Five Frugal Things | old standbys
Some weeks, I have new and interesting frugal things to share. Other times, it's just steady plodding with the same ol', same ol'.
And this is (mostly) one of the latter.
1. I decrystallized my honey AGAIN
As I have told you before, I regret buying this huge container of honey. Zoe and I do not eat enough peanut butter and honey sandwiches to get us through such a large bottle before it crystallizes.
I have decrystallized this particular container several times before, but here we are again.
Happily, it is emptier now, so I can just stick it in my 4-cup measuring cup rather than having to lay it down sideways in a pan like before!
I am 100% never buying such a big honey container again. Ha.
2. I'm watering plants with my dehumidifier water
I had been using it to wash down various outside areas of my house:
But now that the weather has been less rainy here, I've been using it to water my non-edible plants.*
*Non-edible plants only, because dehumidifier water can contain bacteria and mold spores, and that might not be safe for the soil of a plant that produces something you eat.
3. I keep coloring my bleached scrubs with a Sharpie
I have a set of black scrubs and somehow, I have gotten some bleach spots on them at work. We have bleach wipes that we use for our glucometers, and while I try super hard to be careful not to get any on my clothes, it's hard to avoid.
Luckily, this has only happened with my black scrubs, and the spots are small enough for me to just color with a Sharpie before I put them on.
The Sharpie does fade in the wash, but it's easy enough to redo each time I wear them. And the fix is totally invisible from a distance:
I probably will end up using bleach wipes a little less as a nurse than I did as a tech, so maybe I can avoid making any new orange spots!
(Related: I tried dying bleach spots on a dress before, with Rit dye; click here to see how it turned out.)
4. I've been bringing all my lunches, drinks, and snacks to orientation
Orientation is in a different hospital campus building, away from my usual lunchroom refrigerator and microwave.
Some days I pack a lunch that doesn't need to be heated, but I discovered that there are some microwaves in the building, so I've been using those here and there.
And since we have no fridge in the education building, I just put extra ice packs in my lunchbox to keep it cold until lunch break.
I am here to get paid, not to spend money. 😉
(Ok, obviously I did not become a nurse just to get paid. But I still don't wanna give part of my paycheck to the cafeteria on the regular.)
5. I filled out a class action settlement form
Apparently, there's some suit against Capital One 360 that I qualify for. However, it sounds like the payouts will be small and if it's less than $5, they won't mail you a check.
If you want your money that's under $5, you need to opt in for an electronic payment. So, that's what I did and we shall see what comes of it.
We also seem to be eating honey less frequently now than we used to. It is mainly an ingredient in mustard dressing and some marinades .
FFT, garden issue:
- A neighbour shared tomatoes with us, as they had a glut
- I collected seeds from my annuals for next year
- And made space for the strawberry "offspring"
- I took fig cutlings and after one week they already make signs of growing roots
- I cut a small bouquet of flowers from shrubs that needed to be curbed as they were crowding a shady spot.
Apart from that, there was a lot of cooking to prevent vegetables going bad in the warm and humid weather. I even canned some tomato sauce (oldfashioned style, in a pan of boiling water with a tea towel on the bottom). We will be eating from a meal plan this week to make sure I do not overlook produce - I want to give the fridge a thorough clean this weekend.
Our greatest frugal triumphs involved paperclips this week. First, my husband fixed a broken flashlight by fashioning a new spring out of a paperclip. I reckon this saved us at least $8.
Then, at work yesterday, the tech support guy fixed my ancient work laptop with… a paperclip! This technically saved me $0 since it’s not my personal laptop, but it did save my bacon since I have court all week and our district has converted to ecourts so doing this with paper only is not even an option.
@Tarynkay, When my old Nissan Altima had a loose battery connection, I used to fix it with a paperclip jammed in there to complete the connection. I did that for at least a year before getting rid of the car. I also used to put cherries with a half un-bent paper clip. Useful little things.
@kristin @ going country, *Pit* cherries, that is.
Kristen, that salad in the photo above, also from a post last week, looks yummy! What are the seeds and/or grains that are on top of it? They look delicious, and you are encouraging me to be more diverse and nutritious with my salad toppings. Thanks!
@Price Chopper shopper, I thought the same thing, yum on the salad, so I'm also interested in Kristen's toppings!
I filled a little jar with a combo of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds which I sprinkle on my salads - it's a nice crunch & nutrients (inc iron in the pumpkin seeds, for those of us trying to boost our hematocrit etc.).
@Suz, that is a yummy suggestion! I usually top my salads with walnuts, and I can add those as well.
1. Scanned in three receipts to Fetch (one I got today at the store, two I found in the truck the other day). And I found a receipt in the grocery store parking lot last week and nabbed that one. I can't seem to find any change on the ground, but I do find receipts!
2. Inspired by Kristen, I finally broke out a set of furniture repair markers I got with reward points and went to work on my desk. This desk has been around for a while and seen many moves and gotten its share of knocks; it was quite thrilling to finally cover up some of the gouges and scratches. I also touched up my wooden filing cabinet and the repurposed nightstand I use for my printer. Everything looks a lot better–which makes me more content with my nicely lived-in furniture. Now if I could get Clark to stop nibbling on the corners of my nightstand and bureau when he wants me to get up in the morning…
3. I passed my General Psychology CLEP test (with a generous margin), which equals a savings of at least $800 or so! Not chicken feed. Plus I feel a personal vindication, not having to take an intro to Psych course after getting my undergraduate degree in the subject.
4. Tyson chicken packages were buy 1, get 2 free at Kroger. I told DS#2, who was shopping with me and wants to make chicken today, to get six of those.
5. Library books! Finished Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge–sort of cozy, a quick read, required a bit of suspended disbelief, but very readable. Now I'm on the latest Laura Lippman, Murder Takes a Vacation, and so far it's pretty good.
@Karen A., I take it that Clark is a cat and not a human...
@Talia, Indeed, although my kids were known to gnaw on the rail of the crib when they were teething! Commodore Fluffington likes to chew on the wooden knobs of the bureau to alert us to the fact that it is past 6 a.m. and his bowl is nearly empty. 😉
@Karen A., Congratulations on passing the test! Satisfying on many levels.
@Karen A., congrats on passing!!
@Karen A., congratulations on passing the CLEP and saving both time and money!
@Karen A., Congratulations on passing the exam!
Clark sounds like such a character. The cats I had as a kid liked to scratch my parents' record collection when they wanted attention!
@Karen A., Congratulations on passing & not having to take the class.
@Karen A., I add my congratulations to everyone else's on passing the test. And Betty sends her feline regards to the Commodore. (Tell Clark that chewing the wooden furniture isn't a good idea for health reasons, however. Betty is worried that he might get splinters in his tummy.)
YAYYYYYY about the CLEP test! Good work!
@A. Marie, Thank you! And I will pass on Betty's sage advice, though Clark is a callow youth and tends not to listen very much. He would contend that if the Lady would just get out of bed at a reasonable hour, he wouldn't have to soothe his anxiety by gnawing on wood. Plus, it makes such a satisfying noise that can wake up the human servants!
Thank you for all the kind comments! I doubt I would have had the nerve (or the very idea) to do the test if it hadn't been for the Commentariat here. Kristen, I remember in my Meet a Reader post, you asked what was next for me after homeschooling (or somebody did) and at the time, I could never have foreseen that I would be actually at the threshold of getting into a nursing program! But then last summer things just started rolling and haven't stopped. Just this week my academic advisor sent my file to the Nursing department to get put on the waiting list for the limited enrollment nursing classes. Life is bonkers sometimes!
@Karen A.,
I had a cat years ago (Mr. Bill) who would chew on my shoes....not the cheap shoes, of course, but my nice leather pumps. I quickly learned to put them out of reach.
And congratulations on passing that test! WooHoo!!
@Karen A., that is such great news. good luck to you.
@Karen A.,
I don't know what you're into, regarding reading but, if you're going through middle life and, we won't even discuss the age of that, and provided you have an open mind and really love to laugh, I recommend Robin Peterman's Fashionably Dead series. However if you are religious oriented, you might want to pass. Robin has a very unconventional way of looking at things and you have to take it with a massive grain of salt, if not the whole salt shaker and realize it is just fiction. However, if you want to laugh until you practically wee in your pants, she's your author.
@Debra, I just downloaded the first book in the series onto my Kindle. Thank you for the recommendation! I am, indeed, in the middle stage of life. 😉
I went to Stockholm this weekend so here are my five frugal things, trip edition:
1. I packed a lunch for the train journey.
2. The hotel I stayed at didn't have an electric kettle in the room (which you usually get in Europe). I was going to buy a travel kettle but I called the hotel and they were able to lend me one. I brought a thermos and some instant coffee and oat milk. I still bought coffee in cafes and there but it was nice to have when I went on a walk and in the evenings.
3. I went to a museum which was half-price in the final hour before closing.
4. I bought a 24 hour public transport pass which definitely paid itself back as I used the metro and the ferry several times!
5. I went to a free screening of a film in a park. The sound quality wasn't great but because I've seen the film so many times (10 Things I Hate About You) I mostly know the dialogue. It's one of my favourite films and it was a lot of fun!
Major frugal fail: I missed my train and had to buy a whole new ticket, and it wasn't cheap! I called the train company but they wouldn't refund any of it. Oh well, I guess I still saved money than if I hadn't done any of the above! There was also an issue on the train on the way back so I got a discount for a future journey.
@Sophie in Denmark, that was supposed to say cafes here and there!
@Sophie in Denmark, I also visited Stockholm this summer and had a major frugal fail with public transit tickets! I had bought a three-day pass on the SL transit app. When I looked at my phone, I saw the app listed twice, one with the ticket and one without the ticket. I deleted the app without a ticket, but of course it deleted the whole app, and the ticket I just bought was gone. I had not registered it with an email either and had no way of getting it back 🙁
Major lesson in not to rush to delete apps and also to register tickets with a backup!
Otherwise my trip was very lovely, and I hope yours was too.
@Kristina M., Oh no! That's one of the reasons I try and get physical versions of tickets, if I can - I don't trust myself or the tech not to glitch, somehow! Of course my missing the train was just human error.
I had a lovely time otherwise, thank you! I enjoyed exploring Gamla Stan (which I read was the inspiration for the town in Kiki's Delivery Service) and went to four museums. It wasn't the most frugal trip but it was a lot of fun (apart from eating a bad sandwich on the last day). I'm glad the rest of your trip was good!
@Sophie in Denmark, "Not the most frugal" - hah! When I was in Stockholm (years and years ago) it seemed SO expensive we left for Oslo the very next day. Have no idea how Oslo compares price-wise these days.
@JDinNM, Oslo is expensive. Honestly, 'expensive' sums up Scandinavia!
@Sophie in Denmark, what a delightful little piece of information about the Kiki’s Delivery Service! I have to rewatch it now.
We also explored Gamla stan and Sodermalm where our airbnb was located, and went to a couple of museums including the Etnografiska museet to catch the wonderful exhibit on Japanese Yokai.
It's a beautiful city for sure though can be expensive 🙂
@Kristina M., I'll have to rewatch too! I didn't make it to that museum - I'll have to go next time. I went to the Nordic museum, National museum, an open-air museum and a delightful museum with dollshouses. I think some of them are free on Thursdays but I wasn't there that day.
@Sophie in Denmark, that's a lot of museums! I could have used some more time for sure to catch all the museums I wanted to see.
@Kristina M., If I'd had more time I'd have spread out the museums more. I went back to my hotel and took a nap after going to three of them!
I'm glad you mentioned the capital One thing. I got one too but wasn't sure it was legit. Guess I'll go fill it out!! Have a great week!!
Could you put the homey in a glass jar and then zap it a little bit when you want to use it?
All of mine are very small:
1. A neighbor had a container of coconut milk yogurt that was near the Best By date. They were not going to use it so I took it and have topped oatmeal with it a few times. I discovered oatmeal is greatly elevated when I add a bot of pumpkin spic to it before cooking.
2. I picked some figs from our fig tree and ate them.
3. I used the dregs of two jars of marinara sauce in lieu of a bit of tomato paste in a lentils recipe. I stored the lentils in Bonne Maman jars.
4. DH usually wears suits or at least a sports coat to work (he is well compensated for his work). He had some items that needed to be dry cleaned. We had a 10% off coupon that came in the mail that we used and also found a dime on the floor.
5. With hurricane season heating up I am working to reduce the amount of food in the freezer.
@K D, Your #5 reminds me of my first hurricane, Charley, in Florida. I'd bought a package of faux filet mignon steaks from Walmart (they were some other kind of steak but they tasted just like filet mignon), but they were raw in the box. If the power went off and they thawed out, I would've lost them. (You can allow cooked meat to thaw and then freeze again, but if this happens to raw meat, it causes E. coli food poisoning.) So a couple of hours before the storm was due to hit our area, I was broiling steaks like they were going out of style! I sheltered in place and my house smelled like a steakhouse. Yes, the lights went out, but by then all my frozen meat was cooked. I had hoped my neighbors would allow me to bbq steaks on their grill, and of course I offered them some, but the filets were wrapped in bacon and that's against their religion. (Oops, sorry guys!) My friend from church had a bbq and the Sunday lunch bunch from church went over to her place and feasted in style. Everyone else was eating canned tuna, but we had steak! LOL!
@Fru-gal Lisa, your hurricane BBQ tale reminds me of what DH and I did during the power outage that followed the infamous Labor Day 1998 storm here in Central NY. We were without power from the wee small hours of Labor Day (Monday) morning to late the following Wednesday--and when it became clear that we might be losing stuff from the freezer, we gathered up all the most expensive cuts of meat, and DH threw them on our grill. We, the Bestest Neighbors, and several others feasted like King Henry VIII.
I empty whatever is left of each's day water tumbler directly into my potted plants. Or the ice leftover from a take-out soft drink. (:
I don't think I have been very frugal lately...had to buy a new tire for my new car as I rolled over a carpet knife out on the road and slashed my own tire. sigh...I did purchase the road hazard offered on the new tire and all three remaining tires as I feel like that will pay off big incase I "find" another razor on the road!
--A local grocery store celebrated its 70th anniversary with assorted deals and freebies. I partook of $1.99 eggs (I bought the limit of two dozen), a free full size chocolate bar, and helped myself to free samples of soap, cereal, and a free branded baseball hat to replace my worn-out garden hat. (It's destined for sweat and bug spray, so free is best!) I also bought quick rolled oats and refilled our water jugs, both of which were on my VERY short list. An obligatory swing by the day-of clearance shelf garnered a half price loaf of Dave's Killer Bread and half price crumpets.
--The Target app had $15 off a $90 purchase. Since we needed to restock canned cat food and assorted household staples like sugar and flour, that was easy to hit. I'm gradually shifting us to a once-a-month shopping schedule, in no small part to take advantage of such deals when they arise. I only bought what was on my carefully curated list and was in and out of there in 20 minutes.
--It feels like my tomatoes took forever to ripen this year, but we FINALLY enjoyed the season's first batch of homemade tomato soup! I subbed in caramelized onions for regular onion this time, and my husband and I both agreed it was THE best version I'd ever made. After dinner, the remaining servings were frozen for our future selves to enjoy.
--Another bevy of tomatoes was first shared with a gardening friend, with the remainders going to the season's first vat of homemade pasta sauce.
--In addition to soup and pasta sauce, the garden is slowly filling up the freezer with gold rush beans (like green beans, but yellow), corn on the cob, okra, and radishes.
@N,
Can I please have your tomato soup recipe?
@N, I got to use the $15 off $90 Target coupon for a graphing calculator for my son:) The school used to rent them out at the library but they did not have enough this year so I was happy to see that deal! Plus the calculator was on sale for $95 (down from $150) so while I still spent a lot of money, I feel I got the best deal I could.
@Liz, Sure thing! It starts by following this recipe:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-tomato-soup/
I add a whole red pepper (cored and seeded), 1 TBSP of butter, and swap out the regular onion for 1/4 cup caramelized onions. It cooks for 4 hours in the crockpot, after which it's immersion blender time! If the soup is too watery, I add 1-2 slices of bread and blend it in for thickening. (One can also add 1-2 TBSP of rice while cooking if it needs to be gluten-free.) I finish the batch of soup with 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. It freezes beautifully and is a great way to muscle through a pile of tomatoes!
Frugal things this week include:
1. Continued to eat from our garden (zucchini, tomato, eggplant, asparagus beans).
2. Ate most of our meals from home (or packed lunches)
3. Bought some work pants with a 40% off discount code. I wear a size that's difficult to find in stores (35" inseam). The pants also tend to be expensive, but I desperately needed new work pants as my last pair purchased was 7+ years ago (and looked it). I found a place online that sold pants in my size, but was leery of the $100+ price tag. So, I waited (and waited and waited) until I eventually got a 40% off coupon. Fingers crossed, they actually work out!
4. I purchased a package deal for my dog's therapy. The package deal will save me $75.00.
I just realized my last two frugal wins were still pretty pricey!
@Sarah, but you found ways to save on the purchases! It sounds like these are "needs", not "wants", too. I think you did great.
1. Requested and received a dog cone from Buy Nothing for our dog’s recovery from eye surgery.
2. The powder in my Bar Keepers Friend container kept clumping up. I put a lid on it by repurposing the top of a small to-go condiment container. It fits perfectly and now no more clumps!
3. Found a medium-size zucchini inside the dumpster at the food scrap drop-off site. It was on top of everything else and in perfect condition, so I think someone put it there hoping someone would take it. And that someone was me!
4. Noticed on a recent Aldi excursion: bag of spinach increased from $1.49 to $1.79. Still a good deal but a 20 percent increase nevertheless. Mayo actually decreased from $3.49 to $3.19. Big bag of frozen berries for $5.54 is still the best deal compared to other stores here at almost half the price. Four bananas for 77 cents, less than even Trader Joe’s 23 cent bananas. Used a free cart and then left it for someone else when I was done.
5. Made muffins out of pumpkin that I had frozen. They taste great but look ridiculous and couldn’t sit upright due to my botched attempt to put the batter inside cut-up squares of parchment paper in lieu of muffin liners. They’re so misshapen I call them Dr. Seuss muffins.
@MB in MN, I just lightly butter the insides the 'cups' of my muffin tins by wiping with an old butter wrapper or a small piece of waxed paper with a little butter on it rather than using muffin liners 90% of the time and it works just fine. The exception is when I make cupcakes, as they don't seem to hold together as well without the confinement of the little paper liner.
@MB in MN, thank you for the tip that you mentioned in your second frugal thing. I have clumpy Barkeeper's Friend too!
@Kris S, for some reason I've never been successful using butter. I either don't use enough and I have to pry out the muffins or I use so much that the outsides are way too crispy. I don't use sprays like Pam. I haven't bought muffin liners in years. I'm thinking of putting my muffin pan on Buy Nothing as it's so rarely used.
@MB in MN, I dusted my muffin tin with flour once and that seemed to prevent sticking.
@Sophie in Denmark, thanks for the tip! I'll try that before giving the muffin tin away. What's crazy is that it's supposedly nonstick.
@MB in MN, or if you get silicone liners, you can just drop them into the muffin tin (easier than just putting them in on their own) - slides right out! (Plus we use the silicone liners on their own sometimes for snacks like nuts or cheese cubes etc. where ppl can then use their fingers since it's their individual serving)
(But honestly my first thought was Dr. Suess muffins, cool! - what could be better?)
@MB in MN,
Thanks for the Bar Keeper’s Friend tip. I was banging mine on the counter just the other day to loosen it up!
Also, I second the recommendation of silicon cupcake liners. Actually, I just place the liners on a cookie sheet and fill them and bake them on that. Found them on “sale” on Amazon during one of the Prime days.
@MB in MN,
I like the idea of reusing a small take out lid for Bar Keepers Friend! I use Glad Press n Seal plastic wrap to cover the top of my Comet cleanser container. Less permanent, but it works!
@MB in MN,
We are getting two new Aldi stores in my area on the coming months. They have never been here and just opened a single store in Little Rock in the last year. I'm excited to have this new shopping option. I shopped at Aldi in Illinois when I was in college in the 1980s.
My salad spinner broke a couple months ago. New ones seem ridiculously priced, so I’ve been using my version of a trick from the Tightwad Gazette. Basically, I put my washed cut lettuce in a strainer and wrap it in a towel. While holding the towel ends tightly, I swing everything around and the water flies out. Best done outdoors. The TG version involved using a plastic bag, which I will probably try when it gets too cold to be flinging around lettuce water on the patio.
@JenRR,
This never fails (well it might if you let go of the towel) and a towel uses less space than a spinner. Also, kids love this method.
@JenRR, Thanks for the tip for the salad spinner! I'll definitely put this into practice!
@JenRR,
Laughing at spinning the towel with water flying:) I just wrap the wet lettuce in the tea towel and put in fridge. It’s perfect when I need it later. But I’ll definitely remember to fling it around if I need it right away! Thanks for the tip!
My main bulk use for honey is in granola. It goes pretty fast that way.
--My kids started school and the older ones came home requesting more notebooks and binders. I had thought I had everything everyone needed, and I'm not going to be at a store for awhile yet. I found enough old notebooks around with just few pages used that could be removed, as well as old binders, that I didn't have to buy anymore.
--My daughter was having some big fears about starting second grade, which I knew would evaporate as soon as she was there (they did). I was tired of the meltdowns beforehand, though, so I totally bribed her by telling her she could choose a brand new top for the first day of school. This girl has literally never shopped for her own clothing, and almost everything she gets is second-hand from friends or Thredup, so this was thrilling for her. It was actually fun to sit down with her and look through the options on Amazon. (Funny, too. "Oh, that's pretty? Is it polyester?" I have taught her well.) I consider it fifteen dollars well spent.
--I took care of our church for a funeral yesterday. Not everyone wears black to funerals anymore, but since I didn't know this family and what they would think appropriate, I did. I wore my black skirt that I bought 23 years ago and have worn constantly since. I call it my Miracle Skirt, because the fabric, style, and waistband have meant it always fits. It doesn't wrinkle, either, so it's traveled with me a lot.
--Our elderly friend from church has a lot of apples on his trees this year, which he really hates to see wasted. He has a fruit picker, so we've gone a couple of times to pick apples. They're not good saucing apples, alas, but they're good for baked apples, pies, etc., so I've been working on preserving them. So far I have five gallons in the freezer, and tomorrow I'll try canning apple slices for the first time.
--This might be frugal in the long run . . . a friend had a rad old Jeep--like from the 70s--sitting in her shed that my eldest son had admired. She told me yesterday that the motor needs to be re-built, among other things, and her husband decided it wasn't a project he's willing to take on, so would we like to buy it for $500? Eldest son already has a project truck--rescued from the pasture at our elderly neighbor's house, ha--that he's been working on for the better part of a year, but my husband decided to buy the Jeep for our middle son to work on. He's 13, so he has three years to get it road-worthy. When I say the boys are doing it, I really mean my husband is doing it with them, which is actually a really good way for them to spend time together as the boys hit adolescence. If they can get this Jeep in good working order, it will be worth way more than they spent on it and the parts. If they don't, maybe it's worth $500 as scrap. We'll see.
@kristin @ going country, that is a miracle skirt. Tell us ot has pockets and it'll practically be a second coming.
@WilliamB, Nope, no pockets. However, I don't actually like pockets on skirts because they make too much bulk in the hips. I don't have a very slender build, so my hips don't need any more bulking. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, your Miracle Skirt reminds me of Kinsey Milhomme’s Magic Black Dress that she stuffs in the trunk of her VW. (She is the main character of Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries, a real heroine in my estimation.)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Those are my favorite mysteries (aside from Agatha Christie)! Now I am feeling the urge to reread them from the beginning. Kinsey was quite the frugal person, and I loved that Grafton kept her aging in her own "timeline", so we never had to watch Kinsey deal with a cell phone or other annoying new technologies.
@kristin @ going country,
have you tried making apple jam? I had one year where had tons of apples & had stuffed freezer with pies, canning applesauce & still lots of apples. I used strawberry jam recipe & substituted apples. It was a hit.
@kristin @ going country,
Can you tell me the year, make and model of the "Jeep thing"? I'm fascinated!!
Amidst a less than frugal week of travel to see relatives, here's what I have -
1. Mentioned to my sweet MIL that I was looking for small bowls to replace our pile of chipped Corelle ones and she offered up a pile of Fiesta ones for us. She is a bit of a hoarder of dishware, so she still has dozens(hundreds?) of bowls to use.
2. Called the grumpy man at the PO rather than driving to the next town to check my PO Box when the daily email preview showed an envelope that should be in the box next to mine. It was clearly a bill payment and I didn't want someone to run into an issue of nonpayment.
3. Trying to use up stuff in the freezer before my son goes back to grad school. He didn't mind the big pile of shrimp he "had" to eat for dinner last night. 🙂
4. Asked for a price check on some lavender plants at Lowes because they seemed to be set aside as if on sale but didn't have a tag. The worker said she thought they weren't but she'd check. Indeed, they were not on sale and when I sadly said, "Oh," and turned to put them back she said, "Let me see what I can do," and proceeded to mark them down by $11 each! I did not ask questions and got 3.
5. Packed a lot of snacks for the trip to and from my in-law's to reduce money spent in gas stations, but did buy some things from a lovely and clean independent gas station we used only for their bathroom. I don't mind using a big chain bathroom without buying anything, but I do feel bad about using them at independent/smaller businesses.
@Kate,
I don't want to rain on your Fiesta parade, but unless those bowls say "lead free," they are not. The earlier Fiesta-ware products contained lead in the paint (glaze?) and are not supposed to be used for food. We're talking potential lead poisoning. It's a bummer, I know! I have some old Fiesta-ware from my grandmother's estate but those are being used as saucers for my house plants. I think you could go on the Consumer Products Safety Commission website and look up the information on this...unless Trump or RFK Jr. or Musk or someone axed that, too. Anyway, please be careful.
@Fru-gal Lisa, thanks for the warning, but rest assured that these were all recently purchased and do indeed have the lead free label.
I had the same notice about Capital One 360 and I also signed up. So that will be #1 of my FFT.
Also, check out fabric paint instead of using Sharpie.
2. I found a penny on the ground. It isn't going to help me much, but finding money is so rare for me, it's become notable.
3. My squash and cucumbers all failed this summer, but I managed to coax one yellow squash by forcing open the female flower (and not breaking it off by accident) and hand pollinating it. I see bumblebees and pollinator wasps about, so the plants should be getting pollinated, yet it seems they aren't. I also almost never see male and female flowers open at the same time for some reason, even with watching on weekends throughout the day, so that could be part of the problem. Also, I've lost a few trees that attracted honey bees, so there are many fewer of them in my yard. I got that one more squash, though, thus doubling my yield to two.
4. On the good side, I've protected the horsemint to let it spread without spending a dime on it, and it is now blooming in several clumps and small masses. The bumblebees are loving it.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-punctata/
for those saying to themselves, "What the heck is horsemint?"
5. I glued back sections of pages in an old canning and preserving book I've had for decades, using a good glue that has a number of craft uses. It worked, and I didn't have to replace the book ("Preserving Summer's Bounty" by Marilyn Kluger). I use it still for recipes and reminders of correct methods.
- I called a local bookstore to see if they are interested in buying an antique book set I got last year. I sent them photos via email as requested. Fingers crossed!
- I called my insurance to confirm they will review the EOB and refund me for the breast milk bags that I overpaid for. - I am squeezing the last legs out of our shampoo bar, even after my husband has given up on it.
- I bought a large lot of newborn through size 6-9 months on FB marketplace for $85, and got literally 250+ individual items of clothing. Less than 30c per item!
- I supplemented what we still needed (and wanted, I got some cute bows and bath toys too) at Once Upon a Child during their tax free day.
- I gladly accepted more hand-me-down onesies, pacifiers, and bottles! I also received a bottle sanitizer, but I'm not sure if we'll use that.
- I almost broke down and bought some books I've been separate to read, but my library pulled through in the final hour with my hold copies.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea,
Congrats on getting all the clothes for the baby. Back in my day garage sales were I went to get deals. Good for using the consignment shop too. I breast fed so I didn't have to pay for formula.
Mostly the mundane here as well.
Still eating down the freezer. I can see the bottom layer now.
I am using up random purchases as well. This includes a lot of dried mushrooms, jars of interesting sauces, and experimental purchases from a visit to the King Arthur Flour store.
Not-As-Spendy: I went to the soft open of a new Japanese restaurant with a friend. For Reasons, our meal included free soft drinks, a free hamachi carpaccio, and a $30 gift card for our next visit. There will be a next visit: the food was pretty good and the manager terrific.
Cleaned the dishwasher by running it empty w a bowl of white vinegar instead of buying a fancy product. It was like magic!
Replaced my cruddy rags w 100% cotton ones from Freecycle and cheap sales.
@WilliamB,
I don't know about white vinegar, but I think I read on Everyday Cheapskate to run the dishwasher with a packet of no sugar Kool aid lemonade mix in the detergent cup to clean out the machine. The acid from the lemon in the mix does the trick. I think I had heard that vinegar can dry out the dishwasher gaskets or something.
Life has been extraordinarily busy the past two weeks. I can't think of anything that I have done that has been especially frugal. As always, however, I primarily drank filtered water from the refrigerator and brewed my own coffee.
Other than that, I have wasted food. I accepted an invitation to join my sister's friends for her birthday at a ridiculously expensive restaurant. (So my sister.) I haven't used my YMCA membership. I'm tired of being hot and have been running my AC on 70.
All of these things are very rare for me. Things promised to be calmer over the next few weeks. It's time to get things back on track!
Wishing all of you peace, good health, and prosperity.
@Bee, You did the best you could. At that point in time. With what you had. Peace, good health and prosperity to you, also!
@Bee, just a little hitch in your git-along. . . you’ll be back in the saddle in no time. Frugality as a lifestyle provides margin for this rough spots.
@Bee, once the temps cool a teeny tiny bit you'll be back on the frugal bandwagon. I don't blame you for running the AC at 70 during a Florida summer. My aunt, who was bred from a Scottish mother was a penny pincher. She couldn't afford the high electric bills in the summer, in Florida, so she would sit in front of a fan. Didn't seem to do her any damage as she lived to be 90.
@Bee, my sister gave me a good quote a while back that I use frequently when I feel I’ve frugal failed. “Things are there to serve us, not the other way around,” the air conditioner is there for when you’re hot, the gym membership for when you have time and want to work out, and so on. Reframing makes me feel like not so much of a frugal failure.
@auntiali, I can remember my mother laying on the terrazzo floors under the fan to try and cool down.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, As long as I manage to even out things out over time. Sometimes being frugal and living are not congruent.
FFT, beach vacation edition:
- I will get about $70 back from Rakuten for using it when booking the beach house on VRBO
- Brought drinks and snacks for the car ride
- There is not a real grocery store on the island, only a small convenience store, so I brought food from home for the majority of our meals, including produce from the garden.
- We ate out 3 times during the week, including pizza the night we arrived. We went for late lunch/early dinner (is there a term for that similar to brunch??) the other two times, so the prices were cheaper than at dinner time.
- I made sandwiches with leftover sandwich meat, cheese, and bread for the car ride home.
@Beverly, we call that meal “linner”.
@Beverly, we call that time "drunch". Dinner and brunch.
1. Applied for a rebate for my contacts
2. Ordered a pair of glasses from Zenni so that 12 month supply of contacts will hopefully last two years or more
3. Line drying laundry as much as possible
4. Meal planning and crock pot meals for this busier season of soccer practice and school starting
5. Using what my garden is growing and checking it regularly so things don’t go to waste
Nothing majorly frugal happening here, either, except for my first thing.
1. Since we're heading into the last quarter, Mr. B and I have an eye (pun intended) on using up our benefits. So I got my eyes checked, got new lenses for my glasses, and got prescription sunglasses for the first time, all covered.
2. I made it to a children's thrift store and got a nice little haul of fall clothes for my almost-kindergartener. It was THE MOST FUN!
3. I do make some things for my daughter, but it's so time-intensive that I can't say it's much of a frugal strategy--it's more for fun. But anyway, I cut down my Bruce Springsteen band tee to fit her. (Mr. B is the Springsteen fan. But they don't make band tees for Rachmaninoff.)
4. The little miss' birthday is coming up, and I am working on, uh, directing other peoples' generosity into things we'll actually use (craft supplies, books, a snowsuit, a Kleen Kanteen,) instead of things that I'll secretly resent (more stuffies, electronic toys.)
5. We're redecorating, but we're doing it in a really slow and considered way. It's big news if we do two things in a single month. But mostly it's small, iterative changes, and other than painting the living room (last week's frugal-ish activity) we're being thoughtful about spending on things that we can love and use for a long time. Not a Youtube-worthy makeover, but it works better for us.
@Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com), Well, they SHOULD make band tees for Rachmaninoff.
So true.
@Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com),
As a big, big fan of Bruce Springsteen for, ummm, almost 50 years, I'm having serious tee shirt envy. 🙂
@Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com), Springsteen fan here for 50 years and I have Springsteen t-shirt envy. I wouldn't buy them when I was younger cause I couldn't afford them. I went to one concert at the Meadowlands stadium here in NJ and I didn't get one then even though I was in my 40's and could have been able to swing it.
@auntiali, we went when he came to Toronto because Mr. B is a big fan. We decided to buy t-shirts because it was a very special occasion! But I haven't worn mine much (shapeless, and also I can only sort-of hum maybe two of his songs) so I figured it was better enjoyed by someone else! But it wouldn't have fit Mr. B, so I figured it'd make him smile to see it on our girl.
@auntiali,
Same here. I saw him twice in Cincinnati, back in the mid-late 80s, and I couldn't afford a tee shirt either time.
@Liz B.,
Forgot to add, high five to another long-time Springsteen fan!
I wanted to share some thoughts on class action settlements. I've worked in commercial litigation for 20 years and worked a number of class action lawsuits on the defense side. Full disclosure, I have joined many. But now I ask myself, did I sustain any actual damages?
First, MANY class action settlements right some very serious wrongs, specifically those involving physical injuries to patients/consumers, ignoring safety data, lying to consumers, covering up wrong doing, etc. Bad behaving companies should be held accountable for such actions.
However there are a number of cases that I think are not so much about righting a wrong and more about generating lucrative payouts based on class sizes. In these cases, payouts to class members are small, sometimes negligible, sometimes in the form of a voucher, coupon, credit monitoring, etc. Sometimes they're so small they warn you they might not even cut a check. Plaintiff's attorneys fees come out of the settlement amount first. It's not uncommon for these fees (and costs) to be 30-40% of the settlement. On the other side, defense attorneys get paid hourly to defend these suits. In some legal markets, legal fees can exceed $1500/hour. When a class action case comes in, defense attorneys rejoice because we know it will be a lot of work, which will mean a lot of fees.
I've received class action notices because: IKEA texted me about my delivery window without me specifically opting in to such text messages; because Criterion Collection shared my subscriber information with third parties; because SIRI is always listening (DUH) and payouts are limited to $20/device; because a gas surcharge was added to a waste collection bill and never taken away...
Do you know how much law firms (on both sides) are making from such claims? MILLIONS. So much that third party litigation funding is now a thing. So much so that third party recovery companies now market to other corporations about filing claims on their behalf.
This is just my two cents about how the saugage is made.
@Meeghan, thank you for the thorough explanation. It matches my gut instinct about those things, which always go into the shredder at my address.
@Meeghan, yes, I only join in if I was negatively affected. In other news a lawsuit against a flawed medical device that led to the death of my MIL was finally settled. Any money will go to her estate and then get clawed back by Medicare. It’s interesting how the system benefits big corp.
I'm out of state performing at a Renaissance festival for a few months. Here's my five.
1. I found I get free wifi at my camping spot which means I can use my wifi only tablet without making my phone a hotspot and sharing it. This is going to make things much more convenient than trying to do everything on my phone.
2. I am very thankful this festival has a free canteen to get lunch and a constant supply of water. Especially when it was 106 degrees (F) with the heat index on opening day!
3. I brought electrolyte packets from home to put in my water as needed on weekend show days. Bonus frugal is I buy them when I see them on sale throughout the year to keep a little stockpile when I'm doing summer shows.
4. I got a free hotdog from a food stall friend Sunday because he had extras close to the show closing for the weekend. Another booth near my stage gave me a bag of cotton candy for the same reason. Not the most nutritious free dinner but something I didn't have to cook after an exhausting weekend.
5. I used Dollar Tree tarps and zip ties to make side walls for my EZ Up style canopy to keep nature and rain out of my outdoor kitchen. DT tarps aren't the best but are much cheaper than buying real canopy side walls that surge the same purpose
@Lazy Budget Chef, as always, I am fascinated by your unique lifestyle. Thank you for reporting in!
Volunteered at Blessings of Hope and got a chit to shop there. Spent $113 on about $490 worth of groceries of all kinds!
I have a lovely dressy blouse that somehow got a small bleached spot on the sleeve near the cuff. The print is a russet orange/chocolatey purple. I touch it up with some art markers since it's usually worn in situations that won't require laundering it afterward. The markers were very inexpensive at Ollie's Outlet.
Took a Navy shower (the kind where you get wet, turn the water off, soap up and then rinse) because water bills here are outrageous. Laundered my apron and dried it in strong mid-day sunshine to bleach out some stains. Gave both dogs a bath, conditioner, and a nail trim. The cat got her nails clipped and her coat trimmed up. Home pet grooming saves a pile of money. Mended a tiny hole in the sleeve of a blouse. Made a meal of spaghetti using some homegrown tomato sauce.
Thanks for the reminder on that CapitalOne class action. I need to fill out my form, but keep forgetting to do it. DOING IT RIGHT NOW before I forget again hah.
I filled out that same class action lawsuit paperwork.
A gardening friend and I traded produce -- I gave her carrots, sage, and parsley and she gave me zucchini, basil, and collard greens. I made pesto with the basil and zucchini bread with the zucchini.
Saturday we had to go to the larger town 40 minutes away to run errands. We stopped by Safeway to pick up a few sale items. I had a coupon for a free donut on my account, so my husband and I split it. We stopped by the local natural foods store. They were celebrating their 45th anniversary, so we received a free chocolate bar and a free tote bag. We purchased eggs for $1.99 a dozen and hand soap that was on sale. We ended the morning at our hot tub dealer. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary and we had free tacos for lunch.
Frugal:
I have really tightened up my grocery shopping. Paying very close attention to what is on my list and what is in sale.
Got a free muffin thru an app at a local
Convenience mart. No other purchase was necessary.
I continue to say YES to any offers of free produce from gardening friends. Yesterday I was given peas beans and 1 onion. Yay
Trying to cook once and eat twice to save on utility bills! We do not mind leftovers.
You can transfer your honey into a smaller glass jar, less air less crystallization? I bought some mini jars years ago & use to put honey in as teen goes through local honey in spurts. It seems like the glass jars don't crystallize as much (that I've experienced). I have honey from a tree on my old place I lived (while pregnant with youngest/teen) that is in glass jar that has never crystallized (19+ years).
Frugal things---
● used $15 off $49 on Chewy order
● got gas at cheapest station ($0.15/gallon than next cheapest station) & saved $0.10/gallon ($2.95/gallon).
● ate all meals at home. Still working down pantry & freezer.
● turning off AC at night because few days & currently below normal with temps overnight 60* & mid 50s
● purchased teen new laptop for college. Saved $250-$400 (depending on which store) that should get teen through college with any upgrades needed.
● found teen college book/online code on Chegg $40 cheaper than college price
Frugal fail--
● teen hit deer just after leaving part time job. Teen is physically ok. We do not have deer/collision coverage on teen vehicle (too expensive additional $200+/month).
Frugal things---
● buying parts self (with warranty in our name) to fix teen vehicle & found body replacement parts at junk yards. So far we are still under costs that would have been charged to extra insurance over last year.
Frugal fail---
● tow truck driver caused additional damage because wrapped long chain around under carriage to secure & did not secure excess chain that hit brake line causing to break when unloading vehicle. Another exspense added to repair. 🙁
● I removed Free Prints app off my phone because needed storage space to update another app (& still need to download photos on storage drive before deleting on phone). TMOBILE Reward last week was 12 photos & I tried to download FREE PRINTS app on my phone again & I can't. Not compatible with my (current) phone. I was already warned that my phone would be obsolete sometime this year. No free photos for me. 🙁
@Regina, solidarity on the deer strike (ours was last month and also involved crawling around salvage yard for parts : )
Aside from the "built in" frugal usuals, it hasn't been a very frugal week.
I got $10.00 refund from the Physician's system I use. It had no explanation and I have no reason for it that I can think of. But I'll take it.
I used $.50 worth of points per gallon of gas at Casey's when I filled up, making the price $2.54 a gallon. I have no idea why our Midwest prices are better than the coasts but, I'll take it.
I picked a gallon of tomatoes from my garden, another big handful of green beans. Also a couple of green peppers, hot jalapeno, mild jalapeno and a handful of shishito peppers, too.
I did go through my fresh garlic that actually overwintered very well (and here it is August, more than half over) and peeled what was left and put in the freezer.
I have saved a hubbard squash, some mini pumpkins, and gourds from the squirrels by running the vines through a tree and a lilac bush. Which may not seem fair, since the little varmints planted them. However, they can have the cucurbits back when fall is over (except the squash, that's their tax payment).
My frugal wins are more of the same for me as well. No interesting or out of the ordinary frugal wins for me this week.
1. I got some awesome closet storage organizers on clearance at $12.33 each down from $54.99. I bought four.
2. I want a pair of HOKA walking shoes which are PRICEY. I've kept an eye out for gift card promos and bought gift cards for a place that carries them and received points back that are worth $30 minimum and can be spent at grocery and drug stores (and gas but I never use this points program for gas). I was also able to stack savings as I used Visa prepaid cards to purchase these gift cards, and the Visa prepaids were bought under a different promo that put bonus Walmart gift cards into my hands.
3. I continued to sell items that I don't need or don't have room for after downsizing. This brought in $150 or so from two ebay sales this past week.
4. I got gas only when there was a good points promo on.
5. More of the usual - eating at home, making coffee at home, etc.
@Tammy, $150 on eBay is measurable money! Nice job.
FFT, JASNA BFF’s Visit, Part 1 Edition:
As previously noted, JASNA BFF arrived late Thursday afternoon for her annual dose of what she (as a Manhattanite born and bred) considers Country Life 101, plus the annual Triple Birthday Celebration with our JASNA Panera friend. Despite several well-considered expenditures, here are our frugalities through late Saturday afternoon. (Part 2 to come.)
(1) I had already prepped a batch of ratatouille and a family pack of 99 cents/lb. chicken drumsticks. So we subsisted on those both Thursday and Friday evenings. (Despite being a Manhattanite, BFF is not a foodie and is content with simple fare.)
(2) We did a round of errands on “the Blvd.” in my city on Friday morning: Ollie’s for a few things for me and kiddie books for BFF’s three grandchildren; Staples for folders for winners’ certificates (BFF is the hard-working chair of the JASNA essay contest); Clothes Mentor (where we both prudently didn’t buy anything); and Barnes & Noble (where BFF bought more kiddie books and I renewed my membership, bought a 2026 calendar for the annual Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors at 10% off, and got a blank book to serve as my 2026 journal for 50% off).
(3) We met NDN1 and her CF for lunch at the local Panera, and CF generously treated the whole crowd. And BFF and CF got on like a house afire, as I knew they would. (One mention of the British mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers, and they were off and running. NDN1 and I could hardly keep up.)
(4) Our JASNA Panera friend came over to my city for the annual Triple Birthday Celebration lunch on Saturday. We had an excellent lunch at the nearby very reasonably priced Thai restaurant, and then came back here for prezzies, lovely gooey chocolate cupcakes from Wegmans, and a solid four hours of gossip. It doesn’t get much better than this.
(5) JASNA Panera brought over a cooler full of frozen souffles and a bag full of day-old bread from the Panera where she works at the next city over. (Most of the souffles have gone to NDN1, who loves them and needs to gain weight, whereas I certainly don’t.) I stuffed the cooler full (two quarts and a pint) of my refrigerator dills before JASNA Panera left.
I have given up toilet paper and Kleenex Bought a portable bidet 2 rolls of cloth toilet wipes and 60 flannel baby wipes TP added 10 to 20$ each time I bought I live alone so this works for me I wash drying rags weekly Because of the bidet they are just damp with water Six lovely lace cotton embroidered hankies and that's the end of paper Kleenex
Some suggestions for the honey (so you don't need to keep de-crystalizing it while using up the big jar):
-Blend some into a jar of peanut butter for pre-made peanut butter and honey sandwiches.
- Blend some into some softened, salted butter for some honey butter (yum). It's also really good with cinnamon added (man, now I want to make some...)
- Mix it into some warm milk and freeze into ice cubes for smoothies.
- If you are still making yogurt, add some into the mixture before it sets (or blend it into a store-bought container of yogurt if time < money right now).
- Make some Honey Simple Syrup (usually 2-parts honey to 1-part warm water) and use it to sweeten tea or smoothies, in vinaigrettes or marinades, etc.
- Make a batch of slow cooker honey garlic chicken (there are a lot of recipe versions out there, and I've had luck dividing it into individual portions and freezing/reheating for work lunches).
Hope this helps! Good luck with orientation!
@LeslieS, those are some good ideas!
1. I dropped off a finished puzzle at the library and picked up two more (one of which I realized I had already done when I got home).
2. All CSA veggies have made it into meals or have been prepped and frozen for future use. This has been my best year at staying on top of the weekly boxes – I hope I can keep it up through September!
3. My son’s high school does not have a school supply list. Students will find out what they need from individual teachers when school starts. This is causing mild panic for me, but I’m avoiding the school supply section so I don’t pick up anything “just in case” that ends up not being needed.
4. My friend was giving me a hard time because my two-year-old iPhone was acting up on our trip. Apparently two years makes the thing “ancient”. I went through my photos and videos (they are the majority of the space being used) and found an hour-long video of nothing my son took in my kitchen. I promptly deleted it and I have had no issues with my phone since.
5. Fail/Mishap – a brand new container or Costco sized laundry detergent fell off it’s shelf and soap glugged all over the countertop, on top of the washer, down the front and side of the washer, and under the washer. Thankfully I was home and was able to save 2/3 of the container but the cleanup took all day because I had to wait until my husband got home from work to get the washer out of it’s “cubby hole” to clean the top and underneath.
1. My mom dropped off a bunch of food to us (naan bread, bagels, chicken, alfredo sauce, fruits, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cheese, etc.). We used the tomatoes to makes some salsa to go with tacos this week. I used the alfredo sauce, some leftover pasta, the chicken, and some broccoli I purchased to make my lunches for the week.
2. I made Kristen's granola recipe using some random items in my cupboard that were not getting eaten (i.e. craisins, trail mix, pistachios).
3. I picked up a brand new craft set and brand new socks off Buy Nothing. These will be Christmas gifts for my daughter. I also purchased some flower growing kits for 50% from Family Dollar that will also be Christmas gifts for her.
4. I picked up barely work New Balance hiking sneakers off Buy Nothing. I just got rid of my hiking sneakers because all the tread had worn away.
5. My husband found that he had some unclaimed funds through our state. It was an overpayment from a previous health insurance company. The checks came this week and totaled $150.
I've come up with a honey trick that works for me.
I make HUGE batches of homemade granola at a time (maybe equivalent to a case of the store-bought version). this is the prime reason I keep honey on hand. Honey is expensive. To keep cost down, I buy a half gallon at a time. Even with as much as I go through, I don't use the whole bottle and the honey crystalizes. My solution has been use mason jars, reportion the honey into per batch quantities. Crystallization still happens, but when I need honey for a recipe or a snack, I can easily warm up a jelly jar full at a time. it's quick and there is no danger of melting the plastic 1/2 gallon.
Honey lasts forever. Next time I run out of honey I'm going to buy a glass jar of it. The glass jar might be safer than a plastic container.
Thrift shopping is only a frugal activity if you buy what you need. I NEEDED some jeans and scored a pair. (Never mind that once I wore them more than 15 minutes, they were definitely too big)
My husband NEEDED a certain size pan for the cabin and it was at the thrift shop for $3! Made him disproportionately happy.
I did NOT need those super cute tiny little bowls, one yellow and one red. But at 3” in diameter, I was helpless to resist.
I NEEDED some Crocs sandals and happened to be near an outlet store. Three pairs might have been an excessive amount, but there they were, and there I was, and I had cash on me.
Just another retail victim. . . staying out of stores is the only solution. (Dear Lord, if you don’t want me to drink, don’t let me swallow this beer in my mouth. Thank you and Amen.)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, you made me laugh. Wish I could see the little bowls.
Most of my frugal efforts are, like yours Kristen, the steady plodding ones that pay small dividends through the years. They add up to large numbers that I never really see so I kind of forget about the benefits of consistent frugality. I so much appreciate Tuesday's five frugal things to remind me.
This summer has brought quite a few home maintenance and repair projects that we have to pay someone else to do -- like a broken window, modification of our HVAC vents, replacement of kitchen appliances, and multiple tree removals. I just looked at my tracking spreadsheet and the dollars we've spent since January is quite shocking. So shocking that it makes me think that brewing my own tea and saving leftovers are useless - but they are not. Thank you for setting me straight.
OK, Kristen, you've got me hungry for a peanut butter and honey sandwich! (BTW, Manuka honey, from Down Under, doesn't crystallize....but it tends to be more expensive.)
Back to school (as a substitute teacher) edition:
1. Was able to get the software calendar, on which we find and reserve our job assignments, onto the cell phone. Will be able to look for jobs throughout the school day, thus resulting in more assignments. So far, I've signed up for $1,500 worth of work days in the first couple of months.
2. Washed out the dirty cloth lunch bags; the linings had many spills and stains. Experimented by washing some in the washing machine. Was able to salvage one that I thought could not be used for food anymore.
3. The single-serve Keurig I bought last year broke and could not be fixed. Bought an off-brand single-serving coffee maker. Found out that if you fill it all the way up with water, you get coffee-flavored water, not suitable for drinking. You have to make coffee 3 x with 3 pods to have enough for taking to school. Luckily, I had not yet donated my 5-cup glass coffee pot/coffeemaker. I'm using it for my faux Stanley cups of coffee that I take to school with me (it makes the perfect amount for this). I'm saving the single-serve machine for non-work days -- for a mug of coffee I'll drink at home.
4. Gathered up all my Women's World magazines, opened to the crossword puzzle pages, and put them into a canvas shopping bag. (I didn't work any of the puzzles this summer and saved them up.) Now, I have a cache of crosswords to work during the conference periods when I'm cooling my heels in the teacher's lounge. Meanwhile, I'm doing the Boatload crosswords, which are free to work online.
5. Restocked my subbie bag with Band-aids and pencils and a hand-held pencil sharpener. This will be much to the detriment of various students who try to get out of class to go to the nurse for a Band-aid or to the office to buy a new pencil. Shout out to companies that give out #2 pencils with their logos on them. It's a win-win situation: they get free advertising and I get free pencils...and the kids lose one more excuse to wander the halls. Although with the advent of I-pads, I don't have to hand out pencils as much as I used to.
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches are such a great panty staple in a pinch!
@Kristen, OK, I know this was an innocent typo, and I apologize in advance for this--but I'm now seeing PB and honey sandwiches as "panty staples." A bit sticky for this purpose, no? 😛
Oh man, that’s what I get for typing on my phone! Ha.
Save heels of bread. Lay on a clean kitchen towel and cover. Let dry out, few days. You can use fine side of grater for bread crumbs. Use largeer side to make planko. Break into pieces, store in glass or plastic jar. When you have enough, use as bottom layer of breakfast caserole. ALWAYS clean and save glass jars and juice bottles. Free pantry containers. Also I buy sliced ham and turkey from Walmart. They come in sturdy reusable containers wirh lids.
Three ideas for using up honey: Homemade granola is #1. I have a delicious recipe from the More With Less cookbook that uses 2/3 cup per batch. Second is Dutch honey cake. My Dutch mother used to make this, basically a spice cake in a loaf pan. Third, we use honey to sweeten iced tea.
The thing I use honey the most for are energy bites. They last forever in the freezer! oats, honey flax, coconut, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter… yum! I just keep them in the freezer and pop one out when I want one, they thaw so quickly.
I like these but there are tons of recipes out there! https://moneysavingmom.com/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-homemade-energy-bites-day-18/
Just in case you wanna use up that honey
Karen, congrats on passing the CLEP, very frugal!
I feel old today trying to keep up with 21 yo farm helper. We got half the driveway fence built yesterday. Will finish up today as we are trying to beat the 100 degrees heat coming @ the end of this week.
Tired me was so happy to see meal starters in the freezer!
A friend is moving to Texas and offered me all the hay from his barn as the new owners did not want to pay him for it. Yes, please. It is first quality horse hay that I will sell by the bale this winter.
I cleaned up the 40 oz owalla bottle that was used once, but didn't fit in his truck cup holder, $3, and a yeti bottle for $4 that didn't have a chug topper. Yay! I gave the yeti to farm helper as his got damaged falling off the boat at the boat ramp. He thanked me at least 10 times. I garage sale found him new from nordstrom's camo crocs for $10. Those I will save for next week.
I give him a garage sale treat once a week as a thank you. He loves it.
Made a batch of chicken sausage/egg muffins, add a plum and it is a perfect breakfast.
I prepped kale, sweet onions and bacon for dinner tonite.
Took my mom to hairdresser and she gave me some high dollar supplements that she decided not to take.
- I had a mending party with a friend, she loaned me thread and a needle and we mended 5 sweaters, 2 shirts and a pair of jeans.
-I’m packing for a cross country move & got all my boxes locally for free & most of my packing paper for free.
- pantry & freezer meals as I eat thru the pantry/fridge/freezer before moving.
-a friend gave me stuffing to pack plants for the move.
@Colleen, a friend told me what she spent moving from SC to TX....I about fell over! Any little thing you can do to knock that cost down is well worth it!
I also got that class action notice, and signed up immediately so I wouldn't forget!
Made a batch of granola to pair with the free yogurt my work provides - easy lunch!
Eating free fruit that my work provides.
Bring my own coffee/water whenever I go somewhere.
Used Upside to get gas.
Needed a Toaster Oven, Buy Nothing produced ..Nothing (no pun intended)...have been watching prices to see if I wanted to actually spend the money because they are not cheap, and the ones I had seen in thrift store weren't in good condition....and I happened to mention the need when out with friends and one of them had one sitting in a closet not being used! So my patience was rewarded with a Free Black & Decker Toaster Oven that looks new - and is the exact model I wanted!!!
On vacation we did not go to as many restaurants as we usually do as hubby has lost his job. I always ordered and appetizer and hubby shared an entree without 14 yr old son.
We discovered Applebee's. They have great Shirley Temple drinks that taste like the one's I got at Governor's Island as a kid when it was an Army base. My parents went almost every Sunday. Our hotels included a hot breakfast, and we took advantage of that.
I'm so sorry to hear about his job loss!
I haven't known anyone else who eats PB & honey sandwiches!!!
We were informed yesterday that the amount that we contribute to our health insurance premium will increase by 60%. My husband is a teacher. He did not receive any pay increase for this coming year, so with inflation and this 60% increase, we are earning less than last year. Is anyone seeing anything come down in price since this time last year?
Ooof, that is a rough increase!
@Kristen, With no pay raise this year, this is essentially a $200 a month pay cut. He's going to be letting his colleagues know. I think many just pay the premium and don't pay attention to the increase.
I have numerous small bottles of honey that I'm sure are crystallized....we just don't use that much honey, either. I'm not entirely sure how we acquired so many.
My FTT:
1. Got a large squeeze container of mayo from Buy Nothing. It's unopened, not expired, and my DH uses a lot of mayo when he makes tuna salad for his lunch (still cheaper than buying lunches out every day!).
2. Dodged a pricey bullet: we found water in our basement late last Thursday :-0 Not a lot, but enough to be concerning, and nothing was ruined (including our son's drum kit....whew!). An apprentice plumber thought our sump pump was dead (after only 3 years and 4 months?), but the actual plumber came out today, and it appears to be an issue with our water softener. Double whew! Yes, we have to pay for the plumber's visit, and we might need our water softener checked, but it's still less than paying for a new sump pump + installation (last time, it was close to $1000 when all was said and done, and many things had to be tossed).
3. We finally used my gifted zoo membership to go to the zoo on Sunday....since I had not "activated" my membership, it will run until August 2026. Everything was paid for, though we did treat ourselves to ice cream, and a soft pretzel for our son, on our dime. Well worth it.
4. Found some things we need, things to resell, and things to give away, at a church rummage sale last weekend. They had a "bag sale" during the final hour (grocery size bags that you fill with whatever you can fit in it for $1), so I filled one bag with children's books that I gave to our local used bookstore. I know the bookstore owner, and she gives books away to kids during her "Book-O-Treat" event in October, so these books will add to her giveaway pile. 🙂
5. At work, we have been told that our "free lunch" ($6/day on a gift card, reloaded every month) will be going away, due to anticipated financial losses to the hospital with changes to Medicaid reimbursement (related to a certain bill that has been looming over everyone in the US). While it's been a lovely perk, I know I can just flex my frugal muscles and start packing my lunch. Kristen, you set such a good example! I 100% *AM* working for the money, and I'd rather not give any of it to the cafeteria. (Okay, maybe 80% working for the money. I do like helping my patients).
I use honey when I'm baking. I also keep sorghum in the house for baking. Sorghum is less sweet, but it works well in most recipes.
I had a bird bath that cracked on the bowl and wouldn't hold water. I tried patching it, but still no good. I removed the bowl and attached a large ceramic drip plate for a plant to it. Perfect size and holds water great. Found this glaze 16 inch drip plate at a thrift store for $4. Much cheaper than a new bird bath.
Made bacon in the air fryer and saved all the drippings for later (air fryer is the best ever for bacon).
Sold some little custard cups on FB marketplace. The lady that bought them saw another listing I had for some old cabinet hardware and purchased it also. Between the two items, it was $50.
Continuing to clean out the pantry and freezer and use up items that are near expiration dates or that have been in the freezer longer than I would like.
Gave DH a haircut and trimmed the cats nails.
Tried to post earlier, and my computer is being a poop. Class settlements seem to be a mixed bag, at least for me ($200.00 from Safeway, $6.00 from Buzz Feed) and a lot of waiting for any others to make their way through the court system.
I had a huge plastic Coca Cola change jar/bottle and decided to cash it all in (especially since pennies are being phased out). Even with the ridiculous (IMO) CoinStar fee, I still ended up with over $450.00. Also just got an $50.00 Amazon gift card from My Points, and I'm especially pleased with that because I didn't buy anything though My Points, I just did their daily stuff regularly (surveys, adding things to my list, logging into their app, etc)
@Suellen Roley, just scanned all my receipts for Fetch and Receipt Hog too
Love the sharpie trick! Reminds me of when I was in high school-- my favorite pair of jeans had a weird white spot about the size of a nickel right on the front of the crotch area. In hindsight, probably no one would have noticed, but as a self-conscious high schooler, I was highly aware. So, every time I wore them, I applied a little bit of old blue/gray eyeshadow to the area. Obviously, it washed out every time the pants were laundered, but my little fix only took a couple of seconds and I was able to continue wearing my favorite jeans for a couple of years.
We are kindred spirits. 🙂
Found I could save $100 a month by turning my Comcast internet off and using my free Verizon mobile Hotspot for internet use and streaming. Yay!!
When I occasionally get too large a honey bottle, at some point I transfer the rest of the honey into a glass wider-mouthed jar that’s easier to de-crystallize. I guess I also prefer to use a spoon, though.
I ♥️ sharing & reading about frugal ideas!
Then you will fit RIGHT in here. 🙂
Been busy being frugal this week,
Tonight we had $2 personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut. We got 3. I was only able to eat one slice so dd and dh were happy to eat my leftovers. I am on Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes and it really cuts my appetite.
Shopped some sales for our local food closet. Store brand peanut butter was 2 for $4 so dh picked up 4 and Knorr rice/pasta mixes were $1 each and he picked up 6. I also have 2 bags of trail mix from Walgreens that I got for $1.88/each.
Hubby (dh) planted a garden this year and his tomatoes took off. He has now officially had his share of tomato sandwiches. My friend's daughter took some of his tomatoes to can. He has harvested cucumbers and squash. And a pumpkin in July!!
Dh got the refund check for his NJ Turnpike debacle. He rented a box truck to move our daughter home, stopped on the Turnpike to get gas and the kid put diesel in instead of unleaded. Hubby couldn't drive the truck so he talked to the manager and then had the truck towed, locked up in a tow yard and he and daughter took a $120 Uber home. He took an Uber back down to get it. Sunoco refunded us the $2100 in costs.
Dh is almost done re-building the shed. I've been Fetch'ing my receipts and using Receipt Jar too to scan. I've got a $25 Walmart gift card to use on my Fetch account.
I made a cute little bookmark from a shank button and a big pink paperclip for a lady in my cancer support group who is turning 90. I saw the idea a year or two ago on Pinterest. All it takes is a shank button, a paperclip and a glue gun. I've made several for friends and family. I bought several cute buttons when Jo-Ann fabrics was going out of business. What can you get a 90-year-old? She's a reader so I thought a cute bookmark would be just perfect.
I used leftover spinach with a bunch of other veggies, protein powder and yogurt to make a smoothie that I drank over 2 days. I also froze some nearly over-ripe cantaloupe and froze it to use in smoothies.
Hooray, I made two fabric towels holder for drawers in my kitchen from leftover fabric from kitchen valances I made. I was snooping in a flea market last week and saw a cute towel holder idea made with macrame and two round wooden hoops. I used that idea to fashion the towel holders I made.
I saved $3 a pound on sirloin steak. I wanted to do a stir fry with beef. It was $12.99 a pound at Kroger and it was on sale for $9.99 a pound across the street at their competitor. So I stocked up. I used about a pound in the dish I made.
One morning before it got too hot, I picked about 10 pounds of pears off a tree in the backyard at our rental house. I gave them to a friend. I will pick some for us in the coming week and told our neighbor to go pick some, too. I hate to admit it, but I didn't know what to do with these pears for most of the 30 years we've had the house. They never got soft. You could kill someone with them – they were so hard! A few years ago my neighbor told me those kind of pears NEVER get soft – they're called cooking pears. That was news to me. So now we've given them away and I've used them for jams, chutney, cakes, etc. every year. The tree produces an insane amount of fruit annually.
I set my crystallized honey out on my back patio on a sunny, warm day. By the time I get home it's ready to pour.
Oh that is smart!
I am always impressed by your frugalness. So happy for you and your continuing education.
I did much of the normal things that other people do.
1. I set my washer to run at 2 AM to save money on kilowatt-hours.
2. Hung that same laundry up to dry or put it on the drying rack to save on kilowatt-hours and not use the dryer.
3. I did that inside the house and used my ceiling fans that I had on any way, since it's 90 some odd degrees with feel like temps at 100+ outside, to dry that laundry.
4. I did semi-annual blood work this morning, they took 8 vials and, I treated myself to a $5 pepperoni pizza from my local Market.
5. Went to the grocery store and bought BOGOs only and had coupons.
It's just Tuesday and I'm patting myself on the back for what I've accomplished. And, with a cast on my left leg. Not too shabby for this Old Broad (I'm 68) Hahaha.
Y'all have a wonderful week.
Kristen, did you know there is a Sharpie that is called a Sharpie Extreme and is less fade resistant? It's available at Walmart!
Ooh! I should try that!
I buy huge honey containers and try to remember to decant them into really wide mouth jars so that the crystallization doesn't matter most of the time since I can get a spoon into it.
Good to see that I'm not the only one who colors clothing with markers 🙂 My navy blue shorts are looking much better after their meet up with a sharpie the other day.
Turned off the A/C the other evening when temps were dropping. It's so nice to have the windows open and listen to the rain this morning.
Determinedly used up the pantry and freezer before relenting and shopping. I don't have driving permission as I'm recovering from surgery, so sent my husband to Aldi with a specific list and even indicated where some items were located in the store. He got almost everything on the list and didn't even buy excess items--what a nice surprise! Good to know he can be trusted in the grocery store (such is not always the case 😉
Made regular and decaf coffees and put the pitchers in the fridge so iced coffee is available easily.
Browsed online, left items in cart to review later in day, deleted everything, and had the shopping fun without spending anything.
Have been enjoying the history/travel dvds that I picked up from the library before my surgery to ensure I had good entertainment while I was stuck with my foot up.
1. I made what is probably our last rhubarb cake of the year. Later in the week, my 3 year old helped me make a banana cake from freezer bananas. Probably too much cake happening right now in our house…
2. I gratefully accepted several pounds of cherry tomatoes, another large bag of basil, and a stunning flower bouquet from my friends who sell at the local farmer’s market.
3. We got coupons for a free Chick-fil-A lunch sandwich and a breakfast sandwich in the mail. CFA is on the other side of town, but sometimes I’m up that way running an errand and it would be nice to have a free meal.
4. I picked up an upper respiratory virus from the kids and have been really under the weather. However, not being able to smell or taste due to severe nasal congestion has its upsides, as I’ve been able to drink some tea that I don’t prefer. I’ve also taken the time to boil the kid clean-up rags, which were severely overdue for a refresh.
5. I picked up my monthly free Hallmark card and also had a $5 off coupon. I was able to buy a nice anniversary card for DH for about $1 OOP, a much better deal than the going rate for cards.
1. I meal planned. I made meals at home. Although I picked up lunch twice, it was planned (and I very rarely each out). I will not pick up lunch again for the foreseeable future (maybe the end of September, maybe later?). We brewed coffee at home. We ate up food that needed to be eaten.
2. Everyone is continuing to use the same backpacks. Backpacks range from 1 year to 15 years old. Mine (the oldest) was patched last spring. One kid needed headphones with a microphone, but everyone else still is still using their headphones that are at least 4 years old.
3. I was gifted some old musicals on VHS. I have a working VHS player and a kid who loves musicals.
4. We used the library for book and movies.
5. I remembered to return something to the store on time. It was $64, so I'm glad that I didn't forget that. I also checked with a store about an item that had a discount tag, but it turns out that it wasn't actually discounted.
6. We used our zoo pass to visit another zoo for discounted price. We always support our local zoo, and it comes with the added benefit of being able to visit other zoos for free or half price.
Cook with the honey! i use it in place of sugar for baked goods as well as in my granola that i make on the regular. Mine is a simple recipe of coconut oil, honey and oats. Thats it! You can go through honey much faster that way
Bleach tie-dye items that get accidently bleached.
I use paper coffee filters for more than just making coffee. I'm talking the round white or unbleached tan ones. I'll grab one to put a hand full of nuts, popcorn, fruit eg: cherries or grapes in. Cheese and crackers, etc. No bowl to wash and, once used, I put it into my compost. They are, also, great for putting over food that goes into the microwave or, even, over a fry pan. They stop the splatters and, again - compostable. One thing I discovered is, coffee filters are perfect for cleaning windows. Vinegar & water - into compost. Windex type cleaners - into garbage. Enjoy!
Oh Kristen, I thought the bean plant you have was a Castor Bean Plant so I bought some this year and, while the plant is beautiful, reading this post revealed that is NOT the plant you have. I will now have to get some of the hyacinth bean seeds. This seems so funny to me. 🙂
Hahaha, oh no! At least the castor bean plant is also beautiful. 😉