Five Frugal Things | platforms for Zoe
1. I helped Zoe find a pair of platform Converse
I knew she'd been eyeing a pair of platform Converse or Vans, and one day, a pair of platform Converse popped up on my Facebook feed, in Zoe's exact size!
These are over $80 on Amazon, and $70 at DSW, so when I saw that they were only $25 on Facebook, I let Zoe know.
These had only been worn once or twice by the previous owner, which means they're practically brand new.
So now Zoe's got the shoes she wants without having had to spend a lot of money. Yay!
2. I used the oil from my sun-dried tomato jar
The oil in those little jars of sun-dried tomatoes is very tasty! So after I scooped out the last of the tomatoes (which I mixed with my mashed potatoes. So good!), I saved the jar with the oil in it.
And then I used it to fry up my next couple of eggs. Yum!
I think it would also be yummy to use as a dip for crusty bread (like the way restaurants serve you olive oil to dip your bread in) and it would be good in a salad dressing as well.
I washed the jar out as well because it is a perfect size to use for the last bit of paint in a can, like what I did with the last of my light pink paint.
3. I got a discount on my Panera sip club
Sometimes I like to go to Panera to do blog work (or studying, when I'm in school) so I had joined their unlimited sip club.
Some months ago, I went to cancel it and they gave me a discount, so I stayed.
That discount ran out, so I went to cancel it again and woohoo, they offered me another discount. SWEET.
Soooo, I will ride this train for a little longer.
4. I ordered a used schoolbook
Most of my nursing textbooks are digital, which means that I can't employ any of my usual book discount techniques.
But a few are physical books, so of course I checked to see how much used copies sell for.
One of them was no cheaper on eBay, but I did manage to find a discounted copy of the other necessary one!
5. I sautéed some of my cabbage
You know how I've been working through this never-ending head of cabbage?
One of you suggested sautéing it low and slow with butter, so I tried that yesterday.
I tasted a bit as I was cooking and it occurred to me that it would be very good with a crunchy topping.
So I chopped up the heel of a loaf of whole wheat bread and sautéed the bread bits in butter until they were crunchy.
And it was a good combo!
The only downside is that my kitchen smelled like something died in it for a few hours, which is always what happens when you cook cabbage.
Or broccoli.
Or Brussels sprouts.
Maybe someone already suggested this last time, but homemade Runzas are a great way to use up excess cabbage!
--Joining our local gym meant I needed a second pair of shoes to keep the equipment clean, especially as I prefer the treadmills. Amazon had a pair of “gently used” Skechers for $21 (part of their “try it for a week” program, no doubt). The taupe color isn’t my favorite, but for $21 instead of $80, I don’t care! For my fellow fat-footed folks out there, Skechers makes nice WIDE sneakers that last a decent while. My everyday shoes are the same kind, albeit in black.
—Targeted watering means that, despite having a vegetable garden, our water bill hasn’t budged. The garden takes eight gallons of water every other day—a gallon per giant pot—in addition to rain and kitchen water (from boiling pasta or eggs). All the flowers and ground cover are low-water varieties; once established, rain is all they get.
—Our sentient basil plant continues to grow faster than I can process it, and I make a jar of pesto at least twice a week! (Pesto pasta has made many appearances as my husband’s work lunch, and pesto salmon has become a regular dinner item.) In addition to starting to freeze pesto for our future selves, I’ve been giving fresh basil to neighbors and coworkers. I always ask first, lest my basil become the herb version of unwanted zucchini. We already have bulk dried basil in the cupboard, so I’m focusing on applications that require fresh. I can’t wait until my tomatoes ripen to join forces with the basil.
—Related: When I came upon two bags of clearance fresh Parmesan at the store for $2 each, I snapped them up for the freezer.
—I’ve known for a while that you can freeze ginger but still always end up racing against the fresh ginger in the fridge. This time, I cut it up and froze it first thing! We do have powdered ginger to use in a pinch, but there are several favorite recipes that I just won’t make if I haven’t fresh ginger—it makes such a difference!
@N, I do the same thing with the ginger. Why I can't freeze about half of it as soon as I buy it, I don't know. It makes me want to smack my lazy self sometimes.
@N,
In case it helps your laziness factor, you do not need to cut up ginger to freeze it. You can freeze it whole and then you just grate off what you need for cooking-I like those little microplaners for this. If you prefer it peeled, more good lazy news: the peel slides right off after thawing for a minute or so. The next time you buy fresh ginger, pretend it's ice cream and throw that bad boy straight into the freezer. In case you want to branch out in your culinary experiences, fresh turmeric can be treated the same way. I do like to put them into a plastic bag to prevent freezer burn because I keep them in my above fridge freezer, but it just lives there basically forever. I get them both in my farm share so I almost never buy it.
@N, I'm another fat-footed Skechers fan. I found two almost-new pairs of the nice wide sneakers for $8 each at one of our Thrifty Shopper stores last year, and have been enjoying them ever since.
@Becca, Oh, thank you! I think this might be a life-changer. (Okay, maybe a very small part of my life, but every little bit counts.)
@Becca, I keep our ginger in a recycled Talenti container, which are my favorite freezer containers. I section ginger into 1” chunks, which is usually what a given recipe takes, but I’ll have to try freezing a while hand now just to see. Thank you for the tip re: the turmeric!
@A. Marie, Excellent thrift score, my fellow fat-footer! Land’s End is another brand that has solid wide options—may my clearance winter boots last forever!
@A. Marie, Yes, I love Sketchers' wide sizes! So comfortable, and they last me a long time.
@N,
Haha, well you guys know I'm all about the lazy frugality.
@N, you should totally freeze your pesto. I make gallons of it, frozen in small jars and give with a loaf of homemade bread at Christmas. It lasts in your freezer a year and it such a treat to give to neighbors, etc as an almost free gift
@Becca,
thank you so much for your tips regarding ginger! I will try this!
@N, we discovered Runzas when traveling through Nebraska. Yum! My son has been gifted with cabbage from my in-laws (he is living close to them this summer) so he made homemade Runzas. Apparently they weren't very pretty--his coworker, who grew up in Nebraska, told him he needs to apologize to the State of Nebraska for the sorry state of his Runzas. 🙂
@N,
I'll have to try on the fat footed Sketchers. I have a pair of slides from them but they have the shaped foot bed ala Birkenstock's and hurt my flat feet. I wear them as slippers.
My sister just got a pair of slip on Sketchers for her fat feet and she loves them. She got a pair for her husband too. I might try those.
1. I went to Costco to buy a few things and discovered that some of the items in their previous promotion period (ended July 23rd) were still on sale so I bought a couple of boxes of chicken patties and a bag of pumpkin seeds. Maybe that particular store had an overage of merchandise and that led to the continued sale.
2. A friend offered to do a jigsaw puzzle swap with us. We'll swap puzzles when I see her on Thursday.
3. Meals at home, meals at home, meals at home. Even when we buy ready to prepare food it is so much cheaper, and generally healthier, than eating out.
4. I swapped some cut watermelon cubes for orchard peaches. A friend found she had more peaches than she wanted so offered for me to have some of her excess. I'd just cut a watermelon and she was happy to have some of it. A win-win and a frugal win for me.
5. Our freezers are bursting (we have two refrigerators) so meal planning revolves around using up freezer items this week. I'll bake a pizza for lunch today and cook fish for dinner tonight.
Another cabbage idea that my family loves: I brown hamburger or ground pork and (after draining excess fat) season it with sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper, a little brown sugar, and some rice vinegar. Then I add chopped onion and cabbage and cook until just right (whatever that is for you). I serve it with rice. I don't measure anything, so you'd have to play around with it-- but the kids love it. Also, something spicy would be nice added to it ( but I have some who can't handle spice so that's added at the table).
This week:
*we picked green beans and canned 14 quarts so far. Today is a picking day again.
*we picked zucchini, a couple of tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. We've also been eating this produce.
*one son told me he needed new underwear, so while I had to pass the 3 hours of driver's ed. class, I shopped around and found some marked down.
*I patched up some jeans for my husband (pocket and belt loop fixes).
*I checked out books from the library.
*I sat with my daughters in a park on Saturday so they could sell their wares. This isn't necessarily frugal for me, but it helped them learn how to earn some money which they are now learning to manage. I did spend money at a booth for a non-profit, but I thought 6 pepperoni rolls, 3 (cold!) waters, and cookies for all three of us for less than $10 wasn't a bad price.
@Jody S., Teaching your daughters to earn and handle money is a huge frugal win. Or at least it will be down the road. So many young adults don't have money smarts and they just blow their money and get themselves into debt. And supporting a non-profit is always a good thing, since you are helping a worthy cause.
I love cooked cabbage but definitely not the smell! My FAVORITE coleslaw is from a local chicken house we have near us.. I will link it.. obviously you won't make a whole batch but it might give you new inspiration! lol https://www.pinterest.com/pin/barberton-chicken-house-coleslaw-1-small-head-of-cabbage-about-114-lbs-34-cup-vinegar-12-cup-oil-13-cup-plus-1tbsp-sugar--308496643197444691/
I heard a comedian call cabbage/cauliflower a "fart, encapsulated in substance," a while ago and it's what I think of every time I see them now.
@LeighAnne, laughed out loud.
@LeighAnne, the cabbage family is one food group that smells similar at both ends of the digestive system.
@A. Marie, thanks for the laugh!!
This week we:
*Made several grilled pizzas using Kristen's tips and topped with leftovers. (BBQ sauce and BBQ chicken.) Turned out delicious.
*Did our own yard work.
*Came up with my own name for my new website, as all the obvious domain names cost $$$. Will create site entirely by myself in WordPress.
*Continued to use a Teletubbies towel on the beach instead of buying new. You can guess how old that is.
*sewed my own skirt for the kitchen sink.
@Rose,
I'm still using a "Wishbone" (PBS kids' show from the late '90's) pillowcase--in fact I think it has the copyright sign right next to Wishbone's picture, and says 1997.. It's still in good shape, which is hard to believe, isn't it? Let's hear it for the old pillowcase and the Teletubbies towel! More power to 'em.
@Valee, numerous Jane Austen fans say that their favorite Mr. Darcy ever is Wishbone in his Pride and Prejudice episode.
@A. Marie, Wishbone was certainly handsome enough to pull it off. Of course, I'm a terrier aficiando.
@JDinNM, aficionado. Pardonez moi!
@JDinNM, aficionada!
I remember Wishbone--it was a very cute show with a cute dog. My kids liked it too.
A. Marie, if no one's told you yet, Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy shows up for a minute in the Barbie movie.
@Rose,
It really WAS a cute show, wasn't it? I kind of miss it. I liked the song at the start where they sing "What's the story, Wishbone?"
@Rose, I have a small, ahem, crush on Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. Not a crush on the actor but on the character when portrayed by him. I have the DVD set of the BBC production and it is my favorite. The movie version with Kiera Knightley, who is a good actress in her own right, is not P&P in my opinion.
We went on a small vacaton this past week, so not very frugal at all, but it was planned and saved for in advance.
We did ask about a military discount while doing activities and almost all offered some discount (a couple offered a 50%-100% discount for the veteran) and most stores/restaurants offered one.
I needed a table/bookcase/something for my printer and found a great antique wood table at a thrift store for $8. The top was used to hold a plant and has some light damage, but for now I just put the printer on it....I can fix it later. The rest is in great shape and has beautiful spindle legs.
We used up all the leftovers before we left town.
I found milk and butter on a great sale and stocked up. Also found shredded cheddar cheese marked down to $1/bag and stocked up on that.
I paid for my trash/recycling service for the whole year and was given a discount for prepraying.
Cabbage roasted = delicious! We slice cabbage into slabs of decent thickness, liberally slather with olive oil, salt generously & sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Roast at 375 degrees for 20 minutes & flip; continue roasting for about 20 minutes more. Cabbage is done when it’s tender enough to slide a knife into it - similar to a potato.
And for under any of your Asian dishes, thinly chopped & sautéed with fresh ginger, scallions & a drizzle of sesame oil along with olive oil compliments the flavors of Asian cuisine. Adding a little soy sauce, if not part of the main dish, works well.
@Theresa, I didn't think about roasting cabbage. Thanks for the tip!
Similar to your Asian dishes recipe, we've been enjoying this meal, and it gets rid of a substantial amount of cabbage at once: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-yakisoba/
1. Been eating at home a lot, which means cooking a lot even in the heat. But we are eating what we have. Today I took out some short ribs from the freezer and I have looked up recipes to cook in the crock pot. It will be a little cooler today, so I can make some mashed potatoes to go with them and the sauce.
2. Any dinner leftovers, I eat for lunch since I work from home.
3. We have been putting the meat we purchase in marinade and then freezing it, so all we have to do is grab the bag out of the freezer and its already in the marinade.
4. I've been working on my newest scrapbook and using a lot of the supplies I already bought. I am constantly looking thru the supplies and using what I have to re-create memories.
5. Will be sewing the velcro on my bike bag tonight. It is the bag I put on my handle bars that I keep my phone and ID in while riding. Unfortunately, the velcro is coming off, but nothing a needle and thread can't fix. It's not totally done yet!
-Our graden is starting to produce amazingly. We purchased a scoop (what we thought was a large wheelbarrow load that turned out to be a front loader scoop!) of manure from our local Mennonite farmer. We are seeing the result of that purchase as the garden is bumping!
-The dreaded back to school shopping lists are coming out and I'm looking around our house for items 1st. At the end of the school year last year, my son won an "art" basket and my daughter won an art basket at VBS, so those have provided many items that are on our lists. Combined with what we have around the house, we may only need to purchase a few items.
-We are hosting an Italian exchange student for 6 months starting this Sunday and we needed some sturdy furniture for his bedroom. Facebook marketplace for the win! A gorgeous sleigh bed and dresser. I'll re-gift the daybed that was our guest bed on our buy nothing group.
-I saw a video recently about how "if your broke, use your elbow grease to get nice things" I know I'm not conveying the message as well as they did, but it really resonated with me that "my hard work and work ethic" are free and I can use them to make/get nice things. That also reminded me of Kristen and all of your refurbished projects! Last night I used my hard work to REALLY, REALLY clean out my van. It was just gross from hauling kids everywhere. But with about 3 hours of hard work, it looks almost new inside. I'm hoping this mindset will help with my "keeping up with the Jones" thoughts that creep in!
I love how you used up the last bit of oil from your jar.
1. Pulled annual credit reports for both me and my husband. Since we’re allowed a free report every year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion), I space them out and request one every four months.
2. Also renewed our fraud alert. Renewing with one bureau automatically adds the alert to the other two. I do this annually to help protect ourselves from identity theft.
3. Helping a friend declutter her clothing and accessories and some of her late husband’s things. It’s fascinating to see her maximilism vs. my minimalism. Two examples: She decluttered 30+ purses; I haven’t owned that many in all of my almost 64 years on earth. I have two pairs of jammies, she has 30+ (after decluttering). She has been very generous in serving delicious lunches and giving me and my husband many items, several new with tags on. Plus we’re having fun.
4. Went out of town with my husband for a few days. Ate everything (except condiments) from the fridge before we left. Since almost every restaurant was adding a 3-4% charge for using a credit card, we paid cash for our meals. Spent enough on one restaurant dinner to qualify for getting kicked out of the frugal club.
5. Friend came over for lunch and brought all the food, all homemade. Better than restaurant quality, and there were enough leftovers for three more meals.
A relative gave my parents tons of tomatoes which they shared with me.
An aunt sent my kids a bunch of apples.
So, so many cherry tomatoes from my garden.
All meals were cooked at home.
Cut my oldest's hair at home.
Some frugal things:
-I’m potty training my two year old, which is a little draining at the moment, but will absolutely be frugal when it means no more buying diapers and wipes.
-I picked up an $8 pizza from Sam’s Club last night for dinner when I was doing my shopping—definitely cheaper than ordering it elsewhere.
-I’m in the process of switching to mint mobile, which will half our current cell phone costs.
-Our church had a potluck on Sunday, so I brought home some leftover sliced cheese, chips, hummus, and coffee cake. No one ever seems to want to bring home leftovers from the potlucks, but I was getting sick of throwing everything out a few weeks later, so I was a little pushier with people to take things home.
-I borrowed books from my library through the Libby app.
-I stopped by a local thrift store and picked up $1 pants for myself, and 6 $0.50 clothing items for my son.
@Hannah, an $8 pizza from Sam's Club is also cheaper than a lot of name brand frozen pizzas where I live! Also, I'm in love with Libby. I rarely buy books (like maybe once a year as a part of using birthday money from my parents), so this app saves me!
@Melissa, I love Libby too. I’ve easily borrowed hundreds of books and audiobooks from it over the years. Definitely one of my favorite ongoing frugal wins.
@Hannah, I, too, absolutely love Libby and have been using it since COVID made even going to our library a tricky proposition…..I have all y’all to thank for that!!!
@Hannah,
Be sure to keep all your receipts for Mint if your phone chips don't work. And find a phone number also because we ran into problems a year ago when was going to switch. Chips were told would be compatible with our phones but did not work at all. Tried to file refund but claimed receipt (which everything done by email) didn't match anything. Luckily TMobile matched prices until got rid of 1 phone line.
“Egg roll in a bowl” is a delicious way to use up cabbage. I use whatever protein is handy, usually ground turkey, and whatever extra veggies are hanging around.
@Lisa,
I just found this recipe recently. It’s delicious
@Lisa, we love "egg roll in a bowl" at our house
I'm always surprised at the shoes you're able to find! I'll have to take a look myself. I like Ecco leather sneakers, but the price has gone up and the quality down, so I'm not buying a new pair at full-price.
1. Last week, folks gave me suggestions for a picnic. Well, it was cancelled due to the other toddler being ill. So I'm slowly working my way through hummus and pita chips.
2. I had a friend over and considered ordering pizza, but instead made quesadillas. Easy enough, and saves on takeout.
3. I had a relapse into buying tea at work. Oh no! Now I've figured out a way to make it how I like it at work, and I haven't bought any since. Phew!
4. We got a load of hand-me-downs for my daughter, and we won't need to source anything except a snowsuit and pyjamas. Way back when, I recall Kristen saying that by doing laundry frequently, she was able to keep smaller wardrobes for her children. Wisdom that I took to heart!
5. I've been taking transit a lot lately. I just don't have the energy to walk both ways to work. It's too bad (not just because of the money,) but it's still much cheaper than a second car!
We generally avoid subscriptions and clubs but we use your philosophy about the Sip club to regularly get SiriusXm for ridiculous prices. We currently have a 3-year subscription which we got for $99.
@Bobi, how did you get that from SiriusXM? If you're comfortable with sharing, that is. I know that the retention department really wants you to stay on but whew, that price you have for three years, is terrific.
Thanks.
@Molly F. C., Well we actually dropped it for a few months and the offers just got lower and lower and we were actually shocked when we saw $33/yr. I was sure they'd add fees to make it closer to their other offers but no, it was $99, period. I don't know if dropping it is an option for you but we simply dropped it for a few months when we were busier with other things and wouldn't miss it so much. We've noticed if you actually drop it temporarily that they get exceedingly desperate to get you back. You could also call and say you have a friend who got this offer and could they give it to you. The worst that can happen is they say no. This offer includes one of our vehicles plus streaming on as many devices as we want. We've had it off and on for about 15 years and this is definitely our best price ever!
FFT, This and That Edition:
(1) I finished Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home (my first library checkout). My opinion remains much the same as last week: The photos convey such serene perfection that they don't seem real, and the advice either is somewhat bland or seems a bit odd to this Western reader. (I still don't understand how wiping the soles of my shoes at night or scrubbing my kitchen floor is supposed to bring me good luck, except that I suppose it's not a bad thing to have clean shoes and a clean kitchen floor.) However, Kondo states in her Afterword that she and her husband had just had their third child as the book was being completed--and that this child is a boy after two girls. So I'm rather mischievously looking forward to the next book. 😉
(2) It was raining so hard on Saturday that I decided not to drive to a really good library book sale in the next county over. So I stayed home and roasted a chicken instead--and I completed the "chicken cycle" yesterday by making a chicken and veg soup with dill, using the stock I made from the chicken bones on Sunday. I'll take some of the soup to my next-door neighbor (NDN) this afternoon.
(3) A group of NDN's friends and neighbors--NDN's close friend (CF), CF's sister, the Bestest Neighbors, Bailey dog's mom from up the street, and I--got together yesterday and did a major cleanup of NDN's long-neglected garden in her front yard. There's a lot of work still to do, but it looks **much** better than it did. Not a frugal thing, except that it improves the neighborhood and makes everyone feel good.
(4) One of the neighbors who enjoys my refrigerator dill pickles bought me a bag of cucumbers on her most recent trip to the Regional Market. Hey, I can take a hint: I'm making more pickles this afternoon!
(5) And NDN and I are enjoying the Sungold tomatoes I planted in a pot behind her 8-foot chain-link fence (well protected from the deer). I'd never tried Sungolds before, and they are absolute flavor bombs!
@A. Marie, I always plant at least one Sungold every year. Sooooo good.
@A. Marie,
Sungolds are delicious! Try black cherry tomatoes if you can sometime, or white current tomatoes (so cute and tiny)- both of them are great.
I've read somewhere that Marie Kondo had admitted to relaxing her standards a bit these days. My daughter and her DH, with four young kids and both working full-time jobs, feel they have accomplished much if they can keep the clean laundry folded and put away.
@JD, I grew red currant tomatoes a few years ago--I was late with everything this year so they were sold out. Next year hopefully will have my butt in gear.
@A. Marie, got a chuckle from your number 1….
@JD, my sister-in-law (two kids, one husband, working full-time, many activities) once said she considered it a successful day if her pants were zipped and her teeth were brushed.
Not frugal now, but maybe later? I bought a book (I know I know I know NEVER EVER “BUY” a book! Tsk tsk), but it’s titled “Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable ZERO WASTE APPROACH to HOME COOKING” (emphasis original).
So ... A cookbook Kristen should have written! Say the authors (sisters Margaret and Irene Li), “households are the largest source of food waste in most higher-income countries, with homes responsible for about 37% of the uneaten food in the United States….[T]his is a place where it is fair to put the onus on the consumer.”
The sisters are cookbook authors and owners of a food business (that started as a food truck and grew into a dumpling factory with a café). From their food truck experience they saw how much wasting produce cost and they had to find ways to source imperfect or less popular produce and use up every part of it, and use the FIFO (first in, first out) rule of cold storage for perishable food. Their “at home” version is an “Eat Me First Box” in the refrigerator.
Their cookbook has no photographs but uses illustrations (“All Day We Dream of Salad”) that I believe holds the publication cost down – I bought it in paperback (no hardback version) instead of on Kindle (I cannot follow recipes or instructions on my Kindle when my hands are sticky with olive oil). But I did use points and credits to bring the cost down.
And your WHY IS THIS CABBAGE SO BIG dilemma? Make okonomiyaki, a Japanese frittata-like pancake.
@JDinNM, Oh, and this morning I went to Target to stock up on needed household stuff and found they were offering a $15 gift card if you purchased $50 of "household stuff" (that's 30% off) so I got $50 of Target brand "household stuff" (already cheaper than, say, "brand name" toilet paper that gets flushed down your "brand name" (cough! Kohler) toilet) and paid for my $50 worth of stuff using my 5% off Target charge card and my $5 Target gift card from the last time I was there (a couple months ago?) and got my $15 gift card to stick in my wallet. You do the math! because I'm too hot and tired to do it. Oh oh oh, and I do a lot of printing for work and Target has the best price on all purpose printer paper so stocked up on that tax deductible item.
My granddaughter said something about platform Converse shoes, and I almost didn't believe her. But there they are - they are a real thing! Amazing.
My frugal things are mostly food-related:
1. I did something similar with oil to what Kristen did. I had a jar with garlic, fresh ginger and olive oil in it that I had made. Some of it clung to the jar and a bit of oil puddled in the bottom, so I scraped all that into ground meat patties I was making.
Re: ginger, I have two hands of it in the freezer in a bag right now. I always freeze mine.
2. A recipe called for yogurt for a marinade, which I didn't have. I had a little leftover real farm-made buttermilk, though, so I used it instead of buying yogurt.
3. I sewed some fun pillow cases for the younger grandkids, to be part of their little presents at Christmas. Fabric and thread were all bought on sale, so the pillowcases are maybe $3 each and took no time to make. I usually give the kids one nice Christmas present and several small ones; the small ones I get on good sale, make, or buy with Swagbucks.
4. I've been diligent at picking the okra before it gets too big and tough, which can be hard to do, since it grows amazingly fast. So far, I haven't had to throw out a single pod.
5. I had some dishes I really prefer to oven cook and some won't fit in the toaster oven. I got them all ready so that when the threatening rain finally came and cooled us down temporarily, I was able to put four dishes in the oven and cook it all in 30 minutes.
@JD, dang me, I wish you could FedEx me some of that okra--except that the shipping cost would probably be prohibitive, and FedEx would probably object.
@A. Marie,
And in our current heat it would be a slimy mess when you got it!
@JD, @A.Marie, I HATE HATE HATE okra. My mom used to sneak it into food thinking I wouldn't notice, but that slime and awful flavor always was apparent. So, as an adult, when I found a dried okra pod painted like a Santa Claus for a Christmas ornament, I HAD to buy for Mom. 😎
So you will rarely have to come up with a nursing care plan in the real world - usually it’s just clicking a box depending on your hospital’s charting system but if you plan to get a higher degree in nursing down the road you may need that book again so you might want to hold on to it. I did an ADN program first and then a BSN and MSN later and I used the book again for my BSN program.
Good to know!
Frugal/Not so frugal.
We bought a tiny dilapidated cottage in our previous town and paid cash. No loan fees. ( will be summer escape)
We have been spending A LOT of money this summer fixing it up. Wood. Electrical. Windows.
Frugal.
We have been doing most of the work ourselves. Not the electrical.
We furnished tiny cottage with items we already owned, second hand for cheap or items given to
Us from family.
Keeping meals very simple this summer to avoid food waste.
Riding bike and walking dog for exercise.
Using library app for entertainment.
@Stephanie,
I am unreasonably excited for you that you bought a little cottage. Perhaps it's because I've always wanted to do that myself.
Great score on the Converse!
*A lot we walk by on one of our morning routes was cleared last year, the tree limbs chipped and the wood cut into lengths and stacked. Then it sat there for a year. There was a travel trailer on the lot, so I left a note on the door, offering to haul the wood off if the owners didn't have plans for it. We got a call the next day offering us half the wood. We were able to bring home almost two cords of seasoned firewood, and we met a potential new neighbor (they hope to build a house soon.)
*Most of our vegetable sides these days are from the garden -- delicious and inexpensive.
*We went to a free concert in the park, took a picnic dinner, and ended up sitting with a bunch of friends and neighbors. The evening felt like a big party.
*Our 25-year old chain saw has become increasingly unreliable. My husband found a new one that met his requirements advertised online for $200 off the regular price. He had to ask for that price at the store, and show them the online listing, but he's very happy with the deal.
*I had some things in my Amazon cart, then decided I could make do without them and cleared out the cart. Sometimes waiting for hitting the Buy button is a money saver.
We are:
Eating down all the things in our fridge/cupboards before returning to NWA. Did have to buy 1/2 gallon milk since the milk I had expired before its use by date.
Helping cook the supper meal at our VBS which gives hubs & I our evening meal plus doesn't heat up our kitchen.
Found a small sifter, slotted spoon & bread scraper at our local Food Pantry Thrift store for a total of $1.50.
While not so frugal, got both grandsons new Asic shoes on Asic's Ebay store which is about half the price you'd pay normally.
Not mowing - due to lack of rain we're not spending money on expensive gas to run mower.
1. I repurposed a shelf that we already owned for my son's bedroom. This is helpful to hold books and art supplies which are becoming more & more popular as he grows up.
2. I took advantage of sales to save quite a bit on a buffet cabinet for our kitchen, jeans for my son, shoes for my son, and a new bedframe for my son.
3. I cleaned out my son's closet taking all the clothes, shoes and toys to a consignment store and putting the cash earned toward the above items in #2.
4. I continue to harvest loads of veggies from our garden and turn whatever we don't eat fresh into jars of homegrown goodness. I canned 7 quarts of homemade tomato sauce for chili and 9 pints of sweet pickle relish. I had all the items & ingredients that I needed on hand so it made the task easy.
5. I cooked a large batch of black beans and froze 3 quarts of leftover beans for use later down the road. I allowed the water from my canner to cool and then used it to water several pots on my patio. I cut flowers from my yard to bring into our home. I rearranged some pictures/decor after the house painting was completed and was able to decorate my keeping room with items that I already had on hand. I am endeavoring to pay off several bills in the next couple of months so I will be watching every grocery dollar, no eating out and planning meals/batch cooking very strategically. Wish me luck as this is a big goal but I know we can do it!
If I have bacon on hand when I have cabbage I fry the bacon, saute the cabbage in the bacon grease and mix in the crumbled bacon when done, yum.
@Jeanne, almost everything is improved by being sauteed in bacon grease--as all former and current Southerners here will agree (plus a number of non-Southerners)!
@Jeanne, I saute cabbage with bacon pieces too...so delicious!
I shopped at the international grocery store when I was in town on Sunday. There are so many deals such as coconut milk being $4 cheaper than my local store. I also realized that they sell pork butt for $3.29 compared to $4.99 at my local store.
I lost a $70 discount when I had to return a chest freezer damaged in transit. But it is better than to lose out on a discount than to keep a freezer that would not work for long.
I worked my side jobs.
I listened to free audio books on Audible.
1. My 4 year old daughter has been wanting to take ballet classes. We signed her up at a local dance school offering free classes for 4 year old's. It's weekly from September-June for the registration fee of $40 only. I asked for ballet slippers on Buy Nothing for the class and picked up 2 pairs for her last night.
2. We went camping this weekend. People always leave stuff behind at their campsite when they check out. We got a big pile of wood from one campsite and a huge box of unopened plastic silverware.
3. I used some uneaten applesauce to make apple bread and some frozen pureed pumpkin to make pumpkin bread. The breads will be for my kid's breakfast next week.
4. I used kale to make a tofu and rice stir fry for my lunches this week. I had frozen some leftover home made pizza sauce, which along with leftover pepperoni and sage from our garden, we used to make woodfired pizzas for dinners. We are having smoked chicken thighs later this week for dinner, which my husband wanted to marinate. Store-bought marinades are so high in sodium, so I made my own using rosemary, balsamic vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, and a little mustard. It is much cheaper than buying marinade in the store too.
5. Our dentist said we owed $20 for my son to get sealants on his teeth. I was pretty sure that was free, so I asked them to bill the insurance first. The same dentist also sent us a bill for about $150 for my husband's recent cleaning. It appeared they never billed the insurance, so we asked them to do so. Both things were covered in full. It is really important to fully understand your health and dental insurance benefits.
@Corrine, Your comment about how people leave things behind at the camping grounds reminded me of college. A lot of the wealthier young ladies would do the same at our dorm. The maintenance man always gathered up discarded concrete blocks left behind from "bricks'n'board" bookshelves; he was collecting enough to build an outbuilding on his farm. From a hallway pile of discards, I rescued a coffee pot like the one my parents had, which had broken. They didn't like their new coffee pot and were thrilled to get the old Sunbeam model that probably was 20+ years old and made better-tasting coffee. There was a soda pop store that would let you trade in the empty glass bottles for cash (a deposit refund) and my buddies and I took advantage of all the discards throughout the dorm. (Our state didn't have any laws requiring deposits on containers, so folks weren't used to doing this.) Two buddies were going to live in the college town year-round and rented an unfurnished cottage; some of the discarded occasional furniture and dishes/kitchen items helped them furnish their new place. I snagged them some wicker chairs they used in their living room. They also collected old books, usually not textbooks, and other items they put into a garage sale. It's just unbelievable what good items people leave behind!
Or rutabaga.
As I know Kristen reads medical memoirs: The family of Henrietta Lacks, (Rebecca Skloot, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” also an HBO movie), reached a settlement with Thermo Fisher, the company that profited from using her cells without her or her family's knowledge or permission.
Oh yes, I read that book and also watched the movie; I'm glad they were able to reach a settlement finally.
1. Made cake with frozen sour milk, frozen elderberries, and freshly picked rhubarb. I also made brownies with very old almond flour picked up off of BN, and added in a chopped up dark chocolate bar that had been melted and was too weird to eat (you know how chocolate separates strangely when it’s been too warm).
2. We’ve been able to keep the AC off for the last week or two thanks to much cooler weather (previously in the mid 90’s!), low humidity, and a reprieve from the smoke drifting down from Canada.
3. I gratefully accepted hand-me-downs from a friend and my SIL for Baby E. I think I won't need to buy anything for him for a while!
4. While using self-checkout at Target, I found a $1 bill. I also remembered to use $35 worth of merchandise return credits I had in my purse.
5. Found a pair of sweatpants at Goodwill to replace the ones I bought in the fall that pilled like crazy and wouldn’t improve with a sweater shaver. These ones are 80% cotton so I think they should wash and wear well. When I removed the tag, there was a giant hole where the tag puncher had gone through the fabric, so I mended that before washing.
6. Visited a dear friend an hour away. I enjoyed stocking up on some necessities at Costco, then we shared a free pizza (she was worried the coupon would expire before she redeemed it; I was happy to help!), and she sent me home with some freshly picked carrots and beet greens. The beet greens are aspirational as I’ve never had many sauteed greens, but I wanted to try.
Platform sneakers are cute!
We are having something of an austerity August, after becoming debt-free in July (been mortgage free a few months now) and socking away money for upcoming expenses. I purchased some used books (cooking, gardening, simple living) yesterday on eBay at the screaming deal price of six for $20 and then firmly put my wallet away.
The FFT:
1. Had an at-home day. Cleaned the house, swept the porches, pulled weeds, mulched the front flower beds, tended the container garden. Spent no money.
2. Hung laundry to dry in our crispy hot laundry room.
3. Cleaned out another dresser drawer and put more stuff in the donate box.
4. Finished a container of on-sale protein powder that I did not like much. My son actually applauded when I shook the last of it into the blender!
5. Found an easy and free online quilt square pattern to use up my fabric stash, most of which was thrifted or bought at yard sales. I have been rehabbing an old quilt for my son and this is just what was needed.
@Ruby, Congrats on paying off your mortgage and being debt-free!
@Ruby, what Suz said about being debt-free. Three hearty huzzahs!
1. Received a $5 coupon from Michaels (why? don't know). Was next door at another store so while my husband stood in line and paid at store #1, I ran into Michaels and grabbed some clear glue that my daughter wanted and a jar and pulled up a 20% total purchase coupon while in line - paid $0 out of pocket. No extra gas, no extra time, no extra money.
2. I've been needing to replenish my eye cream but have been hesitating because it's pricier than most beauty stuff I purchase. Saw that it was on sale online and I could get an extra half sized container for the same price. While checking out saw that I had $10 in store dollars to use (why? don't know) so I applied it and they also dropped some serum in for free as a promo. No shipping charges either.
3. Went on a cruise and because my husband booked through an agency, was given credits for use on board. We ended up using what we could to apply to tips for the crew and still had enough left over for me to get a massage. The massage was so-so but it was still a "free" treat and better than blowing it on booze.
4. Went to a school event out of state for our daughter. Even though most of the attendees seemed to be staying somewhere else, we opted for place where we could use points, and it included breakfast. Lunch was included at the school event and we ate light for dinner. So we splurged on boba - tried a random place and it was delicious.
5. Made a huge instantpot full of pinto beans. Dropped in a half onion that was starting to dry out to help with the flavor. Jarred and froze in 2 cup portions. My family says cooking from dry tastes way better than canned and we use them every week. Way cheaper, no BPA, less trash produced and low effort (except the jarring part -I haven't figured out how to do that neatly yet).
In regards to your #4: Back in the days when all textbooks were physical books, a guy I knew worked in a bookstore. It wasn't a college bookstore, but one on the mall. (You can order any book at a chain bookstore; just give 'em the ISBN number and they'll do a special order.) He had textbook frugality down to a fine art. In addition to his hourly pay, he had the (incredibly beneficial) perk of an employee discount. He also joined their discount club, which gives you so much money for every $10 you spend. He worked there year-round, and often the employee discount was doubled during the Christmas shopping season. This kid had it made: he would go to his professors, get the list of textbooks for the next several semesters, and buy them well in advance. For every $10 he spent on one book (regular price, not discounted price) he got a point; often this would make the next book half price or better. They took the discount after the sale was rung up, so he got all the points and rarely paid full price. And all his books were new. Some were probably free. He really went crazy buying books (for his finance and roommate, too) each December. After they were done with each class, they'd sell the books back to the college bookstore. Genius! Thought I'd pass that along, so if anyone has a college student in the family, maybe you could achieve similar savings if your student or another family member work (even part time) in a bookstore.
OK, here are my frugal things:
1. Ordered some roses from an out-of-town nursery before the prices go up. I opted for delayed shipment, so they wouldn't die in this heat wave. Next fall, during the optimum planting season, I will receive a shipment of three rose bush starts, transplant them, and hopefully my yard will look much better next spring.
2. Found an old outdated calendar at the thrift shop for 20 cents and bought it. Why? It was a gardening calendar. Even though the months and days aren't usable for this year, the facing pages were. Instead of just pictures, the pages featured lots of good information about growing different plants in my state. It's like buying a gardening magazine or book for 20 cents, so I count that as a "win."
3. At the same thrift store, I found another 20-cent item: the autobiography of a local college coach, who'd won a national championship. Local folks just idolize this coach. Even though sports are not among my interests, I bought the book and traded it into a used bookstore for credit. So 20 cents (plus sales tax) is going to net me a new murder mystery. Frugal win!
4. I had to buy some cornstarch for a recipe. I got a box of store brand product for $1.25. I didn't need it all for the dish I prepared, so I poured some of it into a talcum powder container, mixed it with the small amount of "White Shoulders Dusting Powder" that was left in there. Now I have scented body powder I can apply with the original powder puff. In this heat, it is really wonderful. I think I first read about this trick in one of the "Tightwad Gazette" books.
5. A coworker gave me a BIG spaghetti squash. She said you bake it in the oven. My oven has not worked since 2016. (Frugal tip: never buy a house with an old built-in wall oven. They've changed the standard sizes and you have to custom order a new one -- it'll cost a fortune to replace. Much cheaper/better to have a regular kitchen stove.) Anyway, I went online and looked up instructions on how to cook spaghetti squash in a microwave. My "experiment" was successful! Just by adding ground meat and sauce, I've made and enjoyed several delicious spaghetti meals without having to go to the grocery store. (I was using what I already had in the freezer and pantry.)
That bookstore strategy is 100% something I would have done if I were in his shoes. lol
More how to use up cabbage inspiration:
Curtido- Salvadoran zingy spicy slaw, traditionally used for pupusas, but we use it on burritos typically https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/curtido/#wprm-recipe-container-21916
Indian Cabbage & Peas (Instant Pot) - https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-indian-cabbage-peas/
Ethiopian Cabbage, potato & carrot: https://www.veganricha.com/atakilt-wat-ethiopian-cabbage-potato/#recipe
Instant Pot Lo Mein, you can substitute cabbage for some of the veg: https://kirbiecravings.com/instant-pot-lo-mein/#recipe
FFT
- my husband’s workplace pays for up to certain amount of a delivered lunch one day a week. So lunch is either free or low cost for him that day.
- we have a lemon tree, so every couple of months, we will harvest a bunch, juice them and freeze them in ice cube trays. This way, we always have lemon juice on hand for recipes & cocktails.
- using WhatsApp (free) to text and call my international family
- finally found our favorite way to use the sourdough discard https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/buttery-sourdough-biscuits-recipe
- all the usual things, like making food & beverages at home, grocery shopping every 2 weeks
Ohhh, what a good idea! I love pupusas and I especially love the slaw that comes with them.
Vans and Converse I've never had luck buying new but I have had luck of selling my daughter's ones when she is done with them. For whatever reason she really wants them, wears them a few times and then goes back to the same ratty old shoes or Crocs. It's frustrating being a parent trying to give your kid nice things. That said, she is currently wearing a nice pair of Vans we got her during a sale.
For my FFT of the week:
1. Returned a couple cans of shaving gel to Target. Both had over half the product left before the can gave out. The cans said "Satisfaction guaranteed" so we brought them back for around $5 in store credit. Instead of a can, I think they should be either in a pump container or like a toothpaste or facewash tube. So it's bad design all around.
2. Apparently I bought two sets of headlights instead of two headlights. So I returned the extra pair.
3. Ordered a movie on Prime Day and it came in with the case destroyed. They initially wanted me to send it back and rebuy it. I hopped on the Customer Service chat and explained that it was more expensive now. They realized it would cost more to send it back and resend a new one than it cost so they sent a new one out. Hopefully this one comes in okay.
4. Worked a little overtime. It's few and far between these days but that's okay by me. Still nice to get the extra cash.
5. Just doing low key dinners and stuff like that instead of big productions.
Anyone else remembering “Hi-Heel Sneakers” (an old blues song)?
@Jennifer C-L, I thought I did but then I realized it's a Cheech and Chong song. Whoopsie.
@Kristen,
If you have a toaster oven, you can roast the cabbage without heating the house much. I find roasted cabbage tastes sweeter and it's easier on my stomach.
You know...I could put the toaster oven in my carport, and that would also take care of the smell!
@Kristen, Grill it on your outdoor grill! Unless you're afraid the cabbage will contaminate the grill for other uses ...
Ham and Cabbage over (whole wheat when I can find them) egg noodles is my favorite way to use leftover cabbage or leftover ham.
1. I made reflective bubble insulation liners and lids for our Coleman and Playmate coolers instead of laying out hundreds of dollars for a new cooler that would hopefully keep food and drinks cold for longer. Since I had leftover insulation and foil tape, I made insulated covers for each cooler too. It made a difference when we used the upgraded Playmate to take food to a cookout.
State Fair Edition
2. My husband and I spent a day at our State Fair. We saw and did all of the free stuff, skipping the rides not due to cost but that historically they have a poor safety record. We put the money saved towards corn dogs.
3. We brought sports water bottles from home and refilled them with water from drinking fountains and the water bottle refill stations that we were happily surprised to find.
4. We ate our big meal at the State Ag Foods Building which is the best food value at the fair. Every council offers their best, the portions are BIG and often cost less than some of the food on the midway.
5. I was tempted to buy a t shirt but since I already have a bunch of free ones, I passed. We window shopped but didn't buy. We didn't pickup much swag since most of what was offered we already had. We did accept a set of folding silverware and straw from the national resource park. We'll use them in our lunch bags since we like to replace disposables with reusables as much as possible.
Here’s a cabbage salad recipe:
Cabbage ramen salad
1/2 head of cabbage
4 green onions
1 package of chicken ramen
2Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2cup slivered almonds
Toast for 10min at 350 degrees or in a pan on the stove
Mix all ingredients together, including the ramen noodles
Dressing:
3 Tbsp of rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup of oil
Chicken flavor from the ramen
Frugal Five
1. I have finished my money diet July and saved $250 over what I would normally spend. I'm pleased with this and may do it again in the fall. I never once stepped foot into a thrift store!
2. Ordered some items needed for my 5 day bike ride at the end of the month. Used gift cards and coupons to bring the arm warmers and under-the-helmet-hat to $8.
3. Used the gym for free at work.
4. Bought another bag of Starbucks coffee with my gift card to get the bonus stars they were offering to me if I spent $10.
5. Packed all my lunches, scanned receipts into Fetch, did Bing and MyPoints towards gift cards, drank home-brewed iced tea and coffee, spent time with family doing free things like riding our bicycles.
For the future (don't know if anyone suggested this), but roasting cabbage, cut into wedges, in the oven is one of my favorite things on Earth (and I don't eat raw or traditionally cooked cabbage, go figure!). So you cut a cabbage in half, then in four-six wedges (we have 1/2 cabbage at a time. It keeps well cut in half in the fridge covered with wrap). Lay down on a foil lined sheet. Sprinkle some olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and roast for 20 minutes or so on 450. Turn over and repeat with the oil & spices for 20 more minutes. Once done to your liking, squeeze a fresh lemon over it. For me, it was life changing. So affordable and good for you!
I made birthday cards for two of my friends whose special days are in August. I could only find one envelope though so I made an envelope for the second card.
I toasted the last slice of bread then cut it up for a few croutons on our salad. The croutons were totally bland but added some crunch.
Also for our salads, lately I’ve been chopping our tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, red pepper, fresh basil, etc, in smaller pieces to stretch the various veggies for use in more salads but still getting great flavor. Sometimes I’m in too much of a hurry in making salads and I chop the veggies pieces too big and they get used up quicker than I thought they would last. I’m doing better at stretching our veggies supply lately.
For various reasons, we’ve skipped a few of our regular dance sessions over the past two weeks. That doesn’t mean we’ve “ saved” money but at least it’s money not spent. Dancing can be costly but it’s so important to our overall well-being, we see it as a huge investment in our health. Also important though is getting together with friends and family in settings other than dancing, so that’s what we chose to do. What’s especially fun is when friends and family come dancing with us!!
This is a great post! I am always on the look out for great deals and I love shopping at our local thrift shops. This morning, I had spinach that was about to go bad so I made a batch of spinach soup. Last night, I used up the ripe bananas that were sitting on the counter and I made a banana loaf for my boys.
1. Our pepper plants are producing more than we can eat so we canned habanero jam and jalapeno jam. We got about 8 jelly jars of each. I used flats, lids, and a canning pot that I rescued from Mom's hoarder house. Just wish I had found the lid that goes with the canning pot!
2. Going to vacation next week so I'm not grocery shopping this week while we eat down perishables in the frig. We'll have a bit of "odd and ends" meals this week.
3. We're really busy at work so my company will provide us lunch for the rest of the week. That's a nice surprise since I am not going to the grocery store, I thought I'd be having PB&J for lunch.
4. Did not renew my Sam's membership. I only used it to purchase gas so it wasn't worth the renewal cost to me.
5. The usual stuff - worked out at home, brought my lunch to work every day, and cooked meals at home.
well i cancelled my petcarerx membership because they wouldn't do anything about a toy I bought buddy our 18 mo. old cockapoo. after three days it wouldn't squeak anymore and the squirrel got detached. customer service said once i open it they can't do anything. membership $153.00. people mentioned wonderful things about chewy. hopped on their site my order came to $75. with coupons 55. when i called to see if shareholders got a discount, they said no but she gave me another 10% off. thank you fg community.
huge frugal fail. went to d'agostinos one of the most expensive markets in nyc. they had cherries, love cherries. trader joe's has not had cherries all summer. i went there for the mixure of asiago, fontina, romano and parmigiana cheese for $4.99. today is 10% off that is why i go there on tues. the cherries were $18. did not c the price anywhere so i
only found out at checkout. not sure how many lbs the bag doesn't say. but at least they taste good. if hubby did that there would be hell to pay.
go zoe. it would be hard for anyone to b as frugal as you kristen. but we should not compare ourselves to anyone.
We also love egg roll in a bowl, to use up cabbage.
A few frugal wins lately:
1) After years of growing strawberries, and not having much success, I'm now picking a bowl every few days, and greatly enjoying them.
2) We used our lounge access (free with credit card) to cover dinner at the airport on Friday + filled our water bottles for free as well
3) Our teens are with my parents for the next week, so we've been largely eating out of the freezer.
4) Similar to #3, as the teens are out of town, and we're heading out on a mini adults only vacation on Thursday, we were able to skip our regular grocery shop this week.
5) I ran out of packing tape, and had a bunch of packages to mail. I picked up a package at Rite Aid, paying a little over a dollar, as I had Rite Aid rewards. I was happy to use them up before they expired.
"sautéed the bread bits in butter until they were crunchy"
Sounds yum!
A lot of my books for my classes are digital also and it drives me nuts. I'm very much a person that needs to read something on paper in order to retain it (or, read it via my Kindle Paperwhite - which no schoolbooks come in that format). For the past several classes I've had to reread chapters several times. I guess that's a hazard of being an older student? My kids don't seem to mind reading on their screens for their classes.
Another way to use cabbage is to use it in mashed potatoes. I follow a recipe on allrecipes called Diane's Colcannon. Sauté cabbage with onion in bacon fat, and then mix into mashed potatoes (with some of the bacon that created that bacon fat), and it's delicious.
A frugal win for me was that I purchased a pair of khaki shorts for my daughter for an event that she didn't end up using. I didn't wash them because I had a hunch she wouldn't end up using them. Normally I would have just had her keep them for a just in case pair, but I returned them to Amazon today!
Do you ever pour a little vinegar in a bowl and just leave out to absorb kitchen odors. It is nearly magic. My Mom taught me.
Cabbage makes a great stir-fried vegetable, but you can't cook it too long. Oil in pan or wok, add a bit of chopped ginger and a chopped garlic clove, when pan is hot enough, throw in the sliced or shredded or chopped cabbage and stir-fry until just al dente. Garnish with soy sauce and ground pepper, can add fire with tabasco or other red sauce. Easy, fast and DON'T COOK TOO LONG.
Nothing frugal about my life lately, and I am glad I can still keep my head above water even so! Unless you count cooking at home four days out of seven. Tiny wins.
I don't know why I'm always so shocked when I go to cancel a subscription and am offered a "won't you stay?" deal...it's like I forget every time that that's usually what happens. I should "cancel" a lot more often, ha ha 😉
This was kind of a disaster of a week financially, it seems. This year has kind of felt like a dumpster fire for us, but I will say that it's taught me again and again (and again!) that we really should prioritize having much more money in a liquid emergency fund rather than putting all extra money towards the financial goals we're more excited about (retirement, paying off the mortgage early).
Here are our (meager) financial wins for the week, along with a picture of a very un-funny hospital bill:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/08/01/weekly-frugal-wins-reluctantly-buying-a-new-dryer/
Have you looked into renting your e-textbooks? That's what my kids do. You get to keep them for the duration of the semester or school year, but then they get "returned" and are no longer available to you on a certain date at the end of the term. I went to college in the late 70's and even buying used books my text books were incredibly expensive in a healthcare field $300 or more for many of the books back then. My daughter, who was pre-med, then med school, spent a lot less 40 years later thanks to being able to rent e-textbooks.
Zoe has very cool style.
I like to cook brown sausage and then add shredded cabbage near the end for a quick meal (draining the fat is dependent on what kind of sausage you use). Or egg roll in a bowl (which is totally eggless!)
This week...
-I made our meals at home.
-We went through our leftover school supplies before going shopping.
-Same thing with clothes. Also hit up some rummage sales.
-The kids borrowed books, movies and board games from our local library. I borrowed a gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook.
-We went to our library's summer reading party. One kid won a gift certificate and a book. All the kids made magnets, colored with chalk and sang and danced to live music.
-I borrowed books from Libby app through my library.
-We got together with friends at a free museum.
-My older kids provided daily entertainment with their instruments.
-We did a toy swap.
1. Switched back to online grocery ordering as I went back to work this week (teacher). Today’s total was $40 cheaper than what we spent most of summer.
2. I started at a new school that’s only five minutes from my house.
3. Took the online survey for my groceries to earn fuel points.
4. My daughter’s school had a back to school party at Peter Piper last night. I saved a free pizza coupon from my summer reading for it.
5. My husband is taking her to the science center for her last day of summer break and utilizing our membership.
1. Received $21 from a class action settlement for Thinx.
2. Used up a $5 rewards coupon from Michael's; bought a replacement necklace for a chain that recently got broken when I was getting my haircut and 2 nice pens on clearance for $1 each. With a 20% off coupon, I paid 21 cents in total!
3. Cashed out part of my ibotta account for $35!
4. Donated some extra school supplies and pantry items to the collection drive they are doing at work. Didn't have to go out of my way to do it!
5. Bought a groupon for a Shutterfly photo book I plan on making for our summer vacation last month. This makes it cheaper than any of the discounts they offer and will use it in conjuction with the free unlimited pages coupon I got from them.
1. Found 2 medium size boxes FREE strawberry plants by road & brought home. Now no excuses to finish the other raised garden bed. Plants already starting to produce berries.
2. Have had broken tooth few weeks now & unable to get into dentist. Friend reminded me about local clinic that offers services for people without insurance. Was able to get broken tooth removed $30 & appointment for filing(s) $5 each after healed.
3. Found great deals at yard sales. Got Pampered chef items been looking for $1-$2/each. Also found some at Goodwill 3/$10 (thought for sure mismarked) but purchased without asking as most others marked a lot higher. Some items will gift or resell at profit.
4. Used $10 off few garden items needed on clearance not able to find at yard sale/flea market.
5. Used my birthday discount on last day at Meijer getting groceries & clearance 6' thick beach towels that needed as most ours were in camper that didn't get during divorce. Hoping to get few more next week with another $10 off coupon.
6. Borrowed neighbor extended ladder to put up solar gutter lights (bought on sale few months ago) instead of calling contractors/handy man. Looks really nice with lights.
My 5 frugal things:
1. Daughter is going to grad school on her own dime and rented a studio apartment. Hubby took her to the school town to look at the apartment, noticed the lack of parking and decided with her that she will live without a car for a few months before we revisit the decision. This makes hubby happy as it's his old Nissan Altima that we allowed her to use when he got the company car. So hubby will get to use his beloved car again. It's has more horsepower than my CRV so that's why he loves it. Good thing we didn't buy a second car...
2. Our health insurance was cut off but was put back together. Hubby is retired but he gets his company's insurance for both of us at the same rate that he paid while employed until he turns 65. A very nice benefit after working there 37 years.
3. Hubby's other sister is out visiting from California. Sunday we hosted dinner on our deck and hubby got us the best dang filet mignon steaks, good New Jersey corn, macaroni salad and baked potatoes. He spent $89 at the grocery store but a comparable meal in a restaurant for 5 people would have cost waaaay more than that.
4. Keeping the ol' eye on the electric usuage. Unfortunately - or not - hubby's blow up pool sprung an air leak so we won't be spending all that money on water this summer. With daughter moving out we will save on electricity, water and food.
5. Got some bras that don't fit so will send them back. Got daughter a knife block with knives and scissors, 3 gallon waste basket, inside the shower mat all at Aldi. For $23.
Have you tried “haluski”(cabbage & noodles)? Sauté cabbage and onions in butter, add cooked noodles and black pepper to taste.
We love "unstuffed" cabbage rolls
This is a late comment to this post but I love cabbage with this one recipe. All you do is also sauté it liberally in butter and add plenty of sliced garlic and salt. Also you cut it into bigger chunks so it’s about 1-2 inches in size. It’s so good and pairs well with any Asian recipes!