Five Frugal Things | On Wednesdays, we wear pink
1. I used my Amazon reward points to get a shirt for $2.77
One of my co-workers is always wearing long-sleeve under-scrub tees from Healing Hands Scrubs, so I decided to order one to see how I like it.
I bought a hot pink one because then I can easily participate in my unit's unofficial habit of wearing pink on Wednesdays. 🙂
And if I like this one, I will buy some more for wearing under my scrub tops in the winter.
Anyway, I used my Amazon card's reward points to get my cost down to $2.77.
I'd previously bought some marked-down long-sleeve t-shirts from Lands' End to wear under my student scrubs, so I might go that route too if I don't love this shirt.
2. I cancelled my Kindle Unlimited membership
I honestly am terrible at reading ebooks; I always forget they are there.
This is how I am with digital calendars as well. I need physical versions of stuff!
I wish I wasn't like this because there are many good reasons to use digital versions. But alas, my brain resists.
So, I cancelled the Kindle membership, and I will stick with physical books.
3. I skipped my Hungry Harvest delivery
I didn't need a delivery this week, so I logged in and clicked "skip". Easy-peasy.
I love that Hungry Harvest lets you do this! The whole point of Hungry Harvest is to avoid food waste, so it's nice that I can easily skip a delivery if I have a backlog of produce or if I will be out of town for part of the week.
4. I used my Equifax settlement card
I got a $7.44 prepaid card from a settlement with them, and they sent me a reminder email to use it. I'd forgotten about it!
This kind of prepaid card is rather annoying to use because it's usually impossible to use it for only part of a purchase. And that means you have to finagle your purchase to be close to the exact amount on the card.
I ordered some shampoo online for $7.39, and I will let the other $0.05 go. Ha.
5. I got Native deodorant for sorta cheap
Native deodorant is not cheap to start with; it runs about $13 for a stick.
But by working some CVS deals and coupons, I got two sticks for $16, plus I got $5 in ExtraBucks after the purchase. So basically it was two sticks for $11.
I did an online order for store pickup because my particular CVS always has higher prices in store (my CVS employee said this varies by store, but my store is consistently more expensive).
Online with store pickup means I have the convenience of getting my items same-day, but I can pay the lower price. Perfect.
(Note: I did ask if CVS would price match their own online prices, but I was told no. This makes no sense to me because I can stand in the store, place an online order, and get the lower price. It is what it is, though. 😉 )
I'm with you on the Kindle Unlimited - I cancelled mine a couple of months back because I wasn't reading the books I borrowed and I could do with the extra £10 a month for something else!
I still the Kindle app on my tablet and have a LOT of free books on there to read, probably more than I will ever have a chance to read. But the beauty of free books is if I don't like then after a few chapters I can stop reading without having wasted any money on them.
@Stacey in UK, where do you get the free ones?
@Stacey in UK, Does your local library offer books on audio? Since I started this, I have enjoyed a lot of great books, and gotten a lot done, too, as I listen. There is a prrformance aspect that can be a good part of the story.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Kindle offers “first reads” each month through Amazon. A set of various new books are offered from which you may choose a free book or two. Check your emails around the first of the month.
We were away for a week and did not really count our expenses. However, we
- ate down and froze food from the fridge, before leaving
- took our own coffee and food with us for the journey
- only filled up gas at stations where prices were comparable to home
- brought library books
- did not buy fridge magnets or t-shirts 😉
The south of Denmark is beautiful, green, quiet and relaxed. You can tell from the way roads are laid out and maintained, that cycling and other outdoorsy activities are important.
Reading Danish is not too difficult if you speak German, English and Dutch. But listening is quite a different matter - fortunately many people we met spoke either German or English or both. It does add to the sense of being on a holiday, a new language. We hope to go there again in the future.
I can quite understand that you staid on there after your studies, Sophie@Denmark. I would not have minded at all to live and work there for a longer time.
@JNL, I'm glad you had a wonderful time! For me it's the reverse - I can read German and Dutch more easily because I know Danish (I did study German in school but that was a long time ago). I don't always understand spoken Danish though - all those vowels!
I need to visit the Netherlands!
I had Kindle Unlimited for a year. I liked having it- there were some textbooks we used and interesting options, but I found that I mostly just reread the same books over and over. I decided to use interlibrary loan instead. It's cheaper just to buy one or two books that I can't get through the library than it is to have the $12/month fee.
Frugal in little ways here.
* I have avoided the deals " buy $$$ and save $5" as I don't need that much stuff .
*I took my son to the ACT test in the big city and hour away, and I stayed there to save gas.
*I browsed a lot of stores and didn't buy anything.
*I hit Sam's club to stock up on our usual purchases.
*I did not hit the deer that ran in front of my car on my way back to the testing center. Big savings there!
Enjoy the week!
@mbmom11,
our local news reminded viewers last night that today is beginning of deer season in Michigan & to be aware of deer on the move!
Of course, deer move anytime as we all know & some of us have experienced. 🙁
@mbmom11, seeing deer at night or in dim light is hard. Here in the East Bay of CA it is time for deer to dart into the road and turkeys to just stand there. I find it really hard to see the turkeys but haven’t hit any yet thank goodness.
@Juhli, the East Bay sounds just like my foothill town in Central California. The place is filthy with deer and wild turkeys, on and off the road. Trashing my yard, as always.
@mbmom11,
On Sunday I saw a tiny fawn that had been hit and killed. 🙁
@JD,
Oh no.....so sad. 🙁
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Not that densely populated here thank goodness.
@Regina, for some of us, it is always deer season. Harvest will be starting soon (even earlier than last year) which to me doesn't mean watch for more deer, it means watch for impatient drivers trying to pass combines! Every year there are fatalities (vehicle not combine) and sad to say a) often teens and b) in small farming communities!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, well we move into their homes. So, we must learn to respect the wilds and help care for them.
Is Maui shampoo sulfate free?
Yep!
Gentle question (… recognising long sleeves are nice when it’s cold, but…) does your facility not observe bare below the elbows…?
@mm,
Clearly, they do not.
Nope! On my floor we are allowed to wear long sleeves under our scrubs. 🙂
In googling it sounds like this is a UK phrase….I’d actually never heard the phrase before!
@Kristen, our hospitals and care facilities in the UK are nearly all "bare below the elbow". This is enforced more since Covid, but was in place before.
Oh interesting! It makes sense but it has not been common practice at any hospitals I’ve had clinicals at/worked at here.
@Stacey in UK, that's the practice in Ireland too!
@Kristen, and mm,
The nurses where I work ( a hospital in Ohio) are also allowed to wear long sleeves under their scrubs.
--My husband and I won a free pound of coffee from a local roaster. We have a traditional weekend date at a local coffee shop, and they were having an anniversary party with games to celebrate X number of years in business.
--The free produce pile at the post office is back! Gardeners leave their excess for others to enjoy--yay village post offices! I only take what I didn't grow and/or failed to grow and hustle excess basil in retun. My second planting of cucumbers succumbed to pests, so I did permit myself a free cucumber yesterday. I also never plant zucchini because the post office always provides.
--I didn't have quite enough macaroni noodles for a dish while making dinner and made up the difference with orzo.
--My errand day isn't here yet, but we're out of fruit. I thawed frozen fruit for smoothies instead. The frozen fruit, itself, was from when I hadn't brought enough reusable cold packs for the grocery cooler, so I bought some frozen mangoes and strawberries to make up the difference.
--I purged three more clothing pieces in good shape--I genuinely haven't the faintest idea when I last wore them. On my errand day, I'll take them to the clothes exchange rack at a different local coffee shop for someone else to enjoy.
@N, I heard that there is a secret list of names who do not grow zucchini so that those who do can rid themselves of excess!
@N, I never bother growing zucchini either, for the reason you mention. In my case, there is almost always SOMEONE trying to get rid of zucchini--and if not, it's ridiculously cheap at the Regional Market. Also, (a) the deer love it; (b) it takes up too much room if a plant is allowed to grow to full size; and (c) that disgusting insect known as the squash vine borer invariably gets to the plants sooner or later.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Lol! I must be on that list. I have tried growing zucchini and summer squash several times, to no avail. The plants produce leaves and some blossoms, then wither up and die. I can grow cukes, tomatoes, peppers and herbs - have tried with limited success to grow broccoli - but squash? Nope.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, They should run free Public Service Announcements for excess zucchini. Certainly a blessing for the growers!
@A. Marie, there are a couple of compact zuke plants. Look for those that are a) open pollinated and b) have a shorter growing season.
As to the squash vine borer, Ivory soap mixed with water is a DIY option. Nothing gives me more pleasure than soaking borers of various stages. Staggering planting is also helpful.
I prefer physical books most of the time, but if there's books I absolutely cannot get through my library, even with interlibrary loan--I check Kindle Unlimited. I found the entire Sister Joan mystery series there. And I usually save my Kindle for travel, or (full TMI disclosure) reading in the bath, as I've lost paper books to the bath too many times.
Frugals from here:
1. I successfully commuted via bike to classes last week! 8 miles there, 8 miles back. There is a lovely bike route with signs, that I never knew about. I had to invest in a combination lock for the locker at school (DH had several, but they were too big), but I have managed to avoid grabbing anything from vending machines and have packed my breakfast each time. Looking forward to doing it this week as well.
2. On my way out of the building after class on Thursday, I spotted a still-sealed bottle of water lying on the ground---of course I scooped it up and brought it home.
3. Stopped by the reduced produce stand at Kroger and scored some perfectly fine onions and pretty good navel oranges.
4. On my route to and from school there is a branch library, and I stopped in on the way home and renewed my card there so I can put books on hold and pick them up on my commute.
5. Frugal fail: my first time riding I got halfway there and realized i'd forgotten to pack a brush for my toiletry kit (I take a shower and freshen up at school, and a brush is necessary!). I was passing by a Meijer and had budgeted plenty of time, so I stopped in and picked one up. This brush will live in my biking kit so I don't have to remember again! Then the next day I forgot my hairdryer, but I just braved the air-drying process. We'll see what I forget today! 😀
@Karen A.,
It's great that you made the commute via bicycle. What a great way to get your exercise in on a busy school day!
@Karen A., I am super impressed with the discipline it takes in budgeting time, planning, not taking the lazy (normal) way of commuting, blending exercise with transportation, being ultra organized to have all your gear. . . do you have a plan for inclement weather?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Funny that you ask, because on Thursday last week there was light rain forecast, and I told myself that if it was *really* raining I would drive. DH headed out earlier than I did, and by the time I geared up, it was sort of spitting, a very light rain, but I knew from checking the radar it would pass by the time I was halfway through my ride and there was no rain on the radar for the afternoon, when I'd be biking back. So I persevered. My bike gear back is waterproof, and my backpack has a waterproof lining so my stuff inside was fine. If it had been a stronger rain, or it had been colder, I would have driven. As I pulled up to lock my bike, DH called and said, "I was going to tell you...if it's raining, please take the truck!" I told him he was a little late!
Anyway, my rule of thumb is if it's below 40 degrees, snowing, or hard rain, I don't bike. I will be going to this in person class just through December, and that can often be mild where we live so we'll see!
I did a whole post about this today, but . . .
We have been getting so much food lately from friends and neighbors.
--Apples from our elderly friend, from which I canned five quarts.
--A local variety of plum from our elderly neighbor, from which I made 2.5 pints of jelly.
--Apples and pears from the lady who runs the coffee shop, from which I canned six quarts of apple slices and eaten just a few pears. I'll can the rest of the pears when they ripen. (Pears are supposed to be picked from the tree when still hard, so I have to wait on them to get soft.)
--Cucumbers from a former teacher at school, from which I made five quarts of dill pickles.
--Six roosters, many pounds of apples and peaches, and 4.5 dozen eggs from another mom at school, from which I made 12 quarts of applesauce, cooked one rooster and used the carcass to make stock, put the other two roosters in the freezer, and, again, am waiting on the pears to ripen before I can them.
I gave some of this food back in its prepared form to the givers, but that's still a lot of free food. Well, not counting my labor, which is significant, but still a worthwhile investment of time.
@kristin @ going country, This is so lovely. Not only that you have a community that shares so much bounty, but that you repay their generosity with your own!
@kristin @ going country, And I'm sure it will surprise no one that I have never read a book on an electronic device. I'm an old-before-my-time curmudgeon in many ways, and that's one of them.
@Karen A., It's not why I do it, but I have to think that part of the reason I get so much of this stuff is because it's known that I will use it and give some of it back in a useable form. Most of the givers are elderly and they grew up in a time here when people used every bit of food or went hungry, literally, so they really can't stand to see things wasted. It makes them very happy to see us eat it, and to get canned or cooked fruit back that they can just eat now that they can't do the work of preserving.
@kristin @ going country, What a lovely community you've built. Heartwarming.
@kristin @ going country,
I did that also---given raw food & then processed & returned some back to original gifter. I was so surprised when more than a few people commented that no one had ever done that before. Of course, we used some of the food but we also gifted some of the food at holidays.
@kristin @ going country,
There is a very noisy rooster at the place where I am camping - all day.and.night.long. I dream about introducing him to a stockpot.
@kristin @ going country, I add my applause to everyone else's for your food-sharing community. Beautiful!
Paper user here too!! I still want to hold a book and write in my paper calendar!!
I'm with you on paper books! I also love my pencil and paper calendar system.
Frugal items for this week include:
*going to a Tranquility Luncheon at work, which is free, helpful, and usually has good food. Plus, I can see my co-workers for lunch which never happens!
*returning mini blinds that are the wrong size. I will batch this errand with the trip to work for lunch, getting gas on the way, too.
*got free shipping from Target which was faster than Amazon and the prices were better. Found two curtain rods I needed for less than $5 each!
*baking my daughter a birthday cake with items I already have
*mowing and edging my own yards
Most of these are a stretch, frugally, but its crazy to me how people outsource things they can put a little effort in to achieve themselves. Like painting - someone yesterday suggested I hire someone but I feel perfectly capable to DIY that.
I am so-so on Kindle books. I'd rather own most things but will use my Kindle for a lot of things I can only get there. My wife goes gung-ho on Kindle Unlimited and reads a lot of stuff on there.
I used to be big on reading stuff from Archive.org on my Kindle Fire tablet but that has kind of fallen by the wayside. I should dig it out and see if I can do anything with it.
This is for the last couple weeks because I've been a busy man and just stuff was going on (good and bad and all busy)
1.) Saved myself $8 or more by taking my passport photos at home against a white wall. It was a little tricky but I made it work! Definitely recommend going this route if you can because it's really pricey. Of course renewing my passport cost $130 but I kind of need it if I plan on flying any time soon (I don't have a RealID on my license and my license isn't up for renewal for a few years anyway.)
2.) Bought a couple of video games for my PC really cheap. I'm talking a few dollars each and I've been playing through them. I am averaging somewhere
3.) Sold something on Facebook marketplace and met the guy near my work so no extra driving or gas money lost. It was a tool and he wanted it right then so I assume he was in the middle of a project.
4.) There was a sale on certain items at the grocery store that will keep for a very long time (canned tomatoes etc.) so I made sure to stock up. One was soup and the one upside to colder weather is more soup eating.
5.) Packing lunches, hanging clothes to dry ... the normal stuff.
@Battra92, I just spent this weekend taking passport pictures of my 6 year olds. It is indeed unexpectedly tricky to avoid having light on one side casting shadows etc! It costs $15 for photos where I am so I was very motivated.
@Ally, I used to be very into photography but yeah, getting good lighting is like 99% of portrait taking.
@Battra92, nice to hear from you. I was wondering where you were. . .
@Battra92, Hubby just renewed his passport and Global Entry as we are planning a trip to Singapore to meet our new grandson. I don't have a RealID yet either cause my license expires next year.
I’m also someone who needs paper. The visual tactile combo works for my brain.
I’ve been working on some more “you don’t need whiskers for that” stuff …
- I fixed a watering wand for my hose. There was a broken plastic connector piece in the trigger portion of the handle and I replaced it with some scrap metal wire I had in the garage.
- Tomorrow, I get to learn how to fix and replace siding in my Women Build group. Thursday, I get to teach other women to do the same! It’s a free workshop.
- Today, I’ll be raiding my toolbox and working on the latch on the door to my garage, which got suddenly stuck yesterday, and fixing the TP holder.
If you have a library card, get the Libby App! Audio and ebooks galore!
@marisa, yes! And swap card numbers with people in different states to get different consortiums' collections. Libby is the coolest thing ever.
Oooh-- I have a tip you're going to love! Whenever you get those little, weird-amount prepaid cards (or have a weird amount left on a card) you can use it to "load" an Amazon digital gift card-- that way you don't have to give up any of the balance! I do this all the time and all those little bits really add up.
@Leslie, is this available on the amazon site?
@Leslie, omg best tip ever! Thank you!
@Leslie, that is great information! Now if I can just find those cards, randomly received and put away somewhere.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I've done this for a long time too. You simply add the miscellaneous $1.XX (or whatever amount) card as a payment card on your Amazon account, and then buy the same amount in an Amazon Gift Card. Voila! Then delete the old payment gift card and add the Amazon $$ to your account.
You can do this with grocery stores too. I use most often at Walmart or Amazon
I only ever read e-books from the library, and only if they don't have a physical copy!
1. I did a parkrun on Saturday which is free, and such a great initiative! It's so much fun and you don't have to pay a penny (aside from having running gear and getting there, of course).
2. I'm having a frustrating, drawn-out bank issue but I've made phonecalls and it should be sorted soon enough.
3. I had to go to a work event yesterday and lunch was provided along with coffee and soft drinks (I then spent money at the cinema but still).
4. I'm planning on going to a different area of Sweden next month and have some money reduced on my train ticket there, as there was a problem with the train in Stockholm.
5. I've been putting my blender to good use and slowly but surely using up my large bag of protein powder in smoothies and in porridge.
Jumping in to throw out a question. I'm a natural deo person too and have been using Native for the last two+ years. This last month it stopped keeping my pits from smelling funky. Now they smell like perfumed BO. Just curious if other people ran into this? One of my friends here had the same issue. Is this just a natural deo issue? Every couple years we have to find something that works after the current one stops working? Anyway, Kristin, I'm seeing from this post that you use Native and wondered how long you've been using and if you'd had natural deo brands stop working effectively after a while (I have, so maybe my pits are just adaptive in a bad way?)? Anyway, for what it's worth, I'm trying StinkBug in Vanilla Mint and it seems to be working? At least for now... Please somebody tell me my armpits are not weird?!?
@Jen D., I had the stinky problem with Secret (not natural at all) so switched to Schmidts and have had no issues with it not working.
@Jen D., I had the same problem with Native after about a year and a half. I wondered if maybe their formula had changed. I'll look for StinkBug.
@Darlene Too & @Book Club Elaine maybe this only happens to some people? Glad I'm not alone. StinkBug was on sale at Whole Foods for about half the price of Native in my area last weekend. It's a bit stickier than Native, but not terribly noticeable and keeps the funk at bay. So far. I've had to switch up natural deos. Lume stopped working for me after about 1-2 years.
I love Kindle Unlimited! I have read so many books using my subscription, but I get that ebooks are not for everyone.
FFT:
- I read 3 books last week from my Kindle Unlimited subscription
- I got an awesome kid's table and chair from my Buy Nothing group for our grandson.
- A coworker brought me some of his wife's sourdough starter. We have not had any luck making at starter at our house. I think we keep it too cold for it to grow properly.
- We scheduled our fall HVAC checkup. We pay a yearly fee for a spring and fall checkup and to be on the priority list when/if we need service.
- Weeding our flower bed myself instead of paying the lawn service. Grandson was visiting and he "helped" Nana pull weeds. It was a free and easy way to entertain an 18-month-old.
Tip for prepaid cards: use them at the gas pump and you can pump the exact amount (even if the card doesn't scan at the pump, you can usually pay inside.)
@Bobi,
Great tip!
@Bobi, that's a great tip for those who, like me, are Amazon boycotters. (Darned if I'm funding any more of Jeff Bezos's wretched excesses.)
Nothing spectacular this week.
I'm returning a couple of on-sale Jockey sweatshirts because Jockey changed the style.
Still eating down the freezer and pantry, which includes not eating out as much.
Baked w vanilla yogurt I didn't like and froze the rest in 1/4 cup increments (using muffin tins) for future baking.
Took the yarn that a FOAF wants to get rid of. "Some yarn" doesn't usually mean a contractor's trash bag full! It was a lot of bits and mostly acrylics, so I kept only some - mostly for charity knitting, which often requires machine-washability - and will share the rest w my various knitting groups.
@WilliamB, what is FOAF? (I want to find a FOAF for some free yarn!!) I know what you mean about free yarn being mostly acrylic, and also the machine-washability for charity knitting. I rarely do charity knitting because I cannot stand the feel of acrylic in my hands. (What a wussy snob I am!)
P.S. Did you get my email?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Friend of a friend
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I did. It may be a few more days before I can reply - sorry about that! Life keeps rearing its inconvenient head.
1. I visited a farmer's market that was near a doctors office where I had an appointment. I was able to stock my fridge with healthy fruits and veggies for FAR better prices than what we see in grocery chains. Bonus that everything there is super fresh so it will last a week of two, sometimes three depending on what it is.
2. A 7Brew coffee shop opened recently in our area and I used a coupon for a free pumpkin chai latte. I have 3 more coupons and I plan to use them all during the fall months.
3. We went to the movies to see the 50th anniversary of Jaws. I used a work perk to get tickets and snacks for all 3 of us for under $60. If I had purchased through the theatre it would have cost over $90 for the exact same thing.
4. Grocery pickup or delivery to avoid impulse purchases. I cannot say this is my favorite because you don't get to choose items yourself but in a pinch it is very convenient and a good way to save the luxury of time. I typically use it for run of the mill items like milk, bread, eggs - its hard to mess those items up 🙂
5. More meals at home, coffee at home with the exception of the coupons, staying home and enjoying my mortgage.
Frugal
I have used the online app to our local convenience store to get the following free items in the last two weeks: gallon of milk, 4 pack of soft molasses cookies and a pound of 80/20 ground beef. They do not let you stack freebies so you have to do one thing per visit. I do not drive out of my way so it’s fine.
I found my fave ribbed slim fit long sleeve shirts for under my uniform for less than seven dollars each so I bought two in different colors. I am not a nurse but wear mine under a scratchy polyester polo. ((Ick))
Cooking and eating at home. Using Libby and Kanopy for entertainment. Making morning coffee at home. I am super concerned about rising grocery prices. I am planning more and more meatless meals.
Girl you are brave to wear white to work at hospital. If that was me it wouldn't stay white for long. 😉
Frugal things---
Some grocery stores are changing their ads from beginning Sunday to Saturday to beginning Wednesday to Tuesday. So I am adjusting my shopping because some ad items gone by weekend.
● Meijer had Cottonelle TP 36 mega rolls on sale $26.99 & I purchased 2 to save $15. When I got to register someone had left the printed out coupons (which is common) & I found save $10 off total. Plus I had reward points about to expire so I used reward points to save $5 off.
Some stores now are putting time limits on reward points. Meijer now have 90 days once reward points earned to use. Ace & Auto Zone gives you 90 days to use reward earned before expires.
● Meijer had online coupon (only) save $5 when buy $20 pizza & purchase $50 get free pick up/delivery. Teen pizza on sale so ordered & did pick up when going to get groceries.
● used Meijer reward points for FREE slushie
● Target had buy 3 Kleenex & get $10 giftcard. I ordered 6 multipacks (earned $20 free giftcards) plus had spend $40 save $5 & got free shipping. Converted some Receipt Pal points to save $10 off Target order.
● insurance gave me one time only birthday discount for teen vehicle which saved $14 & new slightly lower rate
Frugal fail---
● as I commented yesterday I turned my furnace on Sunday night since it was 65* inside & got down to 37* over night. Since I'm not healthy cold air is not my friend. Thankfully we are going back to normal mid 70s-80* today & for next few weeks.
I had no choice! Student uniform scrubs for my school required white scrub tops with my school logo embroidered on them.
I would not actively choose white. Ha.
@Kristen, Whenever I see the white scrubs you had to wear I am very thankful that our student scrubs, from what I can tell, are gray. Very blah, but less problematic than white! The Nurse Aide training course requires a different color, naturally (hunter green).
It was another week of usual things - drinking primarily filtered water, brewing my own coffee, and eating at home. I am utilizing the library and the library apps, Hoopla and Libby. Other small wins include:
• I bought my husband new trainers when DSW was having a 20% off sale. It saved about $20.
• After my granddaughter's Winnie the Two birthday party. I put the leftovers in the freezer to be eaten later. Pizza always freezes well.
• We are eating down the refrigerator ahead of going on a celebratory trip for our 40th wedding anniversary.
• We are helping our son with his dogs this week while he is out of town. In turn, he will help us with Rescue Pup next week when we are traveling.
• I have been too busy to spend money on much of anything which is both a good thing and bad thing.
Wishing you all peace, good health, and prosperity.
I just posted about frugal things yesterday, but the biggest hit was finding vintage Sambas for my daughter for back to school at a thrift store!
I am with you on paper books. When I travel I do take my Kobo and it's convenient but outside of travel...give me something I can actually hold in my hand!
Suggestion for those pre-paid cards: you can purchase an Amazon gift card in any amount using the pre-paid cards. Then just load the Amazon gift to your Amazon account for any future purchases.
1. I purchased $0.40 boxes of corn bread and $0.30 bottles of ketchup from Aldi.
2. I used some leftover graham crackers and marshmallows to make smores cookies for my kids.
3. Sundried more tomatoes from my garden
4. Took my kids to a free outdoor movie through our library. Snacks and drinks were also included.
5. I am using potatoes from my garden to make mashed potatoes to go with beef stew.
1. I have pledged to half our food cost of last month. There was lots of treating family and travel made an outrageous restaurant bill. So far on track.
2. I made bone broth rice from discount broth. We are eating high protein/low carb. I went half rice, half roasted riced cauliflower for some shrimp kebabs. Quite tasty.
3. I am travelling to South Africa in ten days. I am not buying new if i can help it. I will beg/borrow to fill in necessities.
4. In that vein, I borrowed western boots for a themed rehearsal dinner to which I was invited.
5. Hubby and I are offer to several appointments. We are on a focused food plan so we are bringing a picnic lunch. Saves us money and keeps us on plan.
Physical books, paper calendars, paper notes, paper journals, all the way, for me!
1. I bought a kid's pair of binoculars off a sale table at a local plant nursery but I didn't get the 60% discount, although I did on the other item I bought. I returned with my receipt and the guy said since I came all the way back to the store, he would give me 70% off. I made sure I was smiling and polite the whole time, which I feel sure helped.
2. In the same vein, the bag of little cucumbers I bought on Saturday turned out to be limp when I opened them on Sunday, so I returned them yesterday and got fresh replacements for free. I work only about five minutes from this store as well as the other store in #1.
3. I made turkey pot pie with the last of the turkey meat that I didn't vacuum seal and freeze. I made the crust from scratch and used some of the turkey broth and vegetables I had on hand. Cheap and good!
4. My financial advisor went over my retirement plans with me and recommended I contact SHIP in Florida to get free information on health and prescription Medigap plans to compare costs and coverage, since my current Medigap plan and prescription premiums have increased a good bit. I got a list of plans for next year with side by side comparisons of premiums, co-pays and coverages the same day I contacted them. I can choose the lowest cost options with the best benefits for me much more easily now. Medicare Advantage is not a good option for me, so Medigap is what I go with.
5. I needed some of the legal papers I drew up with a lawyer a few years ago, when DH and I took care of things like wills, health surrogacy, POA, and pre-need guardianship, so all I had to do was pull them out. I have never regretted spending that money on a lawyer.
@JD, I've said this so often that folks may be tired of hearing it--but your #5 (getting the legal paperwork done, and done thoroughly) is ALWAYS worth the money. The number of folks on alzconnected.org who haven't done this and are regretting this now is heartbreaking.
@A. Marie, And equally important: Review it every year! This is NOT a "one and done" exercise.
@JDinNM, absolutely. Situations change, people named (as executors, DPOAs, etc.) die or change, etc.
@A. Marie, for reasons unknown to sibling and I, my folks had *not* put us as even contingent POAs of any form. Thankfully karma stepped in and got that paperwork in order. Which also prompted another relative to split POA duties as dad had his hands full with mom. All I can say is pick a POA you know dang well will abide by your requests, particularly in the health care realm. Is pulling the plug any fun - no. Does a health care POA have to agree with that choice, no. Does a health care POA need to pull said plug, why yes s/he does.
@JD, Fortunately for me and my siblings my father and brother has all of their end of life paperwork done before it was needed. My big thing is pre-paying your funeral. About 10 years ago dh and I prepaid our cremations with a company that will contract with a funeral home. It's called The Neptune Society.
I need to get an appointment with SHIP as I start Medicare in March. I take a lot of drugs.
1. I have a small stash of fabric I picked up on discount from our JoAnn's fabric store before they closed. Clearance fabric is not actually frugal unless you use it, so I finally made to time to sew this weekend and made a lot of progress on the project.
2. A family member who is in town invited us to go to a concert with him last minute. Would have loved to, but the tickets were outrageous and we would not have gotten seats close to each other anyway. We drove to the city to grab some food together before the concert, a nice compromise where we actually got to sit down and talk together without paying for the concert in addition.
3. I ran out of shampoo and was about to add it to my shopping list, but went through my bathroom cabinet first and found not one, but two bottles of unused shampoo.
4. Needed some other cosmetics/cleansers for which I placed an order online and used the credit card to get a 5% cashback coupon on it.
5. Not a big savings, but keep batching up errands to minimize time and travel to coordinate appointments, dropping off kids and shopping in a way that makes sense logistically and timewise.
@Kristina M., such wisdom in that little statement about clearance items not being frugal if you don’t use them!
The best frugal thing this past weekend while on vacation (did I mention this already last week?) was staying at an old fashioned type of motel. The rooms had been redone so were really just fine (my SIL turned up her nose when I told her where we staying). They did not serve breakfast, and because I just knew my brother would mention not being able to make waffles, I packed a box of frozen ones and had leftover syrup packs from McD's pancakes (they always give you two, and I only use one) and a stick of butter in the cooler. The room actually had a kitchenette, not just a fridge and micro-wave. Our motel room was a hundred dollars cheaper than the one my SIL and older bro stayed in.
Gas mileage was good on the car plus I used my Casey's points to take off $.50 per gallon with two fill-ups.
I did not buy a T-shirt or sweat shirt at the Rodeo, but I did buy a leatherish Wrangler purse marked down to $50.
We used the shuttle rather than the driving in slow and go to the vast parking area. Saved gas, wear and tear on the car and my nerves.
Can't think of anything else trip related, but prior to going, I salvaged some tomatoes that had some spots, as well as a couple of sweet and couple of hot peppers with some garlic and an onion, made a sauce for pizza or spaghetti.
First and foremost, I wish my two favorite frugal K’s (Kristen and NCA Katy) an enjoyable FinCon meetup!
Now, FFT, Miscellany Edition:
(1) I went out thrifting Monday morning. First stop was the Second Time Around pop-up Monday morning store in the old bowling alley, where I got 24 votive candles, two Ball pint jars (I pretty well ran myself out of pint jars during this year’s pickle season), and a Zyliss garlic press for a total of $5. (Now that it’s dark when I get up at my usual ungodly early hour, I like to light a votive or two while I have my coffee and wake up. Goodness knows we have enough reasons to light candles these days.)
(1a) I have forgotten to mention in recent comments that I found another Ball pint jar in some bushes during a recent morning walk. Somebody must have been “drinkin’…liquor from an old fruit jar” (Carl Perkins, “Blue Suede Shoes”)!
(2) My next stop was the Byrne Dairy convenience store/gas station between (1) and (3), where I aired up my tires for free.
(3) Third stop was a Thrifty Shopper store, where I treated myself to a Vera Bradley toiletries organizer for $8. This may be an improvement on the random assortment of small bags and baggies I’ve been using for this purpose–and I’ve got a major trip coming up next month (the JASNA Annual General Meeting in Baltimore).
(4) I also picked up four NY State deposit containers in the (1) and (3) parking lots, to add 20 cents to the 60 cents I'd picked earlier that morning.
(5) I then came home, had another serving of the excellent “clean out the fridge” minestrone I made Saturday (and have shared with NDN1 and one of my Sunday walking buddies), and worked around the house Monday afternoon.
I’ve never signed up for Kindle Unlimited but I do use my delayed shipping credits to buy Kindle books.
1. My son’s school provides laptops for all students. I pulled out a laptop sleeve that my company gifted all employees last year and added it to his school supplies.
2. School supply lists are not provided for high school on the district’s website, each teacher will let you know what is needed. Thankfully we’ve only needed two notebooks and three folders, all of which were in our extra school supply stash.
3. The celery we received in our CSA box was looking sad and limp. I washed it, trimmed the bottoms (which I threw in my freezer stock bag), and placed the stalks in a jar of water. They perked up quickly and look pretty on my counter.
4. I finished a puzzle that I picked up from the library and started a new one that belongs to my coworker’s dad.
5. I stopped in a couple of Goodwills to try and find a movie that is not available for streaming, not available at the library, and is too expensive to purchase. I haven’t found it yet, but my son found some back to school clothes: a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, two pairs of pants, a pair of shoes, and a light jacket. I also found a glass jar to gift with propagated plants. All for less than the cost of the movie if I purchased it online! (Bonus – my coworker brought in a copy of the movie for me to borrow!)
@Geneva, just out of curiosity, what is your #5 movie?
A good way to use up random prepaid cards is to buy a gift card for a place you frequent regularly because stores will allow you to apply your gift card balance and pay for the rest.
I had no idea that CVS online was less expensive! Thank you!
Sometimes this exercise is really difficult, because frugality is so automatic that I don’t even recognize it as being unusual or noteworthy.
1. Shipped a box of books to Thriftbooks and received $10 credit. (Interesting procedure, one that I explained in an email to Kristen so she can share if it fits into her blog posts.)
2. Received $16 from a clothing consignment store for sales in July. It is 750 miles away, s0 my sister stopped by for the check and then mailed it to me. Worth it? I guess. . .
3. Completed application to begin receiving Social Security retirement, upon my financial advisor’s recommendation. (Makes me falsely sound rich and fancy to have a financial advisor). It was a very annoying and hateful process, but perhaps better than a colonoscopy.
4. Swung a tad bit out of the way to stop by Aldi’s when I retrieved my art from the solo show gallery last week to stock up on produce, infinitely less expensive than our local grocer.
5. Went to the fantastically huge library in the town where the art show was and loaded up on real books. Like Kristen, I forget about those e-books, even the free ones. (Wait, I only get the free ones. . . not paying for something I will waste!)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I'm with you on the convoluted way to apply for Social Security. The questions are worded so oddly that it took me a week to figure out what they really meant. At least, once it's done, it's all done.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I understand your "Makes me sound falsely rich and fancy to have a financial advisor." I feel that way too. (Hey, a lot of so-called "financial advisors" wouldn't give me and my little hoard the time of day.) But mine has done a great job of helping me through all the ins and outs and ups and downs from DH's decline onward, and I feel I'm very lucky to have him. He's also my Genworth long-term care insurance agent, so I have all my financial stuff under one roof.
Walmart also has special online deals that they will not match in store. I'm sure they have their reasons, but still.
I read e-books only when a hardcopy is not available. Sadly, my county library is pretty much a free new-book store. It no longer carries old books (like Miss Read but thankfully all her books are on Libby) and I don't know why. It seems like they threw out a lot of our history and culture.
I love the feel of a book in my hands, the smell of (some) books especially new ones, and the freedom of not having to rely on a battery or electricity. Just last week I checked out a crochet pattern book on Libby and looked through it to make sure it is what I wanted, then found a used copy on eBay. It's so much easier to follow the instructions in a book than on a device.
Why are deodorant prices so high?
Last weekend's wedding, rehearsal, dinners and two brunches went off very well. Everyone (mostly) behaved, there was plenty of food and best of all -- the bride and groom got a great start in their new life. My sweetheart and I have to buy zero groceries this week because we were so well stocked for one of the brunches and feeding guests for four days. So that's my frugal thing for the week and it's a big one.
WhenI get a bit stressed about politics, the economy,etc. I tend to overstock on FOOD. Go figure.My freezer and pantry are JAMMED UP. So, my frugality for September and October are to get real and USE THE FOOD IN my HOUSE before grocery shopping! And to meditate and pray more so I don’t overshop on groceries,lol. My husband says at least we don’t have 200 rolls of toilet paper in the garage.
@Madeline, hey, there's nothing wrong with having 200 rolls of TP in the garage. I too tend to overstock on TP--but I was the TP queen of our street during the early days of the pandemic.
@A. Marie, Ditto. My father talked about using leaves during the time they were fighting and hiding during WWII and drilled it into me to always have a lot of toilet paper around. (He also reinforced always having wood furniture so you can burn it if fuel becomes unavailable. Luckily, my husband loved woodworking and built much of our furniture, like tables and bookshelves, sometimes using driftwood we gathered on a yearly stay on Orcs Island. Looking at those pieces reminds me of some very good times. Other times we paid big bucks to buy solid wood pieces.) But my TP Queen during the pandemic was pure accident---I hit the wrong key and ordered 20 cases not 2 cases of it the week before Covid took over. I had plenty and also had all of my Christmas gifts because that is what my Christmas gifts were that year, toilet paper.
@Madeline, please do use or pass on the food. Twice I've been through "panic buying" with one of my friends. I keep telling her and her siblings to *not* buy food they don't eat. And not to panic buy - I have only been so successful.
Excess TP - probably not bad *but* I have a bulk pack of TP that moved to this house 20 years ago. I am thinking I do need to open the time capsule so to speak. I will note the roll size etc. The bulk pack has been kept in a humidity controlled area so I do think it will be okay.
And yes @A. Marie - we too had plenty of TP during the pandemic. But all my close relatives and inner circle also were well supplied. What wasn't in short supply was Jif Natural peanut butter. We did make sure the child who could only eat that brand was supplied out of our collective stash.
@Lindsey, and my order of double rolls ended up being quadruple rolls. I did get some $$ credited back - and I kept the stash, unrolling enough from each roll so it fit on the holder. And quadruple are no longer that - I keep a roll from each "era" to see how much it shrinks.
I always use settlement and rebate gift cards to purchase Amazon gift cards online for the same amount.
1. My Spotify Premium account paid for itself after streaming two audiobooks I wanted to read and my library doesn't have. I didn't find one I bought of the books helpful which makes me glad I didn't buy it outright.
2. I did a bunch of free laundry and shopped my pantry, fridge, and freezer when I drove home to do life things I can't do on the road, and IRL family time - priceless!
3. I bought a portable ice maker that will allow me to top off the ice in my cooler on the daily and buy smaller bags of ice when needed.
4. I removed the temporary safety pin fixes and mended a costume piece.
5. A patron surprised me with a hand painted lady garden gnome before my last show of the day. Knock me over with a feather! This is my second year at this Ren Faire and the first year doing a stage show here. The kindness of this show's community fills my emotional gas tank in more ways than I can count
1. We received a check in the mail for a refund of gap insurance from when we traded in our old side-by-side. It was a nice $156 surprise (that we had forgot about).
2. We got free cabinets to use in our camp, saving us hundreds of $. We will install ourselves and they just need a good wipe-down.
3. A resident brought me homemade chocolate chip cookies, another resident brought me a plant and a thank you card (after i took them dinner as husband had surgery).
4. We ate leftover pizza for another dinner.
5. I redeemed $12.43 sams cash on my latest purchase
6. Hubby's coworker gifted me a 12 pack of twisted Arizona teas for driving him to and from a wedding this past weekend with us.
I will never understand why stores won't price match their online prices. I can only fathom it's because online is the mothership, and in-person is like... a franchise? Either way, I don't mind placing an online order usually.
Transplanted chard, kale and winter cabbage into the fall/winter raised beds.
Accepted a small dump truck load of sawdust pellets from a local cabinet manufacturer. The pellets get wet, expand and then used in the barn and for walkway mulch in the gardens and orchard.
Picked up a couple of totes of garbage wood at a friend's jobsite. The farm helpers use the wood in the solo stove when they go camping.
Traded some of the beeswax that I rendered for wonderful goat's milk soap. It is the best soap to wash with and condition your hands.
Freeze drying hot pepper rings today for Christmas basket treats.
Got laundry drying in the sun room right now. Used up a long-opened bag of lentils and an elderly frozen bag of chopped carrots, onions and celery to make a delicious lentil-tomato soup. My cat likes the canned food and treats from Aldi, so I bought her two cans of food and two bags of treats yesterday. This saved a bit over a dollar compared to the same from a conventional grocery store.
A while back I took the elastic out of a pair of pajama pants and saved the elastic because it was in good shape. This week I used it to take up the back waist of a pair of thrifted jeans that otherwise fit great.
Touched up a chip in a 1950s pink wall tile in our bathroom with some Dollar Tree nail polish. It's not a perfect match but the spot is in a corner near the floor, so it does not stand out.
1. Neighbor gave us some golden raspberries from her garden. Delicious.
2. Unexpected cool spell had us turning on the heat earlier than normal. Now it looks like we may need to turn on the AC for a few days.
3. Received from Buy Nothing: Cherry coffee (it's different but drinkable in small doses), plastic bags for dog waste and a toiletry bag.
4. Saved money by not having to replace our bathtub drain plug. I thought it was broken but my husband figured it out. It's ancient and not the most intuitive to use.
5. Had a small spice jar of garam masala that we weren't using and was still potent despite its advanced age (should we all be so lucky!), so for inspiration I researched recipes using this spice.
This isn't really a frugal thing, but when Kristen talked about her work week recently, she worked 3 days and 2 were successive. 2 twelve hour days in a row sounds brutal to me! How do people handle that? I guess living close to the hospital could make this a frugal question since it would save on gas and travel time. 😉
Now the idea of 4 days off does sound delightful ! Is it worth the 2 days in a row?
1) Piggy-backing on your Equifax comment: I always used to throw away the Class-Action Suit mailings I'd receive, but I don't anymore. I mean, what do you have to lose?? Yes, at times you might just get 1
$10 (or 7.44), but I got a check for over $400 for a settlement with InventHelp. And most of the time you don't even have to do anything. With the InventHelp Class Action suit I merely had to fill out 5 questions. I've never had a prepaid card sent to me, always a check.
2) I always add water to the last remnants of dishwashing soap. And not just once. Three times if it's still sudsing and still doing a good job of cleaning my dishes. I do the same with my laundry detergent, although only once.
3) I don't throw away the tooth paste until I'm 100% sure nothing at all is coming out no matter how hard or in how many directions I squeeze it!
4) I bought white as well as colored accents lights and have placed them throughout my condo unit. I hardly turn on my lights anymore because it looks so pretty and provide enough lighting so that I'm not walking I to things. Some are battery-powered (which I buy at the dollar store!), some are for electrical sockets, but, even those use minimal electricity.
5) I only use the dishwasher once it is fully loaded and only turn it on after 9pm when electricity costs go down.
Went to an estate sale and came out of the house buying nothing. Nothing I needed and nothing my style. BUT I walked by three Free boxes in the yard and I came away with a working umbrella (always good to have spares), a pancake spatula for my 20-something son’s kitchen, and a mason jar with a lid because mason jars are multitaskers. All free!
Husband and I have both been ill but we still managed a few frugals.
1. He pulled carrots and brought them in for me to clean up for storage. 41 pounds of them!
2. He harvested the eggplants and I made and packaged up enough eggplant parmesan for 12 future meals. This sounds like more work than it was because all I had to do was slicing and layering of ingredients, while he did the rest. Plus we did the project over two days so less taxing.
3. A friend asked what I wanted for my birthday and I said for her to pull the leeks. (It is not my birthday month but she always asks way ahead and will not listen to my protests of not wanting a gift.) Husband then washed them, I cut them into coins and packaged them for the freezer. Luckily, there is no blanching of leeks required. 18 pounds of them.
4. Husband sold an old tool on FB.
5. Needed to send a gift so picked up a post office mystery shop so sending it was free.
I am annoyed with my former self for not being thankful when I had a healthy body that could manage more than one project a day. I did not appreciate the gift until it disappeared into the abyss of illness and old age.
@Lindsey, I'm impressed (and everyone else should be, IMHO) by all you and the husband have managed to accomplish despite illness. Three hearty huzzahs for you both.
And I echo your annoyance at not being thankful for my more youthful body. I feel this even though I'm only coping with arthritis and a general decline in energy levels.
Finally, as always, love to Houndini and Clobber Paws.
@Lindsey, Heartily concur with A.Marie, and also - I'm glad for the update on how you and the husband (always the husband) are doing.
@Lindsey, You sound like you accomplish so much! But, your comment made me pause & put out into the universe all the gratitude for my healthy self today
@Lindsey, I am so glad you posted. Maybe you have recently and I missed it (because I'm missing a lot lately with trying to be an attentive mom), but I was concerned about you!
I, too, have Kindle Unlimited membership. I've debated no longer using it but I realized that even if I don't read all the time, for what I do read, I'm still saving money. Why? Because it costs $6 round trip by bus or subway to get to the library when they actually have books in print (not available as ebooks) that I want. The books come in with no set time so you could end up having to pick up the books as many as three to four times a month. Even twice a month is as much as my Kindle Unlimited Subscription.
So I've kept it and the way I make it work is that I don't just use it for fiction (entertainment for me) but also practical with a variety of cookbooks, how-tos and other non-fiction books. At the least, I'm reading one fiction book and at least two to three other books.
It's also about saving time as well as money. Plus, quite frankly, there are so many books available that are NOT available at my huge big city library or ones that you are waitlisted in the hundreds who have holds.
I've also committed to only buying some items on sale from some of the online food shops I purchase from (Looking at you Vitacost) . Especially worth the wait: 20 to 25% off food items PLUS additional 15 to 20% from certain brands. Careful shopping yields from 35 to 45% off items when you can use multiple coupons. Definitely worth the wait to stock up.
Committing to only buying on sale/discounted items can be challenging but it's a win for the pantry and given the increase in prices...a necessity.
I am also closely tracking and reviewing how much I buy from a variety of big stores (Costco, Sam's) to see if it's truly worth it in terms of overall savings. Same with Instacart and Fresh Direct. It's tough because sometimes there are only a few or even one place where you can get something at an affordable price (I live in a major East Coast city and we do not shop at the bricks and mortar supermarkets. The prices are outrageously overpriced. An item that is $2.49 online is $5.99 and I could go on and on and on.
Shopping for food and household cleaning products is practically a full-time job what with price comparisons, etc.
I forgot to say that the reason I track Fresh Direct and Instacart and Sam's and Costco is because of the annual membership fees. You really have to push some numbers to see if what you save on "delivery" or other fees (Instacart!) is worth it given how much and how frequently you order. (And you also have to factor in the tips, usually $5, for each delivery and sometimes more if heavy stuff or a lot of stuff. I have to have food delivered as I am in a wheelchair and literally cannot even fit in almost all retail food shops around here let alone be able to carry home. And delivery is expensive and unreliable from these bricks and mortar stores.)
Do I still spend more than I'd like? Yes, yes I do but doing ongoing analysis has saved me much much more and is worth the time (No, it is definitely NOT fun to track/record/analyze purchases. If nothing else, it gives you pause to NOT order stuff at times.
FYI: If you think you know how much you spend, exactly, but you don't actually track by writing down/recording, you will be shocked to learn it's probably much more than you think.
Years ago I didn't track and thought I knew. THen I began analyzing my credit card expenditures for food....OMG. Shocked I was. (The cash purchases were few--local fruit/veggie shopping--and easy to track with only seasonal variances in pricing and availability.)
I guess if you only and always pay cash, you really do have a feel for the numbers but I don't know anyone who pays cash for all their food/household stuff anymore (especially if their credit cards give them miles or points or freebies.)
A head of iceberg lettuce is over $3. Just to throw wilted outer leaves and core away. All that money to add crunch to some sanwiches or a salad. ANYTHING you do with lettuce you can do with cabbage for a third the price! Shred cabbage and add to sandwich or salad base, instead oc lettuce.
Save the heels from a loaf of bread. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel to dry out. Grate on a grater for bread crumbs. Or break into pieces store and use as bottom layer in a breakfast casserole.
I am in the minority here - I love my Kindle and ebooks. I got a Kindle when I traveled a lot for business when they first came out and never stopped. I do like to read in bed at night and it is great for that. Almost only get books of any kind from my library though.
- Hubby got a car door seal strip back in place,
- I used up some of the bounty of salsa in the frig making Spanish rice with brown rice (won’t be a repeat lol),
- It rained Tuesday (!) so I wiped down the wet car saving a $10 car wash,
- My Pilates trainer hurt her back so no session Wednesday saving $$ but darn, and
- Found 35 cents in a parking lot for a YTD total of $20.98
@Juhli,
I’m with you 100% on the Kindle and ebooks. In addition to what you mentioned, I have had vision problems over the years and the ability to change the font size and contrast on my Kindle makes me use it for nearly all of my reading.
Cards with small amounts or odd totals are easy to use! At checkout, in store (I use mine at Walmart) you tap partial pay card. You enter the exact amount on the touch screen and then swipe your card. I am given the leftover small amounts on cards after they have been used by members of our household. I usually keep them till the end of a payday for a small grocery run. I even pay with change, as you can pay with multiple payment methods in one transaction.
I'm a speed reader (once took a speed reading class for free, and it is hard to unwind that skill, even when you read for pleasure) & I go through a lot of books. On a non-busy week, I can read 5-7 books. On vacation or heavy travel days (airport time, etc), maybe more. It's logistically challenging to stay stocked in that many books, so I adore my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and get more than my money's worth. My Kindle is also 10+ years old, and I always worry it will fail at a really clutch time, when I won't have an option of buying a paper book until I can replace it.
Let's see:
1) Checked the bill when I went out to dinner with friends, and saw that we were all overcharged. The server corrected the error.
2) Made breakfast for myself and DS19. it's easy to do, and was quick to grab something between meetings.
3) Filled out my work expense report promptly (I pay with my own credit card), although I'm still waiting for one piece of information. I get reimbursed quite quickly, which is nice.
4) Taught DS19 how to cash his checks on his phone, so he can avoid going to the bank. Encouraged him to sign up for direct deposit, which is even easier.
5) Made enough leftovers that we won't have to cook much this week. Hurrah!
@Hawaii Planner, I am of the age where gifted classes did not exist. So what did the school do (and I am not slamming them) - send us to SPEED READING CLASS lol.. So now we were bored in less than 1/2 the time. But that's okay, it all turned out well in the end.
I had a doctor's appointment in a different city and my niece went with me. We shopped at a different thrift store and both spent around $20 and came out with 6 fall tops, a Tennessee Vols T-shirt, 2 Halloween tops, a cookbook, flower pots, a mini greenhouse plastic container, journal, and crochet bookmarks. We ate lunch with a coupon, and went to Target as our town does not have one. We already had our coupons uploaded and got some clearance items. We had fun and was able to talk too.
I love my Helping Hands long sleeve t for under scrubs!
They have cute little messages stitched on hems!
a day late and a dollar short? that doesn't sound frugal! 😉
- So far so good in using all my pre-paid gym classes. (this morning was close, but I made it!)
- I've been way better at bringing food to work. I'm still not perfect and buy drinks and sometimes snacks but... baby steps!
- price compared and bought a book on Ebay as opposed to the 'Zon.
- We're going to go out to eat with some friends on Friday, and I suggested fast food- a cheaper option AND comes with a play place for the kids to run around in!
- Put 1/2 of my "fun money" allowance aside to hopefully save.
- used some reimbursement at work to pay some credit card debt.
Have tried to use my Equifax settlement several times with no luck. Super annoyed.
Been using Roku staying home and steaming tv no going out doing wash once a week so dishes late at night when people sleep
I found this trick for using up small, weird amounts on gift cards very helpful:
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-up-the-last-few-dollars-on-a-prepaid-gift-ca-1841453699
You can get e-books (maybe not all Kindle usable) from the library in my country. But there is SO MANY OF THEM AVAILABLE and you can use a variety of e-readers if I'm not mistaken. Also audiobooks!
Also discovered I can watch tons of movies and tv shows in addition to checking out books from The Internet Archive, the folks that run The Wayback Machine. They're a non-profit organization that works with all manner of library systems around the world, storing hundreds of thousands of media and all available FOR FREE. They are an amazing resource!! https://archive.org/
I'm almost 70...next month. But I took a year and renovated my kitchen for under $1500. I hired a man to install the vinyl flooring but did the rest myself. This includes, kickplating, paints, main cabinet rebuild, make new cabinet doors and laminate, tile backslash, buy assemble paint and mount two new cabinets, silicone sink under edge, change out track to can lights, add shelving to pantry, make pantry door, build and tile microwave/spice nook, putty sand and refinish wood trims and sew Roman blinds. It's a labor of love that makes me proud. So much brighter in shades of pink, green and white!
Prepaid gift cards - the inability to use them for partial payments drives me nuts, so I log into my Amazon account, and use the prepaid card to buy an Amazon gift card for the same amount, that I then add to my Amazon gift card balance. (clear as mud?)
Several of you guys do this and I love the idea! I will adopt it in the future.
I'm late posting and have more than usual as we were out of town for a while recently.
1. I’m coming out of the fog of nausea I’ve had for the last several months (“morning” sickness is such a fantastically inadequate name), so I’ve had more energy and margin to be frugal. I’ve not been able to tolerate coffee for the last few months so that was a small savings, and as a bonus I’ve instead been in the mood to drink tea from my very elderly tea stash.
2. I was looking on eBay for sheets for my oldest kiddo’s new twin bed and was surprised at how expensive things were. So I hopped on FB Marketplace and found a construction-themed Crate and Barrel set with a duvet cover, flat + fitted sheets, pillow cases, and two themed decorative pillows for only $35. I don’t care about brand names, but that was a great price IMO! I also had DH pick up a free flannel fitted sheet from Marketplace.
3. We spent the last week and a half in the Seattle area for a family get-together and a few days of vacation. I was able to help eat leftovers to avoid food waste at our AirBnB, and I took a few tea packets (BB dates in 2013-2014!!) to our next AirBnB. I wish I’d taken a few more tea packets as the new place had no coffee or tea provided, and it would have been nice to have.
4. My uncle wanted to clean out his freezers to make room for the new hunting/fishing season excess so my parents and I each flew home with a 50-lb box of frozen halibut, cod, salmon, venison, venison/pork sausage, and even a package of blueberries. My only cost was the $35 bag check fee, so that was a steal.
5. Driving home from the airport (we flew from a major airport 3 hours away to save money), we stopped for lunch. I had two free Chick-fil-A sandwiches in the app (coupons that originally came in the mail), and when I opened the app there was also a coupon for free medium fries. So we ordered only the free items and picked up a few other things at our favorite Kwik Trip gas station to round out the meal. We ate on the picnic tables outside the store and I found a nickel and a penny.
6. I was able to download the Safeway app while I waited in line to checkout in order to save $5 as a new customer and to get the member-only savings on some items. Prices seemed much higher in the Pacific NW than here in the midwest overall.
I always use those random prepaid cards as a partial payment on my utilities. I have everything setup on autopay, but if I get one of these cards, I simply log in and apply the full card amount to my bill, then the autopay adjusts. This way, I don’t have to figure out how or where to use the card, plus, I get to use the full amount of the card.
Anytime I get a prepaid card, I always use it a physical store for the full amount, and then pay the balance of my purchase with another card. I've never had an issue. Just tell them to put $7.44 on the first transaction. Walmart self check out in Canada actually has this option on screen.