Five Frugal Things | For the second time in a week!
I have exactly 15 minutes to write a post, so Five Frugal Things it is. 😉
(Update: I finished this with four minutes to spare. Speed blogging!)
1. I helped Zoe sell Build-A-Bear clothes and shoes.
She picked out what she wanted to sell, we laid it out and photographed it, and I listed it yesterday for her.
I listed it for more than I wanted because people love to bargain on eBay. And my nefarious plan worked, because it sold for exactly the price I envisioned, after a little bargaining.
If these items were mine, I'd probably donate them, because a small sale amount feels not worth it to me for the work involved.
But Zoe has less cash than I do, so I'm willing to do it for her.
2. I spackled and painted a board that's needed it for over 6 months.
When we had all our plumbing trouble last year, the board between the oven and dishwasher got taken off. When it got screwed back in, the screw holes needed to be filled.
I kinda forgot about it for months, but I put it on my to-do list last week, and we all know I really like to cross things off of my to-do list.
So, putting it on my list made me get it done!
While I had my cabinet paint out, I touched up some spots on my painted doors. The paint job I did is holding up well, several years later, but sometimes the edges right around the handles get worn a little thin.
A quick touch-up with a mini brush fixes it right up, though!
(Here's how I painted my cabinets.)
3. I've largely stayed out of the grocery store.
As you know, I needed to stay under $100 this week in order to finish up March on budget, so I've been shopping the freezer and putting meals together mostly with what I have in the house.
4. I made granola.
Granola from the store is delicious, but stupid expensive. Especially for something that's largely made of oats, which are about as cheap as dirt.
I made this granola, which does not have to be stirred while it bakes. Game-changer, guys!
My kids like to eat this on top of homemade yogurt, with fresh fruit.
5. I made baked oatmeal for breakfast this morning.
Cheaper than cereal, and also more fun!
We're obsessed with this granola recipe - we make it once a week and eat it by the handful! Thanks!
So good, right? And so nice to not deal with the messy stirring-while-baking thing. I always hated that!
We are also obsessed with this granola. We quadruple the recipe it, which conveniently uses an entire container of Aldi Oats, and it doesn't last that long when we make it!
Can you please share the baked oatmeal recipe you used? That’s something I would love to try making!
Yep! I'll share it in a post next week.
Yes! After a great day out with my sister yesterday I was hoping you would do a second!
1. I met my sister in Kohl's to pay my tiny bill so I didn't have to use a stamp. And didn't buy anything or even look much while there.
2. We then went to Chick-fil-a where I got my two calendar card sodas for us and we each bought a sandwich/nuggets using a gift card I had. We had .82 left on it so she put in 1.00 and we got a fries to split. Then I used my app and we split my birthday cookie.
3. Then we stopped at Goodwill where my only purchase was a nice pair of half priced pants in my daughter's favorite brand.
4. After that we went to our favorite thrift store where I scored two pair of Birkenstocks. One was the felted clogs in new condition for 5.99, the second was a pair of green Arizonas for 2.99. I also got 4 spring Pottery Barn napkins for .98, and four new fall placemats for .99 and two new in the plastic Euro Company store pillow inserts for 5.99.
5. After dropping her at her car, I went to Costco to pay my yearly membership. I had a couple of questions but I ended up with a free membership for next year.
Great day for Five Frugal Things!!!! And I got to see my sister, always a good thing!
That's an incredible day!
It was!!! We both love thrift shopping and we live an hour and a half from each other. Such a good excuse to play for the day! Thank you!
That oatmeal dish looks amazing!!
Bethany | Cute Capsule Life
1. Roasted a batch of sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and butternut squash before it all went bad. Now I have 2 more lunches in the fridge.
2. Made dinner last night with supplies on hand. Used up most of the green beans before they went bad too!
3. Will be using up some coconut milk from the fridge in some Coconut Curry soup for dinner. Makes 4 servings, so I’ll have enough for lunches too.
4. Making my husband sausage and peppers for dinner for him (he won’t eat coconut soup) with using up peppers before they go bad. There will be enough for him for extra lunches too.
5. Guess my theme this week was use up all the veggies before they go bad! Now to go thru the spinach and freeze for smoothies.
Maureen I am so grateful for your comment about the peppers! My no. 1 is buying a cheap bag of red peppers that I totally forgot about until I read your no. 4, just checked fridge and phew they are still ok but will have to cook up tomorrow
1. I shopped my pantry, fridge, and freezer, using up most of the oatmeal for breakfasts, all the wheat pasta (in advance of Passover, otherwise I'd have to throw it out!), all the bread except two frozen buns that are currently defrosting, a packet of tofu, and some rice noodles. And I'm starting to make a dent in the frozen fruit. I think all I bought this week was a packet of greenbeans and some tea. Win! Meal planning rocks.
2. I remembered to carry around my tin camping mug on campus, which allows me to make my own tea and saves me from the temptation of buying it all the time.
3. On Monday I was very busy and didn't make my lunch, but I had a Tim Hortons gift card that I had gotten for doing a survey, so my sandwich, tea biscuit, and drink were free!
4. I'm holding off on buying access to an online resource for school, because our class president is trying to negotiate us a deal. We might wind up with 30-40% off in total, and I can use what I already have for now.
5. ...I didn't buy anything? That's always good. Not that there's much I feel like buying right now!
Woohoo frugality!!
1) I have been dreaming of a certain denim jacket for weeks. I entered a drawing and got a $50 gift certificate - so I got it for a steal. It was still expensive but ridiculously well-made so it should last a loooong time.
2) I combined Kohl’s discounts to get some updated t-shirts for summer. Somehow, my plain black went missing and that’s not okay.
3) I made dry beans for quesadillas instead of using canned.
4) I made homemade bread, instead of making a special trip to the store for a loaf. Homemade bread may not be much cheaper, but using zero gas definitely is.
5) I’m drawing a blank for a fifth...Oh!! We’re getting ready for construction on a new bedroom, but we’re saving by using the existing (unused) attached garage space instead of doing an addition like originally planned!
Yeah, and a denim jacket goes with so many things so it's a good purchase.
1. Had a pepper that was starting to get wrinkly, so I sauteed it with some turkey kielbasa and mixed it in with some quinoa and brown rice for a quick easy dinner.
2. Enjoying the leftovers of that meal for lunch all week!
3. Used a free birthday drink at a coffee shop this morning to kickstart my day.
4. Last night I had a meeting and some errands after work. I was tempted to stop and pick up dinner on my way home so I didn't have to cook. I decided not to and instead just sliced up some cheese to go with crackers for dinner. It was an easy dinner and I didn't have to spend anything!
5. Picked up a bridesmaid's dress for an upcoming wedding. I thought it would need a few alterations, but was pleasantly surprised that it fits perfectly! I'm not sure if that qualifies as frugal, but it is money saved.
1) I've largely not gone anywhere the last few days since we are doing a mini remodel on our kitchen that includes new granite, tile and updating the cooktop and sink. The remodel is expensive but not going anywhere has meant shopping from our pantry and not shopping.
2) Hubby has taken leftovers for lunch every day this week.
3) We picked up chicken breast from ZayconFresh this week and though we still have to portion it for the freezer, it always saves us $ vs buying it at the store and we have meat in the freezer to use for any number of things.
4) Hubby and I celebrated our dativersary this week and I got him an inexpensive yet highly rated mp3 player since his ipod shuffle is going out. He really liked it, it will be useful when he runs, and it was much less pricey than a new ipod.
5) I was going to turn our sprinkler system on last weekend but forgot and it's been raining all week so I call that a frugal win since I'm not having to pay for water for the yard and would likely have not turned it off when it started raining!
1) I am a 2018 yelp elite, meaning I posted yelp reviews a lot last year and now get to go to all kinds of free events this year. Last night the event was at an upscale restaurant and we got free wine, appetizers, and desserts. Sometimes we're allowed to bring a guest but this time we weren't - which really made us all get out of our comfort zones and meet new people. I had a great time and only spent a $5 tip for the waitress!
2) I take bottle caps off Coke bottles from our employee lunchroom and enter them into my Coke rewards. I had entered into some sort of March Madness contest with the rewards and ended up winning a $5 gift card to Wendy's and a free 20oz Coke from my local gas station. There is a Wendy's located on my way to school so that will work out nicely!
3) This is one that Kristen may appreciate - my Amex card offered me a $25 statement credit if I spend $50 through StitchFix. I had read your reviews of it and decided this was a pretty good deal! My box arrives today. I said no jewelry or scarves since I have a ton of jewelry and don't like scarves on myself. I also chose the option to make the clothes as affordable as possible. Hopefully this pans out for me!
4) Our lawn looks terrible now that the snow has melted. Someone who came out to look at it said that we had grub damage. We had paid TruGreen last year and when we looked at our bill, one thing we had paid for was grub prevention. Although there was some resistance, we got TruGreen to come back out, see the grub damage, and agree that we were owed a refund because their service obviously didn't work.
5) We ditched cable years ago and now use Hulu. This week raise.com offered an extra 5% off Hulu gift cards that were already 9.2% off. Plus I got 1% back in ebates when I purchased the gift cards. So now I have the next 2 months and 2 days of Hulu paid for at a discounted rate!
I had no idea that was a thing! How many Yelp reviews do you have to post in a year?
I think it's based on how many reviews other people in the area do. They pick the top contributors for your area. I did about 30 in 2017, though, so nothing too crazy!
Just went home on my lunch break to excitedly try on my Stitch Fix. Super fail. All the shirts were huge on me and the jeans were just okay, but way too expensive for me to justify keeping just okay jeans. I ended up exchanging a shirt for a smaller size just to get the Amex deal. If I hadn't done that I would've been out the $20 anyway. Now I will keep the $55 shirt and get a $25 Amex credit, leaving me at a total of $30 spent and I have something to show for it! Sad it didn't work out and I don't think I'll be trying it again.
Bravo for staying out of the store! I hate that March is such a long month; it really messes with grocery budgets. If we can successfully not grocery shop until April, we'll only be $25 over budget in March. That's a real achievement, seeing as how we were $150 over budget in February. 🙂
This week:
1. I ordered some shirts from ThredUp and used my Honey browser extension to use coupons. I'm having much more success with secondhand shopping through ThredUp than I do at my actual thrift store.
2. I've been focusing more on freelancing and finding clients. Happy to say that I can bring a bit of extra money in this way. 🙂
3. I braided my hair this morning instead of spending the money and time to curl and style it. I love curling my hair, but hate the cost of styling products plus the heat damage. Braiding looks like you still spent effort on your hair. 🙂
4. Today I worked out on an elliptical I've owned for over 3 years. I bought it as a cheap floor model for $120 and have gotten more than my money back with it.
5. Mr. Picky Pincher is off work tomorrow, so he plans to spend the day accomplishing the various to-dos around the house.
Lisey loves ThredUp! She does regular consignment and thrift shopping too, but she loves the variety you can find with ThredUp.
1. I did a live chat with my health insurance company, asking why my account is showing no deductible used yet my varied bills from the hospital stay all say I owe them after insurance because it's part of my deductible. And they have over $2500 going toward my deductible, which is supposed to be $1500. They said there did appear to be a discrepancy (!) and are doing a review and should send me a notice soon. I hope this will get straightened out and that they don't find a sneaky way to say I owe all that. I'm glad I looked at my account carefully.
2. I made a Barefoot Contessa lemon cake for a fundraiser at my granddaughter's school. It turned out looking quite attractive, if I do say so, and I learned to make those lemon peel "roses" as decoration. They are so easy! I had all the ingredients for the cake already, except for 99 cents worth of lemons.
3. I used the last of my frozen leftover lunches, so I made a big pot of stew to divide up for the freezer, for the days I don't have anything to pack for lunch.
4. I'm going to wear a dress I already have for Easter Sunday. The days of "must have a new dress for Christmas and Easter" are behind me.
5. I trimmed my bangs and shaped my nails. It's too expensive and time consuming for me to have someone else do it.
Good catch with the healthy insurance! They make mistakes on a regular basis, in my experience, and no one will catch them if you don't.
The cake sounds lovely!
Yes, good catch with the health insurance; it's so important to check bills and statements.
These are great frugal wins! My hubby just went on a week long work trip and will get reimbursed $1,300. I consider it a big frugal win since he got to travel, eat, and explore the city for free (kinda)! 😉
I completely agree! Mr. FG just submitted for $1300 of work trip reimbursement and I feel the same way...like, yay! He got to see a new place, stay in a hotel, enjoy some different weather, and it didn't cost us anything.
I have been wanting to try your homemade yogurt recipe because my family eats a LOT of yogurt, but I have a question first. Does it taste more like store bought vanilla yogurt or store bought plain yogurt? We buy big tubs of yogurt (plain for smoothies and vanilla for eating) and add berries and homemade granola as we eat it. My kids love it but they will not eat plain yogurt that way even though they are really great eaters and it's not a hill I'm willing to die on since they eat so many other things well. I just didn't want to put all that work into homemade yogurt if it tasted so much like plain they'd refuse to eat it. Thoughts?
So, I'd definitely recommend going with the vanilla version to start. If you do that, with whole milk, I bet your kids will find it to be very palatable. Nice and mild, a little sweet, with a hint of vanilla.
Also, make sure you use a really good starter so that your yogurt turns out nice and thick. Stonyfield Farm is my current fave.
I will try that! Thank you!
Yay for five extra frugal things! I'm definitely going to try that granola recipe. Easier deliciousness?! Yes, please!
Here's mine for the week:
1. We're still potty training over here and I've been using leftover pull-ups from my other two kids only for outings where I don't want the extra clean-up hassle. (although she's been doing well and usually they come home dry and ready for the next outing)
2. I ran out of my homemade laundry soap, but found out wal-mart no longer sold the ingredients I needed (BOO!) Thankfully there was a bottle of laundry detergent on sale and I found a coupon for an extra $1 off on the shelf! That should tide us over until I source more ingedients.
3. I packed my kids a lunch for a busy day when I knew we would be out all morning til the late afternoon. Yay for no restaurant spending!
4. I used the rest of my homeschool funding account before the cut off (tomorrow) phew!
5. I bought a large amount of apples which were on sale for 30cents a pound! My husband usually eats two apples a day in his lunch, so this helps a lot.
Potty training is so frugal. But boy, I sure did hate that stage! Once you get through it, though, it's super nice to be done with diapers.
The baked oatmeal looks delicious! I may try that this weekend
1. I waved at my neighbor..again.. even though her dogs killed all but one of my chickens. It was hard the first time I waved but by the time I came home and waved again, my heart had softened a little. Not frugal but noteworthy.
2. We doctored up frozen pizza last night. It was really good and saved me from buying takeout.
3. I made pizza casserole a couple nights ago the lasted for two meals. It has spinach hidden inside. Recipe is posted on my blog today if anyone wants it. Around $6 to feed my family of 4 twice, is pretty good.
4. We didn't buy new clothes for Easter this time. We are attending a different church anyway.
5. Hmmm, I got nothing....
Your number 1 made me smile! ( not the chickens of course-yikes!) Good for you!
Hurrah for you on making the choice to wave! You took the high road and your gesture was kind. May your friendship heal with this neighbor after the hurt and damage that has been done.
1. Working (with help of my ancient candy thermometer) to find the right setting of hot-enough, not-too-hot for our new water heater. Old one died, dramatically leaking all over the basement floor, on a weekend. New one was a little less expensive than we feared and should be more energy efficient.
2. Re-arranged the sheets in the linen closet and found a strange lump in the corner pocket of a fitted bed sheet. Returned found item to the correct underwear drawer. It had been lost for many months.
3. Finding many library books to read, including using loans from the other towns in our system.
4. Re-pricing life insurance. Huge sigh. Prices are lower for people who match the suggested height-weight charts, which I do not.
5. Combined various ingredients out of the fridge to clear it out, culminating in making my favorite: Celery and Stilton Soup, (except I've never seen Stilton outside of British novels, so I use Blue Cheese I found on sale). I garnish it with fruit as I don't have watercress, (something that also exists mostly in British novels).
That's where the socks go! 🙂
This week has not felt frugal in any way so 5 may be hard to come up with.
1. Had to purchase a new over the range microwave so I did my research online, found the one I wanted at best buy for about 100 off the original price plus free shipping right to my house. Hubby and I installed it ourselves too.
2. Started using some yoga passes I bought on black Friday sale. If I don't use them, they expire and it's cheaper than therapy
3. Needed a dress for a wedding, managed to find an adorable dress at Dillards on clearance for 35! I already have shoes and jewelry to go with it too.
4. Used a coupon for free breakfast on a morning I hadn't anticipated having to leave the house so early. Saved me about $4.
FFT Easter edition:
My girls needed new dresses as they really have none. Shopped sales & used coupon codes to help with cost.
Hubby & I are going to wear clothes we already own.
Using plastic eggs from years past, gift bags I still have & egg dye purchased on deep clearance from years past.
Chose food items to make for both parents' houses in which I had many items already in the pantry or fridge.
Searched on the web before purchasing an item each of the girls will be receiving. Basically got a 2/1 deal! Saved $60!!
I have been sick and not able to really cook so i make fake things i love to eat rinse a can of pinto beans add two totally crushed cloves garlic. Micro wave 2 minutes. Add big dallop sour cream on top. Eat.
That sounds quite tasty, I love garlic I may copy that to add to a meal and the garlic will do you no end of good, hope you're feeling better soon - another thing my sis & I do when we're sick is make up stock with part of a stock cube & boiling water from the kettle - this helps keep your fluids up & gives you some salt & changes things up from just sweet stuff ( we do just drink plain water too but you need some calories) I also discovered in a flash of lazy brilliance last week you can lay a slice of cheese on a bread wrap, nuke in the microwave for a few seconds & instant melted cheese with no grill clean up.
..or any other bread you fancy or happen to have really...
My family really likes peanut butter baked oatmeal! Thanks for the reminder!
Wow, you all are doing well for two 5, frugal things in one week. I'm not so sure how I'll do, but I"ll give it a shot.
1. Ebay is continuing to slowly make a few extra dollars for us. We are going to need a larger mailbox if I"m going to keep selling on Ebay. I sell mainly clothing, so my packages will fit in our mailbox, but 2 packages is pushing it. Hubby isn't too keen on the large mailbox yet!
2. I write for a mommy e-newsletter and one perk of the job is we get to review local events for kids. I am so happy to know that I get to take my kids to a Paw Patrol Live event for free. We've never given one of those shows a thought before (because of the cost) but this allows us to go.
3. Found a reminder for myself that I had already purchased some summer pool items (on clearance) that I wanted to include in my kids Easter basket. I totally forgot about them, so now i have one more small item for them!
4. Submitted my final Coke code for a free magazine subscription. I had hoped to find a magazine for my kids, but there wasn't any, so I choose Readers Digest. My son is just learning to read and is "finding words" everywhere. I think I can trust Readers Digest to be a bit "cleaner" that Red Book!!
5. Definitely not a frugal win, but a nice win. My daughter won a pair of Snow tubing passes at a local restaurant last night (yep, we were out to eat) and we are unable to use them before they close for the season, so we passed them on to a younger couple who really doesn't "do" too much. Hubby gave them to them because he knew they would love them. I'm happy they aren't going to waste.
1. I just started reading a new book from the library.
2. I got out of the house in time yesterday morning to drop off a movie at the library before we went to Bible study. The movie was Tuesday night, but I was able to get it in well before they opened Wednesday morning.
3. Decided (fairly last minute) to get Easter gifts for the kids. I had a $5 off code for Kohl's for my birthday and used it to buy a dress for my daughter.
4. Went to Aldi yesterday and only purchased the 3 things on my list: milk, eggs, bananas. (Yes, it's the end of the grocery money month.)
5. I'm pregnant, but resisted the urge to stop at Rally's last night for their 69 cent cheeseburger deal they had yesterday. I was out after the kids' bedtime shopping for their Easter gifts and thought about getting burgers for my husband and I. In the end I decided not to spend the money or bring in the extra calories. That took quite a bit of self-control, but I was proud of myself for managing it. 🙂
1. I needed laundry detergent so when I found it on sale for $3 a bottle I bought six bottles & used coupons for $1 off each bottle. I don't usually buy things in multiples but the sale plus coupons meant I could get my preferred brand at a rock bottom price.
2. I took a good look at the grocery sale ads this week & did meal planning around what was on sale.
3. I used an unexpected 20% off promo when I purchased makeup.
4. I ate any leftovers for lunch the next day.
I have not felt very frugal at all this month, but will give it a go.
1. Meal planned around what I already had on hand.
2. Limited my Easter menu...usually have way too much food for everyone. Just 2 desserts this year.
3. Finally found a new financial adviser. (Used Dave Ramsey's smartvestor program.) It was like pulling teeth to get DH on board with anyone new, but this person has definitely won him over and DH is actually getting more involved in the financial process.
4. We are going on vacation next month, and I am determined to liven up my spring travel wardrobe with only thrift store finds. So far I have had pretty good luck.
5. I have been struggling to lose the last 10-15 lbs I would like to. (Have lost 110 thus far.) I have been eating way too much processed vegan food-boca burgers, vegan cheese, etc. I am returning to the original whole food plant based plan that I started with. Much cheaper as well.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Wow that's awesome!
1. Brought my lunch to work again. I haven't counted the exact number of days but it has been at least three months so far and I really see the difference now that I have committed to doing it every workday.
2. Had a catered meeting at work, got to keep the light but sturdy tray the pastries came on to carry my lemon cornmeal bundt cake to my mom's house for Easter. Now I don't have to buy one or carry a heavy plate from home on the bus.
3. Chopped up and cooked the veggies that were on the verge of spoiling so we could use them as sides all week and not waste them.
4. Replaced just the insoles in some of my shoes and polished them so they are good to go for longer rather than buying new shoes. I think they will survive another year. (Had a coupon for the insoles too!)
5. Sewed metal snaps on my umbrella strap to replace the worn out velcro tabs. Those tabs never seem to last very long.
Our family really likes baked oatmeal too!
1. I fixed a batch of plain oatmeal this morning and will eat the leftovers the rest of the week.
2. I washed our car instead of taking it to a car wash. It didn't take along and I think I did a better job than a machine.
3. I bought 99 cents eggs to dye for Easter. I am going to try some natural dyes. Purple cabbage, yellow onion skins and paprika.
4. I checked gas buddy for the best gas price as I had to go to a nearby town today and was wondering if gas was cheaper there.
5. I packed my lunch very quickly to avoid getting hungry and choosing to eat fast food. So a double win there with healthy eating and not eating out.
#1.Ate at home all week, cooked & used up left overs for lunch
#2.Cleaned and washed all kitchen cubboards and walls ourselves making our kitchen look great-remembering your post on homes from 2 weeks ago..
#3.Have not been out shopping in months-using what is in my wardrobe
#4. Made a lovely big bowl of soup from chicken stock..great way to use up veg aswell
#5. Reading books from library and watching Netflix for entertainment
#6.brought kids to park to play, they love it and its free
#7.Drank our own tea and coffee resisted urge to go out for coffee
Spring Break Edition...
Kids get a VERY abbreviated spring break as they get of out of school earlier and start back later this year.. we have a new school building complex going in...So I wanted to try to do some fun stuff in their very small time...
saw that there were some invitation only deals so I check my old email address and went and Bought some groupons on KILLER deals...
1)Got a $20 food voucher for $1.00, bought a voucher for 2 kids for 60 at a local trampoline center for a DOLLAR...got myself $10 to Starbucks for $5
2) took my 3 +1 neighbor to Lazer Tag with 3 free vouchers for cavity free teeth.. only cost me 8.50.. I sat in the car.. (loving the teenager stage!)
3)did some couponing sales while son was a track practice this morning...
4)picked up Easter foods at Aldi earlier this week( -so no running to a dozen stores trying to find shredded potatos...) Menu is very simple...
5)restocked my tissue supply and earned money back on Ibotta- just got over a nasty head cold! lol
6)- been using SavingStar and Ibotta this year with the goal of supplementing Christmas spending !
Congratulations on the DIY project. I would've never done it until I had to.
Umm, 5 things?
1.) Cleaned out my freezer and found some old leftovers and ate them for dinner this week.
2.) Got some overtime so my paycheck will be nice.
3.) Used a windfall to make a balloon payment on my mortgage
4.) Took advantage of a sale on Green Toys on Amazon to get something for my daughter and her cousin.
5.) Had some free time so I did some MTurking again and made a couple bucks.
1. Portioned an 11lb Boston Butt into 2lb chunks for a recipe that our family loves, and gave the bone to our dog for a treat. Minimal waste!
2. Started fermenting flour and water for sourdough starter and kept all of the starting batch (in separate jars) instead of discarding some of it.
3. Baked bread and pancakes for breakfasts this week.
4. Combined several errands into one trip, and successfully spent money only on things that I intended to purchase (even at Target!)
5. Used bulk bins to buy ingredients for a customized trailmix for an upcoming road trip. Bought coke (not frugral, really, because who needs it?) in 8-pack rather than individual cans, again for upcoming road trip.
I love 5 Frugal Things!
1. Made some sun tea for a treat, since no propane was used to heat it, the only cost was 2 tea bags and sugar, I estimate 50 cents spent
2. I'm trying to do a little organizing everyday. Today I sent sent an email listing school answer keys, magazines and a book for free. I already have a taker for the book and dropped it off as I was going to her house today. Keeping things decluttered helps me feel less stressed and I hate things sitting around not being used. Plus it can save money on storage and moving, as we live a transient life.
3. We are getting our tax return soon! 🙂
4. I played categories with my kids tonight. Its a game I like because all you need are some papers ( can be scrap pieces), pens and something to keep time. Plus its good for their spelling.
5. After doing laundry, I used the rinse water to water plants.
1. Managed to ‘shop’ my gift drawer for two baby shower presents and a birthday present.
2. No shopping for Easter clothes. When buying the kids clothing for the year I remembered to get them each (on clearance) one ‘Christmas’ shirt and one ‘Easter’ shirt both of which get used for other dress up occasions.
3. Made a giant batch of pumpkin muffins for breakfasts this week and to freeze for later.
4. Planted the spring crops in the garden (peas, radishes) and started lettuce indoors using seeds from past years.
5. I’m drinking down the tea in my pantry instead of buying more of my favorite kind. There is more tea in there than I had anticipated, but hopefully by summer I will be back to my favorite chai.
I love FFT & Kristen your granola & baked oatmeal look so good I am so glad you are going to post that recipe soon cos I will be making both; thank you for such good meal/snack ideas. Besides, we have a TON of oats in the pantry.
1. Well, this was nearly a frugal loss for me but thanks to Maureen & her no. 4 I remembered! Or rather I was reminded! I tried out your trick of weighing bags of produce and got over 100g more of some red peppers on sale that were in '1kg' bags, I planned to make shakshuka & freeze it in portions which I WILL do tomorrow 🙂 (would have been so sad if they had gone bad)
2. Made my current cheap version ( I would normally add garlic/onion/bacon ) of 'I can't be bothered cooking but I need to eat' dinner; batch of brown basmati in rice cooker, when ready fry up store bought frozen peas/corn/carrot with olive oil, 1 tsp curry powder & 1/2 tsp tumeric, add rice cook, add 3 tsp soy sauce & stir, apply to mouth. I then portioned out the leftovers for the freezer to nuke in the microwave when I'm feeling even less like cooking dinner or to have as a side. On a side note (ha ha) a friend taught me to pour boiling water from the kettle over packet frozen veg, leave sit 3 min, drain then cook as desired - & WOW there is no comparison to taste/texture/cooking time; will never go back...
3. Had to cover my supervisor yesterday & will get paid heaps extra! Yay
4. Not really frugal but our department closes on public holidays so I will end up with 5 days off in a row - Yay!!!! - well, I guess I won't be driving to work so saved petrol?
5. Still gradually putting together a much more functional wardrobe & need a couple of much warmer tops for winter when I feel I need to look a bit nicer & started shopping my wardrobe planning for winter occasions so I only buy things I really need & that will be the most useful.
Went shoe shopping today & found out the whole shopping centre had a major sale going on; got 2 pairs of really comfortable well made classic black shoes; one flats the other low heel sling backs with adjustable strap & a great top that I can wear all year round all items 30% off woo-hoo!
BTW Five Frugal things is my fav post!
1. Twice a month we eat salads from Costco. I’m the only one who like the dressing that comes with it so there were many dressing containers floating around my fridge. Today I took all the leftover dressings out if the fridge and decided to consolidate them in one container so I remember to use the dressing. I filled a quart jar with dressing!
2. Sent Easter cards I already had on hand.
3. Needed an Easter table cloth for a kid’s party. Found a resusable flannel backed one at a thrift store cheaper than the disposable ones at the dollar store.
4. Bought Easter candy and party food for the party and for us at a deep deep discount store that I pass once a week in another town.
5. Going on a cheap homeschool field trip today to our State Police Academy and I’m packing our lunch so we can run errands after and not be tempted by fast food!
1. I've been snacking on frozen fruit a lot lately. It knocks out my cravings and it's not candy/ice cream. My frugal thing is that I bought lots of grapes at $0.77/lb to freeze.
2. I bought store-brand soda. I know I shouldn't drink soda at all, but we're getting there.
3. I remembered to switch every load of laundry to the dryer before it needed to be rewashed. Yay!
4. I think I salvaged my favorite shoes after having to walk through ankle-deep rainwater. I really don't want to replace them!
5. I borrowed a movie from the library instead of renting/buying it.
I don't have 5 to post. The only frugal post I have is that we have a church owned thrift store, and on last Wednesday every clothing item is 50% off. I bought 5 dresses for 14 yr old daughter. The dresses are normally $5.10 a peace, I got a Ralph Lauren navy sleeveless for $2.55, and a jean and floral t-strap one to go with a sweater from 2 years a go. I would not usually buy for her if she is not there to try on, but I could sell them at a yard sale if they didn't fit. I love this store because the items are always great shape and the proceeds got to help their missions.
P.S. I got a thirty-one bag there that is in perfect shape for $1.10.
Happy Easter Ya'll
Ohh, those are some great deals!
Kohl's had Chaps pants for $5.90 so I picked up a couple pair and used a $30% off. Also a pair of
GV jeans for $10.
Kroger had whole chickens for .59 # and I picked up a couple.
My son & dil gifted me her old Apple watch.
2 of my co-workers & I are walking our halls at lunchtime for exercise. 5 times around is a mile.
I found that our local Magoos sells out of date pet food. I got canned cat food for my local ferals for a fraction of the price and it was dated for Feb 18. Hopefully the cats appreciate the canned food as our weather is still cold and it's snowing.
Where is spring?