Five Frugal Things | use-it-up oatmeal

1. I'm using my frozen fruit

Before I went skiing, I was in kind of a hurry to clear out the fridge, and as a result, I threw a whole package of blueberries and a bag of cherries in the freezer.

I've been using the blueberries in pancakes (OF COURSE), and this week I've been using the cherries in my oatmeal.

I thaw them just a bit, slice them up, remove the pits, and stir them in.

This would be an irritating process if I were doing a whole bunch at a time (cherry pitters exist for a reason!), but a single serving each day is not hard to manage.

(Here's how I make my one-serving chocolate oatmeal.)

2. I softened my brown sugar

I discovered that my brown sugar bag had not gotten properly closed, and the dry winter air had transformed it into something resembling a rock. Ha.

I grabbed the heel from my current loaf of sandwich bread, put it in the bag, sealed it, and left it overnight.

And by morning, the brown sugar had been restored to its former level of softness. Excellent.

(In case you are curious why this works: the brown sugar pulls the moisture from the bread. A marshmallow or apple slice are alternative options.)

3. I closed my Chase savings account

I told you recently I'd transferred the balance over to my CIT account (much better interest rate there!), and a reader reminded me that my Chase account might have a fee if I reduced the balance by so much.

(Thank you!)

Sooo, I called Chase and got the account neatly closed up. Whew.

(If you're new here, I opened a Chase checking and savings account to get a $900 account-opening bonus.) Now that I have the bonus pocketed, I don't need the accounts!)

I have most of my nurse paychecks heading straight over to my CIT account now, and that's how I'll keep it unless another great account-opening offer comes my way. 😉

4. I'm using free stuff for PT exercises at home

I have a collection of 100% free items for my PT exercises:

• velcro weights that my Aunt Kathy didn't need anymore
• 4-pound dumbbells I rescued from the Treasure House
• a towel that reader Dicey used as packing material while sending me some books (I roll it up to use as a support under my arm for one of the exercises)

And then lastly: two of my exercises require a long pole. So, I just use my broom, and it works fine. 😉

I haven't used the small dumbbells much since I've owned them; four pounds is pretty light. But PT exercises for rotator cuffs work some very tiny, very weak muscles, so I actually had to work up to four pounds. Ha.

My PT told me that sometimes it's amusing to take care of big ol' bodybuilders because even they have to use very light weights for their rotator cuff therapy. These exercises humble everyone. 😉

5. I made a use-it-up dinner and lunch

On Saturday night, I needed to make a one-person dinner, and I also needed a packed lunch for the next day. My veggie drawer was pretty empty, though, save for some colorful peppers.

I boiled the last of a box of Barilla protein pasta (seriously good! Give it a try!), sauteed some peppers, seasoned and sauteed a few fish fillets from the freezer, and made a quick pan sauce.

A note about the lunch: I try not to commit breakroom microwave crimes, such as microwaving fish. So I packed the pasta, peppers, and sauce in a separate container from the fish.

I microwaved the non-fish components, took them out of the microwave, then put the fish into the container and closed the lid for a minute. The heat from the other food is enough to warm up the fish sufficiently without ruining the air in the breakroom. 😉

Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?