Five Frugal Things | Vintage fashion modification, for one
1. I modified a vintage top for Sonia.
She had a green silk long-sleeved top (kindly given to her) that had a lot of irreparable damage in the armhole area, along with several previous repairs.
I suggested that we just give up on the sleeves and make it a sleeveless shirt instead.
It was a pretty wide shirt, so I made it a little skinnier (that helped to get rid of some of the torn armhole fabric) and hemmed the sleeve openings.
I've never worked with silk before and I have to say that I'm not anxious to again! It's so thin, it's a little tricky to manage.
My sewing work looks a little sloppy on the inside (it was hard to cobble together the torn pieces into a nice neat seam!), but the shirt is far more wearable than it was when it came to us.
I saved the sleeves because I think Sonia might want to make a scrunchie with them.
2. I inadvertently saved a disposable paint tray liner.
I don't remember buying one...maybe a friend gave me an extra one?
I've been lazily just leaving the paint to dry on it when I finished a project rather than rinsing it or throwing it out.
I decided maybe it was finally time to part with this liner, but I noticed the the dried paint was peeling up. And that I could pull the whole thing off, leaving a nearly virgin tray liner.
That's Sonia and Zoe's old aqua room paint you see there, so I've been using this tray liner since at least 2015.
(and probably before that, because the green is the old bathroom color.)
And I guess the paint tray is going to continue its run around here, now that it's cleaned off.
3. I did a long overdue mending job.
Zoe used to have this white dress, which she ripped by accident. I put it in the closet, intending to mend it and I forgot about it for years!
Since Sonia's had the sewing machine out a lot, I took a few minutes to mend the tear. The eyelet fabric of this dress makes it pretty easy to fix a rip without it being too obvious.
So, now I'll hand it down to a niece, where hopefully it'll get some more wear.
4. I bought two boxes of bruised peaches.
I haven't had a lot of luck with finding them yet this year, but I got a pretty good box for $8.
We happened to be at a pet store that neighbors the produce stand, so I decided it was worth taking a peek. And it was!
The next day, I was nearby again, and they had another almost full box of peaches. YES.
I sliced and froze a bunch of them, because they are way, way tastier than store-bought frozen peaches (which are somehow rather flavorless).
And I also made some refrigerated jam for my girls.
5. I made a card
Isn't it cute??
(Being not the most creative person in the world, I googled for card ideas and based this off of one I saw.)
A lot of vintage blouses have rotted-out armholes, from the days when women generally didn't wear anti-perspirants or deodorants.
Yes, I was thinking that the salts and such would be sort of hard on the fabric over time!
Silk is the strongest natural fiber when it's new, but it disintegrates faster than other fibers, too. I have some antique embroidered pictures done on silk and you can see where the silk is shattering (a technical term, but also descriptive).
I have been sewing my own cloth grocery bags from fabric bought years ago.
Likewise I've sewed nylon drawstring produce bags from a cheap curtain. Unfortunately I had to buy the curtain but for only $5 I'm getting something like ten or so bags.
Twice the last week I have soaked legumes to make soups, once from lentils and once from black beans. Much cheaper than buying cans.
The lentil soup made far more than I can eat quickly, so excess was put into jars and frozen for later.
I printed a pattern for a bucket hat off the internet and plan to make one (or two) of fabric scraps. This one isn't accomplished yet; we'll see how it goes.
I love that dishes with legumes easily yield enough food for days. And they are so inexpensive and delicious.
Did they deteriorate because women didn't wear antiperspirants, or because they did, I wonder? Some of those chemicals some decades ago seemed rather strong
Our Colorado peaches and pears from the Lions Club ought to be here any day now — I'm starting to get very anxious for them! This doesn't really count as frugal, but it's also not a terribly expensive way to support the community, and they're always better than run of the mill grocery store fruit.
Yes! Non-grocery store peaches are always the best (unless the grocery store happens to have gotten them locally during peach season.)
I've taken the sleeves out of many blouses and dresses because my daughter loves vintage too. I watched several videos about making bias tape out of scraps. I now make self bias out of the old sleeves and bind the armholes. It makes for a really neat finish.
Ooh, I bet that does look nice!
1. I followed Susan's advice from last week and instead of throwing out my skin creme, I cut it open and am still using the residues.
2. I started using soap bars instead of shower gel in plastic bottles to reduce waste. However, as the bars are cheeper and last longer than the gel bottles, it's also a very frugal change.
3. Some month ago, I found some nearly dried up pansies and got a big discount due to their sad state. After some serious watering, they are still blooming and also produce seeds which I will use for next year.
4. I bought black tea at a cute tea shop here in town. It wasn't more expensive than the prepackaged tea I normally buy in the supermarket and I got a small discount for bringing my own bag. I was very happy to support a local shop and also further reduce my waste.
5. You can buy fresh herbs here as whole plants in the supermarkets. Normally, they don't last long if you keep them inside. So I planted them in bigger pots and put them on my balcony. They are growing very well and I have always fresh herbs when I need them.
I think I remember that little white dress from some beach pictures of yours? No?
very cute card! Looks like it was made from some paint chip cards?
Great job on the top! I don't know if I would have tackled sewing silk!
We've had a number of white dresses on the beach, so this could be one of them!
I used some scrapbooking paper to make the card; I got rid of most of my scrapbooking supplies, but I kept some of the plainer paper because it's so useful for card making. 🙂
Do you have to use a special needle for silk? I remember my mother sewing on Quiana fabric (I just really dated myself) and it had to have a special needle to be able to sew in it at all. But good save on the top! I've cut off long sleeves and made short, before, but never removed them altogether.
I had a really good frugal recently, if only I could remember what it was. Anyway:
1. Used Swagbucks to get enough credit on Amazon to buy water cleaning supplies for our outdoor fish pond, no out of pocket.
2. Got some things needed for house repairs at Lowe's, using my husband's vet discount.
3. I've been really working at keeping our grocery bill lower these past two weeks, and have so far succeeded.
4. Had to take my husband to a town a little over an hour from us, to a VA center we haven't used before. This town now has an Aldi, making it the closest one to me. I left my husband resting in the car with the A/C running and took a few minutes to check it out. It was surprisingly small, but I found a few things for which I know the price was better than what I find elsewhere. I spent a little over $17. An Aldi is almost certainly coming to the town where I work, which is a much larger town. I'm really curious now to see how big the proposed store will be, and what it will carry.
5. The usual: I made a pizza at home instead of giving in to fast food. I also packed my lunch for today and have my weekly menu posted and meat thawing. I'm wearing a Goodwill shirt and skirt and a ThredUp sweater (my office is cool). I made arrangements for someone to take our dog to get her heartworm preventative injection, because in Florida rural areas, a dog IS going to get heartworms, and they are very expensive to treat, not to mention the poor dog's suffering.
It's usually better to use a finer needle for silk, depending on the weave of the silk, but you don't necessarily have to. Some silk isn't very thin, some is. (I used to make almost all my own clothes, including a beautiful red silk satin ball gown and my own white silk satin wedding gown. Wish I had time now...)
I suppose it might be helpful to have a silk needle! But I don't think we do. I just used the regular one on the machine.
1. My husband and I started the tear off (it's 3 layers of shingles!) and replacement of our roof this past weekend. I am hoping it will be done by this weekend. It will save us about $6,000 doing it ourselves.
2. I dried tons of cherry tomatoes from our garden this weekend. I absolutely love sun dried tomatoes, but they are expensive and usually have preservatives in them. I also picked oregano, lots of basil, and chard from our garden.
3. The mother of my son's friend gave us a ton of 4T and 5T clothes for my daughter. I washed, organized, and stored them this weekend. Other friends have given us girl clothing and shoes up until 3T. While storing the clothes, I also realized I saved all of my sons old winter boots and snow pants! My daughter is only 9 months old, but this will save us a lot of money in the long run.
4. Used a bunch of overripe bananas to make banana bread muffins and banana pancakes this weekend
5. Printed off free admission for 2 people, to a museum in our area, for Museum Day in September. I will only have to pay for my son, as the baby is free at most museums. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2019/
I have hoped for the last two summers to teach myself how to shingle and so far have not. Good luck!
I am so impressed that you are shingling your roof! Good for you!
Luckily, my husband used to own a roofing business before he went back to college to get his engineering degree. He is doing the shingling and roof repair. I am doing all of the clean up, which in the end will be 14,000 lbs of shingles!
Ohhh, that makes a lot of sense, then. He knows exactly what he's doing!
My husband spent three straight summers re-roofing our huge, terrifyingly steep roof, and I had to do all the clean-up. Those asphalt shingles are incredibly heavy. Good luck.
That is a lovely top!
I've had to do a lot of shopping recently for school, work and hobbies. But managed to save where I could:
1. Took advantage of the Maryland sales tax-free week and saved 6% on new clothes (on top of 50% off for button down shirts my husband needed).
2. My son needed new pants, which he likes to buy from H&M. They have a program to recycle/reuse old clothes. I brought a bag of old clothes that have been sitting in my laundry room, and got two 15% off coupons, applied one to my son's purchase.
3. Before purchasing art supplies from Michael's and new backpacks and school supplies from Target, made sure to check online and in print for coupons. Saved a bundle in each store.
4. My cousin needed a place to stay for a night last week, happy to provide. She brought a bag of NY bagels that my kids were happy to eat for breakfast for several days.
5. Skipped buying fruit at the grocery store, but providentially my neighbor brought over some watermelon to share.
1. Husband cleaned up some hand me down toys that we received and Toddler has loved them so far.
2. We went somewhere free every weekday last week (2 parks, the zoo, nature center, and the library)
3. We visited a tourist town an hour away and I resisted buying any sweets, knowing that we have a lot of candy and cookies at home that need to be eaten.
4. I've been wanting a bee-print dress all summer. I found one for 75% off and almost didn't buy it, but I looked it up online to see if maybe I could order it later if I changed my mind - the exact dress was selling used for almost full price. I bought it and decided if I don't love it, I can try reselling it.
5. Used my rewards card to save 30¢ per gallon to fill an empty tank.
Hooray for making cards Frugal Girl!! I find cards soooo overpriced! Homemade cards are so sweet and thoughtful.
My frugal wins this week were walking the dog (free exercise for me!), making all meals at home including my husband's lunch for work, making coffee at home, making chicken broth, planning out my meals for the week, only grocery shopping once a week, reading frugal blogs/watching frugal Youtube videos, using a gift card for something I'd normally buy, using Hotels.com to book a free night for a trip that was scheduled, keeping my house clean and tidy (take care of what you own), going through Ebates to order birthday presents and talking to my kids about money.
I'm wondering how Frugal Girl readers save money when they rent a vehicle while on vacation? In our case we have an annual trip we take which requires us to rent at the other end. It also has to be a large enough vehicle to hold 2 large equipment bags and 4 suitcases. This year we rented an F150 and while it was great, when I got the bill I thought, never again! Perhaps a topic you could cover in the near future? Thanks!
Jenni, because we've been traveling by RV for years, I can't remember the last time we actually rented a car. But we did need a vehicle for a fly-in vacation later this year, so I wanted to share my rental car shopping experience with you - especially because it sounds like your annual trip gives you a bit of time to plan ahead . . . I started checking rental car prices about 9 months ago for the location we're flying in to, but I didn't book anything. I had narrowed my search down to the company that consistently offered the best rates in that location and just kept checking back every couple of weeks. We, too, were looking for a mid to large size SUV or a full size pickup. Initially, the rates were astronomical but, when I checked once about 6 months into my search, the company must have been running a special on pickups because I was able to reserve one for a week for a total cost of less than $300.00. Yay! If no specials had turned up, I would have booked a car before I got to the point where I was afraid they wouldn't have many vehicles left to choose from, but starting the search early and checking back often did help us land a great deal. Good luck with next year's rental!
Recently while traveling in FL- had found a deal at “Executive Car Rentals”, which is actually a low-end rental outfit kind of far from the main airport, and got a rate of $5.95 per day (for the cheapest car, which was all I needed, but they also had cheap bigger vans & stuff). I paid Uber $15 each way, including tip, to get me to and from the rental agency, so I still came out way ahead UNTIL I brought the car back 45 minutes late due to crazy last minute stuff. That last day thus cost $39.95 because of the lateness, so I ended up not really saving anything. But I learned to seek those good deals farther down the list, and to make sure I allow extra time and ask all of the questions.
You totally win for what you did with that top!! Way to go!!
1. Checked the freezer and cupboards before menu planning last night. Found stuff that we can make for the next 3 nights without having to do any shopping.
2. Breakfast was baked oatmeal leftover from a brunch over the weekend. Lunch was last night's dinner.
3. I wasn't able to find wall decorations I liked for my son's room (or if I liked them, they cost a ton), so we hired a high schooler to paint some. They look fantastic! She was excited to do it and I think she's trying to get away with not telling me how much to pay her ("oh, they were all materials I already had") so I think we're going to get a gift card for her.
4. We're starting to get produce from our garden and I've been using it up!
5. My husband is a coach and we hosted a brunch for his team on Saturday. I made everything (even though we were short on time) instead of buying a bunch of pre-made stuff. He took the younger two kids (3 and 1) with him to run errands that morning and my 5yo was incredibly helpful with making everything, so it worked out well! And I got some quality time in with her before she starts kindergarten in a week.
Unless you know exactly where the young lady shops, please gift her cash instead of a gift card that may be off the mark.
And I was also thinking that you can offer to be a reference for her for future jobs or activities, as well as publicizing her work locally, if it’s OK with her and parents. A teenager near me has a thriving business going, which started with someone praising her talent on FB, NextDoor.com, and similar sites.
I bought fusion backing fabric to prep for a hole repair. The instructions say position the sticky side under the hole. Put/pinch the hole together on top of the fusion fabric and carefully iron the fabric onto the fusion. I have yet to try, but I think if I am careful it will work.
I shopped the basement and found a purse that had been put away that has multiple pockets and compartments. I will use it for days trips out of town.
I repurposed a grocery store bakery clamshell container for my xmas electric timers. I can see what is in the container and they don't tumble off the shelf.
I am using up my makeup foundation by removing it with a small butter spreader. I will probably be able to get to all the product now.
1. Took my son to the cheaper movie theater this weekend; not as many amenities but we don't mind.
2. My son is going to use last year's backpack again this year. Just needs a little cleaning up.
3. Ordered something (a toy)on Mighty Nest I wasn't sure I had a use for once I received it, but it will make the perfect birthday gift for a family friend.
4. Organized and set aside for donation a pile of stuff that's been sitting in my basement for a while now. Found a good place to donate to that resells donations for charity.
5. I've been buying school supplies and clothing for my son throughout the summer and I feel organized and ready for the upcoming year which will keep me out of the stores right now (back to school shopping is a little crazy).
1) I did some repairs this weekend too. I reattached the hem that was pulling up on one of our sons' quilts. I also prepped a couple of pairs of shorts for mending. (I only had about twenty minutes, so I did what I could and will pick it up the next time I have a few minutes.)
2) I have a pair of brown oxfords I wear all the time. They were about $20 on Amazon a few years ago. I love the fit and look, and they have held up well structurally. But the faux leather had dulled and was scuffed off in places. I have been going back and forth about buying a new pair before the start of the school year or even going all in and spending $100 on a pair that will last me many years. Then it occurred to me I should try brown shoe polish. I used some polish we already had. They don't look new, but much better. Definitely good enough to go another year or more.
3) I needed a new pair of sneakers too. Mine really were worn out. Pieces were ripping off, and the soles were super thin. Instead of replacing them with another pair of Pumas from DSW, I found a pair in like new condition on ThredUp! I easily added another $60 in school and church clothes I know the kids will need this fall to hit the $80 free shipping threshold. Credit from a return months ago brought the total to around $60.
4) We put new tires on our 23 year old truck. How is this frugal? Because even though it has over 200,000 miles on it, the "history-mobile" still has plenty of life. We are starting to save for our next truck now, but will run this one in the ground before we buy. (And we can always sell the tires if they are worth more than the truck.)
5) Sunday was crazy, so we made sandwiches for lunch on the road to keep us from being tempted by fast food. I had a comped dinner with my new colleagues, and my husband fed the kids leftovers.
Bonus) My husband and I started rewatching The Office on hulu while on vacation. We both love the show and have been looking forward to our fix each night after we get the kids in bed. I realized last night that it is a pretty frugal way to enjoy each other's company.
Let's see . . .
1) I made some pancakes this morning with leftover oatmeal. Literally just the cooked oatmeal, eggs, baking soda, and spices. Three of my four kids liked the oatmeal this way better than just reheated in a bowl. Pretty standard percentage of approval.
2) I made some beef stock with scraps and bone from a sirloin roast I took out for my husband to make jerky with. It's way too hot to use stock for soup or whatever right now, so into the freezer it goes.
3) Also in the freezer, two partial bananas my daughter didn't finish, blanched green beans, and frozen cabbage.
4) I looked for paint when we were in the city last week so I can finally paint my bedroom, but there wasn't any pre-mixed except white and gray and brown, so I didn't get any. I had four kids acting like monkeys in a zoo and I couldn't find an employee (Walmart), so I gave up quickly. We do have quite a bit of paint left from the previous owner. None of the colors are to my taste, so I'll just mix various colors until I get a color I like. Which is what I did for every other room of the house when I painted before we moved in. I'll end up with some kind of pale bluish green, I think, which will be way better than the hideous orangey-yellow on the walls now.
5) I was going to buy a bookcase for my eldest son's room, but I decided instead to temporarily give him this odd cabinet thing that was here when we moved in to store his books in and wait until my dad can build him a nice one. My dad is currently building a dresser for me and my husband, plus a solar dehydrator, so I think I should give him a break before the next request. 🙂
1) My husband minded my son the first day back from vacation and they went to charity shop together to spend his pocket money (he bought books and was given one for free). A Frugal educational experience for my son who now is keen on this second hand stores ‘as he can buy more things with his pocket money than in the regular toy shop’.
2) My husband worked all weekend clearing overgrown bushes in our garden, the kids and I deep cleaned the house including the windows. We just came back from vacation so it all didn’t seem like a big chore. We saved £65 for the cleaning and ~£200 for the garden work and waste disposable.
3) Our neighbour gave us spare apples and plums from her garden, I turned them into crumbles. Today we picked up more windfalls from the local library garden. More crumble to make tonight for the freezer.
4) My husband has family visiting from the US next month. I offered to host a lunch rather than going to a restaurant in the city. Even paying for the all the ingredients will be cheaper than train fares and 4 restaurant meals. My SIL is contributing too and is really pleased that we don’t need to all go to a fancy and expensive restaurant.
5) My daughter wants a home birthday party. It’s a lot of work for me but as she has so many friends at preschool it will save me a ton of money to a soft play party. Which costs around £15/guest.
1) I shopped around and found a great deal on school shoes for my kids. We are reusing a lot of uniforms from last year and just needed to purchase a few things. Everyone needed shoes and I was able to get Sperry's at BOGO 50% plus another 15% and a 5% rebate from Rakuten. Sperry's are expensive but will usually last the entire year unless someone's foot grows. In the past we went through multiple pairs of slightly less expensive shoes.
2) Planned ahead and bought $5 movie tickets (it also includes popcorn) for this week. We still have a few more weeks of summer break and are trying to venture out a bit more but frugally.
3) I didn't understand the bill we received from the orthodonist. I called and they agreed that another insurance check should be coming and agreed to postpone the invoice due date for a few months. I will also follow-up with our insurance.
4) I sold an unused lego set on ebay and mailed it in an Amazon book we already had.
5) We made our weekly library visit to stock up on books for the week including my two older kids required reading books for the summer.
1. Just ordered 20 bucks worth of cold weather crop seed. Radish, lettuce, kales etc. One radish is French breakfast, another is a white long one. Lettuce is speckled. Ordered leek seeds too and green onion. Going to scratch and plant the flower beds. Figure I can go out and get an occasional salad...plenty of seed for neighbor too 2. Cut up old towel for wash cloths. 3. Ate delicious breakfast of good crackers,cream cheese and canned herring with green onion and hot coffee. 4. Using my Kroger coupons soon. Some bargains on cheese & some stuff free. 5. Enjoying a few fall look items from thrift store...black sweater and a grey blouse
I just ordered some seeds also. Roasted radish are a new favorite.
1. I had to drop off something at the university I attend and made sure to root through the Free pile where professors have been dumping things for the last few months. A lot of it is really trash, but I found a large white D-ring my husband will happily use and a small pile of file folders for me. I don't care they have writing on the tab, I just flip them around.
2. Cohosted an event with another church and we used their ice cream left over from another event and our leftover toppings(I did buy a few new things) for a very frugal sundae party.
3. Had to go to the next town over and made sure to fill up my gas tank there, where gas is generally 10 cents cheaper than at the same store in my town.
4. My husband showed me a pair of his running shorts with a hole in the seam and asked if he should keep them, which is his kind way of asking if it will be a hassle to repair them. He knows I'm frugal, but also knows that sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the things. Of course I'll sew them up!
5. Paid $391 for body work on our 17-year-old van to get it to pass inspection. This van has been paid for for years and just keeps going. Also, we saved money because we go to a wonderful independent shop, they only charged us for the time and materials they used, not the original $450 quote we were given.
1) I made (and shopped specifically for) a weekly meal plan for the first time in what feels like weeks. 2) I made crock pot chicken and used the leftovers to make chicken stock. 3) Tried a few new "fancy" bread recipes from magazines and got rid of the ones I was not a fan of. (Not a frugal activity as of yet, but I will use these as gifts for teachers, new babies, etc. ) 4) My daughter broke a lamp so instead of running out to buy a new one, we just repurposed one from another area. 5) We have been hang-drying as many items of laundry as possible over the summer (especially towels, sheets, quilts, blankets, etc.)
I was wondering if you could share your method of freezing peaches with us? I also turn my nose up at canned peaches in the winter! Thank you!
Sure! I slice them, place them on a silpat lined rimmed baking sheet, freeze them until solid, and then transfer them to a freezer zipper bag.
1) We enjoyed a lovely date night at the local bowling alley that was doing all you can eat pizza, salad and bowling on Friday night for $7.99 per person. They only charged us $10-something for the both of us though, I think they charged one kid price and one adult! I did question them about it when they rang us up but they said it was right.
2) I bought all number of pet pee sprays and shampoos to try to get cat pee out of our carpets. It may not seem frugal but if we can get one to work we'll avoid replacing all of the flooring in our house (the dang cat peed in almost every room with carpet and even on some rugs).
3) I used up a chicken carcass and vegetable ends and peels to make chicken stock today. I'd been saving the veggie pieces in the freezer and had a full bag and we had a rotisserie chicken last week.
4) We stopped in at a low price grocery store near my parents house when we were there yesterday and saved a bunch on fruits and veggies. Most things we bought were at least $0.50 per pound cheaper than we can get them for in our local stores.
5) I'm not sure this is frugal but it certainly will bring more $$$ into our household! I accepted a job in town this morning. I've not been working for gosh, almost 2 years now, and I'm so happy to be going back to work! Moving last year really made it hard to work between having to get a new license and just settle into our new home and location but it's time and I'll start next week!
Congratulations on your new job!!!
Congrats on the job!
Congratulations on the job!
FWIW, as a certified crazy cat lady, I've found that cleaning with Eco88 and then applying mint oil on the soiled spots was the best way to clean up feline tinkle and stop the cat from reoffending. Good luck!
Athena, we attempted to adopt sibling cats from a shelter several years ago. We tried keeping them in one room for a night but they slipped out. They peed throughout our entire house. It was a nightmare. We had to put in all new carpeting, luckily we have a small house. I felt so guilty bringing them back to the shelter on Monday.
Next time we adopted we kept him in the garage until we were sure he could mind his Ps & Qs.
Just jumping in to ask about how the “no sales tax” things work big picture/long term. I get that it seems like shoppers are saving 4-10%, but the tax money must have to come from somewhere, right? So do you have to pay more in income taxes, homeowners taxes, or what? Or does the city, county, or state cut out services since they aren’t receiving the tax revenue? It just doesn’t make sense to me! Who wins, the merchant?
Students and their families save some money on school supplies. Most states have rules that lead to more savings on smaller purchases, the idea being that splurging on $200 shoes doesn't yield a benefit but more modest purchases (i.e., more likely by less wealthy families) do benefit.
The state gets less money for that weekend. They generally consider it a positive, since it helps set up students - especially the poorer ones - for a successful school year.
Merchants may get more sales overall, or the sales may just be shifted from other times.
1. Keep forgetting to mention this one - used dust cloths made from old t-shirts - thank you Kristen for teaching me this - they are AMAZING!
2. Found waaay cheaper decaf teabags at ALDI that I love the taste of; I love tea but decided to swap half of my daily cups for decaf now I found an affordable option
3. My place needs a lot done but I decided from the outset to spend only what I have saved leaving a healthy emergency fund with the priority paying off more of the mortgage first. After working out the next 3 priorities I have decided to buy a multicooker instead of renovating the kitchen & replacing the broken oven. This will save a ton of stress, a ton of interest, & give me the leisure to plan long term hat I really want my new kitchen to be.
4. Swapped many staple items to Aldi brands eg oat , beans, milk, etc & trying to restrict other supermarket shopping to sale items only - one supermarket emails me my faves on special so I stock up then
5. Prepared enough lunch on sat to feed myself sun without thinking preventing a desired café visit
1. I am telling myself I do not need to buy a new Bible. I would dearly love a journalling/colouring in Bible. But it is not a need but a want.
2. I managed to buy some meat that was discounted.
3. I have planned meals to use things in a timely manner.
FFT
1. Son wanted to go to Hershey Park. We pulled it off for 4 (he brought two friends) for a total of $20! Total amount saved was over $350! We were gifted 3 comp tickets, and one friend works there so he got in free as well ($280 not spent). We used friend’s employee ID to park for free ($15 not spent). Son has a leg brace so we were able to get an accessibility accommodation for our group. Like a fast pass that costs $39 but free. Employee friend used his discount to buy lunch. Saved 15%. We split a huge order of loaded fries. We used $1 refill mugs borrowed from another friend. ($15 not spent). Ice water is free at concession stand. Why pay $2-$3 a bottle for water???
Packed rain ponchos from the $1 store we did not need to buy horribly over priced HP rain ponchos when the torrential rains hit. Also I packed sandwiches and kept them in a cooler in the car with drinks and chips so we could avoid a fast food stop on the way home.
2. Got several loves of Panera bread, rolls, and bagels free as well as three containers of cherry tomatoes and a bunch of cucumbers off the free table at church.
3. Got a great deal on gas at Costco with my membership. Filled up the tank, save $6.
4. Using our pool membership on these hot days. Bringing our own drinks and food.
5. A new neighbor treated us to a home cooked meal of Indian food for my coordinating people to unload their moving van last month. They sent us home with lots if leftovers. Yum!
Congrats on the amusement park success! I was at a county fair over the weekend and they - literally - did not have bottle refills available. Or ice to buy. Or even cold water. I had to fill my water bottle from the bathroom tap. I don't mind tap water but the lukewarm temperature was unpleasant.
You might want to look into being a “water concessionaire” at next years county fair!
Around here 4-H sells water & other drinks for cheaper than the regular stands, and they make a good profit. I think it’s REALLY important that there be lots of visible, accessible plastic bottle recycling containers so these don’t go into the landfill.
Cute shirt redo!
1. I accepted flour, onions, green onions, and eggs from a friend.
2. Kids and I have been borrowing free books, ebooks and audio books, for school and for plain enjoyment.
3. I froze some bananas that were browning.
4. Earning swagbucks.
5. Trying the envelope method for groceries.
1. Trimmed my own bangs instead of going to the salon.
2. Ate lots of green beans and zucchini from our garden.
3. Got mulch free from the city dump to spruce up our flower beds.
4. Used a coupon code from Shutterfly for a free photo book for my father in law. Only paid $8.30 shipping.
5. Used up the dregs of some Raisin Bran to make muffins.
Thanks, Mary, from Reflections around the campfire, for the car rental advice! I really appreciate it!
I’ve been making dog and cat beds this past week. I’ve delivered 24 and have 20 more ready to fill . I m using up all my fabrics which I got free . I have a friend giving me the trimmings from her quilt club to use for stuffing . And I’ve cleaned out my scraps for fill and I’m using all my old pillows also . I’m trying to purge and recycle everything!
Frugal fail: a friend gifted me electric salt and pepper shakers. They take 6 batteries each. I was going to sell or re-gift them but she opened them in front of me and put them together, insisting that we try them out. Not sure what to do with them now, she also tore up the boxes it came in. I did decide to let some things like this go, and focus on the love and excitement she had when she presented them to me. Friendship is priceless, life is short.