Five Frugal Things | socks, selling, sprinkles, school supplies
You will see that there are only four items in the title, but that's because I couldn't think of an "s" word to use for#4, my towel purchase, and I didn't want to break my alliteration streak. 😉
So dedicated was I to the cause, I went to thesaurus.com for help, but I came up dry.
Anyway! On to the frugal things:
1. I got some Eddie Bauer socks for Mr. FG
They emailed me a $10/any purchase coupon, and I also got a mailer saying they had a 40% off Labor Day sale.
So, I popped in when I was in the area and got two pairs of brown socks for Mr. FG.
I'd recently bought him some Bombas socks, which are very, very nice (and hopefully will last a very, very long time because they are quite expensive, even though I used my friend's 25% off referral code), but Bombas didn't really have any brown ones for him to wear with his khakis.
The Eddie Bauer socks are normally $15/pair, but I got two pairs for $4 apiece.
2. I was a selling queen
I never reach the level of my friend Katy, but I did sell:
- a bike (yep, another outgrown one)
- a book
- an unneeded cat door
- a set of U.S. history books
- a set of U.S. history teaching manuals
Yay for less clutter and more cash.
I sold two of the items on Facebook Marketplace (arguably Facebook's best feature!) and the other three I sold on eBay.
3. I bought some marked-down sprinkles and eyes
You know how we always decorate some crazy cookies at Christmas time?
Well, I found some orange sprinkles and some eyeballs on clearance when I was at the grocery store, so I picked them up to add to our stash of supplies.
4. I bought some hand towels on clearance
We needed some new ones for the girls' bathroom, so I looked at T.J. Maxx's clearance section and found some gray DKNY hand towels marked down.
I'm not a huge T.J. Maxx shopper but I do like them for towels; they often have super soft ones for pretty good prices.
5. I'm repurposing school supplies for my class
My histology book is living in a binder my kids used, and until I took a photo for this post, I didn't even realize that it has some old Sonia-drawings on it! They're kind of hard to see unless the binder is in bright light.
I kind of love her cuboidal people
My notes are in a folder that I've had since 1998...my ob gave it to me with new patient papers (the business card is still stapled inside!), and I guess I repurposed it for recipe storage later on.
And at some point my children put Christmas tree stickers on it. 😉
I’m picking up some more hand me down clothes for my daughter from someone on my buy nothing group. The neighbor gave us some, but her daughter is a different build than mine so some of the clothes were too slim for her (she’s only 1 and really still shaped like a baby even though she’s in 2T so skinny jeans aren’t going to work haha)
I cut and stored fruits and veggies right at the front of the middle shelf in the refrigerator, to try to encourage us to eat more of them and eat them before they go bad (they often just sit in a drawer, whole, and get forgotten) So far my 3 year old loves it, he loves fruit and veggies anyways but he’s excited that he can access them himself and they are already cut up so he can eat them right away.
I had a subscription to the Headspace meditation app for free through my county, which was providing it to all residents during Covid. They just announced that subscription is ending in September. I really enjoy the app and was considering paying for it but found that my health insurance offers a subscription to another meditation app for its members, I tried it out and it’s also very good so I’ll switch and pay nothing!
"socks, selling, sprinkles, school supplies, and towelssssss" 🙂
"S"hopping for towels?
Me Undies socks are really comparable to bombas. They’re just as pricey, but you can sign up for monthly orders and get a little discount. May not seem super frugal, but I’ve been able to wear 6-10 pairs of socks for the past two years without any issues. We love them and go through way less socks now. Plus, they also have super fun prints for the adventurous sock wearers! It really is the little things..
1. Used a store coupon at the grocery store to save $1.50. Every little bit helps.
2. Gave all three dogs a home wash and trim.
3. Dove deep in the freezer and came up with some pork steaks frozen in December to turn into oven barbecue. Cooked that along with a bag of carrots that needed to be used up and chopped onions from the freezer.
4. Took in a too-big thrifted shirt that I really like. It fits much better now.
5. Took a container from home in my roomy new thrifted handbag out to lunch with my husband and brought home enough leftovers to make three brown bag work lunches for myself. Our favorite Greek restaurant serves HUGE portions, enough to make four meals for me.
Bonus 6 & 7, although this involved spending a little money: There were two books released this week that I really wanted to read. One showed up as a BookBub e-book deal at $2.99. The other showed up as eligible for pre-order for $6 less than what it would cost after it would be released. I jumped on that.
Also, lately we are being required to show up at events and for photos wearing clothing in university colors, and I do not own anything like that (one of the colors looks awful on me). I looked around on Swap.com and found three gently used blouses with attractive combinations of those colors that should work and paid around $11 each for them with shipping.
Towels = Softness, Sopper Uppers, Splish Splash... Yeah, none of those are very good, but I tried.
My frugal happenings:
1. I've been frequently using my toaster oven on the porch and this weekend used my pressure cooker to make stew, to save time, energy and a/c. I should add, I don't store my toaster oven on the porch! I just use it out there to keep heat down in the house.
1.(a) I put some of the stew in the freezer for later.
2. We finally had a sunny weekend so I was able to hang out six or so loads of laundry. I love drying laundry for free. I hung the rest on my drying rack and shower rod inside.
3. I mended a sock that someone left in the floor, then someone's dog chewed. Not pointing any fingers at my husband or my dog here, of course.
4. I have eaten lunch brought from home all but two days this year so far, that I can remember. One day was a day we grilled here at work and another day the bosses took us all out to lunch so those lunches were free.
5. Speaking of using things for a long time, every time I use my mother-in-law's double-walled stainless pots and pans, I think about the fact that they were purchased new by her in the early 1960's. I plan to pass them on when I die. They still work perfectly and look great.
@JD, I like "Sopper Uppers!"
@JD, I brown bag lunch every day, except for having a few free lunches provided during training and my husband took me out for lunch one day, so your streak is better than mine. I am impressed!
I would go with "sensible spending." My commitment to alliteration knows no bounds.
@kristin @ going country, I get you! Soft, super-absssssorbent, spanking-new sopper-uppers, sensibly-sourced…
Ok, sopper-upper is pretty good!
Also, that is an impressive lunch streak.
My favorite socks are my running socks, which are going now on 6+ years of use. They are almost at the end of their life, but 6 years for running socks is unheard of. I heart them very much (Swift Wick, for any runners out there.)
1) Sold another remote on eBay. This makes me super happy, as there are not a lot of other alternatives for this type of old technology. Also sold a few other items.
2) Made an interesting lunch with leftovers yesterday (omelette rice, which I've had before in Japan). I mixed it up a bit, but it was a similar theme, & I topped mine with sriracha vs ketchup. It was delicious, and I'll make it again.
3) Finally had a few iBotta offers that stacked well with store sales. Thought everything was great, but some items didn't work. The iBotta folks manually updated my account. I made $55, which is unheard of for me. Most months I save $2-3. It was an unusual series of sale items, discounts, store rewards, etc.
4) We've been saving our shower warm up water for the past few weeks, & I've been so excited/surprised by how much water we've saved. I now feel even more guilty for all of the previous years when we didn't do this. I suppose, the best time to conserve was a long time ago, but the second best time is now. I'm using the water for our garden plants.
5) We line dry the majority of our clothing. We have a large drying rack inside (it faces a floor to ceiling window & gets a lot of sun.) It really extends the life of our clothing, and saves energy.
Edited from last comment since couldn’t delete last one 🙂
Totally agree that Facebook marketplace is one of its best features. I use it all the time!
I always wondered about the quality of towels at TJ Max. Sounds like they would be a good purchase. Noting that for next time!
My Frugal 5
1. Saved on utilities. Turned off sprinklers to save water when fall season started & Used AC less now that there’s cooler temps.
2. Mended dress up clothes we got for free off Facebook marketplace. Kids decided they were going to use them as costumes this Halloween.
3. Sold and brought off Facebook marketplace. Sold coat and vest for $5 off there. Brought a pair of used snow boots for $5 for my youngest daughter. Was in worse condition than I thought and so I did some mending. I brought my kids with me which caused me to rush and not carefully look over what I was buying.
4. Redeemed coupons for free personal pan pizzas off Pizza Hut reading program. My youngest daughter and I had a nice lunch from those.
5. Spent time with my youngest daughter. Went on bike rides around the neighborhood and to the local playgrounds. Read books from the library and did activities and games we already have at home.
For towels with "s"....
Go French and you come up with serviette!
🙂
I saw that on Thesaurus.com but then it seemed like in America, it meant "napkin" more than towel. Does it mean towel in French?
@Kristen,
yes it does mean towel in French.
Die Serviette in German means napkin (to wipe your mouth and hands at table)
I love having (and now knowing!) that we have international members in the comments! <3
@Lea, I was thinking "some towels."
Haha, well, that's an obvious solution that did not occur to me!
"Some super soft towels"!
"Came up dry" - good one!
Here are my five, with no alliteration or parallel construction:
1. Celebrated another year on this planet and was treated to two delightful meals out, delicious consumable gifts in zero-waste packaging, and a generous gift card to Whole Foods.
2. Bought three dozen ears of corn from the local farm stand, blanched them, cut the kernels off the cobs, portioned into mason jars, and froze for future use.
3. Brought home toothpicks from restaurant sandwiches/wraps to reuse them for testing baked goods for doneness, cleaning little nooks and crannies, and holding together our own homemade sandwiches.
4. Fail: Due to miscommunication, I cancelled a membership too late and had to pay an extra month. Win: I called the company and they refunded the money pronto. Saying "I'm hoping you can help me..." and using genuine kindness often gets a matter resolved quickly in a feel-good way for both parties.
5. While admiring a Coffee Sock Cold Brew Kit, I realized I could make my own out of a muslin produce bag and a jumbo mason jar that I already owned.
Happy birthday!!
@Kristen, thank you! At the age of 62, I'm grateful for every minute of every hour of every day of every year!
Yep. Every birthday is a gift!
@MB in MN, Happy Birthday!!!! I hope it’s the best year ever…
@Bee, thank you! Me too!
It's apple season in Maine and there are dozens and dozens of wild apple trees around me that no one picks. I've been getting some from neighbors (ask permission first!) and am making apple sauce today.
I've committed to walking 2 miles a day (minimum) and on my walks I pick up beverage bottles/cans that people have pitched along the roadside. They are refundable here in Maine. Clean the landscape, get free cash. Win-Win. (I also found 2 bars of soap one day. I don't even know how that happens, but I'll take it!)
I've been signing up for credit cards and bank accounts that give good cash back offers. Since the beginning of summer (June-ish), I've "made"$1660.00. Easies side hustle ever. Next month, I'm expecting to get back $600, as it normally takes a few weeks for the bonus to post after you complete the necessary steps. The nice thing is that the majority of these are straight up cash back offers, though a couple, like Target, give you a Target coupon, which for me is a good as cash. I'm expecting bonuses to post on a Chase bank account, A Capital One Quicksilver card, a Target card and an LL Bean bonus offer.
I haven't has to purchase veggies for a number of weeks as I have generous neighbors who have a lot of surplus.
Our town dump (aka "transfer station") has a free table where you can leave good items you no longer want. I got 2 free books on Sunday. (I also frequently leave items there.)
@Tricia, husband and I have earned tens of thousands of travel dollars on credit cards with free hotels and flights over the years. We finally slowed down a few years ago as we began to become weary of travel after a decade and a half. 😀
Amy Dacyzyn, a leader in the frugality field, used to also walk the back roads of Maine and pick up cans.
@Anne, Yes to travel cards! I have been doing this for the last 9 or so years while we were living in Hong Kong, and we also earned many, many free flights and hotel stays. But, we moved back this summer to the US, and with Covid slowing travel, I decided to refocus my strategy for a bit. 🙂
And Amy is my frugal hero!
Finally clearing out my parents' house and being very particular about what I do or do not take to my own home. I'm sticking to consumables and a few items that best represent them.
Vowing to clear paper clutter out of my own home once their house is done so no one will have to drown in my papers the way I did with my parents. (We'll see if that comes true).
Sticking to sale items to stock up and not doing much shopping overall.
Switched one credit card to one with more cash back with the same company. As the card has a new number, had to change the auto-pay for a couple of accounts. I don't like the cash-back games, as I would rather just have lower prices overall, but as they are available, I will take advantage of them.
Bought an inexpensive huge roller suitcase at a yard sale, (I didn't know Jeep made luggage!). Used it as a checked bag when I flew to my parents' house and back. As the checked-bag price is the same no matter the size, I could get a lot more into it to bring back than with any bag I previously owned.
@Heidi Louise,
How I recognise this! After my mother had to move into a home, my siblings and I each got a year's worth of laundry detergent from her stash. Not too mention the contents from her food pantry. And sadly, also the old papers. I took them home with me and I think it took me a few months before I had worked my way through them. After that I have taken on our own papers, every winter I go through them to make sure we do not start accumulating again.
@J, Good for you!
Old greeting cards were a huge part of the collection. I pulled the fronts off many for the local senior center, where they are used for crafts. One sister sent many with letters back to the original senders, along with assorted photos, which was friendly, yet took huge amounts of her energy.
In the special trunk we kids weren't allowed to look into, we found their wedding greeting cards (1952), which we had never seen before-- really lovely, most sort of like valentines with cut-outs and pop-ups and lace. The gifts they received were noted on the back. $5 was the most common cash amount. These I can't recycle, at least not yet! Other sister took a whole box of wedding paper napkins to use, with name and date embossed on them.
@Heidi Louise, I sympathize. Cleaning out your parents home is one of life’s difficult tasks. It brings moments of joy, moments of sorrow and moments of aggravation.
It took my husband and I six weekends, or twelve 8-hour days to clear my FIL’s office. There were bits of ephemera that had meaning to my husband, but there was a lot of garbage too.
After that experience, I swore that I would never leave a mess behind for my children.
@Heidi Louise,
The wedding cards sound so lovely and maybe worth saving? Or a least a few favorites. Good luck with this job -- sounds like you are making headway.
@Heidi Louise,
Bless you, that is such a difficult task. There's nothing like opening the 20th shoebox to find blank, valid checkbooks on an open account to make one realize that EVERYTHING needs to be checked, and their house was packed. Like others here, I am now committed to keeping things purged as much as I can at my own house. I remember I got stuck with the task of emptying my dad's desk. He had 20 years worth of power bill receipts, just for starters.
@Heidi Louise, I’m helping my mom clean out their house after my dad died this past spring. So far we got rid of 10,000 pounds of trash/junk just from their three story garage. I’ve also been careful to not bring un needed items home with me. Good news is no one will ever have to buy aluminum foil, paler towels or light bulbs again and there is also a huge stash of toilet paper.
Used coupons and digital rewards while grocery shopping. Checked a couple of movies out from the library (as well as books, but movies=free family fun). Went on a hike with a friend (free) and took advantage of stopping to buy ice cream afterwards (not free, and probably negated the whole hiking-for-exercise-and sociability thing). I bought a junior size cone to save on calories AND money--that counts, right? Cooking our meals even though, with a daughter in driver's ed (read: wacky schedule) it would be easier to pick up take-out meals.
“socks, selling, sprinkles, school supplies, sundries, soakers”
1) I used a $10 competitor’s coupon and a $3 digital coupon at the grocery store. When I came home, I scanned the receipt to Ibotta and to Fetch.
2) I bought a dress for a special event and used a $25 store coupon that I received in the mail as well as a visa gift card that I received as a rebate. So there was nothing out of pocket. I was pleased with this. I had tried for several weeks to find something second hand, but I have not had any luck. I don’t think people were replacing their clothing as often when working from home.
3) I saved a 7- foot bamboo ladder from the landfill this week when a neighbor had put it out for the trash. I’ll clean it up and use it as a towel rack in my bathroom. Much cheaper than the $125 Anthropology version.
4) After a bit of a lull, my eBay sales have picked up. I used recycled packaging to pack and ship these 4 items. I have a nice little pile of things to list that I found during a recent decluttering session.
5) My middle son finally found his way. He has been a boomerang child returning home to live periodically as he tried to navigate the road of early adulthood. With his blessing, we packed up his bedroom last weekend and will use the space as an office. I was able to acquire free uniform moving boxes from a neighbor who recently moved in and will ship him some of the things he wants now. The remainder will be neatly stored in his bedroom closet until he comes home at Christmas. This is a bittersweet thing.
Wishing everyone health and peace.
@Bee, I hear you about young adult kids making their way. I thought the teenage years were hard. In hindsight, they were not. Congratulations to your son, and to you!
@Bee, I do hear you on the bittersweet -- Happy for adult children to find their way. But wishing it wasn't quite so far away. At least we can facetime, zoom, chat on the phone, etc. Here's to our fledged kids!
1. I picked up a free can of Coke with coffee. It was on display near the registers at the grocery store and I noticed it said free with your Bonus Card. I'll pass it along to my SIL, a much bigger caffeine consumer than we are.
2. Walgreens had full size Hershey's products on sale for $.50 last week. I picked up a bunch to use for Halloween trick-or-treaters. I also used rewards to pay for almost all of it.
3. A neighbor moved some of his gladioli and had more than he needed. He not only shared some with me but he picked out a good spot and planted them. I have more of a brown thumb. Someone else in the neighborhood put out pots of basil for the taking. He said he propagated too much. I love using it in cooking and even use it to make tea.
4. We are enjoying watching shows on hoopla. The library allows you to borrow ten titles/episodes per month, per account/card holder. We have watched Foyle's War and recently started A Place to Call Home. Both are very well done.
5. I keep wearing the same clothes from year to year. Saving time, money, and the planet. I also accept hand-me-downs.
@K D,
Oooo love Foyle's War!
Very frugal week. Small things
I am continuing to be vigilant about digital store coupons and shopping and keeping weekly grocery budget around 90 dollars.
Cooking from scratch and eating at home.
Eating and repurposing leftovers. Only way to keep grocery budget down.
Reading library books and listening to free podcasts.
Riding my bike for exercise.
Used vinegar and baking soda to clean all sink drains.
MB- Great job on getting a refund!
Tricia- Wow, those sign up bonuses were incredible!
Kristen- I love your kids' doodles on the folders- classic!
My frugal five this week:
1) Got free items from Target using gift cards- a blender, hair pomade and dental floss. All of it's being shipped for free as well.
2)I pulled the carrots that I was growing in my wine barrel outdoors and am drying the greens to use in soups/stews.
3) I'll be drying a ton of basil that's also growing in that wine barrel and will use the dried herbs in lots of recipes.
4) I was able to get 40% off and free shipping on any purchase at Land's End. I purchased cargo pants and a sweatshirt for the youngest, who will need them as the cold weather sets in.
5) We are getting bids on a new cleaning service and new HOA contract with a building. The board members don't like the current HOA group or the cleaning service so they decided to shop for new groups! We hope for lower bids than what we are currently paying foe these groups....
1.) Made bread for the first time in what seems like ages. I finally had some good (not too hot weather) and some time to make it.
2.) Strongly encouraging (not forcing!) my daughter to get the provided hot lunch at school. Our school district provides all kids with a "free" lunch. Now of course it isn't free and we pay for it in our taxes but honestly, even this small government guy can get behind that program when administered correctly (which our district seems to be doing.) So far she's brought her lunch twice this school year but is actually happy with most of the choices they've given.
3.) Cashed in all my Kindle credits for a new manga. Luckily the book came out before they expired (tomorrow) and now I have something to read. 😀
4.) Not doing a freezer challenge, per se, but definitely trying to break the cycle of stocking up that I've been in lately. Personally I blame inflation for getting me a bit worked up and I've been filling my freezer with meat that's been on sale. I knew it was getting a bit out of hand when I was contemplating getting a second chest freezer off of Craigslist to put in the basement. ^_^;;
5.) I did some surgery on my Oral-B toothbrush. The rechargable battery had finally given up the ghost after nearly a decade of use (which is impressive for a NiCD battery used every single day.) Luckily the charging technology allows for me to swap to a much easier to acquire NiMh without issue.
Unfortunately it was a bit difficult to get apart and required soldering but in the end, I had a completely functional toothbrush again. I only saved around $20 it seems but at least that's' $20 saved and not in the landfill. Now if Braun/Oral-B had just, ya know, made their product a bit more repairable or better yet had a little door at the bottom with which to swap out the battery then life would be even better. Oh I could go on a whole Right to Repair rant if you let me LOL.
Oh wow, I'm so impressed that you fixed your toothbrush!
@Kristen, I'll be honest. Once I knew how to do it a second time would be much easier. The hardest part was soldering the connections to the battery (since I was impatient and didn't want to buy a AA with tabs on it when I had tons of NiMh AAs around already.)
@Battra92, I'm impressed also. I'm with you - there are many things I do to keep stuff out of the trash rather than because it saves a lot of money. Let's hope that the Right to Repair legislation helps make it easier for someone who isn't as skilled as yourself.
@Battra92, I love the free lunches for everyone at school because it reduces the stigma for kids who have to eat those meals or they eat nothing.
@Lindsey, I totally agree! It is a wonderful program.
@Battra92,
Wow, that toothbrush fix! You could have a nifty little side hustle should you ever want one!
1. My in-laws got some to pick a bushel and a half of apples very inexpensively before they visited last week and my dad let us pick from his apple tree (which was about 2 bushels, I think.) My in-laws gave us the apples for free and helped me can applesauce and we cranked out 43 quarts in one day for just the cost of jar lids! Also, I bought the WalMart brand of lids (half the price of name brand and have always worked great for me) in the off-season when lids were in stock.
2. My husband was debating different ways to purchase a tool that he needs, but will only need once every few years. One of his best options was to split the cost and share it with my dad, which would have still been $75 a person. I suggested he see if he could rent or borrow one from a friend and that worked out!
3. Freezing lots of diced tomatoes for soups and chili over the winter. (One frugal fail: I had to throw out some tomatoes because I'm struggling to keep up with getting them dealt with as fast as they're coming in.)
4. I suspect that our county will have a school mask mandate soon, so today when I found a pack of the kind my daughter likes and it was marked down to fifty cents, I bought it.
5. This isn't anything new but I've been planning my meals around the weather. Avoiding the oven on hot days, baking on cool mornings, things like that.
I just remembered one I was excited about... #6: I won a $50 Target gift card for completing a survey! I used it to buy bedsheets. I'm happy to spend an unexpected gift card (bonus money) on something boring like that!
@Ruth T,
#6 -- Woot! And new sheets are wonderful, especially when free -- nice score!
Nice alliteration! 🙂 You could use the French word for towel- serviette. That would give you your 5th s.
How about socks, selling, sprinkles, school supplies and soft towels? Not perfect, I know.
1. I picked up a wheeled Igloo cooler from the curb, cleaned it up and promptly sold it for $15.
2. At the same house, I picked up a 3 drawer Sterilite storage piece and cleaned it up. It's supposed to be picked up this afternoon. If so, another $8 in my pocket.
3. I redeemed Sprouts digital coupons for 4 more freebies: protein bar ($1.50), frozen chicken pesto bowl ($7.49), Honest tea ($1.79) and a GoMacro bar ($2.99). I'm not sure if the freebies are a summer thing, but I hope they continue!
4. I bought 3 clearance boxes at Michael's yesterday and paid $16.46. They were stuffed with all kinds of things that I will post for sale and easily make quite a bit. I sold 2 items this morning for $10, and 2 more are supposed to be picked up today for another $8. That covers my cost, and I have tons more to list.
5. I used fuel points to get 10 cents off per gallon. That was the first time I've bought gas since July.
@BarbG, clever move on the Michael's boxes.
@Anne, I couldn't believe how much stuff was in each box! Now I just have to get it all posted and sold.
@BarbG, thanks for tip on the Sprouts coupons, I shop there every week and had no idea there were coupons for freebies!
Oh, I had no idea either! I will check it out.
@LB, For the last several months, on the first day of the month, you can download 5 or 6 freebies on their app. Sometimes there will be a random one later in the month. I got one for free ice cream yesterday!
You have probably already done this by now, but taking a moment to run a stitch around all four sides of each towel will virtually assure that you'll never need to do it again. The manufacturers save money by using cheap thread and l-o-o-o-ng stitches. It's so easy when the towels are brand new, preferably before they're even washed. A frugal tip for my friend The Frugal Girl.
I love your use of school supplies! Similarly, each of my kids came home from the hospital with a folder of papers. For the first few years I used the folders to hold those few very special pieces of artwork that I wanted to keep. They have since graduated to memory boxes, so I use the folders whenever I need them. One is currently holding the paperwork for a class I am teaching. 🙂
1. I've been on a sewing kick. Maternity and nursing clothes are hideously expensive. Sewing your own clothes isn't usually "worth it" financially, in my opinion--it's more of a hobby--but past-me bought the fabric, so....might as well make it useful!
2. I have finalized my maternity leave benefits, phew. It was logistically a bit of a challenge.
3. I found a pizza dough recipe that works for our schedule--Smitten Kitchen's lazy pizza dough. I'm hoping to just make it weekly and have it around as a solid plan B for dinner, because pizza is so quick and easy once you have the dough.
4. We went to a mid-size local museum and happily discovered that it's free on Sundays!
5. Over the weekend, we got ourselves some treats at the farmer's market--watermelon, fresh fish, beautiful late-summer zucchini and corn, fancy eggs, and coffee and a slice of pizza to snack on. Even though the watermelon was inedible (and I was slightly annoyed with the farmer, but what can you do), it was about the same cost as a fancy dinner...but for several meals' worth of food.
Hm. I cannot recall that I did anything frugal this week, other than return a piece of clothing that I was (very much!) tempted to buy, just because I loved the colour so much. It would have been unfrugal if I had kept it. Our company is still not allowing us to come to the office so I would have had little opportunities of wearing it in the coming months.
Since March '20 my dress style went from formal/classic to relaxed/natural. The upside of more relaxed dress is, that I am able to skip the ironing (yay!)
1. I finally planted the seeds for my fall garden. This is the most frugal activity I have gotten done this past week as this will yield fresh veggies for us in the fall and winter months to come.
2. I found and purchased 10 lbs of ground beef for $2.77/lb. We haven't seen this price since the Pandemic began.
3. I used the last of rice leftover in the fridge along with the last of a bag of frozen veggies and 3 eggs to make a pan of veggie fried rice. I also used field peas, okra, tomatoes, & corn from our garden to make a large pot of veggie soup. Hooray for several rounds of meatless meals. Even my 5 year old gobbled it up - hooray!
4. I picked up a bushel of apples and turned them into an apple coffee cake, fried apples, 9 pints of apple butter, 9 pints of apple pie jam, 5 quarts and 15 pints of applesauce. Nothing beats homemade.
5. I used the last of some chicken stock that was given to us as it was about to be out of date. We have enjoyed many soups lately and I was thrilled that it was used rather than wasted.
What do you plant in your fall garden? And how long does it produce?
Haha! I also bought marked down sprinkles this week! But they didn't have eyes. 🙁 And we rescued some unwanted 3-ring binders from friends for our school papers to go in. So some overlap on our frugal things. 🙂
I made homemade bread (cheaper and better than store) and homemade crust for our chicken pot pie AND.... managed to time the baking all at the same time! I gave myself a dozen gold stars for that amazing timing feat!
The other thing I managed to do was stop by the local dented/dinged store to pick up diced tomatoes for soups this summer. At .25/can, it was quite the bargain!
Not much new on the frugal front here:
1) I used a $15 coupon for Publix pickup that my best friend gave me
2) paid in cash for my daughter and my pedicure to save 5%
3) had happy hour at home with best friend. I just bought the ATK "how to cocktail" book so we're going to try one new cocktail a week at home instead of going out. Our drinks for the evening cost less than one craft cocktail at restaurant.
4) Passed on getting take out after working at our son's house. I had a casserole in the freezer that we had instead.
5) the usual - cooked dinner almost every night and brought my lunch to work every day
Love your school supplies, not only is it cheaper, but they also come with sweet memories!
1. We finally sold an old car.
2. When my husband went to get a new gas tank for the stove he found out they've gone down in price!
3. I bought a used coat for the equivalent equivalent of $3.50 US. We'll be going to the US next year and and arriving in the dead of winter.
4. Made a cheap meal of beans and rice yesterday.
5. Cooked beans in the pressure cooker
Super soft soaker uppers...??
Time for my annual fall reckoning:
1. I keep records of what I harvest from our garden and then go to the store to see what those items would have cost there. I add it up, subtract expenses like watering and seeds, and that is profit---this year I grew $567 worth of food that I would have spent at the grocery store for vegetables. My labor is free but it is good for me to work out there, even though some days I have to do it from my wheelchair (easy since we have 3 foot tall raised beds made from repurposed large animal watering troughs).
2. I also keep a record of how much compost I used from the piles each year and see how much it would have cost me to buy that much. Total this year is $320, all made from organic remains that could have been thrown away instead.
3. And, finally, my four chickens. I keep track of how much they lay and how their organic eggs would have cost me at the store. I also give a lot away as gifts---it amazes me how much people without chickens love to get eggs from birds who live a happy life as opposed to being industrial raised, so I keep track of what I save giving away eggs instead of buying a gift. And I sometimes trade chicken eggs, like this week I traded four dozen and will be giving her another four dozen the next two months, for a winter's supply of garlic from a neighbor's garden. This year, after subtracting feed and straw and the extra electric it costs to keep them comfortable when it is below zero, the chickens just paid for themselves. I am good with that, plus after the dog, they are our first line of composting. If the dog and the chickens can't or won't eat something, then it goes into the compost heap. The chickens also give me rich poopy straw for the compost heap. And they are very amusing to watch.
4. We are finishing the second week of only buying milk because everything else comes from the garden or our freezer...except for my weekly filet 'o fish on Friday that is.
5. Sold three things on FB marketplace.
Inadvertent savings: a friend said she was looking for garden Crocs. I had two pair I cannot wear anymore because of my brace, so I gave them to her. She is a card maker and later in the week she unexpectedly dropped off two dozen gorgeous cards as thanks. I send out cards fairly frequently and they can be expensive, and while I used to make my own cards I seem to have tired of doing that, so this trade will save me a lot of money.
@Lindsey, your record-keeping is impressive and inspiring!
I am so impressed with how detailed your calculations are!
@Lindsey, I have always loved the way that you keep track of the savings from your frugal endeavors. It is encouraging to see that all the little things add up over time.
My husband and I have been pretty bad about eating out recently. We've made a conscious effort to break that bad habit. Tonight, we made paninis and green beans, and it was better than any restaurant meal.
We were discussing renewing a zoo membership that we had given up last year. The very same day we started talking about the idea, out of nowhere, we received an offer for a discounted family membership.
I batches errands to save gas.
I combined CVS coupons and sales to get three containers of Clorox wipes, playing cards and earplugs for $1.40.
Rather than buying my kiddo new sketchbooks, I cleaned her room and found three that were unused.
Woohoo for a cheap zoo membership, and just in time!
Aw I love the folders with history and TJ Maxx is the best place for towels.
Sadly, I was so dunderheaded yesterday that a big frugal fail occurred. I had put some money in my pocket for Social Club dues at school, then completely forgot about it 'til I got home and stuck my hand in said pocket, only to discover zip zilch nada. Very very mad at self. I won't go without supper but dang it made me MAD 🙁
On the bright side have been doing all the things -- cooking and eating in, trying not to waste food, wearing the old clothes and shoes, and only one meal out a week. Now if I can just quit throwing $$ away. Grrrr.
1. Realized my grocery had charged me incorrectly so I took it back to the extremely nice cashier who walked me through the whole process and refunded almost $10.00. I made a point to tell the manager how great she is. Does not make up for the lost social club $$.
2. In the continuing quest for cheap, healthy, homemade iced coffee I used coupons and store deals to get my Super coffee very cheaply. Still using it to flavor the free instant coffee from my daughter but am starting to plan for when the Nescafe is gone away.
3. Used a gift card for Friday treat night so our dinner was mostly paid for.
Congratulations on the sales!
1. I picked up rain boots, that will fit my daughter next year, off Buy Nothing. I picked up a jogging stroller off Buy Nothing, because ours recently broke. And I picked up snow mittens and a hat for my daughter, off Buy Nothing, for this Winter.
2. A co-worker gifted me tomatoes, tomatillos, and hot peppers. Another co-worker gifted me bell peppers and tomatoes (it pays to be known as the person that will accept extras). I made 6 jars of red salsa and 1 jar of salsa verde with the gifted veggies. I sundried tomatoes from our garden and dehydrated some herbs from our garden. I made 4 batches of pesto using basil from our garden. I made banana muffins using over-ripe bananas.
3. I got my flu shot! It is free with my insurance, which is frugal, but hopefully also protects myself and others.
4. Found some cute stocking stuffers at Family Dollar for my kiddos. I also found a few things for our camper we needed. I just bought these same items on Amazon. I will return them and save at least $20.
5. We received a tax credit from NY.
I went to rural Nebraska to visit my mother. I live on the east coast and it's the first time I've been back to see her since before the pandemic began. We had a wonderful time and made a game of doing something frugal each day. Here's what we managed to do:
Day 1 - I flew to Nebraska on plane tickets purchased in March when they were super cheap...like more than 60% cheaper.
Day 2 - We went into town (38 miles to the east) for a doctor's appointment and then went shopping. I picked up some cute fabric to make a skirt. It cost $5.38 with tax. I also found wool socks on super duper sale. Everyone is getting a pair for Christmas. I had a gift card for Red Lobster...one of her favorites...so we had dinner there for the cost of the tip.
Day 3 - We met up with my aunt and two cousins for lunch at the nearest town to the west (42 miles) and hit a wonderful quilt shop called Material Girl. We did some damage there, for sure, but tried to shop the sale corner for the majority of our haul. We're all avid sewists and quilters and do a lot of charity donations with what we make. When we got back to the farm, I whipped up the skirt with the $5.38 fabric bargain I found the day prior.
Day 4 - We traveled to Lincoln to visit the International Quilt Museum. Admission was half price due to renovation in a portion of the building. It cost $11 for three of us. We received a guided tour of the 911 exhibit on display as well as listened to a Navajo artist talk about her inspiration and work process. At the gift shop we purchased fabric and books from the sale section (admittedly - along with a few items from the non sale section). I highly recommend a visit to this museum if you're ever in Lincoln.
Day 5 - I wore the skirt I made to church. It always feels so nice to wear something new. At church, someone brought a ton of tomatoes from their garden. We took enough home to can a few pints. We went to my aunt's house for dinner and didn't have to cook.
Day 6 - Mom used a gift card for dinner at a local restaurant and, while in town, we went to a local craft store so my cousin could get background fabric for a gift quilt she'd made. I found some pretty, sparkly trim marked 50% off that I will use on a future project.
Day 7 - I used a Starbucks gift card to buy lunch during my layover in Chicago on the way home.
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@Tracey, it makes my heart smile to read of your time with your family! My family knows about sewing projects too, so that's probably why it made me smile. 🙂 And kudos on the frugal wins along the week!
* Clothes shopping has been a nightmare or me lately (New clothes in Plus Size stores = expensive!! and not being able to try clothes in thrift stores because of Covid policies makes it hard to shop there....). But I did find 3 shirts at Value Village for 20$ or so. And 2 t-shirts from GAP for 25$. Not cheap, but it beats Plus size stores prices.
* Still eating mostly from the pantry and freezers. We are starting to make a dent in them. aha! Also still eating from the garden a lot. Yay for organic (almost free) veggies 🙂
*Have been picking up a couple extra shifts here and there lately.
* Got 6 cans of salmon on clearance for half price. I love to throw it in an Alfredo sauce +veggies+pasta. Easy, fast and delicious meal! Mmm... dinner tonight maybe.
* Got a birthday meal for 6 from the grocery store (already made): rotisserie chicken, cesar salade, bread, gluten-free cake. Cost : about 40$, so 6,50$/person. Could have made it from scratch for cheaper probably, but being frugal in general - for me - means that I get to choose where to allocate my money on basis of values. And not having the stress to cook for 6 people after a working day is well worth the 40$. Plus, it's cheaper than take-out.
1. Tried, yet again, to get myself set up to stop wasting so much food. I went through the fridge, freezer, and eyeballed the cabinets. All the spoiled food went down the garbage disposal (compost pile is suspended till the rats move away).
- I had lunch of leftover roast chicken tossed in the leftover garlic-lime sauce from Cuban take out, plus two different dishes of rice + leftover tasty juice (roast chicken, pork juices).
- I made fried rice from Chinese take-out rice, leftover cooked broccoli, pork chops that didn't come out quite right, frozen sugar snap peas, and other odds and ends.
- I made a dinner of taco bar, using up a bit of guac, lettuce that was getting long in the tooth, grated cheese I bought on sale, and lean organic 100% grass fed ground beef I bought on sale.
2. Went to the food court for lunch, decided not to get anything.
3. The sequel to a book I adore is coming out soon. In hardback. 🙁 Because I had an on-line chat with a librarian I learned I could put holds on books that haven't yet arrived (i.e., on order but not yet in the system) *and* that the library has ordered this book. I'm no longer tempted to buy a new hardback book.
4. Waited patiently for Powell's Books to record store credit for books I sold them. They've stopped buying for the time being, so I'm wondering if it's worth selling to a local store (they don't have as wide a selection) or if I should donate them.
5. No Craigslist sales this week but patience is a virtue, right?
@WilliamB,
More library tips:
You can go on the library's website where you have access to the library's entire catalogue. Enter the name of the book/DVD you want (or an author you like) and it takes you to that book's/author's info page. That will tell you if the book is on hand or on order—or if the book is available at a nearby library. In any if these cases you then click on Place Hold, enter your card number, and wait for the library to email you when they have it set aside for you. They will hold it for you for a week.
Also, if the book isn’t even on order, the library loves to receive suggestions of books to order and you can do that to get your book.
This also applies to DVDs and is a great way to watch TV shows and films without cable.
@Erika JS, Your library's catalog system is more sophisticated than mine. It's iffy about books on order and definitely can't tell me if nearby library systems have it. I have to rely on WorldCat (which doesn't include all my local systems) or log in to each system separately. Which isn't the end of the world and definitely preferably to my system's $5 ILL fee.
I have yet to check out a DVD that isn't scratched or otherwise damaged. It's too frustrating to deal with on what's supposed to be a relaxing movie night so I've given up.
@WilliamB, do you participate in http://www.Bookmooch.com?
@WilliamB, Good grief! I’m sorry. Well, now I have another thing to put on my thankfulness list. I live in a rather small town in Bucks County PA so I never imagined that the library system was so special. Never have I had a scratched DVD either.
I've been listening to an anatomy and physiology podcast and the guy doing it teaches at Bucks County Community College! And so that must be near you. 🙂
I struggle with being frugal but this week I am working diligently on this.
1. I am doing the shelftember challenge and another one about using food stores to find your gaps. Since starting this challenge I have only bought milk because I don't like the long life milk.
2. Not frugal for me but great fun. My new granddaughter is growing so fast. She now needs three to six month sizes and she is a month old. It was fun shopping with her mummy. I found a good sale on nappies/diapers. We bought her many clothes for next winter. Most of these were reduced and then had another 40% off. One three piece outfit cost $1.20.
3. At the same sale I found my mother a new winter coat for $12. She is tickled pink.
4. We took my oldest granddaughter on picnic today. I packed boiled water, tea, coffee, milk, fruit and homemade biscuits/cookies to supplement the fish and chips mum bought. The stuff I bought was far superior to the expensive stuff that was not good at all.
5. I use a lot of herbs in my cooking and so far the latest batch is doing very well. I hope they harden and last thought our fierce Aussie summer.
@Suzan,
When my daughter was born, she didn't fit into the 3-month size little sweater suit I'd bought for her to go home in. (11 pounds, 10 ounces, 23 inches.) Sigh, my children are/were gigantic. At my son's 3rd birthday, he's wear size 6 clothing and my daughter, six months old, is wearing a size 18m dress. I absolutely loved buying cute little outfits for them--I treated them like dress up dolls--but they outgrew the super adorable baby/toddler sizes so fast. Oh well!
@Rose, Girrrl, I thought mine was a whopper at 11lbs, 1 oz & 22 1/4' long...you win!!!! I bow down 😀
I'm trying to lose weight, but need some decent clothes in the mean time, so I went to the thrift store and got two pairs of jeans. That will hold me over nicely! I also picked up a hand towel for my bathroom. One of my hand towels is threadbare so it needed to be replaced. The towel I found looks new, and it was $1.
Clothing is so annoying to buy when you are in between sizes. I felt that in my postpartum stages each time; you hate to buy a whole wardrobe that fits a body that will likely change in the very near future!
I love that you came up "dry" searching for a Synonym for towels. 🙂
Ha! I should have said I came up empty or something like that.