Five Frugal Things | & I need costume-selling input!
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1. I listed 9 Halloween costumes for sale.
I had six that had belonged to Mr. FG and me, plus three kid costumes.
Hopefully people are in costume-shopping mode right about now. I'm worried maybe I listed them too early, but it does seem better to be early than late.
I listed everything on Facebook, but now I'm wondering if I should concurrently list on eBay (at least, the easy-to-ship costumes.)
Thoughts?
2. I listed even MORE books for sale.
I've now got 28 listings on eBay, plus a few more on Amazon.
I've got my inventory all stacked on top of a bookshelf, and in six months, I'll donate whatever hasn't sold.
I figured six months gives my listings a nice fair shake.
On a related note, this book-purging process has reminded me why I opt for library books whenever possible! Borrowed items are easy to get rid of.
3. I got $15 Old Navy jeans for Sonia.
I got a sale email, so I ordered a few pairs for Sonia, who had outgrown most of her pants from last year. Old Navy sells some sizes online that fit her narrow self pretty well.
In addition to the sale, I made sure to:
- order precisely enough to get the free shipping
- go through TopCashback to get a little cashback
If you need less-common sizes, online shopping is such a lifesaver. This is a serious upside of the internet!
4. I ordered some terry cloth bath mats.
We've gone through several rubber-backed bath mats in the last 5 years or so, mainly because when you wash them, the rubber deteriorates.
We've had some terry cloth mats last for a long time, though.
So, I did some research and ended up with the Amazon Basics bath mat. It was super affordable, and it's surprisingly thick and comfy.
Hopefully this mat will last us longer than our previous rubber backed mats, which will make this a frugal purchase.
5. Yesterday I...
made dinner using food already in the house, ate leftovers for lunch, read a book at the three appointments we had instead of using my phone (less data usage equals a smaller bill with Ting!), cancelled an upcoming appointment in time to avoid a $150 fee, and drank coffee I brewed at home.
Interesting terry cloth bath mat - I think I'll look into that. Love getting new ideas!
Definitely list the costumes on both FB and eBay. Better chance of sales
I took the plunge last night and listed them all. Well, except for the Oscar the Grouch costume, which would be just dreadful to ship!
Just FYI for future use, the TOFTBO bath mat from IKEA is great. Super thick and plush. Dries quickly. We've had our first one for 5 years and it looks almost brand new. At only $8 they are a good deal.
I second these! We are in year three of the two we have but they still look brand new.
We use the too! I love being able to throw them in the wash much more often than my old mats.
They're great!
1. I still have tomatoes from the garden so that's a side dish every night. And the kale is coming in nice and hearty so we'll have salad for months!
2. A close friend had a birthday this week so we met for lunch and I gave her two new thrift shop purchases. A Rae Dunn Halloween mug with a bag of tiny pumpkin vase filler to put around a fall candle. I didn't buy a candle as she works for Bath and Bodyworks so has oodles.
3. I'm working on outside fall decorations. I need something for the back deck which is totally exposed. My husband brought home three antique gas cans someone put at the roadside for free. I'm cleaning and painting one today as a jack o'lantern. That with a huge 6.00 mum I bought will make the back entrance welcoming!
4. I spent a whopping 2.67 at Meijer yesterday on groceries using a pharmacy rewards. I may stock up at the local butcher on farm raised ground chuck which is on sale this week. But it's more than likely my total grocery bill for the week will be under 20.00. And I promise we're eating well!
5. We cooked a turkey from the freezer this weekend. We'll have it for lunch and supper tonight and then I'm freezing the rest to take to the beach week after next. My lovely sister in law asked us to tag along for a free vacation. We'll likely drive and supply the gas but an almost free week at the beach? Oh, yeah!!!!
I think now is the right time to post Halloween costumes for sale for the early birds who want to coordinate outfits. I was at a kids consignment sale this weekend with some great Halloween costumes, but my children want to go and shop for themselves, so unfortunately we did not get away frugally with this one.
I did buy most of the clothes they need for the coming winter season, and even a couple of unopened toys for Christmas. I've been so fortunate with this multiples club, as I've been able to fill the wardrobes of my 9-year-old twins every year through the twice-yearly sale. Plus, I break even when I sell my own clothes and toys forward. It motivates me to declutter twice yearly, and to take good care of toys and games.
Last fall, I sold four costumes (3 kid ones, 1 adult) on eBay! ...and exactly none on a Facebook!
Well, that is good to know. Maybe I should add the easy-to-ship costumes to my eBay store.
1.) My wife bought the Costco membership Groupon so we gave that a shot this weekend. I have to say that my experience with Costo isn't overwhelmingly positive, especially considering that we had a BJs membership through my work. Still, we've already saved a bit on stuff we buy anyway so it may work out. Time will tell.
2.) My oven (an electric model from GE) blew up this past Friday rather spectacularly with the coil burning up. So I found the part online and ordered it. and I should be able to repair it today. Total cost of the part is under $30 and you couldn't get a repairman out for twice that.
3.) I found a carbon steel pan that my wife had won in a contest a few years ago and had completely forgotten about. I cleaned it up, removed the rust and seasoned it a few times. And to think, I was looking at buying one.
4.) I did allow myself to buy a cast iron rectangular baking dish at Aldi (of all places) for $20 a week or so ago. It can go under the broiler (unlike my Pyrex) and so far, I'm liking it.
5.) Chipping away at that old mortgage. We're in the home stretch of it and after that will be 100% debt free and that mortgage payment can go to extra retirement funds and maybe something fun once in a while.
Those stove elements do put on a show when they burn up! My (very chill) husband once quietly and calmly commented while ours flamed out, "Huh, there's a fire in the oven." I then ran to the kitchen to see the show but was far more astounded by his lack of concern. 🙂 I, too, was excited to learn how cheap and easy the fix is.
Indeed. It took longer to clean under and behind the stove and pull it out than it did to replace the element itself. Two bolts, a couple of spade connectors and you're back in business.
I have found that Costco carries some things that BJ's doesn't (and vice versa), but if you're still buying diapers, we found that the Costco (Kirkland) brand was much better than the BJ's brand. Of course, some work better for one kid than another, so YMMV.
I've also found that the shipping from Costco tends to be quicker, which is great for the items not carried in store.
My wife and I did cloth diapers for our daughter but I'll pass the info on to my sister who is disposable diapering her son.
1) Yesterday I bought 3 large cartons of turkey broth at WalMart for $0.25 each, normally $1.99 each. I can' t say that I've used turkey broth before but I can't image it is much different from chicken broth. While I was there I also did an ibotta deal for BOGO Chobani yogurt.
2) My employer encourages us to do volunteer work up to 18 hours/year. I am volunteering at an event on Friday morning and someone suggested that we go to Buffalo Wild Wings after for lunch. I politely declined as I don't want to spend the $.
3) The outdoors store near our house is closing and everything is 40% off. My husband and I went and spent a few hours there. We ended up buying some Christmas presents and things we will use on our boat and for camping.
4) Just picked up a mystery shop at KFC that I can do anytime between now and Sunday. A little extra cash and a free meal!
5) Sold something else on Mercari. Kristen, I highly recommend Mercari instead of ebay. The fees are taken immediately and it is 100% clear what you will be charged. I've been doing really well selling there.
We have Ting for our son’s phone but noticed it won’t send texts when not on WiFi. Anyone know how to fix this?
Well, that is super weird! Huh. My best suggestion is to call Ting. When we've had trouble before, they've been so super great about helping us get the problem figured out. And a real person answers the phone...so fantastic.
1. My husband repaired the ceiling fan in one of our daughter’s bedrooms with a $6 part! We truly expected that we’d have to replace the entire fixture.
2. I’ve been on the ball lately prepping food at home... being a good steward of what we already have, staying out of stores to buy extra groceries when we clearly have plenty, and ensuring we can easily pull together lunches for all of us.
3. We’ve been eating more meatless meals, which is helping stretch our 1/2 cow. We don’t get our annual delivery of beef until late November or into December. Recently we’ve had quiche, red lentil dal, chickpea and kale curry, lentil curry, veg pizza, and we brought a Mediterranean quinoa salad to a potluck.
4. The weather here has been outstanding for the last few weeks, so I’ve been getting out walking and hiking as much as possible. It’s free, other than a bit of gas when I want to visit a trail, and I’m making good use of my hiking boots!
We also had much more meatless meals in the last weeks, although more to be budget-friedly. I really like the variety of vegetable-based meals and I plant to try a red lentil dal next week. Any tips?
Hiking is also my favorite pastime when the weather is nice in fall. We have a kind of national park close to us with many different trails through forests, over hills and on narrow boardwalks over a peat bog. It's not as magnificent as your national parks in the US but still beautiful.
The simplest red lentil dahl is a Madhur Jaffrey one I've used for years. Cook the lentils water with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Half way through add a good amount of mint and chilli.
That's it! But really tasty.
I’ve been using this Instant Pot recipe for dal, although with less salt. It’s a hit with my whole family! My 7- and 9-year-olds have taken it for lunch at school too. 🙂
https://avirtualvegan.com/instant-pot-lentil-dal/
Okay, that all sounds so good! I will definitively try it.
I don't feel that I've been very frugal recently - it seems that I'm in a spendy phase right now. I'm mindfully using my money to do things that are meaningful to me: a backlog of house maintenance, wishlist items, decluttering (once with professional assistance), some luxury items (my feet love the new, thick rug pad).
I've also decided to buy primarily organic and pastured food. There data are clear that this is better for the soil, the biome, and the world. The data are unclear whether organic food is more nutritious but I find it hard to believe that more varied, more robust foods aren't also better for humans.
Nonetheless, I continue to continue with the little stuff.
1. Keeping an eye on the contractors has led to a few savings, mostly by getting price adjustments for poor or incomplete work. I hired a local carpenter/handyman for much of the punchlist. His overall invoice was lower than expected, I enjoy supporting a skilled tradesman, and I get good - if sometimes delayed - service.
2. Continued to brownbag food, snacks, beverages. Continued to reuse so-called disposables and find reusable packaging options. (Still waiting for Mighty Nest to get the biggest silcone stretch storage tops back in stock.)
3. Continued to avoid food waste, brownbag meals and snacks, batch errands, etc. If I get take-out, I try to remember to say "no plasticware, no napkins, no menus." I have all those things at home.
4. Reassessing how much I should buy in bulk. My personal and eating habits have changed, my shopping habits should also.
5. Checking books out of the library, and using the library, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other providers for movies. I may pay for the movies, but $4 + homecooked food for a group movie night is much cheaper than going out.
For me, this sounds very frugal. I recently heard/read much discussions and articles about the pros of organic food for the climate as well as on the effect of reusing all kind of things instead of throwing them away. This is definitively the influence of the "Fridays for Future" movement here in Europe.
I also try my best to refuse any unnecessary plastics and packaging but it is often still hard to overcome my shyness and tell the waiter or salesperson that I don't need it. Kudos to you for doing it!
And sometimes even when you say, "I don't need a bag." they give you one anyway because they are on auto-pilot! So sometimes it takes two reminders to be able to walk out without a plastic bag.
WilliamB, that's a very good idea about takeout. If we get Chinese, I try to remember to say that we don't need chopsticks or soy sauce; got both of those at home.
If it's take out rather than delivery, you can take the unwanted things out of the bag and return them to the restaurant for later use.
That's so true about not needing a bag. Auto-pilot is a powerful force.
Jenny, I found that it got easier with practice.
1) I was checking my fall/winter shoes to see if I need new ones. As I'm walking very much, the heels were run down but otherwise they looked good. So I decided to bring them to the cobbler and paid so much less than for new shoes. And less waste for the landfill.
2) Our local drugstore had a 30% off for make up plus an additional 10%, so I paid hardly anything for new mascaras for me and my sister.
3) A neighborhood gave away baby clothes and toys. While I personally do not need these, many of my friends are pregnant right now. So I had a look and got many brand new baby things completely free which I passed on to my friends. I also kept some things as possible gifts.
4) I attended a baby shower and there was quite a buffet as everyone brought some food. So I didn't need a dinner which I had loosely planned at a restaurant.
5) As I'm currently not working, I have more time for cooking and baking to reduce our food waste. I also have time for freezing vegetable peels and herbs to use them later for some vegetable broth.
Definitely the right time to list the costumes. I make most of ours from year-to-year and already have a plan in place so I can look for supply sales.
This week's frugal things:
1. Freezer/pantry ate for most of the week. It's the fourth week of doing this. While the pantry is getting low (cleared), the freezer still has a ways to go.
2. My sister went apple picking with her grandson. I benefited from the excess.
3. Traded with a friend bridal alteration work on a wedding gown, flower girl dress, and mother-of -the-bride outfit for 6 weeks of ballet lessons. I'm not the most graceful in the class, but it is great exercise.
4. Car is due for inspection, so hubby did new brakes and rotated the tires in our garage to save a boatload of cash. We used an Advance Auto Parts coupon (20% off your purchase) for parts.
5. I make tree ornaments for a local shop. My Halloween/fall ones are made from leftovers from the previous year and stuffed with scraps accumulated from alteration jobs. I anticipate having enough to do the same for the Christmas ornaments. Zero material cost means more profit for me!
I am in need of adult costumes. How do I find them? Shippable ones as I am all the way across the country from you.
Are you interested in my particular costumes? Or are you just asking about where to find adult costumes in general?
If it's mine, I've got Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, Princess Leia and Han Solo, and then two adult Game of Thrones-ish costumes (they're called Huntsman and Huntress.) And also an adult Oscar the Grouch costume. Heh.
Oh, I get so mad at rugs and bathmats that say they are washable, but the backing crumbles even when I don't put them in the dryer. I now only use terry cloth bath mats and use rugs with no rubber backings and a rug pad. My bath mats are like heavy towels, and I expect them to last as long as towels, or longer. I've had both for several years, and they look great.
I'm seeing costumes in Walmart already -- I would think it's time to sell.
1. I used more of my $10 gift card from Publix that I got for getting my free flu shot.
2. I have enough Swagbucks to get another $25 card for $22 as soon as the month rolls over.
3. I'm Christmas shopping as early as possible. I hate shopping last minute in a rush, because then I overspend. I have three bought so far.
4. One of our local farmers is emptying his freezer since it's getting time to butcher pigs and he's putting last year's meat on sale. The meat is kept in a very cold commercial freezer, so I never hesitate to take advantage of his sales.
5. This isn't my frugal, but at my office, we work with a lot of developers, so I've heard that Aldi is definitely looking for a site in my work town. Finally!
That's frugal intel!
This is exciting news indeed! I hope Aldi pops up quickly for you.
Aldi's redid a few stores in my area. There is one that is extra fantastic that I have taken to calling Super Aldi's.
Aldi's produce is much improved from a decade ago.
1. Our neighbor was replacing her toilets. Her house is amazingly clean and the toilets were not very old. We plan to move from our home and needed updated toilets so there you go. The toilets were free.
2. I checked an old Kroger gift card that was laying around the house and surprisingly enough found $3 on that gift card. Waiting to use it in the next sale.
3. We bought a used dryer for $150. Better than paying for a new one that won't last that long and maybe this one will not last that long either, but its better than paying full price.
4. My hubby found a great sale at Kroger and bought up a lot of different things for under $2.
5. A local independent grocer sales meat for 5 packs of meat for $19.99. What I didn't realize is that the packs of meats are listed between $4.50 to $6. So I dug around the refrigerated meat counter/bin until I found meat packs listed for $6 each a pack and got five for $19.99.
I clicked on an ad for $25 off of a SAFEWAY grocery store delivery for first time customers.
I Thought too good to be true but it is for real. I LIKE grocery shopping in person but I will get $25 off a $75 purchase WITH HOME DELIVERY! So-- I am keeping a list of items to stock up on and will order soon.
1. I have been cooking with food I have in the house and avoiding the store
2. Spun my own honey from this year's bees
3. Used of the last of our garden produce
4. Brought my gerber daisy plant inside before the frost and thus have a beautiful inside plant to enjoy instead of buying cut flowers
5. Put books I need for science, history and geography on hold at the library.
My frugal five....
1. My oldest daughter is commuting to college & using my car, so we went and bought me another vehicle since we had been sharing a car for 3 months & it was getting harder to schedule pickups and drop offs. I wanted Weathertech floor mats for my car to save on the carpeting, so I listed items on Facebook marketplace to make up at least half the cost of the floor mats. One person was late in stopping to pick an item up & gave me an extra $5 for the inconvenience (at their insistence).
2. I had to get blood work done real early one morning & I resisted the urge to stop at McDonald's right near the lab & instead went home & ate what I had at home, saving me $.
3. My nephew's birthday party was last night and they served dinner, so that saved me time & $ on making my own!
4. I wanted a few new items for my work wardrobe, so I went to the thrift store & got 8 new tops (all well known brand names) & a new copper skillet all for under $18!!
5. I stopped in to the drug store for an item but they didn't have it. I strolled thru the clearance aisle & found some really cute flip flop dressy shoes for 90% off. $1.50 for a super cute pair of shoes!
I think you're at the right time for listing costumes. My county has a Facebook group just for selling items that are maternity, baby, kid, and teen and I've seen a number of costumes being sold there already.
1. Today I had an awkward amount of time between dropping my oldest off at school and going to Bible study with my 2 youngest and I debated what to do, but ended up choosing to stop by the car wash place with the free vacuums and clean out my van for free rather than stop somewhere to get donuts.
2. Just used a spatula to get the last of the peanut butter out of the jar. Probably saved 1/3 cup or so from being thrown out.
3. I'm menu planning around food that's been given to us. Peppers, onions, and tomatoes are going in fajitas at least once this week. Trying haluski on Friday to use a cabbage and hoping my crew likes it.
4. Just joined Ibotta. I took advantage of my mother-in-law visiting and went to the store to use 10 offers so I could get the extra $20. Would not have had the patience to do that with 3 small kids along.
5. Yesterday I had some bananas that were past the point where my kids would eat them, so I made some bars with just bananas, oats, and peanut butter. Threw a few mini chocolate chips on top to make them exciting for the kids and I had a great afternoon snack from stuff I already had on hand.
1. Returned 3 car seats to Wal-Mart that I found in the trash. Wal-Mart was having a car seat buy-back event. Made $90 in Walmart gift cards!
2. Still breastfeeding my 10 month old
3. Had my mom and sister over for dinner for my mom's birthday. Had sundae fixings already in the refrigerator, so only needed to buy ice cream for dessert.
4. I got a promotion at work, which resulted in a $4,000 raise. The new campus I am now working at also does not charge for parking. So, that's another $30 savings monthly.
5. My husband and I have a date scheduled for this weekend, which is rare. Found a $20 coupon for the restaurant we plan to go to.
Congratulations on your promotion!!!
A $4000 raise is AMAZING. Yay!
Thanks for listing your bath mat link! I prefer the fabric style but they are next to impossible to find these days in my area in a brick and mortar store.
Five frugal things - These posts are sooo fun 🙂
1. We are still eating yummy tomatoes from our small garden. I have not bought tomatoes in months.
2. I meal planned for the week and grocery shopped accordingly.
3. I prepped lunches for work for the whole week.
4. I reduced my monthly spending limits on two large budget categories: dining out and groceries. This has been a successful first week in my commitment to spend less in these areas. The month of October will be the true test though.
5. I plan to paint my fireplace this weekend. This is one of the largest DIY projects I have ever taken on. I hope it goes well.
Just have to jump in and say I LOVE towel bath mats -- they last forever and can be tossed into the washer with bleach if they get groady. True, they can slip a bit more than the rubber bottomed ones but YUCK -- the rubber disintegrates and I keep thinking its some kind of growth getting stuck in the tile grout. I just step carefully on my ma-towels.
Such cute hallowe'en pictures - kudos for listing them now - they rush seasons so much that you are right on time.
Well, hello there! I haven't heard from you in a while (March, to be exact.). Don't be a stranger. 🙂
1). My husband and I had a budget meeting to evaluate our budget categories and make sure we were still on the same page.
2). Fixed a broken toilet for $5 thanks to You Tube and Google.
3). Used a gift card earned with credit card rewards to order more school uniforms.
4). Cancelled the Kiwi Crate subscriptions that my kids had for the summer. They are great products but not in our budget for year round.
5). Signed my oldest up for a scholarship exam for next year.
Hmm, this is making me feel gross since I have never washed our rubber-backed bath mats. I just vacuum them; never crossed my mind to put them in the washer because of the backing. ☹️
First time commenting, but I've loved reading everyone's frugal deeds!
1. I signed up for a BJ's membership during the $25 special. We had a membership years ago when the now-tween was still in training pants, so we decided it was time to try it again.
2. We all got flu shots at Target. Not only is this potentially life-saving preventative health care, we also received $5 coupons. For a family of three, that's $15.
3. I received a $15 credit for giftcertificates.com from the American Red Cross as thanks for making regular blood donations. I don't do it for personal gain, but it is nice to be appreciated. I'm going to use the gift card as a Christmas gift once I receive it.
4. I needed some storage baskets and found exactly what I needed at Dollar Tree, rather than going to a more expensive store.
5. I've brought lunch to work every day and keep a supply of snacks and tea bags in my office to avoid the temptation of getting food or coffee out.
Aww, I'm so glad you joined us! Yay.
Good job making a plan to resist the small daily temptations to spend on drinks and food.
I love reading this post each week , and seeing all the different ways people are saving money !! This isn't really a 5 frugal things post for me but I've been wondering if you are still using Stitch Fix ?? You haven't mentioned it in a while and I'm just curious if you still enjoy it ?? And do you think using this to shop is frugal in the long run ??
Funnily enough, I just got a Stitch Fix box this week! I'll do a post about it coming up. 🙂
1) We closed on the refinance of our mortgage on Tuesday after six weeks of me uploading or emailing approximately seven bajillion documents to the bank. We got a lower rate and a shorter term and did not cash out any equity. Mortgage, you are in my sights and you gots to go.
2) I also followed up on with our lender about a promised credit that I didn't see at the closing.
3) While we were on a saving money high, my husband and I split a few coupons for free children's meals that the kids we not into and a free big gulp that was credited to my 7 Eleven app.
4) I forgot to change the billing address on file with the YMCA when I changed it on our credit card. When the payment was declined I got a late penalty. But I followed up quickly and politely and they were kind enough to waive the fee.
5) Last night before I went to bed I chopped a bunch of vegetables, which I combined with beans, spices, and bone broth in the crock pot. We left the crock pot out this morning, will turn it on remotely this afternoon, and should come in the house to a delicious veggie soup this evening.
There are some really awesome frugal ideas here. Wow.
Ok, so here we go...
1) We got a used refrigerator for $75 from Craigslist about 16 years ago. It has lasted through power surges and took over when the house refrigerator died. It's a GE and we keep it in the garage. Savings- $300+
2) After years of tossing out the black walnuts from our tree, I decided to clean them up and sell them. AND I'm filling out paperwork to apply for a agriculture certificate. I'll need some bills of sale but if we get it, we save a lot. Savings- $2,000
3) Using freezer items for the next 2 weeks. Made breakfast burritos today from frozen ham, eggs and potatoes with leftover tortillas.
4) I'm doing some basic landscaping to clean up the yard for the appraiser's visit. As much as I hate pruning, pulling weeds and washing concrete, it's cheaper than a landscaper. Savings- $200
5) We have to paint the fence. Luckily, we got a discount on the paint. Again, it's better than paying a landscaper. Savings- $100
Wow, $2000! Will that be related to perks of the permit itself? Or the sale of the walnuts?
1. Got a $10 gift card to Target for donating blood.
2. Picked up a 4 hour charge shift at work for some extra $$$.
3. Turned leftover rice into rice pudding for snacks.
4. Made homemade cards for my niece’s birthdays instead of buying them.
5. Made muffins and homemade granola bars for snacks instead of buying them.
1. Took an online survey by our insurance carrier, will get a $10 gift card for less than two minutes of work.
2. Following up on a $15 GC owed to us by son’s insurance for his last wellness visit.
3. Made $200 selling stuff on Facebook market
4. Taking advantage of free local activities for son’s homeschool. Sunday we plan to attend a yearly fossil hunt at a local lime quarry!
5. Taught two night classes this week, remembered to pack food so no spending $ in vending machines!
Kristen- the agricultural certificate will save us the $2,000. The sale of the walnuts is spare change for a Christmas present or something.
Wow, that's amazing!