Five Frugal Things | free nail polish!
1. I got some free nail polish
When I lived with Sonia, I used to just borrow some from her extensive collection when I wanted to paint my toenails.
I only personally own one bottle, so when I saw someone offering a little collection of nail polish on my Buy Nothing group, I raised my hand and happily picked them up.
Now I have a nice selection of colors to choose from.
And while it is getting to the time of year when I rarely paint my nails (feels a little pointless when they are always covered by close-toed shoes when I'm out and about), I will definitely use the polish when spring rolls around.
And of course, I will share with Zoe.
2. I decrystallized some honey
The last of our bottle of honey got rather crystallized, so I used the same method as I did last time:
And then the honey was pourable enough to transfer to a glass Mason jar.
3. I wore free earrings and a secondhand dress to the symphony
I got my free student ticket of course, and since it was an unseasonably warm day, I still dressed like it was summer.
I wore a pair of earrings I got on my Buy Nothing group a while back.
And I wore a black knit dress I got on Ebay a few years ago.
This time around I purposely picked a ticket that is right by the string basses because I really love to hear their low notes.
4. I bought a discounted Panera gift card
Sometimes on days when Zoe and I are both working, I pick up some Panera takeout for us for dinner. To plan ahead for such a future situation, I got a discounted gift card through my Citi credit card, paid for entirely by points.
The card would be paid for in points regardless, but when I can get them on sale, it makes my points go further.
This Citi credit card gives me 5% back on groceries, so I am always careful to do all my grocery purchasing with this card.
5. I...
- got some breath mints for almost free at CVS
- continued my streak of never buying food/drink at the hospital (How long can I keep this up? We shall see!)
- got my free flu shot at the hospital (required both for work and for school)
- printed my pediatrics papers at school (the schedule and all the pages of pre-work assignments)
LOL to white cat hair on the black dress. Our household has the opposite problem: three dark cats and lightly colored clothes and carpet! I so look forward to pulling up the carpet and painting the floors black next year.
FFT
--The two GIANT pots I found at Habitat Restore in 2023 weren't used this year because, weirdly, nothing grew in them. Upon inspecting them more closely this fall, I found the five drainage holes were comically tiny! Since the pots were hard plastic, I drilled the holes wider with my largest bit and added 10 more holes apiece for good measure. I also power-washed them at the car wash ($1 per wash--woot, small towns) a few blocks from the house in case of bacterial funk. The pots have been filled with dirt from a different (free) giant pot that cracked irreparably and are ready to go for 2025.
--I gave our regular UPS man some homemade tomato soup and cheddar jalapeno cornbread as a "thank you" for schlepping our stuff. He's always careful to leave it where requested and to ring the bell (he figured out I work at home) so I know things have arrived. It's VERY easy to tell when he has time off, as no one else leaves things at the right door or rings! 😛
--A friend was giving away an elaborate antique vanity mirror, sans vanity--only the mirror was found when dumpster-diving. We cut off the wooden pegs that once attached it to the lost vanity, so now it can function as a normal mirror in our bathroom. The frame is a little beat up from said dumpster adventure, but a little wood filler and faux gilding go a long way.
--A good friend's family has a full-size Glowforge. She and I made a professional trade, which means we now have wooden corner ornaments for our living and dining rooms. This isn't their shop (they should have one!), but this is the pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1400077813/elegant-decorative-inside-corner-accent We'll be trading again for more ornaments to deck out the bedroom and kitchen.
--A $15 set of three matching, hand-carved wood shelves popped up on FB marketplace. The tag on the bottom of one revealed them to have originally been from Pier One Imports. At 40" high x 16" wide x 7" deep, they are the perfect size for holding our movie collection. We're physical media people to the end, especially with streaming pulling things at whim. My (thrifted) copy of "Double Indemnity" isn't going anywhere! 😛
Well, Chiquita is so many colors, and Shelley is black AND white, so it’s hard to wear a good color for disguising cat hair at our house. The only hope is to keep them off our laps before we leave the house. lol
@N, I also have several DVDs mostly Christmas classics which always cost money to stream over the holidays. Most of my DVDs were purchased for $1 or so from various secondhand sources.
@N, I would love a Glowfordge. You can make some beautiful things with that. For now, I'll stick with my paper cutter.
@N, We adopted two black cats when I was ten, and shortly after that my mom realized her dream of buying an Ethan Allen wing chair...with white upholstery. Guess which chair the cats desperately wanted to sit on, all the time?
A white chair is my nightmare, not my dream. Heh.
(Unless it's a washable slip cover!)
@Kristen, I used to have a tweed sweater with all the colors of our pets in the yarn. It was what I wore to take them to the vet, as our country vet gave a 10% discount for multi-pet household. Taking all six at once for their shots was quite a production, but the sweater camouflaged the loose pet hair on me and the savings was worth it.
Whoa, did they all need to be in carriers?? That would be so many carriers to fit in a car! lol
@Kristen, When we were first married we got two white and yellow spotted kittens. We went to the furniture store and picked out a sofa that matched the cats so their hair wouldn't show. Worked well until other cats arrived in different colors!
Haha, that's perfect! And then you just need to dress in white and yellow and you're good to go. 😉
@Bee, We also are DVD owners (even some literal classics 20+ years) & never have paid for watching TV. We did get rid of some of teens younger years DVD's before moving & that has helped teen. My collection is starting to need additional space. My dad girlfriend commented about seeing an exact duplicate of my shelf on FB (in Florida). I doubt they got it & will keep to bring to me until next summer.
@Kristen, I guess you need a black-and-white houndstooth dress, or maybe plaid.
@Kristen, I have a small lint roller in the glove compartment in my car. As well as I think I do with one in the house before I leave, sunlight outside makes that hair pop out like crazy! Especially on black pants!!
@Kristen, I had a mini van then. The three cats were in the way back in their carriers, one cat per carrier, and the dogs were in the passenger row until one would wiggle over the console to sit beside me. It was quite a chore to get them all into the office and back to the car.
@Regina, A while back we decided our DVD collection was getting pretty bulky so we got some of those binders you can put DVDs in, like a book. I went for the nice leather bound ones. It is a nice system--or would be, if other people put the DVDs back where I, the official DVD librarian, decided they should go. I remind them of this when they're flipping through searching for the one they want. "If you PUT them BACK where they WERE, you'd know where it was!' I had them alphabetized! *sad sigh*
@N,
I have to admit, I had no idea what a Glowforge is until I looked it up just now. I thought maybe is was some sort of home glassblowing thing. Lol. Those corner ornaments are cool!
@Ruby, Lol! Smart!
This was supposed to go with Ruby's first comment, above, re: "...tweed sweater with all the colors of our pets in the yarn. It was what I wore to take them to the vet."
@Karen A., in my family of four hardly anyone puts anything back from where it came. it is a constant losing battle. large frustrated sigh. but i love them anyway.
As every animal lover knows, no outfit is complete without a little cat or dog hair. Since Rescue Pup came into my life, I have sticky rollers in the cars, my closet, and the laundry room. I buy them in multiples at Costco.
Over the last 4 years, my cost of living has increased by approximately 30% without making any significant changes in my quality of life. In fact, I would say that we don’t live nearly as well as we once did. With retirement on the horizon. We have had a “question everything month” at least once a year carving out savings wherever we can find it.
1. I had a small 10’ x 10’ storage unit to hold my business supplies and inventory. When I first started renting this unit in 2019, it was $65 a month, but it kept my business things from overtaking my house. I thought it was well worth the money. There have been several increases over the years, but I recently received notification that the rental fee was making a huge jump to $300 a month. I started looking for alternatives. I invested $400 in a storage system for the garage. My husband and son helped me install the system and kindly moved me out of this storage unit. I’m so happy. Hopefully, this will make my bottom line healthier.
2. I spent an hour on the phone with my cell phone provider. However, I was able to reduce my bill by $50 a month. Sadly, this is the best I can do at this time. I could save an additional $15 a month if I would convert my autopay to a bank draft. I am not comfortable giving any company access to my checking account. I really would love to change providers, but my situation is complicated.
3. I reviewed a recent bill from the dentist and discovered a payment was processed twice. I called 3 weeks ago, but it hasn’t been corrected yet. I followed up again yesterday.
4. I reviewed my credit card transactions for the month for unauthorized charges. There is a charge that I do not recognize that I am in the midst of investigating. I do check these monthly, but I have no idea what this is for.
5. Next up on the-question-everything list are auto insurance and internet service. Homeowner’s insurance went up again, but I do not think that there is any chance of getting it down this year or the next. Florida rates will soon be on the upswing.
Wishing everyone peace, good health and prosperity.
@Bee, I dumped my 10 x 15 storage space a couple months ago. Had to hire movers, but it's a relief not to pay $475 a month any more. Sheesh.
@Bee, it's easily 30% more even with doing everything I can to control costs. It's a constant scrounge effort to not wind up in debt.
@Bee, I get a similar discount on my cell phone bill, but have it set to auto charge my credit card. So, I get the discount without the company having access to my account. Is that an option for you?
@Rose, it is a relief. There are many more cost effective alternatives. I can think of other ways to spend $3000 a year!
@Ruby, I thought it was just because I was in Florida. Insurance and high rental costs are driving cost up well above the national average.
@Bee, nice job with the storage unit fix! Sometimes a larger one-time fee really beats out subscription-style charges over time.
@Bee, Re #2: my Mom had the same concern about permitting a payment to be pulled directly from her checking account. Our solution was to open a separate checking account (free at Capital One, but I'm sure there are others online or at credit unions) to be used for that one payment. We set up a recurring transfer from her main bank account for the amount of that bill to hit a week before the scheduled payment date, so even with weekends and the occasional bank holiday the funds are always there on time. Keeping this payment completely separate from any other accounts keeps a wall around any potential issues with billing/auto-pay. It's a little work up front to set up, but in this case was a good work-around.
@Bee, I just can't imagine how people are going to be able to afford to live at this continued cost increases, especially in Florida. My Aunt has decided that she is not going to rebuild & has a buyer for her house "As Is" & offering what appraisal will be. Rent is SO EXPENSIVE! but hopefully will offset costs of home ownership. She just got insured with new insurance company (there's only 3-4 left for Florida) this Spring & was required to put new roof on house (even though passed state inspection last year & had another 15 years of warranty). What can we do?
My own insurance company says that cost increases due to higher costs of supplies needed for repairs/replacement.
@Hawaii Planner, Thank you for mentioning this. I did explore this a bit. I do have autopay and pay with my credit card. For this I receive a $15 discount for doing so, but the discount is an additional $15 if you allow the bank draft. I suppose this is to cover credit card fees. It’s a bummer!
@JJ, That’s very smart. I hadn’t thought about that. I have an account that I use for that kind of thing. I have my Venmo account and PayPal linked to it for example.
@Regina,
In 2020, it was $1700 a year to insure my rather ordinary house. In 2023, my annual renewal was $7100. I did shop it and was able to decrease the cost by about 40% or $3800. The quotes that I received during that time reached as high as $12,000 annually!
I am sorry your aunt sustained such damage. It’s heartbreaking,
@Rose, and @Bee,
We had a rental "storage closet" after our basement flooded, with the though that we would keep renting it for 6 months to give us time to sort through everything left at home, without falling over boxes, bins, etc. (ER visits = not frugal). After more than a year had passed, ahem, my DH advised me that the price had gone up *again* to almost $200/month (I think it was 60-something dollars when we first rented it). We stopped the rental, moved everything into our garage, and have been slowly getting rid of stuff. Now to get the garage cleaned out before the snow flies.....
@JJ, ACH, aka auto pay, has been around for decades. Matter of fact one bill I changed to auto pay (honest to Pete, bad enough $3 for paper bill then $10 more if not on auto pay - I feel for those on a tight budget). The business sent 3 transactions, two debits, one credit which I had to verify. ACH is pretty solid BUT some companies (yes Verizon, I am talking about you), send ALL their auto pay on the first of the month. The bank then debits on the due date. BUT if you cancel service/change your account, it can take a couple of months to get your money back (and at least one "you're late on your bill" notice). I'll take auto pay/ACH any day over on-line bill pay. Or any RTP (real time payment).
@Bee, you live in a high risk area, pure and simple. You have two choices - pay it or move. I don't have much empathy for those who live in high risk areas. Hurricanes/tropical storms are nothing new and have occurred more often as of late. Bad enough other areas of the country get charged, despite the insurer claiming only the insured area contributing to loss ratio.
@Selena,
I wouldn’t be so quick to throw stones. Actually I don’t live in a high risk area. There is one hurricane on record to ever make landfall in the part of Florida in which I live. There are many geographical and weather-related reasons for this. However, I do recognize that pay for the entire state, but there are many reason that I balk at these rates.
Efforts are made at many levels throughout the state to mitigate against damage caused by storms. I don’t think there are many places in the United States where houses are built with roofs and windows can withstand sustained winds more than 150 mph. Thus, the most damage in a hurricane is caused by rising and tidal waters — storm surge — which is NOT covered under homeowner’s policy. The policy which we pay so much money for. In order to have coverage for this peril, you must have a federal flood insurance policy at additional costs which actually provides very little coverage.
Secondly, property owners with a mortgage are required to carry insurance. Yet, people in coastal states who have experienced a hurricane have to often seek legal help to actually collect under their insurance. This has been going on for decades - since Hurricane Camille. Imagine trying to prove that the water damage in your home was not the result of rising water, but water that came through a broken window.
Thirdly, the high levels of inflation that have impacted the housing industry as well as most of economy over the last 4 years has also impacted insurance rates. The increased the cost of rebuilding has fueled these astronomical rates as much as where I chose to live. There are many reasons for that too.
Finally, it’s easy to say blame us for choosing to live in Florida, but disasters can and do happen nearly everywhere in the United States. Earthquakes, floods, tornados, blizzards, wild fires, and volcanic eruptions have all occurred in our country and around the world in the last 50 years. Life and property have been lost in all these disasters. The cost of insurance is becoming an issue many places just not in Florida.
I don't feel sorry for myself, but I am bothered by this situation. I know enough about the modeling used to determine rates to believe that companies can do things that will both bring down rates and increase solvency.
@Bee, loss ratio is loss ratio. Rates you pay are no different than a person who has health issues (self-inflicted or not) or in a high risk profession OR lives in a high cost health care area (like FL, land of senior citizens). You may not get life insurance. If you do, you will pay extra, sometimes dearly. Medicare will somewhat save your bacon but you may get stuck with the policy you have due to health issues.
I think you have on your Pollyanna glasses re: your chances of incurring damages. Buy flood insurance to cover water issues. I have some sewer (septic in my case) coverage on my HO. I pay extra, I only pay for so much coverage as our basement is not finished. My rate is partially set by tornadoes. I'm not close to the Madrid fault but I could choose to buy earthquake insurance.
And you are always posting about HO cost - not just here but NCA. You live in state that on average, is 100 feet above sea level. Some higher, some below. Not sure how many CA posters we have here (or NCA), but I can't remember many posts re: HO insurance.
1. I climbed onto our garage roof through a bedroom window and removed branches. A next door neighbor has an enormous tree on the property line that drops branches on the regular and some land on the roof. I don't know if the branches are bad for the shingles but the roof looks a lot better without the branches on it. I was supervised, wore shoes with good traction, and used caution. Being physically active allowed me to do this with ease.
2. I am back to cutting up pineapples. You get lot of fruit for less than $3 and the debris goes into our compost pile.
3. While I was at Costco they had $5 off packages of chicken breasts. I bought the smallest package. I used some of the chicken to make pulled chicken in the Crock Pot (I just use a pulled pork recipe). That made several meals, some of which I shared with a neighbor and some of which I froze. I also used some to use with Kevin's sauces that I bought on sale.
4. A friend gifted me tomatoes from his community one more time. I think the endless wet days shortened the season as many of the tomatoes were rotting on the vine. I gifted my friend some cookies.
5. I bought Southwest gift cards on sale at Costco. It is usually $450 for a $500 card and they were $430 when I was there.
@K D, I hear you on the roof climb. We recently had the house painted but there is still about five feet left of overhead eves to do (long story). I have waited until the weather cooled to finish it off myself, and as I'm 75, I also waited until I was sure my husband would be home. I have told him 25 times that if he hears a scream and a splat he is to call the paramedics.
Latest conversation:
Me; If you hear a scream and a splat, who are you going to call?
Him: Ghostbusters.
@Anne,
I love your husband's sense of humor and its good to know that at age 66 I still may have many years left of climbing out a window and onto a roof 🙂
It was a regular thing growing up for my dad to be on the roof to adjust something or hang Christmas lights, and he often fell off. "Moooom, Dad just fell off the roof again!" He never got hurt--he was a very athletic guy and knew how to fall, I guess.
At my grandmother's, the garage had a flat roof, so of course my cousins and my brother enjoyed jumping off.
Last week I really wanted to order lunch at work but took leftovers instead.
Worked through a bunch of freezer items and was able to move stuff around and defrost the deep freeze as I had set that goal for the long weekend!
Received the email from my auto insurance regarding the expected increase due to adding 2 brand new card the previous weekend... While I was expecting a generous jump I was 100% unprepared to have our insurance more than double annually.. Husband went back and forth with our company and immediately set out on seeking new insurers. Within a few days (and Oh so many calls and text messages from ALL the companies that exist) we changed companies for auto and only increased about $300 a year( with better insurance levels it appears) and changed homeowners( which also slightly increased this year) lowering that by half... I always worry about changing such big things but it HAD to happen!
made homemade mac and cheese to use up all the bits and packages of random cheese in the fridge! Served it(for Sunday lunch) with the massive pork shoulder we smoked all Sat to open space in above mentioned deep freeze.
Ordered Chipotle with a gift card for hubby and I when above mentioned pork shoulder was far from meal ready on Saturday! lol
-Rented a car recently and the company tried to scam us afterwards with charges for "damages" that we had not done. Successfully contested this with my pictures of the car before leaving the rental place showing the damage was pre-existing.
-am actually using my pre-paid exercise membership
-stayed in most of last weekend which meant zero money spent on entertainment. A bit joyless but I was tired
-My library book requests and Libby holds keep ticking in which keeps me entertained at home
-cleaned the fridge and rescued some vegetables on the verge of extinction
@Sk in Norway, great job on taking pictures/video of rental car before leaving. Someone obviously didn't do post inspection to charge previous renter OR was damaged at car rental.
@Regina, i am convinced that most car rental companies are run by swindlers. We have had so many episodes like this before too
You look.so cute for the symphony! 🙂
Lucky you for nail polish. I only own 1 bottle of nail polish (also) that I bought last month at Dollar Tree because nail polish is expensive! Other stores start put at $5-$6+ (saw some for $10-$15 & it was solid color, nothing special).
Frugal things---
● 10 free 4×6 (photo) prints (TMOBILE REWARD)
● saved $0.25/gallon on gas & filled up my & teen vehicle
● got free medium glass square jar with lid from recycle
● going through pantry I pulled out some cake mixes (flavors don't eat but were gifted), frosting containers, cookie mixes, mac & cheese (I picked up wrong one & didn't return it) & decorative tin with Peppermint hot chocolate mixes (got on clearance) to put with (old I purchased years ago) new cloth bags for teen to take to school for upcoming food drive. Everything free or on sale.
● storm other night the power went out because the metal box on electrical pole looked like 4th of July fireworks. (2 days later) Last night teen went to (stand alone) freezer & came & told me that freezer says no power on control screen. I push appropriate buttons & fix to quick freeze. Nothing was defrosted.
● apparently that zap shocked my freezer control screen which had not been displaying for months (& now does) & the refrigerator display screen that occasionally goes on fritz.
● got my free Sam's cash earned from last month purchases
● No Amazon prime days, Target sale, Wayfair sale, or anything not food related. Don't need to buy any gifts, Christmas already done for people we gift (including service people) & have stash available if need for unexpected gift.
Frugal fail---
● composted some apple pie that didn't get eaten
**people in Florida check Gas Buddy app before wasting time driving to see if have gas at stations. I messaged Gas Buddy after Milton & asked to add NO GAS OR NO POWER to report for stations. This is available (looks like Florida only, nothing shown on other states I have saved for stations/places.
I'm not taking credit for this, as not sure if was done because I asked or if was coincidental. Just glad is available right now. Would be great permanent option as different areas have run out of gas for various reasons.
@Regina, hopefully the fuel shortage will begin to ease soon. As of today only 370,000 people are without power. This is down from over 4 million the day after the storm . (Friday) The need for generators and other gas/Diesel equipment will now begin to ease. There are free sites for gas. I’m not sure if this is helpful for your family, but here’s the info https://www.governing.com/management-and-administration/florida-approves-free-fuel-depots-after-hurricane-milton.
@Bee, Yes, I am in Tampa Area and gas station situation seems to be much better yesterday and today. Still have a few family members without power - hoping that is restored soon, I know they are working hard as they can!
@Regina, the powe zap fixing things for you is kinda funny.
@Bee, Thank you! I shared with my dad & will call my Aunt. She was finally able to go back to her neighbors today, everyone evacuated for Milton. Waiting to hear if anything left. My dad said water in Tampa streets finally going away.
@Regina, "composted some apple pie that didn't get eaten". That is a sentence that has never been uttered in our house. We would finish off the pie even if it made us sick. And, unfortunately, I'm not kidding.
@Cheryl,
Sending you the best as you recover from Milton.
@Anne, I was surprised also. But I'm not one for eating food past 14 days (food service training/education). Teen will add this to not eating my salad humor as well.
I rarely post on a FFT or elsewhere, but here goes!
1. I revived some cilantro (this was the thing that made me think: FFT!)
2. Coffee at home - always & forever, unless I’m traveling.
3. 95% of meals at home & the 1 lunch out was HUGE & became lunch the next day.
4. Gas savings of 0.50/gallon thru grocery points + cell phone promo.
5. “Bundling” errands - time is valuable.
@Theresa, Glad you shared. Hopefully will become a regular thing. Great savings on gas. 🙂
Some very tiny frugal things here....
1. Biked to the library, and on the way out of the parking lot of a church where I was dropping some food off at their Little Free Pantry, I found a penny. I love finding pennies. My best found penny was at Disney World, on the way out--DH said he was surprised Mickey Mouse didn't appear and tackle me for it!
2. Library books, of course.
3. DH fixed our garage door with hinges he found on Amazon--yes, we had to buy the hinges, but the labor was free! Plus he was able to fix the tension rod, which he's never done before.
4. Also DH--while he was cleaning up the garage he found an old plastic bracket we'd used for building a candy cannon (for Pandemic Trick or Treating). He used it to revamp Clark's water fountain, which is actually really awesome now and less prone to leakage. And we didn't have to buy any parts.
5. I did cave and order a new analog CrockPot--but I waited till it was super on sale and then used Amazon reward points. Should arrive today and will be 7 quart, a little larger than the one we have! No annoying brackets sticking out to hold the lid on, and no beeping! Yay. Hope it works!
@Karen A., I'm picturing this loud "BOOM" & candy flying towards kids who are running all over picking up off street (like in parades). 🙂
@Regina, That's kind of what happened! It was water-power pressured, DH and the boys built it for a science experiment and then the pandemic happened...people were trying to think of social distancing ways to pass out candy. We realized the candy cannon would work great. We had a long driveway at the time. DH set up a sheet with a "ghost ship" projected on it, and we'd "fire the cannon" at the ghost ship, and then let the trick or treaters run to pick up candy. We all dressed like pirates and I painted a sign that said "DANGER...Come No Further" with a skull and crossbones to encourage safe distancing. It was a hit!
@Karen A., it is amazing how every appliance in my house beeps, buzzes or makes some other sound. Glad you found a little peace with your new crock pot.
Congratulations on your streak of avoiding hospital food! It's a big accomplishment. This week:
1. I got free museum tickets through the public library
2. I got a raise, negotiated by my union
3. I sold my wedding reception linens on Fb marketplace!!! A huge win, mostly for avoiding wastefulness. I sold them for 35% of what I paid, but some of them were second hand and frankly I just wanted them GONE. I've now sold everything I bought, in terms of decor.
4. I'm trying to intentionally cook from the freezer and pantry.
5. I tried making banana muffins (the whole wheat/no added sugar kind) for my toddler. I thought they were delicious; she didn't like them ("I like chocolate." She's my kid, alright.) It was a cheap thing to try, and I thought they were delicious, so I'll eat them!
@Meira@meirathebear, If you make the muffins again, try adding a bit of cocoa powder (swap it out for some of the flour, IIRC), and with the sweetness of the bananas, it might taste like chocolate to her! I once made frozen banana "ice cream" and added cocoa powder, and the kids said it tasted chocolatey. Worth a try!
@Karen A., Thanks, that's a great idea! I've done it in the past with other "cupcakes" and it worked well.
@Meira@meirathebear, next time you make the muffins add a few chocolate chips. Your daughter might eat them that way.
Your nail polish story reminded me of when I was a kid(5 or so in the 1960’s) I used a red crayon to “paint my nails”. My mother was really worried.lol
It makes sense to me now. Because ever since then I have look for ways to have what I want in a more creative way by using what I have. Some things worked, some not so much.
My sister and I colored our nails with highlighters at one point!
Got a free card design for Halloween that I will be sending to a few friends that need cheering up. And, of course, used my paper and envelope stash.
Menards (a big box like Home Depot and Lowes) offers 11% back on all purchases. A while back we purchased a rototiller (that is working great on our fire pit area) and got a rebate of $71.52. Well we used that the other night when we needed more supplies for the fire pit. When you use the rebate, they don't charge tax, so the cost came to $72.48. Just owed less then a dollar. And we will still get an 11% rebate on the items purchased with the previous rebate!
Worked all weekend on said fire pit getting the ground ready for the free bricks we picked up a couple of weekends ago. My husband ordered the pebbles we will be using from work where he gets a discount. All told this firepit will have cost us approx $400. Imagine if we had someone do it? But after it's done, we still have to do a garden area and steps up to the house. But we have bricks for that! And the garden area will wait until next spring until I can save up enough money to buy some boulders and have the grass ripped out.
We continue to eat at home and drink coffee at home. We are finding out that we love some of the coffee that comes in pods. Luckily my coffee machine came with a little pod thing to use your own coffee. Since I ran out of my favorite coffee that came in pods, I told my husband I will be using that from now on because buying the pods is too expensive when not on sale.
Looking on company website trying to find a different position within the company. Will take time, but I hope shorter than the 17 months I need before I retire. My lead is sucking the life out of me, and my manager has given up on me. So I must find something else and the company website is free.
@Maureen,
Your Menards trick is exactly how my husband bought materials for our garage construction! Buy big stuff at first and get a big rebate, which he then used to buy insulation, sheetrock, etc to make the inside nice. He saved big money that way.
I hadn't thought about the tax, so that was an additional savings!
With four dogs and one long-haired cat, I gave up worrying about pet hair on my clothes long ago.
Four Frugal Things, Puppy Edition
1. I re-hung our fence gate myself instead of calling the handyman. It was a little loose and the puppies were wriggling out and running around the neighborhood, including in front of cars.
2. I resisted putting the heat on in the house until last night when it was 48 out. Because I have steam heat, the radiators hissed, and Jasper the puppy decided to bravely defend us against the evil radiators.
3. It's gonna cost about $1500 to neuter Jasper and fix his umbilical hernia. Buuut I did ask for a multi-pet discount, so that's $150.
4. I bought little plastic chew bones which for some reason the dogs really like. Beagles are very food and chew driven, especially as puppies, so that's saving from other things for the dogs to chew on.
5. Umm.....I think that's it.
@Rose, Beagles! I love beagles. I grew up with a beagle mutt and she was 100% awesome. Also saved my mother from being attacked by scaring off an intruder with, as it turned out, a violent history - when she was 6 months old.
I saw this a couple of days ago on YouTube: Cooking with Beagles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj4EK5IM1Zs
@WilliamB, That made me laugh! Welcome to my house where everything has to be put out of reach and the fridge locked.
@Rose, Aw, beagles are so cute. I am not a dog person but my grandpa had a beagle named Lady and I loved her. She rarely barked, had asthma, and just lived for going on walks and having her ears petted. She was a tough little girl, too, survived being mauled by pit bulls (my grandpa beat them off with a golf club he took with him to drive away snakes on his walks down in Florida).
@Karen A., Beagles are very good with children, too. I remember my son, aged about one, bellowed "EYE!" and then deliberately poked my dog in the eye. Basil just blinked and looked sad. Poor Basil wanted to go back to our college days when it was just the two of us.
My beagle was good with children and others also. For example, she was a challenge to walk because she was so wild on her leash, but for my elderly blind grandfather, she trotted along as calmly as if she were trained to heel.
Oh! Have fun in pediatrics! your mom skills will definitely come in handy.
I rarely buy food at the hospital: usually as a planned treat if I have a learning day. Otherwise, I pack everything! you can do it!!
I am guessing that my mom experience is gonna help me out, just in terms of having a vague idea about developmental stages!
Kristen, I love the sparkly nail polish!
Since the flu strains seem to change a bit each year, is there a “better/best” time to get the vaccine? My husband and I usually get ours at Safeway pharmacy but it’s whenever we remember to do it ( not a good idea, I know).
We also have some cards we’ve acquired through accumulated points to use at Panera and a few other businesses.
This is an expensive month for us due to some big birthday celebrations
(including mine) but also because we’ve completed our Christmas shopping.
This sets us up for some almost no-spending months for November and December.
As far as I understand it, each year the flu vaccine is formulated months in advance, with the developers making their best guess about which strains to target. And then the vaccine that's offered is the same all flu season long. Sometimes the vaccine happens to line up very nicely with the dominant strains of the flu, and sometimes it doesn't, so the effectiveness varies from season to season.
But given that they don't change the formulation once flu season gets here, I don't think there's any particular advantage in waiting.
I got mine right now because it's due for both school and work at the moment!
@Martha O., A nurse once told me to aim for "flu before boo!" as in, please get it before Halloween! Perhaps they were just looking for a rhyming slogan, though.
1. I detailed the car using some of the products recommended by MaR Beth from VA. It looks great for a 12.5 yo! Thanks, Beth!
2. We're working on filling our (home heating) oil tank with off-road diesel from the gas station. It's the same product and by buying 10 gallons at a time and filling the tank ourselves, we save over $1/gal.
3. Used gas points cc to get an extra 5% off above oil purchases.
4. Took a "field trip" to our favorite food outlet town and scored such spectacular savings, like 40 oz canisters of pretzels for .99, we were able to not just stock up for ourselves, but drop off several bags of the treats to the local homeless shelter.
5. **the unfun one** Used AAA road service for the first time in years when a dead battery left us stranded in the boonies after a gorgeous fall bike ride. Thankfully had enough cell service to get a free jump after a 2 hr wait.
6. Future frugal: bought a battery jumper/charger to prevent any more #5s! 😉
One big frugal fail, I am putting it here since I know people will commiserate with me.
While we were gone on a 2 week vacation there were several storms in our area. Our circuit to the bathrooms always trips as a precaution. When I arrived home several days later and tried to use the bathroom plug it didn't work so I reset the circuit.
The following week I went out to get something in the garage freezer and the frozen turkey looked funny. Flat on the bottom and stuck to the shelf. I looked down in the bottom tray and there was Pale yellow ice.
Everything had to go. I had defrosted this freezer this summer and organized with the freezer in the kitchen putting all my meat in the safer freezer in the garage.
We have been lucky we travel quite a bit and never had this happen before. Didn't even realize the garage plugs were on the same circuit.
@karen, Oh, that hurts.
@karen, oof the same thing happened to my family one year! Our fridge in the basement went out, except we didn't notice until it started to smell. One day I said, "it smells kinda like Thanksgiving in here, guys" and the next day we all said "SOMETHING DIED IN HERE".
@karen, oh no, what a pain, especially after you had rearranged! We have a weird garage/bathroom circuit setup too, and we always forget.
@karen,
Oh, yikes, that's happened to us twice....the last time, the freezer door opened up while we were away on a week's vacation. The stuff in the back was still frozen - guessing the freezer ran non-stop - but a LOT up front needed to be tossed. We tried a cheap freezer door lock, which fell off, so now we keep a heavy box in front of the freezer door (I think it has ancient encyclopedias in it :-))
I feel your pain, and I'm sorry it happened to you!
Kristen, you look very chic in your concert attire.
This week I rack-dried a lot of laundry, saving the dryer for the heavy stuff. Also mended a shirt with loose buttons, bought a case of Rotel canned chipolte tomatoes from Ollie's Outlet for $11.88 (99 cents a can), and made a use-it-up stove top casserole with red beans, hamburger, veggies and some past best-by date boxed mac and cheese. Also used half a bag of frozen berries that were getting a bit icy to make baked oatmeal for my breakfasts.
Hah! I'm going to counter your free nail polish example with a no nail polish example. Years ago I stopped using it because I had so little time to sit and let my nails dry (three kids in four years). When I started feeling more in the mood to have painted nails, I just didn't. I didn't want to buy new polish remover and deal with the hassle. So I never get my nails done or paint them and it's wonderfully freeing. Yesterday I made dinner when I felt like buying it. I am taking the kids to the library to get a free movie for movie night. And free books to read. And I brewed coffee at home. Always this. Find a coffee you LOVE and you will never be tempted to purchase coffee.
@Jen D., I so relate to this. I tried last year to get back into painting my nails with a super cheap set of nice gel polishes from FB marketplace, but I couldn't stand it. The mess, the smell, storing all the polishes, my nails kept breaking and peeling, waiting for them to dry, inevitably chipping or denting them in an hour....
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, YES! The mess and storing. Also TOTALLY AGREE... it was so deflating to spend all that time painting my nails with the coats and topcoats and then holding my hands (or feet) super carefully to keep them from getting messed up, only to have them chip the instant I bumped them against something. Ugh.
@Jen D., I'm the same with nail polish. My mom was very into her nails looking nice, but I just can't be bothered. I do acknowledge that I admire those who do have lovely painted nails! Whatever floats one's boat!
@Karen A., agreed! I always think manicured nails look cute or classy, etc., but... when I do my own personal cost benefit analysis, I've consistently wound up in the "not worth it" camp. I'm sure there are things in which I'm willing to invest the time/energy in (that give me joy) that would not seem worth it to folks who love the look of nail polish. I'll continue to admire their nails but keep mine bare : )
That's me with fingernails. It grows out way too fast to be worth doing, plus I use my hands so much, it chips. And gel polish destroys my nails so I hate to do that.
So, it's bare fingernails for me!
@Jen D., it's been decades since I painted my nails but I still remember that uncomfortable weight of the polish on the ends of my fingers. I thought I was being ridiculous to be bothered by that weight, until I learned that both of my sisters feel the same way.
Foraged some bears head tooth and shrimp of the woods mushrooms that we ate for dinner.
Sold some of the kiddos old Halloween costumes on Facebook marketplace.
Store had buttermilk on clearance and I bought some and made a giant batch of pancakes for the freezer to eat going forward.
Made stock with the rotisserie chicken carcasses and bag of onion scraps from the freezer. Then made a big pot of soup to eat all week.
Trimmed my own bangs instead of going to the salon.
Had a girls trip last weekend, and worked really hard to keep the expenses under control on all sides. We had it at my sister's house.
1) I planned a menu (at her request, she's working crazy hours), so we only ate one meal out.
2) We had two recipes that allowed us to re-use sides (one skillet Mexican chicken dish one night, second night nachos).
3) My sister's partner made us brunch (and we invited my parents) at home after our 10k, and my parents brought mimosas. This is, as you can imagine, soooo much cheaper than going out for brunch, which we've done in the past.
4) Walked to the grocery store, to pick up a couple of dinner items we needed.
5) Used Starbucks rewards to get us all coffee after our race.
6) I got a free dinner at the lounge, vs buying at the airport. And, filled my water bottle for free.
Due to Hurricane Milton hitting my area (just west of Tampa on Gulf Coast) -- we had "frugal/not so frugal" things...
Not so Frugal - having to stock up on necessities pre-storm (non perishable food, comfort food - back to back Hurricanes require everyone to have their comfort snacks, and gas up car)
Frugal - Evacuating to a friends for the storm (as opposed to hotel)and not being able to go anywhere for days meant no spending money! Also. there is comfort in numbers - being with good friends helped pass the time and ease anxiety.
And it's not Thursday, but I am SO very thankful we only lost power! This storm was the most anxiety inducing, stressful one i have been through in a while........I can deal with multiple days without power - so many people that lost so much more.
@Cheryl, glad to hear you are in good shape. Tampa area got hit hard. Hoping there's no more hurricane this year!
Our dog is part American Staffordshire terrier, and her coat is short and stiff. Those hairs get stuck in everything, and no amount of lint rolling will get them out. I've just gotten use to hair little white hairs stuck all over my clothes.
FFT:
- Attended a murder mystery party and was asked to bring dessert for the meal. I baked a lemon pound cake using ingredients that were BOGO or that we already had on hand. Host provided dinner for all the guests.
- Returned 2nd costume purchased for murder mystery party. My character wasn't finalized until the day before the party so I wasn't sure which costume I would need.
- Hemmed the long skirt for my costume. Borrowed a bandana for DH's costume.
- Ordered delivery from Jimmy Johns using a birthday reward for a free sandwich. The driver delivered it to the wrong house, and they were "too busy" to make another delivery within an hour so I canceled the order. I reached out to customer service for a refund and to get the reward put back on my account. We had BOGO frozen pizza for dinner instead.
- Shopped for a Halloween wreath but didn't find any I liked, especially since they were so expensive. I used craft supplies I had on hand and a few items from the dollar tree to make one for about $5.
Frugal fail - our irrigation system has a leak somewhere and DH forgot to call for an appointment to get it fixed. And then DH forgot to shut the water off at the meter at the street do our water bill will be sky high this month.
1. Got another free plant from Freecycle. This one was big - 12-14" Dracena spikes in an 8" pot. I thought it was going to be slips in a bag so I walked there. So maybe another frugal thing was the workout walking 1.5 miles with a heavy pot?
2. Baked a half-dozen different treats for someone, instead of buying a gift basket. I chose recipes that would use up things I have and don't use (toffee bits, rice krispies, etc.). Rather than buying a gift box, I used gift bags from Freecycle and tissue paper from previous gifts and shopping.
3. Contacted my local rep for help with homestead exemption on my house. My state got it wrong *and* didn't call me back (even after I left three messages) and now the deadline for submission has passed. Since it's the state's fault, I'm getting Official Help to get it fixed.
4. Hiring my SIL to make an unusually long shower curtain for me. She's an accomplished tailor and lives on a boat, so knows how to get and work with waterproof fabric.
5. Got some coupons from Pepsi to replace a bottle of soda that was 100% flat.
6. Got some supermarket 10% off coupons for getting my vax there. It's convenient but more expensive, so I'll use the coupons when I need something urgently.
1. I picked up an LL Bean winter coat for my daughter off Buy Nothing. It will fit her next year.
2. I made baked potato soup using potatoes we had, homemade vegetable stock, and left over cheese.
3. I sundried more tomatoes from my garden.
4. I purchased a pie pumpkin from a local farm for $4. I roasted it and pureed the pumpkin. It made 5 jars of pumpkin puree and 1 jar of pumpkin seeds.
5. Used carrots and herbs from our garden to make beef stew for dinners this week.
@Corrine, The best pumpkin pie I've ever had was made from a pumpkin I grew myself. Who knew that freshness in pumpkins made such a difference? I certainly didn't.
A few years ago I had the slightly idiotic idea of baking custard inside pumpkins, which I read somewhere was the original pumpkin pie. The custard was delicious but I did a crummy job of scraping the pumpkins clean of the stringy bits. Next time I will do a better job. If there is a next time which I really doubt as of now!
Loving the pretty nail polish and your black dress!
My Frugals
1) My husband worked extra days so more income although I’m afraid he’ll burn out.
2) Got an extra chicken wing from the Deli for free since they would toss it anyways because they were closing. I’d like to think it was also because I was nice and asked the guy how he was doing 🙂
3) Had a nice fall picnic in the park with food we got from the grocery store.
4) Borrowed a few new to us DVDs, board games and sketchbooks from the library to entertain the kids.
5) Eat from home, Use up food from the fridge, Batch run errands, Deposit $200 check for jury duty, Made Amazon returns through UPS, Made Walmart returns, Dispute Amazon packages that were damaged or missing items, Recycled electronics at Best Buy, Got some extra sturdy boxes from the food pantry, Mended holes in tights and socks, Fix my cellphone case with gorilla glue, Fix a broken toy fan, Cleaning out the dust, dirt and bugs in our home and garage, Blew out our own sprinkler system.
6) Will have my girl’s birthday meals at home, a movie night with a DVD from the library, and a birthday event at the pumpkin patch on their half off admission day and $2 off if I bring a wagon, 7) Will reuse Fall and Halloween decor, use dress up clothes for the kids’ Halloween costumes, and give out extra candy we have.
My 5 frugal things: moving edition!
1. We moved ourselves, with the help of friends and family! All we spent was fuel for the moving truck we borrowed from our realtor, the 8 book sized boxes, and fuel for our movers in the form of pizza, coffee, and snacks. Cost saved: thousands.
2. Our new town immensely more bike-able, so I thrifted a new (PINK) bicycle. Cost saved: probably only about $75, but I saved a bike from the landfill.
3. Bike helmet, purchased new. My brain is my best financial asset, I cannot afford damage there. Cost saved: priceless! 😉
4. Our new house did not come with a washer and dryer, and we didn't love ours at the old house, so husband found a washer and dryer on FB marketplace ($160), installed them himself ($60 at Menard's related to that). Cost saved: hundreds. Yikes, I'm looking up what new washers and dryers go for, and I'm shocked. Saved some appliances from the landfill!
5. Our new town has the same internet provider, but by using my name and email instead of my husband's, we got the new customer discount. Hehe.
And a bonus fail(?) Or maybe we could we make an argument this is frugal? You folks are creative haha. I spoke with my dietician and therapist (who is also an RD) about potentially cutting out dairy and gluten to help with my Hashimoto's disease, but I was hesitant to unnecessarily cut major food groups of my diet. They suggested I do a food sensitivity panel. It was $500 (YIKES), but I'll know for sure if removing gluten and/or dairy (and about 198 other foods) will help my disease in 2 weeks.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, does your healthcare insurance cover this? If not, check put Groupon for this (I've seen 60+% off lately advertised). Then PLEASE take someone with you to drive & help you. And take day off afterwards. Adults have longer recovery time.
@Regina, I have a high enough deductible it wouldn't make a difference. I do want to check if it is HSA eligible though. It was just a blood draw, I was all good after 🙂
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, Blood draws for medical readon should be HSA eligible. Also, if you have the options, I would look to see if $500 is the norm among labs.
Awesome that you are going to the symphony. It's a favorite activity of mine but I haven't been able to go in a while.
Totally ignorant question but I would think sharing nail polish would be a way to transmit fungus. Or would the nail polish kill the fungus?
1. I have reminders popping up to cancel various streaming services now that discount rates are up. Hulu is already cancelled and Paramount+ is next, followed by Peacock and Bentkey. Honestly, we are looking to maybe start the churn where you rotate having various services. We will survive until any Black Friday deals come up. We have Tubi, Amazon Prime, Netflix and a lot of DVDs (not to mention the library!)
2. Bought nothing during Amazon's flimsy sale last week that we weren't going to buy anyway. I did finally buy my wife the stuffed waffle maker that she wanted to try. I figured it was cheaper than going to a restaurant and if we don't like it, we can sell it on Marketplace or something.
3. Really wanted to read a book but it was $40. Of course I could get it via inter-library loan! I am having to wait for it but that's alright.
4. We were just about out of butter and Land O Lakes was on sale for $4/lb. Remember the days of $2/lb butter?
5. Kept the heat off until Columbus Day. I tried but I refuse to freeze.
@Battra92, You said what I was thinking. I don't use nail salons because I'm a germaphobe, but I know people who do and take their own polish for the reason you mentioned.
I've definitely had my toenails polished with jars of polish from a salon, so that was a zillion times riskier than getting polish from a Buy Nothing person. This nail polish has presumably been used by far fewer people.
I'm not worried about it, but obviously everyone has their own comfort zone. 🙂
@Battra92, Thanksgiving/holiday food sales should be starting soon. Look for butter sales then until Christmas. 😉
@Bobi, @Battra92, I had the same concern when I purchased some used nail polishes, but my husband (chemical engineer) said all the chemicals would kill any bacteria. Then I was like, wait should I even put it on my body?? LOL.
• We didn’t make many souvenir purchases in London. My son bought a Mr. Bean bobblehead which brings giggles every time we see it and we picked up a couple match day scarves at the soccer game we attended. Otherwise, we stayed clear of souvenir shops and took lots of pictures!
• I plowed through a couple of audiobooks from the library on flights and on the tube. I brought along a spare book from my to-be read pile just in case I needed a different way to enjoy a book. After losing a kindle on a flight years ago I refuse to bring one on vacation again. Replacing a book I thrifted is less costly.
• We stopped by the local Aldi close to our flat to pick up snacks, drinks, and fresh fruit on our first night in London. I was excited to see how different that Aldi was than my local Aldi. The Aldi in London was MUCH busier, only self checkout lines, and had many more premade meal options. It seems like our suburban Aldi has more ingredients to make food, as opposed to premade/ready to eat options. Even when I visit an Aldi in our downtown area in the US there aren’t as many premade/ready to eat options. It was a fun look at the cultural difference/big city lifestyle!
• While we were gone, my parents stayed at our house to watch our dog. My mom is retired and due to many medical conditions, not very active. She is, however, the best house/dog sitter on the planet! We saved money on kennel fees, our dog got to cuddle with his grandma daily, and we had peace of mind knowing the house was looked after.
• I did a deep dive of the fridge, pantry, and freezer before doing any menu planning. I wasn’t sure what my mom used or what had arrived in the CSA while we were gone. I managed to pull together a robust menu without needing many items from the store.
• Our local grocery store sent us another free rotisserie chicken coupon for moving to our new house. I happily picked up a chicken, used the meat for two meals and the bones to make “scrap broth.”
@Geneva, Mr. Bean seems exactly the right kind of character to be a bobble head.
Have you watched his London Olympics performance? If you know the movie "Chariots of Fire", it is especially good.
My frugal five isn't as exciting as last week but it was productive.
1. I used an Amazon credit to buy the second pantry organizer we needed which of course led to a pantry clean out and reorg. There is an embarrassing amount of couscous and pumpkin that I won't need to buy at the grocery store for awhile.
2. I made a list of things I think I want/need for next year's camping season and stored it with our camping gear. Most of the list are things I can shop the house/sew organizers/repurpose which I've started doing during my preholidays deep clean and reorganize.
3. Instead of ordering the deep dish pizza I was craving, I made one from scratch. I tried something a little different with the sauce (it was a win) and was a good way to clean out the fridge.
4. Instead of turning on the heat during a little cold snap and off again after, we dressed in warmer clothes and pjs at night.
5. I considered buying a thermal coffee carafe for when we have guests. Turns out I still have the thermal coffee pot from our old coffee lurking in the back of a cupboard which apparently I kept for that purpose.
1. I made a huge batch of 13 bean soup and accidentally put too much water in it. Also, I had no aromatics to saute. Long story short = bland. I tried adding more bouillon. Nope. I read online to boil it down and add white vinegar/lemon. It worked. I also added orzo that I have literally had for years and ancient hamburger patties that were all frosted up. Hubby loved it. Excellent.
2. I listed another ceiling fan on EBAY. I had a big win with 1969 Lightcraft Mushroom lamps earlier this week.
3. I told Poshmark to mail me my balance of $183. I find if I get a check mailed, I am less likely to spend it for things I don't need. Old School for the win.
4. At Grocery Outlet, I bought two 32 ounces boxes of Chai Tea Latte for .50 a piece. They were better than Starbucks and I had 5 days worth. Fun and nearly free experiment. I will look today but I know they will be gone.
5. During Covid I purchased a carpet cleaner. it was reasonable. It does not do as good a job as a professional but I hate people in my house. I don't have pets and we have overall pretty low traffic. My 89 yo Mom wants me to come do her house. I will pick up the machin at our cabin, do her house, do the ranch office, do our house and then on the back haul do our cabin. Good Enough.
@Mary Ann, Grocery Outlet is always such a fun treasure hunt!
If the person had fungus on their nails you could catch it from the nail polish. I'm all for Buy Nothing, but no used makeup and no used nail polish.
@Isa, as a nail tech in the state of NJ, you can not catch a fungus from nail polish.
1. a co-worker had a lovely little flower arrangement they no longer wanted. We are laid off for the next two weeks so I took them. I removed one or two fading flowers, gave them a fresh cut and fresh water and gave them to my elderly neighbor for her birthday. I also gave her two delicious cookies that had been given to me from a local bakery. Since I’m unemployed right now, this fit right in to my budget and she was thrilled.
2. used a $30 code for Chewy to buy my dog’s food
3. I needed household supplies so I stocked up at Target when they had spend $50 and get a $15 gift card.
4. I went to a get together with friends and I brought brownies, which I made. The only thing I purchased was some cream cheese to make icing and some fun edible eyes. I made brownies that were decorated a mummies
5. I used a 30% off coupon at Michael’s to buy the edible eyeballs so I paid $2. When I mentioned that I now needed to figure out what to do with half a jar of eyeballs, my niece said she would love them. So, off they will go in a box of gifts that I need to send to her anyway.
1. Salvaged another outdoor table from the neighbor's trash (painting project ahead)
2. Will use 15% off plus LLBeanBucks to buy a replacement blanket for the cabin (DID I JUST SLEEP UNDER A MOUSE-CHEWED BLANKET ALL SUMMER??)
3. Used a gift certificate to buy lettuce, broccoli, and chrysanthemums at a nursery.
4. Brought down toiletries and various foodstuffs from the cabin when we closed, which always extends the need to resupply (PAY NO ATTENTION TO CABIN OPENING IN MAY!)
5. Didn't eat out, used the library, won't be driving to the cabin for 7-8 months, bought gas down the hill instead of here in town. . . all the usuals.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, re #2 - Don't worry - I'm sure the story goes like this: the mouse only showed up on your last morning; right after you got out of bed, he chewed the blanket and then you noticed just before you packed it. : )
@Suz, thanks. This is a case of blissful ignorance.
And when I went to LLBean to order a replacement, I was SHOCKED to see they are now $160. Then I saw that my 15% off was expired. So, I won't be dealing with this until it is time to open the cabin next year. That gives me time to find a frugal alternative
Boy am I late to the party today. I had my car in a local shop for an oil change and a check up on the replaced engine, and it took 3 hours to get it done. On the other hand, it cost half of what the dealership had been charging for oil change/rotations. I'm going to count that as a frugal win, assuming I can get them to speed up next time.
1. So as stated above, I paid half the cost for an oil change and tire rotation. And almost 1/3 of what the drive-in oil change places were charging, without any tire rotation.
2. I had bananas getting ripe fast, so, since I was going to use the oven anyway, I made banana bread with chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Then I froze it, because I know my limits on the temptation of banana bread.
3. My clothesline is still waiting to be replaced - it's a two-person job - so I took my big wooden drying rack out to the side porch and dried laundry on it.
4. The vintage blue and white dishes that DH's nephew brought to us when he visited Florida are just what I had been looking for at thrift stores. They had been collected by two of DH's late sisters, so they are sort of "family" items, and they are free to me.
5. And three cheers, I paid off a debt! I have only one left to pay off, and I am very happy about that.
@JD, congratulations on paying off debt; I know that feels good!
@JD, I am a sucker for blue and white dishes. What is the pattern?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
The maker is.... Grindley? Something like that. I think the pattern was country something. It's a scenic type pattern.
Our 22-year-old minivan didn't pass inspection last month and there's no saving it, so we're down to one car and will be pinching every penny to save a bit more before we buy another new-to-us vehicle. This has meant finding ways to be even more frugal, which isn't easy when you already live on the frugal side of things. Here's what I've come up with recently.
1. Started shopping again at the local produce wholesaler. I got 3 dozen eggs, a huge bag of kale, a very large carrot, bags of apples and pears, a cucumber & a zucchini, and a 5-lb bag of red potatoes for just under $20.
2. Downloaded the Big Lots app to get a $10 off a $20 purchase.
3. Used credit card points to get discounted gift cards for Home Depot to buy paint for a project that needed to be finished.
4. I'm making a batch of lentils for my lunches every week. My husband is allergic to legumes, so since bean meals aren't an option for both of us.
5. We're going to see how long we can stand to go without turning on the heat. "Find heated blanket" was one of the first things I checked off my to-do list this morning and I'm sitting on it as I type. 😉
I have a white and black dog who is an incessant shedder. And a Dyson and sticky lint rollers in the bathroom and the car. Molly is aging so I enjoy her in spite of the dog glitter.
The usual frugal things: fill up at the cheapest gas station: remains at $2.93. Distill water for drinking at home. Bunch errands. Chai latte at home. The last time I had to order it (it usually comes within two days of ordering) it was on back order. I did not panic, but checked local prices/was appalled and waited. The order came the day after I poured my last cup. Phew! Still cheaper to order the Tazo concentrate than buy in the store.
I did order a new pair of everyday shoes from Zappos, trying to get the exact same style/brand/color I purchased last, but did not have right width so I ordered a width smaller Should have known they would not fit. Looked for an exchange version of same style. Don't like the ones available. I am so glad Zappos has free returns. I am usually able to get what I want/need on sale so I don't mind these once in a while issues.
1) I finished buying my daughter's Christmas presents. They are all used, but she's one and would get peanut butter on new so I figure, let's start with gently used.
2) I didn't go crazy at the baby toys yardsale. I was tempted but my husband was able to stick to the plan.
3) ate leftovers
4) made my own coffee except for yesterday and I bitterly regret those $6. (I never drink caffeine after lunchtime and I forgot to tell the barista that it should be decaf. I'm running on low sleep today.)
5) I bought used baby shoes. Now that my daughter is one she is required to wear shoes. (They go outside and "drive" walkers over each others toes.) I was able to find used at the kidswap store.
Not frugal:
I missed the day to send old baby clothes for consignment. Not sure how I didn't see that email.
I had to throw out some food that went bad.
Oven broke and I'm not sure if we will try to repair or just replace. Any thoughts?
I have one item on my FFT which I'm going to mention but not count because it won't happen for a while. My gas company had an income-based offer that would involve getting a whole-house audit for energy-saving tasks that could be done--installation of programmable thermostat, adding aerators to faucets, weather-proofing windows and doors, etc. Just for the heck of it, I finally filled out an application (it had been sitting in my email for 2 months), and we were approved! The audit will be done sometime in the next couple of months, then it goes for review by them and then by us, and then the work will be scheduled to be done--all at no cost to us! I know we lose heat around our front door, and we definitely need an aerator on the kitchen faucet--it goes from trickle to dam-break in an instant, but I will refuse a low-flow toilet if they offer. I will spare you all the reasons for that.
But these are the current FFTs:
1. Spent several hours comparing prices with Food Lion, Walmart, and Aldi this week. I went online and using the coupons and sales offered, I filled up my virtual cart first at FL. Then opened another window and searched each item on Walmart's site. I think I emptied my FL cart of all but some very good sales, but Wm's everyday prices were beating out FL's sale prices on 90% of what I wanted. One was $1.50 less! Since FL is local in my little town, I just assumed they would be less expensive. Not so. Since I have WM+, I don't have to pay the delivery fee, and even though they do include a tip, it is still cheaper for me to buy from WM, and have them deliver it.
Then I took the list of items I planned to buy at WM and searched them at Aldi. Now I'm down to 9 items that Aldi didn't have. We have been eating out of the freezer lately, and had very little meat left, so my Aldi bill will be a little high this week, but still less than buying it at either of the other 2. Tomorrow I will put in my order for WM delivery, using a $10 gift certificate they sent me when I complained about them being 24 hrs late delivering my non-food order. That order was only donations to Hurricane relief, and missed the truck departure. Fortunately a different group sent a truck, so the stuff made it to WNC after all.
2.Drove 6 miles past the local gas stations to my favorite one to save 25c/gal for one of my vehicles, and that was even before the Upside app kicked in.
3. A lady in our BN group was cleaning out her garage and had half a tote bin of candles she was offering up. I took them (over 50 all shapes and sizes), cleaned them, trimmed the wicks, and sent them to NC with a church who specifically had candles on their request list. Just cost me some time; and got rid of several small boxes I had in the garage.
4. Last week was the first week of a new group Bible study at a friend's house and we were all to bring snacks if possible. I had all the ingredients for green chile pinwheels, so made a batch to carry. Bonus: Even though I removed the membranes and most of the seeds, they still had a bit too much heat for everyone, so about half came back home with me. YUM!
5. Ordered and received my 4 free Covid tests from USPS, thanks to whomever reminded us all about that a couple of weeks ago.
We are traveling this week. Most nights we are staying with family, but the nights we needed a hotel, we paid for those with points.
I bought 4 Boling chairs at a church flea market this weekend for $15! I've seen them online for $150+. They have great lines. I am refinishing them with stain I already have. I think they will be a great addition to the eat in area of my new house.
I also bought my mom some quilt books and magazines at $1/inch for books. I bought 5" worth.
DH had ripped his old yard work shorts and even after I mended them...they ripped elsewhere even worse. He found 2 great pairs of yard work shorts at the church yard sale for $1/each and a pair of nice work pants for $1.
I have been keeping my eyes open for rubbermaid roughneck bins. I like how they stack and the lids are tighter than some storage tubs, but they can be pricey. I found one this week at goodwill for $2.99 and another at a thrift store for $3.99. I think 2 or 3 more and I'll have enough to swap out all my old bins.
1. We made our meals at home. We planned meals that use up food we have and that let us eat at a reasonable time during a busy week. And I got my act together to make the slow cooker meals the night before. We brewed coffee at home.
2. I ate the free dinners at work this week instead of packing an extra meal. Was I pumped about pizza and cold cut sandwiches? No, but it was free and I didn't have to plan ahead.
3. I bought a new pair of jeans at half off. I wanted some dressier pants for work but I couldn't find any that I liked in the store. I went online and found some clothes on sale. I had some rewards to reduce the price further.
4. I found some boots for my youngest that we already owned. I also found enough hats and gloves for everyone in the house. One kid still needs a coat and snow pants. Two kids need boots.
5. I put some old musicals on hold at our local library instead of paying to watch them right away. One is ready today, so it wasn't even a long wait.
FFT
Most will probably be moving related this week as I've just sold a home and bought and moved into a new one. That entire undertaking was incredibly expensive - real estate fees, legal fees, movers, painters, etc. - and tiring.
1 - I listed a number of items for sale as I prepared for my move and was happy to put a few hundred dollars into my pocket while getting rid of things that I no longer needed or had room for (I've downsized).
2- I moved a number of car (SUV) loads of boxes over myself rather than having the paid-by-the-hour movers move them.
3- After the significant expenses that come with selling and buying real estate, I came away from the sale with a fairly substantial amount of money that I've promptly parked in a HISA for the short-term.
4- I redeemed some points for a few hundred dollars in grocery store (multiple banners) gift cards.
5 - I have a few boxes of items packed up for consignment and will take them in on November 1 when the shop begins accepting Christmas related items (not everything is Xmas related but I don't want to make tw0 rips).
1. I cut my teen boys' hair, although this time I didn't do as good a job on my younger son's hair so he's miffed at me. But at least he still lets me cut his hair!
2. Bathed and groomed the dog, who was in need of a haircut but hates being groomed. He'll tolerate my husband and I doing it, but I accidentally nicked his leg so we weren't able to finish and still need to cut his nails. He is a small, 20 lb dog, but it takes 2 of us to groom him (1 to distract and 1 to actually do the grooming).
3. The local cottage baker I buy my sourdough bread from had leftovers from the weekend farmer's market and was giving them away for free, so I was able to snag a loaf. I frequently buy from her and she only lives a few minutes away from me so it was a nice treat, especially since I missed out on buying a loaf earlier in the week. They are worth $15 for a large loaf of specialty sourdough.
4. Spent a day at the hospital in the medical center undergoing testing to see if I can be a living kidney donor for my husband. They validated my parking, so I saved $12 for parking for 7 hours. Packed a lunch to eat later since I was fasting for labs. A friend brought over dinner that night since all that testing was mentally and physically draining. Grateful for such thoughtful friends.
5. I attended the symphony a couple weeks ago (and thought of Kristen!) as a chaperone for my son's orchestra class outing. It was their opening night so it was fun to dress up a bit and see all the kids in their nice clothes for once. The school bus took us to the hall, so we didn't have to worry about driving and paying for parking and we got discounted tickets for $25! It was very minimal chaperone work for a nice evening out.
@DebbieR, Hoping you get good results from the kidney donation testing!
Physically and mentally draining indeed. Great to have friends rally around you.
@Heidi Louise, thank you!!
I'm late to the party this week!
1. We’ve all been sick for a few weeks. I tested negative for Covid with one of the free USPS tests, and then drove to my clinic to get a flu test (also negative) rather than pay for an express care visit to test. I wish there were home flu tests available!
2. Despite everyone in the house being sick, I managed to make a veggie soup rather than buying something at the store. I also managed to sort through some of my free veggies and either use or compost them.
3. I’ve cut open both a regular toothpaste and a travel size toothpaste to use the remaining bits.
4. I mended the sleeve of a sweatshirt.
5. While running errands in the vicinity, I picked up my free monthly card from Hallmark.
6. I used my “health rewards” debit card to cover some medical expenses.