Five Frugal Things (sandals, bruised apples, and more!)
Let's get right to it! Here's my five, and you can add yours in the comments.
1. $4 Spring Sandals
Lisey needed athletic shoes, and since I had a 30% off coupon for Kohl's, we stopped in and found her a pair.
(Incidentally, we looked at a pair of shoes and thought, ooh, those look comfy and cute, but then we saw that the price was $115. We decided they weren't THAT nice. 😉 )
While we were there, I took a peek at the clearance section and found sandals for Sonia and Zoe.
I bought them a size too big, and hopefully they'll be exactly right come spring.
They were only $4 a pair after my coupon, so it's not an enormous risk. Plus, sandals like these have a fairly flexible fit range, so I think they're gonna be just fine.
2. Oranges for Smoothies
I bought a bag of mini oranges a little while ago and they were a bit dry and sour.
Since no one was eating them plain, I peeled them and froze them for smoothies. They're not crazy sour, so I think putting a handful into smoothies is going to go over just fine.
3. Bruised Apples = Applesauce
I stopped at the produce stand while I was driving by, and happily, they had almost a half bushel of bruised apples available.
The price? $5.
Oh yeah.
I made the most bruised ones into 4 quarts of applesauce, and we're just eating the apples that are in the best shape (mostly Honey Crisp, which, hooray!!)
4. I took my dishwasher apart (again.)
Sometimes, something un-choppable makes it down into the chopper apparatus at the bottom of my dishwasher.
(Common culprits: shrimp shells, cherry pits, grape stems, or a piece of glass).
So, then it's necessary to take the racks out and remove some of the bottom pieces of the dishwasher to access the chopper and retrieve the item.
(I know something is stuck when I hear an odd noise during the wash cycle. This time it was a high-pitched sound, almost like really high cricket chorus.)
One upside of the dishwasher drama we've had in the last year (the chopper blade broke, then a new one broke too!), is that I'm getting pretty darn speedy at this task.
The culprits this time appeared to be some sort of woody stem, plus a a small piece of hard plastic and I'm pleased to report that the dishwasher is lovely and quiet now.
(In case you were wondering, you do not need whiskers to take your dishwasher apart. 😉 I happen to be the one good at this task in our house because our dishwasher drama started last December when everyone in my family, including Mr. FG, was laid out with pneumonia. I don't love appliance repair/maintenance, but you gotta do what you gotta do, whiskers or not!)
5. I used some elderly bananas from my chest freezer.
I found a cup of mashed bananas hanging out in the bottom of my chest freezer when I cleaned it out, so I thawed those and combined them with some other random overripe bananas to make a double batch of banana chocolate chip muffins.
It's always my goal to use up my bananas before they get to muffin/bread stage, but boy, these muffins are a life-saver when the bananas get the best of me.
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Okee-doke-it's your turn! Share five frugal things of your own in the comments.
1) Found a pair of like new carpenter jeans in the brand my husband wears to work every day for less than $5 at the local consignment shop. Waist size was right, length was too long. I hemmed them to fit.
2) Canned tomatoes and beans from the garden.
3) Stocked up on good motor oil at Walmart with $16 worth of coupons found on coupons.com.
4) Made applesauce with apples from my grandmother-in-laws overloaded apple tree.
5) Planted garlic for next year's harvest.
Yay for appliance repaI
1) I'm taking advantage of a 30-day trial of class streaming for my daughter's home school classes. It goes right along with our curriculum. It's added to our school days in really good ways (though when the 30-day trial ends, and if we want to use the streaming for the rest of the year this isn't so frugal 😉 ).
2) A friend gave me 2 1/2 bushels of apples and I've made many things from them already. I have just over a half bushel left. Applesauce, apple wedges in syrup, apple butter, apple crisps, and frozen apples for more crisps down the road have already been made this week. Yum.
3) Our garden is winding down and I'm tired of processing tomatoes. BUT I threw all the tomatoes in the oven and made oven-roasted sauce. I got 6 cups with very little effort. Yay for trying new (easy) recipes!
4) And speaking of garden, last night I made our salad using our garden greens and veggies. I'll be sad when it freezes.
5) My daughter likes Veggie Tales so I found some to reserve through our library. Love utilizing the library!
1. I didn't go shopping
2. I didn't go shopping
3. I didn't go shopping
4. I used $37.50 mperks for free groceries
5. I didn't go shopping
Hilarious!!! That's exactly the same as mine, except my #4 would be the same as the others.
Haha!! this is truly frugal!
Oh that is too funny. I love it!!
1. Sold a pair of boots on Craigslist.
2. Heated up a serving of curried chicken and rice that I had batch cooked and froze ahead of time so that I didn't eat take-out for dinner (was too tired to cook).
3. Brought in left-overs for lunch today instead of buying at the work cafeteria.
4. Carpooled to work with a friend.
5. Installed smart power strips to replace the traditional kind we have for the computer and TV center.
Funny, I always want to have at least a few old bananas in the freezer.
1. Vacation for the long weekend is driving to an old friend's and hanging out there. Expected cost is 1-2 meals out and gas.
2. House gifts will be homemade happy bacon and banana bread (although now I'm thinking about banana choc chip muffins). The bacon is a bit frugal because I buy the pork in bulk (but keep in mind that I bought a smoker to smoke my bulk happy meat). The baked good will include the overripe bananas I bought for $.02/lb.
3. Forgot to bring my lunch to work. Will lunch from my stash - either soup or a frozen meal bought on sale. (Sadly, that frozen meal is probably cheaper than homemade. But I know which is tastier and more nutritious.)
4. Work snacks will be all from home: sweet peppers, strawberries, chocolate (sale + coupon).
5. I didn't buy a Lear jet.
I don't mind having a few in the freezer....but I know that it's super easy to slide from a few bananas into 14 bananas, and then I'm in trouble! So I try hard to use up all my bananas before I need to freeze them, and that keeps my freezer stash under control.
I think your children would like "Frozen Banana Milkshakes". Mix a glass of milk together with frozen bananas in the blender, sweeten to taste. Sometimes I add chocolate and peanut butter. MMM good!
1. Made a breakfast casserole with bread heels, the last of Sunday's ham, and a few chopped onions left from tacos.
2. Packed sack lunches for my husband and son from dinner leftovers.
3. Baked cookies from scratch for the above lunches.
4. Cut out a simple t-shirt style nightgown from a $1.50 flat knit bed sheet from the thrift store. Takes about 1 hour to sew up on my serger.
5. Made two adult bibs for my elderly mom from an old bath towel with serged edges and Velcro closings. Out of pocket cost: $0 (had Velcro on hand from other projects)
1.I took advantage of Gymborees $6.99 and under sale plus free shipping plus extra 15% off coupon and bought Christmas gifts for 4 little girls. And some summer clothes for my own kids.
2. Made cheesecake topping with fruit which I froze back in the summer.
3. Made lunch for my husband 5 work days in a row now. Major improvement for me.
1. I have sold a little over $500 of stuff on eBay the past several weeks.
2. I am having a garage sale this Saturday to get rid of a TON of craft items and shoes, jewelry, stuff I've accumulated.
3. I bring my lunch to work (almost) every day, it's rare I eat out.
That's only 3 items, but are huge steps for me. I have to say that you have been an inspiration to simplify and go for more high quality, lasting items rather than lots of "fun" new stuff. Thank you for that.
Love your 5 FrugalThings posts - they always inspire me to do better!
OK, from a S. California retiree, here goes . . .
1) We attended three live performance events this past week, and decided to hunt for free parking (and found it!) instead of paying to park.
2) Had two random items in my fridge; some slightly overripe pears and a small amount of sour cream. I did a Google search and located a pear quickbread recipe to use them both up.
3) Used a $25 giftcard to The Cheesecake Factory to get a single dinner to go and enjoy at home with my husband (your date nights at home posts inspired me :-). Since their portions are large, it was plenty to share, there was no $$ overage (dinner for two would have easily run $50+), I avoided ordering cheesecake I didn't need, and I got enough change back in cash to treat myself to coffee later in the week. (There is a CA law that requires gift card balances of $10 or less to be paid in cash upon request. Other states appear to have similar, though threshold amounts differ.)
4) Remembered to turn my sprinklers off when it rained this week, saving about $10 and, of course, water.
5) Let the weekly sale circulars determine what to serve at two upcoming events in order to remain within my weekly grocery budget. I also baked and froze last week in anticipation of both events, and fresh vegetables and fruit are always reasonable (cheap) at Sprouts here, so we'll eat very well for a relative pittance.
I didn't know about that California law --- I live there so that is good to know. So true about CF servings and ginormousness. Nice free date night dinner! thanks for this info.
Oh, is this Tamara from Early Retirement Journey? I miss your blog. I see your comments over at Retired Syd's blog, but I still miss your voice. I also enjoy your Double Tomato Bruschetta recipe on a regular basis, and so do my guests ;-).
1. I was feeling lazy on Sunday after returning from a trip and didn't go grocery shopping. We have survived just fine on the food we already had at the house.
2. I am flying to see my sister in Colorado this weekend. Since I used air miles my ticket only cost $11.20.
3. Am currently crocheting a scarf with some scrap yarn I had
4. Drinking a delicious home-made latte
5. I was successful in my challenge to buy no clothing in September and plan to carry it on in October
1. I read your blog. 🙂
2. I got two sweaters at consignment shop --
3. I decided not to buy stuff in Amazon cart.
. . . .
Love the little sandals 🙂 Love this section -- really inspires me in my puny attempts!!
1. Flying home to see Mom and brother next week. Using thank you points from Citi card cost is $0.00. I think I have enough leftover for car rental, too. Took a couple years to save up these points 😉
2. Cooked or otherwise assembled dinners at home every night so far this week except to meet Lovely Grown Up Daughter last night.
3. Made breakfast and brought lunch every day this week except Monday. Had to get Del Taco bean cup and dollar iced tea in a rush.
4. Put uncooked chicken leftover recipe INTO THE FREEZER before it went bad. Even wrote approximate weight on the bag. I know, I know -- doesn't everyone do that? Ahem, we have been know to forget. Now we have to use it before 2017. Bought breasts on deep discount with loyalty card.
5. Put coupon book back together. Have been remiss but am back on track for at least some basics. Trying to be sensible and not overwhelm self with attractive but useless coupons. Just the stuff we need/want.
I've never chimed in on the five Frugal things, but here it goes!
1) Going to the Milwaukee Zoo for their free day this Saturday and
2) carpooling with my sisters so we only pay once for parking
3) Re-gifting some nice things for a little boy's birthday party (I was going to just give it to them, but the mom suggested using the items as a gift)
4) Wanted the boys to wear dinosaur clothing for the birthday party theme! Found hands me downs for the baby and toddler, and simply drew a T-Rex stencil on an old sweater for the preschooler! (Maybe that's just more lazy than frugal, though) 😉
5) My husband just cleaned our carpets by renting a Rug Doctor. More frugal than a professional cleaning!
#1) ate all meals at home this week so far
#2) repaired two shirts for my husband that were missing buttons
#3) no stopping at walmart for anything (which is huge since it is right down the road...but if I go in for one thing, I spend $80)
#4) found nestle chocolate chips on clearance for .75 a bag....bought all they had because I will use them up for holiday baking (they are good through July 2016)
#5) went through the cabinets and found things that were older and going to expire soon...whipped them up into some baked goods for the kids for snacks/breakfast/etc
1. Flying to Ohio for wedding and family visit using frequent flyer miles - $11.20 cost- tomorrow.
2. Cleaned out the refrigerator before leaving for the trip and froze leftover milk, packed food for the drive to the airport - rolls and cheese, carrots, grapes.
3. Use Starbucks e-gift card at the airports from completing surveys at e-reward.
4. Use United Club pass (free with credit card) for lunch on first leg of flight - usually have fruit, cheese & crackers, beverages, soup, nuts, sweets and sometimes hummus.
5. Take Christmas gifts for family to save shipping since won't be back at Christmas time (in free checked bag due to credit card perk.)
1.) Repaired a pair of Converse All Stars. Okay, this one sounds cheap but I think it was worthwhile. I have a really bad habit of wearing out the lining of my sneakers before the sole gives out. So in using an old pair of pants from the rag pile (they were cargo pants so I probably did the world a favor by cutting them up) I was able to make some patches that I fitted in the shoes with some epoxy. There was also a crack in the rubber behind the heel which I filled with the epoxy as well. Total cost for the repair was $1.
2.) Bought my ticket for Rifftrax Live using a Groupon I had purchased this Summer. So instead of $12.50 it only cost me around $9.50. Not the biggest savings but it worked out well.
3.) Used a 15% registry completion discount to buy our carseat/stroller combo from Amazon. I am very grateful for a lot of the items that we were given for our upcoming child but man, this kid is expensive already (for the big essentials like crib, car seat and stroller anyway.)
4.) Became semi-cordcutters in that we still have "starter" cable but nowhere near the hundreds of unwatched channels that we once had. It took a little convincing but once my wife found that 95% of what she wanted was on Hulu and Netflix anyway, she was okay with moving forward with it. The savings are great!
5.) Bought some Gerber cloth diapers to use as burp cloths and for wiping the kid off. Supposedly after the kid is older they become fantastic kitchen towels as well. They are maybe $1.20 each which I think is a great value.
1. Used a good coupon to get a friend's birthday gift ~ something I know she will love.
2. My husband quickly fixed our electric blower (for yard work) with a $10 part vs just giving up and buying a brand new blower. Yay!
3. Increased the home AC temperature by 1 degree for the month and saved $50 on the electric bill. Geez, will it EVER get cool in South Texas?!
4. Slowly starting to purchase Christmas gifts now so that I stay organized and don't go over-budget by Christmastime.
5. Hand-washed the car myself at a car wash place rather than going to the expensive Wash Tub place (where they wash it themselves).
Thanks for your sharing your Five Frugal Things ~ LOVE this feature!
Love this feature!
1. I froze some red grapes so they can be used in smoothies
2. I made some carrot soup using some older carrots and some saved carrot pulp from when I made carrot juice; it was okay after I added celery, onions, broth, and some seasoning, but maybe a little bland, so I need to experiment if I do that again
3. Bought myself a new pair of walking athletic shoes that were on sale (and found a $10 off code to use); I walk every day for 2-3 miles, so I don't like to wait until my current shoes get too worn to find replacements
4. Contacted customer service when one of my son's senior pictures had a mark on it; we bought a modest batch to begin with as they are terribly overpriced; the company gave us two replacements in the size I called about, so we ended up with an extra picture
5. I trimmed my dog's nails; not a big deal, but I know some people make an appointment with the vet to do that
A couple suggestions for your carrot soup:
Try roasting the carrots with a little oil first until they are a little brown. The little brown bits and carmelization give it some extra flavor.
Try a little cinnamon and/or curry powder.
Do a mix of carrot and sweet potato (or yam, the bright orange ones). They should be on sale for pretty cheap this time of year, or going on sale soon.
Carrot ginger soup is delicious - another way to zip up the flavor!
1. I crocheted a replacement clothespin bag with scrap yarn.
2. I froze my sourdough bread and have been using it for egg sandwiches for the husband's breakfast all week.
3. I bring my lunch to work at all times. The cafeteria here is very expensive.
4. I went to our local "cat lady" and asked for assistance in neutering a stray male that came to live on my porch. I was uncomfortable but since I had already spayed his sister (very unfrugal) I couldn't pay for another.
5. I gave my BFF a few items for her to sell on ebay rather than giving them to Goodwill. She's in a bit of a money crunch so I figure this is frugal for her as well. 🙂
I love Ebay. Very thoughtful of you.
1. Bought a Ninja to make my own smoothies from scratch. Total cost with sale, 30% coupon, yes to you rewards and gift card $27. Yah! Thank you Kohl's.
2. Interviewed and got a work from home job. Savings on gas and no more work clothes.
3. Decided on becoming a vegetarian. No more meat items = huge savings.
4. Found some organic bean cans, tomato puree etc which were dented but good until 2018 from shoprite for 23 cents. This will enable me to transition into a vegetarian diet.
5. Made tomato sauce from my garden tomatoes before they got bad.
6. Made eggplant parmesan using the home made tomato sause and garden grown eggplant. Total cost $ 4.00 ( for mozzarella and ricotta). This lasted us for dinner and 2 lunches. Yay!
7. Grateful to live a simple life with content.
Five Frugal Maternity Clothing
1. Received clothes from my cousin and co-workers - yea for free clothes! I had to mend some and some look rather worn, but - free!!
2. Modified two work shirts into maternity. I work at a university and for events have to wear my department's shirts. They do not come in maternity. Even if they did the price would be ridiculous.
3. Sewed a dress to wear to an outside wedding. MIL gave me a large Mumu she had (It will be for your maternity wardrobe, she said....um....sure). I bought a pattern and reworked it into a lovely dress.
4. Modified dress pants from Goodwill into maternity, bought t-shirts on their tag sale for the over-the-bump part, each pair cost under $6!
5. Am going to attempt to modify a coat into a maternity coat. Or sew a cape.
Good for you! A cape is a good idea, but they don't always keep you covered up well in windy conditions. Since maternity coats probably don't get a lot of wear, maybe asking on Freecycle or any other swap group might yield good results. Otherwise, what about a maternity consignment shop? My local kid's consignment store carries has a nice selection of gently worn maternity attire.
Another way to re-use not super great oranges is to pour lemon juice and tajin (a special type of chili powder, I guess) on it. Super tasty! Also a great fix for watermelon that's not the best, cucumbers, jicama, etc. 🙂
Great post!
1. Simmered bones from rotisserie chicken, (2, bought in cold section after usual hours of sale for reduced price, since it's just me, it goes a looong way) made a delicious stock.
3. Lunch to work this week from leftovers.
4. Bid and won on pair of jeans that were very reasonably priced ( AND THEY FIT!) on eBay.
5. Hungry for roast beef, appalled at the sticker price, but realized actual cost for two different cookings(?) and actual number of meals was less than eating out and more nutritious.
Kristen, just so you know, the pink "post comment" box at the bottom of your page is returning a "404 error" (page doesn't exist).
I love the five frugal things feature. I always get good ideas here!
Mine are:
1. unpicked several zippers from non-wearable clothing for use in making zippered pouches for sale at a craft fair (my crafts are advertised as recycled or upcycled, so buyers are aware)
2. saved several things in the fridge by careful planning (I try to always do this, but as we all know, some times we are more successful than others ...)
3. returned faulty merchandise to a store for refund
4. altered a thrift store skirt costing $5 for my daughter - it was new with tags
5. packed a lunch for my husband, same as every weekday for the past three years (I eat at home)
This is only one frugal thing (I did others but they weren't as noteworthy) but it was HUGE! My dad is a "Mr Fix-it" and is teaching my husband how to be too. Well, our gas hot water heater quit heating water and the google searches (and my dad's lack of subject knowledge) led us to calling a plumber. The plumber said the part we needed had to come directly from the manufacturer (told us this over the phone, no site visit charge). I called and the manufacturer told us it was a free fix (no part needed), sent us a free instruction manual and my husband fixed it for free in about 5 minutes! We were so relieved as we do not have extra repair money right now! Lesson learned - calling the manufacturer to see if they have any suggestions first. I'm sure many don't but it was nice to know that it's a possibility! I'm willing to "waste" 5 minutes to give that a try next time too!
Yay!! What a wonderful solution to your problem.
5 most frugal things this week:
1. Satisfied my purple desires with 2 pants and 2 tops for under $25 CDN. Bagged up items to retire for a local thrift store.
2. 6 pounds of Maxwell House coffee for $18 CDN on special at local grocer.
3. Harvested my green tomatoes for: 7 pints curried pickles, a quarter-bushel of newspaper-wrapped tomatoes to ripen for fall salads, oven roasted slices with parmesan for supper one night and for a party dish tonight.
4. Ate out of my fridge and freezer all week since we are going away for 3 weeks on Sunday.
5. Dried peppermint, catnip, and lemon balm (from my garden) for my own organic herbal teas.
Let's see if I can do this!
1. Carpooled twice this week to work which saved me $10 on petrol and gave me someone to chat to!
2. Spent less than $7 on a birthday present for s friend of miss 6, by combining a $5 beach towel with a bubble toy I got at a garage sale a while ago for $1 (brand new), and a card from the stash (thrift store find at 20c each) and a gift bag recycled from a gift given to us.
3. Noticed a garage sale advertising girls clothes. Found fantastic quality brand name clothes in my younger daughter's size. Bought 3 items for $5 at the beginning of the day, and returned as the sale was finishing and negotiated 12 items for $12.
4. Went to a local church 's spring fair and found brand new maths sticker books (division and multiplication) for 10 CENTS each!! Bought 4.
5. Stretched the chicken breast I had across 2 meals rather than using it all up in one, and shifted today's planned meal
into next week.
1. Husband sold several computer hard drives on eBay -- we got extra cash and have less stuff to store for our move to Papua New Guinea.
2. I sold some furniture on a Facebook for sale group -- same result as #1
3. I made an Amazon wish list for items we need to take to PNG so that, hopefully, we'll get a few of the items for upcoming Christmas or b-day gifts.
4. Cooking meals with things from the pantry to try to use it up in the next few months before moving.
5. Sorted through the next 4 years of schoolbooks to pare down the number of boxes we need to ship to PNG.
Wow, it sounds like you have an exciting life change coming up!
We never expected this much change when we said "yes" to becoming missionaries, but it will be good.