Five Frugal Things | Shoe-Gooed boots
1. I shoe-gooed my snow boots
Way back in 2012, before a late-winter vacation, I realized I had no snow boots. So, I went to a shoe store and bought basically the only pair they still had in stock, on clearance.
They've held up pretty well, but during my trip home from Tahoe this month, I looked down and realized that the sole was coming off of one of the boots.
I felt rather nervous trekking through the airports; I half-expected the bottom of my boot to fall off at any moment.
Mercifully, it held up enough to get me through all of my miles of airport walking that day. Whew!
When I got home, I ordered a tube of black shoe-goo, and I used it to repair the sole.
I kinda doubt I'll need the boots again this year, but I'm happy they'll be there for me next winter.
2. I printed calendar pages on half-used paper
Remember when my printer was having issues while I was printing tax forms?
I'd saved the improperly printed papers, and I used them to print out some calendar pages for my bulletin board above my desk.
You can see a little of the printing through the papers but I really don't care!
3. I bought a CLEP test
Sooo, yesterday I had a meeting with my college advisor just to make absolutely sure all my ducks were in a row before I applied to the nursing program.
And I found out that the college recently (and unannounced) changed the math requirement so that my finished math credit no longer counts. UGH.
If I had known this earlier, I'd have just taken college algebra in one of my other semesters!
I briefly considered bursting into tears, but instead, I opted to register for a college algebra CLEP test.
This is way cheaper (and faster!) than taking a college algebra course, so if I manage to pass, this will be a big frugal win.
I feel relatively confident about my odds, given that I've been teaching algebra to my kids for so long.
I'm gonna cram for the next week and then take the CLEP test, and I am really, really hoping I pass!
4. I bought myself some marked-down Valentine's chocolate
A good thing about being your own valentine? You can wait to treat yourself until the goodies are marked-down.
Chocolate that's 50% off is extra tasty. 😉
5. I called and got a late fee reversed
For some reason, I had not set up automatic payments on my credit card. WHOOPS.
And I got hit with a $29 late fee. But I happen to know that if you have a history of paying your card on time, and you call and ask politely, credit card companies will usually give you a courtesy refund.
Whew.
That stinks about the credit! Here’s hoping you test out of having to take yet another math class.
—While we paid $200 for a custom solid pine replacement for our oddly-sized back door,* I saved $100 by caulking the seams and painting it myself. Woodwork is out of my wheelhouse, but for painting and caulking, I’m your girl! This also meant the handyman didn’t have to baby the finish while adjusting the door to our very NOT square opening (1890s house = level is relative).
*While this may not sound frugal, the back door that came with the house was hollow core, all but worn through, and would blow open even when locked on windy days. (If not for the kitchen door, we’d have been frozen and minus our cats!) We only wish we’d replaced that awful door sooner!
—A Talbot’s sweater I bought from Goodwill an easy decade ago developed a thin spot at the back of the neck. I didn’t quite have the right color of darning thread to match the emerald green knit, but since I nearly always wear my hair down, no one should notice the teal make-do mending.
—I feel downright naked without lip gloss, even around the house. Several tubes were past what could be comfortably applied, but they still had oodles of product in the bottom. I took a tiny makeup spatula and combined similar colors into another almost empty lip gloss container with a wand applicator (vs. the chapstick/twist style of the others). It may sound tedious, but it only took a few minutes and created a nearly full tube of “new” lip gloss.
—Target had a promotion in their app that earned you a $10 gift card if you spent $40 on personal care items. I needed to restock the bathroom, anyway, so I bought toothbrushes x 6, deodorant x 4, Blink-n-Clean x 2 (my husband wears contacts), contact lense solution x 1 (ditto), and feminine products (moon cups, etc. don’t work for me). Gift card earned, I bought two quarts of heavy whipping cream for $5.69 each, which is the best price I’ve found. We use it frequently in cooking and morning coffee.
—This month’s $10 CVS Extra Bucks went to a new hairbrush, as mine was falling apart after half a dozen years. A sturdy brush is a must for my thick hair—it will break the wrong kind of bristles—so I was happy to buy the same one again.
Oooh yes, yay for caulking! It's so useful.
@N, $200 for a custom solid wood door sounds like a phenomenal deal to me!
@mkmitch, it’s a steal for the quality of the workmanship and installation, which was included with the price. (The handyman is the son of the local lumberyard owner, so I’m sure our price reflects the deal he got on the materials.) I tried to tip the handyman, but he politely refused. We’ll definitely be hiring him to do more work around the house once we’ve the money set aside.
1. We received our state income tax refund, via direct deposit. I transferred the money to Ally where the interest rates on savings and CD accounts are pretty good right now.
2. I cashed in Top Cash Back rebates to earn a $22+ gift card to Target. For a while they often offered the best rebates on online purchases. The rebates are not awarded quickly but I'm willing to wait.
3. I asked for a check for my $30+ in cash back rewards from my Visa credit card.
4. I gave away some perishable food we were not I going to eat using Freecycle. I wanted to avoid food waste so I gave away cheese and hummus on a day with cool weather. It did not save us money but it did save somebody else and it kept food out of the landfill.
5. I put a piece of electrical tape over the eye of my Brother printer cartridge since I was getting a low toner message. The print quality is fine and I will decide when it is not, not my printer. This clearance priced floor model Brother laser printer has saved us a ton of money over the years.
That is a great longevity on the winter boots!
Hit the Birthday Freebies hard to finish the month last weekend.
Husband and I ate for the cost of 1 person at Red Robin!
I grabbed my free pastry at McDonalds, free breadsticks at Pizza Hut and free cookie at Panera.
Stocked up on eggs at BJ's as that is the cheapest place locally $15.99 for 5 dozen.
Supported a local travel baseball team by bidding on an auction basket and winning. Paid $70 with paypal money earned from Ibotta and Rakuten. Used the $25 gift card for Netflix towards our account bill and have a $50 GC to a local Meat Market. The rest of the basket was over $30 in bulk candies and popcorns from a local Amish Market.
Used my Lane Bryant birthday coupon and my Torrid coupon to lower prices on a few new shirts.
Used my Old Navy bucks+ a gc+some rewards money to get a pile of items.
Signed up at a store for added discount trying to locate a particular prom dress for my girl. If it doesn't work we will need to drive 40min to return in person at the store- worth the chance!
I am kinda shopped out right now!
@jes, Free breadsticks at Pizza Hut??? I need to look into this!
I'm certain you will pass! Be confident in yourself!
My FFT:
1. Hmm...covid positive means I went no where. No money spent on gas or shopping.
2. Saving on laundry costs too, I suppose.
3. I'm home to eat up the leftovers.
4. Read books and watched YouTube videos for entertainment.
5. Used the internet to keep in touch with work and my doctor.
Pretty boring week, but at least I'm on the mend. Going to work tomorrow is going to be so exciting!
@Becca, Glad you are on the mend!
That is so frustrating about the math credit! Glad you found out now, though, and not in 6 months...
- I ordered some things from ThredUp for the first time, and will keep 5/6 items
- at home haircuts for my husband and three of our kids
- spent a long time on the phone to get appointments at a new dentist since our insurance changed. I was dreading the call and it was tedious but preventative care is frugal!
- was running low on laundry detergent, and Target had a buy two, get $5 GC promo that I went for
-my husband was able to make a stop for chicken feed on his way home from work, which saved me a trip
-a local consignment sale is only a few weeks away so I am making my way through the kids summer clothes to make an accurate list of what we need
I once worked for a drug store chain and we had a ton of Valentine's candy boxes leftover. My boss challenged me to sell all of it before my shift ended that day. I sold all but one and he said I could have it free, and it was my favorite kind too!
1. Waited patiently for a sale and got a nice discount on some items I needed from Walgreens.
2. Also waited for employee extra discount day to buy a gift book I wanted for someone.
3. Was going to rent a wheelchair to get to physical therapy, but found out my building complex has chairs you can borrow.
4. Used up more leftovers before they went bad.
5. Made cuttings from my plants to grow more plants instead of having to buy replacements. They were growing out very wonky while I was not physically able to tend to them and could not be cut back in a good way, so I cut them in such a way that I can regrow them in the same pot.
I heard a song on the radio…”I can buy myself flowers(or chocolates in your case) , Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”
Half priced chocolates are very delicious.
Miley Cyrus. Yep. I was listening to that yesterday and I thought of my chocolates!
I'm sorry the college "moved the stakes" on your math requirement, Kristen. But I don't think anyone here would be betting against your passing the CLEP; none of us want to lose money! And days after holidays were the main times DH and I bought chocolates (it was about the only way we celebrated Valentine's and some others).
Now, FFT, Back to Winter Edition (continued from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(6) Our return to winter conditions in Central NY, after a long spell of abnormal warmth, has me working on finding useful things to do around the house that are frugal and at least partly fun. One of these is that I'm working on topping up my own supplies of herbs from the dried homegrown bunches in my attic, now that holiday gift season is over. In particular, I go through quite a lot of dried basil and dill--and while these aren't quite the equivalents of fresh basil and dill, using them sure beats paying for fresh herbs at this season of this particular year.
(7) Inspired in part by Emily's discussion yesterday of Real Me vs. Ideal Me, and in part by the simple awareness that I need to eat more vegetables, I am working on eating my aspirational vegetables: I made a chef's salad with the spinach/arugula mix and tomatoes I bought last week. (See #6 re: current prices for fresh produce; I wasn't about to waste these.) Of course, adding some bacon to the salad didn't hurt any. 🙂
(8) I also found some dried mung beans at the back of the pantry and decided to sprout these, though I wasn't sure they'd be viable, as they're several years old. So far, the sprouts seem to be doing all right. And these too are a lot cheaper than buying fresh bean sprouts.
(9) I've been playing "Let's go shopping in the closet" before I do any more thrifting, and I've concluded that I really don't *need* a dang thing. I've also been sorting some items into what I call my "hope chest" in the attic. This contains (a) things I hope I can fit back into someday, and (b) things I hope I won't need to fit into! (Category #a is probably another case of Ideal Me thinking, but if I keep eating those aspirational vegetables...)
(10) And, during a break in the weather, I finally got our tax paperwork to our accountant yesterday.
@A. Marie, It doesn't have to be all or nothing. If keeping a few pieces of aspirational clothing makes you happy and may motivate you, then keep them!
@WilliamB, I maintain the "hope chest" for a very frugal reason: If I ever do lose (or, heaven forbid, gain) a significant amount of weight, I won't have to do a major wardrobe replacement.
Heh, your hope chest made me smile!
@A. Marie, That's a neat idea.
My brain seems kind of slow this morning. All I can think of is that we ran out of dog AND chicken food for a couple of days last weekend before my husband could get more, and so I was cooking for the animals. I got some lentils, rice, and calabaza out of the way for the chickens, and liver for the dogs. I guess it saves a bit of money, but it mostly clears space in food storage. And makes me feel less guilty about not actually eating liver. The dogs like it a lot more than I do. (I've tried liver from four different kinds of animals at least half a dozen ways, and it's always a hard NOPE for me, so I'm glad to have dogs to take care of it for me.)
@kristin @ going country,
Liver is beyond foul.
@kristin @ going country,
I’ve had fried chicken liver that were tasty. I think they presoaked them in milk or buttermilk.
@kristin @ going country, Our parents used to cook liver and onions...and they liked it! They never could convince me or my brother to eat it. I think I tried it once and it was like leather. Smelly leather.
@kristin @ going country,
Liver is a big yuck for me, too, but I found I can make chicken liver pate with lots of garlic, onion and the addition of apple (a recipe I found on the internet, can't think where) and I can actually eat it. I'm supposed to eat liver weekly, which isn't going to happen, but I can at least eat it now and then. Beef liver? No. Never.
@kristin @ going country, I've always thought that "offal" rhymes (more or less) with "awful" for a good reason.
@kristin @ going country, I second that hard NOPE! I can remember my mother cooking liver and onions in the pressure cooker (can everyone say "shoe leather"?), and me still sitting at the dinner table 3 hours later because I wasn't allowed to leave the table til it was all gone. Therefore I do NOT eat liver as an adult. Besides, I think about the function of liver--to filter out toxins and junk--and I cannot find it in me to ever let that cross my lips again.
@kristin @ going country, I'm in the same boat. Tried it. Multiple times. I've even had it when I thought it was something else. And I gag every time. It's not for me.
@Karen A., believe it or not, as a kid i loved liver and also chicken liver, as an adult i hate it now - go figure!
Ugh, I am not feeling very frugal at the moment. While peeling carrots I accidentally sliced one of my nails diagonally into the quick--so now it's snagging on everything and bending back. Bandaids only work if they stay on during dish washing, et cetera, so I hopped on Amazon and ordered a nail fixing kit. (No, there is no super glue in the house, or at least I have no idea where it is!) "Only" 15 bucks, but still. I had hoped to get through this billing cycle without buying anything else on Amazon. But my nail is snagging on *everything* and driving me nuts. Hoping this fixes it.
Let's see, though...
We also use once- printed paper! Mostly for scrap paper. As the homeschooled kids have gotten older, I print out less paper, but we still have plenty because I love to print out recipes from the internet and try them out.
Husband is out of town for the week and did a huge stock up so I shouldn't have to go anywhere for groceries unless we run out of something essential.
As always, cooking at home and eating at home. I made three pans of lasagna last night that might well see us through for dinner tonight...pondering whether to bother making a pot of soup as well.
I am not as entertaining as my husband, but the kids seem to be happy watching DVDs of Deep Space Nine and playing UNO and some PS3 games we've had for a while.
@Karen A., I have the same issue with finger cuts sometimes. What works for me sometimes is to put waterproof surgical tape over the bandaids. The bandaid protects my finger, the tape keeps the bandaid on.
@Karen A., They actually make "finger sleeves" for precisely this problem. Not at all expensive if you get the disposable ones. I keep them in my bandaid container. Go to Amazon and look up "first aid finger sleeves" or "first aid finger cots" -- lots of choices (so you'll know you're not the only one!). Don't have to buy them from Amazon - any drugstore or pharmacy should have them. Good luck!
@JDinNM, Thanks, I will look for those! I tend to cut my fingers (probably should sharpen my kitchen knives) and it's always annoying trying to keep a bandaid on. We don't use the dishwasher and wash everything by hand.
@Karen A., I've also heard that you can cut a finger off of an old rubber glove and use a rubber band to secure it. Sounds like a desperate measure for a desperate situation, and definitely a frugal solution.
@Central Calif. Artist, That would be a good solution...if I ever bought rubber gloves! Ha, I have never liked washing dishes with rubber gloves, even though I know it would be better for my hands. I just slather on the lotion and hope for the best. 😉
@Central Calif. Artist, Or ... just wear the glove. ;-}
@Karen A., WilliamB, et al,
They make these nicely pliable gloves for chopping/cutting food. I was on a blood thinner for two months, and immediately cut my finger, of course. The gloves were recommended. They’re like gardening gloves but even more pliable so do not get in the way of handling food or knives. And you can’t cut yourself!
@Karen A., I was notoriously known for slicing through my fingertips. I have visited the walk-in clinic at least twice, the last time he had to use a special glue, TMI, I'll leave it at that. My BFF had had enough of my fingertip antics, and so she bought me a single glove to use on the non knife hand when chopping hard vegetables such as carrots, etc. The glove has metal wire running through it so that the knife cannot penetrate the glove, if said knife slips. It contains: 10% polyethylene: 60% polyester: and 30% stainless steel wire. A game-changer and fingertip saver.
- I love finding a second use for paper, too. My kids’ school frequently sends home flyers, so I tear them in half to use for grocery lists. Combined with the occasional home misprint, I haven’t had to purchase paper for this task over a decade.
- I fixed several cloth grocery bags this past week. Some were just an easy mending, but I also took on a bigger task of repairing some woven canvas handles that were down to the last thread. Since the bags could now only be trusted to hold super-light objects like bags of chips, I figured there was no harm in experimenting. I’d been putting off this task for a couple years, since I had no idea how to fix it. Somehow the idea just recently came to me. I wrapped some old t-shirt scraps (unused from the rag pile), around the damaged portion, sewing the ends into the healthy portion of the old handle. Then I sewed some grosgrain ribbon along the top of the entire handle, both for added strength and to distract from my new homemade handles. Considering this was a free bag from 20+ years ago, fixed with items I just had sitting around the house, I’d say this was a win.
- I also finished up a painting job this week for significantly less than a professional charged. It was a lot of work to fill holes, sand, scrub down the walls, prime, and do two coats of paint. I even painted some dingy portion of the ceiling.
@JenRR, a friend of mine likes junk mail envelopes for his lists.
@WilliamB, I admit, I’ve used those, too, especially in the summer when all those school papers stop coming in!
We had a late Valentines Day, too, due to a particularly bad stomach bug and subsequent ER visit. Usually Valentine’s is something I do primarily with my kids so they were disappointed that we were going to have to postpone (yes—I was the one in the ER). But when I told my 8 year old I could make it bigger because of the post VDay sales her eyes grew wide as saucers. And now that’s what she wants every year. All the extra I go them were 1 cocoa bomb each but it was enough to make their (late) day.
Frugal wins:
1. Went over expenses for the month this weekend and suspect that so the stomach bug spending was down across the board. It also means we didn’t get as much work done on the house as we hoped, which contributed to the low spending)
2. I forgot receipts for sanding belts and hen I returned them so I only got in Store credit but turned around and used that credit for an item we needed to finish the project that the belts were for.
3. I didn’t buy a dress from thredup, or anywhere. I had put several dresses in my cart and removed all but one because “real me” and won’t end up wearing them. And I chose not to buy the remaining one because it was still more expensive than I wanted.
4. Waited for a sale and coupon that can be used together to buy some wardrobe essentials.
5. repaired our Kenmore vacuum again. We’ve had it for 10 months and have had such trouble from it after having a previous kenmore for 11 years that was used more frequently. I’m not sure this repair will hold so I’m going to use the shop vac for vacuuming our home until I figure out a better solution.
Oh boo on Algebra!!! Will be rooting for you to CLEP out handily. You may already know about this site, but just in case, here it is. It offers free online classes and practice tests for I think all of the CLEP tests, and whenever you complete a class, you get a voucher code to take a CLEP test free. Anyway, although you're signed up already, it may have some free helpful info for preparing. My son is using it now to hopefully get a few classes off his freshman college list.
https://modernstates.org/freshman-year-free/
Yes, I was looking at that last night and I was like MAN I don't have time to do this, but I totally would if I had more wiggle room!
@Amanda P, Our teen has used Modern States for voucher codes for Calculus and English CLEP exams so far, and has hopes to do one more class through them. The college she is starting will only accept a total of 12 credits through CLEP, otherwise she might attempt more!
@Kristen, You are right! They do make you complete ALL of their prep course before they will give you the free voucher code. My daughter tried to request it early, since she already knew all the material from her regular Math class, but nope! They wouldn’t send her a code until she had done ALL of their prep course!
Oh man, that change in requirements is hard! I'm glad it can be taken care of with a CLEP test.
My FFT - Ice Storm Edition:
1. We had a LOT of trees get damaged last week and had to take some down. So far we've taken down one smaller tree and one enormous tree. We did the work ourselves and I'm guessing that between taking it down and doing the cleanup we probably saved around a thousand bucks. (Are we sad when we look at our backyard and are missing one of our big, beautiful trees that gave both shade and privacy? Yes. You can't just replace a 50-year-old tree. But it's a little less painful knowing that we didn't have to shell out any money to go with the loss.)
2. We've been lending and borrowing saws. Instead of buying our own chainsaw, my dad had an extra one we were able to borrow (we bought him some replacement chains, which is much cheaper than buying ourselves a whole new saw!) and have been loaning out our pole saw to neighbors. I'm so glad my husband bought that pole saw last year.
3. Frugal for my parents - they heat their house with an outdoor wood furnace and we've already taken them 3 weeks' worth of wood. There's plenty more to come.
4. We needed equipment for when our power line gets reattached to our house this week and our town was sold out (we live in one of the counties that got hit the hardest) so last night we drove 45 minutes to Bigger City to buy the supplies. My husband checked online beforehand and we save $50 by buying the poles from Menards instead of Lowe's. I also took my planned dinner and put it in to-go boxes for us to eat on the way there instead of going through a drive-through.
5. We took advantage of free activities at a place that had power when all the schools were shut down for 3 days. We watched a movie and swam - all for free.
I am confident that you will pass the CLEP test. Glad you found out now instead of six months down the road.
My FFT:
1) Used a credit on our account to pay for my annual wellness checkup at the doctor
2) Used some of the fabric and supplies I inherited from Mom to make a doll/stuffed animal sleeping for my great niece
3) Found yet another sewing machine in Mom's stuff that is a much nicer model than mine but was missing the power cord, so I ordered an $8 cord from Amazon. I should be able to use this machine to learn how to do machine quilting,
4) Found a new, in the box ceiling fan when going through Mom's stuff. We need to replace the fan in one bedroom so now we can do it for free.
5) Made a short grocery list and DH went to the store. He *only* buys what's on the list so we spend less when he goes than when I go.
Homeschooling certainly does keep your brain in shape! I'm sure you'll be fine with your test.
-This was a sick week for our family mostly, so I didn't really go anywhere to spend anything.
-I made homemade chicken broth using a carcass plus another whole chicken. I removed the meat once it was cooked and used it later for a few different meals (chicken enchiladas)
-I mended a sock, a pair of slacks, a nightgown, and a garment bag strap.
-My husband came through for me on Sunday when I didn't want to cook. I was suggesting pizza take-out, but he made supper sound doable. And he helped. Another homemade meal.
-I made elderberry syrup from a kit I got as a gift. I used honey from our bees.
-The kids and I enjoyed putting together a puzzle which we'd bought from a thrift store. It's a vintage puzzle of U. S. presidents. It ends at Nixon. 🙂 I guess this is frugal since it was only $1, and we've now used it. It hasn't just languished in a hidden resting spot in our basement.
@Jody S., Oh, my! Is the puzzle round with a giant eagle seal in the middle and the presidents going around the outside edge? I had that, back when it was new and up-to-date! (I believe mine went with the estate clean-out people two years ago in NW MN when we cleared out my parents' home).
@Heidi Louise, That's the one! This one was complete, but two of the pieces looked like they'd been chewed on. The pieces are still there. . . they just won't fit into the right holes.
Frugal Things:
1. I used a 50 cents off per gallon fuel on a full tank of gas. Anyone else wait until they are under 1/4 tank when they know they have a fuel discount coming?
2. Found a trendy mid century modern chair in perfect condition at Goodwill for $15. I used Google lens to see what it was and saw that it was still selling at the retail store for $200. I bought it, listed it on the Marketplace for $80, and had 16 offers within 12 hours. It was sold and picked up that same day. I should have priced it higher?! But I made $65 so I was not sad!
3. Got some items on Buy Nothing. Some crates, mailing envelopes, and a cute vintage decorative bird a friend has been searching for.
4. Used a $5/50 Kroger pickup coupon and also a coupon for a Free bag of Sunchips. Snacks for a little trip we are taking soon!
5. Sold a few more of my books & things on eBay. Even if it's just a few dollars here and there, it feels good to declutter and earn something for it! I keep finding more things around the house!
6. I reached out to my church and have been getting on all their special event paid childcare lists. A few nights a week they need childcare for different events. I can bring my elementary kids with me, and it's been very helpful in a currently tight financial situation to earn a little!
Ah, I love your positive mindset, it helps me through my personal challenges. "Being your own Valentine" who'd ever thought? I think it's wise to not put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to love. You should diversify your baskets and invest some in new baskets, no matter good looking and sturdy the current baskets seem ;D- to prevent being a basket case when something terrible happens. Much love.
Haha, yes. Putting some eggs in the basket of YOU is always a good idea. 🙂
@Farhana, You're supposed to diversify your financial investments, so why not your emotional investments as well?
Let's see...
1) I did a good job of using up leftovers before they went bad.
2) We lost power, along with 500,000 of our neighbors, but managed to keep the house warm enough (and the food cold enough) by only running the generator twice. One morning, it got down to 57 in the house, but that was the worst of it.
3) Our frozen food remained frozen! We ditched a pound of raw chorizo from the fridge, just to be safe (cheaper than a trip to the ER).
4) One evening, I really, really didn't feel like cooking. But, I reminded myself that past me had frozen some already cooked and seasoned taco meat for moments such as this. We did not eat out, and we did enjoy the low-effort tacos.
5) My pantry has gotten out of hand. I'm slowly going through all of the things "aspirational me" thought would be a good idea to have on had. Steel cut oats? Delicious, but I rarely feel like standing at the stove for 30 minutes to make some porridge!
On a related note, anyone have a favorite quinoa recipe to recommend? Aspirational me is clearly forgetful when shopping. I have several bags to make use of.
@RB, I'm gonna start making a two-column grocery list, with the following headings: column 1 - things I think I should eat (and ingredients for a complicated recipe I think I want to make but will at best make only once and not eat all of it before it goes bad); column 2 - things I will actually eat.
Kind of a take on yesterday's "ideal/aspirational me" versus "real me". Should save me an absolute fortune.
@RB, I can SO relate to the "aspirational pantry items" category. I am slowly using up some hemp seed hearts (I got influenced by a 'healthy living' blogger), and while I'm sure they have some healthy fats and fiber, they are pricey, have an odd taste and the only frugal way I can think to use them is on oatmeal, so I have been eating oatmeal every frigging day to use them up. Nearly there, though!
But regarding the steel cut oats, I have heard one can cook them in a rice cooker, or instant pot, or crockpot, should you have one of those. More handsoff and you could make a batch and store them in the fridge in meal-sized portions, maybe?
Oh, and as for quinoa, I used to just cook it (rinsing well before cooking, that was the annoying part!) and use it in place of couscous or rice. It more mimics the texture of couscous, though.
@RB, I make steel cut oats by using the crockpot as a Bain Marie. In a wide mouth one pint jar, place 1/3 c. of the oats, add healthy pinch of salt and fill to within an inch of the top of the jar with water, or half water and milk. Place it in the crockpot that has enough water to come halfway up the side of the jar and place the lid on top of the pot (I also put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the crockpot water to keep it from scaling.) Cook on low over night. Carefully remove the jar from the crockpot and add your favorites.
I also use this method to cook grits.
@RB, I cook steel cut oats in the instant pot. One cup dry oats along with three cups water. Cook 3 minutes and let pressure come down naturally. I set the night before using the timer function, so it cooks while I am on the treadmill and getting ready in the morning. This makes a large bowl for my daughter and myself.
@RB, And how's this for an "aspirational" pantry item? I just found a never-opened tin of "Mulling Spices" from Williams Sonoma to "be used to make a fragrant mulled wine or cider." ? Was I thinking this was for some sort of Christmas party? That I never had? You're supposed to keep the spices in an airtight container (check!) in a cool dark place (check!) for up to one year. Gulp. How about ... 21 years? It says "BEST BY 09/02". Which I assume means (meant) September 2002. And I paid $9.00 for it. So I will definitely open it up and see (and smell) what I can see (and smell).
@RB, you might consider making overnight oats with your steel cut oats. I have seem some recipes on line.
@RB, we dump a cup of quinoa into our gumbo (instead of serving it over rice) and we love it that way. Makes it a one-pot meal too. We did this accidentally when hubby was cooking in the kitchen with me…and we’ve done it every time since. We just dump it in about 15 minutes before the gumbo is finished.
We also like quinoa as a breakfast food in place of grits alongside eggs and breakfast meat. (We live in the South.)
If you find other good ideas, I’d love to hear.
@RB, I’m also trying to use up a jar of almond butter and a partial container of prebiotic. The almond butter is a replacement for my plain Smuckers peanut butter which I love but it is now about $5.00 a jar. I absolutely hate the almond butter, but I’ve been trying to add just a smidge of salt and eat it on Schar gluten free crackers. I think I’m gonna make it!
The prebiotic contains monk fruit extract and is too sweet for me plus it’s out out of date so I’m just going to throw it away. Yay!
@RB,
You can make a big batch of steel cut oats in the crock pot over night. I used to do that (and need to resume doing that). I'd just scoop out a portion, heat it in the microwave, and add in whatever I wanted to add in.
@JDinNM, that made me chuckle!
@Karen A., Thanks for the idea! I have an Instant Pot and a slow cooker. I'll give one of those a go.
Good luck with your hemp hearts. I think I've got some lurking in my pantry, too. I used to make seed crackers (flax, chia, sunflower and sesame) - I think I'll be able to toss some hemp hearts in there. Time to make a batch!
@Karen A., how long do you rinse it for? I tried to use some in tabbouli in place of the bulgur, and it was very bitter. I did rinse it, but perhaps not enough?
@deanna, you can do it! I'm not a fan of almond butter, either. My aunt makes a yummy concoction of almond butter, cocoa powder and dates, which she blends up in her food processor. That's the only truly tasty way I've had almond butter!
@Liz B., I don't have a microwave (no weird reason - it broke and we haven't missed it enough to replace it in 2+ years), but I bet it wouldn't take more than minute or two on the stovetop. Thanks for the idea!
@deanna, thank you for the ideas!
@Jean, interesting. I bet they've got a lot of chew. I might give that a try when the weather warms up around here.
@Chrissy, great idea! Thank you!
@Susan M., Ooh! I've never used the timer function on my Instant Pot before. Thanks!
@RB, …the website damndelicious has 2 great recipes. One pot Mexican quinoa and quinoa chili.
Easy and yummy.
@RB, I rinsed a good long time, until the (cold) water ran clear. It was annoying to have to do, but quinoa has bitter-tasting saponins on it to keep birds from eating it, and if you don't rinse it for what seems like forever it doesn't taste good. That was mostly why I stopped buying it; it was just easier to make rice!
@RB, I finished it off last night…no more almond butter for me…ever!!
Here's another cheer for you to pass the CLEP test!
Interested in hearing how the Shoegoo works in the long run. I've had mixed results with fixing my shoes in the past but always happy to hear if something works to get that extra mile.
1. Our neighbor shared some extra milk with us that she's not using.
2. Biked to work instead of paying for parking on an unseasonably nice day.
3. At work we had a catered lunch that was way too much food. A few of us took the leftovers home so the lunch stretched into a couple more meals.
4. Checked my digital app while at Safeway and saved $12 extra in online coupons.
5. Made a return to Best Buy of a cable that was the wrong kind and had been sitting around uselessly for while. Luckily we had kept the original packaging and receipt.
Oh my I was just talking to my daughter about how so many people have recurring dreams about finding out they don't have all their credits to graduate. You lived out that dream/nightmare. Good luck on that test.
1. This is the biggie- cut the cable cord, got rid of the home phone, two things I'd resisted for so long till pretty much forced into it by the crazy rise in cost. I actually feel free!
2. Annual gym membership due - I always have to remind them we have a discount for being charter members, every single time.
3. Propagating some plants to either share or have more of myself.
4. Getting great deals at CVS, and pretty much stocking my whole family with toothpaste.
5. Have had no a/c or heat on for a week, windows are open.
@Carolyn,
Good for you on cutting cable TV. I cut the cord fairly early - 2016. I have never once wished we still had these services. I recently helped a friend through this process when she confided that she was paying $350 for cable services.
@Bee,
The only time I wished we hadn't cut the cord was the first time we realized we couldn't watch The Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday lol
@Bee, you were a pioneer in doing it.
@Carolyn, like @Bee, I also cut out cable TV around the same time as her and have never looked back. We (that is HB) put an aerial on the roof and so we get some local stations, which I primarily use to watch local news, plus a few news-ish programs. I mostly watch You Tube on my TV, it has a computer hooked up to it (handy HB). I do not have any streaming services as I am not so much a movie watcher. This arrangement makes me very happy.
@Lazy Budget Chef, anything like the Puppy Bowl usually turns up on YouTube pretty promptly. DH and I ditched cable (and, in fact, the TV) years ago, and I've never regretted it.
@Carolyn, those were two biggies for us too. We got rid of DirecTV quite a number of years ago and got rid of home phones even before that, but it took a long time to make the decision. Then we bought a Roku and subscribed to Netflix (we already had Amazon Prime). It’s been ok for me, but hubby sometimes misses sports. Right now we’re doing a trial subscription to the History channel…we may end up keeping that…not sure yet.
My checked in bag was delayed on a flight this week. Ironically, it was a carry on, but the flight was full and they were begging people to check their carry on, so I did. It ended up being delayed by 4 days, and when it arrived, one wheel was broken off completely. I had purchased some items I needed as soon as I arrived and saved all my receipts. Today, I called the baggage claim department at Southwest and explained everything. The nice lady told me how to upload all my receipts/photos and said I would be reimbursed for my interim expenses and they will likely send me a link to a website where I can get a new carry on. I have found the key to all this is to make your original claim at the airport (very important!), keep meticulous records, be reasonable about your interim expenses, and be nice. It takes awhile, but I've never been denied a claim. (We've flown a lot!)
I soaked some very sad cilantro in ice water (Kristen style) and it was like new in a couple of hours.
I used another Walgreens code to get a free 8X10 family portrait!
We ate 2 meals on travel days instead to 3 to cut down on costs.
Not frugal, but my new twin grand babies arrived safely this week. A boy and a girl, 7#11 and 6#9. So thankful for new life--and I am flying down in a few days to meet them and help my daughter (via free Southwest tickets!)
@Tricia,
Congratulations on the birth of the twins. Those are a very large for twins! I hope your daughter is doing well.
@Tricia, Congratulations, Grandma! And to your daughter as well -- those are impressive weights for twins!
@Tricia, Congratulations on the twin grandbabies!! What a blessing!
Kristen, you will do fine. CLEPing it is a very smart thing to do. And I had no idea Shoe Goo now comes in black!
Our FFT:
Mine are the small and steady stuff of using what we have to cook homemade meals, rack drying as much laundry as possible, keeping the grocery spending under $90 per week, reading library books, and going to Ollie's Outlet for spices and coffee (at least a 50% savings).
DH wins the big frugal award for rejecting a quote of a whopping $4,200 to fix a plumbing issue. The scope of the project proposed was just wrong and would have needlessly dug up our stone front walk. Our usual plumber (very busy, very reliable) was finally able to do the work correctly for $850, which included fixing a stealth leak we had not known about, so our water bill should go down.
I didn't know about the black shoe good either! I thought it would make for a more invisible repair.
1. Food: I went through the fridge, organizing and rescuing food. I need to remember that while Real Me likes cherries, Real Me doesn't always eat them. No waste other than that, not even the unusual mushrooms. I sous vided a pork tenderloin that Past Me had spiced and vacuum sealed - thanks, Past Me! - then used the resulting liquid (pork juices, garlic, rosemary, and salt) to zing up the king mushrooms. I sauteed bell peppers that were past their prime, along with some onions, for the next Taco Night meal.
ProTip: cooking food that you're not going to get to for a while, gives you extra time.
2. Food: I inventoried the deep freezer and reviewed the fridge freezer. No wonder I don't have any 2 c. TelFresh containers in the cabinet: they're all in the freezer, holding 3 weeks' worth of lunches.
3. Cooking: For my friends' newly-established monthly pot luck, I made CI's Gingerbread Cake, using ingredients I don't use often and trying their cooked icing, which doesn't use 10X sugar. It tasted good but was a PITA and didn't release well. The joke was that the dessert was a triffle disguised as a cake. I also learned that that icing doesn't suit me; I'd rather keep 10X sugar on hand. My friends were happy to have extra icing on their cake.
4. Knitting/Charity: Using leftover yarn to make hats for the homeless/earthquake victims.
Geeky knitting details: the wool is fairly fine and not quite all the same thickness. In order to knit warmer hats faster and to even out the gauge, I doubled up the wool by twining together a thicker and a thinner thread. They're a bunch of different colors so rather than having stripes, I mixed the colors up. There's a way to deal with the last strand not having a partner strand but it's complicated to explain; let me know if I should explain more. Since the yarn is of different lengths, the colors overlap (blue+light blue followed by light blue+green, etc.) making the pattern a bit more coherent. This is less of a frugal thing and more of a design insight but I'm enjoying it anyway.
5. Library: Continued to check books out of the library, use the walk to either walk the dog or exercise. I've found a lot of new authors, so many that I can't remember all their names. Of course when I buy their books, I buy used. I'm also watching a lot of movies on Kanopy, which is free through my public library.
6. Medical: Learned that the measures I've been taking (medicine, diet, exercise) to ameliorate a medical condition are working. I don't know if I can get to status quo ante but "less bad" is still pretty exciting.
@WilliamB, thank you for #3. Those leftover yarns tend to multiply in the dark, and this is a terrific solution!
@WilliamB, I'm so thrilled by your use of "status quo ante" that I think it's made my day. A retired copyeditor is easily pleased.
@A. Marie, My pleasure. What's your stance on the Oxford comma and one space vs two?
@WilliamB, yes to the Oxford comma, and yes to one space. The Oxford comma was house style at my former company and is an aid in avoiding ambiguity generally. As for the one space, I'm willing to roll with the times, even if I am a Gutenberg-era dinosaur.
@A. Marie, Apparently I'm a dinosaur also. I'm Team Two Space, especially with variable spacing between words, but I lost that fight. At least we no longer end-justify.
Don't get me started on "data is."
1.) Repaired a set of headphones that my daughter broke. Headphones, particularly cheap ones, are not usually repairable due to the fact that the wires used are often some of the worst and flimsiest wires known to be produced in the world. However school requires that she have headphones for when they do computer work and she really liked the ones she got at Five Below. Plus they are child safe and won't get too loud to hurt her hearing.
So I looked in my stash of stuff and found a truly horrendous set of earbuds that came free with some device (seriously these were made out of the worst plastic ever and sounded like a tin can.) I cut off the earbuds, stripped the wires and soldered them to her headphones.
As my daughter likes to tell people, "Daddy can fix anything." That's not true but it's nice hearing that.
2.) We went to Target this weekend and my daughter really wanted to buy the new Kirby game for the Switch (Return to Dreamland Deluxe.) She doesn't quite get that $60 is a lot of money and while she has some money saved (including a gift card) it wasn't quite enough. Luckily I remembered that I owned the game for the Wii already as this is a rerelease/upgrade. So she doesn't have to spend $60 for what is *mostly* the same game. She just has to play it on an older game system.
3.) My daughter and I went to Walmart and found 90% off Valentine's clearance. Any candy and chocolate was long gone but she got a Peppa Pig stuffed toy for around $1 and my wife got a little red dragon for around $0.50.
4.) Got myself some used media on eBay. It's great how cheap some of these items are now.
5.) Still haven't bought that $300+ pebble ice maker I've been wanting.
@Battra92,
I agree with your daughter. It seems that you can fix almost anything!
Aww, that's so cute that your daughter say that. I bet it makes your heart feel good. 🙂
@Battra92, Reading your #1 my mind was going, "What!!!?" I'm seriously impressed!
@Ruth T, I will say that soldering those tiny wires was a bit of a pain.
@Kristen, It did. I get tired sometimes of fixing the same things over and over and want to teach her that there are consequences to not taking care of things ... but at the same time she is a kid so we work on it.
@Bee, I'm not so good with carpentry ... or serious electrical work or major plumbing or any construction.
@Bee, Agreed. So useful and something you can teach the next generation.
1. I picked up swim trunks and a swim shirt for my son off Buy Nothing. It will fit him next year. I also picked up a book I was interested in reading off Buy Nothing.
2. I patched a pair of pants for my son using patches I cut from his old pants and liquid stitches.
3. I made 5 loaves of bread using roasted and pureed pumpkin from Halloween pumpkins that did not get carved. Some of the bread got frozen and some my kids will eat for breakfast this week.
4. I took home 2 loaves of wheat bread that my daughter's daycare was giving away. They are now in the freezer.
5. Our dentist office is not longer in-network with our insurance. Due to this change they offered us low cost dental cleanings and x-rays, but previously this was all covered for free with our insurance. So, we made the choice to switch dental providers to continue to receive free preventive dental care (and also to avoid costly bill if we experience a more serious dental problem in the future!).
Not much frugal. Big travel week. Seattle very expensive compared to the Midwest!
Home now. Ice storms. No power. Lol
Now have power!
@Stephanie, So glad you have power now!! February is a cold time to be without it.
Good luck on your CLEP! I remember returning to college to finish my degree and they told me I'd have to take a math competency test since it had been 15 years since I'd had math. I swear I used logic to guess on 90% of it and worked what I remembered of math formulas on the rest. Somehow, I passed. So I'm extra-positive you will pass, Kristen!
It's my un-birthday today, but I'm getting zero freebies from vendors this day, because it's not my birthday. This is the only downside to being a Leap Year Baby. At least some places recognize my birth month if not the day - I got coupons from a couple of places for $5 off a purchase with them.
1. I cut up and cooked an entire bag of celeriac to keep them from going bad. I like celeriac mashed or used in place of potato pieces, in dishes like soups and stews.
2. I harvested more lettuce and mystery spinach. The warm weather continues and I'm trying to use my lettuce before it turns bitter or bolts. And I just find this funny: two years ago I planted a few collard seeds, because people here grow collards when they can't grow anything else, but mine didn't grow; only one plant survived and it grew about four leaves then just sat there, 6" high. I got mad and left it to it's own devices. Suddenly, after that deep freeze we had last month, it has grown and put on a dozen or so leaves, so I harvested some of them, too.
3. I'm using the free section of the Hallow app for nightly meditations during Lent, and the free Lenten booklet of devotions written by members of my church for my morning devotions.
4. My oldest is taking me to lunch today for my birthday (so there IS one freebie, I suppose).
5. I cut my husband's hair.
Happy unbirthday to you!
@Kristen,
Thanks!
I just remembered a lady I used to work under, back in ye olden days of no computers, who would not let those of us using a calculator tear off our calculator's paper. We had to keep it as one unbroken strip until we reached the end, then we had to peel the very end off of the roller, turn over the tape, re-roll it onto the roller by hand, and use the clean backside of it until that side was also done. Only then could we toss the roll and get a new one.
She also made us turn in a pencil stub to get a new pencil, or else buy our own.
@JD, happy unbirthday to you, and happy un-half-birthday to me!
1. Planted seeds leftover from last year’s container garden in our Aerogarden (a family Christmas present.) 4 days in the seeds have started to sprout. Hopefully this experiment ends in bok choy!
2. Made cashew “cheese” instead of buying expensive and tasteless dairy free cheese to satisfy a craving.
3. Ordered silicone baking sheet liners from Amazon and found them for much less at Aldi. I was able to double check the price difference, cancel the order on my phone while in the store, and popped the cheaper mat into my cart.
4. Spent a day hiking with friends, did a window shopping afterwards, followed by ice cream/sorbet at a local dairy.
5. My husband started using the free with ads option of Duolingo to a new language. I joined him to brush up since it has been awhile since I took it in college. We are our own study group!
About the math class-- Have you already started taking classes in the nursing program and are officially admitted? If so, they can't change the requirements. (Think how they could keep people from graduating by changing the requirements every senior year!). Push back if that's the case!
But if you are still in a pre-program or at a different school, it seems your pre- CLEP test will just be another of those character building activities that have been hitting you so hard lately. Good luck! You should be in good shape!
Nope; I had JUST finished all my prereqs (or so I thought) and was about to apply. Sigh.
@Kristen, Sigh.
@Heidi Louise,
Heidi Louise- some do this! When I was about to graduate college, I went for the required final "graduation check" and was told I still needed a speech class (after all that time and two previous requirement checks) and would have to take one more semester for just that class. I was able to convince them that my poetry and journalism classes, in both of which I had to give oral reports weekly, should count as speech. As my daughters each got ready to graduate some years later (same college) they told them at their final checks that they also needed an additional speech class - which, same as for me, was never included in previous requirement checks - and would have to take another semester. They had already heard about this from me, and they pushed back hard, and were allowed to graduate without the additional speech class. A colleague's son was told the same thing and unfortunately, he'd never heard you could fight it, so he agreed to take the class when he should have graduated. We all had very different majors, so I suspect everyone got told this.
Pull out the original college catalog that was in effect when you enrolled and check it! That provides the rules for graduation.
(If a student changes programs midway through, the catalog at the time of the change is the new rules, and the new rules apply to major, minor, required general ed courses, and electives).
1. The absolute biggest win was that after spending an hour on the phone, I cancelled an insurance policy that we don't need. Big savings!
2. Made chicken broth from some wings that I put in the freezer.
3. Assembled my tax documents, since we're filing ourselves.
4. Walked to work, made bread in the bread machine, cooked at home, didn't get takeout.
5. Bought some clothes for myself and my daughter at a thrift store! So much cheaper. I cross-stitched a little bunny to cover a stain that didn't come out.
Woohoo! That insurance savings is totally worth an hour.
Ugh, that totally stinks about the math requirement. College stuff can be so frustrating sometimes! Fingers crossed everything goes well on you taking the exam to opt out -- I'm sure you'll do great 🙂
My own frugal wins also involved a calendar this week, and we actually always celebrate Valentine's Day on the 15th to take advantage of all the clearance deals, ha ha!
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/02/28/weekly-frugal-wins-bike-tuneups-dental-cleanings/
About paper reuse: when I was in college, I used junk mail with blank backsides to write letters to Grandma. She thought it was so weird, until her sense of humor kicked in; then, she wrote to me on a paper bag!
1. Made more soup from another Costco roasted chicken from my neighbor.
2. Got permission to deliver art early to a show instead of waiting until the real due date and making an extra trip of 50 miles.
3. While gathering unsold art from an exhibit an hour away, I found gas for the unbelievable price of $4.13/gallon. (Also unbelievable that $4.13 is considered a good price)
4. Costco member neighbor brought me 2 dozen eggs for $6 (after I paid $7.46 for 18 at Winco)
5. Husband found an adequate space heater at the local hardware store after the one we wanted to order was unavailable, so less money, local business, no shipping, AND it is a write-off because it is for the workshop where I paint.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
6. Husband built a picnic table as a wedding gift for neighbor using lumber salvaged from another neighbor's deck.
7. Some friends moved away and texted us to pick their OroBlanco (citrus) at their empty house. We filled 3 buckets for us and to share, the day BEFORE it snowed! (snow = frozen citrus).
8. Husband covered our few sorry little lettuce plants in time to protect from snow and they survived.
9. Homemade ricotta failure resulted in lots of whey, which contributed to a very good batch of bread.
10. I bought some 1/2 price yarn to have enough to complement a few skeins (also bought on sale in a fit of stupidity and greed) that weren't enough for a sweater . (Lest you think I am a FFT overachiever, I do NOT need another sweater!)
Shoe goo is the best!!! I used it on a pair of shoes about 5 years ago and they are still in perfect condition!
you know u will ace the CLEP test even with one eye closed and your hand tied behind your back.
GOOD LUCK.
1. Used points at a bakery/cafe that we go to to get my daughter's chocolate croissant. At least all my tea buying gave some return :/
2. Had a last minute get together with friends and instead of ordering in (which I tend to do when I'm overwhelmed), I threw together a meal that everyone seemed to love and fed 18. It was vegetarian so also quite frugal. All the guests contributed too - One friend brought fruit, another brought homemade (so fresh!!!) pico de gallo and chips and some bundtinis and a third brought a gorgeous charcuterie board. I seriously paid a fraction of what we would have if we had ordered in and we all really enjoyed it.
3. Daughter needed a trifold poster board for her science project. Going to Michaels/JoAnn/craft is kind of a pain where we live (none are nearby) and when I looked, the Michael's website said they cost $8(!) and there were none in stock anywhere in the vicinity. But she needed it and I didn't know where else to buy it. Stopped by the Joann near my folks' house on the way back from a visit and they had it in stock; while in line, pulled up a coupon on my phone and only paid $2.50. Yay!
4. My daughter mentioned she wanted more dresses like the one grandma had bought her from Nordstrom. I looked to see how much they were and they were on sale for a great price. Coincidentally, she had received a Nordstrom gift card for her birthday so I bought her two more in the next size up, one with short sleeves, one for her sister and a shirt and only paid a little bit out of pocket.
5. After a two week hiatus, started exercising again. Using podcasts to keep me going on my walks, weights and mats I have at home, and online workout programs that I bought at a discount to keep myself accountable and pushing. I haven't paid for a gym membership in something like 10 years and I've really only spent money on the weights (bought with a discount code) and a yoga mat. It's convenient, effective and efficient to work out at/from home. Sometimes I think I'd like to splurge on a trainer to customize my regimen for maximum results but for now, this is working for me.
I just want to say that you are such a ray of sunshine in my life. I've been following you for years (13 maybe - is that possible?) and i SO admire your effort to find the the positive, contentment in little things, etc. My admiration increased exponentially since you've shared the marriage/family hardship you've been going through.
This has nothing to do with today's blog post whatsoever, but I just felt the need to write. That is all 🙂
Warmest wishes from the DC area and good luck on your exam!!
Gold star for you, Kristen, for checking in with your advisor. I just know that you will pass that test but man what a curve to throw people.
I wanted to laugh at you walking around the airport with your sole flopping but I tensed up at the very thought of it coming all the way off—even in my imagination! I wonder if TSA has duct tape they would lend?
Kristen, I have every confidence that you'll pass the CLEP test! and boo to the college for stealthily changing their requirements. I struggle to help my 7th grader with his algebra homework. 🙂
I also use the backs of printed papers, school papers and flyers for shopping lists and to-do lists. the papers get recycled once they're completely used up.
It's been a decidedly un-frugal week, with DS having a birthday, and my over-indulgent spouse buying all the gifts for him. Let's see what I got....
- frugal/not frugal: hubby had made plans for son's birthday party at a hockey game, reserving a special party room with whatever amenities are included. As the party date drew near, DS could not think of (a total of) 15 people to invite....yes, he has friends, but few he thought would like to go to the hockey game. Hubby was able to get "credit" for the room deposit, which paid for hockey tickets for us, DS, DS's bff, and bff's parents. There's still loads of "credit" left, so there are more hockey games in our future. I'm not complaining. 🙂
- have been making most meals at home, and using up left overs. We had fallen into a bad habit of eating out/carrying in far too often, so it's a very positive change.
- sent an email to Rakuten customer service, as I discovered a check I had not deposited in time. Oops! Hoping I can get the check re-issued (they have done that for me in the past).
- used travel rewards points for a girl's long weekend in March.....visiting a friend who lives on Long Island (hi, Rose!). I'll be staying at my friend's home, and will treat for some meals out, etc.
- bought beef tenderloin tips for more than 50% off via FlashFoods....still pricey, but saving it in the freezer for a special meal.
Have a great week!
@Liz B., Hi! (waves back) There's tons of fun stuff to do on LI if you're not just hanging out, yakking away and drinking and eating too much. (Bonus points if you bring a blown up picture of my ex and everyone throws darts at it, not that that ever happened on one of my girls' weekends, no sirree)
I keep trying to arrange for girls' weekends but my friends keep being duds. Feh. Feh I say.
I’m encouraged so much by these responses that I hope I encourage others too!
1. Used Chickfil A rewards for a child’s late night dinner after play practice
2. Gave my hubby and son haircuts this weekend
3. Bought only the 4 things needed at Target and got a $5 gift card
4. Emailed the lost and found area of a child’s church retreat for a forgotten external batter and it was found and mailed (not free but more frugal than a new one)
5. Replaced a damaged beyond repair cell phone by asking around to family members and purchased one greatly reduced from my brother.
Good luck on your test! I’d bet money on you passing and I’m no gambler! 😉
Your reuse of improperly printed paper reminded me of when I used to print coupons on misprints; inevitably, the coupon wouldn’t scan and whatever was on the back always freaked out the cashiers at Walmart. Never could figure out what possible difference it could’ve made, magazine coupons always had printing on the back.
1) Dyed my own hair.....but it still cost some money.
2) Got on a spending plan for groceries.......now shop for markdowns which is not easy to do.
3) learned to make French bread.....really yummy.
4) reduced my children's clothing by donating and found out they were changing clothes way too much. Cut down on 2 loads of laundry per day.
5) place grocery receipts above trash can to reduce food waste. It's amazing what we threw away previously but have reduced food waste considerably.
@Charlotte Whatley, I have a kid who changes clothes way too much too. She wears a fresh pair of pajamas every night, then wears a uniform to school, then changes when she gets home. If she has tae kwon do, then she throws her uniform into the wash too. I've been making her hang any clothes she wears for less than 3 hours back onto her hangers. It's ridiculous. She has the smallest clothes in the house too, so it seems like I'm doing her laundry FOREVER. I've tried buying her less pajamas (she will sleep in a tank top and shorts in the middle of January), I've tried telling her she can re-wear pj's since all she's doing is sleeping (I use 2 per week)...she gets two more years and then she's going to start doing her own laundry!
@Charlotte Whatley, #5--what a great idea!
- As per some responses below, I also re-use blank side of envelopes from mail to write lists, etc.
- Along the same lines, remember the old "fanfold" paper with the holes down the sides that you would feed into the continuous feed printer: I have a box of this paper. I tear off the sides with the holes, also into individual sheets, and this then gives me an 8 1/2 x 11" paper that I can use in my normal laserjet printer. I use this paper to print out my grocery lists, etc, any lists or documents that I require. This box will last me years.
- not frugal/ frugal for someone else (eventually): Since I currently have the concentration span of a knat, I am not currently using my library because it takes me ages to get through any books I take out, so I have been buying books from the thrift store on senior day, 30% discount, then I don't feel guilty about taking so long/ having to renew 3 times. I've been on an Agatha Christie kick lately, and was lucky to find that someone had donated a bunch of her books to the thrift store. I bought 8 and since they are not a lot of pages each, I can read at my leisure: and will donate them to the Little Free Libraries in my area as I get done with them.
- as I say each time: the usual - home-cooked meals, coffee and tea at home, tap water, doing laundry in off peak hours for electricity, and so on.
Can’t recommend CLEP more highly. Saved my daughter and me both money and time. Especially English- if you are well read, it is a pretty easy way to get credits.
Hoping you will pass the CLEP test. Sounds like you have plenty of knowledge 🙂 They are an inexpensive way to get credit for knowledge you already possess. I used them to CLEP a semester's worth of classes when I returned to nursing school. The only downside is they register as pass/fail, not a grade, and they don't count toward your GPA. But hey, saving money (and life hours!) is a big win on its own.
Not quite as frugal a week as I would have liked, but it is what it is.
1. Not frugal/frugal: Had to put 4 new tires on the Durango. Good news: they had at least been on there since 2009, so they've lasted a very long time! Bad news--it's hubby's vehicle, but he doesn't drive much anymore due to health, and I had not noticed how bald they were getting. It's the only vehicle that we can use with granddaughter's booster seat, so I got them replaced all at once. Total came to just under $900, but if they last half as long as the others did, we're good. Besides, the peace of mind was far more valuable.
2. Got hooked on a book series about Eleanor of Aquitaine and just HAD to get the other two in the series! Had some credits with Amazon, so was able to knock off about $3 on book #2 (Kindle). Then, buying book #2 added more Kindle points, so I was able to knock off another $3 on the final book in the series. I love being able to continue a series before all I read gets lost in my memory.
3, 4, and 5: Was gifted a Clue game, some old Simon and Garfunkel albums, and several ceramic planters from members in my gifting group. As granddaughter is very active and hubby is disabled, finding something we call all do together and enjoy is a challenge. The game was a hit! Bonus points: Hazel and I delivered Girl Scout cookies, walked the dog, and picked up the albums all in one trip in the neighborhood. And later in the week, dog and I walked to another neighbor's house for the pots, so another two-fer.
6. Got a refill order on the dog's anti-itch meds sent to Wal-Mart, rather than filling them at the vet's office, which saved me over $30.
You've got this CLEP test!
Let's see:
1) Sold two pair of shoes on eBay. I wore them a few times, but they did not fit comfortably (they were black & nude of the same pair).
2) I came really, really close to oversleeping through a workout class that charges a cancellation fee. But, I jumped out of bed & hustled there, saving myself the fee.
3) Continued to eat things out of the freezer. We've made so much progress & the freezer is looking great! I now have a goal for March for the last few remaining items, as well as some open fridge stuff.
4) Used grocery store rewards to make an inexpensive stop.
5) Discovered that Magnum ice cream bars were on clearance at my local store, plus there was a Fetch & iBotta offer. Picked up a couple of boxes of six count ice creams for $.35 or something, after all of the rebates. My teens are thrilled.
1. We made all our meals at home again. Yay us! I also cleaned the oven this weekend, so I'm really proud of myself for this.
2. I combined errands. I waited to place a Target order until I had enough for free shipping (without buying unnecessary stuff), used a coupon code, applied the $1 discount for being patient (or whatever they actually call it).
3. The furance went out Friday night. It was -30F wind chill or something ridiculous. My husband found a temporary fix, but he had to repeat it twice over night. After a chilly night, he was able to get to the hardware store and actually fix the problem. No expensive emergency hours call. The outside temperature was above freezing a few hours after he fixed it.
4. A snowstorm caused an appointment to be canceled, but we were able to take care of it via video call instead of driving 200 miles.
5. I got some coffee from my favorite coffee shop, using a gift card that I won by completing a reading challenge through my local library (and having my name randomly drawn). My oldest wins these all the time and I've won once. Definitely not fair.
Before I even started college, I took a BUNCH of CLEP tests and got 17 hours of credit! Then I took another test (not CLEP) during Freshman Orientation and tested out of my foreign language requirements. I took some classes during summer sessions, so I graduated a full year ahead of my classmates!
I am not sure if we have a pair of shoes in our house that haven't been repaired with shoe goo, and there are 7 of us! I've also repaired the spines of kid's books and other household items with shoe goo, because it's usually the only kind of glue I have in my house (I live in a developing country where access to goods/services is limited).
I am a retired math teacher. I tutor and teach student math teachers. You got this!
Good luck on your CLEP test.
Last month I needed products for our monthly club collection for the food pantry and for an organization that supports survivors of domestic abuse & sexual violence. One item was a hairbrush. I found the hairbrush for $3 at one store and same brush was $7 at another store. Guess where I got 2.
I'm behind but remembering my own CLEP experience with both college algebra and whatever the introductory English class was, you won't have any problem. Like in your shoes I wouldn't even bother to look at the book, let alone cram. 🙂
I am reading that there's stuff on the test about functions, and oh man, I HATE functions. So I definitely think I need to review those.
@Kristen, for fun I went to the CLEP website to see what it might entail — it's been a hot minute, after all (and why math is fun for me, I can't say, but it is). Functions wouldn't bother me, but in their three examples I definitely did need to be reminded of the remainder theorem.
But I still think you'll do fine. 🙂
I hope the CLEP test goes well, Kristen!
1. DH ran errands when he was in the other part of town for work, saving on gas. One errand involved returning an item we didn’t end up needing for our recent travels, so $42 back in our pocket.
2. DH signed us up for a new internet plan at $20/month, and also got himself a year of free phone service (this is through Spectrum and had something to do with recent federal legislation passed– could be worth checking to see if you are eligible too, regardless of your current carrier?)
3. We are enjoying foods from our freezer, with the goal of using them up before we want to stock up again this summer! Rhubarb cake with rhubarb compote has been very enjoyable so far.
4. After several months of looking, I finally found a product for which I had a coupon making it free. I’m not sure I want cream of wheat cereal, but Baby E will definitely eat it!
5. Also took advantage of a free salsa offer through Social Nature.
Frugal fail: after our road trip, we came home and found a large box of size 3 diapers, and Baby E is now a size 4. I went to return them to Walmart, but they said the price was $7?? We paid $28! It looks like they have changed the packaging and the diapers are “new and improved” so the box we have must be discontinued or an old SKU. I think I’d prefer to give them away on Buy Nothing than return them for $7!
Frugal fail #2: DH took Baby E to a well child appointment, and we are now missing one of my favorite warm shirts of his. DH did call the office and the lab several times, but no luck.
Frugal fail #3: I went to a local food coop because they have good prices on local apples- cheaper than the regular grocery store. Got home and discovered my receipt shows an incorrect variety of apple that was more expensive. The difference is only $4, and I don’t think it’s worth going out of my way to go back and have it changed. I’m grateful I don’t have to worry about every $4, but it’s still annoying to be overcharged.
1. Instead of buying new books, I got a couple from a Little Free Library in the neighborhood. Of course, I put a couple of my old books in there as "payment." (Even though it's not required that I do so.) It's great to discover new authors this way! [LFLs are outdoor boxes, which usually are made to look like little houses, where people leave books for others to take for free. There is a website, https://littlefreelibrary.org/ that lists all the registered LFLs and you can look for LFLs in your city this way.]
2. Ordered my OTC meds for the quarter from my Humana Medicare Advantage place instead of paying full price at the drugstore. I get a certain amount free each quarter.
3. Was able to order a new religious book I wanted for a $1 donation to a radio ministry, as per their offer on the Christian radio station I listen to. The book is authored by another radio preacher, who charges more for it on his broadcast program.
4. Paid some utility bills via telephone. This way I don't have to use up any checks or postage stamps, and the payment won't be late. Hackers can't get your info from the telephone!
5. Started taking a reusable water bottle to work. They've installed special water fountains where you can refill a water bottle with filtered water, supposedly to help cut down on the amount of plastic in the landfill. They have vending machines for that first bottle of water (bottles are $1.20 each -- good grief!) but several folks are just bringing their own from home to save even more. Bonus: the water bottle I'm bringing was given to me free. I'm trying to drink more water instead of soda pop.