Five Frugal Things | paint, water, binders, shampoo, salad!
1. I got my Benjamin Moore paint for $10 cheaper
I'd have thought Benjamin Moore paint was about the same price wherever you go. But nope!
A Benjamin Moore retailer near me apparently sells it for $10 more per quart than a local hardware store does.
I'm glad I called around before I bought it, because now I know never to buy my Benjamin Moore paint from that first paint store anymore!
2. I watered my plants with dehumidifier and salad spinner water
It's actually been a bit dry here of late, so even my bigger outdoor pots were getting a bit dry.
So, I dumped my salad spinner water in one of the pots.
And I carried my dehumidifier water upstairs from the basement and dumped it in the other pots.
I don't know exactly why, but this ol' house I'm renting seems to get more muggy than other houses I've lived in.
So I'm grateful to have this dehumidifier. It regularly fills the big holding tank, and I am amazed to think about how all that water was just hanging around in the air.
3. I got Maui Moisture products for a total of $4.72
I wrote a whole post about my CVS strategies here, in case you want a quick peek at what I do.
In this case, I bought two Maui Moisture products on sale for buy one, get one 40% off.
I picked the bottles that had 50% more product free (so that's like getting a whole free bottle when you buy two!).
Then I used my $10 Carepass and a $5 prescription reward, so my out-of-pocket was $4.72 for the equivalent of three bottles of Maui Moisture shampoo/conditioner.
Even if you add in the $4/month I pay for my Carepass, that's still only $2.90/bottle, which is much cheaper even than you can pay on Amazon.
And this took me only a few minutes; the deals were in my app and the CVS is right by my house.
4. I bought Zoe some Better Binders
She needed some school supplies (her semester starts today!) so we stopped by Staples. I went there on purpose because I know Staples sells some very sturdy binders.
They're called Better Binders, and they used to come with a lifetime guarantee. I think Staples decided that was a bit much to offer, so they no longer come with that guarantee.
However, they ARE still really good binders; the two I bought years ago are holding up very well. Zoe needed some skinnier ones, though, so now she's got a set that will carry her for years.
You know how the vinyl-coated binders peel, and then your only recourse is to try to hold them together with tape?
Better Binders are made of a thick, solid piece of material, so there's no thin coating to peel off. So much better!
Also, you know how typical vinyl binders come apart at the sides of the spine? I've never had a Better Binder do that!
(See the photo above.)
They're about $10/apiece unless you find a sale, but I think they're worth the extra money since you don't need to replace them repeatedly.
(I am not affiliated with Staples or their Better Binders. I just think they're an awesome product.)
5. I cobbled together a salad dinner for Zoe and me
I'd made chicken fingers the previous night, but I left some of them unfried in the fridge for future use. Fresh-fried is always better than reheated-fried!
So, last night I fried those up (using the strained oil from the previous night, of course) and sliced them on top of a salad made of greens, the last of a cucumber, some cheese cubes, and the last of the cilantro.
And to add some more crunch, I used some of my freezer-challenge hot dog buns to make some croutons.
Zoe and I ate our salads while watching Pride and Prejudice together (the 1995 version OF COURSE). And Miss Shelly joined us. 😉
Bonus: I have enough leftovers from dinner to pack a lunch for a long day at school today.
Thank you for the picture of Miss Shelly.
@Linda, I'm so happy to see Miss Shelly too!
—In a quest to make room in the freezer for all our neighbors’ generously gifted produce (corn, zucchini, 40+ lbs of tomatoes), I rediscovered/pulled out several things to incorporate in this week’s dinners. Hello, homemade duck broth I forgot we had!
—The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s online gift shop had a DEEP clearance sale, as in $100+ items for $5! For $30 ($45 after shipping) I bought six gifts and am finally done Christmas shopping. Years of stalking the Met’s online shop have taught me that patience is, indeed, a virtue—I’ve been watching the items I purchased since last fall. This also means that my sister-in-law can enjoy using fancy dishes daily, which she loves, without worrying when my uncoordinated brother-in-law inevitably breaks some while washing them. 😛
—When last I used our long-suffering immersion blender, it started smelling like hot wires. I immediately unplugged it and threw it out once I was sure it was cool. I was able to buy the exact same blender “Used, like new” on Amazon for $21 instead of $35. Given that the last one made it nearly ten years, I’m hoping the same for the replacement. The blender ties with my crock pot as the most relied on appliance in the kitchen!
—I sewed the strap of my purse back together after it broke.
—We’re having our crawlspace encapsulated (I.e. fancy/expensive shrink wrap to control temperature and moisture) later this fall. The company naturally needs an empty crawlspace to work with, and we decided to clean it out ourselves rather than pay the $600+ cleaning fee. Once we got started, my husband and I joked about “Just how much is $600, really?” The previous owner seems to have used the crawlspace as they’re “I’ll deal with this later” black hole—hello, Nixon administration space heaters! We impressed ourselves by managing most of the bulky items in that first hour. We figure two more hours, spread out over as many weekends, should take care of it, which leaves us a month to spare. An hour at a time also makes being hot, sweaty, filthy, decked out with throwaway clothes, respirators (so much dust and ancient mouse poo!), goggles, and gloves more manageable.
@N,
I checked out The Met's site and the clearance deals are sweet! Is there a specific time of year that the gift shop does a great sale like this or do you just have to hope to randomly find it?
@N,
Do you have a link or email to the online art sale? Is it still going on?
@Gina, So sorry, I thought I included a link in the post! https://store.metmuseum.org/clearance/view-all
@Gina,
I clicked the Gift Shop link on The Metropolitan Museum of Art's web site followed by the Clearance link
@Lazy Budget Chef, They do a sale once a business quarter, but the BIG deals are usually late fall (when they’re making room for holiday items) and immediately after Christmas (clearing out for the new year). They used to have a summer book sale, which is where a solid 1/4 of our household library came from (history nerds + cheap exhibition catalogs) but they haven’t had one with regularity for some time.
@N,
Thank you!
@N, Egads! you guys are earning every penny of your $600 savings.
And I'm betting the museum sells out of its clearance items thanks to you. I hope they give you a commission! LOL!
It was a quiet week.
1. We continue to eat from the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry. I received tomatoes from one friend and tomatoes and peppers from another. We also had our first zucchini from our "garden". I stir fried the peppers with a zucchini, carrots and frozen riced cauliflower and ate that over quinoa that I cooked with leftover chicken marinade (from the freezer).
2. I mixed up a pumpkin spice mixture for a friend using a copycat McCormick recipe. The actual product was $7.19 for a small container at Giant and it contains sulfiting agents. My friend is allergic to the preservative so they returned the McCormick product and were happy to accept the copycat version which I'm sure was much less expensive despite the fact that three out of the four spices I used were organic.
3. I continue to clear items out of the house using Freecycle.org. It feels good to decide you don't need so much stuff.
4. I continue to use the library to listen to audio books, read electronic and paper books, borrow DVDS, and access the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.
5. I made a batch of monster cookies and used M & M's that were on super clearance after Halloween last year. Most went in the freezer for an upcoming event but we ate a few and I shared some with a neighbor.
1995, of course. I knew you had good sense. This just confirms it. 😉
1. I made broth from chicken bones.
2. I used garden produce.
3. We used the library.
4. We shopped when we were in town for other purposes.
5. We didn't eat out when we decided somewhat last minute to meet friends as they drove back home from New York. They didn't have much time; it was just an hour visit while kids stretched legs at a park, but I was so happy to see them after many years apart! Anyway, we had to leave before just before supper time, and we opted to use a partial loaf of bread to make pb & j sandwiches and take along a few packable leftovers plus bananas. We also didn't get gas anywhere along the way because it was less expensive in our town (Gas Buddy).
Went to expensive Kroger the other day because they send me coupons and I can buy individual red onions there. Anyway, they had pork butts on sale for 99 cents/lb if you have the Kroger app. I did not, but was able to download it in the store and get the coupon. They came out to be more than 50% off. And now my husband can smoke them when we want some pulled pork.
Been tackling our "to do" list with items we have around the house. My husband installed a hook for the outside dog leash using a hook that was in the shed.
Been eating food from the freezer, altho not doing a freezer challenge. Just running out of ideas for dinner!
Will be making some paper gifts this week for shower presents. They are 3D designs that go into shadowbox frames that I got at Michael's for BOGO free.
Canned some tomatoes. A friend shared her recipe for her tomato process and it worked great. So far I have 3 quart jars of pureed tomatoes and 2 quart jars of tomato juice to use. Still have enough tomatoes to make more batches as well!
Neighbor gifted us with some grapes, but not enough to make a full batch of jam/jelly. I will do my best with what we were given. There are plenty of recipes out there for small batches.
I was laid out with a stomach virus from Wednesday night until Sunday, so I wasn't really doing a whole lot that could be considered frugal. Although . . . my youngest son also had the virus, but recovered faster than I did. Before I got really sick, I had made him some switchel for rehydration purposes (it has salt in it, among other things), and then I ended up mostly drinking it myself. So I guess that's more frugal than Pedialyte or Gatorade or whatever. Not that I had such things on hand anyway.
Switchel recipe here, for anyone who's interested.
https://going-country.blogspot.com/2022/08/tt-modern-switchel-recipe.html
@kristin @ going country, Oh, and someone here had asked about my opinion of the Florida weave for tomato support when I mentioned it a long time ago. I finally did a post on it today.
https://going-country.blogspot.com/
A few (far fewer than 5) frugal things:
A fun Saturday afternoon and WIS: $0. Because the St. James Tearoom’s Afternoon Tea with Mr. Darcy (from Pride and Prejudice, of course – am I the only one who immediately thinks of Colin Firth?) was my sister’s treat for the family on the occasion of her daughter’s birthday. Mr. Collins’ Crustless Quiche (excellent), a Pemberley Stuffed Date with Bacon (yummy), Jane’s Traditional Cucumber Tea Sandwich (refreshing!), and the Tearoom’s own Traditional Cream Scones with White Peach Curd and Clotted Cream (among many, many other offerings).
In addition to its tea services, the Tearoom has a pretty enormous gift shop. I resisted the opportunity to spend $45.95 (before tax) for a single cup and saucer, no matter how lovely, or the tooled leather billfold they were featuring, with “Pride and Prejudice” etched on the front and, on the back, the following quote which put me in mind of what we all think of A. Marie:
“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Wish you could have joined us, A. Marie, and entertained us with your witty and insightful observations about not just the dishes but the characters they were named for. I’m so glad you enjoyed your weekend with your JASNA BFF.
@JDinNM, thank you so much for the splendid account of your tea, and especially for the kind thoughts! (And I applaud your restraint in the gift shop. I've been known to get into serious trouble in the "Emporium" at various JASNA Annual General Meetings.)
Also, see my FFT below for my birthday fantasy date with Colin Firth. I confess that the "Pemberley Stuffed Date with Bacon" is taking my mind places it shouldn't be going.
@A. Marie, Oh, you wicked, wicked girl. But that stuffed date was ... delicious.
We moved to our new area about 6 months ago and for the first time I had to go to urgent care. I chose one connected to the small local hospital. This worked out great since I had to get a CT scan. If I had gone to the regular urgent care I would have been sent to the ER....so I just paid the urgent care copay.
I picked pickling cucumbers from a u-pick farm and canned pickles for the year. Definitely better in taste and on the wallet than buying pickles all year (my guy loves pickles). Also canned some pickled vidalia onions I found on sale while the water was boiling and all that.
I've been making dog food for my old gal who is becoming more and more picky. I found some beef on sale and stocked up for her meals.
Ate mostly out of the freezer and pantry this week. Used up some flour and things that were getting older and made focaccia and pancakes and biscuits throughout the week rather than going to buy bread.
Being new to the area we didn't know a parking lot downtown was privately owned and was pay to park (there was no signage where we were). We got a $50 ticket...ouch. My husband disputed it and it was lowered to $15. Not frugal for parking, but beats $50.
Also, used my Libby app for driving back and forth to work, used the library for a book I've been wanting to read, and found my husband some Margaritaville boat shoes for $32 (on Amazon...usually like $70-$90 and his are really needing to be replaced).
It’s nice to see Miss Shelly too. And to know that I’m not the only one who gives my cats titles.
@DCO, my JASNA BFF always refers to my cat respectfully as "Mrs. Betty," since it's clear that she had at least one litter of kittens in her pre-Humane Association life. (Betty, I mean, not BFF. BFF has two sons and three grandchildren, but has produced no kittens, as far as I know.)
Gus the cat: Herr Klimt, Maestro Klimt, Lord Dingaling, Sir DinGus
Percy the beagle: Sir Perce-a-Lot, Lord Parsifal, Mr. Boo Boo
Betsy the coonhound: Lady B, Betsyheimer (once I Photoshopped a fedora on her head, added a cigarette, and turned her eyes blue), Me-So-Hungry
@A. Marie, LOL.
@Rose, love the variety of titles!
@Rose, great names! We call our Lucy (a Beagle/Jack Russell Terrier mix) Little Miss Wigglebottom, Lucille, Luce la Goose, Little Lou, Lucy la Goofy, and Best Girl in the Whole Wide World.
@DCO, I have just realized that I have been earnestly explaining to people when I introduce my dog that her name is "Skye with an E" for TEN YEARS. the dog can't spell, she doesn't care. DOH. (and I didn't even get the Anne of Green Gables reference (Anne with an E) until I was today old, double DOH). Anyway, if we can't laugh at ourselves.... @A. Marie, I just laughed literally out loud as you tried to dig yourself out of your "friends not having kittens" response...
I've actually never seen P&P 1995. 2005 came out about the time I would appreciate such things, and I've always loved it. I actually listen to the soundtrack when I need to relax. But I've heard such good things about 1995 that I should really find the time to watch!
@Carla, I was going to keep my mouth shut on this, but I can't. 😀 There is NO Mr. Darcy like Colin Firth (1995) and I'll fight any woman who says different. 😀 The rest of the casting is also brilliant, particularly Mr. Collins (can't think of the actor's name right now.) Enjoy!
@Anne, Amen, sister.
@Anne, Have truer words ever been spoken?
@Anne, the Mr. Collins in the 1995 P&P was an actor named David Bamber. And if you want to get an idea of Bamber's range, he was a thoroughly nasty Gauleiter in the 2015 British Sound of Music Live (with Kara Tointon as Maria and Julian Ovenden as the Captain).
@Anne, haha, I wasn't going to argue the point! The more P&P the better, IMO!
@A. Marie, I watch tons and tons of British television and have seen David Bamber many times in other productions but he'll always be Mr. Collins to me. There are certain actors who own a role.
To open a new can of worms, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman's "Sense and Sensibility" are absolutely IT for me. No other production even comes close.
I am gonna have to check out those binders. Hmm.
Frugal things here
1. For a lunch we used up a promo giftcard that was going to expire in a few days
2. We went to a local grand opening and got free shirts and prizes
3. Our neighborhood had a party - free inflatables, snow cones, the pool, and neighbors of course!
4. Goodwill for a stack of kids' books
5. After I went to a coffee shop and loved their oatmeal blueberry lemon scones, I made my own 🙂 Kinda frugal because baking is cheaper than purchasing per unit. But not that frugal because my family ate all of them the same day. So much for savoring, ha
1. Husband brought leftovers home from a restaurant dinner with the guys. Good boy!
2. Went to my county’s monthly fix-it clinic and had them stitch three items for me. (My sewing machine is in storage until we find a home.)
3. Received a wicker side table for our deck from a friend who is moving into a senior living apartment.
4. Saved return envelopes found inside mail and repurposed them as payroll envelopes for my husband’s small business.
5. Rather than going out to lunch, I met friends for coffee one day, met a niece for gelato another day, and went on walks with friends.
@MB in MN, I love the idea of a county fix it clinic! That's great! Is it neighbors volunteering or businesses all in one place or ??
@Marlena, volunteers offer their skills to help others and to keep items out of the landfill. Other counties around the Twin Cities offer clinics as well. For more info: https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/recycling-waste/reuse/fix-it-clinics
Kristen,
Thank you for the binders recommendation.
You forgot to put the word 'buns' for the croutons. For those who don't know about freezer challenge.
Have a nice day!
Oh my goodness, you're right! I fixed it now.
It would be rather miraculous if I'd been able to turn hot dogs into croutons. lol
@Kristen, Why did this make me think of loaves and fishes?
@Kristen, I made croutons (or more like crunchy bread-like crumbs) for a salad the other day out of cooked chickpeas that I blitzed in a food processor and then toasted. I guess the same could be done for hotdogs, but would be weird and greasy haha.
@Marlena, thanks for the bread crouton substitute. I've been gluten-free for 11 years and my salads have been a bit lacking all that time.
@Kristen
I got a laugh out of that.
,
@Elaine N, I blitz them a bit, add some olive oil and some seasoning of choice and put them on anything that need some crunch!
"Hello! You know who likes chicken? CATS. I know. Mind blown."--Shelley.
Frugal: basement waterproofing came in 2K cheaper than I was dreading, plus $750 off since I made the decision right then and there.
NF: still costing $15K. Whatever. Needs to be done.
Frugal: Dog trainer gave me many insights into the coonhound: she's nervous all the time, insecure, and thinks she's a bad girl whenever she potties, indoors or out. But the good news is she absolutely adores me.
NF: Cost of more lessons.
Priceless: Not having my dining room floor ruined any more.
Frugal: Borrowing a dress from my daughter for schmancy party this weekend.
Also frugal: not strangling kids when they ask if the schmancy party has a senior discount for me (boy) or an early-bird special (girl). Bail is not cheap.
@Rose, "Bail is not cheap." Love it!
@Rose, your coonhound sounds like my sweet dachshund-American Eskimo cross dog. Whoever had her briefly as a puppy hit and kicked her when she had an accident. It took a year to house-train her because she was so terrified. She has so many anxieties, but is such a good girl.
@Ruby, Betsy was found starving in the woods of Arkansas with a gunshot wound.
@Rose, Betsy is so lucky to have found someone that will love and care for her and be patient as she overcomes her tragic past. I hope her training goes smoothly.
@Anne, @Rose, yes, that phrase cracked me up, too. Kids...
I always just figured that Benjamin Moore is one of the more expensive paints, so I just usually ask Home Depot to paint match the shade and custom mix it right there for me. I always figured it was cheaper, but maybe I actually need to look into it next time!
I've been dealing with an insurance nightmare ever since my baby was born in April, but this week, I FINALLY got the $350,000 bill cleared! WOO HOO! That's my biggest frugal win, but it was actually a pretty decent week of savings all around:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/08/29/weekly-frugal-wins-no-more-350k-hospital-bill/
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn,
Congrats on getting the insurance bill cleared! That's huge! Persistence pays off 😉
Happy for you!
@Torrie @ To Love and To Learn, getting that insurance snafu resolved probably counts as your entire FFT for this week AND next. Congratulations!
@A. Marie, ha ha, right?! It should count for basically like the whole year 🙂
@Gina, Thank you! I kind of had to practice persistence whether or not I was feeling up for it since there was no way we were paying $350k in medical bills, lol 😉 But yeah, it's such a huge relief to finally have it cleared.
I used some less-than-pretty broccoli from my garden in chicken-broccoli fettuccini. It tasted fine.
We got a big rain, so I was able to turn off the irrigation to the garden for a few days.
I made pickle relish and pickles from garden cucumbers.
I've been doing my own freezer cleanout, getting creative with meals.
I freshened up a fall wreath, using items I already owned.
1. I bought three Banana Republic wool sweaters on Fb marketplace. I couldn't drive over to pick them up, so I offered more money and the seller mailed them to me! Still about 90% off retail.
2. We took a weekend trip...semi-frugally. We flew instead of driving and splurged on meals, but all of our activities were free, and we took the train to and from the airport. And we hit a grocery store for snacks!
3. I got a stipend at work and saved it for dinner tonight.
4. I rescued some kale yesterday with Kristen's soaking trick. It did make me chuckle to take the wilted kale, plump it up, then put it in a hot pan to wilt it.
5. Buying nice tea at the grocery store discourages me from buying tea at coffee shops, because my tea is better quality! Yorkshire Gold or Barry's Irish Breakfast. I have a stash at work, too.
That's a great picture of Shelly. Black cats are so tricky to photograph!
I wonder if it's been an exceptionally humid summer. We've been getting much more water in our dehumidifier than we have in other summers. Maybe it isn't just the current house you are living in!
For the further adventures of JASNA BFF and me during her visit here (she left Sunday noon), I refer you to my FFT of yesterday at the Non-Consumer Advocate.
Now, FFT, Happy Actual Birthday to Me Edition:
(1) I turn 68 today--and with all this talk of the 1995 P&P going on, I think I'll have a fantasy date with Colin Firth as an imaginary present. (Hey, he's only 5 years younger than I am, and currently single. An old girl can dream.) I like the 1995 version better than any other; I object to the wet shirt scene on the grounds that it's screenwriter Andrew Davies's invention and not JA's, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying CF in the wet shirt.
(2) My actual present to myself will, I hope, be improved vision: I finally quit procrastinating and called my eye doc's practice yesterday to set up two cataract surgeries, for Oct. 25 and Nov. 8. Wish me luck.
(3) Birthday greetings are rolling in from all over on all frequencies; my next-door neighbor (the one who's been having the memory problems and other issues) remembered that it's my birthday and wants to come over with a present later; and I'm having a steak dinner tonight with the Bestest Neighbors. (I'll supply the steaks from my 1/4 steer; they'll supply the grilling and everything else.) As always, I'm very fortunate in my friends and neighbors.
(4) I resume 3x-week walkies for my dear Bailey dog down the street on Thursday (which is the date Bailey's mom, a teacher's aide for special-needs kids, has to report for staff duty; the city schools here start the Wednesday after Labor Day). Bailey's mom and dad insist on paying me for this, and I've long since stopped trying to talk them out of it. Also, it does keep me in thrifting money, and it's a way of getting my doggie fix without actually having to own a dog.
(5) And I'm sitting here typing this on my laptop while looking out the living room window at garden beds full of flowers, birds, bees, and butterflies. Can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
I close with best wishes for JD, Bee, and all our other commenters in Florida and other states who may be affected by Hurricane Idalia. Do whatever you need to do to stay safe, everybody.
@A. Marie,
Happy Birthday to you! Good luck with your cataract surgeries!
@A. Marie, A great day and a great year to you!
@A. Marie, happy birthday! I had cataract surgery way early, in my mid-50s, due to extreme near-sightedness. Being able to open my eyes and read the time on the clock radio is a fresh miracle every day.
CF is the thinking woman's bomb. 😀
@A. Marie,
Happy Birthday!!!!
I am also 68 and I also had those cataract surgeries. I went whole hog and got the kind of (implanted) lenses that correct my nearsightedness. I absolutely recommend it! Most people I talked to just breezed through the whole process. The only person who had trouble was a lady who had the bad luck of having a power failure in the middle of her surgery. (!)But the lights came back on, they were able to reset the machine, and she did OK.
@A. Marie, Well, first and foremost, Happy Happy Birthday!
But secondmost (that may not be an actual word)... Wait! What! I thought Colin Firth was happily married to a wife of more than 20 years and with a couple of children! So you sent me to Google's Letters from the Lovelorn to find out that his now Italian ex-wife Livia Giugglioli had NOT been the victim of a stalker but rather had been having an affair with the man she claimed had been stalking her to keep Colin Firth from finding out she was having an affair with the alleged stalker!
Who in her right mind would cheat on Colin Firth?
So hope sprang eternal only to find out ... After their divorce, he's hooked up with someone named Maggi Cohn. ;-{
What a roller coaster of a morning this is turning out to be.
@A. Marie,
happy birthday! I hope it's filled with lots of goodness!
@JDinNM, re: CF: Dang. Just when I thought I had him where I wanted him...the fantasy goes poof. Oh, well, that's life.
@A. Marie, wishing you a lovely birthday! I'm so glad you were born!
@A. Marie, Happy happy birthday!
@A. Marie, Happy birthday!
@A. Marie, Happy birthday!
@MB in MN, Do we read the same newspaper columnist?
HB, AM!
I saw Colin first therefore he is mine. heh. Anyone want hot young Colin along with even hotter young Rupert Everett, rent "Another Country." (Warning! Gay themes! Rupert's part is based on Guy Burgess, one of the famous English defectors to the Soviet Union back in the day. Kim Philby being another.) But for pure English good looks, mrow! Since I first saw the movie when I was 19 in 1984, I don't feel like a dirty old lady watching it now.
@Jody S., oops, did I plagiarize someone without trying?!
@A. Marie, Happy Birthday. I have come to adore you through your delightful posts here and on NCA, always a twist and usually something that makes me think. Now I am thinking I might actually take Amazon Prime up on their offer of free Britbox for 7 days and enjoy this 1995 P&P that everyone is raving about.
So exciting about the surgeries. Now that your responsibilities for others are reducing, it IS time for you to do a bit of a tuneup... after all, in this day and age if you are turning 68 you probably have a couple more decades ahead of you, at least! Might as well be able to see your life whizzing by....
@A. Marie, Happy Birthday!
Happy, happy birthday dear friend!!!
I am actually quite jealous of your cataract surgeries. I have the beginnings of cataracts in my eyes and I cannot wait until I quality for surgery because I hear the vision improvement is marvelous. And my natural vision is very much the opposite of marvelous.
Here's to clear vision for you!
1. After being a one car family for 10 years, we needed to go back to two. We bought a used rental car because it has been constantly maintained over its life, has low miles for a used car and is only a few years old, so we don't have the worry or unknowns or lemons of a private sale or the bad reviews I read about my local discount used car dealer. It's also loaded which we normally would do if we bought new, and we aren't complaining about it!
2. I used a couple of Christmas gift cards to reduce the price of a rechargeable power station (we can't have generators in our neighborhood due to the noise) that will allow us to use a few items that have dead built in rechargeable batteries but still work if plugged into a wall socket during blackouts and camping. It's not the largest or the smallest but it was less expensive than replacing the individual rechargeable items and buying new rechargeable versions of some of the things we can now use with basically an electric powered mini generator.
3. I painted, recovered, and waterproofed 2 folding stools we use as foot rests on our front porch from stuff I had on hand plus a can of spray paint when I ran out.
4. My growing eggplant from seed we had from last season in our Aerogarden experiment is a delicious success with more to come.
5. I replaced the missing lid of one of the growlers we use as water jugs with the cap from an empty juice bottle until I can find where the actual lid is hiding.
Reading your post, Kristen, and got tickled looking at the "hot dogs for croutons," thinking "hmmm, I've never heard of using hot dogs for croutons," and realized you meant hot dog buns.
Bought gas this morning in my town rather than the town I work in at same chain $.03 cheaper per gallon, but probably didn't save anything because I also got a slice of bacon breakfast pizza and it keeps going up in price.
Stopped at Aldi the other day and went in and got what I wanted w/o buying anything else. I am terrible at impulse buying. Well, maybe I should say that I'm good at it...
Spent $10 plus some cents at Jimmy John's for supper to take to work. I can never eat the whole meal at one time, so averaging $5 for two decent meals is really not too bad.
After the terrible hot stretch we received a nice rain, which meant I didn't have to water my garden or flowers, plus was able to shut off the a/c and open the windows.
There is no other adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. At least, I refuse to acknowledge any Elizabeth and Darcy besides Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.
1. Used a coupon to stock up on toilet paper at half price--I do love those good coupons at my grocery store that let you use them up to five times in one transaction. This was also exciting for me because it prompted an action I'll mention in #3.
2. Stocked up on shampoo with a coupon and a "buy 5 or more, get $1 off" and I also snagged a box of fancy seltzers that were part of the promotion. We do not drink a lot of seltzer, but my youngest likes one now and then and occasionally I do. But we have done a great job curbing the seltzer addiction around here--it was out of control! Now my kids only grab one as a treat, especially if they see their favorite flavor.
3. Used old shoe boxes to make organizers for the bathroom closet. This was due to a 'give a mouse a cookie' scenario. For the whole time we've lived here, we kept the door to the closet open because we had snugged a little dorm fridge in there so the kids didn't have to go to the kitchen at night (near our bedroom) to get water. Well, the fridge died, and we decided we are pretty good sleepers, so the kids can just get a drink of water before bed and deal with it. Then we stocked up on toilet paper, and DH realized if he took the dead fridge out of there, we could store the paper in there, and NOW the door can close. This just made me so happy. So I went in and reorganized it and now I can close the closet door when company is over but if they do open it it's all neat and tidy. Plus my toiletry bottles don't fall over--it's a pretty deep closet and I was forever knocking things over hunting for something. For me, tidy and organized house spaces help me be more frugal because I'm more content with what I have.
4. Used up a slightly-past-its-prime red bell pepper in my breakfast scramble, also used some broccoli leftover from pizza night.
5. Once again, library books including interlibrary loan. Discovered a lovely, funny book _The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis_ by Max Shulman, which is like P.G. Wodehouse, but set on an American college campus. So funny.
@Karen A., Re: No. 5. I can tell you're not as old as me because "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" was a hugely popular tv show in the late '50s.
@Anne and Karen A., I knew and loved the TV show (even at age 5, I could never forget Bob Denver as Maynard G. Krebs!), but had no idea it was based on a book. So my education has been extended accordingly.
@Anne, I did know about that show, because I am a nerd and like to look up actors on IMDB and know Bob Denver was in that show! There's no Maynard Krebs in the book, though.
@Anne, I saw it in reruns as a kid on TV Land.
@Karen A., Carl Davis, who composed the music for the P&P miniseries you spoke of sadly passed away recently. He was a great composer.
I have been packing lunches too! I’m on Day 4 of all day training. The real job will be so much better…once I get there!
My frugal:
-packed lunches for training days, but twice they’ve fed us a light lunch, so I packed my lunch for the next day.
-inventoried my classroom before buying stuff and I think (fingers crossed) I have everything I need between work and home.
-bought extra crayons and pencils when school supplies were really cheap and before I knew I had this job, and now those resources are in my classroom
-used my computer until it’s dying breath. It takes 15 minutes to start up. Then another 3-5 to open gmail. Then another 3-5 to open a google doc. And I have been patient with it up until this week. A new computer arrives on Friday. It’s refurbished and an extra from a friend so it didn’t cost anything.
I don’t think that’s five. But it’s what I have.
I've also found binders (not the Better Binders, but...) at thrift stores. Some are leftovers from businesses and can be super large, but it is just right for a semester's worth of lesson plans, handouts for my students, and other teaching-related items. Others are small and skinny, and I've used them to make "books" out of PowerPoint presentations; I print out the slides, punch holes in the paper, and put them in the little binders. I also sometimes do this with other downloads.
Which reminds me:
1. When my church wanted to bless the local foster parents with school supplies, I shopped my usual (thrift store) haunts, and found a huge box of 240 pencils. This was manufactured by Scholastic, the book publisher, and it had all kinds of cool designs kids like. (Scholastic knows what kids like!) And they were all No. 2 pencils, which is required for the standardized tests. I only paid $6. I could've waited until Half Price Day, but I didn't want to risk someone else buying the box. Meanwhile, Walmart was charging $6 or $8, I forget which (because I didn't buy them), for a box of 48 pencils.
2. End of summer savings: I bought some $4 beach towels from Walmart. Not for poolside or beachside use, but these towels (originally $12) make dandy bath towels for me. I love the graphic designs on the towels, and it's become a yearly ritual. (Except for the year I got some larger, thicker Hotel Quality bath sheets from Ollie's Outlet). I'll "graduate" some worn-out towels to the rag bag.
3. I set a deadline for my ex-roommate to collect her stuff. Which is all over my house, to the point I can't get things cleaned up unless the stuff is gone. Consulted a lawyer (who, thankfully, didn't charge me!) about what to do. Per his instructions, I'd sent the registered/certified letter giving her a deadline of Sept. 4th (Labor Day) to either get her belongings or I would consider her to have "abandoned ownership." She had two cars, including an undrivable 20-year-old Jeep, on my property that I also wanted to never see again, and I included her vehicles in the list of things that have to be taken away by Sept. 4th. But I let her know the yard man, whose hobby is restoring cars, wanted the Jeep. What is frugal about this? She took the bait, so I won't have to pay someone to haul off all her stuff. Her frugal thing was to offer to trade her Jeep to the yard man in exchange for packing up her items and hauling them to her rented storage unit.
5. I've been collecting disposable plastic shopping bags from around the house (many were my roommate's) and taking them to my friends who run a used bookstore. It's a win-win situation: I get rid of the bags and they can reuse them. An unexpected blessing was that they gave me a book. Kindness pays!
(Note: If some of these five are repeats, it's because I've come down with the flu and haven't been out much. But I updated the info, so hopefully that counts.)
@Fru-gal Lisa, #3 is brilliant thinking all around! Everyone benefits.
@MB in MN, win win win. That hardly ever happens. Let's hear it for certified mail return receipt requested. Helped me get several parking tickets issued for a car I did not own dismissed.
@MB in MN,
Thank you. The former roommate has called me every name in the book for making her leave and take her things. I told her my place is not her free storage garage. (She left in June and hasn't bothered to get her things.) They're packing her up today. So far, they've only been able to do a portion of her bedroom. The latest count: 8 big bags of garbage. And that's just the first few feet inside the door. (Not her possessions, which are being packed and boxed; I'm talking about actual trash.) There will be plenty more garbage bags to come, and the yard man is going to have to take all that trash to the city dump -- it's way too much for the garbage collectors to pick up. This is going to be a multi-day job, I'm sure.
@Fru-gal Lisa, good job on ridding yourself of that roommate.
We had my daughter's engagement party this weekend. We saved where we could.
1. We held it at the fire department that my daughter's fiancé volunteers at. It is $100 for volunteers plus they give you all the tables and chairs you could need.
2. They used the caterer that the fire department uses for it's functions. They gave 20% off since the fiancé is a volunteer. The food was delicious.
3. They had sent evites to save money.
4. You are not allowed to hang decoration on walls at the fire house. We used a room divider and got pictures from CVS with a 20% off coupon. I had picked up a few MR& MRS signs from Target also. We hung one on the top of the room divider with a bunch of photos underneath. We also hung one on the table with the food. We put pictures at every table also. It came out really cute.
5. I had gotten a dress on clearance a few weeks ago for $12 and I wore shoes I already had. I have several weddings next year so I know I will be wearing the dress again soon.
6. There were lots of leftovers so we haven't had to cook.
@Marybeth from NY,
That sounds adorable!
@Fru-gal Lisa, thanks
Good luck on your first day at nursing school!
We recently had a very non-frugal period of traveling and eating out at restaurants for our summer holiday, but this is why live frugally at other times.
After I came back from vacation, I have refrained from ordering out although my husband had to take another trip for work and I got sick with Covid. I had luckily gone to the grocery store right before I got sick.
1. Meal-planned some easy meals for the week when I was going to be alone with the kids, so when I got sick I was still able to make all of them. For one night that I absolutely did not want to cook, I had anticipated by buying frozen pizzas and put together an easy salad.
2. Reused leftover rice noodles I had cooked for a stir-fry into a rice noodle soup.
3. For COVID testing, used my stash of free COVID tests I had in my drawer.
4. No back to school shopping (yet), waiting to see what the boys actually need in addition to what we already have at home already.
5. I bought some new pants for the kids, and snagged a buy one-get one half off deal online, more easily done when you have twins who have the same taste in clothes 🙂
1. My wife has been chugging along with a 90s serger (overlock sewing machine) that is old enough to have an instructional VHS tape but not old enough to be really heavy duty. We decided after getting it repaired the last time that it was about time to retire it if something else went on it and now we are at that point. After some research she decided on a Juki model. I found a slightly damaged box one for sale and now we are awaiting that.
2. Taking advantage of what's left of summer and continuing to line dry my clothes. I know I'm weird but line drying clothes is just a calming and relaxing experience for me ... unless of course I'm fighting the rain, which I'm no stranger to.
3. Went out to a few events and brought our own lunch to the event. Buying food out is so darn expensive these days and it doesn't bring me that much joy.
4. My daughter has joined the four eyes club and we got her glasses from Zenni Optical. It was so much cheaper than even with insurance at the eyewear place. Honestly, I don't know how much longer the Luxottica monopoly can hold what with great online competition these days.
5. Just the usual of buying on sales, saving cash and just budgeting as best I can.
@Battra92, I think #3 is so important. Why spend more if it doesn't give you joy?
1. Repaired a nick in the laundry room sink where a plumber knocked a chip out of the enamel putting on a faucet set.
2. Trimmed the nails of both our dogs. They no longer wear them down due to being less active with age. This saved $7 per dog over getting it done at the vet's office.
3. Had a light installed in our coat closet. Cleaned out the closet and took stuff to Goodwill. Moved the closet's old battery powered light to under the laundry room sink, where it's dark as a cave. Huge improvement all around.
4. Rehabbed a unmortared stone path in our back yard by pulling out weeds, leveling the ground some, and moving the irregular pieces of flat stone close together. It was a combo of gardening, a gym workout, and putting a puzzle together. No money spent and the path looks much better.
5. The window in my husband's home office is 109 inches wide but only 25.5 inches high: basically a head-height, horizontal vista. I finally figured out how to put curtains on it (fold sheers in half vertically, using three panels), which cost only $15 and as cut the hot blast of sunlight that made the office uncomfortable by afternoon.
1. I shopped at Kroger this past week for the bulk of our groceries and scored some excellent deals such as BLSL chicken breast for $1.77/lb, 50% off pork tenderloin, $0.65 for 18 eggs, free Simply lemonade, milk for $1.29/half gallon and many others on things we eat regularly like yogurt & tortillas. I also found the brand of fabric softener I love for $7/bottle which is a savings of over $5 per bottle.
2. I set our thermostat temperature and left it there although the days have been unbearably hot. 88 degrees feels like a cold front and I cannot wait for fall. I also kept all of my blinds closed to keep the sunlight out and keep the house cooler. I cooked the bulk of our meals in the crockpot which was easy and kept added heat out of the house.
3. I have managed to resist the Pumpkin Spice craze and have been making coffee at home. I don't know that I will get through the fall without a coffee shop run but for right now I am trying to avoid it.
4. Cooking from scratch and gobbling up leftovers. We have almost reached the bottom of the freezer and I am glad to see it. I am excited to have used up our frozen items to avoid waste but I admit I am nervous about restocking at today's prices.
5. I scheduled my annual visit and mammogram. I call this frugal as I will receive a gift card for completing these and I find it better to schedule these exams and hopefully avoid costs down the road.
-my oldest teen has gotten a job. We pay all her necessities but this will help her cover her unlimited appetite for shopping.
-froze really mushy bananas and apricots for smoothies which turned out well
-my new job does not have a convenient coffee shop en route, so I am saving money by default
-switched our cell phone service from a big business to a smaller competitor who was much cheaper. Also gave the kids less mobile data haha.
-fully paid off a purchase I had stupidly put on a payment plan. Nice to be done with those annoying monthly bills, I should have just paid cash in full at the time of purchase
1) I am at the beginning of a cancer journey, so to feel some sense of control, and because I'm frugal, I started a spreadsheet of the expenses I incur. I've had a couple providers insist that I pay up front. To no-one's surprise, the EOBs have come back and show I owed much less than they told me I would. I will continue tracking expenses, calling about refunds, and now refusing to pay anything in advance.
2) Our youngest just started at the free city preschool that his siblings all attended. We've had a wonderful experience each time, and this year even the aftercare is free. He already loves his teacher and has approved the amount of trucks in the classroom. What a wonderful resource.
3) I returned library books and picked out more for the kids while they were at school. I picked up a book for me too. A travel guide to South Florida. Just what I needed.
4) It doesn't sound very frugal to say my husband and I are considering purchasing a commercial space for our business. However, we are trying to approach it in a frugal way. The space, location, and price are all right in line for us. Long term, it is a wonderful move financially. We'll have to borrow a portion of the price, but that is not a problem--the payment will be the same or less than we have been paying in rent for years. But we are being very careful in the short term. Last night after the kids were in bed we listed all our cash on the whiteboard and talked about what amount we are willing to put down and what margin we need to be comfortable. We're going to take our time and make sure this is the right move.
5) Yesterday I menu-planned and grocery-shopped, I returned a pair of too-small shoes to Thredup and ordered another pair that will hopefully fit, and I cleaned the car myself instead of taking it to be cleaned. Last week I made sure that my doctor's office had received my short term disability forms to complete (I want to be paid!) and my husband and I cleaned the house on Saturday (trying to get a system in place so that we don't have to bring in expensive help while I am on chemo).
@Amanda, I'm so sorry for your cancer diagnosis. I will be sending positive thoughts your way as you go through chemo.
@Amanda,
Prayers for you on your cancer journey. I admire how you are taking care of business even as you face this obstacle. Stay strong, my friend!
@Amanda, I'm so sorry about your #1. But you seem to be approaching it in a calm, practical, and frugal way. More power to you as you and your family start this journey.
@Amanda, sending you best wishes on your cancer journey. Keeping your spreadsheet is a great idea as it is easy to lose track of co-pays and items which should have been covered. In all manner of things, do what works for you during this time. Hugs to you.
@Amanda, sending a big virtual hug as you start your cancer journey
@Amanda, Keep us updated on your cancer diagnosis, please! The commercial space for your business sounds fascinating, too.
Weirdly enough I have been having fantasies about running a little gift/accessories shop lately. I need to get it out of my head, srsly.
@Amanda, praying for you during your cancer journey. You are so smart to make a spreadsheet of it all. It will help you in the long run.
@Amanda, thinking of you in Northern Illinois.
@Amanda, your #1 is a big challenge, I am so glad you are sharing it here where you will receive lots of love and support.
I bow to your wisdom with the tracking spreadsheet - getting it set up while you are feeling reasonably alert will bring big paybacks later.
Your #5 plans with your husband - so you have some systems in place - strikes me as a brilliant way to take action while you wait.
I love how carefully you are approaching the investment in your business. Sometimes we DO have to take a big step, the planning you are doing will ensure you have some idea of where you will end up.
Go you!
Oh Amanda. I am so very sorry to hear of your cancer diagnosis.
You are handling this so sensibly, but please know we are here for you to offer virtual support and love when things get hard.
1. We made our meals at home.
2. Besides a backpack, my youngest didn't need any new school supplies.
3. I'm in the middle of mending a quilt. It's a big project.
4. My kids picked what they want to be for Halloween, so we've started a plan to do it frugally.
5. I divided a big pack of popcorn into smaller bags for my kids to grab foe snacks, instead of buying the small portions. (We had to do that one year because of an allergy in my kid's class. Every snack that wasn't fresh fruit or veg needed a nut free label. It was expensive.)
1. I used up bread odds-and-ends and banana muffins to make baked French toast for my kid's breakfast this week. I used green beans and kale from my garden, tofu, and leftover take-out brown rice to make a great vegetable/tofu bake for my lunches this week. I also sundried some tomatoes from my garden.
2. I went through my kid's toys and posted a bunch of them on Buy Nothing. This is frugal because it helps me keep the house less cluttered and also interests the kids in toys they already have. I picked up a brand new "calendar" of Harry Potter socks off Buy Nothing for my son. He needed new socks and also loves Harry Potter.
3. Our local Toy Library (a branch of our County's library for toys only) is back open after renovations. I can have the toys sent to our local library for free. We picked up a toy for each kid, which they can borrow for 6 weeks for free.
4. My husband bought me a used fitness watch off eBay. There is something minor wrong with it, which he contacted the seller about to see if we can exchange it. The seller just refunded our money and said to keep the item.
5. I noticed a double charge on my credit card statement. I called the company and they said they did not double charge us; that it was an issue with how our credit card charged us. The credit card company said they certainly did double charge us and disputed the charge. It was only $12.42, but it took only 10 minutes of my time to get that money returned.
1) Using up odd fridge bits because we’re leaving town overnight. Breakfast was a leftover baked potato fried up with a bit of leftover taco meat and some roasted broccolini, topped a la Kristen with a fried egg. Lunch will be yogurt and granola with an apple, and dinner will be whatever i can find to throw on top of some salad greens that need to be eaten— likely bacon, avocado, sunflower seeds, and a couple of cherry tomatoes from our plant.
2) we will stay with my niece to avoid hotel costs
3) we are dropping off blinds to be repaired for my SIL, who will be watching our dog. I find trading services/errands with family and friends to be a big money saver.
4) this trip to the big city is to see a touring Broadway show. We had written it off because of the expensive ticket prices but a friend who ushers at the venue was able to buy a number of family & friends tickets at a very reasonable price so we’re going to a frugal/not frugal show! Gotta have some fun!
5) since we are headed to the big city, the car will go in for it’s 30,000 mile service. Expensive in the short run. But i believe it pays off in the long run.
Congrats on starting your first semester of nursing school!
1- used a gift certificate to get my hair done. I bought it but every December she offers a buy $100/ get $35, so I try to buy 4 to pay for cut/color for the year
2- took my father in law to a free concert in the park. We were going to grab subs to eat there but he was running late so I just threw together some drinks, fruit and leftover pizza. We were both happy with that
3- put coffee in my list but then realized we still had 2 bags of beans that I just needed to grind. That will buy a month or so ( only my husband drinks it and I make a pot every other day)
4- sold a table we no longer needed on marketplace
5- we hosted an event for a club and get reimbursed up to x dollars per attendee. I filed that with the treasurer but have no idea how quickly they turn that around. It’ll be a nice thing when it arrives
Shelly!! The OG and my favorite (no offense to the newbie!!). 🙂
1. My husband and I were out of town for one night this past weekend, and we stayed in an Airbnb guest suite instead of a hotel- lower cost and very comfortable
2. My in laws graciously kept our 4 kids while we were gone, and we gifted them eggs from our chickens and some peppers from our garden (totally not a fair trade!)
3. Submitted a rebate for $200 back on my annual supply of contact lenses. They are still expensive though...
4. Doing my best to stay on top of garden produce, as well as finish using the 2 bushels of peaches we bought before they go bad
5. My husband was able to do the majority of the work to relocate our dryer from the second floor laundry room, to now joining our washer in the mudroom. The only part that a contractor friend helped us with is connecting the new outlet to our electric panel. We had borrowed an appliance dolly from friends to get it down the stairs which was pretty interesting!!
We're using up the last piece of a big beef roast that was in the bargain bin. The first chunk became beef vegetable stew, the second chunk became shredded beef on buns, and the third chunk will be another stew because we have tons of vegetables. It's the season for fresh vegetables!
I mended 2 pairs of knit pants that had snagged somehow. Also, a small area in a seam of my favorite jeans looked ready to tear so I mended that. Yesterday I was planning on stopping into two stores for items specific to those stores. But the first store had their own brand of what I needed and that was good enough and a better price. As well, I checked the clearance section and found a few items we use regularly but the prices were marked down considerably so I bought them cheerfully. And I didn’t need to stop by the second store.
For some reason our pup Wally has gotten finicky about eating his regular food lately. Before buying a different kind that he may or may not like, I mixed a bit of banana into his food and he ate every bit of his food. We seem to always have bananas on hand so if that’s all it takes to keep him eating and stretch the dog food we already have, we’re glad to do it.
One of the venues my husband and I like to go dancing has been doing renovations. This has limited the times of when the venue is open for dancing. While we miss the opportunities to dance, we realized this week that we have more in our budget toward dancing because if we don’t go dancing, we haven’t spent the dance money.
The venue will be back to business as usual in September so we’re looking forward to that.
frugal wins surgery edition :
* I have been picking up shifts on units (hospital) where I wouldn't usually choose to work on because I need the extra money to pay for my upcoming surgery.
* I am starting my liquid pre-op diet today, so not much groceries for me until surgery day (sept 12)
* In planning for the fast weight loss that will occur from now on, I have been accumulating clothes in Extra-Large, Large and Medium sizes from my Buy Nothing group and I now have a gigantic stash waiting for me 🙂
* Will not be spending money on take-outs/junk food anymore, which at the moment is my biggest personal expense...
* Using my gym membership at least 3 times per week
@Isa, What are you having done? My sister is supposed to be getting a gastric sleeve but she keeps putting it off (sigh).
@Isa, best wishes on your upcoming surgery. It sounds like you're setting yourself up for success. Go you!
@Rose, I'm having the sleeve done. I have been putting it off for 7 years so I understand your sister's concerns. It's a major surgery with major and permanent repercussions, so it's not to be taken lightly and it's really a last resort thing. Maybe she's just not at that last step in her process yet 🙂
@MB in MN, Thanks 🙂
I got my AC fixed! Turns out that at some point my duct work got broken in places and, since I have a split unit, I have been paying to heat and cool the underside of my house for who knows how long. The compressor was under warranty so there was no charge for the part and they also fixed the duct work without charging me. Hooray!
I stopped and got a rotisserie chicken and broccoli at the store on the way home from a long trip instead of grabbing fast food, as I was tempted to do. The chicken and broccoli cost more than a fast-food meal but will last me several meals instead of just one.
I made bean and cheese burritos with Mexican night leftovers and froze them for quick lunches.
I played the odds and booked a non-refundable hotel room at a lower rate for my trip. Which worked out! This time . . .
I organized my linen closed to avoid buying duplicates of toiletries I already own. Learned that lesson after finding 7 sticks of deodorant in there one time. Haha.
-I cut my hair.
-I cut my husband's hair.
- I mended a torn seam in my nightgown.
-I scanned receipts on Fetch. Plus I spread the receipts out & just do one a day so I can spin for extra points on every receipt.
-I cashed in some Amazon points.
- I got .10 off on gasoline with my Walmart app.
- I picked a bouquet of flowers from my back yard for a free centerpiece.
I purchased a family pack of pork shoulder when it was reduced $2.50 a pound.
I turned some of the meat into pulled pork (for postpartum meals).
We gladly accepted more baby hand-me-downs. (Although, I'm good for swaddle blankets in case you all were curious.) 😉
That might be it. Baby prep doesn't feel frugal at all.
@Rebekah in SoCal, Yes, but BABY.
I played catch up on my hospital bills today. I had a couple which said I owed money. One I did for $162. The other is for $78,000 and I'm not paying that. Our insurance was cut off for a couple of days after hubby retired and I had my stents put in during that time. The insurance company called the hospital while I was on hold and was told that the hospital will re-submit the bill and the insurance will pay it and my copay will be 0.
Hubby and I went on vacation last week and I invited my sister, brother-in-law and their granddaughter to spend some time with us. That paid off cause they paid for one dinner out, one pizza night and made spaghetti for supper. Before we left the house I made sure all of the lights were off, things unplugged and pushed the AC up to 80.
We rented a car to go on vacation with - we were driving - and hubby had originally rented a mini van at the airport for $1,000 for the week. I fortunately saw something mentioning Costco travel. We have a Costco membership and were able to rent a Toyota Highlander from the Enterprise place down the hill from us. Total cost was $500 and something dollars. Better than $1K.
Hubby pickled some cucumbers before we left and he enjoyed them when we got home.
I opened up a CD and will get 5.5% interest.
1. I finally used up some decaf instant coffee and some tea that a friend left when she stayed with us over two years ago.
2. I’m working on using freezer odds and ends. Recently I made a soup that used frozen mushrooms and some carrots languishing in the crisper drawer. I’ll continue to make waffles with my stash of frozen sour milk which is slowly depleting, thankfully. We also need to work on our venison in anticipation of (hopefully) husband shooting another one this year.
3. I had some omega 3 supplements that melted into a giant smelly blob in the bottom of the container (must have had heat damage in transit– my house doesn’t get that hot!). I have been able to pry them apart gently and finish almost the whole bottle. The second bottle I purchased at the same time also had some heat exposure somehow and the whole bottle smells of fish. I contacted Vitacost and I think they will refund me the entire order, which is amazing! I will try to finish the second bottle of fishy ones, but I am not sure I will even be able to manage that.
4. Earned a $5 gift card through a professional survey. I chose Panera for a treat later- I love their orange scones. Although, I’m annoyed that everyone else in the frugal blog world seems to be able to get free months of their Sip Club as lapsed members, but the codes don’t work for my account.
5a. (Small) frugal flop: I was near a Taco Bell last Tuesday and wanted to get a free taco for their “Taco Tuesdays” promotion online. I downloaded the app and tried to order through it several times, but it never seemed to go through. So I drove up and the guy told me I needed a purchase to qualify for the free taco, which I was fairly certain that I didn’t… but I didn’t check online to correct him. I ended up not getting anything. When I got home I found an email saying “thanks for your order” and so my free taco must have just been thrown away when I didn’t pick it up. Oh well.
5b. However, I got a freebie for signing up for the Taco Bell rewards program for the first time, which I redeemed when I was out running errands. And I was able to redeem the free taco for Taco Tuesday today without an issue by ordering through the app. I don't usually eat fast food, but it's nice to have a little free treat.
1. I posted some items to sell on our local FB garage sale group and sold a few more things totaling $60.
2. Used the Too Good to Go app to buy a couple bags of day old cookies and scones/muffins (from 2 different places) for snacks and breakfast, saving at least $13-19 for what was in the bags vs. regular price.
3. Bought 2 books my son needed for English class from the library book sales for 50 cents each! Ordered the rest of the required books (used) from Better World Books, signed up for their mailing list for an extra 20% off code then later unsubscribed.
4. My husband had to mail a large envelope of papers to his mom and I found some old 37 cent stamps while cleaning out my parents' house, so I used 4 of the stamps and paid less than 50 cents in the difference (although I should have just added one more stamp and would have covered it all!).
5. Dropped off several loads of donations to several local charities last week. Most of them were things I'm still cleaning out from my parents' house but I'm happy to send it where it can be used.
@DebbieR, my mother-in-law passed away over 30 years ago leaving a stamp collection that had been decades in the making. We sold what we could, nothing valuable, and gave a chunk to my friend's teenage son for his collection. A lot of what was left had gotten damp and stuck to the envelope so I carefully soaked them off and used them up for the next couple of years, even the one cent stamps.
Has anyone ever told you how much we love your 5 Frugal Things posts?? I do! 🙂
And yes, I liked the 1995 version of P & P (that Mr. Darcy makes my heart flutter) -- but I really liked Pride & Prejudice with Zombies! You and Zoe would, too. Honest.
5 frugal things:
*Did an appraisal session -- exhausting. Six items. But I still didn't stop and buy a drink/lunch/snack. And it was hot here.
*Got a number of kids' books for our nephews & nieces (50 cents each), a whole set of Harry Potter videos for Daughter's Christmas ($2/$3 each)...and a thrift shop painting for myself for $10. I'll be asking a friend to paint in a few Bigfoot in this snow scene.
*Several treasure hunting books in the mail -- $5 each, plus free shipping. (These usually run about $15 each.)
*Some fabric from Ebay -- $6-7 yard. (Have you SEEN how much cotton prints are going for, nowadays?)
*Came home and made boxed mac & cheese, livened up with a can of chicken I got on sale. It was delicious -- and I didn't have to cook much, because I was tired.
So there you go, Kristen. Here's hoping your nursing classes are not only easy, but stimulating!
@Cindy Brick, Having a small cluster of Yeti together is very unusual! Will make your painting even more valuable.
Seems like all I've done lately is spend, BUT I am being mindful about it. I got a bonus at work so I replaced two very scratched and wonky frying pans in my kitchen, ordering some that were highly rated. I'm still making 99% of my meals at home and keeping my thermostat at a reasonable temp. But I'm also driving a lot lately, so I think its all evening out. ):
Making your meals at home is a HUGE win. And good pans are an investment in that effort. I approve. 🙂
We had family stay with us which put a dent in grocery budget this week. Also a dent in my coffee budget (they caffeinate!).
1. Got 2 self-watering planters for $25 & Gent plans to build one at some point, but for now this is very in budget.
2. Got 3 plant pots for $10 from a neighbor, for the front (flowers only). And a free planter from my trip last week. It needs some love & mending but otherwise sturdy.
3. Revamped my Autumn wardrobe, got 5 sweaters at Goodwill & found a tall size gap dress for under $4! Tall dresses are hard to find at thrift stores.
4. Used stale bread to make 2 French toast casseroles for migraine days.
5. A friend mailed me a wall calendar & a pocket calendar which were both things I needed!
Love seeing the cat pictures!
My frugal things this last week, including today.
Swell is having another 25% site wide for Labor day weekend & the Rose ice cream chiller was back in stock & got limited edition emerald green tumbler was still on sale (& then took additional 25% off also) free personalization for teen for xmas gift. Then used Racketen
and my Swell reward points for additional $40 off & got total down to 50+% off. Now have few additional ice cream containers for teen on own items when moves out after college.
Sucked it up & paid full shipping on hard to find swell large snack container found for half off retail. Perfect size for fruit or side salad.
Used Subway coupon for 3 foot long subs for $20 (instead of $30) because both us so tired & nothing quick except PBJ (teen doesn't like but I love). Teen ate 1 1/2 sub & saved rest for quick after school snack while cooking other food. He eats lunch at 11am & fitness training last class so starving at 3pm when get home.
Had my teeth cleaned (paid $5) & scheduled next appointment for filings (paid $25 each for 2 out of 3 because need additional appointment).
Been cool (40-50 degrees at night) & only 70 daytime so no central air or fans. Have not turned on heat, instead got out blankets & kept doors closed after dinner. Cooked from home most days so used stove which warmed up inside house.
Have not gone almost anywhere this last week so not much gas usage. Good since gas almost $4/gallon. Also have not been to grocery store in 2 weeks so less spending there also.
But got great deals online on upcoming gifts for holidays.
Teen birthday last weekend & didn't want to go anywhere. Already had his gift & ended up taking steak out of freezer & grilled (warmest day) with pie from freezer for dessert.