Five Frugal Things | white tees aplenty
1. I used several strategies to save on white tees
Now that it's colder, my short-sleeve white scrub tops are feeling a little too breezy.
Luckily, we ARE allowed to wear a plain white long-sleeved tee underneath our scrub tops. Yay!
Unfortunately, I only own one white tee. Boo.
Soo, I logged onto Lands' End to take advantage of a sale, and I found several marked-down tees that would fit the bill.
I added them to my cart and then remembered to go to TopCashback to get 4% back on my purchase.
My cart total was only $5 away from free shipping (which otherwise would have cost $9).
That was a no-brainer, so I added a 3-pack of clearance socks to my cart.
Then I made sure to select the slow, free shipping at checkout. My stuff won't get here for a bit, but that's fine. I will patiently wait in order to save $9.
In the meantime, I will just strategically plan my laundry to wash my one tee. 😉
2. I used Upside to get gas for $2.99/gallon
I was going to fill up at Royal Farms, which is my usual spot, but then I noticed that my Upside app had an offer that made the Shell gas $2.99/gallon, which was even cheaper than Royal Farms.
SWEET.
My gas tank was pretty low, so I got to take full advantage of this sub-$3 price.
In case you've never heard of it: Get Upside is a gas savings app that gives you cash back on gas purchases. As with many apps, it gives you super awesome deals at first, and then the deal quality goes down a bit.
But sometimes they send good offers, even for older customers like me!
Which is how I got my $2.99/gallon price.
I have an invite code that will give you an extra $0.15/gallon discount when you sign up (and I will also get a $0.15/gallon discount). Just use code 97N2J when you make your account.
Or if you click this link to download the app, the code should already be embedded.
3. I ordered a backup pair of walking shoes
I recently told you guys about the Altras I've been wearing for walking. Well, I paid something like $140 for my first pair, from a local running shop, and when I looked up the link for you guys recently, I noticed that they were on sale on the Altra site for $112.
As I thought about that, I wondered if maybe they are going to discontinue this shoe!
So, I decided to order a backup pair. $112 is a much better price than what I paid initially, and this way I'm guaranteed to have another pair of the shoes I like.
And since I'm still managing to walk about 100 miles each month, even in nursing school, I know my current Altras are not going to last me forever.
4. I got a rotisserie chicken for $3
I was at school from 8:00-5:30 yesterday, and I knew I wasn't going to feel like cooking after that. So, when I made a menu, I planned to get a rotisserie chicken.
Before I went into Safeway, I opened my app to do a quick scan of the deals and I found a $5/$5 purchase coupon in my account.
SWEET.
So, my chicken only cost me $3.
We ate it for dinner last night with sweet potato fries, and tonight I will make a small batch of chicken and biscuits with the leftover meat.
Annnnnd of course I will use the bones to make some of this chicken broth.
5. The usuals
I...
- made coffee at home
- made a batch of this granola
- packed my lunches
- I used up odds and ends for breakfasts and lunches
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
P.S. If you open a new account with TopCashback through this link (or the one earlier in the post), you should get a little sign-up bonus, and so will I!
I have a hard time finding shoes I like and will buy a back up as soon as I can. And it helps because when I need them I usually don’t have time to go buy any.
Frugal. I used a $5 off kohl’s coupon to get a free towel. I sometimes let these coupons expire because I really don’t need anything. I got my current towels years ago, one at a time and could use a few replacements now.
Passive frugal. I didn’t go grocery shopping for a couple weeks, just made meals with what I had. The store did have a few good sales in their ads but in picking up the sales I almost always remember other things I need.
Frugal fail. I bought fresh wings a couple months ago and used a ATK recipe which turned out well. The store had frozen wings at a third of the price so I bought 3. These were huge and terrible. Cut badly and still had feathers on a few. I ended up cleaning them up and cooking them in the crockpot. My dog enjoyed them all week. I decided I’ll just spend the money for fresh when I want more.
@cc, ''Passive frugality." Love this concept. It appeals to the sloth in me. I'm gonna think about a whole lot of stuff not to do....
@JDinNM, I think I’m really cut out for this concept.
@SandyH, This frugality thing may be easier than I thought!
@JDinNM, huh, now I feel almost positive about what I used to berate my sloth-self about! go us, passively frugal for the win!
Kristen, if you have a Michael’s near you, they often have their plain shirts on sale 3/$10. I recognize they won’t be the same quality as your LandsEnd shirts, but they might help in a pinch. My husband’s size keeps going up because of a kidney condition (that’s not a belly, that’s his kidneys pushing everything else forward), so the cheapness of Michael’s shirts is a relief when he has to move up a size again.
—Since we moved here, my husband and I have a Saturday tradition of morning fancy coffee at a locally owned coffee shop. They occasionally hold prize drawings, and I won a “mug muffin” mix and a free drink. Since we don’t have a microwave (counter space is more important), I made the mix on the stovetop like a pancake, split in half and served with ricotta for our breakfast. We used the free drink on our most recent Saturday date.
—I polished my beloved ride’s headlights, taillights, hubcaps, and chrome with Bar Keeper’s Friend. I also spruced up the upholstery with cleaning wipes, which we buy in bulk for the kitchen.
—I glued a ceramic measuring spoon back together after a small part of the handle broke off.
—I used another bottle of free dye—Hunter Green this time—to refresh multiple pillow cases and shirts. Yes, some tie dye was involved. 😛
--I used the $30 Chewy gift card I earned from their last promotion to restock some of our boys' wet food and get a Feliway diffuser refill. Chewy recently dropped the free shipping threshold to $35--YAY!--so I was only out a little over $6.
@N, I’m going to dye some muslin that was give to me and make kitchen curtains. The ones I have are worn and I’ve been looking casually to buy some. I usually make them but didn’t have enough of any fabric I liked. Then I thought of the powdered blue dye from a kit I have. It should work well. I’ve already cut the lengths I need just have to get them dyed. New curtains and no money out of pocket.
@cc, Your curtains sound lovely!
I had some Old Navy cash ready to expire and am getting to the point that I don't love the fit of much of their clothing on me, and the kids prefer other brands.. So I bought 2 bathrobes to go towards the Christmas shopping.. need to find a deal on the 3rd...
made a small batch of french toast bake using a pile of buns I found going stale on the counter. I added sauted apples to the dish since they were needing used up.
Found a few deals on Flash Foods and placed and order and then texted the kid who was working at the store to bring home!
Cooked supper for the husband and I when I really wanted to be lazy and go out.. but it was cold and rainy and I did not want to go out either...
grabbed a 4 piece package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs on markdown at Sams.. I don't love thighs but the price was great... defrosted 2 for supper but realized they were still too icy to be ready to grill.. pivoted from my meal plan and poached them in broth I defrosted, while I chopped carrots and defrosted frozen peas.. mixed up homemade garlic cheddar biscuits and served the chicken and gravy with them. not a speck leftover!
100 miles a month! That's awesome! Go you!
1. I'm not sure how much I saved, but last Friday I had some lipomas removed from my arm. My doctor had given me the option to either be anesthetized or just have numbing shots in the arm. I decided to stay awake and just have the numbing shots, so I wouldn't have to pay for an anesthiologist/anethesia. I'm sure it saved quite a bit. And I wasn't groggy after the procedure.
2. I've been using a kitchen chair as an office chair for the desk in our spare bedroom for the last year, hoping I would find a cheap or free office chair. Last week we passed a sign that said "Free garage sale" and they had a very nice office chair. It just has a little rubbing on the arms. Now I have been able to move my kitchen chair back to the kitchen.
3. Using note cards my friend found from a Buy Nothing group for letters and notes to friends.
4. Used up 2 small, getting wrinkled tomatoes by roasting them and then cutting them small to put into a quiche.
5. Made a Swiffer-type dry mopping cloth from a baby burp cloth I found at the same free garage sale where I got the office chair. I don't like buying Swiffer cloths because I don't like spending $ on things that are just thrown away.
I have two new pairs of New Balance "running" shoes in my closet since I found a style that I like and this color was about 50% off.
1. I had an unopened jar of red cabbage and apples that had been sitting around for a while. When I opened it I found I liked it less than I remembered so I used it up by burying/combining it with other foods (like a quinoa bowl with avocado, tomato, and chicken). It is gone and I didn't throw any away.
2. I had my annual eye doctor appointment. When DH went to the eye doctor in June they charged him $5 more than what the insurance EOB reflected. I took his receipt and the EOB with me and they refunded the $5.
3. Aldi had a few produce items on sale so I walked there and bought them. It is not the most pleasant walk as it is on a busy street but it was fine and I didn't want to drive there to pick up just a few items. I also found two pennies in the course of the walk.
4. I switched to flannel sheets and added an additional blanket when I changed the bed. Next time I will add the electric mattress pad as well. The days are cool and the furnace is running. It should be good for the oil bill and the environment
to let the house cool a few degrees overnight.
5. DH likes having Sirius XM in his vehicle. Every year they want to charge a high annual fee and every year I call to ask for a better rate. I was able to get the price down to a reasonable rate with a few minute phone call.
@K D, We switched our bedding, too! Went from our cool summer sheets to our winter sheets and added a blanket. Our room is just one big (somewhat awkward) room that takes up the whole upstairs and with the bedding change and keeping the door open, we've been able to avoid turning on the upstairs heat so far.
@K D, what did you say to get them to lower your bill?
@K D, my husband has Sirius as well and has always been able to negotiate a good rate.
I had a big frugal fail this week, dropping my phone (okay, throwing it in a probably menopausal emotional upheaval) on a tile floor. We were planning to get new phones for Christmas, but guess who had to get hers early? The only good news was my new one was a bit on sale, I suppose.
Cooking at home, coffee at home, library books, the usual. Cutting up strawberries for the freezer before they go totally darkside. Chopping celery sticks nobody wanted to eat for the freezer to use for soup.
Oh, we did find a cat shelter to volunteer at that is right here in town--I had been under the impression that they also had dogs there, which would be a no-go for us, as my youngest (and I) have a very healthy fear of dogs. But I talked to the people who run it and apparently they no longer do have dogs there, so we took a tour and signed up to help out there once a week. It will mean no long drives down to the big city (saving gas galore), and my kids get to spend time with cats, which they love, and we help out a bit.
*My husband bought me a pretty blue/green pumpkin/squash. It sat in the middle of my table for a week or so looking pretty. An observant son noticed that the stem was looking as though maybe tiny dots of mold were beginning to grow. So we baked the thing before it was too late. It had a lot of flesh. We used some yesterday for pumpkin bread, and the rest will be frozen today.
*I made buttermilk.
*We hit up the local thrift store to buy clothes for my growing daughter. It was bag sale week, so we found 2 pairs of jeans and some dresses for $5.
*We used the library. One son needs to eliminate most dairy for a few months, so I ordered some dairy-free cookbooks to check out.
*I made my own coffee.
My son's foot surgery was Friday--the surgery was much better than he expected, the recovery not so much 🙁 --so let's see if we can get some surgical frugal things . . .
--The biggest one, of course, is that everything for this surgery was covered by his insurance. Not just the procedure, but the prescriptions and crutches too. Alleluia.
--He had to have general anesthesia, which meant no food or liquids before the surgery. This meant that he was SOOOO hungry when the anesthesia wore off. I got him a double bacon cheeseburger at Sonic before we left the city, and THEN a foot-long sandwich at Subway on our way through a village before we got home (teenage boys really are quite remarkable), but I had brought some food for myself, so I didn't get anything.
--He's been using some ice packs we already had to ice the back of his knee--which apparently has a nerve that travels to the foot, so icing the knee helps with pain in the foot. Good to know.
--Thankfully, his pain pills aren't making his nauseated, so I've been making an effort to make some of his favorite foods, but I didn't buy him anything particular. The junky snacks were taken care of by his friends, who sent him bags of Snickers, cans of Pringles, etc. Except for the wretched pain, this kid is living the high life eating junk in bed. 🙂 I don't actually mind, because he's really too thin, so this is a chance to get some weight onto him when he's stuck in bed but can still eat.
And a non-surgical but nonetheless exciting one . . .
--I went to a baby shower recently and had some trouble finding anything appropriate to wear. However, I had bought some things a couple of months ago on an online consignment site that were too small, but not worth the bother of returning. They were in my donate pile, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. Good thing, because I've been reducing lately, and it turns out they fit now. So I had a new outfit that I did pay for, but I had thought was a financial loss. Now I can go through the rest of the clothes in that pile and maybe get some more "new" things. Whee!
@kristin @ going country, Praying his recovery goes quickly--foot surgery is no joke!
Yay for a successful surgery! I hope he's feeling like himself again soon.
@kristin @ going country,
I hope your son will feel better soon, and get back to his usual active self
@kristin @ going country, I'm much amused by the supply of junky treats your boy's friends are providing--and envious of the fact that he needs to gain weight anyway. Wish I could say the same. Anyway, best wishes to him and to you all for a speedy recovery.
@kristin @ going country, Wishing your son a speedy recovery and no further foot problems. I love your stories that clearly show how caring you and your DH are so he has every advantage in that regard. And those snacks-yum-nice friends!
$2.99 a gallon for gas??? Do you have to pay any taxes, etc on top of that?
We pay the equivalent of $1.83 a litre in the UK, so over $8 a gallon!! That's a crazy difference
I believe taxes are built into the listed price at all the stations here.
@Jen, and yet, when I learned to drive 25 years ago (yikes…I just did the math on that…when did I get old?!), I could fill my car’s tank for $20 because gas was $0.69 a litre!
1. I used $5 off coupons at both JoAnn Fabrics and CVS.
2. My daughter and I spent a few hours hanging out in the hospital lobby and cafeteria with my mom on Friday while my dad had surgery. We took snacks along so we didn't need to buy as much for lunch and I got a regular coffee with creamer for $2 rather than a fancy coffee drink for much more.
3. I made my final turkey from last Thanksgiving. We've been having turkey-related meals for days, but I also left the carcass in my giant roaster and made 2 gallons of turkey broth and froze it.
4. I gave my husband and son haircuts.
5. I reserved a mobile hotspot from my library. We're going to use it when we go out of town next weekend, but I get it for 2 weeks so I'm using it now to keep my data usage down.
Bonus #6: We had to have a big tree taken down and a couple of others trimmed, but rather than paying them to also do cleanup, we are doing it ourselves. We spent most of February- May cleaning up trees from an ice storm, took a break over the summer, and now we'll be back at it again for a while. I need the frugality motivation to stay fresh in my mind for this task! Bonus will be that my parents will get free firewood and we will get free mulch.
@Ruth T, I'm laughing at No. 3 as the turkey was used up just in time to start stockpiling this year's turkeys.
@Anne, Absolutely! 😉
@Anne, As a Canadian who just finished the last of this year's (cooked) Thanksgiving Turkey, I had to do a bit of mental gymnastics to realize what you figured out right away - that @Ruth T was talking about frozen turkeys purchased during American Thanksgiving LAST YEAR. DOH. We are just eating the last of the turkey soup made with broth made a few days after our Turkey dinner - (the broth was simmering for a few days, and was the BEST YET)...
I love Lands End shirts. I recently bought a few for family Christmas gifts… yes, I’m looking ahead. I’ve also made some other Christmas purchases from various merchants from whom I’ve received birthday discounts. October is my birthday month. Rather than buy for myself , I’ve found it helpful to use the discounts to buy Christmas gifts for family. As Christmas approaches, I thoroughly enjoy baking breads and cookies for gifts as well. Obviously , those gifts need to be made close to Christmas to be fresh.But the other gifts ( soaps, calendars, sweaters, etc) can be purchased ahead of time during sales and with discounts… we’re usually finished with the Christmas spending by October’s end. Then we spend very little during November/December. For us, it’s a good way to end each year financially.
I continue to make cards for birthdays and Christmas. The investment is in buying blank cards and sometimes replenishing art supplies but currently I’m pretty well- stocked.
I’m still practicing contentment in “shopping my closet” for special events.
I have some pretty dresses for dancing and weddings. I have some festive blouses , dressy pants and good shoes. Many of my garments are 15-20 years old. As long as they still fit comfortably and look fairly stylish, my clothes are serving me well. I’m not “saving” money by not buying new stuff but at least I’m not “spending “ on new stuff.
I have two pairs of dressy pants that are really too long for me. Through the past 15 years, I’ve lost one and a half inches in height. I think that’s due to aging?
But the pants still fit so I’ll be hemming them this week so I can start wearing them again.
And once again, I’ve been using up stuff from our freezer and our little kitchen pantry to keep from spending on food this week except for milk, almond milk , yogurt , bananas and cucumbers.
My husband’s dance shoes are wearing out ( after 5 years) so he ordered a pair from a different company that offered lower prices. But once the shoes arrived, my husband could tell the quality wasn’t good. So he returned the shoes. He’ll order from the original company and pay the higher cost to ensure the best quality for his dance shoes. The ones he’s been wearing have lasted a long time and have given his feet great support. It’s worth the investment.
@Martha O., I love, love, love that having good dance shoes is a priority!
@Martha O., I have always loved being very tall. While I have hated a number of aspects of aging, losing an inch and a half of height was the worst to get used to. I still have trouble saying that I am only 6 feet tall.
Yep! We do tend to get shorter as we age.
Defrosting a ham this week so we can have a ham dinner and then make lots of different soups and scalloped potatoes. There is a really simple recipe called Senate Bean Soup that we love. And it is making room in the stand alone freezer so I can defrost it (the down side of frugality is buying a defrostless freezer!)
Went to get our annual shots at Walgreens the other day and when you get your shot they give you a $10. coupon that gets put on your Walgreen's account when you make a $1.00 purchase. My husband and I each got 3 shots=$60. We've already put $30. on our account so when I need more Claritan-D, it won't cost as much. And the coupons don't expire until 10/31, so I will be going back to add the other 3 coupons on to my account.
Also received an email from Walgreens for 2 free 5x7 pictures. There photo processing is not the greatest at my store, but it means I don't have to go far for reprints that are free.
We've been eating everything at home lately, which means I am getting tired of cooking. But like I said, we want to clean out the freezer so it can be defrosted. And we want to save money and pay off our bills.
We have been moving wood into the woodshed. It gets dropped off where the truck won't get stuck and then we have to move it into the woodshed to keep it dry. Its that time of year when we keep warm moving the wood and then the house is warm with wood in the stove.
FFT, Pre-Surgery Activities Edition:
As I've mentioned earlier, I’ve got cataract surgeries coming up on Oct. 25 and Nov. 8, and I may not be able to drive for a while after each one (especially as I may have complications from a pre-existing condition affecting my corneas). So I’ve been out there rocking the thrifting and other activities for a few days.
(1) I went to one of our two local Goodwills on Saturday (both of these are inconveniently far from me, so I don’t get to them that often). I was delighted to find a number of housewares bundled together at really low prices: two Corning Ware dishes in a pretty pattern and exactly the sizes I needed (I’ve broken a couple lately); four votive candle holders; five Ball and Kerr quart canning jars; and four ice cube trays (for freezing small amounts of tomato paste/sauce, etc.)–for a total of $12. Yowza!
(2) On Sunday, I loaded the Element with a few Corning Ware dishes I wasn’t nuts about and/or rarely use, various baskets I’ve been accumulating, and several odds and ends, and sold these for $75 to the young owner of the secondhand-housewares shop out in the ‘burbs with whom I’ve been doing some business since June. As noted earlier, she and I have similar tastes in junque, and she seemed delighted with my finds. I also took some notes on what she’ll be looking for next spring (she plans to keep the shop, which is in an unheated barn, open through Christmas and to reopen it near Easter).
(3) Before the run to the shop, I took a bird walk around the pond at a local park with two friends from the days of DH’s cognitive care programs. One of them, who is a regular “customer” for my refrigerator dill pickles, brought me not only her own two empty quart jars from the pickles, but three other Ball canning jars in various sizes. So I’m doing fine for canning jars. (I use the smaller ones for drinking glasses, and all sizes for various purposes.)
(4) This morning, I went to Ollie’s with a “15% off your whole purchase” coupon and stocked up on various things–mainly peanuts and birdseed for my bird feeders, plus other things I buy in quantity at Ollie’s when I have the extra inducement.
(5) Finally, I’ve begun clearing spent zinnias and other plants out of my garden beds, even though we haven’t yet had a killing frost. Since I’m supposed to be taking it easy after the surgeries (no lifting heavy weights, doing much bending over, etc.), I figured I’d get a head start on this.
@A. Marie, Good luck on your surgery. It is definitely wiser not to drive for some time. It isn't just the eyes that need to adjust - the brain also needs to rest and rewire.
@A. Marie, Wishing you an easy recovery from your surgery. I was thrilled with my results and hope the same for you.
@A. Marie,
I hope your recovery is as fast and easy as DH's was!
I am slightly jealous of your upcoming surgery! I kind of look forward to the day when my cataracts get bad enough to qualify me for surgery because then for the first time since I was in first grade, I will be able to see pretty well!
I hope yours goes very smoothly.
@Kristen and @A. Marie, This was exactly my outcome: no more wearing glasses nor contacts—a first since first grade. And colors are soo much brighter. Win-win all around.
Things are finally starting to get back to "normal" or whatever is normal around here these days. So that equates to going back to frugal habits that had to be put aside while we just kinda survived.
So this is my list:
1.) Bought a nice shirt at Goodwill for all of $2. I can use more button down shirts since I am in the office more and more these days.
2.) Replaced my phone with one on sale during Amazon's big sale. I had been eyeing it for a while and my old phone had some issues which weren't worth repairing.
3.) Eating leftovers from food people gave us as well as food that's been in the freezer.
4.) A screw came out of the hinge in the door jam causing the whole hing to wobble and not close. Gluing a dowel into the hole to drill a new hole for the hinge fixed it. Cost to repair was zero.
5.) Looking at possibly putting some cash back into a CD. It had matured already but we were looking to move house (though the whole loss kinda changed our plans or at least modified them) so it's just figuring on if we need to keep it liquid vs other investments. CDs are a nice short term zero risk option.
@Battra92, best wishes to you, your wife, and your daughter as you make your way back into "normal." (One of my favorite lines from the books I've edited over the years: "Normal is just the second button from the left on the washing machine.")
@Battra92, Sending good thoughts as you make your decisions!
I finally realized that the advertising campaigns for CDs were what made me so nervous. In all caps: Substantial Interest Penalty For Early Withdrawal, You Thoughtless, Careless Person!
Well, if the money would have been making almost no interest when in regular savings, risking that I might not make much or all the interest in a CD might be a risk I could take. The original amount invested is not affected.
@A. Marie, My ex once said, "If the dryer has a setting for 'Less Dry,' doesn't it mean the clothes will come out wetter?"
@Rose, you're asking the real questions now!
@Heidi Louise, yeah I mean the best I could hope for is 0.8% or so from the savings account so losing some of the 5% for an early withdrawal is not that catastrophic.
Hmm...let's see if I can find some frugal activities here lately...
*I bought a breakfast sando on the way to work Saturday and filled out the survey on the receipt so the boys could do a bogo burger for lunch one day this week.
*ordered myself an early birthday present: I have always wanted a skinny Christmas tree, so I searched until I found the perfect one, which was reasonably priced, then got an extra 10% off at checkout and free shipping.
*I sent a very firm but polite letter to the first nursing facility we had taken mom to (long story) and received a 100% refund, saving her $1500. I'm a great believer in a professional letter stating the facts!
*Took lunch to work all weekend, using up three containers of frozen leftovers
*batching my errands this morning to save time and gas, paying bills online to save postage, perking coffee at home, ordering two inexpensive frame mats from Etsy instead of the pricey ones at Michael's - slow delivery is ok with me, too!
Side note: I used to love Land's End, then their quality starting slipping. But for basics, they're still a good bet. So is Hanes, and is a bit less expensive.
1. Turned some leftover polyfill stuffing, an old king-size pillowcase and some cotton yarn into a tufted sleeping mat for our youngest dog, who likes to wedge herself between my chair and the sofa for naps.
2. Saved $3 on groceries with store coupons. Every little bit helps.
3. Vacuumed out my car and wiped down the interior at home while my son checked the tire pressures and aired up the tires for me.
4. Cut open a pump bottle of eczema lotion that had stopped pumping and used a spatula to decant enough lotion to almost half fill a Bonne Maman jar.
5. A brand new bottle of olive oil had a cap that could not be unscrewed. I pried it off with a screwdriver and transferred the oil to a glass bottle from our stash of reuseable glass containers.
1. As a vegetarian, I used to ask the servers at restaurants to omit meat from a dish. Since my dog isn’t vegetarian and I was still paying the same price for the dish anyway, I now ask them to put the meat on the side and then I transfer it to my own to-go container. My dog is delighted! And so is my niece... my husband and I both ordered salads with chicken and bacon on the side and all of that (two cups' worth!) went to her.
2. Received $5 off our next print order at FedEx Office after submitting a $30+ order for my husband’s small business.
3. Had three Buy Nothing pick-ups on the same day, all within a three-block radius.
4. I have so many books that I want to read, so I’m making a concerted effort to find audiobooks at the library that I can play in my car so that I can increase my amount of reading.
5. After donating blood platelets, I snacked on a complimentary, nothing-artificial Cooper Street Granola Bake bar. So delicious… I may have had two.
The granola recipe is so good, we also shared it with our eldest's sporty friends!
I mended, again, worn out knitted socks for my 90+ year old MIl. And I started knitting a new pair for her, although we will not throw out the now repaired, last pair she knitted for herself.
We cooked from scratch, powered our washing machine with solar ower, only put on the heating in the morning before the sun started shining on the windows, brought out our cardigans and winter coats, had our laptop repaired, not replaced, redeemed company gift vouchers for practical gifts, not "stuff". I streamed a movie for which I still had credits (Triangle of sadness - recommend), and read a library book, have not watched TV since summer and I am almost as happy about that as I am about getting rid of social media altogether. Will keep reading this blog though!
@JNL, Your MIL sounds like my grandma, who lived to be 99. She kept towels until they were ragged; clothes until they were so badly falling apart a scarecrow wouldn't wear them; and anything else that was worn out. This, despite the fact we always bought her nice new towels, clothes, shoes, underwear, nightgowns, etc. I think this had something to do with g0ing through the Great Depression bc a lot of people Grandma's age did this. She'd say she was saving the new stuff for "good." Mom would get red in the face and say, "we're going to bury you in it!" [the new clothing]. Finally, when Grandma got to where she couldn't do her own laundry any more, Mom would take her laundry and one by one, over a long period of time, the raggedly items "disappeared."
1. Shopped the end-0f-season sales to try to find replacement cushions for my patio chairs. A few had gotten torn up and were no longer usable. Sadly, the local stores sold out. Went on the Walmart website and found some that were $8.30 each, marked down from $19.88. Ordered enough to qualify for free shipping. I'm saving $11.58 per cushion! 2. As per your earlier post, I bought the cheapest pattern of cushion they had. And I only bought enough to replace the torn ones, not enough for the entire set. The new cushions are a "blue sand dollar" pattern that doesn't match my other white and gray cushions but still looks nice with them. There's a little bit of gray and off-white in both patterns. (Yes, it's autumn, but we're in the South, and the weather is going to go back up to the 80s and 90s this week. So I will still get some use out of them before storing them away for winter.)
3. The above-mentioned patio set was purchased used from Salvation Army, back when I bought my house. I hadn't closed on the house yet, but I snatched up the set and just stored it in Mom's mini-van until closing day. Didn't want to take a chance on it being sold to someone else. It's like a $400 set which I bought for about $80 or $90, IIRC. It has 6 chairs and a glass-top table. Three cheers for thrift stores!
4. Due to "too much month at the end of my money," I won't be able to replace my built-in oven, which is of a size no longer standard, or the built-in glass top range on the counter. (My ex-roommate banged a cast iron skillet on the latter and she cracked it really bad. True to form, she didn't pay for her damages. Just glad she's gone!) So I bought a 2 burner hot plate from Walmart and a countertop oven from Goodwill. I already have a George Foreman grill, which I'll also use. Most of my cooking is microwaving, and I can get by with the small appliances for a while.
5. My friend and I surveyed the flooring and one bedroom's carpeting still looks good. So I will keep that room's carpeting. I decided to just replace the flooring in the rooms the ex-roommate lived in; those carpets are beyond being able to be cleaned or repaired.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm really stunned at the damage this roommate left behind, each week we hear of something new and awful she did. Did you know her before she moved in? I hope you are able to go forward without needing a new roommate.
@Anne, I knew this girl very well from 2nd grade onward. We were BFFs in school. She was always nice, funny and very, very easy to get along with. Her parents were well-respected schoolteachers and they were a good Christian family and good citizens involved with charity work, the whole bit. I was often in their house -- everything in there was as neat as a pin and she and her family were as nice and normal as could be. I still don't know what happened to make her change so drastically. Right after college, she got married and moved away and we lost touch for many years. The year before she moved in, we had befriended each other on Facebook and I thought I knew what all she was up to. (Mostly lies, I now realize.) I saw her at her mom's funeral; by then, she was in bad health and down on her luck. Her appearance was shocking: She'd divorced, had some chronic illnesses, was morbidly obese, and unemployed (due to her bad health, she said. I'm not so sure now.) I said "Look, I have a large house, so why don't you rent the spare bedroom until you can get situated?" I thought she'd just moved back to town from out of state; later found out she'd been in our hometown 3 or 4 years already and had been evicted from at least 2 apartment complexes. But at that time, I had no clue. Since I'd known her since the fall of 1962, and been close friends (as close as sisters), I thought she was a safe bet, so I didn't check her credit or ask for references, etc. Boy, was that a HUGE mistake! She acted like her old jolly self -- until she moved in. Then the angry rages started. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde! She got mad at me bc I would not permit marijuana in my home (it is illegal in this state); I was not happy she was bringing in lots and lots of alcohol. (When she moved I found several hiding places for her booze bottles that I didn't know about). I soon found out that she lied about a whole bunch of things, and that no bank would allow her to open an account bc her credit was so bad. To hear her tell it, everything was always someone else's fault, never hers, and she never took responsibility for the many poor choices she'd made. No one in her family wanted anything else to do with her and she had no real friends (other than out-of-town people she was Facebooking with, showing them photos of her when she was a normal weight, etc. Not sure but she might've been catfishing them.) Then the pandemic/quarantine rule of "you can't evict anyone due to Covid" was put into place and I was stuck. Every time I was about to evict her, she'd pay a month's rent and we'd have to start the clock all over again....she knew how to play the game, all right! Finally had to get a lawyer involved. Last I heard she is in a nursing home and they have guardianship of her; very sad. I told her don't contact me ever again, and I'm sad I've lost a friend. But I've learned my lesson, and I will NEVER get another roommate again!
@Fru-gal Lisa, when you said how dramatically she'd changed, I immediately thought substance abuse.
And sorry about the eviction moratorium nonsense from Covid. I got caught in it too.
@Fru-gal Lisa, just "wow". Kind of reminds me of something I occasionally say to myself when a kind offering goes bad. "No good deed goes unpunished." I know that isn't always true, but sometimes it is.
Two of my frugal wins are mostly or completely due to my neighbor!
1. My neighbor had three huge pines, all leaning toward my house and power line, that the loggers who cleared his broken pines were afraid to take down due to their proximity to the power lines. My neighbor told me he hired a person, who specializes in dropping trees in tight places, to remove those three trees. I asked my neighbor if he would ask the man about removing a huge broken pine in my back yard that risked falling on my fence, my shed, or my fruit trees and was very close to a power line. I came home to a removed tree, and since the man already had to be out there for my neighbor, he only charged me $250 for my tree removal.
2. I'd had an offer of $65 to $100 from a yard crew to grind the shattered stump of a fallen tree in my yard. My neighbor (same neighbor) used his backhoe to pull it out of the ground and smoothed the dirt back in, for free, without my asking him to do that. He just showed up in my yard this weekend and said he was going to get that stump out. Do I owe my neighbors a lot? Yes I do!
3. Trader Joe's was out of my facial sunscreen, but I had cut off the end of my old tube and had enough to last me until they had the sunscreen back in, a little over a week later.
4. I made roselle hibiscus jelly and syrup this weekend from my roselle plants. I used Pomona's Pectin, which uses less sugar.
5. We had a breezy, sunny, dry weekend, so I hung all the laundry out, even the rug and dog beds, and it all dried. I used a rubber brush to remove the dog hair before washing the dog beds, rather than using the dryer as a hair removal device.
I like to participate in these discussions, so let's see if I can come up with FFT....
1. I've been trying to remember to use coupons or codes when buying items. Just recently I used $8 in AMAZON rewards I cashed out from Receipt Hog & the Fetch apps. I used towards the purchase of a Christmas gift.
2. Hubby brought home 2 vouchers for hockey tickets for our local team. We enjoy hockey games, so these will get used.
3. A co-worker gifted me 4 individual containers of grape juice which I happily accepted.
4. Another co-worker gifted me 3 homegrown tomatoes and I received a free watermelon from the food bank which operates out of the building I work in. Free food is always welcome in our house!
5. I made a huge pot of soup last week which we ate for dinner and 2 lunches. I froze the last bit which made two ready-to-eat lunches for the future. Trying to minimize food waste.
6. Daughter brought home 3 pumpkins (to carve for Halloween) from a Halloween themed camping trip this past weekend.
I am not feeling very frugal lately. I almost want to do an anti-frugal post. But I'll try to find 5.
1. I bought a new sheet pan (the USA pan recommended by Kristen) when Prime days put it on sale for 63% off. I used gift cards to buy it and asked for slow shipping, getting a promo credit for Amazon Prime stuff.
2. I put tempting things on my wish list instead of buying them.
3. I brought my lunch to work (and actually ATE IT), even when I didn't feel like eating PB&J.
4. I did a menu plan to help me eat up some misc freezer stuff. So far, I'm sticking to it.
5. I have mostly not gone into stores. I notice that when I do - I spend money! I am just not one of those people who are able to look around and not buy. It actually makes me a bit twitchy to wander around various shops with nothing specific in mind (like a girls afternoon looking at a cute downtown).
My frugal things---
● Since I had to unexpectedly get new tires & applied for (their) credit card & got 5% off tires (with warranty) & 0% intrest 9 months which is monthly payments for payoff
● Tire place told me need front end work & took to local mechanic who just called & said front end is solid (yeah!) but need alignment ($50) & brakes in near future (which was told already). So having brakes done while already apart (1 year warranty parts/labor),. They are also changing my spark plugs & wires (have parts charge labor).
● Cement caulked in basement walls/cracks/holes (only got partially done before next rain) & happy to say that no water in that area. Working my way around basement filling in where needed. (Michigan basement 120+ years old) So far being able to do myself & not pay contractor.
● Also plugging/covering large holes/old duct work partially removed by taking tin pie pans (thank you Sam's club large pumpkin pie) & inverting into hole & covering (thoroughly) with duct tape (yes dad, duck tape does it all 🙂 ). When had home energy analysis was told that would help (in more than one way) in addition to keeping cold air out & heat in, no access for mice to get in. Waiting for delivery from Sam's club for more duct tape to finish. Luckily made sticky note lists (for each area) from (FREE) home energy analysis & trying to get items done myself off list(s).
● Used my Tmobile (Tuesday) rewards & got 10 free photo prints from CVS (have to pick up). Still contemplating if going to redeem 1 year Calm (app) $10 (renews 1 year $70 if don'tcancel beforehand). I'm not one that has used apps for mental health, instead I go outside/walk/talk/go to gun range. But this has various tools within app, including meditation (never been able to calm my mind ling enough). Have 1 more week to decide.
● since not driving until got vehicle into repair shop, no shopping (except duct tape order) So eating from home everyday. Going to get out hot chocolate/apple cider (mixes) & set up station on counter (not coffee drinkers).
☆ I know many of you shop at various pharmacies & thought I would share that I heard that Rite Aid filed bankruptcy (yesterday) & will be closing & selling stores (no information which ones yet).
☆ Panera bread is offering 2 months FREE SIP CLUB ---- don't know why ad keeps popping up for me as I don't Google/cluck on Panera bread as not one near me.
☆ If anyone bought/professionally done insulation/windows 2023 PLEASE KEEP RECEIPTS for taxes. Any kind of insulation, including spray foam cans. New rules stays that EACH YEAR can deduct (up to) 30% up to $_____. The same for Wood burning heating systems (including parts & installation).
Not much frugal going on here, although I too ordered new white T shirts with 3/4 sleeves (my preference) on sale from Lands End. And some yoga pants because my pants are falling off. I need to haul out my sewing machine and take some clothes in.
Not frugal: I put a deposit on a beagle puppy litter due in 8 weeks. Well, one puppy, not the entire litter!
Semi frugal? Zhuzhing up the cottage with nice pictures, lamps, tchochkes for higher rent. I bought the renters' furniture, but it's pretty bare as is. I have vintage shutters with anchors on them, a vintage ship in a bottle, an old wallpapering table to use as a console, a couple beat up ship's captain trunks, an old copper ship's lantern, channel marker buoy lamps (these are special), an old Oriental rug, and a lot of old prints/maps of the area I have to arrange. Then I need to dig out some of my favorite cushions from the basement, arrange a few vases with dried hydrangea from the garden, and add some candles. I also want the paint the exceedingly cheap and awful TV stand and the hall seat with hooks.
Wow - In Southern California, I've been seeing prices at double of what you paid for gas - way to go!
1. Bought a whole bunch of candy for my daughter's trunk or treat event at school. She's in 5th grade so it feels kind of like it's our last year for this kind of stuff. There was a sign saying it was 30% percent off but when I checked the receipt while putting the groceries away in the trunk, I noticed there was no discount. So I took the receipt and the candy back and got $10 refunded. I've been having a lot of issues with discounts posted at the store but then not showing up during checkout so I'm being more diligent about checking my receipt. A few cents here and there are no big deal but $10 still feels worth the effort.
2. Submitted a claim to my dependent care saving account since it's pre-tax.
3. Went out to dinner and saved half of the meal for later. It was my dinner the next night. I could have kept eating when we were at the restaurant but I've been trying to stop at 80% full -Japanese style hara hachi bu 🙂
4. Continued to pack my daughter's lunch. My husband keeps telling me to order from school for the convenience but she only wants buttered noodles and pizza. She gets a slice of Papa John's pizza for something like $5. I'd rather pack her left over Domino's (which she LOOOOVES) and some fresh fruits and veggies on the side for way less. And for whatever reason, packing her lunch has been going smoothly this year and is no longer a source of stress. Progress!
5. We wanted to bake some cookies so I shifted around the menu to include broiling some salmon since the oven would be on. Saved time and money. And the cookies and salmon were way tastier than if we had bought them.
.
@CrunchyCake, daughter in 5th grade should be capable of packing her own lunch OR helping/learning pre-packing (in fridge) night before. We were always lunch packers (school & work) so had habit of putting leftovers into lunch/to go containers. I did still supervise /ask what has because otherwise would just take what liked, No fruit/veggies.
WOW! $5 slice pizza, hopefully comes with some side fruit/veggie for that price.
@Regina, if she's at a difficult stage when it comes to food (seems like it hits a lot of kids), maybe choosing to pack lunch for her is the better option right now. She's happy, she's hopefully eating the fruit and veggies, let it go for now.
@Rose and @Regina, She's definitely capable of helping and she actually likes the idea of picking a few of the items but if I left it up to her, she'd pack potato chips and a granola bar and would be hungry. And we'd be battling over whether or not there was any protein or fruits or veggies. So for now, it's just been easier for me to handle it but I do think we can start tag-teaming it soon. Nope, the $5 is just a slice of pizza. They charge extra for sides and of course, none of the fruit/veggie options are ones she'd eat so they'd be a waste. The fizzy water or cookie, though? She's on board but I'm not for what they charge!
Wow, I haven't seen gas go below $3/gallon here for over a year, I don't think! We're still currently around $4.19 here in rural Utah, but I'll sometimes be able to take advantage of better gas prices when I go to a bigger city. My cheapest gas win lately was $3.59, and even that I was pretty stoked for! Crazy how used to high gas prices that I've finally had to get. I remember when they first went above $4/gallon around twelve years ago that everyone drastically changed their habits, and the prices went down pretty soon thereafter. This time around, it seems like they're here to stay 🙁
But I digress!
Fall has definitely arrived for us in the form of our first hard frost this last week, which meant we were out in the nippy night air trying to harvest in everything while we still could.
Here are my own frugal wins:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/10/17/weekly-frugal-wins-all-the-fall-vibes/
My hubby got a promotion and needed dress shirts and shoes for his new gig. We found dress shirts at our local Goodwill and new shoes were purchased on deep discount and with an additional 25% off at DSW. Total spent for 5 new shirts and two brand new pair of shoes was $108.
We went camping last weekend and took food from home to cook meals aside from what was covered by our Cub Scout Troop. Lots of fun was had by all.
I turned off our HVAC now that fall weather is here and I am looking forward to the savings.
I filed a claim with our carpet manufacturer to have our carpet replaced. We paid a premium for a product that was supposed to wash and weather use well but it is covered with spots that we cannot remove after one year. Hopefully they will cover a faulty product.
I cooked meals at home, made coffee at home, and cut the last bunch of flowers from our yard to enjoy inside.
Have you thought about how your cooking/ frugality will change after you become a nurse? Your comment about not wanting to cook after being in class from 8:00 to 5:30 made me think of it. I understand not wanting to come home and cook after that, but when you're working as a nurse won't shifts at least that long be common?
Took a nice day hike and picked Chanterelle mushrooms. Sold 10 lbs to my friend's restaurant for $80.
Cut up a tree that fell across the county road. The road crew showed up as I was chunking it up to get it out of the way and they loaded it up in their truck and dumped it in the field for me to safely work on (out of the road).
Picked up more acorn tops, sold the first batch of 500 on etsy.
Purchased $70.00 for 5 gal of S/W lifetime white paint for the fences on the farm. Savings of $300.
Demolished neighbor’s cedar fence, removed nails/screws while visiting around the fire pit and now have year’s supply of kindling.
Found a $10 bill on the road while walking to a friend’s house. Put it in my garage sale fund.
Took a pile of patterns and hobby magazines to the senior center.
I signed up to teach 2 classes in upcycling denim and found objects.
Bought on clearance 20 lbs of cat food, equivalent to “sweet cereal in human world” I mix the very expensive w/that and a super nutritious blend for the fall/winter to cut down on cat litter use. Yes, I live on a farm, but we have cougar, bobcats, coyotes & eagles that live here too, so the cats come to the house when they don’t feel safe.
I scored free tickets for my alma mater football game last weekend. So much fun!
Still doing new-house things, still not a lot of frugality.
I'm not going out to eat much any more. I'm still not cooking much - it's taken 3 visits but the appliance repair guy finally found the gas leak in the stove - but even expensive groceries are (usually) cheaper than going out. My roommate's been rather ill for 6+ weeks so he's not eating much at all.
Big pumpkins were on sale for 2/$7; I bought 8 for decorating the walk.
A friend and I spent the afternoon at the free Art Festival. The art was really beautiful, truly quality work. I did not buy a $13,000 glass artwork on a crafted stand but I sure wish I could have. I bought several festive hand-made shirts, pleased to be paying an artist what her handwork deserved.
I negotiated a discount - over the phone and in French! - for a painting, 40x40 by a Francophone Quebecois artist who does Chinese-influenced art. By waiting several weeks to see if I really wanted it, I ensured that this is a truly wanted purchase and not an impulse. Discount notwithstanding it wasn't a small amount (at least not for me) so I'm glad I took the time to think.
I got several pieces of art framed/reframed.
1- The fancy ones went to the fancy framer, who gave me a discount because I'm a good customer and asked nicely. It was the first time I'd asked for a discount.
2- The rest went to Framebridge, which is trying an almost Aldi-like business model: relatively limited frame options (still about 100 to choose from) and doesn't do much fancy work, but what they do do is relatively inexpensive.
3- The one piece that was too big for Framebridge I took to Michaels. It needed only a frame, not the glass, so it was about $120 instead of $560. I had no idea that most of the cost of framing is the glass. Good thing I looked the receipt over carefully because he'd rung it up with the glass.
@WilliamB, and one thing that's not going to be frugal no matter what: the fancy, 48" stove in my new house needs a very expensive fix. I could get an entire 30"/36" stove for what the repair will cost. I expect I'll have a new stove in a couple of months. :-<<<
@WilliamB, I gather your current stove is Gas. If you are being forced to buy a new stove due to un-safeness (is that a word) I would love to encourage you to consider moving from Gas to an Induction stove. Mine heats as fast or faster than a gas stove, uses my regular pots and pans (including cast iron but NOT including copper bottomed but YES including copper that is 'clad' with steel) and is much kinder to my asthmatic self. Keeping the gas out of my lungs has been very helpful. and reducing the use of Natural Gas (AKA Methane) is, IMHO, a good thing for the environment.
I am, however, sorry to hear that you are needing to get a new stove as repairing what one has is also good for the environment. GAH! the challenges when our stuff can't be fixed frugally...
@Ecoteri, my dream stove is 4 induction burners and a gas wok burner (super-powered with 2 or 3 rings).
FG - my experience is that the next version of a shoe model is much the same. I've been wearing Brooks Addiction through at last 10 model changes. Then you can get outdated models for much less.
Oooh, even better! I will keep an eye out to see if they get marked down further.
I have not turned on the heat. It did get down to 36' last night, but I toughed it out. Will change to flannel sheets this week. I do have a space heater I run in the bedroom just long enough to warm things up a bit and turn it off before going to sleep.
Ordered British tea from Amazon. I have used Tetley for several years and Wal Mart has been short on it lately. I have never tried PG Tips and am afraid I will like it. It is considerably more expensive than Tetley. I drink black tea after my morning cup of chai latte most days either hot or iced but always sweetened. Went ahead and got Prime trial for the free shipping and will cancel when the trial period is up. Will try to take advantage of some movies. I would like to watch "Sarah, Plain and Tall" again.
Gas price here is....drum roll...$3.38. I filled up. And then my car would not start before work Saturday night, so my niece graciously took me to work and picked me up so I filled her tank, too. My car problem was a dead battery. Had Roadside Assistance start it this morning and then took it to the shop and got a new battery. Remember when all you had to do was take the clamps from the posts, remove the battery and set the new one in and clamp it back up? Yeah, no, it's not like that anymore. Had to have two parts taken off and then remove and replace. And the battery is no longer an inexpensive component. So much stays on even when the car is not running. Anyway, I am glad to head into the winter with a new one and it has a lifetime warranty. Cars are no longer made for the shade tree mechanic.
That's all I've got this week.
@Chrissy, If you happen to live near an Indian grocery store, it might be worth stopping in to check for tea, if it's just black tea you're looking for. It will likely be less expensive there.
@Chrissy, I treated myself to Yorkshire tea on Amazon. The flavor and depth of this tea made it a delightful treat. I use my regular teabags for a quick cup and savor the Yorkshire for a lingering cup. Enjoy your treat!
1- I cut my husband's hair.
2- I used Walmart Plus to get .10 off gas...making it under $3 a gallon.
3 - I used some Discover cash back points to get a birthday gift for my grandson.
4- I used a filled punch card to get $20 off at the dog groomer.
5 - I scanned my receipts on Fetch....scanning one every 24 hrs so I can spin for the extra points.
I also....embroidered a spider web & spider to patch a hole in my grandson's play pants. (he asked for a spider), I've been cooking some food that is past it's prime from my pantry & making meals for my dogs. (I'm making sure it's things they can eat)
1. I drove 30 minutes one way to pick up my son’s trumpet that I had dropped off for repairs. When I picked it up the shop told me I only had two days left on the repair insurance plan I had signed up for when we started the rent-to-own plan on the trumpet. It was the first repair ever made on the trumpet so I’m glad we used it at least once.
2. Since I was on the other side of the metro area I stopped a Goodwill to drop off items and check out the store. I didn’t buy anything even though I was looking for a few things. I was inspired to repurpose a few items I had a home (extra pie pan into a plant saucer).
3. Saturday night I had a slumber party with a couple of friends. We stayed at one of our houses, ate in, relaxed in the hot tub, chatted, and I crocheted while they played cards. It was a perfectly relaxing evening without a dollar spent.
4. Menu planning continues to revolve around cleaning out the freezer and the pantry. I’m amazed at how far I can make pantry items stretch.
5. I moved all my herbs inside to a sunny window. I planted the herbs we use for thanksgiving dinner in pots this summer so that I won’t have to buy the clamshells at the store this November. Just one plant was the cost of a clamshell container!
Ohh, I bet you feel awesome about that trumpet repair!
1. I sold 2 Halloween costumes, from last year, on Marketplace.
2. I went though my kid's clothes and gave away clothes that no longer fit them. Then I put the right size clothes in their dressers. All of these clothes were obtained from Buy Nothing or given to us. It was enough free clothes for Winter this year and Spring/Summer next year!
3. I scheduled my kids' flu and COVID vaccines. These are covered for free under our health insurance and hopefully prevent future medical costs. Our dentist sent a bill for $160 for my son's sealants. Apparently our insurance will not cover sealants again within 36 months, even though the sealed teeth had fallen out and it was only a few months under the 36 month time line. I filed an appeal and am hoping it is approved.
4. My son's baseball team has a baseball gear closet. You can take whatever you need or donate items. At his baseball game this week I took a pair of cleats that should fit my daughter in the Spring, as she wants to play baseball too.
5. I used chickpea pasta I had in the cupboard and homemade pasta sauce I had frozen to make my lunch this week. My husband smoked pork butts and ribs that we had purchased for 50% and frozen. This will feed us the whole week paired with vegetables from our garden and items from our cupboard.
1. DH needed to print his script for the wedding he was officiating but forgot before he left town. I asked him to check with the hotel to see if they could do it for him, and indeed they were happy to print out copies for him free of charge.
2. Purchased gas at Sam's prior to leaving town for the wedding.
3. DH and I both had enough snacks and drinks for our travel to the wedding (we drove separately so I could work another day) so we spent nothing out of pocket for the trip other than the hotel and gas.
4. I got out my sewing machine and repaired the elastic waistband on a pair of otherwise perfectly fine underwear.
5. I used material I inherited from Mom to make a dinosaur tail for a coworker's toddler. In turn, the coworker is going to help my husband solve an issue with his 3D printer.
May I suggest Amazon Essentials for inexpensive and high quality T’s short and long and tank tops and camis.
Oh, that is a good idea too! I have some of their short sleeve shirts and they are great.
1. Sold a 48-piece set of dishes from my parents' downsizing; it was practically new as it was only used once during the time they've owned it and my mom was sad to give it up. The funny part is that the lady I sold it to bought it for her mom who had the same set while she was growing up and said they broke many of the plates over the years, so she wanted to surprise her mom. I was actually really surprised that I was able to sell it but I'll definitely take it!
2. Redeemed some coupons for free full-sized yogurt and frozen Thai curry. Will eat for lunch this week and write a review in exchange for the items. Picked these items up from Whole Foods where I also dropped off an Amazon return at the same time.
3. Completed a rather extensive video review/survey on body lotions at Kroger for $50. Luckily I needed to buy some groceries from there so it wasn't out of my way and I had the time today. I did feel a little weird and conspicuous making short videos on my phone while standing in the aisle, though.
4. My teenage son got a request to do an online health survey that paid $20. Well, he procrastinated and got busy and never got around to doing it. Then I got another email saying they really wanted a response and was increasing the reward to $30. He finally made time to do the survey then!
5. Scanned my receipts to ibotta and fetch, brought my own cup to Starbucks for my drink for 10 cents off for my monthly church meeting, returned library books on time and put new items on hold, hung laundry outside to dry (TX), remembered to eat up leftovers in the fridge for lunch.
1. Enjoyed free coffee and a free pastry with purchase from Panera after finally being able to rejoin their Sip Club for free with a code.
2. Took home a large pizza that was going to be thrown away at work. I’ll always take free food!
3. My mom is in town and helped me finish making applesauce from my free foraged apples. Now it’s in the freezer waiting to be savored slowly over the winter.
4. DH shot a deer, and we will process it by hand. Our venison supply was almost depleted so I am grateful to have another one.
5. I picked up an iron from Buy Nothing. Our house came with an ironing board, and I want to hem some curtains using iron-on hemming tape versus trying to cut and hem them nicely.
6. Used a 5% off coupon at our local grocery store that I received for filling out a customer satisfaction survey. It was a bigger shop, so the coupon saved me $9.50.
1. Shopped at Aldi.
2. Sold multiple eBay items. Made profit on all.
3. Dyed a thrifted (1.50 on discount day!) lightweight jean-jacket style short jacket for my granddaughter’s Halloween costume. Took it from light khaki to dark brown. She is Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games. I also thrifted her knee-high boots for the costume, for $5!
4. Cooked from scratch and had takeout only once, a jr burger in the car between errands. Took my own drink in my stainless cup.
5. Used the central heat for the first time this season for about an hour this morning. That’s not that hard in Houston, but I couldn’t think of a #5.
We had a bunch of Kroger fuel points. We filled up two vehicles, that were both on empty, yesterday for $3.43!!!
@Jennifer,
Woohoo! That's an awesome price for two vehicle fill-ups!!
I spent most of the past week at a conference in Washington DC for work, so many of my frugal things are travel related.
- It was my first time in DC, so I had to do the tourist thing. I visited the monuments on the National Mall and didn't spend anything on attractions.
- My office gives a flat rate of $30 a day for meals when traveling out of state. I brought bagels and beef jerky to supplement meals while I was there.
- I submitted my travel reimbursement paperwork as soon as I got back to work.
- Everyone in the family got flu and covid shots. You can't put a price on health!
- I made easy meals at home - even when I felt like getting dinner out.
1. I meal-planned and made our meals at home, being sure to use up food before it expired. I pulled out some treats from the freezer instead of buying something.
2. I recaulked the kitchen counter myself.
3. We made coffee at home.
4. I ate the meal provided at work when I had to work in the evening.
5. We went through the kids' winter gear so we only bought was needed. We did the same for us adults. I didn't need anything, but my husband needed new gloves and a hat. I also put together a box that I'll sell later.
Lots of passive frugality here since loss of a job few months ago.
-I needed to renew my passport.
My local pharmacy had $2 off on passport photos, and I didn’t choose to pay extra for expedited processing.
-A friend gave my 18mo a pair of rain boots her boy has outgrown. My 18mo loves being outside and is drawn like a magnet to mud and puddles.
- Used up different odds and ends from the fridge.
- On a day I was super tired I was tempted to buy a loaf of bread. It’s $4.99. Came home and threw ingredients into the bread maker. The bread maker was given to me few years ago by someone who just didn’t use it.
- I sold a new with tags skirt on poshmark. Even though I sold it at a loss it was nice to get some money back for it.
Hi Kristen ! Could you tell us the best way to support you financially thru your blog? I’ve been caught up in a life switcheroo scenario since June, which has hijacked my time and ability to comment regularly. I still “lurk” at every post, and am hoping that little bit helps you out when I can’t do more.
Aww, that is so kind of you to ask. Thank you!
Mainly I get paid for page views, so lurking is just as good as commenting. 🙂 And if you want to do something else, you can feel free to share my blog/posts with other people...the more, the merrier!
@Kristen,
Easy peasy!!! And thank you, btw, for keeping your blog going during nursing school. It’s a marvelous touchstone for me right now, and I’m sure for many others!
Hmmm, let’s see if I can think of 5.
1. Gave away lots of dirt through Buy Nothing instead of paying for it to be hauled to the dump.
2. We are shopping rates for all of our insurance except medical and it looks like we can save $100 on the next 6 months of auto insurance. So far homeowners is pretty much the same price as we have.
3. Remembered to use my REI coop member credit from buying a wedding gift before it expired. Spent it on a pair of warm socks.
4. Trying to cut our spending on food, toiletries, household products and alcohol by making a list of possible dinners and only buying what is needed vs stocking up. I am still maintaining our emergency supplies as we live in a fire and earthquake area. This month is looking really good compared to the last few months.
5. We are being careful to return any home improvement supplies that we end up not using within the return window.
My frugal 5 where:
1.hubby fixed my two back break lights with the two bulbs he had left over from 2013. The are working as good as new.
2. Trying to avoid turning on the heat. I wear sweaters but some mornings I just got to push it up for a bit to get the chill out.
3. frugal fail - dh made homemade pizza but forgot the parchment paper. The pizza was stuck on the pan. I had egg bites and he sawed away at the pizza.
4. Dh made chicken soup in the crockpot using the chicken thighs that were in the freezer. He used the crockpot.
5. Using my teeny tiny spatular I was able to scrap out enough butter from the all but used container to cover my high protein waffles this week.
6 Tuesday we at out at Outback for their steak and lobster tail deal. Dh and I split. The deal was $25 plus dh had a $5 Blondie Beer. My lobster tail was not cooked and I sent it back. Got a cooked one in return. Used our AARP discount to get $2.70 off plus we used our free gift card from our credit card points to pay the balance. But, unfortunately the meal wasn't all that.
Frugal … not frugal? We are in Maine right now and I made the most delicious lobster stock from the shells of five lobsters we ate! It’s now in the freezer for lobster risotto or bisque.
Kristen's recipe for homemade chicken stock is excellent. I have also recently learned to make chicken stock in my Instant Pot, which is very easy. Here's a recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/make-instant-pot-chicken-stock/
I usually get about 3-1/2 quarts and I pressure cook the stock for 2 hours. The small amount of vinegar keeps the stock from getting cloudy, and the end result is gelatinous and delicious.
On staycation this week and yesterday was the first full day of said staycation. Since I work nights and am flat worn out when I get home from work things have not been getting done. I cleaned out my onsite storage area of all the stuff for donation, garbage, etc. SO Yesterday I donated several things that I've not used in years to Habitat ReStore. Friday I'd donated unused reusable drink cups and a pair of pants (purchased on clearance, so not returnable) that swam on me to a local thrift store called Super Thrift. Anything that wasn't acceptable to either went to the landfill, which since I got a rebate for having less than 75 pounds cost me a whopping $14.00. Took my cans and bottles to the redemption center and got $13.60 (also tidied up house and storage area of said cans and bottles) so I figure the day was almost a wash financially and I felt so good getting all this done