Five Frugal Things | with a $25 mirror
1. I bought a mirror on Facebook Marketplace
I got it for $25, and it matches the bed frame, dresser, and nightstand that people have kindly given me!
I found what I think is this model on Amazon, and it sells for $86. So, I'm happy with my $25 price!
Eventually, I'd prefer to have one that hangs on the wall, but this is perfect for me while I'm renting.
The nice thing about buying a used item is that if I ever want to get rid of it, I can always just resell it, probably for the same price I paid!
A funny thing: this mirror is the only piece of furniture in my bedroom that I actually bought...the bed frame, dresser, nightstand, and Philco table were all given to me.
2. I saved the last bit of honey
When I moved out of my house, I took some food odds and ends that I thought would not be used in my absence, and this honey container was one of those items.
It had some seriously crystallized honey in the bottom, so I put the container into a big measuring cup full of hot water, weighted it with a dish, and waited for the honey to liquefy.
After a few minutes, it was soft, so I turned the container upside down in a glass custard cup and let the honey drain out.
I put a silicone lid over the bowl to keep the honey safe from bugs, and I'll use it up in my morning oatmeal.
This is not at all an enormous savings, but I am happy that I didn't have to throw away the usable honey.
I might have mentioned this before, but some years ago, I saw someone throw away a half-full container of warehouse-club honey because it was crystallized and I was like, "OH NO."
Luckily, I minded my own business and said nothing, but there was a big part of me that wanted to rescue that honey!
3. I bought a kettle on eBay
I did not take the electric kettle from my house (Sonia uses that on the regular), but I knew I was going to want one of my own. I initially thought about buying a brand new one and then it occurred to me to look on eBay.
Sure enough, I found the exact model I used to own, but it was $32 instead of $60. Sweet!
Relatedly, remember when I did something dumb and ruined my electric kettle??
4. I got Cerave lotion at CVS for $7
I was there to pick up a prescription and I noticed I had some Extra Bucks to use up. So, I got a bottle of Cerave lotion for myself for $7 after my discounts, and that's cheaper even than I can get it from Amazon.
I'm not a very dry-skinned person, but my face does need lotion in a few spots. Happily, since I'm mostly self-moisturizing*, this bottle should last me a nice long time.
*Yes, this is a euphemism for "super greasy."
5. I bought marked-down chicken at Target
I needed chicken anyway, and the organic chicken had $5 off stickers because the sell-by date was so near. So I bought two packages and put them into my freezer as soon as I got home.
I used one pack to make burrito bowls, and the other one will turn into chicken katsu later this week.
Whenever I buy honey I transfer it to a glass jar. This works well and I can heat it up without any problems. Then I make cookies, because I’m obviously not using it up fast enough.
I won $20 and a year membership($99) with a game that the grocery is having. The membership is mostly for home delivery which I don’t use. I decided to sign up though because it includes $5 off each month and a discount on the store brands.
I used a 60 cent discount for gas that I had previously won. Still cost $70 to fill up where it used to cost $40.
I spent the $60 I had won before stocking up on pantry supplies, laundry products, and personal products. The store had a sale to buy $40 in laundry detergent get $10 off along with spend $100 get $20 off. My first thoughts were to buy meat, but my freezer is full and theses items will save me money later. I’m hoping to only buy milk and such for awhile.
Finished up some leftovers in a timely manner so I avoided food waste.
Also I’ve been using a bit less product when cooking. For example one less egg, a little less coffee, a bit less laundry soap. Also waiting longer to do laundry making sure I have a full load. And even though it is getting very hot outside I’ve kept the AC on 78. It is warm in the afternoons but not uncomfortable.
—Our electric bill for last month was only $3!!! I called the company to ask what was up, and they sent someone to replace the meter. Both the representative and the meter tech thanked me for telling them about the faulty equipment vs enjoying the mistake forevermore. One accidental month at $3 is discount enough for the magic of electricity.
—Surprisingly mealy Granny Smith apples were saved from fridge oblivion by being turned into apple crisp in the crockpot. This wasn’t *quite* a totally frugal affair, as I served it with a dollop of Kite Hill almond milk ricotta, which is pricey ($6 for 8 oz) even when on sale (it’s $9 usually). That stuff is my kryptonite, but I limit my splurges to only when it is on sale a few times a year.
—My $4 Goodwill 1970s crockpot (avocado green and harvest gold, baby!) of many years continues to be a cooking dynamo. I seldom participate in WIS/WWA posts because mine would just read “I love my crockpot” week after week! Just the past week has seen barbecued chicken for sandwiches, fish (wrapped in tinfoil—perfect every time), chicken tikka, cheesy cauliflower soup, and that apple crisp, all without heating up the house. It’s been in the 90s, with 100+ on the way—blech!
—I found a pair of like new KEDS thick sole sneakers for $6 at Goodwill. Rather, I found them last winter, and they’ve been living in my car’s trunk since! (Why pop them in the deep freezer for sanitation when it’s already below zero outside?) Yard work has trashed my one pair of sneakers, so I’m thankful for the KEDS rediscovery / gift of footwear from my past self! Maybe this will teach me not to tuck things behind the trunk’s box of emergency car stuff.
—The basil a friend planted for us as a housewarming gift is going gangbusters—pesto and caprese salad for days! I look forward to next spring, when we can plant a small vegetable garden to go with our gifted herbs. Suggestions for hard-to-kill plants are welcome and encouraged for this first-timer!
@N, good for you on calling about the electric bill. I always think if I question when I’m overcharged I should do the same when I’m undercharged. Even though it’s not always appreciated. I was given $10 too much in change at a fast food restaurant once. I pointed it out to the cashier and she just took it back gave me a blank stare and didn’t say anything. I thought that was weird but figured it wasn’t her money so she didn’t care.
@N, Curious about the length of time you put your fish in the crockpot. I never would have thought to do this. Do you add vegetables to the tin foil with the fish?
Thanks!
@Linda, I didn’t know you could do fish in the crockpot, either, until I randomly looked it up one day! I was grateful for the discovery, as I have a gift for always having fish stick to the pan on the stovetop. Two hearty servings off fish for 1.5 hours on the “High” setting has worked on everything from salmon to mahi-mahi. (We have a 5 qt crockpot—I don’t know if the timing would be the same for a larger or smaller one.) I double wrap the fish with foil to ensure it’s well-sealed, then just plop the foil packet in a clean, dry crockpot. For the fish, I use some citrus juice, a tiny pat of butter, black garlic, ginger and/or soy. The fish comes out moist and flaky, and I always try to serve it with rice or couscous to soak up the leftover juice. I haven’t tried including vegetables yet just because we usually have summer fish with a side salad, but now I have a new goal! 🙂
@Linda, I forgot to mention that after I turn the crockpot off, I let everything rest for 15-20 minutes before taking the foil packet out of the pot and serving. The “High” setting on our crockpot doesn’t fool around, so it takes 15-20 minutes for the packet to cool enough to somewhat safely manipulate. I do the same thing with any soups that require the immersion blender so that I’m not splattering molten soup!
@N, how do you cook fish in the crockpot. That sounds interesting and I have some fish in my freezer I'd like to use.
@N, I love my crockpot too! I think I actually use it more during the summer because I set it up in the garage.
@N, someone on our FreeCycle group was giving away a crockpot from the 70s with a red brick pattern on the exterior. I absolutely cracked up and even considered taking it, but I have an Instant Pot and the last thing I need are humorous small appliances.
@N, talk to me about the kite hill product! I have a gluten & dairy free kid and am always looking for good dairy subs. How do you use it? Any other dairy free faves? Thanks in advance!
@N, Thanks so much. I'm definitely going to give this a try. Sounds delicious.
@Susan, first a BIG disclaimer: I have no personal dietary restrictions, but my sister and several friends are lactose intolerant. I try to keep a lookout for dairy substitutes that actually taste good—that is, so good I’ll buy them for me just because—for when we’re sharing meals. KiteHill is one of those. They make ricotta (my weakness), dips, and a whole slew of things. https://www.kite-hill.com/ I love their ricotta because you can taste the almond milk base, which lends it a different note than normal ricotta. I use it on desserts like apple crisp and on top of BBQ Mac & Cheese (a household specialty) in place of cheddar. KiteHill cream cheese is also really good. I’ve spotted the brand at Target, Natural Grocers, WholeFoods (where it’s currently on sale), and places like the local co-op.
The best dairy free ice cream I’ve found is Cado brand, which happily is carried for waaaay cheaper at Target than anywhere else: http://cadoicecream.com/ It’s made from avocados!
Speaking of avocados, I buy them specifically to make this dairy free, gluten free pudding recipe. IT IS SO GOOD, like period craving good. (Forgive my crassness, but you get the point!) https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/easy-superfood-chocolate-pudding/
@Gina, Please see my reply to Linda above! 🙂
@N,
Do you mean, hard to kill veggie plants? I find pepper plants seem to thrive with minimal effort from me (I've grown bell peppers, poblanos, and shishito peppers). I do water them (and the other veggie plants) if we go an extended period without rain, or if I notice everything looks droopy.
Lucky you with the gangbusters basil plant! Mine is doing okay so far. I have a sage plant that overwintered, and is now huge!
@N, sounds like you are in a colder planting zone so I have some veggie ideas for you! 🙂 First, with patience to let it develop, is asparagus. It is cold hardy and even grows wild in northern Wisconsin. It will be a perennial veg. Next is rhubarb, also cold hardy, perennial. Likes moisture more than dry sand ( I learned the hard way). And finally zucchini is very productive, a hard to kill annual. Oh, and my favorite is yellow summer squash. So delicious roasted in chunks or slices!
@D, Thank you so much for the suggestions! We’re firmly in the Midwest, so plants that can survive our wonky weather and my novice ways are appreciated.
@Liz B., Thank you so much! My husband is a pepper fiend, so these are great suggestions for multiple reasons!
I learned a trick for honey on this blog a while ago: I buy honey at Costco, gigantic containers, then I put it in regular size Masson jars. Easy to microwave if it cristallizes.
My FFF:
* talking about mirrors, I found one for 3$ at a garage sale
* Hubby and I talked a while back about saving money to bring the kids to Disney World. We have the money for it now, but the kids never brought it up again and, honestly, both him and I loathe travelling, so I guess this is turning out to be pretty frugal (not going)!
* Talking about vacation, I have 3 weeks off this summer. Two of which the kids will be away at camp. I’m not planning on doing anything special . I want to sit in the backyard and read, read, read! Just stay close to home and enjoy a nice quiet time. (I REALLY am a homebody). With the kids: beach, mini putting , ice cream rounds, hikes, movie nights, etc
* Less grocery shopping, using freezers and pantry content more (I tend to stockpile)
* Gotta get cards for the teachers: dollar store it is (+gift)
@Isa,
There seems a lot of pressure to take children to Disney World. We felt this too especially since we live in North Florida. We saved our money for a long weekend there. We decided to really splurge and stayed in one of the hotels on property. Our children hated it! They much preferred hiking, swimming, fishing, surfing, camping in the mountains, and visiting the battlefields along the east coast. Our visit was 25 years ago and now they are adults. Still none of us have ever been back. It is an expensive time and is not enjoyed by everyone.
@Isa, I have better memories of mini golf, hikes and ice cream treats in my childhood than I do of our one trip to Disney: endless lines and walking, crowds and muggy weather. Yuck!
@Isa, the Disney package is off-putting for us. Why pay through the nose for a lot of artificial experiences? I am baffled. Any amusement park can offer rides with much less hype. I wonder if a lot of people like that D supplies their fantasies? I don’t mean to be a grinch, I am truly baffled. Compared to real travel, D gets an F in my book. We know a number of families who adore it, possibly for the service??
@Bee, I'm another commenter with Florida roots who's **not** a Disney World fan. Not only did I not enjoy the lines, the heat, the expense, and other things others have mentioned on my two visits, but I've come to think that Disney has been the ruination of Central Florida in terms of environmental damage and sprawl. My great-grandfather who owned a small grocery store in Orlando and used to send in his bird notes to the Orlando Sentinel wouldn't recognize the place.
@Isa,
My son desperately wanted to go to Disney World when he was younger (he's now 12), and we discussed going. I have fond memories of going to Disneyland in the late 60s, when my family lived in So. California, and my mom worked at Disneyland. I had no desire to go to DW, but was willing to help with plans, etc. My husband had *no idea* how expensive it is, but was still willing to go.....then Covid hit....son seemed to lose interest, which is fine with me. I also pointed out to hubby that there's no point in going with two people (hubby and son) who HATE standing in line, and HATE going on rides. We have family in Florida, so I'd rather spend time with them at the beach!
@A. Marie, I agree fully about the environmental damage done to Central Florida. I was born in Orlando and spent my first 9 years of life in a small town nearby. It was beautiful place. It is hard to describe the loss. I can still remember the intoxicating smell of the orange blossoms in spring or the odd beauty of acres and acres of undeveloped wetlands. The population of Florida has grown by nearly 20 million people or nearly 500% in my life. We have lost a great deal.
@Bee, We live near Disneyland and kind of feel the same pressure but I don't love going there. We've gone a total of 3 times and each time it was because a friend was bringing their kids from out of town, not from our own desire to go. I'm not a huge disney fan (sure, we like the movies and stories) but definitely not the cult followers like many. We did enjoy a few disney cruises when the girls were little, though.
@Bee,
YES! to the smell of orange blossoms on a warm spring night in rancho mirage, even beats southern honeysuckle.
Wow, I was not expecting so many comments related to DW! We live in Canada so I figure it would be at least 8000$ to go there for a week, so, yeah…. I really hope the kids won’t bring it up again!
@Bee,
Yes, the orange blossom smell is one of my favorite, distinct memories of living in Florida. A scent like no other. We would drive frequently from Sarasota to Tampa on Rte 41 at night with the windows rolled down, and the scent was so amazingly wonderful. I went visited a few years ago, and it already had changed dramatically; there is hardly any country Fla left now.
We spent last week in a rental house at the Outer Banks. There were a few frugal moves:
1. There was still vanilla ice cream in the freezer on checkout day so I used some on my morning oatmeal. Everything else seemed like it would make it home okay in a cooler with ice blocks.
2. I did bring home all items left in the refrigerator and freezer. One of the coolers was left by a relative 10+ years ago. Many of the ice blocks were from a neighbor that gets refrigerated meds delivered.
3. I own/packed two pairs of flip-flops. Both pairs are Tevas purchased at least ten years ago. One day the left sole of one pair the flip-flops came apart (it is two layers) so I switched to the other pair. The next day the sole of right flip-flop of the other pair started coming apart. I wore mismatched filp-flops the rest of the week. Upon returning home I used adhesive to repair the flip-flops.
4. I accidentally left a banana at home home, along with bars of soap. I managed without the soap bars, borrowing body wash and using pump hand soap. When we returned home I added the ripe banana to a batch of GF muffins.
5. We packed food for meals, mostly. We did get take out a couple of meals, and bought a few groceries, but mostly we brought food. I prepared meals ahead of time and froze some of them to minimize cooking.
@K D, I would've skipped the oatmeal and just eaten the ice cream! 😉
@K D, that's what my teen granddaughter's did last year when on the day we were leaving our Hawaii condo, they decided to eat all the ice cream and fruit so it didn't go to waste. Ice cream for breakfast! We managed to eat every bit of food we bought, except what would make good airplane snacks for the trip home (cheese, crackers, cut up apple).
@ds, When we moved my daughter out of her apartment at college, we did this. My son said what are we having for lunch. I said what is in the fridge and freezer. He said ice cream. I said OK. It was a 5 hour drive home. I had brought a cooler but she had plenty of food that we didn't need to buy anything. I remember eating a few pickles and olives to finished them off.
You know, some people pay more for creamed honey (which is quite similar to crystallized honey). The texture is just slightly different.
*I mended 3 socks, 2 shirts, and a bottom sheet.
*I cooked at home every day.
*We ate leftovers. It made since to throw the last of the beef gravy (maybe 1/4 cup) into last night's beef stew.
*I looked at some grocery prices of things I wanted and turned away. They weren't needs; they were wants.
*I bought 2 bags of clothes at the $5 bag sale at our local thrift store. The like new L.L.Bean jeans were not allowed to be part of the bag, but I bought them anyway for $2.50.
This week we:
1. Packed lunches daily
2. Used a Groupon for a dinner out (reduced the price in half)
3. Picked/froze a few pounds of strawberries from our garden
4. Used some fresh herbs from the garden instead of purchasing spices
5. We received some free chicken; so we had chicken for dinner that night. As much I as I do not like the smell of cooking chicken, I do like the taste-especially when it's free.
A local grocery store had a huge sale on toilet paper. I also had coupons . After the sale price and coupons I paid $1 for each pack of toilet paper.
@Michelle, I would love to find a tp sale like that. My parents, both who were in Nazi camps and then in a displaced person camp before being allowed into the U.S. always spoke about how much they missed toilet paper during those years. It was only available sporadically. We always had cases of tp all over the place as I was growing up. I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I have carried that on. We always have between 10 and 20 cases of tp around the house. If we go below 10 I start getting anxious and rather than consult a therapist I just buy more tp until I am happy with what we have. This, and the fact that a week before the initial pandemic lockdown I accidentally ordered 20 instead of 2 cases of tp from Amazon, meant we never engaged in the desperate search for tp during that time. And I had all my birthday and Christmas gifts covered that year, except for my husband---everyone got a case of toilet paper.
@Lindsey, Toilet paper was often the loss leader at the two competing grocery stores in the town where I grew up. My Mom grew up on a farm without running water and she stocked up huge amounts, though not for as sad a reason as your parents.
My Dad's comment once was that she had enough toilet paper to insulate the bathroom. She would have loved a Christmas present from you.
@Heidi Louise, In the summer, when we have 24 hours of daylight, I block our bedroom window with four packs of tp and then balck out curtains on top of that.
@Lindsey, Sounds very logical to me!
@Heidi Louise,
My stash of toilet paper is almost as high as the basement ceiling. I also have a bidet (inexpensive add on from Amazon) so I don't think I need to buy any more toilet paper for at least a year if not more. Same for razors. I have 70 of them and daughter doesn't use them and I use one ever now and then. Hubby is the only one who uses them.
Thanks for posting about the honey! I need to do that today with my bottle (although with this Midwest heat I could probably leave it outside to liquify)!
My most frugal thing right now is building up my pantry back stick as items go on sale. Buying up multiple items when they’re cheaper if they’ll last longer. We don’t have a ton of storage in our house, so we buy mostly what we’ll eat that week. I currently have a lot of tomatoes and beans.
1. Used rain barrel water and dish pan water to water my seedlings when planting which were mostly freebies from my farm share and a few bought on sale. Most are planted in the garden where they shouldn't need much supplemental water once established.
2. Managed to lower the electric bill by 26.00 compared to last year and 18.00 compared to last month. I think turning down the water heater really made a difference. Also, using the oven judiciously during these heat waves.
3. Had to buy a new oven (not frugal) but the old one was about 30 years old, so it was time. I called our appliance repairman for advice on brands and how much to spend. He said to only expect an appliance to last about five years now. I'm hoping it lasts longer than that, but I trust his judgement! I'm also hoping the new oven will be more energy efficient.
4. Ate leftovers for lunch every day and also for a couple dinners this week. It's hard to beat the price tag of free, and because my husband's cooking is so tasty, I never feel unhappy about eating leftovers.
5. Called the car insurance and adjusted our policies to drop comprehensive coverage since both of our cars are over ten years old but not officially "vintage" yet and our mechanic said they would not give us very much for them. We're saving about 300.00 a year from one phone call.
6. Started a long arduous process of disputing a 100.00 gift card that had a zero balance when I opened it to use it. I'm guessing someone used it electronically or something, but the situation was very frustrating, not to mention embarrassing in the store. I tell everyone not to buy gift cards if they can avoid it-better to just give people cash or checks, (or maybe Venmo, though I've not used it) rather than support these terrible gift card companies.
@Becca,
Five years for a stove! I hope he is just overly pessimistic! That's depressing.
@JD,
That's apparently how appliances are made these days. The computer parts are designed to become obsolete. It sucks.
@Becca,
My stove and fridge are Kenmores and have lasted me at least 20 yrs each. I cringe when I think about having to replace them.
I feel like my frugality wins lately have been in the form of resisting purchases. (: I'm trying a different mindset of putting the breaks on unnecessary spending, but that doesn't mean I don't still make Wal-Mart runs now and again. Its a far cry from having two incomes here, one bigger than my own. Learning to live on one paycheck has been challenging to say the least!
@gina, when my husband and I were on one check, paid monthly, I learned to buy a pound of lentils, a big can of diced tomatoes, and make sure I had rice and onions for the last few days of the month. Made soup, moujadarra, lentil chili, & other dishes to get thru that crunch. Not much fun shopping went on either!
It doesn’t seem like I’ve been very frugal lately, but thankfully past frugal endeavors have provided the money needed at this time. (Isn’t this how it usually works out?) As a result I’ve been able to:
1. Help a family member whose husband recently passed away by hauling 2 loads of donations to a local charity shop. It only cost me a little gas & time.
2. I also made a small grocery purchase for her. Again, only cost a little gas as I was going to the grocery anyway & her handful of items weren’t expensive.
3. Made a meal for her from items I already had on hand purchased at sale prices.
4. Had to have a tree cut up & removed that fell during last week’s storm. It wasn’t cheap, but we had used this company before. Their response time is quick & their work is excellent. 48 hours later we had a tree free yard.
5. We have already talked with said tree company about doing preventative trimming in a couple of months. Customer loyalty can pay dividends especially when it involves a specialty service.
All this to say that in addition to the many reasons we are all frugal here, it allows us the joy of giving to others and the freedom to not worry about unexpected expenses. Cheers to being un-frugal occasionally.
@LDA,
Good for you to go the extra mile and give tangible and much appreciated help to your family member during a difficult time. God Bless You!
FFT, "Junk out of the Sheds, Money In" Edition (with apologies to Katy at the NCA for paraphrasing one of her lines):
(1) Over the weekend, I got rid of the last two of DH's big, no-longer-functioning pieces of equipment. The first was a Snapper lawn tractor that was a pain from the time of purchase and hadn't even been started in at least 6 years. One of our neighbors, however, has a son-in-law and a friend who think they can fix it. He said, "How much?" I said, "$50, and you guys haul it out of here." Within minutes, I had a nice new picture of US Grant and an empty tractor shed. Frankly, I thought I was going to have to tip my yard guy to haul that thing away, so I'm delighted--and so are the neighbor and his goombahs.
(2) The next day, I cut the same deal with the same group for the generator DH bought after the Labor Day storm of 1998 (which left our area without power for 3 days). The generator worked better than the tractor ever did (it served us well during the brownout of August 2003, for example), but it too hadn't been started in years. Another portrait of US Grant to add to my collection.
(3) The friend who cuts my hedge for various forms of barter (he was DH's last and best employee) cut it over the weekend, and brought his oldest son--now a strapping teenager--along to help. It was the first time I'd talked at any length with the son, and he's as pleasant as his father. I look forward to helping him put together a starter set of tools as part of the hedge "pay."
(4) Another part of the hedge barter will be beef from the 2022 quarter-steer, which may be ready as soon as the end of July. So I'm doubling down my efforts on cleaning out the freezer. I'm currently thawing a package of chicken drumsticks, which, like Kristen's chicken, was bought at a markdown (Reduced for Quick Sale at Wegmans, in this case).
(5) And I'm beginning to cut herbs for drying, starting with dill. In addition to the usual dried herbs for the usual friends, I've made up one wedding set already this year and will be doing a second in September.
Isn't it such a nice win when someone pays you money AND hauls useless (to you) stuff away? So good!
@A. Marie, How do you dry herbs? I don’t have a special device for drying foods but in case you have a humbler method, my herbs are growing gangbusters.
@Erika JS, my method is indeed humbler: I make the herbs into bunches, secure the bunches with twist ties, and hang them from nails in the rafters in my big dry attic. Works like a charm, even with dill and the small-leaved basil variety I grow for drying (standard basil doesn't dry well). And after 30+ years of this, my attic smells heavenly.
Thank you, A. Marie, I like this idea, which makes dried herbs for my cooking and is a potpourri all in one!
@A. Marie, good to know about small leaf basil grown for drying. I will check into this. Erika, I do dry the regular basil but I have it down to a science. I wash and dry in a salad spinner. Then I shake each stem out by hand, to get out additional water. Then I roll the stems in a dry towel. Then I put each individual stem on a screw (I have 8) on my ceiling fan over the table and run the fan for at least 48 hours. I get perfectly dried basil. I start doing this in the beginning of the summer and change out the basil every 3 weeks. By the end of summer I have enough dried basil to use all year until the next summer. Oh and I put the dried basil in a large glass jar.
Related story, my family was so used to the basil always being over the table on the fan. When my daughter's boyfriend, now husband came for a meal he said excuse me but what is that hanging from the light. We looked and it took me a minute to think what he was asking about.
I have basil on the fan right now.
@Erika JS, I should add that parsley doesn't dry too well in the attic either. The only person I've known who dried parsley successfully was Ms. Bestest Neighbor's mother, who put bunches of parsley in brown paper bags and kept them in a dark, dry place. But I never got the hang of her method--and drying it in a low oven never worked for me either. So I no longer include parsley in my herb sets.
@A. Marie, I never replaced my dehydrator and just started using the microwave for drying the herbs. Until somehow I managed to set the microwave on fire...which my husband said was impossible until he saw the flames shooting up inside, going round and round so we viewed the fire from all sides before I found the extinguisher. Now I dry them low and slow in the oven, which makes the house smell heavenly.
@A. Marie,
I've read you can sun dry herbs in the car on the dash too. I haven't tried it, but it's supposed to be real fast (like a day or less) and makes the car smell good.
@Becca, Ooh-- That sounds interesting! We just put basil in a single layer in a flat dish on the counter, turn it occasionally, and after a few weeks when it is dry, put it in a jar. Sometimes I pull the stems off ahead of time, sometimes not.
@A. Marie, can you share with us the name of the small leaf basil you grow?
As for Parsley, I dry it in my excalabur dehydrator. I just take out half the shelves, and put in a big bunch on each of the remaining shelves, then run the dehydrator at the herb setting until the parsley is at the shatter-dry stage. then I sit down and kind of crush pull the leaves off the stems, and store in big glass jars. I do the same with oregano (of which I need to do more this year than last, I use a lot of it) and sage . Dill I haven't tried but will this year as I have tonnes of volunteers. Cilantro is a disappointment dried, IMHO.
Everybody, Great discussion on drying herbs, so useful because they cost so much during Winter for fresh herbs or store bought dried herbs. Free is best. Thanks, all, I feel like I have so many options now.
@Erika JS, thanks to you and everyone else for the discussion!
To answer Ecoteri's question, any variety with the phrase "mini basil" in the name will be fine for drying. My personal preferences are for Greek or globe mini basil because of the attractive round shape of the plants.
And I agree with Ecoteri that dried cilantro just doesn't have the flavor of fresh. Neither does dried parsley, for that matter--another reason why I no longer dry parsley.
I'm trying to cut back on meals out, so sometimes we have to get creative. Tuesdays and Thursdays are BOGO wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. My family likes to eat there, but the tab still can get steep even with BOGO. Recently my husband wanted to go there and instead I stopped at Aldis and bought 2 marinated pork tenderloins and 3 small sirloin steaks, a bag of premade salad. We grilled and seasoned the steaks and had a salad and some fruit, all for $20. Much cheaper than our bill would've been. Saved a little so I was happy and they all enjoyed the dinner.
I cashed out some rewards from Fetch and used for a gift on Amazon for my nephew. Free gift and had a little extra to use towards another item I was purchasing.
My nephew's graduation party was this past weekend. My husband, girls and I attended and helped my sister-in-law by cooking, cleaning, etc. We were gifted a pan of macaroni salad, a tray of lettuce (which I'll use for salads) and extra graduation stuff for my daughter's grad party: 3 bags of charcoal, a box of silverware, 4 bottles of BBQ sauce, a bottle of ketchup and one of relish, napkins, dessert plates, a graduation card box, a box of silverware, chicken broth, salt & pepper packets. I offered my sister-in-law $ and she refused. She also offered to help serve at our party. It's what family does <3
My daughter is taking care of our friend's chickens and animals while they're on vacation. They offered us as many eggs as we would like so daughter brought home 18 eggs yesterday and will bring more home towards the weekend.
Youngest daughter cleaned out our storage area yesterday. One less daunting task I had to do, plus I'm able to see what we have easier so as not to buy something if we already have it. We are also looking around the house to see if we have items we can use for her upcoming graduation party.
First time commenter. I walked to most of my errands making generally a 3 mile or less round trip. This week I walked to the pharmacy, library, post office, grocery store, farmers market, hardware store and volunteer activities. That's 5 right there! I made sun tea in the backyard. It has been a month since we have turned on either heat or air conditioning. Saved $6 on wine by opening a store account. Ended my meetup account as it was no longer useful to the group.
Good wishes to all
@Ann in Chicago, I love sun tea!
@Ann in Chicago,
I have not made sun tea since 1981. Where would I get a gallon container these days cause my original one is long gone. And, as an intermittent commenter, welcome!
@Vickymac, if you don't mind making it by the half-gallon, an ordinary Ball half-gallon canning jar works fine for me.
I microwaved a small plastic bottle of honey; runny honey + crumpled bottle made the family laugh 🙂
1. DH managed to fix the dishwasher with a spare part obtained from Amazon, phew! £12 for the part vs £250 for a new dishwasher = frugal indeed.
2. Gladly accepted a friend’s invite to go through some rubbish her son was getting rid of, found some unread books, annuals and a vintage military cap that he no longer wanted. I’ve offered to split the money I make selling the stuff in eBay but she’s refused. I’ll probably get her some some chocolate or sweets as a thank you.
3. Shopped my freezer and cupboards for a few days and stretched out my main shop. Not always frugal as I have to restock but it helped get over a low income week.
4. Purchased new to me work boots from eBay a while back and I’m thanking myself now as I noticed the sole is splitting on my current pair. No rain forecast for a while so I’ll manage with the old ones for a few days but grateful that I don’t have to rush and buy a new pair at full price.
5. Finally swapped over my winter clothes for summer ones and discovered lots of “old friends” that I can tweak a bit and wear at my new library job, no need to buy anything new.
That’s all I can think of for now. Have a lovely week everyone.
Excellent score on your Cere Ve!
Life is expensive these days. It's good to have frugal habits! We continue to try to bunch our errands to save on gas. Entertainment is cheap or free--I have the Sip Club free membership from Panera and have been taking advantage of that for inexpensive eat-in and drive-through treats. I'm taking my daughter and her BFF to the beach today--packing lunches--my only expense will be ice cream on the way home. My husband and son went to a local baseball game on Sunday night. The team scored 10 outs and when that happens, the attendees get a coupon for a free chicken sandwich from Chick Fil A. We went out for dinner there last night. I took my teen daughter to the gym with me yesterday--I am a member of Planet Fitness and they have a free summer membership program for teens. She wasn't sure she would like it but it was a positive experience for her so she plans on going this summer, so now I have a gym buddy. 🙂
Your bedroom suite of sharing and $25 looks so beautiful!
My frugal things this week:
1. Finished sewing a twin-sized quilt (99% finished) that was in a box of scrap fabric given to me. The gifter knew it was in there and didn't want it. It's beautiful and took only a couple of hours to finish.
2. Altered a new pair of slacks bought on eBay to fit me better. A petite in my size is hard to find but mediums are plentiful, so I long ago figured out how to alter mediums into petites. (This is the 2,000th time my frugal thing has been "sewing saved us money.")
3. Had bought a couple of boxes of protein bars on sale -- they were nice for an afternoon snack at work -- but when faced with paying full price, I baked some cinnamon applesauce bran muffins from what we had on hand in the pantry and boiled some eggs to replace them.
4. Doing a week-long radio listening survey. I will receive a $10 check for completing it.
5. Used some scrap cotton yarn leftover from another project to crochet and then braid a rope toy for our new cat.
Bonus: Last time we bought a big box of laundry detergent, I wrote the date it was opened on the side. Now I know a box lasts us four months and can look around for sales (regular price is $19.95) based on something close to that schedule.
Ohhh, I want to see a picture of this quilt! Are you in my Facebook group? If you are, you could post a photo there.
@Ruby, kudos to another sewista! I must have sewed a million miles in shortening pants, and altering dresses to make tops. Also mending, keeping things useful and wearable.
@Kristen, Hi Ruby (Hello, all of you Frugalites!) - Awhile back, I discovered Nellie's Laundry Soda. It seems pricey at first glance ($40 for two tins on my bestie, Amazon) but the tiniest scoop does a full load, it is low suds (which is easier on my machine), is hypoallergenic, non-toxic, biodegradable, vegan, and leaping bunny certified. Each tin does 100 loads so it's roughly the same as your current detergent. It says fragrance free, but I swear my clothes smell CLEAN! (You all know what I mean, amIright?) No, I'm not being compensated for this review (Ha!) I just truly do like this laundry soda! As for the tin it comes in, the possibilities of repurposing are endless and you can also purchase refills instead of the tin on future orders.
@Kristen, I'm on Katy's group, so I can join yours as well. Will tinker around tonight and see if I can get a good photo.
@Kristina, I wore out a sewing machine! It was an inexpensive machine but served me so well for about 25 years. I've had the current one for ten years. That happy hum of the motor is the sound of money being saved.
@sfeather, we settled on Arm & Hammer for sensitive skin long ago (my husband has allergies) and it works great for us, plus we can just walk into the grocery store up the street and buy it. The big box says it does 130 loads, but we use just two tablespoons -- half the recommended amount due to having a relatively small HE washer -- and the last box was opened on Feb. 23.
@Ruby, my hat's off to you and all the other "sewistas" out there. I can still sew by hand well enough to reattach a button or do a quick mend, but my resource for all hems and alterations for the past few decades has been Ms. Bestest Neighbor, who owns a sewing machine and knows what to do with it. (As I have mentioned in earlier comments, I almost flunked out of 7th-grade home ec over threading a sewing machine.) I'll hand her over a clutch of clothes needing alterations and tell her to make this one of my birthday or Christmas presents--and this system has worked for years.
We just got back from a 10 day trip to Florida, which is spendy in itself, but we did manage to save some money where we could.
1) I brought a lot of food from home and made use of my plug-in cooler. While on the road, I have to bring food for my kid with lots of allergies, but the rest of us also had most of our meals and snacks from my grocery stash.
2) Our two-night stay in Orlando was mostly paid for using points. It was less than $50 a night for a very nice place right next to Universal. Thankfully, when we got to our final destination, my in-laws graciously hosted us at their home.
3) We took advantage of free activities when we could … visiting the beach, going to a kitty rescue (my youngest is obsessed with cats), taking lots of walks to explore, etc.
4) I have a very large vegetable garden that couldn’t go without watering for 10 days, so two of my lovely neighbors took care of my plants (for free) while we were away. I hope to return the favor for them later this summer!
5) I don’t know if this is exactly frugal, but we also minimized our packing by bringing only 5 days worth of clothes. I guess that is less money spent on buying more clothes, bigger luggage, etc. and it definitely saves on the patience, time and energy required to load and unload twice the amount of luggage at the four different places we stayed. I did laundry when we got to my in-laws, so no one was wearing overly stinky clothes!
@JenRR, so I am on an extended trip with kids right now and the conversation was had: how many sets of clothes to bring: we ended on 4 outfits (plus one for the wedding we will attend this summer) and my kids have been wearing those outfits on repeat. I was able to invest in a couple nicer quality items for each kid knowing they would get a lot of use and it has made me question how much we should keep once we get home!
@Allison, I hope you are enjoying your trip!
I am also working on buying less clothes for my kids this year. My son is 13, and growing so fast, I don’t know if he’ll even be the same size by the end of summer! My daughter always want to wear the same few items, no matter how much she has, so like you I decided to just invest in fewer clothes that would hold up to all that wash and wear.
@JenRR, visiting a kitty rescue when travel may be the only safe way to do it! The last time we went in to adopt just one, ONE, cat, we came out with three. 😛 (In our defense, the trio had been kennel mates for two years and had obviously bonded.)
@N, I would love to bring home all the animals! My husband is very allergic to cats, though, so we can only look. This place actually let us into a kitten room and gave us toys to play with the kittens. My daughter was in heaven!
1. Similar to you, threw some chicken in the freezer when I realized I wouldn't be able to use it before it expired. Made sure to use it up quickly in meals instead of forgetting about it.
2. While rummaging in the freezer, found a container of lentil soup that I defrosted and repurposed in a vegetarian gravy. Also found some bags of old berries I cooked up to use on pancakes.
3. Our local thrift store has a dollar sale when they change the inventory. Sometimes I shop at the dollar sale, but this time I made sure to visit the thrift store on the first day of the new inventory. Found a lovely linen dress, top and pants. I have been on the lookout for summer dresses so it was a nice find.
4. Enjoyed a picnic outside with the family instead of eating out or doing takeout.
5. My two youngest are now walking to the library by themselves and know how to search for books and put items on hold, so I'm glad that they are learning how to use this resource by themselves.
"Self-moisturizing" - hilarious! That's me, too, even at 65, after drying out quite a bit. That was also my dad, all the way up to age 90, when he passed.
I always check the "bargain meat" at our store FIRST. In fact, I hardly buy meat from any other part of the meat case. I couldn't tell you where the pork chops or chuck roasts regularly reside - LOL!
@Ruth, that's my MO for buying all meat except beef, too. (And thank goodness my friends who raise the steer are doing it for at least one more year. I can no longer afford supermarket beef even at Reduced for Quick Sale prices.)
It's all in the framing, right? We can choose to focus on the positive aspects of being a grease-manufacturing machine. lol
Another upside: my mom has skin like mine, and she still looks quite young at age 70. So I have high hopes that my oily skin will do me the same service.
@Kristen, I am 68, and remember my teenage years complaining to my mother about my oily skin while my younger sister had gorgeous skin. She told me "You will appreciate your skin more when you are older, as you will get fewer wrinkles, and believe me you will be older much longer than you will be a teenager." She was right. I have very few wrinkles. And my sister with gorgeous teenage skin, well let's just say at this stage of life, I'd rather have mine.
We need some grass in our backyard as we have taken down lots of trees in order to be able to use the space and have areas to plant our vegetable garden & flower garden. We decided to hydroseed which is still money we have to spend but about 2/3 less than buying and installing fresh Bermuda sod. Even with the cost to water we will still come out far ahead.
Batch cooking to save on power and time. Chicken tacos on Saturday and Stanley Tucci's Ragu on Sunday resulted in several meals and lunches for my family.
Sowed seeds in my flower garden rather than purchasing flower seedlings. I spent $300 on seeds and have enough to plant in all of my beds this year as well as next. 90% of the seeds I purchased are for flowers that come back every year. We have almost two acres so this is a very reasonable price.
Thermostat turned up two degrees. Window blinds closed. Laundry loads combined. Shorter showers. Full dishwasher. Meals planned. Errands combined and we are staying home as much as possible.
A friend gave me some soap she received as a gift that she didn't like but I love it.
All of my work lunches this week will be leftovers. I work in an area popular with tourists so there are a lot of places to eat. Last week, I got a veggie burrito and it cost $12 in all. Next time I get one, I will ask for it in a bowl and then eat it for 2 lunches. It was too much for one meal.
1.) Got some mustard powder. A pound of the stuff was cheaper than buying two ounces. Not cheaper per pound but cheaper total! Granted it was a "bulk" brand vs Coleman's but still!
2.) Got the return on my shoes processed. I'm sad because I liked them but they just didn't fit to my feet well. Guess I'm stuck with Converse.
3.) Got another cheap pair of shorts when thrifting. These were brand new with the $50 tag on them (not that *I* would ever pay that) but I paid $5.
4.) Working what tiny bit of OT I can get to just have a little extra.
5.) Whenever my daughter and her friends get together it always seems to end up costing everyone a bit of money because they want to "do something." I suggested we have a potluck picnic at a local park. The kids had a blast, it wasn't expensive for us (just the cost of food we brought) and no one had to host and clean up their house.
In reading along the comments and came across the crystallized honey issue. As a former bed keeper, please DO NOT put your hone in the microwave; it destroys all the good nutrients in honey. Warm water does not. I learned this by making that mistake. Microwaved honey tastes fine but nutrients are gone.
I really like your mirror!
1. I sorted through my MIL's yarn stash and unfinished projects. I wove the ends in an afghan for my husband and removed fringe that was half done on a shawl I'll use for our outdoor performance side hustle. I also harvested yarn from another UFP and used it to crochet pumpkins.
2. Found and bought the replacement rain barrel we wanted on eBay barely used and for $80. If we can repair the leak in the old rain barrel, we'll install in the backyard closer to our container garden.
3. Instead of buying flowers to fill the planter on the top of the new rain barrel, I planted the rest of a seed packet of peas. I'll let them grow up and over the sides of the elevated rain barrel instead of spending more $ for stakes or trellises.
4. Used water from the new to us rain barrel to water the big container garden. Naturally, we got a big thunderstorm a few hours later.
5. I bought dog food and noticed that the register scanned the bag $20 over the price listed on the shelf tag. The cashier checked the price and refunded me the $20. I had to buy the giant size bag do to availability so whew!
We were traveling this past week, but we still did some frugal things:
1. Bought food at the local grocery store so that we could eat at the cabin we rented
2. Toured parks and historic sites that were free or very inexpensive to visit. The ones that we did pay for were privately run, so it felt like we were supporting a good cause.
3. We kept souvenir buying to a minimum (which is much easier for me than my hubby) haha. However he did purchase books and a map so it wasn’t just junk.
4. I got library books to read on vacation. I definitely don’t do this for the kiddos since I don’t want to lose library books, but for me it was perfect!
5. When we got back, I made a list of free/low cost activities to do this week with the kiddos so that none of us lose our minds by staying home too long. I feel like could stay home for days, but I think the kids act better getting out and doing something.
disney world is very special to me. i worked there the summer between sophomore and junior year of college. had so much fun working there. got engaged there when my future hubby and i went there for his birthday. have taken our kids there twice. our 750 sq ft apt has no air conditioning, we don't pay for gas or electric and we don't have a car.
we try for two vacations a year. many have been renting a car and doing road trips. we can have fun doing almost anything.
Depending on who was throwing the honey away, I would have asked for it.
Alas, this was not a situation where I felt like I could speak up. I think the person throwing it away would have either felt judged or thought I was crazy. 🙂
- [ ] I have had more frugal fails this week than wins. Hopefully, my frugal things will balance things out.
1. I bought a $10 dress at my favorite thrift store to wear to a baby shower that is being given for my DIL this coming weekend.
2. I sold 3 things on eBay and packed them with recycled materials.
3. My husband’s brake lights - rephrase that — the brake lights on my husbands car were staying on 24/7. With a $12 part and a 10 minute YouTube video, he was able to fix it quickly and easily.
4. I had a shower on Saturday for a family friend. I forgot buy flowers for the table. I went into my backyard and cut stems of hydrangeas that I arranged into bouquets.
5. I have been doing all the usual things… cooking at home, brewing my coffee, filling my yeti with ice water when I leave the house, batching errands, and reading library books.
1) I rode my bike downtown to the archives instead of driving.
2) I made soup for lunch yesterday that used up a bunch of odds and ends of things in the fridge.
3) My husband and I are almost finished recovering our old dining room chair seats. We bought a new-to-us dining room table and chairs that suits our family better. I know the old chairs will sell better and quicker on FB if we replace the old, stained, torn fabric on the seats.
4) I resisted buying a bunch of books yesterday. I am a historian, so without books I am like a mechanic with no tools. However also because I am a historian I am liable to bury myself in books. I am going for that happy medium and saving money in the process.
5) I took a cold shower this morning. It was a frugal activity, but was not done with that purpose in mind. Instead, I was so hot after my bike ride in this heat and humidity, without a cold shower I would have started sweating again as soon as I stepped out of the shower.
Not too much frugality. Been traveling for a funeral and then a wedding. I refuse to complain about gas prices because I am NOT living in a WARZONE.
Packed a cooler. Bought no food or drinks at gas stops.
Spent 122 at Kroger pick up and saved 44 dollars. It takes time but I dig through the digital coupons and weekly sales.
That is all I have for this week!
Does anyone have a good way to keep honey from crystallizing in the jars at all? I bought a sampler of local honey from the farmer's market during lockdown (yes, I know it was two years ago but we don't go through it that fast), but its now rock solid in the jar. Which makes me want to use it less, which makes the problem worse.
My five frugal things:
1. I bought cold brew concentrate and I am taking my reusable cold mug to work. I know making cold brew is still cheaper, but I a working with limited supplies.
2. I have been shopping at Poshmark for an outfit to wear to an event. Again, its the little things.
3. All the park ranger stations and rest stops along my drive to work have car charging for free set up by CalTrans. I would much rather spend an extra half hour there then pay gas prices right now.
4. I am taking my dad to see Top Gun and to grab pizza for Father's Day. This probably evens out to about the same price as a gift, but it means more than a random gift he won't use and causes less waste.
5. A weekly medical appointment has been downgraded to bi-weekly. This was an out of pocket cost so yay unexpected savings.
@Heather, I don't have a way to stop honey from crystalizing, but if you store it in glass jars, just pop the lid off the jar, put it in a pan of water and simmer on the stove until it liquifies. Depending on the size of the jar, it might take an hour or two. Once you have it liquified, it will stay that way for some time. If it crystalizes again, just repeat.
1. Had a roadtrip to visit the North Cape. It turned out to be far from frugal since the hotel I booked (pre-paid with no refund) was so crap we ended up switching to an Airbnb instead. But we saved some money by cooking at home instead of going out and it was much nicer than the tourist trap options avalible 🙂
2. Had plans to DIY a round table that is very popular here in Scandinavia now. But got a free, round diningtable at fb marketplace with two extension leafs, much better than I could have made myself! Planning to switch out the four legs with a pillar in the middle eventually.
3. Corten steel plates for the garden beds have been on my wishlist for years, but they are so crazy expensive. Bought a rusty metal ladder on fb marketplace and got my partner to split it lengthwise. Cut down a rowanberry tree and used the branches to weave. Pretty nice edging for the new strawberry bed.
4. For filling the new strawberry bed I cut down some wild raspberry bushes I wanted to get rid of and tonight we’re collecting horse manure. Will add some mulch on top, think this will be ok since strawberry has so shallow roots.
5. Sold a tent and a bike on fb marketplace. Got $235 for the tent. The bike I’ve gotten from my mother, so will give the profit to her but we get $60 back for the tires we replaced on the bike, making it ready for sale. And better room in the garage, yey!
Hi, Kirsten:
I love your blog! May I make a suggestion and ask you allow us to jump directly to the comments from the top instead of having to scroll down? It would be a lot easier to view updated comments. Thank you for your consideration!
@cp, Yes, I second the "newest comments on the top of the page." It seems to me that it used to be that way. 🙂
Yes, the comment count used to be clickable up top. I hate, hate, hate that the new version of the theme makes it unclickable.
I did put in a support request to Mediavine for a clickable comments button but it has been some months now and I have heard nothing. Time to submit another request!
Hi, Kristen, thank you for responding. Sorry I called your Kirsten - that's my co-worker's name! 😉
1. Finally got around to calling about the horrible noise my 1-yr-old treadmill started making and the delightful customer service rep was not only able to arrange the repair, but somehow got the parts and repair covered even though it was two months past the end of the warranty.
2. Sold a textbook my daughter used about 5 years ago on eBay and wrapped it in previously-used packaging.
3. My daughter passed out in the parking lot of her apartment complex last week after a small medical procedure and tore a hole in her favorite pair of work pants. She has very few clothes to begin with and it's hard to find professional-looking pants when you're only 5 feet tall, so this was a problem. They don't seem to be made anymore, but I found a NWT pair on Poshmark last night for about half the original price and ordered them for her.
4. I've started drinking plain water again after getting into the flavored sparkling water habit during 2020. Trying different flavors was a fun thing we did while we were all trapped in the house but it's not a necessary thing to spend money on.
5. I've been adding more vegetables and fruit to what's on offer at dinner to try to distract my husband and son from eating so much meat. Not sure how well it's working, but it's a start.
We traveled last week so there were some cash outlays but we saved where we could:
-bought groceries before going into Yellowstone and made most of our meals vs. eating out despite not having a microwave. One room had a refrigerator but the other didn't.
-used our national parks pass to get into both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. Our national parks really are jewels. The few times we did eat out, I didn't order anything for myself because i wasn't all that hungry and could tell that my kids wouldn't finish their whole plates, so it was plenty for us to share.
-Girls needed new bathing suits; I had a gift card to use up from a returned gift. Ended up using the gift card, a coupon code and sale prices and paid just a few dollars out of pocket for two suits and three pairs of pants.
-Went to the library to get some free entertainment for the kids and a book for me. I love it there.
-We usually take an uber to the airport or take our car there and park it but this time we were flying out of one (farther) airport and flying back into another. It turned out that my cousin had to go pick up some of his family members around the same time we were planning on going. So he took us there, which allowed him to take the carpool lane. It worked out great for everyone.
I am on the hunt for a good price to replace some of my broken mason jars. Anyone have suggestions? I wanted to use a reward I had from Michaels with a discount coupon but they're nowhere to be found in my area (southern california)
@CrunchyCake, I'm glad you were able to accomplish Yellowstone before this horrific flooding.
Mason jars are one of "those things" right now, and although lids and rings are getting more available, they're also a little tough to get. My only advice is to walk through the canning section everywhere you go and use your best judgment on price.
@CrunchyCake, Our local Ace hardware store usually has a fairly big supply of mason jars (not the best prices but I wait till they mail out a coupon in one of their freebie ads).. Glad you made it back from Yellowstone before the terrible flooding!
@Suz, and @Karen., yes, we were very fortunate with the timing of our visit; we were able to enjoy and get out safely before the rains really started coming down. Thanks for the tips with the canning jars!
@CrunchyCake, I'm late to the party on replying, but I have found that just getting the word out will sometimes snag you canning jars. Often older ladies used to can a lot, aren't able to anymore, and many are glad let someone else use them. You might try a Facebook, Buy Nothing or Freecycle request, especially if you mention that you are willing to clean dirty ones, or take an assortment (often there are old jelly and mayo jars mixed in that have to be recycled). I just dug about 20 quart Ball jars out from old shed debris at my husband's grandparents' home and they washed up sparkling clean. Just a thought!
@Amanda P, That is how I got most of my canning jars. I told my dad who would go all the time to the senior center. He mentioned it to a few people. I got so much stuff. Every year I would give him some extras to give to the ladies that gave me the stuff. They were happy to give it to someone who would use it.
1. Didn't feel like it, but planted some more onion sets and baby bok choy. Actually, it will work out well to have them come in weeks after the other crop but I was going to be lazy and not do it, until I went grocery chopping and saw that four stalks of scallions were $1.29. We use a lot of scallions.
2. Did not feel like it but mended a sweatshirt and shorts for the husband. He sews but does not like to mend, so I do the hand mending around here.
3. Did not feel like it but groomed the pound hound after he came in with moose poop hanging from his coat. He has never rolled in it before and usually the moose poop is hard and like giant rabbit poop, but this time watering the garden had turned them into (apparently inviting) slush.
4. Did not feel like it but finally took all the chicken carcasses I had saved and made a giant amount of really, really tasty broth. I think adding some balsamic vinegar and then slow cooking it for 18 or so hours is what makes the difference.
5. REALLY did not feel like going to a memorial service but it was outside and so I could sit in my wheelchair and not have to drag my sorry legs up any stairs (this is not a good week for walking). Turned out to be great. The son gave the funniest and sweetest eulogy I have ever heard. My husband helped with setting up and cleaning up the potluck afterwards and came home with enough mac and cheese to feed us for a week!
6. The big winner this week was that I snagged a mystery shop for an eyeglass business. They reimbursed for two pairs of glasses plus paid $25 for doing the shop. I would have done it for just the glasses!
@Lindsey, your #6 is a HUGE savings! HUGE!
You'd think that with inflation it'd be easy to feel good about my frugal moments because it saves me more money than pre-inflation, but I'm not feeling encouraged about money in the current climate.
1) Painting walls on my own rather than paying my friend (with a hefty discount) like we normally do. It's using a lot of time, but it's quiet time and I don't generally mind painting.
2) Got an unlimited summer pool pass for the family at my husband's work for $80. Much cheaper than pretty much everywhere else around here.
3) Walked by items I desired to purchase without purchasing any of them.
4) Eating at home, making my own food, bunching errands,
5) Frugal fail?: We got a puppy. Not expensive right now since she's our second dog and we have pretty much everything one needs for a pup, but over time not a cheap choice. But she is working as an emotional support (accidentally) for my sons.
1. Finishing up odds and ends around the house rather than buying more. This week: two skincare samples, one haircare sample, and cut in half a toothpaste tube to get out the last bits.
2. Shopping the pantry and freezer. DH made delicious deer burgers for company, and we used frozen milk to make cornbread and waffles.
3. My MIL sent me a bunch of cards she’s received free from various charities. I appreciate not having to buy cards, and am happy to turn blank cards into birthday cards, etc.
4. DH was using a phone that used 2G or 3G, I forget which– anyway it was no longer supported. My parents had given us an old iPhone SE which still works beautifully and has great battery life, so he has a new phone. We both find it satisfying to keep things in use rather than constantly upgrading.
5. Was able to find a few needed items for Baby E from a consignment store and the thrift store.
1: We purchased a used outdoor wood boiler that will heat both our house and our renter’s garage apartment this winter. With the anticipated cost of propane, it might pay for its self within two years. And we enjoy “making wood” (cutting and stacking), and have plenty to use on our five acres.
2: Resisted going for ice cream cones at A&W on a hot day. Resisted buying a Subway gift card to get the Fathers Day deal. I will make good sandwiches at home when I get the urge for Subway instead.
3: Cut up old credit cards and saved a blank strip of the plastic for colorful plant labels for next year. All of this years tomatoes labels came from other plastic recyclables.
4: Washed and stored the garden plant starting containers that are in good shape. We used the lower part of two liter soda bottles and it worked very well to see how developed the roots were prior to transplanting into the garden.
5: Put a tidy pallet of (outdoor hardy) giveaways at the end of the driveway with a FREE sign so that others can have frugal wins too from things we do not want any longer. Things like plastic crates, parts of downspouts, metal poles, mismatched tile, etc.
I paid extra principal on our high interest solar loan.
We bought "gourmet" sandwich supplies so that we wouldn't be tempted to get take-out during a busy weekend of painting the indoors of our house.
We are sleeping with the windows open to keep from running the AC too much.
We painted the house on our own. We had offers to help but I would have had to buy more brushed for all of the helpers. It ended up being cheaper to just take another day to do it ourselves.
I looked in our storage closet before ordering toiletries. (We moved a few months ago and our medical supplies/toiletries/linen closet is still in disarray.) I finally found my backup supplies of my face cleaner and didn't need to order more.
We are currently doing a road trip with another frugally minded friend. Tonight we had dinner at another friend's house and we bought food to take on the road for the next two days. We'll stop at rest areas for picnics. We also stayed at a friend's house in NC for a few days, and she very generously gave us some items she was planning to thrift. My favorites are some plants for our garden and a crockpot for our son. We did some computer work for her, bought a couple meals and filled up her gas tank. I realize the days of staying in others' homes while traveling is becoming less popular, but I still prefer this. I love getting to know people and I love making guests feel at home.
I bought u-pick pickling cucumbers for $1.50/lb and bought enough for pickles for the year. I got my canning lids with a birthday gift certificate that Ace Hardware had sent me and already have jars.
I found work pants at a thrift store for $2.99 and brought them home to hem for a perfect fit.
I premade dinner tonight (butter chicken) for tomorrow since I know I have a late doctor's appt and won't be here to prep dinner. Saves me a night of eating out.
I combined all of my errands for the week into one round trip today to save gas.
I passed a dollar tree in those errands and stopped in for cards/gift bags for birthdays/fathers day/etc that are coming up over the next two months rather than $5-$7/card at other stores.
Signed my husband and myself up for .25 cents/gallon off gas at Spinx through the summer.
This week has not been a very frugal one.
Had to have the summer maintenance done on the HVAC system, but as we have been customers for several years and subscribe to one of the plans, we do get 5 % off the usual cost. He has several recommendations for us, some of which are nice, but not really necessary, but others must be done for safety reasons. They will honor the current estimate for 90 days, so we have the time to pore over the paperwork and make a good decision.
Also had to pay $275 copay for hubby's MRI to investigate a suspicious lump on his liver, but who wants to skimp on that?
Now that I'm losing weight, I have clothes that aren't fitting well any more. I had sewn darts in 2 old pair of shorts that I use for yard work, but I'll be sewing more darts in them this week. I did take a couple of darts in a Sunday skirt and a half slip, as they were drooping to my belly button--and I am a "high waist" kind of gal. My tailoring/altering skills are beginner level at best, so tops are harder. The seams droop down my arms slightly or show an embarrassing amount of cleavage, and sleeveless armholes are now revealing a lot of bra. I managed to find a couple of knit tops and a couple of dressy tops at the thrift store, and I bought a white linen skirt on sale online, so now I have several summer tops to pair with the skirt. It's getting too hot for long sleeves.
Hubby has lost some inches as well, so the new pajamas I had bought in his previous size are too big. Sewing machine to the rescue again!
Really wanted to buy a mandoline from a friend's Tupperware party, because I've wanted one for years and I chop/eat a lot of veggies. But decided my trusty knives were just as handy, and I didn't really need some of those fancy shapes anyway.
Late today but throwing mine in anyways!
1. Posted one of my daughters toys to fb marketplace. It’s a giant plastic contraption she received from a relative for her birthday, she played with it once when it was first setup and has completely ignored it since. Given our limited space, anything that takes up a lot of room needs to be used almost daily to justify us keeping it so this failed that test. It hasn’t sold yet but I’m still counting going to the effort of listing it as a frugal win.
2. Used a lot of produce from the garden this week. I used fresh dill in some egg salad, cabbage for corned beef with cabbage, lettuce on some burgers and will use some Chinese broccoli in a stir fry tomorrow.
3. Used the Safeway app (per your recommendation here) which had some good coupons for a few items we use and I had some rewards points (not sure how since I rarely shop there). The rewards points were enough to get two free boxes of macaroni and cheese and a free 8-pack of sparkling water. I only bought the free and coupon items when I went, nothing else, since the rest of their prices are insanely high.
4. For the Safeway trip, I walked there on my lunch break, so didn’t use extra gas just to get a few items. I also walked to the library this week rather than driving.
5. Something unfrugal that hopefully led to a frugal solution. My kids broke the cheese drawer in our fridge twice now, because we keep cheese sticks in there for them and when they reach in they hang on the drawer due to not being quite tall enough. I ordered the replacement part and fixed it again and this time placed an open Tupperware container full of cheese sticks on a low shelf and showed them where it was. Wish I’d thought to do that after the first time they broke the drawer though!
1. We adopted a rescue dog over the weekend that my husband and kids have been wanting forever! He is very sweet and we love him already. The adoption fee was lower than many other places the looked and we received a few dog supplies from other friends with dogs. He also came with a full 30 lb container of food from his first failed adoption as well as few toys (the first owner was highly allergic). We bought a new crate but repurposed some unused memory foam bath mats to line the crate.
2. Sold a few more of the kids' games and cleats on FB with the buyers coming by to pick them up from my porch, so no gas or much effort needed on my part to move them out of the house.
3. Found a great condition adjustable office chair at Goodwill for $30 to replace my son's chair with a torn seat cushion and stuffing coming out.
4. Bought a very lightly used (for 2 months) chest freezer from FB for $200 from a lady who is moving out of state. This particular brand is highly rated on Amazon and normally sells for $300.
5. Cancelled and then rebooked a specific excursion for 10% less for our upcoming cruise next month. The total savings amounted to 20% or just over $100 from the regular price. Reserved our cruise parking spot early at a highly rated secure lot for 30% less than other parking lots.
Love this! 1. Joined a community Orchard, and I have ripening free avacadoes, oranges and cumquats! 2. Talked gardening with a neighbour, he now gives us vegies and we solve the odd mobile problem. 3 buy our vegies at the farmers market, it is such good value! 4. Always shop in op shops, why new? 5. Support local and small, our mechanic did a quick fix on the car today, no charge, he serviced it last week ( $250) and invited us to show him the new issue. We are returning customers of course.
1. It was my birthday yesterday. Panera Bread sent me a free pastry coupon, so I got a scone for my kids to share for breakfast. The car wash near my house sent me a free car wash, which I also took advantage of.
2. I went to grab an iced coffee, for my birthday, from a coffee shop near my work yesterday. The employee gave it to me for free and I didn't even mention my birthday. Made my day!
3. I made another batch of homemade toothpaste.
4. I used up artichokes and olives from the refrigerator for my lunches this week.
5. I received a mushroom growing kit as a birthday present, which I started already. Hoping it gives me a few batches!
Happy birthday!!
I know I'm few days late for this week, but I wanted to challenge myself to come up with five as it has been a spendy few weeks in our house.
1. We needed to purchase four new tires and a new washer/dryer in the past two weeks (yikes) and are VERY VERY thankful that we were gifted the majority of the money for both sets of items. So very grateful.
2. Due to the rising cost of gas, I started driving our truck to work. I drive 8 miles a day versus the 56 that my husband drives. Though our van is not the best at gas mileage its a heck of a lot better than our truck.
3. Our garden is beginning to produce yummy strawberries. I'm not the gardener of the family, but love them when they come in warm from just being picked.
4. We leave for a week long camping trip on Sunday to my favorite campground. Lots of shade for momma and a pool for the kiddos! Hubby does all the food planning for us and we've only planned to go out one or two times to eat. Cooking at camp is part of the entertainment.
5. Our first summer childcare bill for the summer came and boy was that a shock to the system. I had to remind myself that there are many things to be thankful for. So much so that I put up a thankful board at my work and encouraged my colleagues to add their thankful items when times are tough.
Combination of busy and slow week. Went to Walgreens and got 2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste for free. Went to my weight loss surgeon's appointment and then got on the interstate to travel to Costco and get in line for gas. It wasn't bad, about 15 minutes from start to finish and I listened to my music while waiting. After that I went to Walmart to purchase another pack of panties that fit as well as 10 pairs of socks. The old, worn out socks went into the trash.
I went down to the basement (yea!) to do 2 loads of laundry. I sat down and took an inventory of our extensive pantry. We will be ok with laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues (case and half from Costco), lots of Ivory soap, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, pasta, soup oh so many cans of Campbell's tomato soup and some raisin bran which may both go to the food closet .
Went to Walmart to get hubby a pair of water shoes. Didn't find any water shoes for me.
I bought an 18 pack of eggs that were $1 cheaper than the grocery store, socks and undies for me, big case of protein shakes, granola bars and not much more. I'm still not in good enough shape to walk the store.
Keeping an eye on electricity and air conditioning. I don't seem to need it so cold in the house anymore. Less weigh to cool, lol.
I'm just keeping on trucking. My gastric sleeve doctor he could do a minimally invasive lift to my neck for $5K instead of $15K for a facelift. The before and afters he showed me were fabulous. Lots of skin hanging around my neck from my 94 lb weight loss.
1. Like you, I made a purchase on ebay. I don't know how much it'd cost elsewhere, but probably more.
2. I'm baking Graham cracker crumb cookies to mail my dad for Father's day. The discount store had super cheap Graham crackers.
3. Last month I got off track keeping track of our spending, but this month I've been staying on top of it.
4. Tonight is family movie night. It's a cheap way to have fun. We watch a movie or show at home. I'll probably pop popcorn and serve some cookies.
5. I plan to start filling a large cooler with ice water so we're not opening the fridge and freezer so often.