Five Frugal Things | eBay, muffins, a haircut, and more!
1. I made sweet potato chocolate chip muffins.
I had some wrinkly sweet potatoes, so I peeled, boiled, and mashed them, and used them in this recipe, which is just a minor variation on a pumpkin muffin recipe.
Not the most virtuous way in the world to use up sweet potatoes.
But definitely a delicious way.
2. I gave Sonia a haircut.
I gave her her usual post-dance-recital haircut this summer (must have bun-length hair for recital time!), but she decided she'd like even more cut off.
So she put it on the "I need mom to..." list, and I finally got it done yesterday.
Sonia has blonde hair, but she's currently rocking this temporary hot pink hair color (applied via shampoo). More info about the colorwash here.
(Here's how I do an at-home bob haircut.)
3. I sold three of my Halloween costumes on eBay!
Remember how I was worried they weren't going to sell?
I guess I just needed to be more patient, because the Mrs. Incredible Costume sold for my full asking price, and so did the Snow White costume.
(I bought it on eBay last year for $9, and I sold it for $12.99 this year. SWEET.)
I lowered the prices on the Alice and Dorothy costumes, and Dorothy sold just yesterday.
So, all that's left is Alice in Wonderland. Yay!
Naturally, I packaged up all of my eBay sales in reused padded envelopes, because free packing materials are the most fabulous.
4. I used up two of my Hungry Harvest veggies.
Fruit is never, ever a problem for us to use up.
My kids snack on fruit, I pack it in Mr. FG's lunches, and if worse comes to worse, there's always fruit salad, or freezing for smoothies.
Vegetables, though? I have to be more intentional about them.
So, last night I roasted some pork, and I also roasted those mixed potatoes and sauteed the green beans.
Still pondering what I want to do with the zucchini. And of course I will use the lettuce in a salad.
5. I...
- emailed a contact about getting payment for a sponsored post I did this summer (getting paid is TOTALLY frugal)
- made the Pioneer Woman's overnight French toast to use up a bunch of random bread odds and ends
- had a date night with Mr. FG at the taco truck ($2.50 tacos make it easy to stay in our $20 budget)
- baked up some leftover pizza dough into a garlic flatbread.
Your turn!
Share your own Five Frugal Things in the comments.
Hmm. I feel as if I'm not doing too much lately except awaiting a baby, so this might be a stretch . . .
1) I made YET MORE applesauce from the too-numerous apples my husband and sons picked last week that were starting to head south. I already have something like 35 quarts canned and frozen, so this batch--another gallon--has just been for eating this week.
2) Ditto the tomato sauce I made yesterday from the fruit-fly-attracting box of tomatoes on my counter.
3) I waited until this weekend to buy my eldest son his winter coat. I get the warmest coats from L.L. Bean (our winters feature literally life-threatening weather sometimes, so this is not something I'm willing to compromise on), thereby catching their twenty percent off sale. Then I got a $10 credit with them for spending more than $50, which I used with the same sale to get him his long underwear for something like six dollars. His younger brothers will wear all his outgrown stuff.
4) A frugal thing on behalf of my mom . . . she's staying here for 2.5 weeks and the rental car she got to get here from the distant airport was going to be pretty exorbitant for that period of time, so we brought her to the not-very-close city to drop it off yesterday. It meant my kids had to sit in the car for a total of about three hours, but she did get them a doughnut at the grocery store we stopped at, as well as paid for the few groceries I got while we were there, so we were all happy in the end. 🙂
5) My kids have been getting in the habit of yanking the biggest carrots they can find from the garden to gnaw on like dog bones, and these are some HUGE carrots. This means they usually finish about three-quarters of one and then I have a giant gnawed-on carrot end. So I've been cutting off the chewed part and cutting the remaining carrot into carrot sticks for their packed school lunches. I can see that the end is in sight for the seemingly never-ending carrots this year, so I am loathe to waste any. Or rather, have them waste any.
1. Got free Culver's on Sunday with their text club.
2. Shopped around for tires for our older vehicles, figuring out that it is better to shop online even for the brick and mortar store in our town (with promo codes, rebates, etc.) and then get them delivered and set up an appointment for the local store! Go figure!
3. Started making homemade rolls for brats ahead of time (what a concept), so now we always have an easy dinner in the freezer. (Grilling year round in Florida)
4. DH fixed two minor things at my parents' house, saving them money as they were set to call a repairman.
5. Watched Thursday night football on Amazon Prime (not that into football,but it was free!)
We went to ear dinner w my inlaws, and split a coupon dinner with them at Lenny's Subs. And packed a meal for the kids, so that's a double frugal win! Bought a new shower head on amazon and we're reusing the current one in kids bathroom. Oh! And argued down our Internet price to a new customer price!
Congrats on the sale of your Halloween costume. We just bought a costume for Baby FAF from Target for $20. We also bought other props for $30. Maybe I should have brought them on eBay instead.
I decided to change my hairstyle and cut my bangs at home last weekend. It was free, and my bangs looked fine 😉
I spent Sat & Sun using up all the odds and end in my fridge, out came lasagna and pizza. I use your pizza recipe and a hot oven, it turned out great!
I used a coupon to buy canned dog food for my dog who had to have 12 teeth pulled. She has to eat soft for 10 days. One was abscessed and she is doing so much better. No worries -she is older and they pulled mostly the small teeth. She may have to get a job though to cover her costs...Ha!
Aldi had chicken breasts marked down -made fried chicken which is a treat around here.
I got a flu shot which was free to me and I got Plenti points for it.
Our garage door opener is fried, rather than hire it out we are going to replace it ourselves. We watched several You Tube videos. Thanks goodness for You Tube videos.
Our current favorite thing for zucchini is to make a very simple zucchini parmesan (link below) - just layer red sauce, sliced zucchini, parmesan and top with a little mozzarella. Bake until cheese is browning - I go for 20-30 min to keep the zucchini "al dente" because I like it best that way. Recipe is very flexible - I have done with yellow squash as well or mixed the two.
https://www.injennieskitchen.com/2017/08/zucchini-parmesan/
this sounds very yummy!
This week may be a stretch but here goes:
1. I usually take a close friend out for a birthday lunch but this year invited her, her mom and a couple we have known for decades here for a fajita dinner. Such fun and it probably cost what a lunch out would have. Now we're eating the leftovers.
2. Still getting a few tomatoes from the garden. I dug the sweet potatoes and have them 'sweetening' in this warm weather. I planted kale where the beans were and it seems to be growing happily. A very good garden for getting things out late at the new house.
3. Using some old fabric and batting, I made velvet pumpkins. The stems were ones from my niece's pumpkins from previous years.
4. Keeping a close eye on the fridge and trying to use all the produce creatively. I still struggle with just feeding two of us.
5. The weather had been so unseasonably warm this fall that we still have all the windows opened. No need for air conditioning with the nights being so cool. Our gas bill is insanely low although we pay on a level billing plan. We will have plenty of credit to offset higher heating costs this winter.
Enjoy this lovely fall, Kristen!
1. I have several hand-me-down Halloween costumes to chose from for the little one but still need to find a costumer for my 4.5-year-old. Maybe I can convince him to wear one of his past costumes/dress up clothes since they still fit him. I'll also check out eBay, thanks for the idea.
2. I'm getting a free flu shot through work on Thursday.
3. We had leftovers for dinner last night.
4. I made and brought my own coffee to work yesterday since I did not get much sleep the night before.
5. I brought snacks to work instead yesterday so I was not tempted to go to the vending machine. Homemade pumpkin muffins are much better anyway. 🙂
I think your daughter’s list is funny about posting for mom to give her a haircut, my son gets funny on his haircuts too. Unlike the older one who doesn’t really like getting his haircut, but takes a seat without arguing except who’s turn it is to go first, my youngest is picky about how his hair looks and he tells my hubby when he needs one. He is very involved, he knows the steps, and last night while getting his haircut, he was confirming what step he was on in the process of his haircut, he know he used multiple clipper attachments, then it was scissors and comb to blend the transitions and finish up with the wahl peanut clipper.
Hubby does the boys’ haircuts once a month and by week three, my younger son is reminding hubby he is getting near due, and that he needs one soon. I am glad hubby is adept handling the clippers and shears and can give my picky son the results he wants, it would drive me crazy if I had to take him to a special barber and pay $30 a month versus just having my husband do it.
It's good to know you were able to sell your Halloween costumes on ebay. I just bought my two girls' costumes last night at target (not frugal I know... this third pregnancy has made me so sick, frugality has all but gone out the window in favor of just getting through). Obviously I spent more than I would have liked but it was just easy because I was already there... anyway, hopefully I'll be able to sell them later on for next year (unless it's just too unbearable for them to part with their Belle and Minnie Mouse dresses, in which case I'll probably cave and let them keep them (they're just too cute sometimes). Lol 🙂
Can I ask what your costumes are in the family pic? I recognize Lisey's but I guess I live under a rock more than I realized cause I'm not able to place the rest of them... Lol
Joshua is a plague doctor (from history past!), Zoe is Wednesday Addams, Sonia is a slightly punk version of Alice in Wonderland, and Mr. FG and I are a generic huntsman and huntswoman from Party City's costume section. 😉
The plague doctors are so bizarre looking but it's somehow not the least disturbing thing about the black death.
Here’s a suggestion for your zucchini: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/amp54806/zucchini-cheesy-bread-recipe/
The zucchinis in our garden did extremely well this year so we have had sooo many baseball bat-sized ones. Lol
That's funny that Sonia chose the pink color, because, as a blonde, she already stands out in that group of dark heads. I'll bet she looks cute in it.
1. I almost bought a puzzle online for a gift, because it was so cute. Then I came to my senses and realized that by the time I paid shipping (this wasn't Amazon, obviously), I would have paid way too much money for a puzzle. So I didn't buy it. Not making an over-priced purchase is frugal.
2. I will cut my husband's hair this week and it's time to trim my bangs.
3. I washed and trimmed my dogs.
4. I found one of the best cleaning rags, when a little extra scrub power is needed, is my husband's old waffle weave thermal long underwear. I cut up some worn out ones and the texture is perfect for scrubbing.
5. I continue using Duolingo, which is free, to learn Spanish. While I have a long way to go, I was surprised at how often I could at least make myself understood or catch a meaning when I was in Central America this past summer.
1) Bought whole carrots and celery to cut up for snacking. Made ranch dip from a packet and sour cream. So much cheaper than pre-cut veggies. The dip isn't much less expensive, but it tastes so much better and, if I buy natural sour cream, has far fewer ingredients.
2) After a hit-and-run accident that totaled my car... (it was a 2005 and not worth enough to do the repair), we had to finance a vehicle. BUT, we purchased something well within our means ($27 less than our previous car payment) that only increased our insurance rates by $2 a month. The car is also more fuel efficient.
3) Paid off 27% of my INSANE five-figure credit card debt (decidedly an unfrugal habit I've been breaking) in 8 months. YES!!!!
4) We're eating mostly out of our freezer and pantry this month so that we have enough in the grocery budget for hosting Thanksgiving in November.
5) Signed up for professional development classes with lunch included. So I get to do fun work things AND feel like I'm treating myself by eating out.
I found a dry mix recipe online -- it was at One Good Thing by Jillee -- that I use to make my own ranch dressing and dip. I believe it is the "BYU ranch dressing mix."
Black Pepper ¼ C
Parsley Flakes 1 1/2 C
Garlic Salt ½ C
Kosher Salt 2 T
Granulated Garlic ¼ C
Granulated Onion 3/4 C
Dill Weed 2 T
Procedure:
1. Combine all ingredients, store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 ½ cups of dry mix
2. To Make Dressing, whisk together 2 T of mix with 2 Cups each of mayonnaise and buttermilk 1 ½ Cups sour cream, & 1 t Lemon Juice. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Makes 1 ¾ Quarts
I don't like the taste of black pepper, so I leave it out or cut it way back. I use extra garlic powder instead of garlic salt, and add more plain salt if I think it needs more salt to it. I only make a half recipe at a time when I make the dressing, since 1 and 3/4 quarts at a time is way too much for us. I find it to be much cheaper than mix packets from the store, plus I can use organic if I want.
Enjoy!
Zucchini bread, zucchini lattkes, dice it and saute it for stir fry or in a lo mein
1.) We had a lot of chicken parts in the freezer so my wife and I made chicken stock. We made about 6 or 7 quarts (I have to put it in jars tonight)
2.) Made four loaves of bread and four pizza doughs to freeze for later use.
3.) My daughter is turning 2 so instead of going all out, we're getting a deli platter and I'm going to make rolls. Sure beats the cost of catering.
4.) Really working on getting the meal prep/planning ahead of time. If nothing else it's stopping the "I don't know, just make whatever" talks my wife and I often have.
5.) My wife and I both have October birthdays so last night (on a perhaps not so frugal trip to Ikea) we stopped at Red Robin and cashed in both our free burgers.
That is so handy to have birthdays in the same month! Then you can get freebies together.
I don't like zucchini so I hide zucchini shreds in other foods.
To make zucchini shreds, grate or shred the zukes, then squeeze out the liquid in a towel. You now have dry tasteless things instead of mushy tasteless things.
Add them to sautes, such as hash browns, scrambled eggs, frittatas, sauteed mushrooms, patties or croquettes, and so on.
1. The last of the cherry tomatoes from the garden, some celery from same, an onion, part of a green pepper went into 4 pints of pickles.
2. My car, which I got in May, was due for an oil change and since it was done at the dealer and was our first, it was free!
3. This car is 11 years newer than our old one and Honda has improved it so our next oil change is 10, 000 kilometers or 6 months, whichever comes first. Nice change from the former 8,000 km/3 months schedule. (Car gets better gas milage too)
4. We have a botanical garden membership, so we're planning to visit at least 3 other gardens for free under the Reciprocal Admission Program the membership is good for (and we got the membership through Groupon!) on our upcoming vacation.
5. Got potato chips, trail mix, and crackers at the grocery discount outlet to combine with cheese ends and veggies from home for some healthy snacking on our drive to the southwest US. Always use up whatever we can the week before we go away for a month (retired).
1. My employer's open enrollment season is upon us for health care and I am using the HMO option (which is the most frugal option but isn't very flexible). After doing my research and talking about it with hubby, we've decided that I will stay in my HMO. I just need to "get better" about making appointments for myself. I've been sick for about four weeks and now that I'm really sick, I can't get in to the dr.'s for a few more days.
2. Yesterday at work I realized that my parents were starting to come apart at the seam right below the waist line. As soon as I got home I sewed them right back together before they went into the hamper!!
3. Also last evening, I glued part of my wallet back together. It had been coming apart at a seem, but I really like this wallet. So I glued it back together. Good as new.
4. I had started a nasty habit of stopping at Dunkin Donuts each morning for coffee. About two weeks ago I told myself I was gaining weight from the coffee, so I've brought flavored water each day instead.
5. My mind is blanking right now on a fifth item. I guess four will have to do for this week.
When your parents start to come apart at the seams it's really bad!!! Looool!
Sometimes Mr. FG and I feel like we're coming apart at the seams. 😉
My husband and I have been joking that we are quite "holey" lately. We haven't bought ourselves anything new in quite some time. (The kids needs always come first over ours). We've been trying to do "without" for too long and it's really starting to show. But I am proud of the sewing job I did on my pants.
OMG I just realized that I spelled parents instead of pants!!!
That's okay! It was a hoot and gave me a good laugh! Thanks
I can see parents coming apart at the seams, but your solution to that problem was hilarious.
1. Knowing we're having one of those super busy not gonna eat dinner together type of weeks, I bought a few of the $5 rotisserie chickens and frozen veg so we can have quick meals instead of take out.
2. Won a great door prize, a huge basket full of items from the school book fair, so now I have some birthday party gifts and surprises for the kids hidden away. Not frugal, but lucky, I guess.
3. Conquered the leftovers, and with minimal complaining.
4. We have put together my oldest son's costume of found items around the house. Too bad I can't seem to come up with something for the others...2 and 1, they won't really care, I don't think.
5. Been given loads of hand me downs!
Okay, brace yourself and squeamish people turn away. We have been foregoing the professional exterminators. DH took down two wasps nests last week that were on our eaves. I am tackling the mice in the attic. (Ew, ew, scary, and ew, but SUPER cheap to DIY!)
At first I read the post title as "eBAY muffins" and I was all "No, Kristen! Do not buy muffins off eBAY!" LOL. Crisis averted. Let's see I 1) brought coffee to work instead of getting company coffee (more frugal for the company than for me, but still), 2) we actually avoided eating out at all for the past two weeks!, 3) and I have successfully cut my own hair, so I can do that again this week.
Haha, eBay is good for a lot of things, but muffins? Not so much!
Let's see...
1. Grocery shopped at Aldi, and while I spent a lot, it was lower than in would have been had I shopped anywhere else. And I used a $5 off coupon!! My regular store is being remodeled so they handed these out, to use at another nearby store.
2. Used a $10 off any purchase at JCPenny and bought my daughter ankle boots for $12.
3. Shopped on JCPenny.com during a sale and ordered my 16 year old son jeans for $13.99 and am crossing my fingers they fit.
4. Made applesauce with some old apples.
5. Ate all meals at home.
I am glad for you that your costumes sold!
1. I have been on a mission to use up all the little bottles of shampoo and lotion from hotel visits- it is a bit frugal and a bit of decluttering.
2. I picked all the basil in the garden last night before our first freeze. I will transplant some of the smaller plants and put in pots for myself and a few gifts.
3. We covered the tomatoes and cucumbers and a few flowers to save them from the freeze.
4. I went to a garage sale on Saturday and found several useful things at some great prices.
5. My sister and I exchanged some clothes. It is nice that I can still do that with a beloved sister.
I've never commented before but this seems like so much fun I wanted to join in.
1. We've been eating from the freezer and pantry to use stuff up and it helps with the grocery bill.
2. I used up my zucchini in meatloaf. It got rave reviews and my family didn't even know they ate zucchini.
3.My son saw a winter vest he wanted at Old Navy which cost $40. We went to the consignment store instead. We got 2 winter vests (one was an Old Navy brand), 4 sweaters, a hooded sweatshirt, a video, and a book for $45! It felt good to include my son in that because I want to teach him to be frugal.
4. I found books for $1 in the school book order for my son to practice his reading. He is also really enjoying the school library, and I added on to his library for cheap.
5. I started Christmas shopping a little at a time with the goals of getting things that people actually like, buying in cash, and shopping local. So far, so good!
Thanks, Kristen. I really enjoy reading your posts!
Woohoo! So glad you joined us.
Let's see if I can think of some.
I reconfigured my budget. After paying off my debt last June, I was sort of just spending the "extra" that use to go to debt payments willy nilly. It was fun, but I wasn't really working towards any of my post-debt financial goals. Now I have a new plan, new goals and am back in the saddle as far as living on a budget goes.
I am still experimenting with the Instant Pot I got for my birthday. I got some Instant Pot cook books at the library. I am really glad I didn't buy them because the recipes I tried from the first one were not that great. The second one looks promising though.
Right now I am eating homemade soup from my freezer for lunch instead of going out and buying chicken and fries which sound so good for some reason! And I have some sesame beef cooking away in the slow cooker for dinner so I won't be tempted to pick up chicken on the way home either.
I strained my wrist somehow and instead of running out and buying a brace, I dug around in the closed until I found my stash of ace bandages. I haven't seen them in years! But at one point I had washed them, folded them neatly, and put them in a plastic shoe box with a label. I am so impressed that I got that organized at some point. Present me wishes to thank Past me for doing that. haha. I hope I can do something today that Future me will be grateful for.
You can shred and freeze zucchini for using later in zucchini bread and casseroles.
Chugging along and wasting less food. Husband gets 2 shout-outs for preventing frugal fails:
1. He checked around the internet and tracked down some new readable knobs for my old stove. Not cheap but definitely cheaper than a new stove. Now I can see what temp I am baking at and use the timer too. So great!
2. And he prevented me from tossing the last of the wretched over-spiced soup I kept trying to fix from last week by offering to EAT IT for lunch -- I was thrilled and not a little shocked. Honestly, we kept adding stuff but nothing helped. So this really is one for the team. 🙂
3.. The usual breakfasts at home and brown bagging lunch to work.
4. Keeping a list on the 'frig (and a marker that writes at 45 degree angle) and trying to only buy as much as the 2 of us can eat -- with the exception of wonderful markdowns: 1/2 off frozen organic turkey burgers, Amy's frozen meals for busy nights greatly reduced, and always the "used produce" section. Also checking the fresh reduced or "use immediately" meats to freeze.
5. List also pinpoints stuff we'll need eventually/soon -- detergent, toothpaste, etc.-- so I can be checking the sales.
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And zucchini was one of the many things I tossed into that blasted soup, to no avail. Maybe you can make a good soup and throw them in ?
1. Made chicken noodle soup with veggies that we needed to eat up.
2. Also instead of buying packaged snacks, I've been offering fruit or homemade peanut butter energy bites for after school snacks.
3. Made a new batch of pretty blue play dough. Added some essential oil for relaxation:)
4. Also added essential oils & Epsom Salt to a bath. I'm learning that self-care doesn't have to be expensive.
5. Finding joy in God, my friends, my family and community, even in financially challenging seasons.
In the last several months, I've gone back to basic punjabi cooking. I make fresh roti, rice, lentils, vegetables and curry almost daily. I have really cut back on the western food plan. Not only is my new menu made from fresh ingredients it's also so very cheap. I'm so surprised how much we are saving.
Family of 5:
Western food bill at least $350 per week.
Indian food bill less then $60.
Saving: $290 per week.
Wow!!
I like to cut zucchini in 1 1/2 inch long sticks (about a 1/2 inch wide), throw on a backing sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes. It's good to check them at around 5 minutes to flip them so the other side gets browned.
1) I planned to buy a life jacket for each member of our family now that my brother has a river house. I was all set to buy a bunch off Craigslist when my aunt informed me that she has tons in child and adult sizes that we may use. Free is even better than cheap!
2) My husband and I are both from the tradition of Brunswick stew making. We don't make Brunswick stew a few quarts at a time--our recipes start at five gallons. (We make it and freeze it to last for months. We also compete in local cook offs.) We have been through several standard kitchen choppers. This time we decided to buy a commercial grade french fry maker to process all the potatoes and onions. The $50 price tag was more than we usually spend on that kind of thing. But this will be the only french fry chopper we buy the rest of our lives, and we can pass it on to our little stew masters in training.
3) I listened to a library audiobook during kitchen chores tonight. It is a biography of Alexander Dumas and his father. The context of the biography is the history of France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which is new to me as I study American history. What a treat!
4) I moved $500 out of savings to checking yesterday to make sure our credit card bill being automatically debited tomorrow doesn't overdraft the account. We had some unexpectedly high medical bills last month, so this shortage falls under the category of "emergency" instead of overspending. (Even though I am on our health insurance like a dog on a bone, their reviewers find every reason under the sun to deny everything they can.) Now looking back at the debits about to come out of our account I realize we should be fine. But I'm going to keep the extra cash in there just until everything clears.
5) We made a dinner of leftovers, I popped stove top popcorn to add to the kids' lunches, we read library books to the kids before bed, I drove the more fuel efficient vehicle on my longer commute, I accepted another airbnb reservation, we switched our company payroll to a cheaper company, and my husband and I both worked crazy hard today (like, way harder than we plan to work after we get these kids through expensive daycare and have built our company and re-padded our savings accounts).