Five Frugal Things | eBay shoes
1. I bought work shoes on eBay
As you know, I like my wide-toe-box Altras for my hospital work shifts. My current pair has logged a LOT of miles, and is ready for retirement.
Unfortunately, Altras are pretty pricey.
So, I hopped onto eBay, found a very gently used pair, and bought them.
The lucky thing about Altras is that some people seem to buy them, discover that they hate the way they feel, then list them on eBay.
This setup is fine with me, because there's a steady stream of barely-used Altras for me to buy.
2. I'm going to try to take Ethics at my community college
My BSN advisor suggested I do this to save money, so this week I filled out the form to ask permission from my BSN school.
Hopefully they will say yes to the request because then I can make my hospital reimbursement dollars go further.
Also, I have to say that my community college classes were almost all of higher quality than the classes at this four-year school, so I would honestly rather take a community college ethics class! I am so disappointed in the shoddy quality of the BSN program I am in; I expected more from a four-year university.
My community college is very highly rated, so I guess it spoiled me!
3. I used up a cake mix and my clearance heavy cream
I realized I had a soon-to-expire angel food cake mix, and also that I needed to use up my scratch-and-dent heavy cream.
So, I baked the cake, whipped the cream, sliced some strawberries, and Zoe and I enjoyed it for dessert.
This is not a particularly nutritious frugal thing, but it was delicious. 😉
4. I used a gift card at Starbucks with my friend Brittany
She and I got kind of volunteered to do the graduate speech at our residency graduation, and we met up at Starbucks to figure out what we were going to say.
It was like a throwback to our nursing school study sessions!
I used a gift card for my drink, of course. 😉
5. We trimmed Chiquita's nails at home
It does take two of us, but we get it done as a team! Zoe holds Chiquita and feeds her one of those squeezy tuna or chicken treats, and I do the trimming.
Chiquita does not adore this process, but she tolerates it because she does adore her squeezy treats (which she only gets during nail trimming).
The shape of your Altras is a lot like that of my pink indoor trainers that I always use at the gym. The brand escapes me, but they are so comfortable.
Frugals:
- Again, hot and humid days. Again I hooked the corners of a worn through fitted sheet on the corners of the back door, to keep out the sun. The sheet has a tear, but I hung it so that the untorn part is at glass level. I am always amazed how functional this is. It is a difference of several degrees in the entree, at zero cost. And on cool days I just take it down again. I am glad I didn't tear the sheet in cloth sized bits yet.
- I painted walls and ceiling of an attic room, with paint I already had and wearing my oldest shorts and shirt. Afterwards I washed the clothes together with a flannel cloth I used for a brush, cleaned the brushes, and on the lid of the paint bucket I sharpied which room, when used, and approximately how much paint left.
- Because of so much sun, I did my laundry on solar power and line dried my laundry - it dried incredibly quickly even beneath the sunscreen.
- I did not feel like cooking so we had yoghurt with granola and fruits one day. And this morning before work I cooked the components of a salad with chicken for tonight. It was already warm. By dinner time it will be too hot and humid to cook. Also, we had sun tea with decaf tea.
- The water containers now empty, I went to the nearby ditch to get a few buckets of water for the potted plants. The water is nearly a meter lower than usual, I hope the sides of the ditch will remain firm and not crumble. We had a little rain last weekend and I fervently hope we will have more, soon. Putting in a request for a slow and steady drizzle of a few days if it can be had - but any water is welcome really.
The fitted sheet is a good idea! It was so terribly hot and dry when I was in England over summer (it's raining here which feels like a miracle). All the grass was incredibly parched and I suspect there will be a hosepipe ban soon.
JNL, have you had the same terrible heat in The Netherlands as they've been having in Spain and France, and as Sophie reports in England? If so, I send you (and Sophie and our other UK/European Commentariat members) my sympathy.
A. Marie,
My family and I were vacationing in Paris when the heat wave in Europe was gaining steam. We were lucky enough to have a hotel room with A/C....I know many European homes and hotels do not. Joining with you in giving my sympathies to our UK/Europe Commentariat.
I appreciate it (and thanks Liz B. as well)!. Fortunately my parents' house is old and generally keeps cool, but it was still far too warm. The temperature was even higher in the week before I got back and they said they sat outside in the shade of the garden a lot. My sister has a fan which her cat spent most of the day lying in front of. The majority of homes here do not have air conditioning.
Sophie, I hope that the weather improves soon for your mom and dad, and that it’s cooler for you in Denmark.
Our son and his family spend July in France each year to visit his wife's family. There is nearly no a/c and no screens in windows either. They took along those personal fans that wrap around your neck to help a little because they learned from last year.
--Squash bugs and vine borers invaded!!! I called "Time!" on the pie pumpkin patch, making sure to dispose of all the vines in a garbage bag to contain the infestation. Thankfully, the seven mammoth pie pumpkins that survived were *just* ready to harvest. Two had minor insect damage and were roasted for puree immediately; the other five (after careful inspection) were stored on the squash shelves I built last year.
--Homemade pumpkin puree is 1) made in the crockpot to avoid heating up the house, and 2) traditionally stored/frozen in recycled Talenti containers. This totally excuses the occasional gelato splurge. 😉
--We started buying eggs from one of my husband's co-workers, who sells them for $3 a dozen.
--I continue to build community through extra cucumbers and am thankful for the zucchini fairies leaving gifts on the porch. I seem to be the only person who can't grow zucchini! 😛
--My husband and I did a full expenses audit this past weekend. We found a few areas to improve/shave $10-20 off a month, but on the whole we run a tight ship!
N,
More pumpkin = increased need fot Talenti containers! Win-win!
And I'm also unable to grow zucchini. The last few times I tried, the plants flowered, then withered and died. I finally gave up. Fortumately, friends at work share their bumper crop!
So upon your recommendation I tried altras! Kristen you’ve saved my feet! I had so much trouble finding shoes that didn’t hurt my feet. I can say I went on an Alaskan adventure this summer and walked 15k a day and my feet felt great the whole time! Thanks for your review!
Altras make my awful feet functional and less painful. Thankful for Kristen's recommendation awhile back!
Just throwing it out there that on Amazon you can get zero-drop shoes called Whitins that have the wide toe box and all. They are kinda ugly (in my opinion), but I wear them as my house shoes. And all my kids have worn them, too. They're less than half the cost of Altras. Not as much of a built-up sole, though.
Thank you for this, Kristin! I just ordered a pair, in hopes that I will be able to wear “real” shoes instead of only Crocs. I love Crocs, but am ever hopeful for a pair of real shoes (stupid peripheral neuropathy trying to wreck my life).
I wanted to try the Altras after seeing how much you liked them and after trying and returning four different pairs, I am sad to say Im one of the few they dont work for. It was more where they were hitting on the back of my ankle. But happy you were able to score a discounted pair!
Kristen, How do you possibly always seem to have gift cards to use? I hardly ever get or have them. Good on you! And as I'm one of those people who just don't fit Altras, I'm glad that you found a very newish pair on Ebay.
It seems like cheating to list using the library each time, but...
– I enjoy LOTS of free library books
– & reserved the library pass for a local museum for later this week
– bought a supporting membership for a historic society which will allow unlimited visits to their sites, AND it's part of North American Reciprocal Museums (NARM) which will allow visiting other museums in North America. I got the individual membership which is for me and one unnamed guest so I can take anyone I want every time I visit.
– my Thredup order arrived and the sweater and pants actually fit well and are comfortable, so they're soaking in a vinegar/water bucket to remove the yucky smell that Thredup orders always seem to have. Today they'll get a good wash and drying out in the fresh air. I was disappointed in the silk tank top I ordered because it's clearly been shrunk; but it's a good brand and might fit my daughter.
– found a Goodwill nearby that I didn't know about so will be checking it out
I need to get new running shoes as I managed to leave mine in England!
I hope you enjoy Ethics! I loved studying it in high school, and again during my master's.
Frugals:
1. Aside from the the non-frugal need to buy new running shoes, I bought some cheap rain boots from a supermarket, only to discover they were too big. I tried on the others but they were all too big or too small (my feet are annoyingly between sizes) and, rather than convince myself that the slightly large pair kind of fitted (when in reality they slipped around and would probably give me blisters), I returned the boots and got my money back.
2. I had quite a large collection of old soda cans and a few water bottles which had built up before going back for summer, so earlier I returned them at the supermarket and got a deposit ticket.
3. I brought a sandwich to the airport. When I got back to my apartment I had to do a small grocery shop, but Past Me put bread in the freezer and cans of tomatoes, beans and packages of pasta in the cupboard.
4. I made a payment on my student loan and transferred money to my emergency fund and savings account.
5. I was pretty tired yesterday but it was sunny and I thought movement would help, so I went to the beach nearby and went swimming for some free exercise.
This frugal fail probably cancels out most of the above, but I managed to leave a bag in the airport in England! I reported it to lost property, and luckily it was found, and even more luckily my parents can collect it on my behalf...but there's a fine and there were some clothes and my running shoes in it! Gah! This was after my dad had to race back to the house because I suddenly remembered I'd left my keys behind. I had a tummy bug a few days prior and am choosing to blame it on that. Talk about a headdesk moment!
I feel you on the left-behind keys & bag - when my brain gets in distracted mode it always seems to lead to a littered trail of cleanup (not just one thing) - so in my book, you definitely get credit for remembering your keys before you took off!
Thanks! At least I remembered before arriving at the airport! When I was packing I distinctly remember thinking 'don't forget the keys' and then I got distracted. This is why I should always physically write a list for packing. My dad told me I should have kept the keys in my shoulder bag, but ironically I took them out in case I lost the bag!
Frugal things:
* Canceled a subscription we're no longer using
* Read books on Kindle Unlimited
* Baked bread
* Submitted passport renewal online with digital photo taken at home
* Returned duplicate birthday gift
Wow! That's a beautiful dessert and perfect for summer. One of my favorites!
I haven't done much lately except for staying inside so I don't have too many frugal things. I guess doing nothing is pretty frugal in itself!
I decided to rummage through the freezer and make a vegetable bonanza. Lima beans, cauliflower, okra, broccoli, string beans and rice. I also threw some bacon in the air fryer and it was pretty much a really good Southern lunch. And there's lots of leftovers to reinvent.
I had rehomed two stray kittens to my neighbor, and I loaned her my cat carrier so she can get them neutered. They'll be inside cats. Not frugal on my part but on hers!
I continue my quest to populate my backyard with some type of a cover plant. The last few options turned out to be non starters, since the native plant expert told me they were invasive! I'm now trying to propagate perennial peanuts from a neighbor's clippings. The plants are really expensive and they have to be planted 8 in apart so that's an costly experiment if they don't take in my yard. I'm also propagating creeping fig to cover the the huge expanse of a new fence. We will stain it first but the creeping fig will make it look like it's been here for a while, important since my house is 100 years old.
I'm considering changing from my beloved T-Mobile to Mint. One hesitates because of such perfect service, but it would save me $480 a year. Anybody who has experience with Mint, please chime in!
A good friend of mine loves T Mobile! I was with Verizon for years. But the price was getting out of hand! If you're in your fifties and have an AARP card, I would suggest Consumer Cellular- my bill was cut in half! I've had no issues with it, and you speak to an actual human being when you call them!
As a former US Cellular customer, not too impressed with T-Mobile at the moment. Only one service we use (not our phones) has a contract so it may be adios come end of next year for that service. Phones can say adios if we so choose.
I, too, have Consumer Cellular, and have for over 6 years……. O complaints and it is nice to e to speak with a human any time I call.
All of our family (6 adults) have Mint and are very happy with the service. Check coverage for your area first.
I’m in Southern California and Mint works great for me. My family has it as well. At my work, my Verizon carrier did not work in the building, but Mint works perfectly.
Mint uses TMobile towers, so your coverage would be the same. We've been very happy with Mint.
We recently switched to Mint, and have been very happy with it (we're in SW Ohio).
Hi Jen-
I have had Mint for about 2 years now and I LOVE it!! All I can speak for is South Texas, Middle TN and Western NC, but I have had great coverage in all those places. My understanding is that they use T-Mobile towers. I was paying a stupid amount to AT&T, so I consider switching to Mint one of the most frugal things I've done. I also like that the more months you pay at once, the cheaper it is per month.
Look into US Mobile. You can choose between Verizon, AT&T, or T Mobile. I got a special offer they were having last year and got 12 months unlimited everything for under 200 dollars. I had mint for years but they were getting to be a pain so I switched. I like US mobile better and if you move to an area that has better reception with one of the other towers you can switch. I got a friend to go to US Mobile when their top tier Verizon was nearly 300 a month. They have the same exact service now with us mobile for 40 dollars a month.
Works great for me!
I believe they use a Tmobile network.
We are in a drought here in S-E England and we have started to also harvest grey water now. Usually during summer I have a container in my kitchen where I put water from washing fruit etc, but we have expanded this to include water from washing hands, as well as buckets in the shower. It is super scary as we had little to no rain in the past 6 weeks, and the next two weeks look equally dry. I use this water to tend to my very sad looking garden to at least keep veg and fruit crops alive.
We spent our holiday in a self catering cottage and managed to use up all groceries with little to no waste created. We have used our cool box wisely on the way back so eating up remainders. I had paused my veg book and this weeks delivery meant that I do not have to do a big shop this week! Yay.
We mended several items and used old building material found in the garage to make a rat proof compost bin.
1. I rearranged my bedroom furniture all by myself. Did not hire anyone to do this heavy chore! So that saved money. Now that we have the insulation in the west window, there is no need to keep the bed against the interior wall. The insulation not only keeps the sun from heating up my room, but it will also keep the cold winter wind from coming in.... No more sleeping with a wool cap on my head during a winter cold front. So I can have the headboard right under that west window, not that anyone can see the window due to the drapes covering it up.
2. Bought a book from Thriftbooks for $3 instead of sending a TV preacher a huge amount of money for the same thing. (How do I know the proceeds really go to a mission instead of his wealthy lifestyle?)
3. Picked up some crushed aluminum drink cans off the parking lot and put them in my recycling box. I'm collecting cans to sell to the metal recycling place. Won't bring in much, but pennies add up to dollars....
4. Brewing my morning coffee and composting the grounds.
5. Got some Cheerios cereal that says it contains servings of fruits and veggies. Bought it from Ollie's Outlet for half the price they charge at other grocery stores. Am eating that in lieu of lettuce, parsley and other produce, due to the cyclosporia outbreak.
I was just yesterday on eBay looking for a very specific backpack to replace one of my sons' too small ones, and ended up buying a new one from L.L. Bean after looking on eBay. I couldn't tell how big many of the backpacks were from the description and pictures, and many sellers were charging almost the same amount for a "vintage" one as L.L. Bean was charging for brand new. Irritating.
But! When I wanted a Barbour wool sweater for my husband, that was MUCH cheaper on eBay. So I guess it's good for some things, but not all things.
So smart to give treats while trimming! I've had great luck with shoes on eBay. Many there that have hardly been worn.
1. My husband took a day off work, and we went to the state fair. He got a discount on his ticket. We ate at the state food council building which is the best value because the portions are big, and each food stall is run by the various farm councils so they bring out their best.
2. We didn't ride the rides except the free kayaking put on by the natural resources office as a reminder of life jacket and water safety. We didn't buy souvenirs either. We were careful only to accept the free swag that was useful to us, a small first aid kit for our car, a string backpack that I will use as a travel shoe bag, and sunscreen on a carabineer because I left mine at home.
3. My father-in-law let us have blackberries free for the picking from his blackberry canes.
4. I filed the last bit of paperwork to create an LLC for my performing business thanks to a grant from my city's arts council and their lawyer referral program.
5. Did the normal but not exciting stuff: Drinking refrigerated tap water, making carbonated water with our Sodastream, reusing dog food, parts, etc. bags for trash, and saving containers to purporse as camper drawer storage.
First, Kristen, I use a similar "must cooperate to get reward" method to comb Betty: She knows that if she doesn't put up with an early morning combing, she won't get first breakfast. (She actually keeps her claws under fairly good control with the heavy-duty Kong scratch pads I buy her at Country Max.)
Now, FFT, Summer Pleasures Edition:
(1) I took a trip to the west side of town on Saturday. My first errand was to return two bags of NY State deposit containers at the Wegmans there. I picked up an additional 75 cents' worth in the parking lot, bringing my total to $10.50.
(2) My second errand was to visit my favorite of our only two Goodwill stores here. Needless to say, I envy NCA Katy's numerous finds at her Goodwill bins in Portland. But this store is one of my lucky spots, and it didn't disappoint me: a Corning Ware dish and a Pyrex measuring cup in sizes I was looking for; a bag of 60 tealight candles; two Good Seasons salad dressing cruets (= my favorite vases for my homegrown zinnias and other flowers); several other odds and ends; and a CD by a local musician who's a personal acquaintance. Total = $20.
(3) My last stop was at a good produce stand near the Goodwill. Prices are up, of course (aren't they everywhere?), but I got lovely green beans, the smallest of their "baseball bat" zucchinis (I told them this one must be Little League size), a fine Sicilian eggplant, and six large Roma tomatoes.
(4) I made a ratatouille with the eggplant, the zucchini (I scooped out the seeds and pulp), three of the six Romas, an onion, and my own basil and garlic yesterday. It may be just my imagination, but I find the Sicilian eggplant tastier and less bitter than standard eggplant. And, of course, I recited as much of the Fawlty Towers "Basil the Rat" episode as I could remember: "No! No! No Basil in ratatouille!"
(5) Finally, as I write, I'm making my umpteenth half-gallon of sun tea this summer. This must certainly be saving me $$$ on coffee, because I prefer drinking the cold tea to coffee on summer mornings--and I'm paying only for the water for the tea, since I have teabags galore on hand, I own three Ball half-gallon jars, and I'm using solar energy.
1. Brought substantial snacks from home to save money while I accompanied my niece from Tulsa to the Cleveland Clinic for three days/two nights. (Not life threatening.)
2. Avoided takeout this past weekend even though I was exhausted after Cleveland Clinic experience.
3. Made homemade hamburger buns to “elevate” inexpensive burger meal.
4. Finally located Starbucks gift cards and put them in my car so I will use them!
5. Bought boxes of fresh raspberries for 99 cents a box because grocery stores can’t sell them (I live in Ohio, which is a Cyclospora hot spot.) Since cooking kills Cyclospora, however, I made minimally sweetened raspberry syrup for topping waffles and yogurt.
Extreme heat and wildfire smoke edition. Wearing a cooling towel to do chores, wearing a respirator as we had another wildfire locally yesterday. Three more days until the wind switches to onshore and will scrub out the smoke.
Built a picking platform out of a pallet, scrap plywood and posts. Much safer to pick from a tractor lift than a ladder.
Helping my backdoor neighbor with the 15 additional horses she is temporarily housing from the massive wildfire burns in the eastern part of the state. They all need nebulizer treatments for airway inflammation. poor things.
Wishing you (and your human and horse neighbors) the best as you cope with the additional wildfires in youre area, BGF. Is there no end to this wildfire madness?
I saw a video clip of horses released ahead of wild fires in France....there was no way to get them moved to safety before the fires reached their stables. These wild fires are everywhere! Thank you and your neighbor for taking care of those extra horses in your area.
Best Money News,
Our former home sold yesterday. 100% of the money is going to farm debt.
We have to fix the air conditioner in the rental and then that should close next week. Some of that is going to drill a new Ag well at the River House. I was upset at hubby because I don't want to spend $250,000 on another well. Hubby insists that here in California, water is gold. If we are to survive as a small family farm, we must have a second source of water. Do not ask me what that means but I do know sometimes frugal means to invest more money. I also know Southern California is denying new Ag well permits. Our Nor cal permit sunsets in a couple of months so we need invest now. I trust Hubby.
Outstanding news about your house sale! And you are right to trust your hubby—water is gold, water rights are platinum. An old saying, “Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting."
What you said, Jana. And I agree that Mary Ann's hub is absolutely right to move ahead on the well while it's still possible. Sometimes you have to spend to get.
It was not much a frugal week, as I rented a large house on the Oregon coast for a family trip. But, it was delightful & fabulous!
1) Got upgraded to 1st class on my flight from SFO to Portland.
2) DH & I had food in the lounge on both the outbound& return flight, which is free to us.
3) We meal planned, and divided the shopping list for everyone, to minimize food costs.
4) Activities were free (walks on the beach, happy hours on the patio, a new game that escapes me for the moment, poker for the cousins, etc).
5) Tried out the long term parking at SFO that is about 20-30 minutes from the terminal, on the train. It worked fine & we chose it to save money, and because we didn't have flights that left particularly early or arrived late. Taking the train after that is less fun.
We've been decluttering and selling on FB marketplace! The house feels lighter and we've made a bit of cash.
Yay! I get rid of a pair of socks and am excited. So hard to declutter, so I admire your progress!
Man, cheers to you! I used to occasionally give my long-haired cat a bath and that was never fun! I never attempted to cut his nails.
I always hated classes that were required but seemed to be a waste. Is that all about the money? Makes me mad that if I HAVE to take something, the least they can do is make it relevant and interesting. I'd be sure to include your observations in any critique (once you have your degree in hand 😁).
Here are my FFTs:
– We complained. You know what they say, “ it pays to . . .” We'll see.
After paying a heat and air company for annual maintenance to AVOID system breakdowns during critical periods, our air conditioner broke down about a month after it was serviced and deemed “good to go” for the season. It was the hottest 2 days of the year. The outside compressor actually froze up (with ice) because it was low on freon. This was noted by the service tech but he said he didn't have any with him and planned to come back, but never did. Because it was frozen, it had to thaw before it could be worked on. We went 2+ days with no air. We had ceiling fans and extra fans, but at the end of the second day, the temp in our house reached 97 degrees. One more day and it was gonna be a hotel or couch surfing. The heat index outside was 114 degrees. We were charged an additional $189 for a service call. We needed a pound of freon which should have been added during the previous annual service call. We felt ripped off. So when we got the company's “how did we do?” email 2 minutes after the second company serviceman left, we let them know how unhappy we were. The second guy was excellent and knew what he was doing. We were not so sure about the one who did our annual maintenance. They are issuing us some kind of refund. We will see if it's the full amount of the additional charge. I asked them to issue it as a check rather than a credit to our account as we are most likely going to change companies after our contract runs out. Even before this, we've noticed their service quality has dropped over the last few years.
– I did a Kroger survey from a receipt and earned 50 gas points. I also downloaded the double points coupon that's good on the weekend.
– I'm getting a head start on some holiday gifts by making a few things now. I crocheted a few cobweb catchers and sewed a few credit card holders/wallets.
– Since I don't have kids in school, I sometimes forget this – Arkansas had a tax-free weekend and you can save on clothing and other school-related items. It was this weekend. I bought some baby onesies and other baby clothing for an upcoming baby shower at Kohl's and saved about $10 in taxes.
– We had our family over for a pizza dinner with non- lettuce salads I made. We had lots of leftover pizza. I sent some home with them for leftovers and froze some for us. I'm NEVER gonna waste pizza!
Have a great week.
Hi Joyce. I am so sorry about your a/c situation-I hope you get an excellent refund. Could I just ask what "cobweb catchers" are? I am very intrigued! 🙂
Agreed on the classes-Zoe got to sign up for some interesting ones this semester and I am SO JEALOUS.
I wasn't able to post last week, so I have a few more than usual.
1. I brought home leftover cream cheese and diced tomatoes from work. I also brought home a dozen eggs from a coworker who raises chickens. I think they had been in the fridge for a few weeks but that doesn’t bother me!
2. I found a penny in the work parking lot.
3. I used the free vacuums outside a car wash to vacuum out the grass and grass seeds from a recent road trip (the boys had fun shredding things but it made a huge mess). I also found 13 cents in the bottom of the trash bin next to the vacuum. Definitely some of the nastiest coins I’ve ever picked up, but satisfying to clean them.
4. I picked up a free scoop of Culver’s custard while out running errands.
5. I made a few returns on time to avoid losing the credit. I returned an item to Goodwill, and I also got a price adjustment on some items that had rung up incorrectly.
6. My coworker brought two dozen eggs in for me since I thanked him for the last dozen.
7. DH brought home some slightly aged onions and oranges from a friend at a rally.
Re your graduation speech: In my working days, we used the term "voluntold" when we were asked to do something we may not have signed up for on our own.
1. Took a visual tour of provisions, sifted through recipes, and created a loose meal plan.
2. Did some meal prep over several days. I need to do my cooking in smaller chunks of time as I can't stand long in the kitchen before my healing knee starts to swell.
3. Brought a large bag of textile recycling to Goodwill - unwearable clothes, shoes, torn dog toys, and other unusable textiles, etc.
4. Went inside Goodwill for the first time in over two years to pick up a couple household items. Their lack of dressing rooms and onerous return policy turned me off from ever buying clothes from them again.
5. Received a 10 percent discount at Goodwill and saved $1.00.
The Goodwills by me (Tampa Bay Area) have dressing rooms, but NO return policy or "senior" discount days - just the "color of the day" discount each day. And their prices have really skyrocketed this year - $8-$9 for shirts/shorts/pants ( i can get it new at Marshalls/TKJ Maxx for that price) , $4.18 for mugs/dishes, $3 for books/DVD's. So I go there less knowing i have other thrift stores that give a better deal.
Voluntoid is a good word. I got so annoyed in one job I had where we were told we had to volunteer for certain things. I pointed out that it wasn't really volunteering in that case, which received mixed reactions lol.
This week wasn't particularly frugal but I think I got a few things...
-We took the subway ($3/person/way) instead of cabs or lyfts in NYC. It was so hot and humid the whole time and the subway didn't help but didn't want to pay for a car.
-We brough snacks in the car so we didn't have to stop and spend $30 bucks on a crappy meal from McDonalds (or the like).
-We dehydrated a watermelon that was likely to not be so great upon our return. Everyone on-line raves about how good it is.
-Picked up some chicken thighs RFQS for less than 5 bucks. Will likely use the bones for bonus stock.
-Bought some staples (oats, WW pastry flour, honey) and some canning jars in bulk and on sale. Expensive up front but we were going to need them anyway so it was a good time to buy.
1. My husband tuned up all of our bikes. Bike tune-ups typically cost about $100 each.
2. My mom gave us fruit, vegetables, eggs, a pizza crust, bread, and desserts. I used the crust to make a pizza for my lunch this week. I froze the chocolate chip cookies.
3. My husband picked up oil for our cars off Buy Nothing.
4. My husband and I had a date night. We made pizzas (with homemade dough and pesto) and had a fire in our backyard, instead of going out.
5. I used the leftover homemade pesto and pizza dough to make pesto bread. I made banana bread from over-ripe bananas.
August is time for a reset after an expensive July of travel and vacation.
1. We had family stay in our house again this year to cat sit, saving a lot of money in pet sitting. In return they like to explore a part of the country that is very different from their own.
2. My sister-in-law also picked us up from the airport, saving money in an Uber.
3. Some eggs in the fridge had just expired. I did the float test to see if they had gone bad before using them.
4. My oldest son is visiting us in August. We borrowed a neighbor's bike so he could join us for a longer bike ride this weekend. I also went kayaking with him, something which is frugal fun as our kayaks are old and quite indestructible.
5. We biked to the Farmer's Market to buy local veggies and fruit instead of driving. Luckily there is a small Farmer's Market close to us that is accessible by bike path, and we put panniers on the bikes to transport our goods.
My daughter-in-law and her siblings recommend Trusted Pet Sitters. A couple of them travel around the world pet sitting and have had great experiences.
My sister-in-law is actually registered on a site like Trusted Pet Sitters (might even be this)! She and her husband are retired and like to travel around the country pet sitting in exchange for free housing. Once you have good references you get to choose from some really nice locations.
I'm digging down into the bottom of my mending pile and taking care of things that have languished for a while -- replacing elastic in a pair of lounge pants, repairing a sleep mask, and turning a dress which I never wear into a skirt.
I'm listening to library audiobooks while I sew and clean.
I shared garden lettuce with a friend. I also passed on to her some dog treats my dogs can't eat. She has given me so much it was nice to be able to return the favor.
I used credit card points to purchase an upholstery shampooer. We have been talking about replacing my husband's recliner, but after cleaning it it looks so good we might keep it another 15 years. The shampooer also restored an upholstered armchair by removing a decade's worth of dog hair that my vacuum couldn't remove.
Each year my best friend and I take our boys on a mom/son trip. Sometimes it is a daytrip, sometimes a couple days. This trip is a highlight of our summers!
1. The Airbnb that we booked was owned by my friend’s chiropractor so we got a discount on our booking. We were also given access to their personal stash of pool/beach items (chairs, floaties, water toys). Knowing the owner also gave us more flexibility the day we flew home as our flight was delayed for hours.
2. We stopped by Trader Joe’s on the way to the Airbnb and stocked up on breakfast food, snacks, drinks, and one night’s dinner. The boys enjoyed the mangos growing on the tree in the backyard.
3. When booking a tour on Viator I noticed there wasn’t a place to enter the discount code that the website was offering. I was able to call Viator and get the code applied.
4. Souvenirs? Only the seashells that the boys found on the beach and so many pictures.
5. Both boys are into thrifting clothes so one of the days was devoted to visiting thrift stores in the area (there were so many!). Both boys walked away with some new clothes for the school year and had fun during their hunt. I picked up two books to add to my TBR pile.
My friend in California taught me this when I visited her out there: when you go on vacation, go thrifting for souvenir T-shirts and "gimme" caps. Lots of folks donate Tees that advertise local colleges, fun runs and festivals, etc , because they think local stuff is somewhat boring. What the souvenir shops charge 20, 30 or 40 bucks for, you can get for well under $10. Lots of it is in new or good condition.
And if you visit Florida this winter, go thrifting for winter clothes and coats. Esp. if you live in a cold climate. People moving from "Up Nawth" tend to seriously overestimate how many cold weather outfits they'll need in Florida, and lots of it ends up at Goodwill and other charity shops. No Floridian wants this stuff, so it ends up being sold at nearly giveaway prices. My pal, about to start an office job in Oklahoma City, got a whole wintertime work wardrobe (heavy dress cost, wool pantsuits, sweaters, dressy boots, muffler, wool skirts, and more), all for about $75 or $80 when she visited me around Xmas! All secondhand and looking brand new.
Mr. Book Club and I are watching grandkids this week, so this is an Anti-Frugality Week. How can a small cone of ice cream each for Mr. BC, 3 grandkids and me cost $30?!! Ah well, some things, like sticky happy grandkids, are just worth $$$. Many weeks of frugality allow us to not bat an eye at the dollars flying out the door for this short time.
There is one big frugal thing to report - my son cleaned up my laptop for me. Most of what he got rid of were things I didn't even recognize - I have no idea how they even got there.
I am one of those folks who sold some Altras on Ebay... And I do find that people also buy Alegria shoes and do the same thing! So I happily pay a fraction of the cost for shoes that save my feet at work.
I feel like my frugal things are pretty basic lately!
*cancelled a tattoo consultation - I don't need to spend $$$ on that right now
*took my breakfast and lunch to work all of my work days, stayed out of the cafeteria and away from the vending machines. I am also eating more meals at home now.
*bought some new work socks with a discount and free shipping
*sold some scrap gold and silver
*repaired a swim top on my sewing machine
*combining errands today, then topping off my gas tank
*I have been using the library more! It works out great for book club reads.
Clark shares Chiquita's love of squeezy treats and resentment of nail clipping. I have to wrap him in a towel (we call it turning him into a purrito) and then I enlist somebody to feed him the treat while I get his front paws trimmed. I don't worry about the back paws, just the murder mittens.
--Used up the last bit of coconut oil that was languishing in the pantry, mostly by using it to saute bananas for banana oatmeal. This is part of my mission to clean out the cupboards and STOP buying foods just because they have a health halo.
--Like a dummy I was tossing bread bags, but now I'm saving them for litter box cleaning--they're sturdier than grocery bags, which lately often have holes in the bottom!
--Line drying all the laundry, except for that one day we got a lot of rain. Even DH waved the white flag and used the dryer. But it was a nice day so we didn't need the AC on, in a way it balanced out. Today there are no clouds in the sky so all the towels are out on the line! I love line-dried towels, as I prefer a rough towel to a soft one.
--Enjoying library books through Libby (Anne Perry's series in particular) and a wonderful Phillipa Gregory book, The Boleyn Inheritance, that I found in a Little Free Library.
--DS#1's bike had a mysteriously always-popping tire, and DH determined that the rubber on the outer part of the tire had worn so thin it wasn't protecting the inner tube at all, hence the always-popping innertubes. He found he had a tire the right size leftover from a long-unused three-wheeled bicycle from the kids' youth, and DS#1 was back on the road. He uses his bike to commute to work, so this was super frugal--saving on bike parts and gas!
I love your term "health halo" as it is so easy to think we will use things because of that. I save bread bags for trashing smelly items before the larger trash bag goes outside (meat/fish packaging, skin off same) and sometimes as poop bags. I console myself about throwing them away because at least they get a second use.
It's canning season! My rhubarb is growing like crazy, so I made a rhubarb barbecue sauce. In the winter (or whenever, really) I use a jar of this sauce to flavor a pork or beef roast in the crock pot until it falls to pieces. We serve it on buns.
1) babying my beat up Keens to make them last until I retire, I just can't justify replacing them when I have 6 months and 3 weeks to go.
2) it has been much too hot (and I have been much too tired) for my usual Michael's spending sprees.
3) slowly decluttering, cleaning, and doing laundry. It amazes me how much garbage and laundry one human being (and one cat) can produce.
4) I had accidentally paid one credit card in full TWICE and they said they would send the overpaid amount back in 7 to 10 business days...ha... I received it yesterday which was more like 3 days.
5) made up my mind that I absolutely need to buy new bras. My current ones WERE great but now are worn out and making me itch like a man on a fuzzy tree!!
6) Complained about the packaging of the most recent Chewy shipment, they got back to me almost immediately and we decided to replace the boxes of cat litter with the jugs. Same product just better packaging.
You might try Glamorise for your bras. I have been SO happy with them, and have returned a couple that didn't fit with no problems/questions at all. I find them really comfortable, and they often have sales. I wash them in a lingerie bag with my regular laundry and hang them to dry and they hold up really well.
Please feel free to remove, Kristen, if you don't want a comment with a brand name!
Like you, I found shoes on eBay, a style that my husband likes but is long out of production.
Had an eBay snafu: I listed some printer ink (bought the wrong kind, dang it) for sale, forgot it was on there after 3 or more months, tossed it in a fit of What Is All This Junk, and then got TWO offers for it yesterday! Had to respond with apologies before removing the listing.
Tossing the ink was an impulsive wasteful move, on top of being under the influence of stupidity when I bought the wrong stuff in the first place.
I feel like the world has a second sense for when you throw something away because someone will immediately buy it from your forgotten-about ebay listing. HA.
I’ve had 2 pairs of altras now! Thanks to your recommendation. I haven’t had luck on eBay but I did get a pair on prime day for $80. That felt like a win! black was my only option, but I wear them walking on a dirt trail so they get dirty quick. Thanks for the recommendation, my feet love them. 🙂
Kristen, did you have other options for a BSN option relatively close to your house? How did you decide on that one? Is it an accelerated, nursing focused BSN as opposed to a 4 year bachelor’s degree?
I agree with Kim.
Kristen, your dissatisfaction with the BSN program is troubling, as maybe it is not the best fit for you? Maybe this could be a topic for a readers' questions post?
There are other schools, yes, and they're mostly all designed the same way (online, meant to be done while working as an RN). This one SEEMED like a good option based on my pre-enrollment meetings with them, but I would definitely not enroll with them again.
At this point, though, I am so close to finishing, it would not be advantageous to switch schools. I'm just gonna hang in there and get it done.
This week I . . .
1) Also bought a pair of shoes off Ebay! Two of my kids are pretty picky about how shoes feel, so when they find a brand they like, I try to stick to it. But like you, I have a hard time paying $150 for a pair of shoes. Today I found a pair of shoes for my daughter in the right size for about 1/5th of the brand-new price. (Bloch sneakers for anyone interested: she is not a dancer, but likes that they fit snugly and move easily.)
2) I worked with my insurance agent last week to pick an exchange medical policy because our employer-based coverage ran out last week when my postdoctoral position expired. She helped me find the best plan for us at the best deal and got it all set up so that we weren't without health insurance for even a minute (with our luck someone would have been hospitalized in exactly that minute). Then I remembered that if we have to pay out of pocket, there are tax advantages to running it through our business, so that's what we did.
3) I batched errands yesterday; picking up my Aldi order, then doing my bank deposit, and hitting the Kroger across from the bank for the handful of items that Aldi didn't have.
4) We didn't schedule a home exchange to the beach this summer because I didn't know when or if I would be starting a new job. On summers like that, we always do at least a day trip to the beach. It is a long trip, but we had a ball. The weather was perfect. We prepared our breakfast and lunch. My mom thanked us for bringing her along by buying us pizza on the way home. In addition to the gas and parking ($4) we paid for soda with dinner and ice cream for the ride home. It was a glorious, frugal day.
5) I switched to using an old laptop from our business when I had to turn in my Macbook Air when my postdoc wrapped up. I really like an Air because it is so light, but this computer works fine. I was able to migrate all of my files and apps and everything over. I even carried it around a bit, and it is fine. Not having an Air was an emotional "thing" for me, but I got over it, and our finances are better for it.
Your cake looks delish!
My Frugal 5s
• Sent back two Amazon returns at UPS—including a high-ticket $500 laptop—giving our bank account a nice boost.
• Turned a fun library drawing contest win into $10 off my latest gas fill-up.
• Treated the girls to a back-to-school community day where they picked up free sneakers, snacks, devotional books, and crafted some cute scratch bookmarks.
• Prepped the kitchen for our 7-day road trip by using up perishables and freezing the rest to prevent wasteful spoilage while away.
• Saved on electricity by letting the summer sun naturally dry our pillows, rugs, and damp swim gear outside.
Has Chiquita ever tried one of the squeeze treats frozen. My cat loves them like that and it takes a lot longer for her to eat them.
I was on the road again and other than taking leftovers to my hotel, nothing stands out.
I felt the same way about my community college classes vs the 4 year university I transferred to. The classes at the Uni were a lot easier. The community college ones were a lot more work!
I am a community college graduate, too. I transferred to a school that is highly recognized nationally and a first-choice school for many. The classes at my community college were more rigorous than that school as were the classes at the state university I attended to finish my degree. I'm glad you had the same experience. Community colleges are highly underrated.