I feel like almost all of my “frugal” efforts in the last week have been just me going to work. Ha. After I clock out tomorrow, I’ll have finished my six-12-hour-shifts-in-7-days streak.
This hasn’t left much time for anything besides eating and sleeping.
But hey, I dooooo get paid for going to work. 😉
I’ll list off some work-related frugalities since that’s really all I have to choose from right now.
1. I made two kinds of soup before work
I mentioned that I used my last two sets of rotisserie chicken bones to make broth last week, and I used those to make some chicken noodle soup and some Zuppa Toscana.
These made for very easy work lunch meals; I just pack a serving in a Pyrex bowl and microwave it in the lunch room.
I have consumed a whole lotta chicken bone broth in the last week, so my body had better be happy with me. Ha.
2. I wrote down some post-work dinner ideas
Since I thought about this ahead of time, I was able to come home and just throw together my pre-planned easy ideas (like cheese and bacon quesadillas).
Post-work takeout dinners are expensive, of course, but also, lots of places are closed or almost-closed by the time I get off of work. So it’s hard to make that happen even if I want to!
3. I prepped breakfasts ahead of time
I made a batch of egg bites and also some overnight oats with protein powder added in.
This way I don’t have to think on work mornings; I can just grab and go.
4. I bought a cat scratcher pad at Aldi
These are not a regularly stocked item, but a couple of times a year, Aldi has a section of pet supplies in their Special Purchase aisle.
When they do, I usually buy a cardboard cat scratcher because Chiquita loves these.
(Shelley has always just ignored them, so no point in buying one for her.)
Do not mind the catnip on the rug; I’d just sprinkled some on the new cat scratcher!
They’re usually about half the price of a scratcher from anywhere else, so both Chiquita and I are made happy by this purchase. 😉
5. I used a United Healthcare card to buy my groceries
I discovered that I had a $150 prepaid card as a perk from United Healthcare (which was my health insurance in 2024).
So, I took it with me to Aldi and used part of it to buy my groceries, and I’ll likely use the rest next week.
Interestingly, I also got a $74 check from United Healthcare as a health insurance premium rebate. Apparently, they are required to refund the premium amount that they don’t spend on healthcare costs.
I will cheerfully deposit my $74, thank you very much. 😉
Ruth T
Tuesday 23rd of September 2025
Whew! I hope you get some good sleep over the next few days!
Blue Gate Farmgirl
Tuesday 23rd of September 2025
Ooph, that is a wicked schedule! I did that during c0\/!d, so hard! I had a fantastic estate weekend, bought a come along, pruning sealer, 4cansof new spray paint for a specific project, a set of refrigerator dishes and a leather lazy boy recliner that matches my other one all for $20. Plus the son delivered it all. I canned 100 lbs of grapes into juice. Made a batch of skyr. Canned 54qts of thick tomato sauce. Found a new to us chicken next to the chicken crawler, must've been dropped off on the county road. She is quarantined for now so we can observe her.
Dori
Tuesday 23rd of September 2025
My kitties adore those kinds of cardboard scratchers just like Chiquita does! It's nice because it keeps them from scratching other areas where they might be tempted. Aldi seems like a perfect place to occasionally pick up some pet gear, when they have it. Their prices are awesome!
AW
Tuesday 23rd of September 2025
Woah! That's a lot of hours. Hope you catch up on rest on your days off.
My Frugal 5s+ ~ My friend invited me and my girls to carpool with her to the church event so we got to do our monthly date and saved on gas. Made my cast iron cornbread for the church potluck with ingredients I already had at home. We ate so much yummy food there that our bellies were full and had extras for the next day. We also got to go on a hayride. ~ Call my internet provider and got another year's extension of $10 off per month the current rate. ~ Call my previous siding company and are waiting on them to come fix the siding. There's a corner piece at the top below the roof that keeps falling off when it's windy. Will post any savings update on future posts. ~ Had a free consultation with the same realtor that helped us buy our house 9 years ago since we're thinking of selling it. She looked over our house and will give us an estimate of its current market value and will let us know what would be worth fixing. She also said to hold off on doing anything major without getting an estimate and checking with her first. ~ Did an at home dance party. Girls prep the food with things we already had like nachos, popcorn and salad. They decorated the house with their lanterns, neon lights and blankets. Also danced to songs we found on YouTube for free. ~ Kept in touch with family though text messaging and phone calls.
Angie
Tuesday 23rd of September 2025
1. I am returning to my habit of once a month trip to a wonderful farmers market about 45 mins from my home. The variety and savings on fresh produce is unmatched. I make a trip and have fresh items for the whole month. Cheaper than the grocery store and the items we buy last so we waste less. 2. Restocked laundry detergent, softener, Oxi clean etc. with a sale and gift card grant. Broke it into two transactions to save even more $$$. We are well stocked now. 3. Used a free voucher for a iced coffee at 7Brew this past week on the way to visit the hubby in ICU. 4. Used a gift card to save on my purchase of dog food this week and took advantage of grand opening sales on the purchase as well. 5. I have been wanting some dried hydrangeas for my home for years. I have tried in vain to grow them but the deer have eaten my poor bushes :-( I have thought many times of buying faux flowers but they are roughly $20/stem which is just nuts. I stopped into an antique store this week and one of the vendors was selling dried hydrangeas from her yard for $2/stem! These are huge flowers so 10 stems & $20 later I have a gorgeous bouquet in my living room :-)