Five Frugal Things | some new clothes!
1. I got a Beyond Yoga tank on eBay
Back when I was still getting Stitch Fix boxes, I had gotten a Beyond Yoga pink cropped tank top, and I've worn it quite a bit.
So, I thought, "Hmm, I might like to have another one of these."
I had Stitch Fix credits, so the one in my box was free to me. But to buy one from Beyond Yoga was gonna cost $74 and I was like, "ummmmmm, NO."
I looked on ThredUp and came up dry, but then I hopped over to eBay and found one for around $20.
It was a listing that accepted offers, so I sent in an offer for a few dollars less, and the seller accepted my offer. Sweet.
2. I got two free Athleta skirts
Years ago (like, maybe in 2015?), I bought a skirt on clearance at Athleta, and I've worn it many, many times. It's a ruched knit skirt, and I've liked that you can dress it up or down.
Sometimes I wear my black tank top with it (a clearance purchase from Old Navy) and people often mistake that combo for a black dress.
Anyway, I knew Athleta didn't carry this anymore, so I looked on ThredUp and I found one in a slightly different color. Yay!
I also found a sort of similar skirt, except in a longer length, with a curved hem.
I had a promotional gift card to use at ThredUp (I have no idea how I got it but it showed up in my email a little while back), so both skirts were free for me. Yay!
ThredUp sells gently used clothes, and if you are new to their site, you can click here and get $10 off your first purchase!
3. I planted my basil seedlings in pots outside
The little seedlings are now respectable plants, so I took them all out yesterday and planted them in pots in front of my house.
Here's hoping they thrive and I'll get lots of fresh basil this summer!
4. I sold a Lego kit for Lisey
She's minimizing her possessions in preparation for her move to Hawaii, so I listed a little Lego kit she had, and it sold pretty promptly.
5. I...
- drank coffee that I made at home (as always)
- used up a million and one odds and ends in my breakfast/lunch meals (as always)
- used up the last bit of my conditioner bottle by shaking it with a little water
I am glad you are happy with your purchases and new additions to your wardrobe. And I like the skirt - but wit "The longer length and curved hem" - can you walk comfortably wearing this? It looks as if only very small steps would be possible.....
Oh yeah, it's stretchy and comfy. I can easily stand with my legs wide apart...but you are right, in the photos it looks like it gets really narrow! It's just that it looks that way because of how I was standing.
Love it when free credits or a promo show up in email! The skirts are cute!
Five frugal things...
1. McD had a free sandwich in their app, so one of my teens requested we get it. Same kid wanted the free nuggets in my Chick-fil-A app. (Anyone else think it seems like fast food is a teen boy's love language?! Haha)
2. Netflix is getting deleted here. My family has many other options for entertainment and it seems silly to pay for all these streaming sites. Disney+ went last year and Prime went in January. Instead, my kids like playing Nintendo Switch, we can use library DVDs, YouTube, Right Now Media, PBS Kids, Freevee, and none of that costs anything. Plus our screen time is limited, so we just don't need that many options.
3. One of my sons got a job at a pizza shop. While this isn't particularly frugal for me (extra errands to do drop offs and pick-ups), it is frugal for him as he learns to save up money and many cooking and life skills.
4. My husband finished his scouting year and has been cleaning out all the scout supplies. We've all been doing more of that as well. It feels frugal to reduce what is in our house.
5. My husband has also started biking to work. He does this every summer. I love how he incorporates exercise into his day, and it saves gas and wear in his car.
FFT, Garage Sale Prep/Other Spring Things Edition:
(1) DH's and my handy guy friend picked up my new water heater at Home Depot and installed it for me late last week, thereby saving me a chunk of change in expensive plumber labor. In return, I gave him DH's appliance dolly (which he used for the heater installation and which he asked for), plus his choice of DH's remaining tools in the garage.
(2) Before the upcoming street-wide garage sale, I'll be inviting at least one neighbor and some of his friends over for a sneak preview of the tools. This is the group who bought DH's old dead lawn tractor and generator last summer, so I'm hoping that the mechanical genius of the group will be interested in some of the other tools needing repair/restoration.
(3) And I continue to move stuff from the garage to the house that I want to keep, and vice versa for things in the house I've decided I want to sell. Good free exercise.
(4) Unlike Kristen's basil seedlings, my mini basil plants aren't quite ready to go in the ground yet (plus we've got one more night in the 30s coming up). But I continue to play Garden Tetris with my various volunteer herb and flower seedlings.
(5) Finally, it's not all work and no play here. I took another frugal "mini-vacation" on Saturday, starting with the Regional Market (our first local asparagus and radishes are in), continuing to my favorite county park (magical birdsong and rippling water), and ending up at the Thrifty Shopper store not far from the park.
@A. Marie,
That was a great deal about the water heater. I paid over $400 to get mine installed.
@A. Marie,
I love the barter system you have with your and DH's handy friend. It cost us a small fortune to get our water heater replaced several years ago (pre-Covid).
The value of time spent where there is birdsong and and rippling water cannot be understated. I spent part of Mother's Day at a new-to-me park that had both, and it was lovely.
@A. Marie,
Your DH is still caring for you in the form of good friends he made and a large collection of tools useful enough for bartering. Frankly, it’s very sweet.
@A. Marie, I also like your barter system. It sounds like you have a great community of friends and neighbors.
So nice when you can score items you like for free or with major discounts!
Five frugal things…
1. Our son had borrowed our shovel to plant stuff in his yard, but I needed one for my own plants. My MIL no longer gardens so I asked for her shovel instead of buying another one.
2. Returned a dress I bought online because when it came in, I hated the material.
3. After dropping of our daughter and SIL at the airport, I stopped by the Ollie's nearby and picked up a puzzle book for my MIL for Mother's Day.
4. Bought toilet paper and paper towels at Sam's when they had "instant savings".
5. We're almost ready to close on the sale of Mom's hoarder house. For some reason unknown to me, the buyer changed the closing attorney to be one over 50 miles away without telling me. I insisted that we move it back locally so I could save time and gas, and we could use our attorney who I trust.
Speaking of new clothes . . .
--My sons only wears Wrangler jeans, and I had bought a pair of men's Wranglers in a small size last year that were way too big for him. He had been telling me lately he needed more jeans, and then he was digging in his bottom drawer, found the Wranglers I bought him last year that had been too big, and found they fit now. Yay!
--Cheap-o gardening continues apace. Everything is growing nicely, and we've had many meals enhanced by rhubarb and asparagus. Soon: Lettuce (yay!) and kohlrabi.
--Teacher gifts for the end of the year will be the turned bowls my dad makes. He just does it as a hobby, and always has a ton on hand, so I asked him to bring me some last time they visited, and I'll give one to each of my kids' teachers. They are beautiful, unique gifts, and I always choose ones that are a handy size for change, paper clips, etc.
--We're finally cleaning out the packed shed at our "other house" (the abandoned one next door we bought) so the sheep have a barn, and we found a metal funnel in there. My husband can never find funnels when he needs to put gas in our cars at home, so this was a thrilling discovery for him. If only he can keep track of it. 🙂
--I have enough shorts and short-sleeved shirts for the middle boys for summer, thanks to their big brother's hand-me-downs. I did have to buy some for my daughter, which I did on ThredUp.
@kristin @ going country,
My late brother-in-law used to work in his yard a lot, and he took an old metal funnel and stuck it in a scrap section of PVC pipe, then mounted it inside a little outbuilding in their yard, running the pipe through the raised floor. Instant urinal (they lived in town with neighbors nearby). I'd forgotten about that, but your remark about finding a funnel in a shed suddenly brought all that back to me. It was a fun memory, thanks!
And that's neat that your dad turns bowls!
@JD, That is funny. I will not be giving my husband (or sons) this idea though. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, When my son was a toddler, he pooped in the yard. I said, "Don't do that! Come inside to the bathroom!" He said he was pretending to be a dog. I couldn't think of a single thing to say.
@Rose, absolutely hilarious.
@Rose, my DH used to say, and Dr. Bestest Neighbor still does, that one good pee outside is worth three inside. But your son wins the Outdoor Elimination Audacity Prize.
@Rose, My son did that too when he was a toddler. He wanted to be like our dog too.
@Rose,
LOL! he did have a point. 🙂
@A. Marie, I was in the waiting room at the Dr's office when a little by came in with his Grandmother, fidgeting around and quietly says to her, "I need to go to the bathroom." She got up and inquired about the location, just as he tugged on her sleeve and said "It's just easier to go outside." There were a lot of stifled chuckles.
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I need to buy some new clothes too. I've lost enough weight all my pants are hanging off me. I like those skirts but sadly, I am not permitted to purchase anything called "Athleta." Maybe if there was a clothing brand called "Inactive Wear."
But the only new thing I purchased was another novelty purse. I must somehow end my addiction to novelty bags. Oh wait, I did get some smaller jimjams on sale at Lands End, but that's hardly noteworthy, as if you miss today's Lands End sale, you'll have to wait for tomorrow's Lands End sale.
I guess one more money-saving thing is canceling Mother's Day brunch. Sigh. My mom is not doing well with cancer treatment and I was not going to be allowed to take her out. I probably could have gone with my sibs, but my sister and I fought about it. (She yelled at me for not going to see Mom on Mother's Day, which she did. She lives 20 minutes away. I live 2.5 hours away. And it was unlikely Mom was going to be awake. Nothing like petty sib arguments.) Instead my son got Chinese takeout, which sufficed for last night's dinner too.
Hahaha, well, Athleta DOES have a lof of comfy clothes that could be worn for inactivity. 😉
I'm so sorry to hear that your mom's treatments have been rough on her. I'm sure that weighs on you.
1. I also did the add-water to my "empty" face wash and washed my face for the week with it.
2. Drank coffee at home with my favorite, Silk Almond vanilla creamer and a sprinkle of cinnamon
3. Cut up backs of envelopes for grocery lists
4. Used a TP package as my garbage liner in bathroom
5. Cancelled a subscription I was finished using.
Love the new tank top. It will go with a lot.
@Jenni, I do your (and Kristen's) #1 with a lot of bottled products. And I do your #4 with TP packaging, the bags Amazon is using now for packaging, etc.
@Jenni, great idea for the bathroom trash, I'm going to start doing that!
@Jenni, I do the old TP as bathroom trash bag too! Good to know there’s more of us out there:) And I use bread bags for when I clean out cat box. Some Amazon bags work for both!
@Jenni, Thanks for the idea in #4. I have usually used plastic grocery bags, but they are being discontinued where I live. Now I have another way to reuse and reduce buying something to line my wicker garbage basket!
@Lisa K., I use the lightweight plastic produce bags to line my bathroom trash bin. They are perfect! And, I store them in a recycled tissue box under the bathroom sink.
Mended a ripped zipper on my son’s sleeping bag.
Made homemade sourdough.
Picked and pickled a bunch of asparagus
Made crackers with sourdough discard
Made homemade granola
-- Does it count as a thing if it's a decision made but not yet put into practice? I decided to close my Etsy shop due to a complete lack of time. I plan to offer the vintage stock to my friend (she can make an offer) who sells on eBay and at an antique mall. The toilet paper tubes I will offer to local art teachers. It will give me less stress and more time-- and time is money. I hope to get this all taken care of this summer.
-- I made coffee at home and shopped for things while in the big towns for appointments.
-- I took advantage of our local thrift store's bag sale.
--We worked in the raised beds.
--My husband and children implemented a new feeding system for the chickens that will hopefully waste less food.
-- We shopped in the basement for a swimsuit for my youngest.
@Jody S., making the decision to change course is often the hardest part of changing course, so high fives.
@Jody S., I routinely give myself credit for such decisions, so I don't see why we all shouldn't. You go!
I love athleta clothing. Especially when it’s cheaper than full price.
FFT:
1. Found summer clothes for all 3 kids second hand for $60. They’ll have enough clothes for stuff to be left at their dad’s home and it not be an issue, which will make my life easier.
2. Returned a shirt I ordered that didn’t look good on me.
3. Organized pretty much the whole house so I have a much better idea of what I have and what things need to be used.
4. Bartered with a neighbor: he’ll use his riding mower to mow my back 1/4 acre and I will bake bread, cookies, sweet rolls, and brownies for him. I offered to pay but he wouldn’t accept it, so I’m learning to humbly accept his kindness and share my own.
5. I haven’t been in the mood for coffee the last few days (what?!?!) so I haven’t made it. I think it’s saving me stomachaches in addition to pennies.
@Kaitlin, What a wonderful neighbor! It's also kind of you to humbly accept his help. People want to help. And everyone wants freshly baked goodies, too.
@Kaitlin, One thing to consider about trading help instead of buying it, is that trading help is pro-social and promotes friendly relationships and networks. Paying is what we do when we're buying a service, which makes the relationship commercial instead of friendly neighborhood.
@Kaitlin, what @Rose and @WilliamB said. Especially now that my DH no longer lives at home, friendly barter has become a way of life for me. (For example, see my #1 above.)
@Kaitlin,
I think I need to make myself a sign that says "will work for baked goods". 🙂
Seriously, I agree with @Rose, @WilliamB, and @A. Marie. Accepting help and bartering is a great way to build relationships and community.
Mine this week center on a bit of free stuff.....
1. One of the ladies in our subdivision has the most beautiful flower beds and shares flowers with me often. She brought a bucket of tulips and said to take what I want and have a bouquet for work and home, so I had two bunches of beautiful flowers to enjoy.
2. My husband works for the gas company and one of the places that they had to mark their lines, the resident was installing a new fence. His old one was a beautiful white vinyl fence. He told my husband and his co-worker they could have all the "old" fencing they wanted. My husband and his co-worker went after work and each got a trailer full of beautiful fencing for free. We are going to use ours around our chicken yard.
3. We are always on the lookout for items that we can use at our camp. My daughter's boyfriend picked up wooden tv trays and stand for us to use indoors at camp. I just cleaned them up and they look like new.
4. I got a reimbursement from our health insurer in the mail.
5. I got a wooden baby gate for our back deck (to keep the dogs up on the deck) at our township spring clean-up. Nothing wrong with it.
A tank that costs $74? Wow. It had better save me in the event of a hurricane, if I pay that much for it. Good for you, Kristen, for finding a much more reasonable one!
1. I didn't go to a store at all this weekend, so there was a savings. I didn't have anything I absolutely had to get, so I just didn't go.
2. Unfortunately, my Crohn's acted up a bit on Sunday, so I've been living off of homemade broth for about two days. It saved on groceries, at least. Today I'm easing into yogurt and applesauce, both of which I already have on hand.
3. I used a gift card I had earned to buy a Wonder Wash, a small, non-electric washing "machine." Living alone, I have so many small loads and sometimes I really only need a handful of items washed. It was delayed in shipment, but I finally received it. I've used it, and so far it works.
4. I was treated to a very nice meal for Mother's Day. Unhappily, I couldn't eat but a few small bites of it, but it was a sweet gesture and and I didn't have to provide a thing. My son-in-law's sister and her husband offered to make brunch for not only the parents of my son-in-law and his sister, but also for my daughter and son-in-law and their kids, for me, for my other daughter and for that daughter's daughter. It was so generous of them, and no one had to fight to get into a restaurant and pay big bucks for a meal.
5. I am going to up-pot my Roselle hibiscus seedlings with 4" pots from our shed and soil I already bought for another project but used less than the entire bag. Our yard dirt is poor, so I use potting soil until plants get big enough to plant in the ground and I amend the soil very well while I plant them. Roselle hibiscus makes lovely jelly and tea.
I know, right? $74 is a lot for a tank that is so small!
So sorry you weren't feeling well; I hope that you are back to your usual normal soon.
@JD, I hope you feel better soon. And I'm envious of your hibiscus seedlings.
Lego does sell pretty quickly. I have a few unopened sets myself that I may end up just listing if I never get around to putting them together.
A fun and not so fun week for me. Basically a real mixed bag of sorts.
1. Despite losing several tools (I'm convinced they got tossed accidentally with some leftovers from the last electrical project) buying the new ones (multimeter, outlet tester and non contact voltage tester) still cost less than calling an electrician for that one small job. I can't exactly replace a full breaker box or rewire a full room but I can replace an outlet or two or five (even a GFCI as this was.)
2. One of the GFCIs I got was defective out of the box (the screw was stripped inside the device and just fell out and wouldn't hold the wire in. My dad brought it back to the store for and got my money back.
3. Used a $10 off coupon for Amazon Pickup. I don't normally use it but when it's $10 off my purchase I will. 🙂
4. Stopped at Home Goods to look for something yesterday and found two OXO Pop canisters on clearance for a lot less than what they go for online. It's not as cheap as the ones I found at a thrift store but good enough. I put baking soda in one and baking powder in the other. Used my fancy label maker (using off brand labels I bought on eBay) to label them. It's a nice upgrade from the old pickle jar I'd been using for years (we've reached a point in our marriage where we've decided we don't *have* to live like hobos and we're allowed to have a nice thing here or there.
5. Got some furniture from the home of a relative of my wife who recently passed. The house will be going up for sale and we got to look at it and see if it's where we want to move to. Obviously moving is rarely frugal and it would be a bit of a step up in costs and such but it's possible we could do it.
@Battra92, When I was packing up to move, I noticed in the mountain of my son's Lego over the years was an unopened large set from Star Wars, episode 1, with lightsabers that still lit up. I sold it for $175 on eBay. And I didn't tell him about it either, ha ha ha.
@Battra92,
I feel kinship with anyone who says not living like a hobo means moving up to thrift store and clearance cannisters. That's my style too!
@Battra92, I aspire to reach the stage in my marriage where we can decide we don't have to live like hobos! 🙂
@Battra92, OMG, regarding not living like hobos, my husband and I are 74 and 80 and we are still tripping over seriously inconvenient frugal habits that I adopted at the beginning of my adulthood to survive and thrive.
We're doing just fine in our retirement and husband recently begged me to stop buying cotton balls that were the size of an aspirin because they were far cheaper. I have been frugal so long that I have completely lost sight of how the "rich" people live. It's full size cotton balls for our remaining years.
@Anne, I needed that laugh, thank you.
It's funny how ingrained habits get, don't they? I was horrified this month that I realized I always wash my face in cold water and always pluck my eyebrows from the bottom because that's what Seventeen magazine told me in 1978.
@Anne, Whoa! Let's not get carried away here ...
@JD and @Battra92, my friends all considered it a major upgrade when I replaced the Maxwell House Instant Coffee jars I'd been using as canisters with thrifted French and Italian storage jars (the fancy kinds with the wire bail lids).
@Anne, That's kind of where we've been at to be honest. In the case of the canisters, the ones I thrifted were a dollar or two each. The ones I bought new cost me around 12 total.
I mean, I still scoff at the price of Heinz ketchup vs Aldi brand (or even Hunts) but I can have some nicer things (and treat my wife to some nicer things and experiences as well.)
@A. Marie, Nice! Believe it or not it was not all that long ago that I was drinking out of Aldi pasta sauce jars (thanks to my old dishwasher breaking things and my daughter seeking out and breaking glasses when she was a toddler in a phase I am glad was super short but incredibly destructive!)
My drinking glasses came from Goodwill but I have some nice ones from Ikea as well.
@Lindsay B, When we first got married we weren't making a ton but doing okay. Then we bought a house. Then we had a child. In the last few years both my wife and I have advanced in our careers and because of Covid and having a child who needed a bit more hands on parenting we really haven't been able to do a ton of things which lead to saving money. Now we're going out and having good times together as a couple or a family which makes me happier.
@Battra92, Y'all remind me of my grandma, who would by Bama brand jelly just so she could use the old jars as drinking glasses. This was the grocery store brand that you had to use a church key to open the lid the first time, and then you snapped the metal lid back on each time. The jar did not have those grooves where you screw on the lids, so they were great for drinking iced tea out of when empty and washed out. Grandma must've had 50 of those old jars! LOL!
@Fru-gal Lisa, I grew up with Bama brand jelly glasses! My mom used to buy them for the same reasons as your grandma.
1. Had a small table at the annual folk art and crafts day selling my handmade things from years ago. Not that I noticed it in volume, but sold some and made a bit of money.
2. Had energy and time to make a big batch of rolls. Thankfully the cottage cheese is good long after its expiration date! We had only steel cut oats instead of the rolled oats I make flour out of, but it was a nice change.
3. Have been enjoying two days of sun and higher temperatures so have taken advantage of it to hang the laundry out to dry.
4. Received a pair of Levi’s from a friend that has lost weight. First time in many years that I’ve had jeans without stretch, but I’m happy to have jeans in a light color even though 😉
5. Was planning a road trip this week to continue exploring the county since we have two days of work, but couldn’t think of someplace to go since the snow is newly melted/melting so it’s not a good time for hiking. So saving the gas money and will be spending the time decluttering and spring cleaning instead. Not much fun, but it needs to be done.
—It’s finally been consistently warm enough (we still had frost warnings earlier in the month!) to swap out our winter shirts for the summer. As usual, I feel like I just pulled out a brand new wardrobe of things I really like! 😛
—My husband sorted through pants he no longer wore, which I then gave to a coworker for her tall-and-still-growing son.
—I reserved two pairs of my husband's discarded work pants for myself. These are too worn out to pass on, so I’ll use them for hiking and house/yard work. They’re comically long on me, but that does matter when they’re destined for grubbiness!
—My mending pile was big enough to warrant breaking out my sewing kit. I patched my favorite jeans, a hole in my husband’s work shorts, and repaired seams in one of his work shirts as well as in a pair of my leggings.
—We made a rare foray to our nearest Walmart. (For many years, our closest store was NOT anywhere we wanted to go, so having a nice Walmart nearby has taken some getting used to!) We scored some awesome deals on last-day meat sales—two pounds of salmon for $12 and ten pounds of chicken $7–as well as a clearance pound of pistachios for $2.
Frugal Fail Feeling: I have spent so much ($150) getting our vegetable garden set up. Despite catching as much as possible on sale over time—heirloom seeds for half off, recycled livestock mineral tubs for $5 each vs. planters, sale potting soil, etc.—it just feels like a giant money sink. I realize these are all investments that I should only need to buy once, but yeowzer, is it a lot up front! Maybe the year of ORKIN and a surprise new-to-us car wasn’t the best time, but those same things make it feel imperative that we can grow at least some of our food. This is my first year gardening, so here’s hoping!
@N, You will do great. Gardening--particularly if it's growing food--is just not that hard. Otherwise the human race would have died out a long time ago! Just stick to easy stuff like tomatoes, basil, and so on your first year. Make sure everything gets plenty of sun and water and everything will be fine. I usually grow things that taste much better when home grown and/or are expensive or a pain to buy (currants) and ignore things like zucchini, but zukes, cukes, squash are almost criminally easy to grow.
@Rose, Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I deeply appreciate them. I purposefully stuck to easy stuff that I felt I couldn’t kill (at least right away) and have read multiple online growing guides in addition to the very helpful info booklet that same with the seeds. We will potentially have basil, rosemary, tomatoes, kale, onions, beets, lettuce, peas, cucumbers, and pumpkins. I didn’t plant zucchini because our neighbors were giving away theirs in desperation last year; I’d like to be able to trade them something different in return!
@N, Yes, gardening is an investment but it will pay off! And remember that everyone makes mistakes with gardening and it's OK to not have every plant turn out great. I've probably gardened ten years or so and I'm still learning new things and ways to make things better. I hope you enjoy the process and get some yummy food at the end!
@N, NOT growing zucchini provides a nice community service to everyone around you who is growing zucchini.
And all those online gardening guides (and books, because I am old). . . I have learned way more from neighbors, because they understand the local soil, the pests, and the climate.
Keep notes of when and where you planted which things, and how they did. Otherwise you might be like me, making the same mistakes year after year after year.
1. I made our meals at home. I used up food we had.
2. I made some detangling spray for my daughter using the last of her conditioner. I found some of the shampoo and conditioner she likes at TJMaxx for about half price.
3. We made coffee at home.
4. I planted seeds indoors in February and some are finally big enough to repot. I'll wait a week or so to move them outdoors. It still gets chilly overnight. It was a long, cold, snowy winter.
5. We made sundaes at home for Mother's Day. One kid had strep so this was plan b.
6. My sick kid entertained herself by making jewelry from leftover yarn, beads, and buttons.
7. We went to a free marching band concert at the high school when the parade was rained out.
Saved $180 (annually) on a business-related subscription that did not seem worth keeping by going into "my account" and clicking "cancel subscription". "But ... why?!!!" they asked. "Too expensive", I clicked. "How about we charge you 75% of what we've been charging you the last umpteen zillion years?" "Nah. Cancel." "50%?" "Nah." "25%? Please? Pretty Puhleeze?" "OK." I really wanted to keep using this service but just couldn't justify the price, even though it was a big time saver. But I didn't tell them (or their AI bot) that.
1. Laundered all our cloth grocery bags, line-dried them, and mended three of them with a spool of bright blue hand-me-down thread from my long-ago neighbor.
2. Have decluttered almost every cabinet/drawer/closet in our house and taken about a dozen carloads of stuff to Goodwill. The drop-offs are timed to happen on Senior Citizen Discount Day, so any treasure turned up on a quick look around the store is less expensive.
3. Took my husband out for our 37th anniversary to our favorite local Mexican restaurant and paid cash, avoiding the 3% markup for using a credit or debit card.
4. Set up a monthly subscription of a supplement for my arthritis that would not allow me to complete the order until a promo code was entered. A quick online search turned up a 15% off code that worked.
5. Once again mended my husband's house slipper, which seems to have a weak spot in the suede. Getting ready to patch it attractively, as this is the fifth mend.
Bonuses, as it was a busy week: While decluttering, I found a pack of mending plates that are needed to secure a toe kick my husband built for the bathroom vanity. Don't have to buy them now.
Received a coupon for 15% off the next order from Ollie's Outlet. Bought suet cakes for the birds, a pack of gardening gloves, and two sets of badly needed bathroom hand towels.
Made labels for bins on the laundry room shelves out of the end of a roll of Contac adhesive vinyl, using a black Sharpie from the drawer of Found Pens. It worked great and cost nothing.
Turned half of a languishing loaf of homemade bread into yummy garlic-herb croutons. Lately my family has been wanting crunchy snacks and a few croutons made with olive oil can be a healthier way to scratch that itch.
I have to thank Kristen again for introducing me to a fabric shaver, which helped turn a somewhat borderline $3 thrift store shirt into a cute top.
@Ruby, I too got the Ollie's 15% off coupon. Along with more useful things, I bought two discounted copies of Martha Stewart's The Martha Manual, one for myself and one for Ms. Bestest Neighbor. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to sneak a swimsuit insert into Ms. BN's copy (she'll be getting it for her birthday), given Martha's well-publicized latest adventure!
1. Needed a few gifts for friends with new babies. I was able to use a healthcare worker 20% discount and a $1 store credit from previous purchases. Of course, I wrapped them with reused but still nice paper and bags.
2. I made coffee at home before leaving for a road trip to avoid buying coffee. On the way home, I was able to grab a free thermos of coffee from Panera before my free sip club membership expires in a few days.
3. My birthday is this week, so I’m hoping to be able to pick up a few freebies from restaurants including Starbucks and Panera.
4. We’ve felt like eating waffles several times in the last two weeks, and I’ve been able to use frozen sour milk, foraged elderberries, and replace a little of the flour in the recipe with wheat cereal to help use it up (I received it free).
5. To avoid having more milk go sour, we finally started freezing half a gallon of milk right away. The texture is fine when thawed for Baby E’s morning oatmeal.
@Lindsay B, Happy Birthday! Our local Denny's will serve you a free Grand Slam breakfast on your birthday, and I think this is a nationwide thing. You do not have to go at breakfast time, but you have to show them your driver's license or other official ID showing your DOB. They don't include the beverage, either, but with a free meal, who's complaining? Also, you can sprinkle a few grains of salt (regular table salt) into milk and this will keep it from going sour so soon. You can't taste the salt but it inhibits the growth of bacteria. In addition to freezing milk, I do the salt trick on every gallon jug of milk I buy.
@Fru-gal Lisa, thanks for the Denny's tip! I'm not sure we have one in town but I will check. I love breakfast so that sounds wonderful!
Thanks also for the salt into milk tip- I haven't heard of that before and will definitely try it.
1. Clothes "shopped" in the attic. Some years ago when my son outgrew clothes I kept some that were gently used and placed them in labeled storage bags in the attic. Due to the age difference to his younger brothers I started doubting that these clothes would be relevant hand-me-downs. But funny enough, some fashion cycles faster than you think, and my younger kids accepted the recycles.
2. The frame in my husband's eyeglasses broke slightly and he kept procrastinating about getting new frames. While I was at the optometrist I asked if there was something to be done about the frames as they are quite new, and it turned out that the warranty still applied and my husband was able to get another pair of frames for free. Good thing I asked because the warranty period would have closed soon.
3. For Mother's Day, we stayed local and went kayaking, later biking to a restaurant for a nice late lunch (post the brunch rush).
4. Last week our grocery bill was quite high as we were restocking the pantry, so this week we took that into account and had a much smaller grocery bill. Also, dug deep into the pantry before restocking to use up and empty some older foods.
5. For our new couch went to Crate and Barrel to buy new sofa pillows, but left without buying and decided to rearrange some we had at home that fit the couch better.
+1 for all kinds of tanks. Have you tried the turtle necks/ sleeveless ones? Muscle tanks? Tanks are game changers :).
I do like muscle tanks! I have sort of narrow shoulders, and the muscle tanks help even me look like I have some shoulders going on. Ha.
1. Library books, library books!
2. Coffee and all eating at home, except for a little road trip with DH, to try to visit his mom. We grabbed some McDonald's, the first time I've had it in years, and it was delicious. That was my Mother's Day breakfast. 😉
3. The cheapo earbuds I had gotten six years ago at Kroger finally bit the dust when I did something dumb and bent the metal prong that goes into the tablet. (I sometimes watch shows on my tablet when we're staying up late and DH is working.) I went back to Kroger, which is near the library, and found them again. And I managed to make no impulse purchases, even though I thought about it! I like grocery shopping too much, which is why DH does it most of the time, he's better at resisting impulse buys. Sometimes my frugal victories are in not doing something!
4. I have been wanting to put up a little free library, but we rent, and we haven't been here quite long enough to put the case to our landlords that a LFL would be great on our street. DH suggested we make a freestanding one, that we can wheel in and out depending on the weather, so I was looking at the kits on the LFL site. He casually suggested I look at Amazon, and lo and behold there was a fully built, very sturdy-looking, freestanding little library, cheaper than the kits, and looks like something I can manage quite easily! This is my personal summer project, so I was so excited to find it at a better price: half the price of a kit. And I even had Amazon points to apply to it.
5. After surveying the boys' summer wardrobes, was able to get them the shirts and shorts they need without too much difficulty, and pass some down to the youngest. He was delighted to get some Star Trek shirts and a Doctor Who shirt.
FFT - I can rarely seem to recall five things in a single week that are worth mentioning, other than the usual small, daily things that are deeply ingrained frugal habits. Also this month has been a spend-y one, as I’ve been replacing things that were broken, worn out, or ready for the rag bag. I have been watchful for sales & great deals, coupons, using the Rakuten app and so forth. So now I present FFT-spending edition.
1. Our robot vacuum that we’ve had for 20+ years bit the dust several months ago. I spent a lot of time looking at other brands & models. Finally found a replacement at Sam’s Club marked down from $199 to $129. (Happy dance!) I have multiple back issues & carrying the upright vac up & downstairs has not been easy or pleasant.
2. Took advantage of a 1 day sale at Old Navy to purchase plain V-neck T-shirts for $5 each. They are all cotton & medium thickness. I got tired of buying the “in style, thin, slub type shirts” that managed to sport tiny holes after just one or a few wearings.
3. I have needed to replace some shoes due to wear & tear and my recent foot problems.
I used the Rakuten app to go through Kohl’s & purchase. Saved 20% and got ‘Kohl’s cash too.
4. My husband started drinking coffee again so I’ve been scouting the sales & have managed to score the last few purchases for $6.99/22.6 oz. size.
5. Again, due to back issues, I’ve been wanting to purchase a stirrup hoe for weeding. Did a little research & found one that is both fully USA made and under $50. The prices of others were as high as $100.
As Kristen and others here have said before, if you take your time & do a little research, you can save money even when spending it.
Does slightly less unfrugal count as frugal? Cuz the biggest one is eliminating some of the wants for work on the new house. While I'm delighted to be spending my house-sale-prep budget on the house I'm keeping and not the house I'm selling, that doesn't mean I need to be profligate.
I also used up a zillion odds and ends in the kitchen. The most extraordinary one was a lunch wrap made of:
- the last spinach-herb enchilada wrapper from a Tex-Mex dinner;
- peanut butter bought on sale (only 5 jars left!);
- last bit of berry jam from a tiny jar from a complementary restaurant breakfast, over 1/4 of the wrapper;
- last bit of maple syrup, likely from the same restaurant breakfast, over 1/2 of the wrapper; and
- last bit of salted caramel from a delivery meal that my father brought us months ago, over 1/4 of the wrapper.
A frugal indulgence was buying six - count them SIX - boxes of Phillip's Seafood Crispy Dim Sum that were half price at the grocery. They're hard to find so I jumped on the chance.
I'm also getting very serious about emptying out the cabinets and freezer before the move, despite it being a local move. I'm baking a lot and gave my SIL 2 bottles of a special hot sauce that someone (not me) bought too many of about 12 years ago. It's a good thing that hot sauce doesn't go bad and barely deteriorates because the best-by date is 2014.
Gave some fabric and a crewel work queen bedspread to my SIL. I never liked crewel work and I learned she's always loved it. The bedspread is sturdy enough to be useful on her boat and she can make clothes from the rest of the fabric. It pleases my sense of efficiency to give something to someone who really loves it or can really use it, rather than just giving it away.
Went through 4 boxes of fabric and bathroom linen, to see what I could use in the new house. I'd forgotten how much stunning sari fabric my mother gifted me. I'm hoping to get 1-2 queen bedspreads, curtains, 6 kitchen chair cushions, and several bench cushions from them. The first two are uncertain, the rest will be easy. My SIL unselfishly volunteered (ha!) to take saris I didn't want.
Looked through the new house to see what windows need treatments and how I can repurpose what I have. The curtains in the house are very high quality - heavy, lined, and rusched (sp) - but not always to my taste. Moving some from, for example, the reading nook in my bedroom to the guest room is a win all around.
Am things over to the new house as I pass by it. It's not going to change the moving costs but it does mean a bit less organizational work to do on the other end.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE - ON THE BLOG, be it by blood, marriage, choice, or otherhow. However you define being a parent is fine with me.
There is seriously nothing like moving to motivate you to use things up/get rid of things, right??
@WilliamB, As a textile historian and seamstress, please do not spend money on having the sari made into cushions. They won't last very long. Also, line the curtains so they don't have that overly sheer (cheap) look. (Also, I love crewel work, especially embroidering with it.)
1)My work place had a free nurse appreciation meal and also gave us all a nice vest.
2)I spent a couple of days with family, and along with passing on some items I knew they could use, I was given some clothes and food they knew I would use.
3)My sister had a coupon for a $10 pizza at Unos, which we combined with some other food for a cheap meal out. There was enough leftover for her to have 2 more meals from it.
4)I wanted to get my son some "Darn Tough" socks for his birthday, and they are notoriously expensive. I was able to find some on the site Mountain Steels for about 40% less, and I went through Rakuten for even more $ back.
5)I'm currently cooking what remains of a rotisserie chicken and will combine it with veggie scraps from the fridge and maybe some random pasta for a delicious soup. (This will be the 4th meal that this chicken has provided!)
Question... I, too, have a cat. A feline. A feisty furry. And therein lies the problem... when I have plants, flowers or anything green and leafy, he is drawn to it. He'll jump on counters, tables, plant stands, and pretty much maneuver his tubby body in any way that is required to get to said foliage.
And he decimates it all.
My husband gave me roses last week and I have them in our bedroom so that the cat can't mutilate them. My son planted wildflower seeds and we kept them inside until they grew... and then the cat partook of them as his snack one day.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR CAT FROM NOM NOM NOMMING?
Seriously, this is becoming a problem. I can't enjoy any flowers 🙁
Oddly, my cat is not generally interested in my plants! I don't know if it's because she's old (12)?
Some cats go crazy for plants and there's pretty much nothing you can do about it, I think. Our cat with RBF (see my Meet a Reader) would eat any indoor plant. I gave my daughter, for good luck one semester at art school, a cutting from Lee Krasner's spider plant. (Lee and Jackson Pollock lived close by and her spider plant babies are sold by the museum in dixie cups to raise funds. So cute!) Of course Opal ate the spider plant. Our current cat loves catnip and catmint, which Opal couldn't care less about (there's a gene for it) and doesn't care about other plants.
@reese, I'm no expert (of course that caveat), but in my experience of having outdoor cats who occasionally are permitted to be half-indoor-and-half-outdoor cats, the type of food they are provided makes a difference. Our cat Leo will eat my houseplants if he stays inside away from grass too long. We universally provide an outdoor cat food for both barn and not-barn cats, but if we end up with a more universal formula food, he won't mess with the plants.
Cats have preferences like people (some like vegetables, some don't). So, my idea is for you to plant some grass, or wheat maybe, in a tray and in a location that the cat can freely access/eat. Doesn't take much to satisfy them and it grows fast enough to reasonably regenerate.
@reese, We have two cats. I have one bigger plant that they completely leave alone, but anything else and one of the cats will eat it or dig it up. I ended up getting a small greenhouse for my seedlings and just have to accept that I can't plan to have other plants in the house. My son gave me a potted flower for Mother's Day and my cat started eating it pretty quickly. The flower is outside now.
The greenhouse was $25 from Aldi. Works great! It was worth it to me for the stress it saved me this year and for how successful my plants have grown in it.
Best wishes to you!
It's been another week of the same old, same old.
1. Meals were at home, including company on Saturday. We're mostly still eating from the freezer and pantry and just buying produce and chicken since the grocery store sales are still meh.
2. A neighbor had a bunch of apples and oranges they were not eating. I happy took them off their hands. I will share some apple crisp with them, when I make it.
3. I received potted tomato plants for Mother's Day and will receive an order of daffodils in the fall. Those are perfect gifts for me.
4. DH went to a a work related dinner and came home with a gorgeous flower arrangement, thanks to the event coordinator. I generally don't appreciate cut flowers given the environmental and financial cost but I'll take second hand arrangements since the damage has already been done.
5. I had a dental crown replacement installed. Taking care of my teeth will hopefully result in a healthier mouth and teeth down the road. Our dentist is in network with our insurance so the work is not uber expensive and we can be reimbursed for out of pocket costs from our FSA.
5 Frugal Things this week that I’m thrilled about….
1. I received a $20 gift certificate for Publix Grocery from my health insurance.
2. I was awarded a$250 grant for baby supplies for those in need in our local community.
3. My son gifted me a huge bag of my favorite Clean Simple Eats Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder for Mother’s Day. (yum)
4. My daughter gifted me my favorite Omega 3 supplement for Mother’s Day .
5. My hubby restocked my makeup bag for Mother’s Day.
@Maria Martoral, I love your #2. And your #3-5 show that your family members understand you very well!
@Maria Martoral, such personal gifts on Mother’s Day. Those are items that I would like as well!
We’ll done obtaining that grant! A local FB site in my area offers so much assistance to young moms/families and grandparents that are raising children. It is set up in such a way that not only are organized pantries run, but group members can ask for or offer items that are needed. It has been refreshing to see the generosity!
I feel like this week has not been very frugal for us, but here are some things:
1. My husband wanted a new smoker for his birthday. Instead of buying new, he found one he liked on Facebook Marketplace. The old one he gave way on Buy Nothing.
2. After much time spent on the phone, my car is finally fixed after someone hit it in my employer's parking lot a couple of months ago. I filed through their car insurance, so did not have to pay anything for the repair or rental. The damage was worth about $3,000 and I had a rental car for 10 days.
3. Our garbage removal service increased by $150/year this year. I found another company that was $50 less than last year, so shopping around saved us $200/year.
4. I made my own lunches and took iced coffee to work every day this week.
5. My husbands birthday dinner will be burger and hot dogs on the grill with a home made carrot cake.
1. Received a senior discount on my haircut and received another coupon for an additional discount on my next visit within five weeks. (Although I'm a couple years shy of 65, I wasn't offended that they automatically gave me the discount.)
2. One of our nephews is a personal trainer and he designed a strength-training workout for me that I do in the free fitness center in our apartment building. He refused payment so we went out to dinner instead.
3. Donated blood platelets and received a $50 gift card from the American Red Cross.
4. Enjoyed free admission to the arboretum courtesy of my sister-in-law's membership.
5. Friend is saving us $$$ by helping us train our dog at no cost. She also gave our dog toys and treats that her dog didn't like.
I did not go crazy on the annual plants this year. They bring me great joy. I stayed under 100 dollars which is major for me! Also got free perennials from my neighbor.
I have been eating leftovers for lunch to use it up.
I have been utilizing frozen vegetables more and they do not go slimy and bad with good intentions.
Having to spend loads of money on the young adult child lately. Stressful but cannot be helped. Car troubles. Business appropriate wardrobe. Etc etc etc. We save for these small emergencies!
1. Went thrift store shopping this Saturday. Pure luck: the first store I went to had everything on for half price! Not only did I score several pair of brand-new shoes and leather flipflops for $5 each (one pair was free bc I -- finally!--remembered to turn in my punch card that gives you $5 off a purchase), but I also found a pair of Alfred Dunner slacks my size. Now that the Susan Bristol company has long since quit business, Alfred is my favorite brand; I'm always on the lookout for that designer.
2. Went to the second thrift store in the same strip mall, and stocked up on drugstore items, such as name-brand solid antiperspirant, Monistat for yeast infections, and saline solution for a Neti pot (nasal wash thing). Yes, I looked at the expiration dates and they all have several months until they expire. And the packages were not damaged or opened. Everything cost $5 (apiece) or less -- lots cheaper than going to the regular store(s) and buying the same things. Also scored two large commuter coffee cups for $5 each; these are the kind that'll run you about $18 to $20 at the stores. They were new and had 4th of July decorations on them. I guess they didn't sell last summer so the store donated 'em to the charity shop.
3. It was Teacher Appreciation Day at one of the schools where I substitute taught. I was invited to partake. They served us ice cream floats in the afternoon and popcorn at mid-morning. I got a lot of free pens/pencils/school supplies and free coupons and candy and and even a lanyard for my ID, all from area merchants. Some of my coworkers were vegetarians, so they gave me their freebie coupons for burgers and chicken dinners. I will get several free meals from same.
4. Instead of buying a gallon of milk, I mixed up some powdered milk we had stored up during the pandemic. Delicious! Even better: I found the special measuring cup I used to have, one that fit on a pitcher as its lid; it was a offer from Carnation years ago. The pitcher has since broken, but I kept the lid bc it measures/makes the perfect amount. I got another pitcher from a thrift store, so I scored some frugal points there, too.
5. Today I substituted with the sheltered workshop for special ed kids ages 18-21, and they went to the public library in that town. It was an amazing place! I inquired and found out that even though I live in a different town, since we're in the same county, I can get a library card from them. They have things my city's library lacks, including a seed library for gardeners and a coffee corner where you can get a cup of joe for a dollar. I am definitely going back there and signing up for one of their library cards!
1. It is frugal not to be robbed. Years ago a co-worker's son was having terrible anger issues and one afternoon we helped by having him spend the afternoon with us. He ended up clicking with us and for the next 4 years, until he turned 18, he would come and hang out on occasion, helping with chores. We paid him and fed him. Years went by, he was convicted of defrauding and robbing hundreds of thousands from old people. Recently we went to see him in jail, where he will be for a long time, and at one point I asked him why he never robbed us, since we fit right into his preferred victim age. He looked astounded and said, "You were so good to me when I was a kid that I could never rob you!" So I guess this is an instance when kindness paid. You just never know.
2. Did two gasoline mystery shops. If you can't save money, bring more in with a side gig.
3. Went to a seed exchange and came home with all the seeds I need and traded out excess seeds of my own from last year.
4. A neighbor asked if we would let a relative stay in our spare room; too many family members had shown up for a high school graduation and they had run out of room and in the summer our hotels raise their rates to astronomical heights. We said yes and the morning after they left we found an envelope with $100 to thank us for three nights of accommodations. The note said it would have cost them more than six times that to stay in a hotel. I think they should have used the money for dry cleaning to get out all the dog hair they probably picked up, as Pound Hound is shedding his winter coat and leaving a mess where ever he sits, lies or leans.
5. The lawn mower had to be serviced and so did the neighbor's. Husband borrowed a trailer from a golf buddy and the young neighbor provided the brawn to get both of the mowers on and off the trailer. Last time husband tried to do the task alone and injured his back, so sharing the task was very frugal.
@Lindsey,
Your #1: From reading your comments in the past about how you and your husband have a gift of mentoring and taking care of youth with a vast array of troubles, his answer does not surprise me at all. What a kind gesture to visit him, and I am sure your influence on him, and on so many other young people's, lives will not be wasted! May you be rewarded richly.
I AGREE. Lindsey I love how you and your husband have loved these guys in your lives.
@Lindsey, @st has said it better than I could about your #1. (And your #4 rocks as well.) Blessings on you and the husband.
@Lindsey, OMG, Lindsey, my heart hurts at your #1. I have a lot of feels about it because I've been robbed many times, but IDK, it reminded me of visiting my own son in jail. (He was there 5 weeks. Drunk driving.) My cleaning lady stole my jewelry, my renters stole my jewelry, other people stole our bikes right out of our barn and my son's beloved collection of sneakers. I hate thievery, but.... I hope that young man can turn his life around.
This week, I feel like we did exactly one frugal thing:
We filled the gas tank and a gas can before the prices jumped today.
Five Frugal Things - Small town downtown version
1) I was downtown for a meeting and remembered to visit the discount rack at the local bakery and brought home a mixed bag of yesterday's doughnuts. It's quite hot here and this saves baking at home for the next couple of days. Also, doughnuts are a rare treat for us. Doughnuts! Yay!
2) While still downtown I visited the local thrift shop and bought some "new" placemats to replace the old ones I got from the same shop some years ago and which are now starting to unravel
3) I put the book I almost bought back on the shelf
4) I picked up some decorative rocks - at the thrift shop - but did not buy the pretty and tempting cut-glass container for an impending "mossarium" project - I will use one of my vintage canning jars instead. All other elements will come from the outside, for free.
5) I walked. I did not buy a plant from the slightly sketchy character on the sidewalk.
I love when I can find something on ebay or thred up that is something I already own, know that it fits well, and I will use it a ton.
This week I ...
Stopped by the military commissary when I was on base for something else. There are some things that are just cheaper there so I stocked up on those items.
I found 3 new Brooks Brothers shirts for $6/each at a thrift store for my husband.
I found a new steamer mop at Goodwill for $8 instead of $60 at walmart. I've been looking for one for months so this was a win!
I mixed up homemade taco seasoning, greek seasoning, bbq rub, and fajita seasoning in jars for the next few months so I wouldn't be tempted to grab the packets at the last minute (and this is much better for my salt intake also).
I remembered to return items. They were smaller items and sometimes I would forget about them until too late, but I made myself do it while I was in that area anyways. All total it was probably $12.
I had to travel twice this past week and packed a lunch each time so I wouldn't stop for fast food.
1. Last Friday, Chick-fil-A was giving free chicken sandwiches to nurses and health care workers, so I showed my hospital ID and got a free sandwich! Then used my points to order a free salad to treat my husband.
2. Cleaned out my fridge and used up all sorts of random things in a smoothie. It feels much better to look at a clean and organized fridge!
3. I had won a prize in a contest put on by our local farmer's market but wasn't able to claim it right away. When I went this past weekend, the vendor had forgotten, but promised to bring it next week. Turns out to be a free carton of a dozen free-range eggs! I will claim it next week, but she did let me take several freshly picked cucumbers for free while I was there. Also returned the empty glass jar to the honey vendor and got $1 for returning it, which went towards buying a new one.
4. Cleaned out mine and my kids' closets and collected a pile of clothes to donate and sell. Also offered my son's outgrown Canada hoodie to another Canadian friend here in Houston who happily accepted it for her son.
5. Filled in some remaining gaps in my kids' closets with bigger sized clothes bought either on sale, using Amazon gift cards, or going through Rakuten for added cash back. Since they are teens/preteens, they are much pickier about what they want to wear and I can no longer buy what I think they'll like/what I like from the kids' used clothing store. Also bought a few things for myself from thredup during their Mother's Day sale which also included free shipping with no minimum. I will also get $10 credit later this week from saving a clothing search so I may try and use it with my current bundle to piggyback on the free shipping.
Love your #5 things!
1) We went to see family for Mother’s Day & rented a VRBO so that we could be with my mom & sis, and cook & avoid restaurant costs. We grocery shopped & had carry-out pizza one night. Our VRBO was stocked with coffee & tea & spices so saved costs there too.
2) We chose free entertainment—walks to the lake, Netflix/DVDs, card games, & crafts.
3) On the way to the VRBO location, we had booked a hotel night to break up the trip. Right before bed, my daughter realized the ceiling lamp near our hotel door entryway was leaking, during a rainstorm. It was quickly pouring in, and we had to pack up our stuff, and head to the lobby. It was already a pretty rough room. We were given a new, much cleaner room. Later we found out the hotel stay was completely refunded—that was a first for us!
4) I used Hallmark Crown Rewards free cards for Mother’s Day cards (blank cards).
5) Library books/DVDs/Hoopla audiobooks
* I was running out of dog toothpaste, so I cut the tube open and there was enough in there for another week
* I am using free WIFI whenever I can on my cellphone in order to not have to buy a more expensive package with data (I have 225 MB of data available to me each month, that I keep for emergencies/necessities. I very rarely go over 30 MB). So my bill is only 17.25$/month. Very cheap here in Canada.
* I bought underwear online that ended up riding too low (I like high rise). I asked to return them, and the company told me to keep them and gave me a refund. It's not like the underwear are not wearable, so I'll probably use them anyways since I have them.
* Found a quality dog collar and dog vest/blanket at the thrift store, 5$ for both. The vest is too big, I will fix this myself.
* I don't know if this makes me frugal or plain cheap, but I rarely contribute for colleagues' gifts. I work in an hospital, so I have a gazillion colleagues, and every 3 weeks or so someone is getting married/retiring/having a baby/is on sick leave.... So to give money each time would be a stretch. I only give money for people who are dear to me, and then I sign the card. Otherwise, I don't sign the card (because, to me THIS is cheap : signing a card for someone when you didn't even contribute to the gift)
1) When I went to return a car part that was under warranty, they gave me a $10 off of a $50 purchase coupon. I remembered that one of the wiper blades on my husband's truck was coming apart, so I bought two wiper blades for his truck and a jug of washer fluid to get just over the $50 mark.
2) Ann Taylor sent me a $30 off a purchase of $30 coupon, which seemed like a good deal to me. I didn't think it was worth a drive out to the mall since I wasn't going anyway. Instead I found a classic button up in my size on their website on sale for $39. I did have to pay for shipping. There's always the chance the shirt is not good quality or does't fit me (in which case, we'll cross that bridge when we get there) but assuming I like the shirt, a brand new Ann Taylor shirt for less than $20 (I had to pay for shipping too) is a pretty good deal.
3) I put off grocery shopping until Tuesday night to force me to cook up stuff we had in the house. But by last night we were completely out of produce and almost out of milk, so I wrote a menu, made a list, and got it done.
4) I followed up with our accountant about a second invoice I received from him. He is usually very organized (he is a good accountant), so I'm not sure why he sent us a new invoice for a service we have already paid for. I think it is an error, so I am at least going to wait to hear from him before I put another check in the mail.
5) I . . .
-have a day trip tomorrow, so included in my meal plan was a lunch I could pack in the cooler and eat out of town.
-batched errands today stopping at CVS to get our daughter's medicine, popping back into Aldi, which is next door, to get the couple things I forgot grocery shopping last night, detouring to Kroger for the specific cookies I have to send with one child for a class celebration tomorrow, and making an Amazon return at the UPS store on the way back home.
-added a pair of pants to my sewing pile that are too short for my second son and have a hole in the knee; I will cut them off to make shorts for my third son.
Love thred up! It’s genius and I have gotten many wonderful items. It is definitely great for finding duplicates of something you already have and love.