Five Frugal Things | Cooked fruit salad
I'm gonna be struggling to come up with five, because my last four work shifts were pretty close together, which means I have not happened to do a whole lot of frugal things.
1. I cooked some fruit salad
This sounds weird, I know, but hang with me. I had brought a big fruit salad to work for a potluck, and I left one bowl for the night-shift people.
I took home the remainder the next day, and while it wasn't much, I didn't want to throw it away.
However, I also was feeling slightly sketchy about eating it as-is, even though it had been refrigerated.
So, I dumped the fruit into a pot, cooked it down into a somewhat jammy consistency, and ate it, cold, on top of some vanilla Greek yogurt. It was actually super tasty!
I figured the boiling would certainly kill any potluck germs that had accumulated. 😉
2. I froze my grapes
I had a slightly neglected bag of grapes in my fridge, so some of them were past their prime.
I sorted out all the worst ones, then froze the others on a baking sheet.
I'll snack on them (frozen grapes are delicious!) or I will add them to my smoothies.
3. I worked a weekend shift
One of my shifts was on a Sunday, which means I earned a couple extra dollars per hour.
You can earn a lot more than a couple of extra dollars by working weekend nights, but we all know I do not consider that to be worth it.
4. I packed my lunches from single servings that I'd frozen
When I made the baked ziti (with this protein pasta) for my freezer challenge, I set aside one portion and froze it, just to test out how well it freezes and reheats.
And the last time I made my chili and cilantro-lime rice, I froze a portion in the bottom of a container, and then I pressed a cup of the cilantro rice into a one-cup mold and put that on top of the chili.
I used these meals for my last two shifts, and they both thawed and reheated nicely. Yay! Now I know for the future.
This is a prime example of my "try it and see" philosophy.
Freezing a single serving as a test subject is very low stakes, and now I know I have two meals that freeze and reheat well. Knowledge gained, nothing lost. And even if one of these had been a dud, that would have been only a small loss.
5. I used a Panera gift card for a no-cook dinner
On one of my days off between shifts, I did not feel like cooking. So, Zoe picked up a Panera order for us on her way home from work, using a gift card from my credit card rewards.
I got the Green Goddess salad, which has a very respectable 40 grams of protein.
1. I took my daughter to the opening of a new exhibit at our science museum. It was a free event.
2. I used up some leftover pasta, cheeses, and homemade tomato sauce to make baked pasta for my lunch this week.
3. I bought lots of $0.20 packs of 3 rolls of transparent tape from Aldi. I also bought $1 Carolina BBQ sauce.
4. I signed myself and my daughter up for classes at the library.
5. We are scheduled to get our COVID and flu vaccines this week.
I think you did a great job saving food during a busy week!
--I took advantage of several free shipping deals to order garlic for planting and a specific color of bearded iris for my husband's anniversary present ("Valentino," for the curious). His personal gothic garden comes together, bit by bit. <3
--I trimmed and oiled my hair this weekend, both of which were overdue. An 1 1/2" off (cut myself, as always) and an oil soak (worked/braided into my hair before working in the yard for three hours) made for quite the reset!
--My last free gardening hat--a trucker-type promotional product--finally fell apart in the wash. Thankfully, my husband's job just gave him a free trucker hat from one of their vendors. It's not a style my husband cares for; since the hat's destiny involves copious amounts of sweat and bug spray, I'm not too picky. 😛
--We received a check from our insurance reimbursing us for a prescription overcharge. Yay $230!
--I accidentally ended up in charge of our village library's Trick or Treat table. I'm hitting up sales for the treats even though I'll be reimbursed; any unclaimed treats will go to the library's after school snacks. Everything else is free! I already have sparkly tableclothes, a "good witch" outfit,* and I'll use our own enameled dutch ovens (purple and green) as cauldrons for the treats.
*A pink Marilyn Monroe-style halter dress with black cats and stars around the skirt--a friend bought it for me at an estate sale for $3! Throw in a black crinoline (have), a long flowy black cardigan (have), cosmic socks and black ankle boots (have both), and a friend's borrowed witch hat = good witch!
Re: the "accidentally," I was the board member who suggested the library have a Halloween table this year. Since I'm the only child-free member (the others understandably want to take their kids) and was the most enthusiastic, guess where that landed me. 😛 May as well roll with it and have fun!
There’s so much joy in this post: anniversary irises! good witch library costumes!
I just did a quick vegetable run to a small shop that sells a lot of local produce. Pumpkins, cabbages and root vegetables were B1G1. Also on offer: bell peppers, cooking pears and more. I am all set for this week and several weeks ahead.
Other than that, my financial focus will be on making the most of the changes to our pension system (moving from fixed earnings to fixed contribution). I will involve our financial adviser, as will my husband.
The new system has better conditions for people who are left widowed/widower. So at least that is a bonus.
*I got a free pack of break and bake cookies. The price rang up wrong, so I got them free.
*I remembered to use a 5$ off 25$ coupon at dollar general to stock up on a few essentials.
*Will pay car insurance in a lump sum today and save 10%.
*Trying to use up freezer food and not make extra runs to the store.
*Target rewarded me with 5$ off a Halloween item- I used it to buy a 5$ tote that will hold the raffle prize for the school trunk or treat.
Great job on the food experimentation front, Kristen!
My church had a flea market. I was volunteering, but waited until the end of the sale to shop. For $10 I got a new rice cooker (mine died 2 weeks ago), 3 cute cookie tins for the holidays, a small (new) nice quality candle, a pair of earrings, several wooden clothespins for my basement drying rack, and some cardboard cutout rounds and doilies to out cakes upon when I’m baking for others. I was pleased!
1. I began taking a GLP-1 as part of my eating recovery program. It is not covered by my insurance. (Sigh. I would only qualify with a BMI of 35) I jumped through the Lily Direct hoops and am receiving an average of 30% discount which saves well over a hundred dollars a month.
2 I am determined to remain healthy with this new medication. I pulled out my Omega Juicer which is incredibly fancy. I am eating enough fiber but I want to add even more fruits and veggies. I bought a 10 pound bag of carrots for .70 a pound. That is a good deal around here. I add bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, ginger cubes. It is a tasty V8 juice.
3. I went to my gym's free yoga classes even though it means I get up at 5:00.
4. I signed up for a free body image group class held through my insurance.
5. I brought leftovers from a church benefit, added rice and ate them the next day.