling mending for others.
2. I bought a $5 bag of fiberfill and sewed a throw pillow insert from stash fabric to use inside a pillow cover I bought for another project and didn't need at the time.
3. Forgot that cooking dry chickpeas expand and ended up with loads more than I needed for the recipe! I used them in other recipes and froze some for future recipes so I won't make that mistake again.
4. Bought large picture frames during Michael's BOGO for the living room. Pretty stoked I got a $50 for free.
5. I'm teaching myself how to cross stitch with a small kit I bought during Big Lots going out of business sale
can't wait to see a photo of your new car. will it be new to you or new new?
We have had several types of Hondas over the years- Civics, Accords, now CRV’s. It’s a good intersection of reliability, cost (though that’s relative!) straightforward to repair, and fuel efficient. I think buying a car after your semester ends is an excellent idea!
@Kim from Philadelphia, loud cheers for Hondas (along with all the other loyal Honda owners here). My 2010 Element is about to turn over 80,000 miles, and I may reward it with a detailing to celebrate.
I have a Rewards account with a regional gas station/convenience store. I don't buy gas often (love my hybrid!), but I take advantage of the deals in the store often. Supper the other night was a $5 frozen pizza, a coupon item. Lunch yesterday was a treat: a $2.50 chicken salad sandwich on oat bread. I usually cook what we have in the house, so these were treats - frugal treats.
Wow, nice mending job!
1. Had 24 kids for Halloween; gave away the leftover Tootsie Pops on Buy Nothing.
2. Used black craft paint to touch up some black metal pipe thingies that support the mantel on our mid-century modern fireplace.
3. Noticed the battery on our car fob needed to be replaced. Attempted to do it ourselves with an extra battery we received from Buy Nothing and the help of YouTube. It was too tricky so I took it to our Subaru dealership where they finished the job for free without wrecking the fob like we probably would have. A few days later, I noticed that our local hardware store is advertising replacing fob batteries for free so I will take it there next time.
4. Received $32 from the consignment store for things I dropped off a while ago, none of which I remember, so they're clearly not missed around here.
5. Used up the last of our distilled water from the store. Has anyone distilled their own? YouTube makes it look easy but I'm not sure it's worth it. I use distilled water for ironing, which is an infrequent event.
@MB in MN, I definitely remember someone in the Commentariat who distills their own water, so I hope they chime in; I'm curious too!
I am not sure if anyone has said this. How about a vanity plate for your new ride:
FRUGL GRL
You can spend your monthly money on the more expensive plate?!
???
@Molly F.C., the problem with vanity plates like this one is that they're so easily misread. To take a mild example, my late JASNA friend Edith had a NY vanity plate "JANEITE" (now on display in the JASNA archives at Goucher College, I'm proud to say). But I asked her once why she gave it up, and she said that it just had the guys at her usual garage calling her "Janet," and that nobody else got it. Sad.
I also plant the ends of our green onions. It feels so bad to be composting them now. I might try growing them inside once I plant my rooting coleus plants. As long as I will be watering them, I could add one more pot. I am saving the coleus to, hopefully, use next year outside rather than buying more.
I'd love to hear your decision-making process on replacing your van. We keep circling around the conversation of keeping an older car going, versus buying a new one when the old one still has trade in value. Thanks!
I think my frugal things have been wiped out by nonfrugal things... so let's just call it even in the end. Regardless, I'm pretty happy with this one...
We bought a couch in 2021. It was my dream couch! 13' long. Chaise on one end. Tufted back. Dark blue navy velvet. Stood a few inches off the ground. GORGEOUS. Except then my baby turned into a toddler and then a little kid. And we got dogs (With white fur) and a cat (ALSO WITH WHITE FUR), and started fostering (all the messes!). And this dream couch isn't a dream anymore. I've been keeping an eye out on the marketplace for something because all couches that fit our space and are large and loungey are SO EXPENSIVE (to the tune of $3k+. But even $5k+... ouch). I finally found one for $400. and best yet, it's from Albany Park!
No bugs. Very clean. But the ottoman was ravaged by the seller's dogs. It was missing some of the really cheap fabric that goes under the removable cushion, as well as part of the foam cushion. Thankfully, I don't need whiskers to fix that! I got a $40 piece of 2-inch thick foam. Got the replacement fabric for $2 at Hobby Lobby. And I started sewing the ottoman last night. It's going to be literally good as new by the end of the week.
I'm still planning on cleaning the couch with a carpet cleaner upholstery attachment (the seller did have dogs after all). And I've already unzipped all the cushions to wash.
SO very excited. This ticked literally every box that my dog-loving/kid-loving/sleep-loving self wanted: zip-off cushions, close to the ground to reduce trapped toys/dog treats, modular, backs high enough that the cushions don't fall off, and (for my husband) deep enough to snuggle while watching tv with the dogs/kid/maybe me. <3
I remember your post about your dream car. I have a
Honda Civic and if you going for this car there are pros and cons.
They are relatively cheap , reliable, very little maintenance.
Cons….they are so noisy that I can’t listen to the radio or podcast etc. They are low to the ground and there is very insulation to muffle the road noise. They are also not very comfortable. You feel the bumps and humps for sure. No smooth ride.
I have a sunroof and in my opinion it doesn’t worth an extra penny. When you need it the Sun is so intense through the roof that you want to close it. + it adds so much traffic noise. I never use mine. (Mind you I live in a metropolitan city)
1. DH shot a deer with his bow on his first day out hunting. I’m always so proud of him when he does! He didn’t have time to hunt last year so we’ve been carefully hoarding the remnants of our 2024 venison. We almost never buy any additional meat so this is a nice way to start the season. Unfortunately we do have to wait for the test results to come back showing if the deer has Chronic Wasting Disease or if it is safe (CWD is a prion disease similar to Mad Cow).
2. I took 4 nonworking phones to an EcoATM at Walmart, and made $35! The newest was an iPhone 13 mini, so nothing was very new/valuable. But I was pleased to get them out of my possession and make a little money too. And I like knowing they will be responsibly recycled.
3. I tried to go to my favorite local coffee shop but they were busy and had no seating. I ended up redeeming a free car wash (plus free vacuuming beforehand) then a free small coffee at a franchise and coming back home to drink the coffee.
4. I finished season two of Rings of Power (the first was free) on Amazon Prime, and promptly cancelled.
5. Food waste: I had to compost the remains of some spring mix, a few cherry tomatoes, and a bit of cucumber. Food saves: I sauteed the remaining shredded cauliflower and some of our aging green onions and peppers to put in my scrambled eggs.
-I rescued one last piece of pizza from work, as well as a half gallon of milk that was *this* close to going off.
-I finally finished picking frozen elderberries off their stems and they are now nicely in a small jar for adding to baked oatmeal over the winter.
-My MIL gave me some corn tortillas when we last visited her- she’d bought them on a healthy eating kick of some sort and didn’t like them. I don’t love them either, and it turns out they have a BB date of April 2024!! But I discovered I can make them into a tostada by baking them in the oven then topping them with beans, cheese, etc. Not specifically frugal, but I do try to avoid food waste.
Um-- a sunroof and a moonroof are not necessarily the same thing, or the terms are used interchangeably. So when you're reading ads, make sure you get what you want, (whether it will open to the air and sun, or will open only to the sun).
Ugh my cat chews on my curtains as well.
This is the recovery after knee replacement surgery edition:
1. So thankful for the knee replacement. I got pain meds which cost me 0 as I've met my out of pocket maximum for prescriptions. I had a bad reaction to the pain meds so it was Tylenol (store brand) for me from then on in. I went home from the hospital with a huge reusable ice bag thingie and it's been used often. Feel so blessed to not have any more knee pain, just stiffness.
2. Eating at home. No need for takeout.
3. Dh got me all kinds of gadgets off of Amazon to help with recovery. I kept one thing, we already had a walker and cane so he sent everything back.
4. The physical therapist is coming to my house until Friday. She is a very nice young woman. The first time she said that I was doing great I practically glowed. When was the last time you were told you are doing great? To all my friends here: YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!
5. Daughter took my advice to get trained to work the voter polls today. She was station in our town. She worked 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will make $300. She packed her lunch, drinks and snacks. She is unemployed at the moment so at least that is some money coming in and she's doing her civic duty.
@auntiali, So glad the knee replacement was successful for you! It is a life-changing procedure! Keep doing great!
I've never heard of fray check before! Always new things to learn!
1. Found some coins
2. Went to a new thrift store
3. Got some clearance candy and a free Dilly bar
4.Took advantage of being close to an Aldi and did some grocery shopping
5. Enjoy half price Taco Tuesday
Here's the unabridged version: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/11/05/frugal-five-17/
I think you will enjoy the process and the car more after you are done this class you dislike. Sounds like you are knee deep in it but December will be here soon.
I have one of those moonroofs and don’t open the shade much because the car gets hot. My mechanic says they are leak prone but so far so good.
Chiquita informs me that she is to be called Ms. Chiquita. And being a feline, she is taking notes and handing out demerits.
While working a lot greatly assists in the frugal category, I have to report year two of prairie restoration (not hard core - cedar, pine, fir of a certain size were *not* removed, none of my walnut trees were touched) has surpassed where I thought it would be. Purchasing the almost 60 years not-maintained acreage was not cheap. Nor was paying the restoration company. But enjoying the walk through the invasive-cleared acreage which has a fantastic view has no price. There was minimal "interruption" for the wildlife and it should be a pollinator friendly area. The acreage is close to our homestead which is a plus.
Too busy to buy a car might be a plus for you. Regardless of the shutdown, the economy (IMHO) is in a recession. I'm sure you're doing your due diligence on what you want in your next vehicle. I do think time is on your side.
@Selena, I love hearing about your prairie restoration! We have only 3/4 acre but it's a lot of work. I've successfully kept the garlic mustard at bay for the last few years but we need to work on all the woody invasives.
@Lindsay B, I pretty much had the garlic mustard eradicated at my prior house. Have made good progress here with a plus of a new neighbor that knows GM is bad stuff. One south neighbor has some so I will watch "the border".
Woody invasive plants are a challenge. We pulled hundreds of bush honeysuckles only to realize too late that buckthorns took their place. We're spraying and will have the restoration company hit our property to grind both down. Pulling the honeysuckles worked but then we had to get rid of the piles. We are not young any more.
Between the acreage we bought and our property, about 10 acres worth.
@Selena, I'm sorry to hear about all the work you did to remove the honeysuckles only to have the buckthorn move in! So much work. We also have a ton of buckthorn to deal with and something called bittersweet that is a woody vining plant. There's a house down the street with a huge patch of garlic mustard under their tree and every time I walk by I wonder if I should go knock on their door and ask if I can pull it!
5 Frugal Things
1. I prepped all my work meals except coffee which I buy at work
2. I upped my savings that I have automatically transferred to my online savings account each paycheck - out of sight out of mind.
3. I was craving an afternoon coffee last week in the midst of boring bill-paying, and though I live across the street from Starbucks, I pulled out my coffee press and made my own.
4. I planned mostly affordable places with kitchens on my upcoming birthday trip to New Zealand (long awaited)
5. I have been eating up odds and ends in my fridge because of the upcoming trip.
I think a new car would be a lovely and very well-deserved reward after this confounded BSN class you're slogging through! You have our full support. 🙂