Five Frugal Things | I mowed again
1. I mowed my grass and did a dump run with Donna
I know, I know...I keep considering hiring someone, and I think I will probably crack and do that once school starts. But for now, I did have time to knock out the task.
When Tropical Storm Debby blew through here, she literally BLEW through, so I had tons of downed branches in my yard that I had to move before I could mow.
Luckily, my neighbor Donna also had some branches she needed to take to the yard waste area at the dump, and she needed some help lifting them into her truck.
So, we worked together to get my branches and her branches loaded, and off we went to the dump.
Now my yard is tidied up before school starts and I'm so glad about that.
As an aside, I really cannot complain about the amount of mowing my yard requires. Because it is almost all in the shade, it doesn't grow much, plus we had a long drought. Sooooo, the last time I mowed was June 15th, almost two months ago!
But fall is coming, and my trees will drop copious amounts of leaves on the ground, so I'm thinking I should probably hire someone to do some leaf removal for me during the school semester.
2. I resold a pair of scrub pants on eBay
(This one is me rectifying a little error!)
I had bought this pair on eBay, but when I tried them on, I discovered they were too small. Like...I could get them on, but there's no way I could have squatted in them without splitting the leg seams.
And I have to be able to squat and bend over in scrub pants!
What is it that people say when pants are too small? "My thighs were too powerful for these pants."
My leg expansion is a direct result of my workouts, so that phrase seems particularly relevant. Ha. I have done too many lunges to be able to fit in these pants. 😉
Anyway, I relisted them on eBay and they sold pretty promptly. Problem solved, and I'm only out a few dollars from shipping. That's pretty small beans.
3. I accidentally got a free Starbucks drink
I went there the other day to make myself focus on my semester prep work assignments, and I ordered a hot latte, using a gift card.
But when they called me for my drink, there was an iced latte on the counter. When they saw my confusion, they said, oh, whoops, we accidentally made it iced.
They made me a hot one, and asked me if I also wanted the iced one since they'd just throw it away otherwise. So, I said sure. I drank the hot one while I did my schoolwork, and I brought the iced one home and put it in the fridge to drink the next day.
4. I got my free Baskin Robbins scoop!
I did indeed use that promo code I told you guys about last week; there was a Basket Robbins near where I needed to drop my eBay package off, so I combined the errands.
And I sat down on a bench in a nearby little park to enjoy my ice cream. 🙂
5. I bought a box of bruised peaches
I got a big ol' box for $20 at the produce stand. Yay! I've been eating peaches like they're going out of style, and I will also freeze a bunch of them for smoothies.
I happened to find this box right before I had two days of 12-hour shifts at the hospital so...I just shoved the whole box in the fridge until I had time to deal with the peaches. 😉
1. Someone dumped a bag of household stuff by my building so I scored some glass jars for storage and two baskets.
2. I had my wisdom teeth out. Not cheap but it should save on teeth issues later on.
3. I remembered to renew a library book.
4. I used the gym. I'd like to say I go frequently to make use of my membership but that would be a lie.
5. I did some yoga with free videos online.
@Sophie in Denmark,
My employer makes a lifestyle/health platform available to employees in my country, and as part of this platform there are a number of 15 mins mid morning stretch excercises, lunch time bootcamps and after hours yoga sessions. All online but from actual teachers and different every week. I participate in a number of those sessions as schedule allows, I am happy that my employer is allowing their workforce to participate for free.
@JNL, that sounds good! I have mixed feelings about workplace wellness programmes but can see the plus sides.
@Sophie in Denmark, I am curious to hear what you consider the pros and cons of workplace wellness programs. I'm self-employed so it is not relevant to me other than always wanting to learn.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, this is with the caveat that I think exercise is good and encouraging exercise is good, but my issues are that some workplaces (not all) conflate wellness and good health and/or good health with being a better employee. It can also overlook employees with disabilities. There are issues with BMI as a measure of health, in addition, and I don't think my personal diet and exercise regime is necessarily my workplace's business. Having said that, going back to my caveat, I wouldn't be opposed to my workplace giving me a gym membership!
@Sophie in Denmark, another thought - it would be great if there were more gyms and community centres paid for by local government so everyone in general could have access if they wanted.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I am a very private person and would not want to share that much data with my workplace, let alone the thought to be around other people sweating, groaning, breathing heavy - and then returning to work. Rather not. Ok, public showers are not my thing either. I like my private workout at home, free youtube or whatever, but there are things I do not want to see and do not want to share. If a workplace made some of this mandatory, you could see my maximal physical efford - once, breaking any record to get out.
@Sophie in Denmark,
My husband’s employer has an incentive program with which he earns points just for walking. You earn X number of points for walking 5000 steps, 8000 steps, and 10000 steps. You are then able to turn in your points for gift cards. It is administered by a 3rd party. It comes to a significant amount of money annually. He loves earning money by walking the dog.
@Sophie in Denmark, sad to say most employers prefer healthy employees (in the US that is) as it decreases their cost of pretty much self-funded health plans. Don't kid yourself fellow 'mericans - you appear to have an insurance company but it paid mostly to be a gatekeeper. Aka as being rabid so your company only pays out what it absolutely has to. Yes, they do the "network negotiating" but their skin in the game is always less payout. No different than Medicare Advantage - those "insurers" get to keep what they don't pay out. Not unlike prisons in the South where the warden pocketed what he (yes he) didn't pay for food. US - time for single payer AND a solid plan to deal with those who to refuse to help themselves (perhaps 10% at most). Also time to put pressure on expanding medical/nursing schools/programs. We're all seeing how well the model of the past is NOT working when it comes to health care providers. Plus if we went single payer, we'd eliminate the bloated CEO/top brass salaries. I'm okay with elective cosmetic surgery charges being through the roof. A healthy US is worth far more than a "nice rack".
@Bee, my discomfort with this is the concept that being able to walk more = being 'better' than someone who does not, for whatever reason. And what does the company do with the data?
Another issue I have is that there is a risk that some workplaces (not all) will use health or wellness programmes rather than address issues brought up by employees. If the workplace is understaffed and overworked then giving everyone yoga classes is not going to solve it. And I say this as someone who loves yoga!
@Sophie in Denmark,
Dates and frequency of participation are not shared with the employer - also medical details (from sick leave) cannot be shared with the employer, by law. It is all voluntary - although recommended as the average age in our local team is I think approaching 60. Ageing healthily is an important topic both from point of view of employer and employee.
@Sophie in Denmark, Yes!!!!!
for the gym memberships paid for everyone
@Selena, I’m surprised that this argument for socialized medicine (aka single payer) would be allowed on this site. For an alternative viewpoint, read Milton Friedman’s ideas for a better healthcare system.
@Katja, I do not need to read another comment after this one. 10000000000000000000% AGREE.
Glad the ice cream promo worked! 😉
On this crisp 48 degree morning on the first day of school my teen starts Senior year with sunrise photo of Senior class to commemorate the beginning of their Senior year. 🙂 There might be a few kids with hoodies this morning instead of usual shorts & T shirts since been 60s overnight until today.
Frugal things---
● free hot chocolate (coffee) yesterday on Meijer app
● $10 off $20 Ace hardware coupon that bought another metal garden trellis
● saved $0.20/gallon gas $2.19 (Friday night)
● saved $10 off $50 face cream Target circle bonus
● saved $15 off $90 Target circle bonus & got (long time want/need from list) Kitchen Aid 4 cup rechargeable food chopper
● save $0.35/gallon gas $1.98 (today only) & will fill up/top off vehicles
● saved the burgers cooking over campfire when dad (accidently) dumped into campfire by picking out with tongs & spatulas (team work) & picked off any wood coals, rinsed off then finished cooking. 🙂
Frugal fail--
● didn't have enough clear roof sheet to cover all of firewood shed so bought 3rd piece & cut extra off & now have 3 (same size) pieces extra. Put in garage & will either sell or use for (future) project.
Tmobile (Life) rewards members this week are BOGO free Baskin Robbins any size kids cone & chance to win Baskin Robins free for a year.
@Regina,
forgot few more Frugal things---
● used $4 off CVS purchase & got free photo magnet
● Dollar Tree/Family Dollar had Dr.Pepper (soda/pop) on sale 3/$8 (6 pack bottles) plus used save $5 off $25 coupon in paper so stocked up for teen
@Regina, 48 degrees sounds just lovely.
@Regina, 48 degrees sounds like Heaven to me right now! Send that lovely crisp air to GA please!
@Bee, teen wore Tshirt & shorts but said there were a few hoodies worn by others. Teen said school had Blackstone's griddle out & was making breakfast for Senior's before Sunrise picture. 🙂
Tonight & tomorrow is supposed to get down to 45 degrees. Just a reminder of what is coming soon enough.
@Regina, what a very nice first day of school. My son makes family breakfast on the Blackstone from time to time.
Good for you and your neighbour to have shifted all that wood yourselves! I was just wondering if any of it could have been kept and dried for a fire pit though? It would have save you a lot of effort?
FFT:
- Cleaned and oiled two wooden outdoor tables (rejuvenated by at least 10 years)
- Used soft soap for cleaning (99% biodegradable, plus costing hardly anything) after the rain had presoaked the wood (a tip I got from internet that I am very happy to pass on! It made cleaning so much easier).
- Bought lovely fabrics at a 10% discount. I hope they will not be on the stash pile too long.
- Sold some unused items on Marketplace
- Took pelargonium cutlings that hopefully will catch on, for next summer.
We expect some nice summer days still, but it will not be as hot as before and the nights especially are getting cooler. I love this time of year, with its hint of harvest, ripening, fullfillment and even wistfulness.
On a completely different topic: how is the treasure house doing now? Is it happily inhabited yet? I hope it is - it has brought you and others so many pretty items and I feel it is ready for someones happy future!
@JNL, I've had good luck rooting pelargoniums directly in potting soil but not too much success rooting in water.
@JNL, I join you in the request for an update on the treasure house at some point.
@A. Marie, I third!
Kristen, you could always mulch your leaves with the lawn mower. Just drive over them like you were mowing the lawn: the cut up leaves wiill break down more easily and help fertilize the grass. This is how leaves are dealt with at the cemetery where my husband works.
--Between a 30% off coupon and $5 in Michael's rewwards, I bought a two pack of frames for $5ish. I prefer thrifting my frames whenever possible, but 11 x 17" isn't a size that turns up often.
--The locally owned coffee shop provides grounds for gardeners so long as you bring your own bucket with a lid. One recycled cat litter tub later, I'm good to go! 😛 The litter tub was thoroughly cleaned first, of course. I was there working on my laptop for a few hours, so the baristas made a game out of how fast they could fill my tub.
--I've been sharing garden basil and homemade pesto with neighbors, as well as freezing pesto for us. Related: It's that magical season where bags of neighbors' surplus tomatoes just appear on our porch. Soup and sauce, ahoy!
--One of my husband's work shirts was past repairing, so it was parted out for the rag bin.
--Our washer started making a weird squeaking noise. I cleaned underneath the agitator as for as I could reach, then ran an empty load of hot water and soap. As I suspected, there was an accumulation of work-related gunk*--complete with lost a pants rivet!--that had accumulated between the agitator and the drum, which the empty hot load was able to flush out. The squeak is happily gone now!
*Groundskeeper husband = SO much laundry. Even shaking his clothes out first never quite gets all the bits of grass, mulch, etc.
@N,
Yay rags! I use them for all kinds of chores and hardly buy paper towels or cotton wool etc. There is always an old sock to clean out the gunk from the bathroom faucet for instance, and I am removing my nail polish this afternoon with a square from an old tshirt.
(There are rags I wash and reuse and rags I use and throw away)
@N, I used our coffee grounds for years in a particular planting bed (shady with ferns) and they never did well. I recently read that the caffeine in used grounds acts as an herbicide!! WHAT?? Who has been perpetrating the myth that coffee is good for soil?? I stopped, fertilized the ferns, and they looked great this year (until the stupid wild turkeys moved into that bed for their afternoon naps).
So, you might want to look further into this coffee ground usage.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, The grounds go in our compost and are thus a small part of a LARGE mix. Straight grounds would definitely be too acidic!
My resources have been several professional organic gardening friends, the Farmer's Almanac online, and several gardening books. The consensus is HOW much matters, just like composting too many banana peels would be a bad thing (i.e. too much potassium). I'm definitely still learning, though, so thank you for the info! I'll keep an eye out for further resources.
@N, I used to used old coffee grounds & the paper liners also & composted directly into my gardens. I did light spreading of this once a month during growing season & then again during winter months. Too much might overwhelm the plants, but I never had that problem.
@N, perhaps Kristen could put the word out re: free leaves. Excellent compost material.
@Selena, I go over to my sister's house and help her bag up her many leaves and in return she gives me a few bags. I put some in my compost and some just around my plants. In my former yard, I would mow them up and shovel them into the perennial beds. At this house I have no leaves. ;(
1. Nine years ago we had our kitchen remodeled. The other day a couple of plastic shelf pegs broke. I contacted a person that sells the brand of shelves and she had replacement pegs I could pick up from her house. She would have sent them but it was faster to pick them up. She gave me several pegs as and there was no charge. Much better than ordering something that was not quite right or scrounging at a hardware store.
2. Yogi tea was clearance priced at 75% off at the grocery store and a neighbor was getting rid of a couple boxes as well. I am well stocked.
3. I ran a couple of fans over to a friend's house after her basement flooded when their sump pump failed Sunday night. There is no need to buy something that will be infrequently used.
4. I have windows open and we may be able to go a couple of days without running the A/C. Good for the electric bill and the psyche.
5. It's time to put in a load of laundry. I like to hang "delicates" in our screened in breezeway, some on a drying rack and items on hangers on rafter hooks. I look for good weather days for this.
@K D, tell us about Yogi tea. Why is it special? What flavors do you like? Is it expensive?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Oops! The tea on super clearance at Giant was actually Traditional Medicinals brand organic Immune Zoom, Elderberry Echinacea. The tea from my neighbor is Yogi tea. I like the Elderberry Echinaea and I also like that brand for Roasted Dandelion Root and Throat Coat. The dandelion root reminds me of coffee and I do not sleep well if I drink any coffee or tea, not even decaf.
@K D,
Throat Coat is heaven when I have a cold.
1. Found a cute sleeveless blouse for school on clearance at the consignment store.
2. Library books! Why buy them when the library already owns them? Support your local library 🙂
3. Reserved museum passes online through--yes, the library! Friends will be visiting so we have free passes for 4 adults.
4. Made cookies because I love to bake and my family loves to eat; it's a win win 😉
5. Scored 3 boxes of New Zealand wool dryer balls from Sierra on clearance, and used the remains of a birthday present gift card. So $15 rather than $45, and now I have 2 Christmas presents stashed (gave one box to a son).
@Beth, phooey, I was just at a Sierra Trading Post and couldn't think of a thing I needed. Wish I had remembered to look for dryer balls. . . might have to make my own from scrap yarn.
FFT, Frugal Things from JASNA BFF's Visit (updated from last Saturday's Five Tiny Frugal Things at the NCA):
(1) We ate all but two meals at my house. The first one out was lunch at the Wegmans Burger Bar (part of BFF’s absolutely required safari to our Wegmans) on Thursday. The other was our Triple Birthday Celebration (TBC) with our JASNA Panera friend, which we ate at a good and very reasonably priced Thai restaurant on Friday.
(2) After the TBC lunch, the three of us came back to my house for prezzies (most of them either obtained secondhand or handmade) and dessert (a Wegmans chocolate cupcake for each of us; I supplied a candle for each from my stock).
(3) JASNA Panera brought various day-old goodies from the Panera in the next city over where she works. I returned the favor by refilling her cooler with refrigerator pickles (she’s a fan).
(4) I also took JASNA BFF to Clothes Mentor, where the cashier let us use my 15% off birthday coupon on a NWT Chicos reversible tank top for her.
(5) And we also went to our favorite local secondhand bookstore, where the cashier obligingly credited BFF’s purchases toward stamps on my rewards card. (I didn’t spend anything at either CM or the bookstore because of the expensive car repairs I've got coming up.)
@A. Marie,
Happy Birthday!! I hope the coming year is filled with joy.
It sounds like a wonderful yet frugal celebration for a special group of women.
@A. Marie, there are so many fun and frugal places to shop and eat where you live!
@A. Marie,
The birthday celebration sounds delightful! Happy Birthday!
Are you allowed to burn yard waste where you live?
@Michelle,
I was thinking as much. I could imagine that the wooden whatever to the left should not be burnt as causing caustic fumes, because impregnated - but the branches are just wood from trees and if dry could do no harm.
1. With a little perseverance, I was able to get transfer credit for my freshman composition class I took way back in 1991...even my advisor admitted it would be silly to make me take freshman composition, seeing as how in grad school I not only got a Master's in English but taught freshman composition. My graduate transcript had been in limbo because they filed it in "mismatched" due to it being in my maiden name. And the school I'm enrolled in insisted on a syllabus for any classes taken before 1995. So I emailed the registrar of my undergrad school, to see if by any chance they had copies, and they DID. As soon as I emailed that, they accepted the 4 credit hours, so I saved money by not having to take that class.
(The next step in saving money for school is to take a couple of exams to test out of biology and math. I did pretty well on the TEAS, and I am informed by my son that the biology is very much like the science was on the TEAS, so I am hopeful. There are fees for taking the test, but they're much less than paying for whole classes.)
2. DS#3 is also going to the same school DS#2 and I are, and he's doing it through College Credit Plus to earn college credits while in high school. I toted both of them along with me to go get our ID cards, and settle something with the Bursar (making sure DS#3 doesn't, in fact, owe anything) and changing our addresses. Carpooling saves money.
3. Biked to church and on the way back stopped at the store to get a few things for Monday's dinner.
4. While at the grocery store resisted the siren call of Starbucks by reminding myself their method of making iced Americanos is nasty and I have soymilk at home and can make myself a chai latte anytime.
5. Stamped down on my excitement upon finding there is an Annotated Little Women and instead of ordering it on Amazon, requested it through ILL. I reminded myself that often I buy a book and get all excited and then realize I'm not going to read it THAT often. That's what libraries are for.
@Karen A., the last two sentences of your #5 are words I should be living by--and intend to remind myself of in the future.
@A. Marie, When we downsized to a smaller house, I vowed I would keep my personal books to one bookcase + a very little wall-hung bookshelf that I kept from a prior house we owned. And I have kept to it! I have my favorite authors collected, and a bottom shelf for miscellany. Library books get parked on the top. Homeschooling books mostly go in our large bookcase in the dining room/homeschooling room.
@Karen A., educate me on the nastiness of Starbucks Americano making method. I need a bit more resistance to that siren call myself.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I went there this summer and asked for an iced black decaf Americano. Not only did the barista spend an awful lot of time chatting with the customers behind me before languidly preparing my drink, I watched as she used pre-used grounds (at least, I didn't see her put fresh grounds in the espresso maker), and then she took the espresso in the cup over to the tap and just put some lukewarm tap water in to dilute it before adding ice. It. Was. Gross. I don't expect them to use, like, Evian or fancy bottled water, but the idea of just straight, unboiled tap water going into it...ugh.
I usually don't go there at all, now that I don't drink anything with added sugar (even the soymilk they use has sugar in it). Sometimes on a road trip, if there's one in a travel plaza where we're stopping, I'll get a large hot peppermint tea for the road. Cozy, and presumably boiled.
@Karen A., it sounds like the barrista/employee was not doing her job correctly for making your drink. You can reuse same grounds (for self/not customers--health code violation) for diluted espresso & yes you are supposed to use boiling hot water (should have in seperate hot container or on warmer) or cold (from fridge) water, not tap.
Sounds like employee not following health code procedures (never worked for Starbucks so not familiar if company procedure) & would make me question that particular store/employee making any drink. You can call local/county health department & file complaint & there is usually a follow up impromptu visit/inspection.
I'm glad I don't care for Starbucks (or any kind of coffee). I used to work/manage a local specialty coffee shop years ago when Starbucks not every where.
@Regina, Thank you! I was wondering if I was just being fussy, but it's kind of good to know my instincts were right.
@Karen A., eeewwwww.
We're moving! I scored so many free boxes from my Buy Nothing group. Medium shipping boxes for heavy stuff, larger boxes from actual moving companies: I think roughly 30 boxes. And many came with packing paper!
I had saved some brown packing paper from a Chewy order to wrap presents, but we'll use it to move instead 😉
We visited friends out of state last weekend to see their newborn baby, but couldn't bring the dog. We made the 4-hour round trip down to my spouse's parents the day before to drop off the dog for their dogsitting, and took a detour on the way home the last day to pick back up the dog. It wasn't the most time-saving hack, but we got to catch up with them twice and saved the cost of dog boarding. In this season of life, we can spend time instead of money. I'm sure that will change when we have kids.
During our trip, we used a 50% off coupon for a local coffee shop before we hit the road, that I got from working at my yoga studio. We packed some snacks, and ate off the discount menu at fast food places. It felt wonderfully naughty because we don't eat fast food at all when home!
*Disputed a software “renewal” I hadn’t authorized and had the $232 reversed on my credit card. These guys are sneaky!
*Received a check for $17.82 from the settlement of a class action against an insurance company. Every little bit helps!
*Still have a restaurant gift card I received from a business associate as a year-end Thank You and will use it to treat a friend (and myself!) to lunch this Thursday. We need to catch up “just the 2 of us” aside from our larger friend group.
*Stocked up on sunscreen and saved $ on my favorite brand at CVS.
*Remembered to inventory the freezer and pantry before grocery shopping.
@JDinNM, I had that same thing happen to my husbands credit card after he had passed away. They couldn't really argue with me...but yes, be vigilant, because of course scammers and collections departments are, too.
1. A local grocery store was celebrating its 90th anniversary and running a big giveaway, which I entered. I ended up being one of the grand prize winners! I won $900 in gift cards to the grocery store!!! I'm so excited! This takes a lot of the stress off of grocery shopping for the next few months. And, of course, I'm going to continue shopping the sales to maximize the impact.
2. I went to cancel my free 3 months of Panera Sip Club and they offered me 3 months at $3.33/mo. I decided that was worth it and added a reminder to my calendar for 3 months from now to cancel.
3. We camped last week! In a tent. Such a frugal way to vacation.
4. We were gone for 6 days and I packed food for all of our meals. This seems normal to me, but we ran into some people we know (8 hours from home!) and they ate out a bunch. We did have to buy lunch and dinner on the way home, but that's mostly because it's really hard to pack accessible lunches after a week of camping. Our coolers get buried in the back of the van.
5. We did a lot of free things while we camped - hiked to waterfalls, 3 of the 5 of us jumped off a cliff into Lake Superior, we played on playgrounds, swam in lakes, and biked/scootered on the campground's pump track.
@Ruth T, Congrats on winning the grocery store grand prize!
@Ruth T, a big WOW for your #1! Congratulations!
@Ruth T, WOW on your big win! It reminds me of the mom in The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. 🙂 I know you'll make the most of your prize!
@Ruth T,
Congrats on your #1! That's awesome!!!
@Ruth T, Congratulations on #1!
We also camped last week for 4 nights in NH. Your trip sounded like so much fun.
@Ruth T, Wow, that is some prize! Congratulations! 🙂
GIRL! $900?? That's amazing!!!!
@Ruth T, Sweet! You’ll have such fun with that satisfying prize.
@Ruth T,
What a wonderful surprise - $900 in free groceries! Holy Moly!
Also, your vacation sounds wonderful.
@Ruth T, $900!!! That is fantastic.
Sounds like you made a good decision on the Panera Sip Club, and it is very prudent to mark the cancelation date on your calendar. Cancellation attempts can be very frugal— I scored several audio books one year when I kept trying to cancel and they kept making offers to keep me hooked.
I know!! When I first saw the post, I thought it was $90, which was cool. But then I was blown away when I looked again and saw that it was $900!
@Ruth T, I'd use it up and quick (especially if you have a freezer and/or storage space). Kudos on the score.
1. I too sold a couple items on eBay. One was small potatoes and the other was for a bit more. So that money went into savings.
2. My wife and I each have a separate account for our allowances (effectively personal spending and pocket cash.) Most of our money goes into the joint account for bills but we have our individual accounts so I can buy a game I want or she can buy makeup or whatever.
Well anyway, I noticed that mine was getting up there and earning no interest, so I moved it to a higher interest earning account. This should earn me a few hundred dollars more this year because of that.
3. We got our daughter a backpack from LL Bean which should last her a few years. While in the store I did a quick search and signed up for their email list and got a 10% off coupon to scan and then promptly unsubscribed as we were leaving the store.
Luckily back to school was relatively easy this year outside of some very specific requests from her teacher (dictating no designs or graphics on notebooks or folders which I find bologna.)
4. Replaced the battery in my computer's UPS. A new UPS is $100+. The battery was $20. The batteries are made to be replaced so this was a toolless job.
5. Needed pants for an event and ended up finding two pair at Goodwill for $6 total. Unfortunately my wife needs to hem them for me. In the end I still had to buy nice new pants but once she hems the thrifted ones I will have three pairs of dress pants instead of zero.
@Battra92, You must really have a great allowance account! I'm getting a good interest rate but sure where I could earn hundreds more.
@Bobi, *not sure
@Battra92, My youngest son is still using an L.L. Bean backpack I got for my eldest when he started kindergarten ten years ago. All our backpacks and lunch bags are from them. They do last.
@kristin@going country, I have one from middle school which was ... not yesterday to say the least. So I hope the new ones hold up like the old ones.
@Bobi, So the wife and I get about a hundred each paycheck and have for basically all of our marriage. Even with inflation this has been steady. She tends to spend and I tend to save so over time mine just built up.
Right now there are some high yield accounts and CDs hovering around 5% interest. $5,000 at 5% is $250.
@Battra92, Very impressive for allowance savings! And it's fun to see 5% again, I'm loving it myself, but still kicking myself for not saving more back in the 9% days (when I was young and stupid 😉 )
I know, right? It's so fun to open a bank statement at the end of the month and see how much has been added. Woohoo!
I remember my mom once took me shopping in high school. I was on the swim team and had been weightlifting and running and swimming all summer. I was in amazing shape. I tried on a skirt and could not get it over my (powerful!) thighs. I just laughed and said it wasn’t going to work. The sales lady and my mom were both so embarrassed for me and kept trying to say comforting things. But I felt great about my thighs. I was proud of my body and what it could do. It was the first time that I realized that my mom and I had very different ideas about health and beauty. I’m so grateful for that because that realization is probably what kept me from tottering after my mother down the eating disorder path. I know this is Five Frugal Things Day and not gratitude day, but I extremely grateful for my mom signing me up for sports and driving me to endless practices and meets even though she definitely did not approve of my resulting thunder thighs.
@Tarynkay, I’m so glad you were/are able to appreciate having a strong, powerful body, rather than simply wanting to take up less space. That seems to be especially hard as a teenager.
@Tarynkay, Healthy living and avoidance of eating disorders sounds very, very frugal to me! Among other things ... ;-}
@Tarynkay, I know it doesn't help now but apparently there are a subset of men who like girls with more muscular thighs (think Chun Li from the Street Fighter franchise.) So beauty standards do evolve from your mother's times.
Well, I am so proud of teenage you for having that attitude. You rock!
@Tarynkay, I want to congratulate both you and your mom. You for being able to separate yourself from a parent's influence that you recognize as destructive, and your mom for still taking you to practices etc. which is a lot of driving.
@Erika JS, AMEN!!
Yay for getting that yard work done! You'll be glad you did and I totally despise outdoor work too, but when I actually stir myself to do some, it's always much, much quicker and easier than I thought it would be.
But hire someone tactically for when those leaves have done their thing and fallen, honestly, it will be an investment in sanity and in keeping your increasingly sparse free time for more exciting things!
1. I picked up extra work to make money for a downpayment. We have years worth of savings to go, but inch by inch you can travel far. Sigh.
2. I had two frugal and one splurge social events: visited my brother and SIL, had a picnic with some friends, and went to dinner with my study buddy to celebrate passing our licensing exam!
3. I made a big batch date/oat/cocoa bites for me and my daughter:
4. I tried a new recipe to see if my soy-sauce-loving daughter would like it: Chinese-style steamed eggs. Verdict: I loved it, she would not touch it.
5. I am trying (and failing) to exercise every day. But I will keep trying (and failing) to do it daily because doing ten minutes of physio a few times a week is better than insisting on perfection and doing none at all. And also what was the point of paying for physio if I don't do the exercises?
@Meira @meirathebear, hey, congrats on passing the exam!
Ok, ok, I see you burying the lede there. CONGRATSSSS on passing the exam!!!!
@Kristen, I'm pretty sure she told us about that a while ago. But maybe not!
Oh! Geez. Well, if I missed it earlier, Meira, I apologize! But such an accomplishment deserved to be celebrated multiple times so I’m still gonna cheer for you. lol
@Meira @meirathebear, congratulations on passing!
@Meira @meirathebear,
Congratulations on your accomplishment! I try to go the gym 4 - 5 times a week which was something I did with ease pre- Covid. I fail at this goal nearly every week but I know I can do it. I keep trying and I know it will eventually become normal for me again, Never, ever give up.
@JDinNM, @Kristen haha thank you both, I'm touched that JD remembered! Yes, I did pass the exam a few months ago, which is a frugal win because the *&^*! thing costs $5000 to write. But our celebration was delayed.
Ha, well, if you announce it again in a few months, I will celebrate again. lol
@Meira @meirathebear, I add my congratulations to everyone else's on your passing the licensing exam--and also on your working extra toward your down payment. You go, girl!
1. Similar to your free scoop, I got the free sample of 8 oz. of Sherwin Williams paint that I had reserved, but which had not been guaranteed to be in stock. It says it is indoor/outdoor, but I haven't studied the label more than that. It's supposed to be one of the newest colors. I like this color.
2. We use a certain software at work that for time tracking and invoicing. I received an invitation from the software company to review the software, which I did, and earned a $25 gift card.
3. I had a visit from DH's out-of-state nephew who brought along a small bookshelf out of his late mother's house. It's in good shape; solid wood and still quite sturdy, with nicely done edges. He brought it here because DH made it in shop class in high school and gave it to his sister over 50 years ago. So a free bookshelf which I can use, and one with great sentimental value to boot.
4. Last night I took a one-time craft class on beginning book binding offered at church, which was fun. We paid a supply fee, but I came home with some really good tools and supplies I can use for other things, too. Plus, I have a new little blank book with designer cardstock covers that I made. I love blank books, notebooks, planners, etc.
5. I heard some loud beeps in the middle of the night Sunday, and discovered my freezer door was barely, barely cracked, but the "open" door meant the freezer had stopped cooling. I hurriedly unloaded stuff like pound bags of tea, bulk bags of spices, extra dog kibble and bags of bones out of my two refrigerator freezers and reloaded them with all the meat, vegetables and fruits from my big freezer. Thank heavens I had been eating it down, because it all fit in the small freezers with the exception of a few things I was okay with thawing and using this week. I threw the bags of bones in the crockpot for broth while I was at it. Everything was still frozen but the big freezer had been in the thirties and warming fast. It was back down to zero Monday . I didn't get home until 9:30 last night, so I'll reload it tonight. That was a close call, but the food was saved.
@JD,
It’s so wonderful that the bookcase found its way back to you.
@JD, how do you use your blank books? I too love them and am accumulating a pile faster than I can use.
Your #5 stressed me out—excellent response on your part! I didn't know about alarms on freezers (ours is an old chest type).
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I could easily end up with a collection of unused blank books if I'm not careful, so I make myself use them. I usually have a small one in my purse as a memorandum book. I suppose I could use my phone, but I find I don't. The act of writing helps me remember, anyway.
I sometimes make little daily journals out of them.
Also: I take notes when taking an informal class, write food diaries, take devotional notes, jot a bit of poetry, note craft inspirations, even write a grocery shopping list in them. I sketch out something I want to sew or otherwise create. I doodle in them when bored out of my mind in places like waiting rooms.
I've been known to carry one with my Christmas list in it for the latter 3-4 months of the year.
I tend to hang on to them for a while after I've filled them. They are like tiny scrap books of life and it's fun to look back through them.
@JD, which color did you get, the green or blue? I picked up my free paint Friday (& was only a few before me according to Lowe's employee) & was said that mixed 150 containers days before for free event.
@JD,
Many thanks for this wonderfully inspiring list. I, too, have a bunch of empty notebooks, all very decorative because they were gifts.
@Regina,
The greenish one. I almost went with the blue though.
FFT:
1) Extended family got together to celebrate MIL's 91st birthday. We ordered a family pack from a local taco place instead of going out. It fed 8 adults with plenty of leftovers to send home with everyone.
2) I needed blackout curtains for my bedroom at the new house since I was tired of being woken up at sunrise on the weekends. After much searching, I ordered 5 sets of 2 panels from Costco for around $130. I'm reusing the curtain rods the previous owner left behind.
3) I ordered a curtain panel from Amazon for the bedroom porch door for $7. It may not match perfectly with the curtains, but close enough for me.
4) I'm taking advantage of the free lunch from the food truck my company has coming today.
5) I got a baby to toddler activity table for our grandson from our Buy Nothing group. I like to have a few toys at Nana and Papa's house. 🙂
I love that your thighs were “too powerful for your pants”. I often have that challenge, except it’s typically my butt that’s too powerful.
Those pants were never gonna be a match for your glutes. 😉
I did some strategic stocking up shopping this week at Ace Hardware store for trash bags and Ollie's Outlet for pet potty pads. Both items were on an unbeatable sale and I have space to store six months worth of them, so that's two less things to have to think about. Also, both those stores will send me cash-off coupons as a thank you for being a customer, so there's a double benefit.
My husband has been sick with an ear infection, and I made him a big pot of homemade soup with homemade gluten-free bread as comfort food. Used up some not that great apples in an apple-mixed berry crisp. The crisp also used up the last of a can of cornstarch. Cooked up more homemade kibble topper for our dogs, which is much less than canned food and no cans to recycle.
Read an e-book from the library. Looked around on eBay for a new crevice tool for my vacuum cleaner and hit the sweet spot of good price/free shipping. Used a store coupon to knock $2 off the cost of cat food.
Jamaica Almond Fudge is my absolute favorite ice cream
I think I have enough to participate this time....
1. We got free baseball tickets from brother-in-law, so we splurged on the food and drink specials there. We also scored free parking by walking 2 blocks which I didn't mind as it's also exercise.
2. I used wading pool water to water my outdoor plants.
3. I've been picking beans from my garden and promptly freezing them.
4. My neighbor is out of town and I'm getting their mail and paper for them. She told me to pick their beans while gone as they'll be too big and tough if not. I gleaned a whole gallon bag of them on Sunday which I gave to our daughter. She was happy to receive them. I'll pick them another time before neighbor returns. She also told us we could have whatever plums we wanted from their tree. I may pick a few.
5. Hubby's coworker gifted us zucchini, 2 onions, peach jam and blackberry jam in exchange for hubby helping him do hay.
A few recent frugals and one major frugal fail.
1. Taught my teenage son how to hem his pants (always frugal when you know how to alter your clothes for better fit).
2. Since the sewing machine was out on the table (getting it set up is always my biggest hurdle to sewing), fixed a ripped seam on a shirt and added some missing hanging loops on hand towels.
3. My husband took care of cleaning and greasing the chain on an old bike so we could extend its life, and we biked to a nearby farmer's market.
4. Our neighbor invited us for impromptu birthday cake. Took him a nice bottle of wine I already had in the fridge and placed it into a sturdy wine gift bag I've kept for the occasion.
5. On a trip to New Hampshire we tent-camped and mostly had frugal camp meals though we also sampled a couple of local restaurants for lunch. It rained some but luckily our things stayed dry.
BUT, as a big frugal fail, my husband's phone fell off the camp table and hit a rock on the ground, so we had to replace the phone prematurely.
@Kristina M., it makes no sense that "getting it set up is always my biggest hurdle to sewing" but you are so right! My sewing machine is set up right now and I hesitate putting it away because it may take me months to get it out again and I know I'll have more mending to do soon.
@Kristina M., mine is always winding bobbins. The other day I cleaned out and organized my caddy of sewing tools and then wound 10 bobbins in the colors of thread I use most often. Felt very accomplished after that.
1. I picked up a bag of jalapenos off Buy Nothing. They went into the freezer for later use.
2. I made baked French toast for my kid's breakfast using left over bread and bagels that I had frozen. It also used up a container of 1/2 and 1/2 I had in the refrigerator.
3. We had leftover corn on the cob, so I froze it and will sauté it with onions and the above jalapenos in the future.
4. I made some salsa using onions, garlic, and habaneros from my garden. The tomatoes we received from our local YMCA's community garden and the bell peppers we purchased in bulk from our local public market. We ate some of it fresh and the rest I froze. It was very cheap to make and so much more delicious than store-bought.
5. We have been regularly using our YMCA memberships for the gym, play areas, pools, jump pillows, family events, etc. I was able to sign my son up for a foam dart league at the YMCA for free and my daughter a gymnastics class for only $50. My employer offers a 20% discount on our membership.
Nice job on the yard work!
1) I've been trying to really declutter, ahead of DS18 leaving for college. I've gotten rid of so much via Buy Nothing (frugal for others) & I've been listing things on eBay. Over the past week or so, I've sold: two pair of tennis shorts (had to buy a replacement pair in a different color for dS17's tennis uniform), two containers of ProActive cream that dS17 stopped using & a scarf I got for free at Banana Republic with a purchase a while ago.
2) I used promo codes & Rakuten to make some purchases for clothes for DS18 & a few hiking gear items for myself.
3) Bought DS17's Christmas gift items (a tent & a sleeping bag) at a half off sale at the local outdoor shop. Bonus, found hiking pants for myself that were reasonably cute. Hiking pants in general are very unattractive on me, so these were a pretty big step up.
4) Made lots of meals at home, feeding lots of people, and using up garden goodies for many of the meals.
5) Finished my 3 hours of volunteering for DS17's soccer club, and came home to fill out my form to get reimbursed the $100 off of membership fees.
@Hawaii Planner, have you given up on finding another job? You seem way to busy and productive to have work outside the home!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Lol, I've been thinking the same thing!
We sold a tv. (When we bought the house there was a television in the garage which we finally sold on offerup.)
We bought wine and dessert for our anniversary celebration. We will eat out but have dessert later at home. (I never have room for dessert anyway.)
I spent $2 on a bag of 18-12 month clothes at a yard sale.
I made baby food. I try to feed her real food and when she doesn't finish . . .
I turned the chicken the baby didn't eat into my lunch.
Ooh, that's a nice win to sell something you didn't even pay for (although I guess technically you did since you bought the house!)
@Rebekah in SoCal, Like you, I’ve never had room for dessert my whole life. Thanks for letting me see the money-saving aspect of that ha!
@Erika JS, when my daughter was about 7, I bought her a chef's toque (she already did a lot of cooking) and embroidered "Always Room for Dessert" on it.
@Rose,
It’s probably because I have the "savory/salty tooth" and not the sweet tooth. If it were customary to have some cheeses/charcuterie stuff after a meal, I’d probably tuck in. In other countries they do have savories after the meal but here the dessert menu is pretty sweet-centric.
Meanwhile, how adorable is a 7-year-old wearing a toque! Our granddaughter is 5…must look for one for Christmas. She loooves helping with cooking.
I wish I had a savory tooth instead of a sweet tooth!
@Erika JS, I personally have a savory tooth too. My kids didn't when small, but they do now.
Since old housekeeping books are a passion of mine, a typical middle class English menu in 1900 would look like:
Hors d'ouevre
soup
fish
entree (something like cutlets)
joint (a big roast, often mutton, yuck), served with potatoes and vegetables
sweet (what we call dessert)
savory (could be anything--deviled bones, deviled kidneys, any leftover meat pounded in a mortar with butter, cayenne and lemon juice on toast, stuffed tomatoes, bloater paste)
dessert (fruit, nuts, possibly candy)
@Kristen,
I figured we were going to have to do electronic recycling but my husband wanted to try to sell it.
@Rose,
Huge burp after all of that!
@Rose,
Heck YEAH there's always room for dessert! Lol. I'll bet your daughter looked adorable in her chef 's toque. 🙂
My son and his friends use "powerful" as a synonym for fat. He refers to our beagle Percy as "powerful."
You know, I had a genuinely frugal thing yesterday and I've forgotten it. The website I've been building has turned my brain to mush.
Chiquita has become very powerful since she came to live here. Heh.
(I am following her vet's advice to help her lose a little extra, um, power, but it's a slow plan. Which is apparently better because cats dump fat into their livers if they lose weight too fast.)
@Kristen, when I was a kid I had a book called Fat Puss on Wheels. Maybe Chiquita needs to read it 😉
@Sophie in Denmark, It's been canceled because it makes the puss feel bad instead of powerful.
Oh, I remembered! I didn't buy the swell xenomorph popcorn bucket when going to see the new Alien movie! I AM THE FRUGAL CHAMPION
@Kristen, my Dora Kitty got very "powerful" after she came to live with us. Her kittens -- four big boy babies -- were weaned off her right before she was put up for adoption but she continued to eat like it was her job and doubled in size. She's a large cat anyhow, being part Maine Coon, but she needs to knock about five pounds off. She's been on a diet and doing really well, with one pound down in six months. I figure the slow method will take two or so more years.
@Kristen, Clark has also become a bit..powerful, but the boys insist that he was probably skinny before (he was, I could feel his rump bones) because in the shelter he was a bit stressed out and there was quite often competition for the food bowls from the other cats. We're still trying to resist giving him too many treats--he is very food motivated and likes the oddest things. I was not surprised that he loves turkey lunchmeat (and begs for it), but he will also beg for sheets of nori seaweed and corn tortilla chips. Weirdo.
@Karen A., Mack (the pup I rescued from TN 5 months ago) decided that it was a good idea to pick a jalapeno from my garden and run around the house with it. He eventually spat it out.
We had genetic testing done on him and his dominant breed is purportedly chihuahua. My son demands a recount--it's so weird because he is the size of a labrador now and still growing. (I bought another test from another country.) Still we have been having fun with "Well, he IS a chihuahua" and when he starts hacking something up, my son says, "Toooo many chimichangas" etc.
company not country.
Where I live in Florida, we had very little debris from Debby. However, it rained nearly continuously for 36 hours. It’s strange that you had so much wind. You must have been on the east side of the storm.
1. I’ve been working on my decluttering goal. I gave a few of the nicer items that I had in my garage away on Buy Nothing.
2. When our HVAC system went out, I purchased a small window unit to cool our bedroom. This allowed us to sleep well and kept our pets comfortable. Now that our new system is installed, I no longer needed it. I listed the AC on Facebook marketplace and sold it in less than 24 hours. I was able to recoup 65% of its original cost.
3. I picked up a prescription yesterday and used my HSA to purchase it.
4. I made chicken broth out of a leftover rotisserie chicken. DH picked the little bits of meat off the bone to add to Rescue Pup’s meals.
5. My daughter just celebrated a birthday. As always, I had no idea what to give her. I wanted to get her something personal and special that could not be shared by her significant other. I realized that I had her Grandmother’s pearls which my FIL had given my MIL for their 50th wedding anniversary. I have wrapped these up and told her the story behind them. She loved them!!
Wishing everyone good health, peace and prosperity.
@Bee, The pearls are a lovely gift!
@Bee, what a wonderful gift for your daughter! And passing down family heirloom jewelry is such a beautiful thing. 🙂
Five Frugal Things: vacation edition:
1. Chose Latvia as a destination as it is a less expensive (and crowded place) [and cooler!] than much of Western Europe.
2. Took public bus to/from airport rather than a taxi.
3. Took home leftovers from a dinner and ate for breakfast.
4. Spending most time walking around Riga and looking at all of the beautiful architecture - both medieval and art nouveau.
5. Only bought one bottle of rhubarb wine as a souvenir.
@bettafromdaVille, An art nouveau pal of mine just came back from Riga too!
@bettafromdaVille, Latvia sounds so interesting! I always think places off the beaten tourist path are much more interesting... and less crowded. Glad you enjoyed your trip!
@Lindsay B, I agree. I have seen a few things about traveling to Mongolia, and how it is trying to up its tourism, which somehow appeals to me.
I have saved money mostly by not shopping, but there are a few other things.
I listed an item on ebay and finally sold another that had been on there for months.
I challenged myself to make the cheapest meals I possibly could for a few days. My goal was to see if I could get my daily food expenses down to $2 or $3 dollars, which did not happen, but I did spend less than $4 a day. I won't eat like that long term, but I have a better idea now of what meals are most cost effective and can incorporate them more often.
I have read several library books.
I have been hanging my laundry to dry as well as cooking and baking from scratch more often. I haven't bought bread in weeks because I'm getting better at making it.
@Elizabeth M, I actually did shop for one thing - I bought a new fall nightshirt on my state's tax free weekend, repalcing the worn-out one without paying sales tax.
@Elizabeth M, Your cheapest meal challenge is a good thought experiment, (especially to compare home cooked to restaurant prices) What were the most expensive parts? The proteins? Special spices or sauces?
@Heidi Louise, Yes, meat and eggs were the most expensive. Dry beans were the cheapest protein, of course. Fruit and veggies were hard to fit into such a small budget, especially fruit. Spices cost very little if used in moderation. I was able to make some tasty meals, but I missed eating fruit and meat (though I did include small amounts, it wasn't very satisfying).
@Elizabeth M, Thanks for the reply. I prefer fruit to vegetables and would miss fruits as well.
When I have the time and energy and it is not too hot (or two out of three of those stars align) I like mowing my lawn, but mostly because it gives me the opportunity to see what areas of my herb, garden, medicinal, flower beds need work. And I don't have a weed eater, so I get as close to things as I can with the mower as the outer housing can attest. I mulch leaves with the mower to provide nutrients that go back into the soil.
The frugal list:
1) Batched errands this week: did laundry, went to Aldi, and to Hy-Vee. The trip to Hy-Vee was to the pharmacy. It takes a few days of swallowing hard to get one of my ninety day scripts that costs $400 in co-pay.
2) Touring the yard this morning, I recognized several plants that had self-seeded, including the zinnias I planted last summer. They are nice to have in a vase throughout the house. The spot of bright color is good for many things.
3) I bathed Molly myself this week. She had a miserable case of fleas and we took care of them as best we could. Will see the vet and peruse pet care aisles. I don't like and don't want harsh chemicals. On her front, I looked into the mushroom (I honestly call this kind of stuff "snake-oil") powder to see if it will help with her lipomas and energy. The second choice with same ingredients was significantly cheaper than the name brand, so I chose that. She woke up with vim and vinegar this morning (We've used it two weeks) so I'm hopeful. She also likes her glucosamine chondroitin.
4) I received a very sweet thank you gift from my friend who's garden I watered last week. I was content with the free yellow tomatoes and the joy of seeing her brightly colored flowers. And teasing her. She had put plastic forks, prong side up, around her sweet potatoes, okra and beans to keep the rabbits out. I asked her what her yield was on the forks and she said "one and a half." So I put some little plastic cocktail forks (from when mini was all the rage) in between them. The gift was some Farmer's Market finds: a loaf of herb and parmesan bread and a small strawberry rhubarb pie. A "scepter" made with a long threaded rod, colorful beads and a sparkly drawer handle as the end. It is for the garden or a flower pot. And some of the cutest coasters made with rope and colorful material interspersed throughout.
5) Chai latte at home, distilled water myself, enjoyed garden produce, and have not gotten sick with "The VID" that has hit a (thankfully, very few) some of our residents and staff.
@Chrissy, I can imagine my parents planting extra plastic forks in someone's garden. Just their type of humor-- creative, unexpected, and no one gets hurt.
On various frugal blogs I have seen positive references to billionaire Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drug Plan. I do not have experience using it myself. You may wish to check it out.
@Chrissy, ooo how do you make your chai latte?
@Heidi Louise, I have personal experience with it and I cannot say enough good things about them. They do not carry every drug but they keep adding more so people should check back if it is an ongoing medication. Also remember that Costco is often cheaper and you do not have to be a member to use that service (by law).
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, JDinNM got me on to ordering Tazo Chai Latte Concentrate from Food Service Direct. It's a little over $5 per box. At four servings per box that is about $1.25 per serving not counting the milk. It's the same thing Starbuck's use. I use it in a ratio of one/one. And I like it iced.
Sending my only son off to college tomorrow. Worked hard to not reflexively buy everything new!
Used some items we already had, and added what was needed.
What we did need to buy, I first used up some Amazon gift cards.
The best money savings was that he got a nice scholarship, which cut his tuition by 65%. Unfortunately the room and board isn’t cheap!
1. For 25¢ I got one of those metal food containers with the locking lid, and it is phenomenally superior to Tupperware for my purposes. (THANK YOU FG FOR ALERTING ME TO THESE ITEMS!)
2. The cabin neighbors' annual reunion netted us all kinds of fun fancy foods when they left. (A bunch of high-achieving frat brothers all now approaching 60 with champagne tastes who come long distances and don't want to or can't cart stuff back home)
3. A friend gave me one of her 14-day Continuous Glucose Monitor sensors and taught me to use it. It was helpful for the 4 days it worked, and since I hadn't paid for it (and she wasn't going to use it) I didn't worry about the 11 wasted days. (COME ON, TECHNOLOGY. . .!)
4. We planned on hiring someone to oil the cabin (it is unpainted wood). After spending 1/2 day prepping it, we concluded that we can probably do the oiling job ourselves.
5. Usually while in Oregon, I stock up on toiletries because they don't charge sales tax; this year I didn't. This was frugal because I am well-stocked already.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I wore a glucose monitor for 2 weeks at the request of my doctor. It was really interesting and provided us a lot of nutritional info.
1. Friends gave us some home-grown peaches! In the upper midwest! Our yard is too shaded for fruit trees or much gardening, so I am excited to have these.
2. Mended some toddler shorts and a baby sleep sack. Thrifted or hand me down items inevitably need a fair bit of mending so I have to remind myself that I do prefer secondhand over new! Actually, some of the new items we’ve been given have also needed mending rather quickly due to overall poor clothing quality.
3. I also mended the seam of a turkish towel. Unfortunately when I look at the towel’s thread it seems to be poor quality so I am anticipating additional repairs in the future.
4. I picked up a yerba mate drink free after a Social Nature rebate. However I didn’t see until I was home that it has 34 grams of added sugar, so I will probably not be drinking it. I do love sweets but prefer not to drink my sugars!
5. Frugal mix: we had half of a pepper get moldy in the fridge, but we were able to pick one from our occasionally-bearing pepper plant in order to cut it for pizza for dinner. Fortunately the one that went moldy was a store-bought one!
6. Second frugal mix: I finally stopped by the Aldi that just opened nearby. Loved how calm and quiet it was, and the prices were great especially in produce. But I did impulse buy a $4 bottle of wine and $4 worth of pain au chocolat pastries. Should be delicious!
Oh and I forgot to add that my organic gardener friend gave me an unsold bouquet of flowers when we met for lunch the other day. These flowers are worth about $20, but in honesty they are worth more than that to me because they contain some of my favorite flowers that are hard to find locally (lisianthus and dahlias).
Branches = fire wood in my neck of the woods, so I am jealous of all that free tinder that got blown into your yard. Even though I know it is a pain to keep up and tidy.
We are about to close on our homestead property in the next two weeks (fingers crossed), which will result in a 5 digit sum being transferred out of my accounts, so we are gonna be on all frugal cylinders for a long time.
This week I:
1. Thrifted a bunch of mason jars from Goodwill. Between canning, tinctures and storage, you can never have enough jars and getting them for 50 cents sure makes it better
2. Speaking of tinctures, I harvested a bunch of herbs from my garden that are now drying for cold/flu season remedies. Now to not get looks from the Costco checker when I buy a gallon of vodka.
3. Ate all meals at home. I know for most people that is standard but we have been in such a whirlwind lately that cooking and shopping have somewhat fallen to the wayside, but we are getting back on track.
4. Got a free return/delivery a replacement Billy bookcase. My husband is in the process of being a hybrid worker and we needed to turn a bedroom into an office pronto but the bookcase Ikea delivered was cracked when we opened it. A million chats w/ customer service later, I have a new one!
4. Put things back from my cart in Target. Every little bit helps!
@Heather,
I make my tinctures with EverClear (151 proof grain alcohol) and boy do I get some looks at the state liquor store. A 73-year old woman buying frat-boy drink! (I live near a college.)
@Cynthia and @Heather, thanks for the laugh re: your liquor purchases for tinctures. Tinctures are something I haven't gotten into yet, but you're making me think about it--even though I'd probably get the same sorts of looks at my regular liquor store that you're getting.
@Cynthia, my old house had some shellac on woodwork that needed to be "melted" to smooth it out. Golden Grain was recommended by the woodworking company from which I bought more shellac. Our redneck neighbors actually stood in the yard and stared while I was pouring liquor from this huge bottle onto toweling and wiping down the wood on the front porch. It was hilarious!
@Cynthia, My daughter makes limoncello with Everclear. It's good and a lot less expensive than Cointreau for margaritas, but I'm glad she's one buying the Everclear, not me. (Pro tip: make simple syrup with jalapenos to add. Yum.)
We hosted dinner at our place on Friday and Saturday night. This saved us from going out to eat while spending time with people. I like the mindset of “enjoying our mortgage” since one of the reasons we fell in love with our house is because it is perfect for hosting.
I used credit card rewards to reload my Starbucks gift card. I go each Tuesday morning with a group of coworkers as our weekly treat and credit card rewards helps keep the cost down.
It was rainy on Friday so my son cleaned out his closet and had a huge pile of donations for Goodwill. I picked though his donation pile and found a like-new backpack he wanted to part with (he’s been using the same one for years and I don’t see that changing) so I pulled it from the pile and filled it with extra school supplies from our stash donate to a school supply drive.
I took a stroll through the dollar store while I was out running errands. I saw that they had some specialty food items that are normally much more expensive elsewhere so I picked them up to add to the pantry.
I noticed two charges on my credit card that I didn’t make so I called the bank to report the fraud. I have to wait on a new credit card, but the money was put back into my account quickly.
In honor of retirement and that fact I have time over money, I created a fun scavenger hunt: I donated some cheap plates I bought 25 years ago that get superheated in the microwave. I have hated them for years having continuously burned myself. I use my grandmas china for everyday https://www.replacements.com/china-f...late/p/1341201 but I really don't like to put them in the microwave. I did research on vintage stoneware that heats food evenly and doesn't get too hot to the touch in the microwave. I also wanted it to be lead-free and coordinate with my china. Ready, set go!! In one thrift store I found one Denby made in the land of Silverbirch. https://www.replacements.com/china-d...st-red/c/19603. I picked it up for $3.00 . In the third store I found a set of Kanney made in Japan.https://www.replacements.com/china-k...late/p/2947251. The set I found doesn't have the flowers in them - just the coffee rim and is called desert sand. Perfect to match my china. I had to buy the set - $25.00 BUT!!!! it was senior citizen's day and I got them half off. Ring the bell: 16 pieces for $13.00. A microwave test at home found they heated water very nicely without the plates themselves becoming super heated.
The world did not stop turning with this little adventure but it kept me blissfully entertained for very little money. It solved a problem. Finally, there was a glorious feeling of success. When I was teaching, I would get that feeling often but it was always accompanied with high stakes emotions. It feels nice to not feel that weight.
@mary ann, thank you for the little adventure of finding your patterns on Replacements.com. That old Franciscan apple pattern is a real treasure and I can see why you don't want to put it in the microwave. Good score on the Desert Sand!
1) I successfully upgraded tennis shoes for four of the six of us with secondhand shoes. I ordered tennis shoes from Thredup for me and two children. One is always rolling the dice with these things, but they all miraculously fit and we love them. I bought a pair of shoes on Depop for my oldest, but they were a bit too tight. So I immediately relisted them ("repopped" them) and bought a pair in the same size but wide from Ebay. The Ebay shoes fit perfectly. I haven't sold the first pair, but I will give it some time.
2) I accepted feedback from a friend. I am on the academic job market, which is brutal. I asked a friend who got an amazing job last year to critique my cover letter. She got back to me immediately with a lot of really great feedback that basically amounted to "stop selling yourself short." I spent a couple hours rewriting it this morning. It was good before, but I am going for "knock your socks off" because that will get me a job.
3) We menu planned and grocery shopped keeping in mind that this is the first week of school. Our grocery budget is about to go way down because our school system has free breakfast and lunch for all!
4) I am finishing the curtains for our office today. I can sew very lux curtains for a fraction of what I can buy them for. I quickly pieced them together in June to have something to cover the windows but now I need to finish them.
5) My husband sold a rug on FB marketplace from our old office that we won't be able to use in the new. We have a few items to list, and my next office to do item after finishing these curtains is to take pics and write listings. Then he will list them and do the truly aggravating work of dealing with facebook people.
I think getting an academic job is a little harder than getting a nursing job will be. Ha. I do not envy you!
@Amanda in VA, Always have the "guess who just hit the jackpot? you, because I am interested in working for you" attitude.
It's brutal out there. My sister years ago gave up her dream of being an archaeologist, because even though she went to grad school at Yale and was the protogee of a well known guy, there were no jobs. Similarly, a dear friend of mine with a ton of degrees from Harvard can't find a decent job in classics. No one cares about classics, which makes this former Greek-Latin student sigh heavily.
That's great that you got some free coffee and ice cream.
Here are my Frugal 5's
1) Got free veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis from my brother in law's wife and a thankful friend who's garden we helped watered from the summer.
2) Misc. - Bought groceries that were on sale; Used Ibotta and Fetch; Batch run errands to save on gas; Utilize the local parks, playgrounds and river for entertainment
3) Brought a couple of gifts for my nephews off Amazon after getting an e-mail notice through camelcamelcamel.com that they were at their lowest prices and I also got free shipping after signing up for Amazon Prime for a 30 day free trial. I plan on canceling the subscription before the 30 days are up.
4) Went to a library space theme event which had free activities like a bike parade that we participated in, free lego sets that my kids had fun assembling, museum of science dome theater showing, and an outside movie theater showing of E.T. (with free unlimited popcorn) which was a 1st experience for my kids.
5) Borrowed books and DVDs from the library. Kids love reading and watching movies at home so this is always a plus!
1. I went through all of the kids saved school supplies from previous years before going shopping.
2. I took some garden veggies to a neighbor, in return he blessed us a with a huge box of freshly picked sweet corn.
3. Made my first eBay sale. Yay me as Kristen would say. It was an old rear view car mirror I came across while chipping away at garage decluttering.
4. Caught an error on one of my store receipts, stopped by for a refund when I was in that area.
5. Marshall’s had kids summer clothing on clearance from .50c to $3. I picked up a bag of clothes and combined it with $10 rewards coupon. $3/item is even less than my local thrift store.
1. Homemade chocolate chip cookies for the win - kid loves them, my elderly aunt that I am trying to put weight on loves them and far less junk in them than store bought.
2. Made all meals and lunches at home. Ate up all leftovers to avoid waste. Made banana bread using old bananas that I froze.
3. Reserved a spot for a little camping getaway for my son and myself over Labor Day weekend. This is a frugal getaway as the site has water, a fire ring, electricity and bathhouses but only costs $32/night, There is a pool, gem mine, horseshoes, cornhole, picnic tables, hiking trails all on site. A river to go tubing on a mile away, parks, an adorable little town to explore. Even more important than all of that is the joy and peace that will come from sleeping outside in fresh air and waking to the sound of birds in the morning. Cannot wait. I am a caretaker and I have learned that regular breaks are vital to my ability to continue in that role.
4. scheduling my vehicle with a local trusted mechanic for an oil change. This saves me about $35 over taking it to the dealership.
5. Cut flowers from my yard to display in my home rather than buying them. I love the look and love the savings.
Yum that ice cream looks delicious!
Mine are:
- made breadcrumbs from old bread instead of buying them for a dish
- found a baby tomato plant growing in our lawn and transplanted it into a pot
- bought corned beef and made it for the first time, instead of a more expensive cut (it was delicious!)
- bought my hair dye on special and plan to use it this weekend and my husband will trim it ($16 for new hair is pretty frugal I think)
Someone at work keeps asking me why I don't hire someone to do yardwork...I guess because it makes me feel very capable to do it myself! Plus, saving me a small fortune. Frugal things lately:
*going to the library for books
*ordering Chinese take-out, then diving it up into three portions (saves me from eating too much AND provides another couple meals)
*last week I got a couple freebies from Chik-fil-A which ended up being a nice lunch
*clipped digital coupons from HEB and shopped in person just in case I found marked down items.
*ordered a new work tote on sale with free shipping from Land's End - these totes are made to last.
*decorating for Fall with stuff I already own
*got a Rakuten rebate check for I don't remember what
*got $150 knocked off the cost of my tree trimming by mentioning an ad, and getting the senior citizen discount! ha ha And they did an amazing job that will do another 2-3 years.
1. My friends were written about in the newspaper. Our little newspaper was bought by a really ugly local businessman (who treats his workers very badly), has declined in quality, and it is horrible! Our town deserves better! So....Instead of buying a copy or having to subscribe to the online edition, I went to the library (a block from my job ) and read it there for free. I’m not going to put a single penny in that ugly businessman’s pocket, not if I can help it.
2. The refrigerator I bought from Salvation Army works fine except that its inside light had apparently burned out. The old, “dead” refrigerator is still in my garage awaiting being hauled off. Instead of buying a new appliance light, I unscrewed the lightbulb (actually, two of them, as it turned out) from the old ‘fridge to use. However, it turns out that the new(-to-me) fridge’s lightbulb was not really burned out, it had just come loose during the move, so I’m still using it. I just had to screw the bulb in a little better. Stored the other 2 bulbs for later use.
3. Instead of buying a gallon jug of tea, I brewed my own — a big pitcher full of tea. Teabags are cheaper!
4. I signed up for a whole lot of substitute teacher days, but it appears the school district has read the riot act to its employees and most of these jobs have been withdrawn. I had several more assignments for this month, and all have evaporated. My next scheduled teaching day is Sept. 6, as it stands now. Still searching online for more days to work. Meanwhile, I'll keep plugging away at my retail job.
5. We are in a severe heat advisory with afternoon highs in the triple digits. I'm not using my clothes dryer; the air outside is so hot I can line-dry things in record time.
I haven't had Baskin Robbins ice cream in a very, VERY long time, but Jamoca Almond fudge is my absolute favorite! My oldest sister worked at a BR when she was a teenager, so she got an employee discount. Happy sigh.
Great job on the yard clean up and mowing. That one branch (log?) with the colorful fungi/lichen is beautiful.
Let's see, how have I been frugal....
- I used up the last of our (not frugal) Peach Truck peaches in a peach crisp. The peaches were starting to get wrinkly but taste delicious in the crisp.
-I made apple cinnamon baked oatmeal using wrinkly apples. (I obviously need to do better with letting fruit get wrinkly).
- a work friend has been sharing garden tomatoes. Yes, please.
-I bought some of my son's school supplies during our state's tax holiday. Frugal fail: his teachers did not offer supply lists until *after* the tax holiday was over. DH intends to send a polite email to the school principal about this. Second frugal fail: DS lost his $10 graphing calculator last year, and he needs a fancier one for most of high school....no one had a used one in my Buy Nothing group, DH was squeamish about buying a used one on Marketplace or eBay (which I do understand), so I bought one on Amazon, plus a hard cover. $83 + 13 and change for the cover. Ouch. DS will be advised that if he loses this one, he will be replacing it with his own $.
-have been finding pennies and the occasional dime here and there.
-bought a big Tervis tumbler with lid, plus several other useful items (a few books, a pretty Noritake China plate, some pretty placemats, a huge canvas tote bag, a coffee mug with the colors of the Swedish flag on it - DS is passionate about all things Swedish at the moment) for $2 at a church rummage sale. It was their "bag sale" during the last 2 hours.
-finally planted the 25 cent tulip bulbs I bought this spring. Each container had at least 5 bulbs, so really, they were 5 cent bulbs. Fingers crossed they bloom next spring. 🙂
1. We returned most of our library items on time. After they were returned, my son found a disc in the player. I know I checked that the discs were in the case, but clearly I wasn't careful enough about how many... it won't cost me anything, because our library doesn't have late fees.
2. We made all our meals at home. We brewed coffee at home.
3. We enjoyed free activities.
4. I finally finished the table that I had been working on. We have been wanting a bigger table, but I can't find any in our area for a reasonable price. Our current table is solid wood. It was VERY scuffed and scratched from kids. It looked terrible. But it is an adequate size and we generally like it. So I restained it, etc., and it's finally completed and back in the house.
5. I can't think of anything else in particular, but we were too busy to spend unnecessary money. I spent money planning an event, but I will be reimbursed later. We will also look into getting a debit card for the account so that I don't have to spend my own money again.
@Kristen - if you have a sweet tooth now, it will become much less prevalent as you get older. When I was younger, I loved most sweets (we're talking consuming a pound of turtles/pixies in one sitting). As I've gotten older, I am pretty picky about my sweets (and really does dark chocolate count as "sweet" - discuss among yourselves). My mom was never into sweets until the shit storm of dementia hit her. I don't consider her "preference" to anything but a piss poor cancer of the brain.
Canning! A good friend has pear trees, so she brought me freshly picked pears. I canned pears, made pear sauce (with cinnamon!), made my homemade fruit cocktail, and finally, we pressed pear cider. We're ready for winter, and it cost us pennies.
* Using my Buy Nothing group to offer and get items. In the last couple of days I got a bed sheet set, a hammer and an all natural face cream (new).
* Thrift store : 5 shirts for 10$.
* Got blueberries bagels from the reduces rack at Wal Mart. Will eat them with my No Name cream cheese.
* Working out at home
* Using cheap soap for hand washing in bathroom/kitchen (left over shampoo, cheap body wash, cheap hands soap from dollar store, etc).
Just a bit of advice. If you decide to hire someone to do your leaves this Fall. Call around now. The year my husband was emptying out his parents' house (during the pandemic), he had so much work to do and was spending every waking hour there or at work. He was home long enough to eat and sleep and back at it again. I couldn't do the yard by myself. So, I tried to get help. I got yelled at, laughed at, ignored and hung up on. I finely got a return call from the nicest, kindest man and he even said, "I bet you're not having much luck finding anyone to clean up your yard." He squeezed us in. There was a team of about 4 guys, and it looked amazing after they were done. I gave them a cash tip to buy lunch for themselves. I still have the photos on my phone of the before and after. It was well worth it to us, especially with everything else going on. (We have since had 2 trees removed, from the front yard. They were very old silver maples that were not in good shape and were a constant menace with falling branches. We miss the shade they provided, but knowing they won't fall on my house during a storm was more important to us.