Five Frugal Things | with some tiny things
1. I made pudding with slightly sour milk
Milk is a challenge for the two of us! It seems like we are always either running out too soon, or we have too much to use in time.
I will figure this out eventually.
But since I haven't figured this out yet...I used some slightly sour milk to make this chocolate pudding.
And the rest was just enough to make some cinnamon bread, so I froze that, labeled appropriately, so that I remember what it's for!
2. I used an Amazon gift card to buy a book
My friend who is a pastor recommended a Kate Bowler book called, "Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day", which is a funny title.
Our library only had it in an ebook version (boo) and copies weren't cheap on eBay, so I added it to my Amazon cart.
And then I remembered that I had a $25 Amazon gift card because someone had bought a propane tank refill from Cynch through my affiliate link. So I poked through my email to find it, and yay, my book was free to me then.
3. I fixed a shirt
This shirt has some underwire shaping built in, and you know how sometimes the underwire on bras pokes through?
That happened on the shirt!
So I took a needle and thread and just hand-sewed both of the ends closed. This fabric texture, plus the print, made it very easy to make my fix invisible.
We'll see how long my fix holds!
Chiquita was interested in my thimble, which I was using because this fabric was oddly hard to push a needle through.
4. I resisted college Chick Fil A again
This week I have two all-day simulation labs (where we take care of fake patients in the lab) and they are right next to the Chick-fil-A. But I ate my little peanut butter sandwich and strawberries and trail mix instead. 🙂
5. tiny little things
I can't think of an interesting thing to put here...just tiny little things.
Like:
- I used my Target debit card when I picked up a few groceries, because it gives me 5% back
- I made scrounge-through-the-fridge meals
- I made my coffee at home
- I've been using meats from the freezer for our meals
Re: milk, we switched to nut milk largely for the same reason. It keeps forever, and my husband and I can’t go through regular milk that fast. We always have heavy whipping cream on hand for coffee and cooking, and watering it down works perfectly for those few baking recipes where nut milk won’t sub in.
FFT, DIY Edition
—I cut open two big shipping boxes to use as drop clothes for staining and varnishing.
—I repainted our small porch for the cost of new brushes. ($2.99–the wood was quite rough even after sanding, so why ruin good brushes?) I had found a 1/2 gallon of KILZ interior/exterior paint in “gun metal gray” in the garage, which was close enough to the black we wanted that it saved me a paint purchase. The lid was so rusted on that I had to pry it off with a crowbar (!!!) but the paint inside was thankfully still good. It proved the perfect amount for two coats, too!
— I belatedly realized that the KILZ porch paint was the leftovers from when the previous owners painted the bottom kitchen cabinets. The color looks so different in different light that I held the stir stick up to the cupboards to make sure I was right! “Gun metal gray” is a pretty purple-gray in our kitchen vs. straight dark gray outside. Thus, the dregs of the can went to touching up cat scratches (one of our boys is determined to open the cat food cupboard on his own one day). I made a paint card with a big swipe/sample of paint and the reference numbers for whenever we need to get more for touch-ups rather than keep the tetanus can I emptied.
--Our rain barrel and overflow container are finally set up! I was able to have the existing downspout shortened to the needed length vs. buying new. This was the hardware store owner's idea, as he would have had to sell me a whole 10 ft length otherwise. He refused to charge me for cutting it. I love small businesses.
—In a similar vein, the hardware store didn't have any PVC pipe for attaching the barrel to its overflow container. However, the owner told me I could just stop by the local plumber to go through their pipe discard bins. They keep random parts and cut-offs from projects—it was basically like playing PVC Legos! For $5, I was able to find exactly the three pieces of pipe I needed, already cut to a usable length. Yay small businesses and small towns.
@N, I stopped even keeping dairy milk on hand. My kids don't drink it anymore, we don't eat cereal, and with my new dairy allergy it just makes sense to keep soymilk on hand. It works fine in mac and cheese and other small applications.
1. I took a walk with a friend. Free entertainment.
2. Watched shows on hoopla! which the library provides access to for free.
3. Meals at home using what we have. Mostly just buying produce since we have plenty of other food stuffs.
4. I need to bake several batches of cookies and I will choose recipes based on what we have and need to use up.
5. I drank apple cider vinegar mixed with water yesterday when I started to feel indigestion. It worked like a charm. Thanks to Google for the suggestion.
Throughout the week I think, "Well, that's something to note on Tuesday!" And now it's Tuesday. Hmm.
*I mended: a toy, a duster, and a towel.
*I tried to use up some older things in the pantry: an odd bit of yellow split peas, some lentils, ancient fruit in the freezer, etc.
*We ate leftovers for lunch mostly.
*I made bread at home. And coffee.
*This is my favorite one. Four of the kids and I went to a free square dance at the town hall on Sunday afternoon. We all had so much fun, and I was surprised that even my 8-year-old picked it up easily.
I was near a Panera with a drive through and pulled through to get my Birthday Pastry reward. Noticed there was a free pastry on my app near expiration so I grabbed that also! Told the worker to surprise me ! My mom and I shared the chocolate pastry on our drive home and that was one of the BEST (even day old) cinnamon rolls the next morning!
Ordered me some American Eagle Pants online (plus sized) with a coupon to see how they fit. Returned the ones that did not fit well!
Ordered pizza hut when I was feeling lazy and got the free birthday breadsticks also! lol
My husband had a dosage change on a prescription and when I picked it up they let me use the coupon for *new or transferred script* thus adding a $15 coupon to my store account!
Scheduled my grocery pick up for work( I buy all the snacks for my school snack menu) so stopped at BJ's to grab the bulk, stopped into Einsteins Bagel shop to get my free breakfast birthday sandwich and a juice(only paid for the overpriced juice) and ate my lunch while I waited for the walmart people to bring the order to my car! Then went back to work and put it away! Got paid for the whole time! lol
arrived to an appointment early so I wandered Walgreens for a few minutes. Found a stick of Mens Dove antiperspirant for .88 on clearance! Snagged that and a refill jug of hand soap on clearance for $4.99. Found an Ibotta for a $1.00 off later and scanned the receipt!
1. I might have mentioned this last week, but I bought a red light machine from Alibaba that was a fraction of the price charged by American companies, and theirs are made by the same company.
2. I bought the most glittery, embroidered, sequined Indian skirt from my textile dealer friend. He only charged me $15 and it fits like it was made for me. Hot pink and bright orange, it's not my usual thing but I'm delighted with it.
3. Frugal fail: I made Mrs. Scorsese's red sauce with meat I had my son pick up. FAIL. He never pays attention to prices. I might as well have added some gold leaf to the sauce while I was at it.
4. Fixed the car trunk latch problem myself.
5. That's all I could think of.
@Rose, what is the purpose of a red light machine?? (And no jokes about a side hustle here!)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, There went THAT joke.
Pretty much everything is claimed for them, but they're supposed to be good for chronic illnesses and pain, especially fibromyalgia. And the red light can speed up the respiration process in cells and increase ATP--and I personally believe that mitochondrial failure leading to low production of ATP is what causes chronic fatigue syndrome, which I've had since 1990. (sigh) They're also supposed to be good for the skin.
@Rose, Ooh! Your skirt sounds so fun!!
@Ruth T, I do owe my friend a pic of me modeling the skirt but too tired to go get it. Here's one of the pics he sent me.
https://ibb.co/prP9pwW
@Rose, geez, I was all set with starting an entire thread about your new red light district. This group could have gone on for days. 😀
But glad to hear it's for medicinal purposes only.
@Rose,
that's the kind of skirt I would love to buy for myself!
@Anne, They say all sorts of activities are good medicine.
@Anne,
My mind went immediately to a favorite song by The Police. We could modify the lyrics to "Rose, nahhh.....you don't have to put on the red light". 😉
@Rose,
That skirt sounds amazing, and I find it's good for the soul to sometimes step out of your comfort zone. I have several (okay, many) reversible sari skirts made from recycled saris - probably not as glittery or embroidered as yours is, but the color combos and fabric designs are really unique and fun.
My daughter says she'll take a pic of me in the skirt tomorrow. If anyone cares, ha! But I do need to send one to my pal anyway...
I'd take one myself but it's hard to take a pic of an ankle length skirt on my own. Yes, that's how long it is.
@Rose, this is just too weird to not tell you about: today I went to a new dr. about the neuropathy in my feet and one of the therapeutic protocols is RED LIGHT THERAPY!! I never heard of it until today, then here it is twice.
@WilliamB, I'm sure there is a formula to convert it to a steps equivalent value lol. Wait, I am behind the times, there is probably an app for that (says the person who absolutely despises apps. I have two apps I put on my phone. It was a forced situation for both (wireless headset is one of them). Off my soapbox.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, what kind of doctor did you see for your neuropathy? I am so distressed over my feet, and taking drugs is only moderately helpful.
@Rose, would this be like a heat lamp for muscle aches or pain?
@Anne, there seems to be a side hustle theme this week. ?????
FFT, Winter Into Spring Edition (updated from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(1) With the latest thaw, found change is picking up again. I have 56 cents so far for the month of February, which is an improvement on January’s 3 cents.
(2) And with the latest thaw, the secrets of snowdrifts in the form of redeemable bottles and cans are again being revealed. Also, I commend the young man who wrote this article about his bottlepicking grandfather for the NY Times (here’s the link, if you can get over the NYT paywall: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/opinion/redeeming-cans-bottles.html). Here’s hoping that we actually get an expanded bottle bill passed in NY State this year, so that all of us bottlepickers/canners/whatever can get a raise.
(3) I spent Sunday afternoon making beef stock with a full bag of beef bones from the freezer, since I’d used up the last of my homemade beef stock in my most recent pot roast.
(4) I had a productive morning out on Monday at my local Lowe’s and Salvation Army. First, I had to go to Lowe’s to recycle some defunct CFL/LED light bulbs and buy furnace filters anyway, so I stopped to look over the clearance rack for houseplants, since I’m craving a little variety in my little sunroom. I found one of those pots of three different types squished together that looked salvageable, for $7.98 plus tax. I’ll divide the three plants into their own pots, thereby getting three new-to-me plants for under $3 apiece. (Honestly, I’m not even sure what two of these are–but I’ve been wrangling houseplants since my college years, and I’ll do the research.)
(5) I then found a working table lamp at the Salvation Army for half off $15, or $7.50. It could use a somewhat nicer shade, but I need a lamp for my guest room, and the lamp body seems to be solid brass. (Whatever it is, it’s heavy as @#$!.) And I’m trying to talk JASNA BFF into coming up here for a visit to see the solar eclipse on 4/8, so I may need a lamp for that room sooner rather than later.
@A. Marie,
You can also use that lamp for self-defense! Two things for the price of one!
@JD, I can see the headline in the National Enquirer now: "Elderly Frugalista Knocks Burglar Unconscious with $7.50 Thrift Store Lamp."
@A. Marie, I'd be proud to be the subject of that headline. The police would be making SO MANY jokes at the burglar's expense.
@A. Marie,
Don’t forget to add "(Marked down from $15.00.)" to the headline or else you’re burying the lede.
@A. Marie, AND, that article is so great (go high school student getting his first NYT byline!) and makes me want to drive my bottles to NYstate
Oooh, I hope the visit with your friend works out. It's fun to get a room set up for a visitor. 🙂
@A. Marie, I also hope that NY increases the bottle redemption rates. But since the state gets to keep the majority of uncollected monies for the general budget it's probably unlikely.
1. I sold a pair of Birkenstocks and a coat, both bought on sale but never used. Got my money back and made $30. Spent that money on a handheld steamer so it will be easier to get the other clothes I have in my sale-pile presentable and ready for picture taking.
2. Got our IKEA PAX for the bedroom yesterday. They had two days of free shipping and I was so lucky to check their website for something else just then. By saving $600 in shipping it was finally possible to get a real wardrobe. We’ve had a KALLAX shelf and Elfa wire drawers since we moved here 14 years ago and I cannot express how nice it will be to get doors to close.
3. Will use the old clothing system from the bedroom in the basement for our camping gear.
4. Number 3 lead to us checking what it will cost to remove the old kerosene tank in the basement to get more room. But it turned out it wasn’t empty as we had been told when buying the house so it will cost an additional $1200 to empty and clean it. We’re buying masks with chemical filter today to see if we can empty it ourselves. If that works my partner will try to remove the tank himself since it has been so much back and forth with the company we contacted and they haven’t even started on the real job yet.
5. Cut my own hair thanks to YouTube and thinning shears from mum.
Here are some small things:
1. I somewhat unintentionally did dry February as I didn't go to any bars and didn't buy any alcohol at home.
2. I gave up chocolate for Lent. I'm not religious but am doing it as a willpower exercise. Nearly two weeks in so far!
3. I line-dried clothes.
4. I cancelled a subscription.
5. I borrowed books from the library.
We decided to get new flooring in the kitchen & utility room as ours was in bad shape. We decided it was best to let someone younger do most of the work. So not particularly frugal but...
We tore our the old flooring ourselves.
The utility room really needed repainted, I already had the paint, roller and brushes. Painting was easy. I did not have to do all the walls.
We tore trim down and got it all painted.
Hubs moved appliances.
The company did an awesome install, helped get appliances back in place, put up all the trim & cleaned up.
@Mar,
If hiring someone younger to do the work prevented ER visits, doctor bills, PT/acupuncture/medical massage bills, days spent in bed recovering, cost of anti-inflammatories, etc., I'd call that frugal. 🙂
@Liz B., me too. Which is why we hired out a huge job. If we were both 20 years younger, we'd could have done it but not in a mere 3 days. As we age, work smarter not harder is a mantra as is don't be penny wise and pound foolish.
--Just finished mixing up the next batch of sourdough, which will make four loaves of bread, plus garlic bread for dinner tomorrow night. I get flour from Sysco for .50 per pound and obviously, since it's sourdough, I don't buy yeast. Cheap bread. Also delicious.
--Today is a day off from work, and so will be a kitchen day for me. Besides baking the bread, I'll make a batch of chili beans (just pinto beans with chili seasonings) for meatless Fridays in Lent, use up the liquid from pressure-cooking yet more bull meat in a soup (which will also finish up some shredded beef I had on hand) for dinner tomorrow, and also make something for dinner tonight.
--Husband installed the new oven igniter, so I can bake again.
--Woodstove is going to heat the house, burning wood my husband got free from our neighbor.
--Basketball season is over for my middle son, which means a lot less long drives to games, and a lot less gas to buy. Of course, weekly physical therapy and its long drives will be starting in a few weeks, but I won't think about that yet . . .
This is my first time posting, been reading and loving the blog for a while though 🙂
1. We had some old apples in the fruit bowl so I made apple cinnamon muffins and they were delicious!
2. Our new kitchenette fitout at work has a Nespresso machine so I bought pods from Aldi and I made my coffee at the office everyday instead of buying one
3. My friend and I caught up for lunch on Saturday, and we ate leftover homemade pizza at her house instead of eating out
4. We had ended up with masses of basil in our veggie patch so I made pesto and then used it in 3 different dinners that week.
5. My skirt developed a small hole at one of the seams so I mended it (my sewing skills are basic but thankfully this was an easy job!)
@Sophie, Welcome to the Club of Those Who Post! Come on in, the water's fine.
@Sophie, Welcome!
@Sophie, welcome! And if you have masses of basil in your veggie patch in late February, I'm guessing that you are from Down Under?
Welcome, welcome!!
@Sophie, welcome to the Frugalista Commentariat! (Basil in February??)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Oooh, I like that name. Can we adopt it (semi-)officially?
@A. Marie, correct! I’m from Queensland, Australia (summer in a tropical climate!)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, thanks for the welcome! I’m from Australia 🙂 Though I live in the tropics so basil grows year round!
@Kristen, thank you! Great to be here
@WilliamB, haha thanks for the welcome!
1. For a family get-together, I purchased a quart bottle of kids’ organic juice on clearance – paid $1.89 vs. the mind-boggling original price of $6.29.
2. Made a big pot of Cream of Wheat and portioned it into individual jars for breakfasts. In the morning, I add milk and heat the jar in the microwave. When I’m feeling really fancy, I add some sugar or maple syrup.
3. Combined a distant medical appointment with a stop at a discount foods store and a favorite thrift store (enjoyed perusing while buying nothing).
4. Found a terrific thrift store just a few miles from my house. They had all of the items on my list for much less than Goodwill.
5. Picked up puzzles at City Hall at the free puzzle exchange.
1/ did not purchase pre-made packages of quinoa for my salads. I have salads at least 4-5 days for lunch each week and have been quite lazy about cooking my own quinoa to go into it. Found a bag of uncooked quinoa in our cupboard that would make about a million servings if cooked up, cooled, portioned out and frozen appropriately, so I am doing that instead. Insanely proud of this achievement!
2/ finally bit the bullet and acknowledged that my 8-10 week hair salon visits, while lovely, are EXPENSIVE and found a well-rated salon walking distance from home that is substantially less so. It's not free, and it's not super-cheap, but the quality is still excellent and it is a solid saving so I am calling that a win for the wallet.
I have quite a bit of milk in my freezer. Cinnamon bread would be a great use of it!
1. While at Walmart, I found some kids dress boots on a clearance rack with no clearance price sticker, so I used the Walmart app to see how much they were. They were $1 a pair! So I bought them in all 3 sizes they had. My daughter loves them.
2. I mended an Elsa costume that had a giant rip in a seam.
3. I made a turkey from my freezer, which will be meat for 4ish dinners. Then I made broth from the carcass. I used the chilly outdoors to cool the broth and I'll freeze it today.
4. I started my tomato and pepper seeds. My kids also wanted to start a lot of flower seeds, so we should have a good amount of flowers this year, too.
5. I made fajitas last night to use up some past-their-prime green peppers. They worked great in the dish, but I know that no one would have eaten them raw.
Really working on my freezers and pantry. Rando finds!
Doing a lot of online shopping. Putting things in carts. Not buying anything in said carts. Not really needed!
Renewed my expired library card. I use it daily!
Walking dog for exercise and doing YouTube stretching videos.
Making homemade granola. My sons are into granola right now.
Why "boo" for availability of ebooks?
I myself still love holding a book in my hand to read, but because I also want quicker access to some books, I put a hold on ebooks, too, at our library.
You can easily download the Kindle app for your phone, tablet or computer. (I read on my iPad all the time now. I never ever thought I would do that. But it's also now easier to mark passages I like and to quickly make screen shots of them to save (Saves time, resources of photocopying with paper as I often did in the past. )
Ebooks also seem to be "returned" more quickly than print books making them far more available when you want them. Plus, some books now only come in an ebook.
I bring it up because it took me years to start reading online. Now, ironically, I find it harder to read books that I have to hold in my hand!
But if looking at a screen deters you from reading, well, then it's a no-go.
Another thing about ebooks for me: Less expensive to buy than print books. And also, at this point with a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) library, I'm looking to stay digital.
Because I can so easily access digitally on a variety of devices, I consider more and different types of books. And I read more often on the fly because I don't have to carry books around anymore, thankfully.
Did I ever think I'd read on my phone? Never, but I do now whenever I am forced to wait for appointments. It makes me less annoyed when apts run late. FYI: I have a lot of apps on my phone but I only really use it to read on the fly , or apps I need for transportation on the fly. OK, every now and then, I'll put in ear buds and watch TV shows or listen to radio (Mostly have done this while in ER! When hospitalized, a real lifesaver. I'm not taking my iPad into an environment with tons of strangers coming and going and no place to lock it up.)
I guess it also depends on where/when you are reading. But having faster access to a book and not needing to carry it around! Yes, please.
I think you do an excellent job of avoiding temptation for local takeout while you are at classes.
@Irena,
E-books are so polarizing! As a confirmed bibliophile, let me give my take on it.
Some books, such as vintage books, will never feel the same in electronic format. I find a lot of older books, that have been converted to e-books, are done sloppily, with bad editing and bad formatting. If I want to revisit an old favorite I want it to remind me of the first time I read it (I still miss my first copy of Little Women, that finally fell apart, and I've never found it again with those lovely illustrations that will always be the March family in my mind). For this reason my Agatha Christie, Miss Read, Flannery O'Connor, Shirley Jackson, Peg Bracken, etc are all paper format. Same with my Star Trek books.
E-readers can be easily broken in a bag, or sat upon. I once had a Kindle that was broken by my two year old stepping on it. If he'd stepped on a paperback book, no biggie. If I'm out and about, and want to read, I'd worry about losing my Kindle, less so about a 10 buck paperback book.
That said, there are some books I'm happy to borrow via Kindle Unlimited, books I don't intend to collect or keep, such as the Sister Joan mysteries. I first discovered them in a library in hard copy, but have never found them in any library since. I was pleased to find them free to borrow on my Kindle.
New, highly-touted books, I am happy to read them via e-book, and return them quickly if I find I dislike them. So many of the "hot reads" are disappointing and formulaic, so I'd hate to have a paper copy of them bumping around and annoying me until I get it back to the library.
@Karen A., Try abebooks.com to find another copy of that edition of Little Women.
@Karen A., I personally will always go for paper over digital books if I can, however, if an ebook is the only option at the library I will read it online. I just prefer the tangibility of paper books!
@Irena, I read books both ways. One thing I really like about Kindle books is the ability to look up the definition of a word right then and there. Just highlight the word and the definition pops up. I've tried this with paper books and sadly, it doesn't work.
@Dee in AZ, ditto.
@Irena, I read "boo" to mean FG doesn't like them for herself.
Personally I prefer paper in most circumstances. I can read it faster, can skim more effectively, can loan them to others, can peruse others' bookshelves to see what they like, and can write notes in them. I know some of these options are available for ebooks as well but they don't work as well for me. The only time I read digitally is if I run out of books when traveling.
OTOH so many of my bookworm friends love them. Whatever works for you, eh?
@Karen A., I love how books smell.
@Lindsey, YES. DH stifled a laugh when we went to Half Price Books a few weeks ago and I found a few books I wanted, I actually sniffed them first. Nothing is worse than finding a book that you want but the previous owner/reader (in the case of library books) was a heavy smoker or perfume user. Can my books just smell like books, please?
Try this, guys?
https://demeterfragrance.com/paperback.html
I have a terrible sense of smell--I need the surgery Kristen had a while back--so I don't really know what a book smells like, unless it's really old and dusty.
@Irena and Everybody,
I’m in the camp of paper books first, e-books if forced to.
However, I saw something on the beach that forever makes me glad that e-books exist: a person sitting nearby was reading from an iPad. She had the font raised so that just about one word fit on the screen. Seriously, I could read it from my chair, not very close by. I am so so glad that the tablet allows this person to read books. She was avidly devouring her book.
@Irena, I like reading both ways - they both bring different conveniences/pleasures. I like a book if I'm going to be lounging somewhere outside and I like the feel of turning pages. I like reading on my iPad if I'm on a plane/traveling or reading a short book. I particularly appreciate the e-books because I can read at night in bed without disturbing my husband. It has come in handy for those times when I wake up at 3:00 and can't fall back asleep. Curse those dang perimenopausal symptoms!!!
Oh, I'm not upset that it's available in an ebook. I'm annoyed that it's ONLY available in an ebook. I really, really prefer paper books, no matter how often I try ebooks!
@Irena, to add to 'Why “boo” for availability of ebooks?', let me add "boo" to Kindle app'. Makes me wonder how soon society cannot function without a ^&^#@ app. And with each and every "download this", a part of society gets left behind - need a phone, need a tablet, need internet.
1. Gave two home haircuts to kids, and trimmed my own hair. I'm so glad it's grown out from my unfortunate Pandemic Pixie Cut of 2021. It's down to my shoulders and I can easily trim some dead ends that were bothering me.
2. I found a cup of dried brown lentils in the pantry, not enough for a soup or casserole (and the family prefers red lentil soup anyway). I cooked them with some rice in the rice cooker, and froze the result in lunch-size servings. Lenten lunches for me for a while.
3. My electric kettle I bought five years ago bit the dust. Admittedly it was a fairly cheap Amazon purchase, so I'm amazed it lasted that long. I loved using an electric kettle, as I never had to worry about it boiling dry, as happened to me five years ago (hence me buying an electric kettle). DH tried manfully to fix it (fixing is frugal!) but said the construction was such that it couldn't be fixed. Rather than buy another Made In China, likely to break kettle, he ordered a copper stovetop kettle handmade in India. He said he'd rather us invest in something likely to last, and I'll use it on a little hotplate so I don't risk our rental's stovetop. We'll see what the kettle is like when it gets here.
4. There were no boneless, skinless chicken thighs to be had at the store, so instead I pivoted and used drumsticks (which were, happily, on sale) and for the first time in my life pulled the skin off them so they'd be more like the chicken I'm used to cooking. I haaate chicken skin. Everybody liked them, and one kid in particular said, "Oh, I LOVE drumsticks!" so I will probably use the cheaper drumsticks for chicken night from now on.
5. Library books, no coffees or teas out, and on my daily walk I picked up litter and got two books from the other Little Free Library in our neighborhood, and put some books out in our LFL.
@Karen A., I am all for LFL. I'm kinda out in the sticks sad to say. But despite garage "saling" as well as donating books, I still have an ample supply of books, in totes, in the basement. During the pandemic, I made the offer to a neighbor (my BN as A. Marie would say) to let her kids borrow books (she had final say as she is their parent). I agreed with her that while reserving books is okay, half the fun of the library is browsing. They did this a couple of times - I even re-homed a couple of books. It was a blast. I set up tables, we all masked up, and the kids got to browse and choose. No firm due dates or "checkout limits" - it was quite fun. One kid ended up with an injury that required said kid to "take it easy". Kid discovered a series of books that whiled away the "take it easy time". These books I had as a kid. Makes me think at times, being a good person qualifies as being frugal.
@Karen A., I had one of those haircuts, too! Grew out fast, but I made a promise to myself not to do that ever again...
I think the scrounge through the freezer meals are the thing that really helps save money.
We go through cycles of using/not using milk. I have never thought of freezing Almond milk, not sure but could possibly use to make ice cream (which is difficult for us to find). Might try.
Five frugal things---
● forgot to punch in my Mperks number at Meijer, so didn't get my digital coupons used for purchased items (or rewards) So I called Mperks customer service & explained situation & was able to get digital coupon (total amount of coupons that would have used) on my Mperks account for future use.
● had expired $$ off total purchase that were few days past & asked cashier if could still use since I had not had day off in weeks & not been to grocery store---saved $$ from expired coupons.
● made it to Sam's club on last day sale & picked up more (teen favorite) frozen pizza
●used gift cards (had earned) for Applebees takeout & got 2 for $25 meal deal.
● making my last purchase with bank card this morning to meet my monthly reward for ×× purchases with bank card. I was 1 purchase short of amount needed for reward last month & did not receive reward (first time in adleast 5 years).
●found my daily medication I take on Amazon for half price I usually pay. Checked after not being able to get for last month & half (I had ran out by time Amazon order came). Will be ordering more soon to stock up/ahead.
Frugal fail---
●I've been working extra hours & extra days for few weeks now, so some days were not frugal because so exhausted & no quick/easy dinners since had not been to grocery store in a month (& teen not interested in soup) so got take out for dinner(s).
●Stopped at (local) bakery to pick up donuts & donut holes (been craving) & later remembered why I have not been there in long time. Donut holes $7.40/dozen! If course I did not know this until paying when told me total (& my mouth fell open!). I asked breakdown of total (receipt only gives total if get receipt) & was shocked. We will not be going back.
●Rakuten has not been issuing email confirmation of online purchases (& I did not realize this until 3rd time purchased items) & I reached out to file for not issued rewards. You need Rakuten confirmation email number to get reward so can't receive anything without that information. Unfortunately no other way to communicate this problem to Rakuten. Disappointed because was money before quarterly release of rewards. I am disappointed that Rakuten has gotten so low on percentage/amount you get for purchases. But something is better than nothing.
I have the same issue with milk, but milk freezes beautifully. I freeze it in two-cup containers when I bring it home from the store, then decant them into a freezer bag so I can use the containers for leftovers. After it thaws, just give it a shake to mix it up when you use it.
And another vote for ebooks - they are no-waste and return themselves when due. No gas used to drive to the library (twice). Available immediately, no waiting. You can put the Libby and Kindle apps on your phone or tablet. Books and audio books for free. It pays to borrow at the library!
I think mine are all little things, too.
1. I'm thawing the turkey I purchased on sale during the holidays. Per the canning instructions, I'll roast it partially done, debone it, make stock of the bones, then finish cooking some of the meat to eat now and I'll pressure-can the rest with the stock as the liquid. I worried so much about losing all of the frozen meat during the hurricane, that even though I didn't lose it, I made the decision to start canning some meat, in case the worst happens to my freezer.
2. I used a broken down cardboard box to cover grass in my garden plot, in preparation for digging a new planting strip.
3. When on vacation with my sister, I mentioned that I should carry scissors in my luggage, but I worry I'd forget that if I ever fly. She just sent me a tiny pair of folding scissors that are TSA approved.
4. While on vacation we shopped thrift stores. We both found some nice bargains on stuff we will actually use. I wore a beautiful cardigan yesterday, found while thrifting. It looks brand new.
5. I'm gathering up tax documents. What with my husband's situation and the hurricane bills and insurance payments, I'm using an accountant, but I pay less if I put all documents in order by classification and circle totals, etc.
@JD, TSA allows scissors less than ... was it 3" or 4"? ... and it doesn't matter how sharp the points are. However, different countries have different rules. Canadian rules include no pointy scissors and, BTW don't include that info on their website.
@WilliamB,
These aren't pointy, so I guess I can get into Canada by air if I need to do so. I don't fly enough to know all those things!
E-books will do in a pinch, but avoiding unnecessary screen time suits me better. I have no concrete reasons—something intuitive tells me to stick to paper.
FRUGALS:
1. Today I have a free consultation with a new doctor about my peripheral neuropathy (acupuncture hasn't helped) because I was one of the first 15 callers. (Maybe I was the only caller. . . )
2. Since I have to go to the Big Town for the appointment, I'll also go to Winco in spite of not really needing to go just yet.
3. Free entertainment: I helped my husband practice his pickleball serves. I don't play because Crocs are not court shoes, but I could retrieve the balls for him and laugh and advise and encourage.
4. Free rocks for landscaping: in between chasing balls, I schlepped rocks up from the river to use as a border in the yard.
5. Subscribed to A Word From Beth, a source of wisdom and encouragement written by our very own Beth from VA, yesterday's Meet-A-Reader. There are paid options, but I m wading in slowly with the free one. (Beth from VA, you wouldn't expect a Frugalista from the Commentariat to pay for something when there is a free option, would you?)
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, FWIW, I used to cry sometimes with peripheral neuropathy, but it did go away after about two years.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
Bless your heart. My husband had diabetic neuropathy over 95% of his body when my kids were little, and it was horrible. He never slept more than two hours at a time, and wore clothes several sizes too big to avoid them rubbing on him, yet that poor man went to work every day because his job gave very little paid time off, and we couldn't afford to use medical leave, which was unpaid. He would take short breaks to nap (with his boss' permission) in his truck. We tried every pain reliever in the book, literally - I had to sign a book for each different prescription we tried, could get only 7-10 pills at a time and had to return the unused ones to the pharmacy for disposal if they didn't work, which none of them did. It lasted 8 months before he had any lessoning of the pain, then slowly, it went away. He hasn't had neuropathy since, thank heavens. I hope you find something to help you with your situation and that it gets gone for good.
@JD, dang, that's brutal. How amazing that it went away. And I guess I need to be thankful it is just my feet.
@Rose, it went away??? That sounds like a real miracle. Mine hasn't made me cry yet, but the loss of hiking or long walks might make me cry if it persists. Walking is my only "sport".
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, forgot the frugal fail of wasting a 1/2 gallon of milk. It was going bad and I decided to try yogurt anyway. It separated while heating, looked very wrong, and didn't smell like something anyone would want to eat. I don't understand how people are able to rescue milk that is turning. . . when mine turns, it is foul.
@JD, My husband had a similar situation after cancer treatment and I used to cry at his agony. Except for his feet, it eventually went away. I am glad we did not have to go through the prescription hassles you did; I had no idea that such rules like signing and returning unused pills could even be a requirement. (Another example of just when you think you have it bad, someone has it worse.)
In my case, this was the early 90s--I would hope treatment has improved since then but it sounds like it hasn't. Sigh. In my case it was my arms and legs, and sometimes I would wake up because the pain was so bad. I had a horrible test where they stuck electric needles in my nerves and agreed, yup, peripheral neuropathy. And then my doc tried to explain the etymology and I snapped at him that it was pretty obvious where the name came from, I'm not an idiot, etc. Sorry, 1991 doc, but I was in pain and no one could help me.
@Lindsey,
These were all controlled substances, the "hard stuff", so I had to sign and all that. I half expected a drug SWAT team to show up kicking in our door, with guns blazing.
Lindsey, I feel for anyone who has or had it, even in a little spot. It's truly painful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, While acupuncture worked better for my facial nerve pain, CBD oil rubbed on it took the pain down a little bit. It made me able to not think about the pain absolutely every second. It was still painful. But less painful.
@JD, I hear ya. My sister has been on methadone for pain for, IDK--20 years now? One, they make you jump through hoops to get it because the medical establishment loves to pick on people with chronic pain and deny them treatment. And two, everyone assumes she was a heroin addict and of course, she wasn't. That said, I did feel awful when Kristen mentioned babies who needed to be held as they were coming off drugs because my own niece was that way. It was stressful and awful when she was born and had to stay in the hospital for a month to titer off the methadone.
@JD, Also I call her Lady Spitback because I'm her terrible older sister.
@Rose, I HATE that test. Nerve conduction test. Torture. I tried a PT, went for a consultation, and he said he needed to do that test before beginning treatment. Nope, not happening. So from there I went for acupuncture, and the needles there are nothing compared to that nerve conduction test. (I had it for shoulders/arms/hands going to sleep a few years ago—never again!)
@Rose, because the feds get their kicks out of busting doctors doing their best to help those in chronic pain. The pill mills in FL,WV, KY etc. got nearly a 20 year pass until they had not choice but to (IMHO) reluctantly bust them. I have a lot of empathy for those in true chronic pain. And a pox for those who rote prescribe. The two times I had outpatient surgery, automatic send of vicodin/oxy. Which I never used and disposed of at Walgreens. Of course the cost was dirt cheap via insurance company.
@Selena,
On the other hand, I had to practically sign my life away to get refills (2 of them) on my oxycodone prescription after my recent total knee replacement. I have a low pain tolerance, am not an addict, and never want to be an addict - I was taking it as prescribed - I just needed it for pain control because Tylenol and ibuprofen weren't enough. I ended up only using a few pills from the second refill.
@Liz B., I'm glad you got the Rx you needed. I don't begrudge those who truly need it but get uber pissed when the truly need it get screwed while the pill mills got/continue to get a free pass. Not sure what state you are in but medical/legal marijuana is a godsend. I'd encourage for those with chronic pain to keep this option open.
Everyone here is so deprived. Peanut butter instead of Chick-fil-A? Seriously? 😉
Has anyone else read this article? It sent me over the edge.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/d-rather-caffeinated-depressed-6-110100987.html
@Bobi, https://www.theonion.com/man-brings-lunch-from-home-to-cut-down-on-small-joys-1819577433
@Rose, that's hilarious.
@Rose, the onion is occasionally hilarious and I loved this one
@Rose,
Oh my gosh, so funny. I'm a big fan of The Onion.
We were skiing most of the week, so our wins are mostly winter travel related:
1) We needed flexible lodging options, as we didn't know if we could ski until the day before we left (we were waiting for the results of DS16's soccer playoff game). We opted to go for a hotel vs a house/condo. We had free points to cover the cost of the hotel, but of course, had to pay for all food. We still came out ahead vs previous ski rentals, but next time, I'll bring a few extra items to keep in the room (bananas, gatorade, etc) as there was a mini fridge.
2) Used our season's pass to get 20% off the exorbitant price of lodge food. Similarly, on our last day, DS16 wanted to ski as long as possible, and the rest of us were done at lunch. We left the mountain for a less expensive lunch option, and picked him up on the way out.
3) Got gas (and lunch for DS16) at Costco. Lunch was under $2, and gas is always less expensive at Costco. Filled up both directions.
4) I was tempted to order dessert for a soccer banquet this week (crazy work week, other school meetings, etc) & priced it out & was staggered by the pricing. Instead, picked up $5 worth of ingredients to make a double batch of homemade brownies on Sunday, and then froze them. Recipe says they freeze great.
5) I've sold three items over the past week, DH & I both received a check for $80 each for a settlement, and I filled out two additional settlements that we're a part of.
Kate Bowler, who has a pretty dramatic medical story and lovely outlook on life despite adversities, has a podcast, too. Everything Happens.
For those from yesterday interested in Side Hustles, there’s a podcast in the same group, Side Hustle School with Chris Gillebeau.
I picked up a box of half price chocolates for my mother for Valentine’s Day. She loves both chocolate and a bargain!
I used three overripe bananas to make banana bread using ingredients I have on hand.
My clever husband made me a spice rack using leftover wood from another project. I love it.
Took three large garbage bags full of bottles to my neighbors who are raising money for a missions trip, and made a cash donation from change I had cashed in.
Not frugal, but I bought a bunch of tulips from the grocery store and they are making me insanely happy every time I walk into the kitchen!
Recycled a bunch of books I have read to my sisters. This is something we do often, have similar reading habits and we are all frugal, so this works. I buy almost all my books from thrift stores and the book table at the library.
Switched our prescriptions to mail order, they are all zero cost this way, and we don’t have to wait in line at the pharmacy. Yay.
I switched to ultrapasteurized milk because our milk situation was stressing me out haha Sometimes we’d run out and sometimes we’d go bad and I couldn’t predict (same issue with bananas too) The ultrapasteurized has a date months out so we never get to the expiration point, and then I can just buy more if I notice the carton is low and I know we will always have milk. It does cost more though, so I guess you’d have to figure out if you waste enough spoiled milk to justify the cost.
I don’t usually comment on fft but since I’m already commenting, I’ll jump in!
1) I sold my kids little tikes cozy coupe on Facebook, since it’s sat untouched now that they ride bikes and scooters. Apparently I priced it too low, as 15 people reached out to me about it. Oh well, at least I made some money, it’s not taking up space here anymore, and it’s being reused rather than someone buying a brand new one.
2) We took a short trip to a cabin in the snow and our friends hosted us for dinner one night and we hosted them the next, so no dining out costs (dining out would have been unpleasant anyways with so many young kids)
3) I’ve stopped doing Sprouts grocery pickup and am back to going into the store so that saves $1.99/week. I did it more because I missed some of the social aspects though, I was friendly with some of the employees there since I’ve shopped there so long and it’s been nice seeing them again!
4) we are taking a trip over spring break, so I bought a southwest gift card from Costco. $450 for a $500 gift card.
5) used credit card points to buy things for the kids Easter baskets
1. We made all our meals at home. I planned meals to use up food. I made some muffins. My daughter baked some cookies.
2. I mended some pants.
3. We made our coffee at home.
4. We checked out books and movies from the library. Our library doesn't charge late fees, so that helps us in the winter. I don't need to worry too much about returning items when the roads are bad.
5. I found a code to reduce the cost of some presents.
Arthritis in my hands makes holding most books uncomfortable, so I was a happy early adopter of e-book technology. Some books, like cookbooks, just don't work on a tablet, though.
My tiny frugal things were getting to the grocery store early yesterday morning to snag some marked down for quick sale items. Also made a loaf of bread that used up two different bags of flour and it came out so lovely and fluffy. Rack-dried a load of laundry. Tended to the pot of transplanted store-bought green onions -- I am trying the regrow your groceries thing and it's working really well. Used rope and a heavy duty bungee cord we had on hand to rig up a tether toy for our new rescued pup from one of the trees in the back yard. She loves tugging on it and our sedate older dog loves the demon puppy being distracted from constantly chasing and chewing on her. 😀
-I ate free dinner at work instead of picking something more appealing up from the store
-cooked all the dinner meals on our vacation, spent a lot on groceries but less than if we went out every night
-husband's birthday is coming up and I have only bought him consumable items and experience gifts. Not really frugal but minimalist.
-checked out library books. Turns out I had already read the one I was most excited to read now. I guess I am attracted to the same covers over and over again...
-used library app for audio books. I don't like reading on my phone but enjoy listening.
At first I thought Chiquita was inspecting your work, but that thimble is pretty tempting. All cats have that same intense stare, lol.
1. I got free medication through the drug company's patient assistance program. This is a new drug and very pricy, so this saves me at least $300-400 per month. I thanked the employee at the doctor's office who told me about it and sent in the forms.
2. I used my library account to watch "This is Going to Hurt" on Hoopla and then borrowed the e-book to read. Great show and book!
3. I ordered a cookbook from Thriftbooks, which was about 1/3 the price of other vendors. My big frugal win, though, was not ordering another 2-3 books to get the "free" shipping. 😉
4. I ate the last container of homemade gluten-free chicken noodle soup from the freezer. I was sad to see it go, because it was a tasty batch. I also finished the dregs of the peanut butter.
5. I washed some yucky rugs and they came out beautifully clean with no stains. I was tempted to toss them. One needs some mending, which I will do because it looks so nice now.
6. I checked into Winco (via their website). It's only 2.2 miles from my house, but they don't take credit cards. I will have to wait until I have more money in my checking account to go. That saves me some money. I'm eager to see what kind of deals I can get there.
7. My friend usually treats me to dinner on Mondays. I ordered water to keep the bill down. I also brought home leftover tomato and onion slices, chopped them, and added them to scrambled eggs this morning. I ate those with leftover sweet potato fries which I warmed in the toaster oven.
@Dee in AZ, I learned recently at the pharmacy at Fry's (Kroger) that when they ask if I want to pay using the card on file that I do NOT earn fuel points. I also don't get a receipt, so that had gone under the radar before. So I will not be doing that again. I assume it is the same if I pay for meds online through their app.
Trust me, she batted that onto the floor. 😉
Moving prescriptions to Safeway from CVS[1] got me some discounts. My roommate used them to get the drinkable yogurt he likes. It's not always in stock and we realized that it makes more sense for him to order it for delivery at Safeway prices, than to haul from store to store looking for it.
Free Lego from Freecycle! The 400 piece kit was missing only one piece, which we'll find in the collection.
Soup
I've been eating poorly because I haven't been keeping meal food (as opposed to snack food) in the fridge. So one, I got some out of the freezer (thanks, January Me!) and two, made more. At this point I don't use a recipe and base my soup on what I need to use up. This soup used up:
- chopped leeks leftover from a while ago
- limp celery
- kale from the January soup
- cooked chix from when I made stock from extremely cheap chicken legs
- konbu for umami, leftover from a previous use
- bit of brown rice from take-out Chinese
I also used another onion, carrots, beans, and gifted soy sauce for more umami.
Found my big sewing kit as I unpacked more. Now I can use my extra-sturdy red thread to reinforce the buttons on my new peacoat. This coat was featured in a previous FFT. Even paying $40 to get the sleeves shortened, the coat was less than half list price.
Bought a couple of books from the library's resale spot. Each book averages $2 and it's in the hallway as you walk in. So easy to fall for! Of course I was at the library to check out some books.
[1] CVS is, as a chain, very good. For some reason the local-to-my-new-home CVS is incompetent, slow, and rude.
@WilliamB, Thanks for teaching me the word konbu. There is a small family company in one of our small coastal villages that makes sweet and dill pickles from seaweed. When we lived on the coast we dragged seaweed home to feed the garden plot. Who knew it was such a flexible edible?
@WilliamB, We have two CVSs in our town. One is exactly as you describe here; the other is fine. Why?
A late edition to FFT. Last summer, I received a work-related custom shirt as a gift. There was something wrong with the sizing because that L was smaller than the M I looked at. Today I finally called the company, emphasizing that my goal was a shirt I could wear rather than finding someone to blame and that I realized that after all this time, I probably couldn't get a replacement for a custom design but I figured there was no harm in asking.
Not only did the company have ~one~ XL shirt left - I'm so lucky that they have any! - they decided to gift it to me. Even though I didn't ask and even though it wasn't their mistake.
Pays to be nice, y'all.
1. I juiced all of the over-ripe clementines in my refrigerator. I like to add the fresh juice to my sparkling water or make popsicles for my kids.
2. We started all of our seedlings for our vegetable garden this summer.
3. My 2019 car has a sensor that broke. Mazda has since changed the design of this sensor as it has a known flaw, but it is unfortunately not a recall. My warranty is up by a few months and this sensor will cost $2,500 to fix! My husband called Mazda and they are considering paying to fix the sensor.
4. We have frequently been taking advantage of our YMCA membership recently. We went swimming, the kids played in their engineering room, worked out multiple times, and they played in a foam dart league last week. Next month we are signed up to go roller skating at the YMCA. It's all included in the price of the membership, which I get a 20% discount on through work.
5. Invested our federal tax return into our IRA's
@Corrine Wilson, Kudos for your #5. That is such a wise move. Instead of blowing the tax return on something, putting it into an IRA will pay off in spades someday!
In an effort to rein in spending/low spend, I made a few changes to some accounts as well as trying to think everything through before purchasing, not wasting, etc....
1. I changed my Netflix plan to the lowest one they have with ads and saved $9/month
2. I wanted to treat my daughter and her co-workers to donuts as a treat and got them in the bakery section at the grocery store and used a reward towards them (didn't know I had) and saved $6
3. In an effort to rein in food waste, I talked my husband into eating leftovers for dinner (he hates leftovers) and he obliged. I also had some aging apples that I turned into chunky applesauce and we ate it all.
4. My husband had paid for Sirius Radio for my vehicle, but I only drive a mile to work and one mile back and I just don't use it alot, so he saved that monthly fee
5. I went to my annual physical and forgot that we don't have a copay, so I saved $20 that I had planned on paying.
Everything adds up over time....I keep telling myself this.
Borrowed books and DVDs from the library. I much prefer paper books over e-books. For me it's easier to focus on paper, I'm less likely to get distracted by other things, and I spend enough time staring at screens as is.
Line dried some clothes.
Clearance finds: half price ketchup because of a busted lid (which I can easily put on a lid from another container), $2 disposable Buzz Lightyear electric toothbrushes for the kids, $1 Febreze fabric spray.
Cleaned out the pantry and used up things past and nearing expiration dates.
Went hiking over the weekend. Free exercise and entertainment minus the gas to drive there.
Ordered cat supplies from chewy. I discovered regular price on everything I buy is cheaper on chewy than Walmart plus it's easy enough to hit free shipping and I had 15% off my total on top of that.
It has been largely a Make Do and Mend kind of week.
1. I cut down an old king size bed pillow to standard size and used the cuttings to fluff it up again. I put it in our camping gear storage bin.
2. Took the second smashed king size pillow apart and used it to restuff our flat and need to be replaced king size bed pillows. It worked!
3. I made a return at The Container Store. The cashier said if I sign up for their loyalty program they can add the closet system I bought to my spending total which bumps my discount from 15% to 20%. I don't plan on buying anything else from them but since it was free, why not?
4. Our favorite local radio station went off the air. The replacement on the frequency that promised the same type of music is horrific! Instead of renewing the free trial of Sirius XM that just ran out from our other car purchase (and will only work in one car unless we buy a spendy satellite radio for the other) I'm setting up Pandora free with ads to stream from my phone via Bluetooth in the car before I leave the driveway. It is inconvenient when I'm in a hurry but it save us $100 for a radio on top of the monthly Sirius fee.
5. Replaced the burned out fuse to the car's 12 volt outlet myself. We found out it needed replacing after it wouldn't charge my phone I had plugged in and was streaming from on a road trip
1. Baked cookies and made granola with ingredients we had on hand. It was gobbled up quickly.
2. Made two meals on Saturday that will last me the rest of the week for lunch. Subbed out barley for farro that the recipe called for since that's what I needed to use up. Also used up some lentils and paid a relatively good price for the gruyere.
3. Needed to replace the fryer basket for our toaster oven and really preferred to buy the one from the manufacturer but required paying for shipping. Kept looking and found the same product for the same price on another site but needed to find another $5 for free shipping. Did that and found a coupon and they gave an additional $2 off for slower shipping. So saved about $12 over Amazon and another $7 from the manufacturer.
4. Younger daughter was owed a celebration dinner out but neither husband nor I were hungry. She was ok with getting takeout instead so we ordered two kids meals for a total of $16 and it included about $3 in parmesan cheese on the side, which we then used to make fettucine alfredo the next night. If all four of us had gone out to dinner, it would have been substantially more.
5. Accepted a new job that will pay about 15% more than the current job in salary. I had told them earlier in the process that my salary requirements were the very top of their pay range. They also offer some other nice benefits that will definitely add up. I tried negotiating a little more in straight salary but was denied. Eh. Oh well - had to try, right? I've been wanting to leave my current job for quite some time now but have struggled with landing something. Fingers crossed that this will be a good next chapter.
@CrunchyCake, Congratulations on the new job! A 15% raise sounds amazing, especially when coupled with nice, new benefits!
@CrunchyCake, Glad you negotiated. So many don't.
I felt a bit rueful when I applied for a job that paid hourly less than my org lady, cleaning lady, or handyman. Sheesh!
@BettafrmdaVille, Thank you! It's scary and exciting - embarking on something new is so many things all at one.
We use so little milk that my husband switched to almond milk since it keeps longer for his cereal. I keep powdered milk on hand for baking. My parents go through SOOOO much milk...it's crazy. If they are coming here for a day or two I have to buy a 2 gallon jug of milk!
I shopped around while I was running other errands specifically for mayo and pepper (when did pepper become $5 for a small container?). It paid off when I stopped by Lowe's foods after church Sunday and found big containers of pepper good through 2028 for $1.75 each....and I found mayo for $2 a jar that is good through November!
I stayed out of thrift stores...staying out of them is very frugal for me since I seem to not be able to pass up a great find or greatly priced pottery.
I used a seed warmer (for starting plants from seeds) to get my sourdough bread starter going again. My house is on the cooler side and doesn't get any good east/west sun to warm it up. I'm all for any tool that gets multi use 🙂
I dug some plants from my mom's flowerbeds to share with my daughter in law and to add to an area of my flowerbed (pulled the plants last year out that the former owner put in...I didn't care for them). I'm all for free landscaping!
Little things...I made sourdough bread and hamburger rolls, got audio books from the library Libby app for traveling back and forth to work, found out there is a State Library nearby...I applied for a card there since they have access to MUCH more than my little library system has, I broke a bird feeder so I made a new one with an old $1 pottery plate and some crocheted twine as a hanger.
Visited a friend, she had cabinet sized cardboard boxes for use in my garden. I brought her a huge Valentine's box of chocolates that I paid $1.49. She was delighted.
Asked neighbors if they had any used fence posts and fencing for a mending project, was able to buy 30 fence posts for $1 ea saving $6.50 ea. The neighbor also threw in 40 ft of no climb fencing for my project. He will be getting free cookies every month and a loaf of sandwich bread and cinnamon bread (one treat per week should do).
Trying out cookie bar recipes for ease when I get to the busy spring season.
Purchased 4 quarts of 1/2 & 1/2 for .50 ea. Put 3 in the freezer for later use. Also bought gallon size orange juice for $1 ea. Redistributed them to quart jars to freeze.
Purchased 4 gallon jugs of gatorlyte type of concentrate, each container will make 25 gallons of drink. That should do the family for summer sports and work rehydration.
Made an order for lumber and pre-paid to get the winter prices (goes up March 1st) for the various projects that are in the pipeline.
Trimmed, shampooed and dosed neighbor's dog saving him $160. He will repay me by rototilling my garden in a few months. I love this barter system!
I set up an elderly neighbor couple's insurance, prescriptions and pill organization system to better manage their ever changing health needs. They do not have kids and they do need help and organizing. I set up a 4 week pill system and I am checking their vitals every week. There are 4 neighbors over 80, still living on their farms and they do not go to the senior center where they can get the vitals checked weekly, so I am doing it. I am only working 8 days a month now (yay!), so I have time.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, bless you for doing what you're doing for your elderly neighbors. I'm not doing quite this much yet for my next-door neighbor with the cognitive issues, but I can see it coming. (The latest development is that she *claims* she hasn't yet received her 1099s for her Social Security or anything else. Her only other close friend and I are planning as much of a search of the house as she'll let us undertake, but I fear it may require divine intervention to keep her out of trouble with the IRS.)
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, a bless you from me too. I'm not sure what is harder - trying to help the elderly with no children or the elderly with a child/grandchild bleeding them dry. Which reminds me I need to file a Medicaid fraud report regarding a financial POA not doing her fiduciary duties. I don't begrudge those who need Medicaid but I draw the line at POAs/children trying to fraud the system.
1. Found an over-the-range microwave/vent/light replacement for ours that died in the "dented" section of an appliance store. $199 instead of $550. Saved an additional $299 buy picking up, installing (with a neighbor's help), and recycling our old one (at our town's appliance recycling center).
2. Using up an excess of free eggs (mystery shop) and potatoes that are wrinkly by making a tortilla español. We keep the onion-infused olive oil in a jar for the next batch.
3. I also made quiche last night for dinner. I like it with a mix of milk and cream. I get milk free from mystery shops, and instead of buying cream, I found a recipe to make cream using milk and butter. I don't think I did it correctly, so it only *sort of* worked and I ended up with a pool of butter on top of the quiche (which I spooned off and will use for a future dish). The cheese for the quiche was also free from mystery shop and the pie crust was in the freezer (I made a double batch every time I make pie crust - and, of course, used on-sale Aldi butter for the crust).
4. Went through Swagbucks to purchase cat litter from Chewy so I should get 3% back. We are picking up 2 new-to-us cats from a shelter on Saturday.
5. Signed up for another mystery shop for a free lunch for 2 on Saturday and tomorrow, I'll swing by and do a mystery shop for a free smoothie.
Frugal fail: I went to use my buckwheat and the horrible pantry moths had gotten into it. I think we had killed them all already, several months ago, so this was residual from before that I hadn't noticed. (We are now being diligent on the pantry moth traps!)
@BettafrmdaVille, If you do My Points, you can activate earning points if you do pick up grocery shops from certain large chains. Just in case you didn't know that...
I continue to pump breast milk which helps us spend less on formula.
We rented a movie from the library AND returned them on time.
We notice a sale on London Broil steaks so we bought two. It was fun to try a new recipe.
We brewed and drank coffee at home before going out to eat breakfast. (Restaurant coffee is always disappointing and having that coffee itch "scratched" before went out helped me not buy expensive and unenjoyable coffee.
We bought eggs, which are expensive right now, but they are a key ingredient in our dinner "plan." Plan is in quotation marks because when there is "nothing" in the fridge we can always make a scramble and avoid eating out.
@Rebekah in SoCal, I noticed that eggs were up to $6/18 at Winco today. Weird.
1. In contrast to people worrying about milk going bad, we frequently buy milk that is on sale because it is almost out of date. Husband drinks it so fast that we buy an average of two gallons a week. So, this week I bought milk for $1.89 a gallon. (I once was saying how expensive my husband's milk habit is and a friend said she wished her husband drank milk every night instead of alcohol because it would be cheaper and he would not be stupid by dinner time. Instantly transformed my thoughts about milk drinking!)
2. Took on a short-term project for the court, so made a relatively easy $1500, even though I didn't feel like working.
3. Did a mystery shop for $30 of free food.
4. Last night I made three dog stuffies, basically squares filled with stuffing, with leftover materials and stuffing salvaged from other eviscerated toys.
5. Library books, puzzles, and a DVD. All free, free, free.
@Lindsey, your #1 certainly puts things into perspective!
Kristen, you always do a great job avoiding fast food, though Chik Fil A holds no interest for me. (I got sick after eating at one on two different occasions several years ago). I have some slightly soured milk in my freezer, so I need to try that chocolate pudding recipe.
Not sure I have many frugals.....we had to euthanize one of our beloved cats yesterday, who was seriously ill with no treatment options. My son's birthday is today, so we're going out to dinner to celebrate at a fancy pizza place that is his favorite. The rest of the week should be pretty quiet, and hopefully more frugal.
1. Eating my free lunch provided daily at work (a really nice perk).
2. Ate cereal for dinner when hubby was at an evening work-related meeting (instead of carry-in).
3. Was gifted several useful items from my Buy Nothing group (a pretty glass liquid soap dispenser, some leftover potting soil, and some Adidas clothes for my son).
4. Will return canned cat food and unopened package of "pet wipes" to Petsmart. (Sick kitty had stopped bathing himself).
5. Sent used/holey socks to SmartWool for recycling, and old underwear, bras and tights to Subset for recycling (the socks did involve a $5 cost for the bag to send the socks in, but covers postage both ways). Good for the environment.
Hug your furry or feathery family members just a little bit tighter tonight for me.
@Liz B., I'm so sorry about your having to euthanize the sick kitty. My Betty and I send our condolences.
@Liz B., So sorry for the loss of your furry family member. I have an older dog who has cancer, and I know this is soon going to happen to us as well. May God heal your broken hearts.
@Liz B., my sympathy. Euthanizing is the responsible pet parent/parents act of love. And it sucks the big one. I've been able to donate meds/supplies to a local no-kill (including a bottle of the not cheap antibiotic that requires no refrigeration that one cat could not tolerate). Meds I could have taken back to my local vet (I'd have received credit) but I chose to donate. Frugal - not in the true sense. Could I afford to donate, yes. Except for one pet, most were dumped, a couple came from a shelter. Thus my saying there is a special place in Hades for those who abuse/mistreat animals.
@A. Marie,
Thank you so much. He was much, much sicker than my hubby or I knew, and any treatment they offered would have given him maybe an extra day or two at best. While I'm at peace, knowing he is no longer suffering, our house feels oddly lonely without him.
Extra hugs to Miss Betty from me.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
Thank you, and I'm very sorry you will be facing this soon with your dog. Hubby and I were both with our kitty in his last moments, giving him head scritches and making sure he knew he was loved. That was the best we could give him.
@Selena,
Thank you so much. A friend pointed out to me that, just as you say, euthanizing is an act of love....and it truly was. It also truly sucks, as you mention. I, too, have donated dog and cat supplies to our local animal shelter (no-kill), and I might just drop everything off there instead of returning it to PetsMart. All of our pets are rescues - two cats (including the one we just euthanized) adopted from my mom when she decided she didn't want to spend extra monthly rent to keep them (eyeball roll - she knew this when she adopted them as kittens), one cat who was a stray (but clearly had been someone's pet at one time), and a dog from a local rescue organization. If we ever found any dumped animals, we would take them in, no question. Agree about that special place in Hades for those people.
Let's see...
1) We had some milk that is a little old so we made Paneer with some and will make ricotta with the rest.
2) Got a discount from a few market vendors because they know I am a regular volunteer.
3) Saw a show at a community theater in town for free in exchange for working the concessions stand before the show and during the intermission.
That's about all I can think of for this week.
I wanted to share a resource for when you have to buy a book, can't borrow it from the library or a friend. I have used
https://www.addall.com/ to search for the least expensive places to buy new or used books. It can save you a lot.
@MJ, Thank you! I bookmarked this. ;-}
Kristen, did you know that you can make milk last longer simply by putting a few grains of salt in the carton or jug? Mary Hunt had this tip on her site, and I've used it for years. It works! The salt stops the growth of any bacteria, but you don't taste it at all. You can also freeze milk and thaw it out in the sink overnight.
Your predicament with the blouse underwire reminds me of a bit of fashion history: whalebone corsets were the preferred (and very expensive) bit of underwear in the 19th Century because corsets that used real metal wire sometimes injured the wearers; they would rust and sometimes the wire would spring and puncture the lady's chest wall. Supposedly some women even died from this. Corsets made from whalebone didn't have this built-in hazard, which is why they were so sought after.
OK, my frugalities this week:
1. Major win: my coffeemaker went on the blink, so here I go again to find another. (Got the coffeemaker from a thrift store about 3 years ago when another one failed. I believe I paid only $4.99 so I got my money's worth...) Went to Goodwill and took a coupon for 20% off any donated item. Found a full sized Keurig-brand coffee brewer, all parts included, for $8.99. With the coupon, I paid $7.19 + tax. A Keurig! Yes, it works! It's a bit larger than what I wanted, but it was the only coffee appliance there and who could turn it down at that price? Oh, and the parts that came with it included a DIY K-cup that you fill out of your own coffee stash. So I will buy coffee in cans, much cheaper, once I finish the free bag of Starbucks someone gave me.
2. I signed up for 5% bonus cashback from Discover Card -- this time it is for drug stores and restaurants. Got my bill and the purchases bought at our drugstore said it was classified as a "supermarket." Called their 800 number, spoke to a rep, and got my 5% reinstated. The new bill came yesterday, and yes, it has the extra cash back credited to my account.
3. Filled up jugs of water at work instead of buying bottled water. They have those water fountains that dispense filtered water, hoping folks will fill up their own bottles/Stanley Cups instead of buying water in plastic bottles. I just take it a step farther and get enough for the Keurig and for drinking/cooking/making tea.
4. Used a coupon for a free carwash. It was for a new carwash business. Our town has had several new carwashes open and at first, I went to the wrong one. Was I embarrassed! Anyway, I finally found the correct car wash so my vehicle is all nice and shiny...and sure enough, rain is in the forecast. Wouldn't you know?
5. Yard man took it upon himself to come into my back yard and cut down some dead trees and bushes along the back fence, without my permission -- and charged me $600 for it. Or at least he tried to charge me that much. I stood up to him and let him know that no, I did NOT agree to have him cut down the trees and haul off the brush at this time. I had hired him and his crew to sack up the live oak leaves (no small job, they filled up two 96-gallon rollaway trash cans and 21 yard-waste bags of leaves) in the front yard, but nothing else. I paid him for the leaves but told him he'd have to wait on the rest; I have car, property tax and Medicare payments due very soon and no way to pay him his $600 right away. Turns out he has a truck needing repair and he's trying to shake down all his clients for extra cash. Told my cop buddies about it, so they will keep an eye on this fellow.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
Just an FYI, from a food safety stand point you should thaw/defrost things in the refrigerator over night or in a bowl of cold water (changing out the water a few times during thawing). Thawing overnight in the sink risks parts of the item that defrosts first being in the dangerzone for too long.
I started drinking almond or coconut milk and they seem to last longer in the fridge and taste great. I also buy evaporated milk to keep in the pantry to reconstitute if I have to have a dairy milk for something. Seems like most of my frugal things are tiny nowadays. But I always think they add up! I've been resisting eating out more than once a week (so I understand the pull of the Chik-Fil-A), been planning/using up items in my freezer as I make out my menus, doing my own yardwork and minor repairs, and putting the brakes on on-line shopping. This week I am returning $163 worth of things I discovered I did not need after I purchased them!
1 - never will have a need for underwire, no matter what garment.
2 - planned takeout - oops we forgot the place is closed today. However where we went had a deal of two burgers and one side for $15. Likely saved $30 before tip.
3 - I swear staying busy is frugal. Seems like we've been uber busy for almost a week (work/life for me, life/friend for better half).
4 - I will never eat Chik-Fil-A (or whatever it is called) so I'd have eagerly consumed whatever I had packed or went without.
5 - better half is so efficient that freezer meals are in our regular meal rotation. No scrounging for this guy. Between him being in charge of meals, skills, knowing when he is out of his wheelhouse for skills, we've saved a veritable boatload of money over the last 40 years. We go with our strengths. Mine is not meals or building/repairs/knowledge of either. His is not paperwork, taxes, insurance. It works for us.
1. Our friend who works for the Houston Rockets NBA team gifted us with 4 free tickets last week. We parked several blocks from the arena for $10 but spent $70 on food because we didn't have time to eat before going to the game. At least we got the refillable drink cup to share which I made sure to refill several times during the game. The tickets themselves would have been $75 each, so we still came out ahead, and it was a nice treat for my son's birthday weekend.
2. Used up $16 Kohl's cash before it expired this week. Found some underwear marked down with additional 50% off the lowest price, bought a pillow cover which my son needed and spent $3 overall.
3. Redeemed my free item coupon for a bar of soap at Bath and Body Works. I've collected a lot of lotions with those coupons over the past year so I'm still working on using them up.
4. Over the course of my son's birthday weekend, we got drinks at Sonic during happy hour at half off, and got a free boba drink using my husband's points. I made his birthday card and gave him a couple large bags of candy which I happened to buy on sale and from Christmas clearance last month. He didn't ask for anything specific so consumable gifts for the win!
5. Received payment for a granola bar taste test I did last week ($4 covering the cost of the bars plus almost $2 extra) and finished another round of granola bar taste testing. The reward money covers the cost of buying the bars to taste test plus a $1-2 extra so as long as I can find the right products quite easily, I usually try and participate.
@DebbieR,
Where does one find items to taste test?
@Jaime, I can't remember how I found this survey company (or maybe they found me), but I've included the link to join and answer questions to qualify for the most recent granola bar taste test I just took. https://tester.flavorwiki.com/share/rlf1arbcgcs-51736?referral=65c3d5c62e07ba56211fa933
Great savings, Kirsten!
My 5 Frugal Wins
1. Batch run errands. Filled up on gas, went to library then the grocery store.
2. Checked out books and dvds for my family. These are books or dvds we’ve wanted but put on hold.
3. Finished making my daughter’s family mural with things we already had like photos, stickers and glitter glue. Also made a 50 cents color copy of photos at the library.
4. Shoveled snow off our driveway instead of using a snowblower so saving gas,
5. Brought discounted meat at the store saving $12.
Hello Kristen,
Just an fyi that we have the same problem with milk either too much or none. I have found a shelf stable organic whole milk at Walmart packaged by Horizon. Different sizes but nice in the 8oz size for smaller amounts. Keep in fridge for drinking, but lasts a good long time unopened. And, it’s real cows milk! Just thought this might help your family too.
Have a blessed day
Patricia
Lactose free milk costs more, but it lasts way longer. I buy it because I am intolerant, but also less waste.
I used to have the same problem with milk. I could never use it all. I now buy shelf-stable milk from Walmart (in the baking section). The carton size is much more manageable.
Just an FYI. When I receive digital Amazon gift cards I add them to Amazon under your wallet. Then you don't have to search your emails to find it.
Yes! I should have done that. lol
I just have to say you have amazing willpower. If I had to work all day and there was chicken nuggets and waffle fries in my face, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t eat my pb&j. You have a self discipline I aspire to.
I've got that same book on my Goodreads list to read sometime! It sounded right up my alley, I thought.
The most frugal thing you can do is simply to switch on Google and read for free all those good ideas. Then pick out those most applicable to you. Three rules: they must be simple. They must be legal. They must be effective.
Don't buy shelf stable milk at Walmart or the grocery stores. Buy it at Dollar Tree. It's much cheaper. And try their Gold Metal hamburger buns. They have a long best by date. They're good for making sandwiches as well as hamburgers. Toast it for a break sandwich.
I love reading these articles. I have never commented before. But my solution to milk going bad is dry evaporated milk packets. You can make one cup at a time or a quart, no waste.
My five frugal things this week.
1. Sold on ebay 2 gifted items.
2. Found lots of coins for my "found money" Bowl.
3. Used up all my leftovers. I almost always make meals from scratch.
4. I mastered the art of sourdough bread. I used up all my "discard" for pizza dough, scones, and crumpets.
5. I found receipts in the store parking lot. They were worth $6 on Ibotta, not to mention Fetch and Receipt Hog. Then I recycled them. Win/win.
I'm so glad you joined us! Don't be a stranger. 🙂