Five Frugal Things | some are questionable
1. I got a small Christmas tree
With the way the semester end is bumping up so close to Christmas, I got a very late start on doing anything Christmassy. I checked with Zoe to see how invested she was in a big tree, and she said, "Not at all."
Ha.
Soooo, I bought a little inexpensive tree (but a real one!), which we will put a few ornaments on and call it good.
This was really an issue more of convenience than frugality, but it did end up being less expensive than usual! 😉
2. I bought some marked-down ice cream bars
Are ice cream bars a necessity? No.
So one could argue that they are not a frugal purchase at all, I suppose.
But it is fun to have a little treat here and there, and clearance ice cream bars are an affordable little treat. 🙂
3. I used the vanilla peach juice to make a fizzy drink
I sometimes drink a can of sparkling water (I buy the Aldi brand), and one night this week, I added some of the syrup from those vanilla peaches I'd gotten at Aldi. Yum!
I don't really know how strictly frugal this is because it's not like the syrup from the peaches is terribly valuable.
But it did make for a rather nice little fizzy drink treat, and still with less sugar than a glass of juice or soda.
4. I put nail polish on the runs in my tights
I bought these leggings from Five Below last year; they're fleece-lined leggings that look like black nylons.
The foot part is not so thick, though...more like regular nylons. And like regular nylons, this part got a run in both feet!
So, I stuck a drop of nail polish on the end of each run to keep them from getting bigger. It's an ugly fix but it doesn't matter because that part is always hidden in my shoes.
Except for when I show the whole internet. Ha.
5. I...
- used a Starbucks gift card
- passed all my classes this semester (retaking classes is decidedly not frugal!)
- had my annual gyn appt (free with insurance, even my crappy insurance)
- used TopCashback for a Christmas gift purchase I made
1. I made photo calendars for one side of the family (like I do every Christmas) and searched the internet to find multiple coupon codes that I could stack to get a good discount and free shipping.
2. I made yogurt.
3. While ordering a couple of Christmas gifts, Kohl's offered me an extra $5 in Kohl's cash if I did store pickup for one of the items instead of having it shipped to me. Sure! I have other Kohl's cash I plan to spend this week anyways and Kohl's is less than a mile out of the way.
4. I took a gamble and ordered a couple of mystery boxes from Dayspring. With a coupon code, it was $40 total and I ended up with nice gifts for my MIL, all four teachers I need gifts for (I was thrilled that a couple of them were "this totally makes me think of you" items!), as well as something I will probably keep and one or two things I might give away.
5. I squirreled myself away at Panera for 3 hours on Friday to finish my photo calendars and got by with just getting a bagel and a regular coffee (free refills!) Less than $5. Afterwards, my body desperately wanted something green and I found a discounted bag of kale at Meijer to add to my salad for lunch.
@Ruth T, I too make photo calendars for my family! It is such a fun and thoughtful gift. What company do you use so that you get free shipping?
Scraping the bottom of the frugal barrel:
* my husband bought the cheaper live tree for us to decorate.
*all ornaments have been in our family for ages- nothing new purchased. (However, I think I need to look for garland at after Christmas sales. It's looking pretty scraggly.)
* the tree lights are on a timer to save electricity.
* I hit Sam's Club for 12 lbs of butter and many eggs when in the big city for basketball tournament.
* saved gas by not going to second day of basketball tournament due to freezing rain.
* I made homemade granola, which my husband adored. Must make it again, but without so many chocolate chips.
Not frugal: heating the garage was not cheap - the electric bill was a lot higher than usual. We'll turn it off unless he plans on working on cars out there this winter.
@mbmom11, My DIL and I had a very difficult time find plain artificial garland last week when we decided to make the kids a Christmas tree tent. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1795755886/the-magical-underland-christmas-tree?gpla=1&gao=1&
It was sold out everywhere. I did eventually find it at really, really good price at Michael’s.
@Bee, Thank you for the tip. This was the one purchase I wanted to make this year and just gave up.
@Bee,
Talking about garland and frugality reminds me of my friend, a theater arts/drama teacher who often performed at community theaters and had the extremely outgoing personality of Auntie Mame. Always loud and hilarious, she had us over to her condo for a New Year's party one year, and still had her Christmas tree up. Instead of buying garland, she used what she had: a lot of feathered boas from her costume collection. That Christmas tree was colorful, unique and fun!
@Bee, And Micheals (in Michigan) has holiday decorations on sale 50%-60% off according to my email
--Our local gas station runs freebie promos for each day in December. Not everything is personally appealing--energy drinks are a "No thanks" even when free--but I've been enjoying adding free chocolate to my husband's stocking.
--I was silently lamenting not having bought more Reindeer Fuel tea when restocking our stash, and lo! The same friend who addicted me to said tea sent me another bag as part of my Christmas package. The funny thing is I included a bag of decaf chocolate truffle tea in HER box so that I could addict her, in turn--what synergy!
--A favorite throw pillow came undone in the wash, totally spilling its stuffing. I threw out the stuffing--it was too pilled up to be useful--and kept the cover to refill. Packaged stuffing was ridiculously expensive, so at Target I bought a bed pillow on clearance for $2. It provided plenty of filling and then some! I may use the leftovers to make a Christmas present if I've enough time.
--While not frugal per say, I spent only $7 to ensure that our glass ornaments are safe from the cats. Breakable ornaments now hang on tension rods at the top of three doorways--along with garland to hide the rod--and our little artificial tree is bedecked with sacrificial plastic ornaments. I didn't realize this was a viral hack until it took multiple stores to find just two tension rods! We thankfully already owned one.
--Last night's homemade pizza included caramelized onions and pesto made and frozen earlier by my past self. The pesto's basil was from our garden, and we should have enough stockpiled to make it to the next growing season. I'll have to caramelize another batch of onions in the crock pot later this week, as I've only one serving left in the freezer.
@N, I think the tension rod hack is great. A friend of mine has hung the special ornaments that she inherited from her mother on a tension rod in the windows. The light dances off of them during the day and they have pride of place.
@N, I used a tension rod to hang a Christmas flag in our window. The flag is double sided so we get to enjoy it both outside and inside.
--There is a grocery store in our area (our area=within 100 miles) that has an actual meat department, and they will save the beef fat trimmings for me if I call to ask them ahead of time. We use this when we grind lamb or elk. It's free--unlike pig fat, which is, interestingly, more than $2/lb. here--and my husband had to go out that way to take my son hunting anyway, so now we have about fifteen pounds of free fat to grind with the almost-free elk.
--The hunting trip resulted in two grouse and two doves, which were a very exciting addition to my husband's birthday dinner. That dinner also included lamb steaks from the ram lamb we butchered recently, and a pumpkin pudding using squash we grew. He was very happy with his meal.
--We cut our Christmas tree at our friend's ranch again this year, as we have done for the past few years. Free except for the crispy rice treats I make for our friend as a thank you. And the family outing to hike around and find the tree is the best part.
--Part of my job at the school is librarian. There are funds from the state that I can use to order books and things, but there are so many hoops to jump through to get approval for those funds. I've had a book list bouncing back and forth for over a year with our state education department, but I think I've finally figured it out so I can actually order them. This is frugal for our school, so we don't have to use money from a general fund or classroom funds to buy books, but also for my family, because my kids are most certainly going to read pretty much everything I buy for the school library. As am I. 🙂
--My husband and eldest son went with our elderly neighbor to help her get two trailer-loads of hay for her cattle. She buys it from an elderly man (may we all be in as good health as this 83-year-old man who is still baling hay) who is very prickly and only sells to his friends. They are small square bales-- it's increasingly rare to be able to buy the small bales that can be moved by hand, as most now are the big ones that require machinery--at a pretty good price. It took all day and they ended up loading over two hundred bales of hay, but my husband and son were both paid by our neighbor, and they were able to buy some hay for us, too, to bring home with one load. Always nice to get some hay and not have to pay for the inevitably long drive to get it.
@kristin @ going country, I was wondering whether you were going to have to mix some fat in with the tough elk when you ground it up, so you've answered the question before I asked it!
@kristin @ going country, Reading about your husband and son loading small bales of hay brought back fond memories of working with my dad to pick up small bales to stock the barn for the winter. Thank you for brightening my day.
FFT, Happy Late “Austenmas” Edition (revised/updated from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(1) Yesterday, Dec. 16, was “Austenmas”–Jane Austen’s 249th birthday. (As you can imagine, the entire Janeite world will be going out of its mind for her 250th next year.) But JASNA’s annual birthday gift to the world is the latest edition of its electronic journal, Persuasions On-Line, which is open to all (https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/volume-45-no-1/). I’m proud to say that I played a modest part in producing this issue, as you’ll see if you click on the Editor’s Note. (I’ll gently remind the editor to give me my “A.” before the Marie next time.)
And as Fru-gal Lisa commented both at the NCA and here yesterday, JA got the celebrity birthday write-up in an astrology column. I often wonder what she'd make of her present-day fame. (And I certainly wish she could have had the money that her fame generates these days. Her total lifetime earnings for her work came to about 600 pounds.)
(2) Being possessed of a large meaty ham bone and an urge to make soup yesterday, I of course thought of making one of JA’s housemate Martha Lloyd’s two recipes for split pea soup. Alas, I didn’t have enough split peas on hand, so I went with this recipe (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240996/lentil-ham-soup/), substituting the ham bone for the chopped ham.
(3) And in affectionate memory of JA, Martha, and the Two Fat Ladies (who cooked with anchovies whenever they could), I put four anchovies into the soup instead of the salt. The final result should be about the same. Anchovies, after all, were the MSG of the 18th century.
(4) I’m now finished with holiday cards/e-greetings and almost all prezzies, so I’ll be moving on today to the Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors. (The basis for this year’s edition, as noted earlier, will be a History Channel “This Day in History” calendar. There’s more than enough room on the cover between “in” and “History” for me to sneak in a “Martha’s.”)
(5) And since I’d had no luck in collecting Xmas tree clippings off curbs for my annual holiday bough for the front of the house, the BNs gave me permission to clip as many branches off the spindly yew bushes in front of their house as I wished, since they’re planning to have those bushes removed next year anyway. The bough looks lovely, if I say so myself.
@A. Marie,
I'm glad you saw the message about Holiday Mathis' column. It was a good write-up and I hope you got to read it. (I think it'd be illegal for me to cut and paste a copyrighted article). Forgot to post the link but here it is: https://www.creators.com/read/horoscopes-by-holiday/12/24/cold-moon-afterglow
Your No. 5 reminds me of my very frugal grandma who went all out to decorate and entertain for Christmas....fairly cheaply. She cut boughs from her cedar bushes and put them on her fireplace mantle along with some colorful ornaments and a few sprigs of holly. The cuttings were free from her garden and every year, she re-used ornaments, department store boxes, bows and even the old Christmas cards she'd made into "to and from" labels. Instead of buying lots of candy for her grandkids' stockings, she'd fill them with apples and oranges and walnuts and one giant peppermint stick.
@A. Marie,
I sooo want to see that calendar.
@JD, I'd oblige, but I can't think of any way short of extensive scanning (plus Kristen's cooperation, and she's got enough on her plate) to do it. But here's a sneak preview of one month: The September picture is of an underground nuclear test in Nevada in 1957 going off. I've got Martha off to the side in a cooking picture, saying, "First, preheat the oven to 10,000 degrees Celsius..."
@A. Marie, I love anchovies! I even like them on pizza. I miss the Two Fat Ladies.
@A. Marie, @Lindsay,
Count me in on anchovy love. I even love them just on a cracker as a snack.
@A. Marie,
This years calendar is gonna be amazing! That's hilarious!
@Liz B., I have to agree. That is funny! What a great gift!
I bought my sisters-in-law a small ornament this year and will be adding either home-baked cookies or candy to their gifts.
My daughter, husband and granddaughter decided to come the weekend after Christmas, so no shipping of presents to their house! Husband wants to buy son-in-law a chain saw for Christmas. He has been buying Christmas gift cards that come with the extra $$ cards (buy $50. get an extra $10. card) so we will purchase the chain saw with that money.
I am trying to make gifts with my cutting machine, but for some reason it is not cutting. It is an older model, so I have reached out to the FB page to see if anyone can help me. I hope so because the new machines are well over $200.
I am making Christmas cards with my paper stash. Luckily it is just straight line cutting, so I don't need my cutting machine to do that. And I am only sending a few cards, not the 50+ that I used to send. Stamps are way too expensive now and I just want certain people to know I am thinking of them this holiday season.
We did end up purchasing a fake Christmas tree as real trees around here are too expensive. We should recoup the cost in 4-5 years, which is fine by us. Plus with a cat that wants to know everything, and a dog that chases it, we will be fine with an artificial tree and non-breakable ornaments. And no mess to clean up as I have enough to clean up around the wood stove every day!
For three days I've had lunch made from things I had in the freezer. I've had some interesting food combinations--oatmeal pancakes go with a lot of things--and I've kept up my resolution not to let the freezer get too full of leftovers. I have just enough fabric to make a new tree skirt. The old one was made from a vinyl tablecloth and lasted for years. I found a new flannel shirt with tags for my husband at the thrift store. He has a long torso and this shirt fits perfectly. I repaired the hood on my winter coat again. The coat is warm and fits well and it's become a bit of a game to see how long I can keep repairing it. And my daughter brought home a plate of treats from her office holiday party. Maybe not that frugal for me but oh so delicious!
Is that your front door in the picture of the Christmas tree? If so I love your door specifically the glass.
Yes, that’s my door! I love it too; when the sun shines on the glass it makes little rainbows inside my house.
@Kristen, I also stopped at the image of your door to admire that window. And, little rainbows in your house is a delightful-sounding effect!
Hi Kristen,
A tip for the tights: try and wear socks under and/or over them. Even thin cotton ones. This prevents friction from your toenails and from your shoes onto the tights themselves, which protects the tights. Works great if you’re ok with wearing several layers on your feet 🙂
Oooooh that is a great idea. Thank you!
As often mentioned in your frugal things, I regularly check books out at my local library. When I was checking out books yesterday, I saw on my receipt that I saved an estimated $10,000 from the book I checked out this year. I have 4 kids and we all check out LOTS of books!
@Melissa B, I've never used a library that shows patrons how much money they save by borrowing rather than buying - what a great way to promote library use. Kudos to you and your kids!
5 frugal things Christmas edition
I discovered a new to me little thrift store
There I bought
- a 12 piece vintage Christmas village. $10 total
- all the supplies needed for the kids Christmas craft night. We will be making felt ornaments. Total was less than $10
- strings of lights in perfect working condition, $1 each
- some gorgeous vintage ornaments. Most of my ornaments are garage sale finds, thrifted or from places we traveled to
2. Made my own Christmas wreath. We have evergreens on the property and the recent ice storm broke some branches. So it was meant to be. I reused the metal base and bow saved from a wreath purchased last year.
3. The weather wasn’t cooperating for us to go cut a real tree. So I ended up putting up our artificial one. That’s at least $50 savings.
4. Stacked coupons when ordering Christmas cards, used a family photo from a vacation instead of getting one professionally done.
5. Splurge- got 2 cat theme handmade ornaments from the local Christmas market. They’re so cute and in the colors of our cats.
We’ve been enjoying free Christmas activities this week:
1) We went to a Christmas craft at the library.
2) We went to a free walk-through Christmas light display at a local mini-farm.
3) My daughter and I made Christmas cookies with ingredients I already had on hand.
4) We are getting another year out of my nearly no-cost ornament advent calendar. - I made little drawstring bags from old fleecy Christmas jammies and ornaments we already owned. The only thing I had to buy was grosgrain ribbon and this was a few years ago, so I the cost per use is very low at this point.
5) I also unintentionally saved on gift bows this year. My puppy is obsessed with them, so we just decided to skip the bows to avoid drawing his attention to the presents he was otherwise is ignoring. The rest of the bows and ribbon are being saved for next year. Thankfully, I had not purchased any new this season.
@JenR, I forgot to include that I sold an item on eBay. It’s been sitting there for awhile, so I’m extra happy to send it off to someone else.
Five Frugal Christmas things.
1. I bought Christmas cards at a rummage sale this summer and my cost estimate was less then a 1 for 83 cards. Plus I got 12 misc occasion cards I didn't know about until I started doing the Christmas cards. I also used forever stamps at .68.
2. Using up all of the leftover wrapping paper. Yes Spiderman and Superman paper is getting used. We no longer have an abundance of children that I can wrap bithday gifts with it. No wrapping paper bought.
3. I increased my cookie list this year and stopped buying candles etc for friends. I also increase some of the less expensive to make cookies.
4. I dug in my freezer and pulled out all of my sale cookie ingredients. The only bought were sugar and flour.
5. I used up $80+ of gift cards to finish out Christmas shopping. The + was from a gift card with 5 and change on it.
Bonus: I decotated the house with mostly decorations I alread had. I bought one ceramic Santa at a rummage sale. At $3 a bag and 17 items .176 cents. I was very careful with the new lights from last year and marked them with a bread tie so NO NEW LIGHTS!
My sister is going home today. She's generously bought several small things for me while here.
1. For one, she bought stiff plastic cutting mats at the Dollar Tree and put them on the shelves of my four wire rolling carts, which they magically fit. No more items falling over when I move the carts or reach for something, and free to me.
2. We've made good use of leftovers and cooking with what I have.
3. We went to see the lights at the Allison Family Spectacular and nearby tree farm. We put in a donation, but the only thing else that it cost was a little time. The lights were good!
4. Looked all over and online for a boy doll for a grandchild who requested one. There were few to find, and some of them looked... creepy. I found one brand online with nice-looking dolls, but all the ones I liked were out of stock. Lo and behold, I found one of them at TJ Maxx, for $10 less than the online price.
5. I used my artificial tree again this year. I love real trees, but the weight and cost of them is getting beyond me. My artificial tree has already paid for itself. It has LED lights; all my Christmas lights are LED, everywhere
@JD,
Oh, I forgot one that is also my sister's, actually. I bought a new copy of "Because of Winn-Dixie" for my bookworm grandchild for Christmas, and my sister stumbled onto a DVD of the movie at the Goodwill when she was out amusing herself while I was at work. We watched it to make sure it was in good shape - it was perfect - and I will add it (with explanation as to its being used) to the gift.
@JD, in a perfect storm of serendipity, I found a paperback of "Because of Winn-Dixie" at the Second Time Around thrift shop (the Monday morning pop-up in the old bowling alley) last week. I've been picking up a few Newbery Medal and Honor winners here and there that were published after my own childhood, and that I'd like to read. (Still haven't gotten to the end of "Bridge to Terabithia" without becoming a wet mess, however.)
@A. Marie,
Because of Winn-Dixie is a wonderful little book, but my absolute favorite Newberry award winner is still The Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankeweiler.
@A. Marie, Have you read The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubacker Bradley. SUPERB kids book about a girl raised in abuse who is sent to a rural area to escape London bombings and has to learn the language of love. (Not as corny as I am making it sound.) It won a Newbery. I have forced it on every young adolescent I know!
@Bee, oh I loved the Mixed Up Files too! And if course, Winne Dixie.
@Lindsey, in 2017 Kimberly Brubacker Bradley wrote a sequel called “The War I finally Won.”
Scraping the barrel a bit, here.
1. Planning ahead: We'll be moving into a better school catchment area in the spring before my daughter starts kindergarten in the fall; I've been watching the rental market for a few months to get a sense of how much housing costs where, so that we'll know a good deal when we see it.
2. Instead of buying a new storage solution for my daughter's toys, I decluttered the things she no longer plays with and now it all fits in the bins we have (a plastic bucket, a wooden wagon, and a diaper box covered in contact paper.)
3. While throwing in the laundry this morning I noticed that none of our bedding matches. Oh, well! We're not going to spend money on new bedding right now; what we have works.
4. I used my fancy sunscreen. I HATE the greasy feeling of most sunscreens, so I spring for fancy sunscreen, knowing it's the only way to convince myself to use it daily.
5. I repaired a pair of Mr. B's pyjamas and pinched a pleat into my daughter's jeans to make them fit better.
I was excited to read that Governor Parson's announced $5 million in grant money is being divided among several colleges for nursing programs here in MO.
A nice lady I've bought from before on local swap shop advertised three different tablecloths for $6 and $7 and seven angel ornaments for $10. I love tablecloths, plus I like to have them for our church tea parties. The angels are for Christmas gifts to some of my nurse friends. I bought large chocolate bars at Aldi's that were marked down to $.99 to give with the angels. The chocolate bars are wrapped with seasonal labeling.
Also at Aldi's this week, I got my limit of six pounds of butter for $2.99. I got the two pound limit (sounds like I'm fishing!) at Hy-Vee for the same price earlier in the week. I am determined to make cookies and fudge this season and have been collecting products that have been on sale for awhile.
I filled up w gas in the town where I work last week when gas was $2.64 and $2.79 here. Today it's $2.79 and $2.78 respectively.
I have one payment left on my hearing aides. I was able to make larger than the minimum payments. After I pay that, I will roll the payment onto my car payments. Well, that's what I hope to do. I am still going to have a large tree cut and I have not heard yet what that will cost. And I would like to have a "blepharoplasty" done to my eyes (removing access eyelid skin) to improve my ability to see. My OD thought it would be covered by insurance since the droopy lids do make it hard to focus sometimes, but the eye surgeon deemed it "cosmetic," so it will be an out of pocket expense
Oh! I almost forgot! We got three "nice" monetary gifts and a bonus with our work paycheck this past week!
@Chrissy, I'm laughing trying to imagine your fishing pole with butter on the hook!
@Chrissy, if your OD thinks your droopy eye lids are effected & this is a solution I would ask the surgeon to change from cosmetic to be covered by insurance since it's not for cosmetic purposes.
@Chrissy, life in Missouri is definitely less expensive than in California. I am looking at your cost of butter and gas with envy.
I know nothing about insurance except that they exist for the thrill of denying claims. Push harder. . . go higher up the chain. . . bug your OD. MAYBE, just maybe it will do the trick.
@Regina, I agree. I push the issue with the Doctor and possibly get a second opinion if necessary.
@Chrissy, you might want to get a second opinion. A couple of people I know had the same surgery and insurance did cover it.
@Chrissy, and the eye doctor likely will make more money if out of pocket.
1. Free coffee - lots of it! We go through a lot of coffee in our house, working from home. On a recent day in the office I was given several bags of coffee that had not been used, as the orders for coffee are way too high for our local office, and the central office refuses to adjust it. I did not feel bad for taking it to prevent waste.
2. Fixed something - We have a bird feeder which is supposed to be squirrel proof. Our tenacious squirrels had figured out a way to break the latch that prevents them from getting into the seed, causing all of it to fall on the ground where they munch on it. We were going through so much seed. My husband was able to glue the latch back on, and it has held now for a while.
3. Thrifted - I took some very gently used winter snow pants that we have outgrown to a consignment store to resell, and found some newish looking Dr Martens for a third of the price new.
4. Used up food instead of buying new - For holiday baking, used up some older puff pastry from the freezer instead of buying new. (Tasted fine!). Made homemade jam for the filling, and used up the leftover jam in another dessert. Also used up the rests of uneaten Greek yogurt in a dessert before it went bad.
5. My son and his girlfriend had thoughtfully given me a holiday bouquet. After a week, I culled the dead flowers and arranged the rest into a smaller bouquet in a different vase, making it look all fresh and new again.
@Kristina M., #5. I always enjoy remaking bouquets and keeping them going!
@Kristina M.,
I had a problem with squirrels that is now mostly solved with the addition to the seed of a little cheap cooking oil and some HOT pepper from the South Asian stores. I mix it and store it in a bucket with a lid, and the squirrel predation has gone way down since I started using it in the feeder. I buy the DEEP brand labeled extra hot, and it must be, because they ate right through the hotter-than-usual cayenne powder I had bought at the food co-op bulk bins, but they are avoiding this pepper.
@JD, the pepper solution works for me too. So far, my squirrels and deer are avoiding the ordinary crushed red pepper from Ollie's, but I now know I can up the ante if I have to.
@Kristina M., I just saw a t-shirt for sale that showed an angry squirrel yelling "HEY! your bird feeder is empty."
@A. Marie, I feed them all. An injured squirrel made an attempt on a hanging feeder. Poor guy was pretty injured but we didn't have the "post blocks" up yet. He was humanely euthanized.
@JD, I have heard that this works! We don't mind if the squirrels eat the seed that fall to the ground from the birds, but want to keep as much as possible in the feeder for birds.
Better squirrels than rats or raccoons at night eating the seed, but perhaps they too would be deterred by the spice?
It’s not the size of the tree, it’s the joy it brings! Our living room tree is just the top of another tree in a container (fake to make this work). It only has lights, no decorations, and I love how it looks!
• I used the last of a box of cake flour to make cookies for my office’s cookie swap. The box had been in the pantry for a while and needed to be used up. The box itself was more expensive than regular flour but letting it go bad would be a total waste.
• I had credit card rewards that were going to expire so I purchased a Starbucks gift card for my once a week visit and a bottle of perfume which was on a points discount.
• We’ve been having family Christmas movie nights and pairing a meal from the movie for dinner. Elf – spaghetti (no maple syrup), Home Alone – homemade cheese pizza, Mickey’s Christmas Carol – turkey (pot pie noodles). We already own the movies and we have dinner every night, but this makes movie night so much more special.
• I had to join a meeting virtually last week which meant I missed the lunch that was provided in person. The meeting organizer sent me a GrubHub gift card so I could order lunch! I was home and had a whole kitchen to make lunch, so I’ll save the gift card for another time.
• Frugal fail – I looked on Upside before filling up with gas and all the gas stations in my area were only 1 cent off gas! I had driven by the only gas station offering 25 cents off just the day before – if only I had filled up then!
@Geneva, fun idea on pairing food from the movie for dinner during the family movie night, might have to steal that idea!
It's been a frugal time because I haven't grocery shopped for a week, but that is about to end this afternoon. I'm in a cooking/food prep slump and I need an attitude adjustment, so it ends soon.
Good job passing our semester!
1. Husband smoked a turkey (88cents a pound). This will give us so many, many meals! I'm portioning the meat out into bags in the freezer. I'm also cooking the bones more in the slow cooker. This will make the harder to get pieces of meat to fall right off and I'll have broth.
2. Read a little book I already owned. Really enjoyed it, not sure when I even got it!
3. I'm taking a water cooler/heater to a buyer today. Clutter out, $30 in!
4. We'll be delivering the cooler while going to another town to attend a wedding, so no extra cost on gas.
5. Sent turkey sandwich makings with my husband and son who'll be out and about during lunch time.
It’s a beautiful little tree!
Every year after we finish opening gifts, I fold up the gift bags and store them until next Christmas. I buy tissue paper and ribbon throughout the year at the dollar tree and estate sales. Everything was on hand to wrap presents. 10 year old gift bags work just fine.
Christmas came early this week. My son and DIL have two children 1.5 and 2.5. My son works and has started a company. My DIL has a little side business on Etsy. They work very hard and sleep very little. They have little time for much of anything. My son has been trying to get some repairs done around the house, but many have been lingering. For Christmas, I bought the supplies and DH took care of things when they were out of town. This was not really frugal but bucked Christmas consumerism.
I was able to get my book club’s selection at the library this month.
Wishing you all peace and goodwill.
.
@Bee, what a great gift! Gifts that are practical & useful for the receiver. And how thriller your kids will be. 🙂
@Bee, that was a great idea for your son and his family. And IMO, it's darn tootin' frugal.
Also, I agree about Kristen's tree. I just hope Chiquita stays out of it!
@Bee,
I would love gifts like that! My parents used to bring many of my dad's tools when they visited, and he spent much of the visit doing little chores that my overworked DH didn't have time to do, or needed extra (and knowledgeable) hands in order to do it. My mother would take over most of the cooking. It was wonderful.
@Bee, My father was possibly the world's worst household handyman. He was an engineer who has patent credits to his name but if he touched something at home it broke. When he used to visit me, he would find a local fix-it guy and hire him to fix things around my place. Once I married, he told me he would no longer do that because "Now you finally have a man." (I married at 30 and he thanked my husband for taking me off his hands because he was afraid he would have to support me for the rest of my life. I had not lived at home since 17, and when I married I had a doctorate and a lucrative career. I was in no danger of needing his money. And my father's English accent was so heavy that my husband did not understand what he said anyway.) Why he thought being handy came with a penis I do not understand, since he was no unhandy, but there you are.
@Bee, best Christmas gift ever - home maintenance!
@Bee, I never comment here but just had to. We should all be using reusable gift bags for the planet!!! Good job.
Rundown to Christmas and let's just say, I doubt I will be frugal in the coming week or so.
1.) I got a really great deal on batteries at Amazon. It wasn't going to ship until after Christmas which wasn't a big deal because I didn't need them right away. Then I realized that the deal wasn't good because it meant I'd have a lot more than I could use and then they'd be in my mental energy for years. So I cancelled the order. I can buy a few as I need them. I use Rechargables for 95% of everything these days so having all those batteries for just remotes and clocks seems a bit much.
2.) Had some leftover frosting from some cookie making and a box of almost expired cake mix in the pantry so I made cupcakes and brought them to work for a work party.
3.) Got a $5 reward coupon from Barnes and Noble (we buy a lot of books in my family - either for us or as gifts) so I used it toward a manga I was going to buy anyway.
4.) cancelled my Crunchyroll subscription that I only had for two months because I have enough stuff to watch on other platforms and I mostly exhausted what I wanted to watch right now. Churning is a good idea if you like to watch a wide variety of shows.
5.) We were out shopping and needed to get dinner and just down the road from Costco so we got pizza there. Dinner for $12 wasn't bad and much cheaper than if we ate at a restaurant.
@Battra92, I understand about mental energy applied to things that were purchased frugally and have to be stored until needed.
We use very few batteries, mostly for TV remotes, but when they wear out, I put them in my "mostly dead" baggie. Those I use for the kitchen clock, as they always have several months of power in them.
@Heidi Louise,
Did you by chance watch "The Princess Bride" movie?
@JD, Ooh-- Hadn't made that connection before.
When I get a battery out, perhaps I should chant "Bring out your dead" and have a chorus of "I am not dead yet", "Spamalot" style.
@JD, great now I want an MLT.
You would think that in today's world we as smart (?) people would be able to have come up with a permanent solution to a simple problem like not getting runs in stockings. Thank goodness for nail polish. 😉
Congratulations on your classes! No surprise you are doing so well. Enjoy the break, you deserve it!
And for the record Ice cream is good anytime if the year! Clearance ice cream especially. 🙂
Frugal things---
● Saved $0.25/gallon on gas making it $2.74/gallon
● earned future additional $0.05/gallon discount for getting 20 gallons gas
● ordered 4 multipack Kleenex from Target (free shipping) & got free $15 giftcard plus used different FREE Target gift card for partial payment
● dug out (bonus) volunteer Aloe Vera plants & repotted into other pots from giant Aloe Vera plant
● giving volunteer Aloe Vera plant to neighbor for Christmas to put in her bare storefront window
● TMOBILE 10 free (photo) pictures
● bought soda pop on sale & used save $5 on $25 coupon
@Regina, I remember using nail polish on panty hose runs. Hair spray or Elmer's glue also works, though not permanently.
@Regina, I too remember using nail polish on runs in nylons. But now that I'm old enough to wear whatever the heck I want to (i.e., older than dirt), I have almost completely eliminated nylons from my wardrobe. If the knee-highs I wear semi-occasionally get runs, I just use them to tie my tomato plants to their supports.
1. Drove by a home improvement outlet I haven't been to before. Inside, I found exactly what I've been looking for (for more than a year) -- packages of knobs that I can put on my bathroom cabinet doors and drawers. The existing ones, circa mid-1960s, are old and falling off and one was lost when the room was painted. Never could find any at my usual cheap haunts, so I paid a bit more than I wanted but still less than a lot of stores. Installed them last night and it looks 100% better.
2. Saved the old knobs so I can use them for redoing/refinishing furniture.
3. Found Mom's Christmas tree skirt -- a gorgeous hooked rug with a hole in the middle. Used the old artificial tree and ornaments and lights. Didn't have to pay a cent for the tree.
4. Culled a lot of books from my collection, and will donate them. Less clutter, less dusting. (Sadly, none of the used book stores within a 100-mile radius pays you for books you bring in.)
5. Some "friends" were supposed to pick me up and take me to a Christmas party. (Post cataract surgery, it's difficult for me to drive at night.) They didn't. I called and called and they didn't pick up or respond to texts. (Too busy drinking, I suppose. So it's probably a good thing I wasn't in their car coming home.) After the party, another attendee brought me a couple of plates of food and dessert, trying to cheer me up for having missed the whole shebang. The hostess had used disposable plastic plates that looked like real nice china, and sent me the food on a couple of these plates. So I'm saving and reusing them as saucers for my house plants -- much prettier than the aluminum pie tins. And I can use the gift I had meant for the White Elephant exchange for a neighbor.
I'm definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel here, but let's see:
1) Used up a bunch of fridge items to make a large batch of chicken teriyaki rice. The carrots are finally gone!
2) Continued to do quick surveys here & there and earned another $30
3) Shared a discount code for ski passes with a friend.
4) The teens went to the climbing gym together after soccer practice last night, so I made them a late dinner when they got back. This is cheap for them, as it helps them avoid eating out.
5) We purchased on Christmas decorations or wrappings this year - everything is from prior years. We re-use gift bags & bows, have lots of leftover paper, & have an artificial tree that we removed all of the lights from & have our own strands on and all of our ornaments are from prior years. We do tend to buy an ornament on trips, and use those for decorations. It means our tree is a little "eclectic" and we love it.
Your door is very pretty.
1. I stocked up on butter that's on sale at Aldi.
2. Publix has King Arthur all-purpose flour on sale buy one, get one, so I'm heading out soon to get 2.
3. In the last 2 weeks I've been busy getting in my check-ups since we met our deductible this year. I've seen my GYN, Opthalmologist, and have a Dr's appointment this week with the dermatologist. I also got my mammogram and bone density test done. This saves a lot of $$$ because we never meet our deductible.
4. I transfered Amex points to Virgin Atlantic with their current 40% bonus and booked a trip to London for a great price.
5. I bought the Target giftcards when they were 10% off and used those to buy some household items we needed using the buy $50 worth and get a $15 giftcard deal.
Our artificial tree died an ignominious death a couple of years ago, and we decided to not replace it, especially after getting a cat. Nobody's really missed it. When our kids were little it was important, but less so now, I suppose.
--Library books; also the library surprised me by having a sale table today, so I got a copy of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, one of my favorite books, for 50 cents. I'll enjoy re-reading it and then putting it in our Little Free Library. Or keeping it.
--Still using the Fetch app; since we don't buy a lot of brand name foods, it's slow going, but with every receipt scanned (Amazon receipts count too!), I get 25 points.
--My personal pledge to not buy any more clothing for myself made in China means a lot fewer impulse buys; not that I ever did buy a lot of clothing, but now and then a new set of socks is very nice. Next up: sourcing bras and underwear not made in China. Such fun.
@Karen A., we may all be looking for work-arounds for products made in China in the coming year, so I commend you for getting a head start on it.
@A. Marie, DH says electronics and such are going to be the hardest, but really, just walking through the Kroger Marketplace clothing area, ALL the clothing there is made in China, pretty much! Housewares, too.
@Karen A., you find a source(s), please post it.
@Karen A., try looking on The Honest Consumer website.
@Karen A., Please share as you find these options....we will all need them very soon!
1. All meals cooked at home and all leftovers gobbled up whether they went together or not. This has resulted in my not having to cook quite as often and in this season of life I am in, I am so grateful.
2. I did not buy a teacher gift this year but will instead send some homemade goodies to her to enjoy. This is a small thought gift but it is all I can manage this year.
3. My family decided this year to just gift the children for Christmas. All of us adults don't really need anything and if there is something that is wanted we buy it for ourselves one way or another. My husband and I purchased a joint gift for ourselves which was $50 total - the hardware to hang the tv in our bedroom and a Roku. This give us space on our dresser since the tv is not sitting there and allows us to stream free movies for free entertainment.
4. I took advantage of a 5% coupon at Target for a a purchase and also used a $20 off coupon to save the most we could.
5. Using up ALL of the wrapping paper that we already have on hand, all the tissue, all the bags we have long kept to use again. This is the year of use it up and wear it out. Purging closets for items to donate, consign or give away to those in need.
Don’t know if I’ll manage five this week either, it feels like it’s been months since I’ve had some frugal wins.
1. Was yesterday at a Christmas dinner (pinnekjøtt: salted and smoked ribs from lamb) and surprise: it was free since we were so few who attended. And nice to get to really talk to a few instead of superficial talk with a bunch of people.
2. Took the bus today to collect post packages, with the not so small anymore pup (23 kg/50 lbs). Bought myself burger for dinner since they had a 50% offer and I felt like I used all my energy on that errand. I file it under frugal since I would have bought some ready made dinner anyhow 😉
3. For the sixth year I have followed the challenge from a Norwegian financial blogger to #sell100. It’s probably a hundred items, but I track a hundred sales to have a little more pressure to get rid of things.
Slow going this year (and scraping the barrel with things to sell) but managed to get the final two sales this last week. And one of them was a Sami duodji leather purse which I bought myself for $50 but never used and now sold it for $140.
4. Finally got a specialist doctor appointment to assess if I can get a prescription medication covered by the National Insurance Scheme which will cover 80% of the cost. Fingers crossed.
5. Got a free box of cleaning wipes for my glasses at the optician. Normally make my own spray, but figured this is handy to have in the purse so didn’t say no thanks.
I combine my card-making hobby with frugality by using supplies I already have on hand, and making all my Christmas presents for friends: Decorate dbags of greeting cards which I make using my papers, ribbons, antique laces and music sheets I purchase at thfrift store.I wrap them up in pretty yard and throw some herseny kisses i the bag too..Voila! Presents on the cheap and Iget to spend hours on my hobby!!!!
2. We are eating down the freezer,sometimes I go overboard with stocking up and it is very full. Only had to buy cookie making ingredients this week.
3. By using PATIENCE I save over 100 dollars on the kind of sneaker s I have to wear due to foot problem.BROOKS are around $144 new and I waited till the black pair I need for winter showed up on ebay and got a new pair for $40!!!!!!! Wow! I do this with vio9nics sandals too for summer though I currently have enough of all shoes and sneaks to last a long time. (All from ebay)
4. Using up my veggies scraps and chicken skeletons to make broth in crock pot today.This will be made into a Southwestern POSOLE soup that i make every Christmas Eve. I was able to get the SMALLER pork shoulder at Winco so i don’t have to spend $$$ on a huge one. No one else seems to sell the smaller roasts.
5.FREE Christmas entertainment at local Mormon Temple in Mesa,Az. lastylast night: a HUGE LIGHT SHOW with music! A beautiful evening out!
@Madeline, I too have had success with using patience to wait for deals on footwear. In 2024, I've found a pair of almost new Brooks Addiction walking shoes for myself (and I wear a 9.5 wide these days, so this was a miracle), and another pair for my next-door neighbor, both at my Salvation Army superstore. The lucky thing for you and me is that a lot of folks don't like how the Brooks Addictions (and the Vionics that you mention) feel right out of the box; they do take some getting used to. But, hey, their loss is my gain!
@A. Marie, a 5.5 wide isn't any easier to find either.
1- left for a few days and turned heat down to 50. Very chilly when i got home but warmed up quickly
2- went to Costco and Aldi for food for my holidays instead of hitting the easy button on Shipt
3- hemmed my own pants ( I hate sewing!)
4- ordered some festive holidays clothes but none of them were great and decided on something I’ve had for years which I still love
5- opened my own credit card (post separation) and with holidays etc, I’ve almost earned the large opening rewards bonus points
The tree is really cute!
1. As I had covid last week I basically stayed home and saved a lot of money (aside from Christmas shopping online), which isn't the most fun way to be frugal!
2. I did not order takeout although I was sorely tempted. Past Me had thankfully done food shopping before I got sick and bought a few extra things!
3. I cancelled a streaming service.
4. A couple of months ago I got a set of food storage boxes and they've really helped me cut down on food waste. I've frozen a big pack of ginger in one box and decanted other foods to store in the fridge, so it was definitely an investment!
5. I found a book I wanted to read in the library. It was an ebook, and although I always prefer reading a physical book, I enjoyed reading it online for free.
@Sophie in Denmark, Hope you're feeling better!
@JDinNM, Thank you! I am!
It's been years since I've seen nail polish on hosiery, but it sure has saved many of us a lot of $$ in the past.
We got a few quotes for ceiling drywall and they varied GREATLY. Glad we got multiple quotes and looked into references.
I cancelled all my utilities and insurance on my other house after closing. Although not really frugal, being on top of it meant I didn't pay for one extra day and received my refunds quickly.
I sold a piece of furniture we weren't using on FB marketplace. I have a few more to go.
We had a leak in our roof....new roof. I was going to call a roofer I have used, but DH talked to the neighbors and found out the plywood/flashings/shingles were all replaced and under warranty (I assumed the flashings weren't done because the dormers leaked). The roof company came and repaired the roof. They said to give it a few weeks and if all dry, they would come paint the ceilings from the damage and treat the attic wood to ensure no mold. $0 out of pocket...pray the leak is fixed! I had rain water on my wood floors that were just sanded and stained...Glad we were home and it didn't leave a mark.
Still using up as much as I can from my pantry goods. I had a huge pantry at the old house so I didn't realize how much dry and canned foods we had. I have been trying to be smart about what Christmas goodies I make also to use up extra flour/nuts/candies/etc.
1. I didn't buy any holiday decor or new clothes.
2. I found some lost presents - a danger of buying stuff early and not remembering where it is hidden.
3. We made meals at home. We brewed coffee at home. We made treats at home. I ate the holiday candy that my allergy kid couldn't. Not sure if that last one is a good one. I bought some gluten free flour when I found it on sale, even though I didn't necessarily need it right now. It freezes just fine and one kid is into baking at the moment.
4. We did craft projects with materials that we already had on hand.
5. We went to three concerts last week. Two were free; the third was not but my work ID got most of the group in for free.
@Nikki,
Those were some good frugal things!!
1. I received a $60 gift certificate through an employee app for tracking steps, tracking exercise, etc.
2. I won a $50 Amazon gift card by filling out a survey through our local medical school.
3. I used potatoes from my pantry, homemade vegetable stock, and a few leftover pieces of bacon to make baked potato soup for my lunches this week. I am topping it with plain Greek yogurt, instead of sour cream, because that is what I had in my refrigerator.
4. I made a cinnamon sugar swirl bread for my kids using some leftover homemade pizza dough. I made pizza quesadillas for my kids using left over mozzarella cheese and homemade pizza sauce.
5. I signed my kids up for some free events at the library, State Park, and YMCA for their holiday break.
I didn’t keep a list this week so all I remember is the soup I made yesterday. Today Me is very happy with Past Me for this one. The soup consisted of:
- some of the concentrated ham stock from last year’s hams, from the freezer;
- unsalted bean cooking liquid, from the freezer;
- sauteed leeks, shoved in the freezer before a vacation;
- sauteed mushrooms, shoved in the freezer before a vacation;
- cooked beans, from the freezer;
- some of the summer squash I dehydrated just for this purpose;
- brown rice, cooked in advance and frozen just for this purpose;
- carrots and celery from the fridge.
An additional advantage is that my fridge’s freezer is now much easier to navigate since I used up 4 containers that were in it.
@WilliamB, I love it when I can make freezer garbage soup! And I always end up with several meals worth, so several days with no cooking clean up, too.
I think this is the time of year where we're all struggling a bit for frugal things.
Here's mine:
-I got a new oven/stove as my Christmas gift from my husband. While it's a large expense, I reminded him it's frugal because: 1)We truly needed one, and I was OVERJOYED to have it as my Christmas gift instead of anything else, since we would have purchased another one soon anyway and 2) In about a year, I'll be at a $1 cost per use for it, since I use it twice a day most days, sometimes more. I think that made him feel better?
-I didn't buy any new Christmas decorations this year. It's a little shocking to me that apparently some people buy completely new decorations every year?
-I managed to stay below budget on our kids' gifts, mostly because they receive so many gifts from grandparents, friends, aunts and uncles etc.
-After a monster food shopping last week (due to a large Christmas party we were hosting), I stayed below budget on groceries, which feels like a feat as of late.
-I found a "new with tags" gift for my husband on poshmark for less than half the normal price!! I was overjoyed about this, as I know it's something he will love and use.
-I purchased something from ebay, and it arrived in less than the condition it was described to be. I requested to return it, and was refunded and told to keep the item. That wasn't my goal, but I certainly won't complain about it.
I forgot some of my own questionable frugal things:
--Clark decided to get in on the "everyone is sick" situation by throwing up his food for 36 hours. Rather than be reasonable and restrict his diet, at first we chalked it up to emotional stress but then started getting worried about a possible bowel obstruction, and I ended up taking him to the emergency vet on Sunday morning. The only frugal part of this was, since I had to wait for him to be seen (about six hours) they told me I could go home or go get some breakfast and they'd call me. I opted to stay put, use their free WiFi, and save the gas and/or breakfast money.
--The vet very kindly had a free coffee and tea (hot water) machine, and a few free snacks, but none of which I could eat. I had three complimentary cups of tea and paced. Briefly thought about availing myself of the scale in the lobby they use for large dogs, but since it was in full view of the intake desk I decided that would be undignified.
--Clark turned out to not need surgery (no obstruction, just some gastroenteritis), and the bill actually came to less than I thought it was going to be, even with X rays and bloodwork to check on his wee little organs. As I was checking out, the receptionist asked if I or my husband were or had been in the military, and I said DH had been, but no, I didn't have an ID card or anything, and she said, "Eh, I'm giving it to you anyway!" so I got the 10% military discount. Another tech piped up, "They volunteer at the cat shelter, so they earned it!" (They knew Clark was from the no-kill shelter.) A dubious savings, as it would have been cheaper to have treated Clark at home, but, well, we panicked a little.
@Karen A., Poor Clark! Poor Karen! Glad the news was better (and less expensive!) than expected.
@Karen A., To make you feel better I"ll tell you about the time I took Maisie as a few months' old puppy to the vet because she ate an enormous blue rubber band that was wrapped around the newspaper. The vet took an x-ray to make sure there wasn't a threat of a bowel obstruction and sent her home. The next day she (the puppy, not the vet) pooped out the big blue rubber band and before I could scoop it up, turned around and ate it again. The vet called to see how she was doing and I told her what Maisie did and said "Needless to say, I'm not paying $350 for another x-ray."
@JDinNM, Yikes! I was questioned several times whether Clark likes to eat things he shouldn't, and yes, you can't leave Nerf bullets with him, nor the rings off of milk or water jugs. I save those and toss them with him, but he would love to chew those up! I told the vet that we do our best, but who knows what he might find when we're sleeping.
@Karen A., it would have been a hoot if you had climbed onto the large dog scale! However, I commend you on retaining your dignity in a difficult situation. Thanks for the grin.
@JDinNM, This made me laugh so hard!!!
Raining buckets today. In no time my 15,000 drain off tank will be full for next summer's garden!
Cooked up a rotisserie chicken freezer carcass for stock. Picked the meat, harvested broccoli and made a Chicken tetrazzini casserole for us to split with the neighbor.
I smoked salmon and venison jerky for my Christmas appetizer drop in party. I supply 2 dips, smoked salmon, veggies and oyster stew (my Grampa's recipe). This year's dips will be dirty martini dip and clam dip. We are making Lavosh and homemade gf cheeze-itz.
Friend gifted me beautiful fake garlands that I will use to decorate the columns on the front porch. She has an interior designer re-do her holiday decorations every 5 years or so. The last 15 years she has reused them at her family's "barn-de-minium" a huge old barn that has been remodeled as an event spot for her huge family.
8 Frugal things, Insourcing Grooming Edition!
1. I got a free drink at 7Brew through their rewards program.
2. I am learning German for free through free DuoLingo (6 days in!) and a Pimsleur audiobook from the library (1 lesson completed!)
3. I am learning to clip my dog’s toenails, one foot at a time. Considering we trim her hygiene spot and bathe her ourselves, this saves $85 per groom.
4. I got some new underwear with a 5/$20 deal at Target (saving $10)
5. I used some cranberry juice leftover from a party to make a pretty smoothie!
6. Trimmed my own bangs. This saves at least $20 every time!
7. Cut husband's hair last week. We've more than broken even on the cost of the trimmers, and save $20 every hair cut.
8. Sold the cat tree I mentioned last week for $15!
There's no much that feels frugal at this time of year.
1. I'm doing my one week a month at my son's right now. I bring the same 5 easy meals every month (I have a ton of food restrictions and do my own food). It's a 'fast before we feast' week (not literally, but very plain meals before the more fancy ones). Packed my lunch for the 4 hour drive down, though I was tempted by In-n-Out.
2. Sold 2 twin beds frames on FB marketplace.
3. Made sure I gave presents (mostly handmade/homemade) to friends as I saw them instead of driving around.
4. Brought crafts to do with my grandson, including some ornaments he could make for the little tree in his bedroom. All from the simple things I already have-paper, glue, construction paper, popsicle sticks, washable paint, etc. Not a dime out of pocket and he is thrilled.
5. Did some mending. It feels like a comforting normal activity in the midst of the hustle.
@Kara, depending on your political bent, a quick read about In-n-Out owner may assist you in resisting.
Frugal things lately...
1. I only bought replacement lights and a ribbon this year for Christmas decorations. I enjoy using the same stuff year after year. Unfortunatley, live Christmas trees break me out in a rash, so that's one purchase we will never have.
2. I gave up drinking sweetened beverage for my health as much as for my wallet.
3. We continue to eat most of our meals at home. This week, we used a gift card to pay for our one meal out -Our Qdoba lunch was even more delicious when paid with the gc!
4. I used up all our leftovers in our meals-no waste!
We had car repairs that were covered under warranty and it was low on anti freeze so hubs ran it back up to the dealership and they gave us a gallon for free. They sell it for $60 as it is a Suburu antifreeze.
I did not throw out many leftovers this week.
I recycled every leftover I could for lunch.
Scored some new puzzles from Goodwill for $8.
I got some very discounted puppy biscuits and cat food for cheap at Magoos. I bought 10 packages at 1.87 regular 9.99 each.
1. Made yogurt (like always)
2. Made bread (like always)
3. Went to the library (like always)
4. Received TWO TEA BAGS FROM @N in the mail so I can try her favorite teas without spending beaucoup bucks on something that may or may not suit my tastebuds. THANK YOU, @N!! (Enjoying the decaf chocolate truffle right now)
5. Had to go to a town about 30 miles away for blood tests ("labs") for Husband and myself; the plan was to reward ourselves with Star(big)bucks afterward, but we resisted and got coffee just for him (his blood test was fasting so he was REALLY wanting coffee) at a locally owned shop in the next town on the way home. Kept our $ local, paid less than StarBIGbucks, and I passed up the temptation.
I’ve been cooking and eating more at home , no takeout! I been buying groceries from Trader Joe’s rather than Publix . Publix cost at least $100-200 for a week of groceries , Trader Joe’s $66 something for almost an entire week !
1. Christmas tree is the same artificial prelit tree I dumpster dove about 15 years ago.
2. Went to our annual neighborhood caroling party last Friday. So much fun! Everyone brought snacks to the hosts’ house. A lovely, lovely evening without hardy any cost. I brought generic Wheat Thins with strawberry cream cheese. My son had asked for the strawberry cream cheese then didn’t eat it. No one else in our house likes it. It all got eaten at the party!
3. Went to a friend’s Christmas party the next night. Everyone brought a dish or dessert. I got a ride with friends and brought cookies and some chocolate.
4. Found a penny in the drug store parking lot and another in the grocery store parking lot.
5. Made $176.66 for the month from one of the companies I mystery shop for.
I found a whole chicken marked down to $3 the other day, because if was on the sell by date. This was an impulse buy, because I'm so busy these days, but here's what I did:
Dinner #1: Roast chicken on a bed of veggies. Most of the veggies were brought home from a Christmas function, in an unopened prepped veggie tray.
Dinner #2: sliced the leftover white meat, had chicken sandwiches for dinner the next night.
Dinners #3 and 4: Chopped the dark meat and the shreds of white meat that don't really slice well, made chicken pot pie with more of the veggies. Boiled the bones to make broth to use in the pie. I brought home and some mushrooms that needed to be eaten before they went bad.
#5:. Froze the remainder of the broth for the future.
I'm feeling good about this even though it took more time than I'd like these days. I've been so spendy with the holidays, I needed this "reset". 4 dinners from a $3 chicken!
I'm also relieved I didn't buy the other two $3 chickens because I don't have time to do this again any time soon. 😉
Bought .99 pumpkin in Nov baked it ,pureed it into portions for 4 pies even after eating some as side dish.
2. Used the unspinnable alpaca fiber as pillow stuffing . This was after bought raw fleece for cheap locally and processed at home into bespoke scarf and sweater
3. Now temperature is freezing stocked up on flour leaving in car, will put it in freezer come spring.
4. Mixed snicker doodle dough to bake a pan when baking something else, wrapped tightly in fridge between times, fresh baked indulgence without over eating.
5 heat is on 60,if use oven adds lots of heat otherwise sweater and leg warmers under sweat pants.
6 buying marked down milk, making yogurt and lemon farmers cheese.
I'm late to post, but here are my 5 frugal things:
1. I mended a tear in the sleeve lining ofmy husband's work jacket. "A stitch in time saves 9".
2. I was tempted by a cute holiday, "fast fashion" tee @ a big box store. Walked around the store with it in my cart. Returned it to the rack prior to check out. Good for my wallet, good for the environment, good for my over stuffed closet. I watched a PBS special that showed the end result of fast fashion and was convinced to avoid purchasing these items. Pretty easy since I have too many, new to me, clothes already. I only need to remind myself of this when lured by "cuteness".
3. Made vegetable soup from "frozen assets". I've been eating it for lunch and dinner. Homemade biscuits make it more appealing.
4. Did not buy diet cola. I'm trying to wean myself from this bad habit. I made iced tea instead.
5. Used my old seasonal decor. When you lose something in your house and then find it, it seems new. It's also a sign that you have too much stuff. (I'm working donating excess so others can enjoy.)
I made turkey/chicken barley soup from leftover broth I had in the freezer that I made from our Christmas turkey and from rotisserie chicken I bought. I also used leftover turkey I had frozen from that turkey.
I used bananas I had in the freezer to bake two loaves of banana bread and shared one with a relative.
I donated a bunch of new candles and holders to Good Will after I cleaned out out a china hutch. I have plans to get rid of more things I haven't used in years. Yippee!
I also had a small Christmas tree a couple months after my first was born. Like you, I wanted an easy button and that’s okay. There’s a season and time for everything.
My Frugal 5’s
1) Gave Christmas cards I already had for my girls’ teachers.
2) Decorated a wreath in our dining area with ribbon, bells and pinecones I already had.
3) Got a few extra muffins from the food pantry and some goodies leftover from the Christmas program for my nephew and girls. Also borrowed a cassette player there so I can play a cassette tape my late husband’s father left him with his words of wisdom and encouragement for him.
4) Ate a box of See’s candy chocolates I got last year with my family. It was sealed and surprisingly, still good.
5) Returned $80 of items to Walmart, Canceled Amazon Prime before 1 month trial ended, and brought a set of Bible tabs before free shipping expired for my girl’s Bible she’ll get next Easter.
Admittedly I am writing this on Friday but
I bought gift cards with all of my accumulated points.
I have found "2" things to get rid of in my house and put them on the buy nothing page. Someone has responded and hopefully she'll pick them up. (I'll sort through my stuff to slowly weed out what I am not using anymore)
Last week I was able to get a nice wooden desk for my grandson's birthday present for a very, very reasonable price. My grandson seemed happy.
I needed a pie cutter/server for a gift. The online reviews were confusing and I had not seen one in a store yet. My friend had an extra one that she had only used a couple of times. Bonus. In our conversations the other night, we were talking about baking products. I'll order a mix she likes to bake with.