Five Frugal Things | So much to choose from!
During the months I was living with my parents, it was a bit of a challenge to put these posts together. There's only so much frugality that can happen when you don't have your own home.
(And for most of the time that I lived there, I hadn't even told you guys what was going on!)
But goodness, now that I am busy outfitting a new household (and now that I'm back to grocery shopping), I have lots of opportunities to be frugal. 😉
1. I hit up the clearance rack at Safeway
Whenever I'm at a non-Aldi grocery store, I usually take a quick peek at the clearance racks; sometimes the shelves are full of duds, but sometimes you can find some good things!
This time around I got some organic lemonade for $0.75 and a tin of hot cocoa mix for $0.99.
2. I avoided buying a stapler
The other day, I realized that now that I moved out of my original house, I do not have a stapler with me.
I don't need one terribly often, but it is handy to have a stapler on occasion.
I thought about buying one, but it's a good thing I didn't because...look what I found in a drawer at the abandoned house!
Yup. A stapler!
It was dirty, of course (everything at that house is dirty), but you know I'm always up for washing abandoned-house items.
So, I gave it a little scrub, and now I have a stapler for those rare occasions when I need one.
3. I avoided buying a table lamp
I deserve no credit for this one, but I'm including it anyway! 😉 It's inadvertent frugality, thanks to the kindness of someone else.
After my dentist appointment last week, I stopped in a Goodwill to see if I could find a little reading lamp for my bedroom.
(This was a little preemptive on my part because I still hadn't even started redoing the nightstand I planned to use the lamp on.)
I came up empty-handed, and when I walked out to my car, I checked my phone and found an email from a book club friend, asking if I wanted some small lamps!
PLUS, she offered me two little nightstands, one of which was already an almost-perfect color to match the bed one of my neighbors gave me.
One extra little bonus: not only is it the right color, but it has a built-in extension cord and built-in plugs, which is perfect because the outlet on this wall is behind the headboard, smack dab in the middle.
Anyway, now I have a much better setup for my nightly bedtime reading, and I am a happy camper.
4. I planted a green onion end
I always love having a few green onions growing my front border because then I can just go snip off a few when a recipe calls for them.
(because WHO uses a whole package of green onions? It is so, so hard to use the entire bunch before they get slimy.)
Obviously, I had none growing here at my rental, so I had to buy a package this week when I needed some for a recipe.
And when I used the first onion, I saved the root end and stuck it into the ground in the front border here.
The nice thing about green onions is that they do not visually scream, "I'm part of a vegetable garden!", so you can stick them in with the rest of the landscaping and no one is the wiser.
They just look a bit like a daffodil stem or something of that ilk.
5. I got a $10 ironing board and a free iron
I did put the "I need an ironing board" word out on a few free groups, but nothing popped up. So, I found a Facebook Marketplace ironing board listed for $10 and I popped by to pick it up.
A new one costs about $30, so this isn't a huge discount. But hey, a $20 savings is a $20 savings.
And buying used is a nice responsible thing to do.
The free iron came compliments of my sister-in-law; since she and my brother were combining established households when they got married last year, they had two irons. So, they gave the extra one to me. Yay!
1. I requested a check for the cashback earned on my rewards credit card. I know you can get a statement credit but then you don't get rewards on that amount.
2. I gave my husband a haircut. I used electric clippers since he wears it short. It's quick and cheap.
3. I borrowed from a friend a little black dress for an upcoming event. It was too big in the chest area but a carefully placed safety pin in the back took care if that. The way the dress flows so you'd have to know the pin is there to see it. I'll dry clean it after wearing it and return it to my friend.
4. We had two curb side finds this past week. A small oak chair that needs tightening and refinishing and two 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.
5. Our daughter and SIL gave us a small patio table they were not using. It was a hand me down from his parents. The glass broke on our table last fall when strong wind picked up the umbrella and I assume slammed it into the tabletop.
That is so wonderful that you could borrow the dress! Items you need only occasionally are perfect candidates for borrowing.
@K D,
I just posted that I borrowed a dress from my sister for an upcoming event. With life returning to normal, I actually have places to go and people to see. I also have a sad Covid wardrobe, so sharing is helping me to stretch things a bit.
@K D, check your credit card policy. You usually get rebates on the total spend. And nothing to do with rewards applied to balance. It’s my industry lol. . Just a tip to maybe save you a step.
@Bee,
I relate to having a sad Covid wardrobe. I am a reluctant shopper under normal circumstances but during covid I never shopped. After two years of that my wardrobe is in bad shape.
1. Figured out how to track our electric use and realized that most of our bill is coming from the water heater, so I turned the thermostat down on it-hoping to see a savings.
2. Hang dried some laundry that I washed with cold water and minimal detergent.
3. Planted up my front porch pots by breaking bedding plants apart into multiple pieces. Begonias and marigolds are particularly cooperative with this method. As the plants grow, I will multiply them further to fill in empty spots.
4. Watered the porch plants with saved dish water and rain barrel water.
5. Stayed home for memorial day weekend and still haven't turned on the AC units.
I don't think I've had any frugal scores lately. I am trying to put the breaks on silly spending so does that count? (: I joined a book club, and I need to find the book fairly soon so that may be around $10. And I joined a ladies who drink beer club, so that's going to be around $15. Both happen next week, but I figure its a small expenditure for mental health and happiness and I truly need to meet people and get out of my house!
My daughter gave me $125 in Zappos money so I did order myself a cute pair of sandals and since it was very few dollars out of my pocket, I will just go ahead and claim that!
@gina, Putting the brakes on silly spending is definitely frugal, as is using the Zappos money to get free shoes!
I totally agree about the club; so important to see other people!
@gina, I love "ladies who drink beer" club! I could think of some seriously hilarious names for that club. Hope you enjoy it!
I spy "Baby Catcher" on your perfect new nightstand! Love that book.
Yes! So many interesting stories to read. I'm loving it so far!
@kristin @ going country, I'm replying to myself with a frugal update: I just spent almost an hour mending things today. It's one of my least-favorite things to do, but I washed my couch cushion covers today, and noticed a tear in one along the seam by a zipper. This couch is almost 20 years old, and needs to go another 15 to outlast my destructive children, so I repaired the tear so it wouldn't get bigger. Then I did my son's shorts, my husband's shirt, my other son's shirt, and my coat. I asked my middle son for his shirt with the tear in it to mend, and he was so interested in the whole thing that he sat there with me the whole time. I taught him how to thread a needle, stitch, and tie it off. So not only did we save several items, but he's learning the skill for himself, which is just as important.
Congrats on all the finds!
This week was a bit of a blur because I was finishing my thesis, but I cooked at home every night, reserved books at the library and managed not go in the shop for a few days.
A non-frugal thing - I treated myself to coffee and cake with icecream for handing in my thesis!
@Sophie in Denmark, Congratulations! What is your topic? We look forward to hearing the results.
@WilliamB, thank you! I wrote about use of library spaces
I think you could eat coffee and cake with ice cream for a solid week after handing in a thesis!!
@Kristen, I agree!! One day of cake and ice cream seems insufficient for such a monumental accomplishment.
@Lindsey, @Kristen, thanks guys! My friend is coming to stay this weekend so I'll celebrate properly then. I had a large glass of wine with dinner and watched Clueless just now, which was very relaxing!
You deserve all the indulgences! I'm so glad your friend is coming to help you celebrate.
@Sophie in Denmark,
A truly monumental achievement, Sophie, congratulations.
Is your thesis about spaces in libraries other than shelves for books such as nooks to read in or children's play areas? Or is it about unusual places where a library has sprung up?
@Sophie in Denmark, Tell me more, please.
@Sophie in Denmark, I am interested in hearing more about your thesis, too. I'm a librarian. 🙂 Congratulations on turning it in!
@Ringo, @Erika JS and @William B, it is about how libraries are designed, their intention of use and the way people interact within them 🙂
@Sophie in Denmark, congratulations on completing your thesis--and hurray for Clueless! It's really the best adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma out there, I think.
@A. Marie, thank you and YES! It's probably my favourite film. We had it taped off TV so I grew up watching it as a kid and I loved it! When I saw the newest adaptation of Emma I had fun matching it to the Clueless scenes!
1. I (or my designee) cooked all the meals.
2. I cut the hair in the house (8 heads) and asked my husband to trim mine.
3. I ordered a book from the library to read.
4. Instead of driving the 5 miles into town and 5 miles back, I asked my son to do my town errands for me since he had to go to work in town. He was smart enough to ask if he should do a library run, too, at the same time.
5. I planted some seeds I had in a pot of dirt and am hoping some flowers sprout up to be pretty.
Note: Our credit card account some fraud activity, so it was canceled. My, my! How easy it is to save money when you don't have a credit card! However, it is also inconvenient, so I am thankful the replacement card showed up.
It can be hard to be frugal when moving! Now that we are finally settled I'm trying to be more so.
1. We had an annoying weird charge from some plumbers we hired last year to unclog a stubborn toilet (in our previous rental--the clog was not our fault, but the result of years of buildup and neglect on the property owner's part, but we took care of it ourselves anyway). Well, they were charging our card 20 dollars a month, two months in a row, and when we tried to contact them they had BLOCKED our number. What? (And yes, we paid them for the work they actually did, we were very grateful for that work!) We decided to cancel that card and get a new one, luckily we have a backup card. I think it's a good idea to do this once in a while, because who knows who will do what with your CC number. So I consider this frugal because we're stopping somebody from stealing money from us.
2. We don't have a clothesline here, but my husband found a wooden drying rack we used to use for clothes (and dishcloths), and yesterday was so hot and everyone wanted to do laundry, so I told them to take turns putting their laundry out on the patio--we drape things over the patio table and chairs and on the rack and it was so hot everything dried in an hour. Got to love saving electricity in summer!
3. My usual dish soap is Kroger brand--just plain blue grease-cutting--but for months, it seems, Kroger hasn't had their dish soap on the shelves, due to supply issues. It's likely it's just Dawn dish soap repackaged, so I've been stocking up on Dawn by using the Buy 5, get $1 off deals Kroger has, along with coupons. Happily, I saw yesterday that Kroger's dish soap is back on the shelves--it's much cheaper than Dawn, so when my stock diminishes I'll be able to save on soap again. We handwash all our dishes, and eat all our meals at home, so we do...a lot of dishwashing!
4. We are saving money by cleaning our old rental ourselves. Well, I say "we" but my wonderful husband is doing most all the work, partly because he would rather the kids and I not be around the old neighborhood for various reasons. So we did our part yesterday by mowing the lawn at the new place (it very much needed it) after he mowed the lawn at the old place and then went back to do cleaning after bringing us the mower. We tried to find a mowing company that would do a one-time mowing job at the old place, but both companies said if we didn't get a contract, it would be 70 bucks an HOUR. Even though their websites said they'd do a one-time job for 70 dollars. False advertising. It's so frustrating.
5. I have managed to refrain from ordering from Amazon for weeks now--I was ordering things like razor blade scrapers (for cleaning--the oven here was dreadful and there was black grease coating the underside of the over-the-range microwave!) and some e-cloths for the windows, but I have done a pretty good job not impulse buying. I do need to get a good lint cleaning brush for the dryer--any recommendations?
I've never heard of using a lint cleaning brush in the dryer. Tell me more!
@Karen, check with an appliance store or local hardware store (not a National big box). Save the shipping costs and make a friend—our local old hardware store is a reassured resource for all of us who have old houses. Everything is irregular.
@Kristen, They're basically these long skinny brushes meant to get down where the lint screen comes out of--to catch all the lint the screen doesn't get. https://www.amazon.com/Clothes-Cleaner-Electric-Prevention-Exhaust/dp/B07C8KY1R5/ref=asc_df_B07C8KY1R5/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242014065805&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13791891948196508201&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015842&hvtargid=pla-437484285265&th=1
I have always meant to get one. Apparently one of the leading causes of household fires is built up lint in the dryer. Pretty sure the previous renters here didn't clean the outside dryer vent, and so I'm leaning towards a kit that also comes with an extension hose for my vacuum cleaner so I can get in there and clean it well.
Wow, I've definitely never heard of these before. Seems like it would be a good thing to communally own if that were possible; a neighborhood dryer lint brush. No one needs one all the time!
@Karen, I have one I used on my old dryer. The new dryer has a screen in front which is easy to clean. So it has just been hanging on a hook. But I bought a cheap vacuum for my dad’s house and it worked twice. It just wouldn’t pick up. I then remembered this brush and run it through the hose. It pushed out a big clog of lint and hair. So it has other uses.
@Kristen,
I have a lint cleaning brush and I love it! Yay for Amazon! Even though my dryer has a lint screen, some bits tend to collect in the compartment the screen slides into. the lint brush cleans that out. This is important because a build up of lint can be a fire hazard.
That nightstand is a good match, and the lamp is very cute.
1. My hybrid water heater uses either a heat pump or a heating element or both, hence the term "hybrid." The manual says using the heat pump alone works best when the weather is hot and humid, which describes Florida perfectly for about six months of the year, so I have switched it to heat-pump-only mode, which is supposed to be the most efficient setting it has. It had been on "hybrid", which used the heat pump with element back up when needed. I'm interested to see if there is a difference in my next electric bill.
2. I found a Memorial Day weekend sale at a local nursery, so I bought a low-chill nectarine tree at 25% off. I also ordered and planted two boysenberry plants. My quest for more edible landscaping continues. The more I can grow myself, the lower my food bill.
3. I didn't go anywhere on Memorial Day, saving gas.
4. I sanded, primed and painted chipped veneer on a hall closet door. I thought about getting new doors, but this looks fine now.
5. My sweater shaver died. I can't even remember when I bought it, it was so old. I used Swagbucks to get a new one for free, and it arrived this weekend. I used it to shave some knit shirts that were pilling, and they look so much better.
And bonus, I recently bought a bag of beef fat, which is cheap from the farm, and made beef tallow this weekend. I poured it in a square pan and cut it like brownies when barely firm, then put the cubes in a big jar. Tallow gets very firm and can be hard to dig out and get the amount one wants. The cubes will hopefully make it easier to use. My dog is really enjoying the beef cracklings as treats. (I cook with beef, pork and chicken fat - it's not for everyone, I know)
I freaking love my clothing shaver. It's so satisfying to remove pills from clothes!
@Kristen,
A friend showed me hers years ago, and I've been a fan ever since!
@Kristen, I bought a clothing shaver after you showed what a difference one makes. It totally saved two thrifted tops for me, which more than paid for itself right out of the box.
And it's so much fun for a frugal heart!
@JD, the birds would love these cubes if they get a bit odiferous. We have magpies fighting over them here in Colorado.
—My techie husband cleaned up my laptop. I’ve been painstakingly avoiding Windows 11 since it crashed so many friends’ computers, but there were still some automatic updates for programs I’ve no use for that made my laptop soooooo sloooooow. Yay for in-house tech support!
—I found a hand thrown, limited edition Death Wish Coffee company mug at Goodwill for $6. The “Frau” design resells for $70+ on eBay, but it’s so pretty and nicely weighted that I’m keeping it. Ceramics class taught me 1) that I’m hopeless at throwing pots, myself, 2) what makes / goes into a good piece, and 3) to appreciate and snap up beautiful pottery made by someone else when I find it.
—My hoard of glass storage jars is being replenished as condiments, etc., are emptied. My previous jar stash went to decanting all of our dried goods when we moved into the new kitchen.
—I’m loving our little grocery store! They consistently mark down items to avoid waste, no matter what it is. Last week’s sale scores included three pounds of unsalted butter; a five pound bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs; a bag of potatoes; ham; and two $5 boxes of miscellaneous meat (6 lbs of burger, 3 packages of ham hocks, a 4.5 lb corned beef brisket, a 1.5 lb sirloin steak, 2 big packages of sweet Italian sausage, hot dogs and little smokies x 2 packages each) that was frozen on its sell-by date. All of the above, from the butter to the meat, cost only $30!!! Our deep freezer is completely stuffed now. 😛
Joking aside, and while I’m truly grateful for the scores, I weary of strategizing against inflation. We re-watched “Soylent Green” for the first time in years, and oooof, did far too much resonate and seem too, too close. The most famous spoiler is NOT the most disturbing part of the movie by a long shot.
On a lighter note…
—One of our feline trio LOVES a very specific cat toy. It’s a fishing line toy, ending in a soft ball with a giant feathered tail. He destroys one monthly. When we went to replace his toy this last time, the store was out in the aisle, but we spotted a lone toy in the cart of clearance items that hadn’t been put out yet. The toy was now $3 instead of $7! We asked a staff member if there were more, and she sweetly checked the stock room, returning with an armful. We may or may not have bought them all. Spoiled brat. 😉
*We’re all about free toys and have the cats’ favorite falling apart box (which we carefully moved with us!) to prove it. That also means that, when they do have a rare store-bought something they love, we indulge them.
Oooh, what a wonderful win on the cat toy stash!
1. I’ve mentioned before my difficulty with not going overboard on gifts for my kids for birthdays and Christmas because I grew up getting huge piles of presents so I’m retraining myself. Happy to report I did very well on my daughters birthday! Her main gift was an easel (which I got used on fb marketplace) and then I went to a local toy store to buy 2 more gifts, one of which was something my son had picked out to be from him. So it looked like a small pile to me but with all the decorations (that I reuse each year) and general birthday excitement she was of course very happy. Plus we had a birthday party for her last weekend and family brought her a ton of gifts so then I was really glad I hadn’t got more for her.
2. I placed a ThredUP order. They offer free shipping if you spend $79 so I place orders infrequently but try to plan months ahead. I got some swimwear for next year for the kids, a 4th of July shirt for my son, some Halloween shirts (my kids love the holiday specific clothes, buying used is the only way it makes sense to me though since
they end up getting worn less than other clothes)
3. Spent Memorial Day weekend at home, doing all free activities. The birthday party for my daughter did cost a bit more in food but otherwise it was just family at our house so not a big event. We also had a play date at a friends, rode bikes in an empty high school parking lot with some other friends, worked in the garden and took a walk to a creek by our house. Having a not too busy weekend also made the weekend feel longer which was a nice bonus.
4. Going to a wedding next weekend and it’s about 30 minutes away from where my parents live so free babysitting and free lodging after the wedding (we looked at hotels just to make it a mini vacation for us and it’s a very popular tourist area so they were $400/night and we decided we’d rather just stay at my parents and save the money)
5. Reading lots of library books on my kindle and walking there about once a week to get books for my kids.
Let's see what I can remember:
1 I continue to use the library heavily. My rule is that the first read is from the library; rereading justifies buying the paperback.
2. Speaking of books, I continue to wait for a certain book to come out in paperback. Then I'll use my Powell's credit to order several books at once, to save on shipping. The credit came from selling them books last year. FYI: they pay for shipping the books to them.
3. My car is acting wonky - wouldn't start after not driving for a week, battery light on, battery light off. I called a few places to get estimates for the likely repair (new alternator, as I know the battery is in good shape). The estimates ranged from $600 to $1100; actual cost is $680. I'm getting the regularly scheduled maintenance done at the same time, a couple hundred miles early. Fortunately I have a flexible and supportive boss who is fine with my teleworking for this.
4. I'm walking to/from the garage - good opportunity to get some activity in and no money spent on the transit.
5. IHG compensated me with points worth 1-1.5 free nights, when I complained about several negative experiences at Holiday Inn Expresses (none were the now-usual pandemic/labor shortage issues).
6. Organized the freezer. I spend less when I know what I already have.
Not Frugal, Not a Fail:
The price of my favorite author's self-published books has doubled, to almost $50 each. I bought the newest anyway, signed by her at her local bookstore. I have every one of her books in HB, signed, and will continue to do so for as long as she's publishing.
@WilliamB,
NF, NF. Agreed.
Nothing better than learning of a new author, if you’d care to share her name.
@Erika JS, Lois McMaster Bujold. Does F, does SF with and without space opera but what she really excels in is character development. I use lessons from her books in real life.
1. Bought two graduation cards at the thrift store for a total of $1.00.
2. Updated my sparse wardrobe at Goodwill with my niece's help. Bought 14 items for $70 (after the 25% senior discount). Took her out to dinner afterward as a thank you. Side note: Goodwill has removed its dressing rooms (not even any curtains) so I wore a camisole top and leggings (under a raincoat) so I could try on clothes without being arrested for public nudity. Sheesh.
3. Reduced the number of pots holding flowers and used most of the pots for growing vegetables and herbs.
4. Filled empty garden spots by dividing plants.
5. My pajama bottoms were falling off so I took in the waistband. This is a permanent upgrade to the bobby pin I was using.
@MB in MN,
Re: your #2 - our local Goodwills have dressing rooms with lockable doors (thank heavens!) but they have NO discount days. They also have no returns on anything, which I think is more common amongst Goodwill stores, so I definitely try on the clothes. Which is worse, I wonder? No dressing room or no discount? 🙂
@MB in MN, Our Goodwills also nixed the fitting rooms but do allow clothing exchanges. I find it helpful to shop with a sewing tape measure and keep a list of measurements for my husband (waist and inseam) and myself (waist, inseam, thigh, bust and shoulders) in my phone. I’m a weird combo of petite + Baby Got Back, so the tape measure trick has really helped zero in the fit when jeans shopping!
@ JD, glad to know not all Goodwill stores have lost their minds! For me, being able to try on clothes onsite is paramount.
1) Continuing to get the older Law & Order DVDs from the library. 2 more seasons til we can start streaming them instead
2) Got a reduced for quick sale duck to roast. It still wasn't super cheap but if we are possibly going to mess up a whole duck then I think it's best to mess up one that was $10 off. Stock will be made with the bones for ramen tomorrow
3) Brought beer from home (where we have cases upon cases) to the memorial day gatherings instead of stopping at the store on the way to get more like we usually do
4) Planted the last of the garden plants at my parents yesterday. Is this really frugal considering the amount we paid for containers/soil/etc??? Probably not...but it will seem like free veggies if anything grows this summer and the extra plants weren't wasted
Struggling for a 5th here so this is all we got for this week.
We took a short vacation over the holiday weekend so frugality was not my top priority.
1) We did not eat out at all on our vacation. I had stocked up at Costco and grocery before the trip so we had plenty to choose from over the 4 days
2) Resisted the urge to stop and buy lottery tickets on our way home (our state does not have a lottery)
3) The chip in my windshield finally turned into a major crack after 6 months so I called our insurance company, we have zero deductible for that coverage so no out of pocket expense to get it fixed
4) New employee starting today so my company is buying our team lunch as part of his welcome. I will save what I brought for today's lunch for tomorrow
5) Returning items purchased for vacation that were not used
I am a person who uses a whole package of green onions! Here's a recipe next time you have a glut (or are feeling adventurous for a frugal meal)
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/01/crispy-rice-and-egg-bowl-with-ginger-scallion-vinaigrette/
I actually blend the dressing smooth in my vitamix because it's more palatable for the kids this way. It's delicious, and I've made it plenty of times (maybe most?) without the extra step of crisping the rice.
@BeckyB, Yep, I use all the scallions too, especially in my kung pao spaghetti. Oh gosh, now I'm dying for kung pao spaghetti.
@BeckyB, I'm fascinated with green onions that grow in the package in the refrigerator. If I use the tops and plan to plant the rest, but don't get around to it for a while, I put the little root ends back in the bag. They still send out shoots.
@Heidi Louise, you can also just store them in an jar with the roots covered in water and the shoots will grow
I use all of the scallions each week, too, wrapping them in a paper towel for no slime. In Pico de gallo/salsa, many vinaigrettes, as a topping for tacos—actually a great topping on dozens of dishes like bowls, soups, deviled eggs, in sandwiches, scrambled eggs.
Oh, this looks so tasty!
@BeckyB, I also always have a giant pot of chives growing by the kitchen door. My great grandmother did, so I do too. Easy to snip off for eggs, potatoes, whatever.
1. I am bringing all my own lunches/dinners for my first week on the flight line. This is a triple win for money reasons, stomach reasons (I can't do restaurant food for 8 days) and emotional reasons (I am bringing my easy to make comfort foods).
2. I pulled together a bunch of half-used dips, sauces and veggies to make a pretty killer flatbread.
3. Three "found funds" letters from the bank for checks totaling about $500. Unfortunately, they are all addressed to my husband, so I will have to nag him but still...found money.
4. I made a huge batch of dried fruit for snack in my dehydrator instead of buying tiny bags.
5. Submitted reimbursement tickets for recent work expenses and meals.
That purple stapler cleaned up nicely and is so cute!
1. I've been using the Quick Wash setting on my dishwasher when the dishes in it aren't too bad. I think it only takes about 1/3 of the time of the setting I normally use.
2. We have been spending more time in our cool basement (where I am at the moment) because we're in the midst of a hot stretch and haven't turned on our A/C yet. We only have to make it until tomorrow night and things will cool of again.
3. Used water from the rain barrel to water our garden.
4. I knew my May grocery spending was really close to being maxed out, so when I had to pick up a couple of things over the weekend I paid for it all with Ibotta rebate money.
5. I took inventory of my freezer and pantry and have listed enough meals to cover most of June to where I shouldn't have to buy a ton. This will also help clear out freezer space before my garden produce comes in. Aside from the plants I had to start indoors, it was one of our earliest plantings and everything's looking really good!!
1. Replanted tomato seedlings that came up from discarded tomatoes from last year.
2. Returned an Amazon package at Kohls and got a $5 off coupon. Found a pair of biker shorts for my daughter (she has no shorts for her next size up) and tot them for a total of $1.99.
3. Shopped my local kids consignment store for summer clothes and a dress to wear for a wedding for my daughter.
4. Cooked pork for a Memorial Day bbq that was gifted to us by a neighbor who had too much pork gifted to them in their chest freezer.
5. Used a local conservation membership to take a family hike and garden viewing at a local manner that they own.
(Repeat of yesterday's FFT on the NCA, with a few updates. Apologies to those who follow both blogs.)
FFT, Hot Sunny Holiday Weekend Edition:
(1) I got my 1.5 asphalt driveways re-sealed on Sunday. (We have two driveways; one is all asphalt and the other is half asphalt, half brick. Looong story, partly told on my Meet a Reader interview.) I got a discount on the all-asphalt driveway for paying cash, and I wasn’t charged for the half driveway because the sealer was fixing something he goofed up last fall. Both are now baking nicely in the hot sun.
(2) Also baking nicely in the sun is a black plastic trash bag with two trashpicked, gunky pieces of cast iron cookware getting the Easy Off oven cleaner treatment: a Griswold #5 frying pan (no kidding) and a nice small muffin pan. I’ve never tried this method before and will be interested to see how well it works. And what the heck, I have nothing to lose but my trashpicks, the trash bag, and some oven cleaner. (Tuesday update: Experiment still in progress, as the cast iron is supposed to stay in the trash bag for 24 hours. Will keep you posted.)
(3) Up on our deck, I’ve got a half gallon of sun tea brewing. (Thanks to janine for the inspiration.) I have the teabags on hand, and the price of Diet Pepsi (along with everything else) just passed Mars and is still going. (Tuesday update: The teabags I grabbed turned out to be a lemon/ginger/green tea combo, which should be very refreshing!)
(4) I was tempted to go to a Memorial Day chicken BBQ on the other side of the county, but decided to stay home, tend to things here, and save the price of the gas (which would have rivaled the cost of the BBQ).
(5) And I was both delighted and flabbergasted to see on our latest National Grid bill that we paid NOTHING for electricity usage this past month. We have a smallish set of solar panels on our garage, but these don’t usually cover the full cost of our electricity here in cloudy Upstate NY; in fact, I believe this is the first time this has happened. I only wish there were some way DH could know about this. Those solar panels were his babies, and he’d be so proud. (Thanks to Bee and Jill A for their comments at the NCA.)
I really want to know how your cast iron turns out!
@A. Marie, I am very interested in how the cast iron cleaning experiment goes!
@Kristen, cast iron update: Although both pieces are considerably de-gunked after this round, they could use another round. The source I'm consulting (https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-restore-vintage-cast-iron-cookware) warned that this might be necessary.
@A. Marie, I've never tried this, but do my oven racks this way by just adding ammonia to the bag. I could leave them in my self cleaning oven but think they clean up better with the garbage bag/ammonia.
That table looks meant to be with your new bed!
My 5:
1. I participated in a class action lawsuit against Facebook that resulted in a $397 check this week!
2. Due to our household getting Covid, my daughter cancelled her trip home from college for Easter. She was able to apply the credit to a flight to a wedding this week.
3. We are continuing to drive our older car waiting for prices to come down and availability to increase.
4. Meal planned for the upcoming week.
5. Planning a grad party for a few weeks out. Am going to reuse some decor from last one!
Does this count? Hit the freezer 1st this week when menu planning and ate down what we already had. Subbed in some fresh veggies/salad - good to go!
Yes!!
1. I canceled an online service before they charged the next month's fee. It was nice but i really don't need it.
2. I reused ribbon to make some birthday presents pretty. I stuff my spare ribbon bits in a big jar like Kristen does.
3. My mom said she couldn't find a small watermelon at the market so she had more than she and dad could finish on their own. We were at her house when a friend invited us to a last minute pool party that afternoon so instead of stopping by the grocery store to bring a treat, I cut up the watermelon and it was enjoyed by all!
4. I thought my kids would need some dress shoes for a wedding we're going to but both of them said they wanted to wear their sandals. They will actually look great with their outfits (that were all hand-me-downs) so no need to buy more shoes that they will wear once before they outgrow them.
5. Packed lunches everyday for the kids and for us. One of the many benefits of working from home; we're much less tempted to eat out.
Because we had to stay in town over Memorial weekend and the weather wasn't great, we had lots of opportunities to be frugal.
1. I cooked all our meals at home, using up stuff from the freezer and fridge. We also made our coffee at home.
2. I mended MORE kids' clothing.
3. I hosted my dad's birthday party at our house and used up some leftover sundae toppings from a few weeks ago when we had sundaes for Mother's Day at our house.
4. I am finishing some projects at home using paint and materials that we already have.
5. I didn't buy my younger children any new clothing for summer (except shoes). I had bought them enough last summer from rummage sales and clearance sales, so they only needed new sandals.
I have a few worth mentioning:
1. Husband's co-worker gifted him a pressure washer that needs a part and then should work. A friend of ours needs one, so they'll pay for the part and husband will fix it for them. That same co-worker also gave us a partial bag of dog treats that they no longer have a use for. Our lab likes them just the same 😉
2. I was walking the other day with my daughter for my daily exercise and a neighbor flagged us down and gifted me with a bunch or purple irises and alliums from her abundant flower bed along with a bunch of purple lilacs. I had 2 vases full of flowers on my table to enjoy 🙂
3. I used a few coupons on our last shopping trip. Only a few dollars saved, but I'd rather keep those dollars in my pocket!
4. My co-worker gifted my extra graduation plates and napkins to use for my daughter's grad party later this summer.
5. I was gifted a few little items from a boy in our area running a concession stand at my work's baseball fields. I had made him some laminated signs to hang up for the season. I thought that was sweet of him & I thanked him and told him so 🙂
1. I don't know why the husband's hair grows so fast, but I cut it again this week and saved us $30.
2. Harvested the first scallions of the season. I always stagger starting pots of them when I am starting other seeds for the garden. By the time transplanting starts, on Memorial Day weekend, my first pot of scallions are ready for harvesting. I keep starting a pot a week, harvesting about a pot a week, too. If I started them all at once, I would not be able to keep up with using them. Also, we get root maggots and having pots of them scattered about defeats those beasts. It is so wonderful to have something grow this quickly and start saving us money.
3. Bought some construction supplies at Home Depot, using gift cards purchased at Safeway this weekend. As a result, we got 80 cents per gallon off on gas this weekend. To make full use of the discount that could be applied to up to 25 gallons, husband filled two gas cans, too.
4. a friend bought a huge cheesecake for a church potluck. Turned out, three other people also had bought the same thing, so no one touched her contribution. She took back the cheesecake and dropped it off at our house on the way home because she lives alone and was afraid she would eat it all. I suggested freezing it in pieces but she refused, so it is now in our freezer waiting to be doled out in reasonable amounts.
5. Library for books, a puzzle, and then took a trip by their tool library so husband could borrow some obscure tool for two weeks.
@Lindsey,
Would love it if our library had tools. It does have baking pans, the more obscure ones you don’t need as often but tools would be so handy.
Kristen, that little stapler is so cute! The deceased owner of the abandoned house actually had quite an eye for beauty. And that is wonderful about the night tables and the lamps. The bedroom looks great!
Like A. Marie, my FFT mostly debuted over at the Nonconsumer Advocate:
1. We adopted a kitty Saturday, whose $100 adoption fee covered her spay, complete shots, flea treatment, deworming and microchipping. She is a year old, just raised four adorable kittens in rescue, and is seven pounds of spunky tortoise shell cuteness.
2. I used up the last of the huge bolt of yard sale fabric sewing a giant, very comfy reading pillow for our bed. Stuffing came from two old and lumpy bed pillows. The fabric was previously used to make valances for our bedroom windows and a cover for the box springs where they show at the foot of the bed when the spread is tucked in. The room looks very coordinated now.
3. Our kitchen is about halfway out of commission right now due to a leaking sink, and this past weekend was my son's birthday. I made homemade birthday cupcakes and frosting the old fashioned way, with a bowl and whisk, to save on creating dirty dishes, as we're having to wash dishes in the laundry room sink.
4. Also finished a sewing project for our son as part of his birthday present.
5. Bargains are few and far between at the grocery store, but I did snag a one pound bag of chocolate animal crackers off the clearance shelf for $1 (they are SO good!) and two nice sized pork butt roasts for $4 and some change and $5 and some change. One went into the freezer and the other was made into barbecue in the slow cooker. Yum.
I agree with you 100% that "$20 is $20." So often I hear people bemoan small savings saying we should only worry about the large ones (housing, insurance, medical etc.)
Anyway, here's my five things:
1.) Did some thrifting this weekend and ended up with more than a few things. I got some movies, some books for my daughter and my wife found a shirt. I also got a button down shirt and a pair of shorts for $2 each because it was the discount week.
2.) I had a broken pedestal fan with what appeared to be a busted motor
Local ReStore had a functional pedestal fan with a janky stand.
I think you can see where this is going. 😉
My wife initially scoffed at it saying, "You just bought yourself a job" until she saw the cost of a new one at Costco.
3.) Worked some overtime last week. Bonus was that I was at home and it was more of a team meeting after normal hours so I got paid extra just to listen to a phone call while I was getting dinner ready.
4.) Sold a pair of my wife's Converse on eBay. After fees and such we made $10 but there was almost no work involved.
5. Mentioning shoes, I got a deal alert from Slickdeals and ended up getting myself some ProKeds, which I think are pretty slick.
So that's about it outside of all the usual stuff.
I would love to see a photo of your cobbled-together fan!
@Battra92, I joke to everyone that my pedestal fan is my emotional support appliance. But it is! I like the white noise and I like to have air moving around me, whether it's December or June.
I invested in a heavy metal fan, old timey look!, by Vornado about three years ago and it's been great. Before that it seemed as if I bought a new fan every year.
@Battra92, Good to know that you sold a pair of Converse on eBay. I have a Dr. Seuss pair that are like new that I should try to sell on eBay!
@Rose, We bought an old timey pedestal fan some years ago because it fit the look of our older home. It's great for staying cool in our den, which has big windows and gets afternoon sun. The ones who really love it are our dogs: they lie on the ottoman in the path of the breeze and snooze for the hours.
@Rose, We have a Vornado fan (came from Two Guys Department store over 50 years ago, do you remember them? I think they were based in NJ.) We 'inherited' it from in-laws, it's plastic but still a workhorse. I dread when it finally breaks.
@Kristen, It honestly just looks like a pedestal fan now! I had to just drill some new holes for the old mounting but otherwise you can't tell.
@Bobi, Two Guys! I had one in the next town over growing up and it had a grocery store too. My mother turned her nose up at it and went to the Shop Rite for groceries. She worked full time so she could afford that My hubby's mom went to Two Guys to shop. She was a stay at home mom with an airplane mechanic husband who would go on strike every now and then.
This week I...
1. Since I'm working from home now, I took a chance and expensed the toner cartridge I needed to buy for my home printer. The expense was approved so, Yay!
2. Have only been reading free books I find on Book Bub and download to my Kindle. I still love a good old-fashioned paper book, but the Kindle is great for travel and such. Book Bub sends me a daily email based on my preferences and all choices are less than $5. I only download the free ones. 😉
3. Replaced the handle on my back entrance storm door (go, Me!) thereby saving the cost of an entire new door. The old handle left holes in the door that the new handle didn't cover, so I scrounged around in my workshop and found some white plugs (I think they were plugs to cover screw holes from a book shelf I assembled YEARS ago) that I was able to glue over the holes. The fix is barely noticeable and I didn't have to but anything extra to get it done. Double frugal win!
4. I had to go into the office one day to pick up some files and since I had a free sandwich reward, I treated myself to lunch.
5. I donated some decorations to my office for the employee appreciation luau. The office saved money and I kept a bunch of stuff from going to the landfill. So I'm counting it. 😛
Love the little nightstand!
@sfeather, I had not heard of Book Bub, definitely need to check that out. Thanks!
@sfeather, I love free ebooks. I get free ebooks through my library. I can use Libby, Overdrive, or Hoopla with my library card. Make sure you ask what your library has available. I even got my mom set up with an Overdrive account.
1. Finishing up my school job and trying to get as many shifts as I can at my "summer job". Travelling to see our oldest son and Daughter in law in WY- 4000 miles round trip is no joke with these gas prices!
2. Eating at home and foraging in pantry for meals.
3. Using my library.
4. Avoiding my favorite thrift store, as I need nothing.
5. Husband and youngest son changing my brake pads. For the cost of the parts- hopefully longer use of my paid for car.
You made a lot of progress nesting this week!
Excellent job stretching your dollars.
Thank you!
I find your posts inspiring. Setting up a home on a budget can be a challenge but it can be done. It’s great that you are sharing your tips.
1. I have purchased several pieces of clothing from the thrift store this week. My biggest bargains were on the dollar rack. I bought a two Talbots t-shirts with 3/4 sleeves for $1 each.
2. While shopping, I also picked up a free piece of pretty blue and white pottery in which I planted some succulents that I rooted.
3. We are attending a wedding out of town this weekend. Although I bought a gown for the wedding, I borrowed a dress for the rehearsal dinner from my sister. I already have shoes and jewelry.
4. I would like a hard sided baby pool for Rescue Pup to play in during the summer months. I have made a request to my Buy Nothing Group. Keeping my fingers crossed that someone has one that they aren’t using anymore.
5. I sewed a button on my husband’s pants and one on his blazer. Sadly he had to pay to have some suit pants hemmed. I was not comfortable hemming a nice pair. My skill just aren’t that good. However, I’m not sure why this wasn’t done when he bought the suit.
All the usual things … reading a book from the library, listening to a book on Hoopla, cooking from scratch, eating at home whenever possible, drinking primarily filtered water, and brewing my coffee
1. I used a $10 Kohl's coupon to get sunglasses (mine bit the dust) and a 10 pack of socks.
2. I utilized my free gym membership and went to three Silver Sneakers classes last week. Both of my walking buddies were out of town so it was the perfect opportunity to explore the gym.
3. I cut open my moisturizer when I could no longer get any out using the pump. There's probably enough in there for another month!
4. I went to see Top Gun today (Tuesday is the cheapest day) and used a gift card I got five or six years ago. This is the first movie I've been to since 2018 I think.
5. I made all meals at home, bought only loss leaders and clearance produce, hung laundry to dry and still haven't turned on the A/C yet.
I found a local group on Facebook that trades plants. I'm headed there tomorrow to pick up some Japanese iris and drop off some perennial geraniums.
I'm just fascinated by all the cool stuff you've found at the abandoned house and how filthy it is, but how useable when cleaned up! Your brother should consider offering a search & find indoor yardsale, maybe other people would pay him to clean the house out! 😉
1. My eldest daughter graduated from university - she's now a chemical engineer who took a dual degree program so also graduates with a degree in chemistry, all in 5 years that also included a year long internship. She was signed a year before she graduated with the company she interned with - Boston Consulting group. I am very proud as you all can tell by my bragging (I'm not allowed to brag in real life apparently) so of course I had to throw a graduation party. I bought the large packs of Costco Italian sausage, both mild and hot, made 3 salads - greek pasta, potato, and an asian themed coleslaw. I also bought a cake because I did not feel up to baking one and a large bag of buns. My 3 sisters and Mum and nieces brought more salads, packet potatoes, appetizers and even another cake so it was quite the spread. Our family does potluck for all these celebrations, even Christmas, so it really helps the host cost wise. It wasn't fancy but the weather was lovely so the party was held outdoors on our property.
2. I bought my daughter's grad gift in china, 22 years ago, when I travelled to adopt her - a beautiful strand of pearls which cost me 50 american dollars and probably should be insured now.
3. My daughter graduated debt free. The only thing I paid for in her 5 years of university was her phone and that was because it was cheaper for her to stay on our family plan. now her resp can be transferred to her younger sister which is a big win for a single parent who can never save enough. She was able to do this through scholarship and a very well paying internship in her 4th year. This is really her frugal win but I'm claiming part of it, lol.
4. Our cancer clinic social worker referred us to an agency that supports mothers of children under 16 yo who are going through cancer treatment. They are sending us dinners from a local caterer 5 nights a week for the next 4 or 5 months. not only does that save us money but also allows me to save my energy for more fun things than cooking. They will also be connecting my youngest daughter with one of their trained volunteers so that she can have some fun outings and receive support at the same time.
5. I bought so much asparagus from a local farmer for such a cheap price, I've had to freeze most of it for soup next fall and winter. We could not possibly eat it all and we love asparagus. So to the freezer it went which is always a win when asparagus is so expensive in winter here. I also bought a Costco sized box of individually wrapped ice cream novelties that were on sale, they worked out to 70 cents a piece. living rurally with the cost of gas and ice cream for that matter, lol, when the girls say let's go for ice cream I can say let's stay home and save money.
I have more frugal wins this week but I've already written a book - sorry about that.
A question for Kristin - when you left your other home, could you not take half of the shared possessions.... it seems wrong that you're having to start from scratch but i am not sure how the law works in America.
@Leann, You certainly do have bragging rights!! Good for you and her!
Oh my goodness, what good news about the dinners being sent to you guys. I am so very happy for you!!
Yes, I did take some possessions from the family home, but there were a number of things that we did not have two of, such as vacuums and ironing boards. So, one of the two of us has to buy a replacement.
@Leann, brag away about your daughter! And the catered meals are fantastic, too!
@Lindsey,
thank you, she is a star in my eyes.
@Kristen,
i was actually blown away at this offer. there is so much good and kindness in our world and we have been truly blessed on this journey.
i'm glad you got some of the things from the family house then, i was worried that because you left you didn't get anything. still has to be pretty hard and stressful setting up another home though, hats off to you and how well you're doing this.
Thank you for the encouragement! I also think that you are doing a marvelous job of navigating your own very hard circumstances.
@MB in MN,
thank you.
1. I picked up potato rolls and a large box of hotel shampoos off Buy Nothing. The rolls are being used for pulled chicken sandwiches this week and the shampoos are for our camper.
2. I have been going to the chiropractor lately. I realized today that my co-pay for chiropractor visits was reduced this year. I called the insurance to verify and sure enough I overpaid the chiropractor $50 in co-pays so far this year.
3. I paid our garbage bill for the whole year saving us about $20. I put the payment on our credit card, which gives us 2% back.
4. My husband made a huge batch of soap bars. He used some unused tea and dried herbs from our garden to add texture to the bars. He made shampoo bars also, but they made my hair greasy. They work great for shaving though! He spent maybe $50 on the supplies to make the soap. Most of the essential oils I got on Buy Nothing. We will quickly get our money back, considering an organic bar of soap is $3-$5 each.
5. I rented some books on mushroom hunting from the public library. I have been foraging for many years, but have always been more nervous about mushrooms. If I am successful, finding mushrooms could save some money on groceries!
Kristen, regarding the storing / using of green onions, I have had good success with this method. Choose the freshest green onions at the store. Wash the whole bunch immediately, and wrap in a tea towel to dry. When dry, chop the whole bunch and store in the fridge in a tightly-covered container. Then they are handy to put into dishes quickly. They usually last 1-2 weeks this way. There are sometimes a few to be thrown out at the end, but they are much less "wilty" than if you leave the whole bunch "as is" in the fridge.
Kristen I'm glad you got so many nice freebies including the stapler!
My frugal five or more:
1. Cancelled Netflix
2. Wrote an email of praise to Chobani and got four .75 off coupons. Called Outshine cause I had a small bit of popsicle stick in my popsicle in the first bite. Sending the bit back to them and got 4 coupons for free popsicles. I like these as they are sugar free and tasty.
3. Bought more Pampers for my friend's granddaughter. They were 2/$20 at Walgreens and I got a $5 register reward each time I did the deal. So I was really paying $15 for 2 packages. The money comes out of my allowance and it scratched the frugal itch.
A 28 oz. jar of store brand peanut butter was on sale for $1.49. Got 4 of them to stock up. Daughter eats peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch.
4. Got a dvd to watch from the library.
5. Hubby fixed a broken bracket on daughter's car. No need to take it to the shop.
6. Picked up a penny today. My weight loss surgery has made it way easier to bend over and pick things up. Lost 94 pounds now and still need to keep going. Had the surgery in December of 2021 and met all my deductibles before and it cost nothing out of pocket.
1. I made soup with bits of leftover veggies and sauce I'd saved in the freezer, added a 2 year old steak (glad I date the meat). It was really good soup, good for 3 meals.
2. We've been wanting to change the tile on our fireplace, we really hated it. So we painted it, and it looks really good! We used primer and paint we already had.
3. Lights in our bathroom looked terrible, and very hard to clean. I was tempted to replace them, but put them in the dishwasher first to see. They look brand new now.
4. I keep a list of items that would go with my wardrobe and stick to it now. No more (well, hardly any more) impulse buys. I had a good coupon from Chicos and combined it with a sale to get a blazer I've been eyeing.
? Maybe frugal: we have a second hand patio sofa that is starting to get worn out. I wanted to get a new one, but after checking out the prices, we decided to go on You Tube and learn how to redo the straps ourselves. So we'll either have a like new sofa or ruin it. We'll see!
@Kristen, love your wins!
I have picked up 3 (yes, THREE) free ironing boards in the last 4 months. Gave one to my daughter but she wants one of the 'newer' ones as hers (the first) is noisy, so trades are in the plans. My cleaning lady wants another, that leaves me with a spare. I might trade out my old ironing board (given to me 40+ years ago by my then-boyfriend's sister - still has the ratty cover with an even rattier old flannel sheet badly deployed under it ... but it works) However the oldest board is pretty bomb proof and sturdy.
I have been continuing to help my girlfriend clean out her sadly deceased brother's house (we were finally done on Sunday - WHOOT). I kept saving things from her "landfill" pile and have successfully offered many for free on our local buy-nothing facebook group. My girlfriend had too much grief and pressure and emotional exhaustion on her plate to do anything more than reject things for herself or her niece, however my frugal self is willing to invest in a bit of time writing a promotional ad for a 'random bag-0-kites' or 'beautiful wooden filing cabinet'.
I also collected a number things for myself or my family, including some cleaning supplies, a sad but redeemable square glass topped patio table (filthy, but I have a pressure washer), several sturdy wooden chairs, a fully functional treadle sewing machine!!!! (my DREAM for over 50 years), an electric keyboard (my middle son wants that), another bedside table (eldest son will likely take), a silly toadstool seat (new owner not yet determined), a lovely toaster oven (also new owner to be determined), a box of glass plates that will be washed and donated to my buy-nothing or my favourite thrift store, an inexpensive 4 cup coffee maker and a bodum-style coffee maker, a box of plastic plant pots that actually had several nice ceramic pots (BIG win there) etc etc etc. I am relieved to have that responsibility done, as I, too, haven't been able to grieve my friend as there has been so much to do.
I went on an intense journey with my 92 year old mom, 65 year old sister, to my brother's home. I drove my truck pulling a trailer (had to practise in the local grocery store, after a friend loaned me a towing hitch that he adjusted to ensure the trailer was riding horizontally - didn't want to be embarrassed in front of my sister, and proved to myself that I still could easily and skillfully back the darn thing) for several hours and adventures, then took a ferry and we filled the vehicles with desk, table, tools and workshop fasteners galore. My brother is selling everything (long story) and mom wanted to ensure that family things remained in the family, so I now have my dad's oak desk on its side in my office, awaiting time and energy to move things around. The great table swap has continued with my eldest son, and I now have back my table, he has my mom's old dining room table that we brought back from my brother's and the third table has been relegated to his back porch for now. My house has twice as many chair as I want or need, so that is fairly high up on the list of things to address.
@Ecoteri, OH, I almost forgot the biggest frugal win !!! my 21 year old daughter just got a new job offer for $20K (yes, $20,000) more than her current job. It is such an exciting thing for her; her current company didn't give her a raise at her 6 month review, even though she is blowing them out of the water with her commitment, and doing 85% of the work in her 2 person team. They wouldn't give her more programming work, which she was promised when hired, and after 2 more months of broken promises and some passive-aggressive actions by her supervisor, she was getting pretty discouraged.
Exciting for her to be head-hunted, and to be moving to a larger company that will let her work remotely, where she will be working in an area that she is really passionate about learning more.
I am so proud of the work she has done and is doing to ensure a graceful transition, and that she has taken advantage of the mentoring that has been offered to her by two people she has met since she started working.
My 'baby' is just crushing it in the real world of work, and my heart is expanding like crazy
Let's see, what did we accomplish?
-Made meals at home, minus one date night dinner out
-Helped my son track down information he needed for his first summer job, and then dropped off the required work permit at the district office (he doesn't yet drive on his own). This isn't "frugal" so much as it's about helping him learn adulting skills, and earn some money of his own.
-We are taking my mom to Hawaii on Sunday, to celebrate her 70th birthday. We were going to do a pricey photo shoot, but realized the hotel offers a free photographer + a 5x7. We're switching to that, and can have other snapshots taken throughout the trip.
-Made a bunch out of leftovers, and keep reducing our freezer inventory, to rotate through things. It's nice that I can actually see the majority of what exists in there!
-Used a few coupons & rewards to treat the teens, who are going through finals: used grocery store rewards + store coupons to buy Ben & Jerry's ice cream, used a reward for boba, & took them + a friend to lunch & bowling (decidedly not frugal). We had a lot of fun, & the small splurges were totally worth it.
I participated in a medical study and received $150 for my time.
I challenged a bill. I don't think it will go my way but I think it is good to challenge bills that you believe are incorrect.
I saved my leftover beans and rice from a restaurant meal and created a great lunch bowl.
The new space is looking lovely, Kristen!
1. DH let me have the free Starbucks drink on his account (he doesn’t drink coffee)
2. Made another loaf of banana bread using the last packet of ham “glaze” that was really just sugar and spices.
3. Baby E had his 4-month pediatric visit and shots, which is totally covered by our insurance.
4. Working hard to avoid food waste. Examples include using finely sliced cabbage in scrambled eggs (we often have an egg/veggie scramble for breakfast, but not usually with cabbage), sorting through bagged apples and clementines after purchase to use any slightly bruised ones first, and using what we have in the pantry and freezer before buying anything (using venison rather than buying beef, for example).
5. We discovered we could get 8 free covid tests from a local pharmacy through our insurance, which came in handy as we have guests staying with us and we all needed to test! We also have some coming in the mail via the USPS website others have mentioned on here.
I haven't been too frugal this week. I keep plodding on.
Today I went to Kmart and I couldn't find some of the things I wanted. However I found a bunch of reduced pyjamas and shorts marked down to $1 each.. Some of the items had. $16 tag but they were $1 too. Most of them were Bluey items too. So I have some spare clothing for my granddaughter who stays with me one day a week. Her mum is very bad about returning the clothing.
I also found book for my daughter reduced to $1.50. Pleased with that because al thought I give them cash most of the time now I think is fun to have a gift to open.
I am trying to save money by staying out of the shops.
I also love the little things that you found to brighten your new home. God bless.
Harvested some rhubarb from the yard and made rhubarb bread and several batches of rhubarb muffins
Got lots of books and paw patrol dvds from the library for the kiddos
Harvested some asparagus from the yard and made refrigerator pickles with them.
Dried clothes outside on some of the hotter days this week.
Hubby got an entire gallon of imitation vanilla from work that they no longer need. We bake a lot so we will certainly use it. I will have to see how long it stays fresh for because a gallon is a LOT of vanilla.
Kids have been wanting popsicles for the warm weather and we need a few things from the store but not a lot. I was tempted to go to the store but I always end up buying more stuff if I go, plus gas is so expensive right now to make an extra trip. So we made homage Italian ice with simple syrup, lime juice, water, and frozen fruit blended and put in the freezer.