Five Frugal Things | the small things aren't pointless
1. I filled out a Nielsen survey
I got an envelope from them with two visible dollar bills in it. Soooo, I opened it and found a little survey to mail in.
I took a minute to fill it out, popped it in the mail, and I will get another $5 from them for my time.
Sometimes these small frugalities feel pointless to me because I am currently hemorrhaging money in the direction of my lawyer.
Like, ok, great, I'm getting $7, but I have paid my lawyer WAY MORE than $7.
However...what I know is that I will not need to pay a lawyer forever.
And my frugal habits are part of what will help me to rebuild financially after all this is over.
So. It is not a waste to still be frugal. It'll all pay off eventually!
2. I got some blue plates for free
Someone on my Buy Nothing group was offering some blue dishes and I said, "Oooooh, yes please!"
So now I have a few blue plates to go along with my white ones, and I'm pleased about that.
3. I got some candleholders from my Buy Nothing group
I didn't need these. But if I'm gonna obtain something I don't NEED, then the Buy Nothing group is a good place to do it!
I've gotten a lot of necessary things from my Buy Nothing group, of course...like silverware. And the afore-mentioned plates.
But sometimes I pick up things that are just nice to have.
Plant pots.
Bookshelves.
(here's the post that has a "before" photo of this bookshelf that is rather shocking.)
A wall mirror.
These are things that just help make my house feel a little bit more cozy and homey.
It's a slow way to decorate, but over time, my patient watching and waiting has gotten me a lot of lovely things for my house.
4. I softened some hardened honey
I had a bottle of honey that had gotten crystallized, so I put it into a bowl of hot water, with a bowl on top to weigh it down.
And after a few minutes, the honey was soft enough for me to pour it into a bowl for future use. Sweet!
5. I made lots of use-it-up breakfasts
My last Hungry Harvest box gave me quite a few jalapenos and avocados, so I've been eating scrambled eggs with jalapenos, with avocados on the side.
I've also used up several sauce odds and ends on my eggs. Good thing I bought those damaged cartons of eggs recently!
May your lawyer prove worth every cent! HUGS I wish I could say more, but all of my divorce experience comes from supporting friends through theirs, which is very much their business. Your wallet will be on fire for a while, but it will be WORTH IT, and that $2 survey money will do its part. HUGS AGAIN
FFT
—Memorial Day translates to “Black Friday for the dead” if you’ve a cemetery groundskeeper in your life! My husband earned a nice chunk of overtime this past weekend, time and a half on Monday, will have a paid holiday later this week, and has achieved 10,000+ steps daily on his phone’s fitness tracker. He also received a nice raise for obtaining his pesticide certification. Listening to Great Courses lectures on the Middle Ages and the Mongols while weed eating, mowing, etc. makes for a good (and very physical) gig! 😛
—We installed our solo window AC unit (advantages of a small house) in anticipation of higher temperatures (80+). Hopefully we can keep our electric bill to a tight $57/month like we did during the hottest months last year. We still have what amounts to two months’ of credit left on our electric account from our deposit refund, so here’s hoping!
—I finally broke down and bought a weed eater. The local boy who mows our lawn is careful to miss the flower beds and vegetable garden, as directed, but the edges were getting increasingly shaggy. Between Memorial Day sales and $25 in coupons, I was able to get a lithium battery powered weed eater for $82 instead of $159. It came with a “free” leaf blower, which we may or may not keep (useful yes, but unpleasantly loud for all concerned).
—I scored two GIANT pots at Habitat Restore for $6 each. I filled them with seedlings thinned from my other vegetable planters and a tomato start that a farming coworker graciously gifted me.
—I did have to buy more potting soil for said pots,* but I still had a $5 coupon up my sleeve!
*Our local soil is clay heavy, and the rabbits and squirrels are numerous. (I’ve been sprinkling red pepper flakes and cayenne to hopefully deter them.) I felt pots would stand a better chance against pests and conserve more water. The vegetable garden definitely looks more hodgepodge than it did in my head—eight planters made from four different styles of pots/recycled mineral lick tubs—but the goal this year was just to get things growing. We can worry about aesthetics next spring. 😛
I’ve been planting my gardens! I’m getting started with raised beds at my new house, which doesn’t feel frugal, but next year I’ll only need to buy seeds. And I’ll have plenty of veggies rolling in later this summer. Plus, the therapeutic effect of gardening and the joy it provides is a super good value!
I’ve also been cooking our meals at home and making my coffee at home. And I used up a bunch of food that was headed for death row in my fridge yesterday.
I made carrot juice before breakfast and then used the three cups of pulp to make some slightly weird but still yummy pancakes (kind of carrot-cakey) for the fam, who loved them.
I made a rodent-proof compost bin at home, instead of buying the $200 one at the store. The materials cost $35. I don’t love building things, but I saved a few bucks and my bin doesn’t have any plastic, which is cool to me.
@SarahK, I think of my gardening as a hobby with the bonus of paying me back with food. I don’t know that I save a substantial amount of money, but most hobbies don’t give me piles of fresh produce in return. 🙂
@SarahK,
That initial investment in the cost of raised beds can be painful, but it will pay off in the long run! Hubby and I bought ours 4 years ago - they're metal-sided - and are still going strong. Other than adding more garden soil to them, plus the cost of veggie plants (it would be even cheaper to start from seeds, but we don't), it's been awesome. I know we save money on the cost of tomatoes. 🙂
@Liz B., where did you get them? I'm thinking about raised beds due to poor soil.
@SarahK, I’m likewise recovering from the ALL THE MONEY stage of getting our vegetable garden set up. You’ll find it so satisfying and exciting when your plants start to come up! In addition to asking advice of grandening friends, I’ve found the Farmer’s Almanac immensely helpful, especially for crash courses in specific vegetables : https://www.almanac.com/gardening/growing-guides
Good lawyers are worth every penny. I've had to pay for a divorce lawyer, criminal lawyer, and one for the eviction last year. My divorce lawyer cost me something like $20,000 (ugh) but worth it.
Not frugal: I ordered the wrong size (XS, ha ha ha) shorts which were nonreturnable. Someone's coming to pick them up off the porch from Buy Nothing.
NF: I paid for an airport limo to pick up my son from the airport. I would have had to take a day off work and drive for a good six hours. No thank you.
NF: I hired an organizer to help me, well, organize. It's not that I don't know how to do it, but with my complete and utter lack of energy, this way it actually gets done and I don't have to stress about it any more.
NF: I told my daughter she could pick out any fabric she wants to make a dress for my niece's wedding. I have a dress and my son has a cream linen suit. We'll be nicely dressed.
NF: I keep putting off getting a check from New York State Comptroller--one of those missing money deals--because the form requires a notary.
Frugal: Dinnerly box arriving tomorrow. It's cheaper than buying locally. Plus I like that just enough of each ingredient is sent so I don't feel guilty about extras in the fridge.
Neither frugal nor unfrugal: the jalapeno cream cheese on a toasted everything bagel I'm eating. Yuuuuuuuum.
@Rose, nice to hear people also share their failures. Kristen, you ought to have a failures day once in awhile.
Oh, like one where I share my failures? Or one where I invite readers to share theirs? Or both in one?
@Rose, many lawyers in NYS are notaries if you have the latest one nearby LOL I'd bet they'd do it for free. That said -I've even seen notary signs at my gas station! We all have those weeks - report back on the organizer!
@Rose, if you have a local bank branch they may have a notary you could use for cheap or free. Our bank has one that we've used several times. They're supposed to charge us something silly like $4, but they never actually have.
@Rose,
You Long Islanders have THE BEST bagels. I have some in my freezer that I share with *no one*. HeeHee 🙂
@Rose, I get really excited when people are able to collect “unclaimed property”. It requires jumping through some administrative hoops but so worth it.
I believe every state (?) has a website where you can look up your name or names of family and friends. I occasionally do a search in case something new has popped up and have found literally thousands of dollars for friends. Many are $250 (like paychecks never cashed or deposits never returned) or less but others have been much more $ individually or cumulatively. Larger amounts can be from insurance policies that no one knew existed or stock certificates, for example.
I first started looking several years ago when I was executor of an estate. Often that seems to be a way that things slip through the cracks - but with some legwork and patience the money can be recovered. If someone you know has cognitive decline, that can also be how unclaimed assets surface eventually.
One caveat - there are “services” that send out solicitation letters offering to “help” you recover unclaimed property for a fixed percentage fee of the amount. That is highway robbery as you can perform that work yourself for free (other than the cost (if any) of a notary, obtaining death or birth certificates (in situations that involve estates).
@Jean, It's true. I found my son a paycheck he never cashed and I found for myself an escrow check I never got. The one requiring a notary is from my employee stock purchase plan back in the day, where I had both myself and my ex has joint holders.
As for finding a notary, you folks seem to think I live in a normal place with normal services, instead of someplace where a whale is my closest neighbor. Our local bank branch did in fact have a notary that I used several times but she retired. @cherie, good call about the lawyer, though. Next time I go near his office I will stop by.
And of course we have the best bagels. We always snicker derisively to ourselves when someone mentions some dorky bagel chain. SORRY AMERICA.
@Rose, I'm not sure if this information will be helpful to you, but the UPS store has a notary for $6 and they are open much later than the bank (which is where I usually go) and sometimes there are no lines. This has made getting things signed so much easier for me!
@Rose, Check with your library for the notary. Most of them have one. It is just certain hours.
Whenever we visit my daughter in Maryland we bring her bagels from home. That, pizza and cannolis are the foods she misses most.
@cherie, a lot of banks or credit unions offer notary services for free
@Rose, td bank used to have notaries and you don't have to be a customer. dpn't know if they still do. my (bank chase) doesn't have them anymore. but my apt complex has one at the community center. they only charge $2 a page.
@Veronica, yes! That is where I go to get things notarized as well.
@Rose, our town halls have notary service free of charge (rural western NY)
I love how generous your BN group is. I'm in one that is large and sometimes hard to be the receiver. I have gotten a few things but mostly I use it as a way to get rid of things.
My frugality of the week...
1. My son started a job at a pizza shop recently. The other night he brought home 5 semi-prepped pizza doughs they were going to toss at the end of the night. We made 2 pizzas, bread sticks, and monkey bread! Hooray for kids who are learning not to throw food away like that.
2. All four of my kids have been growing, and, with the season change, everyone needs a few items of clothing. I was able to get 11 items for them at Goodwill for a total of $32. I had a 10% off and some of the kids are still in children's sizes, which are $1.99. Still, one of the men's shirts marked $4.99 was a brand new Calvin Klein button up shirt with the tags on. I think that alone would have been over $32..... (Not that I would have paid it in real life...)
3. Used $5/50 at Kroger and earned 500 free fuel points.
4. Also I was surprised how long my last tank of gas lasted. I filled up before we took a hiking trip 1.5 hours away last Saturday, and I still hadn't needed to fill up afterward yet by this weekend. Then I realized, all of our many homeschool classes and events have ended. Summer (for now) might be great for my gas tank. We walked to our neighborhood pool this weekend, and the library is 5 min away.
5. I had some of my kids go through a strategy board game mess with me and help sort out any missing pieces, and we put everything away nicely. We found 3 games to pass on and donate to church. I think our game shelf has been needing attention for at least a month! Now I actually want to go in that room and play a game.
I have NON frugals though...
-My husband has been buying tons of gear for he and the two older boys to canoe the Boundary Waters with their scout troop this summer. They may have already spent $1000 on gear.... but it will be a great experience for them. (Props to them for trying to shop at Walmart for some of the things, getting Amazon deals, and going to Dick's with a 20% off purchase)
-Homeschool curriculum ordering always feels expensive, though I see it as an investment and I look for used items when possible. We are also in a co-op and classes are worth it but expensive....
Hemorrhaging money is all that seems to be happening on my end, too. This past weekend, I finally broke down and replaced two Ryobi batteries for my trimmer and leaf blower since I am the groundskeeper here. But I got them in a two pack with a charger, saving me some $ AND I got a free cordless circular sander as a bonus.
Lately I feel like I am doing good to eat all the groceries I buy (wasting no food), do all my own chores and lawn care, only buy what I feel like I need for my house, and stay on top of all my bills. Sometimes, that's all you can do, but its enough!
First, Kristen, do whatever it takes to get yourself the best legal representation possible to get you through this--as Rose and others have said.
Now, FFT, Early Garage Sale Profits and Gardening Downs and Ups Edition:
(1) Ahead of this coming weekend’s street-wide garage sale, I’ve started giving sneak previews of DH’s tools and other stuff to neighbors who’ve asked. Over the weekend, I sold $115 worth to one neighbor, his son-in-law, and a friend. (This is the group that bought DH’s old dead generator and old dead lawn tractor last summer. This time, they bought DH’s old dead chainsaw and several other useless-to-me things.)
(2) Also, Ms. Bestest Neighbor wants to barter some of her gardening books for some of the hand tools, and I’ll probably be giving more previews as the week goes on. It is a truth universally acknowledged that we’re all each other’s best customers.
(3) I’ll be putting an ad for the sale on Nextdoor, and a neighbor who uses Facebook has agreed to put an ad on Facebook. An improvement over having to pay to put an ad in the newspaper in the pre-social-media days. (Of course, this is also part of what’s killing newspapers, alas.) And I'm using cardboard from the box that held the new water heater to make signs.
(4) We’re having an unusually long spell of warm, dry weather for late May, much to the chagrin of us gardeners. Back in April/early May, it seemed we couldn’t get it to stop raining; now we can’t get it to start. So I’m doing what I can to conserve water even more than usual (bucket-flushing the upstairs toilet with used bathwater, using two old carboys of water I found in the basement to water plants, etc.).
(5) But I was still able to harvest my first salad of the season yesterday: lettuce that I'm growing in my old Easy Washer tub (with an old fire pit screen on top to keep out the deer), cilantro from my self-perpetuating cilantro patch, and lamb's quarters leaves as a spinach substitute. (Yes, folks, it's "Eat your weeds" time!) I added radishes from Wegmans and tomatoes from Trader Joe's, and took this to a Memorial Day cookout last night.
@A. Marie,
We eat lamb's quarter also. It has great nutritional value.
@A. Marie, I love that you're eating your weeds. I really want to try harvesting from my property but need to work on becoming more knowledgeable. I'm going to try also to plant some lettuce on the north side of my house. If I plant close to the house the deer seem to leave it alone.
It's so cool here, it is kind of depressing. We're zooming up to 59 today. The only plants that are happy are the enormous weeds I need to whack. My tomatoes etc are really behind.
@A. Marie, @2: yes! My favorite thrift shop is run by a friend and it sometimes seems to me that a fairly steady group is buying a lot of clothes and accessories from each other. The money is well spent though: cooking workshops for our community and a duobike for the motorically challenged. The bike will be on loan from a nearby church and you can either ask for a volunteer to accompany you or bring your own fellow-cyclist (it is the type where you sit next to each other).
--Gardening for food continues apace. We've started eating the kohlrabi, and we should have harvestable lettuce within the week.
--We're moving the sheep up to the cemetery a couple of miles away to graze today. Our neighbor who is caretaker for this cemetery asked if we would do this, as the weeds are getting pretty bad in there. He asked around among the families who have relatives buried there, and they all approved. Cows would cause damage and don't eat things down as far, but sheep are good at picking around obstacles. The only concern is predators, but we haven't had coyotes around in awhile, so we're crossing our fingers they're be okay for a week up there.
--Keeping them there for the week will allow their usual pastures near our house to grow more, and that means much better forage for them all summer. It's hard to keep them off new growth in the spring, but worth it in the end.
--My kids' former teacher, from whom we got our pony, called yesterday to ask if we would like another horse. Our big, gentle, very old horse died this winter. Our pony is very spirited and requires my husband's firm hand on his halter to be rideable, and even then, he's really too small for my bigger kids. So yes, in fact we are very interested in another horse. This one hasn't been ridden in a few years and will require some re-training, but at least my husband can ride her to get her re-accustomed to use, as can my eldest son. She's supposed to have a very good disposition, making her a good kid horse, and is only about ten. I guess the main complaint about her is that she's lazy. That's not good in a working ranch horse, which she was, but is desirable in a kid horse. Most kid horses tend to be very old, which is kind of a bummer, because then they don't last too long.
--Another neighbor who owns an empty lot in our ghost village had offered it to use for sheep grazing. Most neighbors are very happy to have animals on their lots to keep down the growth, which is a fire danger. Sheep require pretty good fencing to keep in, but horses can be kept in with a couple of strands of electric wire. We had it set up for our old horse and the pony last year, so we can use it for the new horse too. This is a significant savings over keeping them in the pen near the house, where we have to feed them hay.
In sum, hooray for neighbors and friends. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, Aren't ponies always kind of jerks? That's always been my experience, anyway.
@Rose, Many of them do seem to have a Napolean complex. There are exceptions, but I suspect that's the rule.
@kristin @ going country, I apologize in advance for being that person, and I agree that a Napoleon complex is a thing--I've seen it often--but I must stand up for my pal Bonaparte, as he wasn't really short. British cartoonists drew him to be short to mock him and the idea stuck, but he was 5'6", about standard height for Frenchmen in the day.
I don’t comment often re FFT because I mostly have normal, run-of-the-mill frugal things. But over the last couple of weeks I’ve had some unusual frugal activities.
1. I gave myself a pedicure. Open toe season is here & my feet deserved some special attention.
2. I fixed the chair seat webbing on my front porch wicker glider chairs. I googled & watched a YouTube video. It was easy and only involved zip ties & my time.
3. I returned some items that didn’t work/fit/fix for refunds.
4. I finally shortened all the king size pillowcases to standard pillow length. All it took was sewing a straight seam & trimming the excess fabric.
5. While I was in a sewing mood I repaired the binding on my DH’s favorite throw blanket. The stitching had mysteriously come undone & the flapping of the binding was bugging him.
@LDA, I should give myself a pedicure. My nails still have the remains of the polish put on last November when BFF and I went to get pedis. I haven't gotten rid of it yet because it reminds me of her but it's starting to look really bad.
Yes, I am absurd.
@Rose, no, you are not absurd. You are grieving. No two people grieve the same, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Maybe you could get the same color, so it will continue to remind you of your friend and all the special times you shared. Hugs.
@Cheryl 90, Thanks, sweetie. TBH, she'd never had a pedicure before and hated it, ha! I do miss her so much. She knew me before I met my ex and before my brother died and when my family was intact and happy. (It wasn't after my brother died.) She and my mom bonded over late nights while I went to bed. She knew my dad well and laughed off his devastating remarks, like when she wore the emerald ring her mom gave her, and my dad said, "That's not really the best emerald." Most people were afraid of my father, but she never was. And I am wearing that emerald ring right now and thinking fondly of both of them.
We got the whole garden in this weekend. Now to wait patiently. I think I only spent $11 on seeds this year. I count that in my grocery budget. Well worth it.
Went fishing yesterday and got some good sized perch.
My husband turns 60 today. We had a small family party on Sunday and it was nice to have everyone together for a low key meal that mostly came from the freezer, where I stock all the sales.
Last week, I used coupons and Walgreens rewards to get over $100 worth of products for nearly nothing. I don't do big shops often at Wags, but this was worth the planning.
I've been walking every day for exercise.
1. Buy Nothing Groups are so awesome! Participated in mine by gifting some items and receiving several useful things. It is so wonderful to see the matches that are being made and the sense of community among the members.
2. Realized that the TV in our apartment's community room carries the channels that my husband needs to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs. He had been going to a neighborhood bar/restaurant to watch the games and spending money on food. Now he makes popcorn at home and saves a bundle.
3. Friend made us a loaf of homemade bread and gave me a lot of yeast so that I can try making my own.
4. Went to my county's free fix-it clinic where they repaired the knob on a lamp for me. Great program to keep things out of the landfill.
5. Took advantage of a BOGO offer on carrots. And then made sure we used them in recipes before they went south.
@MB in MN, free fix it clinic is a great idea!
1. I planted clover along the side of my long driveway in the hopes that it will limit the amount of mowing I will need to do in the summer. If it works well than I will plant in other areas of my lawn.
2. I bought eggs at Meijer for $1.29 as well as some other loss leader items.
3. I hosted a Memorial Day dinner for my family. My sister and mother contributed dishes so frugal for all and it was a nice relaxing evening which was perfect as we were all very tired yesterday.
4. I trash picked some bubble wrap from a neighbors bulk trash pick up. I will use it for my Ebay items.
5. I'm reading library books on my kindle. Making dog cookies and dog ice cream. I'm making my own coffee and cooking from scratch. I wash my laundry in cold water and hang it to dry....
I also hope Kristen that the cost of your lawyer will be money well spent for peace in happiness in your future.
I don't comment very often for FFT because my FT aren't very exciting. However this last week was different.
1. Opened my last Christmas gift...a new sewing machine and made cleaning wipes, mended 2 pairs of jeans and covered a pillow.
2. I went to the but 1G1 sale at my local greenhouse to replace a couple of vegetable plants.
3. I used Perks to buy gas and got 10.00 off.
4. Had no food waste this week...which hasn't happened in forever.
5. Went to 2 rummage sales on Saturday and 1 was 3 bags for a buck. My 2 adult children and I split the cost. In my bag I got 3 books, 2 mugs, a pie plate, a shawl, 2 pairs of thick woolen socks, a pattern for mens pjs and 2 t shirts...for $.33. So .03 each.
Oooh, those are great uses for your sewing machine!
I had a very productive and frugal long weekend!
- I waterproofed an entire 4 person tent and the floor of our 6 person tent with waterproofing sprays leftover from making outdoor historical costuming and prop projects. The brands were a bit of a hodgepodge but they all work the same and I cleared some clutter. yay!
- I repaired our brick garden borders and used contact adhesives from our stash to make sure it stays that way.
- I did a bit of maintenance on our bikes and installed a few Aldi bike accessories to make our rides a little safer and more pleasant.
- Made rye bread because we were craving rye bread. My husband created at least one dinner around using it.
- Used a few trash bags of mulch we removed from our flower beds to encourage some of the plants to spread to fill in the gaps between the repaired brick garden boarders and the dirt in the flower beds
FFT:
- Bought gas at Sam's before we headed out of town for a short day-trip adventure
- Packed snacks and drinks our drive
- Purchased 15 bags of mulch at Home Depot when it was on sale for about half the regular price. I got of it put out in one day.
- Memorial day meal was smoked ribs purchased as BOGO, roasted potatoes and watermelon, both of which were on sale
- Kristen inspired me to redo a new ceiling fan I inherited from Mom. The fan was all white and not our style, so I spray painted the hardware with black spray paint we already had and used a roll of contact paper to cover the blades. Totally looks different now for $10 out of pocket.
I feel you on hemorrhaging money to the lawyer. “The only one who wins in a divorce is the lawyer,” says my dad. Hopefully it yields a satisfactory resolution that allows you to rebuild. And hopefully it is true that frugal habits do add up. I need that to be true.
FFT-Let’s see what I have:
1. Took the time and some money to work get my license, so now I get paid nearly double for the same work I was doing.
2. Working through the thick and annoying red tape to get more services for my son. So far nothing has come of it, but I think even with the time I put in it will pay off financially sooner or later.
3. Menu planning—similarly to Kristen I had been in a menu planning slump for quite a while and rode it out. Now I’ve come up with a system of a rotating 3-4 week menu plan (complete with grocery list attached) with a few alternates on the side so I don’t have to think as hard about what to eat and buy. Being a single parent/full time caregiver requires more automation than what I previously had and I’m figuring out how to make it happen.
4. Asking for help from friends. I’ve said this before, but it’s true each week in new ways: having a community has saved me so much pain, hardship and to money. They have stepped in when I need a hand, been available to talk through some issues (why does parenting not get easier?!?!), explained how to take care of Old House Issues. And of course Generous Neighbor continues to barter with me. I truly have the best friends in the world—something money can’t buy.
5. Shopped a sale at my favorite clothing company and got 1 item for about 75% off and another for about 50% off.
@Kaitlin, I won in my divorce. I found the best divorce lawyer on Long Island and my ex found the worst. Totally worth it.
@Rose, sounds like karma was hard at work 🙂
@cherie, I'm not a lawyer, but it seems pretty obvious to me that when divvying up assets, one should get a disinterested third-party appraisal? Instead of relying on the word of my ex, who had no idea what he was talking about but was arrogant enough to think he did? Ah hahahahaha, why sure, we'll go along with your estimates. Thanks for getting a crappy attorney who didn't order appraisals.
In this case, his incompetence was a win for you! 🙂
It is definitely the small things! The big things matter as well, but the small ones can be done on a daily basis, which helps the ball continue to roll daily. The larger ones are more infrequent, so it's hard to find the motivation for those.
1) I picked and gave away a bunch of lettuce & spinach that we wouldn't use over the weekend. A BN neighbor was thrilled to get it.
2) Similarly, we used our home grown romaine lettuce in salads, as well as basil from the garden. We used the basil in a caprese salad, which was delicious. We need to use a ton more of it, as our plants have really taken off.
3) Volunteered at a soccer tournament, with my mom. She was visiting for the long weekend. I have to do three hours of volunteering for each of my two teens, for their soccer club. When it's complete, I get $100 (x2) off of each of their fees. All of the other volunteering opportunities have happened when we were out of town, so I was happy to get this one in. We volunteered at the last shift, which was only two hours, and then because I had my mom with me, I was able to complete both volunteer requirements for the kids. Done!
4) Set up our own wine tasting at home, vs going out. Mostly because the weather was gorgeous, & we have a beautiful pool area, but it was also frugal. Now we just need to remember to eat up all of the remaining fun nibbles we bought this week.
5) Used up $20 in Dicks sporting good rewards, which I used to pick up a few things we needed, and a birthday gift.
1. DH is building a mini camper, and after putting the window and door on, found saved paint in the garage so I could paint the window frame and touch up the door. It looks very cute!
2. Using a piece of plywood leftover from the camper to make a sign for our little free library, also using paint found in the garage.
3. Three home haircuts.
4. Library books!
5. Returned shorts to Amazon (purchased using points) that didn't fit, and used the refund to get a new travel purse I've been needing for an upcoming trip.
Just back from a shirt holiday, where we spent intentionally.
I read yesterday's post today and again I am cheering on Lisey (and the other girls!) on finding a happy career path.
Frugal: mending a seam, painting a rail, remembering to wear my old clothes while doing the painting and other dirty jobs, some great finds in a thrift shop.
Definitely non frugal: forgetting my reading glasses when out for a bottle of nail polish (open toe season, as one other reader mentioned) and I bought a good brand against an appalling price.
Also I had my two broken molars fixed, which was well spent. I am back to wholemeal bread with seeds again, although still cautious after the damage wrecked by the previous bun.
A good lawyer is worth the price. And as stated, you won't be paying it forever.
My FFT:
1. I've been satisfied with my car insurance for years, but my latest six month premium jumped over $140! I called, and they've had a rate increase, so that's the price; they can't do anything about it. So I called around and found a different insurer that reduced my six month premium to less than I had originally paid with my previous company before the increase, for the same coverage. I'm going to save over $300 this year. I wish I'd checked prices before this, but for a long time, the insurer I had been using always had the lowest price when I checked, so I stopped checking after a while. I learned a lesson here.
2. We had a Memorial Day cookout at my daughter's house. I bought some of the groceries and so did she. Her ex always used to do the grilling and smoking with his fancy equipment, but she grilled on DH's old Weber kettle and did a great job.
3. I hung out all the laundry this weekend. Some of the clothespins I use for hanging out laundry were my mother's; she died in 1998. Those clothespins have sure held up. I use a gifted apron with a big deep pocket to hold the pins.
4. My co-op is going to drop the 15% owner discount for a while, starting in June. I made sure to get there before the end of this month to get some needed stock-up items and get the discount.
5. I had bought a vintage sewing table that was refurbished, but the part that the machine sits on and lowers/raises was missing, so the table had a big, irregularly-shaped hole in the middle of the top. I laid a piece of wood over it "temporarily" but it made the machine sit up a bit high and would vibrate or shift at times. I finally quit procrastinating and took an end of a piece of 1 x 12 and traced the curving outline of the hole on the 1 x 12 by crawling under the table with a pencil, then used DH's scroll saw to cut it out. I sanded the edges, painted it with a paint I had that is very close to the table's paint color, and fitted it in with joining plates screwed in underneath to help hold it up. At last, it's fixed.
This week, I did some experimenting with sewing.
1) I have some favorite pants with hems that had come undone over the years. It was a very quick fix and those pants will last me a bit longer.
2) I always have an issue finding pants that fit right due to my hips and waist being two different clothing sizes. With some hand sewing, I have now managed to tweak in the waistband on some old pants and now they fit! No gaping in back and they ride up where they’re supposed to.
@JenRR, ugh, I get it about the different body sizes. I live in elastic waist skirts, which work AFTER I take them in a bit (but not so much that I can't get them over my patoot!)
@JenRR,
It is not your body that is unevenly sized, it is the pants. Women's clothing unfortunately is sized to a body type sported by only 15% or so of women 🙁
It does help of you can do your own tweaks! YT has many tutorials.
We didn't eat out on Memorial Day. We had planned to celebrate my birthday yesterday with a hike and a meal at a restaurant. However, most places were closed yesterday. (The Foreign Legion BBQ was Saturday?) Oh well, eating has been challenging due to pregnancy related issues so I wasn't too worried.
We had a great hike on a trail 7 miles from our house. (We didn't spend $$ on gas to go further up the mountain.
I bought a baby sleeper off my registry. It was 70% off due to some sale.
I got some free groceries from a friend who was cleaning out her fridge in preparation of travel.
I bought new walking shoes on Memorial day sale.
We shopped around for a new lamp shade. My husband found one on amazon that cost $80 but he settled for one from Lowes that was $25.
For the month of May, I made my own de-cluttering challenge, making a list each evening of what I had got out of my house. Some days were a bit sketchy, (bottle of expired sauce from fridge), and on some days I made some actual progress. "What gets measured gets done", or something like that: When I wrote down what I had done, it helped me keep going, and I will keep on through June.
1. I have a box for "Sell Back Your Books" and a box for "Decluttr", both services I have used before, with pre-paid shipping, for barely more than a Nielsen Family Survey profit.
2. I have dishes ready to send to "Replacements, Ltd", new to me, very efficient company but agonizing to pay shipping, which will get me a slightly larger profit.
3. I used up all the messy scraps of bubble wrap I have been saving for years and a good number of ancient plastic bags for packing. And I decided, as I expected, I do not wish to commit the time to being an independent online seller.
4. I very fortunately got zinnia seeds planted in pots before the rains in April and they sprouted well. My hose watering technique is a bit too impatient and it is good the plants are bigger now that I have to water them.
5. I know my grocery store well and know where to look for sale items. And I am being very selective about whether or not, mostly not, I make any yard sale purchases.
@Heidi Louise, I've got some dishes I'd like to send to Replacements Ltd. as well. I'll be interested to hear what your experience with this company is like.
@A. Marie, Certainly-- I will update next week after my stuff arrives there and they inspect it for a final offer.
So far, I was quite pleased with their automated email replies within an hour (the website said 3-5 days!) with offers to buy. You send in your contact info and list up to eight patterns, can do this more than once. They reply with a list of the pieces they are buying in each pattern. I had some things from a Pier 1 phase I went through about twenty years ago that were more than shipping costs. They carry assorted collectibles in their inventory as well as traditional china, glassware, and silverware.
I don't have a scale at home and just went with USPS pre-paid boxes. They accept USPS or FedEx, not UPS.
@Heidi Louise,
I've not sold anything to Replacements, but I've bought from them a good bit over the years, to fill out wedding registry items, etc. Some years ago DH and I toured their store when he was working in NC, and even DH was interested, partially because our employee-guide had his beautiful collie with him for the whole tour, but also because the items, especially in the "museum" were interesting. I've always been pleased with what I bought there. I hope selling is equally pleasing.
@A. Marie, I have found great stuff at Replacements, but the ones I had to sell weren't worth diddly-squat and would have cost a fortune to send from California to North Carolina. So, I've only experienced them as a buyer.
Sorry for the financial hemorrhaging, Kristen. That's tough.
I have two week's worth of FFT, as I forgot to post last week:
1. For my birthday, my husband sweetly took some time off to care for Baby E (also so that I didn’t have to arrange a babysitter!), and I was able to have some me-time. I made a few appointments at the local cosmetology school and enjoyed my first ever pedicure and facial for a fraction of full price. Not sure I’d do it again but it was definitely enjoyable.
2. Deposited my cash back from Rakuten into our bank account: $18.03. We don’t shop online often but I always check for rebates and cash back.
3. I am working on getting my recent cholesterol test covered by insurance, which is supposed to cover preventive screenings at no cost to me. I’m not sure why it wasn’t covered but I’m hoping to save $67 if they come around.
4. From the birthday freebie angle: a giant Starbucks drink/dessert, a brownie from Chick-fil-A (plus some fries redeemed from points from a million years ago), and a free car wash locally.
5. Foraged some golden oyster mushrooms for the first time!
6. Finally got around to using some almond flour I received (past the best buy date, but unopened) through Buy Nothing. I’m not gluten free, but no one else wanted it so I took it to try, and also to prevent food waste. Made some almond flour brownies from King Arthur, yum!
7. Won a $5 GC from playing the Starbucks summer game. I haven’t spent my own money there in years, thanks to earning/winning occasional gift cards from surveys or the Sbux games.
8. Finished several skin care and hair care products, including a hair gel purchased during Covid times that had to be refrigerated. It worked reasonably well, but I am glad it’s done.
9. DH gave me his birthday scone from Panera, and I picked up a free coffee at the same time for a road trip from the unlimited drinks club (I look for the free month codes).
Frugal frustration: DH is the one who orders our occasional pizza. When his family was in town we had enough rewards points for a free medium pizza, but he wanted to save them for something bigger. Well, we went to order pizza and the points had expired. It’s not a big deal, but this is why I prefer to be the one to manage our various rewards programs. (He also never remembers to put in our phone number when he buys gas, which would also earn us rewards.)
The only time I needed a lawyer was when I bought my house and that seemed like a lot of money just for filling out some paperwork. I'm sure there was more to it but you get the point. Hopefully I never need a lawyer but I know they are needed for when you make a will or buy another house or what have you.
1.) Using my 3.8x10^26 Watt powered clothes dryer (aka I'm hanging laundry on the clothesline.)
2.) Got a few bowls at a garage sale. They don't exactly match what we have but it was 25 cents for everything.
3.) Got a nice set of Made in USA Craftsman nut drivers at another garage sale for the grand total of $2. They looked like they were never used. Granted, I'm not sure how much I will use them but still ... 😛
4.) Using up leftovers
5.) Umm ... I guess I haven't been super frugal lately.
1. Made some muffins w/1/2 recipe, cut sugar in half, used oranges that were on the tail end of their lives.
2. My wonderful neighbor brought us another roasted chicken from Costco, which became dinner, lots of nibbling, and finally, soup!
3. We share our garbage service with another neighbor, and then borrow other neighbors' green waste cans
4. Instead of renting a backhoe, we built a pile of rocks where we had wanted a boulder to prevent driving around our new gate. The pile is topped by the super heavy rock that yet another neighbor and I found, and then she and her husband actually delivered it to me!
5. I have gardening genius friend about a mile away. I spent a few hours helping her deadhead her iris, and then she shared some nitro humus with me so I can try before I buy.
It's all about neighbors. . . what would we do without them? If you live rurally, 1/2 mile or 1 mile away are still considered neighbors, all looking out for one another. (Kristen, too bad you don't have a neighbor who is a family law attorney. . . )
1. Gave myself an haircut. Chopped of 20 cm so it will be easier to wash my hair every night to get rid of pollen. Double frugal since then I’ll keep my allergies in check with just pills, instead of having to use eye drops in addition.
2. Was at an estate sale yesterday, they are very few up here. Got some lovely paintings and prints from Svalbard and Lofoten, plus a large hand blown glass vase also from Lofoten. Some knifes and forks from Hackman that I collect (use it everyday). Handwoven linens, handmade ceramic bowls and large outdoor ceramic flowerpots. Hopefully the best find was a spinning wheel with several bobbins. I say hopefully since I don’t know if it actually works. Went a bit overboard since they had so much applied art (not sure if Google translate has the right word) in my taste, but I’m home alone for two weeks now so I’ll happily eat noodles while admiring my new painting 😉
3. Need some new t-shirts for summer hiking and haven’t had any luck at our local thrift store. Took advantage of a birthday sale and bought a sewing pattern at 30% off from an indie designer I admire. Will deconstruct some of the clothes that are gotten to large for fabric.
4. Bought a shabby playtent on fb marketplace to use the wooden rods as curtain rods. Have the other fixings from the yearly flee market last fall. The fabric was dirty and sun bleached, but solid canvas so will wash it and sew an apron for gardening.
5. Found cream and whole milk at 40% off due to short expiration date. Will enjoy some luxurious oatmeal in addition to the noodles 🙂
Kristen, cheering you on from behind the screen. I hope your lawyer will provide you with the best possible advice.
My recent frugal activities:
1. Sold some dining table chairs that no longer fit our renovated dining area. After trying FB Marketplace and Craigslist, I posted them on our neighborhood classifieds where I sold them on the same day.
2. We hosted a cookout party this weekend using reusable picnic plates and unused utensil packages that I had saved from takeouts or previous parties. Decorations were ones I've recycled from previous parties; and table cloths were washable linens.
3. The party left a lot of leftovers from the various potluck dishes that people took home. We met up with friends the next day for a second dinner of the shared leftovers, so each random dish got used.
4. For a birthday present, used a previously gently used gift bag.
5. Harvesting our garden for lettuce and spinach and sharing herbs with neighbors.
This is the story of my life - random giant bills, small frugals, best I can do LOL. You're doing great and hopefully the legal bills will end fairly soon and with good effects. That said, hmmm, 1) I took a grocery cart in from the lot that had two register coupons in it, one for $2 off meat [I was there for meat sales] and one for free bananas - I used both, as well as an offer I'd gotten from Envy apples for $5 back on a purchase [I was buying them anyway]. 2) I have been stellar at using up leftovers despite everyone in my house coming and going like it's a revolving door. 3) I grilled burgers from the freezer and baked a cake at home for my husband's birthday celebration. 4) I have kept up with watering my outdoor seeds during this dry spring we're having in Long Island so they can grow into real plants! and 5) I took the time to shop for unusual things for a couple of graduation gifts instead of giving cash - it cost me less and was more appreciated by the recipients - they were targeted to the graduates and required a separate trip but still cheaper than what we would normally give as a cash gift.
I’m sorry about the lawyer bills but I’m sure it will be worth it in the long run. I send you good thoughts and prayers all the time as you go through this really difficult time.
As for frugal things…
1. We finally purchased a new freezer for the garage which doesn’t feel frugal but it was on sale plus we got it from my husband’s workplace (Lowes) so we got his employee discount. The delivery driver will also take the old (23 years old!) freezer so that will save us the cost of disposing of it.
2. My daughter and I got takeout from Panera yesterday and one of our meals was free due to an earned reward (Sip Club members)
3. I used a $15 reward at Albertsons this weekend and found a few packages of chicken marked 50% off which stretched my grocery budget a little further.
4. I used accumulated NCP points for a $25 Amazon giftcard + accumulated Evidation points for a $10 Amazon giftcard and added both to my Amazon account.
5. My German Shepherd puppy got really sick last week which required a very expensive trip to the vet but the pet insurance will reimburse me for some of it. Even better- he is back to his normal naughty self!
1. I cashed in some stars at Starbucks for a free drink this morning – I linked my Starbucks card with my Delta account so I get double stars on travel days which can add up quickly when I travel for work.
2. I used my alone time this weekend to batch errands, do some deep cleaning around the house, spend time making homemade meals with my parents and grandparents, and finishing up some shows so that I can cancel a couple of subscriptions.
3. I need a little noise when I’m home alone so I downloaded two audio books from the library to listen to while keeping busy this weekend.
4. I picked up a couple of potted herbs that were on sale to grow on the deck this summer – my hope is that the plants will be big enough this fall when we start doing our heavier cooking (stews, roasts). I haven’t had a lot of success growing herbs from seed. The cost of the pants was about the same as buying the fresh herbs from the store so hopefully this will save some money in the future.
5. While deep cleaning, I moved some décor items around to different rooms to give the spaces a little refresh. No need to buy new when I already have objects that bring me joy when I see them.
Frugal fail – I made some rhubarb jam this weekend but I stepped away just long enough to scorch the bottom of the pot. I had to throw the whole batch out because all I can taste is the burn.
Divorce side note - Every divorce is different, but my ex and I used a mediator which ended up being significantly cheaper. I also made him pay for everything that had to do with the divorce (he wanted it, he had to pay for it). I am now married to a lawyer, so if we have to go back and rehash anything, I won’t have to pay legal fees.
1. A few months back, I used a coupon code to purchase a service that helps figure out how to decorate a space (in my case, our formal living/dining area) and then actually links to the products. I ended up paying about $100 for this service (felt like such a splurge!), which I think was worth it since i was struggling so much with it. I saved by purchasing similar items at Home Goods for 25-50% of the cost through the website. I also waited to purchase sofas until there was a sale. The coupon code took care of the shipping cost and I was able to stack some savings on the curtain rods that were recommended. I was also glad that my designer would get some commission from my purchase (she was sweet and helpful).
2. Had some friends over (ended up being 15 of us) and decided to cook instead of buy food. Made a mexican feast and used a lot of what we had at the house - baked some bread, used a glut of tortillas (i bought a second costco pack, not seeing the pack I already had in the freezer) on some enchiladas with homemade sauce, made some really cheap rice and beans (in the instant pot) that everyone loved, used up some shishito peppers, used salsa we already had. Considering how many people we had over, spent very little on food that we didn't already have in our home.
3. Saved some small boxes and used them as drawer organizers. Much cheaper than the bamboo set I saw for $35. I was tempted but thought it was not worth it.
4. Painted my nails, dried my hair, and cleaned my house myself instead of hiring someone else to do it (was tempted to outsource all of these things this weekend!)
5. The only extra money we spent on entertainment this long weekend (and unofficial start to the summer) was heating the pool and a trip after school on Friday to dairy queen. We watched movies at home, played games we already have, and watched youtube videos.
"Manage the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."
My favorite plant nursery was having a four day Memorial Day Sale and I visited them twice. It was nice to get the annuals at a reduced price for entryway pots at the nursing home where I work. I am a Master Gardener and the small project garners volunteer hours plus just plain looks pretty. Was able to get some other sale annuals to go around the water feature that I have and a hummingbird promptly visited. Saw a squirrel take interest, and the mud daubers and bees have paused for refreshment. Supporting pollinators is always frugal in the long run.
Have not put the window AC unit in just yet. The nights have been cool and the ceiling fans provide a breeze. Plus my home is surrounded by shade trees.
Have only mowed twice, saved the blooming "weeds" as food for pollinators. I did mow before the weekend so the city wouldn't cite me. I have very good neighbors that put up with my conservative efforts. They are also good about not using pesticides indiscrimenately.
Duluth Trading is my go to for outdoor work wear. It's woman's line is actually made for working women. But non-sale price is kinda high. I found three tank tops on ebay and saved a little. I got work shorts last summer. I do not look good in either but I appreciate the comfort and durability.
Still use a chai latte concentrate at home for my morning drink. It is cheaper than buying it at a well known vendor.
@Chrissy, I LOVE Duluth! But lots of their clothing seems to be made for tall straight-bodied women rather than short-to-medium pears, so I am careful when ordering. Great undies!
@Central Calif. Artist, and good sales if you pay attention.
The divorce lawyer is a good investment, Kristen. (((HUGS)))
My frugal fail was getting talked into prescription sunglasses at the optometrist's office. Oy vey! I will get years of use out of them, but the upfront cost was shocking with my wonky prescription.
FFTs:
1. Made a table skirt to hide all the junk under our chairside table out of fabric found in the great decluttering. It matches the new throw pillow covers I made. Our den looks surprisingly pulled together.
2. Bought an adorable embroidered blouse at Goodwill for $1.99.
3. Got cat treats and almond milk at Dollar Tree, saving several dollars over the grocery store price.
4. Decided our baking cupboard needed a specific size wire shelf, which I found online after some searching but did not want to pay shipping. Went to a local store and searched the shelves, finally finding the one right thing for a few dollars less. (Our kitchen was a house flipper special and had few shelves in the cabinets. We have redone things over the years ourselves.)
5. Took our son out to eat for his birthday, but brought home enough leftovers -- the portions were huge -- that we essentially got two meals for the price of one. Leftovers are frugal!
Split my mom's dahlia tubers and replanted, each tuber gave her 3 plants, so we planted her 4 ft x 100 ft raised bed, plus a 4 ft x 24 ft bed in the garden. We will have wedding flowers by August 1st. Our busiest wedding season is September. We also planted 5 beds into "wild" flowers and perennials for cutting bouquets. It made my 77 yo mom so happy!
We stopped in at the local farm co-op and scored 6 new heirloom tomato varieties for less than .50 ea. They are planted and happily blooming.
The garden is planted, the strawberry patch is re-vamped and blooming.
I picked up 40 roots to supplement the asparagus patch for $10.
I used the blooming horseradish (smells like honey) in my Memorial Day bouquets. As we do every year, 3 families pick all the blooming things they have in the yards, help us pick our 65 rose plants and Dutch iris and we make bouquets. We decorate in 3 counties, packing a picnic to end the day.
I assume (at least hope) that your lawyer is worth every dollar you are paying them. The consensus is that you need a good one in most divorce cases. It should be money well spent (though not a fun thing to spend money on).
1. Egg were $1.69/dozen at Lidl last week so I picked up a carton. I seem to have an inability to digest eggs these days but I'm okay with them in baked goods and DH eats them occasionally.
2. I ordered a watering wand to attach to our garden hose. A neighbor has one and it is both better for the plants and cuts down on water waste. Our water bill is small but I am concerned about the lack of rain we have had lately and don't want to waste water or overwhelm the small outdoor plants. I ordered the wand through TopCashBack so I should get not only 1% cash back but also $2.50 (a Memorial Day promotion).
3. I picked up organic pasta, including GF, and sauce at Giant. It was all marked down 50-75% off.
4. We brought home a lovely cedar chest from a curbside giveaway. It needed some TLC but is a wonderful piece and I will use it to store linens.
5. I redeemed credit card rewards for checks. It's money I put into our savings account.
1. My biggest money saver is the planting of my second garden this past weekend. I have two garden sections and although the lower portion has been planted for several weeks now, I have had lots of delay in getting the second area seeded. I am happy that it is done and it has inadvertently forced me into succession planting, something I have struggled with for years, and this will hopefully mean we are able to harvest from our garden throughout the entire summer.
2. I used a coupon I received from Chewy in the mail to save $20 on my dog's food and bonus I didn't have to drive to a store to get it so I saved time as well.
3. Brought lunch & coffee to work and enjoyed snack and drinks in the office for free.
4. Repaired the machine I use to clean my wood floors.
5. Planted the seeds I had on hand for flowers and veggies instead of buying more, used up leftovers to avoid waste, visited a friend's pool for free entertainment & brought snacks/drinks from home.
Let's see
1) Got a discount from a couple vendors for volunteering at the Farmer's Market
2) Took advantage of the discount on the flatbread again this week
3) Hit up Neighborhood for the Dollar Deals they run seeing as they are closed Sun-Wed due to the holiday an needed to move the produce
4) Used my sisters 20% discount on new socks as a lot of mine are wearing thin or have holes
5) Brought Bruschetta that we canned as our contribution to Memorial Day Cookout so we only needed to buy the bread
1. I gave 4 haircuts last night - my husband, one son, and two daughters.
2. I made taco seasoning instead of buying it in packets.
3. My daughter needed to wear a green shirt for field day and we borrowed one from a friend.
4. I had some McDonald's rewards points that were near expiring, so we used them to get a free Happy Meal on the one night last week that we only had to make/get dinner for two kids.
5. It's super hot and dry here and my kids wanted to play in the sprinkler when we got home, so I set up the sprinkler right next to the garden. They can play a bit, the garden can get some water. Everybody's happy.
Having to move and finding my lost dairy...oh that's a great thing.
Lol
Thank goodness the small things are not pointless! ❤️
1. A friend/neighbor is putting two of his cows on our pasture for a while. This is a win-win since we won't have to mow the pasture (or at least, not as much), and the cows have lots of grass to munch
2. Today I took a close look at some gift cards that have been in my wallet a while, and used two of them that I was driving past anyway. Now I have some Panera bagels for breakfast the next couple days, and a bag of coffee from a local shop
3. Trying to meal plan around some things that are already in my fridge - for example, a lot of deviled eggs leftover from yesterday. And if we tire of them, I will mash them up for egg salad sandwiches!
4. Hung a load of laundry to dry in this nice warm dry air
5. Over the weekend we (mostly my husband but I did help!) finished assembling a playset that we bought on marketplace several months ago. It was a labor of love and the kids have already enjoyed many hours playing on it
A local historical house was giving away free mulch plus we had it delivered for free. We had a lot left over because we had to take a huge truck load but it will eventually turn into dirt.
My sister gave me 6 bottles of shampoo and conditioner she did not want.
Free pizza at work -that was a total YAY! Our boss treats us so nice.
I have walked my dogs every day, they enjoy it and it is free.
An old friend is working on the bathrooms at my dad's house, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully we can get it up for sale in the next month or so. We are getting down to Not.so.much.stuff.
1. Every once in a while, its a BIG thing. I called my home insurance company - rates are skyrocketing here in Louisiana - got my policy reevaulated and the cost they'd billed me went down. $2333. Big win!
2. Froze the abundance of zucchini I'm getting.
3. Drank water when going out to eat - with tax and tip, even a soft drink adds up.
4. Got free bananas at my local thrift store.
5. Got a ziplock bag full of assorted greeting cards w/envelopes for $1 at a garage sale.
Thank God you didn't try to soften the honey in the microwave. That's one of the stupidest things I ever did -- the bottom promptly broke off the bowl, and I got some nasty burns. Honey sticks and sticks -- and it's burning all the time it's on there. I finally minimized the scars and damage some with aloe vera (the plant leaves), but I will NEVER do that again.
Not many huge frugal things saved this week -- except 4 pairs of jeans found for ONE DOLLAR EACH at Wal-Mart clearance. And I was just cruising by the clearance rack on my way to the dogfood aisle! (I needed them badly, too.)
1. I attempted to fix the washing machine one more time before I call someone.
2. I noticed a mistake on a form that would have cost me a lot of money.
3. I bought some secondhand dress clothes for my oldest.
4. We ate ice cream sundaes at home instead of going out. It was a belated mother's day celebration.
5. I accepted some more food from my mom who is about to start a kitchen reno.
6. I convinced a family friend to sign up their child for private swim lessons with my oldest, who still can't swim. We get to split the cost and the kids get to learn with a friend.
1. I listed a hiking pack on Facebook Marketplace and it sold for $40. We purchased it 9 years ago on Craigslist for $35 and used it ALOT to carry our 2 kids when hiking over the years.
2. Got a loaf of whole wheat bread from my daughter's daycare for free.
3. Picked up a 32oz bottle of local maple syrup off Buy Nothing. That's at least a $30 value.
4. My 2 kids and I have step throat. Thank goodness for our health insurance because the copays for us all to be seen by a doctor, tested for strep, and for our medication was only $70.
5. We went camping this for 3 days. We brought our own food and we drink the water from the shared faucets. We hiked alot, went to a free nature center, went to a free children's garden, sat around the fire, and fished. The site cost us $65. Spending time with my family and enjoying nature is priceless though!
When I buy honey, usually at Costco, I put it into canning jars right away. Then when it crystallizes, which it always seems to, I can do the hot water bath or pop it in the microwave. My current self is always grateful to my past self for doing this small task.
We've had a lot of expenses come up medically so I've been trying to save money where I can in the garden. This year I started my tomatoes from seed ($6 for the seeds! instead of $5 a plant - and we have 16 plants so that was quite a savings), I used seeds from our library (free!) to plant tomatillos, sugar peas, basil, dill, parsley, basil, and radishes. We had a gift card to Lowe's so I used that for cilantro, lettuce, and cucumber, plus a seed starter tray. The only plants I bought were peppers and sweet potatoes, and I spent about $16 on that. We have a raised bed and an amended bed in our yard. I'd love to have more garden space but this year we're just using what we have.
It’s hard to think about $7 making a difference, but my dad is the type of person who picks up change (or returnable bottles) in parking lots because as he says “it’s 10 cents I didn’t have to work for today!” So, it certainly can’t hurt, right?
Five frugal things
-We have an excellent thrift store near us (that is both clean and has very friendly employees), and sells children’s clothes for $1 each. So every time I go in there I buy almost everything in either my toddler son’s size, or the next few sizes for him. He goes through clothes quickly and destroys them, so I’m always pleased when most of his clothing was only $1. This week it was 13 items for $13.
-I have gotten past my “vegetables for breakfast are weird” opinion (thanks in part to you, Kristen!) and have started eating leftover veggies from the previous night’s dinner for breakfast. This morning it was sautéed cabbage with rice and an egg.
- I found a new pair of Birkenstocks for $25 at our local salvage store.
-My husband’s beloved “dad sandals” have seen better days, so I was looking for new ones for him and the style he loves in on clearance (perhaps he’s the only one who wears them?) and I was able to grab them for less than half their normal price.
-I remembered to fill up our car at shell, where I had 30 cents off per gallon.
When I divorced my first spouse 46 years ago, I had to sell my car to pay my attorney. Although it did make life complicated and challenging for a while, it was still one of the best expenditures I ever made. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Thank you for reminding me to look at smaller things. Thank the heavens that I wanted an ice-cream bar and found the soft ice-cream. My daughter and I packed up all the meat and took it to my in-laws. That is a win. The air conditioner has two bearings out so we are trying to fix that. I was really down on myself about money and how savings just has disappeared this year. Have a great week... Meliss
Thank you for sharing. This is a worry I have been having on behalf of my neighbor, who is working to recover from a nasty divorce. She is paying a lawyer, and also working two full time jobs, to recover from the disaster. I am worrying that she will not be able to step back or define when she has recovered enough, and will work herself to death. Any helpful perspective? Not sure if I should say anything..
Frugal loss this week: celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary by renting a woodsy cabin, and packed all the food we needed for the weekend, but DH was in the mood to eat out. We were surprised by all the businesses that were open, and I was not happy to spend money on pizza and sandwiches when I had planned to cook much healthier options, which I did. But maybe I should have just relaxed? Cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen is not really my ideal.
But it was cheaper than staying in a really nice hotel would have been, and included a really good dinner on a small scenic train at 10 mph!
I am about to launch into a restrictive diet for weight loss that will be expensive: no carbohydrates. Bracing for it, I am watching meat sales.
Found some wonderful rubber shoes at a factory outlet that are wide enough, and promise to be excellent, washable shoes for gardening and for cooking, 25% off retail prices.
Every penny does count, in the long run. Even if it feels small in the short run.
I just wanted to write a quick comment to thank you for your review on the American Giant brand tops a few months ago. I just bought one for myself from ThredUp and I am very pleased. I've always had trouble finding long enough t-shirts to fit my long torso. Now I know where to go! Thanks Kristen!
It's very sad that you couldn't use a mediator. I'm very sorry to hear expensive lawyers were needed to settle after 25 years. Heartbreaking. There should not have been much to fight over with grown kids. Sorry to hear there still was.
My parents wasted over 50K on their divorce attorneys. Still sad about how much money was wasted. They were also married 25 years.
Prayers for this to be settled soon and for peace to return.
1) I paid one doctor bill online and saved another to pay in the office when we went for an appointment today. I have no idea how much stamps are now, but this must have saved me at least a dollar.
2) I had a bunch of cheese dips that came with crackers in a box of free food my mother in law gave us a while ago. I used up the last handful of cheeses in a casserole last night. Casseroles are such good ways to use up little bits of food.
3) I decided not to take our older boys on a business trip with me this summer. I know they would enjoy it, but I have already taken them on one work trip this year, and I would have to buy them soooo much restaurant food since I am staying in a hotel.
4) Years ago when our oldest was three we bought a really nice second hand swing set. Many years and four kids have destroyed it, so my husband cut it up and took it to the dump a couple months ago. (At this point the wood wouldn't have even been worth giving away.) I have been looking around for a trampoline and one of those big, round net swings to replace the play set. This past weekend Walmart had some pretty good sales, so we were able to get a trampoline, a swing, and a swing frame for $350. Not bad.
5) Last night we finished scheduling the big things in our summer. We picked a day to go to a local baseball game. Before we bought the tickets we looked around for deals we could get through our current memberships. We ended up getting our tickets half off through our neighborhood association AND going on a night where they have free food set up for, again, our neighborhood association members. Woo hoo!
I drove out to help my sister for a week - I packed all my lunches & snacks for the drive there and back, including some iced coffee for a mid-drive caffeine hit (it's a 7-hour drive), so my only expense was gas for the drive.
(I stayed at my parents' house, and my whole family prefers cooking/eating at home, so we didn't go out at all during the visit.)
I cooked up 2 roasted chickens for dinner one night, then pulled the meat off the bones and turned it into taco meat for another meal for my sister & her family, and made stock from the bones for them to use for soups later in the week.
I helped my mom identify a much lower-cost option for some necessary yard work at their home (they need to remove landscaping installed by the previous owner that they just can't keep up any more, and replace it with something lower-maintenance, and my mom's original ideas were pretty pricey simply because she wasn't aware of some options available for her specific needs - I love gardening and landscaping, and have done quite a bit of research on my own, so I was able to help her figure out some other options that are more within her budget.)
I made a graduation card for a friend's son, instead of buying a card, so I could put more of the "graduation gift" budget towards the gift.