Five Frugal Things | including two accidental frugalities!
1. I saved $40 at Old Navy
This was rather inadvertent, but I'm including it anyway!
Zoe needed a few fall wardrobe items as did Sonia, so we stopped in at Old Navy. When I got to the register, the cashier asked if I had any Super Cash, so I searched in my email on my phone and sure enough, I had a $40/$100 coupon.
YES.
Thank you, dear cashier.
2. We shopped the clearance rack at Old Navy.
Often the stuff on the clearance racks is there for an obvious reason ("Hmm, I can see why no one wanted to buy this shirt style!"), but we managed to find a couple of great things for Zoe, one being a shirt for $1.97.
I don't spend hours searching through those racks...I find that a fairly cursory look is enough to tell me if there are any possibilities.
3. I got my eyebrow pencil for half off.
I also don't deserve much credit for this one. 😉 Sonia found out I was going to be near Ulta Beauty and she told me they were having a one day 50% off sale on the eyebrow pencil that I use.
My current pencil isn't quite worn down yet, but I bought one because 50% off is awesome and because having a backup is lovely.
4. We bought some grocery markdowns.
Sonia and I had to hit the grocery store for some dinner ingredients, and while we were there, we poked through the markdown cart.
We picked up some rice cakes for $0.80 plus two boxes of marked-down cereal (the boxes were a bit damaged.)
5. I filled out a sponsored post form.
I have a contact that emails me every now and then with information about companies that would like me to write a post about their product/service.
The nice thing is, this person really thinks about what would be a good fit for me and my readers, so the things she sends my way are usually things I want to say yes to (like TurboTax.)
Anyway, there's a form to fill out for her to present to the company, and I filled one out for a bank that encourages consistent savings deposits (why yes, I CAN get behind that message!).
1- I used a $5.00 reward and a free shipping coupon on a clearance order from Famous Footwear this weekend.
2-K cups ( I know, I know) were b2g2 at OfficeDepot.. Used ebates, got free shipping due to my status as a rewards member, used my rewards dollars and got 4 boxes for less than the price of 1 box!
3-remembered to pick up my nice metal water bottle I forgot in the waiting room at the dentist! I bought it on clearance and love it! lol
4- stopped into walgreens to buy a few things with special bonus point coupons and found a few great school supply deals too! Now I have $20 in Wbucks!
5-make coffee/tea at home... Ok.. we lost power early yesterday morning. not sure when it would come back on.. I told hubby to grab coffee when he was driving around to see where outage was.. he texted me to heat water.. I FORGOT that we now have a gas stove and I can light the burner to boil water! lol Coffee, tea and cocoa made everyone warm on that chilly rainy morning!
I spent Sunday having some retail therapy. Went to many stores and spent no money. I found plenty of great deals but honestly nothing that I can't live without!
I did go to Costco for a short list as my membership is expiring and I won't renew unless Groupon has a deal at least in the short term. There a number of items that Costco that are my favorites.
If possible, I'd buy a bunch of costco cash cards before your membership expires, you can use them without a membership.
Oh they will let you shop with gift cards without a membership...that is great info to know thanks so much!
I had no idea!
1. Stopping at Krogers near church yesterday gave me three red peppers for .99, 3 boxes of Life cereal for 1.29 each, a bag of spinach for .89 and a multigrain bread for .89. Their clearance deals are great.
2. I picked the last of the green beans Friday and prepared them Saturday. Tomatoes are still hanging in there. If it dries up this week, I'll pull the bean plants and plant kale.
3. Decorated a rake I found in a free pile at a garage sale with odds and ends in the bottom of my 'flower bin'. Looks pretty good. I'll make a bow with a thrift shop roll of burlap ribbbon.
4. A friend fed several ladies dinner at a local Mexican restaurant as a thanks for helping with her son's rehearsal dinner. We had the best time and I came home with an enchilada that I split with my husband for dinner yesterday. The food was great but the company was even better!
5. I had two coupons from Christopher and Banks that were ready to expire. They had no summer clothes that I needed or wanted and the fall clothes were only 25% off so I used one coupon and got three lovely necklaces for $10 and used the other to get a free pack of socks-one of which had foxes on it. 🙂 I'll likely use one of the necklaces as a birthday gift and the fox socks make me deliriously happy!!!
I spent no money all week!
Making a baby quilt with fabric pulled from my scrap basket, knitting hats with yarn pulled from a scarf I once knit and never wore and sewing taggy giraffe stuffies from leftover fabric and ribbon. Hats and giraffes are for Carry The Future.
Devising meals from fridge and pantry for awhile along with using 2 take out coupons for free meals.
Creative frugality at its best!
I love it when I can find some mark-down items. One time I got a $7 night cough syrup for Baby FAF for half off and have been checking that mark-down cart every time to go to the store ever since!
I love that cashier!
1. Have had the urge to go through the McDonalds drive-through for a soda lately (only $1 for a large, a voice tells me!) but have resisted. One of these days I’ll do it, though, and that’ll be fine too!
2. My husband got an unexpected bonus from work. I’m thrilled about the money, of course, but I’m also really glad he got recognized for his hard work. He’s really a do-the-right-thing kind of guy, and I’m glad that gets noticed.
3. Still checking the unit price for chocolate chips at the grocery store and the smaller bags are still cheaper. I don’t understand why, but I’ll keep on buying the smaller bags unless anything changes.
4. Now that fall is here I’ll be working a little more. Yay!
5. Started listening to Dave Ramsey when I’m in the car and he’s on. I feel like I’ve heard his name forever but had never actually listened to him. I’d love to be able to do a “debt-free scream” someday, but still have a ways to go on my mortgage. People’s calls and stories are thought-provoking.
1). We went apple picking this weekend and avoided the "extra" kiddie activities like pony rides. Everyone had fun picking apples and going on the hayride.
2). Bought birthday invitations from Dollar Tree vs the much more expensive party store.
3) Went to the library to find an item I knew I returned but was not scanned in.
4) Skipped a week of doggie daycare.
5) Doubled a batch a vegetarian chili that I made yesterday. Now there's enough for one weeknight dinner and a few lunches this week.
Traveling for business edition:
1. Found $.53 in the Coinstar return and a few pennies in the parking lot. I happily put it in the penny march at church.
2. Although we are traveling for business and our meals are reimbursed, we still eat a $3 salad for dinner to combat all the other calories we consume since I can't cook. Maintaining a healthy weight is frugal.
3. I managed to eat or freeze all perishable food before we left.
4. We stay at the same hotel chain so we accrue points toward a free night.
Their breakfast is filling and healthy so we save the cost of buying breakfast.
5. We buy water by the gallon to refill our stainless cups while driving.
the penny march? what is that - it sounds kinda interesting... 🙂
The children collect coins (and paper money if offered) from the congregation, hence the name. The collection is generally used for children's ministries. The children enjoy it!
Well, how does it work? And why is it called "penny MATCH?" Inquiring minds want to know!
It is called penny march because the children walk around the sanctuary collecting money. They don't actually march, but it has always been called that as long as I have attended church (30+ years).
This is a Not Frugal- but Frugal edition for me.
1. Not frugal: Our dishwasher failed after a power failure, and the fix is $509. This is a dishwasher that I've had at least 7 calls for repairs, (only bought it in 2015) and the extended warranty is almost used up -- they are cashing out what little remains of the warranty money and sending me that in a check, and won't be covering any more repairs. So we turned down the repair option... to be frugal, we are shopping multiple places and we plan to install it ourselves. We live in a small town with one store that sells appliances; their prices are high and the selection is small. All other stores in the nearest large town charge big fees to deliver and/or install, since we are 50+ miles from them. I've been washing dishes by hand -- I am not springing for the first dishwasher I see, just because my dishwasher is out. And this time, we will be buying a pretty plain dishwasher. Fancy options are nice, until they break down, and I've had two "nice" dishwashers" break down when 3 years old or less. The repairman, in fact recommended going for a simple, less-expensive model.
2. I forgot my lunch on Friday - not frugal. Instead of going to a fast food or drive-through, I went to a grocery store and picked up a small plate from their hot bar -- under $5, plus I grabbed some items off my grocery list, so I could cross that store off my planned shopping route after work that day.
3. By adding finely chopped on-sale onion, celery and carrots, plus sliced on-sale grapes to my tuna salad, I made one little can of tuna stretch to feed us both and have leftover for another meal. The tuna-water was poured over our cats' food, which they loved.
4. Our new puppy (not frugal!) chewed a little hole in our sofa throw, but with some careful zigzag stitching, I was able to make it very unnoticeable.
5. I did some meal-prep ahead on Sunday afternoon after church, to keep me from buying something because I don't have time or am too tired to do a full meal prep after work. Even buying a frozen pizza or can of soup from the store is wasteful when I already have good food and fresh produce at home that was scheduled to be cooked.
I hear you on the dishwasher! Ours broke a few months after buying a new house (also 2 months before our littlest babe arrived), and we didn't get the extra insurance for appliances (oops.) and we waited 6 months, while watching the market and looking at options, before getting a new one. We washed dishes by hand, and consequently we were really careful about how many dishes we used. Now, 2 1/2 years after installing our nice, but simple dishwasher I tell my husband I'm still s so thankful to have it. About 3 weeks ago we had to clean the jets for the second time since owning it, and besides that we've had no problems. We used Consumer Reports as a major advisor for that purchase, and it was worth it.
Did you buy the extended warranty for the dishwasher directly from the manufacturer or from the store, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot? I ask because we had a horrible washing machine that had an extended warranty through Lowe’s. We made at least 4 service calls for it in the first 2 years, and the service technician told us that if they get too many service calls for an appliance, the customer will get a replacement, as it’s considered a “lemon.” Did you have to accept the check for the remainder of the extended warranty? It seems like they should have honored the warranty until it ended, doing whatever was necessary to repair (or even replace) the dishwasher.
We bought it through the store. We were told that the appliance might be subject to replacement after 3 calls for the same thing, but instead they kept sending repairmen to it. I would have preferred the replacement, but their "review" said they weren't prepared to replace it yet. Because our previous dishwasher also failed in a short time, that's why we purchased the extended warranty this time. Our previous to the previous dishwasher ran for 11 years. I wish I still had that one.
I have a second-hand KitchenAid (at least 10 years old) that works great. The one before that was hideous - the bad experience has erased the make from my mind but it might have been a Frigidaire.
Yes, I'd like to know the brands and models of the "duds"! And it might make you feel a little better to tell us!
1 - Straightened out my refrigerator a little bit (how many times does one buy things cos' one doesn't know what's in their pantry? <>
2 - Updated my pantry inventory - so I know what I have and it'll be easier to plan a menu and make a shopping list
3 - Prepared my lunch salad already (otherwise I end up going around the corner and spending over $5 on a sandwich and soda) - and I had already made croutons, some of which are going in the salad. When I eat it later, all I have put in is a bit of EVOO and some mayo....
4 - Threw away an empty box of Swiffer - why am I putting this here? Cos' I had already bought four (4) boxes that were on sale last week in CVS - and there was an ExtraBucks reward besides which - so I don't have to buy them at full price this week.... 🙂
5 - Gonna make some coffee later - I had already bought the coffee - and the stevia - and the coconut milk.... 🙂
1. I used up a bag of needed-to-be-used-up potatoes to make pierogies and potato pancakes. Hurray for no food waste!
2. I scored a ton of whole wheat lasagna noodles and fruit cups for fifty cents a package at my grocery store's clearance rack. I was ridiculously excited about that.
3. I hung laundry to dry and used up some frozen butternut squash to make way for the squash that will be coming this year.
4. I'm still working on that Christmas present made from yarn I used to make Christmas presents years ago. Scrap yarn is pretty awesome.
5. My son is still going off of lunches that I made a week ago and froze (and they were made out of leftovers). Fewer lunches for me to pack, less waste, I'm SO down with all of this!
1. I made a ton of french bread sunday morning with stale bread.
2. I wore a 1.99 new to me dress to church yesterday. ( good will 1.99 dress day)
3. I cooked and packages five meals for lunch this week with zucchini and chard given to me from different gardening friends.
4. I only did big loads of laundry on COLD this week-end.
5. I bought nothing from the concession stand at a XC meet on Saturday and brought frugal snacks from home.
meant french toast ARG
1.) Had my annual barbecue and RSVPs were sadly less than previous years. Despite pressure to cook a lot more I kept it simple. Less leftovers were nice. I did still have a lot of garbage which bothered me but I'll get over it, I guess.
2.) Aldi has oyster crackers back! I know this is silly but my kid (and her dad, I won't lie) love to snack on oyster crackers and they are so much cheaper at Aldi than the name brand ones.
3.) Will be traveling up to King Arthur Flour soon to restock my supply of flour.
4.) Had an abundance of cucumbers from the garden so I made pickle relish. I won't eat it but a lot of people in my family will.
5.) Made a double batch of barbecue sauce when making some for my party. That way I have extra for other applications.
Don't you love when you save money by accident? 🙂
This week:
1. I went into Walmart needing to buy a bubble gun (for my cat lol) and cough drops. I looked on the clearance aisle first and hit jackpot! I scored two bags of cough drops for .25 apiece and a bubble gun for $3.
2. I submitted reimbursement for mileage today and it was accepted. It's nice having a little extra on your paycheck.
3. We did a DIY movie night over the weekend, complete with fancy homemade popcorn and surround sound.
4. We grilled on Sunday and used it as an excuse to pre-cook meat for dinner this week. It's a pain to fire up the charcoal grill on weeknights, and I love having protein ready for serving.
5. I used up a tin of canned biscuits to make some heavenly monkey bread. Oh MAN was it delicious!
Mrs. Picky Pincher,
Every time I read your response I would think why is she buying her cat bubble "gum."
I finally got it right, but my brain was simply not cooperating. 😀
1)I brought my breakfast to work. For some reason I can't leave myself enough room to eat at home. And if I DO manage to eat at home before work, I am starving by 10 a.m. When I bring it to work, I'm good until noon. Either way, I'm having a mocha smoothie (from plexus) with apple in it!
2) I ordered a deodorant I really want. While this admittedly doesn't sound like it's frugal... do you ever think you WANT product A, but because it's not easy to find, or it costs more... you try product B, product C, and product D and hate all of them? When really, if you bought only product A, you may have saved some money? So I did it... I bought a deodorant on Amazon (Primal Pit Paste) that is good quality, natural, and should work far better than Tom's or Jason brand.
3) I took the time last night to list a bunch of things from our shed. Spent two hours cleaning it out and finally made some tough decisions. What we made was able to cover dinner for us (and since we're renovating our kitchen ourselves, it was a nice break to not clean up the renovation part enough to cook)
4) I wanted something for dessert last night. I went to the grocery store and bought grapes. I feel like this is healthily frugal... as cake may have cost just as much as the grapes, but this was a better decision!
5) I sold four tickets to a local, sold out concert (The Avett Brothers) because my stepsister/brother-in-law suddenly couldn't go next week. And then I found out my boyfriend's dad is getting remarried the same weekend as the concert... and I'd really like to go 🙁 So I listed the tickets on StubHub at the suggestion of a friend and they sold! $400 back in my pocket is MUCH appreciated since concerts like this are a rare, rare, rare treat.
I'm with you on your #2; it's great to find a cheaper item that works fine but sometimes a more expensive brand is the better option; does what you want, lasts longer; and more pleasant to use; thumbs up
1) Moved child into her college dorm last week. {sob} She is living in a very expensive city, too far to make a round trip in one day. Our hotel wasn't cheap but since our air conditioning went out in the middle of the night, we got our bill reduced by $50 which more than paid for our parking with some $ left over! Is a hotel chain that I often use in order to accrue points for future stays.
2) On way to the college, we ate our packed from home lunch so as to not buy food on the road.
3) Had a disappointingly dry watermelon which instead of tossing, I pureed along with old kiwi to make very refreshing juice.
4) Used my $10 off Dick's coupon on a marked down Under Armour heat gear tee for my son. Still cost me $7 but as UA is so expensive, I was happy with purchase.
5) Used my accrued points to score free hamburger buns at local store. Buns will be fed to picky dog who will appreciate them.
1. The most frugal thing we are doing right now is eating the same thing day after day. It has been frosting every night now, so a few days ago we had to pull up and bring in all the tomatoes, zucchini and peppers that had been hanging on in the garden. I canned and froze as much as I could, but we have run out of freezer space so every meal we are eating one, two or all three of those vegetables. (Zucchini latkes for breakfast anyone?)
2. Used the library to the max this week---books, DVDs, attended an event there...
3. I take an extremely expensive medication that basically keeps me alive. The price has gone up again...it was the doctor who said she was going to prescribe double the amount and have me cut the pill in half. The price is only one-third higher for the doubled pill, so it is saving me a lot of money.
4. Oddest trade of the week: I saw a free ad for a step stool, on our local free site. When I went to pick it up, the owner mentioned that her kid had broken his leg the day before and she was about to post an ad looking for free crutches because her insurance was refusing to cover the purchase of crutches. Last time we cleaned out the garage, we found three and a half pairs of crutches, so I was happy to pass on a pair to her.
5. Handy nephew came and turned my compost (I have three large piles!) I made two dozen of his favorite cookies as payment.
"The most frugal thing we are doing right now is eating the same thing day after day. It has been frosting every night now, "
On first read, I thought you were eating frosting every night!
Oooh. Well, if you like frosting, then that would be an awesome meal plan!
I thought the same thing! And I LOVE frosting, so my first thought was how delightful that must be.
1. Left mac&cheese for the kids while my husband and I went on a date instead of ordering food for them. Definitely a treat for them, and so much easier than making something from scratch.
2. Have been delaying outings until there is a sizable enough list to warrant going out: saves on gas and reduces time spent in the store (the more I'm there the more I spend)
3. Returned shoes that didn't fit my husband well. His shoe size is larger than what is carried in brick and mortar stores, so he orders all of his shoes, and we found a place that has been really easy to work with.
4. Have kept all of our entertainment free this week: watched Lincoln on Netflix (which we have for free because something about the phone plan we're on, which is also relatively cheap... My husband figured it out) for entertainment one night instead of spending money (highly recommend the movie!), enjoyed a fire outisde (burned bushes we cut down earlier this year), walked along a pretty part of town, etc.)
5. Made two loaves of sourdough from scatch this weekend, ate produce from my husband's garden, and did some extra cooking last night to make sure lunches were prepared for today.
Not the most stellar week, but not too shabby either
1) Last night we menu planned and this morning I grocery shopped. My husband is doing Whole 30 in September. He says he feels amazing, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he is actually eating less. I was expecting groceries this month to be higher because he was eating less bread and more meat and vegetables, but I think he was actually eating a lot of snacks. Yay for better health and money saved.
2) Our weekend airbnb guests left a watchband. I dropped it in the mail to them this morning and sent them an invoice over airbnb.
3) Instead of driving the truck I rode my bike down to the post office and made a stop at a consignment store. Unfortunately I found no church shoes for our daughter or sweatpants for our son, so I ordered a bunch of stuff from thredup.
4) We inexplicably lost our oldest's backpack over the summer. He is using my backpack while we wait for it to surface and I check consignment stores for a new one. No need to rush out and buy new when he seems to be making do with mine.
5) This past weekend we did absolutely nothing and it was free and wonderful.
1. Also had a money-saving cashier encounter. I went to Walgreens to pick up clear nail polish and ONE new color. I have cut back on salon manicures and I am feeling very limited by the 2 color choices I have at home. I had a difficult time deciding between 2 colors and really did not want to purchase TWO new colors in addition to the top coat. And top coat is key to having the salon look so I was not leaving that one. I bring my clear polish and ONE new color to the cashier and she states "these products are buy 2 get 1 free." I smiled and quickly picked up the second color I also wanted.
2. Prepped meals for my work week - no buying lunch! Also, I love mason jar salads. I find it is the best way to make salads in advance because it keeps salad fresh and no extra salad dressing containers for me.
3. Made home-made salad dressing - yummy and cheap!
4. Did NOT grocery shop this past weekend (I usually do so every weekend). I plan to cook from the pantry/freezer this week. Saturday and Sunday were successful.
5. Instead of buying a new toothbrush for my son, I remembered (and then located) a free toothbrush from his last dental cleaning.
Accidental savings are some of the very best kinds of accidents.
1) I signed up to Subscribe and Save for our laundry detergent. We have very hard water, despite the water softener and multiple filters, and work outside a lot. I finally found a detergent that can work magic and give me clean-smelling clothes but I can only get it online. Amazon has the best price, free shipping and gives a 5% discount if I subscribe. Win-win.
2) I am doing a pantry clean-out this month, so our grocery bills have been GREAT.
3) Sometimes frugality is sacrificial in the short term. I've recently lost 20 lbs and my jeans don't fit except for one raggedy pair. I am about to go down another size. I'll just keep waiting it out in the holey pair until I drop another 10 lbs or so.
They still fit just because the waist was always a bit tighter than my other jeans.
4) This is my birthday month so I stacked my DSW gift with a sale and free shipping to get a new pair of sandals to go with the dresses that fit me now.
5) We switched to a chiropractor that is 20 minutes closer to our house, saving us so much gas and time. I don't know yet if we like them but it is worth a shot.
Yay for #3!! A very good reason to get new pants!
1. Had to work very late twice in the past week. Why is this frugal? Because I also have to take a sick day. Working late means using less of my sick days.
2. Did not eat out either day I worked late. One day was in the office and I had some of the soup I keep in my desk. The other I was at a conference, and I had a quick and easy dinner planned for my return (frozen dumplings).
3. Packed breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the conference.
4. Supermarket revisit to fix three problems: they charged me for 6 of something when I'd only bought 4 ($12.50 to me), buy another box of granola as I'd bought 9 but used 10 coupons (oops!) ($2.25 to them), and exchange an apple that was rotten inside (about $1 to me). Didn't buy anything I didn't need.
5. Didn't buy a gold-plated Lear Jet. (Hat tip to the Non-consumer Advocate.)
Wise decision - the gold would make it much heavier; i'd go for the cheaper model...
I love that the cashier helped to save you money! Now THAT's excellent customer service. 😀
Hmm... I just wrote a quick 5 frugal post the other day, but let's see if I can come up with five things from today:
1. I didn't quite have enough ground meat for tacos tonight, so I added a couple cans of black beans and cooked everything else the same. In the end there was even enough "meat" mixture to use for hubby's lunch tomorrow!
2. I found a flat of bruised peaches on the second's rack for 50cents a pound. Yay bruised peaches!
3. We started more of our formal homeschooling today (ie math) and I used some workbooks I found at the thrift for my son who's doing kindergarten.
4. I went in a store to check if they had any clearance deals and walked out with nothing. I always feel like that IKEA commercial when I leave a store without buying anything. "Start the car!!!"
5. I'm finishing up my lesson for a homeschool co-op tomorrow and I've pieced everything together for free! (minus a few sheets of paper and a tiny bit of ink) Yay computer and internet!
I add black beans to our ground beef or turkey for tacos all of the time. It stretches the meal further, we can usually get a second dinner or at least a few lunches. My family actually prefers the meat & bean mixture now!
Well, here's my Fab Five:
1) I'm donating some new items to our church's fundraiser. It's a raffle where you buy tickets and put them in the bucket next to the item nd then they pull a ticket...I'm decluttering the house and it's a tax write-off, so it's a win-win.
2) Our youngest is taking the bus to the train to get to school. So, less gas is used and I can get more sleep. Savings- $448/semester
3) I ordered some hair items from Aveda with free shipping and was sent a free hair sample and chose a free aftershave sample as a stocking stuffer for the youngest. Savings- $18.50
4) I'm making my own ravioli. I've never made them before and found ground beef and local sausage in the clearance section of the supermarket today. Savings- $14.50
5) The youngest gave me some t-shirts he didn't want. I wear them to bed and the gym. Savings- $20
I have been decluttering so
1. I have found some clothes to donate.
2. There are many useful things in the pantry. They will now be consumed.
3. I have managed no spend days.
4. I have been to the library.
5. My granddaughter turned one and every gift was marked down. Some money saved there.
1. Rooted plant clippings to start a new plant for my son
2. Found a cute dog costume in the Target dollar aisle...it was a hot dog
3. Chase sent me a message telling me that I have earned $206 in reward points so far this year...so Christmas is paid for:)
4. Found free study guides online for Frankenstein, so I will not have to buy or make one...thank goodness!
5. Stocked up on dollar tree toys to refill my homeschool prize box
1. Delaying purchasing some needed kitchen appliances to give me more time to work out which ones would suit me best
2. Reviewing my budget currently & tallying my spending thus far to see where I need to tweak my spending
3. Mowed my lawn myself with my push mower
4. Wonderful friend cooked me chicken biryani for dinner as I've just moved & my home is a tad chaotic & under-applianced - see 1.
5. Blast from the past; an old friend rang me tonight & we plan to catch up & I suggested a mid morning walk along the beach on our day off ( I have been eating out with people a bit lately & time to do something cheaper & more active 🙂
Five things?
1.) I fixed my paper shredder. I dug chunks of paper out, banged on it (just right, apparently), and oiled it. It was a last-ditch effort; it's pretty old.
2.) I thawed a chuck roast, and cut a couple of steaks from it for Sunday dinner. There were some leftover pieces, and I used that to make a "leftover soup" from the fridge (Instant Pot, yay!) along with onions, tomatoes, a little pasta, partial packages of frozen vegetables. We'll have that for today's lunch, too.
3.) Charlie, the puppy, got into poison ivy outside, and shared it with me (from his fur). My legs are a mess, but I'm trying to deal with it on my own rather than go to the doctor this time. My Medicare is delayed (their error), so I don't have insurance right now. Or prescription coverage. I rummaged through the medicine chest for itch stuff.
4.) The weather has cooperated for a few days, so the AC is off and the windows are open. Very nice. It's been a weird summer.
5.) My husband retired a month ago; I'm still adjusting to having him home. He had traveled with his business at least 2-3 days a week, so there are extra meals, food, etc. He had a company vehicle, company uniforms, and an expense account - so now we REALLY have to economize. And there was paid health insurance.
We travled to Vegas this weekend and had a great time!
1. Our flight and hotels were paid with credit card rewards. One of SO's cards got us access to an airport lounge so that we could snack a little bit before our flight out.
2. I wanted to visit the Atomic Testing Museum and after a quick Google found out there were tickets on Groupon. I'm signed up for Groupon student so I got additional 25% off each ticket.
3. We wanted to hit up a buffet at least once so on the first full day there we used it as our only meal. We were able to add on unlimited wine for 13 bucks a piece. We definitely got our fill!
4. One of SO's credit cards offers a $15 Uber credit every month. He also got a 40% off promotion that lasted the entire time we were in Vegas. The credit ended up covering most of our ground transportation.
5. I brought an empty Nalgene bottle to refill and carry along with us so that I wouldn't have to by any bottled water. We also realized that if we stayed at the game table that we liked, a server would come around and give us free drinks. We made sure to tip but it really helped our entertainment budget.
1. Picked up a lunch box for work. I haven't needed an insulated lunch box in years. We have a fridge at my new job but it doesn't work very well and I don't want to risk getting sick from food not being kept cold properly. Our grocery store had back to school supplies on clearance so my lunch box was only $3! Savings-$7
2. Used ibotta for some grocery purchases as I do each week. This week wasn't as good as previous weeks but every penny adds up and I almost have enough for another $50 Amazon gift card.
3. Picked up a bathing suit top at goodwill for $1. I can no longer wear the type that tie around my neck due to some issues with neck pain. I have slowly been eliminating and replacing them with other styles of bikini and bathing suit tops as I find them for a reasonable price. I now have 3 different tops which is plenty to choose from.
4. My mother offered me a large stash of material while we were visiting her recently. I of course accepted. She has decided to only purchase what she needs for specific projects and not keep any extra on hand just hanging around for no reason. I was so excited as I have been working with a lot of my scrap fabric. Can't wait to dive in and see what goodies are in there.
5. Packed lunches for work everyday and didn't buy any new clothes other than 1 pair of replacement pajama bottoms on clearnance for $1.75.
Late to the party but here goes:
1. Breakfasts and lunches were made and or brought to work and included much free stuff (eggs, cereal, sour cream) and, of course, beloved markdowns -- salad, organic frozen stuff, etc.
2. Trying to use up stuff in the freezer and pantry -- so spaghetti sauce with marked down shrooms and onions on marked down pasta for one day, and the leftovers with last bits of frozen tortellini of uncertain vintage tossed in. Buying just enough fresh stuff for me since husband is away and not wasting much.
3. Watching wonderful free stuff on Amazon and Netflix -- well, we've already paid. And using Movie pass from daughter to see movies on the big screen.
4. Not spending too much for classroom -- which is full to bursting and needs nothing.
5. Did not spend much on clothes to start the new year -- just 2 marked down pants and 1 capri on deep discount at Penney's. No new shoes or other stuff and guess what? no one seems to care 😉
6. Oh, booked flight to visit my 92 year old mom and used my CC points -- only costing me $104 for round trip Los Angeles to Boston and back. Now if I can find a reasonable car rental . . .