Five Frugal Things (ok, four!)
1. I cleaned up my yard with my neighbors
Remember when I was trying to figure out if I should hire someone to clean up my leaves?
Well, I never actually did make a decision, which led to that being a default, "No." Ha.
The other day, my sweet neighbor walked over and said, "Would you like some help with your yard?" and I said YES.
(It was obvious to any passerby that my yard was in need of some work.)
I wasn't even remotely offended; I almost cried because I was so thankful!
So, she and her husband came over and the three of us worked together to clean up the eleventy-million fallen branches and twigs, plus the leaves, plus the overgrown grass.
I am NOT good at keeping up with yard work during the semester, that is for sure. 😉
But now my yard is in not-an-embarrassment-to-the-neighborhood condition. Whew.
2. I got a free little birthday cake
Nothing Bundt Cakes gives you a free small bundt cake in your birthday month, soooo, I popped in when I was nearby, and picked one up.
Red velvet, in case you wondered. 😉
3. I got a free venti Starbucks
Most birthday freebies can be obtained in the general vicinity of your birthday (many just within the month!) but Starbucks makes you go ON your birthday.
So that's what I did.
4. I used the free version of Canva for my school assignment
I had to do a little presentation on an OB-related topic and also make a visual aid.
So, I chose hyperemesis (that's an easy one for me to talk about!) and I used the free version of Canva to make a brochure.
I am always slightly tempted to get the premium version because that makes it way easier to find graphics to use. But I sift through all of 'em to find the free ones instead. 😉
5. (not frugal) I decided to keep both dresses
Remember when I was trying to decide between the blue and the white dress?
Well, I decided to throw caution to the wind and keep both.
The blue one won by a landslide, but I do also still like the white one. So, both it is.
And I'm going to adopt the same attitude I did with the black dress from last summer, which is: I'm going to wear the dresses anywhere and everywhere.
So if you see someone at Aldi this summer in a long blue striped dress (or a white one!)...it might be me. 😉
As.someone who was hospitalized the entire 9 mos of my pregnancy with hyperemesis, I would LOVE to see your presentation. Is it posted anywhere for public view?
Ohhh, you poor mama. I am so sorry you had such an awful case.
I had it with all of my pregnancies, but luckily for me, a steady stream of Zofran was enough to mostly keep me out of the hospital.
I don't have this posted online publicly; just on my school's Canvas page. But I bet you already know everything that was in my little teaching pamphlet because you lived with hyperemesis!
@Jay tea, oh my god you have my full sympathies. That’s horrible. It also sounds hugely boring. I hope everything ended up OK.
@Kristen, I can think of a better graphic for hyperemesis, must say.
@Jay tea,
Oh my word, how dreadful.
@Rose,
A cartoon woman with a squiggly line for a mouth, and a green cast to her face? Asking for a friend. 😉
Happy Birthday!!!!
I am so happy that you landed in a neighborhood with such nice people. Good neighbors are a blessing.
I wear dresses nearly all summer long. In hot, humid Florida, there are few things cooler than a cotton or linen dress. I’ve even been known to wear one when I walk the dog.
All the usually frugal things this week - drinking primarily filtered water from the refrigerator. I am brewing my own coffee, eating leftovers, reading library books, and gardening.
@Bee, cotton/linen dresses in the summer are the best! People used to comment about my dresses & I would say how comfortable & cooling they are to wear in summer.
@Regina, I love dresses too, but the thing is...
I get very sweaty, chafed thighs. Bizarrely, my legs are actually not big around the thigh area. I'm hardly a waif, but don't have noteworthy thighs. And yet. Thigh chafe is SO PAINFUL for me. I know so many people who literally never have this issue, some of them visibly with the type of form where it might pose an issue. For years, this stopped me wearing dresses or skirts in very hot weather... till I discovered skimmies!
I am not particularly curvy either, but the sweaty thigh rub has always bothered me in the summer too! I love the under-dress shorts they have now; no more sweaty thighs!
@Caro, you need Body Glide, if you want to skip wearing something under your dresses. I use Body Glide for working out (think of it as something much better than Vaseline, as it leaves no film) & avoiding blisters, chafing, etc when running. However, it also works perfectly to avoid chafed thighs when wearing a dress. It's an absolute game changer!
1. Similar to your Canva use, I used a free trial of Finale music software to cobble together a score for a song I was requested to sing at a funeral. Not perfect, but nobody but the accompanist and I knew.
2. Husband gets credit for this one - he emptied several mousetraps and set them back for the next round of unwelcome visitors. I'm always tempted to just throw the whole thing away because it makes me so squeamish, so he gets extra credit from me for this.
3. Moved the last quart of a gallon of soy-free mayo to a smaller jar so it's easier to use. This incredibly expensive brand is the only mayo my husband can eat so finding this was an amazing deal at $5.99, saving us about $45 overall. (Yes, I know I could make it from scratch, but I REALLY don't want to.)
4. Keeping the blinds and curtains shut tight against the sun as it starts to warm up here, while also going as long as possible without turning on the AC.
5. Emailed to get a replacement pair of underwear that was still under warranty but had developed holes. I'll sew up the holes in the old pair, but I paid quite a bit for these so I felt ok asking for a replacement pair.
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, I wanted to put off turning on the AC, but there were many complaints here yesterday. I decided I wouldn't put up my normal fight because I could see how uncomfortable my family was. I'm cheering for you!
@Jody S., my apologies - I should have clarified that I put off turning it on until yesterday. I made it through the day at home alone without it on, but my husband wasn't feeling well when he got home and definitely would not have gotten any sleep last night without the AC on.
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, I'm guilty of #2 if I have to empty the traps. I try to buy them cheap, because I do think of them as disposable. 😉
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, what kind of underwear has warranty? Never heard of such a thing? Target kid clothing (yes) but not underwear.
@Regina, @Kate I am also very curious about undies that are "under warranty"..? LOL
@Cheryl, @Regina, I'm gonna guess Duluth Trading Company. I believe they have a warranty but they cost like $25/pair.
Well, I guess I have to share since I started this, even though they're decidedly un-frugal, actually more expensive than Duluth ones. The brand is Branwyn and their products are made out of merino wool, which I know sounds crazy, but they are wonderful. They're incredibly comfortable, stay where they belong, and don't make me sweaty. Alrighty then, now I can check "talked about my underpants on the internet several times" off my to-do list for the day. 🙂
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, hey, keep it clean. This is a family-friendly blog. 😀
@Bobi, But Duluth stuff lasts forever, as in "Please wear out because I am tired of you!" My husband is a walking advertisement for Duluth. And their expensive underpants do go on sale sometimes.
@Lindsey, my husband, the fashion king, is a walking advertisement for Costco.
And he brags about it.
@Anne,
Lol, my hubby *never* comes home from a solo trip to Costco without some article of clothing for himself. 🙂
Eh. My son literally wears hand-tailored suits from Savile Row, but loves Kirkland white and black T shirts. They really are excellent quality.
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, I ordered the underwear. Thanks for the tip.
I'm glad you kept both 🙂
I felt particularly frugal yesterday, so I'll see if I can get 5 from just one day.
*I made pancakes for breakfast, and I had some leftover cream cheese drizzle from cinnamon roll biscuits. I set it on the table to see if anybody used it on pancakes. They did. Plus I used up the last of a bottle of sprinkles somebody gave me by shaking them into the drizzle and swirling it about. And THEN I took the plastic shaker thing off the plastic container to see if it fit my glass jar that has ginger in it. It did fit, so now I can sprinkle ginger in things without fear of dumping the entire jar. Not that I would have a problem with that. ..
*We re-used a large political sign somebody told us to keep when we helped them take the signs down after the last election. It is now zip-tied over our new chicken coop to shade the birds.
*We spent the evening working on setting up the tiny coop for our broody chicken. We had to move it and fix a few things. It still needs cleaned out and some other alteration, but I hope we can move Little Miss Broody in there (with about a dozen eggs) tonight. If we get a few chicks, then we didn't have to pay for them or spend our time messing with the whole baby chick drama (so long as she is a good mama again).
*I cut lots of lettuce from plants that over-wintered. I also harvested asparagus. We watered our newly-planted apple trees and blueberry bushes because we want them to live.
*At some point in the fall or winter, my son's bees died/left. (I think they left because there weren't many dead bees in the hive.) Other son and I went through the hive and noted that we needed to harvest the honey that was left. And we didn't get around to it. (Not frugal.) BUT on the warm days earlier this year, other bees found it and robbed it. We still didn't bother putting the hive away. Then yesterday, a swarm descended. It was the first time I'd see such a thing, and it was a bee tornado. And now we have a hive full of bees. This is way less expensive than buying new bees. Our laziness paid off.
*I also made (or directed the making of) all the meals at home, including some homemade bread rolls for sandwiches. I used my tea leaves more than once.
@Jody S., Who needs IHOP? Sounds like you're rockin' the fun pancake toppings! I'll be right over. 🙂
@Bobi, To be fair, there were only maybe 2 tablespoons of the stuff. The early-comers got it all. 🙂
@Jody S.,
I also re-use political campaign signs, and also signs advertising the church's vacation bible school. I have some super large signs that went on the back fence, and I put those on saw horses to use as tables in my garage sale. Most of mine are regular yard signs, though. If your favorite candidate is running for re-election, you can reuse the signs. Or, you can remake the (political and VBS) signs into garage sale signs. Our church brings out new signs each year for VBS, highlighting the theme of that year's sessions. But another local church reuses the same signs every summer. Theirs just say Vacation Bible School at X Church and the church address; they just put paper over the old dates and write in the dates/times for the current year. Members turn the signs back in every year so they can be changed and redistributed the next summer. Thought that was an example of being a good steward -- it's environmentally friendly as well as frugal!
@Jody S., you are the second person (this last week) I've heard about tornado of bees returning to bee hive/box. Saw video of this & what a sight! Glad your bees returned.
I love it when laziness works in my favor! To wit, I bought new hardware for the 18 old windows in my sunroom. Handyman said they were wrong. Then, after talking to Andersen Window, he realized they were right after all! Good thing I hadn't gotten around to returning them yet. (I am bad about returns but this was $750 worth.)
Keeping and wearing both dresses is better than deciding to return one then never doing it and never wearing it, at least. Not that anyone in this group has ever done that, of course.
It was not a very frugal week since my sister stayed with me and we did a bunch of things and ate out more than usual, but I stayed frugal when I could. This one is somewhat curtain-centric.
1. We took turns on buying meals and entrance tickets. Although we ate out several times, my two daughters each provided a nice meal for us while my sister was here and we cooked many of our meals.
2. She helped me pick out new thermal lined curtains for my great room, because the old plain curtains had gradually shrunk with repeated washing until they almost comically didn't fit the windows anymore. I used my store credit to purchase them, and she helped me hang them. These thermal curtains will really help in the one west window. It not only got quite hot in the summer, but the old shrunk curtain let in strips of light that were going to fade out my furniture.
3. She had kept a set of wide curtains from her old house that don't fit in her current house. They are still in good shape, and measuring my windows shows they will fit my wide loft window upstairs. My old curtains for that window shredded in the washer recently, so I have to replace them. She'll bring them to me next month.
4. We pulled the last of my carrots, cleaned them and put them in the refrigerator. I got two 1-gallon bags of them, so I won't be buying carrots for a while.
5. I had some outdoor things that were too heavy for me to do alone, and my option was to pay the mower or get help. My sister volunteered to help and we got it done, shoveling, lifting and all. Bear in mind, my sister is 75 and has had two knee replacements. The worker genes run strong; my grandfather reroofed his own house when he was 75 and my dad built a screened addition to his house while in his 70's.
@JD, I'm glad you're back (you'd been a little quiet lately in the comments, and I was starting to worry). And I'm even gladder that you had such good times with your sister.
@A. Marie,
I meant to comment but my sister and I were so busy and talkative, that I just never got onto the computer to do so.
I appreciate your concern so much. I told myself I must do better to let y'all know I didn't suddenly drop off the face of the earth.
Happy birthday Kristen. Wishing you lots of blessings for the new year. I believe you share a birthday with my niece and our king (April 27 right?). Josine
@Josine, happy late King's Day! I just saw photos over at The Court Jeweller blog of your King, Queen, Princesses, and other members of the Netherlands Royal Family, looking as if they were having a great time at the King's Day celebrations in Emmen. (Britons are probably wishing they could borrow your Royal Family for a while...)
Frugals during the move!
1. We only ate out a handful of times and twice they were pizza to "pay" our helpers. We did go out a couple of times for just the two of us, but mostly relied on the easy button and had sandwiches and boxed mac & cheese.
2. We have not been able to spend much money because all time has been spent moving stuff and unpacking. You don't feel the need to shop when you've just lugged boxes upon boxes of your "stuff." (What is all this anyway????)
3. I did need a few things and was able to find what I needed at the local thrift shop (toothbrush holder, paper towel holder) and only spent $10 for my whole list!
4. I have already gone to my new library to register for my library card.
5. My new house is so close to my workplace that I am able to walk or ride my bike to work. Today was the first day riding my bike to work and I am so excited to use less fuel!!!
@Angel, it might be worth a call to your car insurance company to see if the fact that you're no longer driving to work gives you a discount on your premium.
@Kate in the middle of nowhere PA, oooo, good call! I'll do that right away. I've gotten very close to our agent during this move.
Happy birthday, Kristen!
Now, FFT, Spring Has Sprung Edition (updated from Monday's FFT at the NCA):
(1) Birds that are spring/summer residents here in Central NY are arriving in droves. Numerous house wrens checked in vocally during my lovely foggy early morning walk on Monday, and a gray catbird has reported from the top of a tree across the street. Welcome, feathered friends! (No particular frugality here except joy.)
(2) Like Lindsey and the other home gardeners among us, I have continued to start seeds indoors–in my case, the few herbs, flowers, and veggies that (a) I still grow from seed, (b) can either be protected from deer or are unattractive to deer, and (c) are difficult to obtain at the Regional Market. I just moved my Cut and Come Again zinnias out to my mini-greenhouse, and I still have my mini-basil and my Tuscan kale under lights.
(3) I paid my first visit to the Regional Market in several weeks on Saturday. When I presented the Bestest Neighbors’ and my accumulated egg cartons to the Mennonite farmer from whom I usually buy eggs, he gave me a 50-cent discount on a fresh dozen. I haven’t bought any plants at the market yet; I’m still waiting to see how many perennial herbs I may have to replace.
(4) I had the first two of these eggs over easy Monday morning, in the pan I’d used on Sunday for the delicious slice of “American Salmon” I bought with a digital coupon at Wegmans (and copiously seasoned with homegrown dried dill).
(5) And I used a 50/50 solution of 6% vinegar and water to clean off the stove after the salmon and eggs. (I **finally** used up the last of the generic Windex I had to keep buying while DH still lived at home. When he still had a few marbles left and I mentioned that I’d like to switch to vinegar and water, he said plaintively, “If it isn’t blue, how will I know what it is?” I didn’t have the heart to argue with that, so I kept buying the generic Windex till after I’d placed him in the nursing home.)
@A. Marie,
I guess you could have dyed the vinegar blue, but the smell would have probably been confusing. Where are you finding 6% vinegar?
@JD, I found a gallon of it at my local grocery outlet and am using this exclusively for cleaning. Keeping an eye peeled there for more.
@JD, Look for pickling vinegar. It's more acidic than regular vinegar.
@JD, You can get 45% vinegar at garden outlets, as it is commonly used to get rid of weeds.
@A. Marie, On of my favorite lines of poetry is from Mary Oliver "I Happened to be Standing."
Then a wren in the privet began to sing.
He was positively drenched in
enthusiasm,
I don't know why. And yet, why not.
We have a wren family in our yard again this year. The bubbling sound reminds me of my mother and my childhood home.
@Heidi Louise, A friend of mine has some swifts in a nest. Of course they're called Taylor and Travis.
@Rose,
What? No Matty? There isn't like a loud, sort of hyperactive one?
@A. Marie,
My hubby refuses to use vinegar and water. He insists the blue stuff (genetic, of course) works better. Major Eyeball Roll from me.
@Lindsey, I bought 30% vinegar yesterday at Home Depot. Using it to kill weeds between flagstones.
OK, you've inspired me to sign up for birthday freebies (May, here I come!).
I smiled at your Canva freebie. I recently designed graduation cards for my daughter on that site, using the free version, of couse!
The style of your dresses is classic enough that I think you'll get years of wear out of them. I've never tried using Scotchgard on clothing--I'm wondering if that,or a similar product, would help protect the white dress? Thoughts?
@Kris, sign up for birthday freebies QUICK! Many places (a few years ago) required 30 days before being in their software system for freebie to activate. Hoping you get the birthday love you deserve.
@Kris, you can also sign up but put different dates in various places so you have a year long stream, not all at once
@Rachel, ooh, sneaky. I like it!
1. I got a few more things on Freecycle, although exactly what escapes me now.
2. To use up applesauce that was taking up space in my freezer, I made apple cholent and a chocolate spice cake. The first came with me to my friend’s Sunday potluck, the second will come with me to crafting night.
3. The cake recipe came from a Hershey’s cookbook from a Little Free Library.
4. While I didn’t sell books to the used bookstore (they offered me about $.15 per book), I bought 2 crafting books and 2 history books with credit from previous sales.
5. While buying new clothes recently, I started with the sale racks, signed up for emails, and opened credit accounts in order to get more deals. I also take purchases home to try on for a while and keep only the ones that I really love. Of course, I expect to wear these for years if not decades.
@WilliamB, You're lucky to be offered 15 cents a book. The only thing we get at all the used bookstores in this town is store credit, if that. Even our local Half Price Books says it is an outlet; therefore, we can only "donate" our books to them. (Uh, no thanks. I'll donate to the library book sale, thank you very much. Or a little free library. Those places are nonprofit.)
@Fru-gal Lisa, We don't have a used bookstore within a couple hours. On the plus side, the libraries here put out racks of free books.
@Fru-gal Lisa, Our newly renovated library has a used book kiosk, as another way for them to raise money. It is probably less of a hassle than having a once a year used book sale.
@Fru-gal Lisa, this place offers only store credit - I’ll use it eventually or give it to friends.
Why would someone donate their books to a used book store?
@WilliamB, I carted a huge box (around 40) books to my favorite used book store which is over an hour away. Got $4.00. I was surprised, but not resentful. Now, I just donate to local thrift stores, easier on me and goes for a good cause.
@WilliamB, One of the used bookstores we've shopped at when visiting family has several huge wooden bins out front that have free books and movies in them. I don't know if the store itself puts any in them, but I've seen customers bring out ones that they tried to trade in and were either refused or didn't offer enough money. I've found some really neat books in there and think it's a great idea. One of our local libraries has as swap shelf but it's not easy for me to get over there when they're open. They used to keep it outside in a protected area, which was great.
I have a couple of plants I want to propagate and I have all the necessary items to do so.
I started my seeds indoors, cheaper than buying plants. I did buy tomato plants.
Some of my named hosta are doing poorly so I will pull them and put them in planters. This will be free as I already have the planters. My MIL and I at one time had around 100 different named Hosta.
Some of our puzzle club members at work brought in puzzles to share. Free puzzles are always appreciated.
This week I have only thrown away 1 small container of potatoes and onions so very frugal week food wise.
I told hubs we need to control the out of control blackberry shoots in our yard. It makes the patch un-pickable. You just get scratched to death. Well the deer ate all the shoots so we are good to go.
@Mar,
Oh, I just adore hosta, especially the deep blue-green ones. Having as many as you and your MIL had at one time would be heaven.
I have a similar problem keeping my raspberry canes in some semblance of order, but luckily, no deer to help.
@Liz B., if you had deer to help, you wouldn't have any hostas!
@A. Marie, Most of the hosta are close to the house (we have several acres) so for the most part the deer don't eat them. Those I know they think are salad I keep cages over them... lol.
@Liz B., Some of my blues are my best ones. MIL died years ago but her and I would buy plants with at least 2 eyes and split them.
@Mar, I can't think of a single instance where the deer ate my hostas. I'm pretty rural so food supply is likely more plentiful.
My problem was voles at my other house. They ate every single hosta from underground.
It was a very unfrugal week for me. We had a bunch of vet visits, tests, X-rays for my dog’s Hemangiosarcoma (blood vessel cancer). Unfortunately his organs started to fail and we ended up having to have him euthanized.
Since then, I’ve been doing “sad” work to keep my mind busy. I was able to get about 110 of my homegrown seedlings into the ground, using seeds I had saved from previous years and compost formed from previous years’ food scraps. I also got most of my store bought plants into the ground, which is always more money-smart than buying them and letting them die out before being planted outside!
@JenRR,
Sorry about your dog 🙁
@JenRR, I am so sorry about your dog. When you've fought hard to save them, it's still so hard to lose them.
@JenRR, I'm really sorry about your dog 🙁
@JenRR, I'm so sorry that you lost your beloved pet. Sending hugs to you.
@JenRR, So sorry about your dog.
@JenRR, sorry about the loss of your dog. 🙁 It's heartbreaking loosing your beloved pet.
@JenRR, I add my sympathies to everyone else's on the loss of your dog. DH and I have had to put down two dogs and five cats over the years, and it has been awful *every*single*time.*
@JenRR,
I remember our having to put down our 16 year old dog. The entire family cried. I feel for you.
@JenRR, So sorry about the loss of your dog. It is so painful to lose a furry member of the family.
Thank you everyone for the kind words. He was just the sweetest boy and an amazing companion for my kids.
@JenRR, What an awful week for you. I wish dogs lived longer because it is always so wrenching when you have to euthanize them. I always have to work to resist keeping them going even when they are telling me it is time.
@JenRR, I’m so very sorry about the loss of your dear dog. We had to do this a bunch of years ago and I remember the day as if it were yesterday. Sending warm thoughts to you.
@JenRR,
Reaching out across the miles to give you virtual hugs. We recently had to euthanize one of our cats, and it was devastating to me (still is). Keeping busy helps.
(And thank you, A. Marie, for letting me borrow your "reaching out" phrase).
@JenRR, I am so sorry about the passing of your canine companion. I'm sure I waited a bit long to put my last dog down, though I was trying not to be selfish. But I am satisfied that we did everything possible for her, and that was comforting on the hard days. Maybe you could put some kind of memorial in your garden for her.
...I mean, him.
Thanks again all. I found some comfort putting together a memory box with his two favorite toys, collar, paw print and photo album. My son wanted him cremated so he could keep him with us, so we might also add that to the memory box. I hadn’t thought of adding something special to the garden in his memory, but I like that idea and will have to think about it some more.
Sending you love, Jen!
@JenRR, so sorry about your dog. they leave us much too soon.
Happy birthday, Kristen! I'm so glad you were born.
1. To protect our semi-outdoor couch from the rain, I covered it with an old shower curtain. It worked great! But it didn’t look great, so I’ve put a clear shower curtain/liner on my list of things to acquire.
2. Added hot water to the leftover syrup in the bottle, swished it around, and added it to the cooking liquid for my Cream of Wheat.
3. Brought our compost scraps (which I store in the freezer) to a closer drop-off site that opened this month. We’ll go there until our community rolls out organics pick-up with our regular trash pick-up (everything will go in one bin for robots to sort out). We dislike having our own compost pile.
4. Continue to reuse bags from crackers, cereal, frozen veggies, bagged lettuce, shredded cheese, bread, well-used Ziplocs, etc. for picking up dog poop. I try to avoid packaging, particularly plastic, but it helps that I can at least use it one more time without having to buy poop bags.
5. A few weeks ago, I bought a jar of Target’s Good & Gather organic cherry pomegranate fruit spread on sale. Absolutely delicious and no mystery ingredients. We have this on toast, brie, yogurt or by the spoonful. Too bad I didn’t know it was going to be such a hit or I would have bought up all the remaining jars on sale!
Not very frugal: I'd forgotten that I put that dress in my Target cart, so now you reminded me, I bought it. Sigh. The blue and white but I like them both.
Frugal:
For once, we're pretty frugal about eating at home. I think this is because I've been staying at the guest cottage which makes it easier to train/watch the puppies. It's less stressful to cook here, which means I need to tweak the main house kitchen to make it less stressful for me. Number one: have the handyman who is a master carpenter elongate the kitchen table legs. It's a 1930s porcelain topped table (such as we always had at my grandmother's house) which is not made for six feet tall women to sit at comfortably.
Got almost all of my seedlings planted. Yum, tomatoes and herbs, flowers and fruit.
Reusing rather crummy vintage chairs outside and out rather than new. Still haven't spray painted the kitchen chair to create the unexpected red; I'm waiting for things to die down around......2044, probably.
Watching free stuff on TV instead of going with Son to the movies. (He hated Civil War and walked out; he loved Challengers. Also he's not going to Cannes this year.)
@Rose, For instance, for dinner tonight I made a chicken pot pie--different from my usual but yummy--and a rhubarb pie. This is slightly unheard of. I will have forgotten this by Friday.
Do you have a list anywhere of where you get your birthday freebies? I get a few during my birthday month but I would love to know if there's some I am missing out on! My favorite one is firehouse subs free sandwich.
The end of this post has some of my frequent birthday freebie spots! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/qa-hawaii-podcasts-what-im-reading-birthday-freebies/
I don't want to make Kristin look bad so I, too, will only list 4 frugal things:
*I’m hearing/reading about exorbitant increases in auto insurance premiums, but mine just went down. Only $16 down. But still … down.
*I like Kohl’s but don’t normally shop there. I was in a few weeks ago looking for a particular style of sun visor I hadn’t been able to find anywhere else, including online and at all the athletic/sports stores, but couldn’t find them at Kohl’s either. But Kohl’s is now an Amazon return drop off location and I had a book I needed to return so I stopped in just for that purpose. But on my way out I swung through the women’s clothing section and, lo and behold! After months of fruitless searching, there was an entirely new rack of Adidas sun visors that were exactly what I had been looking for! So I bought 2 and got 25% off and still have another coupon on the Amazon return receipt. Can’t think of anything else I need though, and X% off anything I don’t need isn’t exactly frugal.
*Assembled an entire banker’s box of recently published hardback books I’ve finished for sale to a bookstore I frequent. Depending on offer, I’ll either take cash or twice the cash offer in store credits. I’m trying not to buy books but the library waits have gotten longer and longer.
*Accepted a ton of (very expensive) piano sheet music and volumes and volumes of Chopin etudes and Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, Bach preludes and fugues, and those devilish Hanon and Czerny exercises (“The School of Velocity”!) from my older sister, who was a music major in college, which explains some of the elaborate notes and markups in multi-color ink (“moderate”, “dotted rhythms”, “strong accents on 2 or 3”, “closed additive form”, “somewhat fast” and my favorite: “don’t look!”). She stopped playing many years ago and switched to the violin, and has stopped that as well. So I’m happy to relieve her of a pretty enormous volume of this stuff. She’s my “big” sister and was my accompanist at my first piano recital when I was 5 years old and she was 15. We played a duet called “Dance of the Wooden Shoes.” Lots of memories here....
@JDinNM, What a delightful music memory of you and your sister!
Love how cute the dresses look on you! I'm sure you'll get good use out of them.
My 5 Frugal's
1) Husband has been cooking a lot at home so we've been saving money there instead of going out to eat. Also got some points off Fetch from those groceries purchases.
2) Husband chopped down two dead trees in our backyard and with the help of our girls, put them in the back of the truck to hull to the tree branch collection site.
3) Enjoy free entertainment with the girls outside through drawing chalk art on our sidewalk, scootering around the neighborhood, and going to the school playground.
4) Found some treasures while decluttering that I plan on using up like crafts and reading materials. Looking to get rid of some things since we're thinking of moving.
5) Hull our 92' beat up chevy van to the wreckage yard. Got $300 for it and an extra $100 from our car insurance after canceling our coverage on it.
1.) Finally sold something on FB Marketplace. I figure my time invested makes it not so great since about a billion people messaged asking if it was still available before disappearing.
2.) Sold another item on eBay. This was much easier than FB Marketplace but I have to use that for stuff sold locally.
On a video I watched someone was talking about walking around a house and counting money left around. $20 for this, $10 for that etc. All on stuff you don't want or need or use.
3.) Was going to repair my stove burner as the light was always stuck on but found that a little big of percussive maintenance it was fixed so I could return the part I bought.
4.) needed some picture hanging parts and a whole kit at Harbor Freight was cheaper than just the few hangers (bulldogs) that I needed.
5.) Kind of a frugal thing but a few years ago we got a membership to Costco and they gave us coupons for some free stuff including a package of paper towels. We literally just opened the last roll of them. We use rags and hand towels and paper towels are only used for the worst of jobs. I don't know how people go through them so fast but we certainly don't.
@Battra92, I love the term "percussive maintenance". Give it a whack or two until it works. 😀
@Battra92, I too am borrowing the term "percussive maintenance." (Or, as they say in the British Royal Marines, "If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer!")
Or as my dad would say, "If it doesn't fit, shove it until it does."
@A. Marie,
Hahaha, the way my dad says it, it goes something along the lines of "Oh, c'mon, God damn it! Get me the bigger hammer!"
Actually, you get a gold star for NOT raking your leaves in the fall. Much better for the planet - you provided habitat for overwintering pollinators and likely sent some nutrients into the soil. Every little contribution helps.
@Queen of Fifty Cents, My thoughts exactly! We let the leaves sit or get mowed into the grass every year. We do get some teasing from the others in our neighborhood who keep their yards neatly manicured all year, but oh well! They especially like to give us a semi-hard time when we do No Mow May. It's in good humor since we're friends, but I agree every little bit helps! Protect Our Pollinators! 🙂
This has been a completely UN-frugal week. My mom had an outpatient procedure so I went to help her for a few days. I did pack snacks and drinks for the day at the hospital, and I took some meals for her. But, things just come up in those situations....she needed pepcid and some bland foods cause the antibiotic was killing her stomach. So, $100 grocery run later she was good to go for a few days.
My dog needed a CT scan (almost $2k). She has something going on in her right nostril/sinus. Had the CT yesterday and she has a growth in there which meant a biopsy. Could be bone, could be tumor or whatever. Should get results today, but definitely not frugal.
Just thankful I am frugal where I can be and had the funds. DH reminds me of this often when unfrugal things come up....to just be thankful we have the money for the unexpected...there were times when we were young that we wouldn't have.
@Marlena, sorry to hear about your dog. Good luck, I am glad you were able to do it. I am hoping for the best outcome.
1. I weeded my vegetable gardens this weekend. Now we just need to till them and get our seedlings in the ground. My husband grew most of our seedlings this year. The tiller we use I got off Buy Nothing and my husband fixed it up.
2. I picked up 2 pairs of shoes off Buy Nothing for myself. They were barely used.
3. I used kale from my garden, left-over sour cream, and chickpeas to make rice bowls for my lunches this week.
4. We had our furnace cleaned and inspected. This obviously costs money but is frugal in regard to prevention.
5. We also had our chimney inspected. Unfortunately, it has some issues and without having them fixed it is a hazard to have a fire in presently. However, it saved us from having a chimney/house fire or getting hurt.
@Corrine, you may have been aware of the issues before inspection, but I would say to get a second opinion. Our last house we had a few opinions....one guy told us to take the fireplace out and put in a gas no vent because the chimney couldn't be used. Another told us we just needed it to be cleaned. And another (who was older and owned his own business...not a chain like Ashbusters) told us it was perfectly great and looked as though it had only been used 2-3 times in the past 30 years since the house was built. What the other people were telling us was unsafe...he said was absolutely fine, how the box attached to the chimney were different 30 years ago, but not unsafe.
Anyways, the difference was $6k for a gas insert or $75 for the last guy to inspect it. We ended up with the last guy and had him sweep it though he insisted it didn't need it just so when we sold it we could show it was cleaned and inspected.
We used the library and our state park pass for free entertainment this week.
I made a super cheap dinner of sourdough bread (just flour, salt, and water) and ham and bean soup with a frozen ham bone from Easter. I think the whole meal cost maybe $2 and I still had leftover soup.
I completely flopped a loaf of sourdough I tried to make, but I was able to save it by adding regular yeast, butter, sugar, and then made it raisin cinnamon swirl bread instead. It was delicious and we have been eating it for breakfast all week.
Bought a bunch of one size up winter clothes on clearance for next year for the kiddos.
Made homemade granola.
Got my seedlings planted outdoors.
Found Horizon organic shelf stable single serve milk on clearance $4 for 12. I like to keep things like that on hand to throw in a bag for the kids to drink when we go out shopping, hiking, etc.
Opening windows when it's cooler outside than in. Unfortunately that's mostly cause our air unit is broken right now.
Borrowed books from the library. I can't focus on a screen, I need to hold a book in my hands or I get easily distracted.
Cancelled HBO Max. It wasn't worth the price to me.
1. I used three gift cards to pick up a couple of cookbooks form B&N. The gift cards have been hanging out in my stack of gift cards forever so I finally decided that instead of purchasing a book I would only read once, I would use them for cookbooks that have been on my wish list.
2. I was looking for a basket to put our incoming mail in at Goodwill. I didn’t find what I was looking for but I did pick up six books for $16. I could have checked them all out from the library but I love a tempting to-read pile by my bedside.
3. Our local grocery store sent us a coupon for a free rotisserie chicken. I waited until I needed a good amount of cooked chicken in a recipe and picked it up. The chicken meat have been used in three recipes and the bones are in the freezer to make stock.
4. My son had a soccer game 40 minutes away (one way) from our house. We had to leave as soon as he got home from school so I made him a quick “brown bag lunch” for a snack on the way there and had a huge protein rich salad in the fridge to have as soon as we got home – both of these helped us avoid a trip through the drive through.
5. I decided to work from home last week since most of my team was off on PTO. This saved gas money and my usual Tuesday trip to Starbucks (a treat one of my coworkers and I have made a tradition – most of my Starbucks money is gift cards that I receive as gifts or that I cash my credit card points in for).
April Frugal Review. I was extremely focused this month to try and live on a budget that would reflect my new normal pension and be able to save a big chunk for fun things in retirement.
Win: I lived on 201.13 for a grocery budget. I didn't even let myself off the hook yesterday when hubby didn't have his daily milk. I diluted leftover sweetened condensed milk, added vanilla and melted frozen chocolate bar. He had chocolate milk and I had a chocolate banana smoothie. Sliding into Home!!!
Win: My clothing budget was $75 - a huge win for me. I have been known to go very high quality on clothes and shoes which means big numbers. It also means big mistakes. I have allowed myself this luxury in a concerted effort to heal myself of body shame and recover from a serious eating disorder. I began by learning how to dress myself at any size. The shoes were not vanity but a necessity because I suffer from plantars fasciitis. After years of focus, I now love my clothes, myself and my feet are healed. A big trick I have learn is to find something I love, go on Poshmark and buy a double or triple. I found a wonderful copy of a free people prairie dress I have that gets multiple compliments every time I wear it. It is NWOT ( NE Without Tags.)
Win: I signed up for a free AI food coaching program called LARK which comes with my insurance. My goal is to lose 5% of my weight by October. I get a bluetooth scale and a fitbit with it.
@mary ann, congratulations on the self-love and healing!
@mary ann, Way to go learning to dress for what looks and feels good on you!
I have plantars fasciitis too. Will you please share if there's a particular brand of shoes you like? Thanks in advance.
@Ellie in AR, my doctor recommends Merrell Clogs. He has it and I have it and with the Merrell's all is good thank g-d.
Happy Birthday, Frugal Girl! Since it's your birthday month, it is absolutely OK for you to splurge on two dresses. After all the hard work you've done at school, you definitely deserve both! Plus, with all the different accessorizing you can do with those 3 dresses (belts, jackets/sweaters/blouses worn as jackets, scarves, jewelry, etc.), you can get a zillion different looks from them and that will count as frugal wins.
1. I went shopping at my favorite thrift stores -- and didn't buy a thing. That may be a first for me!
2. Finally decided upon what to do for a flower bed border. I looked at Habitat Re-Store for ideas and I saw some long brick-like stones, but by the time I got enough to go around the flower beds, it'd cost a lot. Even at Habitat. So I'm going to use just ordinary rocks -- I have several good-sized ones around the yard already. A long time ago I bought some black plastic border (very cheaply --at a thrift store, of course); I can install that and put the rocks in front so it won't look so bad. If I see any stray rocks when I go walking, I will pick them up. Right now, my yard is the embarrassment of the neighborhood but I'm working on it. At least, the annual bombardment of live oak leaves has stopped and all of them are taken away via the city's yard waste recycling program.
3. Used a coupon for a discounted haircut. I was getting way too shaggy! Why does your hair grow really, really fast when you want to keep it short? And not hardly grow very much at all when you want to grow it long?
4. Applied for my Social Security benefits to start coming in. I have a phone interview in a couple of weeks.
5. Used a coupon to get a $9 sub sandwich for $2 (made 2 meals out of it), but otherwise brown-bagged all my lunches (my usual habit).
Glad you kept both dresses! Not you have options. And you will look lovely. 🙂 Finding dresses you like & at decent price is difficult these days.
Frugal things----
● My local Hallmark store brought over some medium & large art poles (from another store) for me to look at & decide if want to purchase (found out company making art poles closed). I used my 20% off coupon with purchase of $10 tote bag (they had white bag with green leaves 🙂 ). The art pole is a gift from work for going above & beyond this tax season.
● Meijer had spend $100 (in store) get $10 off (future purchase this week) Friday & Saturday so I had to pick up rest of teen prescription & picked up my groceries & some ever bearing strawberry plants. Used my addition coupons also to save even more.
● Went to another Meijer to pick up (more) solar lights (other store didn't have) & decided to get less solar lights & got kleenex (buy $40 save $10) (allergy season). So I got another $10 off coupon.
● Went to Target & bought laundry soap (buy $60 save $15) & found a watering can (been looking for) to earn a $10 reward when spend $90.
● Had work/company dinner last night at restaurant & enjoyed free meal.
Nor frugal----
● when I bought ice cream & popsicles for teen last week (before surgery) I got a little more than I had room in my freezer. (Can you see where this is going?) I put 2 boxes Lemon Ice Cups in my cold/freezer bag (claims to keep ice cold for 4 days) with ice packs (thinking maybe additional day of cold) & well they melted & some spilled out onto (now sticky) box. I was going to salvage what I could & refreeze them but I didn't do immediately (after rinsing off everything) so they sat in sink for another day. I ended up emptying & washing out cups. Luckily I got on sale so not as big of monetary loss as could have been.
I'm glad you kept both dresses!
This was a very, very unfrugal week. My sister and her partner visited and we travelled around and ate out. I don't feel bad about it because it was all worth it, but I need to be more careful this week to make up for it! Things I did manage...
1. I renewed and returned a library book to avoid a fine.
2. I didn't buy anything in a gift shop (although I did buy a cute cat magnet elsewhere!)
3. I needed an extra of a few things and was able to borrow them.
4. I saved cans for recycling money.
5. I walked to some places rather than using public transport.
This week I think we had a medical co-pay or expense every day. DH has been getting over a respiratory virus so severe that he'd become faint from coughing. He is finally feeling a bit better, though.
However, I combined some rewards cash and a sale to buy toilet paper at the drugstore. Used some very fine micro-mesh sanding pads bought for a couple of other projects to polish scratches out of my wedding band. Used the last of a jar of yeast to make flatbread, as the yeast was losing its oomph and the bread did not need to rise much to be good.
Cooked a lot of good stuff from the freezer. Used a $5 off $15 coupon at Big Lots to buy a huge bag of puppy pads, as our new rescue pup arrived to us paper trained and still uses one pad per day. She's not big enough yet to get through most evenings without a pit stop.
Nice! June is my birthday month and I must remember to get as many freebies as possible 🙂
1. I got something like 7 pairs of pyjamas (summer and winter) and a swimsuit for my daughter off marketplace for all of 30 dollars. They're officially "boy" pyjamas but my daughter LOVES her new digger and dinosaur-themes jammies.
2. I started investing! I feel embarrassed to say that my dad and my husband always did it for me, but I've finally started.
3. I got my watch fixed (or rather Mr. B did it for me on his lunch break)
4. My old immersion blender broke. I'm waiting a few weeks to see if I really need a new one--we do have an upright blender, after all.
5. All my socks are wearing out, so I'm thinking about what kind to get next. I'd prefer to get a large number that are all the same, so that they're easier to match.
I think both dresses are lovely. I often wear cotton sundresses too, they're so comfortable in summer.
My frugal things:
1. I got $7.90 cash back from Ibotta for groceries plus a $5 bonus for redeeming 10 offers. I redeemed my cash back for a gift card I can use to buy more groceries.
2. I received money and a gift card for my birthday, which was celebrated frugally at home with a homecooked meal and cake and playing games we already had.
3. I sold a used item on Ebay and reused packaging from something else to ship it.
4. I read and enjoyed a library copy of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, which I've seen recommended by several people lately.
5. I've been enjoying the sight and sound of birds this spring. We have some house finches and Carolina wrens nesting nearby and a pair of cardinals who live here year round, plus other birds who visit our feeder. Frugal joy and entertainment.
@Elizabeth M, I listened to Tom Lake on Libby from the library. Meryl Streep narrated it. I enjoyed it also. I liked The Dutch House better, but still liked it.
@Marlena, I liked the dutch house better too. Meryl was a great narrator though
Happy Birthday, FG!
This week, we:
1. Put my dad's expertise to use and figured out the outdoor electrical situation at our house. An electrician would have been so expensive and honestly, retired Dad loves being productive. Win-win.
2. Found an astronaut costume on OfferUp for my daughter's upcoming Sally Ride presentation and saved some money.
3. Used some circle deals at target and ended up stocking up on some needed items.
4. Pulled out a shaver that's been sitting unused in my laundry room on a sweater that was pretty pilly and am now able to wear it again without looking so sloppy. Also used it in the seat of some leggings that were getting pilly. Made a huge difference!
5. Figured out a few summer camps for the kids and set up my Dependent Care Reimbursement Account with the appropriate contribution at my new job so that at least it's pre-tax. We've been lucky in that we've never needed to find a camp every week for them but we do do a few here and there so that they have something interesting on their calendars. Some are kinda pricy but we're taking a break from other activities during the school year that are even more pricy.
1. Going on a trip, so eating up random food. Today I'm making banana bread to use bananas from the freeze and yogurt. Ran out of white sugar, so I subbed brown sugar. I also have leftover icing I can top them with.
2. Sold à lamp on Fb market place. $10 in, clutter out.
3. Renting a car to drive to a further airport. Cheaper than getting a connecting flight for all 4 of us.
4. Husband redid some old siding and I helped paint it. Diy is so much cheaper if you have the tools and time.
5. Cut open my Bb cream tube and got some more uses out of it.
Happy Birthday, Kristen! May this year be the best yet!
Typical frugal functions here on the farm...cooking all meals from the freezer and garden, working feverishly on de-weeding lawns and flower beds, cutting/splitting wood to fill woodshed for next winter, made flower pots for the front and back porches from overwintered geraniums and bacopa. Designed watercolor graduation note cards with pockets for money gifts. Bartered furnace & a/c tune up for 1 Alaska fishing pole in a travel case.
Happy Tuesday!
My five frugal things are…
1. I’ve been wanting to get a yoga mat but haven’t purchased one (just in case I don’t actually use it) but while helping friends move over the weekend I was given one they didn’t need. Now if I don’t use it at least I won’t have wasted any money.
2. Used my last birthday freebie and picked up a 2 piece chicken & fries from Royal Farm.
3. Gathered all the unwanted jewelry from my collection and cashed it in. Got a store credit so I’d get 50% more for it. Used some diamonds from a couple of pieces to have a necklace made for my daughter for her to wear on her wedding day this fall. No money out of pocket and she has a sentimental piece to wear that is her style.
4. Rescued a 14” clay pot from the neighbors curb and passed it on to a friend who loves gardening. Not frugal for me but I kept it out of the landfill and it made my friend happy.
5. Listed some items on eBay & Poshmark and have sold two so far.
@BonG, I love your #3. And, incidentally, various royal families--the British, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, etc.--had old pieces of jewelry remade all the time for wedding/christening/etc. presents, or "just because."
@A. Marie, Oh now I feel fancy acting like the royals. lol I’ll be sure to pass that info on to my daughter too. It made her and I both happy since the diamonds were from jewelry her dad gave me and he passed when she was little. Loved that they will be given new “life” in a piece of jewelry for her.
I just created a simple birthday invite for my son last night on Canva! If open the filter and scroll all the way to the bottom, there is an option to view only free options. Makes finding pictures/templates quicker (and less disappointing!) Happy Birthday Kristen!
Happy birthday Kristen! Hope you enjoyed the Nothing Bundt Cake. Red velvet, yum!
FFT
1) Cleaned out closet and found a couple of brand-new shirts that DH didn't but luckily son-in-law did like them so passed them on to him.
2) Got all of the vegetable plants purchased for daughter and son-in-law planted in their little garden bed before any of them perished.
3) Made a batch of no-stir granola
4) I am redoing what was previously our son's bedroom into a guest room. I purchased curtains at Aldi for $20
5) When cleaning out the closet, I found a curtain rod that will work in the updated guest room.
Not frugal for me but posted so much unneeded stuff I found in the closet to our buy nothing group. Out of the 25 things I posted, all were asked for except for two items.
I'm so glad you kept both dresses, Kristen! I was on TeamBlue, but I really think both dresses will be super cool and comfy this summer. Yes, wear them everywhere! I have some beautiful silk/silky sari skirts that I wear almost everywhere, and I always gets lots of compliments on them. They are lovely and floaty, which is especially nice on hot days. (I wear something similar to bike shorts underneath, to avoid chub rub. Not something you need to worry about).
My son, the budding musician and music composer, uses the free version of Canva sometimes to create "album covers" and other promo materials for the new "bands" he creates. His latest "band" is called Myllk....(pronounced "milk", lol), sort of a hair metal band, music created by AI with his input...no, they don't have anything posted in public, this is just something he's come up with and has fun with. I so admire his creativity, which is something I lack.
My frugal five:
1) Attempted to root a rose cane that DH lopped off when he was trimming the lawn. It did appear to sprout some roots, so I planted it this past weekend....fingers crossed.
2) Also planted the clump of sedum I got on Buy Nothing. Another set of fingers crossed.
3) Am still using up the leftover toothpaste DS decided he dislikes.
4) We have been eating out far too often (hangs head in shame), so I bought a Costco rotisserie chicken, which we will have with roasted potatoes and veggies tonight. the potatoes and veggies we already had; still way cheaper than carry-in. The carcass will be frozen for future broth-making use, after any leftover meat is pulled off to be eaten or frozen.
5) Frugal/not frugal/you decide: I mailed my old camera with lenses my current camera can't use to my Long Island bff - for her to give to her adult daughter. BFF already has a wonderful camera, and her dear daughter (HDD) has recently taken up an interest in photography; my admittedly old camera had been sitting for almost a year and a half, so it was a no-brainer. Camera works great, but has little resale value (has a cracked screen where you can see the photos you've just taken; repair would cost $250ish, which is more than the camera's worth). The shipping cost was $50 & change. BFF was delighted, HDD was over the moon to get the camera, I was thrilled to get it in the hands of someone who would use and enjoy it. I refused payment, didn't expect anything for it, other than getting to see HDD's photos online (she has her mother's "eye", her photos are so good!)....but they surprised me with a $100 gift certificate to a local-to-me breakfast restaurant!. Truly unexpected, but what a delight! We have a good friend coming to visit in July, so will use the gift certificate then. AND one less thing sitting around in my house! Wins all around!
Have a great day, everyone!
I think I would squeal out loud if I saw you in Aldi! I am glad you kept both dresses. I don't think you need to consider the choice unfrugal because you certainly considered the purchase and made an informed decision. This was definitely not an impulse buy, and you deserve to feel beautiful and treat yourself every now and then. I hope every time you wear them, you feel joyful and gorgeous!
And I hope you would say hi!!
@Kristen,
I definitely would! I only went into Aldi at first because you had written about going, and now, I'm such an Aldi super fan!
I'm so happy that your neighbors helped you!!!
Also, I gave a little fist pump and a "Yes!" when I read that you kept both dresses. 🙂
Happy for you, Kristen!
1. I picked up a free bagel at Safeway. I rode my bike so it didn't even cost me gas. I try to be aware of the hidden costs of freebies.
2. I got a free apple at work, which I brought home and ate today.
3. I let my parsley plant go to seed last year and now I have a lovely parsley patch. I harvested a lot of parsley. I dried some in the microwave, some in the solar oven and some in a net bag hanging outside.
4. I sewed a sun hat from a free pattern, with heavy linen bought at the fabric thrift store. Perhaps $2 cost. It turned out well and now I will sew a new sun hat every spring. The pattern has sizes toddler to adult and I sewed my grandson a hat last year with his fabric of choice. I know there will be more of these being made in the future too. I love that he can choose the fabric he wants.
5. I know I'm late to it, but I downloaded the Fetch app and scanned all my receipts from the last 2 weeks. I love that it gives at least some credit for every receipt, and a few gave me some good points, including a receipt that was left at the checkout that I picked up! I earned absolutely nothing from Ibotta, but this one would work for everyone. I even got credit for receipts from Joann, In n Out, and Costco. Here's a link if anyone wants to try it out! https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralsocial?code=GY8RYK
I recently did a blue v white dress reel. 7,000 people viewed. Blue won. I kept both. Good choice! Glad you’re happy !
Happy Birthday!! I would have kept both dresses too. They are really cute and I couldn't decide which one I liked better so I didn't vote.
-Bought new summer flowers but avoided temptation to buy new pots.
-used bag of soil I had hoarded from last year
-reading/listening to library books
-enjoyed a lovely free lunch at my church
-baking from scratch, resurrected some brown sugar that was very dried out but was ok in cookies
I know this is late, but I like the accountability...
1. I made all our meals at home. We ate up food that needed to be eaten.
2. We enjoyed free entertainment.
3. One kid desperately needed a swimsuit ASAP. We found one on sale that fit perfectly. Swimsuits are one of the things that I won't buy secondhand.
4. My husband filled bike tires and all the balls and inflatable toys at the same time.
5. When I took down Easter decorations, I rearranged stuff so it feels new in the house... even though everything was already in the house.
6. We went through spring jackets and shoes to see what fit and what was needed.
Really liked both dresses, so I'm happy you're keeping both! Summer dress pics as you wear them, please 🙂
I took my mom to Sedona for an early Mother's Day hiking trip, so this is all about our trip.
1) Used four free night awards from the Hyatt to stay for free. Bonus, when you are staying on a free night, they waive the resort & parking fees. The hotel cost us exactly $0.
2) We hiked as our entertainment (and used the pool & hot tub). Hiking was free, minus the $5 we paid for parking one day.
3) We don't eat breakfast, but we did buy coffee each morning. We shared lunches (one day a Chipotle burrito bowl, another day Safeway sandwich, and on the final day, we had leftovers.) Lunches were very inexpensive.
4) We shared items at dinner, and my mom had packed two bottles of wine that we had on the patio before dinners. I'd also brought Trader Joes toffee chips, which should be illegal they are so good. Those were our dessert after hiking.
5) We had lunch at In & Out today, ahead of our flight, which was under $15 for the two of us.
We had an awesome, awesome waiter at one of the dinners, and he very much reminded my mom of her grandson (my youngest child) & she left him a huge tip with a note to enjoy college - he was just finalizing his plans. It was the sweetest. Not frugal, but he was super touched & it made dinner very fun for all of us.
Hoping your Birthday Month is the best ever! Glad you kept both dresses (that was my vote) I can never have too many dresses as I wear them all the time - enough to wear them out and need new ones - which can be hard to find! The yard looks terrific now!
It is really good of your neighbours to ask if you needed help rather than complaining about you garden to everyone else
Happy Birthday, Kristen!!!! So glad for you that the semester end is in sight, too.
1. Ate out with a gift card after a doctor's appointment, getting lunch prices, making the gift card go farther 😉
2. Drank water! I have a couple friends who don't drink plain water and they are generally either moderately dehydrated or spending lots of $$ on drinks with flavor.
3. Enjoyed some heavy cream - it's not the holiday season and Aldi's quarts of heavy cream here are less than $6. I use little bits of it in so many things and it really contributes to my happiness lol.
4. Cooked awesome homemade meals - highlight was a Greek-seasoned ground beef, lemon rice, and tomato/cucumber/feta salad.
5. Taking credit for my husband's love of native plants - he is transforming our property into a haven for tons of pollinators and for nature to work as intended. His extensive knowledge helps him to find plants almost anywhere we go. He grabs cuttings or takes a plant or two, being sure to leave a sufficient population of whatever plant where he finds it. It's slower than the people who buy everything but it's an awesome integrated approach, and we love to see what survives and thrives (we are on year 3 in this home).
I’m so happy you kept both dresses, you deserve them❤️
so glad you kept both dresses.
Wow! I'm envious of the huge trees and lush foliage where you live. Looks very different than where I live in the West.
Not an especially frugal thing, but I was able to get Outlive by Peter Attia, MD from the library. It is a wonderful book--thank you for recommending it. Sensible advice on diet and how to exercise properly!