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. 😉
Jen
Thursday 16th of September 2021
I love that you came up "dry" searching for a Synonym for towels. :-)
Kristen
Thursday 16th of September 2021
Ha! I should have said I came up empty or something like that.
Tammy
Thursday 16th of September 2021
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.
Kristen
Thursday 16th of September 2021
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!
Suzan
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
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.
Meghan
Friday 17th of September 2021
@Rose, Girrrl, I thought mine was a whopper at 11lbs, 1 oz & 22 1/4' long...you win!!!! I bow down :D
Rose
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
@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!
WilliamB
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
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?
Erika JS
Friday 17th of September 2021
@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.
Jenny
Thursday 16th of September 2021
@WilliamB, do you participate in www.Bookmooch.com?
WilliamB
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
@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 $5 ILL fee.
I have yet to check out a DVD that isn't scratched or otherwise damaged. It's too frustrating to deal with on what's supposed to be a relaxing movie night so I've given up.
Erika JS
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
@WilliamB,
More library tips: You can go on the library's website where you have access to the library's entire catalogue. Enter the name of the book/DVD you want (or an author you like) and it takes you to that book's/author's info page. That will tell you if the book is on hand or on order—or if the book is available at a nearby library. In any if these cases you then click on Place Hold, enter your card number, and wait for the library to email you when they have it set aside for you. They will hold it for you for a week.
Also, if the book isn’t even on order, the library loves to receive suggestions of books to order and you can do that to get your book.
This also applies to DVDs and is a great way to watch TV shows and films without cable.
isa
Wednesday 15th of September 2021
* Clothes shopping has been a nightmare or me lately (New clothes in Plus Size stores = expensive!! and not being able to try clothes in thrift stores because of Covid policies makes it hard to shop there....). But I did find 3 shirts at Value Village for 20$ 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.