Five Frugal Things | some VERY not-skinny jeans
1. I bought some jeans on clearance
I have (somewhat reluctantly) accepted that skinny jeans look a little dated in this, the year of our Lord, 2025.
I haven't worn any skinny jeans at all for the past year, but this has required frequent laundry loads because my non-skinny-jean stock is...not extensive.
So, when I found a pair of wide-leg $70 Levis marked down to $34, I bought them.
I cannot lie; I still sometimes feel a little silly wearing these larger jeans.
At the same time, I do trust my children and my young colleagues when they tell me what is in style, and I have always promised myself that I am not going to get "stuck" in a particular fashion era.
Given how quickly fashion cycles move these days, though...I'm keeping my skinny jeans in a box in the closet because who knows? They may be the thing again shortly.
2. I got some free hand soaps
Unfortunately, I do love the evergreen-scented Bath and Body Works hand soaps you can get at this time of year. I know they are filled with endocrine-disrupting artificial scents, but you know, sometimes we gotta live a little on the wild side. 😉
I use unscented versions of many other things (like laundry detergent) but the holiday season Christmas-tree scented soaps doooo call my name.
So, I redeemed some of my Citicard reward points for a Bath and Body Works gift card, and between that and a coupon, I got five hand soaps for free.
I will hang on to some of the containers after they are empty, because I saw that you can buy refill cartons of hand soap. I'll just redeem some more reward points for another gift card and spend it on that; hopefully I can find one in the pine tree scent, and then I can enjoy Christmas-y hands for months. 🙂
(I know you can make your own foaming hand soap by diluting dish soap with water but I WANT THE STUFF THAT SMELLS LIKE CHRISTMAS TREES OKAYYYY??)
3. I bought non-packet hot chocolate
Back in the day, when powdered milk was more readily available (and more affordable), I used to make my own hot chocolate mix.
But now I just buy a powdered mix, and I love that Swiss Miss sells a big packet-less container.
You can pay $3.39 for a box of eight packets, which is $0.42/serving.
Or you can pay $8.69 for a big 33-serving container, which is $0.26/serving.
Put another way, you'd pay $13.86 in packets for an amount equivalent to the big container.
Plus, the container is handy because I prefer not to use the full 3 tablespoons for each mug of my hot chocolate. That's harder to do with the packets!
Annnnd, there's less associated trash too, which is nice.
4. I sauteed some mushy apples
My Hungry Harvest box cursed me with some McIntosh apples, which I happen to think are some of the most useless apples on the planet.
(Along with Red Delicious, obviously.)
I like my eating apples to be high on the crunchiness scale, which means McIntoshes routinely fall short of my standards. 😉 So, I disrespectfully refer to them as Mushintosh apples. They're really only good for applesauce!
I decided to embrace the not-crunchy aspect, and I gently sauteed them as an oatmeal topping instead.
They do kind of fall apart during the sauteeing (again, a disappointing type of apple!), but hey, mixed into oatmeal, it doesn't really matter.
5. I made yogurt
You might be saying, "Kristen! Why are you making yogurt? You are so busy!"
But yogurt requires so little hands-on time, and I had to spend one of my weekend days just doing homework, so I was solidly AT HOME.
It's good to get up out of the desk chair every now and then anyway, so I did the heating, cooling, and putting-into-jars steps in between paper editing and other such higher education pursuits.
Another factor in my decision: my Aldi has gallons of milk for $0.99 right now. A single gallon of milk yields four quarts of yogurt, and even when you add in some sugar, vanilla, and starter, that's still crazy cheap for four quarts!
(Here's how I make yogurt without a machine.)
There seem to be two posts open at the moment - and since I have nothing to complain about at this moment, I can focus on the FFT!
Re your jeans: I think the new pair looks very well on you. The looser style is more sophisticated (also since there are no holes at the knees!) and still looks relaxed. You'll probably get a good wear out of that investment.
Frugals:
- I always rinse, ovendry and grind the shells of eggs I break before cooking. The ground shells went to the rose shrub this time.
- I listed items for sale.
- I took a look at our December decorations and we are ok for that.
- long term frugality: I cleaned and conditioned our leather sofa. It is a chore I detest, but the leather becomes amazingly smooth and soft.
- the usual: solar paneled free electricity for our laundry today.
And I called the bank to request a discount on our mortgage interest percentage. Once you are below a certain threshold you are entitled to that discount. The savings will not be huge, but I will gladly accept the small amount that flows back in our pockets.
@JNL,
What do you use to clean and condition? We have a leather sofa and I have been using a leather spray but it doesn’t seem to make a ton of difference?
I like that many stores are selling many cuts of jeans, including skinny AND wide cut. In purchasing jeans and pants, I think it's always best to do what Oprah once said, which was to buy clothes that fit your body type and buy clothes that you feel good wearing. Currently, I have both styles of jeans. I wear both depending on what top/sweater I wear. And both work. (I think it helps, too, that I work in an area that is not fashion forward ?). Jeans are my go to as a teacher because I'm always crawling around on the floor with my little guys!
@MH, I also appreciate the stores are selling both. I am short and look lost in wide jeans. It would have to be just the right pair for me to be able to pull it off. And then you need different width tops than what you can wear with skinny jeans. It’s too much for my non-fashion brain to handle!
@MH, I agree. For several years, it seemed like all they sold were skinny jeans. They look great on a lot of people, but unfortunately for me, they rarely fit my proportions (bigger hips and smaller waist). They wouldn’t stay up and I couldn’t bend, sit, or crouch without imitating a plumber. I’m loving the variety of jeans styles out now! I have straight, trouser, carpenter, and some high-waisted skinny jeans that actually fit.
@JenRR, I agree. But on one point, a lot of people wear them badly, TOO tight. No body size justifies painfully tight clothes, drawng attention to all the wrong features.
@Kristina, I feel compelled to make a comment in response to your observation about people dressing in ways that call attention to all the wrong features. I am a tall woman, although shrinking with age I am still strikingly tall. I also love vivid colors, red and yellow and orange being my favorites. My clothes have always been in bright, drenched colors, like stained glass is how I like to think of them. More than once I had other women whisper to me that "dressing in loud colors" drew attention to my unfortunate height. Well, what they saw as "attention to all the wrong features" meant they wanted me to judge my body by how they judged it. But I reveled in being tall and striking, just like my friend loves her large rear and dresses to emphasize it. My body and how I choose to show it is my business, to my standards not your judgement of how I should look or adorn myself. My reply when women said that was, "Pay attention to your own body." (And I just thought of something else, which is that I know several children who have various forms of brain issues who like their clothes very tight. It gives them a feeling of security and control, reduces anxiety. Undoubtedly these kids mature into adults who like wearing clothes that swaddle them.)
@Lindsey, I wear what is comfortable but I will admit there are certain colors that are *not for me*. Do I care what others think - heck no. You deal with the genetic cards you're dealt be it height, hair color/thickness, eye color, skin color/tone, build/bone structure. Would I like to be taller, yes. But "vertically challenged" has its advantages (I'm looking at you theater/stadium/airline seats).
@Lindsey, Thank you. I wanted to say something to address this but wasn't sure how to frame it (pun unintended). There is no such thing as a 'bad parts' of a body (and it's telling how this is always in reference to how women dress), and everyone has the right to dress themselves in the way they want.
@Lindsey, when I was a child people would tell me how I would grow out of my freckles. I am 72 and still love my freckles that never faded.
@Lindsey,
You SHOULD revel in your height, and dress any way you like. I certainly wear what I feel most comfortable in, sometimes it's bright colors, sometimes it's all black, or some variation of all that. It will never ever be anything "body conscious", because that's not me - but for others that like it, I say, go for it. Or if someone else likes to wear something I don't personally care for, that's okay. I think of how pregnant women now wear clothes that show off their baby bump - which I think is wonderful! My 91 year old mom says, with some distaste, that when she was pregnant with me and my three sisters (not all at once, ha ha), it felt like she was wearing a tent.
FFT:
1. I got a refund for the opened package of eye drops I received. (Actually, I was refunded for all four packages I ordered, although three are usable, because the process was automated and I couldn’t request a refund for just one. Not sure how I/others feel about this.)
2. I bought one new pan at the lowest price I could find, to try out cooking with stainless steel, before I buy a whole new set. Choosing new pans seems overly complicated these days.
3. I bought the lowest priced copy of a book I want to read on EBay, after not finding it at any library I have access to.
4. More donations. Many, many donations. I sometimes regret not selling what I could, but I am just not up for that.
5. I admitted to myself that I will not go to the pool to swim, so did not buy a membership. (Instead I did buy a treadmill, which is perhaps not frugal, but I know I will use it in the early mornings and watch the day begin outside my window.) (I do also walk outside, which is free, but not in the winter due to my fear of falling on unshoveled sidewalks.)
@JaeFi,
1: That's their choice. Don't lose any sleep over it.
2. Always has been, although induction cooking has added another factor. That's a good way to test out something new.
5. SPENDING MONEY IS NOT THE SAME THING AS FRUGAL FAILING. Cf Vimes Theory of Boots. A FF is wasting money or spending more than you choose to.
(WilliamB gets off the soap box.)
@JaeFi,
Yippee for simplification. I sell things from time to time. I give things away to friends or Buy Nothing. I also donate items to worthy organizations. It really depends on so many factors. However, moving things along and allowing someone else the opportunity to use an item is the most important thing of all.
@JaeFi, I'm with you on selling vs donating. I know some of these things have value, but I am not in the resale business and don't want to fool with it.
@JaeFi, I’ve been listing books on eBay and it is a hassle and a half. Will probably donate the giant box remaining. Someone was about to dump 3 boxes of books in a dumpster and I intervened. . . if I get anything from the sales, I will have EARNED it!
--Coincidentally, I also had apples that needed improved! Ours were turned into crockpot apple crisp.
--Friendsgiving was this past weekend. Everyone contributed a dish, and we all shared leftovers at the end. We provided the main course, which was pumpkin chili using puree from my free pumpkins. We enjoyed good conversation, played board games, and had a wonderful time.
--I shampooed our two carpeted rooms using our $60 secondhand upright rug shampooer, which I bought when we bought the house. The cats and their litter boxes had to be moved to accommodate the installation of our cast iron tub and, as expected, there were some "accidents" in protest. I'd be mad if my bathroom was moved and I was shut out of half the house, too!
(That said, I greatly look forward to when my husband and I have time and motivation enough to finally pull up the carpet. We know the hardwood floors are intact underneath.)
--My husband really wanted some Schuberti alliums for the flower garden, but they're expensive bulbs--as in, $5 for $40 before shipping. I scoped out fall clearance sales until I found an acceptable price--3 for $18 including shipping--and gave him his birthday present early so they could be planted ASAP. He chose a spot where he's sure to pass by them every day.
--We agreed that the bathroom makeover would count as the main, combined gift for our anniversary/his birthday/Christmas/my birthday (the holidays are a gauntlet around here!). Small tokens to mark our special days are still acceptable, hence the bulbs above. 🙂
@N,
I just looked up "Schubertii alliums"....how cool! And what a nice gift. 🙂
@Liz B., I just looked it up too - so festive, like fireworks! @N, I love these kinds of gifts : )
@Suz and @Liz., my husband has his heart set on aged of "alien-looking" flowers. The Schuberti alliums are the fun first step! 🙂
Well, to each our own in the matter of jeans (as in other matters). In my case, wide-legged jeans only make this short, fat 70-year-old look shorter and fatter--and I also don't like tucking wide legs into my gardening boots!
Now, FFT, Adventures on the Road and Frugalities at Home Edition:
(1) As noted yesterday, I went to the next city west on Saturday for our JASNA region's "JA's 250th Birthday Open House" at the Barnes & Noble where we meet. I did a poster presentation on Jane Austen's family and friends (which didn't cost me a cent, since I had all necessary materials on hand). The artistic director and three of the actors from a local theatre's production of "Persuasion" did a Q&A, and JASNA friends ran a raffle, did a presentation on JA's importance to the novel, led a demo of English country dancing, and showed how to tie a cravat! All free fun.
(2) As also noted yesterday, I did NOT enjoy the drive home through a torrential rainstorm on the NY State Thruway! But Nellybelle the Element and I did make it safely back. Surviving is definitely frugal.
(3) My JASNA friend who works at a Panera in the next city west gave me two big bags of bread and pastries, which I have shared with the Bestest Neighbors, NDN1, and my two Sunday morning walking buddies. (I know that some Paneras do give day-old stuff to local food pantries, but evidently this isn't one of them. Seems almost criminal in this day and age. But at least my friend is doing what she can to prevent waste.)
(4) And since we had another winter weather advisory on Monday, I stayed home, commented here and on the NCA (which I'm glad is back online after an interruption over the weekend), did laundry, and started a bird count for Cornell's Project FeederWatch. Glad I ran all necessary errands on Sunday.
(5) Finally, more free food: The neighbors next door to the Bestests are leaving for Florida for the winter and brought me a bunch of stuff from their fridge and freezer. I may not need to go grocery shopping this week.
I’m also in my 40s and I bought a similar pair of jeans a few months ago. I felt slightly silly but very comfortable, my husband teased me a little, my 12 year old kid told me I looked younger, and a 17-year-old friend told me she had the same ones. I kept them.
I used to make the Tightwad Gazette cocoa mix when my kids were little. Now I make hot cocoa on occasion, but I usually just make it on the stove top - a mug of milk, 1 tsp of sugar, 1.5 tsp of cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Sometimes I add a pinch of cinnamon or chili powder.
I also bought a pair of wide leg jeans. They are super comfortable and flattering. It does take some getting used to. I kept my jeans. They may be back in style next year.
It's early. I'm drinking my coffee. I can't think of one thing that I did that was especially frugal this week. However, I did all the usually things - drinking primarily filtered water, brewing my own coffee, reading library books, using the Hoopla and Libby apps, batching errands, scanning my receipts to Fetch, and eating simple meals at home.
Wishing all of you peace, good health, and prosperity.
@Bee, often it's what we don't do that's frugal.
@WilliamB, I am bedrotting and just read a Steve Jobs "quote" (I'm not sure this is exact). What you don't do is just as important as what you do.
@AZ Lynn, nope, not “bed rotting” —it’s called “hurkle-durkle”. 😎
@WilliamB, @AZ Lynn , I think those basic frugal habits help to balance out those not so frugal things. These habits are deeply ingrained. Even when life is crazy busy, I do my usual frugal things.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I thought of that when I wrote it but couldn't remember the term-just that it was hyphenated! lol
I love that you are saving your skinny jeans for the next trend shift. Here is why: Years ago, I had couple pairs of wider leg jeans. Nice quality, comfortable etc. When the skinny jeans trend started, I bought 2 pair ( major deal at a thrift store). I saved my wider leg jeans. This is nothing new for most readers, but I had read an article about how to decide what clothes to keep or donate. My takeaway from the article was to keep well constructed clothes because they'll come around again. Sooooo, yes, I have my wider jeans from then to wear now. Plus, I scored some amazing leather fashion boots for $15 while thrifting. They are great over the skinny jeans. I'm not so concerned about being trendy, but I LOVE how I'm able to wear what I already have.
@Beth, Happy for you that this worked out! How I have missed wide-legged jeans since they were popular during my high school days. Clothing has felt a little tricky for me the past couple years - change in size, transition of trends (don't get me started on trying to figure out socks - I think I'm getting it). I am not really a "trendy" dresser but I also work with teenagers. I don't want to try to look like them (umm, tucking my sweatshirt into my bra to create a crop top, no thank you), but want to dress with the times enough to not look outdated or out-of-touch. When I'm retired or in my next phase of life, might change! But for now I try to pay at least SOME attention. I got so lucky to find a pair of jeans in my size, solid brand, wide-legged, at a thrift store a couple months ago!
I love skinny jeans! I don't care if they look dated!
My frugals:
1. I went to a free running club at a community centre.
2. I baked a loaf of bread with yeast for the first time and it turned out perfectly!
3. I used my gym membership.
4. I walked to some places instead of using my travel card.
5. I also got a pair of new jeans on sale! It wasn't a massive reduction but a saving is a saving.
@Sophie in Denmark, My not-at-all-frugal for the week was a ticket for the Danish String Quartet. Pricey, but so worth it! The Danish String Quartet is one of the world's leading classical ensembles and the very first ensemble to win the prestigious Leonie Sonning Music Prize for 2025. Chamber Music Albuquerque secured them for what is the first stop on their U.S. tour. The Quartet is actually three Danes and one Norwegian (but all Scandinavian!), and the three Danes grew up together. It was a wonderful performance. Three standing ovations.
@JDinNM, How lovely! I'm glad you had such a wonderful time and Scandinavia played so well!
@Sophie in Denmark, Congratulations on your bread success!
I use unscented everything too . . . except I started wearing actual perfume in the past couple of years. I know this makes no sense. I do not care. I like my perfume. So I say: Enjoy your seasonally-scented hands. 🙂
Frugal things:
--We're going to New Orleans on Friday. This trip is expensive. But when I booked a swamp tour for my family yesterday, I found that they had a Thanksgiving code for $5 off every adult ticket. I now have four adults in my family, apparently, so I saved $20. Whee.
--I found the frozen rotisserie chickens at Walmart again. The price had gone up to $4 instead of the $3 they were when I first saw them a couple of months ago, but that's still about a dollar per pound. Only drumsticks are cheaper than that, and I really don't care for drumsticks.
--My children were far too liberal with their maple syrup when they had French toast on Sunday, resulting in a lake of syrup and melted butter on each plate when they had finished. I was not about to throw that out, given that the maple syrup I buy by the gallon is $55/gallon. I saved the half cup of syrup and butter that I poured off the plates and used it to make baked apples yesterday.
--I went through shirts with my middle son this weekend, as he has hit another growth spurt and half his shirts didn't fit anymore. Thankfully, between free t-shirts from organizations and his older brother's hand-me-downs, I didn't have to buy him anything.
--Eldest son grew again, too. I do have to buy him new things, but since all his button down shirts--my sons wear these every day over t-shirts--are Amazon Essentials flannel or poplin, I could just go there and buy the next size up (men's extra-large, eek). The Amazon flannel shirts are particularly good. So thick and soft and 100 percent cotton, THANK YOU. And seventeen dollars. 🙂
@kristin @ going country,
Which brand do you get on Amazon? The Amazon Essentials brand?
Thanks!
Jessica
@kristin @ going country, The story about collecting the maple syrup reminded me of the article from TG about selective squeamishness. I would have done the same thing. Save it and make something new.
@Jessica, Yes, it's the Amazon Essentials brand of shirts.
@kristin @ going country,
I do the same! Unscented detergent, unscented antiperspirant, mild soap and hair products...but perfume. I like controlling how I smell! The perfume would get lost if it was competing with a bunch of other scented products.
@kristin @ going country,
Thank you!
I used some old pears (frugal fail on my part) and a deliberately-bought Macintosh apple to make applesauce to make Oat Squares. They're an easy, inexpensive, nutritious grab-snack.
I cancelled the Barclays American Airlines credit card after the first, free year. Between the signing bonus and what I spend, I got 2-3 free flight and nicely high status on AA, an airline I fly frequently.
The new AA card (allegedly) has a signing bonus of 80,000. That's two flights! I figured I'd get 40-50k miles from the change.
I bought medium eggs for eating, saving the more expensive large eggs for baking.
I've been using my father's Avis account to get extraordinarily cheap rentals (they let you add a family member, doesn't have to be a spouse).
NOT FRUGAL*:
Finally, finally got a dining gloom light fixture. I moved 2.5 years ago. First it just wasn't near the top of my list and the DR has other lights so it wasn't urgent. Then it took a few months to find one that met all the requirements (bright enough to read by, can be mounted within 12" of ceiling, long enough to balance the 10-seat table, complementing but not outshining the art, great-looking, and within budget). Then a couple months more on back order. I was nervous it wouldn't be right - so many different ways for it to be wrong - but it didn't. It's perfect.
* Note that this isn't a frugal fail. Spending money is not the same thing as a frugal fail.
@WilliamB, that is the funniest typo ever—“dining gloom light fixture”!!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, the Addams Family probably had one of those in the dining room!
@WilliamB,
If you're going to use the *perfect* dining room light for many years to come (and it sounds like you are), then you can't say it isn't frugal. It's going to give you a lot of pleasure and you're probably going to use every time you're in the DR, so you can divide the number of times you turn on that light into the actual price you paid. Chances are you'll come up with a very reasonable, and frugal, cost per use. Please quit beating yourself over the head for spending money on something you want and need. We can't always find what we need from a free trash pile or a secondhand sale!
@Fru-gal Lisa, Oh, I'm not beating myself up for it. I'm glorying in it and grin every time I turn on the light. I'm also recognizing that it wasn't a frugal choice and that is not the same thing as a frugal fail. I do appreciate the support.
I love that you treated yourself to those good-smelling soaps. Little things like that can really lift our spirits.
This has been such an expensive month I'm having a hard time finding frugal things to celebrate -- new tires for my husband's truck, a dog who had surgery (he's doing great), and we bought a quarter of a cow from a local farmer. But I'm going to try:
The beef was a lot of money at once, but still a good savings over the grocery store, and this quarter will last the two of us a year.
I went through all my yarn and fabric stash and made a list of gifts to make and have started on those.
While I'm knitting and sewing I'm listening to classic mystery novels on YouTube. My library doesn't have any of these old books availalbe, so this was a nice find.
I received a $38 payment from a Facebook settlement this morning.
I'm being really diligent about using up leftovers, which always feels like a win.
@Cindi, the 1/4 cow is absolutely a frugal win--as I've found in the decade or so that DH and I (and now I) have bought one per year. Given the price (high) and the quality (low) of supermarket beef, we're coming out ahead on both counts.
Frugal win: I enjoy making my hot chocolate one cup at a time. 1 spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 spoonfuls of powered sugar, splash of vanilla, dash of salt, and 1 mug full of milk. I heat the milk in the microwave first, then add the rest. And stir. A lot. It’s not quite as good as the commercial stuff, but it has no artificial ingredients, which I appreciate. And it is super cheap.
@Theresa, If you use a bit of milk or water to make a paste of your ingredients, they'll be a lot easier to mix into your milk. I make my paste in the mug, add the milk, then heat.
Now I want some hot chocolate.
@WilliamB, and now I want a microwave.
@Theresa,
I think homemade hot cocoa tastes much better than the commercial stuff. Since I eat very little UPF, fast food, or convenience foods; I think my taste buds are much different than most people's. However, I strongly agree that anytime you know what is your food, it's a win!
@WilliamB,
Thank you! I made this today for man-boy wonder and added a drop of creme De menthe. Heaven.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, HAHAHAHAHA love this comment. My friend owns a microwave but ONLY uses it for eating frozen meals. All reheating, water for tea, etc is done on her stovetop. We chuckle and do not understand each other on this point. Hope you all get or make yourselves a nice mug of hot chocolate soon!
1. I have carpeting in 2 rooms and 2 room sized area rugs. I borrowed my sister's rug scrubber and scrubbed them.
2. I delayed grocery shopping for 2 days and told my family to get creative.
3. I bought 50# of rice on sale for $22. I then emptied, washed and refilled all of my rice bags. I used about 5#. I also divided up about 10 # of it into 2# bags and "sold" them to family members. I got 2 dozen eggs, 3 green peppers and some garlic for the rice. I will use the other 35# over the next 2 years.
4. I am buying a loaf of sourdough bread every 2 weeks and she ties a ribbon around the bag closure. I am saving these for Christmas decorations.
5. I have stayed home and cleaned house instead of shopping for the last 2 weeks. I am not buying anything new for Christmas decorations.
@Amy, “told my family to get creative” is BRILLIANT! I am wondering if you have a sign in your kitchen that says “Thou shalt not whine”; might be necessary.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I have been doing this for years. Everyone is an adult and the "kids" know me. But they also say January is really the test. We have a low spend January, only buying Milk, Eggs, Bread and Produce. My daughter makes a mean Ramen with added carrot and spinach. I make easy kim chi and she throws that in. It get her through lunches. My son discovered that you can make grilled "whatever" sandwiches and quesadillas. I watched him use American cheese and leftover reakfast sausage in one. Right now it is about having the real estate for Thanksgiving.
My husband loves Macintosh apples, they feel mushy in my mouth so I've stopped eating them.
Those jeans look amazing! I also bought some wide-legged jeans secondhand a year ago, figuring the investment wasn't so expensive if I ended up not liking them (I have worn them a lot!). My teens who have been wearing really baggie skater jeans for years approved and thought I was super fun and hip, haha. I have also started to wear ridiculously large blazers with shoulders pads that I found secondhand, and I get tons of compliments. Sometimes it's the small things to make others smile... I do wear skinny pants in other fabrics, so I can still wear different types of tops.
In frugalities,
1. We had takeout Indian food for dinner one day, but it came with way too much basmati rice. We made sure to repurpose it in a meal the next day.
2. This Christmas, we are traveling to spend the holidays with my family. Since we need a longer stay, I contacted the owner of the Airbnb where we want to stay and managed to negotiate the price down by a few hundred dollars. We are staying there for a almost three weeks, so still expensive but not as expensive as it could have been.
3. Offset the flights on Christmas using points we have been saving on our CC, on which we put all our groceries and charges every month and pay it off in full.
4. We took a weekend trip to larger city where we ended up walking around a lot instead of taking Ubers everywhere even though the weather was a bit chilly and windy. I logged 13 miles in two days.
5. One of the meals this weekend was waffles and fried chicken in a great diner. My kids were way too full after eating just the waffles to make a dent in the chicken. We packed them up and kept them in a fridge in our Airbnb, and I kid you not, four people were able to eat the chicken for several meals during the weekend.
@Kristina M., re: your #1, there is no such thing as too much basmati rice from an Indian restaurant as far as I'm concerned. The restaurant's is ALWAYS better than mine.
@A. Marie, I agree! This is a crave-worthy comments section between the hot chocolate above and basmati rice.
I actually look best in bootcut jeans. I still find them out there at times. I figure "cowboys" are always going to be in style, somehow, ha.
1. I used my new pressure washer to wash the brick-walled fish pond and the brick walkway around it. My water is from a well, the electricity wasn't much, and I didn't have to pay someone a couple hundred dollars just for that one thing. I can't wait to do the other things needing washing. Now the walkway around the pond is no longer slick, too, which was a safety issue. Falling onto brick is not frugal.
As a side note, all the brick for our pond and walkways was free, thanks to DH's boss, since they were brought to his business for crushing and disposal. Giving us the bricks saved the boss money, too. They are paving bricks from the old streets of Jacksonville, FL, and it only cost us sweat equity. DH loaded them onto a trailer and brought them home a hundred or so at a time, and he and I unloaded and stacked them for future use. At 7-8 pounds each, it was indeed *sweat* equity, but well worth it.
2. I'm eating cut up roasted sweet potatoes from the (admittedly small) crop that I grew!
3. I'm starting to see some small carrots growing underground. I check carefully when the tops start looking full and it's exciting to watch the carrots get bigger and fatter. Some of the carrots I am growing this year were free seeds from the library.
Okay, maybe I get excited easily.
4. I sewed a pillow cover from leftover fabric.
5. I popped more ink into my years-old fountain pen and kept writing on in my journal last night. I love my fountain pens.
@JD, I love them too. A classic that never gets old.
@JD, even if actual working cowboys are a dying breed, people who have horses and masquerade as cowboys will never go away, hence, boot-cut jeans will always be available. (Thank goodness)
I am having free-brick envy—love the salvage part, the connection to history, and the sweat factor.
Also having sweet potato envy. Out of 11 plants all started from a single grocery store potato, I got ZERO. Gophers, sowbugs, squirrels, who knows. . . only 3 plants survived but not long enough to produce. This is after I went to great effort to bury wire before planting.
Seeing carrots grow would put me into happiness orbit. (Is it our age??)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
When I was in your neck of the woods - Yosemite - DH and I were near public lands used for grazing. On our evening drive back to our hotel, we were caught in a round up. It was complete with handsome cowboys, graceful horses, cow bells and cattle dogs. I was mesmerized.
Later when on the coast, we stopped into a junk shop where I found a old, handmade cow bell. It now hangs in my office door. Every time Rescue Pup hits it with her tail, it rings and that fun memory comes flooding back.
@Bee,
Here in Central Texas, cowbells are more often used at football games to show your spirit. Ring one and I think about our high school!
@JD, Bootcut are okay but I will never go back to super wide jeans. I wore those all through my teenage years and had perpetually rain-soaked ankles from walking through puddles in them (or even when not - they seemed to attract water)!
I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary this past week so really nothing particularly frugal to note.
Regarding foaming hand soap, I refill my foamers with Castille soap mixed with water, not dish soap. Castille soap comes in pine, cedar, lavender, citrus, mint, almond, and other scents.
@Tammy,
Thank you for the tip about Castille soap. I didn't know! This will be great!
@Fru-gal Lisa, you're welcome!
I think I have shared before but I only wear boot cut jeans. It is what I feel comfortable in. The hard part of changing fashions is that sometimes it is hard to find my preferred style. I don't think they were particularly fashionable when I started wearing them so it's more that I'm stuck in my own fashion rather than a particular era, ha!
But it did remind me of this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/magazine/big-pants-style.html
Which quotes a comedian saying, "You should always be wearing pants you think look stupid."
@Carla G, when I find a style that works, I buy several. When they go on sale, I know they are about to be discontinued, so I stock up. I did this about 15 years ago, and in the last 2 years, all six pairs developed holes in the same places. I found 2 more on eBay, and I am hoarding and protecting them, which is a bit difficult since I wear them so often.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I just read an article . . . .somewhere?? about "visible mending", as in, making necessary repairs to clothing, but with interesting patches, fancy embroidery-type stitches, etc. I am getting holes in some of my favorite jeans (I detest the deliberately-holey look) and plan to use visible mends on them.
@L, I sewed an interesting patch over one of the holes, and then they ripped above the patch! I think the fabric on the front of my legs, knee-up, is toast. I feel frugal in having actually worn out some clothing, but it still feels wrong to put them in the trash.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, some crafters use jeans. I've had good luck giving away holey jeans through my Buy Nothing group.
Not a lot of frugal wins this week, but I am staying home, making coffee here, eating here including leftovers, using my gym membership (someone else mentioned that I agree it's a frugal win. Not a frugal win if you don't use it!) and thinking about my food shopping for next weekend. Will also be going scrapbooking this weekend and using my stash.
I cannot tell a lie. I have never liked skinny jeans. I think that they flatter a narrow ( no pun intended) range of women. When they came on the seen, they held us curvy girls hostage. I am a boot leg lady from here to forever. I am in search of a wide leg pair. I was in fact thinking of searching that today after the gym.
Frugal Things?
I went into HomeGoods yesterday and was astonished by the plethora of cute, creative Christmas decorations. I took photos of the things I think I could make myself as a sort of challenge. I love all things crafting. Traveling is on the back burner for three months. I am going to dig in and start creating a little magic of my own from up-cycled items and PhDs (previously half-done) projects around me.
@Mary Ann, The knitting community calls those UFOs: UnFinished Objects. Goes with other weird vocab such as frogging.
@WilliamB, and tinking.
I say wear whatever you feel the most comfortable in...my two cents.
I have done such a good job of cleaning out my freezer these past few weeks that now I find myself out of food, so I am going shopping, list in hand. For frugality's sake I will resist all items not on my list.
*I also got a refund on my HSA from 2 medical visits after I had met my deductible
*batching my errands, but putseying around my house for most of the day
*eating at home until Friday when I will treat myself for birthday celebrations
I do wish there was an Aldi close to me. I feel like driving to one that's 30 minutes away defeats the frugal purpose.
DH convinced me to go with him on a lunch date a few months ago & try on a variety of jeans styles. I bought a boot cut (a baby boot?) & a pair similar to the ones you have, Kristen. Both were cute on, but I find it harder to style the bigger cut ones. You need a fitted top, I feel like, which I'm less likely to wear. I have worn the boot cut ones a ton and get compliments on them. I do still adore a skinny cut, and have the kind that are also cut off at the bottom, with a ragged hem, also cute. I'm also keeping my skinny jeans, because if the current styles have taught me anything, it's that things will come back around for sure!
1) Received a settlement check for $.61. I bet everyone is quite jealous of the big financial score. A company that I did some consulting with underpaid me, and it was part of a broader class action problem.
2) I used my CVS $10 reward to buy individually wrapped face wipes for our hut to hut NZ hiking trip. They have too much packaging/waste to be something I'll use regularly, but they will come in very handy on this particular trip. I also picked up some vitamins. I also downloaded some other coupons & rewards to my card & saved a total of $13.
3) Went to lunch instead of dinner with our neighbors, which was quite a bit cheaper. Brought half of my lunch home for DS19 to eat before work.
4) Used my Chase $250 shopping credit (part of the credit card perks) to buy DS19 air pods for his Christmas gift (his request). After tax, paid $27 for them.
5) Cashed out $42 in Rakuten savings.
6) Listed a few things on eBay, made a large tray of roasted veggies for lunches, made my own butternut squash for dinner, ate leftovers, & all of the rest of the like.
I like my skinny jeans for wearing with knee-high boots. Other than that, not so much.
I didn’t even know skinny jeans were out of fashion. What do you know? I learned something new.
My Frugal 5s+
1) Got a free estimate on things that required fixing around the house. This’ll help us determine what’s needed and is within our budget.
2) After my husband got home from his kayaking trip down the Mississippi, he had some extra non perishable food items and electronics that well keep and use.
3) Stocked up in advance to my husband being home and before the 1st snow fall to avoid the pressure and rush.
4) Been doing my own major deep cleaning around the house to get it ready before my husband came home and for the holidays.
5) Using free entertainment through books, movies and games we either already have or through the library.
My frugal notes this week include the usual making lunches and coffee at home, mending, and cooking dinners. I am also putting some time into careful planning for next week, for Thanksgiving travel and cooking, especially considering my diabetic DH and that I got a little carried away last year. I planned carefully then and packed a lot of equipment and food to go with us, all of which we used, but this year I'll keep the abundance of details a little more private. I don't want my family to feel over directed, as DH is the only diabetic in the group. Also, hope this counts, I am resisting buying themed decorations for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We have a surprising number of decorative pumpkins and gourds made from brass and other materials, and a lot of Xmas decorations in boxes in the basement. There is a lot of nostalgia in unpacking them as we had traveled to see family for many Christmases and then right back to work, so they have not been unpacked regularly. And scaling back Xmas gifts mailed to distant relatives. Nobody seemed enthusiastic, so I'm downsizing to cards, and happy to have a shorter seasonal chore list. Frugal practices include consideration for the cook and household manager, one of Jeff Smith's advices in his Frugal Gourmet cookbooks. I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, the joy of loving family and yummy leftovers!
Little saves, homemade food:
1. Reminding myself that even though we eat more meat than we used to (i.e. more expensive,) home cooking is pretty much always a good deal.
2. We had some berries on their last good day, so I washed them all up and took them for lunch.
3. Used some dried-up crystallized dates to make high-fibre "cupcakes" for my daughter.
4. Had a special treat last week, which was lunch at Ikea. Not expensive for a special treat!
5. Am pregnant, have only bought two pairs of maternity leggings and some t-shirts for the spring, on deep discount. My maternity clothes from a few years ago are perfectly good; no need for a whole new wardrobe.
@Meira Bear, perhaps I missed this announcement somehow- congrats and best wishes!!
I have not been especially frugal lately. But funny enough I did make my own foaming hand soap refill. I add essential oil drops to the mix so they do smell really good but sadly not like Xmas trees. ( mix is 1/3 bottle of dawn dish soap 2/3 bottle of warm water ).
Drinking lots of hot tea coffee and cocoa at home. I do not like the packs either.
Washing large loads in the dishwasher.
Using cold water on laundry loads that are not sheets or towels.
Scheduling car maintenance . We drive our cars for years and years.
@Stephanie, My Bath and Body Works soap in the bathroom was getting low. It had about a 1/4 left in it. I filled it up with water.
1. I got some marked-down cored pineapples and made them into dried pineapple.
2. Three out of five of us wore nothing new for our family pictures. I did buy matching sweaters for my daughters - one had almost no tops that would be good for pictures and the sweaters were on sale for $12. Since they're super soft, I know they'll be used and loved.
3. My daughter is in a play this weekend and they hadn't said anything about comp tickets yet, so I asked the director if we were still doing this or not or if I had just missed it. Yep! She had just forgotten. That'll save us $30.
4. I thought about getting a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe for a pre-rehearsal snack for my tween yesterday, but there's no getting around the fact that they're expensive. Then I remembered that I had a Meijer gift card, so I went there and found a healthy choice with lots of protein. Bonus was that the person before me at self-checkout had left behind their coupon for $10 off your next purchase, so financially it worked out even better. (No one was at the register, they were long-gone. And I've learned before that if you try to turn it in to an employee that they have to throw it away - the time I tried to do that they told me to just take it and use it so it didn't get thrown out.)
5. Flashfood had packages of Hawaiian rolls marked down to fifty cents! Today I'm going to turn two packs of them into freezer meals.
@Ruth T, YEAH on FREE $10. I've had that happen a few times, people just don't look at the coupons printed out at side of register.
Your new jeans look nice! Personally, I've always worn straight-leg jeans. I never cared for the "skinny" style. But then I also never cared about being fashionable. What's in fashion seems to change so quickly and for no real reason that I can see.
Frugal things:
1. I received $44 from a clash action settlement and put the money into savings.
2. I made a cherry lime pie because I didn't have enough cherry pie filling to use only that. I made a creamy gelatin-based lime filling, using ingredients I already had, for the first layer, then put the cherry pie filling on top. It turned out a little like a no-bake cherry cheesecake, but without the cream cheese.
3. I used Google's AI Mode to create a meal plan using groceries I already had. It gave me enough good ideas to delay grocery shopping for a few extra days.
4. I sold an old magazine on eBay. I have a big stack of magazines I collected many years ago because of their cover photos and interviews with actors I was a fan of. I'm slowly letting go of these and making a few dollars in the process. It's also nice to hear how happy some of the buyers are to get them!
5. I used a $5 gift card on eBay to buy replacement filters for my air cleaner. I found the brand I needed on sale, so between that and the gift card, I spent less than $8 for two sets of filters, less than half of what I'd budgeted for.
@Elizabeth M, another brilliant typo (right up there with @WilliamB's "dining gloom light fixture"): "clash action settlement"! Sometimes typos have more truth to them than the original words.
@A. Marie, Ha, that's so funny! I didn't notice that.
@Elizabeth M, I am a fan of straight leg jeans always and forever. You'l l never ever catch me in leggings. I'm doing my PT for my knee wearing a one size bigger pair of jeans.
My first estate sale I found a Vogue magazine with Queen Elizabeth and her corgis on the cover. Bought it for my dneice who loves anything Royal and has been to England a couple of times. My sister told her to cut the cover off, frame it and put it in her laundry room.
The mushy apples and oatmeal is a combination I've done, too. When we have a lot of apples (like when there was an apple tree outside my office and I picked up the windfalls every day), I dice them and heat them up in the Little Dipper crock pot with brown sugar or caramel. If we have leftovers, they'll go in oatmeal or pancakes. Yum!
1. The garbage collectors took away ALL of my remaining brush and limbs. So I didn't have to pay to have the stuff hauled off, and I didn't get charged a landfill dumping fee.
2. Called a tourist attraction that has a metalworking/blacksmith shop there. They are going to let me bring my antique candleholder wall sconce over to see if they can bend it back in shape for me. It somehow got damaged so that the candleholder part is sideways. I found some battery-operated tapers and want to use those and hang it up in my dining room, the way my grandmother had it in hers, but I can't get the candles to go in it upright. Keep your fingers crossed the metal workers can fix it, and I can put it on the wall. (Three cheers for battery-operated "candles," so that I can light them without burning down my house!)
3. I've been able to watch PBS and Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary series via this computer. So happy! Since I only have rabbit ears and old TVs, and the nearest PBS stations are out of my antenna range, I was afraid I'd have to miss it.
Update:
I had the most marvelous adventure! Wanting to get the brass wall sconce repaired, I went waaaay out into the country to the little tourist attraction village where they do all the old-fashioned stuff, including blacksmith and metal forging work. No power tools, and even their gristmill runs via a water wheel. The also do textiles and a lady was there in the yarn shop working on a spinning wheel, using foot pedals.
A fellow in the metalsmithing shop took apart the wall sconce/candleholder, gently hammered out the brass and heated it up just a tad, and got it straight. It is now once again functional and I can't wait to display it in my dining room. (Did I mention it was something I inherited from my grandparents? Who married/set up housekeeping immediately after World War ONE? Which makes this brass candleholder +100 years old? So I didn't want just any old fool touching the item lest they ruin it.)
The metal smith was an interesting guy: he told me his forefathers (and foremothers) came to Texas' Hill Country long before the Civil War (that'd be his father's side of the family) and just after it (that was on his mother's side).
Yes, he charged me for his work -- but the bill was under $30. Which I consider very reasonable: He was an artisan who knew what he was doing, and he repaired it correctly so it'll last another 100 years; therefore, I feel it was well worth the money!
Wish you all could've been there with me: it was a fun little trip.
@Fru-gal Lisa, that sounds like a nice little side trip with results! The American Revolution is what my history nut daughter is watching. Watch to see if they filmed in Morristown, NJ as that is my county seat. Very nice little town. Washington's troops wintered there in Jockey Hollow for one horrible winter in teeny tiny huts.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I love that you did this!!! Now that piece will be even more precious to you adding this story to its history!
you know if the nursing thing doesn't work out you could be a model. those wide leg jeans look fab on you. everything looks fab on you. just came back from a one night visit to dutchess community college in poughkeepsie. the campus was beautiful, the people were friendly and our dog was allowed to go to everything in his backpack. people saw him but they didn't kick us out. the tour started with their programs to help students that need extra help. they even have driver's ed. in nyc high schools don't teach kids to drive.
my zoe has no interest in driving but her 14 yr old brother can't wait to drive.
the laundry is free at dcc and the students get a sticker on their id that lets them use the city's transportation system for free.
we stayed at a home 2 suites and it was the first time we were not welcomed as hilton honors members. and we did not get free water or snacks. i was pretty upset and i said so in the survey they sent. i am sure they won't do anything about it.
glad you were able to get some of the soap you like. hope you start your car hunt soon. can't wait to share that journey with you. to misquote betty davis "it's going to be an interesting ride."
Haha, you are too kind!
Love the weekly shares here on frugality - it provides both motivation and inspiration, so thanks to all, including, of course, Kristen.
1) Spent a glorious blue sky day walking along the ocean with my girlfriend yesterday. Parking was free in that we both have senior state park passes at $20 annually, vs payimg $15-$20 every single time we park at any of our state beaches or parks.
2) We shared a fish burrito for lunch afterward, spending $8 each. Sharing is not a sacrifice whatsoever in that neither of us can eat an entire burrito by ourselves.
3) Made dinner afterward once back home even though I was tired and not particularly hungry and very tempted to order a take out pizza for my spouse. Added an aging bell pepper to the pork tinga recipe I was making, and dinner enough for three nights resulted. The recipe, which included chipotle, was delicious, and I don't have to cook again until Thursday, yeah! (Recipe is behind the Cooks Country pay wall or I'd share it here)
4) Stocked up on a 99 cent Progressive soup sale at the supermarket, my go-to on nights my spouse is not home for dinner. I simply am not motivated to cook for myself, and thus soup or cheese and crackers it is on those nights. It's my personal failing, lol.
5) Added a little water to the residual shampoo in bottle, and poured and shook it into the new bottle, cut open my 'empty' moisturizer plastic bottle and got out SO MUCH more (grrr), and did same with my pricey face foundation. - These are all more about refusing to be jerked around by companies making poor packaging decisions, which of course favor them and not the consumer.
So you can dilute Bath & Body works gel/normal hand soap with water to make smelly foaming hand soap. I think I did 25% soap & 70% water & shook. You can play around to see. I keep my same soap bottle pump & refill bottle then keep clean/unused pump for future use. But I also purchased the glass refillable soap dispenser so the pumps fit from plastic bottles.
Watch for sales on soap. Bath & Body Works Black Friday is usually Half Off Everything. Then their Semi Annual sale yields great discounts. Best soap deal/price is $2.50 or $2.95 bottle. Plus they usually do soap refills also. The only problem I ran into with the soap refill box was that it's cardboard & the soap does cause the box to become soft over time, causing it to leak. I had to put mine in glass mason jar after I found a mess under sink/storage.
Frugal things---
● Buy 1 get 1 Free Febreeze air products & $1 off coupon yielded $2.50/2 spray air freshener bottles (in holiday scents)
● Meijer had spend $100 get $10 off
● Meijer finally had (local to Michigan) Spring water gallons 2/$3
● used Menards 11% rebate check towards storm door replacement parts $2 out of pocket total & storm door done.
● saved $0.10/gallon & paid $2.94/gallon gas put of town compared to $3.29
● put extra sheer panels on tension rod under curtains to add another layer of warmth but still allow sunlight in.
1. I pulled the frozen bread heels from the freezer and two hoagie rolls from the bread basket and toasted them all up to make breadcrumbs. A quick pulse in the food processor and my breadcrumb jar is full again.
2. I took my son pant shopping because it’s getting cold and shorts just aren’t going to cut it anymore. We stopped by Goodwill and a local consignment shop but there wasn’t anything that he was looking for. He found some pants at Khol’s but before checking out I looked them up on Amazon and was able to get two pairs for 25% less.
3. I have been much better about putting my medical expenses on my HSA credit card. I thankfully don’t have many, but when I’m at the pharmacy it’s just habit to grab my regular debit card. I have put an effort into using my HSA card because that is what it is there for.
4. My son had a referee training that was 45 minutes away from our house. Dinner was included for him so I made a pot of soup in the slow cooker so it would be ready for me to have dinner once I got home. While he was in training I visited a store with a friend to do a little Christmas shopping and visited my grandparents. I also packed snacks since we were out of the house for 5 hours.
5. I “unsuspended” my library holds for the Christmas themed books I put on hold last year. I’m first in line for all of them and really excited to finally get a chance to listen to/read them. I just can’t read a Christmas book in April so I’m glad my library lets you suspend your holds.
@Geneva, don't beat yourself up if you don't use your HSA debit card "at the time". You can reimburse yourself at any time from your HSA. I rarely use my HSA but mark receipts as not reimbursed. Saving the money for retirement health care. I've had an HSA since 2007, record keeping is on the HDHP primary insured/HSA owner. Push came to shove, you can take out HSA monies after you retirement for non-medical and pay ordinary income taxes. Penalty before age 65 is I believe 20% and ordinary income.
I have a LOT of jeans. I am wearing some today (yay for being able to wear jeans to work) that I have had for over 10 years. I find and I remind myself that jeans colors go out of fashion sooner than style, so if the jeans aren't some wacky wash, they'll probably pass in the world. I regret buying an odd blue a few years back.
Hey my FF includes jeans too!
1. I finally got around to hemming (with the original hem) 3 pairs of 90’s style straight leg jeans I desperately needed to put into rotation. I also lengthen 3 pairs of ankle length on not short people dress pants that shrank a bit after the first wash. I also mended some rips on the inseam of OG 90’s straight leg jeans that I love and don’t want to retire.
2. I sold a 5 gallon salad spinner I got from a restaurant closing.
3. I made a duffle bag from leftover fabric, a reclaimed zipper, and a free pattern I found on Pinterest. I even added a DIY zipper pull made from my ren faire trinket stash.
4. Immediately went to my credit union and canceled my debit card after I realized I fell for a scammer call impersonating my credit union kicking myself all the way. They didn’t steal any money and while I feel stupid the CU admitted it was a sophisticated scam that caught me at a time when they knew I wouldn’t be paying attention.
5. I cleaned and reorganized the freezer and am meal planning accordingly
Here's an alternative to commercial cocoa mix. Place cocoa powder to taste in mug, along with sugar to taste, a tiny bit of salt, and a splash of vanilla. Stir. Add some half and half, stir. Add milk to fill the mug. Microwave on beverage setting.
My answer to trying to keep up with fashion trends is to ignore them and dress in a manner that suits my body. Skinny jeans look so uncomfortable, torn-on-purpose jeans are just dumb, and wide-leg jeans are flappy and disruptive. Can’t we just find and wear some plain jeans that are none of the above? It’s a real hunt, but they do exist. (If I had offspring, they’d be embarrassed of me.)
Life is a series of decisions and choices: “endocrine disrupting artificial scents” or not; sugar-filled cocoa mix or artificially sweetened cocoa or homemade cocoa. . . it’s enough to cause one to run screaming the other direction.
Yep, if I had offspring, they’d be embarrassed.
P.S. Homemade yogurt is so easy, and who could skip buying milk for .99/gallon?? Almost, but not quite, makes me want to go to Big Town today to see if the Aldi’s there has the same deal.
Kristen, you are so multi-talented, you really challenged the rest of us.
So, I made homemade biscuits this morning, 3 ingredients, I love those simple recipes. I added some Trader Joe's Apple Pie Spread. And I'm wishing I had bought 10 jars, that's stuff is so good.
This morning around 3 AM, because I was studying and couldn't sleep, I came downstairs and put together a dough for spiced shortbread cookies. I put the dough into the refrigerator and if they taste as good as they smell those are going to be some really wonderful cookies. And I had all the ingredients in the pantry, what few there were so, I didn't have to buy anything.
I am having the reminder of my black bean soup I made about 3 weeks ago that was in the freezer for lunch with some of those homemade biscuits from this morning.
I fed the outside stray cats both in the front yard and the back yard and gave them fresh bowls of water. We haven't had any rain in a couple of weeks and it's dry and it's going to be in the mid-eighties today.
I harvested some pickling cucumbers that I am growing, for just that reason, to make pickles.
And I found a recipe last week for cheddar cheese crisp. I absolutely adored sharp cheddar but, the first time I made them I used jalapeno Jack cheese. Still did not have quite the bite that I wanted it to. So now I am going to make them with habanero cheddar. That should provide a kick that kicks me back. I think they will be wonderful with the chili I'm making later this week.
I hope everybody has an absolutely lovely day. Sending all of you blessings from Tampa, Florida.
1. Attended a lovely community choir concert with my sister. We each donated $5 to the freewill offering. Came back to my house for dinner (see #2).
2. Received a ginormous Costco cheese pizza from Buy Nothing. It was left over from a gathering. It has provided so many meals, even after freezing four slices.
3. Received a mitre box from Buy Nothing. We're going to use it for a small project and then pass it on to another BN member who expressed interest.
4. Opened up Nielsen junk mail and found two crisp $1 bills! I wonder how many people will just throw this mail away, not knowing what's inside.
5. Needed one cup of cashews for a cashew chili recipe. Had about ½ cup of cashews on hand and found another ½ cup by picking through the mixed nuts we had left over from a gathering.
Have you thought about adding an essential oil to the dish liquid/water mix? There are various natural essential oils in scents that duplicate what you have in the Body Works products you buy. In fact they may even be better quality than whatever is used to scent the commercial products.
You couldn't pay me to wear any style of jeans. Been there, done that...but not even much in my younger years. Don't like the weight or feel of denim, no matter the brand. Have basically worn so many variations (style) and material of black pants. Comfortable, easy to wash, long lasting.
Used to get teased because I hardly ever wore, and then NEVER wore. Of course, if I were in a job where it was necessary, then that would be different, but I'd never like. Just not for me.
I got a kick out of your opinion on MacIntosh apples, because those are the only apples that taste really good to me. I do agree with you on the so-called Delicious apples though. They taste the way I would expect a plastic apple in someone's faux fruit arrangement to taste. Whoever named them had too much confidence in the power of suggestion!
@Karen L, Macintosh apples are my favorite too because of flavor. I do agree that they don't keep their crisp texture as well. They are also quite acidic to eat plain, so I prefer them along with other food.
I love the jeans! They look fabulous! Attitude brand has non toxic products. They have an evergreen scent. I like to go on EWG which independently ranks products. Many of the unscented laundry detergent are still not safe! I shoot for the best product in my price range!
can you tell me your method for sauteing apples? I know I could google it.... I am dreading those wide leg jeans. I am probably going to remain in the past. I also hate shopping so there is that. **embarrassed emoji
My issue with wider jeans is that I'm on the shorter side (5'3") and the wider legs do nothing to help elongate my short legs. It's a trick to find the right pants.
Frugal this week:
Sold some yarn that had been in my stash forever for $40 on FB (crocheting or knitting is about impossible anymore cause my hands fall asleep...neck issue and holding my arms up doesn't help that).
Bought butter at Lidl for $2/lb. It said $2.49, but when I got up there it had a customer discount of .49 cents. I stocked up.
Going through my Christmas bins now to see what I have to not buy extra. I have Christmas cards (generic for Dh's co-workers or random people...we do a family picture for family and close friends). I have plenty of gift wrap, boxes, tissue paper, and gift tags. I also have stocked up on nice Christmas plates throughout the year (usually for $1 each) to give cookie/candy trays to neighbors.
Bought two turkeys for .29/lb
Eating out of the freezer mostly because I need the room for Christmas cookies and things.
I like straight leg jeans -- can't stand the flapping noise of wider legs -- and will alter legs that are too wide on thrifted jeans. It's a pretty easy fix.
Did magic today with fire and discounted meats and made a turkey/butternut squash/green bean/pasta dish and a big pot of sweet chili pork and veggies. DH and I do not eat alike, so I cook a dish for each of us to have over several days.
Baked a pan of gluten-free brownies that used up the last of a carton of baking cocoa bought last year at Dollar Tree. Yesterday I used up the dregs of a bag of frozen berries and a canister of oatmeal making baked oatmeal.
Straightened up the shelves in the baking cupboard and defrosted the little upright freezer, which gave me a good look at what's in it for meal planning.
I haven't participated in awhile, so hopefully I have 5 or more....
1. My mom dropped off an anniversary gift for my husband and i. It was a huge mum and a basket of delicious apples.
2. A friend of ours buys smoked cheese from someone. He dropped off 3 bricks to us.
3. Used $23 in rewards that I cashed in from scanning receipts, plus redeemed $17.19 in Sams club cash towards a purchase.
4. Our daughter gave us a fresh pineapple.
5. I sold a few items thru facebook marketplace, getting rid of unused items and making $87
Kristen,
I'm afraid I part ways with you about McIntosh apples. I don't find them useless - I've made apple pies and apple crisps with them (yes, the apple slices get soft and sometimes mushy, but THE FLAVOR.....yum!). If you can find them *really fresh*, like right off the tree, they can be somewhat crunchy, though they're still not high on the Crunchiness Scale. I'm fortunate enough that a local fruit farm grows McIntosh apples, so buying them straight from the grower (and picked shortly before they're sold) is a plus. I realize that's not always possible. On the other hand, I loathe Honeycrisp apples for their lack of nuanced flavor. You do you.
I miss my KMart Mom jeans.
Fit just right, price was good, wore well. And "stylish" isn't a top goal for me.
What?!? Your experience of Macs is that they are "mushy??" Must be the shipping, because I grew up in Michigan, and they were the crunchiest, spiciest apple you could get. I love their flavor... but we don't have them here in Colorado. Must be the shipping thing again.
Now, Red Delicious, I agree with you. They look great -- and are tasteless.
I never had the legs for skinny jeans even when younger so I won't miss them. However, the wide jeans are not my cup of tea either. At this point I'd probably look like an older woman (I am, at 66) trying to look young, something I find kind of sad. So I stick to my boot cut and straight leg jeans. Kristen, I think you look great in either wide or skinny jeans but I agree the skinny jeans are on their way out. Like you, I rely on the younger set to keep me on track with fashion.
Kristen’s yogurt and home made pizza: life changing.
1. I purchased a turkey for $0.70/lb. I also purchased 5 packs of 50% off chicken breast and 2 50% off sourdough loaves from Aldi.
2. I had a trial for an app for my car, but it ran out. The app gives you remote start, which is really helpful where we live and also when you don't have a garage. I purchased the app for $10/month and will cancel when the weather improves. This is much cheaper than installing remote start in my car.
3. I made applesauce from some over-ripe apples. I used some of the applesauce to make apple bread. I used over-ripe bananas to make banana pancakes for my kid's breakfast this week.
4. My mom gave us chickpea pizza crusts, marinated chicken breasts, vegetable burgers, and bread. I used the chickpea pizza crusts, left over feta, and sundried tomatoes from our garden to make my lunches for the week.
5. It's open enrollment for insurance with my employer and my husband's employer. My husband and I compared our insurance plans, which is frugal in the short and long term.
FFT All things food related edition:
Have been on a 15 month quest to get my financial house in order. It has been like peeling an onion, which only makes sense. It is constantly changing and adapting to the constant fluctuations.
1. So for several days I have been honing in on my practices regarding food (for the 3rd time). Today I created a Food Notebook/Journal as a command center.
2. First section - Meal Planning
- All the how to's, steps in the process, tips, solutions for frequent problems. My M.P. 101
- Meal plans Since this is new to me, and I nerd out on this kind of thing, I'm going to keep each week's plan and reflections on what worked, what didn't, corrections. Looking for my trends and building a foundation until I can lose the training wheels. Because I am retired and of my shopping routines my planning week runs Thursday thru Wednesday.
- I'm thinking a recipe index of the hits with the name and location. I am a paper and pencil girl. So which cookbook or on a recipe card (even if originally from internet).
3. Section 2 Food Budget
Moved it out of my financial binder to here. It just made more sense to me. Obviously if deducted from my account it is recorded in my register. But I try to use cash (yes envelopes) for my discretionary spending. The details of the monthly budget is here.
4. Inventories
- pantry
- fridge, the permanent items, not the weekly purchases, so I make sure I have an economical replacement in the pantry
- freezer
5. T.G. Price Book
- track my trends, especially regarding waste!
- track stores & other sources usage
- the actual price book fits in a pocket when it's not in my purse
Sorry for the book. I need all the stuff for support. Can't increase my income because of some health things. Can't keep everything in my head anymore because of some cognitive issues. So this is the current solution.
Thank you for your patience with my first FFT post. Hope you week is blessed.
@AZ Lynn, I really enjoyed reading about your food notebook/journal. So smart.
@MB in MN, Thank you. I was having some serious doubts about it all.
My frugal 5:
1. Took the car in for an oil change and used a groupon. I think I paid about $50 total. Got the long list of things to be "repaired" which I see as upselling. The total for that was $2700 and dh was trying to talk me into giving up that car that's worth $5,000 on Kelly's Blue Book but even though it's 15 yrs old only has 86000 miles on it. A Honda CRV is suppose to last up to 200,000 miles. I'm not ready to let it go.
2. Started PT for my knee replacement. Cost is zero as I've met my out of pocket deductible for the year.
3. Had my shrink appointment via phone thereby saving gas from having to drive 15 miles one way for the visit.
4. We had one pizza from the pizzaria and it was eh. Not worth the $18 imho. Hubby has been cooking since. But the bad side is he's spending too much money at the grocery store.
5. Hubby has found that one of his credit cards is foreign transaction fee free so that will help with our trip to Singapore in March.
6. I'm feeling Grinch like for Christmas because what do you get someone who has just about everything? Daughter and hubby are going to see The Book of Mormon in NYC and the Rockafeller Christmas tree. I'm staying home away from the crowds.
My frugal activities have mostly been passing along items to people who can use them.
1) Magnesium lotion to a massage therapist
2) “Autumn” pumpkin chai tea bags to the community center coffee/tea area
3) Assorted clothing/shoes that don’t fit or bring joy to the thrift shop where I volunteer
4) Ironed used gift wrap tissue paper
5) Donated a small boom box /CD player to my exercise class - it had been gathering dust and the class needed a replacement player
6) finished planting bulbs at our house and for other people; dug up dahlia tubers to save for spring
7) enjoying reading books from our wonderful library. Current favorite is “This American Woman” a memoir by Indian stand up comedian Zarna Garg
99¢ gallons of milk?! This is where Aldi wins over Winco!
I use your yogurt recipe all the time!
My 5 (quick version):
1. Accepted food from our neighbors
2. Went on a family hike
3. Cashier gave us a Senior discount! I guess we don't look 42 and 37! Haha
4. Got some shirts from Goodwill
5. Having clearance greens, Beans and cornbread for supper
Unabridged edition here: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/11/18/frugal-five-18/
the jeans look nice on you - you are thin and young! i wore them in the 70's and yes they are back in style.
Boot cut jeans for everyday, carhartts for working around the farm, love those pockets. Right now I have one pair of good cowgirl jeans, one pair of not your daughters jeans found at a garage sale that make me look one size smaller and one pair of NYDJ black dress jeans. I had a pair of sticky fingers in '79 or '80 that were wide legged. I was so short...fashion cringe.
The house guests will probably go home today, they've had so much fun they've stayed an extra day...love it.
I've cooked all meals from the garden and freezers and they eat like it's their last meal.
Putting the rest of the geraniums in the greenhouse before a killing freeze.
Splitting more wood.
Line drying Laundry.
I made a double batch of granola, they take it with them on their daily hikes.
Ran off to work in the fields and forgot to post. Doh!
Kudos to finding a pair of jeans that fit. I am on the bubble between petite and regular length.
1 - large branch that came crashing down this weekend is heating my home
2 - better half scored 4 large country ribs, 1.25 lbs of 80/20 Angus ground beef, 8 oz Angus NY strip steak, and an Angus T-bone steak for $22
3 - pot of goulash made with some previously marked down ground beef, home grown tomatoes (from freezer), home grown garlic, last of mushrooms, and already purchased elbow macaroni fed us, meal for my dad, and leftovers for another meal.
4 - Hit the age in life where I don't need more than the company provided life insurance and disability. Saves a few bucks on benefits - particularly because group term life isn't the bargain it used to be. Someone got the bright idea that employees would want to covert to whole life when s/he left the company. Not a good bargain and frankly, term is the way to go unless you are part of the 2% or better.
5 - Bad enough I use a credit card (non-rewards, don't get me started) and the occasional debit but avoiding the endless apps means less chance of a data breach.
I just have a tip to share. An easy way to make delicious hot cocoa without having to buy a mix AND the added benefit of having no filler ingredients...
For each cup of milk, add a scant tablespoon of cocoa powder and two tablespoons of sugar. Heat and enjoy!
I only learned last week that BBW has carton refills!! Yay for less plastic!!
I made apple oat breakfast bar type things with some apple butter I was gifted.
Used chip drop to get free mulch delivered to my yard. This is very time saving (and hence money saving) to me as I normally spend lots of trips back and forth to the recycling center for the free mulch. Also my car is saved from being full of mulch dust.
Have been selling a bunch of baby/toddler things on Facebook marketplace. It frees up space in our fairly small house and puts a little extra cash in our pockets.
Made muffins with the leftover pineapple juice and pineapple from making Hawaiian pizza over the weekend.
Got a free American Elderberry shrub from a local nursery that was partnering with the city giving them away to reduce flooding. I will never say no to free native plants.