Five Frugal Things | Hi, I'm Christen Crow
1. I got a free Firehouse sub because my name is Kristen
Apparently, Firehouse Subs has been doing a promotion where if your name starts with a certain combo of letters, you can get a free sub.
A reader emailed me last week to tell me that the letters of the day were Kr!
I definitely qualified for that, so I stopped in on my way home.
But hilariously enough, when I had called in my order, the dude who took it got my name SERIOUSLY wrong: Christen Crow.
That's not right on the first or last name.
He did let me have my free sub, though; my driver's license clearly says "KRisten". 😉
2. I got a free Chick-Fil-A salad
I had a bunch of points in my app, so I redeemed them for a free cobb salad.
If you like to eat at Chick-Fil-A, you really should get the app. It makes ordering so super easy, and you earn points fairly quickly.
Also, I have heard multiple CFA employees say that they love it when customers use the mobile app ordering, so if you wanna be kind to your CFA employees, use the app. 😉
I'm so used to in-app ordering now, it feels weird to ever place a drive-thru order through a loudspeaker!
3. I got three discounted months of Panera's Unlimited Sip club
I was gonna cancel after my two free months, but when I went to do so, they offered me three months for only $3.33/month.
That's a super good deal, so I clicked yes.
4. I saved my chicken frying oil for future use
I made some chicken fingers last night, and after I was done, I poured the oil through a strainer (to get rid of any crumbs), labeled the lid, and put the oil in the freezer.
Next time I make chicken fingers, I'll just grab this oil and add it to the pan; it's definitely good for another use.
5. I...
- canceled some Amazon Subscribe and Save items that we didn't need anymore
- found a book on eBay for a few dollars
- listed a schoolbook on eBay
- bought some groceries from Safeway's markdown rack
So glad you got that freezer so you can do things like freeze recycled oil!
My FFT:
1. Packed my lunch every day to my new job even though now I eat with other teachers instead of outside with woodland creatures who are much less likely to judge my Uncle Buck lunches. So far, they find me amusing.
2. Bought holiday gifts for all my new coworkers at Aldi. So happy to get beautiful, high-quality presents for next to nothing.
3. The retiring teacher whose classroom I am taking over is leaving all her stuff and transferring all her electronic teaching documents to me. It's like I hit some sort of teachers pay teachers lottery.
4. Pulled proteins out of the freezer for my husband to make dinners this week and was pleased to note that my supply of 50% off meats should last for quite some time which is good because I have less time for grocery shopping with my new schedule and often find myself shopping after most of the deals have been snapped up.
5. Washed my laundry on cold with only a small amount of detergent, but I did use the dryer because fresh warm clothes in winter is a small luxury I'm willing to pay for.
6. Scheduled dental appointments before the end of the year so that if anyone needs any work done, our deductible is already paid for the year.
Oooh, so nice to get the lesson plans from the other teacher. Wonderful!
1. There is not much couponing going on here in Norway, but there is some grocery apps that have them now and I think it’s fun. Saved 15% on butter and 20% on spread goatcheese.
2. Saved 40% on a drying rack from IKEA thanks to their Christmas calendar. Bought nothing else other than the things on my list.
3. Baking for Christmas. Didn’t need to buy anything other than the things in no. 1 and kefir.
4. Sold a dress NWT. When I packed it for shipping I tried to brand the moment in my brain. So hopefully I will remember that I never end up using any clothes that I buy at the local interior shop, now matter how good a sale it is.
5. Ate out of the freezer all week. Really wanted to get takeout as a treat for spending the weekend cleaning the house, but made tapas on Sunday for brunch. Thanks to a perfect aioli it was delicious.
@Gunn from Northern Norway, I love your comment, “I tried to brand the moment on my brain”. I do that for my seemingly recurring money bumbles as well!
1. Mostly savings on food this week. I did a couple of Flash Food deals, for produce and chicken tenders. I also bought a $100 gift card at Lidl which should yield $20 off groceries in the future.
2. I ordered a dress from ThredUp for an upcoming wedding. It was less than $10 and shipping was free the day I ordered it.
3. I bought autumn themed jigsaw puzzles at Marshalls that were 50% off.
4. I bought an expensive item at Target using gift cards I bought at a discount.
5. Not-frugal but yet frugal. I thought a package of ground chicken was good until Dec 15 but it smelled funky when I was cooking it on the 12th so I looked at the package with my readers on and discovered the date was Dec 05. I threw the meat away, there was no way I was going to take a chance that we'd get sick.
@K D, doing anything that saves someone getting sick is always a frugal win.
@Ginger Bruce,
I figured $10 of ground chicken in the trash was a small price to pay for avoiding the chance of sickness. Next time I'll put my readers on when I buy meat.
This week I:
*helped a son make a gift for his sister. He learned some sewing skills, and he didn't have to buy anything since we have a large fabric/notions stash (some inherited).
*made cookies instead of buying them. We didn't have the eyes(!) I thought we had, and instead of running out to a store, we just did without.
*cut hair-- 7 heads worth.
*didn't buy eggs when I really wanted to buy them. Instead we waited for a slightly cheaper price. (We eat a lot of eggs.)
*planned meals ahead of time. Mostly 😉
@Jody S.,
I've been looking for candy eyes that don't have artificial color in them and haven't been able to find them, so I was planning to make my own over the holiday break. I have not tried this yet, and hoping I don't end up with another can-shaped cranberry sauce situation, but the recipe looks pretty simple: https://www.danishfoodlovers.com/homemade-candy-eyes/
I bought liquid egg whites so they would be pasteurized and I plan to use cocoa powder to color the eyes instead of dye.
@Becca, thanks for sharing that recipe; it does look pretty simple. But is it wrong of me to wish for another cranberry sauce story? ;-D
@Becca, My frosting was all artificial-- and bright. Little (if any) of our food is colored, but for the fun of frosting the cookies, I just go for it. However, I am wondering how much this morning's rambunctious behavior is due to the colors (or the sugar).
@Jody S., I cannot imagine getting the energy to cut six heads of hair! I mean the mental energy to do it knowing that at any moment I could screw it up. It takes me days to work up the nerve to cut the husband's hair and I have been doing it for decades! But what a huge savings, to do 7 heads!!
@Lindsey,
I bet she has been hitting the frosting to be able to pull off all those haircuts!
@Bobi,
It is not wrong of you. That story was epic.
@Lindsey, It is my least favorite frugal job. I really dislike it because, even after doing this for almost 20 years (though I started with only one head), I don't know what I'm doing. It's so far from professional. My college boy had a request for his this time that I told him I just might not be able to pull off. So he took his money to town for a real haircut. He was afraid he'd offend me, but I assured him that I was completely sincere in not caring. (It was kind of like an early Christmas gift, in fact.)
@Becca, LOL! (Nope. Coffee maybe. I don't remember. I definitely often promise myself some little treat once I'm all finished.)
@Becca, OMG, you made me laugh all over again! your story was so funny. @Jody S. I admire your willingness to cut 7 heads of hair. I do cut my kid's hair, I think it goes much better since I stopped drinking 3 years ago - but I have the time to really cut and shave and even Style - not perfectly but we all are aware that it is just hair. I did just purchase some proper hair cutting scissors from Amazon. don't know if they are going to be an improvement over the random ones I have been using, looking forward to the chance to try them out!
@Bobi, I missed the cranberry sauce story; where can I read it?
@Jody S.,
Ithink it was in the wis wwa post right after Thanksgiving.
I love the sandwich story and I do love Firehouse. I have spent some $$ on myself this week, but I did get sale items and free shipping, and can you really count underwear and vitamins for yourself as gifts? I have been eating out of my freezer which serves the purpose of not wasting food, cleaning up some containers, and saving $ I would spend on take-out. Though I am tempted by the Chik-Fil-A app - my daughter swears by it!
I do the same thing with oil any time I use my fry baby, but I just use the fridge. I also save bacon fat!
Do not use Chick-fil-A if you are Gluten-free it has made me so sick from all their products.
1. I made and froze a batch of chicken stock with two carcasses I had in the freezer. I am trying to focus near zero food waste. Anytime I throw anything away, I see $$$$$.
2. Battled the pre-Christmas crowd at Costco and almost stuck to my list. I had DH along and he put a few random things in my cart. (He is frugally challenged) I also topped off my tank saving $0.14 a gallon.
3. My sister went out of town for a few days. I happily accepted her “clean out the frig items.” I can always use lemons, butter lettuce, and fresh herbs.
4. Not frugal for me but frugal for my son and DIL. I took care of my sweet grand baby yesterday while DIL went to the doctor. Have I mentioned he is absolutely adorable.
5. I gave a way a beautiful vintage tree skirt on Buy Nothing. Neither my daughter or DIL wanted it. I had 15 people respond. I drew a name at of a pile. It made me feel really bad that I only had one.
Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas and Happy Chanukah!
1. This is kind of a big one... we got a free dog!! We were planning to get a dog in the spring (our last one died in February) and I learned that a friend was looking to re-home for 4yo labradoodle. She's about to have another baby and her husband just got a job that involves travel, so Miggy needed a new family. He's fully trained, not a puppy (!), and a great family dog. I figured that we'd have to pay a few hundred dollars when we got a dog, so it was an unexpected blessing to get one for free. My friend was so thankful to have him join our family instead of have to go to a rescue and it was a win for everybody!
2. Miggy is crate-trained and my parents had a crate they were no longer using. It's way bigger than we need, but they gave it to us for free! I think that someday we'll either get a smaller crate or move this one to a different room, but it works for now.
3. My favorite deodorant (Dove 0% aluminum) unexpectedly rang up as $1.49 instead of $7.19. I finished checking out, went back, and purchased the remaining four that they had at $1.49/piece.
4. I called in to a radio trivia contest and won a $100 gift card to a local grocery store!! This is where my optimism kicks in... I think I can actually win things like this. Ha!
5. We went to McDonald's before a drive-through lights display on Saturday (a playplace before sitting in the van for an hour is always a nice option) and I used points from the app to get a free Happy Meal. Then my parents joined us in our van so we could not only enjoy the experience together, but also pay for one car instead of two.
@Ruth T, Having a baby and traveling means she has to get rid of her dog? I'm glad he has a home with you now, but it always stuns me the reasons people give away family members.
@Rose,
those were my thoughts precisely!
@Rose,
It's their fifth child and the dog needs a lot of attention and exercise. Lots and lots of exercise. With the kids and the travel job schedule, they aren't able to give him what he needs. He's a better fit for a family like ours. I'm not saying I'd make the same choice (though I honestly can't say because we don't have a job like that or a family like that, so I'm not in their shoes) but I understand where they're coming from.
@Ruth T, congratulations on your new pup! I am sure you will give him a great home.
@Sarah K, Thank you! We're very excited and thankful!
@Rose, If they felt they could not give their dog the care it needs, then rehoming might be better for the pooch than keeping it. I'm a 100% dog lover and have kept dogs under challenging circumstances but with one in particular, I will forever wonder if he would have been happier in a different home.
@WilliamB, rehoming family pets is always a hard decision. We did a trade one time. The dog we had was a better fit for their family and vice versa. Still was a hard choice.
@Ruth T, Congratulations on your new dog! I'm sure he will be very happy with your family. It's always nice to adopt a dog that is fully trained.
@Ruth T,
Congratulations on your new pup! I am glad that you received this blessing. Labradoodles can be rather energetic, but are intelligent and good natured. One of my neighbors had a Doodle. Coincidently, they had 4 children and were having a problem caring for and training the dog. They ended up giving their dogs to a group called K-9 for Warriors where she was trained. She now provides support for a ex- service woman with PTSD.
@Bee,
That sounds like an awesome organization!
The description of energetic, intelligent, and good natured is spot on. 🙂
@Ruth T, how exciting for you to get a grownup trained (!!) dog!. My current gal was a year old when we got her. Her family was devastated to have to give her up, but the new home they were moving to would only allow one dog, and they chose to keep their elderly 13 year old fellow. Skye has been a beloved addition to my life, and I will always be grateful that her family gave her to me - while aching that they had to make that difficult choice.
As for your McDonald's meal, have you considered using the app on two phones to get the offers twice? I have convinced my daughter to do this on the rare times we are together and going to get takeout - we both get discounted meals if we order separately!
and wow on all your wins and successes. Hope it rubs off on some of us
@Rose, I agree with you! However we picked up a four year old cat Phoebe almost a year ago. The family had a toddler and a newborn and was just overwhelmed. Well, we are the winners! We adore our Phoebe and are so happy she is with us!
I hope all who are celebrating have a happy Hanukkah and a cozy Christmas!
Frugal doings seem slim but:
1. Continued to use my Libby library app for free bookish entertainment.
2. Despite being super busy with work, I meal planned and made a grocery list which hubby shopped.
3. Let college daughter make the 9 hr drive home alone as she wanted instead of flying down and driving with her. She’s home for 5 weeks so wants her car. We tracked her location and she sent regular updates. She got home safely!
4. Loaning an air mattress to my friend for her holiday overflow. Frugal for her anyway!
5. I plan a family outing every holiday season, and this year there was a big show I wanted to do. I almost pulled the trigger on tickets that were $$$, but in the end sanity prevailed and I opted for a different plan.
I've been trying for months to keep our grocery budget under control and have been struggling (mostly because of inflation).... but so far this month, I'm way under due to getting creative with leftovers and eating out of the fridge and freezer and pantry and meal planning (new to me as I don't enjoy it). I've been trying to not grocery shop or shop very little and it's working. My nephew also dropped off 4 packages of mixed deer burger (deer and pork) from his deer he just got, so that was sweet! My dad stopped at my work one day and gifted me a half gallon of cider from a local place that made their last batch of the season....also sweet of him! I used a $5 off $30 purchase coupon at Aldi, ate leftovers for lunch when I was tempted to get takeout lunch on my day off.
My youngest daughter brought home some dog treats for our puppies....I had just run out so they came at a good time....her co-worker's dog couldn't eat them so they were shared around at the office for anyone who has dogs.
Made goodies for coworkers as gifts...they were well received.
FFT, Reindeer Games Edition:
(1) I caught one of our local Bambis eating the "Fiery Surprise" pepper-laced birdseed from Country Max out of one of my feeders before dawn today (not for the first time, I might add). I now know for sure that my own mix of regular birdseed and crushed red pepper from Ollie's is cheaper and works better than the FS, and will not purchase the FS again. (I also threw a snowball at the deer and came close enough to get some grim satisfaction out of that! Yeah, I know, I'm mean when it comes to the Bamboids.)
(2) I walked the holiday cards for neighbors and other nearby friends to their houses yesterday. Saved stamps and got some much-needed exercise.
(3) And I had enough cards on hand (left over from last year or sent by charities) that I didn't have to buy any new ones this year.
(4) I wrote an email of complaint to our local newspaper's circulation department about our current carrier, who hasn't been bothering to get our papers closer to our front steps than the ends of our driveways. With icy conditions like the ones we've recently been having, this is unacceptable. Helping myself and my neighbors, who are all getting up there in age, avoid possible broken bones is frugal. (I'd cancel my subscription if I weren't dedicated to the concept of supporting a hometown hard-copy paper.)
(5) And I've begun work on the annual Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors. This year's theme, as I may have mentioned earlier, is "Martha Does Vegas" in tribute to her new restaurant venture in the Paris Las Vegas complex. And as I may also have mentioned earlier, I found two Paris Las Vegas wineglasses at a thrift store to go with the calendar!
@A. Marie, I actually enjoy whipping pine cones at the deer who try to eat the ferals' food. We both know I can't throw worth a damn, so they mostly just look at me scornfully.
@A. Marie, I have very little sympathy for the deer. I have wrecked two cars in my lifetime and gleefully laugh during hunting season.
@A. Marie, and Rose and Chrissy I laughed at your deer comments. I have at least 5 deer under my belt from hitting them with my cars. (Plus one from another source.) Only one cost me the car. I don't have bird feeders for them to steal from, but I would love to see them. I moved and no longer see them. I think they are wonderful animals even when they don't get out of my way.
@A. Marie,
The commercial hot pepper/bird seed mixes didn't work for me against the squirrels, either. The Trinidad Scorpion pepper that my husband used to grow did, though. They wouldn't even touch it, which was a wise move on their part.
@JD, that Trinidad Scorpion sounds like something that'd be about a bajillion Scoville units in hotness. Did you have to wear rubber gloves to handle it? But if the Ollie's crushed red loses its effectiveness, I may have to look for something similar to the TS, either at the Indian grocery I sometimes shop at or at a Hispanic grocery.
@A. Marie, thanks for the chuckle! We just planted two peach trees a little over a year ago and they barely survived the winter with the deer nibbling on them. My husband would literally jump out of the house in his underwear to chase the deer away from "his" peach trees. We finally put a fence around them in the Spring.
@A. Marie,
At the time DH was growing it, it was considered the hottest pepper known, hotter than the Carolina Reaper, which he also grew. It may still be the hottest pepper, I don't know. Both kinds are over 2 million Scoville units. We used masks, goggles and gloves to handle them. Breathing it in is a really bad idea. I gave some of the powdered pepper to a co-worker who was interested in really hot peppers, and before I could stop him, he dipped a pinky finger in it and took a tiny taste. He coughed and choked and cried for a good half hour, and the people in the offices next to him started coughing, just from the powder molecules traveling to them. I told him NOT to open it inside and he didn't listen.
@Ginger Bruce, Take some of ours! NO I INSIST
Nina, I had the same problem with cardinals feasting on my cherries. My friend burst out laughing once while I was shooing them away, asking if I was about to be an old lady brandishing a broom at the birds. And then the cardinals would give me a "Who, me?" look as they waited nearby for me to go back into the house and eat the rest.
My most notable frugal effort in the past fortnight was all about the cookies. In the process of making 15 dozen cookies and 2 dozen frosted cupcakes, I used a lot of things that I had too much of:
- the entire pound of cocoa butter (this one took effort and working with cocoa butter is very different that working with butter or shortening);
- most of the shortening;
- all the raisins;
- some of the cashews;
- quick oats;
- all 5 bags Ghiradelli choc chips bought for $.75/12 oz bag;
- powdered sugar (but then I needed more, to avoid making cooked icing);
- rice krispies;
- molasses;
- powdered milk;
- oversupply of glitter, sprinkles, etc for decorating;
- 2 kits to decorate cupcakes like reindeer; and
- little Xmas gift bags and boxes from who knows when.
I should make my Buckeye Cookie variant, which uses shortening, powdered sugar, and powdered milk.
The adults in the family continue the tradition of not buying each other Xmas gifts.
Used my Powell's credit to buy many used books; bought the rest used as well.
Continued to donate carloads of stuff, so I don't have to move it.
@WilliamB, I love Powell's! Such a wonderful store to visit if you're ever in Portland.
@WilliamB, it’s amazing when you ask yourself, “Do I want to pack this up and move it?” The answer is often a resounding, “No!”
@WilliamB, you inspire me. perhaps tomorrow I pull out the random baking supplies and get some cookies made. Not feeling festive these days, that might help a lot!
@Ecoteri, If this helps - I chose my recipes specifically to use up ingredients I wanted to get rid of.
@Beth B., the problem I'm having is wondering if something I don't use now, will be useful in the new house.
We ate dinner at home every night last week, which is strange for us.
The butcher we found when we moved here is going out of business and has some of their remaining freezer meat listed for 50% off at a local store that is also going out of business. So I stocked up on some stuff on Saturday and my husband is going to go back tomorrow since we also have an additional freezer.
We have been burning wood since it has gotten cold. Today was the first day we had to use the heater in the AM because my husband didn't bring wood indoors last night as he worked later than normal. He has stocked the indoor pile that will be good thru tomorrow morning.
We've decided that this wood stove is not very energy efficient and will be purchasing a new one like we previously had in Upstate NY. The new one will be back ordered thru March, so we will have to use this inefficient one until then. It burns wood too fast, so we are going thru a lot of wood quickly, which is not good. It does, however, burn the coal very well and keeps the fire going. WV is coal country afterall.
I have been going to my cutting machine's website and downloading the free files that they have for the 12 days of Christmas (Silhouette Store in case anyone has a Silhouette machine). I have used quite a few of their free files in the past and have received a lot of complements on the projects. Yeah for free files!!!!
Needed some shelf brackets, so went to my husband's work where there is a family discount. Instead of the 2 brackets costing me $20., I ended up paying $5.00 for the brackets.
Happy Holidays all. Hopefully we will all get to travel this weekend for the Holidays and travel safely!
@Maureen, we live in Upstate NY and are just now on the schedule to get a wood stove installed. We have an oil furnace and I basically cry each morning I start it up. We didn't know much about oil for heating when we moved in and the prices now are just insane. Two years ago we were paying $1.99 per gallon, now its $6.17! But we didn't have the money to do the stove and the chimney repair we need to have done until I started my new job a few months ago, so now we're looking at end of January for installation, at best. Ugh
@Nina, where we lived around the Albany area, the houses were built in the 70's with electric everything -- including heat!!!! Apparently in the 70's electric heat was the cheapest option. The house did have a woodstove, but not a very good one at all. So we did invest $800 on a new stove. That was in 1999 and prices are now $2000-$3000 for the same stove in WV. I guess I'm just getting old in regards to prices!!! Luckily wood prices are a bit cheaper in WV than in NY.
A woodstove is a ton of work, but you will enjoy NOT having to pay $6.17 a gallon for oil.
I haven't commented on FFF in such a long time, but I'll try my best.
1. Using the early bird registration for my daughter's girl scout camp. Saves us $50.
2. Christmas is looking a bit different this year in terms of presents and where we go. We just don't have the funds to "do it big" this year. There won't be any traveling for us to visit family (since my dad now lives with us) and the number of presents for the kids is extremely different than years past. I am a firm believer that it is time they learn that the number of gifts they get to open is NOT the reason for the season.
3. My favorite work shoes are starting to chip apart. But I love them so much and they are all black, so I just got out a black marker and colored in where they were chipped.
4. I received two very generous clothing donations for our Ebay store. They are helping to keep our inventory stocked and some extra $ in our pockets to make ends meet.
5. I am preparing for girl scout cookie season. My daughter has set her goal for the # of boxes HIGH this year. I am very supportive of her goal and started creating booth decorations/signage out of items we had around home.
@Jenelle,
Congratulations! I think your children will grow up and look back with gratitude at the simple, sweet traditions you developed, without all the stuff. God bless you.
@Jenelle, In my family, *not* giving a gift is sometimes the present. We'd all rather have nothing than be given random dust-collectors because it's "supposed" to be a gift-giving occasion.
Hmmm....nothing is ever frugal around here. We don't have chain restaurants, etc.
Dug out from my enormous library several books of art nouveau motifs my daughter is going to use making a quilt for my mother.
Decided to tour through the Barchester novels again, free.
Put some shelves up in the kitchen myself instead of calling my handyman.
Pointed out to my garbage folks that the dumpster they'd picked up hadn't been full. It was a mistake. So they brought me back a slightly larger one to refill for free. So. Much. Clutter.
Only decorated the kitchen for Christmas. I've been too sick lately to put up the tree and the kids don't care.
I love the Chick Fil A cobb salad.
1) Sold a dresser for $150. It took longer than I wanted, as it was for heavy & hard to move, but it's finally out of my entry way!
2) Sold a few other random things on eBay, and gave away a few other items on Buy Nothing.
3) I have a "use 5 random ingredients from the freezer" challenge for December. So far, I've used: enchilada sauce, lasagna & enchiladas that have been in there forever, spinach, & most of a package of green onion pancakes. Progress!
4) I have also been really good about using up random fridge ingredients (topped the lasagna with a tiny amount of shredded cheese, used the last of the sour cream/tomaoes to serve with them as well, used a bunch of fridge items in some cranberry muffins, etc).
5) I signed up for double points day at the grocery store, and will earn a bit of extra, as we bundled some shopping to take advantage.
Hah! Christen Crow. Great name, sounds like the protagonist in an angsty teen book lol.
My FFT:
1. I got a Starbucks gift card as a gift from my boss, but I don't really enjoy most of the drinks they have. So I gave it to my husband for Chanukah! He loves Starbucks.
2. My parents are leaving town for two months, so we are gratefully accepting their perishables.
3. I made my parents some candied orange peel as a gift. It's actually really easy, and looks cute in a jam jar.
4. We didn't get any takeout in the last week. I'd planned to when I was working Friday night, but then got food poisoning and couldn't eat. Unintentionally frugal (and I'd rather be healthy and eat takeout) but yay for meal-planning!
5. Unintentionally frugal, but my husband went to buy me some fancy lotion as a gift, not knowing that it's ridiculously expensive--like, $90 per small bottle. He asked at the kiosk if they had any, and the worker just handed him two bottles and said to take them for free!
You're right! It totally sounds like a YA character!
Not frugal but a finance win. I posted a comment a while back about a huge E.R. bill we had for a potential rabies exposure in the USA. Our health insurance didn't cover much but after an extremely slow process have finally got confirmation that our travel insurance will cover it. Am so grateful.
@Anon, That's so good to hear; that was awful - glad your insurance perseverance paid off!
@Anon,
Yay!!! I know you were stressed about that! So glad it's settled!
Christian Crow? I have to laugh at that. I have the Firehouse app but I've yet to catch them using J names. I might have missed seeing it, I suppose. I would enjoy a free sandwich, because they have gluten-free bread options.
1. My boss handed me a gift card for the spa downstairs from our office (it's a real spa, not a "spa") since all the other employees, who are all male, were taken to an out of town NFL game and I didn't want to go. The card is for $250!
2. I put my purchase of a year's supply of contacts and a pair of new glasses on my cash back card, then paid it off. That gives me more reward points for my next statement.
3. I ordered a new freezer at last. If all goes well - and these days, it may not - I should have it shortly after Jan. 1. I ordered one that was on sale, used a gift card to save another $15, possibly got free shipping (where I live, free shipping is not guaranteed, even if the website says you will get it), and earned $40 back in Swagbucks.
4. I was waiting on one last gift that I ordered from Vermont, and I noticed in my shipping app that it had stopped in Orlando and stayed there for 10 days (!). I put in a service request with the post office. It turns out the package got left off the truck headed for Orlando and was living instead in exile in New Hampshire, where apparently, it hadn't occurred to anyone at that postal facility to go ahead and get it on another truck to Florida. My service request got them moving, though, and after a sight-seeing tour of New Jersey, the package is now basking in sunny Jacksonville. I have hopes of its cutting its vacation short in order to come to my house by Christmas Eve, though. I had thought about buying another gift, so I'm glad I pushed on locating that package instead of spending last minute desperation money on a new gift. And I'm glad we can track our own packages now! I remember too well the days of just waiting and wondering.
5. After a few years of doing the holiday differently, we will be having the holiday meal at my house again on Christmas day. I look forward to pulling out my old crystal, china and silverware and using the fancy-ish cloth tablecloth and napkins again. Those things are not needed to have a wonderful meal, of course, but I've owned these for decades and I love to use them. They keep me from buying Christmas-themed disposables every year, too.
@JD, what is the difference between a "real spa" and a "spa"?
I love how you describe how your package is traveling. "Sight-seeing tour in New Jersey" and "basking in sunny Jacksonville" great word pictures. Are you an author?
@Ginger Bruce, if JD isn't a published author, she ought to be!
And I too enjoyed JD's #4 about the travels of her package. The Christmas box I sent to JASNA BFF in New York City a few years ago ended up taking an unscheduled vacation in Texas. Don't ask.
@Ginger Bruce and A.Marie,
Why thank you both! No, the only things I've authored are devotionals for a church newsletter, some fairy tales when I was a kid, and creative writing papers for college. Occasionally, like my late mother, I'll write poetry, but it's just for the family.
Ginger Bruce, By a spa, I mean one that gives massages, facials, relaxation rubs, scalp rubs, sells often-organic beauty products and has a light, open, relaxing atmosphere. By "spa" I mean the ones that should be raided by police and always have their windows and doors covered in big posters so that you can't see the customers going in and out, or the girls working there. The kind that like to advertise on big billboards along the interstate.
I had to have some fun with the the Travels of My Package; it was either that or throw something against a wall in frustration.
Hmmm, five frugal things: I buy our Missouri Conservationist Calendar every year. It has daily natural events like what's in bloom or what is having young, or what fish are spawning, etc. It is usually $9.75. Today it is $4.77. I bought two. Not so frugal, ordered out at Dominos but it makes for three meals and got a free two topping pizza coupon for again this week if I want. Bought gas in the town where I work which is ten miles from where I live. Same brand gas station is $.04 cheaper. Good: stuck to my list in one store with no impulse buying. Not so good: the next store I did do some impulse buying but in an effort to cook meals at home the next three days with celebrating the holidays even if by myself. I work the holiday weekend which is okay. I am a nurse and work nights in a nursing home. So I really am spending it w family.
@Chrissy, re: your "I am a nurse and work nights in a nursing home": Bless you, on behalf of all the patients and families you work with. If it wasn't for the staff working on all shifts at my DH's nursing home, I'd be a basket case by now. You and your colleagues are more important, and deserve far more credit and pay, than most people realize.
@A. Marie, Thank you. We just went through our second siege of COVID with a lot less angst than the first one in 2020 and looser government rules and ideas based on fact rather than what-ifs. We hope to have everything back to "normal" before the holiday. It is an honor and privilege to care for our elders. I could hope that more people would realize and aid our staff shortages.
Kristen, that's your super hero name! 😀
My Five Frugal Things are more a matter of keeping on keeping on:
1. We switched from buying pet food and treats online to making a very short trip across the state line to a farm supply store to stock up. In addition to saving almost 4% on sales tax, we did not pay a delivery fee and saved $12 on dog food and cat treats. It was a little more work, but worth the effort.
2. My husband needed a new pair of shoes. We checked the Merrell website and tried to order a pair for $89, but for whatever reason the order would not go through. I checked a retailer with stores in Florida, so not very far away for shipping, and the same pair of shoes was $71. Score!
3. Retrieved my son's old boom box from the depths of his room and set it up in the kitchen to play CDs. Since retiring, I don't commute and don't listen to the CDs in the car.
4. Checked the electric company's website for off-peak time in the winter and have been doing our laundry during that time. Still rack drying as much laundry as possible.
5. Locally sewer charges are tied to water use and will go up 9.6% -- they are already at least three times the cost of water -- if a household hits the second tier of water usage. So I have been hand-washing some dishes to keep use of our dishwasher down to once a day or less.
@Ruby, depending on how water efficient your dishwasher is, it may be more efficient than hand washing. Not, of course, for 1 or 2 things, but rather hand washing the equivalent amount vs using the dishwasher. We're in California, where water is very pricey, so I've mapped all of this out to understand which is more efficient! Some models also offer the ability to just wash the top rack, or express runs, which can also use less power & water.
Other ideas, now that I'm on a water saving roll: consider putting a container in your shower, to catch the warm up water. We use ours to water our plants in the summer, and reduce our water.
Yep, what I have read in multiple places is that the dishwasher beats handwashing every time, even if you are not running a full load.
@Hawaii Planner, FG, it depends on how you do your hand dishes. My roommate uses very little. He starts with very little water in the sink, runs the water only when rinsing and the (hot) rinse water runs into the sink to become part of the washing water.
—New year, new paper planner! I’m picky about the format I like—full months with plenty of room in the dates to write and pages for notes in the back—and found a winner for $7 (50% off!) at Barnes & Noble. They should still have planners for 50% off, for anyone else whose memory works best with pen and paper.
—Speaking of loving planners with room for notes, **ALL** the info for our new house is in the back of this year’s planner. I needed it on hand when traveling to/staying at the house and tackling pre-move-in projects for two months. (Utilities switch on —-. The floor has to be down by —- because the relative with the truck for appliances is here on —-. Don’t forget —- because it’s an hour away! Etc.) I recopied everything to a plain notebook now dedicated only to house miscellany: service providers with contact and account info, maintenance dates, etc. The notebook (which I already had) now lives next to the other house paperwork in our records cabinet. My ongoing “If my right-brained self is hit by a bus, can my left-brained husband find/make sense of things?” mission continues.
—Our first winter gas/heating bill came in at $82—not bad at all! The gas company was able to tell me the house’s averages* under the previous owner—$60 in summer, $100+ in winter—so we’re nailing it after our own summer average of $40. I’m curious to see how much next month’s bill changes, if at all, with us using the oven now. The thermostat stays at 65, which is plenty in our cozy castle. After a very lovely but VERY drafty apartment, having it actually feel 65 when we tell the thermostat 65 is downright magical!
*Since gas was previously included with our rent, I wanted an idea of what we were in for. Again with those copious planner notes! 😛
—I returned $40 worth of unused and still packaged items that we’d bought for the house but then realized we didn’t actually need. Thankfully we were still in the return period for everything! On the whole, I’d say only 5% of our “new house needs random thing” spending has been a loss / ill-advised / not returnable.
—A friend invited me to accompany her while she shopped for gifts this past weekend. Since I already had everything for everyone, I only spent out for lunch and Vietnamese coffee ($12, which also filled a punch card for a free banhwich) and a new-to-us/needed soup pot at Goodwill ($10). We had a perfectly marvelous day together--it was so good to catch up!
I haven't ever owned a dog but yes, I agree, sometimes rehoming a pet can be a matter of trying to do what is best for the pet, even if it breaks your heart.
And in a case like that, it's a sign of a kind pet owner.
@Kristen, Sorry, I can't agree. People should figure out ways to incorporate their pets into their lives. Many good friends of mine work in rescue, and it's overburdened and heartbreaking. To put a pet in rescue in anything other than dire circumstances is not OK by me. And so many people use "we had a baby" as an excuse. And? I adopted a puppy when my son was two months old because I missed having two dogs so much. People should just adjust their circumstances instead of treating pets like they're disposable. Oh! A friend of mine's rescue had a dog in foster and the dog's former owner was upset he was living outside in a kennel. I said, "Why did you give him up?" Because he's an energetic Lab puppy and kept knocking her "grandbaby" down. Mmmmmmaybe figure that out beforehand? Put the puppy in another room when the "grandbaby" is over? But nope, discarded like trash. Sorry. Hot button for me because I see the other end.
@Rose, have a little consideration, would you please? There are times when it is the best choice or even the only one. Changes in circumstances can be unforseeable and unavoidable. What if someone is in an accident? Discovers a family member has cancer and will need long-term treatment and recovery? Spouse gets Alzheimers? Gets pregnant with twins, gets preeclampsia, and will be on bedrest for months? Has a baby who will need years of care? A family member becomes allergic. I agree that some people made bad choices but don't tar everyone with that brush.
We got a dog when I was 5. When I was 5.5, my mother was diagnosed with 2 separate cancers - both stage 3. She was in treatment and recovery for over a year, in facilities 5 hrs away. When I was 7, my 11 yo brother was hit by a car and his thigh shattered into a hundred pieces. He was in the hospital for 3 months, a full-body cast for a full year, and physical therapy for another year. The only reason we could keep our dog was those were the days of letting your dog run free outside till she decided to return. If this happened today, what would you suggest we do?
@WilliamB, I have no idea what your circumstances are or were so I can't say. Where you lived, your family income, whatever. Hire a dogwalker. Fence in the yard and add a doggie door to the house. There are always ways if you try to solve them.
My BFF is dying of cancer and would never countenance getting rid of her dog, never mind "family member." The "become allergic" thing I think is hooey. If someone is allergic, don't get a pet. "Become allergic" is most of the time an excuse and even if it's not there are ways around it. Again, literally every one of you answers could be worked out if people want to, but they don't, because they think animals are disposable.
Rose, I love you to the moon and back, AND I do not feel chill about the tone of this comment.
You are totally free to have your opinions, but to express them in a way that is dismissive of other people is not ok with me. It's not the vibe we shoot for here, and one of the big reasons I think you should care about that (other than that it's just more wonderful to be somewhere where people are kind!): you are WAY more likely to win someone over if you present your view in a way that is kind and understanding, rather than shaming.
If you feel strongly about this issue, you don't want to alienate the people that are your target audience, you know? Shaming people or ridiculing them is not very likely to bring about the change you so want to see.
Again: opinions are fine. I just need you to state them more gently if you want to share them here.
@Rose, I hope your world is always as absolute as you think it is, and that people show you charity and grace.
@Rose, “The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-develop-allergies-later-in-life/
I don't have many frugal things this week BUT this past Sunday, we saw the Nutcracker. I scored Groupon tickets for it. Seats were great.
Then we went to the hospital to visit my mom. We got both our meals & my mom's soup for less than $16. That's a score & a cheap date 😉
I got a refund on forty pounds of flour I ordered on Amazon that were unusable due to them smelling and tasting like detergent. What is up with this? I encounter this more and more, and it's so irritating. My theory is that the prevalence of artificially scented products mean it's hard to keep things like flour that absorb fragrance easily away from the scented things in warehouses and trucks, but still. Now I'm without usable flour in the week before Christmas, when I would normally be using many pounds of it.
Sorry. That was more a rant than a frugal thing, but I guess I did get my money back. 🙂
I went to Aldi for the first time. I've been following you for 10 years and they just built one a few towns over. 100% worth the 35-minute drive. I am hosting 8 different Christmas dinners/lunches so I was able to stock up!
I did pretty well this time (getting a little tennis elbow from patting myself on the back, lol)!
1. We dropped the Disney channel. We only watch it when my granddaughter comes to spend a few days with us, and as she is school age and engaging in other activities now, that only happens during school breaks or if she or her mom is ill. We still have satellite with Roku and Netflix, so there are still plenty of options for her and us.
2.Switched phone carriers. Decreased our bill by $56/mo. My phone is only 3 years old, and hubby's is only 2, so we declined their "free smart phone" offer, that basically ties you to them for 2 years.
3. Found another gift card from last year in a drawer, so was able to tip our mower man without putting out more money.
4. Had enough of a variety of leftover Christmas cards from years past to send out this year without purchasing more. And two of the boxes were bought on sale after the holidays last year. I still have probably 10 left.
5. Cashed in just over $40 from Ibotta, which is allowing me to contribute a toy for a needy family I found out about in my BN group.
6. Hope you can follow this one: I needed to order another pair of pants for hubby for Christmas, as I'm not positive the size I ordered was correct, and we can always return the extra pair. Fortunately, Macy's still had the pants on sale for 66% off, but at $24.99, the purchase was ONE PENNY away from free shipping. I saw that shipping for the pants would be $10.95, so I figured I could add something under that amount to my order, and it would be free as would shipping. It isn't easy to find something I need for that small amount at Macy's, but I got a wooden spoon to replace an old one that was splitting.
7. FINALLY, after 8 months of dealing with the Phillips company, got the billing for my husband's Lifeline button corrected. Have talked to at least a dozen people on almost as many occasions til someone finally understood and had the authority to change things. They've been overcharging me since day one AND costing me check processing fees, as I refused to initiate Auto Pay until they got the billing corrected. The new bill should drop today, so I will know exactly how much it will save me soon, but I figure it will be around $16/mon.
That name sounds like some up and coming TikTok star. But I am glad you got your free sub. This looks like an awesome week of free food. And we all know that free food tastes a bit better. My frugal finds this week:
1. Got Pizzaology after a dropping off a pt in Las Vegas and have made it last three meals by supplementing with already-in-the-fridge soup and salad
2. Used an old pandemic gift for nurses to get 20% off a Yeti tumbler for a Christmas gift
3. Bought discounted Christmas ornaments at Target (We finally caved in a got a fake tree as real trees are $100+ where I live but our new tree is 2ft taller than our standard trees, so I had more real estate to fill)
4. Window shopped without buying anything. My husband and I usually get ourselves one nice Christmas gift with our bonuses (and a set amount) and I took myself to the fancy mall by me with the intention of a self care day. Didn't buy a thing. Just walking around and looking at the amazing storefronts and decorations scratched the itch.
5. Used by all my leftovers and fridge odds and ends. Made an amazing soup and a few "scrap dinners" as I call them. Does this mean I am going to have a big grocery shopping soon? Yep. But that is after the holidays Heather's problem.
I washed my down coat in my washing machine and then took it to a place with driers. It took a cycle of 50 minutes and 7,50 Euro and my coat smells lovely, is clean and fluffy. I do not like dry cleaning. It is expensive, bad for the environment and instead of water and soap they do the "cleaning" with all sorts of chemicals. Brrrrr
Of course I line-dry all my laundry since I do not own a dryer. When the old one broke beyond repair I was very happy to get rid of it.
I accepted a wonderful high quality coat from a friend. She bought it two years ago and never wore it because it never did really fit her! I was looking for a winter coat for was with the dogs. Luckily I was too lazy to look for one in the shops. I simply hate any kind of shopping. It bores me and I find it really exhausting.
My dog got sick on Sunday night to the point it was life threatening. So I rushed to a clinic. The dog had to stay there for 24 hours, they ran many tests which all came out OK and he got all sorts of medication. It was probably some kind of poisoning. The vet thinks he must have picked up some rotten and/or moldy stuff on the street.
The whole thing cost 860 € but that's money I paid gladly for the well being of my dog!
Readers here mention their cookie baking as frugal - so I include this as well. It would never occur to me to buy cookies. As it has been the tradition for some 16 years now my nephew came (this time with his new girlfriend 🙂 ) and we spent almost some 8 hours baking many different sorts of traditional Christmas cookies. He will come again on Thursday for some more baking!
As mentioned in an earlier post I created some kind of budget. But somehow I don't really see the point in doing so. For decades I spend what I spend, never go into debts and there is always something left for saving. I never ever had an overdraft in my life.
What I did do is TRACK my spending for the month of December. It is not an eye opener really, but I do intend to keep on doing so for the next couple of months.
Kristen, maybe you could do a post about budgeting? What exactly it is for? Should everybody do this? Is it useful to allot a certain amount of the income to different categories like food, clothing, insurances etc? Shouldn't I buy a needed coat because my monthly allotment already went for shoes f.e.? I feel stupid with all these questions but I really don't understand.....
And just that all of you know - last week reader Tamara R treated me to lunch. I very much enjoyed her company and our conversation.
1) I submitted the handful of reimbursements I had been collecting.
2) I will be flying a lot for work over the next four months, so I signed up for a fancy travel rewards credit card. One of the benefits is free TSA Pre-check, so I signed up for that today. I'm hoping to use all the miles I collect for our summer vacation. We travel via home exchange, so our accommodations are always free. But flights for our six-person family can get pricey! If we can get accommodations and flights for free we will just have to rent a car and buy food. We haven't really traveled since the before-times, so I am very excited about this.
3) I cleaned out my closet and realized that a lot of my basics are worn out. So I went on an online shopping spree at Thredup! I absolutely cannot imagine how people stomach paying $50 for a new shirt and $150 for a new dress. I spent more than zero at Thredup, but I got some great brands, bought cashmere and wool, and paid a fraction of the cost of these clothes new. Fingers crossed a lot of it fits! (Incidentally, I have noticed that Thredup has started including more measurements for pieces. There were some that could not possibly have been correct, but I still found it super helpful in buying online.)
4) Since I am off the road this week I am taking the opportunity to cook up food that has been collecting in the freezer and pantry. Last night we had a Thanksgiving feast of turkey breast I had bought on sale a while back, potatoes left over from making a stew, bread that my landlady gave me made into dressing, with a few things to round out the meal. My husband said it was the best meal he had ever eaten. LOL That cannot possibly be true, but I was happy he was happy.
5) I chose what I think is the best health insurance option for our family with my temporary, full-time employer, I turned down other benefits that would not have worked for our family, I scheduled check ups for the two kids who were due this week so we can get it on the current health insurance plan that is expiring on 12/31, I cleaned the house myself, I deposited a couple of checks into our account from an insurance claim before they got lost in the shuffle, and I updated my spreadsheet of jobs and fellowships to which I am applying.
Let's see....
1. I made a giant pot of potato soup from spuds that were starting to sprout in my pantry.
2. Christmas cookie baking has all come from my pantry except for some butter that we needed. This is like a double win because we are cycling through older items and no runs to the grocery store had to be made.
3. We took advantage of a fantastic pop-up sale at a local store to purchase two new pairs of shoes & two pairs of pants. We also won a pair of 100% wool socks & a hammock with straps to hang between two trees. We spent a total of $100 and our total with the items we won was over $800.
4. I started a boot camp rather than joining a gym as they were offering 4 weeks including a trainer, meal plans and childcare for $69. It was the lowest price I found and I am hoping to reach my goal weight by Spring.
5. Thermostat at 65 and everyone bundled up. Batch cooking for Christmas in a warm oven to heat the house before bedtime.
Cheers to the week ahead!
@Angie,
I also stocked up on butter, as it was 25% reduced. We jest that we are spreading gold on our bread.
I will be baking my own cooking and cakes again this year. I like to, and prices.at the artisan baker are prohibitive. One good trend at the baker's: they are also selling small packages
with just a few slice of cake and stollen. The cookies.can only be bought in large quantities, sadly. So I'll bake some and freeze half of the dough for later.
My five frugal things -
1. had to take dd to an away hockey game, direct route through Mohawk territory (a First Nation's reserve) so I let my gas tank get quite empty in the days before and filled up coming home (no taxes on gas there, paid $1.24 per litre vs $1.36/l at home).
2. used email code for 25,000 points (=$25) on my grocery store card when you spend $75. Didn't need much this week so stocked up on regularly used pantry items.
3. Finished my Christmas shopping yesterday and did not go over budget.
4. Menu planned, no food waste.
5. Sold a pair of dd's outgrown paddock boots on market place for more than I paid for them a number of years ago. Boots are $280 new, I bought them for $10 at a charity shop (clearly they had no idea of their worth) and sold them for $50. Probably could have got them for more but felt guilty doing that when I only paid $10!
1. Finally got around to posting some items to sell on our local FB group, advertising them as "last minute Christmas gifts for kids" and today sold an air hockey table and pair of hiking boots! Happy to pass them onto people who can use them and make a little bit of money.
2. Finishing up odds and ends in the fridge before we travel this weekend.
3. Passed out as many Christmas cards to friends in person as I could, saving a few more stamps in the process. Dropped a couple off to friends who live nearby whom we didn't get to see in person earlier, while I was out running errands.
4. Dropped off an Amazon return to Kohl's and received $5 in Kohls cash. Combined with another $5 Kohls cash for my birthday month and 25% off, bought a cute throw blanket with dogs for my son's white elephant contribution for under $10 (blanket originally priced at $26).
5. My mom desperately needed a new laptop and asked me to help source one on sale for her. My husband recently had his work laptop upgraded and they allowed him to take the "older" one back to give to my mom. He said his laptop didn't actually need upgrading, but since it was mandated by IT, he was able to give my mom a better, newer one (than hers) for free.
I haven't had my name picked for the Firehouse Subs promo yet, but texted our youth minister when his name came up a couple weeks ago. He told the kids he took advantage of it, so I'm glad I could pass on the frugal win!
1. Neighbor is going out of town & I was gifted a cucumber & tomatoes for salad/snacking.
2. Will be swapping pet sitter services with neighbors so I won’t have to pay for one over holidays!
3. My work pays me for holiday break 🙂
4. Instead of buying seasonal address labels I learned to make mine at home.
5. The cat (Milo) has left the wood tree alone so we didn’t have to cat-proof it with new unbreakable ornaments!
Bonus: neighbor is a glass artist & gave me a deal on ornaments for coworkers. Quite a steal!
My first of the month groceries are lasting much longer than planned, I keep learning. Sometime during the covid days I was trying to learn how to shop and cook for one. FG Friday posts really helped. With all the international and exotic foods and recipes that are so popular and ingredients readily available I tried many only to find my tastes are very plain. I love steamed vegetables, even fish with a little butter or olive oil, salt and pepper. Give me a sack of beans and a sack of corn meal= happy. I like Walmart's gluten free flour for making biscuits, pies, dumplings, pancakes, cookies, everything.
J Crew was having 70 percent off sale items. I found 2 turtlenecks and a pair of leggings totaling under $30 with free shipping.
Gas is under $2.50 gallon.
My kids introduced me to tiktok and I watch cat videos at christypawspersians and pearlsragdolls for fun. Sometimes I stream free shows I can watch on my phone or hotspot to tv. I use antenna TV for news and weather and PBS.
Big extravagance, I bought a jar of chow chow and one of cherry butter from Amish store. I might be able to learn to make these but I'm not sure I'd save any money.
I tried cleaning up my grammar after reading how much it bothers many. I'm lazy and don't really care personally but don't mean to offend.
@Tiana, chow chow is super easy to make and not at all expensive, since it's mostly cabbage.
@Rose, I like it made with green tomatoes but haven't had a garden in years. I should try cabbage chow chow. I was reading a recipe and it will keep 4 months in the fridge which is good since I don't have canning gear.
Having beans and cornmeal skillet bread tonight. Yum. Chow chow on the beans and cherry butter on the hot bread.
Hook and ladder sub ... that's a lot of yumminess right there! Now I want one..
Not frugal: It has been 30 below zero or colder all week and right now it is 41 below at our house. Husband reminded me that last year I promised I would not give a frugality lecture when he turned the heat up. We have a cozy, well-insulated house but at these temperatures you feel it and I am sort of glad he is insisting on jacking the heat up. I also brought the four hens indoors, to a large cage we have in the spare room. There is a heater in the coop but I just cannot stand the thought of them spending all day and night on their perches because of the cold. I clean the cage every day but I am afraid our house still is starting to smell like a barn...it is supposed to warm up to 15 below in a week, at which pooint they will go back outside.
Frugal: I am giving eggs as Christmas gifts, two dozen per person. People seem happy to get a food item that is not a sweet and it helps me keep our eggs to a reasonable number. These hens lay like crazy, even though they are supposed to slow down when there is so little daylight, but they just keep pumping them out.
I was cleaning out a kitchen cupboard and found a bunch of marshmellows. We had some cereal that needed using so I made Rice Crispy treats that also incorporated several other cereals. Husband has not complained, nor did the snow shoveling teen who nearly swooned when he saw them.
The rest of the stuff was pretty ordinary, like using the library, cooking all meals at home, drying only towels and hanging the rest of the stuff up to dry, and doing several mystery post office shops so I could mail off the last of our Christmas gifts for free.
@Lindsey, what are "mystery post office shops" where you can mail things for free?
Frugal. Hmmmmmm.
Ate out twice last week. Holiday events but pay for your own. I did not drink alcohol to keep costs down.
Packing lunch every day.
Found replacement cushions for my front porch chairs for 68 dollars for 2. Really watched and shopped around. They are usually about 100 each.
Did very little Christmas shopping this year. No one needs STUFF. Going for experienced
Have a wonderful WINTER SOLSTICE.
1. Bought one of those wooden Advent calendar trees (like Kristen's) on Amazon after discovering a forgotten Amazon coupon (reward for taking some survey), so the tree was FREE!
2. Didn't go to a movie, a store, or a mall.
3. Didn't color my hair, get a manicure, a pedicure, or a massage.
4. Didn't go through a car wash.
5. Didn't eat out.
I never do those things. Just thought I'd give you a peek into a life of continual frugality. It comes with living rurally.
But high prices in the local grocery store also come with living rurally. Today my husband paid $9.99 for a package of 3 romaine hearts. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Last week I drove to Winco, about 35 miles away, and paid $6.78 for an 18 pack of eggs. WHAT IN THE WORLD??
Bought gas for $4.29/gallon, and thought it was a bargain because it is around $6/gallon here in Ruralville. Again, I ask WHAT IS HAPPENING WHEN THAT IS CONSIDERED A FRUGAL WIN??
@Jana, the war in Ukraine changes the world’s economy. We cannot give in to Russia, so let’s enjoy our peace and put up with higher prices.
Happy Holidays!
Kristen congratulations on finishing all your pre-nursing classes, you rock!
My Frugal 5:
1. I tried a new recipe for cut out sugar cookies (I didn't have all the ingredients for Kristen's recipe) and it didn't go well. The cookies stuck when we used the cookie cutters and I think the dough was too wet or sticky. I almost tossed them, but I decided to roll them into balls and make thumb-print cookies with raspberry filling instead.
2. We went on vacation to New Orleans and used points and a companion pass for a free flight on Southwest.
3. We contacted someone we rented from before and he gave us a great deal on a nice apartment a couple of blocks from the French Quarter.
4. We used a Groupon on an afternoon Jazz Cruise on the Paddlewheel boat. And we used a Groupon to tour Mardi Gras World.
5. We arrived right as the Christmas Parade was going down the end of the street we were staying on. We didn't know about the parade ahead of time, so it was a really fun surprise to get to watch it.
I set a reminder last year to cancel my Sirius radio subscription...every year I get my husband a gift subscription for Christmas and then the next year they automatically renew so I cancel the $280 renewal...and they offer me the $99 gift renewal. And the best part is that now you can do it all by texting them. You don't have to call or anything. $180 saved in a few minutes of text...yes.
I found turkey tenderloins on sale for $4/lb. I marinated them, cooked them and sliced them thin....froze them in weekly sections. Much healthier than processed lunch meat and much cheaper. Great for a sandwich or to add to a salad at lunch.
Needed to have some work done on the siding of the house. We did it ourselves with siding we removed from the house when we enclosed the sunroom. Was quoted almost $2k. We spent $35 on the paint and caulking.
Grilled pizzas at home rather than ordering takeout one night.
Stocked up on cheese tortellini I found on sale and put in the freezer for fast meals.
Made hummus and refried beans from scratch. Spent less than $1 on the bag of beans.
We are in the middle of selling our house and moving to a new area. I found boxes on our Buy nothing group, we rented a small uhaul trailer ($35) to take a load to our new area that was on our way for another trip. Have been making meals from my freezer and pantry to use up all I can without buying anything else until after the move.
Been a crazy week of spending with Christmas coming,, so it is good to remember where I saved when I could.
1. Ate some strange combinations to use up food. Also ate almost all our meals at home. Hubby bought coffee for all his employees who worked a Saturday after a 4-day blizzard. (Yes, I said FOUR.) Not frugal, but being able to be generous is a reason that we are usually frugal. Plus, the coffee shop is locally owned and the owners are amazing, so a little extra business for them.
2. I used a free meal coupon at Arby's.
3. I went looking through boxes before ordering new clothes for my oldest. No need to order currently.
4. We shoveled and shoveled and shoveled some more. We haven't needed to hire anyone to clear out in front of our roadside mailbox or shovel our roof yet. Snowiest start to winter on record (since 1880s).
5. I made Christmas cookies. Our allergen safe cookies are too expensive to buy.
6. Helped the kids make presents for their grandparents using materials we had on hand.
7. Changed the holiday meal plan slightly when I saw some prices, going with a simpler and cheaper side dish.
FFT: Two weeks' worth
1. Picked up a free birthday dessert from Red Lobster, no purchase required, while I was running an errand nearby.
2. Not specifically frugal, but I avoided food waste by eating steel cut oats that my mom managed to make less-than-delicious somehow, and also a dinner that was delivered to my grandpa’s assisted living room while he was at home having dinner with us. My mom wanted to throw all that food out! I think food is too expensive to waste like that.
3. After searching several grocery stores, I finally found the jar of chocolate hazelnut spread for which I had a free voucher. Yum!
4. Mended five baby items. Although one of the things I mended immediately got holey around the mend, so its days are numbered.
5. Price-shopped for photo Christmas cards and ended up at Costco versus Shutterfly, saving about 50%.
6. Received $50 from a class action lawsuit.
7. Unconventionally frugal: while wrapping a few gifts with my mom, we managed to go through her two giant totes of Christmas and birthday/misc/other gift bags. We were able to throw away a fair number of ratty ones and 30-year old vintage ones. These were the ugly vintage kind, not the cool vintage kind! I consider this frugal because: 1) we inventoried her gift bags, so now she knows what she has on hand, and 2) removing the ones she would never use means she can more easily find the ones she might use.
8. Continue to use up skin care samples and full size products. I just finished one tonight that I am pleased to say I don’t need to replace. I go through phases of experimenting with new products or trying samples, and phases of wanting to simplify and pare back.
9. Found 35 cents on the ground.
I'm envious about all the things you get using your phone apps. I sometimes get a deal at McDonald's but it doesn't seem to be as exciting as your options! Great offer for the sip club, Kristen/Christen! I know you are great about not giving in to temptation and also using the offer to make it worthwhile!
1. We got a LOT of snow (where I live this is rare - 2-3 inches sends everyone into heart palpitations, so 18 inches is way beyond inconvenient. I now feel as if my investment in snow shoes, 8 years ago, has completely paid off, as I could get down to the sheep to feed them with only one falling down mishap. And that was completely preventable, as I should know by now that backing up in snowshoes is a recipe for a sudden sit-down. I laughed and flopped around for a while trying to get my snowshoed feet back under myself. However, I blessed those snowshoes and how they have been nicely amortized.
2. In my attempts to NOT WASTE FOOD, I have been using up some frozen fish that might be close to freezer burn. a successful marinade in sauces I already had in the fridge led to a tasty dinner, supplemented by many roasted pans of the veggies that were needing to be dealt with. Now there are a few containers of leftovers in the fridge that are ready-to-eat kinds of food.
3. Made hummus with pantry supplies - a jar of home-canned garbanzo/chick peas made it fast and easy. I often forget how fast I can make hummus, and how much we enjoy it.
4. I have been practicing my not-buying on amazon - finding that I am almost as happy when I put a thing I want into my Wishlist. Kind of like abandoning my cart, and feels very righteous. Even better when I go cull that wish list a week later, and realize that now I don't want any of the things on the list..
5. Not really frugal but wonderful just the same. My neighbour came over with his tractor and cleared my VERY long driveway. He does his uncle's place on one side of me, and his mom's on the other, and we have come to an agreement that I will get some money to him if he clears me, too. Otherwise I wouldn't be leaving my home until this snow melts
I think Christen Crow could be the name of your extravert vintage rock chic comic book style alter ego that goes about town saving furniture. Christen Crow flying to the rescue!
This week is low on major money savings and I have in fact had to replace some bedlinens (will keep the torn sheets for cleaning rags) and had some other expenses. We did eat homecooked meals all week, and in half an hour or so I will be cycling to the library and to the supermarket for some basic ingredients.
Meanwhile I am lazing on the couch with homebrewn coffee, thinking about my latest find in serials, the Detectorists. I watch it on y.outube because I do not know where to stream. It is seriously and at times painfully funny - quiet and kind British humour, great acting. Highly recommend.
@J NL, Christen Crow Furnishing Resurrections could have a neat logo on the underside of every piece-- Sort of a black bird, kind of Batman, kind of not.
Her cat would have a cape, one presumes.
My frugal five:
1. Got a free calendar from the National Park Service so that will be my wall calendar this year. Usually I get a photo one from my son and daughter in law but they were outrageously busy this year.
2. Dh got me 100 Christmas elf postage stamps. I think I will have enough for almost forever, lol! The price of stamps are going from .60 to .63 in January.
3. Using less electricity with our new washing machine. Love seeing that bill go down.
4. Donated to Toys for Tots and got some great bargains at Walgreens to start next year's donations. I get to shop for toys and kids get to enjoy them. Win win for me.
5. Doing a no spend January except for groceries. We've got our big trip to Singapore in March so we'll need all the money we can get for plane tickets and a hotel room.
I've been called many names, too....::sigh:: I just smile and answer to it.
My Fab Frugal 5 are:
1) Hubby got free parking when going to the airport from his frequent user card. Savings- $30.
2) I've been finding clearance deals on food- rice chex $2, pasta $1.09, albacore tuna $2.09....
3) We use very little liquid detergent for laundry- about a tablespoon. I stopped using dryer sheets.
4) I reuse gift bags and the kids seem to prefer them.
5) I found a promo rewards card on the ground and gave it to a friend who could use it.
Great job!
May I ask a question about the Panera sip club?
I am afraid that if I join, I will get into the habit of eating there and far outspend what I could have on drinks. Do you find yourself tempted by the bread/goodies? Do the employees mind if you only get the drink?
I am in the car a lot and would love to have this as an option (if I could trust myself!)
The employees totally do not care if you just get the drink! I usually go there to study/get work done and I usually go in-between meal times, so I'm usually not tempted to buy food.
But if you went in there hungry, that could definitely be a problem!
Instead of buying -32 degrees windshield washer solvent, I added a cup of isopropyl (does spelling count?) alcohol to the solvent already purchased.