Five Frugal Things | formica girl
My formica countertops make three appearances in this post. I'm out here being a formica influencer. 😉
Do you all wanna run out and exchange your granite countertops so you can match me??
In all seriousness, I do actually kind of like their practicality, even if they are not the latest and greatest in kitchen styles.
1. I listed two items on eBay
As I was cleaning up my room this weekend, I came across a book I finished, and also a promotional item that came with my perfume (Burberry Her, in case you wanted to know!)
So, I listed both of them on eBay. Yay me!
One of them (the book) sold almost immediately, so I dropped it off at the post office last night after my clinical shift.
2. I signed up for the student version of Spotify Premium
I figure I might as well hop on the $5.99/month train while I am a college student!
I did have to make a new account to do this, so all of my playlists are gone. But honestly, I'm kind of glad.
Music tends to be very tied to particular times in my life, and so my playlist had some songs that held unpleasant associations for me. It's good to get a fresh start!
3. I got a few deals at CVS
I noticed I had some rewards in my account, so I popped in and got three bottles of Maui Moisture $3 each after my discounts) plus two peanut butter eggs for Zoe (Easter clearance, $0.95 apiece).
4. I got some more birthday freebies
I popped into the mall and got two pairs of almost free undies from two different stores, and also a free cookie from Potbelly.
5. I packed all my food for clinical
The cafeteria at this rural hospital is actually quite affordable, but still probably not as cheap as eating packed food.
I brought pulled pork (from my freezer) and roasted sweet potatoes, and I topped both with some chipotle mayo. I also brought sliced mango, sliced oranges, and some trail mix.
And of course, I ate breakfast and made my coffee at home before I left.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
P.S. I didn't get to respond to comments yesterday because I was at the hospital. I did read them all now, though, and this morning I went through and responded to some. Thanks for all your dress input! I'll keep you updated about what I decide.
I also have Formica in my not so updated apartment,seems simple,wipe it down with any cleaner and good to go.
OOf! I have made a plan to stop shopping on-line as I have had to return a couple of things lately and pay the shipping and that does me zero good. Back to batching errands and shopping in person. I've been spending as little as possible beyond what I need lately:
*printed some family photos on Walgreen's site with 50% off coupon
*used my Chik-Fil-A app to score free chicken nuggets
*picked up free hearing aid batteries from the audiologist while I was out doing said errands
*bought a couple of easy wear dresses and a top on sale at Kohl's and earned Kohl's cash (this should pretty much complete what I need for spring/summer clothes)
*packed leftovers for my lunches, made coffee at home, and am reading a book from our lending library at work.
Frugal:
Got two new much needed pairs of pants for 24 dollars total.
Cooked and ate at home. Packed lunches.
Made homemade granola and croutons.
Continue to read books from Libby app.
Did not buy new sandals. Spring fever!
I have Formica counters in my kitchen, too. The mustard-yellow original to the trailer that is the main part of our house. So not stylish. But I definitely do not worry about cutting right on the countertop or whatever. 🙂
Frugal things:
--I just took meat out of the freezer for dinner today and tomorrow. Today is leg of lamb steaks, from the sheep we butchered ourselves. Tomorrow is ground bull, from the bull we butchered ourselves. The bull meat really was free, as we didn't feed it. The sheep meat is just the cost of hay.
--Relatedly, the younger boys have been herding the sheep for my husband. This time of year, they have no grass in their pasture yet, but there's quite a bit on the roadsides and abandoned lots in our mostly ghost-village. So they herd the sheep, and that keeps us from having to feed hay. My husband will sell all the lambs at auction next month, and the boys will each get some of the profits.
--I haven't bought snacks for my younger children's school snack boxes all year. I make them cookies, and they have whatever random things they get from our neighbor/trick or treating/Easter, etc. They don't really need the snack, so I don't worry too much about its nutritional content, although I do make cookies with at least some protein.
--My eldest son has a flip phone that we bought him last year, when he was working all summer on a remote fenceline and we thought it would be a good idea for him to have a way to reach us (I was thankful for that when he called me sick with the first stages of heat exhaustion). He wants to get a smartphone. He didn't even assume that we would buy that for him. He knows if he wants it, he needs to buy it, because it is definitely a want, not a need.
--I just bought fifty more pounds of flour from Sysco, via the school. I can order anything from Sysco and it will be delivered with our lunch order. The Sysco flour is $26 for a 50-pound bag, which makes for some very frugal bread. Also, I never have to worry about the Sysco flour smelling and tasting of detergent, which is an increasingly big problem. I know many of you insist on name-brand flour for better results, but this seems to work just fine for me.
@kristin @ going country, check with your wireless provider to see if have any promotions currently happening where you get free phone with added line or prepaid for 1 year. I was surprised to see Meijer have coupons for free prepaid phones (Verizon/Boost).
I got teen (last one in class) cellphone/smartphone for birthday. I cancelled landline short time afterwards & was less than landline.
@kristin @ going country,
I buy my all purpose flour in 25lb bags at Walmart for less than $10. I've never had a problem with smell or taste. I use name brand bread flour but I'm sure the walmart all purpose is likely bagged by one of those name brand companies.
@kristin @ going country, I've experienced the weird smell/taste of detergent in crackers from a small grocery store (local-ish chain of 4-5 locations.) When I asked, the answer is that it is how things are stored in their limited warehouse space.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Yes, it is for sure a bigger problem with small stores, because the fragrance-laden products are right next to the things like flour that will absorb the fragrance. I have had it happen with things I've bought online, too. But never at Walmart. They have so much volume, I'm sure everything is stored separately. I have bought flour from them, but that's 90 miles away, so it's more convenient for me to get it through Sysco, which is delivered 10 miles from my house.
@kristin @ going country,
Mustard yellow would be an improvement over what I got: the white with gold glitter design that was the very first Formica style back in 1964. Efforts to paint over it were initially really good but the Giani granite paint does not hold up well under the scrubbing that a kitchen counter requires. So now it's fading and looking bad.
Also kudos to you for the lambs helping to keep the weeds down around the roadways (I'm sure the local folks and taxpayers are grateful) and for developing your sons' good work ethics.
I've also experienced less-than-steller results from buying the woven wheat (Triscuit-type) crackers from our local Aldi. I think their warehouse may be around Houston or the SE Texas Gulf Coast, which is super humid, and that messes up the crispness and taste. So I get this product at either HEB or Walmart. Never tried their flour, though.
Oh, that is interesting! Their woven wheat crackers are among the only crackers I buy from Aldi because at least here, they are a close approximation of real Triscuits.
I do not like their version of Ritz crackers tho!
@kristin @ going country,
Flour smelling and/or tasting like detergent? I've never experienced that, thankfully. I generally buy the store brand flour (Kroger or Aldi), but then, I don't do much bread baking. The hospital food service where I work has Sysco as their prime vendor, so I'm guessing I could score a flour deal like you have, if I started baking more.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
Lol, the house I bought as a single person had those white with gold glitter kitchen countertops! That house was built in the late 1950s, so someone must have "upgraded" at some point. 🙂
@Liz B.,
My house was built in 1964 at the height of the white and gold glitter Formica craze. At first, that was all they had, as far as I can remember. However. I was in grade school at the time, so I could be mistaken. I know my grandma got it when she remodeled her kitchen.....in the sixties......
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm living with the gold speckles (real mica in there), too. Just as it came. Our house was built in 1957 - original old Formica and knotty pine cabinets (and not enough of them). I kept catching my clothes on the screws that hooks the metal edging on, so i put clear tape over the screws - LOL! Someday I WILL remodel this kitchen in a BIG way!
@Liz B., I'm living with the glitter. It's original to our 1957 house, so I expect it's original to yours too!
@Ruth,
It probably was! I loved that little house. Except I feel you on not enough cabinets!
@kristin @ going country,
I have quartz countertops and I don’t ever cut anything on them either. They are supposedly durable but way too expensive to replace if it turns out the sales hype was wrong. I don’t risk it.
-Brought coffee capsules and my favorite creamer to work so I won't be (as) tempted to buy from the shops nearby
-Ate dinner for free at work when I could
-Finally got around to doing some boring stuff related to business/taxes that will save me money
-Discovered a new author I like and ordered everything she had written from my library
-Recently bought a fitness watch, which was expensive, but has also made me much more aware of health, and I can see that when I drink alcohol my pulse shoots up and I sleep worse. I won't be a teetotaler anytime soon, but I have cut way back, which saves money on alcohol and maybe future health care costs.
Woohoo!!! Good for you on the drinking.
So many people think alcohol helps them sleep better, while the opposite is actually true.
@Kristen, it certainly can "help" to induce sleep but the total sleep quality is noticeably worse for sure!
Yep, exactly. That's why it confuses people; they feel the sleepiness, but don't realize that poor quality sleep awaits.
@Sk in Norway,
this! And I’ve noticed that if I eat anything too late in the evening my sleep quality also drops. I always thought that it only applied for large meals.
@Gunn from Northern Norway, yes I have heard this from other people too. Going to bed hungry isn't great either though!
-Reused a picture frame left by former renters
-Made a week's worth of muffin batter so we can have hot muffins every morning
-Didn't murder anyone, though sorely tempted
-Concocted decent meals out of leftovers
-Picked my own flowers for the house
-Do not have Formica counters
Too bad your kitchen isn't as cool as miiiiiiine!!!
**weeping**
@Rose,
Refraining from murder is always a frugal activity.
@JD and Rose, it was a real LOL here reading your comments 😀
@Rose, Was the would-be murder anything to do with the trial…?
@Rose, "didn't murder anyone" LOLOLOL....you saved SO much on Lawyer fees!! HAHAHAHAHA
@Rose, you showed remarkable restraint, given who it was you were testifying about.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I have clearly not been reading all the comments on previous posts. I need to find time to back-track.
@Rose, I never thought of not murdering someone as a frugal activity! I need to add that to my weekly list. In fact, if I did a daily list, it probably appear on most days.
@Rose,
Luckily you showed restraint....I was planning on baking a shiv into a cake for you.
@Jody S., I don't remember when, but Rose told us that her former renter was a true horrid criminal and gave a link to a newspaper article about him. Then on Monday she had to testify as a witness, probably in the Terrible Renter's trial.
My frugals:
*My daughter harvested some garlic chives, washed them, and put them in the fridge for me to use. I used them. These are entirely free because my friend gave the original plant to me.
*I planned meals and cooked at home mostly. Four of us ate at a restaurant for an unintentional left-handed date. A son and I also ate out at Sam's Club for lunch.
*When my oldest son was a senior, we went on a road trip to the college (a two day drive away) he'd chosen so that he could participate in a scholarship competition. We had fun, and I consider it his "senior trip." Second son has absolutely zero desire to travel, but yesterday the two of us went to the community college in our county so he could register for classes for his first semester of college. (It was a very positive experience.) Afterward we did our grocery/gas shopping because it's less expensive/better selection in the big town. We ate lunch at Sam's Club for a total of less than $7. On the way home, we stopped for ice cream and a local place that serves local ice cream for less than $10. While we sat in the parking lot eating our ice cream, my son said, "You can consider today my senior trip." This senior trip was so much less expensive than the first one.
*On Sunday we made reuben sandwiches with homemade bread and home-cooked (clearance from St. Patrick's Day) corned beef.
*I made coffee at home. I went shopping in our basement/shed for shoes before ordering some needs. We used library books.
Your Formica countertops are nicer than my Linoleum countertops. Yes, Linoleum. The people who owned the house before us used the same Linoleum tiles from the floor to cover their countertops. I think they did the work themselves. We thought we were going to renovate the kitchen, but it hasn't happened (going on ten years).
Anyhow, you inspired me to go list some things on Ebay.
@DeeBee, linoleum was popular in the 30s for counters.
Also, guys, if anyone wants to, it's easy to paint Formica, if your color is boring.
@Rose, does it take special paint so that it doesn't scratch off?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Epoxy-based paint. I think I've seen kits for sale, too, to mimic granite if you wanted to do that.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, my parents bought a kit at Home Depot that was easy to use to make theirs look like granite.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I used the Graniti countertop paint and do NOT recommend it! At first it was gorgeous, looked like the real thing. But if you scrub your countertops (and who doesn't?), over time the paint will fade and your not-so-lovely white and gold glitter surface will start to emerge. We tried painting over the Graniti with just black paint and it did not come out smoothly; we believe this is because the different Graniti paint colors sponged on are causing it to be bumpy. I may have to spring for Miracle Method or similar commercial services to redo the countertops and this won't be cheap. Right now my kitchen counters look like hell.
I also have Formica counters in my small kitchen (about 8’x9’). I guess my frugal thing for the week is not yet paying to update my kitchen or moving to a bigger house. It’s not my favorite, but it works just fine.
FFT, Sandbagged by Illness Edition (updated from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(1-5) Since Wednesday, I have been laid low by one of the worst colds of my life (or at least that’s what I hope it is): nasal congestion, bad sore throat, and a cough that sounds as if I’m trying to hack up a lung. For what it’s worth, I’ve now tested negative three times for COVID (using the last of my free USPS COVID tests), and I’m fully boosted for everything including RSV, so i hope I’ve ruled out the scarier possibilities.
In the meantime, I have been enjoying (not!) the benefits of passive frugality by going nowhere and spending nothing. I’ve canceled four social engagements and several other plans already.
(6) Tuesday morning update, with frugal fail/possible win: I got in to see my PCP Monday afternoon, and she prescribed doxycycline for what she says is acute bronchitis. However, she's now more worried about my ticker than my bronchi: When she listened to my heart and then did an EKG, she said I was having "palpitations" and questioned me about what cold remedies I've been taking. I was ordered to discard my Alka-Seltzer Plus and my maximum-strength mucus-fighting cough medicine, and to get a cough medicine without any fancy additives. She also wants to see me back in a week to doublecheck my EKG.
However, I did get at least some sleep last night and am coughing less this morning. And as Dr. Bestest Neighbor wisely says, better to throw out a couple of OTC meds than have palpitations
@A. Marie,
My daughter just had the cold from h#ll and she also tested negative for scary things. Hers has gone into her ears now, which is odd, since she didn't have ear infections as a kid.
Take care of that heart and get better!
@A. Marie, praying for you to feel better and very thankful you have a good doctor. Heart issues are very scary.
@A. Marie, I hope you are feeling better soon!
@A. Marie, Thinking of you. I had the exact same symptoms and they are tortuous.
Also, my PCP told me to never take meds with DM or other "fancy add-ins" as they cause all kinds of problems in mature persons. She’s a geriatric doctor.
@A. Marie, I bet it was those OTC meds. There is so often a trade-off to trying to avoid discomfort. . . just part of the human condition, I guess.
@A. Marie, Palpitations are no joke. I have Tachycardia (it came on suddenly, and scarily after the Shingles vax -- sent me to ER, etc with heart racing to 170's WHILE I SLEPT...took 12 hours for them to get it back to normal)...I no longer can take any OTC medicine (Nyquil/Dayquil, cough syrup, etc) unless they show "for high blood pressure" on the label or it will trigger my tachycardia! Ask me how I found this out............
@Cheryl, "tachycardia"--tachis, "fast" in Greek. kardia, "heart" in Greek. God, I love words. tachyon: "fast one"
And there's tachypnea (fast breathing), bradycardia (slow heart beat) and bradypnea (slow breathing).
@A. Marie, Hard to not self medicate. After all we are inundated at every turn of how to cure our ills. I do hope this passes quickly and you can enjoy spring. You have a good heart and we wouldn't want anything happening to it.
Awww, I'm so sorry to hear you've been sick! I hope your EKG recheck is all clear now that you've ditched the OTC meds.
@Rose, and here all this time I thought that a "tachycardia" was a really tasteless Hallmark product... [ducks as rotten tomatoes are thrown].
@A. Marie, I'm glad you're coughing less and now know what is safe to take and what to avoid. Keep us posted on the doublecheck.
@A. Marie, There really is no excuse for this play on tachycardia, no matter how ill you are! (Hope you get better soon.)
@A. Marie, ROTFL!!!! That's a good one!
@Rose, Nice!!
@A. Marie, sorry you are not well. wish you a speedy recovery. have you checked the expiration date on the tests? please feel better soon.
@A. Marie,
Lol! I was trying to figure out a Halloween costume based on "tachycardia" the other day, what a coincidence....."tacky card-ia" it is! 🙂
@Rose, So, do you have a favorite read about etymology?
not related to frugal but i started watching gossip girl. never saw it before and i absolutely love it. i have learned so much through this blog. i couldn't wait until thurs to say thank you. and all the recommended books and hair products, too.
my son's bar mitzvah is this week. we had a rehearsal and he made it look so easy. when i was a kids there were no bat mitzvahs. although i did go on a bar/ bat mitzvah trip to israel.
@Anita Isaac, It's true about bat miztvahs. In fact I remembered complaining to someone when I was 13 about all the bar mitzvahs and it was unfair. Someone told me girls could have bat mitzvahs, but I remember thinking no one ever did, so it really didn't compare.
I was also jealous of my fellow eight year olds who were Catholics and got to wear fancy white dresses and veils for first communions. I felt gypped as an Episcopalian. Back then, you made your first communion the day after you were confirmed at age 12. It's all changed since then.
@Anita Isaac, Going to Israel sounds like a wonderful experience....or at least it used to be prior to Oct. 7. I always hoped to see the Holy Land but not anymore with all the trouble going on. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem. And Ukraine (with a Ukranian victory!) And whereever else....
@Rose, down South in my long-ago day, my Jewish girlfriends (I lived in a city with a substantial Jewish minority) all had bat mitzvahs, and my Episcopal church had us girls wearing fancy white dresses and veils for confirmation. Go figure.
@A. Marie, Oh, I wore a nice white dress (made by my mom)* and a veil for confirmation. But that was when I was 12. This was a heavily Italian neighborhood so everyone else, it seemed, got to wear them at 8.
*I bet with the 70s revival and Gunne Sax dresses going for a zillion bucks, some hipster would pay good money for that dress.
@Rose,
Growing up as a Catholic, I got to wear a (scratchy) lace dress, and a doily on my head for First Communion. Okay, not really a doily, but that's what my sisters and I called it, because it was a flat, round lacy thing you put on your head. No veils for us, which I would have much preferred. We made First Communion after your first confession. I always think the priest much have been dying from suppressed laughter, because what does a 12 year old confess to? "I was mean to my little sister", or "I forgot to feed the cat one day". 🙂
I do remember going to one Bat Mitzvah as a kid, but I don't remember much about it.
@Liz B.,
I honestly don't remember what age I was when I made my First Communion. Maybe not 12, but....10? 8? No idea.
@Rose,
One of my sisters wore a Gunne Sax dress to the prom back in the day....she probably wishes she had it now, to sell to that hipster. 😉
I bought a cantaloupe for the oldest who has now decided he no longer likes cantaloupe. He was the only one in the house to eat it. I found a recipe for cantaloupe bread to use it all up and it was very good and you could not taste the cantaloupe.
I used some overripe bananas to make banana crumb cake.
My husband cut the boys hair at home.
I used .30 off per gallon reward points filling up at Kroger.
Bought several boxes of half price whole grain pasta.
I found a Blues Clues stuffed animal on Ollie's Follies for $2 off because it was missing a blanket. My toddler is Blues Clues obsessed and loves the animal. I'm okay with the cheaper price without a blanket because he detests blankets and it would have never been used (ever since he was an infant he would scream bloody murder if you try to cover him up).
@Jess, Cantaloupe bread??? What a creative way to use up a cantaloupe! I never would have imagined that "cantaloupe" and "bread" would go together!
Me neither!
@Jess, You can easily dehydrate cantaloupe. I find that version much tastier. We regularly buy watermelon and cantaloupe on sale, specifically to dehydrate it for healthier snacks.
@Lindsey, I mean healthier than other snacks, not healthier than the fresh fruit.
@Lindsey,
Good to know. Dehydrating it never crossed my mind. I'll definitely try that with watermelon this summer, we can't get through a whole one.
@Jess, Have you made watermelon salad? I am not a huge watermelon fan, but watermelon salad is delightful.
come to think of it, my son when he was 2-4 insisted on having watermelon boats at his birthday parties.
@Rose,
Never had any. Sounds interesting.
@Jess, This recipe from the NY Times approximates what I do. I usually add thin slices of red onion too. Lots of recipes call for mint, but I find it overpowering. Make sure to serve it asap.
2 pounds watermelon (without rinds), thinly sliced into large, irregular pieces
2 tablespoons white or red balsamic vinegar
Salt
1 (6-ounce) block Greek feta, thinly sliced into large, irregular pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Leaves from 1 sprig basil, larger leaves torn
@Rose,
Thank you!
I had to google Formica, but if it’s laminated countertops I would say that it is quite common here in Norway. But if it’s so old-school (like Google gave the impression of) hopefully it’s better quality than our IKEA version!
1. It was time for my annual spring trip to visit my hometown and I talked my mother in to meet halfway so we could make a little detour and go grocery shopping in Finland. It turned out to be a very frugal trip as the euro is very high and prices in Finland has oblivious risen significantly. Bought spices I can’t get a hold of home and mum got lactose reduced half and half as it’s still quite cheap compared to Norwegian stores.
2. Made one other stop on the way at a motorsport shop and got a new helmet for snowmobiling at 50% discount. Hopefully this won’t give me a headache like my old one.
3. Found nearly 20 Nespresso packages selling with 50% and 70% discount due to short expiration date. The machine was a Christmas present to my partner from his parents, I wish they would think of gifting him coffee pods too!
4. Visited the local secondhand shop with my mum and I think I used up my quota of trifting luck for the year when I got a big tablecloth with “Hardangersøm» (Hardanger filling stiches) in mint condition for $2! And it’s pink!
5. Made a couple of sales on the online re-selling site and sold a pair of rain boots locally. Have now 20 sales so far this year, the goal is 100.
@Gunn from Northern Norway, I know Hardangersøm! It must be so, so pretty. Lucky you!
Also I keep forgetting Norway isn't in the EU.
I so appreciate your Formica post! Our late 80's kitchen is still rocking our light blue Formica countertops and oak cabinets. Are they in style? No. Are they still functional and look ok and are tied to so many good memories in my favorite room in the house? Yes, so we have no plans to change them anytime soon.
@Barb from CNY, if I inserted "forest green" for "light blue" and "cherry cabinets" for "oak cabinets," I could have written your comment about my own CNY kitchen. DH did our entire kitchen renovation in 1988, and I won't have anything changed as long as I live here. My successors in this house can do whatever they &%$ please, of course.
@A. Marie, I think forest green with cherry cabinets sounds timelessly beautiful and classy. Trends cause us to do things that look silly, but choosing colors, styles, and materials we love goes the distance. I will NEVER get tired of my stainless steel counters and was dismayed when they were trendy for awhile.
@Barb from CNY, Oak and turquoise here.
With Italian grape vine turquoise and maroon wallpaper and clunky gold knobs with fruit embossed on them. Changing just those two would make a big difference. I sort of thought I would do so when we moved in, in 2000....
@A. Marie, that's how I feel about my house. It was built in '92 and has tile counters. I love tile. If we were to sell it, and we won't, I wouldn't upgrade anything to match the latest trend. New people can do what they want with it.
We inherited an 80s kitchen when we bought our big ol' farmhouse in 2000. They had the exact same kitchen on The Sopranos, except we had 80 cabinets and drawers. Yes, 80. I painted the pale oak green and I covered the periwinkle Formica with copper, with an integral copper sink. God, I loved that kitchen. I also had beautiful copper pulls made. Still hankering after those copper counters.
@Barb from CNY, our kitchen floor and cabinets are oak. Our counters and island are a light denim blue. We don’t really follow trends. This kitchen design was what we implemented when we moved into our current home 18 years ago. We still love it!
@A. Marie, i love love love forest green my bedroom carpet is forest green. have to carpet whole apt in stuy town. new tenants don't do that though.
We have boomerang Formica countertops and I love them very much! Yay Team Formica!
@Stacy,
Wow, is it original? I saw that it is still available as a specialty item, so I know it could be new.
@Stacy,
Very cool!!
This past weekend was our anniversary trip (15 years!) so I spent a LOT more money than normal, but I'm thankful that we're in the financial spot to be able to do that and we did throw some frugal things in the mix...
1. I booked a hotel that included breakfast - and it was a yummy breakfast!! I packed some creamer from home and we got our (free) coffee from the hotel.
2. We did quite a bit of thrift shopping Saturday morning and I *finally* found a really nice raincoat with a hood. I've been looking for quite some time and the only new raincoats I found in stores were $100-$170. The one I found at Salvation Army looked brand-new and whoever donated it had stuck the store tags into the pocket. My guess is that they got it home, cut the tags off, didn't like it, and donated it right away. It was only $10.99, which made me very happy.
3. A surprising thrift treasure - we went to Grand Rapids, MI, which is the home of Meijer, and we found a Meijer Thrifty Outlet where they had all kinds of deeply discounted items. We got Avery 3-ring binders for $1, a nice snow scraper and brush for $1, mascara for $2.55 (and my mPerk coupon for $2 off applied, making it 55 cents), and some other goodies like that.
4. I'm squeezing in a few catering gigs here and there. Since I typically don't work for pay, I count this as a frugal win. It's not always easy to get the details worked out as I still have one kiddo at home, but we're making it work!
5. I got gas at the station that gives you 10 cents off a gallon if you pay inside and I paid for it with a gift card that gives a certain percentage back to my kids' tuition.
@Ruth T, Michigan is home of Meijer with the first store in Greenville, Michigan & is still open. Meijer has stores all over Michigan, Ohio, Indiana & moving towards south. The largest Meijer is in Traverse City, Michigan which opened a few years ago.
@Ruth T, Happy Anniversary (mine was Sunday! 23 years!) and I see you ventured to the west side to celebrate. I'm unfamiliar with the location of this particular thrifty Meijer--care to share?
@Regina, I was born and raised in Meijer, lived in a couple of other states, then came back almost 10 years ago. I love Meijer! This was my first time to their Thrifty Outlet, though. We also visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens while in GR!
@Kris, Happy anniversary to you, too! I was originally planning to go to Put-In-Bay based on another reader's recommendation of the location but it didn't work out. I feel like we vacation on the west side all the time! Ha! We will be back at Hoffmaster State Park in June. 🙂 The Meijer Thrifty Outlet is on the north side of GR (technically Comstock Park) and you should definitely check it out next time you're in the area! I tried to see if there were other ones around, but Google made it seem like this is the only one.
I have the same Formica countertops at my house. Not stylish but very functional.
FFT:
1. Picked up a cheese assortment at Aldi for weekly happy hour with BFF. It was less than $5 and we saved the leftovers for next time.
2. Went to dinner with good friends, no one ever wants to pick the restaurant, so I picked a place close to work that has great happy hour prices. I paid for an appetizer, two cocktails, a huge cheeseburger with fries and my tab was $30.
3. Picked up potting soil at BJs because it was $6/bag cheaper there than Home Depot or Lowes. Got gas while we were in the parking lot.
4. I bought 5 pounds of old-fashioned oatmeal at BJs for $7. I used it to make homemade granola and still have tons leftover for additional batches.
5. I planned and cooked most of our meals at home. Brought my lunch to work every day.
Ate all of our meals at home all week. Including coffee and snacks!
Did as little traveling as possible to conserve gas.
Went scrapbooking on Saturday with friends and did not buy anything new for the event (of scrapbooking stuff since I have enough). I did have to bring a snack, so I brought a fruit tray and then brought the leftovers home that I have been eating as my snack.
My scrapbooking buddy brought a ton of paper to give away because she didn't want it in her house anymore. I happily took a lot. Found some beautiful blue papers to work on a scrapbook for my niece and her husband to be. And took some paper for my granddaughter's book as well.
Planning this week's meals to use what we have on hand; we have plenty!
My goal is to spend money only one day each week, I don’t always hit that, but it is still the goal. This past Friday was the day and I used it for the following “five frugal things” plus one.
• Met a friend for breakfast at Panera (used gift card so free)
• Went to a Vintage Bazaar (like a craft/antique fair) which I enjoyed browsing, didn’t end up buying anything but got a lot of inspiration. I also may have found a dealer interested in buying some vintage pottery I have been trying to sell (fingers crossed, I am sending her photos then we will talk).
• Hit RiteAid to take advantage of their BOGO Vitamin Sale plus use a coupon they emailed for $5 in rewards back so got $52 in vitamins for $21! Also picked up their deal on dishwasher tabs one sale for $3 off plus I got back $4 from Ibotta.
• Kept grocery shopping under the goal of $25 and earned $2.50 back from Ibotta and 4460 Fetch points.
• Returned 9 ink cartridges to Staples for their recycle program, earning myself $23!!
• Penzey’s Spice had a deal on a boxed assortment of four Popcorn Flavoring Spices for just $5 each. So, I bought the maximum allowed of three and will combine them with handmade reusable microwave popcorn bags and a bag of popcorn for nice gift baskets at Christmas.
@Ruth, I’ve never heard about reusable microwave popcorn bags. What a great gift! I will definitely try to make one myself to test it out 🙂
@Ruth, great idea with the popcorn seasonings! What are the reusable microwave popcorn bags?
@Ruth,
I took advantage of that deal also. I only bought one popcorn box but also got the other box, Outrage spice, and free cinnamon.
My kitchen in our current house has Corian countertops from the 1980's. While I don't love the color (almond) I do appreciate the durability. The house we had before had formica countertops from the 60's. I didn't mind those either, even though they definitely were not in style and were quite faded/worn out in spots.
My daughter likes the cheese/meat snack packs from Aldi for her school lunches. This week I bought meat sticks at Walmart and cheese, and now I can make my own snack packs for much less. I should have thought of this sooner!
@Tammy, I just saw reusable snack pack containers (like lunchables style container) on Instagram that person got on Amazon. I personally like the glass bento style reusable divided containers instead of ziploc bags.
@Regina, Our granddaughter has several bento-style lunchboxes for school. They’re meant for kids and decorated as such. The divided containers are great. They can put all sorts of good things into them, including leftovers and nothing mixes.
She also uses it for snacks on trips in the car to beach, to visit us, the playground, picnics. They go into the dishwasher.
@Regina, we don't have anything like the lunchables containers or glass bento, but I have a variety of plastic and glass containers that work for her lunches.
Morbidly wrought Frugal Things Edition:
1. Really glad we have a subscription to Amazon Prime so my oldest son was able binge watch his favorite shows while trying to recover from his surgery.
2. We're saving on food since he's not eating anything to mention.
3. I'm saving on gas by not going anywhere--DH is doing all the errands and going places right now.
4. I don't have to exercise because I'm burning calories worrying as my son heads back to the ER after days of nonstop vomiting and hiccups after his small bowel surgery. Prayers welcomed.
@Karen A., Oh, is there anything harder than when something is wrong with your baby? I'll pray, FWIW.
@Karen A.,
Prayers sent!
@Karen A., I wish your son--and you and the rest of your family--all the best.
@Karen A., praying for healing for your son and peace for you.
@Karen A., How very stressful, I hope your son is feeling better very soon.
@Karen A., Sending love and good wishes to your boy and you guys. I know how hard this is. You all are in my prayers.
@Karen A., hoping doctors figure it out quickly!
@Karen A., so sorry for your son. My dad gets the hiccups after he is either very dehydrated, or takes a certain kind of medicine (one he got after surgery). Hiccups sound like no big deal, but if you have them for 24+ hours, you obviously can't sleep & it's terrible on your body. He then has to go in & get another type of medicine that makes you fall asleep, thus getting rid of the hiccups. Here's hoping that the ER can help & he has a fast recovery!
Thanks everyone. Again, his brother is with him until I can get there--he has an obstruction and infection in his small bowel. Might need surgery, might not...they're waiting on blood work and test results.
I'm hoping that your son is able to get the help he needs to correct this complication! Keep us posted.
@Karen A., prayers for your son coming your way...
Oh, I'm sorry, Karen! That's so hard! Praying for healing and protection right now.
@Karen A., Hope your son's complications get sorted out soon.
@Karen A., I'll be praying too. Great examples of family pulling together, but wish it hadn't happened!
@Karen A.,
Hoping your son feels better quickly! Prayers coming to you, your son, and your family.
Again, thanks everyone! I am in an afterhours waiting room. They took him back a little over an hour ago for surgery after seeing liters of fluid in his abdomen (he's had an NG tube all day, much to his annoyance, to empty the stomach and there has been so...much of it). Praying it goes well and they find the problem and he won't need an ostomy (the possibility of which wasn't even mentioned until we were down in pre op!).
@Karen A., hope your son feels better pronto.
Lots of replacing things for me this week.
1. I bought jeans to replace my hole-y ones. Oddly, they were for sale online but not in store. So I tried on in store and bought online, saving myself $30.
2. I finally replaced my falling-apart 7 year old computer. I got something with no bells and whistles, but a very new processor, and it was less money than I was expecting.
3. I was going to buy new running shoes for work, but when I cleaned out the closet I found an old pair that I bought ten years ago when I thought I'd take up running. They're in excellent condition (lol) so no need to buy more!
4. I got my tax return. It's going directly into our homebuying savings account.
5. I picked up some extra work to make a bit more for our homebuying savings account. I'm actually cutting back on the amount of extra work I do, since I'm feeling pretty burnt out on it, but hey, some is more than none.
@Meira @ meirathebear,
Teenagers love jeans with tears and rips. (Why, I don't know....) Try selling them locally, and you may recoup more $.
@Meira @ meirathebear,
So the rubber in sneakers does degrade quite a bit over time. That's why they don't recommend you stock up on them (which is unfortunate because the editions are always changing and when I find a good one I want to buy a bunch for when they wear out).
I'd still give the old ones a try but after 10 yrs they may have degraded too much so I'd keep an eye on how you feel. Running injuries are no joke.
@Fru-gal Lisa, haha I would, but they always bust through at the inner thigh--I'd be hard pressed to find someone who wanted a hole there! I have mended them, but I spend so much time on the floor with my toddler that the repair is often very visible.
@Jaime, oh, thank you for the tip! I'll be careful, then.
I miss the mall & birthday promos. Good for you for using the promos practically. 😉 I used to get free undies, socks & (clearance) bras with my promos & rewards. Undies are expensive even on sale.
My frugal things surgery edition---
●used my $10 off $35 at Applebees (at 2 different restaurants on 2 different days) for lunch & dinner for teen before surgery during other appointments. Should have picked up gift cards to use--currently on sale (04/08-06/30) buy $50 get $10 bonus, but didn't know until saw advertisement this weekend.
● called health food store (in Kalamazoo) to see if still carry our special kind of ice cream & they did! 🙂 They still offer 10% off case discount.
● Did my grocery shopping at Meijer when out. Used my free smokey links coupons, got Almond milk on sale (& with coupons==$1.79 each), picked up whole wheat tortillas (BOGO 40%), regular individual ice cream cups multipack (for dogs) on sale. Found out they do not sell (orange sherbert) push ups anymore 🙁
● Used gas buddy & $0.10 fuel discount to get gas cheapest around.
● at registration at hospital said surgery would be $19,000+....my portion would be just over $1,000. I said to bill insurance. Luckily I had done my homework & got everything (hopefully) in network where the insurance covers mostly after $900. Out of network starts coverage after $10,000.
● teen told me to go to cafeteria while teen in surgery & use my free drink coupon. While hospital cafeteria was reasonable so I decided to get some breakfast (corn beef hash with scrambled eggs--teen thinks is disgusting & I love). While I was in cafeteria I saw that they had my favorite salad dressing in individual packages $0.50/each---so I picked up some for future lunches. It is really difficult to find this particular brand/flavor at grocery stores & I do buy regular bottle of close to brand to use at home.
● received another 1 day fuel discount promo & filled up (at cheapest) saving additional $0.15/gallon
@Regina, I hope your teen is well after surgery and recovery is uncomplicated and swift!
@Karen A., Thank you! I hope your son starts a better road to recovery ASAP!
@Regina, I never pay until insurance company has processed the claim. And beware of unscrupulous sub-contracted doctors. Insurance denied the bill, it was grossly inflated. Then the company tried to bill me directly. Had the insurance company remind them balance billing is prohibited by their contract. Then had the medical facility try to bill me for it. Medical facility sent it to collections, I provided my paper trail and appears message received.
Wishing you a good outcome and may it resolve the issue permanently.
@Selena,
The anesthesiology group that did my anesthesia for my knee surgery did the same thing, even though the terms of our insurance contract forbid them from balance billing. It was turned over to collections, and my husband, who was very, very tired of my medical bills and talking to insurance people (hospital people, mefical pffice people, etc), just paid it to get it off his plate (it was 50-something US dollars, and would have required "an investigation", etc., blah blah blah....he wasn't up for it, and frankly, neither was I.) What scoundrels, though.
They also indicated up front (pre-surgery) that I'd be responsible for paying any "facility fees" ie., paying whatever they think I should pay for use of the building, medical supplies, band aids, whatever. (Eyeball roll). Fortunately, they didn't charge me any facility fees.
According to Spruce (home design site) formica counters are currently making a comeback & are in style.
Even formica countertops are expensive right now compared to even 5 years ago. Granite countertops, even as expensive as they are, still have restrictions on what can be done just like everything else.
@Regina, Formica in style goes right along with Corningware being all the rage.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
But surely not the white with gold glitter Formica!
@Fru-gal Lisa,
Lol, not sure the white with gold glitter will EVER be back in style, but never say never!
Not frugal:
Had to buy another laptop after an adorable puppy spilled water all over it. I tried, but it was fried. Sent Son to Costco (an hour's drive away) with a link to an in-stock new one I liked. Son asked a sales associate about it, associate said sure, Son then came home with a gaming laptop that cost $400 more than the one I asked for and weighs more than an elephant. Um, I guess that's what I have now because I don't feel like returning it, and also I had an article due that day so I needed it. sigh. I secretly kinda like it though.
I just read an article that Formica countertops are making a comeback so you are at the forefront of kitchen style at the moment!!
@Kim, Yes, I’ve seen many articles saying this lately.
@Kim, i have formica in my bathrooms and kitchen and still love it. When I re-did the counter top and sinks in my master bath I chose a formica whose name was “day old pizza” which always makes me smile.
I also have Formica in my tiny condo kitchenette (Bangkok!).
Made two easy and tasty Cafe au Lait Mug Cakes from an AARP email link, boy does that make me feel old!
Cooked up some flavorful black beans with some leftover frozen ham chunks in my freezer, froze some in containers, and the remainder in the pot with tasty cooking liquid I added some brown rice and more spices and made a big pot of beans and rice! Ate that for dinner, saves leftovers for another meal, and also froze a container.
Tomorrow will be making THE granola recipe from this site, but in my air fryer, as I have no oven! My husband hopes to make some banana bread in the air fryer as well.
Tomorrow is cheap movie Wednesday here, it’s a good way to stay out of the 100F heat during the daytime!
My house was built in '99, and I have Formica countertops in "Arctic Gray," which is not a solid color. They show their age now, and I'd love to update, but that's for later.
Little things this week for my frugalities.
1. I am running out of facial sunscreen, so I cut open the bottom of the tube and I'll get at least another week out of it.
2. My hair conditioner is in a narrow-necked plastic pump bottle and it's really thick stuff, so the pump doesn't get it once the conditioner gets low, which strikes me as a ploy to get me to buy more often :(. Wish me luck, because I'm taking the tough utility scissors and the box cutter from the toolbox and plan to get that bottle cut in half to scrape out the last of the conditioner. (I plan to hold the bottle with pliers, not my hand).
3. I pressure canned two quarts of homemade chicken stock. When I have to go to liquid diet on occasion, I can go through a quart in a day, so this will be handy.
4. I was able to pick mulberries in my yard for the first time since I planted them, and have been enjoying them alone or on top of grain-free cereal.
5. We had a really breezy, warm day this past weekend, so it was time to wash my winter blankets, hang them in the bright sun with stiff breezes and put them away for the summer. No dryer was needed. Then we had a night in the 40's, but oh well.
@JD, Do you have a small handsaw? We have a battery operated one and it makes short order of slicing bottles down to get the remnants of lotions. Sounds less dangerous than your method...
@JD, Why not add a little hot water and swish it around?
When we built this house we purposely installed Formica countertops. They look great and if I ever get tired of them, replacement is easy -- and I still won't have spent as much as granite would cost.
Our frugals this week involved the yard and neighbors. One neighbor offered us firewood from trees he is clearing from his lot -- we ended up with a cord and a half of firewood. He also offered us a bunch of wood chips, which I used to freshen my garden paths. Another neighbor offered us all the leaf mulch we could haul, which is going into my flower beds to smother weeds. The yard is looking great and the only cost was our labor. Finally, yet another neighbor keeps horses and it's time to pay a visit and collect composted manure for my garden. They are always happy to share and my vegetables love it.
@Cindi, your neighborhood sounds like a gardening gold mine!
1. Free entertainment in our backyard watching the turkeys. The Tom tries so hard to get the hen’s attention during the mating ritual. The hen seems indifferent or disdainful as I imagine her saying, “Show me a commitment and then maybe.”
2. Husband subscribed to Sling TV so he could watch the Stanley Cup games. Made a note in my calendar to cancel the subscription after the final game.
3. Subscribed to our local community newspaper. Definitely worth $32/year to make sure that we have a source that reports on local happenings and helps make sure our elected leaders are kept accountable.
4. Attended a sourdough breadmaking class and received a jar of starter to take home, not to mention the delicious slices (yes, plural) spread with Kerrygold butter and Maldon sea salt. My sister-in-law treated me to the $70 class!
5. Walked by the home that had an estate sale a couple weeks earlier and noticed that the family pulled remaining items out to the driveway and were giving them away free. Picked up a basket, planter and a small spatula. I had been eyeing that $20 planter during the sale and I had purchased a smaller version of the same basket for $6, so I’m extra pleased with my freebies.
- I am working my way slowly through a box of borrowed (good!) books.
- I had a Wendy's gift card so downloaded the app and stacked a deal...ate good and spent little. Love Wendy's. Side note, their chili is so tasty and frugal. And yes I have heard they use old hamburger patties in their chili and if that's the case, I honestly think it's great!
- I told my dad about Mint Mobile and he is considering it...so I continue to be frugal with that low monthly cost and I'm spreading the love.
- I met the OOP max for my insurance so the rest of my medical bills this year will be at no charge to me *already paid thousands but glad it's not hundred thousands
- Didn't buy groceries in a while so stretching out/eating what is here.
Kristen, we also find Spotify premium to be worth it for no ads between songs, and so glad you got that fresh digital start for this phase of your life (at a discount!).
@Heather Mar, did you purchase Wendy's $3 frosty key tag for free frosty all year?
1. Last week all my meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) were covered by my company. Everything but dinner was provided at the venue I was working at, and dinner was put on the company card. I made sure to stay within my spending allowance and brought extra snacks back to my hotel so I didn’t spend anything out of pocket.
2. As part of our contract, the hotel I was staying at provided “gift cards” for their restaurants to those of us staying on their property. I used those gift cards to treat my cousins to dinner one night during my stay. I also picked up a few local food items from their gift shop to bring home as gifts for my family.
3. I did a deep dive in my fridge and pantry before making my menu/grocery list for the week. After being gone for a week I wasn’t sure what my husband had purchased while I was away. He picked up some fun items I was excited to use!
4. I YouTubed how to properly clean and care for my leather boots. I did have to pick up a few supplies, but it was cheaper than taking the boots to the get them cleaned.
5. We need to get a few services done at our new house so I am making sure to shop around and get quotes as well as recommendations before committing to anything.
1) Sold a bunch of stuff on eBay, unexpectedly. Love it when that happens. Including a fan remote for a fan that we no longer have. I didn't make much, but this definitely kept the fan remote out of the landfill, and that makes me happy.
2) Spent an hour on the phone with the doctor's clinic I use, about $2k of payments I've made that they can't find. I've now been escalated to the fraud department. Oh boy. Not resolved yet, but I do have proof of all of my payments, so we'll see what happens from here.
3) Received a $524 settlement from a class action suit. I received my initial payout in 2022. Apparently, this was what was leftover, after all of the claims were paid out. We all received a portion of the remaining amount, which was a nice surprise.
4) Booked a trip to Costa Rica for myself & my husband for our anniversary, for "free" or with credits. We're staying at an all inclusive, so the majority of food & activities will also be covered. We will pay for my parents flights to come & supervise DS17, as well as leave them money, and we will need to pay for transportation to/from the airports on both sides. Otherwise, the trip will cost nothing out of pocket. Also, when I went to use my United from a cancelled trip to Turkey this spring, they wouldn't work. When I cancelled those flights, I confirmed multiple times that our credit would be valid and needed to be rebooked by January of 2025. When I went to book online, my United app showed the January 2025 date, but upon trying to use them for purchase, it said they were expiring in July 2024. I spent almost an hour with United on the phone getting it resolved (and, the person helping me was absolutely incredible.) It turns out, when I booked the flights (and, this was over $10k for the four of us), I used a $75 credit leftover from something else. That credit expired in July of 2024, and made the expiration of the $10K reset to that, despite the app & my email having a different expiration date! Luckily, United was able to help out, but I'm so grateful that a) I tried to book a flight ahead of that cancellation, and b) the person I worked with was so helpful.
5) The usual of eating leftovers, planning meals, used a grocery store coupon, etc. Now that I'm home & not getting free lunch at work, I'm definitely keeping a better handle on the leftovers, which is a nice side benefit.
This week I...
1. Scored a free Ikea chair someone had dumped outside my building.
2. Paid someone to assemble a reading chair for me, which although cost money, saved me a lot of time and frustration! I have the opposite of skills when it comes to putting furniture together.
3. Am going to free Danish lessons.
4. Got money back on recycling cans.
5. Line-dried clothes.
I personally really like Formica on countertops. Super easy to clean, I rarely worry about staining, and know if I sit a glass down too hard, the glass won't break (like on granite!).
This week's FFT will be a stretch.
1. Two social events meant two dinners for free.
2. Made dinner twice using frozen shrimp from the local food bank.
3. Lent my display screens to an artist friend (frugal for her—see? stretching here. . .)
4. Did some complicated calculations to find the best way to get to and from the airport (85 miles one way) and leave my car for 10 days. Finally decided on a motel with free shuttle and free parking for 5 days and $10/day after that. Since gas is back to $6/gallon, and airport parking is $15/day (last time I flew it was $8!!), it all was about a wash. So, the motel won, because it will allow for the most sleep before the 6 a.m. flight. (Gawl—air travel is complicated and expensive).
5. Bought a pair of overalls on Amazon on sale for $15 which I will turn into a jumper. I did this last year and love it, but kept wanting green. Almost all the green is now army green or olive green, but I found one close to teal, and since it was on sale, I "had to" buy it, because as we all know, the more we spend, the more we save.
We put in Formica countertops several years ago and love them. It’s a 1950’s cape cod and they fit in with that vibe. I always say the next owner is going to love bumping out the kitchen and making it all “house beautiful”!
I miss the Formica from our previous house. The granite we have now is too dark and never looks clean, plus it adds a pattern to a room that already has too much built-in pattern going on. I threaten to paint it or sledge hammer it all the time!
The frugal five at my house:
Ran cleaning tablets through both the washer and dishwasher and hand-cleaned the parts that still needed it afterward because maintenance is frugal. Baked a big potato to have with the last of the homemade chili, as there was not quite enough chili for that meal.
Did the math on a toilet paper offer at the drugstore and figured out the best deal. Did the same for generic allergy meds and boxes of tissue because pollen season is in full roar here. (Surprisingly, the grocery store has better prices on those items.) Walked from the drugstore to the hardware store for a jug of garden fertilizer because there's a traffic light to exit the drugstore and not at the hardware store, where the traffic is awful. Free exercise and driving safety for the win.
Weeded my yard and rebuilt the stacked stone support for the birdbath bowl with stuff we had on hand. Our house had an enormous rock garden that had gone to ruin by the time we bought the home. We took the garden apart and have loads of stone to use in other projects.
1. I organized my deep freezer and pantry. Made meals to use up a two year old pork roast, frozen milk, frozen bananas and some very old chocolate turned into lovely choc chip banana muffins. (Kristen’s recipe).
2. Sold two items on FB marketplace.
3. Bought a beautiful twin over full bunk bed for only $100 on FB marketplace.
4. A grocery store here gives a small discount when paying with cash so that’s what I did
5. Made hot chocolate for the kids at home instead of buying it.
Here is my five.
1. My husband and I went to an arcade bar after our anniversary dinner and stuck to playing the free games rather than pinball (which I loved as a kid) which cost money. It was more by accident than design because we both have coin banks stuffed with spare change we forget to take to a Coinstar and could have played all of the paid games we wanted and not make a dent in either bank.
2. I dropped off a pile of donations to two charity thrift stores (each will take only certain items,) got a receipt for our taxes, and didn't got inside either store to reload on stuff.
3. I found a bag full of shoes I forgot to donate to the thrift store. Instead, I'm donating one pair a week (their limit) from the bag at DSW for store credit.
4. I used a free template to create a professional looking invoice and sent it in to get paid for a performance side hustle.
5. Patched and mended random clothes.
Well, my counters are not as new as Formica, but they are not as old as linoleum (which I have had before) but the white gold flecked laminate with glued edges. And not very much at that. I have learned to use the drop leaf table, sides down most of the time for dining at one end, far leaf up when I bake cookies, and the buffet completely cleared as well, when I've made wedding cakes. It's quite the arrangement.
I filled up w gas this morning in the town I work in as the Casey's was $0.04 cheaper than the Casey's here, plus I used my Hy-Vee Perks with $0.03 on that so it was $3.26/gal.
Chai latte at home.
Took advantage of Jimmy John's Dime bag sale and got a sandwich, chips, brownie, and a pickle for $12 that fed me at work for two nights.
Made very good salads to take last night and tonight for supper. The truth is I only got salad fixin's to use the onion (parmesan) vinaigrette salad dressing bottled by a local restaurant. It is so yummy.
I buy Aldi Donut Store pods for the occasional cup of coffee at work since we have a Keurig we can use. I make the biggest cup on the maker so I get my money's worth from the pod. Too much caffeine and I can't sleep, too little and I need toothpicks for my eyes. No waste of making a whole pot.
@Chrissy, Formica is quite old. Your gold flecks sounds like it's 50s. I kinda love the glitter formica, actually.
@Rose, It was circa 1964. Wish I could send you all my gold flecked countertops. I left them as is in the laundry room. You'd be welcome to them!
@Fru-gal Lisa, Actually, the gold flecked was introduced in 1952.
My forever farmhouse is rocking a marble formica counter top installed in '97. When my parents built this home, I thought "how boring" mom's marble look formica. All of my friend's houses had cool colors...she replaced it with exactly the same marble look 22 years later and it is still going strong.
My former farm house had bright glowing yellow counters and I lasted about a month before we demolished and put in butcher block, stainless next to the commercial stove and marble island. We put marble in the butler's pantry, mudroom and the full bath off the back entrance. I do not miss the twice yearly sealing!
Did a once per month Costco & scratch/dent store run, bought milk for $1/gal, picked up 4 gallons to freeze. Picked up another package of large tarps 2/$12. Picked up miracle gro organic mix for starting seeds in the greenhouse for $6.99/bag.
I buy my flour and sugars at the local restaurant supply. I pay up the nose for my GF, but have found that I can drive to Bob's Red Mill and buy it in 50 lb bags that I distribute to all of the family members (we have 10 Celiac).
I sold my dad's ancient massey ferguson tractor, he bought it used 42 years ago. I sold it for $7k and that will go handsomely towards my new to me tractor that I am currently bidding on at an online auction...crossing fingers & toes!
We have just moved back into our home after the damages from the flood in January were repaired. We have been doing a bit of indoor camping if you will with piles of boxes around and only one bathroom fully operational but it is SO GOOD to be home.
1. We replaced our very outdated ceiling fans and spray painted the existing down rods to avoid having to purchase new ones.
2. Cooked all meals at home. Given that we have been moving the past week take out was had and my oh my were we sick of it.
3. Booked our vacation about 30 mins away from the beaches we love to go to. Saved at least $1K doing this and the house we rented comes with a private pool. With an 8 yr old and two dogs that is a deal too good to pass up.
4. Shopped sod installation and saved over $4K.
5. Saved 10% plus an additional 50% off of our second dog for an invisible fence to be installed on our property. This is pricey so I was glad for the savings. Our dogs already have an actual physical fence that they have repeatedly dug under or wiggled their way through. This fence will keep me from having to take my dog for emergency surgery if they escape and get out of our regular fence and our hit by a car or dare I say killed. I call this a win.
We had the countertops in our old farm house replaced recently, and we went with formica. We felt that there was a nice wide selection to choose from and the price was definitely less, and we are very happy with them.
The main thing I am concerned about is if someone would carelessly set a hot kettle directly on the countertop, would it marr the formica? I am super careful about that, but not everyone is! A granite or marble top would probably withstand more carelessness. Here's to not being careless!
@Alica, Marble stains if you look at it too hard. Marble is very porous. Beautiful, but stains.
I’ve found that granite counter tops hide crumbs and dirt so you clean needlessly. That irritates me!
@Joyce, I don't want hidden crumbs on the counter top, so I would be irritated as well.
However, when we got new floors in our bathroom (white with some blue flowers), and kitchen (a multicolored pattern), I realized that the kitchen floor hid dirt well, and the bathroom didn't. Next time I buy flooring, I will check for this quality, probably by sprinkling crumbs on the sample. I do not mind having hidden crumbs down by my feet.
@Heidi Louise, I did that in my first house (sprinkled crumbs and dog hair on the sample). I was foolish enough to choose black and white checkerboard floors to begin with; nice but no one ever tells you they always, always look dirty. I went with a nice swirly gray after about a year of frustration.
Because there is not a 100% crossover of readers of this blog and Katy's Non-Consumer blog, I am reposting this item: This is not a frugal thing I need but it may be essential for someone else to know. If this is old news, I apologize but it is new to me. I am working with a hospice person’s insurance and they keep refusing to pay for a medication because it is not what it is intended to be used for. She absolutely cannot afford to pay for it out of pocket. This person is dying, for God’s sake! Anyway, I tried all the fight techniques I knew, to no avail. I finally got someone human on the phone when I called the insurance company, who practically whispered “Check out Mark Cuban’s site.” I guess he is on that show Shark Tank and he ended up starting a cut rate mail order pharmacy. I talked to someone at our oncology center and she said it is legit and they have advised patients to try it. You go in and register, which is a short process. Your doc sends in the prescription and the site contacts you when that happens and tells you how much it will cost, plus shipping. Not all drugs are close to free, but their rates are really, really low. My hospice lady got meds that cost $500 for $12.50. It took about 10 days from going into the site to receiving the drugs; outside of Alaska the shipping times are probably shorter. This is not a scam, I don’t have anything to do with the site or this guy who started it. It may be of use to someone so I pass it on in that spirit. https://costplusdrugs.com/
Yes! His pharmacy is actually legit. I'm so glad you were able to help the hospice patient. You are an angel.
@Lindsey, I didn't know this and probably wouldn't have thought it was legit without you guys, so, thank you for letting us know. And THANK YOU for helping people sort and fight through insurance. You've suffered through horrible reasons for having to know so much about the system, but you've turned it into gold as you help others navigate it.
@Lindsey, He is a nice guy. He also has an ENORMOUS yacht. I was looking at this thing that rivaled the Titanic last year when someone told me it was his boat.
@Lindsey,
I've heard of this pharmacy, called Cost Plus Drug Co., and after hearing your story all I can say is God Bless Mark Cuban!!!!!
I looked this up online and he says :"Every product we sell is priced exactly the same way: our cost plus 15%, plus the pharmacy fee, if any. When you get your medicine from Cost Plus Drug Co., you’ll always know exactly how we arrived at the price you pay. And as we grow and our costs go down, we will always pass those savings on to you!"
@Lindsey,
I have heard of Cost Plus Drugs, but I haven't checked out the web site. The social workers in the hospital where I work refer patients with financial difficulties to it, as well as any other pertinent resources (GoodRx, pharmacies that sell certain generics for $5/prescription, etc). Our pharmacy also looks for manufacturers coupons and similar.
Thank you for helping others navigate the insurance system. And shame on that insurance company for denying that poor patient the medication she needs - I'm glad you were able to help her.
Not a FFT, but we're going to re-jigger our kitchen island to make it more functional. We are NOT going to replace all the granite, just the island. I've been keeping my eye out for options that would co-ordinate. Quartz is a hard "no" (Google "Silicosis" for why), and butcher block is highly impractical. This led me to consider Formica. It has changed a lot in recent years. I went to HD and found a tiny display. Of course there was no pricing information and not a soul to help, but it's still very much on my radar.
By the way, my very large kitchen is Tuscan, my floors and backsplash are stone, and the counters are granite, all of which is supposedly "out". I don't care, I'm not going to tear it all out. I just want more prep space next to the sink.
1) We haven't had any kind of takeout in almost two weeks. I am about six months out from my last infusion of the really bad chemo, and I can really tell a difference in my body. I think that somehow translates to me having the physical energy to make more food and the mental energy to plan well enough that we haven't needed any convenience meals. We will eventually get pizza from our favorite pizza place, but I like making the choice to go out instead of picking up takeout out of desperation.
2) I am shopping around for internet service for our new office. At our old office we only had one provider. I am already pretty sure that checking prices will result in a lower monthly rate.
3) Our new washer is just a hair taller than our old washer. The lid hits the cabinet above it, just keeping it from opening all the way. With the lid 90% open we have all the room we need to get clothes in and out, but it is super annoying to have to try to hold the lid open manually while you load or unload clothes. My husband and I discussed a bunch of options, and then he remembered the pack of magnetic cabinet door latches we used to fix our daughter's dresser, which has a secretary that kept flopping open. My husband installed one of those latches to catch the lid and hold it open while we are loading and unloading the washer. It works perfectly! I love a two minute fix using stuff we already have on hand.
4) It is surprisingly chilly this week, so I started a batch of lentil soup in the crock pot this morning when I was starting the bread machine. Now we have a batch of what must be one of the cheapest soups in the world at the ready for the rest of the week.
5) I tried to batch errands yesterday. I had to go to the physical therapist and then my oncologist. I got gas at Costco, which is right next to the physical therapist. Then I tried to drop off my last three bags of shredding at a free earth day event. (The line was too long, so I will get my husband to take it to the next free shred event where he will be able to recycle an old office TV too.) I was going to do our Target pickup, but realized I must not have ever submitted the order. Oops. No harm done; I will do that pickup when I am out that way again today to go to yet another doctor's appointment. Then I did our Aldi pickup on the way back to the house. Today I am dropping off a bike with a busted tire and picking up our daughter's bike from the bike shop on the way to the doctor's appointment. Then I will do the Target pick up on the way back. Whew!
@Amanda in VA, I love your #3! Those things feel like such a win. And I'm glad you're feeling so much better!
I find it much harder to see small things on dark granite countertops so I'm glad I have 1990's era light green Corian in my house.
This is week #3 of traveling and frugality has taken a back seat to spoiling out-of-town grandchildren and their parents. The budgeting process has put a good margin in this month's spending plan so, no stress. (I'm so glad to have learned, although a bit late in life, that a monthly spending plan is a huge stress reducer.) However, it was still quite a shock to pay $8.49 for glow-in-the-dark Elmers glue for a slime making project. Thankfully, the slime was a huge success and it's fun to see the kids run into a dark room, turn off the lights, and giggle at their glow in the dark slime.
So my frugal things are small:
Making chicken broth from drumstick bones left over from supper two nights ago.
Will use this chicken broth to make rice for a yellow rice and hamburger dish tonight.
Entertainment consists mostly of petting the cat and watching kids play in their very kid friendly back yard.
Have looked for cheap gas but prices seem to have jumped since we left home.
@Elaine N, That $8.49 worth of glow-in-the-dark glue resulted in priceless memories for all the grandbabies. They'll always remember having fun at Grandma Elaine's. So IMO it certainly was worth it!
@Fru-gal Lisa, thank you! I hope they remember too. I have such great memories of my grandparents's home and hope the next generation does too.
I also like my formica counter tops since they're really low maintenance and easy to clean up.
My Frugal Wins
1) Bake muffins as breakfast for my mom's group bible study.
2) Made and ate meals at home with my family. Plus, I'm slowly clearing out the fridge.
3) Got ibotta and fetch cash/credits from our receipts.
4) Batch run errands so saved on gas.
5) Got my routine dental cleaning, physical and mammogram. Preventative care is fully covered through insurance so no extra out of pocket cost.
6) Rented a dvd through the library for the kids to watch.
7) Will take the kids to the library this for a fun free Earth Day and canvas painting events.
8) Read books, played card and board games with the kids and went for a walk around the block with them so all free entertainment with things we already have.
9) Fixed and mended clothing, books and toys.
10) Decluttering and will be putting things up for sale on Marketplace. Looking to downsize things we don't need since my husband is thinking of moving.
1) Got discounted tickets to A Wrinkle in Time which we took my nephew to see (as my grandma always said "Kids need a little culture"-I agree)
2) Got a free ice cream on Ben and Jerry's Free Cone day-yes it took 45 mins to get through the line but it was nice out so it wasn't that bad.
3) Got discount tickets to the symphony. Inspired by Kristen. My discount ticket place is leaving my city (so sad). I figured I'd go to the symphony once for something different before I lost the cheaper option.
4) Ordered a "pig" meat box x 2 from a local farm. Granted it is spending a few hundred now but it is saving over $100 in the long run and will last a while.
5) Got a book club book from the library.
My local Sam's doesn't carry bread flour, but they just started shipping it for free with the Plus Membership, $11.48 for 25 lbs.
https://www.samsclub.com/p/member-s-mark-bread-pizza-flour-25-lbs/prod21480585?xid=plp_product_1
This is a really good deal.
When we remodeled our kitchen, we got Corian countertops. They're low maintenance and they look good, too. Less expensive than granite or quartz!
I have some sort of laminate countertops with "stone" tile edging....our house was built in, I think, 2004, as a "model home". I guess granite countertops would have been an upgrade. No complaints here - easy to clean, no fuss.
* I'm still using up the half-used tubes of toothpaste son decided he didn't like.
* realized my "get $15 gift card if you buy $50 worth of household goods" at Target didn't kick in....because I was short about $2.50 on my $50 total. D'oh! The next day, I politely asked the very nice Guest Services associate if I could buy something to make it $50, and she made it happen. She finagled it such that she took off $15 from my total (easier for her, and works for me. I would have used the $15 in the future anyway).
*also Target-related....used other Target gift cards from previous promotions to buy two sets of curtains for our bedroom. Minimal out of pocket expense for curtain tension rods, and it looks great!.
* neighbor asked if we wanted a dozen fresh eggs from her chicken-owning sister. Yes, please!
* took advantage of a Chewy special deal on dog treats....buy 2, get one free. Pupster is set for awhile.
*reading a book on Libby that was recommended by - umm - someone, maybe over on NCA? The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, which I'm really enjoying. I apologize for not remembering who recommended it.
Happy Passover, to those who celebrate!
I’m too clumsy for granite countertops…I’ve never broken anything I’ve dropped on my formica!
Frugal: I found some ASICS sneakers, that are supposed to be good for high arches, on Amazon “like new” for $45 cheaper than anywhere else! I’ll try them and return if they don’t fit.
Line drying my clothes now that’s it’s warm, I’m trying to lengthen the life of my dryer. We need a new one but now that the weather is warmer I’m gunna see how far I can take it.
Carpooled with a friend to save gas! My daughter foes to a homeschool co-op two towns over and we have a friend who goes too, carpooling is fun and saves gas $$! We haven’t had many chances to carpool as homeschoolers so it’s super fun for my girl 🙂
I’m enrolling in some classes at the community college. I have my degree but I’m hoping to work at my teens new school next year (eeee high school!) in order to get some tuition help! But I need some ECE’s to work at the pre -school that is attached to the high school. Community college for the inexpensive win! Praying for the right doors to open.
Not so frugal:
My mom put an offer in on a condo just 2 miles from us. So as a celebration/“eeeeek what’s gunna happen?!?” I bought us all Starbucks! The market in southern California is pretty bonkers so who knows what will happen. (After my step dad passed away she had been very lonely living about 40 miles)
1. Not going anywhere due to pink eye. Saves on gas, at least. (Bummer!)
2. Phoned Social Security Administration to start the application process. Scheduled a phone interview with them in the next few weeks. Pray I get a decent amount in that monthly check! I have waited several years to start SS in order that I get more per month.
3. Decided to do a DIY use-what-you-have landscape project for my pathetic front yard. Started rounding up rocks for flowerbed borders. Not necessarily beautiful, but free and OK. Will extend flower beds quite a bit. Better to have mulch over weed fabric/cardboard and a few plants/shrubs/rose bushes dotted around than have to mow all that grass; besides, the lawn died. (Do weeds count as groundcover???)
4. Cleaning out closets, garage and donated some old clothes to a charity. While putting things in the collection box, I saw some usable coat hangers on the ground. Into my car they went; after washing them, I have a couple of new hangers!
5. Also from garage cleanout, found some glass bottles to recycle. Our area has just started up a glass recycling program. May not save money, but I'd like to think I'm helping save the Earth.
@Fru-gal Lisa, Lisa, you can create a login at ssa.gov and find out exactly what you'll get.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm so glad to see that there is a new glass recycling program somewhere. My county in MD only accepts glass if residents bring in the glass to the landfill and separate by color. (do they really think people will have time to do this?!?!) My son's county in NC has ENTIRELY stopped picking up recycling. So, I guess that means that all recycling goes directly in the landfill. Curses! @#$%^&*(<?!!
Yes, weeds can be groundcover but there may be other options. Check your county extension service (through the university system) website for specifics. I'm currently in the master gardener course and there's so much good information out there!
Hope the social security process goes well. I applied last year and got absolutely zero help from the office. Nada. Nothing. But the online application process works great once you figure out their odd use of vocabulary. It's great having another monthly income source.
I'm envious of your Formica - mine is the original Formica laminate (white with mica bits in it) with the screwed-in metal edging from 1957. The plastic has delaminated from the substrate in a couple of places, and there's a crack at one corner of the sink. Wish i could post a picture of it. Yours would be a tremendous upgrade for me! I guess that's my biggest frugal thing for this week - I haven't remodeled the kitchen - YET!
Oh. One more thing. I'm an artist, and several of my watercolors have been accepted into a juried show, but I didn't have enough frames for all of them. I jumped online and there was a SALE on the frames I usually use - buy one, get two free! They ended up just slightly more than $6.50 each, as opposed to $19.99 each - SCORE!
Like to tie quilts for disaster relief and make liners for days for girls. Nice to make useful items for others.
Listen to books on Libby app.
Get items at Dollar Tree. An eight pack of permanent markers for $1.25. What a deal! I use them to trace liners before serging.
1. I used some homemade stock, onions I got off Buy Nothing, and frozen peppers from our garden to make a corn chowder for my lunch this week.
2. I wanted some stools for my back deck. Someone posted 4 of the exact stools I wanted on Buy Nothing. I spray painted them and they look great.
3. We are getting our house painted and a new garage door installed soon. My husband replaced a rotten window sill and some broken pieces of siding before the painter starts. He also added an outlet to the garage so the garage door can be installed. I can't imagine what it would have cost to have someone do this for us.
4. We are updating our main bathroom. $40 in paint and $100 in new lights and it is going to look so much better. I considered restaining the cabinets because the polyurethane looked dull. Instead I purchased a $12 product on Amazon that claimed to help with this and it worked! The cabinets look great.
5. Mulch was on sale for $2/bag. I spent 6 hours Sunday mulching, weeding, trimming, digging out a bush, and raking. I think most of the Spring yard work is now done.
Hi Kristen! Long time reader, first time commenter here. I am right there with you on the formica train. They are so low maintenance and practical, I cannot ever imagine replacing them with something like granite. I love how you share little details like this. The world is so full of influencers and advertisers trying to sell high end everything all the time. Your posts about that look more like "real life" for a lot of us are a breath of fresh air!
@Linda Loves Tea, I LOVE your screen name!
For the garden, I decided to plant seeds this season instead of buying all plants. A very marginal savings, but fun.
Used 100% of all leftovers this week. That is the first time in a very long time.
Went to the store to redeem my free items, one of them happened to be Hot Tamales the candy -yay!
Snagged a free large sub from Jersey Mikes.
Free Qdoba lunch from work...yes please.
@Mar, I haven't heard anyone mention the candy Hot Tamales since I was a kid in the Middle Ages.
Kristen, thank you for keeping us on good weekly rhythms of frugality, common sense, gratitude, and caring for others. You set a great example and I am grateful for you!
Your kitchen is very cute!! Im not a granite fan. I have solid surface counters long them. Half the price of granite. Easy care and can be resurfaced!!
I have three different counter tops throughout my kitchen and I don't care haha. The island is actually granite but it was given to us for free 😉
Frugal things...
1. I have been accumulating bread cubes in my freezer from heels that no one eats. Today I tried making croutons and they were really good! Definitely will do again.
2. I raked up some old hay that the cows are done with out in their field, and wheelbarrowed it over to a flower bed to use as mulch.
3. Did some batch cooking (well, grilling) with a family pack of chicken. Some was in Kristen's brinerade-yum, and the rest was in "blackened" seasoning (a mixture of salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and paprika). Easy to use as leftovers.
4. Resisted the urge to buy my girls another cute leotard when we only have a few more weeks of gymnastics... And we're probably not doing it again...
5. Meal planned, brewed coffee at home, drove the smaller vehicle when possible
Five frugal things…
1. Went to a nearby town to spend the day with friends and when we got out of the car in the garage nearby were two oranges in the grocery store clear bag. They looked perfectly fine so I took them home and enjoyed them. They were big and juicy.
2. Took my son to Costco so he could pick up some things for a get together he was having at his house. I scanned his receipt into Fetch and got 1000 points for his purchase of Hellman’s mayonnaise. Quite pleased about those extra points.
3. Went to some local yard sales and came home with two small squeeze bottles perfect to use in our lunchboxes for salad dressing. 50 cents for both. Cheap and a great solution for taking salad dressing on the go.
4. Went to play it again sports and was able to exchange an old pair of softball cleats, a softball glove and a softball for a 5 lb. hand weight and $13 cash. More clutter out of the house and cash in my pocket.
5. Picked up a free hand cream at Bath & Body Works with a coupon I received in the mail.
Have a great week everyone!
FFT:
1. I submitted a warranty replacement request on a belkin apple charging chord I purchased. For some odd reason it has stopped charging my phone. Hopefully I’ll get a new one at no cost to me( I paid $32 and it has a five year warranty-apparently they aren’t built to last and no longer make this model and new model only has a 2 year warranty)
2. Visited a relative and stayed a Sunday night in an hotel instead of a Friday or Saturday and saved about $80-100 based on memory of what I have paid in the past and comparing the different nightly rates.
3. Filled up with gas at Costco- always cheaper than anywhere else unless I have fuel reward points from grocery shopping
4. When visiting the relative we (my parents and I) took her to a local art museum that is $0 cost. We did give a free will donation- I want places like this to stay open! This was still cheaper than going to a movie and getting the works (popcorn, pop etc.)
5. I returned a belt that is too wide to fit through my belt loops to REI and I had the will power to not buy a single thing- totally shocked-but they didn’t have any of the few things that I am specifically looking for so I’ll either go without or order elsewhere! Counting as frugal because did not buy just to buy. I’m working on making intentional purchases that I will love 100% and use instead of getting a dopamine hit from just buying random things.
1. I made all our meals at home. We packed lunches and ate up what needed to be eaten.
2. I combined errands for less driving.
3. I... did other stuff but it is all the same small habits that I've used to years. Not very exciting for a list, but good habits...
Probably not as much frugal as I should. I have, however, kept my laminate countertops that are *supposed* to look like granite for 15+ years now. They are still in great shape.
The new Formica counters are almost impossible tell from stone. I remember nearly 20 years ago, one of the smaller houses in our neighborhood was being listed for sale,($120,00! Those were the days) and the realtor told them they had to put in granite countertops in order to sell it! It was so ridiculous
1- made soup from Easter ham bone and dried beans
2- decided to stop drinking pop so bought some lemonade mixers to just sprinkle into plain water (they’re too strong full recipe)
3-my Father in law who lives with us is now under hospice care and so I asked for some medical supplies that he would normally have had to pay for. They’re wonderful!!
4-brought dirt up from my compost pile to amend my garden and I think it will be enough to not purchase more
5-a week late, but we didn’t owe any taxes and that’s huge as we had sold a property and I was ready for a big hit
This week’s frugality started on Sunday with a monthly outdoor Freestore (first of the season) where you bring things you don’t want and just take what you do want. I got a t-shirt, a tie hanger for DH, wool socks, 2 books, an amaryllis bulb, and I found a nickel in a coin purse. Took the nickel left the purse. And I got rid of 4 boxes of stuff. Next stop was an indoor clothing swap at one of my favorite restaurant bar. Got rid of a 40 gallon bag of clothes and came home with a few new pieces for spring and summer plus a very jazzy dressy coat. I did spent $12 on a beer and bruschetta but got to visit with so many friends at both events. This same restaurant hosts a Sip n Swap book change every other month in conjunction with our county library system. They provide appetizers and pizza we pay for our own drinks. Looking firer to that next month!
Trying to use up food we have but I do need to get a few staples. I’ll stop at t
tractor supply today to use my free $10 reward coupon before it expires.
Formica counters here too! And oak cabinets.
* I will not remodel the kitchen. This is not our forever home, maybe another 10-15 years (until the kids leave). So, whoever buys the house can remodel it to their taste.
* Packing lunch for work, everyday
* Vacation week coming up. No big plans for it (= cheap). I want to READ. Books from the library. I know, I lead a very exciting life!! lol
* Booked for a extra shift prior to my vacation. I try to make up the vacation days by working more around it (I don't get paid for my vacation)
* Got treated to a restaurant meal by hubby. We pool our money together for all the necessities, then each get a fix amount per month to spend as we wish, so while this is still technically my money, well... it's not.
I wish I had Formica counters! Not that wild about granite. In another 5 or 10 (at the most!) years, people will be saying, Ugh! This granite is SO outdated! I wonder what will be the next trend?! 🙂