Five Frugal Things | I'm the carpool mom
1. I car-pooled with my clinical group
My clinical group for peds is going to a hospital that charges $25/day for parking.
None of us felt too enthused about that, so we are carpooling together.
We get one validated parking voucher per clinical day, so if we all pile into my van, none of us has to pay a dime. Yay!
It's a good thing I still have my mom vehicle. 😉
2. I upgraded my Southwest Rapid Rewards card
I got an offer to upgrade to their higher tier, and I carefully read the fine print.
It does come with a $75 higher annual fee, BUT you get an annual $75 Southwest flight credit, which basically just cancels that out as long as you plan to fly at least once per year.
Plus, I'll get more Rapid Rewards bonus points annually in addition to a 5,000 point bonus for upgrading.
So overall it seemed like a very good choice.
Once I graduate from nursing school next year, I could, you know, actually go places! I do have some weekends off of classes right now, but the problem is that even when I don't have class, I have studying and homework to do.
But once I graduate, if I have some days off, they actually will be days off. Soooo, I could go on some adventures. Yay!
3. I ordered a lunch container
My oblong stainless steel container fits very nicely in my lunch box, and there's just enough space for a second one to fit next to it.
My other large stainless steel container (from Goodwill) is round, though, so I cannot fit them both in the lunchbox.
A lot of times I want to bring both a salad/protein (like a chickpea or green salad with chicken) and also a serving of cottage cheese plus fruit or veggies (like tomatoes). So, if I had two containers that fit side by side, I could make it happen!
I poked around eBay to see if I could find a deal, but all of the listings were more expensive than Amazon. So, I used my just-purchased Amazon gift card from my Fetch rewards account and bought a container.
Even if I had to pay the $15, I still would consider this an investment purchase. It would probably only take one day of not packing my lunch for me to spend $15 on food!
So, anything (within reason) that helps me pack my lunches is worth it.
4. I bought some earbuds on eBay
When I work out at the gym, I usually wear my JBL wireless earbuds, which are one of the few styles that work with my tiny ear canals.
Unfortunately, the ear cover on one side split, and these earbuds will not stay on without a cover.
JBL no longer makes these, so I can't buy new covers. BOO.
But I did find a new-in-box set on eBay, so I submitted an offer for $5 less than the asking price, and these ended up being way cheaper than the original pair I bought new years ago!)
Funny note: I saw a not-new-in-box set for $7 and almost bought them. And then I was like EWWW these have been in someone else's ears!
(!!!!!!!)
I don't think I could clean them enough to feel ok about putting them in my ears.
5. I got a free emergency pizza
I don't quite understand how this works, but sometimes Domino's puts a free "emergency pizza" offer in my app.
Soooo, I ordered a BBQ chicken one for Zoe, since that's her favorite.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
P.S. Today is election day here in the U.S., and I just want to reiterate that I don't have the energy to moderate a political discussion here. I know that whatever the election result is, we in this community will have varying feelings about it. However, this is not the place to process those feelings. We're gonna stick to things like frugality and thankfulness (and tomorrow, a Tightwad Gazette post.) 🙂
--A friend gifted me a box of packing material that she'd been saving. My shipping supplies were down to the dregs, so this was much appreciated.
--I gave a box of chocolate truffles to our post office person, who went above and beyond helping me retrieve a lost package. Despite correct shipping information, it was shuffled between the same two shipping depots for a month!
--My husband parted with some clothing that no longer fit. I added a few pieces of my own and brought everything to the free clothing exchange rack at one of the local coffee shops. My previous donations had already disappeared, so hopefully the new additions go likewise quickly.
--A friend gifted me with enough seeds from her own flowers for not one, but two large dedicated butterfly patches! I dug and planted one flowerbed this weekend and will work on the second one this week while the weather holds.
--Said friend will be our guest for dinner later this week. She's been having *a month* at school (teacher), so we're happy to host and listen. The menu will be pepperoni and pickle pizza from the TMNT Pizza Cookbook, with sauteed kale on the side (she always brings dessert).
@N,
I love the free clothing exchange rack idea. I give away clothing with Freecycle or Buy Nothing but the exchange would be a lot easier. I have a friend that attends clothing exchanges with friends. I went one time and was invited to go again recently but did not go.
@K D, a local church in our area has a free store (open to anyone) & I always donate our unwanted clothing there (& occasionally pick up a few pieces/items). The church washes all donated clothing (not mine as I always tell them just washed) before putting out for public, so litlle/No strange smells from clothing.
Then teens school does clothing donation 1 day in October where public donates & then sorted & 1 day of free clothing/shoes/outer wear to anyone. We usually donate old winter coats & boots to teen school for this.
@N, unfortunately this is a common USPS problem with package shipping. My Aunt mailed another Aunt a package to Colorado & that package tracking said went repeatedly between few facilities for 2 months before my Aunt (in Colorado) finally received. She was told they can not search facilities for package, that just had to wait to see if arrives. With the high costs (& just went up 10/06/24 again) of shipping packages through USPS you would think this wouldn't happen.
@N, I had a similar experience with the post office recently. It was shuffled between two locations for two weeks. The package was scanned over 30 times. I used the post office complaint form and it was rectified after several days.
@Regina,
My community has a similar free store for donated clothing, which is in the same building as our food pantry. Anyone can come and pick out clothing, though the days and hours they're open are fairly limited. Our local school system also has the "Warrior Closet" (our school's sports teams are the Warriors), where folks can donate gently used kids clothing (they do ask for clothing "that you would dress your own kids in", ie., not unintentionally torn, stained, ripped, overly faded, etc). I've donated some of my son's outgrown Adidas pants, because he isn't hard on them so they look like new. I think it's open during school hours, and maybe also during the summer (not sure about the summer). And, of course, we have thrift shops and our Buy Nothing group.
*I used my emergency pizza too! There was a wedding reception , which was beautiful and the food was elaborate and gourmet, but a few of us ( my youngest kids, my sister, and me) do not like spicy , flavorful food. So after staying for a little while, picky eaters left to go back to Airbnb and got some pizza. Don't worry - this was planned in advance with the bride- she knew it was likely the food would not work for us. (Yes, we have the palates of fussy kindergarteners.)
* We stayed in an airbnb which had room for 14, with full kitchen, so we had brought food for breakfasts and lunch. We shared the accommodations with multiple family members to spread out cost. ( Hotel rooms in the city were going for well over $500 per night!)
* I brought most of the leftovers from our trip home and used them up for lunches and dinner. My sister took the rest for snacks on her trip home.
*I haven't turned the furnace on yet ( in midwest) . The few really cold days we've had, the kids used space heaters to take the chill off their rooms, and I baked to warm up the kitchen.
@mbmom11,
* I also got the shirts and dress my assorted kids wore to the wedding at the thrift store. I signed up for their rewards, so each item was only $3. It was hard finding shirts for teen boys - too big for boys stuff, and hardly any choice in small men's. I'm very happy I found nice tops for them to wear.
How come the box for your ear buds (and you) say "wireless," but I'm seeing wires?
My five things:
--My husband has been out of town, and my eldest son needed a ride while I was at work. I could have done it on my lunch break, but that would have meant driving to work instead of taking the bus, which would be a total of 40 extra miles driven. So instead I arranged a ride for him with another student. This involved finding the mom's number and asking for a favor. I don't know her well, and don't like asking for help, but I did it anyway. And of course it was no problem.
--One of the things my husband was doing while he was gone was selling a couple of sheep. With those two gone, and the two ram lambs that are going in the freezer probably next week, we'll be down to only six sheep. So much less hay will be needed this winter. And now we have cash from the two ewes and meat for the freezer shortly.
--Youngest son can wear my shoes now, which means when he goes hunting, he wears my waterproof hiking boots. He's not quite 10 years old, so, like his two older brothers, I foresee another few years of alarming growth in his feet and a lot more shoes purchased, but at least for now I didn't have to buy him anything for hunting.
--Basketball for middle son starts tomorrow. Of course he needs shoes, since his feet have grown a lot since last season. My eldest son also played basketball in 7th grade, however, and miracle of miracles, his old shoes fit his brother very well. And they are still in great shape, since they were only used on the court for a couple of months. Hooray for not having to buy yet another pair of little-used shoes.
--I also thought ahead and bought a pack of new basketball shorts for middle son during prime days when they were about half off. He uses my old athletic bag from when I played soccer (ahem, thirty years ago) as his basketball bag, so he's all set with minimal outlay this year.
Hey, look! I did five that weren't about food! How unusual.
The wires connect earbud to earbud, but not to the device. It attaches to my phone with Bluetooth.
So, no long cord to get caught on things at the gym and I can just put my phone near me, not on my actual person!
@Kristen, I like this style also. It's too easy to lose the earbud-only type.
That is a very fair point! These are harder to lose because they take up more physical space.
@kristin @ going country,
Car pooling for kids' rides should be easy, buy I've always found it difficult to pick up that phone. Great that the son's basketball shoes can be used again. I'm eying my freshman son's basketball shoes from last year and need to decide if I should save them for little brother- they're 4 years apart, but little brother's feet are quite large for his age. But I hate storing things for more than year or so. We'll see.
@Kristen, Ah ha. Got it. Thanks for answering. I'm sure everyone else knew this, but I don't use earbuds of any sort, because I can't stand things in my ears, so all the nuances of these things escapes me. 🙂
@kristin @ going country,
I don't wear earbuds either for the same reason, so I also had no idea they came this way. All the guys in my office wear the ones with no wires at all.
I would opt for those possibly, but my ear canals are so narrow, it is very hard to find earbuds that don't cause ear pain for me. So my options are limited!
@kristin @ going country, I also have the hardest time asking for help in situations like that! I read a book once that said you are giving someone a gift by asking for help, and it really was true. Last year I had an emergency and didn’t have anyone to pickup my son from kinder, I texted 3 different neighbors (who all had kids in kinder at the same school) to see if anyone might be able to help and they all were tripping over themselves to help. I picked the one my son knew best but even another who was on campus volunteering helped by going to my son’s class and telling him what was going on and who would pick him up. And when I mentioned the story to another mom later, she said if it ever happened again, I could ask her too. People really seem to want to help, it was a lovely feeling!
@JD, would tympanic earbuds work for you or Kristen? Not in your ears but you can hear clearly with them.
How fun that your hospital carpool not only saves money but leads to time with others.
1. I bought the marked down package of chicken and baked it last night. There are leftovers. I also roasted a bunch of potatoes at the same time.
2. I washed the fabric shower curtain and liner that I've had for years, with a load of towels. I hung them outside to dry.
3. My six year laptop was sometimes losing our wifi signal and also loading pages slowly. DH suggested that the wifi antenna driver might need to be updated. He did that for me while I went to a yoga class and it made a world of difference.
4. A friend joined me a on "community" walk sponsored by a yoga studio a couple suburbs away. It was local to us and one of the walk leaders once taught at a local studio. We had a lovely time catching up and meeting new people. I gave my contact info to a dynamo 80+ year old that is short of stature but long on energy. Not only did she walk to the walk location but she is working the polls today from 5:30 am - 9:00 pm.
5. I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies and neglected to add the granulated sugar. They had the called for brown sugar but were not sweet enough for the group I made them for. They are edible and DH declared them better than the originals. I put them in the freezer and we'll eat them. I also gave a few to a neighbor and she said she likes them so I'll share more with her. I knew the texture seemed weird/wrong before I added the flour but it didn't register what I'd done until taste testing. I was focused on the fact that I remembered to use both light and dark brown sugar (not that it makes a difference) and just skipped the other sugar.
@K D, I used to make a breakfast cookie when my children were little. It was primarily oatmeal, flax seed, nuts, and dried fruit. It had just a touch of brown sugar and a bit of molasses. They were delicious. I need to find that recipe!
@Bee, if you do, will you please post it? I am always looking for tasty breakfast cookie recipes.
1. Put the leftover Halloween candy in the freezer for next year.
2. Continued to exercise for free by walking and using videos. I've fallen off the wagon a bit but soldier on. Something is better than nothing.
3. Used a mall shop to replace the protective screen on my phone. The original came with the new phone but I am not spending Apple Store prices for a replacement.
4. Household repairs, including snaking a slow drain.
5. Hired my SIL to make a custom shower curtain. I cannot believe that the shower curtain is proving the hardest part of redoing the roommate's shower but it is. SIL is charging me $65 including materials.
@WilliamB, I did the same with our peanut butter cups, but I'll probably bring them out for weekend treats for the boys. And regarding #2--yes, any regular movement is better than no movement!
@WilliamB, I am also in the "something is better than nothing" camp. It doesn't work in my schedule right now to go to spin classes and do a lifting class that I used to enjoy, but I can walk. So I do.
Good buy on the ear buds. Teen has wireless lighted headphones that I purchased 2 pair years ago (& has used one pair) that I have been considering asking teen if doesn't want second pair that I could purchase from teen (& donate for Toys for Tots)
But then I read about difficulty finding replacement & think I should just keep extra pair as back up.
Frugal things---
● got gas yesterday & saved $0.10/gallon ($2.99) (before went up to $3.39 & as high as $3.60)
● Monday's in November are double cash back points with Sam's Mastercard (any gas station)
● earned my ($9 max which I always get) monthly bonus for using my debit card 12+ times in month
● continue to do own yard work--- yes still leaves instead of hiring someone
● got $1 Postable (Thanksgiving) card offer & used for my dad.
● used Thanksgiving card (already purchased at discount) that has (removable) mini wreath to mail to my Aunt
● cooked all meals at home (except Halloween pizza) from pantry/freezer
Frugal fail---
● went to Sam's club over week ago & bought pumpkin pie (& croissants) that never got unpacked (from box) & croissants green/BAD, pie probability is also. Add to Compost pile.
FFT, Keeping Myself Busy Edition (revised/updated from a comment at the NCA):
(1) Yesterday, I hope, I reached a final resolution of a problem with the exhaust system that my go-to garage installed in my Honda Element at the end of August. Fortunately, the installation is still under warranty, so this hasn’t cost me anything except aggravation. And in the spirit of “leave ’em laughing,” I said to the guy at the counter as I left, “Nothing personal, but if I don’t see you again till my state inspection next August, that’ll make me very happy.”
(2) I continue to occupy myself with JASNA work: proofreading papers for the upcoming edition of the electronic journal, and preparing for a discussion I’ll be leading on 11/16 for my local region. Thank goodness for constructive distraction.
(3) I spent part of yesterday putting together an improvisational chili, based on several online recipes for turkey chili. I used a pound of ground turkey that was part of a larger Reduced for Quick Sale purchase at Tops, plus some canned goods and a jar of “meh” salsa that I needed to use up. This made a nice small batch of chili–just enough to share with the Bestest Neighbors. And Dr. BN commented: "Best chili I have ever eaten."
(4) I’ve started breaking out my Windham Hill Winter Solstice, Celtic Christmas, and other seasonal CDs. Most of these aren’t overtly “Christmasy,” so they serve for me as a nice segue into the holiday season. And this year in particular, they’re very soothing. George Winston’s “December” is a particular favorite of mine.
(5) I plan to spend as much of today as possible raking up more leaves from my own yard and various neighbors’ piles for my new compost heap. As the other gardeners among you know, there is no such thing as too much compost.
@A. Marie,
George Winston is my favorite music to grade by! I like December and Autumn albums. Also, Windham Hill has a Winter Solstice album that's gorgeous.
@A. Marie, I also love Windham Hill music. Even bought one of their piano music books so I could play myself.
@A. Marie,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cHq8Lnyn5A0
Your comment about autumn leaves reminded me of my favorite make-me-smile video.
@A. Marie,
Your #1: I really, really know how you feel. I hope this is The End of the problem.
I’m sorry. The link did not isolate the video. It is the CBS video on Stella the yellow Labrador at the top of the page. She is a leaf jumper.
@Bee, oh, geez. this video is wonderful. I laughed at Stella and her Lab friend and her humans till my eyes watered.
@Bee, OMG! That video of the dog jumping in the leaf pile is so funny. The dog is like a rocket shooting straight into (& sometimes through) the leaf pile.
Thank you for sharing. <3
@Bee, Your link worked for me. Thank you, it gave me a much needed smile this morning.
@Bee,
I love watching Stella jump in the leaves! So funny and adorable!
1. I once again cleaned malware off my site and deleted the old files. Now I have to backfill the content. I'm already incredibly bored of this but I hate paying money to anyone to fix computers or phones or software.
2. Packed eBay sales in saved used boxes.
3. Accepted a very part time job, but now I can put "podcast producer" on my resume. Whoopee.
4. Got more free rocks from the beach to pen in the troublesome puppies.
5. Decided to keep and use Betsy's monogrammed dog bed instead of tossing it. It was expensive. I'll put the monogram where I can't see it.
6. Realized I can't have anything but a tabletop Christmas tree this year because of said troublesome puppies. I have two, an old feather tree and one I made out of copper pipe and copper tinsel. Because copper ks my jam.
7. I'll do a chore I was hoping the handyman would do, except he's having some issues, and quikrete the front door step myself because the weather is so nice.
@Rose, Podcast producer sounds fun! I hope you enjoy it!
@Ruth T, Not so much! Ha. I actually hate podcasts--they rank with talk radio or audio books for me. I want to read things, not listen to them.
But thank you.
@Rose,
I have a friend who did the same thing re: expensive dog beds. They (she and now-ex hubby) had a dog they named Gruffyd (I think that's how they spelled it), who went by "Griffie". As happens, sweet Griffie passed away from old age, but my friend still uses his custom-name-embroidered dog bed with their current dog, Wolfie. No one cares if it's not "his" name.
@Liz B., I still have "Bertie" and "Edina" covers. Edina, at least, crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2006. I hope I don't feel so bad about Betsy in the future, but I still feel so bad (well, it's been no time) right now because all my other dogs died when they were old.
Last night I woke up around 3AM and visualized Betsy's picture fading away and flying away like one of those old calendar pages, and then my mother, and then BFF... Obviously their losses are much greater than my dog's, but I feel so much that I failed her, which I don't about Mom or BFF.
@Rose, I am the same way about audiobooks and podcasts...I just dislike listening to somebody read to me, and if I'm just listening to something I'd rather it be music.
1. Did not have anything gluten-free to use to bread the fish I cooked last night, so ground some oatmeal into a flour and ran it through a sifter. It worked very nicely. The coarser bits went back into the oatmeal container.
2. Used store coupons to knock $10 off the total at the grocery store.
3. It's a complicated story, but neither of my men folks are any good at yard work. I decided if my arthritis could tolerate cranking the push mower, then I'd mow the grass myself. It cranked on the third pull and the yard was done in 20 minutes. Way cheaper than following through on my threat to hire someone.
4. Rack dried laundry overnight.
5. Cut my son's hair, saving him at least $15.
@Ruby, could you use corn meal for breading fish? (That's what I generally use when I'm frying catfish.) Or is it not guaranteed gluten-free?
@Ruby, I use oatmeal and oatmeal “flour” in many things including meatloaf. It is an inexpensive GF alternative.
@A. Marie, I have some cornmeal but it's coarse ground and I thought it might make the fish gritty. It's fab for making polenta and dusting pizza pans, though.
I also gathered grapevines to make into wreaths and then decorate myself. So no money out for Christmas decs this year.
1. We ordered new windows. Our house has the originals, most of which can't open anymore, so we end up running the ac more instead of letting a breeze in. Plus they're drafty and we even have some broken panes. So this will save on energy bills. We found a place having a sale this month, plus they're sending us some giftcards, one per window.
2. I shopped at the bargain store and got some great rock bottom prices, then found some clearance cheese and bread at WalMart.
3. I'm regrowing some green onions in a coffee container.
4. Took the kids to the library, all 3 of us got some books.
5. Went to a free movie showing of The Forge at our little local theatre. We did buy some popcorn and Dr. Pepper, so it wasn't completely free.
@Katy, save your window receipts for (Home energy credits) on your IRS taxes.
@Regina, Thanks for the tip!!
We purchased a lot of sale meat from Sam's Club, which everyone knows are larger than life portions, and we split it all up right when we got home, so all we have to do is think of what we want for dinner.
I also bought huge bags of veggies that I prepped and froze.
We went to Kroger as my husband wanted to check something out. We don't usually shop there as it's way too expensive and out of the way. They had coffee on sale, so I stocked up on that. I also bought a big red cabbage for a recipe that I make, but that is a lot of red cabbage. So I will make some roasted red cabbage and freeze it for Thanksgiving.
We have been eating out of the freezer and pantry. And drinking coffee from home now that we stocked up!
Also didn't have to buy Halloween candy as we have no trick or treaters where we live.
The painted chest is pretty, Kristen. I can’t remember did you paint that for one of your daughters?
I haven’t had the thriftiest of weeks. Holidays are always a bit of a challenge for us. I really enjoy celebrations! My FFTs are rather small this week.
1. My dear friend and I met up for coffee instead of lunch this week. We went to our favorite coffee shop run by a local church who gives its profits to charity. Spending $5 for coffee doesn’t seem so silly when a portion of it goes to support the food bank or to train service dogs.
2. My DF and I went thrifting after coffee and I didn’t purchase a thing. Yay me!!
3. None of my library holds are in at this time, so I am reading one of several books that I received on Buy Nothing.
4. I picked up a prescription on Friday. I purchase a 3-month supply of this medication at a time. When I opened the bag to put it away, I realized that I had only been given a 30-day supply, but I was charged for the larger quantity. I returned to the pharmacy, and this was corrected. However, medication mistakes of any kind make me nervous.
5. A friend of mine who loves magazines shared with me. When I’m done, I place these in share bin at the library.
Wishing all peace, good health, and prosperity.
Yup! For Sonia: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/a-storage-chest-for-sonia/
It used to be a bright magenta color.
Thank you for providing a break from The News! My week was all small, fairly boring frugal choices.
1. I've done better at keeping up with the produce and avoiding waste. Plus, the pressure makes us eat more vegetables!
2. I made an easy, slow-rise pizza dough last night because I knew I wouldn't want to cook much today.
3. I needed some bras and waited until I could get them on sale/clearance.
4. I haven't bought new fabric and I'm using what I have.
5. As usual, I picked up more work on the side to add money to our downpayment fund.
@Meira@meirathebear, Oh, I can't believe I forgot: A frugal Halloween with a toddler. We'd asked for dress-up clothes for my daughter's 3rd birthday in September, so she went as a superhero. We went over to my aunt's house, since our neighbourhood doesn't have trick-or-treating. We had dinner, did a short trick-or-treat up and down a single block, had some candy, and then came home. Mr. B and I don't dress up. All in all, a very low stress, inexpensive, and easy way to do it.
I was not frugal, I bought price gouged Taylor Swift tickets for me and my bestie LOL. The concert was only 30-40 minutes from our new house, I didn’t get tickets in the lottery originally, and I couldn’t bear not to go & not have the memories with my best friend. It was worth it! The spontaneity was fun too 😀 And it was nice to drop a chunk of money on something other than root canals.
I did thrift a dress to wear! I found a sparkly green number for only $8 just hours after buying the tickets, and it will work for Christmas time too.
I’ve got nothing else. It’s been a rough few weeks, I pulled my back before moving and it hasn’t healed. Hashimoto’s related weight gain means most of my clothes don’t fit, so I had to buy a few things. Just trying to get through it, but Taylor Swift helped.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, I love that you and your bestie went to see Taylor Swift! Being frugal in other areas of life afford us the ability to do fun things.
Yes! I agree.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, doing things such as going to Taylor Swift concert is why many of us are frugal. Money is a tool, not an end in and of itself.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, a Taylow Swift concert with your friend is worth the money! Money should be used to have fun and make memories 🙂
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, I sympathize with your thyroid issue. Sometimes it difficult to regulate and it’s so frustrating!!! Hang in there. Hope the back is better.
I have the usuals: chai latte at home, distill my own water for drinking.
Gassed up the car at $2.84 at our local Casey's.
Found three pennies in the parking lot.
Returned a pair of shoes from Zappos that were too narrow. Love their free returns.
Neither the heat nor AC on this week d/t temperate conditions. We have had two-three days of lovely, slow rain which is a blessing as we were dry for quite some time.
I do not rake leaves. I "leave" the leaves as bug nurseries for next spring. Neither do I clean the native flower gardens and veggie gardens for the same reason. (I may still be getting some peppers as we have not had a hard frost, but I have not ventured out to look.
I will not enter the political mess except to encourage us to take advantage of the opportunity to vote. I am grateful that I voted early last week.
@Chrissy, I think it is cute that you listed finding 3 pennies as a frugal thing. Thanks for the grin.
*Practicing passive frugality by not going into thrift stores to buy things I don't really need
*using up some hand lotion that I don't particularly love on my legs instead of my hands
*sticking to my list when I go grocery shopping
*purchased a yearly subscription to a food tracking app at 50% off
*using up some almost tasteless tea my mom gave me
*using a gift card to have dinner with my bestie for dinner tonight
*riding my bike to work when I can (but not when it's raining!)
*having serious money discussions with my dude about the future
Wow, $25 a day for parking! Ouch! That was a good idea to carpool.
My FFT:
1. I got home later than usual last night due to some errands I had to do after work. I was going to pressure cook a pot roast, but it's hot still, the house was warm and I was tired and hungry. I ate the leftovers from Sunday I had planned for lunch today instead. I didn't want to slow cook the roast meal today, because it's a small roast, and I found out the hard way, 12 hours in a crock pot for a small roast yields meat that has all the texture, flavor and appeal of "strained meat" baby food. What I did was load the crock, turn it on just before bed, turn it off as soon as I woke up, and let it cool while I got ready for work. I packed my lunch out of it and the rest is in the refrigerator waiting for tonight. No money wasted for a take out dinner or a lunch purchase.
2. This also kept me from using one of my emergency back up lunches in the freezer. They are for when I really have no other option, and I don't like to waste them and then have to buy a lunch later.
3. This isn't going to save me any money, but I'm saving my daughter money by leaving the house earlier than usual this Thursday to drop her at the airport on my way to work. No parking fees for her and company for me on my ride to work.
4. In anticipation of retiring in 2026, I am investigating insurance options for dental and vision, which I get for free from my employer now. It's early, but my having started the legal and healthcare work early for DH before we needed it was one of the best things I did for us. As expensive as his care was, we were saved a ton of money by being proactive, so I feel starting now for me is a good thing.
5. I was treated to lunch after church by the same daughter for whom I had volunteered to give her a ride to the airport. It all evens out.
@JD, your #4 ought to be written in letters of gold. My feelings about being proactive in this area are well known, and I'm so glad it's worked out for you too.
@JD, kudos on #1. It is hard to force oneself to think ahead and do even small things when one is hot, tired, and hungry.
@A. Marie,
I've managed not to stand on the street corners and shout it out to everyone, but sometimes I feel like I should.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
It was! I'll be glad when November remembers it's November, not May. I'm tired of the heat.
Here’s my five.
1. A friend from my improv troupe gave me a free houseplant. Yay plants!
2. I used the comp tickets my husband gets as a performer to take our houseguests to a renaissance festival. It was weird walking through the front gate in civvies but good to see friends who work there. I asked my husband to go to a shop and buy an item one of us had admired for logistics purposes. They gave my husband a performer discount on it so win - win.
3. I cleaned and put away our camping gear for the season. I put a list of things I think I might want/need for next year with it. This will keep me on the lookout for things on the I can make or repurpose and shop the house first.
4. The pup and I went to a free dog Halloween event with free activities. She got a tummy full of treats and I got a couple of items she made to give as Christmas gifts.
5. I created a Halloween costume from temporarily altering pieces from our costume closet and stuff in my stash in 3 hours for zero dollars. One of the many benefits from my costume building side hustle
1. Reorganized the pantry and found some things to use up for dinners this week.
2. Discovered that oldest sons’s dress shoes still fit and can be used for the upcoming band concert! I purposely sized up last spring and I’m delighted that he can still squeeze his feet into them for one more concert.
3. Started shopping for Christmas this week as deals came up. So far everything is staying within the gift budget.
4. Using the library, little free libraries and kindle unlimited for reading material. I’m getting a kick out of passing along the kids outgrown books at little free libraries and finding new things to read at the same time. There are 5 along my three mile walk route.
5. Restarted Sunday food prep. It’s so much easier to eat at home and not waste food when it’s ready to go for the busy week ahead. Must try to remember that it really is worth an hour or two of my time.
- Returned Halloween costume that didn't work for me. Also returned a Halloween dress, ribbon purchased for costume not made, and jeans purchased on sale. I bought six pairs of jeans when Old Navy had a sale knowing that I'd end up returning most of them.
- Purchased gas at Costco when we were nearby.
- Signed up to participate in National Nacho day feast at work for $5. I usually bring my lunch but it will be nice to have a break from that and socialize with coworkers.
- Planned this week's menu based on what was on sale and what I had in the pantry.
- Cooked at home over the weekend instead of getting our usual takeout.
I look forward to your future travel postings, Kristen!
My Five Frugal Things -
- Purchased tickets to a junior college staged musical for just $10 a ticket, plus free parking on show nights. The show was outstanding, as we've found to often be the case with college productions - so much energy!
- Self entertained with multiple walks to the beach this week. This and this alone curbs my spending more than any other habit in my life. I return calmed and serene, with no thoughts or desire to go shopping whatsoever.
- Went through my stockpile of old holiday stitch kits, and pulled out one I'd apparently started and abandoned some years ago. I have been making Christmas tree ornaments for my granddaughters since they were born, so this year my out of pocket will be $0, again. (I had a period of aspirational buying, which I'm now finally getting around to completing!)
- Pulled out some bacon and added it to grilled cheese sandwiches on a night when I was too tired to make what I'd originally planned, and really wanted to call out for pizza instead. (I break apart and flash freeze my bacon in one and two strip bundles, which I so appreciate when I'm in a meal pinch!)
- Reread 'The Ultimate Cheapskate's Roadmap To True Riches' by Jeff Yeager, to remind myself of how much we already have with regard to life enjoyment. One of my biggest takeaways after first reading this book some decades ago, is that oftentimes our spending is an effort to alleviate boredom. An example he gives is the humble bagel, which many times we'd take our family out for, even though we had them in our freezer as well. The other nugget of wisdom he shares is about spending money for entertainment when, according to Jeff, the average home contains enough underutilized games, puzzles, videos, books, and the like, to provide years of 'free' entertainment.
1. My husband made popsicles from some pureed over-ripe apples and pears along with some leftover pineapple juice. My daughter loves them.
2. I picked up a pair of pants and swim trunks off Buy Nothing that should fit my son next year.
3. I planted garlic in our garden so that we will have lots next summer. Garlic has a great return on investment. Planting 2 bulbs (about 12 cloves), will give 12 garlic bulbs and scapes next year. It's quite easy to grow too.
4. My husband and I are looking over our employer's benefits for open enrollment. My son needs braces, so we are figuring out how to save the most money using our dental benefits and FSA. It's frugal to understand your employer's benefits.
5. I had the oil changed on my car. Preventative maintenance on cars is frugal
@Corrine, of your employer has HSA (Health Saving/Spending Account) I would recommend that as an option also. Max out your contributions (that you can afford---think of it as prepaid medical/dental bills) because also helps with your IRS taxes as deductions. Anything not used (usually) rolls over into next year.
If available through employer for both of you, I would definitely recommend both of you doing.
Then you just use HSA to pay for your family medical/dental exspenses.
@Regina, hi! Thanks for reply. I am not sure if this is specific to employer or state, but we can only enroll in an HSA if we have a high deductible insurance plan, which we do not. We are lucky to have co-pay plans for both medical, eye, and dental care. We can only enroll in an FSA, which do not roll over year-to-year. FSA's also are pre-tax, so they are similar to an HSA in that regards.
Smart of you to avoid that parking fee. $25 a day would hurt.
My husband and I each ordered new prescription sunglasses through Zenni. Progressive lenses for $95 and $65. This saved us so much money.
Found the canned dog food for our senior dog on sale and stocked up.
I ordered three items on eBay from the same seller and asked for combined shipping. Saved $10.
We're camping this week, hiking and relaxing. The campground is $10 a night and our only other expense is a little gas.
1. After you mentioned buying sheet music, I did a little research into free music online. I printed three new compositions in the modern style from IMSLP. It is an amazing resource and I will go back to it.
2. I faced bringing lunch to Hubby but was out of bread for sandwiches. I bought him a burrito with a gift card I was given at Chipolte and made ice tea using a simple syrup. I ate a salad I had made the night before.
3. I picked pomegranates, persimmons, and pecans. The big three Ps. When I was working full time, I just never took full advantage of a farming husband. There are stray trees with all these on them. I still didn't do a good job capturing the figs but I was gone all summer.
4. I have not bought any clothes for 2 months. I still have about $200 in the clothes budget but I am going to save it for when something needs replaced. When I was in New York I realized the "in fashion" jeans are baggy and stressed. My straight legs don't cut it. I don't do skinny. This purchase will have to be tried on because I have no idea what will work so I'll have to buy new if I jump. Writing this out I now know instead of buying, I will get to "curating" fall outfits. I will donate what isn't working and make new outfits from shopping in my closet that are my "go to." Sometimes i combine them as outfits in my closet. I have found if I do this, I realize I don't need to buy anything new and feel good with what I am wearing. OK that is two hours well spent today. If the new jeans were $80, I will have made $40 an hour.
Haha, I made an Instagram reel about the struggle of adjusting to non-skinny jeans! https://www.instagram.com/p/C4irZTirziR/
I'm slowly getting used to the new style.
@Mary Ann, can you enlighten us a bit more on #1? I looked the site up but figuring out how to use it made me twitch.
About jeans, the best solution I've found is to know my own body, and when I find a style that works, buy as many pairs as I can and then make them last as long as possible regardless of the current fad. LLBean had a perfect style for me about 15 years ago, and last year they all wore out at the same time. So, I found 3 more pairs on eBay.
I probably look like a dork. DO NOT follow my fashion advice.
I really hate the current gigantic jeans in style now. Ugh. I don't mind worn, but to be honest, as an Old, I remember the days you wore in your new leather jacket or jeans by dragging them on the ground behind a vehicle.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
The site is not easy to navigate. I found it best to look up by style. I selected modern because I have many classical pieces. Then I searched for pieces that had audio using the filter. I listened to the pieces and chose according to what sounded great and was my ability.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I'm with you. I totally don't care what the current jean fad is. It's just made up, anyway by people who want you to keep buying new jeans. I'm a straight leg gal and always will be. I hated the look of skinny jeans and now I hate the look of baggy jeans. Neither style was/is attractive on the majority of American women in my opinion. But, to each her own.
We must have the same ear shape, because those are one of the rare ear buds that work for me as well! I've been wearing them for years, and when mine stopped working, DH tracked down a new pair on eBay for me also! He recently tried another style & purchased it for me (Bose, so they aren't cheap) & I can actually use them. The bonus is that the little attachment piece doesn't slap against me when I run (the part connecting the two buds). Anyway, if you ever see a super cheap/new pair of Bose (ha), maybe worth trying out for another option.
1) Sold a pair of work pants on eBay. I bought them for business travel, but got laid off before I wore them. Highly doubt I will ever have another job that requires this type of thing.
2) Salvaged a potato soup that I made in the crockpot, and just didn't want to turn out. Pureed it in batches in the blender, added more heavy cream & sour cream, & thinned it out with milk. Success!
3) Dropped off three huge bags of Halloween candy for our neighbor who collects it for holiday bags for the local shelter. Not gaining a bunch of weight & needing new clothes is frugal. 😉
4) I signed up to help with some audio testing at my old employer (picture reading a script into a microphone). I'm looking for actual jobs, but this pays a nominal fee for like 12 hours & sounds like a fun way to help out.
5) Inspired by your gift card use, I went to Safeway explicitly to use up a Fetch reward/gift card. I find the Safeway ones a bit of a PITA to use, but remembered to take a screenshot of the pin (not visible when you save it to your wallet) & got it all used up!
6) I bought Southwest gift cards at Costco for $429/$500. I bought the max of five, as we have out of state college going student (one, and likely two by next year) & travel a lot to see family. I also saved another $43 on the purchase, thanks to my Costco gift card.
Woohoo for using up gift cards!
I have stupid narrow ear canals too. Ditto nasal passages. Just figures the only narrow things on my body relate to such unimportant things as breathing.
I wish the pizza places here offered 'emergency pizza'. I know I could use one!
This week felt terribly unfrugal but here's what I can think of:
1. I went to a party at my coworker's house and she and her husband cooked an amazing dinner for us.
2. I baked a dessert (not for the party, for a dinner at home!)
3. I walked somewhere instead of taking the bus.
4. I saved cans and bottles for recycling vouchers.
5. I used the library.
I used my airtime rewards to get £10 off my mobile bill.
I got my husband to order my daughters birthday gifts as he has prime so didn’t pay for posting,
I went away for the week my hubby and kids and we ate at the apartment every evening so only spent £270 in 7 day vacation.
I like the idea of emergency pizza. I could use some on some nights.
Also, I am 100% Team Wired Earbuds. I am someone who is cheap and loses things so those wireless types would not work for me. I can see why people wouldn't want to deal with wires, though.
1. Sold an item on eBay. Not a ton but after fees and such I made a little over $10 on a free to me item.
2. Cancelled my Peacock subscription I got for a deal last year and found a deal for a year of Peacock for all of $20. That's about all it is worth to me, honestly.
3. I got 60 days of free Crunchyroll (anime streaming service) so I have been binging everything I want to watch on there.
4. Got a few Post Halloween clearance deals. Nothing specifically branded to the day.
5. Just not spending money in general. It's actually kind of chill when I realize I don't need anything new.
Getting an Igloo cooler (at Goodwill) and an on-sale, end of season new, larger cooler allowed me to save money on my week-long trip to Georgia from Virginia. Instead of eating out every day at fast-food places, or restaurants, I was able to eat the foods I liked, at a fraction of the cost(basically what I would have spent at Aldi anyway). I still enjoyed local fare, but it was what I wanted and where I wanted. Since I drove down (instead of flying and then renting a car !) I was able to pack food, as well as toiletries, wardrobe pieces, etc. That I would not have been able to pack in my two suitcases and a carry-on on a plane.
1.For a friend’s birthday, I picked some mums in my yard (that the deer hadn’t eaten)and put them in a bottle that used to have balsamic vinegar and tied a ribbon around it. She was very touched, because I know she does not want unnecessary stuff in her life.
2. I wanted to buy a Costco gift card for the friend who took care of my yard and cats over the summer. They do not allow nonmembers to even buy gift cards. So I bought her one on Amazon instead, thus avoiding an unnecessary membership fee.
3. My husband repaired a broken handle on a pitchfork. Sometimes it’s tempting just toss broken things.
4. we were able to squeeze two dinners out of some fancy chicken breasts that were a gift.
5. I will walk my ballot to the precinct, thus saving gas or a stamp.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, just learned that no postage is required when mailing a ballot, so on #5 I only saved gas necessary to drive less than 1/4 mile. I had to stretch things to find five frugals today.
I have never heard of a hospital charging for parking!!! That's crazy. Glad you and your cohorts are joining forces against exploitive parking fees at a medical facility.
I have been clearance shopping like a mad woman for Xmas gifts. I went to Walmart and found Mr. Beast 12 packs of candy bars in the Halloween section for $3.47 each. I bought three, one for each child I'm buying for. I opened one box and none of the candy bars had Halloween themed branding on them. Yay!!! I wont look like the extra cheap mom and aunt this year lol.
I bought clearance Pokemon socks bogo at Gamestop for my nephew. And a clearance Squishmellow for him as well.
I was able to find a free code for an 8x10 print at CVS on Money Saving Mom. I printed out a photo that I will gift to a family member as a gift.
This year will be a frugal Christmas. I am trying to make the most of things and still gift a bit to a handful of people. I also found someone who used to sell LuLaRoe, she is letting go of her new with tags items for $3-5. I plan on getting a few pieces as gifts as well.
@Ashley Bananas, The hospital where my son had most of his surgeries and in-patient time charges $5 flat rate for parking (whether there one hour or all day). When he was inpatient we never got parking vouchers, but when he had to come in to the Wound Clinic as an outpatient, we got vouchers. I really really think family visiting patients who are in the hospital longer than, say, a day, should get parking vouchers. We were going every day, and his longest stay was nine days. Ouch.
@Karen A., I agree. Our child was in the hospital for 2 weeks. We were there every day (and most nights.) we are blessed that our hospitals don’t charge for parking. I don’t think hospitals should charge for parking. It’s not like you are choosing to be there.
Can you link your stainless steel containers?
Sure! The large oval one is this one: https://amzn.to/3UEty8z
The smaller ones are these: https://amzn.to/48z2ayD
My Frugal 5’s
1) Raked and disposed of our own leaves.
2) Didn’t stay overnight out of state and just drove home after 10 hours in the car so no extra hotel cost.
3) Reused totes from library as trick or treat bags for the kids.
4) Watched DVDs we already had at home for Halloween.
5)Using up food from the fridge.
I actually ordered replacement earbuds silicone covers on Amazon. I like to use the small earbuds that come w most sets. I found that Skullcaps work the best w me. I ordered small replacement caps and they are actually a tad smaller than even the ones that come with the store bought sets. Might be an option for you. I'll see about checking the brand and getting the info for you.
--Inspired by Kristen here, I reactivated my Fetch account and started scanning receipts again. Even if it takes me ages to build up enough points, I'm determined to avoid using Amazon card points for impulse buying. Knowing I'm building up Fetch points helps with that.
--Relatedly, the body wash everyone likes was part of a deal where if you buy 3 you get 2 bucks off, and our favorite boxed mac and cheese was also part of that deal...so I stocked up. AND the body wash was part of a deal on Fetch, so I earned some points towards that as well.
--Raspberries (aka one of my favorite fruits) were amazingly on sale with a "use up to 5x" coupon, so I got four containers. We rarely buy these, but everyone loves them, so it's a nice treat for everyone.
--DH and I went on a short trip to the DC area; he had to take some equipment to a student he's working with who is stationed there, and I got to visit my bestest college friend. She and I spent time together quite frugally; we walked her dog around the neighborhood, grabbed lunch at Mezeh ($17 was not too bad for a place I don't have where I live), hung out with her new kittens, took another nice walk while waiting for her daughter to get out of dance rehearsal.
--My other meals while traveling were even cheaper. I didn't snack in the car or bring snacks; DH doesn't eat while driving, to stay more alert. We stopped once at a travel plaza on the way out, and I got a mint tea and a banana at the 7-11 there, for about $2.50, way cheaper than anything at Dunkin' Donuts or whatever else they had there. When we arrived, we walked over to the Walmart near our hotel and got a few frozen dinners (Healthy Choice Steamers and Power Bowls are not bad, and fairly healthy), a bag of clementines, some blueberries, a small carton of eggs and a microwavable bowl. Breakfasts were microwave scrambled eggs and fruit, and on the way home I had a few clementines for a snack when we stopped.
--Hung out laundry.
--All meals (aside from hotel room cooking) at home.
--Library books on repeat, as well as Kindle Unlimited. After needing to research Chinese American culture for one of my classes, I remembered I really liked reading Pearl S. Buck's novels, so I found a bunch of hers on Kindle Unlimited. Currently reading Kinfolk and enjoying it.
@Karen A., a walk in a new place and hanging out with kittens sounds like heaven to me.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, It was! And we treated ourselves (well, she treated me) to a Starbucks tea, which I normally only get when traveling, and we enjoyed our drinks on our second walk. I felt so indulged. 🙂
I will never understand why a hospital will charge for parking, let alone $25 for parking. People are at their most vulnerable and under quite a bit of stress when they’re visiting a hospital usually. To charge people is awful.
@Elizabeth, See my comment to Ashley Bananas above. It was just one of the infuriating things about DS's hospital stays (he had several) that we never were offered validated parking or anything. $5 a day, no matter how long you were there. It adds up, especially when you have a stay of long duration, like DS did. Ironically the Wound Clinic, where he came for outpatient aftercare every couple of weeks for a while, always offered us a parking voucher.
@Karen A., that just made me remember DS's five days in a metro area hospital when he was 11. He was admitted through the ER and I had to stay with him at all times. I had very little money on me and the clothes I was standing up in. The hospital was supposed to give me a meal voucher and didn't, so I scrounged the leftovers off DS's tray and bought a Coke for breakfast every day. It was finally DS, when he felt well enough to carry on a conversation with a doctor, who said, "My mom hasn't had any food" and some extra juice and crackers suddenly appeared.
@Ruby, Awww....I'm so sorry about that. Awful. When my son was seven or eight, he had cellulitis in his leg. His hospital roommate's mom was obviously kinda broke, so my mom and I made sure there was enough to share with her and her child when we went out to get pizza, Chinese, etc for my son. Mom even bought her son a Lego set when she got my boy some Lego to keep him occupied. That poor baby had sickle cell anemia.
@Rose, that was very kind. Sickle cell means that poor baby had many hospital visits.
DS turned out to have a very unusual reaction to Fifth's disease that gave him a temporary case of juvenile arthritis and a pretty good whack to his kidneys. He recovered fine after five days of treatment but was just terrifyingly sick. An amusing thing that came out of it was that he never wanted to see the Disney channel again, as that was the only channel on the room TV.
Minivans for life, baby! Ha! (This is currently an ongoing discussion topic in my house. I love my minivan so much.) Also, your pen is super cute.
1. I am now coaching volleyball teams for both of my girls, which reimburses our fee and gives us a free team picture.
2. I had some clearance wins at Meijer this morning - colored hair spray from the Halloween 70% off section (we use these for Homecoming spirit week), a cut and cored pineapple for less than the price of a whole one, and a bowl of cut up mango for less than a whole one. Last week I also got things on after-Halloween clearance like dog treats and glow sticks (the party pack of glow sticks has the exact same contents as a regular party pack, they just made the package Halloween-themed).
3. My $5 Flashfood produce box this morning had 3 yellow peppers, 2 red pepper, 3 tomatoes, 2 avocadoes, 4 summer squash, and 11 apples. Yay!
4. My library card gets us free access to the online archives of the local newspaper, so I used that to research local issues on our ballot.
5. I'm in the process of making yogurt right now. My second week in a row!
And I'm going to add a #6 - I'm listening to Christmas music, which is FREE HAPPINESS! 🙂
Frugal.
Cooking and eating at home. Using library for entertainment. We also cut cable. ( hard for me. I love live sports!).
My son asked for a specific type of shorts from his Alma mater website for Xmas. I waited until they were on sale and offered free shipping. They were still pricey but 29 dollars less.
Trying to focus on sharing one car to see if it is feasible.
That's a pretty sweet offer on intermittent emergency pizzas! I wish I could sign up for the app. Unfortunately no Dominos around me.
Thank you for providing a non-political space here. We get enough of the election on every other website.
1. Found enough candy to give out for Halloween at home, so didn't need to buy any.
2. Had a frugally fun evening seeing all the neighborhood kids in costume.
3. Saved the leftover candy to use for another occasion.
4. Did some batch cooking and put several meals in the freezer for easy dinners in the future.
5. Made a sale on Ebay and used shipping materials I had gotten at a discount. I also cut the extra half page of paper off the label I printed, to save for scratch paper.
- I returned my cans for the deposit.
- I picked up a nickel. That is tiny, I know, but I'd prefer to put a nickel in the meter when I'm there a short time than pay for a full hour which is the minimum time in the app.
- I made lasagna which used up lots of partial packages of stuff.
- I returned two things from Amazon promptly.
- I sorted my Amazon subscribe and save list for next month so I hit max savings, but don't get things we don't need yet.
$25/day for parking? How do parents afford this? Or, maybe they have their own parking lot; that would be compassionate.
1. I can't remember if I mentioned my sister figured out what was wrong with my dishwasher and helped me fix it. I haven't used it since Jan, and I am so delighted to have it back. When I wash dishes by hand, I am constantly being interrupted by the phone, the dog, the husband, my own distractibility and by the time I remember I was washing dishes, the water is cold and I have to refill the sink. So those commercials where they say "I do it every night" are probably accurate--it's more frugal for me to run the dishwasher.
2. Just now got off the phone with the bank after there was an attempted unauthorized credit card use on my husband's card. I liked my bank before it merged, and the new one not so much, but I have to say their credit card fraud department is johnny-on-the-spot! $30 charges avoided.
3. One think I took away from the whole Helene/Milton situation is a new resolve to keep my cars filled above 1/2 tank. I used to wait til I was half full to start thinking about my schedule and when I could combine gas purchasing with other errands, which could sometimes get me down to 1/4 of a tank before I did it. That meant I might fill my truck up twice a month, and the SUV once. The Upside app rewards 5 uses a month with an additional 10 cents/gal back on the first purchase of the following month. So last month, I made it a point to get each vehicle to the gas station by 1/2 tank, plus we bought our monthly Domino's pizza via Upside, and Sunday, I got 16 cents/gal back for the SUV at the station that usually runs 15-20 cents cheaper than the local station anyway. Upside reported $2.13 added to my account.
4. Trying really hard to limit myself to 1 caffeine-free diet coke per day and up my water intake instead. I used to be really good about this--for years I drank no carbonated beverages at all, but caved during husband's health stressors. I refuse to pay $7.99 for a 12-pack--and the local store sells them for $9.99 ($10.00!).
5. Splurged on Sunday lunch with some church friends. I've been out to eat twice this year with friends--it's just not something I do often, but it was such fun, and I needed a break, so I won't label it as a Frugal Fail. But I did luck out and 2 friends gave me their receipts for the Fetch app, and I picked up another in a shopping cart.
6. BIG one! One of my meds through Humana is obnoxiously expensive, so I used their price comparison to check what it would cost me through Walmart instead. Humana listed Walmart's price as being only a couple of dollars less per month, but the actual Walmart cost is $50/month less! Oh, yeah, I switched! I think I'm going to call about the rest of our meds now.
I use alcohol wipes to clean my hearing aids. That would probably work for ear buds, too, in case you'd like to buy that cheap pair for backup.
Congratulations, everyone. You inspire me as well as Kirsten! My frugal 5 this week are related to stamina in the kitchen:
* made empanadas for DH to take to the polling place pot luck lunch, a longtime tradition, but requiring careful thought for safe food handling. There is a fridge but no microwave.
* packed supper for DH, same day, as he has diabetes and can't depend on pot luck leftovers. Long day for him, 5:30 a.m. to about 9 p.m. tonight.
* and coffee, found a 1-quart thermos to last the whole day. Kind of a lot to get ready at 4:30 a.m. but worth it--poll workers aren't allowed to leave for lunch or errands. He will feel so much better having a closer to normal food day.
* planned carefully and in detail for upcoming trip to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. We have to drive two days to get to the Air bnb, which has a spartan kitchen, so packing includes some foods, some kitchen equipment, and the usual personal items. As we get older it seems more important to have all our medications, CPAP machines, etc., with us and in order. All this cooking and planning in addition to regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
* sewed a wonderful Halloween costume for DH, designed by his students and greeted with joy and a prize from the other teachers! A similar project would have cost a fortune if we could have found anyone else to tackle it. I learned a lot but will be careful about sewing fake fur in the future; it makes quite a mess.
**My most recent discovery for a yummy hot breakfast: Put in a covered casserole, per person: 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1 1/4 cup water, 1/8 teaspoon salt. (Or use individual small covered casseroles with 2-cup capacity.) Cover the night before, and bake all night in oven at 225F. It is ready for breakfast in the morning! I serve with butter, maple syrup, a glass of milk, and fruit, and coffee. Filling and delicious.
@KristinA, Fake fur is a mega pain to sew. And empanadas! I haven't made those in so long! Sounds good.
Tonight I'm planning on pizza and possibly mindblowing amounts of alcohol.
Ok I am late to the party today but I always say better late than never.
1. I shopped sales at Kroger this week on a day that gave me double fuel points so next time I fill up I will get $0.50/gallon off.
2. I used rewards and coupons at CVS to save on a few needed items. One of the items that I purchased gave $10 in rewards to use on my next purchase so that is wonderful.
3. We applied for some financial aid to help us cover costs associated with my husband's recent cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments.
4. We ate at home for almost every meal over the last week.
5. Have not been to Hobby Lobby to purchase any decor for Fall. This easily saved me $400-$500 and I call that a win. I can make no promises about Christmas.
Thank you for being a politics free zone. I do vote and love my country
My purse (a nice navy Tommy Hilfiger my mom picked up for me at a thrift store) has finally completely given up The Ghost and the handles are completely non-functional. Found a lady on Facebook marketplace he was selling a nice large tan leather Coach bag for $40!
I met her at the outlet stores near my house to get the purse. I then took my daughter to one of the stores she prefers and got the pants she desperately needs, but cheaper. She is autistic and very picky about clothes
-I'm gonna count my Chipotle dinner as frugal. For less than $11 I get two nourishing meals..I get the salad (with chicken), extra fajita veggies (free), almost all the included toppings, turn it over, eat all the lettuce and half of the rest. I'm getting home late tomorrow night and will add fresh lettuce. Already looking forward to the leftovers! Easy button activated!
-Using gas gift cards from loved ones to pay for trips to medical treatments. Much appreciated!!
-I voted early on my way to another appointment so I didn't have to make any arrangements today, go out of my way, or stand in any lines. Frugal in terms of time saved and stress avoided today ; )
-My husband cleaned my headlights with WD-40 and I think it worked well.
-Our school division provided a free drink from a coffee truck yesterday for staff on our workday!
Yay for that carpool! $25 at a hospital is so extra.
loved your interview on the other blog. so glad you don't have to pay for parking. that hospital should validate parking for employes. boo on them. when you are a nurse you could work on a cruise ship and then you would really be going places and not have any housing costs. hubby and i are both related to the folks who perished on the titanic. he to ida strauss and me to isidore. plus on our honeymoon in st lucia, he jumped off a bicycle boat and when he tried to get back in, the boat tipped over with me in it and the boat was on top of me. somehow i was pulled to safety and not by my new hubby nor the lifeguard. so no cruises for us. even though the kids would love a disney cruise.
1. I mended the seam of a toddler shirt.
2. DH and I used the last of a gift card to go out to lunch (a rare occasion, and a treat) after we took in our littlest one for his shots.
3. I remembered to check our health rewards account through our insurance company. We should both receive $25 to our FSA debit cards for doing our flu shots recently!
4. We had to replace our fridge after the compressor died recently. I spent $10 on a Consumer Reports online membership which turned out to not help that much, as there are about a million different options and only a few hundred(!) have been tested. However I finally went to a local store to check out what they looked and felt like in person, then DH looked at the manufacturer’s website for details. He chatted with a rep who offered him a 15% discount code, and the site included delivery, installation, and removal of the old fridge for free! So the total price ended up being less than the Home Depot price by several hundred, not including any delivery/installation fees. And we will also get $55 back from Rakuten. Overall it was better than I expected… and to be honest our fridge was pretty strange and I am glad that of all our appliances that it’s the one that died.
5. We’re slowly eating down some of the miscellaneous freezer items that don’t need to sit around while we are on an extended trip. Tonight we finished off some close to freezer-burned tortellini and I ate some ancient frozen leftovers.