Five Frugal Things | my oddest Buy Nothing Group find
1. I got turkey necks from my Buy Nothing group
I know people often get food from their Buy Nothing groups but this is my first time!
Someone was offering frozen turkey necks, and I figured that I could use them to make broth. It is winter, after all, and that's a prime time to have broth in the freezer for soup-making.
Here's how I make broth that is actually tasty.
And here's a post about Buy Nothing groups.
2. I avoided lots of food waste
This week I:
- made cinnamon bread with some extra milk
- baked a spaghetti squash that I'd been ignoring for a while
- steamed some small squashes from Hungry Harvest
- crisped up some stale tortilla chips in the oven and used them for a salad topping
- cut up all the wrinkly apples and made a small pot of applesauce
3. I used the last bit of squash in my oatmeal
I have added pumpkin to my oatmeal before, so I figured the last bit of butternut squash would be fine in my oats.
I would give this a 5/10...it was tolerable, and I did use up the squash, but it wasn't my favorite oatmeal iteration.
My chocolate oatmeal is way better. 😉
4. I got two bags of hamster bedding for free
Someone on a Facebook group was offering two almost-full bags of the exact bedding Zoe uses for her hamster! So, I picked them up for her.
(This was on a local Free Stuff group, which is fairly similar to the Buy Nothing group).
5. I made seven new eBay listings
With my newfound free time now that I'm not in school, I've been doing some decluttering. I've given away quite a bit of stuff on my Buy Nothing group, but I also listed some of our extra stuff on eBay.
This isn't an immediately rewarding frugal activity, but I've been doing this long enough to know that most things do eventually sell on eBay. The time investment will pay off later.
(And honestly, with the eBay app, it's so fast to add photos to listings. That really speeds up the listing process!)
We are decluttering our pantry shelf by shelf so as not to be overwhelmed and do the same to wardrobes etc. Hopefully the decluttered items can make other people happy. We eat the foods. I stocked up last March when Ukraine was attacked but unfortunately I also bought foods like baked beans that are highly nutricous, but never part of our weekly rotation. A lesson to stock up what you eat, not what you think you should eat.
FFT:
Carefully mealplanned, to use up items from our decluttered pantry shelves and from our over-full freezer;
We got a refund from our utilities company, as the montly payments were higher than our utilities usage. This is a great incentive to try and keep our usage low;
My husband bought warm clothes in the sale. He would happily (happiest) wear the same shirts and pants in all seasons but has reconciled to wearing warmer clothes in winter and short sleeves in summer, to control our energy bills;
As I will be required to travel to the office again in a few months time, I have bought a laptop trolley, also during the sale. The trolley has a handle and back straps so I can carry it on the steps on railway stations, and it also fits in the bags of my bicycle (public transport means more movement than taking a car. and eliminates the frustrations of (not) finding a suitable parking space);
I filled up our car at the cheapest gas station, borrowed books from the library, streamed a movie and while knitting listened to our wind-up radio. The sound is creaky but always makes me feel that someone is playing the music just for me
@J NL, I love how you hear the "creaky" sounds from your radio as a personal performance for you!
@J NL, I don't buy things that we should eat instead of what we really do like to eat. However, I do that with my garden, year after year planting stuff we would eat only if the entire planet were destroyed and it was eat beans or die. I call it aspirational gardening---I aspire to eat better but do not.
—I scoped out post-Christmas sales and bought cards for next year for 50% off. That was the only holiday thing I needed, and it was the only thing I bought. I always go through to pick the least expensive card set that I like with the most amount of cards—in this case, 25 for $5 after the discount.
—My husband’s job does “floating holidays,” where he and his co-workers get a paid day off of their choosing when something like Christmas falls on a weekend. A particularly crappy winter weather mix was forecast for last Tuesday, so I suggested he take that as his paid holiday vs. commuting on black ice. Thus, he was paid to relax at home on a day that he would have had to either leave late or call in because of the roads—win!
—The passenger side door of my husband’s car had come loose on the inside. (The plastic part of the door, not the actual door!) I was able to replace two missing screws and Gorilla tape along a hidden edge to secure it again. Related frugality: The kit of randomly-sized screws that I bought from the hardware store has proven an awesome $5 investment!
—A Goodwill trip yielded a lovely pair of new-in-package white metal bookends with filigree work for $4. I swapped them with a plain black pair (also from Goodwill) in my office, which has white shelves. The black pair are now corralling part of our bedroom library.
—Thredup finally offered post-holiday free shipping! They do this a few times a year—Earth Day is another instance—so that’s when I hunt for specific things that haven’t turned up while thrifting. Thredup also has the advantage of listing physical measurements , not just sizes. I ordered a new cardigan for around the house, a Gap t shirt, and Gap corduroy pants. I’m petite everywhere but my booty—baby got back—and I’ve found Gap true to size and good quality (nice thick cotton) if one sticks to the main brand and not the outlet branch. I’m less picky about cardigans so long as they’re 100% cotton and just chose a pretty one under $10. Total with discounts and free shipping: $26.19.
1. One of our vehicles was due for emissions testing. We went early Saturday then stopped at a Lidl store near the inspection station. This Lidl is much larger than our local store and they had some great holiday clearance. They had organic cinnamon infused maple syrup for $2.49 for an 8 ounce bottle, they had 12 ounce boxes of Niagara chocolates for $1.49/box (regularly $9.99), and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for $.49/bag. I also bought sale priced produce and marked down mushrooms. I also bought Celestial Seasonings herbal tea, the holiday flavors were $.89/box.
2. A friend gave me a pair of cute Vionic shoes that she never could make work for her.
3. In the past week I bought two $5 produce boxes and a package of turkey chops using the Flash Food app. The grocery store is walking distance from our house. They have all been good deals.
4. I accepted “expired” shelf stable food from a neighbor and have found it new homes via Freecycle. It was food items we do not eat but I was happy to pass along. I try to keep items out of landfills and help the community.
5. I walked with a friend as we had not caught up for a while (she had knee surgery in mid December). DH sealed our kitchen counter, back splash, and tile floor grout using sealant we had.
@K D, so jealous that you were able to get Reeses PB cups t&at cheap!! My favorite but difficult to find on sale. Only markdowns on candy is 20% off still making it $4 small bag. I used to buy after holiday/clearance & put into freezer. I don't necessarily like the tree shaped as the portion of PB to chocolate not same. But I'm sure many others would disagree.
Hmmm....
-- After dropping our son off at the airport, we took the slightly longer (maybe 5 miles) route so that we could stop at a favorite discount grocery store and fill up on gas for around 25 cents less per gallon.
--I planned meals.
Wow. There must be something, but I'm thinking my brain isn't awake enough!
@Jody S., Not spending is the most frugal of all!
@WilliamB, Yes. Because I stay home most of the time, I do a lot of not spending 🙂
I feel like I need to get to get started on Ebay, I have so many things to list. I just don't have the free time lately. Its on my someday list. But!:
*I stayed well within my $50 budget for food this week, supplementing my menus with freezer and pantry finds I already had. I can do this - I just have to get crafty.
*Talked to the Consumer Advocacy department at Subaru and they are paying for half of the pricey repair on my Forester. ($2k and some change) At the time the issue was noted, my car had less than 75,000 miles on it and is fully paid off. I figure its cheaper to make repairs than take on a new car note. In the meantime, I am driving Hubby's truck.
*Saw a cute cross stitch I wanted to do, but it was pricey. I took a screen shot of it, sketched it out, and now am happily stitching on it, using thread and fabric I already had.
*Ordered ink cartridges from Amazon last month that work every bit as well as the pricey Epson ones, and cost half as much. Then I cyphered out why my fax machine wasn't working, made that repair myself, and went on living my life.
{Back to oatmeal for me, too, by the way. Cheap, filling, good at lowering your cholesterol.}
@gina, I finally started selling on eBay a little over a year ago after a decade of wanting to do it. For me, what made starting infinitely easier was having a small kitchen scale to weigh boxes, having a box and packing material chosen for each item before I list it, and making buyers pay the shipping, which adjusts according to their location. Being scared to figure out shipping was what kept me from starting for so long, so this makes it super easy. Perhaps I miss out on making some sales by not having free shipping, but it's worth it to me.
For me, the biggest pain in selling on eBay is taking good photos. It can be a real pain.
If you're finding it overwhelming, break it down. Write down what you have to see. Look up which categories are good for selling them. Search on ebay items like yours that have sold and for how much. Eventually you need to write a description, mentioning any and all flaws, take at least one good picture or more, depending on the object, and then you need to figure out shipping rates. It can be a giant, giant pain but also surprisingly profitable.
"have to sell."
Butternut squash oatmeal?...don't think I would have been brave enough. Maybe it would have worked better on toast with some spreadable cheese and scallions or chives?
FFT this week:
1. Had the urge for a matcha latte and remembered a gift card that had enough funds on it.
2. Continued eating the leftovers from a large roast we got a great deal on, 5 meals and counting...
3. Inventoried my storage closet and found a few backups items I was going to buy at the drugstore, but didn't need to now. Getting better at remembering to check first!
4. Rescued the pomegranate before it began to spoil. Enjoying it now with some clementines.
5. Started reviewing the personal care products I used this past year to see what I really don't need anymore, haven't really used, or wasn't crazy about, so I know not to buy them again and also to avoid impulse buys. I will use up what I did buy though, no sense wasting it.
I gave away and donated a lot more things, making others happy, keeping stuff from the landfill, and clearing out space for more move prep. For the things I'm mailing, I'm using shipping material I already have.
I'm knitting myself a new hat from leftover yarn, since I gave my father my hat. In the process of finding that yarn I identified a lot more yarn I can use for Hats for the Homeless.
Did my version of meal planning - making a list of recipes I'll make in the near future. This time I listed what I'll need to buy, such as coriander, so I can batch up those recipes and not waste it. Right now I'm using up heavy cream.
Xmas gifts were meaningful but not financially extravant.
Continued to eat down the pantry and freezer, buy meat on sale, use scavenged firewood, avoid food waste, exercise for free (outdoors, YouTube), and use the library heavily.
@WilliamB,
Coincidentally, I need to use up heavy cream left over from the holidays. What are some of the ways you’re using it, if you don’t mind sharing?
@Erika JS,
We had heavy cream left from the holidays, and pears, so tarte tatin with cream it was.
Plus whipped cream on our coffee.
Ideas for actually cooking with heavy cream are welcome, William B!
@J NL, @Erika, we also had heavy cream leftover from Christmas, which I used up in a dish of scalloped potatoes. My husband thought I needed more than I actually ended up using, so he went and bought some more, lol.
With that, we made a dish of baked cod in a cream sauce that was very yummy.
@Erika JS, You can use it in many things. Anything you can use milk or half & half in, you can make richer by using cream.
Here are some savory ideas:
- sauces [last night's dinner was chicken thighs (bought on sale + coupon last summer) in Orange Cream sauce - basically concentrated orange juice, chicken stock, cream, and spices, simmered down a bit];
- sweet or savory bread puddings;
- in panade to make ground meat more tender;
- make rich cheese from scratch (soft cheeses such as cottage are easy)
- quiche or timbale;
- really rich polenta or spoonbread.
Here are some sweet ideas:
- custards and flans;
- things made with custard, such as ice cream and pies;
- ganache;
- creme anglaise.
Here's an alcoholic idea: egg nog. There are very alcoholic versions that can age for years.
I am trying to imagine having difficulty using heavy cream. lol I LOVE heavy cream.
@Erika JS, I used to make (sort of) tikka masala, using a recipe from Budget Bytes website. I didn't have the garam masala, but did have curry powder on hand so subbed that. I think the flavor of the sauce for that dish would be good even if you left out the garam masala without subbing anything in for it because they are warm fragrant spices that are good by themselves.
I have found the heavy cream stays good in the fridge for quite some time, so sometimes I let it sit around for the next time I need 1/4 cup.
@Erika JS, I use heavy cream in my chicken and rice casserole; the liquid the rice cooks in is just chicken broth, seasonings and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Half and half also works, but if I have heavy cream I use it!
@Erika JS, Even though some people say you can't freeze heavy cream, I find that you can. I pour it into ice cube trays then transfer them to a container once they are frozen solid. It's best for cooking or baking when you thaw it, so I usually throw a cube or two into creamy soups and stir well.
Thanks, Everyone, for these great ideas. I bought several large containers of heavy cream for two family recipes (one of which is highly alcoholic WilliamB), and only one got made.
I can’t wait to try some of these suggestions! Many thanks.
I do this as well and when I don’t have half and half I just make my own with the “ice cubes” and milk.
Mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter is amazing! Don’t know if you have almond potatoes over there, but in my opinion they are the best for this.
1. H repaired a suspension issue with my car $25 for part. Would have cost a couple hundred at the dealership including labor.
2. Eating down the freezer/pantry. This may take a while.
3. Tied to number 2. We are committed to $20 per week for groceries in January. We spent $15.04. Only 4 items but much less than our usual $100.
4. Canned up 10 quarts of chicken broth made from rotisserie chicken remains found in the freezer. Figure that saves at least $20 even if I calculate in energy and canning lids.
5. Usual- no meals out, baked bread
I was happy to find pomegranates in the produce clearance section, one bag of 3 and one bag of 2, each bag 99 cents. Beats $2.50 each pomegranate by a mile! And they have been perfectly good.
Also bought a bunch of clearance bananas (59 cents) for muffins and then some potatoes. I figure they will probably be thrown out if they don’t sell, so I’m avoiding food waste.
@DCO, what great finds!
@Kate, My supermarket often has old bananas in the back they'll sell for cheap, all one needs to do is ask.
Thanks everyone for the excellent ideas! I still have one tub. Plus they last beyond their expiry date in my experience.
@WilliamB, I just did this today. I got 3 lbs of bananas for $.33, for smoothies to use up the TWO (sob) melons that froze.
Funny thing is, they're not overripe enough for smoothies. The peels are brown but the bananas are fine. I'm going to have to buy more.
Well done on the food waste reduction!!
My FFT:
1. I did really well with my Meijer shopping trip yesterday between finding Christmas cards 90% off, combining coupons and sales, and having coupons to get a couple of things for free.
2. I got a dog bed from Aldi. They have really big ones for $20 right now with washable covers. My patience for a good deal paid off.
3. I made yogurt.
4. I organized my pantry and made a list of what meals I can make as well as what ingredients I need to figure out how to use soon.
5. I made coffee at home. This morning I was feeling like, "Ugh, I need to buy coffee again??" But I'm currently sitting outside a place that sells lattes and am reminded of how much cheaper it is to make coffee at home.
That oatmeal looks so bad. Like when my cat looses her kibble. I will save money today by skipping breakfast. >^••^<
@Tiana, Yeah, I was hoping to have an appetite to eat today, but that pic made my stomach hurt worse.
@Tiana, Wow. That's....quite an opinion on somebody else's meal.
To be fair, a lot of oatmeal does kinda look like that, unless it's got a lot of toppings.
Unless it's my dark chocolate oatmeal, which just looks like brownie batter on its own!
@Kristen, True, I have a hard time selling oatmeal to my kids, unless there's fresh fruit (or chocolate chips, ha) to put on it. I still love it though! And I remember reading once that most canned pumpkin is actually butternut or some other squash variety anyway. 🙂
I love oatmeal and so do my kids. Mostly just plain with either a little brown sugar or maple syrup. Chocolate, ugh. Not everything is better with chocolate.
Girl, you are kinda spiky about my oatmeal today. 😉
- Combined leftovers to create another meal on Saturday when I was being lazy and really wanted to just order take-out
- Downloaded two books for my Kindle from Amazon First reads
- Purchased a set of assorted Hallmark greeting cards. I got 48 delivered for $19. Now I won't have to stop by a store for birthday, baby shower, or sympathy cards for a while and each cost less than at the Dollar store
- Did grocery shopping at Sprouts and hunted throughout the store for the amazing manager specials of the week. I got a tub of hummus for $0.99 and naan chips for $0.99 so I'll have lunch for less than two dollars
- Meal planning this week around what we have in the freezer and pantry
- I have been cleaning out closets and have donated or given away a lot of stuff. Makes it easier to see what we do have and that we don't need yet another set of king-sized sheets
I'm not a butternut fan. Kudos to you for braving the butternut oatmeal.
1. I stopped at Goodwill and found a dishwasher-safe stainless dog's water bowl with a silicone outer layer to keep it from sliding around, for 99 cents. It's just like one I already have, only this one is blue instead of green, and it's bigger than the plain water bowl my new dog had been using. My dogs are very fashion-conscious and were embarrassed that their water bowls weren't coordinated. Now the bowls are.
2. While at Goodwill I found a whole box of knee-high nylons, which I wear with nice slacks at work. This was also 99 cents, so I grabbed it.
3. My friend and her helper came to my house and took my old freezer for my friend's use. It's frugal for her and I didn't have to pay for a haul-away when my new freezer arrived, so frugal for me, too.
4. Lands End sent the wrong item on my Christmas order, so I called about returning it yesterday, even though it was past the return window. I politely explained everything and that it was a Christmas gift, which is why I am returning so late after purchasing in September. They agreed to send the correct item immediately and let me mail the incorrect item back at their expense, hooray!
5. I cooked ahead again this weekend and batch-cooked three dishes at once in the oven. I froze part of what I cooked, for later. My daughter used some of her remaining EBT card given to her by the school to get my husband some more protein drinks, I made another gallon pitcher of iced tea to drink at home and take to work, and I keep packing my lunch, day after day after day.
@JD, LOL! Your poor dogs before you took care of them properly.
1. Made another eBay sale - a water filter pitcher we received as a gift, only to find out the replacement filters were around $50 each. Um, no thank you. Packed it up in reused box and fill. Super happy since this was one of the largest things on my sale pile. I'm a big fan of getting rid not only of all the stuff, but particularly getting rid of all the biggest stuff!
2. Using up lots of food as I prepare to leave my house for a few months to join my husband who's working a a few states away. (This does mean going on leave from my job - not frugal - but I work at a small church, so let's just say I'm not making a whole lot there anyway.) My son and I have been torturing ourselves over the past few days, forcing down homemade biscuits, chicken pot pie, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate pudding, and chocolate mousse. Thanks for the pudding recipe this weekend, Kristen!
3. Packing up some books to try to resell when I get to our temporary home in a city with lots of used book stores. They're all recent books that weren't available in our local libraries, so if I wanted to read them I had to buy them myself. Hopefully I'll get a bit back so can buy more books!
4. Free for friends - I had ordered a $10 gift for someone but was sent the wrong thing. I got a refund but was told to just keep the item. I didn't need it so I took it to church and shared it among friends there.
5. Paid my son's tuition with a bank account transfer for a 50 cent fee rather than with a credit card which would incur a fee of several hundred dollars.
Also, the squash/pumpkin is actually quite yummy in oatmeal, BUT only if you get the proportions right. It looks like yours has a little too much orange stuff. 😉 We are currently getting a pumpkin from our garden into the oven so we can use a little bit in our granola. It will also be in some breakfast muffins and what I call cowboy beans later in the week.
Yeah, I might have gone a little too hard with the squash!
1) I also worked at keeping food waste at bay.
-I defrosted a couple of grilled chicken sausages, so I could have them as easy protein options on my lunch salads. I also used old dressing packets for the salads, to give the flavor a boost, and clean out the dressings. And, topped the salads with diced cheese leftover from Christmas.
-I made protein balls for my gym going teens, using up the last of the chocolate chips & protein powder.
-I made curry with potatoes from Thanksgiving, and they were just on the cusp of needing to be tossed.
-I remembered we had protein bars in the fridge, and moved them inside & to a more obvious place, so they will be eaten before they expire.
-I continue to eat random leftovers for lunches, including leftovers of kids meals & other things that no one else will eat.
2) Picked up a freebie yogurt at the grocery store. I'll most likely use this for bread baking.
3) I sold ski pants on eBay, and listed another new item, after going through all of the ski bags & organizing our gear, post trip. I was also able to match up a missing mitten, so we didn't need to buy a new pair. However, the glove liner remains unmatched. Unclear where its mate got off to, but we will likely need to buy a replacement.
4) Continued to upload receipts to Fetch, including going through & clicking for the bonus game they have going on right now. I also returned a cart at the grocery store, while I was walking in to shop, and noticed a receipt. Uploaded that to Fetch, and it had bonus points. Also uploaded that receipt to Box Tops, earning a donation for our local school.
5) Organized our hall closet & coat closet, decluttering a bunch of stuff & finding lots to give away, recycle, etc. Frugal for other people, if nothing else! And, a decluttered house makes me feel good.
FFT, Team Geezers Edition:
(1) Over at the NCA yesterday, I congratulated Katy on her recent 55th birthday, which enables her to get the senior discount at her fabulous Goodwills on Wednesdays. I commented (under the heading "Welcome to Geezerhood") that I get the senior discount at our Rescue Mission/Thrifty Shopper chain on Tuesdays. She responded, "Team geezers!" I hope that all other members of Team Geezers in both the FG and NCA communities are rocking all their senior discounts likewise.
(2) This wasn't a senior benefit, but it's a good one anyway: The RM/TS chain also had a sale on its gift cards before Christmas. I bought two $100 gift cards for $75 each. The cards have no expiration date, and I will certainly use them (probably sooner rather than later). So this is the equivalent of $50 in free money.
(3) I’ve been working the thrifts in the New Year (for the year-end donations, of course) as my schedule permits. I’ve already scored several 2023 birthday and Christmas/Chanukah presents for friends (what, isn’t everybody shopping for these already?)–including a pair of black Eddie Bauer jeans, size 8 tall, for a tall thin friend.
(4) In other news, for those who may not yet have heard, the USPS has another offer of COVID test kits going on. I received mine yesterday. (I still have to test negative every time I visit DH in his nursing home.)
(5) And another USPS reminder: The price on first-class Forever stamps is going up to 63 cents on January 22. I’ve been stocking up for some time now–and anyone who, like me, is enough of a geezer to be using snail mail may wish to do likewise.
@A. Marie, thanks for the reminder on postage stamps! I don’t use the post office that often, but like to have stamps to use when I do need to send something via snail mail.
@A. Marie, #2 is a great tip that many people don't think about. I buy discounted gift cards at the grocery store all year. I try to get at least 20% (buy a $100 gift card, get $20 in free groceries, for example.) My favorite one to get is Lowe's. We bought our stove a few years ago using all gift cards! The sales clerk wasn't particularly thrilled, but between a great sale price, a rebate and the discounted gift cards, we got a $1200 stove for $500. I buy discounted gift cards for personal use year round, mother's day and father's day are other good times to watch for the discounts.
@Bobi, that's a great story about the stove at Lowe's. I will keep a closer eye out for similar deals from now on.
@A. Marie, I am able to get discounted restaurant gift cards around Xmas, but where are you buying other store gift cards at a discount?
@Anne, Costco always have some.
@Anne, see Bobi's reply above (she's had more experience with this than I have). Looks as if the things to do are to (a) keep an eye peeled and (b) ask.
@A. Marie,
Darn it, our Goodwills here don't have senior days anymore! I asked, to be sure. They have zero discount days both where I live and where I work. I sometimes think they waited for me to be a senior to stop giving the senior discount.
@Anne, Check grocery store flyers, usually near the bottom of the page of ads. Most of the stores in my area offer them all year, especially near holidays. Valentine's day offers are usually restaurant and movie cards, May & June is usually those plus stores like Kohl's, Boscov's, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. The discounts are usually in the form of gas points or free groceries and range from 10-25%. When the discount is given in groceries, I buy meat, produce and items that usually aren't discounted. Drug stores and Dollar General also discount gift cards at various times during the year, usually, straight cash discounts. And @Rose is correct too, Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's sell a limited selection year round as well, but they top out at about 7-10%. Best advice, scan ads carefully to spot these deals and gift yourself! (Also, I'm on the East Coast so can't vouch for other regions.)
@Bobi, what an annoying sales clerk! "Just do your job, Buster, because it all pays the same." (For some reason, that really got my goat.)
@Central Calif. Artist, it was annoying but I did feel a bit sorry for them because for some reason, Lowe's system is set up to make using gift cards difficult (maybe they have a lot of fraud?) After swiping the gift card, the cashier must type in the pin and after 2 gift cards, the sale has to be suspended and restarted. It's ridiculous! If you use gift cards at Lowe's for even a small purchase, you can't use the self checkouts because you always require assistance from the cashier who has to put in and approve the pin. I've complained repeatedly about the stupidity of this, countless other stores take gift cards from customers at self checkouts! (I'd take my business elsewhere but Lowe's is the only option in our area.)
So sick of hearing people complain about the price of eggs (not here, but everywhere else.) With that in mind, here's my 5:
1. 18 eggs for $1.49! Did a receipt survey, received 100 pts and used for egg discount. Been doing this for awhile. (Weis, if you live near one.)
2. Using Aldi tofu for "egg" salad. One package makes at least 8 generous sandwiches and is amazingly good even to us non-vegan types.
3. Got a deal on another plant-based product, Just Eggs. Only good for scrambling, but again, amazingly tasty and works out to less than .20 serving.
4. Upstairs pipe leak in kitchen ceiling. Plumber said he'd have to cut drywall to locate (duh!) Estimate to cut was $225! Plumber watched as hubby climbed ladder and used utility knife to slice through and voila, saved $225! Of course, the actual fix was $540, but that's another story...
5. Someone hit our mailbox again (it happens!) Hubby was able to reposition pole and hammer out door so the box can live awhile longer.
@Bobi, I don't know where "here" is, but I want to come shopping. Today I paid $11.49 for 20 eggs. It hurt. Ow. Not complaining. Whimpering.
@Bobi, I buy eggs from the famers in the neighborhood anywhere from $1 to $2 a dozen. Thank goodness.
@JR, wow, you're lucky, the farmers around here are charging at least $4!
@Central Calif. Artist, Ouch!
1. We shopped at the discount store, and meal-planned and did some prep on the weekend. I now check the flyers regularly.
2. I have committed to not buying craft supplies in 2023. I made a plan of one project per month (ambitious, given my schedule), using materials that I have, and I have told myself that I am only allowed to buy notions (elastic, zippers, thread) and one new sewing pattern (the Deer and Doe Magnolia, for a wedding in the summer.) I'll try to stick with it this year!
3. I succeeded in bringing my lunch to work and not buying hot drinks every day in December, so I'll try the same again for January.
4. I re-organized my child's dresser, putting all of her current-size clothes in obvious places, and all of her next-size clothes together, which helped me find some pants that actually fit right now.
5. I identified a piece of lifestyle inflation: I used to buy myself a treat of hot chocolate or a sweet when I was working overnight, but that's expanded to a full dinner. Whoops. I'm loathe to give it up, to be honest, because working a day and a night is so unpleasant, but I recently learned that if I attend my hospital's trainee lunch once a week, I'll get an food delivery gift card. Guess who is making room in her schedule for trainee lunch?!
My frugal/financial PSA, please make sure you all have a will and check your accounts for beneficiaries. There was an issue last week in my extended family that was a little heartbreaking where something was verbally expressed, but never put into writing (there was no will) and it didn't go well. I wasn't involved directly, but I feel really bad for one of my cousins.
My Frugal Five:
1. We had a flight booked for the day after Christmas on Southwest. Due to the travel nightmares then, I cancelled my flight and got the points back. Last week I received and email from Southwest and an additional 25,000 points, worth $300 of free flights.
2. I have some large expenses coming up, so I signed up for a Capital One Venture card to earn the sign up bonus.
3. I made a big pot of 15 bean soup from a package I found cleaning out a cabinet. I don't like the season packet it comes with, so I just seasoned it myself.
4. I planted some cilantro seeds from the Dollar Tree and a lot have sprouted.
5. The usual, reading library books, drinking excellent coffee at home and watching Netflix.
@Sandy Beach, Yes to the Financial PSA! My mother never completed and signed her will, but fortunately my siblings and I were in agreement as to what her wishes were since she told us all together and we stuck with it. Not having the will done did cause extra time and effort to get my brother named administrator. Unfortunately we have seen what happens when there was no will with other family members who have passed away, and it was sickening how some of them behaved. I'm thankful my siblings and I care more about each other than stuff.
@Sandy Beach, thanks for the financial PSA, which can't be repeated often enough. Folks, none of us live forever, and we're not gonna take it with us when we go. Get your will, durable power of attorney, health care proxy, etc., etc., **in writing with a lawyer**. It'll save untold hassles and heartaches for those you leave behind.
@Sandy Beach, If nothing else, have your will be what would happen (in your state) if you died without a will. At least your family will avoid the costs and trouble of your dying intestate.
@WilliamB, sorry about the double post. Perhaps FG could remove it for us...?
@A. Marie, And if you have these things in place but it's been ten years ago, or more, since you did them, it's time to review and make any changes that are needed.
And if you own valuable artwork/whatever, make sure to make a list about who gets what. I was glad to see that BFF wrote down everything everyone was to get, like "Sweeney Todd poster" to X, etc. (Valuable, large, signed by Edward Gorey, etc.)
@Sandy Beach, what is "PSA"? I looked it up and found "prostate-specific antigen". Hmmm, must mean something else here!
@Central Calif. Artist, in this thread it's "public service announcement."
1) Used Menards rebate of $20 to buy several things I needed. Ended up paying only $3.50 out of pocket.
2) made a batch of black beans in the instant pot and repurposed the last of a sauce I made for tamales to make black bean enchiladas
3) our two youngest kids have shared a room and graduated to having their own rooms over the holidays. They wanted to go to Target to get new room decor, but we instead made a “wish list” and shopped Goodwill too. We allowed them to use part of their Christmas money for their room redesign & they each had several cheap great finds ant goodwill & subsequent sticker shock when we stopped into Target to look for the things they couldn’t find at Target. They learned some valuable financial lessons!
4) decided to keep our Christmas tree for another year - we’ve had it for about 20 and it was originally pre-lit but those lights no longer work. We bought string lights this year and plan to reuse those next year. My husband wants a new tree, but once the string lights and ornaments are up you can hardly tell there are old lights that aren’t working.
5) actually went to my work gym to use the equipment. It’s not free, but I feel good about making use of the membership & it’s good for my health!
& one more: made my first batch ever of homemade chocolate pudding w/ the Fg recipe! My teenager was away with friends and didn’t get any with the first batch and so I made a second batch last night & labeled a portion for my oldest kiddo so he doesn’t miss out!
@Laura, I enjoyed your #3 story. It's never too early to start training kids in thrifty ways.
@A. Marie, Thanks! they’re learning the benefit of “new to me” items & also the joy of donating items that are still in great shape but not useful to our family anymore (play kitchen set w/ 100 parts be gone!). I love it. One daughter found a $6 blush pink comforter in great shape at goodwill. The other found a comforter she liked but want to check Target first and her eyes were huge finding that the brand new (not as soft) comforters were $70-$100 for a Quinn size bed. Hoping someday they teach they’re own kiddos these same lessons!
I am starting on my room by room declutter and eventual facelift. Yesterday I did all the pantries, closets, freezer and fridge. I gotta say that a freshly scrubbed fridge and pantry makes me excited to cook.
1. Along that same line, by decluttering everything I was actually able to see what I have and make space. I was able to bring in more things from the deep chest freezer, which means less grocery shopping and another win on my freezer challenge.
2. I made/making ricotta cheese. I had 2 gallons of milk that were eons old in the freezer. Probably not the greatest for drinking but when combined with the leftover half and half and cream I have from Christmas will make delightful cheese.
3. While cleaning out and organizing my nightstand I found 2 half packs of the acne colloidal dots I use, which was on my shopping list, so one less thing bought thanks to decluttering
4. I am upgrading our bank accounts. I still have the base level accounts I opened when I was in college and for the balance we keep, we qualify for a fee-less, higher interest account. Yay for free money.
5. I made gallons of seafood stock. I save all the seafood shells from holidays throughout the year and made a massive amount of delightful seafood stock (also using a bag of frozen veggie scraps). My seafood guy sells his homemade of $8/jar!!!
@Heather, although I didn't make gallons of it, I too made a seafood stock this week--or, more accurately, a shrimp and turkey stock, using shrimp shells and turkey bones I'd saved in the freezer. I'll describe this, and the gumbo I made with it, in Friday's WIS/WIA.
@Heather, very wise on the ricotta cheese front. I went to ALDI, WM, Sam's and Publix and checked Winn Dixie online yesterday and they were ALL out of ricotta. I finally found it at Target and quickly reserved it for a pick up order. I had already committed to making lasagnas to take to a friend and had all the other ingredients. 😉
I still don't know why it was out EVERYWHERE.
@Heather, can you direct us to easy instructions for making ricotta? Is it easy like yogurt?
@Central Calif. Artist,
Ricotta is even easier than yogurt and be made on the fly. It is a very forgiving recipe and can be scaled up or down depending on your needs.
1. Heat one gallon of milk (any fat percentage is fine but I don't recommend fat free and feel free to add cream, half and half etc.) with 2 tsp of salt until just under boiling.
2. Turn off from heat and let sit a minute or so.
3. Add 3 tbsp vinegar (white only but any kind) or lemon juice (bottled is best for consistent acidity) and stir.
4. Let sit and cool (I usually do other chores and forget it is sitting)
5. Strain with either cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer (I add some weight to it so it really gets all the liquid out).
6. Transfer to a container and use (I get at least a week out of this, it lasts so much longer than store bought).
Hope this helps!
@Heather, thank you, can't wait to try this! I stopped making yogurt since we weren't eating as much and it would go bad and waste. The I didn't have whey for bread making. This will provide both variety and whey.
Slow on the frugal front, so combining activities from the last couple of weeks:
1. Worked through to cancel an order and get a refund for an item I had ordered from Ebay when the item was not exactly what I had thought, sorry all Ebay sellers!
2. Used up all my Christmas leftover foods and ingredients, lasting several meals.
3. We sometimes buy donuts when celebrating a birthday or similar thing. I remembered a coupon I had for Dunkin Donuts, getting 12 donuts for the price of 6.
4. Stocked up on Christmas cards and lights at 50% off from CVS, and used a 30% off coupon for some staples.
5. All my kids are into thrifting, with my youngest two finally catching the bug as their friend recommended a thrifting place with finds for their skateboarding style. I was very happy to take them there, especially as they wear through their clothes so quickly.
Oh yes, made a few Buy Nothing group donations too! Perhaps the frugal karma will come back to me at some point 🙂
Oh, for sure! I have given away quite a few things on my group, but man, I have also received a lot of wonderful things too.
FFT
1. DH & I now receive $50/month each on a spending account Visa card from our Medicare insurance provider. It can be used for OTC items, groceries, utilities, etc. I used mine yesterday at Kroger just to see if it worked (it wouldn’t “read” last week despite being activated.) And I saved $50 off my total. I plan to use this $100 a month on OTC meds & toiletries for the most part.
2. I resisted the urge to get takeout 2 out of 3 times over the last 10 days. The one time I caved was for a Skyline Chili 3-way. The price has nearly doubled though, & I doubt I do this again for another long while. But I’d rather splurge on something occasionally that is really satisfying than regularly spend on something that turns out to be meh.
3. I’ve been using up things in the fridge & pantry as much as possible before they get past their prime. My goal is to make this a given forethought instead of an in-the-trash afterthought.
4. I went online to print a prepaid return label for a purchase that didn’t work out. Free shipping beats out of pocket cash every time.
5. I hope that my attempt to repair a leather recliner works out. My DH wants me to just purchase a new one (it’s his chair), but I’d rather try the repair kit I purchased before spending lots of $ for a new one. Wish me luck!
1. Returned a duvet cover that turned out to be made in China, not the USA, as I thought. Even though I had to pay a return fee, I then found a cheaper, more comfortable cover that was not made in China, so I figure I came out ahead in the end!
2. Hung up several loads of laundry inside to dry rather than use the dryer.
3. Used my toaster oven to bake brownies, a pan of lasagna, and make personal pizzas, saving energy over using the big oven. When my kids move out eventually they're going to be advised to get a toaster oven, rather than a toaster, and to get one that can fit a 9x13 pan, because it is SO handy. Even with a larger family, I find myself using the toaster oven for baking, say, a pan of brownies. The oven is only for when I have to make three (or four) pans of something.
4. Because our bedroom is near the kitchen, to avoid being woken up by kids coming in to get a drink of water in the middle of the night, we had put a small fridge in the hall bathroom. We had been stocking that with small bottles of water, but finally got around to getting everybody their own, unbreakable bedside cups. A jug of water fits in the small fridge. People can get refills easily, and there's so much less waste and expense.
5. Used Amazon rewards points for some needed items rather than impulse items--my NY resolution is to buy fewer books! This is a hard one for me, but I really do need to curb that desire to collect books.
Frugal things.
Eating pantry and freezer this month.
Went to a college basketball game on dollar entry day. 40 mins from home. It was FUN! We packed water and snacks from home so no concession money was spent. Cannot take snacks in!
Got all available prescriptions refilled on Dec 31 because we had met yearly deductible!!!! Jan1 we start over out if pocket.
Spent 1100 dollars on upkeep of two older cars. Much cheaper than a monthly payment and our insurance is also lower. Both cars have been very good to us. 2014 and 2006!
Fingers crossed we can get another few years. Car prices for used cars are bonkers in my area.
Made a big pot of soup from a leftover ham bone.
Listened to many podcasts for free!
I have a lot of home canned food and I am wanting to utilize it more. It's funny, I go to all the work to can and then I forget about the canned items. I found a few new recipes to make different things with my canned goods, so it wouldn't be repetitious. Last night I made a Mexican chicken soup that used a jar of broth, a jar of tomatoes, and half a jar of salsa. Plus I used frozen tortillas to make chips (in the oven). Using food I already have will help my grocery budget because WOW groceries have jumped!
I used up a spaghetti squash this week too!
1. Budgeting revamp: when we first move there's a lot of non-regular expenses so it's hard to see where we are budget wise. This month we are back on track with a budget that has numbers for our new area, and I am already seeing the good effect it's having.
2. Found some second hand ice skates that we have been using our 3 free, outdoor neighborhood rinks. (I've never lived somewhere with a neighborhood rink--let alone 3! Free! ones) We've met some people who live nearby and gotten some exercise.
3. Husband continued updating the electrical system throughout the basement and one bedroom. Now I don't have to wear my headlamp to do laundry in the back corner of the old basement!
4. Set up a workout area in the newly lit basement, which has motivated me to use it faithfully. I'm rowing 8-10k meters a day, and it's been so good for my mood, my relationships, and my body.
5. Took advantage of discounts and toured a local historic mansion for free.
1. My husband and I had a quick overnight, out of town trip this past weekend. My parents stayed at our house to watch our dogs so we didn’t have to board them while we were away. Absolute win-win: my parents are always looking for ways to help and the dogs got extra cuddle time!
2. I didn’t pack snacks for the trip. I knew we would be swinging by an airport lounge for breakfast before the flight (using the credit card perks were we can) so I snagged a few granola bars to have on the plane.
3. I watched a movie on the plane that I have been wanting to watch but it’s not available for free on a streaming service.
4. I made sure to drop off all donations on December 30th (with receipts) to apply to taxes. Every little bit helps.
5. I took and afternoon to catch up on all the small clothing repairs that have piled up – mended seams, buttons, snags, extra stain removal.
Back to normal frugality this week, which for me is usually food related 😉
1. Had $10 in Michael's rewards vouchers so I made sure to go in before they expired and spend close to the total for minimal out of pocket costs.
2. Cleaned out the freezers and inventoried what is in there. I started jotting down meal ideas so we can use up what we have.
3. I cooked food that needed to get used: sad apples became sauteed apples (which made THE BEST oatmeal), and found uses for cream cheese, whipping cream, and lemons.
4. Had half a box of vanilla pudding mix, so I made southern banana pudding... I didn't have Nilla wafers but I had all the ingredients to make my own so why not try? They turned out delicious and I wasn't left with 75% of a box that we won't really use up. Win-win!
5. Mild weather (for us) has meant more walks outside than would normally happen in January. Good for the dog, good for our bodies, our health, and our mental state!
I have been using up the canned goods, frozen items and winter squash from my summer harvest. There is something so satisfying about using these in the dead of winter and I love planning meals around what I have.
I ordered some Yankee Candles that were 70% off to use for birthday gifts, and they came packed in this cardboard protector that is like a huge egg carton for candles. I started to pitch them, and realized they would be perfect for starting plants in a few months!
I sat with a family member post surgery and she gave me a bag of goodies she didn't want, which yielded some items I can use, like lotion, bar soap and hot chocolate.
I've been enjoying some magazines that came as free gifts for taking surveys.
I signed up for a Chase credit card for my small business that has a $600 sign on bonus if you spend $xx. I've decided to pay ahead on all our regular bills (phone, internet, fuel oil, propane, electric, gasoline and groceries) in order to meet the requirement and get the sweet bonus. I'll do groceries and gas in the form of gift cards.
1. I sold two table looms I had bought used myself. Want to learn weaving, but now I need more the cash than a new hobby. Managed to sell them at a profit and had just enough reused packing supplies to get them away safely.
2. Also sold two pairs of wintershoes that was suddenly too small this winter. I’ll look like a country bumpkin using my insulated rubber boots in town, but I’ll be warm and becoming a country bumpkin with a small homestead is my goal anyways.
3. Was going to use some airline points that was about to expire, but cancelled my housewife’s vacation to Oslo. Just haven’t the mental capacity right now to hunt deals to make it an affordable trip. On the upside I’ll get two small vacations at home since my partner is traveling through work six days for the next two weeks.
4. Made all the meals at home, mostly ingredients from the freezer. Not all a success, but at least we’re fed.
5. Like Heather last week I’m unsubscribing to heaps of promotional emails. Have a shopping ban for clothes in 2023 and this will save me lot of temptation at least.
@Gunn from Northern Norway,
Unsubscribing and also decluttering mailboxes was also on my list this week.
It does not only save in the way of avoiding temptationto buy, it is also a boon to the planet. E-waste is using up far more energy than we are aware of. As with paper, consider if "in the cloud" emails and files should be kept at all (not offering guidelines here, trusting sound judgement).
1. Last night I took the legs off husband's well used jeans and sewed them into tubes that I stuffed with the innards of some elderly pillows that were waiting to be repurposed. Dog now has new toys to destroy. I got this idea from something another person posted either here or on Katy's blog, so thanks to the person who posted making toys out of jean legs.
2. I made your chocolate pudding this morning with some extra milk that I was worried would go bad. The husband will be so thrilled tonight when I pull some out for dessert.
3. One of my hens is being beaten up by the other two, so I brought her into the garage and put her in her own cage to give her a rest. The hens have not been laying since the daylight went down below four hours, which is normal (but we are now gaining close to five minutes a day, so they will soon be producing again). She laid an egg the first day she was in the garage. Since our entire town has been having a shortage of eggs, I appreciate her contribution.
4. Husband combined the lights of two outdoor holiday decorations that each were only half lighting up. I thought they were both goners but he managed to salvage one.
5. At the dump's exchange site, where you leave things that others might be able to use, I found a disgusting Lodge cast iron pan. I am now starting the rehab process on it.
1. Before shopping the after Christmas sales for clothes in my new smaller size (it was a Christmas present,) I did a bit of fashion research to check upcoming style trends and bought some quality basics and a few trend items I can layer, mix, and match. I guess it isn’t frugal to be fashionable, but I like to look nice for less than full price.
2. Said yes and no to a couple of discounts:
- Bought a duck marked down to 3.79 from 9.99 a pound at Aldi I'll save for Valentine's Day dinner.
- An Aldi Find that was on my Christmas wish list looked like a marked down until I did a quick search on my phone and saw that it wasn’t a good price or value. Hard pass and wasn't tempted by any of the other Christmas markdowns either.
- I got "bonus $" from a store I bought some family Christmas gifts that I had to add more than double the amount in purchases to use. Noped out of that one too.
3. Reduced waste:
- Balanced the bottle with the last bits of dishwashing detergent, shampoo, and conditioner on top of the new one/dispenser to let gravity get everything out of the bottle before recycling.
- Stored a moisturizer bottle upside down in my medicine cabinet to use the stuff in the bottle that is too low for the pump to reach
4. Found a favorite series on a free streaming service which reduced the minor temptation to subscribe to a paid service to watch the seasons I missed the first time around.
5. Did a full load of laundry with cleaning towels, potholders, a tot ebag, dish clothes, and reusable mop pads.
I haven’t done much of interest this week. I’ve done all the usual things like batch errands, brew my own coffee, borrow books from the public library and primarily drink filtered water. I am using up items in my freezer, refrigerator and freezer. I’m only buying needed perishables and a few small items necessary to complete a meal. I have two things that might be of interest to my frugal friends,
1) I used my instant pot to make “baked apples.” They were absolutely delicious and only needed to cook for 1 minute! I love these on my oatmeal and during the holidays I added a bit of whip cream.
2) The second is a heads up. I may have mentioned that my husband travels for work. Over the last 6 weeks, he has had his credit cards compromised twice. Once was his corporate card and the second time it was our personal card. Six of his colleagues have also had theirs compromised in recent weeks. The one thing they all have in common is the airport. Since our personal card only comes out of my husband’s wallet in an emergency and he never shops on the internet, we assume that his number was captured electronically. We have both purchased wallets that block RFID signals. Although I’ve always checked my accounts and statements regularly, I have enrolled in text alert programs. It’s not much fun to spend my Saturday night on the phone with my credit card fraud department going through my list of fraudulent charges.
@Bee, Thanks for the heads-up! We too check our statements carefully, but it's a particular pain when you travel for work and have to juggle work and personal cards, wait for work statements, remember a week's worth of meetings, etc.
@Bee, what do you mean by "captured electronically"? And what are RFID signals? This sounds really alarming, and clearly, I need to learn more.
One of the realtors in my new office downsized her home after her husband died last year. And she had a huge solid teak dining table + 8 chairs. She tried to sell it, but no one was interested during her yard sale last year. It was the last piece that she had before the house was empty. She had an appointment for Meals on Wheels to come grab it, but then popped her head in my office and asked if I wanted it. It was far nicer and larger than what we had (and has more seating!!), so I said yes.
I'm SO glad I did. She talked about how her kids (who are now 35 and 39) grew up around it. Had birthday parties. Craft nights. Dinners. etc. at it. How she loved that it was going to a new family.
I just started refinishing it. The top is nearly done, but need to still do some work on the under side as well as the legs... I'm only going to reupholster the chairs. The stain and finish is excellent there, so I don't mind if they don't match. The style is the same 🙂
And this project will literally cost me just the cost of fabric for the chairs and the General Finishes Gel Topcoat. I nearly cried at how gorgeous the wood is once I got started on it (I posted these on social). Feeling blessed and very frugal for that project 🙂
Oooooh, I want to see this table! Can you post it in the FG Facebook group?
@reese, I love how you are giving this table the new life it deserves. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story!
Tracked all my spending and non-spending days. Really working hard on saving some money and especially not impulse buying.
Returned a budget book that I bought from Office Depot. I didn't use it and it wasn't really what I wanted. I found a different one in Walmart for more than 50% less, so that is the one I am going with.
We have been eating at home every night. Even though we are sometimes t0o tired to cook, we have plenty in house to whip something up -- even our leftovers are getting numerous. Also trying really hard to plan meals so we do not fly by the seat of our pants.
Took a 3 mile walk on pavement on Sunday with the dogs. The dogs and us loved it and my recovery from my ankle fracture felt really good. It was a little chilly, but we had bundled up well.
Finally turned off the electric heat. My husband was sick last week and didn't tend to the woodstove as he usually does, so we did end up turning on the electric heat a few days. I'd rather have him in recovery than complaining about how I should be the one going out to the shed to get the wood. But I don't like the uneven-ness of the ground out there and certainly DO NOT want to fracture my ankle again while trying to get wood. Thankfully we have different sources of heat.
1. Used the fabric from an old slipcover to make a cover for one of our dog's beds.
2. We buy paper towels mainly to clean up pet messes and the drugstore up the street has the best prices. This week they went on sale and I had $2 in customer rewards accrued, so I paid $6 and tax for 12 rolls of paper towels.
3. I am doing a "buy essentials only" month and have a tight grocery budget, but managed to come in under budget on Friday and bought a reduced chuck roast that made plentiful leftovers and a pound of diced soup beef for the freezer.
4. Mended a dog blanket and found a stray square of flannel in my sewing stash that I put a zigzag edge on and turned into a dusting cloth.
5. Still rack drying as much laundry as possible. It dries very quickly with the dehumidifier, which costs pennies to run, operating in the laundry room.
Hi, I had to comment on the butternut squash oatmeal. We get a ton of winter squash in our winter CSA (November - March), and given how much we have in the house (a household of two), we've had to get creative in terms of how to use it. Enter winter squash oatmeal. Which on its own sounds...not delicious. However, if you think of it as an opportunity to make something that tastes like pumpkin pie (and rebrand it as pumpkin pie oatmeal)--it's tasty!
There are a ton of pumpkin pie oatmeal recipes out on the internet, and I don't think I use one these days, but I basically incorporate squash* to the liquid I use for cooking steel cut oats.**
*where "squash" = cooked winter squash that I use the immersion blender on to break up any chunks, plus pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon/ground ginger, brown sugar, vanilla.
**"cooking steel cut oats" = toast the oats ahead of time in butter until fragrant, add liquid (any combination of water/milk/non-dairy milk), bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Hope that helps someone and perhaps gives people another perspective on "ick, winter squash in oatmeal" : )
I love slow cooked turkey necks especially cooked with the turkey. Delish!
1. Our HOA hosted a Trivia Night this past weekend for one of the community events of the year. I invited another couple to join my husband and me to play and we won 5 out of the 6 games played. For each game won we got to pick a random gift card for each person on our team. We came away with 12 gift cards among us, and then deferred the other winnings to the 2nd and 3rd place teams since we won so many already. Most of gift cards were $10 each to places like Starbucks, Panera Bread, CFA, Amazon, so they will definitely get used! They also had free food during the event and it was a frugal, fun evening.
2. After reading last week's FFF, I happened to check my CVS app and found $3 extra care bucks for my birthday. I couldn't find anything to use it on during a quick stop at CVS, and a couple days later, I got another $2 extra care bucks, and paired it with a $3 coupon to buy some concealer, which yielded another $5 ECB back plus ANOTHER $4! So I spent $10.80 out of pocket and now have another $9 ECB to use. (I'm eyeing some Snoopy Christmas ornaments which were at 50% off last week, hoping it will be more discounted this week).
3. Bought some pink thread on sale at Hobby Lobby and a special needle for leather repairs, did some mending for pink colored clothing items and also on my pink purse strap which was coming a bit loose from the ring connecting it to the purse.
4. Pre-ordered a book from a blogger I follow using a Visa gift card redeemed from my Swagbucks points. The book was 40% off with free shipping and I get to support someone's work I enjoy.
5. Eating up foods from the pantry and freezer, hanging clothes to dry (indoors, because even though the winters are mild in Texas, it is now cedar pollen season, which I am highly allergic to...ugh!), borrowed books from the library, put Prince Harry's book on hold last week before the hold line got really long (I'm 29 out of 109), and stocked up on stamps before the upcoming price increase.
ok. I've started this 3 times today, so here it goes.
My five frugal things
1. Cut up rest of apples that were starting to turn mushy & made 6 large loaf pans of apple crisp & put into freezer for later.
2. Only bought items needed & on sale at grocery store.
3. Used free Almond milk coupon at grocery store along with other digital coupons & $4 reward off total
4. Eat all meals at home
5. purchased another blackout/heavier curtain on sale & had 20% off coupon to replace lighter curtain in back room to help keep more heat inside. Have noticed difference already.
Frugal fail
1. purchased online my 31 combo purchase that wanted/not need because super cheap. Will use but not necessary purchase, especially with extra bills right now.
Cleaning out dads house we got lots of dental floss, free yes and I will use it. A small very old nice tool kit another one I’ll use. A thin white gold ring engraved 1929 with initials that are hard to read but I wear it every day. He made a desk some 60 years ago I’ll bring that home with me along with mom’s cedar chest. We were happy to find his WW II medals.
Tuesday and Wednesday were free pizza from work days, Thursday was free half a rotisserie chicken. Today was free Starbucks coffee and snacks at work.
I do butternut squash oatmeal all the time. I think it's tastier than pumpkin, but the secret is to use all the flavors that you would use for pumpkin like brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, pecans, etc. I've added heavy cream and chocolate chips before too. Always tastes good to me, but maybe I'm blessed with really tasty butternut squash from my farm share and I always wait to eat them until they've aged a bit. They get sweeter that way-like I even wait until they are a year old or more if properly cured and stored.
My FFT this week are boring:
1. Are leftovers for lunch and sometimes dinner.
2. Packed lunch and made coffee at home.
3. Stayed home instead of going out to spend money.
4. Wore pants multiple times before washing.
5. Avoided the grocery store despite the siren song of the sales flyers.
It took almost three years, but Covid hit my household. I'm the only one who hasn't tested positive yet. At the very least, this means we're not going out and spending money. It also means that I'm working from home and not paying for gas to commute.
With the time I've saved on commuting, I sorted out the pantry, cupboards and fridge. I was able to meal plan around what we have on hand.
I also used some of that freed up time to sort through my and my husband's clothes. I'll bring a bag of old clothes to the consignment shop once we're all out of quarantine.
I was able to make a plasma donation before my family got sick, which put an extra $35 in my pocket.
The shoes I've been using for work for the last 5+ years finally wore out so badly that they needed to be replaced. I stacked gift cards and loyalty perks to get a $75 pair of shoes for $25.
Haven't been feeling frugal lately but I guess we had some small wins:
1. Used streamers and a banner I already had to decorate for my daughter's birthday. She's 12 today.
2. Bought plates/napkins/forks/knives/spoons from Target for daughter's small birthday party but found that the escape room she wanted to do with her friends provided all that. Promptly returned them for $11 back.
3. Went into my daughters' bathroom and found three almost empty bottles of conditioner and shampoo and two almost empty tubes of toothpaste. I've tried to show them how to use up the very end but they have a hard time with it. Brought it all to my bathroom and I'll use it up.
4. Realized I hadn't used my contact lens benefit through my vision insurance and purchased a couple boxes on 12/31.
5. Bought a gift card for fitnessblender.com during their sale, which I can then apply to membership, saving me~$25. Their site has saved me from having to get a gym membership (which costs way more) and kept me fit during the pandemic. I'm happy to support them but also happy to have a discount! It will cost me less than $5 per month to continue with their programs; even my most discounted gym membership was $99 per year.
Combining a couple of weeks.
1. Worked on using up food--old milk made into crepes, a bag of coleslaw mix being used wherever greens might go, a leathery lemon made into spiced tea, aging bananas turned into chocolate chip banana oatmeal muffins, the last remnants of Christmas baking supplies to make some delicious chocolate and caramel-dipped pretzel rods, etc.
2. When my very necessary stepstool broke, I asked my handy dad if could fix it for me. (He has the tools and the skill and is partially retired so has some time.). So glad he could repair it for me.
3. Made greeting cards with my mom. I used up some of my many craft supplies and we had a nice time being creative together. I made at least 11 cards, so I also saved a lot, since cards are often $5+ where I live.
4. Used craft supplies already on hand or repurposed items that would normally be recycled to do various crafts with my class at school. We had fun with little extra expense right now (of course I had spent money on some of these previously...)
5. Rinsed out bottles to use things up--the last of the shampoo, dish soap, nutella, etc.
6. Hung all my outer clothes to dry on my drying racks inside the house. Saves electricity, but more importantly wear and tear on my work clothes.
If you like to talk about it, I"m just curious that you nomore talk about your son and he never comes to meet you, I remember he was very caring, where is he and what is he doing now?
Our relationship is really hard right now, and that's about all I can say. But thank you for asking. <3
By biggest frugal win was getting my muffler pipe replaced on my dear "Ellie" - a 2004 Honda Element. It's the original muffler & pipe, so it has had a good life. I went to a budget brake & muffler place, rather than the mechanic shop I usually use. The original shop while giving great service has moved further away and into a sketchy neighborhood. The quote from the muffler place was...gulp...over $1200.00...I said "Wow -but okay". Then the guy asked if I cared if the muffler came with a warranty? Well, no I guess I don't, this vehicle does not go through mufflers/pipes like a Toyota I had years ago. He was able with some welding and replacing pipe to bring the bill down to $425 - and that included an oil change, with the more expensive synthetic oil I like to use.
Funny, but I was working on reorganizing my pantry to this evening. Sure gives a good idea of what needs to be used or stocked up on. I made myself a grocery list "Stock Up on When on Sale"...nuts are at the top of the list.
Other than almonds perhaps. I was able to find whole almonds for $9 for a 28 oz container. That's a very good price where I am, so bought all they had - 4 tubs. Tonight I transferred the almonds to quart sized jars, and used the Food Saver to vacuum seal them. And extra step I take is to put a canning ring on top. I don't do this with real canned food, leaving the lid off, so I can tell right away if a jar has come open. But with staples that are dried, I DO put a lid on. The product will still be good, but the ring keeps the lid on (and ugh - mouse proof). The tubs the almonds came in, fit nice on a shelf, being square, so I'm saving them - for used batteries. The recycling place the batteries go to like them set on an outside pallet with the other electronics. A plastic container keeps the snow & rain out for them.
1. I used the remaining navel oranges I had on hand to make a giant pot of orange marmalade. This recipe made a dozen pints and I have given several to neighbors, colleagues and friends to enjoy. I count that a frugal win.
2. I used old apples and some old raisins in a pot of oatmeal.
3. I took the plunge and made a healthy banana bread recipe using only whole wheat flour and applesauce in place of the tablespoon of oil it called for. I was nervous that this would taste awful but it is delicious & now I have another use for my old bananas. Yay!
4. Soup. I made a large pot of vegetable beef soup that we have been eating from all week. I used lots of veggies that needed to be used so it helped me clean out the fridge & has fed the 4 of us countless meals over the last several days.
5. Made smoothies with frozen fruit from this past summer. turned down/off the HVAC whenever outside temps allowed for it. Combined laundry loads. Began using a set of wool dryer balls to replace dryer sheets - thought I would hate them but I love them! Contacted our insurance company to sign up the newest pup in our family which will save us hundreds if not thousands on the costs of her care over the course of her life.
1. Redeemed a coupon for a free pizza while on a road trip, saving the cost of eating out. (We usually pack meals but wanted to use the coupon before it expired.) We did tip well!
2. Also on the road trip, we stopped for some coffee and it ended up being free- the person in front of us didn’t redeem their free coffee for members, so the clerk gave it to us for free. So nice.
3. Took advantage of free breakfast at the motel.
4. We received some hot chocolate bombs and other sweets for Christmas that we won’t use, but we can re-gift them to the neighbors who will take care of our plants for the next few weeks while we are away from home again.
5. Took some really bland teas I’d been given on our current road trip– it’s nice to have a hot drink, many places don’t supply tea, and this way I get the duds out of the home inventory.
I’m picking up my strangest buy nothing item today. I’ve read several times that the lids from jarred cheese fit on canning jars and can be used as shakers. I don’t and won’t buy that cheese, so I asked my group a few months ago if anyone had one to get rid of. Not surprisingly, no one did, but one member uses that cheese with her kids and said I could have it when they finished the jar. I had forgotten all about it until I got a message about it yesterday. Not entirely sure what I will use it for, but yay for keeping it out of the landfill for at least a little longer.
1. My daughter's daycare often has leftover bread. My husband took 2 loaves of whole wheat. I used it to make baked french toast, which the kids ate for breakfast all week.
2. My son's birthday was Wednesday. His 2 gifts I had found on Buy Nothing and saved through the year. His decorations I originally got from Buy Nothing also and pull them out for every birthday. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, and tater tots for his birthday dinner. The cake was from a box. He had a great day!
3. I paid my state professional license even though it's not due until June. I have to take 36 CEUs to recertify it, which I found all for free.
4. My sister dropped off a huge bag of clothes she didn't want anymore. I love free clothes. I spend very little on clothes or shoes for myself.
5. I made my own salad dressing for my saladd for this week's dinner