Five Frugal Things | Converse, notebooks and more
1. I got some 35 cent notebooks
Zoe needed a few things for some tutorial classes she's taking, so I got a few bargain items at Office Depot, including $0.35 notebooks.
We can always, always use more notebooks.
I like these because they don't have those vinyl or plastic covers; when we're done with school in the spring, we just remove the wire and then recycle or burn the paper.
2. I sold tiny Build a Bear clothes
In our decluttering Zoe and I cam across some clothing for the SmallFry line of Build a Bears.
I often give away the toys we don't need, but I wasn't sure I'd have an easy time finding someone with this specific need.
So, it occurred to me to check eBay and yep, people are buying them there!
I listed them pretty inexpensively as a lot (individual listings felt like too much work) and they sold within a few days.
3. I paid my estimated taxes
This is frugal because (hopefully) I am not going to pay a fee for underpaying when I file in 2021.
TurboTax calculated some very enormous estimated tax payments for me to make in 2020 and oof, it has been painful.
This is the third out of four, though, and now I don't have to make another payment until January of 2021. So I get a few months of breathing room now.
<exhales>
And I keep reminding myself that this is all going to pay off in April of 2021, when I hopefully am not going to get a depressing tax bill.
4. I got a $12 box of peaches
It's getting to be the end of peach season, so I wasn't sure there would even be any peaches left.
But when Zoe and I were running an errand near the produce stand, I popped in and found a box of bruised peaches.
This is probably the last one I'll be able to get this season, which is a little sad.
BUT.
Bruised apple season is coming up shortly. And then it's time to make applesauce!
Here's how I freeze summer peaches.
5. I sold a pair of Converse on eBay.
The first pair Zoe bought was a little too small. I looked into a return, but we'd have had to pay $10 return shipping to send them back.
Womp-womp.
So I opted to just list them for sale instead.
That way, the new buyer would pay the shipping necessary to get them out of my house!
I recouped the money Zoe spent on them, and she and I found another eBay pair in a slightly larger size for even less money.
So, all is now well in the shoe world of Zoe. 🙂
Organizing my closet helped me not want to shop!
1. Cleaned out my closet, found a purse that I never use but is a co worker's favorite color. Gifted it to her and she was very happy.
2. Took some hooks I already had and put them on the wall behind my clothes for my purses. Now I can see what I have and they're not all jumbled up in a basket. When I can see what I have, I don't want to buy more.
3. Discovered double sided tape for my shirts. It looks so good now! No more pins between the buttons or getting rid of clothes when they gap. So excited to be able to wear my button down shirts without being self conscious!
4. Sewed a pretty button on a shirt's neckline to make it more modest and appropriate for work.
5. Moved my sewing basket to a place I can easily see, and put my buttons in a pretty jar next to it. Hoping I'll use them more if they are right there in front of my instead of in the back of my closet.
6. Unsubscribed from a lot of store emails. Too tempting.
I had a pretty painful money week with outfitting all my children for school/colder weather. But! In addition to jeans/sweaters/etc., I did manage to find shoes for three of the four on ThredUp that they can use for the gym at school and just leave at school (they have to be non-marking and clean). It's really a financial hit having to get a pair of shoes to leave at school in addition to having shoes at home, so it was a relief to find the school shoes for about half price. And they all fit! Kind of a miracle.
Oof, yes. Shoe-buying is such a budget killer.
And kids grow out of shoes so fast, buying a double set of shoes would be painful!
I am now fighting this crazy urge to drive north into Georgia to locate a farm stand with peaches. But, I have to be here at work, so...
1. Very happy frugal - I used my Florida Blue reward card for the first time at my husband's eye appointment - the $85 co-pay was covered with not a penny out of my pocket. I'll be trying it again at my own appointment at another doctor this week. I still have $215 left on the card.
2. I worked in my container garden this weekend, getting it ready for fall planting. I used some freebie garden gloves that came with a charity solicitation to muck around in the worm castings I was adding to the containers. I didn't want to get my gifted-to-me good leather work gloves stained with worm poop.
3. Said worm castings come from my worm buckets -- two cleaned out Firehouse pickle buckets, and some worms my brother-in-law gave me. I just give them clean veggie and fruit scraps - and squirrel-nibbled pears - and they produce solid gold for my plants. Their favorite treat seems to be watermelon (note to Kristen :)).
4. I had some free-to-me fresh limes, so I squeezed them, added homemade sugar syrup to the juice, and finished with a cheap bottle of club soda to make sparkling limeade, and wow, it was good.
5. I'm such a dinosaur, I wear pantyhose to work. Frankly, at my age, bare legs aren't a good look. One pair of hose is fairly new, but the seam joining the panty-halves got a split in one place, about 2" long. I didn't have elastic thread, but I had a pair of microfiber undies that had a loose thread in the waistband. The waist band is still okay, as it is double seamed. I pulled that micro- fine thread out and managed to thread it in a needle using a loop of cotton thread, then sewed the seam back together. It worked, and stretches with the hose nicely. My mother kept a ruined stocking just so she could pull a nylon thread out of it when another stocking would develop a run, and she would weave the thread in and out to mend the run. Even though I watched her, I never figured out how she did that, but the memory inspired me..
I am massively impressed that you repaired pantyhose. Those seem so delicate to me, I'd never have thought to do a repair.
I always think pantyhose spring a run if you so much as look at them the wrong way. That drives me crazy! You have to be so, so careful, and even when I was careful, I snagged them on something.
I know it's too hot for tights in Florida, but when I have to wear something on my legs, I massively prefer tights. They're so much more sturdy.
Oh, I'll wear tights in the winter, what days we have winter that is. They absolutely last much longer than pantyhose!
I felt like my mom would be so proud of me, just like I can almost feel my dad smiling when I use duct tape or WD40. 🙂
1. My husband repaired 2/3 of our rotted window sills this weekend. I have no idea how much this would have cost to have a professional do, but I am sure it would be pricey.
2. A neighbor has offered for us to come pick her wild apples and asian pear trees this week. Free and healthy food!
3. Picked up a doll stroller and highchair on Buy Nothing. I will gift these to my daughter for her 2nd birthday in November.
4. Eating beans, tons of tomatoes, and lots of cherry tomatoes from our garden. I made a small batch of basil pesto to freeze. And I also dehydrated some sage and thyme. Our little garden did so great this year!!
5. Found a vintage wooden wall carving in someone's trash. It's worth about $150 on ebay. I listed it on Marketplace for $100. We will see!
Aww, that's so great that your husband could do the window work himself. High five to him!
1. I made pesto and put individual packets in the freezer.
2. I made vegetable broth with some nearly dead veggies, along with some herbs I have growing.
3. I made herb salt with some of my herbs and kosher salt. (I made enough to share with my kids)
4. I made tomato soup with ,on sale, canned crushed tomatoes and a few fresh tomatoes.. Added fresh herbs and roasted garlic. I froze several pints and several quarts.
5. Sorted and re-arranged books freeing up a bookshelf. Not only did I make room to enjoy more open space, but gifted my oldest grand-daughter with the shelf. She'll need it as she soon heads for college.
I feel like this last month has been very expensive. The budget was so brutal that I dreaded doing it each day. Sigh. I feel like I need to list some frugal items just to make me feel better.
1. Just before the lock down occurred, I massively stocked up my pantry just in case. In the last month or so we had finally eaten down our freezer/pantry. Even pre-pandemic, I would stock up on staples for the year every fall (pasta, beans, meat, etc.) so I have been working on that. Its a slow go though since many things are still periodically out of stock and I don't want to empty shelves so others can't get what they need. I've been buying two extra of each thing every week when I shop.
2. I've been buying two whole chickens each week and butchering them up myself. Then I am immediately tossing the carcasses in the instant pot for stock. I've found this to be cheaper and I feel like the chicken tastes a little better (maybe that is in my head though lol). Its a lot of work and its super messy so I will be glad when I feel like my chicken stash is complete.
3. I mended two shirts and tried to sew some masks for my kids with extra fabric I had on hand (that was pretty much a fail).
4. I scrounged around the house for school supplies instead of buying new ones. Only my special ed kiddo is going in person at this time anyway so how much do they really need??
1. I restocked my $1 DVD and BluRay gift stash when I visited the dollar store for some household supplies. One's luck varies depending on what you're after, but I've found amazing foreign films (if ever you need a beautiful sob-fest, "Curse of the Golden Flower"), B-movies, and old monster movies (think "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms!"). One of my favorite gift ideas, especially for couples, is to make "Movie Night" care packages with snacks and 1-2 films to their tastes.
2. I found a set of 80 note cards with envelopes on clearance for $5 vs. the original $20. They have fun geometric designs on the outside and blank insides, so I'm good to go for birthdays, congratulations, and what-have-you!
3. My husband cancelled his annual gaming subscription before it renewed, thanks to a combination of finding several games at Goodwill recently and not playing as much as he used to. Yay, extra $60! For what it's worth, we haven't had cable in years and no paid streaming aside from Amazon Prime, which came with the credit card. $60/year for my gamer was more than reasonable, but I still appreciate the budget boost!
4. Likewise, I cancelled my StitchFix. I actually tried the service thanks to Kristen's $50 off referral link! The stylist did a fantastic job with my one and only fix, but even "The Cheaper, the Better" option was too rich for my thrifty heart. I kept the two pieces I thought would get the most use, which came to $15 each after the $50 credit. I'm genuinely glad I tried something different, but once was enough. Back to ThredUp and Goodwill for me! Money aside, my inner hippie just feels better about second-hand.
5. We seldom have much to declutter, but I did drop some shoes, an extra flannel sheet set, and curtains off at a friend's house. The shoes were a new-with-tags $3.99 Goodwill find, are an amazing brand (Altama Maritime Shoes ~ $90 and up!) but weren't quite wide enough for my fat feet. However, the shoes fit my friend's growing daughter perfectly! Bonus: There's younger sibling after her for when she outgrows the shoes, which will in no way be worn out yet. (Seriously, if anyone you know needs work boots, Altama. My husband only *just* replaced his after five years!)
I just sent off our Quarterly taxes, also...our CPA firm actually figures out how much we'll be sending, based on the previous year. It always works to our benefit; we rarely have to pay quarterly taxes at the beginning of the year!!
I used your method to freeze peaches; thanks for the advice! Now the peaches aren't all clumped together.
We only eat out after church on Sunday, anymore. Actually, we've eaten at home the last two Sundays! I have a new Dutch oven that I'm using more and more.
Not shopping much; using what we have in the freezers and pantry. Eating veggies from my garden.
I've cleaned out closets and the attic and have sold clothes, shoes, and things we don't use and gifted a lot of things, too. Downsizing always feels good!
1. A shoe item for me too. I'd ordered a pair of Nikes that I love. because I walk every day I ordered a second pair so I could alternate days. They are just not comfortable (suppose to be the same item). I started a free return. I just need to drop them at the UPS store, which I'll be near tomorrow.
2. I have been using greeting cards I had in my stash since quarantine started six months ago. They are good enough.
3. I have been drinking water and herbal tea made with garden herbs. Inexpensive and refreshing.
4. It was chilly for outdoor yoga this morning. I wore layers and another student commented she had on fleece lined yoga pants. It reminded me that I have fleece lined leggings I bought on clearance a few years ago. They are a layer I can add if the weather stays chilly.
5. We spent much of the weekend helping our daughter and SIL build a patio. Good weather, exercise, company, and a sense of purpose.
1.) Mended not one but two pillowcases! One I did a darn on and the other my wife added a patch to the inside of. I know this kind of thing horrifies my mother (she will tell me I make enough money to not live with rags for pillowcases) but for me it's a matter of keeping things out of the landfill, using what we have and I feel more pride in a mended item than just spending money on having someone else make me one.
2.) Got some of the weekly specials at Aldi, particularly the German mustard which I am anxious to try. I also got my dad some saurkraut and will go back for the red cabbage. Basically I'm prepping for my own personal Oktoberfest (dirndls and lederhosen optional but German music will be there.)
I also passed on some of the weekly Aldi specials. I decided that I can make soft pretzels at home and while the cutting boards they had this week were quite nice I think it's better to spend a bit more and buy locally than to buy from China whenever possible, particularly on a good long life item like a cutting board.
3.) My wife got some fabric on clearance at JoAnn for her projects. She also got me a nice little Clover branded seam ripper (made in Japan) that beats the pants off the old one I had. She used a coupon so it was pretty cheap.
4.) Sorted out my video game collection and tied all cords with Velcro ties. It is so much cheaper to buy Velcro in long strips that I can cut to length than in packs.
5.) Overtime again. It stinks but it increases my money coming in.
A good seam ripper makes all the difference.
Ripping out stitches is maddening even WITH a good seam ripper. With a bad seam ripper, it is 10x worse.
Incidentally — I find it both awesome and amusing that Sonia has a seam ripper in her pencil case.
I admit I don't mind it too much but 90% of my seam ripping is fixing my errors or removing patches or embroidery from work shirts I've bought second hand (don't want to go to work wearing someone else's name now do I?)
Love no. 2, I'll go dig out my stein. And, although I'm female, I once owned lederhosen. Back several centuries ago when I was 18. My older sister brought them back from Germany.
I got the idea because Sam Adams and Auntie Anne's apparently teamed up to make an Oktoberfest kit and I thought, "Well I may as well do that myself too."
My great grandmother was German (Prussian actually) and that's more or less the complete opposite of Bavarian but I'm all American anyway but I do enjoy some German food, music etc. I just have to work on convincing the wife to wear a dirndl. 😉
1. I am in the process of making myself a new outfit for Rosh Hashanah, out of fabric that I've impulse-bought over the years. It's good to use what I already have, instead of buying more.
2. I saved some on-sale fruit by cutting it up in the nick of time for dessert last night.
3. I have the ends of a roast chicken in the fridge, to be made into broth.
4. Frugal fail: I left my meal vouchers in the wrong bag and had to buy dinner at work (overpriced hospital food) but I learned my lesson and am now more careful!
5. I bought thoughtful, inexpensive gifts for a family birthday--dark chocolate-covered candied ginger and a bouquet of sunflowers, with a homemade card, which was greatly appreciated!
1. I revamped my home office “bedroom” using furniture I already had to make it less depressing working from home on the computer. It looks much better!
2. I made pesto from my basil, froze lots of greens beans, shredded and portioned and froze zucchini for future muffins, and chopped and froze peppers all from the garden.
3. Called LG to get our fridge repaired. AGAIN! Worst refrigerator ever. This will be the 2nd compressor and it’s only 3 years old. Luckily, it’s covered and I fought for the labor to be also covered.
4. My husband is selling a couple things on Craigslist.
5. Found frozen turkey bones I saved in the freezer and made broth in my instant pot. It made a ton.
There is a class action lawsuit for LG refrigerators. Info at
LGFridgeSettlement.com
Thank you for that. We had a new one that came with our house, and it was the worst piece of junk ever made.
Really??! Thanks! I will look that up.
Oof re: your fridge's compressor. I'm so glad other commenters had a settlement link to offer. I hope you get something for all the headaches and lost food!
Depending on your fridge needs, you might look into finding an older--and I do mean older--fridge second-hand. People will often give away old fridges that still work amazingly, simply because they're old. Before our Philco, I missed claiming a FREE working 1950s General Electric fridge by *thismuch.*
We replaced our hulking, failing 90s fridge with a 1940s Philco ($50 off Craig's List) in 2011, and we're Team Old Fridge for life now. It uses far less electricity and cools so well that food lasts an eerily long time. A quarterly defrost is all it takes to keep it humming nicely.
Possible caveat: Older fridges are much smaller, which may or may not work for your family. For reference, our Philco is 5' x 2' x 2'. A small fridge means we don't lose/forget things in the back or in random drawers (there are none), so it's actually saved us money and made us more mindful shoppers.
We lucked into the world of old fridges by virtue of trying to replace our failing model inexpensively. I don't want you to have to go through more with your current fridge than you already have, but hopefully this proves helpful if worse comes to worse.
Your comments are much appreciated. However, I wanted a large fridge and saved for a long time to get one. We have a big family and live far from a big grocery store so not shopping often saves us money. But with the money we have wasted on spoiling food I sure wish I had one of those old fridges you talk about. Doesn’t it say something about how things were built back then compared to now days? When this finally kicks the bucket I’ll get a simple fridge. I’ve had fancy dishwashers but the ones that lasted the longest were the most basic models.
Oh Sara - I feel your pain. We bought a suite of Samsung appliances in Nov 2017. The fridge alone cost us $3K and we purchased a new washer and dryer, and a stove to go with it. The stove stayed with our townhouse when we sold but the fridge came with us. We replaced the ice maker 4 times and after 3 months of ownership we never had ice again. We argued back and forth with Samsung because even though the unit was under warranty they still wanted us to pay for the repairs. Fast forward to May of 2019 and we come home one Friday evening to 6.5 inches of standing water in our freezer - compressor completely gone and we lost $500-$600 in food. We had to replace the fridge at that time. This week my washer started having issues at less than 3 yrs of age. Repairman came out and it needs a whole new computer...so we had to replace the washer. I am sure the dryer will be next as we have already had to replace the heating element in it after 1 yr of ownership. LG & Samsung are the worst appliances made. I am so thankful that God has provided for our family as we have ridden the appliance roller coaster. They just don't build things to last anymore.
I found a good camera option — I've been wanting a DSLR, but hesitating to buy it as it doesn't make me money, and this ain't a time for that.
The one I found is still point-and-shoot, but better, with more manual options — it's very-super on sale, but I haven't bought it. Either way will be a frugal win, though I don't know which way it'll go yet.
Patience is a virtue that I don't have quite enough of, lol.
First, I wish everyone on the West Coast a speedy end to the wildfires. The photos alone are horrific; I can't imagine breathing that air or living through that experience.
Now, my FFT, Excursions Edition:
(1) I'm trying to use at least some of the days when I have home aide coverage for DH to take myself on a few modest adventures. I had two in an unfamiliar part of town last Friday. First, I explored a huge local cemetery I'd never visited before. It was founded in the 1880s and has lovely older sections with winding roads. In fact, I got enjoyably lost trying to find my way out! Free nature time and entertainment.
(2) My second stop was my city's first pay-by-the-pound thrift store, which our local Thrifty Shopper chain opened about a month ago. Although I didn't make any astonishing finds, I spent $8.50 and came away with a nice basket, a pair of corduroy slacks that fit me perfectly, some Syracuse China pieces that match some others I already own, an interesting glass bottle for the herb vinegar I make, and some arty French postcards (not the X-rated kind!).
(3) An online excursion: I very much enjoyed my Literary Society chapter's first-ever Zoom meeting over the weekend. We had a speaker from Seattle who gave us an excellent presentation on law and inheritance during the Regency (and we didn't have to fly him here, although he might have enjoyed a break from the smoke!). Plus which, it was great to see friends I haven't seen since last November. Between DH's decline and the pandemic, it's been that long since I've attended a meeting.
(4) An upcoming "talk therapy" excursion: I'll be meeting a friend for a walk at a local park tomorrow. Her late husband was a member of the cognitive care groups DH used to attend, and we struck up an acquaintance while waiting for our respective spouses there. Believe me, nobody "gets" some aspects of caregiving better than another caregiver, so I jumped at her suggestion that we meet.
(5) And DH and I are about to take an excursion into the garden this afternoon to continue the fall clearance process. The local deer hordes have left so little of some crops that I'd just as soon clear away what little is left. I'm already making plans for relatively deer-proof gardening next year: A. Marie's Herb Farm, Onion Ranch, and Pickle Factory!
1. The library comes through again, 4 new books for free!
2. I found a little pattern online to make a tortilla warmer and used scraps to make it. New and useful but didn't cost anything!
3. I listed and sold several things on our local facebook page, made some money and got things out of the house we didn't need anymore!
4. Shopped around to get new jeans for my youngest, was about to purchase and then found them less than half the price on another site.
5. Menu planned and have cooked at home for the last two weeks with no excuses.
1. My toilet was making a weird sound 5 or 6 times a day. My brother-in-law put a new part on it that cost $7.21, thus saving me a $100 plumber service call.
2. I cut open a tube of styling gel and a bottle of conditioner when I couldn't squeeze out anymore. There was enough for several days in both. Why don't they make containers that will completely empty??!!
3. I found 99 cent clearance potatoes and grape tomatoes at Kroger. There were 2 boxes of tomatoes in the bag. Even at Aldi, these would have been $1.49 each.
That's all I have this week other than ever constant things like hanging laundry, eating at home, checking out library books, etc.
Hi Everyone!
Just want to chime in and say thank you for all you share! I have been watching from the wings and realized I never posted.
I know it's not Gratitude Thursday, but I am grateful for the company on this frugal journey. We make everything ourselves and thrift for the rest.
Yesterday my success was switching the day I thrift shop back to Monday. My local store has three locations and a punch card.
Monday is double punch day. When they are full we get 15% off and we can combine them. I use them for furniture or kitchen appliances. I am a chronic pain challenger and the days got away from me, so it was good to get back to a better punch day yesterday.
Good stuff everyone! My FFT are : 1. Sold a Longaberger Picnic basket i found for $5 at the thrift store for $50 on Facebook Marketplace. 2. Sold two unused items on Ebay 3. Continue to work at Amazon 2 to 3 days a week to pay for my insurance and have a little spending money 4. Went out with a friend to a local Brewery for a little socially distancing fun and spend too much money on dinner and beverages so picked up an extra shift to cover it. 5. Been putting all my ripe tomatoes in the freezer and when they are all done for the year will make lots of spagetti sauce! Other than that just the usual....
1. My tomatoes slowed down and I'm not getting enough from my garden to match the peppers and cilantro I bought for making salsa, so instead of having the peppers and cilantro go to waste I got together with a swimming-in-tomatoes friend. She gave me her tomatoes, I'm making and canning the salsa, we'll split the jars.
2. Used a 40% off coupon to buy my dad's birthday card at Hobby Lobby.
3. I needed to get groceries today and I menu planned last night, even though I was tired and just wanted to go to bed and read.
4. I've been taking pictures of Christmas gift ideas for my kids when I see them. Hopefully this will let me plan well and map out how we want to use our dollars.
5. My husband doesn't drink coffee too often, but he made some yesterday morning and then left it at home. Since the building he works in is attached to the building where my daughter's school is, I took the coffee to him after drop-off so he didn't buy anything.
If you live near an outlet mall with a Converse, you can get high top Chuck Taylor's brand new for under $20.
My five frugal things:
1. We got coupons for a third off our best local fish & chips. Portions were so generous I had coleslaw and fish in fish tacos at lunch the next, and finished off the coleslaw for lunch yesterday.
2. Red bell peppers were 87 cents a pound at my local No Frills. I bought about 6 pounds and canned 1 pint + 6 half-pints of fire-roasted peppers for this winter (when red peppers are $4+ a pound). They're lovely on pizza, in stir-fries and pasta dishes and we love the smoky flavour roasting them on a charcoal grill produces.
3. Found some lovely locally produce Italian sausages for half price -- great on the BBQ! The cooler weather makes firing it up pleasant these days.
4. Make purple basil pesto and froze it in cubes.
5. Made the first chili of the fall, using up a couple older cans of beans and tomatoes from the pantry, a bargain pound of lean ground beef, dried beans I grew in 2017, and a few olds and ends of seasoning from the refrigerator.
Money is so tight this pay period, so I am trying to be as creative as possible.
1. DS started baseball this week. I packed plenty of water for practice so we would NOT have to buy any. I've been trying to be intentional about snacks and drinks when we leave the house.
2. Using some of the fundraising funds that we have in our Cub Scout account to help pay for my daughter's registration fees. My son has no clue what is in his account OR what it is used for.
3. Hubby needed his tire fixed and Costco is by far the cheapest place to go for that around here. We did get lunch for us all while we waited for it to be fixed. I can't argue with a $7 lunch for 4 people. gotta love those hot dogs.
4. Thankful for my Ebay sales. I've been averaging about 3 sales a day. It might not be the big time, but every little bit helps.
5. Religious post: I've put these next two week's in God's hands. I have NO idea how I am going to pay for my kids school pictures next week or pretty much anything else other than gas for my van and MAYBE one treat out for the kids, but I have faith that God will provide. Maybe Ebay will sell just the right amount this week or maybe I'll find that our electricity bill is lower than my budgeted amount? Who knows? But I've given it to him. Please pray for us. Thanks.
Jenelle, please accept a big virtual HUG. You don't have to buy the photos. My son's school photos were universally so bad year after year (it was difficult to get him to smile naturally) that I just took his photo every year in his Sunday clothes in a natural pose at the front door. It was great to see him grow up against the door, and a big help all those years when we didn't have the money.
I will keep you in my prayers that the pay period goes without incidents or any feeling of being deprived. We have all been there, hon.
I was able to receive free school photos by volunteering at picture day. (I made sure kids had forms filled out and that sort of thing).
Praying. We have had years like that. We usually did not buy the school photos. Our kids never liked how they looked and many years we simply couldn’t afford it.
I will look forward to hearing how God provides for your family.
I third skipping the photos. With camera phones we have so many pictures of our kiddos already, it will be okay to skip a year of school photos. Better to save the money and decrease the family’s stress.
School photos are simply a fundraiser for the school. Skip it and contribute a different way later on, with your time, encouragement or donation.
Younger reader here. I wish my mom HADN'T spent money on school photos. Even the "budget" package was pricy; looking back as an adult, I wince at the money that could have been better used elsewhere in what I now realize was a very tight budget. As I kid, I also didn't care for school photos in the least--the best ones of me were spontaneous and taken by family. Like others have already said, your kids won't care and when they grow, they'll be able to see the wisdom of your choice. Anyone who gives you guff for choosing between school photos and more pressing expenses is also not anyone whose opinion should matter to you. HUGS
After a mini-budget meeting with my husband last weekend in which he disclosed that he'd managed to make accelerated payments on our mortgage even while I was unemployed so long (love that man!), I have kicked up the enhanced frugality in a bid to be totally debt-free around about next November when the mortgage is paid off. So for the my frugal five:
1. Took all the open boxes of cereal that no one was eating and mixed them together to make a melange of cereal that I'm eating. Fortunately they go well together. The last two days I had a bowlful topped with chopped up baked apple leftover from supper. It's been very yummy.
2. Fruit rescue: At work, there's fruit dropped off for student snacks and some of it hasn't been eaten. I have rescued it and taken it home. Otherwise it would go in the trash, and no one objects.
3. Pulled a chuck roast from the freezer that dated back to April and popped it in the slow cooker with a bunch of elderly carrots that were fine after they were peeled and trimmed. Did some magic with pantry ingredients and it made a delicious supper with corn muffins and baked apples.
4. Work also provides free chilled water, which I've been drinking a lot of instead of bringing canned drinks with my lunch.
5. Used up the last ball of some cute cotton yarn bought on clearance at JoAnne's back when one could safely wander the store making coasters for myself and my work mates.
Spent this morning cutting everyone's hair, so saved 4 salon trips plus two people wanted hair color!
Made laundry detergent.
Found a recommended book at the library instead of buying it.
Gleefully gave away two huge bags of clothes & a box of baby stuff (kinda frugal yes? It's helping someone else & outta my house!)
Gotta say I'm so excited for apple season...fall is my favorite!
5 frugal things:
1. Just realized we never buy sidewalk chalk, but we have a huge stash. Family/friends gift it, and during early COVID days lots of people in our community were giving out free bags to leave encouraging messages on nature paths, etc. So we are set there!
2. In a facebook homeschool community another mom (who I don't know) reached out to me (when I never asked/implied) to provide extra finances for our homeschool year--whatever else was needed or wanted. This sweet stranger gave us finances for ink, copy paper, and homeschool resources that were only on my dream list. God's kindness and those with the gift of generousity are so appreciated!
3. Cooking budget friendly foods--pulled pork, soups, homemade muffins.
4. They were going to throw out a nice folding table at work, and my husband asked it he could have it. Will be perfect for some outside fun for the kids, and even if we sell later, it's a win.
5. We get all of our easy readers from the library, including Bob books. So helpful!
My friends and I sold items at a local flea market last weekend. Almost all profit as we sold things we'd found free by the side of the road! We made enough to pay for gas and hotel rooms for a weekend getaway later this fall.
We donated the leftover items to a local church sale coming up this weekend.
A very generous couple at the flea market were giving away school supplies so I was able to get a couple of things we were lacking.
One of my best friends gifted my 19 year old a car yesterday. Not the best looking car but it runs well.
We are doing much better than usual eating leftovers.
Well done for getting the cheap notebooks. We prefer the cardboard covers too.
I have done a similar thing with purchases the didn't work out. I had bought a tote bag from Thred Up, and all bags are final sale. It was a lot bigger than it appeared, so I sold it for what I paid for it through FB marketplace.I didn't make any money, but I didn't lose any either!
1. Bought several items that need replaced on my car-things that we can do ourselves.
2. Picked up 6 5x7 photo cards I'd ordered at Walgreens with a coupon that made them free. I have all my Christmas cards purchased for free through the year this way. I had a picture from last year of our family printed on all of them. We're all adults, so we don't change that much 🙂
3. Sending my college daughter a Starbucks gift card that was free with something. She needs a smile, it's hard doing college online.
4. Costco has the generic Claritin on sale right now, so it's $7.99 for a one year supply! Thanks to the readers who put me on to this!
5. I have listed some completely new items in my Etsy shop. Frugal for me because I'm busy working and don't spend money other ways. Many items that I sell are frugal home items, so buyers benefit too! https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabricspeaks
I always stock up on notebooks this time of year. On clearance at the end of back-to-school season I find them as low as 10 cents each. I'm a chronic list maker and plan-on-paper kind of person so I go through them even though no one is in school around here.
Don't feel like I have done anything particularly frugal lately other than the basics like taking my lunch to work, using up leftovers and reading library books.
This week's frugal things. They all seem to be centered around our different gardens.
1. The herb garden was bursting with goodies waiting to be dried and dehydrated. I put up dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, sage and chives.
2. The vegetable garden this week yielded tons of yellow banana peppers, which I froze. This year I dehydrated some to make paprika from. Not the same taste as ones made from red peppers, but good nonetheless. I also blanched and froze the last of the green beans and peas. I shredded and froze the last of the zucchini. The tomatoes are still going strong, so I expect to do another round of sauce this weekend.
3. The red raspberry patch has given a nice second round of berries that I froze to make jam with at some point...or maybe muffins, turnovers or pie.
4. I bought bunches of green onions on sale and plan to either freeze or dehydrate them.
5. Along with harvesting the gardens, I've been drying seeds for next year's plants.
1. I've been canning: split pea soup, vegetable soup, plums, tomato sauce and green beans. Tomatoes are still ripening so I'll be doing more sauce soon.
2.I found a like new Cuisinart Food Processor at Goodwill for $29.99
3. I sold my unneeded quart jars on Craig's List. $5/dz. Did you know the going price retail is currently $90/dz. at that price it doesn't pay to can your own food.
4. My Basil produced enough for me to freeze a year's supply of Pesto.
5. I cant think of a #5
1) I found butternut squash at a local farmers market for $1. I bought enough for the winter.
2) Using up final garden tomatoes, peppers, onions in freezer spaghetti sauce.
3) Froze leftover hot peppers for winter use.
4) Used free entertainment options (Library books, borrowed dvds)
5) Tended our fall garden (beets, carrots, lettuce)
1.) Found leggings at Aldi for $9.99 for a two pack.
2.) Used up my Cherry Tomatoes to make a double batch of sausage, Cherry Tomatoe, rice dish.
3.) Instead of taking our dogs to the groomer, I bathed them myself.
4.) I have been craving onion rings. I found a recipe to make them gluten free and baked online.
5.) Found pork loin for $1.49 a lb.
Five frugal things for this week:
1) We are eating leftover spaghetti for dinner tonight even though I really want to make something else.
2) Had to replace my less than 3 yr old Samsung washer as the Computer completely went out and it was going to cost almost $500 to replace it. Found a Maytag washer as that was the last brand of appliance I had a good experience with. Although we had to spend money to buy it we did so in cash so no consumer debt, we got the unit on sale saving almost $300 of the regular price, and got free delivery and haul away of the offensive Samsung washer. I urge all readers to never purchase Samsung appliances - they are junk.
3) Harvested the last of the fresh okra and banana peppers from our garden and prepared them for the freezer. We have gallons upon gallons to use this winter so if anyone has phenomenal recipes for okra and banana peppers, please send them my way! Planted Mustard Green & Rainbow Swiss Chard seedlings in the garden.
4) I made a huge batch of breakfast burritos for the freezer. Had a coupon for the eggs and the ham was on sale too. These will keep my husband from buying fast food breakfasts when he has to begin work at 5 AM and they are much, much healthier for him.
5) Headed to the mountains this weekend which is only a short day trip to purchase fresh apples for canning applesauce and apple butter. The trip will serve as a much needed outing for my cooped up family and provide us with lovely fruit for the winter. Plus, I don't think there can be anything better than the smell of apple butter with cinnamon & clove cooking on your stove on a fall day.
Enjoy your week everyone!
About the tax bill---remember it is always more frugal to have to owe than to give the government use of your money interest free! The perfect goal would be to owe zero AND get back zero.
This is true. But the fees for underpaying when you are self-employed very very quickly eat up any interest you'd earn by keeping the money through the course of the year.
So for me, it's better to err on the side of paying more. If I knew how to owe exactly zero, I would! lol
Spiral and composition notebooks are on sale for $0.25 at Wal-Mart.
I freeze left over vegies and make soup or salad se in casserolli keep bread tags and hold my sticky tape I use free newspapers to put my dogs food on onc he's finished eating I throw it awabeen collecting all coins for Christmas presents and lunch home made Christmas gifts this year makes
1) Am giving up my EVERY. SINGLE. WORK. NIGHT going to 7-11 and spending $5.00 to $15.00 on overpriced and unhealthy food, went to Safeway and spent around $112.00 for food to last through at least the end of the month (breakfast at home, not McDonald's drive thru, dinner at home (not 7-11) and lunch at work (again, not 7-11). I can buy single cans of soda at work for 75 cents instead of having to buy 2 bottles at 7-11 for the 'deal'
Bought a wooden bed frame for $50.00 off of Nextdoor, and the seller threw in the box springs for free.
The last 2 weeks have been quite difficult. My husband passed away, so being frugal has been quite easy given the amount of serving we have received from family and friends. I dont see it as tacky to list some of the frugalities... as my husband was careful and taught me to enjoy what we had and always proud of my savings.
1- meals have been delivered to our home to feed our children and I every day.
2- gifts of cash and gift cards given to us.
3- a relative had a Ring doorbell installed for us to provide some security.
4- our garbage disposal and outlets were also taken care of by said relative.
5- finally ventured out today w the children to a relatives bday dinner... the love received definitely reinforced to my children and myself how the best things in life are free.
Oh my goodness, Laura. I am so very, very sorry. Much love to you.
Peace to you and your family, Laura!
I’m so sorry. Sending hugs for you and your children.
1) I am participating in Shelftember, eating from stock first and only spending $25 or less a week. So far, so good. Using up some weird things!!
2)In light of #2, I used coupons for my shopping this week and got quite a bit for my money.
3)I booked a free hotel night that comes with my Hilton card. Since we can't travel, we're doing a "staycation." Will report on how it goes!
4)Yesterday, I made homemade, bread, muffins and chocolate cake. Direct result of shelftember.
5) I have a goal not to buy any toiletries until I use a box full of travel size stuff collected from travel. Those small toothpaste tubes last surprisingly long!!