Five Frugal Things | I almost didn't write this one
I almost did not sit down to write a blog post today; it has been a WEEK on the school front for me.
Today I have my fourth exam in a week's time, so I haven't really been doing anything terribly impressive on the frugal front...I have just been studying and doing homework.
Also, I feel like I have been hemorrhaging money lately because I had to pay quarterly federal and state taxes, plus a $1000 annual blog expense bill came due, plus I'm gonna have to fill my oil tank (see below)...annnnd then I took my van in for an oil change and got the news that I also need new front and rear brake pads.
(Because OF COURSE.)
Weeks like these make small frugalities feel a little bit pointless, but I know it's true that long-standing patterns of smart spending are what make you able to weather clusters of bills.
It's annoying to have all these expenses at the same time, but I have the money to cover them and I feel thankful for that.
Anyway! Let's see what I can come up with.
1. I made cinnamon bread with milk I'd frozen
We had somehow gotten two containers of milk open at the same time, and the one in the back of the fridge had gotten slightly old, so I threw it in the freezer.
This week, I thawed it out and made two loaves of cinnamon bread with it, and that made my girls happy.
2. I got a free vintage soap dish from my Buy Nothing group
I thought it might be interesting to try using bar soap instead of liquid soap (it seems like it's a cheaper option, and also less wasteful), so when someone listed a free soap dish, I picked it up on my way home.
3. I used a Chipotle gift card for a free takeout meal
I had enough Fetch reward points for a gift card, so I redeemed them and got a free meal for the girls and me.
(Fetch is a receipt-scanning app like Ibotta. Click here to sign up, and if there's a spot to enter a code, try QG8V2 and you might get some more bonus points as well.)
4. I called around for oil prices
I've never had oil heat in my life before, so this is a 100% new experience for me. But my tank is at about a quarter full, and winter is coming, so even I know I need to get it filled.
So I have been calling around to different companies to check prices and I was surprised that the price per gallon can vary as much as a dollar. That's a big difference if you are getting 100 gallons of oil!
5. I switched to a cheaper business checking account
I initially had one with PNC, but man, it seemed like every time I turned around, they were charging me fees.
So, I reached out to Joel and Matt from How to Money, and they recommended a Bluevine business checking account.
So I opened one up and I have been much happier with it. No more random $15 fees!
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to?
P.S. In case you are worried: I am definitely not getting sold a bill of goods when it comes to my van's brake pads. The shop I go to is super honest; I would trust them with my life.
Ok, maybe not my life. But I feel a million percent sure I can trust them when they say my car needs some kind of service. 😉
Hello,
I have a fetch account, I have never cashed in any points. (embarrassed on how many points) How do they issue the gift card? send you a physical card? email code?
@Ellen, you receive a digital gift card with an authorization code on it. It’s saved right in your fetch app. I try to print mine out if I’m using it when going through a drive through, so I’m not handing my phone off. I think they email it to you as well.
I actually prefer bar soap over liquid. It lasts much longer (if you don’t leave it inside the shower) and the lather I get on a washcloth is significantly better than when I use a shower gel.
Not sure what frugal things I did other than harvesting the rest of my veggies before last night’s freeze.
@JenRR, I am another one who prefers bar soap. Liquid just feels like it's a waste.
@JenRR,
bar soap for me as well! Lasts so much longer, much easier to travel with and almost no packaging.
@JenRR, I prefer bar soap also. I haven’t tried bar shampoo or conditioner but I’d like to if I can find some for my hair type.
@JenRR,
Bar soap user. I discovered a local manufacturer that has soap that is high in vegetable oils, and my hands are all the better for it (less dry).
@JenRR, bar soap for us too. My husband has sensitive skin and his doctor recommended Dove sensitive bar soap. His itchy skin almost completely disappeared after the switch.
@Kaitlin, I would definitely recommend small try out bars of shampoo if you can find them. Think I tried 4 or 5 bars before I finally found one that works for my hair 🙂
@Ruby, Odd. Dove is actually not soap and it makes my sensitive and itchy skin react. I guess everyone's different.
@Ruby, Same with my husband, although we also found an olive oil based soap made by a local person that was also very effective at keeping itching at bay.
@Ruby, I also use sensitive Dove “beauty bar” (the Target knock-off) for washing my face/showering. I have allergic reactions to most scents, especially florals.
For hand-washing, I like Castile bar soap.
@Kaitlin, I tried several different brands of bar shampoo and conditioner, and found them not to be worth the trouble. I had much better luck just training my hair - I only wash it twice a week now, so I use a lot less product than when I was washing it every day or even every other day. With the water we have, twice a week is as long as I can go (in Seattle, the water is just much better, and I could get away with only washing once a week!)
For context, I have naturally-straight undyed hair that I typically wear up in a clip or ponytail to keep it out of my face. No bangs, no curls, and I'm not exactly a fashionista - I like my appearance to be neat and tidy, but I'm not big on makeup or styling my hair very much.
@Kaitlin, I love bar shampoo. Have been using it for awhile. I use Garnier for normal hair. Even though my hair is colored.
@Kaitlin,
Been using Apple Valley Natural Soap for over 10 years and love them!!
Hope that helps!
@EngineerMom, I, too, only wash my hair twice a week. I have thin hair with no bangs/curls and am not fancy. I do put dry shampoo in on the evening after I wash the hair in the morning. And I have found that my face is soooo less oily than when I washed my hair daily.
I do think bar soap is cheaper, but dang, what you save in money by using it will be negated by the extra time you have to take the clean the sink and/or shower, LOL. It leaves a nasty residue that takes forever to clean. Or maybe I just need to clean more frequently. 😀
I work in the banking industry and leaving PNC is a good move. PNC is... definitely not my favorite bank, to put it mildly. I have some family members who also bank with them and I've been trying to convince said family members to leave. For personal accounts, I'm rather partial to Ally Bank, in case anyone is wondering. 🙂
As for frugal things this week, I used a ton of coupons for vegetables when I went grocery shopping. Yay for cheap and delicious vegetables!
@Natalie K., My mortgage is through PNC at a low interest rate, so I won't refinance my loan. I left Chase because of all of their fees after using that bank many years. I now use a Credit Union and am very happy with their free faxing, free notary and a few other services. Once in a blue moon I will have a service charge for going below a certain amount in my checking account, but it is half of what Chase was charging.
@Natalie K.,
Yup. We stopped using bar soap because it was making our ancient pipes get clogged up too quickly. For hand soap, I use diluted dish soap. In the shower we use liquid, but only a small amount on one of those net-like poufs. I don't bother with soap on my kids unless they are visibly dirty. They just soak every day and I wash their hair.
@Becca, I think that's the problem at my mom's current rental: lots of bar soap use over the years (the place is about 40 years old, I think) has clogged the pipes. And of course the HOA is too cheap to fix it... 🙁
That's brave of you not to use soap on your kids! I don't have any kids, but if I did, I feel like I'd soap them up? Or maybe I would have eventually learned that it isn't always necessary, LOL. 🙂 🙂
@Myoriah, Yeah, I wouldn't recommend leaving PNC in that situation. I think their mortgage division is terrible (as in, it can be unnecessarily difficult to get a mortgage), but if you have a mortgage with a low rate there, stick with it! Plus, it might get sold at some point anyway, so you could end up at another institution through no doing of your own. 😀
Chase is terrible too! My parents had some accounts with them at one point and OMG, their marketing is horrible. They will call you many times a day trying to sell you stuff, and it's impossible to opt out. Which is illegal in so many ways (for example, one of the marketing calls they used to make was basically them telling you that you hadn't paid your mortgage even when you had paid it, and that IS NOT LEGAL TO SAY!!!). I've heard good things about certain Chase credit cards, but I've never applied for one. If I did, I'd have to use a burner phone number to attempt to avoid those marketing calls. 😮
@Natalie K., Use Method Shower Spray - what you're encountering is just soap scum, which is what happens when minerals in the water react with the soap film from the bar and build up over time.
If you spray your shower with Method Shower Spray after every shower (or at least once a day if multiple showers happen in the same shower every day), it keeps the soap scum from building up, and nearly eliminates the need to spend a lot of time scrubbing the shower.
Add in a dishsoap-holding scrub-brush, and you can easily do a quick shower cleaning at the end of a shower whenever you have a few minutes. Then weekly bathroom-cleaning gets reduced to just cleaning the toilet/sink/mirror.
@Natalie K., I have 2 Chasr credit cards. I've had them for years &never got a call. Luck maybe?
@Natalie K.
Are you familiar with credit unions. They are, in my mind, superior to most banks.
Well, it has been a week for you, hasn't it? Goodness. Here's to a better rest of this week.
I much prefer bar soap, and I do think it is much cheaper as well. I'm sure your girls liked the cinnamon bread. That sound perfect right now.
My Frugals:
1. I sewed a full-front apron with pocket for myself using a very worn old apron as the pattern and a printed sturdy but older bedsheet I had saved as the fabric.
2. Since it cooled into the lower sixties at night this weekend, I batch-cooked some things in the stove's oven.
3. The yard guys bought some more of my husband’s tools for cash. I won’t sell what my family or I will use, but some things can certainly go. Bonus, it’s helping to clean up the shed somewhat.
4. I needed paint to finally paint the bedroom my husband used downstairs. It had a lot of gouges and dents from his electric scooter to repair first, but those are done. After pricing the paint two weeks ago, which was hair-raising, I decided to come back during their paint sale this weekend and get 40% off. I went ahead and bought exterior paint for the raw wood on the newish back porch while I was at it.
5. I changed all my drinkware and dishes to non-breakables after my husband’s stroke, for obvious reasons. I bought a clearance Corelle pattern directly from Corelle, but the pattern didn’t include the little 6” plates that I like to use for desserts, bread, etc., as their stock was low when I bought. I just found four 6” plates in a very similar pattern in Goodwill, for 59 cents each. I also found some barely worn leather Clark shoes in my size for $8.99. I disinfected the shoes’ linings, gave them a polish, and I have a brand new looking pair of nice, comfortable shoes.
6. Bonus, the $8.66 earned from buying Christmas gifts during a Lands’ End “60% off clearance” sale just hit my Swagbucks account. I just purchased office supplies yesterday, and went through Swagbucks for that, so I should earn more SB there, too.
@JD, I really like using my Corelle dishes, but do know they are not unbreakable. If they land just right when they fall, or something falls on them, they will shatter into very sharp shards. This happens to me about once every fifteen years.
@Heidi Louise,
Oh, I know! Years ago I had a plate shatter on a concrete porch floor and it threw some deadly looking ninja points at warp speed. I ended up getting rid of that set since we had tile floors inside. These days, we have vinyl plank and laminate floors all through the house and my husband could only drop things from seated height anyway, so I felt safer in going back to Corelle.
They are scary when they break, though, aren't they?
@JD, I was glad to see your #3, since this is what I've been doing for some time and will continue to do with my DH's tools and equipment. I've decided that I'll call in Habitat for Humanity early next spring, since there are still some folks I want to give a chance to look.
@Heidi Louise,
We've had our Corelle dishes for 13.5 years and have only had one thing break... A dinner plate broke when my daughter dropped it on her foot! I couldn't believe that after all my kids have put those dishes through, it broke on her foot. I also figured it had to hurt pretty badly to break something that unbreakable!!
I totally feel you on the big purchases and such just eating away your little gains. It's also been an insane couple of weeks for me what with work and life and stuff so this has been what I've been up to.
1.) Got a couple deals on some items during the Amazon sale. Nothing I wasn't looking for already and I used cheap shipping so I got some free Kindle credit out of the deal.
2.) Bought my daughter a bike almost exclusively with points I got from Microsoft Rewards. I tried for ages to find a good used bike but people wanted too much or they weren't in great shape so I sadly had to go new. Hopefully she doesn't outgrow it too fast!
3.) Birthday party for me was cancelled (no one RSVPed yes) so no money out there.
4.) Sold an item on eBay. My brother said to me, "Why bother with making $15 on an item when you have a good job? Why waste your time?" Because it's very little work and it removes a piece of clutter from my house. My brother is a borderline hoarder (he says collector) and is not one to save money so we're just different types of people, I guess.
5.) Really making an effort to eat leftovers and whatever we have in the fridge before going out and buying new. Sadly some cucumbers and other things got missed and had to be tossed but at least it's not that bad.
Other than that, the usual: made yogurt, break, working overtime when I can etc.
@Battra92,
I would have RSVP'ed yes to your party. That is a crappy way to save money. Bu happy birthday!!!
@Battra92, what I'm seeing is that people in general no longer really know how to (or remember to) respond to an RSVP. Just another example of manners going down the tubes, I fear. But I wish you a happy late birthday, and I'm sure I speak for most of us here.
@Battra92, I am sorry about your party. I had to call and beg members of my son's Cub Scout troop for a response to my son's 8th birthday party invitation when none of them RSVP'd. Their moms seemed to not realize how rude it is to blow off an invitation without any response. It was the only time my son had ever asked for a fancy party and I really wanted it to be nice for him.
@Battra92,
I agree with others that it can be hard to get RSVP's in. I'm sorry about your party. I hope you have (or had) a very happy birthday on its own!
@Ruby,
We had the same issue (pre-Covid) when trying to plan birthday parties for my son. Almost no one would RSVP, even with follow up phone calls and texts. Fortunately, son is now of an age where he'd rather take a friend or two somewhere (we still owe him a local hockey game with his two besties....ticket prices are very reasonable for hockey games in my area...not an NHL team.)
@Ruby, Yeah, I never opt for a party but I figured since this one has a zero at the end of it and the people in my office have decided no more birthdays in the office and my family might text me on my birthday that I may as well accept my wife's offer for a big birthday bash.
I had a party when I was in the 2nd grade (7?) so that was it.
The wife and kid and I may go out to dinner this weekend. We'll see.
@Battra92, Happy birthday. Once I had a party in high school and no one showed up. It was a sad feeling. I still remember how I felt.
Congratulations on getting thru, superbly I am sure, your week of tests!
My Five Frugal Things:
1) I was shocked at the prices for a 2 lb tub of spreadable margarine when I went shopping recently, so instead I bought two pounds of margarine 'sticks' for much less, let them soften on the counter, placed them into a container, spread them smooth, then put that back in the fridge. About 1/3 the cost, geesh.
2) Cut down a pound cake recipe to match the amount of ricotta I had left in the fridge after making a butternut squash & ricotta pasta bake. Ricotta all used up, and a lovely orange ricotta pound cake is in my freezer waiting for company to arrive in a few days.
3) Diligently tracking all the free entertainment activities I find in order to place them onto my calendar. I continue to be shocked at how many really amazing things there are to do for free once you start really paying attention. Everything from car shows to symphonies.
4) Enjoying couples night out at a craft brewery instead of a restaurant. No pressure to order food (we usually split), no pressure to turn tables, no pressure to order multiple beers (I get their smallest pour, usually just a hard seltzer), plus often there is live entertainment. We can generally enjoy a lovely evening out for under $30.
5) Continuing to cook from scratch, which generally yields so. much. food. The pasta bake mentioned above was not only delicious (Cook's Country 'One Pot Wonders' a FANTASTIC cookbook!), but fed us four times it made so much, to my pleasant surprise.
@Tamara R, I love the idea of putting free events on my calendar. I'm not sure why I haven't done that! I always say I'll remember, but I never do.
@Shelly, don't forget to put the notification(s) on it, as well. I have missed things because I didn't look at the calendar and I didn't have a notification to remind me.
—I washed, waxed, and detailed my beloved 34-year-old car. I try to do this seasonally, but this summer got away from me thanks to moving and our new house. My arms are now noodles, but my ride looks so pretty! It works hard for us—-SO MUCH house stuff moved in that car, be it paint cans, flooring, our possessions, etc.—-and it’s my husband’s commuting vehicle thanks to the better mileage. Having a beauty session for my car is an exercise in gratitude. It’s been a loyal beast for the six years we’ve owned it and deserves to look its best!
—It’s also winter tune-up time. I have a folder filled with my car’s service history, so I was able to accurately answer questions about the last time such and such was done when visiting with the local mechanic. No need to pay for still-good filters, etc.
—-First frost and then some! I swapped out our seasonal clothing and sheets. As is usually the case, I’ll be thinking we need something only to realize we already have it and/or a good substitute while rotating. I’d been debating violet flannel sheets only to rediscover our violet fleece blanket, which is perfectly cozy and lovely with our deep green quilt.
—Our oven’s front feet randomly broke, no doubt from supporting all that weight on an uneven floor (“level” is a construct in an 1890s house!). I’d rather replacements didn’t cost $25/a pair, but I’m glad that replacements are an option. The house came with a nice Frigidaire oven that we plan to keep going as long as possible.
—I’m grateful for the friend who’s an HVAC tech. His housewarming gift was inspecting/servicing our furnace and water heater as well as putting in a new “dumb” thermostat. The “smart” one refused to be reprogrammed and was setting its own times and temperatures multiple times a day. We’re simple folk—off in the summer, 65 in winter—so a plain thermostat is just fine by us. After over a decade in a drafty apartment, 65 feels downright tropical!
@N,
Congrats on the new house. May you make lots of wonderful memories there.
M
I mostly shop at Costco so was surprised when in a store I thought I'd pick up some chicken and got sticker shock. It was 3 times what I remember paying. I'll stick to rotisserie chicken and frozen meats from Costco. I would just eat beans but my immune system works better with animal protein. The other foods I buy...carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, tortias, popcorn, almond milk, eggs, apples, haven't really increased much. You know, I think the organic almond milk they sell at Aldi's is the same stuff they sell at Costco and around the same price. My utility bills are all very low so food is my only main expense. I'm getting out my 12 dollar allbirds, record low temperatures today. 21 to 80, fall is crazy.
@Tiana,
I can't speak for the other food items you've listed, but eggs in my area are now at least triple the price they used to be. :-/
Uh, let’s see it was not a huge frugal start to the week.Went to a tacmed basic class. This was about a three and a half hour drive from where I live, so I used points and got a free room for the night. My brother tagged along and we went to a super cool haunted house while in town. The class was worth it and it was good bonding time, so it’s a win in my book.
I've never had oil heat, but I know that Frugalwoods uses a fuel club for her propane/heating oil needs: https://www.frugalwoods.com/2020/11/20/oatmeal-and-other-october-2020-expenses/
Is that an option in your area?
@Emily U., I've never had anything but oil heat*. It's tiresome but when you live where there's no gas, that's what you get.
*come to think of it, my rental cottage is propane. Just about the same in annoyance, frankly.
@Rose, We cannot use propane because it isn't able to convert into a useable gaseous form after about 40 below zero. It just uselessly sits there in the tank, just when you need it the absolute most.
When it rains, it pours when it come to money matters. There is never one big bill that happens, it is always five of them and they will always be right before the holiday season starts. At least this is a nice (?) reminder about why we live and do what we do. So that when things like this happen, it is crappy inconvenience rather than a financial catastrophe.
1. I drove home from Target. This sounds odd but it's true. I am completely unable to walk into Target and just get what is on my list and I realized when I got to the parking lot that there was nothing that I needed at this moment and I was going to spend money on something that would clutter my house and I didn't actually needed. So I drove home.
2. I sold an armoire on FB marketplace. One of my best friends gifted a bedroom's worth of furniture when we first bought our house as she was getting a divorce and moving to a smaller place. After having it for years, we finally had to get rid of it bc we are using the space as my canning pantry and home office. We sold it (with her blessing). I will probably take her to dinner as a thank you with some of the proceeds.
3. I am about halfway done with my Christmas shopping. I give a lot of homemade gifts (everyone loves jam and salsa verde) and I start early. I usually try and stick to a theme (this year is "My Favorite Things," like Oprah), so I have lots of time to shop.
4. I was gifted a new kombucha starter. My starter got contaminated so my medic partner's girlfriend gifted me some of her SCOBY.
5. Free avocados. My parents have a massive mature avocado tree that is overloaded right now. My parents are currently on a long haul RV trip, so I have been ordered to pick everything I can. I am sure my coworkers will be ecstatic as avocados are horrifically expensive in the Sierra's.
@Heather, I avoided Target for the longest time—like six months at a shot—for the same reason. Now, my trick is to have a list of needs, the total for which is sufficient that I don’t want to spend still more by purchasing random things.
@Heather,
Have you tried keeping a SCOBY "hotel"? I keep a few mothers on hand and replace the oldest ones when I clean out my brewer. I reserve enough kombucha to cover the SCOBYs in a glass jar and keep it in a hall food storage closet out of the light. It's handy when you want to make extra kombucha or have to replace a ruined one.
Made homemade brat buns instead of going to the store to buy some.
Used the local nature center for a day of free entertainment. They have a fall festival where different community groups make decorated scarecrows on a nature path, and it was lots of fun to walk through the prairie remnant and look at all the different scarecrows.
Went to the library and got a bunch of books and movies for me and the kiddos.
Made herb garlic croutons with leftover bread.
Made a homemade thank you card instead of buying a new package of cards.
I feel I have been hemorrhaging money, too, but mine is for outfitting my kids (and my house to some extent) for real winter after living in a place that didn’t have winter. I’ve told them Christmas is coming early in fits and spurts this year and they don’t seem to mind that winter gear is Christmas for them.
My frugal things:
-found proper winter boots on clearance for my daughter (important since outside recess continues until temp -20F).
-Called about a large medical bill that we shouldn’t have had, and that mistake was fixed. Yay!
- Learning how to repair home things that aren’t in my comfort zone because most of the stuff I *can* do even if I don’t have whiskers, and it’ll be cheaper than hiring it out. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love knowing they can fix something in the house?
-planned out paint colors for rooms that are getting painted so I could buy window coverings to match the future paint color. I want curtains/blinds for winter to add a smidge of insulation on drafty days and offer some privacy as it gets dark earlier but won’t have time to paint all the rooms before winter truly sets in. Bonus: I found some curtains on clearance and the curtains from the old house work, too, leaving only a handful of windows left to cover.
-DH is fixing some electrical quirks that came with the house. So much cheaper than an electrician and he enjoys the work (super thankful for that because it sounds tedious to me.)
-ate home prepared meals, used public library, and enjoyed free exercise at our local parks (beautiful hiking!)
I ordered a piece of cut acrylic to replace the tempered glass my daughter broke while washing a fridge shelf.
Still limping along with the 23-year-old fridge for now.
Going to try recovering a lampshade myself instead of sending it out. (This may be a total disaster--it's an antique lamp that needs a specific shade. I have the shade but the silk's rotted out/burned after all these years.)
Re-seeded shady backyard myself with clover. We'll see how that works.
Not buying much food because everyone here has been sick, including me.
I have been using Dr Bronner's liquid soap exclusively for 40 years. My children also refuse to use anything else. DILUTE! DILUTE!
@Rose, I have one DS who also likes it. But, what do you mean by “dilute” in this case?
@Rose, OK! (@Erika JS if you've ever been able to read the teeny print on Dr. Bronner's bottles, pretty much everything on there ends with an exclamation point, including basic directions : )
Rose, I'll be interested to hear if your lampshade re-covering works - I have two antique lampshades that are similarly showing their ages..
@Erika JS, Take a look here. https://www.sloww.co/dr-bronner-soap-label/
@Rose, there are sewing books from the 30s, 40s, and 50s that offer diy instructions for lamp shades. You might check your public library for them or ask them to help you find such thru inter library loan. It is similar to making a new umbrella, which you can do if you have the hardware.
Frugal
Nothing stands out this week.
I took back some pants that did not fit. Still on the search for the perfect black work pant. I need to replace two pair thatI have worn for years. Must feel comfy and perfect. Still wearing slightly frayed and very faded pants. Will keep looking. Month 11.
Did not eat put. Packed a lunch daily. Same thing every day. WAH!
Borrowed a book from a friend. FREE
Put up same fall decorations. On the search for a half price food mat after the fall holidays.
Pants suggestions?
Not too old lady like
High waisted
Some stretch
Very short stocky build
( horrible combination! LOL)
Will happily get them hemmed if they feel good
@Stephanie, door mat. Oops
@Stephanie, are your pants made of mostly natural fibers? A box of black RIT dye works wonders, and there’s also a polyester specific version for artificial fibers. It won’t fix the fraying, but it will definitely help the fading!
Re: recommendations, I’m 5’4” with 30” waist, 28” inseam, and a booty. Old Navy pants fit well on me and aren’t too pricey, plus it seems like everyone is doing pre-holiday clearance!
@Stephanie, Can you dye the ones you have?
Do they have tags so you can check for more in the brands you like?
@Stephanie, try JC Penny - Worthington brand. (Hopefully it still exists, I haven’t had to buy new dress slacks since the pandemic began!)
@Stephanie, can you get some black rite dye and dye the old pants? Might not totally solve the problem but it could buy you more time to find the “perfect” pants. I had a friend that did this and it was an amazing difference.
@Stephanie,
Don't get offended or anything, but I humbly suggest maternity pants. I bought loads at a yard sale when I was first pregnant for like a dollar a bagful or something crazy cheap like that and I never stopped wearing them! They are so freaking comfortable and they are usually super adjustable for obvious reasons. Depending on the variety, sometimes you can't even tell they are maternity. Also, if you score at a yard sale like I did, you might end up with a fancy-looking wardrobe from someone who wanted to look stylish while pregnant but only wore the stuff for a few months.
@Julia, I do this with my son's work shirts and they come out great.
I switched to bar soap a couple of years ago after reading the ingredients on the liquid soap. I use the Yes to Coconut Ultra Hydrating Milk Bar Soap and love that it still lathers like liquid soap. I have not noticed any difference in the soap build-up in the shower after switching.
This week hasn't felt very frugal. Let's see what I can come up with
1) Skipped take-out this weekend and made baked wings for game day food
2) We started tackling replacing rotten deck steps leading the yard. Got two quotes to replace 6 boards, pressure wash the stairs, and stain the new boards, and they came in at $700 and $900. For that much money, we're willing to put in the effort to fix them ourselves!
3) I got tons of fabric when Mom passed away so I've been looking for projects I could sew for Christmas presents. This weekend I started making dinosaur tails for my grand-nephew and great-niece
4) Bought gas when I was at Costco since it was cheaper than the place by the house
5) I'm repairing a wooden sleigh and reindeer set for my MIL that my FIL made years ago before he passed away. Using supplies I already had to glue, patch, paint, and seal the set. It will be part of our gift to MIL for Christmas since it is a beloved set.
@Beverly, I admire how you're using things left to you by your mother and your in-laws to create (or re-create) things.
@Beverly,
Oh my goodness... Dinosaur tails! What a cool idea!
I hear you on the spending! My partner and I just got back from being away for a month where, not surprising, we had different thoughts on spending money!
While I had a fabulous time, I'm excited to be back where I can control the spending a bit more....
1. We had emptied part of our freezer to make room for our house sitter. When to the butcher shop and used a gift certificate that we had from last Christmas.
2. Switched the type of squash that I got (from kuri to blue hubbard) as it was .70 cheaper per pound at the grocery store.
3. Reimagined some of the food that the house sitter left behind - made tomato soup out of jarred tomato sauce, etc. Anyone have thoughts on what to do with smoked provolone?
4. Harvested the green beans that had dried on the vine. Shelling them for a future winter meal.
5. held off on buying some grocery needs that went on sale on the next sales cycle (I love that the following circular comes out 4 days before the current one ends, allowing me to plan for sales a bit more).
Frugal fail (besides the entire last month!): sent me partner to go to a local produce market to buy 2 items that were on sale. He came home with very pricey snacks!
@BettafrmdaVille, I'd make a grilled veggie sandwich with garlic aioli. Most anything goes- sliced broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, squash, smashed beans...
I'm also on a corn fritter kick lately and throw anything into those that needs to be used up- peppers, onion, bacon or ham, cheese and will top them with salsa and sour cream, if I have it.
@BettafrmdaVille, for the smoked cheese, assuming you don't want to eat it as is... try shredding it and adding it egg dishes, or melting it on a sandwich.
@BettafrmdaVille, I think if I had smoked provolone to use up I'd try making gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches or mac and cheese.
@BettafrmdaVille,
Italian sandwiches with salami, pepperoni and ham. Also, can use provolone in place of mozzarella for pizza, etc
I prefer bar soap, but in our high-traffic, one-bath-seven-humans situation, the soap bar practically evaporates because it sits wet, develops a soft outer layer, and a bunch comes off and washes right down the drain with each hand-washer.
So, right now I'm refilling foam soap pump bottles. If you put about 1/3 liquid soap with 1/3 water in a foam pump bottle, and then stir, and then finish filling with water, it's the same as buying the foam refill stuff that's just 2/3 more water.
More information than necessary 😉 but carry on, frugal people.
@Karen.,
You can also grate some bar soap and let it sit with boiled then slightly cooled water. Leave overnight and it thickens. Whisk briskly and then you have liquid soap. It is the same recipe in a way as for making laundry detergent (I do 18 grammes grated soap to 1,5 litre water, using a high quality lemon zester. Dilute as needed)
This week has been slow on the frugal front, but I guess it all adds up...
1. Daughter's boyfriend brought home chili, smoked turkey, pork and brisket, a package of rolls, a few cornbread muffins, a few pieces of fried chicken and some cheesy potatoes from 2 different events he was at this weekend. I also brought some cheeseburger soup from a party we went to. All these items were pulled out for dinner last night and lunches today as we are trying hard to prevent food waste at our house. Plus it saved me a night of cooking 😉
2. Yesterday I filled out an online application for our college age daughter for sutdent loan forgiveness. I don't know if she'll get any help, but it's worth filing for.
3. Husband noticed Walmart marked down their pumpkins yesterday for $1 each any size. We hadn't gotten any yet to carve, so he purchased what we needed for very little $.
4. A friend gave me muffin liners as she doesn't use them often and we do use them often. I don't care what's on them; we'll use them up.
5. I received an "overpayment" from our insurance company for a service the doctors office charged me a copay for. Nice and an unexpected surprise!
I have never posted a 5 frugal things list but I will try now:
I accepted the offer of a friend to pick up his weekly farm share and incorperated all the fruit and veggies into last week's menue.
I was offered three big bags of quinces. My pantry is now full with jelly and quince paste.
I found some wool for socks in my stash. Now I have 4 pair of warm and colourful socks.
Last week I was able to attend an opera for free. Our city offers tickets free of charge for the last big rehearsal (no interruptions) before the premiere.
The manager of our building (shared property) announced a hefty 60 percent increase for his fees starting next year. I talked with the other owners and we succeeded to find a new manager for even less than what we payed till now. This will reduce our monthly charges quite a bit.
During the last week or so there was virtually no food waste.
Funny, here in FL, "winter" means not running the A/C. Looking forward to turning it off this week for at least a few days with lows in the 40's. 😉
1. Frugal "entertainment"...my dad paid for us to go to the UF game on Saturday. 90,500 people is a lot of people. I am content for that to be a once in a lifetime experience.
2. Bought gas at BJ's for $3.09. Thankful for the month of no FL gas tax, that is saving .25 off the regular price.
3. Just pulled out my fridge and vacuumed the vents, hopefully that makes it run more efficiently.
4. Not new for this week, but sure am thankful that our mortgage is at 2.375%, rates are going crazy!
5. Was super tempted to buy a Starbucks, but I put it in my cart and looked at the total (over $6) and opted out.
Down with covid, so not going out nor shopping. Not fun,.but frugal.in it's way ( I use cotton hankies that I can wash on 90C cycle) .
Was given a gift card so can pamper myself for free.
Will stock up on stamps, they will go up in price in the new.year. I've, saved a lot on postage this way in previous years. My aunties love a handwritten card.
@J NL, the US Postal Service has already jacked up the prices for shipping packages during the holiday season. And I suspect that those prices will become permanent in January, since the price of our first-class Forever stamps will also be going up in January (from 60 to 63 cents). So your advice to stock up on stamps is good internationally!
@J NL, I forgot to wish you (and everyone else who currently has it or has recently had it) a quick recovery from the COVID.
@A. Marie, And they are coming out with Peanuts characters stamps! What could be happier on a letter, (other than the mother-and-baby elephant ones out recently. Or the Mighty Mississippi River places. Or...)
Your comment about "small frugalities" is spot on how I feel sometimes when I am eating leftovers but then my dog gets sick and medicine is $40, for example! Nonetheless, I soldier on and keep looking for those incremental frugal gains here and there.
This week I ate ALL THE LEFTOVERS - leftover baked potato becomes cubed, pan-fried potatoes for a breakfast scramble, the same with leftover asparagus, a small piece of ribeye of steak sliced and reheated with a bit of soy sauce is added to some delicious quesadillas, etc.
About to list some very nice jeans and winter jacket on eBay that no longer fit my sons.
Not sure this is frugal but we did score a free 2-liter soda when our pizza order took longer than usual.
Cooked up some chicken stock from frozen thighs and fed my dog the chicken slurry and bits of meat (?) that were left after straining the stock.
First, Kristen, I feel your pain on the large expenditures (expected and unexpected). The Element needed new rear brakes in August, and all the dental work I've been having ain't cheap either. But, as you say, the little frugal choices help to get us through the tough times.
Now, FFT, It Could Be Worse Edition. (The numbering continues from my FFT of yesterday at the NCA.)
(6) I just got back from my semi-annual meeting with our financial advisor. He walked me through several comparisons to show that however badly my own IRA (rolled over from my 401k with my former employer) may appear to be doing, it's still hemorrhaging less money than it would have if I'd left it where it was.
(7) He also walked me through his plans for getting all three of our accounts (my IRA, DH's IRA, and our joint account) through the current turbulence. And I reminded him of my mission statement on investing, quoted from an old friend who once loaned DH money: "Don't f**k up or down and lose this s**t."
(8) Finally, he expressed wonder that I have gone this long without having to dip into the accounts, except for the RMD on DH's IRA (since DH is now age 73). I grinned and replied, "Frugality and self-discipline."
(9) In other news, last Wednesday was Ms. Bestest Neighbor's birthday, and I took her a selection of carefully chosen thrifted gifts. (The BNs are not only used to my gift-giving habits; they brag about them whenever anyone compliments them on clothes I found.) I think her favorite was a book called "Knit Your Own Dog," with directions for knitting canines of various breeds. Ms. BN is an accomplished knitter, and I thought this might be a good idea for making stocking stuffers for Dr. BN's great-grandkids.
(10) Finally, in paying the local newspaper bill for the next quarter, I noticed an extra $7.99 charge for the Thanksgiving edition. I declined to pay this, since (a) I normally only get a hard-copy paper on Sundays anyway; and (b) I have no use whatever for the Thanksgiving edition or its ads, since I avoid Black Friday shopping like the plague. In fact, BF is my usual day for going on a nice long nature walk, weather permitting!
@A. Marie, our newspaper pulled this same thing on us. We get the Sunday paper only when suddenly there was a big extra charge for getting the "holiday" papers over the past few months. Talk about a con. I was enraged and called to cancel the whole paper. Suddenly they removd the charge and made some other adjustment. But talk about chutzpah.
@A. Marie, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for mentioning Knit Your Own Dog!!! I did not know such a book(s) existed so I am off to the library website to order all three volumes to see if they have the patterns I want. I was looking for a winter project.
@Anne, when my paper does that, I call and complain. Every. Single. Time. I have a standing order not to deliver those to me.
@A. Marie, My library has that book, too! My dog is boxer/racing dog (greyhound? whippet?) so maybe I can knit him. What fun.
@WilliamB, I think you might find this somewhat amusing. You know how you sometimes get to know people a little bit even though you have never actually met them? You have a picture in your head of what they look like for some reason, and if you ever do meet them they NEVER look like you imagined. This happens for me about some blog responders who I will never meet. Anyway, for reasons unknown to me, whenever I read a comment from you I picture an actor who was on "Madame Secretary." He is tall and slim with a head of great black hair. I just looked up the show and his name is Geoffrey Arend. The mind works in mysterious ways.......
@Anne, That's hilarious! I'll have to look for a pix although I'm sure I look nothing like that.
We used to use PNC and were really glad to close that account. Ironically, their ATMs let us use our current bank debit card with no ATM fees, so I don't know what's up with that.
Here it's been small frugal things, as well.
Used up egg whites (leftover from making Sunday dessert) in my breakfast this morning. Likewise, used up heavy cream to make surprise whipped cream for apple crisp.
Resisted buying instant coffee--this seems silly, but I always crave coffee when it turns cold, but even decaf is Very Not Good for my brain health, and I'll use it for a while and then throw it out so I don't have to resist temptation (husband doesn't drink coffee). So not buying it in the first place is a good thing.
Staying at home, except for free ventures (hiking, local nature centers). Eating all meals at home.
I have been doing a ton of long days fixing things on our fixer-upper and planned ahead by making a batch of chicken salad, stir-fry and some other easy meals. Even though I live in a rural area, I pass restaurants on the way to the hardware store and it's always a temptation to pick up something from them. This week, I did not!
I also got some veggies from a local farm stand and saved the seeds. I moved to this area earlier this year and have had a hard time getting things to grow, so I figured I'd start with seeds from things I know grow well here!
As a side note, I'm not sure if you read the Frugalwoods at all, but I believe she has a very detailed post about oil heating and pricing tips.
@Shelly, that's a very good idea about saving the seeds from locally grown veg. I am all but out of the vegetable-growing business because of our local deer hordes--but I managed to get two butternut squashes under the Bamboids' radar, and I've just saved the seeds from one of these.
@A. Marie, Deer fencing? very common around here and not at all expensive.
@A. Marie, If you don't want to fence your entire yard, one raised bed with PVC pipes that let you throw plastic over them for a mini-greenhouse will outwit moose so I imagine it will work for deer. Also helps the plants grow faster and you can open itup on hot days and close it at night when four footed plant killers roam.
I’ve really been ramping up my focus on sustainability (which also is frugal in many, though not all, cases)
1) Ordered used holiday clothes for my kids through Kidizen app. Special occasion items seems to be the best thing to buy used for kids, they are usually in great condition since they are only worn a couple times and my kids also don’t wear them much so I don’t want to buy new. I can also buy better brands used, whereas they’d be too expensive if new.
2) Listed 2 of my kids toys on fb marketplace. These were toys they received new and barely touched. One of them already sold the same day I posted it.
3) We’ve been receiving tons of toy catalogs already. My daughter saw something in one that she really wanted, she even asked my son to write it down on a list for her (shes 2, so can’t write much yet) It was a giant plastic little people toy that I would not have been inclined to buy new but the very next week someone posted the same one for free that they were giving away! So I picked that up to save for Christmas. Even if she forgets she asked for it by that time, I think she will still be excited by it and enjoy it.
4) I saw mention of bar soaps, that’s also something I’ve switched too. I have ethique shampoo and conditioner bars and there was a learning curve (I was trying to create a lather in my hands with the bar when really you rub the bar directly at the roots and then make a lather) but now that I know how to use them, they have been working great. They also sell a shampoo concentrate, which is a bar of soap but you cook it on the stove(and maybe mix with water, haven’t tried them so not sure) to make liquid shampoo and put it in your own bottle. So it’s a way to still use liquid shampoo but you refill a bottle rather than buying a new plastic bottle each time.
5) I’ve been shopping at grocery outlet more, I can’t always find everything I need there but in general I find most of it. I used to avoid meat and produce there but I’ve bought some lately and it’s all been really good.
I feel your pain on the expenses making the small frugalities look pale, but steady licks kill the devil, as we like to say around our frugal household.
1. This week my husband took my 12 year old Honda Fit in for an oil change and 60K mile service and also learned that she needed some brake work. He had some service coupons, which made the total closer to $500 than $600. It's the first real expense the wee car has ever had, except for some minor body repairs from when I clipped a traffic barrel and our garage door over the years,
2. Received a free pumpkin at work and turned it into lots of pumpkin puree.
3. Scored three family packs of chicken legs and thighs at very close to half price at the grocery store. They were marked down on the last and next to last day of sale. I repackaged them in smaller sizes for our little family and had to rearrange the chest freezer to get it all to fit. We are set for chicken for quite a while.
4. Took on the annoying chore of sweeping the floor of the student laundry room every workday morning because it helps out the custodians and I almost always find dropped coins next to the washers. The daily high score so far is 36 cents.
5. My husband and I cleaned out and reorganized our garage over the weekend. It is now much tidier and we used only the baskets and bins we had on hand. We took half a carload of goid but not needed stuff to Goodwill, so I count decluttering as a frugal activity.
Since you're in school, you likely qualify for a membership to a credit union. Credit unions are so much better than banks (and less or no fees). I've been a member of mine for 20+ years and really like them.
Oil for heat is insanely expensive. I'd recommend getting room heaters (the oil filled electric radiator heaters are good and safe) to supplement heat so you don't zip through pricey oil. No oil heat was my #1 requirement for a home when I was looking to buy years ago. I refused to even consider any home with oil heat (after having oil heat in a rental for 12 years)--and this was 13 years ago when oil wasn't nearly as expensive as it is now.
1) My mother in law and my landlady both gave us an enormous amount of free food this weekend. They both volunteer at food banks and know we will accept and eat leftovers that might otherwise go in the trash. I passed what we were less likely to eat to my mom and sister in law. Then I froze or made a plan to eat up everything so nothing will go to waste.
2) I put together a thredup return of things that didn't fit the kids from our last order. I would rather pay restocking fees than have clothing on hand we won't use. I'll use the credit toward our next order.
3) Last night my oldest and I mapped out his halloween costume with felt we already own. He is very particular about which dinosaur he wants to be. Luckily paleontologists don't know with any certainty what color each dinosaur was, so I was able to talk him into the felt colors I already had. LOL
4) We cleaned house as a family Saturday morning even though none of us wanted to. Our cleaning lady was/is fantastic, but I really like saving what I was paying her.
5) My husband made his usual homemade pizza for the kids Friday night. I didn't get back in from traveling until late that night, and we had just moved into an airbnb while our home is being repaired, so I advised him to just press the easy button and get takeout. His own drive to save money and his preference for his homemade pizza made it happen.
Let's see...I listed and started selling my daughters' Disney Princess costumes (six down, four to go). This group is what's left after I gave away maybe six of the toddler
sized dresses already. Trust me, folks, no one is happier to see them go than me-I've never been much of a fan. Several were hand-me-downs, some were bought by their doting dad, and ONE was bought by me because my daughter wanted to be Jasmine for Halloween one year. Last year the thought of getting rid of them brought tears from my younger daughter so I held off. I've been throwing in Princess books, necklaces, stuffed animals, etc to the people who are buying them. Happy to see someone else getting joy from them.
Used my Ralphs (Kroger) app to score free vegetarian sausage patties that I love. Just needed to buy 2 cartons of almond milk that were on my list anyway. Saved almost $5 just by using the app.
Amazon delivered a mattress to us that we didn't order. Wasn't even in the right zip code. We contacted Amazon to let them know and they told us to keep it so I listed it for cheap and it sold!
Started putting a paper towel on top of the spinach in the container it comes in and storing the container upside down. I am the only one who eats spinach so sometimes it's tough for me to get through the whole thing before it goes bad. This seemed to help prevent the spinach from going slimy.
Daughter was going to make a cell model out of treats with her team and in a panic said "we need to go to the grocery store!" I asked what components she needed to bring and we were able to use some random odds and ends we had in the pantry instead. So no time or additional expenses expended.
@CrunchyCake, oh ya! My parents gave us three HUGE pomegranates from their yard and my in-laws mailed us a box of pomegranates and persimmons from their yard. So delicious. Frankly, it was pricy for my in-laws to mail it (the stamp said $17!!!!) but they feel joy knowing that the trees they so lovingly planted and care for are being enjoyed by their grandkids whom they love so dearly
If you decide you really do prefer liquid soap, buy a bar of soap, cut off slices (a potato peeler works well), put them in a pump bottle, and c0ver them with water. They will become liquid soap.
When your mechanic says you need brake pads, you are indeed trusting them with your life.
Hoping all goes well with your car!
1. I picked up a cute shirt for my husband off Buy Nothing.
2. We have been needing a garden tiller for our vegetable garden and were considering renting one. Someone posted a broken one on Buy Nothing, which I picked up. My husband fixed it for about $30. The tiller is being sold at Home Deport now for $450.
3. I used some soy pasta from my pantry, sundried tomatoes and kale from my garden, and home made pesto to make lunches for myself this week.
4. My kids have been wanting to buy protein balls at the YMCA when we go there to work out. I looked at the ingredients and made them myself at home. Now we just bring snacks with us when we go. They turned out really good!
5. We went to a free Fall Festival at the YMCA this weekend. The kids had a lot of fun.
@Corrine, Do you have a recipe for the protein balls?
Wow! What a week for you, Kristen! Hopefully things start to slow down this weekend.
My FFT - a number of which revolve around the most exciting thing I've done in a long time:
1. I saved my birthday money from March to buy tickets for my husband and I to go to a comedy club and see my favorite comedian last Saturday! I put it in an envelope and let it hang out there so nothing would happen to it before I needed it. And this was such a great way to spend my birthday money! I got to enjoy the anticipation of the event, the show itself was amazing, and I get to enjoy the memories afterwards.
2. My mom babysat my kids for free. Since the show was an hour and a half away, it would have been a lot to pay a babysitter.
3. This is 95% luck, 5% patience... It was just my husband, my brother, and I at a little table and the comedy club had a 2 item minimum that each person was supposed to purchase. We were looking around and seeing that every table except ours had been served, which seemed weird. I was thirsty and thought about asking someone, but decided to be patient. The manager came up partway through the headline act, apologized, and said that there was a mix-up over who was covering our table. He said we could have a round on the house and when we ordered cheap-o non-alcoholic beverages he also gave us our snack foods for free. We left a tip, but didn't have to pay anything for food!
4. I accepted a few bags of hand-me-down clothes for my son. They perfectly filled some gaps that I had (like winter pajamas - so necessary, but it feels so weird to spend a bunch of money on jammies!) and also included a nice Lands End coat for next winter.
5. I used regular copy paper to have my kids make thank you cards for all of their soccer coaches since Saturday was the end of the season. Six cards in all. They got to draw pictures of them and their coach or their team playing soccer and the cards were appreciated.
Kristen-I am so proud of you for persevering at school-you can do this!! I returned to school during COVID and worked hard to finish in 2 semesters (I had lots of credits already) and I’m so glad I did but I know from experience it’s hard-you’ve got this.
Frugal things…hmmm we are doing so many non frugal things (committed to getting a new puppy next month)…
Ok 5 frugal things..
1. Went to Costco to gas up car last night and decided to run in and get a rotisserie chicken and salad kit which beat getting takeout.
2. Making chicken broth from leftover rotisserie chicken bones and some wilted veggies from fridge.
3. Redeemed swagbucks for Amazon gift cards.
4. My dad brought me a box of corn on the cob, a bunch of peaches, and apples…processing them today so I don’t waste them (which I tend to do)
5. Cancelled Sirius XM subscription and Barkbox subscription.
Thank you for the encouragement!
One sentence really stood out to me….. I have the money to cover them and for that I am thankful. Although this new journey is difficult, there are so many blessings that have come about. Keep you head up and move on!!!
As for me and my frugalness…. I prepared family size servings of two dishes and froze smaller portions for my lunch. Big savings when I do not eat lunch out!!!
My frugal thing lately is using my public library. Instead of buying books I check them out. DVD's can be checked out instead of rented or bought. Often the newest releases are available to check out for seven days. The library even subscribes to an application where magazines are available to read on your phone. My library also has some magazines available for checking out. The library also often has free classes to attend with any needed supplies supplied. For me it is win situation as not only am I saving money, but I am also not cluttering up my house with magazines, books, and DVD's. Nor am I buying supplies for a one-time use.
I remember those tough college exams cluster weeks. Stay strong. Hydrate. Take your vitamins (especially B's, C & D) to protect against the stress build up. Enjoy your walks, because they are the best!
I have been shopping around Medicare Supplemental Insurance offers for my mom. Her current insurance is going up 37% for 2023! When the broker called to sign her up, he was like " it's only $30 more per month". So I asked him if he received 37% increase in pay per month? Add that increase to fuel, heating costs and everything else on our farm that has increase (yeah, I'm talking to you Mr. Fertilizer 400% increase).
So far, AARP is the clear winner. They are running a $12/year membership fee with 2nd person free - sniff, I actually qualify in 2023. Their partnership with United Healthcare is familiar for my mom as that is what she has had for the last 25 years on my dad's retirement program. Winner!
Loving the beautiful, warm fall days to get the greenhouse cleaned out and ready to overwinter the geraniums and amaryllis (they are still blooming). I am on year 6 of the same geraniums. They require 2 gallon pots to over winter.
Found bargain paint mix ups found at the paint store. Perfect color for the guest room.
I have just the perfect fabric in my "stash" to make a new quilt for the spruced up guest room.
No food waste this week. I have exactly enough grain to finish my two beef for custom butchering. Win, win, win!
Five frugal food things, because it feels like my whole life is cooking now . . .
1) Our neighbor gave us two of her old hens that had stopped laying. We also had one other hen and an extra rooster to get rid of, so we butchered four chickens on Sunday. (And by "we," I mean "my husband.") Two were young enough to roast, so they went into the freezer. The other two were pressure-cooked to make stock, which I reduced to six highly concentrated quarts before canning it. The meat from those chickens went into a big casserole for dinner that lasted two nights.
2) Same neighbor needed help getting some cows to auction. She asked my husband to help her load them and go to the auction with her. In return, we're buying one cow from her for a reduced per-pound price. Apparently, we now eat one entire cow a year. This will not be getting any better now that my sons are almost-13, 11, and 8.
3) I've been making more of an effort to feed those boys more, but not with cheap garbage. This means even more cooking for me. Things like an oat bread recipe that uses a lot of the ingredients I get free from the excess commodities (https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252305/honey-oat-quick-bread/), or rice pudding, or extra meatballs and meatloaf, or homemade chocolate syrup so they can have chocolate milk after football practice.
4) We love sausage, but I haven't found any I like here, and anyway, it's too expensive. So I told my husband the time had come to get a grinder. I hate cleaning grinders, but decided I'm willing to do it for good sausage. I found a manual one online that looked good and sturdy, and then my husband found the same one on Alibaba for about a quarter the cost. We haven't used it yet, but we'll recoup the cost with probably about five pounds of sausage.
5) So far in my kitchen today I've canned the six quarts of chicken stock concentrate, baked my daughter's birthday cake (chocolate cake with the best peanut butter frosting-https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/peanut-butter-frosting/), made a gallon of yogurt and two sourdough pizzas in half-sheet pans, and baked four loaves of sourdough bread.
@kristin @ going country, Peanut butter, cheese cubes, boiled eggs, etc. Beef or other jerky homemade. My son, who's now 6'5", was super skinny but also played ice hockey year round so basically he just opened his mouth and poured food in it.
Re sausage, in my recipe folder, which contains stuff dating back to my college years, I have a newspaper clipping from the 1987 Philadelphia Inquirer entitled "Add a little sizzle to your plate with homemade sausage." Celebrating 35 years now of having this clipping and never have once made homemade sausage!
@kristin @ going country, Honey Oat 'quick' bread?!!! Yes 🙂
I don't know if bar soap is cheaper but it is easier on my hands. I mostly use Dove for hand washing.
1. I grabbed another $5 box of produce using Flash Foods. It was a good variety of stuff. Since I hadn't walked yet today it was good to walk to Giant to pick it up.
2. Our credit union sent a replacement debit card since mine was about to expire. It needed to be authorized, by calling from our home phone, and after following all the steps a weird contact your financial institution message was given. I decided that rather than spending time calling I would just try the new card and see if it works. I was near a fee-free ATM and withdrew some cash. The new card works and I saved time (which somehow equates to money) and potential aggravation.
3. We had some end of season peaches, from a few weeks ago, that were just too mushy to eat. I used them to make a peach blueberry buckle. Most of the blueberries were given to me by a neighbor when she cleaned out their freezer.
4. Somehow my 64 year old eyes are okay with just reading glasses. The optometrist said I could go up one step in magnification for small print so I'll pick up a pair when I am near a dollar store. I had a frugal fail a few weeks ago with an expensive pair of sunglasses. They were in a jacket pocket while flying and when I pulled them out they had a big crack in them that interfered with my vision. I had bought them for maximum eye protection not for style.
5. I Worked a couple extra yoga classes into my schedule last week since my monthly pass was expiring and I had not attended that many classes yet. I was away two weekends and a class I was attending was cancelled during the month.
I'm so sorry Kristen, I hate big spend money weeks...and big test weeks. This too shall pass, thankfully!
Our neighbors have pigs, and we had some pumpkins that had started to mush because of frost, so we took them over to see if they wanted them for the pigs and they were thrilled. They gave us a dozen duck/chicken eggs and I was more thrilled than they were! We definitely got the better end of the deal on that one with egg prices going up.
My husband needed a sharpener for his chainsaw and decided to order one. I googled "coupon codes" for the store and found a 10% off code to this random little place, which made me super happy. It's amazing what you can find if you look. I do have the honey app on my computer, but it missed this discount, so that proved to me that it's still good to look around.
We shared a meal with another family last week, and basically "potlucked" it; it turned out great and was so much cheaper than going out.
And that's about it...working a lot of extra this week, so not much time for frugal activities.
Happy Tuesday, lovely friends.
Hooray for bar soap - I've been using and ayurvedic soap called Chandrika. Its 1.51 a bar, which altho not cheap, really, it is more frugal than shower gel and smells soooo good. This week I:
*cancelled all of my wine clubs. At $100-$130 a quarter, that would have been roughly $1200 - $1560 and to think Hubby and I had 6 wine clubs at one point - all with varying price points, but still.
*shopped around on the tree trimming for my backyard tree. I haven't settled on one company yet, because I have another quote coming in on Saturday, but the difference between company one and company two is $300 and I think I smell a rat!
*Got a raise! Its small, and we shall see what difference it makes, but STILL.
*Eating out of my freezer this week, except for tonight which is free sub night, courtesy of a former co-worker who sent me free sub cards.
*Bought shampoo at Target instead of Amazon. Saved $2. Little victories (:
Yay for a raise!!
I've had unexpected car repairs come up this week, too. I'm grateful to have the savings available to o cover them. Otherwise, these unexpected costs would become mounting debts.
1. I stacked discounts to buy a snowblower. My family has a townhouse, so our driveway is plowed for us and we only need to clear our walkway and shovel out our cars. My husband has a spine issue, and shoveling has become more and more of a burden. We took advantage of a planned trip to a sales-tax-free state, used my husband's veteran discount and paid with a rewards credit card to buy a tiny snowblower that will serve us perfectly.
2. I submitted a reimbursement claim with my health insurance for an out of network provider.
3. My cell phone carrier offers discounts and promotions every week. This week they offered a free one-year membership to a pet telehealth (tele-vet?) service. With two dogs and three rabbits, it may prove useful.
4. I brought my lunch to work every day.
5. I've been making an effort to use up odds and ends in the fridge to avoid food waste.
So I have kept the house warmer, since I am always cold and even the husband said he was cold. Then our fuel tank was filled this week, to the tune of $1100 and change. I go back and forth---I am old, I want to be warm and we are very thrifty other ways. But it is better for the environment if we don't use that much oil. But I am cold and so in the husband. But we could wear our insulated underwear in the house...it is now a day to day thing: am I frugal today or am I indulging myself with higher temperatures?
1. So today I am frugal because it is 38 out so the house is at 61 without the furnace. (We redid our insulation years ago so our house is pretty tight.)
2. Today I am also frugal because bread is waiting to be baked and there is still room in the oven for our dinner to bake.
3. And more frugality because I am drying the laundry in various places in the house, like off the shower rod in our other bathroom. We have handicap hand rails at various places and they are perfect for drying socks.
4. Cleaned out the chicken coop and took the poopy straw to the compost pile so in a year when it has decomposed into soil I will thank myself for not being lazy today.
5. Frugal husband went to a meeting attended by a bunch of other men and no one wanted to take home the leftover pizza. AFter most of the men had left, the hsuband cleared off the tables and scavenged the leftovers. We now have two pizzas and a bagged salad for future eats. He had more but as he was getting into the vehicle this guy walked by and said he was too humiliated to take leftovers and admired my husband for speaking up. Husband gave him half of his haul and gave a little pep talk on seeing this is helping the earth by reducing food waste so nothing to be embarrassed about. He did not scare off the guy by telling him that husband and his singing quartet buddies go out to lunch once a week and they all collect their leftover ends like pizza crusts or half finshed burgers in a take out box so husband can bring them home for the chickens. In return, they get a dozen eggs each every so often. TMI for someone who is working up his courage to take untouched food home!
@Lindsey,
I was skimming quickly and saw the words "poopy straw" and I was like "ew, why on earth would you use a straw with poop?" Hahaha!
It’s def illegal to charge random fees on a bank account so double check. They should all be outlined in your agreement!!
I find liquid soap is actually cheaper as I can use the tiniest drop and get sooo much lather.
Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit how long one bottle lasts. Lol. But I’m not: 8 months haha
Poor you with all the bills and exams coming at you at once in a right shhhh storm! At least you can tell yourself that all your efforts towards school DO COUNT as frugal because hopefully they will translate into employment in the not-too-far-off future!
My FFT:
1. Skipped the grocery store to get back onto my every other Wednesday Aldi schedule, so I'm going tomorrow. Been making everything stretch until then...sometimes by hiding things from my family...
2. Did go into Giant to look for mark downs while waiting for my daughter's after school club to finish. I was not impressed with the options! I left with only a few things from my list-sale priced butter, conditioner on sale, chicken bouillon that was not on sale but was way cheaper per unit than the one that was on sale, and store brand cat litter-hoping it will be acceptable because it was way cheaper than the name brand. The only thing I got not on my list was some Halloween candy for my kids that was on sale.
3. Still haven't turned on the heat. I also have oil...
4. Accepted 3 large pumpkins from my parents as a birthday gift so I don't need to buy them for my kids for carving.
5. Did lots of supplemental cooking at home. My husband does the main cooking, but I usually do breakfasts (including larger ones on weekends), dinner salads and sometimes dinner too. This week I made a chicken pot pie casserole that used canned chicken and I got two nights of dinner for 5 people out of about 7.00 worth of ingredients. I think I could get it cheaper with a few tweaks too, but I was mostly following a recipe for the first time. This one if anyone is interested, but I used chicken instead of tuna: https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-a-depression-era-tuna-pie/
If you're trusting them with your brake pads, you ARE trusting them with your life.
I'm still digging out from my mother's estate plus all the other things on my plate so there's been a lot of non-frugality. However:
- My father tried to pay for just about everything when I visited him, does that count?
- I complained to the chain's ownership when the chain store royally messed up my sandwich (instead of a club made with mustard instead of mayo, they gave me bread with mustard!).
- Starting to cook again, instead of a lot of prepped food or take-out.
- Never stopped brown-bagging to work.
- Bought a ton of soup on sale+coupon; good timing since I now have a sore throat (tested - not covid) and that's most of what I'm eating.
Ahahaha, well, that IS true about trusting them with my life. 😉
Whoa, expenses seem to happen in clusters don’t they ! HANG IN THERE> YOu have frugal skills to see you through.
My frugals:
1. Had my 3 besties over to play cards.. our every other week event..we live on the same block, all retired. NO DRIVING!!!! I made our lunch from chicken bits I had left from a roast chicken, added ingredients from pantry for a cheap and tasty tortilla soup. Served with rolls on sale, some fruit, and a pineapple upside down cake (on sale cake mix from a while back,etc…) and we also went over our voting materials and debated all the propositions here in Arizona to vote on. WE ARE READY TO VOTE!!
2. Doesn’t SOUND frugal.. but, last year, I went to some local sports bars a bunch of times, to watch my beloved SUNS play basketball. I did not have any cable TV channels. ( I NEVER go downtown to actually buy a ticket to a game…) While there, I spent money on “snacks” and wine, so… THIS year, I went ahead and bought a $19.99 a month subscription to Bally Sports so I can watch my Suns at HOME and save the snack/wine money at the bar and grill! Basketball became a real hobby for me during covid. So, this is a frugal move and something my family can enjoy together now.
3. Put out the word for “free” items on my buy nothing page on fb and received a nice flat iron for my hair! And saw a beautiful pair of shoes in my size..brand new.Yay! I also listed and gave away some art and craft items from my studio, and some kitchen items..am clearing out room by room .. do that once a year! Amazing how things just TAKE UP SPACE.. giving away feels great!!!!!!
4. NO food waste. The grocery store is taking my breath away!!! We eat EVERY MORSEL. I save even half a cup of coffee from coffeemaker for that late afternoon pick me up. NO WASTE!!
5. I write in a gratitude journal every morning after my spiritual reading. Saves my sanity,enhances my overall health.
I don't know how you can remember all you do....I guess I need to take notes because I know I'm doing frugal things but struggle to remember.
1 - I used my discount to get a car wash. From here on out any washed I get this month will be free. I live on a gravel road so car washes are divine.
2 - I scored some .10 books at a local thrift store. My grandson was with me so it was really fun picking them out with him.
3 - I found two pairs of pants for my grandson for $1 each...it's impossible to find things that low even at yard sales in my area. A dress pair for church & a pair of sleep pants.
4- I used the McDs app to get a discount coffee & the play space for a 'free' place to let my grandson play out of the weather.
5 - I collected seeds for next years garden (purple hull peas, tomatoes & lots of flowers & herbs)
When you are calling around to check fuel oil prices, also check to see if the supplier has some sort of budget plan. My parents heated their home with oil for decades and their supplier offered a plan that set their oil price at the beginning of the season if they prepaid a certain number of gallons. It was a bit of a gamble because what if fuel oil prices actually dropped instead of going up but over the course of a full heating season Mom usually came out ahead. If you have the funds to prepay for oil, this could save you quite a bit in the end.
I hope you find you enjoy bar soap! I personally love it, as long as I have a good soap dish or soap lift to help keep it dry. I love unwrapping a new bar of lavender soap (I do buy nice bar soaps, since cheap ones dry my skin out, so maybe it's not cheaper than liquid soap... but so much more enjoyable to me.)
My FFT:
1. Received a $25 GC for completing a survey. I chose Panera so I could pair it with my free Unlimited Sips membership and succumb to the orange scones I mentioned last week.
2. Also redeemed points for a $25 GC to Starbucks through another survey company. I match this with stars earned from games, etc. to get free pastries (which are only 50 stars, as compared to a coffee drink for 150!).
3. I cut open toothpaste and sunscreen tubes to fully finish the product, and am using our extended road trip as a chance to use up miscellaneous skin care samples.
4. Not frugal for me, but we are staying with my in-laws and my MIL saves the individual coffee filter packets from every hotel/motel she’s ever stayed in, along with condiments from fast food. She never uses them so she has major hoards. I occasionally will empty ketchup packets into her big ketchup bottle, sugar packets into the sugar bowl, and I discovered I can use 4 of the coffee filter packets in her coffee percolator for decent coffee. This saves her a little bit of money, and also brings me a little bit of joy in seeing the chaos in her fridge decrease a little.
5. Replenished my card stash from the ones my MIL receives free from every charity under the sun.
My FFT:
* After 6 weeks of university, I decided this is not for me after all. I've decided on a much shorter and straight to the point course, starting in January. In the meantime, I'll be working full time instead of my usual part-time, so more money coming in
* Won 2 tickets worth 160$ each for Mean Girls the musical. It was great! I invited a friend and she drove us and paid for the (cheap, 2$) parking. Win-win
* Found 2 places for my daughter to hang out at night and socialize with other teens, since this is difficult for her to do at school (hello autism!), and the best part is that the services are free or really cheap. She seems pretty happy to be going, so far.
* Still using the public library like a mad woman!
So impressed with all of the school work, test taking & still life living you've got going on!
1) This one will hopefully pay dividends through the rest of the year, and all of 2023. I achieved the highest United status through a few international work trips. There are perks there, but I don't use United for personal travel. I jumped through a bunch of hoops, and applied for a status match on our preferred personal airline, and they just cleared my status. In the immediate term, my husband & I are going to Hawaii on Friday, and we were upgraded from economy to premium economy, which is nice. We are also wait listed for first class, which would be a huge win.
2) I packed snacks, & pre-ordered a bit of food for the flight, so we don't buy any expensive airport meals. We can share one of the flight meals, when combined with snacks, so it still comes out ahead. We will also get free drinks, due to the upgrade.
3) I made the most of freezer leftovers, and made a giant batch of chicken curry. I was able to freeze another dinner's worth, and two lunches.
4) I used a bunch of over ripe bananas to make two loaves of banana bread. We will take one on our trip (it will serve as breakfast) & my parents will have easy breakfast options while they are staying with the kids.
5) Sold my old running watch & two shirts on eBay. All packaged with recycled materials, of course!
Ohh, what a wonderful flight perk you've got! Yay!!
And regarding #5, yes, I always used saved packing materials too. I don't think I've ever bought a bubble mailer.
I have wondered why so many "how to save money" articles, etc. never mention using bar soap. They last forever, are no harder to use than the liquid stuff and you are not paying for water. it really is no harder to pick up a bar of soap than to pump the liquid soap.
1. I made all of our meals at home. I accepted some soup from my mom. We ate up leftovers.
2. I tried to wash my kid's shoes after an accident, but it turns out that after only 6 weeks, the shoes no longer fit. So I bought new shoes for the kid. Not exactly frugal, but I'm giving myself credit for the attempt.
3. We went through snow boots, winter hats, gloves, and scarves. Some items were passed down. We only bought what we needed (i.e. I knew exactly what we needed).
4. We made crafts out of materials that we had.
5. I fixed my kid's sweater that had a hole along the seam.
6. I'm also giving myself credit for NOT spending money even when I wanted to.
Ivory soap girl here! I unwrap bars and store in a wire basket to dry and harden on my bathroom. I am 60 and cannot imagine a bath without Ivory!
I think having a long-standing relationship with a trusty mechanic is a very frugal thing. I too go to a shop I trust. Keeping my car in good shape has always saved me money.
I packed a lunch and packed my kids lunches.
I took an online free yoga class and walked for exercise and de-stressing.
I am reading a book I found at a free lending library and my next read will be a book from my local library.
I washed my clothes off peak use hours (4-9 pm) and in exchange I get a discount on my electric bill. I hang my clothes to dry. That means I was my clothes in the wee early morning hours or after the kids are in bed.
First off, I use Dr. Bronzer’s liquid soap, on a poof, and I love it! You can wash yourself, and the wash your bathtub with it! I converted back in 2010 and have never looked back! If I use anything else, it feels gross and heavy, and is way harder to wash off me!
As for checking accounts for both business and personal, I have been using Huntington and I don’t have any weird fees. I don’t even get overdraft fees, with the 24 hour thing - giving you 24 hours to replenish any missing funds! I recommend them!
As for being frugal, I’m trying - but like you I’m paying taxes this month, things keep popping up, and I’m frustrated. I may even be short and I’m trying to figure out what to do. It’s a sucky time for my business. These higher interest rates are dinging me, being a title searcher. I’ve done this 24 years and this is one of my worst years. I’ve had days where no work comes in and it’s nerve wracking. I’m used to being busy and making money! Plus being divorced, I don’t have that second income, and nothing to fall back on. Hopefully things work out! It has to!
One frugal thing, I suppose! Last night I found a packet of filet mignon marked down half price due to the date, so $16 instead of $30. I brought them home and broiled them for dinner and it was SO GOOD. Maybe not totally frugal, but I don’t do that often so win win for me and my son LOL!
I like five frugal things...it's a good reminder to myself that I am making good decisions when I can!
We...did not buy anything except gas and a round of golf (with a discount!) on our recent camping trip. We took all our own food and drinks.
I have been comparing prices at Walmart/Sam's/City Market lately to make sure I'm getting the best deal. I love being able to open the Sam's app while I'm in Walmart or City Market to see the cost difference!
We had leftover roasted brussels sprouts with our pizza last night because they needed to be eaten. No food waste!
I am making pesto today with what is almost the last batch of herbs from the garden. Yesterday I roasted and froze some tomatoes that were getting wrinkly and some peppers too.
Used $5 rewards at PetCo last week when I bought kibble for the kitties.
@Julie from GJ, "it’s a good reminder to myself that I am making good decisions when I can!" What you wrote is so true-- being frugal is making decisions, not just letting things happen to you.
Five Frugal things:
1) I made a VAT of minestrone soup (enough for a week) from a "garbage dump" from emptying my fridge Soup has fennel, garlic, onions, carrots, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, kale, celery, summer squash, zucchini, in a veggie broth with a can of whole tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Served with homemade rosemary bread--
2) ended a Starz subscription we were not using Thinking of using that app that finds subscriptions for you and deletes unused ones. Called Rock something? I HATE paying for stuff we do not use that I am unaware of--
3) got a small grant to cover entry fees for manuscript competitions
4) Got the last ? three tomatoes from the garden
5) Baked bread ($2 flour, pennies for yeast, free water) Saved maybe $10
So I have never heated with oil, but let’s say there is still your oil in the tank when you move. Do you as a tenant get reimbursed for it? Just curious how that works
Yep! They made a note of how full it was when I moved in, and they will buy back any difference from me when I move out.
I switched to Dove bar soap a couple years ago and found that I liked it better than liquid soap. It's much cheaper, lathers up nicely with my loofah sponge, there's little, if any plastic waste, and the paper box it comes in can easily be recycled or composted. The only downside is that I find I have to clean the shower floor a little more often due to some soap residue, but it's not a drastic difference from how I was cleaning before.