Five Frugal Things | with a hat tip to Katy!
1. I sold a drawer pull for $12.
I bought a nightstand for Zoe on Facebook marketplace for $25, painted it (a before and after post is coming), put on a new handle from my stash, and listed the other one on eBay.
It took a few months, but someone bought it for $12, which is almost half the price I paid for the nightstand in the first place.
YES.
The hat tip to Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate is because I would never have thought of listing old hardware on eBay without her!
(She's the reason I sold Sonia's drawer hardware and ended up making $2 on the dresser purchase.)
2. I scheduled my van for recall service.
Toyota fixed the airbag issue once, but apparently the replacement is also not safe.
So, now I gotta take my van in for another replacement.
Which is annoying, but at least it's free.
And staying up on recall fixes is a good decision on many levels, including financially.
3. I bought 50% off calendars for my girls.
I happened to walk by one of those mall booths that is clearing out calendars after Christmas, and I found several cute cat calendars for the girls.
4. We made croutons from leftover French bread.
I'd made some homemade French bread last week, and on Sunday, Mr. FG and I made a chicken Caesar salad, using the leftover French bread for croutons.
5. I...
- planned a menu, made a list, and shopped from the list (takeout prevention is the best cure!)
- bought clearance conditioner for 50% off
- bought a 50% off roll of wrapping paper
- placed an Amazon order using a gift card
- drank coffee I brewed at home
Ooh love the eBay idea! I wonder what I could find to sell if I think creatively!
1. I am trying really hard to use mostly freezer and pantry food. I sometimes get stuck in a mindset of “omg I need to be prepared” and being prepared is good but never pays off if you never go through and actually use the things you bought or cooked ahead of time. This month is the month!
2. Canceling an audible subscription to share with my husband (we don’t really need 2).
3. Making freezer meals for when I get back from my work trip so I don’t have to eat out.
4. Booking hotels early for some international travel in June to make sure I have plenty of options to compare.
5. Trying to keep my personal shopping category under $20 this month (Budget is usually $175). I got everything I needed for Christmas there is no reason to spend more!
Okay, I absolutely LOVE this series. I'm doing a No Buy Year (with a bunch of other people, apparently). Seems to be catching on....
1. Returned books (ordered in December) that I know I won't read to Amazon. $40.00
2. Menu planned with items already in fridge and freezer. Remaining needed items: $7.00
3. Used 25% Kohls coupon from Amazon return and purchased much needed king size pillows $FREE
4. Collecting items to sell on Facebook Marketplace.
5. Reading books I already have in my house. $0.00
I think I have those exact drawer pulls in the garage somewhere.....
1. I used the very last of the Christmas ham with leftover gravy to make scalloped potatoes for dinner last night. I will miss that ham!
2. My husband had a doctor's appt. yesterday morning so we ran our errands after. We did a pickup and made a return in addition to stopping at a couple of thrift shops and Dollar Tree. He packed cheese sticks and soda so we didn't even need to stop for lunch.
3. I received one rebate from Kohls and am waiting on another.
4. I really needed new glasses this year so we added vision insurance to my plan for the year. With astigmatism and a complicated prescription, it's necessary to go to a good optimist with an optician who really knows what they're doing.
5. I'm starting on eating our way through the freezer. It will be fun to see how long I can go without buying meat.
That's a funny typo. I'd love to be known as a good optimist.
Just saw this! OOPPSSS! Well, she's pretty optimistic so we'll go with that-an optimistic optician!
Life goals right here! 🙂
1) I made a dish on Saturday using all stuff I had on hand, with no recipe. Ricotta left over from when I made stuffed shells, pasta and sauce that came in a gift set (50% off after Christmas) and ground beef. I had just bought the lean ground beef at Sam's Club in a 4lb+ pack and had to portion it into 1 pound bags for my freezer. The dish turned out pretty well and we ate the leftovers on Sunday.
2) Went to Walmart on my lunch break yesterday with the intention of redeeming some ibotta rebates. Ended up paying $23.18 for the rebate items and getting back $13.19 from ibotta. Aside from these items, I found a woodwick candle in the Christmas section for 75% off.
3) I've been carrying the same purse every day for 3 years and it was starting to look ragged. Usually I am willing to spend about $100 on a high-quality purse since I use it for so long. This time I couldn't quite find what I was looking for so I bought a used one on Mercari for around $30 - we will see how long it lasts.
4) Need new clothes but did not feel like clothes shopping. So I grabbed a few shirts that I already own and found different colors/patterns of them on ThredUp. Used a 35% off coupon and already know that the shirts will fit me 🙂
5) Meeting my dad for lunch today at Ruby Tuesday. They always have a deal on Tuesdays and today it's burgers and fries for $5. We will both get water so our total will be $10.60 plus tip so $15 for both of us to enjoy a good lunch together!
1. I'm leaving this afternoon for an overnight work trip. I packed my breakfast for tomorrow because the hotel doesn't offer free breakfast. What fancy hotel doesn't offer free breakfasts??
2. Picked up my prescription yesterday from CVS and walked right passed the 75% off Christmas stuff. I may go back next week to see if its down to 90% off!
3. I've been watching an episode of "Rich House, Poor House" on youtube. This is a Christmas episode and I more identify with the "poor house" family on this one. It's reality on both sides of the pond.
4. We adopted two kittens this past weekend. They have been great "healers" of our broken hearts since our adult cat died before Christmas. The adoption agency was great and gave us two of everything they normally give. (since we adopted two) I didn't need to buy much since I already had food and litter from our older cat. I also have seen that my 7 year old son has a heart of gold. He is so gentle and kind with the kittens. It warms my heart.
5. Ebay has been good the last few days. I hope it continues.
5.
Jenelle, last January I snagged 90% off Christmas cards at CVS. I'm on the lookout again this year!
Fancy hotels generally do not offer free breakfast, They usually offer expensive options. We usually pack our breakfasts, even when it is available for free. I like knowing I'm starting the day with a healthy meal. I will sometimes grab fruit at a hotel breakfast.
I just have to hop on and say that your French bread is a family favorite. I make several homemade bread recipes but yours is the favorite here. Even my Dad, who made bread my entire life, wants to know why mine is better! Thanks for this recipe. And I really enjoy your blog. I have learned so much!
1. My son needs LOTS of index cards for a class he's taking and I had a $5 Staples coupon. Packs of 100 were on sale for $1, so I walked out with 5 packs, not having spent a penny.
2. Stopped at the grocery outlet on my way to ALDI and found the granola bars my son likes for 99 cents a box and stocked up. The best price I can normally find is $3, so this was a great find.
3. Pulled out allllll my stockpiled office supplies last night and went through them with my daughter so she could help purge what was hers. We made a pile to pitch, a pile to give to teacher friends, and sorted and stored the rest. Now we know what we have and won't waste money buying stuff we already have.
4. In the process of cleaning all the shirts my daughter took with her abroad. The washing machines did not do a very good job where she was staying and all her shirts came home stinking. A lot of soaking in Bio-Kleen Bac-out that I already had is saving us having to buy her an entire new wardrobe of winter shirts!
5. Looked at the fridge on Sunday and realized there was no reason to cook dinner. Everyone had an entirely different dinner, but many Pyrex containers were emptied, food waste averted, and money saved!
I've taken my Honda in 3 times related to Air Bag recall. First the driver side, later the passenger side, finally (or maybe not final) the inflater for the air bags.
1. purchased a flat of mushrooms from restaurant supply store. $20.89. Canned 26 jars of mushrooms. Frugal, only if you don't take the time I spent on the project into account. But I get WAY more satisfaction from looking at my pantry shelves full of mason jars than of tin cans.
2. eating out of the pantry and freezer.
3.took advantage of FREE energy audit offered by my utility company. They recommended more attic insulation. NOT inexpensive but should lower my monthly bill.
4. avoid fast food by keeping snacks & water in my car
5. refashioned a dress made with a cute Christmas print. (1/2 off at Goodwill after Christmas) into a vest and apron.
YIKES! I can a ton and never thought of canning mushrooms. I belong to a co-op so once or twice a year can get a lot of them for cheap but never have because I don't have the freezer room to store sautéed mushrooms. Thanks so much for the idea! I will be looking up those directions this week.
Oh, dear, your airbags are being replaced again. That's a little unnerving, isn't it, to think you were riding around thinking your airbags were safe, finally, but they weren't?
Good going on selling the hardware!
Here's my list:
1. I needed a nightstand. I found one at a used furniture store in perfect shape, solid wood, well built, no flaws, for $85, which isn't the cheapest price, but was far cheaper than buying new. The cheap used nightstands I had been finding were either poorly constructed or abused or both.
2. This one is embarrassing. I was also searching for a love seat to replace our old, stained sofa. I had been hunting all over for a love seat, when I suddenly remembered I have one in our guest room. Oh. At least I didn't actually buy one before I remembered that one.
3. I am pulling ham out of the freezer as needed, so we don't waste any of that yummy Christmas ham.
4. I put the word out that we were selling our 2004 SUV and put a low price on it. It sold in two days. The SUV had been given to us for free back in 2010 and we've used it all this time so I'm happy with getting anything at all for it.
5. I just got my new planner that I had ordered, paying with a rebate card. It's quite cute, but Kristen wouldn't like it. 🙂
Quick tip. Dollar tree has nice calendars for $1
if you have one near you 🙂
1. Continue to declutter to regain usable square footage in my home. Construction cost of one sq ft in NJ is $165. It is an intangible, but not having to move or add a room is frugal. Items decluttered included Lenox I haven't used, DVDs/CDs and books I will not watch/listen/read again and clothing.
2. Eating leftovers for lunch or using them as part of dinner.
3. Using leftover XMAS frosting and leftover plain cookies and graham crackers to make desserts.
4. Repaired rips and tears in pjs, shirts and pants.
This is an end-of-2019 / beginning-of-2020 roundup.
1. Returned late library books. $0.60 in fines is still WAY cheaper than buying said books.
2. Bought a TON of books at the Half-Price Books Outlet in my in-laws' city. Instead of just randomly purchasing, I went in with a purposeful list and made a good dent in my to-read list. I spent around $42 and now have 40-ish books that are on my to-read list. I love finishing a book and then dropping it in the mail to a family member or dropping it in the Goodwill bin.
3. Inventoried my bulging makeup collection. I let it get a little out of hand over the last 12-18 months as I came out of a depressive episode and realized I need to do a little self-care to feel good. I decluttered some items that just didn't work for me (I'm looking at you concealer... crow's feet + super humid weather + congenitally dark undereyes = IMPOSSIBLE). I am on a replace only no buy for all self-care products (except for a solid cleanser for my brushes/sponges).
4. Tonight I'll defrost our garage freezer. My husband and I watched the repair guy do it once, so now we can do it. The freezer came from the desert to our super hot and humid climate, so we had no idea it needed defrosting.... Now I know that when the ice cream in the deep freeze isn't frozen solid...time to get out the cooler and the buckets of hot water. This time, I'm writing the date on the side of the freezer somehow so I can start putting reminders in my phone once I figure out what the defrost interval is....
5. Scanned receipts into ibotta, Google Rewards, and Fetch. I also used the H-E-B coupon app. The internet already knows everything I do...might as well get some money back for it!
Strange though it may seem, I have read that putting frozen things in an (off!) oven serves rather like putting them in a cooler, as the oven is insulated to keep outside temperature air out.
huh,that makes so much sense
Get yourself a roll of blue painters tape, whatever width floats your boat. Write the defrost date on that and stick it to the front of the appliance. I also write stuff like that on my calendar, in case the tape comes off. (But it hasn't yet.) I have to do that with a free-standing icemaker that starts getting stinky after 6 months.
Barb F: This made me think of the little sticker at the top corner of the windshield to remind me of the date to get an oil change!
1. Hit up some amazing Aldi produce markdowns a few days ago and altered my menu plan and Saturday plan to make use of it. I canned applesauce (the apples were cheaper than I can get drops from the orchard) and made broccoli cheddar soup for dinner last night with our 30cent broccoli. Sadly, only my husband and I really cared much for the soup (and it's not because they don't like broccoli - they gobble it up). I made your french bread to go with it and the kids mostly just wanted to eat the bread. As someone above mentioned, it's a favorite in our house, too. Nothing compares to the bread when it's on the table.
2. My PCP moved away last year and I'm behind on my checkups. Since my daughter had some expensive medical stuff in August, I finally scheduled my doctor appointment to get it in before the end of our insurance year. They're making me do a new patient appointment before I can do a well-woman visit and I know that won't be free but at least it'll be on this insurance year and not the next.
3. I'm using cards from a box of sympathy cards rather than buying individual cards. I'm planning to send 5 cards this week (it's been quite the last couple of weeks) but I figure that they'll care more about what I write on the inside than the card being specific to losing your child/grandchild/grandmother/mother. The box of 12 cards was about the cost of 2 individual cards.
4. We replaced one of the windows in my daughters' room and I wanted curtains, but agreed to the much-cheaper mini blinds. I know we have a large bathroom fix coming up and want to save the money for that.
5. After the trip to Lowe's to decide on the blinds, I really didn't feel like making dinner and my husband offered that we could pick up some food but I declined. No, I wasn't excited about making dinner or even excited about what we were eating, but we had the food in the fridge and didn't need to buy takeout.
Here's my 5:
1) I got a free calendar from our bank. I like to keep one handy, even though I write notes to myself on my phone and computer.
2) I got my medical supplies from ebay, saving 40% off what my insurance charges me.
3) I thought my car was on its last leg, and thinking it needed a lot of repairs. After getting an oil change with diagnostics done ($76) and a new battery ($160), that was all it needed...Whew. It's 16 years old and has only made me nervous a few times, but no real scary issues!
4) I needed sneakers as I have a toe hole in mine. I found new leather Reeboks on ebay and offered $12. She accepted my bid and ebay came to my rescue again.....
5) I currently have $5 in swagbucks and am earning more....
Seriously impressed by $5 for new leather Reeboks. Seriously.
Whoops, meant $12.
-We has $45 in kohl's cash from some of our Christmas gift purchases, and it was expiring yesterday. So I went out and bought my oldest daughter four clothing things she needed (growing so fast!) and also a shirt on sale for myself and some new underwear also on sale. Everything came to only $40 after the kohl's cash and a 25% off coupon!
-We had so much food leftover from various Christmas festivities, I haven't had to cook or buy food in so long. We've been eating every leftover available. I am set to have a (almost) no-spend week this week because I don't need anything at all except some Pepcid!
-We had out of town relatives stay with us over New Year. They also have 3 young kids but we managed to keep all 6 kids happy and entertained with only one fun trip. We went roller skating and had a small lunch at Wendy's. Besides that we stayed home and the kids just played. The adults did go out one evening for dinner... but that's another matter haha. At least the kids were cheap 😉
-our 12th anniversary is coming up in 5 days. We're romantic people and we usually go overnight somewhere but this year we are a little partied out. We'll go out for dinner or maybe have a nice date night at home. I have Aldi scallops in the freezer so we could even use those. Hopefully one of the grandparents will volunteer to babysit.
-We also took our Sienna in for airbag replacements. A big hassle but advantageous in the long view.
1.) Found a deal on Tom's brand toothpaste on Amazon. It's the only brand my daughter wants to use and it was cheap. Also no rush shipping gives me a $1 digital credit.
2.) Stocked up on dish soap thanks to a sale. It's cheap and will last me many months.
3.) New year so starting to put money in my Roth IRA again.
4.) Baked a few loaves of bread using my new Kitchenaid to do the mixing. Also made a cake as well.
5.) Just not spending money unless I have to. I don't really need anything so why spend money?
1. Last week I bought some snack bars at Safeway. After attempting to eat one I discovered they had a sell by date of June 2019. No wonder they were so hard. I returned the uneaten bars today and was given a full refund and a $5 gift card. While walking through the store I noticed that hams are marked way down. We are not much for eating pork but if we were I'd have bought one or two.
2. I stopped at Home Depot to return something we didn't use/need.
3. I went to Walgreens to take advantage of senior discount day. You only have to be 55 or be a member of AARP to get the discount the first Tuesday of the month.
4. I have a free one month trial of Amazon Prime. We have watched some Prime videos. We also have a free 7 day trial of BritBox. My husband has been able to watch one of his favorite shows.
5. Reading and listening to books borrowed from the library. I prefer the ebook format.
KD, I occasionally shop at Walgreens, but didn't know about senior discount day. I'll make a note of that, thanks!
The "catch" for Walgreens senior discount day is it only works on regularly-priced merchandise. Still, it is a help, and you can of course use coupons. Discounts are bigger on their brand products.
If he likes Britbox, Acorn TV also has a free one week trial. They carry different British/Canadian/Australian shows that might interest him. I don't pay for any other streaming or cable but I do pay for those two, gladly.
I do as well - quality television!
1. batch cooked chicken so I have a good deal of protein to make cooking dinner easier
2. returned glasses I purchased from an online place (didn't fit right), but took measurements so I can use the full refund to purchase a pair that will fit properly from said online place. The cost of glasses from this website is about 1/8 the cost of what I paid at a brick & mortar store last time I had to shop, and not much more work considering I've done all of it at home, except for dropping the glasses at the postal pick up place.
3. Dropped my Bible off to get rebound because it is falling apart. I get a lifetime guarantee on the rebinding since it will be sewn together rather than glued, which, by my calculations is the same cost as or cheaper than getting a new Bible every decade for the remainder of my life. Also, I get to keep all my notes. And all the pages will be flat. And I wont' be missing Genesis 31-32 anymore.
4. Got the necessary information to appeal an insurance bill. It may not work (something about being penalized for getting extra coverage for our son (necessary for wheelchair) causes us to pay more for tiny little things we usually get without charge), but it's worth 15 minutes to find out.
5. Made food for my husband to take on his backpacking trip so he wouldn't need as many dehydrated food packs. For that same trip we also figured out ways he could use the gear he already had (not optimized for backpacking) and limit buying extra stuff, all while conserving weight and bulk.
Hubby’s company bought way too much food for a meeting so he brought home a bunch of leftover lasagna and ravioli for a couple free meals and froze a bunch for future nights that get hectic.
Planned a water park getaway for the end of winter (pricy!) but saved a bunch of money by going during the week instead of on a weekend. Also got a condo with a kitchen so we can pack a lot of meals to avoid eating out.
Painted pictures using my kids’ footprints as a gift for my mom. Also used a coupon for a free Shutterfly ornament with their picture as her other gift.
Made blueberry muffins with too sour to eat blueberries so they wouldn’t go to waste.
Used leftover pepperoni from our Christmas gathering to make homemade pizzas for a super cheap dinner. (I work as a nurse so we had Christmas the week after)
1. Wrote an acrostic for my mom for her birthday. Those kinds of things seem to mean a lot to her.
2. We combined multiple errands today saving both time and gas money.
3. We are staying at some friends house during a trip instead of a hotel.
4. Planned a rough menu for the next few days before shopping.
5. Bought my kids a used soccer ball.
Hi Kristen,
I thought of sharing this after reading about your making croutons with leftover bread (I do that too :)).
I just read a book, after hearing the author interviewed, entitled " Taste and See" by Margaret Feinberg. Pretty interesting and a newly gained perspective of the Bible and food.
If you haven't read it I think you may enjoy it!
We thought that when my spouse received s second airbag recall notice after having the first one done. It turned out the first was the driver's side and the second was the passenger side. I'm glad we checked it out.
1) veggies from Imperfect Produce (is easily half off what I usually pay AND it saves the planet from food being thrown away).
2) planted seeds (for spring plantings. Saves money AND gives me something cheerful to do in January.
3) my husband made thank you cards for me to send out for Xmas presents
4) our Internet supplier (for no reason) gave us a free year of Amazon Prime!
5) set up a year-long thing where I will send weekly prompts to a friend to jump-start her poetry about childhood in West Texas.
1. I have been stashing cubed stale bread in the freezer and when I did a freezer inventory on Jan 1, I realized I had two plastic bread bags full of cubes! So, last week I made an egg bake that served us for a dinner and the next day's lunch and tonight we are having a baked chicken with stuffing. Still have some left but I plan to wipe them out next week making Tuscan tomato soup...so I can start collecting more I suppose.
2. Made hand soap from the bits of hotel soaps the husband has been bringing back from work trips, so no buying it at the store.
3. Found bottled water on sale so bought a few cases to beef up our earthquake emergency supplies.
4. I only carry my cell phone on my person when my husband is gone because my chronic illness includes sometimes fainting without warning. After an episode where I broke a limb and could not get up and had to lie there until he got home many hours later, he insisted that I pull out the phone when he is leaving (it was either that or wearing one of those "Help I have fallen" necklaces). The ancient phone I had finally died and I was getting ready to buy a new one when my wonderful adult nephew mentioned he was going a buy the iPhone 11. I asked to buy his iPhone7 and he gave it to me but refused payment. Made six dozen of his favorite cookies in payment.
5. Poor dog got sick all over the floor. We were able to clean everything up using rags instead of paper towels (we keep some around for things like draining bacon), throwing the rags away afterwards. Present self thanked past self for spending a video cutting up old clothing for rags and stashing bags of them in the kitchen, bathroom and garage.
That is the single best use of mature bread I have ever seen -- kudos!!
1. Received a gift card for Longhorn, which came with a $10 coupon, AND had a free appetizer coupon, for which we always get the chicken wings to go. Since we always split the 10oz filet, we had lunch twice, and the wings along with a loaf of bread to go, gave us a total of 3 meals for two people for zip, zilch, nada.
2. Our local grocery store was having dollar doublers. We saved $38, while only spending $16, mostly on always need toothpaste and toiletries.
3. $15. in Kohls cash, and a 40% off Sale gave us pjs for our Grandson's birthday for only $5.72.
4. My husband is taking part in a medical study which is test medication his doctor is very in favor of, so the medication is free, no co-pay for office visit and they pay him $75. a month.
5. New York is eliminating single use bags on March 1st. Spectrum is giving free reusable bags just for the asking. My husband has acquired over 45 reusable bags from various sources without spending a dime.
1) eating out of the fridge/freezer/pantry this month and DH went to the grocery store for the first time in 2020 today. Just milk and cream. $9.88. We’ll see how long we can hold out on this.
2) declined to go to the mall with my daughter so I wouldn’t be tempted to spend money.
3) talked myself out of buying lunch out today
4) cancelled my hair appointment -I’m going to let it grow at least another month
5) got DH to agree that we’ll wait at least 72 hours before buying something we think we need
Hi Kirsten
Went away for a few days so my budget went out the window spoilt the grandchildren and fuel costs were high. My New Years resolution only lasted till the 2 January. I am home now so will get back on track as of today. I need to shop later so will be mindful. I am praying hard for all the homes lives and animals lost here in Australia. I’m afraid we are on fire in most parts of Australia but relatively safe here in Western Australia. So many courageous people here helping in every way possible and we have I see a contingency of America’s firefighters here also. We are so grateful for the worlds support. I guess we will not know the extent of loss until fires are under control. Our church members are looking at ways to help those in need and we will always have our home open for those who need shelter.
We in this home have a great deal to be thankful for and feel blessed for life’s simple things. Have a great week and thank you for your wonderful blog. Blessings Brigitte
1. Bought a 3-lb bag of Fuji apples for 98 cents. That's a rare find in my neck of the woods.
2. Bought half-price Christmas gift wrap. Went through all of my gift wrap and bags and made a list of what I still need so I can keep an eye out for next year.
3. Doing a freezer/pantry challenge.
4. Using a free calendar from a local sub shop in my home office this year. Usually I like to splurge on really pretty calendars but I hardly ever use my office. I usually just sit at the dining room table to take care of bills, etc. Plus the sub calendar has discount and free coupons each month. 🙂
5. The usual suspects: packing lunches, using the library, watching stuff for free on YouTube, etc.
1. I'm always struggling with finding light gifts to send to my family overseas on birthdays and Christmas. Sometimes I send an electronic giftcard or order something locally, but it's nice to send something personal. This Christmas I really rocked the kitchen scale to maximize package weight. I just sent my sister a gift that was just a few grams below the max for the next price category 🙂
2. My husband wears his clothes until they are threadbare, and then he buys something super expensive that is supposed to last a "life time". I convinced him this time to try Nordstrom Rack to find several pairs of good quality pants and shoes he needed, getting a big discount. I hope they last! Nothing against life time clothes, but $300 shoes just is out of our budget. I did buy him an American Giant hoodie for Christmas, and the quality does seem worth the price.
3. Meanwhile, I've been eyeing a light-weight, packable winter jacket for 3 years. I suppose that means I still want/need it. Eddie Bauer had a 60% off sale of winter jackets, and I had some rewards and gift cards to cover the cost. I hope it will be worth it!
4. Eating a ton of leftovers.
5. Moving money into the savings account from selling some books and games.
Bonus, signed the kids up for spring sports before the prices went up, yay.
Hey Kristina, don't know if this helps but sometimes I buy gifts online with low or free delivery to be delivered to one of my peeps interstate who then wraps it for the recipient, I've done this with books from book depository with free shipping, major department stores online shopping with a branch interstate with free click & collect, & ebay stores with free click & collect arrangements from department stores. I have also bought bargains in advance to post several presents in the one standard postage bag (I wrap the items & then wrap in bubble wrap) & the helpful recipient puts them away until birthday time.
Five frugal things for us was a little hard for us last week with our youngest headed back to college and needed tuition/room & board paid, books and supplies...ugh!!! Even so, here's what we did.
1. Rented her college textbooks rather than purchasing. Doing this saved a ton of money.
2. Sold back the majority of her purchased textbooks from last semester and put the cashback into her bank account for emergency expenses.
3. My late inlaw's house has sold and needed to be emptied of the little furniture left for staging purposes. We were the recipients of a beautiful bedroom set that has been used to fill a bedroom emptied when our middle daughter moved into her first home.
4. I make the majority of gifts that are given for holidays, birthdays, babies, weddings, etc. So, when my daughter determined she needed a couple more skeins of yarn to complete a blanket she is crocheting, we took advantage of coupons and a buy two, get one free sale. She got what she needed and I got enough free yarn to make blankets for two babies due in 2020!
5. Swapped books with a friend. Now we both have new stuffing to read!
Not much in the way of frugality but I will try,
1. My mother had surgery yesterday and I managed to find on street parking. Total for two parks was $5 and that is cheaper than the hospital station.
2. Both my daughters are marrying this year and there was a very specific dress Pip wanted for Mia's flower girl dress. It was on sale and I hustled her off to the store. For $50 (AUS) Mia now has her dress for the wedding and a lovely summer dress fro next year.
3. Pip went to Target to try on a dress for her friend's wedding, Yet another one and another bridesmaid outfit. I found reduced Christmas paper that could also be used throughout the year.
4. I had frozen some dinners before Christmas in preparation so I had easy meals for mum. Both her hands have had a number of trigger finger releases and she looks like a boxer right now.
5. I also found some pieces of meat on mark down.
1.Eating foods we already have on hand in the freezer and the pantry....
2.Taking a bag of fruit and snacks with me while I was at the hospital with my mom for her knee surgery...( I did buy a cup of oatmeal and a grilled cheese later.. but avoided all overpriced vending machines!)
3.Took advantage of a deal at Target online and had them deliver( for free) my Tp, detergent, tissues etc..
4. chatted with Target customer service online to get my $15 promo gift card that they forgot to send me for my deal
5. stocked up on razor blades at a local going out of business sale.. price per unit is lower than I would pay on Amazon( where I find this particular brand) so I bought the remaining 6 packs - so we are set for a little while
6.
1. As I continue to work on decluttering, I am taking some of the nicer clothing items to the consignment shop. So far I have made. $20 here.
2. I made a trip to the mall to purchase a coat for my granddaughter. We purchased a coat with a regular price tag of $109. I paid $33.
3. I bought a top for myself also. After the discounts I paid $4.00 for a $35.00 top.
4. I have been fixing meals from what ‘i have in the freezer and refrigerator on preparation for transferring the remaining items to the new frig coming next week.
5. I am making new curtains for my grandson’s room from fabric in my stockpile, No cost.
1. Still breastfeeding my 14 month old
2. Will pay my car insurance in full to save about $200
3. Bringing my son and niece to an indoor play area, for his birthday, instead of doing a large party
4. Cooked all meals at home
5. Rented a game from our local Toy Library
Ah I don't think I can do 5 but I have avoided takeaway all this wk! this is huge for me I had so much to do last year & was so tired but I prayed God would help & he got me my mojo back - I made a vat of seasoned ground beef & vegies at the start of the wk which fed me three nites & I froze the rest in single serves. I also came up with some great new lunch options to keep me going through the day that don't take much effort - Thurs was avo & ham with 2 poached eggs on toast, today I will make ham & cheese sandwiches to freeze 4 when I can't think of a lunch option - or dinner come to think of that - I bought a bag of dimmys (Australian large beef & cabbage dumplings which are either fried or steamed) to microwave when I want to succumb to the lure of takeaway & the other nite had an epiphany - I cooked 2, sliced them in half & put btwn 2 slices of bread- not the worlds most nutritious meal but it was hot, delicious, & filling, & cost about 70 cents.
Woohoo for avoiding takeout!!
1. Have started the year with our annal purge, cleaning out tons of stuff and have listed several things on our local FB page to sell. Made some money in the process!
2. Didn't go to the grocery this week and only spent about $10 on a few necessary items. (Milk, onions, and pears for our favorite green smoothies.) Everything else has come from food we already had.
3. Daughter has been wanting a new larger bed (she still has a twin) and I found a beautiful old full size on our neighborhood FB page for $75. Much better quality than Ikea or something comparable and I should be able to recoup most of the cost when we sell her twin.
4. I don't decorate much for anything other than Christmas but found some adorable valentine's mugs that I loved. Got four of them for $5 after I applied store credit and a gift card!
5. Agreed to paint my daughter's room and she liked a color we already had a nearly full gallon of leftover from a prior project. New look for her room for $0!
1. I cancelled my Audible and Disney+ subscriptions before the free trials ended.
2. Ate from the freezer for last two nights and today’s lunch.
3. Received $10 off my groceries today thanks to a rewards program.
4. I got a full day’s babysitting gig this week.
5. Drank coffee from home, turned power points off at the wall, stocked up on my favourite biscuits which were half price, read a book instead of turning the tv on and made a bunch of snack platters with all the little leftover snacks.
Thank goodness the holidays are over and we are getting back on track -- trying to!
1. Returned 2 unwanted Christmas presents ( for husband) to TJ Maxx and Ross before the time ran out for refunds. Or I lost the receipt 😉
2. Renewed all the library books I took out for vacation and travel to out of state family ON LINE. It was so easy.
3. Used a gift card for dinner with daughter and husband. Had to add a bit in but it was so worth it.
4. Am happily using my old phone (yes, the Smithsonian called and wants it) even though my present was to go buy a new phone. I think I will download all the important stuff (pictures! address/contact numbers, etc.) to a safe place and just wait for it to expire on it's own. Then, the Smith is welcome to it.
5. Getting temp. crown next week -- my nice dentist offered to finish it in the new year since I had used up the 2019 allotment. Also, taking care of my teeth while I still have dental coverage. So I can enter my dotage with healthy chompers.
6. Finally, bought some stuff for myself (cold medicine) and my mom while on vacation, using store coupons, sales, etc. CVS sent me 5 dollars in ECBs for soup or tissues and hoped I would be feeling better soon. Nice! So I picked up a bunch of free tissues. Also found my favorite and hard to find dental floss on sale and used some other ECBs to buy up several.
Ooo sorry to blather on but this one goes to my husband and may be useful to others. I dropped my $5 Friday rotisserie chicken on the front porch where it slithered out of it's carrier and skidded across where a welcome mat would be if we had one. There was cussing, not gonna lie.
But my cheerful husband said, give me the receipt and maybe they will replace it. I was skeptical but replace it they did, without hesitation! He was polite and we are long time customers. It is our local VONS and we were happy. So, it is worth a try!
1. Schlepped a kitchen aid (originally from a yard sale, gift from boyfriend's family who wasn't using it) in our free checked luggage from MI to NYC. Have used that kitchen aid to make challah and sandwich bread so far
2. Using clementine peals and some extra spices (that are older and need to be used) in boiling water to make the apt smell nice.
3. The boyfriend made chicken stock out of saved chicken bones/veggie bits from the freezer.
4. Went to potluck book club. I brought clementines ($5) and had a FEAST of other delights.
5. After checking the different apps, took an uberpool (the best deal at that moment) home without having to share the ride at all in the end. My train was messed up and I wanted to treat myself in a frugal way. Spent just over $10 including tax and tip for a trip that usually costs $25-$40.