Five Frugal Things | I fixed it, Officer!
1. I fixed my burnt-out headlight bulb
Remember how I got pulled over for having a dead headlight bulb?
(I had no idea it was out!)
I received a 10-day repair order, and I figured that this was probably a job I could handle myself (with the assistance of YouTube, OF COURSE.)
I went to Advance Auto Parts and bought a two-pack of the appropriate bulbs. I believe these bulbs are the original pair from when I got my van, so I figure that if one is burnt out, the other one is on its last leg as well. It's not like I use one light bulb more than the other. 😉
I watched a couple of YouTube videos, put some gloves on, and got the job done.
I preemptively replaced the second bulb because I was not enthused about the idea of possibly getting pulled over again.
So, now I just gotta pop into the police station and have them sign my repair order to certify that my headlight is indeed in working order again.
2. I wore an even worse pair of mismatched socks
You know how if one sock sprouts a hole, I save the other one and "match" it with another solo sock?
The pair I showed you the other week wasn't too bad; the socks were the same brand and mostly white.
But this pair is way worse. Zoe said, "Nice socks, Mom!" when she saw me. Heh.
Luckily, they're a pretty similar cut and you can't really see them once I have my Vans on. 🙂
3. I drank some free tea
Every week, we get a little bundle of sale ads in the mailbox. Normally, there's not much of value there, but I happened to notice that this time, it included a little Twinings tea advertisement that came with two tea bags.
Sweet!
(That reminds me: Twinings is a type of tea bag you could use for making the tea bag Christmas wreaths A. Marie shared with us.)
4. I saved my frying oil for greasing my grill
I like to brush my grill grates with oil before I cook, but I always prefer to use old oil for that purpose, and I keep a container in the freezer for that purpose.
I fried some chicken recently, and I'd already used the oil twice. Sooo, I poured it into my grease-for- the-grill container, and now I'm all set for next time I grill.
5. I bought an inexpensive pair of dress pants
I have something scheduled where I need to dress up, and...the last pair of dress pants I have is from somewhere around 2012 or earlier.
I tried them on, but I was definitely skinnier in 2012 than I am now because I could barely button these pants, even standing up. God forbid I sit down in them!
I don't get dressed up very often, so my current pants are basically just jeans, leggings, and scrub pants.
I tried a thrift store first, but came up dry. Then I went to T.J. Maxx and found a pair for $14.99. Sweet.
I will wear them with a top I already have and shoes I already have.
Bonus: I did not buy a wasp nest
For some strange reason, someone is selling a wasp nest for $200 on Facebook Marketplace. I don't even know what to think about this, although if he can get $200 for it, then more power to him.
I'm just not sure why in the world someone would buy it!
I hope this is not gonna be one of those posts where you come back later and say something like "whelp, the joke's on me because I bought a wasp's nest..."
Bahahahaha, no, I think we are safe on this front.
@Becca, Oh my goodness.... that's so funny!
@Becca, it’s just a little scuffed!
My five frugal things, Thanksgiving meal edition.
I thought it would be fun to see if I could come up with five things about the meal I made that were frugal, so here goes:
1. I used items from my pantry and freezer that I already had on hand because I buy them in bulk like flour and sugar.
2. For my pie fillings, I used pumpkin I had previously cooked and frozen, a bag of frozen mixed fruit, and apples left over from my classroom. I also made crusts from scratch using sale butter and bulk flour, and other ingredients in my pies included powdered milk, vanilla made from beans and vodka, and cornstarch leftover from a classroom science experiment. I literally made four pies and bought no new ingredients.
3. I used butter I had previously bought on sale and frozen.
4. I used herbs that grow like weeds in my garden despite my recent neglect: mint, thyme and chives. Free flavor.
5. I made turkey stock using turkey wings I had from a turkey I bought on sale, chopped up and froze in pieces a very long time ago. They made delicious stuffing.
And some bonus ones: for the items I did choose to buy, I went with cheaper options such as frozen corn, canned peas, whole cranberries instead of a can, shrimp in a bag instead of in a ring, "fancy" cheese from Aldi, etc. We ate various leftovers for two more dinners, as well as several breakfasts and lunches. I also purchased the items I needed over time so that the expenses weren't all in one trip. All told, I estimated that the cost of the ingredients for the lunch and dinner of Thanksgiving was about 80.00, but we got at least ten family meals out of the food.
@Becca,
Way to go! You did a great job keeping cost down for Thanksgiving. I had heard vodka in pie crust made it flaky. What do you think?
@Bee,
I think I did read that somewhere, but I've never tried it. My crusts were tasty, but I decided to only do bottom crusts from now on because the top crusts ended up harder than I would like-maybe I worked them too much? I think I want my future crusts to be thinner and just less of them. Bonus is that will end up being frugal, too. 😉
Hmmm, maybe a modern art thing or a fire starter for the wasp nest?
FFT, spending money to save money (and joints) edition. FYI, all Black Friday purchases were decided on and saved for months ago, excepting the wheelbarrow wheel!
—Our old flatscreen was once body-slammed by a past cat—-Cicero (RIP) was 25 lbs, all muscle, and loved bouncing off things! Over the years, the resulting crease grew from barely noticeable to a VERY noticeable foot-long discoloration. Amazon’s Black Friday sale provided our chosen television size and brand for $180, and that model was on our price watchlist for months. Shout-out to our previous TV, which made it 12 years before doomed by The Crease.
—Our wheelbarrow had a flat tire, which I naturally discovered when going to use it. 😛 Ace Hardware had a Black Friday deal for 50% off orders under $30, so I bought a new HARD rubber tire (no more flats!) for $12, which I’ll pick up at the store. That certainly beats paying 1/4 the cost of the wheelbarrow for one tire!
—Our last Black Friday purchase was from Bones Coffee Company, which offered 25% off an order. We spent just enough to ensure free shipping in addition to the discount. Our coffee needs are set for the next 6-8 months! We’ll store our backstock in the deep freezer to keep it fresh.
—I needed to carve out a spot for our future patio. Rather than dig a 4” deep rectangle myself, I paid the local hardware store $20 to do it with their mini Bobcat. (Small town = they’re happy to just drive the Bobcat to our house four blocks away! Also, we called 811 to check for ground lines well before this.) We paid only 50 cents per stone thanks to Habitat Restore, so why not splurge on saving my back and hands? What would have taken me a day or days to dig took him all of five minutes, and I was able to get the patio assembled that same afternoon. $20 = Worth it!
--We basically worked backwards, hoarding paving stones vs. choosing a patio size and then choosing stones to fill it. I found a formula online to compute how much patio I could build with the size and number of pavers we had on hand. It worked so well that when I was done, I had only three stones leftover!!! This formula would also work for floor tile, etc., so here it is for my fellow second-hand hunters.
Formula:
Multiply paver length and width to find surface area
Divide result by 144 (144” = 1 sq/ft)
Divide number of pavers on hand by how many pavers are needed per square foot
Example:
4 x 8" pavers = 32 square inches
144 divided by 32 = 4.5 pavers needed per square foot
200 total pavers divided by 4.5 needed per square foot = 44.4 sq/ft patio, bathroom, etc.
@N, wry impressed by your budget patio. It has never occurred to me to rent a bobcat. Well done!
@N, did not know about Ace hardware Black Friday 50% off until got home & checked emails 15 minutes before hardware closed---missed that deal. 🙁 Not sure what needed as would have had to think carefully about that deal.
@N, $200 for a hornet's nest fire starter would definitely qualify as a Frugal Fail.
@JDinNM, My sister worked at a foundry where someone paid over $1000 to have a bronze made of their sculpture of Wild Bill Hickok as a winged centaur--yes, you read that right. In short, I've given up trying to understand other people's money choices! 😛
@N,
My former neighbor would use his bobcat to clear all the driveways and the cul-de-sac on which we lived. He worked for homemade brownies and cookies. Ha! As Kristen would say.
@N, can I just say thank you for calling 811 before you dig. It's so important and people just don't do it.
First, Kristen, thanks for the shout-out to last year's tea wreath post. I was sorry to miss this year's local JASNA tea wreath meeting, but it was a little too soon after my second eye surgery for me to feel comfortable taking the NY State Thruway to get there.
And, actually, I do own a wasp nest! One of DH's more eccentric tenants left it behind, and it's in the little sun room where most of my houseplants live.
Now, FFT, Thanksgiving Weekend Edition:
(1) In Friday's WIA, I described the excellent Thanksgiving dinner that my next-door neighbor (NDN) and I attended. I'll add only that I declined a take-home package of leftovers (though I made sure NDN got one) in favor of having the turkey carcass saved for me for a future stock. Our hostess is not a stock-maker, so she was happy to agree–and she’s not the sort of person who is likely to forget. She said she’d put it in her freezer and hand it off to me when I see her this coming Friday.
(2) Although I don’t usually do Black Friday shopping, I made an exception for the sale at my Salvation Army superstore: 50% off everything. And, boy, did I break the bank at Monte Carlo: two older Pyrex mixing bowls in sizes I need and a pattern that coordinates with two bowls I have; a Polarfleece jacket (the good old original Polarfleece from Malden Mills); an LL Bean men’s XL chamois cloth shirt that someone had considerately run through the dryer till it shrunk enough to fit me; a pair of new-with-tags socks with corgis on them (RIP our late Queen!); a new-in-box set of Jos. A. Bank men’s handkerchiefs (for the only man I know who uses handkerchiefs, for Xmas); two small Vera Bradley lunch bags (for, I hope, my JASNA BFF’s twin grandchildren); and, best of all, an almost complete set of Sabatier kitchen knives (certainly not top-of-the-line Sabatier, but pretty darn fancy nevertheless). Total tab was $42.77, including only $4 for the knives. Cha-ching!
(3) I stayed home and enjoyed the dopamine hit from (3) for the rest of the day Friday and all day Saturday. I also addressed holiday cards (I always address them first and write them second), and was pleased to find I had more than enough in stock to get the job done (no need to buy more).
(4) I’ve done two U.S.-government-related things: (a) ordered four more free COVID tests with the new offer that began on 11/20 (thanks to various tipsters for this); and (b) bought two more booklets of Forever stamps before the rates go up again in January.
(5) And I finished the last of my yard work, brought in all tools and flowerpots, and declared gardening season officially over. We're expecting heavy lake effect snow later today.
Ok, but would you have paid $200 for a wasps nest? I DON'T THINK SO. 😉
@A. Marie,
The NL postal services sell Christmas stamps every year - they are slightly cheaper, and you can use from early December through early January. However I calculated that due to having bought my regular stamps in large quantities some time ago, my present stash of stamps is even cheaper than the current Christmas stamps. Guess which ones I'll be using - (I am presently using the roll of stamps I bought pre-covid, there were 200 stamps on it)
@A. Marie, I have a friend that has a beautiful large wasp nest. It’s very old and she actually bought it an estate sale. What else is in your cabinet of curiosities?
@Bee, the tenants left us quite a few interesting odds and ends over the years (along with, as you can imagine, staggering amounts of junk). For example, the same house that yielded the wasp nest also produced the New Home sewing machine that's doing duty as a plant stand in my sun room; another plant stand is a small, old barrrel that once contained soy sauce; and all but one of my laundry-drying racks came from rental properties.
And, Kristen, here's my sixth frugal thing, retroactive: (6) Did not pay $200 for a handsome wasp nest. 😀
@A. Marie, Wow! what a great haul at Salvation Army store. I wish we had nice Salvation Army store by us--dumpy & looks bad inside. We went to nice one (8-10+ years ago up north while on vacation & was impressed with prices compared to Goodwill.
@Kristen, I do think the wasp nest is sort of beautiful, with the striped pattern and the twigs poking through. But not for $200. And I would never bring it inside due to fear that there might be some occupants still lurking.
Impressed with your vehicle maintenance skills. Also: you can buy sets of mismatching socks to support the (NL) Alzheimer foundation. So to me you are expressing support for Alzheimers patients as well as frugality.
My frugals:
- buying one day old artisan sourdough at 50% off, again
- rummaging through the garage and finding painting supplies from previous projects
- ditto holiday decorations, from the attic
- knitting with gifted yarn (and in turn the socks will be a gift)
- spreading out holiday groceries purchases by keeping an eye out for interesting offers
- making my own holiday relishes and chutneys, with some to spare for future occasions
Future frugals (hopefully): I bought a set of vacuum containers and bags (Zwilling) that I intend to use for meal prepping. Eldest is interested because the bags are also useful for sous vide preparations. We can do some experiments later in the year.
My Honda dealership will replace bulbs at no charge when you buy the replacement bulbs from their parts department. It is quick and easy, there is no wait.
The Twinings Lemon & Ginger herbal tea is delicious. I have been buying it despite the price (when it is on sale and sometimes there are coupons attached to the display case for $1 off per box).
I have not bought dress pants since 2006 and the pair I have is definitely out of style.
1. I dug out our skinny artificial Christmas tree. We don't have to move furniture around to fit it in the living room so that is a bonus. We string lights on it so the tree does not need to be replaced if the lights go.
2. DD wanted holiday gift ideas for us and I found a half price sale on customized address signs by an Etsy seller. Our current house numbers were on the house when we bought it 30 years ago and they are small. I do like the recent trend of more decorative and prominent house numbers and look forward to receiving this gift.
3. We ate at home all weekend, including Thanksgiving leftovers and a big pot of chili with corn bread.
4. I am listening to Ultra-Processed People, borrowed from the library. It contains a lot of information about ultra-process food.
5. I have Sirius-XM turned on in my car for two weeks for free. I have been disappointed in it and still feel no compulsion to subscribe. I find I'd rather listen to an audio book when I am alone in the car.
@K D,
My "new" (used) car does not have a CD player, and I would like to listen not only to audio books but my music discs. Does anyone have any idea how to inexpensively get and rig up a CD player to a late model car that lacks one?
@Fru-gal Lisa, we had a "disc-man" we were able to purchase an adaptor that looked like a cassette tape. It attached to the disc-man and we could play cds. The only issue we had was going over bumps would make the cd skip. I found this one on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/RCA-AH600R-Car-Cassette-Adapter/dp/B000BUN79K/ref=asc_df_B000BUN79K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312028568547&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14372569356760476042&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029484&hvtargid=pla-435754025443&mcid=ff63d97e281d3f43b9b0d682e808a24e&gclid=Cj0KCQiA35urBhDCARIsAOU7QwknA67uxOKbN2QwpAGXuhC974zrrVSEPW1y1x0wocCMOyCL5PeGVqwaAhTvEALw_wcB&th=1
Hope it works!
So the real question is, are you going to make it through your event without severe foot pain due to those heels that I presume you never wear any more? 🙂 Any time I wear my old high heels for special events, I wonder how I ever managed to wear them all day to work. With pantyhose! A different time of life, for sure.
Anyway. Frugal things . . .
--My youngest son told me his church shoes are too small. Of course, he told me this when we were trying to actually get out the door to church. But a quick rummage in the old shoe bin revealed another pair of church shoes that fit him. Poor third boy hardly ever gets new shoes, but he also doesn't have to wait around for new shoes to be delivered, so I guess that's the silver lining there.
--Snow is rare enough here that I don't buy specific snow boots for my children. However, my younger two boys have big enough feet now that one can wear my snow boots and one can wear my waterproof hiking boots when it does snow, which it did on Friday night.
--Eldest son was shivering and complaining of the bitter cold (all of 25 degrees--that boy has come far from his upstate New York roots), so I let him wear the hand woven alpaca sweater from Peru that my sister gave me many years ago. I don't think he's going to be wearing it to school anytime soon, but it works for around the house.
--I have started my annual Month of Bread Baking to provide a loaf of fresh bread to every co-worker (16 of them) and neighbor (8 of them) for Christmas. The cost per loaf is very low, but it's a LOT of time to make all those loaves. Especially since sourdough takes two days total and I can only make five loaves at a time. I bake sourdough bread almost every week all year long, and most of these people get a loaf sometime during the year anyway as a thank you for something, or just because they love it, but this time of year, they ALL get it. I know they all look forward to it, so it's worth the time. The couple of people who don't eat bread get homemade granola.
--We have eaten every blessed scrap of turkey, right down to the broth from the carcass. I don't even like turkey, so I consider this an accomplishment.
Well, as I understand it, I will probably be able to sit for a large portion of this. But I might pack a pair of flats for the walk from the parking garage to the courthouse. 😉
@Kristen, ohhhh, I hope this is good news.
@Kristen, Good luck.
@Meg in SoTX, me too!!!
@Kristen, I know you’re not a vengeful person but those heels! Like Princess Diana’s famous black revenge dress! Seriously wishing the new healthier you the best! You have a group of loving people here wishing we could carry you in on our shoulders!
@Kristen, Sending every possible positive thought and a few hugs.
@Kristen,
Hoping for the best of news
@Kristen, sending wishes for good luck, strength, composure, and clarity.
@Kristen, courthouse?? Is this the next step toward getting unmarried!?? (Please God, let this end well for our friend.)
@Kristen, Ah. Good luck to you. And stiletto heels are the right choice for such a situation. 🙂
@Kristen, it is worth it to be able to dress up and walk. I consider my foot health vital to feeling good, and have discovered some beautiful, comfortable dress shoes with low heals. Consider it an investment in your future—and save the trouble of carrying shoe changes around. Alegria brand makes some, and others too, in wide widths. My husband loves to take romantic walks after a nice dinner, and my comfy shoes make it possible to go cheerfully!
@Kristen, crossing all fingers and toes for you!
I think my husband saw that very same nest on Facebook Marketplace; we were all floored and wondered why we hadn't cashed in long ago.
My (boring) things:
*I mended some jeans and a shirt. (Unless I reported that last week. It all blends together.)
*I bought frozen turkey on sale for Christmas since our Thanksgiving turkey didn't happen.
*I made bread, muffins, and everything else we ate.
*I am making things from what we have on hand despite badly needing some groceries.
*I enthusiastically encouraged my hunters in their endeavors. My encouragement paid off when my husband shot a doe yesterday.
I think you can use a dead wasps nest to put off other wasps who may want to set up home with you. But I wouldn’t pay $200 for one!
Not feeling terribly frugal as trying to buy a house and after a certain point the numbers lose meaning and there are so many extra fees that can’t be changed that I’ve given up to an extent. Maybe I can refocus by remembering that we have an emergency fund and savings so that we can afford to, for example, but more takeaway or a mostly pre-done Christmas dinner if we need to. I am determined to be in that house by hook or by crook, even if it’s only in the dark at 5pm Christmas Eve. I am so very ready to have agency again in an owned house rather than frustrated in the 9th month of landlords not fixing things, or having to move at two week’s notice as we have had to do twice in the last two years.
And that I get to do this is very much in my thankfulness thinking.
On the socks, I bet the deliberate mismatch is a thing with the youth, so you’re probably cutting edge trendy without realising it 😉
WOW how did I miss that Jane Austin tea bag wreath last yer??I am looking for some simple projects/gifts:VOILA! Soo beautiful and useful too!!
Black pants! I have. pair from around the year 2007, they are just Cherokee brand from Target, black velvety texture, they are my go to holiday pants, still fit! I only wear them in December every year so they are still in good shape!! LOL!
Will you be decorating for the holidays? I want all your holiday tips tricks and recipes..I am sure you will be creating some new traditions for yourself and your family..please share!!!
YouTube is such a helpful resource. I use it often. Of course, sometimes I realize I can’t do it myself which is important to know too.
1. Earlier last week, my husband and I tested positive for Covid — again. My DIL spent Thanksgiving Day in the ER with a rather severe stomach virus. Thus, our Thanksgiving celebration was delayed. I spent the entire day cooking on Saturday so all the food I had purchased would not go to waste. My family finally sat down for our Thanksgiving that evening.
2. Before disaster struck, I made a Thanksgiving centerpiece primarily from scavenged items leaves, branches, pine cones and pumpkins. I now have 6 pumpkins to be roasted this week.
3. I did buy something on Black Friday — a sewing machine. I have looked for a used one for sometime, but haven’t been able to find one in decent condition. There were some deep discounts offered, so I took the plunge. I hope that this purchase will actually save money in the long run.
4. Since I was stuck at home, I did quite a bit of decluttering and I finally reorganized the pantry. It is nice to go into the holidays with a clean pantry and refrigerator. I now have an accurate inventory of the food I have and will plan accordingly.
5. I have the interior design book, The Well Loved House, on hold at the library. I was doing some window shopping a few weeks ago with my sister when I saw this beautiful book. Although I really wanted it, it had a hefty price tag. I borrowed it instead. I love my library!!!!
Wishing everyone good health and prosperity!
@Bee, ThriftBooks has this book for $29.99, hardcover in good condition. And there is one for $18.80 on eBay right now.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Wow, that a great deal. It was $75 at the store.
@Bee, I wish you and yours a speedy recovery from your ailments. And I'm glad you got to have your Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. Better late than never.
Also, it occurs to me that you may have meant "cabinet of curiosities" in your question to me above in the historical sense (a collection of found natural objects). And I have one of those too. (Your #2 description suggests that you too have a keen interest in the natural world.)
Aside from the wasp nest, I keep mine in my office. It includes a shed deer antler (found in my back 40 last winter; it's about time those wretched Bamboids left me a tip!); a nicely cleaned rabbit skull (found by DH a few years ago, also in the back 40); several interesting feathers, including one shed by a red-tailed hawk in a fierce fight with a kingfisher near the Erie Canal (DH and I witnessed this); and a seagoing mammal's bone that I found on the Cumberland Island National Seashore in south GA many years ago. (I presented the bone for Dr. Bestest Neighbor's forensic opinion after DH and I returned from that trip. Although Dr. BN wouldn't commit himself to an opinion about the species, he examined the bone with professional interest and said, "Hmmmm...scapula.")
I love the mismatched sock idea. My daughter used to do that allllll the time because she couldn't be bothered to match socks out of the dryer! Let me see if I have any frugal things...
*I spoke up for a free Santa dish on our FB Buy Nothing group. Its cute and after purging so much of my old "family" Christmas decor, I will slowly put together the new "Gina" Christmas decor. This one might end up being a spoon rest by the stove.
*I decorated the rest of my house with stuff I already had, but kept it all simple
*I stored all of the Thanksgiving leftovers and made soup stock with the carcass. I can't wait to heat up the shepherd's pie on a cold night when I don't want to cook.
*Going to mail a bunch of stuff today instead of trucking it all the way to Brenham, which is 1 1/2 hours away. Mailing it seems less expensive and a better use of my time off.
*I've been heating up and eating dibs and dabs from the freezer rather than eat a meal out. Averaging one eat out a week now, which is still a luxury. I did get a free Bundtlet for my birthday so that was fun.
*I am done with Christmas shopping and stayed well within my budget.
Bring it, December.
@Gina from The Cannary Family, Good for you, I let out a vicarious sigh of relief that you are so ready for December!
Hmm, as always I have a hard time thinking of frugal things I've done.
1. Library books? That's always a sure bet. I managed to get through a week without buying a book! Go me.
2. Coffee and tea at home. I'm always, always tempted to stop and get a coffee or tea when I'm out running errands on Saturday. But I tell myself, if I resist, I can count that as a Frugal Thing.
3. Had some heavy whipping cream left over from Thanksgiving, and while it's nice in coffee it's hard to get it all out of the container. I poured in some regular milk, shook it up, and used that to top off my half and half that was getting low.
4. Drew a Christmas card for the nice people who run the cat shelter where we volunteer. They sent us a Christmas card so I'll drop this off the next time we go (saving a stamp).
5. Using up leftovers for lunches. We ate all the turkey! And I have bones saved in the freezer and I may actually make some turkey broth eventually.
I’m using up my stash of travel size toiletries that I tend to hold onto for “ just in case”.
Using up random pasta ( lasagna, penne, etc) in a pasta bake.
Using my drying rack instead of using my dryer
Recycling any holiday sale flyers that come in the mail to avoid temptation to buy more
My husband got a free turkey from work and a $20. gift card from the local/small IGA supermarket. He works at the hardware store, so I guess they do a local business exchange thing. We had some last minute items to purchase, so when he picked up the turkey, we used the gift card and made some additional purchases. And we usually run to this supermarket instead of Walmart to help support it.
I got Covid on Saturday so I have not been feeling good at all. This variant is hard on the throat so I have not been eating till last night. I could not even drink and swallow, it was so painful. Luckily when hubs was going to Walgreens, he was entering my phone number and there was money there for him to get discounts from when we got our Covid vaccines. I can't imagine not having the vaccine, getting sick and paying for all these supplies at full price. I am starting to feel better, but I don't wish this on anyone. Thankfully I work from home too, so I can continue to work because I have run out of days off.
We are (well my husband is) eating turkey and Thanksgiving leftovers. He is still making coffee in the AM too and bringing his lunch to work. And today the coffee tastes particularly good after not having it for a few days. And it is also getting rid of my massive headache.
I plan on staying home at least till mid next week cause I don't like to wear masks and the MD said after quarantining for 5 days, I have to mask for 5 days. I'll just stay home and get caught up on things around here that I have not been able to do because of this ick.
@Maureen, feel better. That sounds miserable.
Lucky you, being able to change your own headlight bulb. Our car requires being put on a lift and removing part of the fender. Not kidding! We have to pay for a half hour mechanic's labor (not cheap!) every time one needs changed. Love the car (Mazda) but very poor design for headlight replacement. The last time the bulb only lasted a year which was really irritating.
My ex tenants, who were into the rustic look, put a wasp's nest on my stone mantel. (Along with a bird's nest with little blue eggshell and a pair of antlers.) Shuddering, I threw it out.
@Rose, I guess I must be the odd one in the group. I find these things beautiful — especially bird’s nests. To think that one of God’s tiniest creatures constructed this perfect home. Really nature in all its forms is fascinating and am always curious. I do not collect these things, but many do. I do, however, collect fossils.
@Bee, Oh, the bird's nest and egg are still there, while the antlers have been relegated to the cottage. I can't deal with wasps though. I just can't.
My son collects fossils, which was a fun category to give to him when he was younger. My former tenants now have a whalebone, which I kind of covet. I also have some dried coral and sponge found on the beach, as well as the usual shells, beach glass etc.
@Rose and @Bee, see my reply to Bee above about my cabinet of natural curiosities. And the wasp nest I have was already years old when DH retrieved it from the rental house. No worries about that one.
@A. Marie, It's not that I was worried about wasps; just that the entire thing creeps me out. I got issues, man. Weird things--especially insects--creep me out and upset me. (A friend of mine's kid is a PhD specializing in forensic entomology, which is exactly what it sounds like. I find it really cool and also SCREAMING HORROR.)
Whooooooey! Look at those heels! You go, girl!
My FFT:
1. I Black Friday shop and am not embarrassed by it. 😉 I love it! My mom and I have so much fun together. (Bonus: we live in a small city and the only time we had to wait in line at all that day was when we were 2nd in line at Lowe's.) At Kohl's we coordinated our purchases to max out on our Kohl's cash opportunities, then I used that Kohl's cash the next day to purchase a gift for my brother that he really wanted but was initially out of my price range.
2. I used a Cyber Monday discount to get dishwasher cleaner. Super fun.
3. I had to bake cookies for an event and I used ingredients that I already had on hand.
4. It's Book Fair week and we always let our kids each pick out a book. We learned the hard way that it can be better to shop together than send money. It's possible that the worst offender ("I forgot that you said I couldn't buy toys") is older and wiser and whatnot, but we just make it easy for everyone and shop together after school. No money wasted on trinkets. I will add, though, that all 3 kids were conscious of the prices of the books - maybe partly because they plan to go back later in the week and buy more with their own money.
5. This is somewhat accidental frugal... my youngest is in a skirt/dress phase and was low on leggings. I planned to buy them during a B1G2 sale on Friday, but the leggings were one of the few things from that brand that was not part of the sale. I told the cashier that I didn't want to buy them since they weren't B1G2 and planned to look for a cheaper option. Yesterday when I was pulling out Christmas shirts and jammies for her size, I found a stash of leggings! I had apparently missed them when I got out her clothes for this winter. Now she's all set and I didn't have to spend anything. Hooray for hand-me-downs from Big Sis and from friends!
How do you put your used oil in (looks like) plastic container without melting it?
Be sure to sign up for TJMaxx rewards (online/at register) * sometimes they send (email) coupons. Those pants (in picture) look nice. 🙂
The wasp nest (if not real) is made to deter/make other wasps not build nest near (where you place it). Wasps are territorial & will not build (above ground) nest near another nest--not sure about in ground nests.
Did anyone grab Panera Bread black Friday offer?? $3 for 3 months Sip Club. I don't go to Panera bread but seems to come up on Instagram feed.
Frugal Things---
● Meijer 3 day sale only had coupons available 2 days (but adleast got them) bought $100 toilet paper saved $50. Good for winter or longer. 🙂
● Meijer also had DVD'S cheap (recently news story talked about DVD versus streaming & showed DVD better quality picture/sound & can't be taken away from you/streaming library (which really happens?)) & teen picked up few & I picked few.
● Meijer had nice winter wooden snowman box on sale (& not broken) so picked up (I sold all my outdoor decorations/furniture during unmarried & moving/not knowing where going so I had zero outside decorations)---So much for saving $50
● I still can't find my winter coats/hats/gloves (in boxes) so bought Menards Black Friday/3 day sale 2 winter hats $4.99 each---didn't have few other items wanted when went Saturday
●teen found new winter gloves I had purchased before selling house (has less boxes/put in containers instead) which is great because can not find (in stores) nice leather/insulated winter gloves for under $40 (Meijer only one who has $40 & $65 🙁 ). I'm pretty picky about buying quality winter wear that lasts but at frugal price.
● Aldi had thick fleece dog shirt/jacket $10 so bought for rescue dogs
● teen brought home another poinsettia plant from school/class that did not make FFA selling requirements (now have 2 real plants) & looks nice. Told teen will have to take care of so live through holidays. 🙂
● teen wanted Ham for Thanksgiving so got nice spiral ham ($3/pound--not frugal) but leftovers were put into individual serving size bags & all bags put in large ziploc bag in freezer. Teen has pulled out few & made slider sandwiches for dinner.
● ordered Lego on Cyber monday (decided was going to get holiday Legos--on sale) & by tie checked out 2 free gifts removed from my cart, One item on back order & then recieved email saying all items on back order. Called Lego (new phone number) customer service & inquired about free items not in cart--maybe because of back order?. Said out of stock & I asked about any other free item substitutions. Received 3000 points/$20 credit (same $$ amount as free items).
Frugal fail--
● single digits over night & left gas (wood) stove on overnight in back sunroom where rescue dogs sleep. Hoping not high utility bill.
@Regina, forgot that Meijer gave me free any size coffee/hot chocolate & free any size drink coupons for Black Friday only. Teen was easily bribed into shopping with free large slushy drink.
@Regina, I know a guy who used an electric blanket for his dogs during cold spells.
@Regina, Just mentioning that not everyone realizes poinsettia blossoms do well in vases and last a long time, though the sap might not mix well with other cut flowers for long.
Buying one big plant and cutting it apart for table decorations might be easier than putting plants out.
I like them a lot, though will not get the "mumsettia" that my grocery store is advertising. I think it is a white mum plant or plants with a red poinsettia plant in the middle.
@Heidi Louise, Just as an aside, a friend of mine lived in Seattle in a neighborhood with a lot of Japanese people. He accidentally offended one of them (I can't remember how) and as an apology, sent her a bouquet of white mums. I somehow remembered that those are symbols of death in Japan (because my brain is littered with useful facts like that) so from then on, Flowers of Death has been a catchphrase among these friends.
@Rose,
Oh no! Poor guy! Those Japanese must have really thought he was out to get them....
@Rose, Ouch!
The pants look nice and versatile!
1. Used green onions, tiyaboni leaves and lemongrass from the garden. Collecting chicken eggs. Enjoyung avocado's from a friend's tree.
2. Finished all our Thanksgiving chicken leftovers.
3. Reusing à lot of our de gray water for the garden. Composting
4. Ordered a coat on sale. It's a peacoat and my hope is that this classic style will last me many, many years.
5. An old shirt became a rag.
The wasp nest- some use them in decor. Rustic woodsy or hunter style decor. They are usually sealed. I live in the Midwest, it’s pretty common to see them on marketplace here. You’ll see them in a bass Pro Display of taxidermy wildlife to create the woods surrounding the animal (usually a deer or turkey here). I have seen people put them in barns as well since the wasps won’t build where there is already a nest, but that’s usually found wasp nests, not finished ones like the one you saw. Hope that helps 🙂
There is another blog that I have been reading for years and she sells random things she has found on her walks on the beach on Etsy and right now she has a piece of driftwood that is in the shape of a Tyrannosaurus (sp?) Rex!! It does look just like one, so don't gasp if you see the price. Your blogs are somewhat similar so I wouldn't be surprised if there is someone else has seen it.
@Jennifer, Years ago, I made my mother a map of my town (which she adores) in beach glass. Blue for water, green for land, etc. And I put a heart shaped piece of pink beach glass where my grandmother's house is. In fact, I bought that piece for $10 from a seller in Estonia off Etsy. BFF quipped: "OK, so now you're buying actual garbage."
I am planning to make a six foot tall driftwood tree with all the driftwood I've collected. It's anyone's guess whether I will actually do it or not, heh.
@Rose, that map in beach glass sounds fabulous! May we see a photo? Beach glass is just magical.
@Jennifer, may we know the name of that blog? I am always interested in reading well-written blogs. The internet is just filthy with abandoned blogs, so I love the ones that go the distance, don't go sideways on politics, and have a polite (or no) comment community.
@Rose, For several years I sold actual garbage on Etsy--- especially toilet paper tubes. I also sold paper towel tubes, egg cartons, and cardboard berry boxes.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, The blog is https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Hi I’m not Jennifer but the blog is One Hundred Dollars a Month
@Joanne B, See, I knew I wasn't the only reader. Mavis's blog is down to earth, homey and very positive. I think Kristen would approve since their blogs are similar in tone, but very different in content.
I'm really puzzled by the wasp nest selling.
1) Earned a bank bonus of $1000. (I'd transferred our emergency fund to my bank for this offer, and will move it back now that it's complete, as my other bank account pays more in interest. But, the $1,000 definitely outweighed that).
2) Used CVS & Rite Aid rewards to pick up things we needed.
3) We were gifted a large Amex reward card ($2k), so using it always feels like such a treat. We had a date night on Friday, and used the card.
4) Sold a watch on eBay.
5) Wrapped all Christmas gifts using scraps, gift bags, or wrapping paper & bows purchased long ago.
My husband brought home an old wasp nest like that from the woods one time and hung it on our open porch to discourage wasps from nesting on our porch. The following spring, a lot of wasps started hatching out of it! He never did that again!
I bought those same bulbs for my car when a headlamp bulb went out, because the parts store computer and YouTube both said that was what it took. Only, that wasn't the type bulb it took, which is odd. Luckily, I could exchange it. I change my own bulbs, but my previous car was one of those for which some bulbs required, as Bobi mentioned, removing a chunk of car to change the bulb, which is really, really poor engineering.
1. My kids kindly bought Thanksgiving dinner for us all, since we were having it at the nursing home. Cooking it, transporting it and setting up the random sized dishes and platters in DH's little room is more work than they wanted to do. When DH was home, we always cooked the meal ourselves. Four Rivers made it for us for the second year in a row and put it in easy-to-transport-and-set-out containers.
2. I made the pies for dessert from ingredients I had, except for the cream for whipping, which I had to buy. I found out my cupcake/cake carrier, with a little finagling, would carry two pies without smashing them, so I didn't have to buy a $40 wooden pie box (as if I would have).
3. I visited with a sister across the state over the weekend and we ate exactly one lunch out at her favorite, Chick-Fil-A. The rest of the time I was there, we cooked at her home, using a rotisserie chicken as the base for two dinners and a lunch.
4. I took with me the Christmas gifts for the youngsters in her family. I was going there anyway, so I might as well save the postage plus possible headache of gifts lost in the mail. I do this every time I visit her at Thanksgiving.
5. I packed snacks and drink to take along on my trip, put my water heater on "vacation," set the heat in the house to 66 deg. downstairs because of a cold front coming through while I would be gone, kept the heat upstairs turned off and left pork cutlets thawing in the refrigerator so I could cook a quick meal when I got home, rather than stop for something. On the other hand, I paid someone to come take care of my dogs twice a day, but she's reliable and reasonably priced and that's a place I choose to spend money. My dogs love her. She brought them a new squeaky toy and they stay busy stealing it from each other all day.
One frugal thing: did not spend $500 on a piece of driftwood shaped like a T. rex.
Was feeling sad and miserable last night so I thought to myself: "Be like Kristen. Look for the good." And I did. Now I had a flashback to walking to court with my son, noticing that his suit pants were too short for him, which emphasized his naked ankles above too-short white socks. It was very cold out and I felt despairing. It's over now but it's always going to hurt, having to do this alone. On the other hand, it's over and I did it. Go me. Now I'll go count my blessings: heat! No court cases upcoming! Heh.
@Rose, Be like Kristen, look for the good! My new rallying cry!
@Sue, Also Rose, I’ve said it before, I delight in your sense of humor!
@Rose, teeheehee, WWKD? I used to use Kinsey Milhomme from the Sue Grafton books as my model when feeling wobbly about things. But What Would Kristen Do is superior, since she is a real person.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I may have to look up those books-- "feeling wobbly about things" is such a great descriptor!
@Lindsay B, Sue Grafton was a superb storyteller. Kinsey was a private detective, one that you just wanted to hang out with. The books are alphabetical: A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse, etc. Sue died after writing X, a terrible loss. Her family said that as far as they are concerned, that's where the alphabet ends.
Kudos on the headlight bulb replacement! It is so difficult to do on our vehicle that I pay the person at the auto parts store to change it for me.
1. Had to replace my phone, watch, and key fob batteries as they all up and died in succession. I bought my watch on a Black Friday special (my last one cost me $20 over 20 years ago, so it had a good run). I bought my phone at Target, where a terrific technician transferred everything over from my old phone and set me up.
2. We went to Dallas for a weekend to watch our nephew participate in HYROX, a fitness competition. Expensive trip but there were a few wins: My sister drove us to/from the airport, we didn’t rent a car or pay for hotel parking and we walked everywhere except to/from the airport, ate at the hotel breakfast buffet (not free, but amazing food which doubled as lunch, so just two meals each day), and received an extra latte at the airport Starbucks due to a glitch in their ordering system.
3. Received five loaves of bread at a pre-Thanksgiving gathering. Shared three of them with others.
4. Finished negotiating with the seller of our new house to buy many of her items. I say “negotiating” but she offered such a low price for everything that there was nothing to negotiate. She also generously gave us numerous items at no charge – the most amazing being an additional pricey refrigerator in the basement.
5. One of the items we purchased from the seller is a living room chaise that we will eventually reupholster. That won’t necessarily be frugal but at least we will have something to sit on in the meantime, plus we prefer to use what’s available versus acquire something else.
@MB in MN, if the chaise is older it probably is made of hardwood compared to cheap pressed wood which means lasts forever if taken care of. I have recliner 27-30 years old & have had it reupholstered $100 (?) (my friends mom who has passed years ago) & needs to be done again. I shudder to find someone who actually takes pride in this craft as many I checked out did not great job & costs a fortune. As my grandma & Aunt said "quality costs more but better in long run."
Well done you! Again . . .
So this doesn't help you when you are pulled over but bulbs are much, MUCH cheaper online. Amazon is cheaper but eBay is the place for the cheapest bulbs, usually. You get no-name brand but it works out well. I had an Elantra that had a bad habit of popping bulbs. It was never fixed until I replaced the battery (which always tested good so I'm at a loss as to why that was an issue.)
Anyway, here's mine:
1.) It feels like a lot of your FFT lately are feet (shoes and socks) related so here's mine. During Black Friday weekend (or whatever it is) Converse had a sale and I got two pairs of Converse for $20 a pair. The colors are Vitality Green and Sunny Oasis. Who writes these?
2.) I got some smart light switches on a BF deal that I will be using around the house. I don't use Alexa or anything but this will be nice for setting timers and auto lights and such.
3.) Got some hoodies on sale from Costco.com. $10 each isn't bad and mine were all pretty worn out.
4.) Leftovers galore for turkey. Bonus points for easy dinners.
5.) Got Peacock for $20 for a year and (formerly HBO)Max for $3/mo for six months. We no longer have Disney+ and luckily no one has missed it yet. Honestly, I think we're better off without it (there's a lot of stuff on there I don't think is appropriate for kids any more.) Oddly enough we've been watching the Angel Studios app a lot lately for Wingfeather Saga which is free.
@Battra92,
I bought the set of the Wingfeather Saga books for a grandchild for Christmas. You might want to check that out.
@Battra92, I love those colorful names coined by Converse! We used to have a Ford Escape that they (Ford) called Lime Squeeze. We loved her given name and often just called her Squeeze. Our current vehicle is a Subaru Crosstrek that the manufacturer called Sunshine Orange, but we renamed her Clementine. My brother asked: "Why do you always buy cars in the colors of Dot's Gumdrops?" Well, for one, they're very easy to find in a parking lot.
@JD, we've got the first volume on reserve at the library. One of the episodes got a bit intense for the little one though she does like the show.
I made my turkey fetticini alfredo first and then "leftovers stew." Literally made from mashed potatoes, gravy, celery, carrots, peas, turkey, and broth. It's hearty ans delicious in cold MN.
@Connie, my Dr. Bestest Neighbor, when he's the one who has made the Thanksgiving feast (he was out of town this year), makes a turkey shepherd's pie on Black Friday that includes all the ingredients in your "leftovers stew." Both are equally hearty and delicious, I'm sure.
Glad you found some dress pants. I don't have many dress clothes either. And I do hope that all will be settled with your dress up event.
Took advantage of black Friday savings online by buying dog chew sticks (50% off) and dog treat gifts for my girl and my niece's pups and cat with my Chewy order and free shipping for above $50.00 purchase.
40% savings on items from Duluth Trading. Ordered two pair of gardening overall shorts and two pair of mittens. Even with sale price, they are not cheap but very good quality.
Receiving coupon from Tazo company. My second order case of six chai latte had little to no spiciness so I emailed the company to let them know of the quality issue. Fortunately the next case I got was up to par.
Our immediate family (seven) is having "Merry Thanksmas" (I've probably said this before) Saturday to accomodate schedules. Using stock I've made and frozen for the noodles and dressing. I embellish the Aldi boxed stuffing with some sauteed celery/onions/sausage/dried cranberries/apples and call it good. Even when I've made it all from scratch, I've had worlds of it left.
Gas is $2.97. Filled up last Saturday.
Eligible for "savings" for one of my meds. It will be $240 per ninety day supply instead of more than that. (Whew)
@Chrissy, and anyone needing dressy clothes for later:
Watch your charitable thrift stores in late January and February. Sometimes they get dressy winter attire from individuals and businesses who don't want to keep around fancy clothing left over from the holidays. (If you can't find it in late Jan., wait until after Valentine's Day). I really lucked out at the local Salv. Army thrift store last year; they were practically giving away dressy items, some having been donated by the pricey consignment store. For the low prices I paid, I gladly stored away the nice clothing until this year.
I received the same tea bag mailer! It also came with a coupon, which reminds me to use it.
-For Thanksgiving, we bought smaller Cornish hens instead of a turkey as we did not have many people at our table, and I don't eat meat. The Cornish hens were delicious, I hear. For the vegetarian version, we made a stuffed acorn squash.
-For pumpkin pie dessert, I had all the ingredients at home as we had stocked up on jars of pumpkin and evaporated milk when they were on sale. The pie crust was homemade, and we doubled the recipe to have quiche as one of our dinners last week.
-Our garden is still producing lots of herbs, which we used in the stuffing and other meals last week. A stray little pumpkin also grew in the yard, which I collected together with some large pinecones in the yard for a centerpiece decoration on the Thanksgiving table.
-Out of the leftovers, we made chicken noodle soup, and the mashed potatoes made it into some bread.
-On Black Friday morning, I popped online to make some Christmas present orders, but spent the afternoon peacefully at an art museum with free entrance.
This list is so not what I would call frugal, but it was best effort at saving some money this past week so here goes!
I bought 3 turkeys when they went on sale for $0.59/lb. I cooked one bird for Thanksgiving which we are making our way through but the others will be cooked throughout the year as they offer inexpensive, lean meat.
I made a huge batch of cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries that I froze last Christmas. They turned out fantastic and I will stir the remains of that sauce into some muffins and serve as a lovely sauce for egg rolls made from dinner leftovers and roasted pork tenderloin.
I usually buy a real Christmas tree but this year I borrowed my Mom's artificial tree and called it good. It is giving me a break since I don't have to water and care for it and saved us about $300. I plan to wait for the sales and but an artificial tree of our own.
I restocked baking goods to take advantage of sale prices so I am set for all of the holiday baking.
I also bought dog food the day before Thanksgiving taking advantage of an offer that gave me $10 off. Dog food has become crazy expensive so I was grateful for the sale.
Men buy wasp nests for their man caves! Its a real thing and people buy them! If you find one intact = 10/10 you could sell it FYI!! THE MORE YOU KNOW
OMG that wasp nest is disgusting! Haha Wonder if they will find a buyer for that? Just . . . wow.
Honestly, this week felt kind of pointless. I have to save up for the trip to New York (an excellent problem to have, I know!) as well as save for Christmas and general socialising. And my rent is being increased. Anyway, these were my attempts...
1. Didn't order takeout
2. Renewed library books so didn't get a fine
3. Baked treats instead of buying any
4. Stayed home this weekend so didn't spend money
5. Saved cans for recycling money at the supermarket
1. DH shot a second deer, which he processed by hand. We eat mostly plant-based so we rarely buy meat but I do love being able to make some hearty meat stews and have the occasional steak, especially during winter.
2. Spent an afternoon running (batched) errands: made several returns (for store credit, but better than stuff that didn’t work languishing in my home), and picked up several birthday freebies while in that direction. I had a free pastry from Panera (plus a coffee from a free Sip Club month), a free rice crispy from Noodles, and used a $4 credit at Hallmark to buy a nice card for DH for Christmas (we don’t do gifts). I struck out at Sephora as they are out of their free birthday gifts and won’t be getting more. Checking online, it said you have to make a $25 purchase to have the points “shipped” but I emailed customer service and they were able to credit my account.
3. Mended several board books for E.
4. I finally made sourdough with my sourdough starter. It’s probably not frugal to eat more bread, though! 😉
5. Made lasagna for DH using some mushrooms that were almost(!) too far gone to be saved. Also made banana bread using frozen overripe bananas and waffles using milk that accidentally soured. Both were baked using a ham “glaze mix” in place of the sugar. The glaze mix is simply brown sugar, spices, and powdered honey. My mom loves to bake hams but never glazes them, and she brings me the glaze mixes when she visits as she’s pretty tied to recipes (and what recipe will call for ham glaze?!) but I’m willing to take more risks when I cook or bake.
@Lindsay B, I bet you could put ham glaze on nuts and roast them. (My daughter and I were just discussing the sweet and spicy (chili) cashews we had as an app with cheese for Thanksgiving, and I thought we could easily make them at home. They were so good with cheese.)
Kristen, those shoes look positively heroic, like a Warrior Woman!
Yesterday I dropped my external backup device for my laptop, and it started beeping and quit appearing on the screen. Dang. $65, ordered immediately.
So, that erased my ability to figure out if there was anything frugal last week other than postponing a big Winco run, which in the short term saves $ but isn't going to make the ultimate shopping trip very frugal.
Guess I've been riding the struggle bus too.
It's temporary.
The dress pants look nice and it's awesome that you got them for such a good price!
Frugal things:
1) Had an emotionally draining meeting with my siblings and the estate attorney about dividing Mom's estate. It was almost dinner time when we were done so we stopped by the nearby Costco and picked up a taco kit meal for $16 that will feed us for two dinners. Also got the parking pass validated at the attorney’s office so we didn’t have to pay for parking.
2) We have finished off most of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Has been a slight challenge since our microwave decided to die on Thanksgiving Day.
3) The screws on the original key fob for my 2010 Honda Pilot were stripped and wouldn’t hold the fob together, so I bought a new one in March. Since then, I have replaced its battery five times! After working with the dealership, they agreed the fob was a lemon and they ordered me a replacement for free.
4) Very limited black Friday shopping for me but I did find our dog’s favorites balls on sale, so I stocked up.
5) Thanks for a tip from other readers, I ordered free Covid tests.
6) Not frugal for me, per se, but I gave some things to my sister while she was in town for the meeting about the estate. I gave her a mostly full bottle of peanut butter chocolate bourbon (YUK!), a winter coat for my great-nephew and a cowboy boot puller for my BIL that I found in the hoarder house, and a couple of jars of homemade pepper jelly.
1) Yesterday I menu-planning and grocery-shopped. After cooking so much last week, I have decided to make this an easy week. We'll be eating things like stove top mac and cheese and frozen chicken fingers, which is not only easy but cleans out the freezer and pantry a bit.
2) I did buy a frozen turkey breast because they were still on sale at Aldi. We're a bit tired of turkey now, but by Christmas we'll all be ready to tuck into a big, cheap roast.
3) We ended up not getting take out over the long weekend. I had suggested getting Mexican on Saturday night to balance out all the Thanksgiving food, but we still had so many leftovers Saturday night and then Sunday night, we just made do.
4) Before the holiday, my husband put our old fake Christmas tree (in its box) out in the busy alley behind our office with a sign reading "free." Someone took it promptly, which was exactly the hope. The tree started life as a pre-lit tree. I got it free on craigslist when the bulbs went out. We painstakingly cut all the lights off of it and used it for years. Now it has a new phase of life and will hopefully hold on a little longer until it is ready for the landfill.
5) We are keeping the thermostat at 68, I took advantage of no Black Friday Deals, I'm listening to free podcasts and library books, and I had leftover soup for lunch.
1. I used up 2 bags of spinach, some feta, homemade frozen pesto, a box of spaghetti, and homemade sundried tomatoes for my lunches this week. I made .75 gallons of applesauce from overripe apples. I have been adding it to my Greek yogurt for breakfast.
2. I had some overripe bananas that I made into banana pancake batter. I also made a batch of plain pancakes and blueberry pancakes. My husband cooked them all up for the kid's breakfasts for this week and next week.
3. We picked up a bunch of new water bottles off Buy Nothing, as the kids often lost theirs. One of the water bottles had a Chick-Fil-a coupon in it for a free meal.
4. I patched a pair of my son's pants.
5. Our family had so much left over food after Thanksgiving, we took a bunch of it home. We made our own turkey and sides also, so this food has been feeding us since Thanksgiving. I am making turkey soup from the turkey carcass now.
Haha, I had a headlight go out (no ticket, thankfully) so I watched a YT video. When I replaced the bulb, I followed the directions exactly vis my phone. It worked out well, until I realized I'd replaced the side that was on the video, not the side that was burned out on my actual vehicle. I was at my parent's house at the time. My dad (RIP) and I got a good laugh about it.
As to the wasp's nest, it does have a strange, forbidding beauty about it. I've seen art made out of crazier things.
Sock trick: I have some favorite holiday socks that are threadbare. I wear them over another pair of socks, lol!
Not sure if my post got accidentally posted? To continue 5 frugal things:
(Paid cash for new furnace that was suddenly needed)
** made Thanksgiving dinner from scratch; yummy leftovers.
*** made turkey broth and then soup, cleaning out old veggies from fridge.
**** bought nothing for Thanksgiving decorating, used glass pumpkins and beautiful wooden leaves gifted from a friend.
***** enjoyed my collection of beautiful knitted hats (see furnace above), suitable to wear inside a very chilly house!
I am thankful this year for the benefits of my frugal habits, and for all of you sharing frugal ways. We also have the means to share more with needy families in our community. The needs seem more poignant at Christmas but that is another post.
1. Still sick with a sinus thing that will not quit. Used a free Covid test to confirm it's not Covid. Going to see my primary care doc tomorrow for big medicine.
2. Used sale ground turkey and chicken stock, rice from Dollar Tree and frozen peas and carrots bought cheap with a store coupon to make kibble topper for my dogs. Once it's blenderized and frozen in snack baggies, it is not appetizing-looking, but they love it, it's less expensive than canned food, and it's good for them. Our formerly starved rescues have shiny coats and great health.
3. Nearly dropped my teeth at Thanksgiving when a guest said he spends $268 a month on cable TV, which is more than all of our utility/internet/streaming bills put together in an average month.
4. Used our reusable K-cups and some discounted Gevalia coffee to put together 18 K-cups at a cost of about 10 cents each.
5. Used the last of some surplus frozen fruit from this summer along with the last of some ground flaxseed and shredded coconut to make an especially tadty batch of baked oatmeal for breakfasts.
@Ruby, if you contact local law enforcement they might put you on a list to call when there’s fresh roadkill. Many people around here do that to supplement dog food. YouTube has videos on how to butcher.
My husband is a science teacher and mentioned he'd love to have a wasp nest in his class a few years ago. I went looking for one and found the price to be outrageous. Needless to say he does not have one in his class!
@Haley, Buy Nothing/Freecycle? I certainly would have given him the one I had...
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! My five: 1. Was able to take 5 days in a row off to incl the holiday so saved on gas for car. It’s ab 60 miles round trip per day. 2. Made a choc chip banana bread from my favorite Allrecipes recipe. Can have a slice w morning coffee/tea and is a nice change from PB sandwiches. 3. Bro in law’s brother drove up from LA area so was able to give him ab 7 large pkgs of frozen salmon and black cod from my Alaska stash. He loves fish and it’s helping me empty freezer as I need to buy a new one soon. 4. I love gifting my fish to friends and family. I should be eating it due to my own health issues but I enjoy making them happy too and everyone loves it. 5. Been down to freezing all week but been keeping house at 55* overnite and raising it up when I shower and get ready for bed. I know, it’s cold but with crazy Calif energy rates, I just bundle up blankets and the dog has hers too...
I succumbed to two black Friday deals. One was a waxed canvas tote bag. I've been looking for a good knitting bag for years, as an alternative to the reusable grocery bags that are pretty downscale. Most of the "official" knitting bags that are remotely nice looking are in the $45 and up range, and I just could not justify that. But I found a very nice waxed canvas bag with a top zipper, just the right size and with interior and exterior pockets on Amazon for $18. It's a really nice bag I will also use as a travel tote and when I attend professional conferences (it looks nice enough for that!) to carry my iPad and keyboard, water bottle, coffee mug and a folder to hold my attendance certificates (you will soon learn about nursing CEU's). I will get a lot of use out of this.
The other Black Friday deal was a CPAP machine. My 7+ year old machine has "exceeded it's expected motor life" and could stop working any time. I don't have durable medical equipment coverage right now, and these machines retail for $1200 although you can buy them for around $700 to $900 online most of the time. I got a brand new CPAP for $308 (shipping and tax included) on a Black Friday deal. It's the same model I already have which works great. It doesn't have a modem to report stats to your doctor, but I've been self-monitoring for many years and I know how to adjust the settings as needed. If necessary, there is a data card I can bring to my doctor to see how well it's working for me. Next year I will go on Medicare, and while Medicare covers these devices, the co-payments and Part B Medicare deductibles will add up to at least $300. Many doctors don't have the monitoring software in the first place, so people who don't know how to access the data themselves have to pay a Durable Medical Equipment Provider to download the compliance data (how often you use it) for them--just to get Medicare to pay for the machine--so more expenses there. And very few doctors pay any attention to the efficacy data to know if the CPAP is actually doing it's job for the patient (I do that myself). Imagine being prescribed a blood glucose monitor only to be checked to see if you are using it daily, not to be checked to see if your blood sugar is under control! I consider being responsible for my own health the ultimate in frugality.
I replaced my headlights this weekend too! my future BIL showed me how.
Frugal things:
1. Had future BIL show me how to do a few things on the car and snow blower so that I can do more maintanence on my own.
2. I wore my only business outfit for court related stuff this week. The outfit is suitable for summer (purchased at discount when I thought I wouldn't need winter court clothes) and yesterday's temperature was close to single digits, and negatives after windchill. I wore my light airy outfit and heels (with ski socks for the outdoor walking bit) and froze the whole way through our conversations. But I saved money.
3. I had Thanksgiving breakfast instead of dinner, not with the purpose of being frugal, but because that's when I got to have my kids. Breakfast tends to be less expensive than the whole Thanksgiving meal.
4. I haven't gone grocery shopping in almost 2 weeks. Again, a result of life circumstances, not in an effort to be frugal, but it's saving money and I'm still putting food on the table for the kids.
5. I haven't bought anything except actual necessities. Definitely not a paper wasp nest.
Kristen, I am so impressed with your lightbulb fixing skills, and to do both at once was brilliant so you don’t have the same problem on a freezing cold night when you have school! And your new pants look fantastic with your heels. Hope you get to wear them somewhere fun, soon.
I had a decently frugal week. Minus Cyber Monday, but even then, I scored some very frugal deals on things for my grandchildren from their wish lists! So, I guess that was frugal after all.
I am reading library books, because I cannot bring myself to buy books, pile them up in bookcases all over my house, and leave them for someone to clean out when I go into a nursing home. Because that’s what I’m currently doing and it’s not fun.
I brought out some of my kids old toys, for my grandchildren to play with, and it was like Christmas here! they had so much fun.
I used up the remainder of a can of pumpkin and other in-house ingredients and made a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Family favorite!
Paid $2 for a tank top I needed to wear under a shirt, half off the already reduced price!
My cousin is also going through a divorce. She just moved out over the summer. She has 3 little kids. She asked if my son could help her with a few things on her car. One was a headlight. He talked her through it so she knows how to do it.
1. We finished all of our Thanksgiving leftovers except for 3 containers of stock that went into the freezer.
2. My sister brought 6 huge pumpkins on Thanksgiving that had been on her porch as decorations. I cooked one. My daughter came over and helped me make a huge amount of pumpkin muffins and bread that we will be handing out to friends, neighbors and coworkers.
3.Last night I made sauce from frozen tomatoes. I put in Italian spicy sausage and made meatballs. I froze 4 containers to use for future meals.
4. I didn’t want to run to the store, so I made dough in the bread machine and made rolls to go with dinner.
5. My son came over to pick up his laundry he did over the weekend. He mentioned he needed cornstarch for a recipe. I put some in a small container for him. No need to run to the store.
Thanks for the instructions about the tea wreath, Kristen, A.Marie and Jane Austen Society ladies! I have a friend who loves hot tea, and this is a great idea for you-know-when!
One of my 5FTs also concerns gifts: my pal from out of town had lunch with me and then popped into the drug store where I work. Checking out at my register, she said she loved our (inexpensive) White Rain Extra Hold hairspray that she'd bought. So....guess who is getting a can of that stuff included in her Xmas gift basket? At $1.43, you can't go wrong! I'd also stocked up on my friend's favorite liquid soap and cough drops (found out about those during an earlier shopping trip she took to our store). I am re-gifting some Santa Claus socks and holiday trinkets and a spare pack of batteries among the various sundry items in her basket. Which actually is a decorative metal Christmas card holder that I found at a thrift store years ago. Everything but the White Rain was obtained long ago or was free, so this gift basket sets me back $1.43. Oh, and I found a great item for the basket bottom, to prop up all the gifts so they look good: a new (still in wrapper) Mr. Clean-type kitchen sponge.
2. I did NOT go to the annual Friends of the Library Used Book Sale, where I tend to go crazy buying all those incredible books.....and spending money like I'm in Congress (as Dave Ramsey would say). You've heard of the Cookie Monster? Well, I'm the Bookie Monster! I'm a book junkie and I just can't control myself in there...so I skipped it and saved my cash.
3. Instead of buying coffee, I found that 3 spoonfuls of Decaf and one spoonful of Coffee-with-Chicory make a pretty good brew. (I have full cans of both products and am using what I already have.) That'll save me on coffee for several more weeks.
4. Hunting for rocks to make a flower bed border in front. Coming up with ways to transplant plants, graft roses, and obtain free plants for the flower bed.
5. Did NOT buy anything either in person or online for Black Friday, and am devising ways to have a mall-less Christmas -- and hopefully a credit card bill-less January.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I wish you were here--everyone is so rich in the Hamptons, all the libraries give the old books away for free. (We also have a lotta rocks, ha.)
@Rose,
Oh, I don't need any more books. I have tons and tons of them! I think when I turn off the lights at night, they all mate -- and then have quintuplets.
@Fru-gal Lisa, the "Bookie Monster"?! Me too! I was so proud of myself for just getting library books and ignoring the Friends of the Library tables out front a few weeks ago. The Friends are all actually friends of mine, and they hollered at me as I bolted past. I just waved and smiled and kept on trotting, while saying, "Sorry, Michael's waiting in the truck!"
First off, very best of luck with your court date! May you feel loved and supported all the way through.
I baked bread and made homemade granola.
On my continued journey to make more of my own clothing (and thus have things that fit!) I am testing out a jeans pattern. To avoid possibly ruining expensive new denim I deconstructed a thrifted pair of very large men's jeans and used this fabric to cut my pattern pieces. I'm happy with the results and ready to cut into the new denim. In future, I will look for more large men's jeans to thrift and take apart, as this yields high-quality fabric for pennies.
We batched a bunch of charitable donations for Giving Tuesday, which yields more money for the organizations we support.
I took care of a bunch of mending.
Our black Friday/Cyber Monday purchases were all practical stuff we waited to buy -- new chain saw chains (20% off), the makeup foundation I like (40% off), and sewing patterns from my favorite indy pattern companies (25% and 30% off respectively.)
@Cindi, what a great idea to deconstruct the thrifted men's jeans for the denim! I don't sew other than small mending jobs, but that idea is brilliant!
This was actually an expensive frugal week for me.
1. Christmas gets pricey with a teenager, so I hit up the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. I saved almost $150 on Dr. Martens, a portable speaker and good quality earbud
2. I took advantage of a buy one get one deal for spa gift cards to give as Christmas gifts to a couple family members.
3. I've been looking at pet friendly hotels and rentals near my parents' town in order to visit this summer. My research paid off and I found a super reasonable rental for the week I wanted to visit. It's a tourist area, so I needed to book early.
4. I caught an error in an Amazon auto ship order before it went through. My husband had accidentally added a second auto ship order for a 3-month supply of coffee, which would have been delivered the same day as the regularly scheduled 3-month supply of coffee. I was able to cancel the second order before it shipped.
5. My family skipped our usual weekly meal out this weekend and instead had Thanksgiving leftovers.
I don't have time to read all the comments and see if someone has already suggested this. So I apologize if that's the case.
I want to let you know that Advance Auto Parts will install---for free---a lot of different things you buy there, including lights! At least my Advance Auto does.
However, as I realize, that would not give you the satisfaction of doing it all yourself!
I posted earlier, but kind of spaced on the FFT, so let me see if I can come up with something, in no particular order...
1. Our adult offspring has moved out, leaving a LOT behind. I've been doing laundry for days, so I can donate what he doesn't want/need any more. We were down to the bulky bedding, so DH and I took it to the laundromat today. What was frugal is that we used all the change we collected from the kid's room. That gave us a perverse thrill. Also, thank goodness I buy my laundry supplies at Costco and stock up when they're on sale.
2. We decided to have an at-home Thanksgiving. We headed for Costco on Tuesday morning and couldn't get near the place! Instead, we went to Grocery Outlet, since everything's 10% off on Senior Morning, which it conveniently was. Then we went to Sam's Club, as they're much less busy than Costco. Sanity saved.
3. We didn't turn on our heat until November 20th this year. We were trying to hold out until December, but we caved when it got down to 58 degrees inside the house. Brrr!
4. Made turkey soup, and ate leftovers all week. Almost everything's gone.
5. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I attended a Board Retreat. When they were looking to get rid of the leftovers of the lovely lunch, I raised my hand. Three days of yummy meals that I didn't have to cook, and no food was wasted. Yippee!
I would love to have a wasp nest but not for $200! Dh found a deer skull and antlers in the woods and brought it home and then after a month or two returned it to the woods for someone else to find.
My frugal things:
1. Went to dsil's house for Thanksgiving and brought our contributions. She had her kids home and a couple of additional guest so it was fun.
2. Dh curbside shopped a plastic tote and brought it home.
3. Daughter was home for Thanksgiving and she shopped my pantry for items that she needed like toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, etc. When dh drove her home - 4 hours away - he took her grocery shopping and paid for the groceries. All the things she took from the pantry were sale bought.
4. We got gas at Costco before Thanksgiving and it was $2.89/gallon.
5. Turned a stained shirt into a couple of rags.
@auntiali, I was excited because my Costco gas was $4.19 Saturday. Southern California prices:(
Well--I wouldn't dream of trying to replace a headlight on my car, but it would be worth it. Last one I had done cost $75! That is based on the cost of the bulb and the going hourly rate for the service person--they used the rate and charged for 1/2 an hour, even though he did it in 10 min!
This is a PS. Our YMCA is collecting warm clothing from members to donate to homeless people! I think that is wonderful! I took some great boots that I had previously listed on eBay and donated them. I would encourage other groups to do this--I can't imagine what the Rescue Mission and Salvos (Salvation Army) does with all of the stuff people bring to them--
I got 3.5 lbs of chicken breasts for $1.35. No, that's not a typo. As I was shopping, the supermarket announced half-price chicken *and* a dollar off coupon. So of course I bought the smallest packages available.
My father is gifting me a few days' vacation with him. I'm saving the soap from the hotel to put out for guests because it's packaged so prettily.
I realized I could save a little by choosing a new light fixture before I replace the stove, so there'll be only one electrician's visit. I'd hoped to avoid buying one at all but the room is too dark without it.
I commented to my daughter the other day on her mismatched socks and she told me she only had so many minutes in her life and she wasn't going to waste any of them on matching her socks. Hahaha!! I thought that was actually pretty smart.
@Jill A, She has a point! My solution is to have only two types of socks: white athletic and black work.
Around here, people hang fake wasps nests to scare off other wasps, so maybe that's the goal? What a hefty price tag though!
* I'm gearing up for a Frugal December in the form of no unnecessary groceries (working on the pantry and freezer content instead) and no unnecessary personal buys.
* I'm also in need of pants. I can't seem to get them on my Buy Nothing group despite asking (and asking again). So I will have to bite the bullet and buy some soon. Will go to the thrift store first, where pants are sold for 6$.
* Not thrifting at Value Village anymore. First of all, they don't have changing rooms anymore. Secondly, their prices are getting ridiculous. 20$ for a shirt from Walmart? I don't think so.
* Keep reading books borrowed from the public library and/or found in free piles. There are so many free books out there up for grabs, I don't understand the need to buy them unless it's a special edition or something (and even then... nope)
* Thinking about cancelling Netflix. Is ''thinking'' about it considered frugal? :P.
@Isa, Your third point about Value Village made me smile. I was at a yard sale long go where the other shoppers were discussing a sale they had just been to nearby. One said, "Their prices are so high you might just as well shop at KMart!"
For your last comment, "Thinking about" is frugal if it helps you decide what is important to you.
I give you credit for thinking about it. lol
I personally have purchased two wasps nests, but if I recall correctly, they were about $25 each. I find them rather beautiful and interesting, and they make a home decor accent piece that is a bit unusual. I'm all about the nature things!
1. I got selected for a taste testing study on frozen waffles and bought the required box for $1.99, got paid $20 for the test!
2. We were on a cruise just prior to Thanksgiving so I didn't have time to buy a turkey beforehand. We skipped the traditional Thanksgiving dinner until I heard on our local foodies group that HEB (local grocery store) was selling turkeys for $3 EACH 2 days after Thanksgiving. I stopped by after work and picked up an almost 10 lb turkey for $3 (originally $30) and we had our turkey dinner the next night! Everything else was made from pantry items I already had on hand, except for the orange juice I had to buy to make the cranberry sauce (frozen cranberries from last year).
3. Bought something online from Old Navy for store pickup but ended up buying the item for a cheaper price when I went to the store. They never ended up cancelling my online order or refunding my money so I had to make a few calls to finally get my money refunded, 3 weeks later.
4. When I went looking through my emails for the Old Navy order, I found a class action settlement coupon for $5 off any Old Navy purchase that I had forgotten about that expires in a few weeks. I used it on Cyber Monday to buy some new boxers for my husband who conveniently needed some new ones at half price, making the total about $7 for 3 pairs.
5. Used our cruise onboard credit towards the gratuities so we weren't tempted to buy random things to use up the credit if we prepaid the gratuities beforehand.
I thought about this specific post today because lo and behold, one of my headlamps had a burned out bulb. I told myself "it doesn't take whiskers", then watched You Tube and sent my mechanic son a photo so he could give me a tip, then I DID THE THING. I replaced both of them because I reasoned the same thing you did, and it turns out I have to replace one of the hi beams as well, but you don't get a ticket for that.... So I will replace both hi beam bulbs this week. I'm kind of shocked I hadn't gotten pulled over and given a ticket!
YAYYYY! You are a queen. Did you feel proud of yourself??