Five Frugal Things | Ugly but delicious

1. I made an ugly grilled cheese sandwich

The two heels from our loaf of 100% whole wheat sandwich bread were left, and they were skinny!

I used both of them to make an unaesthetic grilled cheese sandwich, which was still delicious.

I shook the crumbs out of the empty bag, aired it out, and stuck it in a kitchen drawer to use when Hungry Harvest sends me things like unbagged celery.

2. I did not join the National Society of Leadership and Success

I have gotten a "nomination" to this society each semester at my BSN school; it looks all official-like, and it specifies that you have to pay a one-time fee of $95 to join.

They promise graduation honors, access to scholarships, an online job bank, and more.

But I did a little poking around, and the whole thing seems rather ridiculous. I read that they send it to anyone with a GPA of 2.8 or higher at some schools (which makes this a very non-exclusive club).

Also, the scholarships they give you access to are apparently very broad, and as I have written before, those are the most useless type to apply for.

The graduation honors are silly too, because my school literally says on its website that if you have a 3.5 or higher, your diploma and your announcement at commencement will say so (with cum laude, summa cum laude, magna cum laude). So the "graduation honors" are pretty useless.

Anyway, I did not pay the $95, and when a classmate asked me about it, I told her what I'd found out. So she is saving herself the $95 as well.

3. I changed my air conditioning filter

I know I will still use AC this month and next month (intermittently in October, I hope!), but after that, my AC will probably lie dormant until April.

(I have oil-powered boiler heat.)

So, this filter change should be the last one until next spring.

(In case you didn't know: regularly changing the filter helps your air conditioning system work more efficiently. A fresh filter offers less resistance, and that lessens the workload on your blower motor.)

4. I switched to debit for an auto-pay bill

The company was switching payment systems, so they needed an updated card, and apparently with the new system, there's a 3% charge for using a credit card.

The fee for a debit card is 0%, though, so I opted for that.

I use my credit cards for basically everything (for the rewards!). But when there's a surcharge, I go back to debit because the credit card rewards aren't usually high enough to balance out a surcharge.

5. I got a little pair of tongs for $1 from Goodwill

My main pair of tongs are very long, which makes them great for grilling. However, they are a little unwieldy for indoor cooking.

I do have another type in a shorter length, but I don't love this style; they always feel a little bit insecure, like I'm going to drop whatever I'm lifting (such as a chicken cutlet in hot oil).