Five Frugal Things | I'm gonna wear this dress everywhere
1. I got a clearance dress at Target
I was helping Zoe with some necessary clothes shopping at Target, and then we poked through the clearance shelves. I found a little dark green shirt for Zoe for $3.50 (sweet!), and I also found a marked-down black dress for myself for $19.
Is this frugal? Mmmm, I dunno. I didn't really NEED a dress.
But $19 is a very decent price for a dress, and I've decided I'm going to spend my summer just wearing this thing on the regular.
I'm not waiting for a special event; I will wear my dress to buy groceries at Aldi.
I will wear it to Home Depot.
I will wear it to the vet.
I'm just gonna be slightly fancy for no reason whatsoever. 😉
Do we think I can wear it 19 times before summer is over? That will bring my cost-per-wear down to $1.
2. I got some free earrings
This is turning into a fashion-centric post!
I had been keeping an eye out for some dangly gold earrings; I'd considered spending some of my birthday money on a pair.
But then someone on my Buy Nothing group was offering a bag of earrings, and I noticed there were several gold pairs in there.
So, I picked them up and now I have two pairs of gold earrings to add to my jewelry box.
3. I revived some limp celery
It's entirely my fault that this celery had gone limp; it came naked in my Hungry Harvest box, and I lazily threw it in my fridge with no wrapping, even though I know you are supposed to wrap celery in aluminum foil to keep it fresh.
(knowledge doesn't always translate to action, ok??)
I sliced off the bottom of the bunch and plunked it into a glass of water.
And a few hours later, it was standing tall again.
4. I got a doormat at Aldi
I had a mat inside my front door, but my goodness, that thing was way too small to catch all the dirt/leaves that got tracked in.
I know good and well that Chiquita will likely scratch up whatever mat I put at the front door, so I did not want to spend a lot!
So when I saw a larger mat at Aldi for $14.99, I picked one up.
This will do a much better job of keeping mess from being tracked into my house.
5. I...
- listed my Algebra 2 books on eBay
- got a marked-down box of cereal at Safeway
- used a rain check to get two boxes of sparkling water for $0.99 each
- used my dip-dyed stationery for two notes (I'm out now so I should make another batch!)
Kristen, that dress is absolutely lovely, and it looks fabulous on you!!! I can't believe it hung around long enough to hit the clearance rack. Definitely your lucky day!
Go you and your dress! Clothes that make you feel good don’t need a reason, especially when they have pockets. 🙂
And now for the 50/50 FFT, Plumbing Edition:
Replacing the bathroom vanity was on next year’s list, but it changed priority when the sides of our current vanity (which was the definition of builder grade/cheap) started to give out. We knew it would need replaced when we bought the house but hoped to have a little more time! Thankfully, we’d already worked/shopped ahead because of the sink’s extremely limited space (20” between the tub and toilet). We’re only putting ourselves through this once, gods willing, but we still wanted to be frugal about it!
—We found a narrow cabinet base at Habitat Restore for $40 two months ago and, after much failed second-hand searching, ordered a black vessel sink from Amazon for $100.
—The money saved went to the local plumber, who swapped the vanities. My DIY gusto stops at the possibility of flooding our house!
—While the plumber was here, we batched projects. In addition to the vanity, a pipe in the basement needed enlarged where it met the main line. Related: It’s so nice to *not* have our washer’s drain cycle come up the bathroom sink and shower drains!
—We received estimates for both the vanity and pipe work months ago ($75 each). We then saved almost triple that for “old house happenstance,” which proved to be the right amount! A bonus pipe broke from age while the intended one was being enlarged (see below), and everything took longer than intended (more man hours) because come to find out a previous owner fixed leaks by GLUING pipes together! Frankly, we got off easy for $400, and the guys were awesome: on time, explained what was happening when the glued pipes threw everyone for a loop, were respectful of property, etc.
—When I redid the bathroom and kitchen floor with heavy duty vinyl “wood” planks, I saved the leftovers. There was *just* enough to patch around the new vanity, which is much slimmer than the old one. Thank goodness for my mad Tetris scrap skills.
—I still had half a gallon of the bathroom wall color for touch-ups around the new vanity.
—Before anything else, the local hardware store did the pipe cut outs in the cabinet-turned-vanity for $10.
—Before installation, I repainted said cabinet with waterproof enamel from my paint stash and let it cure for a week. I’ve had this quart of paint for… a decade? It was only $1 at a going out of business sale, and this was its first use. I’ve still plenty left for future projects, too!
—I spray-painted the cabinet’s single knob from brown to copper using paint left in the garage by the previous owners.
—Our new vessel sink meant we needed a backsplash to protect the wall. Habitat didn’t have the right size or colors unfortunately. We bought the minimum amount of new tile that we could (five 12 x 12” pre-arranged sections) for $36. That was still plenty for both the new sink’s backsplash AND adding a backsplash to the kitchen stove, which had none. The last leftover 12 x 12” square is going to a friend for one of her own projects. Yay for multitasking supplies!
Wow, what a lot of frugal wins. Good job! And now I really want to see a picture of this vanity. If you're in my Facebook group and you want to share, you could post a picture there. 🙂
@N, I'd love to see a pic. of your updated vanity/sink area!
@N, Yes, let's hear it for pockets!!!
N, are you from western Pennsylvania by any chance? (Just a few linguistic clues I may or may not be reading correctly.)
@N, I'd love to see a picture!
@Cynthia, I am not, but if it makes you feel better, no one can figure out where I’m from! I’m a born midwesterner but, thanks to classic literature and mostly British media, I don’t sound like one. Throw in a few New Yorker-isms picked up from my husband (coffee = cawfee, hot dog = hot dawg, etc.), and I’m very confusing to listen to. 😛
@Kristen, I DMed you on Instagram. 🙂 I wasn’t expecting such a demand for photos! Had I not already posted them to my personal FB page, I’d figure out a way to share them here.
@N, You get a frugality gold medal for all of that! Very impressive!
Yes!!! You rock that dress! It's gorgeous on you.
Thank you!
I got a black dress last summer which has been absolutely wonderful too. Go for it! I think dresses look better than a lot of typical "summer" outfits like shorts+tank top.
-I have been working a lot so that means less time to spend on entertainment
-Taught Sunday School and brought the leftover snacks home for my kids
-Have been working my way through a stack of books I got at a flea market for super cheap. Will bring some of them on my upcoming vacation and then toss them out as I finish them. I don't like bringing library books on trips because 1) they are often hardcover/heavy and 2) I fear losing them.
-Reorganized my neglected vegetable drawer in the fridge and used up most of the stuff that was edible.
I am so much more prone to wearing dresses in the summer vs the winter; in the summer there's no issue with your legs getting cold, or you having to think about legwear like tights.
@Kristen, yes- I agree. I also tend to have a lot of time finding tights+boots that don't look dumb with winter dresses. Sandals are just easier.
@Sarah K, Hopefully "toss them out" means donating to little free library, or somewhere?
@Kristen, true, but if you have lily white legs like I do, then you have to consider how to look less, um, corpse-like. It's faster for me to put on tights. Just sayin'.
@Cheryl and Sarah K,
Also the regular public library takes donations for their book sales that support the library.
@Sarah K, I agree with you about the elegant summer attire/dresses!
And about those books: when I used to fly Southwest on a direct (non-nonstop) flight from Austin to Orlando, the El Cheapo airline did not provide movies. They made dozens of stops, to let people off and on -- so much so, that it was almost like riding a city bus (it took forever, it seemed!) So before leaving town, I'd get one or more secondhand paperback(s) from Goodwill, a garage sale or used bookstore, read it on the journey, then leave them behind, either at the terminal/gate seating area or on board. That way, another traveler could enjoy them and I didn't have to lug it around. (Or buy a paperback at the airport bookshops --they charge an arm and a leg!) This was extremely cheap in-flight entertainment, IMO.
@Kris, "corpse-like" legs. I love it and I can relate.
@Sarah K, why not donate the books instead of tossing them out
I bought a lace tea length wedding dress from goodwill for $10 in May and also decided I’m going to wear it wherever I feel like. I taught school in it, wore it around town on my anniversary, took my kids to swim practice and felt a little dramatic and gorgeous all day, haha! I do think I might dye it before the summer is over, but it’s been fun just waltzing around our small town in a wedding dress for no reason at all
YES. I love this. Sometimes it's fun to be fancy for no reason whatsoever.
@Emily Fields, That's adorable. 🙂 I love it!
The dress really does suit you. I love it when I find that piece of clothing that makes me happy when I wear it! And I know those Algebra books so well! (Actually, I know that answer key so well. I don't have the solution guide, so when we come to something the kids need help with, I have to actually read the lesson and figure it out.) Yay! for being done with it for good.
Now. I'm bucking tradition and, just because, I'm going to post the un-frugal things I've been up to because they dominate.
*While we did go to a free and very close by (less than 5 miles away) FREE concert AND pack drinks we already had at home, we did drive 2 towns away to our favorite ice cream place and treat all the kids to ice cream.
* Second son started driver's ed classes last evening, and I took him. This meant I had 3 hours to kill in a big-ish town. So first I went to a local music shop and handed the fellow a guitar to restring without asking the price. I did no research on what kind of strings I should buy. I didn't care because I don't know anything about guitars. I do know that 2 my children are wanting to teach themselves how to play, so I plunked down the $28 dollars. I didn't even watch him restring it so I could know how to do it later.
*While the very kind and knowledgeable fellow was restringing the guitar, I started looking through the music shop's selection of books. I bought a music theory workbook for my youngest because she is the only one who isn't taking lessons/in choir at church. This will make it MUCH easier for me when I do our homeschool portfolios for review. Automatic written proof of teaching music. Would it be cheaper to scour the internet for free music lesson printables that I want to teach? Yes. But I hate that. This book teaches the basics, and now I don't have to worry about it for a second. The price wasn't horrible, but I certainly didn't compare prices.
*I didn't stop there. Oh no! I started grabbing a few more music books for gifts for children. And I didn't research to see if they were good prices. The prices seems reasonable to me for a gift, so I bought them.
*After the music shop I headed to CVS to buy a hammer toe cushion for my father. He's been avoiding buying a new one because he found the last one so much cheaper. I just bought the overpriced one because he needed it. Then when I checked out, I didn't use whatever reward program CVS has because I'm not signed up, and I shop so rarely at CVS that I didn't want to bother with it. I also bought two on clearance items that still seemed expensive, but I thought they would be useful for my kids.
*Instead of buying less expensive juice at Walmart, I opted to go to the convenience store (where I also bought 2 overpriced soft pretzels for my son and me) to buy 2 smaller-sized and more expensive (but cold) juices.
There. Sometimes life isn't frugal, right?
Aww, those all sound like lovely un-frugal purchases! 🙂
I unashamedly bought solutions manuals for all the higher-level Saxon books. The time and frustration they saved me was worth it to me. But good for you for DIYing it!
@Jody S., if it was a local music shop and not a chain, I'm sure the owner appreciated you buying the books and having the guitar re-strung. Every little bit helps them. And in the long run, these books will help you.
@Kristen, I was pretty good at math in school, so I can handle Algebra II if I re-read the lesson. It's not always pretty, mind you, and I may end up buying the solutions manual still. But I did have to buy the solutions manual for the next level up because, although I did take calculus in college, I absolutely forgot most of whatever I had learned.
@Jody S., Heh. I took calculus in high school so I could get AP credit for my math requirement in college. Then when my kids took calc in high school and asked for help, I was all OH GOD THIS AGAIN? I did get up to speed after a bit, but unlike most math, most of us don't use calc on the regular.
@Rose, Yep. I think 1994 was the last time I "used" calc.
@Jody S., sometimes it is a relief to buy stuff without all the searching, making do, repairing, and doing without. It feels good to hand someone green paper with dead presidents' faces and just git 'er dun.
@Central Calif. Artist, "green paper......" LOL
@Jody S., sometimes it’s just forth the price to be able to check it off your list.
I just have one major frugal thing that I previously posted on the FB group.
We reserved our flight to Europe in February for our August trip. Well my husband was looking at flights and noticed our flight price was reduced. We called customer service and each got a credit of almost $700. on this major carrier. No one else in our group is flying them and their prices have not been reduced. So now to plan another trip before these credits expire! Or maybe get an upgrade?!?!?!?!
And I think going to Aldi all glammed up is the way to go. People will stare! LOL
I love that you're going to wear the dress everywhere! So fun! Also, I didn't know about the celery tricks, so thanks for sharing them.
My FFT:
1. I called to follow-up on a refund for a grocery pick-up substitution that I declined at pick-up. (Peaches for 90 cents a pound? Yes. Peaches for $2.99 a pound? No.) It was over $10 and definitely worth the customer service call.
2. I had $6 off my purchase at CVS and used it to print pictures for our Lost Cat posters. 🙁 I have a laminator that I purchased a few years ago from Aldi and used that to make the posters last longer since I don't know how long they will need to be up.
3. I got cash from my HSA to pay for speech therapy to avoid a 3% processing fee for paying with a card. It's a new process change, so I'm happy I remembered to do it.
4. A friend has been cleaning out and rearranging her house as her children get older and asked if we would like an Ikea toy storage bin thing and I said yes. It's so helpful for corralling all of the Paw Patrol toys, doll clothes, Transformers, etc. I'm loving it and really thankful that she offered it to us!
5. We have a vacation planned for August and I booked spot for my dog at a kennel that is closer to home and $9/day cheaper than the place we used in June. It comes highly recommended by my friends and I didn't book early enough for June, so we had to go elsewhere. I'm happy we got in for August.
@Ruth T, So sorry to hear about your lost cat!
I have no personal experience with this at all, just mention that a friend explained that when cats get lost, such as an indoor cat going outside, they don't usually go far from home. They get kind of paralyzed and hide in the garage or other sheltered place, and might even be too confused to go for food or water put out for them, or to answer when called for.
I'm sure other pet lovers can offer more ideas here!
@Heidi Louise, I’ve been told to put their dirty litter box outside near the door and some dirty clothes.
@Ruth T, hope you find your cat soon!!!!!!
Oh man, I hope your cat turns up soon!
@Ruth T, I worked for a country music guy one summer and stayed at a campground near the theater. I had to move my tent every two weeks and would leave a sweater behind and go back after dark and my cat would be waiting for me on the sweater. It worked all summer.
If you had any work done lately under the house or in an outbuilding cats can get trapped in there. Sometimes people find kitty hiding in bushes or under a porch. I know someone who’s cat got shut in a closet and was waiting to be let out in the house.
Thanks, everyone! Today is day 5 of her being gone, but we're still hopeful that she'll come back. We've put our her litter, put our fresh food everyday, posted signs, posted on lost pet Facebook groups, made a lost pet report with the humane society, texted everyone we know within a few blocks, shared with a police officer who drives our streets a lot, and talked with our mailman and a running group that runs our streets a lot. Sigh. I can try the sweater/ dirty clothes idea. Hopefully we will have happy news to report eventually!
Made lemon berry bread with the wild black raspberries that grow in our yard.
Took advantage of the local kids reading program at the library and got tons of free tickets! County and state fair passes, art museum, public museum, and botanical gardens passes for the kiddos. Now we will likely still spend a ton on food and rides at the fair but we would have gone anyway so it helps to bring the cost down a little.
Made homemade focaccia as a gift for our friends’ aunt and uncle who let us use their pool weekly. Also made one for us to share while we were at the pool.
Used local splash pads as a free fun entertainment for the kiddos. Also foraged a ton of mulberries that happened to be growing in the park.
Foraged quite a bit of chicken of the woods mushrooms. Used up some in fried rice and froze the rest for later.
Made a bunch of food for our camping trip instead of buying it at the store. Made hummus, a coffee cake for breakfasts, and a big batch of pasta salad for sides.
Picked up and extra shift last minute for bonus pay at work.
@Becca C, The summer reading programs are awesome for all of the freebies and prizes.
I like the dress. Sundresses are everyday wear, right? I mean, I don't own any, so what do I know, but I wouldn't look twice at someone wearing that at the post office.
Anyway. We had a storm come through on Saturday night that maybe wasn't officially classified as a tornado, but ripped off the top of our horse shed, broke out windows in vehicles and our house, and flipped over our neighbor's shipping container that they use for storage. So. It was bad. We are okay, though! And here's Frugal Things: Storm Edition.
--The vehicle that lost windows was our high-mileage 20-year-old Honda Pilot that I was literally just talking to my husband this week about trading in for a new one.
--We scavenged enough tin from our other outbuildings to put on the roof frame of the horse shed so they have shade in our next two hundred-degree days, and also protection from future rain/hail.
--The windows that broke are double hung, with separate top and bottom pieces. There was a guy making the rounds of the county yesterday from a glass company in one of our nearer small cities (100 miles away) who stopped by to measure our windows for replacement and told me he only has to replace the glass that actually broke, which means three top pieces and three bottom pieces. And only three of the six parts broke all the way through both layers. I had thought we would have to replace four entire windows, so I'm hopeful it won't be as expensive as I was fearing. Although I haven't got the estimate yet. 🙂
--We tend to hoard materials, since we're so far from any building supply places. That meant that we had the plywood already to board over the broken windows.
--I got all the above-refrigerator-freezer things in one of our big chest freezers and already had ice for coolers, so I didn't lose any food in the power outage we had. Which, thankfully was only about 12 hours. Our electric cooperative is truly amazing.
@kristin @ going country, I'm so glad you weren't hurt.
@kristin @ going country,
that sounds scary! Glad you are all safe and unharmed.
@kristin @ going country, so sorry to hear about what must have been truly frightening to experience. You write about it so matter-of-factly, however I suspect that there were a few moments full of tears and swears and a lot of moments of 'oh dear, now look at THIS mess, here!!'. I am glad you and yours are ok, and that you have solutions for your animals.
This has been mostly a "I didn't buy stuff" week. Not a lot of other wins!
1. I did not buy a 1200$ textbook. I didn't even buy the cheaper "concise" version! Both are available free online through my university library.
2. I did not buy new accessories for an upcoming wedding, though I certainly tried! Instead, it turned out that what I have will be fine.
3. I displayed exemplary self-control and entered multiple fabric shops, only buying one single zipper to work on my current project.
4. I, uh, had some uncomfortable feelings related to work and I did not buy stuff or snacks to feel better. I just thought about it.
5. I am bringing extremely boring lunches to work (crackers, cheese, fruit) and it's not great but so much cheaper than buying lunch!
@Meira @ meirathebear, I am taking the exact same lunch to work. I just don't have energy for more. But it gets me through.
Very Cute Dress!!
1. I used Meijer rewards to pick up a few items. While at the check out I found a $3 off your total basket coupon left behind by the previous customer. My groceries ended up being $2.
2. I used a 50% off coupon at Meijer to pick up dog food for my daughter. It wasn't my dogs brand of food.
3. I invited my Mom & Sister for dinner. I made pasta with pesto I made & froze last year with home grown basil. We enjoyed the perfect weather and played a couple games of Rummikub (my mother loves it). I purchased the game after Christmas at Barnes & Nobles 1/2 price sale.
4. My daughter wanted take out. Since I'm dieting I ate leftovers and she picked up her own fast food.
5. My future son-in-law drained the old gas from my generator and got it running for me. I'm having an electrician install a special outlet for it. This is frugal because an automatic generator was a more expensive option I considered. I live in an area that loses power more often than others. Last winters ice storm meant three days of no heat.
Frugal attempt. I watched a youtube video to help my Mom fix the safety eyes on her garage door opener. It only worked for a day. It looks like a faulty eye. Sad because she was so happy to have fixed something herself.
That's a great dress and it looks fab on you!
I was wearing a "good" dress yesterday (I had to go to court for, believe it or not, forgetting to license my dogs) and it felt so nice I wore it all day instead of changing to a "house" dress. I love dresses in the summer.
Anything frugal? IDK. I had my carpenter fix an old table of mine. He also installed more shelving in the kitchen, which is frugal inasmuch as I don't trust myself enough to do it. Eating at home, spending $0 on entertainment, hanging at the beach on weekends, all free. Being a town scofflaw, apparently not free. Heh.
@Rose, And once again, you teach me a new word. Thank you. You're so much more fun to read than any vocabulary program.
@Jody S., That word cost me a $25 fine! Ha.
@Rose, I can see a fine for non licensing, but a court appearance? Our jam-packed courts actually have the time to haul someone in and shake their finger at them for not licensing their dogs? In California, breaking into someone's home just got dropped to a misdemeanor from a felony. I want to move to your state.
@Rose, Cheaper than college?
@Rose, So you can add that one to your frugal list, right?
@Anne, Is that ridiculous or what? On the other hand, I've gotten quite a few jokes out of it, tell my work manager that if they sent me to a supermax, my children would let him know, telling my daughter that if they dragged me away to Sing Sing, to remember I always loved her, mention "dirty" protests in prisons, etc etc. And my dogs were licensed last year! Between BFF's death and my own hospitalization and my mom's cancer, I forgot.
And it's not like you can pay online either. You have to find the dogs' rabies certificates, print out a form from the town, which means hopefully I have printer ink and or paper and the printer feels like working, then find an envelope, which are always glued together from humidity, and a stamp, and then try to find my checkbook which is always I have no idea where. Then mail the check etc off.
ATTICAAAAAA!
@Rose,
I imagine one of those old-timey "Wanted" posters, with your picture on it - looking bold and slightly threatening, being the scofflaw you are. 🙂
@Liz B., good one.
That dress looks great on you! I'd love to see someone dressed up anywhere I go, went to a government office the other day and the staff looked like they were dressed for the gym.
I'd like to share something I saw on another blog. Crest & Oral B are now recycling toothbrushes for free. Check it out here: https://oralb.com/en-us/recycling/
Oh, nice! I will check it out.
@Bobi, that sounds a bit gross. I can't imagine how they recycle empty toothpaste tubes, or actual toothbrushes! But it is interesting—thanks for the alert.
@Bobi,
Thanks for the recycling info. I have to let my daughter in law know about this. She is marketing Oral B products now in Seoul South Korea and works for Proctor and Gamble.
@Bobi,
Thank you so much for the information!! I'm sharing it with a few others.
@Central Calif. Artist, Actually it says they make park benches out of them.
@Bobi, that is some serious versatility! I guess I didn't read far enough down the site.
My neighbor and I share an above-ground pool (it's in my yard because I have a fence), we are always dressing up the surrounding area. We built a pallet deck from free pallets, we transplanted free plants for color, we built a pallet bar for our poolside drinks and now we are dressing up the surrounding area of the pallet bar. We paved a path to it with patio pavers that were sitting under an old shed (the shed is now up near the pool for storage of pool things). We are going to build a bench from landscape timbers and cinder blocks that we have laying around. Our first instinct was to head to Home Depot or Lowe's to buy what we needed, but we have so much stuff that we can repurpose that we decided to save some money!
Ohhh, this sounds intriguing! I'd love to see pictures.
@Kristen, seconding the call for photos!
This has not yet been a frugal week, as I’m playing catch up on refilling some odd items from my pantry (I ran out of black peppercorns so I had to reorder them, for example). However, last night before I went to bed, I shampooed the living room rug with the shampooer I’d bought several years ago. It was slightly over $100, but it means I can quickly shampoo the large rugs I have in nearly every room of my house, and I find myself cleaning the light colored living room rug about 3-4 times per year. I have a shoes-off household, but do have three cats and to shampoo a rug before I go to bed on a Monday evening makes my life so much easier. Plus, having the equipment means I don’t have to rent it, and with it easily accessible, means I actually use it and extend the life of my rugs.
PS. This is your PSA to shampoo your carpets and/or rugs. Those things get nasty.
That's a revenge dress if ever I saw one. 😉
@Becca, looking that fabulous is the best revenge. 😀
Haha, I have some bodycon black dresses that might fall more into the revenge category. But if I wore those to Home Depot, I might get a little too much attention. 😉
Love the dress! It is lovely and you look so lovely in it! Earrings are perfect too! Seems like you did NEED that dress, because it came across your path. It makes you feel and be beautiful. Beauty is more necessary than we give it credit in life. That and celery revival was my favorite frugal of the week!
@Susan Johnston, "Beauty is more necessary than we give it credit in life." Love this!
@Susan Johnston, "Celery Revival" is my new favorite band name 🙂
Yes -wear that dress everywhere! I am currently wearing a pretty summer dress in lieu of shorts with no plans for the day because life is too short not too 🙂
That dress looks amazing on you!
My FFT this week:
1) Contacted customer support for a refund on items that were missing from my Walmart delivery order.
2) Bought gas at Sam's when we were out and about for DH's birthday. My membership expires in about a week so trying to use it often before I let it go. A BJ's Wholesale is opening in November here so I'm going to try it instead of Sam's.
3) We went out to dinner for DH's birthday, and he picked a local, casual Vietnamese place which was much cheaper than the "fancy" restaurant I had suggested.
4) DH asked for a chocolate dip cone from Dairy Queen instead of a birthday cake. Cheaper than baking a cake and much easier for me!
5) Bought corn at the farmer's stand when it was buy one dozen/get one dozen free. Also bought some lovely peaches that I used to make peach cobbler as a treat for DH's birthday.
Love the dress on you. Perfect for summer daily wear!
Love the dress & the earrings! Wear with pride anywhere - they are adorable & both look great on you. I'm also envious of your $.99 sparkling water. I'm always looking for a sale, and can never find that low of a price. Well done.
1) Sold a skirt on eBay. I ordered it a couple of summers ago (black skirt) & it wasn't at all what I thought it would be. The fabric dye was intentionally very faded. It wasn't for me. I almost took the tags off & started wearing it around the house. A few days later, it sold, after 18 months on eBay. 😉 Glad I left the tags on & kept it up there.
2) Continued to use grocery store rewards, iBotta & Fetch. I was finally able to cash out the latter two for actual cash (bank transfer) & an Amazon gift card.
3) My lunch was way too big yesterday, so I saved 1/2 a sandwich & that will serve as DS17's lunch for today.
4) Remembered to tell DS16 about a $4 CVS reward, as I wasn't planning to use it. He works out at a gym next door to a CVS, so bought himself & a friend a drink after working out.
5) Cheese was $1.97/package at Safeway, and I stocked up. We go through a lot of cheese. I also used a $5/20 reward that Safeway had sent me.
And, the regular: meal planned, ate leftovers, shopped from a list, & charged our electric car for free at work.
Five Frugal
1. The money diet July rambles on. I have only bought the things on my list when I go into a store; I have not stepped foot into a thrift store; I have had 11 No Spend Days so far this month. And I'm 1/2 way through!
2. I used Amazon gift cards to buy a 2024 planner. I'm trying to put everything into the planner - my menu plan, daily "suggestions" of things to get done, how much I spent that day, whether or not I exercised or meditated, along with any appointments or plans that day.
3. I did two free crafts at two different libraries. On Saturday, I learned how to make friendship bracelets using the Kumihimo method (the beaded ones look so very pretty). Last night I made paver stone owls with my Mom and best friend. The owl is so stinking cute! I did make a donation to the Friends of the Library, who sponsored the owl craft. I have done several free crafts at this library and they are all above and beyond your normal free crafts.
4. I did not go out to eat at all last week. I did, however, buy a discounted gift card at the grocery store for Chipotle, saving me $10 on a $50 gift card. It is one of the places both my boyfriend and I agree on and look forward to. I've already loaded it into my account, ready to use for the next time we go out. My boyfriend bought one too, so we should be set for a little while.
5. I used bing and mypoints to earn points towards Amazon gift cards. It takes about a month to earn $5, but it only takes a few minutes a day. I usually use them for fun stuff like crazy socks or something I want, but don't really need.
Definitely make some more stationery! Your previous batch is lovely.
Per the dress, it is SO you… charming and beautiful! I do the same calculations when I buy new clothes-
divide the cost by how many times I wear it to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth. You may spark a new trend in everyday-shopping- chic-fashion by wearing your black dress on the daily errands. You go girl!!
I don’t have much to share that seems frugal this week except for using up last bits of pantry and freezer foods to make meals for a few folks in need.
I also scanned a few of my watercolor paintings to make “ get well” cards for the same folks in need of encouragement. I always keep some blank cards/ envelopes on hand along with colorful cardstock and double-sided tape. I do snag these items when I see them on sale. I invested in 2 paper cutters ( different sizes) a few years ago. They have served me well in the making of cards.
Enjoy the dress. You know what they say: when you feel good, you look good or something like that. Either way, have fun feeling comfy, confident and turning heads. 😉
Years ago I picked out and bought my wife a dress and she had to tell everyone that it had pockets. She even overlooked that it was a little bit lower cut than she normally wears (which wasn't the reason I picked it out but it was a nice bonus for me 😉 )
But let's see what I have been up to lately:
1.) So I too bought some clearance dresses but they were for my daughter and my niece. For whatever reason summer stuff is on clearance already! I also got her a shirt with Pikachu on it for a few dollars and two dresses with Ladybug (the cartoon she's currently obsessed with) on them for all of $5 total. I mean, that beats Goodwill prices.
2.) Lost a headlight in my car. Luckily this is something I can do myself. I checked online vs in store and the bulbs were half the price online because of course they are (I tried!) so I'm just not driving my car at night (which is a lot easier in July than in December!)
3.) Bought a few cheap, boring things on Prime Day such as a kit to clean my dryer vent and a couple of Blu-rays. Mostly stayed away from spending any real money.
4.) Found a book sale and got some books for my daughter for around 50 cents each. I know that libraries are a thing and that she has a zillion books already but I have a hard time saying no to books because I feel it has really helped her with her schooling (ended the year at the very top of her class!)
5.) Wife and I are going on a little overnight trip away with just the two of us this weekend. We are actually planning our route to go by Costco so I can save a trip and go there for my meds and some other non-perishable items that we want to stock up on (laundry and dishwasher detergent being two of them. )
@Battra92, Re: Books: I could tell which of my college students were readers from young ages. As important as saving money for children's education is teaching them to be readers. So much comes from that-- how to empathize, argue, weigh evidence, identify cause-and-effect, have a wide and precise vocabulary, be curious, problem solve, etc., as well as the more obvious grammar and spelling and content they learn. Understanding a story book has much more to it than just the story.
@Heidi Louise, yeah I was an avid reader as a kid (though mostly non-fiction and historical items) and my wife was a very heavy fiction reader. I want my daughter to go to bed of course but I can't help but be secretly proud that she's sneaking staying up late to read more books.
@Battra92, I always turned a blind eye to my kid's tendency to read when they were supposed to be sleeping. I don't think it caused any lasting harm. 😉
Also, you made me snicker with your comment about your wife's dress.
Heidi Louise, yes! Encouraging kids to be strong thinkers is closely related to being strong readers.
@Kris, I'm a man who is not ashamed to admit what he likes. That is all 😛
@Battra92, Congrats to your daughter; that's awesome!
Re summer stuff already being on sale - I walked into a store today and stopped dead when I saw a red, long-sleeved shirt with snowflakes and REINDEER on it. !! (I tried to channel the Christmas vibe to chill the sweat off my face)
@Heidi Louise, thank you for the explanation of all the benefits of reading. I've been a voracious reader all my life and sometimes feel guilty when I read fiction. Good to know it hasn't been a complete waste of time!
Love your new dress! Sometimes ya just gotta!
Love that dress. It looks great on you. You should wear it everywhere.
I love wearing dresses, especially when it's warm. If people ask why I'm "so dressed up" I just tell them I didn't want to wear pants haha
I love the dress and the earrings. So pretty. They both look great on you. I have a question. I want to start selling books on Ebay but I am not real sure how the shipping part works? What to ship them in and how do you calculate shipping. Does the buyer pay for all of the shipping fee? What packaging do you use? Also, how do you know how much to charge for old books? I have alot of books I need to start selling. I currently sale things on Poshmark but the shipping is not complicated at all. The buyer pays $7.97. I print the label and ship it. No hassell for me. I don't have to calculate shipping and I use USPS packages that are free to me. However my books are not really selling on that platform. It is more for clothes. So I need to try and sale them on Ebay. If you can explain how the shipping works? Or any other information you have on selling books on Ebay?
Dawn Brown
Luckily, I wrote a post about this! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-sell-books-on-ebay/
The shipping system for eBay is pretty similar to what Poshmark has going, so I think you could handle eBay!
Kristen, Methinks that some day soon you will be wearing that LBD (little black dress) on a date. Along with the nice earrings. And you will make an outstanding impression!
@Fru-gal Lisa, why are black dresses so often referred to as "little"?
That is an awesome little black dress!
My frugal five are not earth-shaking this week. Just keeping on keeping on:
1. I ran elastic through the waistband of another pair of shorts to take up the waist, having thus far lost 57 pounds. Also sewed down the flappy front facing at the neckline of a housecoat, a design flaw that's been aggravating me for ages.
2. Because it's so insanely hot, we celebrated my birthday on a cooler day over the weekend by going to a by-the-slice pizza place and then walking the block over to a cupcake shop, where we each chose a cupcake. This was all reasonably priced and a lovely treat. Otherwise we have eaten at home all month.
3. Pruned back some subscriptions. We have enough stuff to read without them.
4. Deep cleaned the house and enjoyed doing it. Physical therapy has me feeling so much better.
5. Used a permanant marker and a Pledge wipe to color in some cat scratches on a bookcase top and the arm of DH's recliner. Any excess brown marker is immediately scrubbed off the finish with the wipe. The fine scratches then blend in.
@Ruby, that's quite an accomplishment on your weight loss. That's a lot of hard work right there. Is it too personal to ask you how you're going about it? How long has your weight loss journey been? I'm on my own journey...
Thank you!
@Molly F. C., It's taken 14 months so far. I use the free My Fitness Pal app meticulously. For exercise, I mostly do yardwork, lots of housecleaning and my physical therapy exercises. I am 64 and have a failing thyroid, so it's blazing speed, but it's been pretty steady loss.
@Ruby, should be "not blazing speed." Fumble fingers! I lose about 3 pounds a month now.
I can see you are moving towards a very exciting time of you life! Nursing school is just around the corner and will change your life is so many awesome wonderful ways. From DAY ONE you are stepping into a new persona, a responsible position where people look up to you, and you come home each day feeling like you really made a difference. YAY!
Your new dress and earrings just mirror your new energies! Maybe you and Zoe need to go out to dinner at a nice local family owned Italian place and have a special night out on the frugal. ?
I miss the “Meet the Reader” posts!
Hope your staying cool this week, we are kind of broiling here in Arizona.
Kristen, you look darling in that dress!
Hmmm, my FFT, here goes:
1) My internet bill went up due to the end of a promotional pricing period. I asked for and received a reduction in my rate. It didn't bring it down to what I had been paying but I was grateful regardless. My bill was going to increase $45 per month!
2) Unexpectedly hung out with a dear friend yesterday. She's recently moved about 40 minutes away from me and she had to be on my side of town. We took a yoga class together and then went out to lunch. I would have preferred to frugally make something for us at my house but she really wanted a cold adult beverage 🙂 which I didn't have. I took half of my lunch home, though, and will eat it today.
3) My kid works at a meat market which sells beef, chicken, and pork. Before my child takes a few months off, this is a regular fall time occurrence, I've been taking advantage of the employee discount to fill my freezer.
4) Been going on college visits with above kid. Visited two last week that necessitated spending the night and no hotel was going to be cheap. I booked a hotel that was within walking distance of both colleges so we could leave our vehicle in the hotel's lot and not pay for additional parking. More reward points were added to my hotel member account. We chose a not expensive restaurant for our dinner. Hubby brought leftovers back to the hotel room to store in the room's fridge. He ate them for breakfast the next day!
5) The teen next door watched our dog while we were gone last week. It was cheaper to pay him than what it would have cost to board our pup. He was happy with the cash. I was happy that my dog was more comfortable at home than he would have been in a kennel.
@Molly F. C., also, I bought three boxes of discounted Red, White, & Blue Cap'n Crunch cereal at Aldi. $1.19 apiece! I don't eat sugary cereal, and often don't purchase it, but for about one dollar apiece I decided it was worth the splurge for my family.
I want to see pics of you in Aldi and other stores in the fancy dress! It's pretty!
Frugal things for me this week:
1. We checked out the new season of All Creatures Great & Small from the library. No PBS subscription or paying extra on Prime.
2. Coupons: Used a $10/$75 Kroger coupon. Got $5 Amazon for getting a $50 Amazon card. Not sure if this was frugal because then I spent $50 haha. Used points to get 3 free ice cream cones McDonalds. Used a giftcard for a Starbucks coffee day.
3. Split a meal with a friend when we met up for coffee/breakfast.
4. Stopped by Goodwill... Found kids' shoes, slides, a bike helmet and a bunch of clothes for my kids.
5. Painted my upstairs hallway. My kids said this isn't frugal.... The paint I use costs $45 for a gallon. BUT!! It's freshening up my house and would cost sooo much more to hire out.
Happy frugaling!
Love that dress! It looks absolutely adorable on you. Also, any chance you could repost (if you already did) a tutorial on how to make your dip dyed stationery? I love it!!
Yep! There's a link in the post (hopefully it's showing up for you!), but here's a link as well: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-make-dip-dyed-stationery/
I like your dress! You could even pair it with leggings and a jean jacket for Fall.
1. I foraged wild cherries while camping this weekend. They were over-ripe by the time we got home, so I made cherry bread for my kid's breakfast this week. The recipe also used up some sour cream I had in the refrigerator. It turned out great!
2. I picked up a pair of cleats off Buy Nothing for my daughter for next year. My husband picked up pair of meat shredders off Buy Nothing.
3. I used kale, basil, and oregano from my garden to make an egg dish for my lunches this week. My mom dropped off some sirloin to us that we will pair with rice and vegetables this week for dinners. Easy, healthy, and frugal!
4. I found 80/20 ground beef at Tops for 50% off, so I bought 2 packs which are now portioned and in the freezer.
5. I saved some school supplies from last year, so total cost for school supplies for both kids this year was about $30. Some of the supplies came with more than what they needed, so I stored those away for next year.
@Kristen dresses in the summertime are just the best! Enjoy it!!
We are currently harvesting about half a bushel of tomatoes from our garden every two days. This weekend I canned 7 quarts of diced tomatoes and made a HUGE bath of spaghetti sauce using the remaining tomatoes to make a from scratch sauce. I froze 6 quarts of the meat sauce for later quick meals when I don't feel much like cooking.
I saved all of the tomato discards from my canning expedition and fed them to the hens across the street who frequently give me eggs. They enjoyed them immensely and nothing went to waste.
We needed new doorknobs and hinges for our interior doors. I was thinking about spray painting what we had but I tried a sample and it just did not work well. Some of the hinges were rusted in places that I could not repair. We shopped both Lowe's and Home Depot and could not find anything we really liked - prices were also quite high. So, Amazon to the rescue. I found knobs and hinges that I actually liked and spent half what the big box stores would have cost me.
I stopped in my favorite spot to buy a scented candle but low and behold they were sold out because they are liquidating much of their merchandise in a warehouse sale. I found a new table runner which was a very needed item, along with a rack for my coffee mugs, and 3 new coffee mugs - all at 75% off. I am calling this frugal as these were items I was looking for at deep discounts.
Combined errands to save on gas costs. Cooking and eating at home. Thermostats turned up during the daytime - not much but every little bit helps. Taking good care of our second garden which is full of crowder peas, cucumbers, corn, green beans. field peas, and two varieties of pumpkins.
Love that you calculated cost-per-wear! It's very dear to my heart!
For me it's a way to rationalize to myself that if I get $1 per wear out of a $100 shirt, it's worth it! Have you heard of the Stylebook App? Best $3.99 App and only App I've paid for that keeps track of my wardrobe. I've used it for almost 3 years now and learned what clothes and colors I actually wear the most vs. what I think are my favorite clothes and colors.
Also love how you showed before and after pics of your celery!
I haven't heard of that, no. But I bet the results over time are fascinating!
The dress already paid for itself...look at that smile! Priceless!
I, too picked up a too fancy for everyday linen summer dress for $1 at an estate sale. I am loving it!
I got a bid to rewire my livestock trailer and the starting price was $350, I bought a $35 kit and my cousin is going to walk me through it. I have 3 different types of trailers, so this will come in handy.
I fixed 2 toilets this week and put the $150 service charge that my favorite plumber would've charged me just to drive up the driveway into my fun day account.
I bartered with a neighbor - I cut her hair. She gave me an antique typewriter stand to house my antique Singer featherweight sewing machine. I occasionally have sewing friends come over and work on community projects and this will make a great sewing set up.
I picked the sour cherry trees and dehydrated 5 gallons to freeze for baking cookies and granola.
I sold 5 ocean fishing rods and reels that were collecting dust. 5 down and about 30 to go! .
While we had our 90+ degree days, I made up 3 batches of cookies and scooped them into balls and froze them in 12 ct. bags. I will bake off late at night. These make great thinking of you treats.
-I have been harvesting from the garden- kale, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, onions, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, basil, dill, cilantro, fennel. Love all the fresh herbs and salads!
-I have been trying to utilize all my summer clothes and wear what I own and pass along what I do not wear. Your new dress is lovely, Kristen. It gives you a glow because it looks like it makes you feel good!
-Got free hot dogs and popcorn which were left over after my shift in concessions for baseball.
That stationery is gorgeous! Wish I had free time for projects like that.
When a dress looks good and you know it looks good on you, the confidence it gives makes you look even better! That was a very good choice for you, and I think summer is a great time to wear dresses - they can be so much cooler.
1. I ended up not canning pickles from my cucumbers - I found a refrigerator pickle recipe I'd never tried before in my trusty old preserving book that says the pickles stay good for several months. It made a pickle very much like bread and butter pickles, which I love. I saved on time, pickling spice (it only took celery seed) water, lids, and electricity.
2. I knew last winter it was getting time for some more casual pants/jeans to wear around the house in colder weather, since some of them have bitten the dust. I found two nice pairs of patterned stretch denim pants at Goodwill this weekend. They are comfy, cute and more interesting than just plain jeans. $5.97 each.
3. I bought refill spices from the co-op, where they cost so much less per ounce.
4. I thought of hiring my mowers to dig up and move a mature blueberry bush to a new spot next to my new bushes, but I decided to do it myself. I waited until it was lightly raining and overcast to avoid digging in the stifling heat. I used my gifted-to-me yard cart to move the bush to its new location. It was heavy, but I did it, thanks to that cart.
5. I had pinched back the coleus again, but instead of rooting the ends in water this time, I just stuck them in dirt in a little planter we built at our pump house. It's rained nearly every day, so I've only watered them once and hadn't bothered checking on them. I was so surprised to see several of the cuttings standing stoutly upright and looking good this weekend.
Looooove the dress! You go fancy girl!!
@Stephanie, Fancy FRUGAL Girl! $19 and it looks like a million bucks on her.
That dress fits you like a glove. Buying it was clearly meant to be. The bonuses are how pretty it looks and how useful it will be all summer.
Two great new tips for me on the celery front: I had no idea that you store it in foil and the water revival is beyond wild. Thank you!
The dress is fabulous and your clear joy while wearing it is even more fabulous!
Deja vu all over again The Non-Consumer Advocate readers:
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had checked out a new book from the library on cooking with economy and grace: Tamar Adler’s The Everlasting Cookbook. Now that I’m done with it, I can highly recommend it. It is so useful, humorous, inspirational and aspirational. Here are just a few of the things that I’ve put into action recently:
1. Swished the dregs of the maple syrup bottle with water and poured over ice for a unique, refreshing drink.
2. Made coleslaw by placing the cabbage and carrots into the mayonnaise jar (that had just enough mayo left for the salad), added seasonings, and shook to coat. One less bowl to clean!
3. In an almost empty peanut jar, I added the rest of the ingredients for a peanut dressing, shook long enough to get the peanut butter off the sides of the jar, and poured over pasta with chopped red pepper and asparagus to make a crunchy noodle salad.
4. Added olive oil and vinegar to an almost empty Dijon mustard jar for a quick vinaigrette.
5. Used olive brine to thin out hummus.
6. Pickled little pieces of cauliflower in pickle brine.
7. Cooked beet greens and put them in a broth-based bean soup.
First, the dress looks fabulous on you and you absolutely should wear it everywhere. Second, I love the stationery! I’m going to have to give that a try.
Hi, guys. Sorry I'm not posting a real FFT today, but there's been a crisis with my dear next-door neighbor. She's physically OK, but got lost behind the wheel yesterday and ended up in a city about 45 minutes east of here. More details in my Thankful Thursday comment. (And I did post an FFT yesterday at the NCA, for those who might be interested.)
Ohhhh, man. This happened to my grandmother a few years ago, except she ended up several hours from home. She ran out of gas, evaded a police stop, and more. It was quite the adventure. Thankfully she does not drive herself anymore!
I'm glad you could be there to help your neighbor. <3
@A. Marie, You are a good friend indeed. The world needs more neighbors like you. Glad she is ok physically.
@A. Marie,
Oh no! That's frightening! It's unsurprising that you are there for her - you are a Bestest Neighbor to all of your neighbors, too!
@A. Marie, When a neighbor has trouble, I always have mixed feelings: horrified and happy that they are okay, and happy that I now have an opportunity to pay back some of the help they have given me. (Just to be clear, I am not glad they got hurt, just glad to have a chance to be a good neighbor in return...)
1) While at a conference this weekend, I kept my expenses cheap; made do without one of the toiletries I forgot, let my editor take me out to dinner on her institution's dime, kept the meals I did purchase to the cheap takeout and frozen variety, and didn't buy a single book (although my editor did give me a free book when she was packing up her booth--woo hoo!).
2) While I was out of town my husband only got takeout once, sold an old toy on FB Marketplace, and prepped his old set of golf clubs for sale (he has since sold them).
3) Now that I am back I promptly submitted my receipts to my institution for reimbursement.
4) Our daughter's tennis shoes are in good shape but smell to high heaven. She has two pair, so my husband soaked the worst one in oxy clean over the weekend. I washed both last night in with the clothes and dried them overnight on our dehumidifier (it's better than the dryer for shoes). Both pairs were dry and fresh as a daisy this morning. The laces of one pair of shoes had lost their plastic ends, so I replaced them with another pair of laces from my stash. (I have never needed an extra pair of laces for my own shoes, but children's shoes seem to constantly need them.) I'm glad these shoes will walk another day.
5) I made dinner last night even though I reeeeally didn't feel like it, made a grocery list and went to Aldi after dinner, got gas at Costco today because I was out that way, and listened to free podcasts and audiobooks in my spare time.
Clearance dresses are the best! Especially the happiness/freedom this choice brings you.
My frugal 5:
1) Saying yes when people offer things. Our church was giving away grapes after a meal, my in-laws offered watermelon they couldn’t finish, an event table was giving away coffee mugs/sunglasses. It’s not usually this easy— but saying yes is an easy frugal win:)
2) We are setting up a firewood stand at our home. We found a metal shelf free from a local business, scrap wood from the garage for a sign, and we have oodles of old/new wood on our property. All we’ve had to buy is twine & a cash bag. We’re hoping to finish set-up this week.
3) We bought my nephew’s birthday gift from Goodwill. It’s a transformer toy that just needed new batteries/a light wash. Going to try this for the littles more in our life.
4) We went to a free movie/popcorn event at the library, and a free festival with bounce houses, petting zoo, etc.
5) We switched from a fancy creamer to using half and half for coffee.
It was not a very frugal week.
1. We went to New England for the weekend, for a family gathering. We flew into Providence but mostly used flight credit (from cancelled spring 2020 trips) for the flights. I kept checking rental car prices and rebooked a few times, including last week, for a better price. We stayed at the Hampton Inn since we had some Hilton Honors points that lowered the out of pocket cost. I brought my great niece's birthday gift despite her birthday being in October. I purchased it on clearance and it came in a bag so I didn't need to wrap it or buy a gift bag.
2. I got together with a friend at her house.
3. This noon I stopped at Lidl since we were almost out of fruit. They had very large Golden Honey Dew melons for a good price as well as strawberries, eggs, and yogurt.
4. I paid our annual property tax bill online from our checking account. Though there is a $.95 fee to do so I didn't have to write a check and use a stamp, worry about when the payment would be delivered/processed, nor about check washing. It is cheaper to pay annually than semi-annually.
5. Giant food had quick cook grits and also crispbreads on good clearance prices. I bought a few of each.
I wore my favorite maternity dress A LOT. It's not going to fit much longer and I want to get as much use out of it as possible.
I organized a storage closet. This will help me keep track of what I have and not buy things I already own. I was also able to organize our baby supplies a bit.
I ordered gatorade powder so that we can stop buying bottles.
I have been listening to free audio books.
I meal planned and prepped food for the week.
Not frugal: we have been freely running the AC at night in an attempt to help the pregnant lady sleep.
Also not frugal: I will probably buy myself a cheap present today to make up for the fact that I have not been sleeping enough. (These indulgences don't happen often but today is definitely one of those days.)
@Rebekah in SoCal - in my book, being pregnant during hot weather means you get a present a day and unlimited running of AC, no questions asked!
@Rebekah in SoCal, my mother was pregnant with me in summer 1955, while she and my dad were moving to a new house with three kids under age 7 underfoot already. And she never failed to remind me that my cannonball head was bouncing on her pelvis the whole time. So you go ahead and do whatever you need to do to get comfortable.
@Rebekah in SoCal, In your situation, I would turn the air conditioning on as high as it goes and I would not only buy myself indulgences but I would get them delivered so I didn't have to shlep out into a store in your heat. Treat yourself!
Wrapping celery in aluminum foil is a thing? I have never heard of this...
We spent last week on vacation...it was most definitely not frugal...but we had fun and it was what it was.
Since we came home on Thursday, I:
-shopped the dollar deals we got at Neighborhood grocery store
-canned tart cherry pie filling, apricot jam, plums, sweet and sour cauliflower, and nectarines; dehydrated apricots, tart cherries, and nectarine fruit leather; made nectarine puree and peach puree for the freezer to make sorbet/ice cream in the future; used the stone fruit pits to infuse vinegars. All this produce was purchased at the end of the trip (at what I consider a steal) and brought home.
1. Did a mystery shop and got free ground pork and buns. Made this excellent recipe, pork banh mi burgers, using cucumbers and radishes from the garden & served summer squash & potatoes (also from the garden) as sides. https://themodernproper.com/pork-banh-mi-burger
2. My car's "check engine" lit up, and had to take it to the car dealer as my local guy couldn't fit me in for several days. They quoted me $6,000 (!!!) in repairs. I declined and took it back to my local guys - the check engine is no longer on & they suggested that if/when it returns, I bring it back to them. So... for the time being, $6,000 was saved.
3. My best friend lives within walking distance from the car repair/dealer, so I walked over to her house and we both worked from home. I did a mystery shop that was a delivery from a restaurant and we both had lunch for free (plus I made $10!)
4. Was supposed to go out to dinner tonight with 3 colleagues/friends. I instead floated the idea of just eating at one of our houses, and we are cobbling a meal from ingredients that we all have already. I'm bringing ground beef and ice cream that were both free from a mystery shop.
5. I combined Swagbucks & a sale at Star Market to get 5 bottles of laundry detergent for free (actually, I made $3.00 in profit). I already have a year's worth (also gotten for free) so I'll give these to my mum, who taught me my frugal ways.
Whoa that’s a really good save for the car!! I hope the light doesn’t come on again.
@BettafrmdaVille, The last mystery grocery shop I did, when I got home, I discovered they combined all or part of someone's else's shop with mine. I called but they if they take back food, they have to throw it out so they told me to enjoy the freebies on them! I had ordered fruits and vegetables but this person apparently loves canned fish because I ended up with cans of tuna, clams, anchovies and kippered herring and one onion. More than doubled the normal $32 of free food from the shop!
@Lindsey, I find it fascinating what people buy at the grocery store! The most that I've ever gotten due to a mix up was an extra pint of ice cream (not complaining).
Also: forgot that the basil and green onions for the banh mi burgers also came from the garden.
I always wear dresses in the summer, including when I'm repairing stuff in the garage. It's too hot to bother with shorts!
1. My big one is I had my new eye doctor use a pair of old frames that I like and that are still in style for my new prescription.
2. I dehydrated some garden herbs to use later in the year.
3. I sewed some needed things from items and fabric I had in my stash.
4. Did laundry with DIY laundry detergent, vinegar "fabric softener", and use tennis balls in the dryer for dryer balls. Seasonal allergies >line drying laundry.
5. Bought an insulated water bottle sleeve for another sports water bottle. I keep several sports bottles filled with filtered tap water in the refrigerator to drink all day every day.
Wearing your new dress will likely ramp up your dating life. Gorgeous.
Since we have three weeks until we leave on the Last Hurrah trip, we have been eating out of freezer and cupboards and I have been posting items I had never gotten around to putting on eBay or FB Marketplace or Craigslist. So, nearly every day I am having frugal wins. This week sold: a book, 2 GIANT soup pots that have not been used in 2 years, an old golf bag, two cases of canning jars that were given to me years ago but were not a size I used, 2 pairs of shorts that were never worn but my husband has shrunk out of, and the rack inserts from an oven that long ago went to recycling. For food, we have eaten only things already in our home, except for milk and fresh vegetables and those were paid for with grocery shops. I keep looking around for what else I can sell and reduce our clutter. The husband says he is afraid that if he stands still, I will sell him, too.
Nice dress. I wouldn’t bend over to move lumber at Home Depot though, you might spread more cheer than you intended.
... you're supposed to wrap celery in aluminum foil?
I love to carry a straw purse in summer and I ordered a new one from Amazon. It arrived about a week ago and was smaller than I expected. For a week I've been planning on moving my purse contents into it. I finally realized I just didn't care for it that much and decided to return it. It's only $20, but why waste $20?
1. I knit a very colorful striped sweater for my little neighbor to use up yarn scraps.
2. That inspired me to knit one for myself, using nothing but scraps. (Never mind that I own more sweaters than we have cold days)
3. This summer I am determined to reading books I already own and just avert my eyes when I am tempted by a new one that the library doesn't have
4. We had some very bland fujis (out of season) so I made applesauce.
5. Twice a month there is a food give-away in our little town for anyone (they need a certain quantity to get taken or it will get cancelled). What a score!! hazelnuts, frozen shrimp, whole-wheat pastas, whole-wheat tortillas, canned salmon, a huge variety of tomato sauces. . . and that's just the stuff I remember.
You look so pretty in your dress! I swear, you haven't aged at all, and I've been following you for many, many years 🙂
I just had to fork over $1,500 in medical bills this week, which unfortunately is just the tip of the iceberg for those since my daughter ended up coming way earlier than expected and had to spend 6 weeks in the NICU. Because of that, I felt extra grateful that I was able to get in some really solid savings this last week:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/07/18/weekly-frugal-wins-medical-discounts-wic/
Love those algebra 2 books! Saxon math is the best!
1. I found a pair of sandals in excellent condition for only $2 for my daughter. Will stash in her closet until she fits into them.
2. Took 20 minutes today and cleaned up a few pairs of her favorite shoes. A little a scrubbing made a big difference!
3. Bought some Sharpies on sale at Frys today. Will pair with a $5 gift card and note for a back to school gift for her teachers.
4. Found some drumsticks in the freezer that we’ll use for dinner tonight.
5. Picking up some free school supplies from a teacher giveaway tomorrow: yay!
1) I got my daughter some needed shorts at Old Navy. Between the sale price and my $13 in Gap rewards, I paid $1.08 for three pairs of shorts. That includes our 10% sales tax.
2) I’ve been saving our ugly pears from the compost pile. We had some less than stellar looking pears that no one in my family was eating. I peeled them to find perfectly juicy pears. They were immediately eaten after that.
3) I saved the last of some cherries. I usually buy a smaller amount, but the bags were all sealed up last time, so we had more cherries than we could eat while they were still fresh. I pitted and froze the last of them for smoothies or homemade ice cream.
What a great dress, Kristen!
1. My part-time work company is being acquired by another contractor. I was able to negotiate a 10% pay raise by asking for a higher hourly rate compared to the previous company… but the speed with which the company representative said “yes” to my number makes me think it was still too low!
2. Finished some really great $40 curly hair gel, but want to try to find a cheaper option. Bought some for $7 that isn’t holding up so far. It’s a pain to try out new hair products, but I’ll either find something cheaper that works well, or I will find that it really is worth paying $40 for hair gel.
3. After reporting in my last week’s FFT that we were pressured to pay $250+gas+taxes for a full day pontoon rental on a vacation with my in-laws, I’m pleased to report that the pontoon ended up being cancelled due to weather. I’m hopeful that the person who really pushed for it had some second thoughts when he realized just how expensive it was going to be, and I also hope everyone in the family can have more input in the future when booking all-family events like that. Also, the weather ended up better than expected and we ended up swimming at a local lake for hours for $5/vehicle, which is much more my preferred price range. Everyone still had a great time.
4. Before traveling home, I tried to encourage everyone to eat the food we had already purchased, including a “leftover night” to help clear out the little bits in the fridge. Of course there was still a lot leftover, and while we did end up throwing away some items, I was also glad to be able to take a lot home.
5. Of the food we took from the vacation, we were able to use leftovers to save us from eating one meal on the road, and on the next day it also saved us from a pathetic motel breakfast spread.
Well, I didn't think I'd done too much frugaling this week. It's been hotter than you-know-where and I've mostly been staying indoors except for going to work.
I've kept the AC at 80 degrees F. and used electric fans to stir the air; a couple of times I turned it to 78 if I was really, really uncomfortable. (Leaving for work, I'd set it on 81 or 82.) That may seem hot to you folks in cooler climates, but remember it's been upwards of 100 degrees here in the Southwest, although we had a somewhat cooler day when the high was "only" 99. We have a lot of humidity so even 99 feels horrible, pushing the heat index to 105 or so.
This evening, I received my much-dreaded electric bill. Last month was $260 (and I had my bad roommate living here and she turned the AC down to very low temps when I wasn't around to stop her) and this month (with no roommate, only myself and I was being very careful) is $317. But....
Had the roommate been here, it would probably have been much, much more. So making her leave was frugal. So was not baking or using the electric stove, turning off all the lights, even though they are all LED or CFL (I just left on one light in my room), and air-drying my clothes instead of using the electric dryer. Keeping the drapes closed so the sun doesn't shine in. Doing all the energy-saving things they tell you to do.
But the biggest frugal electric thing was....
I had earlier shopped around for electric providers; you can do that in Texas. Our city negotiated a wholesale price for us, and I bought into that plan. It was a retail utility provider I'd never heard of, but I was willing to go with them. Lower rates and lower bills.
Today's bill says I was paying an average of 0.126 per kilowatt hour.
I compared that to the old school establishment electric utility, the one who used to be the only game in town. Their rates are more than 15 cents per kwh, according to their advertisement. Depending on your plan, and which gimmick you sign up for, you could get 15.2, 15.6 or 15.8 cents per kwh.
Not exactly sure how to do the math bc I'm not sure if my bill would convert to 12.6 per kwh to compare it to the other plan's, or if it is still 0.126. But either way, I saved.
If I win the lottery, I want to install solar. Meanwhile, I think I did OK.
Thanks for the craft idea! I was looking for something to do with my great niece while we are on vacation. I bet I can get bins at the dollar and a quarter store (Dollar Tree).
Dress is beautiful and I've always envied girls with smaller breasts. I can't pull that look off at all...even when I was in my teens and twenties.
Frugal wins:
1. We keep eating out of the freezer which is good as the new fridge has a horrific high pitched squeal. It either will get fixed or returned.
2. Hubby and I are sharing one car now that he's retired . It's working out so far.
3. Switched to Mint Mobile and are saving over $1,000 a month.
4. Monday I will get a free upper lip wax as I'll be a guinea pig for a new wax person at the place I go to - European Wax. I get my eyebrows and my chin done and not down there - blush!
5. Shopped at Aldi tonight to show hubby that yes, I can get a dozen eggs for $1. It was actually .96!
The fridge debacle almost sent me over the edge and the new one today was my prescription wasn't covered cause my "insurance changed". Got a Cobra thingie for dh in the mail and solved that puzzle. He's suppose to get company health insurance until he reaches 65 because he made the 1980's cut as he worked there then. I'm feaking out that we may not be covered. Other hint was that no money was taken out of his check for insurance this past paycheck. Lord help me!
1. I made our meals at home, using up ingredients that we had. I used some slightly wilted vegetables in soup. (It’s actually been cool here.)
2. I mended my daughter's quilt.
3. I made quilted coasters with scrap fabric and leftover quilt padding.
4. I ordered some $12 per pair Old Navy jeans for my kids to wear this fall/winter and some clearance items for Christmas.
5. We got books, movies, and board games from our local library. Also took the youngest to Story Time; had to wait years to do this because the next youngest is terrified of puppets.
Hello Frugal Friends,
Wrapping celery in aluminum foil extends it's freshness. (My celery has stayed fresh 2 months.) I read this tip on several blogs and tested it out.
Did you know you can cut the base of the celery, put it in a small dish of water and it will grow? The same is true of green onions (scallions). I change the water weekly to avoid rot. Just keep the jtti gs in a sunny spot. You can even transplant then to a garden bed.
This past week was a mix of frugal/spending. I drove 700 miles to visit my college best friend. She has been feeling poorly due to severe RA as well as the illnesses of her aging parents. The RA is so painful that she did not go on vacation with her hubby and active teen boys as she did not think she could keep up with them.
We had our own scrapbooking weekend at her house. Savings on a hotel room. We ate all meals at home. It was great fun to chat and work on our photos. We each finished 20 pages! We used supplies we already had as well as her 1st generation Cricket machine. Yay! I'm no longer just a collector of stickers, paper and ephemera.
I packed lunch, beverages and snacks to eat driving to her house and home. My one fail was buying a cup of ice and a bag of cinnamon roasted nuts at Buccee's on the way to her house. Gas was $2.78 a gallon, so that was a savings. No Buccee's stop on the way home.
Once home, savings included:
* cooking main dishes from the pantry *38 cents a box cereal from the clearance section* and watching my use of electricity*
Another attempt at saving is disputing a toll violation letter from the State of Delaware. They were doing construction and didn't get a reading from our vehicle's "transponder (?)".
$50 punishment fees for a $4 toll. I hope I win this case. It is annoying that they give you 7 days to respond. I paid $8 to mail my proof via return receipt. Ugh!
Wishing everyone a wonderful frugal week.
I have a couple of similar dresses from Old Navy (sans pockets, alas), and I wear them all the time. I often wear a t-shirt or tank top over them if I want to be more casual.
You look like a million bucks in that dress!! I love wearing dresses in the summer, so much cooler.
Thanks for the celery tip! I had no idea...
The Prudent Homemaker plants the bottom of the celery head, then harvests leaves all summer. I was thinking of trying this.
Okay, and I'll brag about our recent supper at Olive Garden. We met family there, and were seated by a huge and very noisy soccer team. I think our waiter realized how much we had to shout to be heard, and he kindly offered to pack up some breadsticks and a bowl of soup 'to go.' (I order a cheaper entree, take a few bites -- then pack it up and make most of my meal on OG's wonderful soup and breadsticks.) So what did we bring home? Leftover noodles (a snack for Ruby the dog), spaghetti x 2 (heated up for one meal), and toscana soup, stretched into two bowls by adding some chopped potato. Plus the breadsticks. So.... two extra meals plus the restaurant meal! (You can do something similar at Red Robin -- eat a few bites of your burger, fill up on their unlimited fries, then serve the rest of the burger with a salad or soup for another meal.)
Wear the dress wherever you like. It looks great on you. I'm waiting for Saturday, when our local thrift shop is having a half-price-on-everything sale, plus serving hot dogs and chips for lunch!