Five Frugal Things | food waste saves x2
1. I made a serious use-it-up dinner
Just Lisey and I were here for dinner on Sunday night, and I made a meal that used up lots of odds and ends.
I had:
- one ripe avocado
- one ripe tomato
- 4 old-ish corn tortillas
- the last of some romaine lettuce
- one ear of corn (Hungry Harvest sent me a random single!)
- the last of a bunch of cilantro
- the last bit of a container of sour cream
So, I made a shrimp taco salad, and I mixed the sour cream with a little mayo, some milk, and some chipotles (here's how I keep chipotle peppers handy in my fridge) to make a dressing.
I love it when so many random things come together!
2. I fixed a tea towel
Oh hey! We've seen this in many Five Frugal Things posts before.
Towel seams: they're always coming apart.
But they are an easy fix, and as long as you mend the seam promptly, the towel is usually no worse for the wear.
3. I tried Get Upside
Usually, I get my gas at Royal Farms, using my Royal Farms card, which gives me a $0.10/gallon discount (and also I earn points that can be used towards things at the Royal Farms store, like fried chicken or chocolate bars.)
But I was cleaning out apps on my phone and I came across the Get Upside app, which I'd installed and never used.
I checked to see what was available, and I saw an offer for $2.92/gallon at a gas station that's right by my house. So, I claimed the offer, used a credit card that gives me 5 points/dollar on gas, and now I'm waiting for my Get Upside credit to hit my account.
I think the introductory offers are better than the usual offers, but we all know I am not opposed to using something for the introductory offers and then letting it go. 😉
If you are new to Get Upside (like me!) you can use this link or offer code 97N2J to get an extra $0.15/gallon discount (and I get some kind of extra discount too.)
4. I rescued some wrinkly apples
I had a few forgotten apples in the back of my fruit drawer, so I peeled and sliced them, and then sauteed them in butter with cinnamon.
And then I put them on top of my oatmeal; so good!
(Here's how I make one serving of microwave oatmeal.)
5. I raided the Safeway markdown shelf
Sometimes the clearance shelf at Safeway has absolutely nothing I need or want. But sometimes, the opposite is true!
We needed band-aids, and there were tons of 50% off boxes there, plus several boxes of cereal and some body wash. Sweet.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to?
—My husband wears plain black T-shirts for work. I used a $5 voucher and a 40% off coupon at Michael’s to get him two new shirts from their fabric art section.
—I inventoried our deep freezer, which is near to bursting. We had nearly two months’ notice for the potential railroad strike thanks to friends and co-workers with RR connections, so we slowly stocked up just in case. We’ve no excuse to go to the store for some time!
—I found two Pyrex bowls at Goodwill for $3 total. Our cats prefer glass bowls to metal or ceramic but have managed to break Pyrex while playing before. A few spares in the cupboard never hurts!
—Our side-by-side kitchen sink wasn’t draining. After rotating the same Ziploc of vinegar on all our faucets and shower head throughout the day to combat hard water deposits, I added the vinegar to baking soda for the kitchen drains, followed with boiling water from the kettle. When that still didn’t help, I remembered a tip from Katy at the Non-Consumer Advocate: Plug one drain with a wet wash cloth and your fist while plunging the other. Victory! We won’t talk about the nastiness that came up, but both sinks are draining splendidly now!
—I thrifted a pair of gorgeous hand-thrown, glazed Renaissance Faire goblets with “2007” and a local-ish Faire name prominently sculpted on the front. A friend’s child was born that year, loves Ren Faires, and even has an upcoming birthday! My friend was delighted to claim the goblets, and the afternoon coffee date/secret present exchange we had was well worth the $4 spent on said goblets. 🙂
@N, I love that last one. So perfect.
@kristin @ going country, I haven’t the wherewithal to become a professional flipper, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy finding/rescuing lovely things and passing them on to their true homes. 🙂
I've never used any of those cash back apps like fetch or Ibotta. I'm not sure why...maybe I just don't like the idea of being tracked (although I'm sure I'm tracked already anyway). Something just doesn't add up for me about them. Like, I understand the purpose of loss leaders and clearance items but with those apps, I just feel like the motivation behind them is a bit murky, and I feel suspicious of who is the ultimate benefactor. Maybe I'm just paranoid.
Anyway, FFT and a frugal fail:
1. Got some more Manager's specials at Giant including some bags of organic coffee for 1.79 each which I was super happy about because coffee was actually on my grocery list. Usually my scores are items I add to food storage that we will use at some point like half priced proteins or a dented box of grits, but actually knocking something off my list felt like even more of a win.
2. Used the 100 gift card for groceries and had no problems with it this time.
3. Looked at the price of drills at Lowe's and (holy cow!) decided I need to process my insurance claim first. My drill got wet in the basement flood and no longer works. I'm also wondering if maybe only the battery needs to be replaced, which would potentially be cheaper.
4. Ate leftovers for lunch which were sometimes a bit bizarre like a sandwich made with fish sticks, but always tasty and frugal.
5. Kept all the wood from having my tree cut down further. I will use it in my garden and as play items for my kids. Keeping it made the removal cost lower and felt more like I was honoring the tree.
My fail: I got sucked into all the pumpkin and apple flavored seasonal items at Aldi. I bought what I thought was a reasonable three items, but when I checked my receipt later, I bought two bags of cashew clusters for 6.99 each! They are only 10 oz bags! I thought they were more like 2.99. Trying to decide if I'm bothered enough to return them or if I will just eat them and let them serve as an expensive reminder not to impulse shop anymore. My third impulse item was much more reasonable at 1.99 for wafer cookies.
@Becca,
Life is short. Eat the cashew clusters
I think a fish stick sandwich is not too weird! I mean, it's sort of like a fish sandwich at McDonalds. 🙂
@Becca, I feel the same way about the receipt trackers! I've even given up doing Box Tops in favor of just directly donating to my school (library books, booster club, whatever). We are tracked anyway, but there's just no reason whatsoever to offer the information. Or at least that's how I feel. 🙂
@Karen., I stopped doing the box tops for that very reason.
@Becca, My problem with Ibotta or Fetch is that they hook you with really worthwhile rewards, and then the rewards get smaller and less frequent. The rewards are hardly ever for items I actually buy--I tend to buy store brands, and the rewards favor name brands--so they're like the coupons my dad used to clip every Sunday: only for processed foods and expensive items that we wouldn't normally purchase. Often I had a hard time even getting the receipt to scan!
@Becca, ditto on not doing the receipt trackers. I don't do them either for the same reason.
If you eat and enjoy the fall items from Aldi, maybe they'll be reduced closer to the end of the season and you can treat yourself again for less expensive cost. If you don't like what you bought, you'll not be tempted next year!
@Lazy Budget Chef,
Hahaha! Perhaps you're right. It was more of a like "wait, those bags were HOW MUCH? EACH??? How did I miss that!?!? You sneaky, sneaky end cap by the register!!!"
@Molly F.C.,
I'm glad to hear I am not the only frugal one eschewing the apps. Every time I read about them, I think "Am I missing out here out of stubbornness?" But it does sort of sound like the products are mostly stuff I don't buy.
@Becca, I do use Fetch and ibotta. It does take a long time to earn much of anything. However, I understand how you feel about tracking. Although I try to prevent it, I figure I’m tracked everywhere I go now - security cameras, ring doorbells, Facebook, Instagram, safari, credit scoring, TSA, credit card and debit card purchases, and so forth. So when I look at the big picture, I’ve decided that little harm can come from others knowing that I eat gluten free bread or prefer Siggi’s yogurt.
@Kristen, I was going to point that out, although the sandwich would be missing the crack tarter sauce McDonalds puts on the fish. I think I would eat just the bun with the sauce, to be honest.
@Lindsey,
Well, I put the fish sticks on homemade sourdough bread spread with mayonnaise and topped them with slices of Gouda cheese and iceberg lettuce, so no tartar sauce, but it was pretty satisfying.
Ok, well, that sounds PRETTY FANCY.
@Bee,
On the one hand, I agree with you about the constant unavoidable tracking. On the other hand, I think to myself "what are they getting out of this?" If they could just get my data through all the unavoidable sources, why do they offer the rebates at all? Like what's the bottom line of their business model? I suspect that, similar to coupon circulars, these apps mainly exist to drive business to the companies that sponsor them (like the same companies that are all over the coupons) and I just rarely buy those products (is it me or is it mostly hair dye, name brand detergent and NSAIDs???) and I'm not really sure how knowing what I do buy would benefit those companies either. I don't know, like I said, I could just be paranoid, but I feel like I'm missing some creepy little fine print detail and anytime I start to feel tempted to take the plunge and download one of the apps, I think "nah, not today."
@Kristen,
Well, of course you would have loved it. It was a sandwich. 😉
CORRECT.
@Karen A., I agree, we use mainly fresh fruits &vegetables,store brands,sale meats. PlUs my receipts never seemed to scan the way they wanted
1. A neighbor wanted to make room in her freezer for a friend that is coming to stay with them for a while (fleeing a relationship that turned violent). She gave me several frozen bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. I later gave her chocolate banana muffins and Cowboy cookies.
2. A neighbor was going to the dump and asked if we had anything we wanted them to take. We had a few large broken ceiling tiles. They filled up their vehicle and we didn't have to make a trip.
3. I have been giving items away on Freecycle, including some a friend was left with when one of their friends moved across the country. I love to know that useful items have new homes and giving to Goodwill does not ensure that.
4. We took a trip to the mall. I had clothes to return that I decided I would not wear. My husband had a new battery put in his solar powered watch (not cheap but he really likes the watch and didn't want to buy a new one and better for keeping items out of landfills).
5. I skipped going to Giant despite having a $10 off $50 purchase competitor coupon. We didn't need anything and there were no sales worth pursuing.
--So much lettuce! When my husband dug my fall garden beds, he pulled out a few lettuce plants I had let go to seed, and he just sprinkled the seeds around. So now I have almost a solid carpet of lettuce around my small beets, kohlrabi, and cabbages. I've been pulling these and freely sharing with all the teachers at school who love salad. They're as happy as I am. 🙂
--I'm canning some tomatoes this year, but in smaller batches than I used to. I've been just putting a pan or two of tomatoes in the oven whenever I have it going to bake bread or something else, and letting them reduce in there. Then I puree them with my immersion blender and can the puree in pint jars. This way I can just use my big stock pot, rather than my canner, which takes a lot less water to cover the four pints I can fit in there, and therefore less propane to bring it to the boil. I do the same with a head of garlic and then add basil and balsamic vinegar before pureeing for the roasted tomato sauce. I freeze that in plastic bags, though.
--Still getting free flower arrangements from the roadside sunflowers and the one big Russian sage plant. Still putting them in the old, small pitcher my kids found at the abandoned house next door that we own.
--I think my sons have all decided that they prefer the off-brand zero drop running shoes my husband and I both wear. I just order them on Amazon. They're relatively inexpensive, and if all the boys keep wearing them, I can just order up a size for them when they grow out of their current ones (and pass down any that survive for the next boy in line). Given the fact that we can't ever try shoes on, and I order them new ones ALL THE TIME because their feet grow so fast, this saves quite a bit of hassle with trying to figure out sizes and returning ones that don't fit.
--We are once again not participating in the school snack bar and coffee shop thing. Parents can set up credit for their kids for these, and for awhile my kids were the only ones in their classes who didn't have that credit (for me, a combination of reasons I wouldn't--cost, health, trash created). Thankfully, a few other parents also refused, so my kids aren't the only ones now. They can bring in their own money if they want to buy something, but it's not something I want to encourage or bankroll.
Yay for lettuce for you! I know how much you love having fresh greens available.
@kristin @ going country,
I am jealous of both your lettuces AND the fact that shoes in your house are at all wearable after one child has outgrown them. My house, not so much. I swear it's like they go outside, take them off and hit them with pickaxes or something.
@Becca, my one year old just came home from daycare yesterday with holes in his shoe. I know at this age they’re supposed to outgrow them regularly, but it’s a good thing they were half price so we had a spare pair because he’s worn right through the soles! (And he’s only been wearing them since the beginning of August!)
@kristin @ going country,
How can I find these running shoes? I currently wear Altras (also zero drop) but I churn through them because the soles aren't very sturdy, which is a known issue. Would LOVE an alternative!
Yesterday I bought a $1.50 can of coke and cleaned my car battery terminals - too late. I think the battery had drawn down too far. So tonight after work, my neighbor is coming over to show me how to jump my car (with my truck) and I'm going to drive over to Auto Zone for a new battery. Which isn't frugal, but learning to handle things might prove frugal in the future. Also, I made a delightful chicken fried rice for dinner using leftover rice, some deboned chicken and veggies from the freezer, and one scrambled egg. Cheap and good! Lastly, and maybe sadly, dropping one of my wine clubs. Two is plenty for right now, tho I don't want to drop those two because they offer me social opportunities and I want to keep writing for Texas Wine Lover. (:
Oh yes, having a good battery is invaluable.
For the future: I know auto shops can do a load test on your battery for you to see how the health of the battery is, and that can help you know when it's getting to be about time to replace it.
@gina,
Please remember to throw the car battery into the ocean, it the safe and responsible thing to do. The electric eels need to stay charged.
@Bill, hahahahahaha!
@gina, I'm sure you noticed that the pop makes a sticky mess ... for future reference, if you dissolve a cup of baking soda in a pitcher of warm water and pour it over the battery, the baking soda (base) reacts with the battery acid and actually does a better job of cleaning things up than the pop (also an acid) can do. 🙂 Bonus that baking soda is a lot cheaper (and usually handier) than pop.
FFT, JASNA Meeting Edition:
On Saturday, I attended my first in-person meeting of our local JASNA chapter since November 2019 (and only the second in-person meeting the chapter has had since the pandemic began). Needless to say, this was a happy occasion! Still, I managed to work some frugality into it:
(1) I gassed up at the cheapest local station before hitting the NY State Thruway. Thruway gas isn't quite the highway robbery (literally) that it used to be, but I still came out ahead.
(2) Since my best JASNA friend in the host city couldn't meet me for lunch before the meeting (as per our pre-pandemic custom), I brown-bagged a lunch. I was sorry to miss out on the lunch--both the restaurant and our usual waitress there are favorites--but I did save $15-20.
(3) After my frugal lunch, I enjoyed a long walk along the Erie Canal Towpath before the chapter meeting. Free exercise on a lovely warm fall day.
(4) I did treat myself to a mocha at the Starbucks inside the Barnes & Noble where the chapter meets (my first Starbucks since the Nov. 2019 meeting, too). But I used my B&N membership card to get 10% off.
(5) And when my friend and I did rendezvous, I handed her over a nearly new pair of sneakers I'd thrifted for her, as well as numerous teabags I'd salvaged during a pantry cleanout. (The November meeting is going to feature a craft project involving teabags!)
@A. Marie,
I had to look up what JASNA was. How cool is that? I live in Los Angeles and wonder if there are any JASNA people out here?
@Susan, you've got one of the biggest JASNA regions in North America in your area: the Southwest California region. Its website is http://www.jasnasw.org. Check it out!
I missed last week due to having the work week from H so I have a few things.
1. After so many times of seeing Kristen talk about using a fabric shaver on her clothes, I broke down and bought one myself. I opted for the one that uses AAs and not the one that has a non replacable rechargable Lithium battery that will become eWaste. I can use NiMh rechargables though.
I used that shaver on a button down shirt and it looks much better now.
2.) Returned a light bulb when it wouldn't fit in the fixture. It was a specialty socket type (with the pins instead of the standard Edison screw that has been in use since 1881 which would've been a whole lot easier to swap out.)
3.) Eating leftovers but at the same time I planned a barbecue that my wife threw pretty well and we didn't have as many as we usually do. Turns out it's better sometimes to cook twice than to have tons of extras that get tossed.
4.) No AC and no heat being used. It's a magical time of the year.
5.) Working overtime means more cash in the paycheck.
Did you find the fabric shaver to be satisfying? I love using mine. Ha.
What model did you buy?
@Kristen, it's some generic made one branded as Woolite (It was around $8 on Amazon I think.)
I used it on a $2 shirt I thrifted and it is just so much nicer looking now. The big fuzzball of lint made me at first worry that it was pulling the fabric apart but no, that's just how they work and the pilled fabric needed to come off.
@Kristen, I also love my fabric shaver! It has renewed so many clothing items that were looking a little too worn to wear. It has been the best investment ever for my family’s clothing.
@Battra92,
I love the time of year when we use neither the AC or the heater. The first week of September was so hot that even the weeds died but we haven't had to run the AC since and it is so satisfying.
Rebekah
I envy you both. We won’t have a no ac or heat day for months, and then it’ll be a random day. It’s still in the high 90’s in Hotter Than Hell Houston.
Summer turns to autumn, so some preparations in the garden, the wardrobe, and the pantry.
On the coldest September Sunday on record, we did not yet put on the heating.
I looked up my woolen slippers, discovered that the soles were worn and slippery and discarded them in favour of a new pair I had on the shelf (somewhere in the future I will run down the stairs in a hurry, near-slip and be grateful that I am not wearing the old and slippery pair). This may not sound frugal but it is in the long run - reducing the odds of broken bones.
We made pancakes before the eggs went bad - we had lots!
Put boiling water in a thermos to make myself cups of hot tea and decaf coffee without reheating the kettle every time.
Registered for a course I have been wanting to take for over a year, now that it was at half price.
Still knitting socks as a pastime and nearly finishing a pair. I am also wearing a pair at the moment - it is easier to fall asleep when you go to bed with feet that have been toasty warm all day. I love that there are such cheerfully coloured wools to knit socks with, although I also like the original offwhite and gray twisted strands, that we had when I was small.
For those of you who also read the NCA blog. This may seem repetitive. That’s because it is. I could not think of an additional Five Frugal Things.
My life continues to be super busy right now — new grand baby, my son’s wedding around the corner, growing my little business. The good news is I don’t have time to spend much money. Here are my FFT for this week…
1. I sold a French design magazine on eBay for $10. I had picked it up for free in a magazine exchange bin. Before finding it a new home, I enjoyed looking at the photos and tried to read some of it.
2. A took a cutting from a rare red and orange passion vine. I’m attempting to root it and am hoping it takes. I’m not sure where I’ll put it, but I’m sure I’ll find a place.
3. I needed a dress to wear to an event honoring my BIL. The consignment shops and thrift stores have very little in the way of special occasion clothing. (I suppose this is the result of two years of quarantine.) I used a coupon code an saved 25% on the purchase of a dress. Hopefully, it will look nice on.
4. We are hosting a welcome party in place of the rehearsal dinner for my son’s October wedding. We are expecting 150+ guests on Friday evening which is a budget challenge. His bride comes from a large family. She has 14 aunts and uncles and 50 first cousins. To save money and for fun, my dear friend and her sister are helping me with the flowers. Others have donated fall decor items which will be integrated into the decorations - baskets, hay bales, pumpkins, lanterns, burlap and so forth. All will work well in this lodge-like venue. Thank goodness for friends. Sharing is my favorite frugal hack.
5. All the usual things - brewing my own coffee, cooking simple meals from scratch, drinking primarily filtered water, batching errands paying bills on line, and using the library. I borrowed the new Downton Abbey movie from the library and am continuing to read Sea of Tranquility which is a wonderful book. However, I read before bed and I’m so tired that I barely get through 10 pages at a time before I must turn out the lights!
Wishing everyone peace and good health.
@Bee, I usually take my Kindle to bed. The other night I kept waking up because I dropped the Kindle on my face. The fourth time this happened I determined it was time to give up and sleep.
@Rose, I do this all the time as well. And it's a 9-year-old Fire so it's really heavy and not really that pleasant, lol.
@Bee, Wow, that's a big party. Good luck!
@Bee, what is the NCA blog? Thank you
The NonConsumer Advocate! https://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/
Hmmm....
Finished processing all the tons of tomatoes I have. Shook my fist threatening the plants not to produce any more.
Made leftover meatloaf into cottage pie. I consider this genius because I am not a creative cook. I'm a good cook but when it comes to using up leftovers my mind goes blank.
Shopped my basement for a new piece to put in my kitchen. I decided to move the kitchen table and put a new cabinet where it was. Then I remembered the Hoosier cabinet that was in the kitchen when we bought the house in 1999. (The kitchen had been literally untouched since 1920, except for the addition of a chocolate brown fridge.) Moved it back up into the kitchen and now I have more cabinet space.
Gave a ton of old board games to the church rummage sale.
Did not buy an antique glass shade at auction yesterday for my antique lamp. It would have been perfect, but I stuck to my price and the hammer was something like $750. Which would probably have been worth it but I can't afford it right now.
1. A neighbor texted that she was headed to Wisconsin and could I come pick off her garden while she was gone ... um, yes. Happily. With BLTs to show for it. And my garden is simply no great shakes this year.
2. Sorted through my Amazon S&S list to discover that the Kleenex bulk pack I normally get in the fall is a shocking $30 more than last year. So I put the kibosh on that for the moment and I need to come up with another plan.
3. Used credit card points to get new (but durable) flip-flops from LLBean. The last pair lasted, hm, like six or seven summers? So I feel like this is a reasonable use of points.
4. Also ran across a pair of shoes that'll easily last 15 years at the rate I wear proper shoes and ordered them despite that they're also easily twice as much as my usual daily-wear sneakers. I've been looking for exactly these shoes for, yeah, 15 years, and I'm so excited. Thirty percent off is nothing to sneeze at when it's been a decade and a half and exactly the right thing. So glad I held out.
5. My husband's mom offered us several boxes of instant pudding she bought by mistake (thinking they were cook-and-serve), and that will make several great novelty-ish afternoon snacks for the kids for the price of just adding milk.
1. I rescued the good leaves of spinach from a box that was starting to get soggy.
2. I bought a huge bag of carrots, some grapes, and broccoli on sale and am meal planning accordingly.
4. Baby and I are sick (again!), and we are cozied up on the couch with tissues from the discount grocery store and episodes of Paddington from the free CBC app.*
5. We went to IKEA over the weekend and managed to buy the three things on our list (a desk to replace the one we got for free, a baby chair and table which was a gift from a relative, and two storage baskets) and nothing else! Truly a rare display of restraint :p
*I am trying to be cozy. Baby feels a bit better and is climbing over me and trying to scoop all the dirt out of the potted plants.
@Meira @ meirathebear,
For as rough as it is to see your little ones be sick, it's SO hard to try to care for little ones while sick yourself! I hope you feel recovered soon!
@Meira @ meirathebear, Your last footnote there made me laugh, but also wince. Been there, so many times. As careful as I am to make sure my kids don't watch too much TV, I am extremely grateful for the option in situations like the one you describe. I hope Paddington gives you at least a little break, and that you recover very quickly.
1. Turned three elderly apples into apple bran muffins. Used four bread heels in a meatloaf that also used up the last of a small amount of ground beef.
2. Once again scavenged through the freezer to make up my work lunches before compiling the grocery list. This used up every open bag and box in the freezer. My lunches will be nutritious but interesting!
3. Repaired my pajama pants with some new elastic in the waist and figured out how to repair my husband's pajamas with some fabric bought a while back at the Salvation Army.
4. Got both a flu shot and the new COVID booster free at work.
5. My husband, son, and I spent the weekend digging up a 50 year old brick pato that was nothing but a weedy dog potty, putting down over a ton of topsoil, and seeding the ground to turn it into an easy care stretch of lawn. The bricks will be reused in a porch renovation project. We saved $25 in supplies with hardware store coupons and untold amounts in labor.
@Ruby, oof, that #5 sounds like major work! Congratulations to you all.
@A. Marie, it was really very hard work, but I am so glad that patio is gone. We could have kept it looking decent only if we drenched it with Roundup or something similar, but we were not willing to do that because we never use pesticides or herbicides in areas where the dogs spend time.
1. I used a 15% off code to order some shampoo & conditioner that I was needing. I have curly hair and it has changed a lot since I had my son and I am in my mid forties now. What once worked well no longer does so. I am trying to sample products in small amounts before I pull the trigger on larger sizes.
2. Referencing number one I ordered so hair bands in a sampler package with gave me more items to try out than ordering individually. If I don’t like or can’t use them I will gift them to others.
3. I brought coffee & tea from home to the office instead of buying them on the way to work.
4. I am Loving the marigolds I tried this year. They are called Coco Gold and produce huge blooms and tall foliage. I am collecting spent blooms and dried seeds so that I can plant more next year!
5. Still harvesting all manner of peppers from the garden and have discovered that my puppy loves to take the dried cornstalks on a tour of our backyard while doing his zoomies in the evening. Hooray for free entertainment for us and him!
Happy Tuesday Friends!
1 - I enrolled my daughter at a new school this year, and she needed a wooden flute. Friends of ours have kids who attended this same school some time ago, and they offered us their old flute as well as some school supplies.
2 - My credit card recently got stolen, so I had to go without for two weeks while I was waiting for the new one. When it arrived in the mail, I did not put it back in my wallet. It now stays home most of the time, which forces me to think twice before I make any purchase 🙂
3 - A friend gave us a massive amount of children's clothing. We took what we needed and shared the rest through Buy Nothing groups on FB.
4 - I pack my daughter's lunch every day for school and make most snacks at home.
5 - I am planning a "shop from the pantry/freezer" month in order to use up the food we have at home before buying more.
@Gen,
Keeping your card at home is an excellent way of not spending. In fact we have a separate bank account where the salary comes in and the mortgage and other fixed. Monthly payments are made from, and we do not have a payment card for that account at all. Groceries and niceties are bought through a separate account. It works for us. It is especially good to know that you cannot accidentally spend money meant for mortgage, insurance and medical costs.
@Gen, in instances where I had to get a replacement credit card I ask if it can be sent overnight. I mention I'm a good customer who always pay my bill in full. So far it's worked for me.
- Had a couple of sales at the reselling apps. It’s been slow going, but thankful for selling a pair of winterboots for the same price I gave for them (used). Love how they look, but they are just too heavy.
- I made..something out of blueberries. Google translate says juice, but I thought juice is only ready to drink. I made like a concentrate we’ll need to dillute with water. Anyways, delicious and with a lot less sugar than the store-bought stuff.
- Cut my own hair after watching a tutorial from YouTube.
- Was thinking that it would be practical to have a shoe rack outside by the entrance. A couple of days later I walked by a car trailer with some stuff in it, including a shoe rack. There was a couple of damaged bathroom cabinets in there. Also it was raining so I took a chance that everything was meant for the dump. Perfect fit!
- Have gotten my knitting mojo back. I’m very much a novice, but can manage to knit a cowl that I can use at home during the day when the heating is on low. Have started on a shawl to wrap around in Little house on the prairie-style but I don’t expect to be finished with it this winter. Frugal win since I use my stash and keep my hands occupied - too occupied to scroll Instagram and shop online. Hopefully.
That sounds like what we just call a juice concentrate here in the U.S. 🙂
@Kristen, thanks! We differentiate between juice (made from fruit/vegetables) and juice concentrate/«saft» (made from berries). There is actually a TV commercial here that shows a beachbar in the US where you can buy Norwegian «saft» like it’s something new in the US. Guess you can’t belive advertising 😉
@Gunn from northern Norway,
I have a 16 oz bottle of blueberry concentrate in the fridge that cost 24.11 at my local health food store-just to give you a ball park estimate of what your efforts are worth!
@Becca, wow!! Thank you for letting me know! It’s kind of funny too because I sent a snap to my friends when I was making this while freezing the stock that my MIL made that said I was richer than Croesus now with the freezer full of nature’s bounty 😀
@Gunn from northern Norway,
You definitely are! This is how I felt when I made elderflower cordial. It costs almost nothing to make-foraged elderflowers, 1 lemon and I used about a half cup of sugar, but the same thing store bought would be about 20 dollars! I think it makes sense to focus your diy food things on the more expensive items so that your time is factored in. For example, it makes tons of sense to make artisan bread from scratch, but cookies from scratch probably come out about even depending on sales.
1. Was admiring someone’s converse at work and mentioned how I ordered some for her upcoming homecoming dance. She asked me her size- they are the same and she’s bringing several pairs to work for my daughter to have.
2. Found an app Flashfood. It’s linked to grocery stores where they can post items that are about to expire. Got some bacon and hamburger now frozen for a great price!
3. Also like Kristen raided my grocery stores half off shelf. Found some snacks for my daughter and her friends to eat as were hosting a sleepover for after the dance.
4. Picking the last of our raspberries for smoothies.
5. Packing lunch for work. Not exciting but keeps me out of the cafeteria!
Oooh! Free Converse are such a wonderful gift!
@Jenny,
Oh, your number 1 reminded me. My husband has really small feet (his mother wore fours and he has a niece who wears threes), so I gave his high top Converses to my taller-than-me granddaughter. They are about a half-size too big for her, but the lacing makes them fine. She happily took them.
@Kristen, right? And she’ll wear them more often then a pair of heels which she can’t wear on the gym floor where the dance is anyway….
@JD, yes! We ordered a smaller pair and she wanted them a little bigger!
We are saving up for an international trip to see my MIL, hopefully this spring. It's a complicated scenario, but she can't come to the US, and we can't visit in her home country due to visa issues. There's also a very, very small number of countries we can all mutually meet in. And, it will be our first time seeing her in 10+ years, and potentially the last time she is able to travel. So, money will not be the first consideration, and we will make it happen & make cuts elsewhere. My husband waited too long to plan a trip to see his father, and he is now to ill to travel. All that to say, this is our top priority, and we'll need to be keeping a close eye on the budget elsewhere!
1) Discovered old travel gift cards, when looking for something. I'm both excited & disappointed. Excited I found them, disappointed that my poor tracking means that they would have been otherwise lost.
2) Lots of creative lunches, many of which involved adding an egg to leftovers. 😉
3) Using up lots of oat milk (freebie offers) in smoothies, muffins, etc. I primarily use it in my coffee, but I need to use up more to get through it all before it expires.
4) Uploaded receipts to iBotta & Fetch, earning a bit here & there.
5) After a super long drought, listed three items on eBay. Haven't sold any yet, but it was nice to get over the mental hurdle, after a long time of ignoring it.
The food pictures are making me hungry!
1. I got a 60% off clearance prices coupon from Lands End, so I ordered three shirts and three outfits as Christmas gifts and a winter pajama set for me (mine are getting very worn) for $115 including tax. I went through Swagbucks to get to Lands End and they were having a special with Lands End, so I will get $8.69 cents back from SB on my purchase, as well.
2. I made a batch of jelly from the grapes I picked last week.
3. The bottom hinge on a backyard gate keeps getting twisted part-way around the pole so that the gate hangs wonky. I suspect my yard guys are pushing the gate with their riding mowers to get through. Anyway, I dug through the tool shed in the afternoon heat and found the right-sized socket and handle to fit the hinge bolts. I had to loosen the bottom hinge, straighten the hinge, re-hang the gate on its pins and tighten the hinge bolts again. I was hot and sweaty, but I didn't have to pay the fencing company to come fix it.
4. I needed some more bark mulch on my berry plants, and picked up a bag at a store. The bag had a tear on one end, but wasn't spilling yet. The clerk spotted the tear and rang up the bag as half off.
5. I had a gift to mail, so I made certain I mailed it before October (the 3rd, I think), when the postage will go up for the holidays.
@JD, Yikes! I didn't realize that postage is going to go up. Thanks for the heads up.
@Beth B., It is temporary (meaning until January 20ish), and supposedly has been done for several years for the holiday season. Packages only, not letters.
- I remembered to use the Bath & Body Works coupons before they expired on Wednesday. I like their hand soaps for the kitchen sink, where it's just me so they don't get used so quickly. I had one left and this new batch should last me a nice long time; I can't remember the last time I bought that soap without a coupon. I picked up the free body wash plus five (I thought the bundle used to be 6?) hand soaps. The soaps were 50% off after the second coupon!
- I brought two returns to the UPS store. The first one had to go there. For the second, UPS was the vendor's third choice. But, it was still free and meant one less stop for me.
- While parked for UPS, I walked across the parking lot to Staples to check for one item. They did not have it so I left with nothing.
- I picked up my two free items from Wegman's and kept my item count under 20 so I could go through the self checkout line. Just hating that they got rid of the self scanning app; I can't imagine standing in line for a cashier and taking everything in and out of the cart all over again.
- I've been eating the remaining "summer" food for lunches since the kids aren't home anymore during the day. It's always a trick guessing the grocery transitions between school year and summer.
Things have been stressful around here after our dog caught kennel cough at doggie daycare the one day she went last week so not much focus on frugality this week for me.
1) DH invited friends to watch football game on Saturday. I used jalapenos from my daughter's garden to make poppers, served cheese that was leftover from last Friday's weekly happy hour with a friend and served it with crackers I bought as BOGO. Also requested friends bring their alcohol of choice so I didn't have to purchase that
2) Skipped our usual weekend takeout since we had game day food instead
3) Cooked a wrinkly sweet potato to see if I could tempt the dog to eat
4) I wanted fall wreaths for the front doors but decided to make them instead of purchasing. I found cheap artificial flowers to use with the wreath forms I already had. While not really frugal to spend $40 to decorate the porch, they made me happy so it was worth it to me.
5) The usual of taking leftovers for lunch everyday and planning meals around what we have in the pantry.
@Beverly, Sometimes porch decorations make other people who see them happy as well! That is the case for me when I notice them when I am driving on residential streets.
@Heidi Louise, Our neighborhood has nearly every house lit up for the holidays, usually starting November 1. When we are down to 3 hours a day of light, it is very cheering to see things lit up. I confess to buying a Halloween wreath this year, with tons of orange and purple lights and a timer so it comes on for the morning drivers and school busses and the coming home drivers . I am not as talented as Beverly, making her own wreaths, but I bought mine from a woman who makes them as her side-gig, so I feel like at least I am supporting someone directly.
Speaking of gas savings, I have been playing Circle K's online game everyday, all year (they do switch every 3-4 months) and I have won $0.20 off gas about once a week (I have also won MANY free coffees, and random snacks!). Then I signed up for their texts, and I sometimes get a text for a free coffee. Also at the beginning of this month they had a day where they had $0.40 off a gallon for 3 hours, and when I went there - they handed out cards which get you $0.20 off their gas ALL of September! AND if you sign up for their card and link your bank account to it - you can get $30 of free gas (and money off every gallon after that!) I highly tout using Circle K! I feel they have saved me money all year! I can't gush enough good things about that business!
As for other frugal endeavors, I made sure to return ALL the extra items I had here that didn't work - even though I was tired, and I didn't feel like it. Some things were for my kitchen (which was remodeled this year), clothes that didn't fit, and hardware from Amazon (which I was not impressed with!). I even returned a glass bottle for my milk, so I could get my $2.00 deposit - which had been in my car for a good months LOL!
This season, and with the cooler weather, I fully intend to start painting again. I purchased paint earlier this year to redo my two front rooms, stairway, and upstairs hallway. I refuse to do any big or expensive house projects this winter (since this year I have already redone my kitchen, got a new roof, redid plumbing, redid electrical, and replaced one of my HVAC systems). I intend to finish projects that never quite got done from years past (most supplies were already purchased and have just been sitting here!), and I intend to paint. In the meantime I'll work on paying down bills with money saved from NOT buying things!
Also in the last week I have been working on cleaning the house, using up supplies that I gathered up and put together. Things were all over the house, and in unexpected places, so putting it all together to see what I had was a smart move! No more running to the store when I could "shop" from my own house!
Finally, I got on Ebay and ordered some plants that I had wanted. I realize I could make a trip to the local nursery . . . but I haven't had the time lately! I also tend to walk out with more than I truly need. So it was nice to sit in bed, and order starts, or small rooted plants, to add to my collection. I even found some pots that I had wanted for half the price I normally see them as! YAY! Plus someone out there is able to make a few bucks from the sale, and hopefully that helps them out (vs. spending my bucks at a big name store/franchise).
Maybe not all this stuff is "frugal" because I am spending money, but I'm trying to do it in a wise way and not be totally careless! Hope that counts!
@Michaela, They have Holiday up here, too, and both the husband and I play the game. The last game I kept count and we won over $50 of stuff, including coffees, waters, snacks, pop and a few other random items I normally don't buy very often.
@Michaela, way to go on returning all the little things including the glass milk bottle! Isn't it a great feeling to get all those things out of the house and back to where they belong? 🙂
I love my Get Upside app. Several of the gas stations around me are participating with them for cash back. They aren't the cheapest gas stations, but some are very close to my home, and I go there anyway if I'm really low on gas. Get Upside now offers cash back on restaurants as well. I cash out whenever I reach $20.00.
Fetch Rewards is my other favorite app. All you have to do is take pictures of any receipts (not just grocery receipts) and you collect points to earn gift cards. It's super easy. I'm not concerned about being "tracked." If you are a member of any grocery store rewards program (Safeway, Kroger, etc.), you are already being tracked. Whatever. It's worth it to me to get the gift cards.
I used to use the Ibotta app, but found it was a pain to scroll through to look for specific grocery items. It took me forever to earn any rewards with Ibotta, so I quit using it.
@Beth B., yes, I am finding the same with Ibotta but love Fetch!
1. I’ve really enjoyed using the Get Upside app. I use it mainly at grocery stores and I’ve received 15% back for grocery shopping at Aldi and Target this summer. They also sometimes have promotions that make it worth my time to split grocery shopping over a couple of days. I’ve also received some small referral bonuses. I’m stashing away the rewards for Christmas this year.
2. I talked my husband into making dinner at home on Saturday night – usually not a big deal but we had a busy day of highway cleanup, visiting my grandparents, and a Costco trip. It would have been easy to order in, but we had SO MUCH FOOD and I was able to pull together something that was better than take out (and healthier too).
3. There is a new player on my son’s soccer team who unfortunately did not have a jersey in time for a recent game. My son offered one of his past year jerseys and with a little duct tape we were able to turn the 12 into an 18. I’m always impressed with my son’s generosity.
4. My son loaned out his mechanical pencil (he got one in his school supplies that we ordered through the school as a fundraiser) which was not returned. He was counting coins in his piggy bank to buy more from the school store but I helped him find the ones we already owned before spending his money.
5. I took full advantage of the free Starbucks drink for my birthday and ordered the largest iced tea lemonade they sell. I was able to split my drink over two days and it was delicious.
@Geneva, Happy Birthday! I love the free Starbucks birthday drink offer too and always make sure to redeem that one.
I love an odds and ends dinner. My weird cravings (I want scrambled eggs AND edamame AND a baked potati) make sure that a lot of things don't go to waste.
1. I am getting a bunch of things tailored. Normally that isn't the most frugal thing but my credit card gives me $200 of free alterations each year and I have been hording some dresses that need a little nip and tuck.
2. We drove slow and took the electric car for a day trip to San Diego this weekend. This trip would have used at least half a tank of gas but the electric car has had minimal impact on our overall bill. Plus slower driving meant more time for me with the window down by the ocean.
3. I rescued a pair of boots from the Goodwill pile. I did a huge decluttering and found a pair of boots that I thought I had already donated (and regretted). Now they are back in my closet.
4. I bought a massive amount of fruit from Costco and my farmstand. We eat a lot of dried fruit as a snack and I stocked up on all the stone fruits before they go out of season.
5. I bought a bunch of clearance frames. I am looking for frames for my parent's 50th anniversary party (that will then be repurposed for me) and my local HomeGoods had a huge amount of gorgeous gold and glass frames for less than $5.
@Heather, Have to ask...which credit card gives you the free alterations?
@Tricia,
Nordstrom. Yes, I know it is a store card and an expensive store at that; but I would pay a little more to have quality clothes, a great return policy and awesome customer service (plus when things go on sale, you get a great deal and you can use it at the Rack and HauteLook).
I am very picky about my credit cards but the benefits to me are worth it.
We'd been looking for a desk for our guest room and found an amazing deal on a vanity at an antique store for $50. It was marked down because of a blemish!
I quick pickled some jalapenos from the garden and roasted some others...and I dried sage from the garden in the oven to preserve it.
Instead of going out to lunch after biking Saturday we took "apres bike" snacks with us.
Updated the freezer inventory! Of course, as soon as I put the new typed pretty list on the fridge, within a day I've taken the pen to it to update it again 😉
This week's FFF includes a smelly challenge for which tips and suggestions are appreciated!
1) Continuing to meal plan throughout the work week
2) Combining as many errands as possible to save on gas and car wear-and-tear
3) Composting food scraps
4) Taking advantage of great weather in the NE right now to open windows and line-dry clothes
5) I recently bought a smart-looking blazer at a consignment store and, when home, realized it smells strongly of its former owner. I've left the blazer outside for multiple days, sprayed it with vodka, and then (frugal fail) dry cleaned it. Today, I'm trying a spray-down with vinegar and leaving it in the garage (because, vinegar). Is there anything else I could try?
@Lynn, Did the dry cleaners have any advice for you? (Or offer to do it over?).
Put it in a closed box with some packets (like sachets in a paper towel) of unused coffee grounds. Good luck!
(I am glad you didn't write "Spray it with Febreeze", as a strong personal preference. When I worked with theatre costumes at the local college, once in a while one of the students would spray a costume with that stuff. It can't be healthy, and it doesn't wash out).
@Heidi Louise, I didn't even think to smell it until I brought it home and, sure enough, former owner smell! Nope, I don't own Febreeze but have lots of coffee. Will try your suggestion. Thank you!!
@Lynn, can you gently soak the blazer in a mix of water and vinegar? Then hang it in sunlight? This is what I do with clothes that get mildew smell.
@Lynn, what kind of a smell is it? BO, perfume, cigarettes, animals…
@Sarah K, Thank you! If the coffee solution does not work, I will try this next.
@Jen, It’s a combination of perfume and someone else’s home … My SIL uses a lot of candles and plug-in’s at her house, and the blazer smells that, like its former home was filled with home scents.
I scored a pair of Ryka tennis shoes for $4.10, brand new. They are my size, width and color is ok. I was so proud of myself. I found them on line for $84.99.
I made pumpkin spice simple syrup. We love making lattes using Mocha pot espresso and now we are ready for fall. (I prefer to make my own lattes because it is easier to limit the sweetness and get very strong flavors.)
I made coffee at home on Saturday instead of asking my husband to bring some from the coffee house where he had a breakfast meeting. (I have a plan to not eat out this month and then buy a house plant with the money we don't spend on restaurants.)
We bought 115 lbs of Olympic weights for $20. (Used Olympic weights are normally 1$/lb.) This should be the end of our weights purchases for a good long while.
We ate up all our leftovers and wasted very little food. A law was passed in my area that requires food waste to be bagged separately from other trash. This is annoying but I realized that our food waste is almost nothing. Our food trash is mostly coffee grounds, apple cores and the occasional half bunch of cilantro.
We bought gas at Costco after church. (I am so happy that our Costco is nearly done with construction. It is wonderful to have a fully functioning Costco.)
I was able to get a flat tire patched for free because it was still under warranty.
@Rebekah in SoCal, what a great idea to use the money saved from not eating out on a houseplant! I love plants and sometimes use them as a "reward" for myself (for keeping up good habits) or a mental pick-me-up, so I really like your idea.
Side note: I have had pureed chipotles in my fridge since your post about them in 2016. They are one of my husband's favorite things and he pulls them out at least 4-5 times a week to add to something.
1) bought chicken breast for $1.99/lb , cooked it with a bbq rub, sliced thinly and have used that as lunch meat for wraps the past week. Healthier than processed lunch meat and 1/4 of the cost.
2) I found an awesome close out deal on dog treats so I stocked up greatly since they are good for a year.
3) ate all our meals at home including when we had company (we did pizza on the grill which I think they enjoyed more than going somewhere)
4)helped my son call around and find new insurance for a lower price
5) used up all the leftovers and odds and ends in the fridge before trash day.
Every time you post a picture of apples like that I think, "Mmmmm... those look so good! I should remember to do that sometime!"
My FFT:
1. We had to drive an hour away to watch a volleyball game my dad was coaching last Saturday evening and since that put us near a bigger city we used the opportunity to get some things that we needed from Menard's and Sam's Club. Normally we're a 45-minute drive from those stores. Instead of buying lunch on the road (we left at 4pm) I packed chicken nuggets, grapes, and chips for everyone. We snacked on granola bars when people got hungry later on.
2. I picked apples from my parents' apple trees. This will give us a start on our applesauce for the year, but I made a reminder on my calendar for Labor Day weekend 2023 to pick apples then because they were definitely past prime this year. So it wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was free.
3. My daughter needs some cardigans for school and I found one at Salvation Army for $6 that's a great brand, really cute, and still had the tags on. It's a size bigger than she is now (she can roll the cuffs once if she needs to this year) so hopefully it'll last at least 2 years.
4. I've struggled with motivation lately to deal with garden green beans after I pick them, so today I used my daughter's tv time to do it. Since she's the only one still at home, she wants me to sit with her during her show. This is a great non-tech activity that I can accomplish while I sit and watch PBS Kids.
5. Enjoying free things! We swam at the outdoor pool where we have a free membership (our final swim of the season!), used my husband's free pass to get into a football game, downloaded a fun soundtrack on Hoopla, volunteered to help in the nursery where I got to hold sweet babies and it gave me joy for days, reserved library books... Oh! And my dad gave us a bunch of strawberry plants that my husband put in the garden on Sunday.
Sadly, I let my two front porch plant pots die from lack of water. But for fall color, I was able to buy and split two "drop-in pots" from Home Depot using pots I already had. Also added the gourds that had come up volunteer (thanks to the squirrels) in my flower bed.
Also rejuvenated some plantings that had languished in the heat, but did not die. The stocks prefer cooler weather and should provide a burst of color before it gets cold.
Still drinking chai latte from concentrate. For some reason (don't tell them) the local grocery store sells the organic for $2.99 a box, whereas everywhere else the regular and organic is $4.00 or more. It's still not cheap but much less expensive than the coffee shop.
Dividing a pound of sausage I got that was marked down frozen d/t near buy date. Making biscuits and gravy w one third of it. Using one third with chopped Asian salad converted to egg roll in a bowl with ramen noodles. And the last third in a hashbrown breakfast casserole.
My toaster was not toasting evenly, so after much looking at eBay and Amazon, I finally chose a KOOC brand that had a warming rack. Amazon had a $5 coupon with it and because I still had "gift card" money from a return, I got free shipping and only paid $18 for it. Was originally $25-$28. And it toasts big bagels without half hanging out the top!
My 5:
1) While my girls were at swim, I walked to the nearby Pizza Hut to redeem their summer reading personal pan rewards before they expired. They loved the surprise!
2) Another pizza freebie: my youth pastor husband brought home leftover youth group pizza and cinnamon rolls (easy breakfast!).
3) I used a Kohls retail credit from a Christmas return+ a 30% off coupon + a good sale to get some needed items at $2/piece.
4) My oldest needed dress shoes & we found a pair in the Meijer clearance section for $3.
5) that’s all I can think of now:)
I can trace some of my frugalities to things I've learned here, thank you!
1. Have some basil and rosemary drying in the sunny window of my car dashboard. Should be faster than just drying on the counter.
2. Used a white ceramic pan, not a shiny metal one, for the herbs on the tiny chance that the reflection would start a fire. Tiny tiny chance, but still.
3. Soaked limp greens in cold water in the refrigerator for an hour to rejuvenate them and get one more serving, (Greens were bought on clearance, but still).
4. Poured the greens soaking water on my outdoor potted plants. The two oversized blue ceramic pots were $10 each at a yard sale a few years ago and look very pretty. The cheap Dollar General zinnias and marigolds have been very prolific this year, probably because it rained so much this spring. I figure any seeds that can be sold for a quarter, even in small quantities, must be hardy.
5. As is my usual wardrobe, currently wearing thrift store pants, yard sale t-shirt, and expensive Ecco shoes bought on clearance. Buying cheap shoes is not a frugal move. I had good luck this summer at yard sales and found a straw purse that I am about ready to exchange for a leathery one from another sale for the season.
@Heidi Louise, your #4 brought back memories of the July several years ago when I found at least 20 seed packets in the dumpster at my local Dollar General. (I pass this DG on one of my regular walks. Sadly, they've moved the dumpster and kept it locked since then.) Mostly flower seeds, but several types of veggie seeds as well. I shared some with the Bestest Neighbors and kept the rest--and, yes, we were all satisfied with the seeds' hardiness!
I'm feeling down on a rainy day, which makes me see things through dreary glasses and think that I have nothing to contribute...but truth is, I'm eating up leftovers, taking my own coffee & lunch, combining errands, paying bills online, volunteering at my church, giving items away to people who may need them and just generally being my frugal self. So, here's to sunny days ahead!
I had been hanging on to a small digital camera for years that I never quite knew what to do with (after I got a smartphone, the camera became obsolete.) This week a colleague shared that a digital camera would be really helpful for some volunteer work, so I am passing it to her. More of a frugal win for her, but I will still celebrate it.
We missed out on getting free rocks for an area where we park the boat. Hubs was able to get some free cement gravel that worked really well for it instead.
Kids bought us a new Sawzall so we were able to take a tall shrub down really quickly.
With just a phone call to our social worker I was able to score some more free services for dad at the facility. I suspect his GM retirement perks may have more that I am not aware of.
Who ever had a party at work over the weekend left fruit for free. We all got apples for lunch!
1. YET AGAIN we had to bathe pound hound in the shower because he fell rapturously in love with a dead and (to my eyes) diseased bird carcass. It saved us $70 but I am wearying of threesome showers.
2. Our next door neighbor, who is 85 now, suddenly got old, if you know what I mean. She has trouble tottering around in the yard and says she only has about an hour or two a day of being able to do any work before she is totally exhausted. I helped her clear out the many pots of flowers she had on her front porch, since we have had some frosty mornings and things that didn't die still look sad. She said she is no longer going to do flowers and offered me the 20 plus pots of dahlias. Her son-in-law brought them over and I will sepnd the next week or so digging them up andputting them on a table to dry out before storing them for the winter. I am sure I will have 60 or more tubers from the this many pots. It will save me hundreds of dollars, although I am going to share them with a dahlia loving friend.
3. Husband, who freakishly loves mowing, said he is fine with me spreading pansy seeds all over the lawn next spring instead of grass seed. It probably will not look as great as it does in my mind's eye, but I want to give it a try. I saved all the pansy seeds from the flowers I pulled this week and I am going to buy more at one of the seed sales that go on this time of year. I am trying to do this project as frugally as possible.
4. Wanted ice cream. Instead of going out to buy some I blended a ton of frozen strawberries with a little cream and come vanilla. Ended up with a healthier, reasonable substitute using things I already had.
5. Library, library, library.
Ooh, I would love to see a picture of your lawn with pansies next year!
@Lindsey, Violets spontaneously and spreadingly grow all over my lawn and pansies are in the same plant family. You might be on to something here!
@Lindsey,
Where do you live? I'm curious to know because you've mentioned that there's been frost by you. We're in the U.P. of MI and haven't had a frost yet.
Those apples look yum!
1. I picked up some great books, for my son, off Buy Nothing.
2. My husband and I attended a nutrition class, which gave us about $100 in gift cards for our public market. We used some of them to purchase tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes, with other ingredients we had, became salsa which we froze. The cherry tomatoes were dehydrated. We will use more this week!
3. I used a frozen chicken carcass, carrots, celery, herbs from my garden, and kale from my garden to make a delicious chicken soup for my lunches this week. I used kale from my garden, herbs from my garden, and other vegetables to make vegetarian pizzas for dinner this week.
4. I used up some beans, flour tortillas, cheese, sour cream, and salsa in our refrigerator to make quesadillas for dinner.
5. My aunts and mom bought our kids clothes and shoes!
1. I made our meals at home. I love the slow cooker on busy days.
2. I dug through a box of clothes to find the right size for my growing child.
3. I found a used Halloween costume for the same child.
4. I cut my youngest child's hair.
5. I used a giftcard to get some coffee.
I got Upside a year or so and have already cashed out $20 twice. I regularly find 8 and 9 cents off which adds up. Circle K is running a sweepstakes called Toss and Win - just Google it - and I won .30 off a gallon of gas. I needed 18 gallons, so I saved the $5.40 AND used Upside to get $1.36 in my Upside account!! Double dipping at it's finest.
1. Found $1.25 at the grocery store- a bill in the parking lot, and the quarter in the change at the self-checkout.
2. Finished the last of the peaches that I bought that ended up being not delicious at all. The first batch was great, but these were… bleh. But I took one for the team and prevented food waste.
3. With family in town and available to watch baby E, we were motivated to do a few house tasks. While we spent a fair bit of money on ceiling fans, DH and Dad were able to install them and they should reduce our AC use in the long run. DH also installed a new entryway light fixture that I found at Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $20, and it looks much better than the previous dining-room style chandelier.
4. Got my flu shot, which is a) covered 100% by insurance, and b) gives us $25 in flexible spending rewards. Most importantly, it helps protect Baby E since he can’t get his flu shot for a month or two.
5. Didn’t need to buy any clothes for Baby E as I realized we had what we needed on hand- he just skipped the 12 month size right into the 18 month size!
Cleaned out my footwells and back seat in hopes of finding missing work badge/missing part of my car charger. No luck there but found 27 cents. LOL. Bought some 'trim to size' floor mats and some car garbage containers in my quest to stop driving a rolling trash heap.
Donated finally the stuff that had been riding around in my trunk since JUNE to a local non-profit thrift store that works with troubled teenagers.
Have been splitting larger quantities of snacks into zipper bags for work snacks.
I think, I really have been quite good with lunch boxes during the last weeks. But it can be quite tiring. See, I am working in an industrial area where there are not many options for eating out. Which is good because it motivates to bring lunch boxes. On the other hand: There is no competition between the restaurants. So their prices are all on the same level. I try to cook a lot for dinners on weekends and on weeknights, so that I have leftovers the next day(s) . Problem is that I am regularly working long hours, so comes Thursday I am often too exhausted to cook a meal. We have a garden, which is good because we grow a lot of veggies and berries. But that means also that our freezer is full with our harvest - not much space for frozen lunches. What are your tricks/advices for time-saving lunch box cooking? I should mention that I am not a big fan of sandwiches. 😉