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. 😉
My favourite part of strength training is seeing my weights progress!
Frugals:
1. I wanted to watch the film Civil War but couldn't find it on streaming, and it was on loan from the library. However, I saw it was available on the Danish public TV channel and I was able to watch it for free 🙂
2. I baked a loaf of bread.
3. I used my gym membership.
4. I went out for dinner which was paid for by the union.
5. I discovered a way to speed up cleaning grout - I used an old toothbrush head on my electric toothbrush and it got a lot of dirt off before I used cleaning products. Just remember to switch the toothbrush heads back 😉
--Planned Parenthood offered a $28 gift card of my choice for completing a survery, which I was happy to do. (Yay, early menopause counseling!) I spent the proceeds ordering cat litter and a Feliway refill, both of which were already on this week's shopping list.
--I maintain a StitchFix account for the occasional $20 credit they offer. This year's went to a new purse from the clearance section, as I had rotten luck finding what I wanted when thrifting. (I only ever have one purse at a time and use them until they fall apart, so I stand by my pickiness.) After the $20 credit, I only spent $10 out of pocket and am very happy with my choice, which has a good shoulder strap, strong closure, is big enough for a book and a paper planner, and pockets galore.
--I made two half cakes (i.e. 1/2 recipes) to clean out the fridge, using two loaf pans. One cup of leftover homemade pumpkin puree combined with the last of the cornmeal for pumpkin cornbread; leftover plum jam and applesauce went into a coffee cake. I used sour cream in both recipes instead of buttermilk and cooked both at the same time. Breakfast for the week is now taken care of, plus I emptied two mason jars (cornmeal and the jam) for other things.
--Having emptied a gifted Penzey's hot cocoa mix, I cleaned the jar to add to my stash.
--My husband continues his streak of baking bread on the weekends. The dutch oven and mixer he uses were bith gifts from family, which only adds to this yummy, frugal ritual.
Those cakes sound wonderful!
It sounds to me like you got a great purse for a great price!
You said you used sour cream instead of buttermilk. Is SC a item that can be substituted for buttermilk? If so, my question arises. I use Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream, so could that be used in place of the buttermilk?
Yogurt is an excellent substitute for buttermilk. In fact, I never have buttermilk and always use yogurt. You can use sour cream, too. Both sour cream and yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) need to be thinned with milk, though, to buttermilk consistency, which is thick but pourable.
What Kristen said so well!
Good to know! I almost never have buttermilk in the fridge, but do almost always have SC or yogurt, or both. 🙂
Frugal fail: Accepted invitation to “go to lunch” with 3 friends.Cost too much ,food not great ,and the music so loud, could not hear ourselves talk.I placed a BIG REMINDER in my (paper!) dayplanner: NO MORE LUNCHES OUT.They are simply not worth it in today’s economy. I make an exception for occasional lunch dates for me and my husband when Rubios has a sale/coupon or Subway has a coupon/sale.
ON THE PLUS SIDE: I wanted to try out a new makeup base I saw a review for..BUT I RESISTED. My plan or 2026 is from Katie’s blog: Make it last,wear it out,use it up! I have makeup that is perfectly fine and do not need to replace any for a long time.So I RESISTED.NO SHOPPING.
Took a picnic lunch with husband to the local river for a few hours relaxation and nature, last week. Awesome! Free! Wild horses visited!
Am using my credit from my health insurance program to buy toothpaste, cotton swabs, Aleve, moisture cream.I get a quarterly drugstore allotment and I make sure to use it (mail order.)
USING MY HOME as my favorite place to :eat, relax, play,make art, have friends over. Patio is beautiful,I live in Arizona and it is warming up this week!
I too am in “using it up” mode for several toiletries and makeup. It always feels to me like the stuff you really don’t like but is too good to toss takes forever to use up!
@Madeline, I’m with you completely on lunches out. Your lunch by the river sounds far superior to that overpriced loud restaurant!
It truly was.I also had to sit back and assess..these particular friends are not frugal minded and do go out to eat a lot.We also play cards every other week , in each other’s homes, the hostess makes the lunch,,now THAT event is right up my alley..I will be declining restaurant meals going forward. YES! my own backyard (I live in Arizona,, our weather is always sooo nice..) is superior to anywhere else! I have a speaker out there for music (Christmas gift from my son..) and a waterfall in the pool..what could be better???
I took myself out to lunch a couple of weeks ago at the local voc-tech. It was quiet. I had a fish sandwich--it was huge. $7. And I had dessert and bought 3 Valentine items from the bakery for my grandchildren. Came in under $15.
I like your picnic lunch out.
PICNICS are on my favorite frugal “tricks!” I LOVE eating out doors, in nature..I have a medium size flexible lunch pail from Savers that I pack with salads or sandwiches and fruits and napkins, silverware (real stuff, NOT disposable!) and water bottles for a great morning afternoon or evening outside!! It’s a romantic”Date’ too if you have a sweetheart.. bring a large towel or something similar to throw on-the ground or a picnic table.Our parks have great ramadas,too..
That's a really good way to warm fish up, anyway, as it's delicate and most meats don't taste as good re-heated in a microwave.
Frugal things:
--I subbed at school yesterday for the first time in awhile. So money in, and no money out because I always ride the bus to school with my family and bring my lunch. The school lunch is actually quite good (especially the salad bar), but it's still five dollars if I eat there and I always have food at home I can bring.
--Our school had homecoming spirit week last week, and my kids managed to find things for all the theme days from what we already had. Or rather, I mostly found things for them . . .
--Our shearer came last week, so now the fleeces are starting to sell in my husband's Etsy shop. Our shearer has to be almost eighty years old and just does it for fun and to drive around and talk to people, so he charges a truly ridiculously low price per sheep. So much so that we give him more than he asks because he drives 100 miles to shear our 10 sheep. It's nice when the fleeces start selling, though, because it feels like the sheep are finally starting to pay for the hay we feed them. It doesn't make them profitable or anything, but that's not really why we have them anyway.
--During the winter months when it's my turn to take care of our church, I have to go Saturday night to turn on the heat. Because we don't have services during the week, the breakers are actually turned off so it won't turn on at all, which would make for some very cold pews Sunday morning without some pre-heating. 🙂 Our church is ten miles away, which means a twenty-mile roundtrip just to flip the breakers. I can usually figure out something else to do in the village so it's not just for that, but this past Saturday, I was going the opposite direction for a basketball game and my eldest son was in the village working for a friend, and so I entrusted the church keys to him. I had to put them in an envelope which I taped to the steering wheel of the van he was driving, with instructions on the envelope, to make sure he wouldn't forget, but he did it. Twenty miles saved. There are benefits to having a child of legal driving age.
--Middle son grew again and needs longer jeans. I found some 34-inch inseam jeans his older brother outgrew too fast to destroy in the boys' bag of clothing that are too big in the waist for the middle boy (he's very slender), but he wears a belt every day anyway, so it's fine.
@Kristin@GoingCountry, why do you have sheep??
Because my husband is only happy when we have a flock. I don't understand this myself, but it's been the case now for twenty years. 🙂 Raising and butchering them is also the only way we can have good lamb, which most of the family loves.
I have 3 hair sheep ewes, and a ram. We have them for the enjoyment. Raise lambs, sell them, and they pay for their own hay, and grain.
Our second accountant was that way - ridiculously inexpensive. In addition to paying his fee, we always gave him a gift certificate to a local restaurant he and his wife enjoyed. I miss him and our first CPA - always hard to find people who enjoy talking tax code!
I'll be honest, I only buy frozen blueberries and strawberries these days because the fresh ones go bad so quickly! Plus I usually use them for oatmeal or smoothies.
Despite our lives being upside down right now, I managed some frugal things--which is to me, always, a sign that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
1. DH offered to pick up takeout for Monday night while we were discussing dinners for the week, but I instead got myself to the grocery store for the first time in forever and picked up chicken drumsticks and frozen broccoli to make a healthy meal that night. Plus this gives us leftovers for lunches--which takeout wouldn't do.
2. I paired my grocery store run with other errands--post office, library, and food pantry deliveries.
3. At the library I actually checked out library books for the first time in about a month!
4. Managed two home haircuts for DH and DS#1.
5. Getting our money's worth out of our Paramount Plus subscription, as DS#3 and I spend a lot of time rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation as he recovers.
Karen A.,
I think buying frozen berries is a great idea, especially this time of year (when blueberries and strawberries are not in season here in the US).
I had a non-frugal trip to the grocery store yesterday, but filled in my pantry and fridge with things I needed. I saved a bit of money in the HEB app and stuck very closely to my list. I was tempted to buy myself a treat, then remembered I had butter at home - the basis for cookie dough that I also froze in portions for future Gina. I have been staying off Amazon, except for finding book club reads, and eating at home all but ONE meal out a week, which is an improvement for me. (:
1. I used over-ripe bananas to make banana pancakes for my son's breakfast this week.
2. My mom gave us fruits, vegetables, breads, eggs, and some cookies. I used some of the bread and eggs to make baked French toast for my daughter's breakfast this week. I used the sweet potatoes, some leftover pasta, and pesto she gave us to make my lunches for the week.
3. I was on vacation from work last week for my kid's February break. I spent about $100 keeping us entertained all week. We did 3 classes at the library, went to the trampoline park, went to an indoor pool/water park, went to our local animal shelter, went to the conservatory, went ice skating, the kids took a parkour class, and we visited with family. I brought food and drinks everywhere we went. We had such a great time.
4. I am signed up for a study at our local university. I went to my 2nd visit which took 1 hour and I was paid $200. I also get to keep the TENS unit that is part of the study.
5. I started planning free events for my kid's Spring break next month.
Your stay-cation sounds like so much fun! Well done!
I don't know if your spring break falls around April 22--that is earth day. Maybe there is some event in your area.
It's not! But great idea to look into for that date.
Your oatmeal looks amazing!
My FFT:
1. I used some Kohl's cash to pay for new shoes for my daughter that were half off the clearance price. Great price for some nice shoes that she can feel good about wearing into middle school.
2. Starbucks offered me a $3 drink because I hadn't ordered in a while and I took advantage of the offer on a tiring day.
3. I way over-bought and over-prepared food for my daughter's birthday party, but we've been eating leftovers consistently and tonight we should finish most of what's left.
4. I gave blood yesterday, which should give me a $20 gift card.
5. We bought a pool for a great off-season price. We've used our old neighbor's pool the last couple of summers, but that won't work at the new house. Since our kids are at prime age for enjoying it, we figure now is the time.
Well done on your non-heating of the fish. 😉
1) Completed DS20's taxes for him & he's getting a nice sized refund. If only our tax situation a) was easy and b) we were getting a refund.
2) Used $20 of grocery store rewards to pick up dinner supplies & a few things to DS20 can make sandwiches for lunch. He's been eating out a lot (his own money), which is expensive. We discussed eating at home more or packing a lunch now that he has options.
3) Bought a rotisserie chicken, meal prepped, made chicken broth from the chicken bones, etc.
4) Used lemons from our tree for a chicken orzo recipe.
5) Dealt with a CD that was rolling over & the new terms were terrible. Had to go in person to change the terms to a shorter duration, but I will earn $350 more over 3 months, so definitely worth it.
A suggestion for you - I despise the TPA for my employor's HSA. After a snafu when one kiddo's company did not send them the proper information for kiddo's HSA, said company suggested kiddo photo copy kiddo's DL AND SS card and put in US mail. Hell no said this mama.
So while my employer contributes X amount per year to my HSA, I fund my HSA post-tax. This is a win-win to me. One - less money for the TPA whose main business is loaning money and two - I max out SS. Which I might not *if* my HSA contribution came out pre-tax from my paycheck. Something to think about.
I had to use 2- and 3-pound weights for PT after my tricep tendon repair surgery. Crazy how hard the exercises were with that light weight.
This week frugals:
- Canceled Peacock subscription. I turned it on for one month to watch the Super Bowl and Olympics.
- Baked loaves of bread, both traditional sourdough and potato-flake based sourdough. More bread than the two of us can consume in a week, so shared the extra with our kids.
- Packed snacks and drinks for our trip to go see a play that was about 2 hours from home.
- We were too tired to go out to eat after the play when we got home at 7 PM, so we just cooked frozen chicken tenders and had fruit on the side.
- Stopped by a children's consignment sale and purchased a new in package puzzle for grandson. I checked price on Amazon before purchasing to make sure it was a good deal and it was 50% less than on Amazon.
When I had to do PT on my knee last summer, they told me I could buy an expensive PT strap to do some of the exercises, or I could just run to Dollar Tree and buy a dog leash, which would do the same job for way less. Hoorah for making PT cheaper!
I love that!
I used my daughter's old taekwondo belts for PT!
I was using an overhead pulley at PT and the therapist said I could just order one online for fifteen dollars or less. It hooks over a door and works just fine.
That was very kind of you to take such care with the fish. I have been reprimanded for eating a tuna fish sandwich and sardines (at different times, of course!) I am not sensitive to fish smells, so I thought that was rather harsh.
1. I went to Aldi yesterday and spent only $13. The shelves were rather sparse, so I didn't get everything on my list. I wonder if Monday is a bad day to go? One of my buys was Espresso Cafe El Morro, which was cheaper by unit price than their regular ground coffee. I've had it before, and it's a fine substitute.
2. I went to the community center and walked the indoor track. I found a nickel!
3. I returned a library book, but didn't find a new one to check out. However, I'm still in the process of reading a couple, and I also have a stash of books from little free libraries.
4. I have noticed that my hair is taking on a purplish cast from my purple shampoo. The idea was to whiten, not to make me a lavender lady! I am laying off it for a while. I still have lots left, so my plan is to use it infrequently in a diluted form when I'm ready to start using it again.
5. Within the past few weeks I have found abandoned gloves and a scarf, different places. I did let them lie for a day or two in case the owners came back for them. Then I decided to take them before they were ruined by our harsh weather. The gloves are good to go, and I've been wearing them. (In fact, they go well with my coat!) The scarf, it turns out, is cashmere, and it needs a wash. I have no Woolite or baby shampoo, so I guess I need to put the latter on my shopping list.
Beth, I only use my purple shampoo about once a month! It helps but definitely can change the color if used too much. Good luck!
Yeesh - I've yet to come across a non-microwaved food that "assaulted" my sense of smell. I do think Panda Express restaurants stink. And the Hormel factory that isn't all that far from me has its days of non-aromatic smells.
One Big Anti-Frugal : A freak quilting accident!!!! I was trimming edges of my national park quilt, stumble and my knee fell on the rotary cutter. I i just bandaged it up ( after profuse bleeding) but by 5:00 am the next morning it hurt like heck. Here is the tip I learned. You have to go get things stitch within 6 hours or the risks of infection are too risky. Sigh. Anyway at the emergency hospital, they had to take a CT scan to make sure the joint wasn't involved. So yeah:
1. $2500 later
2. Missed the only really great snow weekend with my season pass.
3. Chock full of Nsaids.
4. I am trying to use food to fix my feelings and my weight is back up.
I am feeling pretty down about it. My hubby is starting radiation for prostate cancer. I knew we were going to meet his deductible so I bought a high deductible for me.
I need to reframe:
1. The money is in my HSA account.
2. I have just transferred my emergency fund into a monthly CD buying thing my financial advisor set up for me no charge. So if I need more money, it is there.
3. There was no joint damage.
4. Little by little frugal efforts provide eventual big returns so I need to keep plodding along.
Mary Ann- Nice reframe! It’s a struggle sometimes to ward off the “downs” especially when it seems a cascade of them. I like how you’ve managed it, and will take a lesson for myself.
I am sorry all that happened. It sounds hard!
My sympathies, Mary Ann--and I've tried to follow your example in reframing. See my comment below.
And I'm hoping (pretty sure you didn't) you did not bleed on the quilt!
Wow, that is a wild quilting accident! So sorry, but so impressed that your emergency contingent fund was available and worked so well for you! Give yourself a pat on the back.
Oh my goodness, that sounds so painful! I hope your are healed up soon.
Mary Ann,
Yikes!! Who knew quilting could be so dangerous!?!
But seriously, you did a great job of reframing. I hope you knee heals quickly!
Quilting IS dangerous! My mom has sewn over her fingernails (one time breaking the needle off in her thumb!). Sewing is not for sissies!! Great reframe, though.
1. Found a square rubber mat (the kind that interlock) on our walk. Will repurpose it as a gardening knee pad.
2. Crushed some tortilla chips to add to a leftover restaurant salad that became soggy. The crunch allowed me to finish it.
3. There was so much margarita lime dressing in this restaurant salad that I put the salad in a strainer and will use the leftover dressing in future salads.
4. Making our way through the almost two dozen books we brought on our trip. Reading the thicker hardcovers first to help lighten the load. Taking all to the Little Free Library as we finish them.
5. Made a simple salad of beets, feta, walnuts, olive oil and pepper.
1. Friends treated me to dinner, unexpectedly. They wouldn’t even let me leave the tip.
2. I had some leftover ingredients from a dish I made for a potluck. I made the dish again for myself to finish them up and not have food waste.
3. Have a Facebook Marketplace meetup set for tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weather cooperates. This will be the third attempt with this person. Each time we’ve had to cancel because of the weather.
4. Prepped a few meals, did some laundry and cleaning in anticipation that the water is going to be turned off to fix a leak on my street. I filled extra containers for drinking and a bucket and the tub with water for bathroom use. I hear the trucks pulling up now. Hopefully, they can fix it quickly. My very steep hill has been closed off for two days and the cross street at the bottom was ice covered when I came home last night.
I will use any leftover water to water my plants.
5. Sticking close to home so I’ve only filled the gas tank once this month. Keeping the heat low and using my large heating pad and heated blanket to warm my feet and the bed. I turn them off once I’ve warmed up. Doing all the little things to help save during this period of unemployment.
In my area, heat is far, far cheaper than electricity. A YMMV based on where you live.
A frugal attempt that went bad 🧐 happily accepted a work shift that took me near our newish grocery outlet on Friday - paired with a good deal from Popeyes to pick up for dinner near there . It was a very windy day in Ohio and when I opened my car door - it “ spung open and wouldn’t close - so AAA to the rescue - the nice guy was able to fix it - even if it took 2 hours for him to get there and I had no choice but to stay with my car huddled in the back seat with a blanket - lesson AAA is worth every penny !!!
I couldn't agree more about AAA. They've bailed me out of several jams, especially back when DH and I still had two cars and I was trying to keep both of them running in the winter without assistance from DH, who was already pretty far along in his Alzheimer's.
Many years ago as a single mom in grad school (poor!) my mom gave me AAA for a number of years as a gift. In her words, if I was going to traipse around with her grandkids, she wanted to make sure I could get help. I used it at least once every year and always thanked her profusely. It was one of the best gifts ever!
My husband and I took a quick trip to the Dominican Republic to celebrate the wedding of one of his oldest clients. We stayed at an all-inclusive (where the wedding took place) which can be either frugal or non-frugal depending on the resort but it was a trip worth taking!
1. My only purchases for the trip were a bottle of sunscreen and a new bathing suit. The elastic on one of my bathing suits was shot and a replacement was needed.
2. We didn’t buy souvenirs, just took lots of pictures.
3. My parents stayed at our house to watch our dogs and my son on the two nights he was home while we were away.
4. I avoided grocery shopping between my AZ trip and the DR trip. We had enough food between the freezer and the pantry to get us through the few days I was home to cook. My parents usually bring food from their house when they stay and they have free reign on anything in our kitchen.
5. I had a bunch of errands to run between trips so I batched my errands which were all thankfully in the same area.
I am always inspired reading everyone's frugal activities here.
I baked brownies using a mix my best friend gifted me -- she meant to buy gluten free and grabbed the wrong box.
My husband earned a $10 Walmart gift card donating blood, so I applied that to last week's groceries.
I'm also on a use up toiletries and makeup kick. So far I've used up one partial bottle of hand lotion and another of moisturizer. Not my favorites, but they did the job and now they're not taking up space in my bathroom.
I baked two loaves of sandwich bread. I also made sandwich rolls -- I used two of them to make shrimp po'boys last Friday and put the rest in the freezer for future meals.
I went through my closet and pulled out some things I hadn't worn in a while. I get into a rut of wearing the same things over and over. It's nice to mix it up and try different combinations. I've discovered some "new" old favorites.
Four frugal things:
1. Like many, I am in a use it up phase with my toiletries.
2. Readings borrowed books and library books.
3. A friend sent us a 20% off Dick's coupon, which went a long way for this years baseball uniforms.
4. I made a dense bean salad using some old fridge hangouts (roaster red peppers, mozzarella cheese, and some seasoned trader joes chickpeas that were meh).
5. Staying on top of my kids re sweatshirts and water bottles -- our most lost items.
I got an email yesterday that a sweatshirt of ours had been found. Our custom iron-on labels have paid for themselves many times over with sweatshirts!
After a week of illness in the home (we're all pretty close to recovered now, thankfully!) frugality was not priority one.
1. Project Clear Some of the Pantry/Freezer: I made granola bars for my kid (and me) to take to school/work (used up chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, and some chia seeds plus prevented a banana being wasted.)
2. This one isn't particularly flattering to me...but I bailed on a group hangout at a museum. I had impulsively said yes when I was invited, but then realized I really didn't want to. I guess it saved me the ticket price. And instead, my family watched the Canada-USA Olympic hockey final for free on CBC Gem (oof) and had homemade popcorn and hot chocolate for a treat.
3. Used part of my "resident appreciation week" gift card for some tea the other day.
4. I've been holding off on buying Souper Cubes (silicone trays for freezing batch-cooked food) and instead continue to use zipper lock bags. This morning I banged a bag of tomato-lentil soup on the counter until it chipped into pieces that I could put in a glass container, and that's lunch (along with some frozen mango, a homemade granola bar, and a bit of fruit leather.)
5. Further to the above--and this is not my doing--but I bought my daughter some fancy strawberry/apple fruit leather kid snacks as a treat, since she liked it after a friend shared some, but then she decided it was too sticky on her teeth. Not a problem; I'm eating them myself, and we'll continue to pack the much more affordable option of actual apples and strawberries in her lunch.
I see Souper Cubes all over social media right now!
Aldi has a version of "souper cubes" , I saw them in the Aisle of Shame a while back. So, they will probably come around again. MUCH cheaper than the branded ones, obviously!
We love our soup cubes! Definitely worth it for many things besides soup like rice, casseroles etc. since they are available in different sizes. We put the frozen cubes in a freezer bag and grab a cube when needed. These have been the game changer for me with batch cooking and being able to eat different things all the time. The convenience of the cube actually gets my husband to eat leftovers.
Costco had a really good deal on some silicone freezer molds (like souper cubes) and I was so tempted to get them but I didn't. Then I looked up prices for comparison and it was really good deal so I kept thinking about them. But then I couldn't really think of how these molds could do anything that my jars, ziplocs and containers couldn't do so I didn't buy them. SO tempting though, right???
You know, I think they're great for single-servings, which may be very useful to me when I'm home on maternity leave and want prep in advance and heat up easy lunches for myself. But while that's fine if you're at home, when I'm taking food to work, I prefer round containers and the cubes don't fit in my containers. So...I will probably continue bashing frozen sheets of stew on my counter for a bit longer.
I freeze portions of soup/beans/curries in canning jars and then just put them in the refrigerator the night before to thaw...then they can go straight into the microwave to heat up. If you don't mind the form factor of a jar (and have freezer space), it might make things easier for you when you're post partum. Any path to less dishes is a win!
I use my silicon muffin pans. One has 12 muffins slots so I use this to freeze pucks of sauteed mushrooms, mirepoix, sautéed peppers, small portions of shredded meat. My other has 6 muffin slots about one cup each which works for soup, chicken broth, or portions of rice; beans etc. I already had this and it works like the cubes and comes out round. 🙂
I also use my silicone muffin trays. I’ve thrifted them and primarily use them for when I make broth. Pour broth in a pitcher, place silicone on cookie sheets, pour into silicone when I’m already in my basement and slip into freezer.
Those souper cubes are expensive in Canada. I saw the ones Costco had but I generally make 5 litres of broth ,so I pour into the muffin trays and a couple of silicone loaf pans. I use the loafs for larger volumes, like beef and barley stew in the instapot and soups.
Definitely the muffin sizes would work for left overs. I generally just purchase and use the anchor hocking/ Pyrex sets that Canadian Tire has on sale.
It's good to use things up and not waste food if you can. My freezer is often my best friend in this effort.
5 frugal things
-- I voted early!
-- I made veggie broth from veggie scraps like carrot and onion peels and celery leaves/ends. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before some I make chicken and beef broth. I saw this on a show called "Struggle Meals" with Chef Frankie ___. It's a cute show on TV or you can see him on YouTube. He has lots of good money-saving cooking ideas.
-- I saved the ends of a few loaves of bread to make bread crumbs later.
-- we made a huge car payment of pure additional principal to reduce a balance we have. We are on track to pay this off in just 3 payments. We put down a large down payment but didn't want to drain our savings account so we are paying it off out of our monthly cash flow.
-- I swapped books with my sister. I bought a new book for my old friend, my sister had a book she'd just read that she was looking to donate. So we swapped books so we could each read the new book before I give it to my friend.
-- I colored my own hair mixing two colors to get the shade I want. This easily saved me $100.
Your fish reminded me of the last time my husband took his lunch to work in a grocery bag. I packed him a daily breakfast and lunch, and he didn't want to deal with a real lunch bag for some reason, and just wanted to take it in a plastic bag.
One day he comes home and thanks me for the lunch, and then says "but I don't like to microwave fish in the breakroom".
I said "I didn't pack you fish, you had fajitas."
Long pause, confused look at the bag in his hand "Then whose lunch did I eat?!"
Hahaha, oh no!
Bureaucratic Snafu Edition:
I'm going to take a leaf out of Mary Ann's book and try to reframe a catastrophe. At least no bloodshed or other personal injury was involved in this case, but it was bad enough:
CF and I were hoping and planning to move NDN1 and most of her belongings (we'd already moved a few) into the assisted living facility yesterday. But when we three arrived with two carloads of stuff, we were met at the door with the news that she couldn't be admitted because she didn't yet have medical clearance. Turned out that NDN1's doctor's office staff only filled out 5 pages of the 8-page form they were sent. The assisted living folks did let us unload the stuff and put it in NDN1's room, but then I had to take NDN1 back home while CF steamed directly over to the doctor's office (NDN1 and CF share a PCP, as I've previously mentioned) and ripped the staff a few new orifices. As you can imagine, NDN1 was **not** a happy camper about any of this--and who could blame her??
At the moment (11 am EST Tuesday), we're still waiting for word on whether this snafu has been resolved. But here's what comfort I can find:
(1) CF and her husband are over at the facility getting the room completely set up, which will probably be less confusing for NDN1 in the long run than being in on the set-up process would have been. CF can also keep nudging the folks there to keep nudging the doctor's office, along with CF herself.
(2) CF was also able to get all of NDN1's prescriptions refilled, which had gone undone because (as it turned out) NDN1 had failed to heed refill messages from her pharmacy in a timely manner. I only just discovered this Saturday evening. This was more expensive than it should have been (I'm not even gonna go there), but we were able to cover the cost out of the cash I'd found stashed in NDN1's desk in the course of cleaning it out. (She'd shove the cash in there, forget where she put it, and get more cash. This is why we're gonna have to go through the rest of the house with a fine-toothed comb once we finally get her placed.)
And I'm going to ask the usual compulsive advice-givers among us, as a courtesy, to refrain from telling me what CF and I might have done differently. We're already aware of it. Thanks in advance.
Oh my goodness, how frustrating! I hope this can be resolved quickly.
@A.Marie, your little request to the compulsive advice-givers made me grin. Thanks for that!
A. Marie … your last paragraph did me in! My hat’s off to you for all you’re doing along with CF. I know this snafu had to be frustrating; but all I can offer is heart-felt thanks to for what you’re doing. No advice needed!
i am so sorry for your frustrating mess. angels should not be treated this way. bureaucracy sucks.
Not advice! Just a Gilda Radner a/k/a Roseanne Roseannadanna throwback: "It's always something!"
Well done to your and CF for helping this neighbor so completely!
A. Marie, oh, how utterly frustrating. Cheering you on from afar.
What a good friend you are, A. Marie
Your freebie exercise gadgets remind me of what we used in water aerobics years ago. A gallon jug holds 8 pounds of liquid so brought water jugs or OJ jugs etc. to use as weights. Do NOT use empty milk jugs as they will stink of sour milk, no matter how much you clean them out. Also make sure there are no rough edges around the handle area, as it could rub a blister. Filled with pool water, these were our weights, but they were our floatation devices when empty. Make sure you keep the screw-on caps. My aerobic dance teacher had us use canned vegetables for weights. In water aerobics we would use old Melanie salad plates, held vertically in the water, to give us more resistance with our arm exercises. (Back in the day the LeMenu frozen food company manufactured heavy plastic plates for their entrees and we used those, but they are no longer available. So garage sale Melanie plates are what to use today. We did not have pool noodles back then, but a lot of water aerobics classes use them now. ) Anyway, those items kept the cost of water aerobics down so I thought I'd share. A shout out to Marti DeCluitt whose "Waterworks by Marti" inspired all of this.It was quite the rage in Houston at the time, the 1980s. Wish I'd saved a copy.
OMG @Fru-Gal Lisa! Those LeMenu plates! That brought me WAY back....my Father would bring those meals as his work lunch, so we had a stack of them in our cupboard when I was young-- they were easy lunch plates for us kids!
They also were commonly used as saucers under indoor potted houseplants.
Oh, and on re-reading my stuff, I should have said you don't completely fill up the gallon jug at first. Start up by only partially filling it up and later gradually increase the amount of weight you lift/exercise with.
Your fish/microwave strategy proves what a good person you are. 😉
Every month I get together with a group of nurse friends for dinner, and we have run out of local places to eat out for mediocre food which isn’t cheap. So one member of the group has graciously offered to host on Friday night. She’s a wonderful cook and we are all looking forward to to it.
I used my reward points from Red Cross to order a nice little rechargeable flashlight, good to have for emergencies and no batteries required!
Ordered my quarterly supplies from my health insurance supplement. Vitamin D, toothpaste, etc.
Reading books from the library, making all meals and coffee at home.
Had the taxes done, and our refunds have already been deposited into our savings account.
Canceled an account and instead moved the $20 per month into a PBS monthly donation, which I feel better about. I love many of the offerings on PBS.
Happy to see February coming to an end. It has felt like such a long month.
I enjoyed some free socialization yesterday, volunteering with the Friends of the Library. It's a great opportunity to make friends of all ages, and it was a good opportunity to flex this postpartum brain thinking about the group's 2026 budget. I volunteered to be Treasurer next year.
Love this. Thanks for the tip on how to microwave fish by NOT microwaving it. 🙂 great idea!
1. When starting an indoor mural, I was about to go buy a drop cloth, and Husband handed me an old tarp instead.
2. Had to do some touching up at the mural location, and was able to find the old paint instead of having to buy new and try to get it to match.
3. Cooked some pollock that we found in the freezer (from the town food give away?)
4. Didn’t like the pollock, but chopped it up with pickles, added mayo, and used it in a tortilla for lunch. Acceptable enough to cook the rest in the freezer.
5. My slippers are developing a hole in the sole (I know, cute. . . ) Instead of buying yarn specifically to make new slippers, I made do with feltable wool already in my stash.
BONUS: I almost succumbed to a sale on yarn at Yarn.com (HEY! I UNSUBSCRIBED AND THEY SENT ME A NOTICE ANYWAY, 2 YEARS LATER!!). Their site wouldn’t work with PayPal, so I closed the window and marched on.
Handing you a gold star for persevering with the pollock!
Mayo and ketchup - saviors of many a meal.
Not frugal, but cute... I have one rose bush left to trim, but haven't because our year 'round Anna's hummingbirds sit in this rose bush for reprieve from the storms and they sit and stare into the den. My mom loves watching them.
Walked with a friend and she brought me a 1/2 gallon of sour milk, some eggs, limp carrots, celery and sprouting potatoes. I floated the eggs, they were fine, The carrots & celery are currently crisping up in an ice water bath and the potatoes will be peeled and made into mashed potatoes for the freezer.
I sent out a text request to the kids and received back votes for gingerbread waffles. I cool and wrap them, freeze in gallon bags for them to take home.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Kristen, Just want to commend you on your thoughtfulness with packing your lunch. I'm like this too and have had times in my life when I'm made to feel stupid for doing the considerate thing because others don't.
I bought a bag of 6 red/orange/yellow bell peppers for $2 but no one eats bell peppers at my house but me. There were two left that started going wrinkly. I cut them up and chomped on them while making dinner so they didn't go to waste. It was a good price for those peppers but it would have been a bad price if it all went in the trash.
I was tempted to get takeout on Saturday night because it was just one daughter and me at home. She said she was going to make herself some buttered noodles so I made myself a dish that no one else in my family likes and now I'm eating the leftovers for lunch. Frugal win because it used up ingredients I already had, I didn't get take out and and now I won't be tempted to get takeout for lunch either.
Had a few hours to kill while my daughter was at a birthday get-together at a nearby mall so I went to a bunch of shops. The only thing I bought was an $8 bread pan, which should pay for itself within 3-4 loaves of bread.
Sold a pencil that my daughter got from our trip to Japan last year. It was an impulse buy - the lead was too small. She actually made money on it so that's always nice.
I stopped by a persian market I don't usually go to for some herbs. I had a feeling they'd cost less there and they did - I paid half of what I would have otherwise and picked up a few other items I needed and ended up probably saving $10. I didn't even have to go out of my way as it was on my way home.
Sold another device my husband bought we ended up not using. At least we recouped some of the cost.
What a lovely surprise!
Just for fun, let me see how many "frugals" I can add:
1. The towel came from the thrift shop where I volunteer.
2. I used it as padding for some books that I'd found at the library book sale that I help run. They were in like-new condition; I paid no more than $1 each.
3. I used USPS Media Mail, aka Book Rate, to ship it very inexpensively.
4. The box was recycled.
5. If you have time in your life, volunteering can be a super frugal thing to do and helps others, too.
Love this! That towel has lived a very frugal life!
Those are some great frugals!
My Frugal 5s
- Did our taxes on Turbo Tax and got a large refund back. Submitted the payment to do it on my 2% cash back credit card that will also give me $20 back through their merchant program for using Turbo Tax.
- Got a handful of dented can goods like coconut milk, vegetable and apple sauce from the food pantry since they’re not allowed to hand them out.
- Cleaned out a bunch of activity boxes and found a bunch of craft supplies and Easter basket stuffers for my girls.
- To satisfy my artistic itch, I made some Christmas ornaments at home with wire, beads and ribbons I already had. Will plan on making a few felted bead and clay dried ones too. These will be hung on our Christmas tree next year.
- Pretty much staying home, not eating out, cleaning and fixing things around our house to get it ready for selling, entertaining with whatever we have or borrowed from the library for movies, games and crafts, etc.
I went to 2 exercise classes at my local library this past Saturday. One of them I have been attending since July. The other is only going on during the month of Feb. After class I went for coffee with the instructor. He is so interesting and he has a free community class at the 14th Street Y two blocks from my apt. on Weds.
I hope to attend.
Right before my New York Health and Racquet Club closed (during the start of covid)
I renewed my membership. Never saw that $ again. Had been a member 33 years.
Conde Nast paid most of the membership as a benefit and what they didn't cover was paid with an interest free loan.
Yesterday was an old fashioned snow day. What a blessing. Kids were sledding and built a snow man. The apt complex asked for pictures and hubby sent some and they thanked him!!!!
1. Day after Valentine's Day I bought some reduced-price candy for my co-worker's birthday treat. I make a little origami box from my paper stash and add a few pieces of candy to brighten their day.
2. My friends and I went to a free wine tasting the other day.
3. I was "gifted" some wreath making material, which I have passed onto my club friend to make a wreath, which we can raffle or donate.
4. We went through my husband's closet prior to moving his clothes to our new place and I found a couple of new "shackets" for me. Who would have thought.
5. Using my library
Woot! I feel useful today, (the reminder on the chase account). Glad you checked, it's awful to get a fee when you're not expecting it.
I make muesli by the container. I just pour raisins and chopped nuts (usually walnuts) into the big old fashioned oatmeal container, add about 1/2 a tablespoon of ground cinnamon, put the lid back on and rotate/shift/shake to combine.
Speaking of pitting cherries, here's a cool trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYjZIKpi_lA Justin Chapple IS the mad genius!
I'm using up everything in the fridge & freezer before buying more. So dinner tonight was leftover turkey meatloaf, sourdough bread with olive oil & spices, roasted cauliflower & 1/2 a bag of baby carrots with olive oil, basalmic vinegar & black pepper on it. And there are leftovers of all of this for dinner tomorrow still.
Lunches are most always containers of frozen homemade soups/stews, fruit, and a sweet.
I keep teabags and raw sugar at work for a delicious afternoon cuppa.
And I found a cup of frozen pumpkin puree so we had pumpkin bread for the snowy weekend. Yum!
Kristen, I love that you put bread in your hardened sugar. I often keep a piece of bread in the cookie jar which keeps the cookies soft.
1. Family and friends have been so kind and we have had several meals provided as we adjust to having boy #3 born a few weeks ago. We’ve had two pizzas, a pasta bake, lots of cookies, a loaf of homemade bread, some soup, and other families are coordinating to bring us meals as well. Feeling very cared for.
2. In between meals from others, we’ve made easy meals from things in the fridge, pantry, and freezer.
3. I continue to work on earning rewards money from our insurance for completing various activities. I’ve almost completed some tedious online activities that will deposit $75 onto an FSA card.
4. Since we are isolating to protect the baby from the seasonal germs at this time of year, we aren’t going anywhere or spending any money (not like we really do anyway).
5. I received a clean bill of health at the dentist today which I was grateful for. Oh and a free toothbrush and a sample of sensitive toothpaste.
congrats. all the best.
Lindsay, congratulations on your new baby boy!
Seasonal germs and those who refuse to vaccinate. While I rarely am in the company of newborns/very young children, I graciously and willingly got a TDP vaccination. And will start the Hep A/B vaccinations here soon.
Please continue to monitor the vax status of family and friends. You are well within your rights to prohibit visitors who decided to exercise their "rights" to potentially be a carrier.
Thanks for this, Selena. We've had a lot of pushback from some family members who will not be named, and that's been a challenge in many ways. I really appreciate your "graciously and willingly" attitude and for helping to protect the little ones in your life.
Congratulations on the baby!
This week:
1. DH's bday is this week, so I found some ground beef marked down to BOGO, and made his favorite meatloaf dinner (I hardly ever make meatloaf anymore), doubled the meatloaf and froze 1/2 for cooking later.
2. We don't have a dollar tree anymore, but I found a card at a new 5 below for $1. He really loves getting cards
3. Bought a local massage GC, trying to support local small businesses when I can.
4. Culled through my sweaters. One is one I used to love, but it was pilly all over so I'd stopped wearing it to work. I almost put it in the GW bag, but decided to shave it. Took my time, about 20+ minutes to get it all, then washed it on delicate. It looks like a new sweater, yay!
5. Decided to shave three other sweaters that weren't too bad, but why not. In the mood to repair and restore the clothes I already have instead of buying new. Its hard to find clothes that fit right, so might as well keep them as long as possible. My closet is making me smile again now.
This week was pretty good, frugality-wise!
1. I resewed a button for my husband. He has the worst luck with buttons - it seems there's always a pair of his old work pants that needs its button resewn by my chair! I keep a spool of navy thread, a needle, and scissors in the end table so I can take care of that without thinking.
2. I picked up two packages of chicken thighs in the "reduced" (it's where they put the meat that has reached its last sell by date) refrigerator section at the store. I fried all eight pieces for the three of us - I'm big on planned leftovers - cook once, get two to four meals.
3. We get Subway sandwiches for lunch once a week. I signed up for their rewards program, and I got $2 off our order this week.
4. I made a couple of gallons of iced tea. I don't understand buying it at the store when I can make it for nearly nothing at home. I drink about a quart a day (it's decaffeinated, so don't think I'm periodically wired!).
5. I saved half a large jar of jam. The brand we like sugars up pretty quickly after it's opened - I keep our refrigerator at 34⁰F, so that's to be expected with something made with cane sugar and no corn syrup. I scraped it all into a glass measuring cup with a spout, washed the jar to get rid of any stray sugar crystals, and microwaved the jam for two minutes. It had started to boil, so I stirred it, poured it back into its jar, and put it in the fridge. It looks, tastes, and has the texture of brand new!