Five Frugal Things | some travel frugalities
A trip is pretty much never a money-saving endeavor, but I did employ a few frugalities along the way.
1. I packed some food for my plane trip
Before I flew to Portland, I cleaned up my fridge and packaged a few things up to take with me.
I was glad I did, because my layover in Chicago gave me barely enough time to get from one gate to the next. I almost picked up a snack box at one of those airport stalls, but then I reminded myself that I had food in my bag. 😉
So, I ate my strawberries, the rest of my chickpea salad, and my cheddar crisps from Aldi.
The fork/napkin came from home; I'd saved it when it got thrown in with a takeout order. This was a perfect use for it!
Also, I drank the free Southwest hot chocolate. 🙂
2. I shopped the Goodwill bins with Katy
Katy = Katy from The Nonconsumer Advocate
I had never been to a Goodwill bin store; this is a type of Goodwill outlet that just dumps stuff into bins, which you can sort through. Most things are sold by the pound, which means you can get some pretty screaming deals.
If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt (as Katy and I do), you would enjoy this! But it is definitely a slightly more challenging way to thrift shop, due to the disorganized nature of things.
I wasn't shopping very seriously, but I did grab a plastic bin and corral a bunch of Duplos that were in random places. I don't need Duplos, but maybe someone else does, and now that they're in one spot, maybe they will sell. 😉
It was my public service for the day. 😉
I did buy a few things:
- a small whisk (so useful for a sauce or a small batch of scrambled eggs)
- a small black pumpkin (because Zoe loves all things spooky season)
- an Owala water bottle
- a garage door opener remote (which I will try to sell on eBay, based on some in-Goodwill eBay research with Katy!)
My grand total was $4.13, which is less than even the whisk would have cost me brand new.
And if I sell the garage door opener successfully, I can probably recoup the entire cost of my purchase. 😉
3. I came home with two Portland pennies
Katy is better at spotting coins than me, but I did pick up two pennies while I was with her.
What a profitable trip. 😉
4. I fixed my old Fincon shirt
I got this one (100% cotton) at my first Fincon, when they were giving away extra shirts from previous conferences.
It's so comfy and fits me so nicely, I've worn it enough for it to sprout a hole at the neckline.
I sewed it up:
And I'll continue using it as a comfy wear-at-home shirt, even though the screen print is cracking now. 🙂
5. I used almost exactly my entire Panera gift card
I had a weird sort of multi-brand gift card from credit card rewards, and since it wasn't specifically Panera-branded, I couldn't add it into my app like a regular gift card.
I did figure out how to add it like a credit card, but I was not able to stack it with another payment method in the app.
So, I devised an order for Zoe and me that was just $0.90 below the total on the card. Perfect!
Will I let the other $0.90 go? I dunno. I might use it when I happen to be near Panera; I could probably use the card along with some coins to get a single bagel or something.
Note: this card specifically says on the back that it cannot be used to purchase other gift cards, so I could not use any of yesterday's tips to redeem it!
I loved Duplo as a kid!
1. I finally deepcleaned my fridge, which was definitely overdue! I managed to save almost all the food by putting it in a cooler with icepacks.
2. I used my gym membership.
3. I made payments on loans.
4. I watched a film and have started rewatching a TV series I own on DVD (the film and series aren't available on the streaming service I use).
5. I used some fruit which was about to go bad in a smoothie.
1. We switch our oil delivery and oil burner service provider. The one we had been using was bought by a large operation. Not only had they raised prices for service contracts by a large amount but they totally bungled an AC repair this summer. The new provider is still local. I used online bill pay to have our credit union send them a check for our oil delivery.
2. I bought a Zift Zillions gift card at Giant and them redeemed it for a Lowe's gift card. I received 8x points at Giant and also a couple extra credit card reward points for paying with a particular credit card.
3. Meals at home. Even though one meal featured overcooked Impossible Burgers and mashed potatoes made from less than wonderful potatoes (I'm looking at you yellow potatoes).
4. I bought yet another watermelon. It's a lot of fruit for the price.
5. I ordered a bed topper. Our mattress is getting a bit worn out but DH and I have totally different preferences on softness/firmness. He already had a soft topper (Twin XL) for his side of the bed and I ordered a firm topper for my side of the bed. It should be cheaper than replacing the mattress and we don't have to put it in the landfill yet.
@K D, it seems that no matter what the nature of a business, when it gets gobbled up by a larger company, it stops being good. Banks, garbage service, propane, medical clinics. . . ugh.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Yes! Thinking of food companies that were family-owned or small, that are then bought out by a larger company. It's never ever as good.
--We hosted friends this weekend and served homemade garden tomato soup. We also sent them home with more soup (frozen ahead of time), homemade pesto, and garden surplus. One half of the couple is also our HVyear; uy, who's really into pickling; he was excited to have new vegetables to experiment with.
--We never have anything other than a great time with these friends, but this Saturday was particularly amazing. We laughed so much!!! The next day, we made a text thread of all the frugal suggestions we gave each other--cookbooks, free movies on youtube, etc--so we wouldn't forget them.
--It's spooky season! I switched up our decor using things we already had. The daybed/couch now has a black mattress cover, and our fall bed clothes are deep purple thanks to a RIT dye job a few weeks ago. We leave our "goth glam" throw pillows out year-round and have gold, purple, and black accents throughout the house, so it's an easy holiday swap.
--I updated my seed inventory notebook. I have so much, there's no need to restock next year, and there were several things I bought for fun--like pretty Rosa Bianca eggplant--which I totally forgot I had.
--Related, I'm preparing the yard and garden ready for fall planting. I wish I hadn't let the weeds get ahead of me in the flower beds, but life was just nuts for most of August. I'm using only what I already have to seed and move bulbs around for next year.
@N, any tips on what seeds to plant in the fall? I'm a newbie to fall planting but have a perennial flower garden I'm trying to establish. We live in zone 7a.
@Kristina M., I'm A big fan of bachelor's buttons (i.e. cornflowers) and bee balm (wild bergamot). They are durable and drought hardy once established, have a variety of colors, reseed on their own, and are great for pollinators and hummingbirds. They have a wide zone range, too, including yours!
@N, wonderful, thank you for the tips. I love cornflowers and bee balm sounds like a great choice as it's native to North America. Interesting that it is used to make mint tea as well.
@Kristina M., we are in Arkansas and collards and kale will grow great in the fall. Our near dead plants that suffered from summer heat will spring back to life. And one of my favorite soups to make is the Pioneer Woman's ham and collard soup.
@Kristina M., oops, I went on about veggies, not flowers.
@Joyce from Arkansas, that's okay! I've also thought about trying root veggies for the fall!
I noticed one of your pennies is a wheat penny. Growing up my Dad was a coin collector so my sister and i were too! You may already know this but some can be quite valuable (check ebay) but most are worth a penny!! Couldn't hurt to check 🙂
@Plaidkaren, I as going to say that I've not seen a wheat penny in ages!
Ok, gonna look it up! I'll report back in a few.
Update: mine is from 1950, but unfortunately it is not one of the rare ones. It is worth maybe $2, best case scenario.
@Plaidkaren, this was a first for me, but the other day at Hobby Lobby I paid with cash and they didn't have any pennies to give me back in change! The whole store was out of pennies, so they just rounded my change up to the next dime and I actually got three cents extra back. I'm seeing the future now that they've stopped making pennies, I believe.
It amazes me how different Goodwill stores can be from each other. We have a Goodwill Last Chance store which is like the Goodwill bin store you visited, but only clothing/material items are in huge table bins for customers to sort through. Then the items are discounted (not by the pound), I think maybe 25% off. I remember that I found some nice kids winter shovels that I was going to see if neighbors wanted (have 3 young kids & 1 adult winter shovel). I was shocked when I got to register to check out & they cost $15 each (in Summer).
Frugal Things---
● eating all food from home--eating down pantry & freezer. When I make a hole in (upright) freezer I moved things around to fill in hole so it still looks full & I'm not tempted to buy anything.
● did a pantry/clear tote storage bin clean out & only found few items to find homes for (I can't eat anymore because of ingredients list/taste). Found a big box of hot cocoa I bought extra of on sale $5 February (yeah!) which is now $9.50 (ouch)
● teen did curb pick up for me--found assortment of (15) outside planter pots & 3 kid/dog plastic (blue) pool (2 new 1 used). Will pick through pots I want to keep/use & donate remaining pots to teen old high school FFA plant sale (high school botany class grows plants & FFA sells the plants in Spring.
● saved $0.10/gallon on gas ($2.89) & found $0.05 on ground by teen gas pump when getting gas
● its been 80* in Michigan this last weekend & this week & only turned on tall tower fan, NOT AC
● recieved 45 clear plastic DIY ornaments from neighbor
Frugal fail---
● I was surprised that I received a statement/bill from the garbage service saying that I owed $42 due October 2025. When I tried to log into my account online I kept getting kicked back to log in & then stopped/blocked. I called garbage service yesterday & explained I already paid for garbage service for the year (May 2025-Apri 2026). Customer service said that this is new additional bill for service increase that takes effect October 2025 for all clients. That if I do not pay statement/bill by November 2025 that my garbage service will stop (even though I already paid until May 2026). According to Customer Service person I spoke with paying yearly doesn't guarantee price increase/adjustment.
@Regina, that's a terrible system. Do you have the contract, so you can check it? I mean, why pay in advance if it doesn't fix the rates? It's like giving them a free loan.
@Regina, I don't expect my annual payment to cover the entire year *if* an increase. Mine went up think it was last year, maybe year before - I was notified via email what month the increase took effect. I mailed in enough to get thru July (I pay August thru July). My service is small, family owned, aka no online account.
Truth be told my service should have raised their rate a long time ago. It was $16 per month until 2019 then $30 in 2023. A fraction of the corporate services who sponsor golf tournaments and other events.
Oh my gosh, seeing those Duplos unlocked so many memories of my kids being little. We once had a turtle-shaped Duplo container!
1. Making dinner at home, always. This feels like a cop-out to put this in my frugals list, but even with the rising cost of food, it's way cheaper and healthier than feeding the family with takeout. One of my sons was with me the other day when we were shopping, and he commented that our cart was full of ingredients, rather than "food", by which he meant the ready-made TV dinners. My one concession to snack foods is tortilla chips and Mike-sells puffcorn, for the weekends.
2. Library books--and scoping out the Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood, which have been offering some really great books lately.
3. Managed a 98 on my first A&P exam, using all free study aids. I have classmates who swear by Quizlet, but I'm stingy and don't want to pay for it. I study old-school style. 😉
4. I continue to bike to class; it's so much fun! I leave plenty of time to clean up and eat my packed breakfast before class while reviewing notes. Every bike trip is saved miles on the truck and saved gas.
5. Cobbled together meatballs to go with pasta last night, using a stack of burger patties I found in the freezer. I thawed them and mixed them with seasonings, and baked them in the oven. They were a hit; my oldest, who is not generally effusive, thanked me no less than three times for making dinner, so those meatballs will go in the rotation!
WOOHOOOO on the A&P score! Good job.
I used the free version of Quizlet a lot during school; I didn't even realize there was a paid version. Did the free option go away??
@Karen A.,
that's funny that your son said ingredients instead of food. My teen always saying we have no food & I start listing ingredients. I didn't get a response back. 🙂
@Kristen, I was under the impression that to upload your notes it costs something? I always see a button that says "try free upgrade" which makes me think that after a free trial they'll want a credit card. I learn better by physically re writing my notes, but I do like quizzes, so maybe I'll research some more. If you say the free stuff is valuable, and it worked for you, I'll try it again. 😉
@Kristen, I can take a few rounds of a quiz and then it says "you have 1 free round left. Upgrade to get more." I'm going to test it out and see if I close the page after doing the last free one, and then open it again, if it resets. I hate that they want $3 a month just to have access to some study materials.
@Karen A., When I was in my doctoral program, I had a statistics class across campus. I could easily park next to the building where my office was, but not where my stat class was. The class required a boatload of class materials. It was a lot to walk across campus and carry my briefcase … this was a while ago! So, on the days I had statistics, I would ride my bike to campus so that I could ride my bike across campus to my class. Class was on the fourth floor, but I always took the stairs. Those were excellent exercise days and probably helped a small bit to reduce the stress and anxiety this class and, especially, the professor caused.
@Regina, re: "ingredients" vs. "food": I'm reminded of an item from the Tightwad Gazette in which Amy D reported an exchange between a reader and her sister. The sister paid a visit, looked around the nicely stocked kitchen, and said, "How can you cook in here? There's nothing but ingredients!"
@PNW Casey, I always look forward to my ride to class. And on exam days, even more so because it definitely helps with stress! Good for you fitting in exercise on busy days; sometimes just making it part of the daily routine is necessary.
Not a very frugal weekend. To Urgent Care on Saturday because my R knee was more than fitful and I could not see being able to work on concrete floors. I don't know what the appointment cost as it is going thru Medicare and the secondary insurance. I do have sick pay, but it will be at the day shift hourly rate rather than the night shift rate. This check WILL however, have a bonus d/t working short staffed earlier in the week. All that said, I have not ventured out, other than the UC visit. I do have an appt w ortho on Thursday. (which seems like a hundred days away)
Since I confined myself to home, no $ was spent on going out. I am getting the oil changed in the car this morning, and while there will have a blinker light fixed and the handle put back on to the inside of the back hatch. At 4'10" if the car is not on an incline, I can't reach the hatch when it is open. Has required some serious finagling a couple of times to close it including asking someone else to get it for me. Frugal to maintain upkeep on the Escapade. Bunching errands and will also stop by the investment office to fill out some new forms after the car appt. Why do tax and insurance instructions have to be so difficult? I get more confused with instructions that are oversimplified than I do when they are in everyday vernacular.
I did shop online for my third (in several years time) watchband for my Wenger (Victorinox) watch. I have had a number of watches in my nursing career and this one by far has outlasted them all even though it is not waterproof per se. It does have military time. And the date, but that part is so little I can't see it.
I'll stop there, since I'm being so wordy.
I made a saucy chicken dish to use up my dried mushrooms and farmers market chard. Would make again! (Except that I rarely follow a recipe and generally invent dishes on the spot to use what I have.) details available upon request.
Cleaned up at a neighborhood street festival with a friend:
- $40 store credit (free bag to fill with any fabric or clothing, usually $20) + $20 store credit at Marine Layer, a store with high quality, soft, comfy clothes. He didn't want his credit so it's all mine (insert evil cackle).
- poke: free bowl + 50% off bowl = $6 dinner for the two of us.
- we didn't like juice samples but the little 3 oz glass jars will be useful.
- cookie samples from 3 different stores.
- afternoon outside in beautiful weather, with the dog.
Continued to exercise for free/no additional cost using the outdoors, hand-me-down hand weights, and the treadmill I bought new.
I bet your saucy chicken dish was a lot like the meals I throw together in the skillet!
@WilliamB, If you are so inclined, I would love to hear details. Chicken dishes, in general, are my fave, I am partial to sauces in any kind of dish.
@ErikaJS, Ditto.
@Lisa K, The key was simmering down the braising liquid into a gravy.
This dish is a Chicken-Mushroom-Chard Braise. You need dried mushrooms for this, fresh don’t have the same effect.
TL; DNR:
Saute onions. Make a low-temp braise of ingredients of choice - as long as they include rehydrated dried mushrooms and their liquid. When the braise is cooked, strain out the liquid, concentrate the liquid, add back to the braise.
FULL(ER) INSTRUCTIONS:
0) Optional: brine the chix beforehand. If you’re using a so-called dry brine (aka “salt it a lot”), then rinse before adding to the pot.
1) Prep dried mushrooms.
A) Hydrate dried mushrooms. Strain thru cheesecloth into a bowl (do NOT throw out the liquid) and squeeze out as much as you can. Save the liquid.
B) Now rinse the mushrooms well in a strainer, this time discarding the rinse water because this is where the inevitable grit ends up.
C) Chop the mushrooms into whatever size pieces suit you.
2) Saute onion and other aromatics (I used a bit of leftover celery) in some fat (I used guanciale from a deep corner of my freezer).
3) Add chopped chicken thighs (less delicate than breasts therefore are the better choice for simmering), mushrooms, any other veggies you choose, grains if you choose (I used up the last of the barley), mushroom liquid, and enough chicken stock or water to cover by maybe 1/2”.
4) Bring to a very low simmer; you should see constant gentle bubbles but nothing more than this. This low temp keeps the chicken from overcooking - it can’t get above 170F if the water’s 165F, right? (You *can* kill the chicken by cooking it too long but that takes hours rather than minutes at this low temp.)
5) Gradually add chopped chard, allowing it to shrink as it cooks before adding the next large handful. This is quicker than it sounds: it took less than 5 min for the pound of chard I used to shrink down.
6) Simmer till everything’s cooked, stirring occasionally and adding stock/water so it doesn’t burn. For me, this was when the barley was done so maybe 40 min.
7) Strain into a bowl, do NOT discard the liquid. Put the liquid back the pot and briskly simmer (or even boil) till it’s thick and you’re happy with the amount of liquid you have.
8) Add back to the braise and season to taste. Mine didn’t need anything other than the brined chicken and the concentrated mushroom flavor.
This comes out thick enough that you could put a FG-style fried egg on top.
@WilliamB, This sounds fabulous, thanks! My mother always had dried mushrooms in the pantry. Often, she had brought them back from trips to our country of origin. She was an incomparable cook. I can’t wait to try this.
@ErikaJS, Oh, yes, me, too. I have far too many jars of interesting foods from my travels. I’m trying to use them up.
FFT, “Better Than a Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick” Edition (this phrase was a favorite of DH’s):
(1) The Bestest Neighbors’ next-door neighbors to the south–with whom DH and I had a few skirmishes during our early years on the street, but who have become better friends more recently–presented me with a $50 Ollie’s gift card, for no particular reason. Maybe it was my recent birthday, or maybe it’s because I haul in their trash and recycling carts for them each week (they’re both in their mid-80s). Anyway, I took them some homemade basil vinegar, some lettuce from my Easy Washer planter, and some cucumbers from the big batch that another neighbor gifted me, and harmony and joy prevail.
(2) The package of salmon scraps ($2.99/lb.) I bought at Wegmans on Saturday included several pieces so large and meaty that I treated them like regular salmon and sauteed them with the last of my dill. Some of these went into the salad I made last night with some of the aforementioned lettuce and some of my cherry tomatoes.
(3) I went to LensCrafters Monday morning to order the new pair of glasses I’ve been prescribed, and caught an exceptionally good deal: 60% off both lenses and frames if you order “designer frames” (and the “designer frames” I chose were a modest pair of Ralph Lauren Polos that actually cost less out of the gate than some of the no-name frames I was looking at). So I got out of there under $400, which is much less than I usually spend, given my crazy prescription. (Believe me, I can’t expect to order glasses online and get away with it.)
(4) I’m finishing up two complete sets of my homegrown dried herbs: one for Grad School BFF (who is arriving for a visit on Thursday), and one for another grad school friend and his wife, with whom I’ll be staying before and after the JASNA Annual General Meeting in Baltimore next month.
(5) And the weather here has been so heavenly for the last week that I’ve had no reason to turn on either the AC or the heat. The less money I’m sending to National Grid, the better.
I love that your store sells the scraps of salmon!
@A. Marie,
I was not aware that Wegmans sold scraps of Salmon. And I, too, have kept money out of National Grid's pockets. 🙂
@Joyce, I've only found it at my local (DeWitt) store, and usually only on Fridays and Saturdays.
Your chickpea salad looks so yummy, I’ll try to make something similar for dinner today 🙂
1. Listed some clothes that I don’t wear anymore for sale (black knitwear don’t look good when we have a white dog that sheds all the time ;)) and sold most of it the same day.
2. Went fishing for two days and got a lot of cod (my favorite) and pollock (our dog’s favorite) and cusk and haddock that we’ll try to make fish cakes (don’t know if that’s the correct translation).
3. It’s so much blueberries this year and we’ve been busy making jam and syrup for winter. We have had unusual high temperatures for two weeks so all the berries and mushrooms is ready at the same time. Hopefully the blackcurrants and redcurrants in the garden will keep for a few more days before I have time to pick them.
4. I’ve had Marimekko tableware for many years and while it’s amazing quality it offers very few serving plates and such. And truthfully I’m just tired of resisting to buy the new patterns they release all the time.
So now I’ve sold all the plates and will sell the more collectible items in the winter when I have more time. Our «new» tableware is vintage (Pentik Halla) and not in production anymore so no more temptations and I’ll have fun hunting for missing parts at flee markets and thrift shops 🙂
5. Our bookshelves had started sagging under the weight and I finally found the String wall panels needed secondhand for expanding. I already had extra shelves and are using baskets and potted plants from other places in the house to «fill the gaps» needed to not exceed the weight limit. Getting rid of books was not an option 😉
I use this recipe as a starting point: https://marginmakingmom.com/chickpea-and-edamame-salad/
But I usually throw in way more vegetables than the recipe calls for, and I also switch up the veggies I use, depending on what's in my fridge.
@Gunn from Northern Norway,
Gunn, You don't by any chance have a blog, do you? I'd love to read more about life in Norway. 🙂
@Gunn from Northern Norway, wish you were local to me, I would gladly take some of the Marimekko vintage dishes of your hands! And a friend of mine is just selling 10 cups and saucers with dessert plates of the Pentik Halla!
@Kristen, thanks for the recipe!
@Kristen, thank you so much for the recipe! I’ve mistakenly bought un-salted edamame some time back, but in this salad they were perfect 🙂
@KJ, so funny to get this question today because in the morning I was reading through an blog which is closing at the end of the month and thinking this was so cozy, perhaps I should revive the old blog 😉 If it’s ok with Kristen, I’ll let you know in the comments if and when it happens 🙂
@Kristina M., I took a look at Etsy and it’s crazy the prices both vintage Marimekko and Pentik pieces are selling for! Or at least, the prices they are asking for 😉
Yes, yes, do share here if you revive it!
@Gunn from Northern Norway, when I go back home, I find lots of the pieces thrifting or vintage shopping. I like to combine different series if the color or style fits. My son also worked for a while in a shop that sold Pentik and I used his employee discount to buy a set of dishes I needed 🙂
@Gunn from Northern Norway, Would love the link if you revive it!
I haven't been particularly frugal lately, but I am spending intentionally...
I eat out far less often, cooking my meals at home. I am doing all of my own painting and any other home DIY's I can. Did a low cost spruce up to my bonus room, doing all of the work myself. Resisted buying a new scrub top yesterday. Got my free flu shot at work. Nothing exciting, just trying to make small thoughtful decisions about money. (:
We don't have the flu shots yet at my work! I feel like I remember us getting them later in September/early in October last year.
@Kristen, I've been told that because the flu shot's efficacy is about 6 months, and our flu season peaks in March, it's best to wait until early October. YMMV.
Oh, interesting. I suppose the flu might peak at different times in different areas of the country.
@JDinNM, I, too, have always heard it's best to get your covid and flu shots in October. But I'm taking a trip and will be on a plane in about 3 weeks so decided to get mine a little early. Hopefully I'll be protected from germy people! (smile)
I think I can do five just with our visit to the state fair, but there are a couple of definite fails in there . . .
--Admission to the fair the day we went was supposed to be $5/person if tickets were purchased online. I was all set to buy my tickets the day before and logged in to figure out their ticketing system, confirmed the $5 price . . . and then there was a possibility we could get free tickets and a parking pass from another family that was planning on coming home early from showing their animals. So I waited to get that information, only to be told their son's steer made the sale (yay for him!) and they would be staying. When I went back online to buy the tickets that night, only five hours later, the price reflected only the usual $5 discount for buying online, so they would be $15/person. There is no way to contact the fair about this third-party ticket seller, so I just bought them. Boo.
--We left at 7 a.m. for the three-hour drive so we could get there early. I packed breakfast for my kids for the car. I also brought our usual car snacks--jerky, nuts, etc.--which my kids ate on the way home.
--The only food or drink allowed in to the fair is sealed water bottles. I stopped at a gas station on the way to buy two new water bottles and brought those in for the four of us to share and refill at water filling stations. I hate buying those kind of water bottles, but the three dollars those cost me was way better than the prices at the fair for the same water bottles.
--I had planned on buying my three children their actual meals while we were there and was very lucky that it was a day with a promotion in which most major food vendors had one menu item for $5 until 4 p.m. So the three of them got a slice of cheese pizza for lunch. For dinner, I made sure to go to a vendor before 4 p.m. and got them bean and cheese burritos. They brought their own money to get ice cream or any other treat.
--I did buy one of those big cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade because it was SO hot and we were walking a lot. I bought one for all four of us to share, and I got the bigger size with two refills for $16, which was definitely the best deal. This was obviously not strictly necessary, as we had the water. But I don't regret a penny of that. Icy lemonade is hard to beat when you're really thirsty and tired. 🙂
Biggest frugal fail was the rides. My children had never before seen a roller coaster and really wanted to ride the one at the fair. I had told them they could ride one ride, and that's what they wanted. It was, of course, the one that required the most tickets. The tickets were either purchased on a debit card kind of thing, or on a day-long wristband for unlimited rides. Because we were only doing the one, I bought one of the cards for just enough for the roller coaster. For the four of us to ride the rollercoaster cost $30, after all the fees and everything. Unfortunately, we found the rides for adults/bigger kids didn't open until 2 p.m., and we had to get my son to his livestock judging competition at 1 p.m., so I told him we would wait for him. I shoved the card in my pocket. Bad idea. By the time he was done at 5:30 p.m., the card had come out of my pocket somehow. I had to buy another one. I was pretty annoyed with myself about that one.
But we still had fun! And I went into this knowing I would be spending more than I wanted to--even without stupid mistakes--so that's that.
I love that you are giving yourself grace about the ride card, and also that you prepared yourself beforehand for this being a more expensive than usual day!
@kristin @ going country,
What did the kids think of the roller coaster?
@Regina, One loved it, one hated it, one I'm pretty sure did not like it but wouldn't admit it. 🙂
So glad you got to experience the bin store! We have one near me and I love the hunt! Also like you I do a bit of organizing (love the Duplo story!) cause I just can’t help myself. lol.
1. I’m going to a conference this week. It’s close to home but my union is paying for hotel rooms so I get three nights in a hotel! All meals are covered as well. I’m taking my daughter, at no extra charge.
2. We have a fridge but no microwave in the room so I’m packing meat and cheese, crackers, tuna, milk and cereal and lots of snacks as most of our conference dinners are later in the evening than we typically eat.
3. Our theme for our gala event is a western theme so of course I picked up western wear on marketplace and thrift stores. And all the pieces fit nicely into our current wardrobes so we can wear them again.
4. Filled up my car with gas using 60 cents off a gallon from shopping at a local grocery store.
5. And like you, Kristen, I’ll wear the one Union t shirt that was given to me a year ago and hope I don’t spill anything on it! lol.
Yes, if you enjoy the hunt, the bins are totally worth a trip.
If you value efficiency, they are not. Ha.
DH is an Adult Fan of LEGO so it makes me happy to see you gathered the Duplos so someone will find them, buy them, and enjoy them.
FFT:
1. Made homemade granola to go with yogurt for breakfast.
2. Made 2 loaves of homemade bread using sourdough starter I got from a coworker. Shared one loaf with DD.
3. Our cherry tomato plants are still producing so I used some in chickpea salad I made for this week's work lunches.
4. I finished sewing a dino/dinosaur tail for grandson using materials I had on hand.
5. I continue to use my exercise streaming service to workout at home. I got a year subscription for less than the cost of one month gym membership.
I also have some travel related frugalities.
Went to a wedding this weekend and made a card for the couple that included our gift. Used discount gas when possible and did not get any gas in PA. PA added a tax on 1/1/25 that adds $.50 a gallon for state repair of roads. We always fill up before and after we hit PA.
Stayed at our daughter's over the weekend instead of a hotel.
We did a review to our favorite restaurant last week and it was not 100% favorable like usual, so the manager sent us a $30. on line order gift certificate. We cashed it in last night since my husband was working late and we had to drop off his car near there. Pizza and wings and it took the whole $30.00!
Will be taking my car in for an oil change tomorrow with a coupon that will save me approx $30.
Needed 1 more pair of jeans since I've been losing weight and I only have 2 pairs in a stack of jeans that fit. Went on line to Kohl's, and because I ordered on line, I got 15% off, then used a 30% off coupon together with a $10.00 off 1 time deal and free shipping. $40. jeans came to $12.50 + tax. I was going to pick up, but since they had free shipping, I will let them deliver.
@Maureen, thanks for the tip on PA gas. I'll be driving through PA next month, so this is good to know.
@A. Marie, even gas on the NYS Thruway is cheaper than in PA. If you do take the Thruway West, there is a Pilot Gas Station/Truck Stop near Dunkirk that had a decent price on gas. And close to the exit. However, you know the tolls on the Thruway, so it might be beneficial to check that also before getting off and back on.
I don't know Int. 81 in PA, however, because we try to avoid that like the plague.
Have a safe trip!
@Maureen,
Michigan is adding $0.30/gallon tax for roadways October 1st then increasing again January 1st to adjust with inflation. Not looking forward to increased prices.
@Maureen, Isn’t it fun to stack savings like that? I always feel extra clever when that happens.
@Regina, I'm glad my vacation to Mackinaw Island starts next week and not the following week. It is sticker shock at first.
Find all the places you can that discounts gas. We have a Circle K card that gives us .10 off a gallon; we also use Sheetz points; and our checking account has a gasoline cash back benefit for certain gas stations. Also if you subscribe to Walmart Plus, there is .10 off a gallon when you use the app.
1. I redeemed $75 in Amazon gifts card through a health/fitness app that my employer uses.
2. My mom dropped off a bunch of fruits, vegetables, breads, and baked goods. The apples were overripe, so I made lots of applesauce with them. I froze most of the baked goods for later use. I used some left over milk to make yogurt. I made and froze tomato puree using tomatoes from our garden. I made vegetable stock using veggie scraps/peels.
3. I picked up 4 tickets (worth $65) off Buy Nothing to our city's minor league baseball team. I brought a water bottle to fill. It was a fun and frugal night.
4. I scheduled COVID and flu vaccines for my whole family
5. Someone had free gourds at the side of the road from their garden. I grabbed a whole bunch to decorate our yard.
@Corrine, you have a wonderful Mom always bringing you food. 🙂
I also would feel the need to organize the bin at Goodwill. I pick up clothes at the thrift store that have fallen off the hangers and hang them back up.
My frugal five are mostly about cooking, because eating all your meals at home is very frugal:
Used the last of a bag of cornmeal and a box of gluten-free flour to make muffins for our lunch. Both ingredients had been open a good while and needed to be used up. Also used up a can of generic Rotel tomatoes approaching its best by date to make chili. The tomatoes were bought at Ollie's Outlet earlier this year.
DH did not eat the last good-sized chunk of roast chicken, so I chopped it up and added it to the "make a casserole" basket of odds and ends in the freezer.
The Early Girl tomato plant in the container garden was giving up the ghost with a dozen tomatoes still attached, so I picked them all and put them in a rolled up brown paper bag to ripen. It's working, so I will have tomato sandwiches for a while yet.
Reading an e-book for book club that cost only 99 cents, thanks to the wishlist feature on Bookbub, which me know it was on sale.
We use color catcher sheets in a lot of our laundry because DH and DS do not separate their clothes before washing. Once the sheets have been through the washer and dryer, they make nice little dusters.
Tidiers are gonna tidy, no matter where they are. 😉
@Ruby, you probably already know about this--but put an apple or a banana in the bag with the tomatoes, and they'll ripen even faster. Apples and bananas give off ethylene gas, which ripens tomatoes. (Every time I think of this, I start doing a Chuck Berry imitation: "Oh, Ethylene, why can't you be true?...") 😛
@A. Marie, I do but don't have an apple or banana right now. My guys won't eat them and I rarely buy them for just myself. This is a very heavy bag and it seems to be doing the trick.
@Ruby,
Thanks for the tip about dusting with color catcher sheets. I used those bc I live alone and most of the time, it's cheaper not to have to do separate loads of laundry. I've been taking my color catchers out of the washing machine and throwing 'em away wet. But I will try drying them and using them to dust with.
@Ruby, like you, I hang up fallen clothing at thrift shops. I also scoot things around so that similar colors are together! I could spend an entire afternoon just arranging at a thrift shop, but thankfully, I don’t have the opportunity or people might show up in white coats to take me away.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, my worst "must organize" habit is picking up stuff out of place at Dollar Tree and putting it all in one open spot in the shelf so that the staff just has one pile to scoop up and sort out. Everyone who works there is so nice, so there's method to my chaos-fighting madness.
For my son's personal finance class (new to our high school which is under new admin), he had to have a parent fill out a money management interview. It was interesting that it was much like the Meet a Reader questions.
In any case, one of my answers specifically pointed to county fair and state fair which, amen, Kristin, are NOT frugal no matter how frugal you want to be about it. All you can do is expect it.
I mainly wanted to chime in because I finally was to an Aldi, first time ever, so I finally tried the cottage cheese! Is it the influence of my grandma that I can't ever have a fridge without cottage cheese? Not sure, but I'm on board. I guess it's good that I like the nearby stores' brands because I wasn't actually super impressed with Aldi's. And the hot dogs procured on purpose for a team meal were also meh (though, granted, I don't like hot dogs anyway).
To me the real buys were the sliced cheese for sandwiches — smoked cheddar, and Havarti. Good price, good cheese. I'll take that any day of the week. Good prices on milk and eggs as well. If I hadn't been there with my husband's dad, I might have browsed the wines a little bit to see what there was. Maybe the chance will come again.
Oh, that is so interesting you didn't like their cottage cheese! It's been by far my favorite of all the name brands and store brands I've tried.
@Kristen, I was surprised too! I wanted to add cream to it, which jussssst about defeats the purpose.
Oh, do you prefer a cottage cheese with more liquid in it?
@Kristen, yes, that milk/whey/cream/whatever is an asset in my eyes — I like using cottage cheese to stick stuff together, like honey nut cheerios or green salad, and also in things, like in chili.
And also, given where I live, I strongly suspect all store brands and name brands come from the same production facility, so they're all alike. I suppose, in light what I'm used to, that of course any change is going to be pretty noticeable. Plus maybe if I were going to use the cottage cheese for the pancakes from the other day, it would be a clear plus to have it less liquidy.
Not that I've thought about this or anything. Heh
@Kristen, I can't wait!We have TWO Aldis opening with 2 miles of my house in the coming months! I'll go for their bagels alone. I've also heard that they have a bread that rivals have a Dave's killer bread. My sister loves that.
I had my comments all but finished and my computer backup battery went off and I lost it all. So, here I go again.
1. Made sure to use up all of the large bag of asparagus from Costco before it went bad.
2. Used saved-up meaty chicken backs to cook in the pressure cooker for requested chicken and dumplings for DD#2, whose birthday is next week but she'll be out of the country on her birthday. It only took 25 minutes under pressure to cook the chicken and make the broth, and I used the basket insert for the backs, to avoid having to fish bones out of the broth.
3. My vet's office now charges 4% to use a debit or credit card, so I'm glad I keep my checkbook on me. I've been glad several times that I keep checks on hand.
4. I needed to buy snacks for the vulnerable youth monthly party, and found a variety of cheese stick packs BOGO at the store. The kids ate a lot of them.
5. I bought a large bag of mixed wild bird seed and a bag of split peanuts for my sister at a store here, since there isn't one of those stores where she lives. At the same time I also renewed my store membership that gives me a discount on every purchase. Renewing my membership took the price of the bag of split peanuts off my ticket, so she got a five pound bag of peanuts for free, a discount on the bag of mixed seed, and I get the points for her purchase. Of course, she reimbursed me for the seed. (I get $10 off every time I reach a certain number of points.)
Bonus: DD#2 brought some dark chocolate back from Iceland for her chocoholic mama. Dark chocolate with black lava salt and a touch of hot red pepper flakes... so good. It's called "Volcano" chocolate.
@JD, that is a very creative chocolate. The heat sounds awful to me, but lots of people would like that. I wonder where Iceland imports its cocoa from. . . it fascinates me to hear of so many people visiting a country that no one heard of outside of geography classes when we were kids.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
My daughter loved her trip to Iceland with her best friend. They swam in a lagoon, whale-spotted, rode four-wheelers, hiked to water falls, walked rocky beaches and had a blast. Iceland sees a lot of tourists these days, she said.
And I like the spicy chocolate!
1. I got a free live sound production class when I had to buy new sound equipment for my show. I also purchased a warranty just in case this speaker dies mid show like the last one, I'm not shelling out money on a replacement.
2. I uploaded a receipt into Ibotta the second the self checkout spit it out instead of forgetting about it until it is too late to redeem.
3. I've gotten the hang of food shopping storage, and use for one person while camping with a cooler. My food waste has been only one half empty container of water logged hummus.
4. I took in a bunch of mending from fellow faire participants as a side hustle.
5. To cheer myself up on a VERY bad day, I drove to Frankenmuth,MI to a huge Christmas store because Christmas trees make me happy. I only bought the paper tea bags I planned to get and lunch which is saying something since I was in a cute tourist town full of impulse purchases
@Lazy Budget Chef, we are heading to Frankenmuth on Saturday! I had never heard of it until I read about it on a FB page - Visit All 50 States (Kristen I hope you follow that page to keep track of what to see in those remaining states!). We are actually heading to Mackinaw Island and our stop for the night is near Frankenmuth. I am excited to see the "Largest Christmas Store". And I'm bringing cash, which is limited, so hopefully I can curtail the spending. I really do not need anymore Christmas items.
Any suggestion for a good German restaurant for dinner?
@Maureen, there are restaurants right there by Frankenmuth that are German food. They also have a hotel close by. Plus a Culver's close by.
Check out the Fudge shop in Mackinaw city (before bridge) before going home. Usually have a buy 3 get 1 free & SOOO MANY FLAVORS. Be sure to bring your jacket or sweatshirt as it gets cool at night & on ferry ride to island.
@Maureen,
It is a fun store! They sell the huge Christmas decorations you see in malls, city centers, etc.
I'm in the area because I'm performing at the Michigan Renaissance Festival
@Maureen, The Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth has good German food. Have a great time!
I am "Blue Apron" now to Farmer Hubby as he loses weight. I need to have 14 days of meals and snack all categorized while I travel to South Africa. I used ChatGPT with his calories and macro nutrient requirements to print a menu that can be either frozen or refrigerated. Then off to Grocery outlet to find the best bargains.
1. I bought one pound packages of pork carnitas and chicken breast and froze them . Yesterday I split them up into individual servings and then added a 1/2 chicken bone broth rice previously frozen I made in the rice cooker. ( This adds protein.) I used my foodsaver to seal the meal up and write on it "dinner."
2. I foodsavered servings of high protein granola and taped them to frozen smoothie bowls. I wrote on them breakfast.
3. I made frozen wraps ( low carb tortillas of ham and blue cheese and chicken bacon ranch.) I wrote lunch on the food savered bits.
4. In a shoe box I collected 200- 250 calorie high protein items ( yogurt drink, cracker barrel cheese and crackers, protein bar, cheese bites taped to individual portions of carrots) on the box I wrote "snacks pick two."
5. The only Sam's club addition was Fairlife chocolate protein milk.
Hubby is a super smart dude but he is in the middle of Harvest right now. I am not a cook but I will do what I can. He brought me a floral arrangement yesterday and told me nothing I have ever done has made him feel my love for him more than helping him with food.
Aww, I love his level of appreciation for what you are doing for him!
@Mary Ann, I am stunned by two things: the adventuresome travel you’ve embarked on since retiring and the degree of organization and planning you are doing for your husband while away. Wife of the Decade award goes to Mary Ann!!
@Mary Ann, You are being a good and supportive partner.
We have had a very unfrugal week. We are tackling the sunroom/den remodel (drywall the old painted over brick and panel walls). We are doing the work ourselves so that is frugal. DH squatted to do something and pretty sure he tore a ligament in his knee. He has a long history of knee issues and is currently being seen for his other knee. I hate that he has now hurt his "good" (or better?) knee. That was a copay at urgent care. I passed a goodwill on the way home from goodwill and ran in quick to see if they had a walker. They had a new one for $7. We had a brace at the house. Ortho is getting him tomorrow due to someone cancelling which is great since it was going to be next week.
While doing the demo we realized one of the vents/ducts in that room was losing a ton of air through a gap in the vent work. We fixed it before DH was hurt.
I've been digging flowers/bulbs up all over the yard as they bloom. They come up randomly all over so I have been grouping them into flower beds for next year. This week I've seen 4 spider lillies and marked them so I can dig them up when they die back. I've moved and given away 100s of daffodils this year.
We had a movie night with the kids this past weekend. We did build your own burritos. Much more frugal than 5 adults going out to eat...and much more comfortable for all of us to just come here.
I switched insurance companies for a property half way through the year that was much cheaper. I received my refund from my escrow account yesterday when they finally adjusted the payments.
Aww, I hope your hubby's knee is better soon!
@Marlena, My experience is that many ortho and PT places have spare equipment to give away or loan out. They’re also a good place to donate what you no longer need.
Good luck to you guys.
I LOVE the bins. I do reselling, so I go there often to get inventory to resell, but I also get tons of clothing for me, my daughter, and my granddaughter for literally pennies. (Each item typically averages out to about $1.25 per item.) It's a great place to source items if you have the patience.
1. I sliced some bananas that were getting too ripe and coated them in diluted lime juice (to keep them from turning brown) before freezing them flat, so I can take out the pieces a few at a time for smoothies.
2. I cooked dry pinto beans and put them in two containers, one in the fridge for this week and one in the freezer for later.
3. I baked cornbread from scratch.
4. I froze half a bottle of orange juice for later.
5. I searched for several movies I wanted to see and added those that are included with my streaming services to my watchlists so I'll remember to watch them there. I also rented the new Superman movie using Google Play credit earned from doing surveys.
Last night I attended my second Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Class. Love/like everything about it: the facilitators, my classmates, the resources and course work. It is just all good and I am soooo optimistic that this is going to be life changing in the best possible way. I never learned how to responsibly handle my resources. Know nothing about investing. I have been working on finances full throttle for a year to bring expenses down to essentials. At 74 with some serious health issues I am getting real about what I need to do to care for my future. This group has been a blessing, a community I love visiting daily, and so helpful in countless practical ways. Have a blessed week everyone.
@AZ Lynn, Dave Ramsey’s organization is phenomenal, and Big Fat Kudos to you for participating! Not only do you learn very practical helpful things, but it is just fun.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Thank you so much for your kind words. It is also so true. The man is remarkable at what he does, but he is also hilarious! Have a wonderful rest of the week.
@AZ Lynn,
Hubby and I decided a while back to make Dave Ramsey's book, "Financial Peace" part of a standard gift we give for weddings. We also usually include $100 -$150 and a cute ceramic wall hanging I found which has beautiful artwork and the saying, "And they lived happily ever after" which artist hubby personalizes on the back.
So first I can update that the photo I took is now on my passport. That saved me $8+ and the government accepted it. So that's nice.
1. Used a gift card we bought discounted to go to Red Robin.
2. Renewed our season passes to Six Flags for next year. It's a good deal if you go a few times and while it's more for our child, I do enjoy it a bit too. We get lots of walking in too.
3. Went to Costco and stocked up on some things for lunches and allergy meds. We did splurge on some things but it's all in our budget so it's all good. I figure since we're at the point of saving something like 50% of my paycheck between retirement and other cash savings and investments that if we can afford some fun stuff, we may as well.
4. Also at Costco they had those Sketchers that kids can get on and off easily and they were $20 which is a lot cheaper than I've seen them elsewhere. My daughter is very happy to have them.
5. Packing lunches, hanging stuff on the clothesline while I still can, cooking a ham to eat leftovers on all week etc.
@Battra92,
If you are saving half your paycheck, then you are a umpteen-degreed black belt in frugality. I am green with envy! And I applaud you!
@Battra92, I’ve read here that cooking a ham creates leftovers that last much longer than a week (hence, your “etc.”, perhaps?)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, it was a 9lb ham I found in the freezer so yeah ... even my family will be eating off of it for a while. Some is most likely going back in the freezer for later.
@Fru-gal Lisa, It's taken a long time to get to this point and my wife also has a really decent job. The biggest wins have been paying off my mortgage, having zero car payments (though we are actively saving to replace my wife's car when it dies in the future) and having our child age out of daycare.
@Battra92, during one summer, we paid more per month for qualified child care (aka state licensed and periodically inspected) than our mortgage. Thankfully that was a) the only time and b) I made use of the $5K pre-tax childcare benefit offered by my employer every year we had child care costs.
@Selena, It came close for us the last year (Covid really messed up everything but not the least of which was childcare costs.) We ended up sending her to a summer camp with some friends the summer before Kindergarten and it was so much cheaper.
In the past week we
- listed a low wooden bench for free pick up, Marketplace. It was picked up on the same day by a Gran , for her grandkids.
- brought other items to the thrift shop.
- were gifted a zucchini that we grilled.
- ate the last grapes from our grapevine, delicious and sweet.
- reorganized our pantry shelves and came up with some near expiry date or overdue items that we are now using up. Tinned herring from 2018 or sardines from 2022 anyone? The tins do not have dents and are not rusty so if they are no funky smells, I will use the contents. But it is a good reminder to stock up hugely only on foods that you use frequently anyway.
Plus I made a large batch of pasta sauce and canned the bigger part, for those days when even defrosting takes too much time.
@JNL, I have things in my pantry that are definitely older than that. As long as the container is undamaged, I’ll use it. “Best by” doesn’t mean “Not good after”.
@WilliamB, I'd use caution on canned tomato products however. What I deem "whole foods" is one thing but pudding mixes etc. don't get a lot of leeway from me.
I also think the age of the consumer is another factor. I'll use a box of cornbread mix that is 3 years old but IMHO, not an option for my closer to 90 than 80 father.
@JNL - yes, stock up on things you frequently consume. I need to cull spices and a few other baking supplies. As I've grown older, I have less of a sweet tooth. Dark chocolate yes, chocolate chip cookies not really.
1. Went out to breakfast with my husband on my birthday. Learned at the end of the meal that the restaurant offers three free pancakes to the birthday celebrant. It doesn’t have to be on the exact day, just whenever one is celebrating, so we’ll take advantage of the offer next time.
2. Friend came over for a baking session since her oven is broken. We made sandwich bread, carrot-raisin muffins and peach bars. She is a phenomenal baker and I learned several tips/tricks for making bread.
3. Same friend gave me a birthday gift of olive oil and champagne vinegar. She knows me well.
4. Renewed my membership in Friends of the Library and received a coupon for $5 off a purchase at the library’s used bookstore.
5. Drove my husband to the airport to avoid parking fees. Shopped at the natural foods co-op that was nearby.
@MB in MN,
If the restaurant is in a chain, could you go to a nearby (same chain) restaurant and get your 3 free pancakes there? You can celebrate your birthday again!
@Fru-gal Lisa, this is a local restaurant with multiple locations. Hope Breakfast Bar for those of you in the Twin Cities.
Love hearing tips on frugal travel or what others are doing as frugal fun!
1. Biggest frugal win by far is that my husband was able to bring home a free laptop from his office which is closing. He also brought home a water bottle, phone stand and portable charger with company logos.
2. I also use give-away t-shirts during yardwork or as PJs, provided they are made of breathable cotton. My son was really into screen printing for a while, and I have a collection of his PJ shirts with screen image art on them.
3. Went to a vintage market fair with high expectations but refrained from buying anything. A dress was tempting but too expensive without trying it on and an attractive plant stand was just too expensive, period ($50!).
4. Used some coupons: stocked up on toiletries from CVS on discount and coupons. Also used a coupon on a frozen yogurt and biked to the frozen yogurt shop with my son, so we made a whole outing out of it.
5. For father's day, I gave my husband a book on bike repairs and he has already put it to use on fixing two of our bikes that have needed some work. Biking is a big hobby of ours and we are lucky to have a good relationship with a local bike shop that is into helping customers save money, but sometimes it's also nice to be able to do it yourself.
we always carry an empty metal water bottle with us and refill it behind security. then we just purchase the gallon jugs if we want to refill when we get where we are going.
Aww, Kristen, everywhere you go you are always thinking of other people. Some frazzled, cash-strapped parent will really appreciate your duplo efforts. 😉
Or maybe some reseller! But either way, hopefully the Duplos will eventually end up with a kid somewhere. 🙂
OK, traveling Frugal Girl, you've inspired me. Haven't traveled in a while, but here's what I used to do:
When I moved to Florida, I'd come home to Texas for visits. I'd fly Southwest. They had a direct (not non-stop) from Orlando to Austin. (Actually it went from Miami to Orlando to Atlanta to Birmingham to Houston to Austin to Phoenix and to a few stops in California, IIRC.) It was cheaper than a non-stop, and I didn't need to get off and catch another plane.
Since it is a discount carrier, Southwest didn't have movies or anything. So I'd buy a couple of paperbacks from a used book store to entertain myself en route. (These days, I'd just get them from a Little Free Library). When done, I'd leave them for someone else. Just make sure the books are long enough to last you from Point A to Point B.!
Meanwhile, the Tightwad Gazette said a lot of cheap(er) travel can be had if you catch a plane to Vegas, change planes, and then go to the west coast (or wherever else) from there. The same can be true of Orlando, and the huge jumbo jet "Disney specials" the big airlines fly down there.
Since I was visiting relatives, I'd pack up my clothes in a sturdy cardboard box and mail them to my folks. Didn't have to worry about checked/lost baggage. I only took a carry-on, with toiletries, makeup and a change of clothes in there -- just in case. I didn't do this, but I'm thinking you could jam more in to a smaller box if you used those "suck the air out" bags for your clothes.....as long as there was laundry facilities and an iron in the place where you're going. (I understand the stuff gets super wrinkled up.)
My other travel tip is if anyone from a cold-weather region is going to Disneyworld this winter, take a big, mostly-empty suitcase. Then go thrifting. Florida thrift stores have oodles of heavy coats, sweaters, woolens and winterwear for sale cheap. People moving from "UpNawth" tend to overestimate how many warm clothes they need and they donate 'em. But other Floridians don't need that stuff either. (My friend did this and got almost a whole winter work wardrobe for pennies on the dollar. Nice stuff, too! She visited one Xmas after college graduation. She'd just gotten hired for a corporate job starting in January and needed upscale attire. What she saved on her clothes more than paid for her trip. Actually, her ticket was a graduation present.)
Oh, and no matter what time of year or where you're from, thrifting allows you to buy souvenir T-shirts for, well, thrift store prices. Much cheaper than the 20 or 30 bucks or more that the "attractions" (tourist spots) will charge. When I visited a pal in California, we went thrifting and I filled my suitcase with 50 cent t-shirts and hoodies. (Just happened to catch a sale). Some didn't even feature a California place: I got my Grand Canyon tee on that trip. Of course, you can use this trick at home, as well, for your school spirit shirts, fun run shirts and destination tees. Among other things.
My drugstore sells TSA-approved travel-sized bottles for the airlines these days and also sample size stuff such as mouthwash, hairspray, etc. Our cosmetics dept. also sells "travelos," which are small perfume/cologne containers they'll fill (and keep refilling) with your favorite fragrance. Save those small size containers and (re-)fill with your own stuff next trip. You can also get some small shampoos, conditioners, body wash, etc., intended for guests, in the hotel or motel rooms. (Don't forget their shower caps work well as plastic covers for bowls in your refrigerator back home.)
When visiting my kinfolks, I asked them to get me some big bottles of Treseme' shampoo and conditioner and cans of hairspray and anti-perspirant from Walmart. I paid them back, of course, and they kept those items for each time I visited.
We had a less than frugal weekend – we traveled to Sonoma to attend a fundraiser for an organization my husband volunteers for which just happened to fall the day before my birthday. It was a wonderful weekend and I’m so happy we went.
• My son used his summer earnings to purchase a bass guitar. It wasn’t sounding quite right so I gathered up what he needed to bring it to the guitar store for a free tune up.
• I made sure to grab the snacks on the plane even though I wasn’t hungry enough to eat them. Most have ended up in my son’s lunchbox which is perfect.
• My parents stayed at our house while we were gone to watch my son and one of the dogs. We did send the puppy back to his bootcamp/boarding place because he can be a lot to handle if you aren’t used to him. Only boarding one dog is very helpful and we are so thankful that my parents are always ready to help.
• I gave the fridge a good clean out the day after we got home and made my menu based on what we had on hand. My parents are welcome to anything in the kitchen when they stay (no need for them to buy food when we have it) so I never know what is in the fridge when I get home.
• I’ve happily been plowing through my TBR pile – I love browsing the books at the airport but no need to buy a book when there are so many on a bookshelf at home or waiting on my kindle.
I have to know -- have you used the Owala water bottle yet?
Yes ma'am, I have!
I love seeing your takeout pint container on the plane. I know a sandwich is the usual cheap plane bring-from-home fare, but I also prefer leftovers from a tossable container.
1) I resisted the very powerful urge to buy books last week. Books are my weak spot when it comes to frugality. Last week I made a list of all the books I need to finish my manuscript. Oh, what fun it would have been to just order them all on Amazon. It's for work! They would not be THAT much! I would be so much more productive to have them in print form! All the reasons reared themselves. But I took a breath, reserved almost all at my university library, realized I already owned one of the books I was about to buy, found a perfect book for my son at our local library, and didn't order one thing.
2) On the subject of books, I check the little free library on the way to the kids' school each morning. One morning last week I found a book that I actually need for teaching! You better believe she came home with me.
3) Last week I scheduled doctor's appointments and vaccination appointments for almost everyone in the household. Today I scheduled one kid to go to the doctor about his eczema flair-up. Our daughter will start ABA therapy next week. These are all things we need to get done, but also, all these healthcare things are free for us right now. It did not feel frugal to pay our entire out of pocket annual max in early February, but since then I have been going to doctors and getting prescriptions willy nilly. I will also renew all prescriptions in December in the hopes of not starting 2026 by paying thousands of dollars immediately.
4) Our daughter had a growth spurt this summer and grew out of most of her wardrobe. I was tempted to buy her some church dresses on Thredup this weekend, but I decided against it. I'm not 100% sure of the size, so before I order things that are difficult to take back, I will stop by Goodwill when I am out that way on Friday and get a couple of dresses in shapes and sizes I think will fit her. Once I get a better sense of what will fit her body now, and what she likes, I will feel more confident buying a bunch of dresses with only pictures and sizes to guide me.
5) I menu-planned based off of the contents of the freezer. I ended up not grocery shopping yesterday and instead made the kids burgers and a fish and grits meal for my husband and me to use up the last two pieces of cod from last week and some grits from the stash of food my mother in law gave us months ago. I did have to grocery shop today, but I am glad we spent one more day cleaning out the freezer and fridge first.
Ooh, a wheat penny! That could be valuable!
I totally agree with bringing your own food on a trip. I packed a sandwich and an orange before a recent flight. My husband bought airplane food. It was salty and expensive. Packing ahead wins!
@Daisy, A quick online perusal tells me most of them are worth $.15 or less. I have a jar of them, I wonder if it’s worth counting them up.
Just last week someone told me about the Goodwill bin shopping. Sounds daunting, but fun with a friend. I won’t look for one of those places unless I am with someone who also enjoys the thrill of the hunt.
While visiting a friend in an almost coastal town, we did a bit of thrifting. I found a black skirt for an upcoming wedding (the bride requested all guests wear black—What in the world. . .??), a sheer white blouse to wear with sleeveless tops (because Kimono Arm ain’t pretty), a pair of quick-drying pants with zip-off legs (never wore these before and didn’t want to pay full price brand new in case they are uncomfortable), and a high-end jumper which I will wear today.
One of the stores was an American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in a very swanky town (by Pebble Beach) and it was the fanciest thrift store I’ve ever seen. They were playing a radio station of songs from the ‘70s, when my friend and I were in high school, and it had the desired effect. We sang along, laughed, and lingered.
Thrifting in a swanky area is awesome, because wealthy people's cast-offs are pretty dang nice most of the time!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I've been to that shop! It is very nice!
@Kara, like a miniature Nordstrom. 😎
I love that you also pack plane food! Healthier and MUCH cheaper. I also keep plastic silverware and store some in my car for just in case situations.
1. This week I attended our state fair. Typically I buy a discount admission package unless we attend on opening day which is free for the first 2 hours with a school supply donation. This year though, it's the 125th anniversary and I happened to see a $1.25 admission promo available for just a day, so, 2 tickets at $1.25 each was a huge savings!
My daughter and I split a BBQ chicken lunch and an elephant ear. We each only bought 1 scone, instead of purchasing a bag for home (they've gone up soooo much in price!). We opted for the cheaper kid cone at the dairy barn. Fair "fails"... I paid almost $40 for a tire repair the morning of, because all of our local Les Schwabs had 2+ hour waits (worth it though to get to the fair!). Also, we each bought leather cross body purses, which I'll use tomorrow on my trip.
2. Trip related: rather than choosing a Costco package this year (very nice amenities and transportation, but definitely more costly hotels) I selected and purchased all hotels via various websites or the hotel sites and all have breakfast so we can start our day with a good meal, making it easier to have a light lunch or skip it.
3. I purchased Eurail passes on sale, and carefully calculated the number of days we'd use, and could buy just a 7 day pass. I did opt for the first class upgrade (not a huge $ difference) giving us lounge access (would have been nice last year with a 3 hour delay in Florence), and of course, nicer seats. The pass means if we don't get the train we planned on, it won't cost anything to change - so no extra $ wasted.
4. I researched the places we were going and looked into whether city passes were a good deal or not. We will end up only getting one in Salzburg, which basically admits you to everything. Since there's a specific celebration that week, all transportation is free! I also, found combo tickets for certain galleries, museums and palaces that ended up saving $ in Vienna, and bought an inexpensive discount pass which will help with others and dining.
5. When I was purchasing airfare, I was looking at the cheapest, convenient (ie shorter layovers) flights each way on a variety of airlines. I almost accidentally looked to see what a round trip on Delta was for Comfort+ (more leg room), and discovered that the 2 tickets were about what I paid for 1 last year! Big savings!
While travel isn't necessarily cheap, and we opt for conveniently located hotels, I've kept it all within the budget so far.
6. Purchased 4 pr of shoes for the trip, hoping to find a second option for my troublesome feet. Decided none were worth keeping so I'm returning all today. I also had purchased a pr from Nordstrom Rack. Turned out to be identical to one I'd ordered, but maybe last year's model? I'm keeping that one since it was cheaper.
7. I took advantage of my birthday rewards and got free Starbucks, 2 Nothing Bundt Cakes (one from an email and 1 from the app!), a free Pizookie at BJ's, and I'm heading out to get a Panera pastry for my flight tomorrow.
8. Skipped grocery shopping and have been eating down the fridge in preparation for being gone 17 days. Unfortunately, there will be a couple of losses, but I'm not consuming 6 containers of yogurt tonight! Overall, I did pretty well.
@Dawn in WA, freeze the yogurt! I often do that!
Sometimes if I am getting coffee or food with a gift card and end up with a low amount (less than $2), I usually hand it to the person in line behind me for them to finish it up.
@Kim, such an easy way to spread kindness!
1. I’m still keeping track of our yearly health rewards which is money that we receive for activities like getting a yearly checkup or a flu vaccine, watching wellness webinars, etc. DH will be able to max out his this week when he has a checkup and mine is also close.
2. I took inspiration from another commenter a while ago and finished up a conditioner that didn’t work for my hair by instead using it as a shaving cream. I’m so glad to have the conditioner out from underneath the bathroom sink, and now I can go back to my favorite olive oil soap bar.
3. DH was granted telework from home two days a week! This saves him an hour of commuting a day (not to mention gas, time, etc.) and he much prefers to be at home than at the office. He was originally hired at 4 days/week telework but we are grateful to have even 2 days now.
4. As the weather has turned cooler I’m back to my overnight-soaked steel cut oats for breakfast. We’ve also been able to open the windows in the morning to let in cool air which has reduced our AC use. Oh, and I’m using up some frozen coconut meat in my oatmeal. DH had bought a coconut to open with our curious toddler and I am slowly finishing it up this way.
5. I finished a loose-leaf tea that my mom gave me ages ago.
6. I picked up a free 4-pack of cookies from the local convenience store (free offer via their app) before I redeemed a free car wash. It was nice to wash the grime and bugs off the car after a recent long road trip.
@Lindsay B, I find the reneging on WFH to be a pox on corporate America. I have signed documents from my employer that I was hire FT WFH. Not that any of their "hubs" are close to me. Sad to say we've lost a lot of talent due to RTO - miles from office does not equate to time on road. If I wasn't close to working 3 days a week/retiring, I'd have been long gone too. Those that left not only got WFH but substantial pay increases.
1. I sewed doll clothes for my daughter's birthday using old t-shirts.
2. I took my daughter to the thrift store so she could use her store credit to buy birthday gifts for her siblings.
3. I made sure we used the puny produce from our very dry garden.
4. We ate leftovers, as always.
5. I made bread and such things at home. Mostly. Okay, some. We bought some store rolls and flour tortillas for convenience sake because our kitchen was supposed to be torn up yesterday. Now it won't be for another week or two?
1. Listed some things for sale on OfferUp. A few things sold the first day. Had three sales in one day. One of the items was a larger purchase (digital piano) and someone had been lowballing me and I almost took the offer because I wanted to make sure it actually sold. I didn't take them up on it because online I was reading what to expect and they were way under. The person was pretty aggressive about bargaining and not budging from their offer multiple times. I'm glad I waited because we sold it to the perfect family for a fair price to both them and us. So awesome to get things into hands that can use them.
2. Right before paying for my iced tea, checked the app and redeemed a reward for a free one!
3. All the sudden, all of my means to pressure cook (instant pot, rice cooker, pressure cooker) all decided to make a huge mess everytime I wanted to make dal. I'm Indian so it's frequently enough to where it was becoming an inconvenience. In my frustration was about to get rid of the instant pot and the pressure cooker and order a new one but instead looked to see if I could find replacement parts and the manufacturer had them for the pressure cooker! So instead of being out ~$75, I'm only out $12.
4. Saw some good prices on some things I can use for gifts for a couple different holiday exchanges so I bought it now.
5. Loaned my parents a bunch of things they'll need for a trip so that they don't have to buy anything.
I'm pretty excited because I just got a set of 2 refillable travel size toothpaste tubes! (The brand name for these is "Matador.") I'd never seen any like this before. I love that they will save me money on having to buy travel size toothpaste tubes, and also that I will be able to travel with a mini of my favorite toothpaste brand (which sadly doesn't come in travel size tubes).
It is truly a delight to view your thrifty ways. This is a mind set and so much fun in the hunt. Yes, the Goodwill bins are great. And two pennys and as my Mom said when you find a penny it means you will always have money in your pocket. Yes the humble penny. Thanks for sharing with me and having so much fun. I make my own coffee at home and bring it with me. Just too pricey to purchase c
If you’re close to a Panera I’ve had the sip club for $3 a month for about 6 months. Good way to use the remainder of your card- free drinks.
My five frugal things:
1. I got a package of 3 swaddlers for my soon to be here grandson for $7 from Kohls. I had more Kohls cash then I thought. I wonder how much it will be to send it to Singapore.
2. I bought myself a new nightgown from Lands End. It ended up being the same price as the credit I have and I have the Lands End credit card so no cost for shipping. I have 2 nightgowns I bought 5 years ago after weight loss surgery and they are getting kind of beat up.
3. Eating at home every day. Hubby saved the day on what was to be chicken stir fry night except we had no stir fry sauce. He cut up the chicken into chunks and made a great fly by the seat of his pants breading and then fried them. Yummy!
4. Talk to our son who is in Singapore via What's App. Free phone calls where we can see each other.
5. Guarding our thermostat as our electric rates have gone up by over half. State of NJ is giving us all a $50 credit for August, Sepember and I guess October and then we have to make up the difference during the cold months. Wish I had a choice just to pay the whole charge every month. I put the electric and natural gas on the equal payment plan and this year I used less gas then the company expected. I've got plenty of hoodies, sweaters and 2 long flannel nightgowns to keep me warm this winter.
Kristen, $2 for a 1 cent coin really isn't a bad return on your investment and since you didn't pay for the penny in the first place, it's free money.
I traveled by air today with Mr. Book Club and I confess, we weakened at the airport and unabashedly ate Chick-Fil-A. It was really tasty. We don't eat out that often and we don't go into debt to finance our cavalier lifestyle. So, I won't lose any sleep over the lapse in frugality. Over the weekend we enjoyed a birthday bash with our little grandsons and their parents and other friends and relatives. If you're going to spend money, this is the way to do it! Our gifts, however, were shockingly frugal - Mr. Book Club made a wooden toy for the birthday boy with wood he already had. I paid $4 for yarn to crochet a stegosaurus which the sweet toddler hugged it as he watched his favorite show last night before bed.
1. I was selected for an online grocery focus group which took place over 1.5 hours last week and earned a $175 gift card! I will probably redeem it for a Visa gift card so that I can use it on various purchases instead of being limited to one store.
2. Got $37.47 for a Robitussin class action settlement. I had forgotten about this, so it was a nice surprise!
3. Our hospital was giving out appreciation gifts so I selected a folding chair, which will come in handy when we are watching our son's soccer games. One of our current chairs is getting worn out and I think one of the plastic pieces may break down sooner than later.
4. Our library is finally setting up a "library of things" and looking for donations to get started so I donated a new BP machine that we received from the hospital. We already have one so we don't need another one sitting around.
5. My husband was gifted a Spotify subscription when he was in the hospital and recently he has been using it to listen to audiobooks. Apparently there is a limit to how many hours you can listen to books on Spotify per month, he ran out and didn't want to pay to upgrade. I downloaded the Libby app to his phone, checked out his current audiobook and now he can finish listening to it without issues!
6. Recently people have been asking for items on Buy Nothing and NextDoor that I happened to have. I was able to give away a bunch of scrapbooking supplies that I had recently decluttered to someone and my kids' old Pokemon cards to a junior high teacher who was forming a Pokemon club to teach math skills. So happy to find new homes for my things that can be useful to others!
1.- I asked for help (does this count?):
Last visit at the dealership, I was told that I needed to replace front and back struts. I was given an estimate of almost $2K dlls! I shopped around but still really expensive. I watched some videos and the job wasn't too hard. So I asked my friend to supervise me while I changed the strust. I bought the parts and my friend helped me replace them. I will take my car for an alignment but they do it for free at the tire shop after an oil change.
That is an AMAZING win!
I'm so intrigued by the whole Fincon thing and all the stuff surrounding blogging. It's like a whole underground world I never heard of. And how nice you were able to say with, was it a blogging friend?, for free. We all learned a bit by traveling saving tips. Thanks for sharing. And I've never heard of a Goodwill bin store. I'll have to Google that.
Here's my fft --
I have the cutest 2025 wall calendar that I got at Dollar Tree last year. Each month has a positive expression and the art is adorable. So I got a 12x12 frame for 50% off at Hobby Lobby to display them. The pages all fit inside the frame so I can store them and switch out the art as I want. I've already hung it up.
I froze half of a batch of crockpot chicken burrito filling to use later.
I repaired a rip in one of my favorite pairs of summer pants so they're wearable again. I also used iron-on patches to fix holes in pockets of a pair of my husband's cargo shorts. They were rubbed thread-bare by keys he carries.
I stocked up on Walmart's Great Value English muffins, buying 3 pkgs. for the freezer. They are about half the price ($1.62 per pkg.) of most name brand English muffins and they're just as good. I use some of them to make breakfast sandwiches and freeze them. They sell out a lot, so when I see them, I get them
My husband and son cringe but I love steak sauce with my steak! I've been out, steak and was appalled that it now runs $4.29 for a 10 oz bottle! Then I saw a discontinued sticker on the shelf at Kroger for Texas Roadhouse steak sauce for $2.62 a bottle. Of course they were all pushed to the back of the shelf. where no one could see them and there was no one to help me. I used a stocker's step stool that was in the aisle to reach 2 bottles for me and pulled a few more forward. They have 2027 expiration dates. When I use these up, I'll make my own.
Yes, it was a conference for people who make content that is money-related...so, podcasters, YouTubers, bloggers, and more. There are lots of us out there; we just aren't usually all so visible. Ha.
I love what you did with the Duplo.
We reuse clothes for occasions and themed days too!
My Frugal 5s+
~ Did reverse meal planning so we've been cooking from home and slowing going through food we already had. Held off going to the grocery store to restock for 2 weeks. Will bring homemade cornbread to the potluck this Sunday.
- Used less utilities last month, particularly the last couple weeks since it's been cooler and we're down 1 person in the household. Also used the toaster to heat up bread instead of the oven.
~ Got free lunch and I brought home a package of muffins, a couple raisin cookies and a bowl of cherry tomatoes from the food pantry after my day of volunteering. My girls loved eating the muffins as an after school snack.
~ Mended clothing with ripped seams and small holes.
~ Rewore clothes a few times a week, especially when it's cooler and we haven't been out much.
~ Girls wore clothes they already had for Hawaiian theme day at school. My youngest, who's 7, wore a toddler dress as her shirt.
~ Bid and brought off eBay, for the lowest price I could find online - winter gear coats and snow boots; games as future gifts; and my bible study book. Got a pair of boots for my middle girl from Facebook Marketplace.
~ Left vehicles out in the rain this week for a free semi car wash.
~ Did free at home entertainment with things we already had: read books; watched holiday themed movies; played games, played with toys; draw and craft.
~ Fixed broken toys.
~ Borrowed books from the library and my bible study book through there and Libby.
~ Will go through educational materials we already have at home with my youngest since she needs the extra practice.
~ Took the girls to the start of bi-weekly art classes at the library and sign my youngest up for their monthly lego club. Will be doing a lot more library events these upcoming months.
A doctor who lives in my neighborhood is retiring and closing up shop. His wife had a bunch of office supplies up for grabs on our neighborhood facebook group. I scooped up a bunch of highlighters, pens, and pencils. When I told her that I was a teacher and all these would go to my students, she also gave me a huge pile of colored printer paper. Colored printer paper is such a luxury for teachers. And any paper that I don’t have to ask my school for is always a bonus! We are a month in to the school year and I’ve barely dented the amount of pencils that she gave me. My school is majority low income and kids often don’t have the basics. So this was such a gift. I shared the vast amount of pens with my community schools coordinator for their Forms Fill Out Night and THEN… She got 80 hot dogs donated to our school’s band program for our big outdoor concert at the end of October! We are all helping each other make our school the best for everyone.
I also went garage sale wondering with a friend a couple of weeks ago and picked up a replica green glass library table lamp for $5. Works great!
I’ve been working through my UFOs… un-finished objects… projects. I went over to a friend’s house for a crafting day and I worked on a crochet shawl while she worked on Halloween crafts.
Canned a bunch of homegrown tomatoes! And made homemade pizza… with your pizza dough recipe. 🙂 posted it on instagram a week or so ago. 🙂
I’m the most frugal person. I bought my wedding dress at the community aid and spent less than 500 on my wedding and it was a nice wedding plenty of food.