It’s time for Five Frugal Things! I didn’t do anything amazingly creative yesterday….just some regular ol’ staple frugal stuff.
I rescued some dry bread
Remember the dry, chewy store-bought pitas I got last week for gyros? Joshua made it thru two of them, but then the other two just sat. They weren’t moldy (hello, preservatives??), but they were obviously still just as dry and chewy as before.
So, I had the idea to make them into pita chips, and I used The Pioneer Woman’s recipe, except I split my pitas in half. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to reduce the baking time, so mine got a little…browned.
But my kids didn’t seem to mind and ate them anyway.
I also had a little bit of leftover star-shaped canapé bread from the other day, so I sliced it thinly, brushed the pieces with an oil/butter mixture, and baked them. They turned out kind of like star-shaped melba toast.
Both the star toast and the pita chips are all gone now, so, mission accomplished!
I made yogurt.
Nothing unusual, but it’s a frugal staple here at our house. We eat some in bowls with fruit, but lots of it gets put into smoothies.
I packed Mr. FG’s lunch.
Also not out of the ordinary, but it IS frugal. 😉 And I packed it in all reusable containers, which is both frugal and green.
I read a library book while at ballet.
Sometimes I run errands while Sonia and Zoe are at ballet, but the last two weeks, I haven’t had an errand to run, so I got to just sit and read.
(This is my idea of partying.)
Almost all the books I read come from the library. I love that this saves me money, but even more, I love that when I’m done with the book, I can give it back to the library. No clutter!
Yesterday, I was reading Below Stairs, which Sarah from Clover Lane recommended (she said people who enjoyed Downton Abbey would like this book and she was right.) I’m loving it so far, and I’m finding it to be surprisingly thought-provoking.
I made dinner.
If there’s one frugal thing I try to do regularly it’s this: make dinner. Eating out, even at a cheap place, is stupid expensive for six people.
I mean, we can barely get fast food for $30, which means that making food at home is one of the most effective ways I can save money.
And at $30/meal, I can make pretty much anything I want at home and still save money.
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Your turn! List your own five frugal thing in the comments, if ya want to.
Kathleen
Saturday 24th of October 2015
1. Made dinner from Salmon my in-laws caught for me this summer. 2. Designed and ordered a free calendar from shutterfly for next year. 3. Went and test drove a car at the dealership and was given two free movie tickets. 4. Stayed an extra hour to watch my daughter do a second hour of ballet with older girls so that she could make up one we missed earlier this semester. Hate to miss a class we paid for. 5. Using leftover parts of yarn from previous projects all in one lap blanket for my sister's christmas gift. Not only is is using up bits of this or that it is turning out really colorful.
Anna
Friday 23rd of October 2015
I read a similar book, "Life Below Stairs," also from the library that I enjoyed- not this week though.
This week I read a library book by an author that was coming to speak today. I could count 5 things from that one event. 1. Read library book instead of purchasing. 2. Free event at library- author speaking- and it stayed free since I resisted buying any of her books! The library has more that I can check out later. 3. Free snacks at event, and they sent some home with me for the rest of the family. (love small town life.) 4. Kids spent about 2 hours at library on computers and reading while my husband stayed with them. 5. We walked to & from the library. That's more impressive than it sounds, since it was only one block. But I'm still counting it. ;)
And bonus: Then we spent the rest of the evening reading books that we checked out from the library. More free entertainment.
Kristen
Friday 23rd of October 2015
Oooh, now I have to see if my library has that one!
Linda
Friday 23rd of October 2015
I have really enjoyed the frugal five. These are the things I did this week to be frugal.
1. I took my lunch to work everyday except one. This is the day my daughter works at my school and we have lunch together. I buy sometimes and she buys sometimes. It was her turn this week. 2. I cooked supper at home every night. We seldom eat out. 3. I made enough chicken and broccoli alfredo to freeze some for another quick supper. 4. I made my Christmas list and began making them. I make as many gifts as I can. 5. I put up my Halloween/fall decor. Some of the items were handmade and I purchased no new items this year. After Halloween I will take down the jack-'o-lanterns and replace them with turkeys. Most items were purchased in previous years from dollar stores.
jenny_o
Friday 23rd of October 2015
I always enjoy Five Frugal Things and the comments! Even if they are things I routinely do, it helps keep me in the mindset and stay resolved to keep doing them. I don't have five, but here are mine: 1. I still cook for four even though our kids are grown and away. This way I am cooking once but we are eating twice - less electricity, less time. 2. Not shopping, not even at the thrift store! 3. Read some new-to-me blogs about decluttering, frugal cooking and avoiding shopping. 4. Packed husband's lunches, as usual, and my own snacks for my casual job.
Marisa
Friday 23rd of October 2015
1. Ate at a friend's house for lunch instead of going out to lunch or running to Target ($$) just for something to do in the hour before preschool pickup. 2. Used a freezer meal for dinner instead of picking something up. 3. Wore a sweater at home instead of turning up the heat. 4. Went to my local rec center gym ... for free-to-me using "punches" that I bought years ago when I had a corporate job with an annual fitness allowance. 5. Made plans for tomorrow to use a museum membership that we bought earlier this year.