Five Frugal Things | haircut and birdhouse coupons
1. I used a haircut coupon
Haircuttery sent me a coupon code, so I scheduled a haircut for myself.
Since I've been doing my hair wavy/curly, I'd been wanting to get more layers cut in anyway, so this was the perfect time.
2. I looked up a Michael's coupon for the girls
Sonia and Zoe wanted to paint birdhouses with two friends, and before we checked out at Michael's with our birdhouses, I found a 20%/entire purchase coupon on my phone.
Sonia's birdhouse is currently living in this huge bookshelf that I rescued and painted white.
Lots of before and after photos in that link, if you like that type of thing.
3. I made gluten-free menu plans for my friend's visit
My friend from Ohio has to eat gluten-free, which is more challenging if you eat out.
And eating out for two nights with eight of us would have been expensive anyway!
So, I made pork tinga tacos on corn tortillas for dinner, I made this baked oatmeal for breakfast, and the next night, we grilled sausages at the pool (she eats hers without a bun).
4. I decided to wait to get my glasses fixed
I can't remember ever doing this before as an adult, but I've scratched a lens of my glasses.
I think it happened when they got knocked off of my nightstand.
Sadly, the lenses have to be replaced, not repaired.
And our vision insurance will only pay for a pair of glasses or a set of contacts each year.
The scratch on my glasses is not terrible, so here's my plan:
I'll schedule my annual eye exam towards the end of 2021, and I'll use my 2021 benefits to order contact lenses. Then I'll use my 2022 benefits in January to cover a new pair of glasses.
5. I...
- made coffee at home
- made homemade iced tea
- made a menu plan
- made a grocery list based on the menu plan
- shopped at Aldi
- customized my Hungry Harvest box (no extra charge, and it ensures I'm getting things we will actually eat)
Your gluten free menu sounds delicious. My husband has to eat Keto due to a food allergy to nickel. Basically, it means eating gluten free. There is a lot of customization in our menu planning, combining that with feeding two teenagers.
1) The kids have been out of town this week, so we skipped a big grocery shop, and just bought some fresh produce to fill in.
2) We continue to eat a lot out of our garden, and have enjoyed all of the delicious stuff: zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, peppers, strawberries, Greek basil, regular basil, mint, rosemary. The blueberries are almost ripe, and I'm so excited.
3) In addition to just eating the fresh stuff in salads, we've been incorporating them into our menus: caprese salad multiple times a week, zucchini fritters, & I also pickled jalapenos.
4) We sold our vacation house, and are using the money to pay down our mortgage. We are hoping to have it paid off by the end of the year.
5) After our vacation, I've re-listed all of my eBay sales, and listed a bunch on Facebook marketplace. I'm on a steady clip of sales, after finally going through my eBay closet & getting things listed, and then donating everything else. The house looks cleaner, and we're making money.
1. We trash picked a perfectly good dresser our neighbors had set out for the garbage collectors ("why??" I just want to ask them). Fortunately my husband didn't have any shame over going to get it, even though I'm sure the neighbours saw him. My husband is currently painting it white, and now our baby boy has his own dresser for free!
2. After hemming and hawing about it for a few years, I finally decided to get a keurig. Being able to brew one cup at a time is very appealing to me, as I can only handle so much leftover coffee over ice (much prefer hot coffee!). Anyway I wasn't about to pay full price, so I found one on facebook marketplace for $30! After a good scrubbing and running some vinegar through it, it's good as new.
3. Buying the k-cups at a salvage grocery market we have in our area. The boxes of k-cups there less than half the price of the regular grocery store.
4. I remembered to cancel a free trial before I was charged!
5. The usual stuff... eating at home most of the time, dressing my kids in (cute) hand me downs, returned an swimsuit that didn't fit me before the return window closed, making meals that don't require me to buy many new ingredients, finding some free fun local activities for my kids, etc.
@Sarah G, I finally broke down several years ago and bought a Keurig at Goodwill VERY inexpensively . . . and it's still going!
@Bonnie, so far we're loving it!
* Been taking advantage of all the free activities/shows offered by the city this summer
* Kids not going to camp this year (thanks Covid...) is saving us a bunch. Yay for from-home work!
* Library books, library books, library books!
* My 2016 tablet just died on me yesterday. Brought it to a repair shop to see if they could fix it, but it would be 100$ for a new battery, so no thanks. I could also just buy a new battery from Amazon for 40$ and do it myself, but I'm not sure it's worth it. The tablet is 5 year old and was staring to lag, so.... Now I'm thinking I might just go without completely. I don't have a smartphone, but I have a laptop on hands at home and a computer at work, so do I really need a tablet? It's an experimentation.
* Did not renew the gym membership. Been exercising at home/outside instead.
Did you know you can buy a fairly inexpensive pair of glasses online? I use Zenni and have gotten myself new glasses for less than $50. That’s a better deal than our vision benefits offers!
If you need a new pair of glasses, I highly recommend Zenni Optical. Even if you just use it for a spare pair, it beats the pants off of the prices at the big eyewear places (thanks Luxotica monopoly!)
But let's see what I've done recently:
1.) Shopped some garage sales. I got some books for my daughter and some tools for me. I got a Yankee Screwdriver which I was pretty excited to find. I paid $2 for it!
2.) Got a deal on toilet paper for the first time since Covid hit. I still have a very dim view of humanity after seeing how people hoarded the stuff.
3.) Found a pair of pink Jordache jean shorts for my daughter on clearance. She didn't have many pairs at the moment and needed some. She's generally a dress and skirt kind of girl but having shorts to wear under them is a good idea some days.
4.) Took my wife's car to the mechanic after seeing some fluid (I thought it was oil at first but it was transmission fluid upon further inspection.) She wanted to wait a few days as she was busy with work and stuff but I insisted. It turns out her transmission fluid pan had cracked (she had apparently hit something or ran over something) and had we not fixed it right away, it would've been a much bigger repair.
5.) Taking advantage of some sales on things like eggs and produce while at the same time working on eating out of the freezer.
@Battra92, another vote for zenni!
@Battra92, I second zen no as well! Just broke my glasses abs got a new pair for $25. I’m very happy with them.
@Battra92, I have two girls who wear a lot of skirts and dresses but also do a lot of cartwheels and generally don't sit very lady-like so they wear shorts underneath. My best tips for frugality with this is if you have a kohls nearby and need to use kohls cash, this is a good use. OR if she has leggings that she's outgrown or have holes in the knees, I've just cut them into shorts to wear underneath dresses/skirts. I don't even bother hemming them or anything since they're covered most of the time. Old navy also has them for pretty cheap.
@Battra92, Yay for the Yankee Screwdriver! My father had one that I lusted after, and when I was about 25 he bought me a new one. Unfortunately I stored it near some acetone, and the plastic warped. It worked, but often makes me a bit sad, and I misplaced a few of the drill bits. I found another one at a garage sale (I think I also paid $2 for it) and it is older, more 'experienced', wooden, and has a full set of 6 or 8 drill bits in the handle. I can relate to your excitement.
As for the shorts, brilliant ideas from the others about cutting tights down...
Repaired an older favorite very pricy linen top that had fraying underarms. Shortened sleeves which had always been too long for my liking and repaired with that fabric. Being in that area will not show repair. Repaired another older favorite very pricy linen top that I had snagged a significant spot on the back. I incorporated it into a small dart and made identical dart on other side of back seam. Looks like part of the design. I’m really getting my money’s worth by being able to wear them again for more linen seasons.
Eating gluten free is a challenge anywhere, but it is really difficult at a restaurant. I'm sure your friend appreciates your effort to help her eat carefully. And it all sounds really good, too.
1. My husband's caregiver beat the birds to my tree to get another plateful of fresh figs off of our tree. Since she's there to pick figs daily, I am drying some of them in my dehydrator. I love figs, but we can only eat so much fresh, and this kind doesn't keep well.
2. I used leftover buttermilk then my sale-purchased gluten free flours to coat some chicken pieces for frying. I used the cleaned bag from a loaf of bread that had just been finished, to shake the chicken in the flour.
3. I checked my accounts online today at my credit union while paying a bill online, and found an inmate had somehow gotten my husband's debit card number yesterday and was using it to make calls at several dollars each. I immediately canceled the debit card and our money was returned. Note to self - it is frugal to check accounts regularly.
4. Speaking of credit unions, this month my credit union will give me $5 for buying groceries for pickup at Walmart if I bought $50 worth. I ordered only stuff I actually use and reached the $50 mark. I avoided products I knew I could get cheaper in person in the store. With less people using pick up, the wait was brief.
5. I am applying, pre-need of course, for the use of a nearby Veterans' National Cemetery for my husband and myself, for when that time comes. Burial or use of the columbarium is free to honorably discharged veterans and their spouses (and dependent children). Since the cemetery here is nearly new, there should be no problem with space issues.
1. We're thinking VERY carefully about which couch we're going to buy. If a cheaper fabric couch is ruined the first time that our future children vomit on it, then it's not actually all that frugal relative to a leather couch that could last 20 years. Also, the super-trendy, super-expensive couch that I liked was not as comfortable as the less stylish, more affordable one.
2. About a month ago, we bought a cheap salad spinner at Ikea. I've never owned one and I love it! It's so easy to make a big salad and leave it un-dressed in the fridge, and it lasts for DAYS.
3. A really, really minimal frugal thing, but I find that the cheapest generic canned tomatoes that we buy are too acidic. Last night, I tried adding baking soda to homemade tomato sauce in tiny 1/8 tsp increments, and it totally worked to mellow them out!
4. We received a HUGE amount of baby clothes as hand-me-downs. I finally put everything until age 1 into drawers. It was really helpful, because it let me see that we had way too much for 0-3 months (so much that we're giving some away), and not enough for other ages. Organizing it let us see what we need to buy/thrift/make.
5. We did not buy expensive souvenirs at our recent vacation! It was fun to look in the fancy hat store and funny t-shirt store, but we didn't need to own these things to enjoy them. I bought some jam, a little packet of tea, and some cheese, which makes for a lovely treat but isn't an expensive handmade hat!
1) The 2 week summer camp job I am working as a nurse feeds us VERY well...more than I can eat each meal, so I am saving fruit/snacks to take home at the end rather than have them go to waste.
2) I ordered some items from Walgreens online but made sure I clipped coupons to my online account before, saving $19.00 off the price, and shipping was free. These were items I for sure needed anyway.
3) I sent 2 old Cutco knives in for free sharpening, which should last for years! I originally got them at a yard sale for next to nothing.
4) A friend came to visit and brought a quart fresh strawberries... then my SIL left a pint of cream, so yeah for yummy desserts.
We are getting ready to move long distance, and have redoubled our decluttering efforts. To that end,
1. Sold many books online. For shipping, I used old bubble mailers I've saved.
2. Held a yardsale and donated the rest. When I went to deposit the cash to the bank, I also looked through all our coin jars and took these to a coin counting machine/deposit.
3. Sold our second car and paid off the other car with the proceedings, plus put some in savings.
4. Been too busy to go grocery shopping, so we've used the Amazon app to order from Whole Foods. Even with the delivery fee, we are spending less when not stepping into a store.
5. Canceling cable and looking to cancel some other subscription services we are not using.
1. We finally bought an indoor digital tv antenna in our ongoing effort to cut our cable and streaming services. It picks up the local networks beautifully! This meant we were able to cancel Hulu Live. I don't know what took us so long to do this; it's a no-brainer.
2. Joined the Circle K Sip and Save program. Just 6 bucks a month and I get a free fresh-ground coffee once a day. Cheaper than making it at home.
3. Cancelled a domain name I no longer use that was set to auto-renew.
4. Used a 40% off coupon and Extra Bucks to get Pure ZZZs for super cheap at CVS.
5. Went to Dollar Tree for the first time and discovered they have nice greeting cards for 50 cents!! And reading glassses for $1. I will never buy either anywhere else again.
@Denise,
We have the same situation with our cable. I guess because we're in our 70s we have a hard time with technology and have been afraid to drop cable for years. We finally did our research and bought an antenna yesterday and it's already installed. We may even add a streaming service or two but we'll still come out far ahead.
This week....
1. I bought 5 half gallons of milk for $0.88/gallon and 28 pounds of cherries for $1.97/lb. The milk has been made into the most delicious Greek yogurt I have ever had in the instant pot. If you have not made your own yogurt yet I sincerely recommend it. We will save quite a bit with this as store bought yogurt is $1.00/5 ounces and I made 32 ounces for $0.90 including the starter I had to buy. Cherries are pitted and will be made into pie filling and frozen for eating later in the year.
2. Garden harvest. We are harvesting about half a bushel of tomatoes each day along with green beans, peppers of all kinds, field peas, herbs, squash. I am canning diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, and peppers. We are freezing green beans, pesto, and field peas (once harvested).
3. My husband got an unexpected raise and the additional funds will go straight to our savings account.
4. We received half a dozen eggs from a friend's chickens and were invited to swim in their neighborhood pool.
5. We paid off credit card balances, ordered school supplies using a 25%, haggled with Express Scripts over medicines sent in error and received a credit on our account, used Flex spending to cover prescription costs, and I scheduled my annual physical appointment.
Happy Tuesday!
So...just in case you aren't aware, you can get glasses from Zenni optical for less than $15/pair (depending on frames, prescription, add-ons, etc...). I get mid-range lenses in inexpensive frames and have never paid more than $30/pair. I haven't bought glasses from an optician (or even Costco) for probably a decade. You just need a prescription that your eye doctor verifies.
I see Zenni mentioned often, yet I have an extremely strong prescription, like probably in the top 95% of near-sighted glasses wearers, with progressive lenses, (what used to be called tri-focals. I find the name "progressives" amusing).
Has anyone used Zenni for very very strong prescriptions?
@Profesora H-B, so funny, I just sent basically the same post as you. Love Zenni optical.
@Heidi Louise, I have two brothes who are both very near sighted (not sure if they are as near sighted as you.) Both use Zenni. I think with the extra services, my brothers have paid $45-55 a pair. My brother said "they are so cheap, even if you mess up, they are still a great "spare pair." But, he didn't mess up (glasses were fine) and one brother has ordered around 7 different pairs to leave at work, by his bed, by his desk, in his boat, in his car etc. Don't forget the prescription sun glasses.
@Heidi Louise, my prescription is pretty high and my lenses would be super thick "coke bottle" type, but even paying for the more expensive thinner lenses with Zenni my glasses were less than $100.
@Heidi Louise, I have always wondered about this. How do you decide what lens type to use? I have a really strong prescription and last time I tried this my lens was so thick that it distorted my vision. I ended using my local optician and getting a totally different lens.
Thank you all for your comments. A tiny deviation in the fit of my glasses can cause a problem, (as it is, the last two times I have got new lenses, they had to be sent back to the lab to have small adjustments made to them). I am not sure Zenni would be the right place for me.
Though having more than one pair of glasses would be a great fun!
This is my concern too; one of the cheap pairs of glasses I tried in the past seemed not quite right, as if the prescription was a little off. So then I've been nervous to try again!
1) My hubby and I attended a week of religious meetings held in our area by a nonprofit ministry. It was like a free date for us, plus kinda like a campmeeting (which our campmeeting was cancelled due to COVID) and was so much fun!
2) My niece and her hubby came up from Florida to attend these meetings, and stayed with us. Free lodging and food for them, a free visit for me since I didn’t have the expense of driving to Florida to see them!
3) Another niece is living with us for the summer while she works on the campus of our local college where she is a student. My sister and hubby drove up to see her—completely unrelated to the meetings, but it ended up being like a mini family reunion.
4) Both nieces were given flowers, which they placed in a vase on the kitchen counter for all to enjoy. So kinda like free flowers for me as well! 😉
5) For lunch that weekend we ended up having 13 people over to our house. I served Haystacks, which are kinda like a Taco Salad. Everyone goes through line and just adds to their “stack” the food items they like, so it is perfect for those with food allergies who need to avoid certain things. Some of the people coming brought some of the ingredients, so that helped. I also used my regular plates and silverware and cloth napkins. No added expense, plus there were plenty of willing hands to help clean up!
Pictures and more on my blog at:
https://chickadeecove.blogspot.com/2021/07/frugal-friday-week-of-july-4-10-2021.html
Looking forward to reading what everyone is up to!
~Susan M. in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Order a cheap pair of glasses from Zenni Optical (online). If you have a copy of your eye prescription, you can get a pair of glasses super cheap. My son is near sighted & I paid $17 for a pair including anti glare & anti scratch. I did get discount coupons for my first visit. These are made in China and took around 10 days to get delivered. My son has been wearing them for almost two years with zero problems. You can upload a picture of yourself to the website and then "try on" different frames to see how they would look on your face!
@Susan, I've ordered several pairs of glasses from Zenni and can't beat the price. (Mine are more expensive since they're transitional bifocals, so each pair runs around $100, which is still an excellent deal for glasses and frames.) Love them.
PS. Mine were shipped from Ohio, so maybe their location has changed?
My son scratches his lenses a lot. My eye place will replace the lenses once a year under warranty. I'm not sure if that is an insurance thing, the eye place I go to, or what, but it wouldn't hurt to call and ask.
1. I received two free Kind Thins bars in the mail.
2. I used a Redbox code to rent a free movie. Haven't done that in a couple of years!
3. I took advantage of the semi-annual sale at Bath & Body Works to buy several Christmas gifts for my daughter. I saved $23.36.
4. I bought a 12 pack of Scott toilet paper at Walgreen's using a $1.25 digital coupon, a $1 digital coupon and a $3 reward. I paid just 24 cents.
5. My friend and I curb picked a cargo carrier and a TV cabinet. She has them listed on FB and will share the money with me if they sell.
6. I've found 17 cents so far in July.
I just made some ice cream sandwiches for my son's birthday. I have no idea how much the breakdown in cost of making them versus buying them, but the homemade ones must be cheaper. Although I really just made them because said son thinks everything homemade is better and asked me to try.
Our neighbor called me to ask if I wanted to pick the apricots from his tree. Uhhh, YES! His house is half a mile from ours, but our tree didn't even bloom this year, thanks to a late and very hard extended freeze. We got a few pounds today, but there are lots more that will be ripe in the next week or so. In return, the neighbor will get a loaf of sourdough bread and a jar of the jam I'll make from the apricots.
Another neighbor dropped off two (live) roosters that were causing problems in her daughter's flock and that the daughter didn't want to butcher. It's going to be a big week of canning apricot jam and chicken stock . . .
I found three of the four pairs of gym shoes I need for the coming school year on ThredUp. Buying two pairs of sneakers every year for each kid (the gym ones have to stay in the gym and can't be worn outside at all, so they need another pair for just everyday wearing) is a serious hit with four kids, so any that I can find used is a big help. Even getting the "like new" ones is soooo much cheaper than actually buying new.
1. Found a giant zucchini hidden under a leaf. Used it to make zucchini latkes, one of my all time favorite meals. Ate latkes for dinner and then breakfast and lunch the next day! Used up a bunch of eggs, too. Cheap, filling, tasty, pretty healthy...
2. Picked honeyberries and rhubarb and made a pie. My husband does not like either one of those but I do, plus they are one of the few fruits that come back year after year in northern Alaska. But put on some sugar and amaretto, encase them in a pie crust and suddenly he loves them. Cheap dessert.
3. A friend loves this tomato and feta cheese dish I make. She asked to come over instead of meeting someplace else, and asked if she could bring the feta and I would use garden tomatoes and make the dish. Perfect! And it made so much that we ate it for two other meals.
4. Needed some parts to fix our shower and it ended up costing a lot. Went to Safeway and bought Home Depot gift cards to cover the cost and it gave us enough gas points to get a dollar a gallon off.
5. Filled the tank and brought two 5 gallon cans and filled them as well, to make sure we used up the entire 25 gallon allotment, to take maximum advantage of the dollar off.
6. Library, library, library.
1. My dad's scanner died when the AC adaptor overheated and I googled the make/model to find this was a known problem. I contacted customer support, sent in a few photos of the damage and today he received a newer model replacement scanner! He would not have thought to do this himself, so I'm glad I could help him get another one for free.
2. My husband received an unexpected "responsibility allowance" at work for taking on more tasks left by a coworker leaving the company. The amount more than covers what we just spent on a 2 bathroom remodel and drywall repair from the Texas freeze in February AND a majority of the medical bills from an unexpected surgery I just had a few weeks ago. (AND also thankful for good medical insurance and access to an excellent medical system in Houston)
3. My church community bringing meals for our family for the past few weeks as I have recovered from surgery. I'm recovering well, but have lifting restrictions so it's nice not to worry about cooking for another 2 weeks. Plus our grocery bills have decreased this past month!
4. Library books! And being able to enter the libraries again!
5. Gave away a bunch of sample paints I got when deciding on wall colors during our bathroom remodel, had my kids go through their closets to purge clothes to be donated, sharing our collection of puzzles with another family, buying more Forever Stamps before the price increase next month.
Five Frugal Things as life is returns to normal —
1) My husband has started traveling again for work. This week I’m getting creative with leftovers so my grocery shopping will be kept to a minimum.
2) Since I’m no longer cooking every night, I’m doing some “investment cooking.” I have made chicken stock, stuffed peppers, and made filling for Sloppy Joe’s. I have frozen these assets to use later when life is busy.
3) I used a referral that a family member gave me when I rejoined the YMCA. We both will receive 20% off our membership for a year.
4) I scanned a backlog of receipts to Fetch. I now nearly have enough points for a $20 gift card.
5) My daughter wanted to visit a local museum and garden when she was home. We arranged our schedules to go on Tuesday afternoon when it is free to the public.
Have a happy and frugal week everyone!
Road Trip edition:
1. We walked around as an activity.
2. Drank water, packed veggies and homemade cookies for the trip.
3. For meals on the go, we went to grocery store. Found cooked pulled chicken for $2.45 at the deli, paired with fruit, super frugal and healthy.
4. When I travel, instead of buying overpriced, useless souvenirs, i buy something I need or grocery items that I can’t get back home. (For ex: Himalayan salt, Local beer, coffee beans, etc)
5. Keep a running list of things on your phone you need or really want then that way when you receive gift cards, you can use them effectively.
This has been an ongoing summer project, but I painted my mom's old dresser white and this past week I painted the bedside table (after finally having A) enough time to do this and B) working up courage to try it!). My daughter will get a much sturdier dresser now (I've been waiting for the paint to cure before we put it in her room). I'm finding myself looking around at other pieces of furniture and thinking, hmmm, what color could YOU be painted? 🙂
We finally installed the Roku that I got my hubby for Father's Day. I'm loving it. Probably more than my husband is. Ha. The installation and set-up was pretty easy for us low-tech types and we love the many options we have for tv viewing!
Used our season pass to take my daughter and her friend to the beach. Packed lunches instead of buying them (although we did get ice cream on the way home--but the place we go to has huge cones--a junior-sized cone literally starts melting before you can finish it!).
1. I make my own paneer for Indian food and the result is curds for the paneer and liquid whey. By freezing the whey in ice cubes and 1 cup portions, I can use it to make smoothies and add to sauces.
2. We noticed a $5 device protection charge on our phone bill for an old inactive phone, so we removed the protection plan.
3. I was tempted to get Mexican take out last Friday night, but reminded my self that our home cooking is better and that I could wait to buy the meat this week to make carne asada.
4. The farm box we get weekly has bunches of beets recently. I use the beet greens in a beet salad, so nothing goes to waste.
5. Planning a vacation and decided to drive and make an adventure out of it, rather than flying.
1. I had a great week with Buy Nothing. I picked up a brand new robot kit off Buy Nothing that will be a Christmas present for my son. I picked up a few packs of queezable yogurts and 3 pairs of shoes for next year, off Buy Nothing, for my daughter. I also picked up a book that I had been wanting to read off Buy Nothing. I also gave away a bunch off stuff on Buy Nothing this week.
2. My husband fixed his car, which saved us about $400
3. I found 3 baskets at someone's curb that will be used for toys and fit perfectly on the shelves in our playroom
4. I submitted for our childcare FSA and realized I hadn't done so in a while, so there was a nice chunk of money in there
5. Turned frozen bread scraps into baked french toast, which fed both my kids breakfast for 6 days. I made pesto using basil and garlic from our garden, leftover parmesan cheese, and some almonds from the cupboard. I put the pesto over some red quinoa my mom gave me. It will be my lunch all week. I have been making cold coffee at home, which curbs my urge to buy a cup during the day.
I just wanted to let you know that around Thanksgiving Zenni Optical which is an online store has a sale of 20%-25% off the whole order which is excellent. I have been buying from them for years and I very happy with my purchases. They have a great selection of frames and lenses. You were talking about needing to get glasses.
1. Growing tomatoes. 2. Tjmaxx for a good dress. 3. Soup...home made...froze 10 servings...gets better each time I eat it. 4. Salad of sliced orange...sliced peach..sliced avacado...topped with blue cheese and sesame seeds. Yum. 5. Pay neighbor to take me to Dr appointments
My five-
1) Breakfast this morning with a group that I have not seen since 2019! I am drinking my coffee now and will order water with my meal.
2) Making my packing list for vacation- that includes the peanut butter and jelly for our lunches while on the road.
3) Confirmed the reciprocity list for zoo membership and local museum - we will check out a new zoo and science museum on vacation for free and 50% off!
4) Check into memberships at local zoos and museums- We only need to go twice at the zoo and once at the museum and the membership is paid for. Great when you need a fun family activity and do not want to spend additional funds- The museum is great for an unexpected rainy day or snow day.
5) Swapping mowing and pet sitting with the neighbor - They went on vacation earlier this year and will help us out when we are out of town. Cheaper than boarding and lawn service!
1. Remembered to take my little canteen to work so I could refill it from the water cooler instead of having to buy it bottled. Now that we are going back to the office on a regular part-time basis starting next week I will bring a cup from home to leave there again.
2. Renewed my library card online so I can reserve physical books again.
3. Invested in an aerobic step to use at home instead of paying monthly fees to a gym. I needed one for physical therapy for my leg and will use it for general exercise as well.
4. Waited until chocolate went on sale at my local Walgreen to get what I had been craving.
5. "Shopped" my closet when I was tempted to buy clothes and saw I really didn't need to buy anything, just needed to restyle what I already have.
1) Consolidated two higher interest loans to a single 4% interest rate-this will accelerate our pay off.
2) Sat down with the budgets for the next three months to make sure all the occasional expenses were accounted for...
3)Before we left for our trip, threw all the bread left in the bread drawer in the freezer so we could eat it when we got home.
4)Am teaching summer school for the month of July.
5)Downsized my regular SB order from Grande to Tall.