Five Frugal Things | failed yogurt rescue
1. I successfully used up a failed yogurt batch
I almost never have a yogurt fail but...this time I used a store-brand cup of yogurt as a starter (the Yoplait was sold out) and I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.
My batch of yogurt turned out like slightly thickened milk.
And I know it was the starter's fault because I am well and truly a pro at yogurt-making after all these years. I know I wasn't the problem.
I didn't want to throw it away, though, so....I made smoothies with it.
I used it as the liquid in my whole wheat blueberry pancakes.
And I used it to make chia pudding (with protein powder mixed in because I am dutifully using up my big bag of powder!)
2. I renewed my symphony membership
The bigger city near me has a student membership, which costs $35 for a year, and once you are a member, you can get a free ticket to performances and you can bring someone else along for $10.
So, $35 is a screaming bargain as long as you haul yourself to the symphony fairly regularly. I definitely got my money's worth last year, and I will this year too.
I immediately reserved a ticket for my first no-clinicals weekend. 🙂
3. I used a discount at Noodles and Company
I did another mammoth study session with two of my classmates on Sunday (3:30-9:30!) and we ended up at Noodles and Company for dinner. I opened up my app, found a "buy one, get one 50% off" discount, and shared it with one of my classmates.
Obviously, this didn't save me any money, but it did help a friend! 🙂
4. I packed two more clinical lunches
I know this is a repetitive item on my lists, but as we know, consistency is important. 😉
A nice thing about packing my lunches: I can always bring something I know won't give me a post-lunch sugar crash. That's a little harder to do with cafeteria options.
5. A fail: I'm getting a speeding ticket
This happened the other morning and I was like, "Well, thank goodness I don't have to tell anyone." and then I immediately proceeded to tell at least five people.*
So then I figured, hey, why not tell you guys too?
*Lisey and I both operate this way. We have never in our lives moved in silence. Be mysterious? We could never.
Ok, I rolled out of bed early one morning to catch a sunrise at a park. So far, so good.
On my way, during the 6:00 am hour, I passed an elementary school, going the regular posted speed limit, but APPARENTLY the school speed limit starts at 6:00 am.
Who has ever heard of an elementary school speed limit starting that early???? Not me.
I saw a flash of light from one of those speed cameras go off and was very confused.
But on my way back I double-checked the school speed limit hours and sure enough, they start at 6:00 am. Wild.
It did take a little work for me to talk myself through it, largely because my brain was framing this as an expensively-obtained sunrise experience, and I had a bit of a tough time shaking it off.
(I am an expert on how to make yourself miserable after a money mistake!)
I did eventually manage to tell myself that it's fine, I have the money to pay for it, it's just a camera ticket so it won't be crazy expensive, and it's only human to make mistakes.
But I thought you might appreciate hearing about it, in case you feel like you're the only one. 😉
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
(Hopefully: not getting speeding tickets.)
I'm with you on the not being able to keep silent, thing!
What's really wild to me this morning is that I had a VERY vivid dream last night about being pulled over for a speeding ticket which, miraculously enough has never happened to me in real life, so I was shocked to see your post! What are the odds? I don't ever remember dreaming about a speeding ticket before. School zones always leave me perplexed...when does it start/end in a day? I mostly just drive as slowly as possible at all times through school zones to hedge my bets.
BUT, funny (not at all funny, actually) story: on my daughter's very first day of school I managed to drive through a stop sign without slowing down at one of the school crosswalks. I wasn't familiar with the area and was so anxious to get her to school. The crossing guard was NOT impressed and I can tell you that 9 years later, I am now VERY familiar with the school zones, crossing spots, and stop signs. There was no camera or police so I didn't get ticketed but definitely deserved one 🙁 Thankfully, I've never mistakenly run a stop sign since!
@Elisabeth, for Kristen: I would go to the court date to see if you could get a reduction because of the following factors. 1. Points on your license and 2. a raise in car insurance. My daughter must have gotten pulled over at one time (although she insists she wasn't) and got a ticket for driving through a red light. We had lawyers sending us letters left and right telling us they could get the points dismissed. Daughter was driving hubby's car so it was his license. We hired a lawyer and for $300+ we got the points removed and I think still paid for the ticket.
@Auntiali, It may depend on where you live. In my area, you pay the fine but they don’t know who is driving so “points” get reported.
@Maddie, that is my understanding as well. Because they don't know who is driving points aren't at play. The same would go for insurance I think. It's worth reading the fine print on the ticket. It's outlined there very clearly.
I'll keep this to one big frugal thing: Getting Phase 1 of the vegetable garden planted! Our zone often has freeze warnings until May, but the forecast is solid from here on out. *fingers and toes crossed* There's even a nice stretch of rainy days to water the garden and refill my water barrels.
As a third year gardener, I spent the winter* studying mini-farming, plant rotation, and succession and companion planting to get the most out of our beds. The pass/fail grade should be apparent in a few months! 😛
*I did other things, too, of course, but this has been a consistent topic.
@N, Same. My next phase will be planting the tomatoes and all the squashes and cukes. But it's a little early for them yet.
It’s usually worth going in to court for the ticket. If you have a reasonably clean record, you can usually plead guilty and negotiate a reduction.
@Tarynkay, I don't think you can contest camera tickets. The whole process is very controversial. It's the company that owns the camera who gets 60% or more of the ticket (depending on the jurisdiction.) While jurisdictions claim these cameras are about safety, studies have proven they're more about money, yet the government gets a very low percentage. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where camera speed tickets are not a thing, consider yourself extremely lucky. In my area, in addition to school zones (even in areas where the school is hundreds of feet from the actual road), we have red light cameras and all of our interstates are teeming with speed cameras. It's easy to get a ticket even if you've never seen the camera because the warning signs that are supposed to be posted often fall down. Also, it's easy to get tickets that do not belong to you. A friend got a ticket in the mail where the camera company 'guessed' the numbers on her license plate because the picture was blurry. After multiple calls to the jurisdiction pointing out that the vehicle didn't match hers, not to mention she had never driven through that town in her life, she finally got the ticket cancelled. The bottom line is these cameras are very problematic for many reasons.
@Tarynkay, And you know this because....?
@Bobi, I'm one of the lucky ones. I've never in my life gotten a camera ticket. So I may have to drive a hundred miles to buy milk, but I won't get a ticket doing it. Trade-offs.
Bad luck on the speeding ticket. I once got a ticket driving on a green wave in the wake of a truck. I failed to see that the light had turned red and both the truck and I missed that. No accidents happened, it could have been worse.
This weeks frugals:
On repeat: solar powered laundry, and slowcooked vegetable broth. Also: cutting the toothpaste tube in half to get out the last smears of toothpaste.
Maintenance: I pumped up my bike tires. Our bicycle repairman (is this even a word outside Monty Python?) let me know that pumping up the bicycle tires in time reduces wear and tear on the tires.
Spring: I propagated some house plants by tearing them in half. Plus, three (out of 12) geranium cutlings are still alive and will soon be moving to the garden. Also, our tulips are flourishing, allegedly because I cut off the heads when they are losing their petals. I never dig them up.
Easter: We did not buy easter eggs and I baked my own cookies. I had more dough than fitted on the sheet, so I froze the remainder for some other sunny day that deserves lemon flavoured cookies.
Outfits: I found a white top suitable for formal wear, and two shawls, in a thriftshop. They cost next to nothing and besides, I am always on the lookout for tops in "my colour white" (not white as a sheet, but slightly softer).
@JNL, I’d love to see those shawls! Knitted? Crocheted? solid fabric? triangle? rectangle? (I am a knitter, nay, a Knitter, with an obsessive curiosity)
@JNL,
Ummmm, are you *supposed to* dig up tulip bulbs? I don't, and they come back every year. (Asking because I really don't know if I'm just being lazy when it comes to tulip bulbs.)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, the shawls were thinly woven, one loop and one rectangle. Anything knitted or crocheted, I would have tried to make myself! I love a good yarn in my hands.
@Liz B.,
I was taught they should go in in Oct and taken out after the flowers had gone, to keep the strenght in the bulb. But I always felt that that was more trouble than it was worth. For the same reason I never started on dahlia's and other summer tubers, much as I love their flowers.
Let's make this a frugal things my children did this week:
*They helped their father wash the car at home. One of them washed my dad's car, too.
*My daughter cut the broken, sharp parts off of an old plastic clothes basket. She found some OLLLLLD binding from my dead mother's stash, and she hot-glued it to the rough edges of the basket. Et voila! Something cute to display her (crocheted and knitted) wares when she's able to go to a craft fair thing.
*My second daughter induced her brothers to lug totes and boxes of clothes which might fit her upstairs. She shopped through these for her summer wardrobe. And she is well-outfitted. (We found several things to donate.)
*My third daughter dutifully planted green onion roots for me.
*The kids faithfully tended the chickens this week. I think we are still coming out ahead because of egg prices. They also switched a broody hen to our maternity coop. We hope this will result in some new chickens with minimal mess and fuss on our end.
*They ate leftovers and helped me cook from scratch.
*They lived without giant, store-bought Easter baskets. They delighted in repurposed and hand-me-down baskets saved for years and years with fabric scraps as grass. They hid the same old plastic eggs which are probably decades old. They enjoyed the cheap candy and other treats we bought for them.
@Jody S., your comment about the giant Easter baskets made me laugh and applaud! I don't understand how Easter became another holiday where lavish gift giving appears to be now the norm (or at least as represented on social media).
@Jody S., so with you on the reusable Easter baskets and eggs! We never buy new eggs because the kids always gain more with egg hunts from the church, community etc. we bought personalized cloth baskets years ago for each kid and use them for egg hunts and Easter baskets. They collapse easy and store away with minimal space. So nice to not have that extra waste each year.
@Haley, decades ago when my (oldest) daughter was young & my first nephews & nieces (a little younger), I started doing the family Easter egg hunt with a giant basket filled with (plastic reusable) eggs that I would fill & then hide for the kids. Over the years, one basket became 2 baskets because I also taught Early Childhood & did same thing. Kids would be able to keep 1 or 2 reusable egg(s) & all of the candy from the eggs. Fast forward 2+ decades later & I ended up donating baskets & eggs to local church that does community Easter egg hunt because youngest child outgrown egg hunts & don't see grandkids. I think I spent maybe $50 (baskets & refillable eggs over 2 decades?).
@Jody S., very industrious children!
I always kept the plastic Easter eggs from year to year. Until recently, I had forgotten that I had a tub filled with nearly a hundred eggs in my garage. DIL filled them and they were used at the church egg hunt.
@Jody S.,
Being an old person, I just don't "get" the trend of having Easter baskets stuffed with toys and treats and coloring books and stuffed animals. Aren't kids supposed to hunt for the eggs themselves?
I also don't understand why everyone has to go out and buy all-new Easter stuff for their kids. I used the same Easter basket, and the same grass, for many years in a row. When I was a toddler/preschooler, it was a hard plastic yellow basket that I think Mom had used as a purse or something. When I got to be in kindergarten, they switched me to a large regular Easter basket and I used that every year until I outgrew the custom of egg hunting. When Easter was over, the Easter stuff went up on the top shelf of the closet, and we saved/used the same items over and over again.
@Jody S., more than 10 years after hosting a regular egg hunt for my nieces and nephew, I still occasionally run across broken plastic pieces when gardening!
I always thought it was sort of funny that all my PK family members came over to hunt for eggs after church. It was very fun for everyone, and the juxtaposition of two approaches to Easter always tickled me.
@Fru-gal Lisa, My kids hunt for real eggs that we've dyed ourselves, and then they also get a basket with candy and a book. Which they also have to hunt for because I hide them. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, My father, who was only 17 when I was born so I am amazed he was this smart, was determined that his kids would be readers so he gave us books on every possible holiday. Until I was in high school, I thought all kids got books on Easter, Christmas, New Years Day, 4th of July, and Halloween. When he got too old to go shopping to buy books, he would still send me money "to go buy a book for yourself." Thanks for writing about your Easter books and reminding me of a good memory.
@Lindsey, You are most welcome. How is your husband doing, if you don't mind sharing? And how are you doing?
@Lindsey, That is such a sweet and heart warming memory of your dad wanting his kids to be readers and buying you books for holiday treats. I love that so much!! Thank you for sharing.
@Bee, Our "tub" of eggs is actually a veggie drawer we saved from a broken refrigerator. 🙂
@Lindsey, I love this.
@Ally, I agree. We emphasize each year that Easter is a religious holiday and not a gift giving holiday. We use the same handmade baskets each year (mine is one I made in girls scouts over 50 years ago) with a few candy items tailored to each recipient’s taste.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I can't speak for everyone, but maybe it has to do with the way your family celebrated Easter when you were a kid? I can say that we give our son an Easter basket every year - using the same basket with the same paper grass in it every year. It's not "stuffed" with goodies, but does include candy, maybe a small stuffie or small book (when he was little), and more recently, a gnome from Aldi. 🙂 Our son is not a reader, but if he was, we would definitely include a (thrifted) book.
We also do an indoor egg hunt, using the same plastic eggs every year. Each one has a bit of candy in it. Yes, even though son is now 15. We will keep doing it until he leaves home. We don't cook eggs and color them (even before the crazy increase in the price of eggs), because none of us like HB eggs that much.
@kristin @ going country, The husband is doing well, thank you for asking. Extremely tired for a few days after chemo and it hurts to pee for three or four days. Then he has two or three days to feel good before it all happens again. It is on those days we have been scheduling my blood transfusions, which are all done now. I actually do feel more energetic but won't know for a few weeks if it kick started my own body to produce more blood. The older I get, the more I am in awe of my grandmother who lived to 99 and 11 months, on her own, taking no medications and eating donuts and full sugar Pepsi for breakfast every morning for decades. (My husband reminds me of this every time I extol the virtues of greens...)
@Lindsey, as always, I wish both you and the husband all the best. And I add my thanks to everyone else's for the Easter memory. (Your father was awesome--but you already know that.)
@Lindsey,
Joining A. Marie in wishing you and your DH all the best. A dear friend of mine is getting treatment for ovarian cancer, caught at a late stage. So far, she is doing well, but the future remains uncertain at this point. I am participating in a "take a photo a day" fund raiser for the American Cancer Society starting May 1 - partly because I need to feel like I'm doing *something* for my friend, but also for all the other friends and family who have (or have had) cancer.
(Not tooting my own horn, just doing this tiny thing to hopefully make a difference, however small).
@Jody S., Always reused the kids baskets from year to year. I even saved the plastic grass in a bag from year to year. Always bought the chocolate bunnies when they were on sale.
I did all the Easter church flowers again this year, but I didn't buy a florist's arrangement this time. I couldn't even get to the Walmart that has the "good" flowers--this is relative, as I suspect anyone in a city would not be impressed with the floral offerings at our Walmart--so I did all the altar flowers with several bunches of grocery store flowers, plus lilacs and greenery I found in the village. It was less than half what I spent last year, although it took more time. Very satisfying, though, to make something out of nothing.
@kristin @ going country, I should probably attempt four more Easter-related frugal things...
--My daughter's Easter dress and my Easter outfit were almost all from Thredup. My shoes were the ones I bought for my sister's wedding 13 years ago.
--The Easter baskets are the same ones I've been using for a decade now. And I don't buy that plastic grass for them, instead just lining them with flower-printed cloth napkins.
--The ham for dinner was one I bought for a dollar a pound around Christmas.
--My sister came to visit and honestly provided almost all the stuff in the baskets. I didn't plan it that way, but she likes to shop and just showed up with Slinkys, bubbles, etc. I did buy books from each child for their baskets, used, of course.
There. Four more.
@kristin @ going country,
I used dishtowels instead of grass in our baskets. It's easy and the cats won't chew on them as they would with the plastic grass.
@kristin @ going country, what a beautiful way to celebrate this season of hope! I can't think of anything more spring-like than lilacs.
@kristin @ going country,
I am sure your DIY arrangement was probably tons more beautiful than a florist would do. Plus, you arranged the flowers with love and care.
My church, sadly, does not allow us to choose or arrange the flowers; instead, we just write a check and they order flowers from the same old place. And we don't get a say in how it's done or what flowers they use.
A few months ago, I spent a non-frugal amount of money to provide the altar flowers on what would have been my mother's 100th birthday. To say the resulting arrangements were a huge disappointment would be a great big understatement; they were downright ugly! So much for professional florists! You could tell those workers couldn't care less about Mom's flowers; they just slapped together any old blooms, and it looked like some of them were about to wilt.
From now on, I will honor my loved ones in different ways.
@mbmom11 and kristin@ going country,
Dishtowels and napkins are great ideas!!!!!
@Fru-gal Lisa, Pictures here, if you want to see.
https://going-country.blogspot.com/2025/04/snapshots-alleluia-flowers.html
@kristin @ going country, Beautiful! I much prefer that look, including naturally growing flowers - it's actually much more attractive to me.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I am in a fight with FTD, who delivered a dying bouquet to a friend who just earned her doctorate. I so wanted to cheer her on for this accomplishment, because 10 years ago she had cancer and one of her regrets when she thought she was dying was that she had not gone to graduate school. When she finished chemo she enrolled and just finished. I was mortified at the picture she sent of the arrangement---which cost me over $125. I want my money back, so right now the credit card company has taken over the dispute.
@kristin @ going country,
Those flower arrangements are beautiful!
@kristin @ going country, very lovely! The result and the ingenuity.
@kristin @ going country,
They are really, really nice! You done good!
@Lindsey,
I would be livid at FTD over the dead flowers, esp. at those prices! I hope the credit card people sock it to them!
Didn't you tell us about that friend some time ago, that her hubby left bc he wasn't getting enough attention during her cancer battle? Someone posted a story like that (was it you or someone else?) -- and I just couldn't believe what a creep that guy was! She's fighting for her life and he wants attention? Sheesh!
Regardless, earning a doctorate should earn your friend the prettiest roses in the floral shop! What a terrific achievement!
That peach smoothie looks delish!
1. Made a raised bed from a tub destined for the trash.
2. Ate beans and rice
3. Fixed a dress so it fit me better.
4. Got some good deals at Goodwill
5.Listing items on ebay
More details on each of those here: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/04/20/frugal-five-4/
When my husband and I visited NYC for the first time I made the mistake of guiding us into the subway station headed the wrong direction and there was no way to cross over. We had to leave and pay to enter the right side and I wrestled with that one so hard. It was only a $5 mistake but I couldn’t stop berating myself, such a silly way to lose $5! But I reminded myself that if I kept going I’d waste a lot more money by not enjoying our last day in the city. It can be so hard to reframe!
I'll share a frugal fail, too!
I sent a big box full of Easter to my college daughter for her and her friends. It was supposed to arrive Wed; the tracking said it did arrive at the right post office but never went anywhere. Then it switched to " in transit" and not out for delivery. So I called that post office and got an amazing postal worker ( an actual person!!! Who was so helpful!) who started looking things up for me. Apparently the box was damaged in processing and probably spewed Easter goodies all over the postal machinery at some stage. So $$$ lost in wasted/lost candy and shipping fee. Sigh.
I did put in an insurance claim- well see if they give me a payout.
Not every day can be a frugal win!
@mbmom11, beware of the claim process....you have limited time & have to wait ___ days after finally considered lost/damaged & you need pictures/documentation to submit online (only). The post office is not very good about actually paying out claims. I have lost out on few (priority mail) packages that never made it to destination (in transit for months) & very visable damaged packages that never got reimbursed for because of technical reasons. Good luck. 🙂
@mbmom11, Exactly. When I mess up I remind myself of the hundreds of things I have done that are really frugal. And of all the things I've done that others consider weird in the name of being frugal. 🙂 Sometimes we try and it just doesn't work out. But we're miles ahead of not trying.
Thank you for sharing about your speeding ticket! I am in a frustrating, expensive disagreement with the Delaware EZ Pass authorities. I won't get into the details but it's hard to stomach the $100 fine for the $8 in tolls when I have a fully functioning EZ Pass accepted by all other toll booths. I've had to do the same self talk because my brain is having a hard time shaking it off.
@Meeghan, EZ Pass seems to have a lot of that happening - what a pain! The Outrage section of my brain would have trouble with that too.
@Meeghan, I am having the exact same problem with Delaware, $91 bill for a $4 toll they say I didn't pay. Maryland website shows I paid for it but there seems to be no way to get a monthly statement from Maryland. I took a photo of the screen and am hoping that satisfies Delaware. I hope you get a good resolution and me too.
@Book Club Elaine, make sure you send proof of a positive balance, that is why my appeal was denied. I'm not really sure where you're supposed to get that. But I had the same experience, accepted in all other states while I was driving from NC to NY.
Got a school zone canera ticket on a weekend trip to Queens/NYC. 24/7/365 there. Be advised.
@Liane, It's all about the money, not safety!
I've been enjoying my $3/month for 3 months Panera Sip Club deal!
I ordered two pairs of Knix thigh savers, with the anniversary sale discount. Thanks for the heads-up on Insta, Kristen!
I did some thrift shopping damage while visiting a friend this weekend. New-to-me thrift stores are so enticing. 3 tops for me, pants for husband, deck of cards to keep in the car when bored, and some baby items to add to the stash.
I used the eBay Make an Offer feature twice to buy gifts for a friend's birthday. I think this only saved $4 total, but a very easy save! Not to mention, using eBay for like-new items in the first place instead of buying from big box stores/Amazon saved money.
I'm always envious of all your dairy based healthy options. Smoothies, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. I don't care for almond milk (my DH's favorite). I can't stomach lactose without paying the price. I drink some lactose free Fairlife, but it is expensive.
Not a very frugal week
I bought 4 shirts this week at a thrift store. $1.50 each. This was great since my shirts all really are worn out. I needed around the house/yard shirts, but finding shirts for me is always difficult. Is the neck big enough to not touch my neck, does the shirt want to grab you the whole time you wear it, are the shoulder seams half way down the arms...major sensory issues with clothing. To find 4 in one day was almost a miracle! And I've worn them each this week and no issues to report...yay!
We combined Easter and birthdays so one big meal rather than a bunch of meals (3 birthdays and Easter in week's time).
I'm making all my hummingbird feed rather than purchasing which is much cheaper and better for the birds.
Sprayed vinegar/dawn on some lawn pests rather than buy commercial spray (again cheaper and better for the environment)
Trimmed DH's hair and the cats' nails.
@Marlena, has anyone made yogurt with the Fairlife milk?
@Marlena, coconut milk is a nice alternative.
1. I picked up a winter coat off Buy Nothing that will fit my son in a year or so.
2. I was off last week for my kids' Spring Break. I spent about $55 total on entertainment for the week. We went to the museum we are already members of, we hiked 3 times, and we took 3 classes at the library. We train watched, we fed the fish at our local hatchery, we saw the Minecraft movie at a discount theater ($5/ticket), and the kids took a parkour class using a gift card. We brought snacks, lunch, and drinks with us everywhere we went.
3. My mom gave us a ton of food (fruit, bread, salad, oatmeal, etc.) that she was not going to use.
4. I sold some murder mystery games on Marketplace
5. I made lots of applesauce from apples we bought that did not taste good. I sundried some cherry tomatoes that were over-ripe. I made vegetable stock from vegetable odds-and-ends. I made farmer's cheese from leftover milk, which went on homemade pizzas.
Frugal.
Met a friend for coffee instead of dinner.
Went to a free program at the library. It was very well done and interesting.
Bought mulch for 2 bucks a bag. Mulch is chemical free weed prevention.
Found a bunch of candy on clearance before Easter for Easter baskets.
Continue to use Libby and Kanopy for entertainment.
I never would have expected the school zone to start at 6, either! You may be able to get this dropped - it's worth a try.
I was trying to think how I was frugal (in ways other than my usual ways) and I'm not coming up with much. I'll start with Easter, when 13 people ate at my house.
1. My Easter outfit was a basic gathered skirt, with added tie belt that I made without a pattern (patterns are expensive!) out of sale-bought cotton in a floral print in white, buff, light yellow and blue. I dug around and found a nice light yellow top I had thrifted but had not worn much, which matched very well. I wore my luxurious-but-thrifted two-toned heels in buff and blue. It all looked like it was made to go together and cost very little.
2. Easter lunch was a cooperative affair so no one spent much money, including me. My girls brought appetizers and side dishes, my daughter's mother-in-law brought dessert, and I provided ham, one Key Lime pie, and drink.
3. I made a gallon of lemonade for our lunch by thawing two containers of the lemonade concentrate I had made this winter from our lemons, and froze - just add water, stir, done. I had bought the sugar in bulk, and the lemon juice had only required muscles and a manual juicer I bought at a thrift store for about $5. I also served iced tea made from loose tea given to me by my sister, which her late husband had loved but she doesn't.
4. I bought zero decorations, and I don't fill baskets for anyone, so nothing was purchased for that, either. I used my china, silver and table linens I always use at holidays and special occasions. The younger kids ate off of Corelle dishes - I like to use my china, but I'm not foolish with it, ha. Plus, I don't have china and silverware for 13.
5. The native flowering plants I've planted in my yard in years past are returning after 3 hurricanes and several hard freezes. I try to plant native perennials as much as I can. They mean less-to-no watering, fertilizing, pest control, pruning - less work and less cost.
@JD, your lemonade in your #3 sounds wonderful--in terms both of taste and of the upper-body workout!
@JD,
How does one make frozen lemonade concentrate? I sometimes find myself with lemons that need to be used up, and my son loves lemonade. Thanks!
@Liz B., I think Joy of Cooking has a recipe. (The book, the actual factual recipe book made our of paper!)
I went home for a visit last week, so spent less money than usual, but the plane tickets were expensive so probably cancelled that out! It was worth it though!
I can't think of much else. I had cash at home so used that to pay for some things!
I am the same with sharing money mistakes. I was disorganised with packing work lunches recently so I tried out some local cafes...it was a lot of fun but too expensive to do every week!
Well, I'm the only one I know who has been pulled over for going too slow, ha! I was just learning to drive, and I was extremely nervous so I was going about 10 miles under the 40 mph speed limit. The police officer recognized my mom's car (small town) and thought there must be something wrong so pulled us over to check. Nope, nothing wrong except a nervous new driver her first time on the highway! lol Thankfully no ticket :-) but it didn't improve my nerves
I did get a speeding ticket one time. I had been following a car going 5 miles under the speed limit for miles on a very quiet highway but with just enough other cars and no passing zones to leave me stuck. I was worried about being late and so when I finally got the chance, I zoomed around them before something could stop me from passing. I was slowing back down but of course that is when the police were coming. I was so mad at myself and I still get upset when I think about it. My husband thought it was hilarious because I never speed and he does but has never gotten a ticket. Oh well.
@Carla G, I am part of the ticket for driving too slow club. I had never driven outside Alaska and ended up on a highway in the Seattle area. Not only was I terrified but I could not figure out how to get off and I ended up zipping right by my exit. I was driving a brand new truck and when people kept honking at me, I thought they were admiring my new truck! When I was pulled over, the policeman asked me why I was driving so slowly---turned out I was going 35 miles an hour on a freeway. Until then I didn't know one could drive too slow and get a ticket.
@Lindsey, there was a plotline about that in Derry Girls!
First, let me entertain the Commentariat with how I got the first of my two speeding tickets: I was nailed for doing 47 in a 30 mph zone on my way to a Salvation Army in the next county over. 😛
Now, FFT, A “New” Computer Setup and Free Concert Tickets Edition (revised/updated from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(1) As I think I noted in a comment a few posts ago, I took the plunge on replacing the Antiques Roadshow iMac that’s been my office computer for many years, and purchased a late-model but refurbished Mac Mini, with my friend Mr. Fix-It’s guidance. I saved $90 by buying a refurbished one.
(2) Over the weekend and into Monday, we’ve been getting the Mini set up. There have, as anticipated, been some wailings and gnashings of teeth–but on the whole, the process has gone more smoothly than I expected. Frugal win in terms of wear and tear on my brain.
(3) Mr. Fix-It–who, as I have also noted earlier, is something of a tech hoarder and wheeler-dealer–provided me with a large monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse from his ample stash. And on one of our trips to the basement to inspect my modem and router, he noted the pile of DH’s old electronic instruments for home energy performance testing. These things are over a decade old and no more use to me than dinosaur bones–but, no doubt with visions of eBay dancing in his head, he took away the whole pile and has declined further payment for the monitor et al. May the gods rain blessings on his head.
(4) One irritating part of this process has been having to uninstall a few apps from the iMac that were too old to update, and then reinstall new versions. Fortunately, most of the new ones have been free. And I found a version of Office Home 2024 for Mac that cost considerably less than retail.
(5) In other news, our NPR station had a giveaway on a pair of tickets to a concert this Friday night sponsored by our local folk music association, and I won! I’m inviting one of my two Sunday morning walking buddies to go with me. It’s an Irish concert, and she’s originally from Glasgow, so we’re at least in the same Celtic ballpark. Erin Go Bragh/Scotland the Brave!
@A. Marie,
There's no slowing down on the way to an SA bargain!
@A. Marie, Mr. Fix-It sounds wonderful. It's great to have a real live person help navigate new hardware and software. Especially now that AI has replaced customer service. Am looking forward to hearing about the concert.
Frugal things:
1. We purchased vegetables plants from the local nursery. They were having "adult Easter egg hunt" with eggs that contained discounts for purchases. Our discount was 5%.
2. Reused garden pots and bags from last year for planting the vegetables.
3. We enjoyed Easter lunch at our daughter's in-law's house. Meal was a collaborative effort, they provided the meal, and we provided dessert.
4. Planned meal around what was in the frig, freezer, and pantry. Only fresh fruit and vegetables purchased at grocery store last week.
5. Made an appointment to get my Star ID at the DMV that is 5 minutes from my office. Our DMV offices are all crazy busy with people getting their Star IDs and someone recommended driving to the next county over to get it quicker. I was able to make an appointment for myself and DH at the one close by prior to the deadline, saving time and gas.
Frugal Fail: We could not find the Easter baskets for our grown kids and grandson after we moved last year. We've used the same baskets for our kids for over 25 years. After days of searching, I finally bought cheap buckets from Walmart to use this year.
Yay on discounted tickets to the symphony!
My frugal 5’s
1) For Easter, we used what we already had. We read books, watched videos and sang songs that were on YouTube, dressed up with clothes we already had and ate breakfast with food we made at home and was given at church.
2) Contributed to Easter with family by giving Easter baskets to our girls and nephews with everything free or like new. My generous mother and sister in law also helped by adding a few items to each basket.
3) Brought back leftover soda we got that no one else wanted.
4) For my youngest’s birthday, we made my girls’ cake from store bought cake mix and frosting. Decorated it with a pretty dog ornament on top to go with her dog themed birthday. Also watched a movie on DVD from the library that was new to her and played games with family at home per her request.
5) Trying hard to minimize our costs while my mother and sister in law are here: Brought food at Walmart that was fresh, generic brand or on sale. Used ibotta and Fetch. Batch run errands. Include them in events we were taking the kids to anyways.
In Michigan they recently passed a law about school buses with have video camera tickets (which some already have video cameras on stop signs that fold out around school bus) for motorists that don't stop.for school buses. Though I agree with your 6am for school zones, especially elementary school.
Frugal things---
● 10 free 4×6 photographs/pictures (TMOBILE REWARD)
● Petco email save $20 off $75
● got Blue Buffalo (dry) dog food on clearance $41 for 24# bag then used my $20 off coupon (dog food good until December 2025)
● 10% off (almost $5 off) case (6 pack) of our specialty ice cream (that never has coupons)
● saved 17% off No Trespassing sign (Dunham's) that I paid $20 for same sign in Mackinaw City 10+ years ago, that I needed another one to use
Frugal fail---
● Goodwill still charged my card $6 (according to online banking) after cancelling payment & cash register froze up (& management not able to immediately fix so had to go to different cash register). Of course I have no receipt showing because register froze up & the manager had to call service center later.
@Regina, if you do Fetch or iBotta, there are often offers for Blue Buffalo products.
@Bee, I had not scanned my Fetch app receipts yet, but just did & got 634 points on Blue Buffalo. 🙂
@Regina, yay!!! My dog eats Blue Buffalo. Every once in a while they have thousand point offers.
Little habits are the way we save money in the long run. Here's my rather repetitive list...
1. We made meals at home. We brewed coffee at home. We ate up food that needed to be eaten.
2. We finished the yard clean up on our own without paying someone to do it.
3. While stuck at home for 2 days waiting on the worker to replace our gas meter... we watched a movie from the library, played board games, worked on spring cleaning, etc. All no-cost activities.
4. I bought a brand new bike Huffy bike for my daughter for $50. It doesn't have gears, but the kid dislikes bike riding and won't be doing any long bike-hikes like the oldest. It will be a perfectly serviceable bike for her.
5. I put together a box of kods clothing to sell. All kids need some new shorts. Once I've sold the clothes, I will take them shopping for new shorts.
I was once pulled over for going 25 MPH. Who gets pulled over for going 25? However, this was also in a school zone at 9:30 in the morning. I went to court and explained to the judge there was only one school zone sign in a 1/2 mile stretch, and no flashing lights to indicate you were entering a school zone. It was actually an unsafe situation for the kids. My ticket was dismissed and more prominent signage was added to area.
• I went to an Easter festival with my grandchildren, DIL, and friends. A free and fun community event!
• I reused some gift bags, tissue paper, and baskets that I already had to wrap Easter gifts and goodies.
• I am currently reading my book clubs selection, Hello Beautiful, which I checked out from the library. It's my turn to lead the discussion this time around and choose next month's book. Has anyone read anything over-the -top wonderful recently?
• It is nearly time for my garden club's plant swap. I have a pot of Blue Daze and Boston fern both of which I took out of a neighbors yard trash. I also have some hydrangeas that I have propagated. With prices at the garden centers so high, it is fun to be able to participate in this event.
• I cleaned some garden pots that I purchased from an estate sale. These are another one of those things that are quite expensive at the garden center. However, most can be purchased for less than a dollar at estate sales in our area. When I find a nice assortment, I'll purchase them so that I will have them on hand.
Wishing all peace, good health, and prosperity.
@Bee, "The Life of Rebecca Jones" by Angahard Price is a great book. It's a Welsh author, the story is set in Wales, and it has a very surprising ending. It's what I call a "quiet" book. Nothing super dramatic or flashy; just a close look at real life in a particular place and time. Although the Welsh names of everything drove me crazy because I could not for the life of me figure out how they would be pronounced. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, Some others: "These Is My Words" by Nancy Turner, "Maggie-Now" by Betty Smith (author of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"), "The Apprentice" by Jacques Pepin, "Thornyhold" by Mary Stewart, "The Egg and I" by Betty Mcdonald, "Driving Over Lemons" by Chris Stewart, "Northern Borders" by Howard Frank Mosher, "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball.
I really love books. Obviously.
@kristin @ going country,
Throwing in a vote here for "The Egg and I"!
@kristin @ going country and @ JD - Thank you for the suggestions. I think that I have started a dozen or do books this year and have not been inspired to finish many. Everything seems so ho-hum. I will look at the summaries of these.
@kristin @ going country, I love The Egg and I! Betty McDonald was a great writer (aside from some unfortunate racism)!
@kristin @ going country, et Al,
Small Things Like These is another quiet book, set in Ireland. It’s riveting and too short.
@Bee,
These are not newer books, and maybe your book club has read them already, but I loved The Women (Kristin Hannah), Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby van Pelt), and Soul of an Octopus (Sy Montgomery). Also liked The Best We Could Do (Thi Bui), which is in graphic novel format (not usually my "thing", but an interesting memoir).
Because we have always had dogs and cats, I made Easter basket grass out of green construction paper cut into long, fine strips and lightly crumpled. It was reused until DS outgrew having an Easter basket. His basket was also reused every year and was small because too much sugar always upset his stomach.
We've had a few days of perfect weather and did a lot of yard work ourselves, saving whatever would be the going rate for hours of trimming, pulling vines, moving rocks, and putting down grass seed.
Great weather also made rack-drying clothes on the porch and patio so easy.
I tidied up my bag of plastic bags to reuse and then pooper-scooped the yard with a newspaper sleeve bag as a glove and a cereal bag as the waste bag.
Our youngest dog has a sensitive tummy and lately has needed a few jars of meat baby food to set her right. I am reusing these tiny jars to hold spices.
Sorry to hear about your ticket! I'm a court clerk and see these types of things every day. You have the option to plead not guilty and request to speak to the district attorney. Most DA's have a ticket reduction process that will save you money and consequences points have in both the DMV and car insurance worlds.
We are the same - for the people I'm close to, they know almost everything about me. I'm definitely a sharer!
For my frugal fail, we were in charge of snacks for DS18's sports team yesterday, and DH had offered to pick everything up at Costco this weekend, since we needed so much of each item. He forgot Costco was closed on Sunday. DS19 offered to pick things up at the local grocery store yesterday. He forgot to use my rewards number, and the local store is a lot more expensive. But, snacks were secured! He didn't even bring a receipt, for me to upload to Fetch. 😉
1) We've been using up a lot of garden lettuce from our volunteer plant, and the rest of the lettuce we planted a week or so ago is coming up really nicely.
2) We hosted a big Easter dinner + impromptu pool party for the teens & their friends. Other than the cake (purchased at Costco), we made all of the food, and it was pretty inexpensive, all things considered.
3) I was able to use leftover supplies from soccer senior night to make DS18's tennis senior night posters. I did print out some additional photos at WalMart, which cost just over $1.
4) It took two tries, but I was able to get my CD switched over to a higher interest rate for a longer term.
5) Caught an error in a bill, and asked for a refund, which I received.
Count me in the group of people not being very good at keeping silent about my own stuff. Other people's stuff? Sealed. My own? Not.
My FFT:
1. I have some leftover birthday money and I was about to buy myself a Detroit Tigers t-shirt (they are reasonably priced at Meijer and I know I'd wear it a ton) when I saw that they had Detroit Lions hoodies half off that week, PLUS I had an mPerk coupon for an additional 20% off. Y'all. I got a Lions hoodie for $20! When I was looking at them before, they were all $50-$75. I'm thrilled! I've already worn it twice.
2. We had an insurance mix-up at our pediatrician that I thought they had fixed (I stopped in to get it fixed) but it apparently had not. I called and I think they got it this time.
3. I wanted to make a first purchase at Knix, so I asked for Kristen's referral code and got $20 off my order. It was also during their anniversary sale, yay! Then I sent my referral code to a friend at work that I had been talking with and she placed an order that night, so I have an additional $20 to spend soon.
4. We did an Easter egg hunt at our house and I got candy that was fun, but not expensive. Then when I had some eggs left, I put nickels in them. Nickels are still exciting to most of my children (they've never gotten eggs with money in them before) and it's cheaper than candy.
5. I'm in the midst of 3 months of having Panera Sip Club for $3/month and have been getting a number of lemonades for my daughter with it. It's something that fills her cup (no pun intended) to help her feel special/loved when she's tired after a big theater rehearsal.
Most of my frugal five is about providing a frugal visit to my sister who was visiting with her husband from overseas. We've spent a lot of time visiting free or inexpensive museums and parks, and have managed it all with our one family car. Frugal activities has been kayaking, hiking in the nearby mountains, and renting city bikes in DC and biking around the monuments in DC.
1. Rather than have my sister rent a car and drive, we drove to New York City to pick her up where she was staying with another relative. At the same time, made it into an impromptu long weekend trip for my kids spring break.
2. Stayed for free in a hotel on Manhattan using Marriott points from my husband's work travel.
3. We did not spend any money on museums or sightseeing in New York, instead walked a lot or took the subway, and visited a couple of free places (New York City library, The FIT Museum of Fashion Industry.)
4. Spent a chunk of time thrifting in cool spots in Chelsea for my teens to find some interesting streetwear. My husband also found a pair of barely used Dr Martens shoes that were made in England.
5. For Easter, my teens told me they would still like an Easter basket. I took a brown paper bag which I folded down as a "basket", and lined with shredded paper I've saved from previous Easters. The chocolate this year was very expensive, I also bought some art supplies and managed to use a 25% off everything coupon at CVS.
@Kristina M.,
Nice score on the Doc Martens! They will last forever.
@Lazy Budget Chef, I hope so, my husband is hard on shoes 😀
@Kristina M., Family lore has it that my great or great great grandfather was a stone mason and worked on the lions in front of the NY Public Library.
@Auntiali, they are beautiful! I took a nice photo of one on a dark gloomy day with still naked tree branches behind them. Very stark and regal.
A longer, more negative (and hopefully humorous) version of this story is on Non-Consumer Advocate's Monday blog, but I am very proud of my frugal potty room renovation. I can't call this room a bathroom because the only plumbing it contains is a toilet. (If you've seen the movie "The Help," you'll know why.)
Anyway, I have redone a room and the only things I paid for were the wax ring and a water intake thingy that goes from the wall thingy to the toilet tank. And, of course, what I paid the handyman who installed it. When I first moved in to this house, I salvaged a particle board (with a nice "wood" finish) bathroom space saver that I'd used in my Florida house, an apartment and two townhouses. Its legs were getting warped from the moisture in all the tiny rental bathrooms so I removed the legs and had a handyman attach the upper (cabinet-and- shelves) part to the wall. It looks very nice, like it was supposed to be a built-in cabinet, and it was free. The room had its original 1960's flooring and commode, and the latter stopped working so we just quit using the room. Meanwhile, the 2 other commodes in the house also quit on us and were replaced one by one. The handyman who replaced the commode in my master bathroom put in a small, cheap-looking round one. It worked but I didn't really like it. Anyway, you'll recall that last month, Lowe's put in a Luxury Vinyl Plank floor in my living room-dining room -- and we had a lot of leftover planks. Which I went out and grabbed out of the trash pile as soon as the Lowe's installers drove off. This month, I hired a guy to take out the non-working toilet, install a LVP floor using the leftover planks, and put the master bath's small toilet in there. It looks great and all the materials (flooring, threshhold, potty and cabinet) are reused/salvaged items so they didn't cost me a dime. Yes, I confess that I am insufferably proud of my frugal win. (Even if I had to put up with a really crazy handyman.)
Meanwhile, I bought a top-of-the-line elongated toilet for the master bathroom. The handyman installed that, too, on Easter Sunday night. It flushes up a storm and looks a whole lot better than the one it replaced. (Funny fact: the new commode came in a box. The label on its box says my toilet will easily flush seven billiards balls at a time. OMG! I don't play pool and I don't have any billiard balls in the house, but I suppose it's nice to know I can flush some down the toilet if needed, LOL.)
I have shared that I have received an inheritance and because of this, I was able to pay off my car and my remaining credit card, so no more interest!! I did sign up to be able to use my credit card to earn cash back with some every day purchases.
I bought two sheets of Forever stamps in view of the postage increase in July.
Gas has lowered to $2.79 and will fill up in the morning on the way home from work. (I don't think it will change before then.)
One of the residents (at my work) has a beautiful African violet and she graciously offered a leaf so that I will allow to root and plant. It will be a nice remembrance of her.
The usual, make my own distilled water for drinking, chai tea at home, bunch errands
When I worked about 45min to an hr from home 2p to 10p schedule, I would "hurry" home and got stopped more than once. I think the scrubs had an influence on the patrolmen because I never got a ticket but got "warnings." One time I was so nervous, the patrolman was talking and killing a spider on my side mirror and asked me if it was my pet. I told him, "No, I have a cat and a dog," and as he headed back to run my driver's license. I put my head on the steering wheel and said to myself, "I don't have a cat! I have a dog and a horse!"
@Chrissy, How interesting - how do you distill your water? I've heard that it takes multiple hours and wondered if you have to monitor a heat source for a long time, or what...
My frugals are the boring ones again.
About yogurt, I almost always start a batch using the end of the previous batch. When I don’t have a previous batch to use, I buy a carton of whatever is available. Plain is hard to come by so I have used flavored—vanilla is my first choice, but I’ve used berry flavors. It adds a very subtle hint to the new yogurt.
What is the “trusty name-brand starter" you referred to in your email to us subscribers?
My only fails have been using milk that was turning (ooh, ick, tasted like bad milk), adding the yogurt before the milk temperature was cool enough or when it was too cool.
Do you mean you got a speeding ticket without even being pulled over by an officer?? Is this how they do it in cities?? Yikes.
Will we get to know how much this will cost?
1. I snagged a brand new pair of walking shoes at the consignment store. I had it on my list to find new walking shoes because my old ones are painful to wear with compression garments. Now my daily walks with the puppy are longer and more comfortable.
2. I found a recipe to use the ox tails from last year’s cow purchase. I had all ingredients in the pantry and it ended up being tasty. In the future I will just make bone broth with the ox tails, while good they are tedious to eat.
3. Easter basket grass is crinkle cut paper that I got in a package years ago. I keep it in a ziplock bag in the hoiday decoration box for when it’s needed.
4. Easter basket goodies were all things my son needed for upcoming tournaments (headbands, a fan for cooling off on the sidelines) ChapStick, a box of cereal, and a few chocolates. I’ve been picking everything up slowly over a few shopping trips.
5. I’ve been using the search function on our TV to find movies to watch that don’t normally pop up when I open an app. Lots of movies from when I was in high school have been enjoyed the past two weeks, usually while I work on a puzzle from the library. I’ve also been listening to audiobooks from the library while doing things around the house.
I'm sorry about your speeding ticket. I also would have been likely, in that circumstance, to have gotten one. Ouch. Be gentle with yourself. We all make mistakes.
This week I combined my sewing skills with “you don’t need whiskers for that” (an old FG saying). I was planning to reuse some wire mesh fencing to create garden gates to keep the dog out of my veggies. Even after folding a couple pieces together, it was too flimsy and gaping in the middle. Instead of needle and thread, I sewed together the wire mesh pieces using some wire I’d saved from an another roll of fencing and a screwdriver to pull it tight. One gate is now finished … several more to go.
This year, I decided to add brick edging to my garden to make trimming the grass easier. I posted in my neighborhood Facebook page to see if anyone had old bricks they’d like me to haul away for reuse. I already have one response. When I’ve done this in the past, I’ve found people are very eager to get rid of the old landscaping bricks they have lying around!
In Texas the red light cameras have been removed, I think because they couldn't prove WHO was driving the car when it committed the violation. We really need them, though. Red light running here is epidemic . . . and incredibly dangerous. Also, in Texas school zones are only in effect when the lights are blinking. That would've been very helpful in your case.
Regarding spending on Easter - we had a hard time scheduling our churchwide Easter picnic and egg hunt, for a variety of reasons. So we are going to have it this Saturday, and the great thing about an after-Easter egg hunt is we are all able to take advantage of after-Easter prices! (Everyone donates eggs and candy, so it's a win!)
My other win was having enough ham (bought on special at Aldi) left from our large family gathering and inheriting a large pack of Hawaiian rolls that were (intentionally) left behind by a cousin to make hot ham and cheese sliders for supper last night.
1. My husband and I shared an AirBnB with my comedy teammates and spouses during an overnight out of town gig.
2. I sewed seat belt covers and matching car coasters from materials in my sewing stash. My seat belt doesn't rub my neck raw while driving for the low low cost of free which is much cheaper than the cover I was tempted to buy on my last long car trip.
3. I shopped my Joann Fabrics closing sale for costuming fabric and performance supplies and got most of my items at 60% off. It was still an eye watering amount of money but I am set for at least a year for specific projects.
4. I ran new elastic in several pairs of fleece lined leggings and workout shorts.
5. Wrapped my husband's anniversary present in a bag from our wrapping boxes and bags bin. I also got a small performer's discount on it because I bought it while I was on the road last month.
1. Accepted 3 rotisserie carcasses from our bachelor friend who eats only the breast meat and then freezes the bones until the next time he sees me. Made a huge batch of stock and three freezer chicken casseroles for the future. And have enough bits to add to the dogs' food bowls for the next few days.
2. Did four mystery shops.
3. Had to buy a new fence gate so priced it first and then went to Safeway to get Home Depot gift cards for that amount, which gave us a bunch of gas points.
4. A friend's mother is in a dementia unit. I accompanied her to see her mom, bringing along a play list of gospel music sung by the guy who used to play Gomer Pyle (if you are old enough to recognize that name). He has a beautiful voice and we spent an hour all singing along to the songs, with her mother joining right in remembering all the words. Afterwards my friend wanted to go to lunch but I convinced her to come back to our house instead of spending money at a restaurant.
5. Husband cut my hair.
Frugal fail: A few years ago I was spending a lot of time in bad after multiple surgeries. A family member bought me an 80 inch television so I could watch movies, since I had no concentration for reading. We seldom use that TV, as we have a more normal sized one in the living room. However, last night we decided to watch a movie on the big screen. The character in the show had a dog that started barking. All of a sudden, our Dane came roaring into the room and charged into the front of the television to try to reach the TV dog. The glass cracked into a web covering the entire screen. This dog is making me crazy...
@Lindsey,
Jim Nabors, Gomer Pyle, USMC! And before that, he was Gomer in Mayberry.
@Lindsey, bless his thunder-pawed, bacon-grease-splattering self, torpedoing into the room to save you from a tv dog.. (+ thank you for sharing his stories - I hate to say it, b/c I'm sorry for the pain to you, but I do enjoy hearing about his escapades)
@Lindsey, first, another shout-out for the late Jim Nabors--as both Gomer Pyle and a wonderful singer. And I'm not surprised that your friend's mom with dementia responded so well to the music; it seems that the musical part of the brain is one of the last to go.
Second, poor Clobber Paws is in trouble **again**?? Oh dear. I'm sorry about the TV.
@A. Marie, I agree re: musical part. Mom didn't sing much towards the end but she'd dance. What was eerie was before the last stage hit, she'd read print with no problem and did not comprehend a single word she read.
The only ticket I ever got was in a school zone so I feel for you!
Your packed lunches and dinners always look so good.
Frugal things this week:
When no more moisturizer would come out of the tube, I cut the end off the tube and there's at least a week's worth of moisturizer left in there. I use a binder clip on the end to keep it from drying out.
I re-knit the toes of a beloved pair of hand-knit socks. (A bonus is that this uses up bits of scrap yarn I save.)
I worked my way through a mending/alteration pile: replaced the elastic in a skirt, mended a blanket, mended the strap on a tank top, and took in a blouse that was too big in the back (it had a center back seam, so an easy fix.)
Made chicken broth from chicken bones and vegetable scraps I've been keeping in the freezer. (Bonus: I pick off any remaining bits of chicken on the cooked bones for my dogs.)
Oh Kristen, I too received a ticket recently. Mine was for passing a school bus when the stop sign was out- which did not come out until I was parallel to the stop sign on the bus. I was already turning a corner as the bus approached and it is a tight intersection to maneuver and there was no indication that the bus was stopping to let students off. I got beside the bus as it came to a stop and the sign came out. I did consider stopping but if I did then the back of my car would have been blocking the crosswalk and it wouldn’t have been safe for anyone to cross behind me. There was no way I was going to hit anyone because I was beside the bus so I pulled slowly forward so I wasn’t blocking the intersection. I was sent a ticket in the mail. I could have fought it but they don’t make it easy and my life was basically unraveling at the time.
So the unraveling will be worked into my FFT.
UnFrugal unravel number one. - I have 3 decks. Two are attached to the house and one is further down in my tiered yard. I knew I needed to make repairs and it took over a year to find a contractor to commit to the job. The deck in the yard had started to collapse due to improper construction (which I am still paying for and somehow passed a city inspection). Then when the contractor started the work, we discovered that there were some structural issues starting under the bottom deck attached to the house. So- thousands of dollars and many challenges later the work is finally done.
Some frugal deck wins
1. Although Lowe’s insisted (after repeated asks) that they could deliver up my steep, narrow street, the driver could not do it. He dropped the load five streets away and it took four hours for the contractor and myself to load all of the stuff bit by bit into the contractor’s truck, drive to my house then unload and carry the stuff into my back yard.
When I called Lowe’s about the issue, the store manager was very rude and told me that “You should have known.” that they could not get the truck up my street. He begrudgingly refunded the delivery fee. I called the next day and asked for the store manager, who heard my story, apologized and took an additional $150 off of the order.
2. The contractor allowed me to be her assistant during the process to help keep the labor bill down, which was a god send since the project took a week longer than expected. I learned how to lay Trex decking, mix concrete and many other things.
3. I was given free access to a dumpster where I slowly disposed of the old decking material.
4. A neighbor and a random stranger jogging past stopped and helped with our unloading when they saw us trying to unload (16 feet deck boards and 50 pound bags of cement are heavy!) I did buy the neighbor pizza and I did give the young jogger some cash for the help)
5. Some friends brought some food over that fed me for several days thru the process.
6. We got an additional $50 off of an order from Home Depot because of the wait we had while picking up more materials.
Frugal unravel number 2
In the midst of all of this crazy with the deck, I was informed that my job was being basically cut in half (I would be offered some upcoming work but not my full contract). This will cause me to soon lose my healthcare. We have had management changes that are extremely challenging and the situation has been handled very poorly. I am now weighing my options on how to deal with the situation because of the way it was handled.
The positives of the situation.
1. A dear friend has assisted me with reviewing my resume and helping with a cover letter so I can start applying for other jobs. I do not want to have to put myself back into my old work environment if possible. I believe the situation is only
going to get worse and more toxic.
2. Friends and family have rallied around and, once again, fed me.
3. The lovely contractor did not charge me for labor on our last day of work because it took so long to finish the project and she was aware of my current unemployment and pending job loss. I insisted to her that she should be paid her full rate but she would not hear of it. She is a truly good person. A told her I will be her assistant in the future if she needs me!
Sorry for the long post but it actually has been a positive for me to write out the wins of this extremely trying time.
Off now to look for a job!
@Pattilou, I sympathize with both your deck saga (but blessings on your lovely contractor) and your job loss. One darn thing after another!
@Pattilou, I second what A. Marie said, and I'm glad you were able to have those lovely flickers of light with the random helping strangers/contractor in the midst of all the craziness. And I hope you can promptly forget about the ticket (meaning not be bothered by it) - I can't see what else you could have done; that seemed the safest choice.
@Pattilou, you already started your new job search. All I can say re: "sure we can deliver" is male ego (not on the part of the driver - he got loaded in the boat).
Inspections are all too often a racket - money greases hands and a homeowner (at some point) pays the price.
Trex - it can crack and it will fade over time. What you don't get is shrinkage resulting in gaps. The Trex under our covered porch (which is now enclosed) didn't fade. On the other deck, it has. And just like wood, pollen/leaf debris will make it slick. Wet leaves will stain it. It can be cleaned with a power washer. Soaping it up, then scrubbing with a brush before rinsing with a power washer works well.
@A. Marie, thank you. It sure is one thing after another lately!
@Suz, thank you! I love how you phrased it. “Little flickers of light” is perfect.
1. Husband and I moved large boulders that we inherited with our house and used them in our landscape. (They were piled up in the backyard where the previous owners were planning to build a water feature but never did.) We used a dolly, a crowbar and sheer brute strength to move those boulders. There are three massive ones left that we can’t possibly move without a skid steer, so they’re staying put.
2. Made a dip out of sour cream, mayo, zesty cheddar popcorn seasoning (received in a gift basket) and black pepper. It’s great on crackers – tastes like cheese and crackers! Also good with raw veggies.
3. Continue to benefit from my Buy Nothing group. Last week, I was the lucky recipient of a file organizer, peanut oil, picnic basket, windbreaker for husband, and more river rock. I also listed several things so the circle continues to go round.
4. Due to foot issues, I soak my feet every day. I’ve started saving the water to water plants or boil it to kill more weeds. I also use the boiling water left after steaming veggies on the weeds.
5. Saved aquafaba from a can of beans and used in place of eggs in banana bread, although I think eggs are still a good buy even at their higher price.
1. I had another small payment of $4.98 from a class action fund. Apparently there was money left over after the first round of payments, so they are distributing the remaining amounts.
2. On the same day as my number 1 above, I also received $40.67 from a Facebook privacy class action.
3. We were scheduled to host some friends but had to cancel due to a sick kiddo. We hadn’t had energy to cook so had planned on ordering pizza for the friends, but in the end we made do with what we had at home. So that was a bummer but at least frugal.
4. I was able to batch cook a little– I was making a meal for someone with a new baby and was able to make a double batch of two meals, so we ended up being able to take them two meals and have two meals (with leftovers) for us too.
5. I was able to buy a dresser in good condition from FB marketplace. The guy selling it also delivered it for us as we don’t have a large vehicle.
6. DH had a local conference and brought home two packets of coffee they were giving away.
@Lindsay B,
Oh, and I forgot to mention that most importantly, DH is still employed (he's a federal employee). So we still have health insurance for the diagnostic mammogram I need this week, among other things.
Sympathies on your speeding ticket, so annoying when one is usually law abiding. My absolutely not frugal recent fail - I was so excited going to my knitting group to show off my latest sweater that I didn’t check the parking signs and had my car towed! It was VERY expensive and I beat myself up for a while until a friend advised me that lapses of concentration do happen, no one was injured and, if I spread that cost over my 45 years of driving, the cost doesn’t feel quite as monumental. Plus I will take much better care in future!
@Linda, I was taking a class on women and money in 2006-7, and they advised us to start a secret money fund in case of emergency. I had just managed to put $500 away and was bragging about it. That night my car was towed and I had to spend the $500 to get it out. You know what’s amazing? I had the money saved because of that class! It’s a lesson I have never forgotten. I always have emergency savings now.
I ould wait for the ticket and then either go into court and plead my case. I went through at 6am and didn't realize the school zone mph were in effect that early because there was no one around. I am deeply sorry and won't do it again. Yes it takes some time to do this but is usually worth it. Case in point (I also live in PA) and a friend got stopped by a trooper and was given every ticket they can give. He had no paperwork on him and the car's inspection had lapsed by 4 days. So he took the car to his mechanic with all of the paperwork and the mechanic said you can go 10 days with a inspection appointment so he should fight it. After all was siad and done he went from a total bill of $576 to $170ish. The one thing he could fight was a late car registration. It is worth the time.
@Amy cheapohmom, by paperwok I meant registration, insuance card and drivers license. Yes he admits this whole thing was stupid on his part.
Kristen, you essentially made kefir! I suppose drinkable yogurt wasn’t the goal here ☺️
It kinda sounds like your yogurt fail was a win. (: Frugal lately for me:
*got a free medium pizza from Domino's
*saved $5 on my groceries in the HEB app today, AND they gave me a free grocery tote bag for Earth Day
*my next Chik-Fil-A order will be free because I have a bunch of points accumulated
*got a new pair of Brooks shoes for about $35 off
*applied Capital One rewards on my Amazon order of trash bags, printer cartridge, filter replacement for steam vac, and a supply of calcium tabs
Not so frugal: having to replace my garbage disposal but I may get Son #3 to help me DIY that and save $369 in installation fee.
1. I cancelled a chiropractor appointment as I was feeling great, so I'm saving a visit for when I really need one, plus saved my $40 copay.
2. We pay a rental fee for our propane tank at camp since we don't use enough propane for the year. When this year's bill came, I noticed it was really high. Luckily, I had saved last year's bill and called and asked if the fee went up or what. I was told there was a computer glitch and I paid the same fee as last year, plus saved $159 if I would have paid the incorrect amount.
3. Hubby washed my car this weekend for me for free.
4. I noticed that my internet/cable bill went up as a promotion fell off, so I called and got a better promotion and will save $35.18/month.
5. I wore a dress that I already owned for Easter.
I believe Amy Dacyczyn(?) mentioned something about having trouble coming up with frugal things because so much of it was what she didn't do. Feeling a kinship with that lately, but I do think it's good to list and keep top of mind:
- Avoided going to the konbini all days except one of them this week...a trip to get baseball tickets was my last draw...I got a tiny strawberry cake.
- Decided not to order from ThredUp for some necessary summer clothing items as I didn't need enough to qualify for free shipping, and I thought the shipping cost was a little over the top.
- DID find a pair of pants from the thrift store, so that's one thing off the list. They have a few staind, but they are white, and I'm working diligently on removing them.
- Froze some treats we don't really need to be eating every day for "ride food".
- Went to my new mechanic for the biannual inspection of the car and paid around $100-$200 less than what I would have with another mechanic or with involving a translator.
In my state, the speed limit goes to 25 "When Children are Present". So of course I slow down during drop off and pick up times, and that has always been fine. But I always wonder if they could ticket you while the kids are safely in their classes because to me, that's what "present" means. It's never been a problem here, though.
We lived for a short while in Arizona. There the speed limit goes down to 15 miles an hour in school zones, and it's from before school until the kids are gone. Apparently even when they are safely IN school and not on the road--there they are "present". And we lived across the street from a big elementary school. There were police stationed there EVERY DAY, all of the school day (small town, maybe nothing much else to do?). And they truly would ticket if you were going 16 miles an hour, which meant, to be on the safe side, you had to drive 10 MPH. There were days when I was traveling between work sites I would nip home for a quick lunch, but I had to really focus to remember to drive 10 MPH as soon as I got 2 blocks from home.
In another state we lived in (Hawaii) the schools had a big flashing sign when kids were out and about at drop-off and pick-up time. I really appreciated that.
Sorry about your ticket. In many states you can take a safe driving course online to get the ticket expunged, which will save you from higher rates on your insurance. You still have to pay for the ticket and the course, though.
No idea what my thinking was, but after a batch of failed yogurt recently, I brought the soured milk back up to 180. Much to my surprise, the milk separated and I had ricotta cheese! I've made ricotta before using whey and milk, so I was quick to recognize what I made. I just drained it and popped it into the fridge. Not what I intended to make but still better than a waste!
Does the sign say "when students are present"? If so, I'd use it in court. I'd also use your no tickets in like forever. How big is the print on the sign re: 6:00 am? I've always lived in a rural area, drive through a lot of rural areas and I have *never* seen a school zone speed limit start at a particular time. Tells me if students are present to catch a bus at 5:00 am, the speed limit isn't in effect (and darn well should be). I'm calling this a speed trap aka revenue generator.
If your state/area offers it, suck it and sit through a "safe driving class". Ticket in my state doesn't go on your record if you do (still have to pay for class). I wrote a program for work during mine and got real irritated at two women of a certain age enjoying this as a social event. I employed an immense amount of self-control as I wanted to tell them to STFU.
Mine are perhaps not all so frugal but being frugal allows one to be a good person and generous at times.
1 - technically not frugal for us but for the recipient, passed along a $10 gift card I won at a fundraiser. The restaurant is not conveniently located for us to patronize.
2 - did use another gift card I won. Had to pony up a bit more but left the wait person a nice tip. We usually tip more around a holiday
3 - Better half won (really good) ball game tickets at the fundraiser. Since you make plans and life happens, we're discussing to whom to offer the tickets if a life event happens.
4 - Got a bill for almost $595 for a procedure better half had last fall. I have the receipt for his co-pay, know the check number for the $21 I paid, and the insurer's EOB. Accounts receivable person is flummoxed so will follow up with billing and let me know. Ever since they converted to EPIC system, their billing has been a pain.
5 - Effort spent last fall weeding our asparagus and strawberry patches paid off. A little bit of weeding required but not much. I do need to rake off the sedge/catnip/asparagus end, the leaves did not burn up well. And time to dig up and transplant more sedge. It appears to be a companion plant to catnip and asparagus at our home.
Kristen, all three of those lovely nursing students look quite young to me! There is a camera ticket trap right down the road from my church. It looks like a fat mailbox - I never would have known what it was if a friend hadn't pointed out the tiny red light on the front. It's kind of scary looking. I got my only speeding ticket ever almost four decades ago. I still remember my stomach feeling like I was on a roller coaster - that's how fast I was going. I've mended my wicked ways and saved a lot of money.
I also got a ticket in a school zone. The school is only a block from me, so I was on autopilot heading home at 35 MPH. The camera was newly installed. School had been out for an hour. There wasn't a child (or an adult) in sight. A few days later a ticket arrived in my mailbox. $100. ouch!
I know I'm late so no guarantee you'll even see this, but something I'm very glad about on your behalf is that you're having the opportunity to have a college experience. So many people who don't go to college right out of high school never get that bonding with classmates, who are usually people you wouldn't run into in just the normal course of your days and especially if some of them have moved far from home to go to school, and the balancing-all-the-things-run-from-here-to-there experience that is truly invaluable on so many fronts.
That bowl looks like it has a suspiciously small handle that fits very few fingers. 🙂
Yes, that happened to me in February, went thru an elementary school zone at 6:10a at what I thought was 28mph in a 25mph zone... Nope. Twas 28 in a 20 earlier than I'd realized as well. Dutifully paid the $138, I WAS guilty after all. No fighting that in my mind.