Five Frugal Things | one last birthday freebie!
1. I got free soup and bread
I think this is the last of my birthday freebies; this one gets to me in April but doesn't expire until June, so it's always the last one I use.
It's a $15 credit to use at a local Italian restaurant, so I always use it to get some soup.
Evidence of inflation: I used to be able to get a bowl of crab soup AND a bowl of pasta e fagioli with the offer, but this year, I could only get the cream of crab.
But that is fine; it's super delicious and it comes with some delightful bread and dipping oil.
10/10, would recommend. 🙂
2. I did some produce prepping
I put my earbuds in, listened to some podcasts, and worked on turning my raw produce into something quick and easy to grab.
I:
- made a jar of this vinaigrette so I can easily use up my lettuce for breakfast salads
- made a batch of carrot salad
- made a bowl of kale salad
- baked a bunch of sweet potatoes in my toaster oven
- cut up my remaining watermelon
On a watermelon note, I know I have said this a lot of times but MAN, I love my silicone watermelon cover.
It works great on half a melon and equally well on a quarter melon, and it is the most mess-free way possible to store a partial watermelon.
I have the 10.2 inch one and it works great for most melons that I've bought.
I've been using mine for years, and since it's a thick, quality silicone, it's no worse for the wear. I would 100% buy one again!
3. I used a welcome offer at a grocery store
I signed up for a bonus card at a grocery store I don't frequent super often, and they gave me an introductory $5/$30 coupon.
So of course, I scanned the ad for loss leaders and scrolled through the app for coupons to maximize my discounted shopping trip. 😉
4. I cleaned out my desk and found some gift cards!
In the summer, I usually try to do a systematic declutter of my house, and I decided to start with my desk.
Well, I found $175 of unredeemed Amazon gift cards in my drawers, plus $26 of Whole Foods credit, plus $100 of Darden restaurant credit. SWEET.
I added the Amazon cards to my account, and I put the other gift cards out where I can see them so that I will actually remember to use them.
I've read that the average person has $175 of unredeemed gift cards, and well, I certainly was part of that statistic!
5. I went to a free outdoor symphony performance
I got there early enough to snag free parking, and while I was waiting for the concert to start, I read a book and ate my sandwich/fruit that I packed.
It was beautiful weather, which is not a guarantee in June.
In the summer, I notice and appreciate every single low-humidity day we get.
I must be the outlier; I never have unredeemed gift cards! My MIL often tries to send the boys e-gift cards to Target, and they never grab them (long story, bad relationship), and I wouldn't feel right redeeming them for myself. Plus we never shop at Target.
1. My foot has been acting up (accessory navicular), so instead of walking with DS and the gang twice a day, I've been mixing in some bike rides. It's garage sale season so I always take a bit of cash with me. On one ride I was able to snag a set of salt and pepper shakers, and a small wooden cutting board, for $3.
2. To ice my foot 2x a day I've been using the reusable ice packs they gave us when DS#3 had his wisdom teeth out, and an Ace bandage I found in the first aid box.
3. Library books---my current favorite is Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport, recommended by a member of the Commentariat here. It's actually better and easier to read than Stolen Focus was! Less political for sure.
4. Deleting social media apps has really helped me reclaim my reading time. I finally finished a new-to-me Agatha Christie I bought a while ago at the used bookstore (Cat Among the Pigeons, and very good it was too).
@Karen A., I love that you are combining garage sale-ing with biking! I, too, have taken myself off FB and Insta and filling the space with reading and puzzles. I've got a foot issue going, too, so I might have to consider alternate forms of exercise.
@Karen A.,
I love Agatha Christie. I think that I have read them all by now. I’m currently listening to the Eliza Montagu Cozy Mystery series on Hoopla. It is Agatha Christie-esque and helps the time go by quickly as I do my house chores. I am currently in the midst a major declutter. Unlike Kristin, however, I cannot say I’ve been systematic. My house looks like it was shaken up in a earthquake - nothing is where it belongs.
@Karen A., I have to shut my facebook app off of my cellular data while at work. otherwise I catch myself on it while I need to work. Not a good thing when I need to get work done. Plus, it's such a time suck. Good job on the books:) I noticed that since I have joined the book club in my little community my reading has really ramped up. It does include audio books, but hey better than scrolling facebook. And the time spent with the other ladies once a month is really nice.
@Gina from The Cannary Family, Good for you getting out of social media.
I just finished a chapter in Digital Minimalism that made an argument for the rise in anxiety in young adults/teens being linked to their ubiquitous phone/social media use.
I do love biking. We don't have a lot of bike trails near us, but there are bike routes and sleepy streets. DH got me a folding Schwinn bike (takes up less space in the garage, and I can fold it and take it on a bus, as he has done with his. He got around Washington, DC on a trip with just his bike and public transport!). I highly recommend biking--outside or stationary--for anyone with foot issues. 🙂
@Bee, I'll have to check out Eliza Montagu. I was an avid Christie fan as a teen, and then got back into her books during the early days of the pandemic. Apparently she was very popular during wartimes and pandemics.
Don't you love a good declutter, though, when it's over? I enjoy clearing things out and reorganizing what remains.
@Jackie, I'm glad you're enjoying your book club! I once tried to join a mom's book club, years ago, but got sneered at when I expressed my opinion that the book we'd read was not well written. Oh well! 😉 And audio books definitely count!
@Karen A., oh good, that was me who recommended digital minimalism, I’m glad you are enjoying it!
@LB, I am in the middle and already it's inspired me to remove the web browser from my phone. I can always activate it if i need it, but I realized too often I was looking things up while watching TV with the family; we'd see an actor and be all, "Oh, we've seen him in something else!" I'm also now leaving my phone plugged in and not near me--but within earshot in case DH calls (we have no landline).
Haha, you are going to chuckle when you see part of tomorrow's post (which I swear I wrote before you left this comment! lol)
Kristen, maybe the Commentariat is causing us to have parallel thoughts and ideas! Ha.
@Bee, I tried to read every Agatha Christie books in the early 1980's, before you could ask Google to give you a list of an author's book in copyright order, and I was dismayed to discover how many books she wrote. It's a daunting task, good luck! PS My dad gave me "Ten Little Indians one afternoon when I was mooching around the house with nothing to do, but he removed that last pages -- the diary of the killer and the solution to the mystery.
@Karen A.,
Gosh, use those gift cards for something the family might enjoy. Nothing frugal about throwing away money. Might as well let it add to the family. Probably won't garner the attachment a physical gift might have?
I'm glad you were able to attend the concert. I read about it and I know it was in a beautiful setting. We were last there less than a week before the impetus for the concert.
1. A neighbor texted to tell me they had mulberries so I went over and picked some. I put them on top of my oatmeal mixture this morning.
2. I used a $10 off a $50 purchase coupon at the Grocery Outlet. They had good prices on cherries, cheese, canned tomatoes, and some healthy-ish snack bars.
3. I listed several items on Freecycle and the last one will be picked up this morning.
4. I borrowed the last Maisie Dobbs book from the library. After finishing it in three days I returned it so that others may read it.
5. We too have had lovely weather and I have been finding time every day to sit outside with a book. I have also had windows open at times, good for the soul as well as the electric bill.
Score on the gift cards! FYI, Whole Foods (at least in our area) has started using small yellow 50% stickers on items a day before they expire--meat, fruit, you name it! Hopefully your local WF does the same so you can get the best mileage out of your gift card. The cut fruit section is my favorite place to hunt for discounts, as the 50% often makes it cheaper than buying the fruit and cutting it myself.
FFT, Attempted Green Thumb Edition
--A $10 donation to the Arbor Day Foundation earlier this year netted me 10 region-specific trees and two flowering bush starts. I really only wanted the bushes and 2-3 trees and have thus been busy re-homing the others. Our village's cemetery is taking the spruces to fill a gap in their tree line, and friends have claimed the remainder. The Arbor Day foundation ships to the contiguous 48 states and Alaska, for those who similarly want inundated with trees!
--This is my frugal, long-game solution to shading the south side of the house and getting some backward privacy (we're on a busy corner) without the cost of fencing. $10 for the two bushes and two trees I'm keeping is a minor investment / high reward proposition.
--The trees and bushes are all at the "glorified stick" stage, so they have tomato cages around them for protection from mowers and so I remember where they are until they're bigger. The tomato cages were the only unfrugal part at 4 x $2.50. The owner of the neighboring lot was perfectly lovely when I asked about replanting trees (the old ones were cut down by our house's previous owner) and encouraged me to mark them well so that he wouldn't accidentally mow them down, either.
--On a related note, I called 811 to make sure I wasn't going to plant into or over any utility lines. We're in the clear! I wish I could ask them to just mark the whole property all at once so I could take photos for reference and not bother them again, but they prefer doing it *right* before each individual job. I also called them last year when preparing for our paving stone patio.
--The friend to whom we owe all of our irises (two dozen, easily) was thinning her garden beds again. Now we owe her wild strawberries, tiger lilies, and our first peony! It was wonderful to have an excuse to catch up during an already busy summer for both of us, and the Vietnamese coffee* she made afterwards was wonderful. She also claimed one of my tree haul, so we already have another excuse to meet / reason to treat ourselves to fancy coffee, only it's my turn. 😛
*A mutual vice we share which is thankfully easy to replicate at home: chicory coffee + sweetened condensed milk + ice.
@N, the Arbor Day foundation is also a great option for in lieu of flowers. My BFFs Mom loved to camp and a $50 donation in her memory planted 50 trees.
@N, The newspaper where I worked used to run announcements for the Arbor Day Foundation, saying the ADF would send you 10 trees. People would call and complain that after many, many months, they were shipped little seedlings that were dead or dying. We are down here in Texas and the hot weather may have gotten to them; perhaps it is different in cooler climates. Nevertheless, I would beware of such offers.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm sorry you had such a negative experience. Our saplings arrived looking great, if tiny, and the foundation is something I don't mind donating to even if our trees don't make it. Indeed, it's something of a tradition around here to donate for free trees when one becomes a homeowner! We've seen many friends' mail order trees thrive, so while only $10, it was still an anecdotally researched and calculated $10. 😛
@N, I thought it was a good deal, too. Mine arrived just past the middle of December (in the middle of NE Kansas) and not a single one of them made it. I am also bothered by the amount of "free" stuff they send, like notepads, pot holders, etc.
@Kathleen in Kansas, That just stinks! I agree re: the free stuff that I didn't sign up for just showing up randomly, but unfortunately I've found that's an issue with most organizations post-donation.
I am sitting here SHOCKED at the gift cards you found! What a pleasant surprise for you but sounds so out of norm! lol
@jes, Same! That was my first reaction as well. :-0
Well...part of it was needing to wait for the joint Amazon account to become not-joint. 😉
@Kristen, A hearty YAY!!!!
@N, I join you in that YAY!!!!
And re: the gift card issue in general, I only rarely get them as gifts, and the only gift cards I buy regularly for myself are the ones I get from our Rescue Mission/Thrifty Shopper chain at $100 value for $75. These, of course, always get spent promptly. 😀
@Kristen, HUZZAH!
@Kristen, that's awesome planning.
We certainly appreciated the cooler/less humid weather yesterday when we (finally) began getting our garden in!
*The tractor our neighbor uses to work up our large garden died in the middle of our garden yesterday. He couldn't get it to start and headed home to get a mechanic (expensive!) to come out. My husband decided to look for advice on the internet (much less expensive!) and figured out it was just a fuse which our neighbor already had. Quick and cheap fix.
*We are using seeds we've saved for part of our garden. We are also planting several tomato plants my friend gave me; they were extras she'd grown from seed. That one is her frugal win 🙂
*Instead of an expensive watering system (or even just a sprinkler), we fill milk jugs with water to use on our garden. Our outside water source is our un-treated well water (softener for inside use), and it would ruin any sprinkler fairly quickly.
*We're trying to use up what we have in the freezer. Our daughter used some frozen shredded zucchini for zucchini bread for potluck.
*We didn't buy any alcoholic drinks at my high school reunion. (One a whole, this reunion was not a frugal experience, but I enjoyed seeing old friends and acquaintances.)
@Jody S, maybe you could consider the reunion frugal because you saw so many old friends at the same time instead of meeting each one individually for coffee. You saved time AND money. 😎
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I think that is EXACTLY how we need to frame it 🙂
Eight Frugal Things, Moving Stuff Outa Here and Eating My Weeds Edition (updated/condensed from the most recent Five Tiny Frugal Things and Five Frugal Things at the NCA):
(1) While Grad School BFF was here, we took another load of stuff to my young friend with the secondhand-housewares shop in the ‘burbs, and we included some of DH’s more picturesque tools. (The shop owner likes to keep some tools and other “manly” stuff around for the benefit of those who aren’t interested in kitchenalia.) She bought two of the tools, plus almost all of the two boxes of cooking/gardening books I’d brought. Another $75 into the till.
(2) DH’s and my friend who occasionally helps me with minor problems around the house paid a call last week. He also took another look around the garage and found most of a Prius trunkload of things he said he could use. (He accepts no other form of compensation for his efforts, and both he and I are happy so far with this arrangement.)
(3) My yard man/snowblowing wizard was here twice, likewise looked around, and likewise took some more stuff. He’s not as much into barter as my friend in #2, but I let him have the stuff for *extremely* reasonable prices.
(4) The local peace-and-justice group is having a garage sale on June 15, to which I have donated yet more stuff (more things from the garage, plus some housewares that my friend in #1 didn’t want).
(5) And I’m also continuing to work on the pile of donations I plan to make to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The ReStore has tightened up its donation criteria recently, but I still think it’ll accept some of DH’s remaining tools and equipment.
(6) I found a dollar bill and two quarters on one bottlepicking walk, and a dime just this morning. The first found change of June!
(6) So far, I've twice collected greens for early summer stir-fries. To some of the spinach I’ve been growing in my old Easy Washer tub (covered with a fire pit lid to keep Bambi out of it), I’ve added purslane, lamb’s quarters, and redroot pigweed. Each stir-fry has also included a small amount of boneless pork I picked up Reduced for Quick Sale at Price Chopper, some of my self-seeding scallions, a carrot, and some mushrooms that needed to be used up. Eat your weeds, folks!
(7) After a hot dry spell last week, the weather here in Central NY has turned cool, dank, and rainy for the last few days. I don’t mind, because (a) the gardens can certainly use the rain, and (b) I’ve been able to shut off the electricity-gobbling AC.
(8) And I’ve been experimenting with using up the half bottle of kefir that Grad School BFF left behind (she’s into probiotics). I tried using it as a buttermilk substitute in the strawberry pancakes I made Sunday morning (local strawberries are in), and although I think I’d thin it with some water next time, I certainly intend to keep trying.
@A. Marie, Ugh, pigweed. That was my weed nemesis in New York. Here, it's bindweed. At least pigweed is edible, I guess.
@kristin @ going country,
In Florida, the weed nemesis in Dollar Weed. It is edible, but I’m scared to eat mine. So many chemicals are used here to control weeds and bugs.
@A. Marie, Habitat Restore used to offer free pick up of donations, you should ask if they still do offer this service.
@kristin @ going country, I don't think I'd eat bindweed, either. But redroot pigweed (which is actually wild amaranth) is not only perfectly edible, but high in nutritional value. The late Euell Gibbons had tests run on both pigweed and lamb's quarters, and proclaimed them to be nutritionally way ahead of most cultivated greens.
And @Bee, you're quite right to be wary of eating any weeds that may have been chemically treated. But I only eat weeds out of my own pesticide-free gardens. (In fact, of the 30 households on our street, only 2 that I know of use lawn chemicals, and both of those are far enough away from my yard that I'm not worried about pesticide drift.)
@Regina, our local ReStore now charges a gas fee for donation pickup--and in any case, with the recent changes in their donation criteria, I don't think I've got enough stuff for them to justify a house call. So I'll be taking an Element-load down to the ReStore in the next week or so.
@A. Marie,
I use very little, but the people on either side of me have their yards sprayed. I have had some interesting things happen when trying to garden organically. I tried fish emulsion once and the raccoons dig up my flower beds at night!
1. I purchased a Lyft gift card on Amazon $100 for $85 and used the Amazon cc, so 5% off that.
2. My Mom and I flew using my Southwest points.
3. Free gardens. The gorgeous rose garden near Hartford is in full bloom. We went yesterday.
4. By luck our rental car has CT plates, so it's free to park in the state parks. They charge for out of state license plates.
5. We happened on a Free Mansion tour. We visited Harkness Park Sunday for the gardens and saw a sign for free tours. I've been going there for over 30 years and never got to see the mansion, it's usually only open for private events, so I was thrilled to tour inside.
6. A week alone with my 85 year old Mom, priceless.
WOW on the gift cards. They never last long in our house. Altho my lead gave me a gift card for The Cheesecake Factory at Christmas and I don't have one close by (or even in this state) so it is not spent yet.
Went to Aldi's the other day and I needed some boneless chicken thighs. I grabbed the usual pack, but then saw larger packs for 50% off. My husband convinced me to at least get 2 packs - he really wanted me to get all of the packs, but I just don't eat enough thighs to quantify that purchase. I prefer chicken breasts, but he likes the dark meat. We sorted them and put them in the freezer right away.
We have been eating at home. My husband also stopped drinking coffee, so I don't make as much anymore for myself and limit myself to 2 cups.
I have also been eating leftovers for my lunches.
Decided not to go to my brother in law's second wedding this Friday, 1. because I don't really have the time off from work and 2. we won't have to put the dog in the kennel for the day. So only my husband (his brother) will attend from our family.
@Maureen, if you prefer to trade in the gift card for somewhere near you, I've sold gift cards before with success on Raise.com, and then you can also buy a gift card (at a discount) for somewhere you might use (or, keep the money from the sale).
@Maureen, you can order Cheesecake factory online & have delivered (in cold pack box). My dad's partner received box for Mother's day.
@Hawaii Planner, thanks for the tip. I've never heard of Raise.com.
@Hawaii Planner,
I have used Raise.com several times in the past to buy gift cards - which I then use to make a needed online purchase (I also search for promo codes, take advantage of sales, etc). It's helped save additional $ here and there.
--Our big truck broke down at the hay place (90 miles away) after my husband had filled it with hay. After getting it towed to the city mechanic and finding they won't be able to even look at it for weeks, my husband decided to have it towed to the mechanic in our county. The wrecker guy actually went back to the hay place so my husband could re-load all the hay and then towed the truck with the hay back. This saved us SO much time and driving. God bless the wrecker man.
--Because we had it towed to near us--which is not near anywhere else--our insurance didn't cover the entire cost, but they did cover 75% of it. And it's worth it to not have to figure out getting back to the city to deal with it.
--This all happened four days before our scheduled car insurance switch. I have used USAA for many years, but it is so incredibly expensive now. Using Progressive will save $$$$. I hope it's as easy to deal with when things like this happen.
--I bought two coconuts at the grocery store because my kids had never had fresh coconut and really wanted to try it. They didn't care much for the flesh by itself, so I made coconut milk with the rest of it (which they loved), and then used the strained blended flesh (coconut flour) to make cookies. Kind of odd, cakey cookies in my opinion, but they're getting eaten anyway because they have chocolate chips in them. 🙂
--Husband and two sons started work yesterday at a ranch down the hill, eldest for his summer job there as an all-purpose ranch hand, husband and middle son doing some stone work on a historic stone corral there. Their lunches were cold hamburger sandwiches made with some of the bull meat we ground this weekend, and those coconut flour cookies. Today they will have leftover pizza from dinner a couple of nights ago. I will end up buying lunch meat so they can make sandwiches, but I haven't been to the store yet. Once again, living so far our is often unintentionally frugal.
@kristin @ going country, I hear you on USAA - will be interested in any observations you may have down the line about the switch! USAA has just been so good on the customer service/insurance payout side, when we've needed it, in contrast with other insurance companies, so we've been sticking with them..
And, impressive work finding ways to use the coconuts! I remember bringing a coconut to a friend's house one day because the kids all wanted to try some, and it was such a pain to get open, and so shriveled and unappetizing when we did get it open, that all the kids lost interest (and I confess I gave up and tossed it after using only a tiny amount).
@kristin @ going country, I am also shopping insurance. I have been with USAA for well over 30 years. Besides becoming extremely expensive,
I had a terrible experience with them when I had my fender bender two years ago. They made multiple errors in the claim process - such as using the wrong parts in the estimate, math errors (adding incorrectly), and not adhering to the terms of their insurance contract to name a few. It was so, so stressful! Like so many wonderful companies, they aren’t what they used to be. Time to move on…
@kristin @ going country,
Joining the leaving USAA bandwagon. My husband was with them over 20 years, never a claim or anything but the constant increasing of prices was beyond ridiculous. Back in the day they were the cheapest, now the are the most expensive. We priced several recently, they were the most expensive by a long shot and we moved to progressive.
@kristin @ going country, Ooof, all our insurance is through USAA. DH has yet to mention the rates going up.
@kristin @ going country, I think insurance hikes are across the board. Our insurance sent a letter detailing the reasons. Last year (?) my father decided to shop around and landed on Progressive. It was SO much cheaper, so he switched. And about 2 weeks later, he got a note about it going up because there was a young driver in our house (my eldest son who doesn't drive my father's vehicle). They knew about it before he switched, but didn't tell him until after he switched. He promptly switched back.
@Jody S, Funny about the insurance rates. Well...odd, not funny. We used Farmers for 50 years. Top notch customer service; covered some claims that I was afraid they wouldn't. Even gave us $20,000 when my husband was injured in a wreck when our son was driving. We didn't even know to ask about the $20k.
However, our 2 grandsons under age 25 are living with us. Liability only on 2 beaters - neither of which the boys drive - had gone up to about $10,000 per year. Our son suggested we call USAA for a quote. Same coverage for over $4,000 less.
I'm one of those people that "saves" gift cards for special times that never seem to come around. I probably have more than that average. It's a habit I am trying to break away from.
1) requested the next 2 seasons of the series I am watching from the library instead of paying for streaming
2) taking a couple free on-line courses...yay for free knowledge/resources
3) we are eating through some of our canned goods we didn't get through over the winter. there is no way we will be paying for new jars when we have so many and they are so stinking expensive these days
4) got the 5lbs of asparagus I need for asparagus soup on Dollar Deal day at a local store instead of the farmers market ($3/lb instead of $7.50)
5) got some cream and butter on the flashfood app. If I can scrounge freezer space, both can be frozen for when we need it.
@Jaime, Try looking at thrift stores and estate sales for canning jars. We've had good luck at Goodwill, and also at estate sales where the deceased was a homemaker and/or gardener.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
My local thrift stores (GW, St Vincent de Paul) sell canning jars for $1.99 or more per jar - which is okay if you only want one or two jars, but not very cost effective if you're doing a lot of canning. I have had some luck on our Buy Nothing group (canning jars go quick), and have heard estate sales and yard sales can be a great place to find them.
I'm in the minority of people who never have gift cards. When my kids would get them as gifts, I would "buy" them from them for cold, hard cash to save us from having to make random trips to places they didn't shop, or worse, having the cards just get lost. Then I used them right away, storing them next to my credit card so I wouldn't forget I had them. BTW, that soup looks amazing, as well as the dipping bread! Frugal things for me:
*continuing to eat out no more than once a week, usually a lunch
*took my newer set of hearing aids in for repair (should be covered 100%) and the nice person cleaned my old ones, put new batteries and filters in, and handed me a FULL box of batteries.
*Middle son gave me an HEB employee/family discount card and I have noticed I am consistently saving a few bucks on each grocery bill. It only applies to store brands, but that's usually what I grab anyway.
*reinforced the straps on a grocery shopping bag with my trusty sewing machine.
*continuing the read my way through my thrift store novels, and may go buy some more this week. At $2 a book, I can leisurely take my time with them and donate them to our lending library at work when I am done.
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
Wow! If you get a discount from HEB, you are doing good. In recent years, they seem only second to Brookshires as to the high prices of groceries. I've switched to Aldi and Drug Emporium and Walmart.
If you are in an area served by Heart of Texas Goodwill, and if you have kids from infants to 12th grade (high school seniors who have NOT yet graduated), run by one of their stores on a Friday. They are giving one free book per kid per store. And, of course, their regular prices of books are usually about a couple of bucks anyway. If you donate something to GW, ask for a coupon, or if you have a Locals Love Us book, there's a GW coupon in the back; either way, the coupon is good for 20% off any donated merch. I think all of their books are donated, so.....
@Gina from The Cannary Family, I too have kids come to me with gift cards they receive & (most of time) buy them for $cash$ & use in my shopping. Add giftcards to my online account/app or in my wallet also.
@Gina from The Cannary Family, Whenever we visit our DS2 and his family in Austin I love stopping into HEB to shop. Cool story behind them.
@Fru-gal Lisa, And today I also heard that Once Upon A Child (this is the name of a store) has a similar book giveaway. I haven't checked it out, but the mom who told me about it said she thinks theirs is also on Fridays.
I searched the premises just the other day for any wandering giftcards but there were none to be found. I did greatly enjoy spending the $20 one for Wegman's that I received recently on things that Aldi doesn't normally carry. I never go to Wegman's anymore because it's 1) expensive, 2) full of stuff that's not food, and 3) absolutely packed with people! But 5 more things...
1) Enjoying my library books immensely 🙂 and submitted a purchase request to them for the next book in A Useful Woman series, the new name for the Rosalind Thorne Mystery series. I'm sure they have it on their purchase radar anyway and this way they put it on hold for me when it is processed.
2) Bought a pair of Arizona Birkenstocks from Thredup for $58 rather than $120. This pair was new, unworn, bright pink with white soles, probably purchased last year for someone thinking they'd wear them to the Barbie movie and changed their mind. I've gotten so many compliments on them and I just LOVE my new Birks! I've been a solid Birks wearer for the past 25 years. Also got a beautiful long sleeved LL Bean pima cotton tshirt for $7, and a pair of LL Bean vintage jeans for $15.
3) Sometimes difficult to remember that this is a frugal move, but always cook everything we eat or drink. Enjoying my lovely cup of Irish tea as I type this. I enjoy cooking, and have some medical issues to eat around (no gallbladder so very low fat & rosacea for me, and gout for my husband). Baked chocolate cookies yesterday for the family to enjoy (none for me though).
4) Planning a future trip to Europe (yes, expensive, but still frugal). Fly on points. Stay in holiday lets or inns depending on what's available. Trains for transport. Self-planned & guided, or free walking tours of everywhere. The planning is at least 1/2 the fun for me on any trip 🙂
5) Had to get some things at Giant (again that Aldi doesn't have). After using all the store coupons/manufacturer's coupons/rewards card offers (all digital--love it!), my bill went from $35 to $22, then used a bag of coins that my husband had stashed, & more cash from a double money back return on some produce, so only had to spend an additional $18 rather than whip out the apple pay and thoughtlessly put the whole thing on a card (which gets paid off every month anyway).
And although they're not precisely frugal, we're greatly enjoying our little kittens! The brothers are 3.5 months now, and either full of energy or absolutely exhausted 🙂
@Beth, no such thing as a "free cat", but nothing beats kittens for entertainment!
Frugal!
I have also been using up some gift cards from Xmas.
I found a shirt my husband needed for reffing for 30 percent off of nine dollars and free shipping.
Paying a medical bill in full to get 15 percent off. ( always ask).
Organized both freezers. Have been really working on “ eating freezers down” and grocery bill has been slightly lower.
What a find on the gift cards!
1. I went with Mr. B to his work conference, so a three day vacation is costing us gas and food and that's it. Massive thanks to my mom for babysitting.
2. We brought some basics with us, so we're only buying dinner out.
3. I am plugging away at my (belated) wedding reception dress and managed to squeeze out the bodice pieces from fabric I already had. It was some impressive patchwork, if I do say so myself!
4. I thrifted cloth napkins for our reception. Shockingly cheaper than renting, and I'll try to sell them on after.
5. I went to a free work social at an arcade. I wouldn't pay for it, but it was fun to try it out!
This June weather has been great! Can't believe all the low humidity days so far. I know it will end soon 🙂
Frugal things:
1. Cheap swim lessons. A friend was looking for swim lessons, her friend is qualified, I offered my pool as a location and asked if a couple of my kids can also have lessons. She's only charging $10/half hour, private 1 on 1 lesson which is a steal!! Plus I don't even have to drive anywhere
2. Packed a supper last night when we had to go straight from appointments to a camp. Actually I didn't really have an option even for fast food as I wasn't passing any restaurants but I'm still counting it, hehe.
3. The camp we're doing each night this week is only $25/kid and it's an outdoor, obstacle race style camp that is run by a family from our kids school, at someone's house. Fun and a lot of exercise.
4. Our neighbor is once again cutting and baling our hay field, which is about 3 acres. We don't have the equipment to do that, and it's more cost effective to pay him to do it for us. We will use a lot of the hay, and sell any extra bales.
5. Went through clothes my kids have outgrown and have a pile to consign. Now I just have to follow through on actually consigning it...
Kristen,
That's wonderful that you found that many gift cards to use! I know you'll put them to good use!
Yay for the gift cards! And for the free concert:)
Also I noticed that I have been pretty good about packing my lunches/snacks and drinks when running out and about since reading this blog. If it's just me by myself or the two boys with me. Sometimes we stop for a bite, but I noticed I have gotten a lot better and the kids do not whine about eating before we leave to go somewhere or about packing our food. I do think that is a really good habit to get into. And my oldest had no problem getting himself up in the mornings and packing a lunch/snacks for himself for drivers ed this summer.
Wow, nice find on the gift cards! I don't get a lot of them, but when I do, I immediately put them in front of my credit card in my wallet so I don't forget about them.
1. Found an adult shirt and kids’ shorts in the park. Since they’d been there for more than a week, I brought them home, laundered them and gave them away.
2. My sister gave us several food items that she wasn’t using.
3. Our niece gave us a concoction she made and disliked. It was protein cottage cheese cookie dough that is meant to be eaten raw. I love traditional cookie dough but not this. I wanted to save this concoction from going to waste so I made it into “real” cookies by adding baking soda, eggs, oats, walnuts, and dried cranberries.
4. Our niece also gave us various leftover dried fruit from her kindergarten classroom. They were in miniature bags so I opened them all and put the contents in glass jars for our mason jar pantry. My love of free food is eternal.
5. Took a book from my neighborhood’s Little Free Library that has been on my reading list. Will return after reading it along with some other books that I have to donate.
Glad you mentioned the gift cards! I looked in my old purse and had 2 of them stashed away, given to me as a thank-you for substitute teaching. I can get a free drink from one place and a free taco from another. And, you are sooooo lucky not to have humidity. I about died, the humidity was so bad yesterday.
1. Used a bogo coupon at a restaurant and was able to treat my cleaning lady/friend and myself to a meal. She hadn't been to that place before and loved it! I can't pay her a lot of money so I'm always looking for ways to help/treat/tip her.
2. En route from the eatery to her apartment, we saw a sign that said "free food." It was from the local food bank; they had set up a distribution place on a parking lot. I drove in to the place and my cleaning lady was able to get free groceries. I felt sorta funny doing that bc I have a rather new(-to-me) car and I remembered the time that Pres. Reagan was talking about welfare queens driving Cadillacs (no, I don't have a Caddy) to get handouts. Hope no one thought that about me! But I explained it was for M. and that she doesn't have a vehicle, and they were happy to help her. My friend got blessed with a huge amount of chicken, pork, vegetables, and a big bag of apples --- and it didn't cost me anything more.
3. Filled up some gallon jugs with water and placed them in my freezer to help lower my electric bill.
4. Was able to harvest some tomatoes! This past winter, I'd bought the "Sinfully Sweet" tomatoes from Walmart that are so good. One got wrinkly before I ate it so I tossed it into the compost. A plant came up from the seeds! It's gotten huge and had lots of blossoms. Most turned into tomatoes and some are now red! Delicious! It's the first veggies I've ever grown and harvested.
Oh, and before the tomatoes turned red, I put a red Xmas tree ball ornament on a branch so that if birds peck it, they will conclude that these tomatoes aren't very good -- and hopefully steer clear of them. This week, I hung a couple of old compact discs above the plant to scare off the birds. The reflected iridescent colors are supposed to ward them off.
5. Bought a flower pot of aloe vera from a ministry, and found there were two big plants in it. Got out two empty, matching patio planters from the garage. I filled them from bottom to top: 1/4 with fallen leaves (to take up space), 1/4 with old dirt I'd stored, and the upper half with good potting soil, compost, and the soil from the flower pot; then I transplanted one aloe vera into each planter. I now have a nice pair of plants for the front porch. They are large already but will no doubt get to be really big.
Also transplanted the coleus and basil I'd bought from a local farmer, a spider plant from the ministry, and some purple "wandering jew" from my yard; these all went into another patio planter. This planter will stay on the covered patio/back porch. I'm told the scent of basil will help ward off mosquitoes; even if it doesn't work, the basil smells real nice.
@Fru-gal Lisa, We did do free food box(es) delivery for people we know that don't have transportation (easier than picking up (multiple) person/people to go wait in line) & I always felt like I had to explain my why I'm in line with a nice vehicle. After awhile they remembered & I didn't feel I had to explain. I have added & removed people over the years & are down to 2 (next door to each other) & I only do once month when I don't have other immediate responsibilities need to do.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I will be interested to know if your red Christmas ornament fools the birds.
@Fru-gal Lisa, Same here re feedback on the xmas ornament! The birds just love to take a bite out of each of our tomatoes.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Well, we had some rain and strong wind and the ornament broke. I put a large piece of it in the dirt, red facing up....but I haven't seen any birds. Not sure why that is, and whether or not the DIY "scarecrows" factor in to this. So I really don't have an answer for you.
@Erika JS, make sure you have water near bye for the birds. Usually they are looking for water.
An outdoor concert and picnic sounds lovely, I will put one on the calendar for myself as well 🙂
1. A friend is clearing some overgrown plants in her garden, and I was able to dig up some hostas and hellebores to bring home to my own garden.
2. This same friend and I share books between the two of us, so I took home a few new books to read.
3. To celebrate last day of middle school, we put together a meal of both takeout and home cooked, which was cheaper than going out to eat altogether (we had offered a meal out to celebrate but my boys preferred staying in).
4. My husband and I enjoy going biking together, and although we do go out to eat or to concerts occasionally, you're more likely to find us on a more frugal and healthy "bike date".
5. For an outing with friends, played a game of croquet and had a picnic together, more frugal also than eating out.
Bonus, checked my Safeway app for digital savings and ended up saving quite a lot with digital coupons. I hate walking around holding a phone in the grocery store to scan products, but the savings really added up this time. I'm not organized enough to do it always beforehand.
The outdoors symphony looks so much fun!
This week wasn't very frugal, but this is what I can think of:
1. I went on a trip with work and all expenses, including air travel, were included.
2. I needed to take a train and split my ticket which made it cheaper than paying for the full fare. Kind of a moot point as I found out my workplace is covering it but I guess it's frugal for them.
3. I found 'new' clothes in a charity shop.
4. I bought a dvd player. I got teased for this but I'm tired of my shows being taken off streaming and only using some services for one or two shows which I already have on dvd!
5. I borrowed a book from the library and remembered to return one so didn't get a fine.
@Sophie in Denmark, I also got a 'free' drink from Starbucks by filling up stamps on a card. Not totally frugal because you have to buy the drinks to get the stamps, but it was mostly filled out by my sister who gave it to me.
@Sophie in Denmark,
I'm with you on the DVDs and am doing the same by getting the DVDs from the library. The blu-ray player broke though. Luckly I can put the DVDs in the Xbox but when that goes out the who knows...will I even be able to find a DVD player used?
@Jaime, I got a portable dvd player. All kinds of mad that my laptop doesn't play them!
I do like streaming for if I want to just watch something once, but I hate that you can't own a version of it. And I like physical media in general.
@Jaime, DVD players are a dime a dozen so to speak at the thrift store. We always find them.
@Jaime, My favorite thrift store has a huge selection of DVDs for $1 each. Sometimes they have a half-off sale. Also, garage sales are a good source. We don't have streaming or cable, but over the years we've collected a large amount of DVDs, most of which we watch more than once. For my birthday, I told my son that I'd like to have the complete series of "The Middle". I watch it over and over.
- This past week my strawberry patch went bonkers. One day my kids and I picked nearly 3.5lbs of berries! We couldn’t eat all of them so I made strawberry ice cream, strawberry popsicles, strawberry muffins, and froze the rest of the berries in various forms.
- More garden … I’ve been using kale from my garden for dinner veggies. We also still have a lot of lettuce and I am enjoying watching my son go out and pick fresh lettuce to put on his burgers.
- We are looking into getting a rescued puppy (which is clearly not frugal), but I am very glad to have kept our old dog crate for puppy training. My 9yo dog hadn’t needed it in several years, so I’m glad I kept it!
- We wanted some “out” food this week and used the A la Carte menu to spend significantly less than the entrees.
@JenRR, Cheers to you for wanting a rescue dog! We did that for our son when he was 15 years old. Started my life-long love affair with Beagles.
Pets aren't cheap, but they can make life so much more enjoyable. I think they're worth it.
You FOUND UNUSED GIFT CARDS?? Maybe gift cards fall under the category of bonus ways to live frugally in your area. I have one unused gift card for a restaurant 35 miles away. It might be too old to redeem now.
What book were you reading?
It is a joy to see how relaxed you are now that you are free of legal hassles and out of school.
We had guests for half of the week, so it wasn't a particularly frugal week. A few wins:
1) We menu planned, and ate all of our dinners at home. (We did a couple of lunches out, including a graduation lunch for DS18.)
2) I made chicken fajitas one night, which starred our home grown green peppers, as well as guacamole, made from jalapenos & cilantro from the garden.
3) I packed lunch & lots of electrolyte water for DS18, who was on call this week for summer camp, and is filling in. They are outside all day in the 80 degree weather, so he needs the electrolytes. Bonus, I picked up the Gatorade Zero as a Friday Freebie at the local grocery store.
4) We are eating leftovers this week, as we didn't get through all of the food we made for dinners.
5) We drove to Half Moon Bay on Friday (my parents had never been) & had lunch there, but the rest of the time was close by: the graduation ceremony, hanging out by the pool, and lots of games of corn hole.
• I used a loaf of going-stale-sourdough to teach my son how to make bread pudding.
• We went to Costco close to closing time meaning we didn’t have time to wander and make impulse buys.
• My son has games out of town that happen around dinner time. As much as he asks for dinner from a drive through after each game I dutifully pack sandwiches, fruit, and veggies for him to eat in the car on the way home.
• I made sure to sign my son up for the summer camp that comes free of charge with his yearly sport registration.
• The grocery store had a few BOGO deals for items on my list. I promptly put the extra items in the freezer.
• Lots of the usual: leftovers for lunch, coffee at home, books from the library, taking care of the things we already own.
I have an almost absurd number of gift cards sitting in my purse. I’ve been trying to use them but so many were gifts for places that are just too far out of the way. Maybe this should be the summer of the gift card?
A very unfrugal thing that I did, wonder if any of you brilliant people can help me here? My son had sent me a very generous e gift card to my favorite nursery and I saved it to my flagged email for a special purchase I had in mind. While on vacation, I purged my (5,000+) emails and lost the gift card. I can’t seem to retrieve it, and I am so angry with myself. Is there any way to retrieve it?
Another unfrugal thing, but totally worth it, renting a lake house for 2 weeks with my daughter and family. Expensive, but it’s vacation, so whatever. Spent an exorbitant amount on groceries and other sundries. Went out to dinner last night for my birthday, a rare treat as we always prefer to eat in, but the meal and the atmosphere was great. Some weeks just aren’t frugal. Trust me, I will make up for it when we resume our frugal ways next week!
@Brenda D, I would first ask your son to check to see if he still has his original email sent to you & resend. If not, in search bar (in email) type son email to see if comes up. If does, immediately put into in box or archive. If still can't find, maybe son can contact nursery & see if can resend or get copy of digital e giftcard. Good luck. 🙂
@Brenda D, My son deleted his email to a restaurant one I gave him and I gave the restaurant the purchase date & my email. They were able to find the gift card and the balance it had. Sure worth asking.
I've only been part of the unused gift card statists when Covid19 happened (& after when restaurant started opening for take out only) when I was told gift cards no longer valid (had no expiration dates on anything), so I have $350 (ouch) unused giftcards couldn't use. Now I try to put into accounts/apps & put in my wallet & reminders to use on fridge (& phone if has expiration dates).
Frugal things---
● bought large lavendar plants (found cheaper price/same size) when got some groceries at Meijer,
● spent $100 at Meijer & recieved $10 cash (was supposed to be coupon off next purchase but did not print)
● found some more (yellow) clearance flowers
● went to free event/car show with teen (who wanted to go) & didn't purchase anything, though looked. 🙂
● My Lowe's rewards allows you to add receipts (from up to 90 days) that were not added to rewards. I need to find out how to use in store (where is not adding purchases/only online).
● cashed in some (Meijer) rewards & teen got (2) free any size slushies last week. Apparently Fruit Loops slushie is better when melted. 😉
● picked up drink/milkshake mixer/stand (half off color) $3. Even though plastic (already have metal one) the mixer spindle alone is more than $3 that I can use in either mixer. 🙂
Frugal fail---
● teen wanted new Lego (& found at one Meijer) on clearance, but decided to wait, now decided to get & other Meijer are not on clearance so ordered Lego.com (full price + additional individual pieces ordered & no bonus Lego) & I (had to go out of town again) stopped at Meijer where Lego (stiil) on clearance ($7 off).
@Regina,
Do you scan the Lowes receipt in the app to get rewards points? I recently bought something at Lowes, and they couldn't find my rewards account.
@Liz B., Go to orders/purchases & find/Add in store purchase. Add your receipt info (I have not added yet, have to get receipts out to add tomorrow).
@Regina,
Thank you!
We made iced coffee using our moka pot for espresso.
I saved chicken bones to make broth later.
I bought one serving of baby puree. I was able to test if our daughter liked spinach before spending time and money making spinach/pea puree--only to find out that she won't eat spinach.
I am waiting for prime day to buy the next carseat for our daughter. (Last year a bunch of car seats were on sale so I'm sure I'll be able to find something safe.)
Lots of leftovers were consumed.
So I just use foil on my watermelon halves. Is the silicone that much better?
Here's my decidedly bland FFF.
1. My wife's cell phone broke its screen. Well our daughter knocked it over onto a concrete floor and the case didn't protect it. Local places wanted $120 minimum to fix it. I did it for $20 with eBay parts.
2. Listing a bunch more stuff on eBay. This is kind of a side job at this point. I don't like it but it's getting rid of stuff for me and my brother.
3. Avoiding the urge to go to restaurants. We have plenty of time to do that in the summer so I am skipping it for now.
4. Sadly our air fryer was lost in a tragic fall off the counter and I was unable to repair it due to lack of parts. We ordered the ATK winning one but a Scratch and Dent model so hopefully that works out well for us.
5. I've not booked that luxury trip around the world yet. We have booked some fun things to do this summer at least.
Hey!! I kid you not, I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering how you'd been...it's been a bit since we heard from you.
Good job on the cell phone repair! Your tech guy skills are coming in handy.
@Battra92, I too am glad you've checked in. Long time no hear from, and so on. (And I haven't booked a round-the-world cruise, either. My utmost ambition for travel this year is to make it to the JASNA national conference in Cleveland in October.)
And, Kristen, I'm also getting concerned about JD. I don't think we've heard from her since she posted about her husband's hyperglycemia getting so bad, and I'm starting to worry.
@Kristen, yeah we've sadly had a bit of a sick house lately and work has been a bit nutso. Plus there's end of school year and prepping for vacation sort of stuff going on. 🙂
I read but don't always comment.
1. My husband picked up a Lego robotics kit from Buy Nothing for our son. I picked up a bag of veggie straws off Buy Nothing for my daughter.
2. My husband bought some meat on sale for our deep freezer.
3. A parent of one of my son's baseball teammates owns a theater. He hosted a movie at the theater for my son's baseball team. He gave my husband and I 2 free tickets to return for a show there.
4. I used some leftover plain Greek yogurt to make a sauce for my lunches this week.
5. I am making an apple crisp as my birthday "cake" rather than purchasing a cake from the store.
Thank you, Kristen, for reminding me to use the three gift cards that have been languishing in my office desktop organizer. A friend of my dad's gives me $100 every year to maintain his brother and great nephew's graves and I forever forget to use them.
We are getting ready for a huge family camp out, so I am baking, food prepping (marinating). We spend the entire day on the boat fishing and then come into camp exhausted and need easy meals.
I trimmed my curly willow trees and was able to sell them to local florists. I also sold 8 bunches ea of veronica, peonies and alstromeria. I won't be home to enjoy them, plus I made enough money to get me halfway to our destination (1100 mi)!
I harvested my first tea leaves, will roast them tonight and take them camping for sun tea.
I washed up my new to me rain pants and put new boot liners into the fishing boots that fit me perfectly that my nephew out grew.
Was pleasantly surprised when I filled out paperwork for my brother's estate and we received a great deal of money from his long forgotten retirement accounts. I am using an itty bit of it to pay for the boat diesel, camping site and daily bits, he dearly loved this fishing trip. The rest will go into the trust for the kid's future.
The other day I was chided by a friend when I got snarly about a local restaurant's GF pizza charge of 75% more than regular pizza. Her belief is 'big deal' spend the $20 and enjoy the outing. I enjoyed the outing, drinking water and visiting.
She is childless and I explained that I am a steward of my investments and am trying to build generational wealth so that my Grandfather's hard work will continue to grow. Two of three of his kids have led big lives and the inheritance is gone. My dad taught me that financial goals begin the minute you make your first dollar. I started my investment account when I was 15.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, last paragraph is very impressive.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl,
I applaud your frugal efforts, and trying to build generational wealth. My mom won't likely have much left when she passes - I'm okay with that - she and my dad made a lot of bad financial decisions.
Also, I'm not GF, but I'd be super annoyed if a GF pizza cost that much more.
@Liz B.,
Meaning, if I *needed* to be GF, and the pizza was so much more expensive.
1. All meals at home! For me this means meal planning, prepping and batch cooking on the weekend. But it also means we are eating healthy meals and spending far less. Plus I enjoy my cooking better than eating at a restaurant.
2. Taking advantage of a $5 parkour class for my son to see if he enjoys it before signing up for a string of classes.
3. Used $12 in rewards at CVS to get my son some bug spray for Cub Scout Day Camp & some hair pics for myself - these are helpful for those of us with curls. Out of pocket cost - $0.
4. Found many perennial plants on the clearance rack at my local garden supply store. Some were as much as 75% off! Brought them home, planted and watered them and they are coming up beautifully.
5. Combining errands to save gas, taking snacks and drinks along to visit my sister's pool, used some free to us wood to create a decorative towel hanging rack for my son's bathroom, cleaning out our chest freezer and cooking the contents to make room for July 4th meat sales, signed up for a free photo session with my family and dogs, bought some decorative items at Goodwill for an upcoming baby shower I am hosting.
@Angie,
I love finding perennials on clearance! I could kick myself for passing up two 50% off peonies last week....they were very healthy and large. Sigh. It's always the ones that got away....;-)
Just normal frugal living (not eating out, not spending on cosmetic improvements, using the library, eating leftovers, etc.)
It was my annual friends reunion at a cabin near a mountain lake. This year:
1. We did not succumb to the temptation of visiting the "Snack Shack" for their milkshakes.
2. I bought no souvenirs (never do, since I don't like words on my clothes).
3. We figured out what was wrong with the BBQ, cleaned it, filled the propane bottle, and it lit immediately without having to buy any parts, call someone to help, or buy a new one. (My friend rents her cabin and the renters expect a working BBQ).
(We won't be discussing the fact that I finally bought a lifetime pass to the national parks or how much gas it took to get to the cabin and back or what I spent on steaks for the night that I BBQ'd them for dinner.)
But the home-BBQed steaks are probably still less expensive than a steak dinner out!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I'm finally at the age requirement where I can buy my lifetime pass to our national parks....going on my to-do list! A state park that's very close to me sells them, so lovely day trip birding + buying pass for the win!
1. I didn't buy groceries or anything else last week.
2. I have been eating what I have and trying to clear out the freezer for a good cleaning, which I try to do every summer and winter.
3. I am basically off work for the summer, but still doing a few surveys here and there to earn a little money.
4. I have started decluttering my home and getting ready to try and sell whatever can be sold.
5. I used a $5 store credit on a small grocery purchase yesterday.
I wish the Commentariat would stop praising one another for removing social media.
1. THIS IS SOCIAL MEDIA. You are commenting here.
2. SOME OF US NEED SOCIAL MEDIA. We're weirdos and we're lonely and we need our online friends.
3. It's just not something that's praiseworthy except in some Puritan context where removing enjoyable things makes you even more saintly than before. If social media is stressing you so much, YOU are the problem, not social media.
4. I made a quiche yesterday solely with ingredients around the house. My kids loved it. I AM FRUGAL QUEEN.
I'm gonna gently push back (with love!) on this with the same logic you are using: if reading that other people are removing social media is bothering you, there might be something going on in your corner, not in the corner of people removing social media.
(which, in common usage, refers to apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, etc.)
If other people find themselves happier and more focused without social media apps on their phones, then that is a good, solid choice for them. I do know there there is some research data about the effect that social media has on people's brains, so I would hesitate to say this goes in a "You are the problem" category.
But at the same time: if someone is able to have social media on their phones without negative effects, more power to them! I think you can make the choice that is good for you as a whole grown adult, and it doesn't need to be the same choice as others.
And if someone finds the social interactions here helpful, but not the experience of being on Facebook, I think that's also a valid choice. Not all socialization on the internet is created equal, as we all know if we read comment sections on news sites (!!)
@Kristen, It doesn't bother me if someone dumps social media; what bothers me is the implication that social media is inherently bad. If I quit smoking, great! Praise me! Smoking is inherently bad. Social media is not.
Regarding commentary on the Internet: um....as I've said before, I've been on social media since 1986 or so. I once had an entire computer network taken down because I was so meeeeean (aka truthful) on it. (A friend of mine sent me an engraved plaque commemorating it.) I was a very prominent blogger for quite some time, with my name on a Hamptons Power List quiz. Yet I was in charge of moderating the comments. Any that were sexist/racist/etc I deleted, but I kept the ones critical of me. Fortunately I have a thick skin and now and then I think about one comment telling me to take down my picture, because "Halloween is over." It makes me laugh every time.
Believe me, I am used to it for many many years.
I guess I see it as....Person A has decided that social media is not good for THEM, so they decided to take it off of their phone. Person B has had positive experiences with reducing social media time, so they cheer on the other person in their decision.
But if person C is healthy and happy while maintaining higher levels of social media time, then I don't think Person A or Person B's decision are relevant to Person C.
I personally know I feel more distracted when I have Instagram on my phone. I do better when I just install it when I want to post, and remove the app promptly after that. This habit makes me more of a producer than a consumer, and for me, that feels better. But I'm not gonna tell someone else that's how they have to handle Instagram.
I just might be weak. 😉
@Kristen, But again, I know I'm different from other people. That's the autism for ya! Once I was telling a friend about the time BFF wrote to Ann Landers complaining about me, which I found out about only when it was published in that day's newspaper, and she couldn't believe we were still friends. I thought it was hysterical and my other friends and then-boyfriend made 40,000 jokes about it.
Shrug. I think it's good to present an opposing viewpoint now and then even if most people don't get it.
I don't look at IG except to complain about my influencer neighbor, but I guess I just don't see how it is different to printed magazines back in the day when people read printed magazines. Was I envious of Brooke Shields when she was on the cover of magazines and got to go to Studio 54 at age 13? Yes. Did it blight my life? Well, somewhat. She and I are almost exactly the same age. Her problem was that she was introduced to many things too early. My problem was that my father moonlighted as the bouncer for Studio 54. Now that I'm old, I think "I wouldn't have let me go either!" (Coda: I've met Brooke at Hamptons parties and laughed about it with her. She's lovely.)
Second, the Guardian "Wellness" section had an article called "You have one life. Do you really want to spend it looking at your phone?" I thought "Ya damn right" but apparently that wasn't the correct answer.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/02/smartphones-attention-economy-reclaim-free-time
To me, it's the easy access and the sheer volume of content that is different. A magazine comes out once a month (or maybe once a week?) and it is not specifically programmed for YOU, to suck YOU in. Social media has a fresh batch of content, geared specifically toward you, available 24/7/365.
So for me, that's waaaay more distracting than a magazine!
@Rose, I don't think social media is necessarily a neural product. It's largely filled with political misinformation and encourages clickbait and misunderstanding, because the whole aim is to get engagement. If something is free, you're the product.
Instagram was also found to have encouraged self-harm among teenagers, not to mention the endless amount of body image messages. I'm aware that women's magazines are also guilty of this, and so I would argue they also play a harmful role in that sense.
@Sophie in Denmark, neutral, not neural!
1) We got yet another big pile of free food from my mother in law last week. I find it kind of stressful. All this food, some of which is about to go bad, and I have to be very strategic to use it up before it goes bad. So that is what I have been doing because I really hate to say no to free food, and I hate to see any food go bad.
2) I have been working on a set of drapes for our new office. I have this vision of these rich, heavy drapes across our huge front windows. It is taking a lot of time just because they are so huge, but I can make them so much cheaper than I can buy them at this quality.
3) We continue to find free places to swim this summer. Yesterday we went to a local spot on a river. Today our neighbor's pool was finally ready. She was waiting on a repair. But now it is on!
4) Thredup sent me a $15 credit, so I used it to replace our middle son's tennis shoes.
5) I called again yesterday about a $250ish credit owed to us by a big company. I spent an hour on the phone with them two weeks ago. I hadn't seen the credit, so I called them back. This time the agent told me that he saw the error the agent had made last time. He fixed it and sent it back to billing to issue the refund. Hopefully it is all worked out now.
We also don't care for vinegar-based salad dressings. I use lemon juice instead. Equal parts lemon juice and light olive oil with ground oregano makes a wonderful dressing.
1. Husband's phone died so we had to get a new one. Previous phones have all been hand me downs from relatives so this is the first time we have shoveled out dollars for a new one. First, we priced the phone, then we went to the grocery store and bought gift cards to cover the cost so we earned fuel points for cheaper gas in the future. Then we ordered through My Points, so earned a few dollars there, before finally ordering the phone. We squeezed every penny out of the dollars spent.
2. Used chickweed from the garden instead of greens in chili and in a salad.
3. Used more of the chickweed in the bacon grease we give Clobber Paws each day to try to get his weight up to normal; he came to use starved and the vet recommended more calories. The chickweed gives him free nutrients and he likes eating raw right out of the garden anyway. It cuts down our feeding costs. For his size, he should be about 190 pounds so we have 15 pounds to go. I wish he could just take them off me!
4. Library for books and puzzles.
5. Donated dozens of books to our second hand bookstore that helps fund the literacy council which runs the GED and English as a second language programs. Got my tax receipt.
Not frugal related but enjoyable. I have mentioned before that the husband, who sings in a group and also and quartet and would sing instead of talk if it were up to him, often wakes me up singing and this song is one of the ones I love. I happened upon it sung by two Scottish guys and it is so energetic it can't help but make you smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggu0ZqqBq4k
Oh, that's a throwback! I had totally forgotten about My Points!!
@Lindsey, Two things. One, I can't believe you've never heard the Proclaimers before! If you want to know what "havering" means I'll tell you.
Two: have you considered puppy food for Sr. Clobber? Betsy the Crackbrain Coonhound came to us starved and I fed her puppy food until she hit normal weight, about 75 pounds for her. That said, I know there are special considerations for giant breeds (etc etc) so I dunno, maybe ask your vet?
@Lindsey, original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0
@Rose, Appalachian fiddle music and Gregorian chants are my favorite things to listen to, when I do put on music. The boarding school I attended did not allow music/radios/TV except for one hour of news a day, so I have no idea about anything much beyond what my father listened to back then or music my husband is rehearsing. Plus, I really don't like noise at all, so our house is very quiet and even in the car it is usually silence unless the weather is poor, and I want to know road conditions. The exception was when we lived in a village where polar bears swarmed and I walked to work so I listened to the radio to see if they were around our house or along my 2 mile walk. So, thank you so much for the Proclaimers URL! We lived in Scotland and were actually married there, so I do know what havering means. I am guilty of it.
Clobber is a puppy but we have almost always had Irish wolfhounds, another giant breed, so we have been warned not to feed puppy food because it encourages growth and you don't want that with giants who already grow so fast they can end up with bone problems. Bacon grease it is until he gains more weight, although he is not complaining!
@Lindsey, I don't think any dog (except maybe my parents' Pyrenees, who has Issues) would object to bacon fat!
I too love quiet. I only listen to music in the car. I can remember being little, living in our NYC apartment, and our neighbor blaring Yankees games on the radio. It was so irritating and there was nothing I could do about it! To this day I loathe baseball and more especially the Yankees.
@Lindsey, I listened to both your and Rose's versions of the song and enjoyed them both. But I'm a sucker for men in kilts, so I probably enjoyed yours a bit more for that reason. 😉
Every year the electric company has a member day drive thru where you can register for door prizes and get a free bucket and two lightbulbs. I hadn't planned on going this year so my mom asked if she could register me while she was there and they let her, so I still got the free bucket and lightbulbs.
The summer food program is going on where the kids can get free lunch and breakfast during the week. I run errands at the time the truck is at the library so we can take advantage of it.
I met a friend at the park one day. The kids got to play and I got to catch up with a friend I don't see much anymore.
Found some good clearance deals.
Borrowed books from the library and signed us up for the summer reading program.
Started playing some games on Fetch. With the bonus for the first time playing I got to cash out $5 in the day. It's a lot of ads to sit though (thankfully most of them you can skip after a few seconds), but some of the games are fun. I'm going to be playing on my phone anyways at night, at least this earns me a little bit slowly.
My kids were given a carton of chocolate milk by my brother and a bunch of bananas by my mom.
1. I did what FG did earlier this week - my daughter was given a prescription for a 2.5% hydrocortisone for a rash that had been pestering her for months and before going to the pharmacy, checked my drawer and there was an unexpired tube just sitting there, hoping to be used.
2. My employer generously has a 100% match for retirement so I am maxing my 401k contributions.
3. I baked a batch of muffins to take to friends with ingredients I had on hand instead of picking up a fancy dessert. They came out great and I have a big bag of frozen blueberries that need to be used up so batch #2 will probably get made tonight since the oven will be on for pizza.
4. I'm attempting to make pizza from scratch at home, armed with the tips on this site and tips from smitten kitchen. Wish me luck. It will definitely less expensive than the $21 it costs for a large cheese pizza at my husband's favorite pizza place.
5. My daughter said she wanted to take a spanish class this summer because she wants to get better at it for middle school. We have two spanish books at home and while I'm not exactly fluent, I am familiar enough to lead a beginner through the basics. So instead of taking a class, she and I are walking through the textbook together.
@CrunchyCake, Good for you for sharing your daughter's lessons! Probably are a lot of Spanish-learning videos on YouTube, if you want a change from the textbook once in a while.
("Gua! Gua!" that is how the dog barked in the Spanish cartoon in the text when I was in high school. I think it was "Anita y Trappo").
@CrunchyCake, check with your local library (Libby--I think) has free language lessons. Also research to see if your school is connected with online language (Babble) classes (school code making it free for kids). Teen had foreign language class (online with Babble) that was good for 1 year.
@Regina, Thanks for the suggestions!
The usual: Chai at home on days off. Have yet to get into the swing of going to bed relatively soon after getting home from work at 10:30p/11 so sleeping nearly until time to get ready at 1p, no leisurely chai drinking the mornings of the three days I work.
Ordering supper at work. The meals are balanced, usually delicious and worth the the $3 off the paycheck.
Wore the black pants I got on sale at Marshalls to my brother's friend's funeral. I very seldom can find pants that fit and these didn't even need hemmed! Was able to find a pair of sage green "outdoor/sport" pants there also that will be cooler for gardening/yard work than blue jeans.
Bought plants/annuals for my "color pots" on sale at my favorite nursery. I return the pots to the owner when I've emptied them. It saves her money and me space and keeps them from the landfill. Also transplanted rogue volunteers in my yard to more suitable places. I also got some yard work accomplished myself that didn't cost my anything to have done by someone else. I am delighted that one of our young church members is mowing my yard for me. It takes me a good two hours. His long legs and youth get it done in an hour! I may have shared this before, that he wants to get into the lawn business and he is "practicing" doing my lawn as one of the more tedious and "picky" customers.
Bought gas using my two whole cents of perks from Hy-Vee at Casey's in town at $3.01 per gallon. While it is often cheaper in the town where I work (at their Casey's), it is $0.10 higher! (Nine miles down the road!)
1. Was able to pick up 2 packs of free depends offered on Buy Nothing for my MIL. She had asked me to buy her some just that very day, so this will help stretch her supply longer.
2. Also bought her some packs from the store and happened to see a $5 rebate for P&G products (ironically through my FB feed, as I was checking on which store had the lowest prices). Just submitted the info needed for the rebate. Also got $1 back on ibotta.
3. Using my free Amazon prime trial to watch some shows I was interested in. I was offered a free trial of prime for one month when I was shopping my for a friend's baby shower gift and used Amazon gift cards to buy it. Was able to buy another friend's baby shower gift from her registry using the same trial. Have marked on my calendar when to cancel my free trial.
4. Spoke to our house insurance provider (AAA) and found out our renewal will be reduced by $500 for next year as we got a new roof a couple months ago due to hail damage. Thankfully it was covered by insurance and from the previous year's deductible, so what we had to pay was lower.
5. Drove to visit a friend in Dallas in my hybrid car, so overall the amount spent on gas was lower than driving our SUV. Stayed at another friend's place so it was free, and my friend treated us for dinner. I only ended up paying for everyone's boba tea which was a pretty good deal considering everything else that was covered that weekend.
6. Joined the library's summer reading program (also for adults!) and logged enough reading minutes to claim a free book!
I also have a bunch of gift cards that needs to be redeemed...
* Fighting the HR department at work about insurances forms they need to filled and send for me to get compensation while off work (car accident). The back and forth phone calls and emails is frustrating but they miscalculated what I'm entitled to receive and I WILL get that money!
* Public library keeps feeding my book addiction for free 😉
* Got the new car. Did not upgrade, did not take extra this&that, so my car insurance covered to full amount
.... that's all I have for now
I am so surprised - I would never have thought that you'd have stray gift cards floating around and rather forgotten about. Was a nice surprise to come across them, I'm sure.
That outdoor symphony sounds delightful. My city puts on similar events but I've never attended as I get eaten alive by mosquitoes any time I'm outside. I once got 32 bites, that I could see and count, during a 30-minute lunch break while my two co-workers didn't get a single bite between the two of them.
I don't think that I have any frugal things to report this week outside of the day-to-day basics of brewing coffee and eating meals at home. And not buying a jet plane.
Your find of unused gift cards may be just what I need to get motivated to start my house decluttering!
Did you wear the striped dress? It looks darling on you.
I didn't! I wore a tshirt dress instead. Maybe next symphony I will wear the stripy one. 🙂
I love that you take advantage of coupons, gift cards and promotions! How do you physically manage them? I either find myself at the store without them or let them sit around until it’s too late. Do you have a system?
Just wanted to recommend Moroccan carrot salad to you and other readers, it a delicious way to use up a bunch of carrots, and it’s soft (husband having chewing issues at the moment) and terrific cold!
Ooh! Do you have a recipe link?
1. We planned a road trip so that we would go to a show on a day when kids get in free. We also did lots of free and frugal activities, only one expensive experience.
2. I mended a shirt and fixed a pillow.
3. One of my kids had a birthday, which we celebrated at home with root beer floats as the treat.
4. We didn't buy a bunch of souvenirs on the trip.
5. We had to go home unexpectedly early from our road trip, but because I'm a member of the hotel's rewards program, I was able to cancel all reservations and have all our money refunded.
Love finding gift cards unexpectedly! It's like having a nice surprise.
My 5 Frugal Things
1) Had an inexpensive birthday celebration for me. Ate at home or with food we got from the grocery store, went to the lake and went biking with my family. Pretty much like a usual day.
2) Batch run errands. Drove to the post office as I was on the way to the library for their free kids' lunch and to attend the free kids' gardening camp so saving gas.
3) Girls get free kids lunch this summer at the playground and library. The USDA partners with our public school to provide nutritious free for kids this summer with not income requirement.
4) Girls attend a few gardening camp at the library. They've already been to a tree one and are signed up for a science one next month. They love going to these and they're free !!!
5) Been mending and fixing things at home like worn books and loose pages in magazines, broken sandal straps, a broken box that will hold a gift for my girl.
I love it! So jealous of you with the low humidity days! I'm ready for cooler days already! The symphony night sounds fantastic! I love those quiet nights reading outdoors 🙂 and enjoying a picnic dinner. I'll have to start using podcasts or music to drown out the dread I have cutting up produce. What is so difficult about this task? I have the best of intentions at the store but find myself tossing an awful lot on trash day.
$175 in gift cards? Wow! What a blessing to find.