Five Frugal Things | lid, meet jar
1. I joined a lid and a jar
(questionably frugal, but I'm including it because I am the boss around here.)
A little glass tea-steeping pot fell off of my kitchen shelf and onto the tile floor, where it shattered immediately.
I did initially blame Chiquita (because, obviously), but I think something else on the shelf actually slid down into the pot, pushing it off.
Here is one household crime that is not actually Chiquita's fault. 😉 She breathed a sign of relief upon hearing she was acquitted.
Oddly, the glass lid did not break.
I looked at the size and thought, "Hmm, I wonder if this might fit any of my saved glass jars." and it did fit very nicely on a saved candle jar.
So now it looks a bit like these mini apothecary jars, and I'm tickled with my save.
2. I painted an old plastic basket for Sonia
She uses this old green bin to hold items in her bathroom, but she didn't love the green color.
So, she texted me to see if I had pink spray paint in my stash, and I did indeed!
It looks much, much more Sonia now.
3. I got a free symphony ticket
Last week, I had an exam, followed by two long days of presentations, followed by another exam. So after that, I took a break and went to the symphony.
The bigger-city orchestra was playing at another venue that includes free parking; sooo, both my ticket and my parking were free!
It was warmer that day, so I skipped my usual black Target symphony dress and wore one of my new Target dresses.
I really, really wished I could teleport Lisey here because she loves to hear orchestras, and one of their selections that night was the theme from Pixar's Up movie, which Lisey would have loved to hear.
But as I was talking to her on the phone last night, I found a free summer concert that's put on by the Hawaii symphony orchestra! So she's gonna probably go to that one. 🙂
4. I got a free lamp from my Buy Nothing group
I am no home design expert, but I always remember that Maria Killiam says you can basically never have too many lamps.
(She even brings lamps with her when she travels. Ha.)
So, if I see a good one pop up on my Buy Nothing group, I try to snag it.
Remember this one?
Well, I picked up this vaguely similar one, and I haven't quite decided where it will go.
I will play around with it when school is done.
5. I...
- made my coffee at home
- packed my lunches for my many recent school days
- made a lot of random meals while dining solo here at home
- did not buy a Cybertruck (even though I think someone in my neighborhood did, because I have seen it drive past my house every day lately!!*)
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
*my friend The Nonconsumer Advocate often ends her Five Frugal Things posts by mentioning that she has not bought a Lear jet that week.
Love the look of the new to you apothecary jar. I was anti frugal last week but survived another week in May. Not thriving but surviving so giving myself grace.
-rescued overripe bananas to convert into banana bread (unfortunately ate a ton of banana bread too haha)
-defrosted some meatballs from freezer for pizza topping
-ate for free at work one night
-got free cat food at pet store. It gave my cat the runs but at least we know not to buy that kind then...
-took the kids to an outing at a museum. Everyone under age 19 counted as a child and was free, which was nice
1. I am planning to spray paint our old rustyish firepit for the renters to use in the cottage. I bought Rustoleum Rust Reformer which has excellent reviews. We'll see.
2. My daughter painted a patch for me to use on the old parchment shades on 1940s cottage lamps.
3. I'm going to haul out the steam upholstery/carpet cleaner today. $&* puppies. Though we're getting there with the tiny beagle pup.
4. Canceled $$$ Mother's Day brunch for which I had reseverations.
5. I bought a Cybertruck. (No, not really. I have very low opinions on Teslas.)
People in your area have enough money for a Cybertruck...but would it fit with the Long Island aesthetic?
I'll probably see more in my area than you will in yours!
@Kristen, Boy, I hope so. Then again, my area had one of the very first Tesla dealerships starting about 10 years ago.
I feel like regular Teslas could fit in better, though. They don't look so futuristic! I will be surprised if Cyybertrucks catch on with the Long Island crowd.
(Says she who has never lived on Long Island. lol)
@Rose, the Rustoleum Rust converter paint is great!! But work of caution, it is wise to put some heat resistant/grill paint over rust converter paint which is not heat resistant. I did the outside of my fire pit (had hanging insert) & paint color melted & ran down side of base. I reapplied again (after cooled) & then applied grill paint & seemed to hold up.
@Rose, In New Mexico, Tesla is prohibited by state statute from selling cars or even opening a service center, because it is a manufacturer and not a licensed dealership. So as a workaround it opened a store and service center on Nambe Pueblo tribal land north of Santa Fe, and a second one on Santa Ana Pueblo tribal land last year.
@JDinNM, Figures!
I was telling a friend of mine who was teaching an AI seminar at the Barbican in London that the architects, back in 1959, decided that the kitchens would be windowless, though light would come in from other rooms. They wanted to save windows for living areas and bedrooms. Except London County Council passed a law decreeing all newly built kitchens had to have a window. So the architects renamed them "cooking rooms" on the plans and London County Council then approved them.
@Rose, What "figures" is that the owners of the national car dealerships are extremely wealthy and politically active so Tesla-friendly legislation dies in committee in both the New Mexico State Senate and House. The Pueblos (which are not subject to New Mexico state laws) are taking advantage, and good for them.
@Rose, and @Kristen,
Working in a hospital and parking in the same parking garage as the doctors do, I see a fair number of Teslas parked (or coming and going). I think they're not bad, but not sure I want an electric vehicle until 1) they can go farther on a single charge, and 2) the price comes down (if that's ever a possibility. I don't know). Of course, we drive our cars for many years before getting new-to-us cars....so thankful hubby and I both bought new-to-us cars pre-Covid.
A friend from high school drove 700+ miles with his son to get back to his home in Dallas, TX, in time for the solar eclipse back in April....they had to make numerous stops to get recharges. To each his or her own.
I won't be buying a Cybertruck, either. 🙂
@Kristen, This may shock you, but everyone is into showoffy cars around here. Either $200K sports cars, Maybachs (HI MR. LAUREN HI!), vintage cars, or the redone $75,000 vintage Broncos in bright colors that say, "I'm rich, but cool like a surfer dude." I look like the help in my 2014 Camry, but whatever!
@Rose, drive that 2014 Camry with pride! What a thrill it would be to have a car that new. . . but I drive my '96 Accord with pride.
@Rose, even cooler is to have a vintage car which one will inherit from the surviving parental unit. Purchased the "commuter" muscle car off the show room floor in fall 1967. Those that don't have to pay to be cool come from frugal families!
@Selena, Lovely. I wish I had my parents' old 65 Mustang.
Re: Cybertrucks, I'll keep my beloved '89 Buick, thank you very much. While I'm certainly biased, I often look at newer cars on the road and genuinely wonder, from a practical standpoint, how many of them will still be in working order after 34 years.
--The vegetable garden is in full swing, which means kitchen pasta and egg water once again get saved for the vegetable planters by the porch. Water from our dehumidfiers (SO MUCH RAIN!!!!) goes to the tiger lilies.
--Our water barrels are going gangbusters. I normally joke that we live in "desert lite" country, but our last thunderstorm--there have been so many!--filled up 75+ gallons worth of water. All I ask is for the storms to be a few days apart so I've a chance to use the water constructively without drowning plants! I even broke my "Don't buy anything else for the garden" rule to have something else to water--sale daylilies don't count, right? 😛 I excused it in part because the sale daylilies were a pretty mix of unusual colors, like fuchsia and purple, the same way I excused last year's black* tulips.
*They're actually **DARK** purple and oh so pretty. "Queen of Night" and "Double Negrita" for the flower people in the crowd.
--Our property came with "normal" orange/yellow daylilies by the garage, which were well-past needing thinned and spread around the yard. I watched some YouTube tutorials on how to split and transplant flowers. The videos' gist was "Short of setting dalylilies on fire, they'll survive anything! Cut them, stomp them, mow them down, whatever." That built up my newbie gardener confidence! Said daylilies have now been replanted around the perimeter of our tulip beds; the fancy "I actually paid for them" sale lilies will get the south side of the house.
--My husband noticed a sneaky "Blink and you'll miss it" $5 charge for protection on a phone we hadn't had in years, which is why we've a nearly $200 refund coming our way! GoogleFi is honestly great most of the time, but that doesn't mean we should be complacent.
--The screen on my phone was becoming randomly unresponsive and crashing out of apps, which is not helpful when they're ones I need for work. Thankfully, my husband's previous phone was waiting in a drawer for just this occasion. Despite it being his "old" phone (and old enough that Google wouldn't buy it back from us), it's still newer than the one it replaced, and the SIM/brain transplant worked perfectly. I'm comically not picky about my phones so long as they're *just* smart enough for my work apps. Yay, "free" phone!
@N, Thank you for the water related reminders! I need to finish un-winterizing my rain barrels, put the dehumidifier back in the bathroom, and get back to saving my kitchen water for my porch plants. I guess I can use all this spring rain we are getting as my excuse for forgetting!
@N,
The typical daylilies are eternal. We've dug out a big patch in our back yard repeatedly, and every year, some more pop up to taunt me. I don't know what kind of magic they have, but they always return.
@N, Yep, those orange daylilies are colloquially known as "ditch lilies" (or "wash-house lilies" or "outhouse lilies") because they will grow anywhere--both my great-grandmothers had them growing abundantly around their farms, and I was pleased to see a border of them here in our yard when we moved in! They are toxic to cats, though.
Fun fact--apparently you can cook and eat the immature flower buds when they're green. I've never tried this, but might someday.
@Karen A., We don't keep any plants in the house because of our completely indoor cats, so no worries there! They do enjoy plotting murder against the bunnies and squirrels on the other side of the window, though (the cats, not the daylilies).
@Karen A., When I was a little kid, my mom had a large patch of those orange daylilies growing back of the garage. Even when the lilies weren't blooming, the flower bed had a thick growth of those long leaves. Our little low-to-the-ground dachshund loved to hunt. We'd see all the daylily foliage vibrating and then out came the doggie, having stalked and sniffed her way through that flower patch! Every once in a while, she'd catch a grass snake or a toad, but mostly her hunting safaris were unsuccessful....but not for lack of trying. LOL!
@N, plain old, "normal" daylilies are considered invasive in Maryland.
@N, You probably know this, but in case not: if you salt your pasta water, the salt in it can damage your plants over the long run. And if you use it on inside plants, the starch in the water can attract those annoying tiny bugs.
@Lindsey, My husband is on a strict low-to-no salt diet for health reasons, so our plants only get the plainest of pasta water. That's a handy fact to keep in mind, though! I also avoid giving them water that I've accidentally seasoned by stirring it with a spoon I had just used on something else, like sauce.
@Elaine N, our clay-heavy soil is so iffy for plants that anything which can hold its own--like daylilies--gets a pass. I remember daylilies being EVERYWHERE when my husband and I lived in upstate New York for a year. I didn't know they were considered invasive and honestly thought all the roads so beautiful with their ditch gardens!
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm imagining your dachshund hunting, Jurassic Park raptor style, and cracking up. Thank you for sharing this wonderful memory!
@N,
OOOOO, those "black" tulips sound lovely! I might just have to buy some of those bulbs. And I think buying any sale or clearance plants are really just keeping homeless plants off of the streets, so you're really just doing your civic duty. 🙂
@Liz B.,
I forgot to mention my incredible deep orange (purchased) day lily called 'Primal Scream'. The flowers are as big as an outstretched hand, and a gorgeous sunset orange. Best plant purchase ever, and best plant name ever. (Though I did see onion sets of a type of onion named 'Red Zeppelin' at Lowes.)
@Liz B., Back in the 70s Mom splurgled on "black" and white tulips to go around a cherry tree and was excited to see them flower for the first time. One day, a kid walking home from school picked every last flower.
@Rose,
I would have been furious.
@N, I love them too and am not getting rid of mine.
@N, Clark (today being called Fluffin Muffin) is always affronted at the rabbits who boldly dare to sit in the lawn nibbling clover.
@N, do you have a dehumidifier you recommend?
@Elaine N, Blame our ancestors. They brought daylilies to North America in the mid 1800s. Daylilies originated in Asia. They were brought to Europe during the great European Expeditions when all types of plants were collected. However, we would not have the thousands of Daylilies available today. Every color except a true blue and a true black are available. Hyberdizers are getting closer every year.
@Karen A., You don't have to cook them--snap them off and slice to garnish a salad (buds or blooms or both). They have a nice light peppery taste. Just be VERY SURE they are daylilies and not asiatic lilies, which are toxic!
@Colleen, That's a bit of a trick question, as we've three! The GIANT dehumidifier that came with the house is a Soleus Air. Our exact model isn't available anymore, but it easily holds two gallons and is a beast to move around--it lives in our unfinished basement. It definitely does an amazing job in large areas, so it's worth the outlay.
Our bathroom doesn't have a fan, so we've this little dehumidifier there: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DC5PPWM/. It's all right and does what it's supposed to do--and it was also $25 at the time of purchase. However, whenever it goes, I'll replace it with this one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/KLOUDIC-1200ml-Ultra-Quiet-Dehumidifier-with-Automatic-Defrosting-for-Home-480-Sq-ft/459546254
We bought the latter for the main living area, and it's more efficient in addition to just looking nicer. It fits so perfectly under one of our side tables that we often forget it's there! Pro-tip: Always cross-check Amazon prices against Walmart.com, as Walmart has proven less expensive roughly 50% of the time!
I have managed not to swipe a card since Saturday when I did some grocery shopping. I may have to break down and get gas soon, but then continue not buying take out or groceries for a bit. My goal was to spend $200 on groceries and take out combined this month. We have done really well but are right around the $200 mark. I may not make this goal, but I am trying very hard. On Saturday my neighbor asked my son and I to trim one of her palm trees, we did that night and made $30 cash which allowed us to eat out on the cheap on two occasions so far. I'll call this a trade off and am thankful for it. I earned and received a $10 gift card to Target on the Shopkick app. It's a little finnicky to get your gift cards to come through, but it did and I will save that for milk/eggs/whatever I have to buy this week. I am trying my best to be very frugal this month and next in anticipation of a trip to see family in July and keep on keeping on my financial goals. Have a great week!
1. It's getting warmer here. I had my son try on all of his summer clothes from last summer, but none of them fit. I keep kid's clothing in my basement that I collect from Buy Nothing. I went digging in my stash and found more shorts and t-shirts for him than he needs. I also found a brand-new spring jacket for him and a Winter jacket for this year.
2. My son said his baseball cleats felt too tight. I went digging in my stash and found the next size up in cleats for him that I had collected off Buy Nothing.
3. My favorite museum in our area was offering free admission for mothers on Mother's Day. We also had a coupon for BOGO. For the 4 of us it cost $28 for admission and we brought a picnic lunch/drinks. It would have cost us $56. It was a great day.
4. I used up some spinach, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, feta, and parmesan cheese from my refrigerator for my lunches this week. I added eggs and English muffins.
5. Our front patio needed to be power washed. I borrowed a power washer from a neighbor off Buy Nothing. I also stained our raised bed gardens using stain we had in the basement already.
• faithfully brought back as many groceries/leftovers as could be saved from our trip. vacation food is hard to eat up!
• asked Buy Nothing group if anyone had a pizza stone they weren't using instead of buying first, and someone gave me one!
• my mother in law gave me two pepper plants, I planted those and the free basil from the same Buy Nothing group this weekend. I gave away the tomato plants she gave me, as well.
• busy social calendar this week, I have plans with friends every night from Tuesday-Saturday. I planned ahead and baked some bread and a loaf cake for two of the events on Sunday. No running into the store the day of to buy something pre made!!
• Yesterday I volunteered, which is free entertainment and helps someone else 🙂
- The Mother’s Day activity I chose, hiking a nearby forest preserve, was essentially free.
- My kids scrubbed their bathroom sink area using old toothbrushes. It brought back childhood memories!
- I have been working in my vegetable garden a lot lately and yesterday I got out some wire fencing that I use year after year to protect seeds and seedlings from critters.
- My gym membership expired, but I’ve been busy shoveling compost and hauling 5 gallon buckets of soil, so I’m getting my workout in just fine!
And my favorite …
- I needed to use up some berries and had extra vanilla soy milk, so I made homemade ice cream! It also happens to be substantially cheaper than buying allergy safe ice cream for my son.
Hey, I match oddball lids/caps with jars/bottles all the time. Besides, you're the FG, so whatever you say goes!
Now, FFT, The Joys of Spring Edition:
(1) I continue to enjoy the May birdfest here in Central NY, at no expense whatever. On Saturday, I had an excellent birdwalk along the Erie Canal Towpath in the next city over that included a "lifer" bird for me, or actually two of them--two male American redstarts (a type of warbler) fighting! On Sunday morning, my two regular walking buddies and I saw four (four!) male Baltimore orioles quarreling over a prime piece of birdy real estate in a tree near the pond. (Yes, it's the season when guy birds act like, well, guys.) And I'm hoping for similar excitement this coming Thursday morning, when I'll be taking a local Audubon Society birdwalk. (I'll be late to Thankful Thursday this week, so consider me thankful for all this.)
(2) I'm out in the garden as much as the weather and my aging chassis will permit, weeding, moving things around, and removing winterkill. I don't think I'll *need* to buy any more plants, but I may *choose* to buy some at two plant sales I'll be attending on Saturday--one of which is run by the local Master Gardeners (who include Dr. Bestest Neighbor).
(3) The Self-Perpetuating Cilantro Patch is outdoing itself this year, and the spinach I planted in my old Easy Washer tub is almost ready for harvest. I'll celebrate today by making some more salsa and a spinach frittata.
(4) I did some Monday morning thrifting yesterday. At Second Time Around (the Monday-only pop-up shop that a local church runs out of an empty bowling alley), I found a pair of Lands' End sweatpants for myself for $2, and an LL Bean spring jacket for one of the walking buddies for $3.
(5) And at the Salvation Army, I hit the jackpot on yarn for my next-door neighbor's other close friend (who knits for charity as if there's no tomorrow), plus a stainless steel roaster that needed only a quick going-over with Bar Keeper's Friend (to replace an old roaster in poor condition). All of this was at half-price because blue tags were 50% off.
@A. Marie, A friend was given a feeder specially designed to attract Baltimore orioles, and last week I saw four of them at his yard. It's oranges and you stick oranges on it. They also apparently really like grape jelly. Orioles don't eat seed.
@Rose, what I've observed here is that orioles like above all else to be near bodies of water, which my house is not (except for the Bestest Neighbors' little garden pond, which is mainly the local singles bar for American toads). I've tried putting out oranges, but have attracted nothing but ants with those--and at least one bird expert I've read advises against using grape jelly on a regular basis (it's not really good for them). So I'll stick to my observations at the nearby park's large pond.
And if I ever see the Orioles fighting with the Blue Jays, I'll call the local rag's sports department: "Hey! The American League East playoffs are happening early!"
@A. Marie, Same here re water but with red winged blackbirds. Buuuut there's a ton of water here. The water behind my property is called Hopping Frog Pond.
@A. Marie, "local singles bar for American toads"! LOL!
@StephanieLD, it's an absolute den of iniquity. I'd describe in more detail what goes on there during warm spring evenings, but this is a family-friendly blog. 😀
@StephanieLD, @A.Marie, I also found this quite hilarious!!!
@A. Marie, A friend describes her backyard as "a gay bar for turkeys." They all seem to be toms, strutting around showing off.
@Rose,
I have one of those orange feeders for Baltimore orioles, but I've never seen one come to it. Sigh. Love your friend's "gay bar for turkeys".
More fails than successes this week. Some days are like that. Let's see what I can manage anyway.
1. When I buy new clothes, I don't immediately rip the tags off and wash them. Instead I wear them for an hour or so to see if I really like them, they're comfortable, etc. this week I returned several pieces that didn't pass the "at home" test.
2. Continued to read from my unread bookcase[1] and library instead of buying new. Except for guidebooks for upcoming travel because libraries never have recent ones. Maybe I could have asked Freecycle, etc, but I don't really expect anyone to have a recent guidebook to the Orkneys or the Faroes.
Frugal Fails:
1. Left a book somewhere. I'll buy a used copy but still. ☹️
2. Not only ate out on a 6hr long day of errands but paid for parking ($3) as well.
3. While away this weekend I bought knitting needles for something I was working on; only after I threw out the packaging did I remember I don't like bamboo needles.
[1] You read that correctly - bookcase not bookshelf. I have enough unread books to keep me occupied for 5 years. That's not taking into account any more books I get and one from the library.
Have a good week everyone.
@WilliamB, I do the same thing with new clothes now. I’ve had too many occasions where I thought something fit comfortably only to find otherwise after a short time wearing them.
@WilliamB, love the pass the at home test for clothing. 🙂
When I buy new clothing/shoes I always leave tags on & attach receipts to them until my (similar) at home test. I have returned new items later with little problems because of still have tags on & receipts, months later. Only a few times I had to resell myself because didn't carry item any more.
@WilliamB, I love having a stack of "to be read" books, and the reason I prefer paper to e-books is that the e books get automatically returned to the library if I don't get around to them...the paper books remain. Is there such a thing as emotional support books? I have them.
@WilliamB, why don't you like bamboo needles? They slow me down, but I like the fact that they are quieter than metal, and wood feels better in my hands. But I mostly use Addi Turbo needles, the cable type with all the interchangeable sizes.
What is your go-to needle?
@WilliamB, I feel like I have read a good number of books so far this year, but my TBR list is huge! There's not enough time for all of the books I'd love to read. I love that you have plenty at the ready!
@WilliamB, By sad experience, I, too, have learned not to immediately rip out all tags so that I can return things if needed. And I only buy underwear where the manufacturer tattoos the info inside the clothes instead of using tags, since you can't really try out underpants and then return the uncomfortable ones.
The jar save is one of those tiny things that packs a lot of joy.
Yesterday I did the basic frugal thing and sought out a couple of prices on repair/replacement of a tire on my car. Both shops agreed the problem could not be repaired. First shop offered me "a deal" on a new tire starting at $200. My car is a small Honda, not a cybertruck! I actually uttered "holy cow!" aloud and said no thanks. The Latino tire shop down the street replaced it for $62.
Otherwise, I cleaned and spray painted the ancient air registers in the central part of our house, using up the last of a can of anodized bronze paint in the process. Staked and tied up all the tall and/vining plants in my container garden in advance of last week's monster storm, using last year's bamboo stakes and roll of twine. Mended a little worn spot on the leg of a pair of shorts before it began to ravel. The puppy gnawed on the corner of the rug again, so I had to trim it and rebuild it with crocheting thread. It looks better than the first time I mended it.
1) Made no-stir granola. Still working my way through the 5 pounds of oats I bought on sale
2) Made a strawberry pie to use up fresh strawberries that were getting soft
3) Shopped at Aldi for pie ingredients when we were nearby for another errand
4) Cleaning out closets in preparation for the move, and found we have way too many towels and sheets. Apparently when we get new sheets, I never get rid of the old pillowcases since they are still "good". Using what will later be donated as packing materials for fragile items
5) The usual things - brought my lunch to work every day, planned our meals based on what's in the house and what's on sale, didn't buy a cyber truck.
This was a few weeks back (which means I’m cheating), but as it’s still bringing me joy, I thought I’d share. I bought three white geraniums on the clearance rack at Lowe’s. They just needed some water and pruning. I got a discount, saved some undesirable-looking plants from the landfill, and have gotten weeks of pleasure from them. A treat!
@Caroline Rose, I love finding those clearance plants! Most of time just need water & trim like you said. 😉
@Caroline Rose, I too check the plant clearance rack whenever I'm at Lowe's--especially when I feel that my houseplant collection needs some variety.
@Caroline Rose, there is a Lidl by me that has a parking lot of plants. Apparently no one waters because half of the plants were dead as in burnt to a crisp. What a waste.
@karen, oh no!!
I am retired and I still have some frugal ways,even though we worked hard,saved, and have some wiggle room,I like to get bargains and the most for our $. Sooo..I have desperately needed a getaway. I just need a time out. I wanted to visit my favorite California town which is pretty pricey for hotels,etc. and it is very hard to find airbnbs there too. However, motivated as I am !— with a lot of research I found a house share for a VERY reasonable amount for a whole week. I will be sharing the condo of a wonderful woman around age 50, very outgoing, a local commercial realtor with a heart of gold and a big smile, we have many interests in common, evidently..(we have been emailing) and she rents a bedroom with full use of kitchen, bicycle, and beach chairs!! So, I’ll be staying at her place for a week.Walking distance to town shops, the library,church, parks, and the beach!
Other savings this week are related to this getaway:
2. Found a groupon for Seaworld, HALF PRICE so I can see the new jellyfish aquarium and some other fun things.I love water things… (Seaworld is now invovled in a lot of animal rescue and working on extinction problems.. no more whale shows!!!!!!)
3. A local Chorale concert called “Seasons of Love” one evening at a local church for just 10 dollars.
4. Everything is within walking distance or a ferry boat ride or bus to where I need to go.
5. A local theater presentation of “Tuck Everlasting” discount ticket for seniors.
6.Free books on my kindle from cloud library to read on the beach!
7. Using Southwest miles I had banked for a while, to get there from Phoenix.
@Madeline, When I lived in Central Florida, the Sea World in Orlando frequently rescued injured manatees, nursed them back to health, then re-released them into the wild. Usually, the TV news would show the Sea World people, who had worked with the manatee for several months, trying to hold back their tears as they said goodbye. It was really sweet, and they did some good things for the "sea cows."
@Madeline, I'm so curious as to your favorite CA town. My first guess is La Jolla (pricey and SeaWorld were the clues).
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I’m guessing Coronado because there’s a ferry that goes from Coronado to downtown San Diego. Both La Jolla and Coronado are beautiful.
@Darlene H, I was puzzled about the ferry, and didn't know Coronado has one. I bet you are right.
1) Our beloved cat passed away 3 weeks ago. I donated his remaining cat food to a friend who cared for him when we traveled. We will give his fishing pole with toy attached to someone whose dog will enjoy playing with it.
2) My seedlings are in the garden - so far so good.
3) I read that Trader Joe’s $3.99 basil plants are a great deal. I bought one and put it in a pretty pot for the kitchen until the chance of frost passed. Now it is in my herb garden and thriving.
4) Instead of spending money on gifts I don’t need or an expensive meal I opted for a family day doing a big gardening cleanup project at my son’s house. It was a perfect spring day and so nice to accomplish something together. We “dined” on take-out for lunch.
5) Not necessarily frugal, but useful: I have a small rechargeable lamp that I saw in a fancy art gallery while traveling a couple years ago. I liked the aesthetic and the fact that it generated a lot of light for something so tiny. I splurged (there are cheaper options) and got one. I love it. I love it more because when our power went out last winter it was so useful compared to flashlights or candles. It is lightweight, movable and a great for such an occasion. I think everyone could use a rechargeable lamp. I consider it a very practical item for emergencies.
@Jean C, Do you mind sharing which rechargeable light you purchased? I live in an area with a lot of power outages, and have been trying to build up a reserve of rechargeable batteries, lights, etc. Thank you!
@Rebecca, I paid the long buck and got Pina Pro Rechargeable LED Table Lamp by Zafferano. I feel like they go on sale every month or so (like $15 off?). The first one I bought was an ”open box” sale item. I have purchased a couple others when they have their regular sales. They come in several different finishes.
That said, I now see something very similar (a 2 pack cordless lamp set ) on Amazon for $69.99 (!). It came in really handy to have 2 when the power was out (we could both read). I often take one to read in bed when the lamp on the side table is not quite bright enough for my old eyes. I have also used 2 on my dining room table in lieu of candles. I can’t love these enough.
Aww, so sorry to hear of the loss of your kitty.
@Jean C, my Betty and I sympathize with you in the loss of your dear cat. But I too am a believer in passing on the "estate," such as it is, to friends with pets and to animal shelters.
@Jean C,
I'm sorry for the loss of your kitty. We lost one of ours not long ago, and it's really hard.
Thank you, too, for the lamp recommendation. We have occasional power outages and tornado warnings, so something like this would be quite useful.
@Jean C, thank you very much for this information! It's really helpful :).
I love your blog!!! What do the sticky notes next to your mirror say? I ask because I am a big fan of sticky notes and have encouraging quotes and reminders posted throughout my house. 🙂 They are a great way to find joy in little, unexpected places.
Well, these ones are nursing related! Types of insulin, cranial nerves, the order you don and doff protective equipment, and so on.
I love to be able to put lids on jars because I use them more that way.
Frugal Things---
● Received money for Mother's day dinner as gift & bought $50 Applebees giftcard & received $10 free bonus card.
● Ordered Applebees online & recieved $10 free giftcard with $40+ order. I now have $20 free giftcards for later. Ordered full rack bbq ribs & (2) prime rib sandwiches with sides. Had one half sandwich as lunch yesterday & teen finished rest after school. Rescue dogs loved the pirk rib bones. 🙂
● Teen gave me $25 for Mother's day to pay for one flower that grew for FFA plant sale purchased last week
● Hit a few yard sales after teen doctor appointment & found small enameled stock pot that was like colander $1, stainless steel (camping/backpacking) mug $0.25 & $30 roll of chicken wire (for plants to grown on hooped trellis).
● got gas across town at cheapest gas station $0.30/gallon cheaper without any discounts.
● didn't go to Renaissance Festival (temptation to spend $$) but stayed home & worked in yard instead.
● used free Postable postcard (T Mobile Life Rewards) to send dads partner/not married Mother's day picture (teen with rescue dogs) post card
● picked up Family pack Porterhouse steaks (trimmed & wrapped individually for freezer) on sale (though sale price $0.50/pound more than usual sale price & $1.50/pound more than cheapest sale price) at Save-a-lot. Only steaks/beef will buy from grocery store that isn't awful in price & taste. Really need to contact my farmer & see if has any freezer beef.
Frugal Fails---
● birds got whole loaf of bread (twin pack) before got used up. It seems I can't get the bread timing down. 🙁 We either run out when buy single loaf or don't eat it all when buy twin pack.
Frugal Changes--- Dollar Tree is raising prices again from $1.25 to $1.50 up to $7 (from $5). Official date has not been said, but has been reported (by customers) that price changes have already started in some stores. I'm not a huge shopper there, but do buy certain items since same & cheaper than other stores.
@Regina, what I do with my bread is split the loaf in two. I can't eat a loaf of bread in a week so this helps me out. One half I put in the freezer and the other half is in the bread drawer. Hope that helps.
@Regina, Just had another idea. Use the bread to make french toast and freeze that. Let it get stale and use for bread crumbs or croutons.
@auntiali, My absolute favorite meal served by the nuns at my boarding school was toasted cheese sandwiches using day old French toast leftover from breakfast the day before. I still make that for myself on occasion, even though I no longer play high school field hockey to run off those extra calories! (Not that I played for all that long. The nuns forbid it after they learned I had a cardiac birth defect that could make me drop dead while playing...I still kept eating those sandwiches though.)
@Regina, just a word of caution.... pork bones can be very dangerous for dogs, as they can splinter and get stuck in their throats, or poke through the intestines. Had a friend that lost her fur baby this way. 🙁 I had no idea prior to that, so always try to share the danger.
1. I have a little rescued lid like yours. I found the right sized jar and put q-tips in it in the bathroom.
2. My daughter did a barbeque for neighbors last weekend and had leftover tri-tip. We talked about what to do with it and I said that I had a lot of vegetables that could go into a stir fry. She added that she had a package of snow peas that needed to be used up so the plan was made that I would take her leftover beef and package of peas and make a stir fry. It turned out to be more beef than I imagined so I divided it in half and made a Shepherd's Pie last night. Wednesday night we'll have the stir fry. Many meals from some leftover barbeque beef. Leftovers for the win!
3. I dug up some lavender volunteers to give away at my herb club. We are having an informal plant exchange this month. I also gifted a plant to my neighbor who wanted a lavender start.
4. In looking over a statement from my credit card I found an unusual charge from my insurance company. On calling the company to question the charge I they discovered that the charges were for someone else's address in another state. I have a refund on the way. It obviously pays to question unusual charges even when they are a recognized source.
5. I didn't even know what a Cybertruck is. I clicked on the link and nope, I definitely didn't buy one of those and I don't see one in my future so another frugal save!
I much prefer lamps to overhead lighting. Luckily we have a cat who does not knock lamps over easily, as one of my childhood cats did. That cat was a bull in a china shop.
Trying to think of frugal things I've done. We have been spending more than usual, what with ordering medical supplies, but we have managed to not eat out! That's a bonus.
1. The wound clinic where my son has weekly appointments actually gave us free parking at the hospital, with a little QR code to scan on the way out. Parking is a $5 flat fee at the hospital, so I am very grateful for this!
2. On the parking note, DS#2 just had his first class for his nursing track program (he decided to switch from education to nursing even before his brother's health crisis), and he was pleased that the community college he's attending has free parking for students (and everyone, really), unlike the state university he was attending that charged a parking fee for, as he put it, "mostly empty parking lots anyway." Since we were paying his parking fees, we were pleased to hear that as well.
3. My Mother's Day treat was a solo trip to the grocery store for a few things (yes, going to the store alone is a treat for me!). As much as I dearly wanted to indulge in a Hu Chocolate bar, at the last minute I put it back and saved $5 bucks. So I'm counting that.
4. Cancelled a Subscribe and Save for the saline solution we were using for DS's wound dressing--it stung and wasn't doing his tissue any good, so we found an alternative. I will use the old stuff up for cleaning small wounds, but not for packing wounds.
5. Library books, now and forever. I have soured on ordering used books from Amazon; i ordered a copy of Up The Down Staircase and it has been delayed in transit since May 5. If I don't get it by the 16th I'll ask for a refund.
@Karen A., I loved "Up the Down Staircase" when I first read it long long ago, and recently found it again at my library. The story of the boy who played the judge at the class mock trial has always stayed with me.
(Don't like the movie. Haven't ever seen or read the play).
@Karen A., another Up the Down Staircase fan here. (And I too ordered a used hardback off Amazon, back when I was still using Amazon and before delivery got so chancy, to replace my worn-out high school paperback.) I particularly enjoyed the "mixed media" nature of the book--snippets of actual classroom dialogue, notes passed between Sylvia Barrett and other teachers, notes from students, letters from Sylvia to her SAHM college friend, etc., etc. Nowadays, of course, it'd be all emails and social media posts.
I read the title of the post as you had joined a Facebook group that reunites lids with matching jars. It seemed plausible! Ha! But even better to find one in your own home. ;-)
1. DS29 loves his Disney wrist watches and even wears one to bed. He is on the autism spectrum and needs his routines, like always knowing what time it is, what day it is, etc. I have been buying his Disney watches on Amazon as the Disney Parks are now selling only $400 Citizen's watches. Anyway. He broke the cheap wrist band on the watch I bought him only a few weeks ago on Amazon. He didn't tell me I just noticed the watch on his nightstand and not on his wrist. I have a drawer half full of orphaned watches that I save for spare parts. DH was able to replace the wrist band with the same size.
2. DD27 is a Vet Tech and using her discount bought some dogfood (on line) for our 11 month old chihuahua-mix rescue. DD wasn't paying attention and didn't order the small breed version of the food. Our other two rescues are also chihuahua-mixes but they have the jaws of their dachshund ancestors and can manage the larger pieces of kibble. For Baby Girl, I hand-chop the pieces in half or thirds. We tried a food processor but it turns half the kibble to dust and the other half remains unchanged. I won't be doing it much longer as I just ordered a bag of the small breed kibble. Should be set with dogfood for a while.
3. I did not go to my town's Garden Club plant sale this past Saturday. I will be content with my daylilies, irises and roses - and the whiskey barrel full of polka-dotted petunias that DD planted for my Mother's Day gift.
4. I need some sort of protein when eating pasta with sauce - lately its 93/7 ground beef. DH77 does the grocery shopping as he is retired and I still work full-time. He was squawking about the price of ground beef so I told him I would cook it all - it's sold in like 20 ounce packages - and freeze half. I ended up freezing two thirds of it.
5. I've started using our "speed wash" cycle on the washing machine as none of us get very dirty. Its 15 minutes and saves water, energy and time. DD the Vet Tech lives next door and has her own W/D and definitely needs to wash her scrubs in hot water.
I love it when things come together juuuust right. (:
Frugal things for me:
*As part of my benefits, my employer has made a registered dietician available to me for weekly check-in's, nutritional help, mentoring. All free to me! I am spending time only and will reap the benefits of focusing on myself for a change.
*A friend sent me some extra cross stitch kits and patterns she had and I am looking forward to spending some time stitching.
*Yesterday, the hospital provided free boxed lunches from Jason's Deli for Hospital Week (this week). And a co-worker and I scored free earrings as part of a gift to the hospital from a local designer in honor of Nurse's Week (which was last week).
*Sold some scrap gold and silver and spent a small portion of it on new gold hoop earrings for a Mother's Day sussie to myself.
*Not frugal - but related. Working some OT hours tonight which will offset recent painting and repairs to my house.
I love your jar! It always feel good to find a use for something that might otherwise be thrown away.
I have been babying my little garden along through some snowy weather and it's paid off, as now we are enjoying lettuce, chard, arrugula, bok choy, baby turnips, and asparagus.
I ordered a quarter beef from a local rancher. She has the best prices around and really good meat. I should be able to pick it up next week.
A girlfriend and I had a frugal camping trip to Moab. We split the cost of gas, both brought food for meals, and used her senior pass for free admission to Arches and Canyonlands, and half-priced camping nearby. So fun.
I traded books to read with the same friend.
I made homemade yogurt, granola, and bagels.
Big exam part 2 is coming, so this is the final stretch before I can relax. Oh HOW I am counting down the days.
1. Instead of spending tonight night at a hotel before my exam, my parents will kindly babysit at their house so that I can sleep through the night.
2. My peers will be celebrating the end of these exams with international travel, but Mr. B and I will celebrate with a nice steak.
3. We delayed our Mother's Day celebration by a week, and missed the artificially higher prices. We'll get brunch this weekend.
4. I added bra-strap holders to a shirt that's too wide, and now I can start wearing it again.
5. I tried to sew a pair of pants for my daughter and the pattern (which was free) didn't really work. I used an old pair of my pants for fabric, so even though it was a frustrating experience, it was a free try.
@Meira @ meirathebear, Good luck on your exams!
I love a free symphony!
1. We ate lots of leftovers.
2. We didn't go out for Mother's Day.
3. We picked asparagus from our bed. (It would also be frugal if weeded it soon.)
4. When we were out for piano lessons and shopping, we did not buy food to eat lunch out. Instead, we ate snacks that we keep on hand in the van and ate a late-ish lunch when we got home.
5. We wore thrifted clothes. I can't remember whether it counts as last week or this week, but sometime recently we took advantage of a bag sale at the local thrift store to buy some needed items.
6. I made coffee, used library books, cooked the meals, baked bread, and most definitely did NOT buy a Cybertruck.
1. I sold some of my kids' shoes last week via FB Marketplace. I luckily barely missed a pothole which would have made the meetup a net loss.
2. Selling on eBay fairly steadily and using used packing materials to ship them in. I'm not getting rich on this and if I didn't have the free supplies, it'd hardly be worth it.
3. Work was tossing out a bunch of AA batteries because they swapped the thermostats out to ones that don't use batteries. Now we use AAs for other things at work but these were just going to be thrown out. They let me take them and almost all tested just fine so they will go in remotes and all the other things which I use AA batteries for.
4. I got some nice new solar lights which are made of metal and glass. The old ones were plastic which has yellowed considerably and has become brittle. I'm doing some experiments with the broken pieces to maybe make some new DIY ones and put them around the property. This is more for fun than anything else but who knows, they may become useful.
5. So ... I bought a keyboard that I really wanted. I am one of those mechanical keyboard nuts and there is one which looks like the keyboard on a Commodore 64 (but with a modern layout.) I've thought about it for ages and decided if I could sell enough of my clutter to pay for it, I would let myself buy it. Now I could've bought it with money in my bank account but doing it this way felt more satisfying.
Also per the Cybertruck or any expensive vehicle, I saw recently that there has been a huge uptick in car repossessing due to non-payment of loans. So yeah, right now is not a good time to buy unless you can find a great deal and pay cash.
@Battra92, My sister and I concluded that the old style clicky keyboards are a guy thing. My son adores his for his gaming computer (Alienware) and my BIL loves the one he bought. I dislike them. I do not understand but then I like a lot of things other people don't understand, so fair enough.
@Battra92, I have a baggie of "not quite dead yet" batteries. The ones from the TV remote don't all die at quite the same time. When my electric clock needs to have the battery replaced, I try the ones in there first.
@Rose, oddly enough one person I know who appreciates the clicky keyboards is my MIL who used an IBM Model M keyboard at work. I know that a lot are made with more feminine color schemes so there must be some people who appreciate them.
I can say that they are definitely a love or hate item.
@Heidi Louise, I actually store my batteries in ammo cases.
The one on Amazon listed as MTM 50 Round Flip-Top Rifle Ammo Box WSSM, 500 S&W is perfect for AA batteries.
@Rose, I LOVE clickity keyboards. I got an app that makes my cellphone sound like a clickity keyboard when I use it.
@Battra92, You can also place the batteries in the refrigerator and they’ll keep longer.
I think that is the most ugly truck, I have seen a few here. i will keep my 80,000.00 🙂
@Ellen, these things cost $80,000??? Gosh, I'm that much closer to being a millionaire!
@Ellen, It's not just ugly and expensive, it's also unreliable and dangerous! Sheesh.
You rock that white Tar-JAY dress with the belt. Bet you were the belle of the ball, er, symphony. Glad you're doing some relaxing things for yourself.
My frugals:
1. My missionary friend is helping set up a new church in the ghetto. She is collecting religious books for a library. I gathered up some suitable books and Bibles from around my house for them; this is more frugal for their church plant than for me, but it is a big help in de-cluttering my house. So I'm counting that!
2. Our church prints hymns, complete with music, in the programs, so I grabbed up some that I had brought home and put it in with the above-mentioned books. I understand they don't have hymnals yet, so this may help.
3. Found myself low on birthday cards, right when my college buddy is having her birthday. I keep cards in a big file for such occasions, but couldn't find a good one for her. The only b'day cards I had were the flowery kind you'd send to a sweet nursing home patient, say, and not to a fun-loving free spirit. So I booked it down to the thrift store and bought some funny-themed, very colorful, birthday cards. The price has gone up to 50 cents a card, but that's still cheaper than any regular store. Hopefully, my buddy won't realize I mailed her card a day late....just say the mail delivery is slow. (wink, wink)
4. Eating out of the pantry instead of buying more from the grocery store. Didn't like yesterday's beef and veggie soup, so puppy dog got the second serving over her dry kibbles. She loved it!
5.Finally used up the bag of Starbucks coffee my roommate had left behind, and bought a can of the kind I like. I brew my own coffee instead of buying it at you-know-where.
6. Bonus: my day lilies and irises are blooming so I'm enjoying seeing them. Since they were planted years ago, this is now free to me.
Love the rescuing of the glass lid & the transformation of the green bin. Well done. And, I can't believe Chiquita was originally blamed - no way could she ever be involved in something like that! 😉
1) Sold a patio set I bought (used) during COVID & didn't end up really needing. Made $120.
2) DH received a fancy bottle of one of my favorite champagnes as a gift (Veuve), so we had that by the pool on Mother's Day.
3) We receive a small stipend for personal lessons from my (former) employer. I got two receipts in just under the wire, and received ~$100 back last week as reimbursement.
4) Did a huge travel swap on various trips we're taking & saved myself $800 in future travel credits.
5) Ate lots of leftovers, used up our garden herbs & lettuce in salads, etc.
Frugal fail:
-Hosted an impromptu teen pool party on Friday (like, 10 minutes notice impromptu) when DS17's team won the tennis championships & is moving on to state. Spent about $150 on food, but no regrets. The teens were hilarious & polite, and these moments are super rare & we are trying to soak them up before we are empty nesters. Which, is coming up wayyyyyy to quickly!
I mean, Chiquita IS responsible for 99% of the crimes committed around here so it wasn't a wild guess. 😉
CVS just emailed me a $1 "bonus" coupon as a thank you for ... using a different coupon yesterday. Will the madness never stop?
A saved candle jar? How did you ever get it clean enough to store food?
Well, getting rid of wax is pretty easy-I pour boiling water in and let the melted wax float to the top and harden. And you can put a jar like this through the dishwasher as many times as you want.
Whether it's food safe...I don't know. I read conflicting information about this, but I would be curious to hear from a scientific standpoint what is actually dangerous and what is not. From my reading, it doesn't sound very high risk at all, especially for something like a dry candy.
But if you don't feel comfortable doing it, then definitely don't! I usually use my saved candle jars for storing things like extra ribbons, or pens, etc.
My proudest moment with matching lids was when I matched lids from my old cooking pans to my new ones. I also love that you're enjoying the concerts and especially, with your girls.
My 5 Frugal Wins
1) I scouted off amazon through their 'Save with Used' section and compared prices through camelcamelcamel.com and found deals. I got a used/like new copy of a kindergarten to 1st grade summer workbook for a couple dollars less and 2 other ones from a different brand that are at their lowest price w/in the year. My youngest will be working through these workbooks this summer per her teacher's recommendation. Also snagged a giraffe keychain
2) My husband and I went on a 7 mile bike trek through the city parks. Got some much needed exercise and free entertainment for our date out.
3) Also took our kids walking, biking, and scootering throughout the neighborhood and through the parks and playgrounds. Got ice cream and snacks from the grocery store as a treat a few times so saved there a bit too.
4) We've been grilling hamburger, hotdogs, and marshmallows over our Old Smoky. We've used her so often that she's definitely earned her keep.
5) My church graciously gave us moms for Mother's Day a free energy bar, drink and carnation.
I spontaneously took a mini-trip to Hamburg which was definitely not frugal, but totally worth it. I like spending on travel and experiences! This is how I saved some money:
1. I booked a relatively cheap hotel.
2. I brought snacks from home for the journey.
3. I did a lot of walking.
4. I took the ferry around the surrounding area rather than a tourist boat.
5. I visited an art museum which was pretty expensive, but halfprice for the final hour of opening time. That was a really good decision because I focused on things I really wanted to see and some exhibits were closed anyway.
One extra: I took the train which was probably cheaper than flying. Beautiful scenery too!
@Sophie in Denmark, Wish I could've gone with you, esp. on the train ride. Sounds like fun!
@Fru-gal Lisa, aw, thanks! The train service is amazing here (with the exception of an hour delay on the way back). Very comfortable and reliable!
On a non-frugal note, I studied German at school so thought I could practice - turns out I've forgotten all of it apart from a few nouns. Not that many people spoke English, or Danish for that matter, so that was a little awkward!
Had to look up the Cyber Truck, too. Ugly. I will say I saved money on not buying a Dodge Challenger. That's my dream vehicle. I am glad to get twenty plus miles to the gallon because I do mostly town driving in my 2013 Ford Escape (which I lovingly call "Escapade," because of it's first month with me two years? ago. I bought it, it died on the way home, the dealer thought it was a sensor, kept it for almost a month because he had a new motor put in at 40,000 less miles than the the original.)(He had spent part of the selling time talking about maintaining his integrity in the community.)
1) Chai latte at home.
2) Bought some new summer shoes that were on sale from Zappo's. I'm into those Easy Spirit Traveltime shoes. Got some last year just a smidge too small. These are wider. White, will look cute with the new Aldi T-shirt dress. As much as I look "cute" in a dress...I am blessed to be 4'10" and my legs are scrunched to have no ankles and I'm chunky so I actually look better in pants/jeans.
3) Bought some Annie's Bunny macaroni and cheese cups (for work, and when I don't feel like cooking) at a bargain price from Misfits. They were about $1.50 apiece.
4) Used a bed of fennel I'd clipped from my herb garden as base for deviled quail eggs for a Ladies Tea at church on Saturday. Instead of buying greens or kale as I had originally pictured. Fixing the eggs was tedious but so fun to serve.
5) Wal Mart last week for some essentials, no impulse buys. That's always a plus.
6) Finished a gallon of milk one day before the "use by" date. I often use it as long as I can and even put the little dab in the back of the fridge for pancakes or cornbread when I buy a new one. For me to finish a gallon is quite a feat.
A Cybertruck is not a truck!! Whatsamattah with those people for naming it that??
All the normal frugals:
1. made bread
2. made yogurt
3. took my own lunch when I did an art festival
4. sprouted sweet potatoes using ones from the grocery store to grow my own (good thing it's almost free because they only will produce 2-3 small ones per sprout)
5. a friend picked up a few groceries and would not let me pay her back. This feels more like mooching than frugality; she always asks when she is down the hill, and I rarely accept her offer because she won't let me pay.
Bonus: the festival was poorly attended, and I refrained from shopping in the other vendor booths during slow periods. It is such a temptation to make Mercy Purchases during these things!
I have a lot of expenses lately, so I'm not feeling frugal. I'm doing what I can, though.
1. I've known for a long time that I needed my diamond solitaire ring resized. DH bought it for our 13th wedding anniversary, because that was the first year we could afford one. My knuckles are larger now, so that size 4 is mighty hard to remove. I got a $50 off coupon from a local gem store, so I iced my hand and "unscrewed" the solitaire off, and took it with my wedding band, which is a replacement band bought at around 30 years of marriage and therefore fits, to be cleaned, treated with rhodium, and get the solitaire ring resized. I've had another ring cleaned and treated with rhodium there already, so I know the price for this service wasn't jacked up to offset the coupon.
2. We had a different kind of Mother's Day late lunch/early dinner yesterday, which I hosted. I pulled ground beef from the freezer for burgers, made Kristen's hamburger bun recipe (for everyone else, who can eat gluten), made lemonade from frozen juice from our tree, and only spent money on a couple bags of chips. One daughter made a pot of baked beans and one made a dessert. It was way less than eating out, and we enjoyed it.
3. I made myself a travel cosmetic bag with four inner pockets. Total outlay was under $3 for materials, because some of it I had, some of it I got on killer clearance. I'd been using a large ziptop storage bag, which jumbled the makeup and looked tacky. (Free travel cosmetic bag pattern at Apple Green Cottage online)
4. I didn't have anything today to pack for lunch, so I pulled a frozen single portion of stew out of the freezer instead of buying lunch. I try to always have a few frozen lunches on hand.
5. There were tornadoes and bad storms last week, and we lost power after I went to work. Before I left for work, I put a lot of ice packs in the two refrigerators just in case, and since they weren't opened till power was restored, the contents were fine. The ice packs were still frozen when I checked on them. The big freezer was at 15 deg., what with all that frozen food in it.
@JD, re: your #1: I took off my wedding ring about 2 weeks ago, for the same reason as you took off your diamond ring. I've decided, however, not to try to put it back on. Instead, I've put it into a box JASNA BFF gave me for Christmas to hold "most precious treasures," which include DH's high school ring (this meant more to him than his Yale ring ever did), his National Honor Society pin, the Omega watch his parents gave him for high school graduation, and various other small mementos. I plan to grab this first in case of fire.
Enjoyed the Aurora borealis this past weekend. I invited a friend from town to come watch it as she recently traveled to Iceland for 10 days and never saw it. It was fun sitting under quilts, visiting into the wee hours.
Planting the raised beds in the garden, planted big geraniums (I winter them over in the greenhouse) around the yards.
High dollar ranch in our county replaced all of their green gates with black gates and it looks really nice, so at an estate sale I picked up 8 cans of Rustoleum ($1 ea) black paint to paint the gates in the yards and close to the house. They look all fresh and new. Next door neighbor (1/2 mile away) came over to borrow my walk behind rototiller and he commented on how sharp my new gates look. *wink*
I freshened my metal chairs (black) before placing the rehabbed cushions and throw pillows. While I was at it, I painted all of the wrought iron planters.
Everything looks sharp and ready for visits and Alfresco dinners.
Went to the Master Gardener's sale and bought a perennial for cutting flowers, 3 perennial herbs, 2 native ferns.
Planted 3 hanging baskets for Mother's Day. This winter I took slips of 6 of my fancy geraniums and made pots for all of my friends and neighbors.
Made a batch of yogurt and granola. Made artisan bread in the pizza oven (it was 90 outside, not heating up the kitchen) Made cookies from the freezer while the pizza oven was going. Eating out of the larder (home processed), garden & freezers.
Finished a comfort quilt to give to my favorite cousin's wife as she has a lot of drama going on in her family. Made her a matching mug rug for her desk at work as a reminder that she is loved.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, NO NO NO! Your gates are supposed to be BLUE!!
@Blue Gate Farmgirl,
Do you have a personal blog? Also, where are you located?
I'd love to see photos of you farm! 🙂
1. Borrowed a state park pass from the library and used it twice to go on a couple beautiful hikes for mother's day and last weekend. The hikes end with a BEAUTIFUL view of the pacific ocean. For free, ya'll. So great. I love my library and I love our state and national parks.
2. Will use our national park pass this weekend so no money out of pocket - I think it has already paid for itself but if not, it will this weekend.
3. Used my coupons and shopped smart to best use them at the grocery store. Stocked up on items that will encourage me to make food instead of buy food.
4. Used my reward to get a free iced tea. My husband saves his receipts for bread that he buys at the same bakery and I scan them with my app so that the points go towards free iced teas for me!
5. Bought some pajamas for my mom from Macy's for Mother's Day. Used a $10 credit that was about to expire. Saw that the price had dropped 2 days later and requested a price match that was promptly processed. Yay!
1. I made a deal in which my oldest kid gets to attend at $400 camp for free. The camp director offered free camp if I watched her youngest kiddo. It's 6 hours a day for 2 weeks and her kid is friends with one of mine, so it'll be great fun! I'm excited that my oldest will have the opportunity to do something she'll love that hasn't been an option before due to the cost.
2. I had a bunch of winter coats and snow pants that we're done with. Rather than buy a tub to store them in to try to sell them in October, I just listed them for free on a buy nothing-type of facebook group. I got rid of 4 coats and 2 pairs of snow pants without having to drive them anywhere. And I love that they'll be used and not trashed.
3. I like the Passionate Penny Pincher menu plans and they had a Mother's Day sale where the pdf's were $5 each. I had $10 in rewards, so I got two of them for free and already have a list of recipes that I'm excited to try!
4. I returned something to WalMart that we ended up not needing.
5. Meijer had strawberries and blueberries for 99cents last week. I think between my 2 shopping trips I probably bought 20qts of strawberries and 15 pints of blueberries. Many have been consumed, many have been frozen.
And 6. I called our health insurance company when the radiology place said coverage of a CT scan was denied because our coverage had expired. The helpful person from our insurance company called them and took care of it while keeping me on hold and everything was corrected quickly! It's been kind of an expensive start to our insurance year, so I'm glad that my husband caught this and I was able to take care of it easily.
Let's see....
1. I bought full size bags of snacks on sale at Publix rather than purchasing small bags of chips, nuts at convenience stores for triple the price. I brought these in the car with us for the trip and we took them out to the beach as well.
2. Used coupons to save $2 off each bottle of sunscreen that I bought.
3. Rented a home on the mainland and drove to the beaches on the island daily. Yes there was a parking fee and gas but that did not come close to what it would have cost us to stay in a beachfront property for a week.
4. Purchased a Groupon for Putt Putt golf that saved us $30 off the regular price.
5. Brought my two boxer pups on vacation which gave us free security on the beach as they would not let anyone come within 10 feet of us and kept us out of souvenir shops and restaurants on the way to our destination and back home. Plus free lovely entertainment of them on the beach for the first time. Sad to say that they did not care for the waves or the water at all 🙁
I used my Buy-Nothing steam canner to make apple juice and applesauce from the same 11# of apples bought at WinCo (perhaps the closest thing to Aldi where I live.
I canned them using a second-hand canner and jars thrifted at Goodwill.
I made my own chocolate sauce for my morning pseudo-mocha.
I make pseudo-mochas at home instead of patronizing any of the half dozen coffee shops within a mile of my home.
When a cyber-truck drive past me and had no idea what it was.
Lol—“ Did not buy a Cybertruck.”
I repurposed a free bouquet of flowers into 3 mini bouquets for Mother’s Day. I cut a brown paper bag into squares and wrapped each mini bouquet. Tied each one with ribbon from a previously received gift bow. Zero dollars spent and many smiles received.
I had a pretty much secondarily frugal week this time, but I'll take it!.
1. A couple of weeks ago, I bought some what were probably capris at the thrift store, but on this short body, they just looked awkward and sloppy. Both pair were lightweight plaids, so I chopped off a good 6 inches, hemmed them up and have a couple of Bermuda shorts, which are about as short as I want my pants to be.
2. Was gifted some stainless steel straws (2 straight and 2 bent) and their brushes by someone in my Buy Nothing group. Have always wanted some, but didn't want to spend the money. Now I'm searching Pinterest for a nice case pattern for them so I can keep some in my purse or glove box in the car. I have tons of scrap fabric, including some cut from old jeans, so I[m sure I can make something cute and durable.
3. Also was gifted a laundry basket full of brand new fabric and a couple of patterns. A quilting friend in my Bible study group had an incident involving a cat and a tall bookshelf of fabric, and took the opportunity to downsize some of her stash. There are 3 more of us quilters in the group, so she gifted piles to all of us. It has all been washed, dried, and strings trimmed now, and is just waiting to be pressed, folded, sorted and absorbed into my stash. Happy dance!
4. And I was also the recipient of packages of frozen wild Maine blueberries totalling 11 pounds from another member of the gifting group. I may regift some of it, but this morning I already put a package of cream cheese and some of the blueberries in the food processor and made a spread for my bagels.
5. Found a brand new, cream-colored, leather crossbody purse, tags still on, for $8 at the thrift store. It had been purchased at Ross for $30 and still had some of the paper in the pockets. I have been searching that thrift store at least weekly for a couple of months, looking for a spring/summer purse. Just hate using black, grey, and brown purses in warm weather.
6. Also scored several rolls of ribbons, lace and other trim at the thrift store. I make fabric hearts to leave around town (like I Found a Quilted Heart, but with an invitation to visit our church attached) and use my fabric scraps, buttons, ribbons, etc to decorate them.
Oh! That jar is so cute! I also love lamps, but I cannot have them or pretty little jars these days. Boys are just too destructive. Also, cats.
My FFT:
1. Skipped the grocery this week, and might even skip next week too.
2. Made coffee at home.
3. Ate leftovers in lots of different iterations.
4. Discovered that my cold water shower handle could be fixed by just tightening a screw. I'm annoyed at myself for thinking it was irreparably broken for two plus years, but I am happy I fixed it without needing to pay my handyman.
5. Read books and played games we already own for entertainment.
1. Found a bag of four cups of rhubarb from last summer's garden; how I did not see it in previous freezer rearranging baffles me. Combined it with three elderly apples and made rhubarb/applesauce, which we eat as one does regular applesauce. It made enough for several days.
2. Clobber paws has not escaped from the yard since we extended the height of the fence by two feet. The neighbor brought over a bunch of spring rolls and left the gate open. Clobber paws took off and promptly jumped into our mailman's truck that was parked down the road. He was delivered back to us, no postage charged. This saved us the $300 it could have cost us to get him out of jail if animal control had picked him up, and I chalk it up to cultivating good relationships with neighbors and the post man and the newspaper delivery guy. Good neighbors make the frugal life easier.
3. To my immense dismay, the new medication my husband has been taking has the side effect of hair thinning. The doc said this will slow down but his lost hair will not reappear and his hair will continue thinning. He offered us expensive treatments and husband turned him down because he doesn't care about thinner hair. I agree about not spending the money for a vanity issue, but it pains me to see that gorgeous mane of white curls growing thinner and receding. I am basically vain over his curls, which is faintly embarrassing. Not giving in to vanity once removed is frugal.
4. Binge watched several series so I could cancel a streaming service after one month. I kept a running list and then sign up for a particular service for a month so I can watch the list. This means winter is really over since in the summer we are too busy to watch the amount we do in the cold, dark winter.
5. Attended a seed exchange, a tool exchange, and a transplant exchange this week. All gardening related.
@Lindsey, I do understand your feelings about the husband's hair, because I was equally vain about DH's head of splendid thick straight brown hair--very little touched with grey, up to the day he died. Dr. Alzheimer's brutal disease ravaged my darling in almost every other way, but not that one.
@A. Marie, Thank you for saying that. I feel a bit idiotic to be mourning his hair loss but, really, it made him look more like the angel he is. Especially when it rains, it just turns into these gorgeous loose ringlets...he finds it amusing that I am more distraught than he is. Your comment reminded me of my grandfather. He, too, was stolen by Alzheimer's, but his really thick mostly still dark hair was with him until the day he died.
Thanks for the introduction to Marie Killiam!!! And congratulations on the nice gourd lamp. I simply cannot resist a great or even pretty good lamp at a yard sale and can usually find a good place for it right away. It's good to know that I am not alone because my better half thinks I am nuts.
Frugality at my house
1. I was thinking I wanted a cleaning caddy because our new house has two levels. I put one on my wishlist, then realized I could use a Kitty Litter bucket as my cleaning caddy. I took the cleaning caddy off of my wishlist.
2. The previous owners had nails/screws in the wall for their pictures and left them. It's fine, but they aren't in a stud. We don't own many pictures anyway, but some of the ones we do are heavy and I don't trust their fasteners to work for us. $20 at Goodwill was enough to find light items that I like enough to have on the wall for now.
3. Also at Goodwill, I found a plastic basket with big holes that I can use as a shower caddy. The shower in the master has nowhere to put shampoo bottles and such. At the same Goodwill, I did find one suction cup caddy for soap and toothbrush/toothpaste (partner likes to brush in the shower).
4. We recast our mortgage with the proceeds of the sale of the previous house. Our goal is to still make the larger payment and pay the house off in 12 years.
5. I transplanted hostas that were growing in front of the barn to the front of the house. I don't think I need anything else for the decorative area around the front of the house.
And a bonus 6. For some reason the previous owner had a pile of decorative stone behind the barn. I've rescued 6 of the curved pavers and will paint them to look like owls. They will either hang out in the mulch area or help weigh down the outdoor carpet on the deck. I will probably grab more of the decorative pavers to do stuff with later.
That's so weird, I also didn't buy a Cybertruck!
I doubt I'll make it five but here goes:
- I got discounted tickets to a show this Friday and another in June
- We made dinner for a few friends after Porchfest instead of getting take out; additionally we used thighs from the freezer instead of buying the chicken breast the recipe called for
- Received our replacement All-Clad pots (requested them awhile back but they finally arrived)
-Restarted the only paying cash at the farmer's market; will see how this one plays out but we did manage to spend under $1oo on Saturday
1. Got 50% off bedding at thrift store....10 blankets for $27.00 for quilting for disaster relief.
2. Got free mini serger and thread for serging at Days for girls. I will learn to serge. Since it is a mini, it doesn't cut fabric.
3. Volunteer so I don't spend money. Plus free lunches sometimes.
4. Made free craft at library. Plus visit with friend. Dish towel.
5. Books on Book.bub and Libby app that are free.
1. Over at The Non-Consumer Advocate blog, I was reminded of missingmoney.com, where one can find unclaimed property. I alerted several family members and friends that they had money to claim and they will be receiving thousands of dollars - the highest claim so far was $3,500 from a life insurance company!
2. Attended a free community presentation on turning lawns over to pollinator and rain gardens. Learned about grants and other free resources that are available from our county.
3. Went to a discount food store and scored some excellent deals (including four pounds of walnuts for $12, orange bell peppers 3/$1, 1 lb. of organic strawberries for $1, box of Almond Nut-Thins for $1, six Ciabatta rolls for $1, and free milk that was past its best by date but still fine). Would have saved another $10 if I had gone on the correct day to receive the 10% customer discount.
4. Attended a high school play that two of our neighbors were in. Spent $12 for a very delightful evening.
5. Visited a free wildflower garden and bird sanctuary and packed a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day and we saw the cutest owlet.
Two curious notes - I recently saw a cybertruck in my neighborhood for the first time and my college friend was the writer and director of UP -one of them at least- and he's the nicest guy you would ever meet. (He's also the voice of Dug)
Oh my gosh, that's so cool! I love Dug.
1. Found out I will be receiving a $9.72 check from a class action lawsuit that I don’t remember signing up for.
2. Watched the northern lights from my back porch.
3. Made lasagna when I really felt like not cooking, and it fed us for two nights.
4. Found some great toddler clothes at Goodwill (their updated prices are all toddler pieces for $1.99, so depending on what you find it’s a great deal). I also found two shirts for myself. I can’t even remember when I last bought anything “new” and I am glad to have some new things to wear.
5. I’ve been cutting flowers from the yard instead of buying them. Lilacs, violets, and lily of the valley are all wonderful in the house!
6. I remembered to use a free car wash before it expired. We’d had some late snows here with the accompanying oversalted roads, and I wanted to make sure we didn’t end up with salt damage.
I love your mini apothecary jar.
1. I skipped a week of buying groceries,
2. cooked beans, cornbread, pasta sauce, and a cake,
3. defrosted frozen leftovers to eat when I needed an easy meal,
4. bought only loss leaders when I did buy groceries, and
5. bought gently used shoes, getting much better quality than I could afford if I'd bought new.
I’m very intrigued by the idea that you can’t have too many lamps because I think I have too many lamps. Seriously. I don’t know where to put them all but I love them and don’t want to part with them.
Maria Killiam says each room needs six. So....are you at more than six per room?? lol
@Kristen, I will tell my DH. He feels six per room is too many. lol! I love lamps too!
We just moved overseas and while we are waiting for our goods to arrive I have become creative with repurposing items in the meantime:
1. I splurged on a coffee machine, but the box is now serving as a clothes hamper.
2. The plastic containers from the vegan food section (I can't believe how much I actually like vegan food) double up as sponge and dish soap holders and keep the all wooden countertop stain free (strange choice for a cooking area, but it's a rustic home, so granite would not look good) and organized.
3. I cut up extra large bags from the commissary into smaller sections to pick up doggie do when I had nothing else at hand.
4. I have created rather strange meals from leftovers even though we have a separate food waste bin, just because I don't want to waste food.
5. The vet had been on us for a while that our dog needs to loose a few pounds, so I started weighing the dog food and realized how much extra food is in a scoop when you don't pay attention. I think I'm onto something.
On my local buy nothing group, someone was giving away an entire case (12 bottles) of the slightly pricey salad dressing that I'm particular about using. 12 unopened bottles! I immediately responded and picked it up within a couple of hours (on the way home from church, which was very convenient!). I'm so proud of this! I go through about a bottle a week of this salad dressing so we are set for a while!
1. I didn't buy a Cybertruck but I make parts for it and I get paid to do it to put in savings because my car is paid for! I count that as frugal. 🙂
2. Took lunch/water/snacks to work and had 3 lunches provided at work.
3. My iphone7 did not hold charge anymore so was going to buy another refurbished (I don't buy new), but my DIL had a iphone12 in her stores. She gave it to me and took that "cost" off of a debt she owes me. Saved me $300 that I was going to spend on a iphone10 and got a newer version. I went from a 2016 model to a 2021 model.
4. Mowed and trimmed my yard myself. Last year I was so busy I hired it out. Also, pruned a tree that was hanging too low to mow under without being assaulted by the tree.
I ate my daughter’s leftovers for lunch because I knew they would get tossed. Also I’m going to wash shorter cycles for dishes and clothes and see the difference in my bill.
Thank you