Five Frugal Things | with two sandwiches
I have a small sandwich theme going on. Are we surprised? (no.)
1. I got a free chicken sandwich
At lecture, my friend alerted me that the Chick-Fil-A app had a free sandwich in it (something to do with the local baseball team, I think?)
Sooo, I placed an order and grabbed my free sandwich on the way out of college.
2. I bought some razor blades on eBay
I've used Dollar Shave Club for a long time and been very happy but...recently they redesigned their product line, which means I can no longer buy replacement blades for my razor handle.
Annoying!
Luckily, someone on eBay sells blades that fit the handle that I have, so I placed an order. Hopefully they're legit...we'll see!
Will this be frugal or a fail? Stay tuned.
3. I got a refund from MuseScore
Sooo, I was trying to sign up for a free trial to print a piece of sheet music, and somehow, they charged me $50 for a membership. I canceled immediately, but they did not refund my money.
I wish I'd never signed up for the "free" trial because this site makes it very hard to contact them (oooh what a surprise), but I filled out the cancellation form, and if that doesn't work, I'm just gonna dispute the charge with my credit card company.
4. I made a use-it-up sandwich
I sauteed the last of a purple onion, sliced up the end of the French bread I'd made, added shredded cheese and the last of the Christmas ham (from the freezer, obviously) and made a lunch sandwich for myself.
(browned in a cast iron pan, weighed down by a second cast-iron pan)
So good!
5. I bought a replacement watch on eBay (but first, a fail)
The fail: I threw my scrubs into the wash and I forgot that my watch was in the pocket.
CRAP.
Even after a thorough air-drying time, it was still dead. Sigh.
I was gonna go buy a new one straight from Spiedel, but then I thought, hmm, lemme check eBay.
And I found quite a few for sale there. I made an offer, and ended up saving about 30%.
(I do still have my trusty Withings watch, but it sadly does not have a second hand and we are required to have second hand capability for clinicals. They don't make my exact watch but this is the most similar one. Mainly I love it because it tracks steps but it doesn't look like a step tracker.)
--My husband's boss' wife bought too large of an Easter Ham, so she made room in their deep freezer by giving the boss frozen mini loaves of homemade zucchini bread to hand out to everyone.* We received two (he did his best to distribute one per adult in the household), and it ranks among the most marvelous zucchini bread either my husband or I have ever eaten. When my husband passed the compliments on to his boss, he was given three more loaves!
*It's a small, tightly knit crew of nine guys not counting the boss, so sharing like this happens between them quite often. Others have brought garden produce, and we contribute snacks now and again.
--My monthly raid of CVS for my husband's work snacks garnered two brimming bags of healthy munchies for $15, all paid with Extra Bucks. CVS' dried fruit and nuts are a good deal when already on sale and especially when on clearance!
--Our bathroom has floor-to-ceiling oak built-in cabinets in one corner that are original to our 1890s house. The door pulls, however, were not original and basically the cheapest of the cheap and plainest of the plain. Months of passive hunting at Habitat Restore finally paid off: six matching gold pulls with an Art Nouveau flare, for $1 each!
--I re-caulked our tub, having used a coupon to buy said caulk.
--I reused shipping supplies to send out my brother-in-law's birthday gifts.
--$4 in supplies from Habitat--four 10" spindle legs and a nice length of pine, cut in half--made a shelf for the top of our dresser. Stain and varnish were already on hand from other projects.
@N, Impressive!
I had a coworker who used to give me his old venison, when he was clearing out his freezers for the new season. I don't hunt myself and I know how to deal with mystery cuts of possibly-too-aged meat.
@WilliamB, one of my professors was an avid hunter, but his kids lived too far away for sharing. Once he found out I liked game meat, I'd get his "freezer clean out mystery bag" every year, which was glorious. There are advantages to smaller colleges/class sizes!
A few frugal things:
* Easter dinner was half a roast leftover from another event. It was plenty for the small crew currently at home.
*I made homemade chocolate mousse and whipped cream for dessert.
*I did one kid's FAFSA and will finish the other kid's later in the week after I pay this month's bills.
*Cat sitting one child's cat while she cat sits another child's cat. The second cat has a illness that can spread to other cats, so the kid with a cat and dog gave us their cat for 2 weeks so they can take the sick cat. Their dog loves cats and can't get the disease. And no one has to pay to board a pet. My littler kids love the visiting cat, who loves to sleep on top of their chests and heads, and she gets many many pets.
*Car insurance not a real win but no longer a fail. I left son who moved far away on the insurance, even though he won't be around, so the rate stays the same. However college freshman is now a residential student, so I save $28. Not the hundreds I was hoping for, but I'll take it.
This week hasn't felt very frugal but I will try and think of a few things!
1. I baked treats instead of buying them (although I did have a frugal fail where I impulse-bought a pastry and milkshake).
2. I used the library.
3. I got free delivery on takeout.
4. I went to different supermarkets for lower prices.
5. I line-dried clothes.
@Sophie in Denmark, I hope the impulse-purchased pastry and milkshake were delicious and joy-giving!
@Lindsay B, the pastry was good, the milkshake less so, which made me a little annoyed with myself but sometimes you've got to impulse-buy! I had lunch at my favourite cafe and that definitely gave me joy!
It is very funny that more than once you have listed NOT going to Chik-fil-a for food even though it's temptingly close, and then you do. And it's free. So on-brand. 🙂
Five Frugal Things: Easter Feast Edition
--We had leg of lamb for Easter dinner that was free, too, because it was the leg of one of our lambs. Well, there is the cost of the winter hay to account for, but we do all the butchering ourselves, so it's pretty low cost.
--I had been planning to make hummus to go with the lamb and was going to buy canned chickpeas, but the day before I was going to the store, the commodities lady came by with cases of canned chickpeas in her truck. Frugal serendipity.
--I made pita bread to go with the lamb, too. It was sourdough, and not buying yeast saves on already-frugal baking.
--The tzatziki sauce I made started with the yogurt I also make (thanks to you and your long-ago tutorial, Kristen), though I do drain it to make it thicker for this recipe. It also had some green garlic and parsley from the garden. Not much of a cost saver there, but thrilling to be using something green and growing in my cooking again. Also delicious.
--The chiffon cake for dessert was made with some of the many eggs we are getting from our chickens right now.
You know how I roll; if it's free, I'm there. 😉
I LOVE tzatziki sauce. So so good!
@Kristen, I have to drop this here, given the discussion about homemade crackers recently: In a real bonehead move, I messed up my sourdough when I put the pot with the working dough on top of our woodstove, then started the woodstove, failed to remove the pot, and more or less cooked the dough. I thought maybe there might be something active in there, so I added some more flour and left it overnight. No luck. I was going to just bake it and give it to the chickens, but then I thought maybe I could salvage it with something that doesn't need to really rise . . . And that is how I ended up making dozens of crackers today (and a bunch of pita chips).
I still hate making crackers. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, Mmm, sourdough crackers - tasty save!
@kristin @ going country, Superb save though, even more because you hate making the crackers.
@kristin @ going country,
My husband makes sourdough discard crackers all the time-like two or three times a week. They are not at all pretty, but they are tasty and my kids inhale them.
Bummer about the watch. Did you try taking the back off & removing battery to dry? Them put back together & try one more time?
Frugal things---
● Work has been so busy (imagine that) that I asked teen about take out. Teen order free pizza (Domino's points) & I tried pasta primavera bread bowl. Usually I just get pasta (in pan) but was so glad I tried bread bowl. Best ever had & about same amount of pasta. Plus I was stuffed afterwards.
● Needed to order more Oil of Oregano & it was out of stock last week. Checked again yesterday & back in stock. Ordered last 3 (2 bottles), should be delivered soon.
● Ordered divided heavy duty paper plates & few luncheon paper plates (on sale) for next year graduation open house. Teen doesn't like food to touch (not epic about it but does only eat 1 thing at time on regular plate).
● used Hallmark free card (nothing special about this card except you) for teen for Easter & put $ inside with bag of jellybeans (couldn't find favorite) because teen told me didn't want Easter basket
● deleted email app off phone ((takes lots of storage space) & was able to update most apps (I wanted to that I use regularly but had not) & now have access to my stuff again. Was able to put few (same) apps on teen phone (& now teen has ability to use/order (same account) if I don't have access/can't at moment.
● Did not buy ANY EASTER/Spring themed decorations (even though really like table runner). I didn't end up buying any Valentine's day decorations either now that I think about it.
● Didn't buy any girl scout cookies (this troop didn't take credit card & didn'thave cash) so NO BOXES this year. I know not very frugal buying GS cookies nut I support them as I was once GS & know what good organization it is.
Yep, I did try that. And still no luck. I really killed that watch thoroughly. lol
One Frugal Fail/Win and Four Frugal Things, The Hostess Who Didn’t Spend the Mostest for Easter Edition (carried over from yesterday's post at the NCA):
(1) First, the fail/win: I started a loaf of potato flake bread bright and early in my bread machine–and realized 5 minutes into the cycle that I’d forgotten to add the yeast. So I dumped this batch, threw together a second batch in record time, and got this loaf done just in time for Easter lunch with my next-door neighbor (NDN), her nephew, and his wife as my guests. I’m out the ingredients for the first batch, but on the whole, it could have been worse.
(2) The main course was a pork roast, bought on sale at Price Chopper and made according to my Bohemian mother-in-law’s tried, true, and super-easy recipe. (She always regarded me as a diamond in the rough as far as domestic talent was concerned, and I think she’d have been proud of me.)
(3) I baked four sweet potatoes alongside the pork, which I confess was a lot easier than making the dumplings my MIL would have made. And I steamed and marinated some asparagus, bought on sale at Tops by my NDN when I took her grocery shopping there last week.
(4) There were enough early daffodils blooming at the foot of the yard to furnish a modest bouquet. So no need to pay florist or supermarket prices for a flower arrangement.
(5) Most importantly, I was very pleased to become better acquainted with my NDN’s nephew and niece-in-law (we’d met before, but it was well over a decade ago), and to lay the foundation of what I hope will be friendly cooperation with them on NDN’s behalf. As I’ve noted previously, this nephew is NDN’s only blood relative who might possibly be of assistance, and I think NDN’s other friend and I are going to need his help in the future.
I have forgotten the yeast before, and only discovered it after the first rise.
So then I mixed the yeast with some water, added a little flour, kneaded that into the dough, and proceeded. But I have no idea how that would translate into a bread machine!
@A. Marie,
Don't keep us in suspense, what's that pork recipe? 🙂
I, too, feel it is a good thing for you to develop your relationship with the nephew and his wife.
I love pork roast, with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and some greens all drenched in pork gravy.
@JD, here it is, such as it is: Put a 4 to 5 lb. pork roast (mine was a center-cut, bone-in loin) in a small roaster with 1 to 1.5 cups water, and sprinkle it with garlic salt and caraway seeds. Cover the roaster and put it in the oven for at least 20 minutes to the pound at 350 F; then uncover it and give it as long as it needs at 450 F to brown nicely and reach an internal temp of 140-145 F. Give it the usual few minutes’ rest before carving.
Note: My MIL’s original recipe called for a total of 2-2.5 hours cook time, so use your own discretion. And note also that I consulted an online recipe that called for searing it at 450 first and *then* doing the 350 at 20 minutes to the pound–but I decided to go with the tried and true.
@A. Marie,
I love caraway seeds and I love garlic, so this will be one I'll definitely try! Thanks!
I built our Easter dinner from clearance and past sale/clearance buys as well as what we had on hand, and it was a feast!
Bruschetta, shrimp cocktail, sausage-stuffed banana peppers, manicotti, roasted vegetables, Caesar salad, and sourdough rolls. For dessert we had kumquat conserva on ice cream. Soooo good!
I bought two ingredients on purpose: kumquats (a rare farmers market treat) and ice cream to go with (on sale).
A few frugal things, mostly food-related:
1. On our trip to NC, we had only one eating out event, and that was a treat meal at Chick Fil A for the two kids with us on the way down. The rest of the time we bought food at the grocery store and avoided eating out.
2. DH and I biked to the grocery store about 2 miles away. We took our backpacks and managed to bring back the groceries we needed for Easter dinner, and we got some good exercise and saved on gas! DH has been dreaming of biking for groceries for so long! Plus I have my own bike for the first time in years. I love biking.
2. I made it through Lent without buying any new books! (Or even used ones.) That is a record for me. Since DH bought the bike through Amazon we had lots of reward points, and he urged me to use them if I wanted, so I used them for some Chaim Potok books I've been wanting. And some new underwear.
3. This is the first year we haven't bought candy for Easter; our kids are all old enough that nobody really wants an egg hunt. Saved money that way. They were delighted with no bake lemon cheesecake cups and a turkey feast.
4. Nearly the whole family (12 year old excluded, obviously) fasted from Good Friday through Easter Sunday. I realize this is not a money-saving tip that most would use; for us, we try to do a fast the beginning of each month for health and religious reasons, and we were surprised that nearly all the boys wanted to take part. Saving money on food was just a side benefit. 😉
@Karen A., I went through a phase of reading Chaim Potok's books when I was in middle school. Looking back on it, those are some pretty heavy books for a 12-year -old. That's what I say about many of the books my sons read now, so I guess I know where they get this from. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, One summer when I was 12, I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on the beach.
@Karen A., no bake lemon cheesecake cups ?? Mmmmm... recipe please 😉
@Isa, Super easy, and if you use xylitol, as I did, they are keto-friendly and diabetic-friendly, I think?
For eight custard cups full:
Four 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened (I let them sit out on the counter, still wrapped, for an hour)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (regular whipping cream could work, I just go for the gold here)
1/2 cup sugar or xylitol (if using regular sugar, probably powdered sugar would be best, as it dissolves faster and has a little cornstarch for stabilizing)
2 teaspoons vanilla
lemon zest from 1 or 2 lemons, preferably the ones you'll use to make the lemon curd
Chill your mixer bowl and whipping attachment beater in the freezer ahead of time for best results. Whip the cream cheese and sweetener for at least five minutes, slowly adding the cream (careful, it splashes, so I turn the beater off while adding cream). Seriously whip it longer than you think you need to, scraping down the sides as needed, until it's fluffy. Add the vanilla and lemon zest anytime during this.
Divide into custard cups and smooth the tops, leaving room for about 1/4-1/2 inch of lemon curd.
Lemon curd: I happened upon this recipe for Vegan Lemon Curd: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-lemon-curd/
I was doubtful about the turmeric, but I couldn't taste it at all in the curd, and it did make it look just as bright and pretty as egg yolks do. And considering the price of eggs and butter, this was cheaper! Looking back, I should have doubled the curd recipe, because more lemon curd is always a good idea.
If you do like regular lemon curd, I've made this before and it's very good:
100 g (3 ½ oz) butter
▢½ cup (½ cup) xylitol or allulose (see notes)
▢1 (1) lemon zested
▢½ cup (½ cup) lemon juice
▢6 (6) egg yolks see notes
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat
Add sweetener, lemon juice and zest and stir through until sweetener dissolves.
Whisk in egg yolks and continue to stir over medium heat until the mix thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Anyway, whichever you make (but try the vegan one! Give it a chance!), you let the lemon curd cool some in a ceramic bowl after it's done, until it's not going to melt your delicious cheesecake fluff, and then spread an even layer of lemon curd over the fluff.
@kristin @ going country, My mom had a policy of not restricting any of our reading material, so I ended up reading whatever I could find in our big bookcase if I was out of new stuff to read. There were books left over from her years as a Navy wife, when she read a lot (no kids yet, husband deployed). I read The Good Earth in middle school, and there are scenes in that book that are seared into my memory, let me tell you. I think I found My Name is Asher Lev when my brother was assigned it in high school, so I would have been about 13 or 14. It was one of my favorite books for years! One of my sons is named Asher. 😉
@Karen A., Another Chaim Potok teen reader here.
@Lindsey,
Me too! Completely forgot, but now that you mention him...
Thanks for the reminder 🙂
@Rose,
One summer when I was a teen, I read The Gulag Archipelago. What was I thinking?. Sheesh.
@Karen A.,
this sounds deelish! Thank you! (also, FYI for anyone interested in this tidbit: xylitol is an "alcohol sugar" (the name is based on its chemical composition), and can cause, ummm, unfortunate GI symptoms if consumed in large enough amounts. You are forewarned).
@Liz B., Ha! I have/had a whole set and about ten years ago, thought, "Funk dis. Life is too short to read The Gulag Archipelago." Then my son noticed in the giveaway pile and said, "I want to read that!" Far as I know, he hasn't read it either, and this is the kid who was glued to Josephus aged 12.
It's different when you're younger, I think. Then you think, "I'm smart! Let's read this big book!" When you're older, it's all "I don't want to waste my limited time on earth on this crap. Sorry, Solzhenitsyn!"
In my case, it was because I'd read every other book in my grandmother's house and couldn't afford to buy any more books. Come to think of it, that's why I read The Good Earth in fifth grade, which remains one of my favorites. I wish I knew who had bought a set of books that I really enjoyed, with a lot of Guy de Maupassant stuff.
@Liz B., Yes, I forgot to mention that. We have gradually worked our tolerance up, so start small!
@Liz B., Me too. Solzhenitsyn was one of my teenage idols. No boy bands! Just books books books. I still re-read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich from time to time...
@Karen A.,
So smart! I have zero control around sweets, so even if they contained xylitol, I'd probably eat way more than I should, with dire consequences. Ahem. 🙂
@JDinNM,
Lol, no boy bands here, either! Oh, I forgot about One Day in the Life...I know I read that one, too, many years ago.
@Liz B., that goes for Sorbitol too. It was a staple in "diet" ice cream back in the '70s. Not sure what constitutes a large amount of xylitol but two people sharing a pint of diet ice cream resulted in the "GI symptom".
I have no idea if it is used in any purchased foods these days or not.
Also reminds me of Olestra - same "symptoms" from a fat-free product. And Orlistat which is (was?) used in Alli diet pills.
@Rose,
Good point. I definitely don't care if anyone thinks I "look smart" reading a big book these days...I read whatever sounds interesting to me, which could be a light-hearted comedy, or something historic, a memoir or autobiography, fiction, you name it.
When I was a kid, my family would pass around books among all of us, then it probably got handed off to a neighbor or a friend of my mom's or dad's.
@Selena,
That's exactly right. Sorbitol is another sugar alcohol, and while I don't think it's used as much as it used to be, it is still used in some foods. The "-ol" ending gives it away as a sugar alcohol.
Lol, Olestra....remember that big flopperoo? Yikes. When we all thought fat free food was the healthiest thing around. Live and learn.
@Rose,
Quite the beach read!
@Cynthia, Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well.
-My handyman fixed my weathervane for me! it apparently is a local landmark, but the copper beagle on top, which I designed myself 25 years ago, fell off in a windstorm and remained stuck on the roof. Nice to have it working again.
-Since Son is going to drive to the Midwest to pick up our new pup*, he is timing it so he can see the totality of the eclipse. My birthday happens to fall then, so cheap meal at home it is for my dinner! I asked my daughter to make wine posset topped with stewed rhubarb.
-I had a local guy take some drone pictures of the cottage (for Airbnb), which was pretty cheap.
-Made a sheet pan meal last night to use up vegetables and potatoes and threw in some sliced kielbasa.
*Four dogs: not at all frugal! Sigh. No one at all applied for Rescue Pup or wants him, except us apparently, and we're attached to him now.
@Rose, re pups: Bless you, bless you, bless you!!!!
@Anne, A friend of mine might possibly want him but he is away right now. If he did, Rescue Pup would live the ideal life as the cossetted pet of two rich gay men who bought a car specifically for taking their dogs to the beach. One of their two dogs crossed the Rainbow Bridge a couple months ago, and it may be too early; we'll see. If it is, then Rescue Pup is staying right here.
And I will have two puppies in the house and will lose my mind. Heh.
@Rose,
You're giving those pups such a good life....thank you. If your friend ends up taking Rescue Pup, you'd have visiting rights, too. I know after losing my sweet Punkins (cat) recently, I'm not ready for another furball yet....but the time will come, and my heart will be stolen once again.
Your weather vane sounds awesome, too!
1. Do gifts from others count a frugal? I tend to think not but for various reasons, my father is going to cover a couple of non-trivial costs of mine. One of them is hiring someone to deal with the backlog of insurance claims and protests.
2. Selling unwanted things, post-move. Net proceeds so far about $475, with hopefully another $80 this afternoon. It's going to take a while, many items aren't suitable for Craigslist, etc., so I need to find a local consignment store or auctioneer.
3. Sad Frugal Thing: my favorite bookstore near my father's home closed during the pandemic.
4. Reused knitting yarn to make something I'll actually like.
I have an embarrassingly old unfinished object (UFO in crafter's jargon) which happens to use the same type of yarn of something I'm working on now. I dug the UFO out and realized I didn't like the choices I made then so I ripped both the UFO and the current project and planned a new project.
5. Frugal Non-Success but not a Frugal Fail:
The attempted workaround for the failure of my 9 yo's laptop's keyboard, didn't work. I could keep it limping along with an external keyboard and mouse but 1) then it's not a laptop and 2) more importantly, it's going to fail soon.
Frugal Success: My laptop lasted 9 years, y'all!
(Also that I keep a keyboard and mouse on hand, just in case.)
@WilliamB,
I count gifts from others! You didn't say no to them, so that's frugal, and you gave him the gift of allowing him to give. People often enjoy giving, and it makes their day when someone will accept what they give.
@WilliamB, I think gifts from others can be frugal. There are a number of times that I could have purchased something right away, but I've chosen to be patient and put it on my list of gift ideas for my birthday or Christmas.
Congrats on having your laptop last for 9 years! That's no small thing!
@WilliamB, I agree with the others re: your #1 that gifts from others certainly count as frugal. I'm glad your dad is able to do this for you.
And both DH's MacBook Air (which I took over when he could no longer use it) and my iMac are so old they should be drawing Social Security. One of my projects for this year will be looking for a replacement for one or both. (People keep telling me to get just a new laptop with a mouse and keyboard, instead of a new desktop--but I've had that iMac for 12 years now, and I like using it for longer writing projects.)
2. Guy did buy the fridge, so $80 more.
6. I didn't buy anything to eat while picking up the laptop, even though I had to walk through the food court *and* Auntie Anne's and I was hungry. Oh they smell so good.
@WilliamB,
Impressive $$ coming in from your sales!
@Liz B., @ WilliamB,
So true about Auntie Anne's.....sigh....
@A. Marie, You can plug a keyboard and mouse into your laptop, either directly or via a docking station. Maybe that would meet both needs? I found getting a laptop was a game-changer for me. I don't always want to be sitting at a desk.
1. Made sure I used up the prepaid debit card (from a store rebate) by placing it in my wallet in front of my regular credit card.
2. Although we owed a combined $3,300 to Federal and State taxes, I’m happy that it was mostly because we earned so much interest from depositing the proceeds from the sale of our previous home until we used the funds to buy our current home.
3. Found chives growing next to our house and snipped a whole bunch. Used them in homemade dip, in scrambled eggs, and on potatoes.
4. Niece gave us three tubes of lip balm she wasn’t going to use.
5. Continue to use the quick setting (30 minutes) on the dishwasher and washer/dryer no matter what the load. I leave the dishwasher door open to dry the dishes.
1. I used some leftover greek yogurt, with chili powder and lime juice, to make a sauce for my vegetable and tofu bake, which I will eat for lunch all week.
2. I made chicken broth using chicken bones and vegetable scrapes. It will be used to make cranberry, pecan stuffing later this week and some of the broth was frozen.
3. I made banana bread using overripe bananas, which will feed my kids for breakfast all week.
4. I juiced mushy lemons and froze the juice in an ice cub tray.
5. I scheduled a furnace inspection and chimney inspection/cleaning. These obviously cost money, but will hopefully prevent more costly repairs.
- Family requested a non-traditional Easter meal so we had steak, baked potatoes, salad, corn on the cob, and carrot cake. I bought the steaks, bag of potatoes, large bag of salad, and corn at Costco, which was much less expensive than at our grocery store.
- Intended to purchase flowers at Costco for Easter table but the store was so crowded that I totally forgot about them as I was making my way to checkout.
- Purchased a taco kit from Costco instead of getting our weekly takeout. The kit was $14 and fed DH and me for 3 meals.
- Leftovers from Easter were enjoyed by everyone for dinner the next two nights.
- Purchased candy for Easter baskets BOGO at Publix.
- Frugal fail: when purchasing a "warmie" for the new grandbaby at a fancy children's boutique, I saw baby sunglasses called "WeeFarers" and couldn't resist buying them. Got to protect that baby's eyes and he looks so adorable in them! They have a warranty so if they are broken or lost, they will be replaced.
@Beverly, that's funny because our traditional Easter meal (for last 6+ years) has been grill steaks with garlic mashed potatoes & homemade lemon bars.
Hi Kristen,
Too bad about the watch. I read you tried removing the battery and letting it dry thoroughly to no avail. Did you try bringing the watch to a clockmaker/watchmaker? Not sure how common they are in the US; it’s a rarifying craft, but we do still find them over here. Maybe a piece just snapped out or needs soldering. I’d give it a try if you haven’t done so yet, if it’s really not reparable you could gift the watch (bar the wrist band) to the professional, I think they sometime reuse the materials. The cost of repair may be higher than buying a new watch, so question mark about the frugality of this idea.
🙂
@F from france,
I wondered this myself! I thought it might just be the battery is shot. I take my watches in to get new batteries and it is usually about $15 to have it done. For me, it's worth it because I love my watches. I have one that is a watch pendant on a necklace and it is my favorite.
Have a good day!
I saw a Snoopy Timex watch recently and thought of you.
But for my FFF
1. Took advantage of some sales and bought both a ham and a beef rib roast (prime rib but not prime) and we are pretty much set for gourmet meals at home for a bit.
2. Avoiding buying any discount Easter candy. Just because it's marked down doesn't mean we need it ...
3. Listing a few more items on eBay and making some money on them.
4. Enjoying a lot of the things I already own and resisting temptation to buy more. Very difficult for me lately but it is something I try for.
5. Worked a little bit of overtime last week.
@Battra92,
I, too, resisted the lure of marked down Easter candy....Reece's peanut butter eggs, to be exact. I'm the only one in my family that likes them, and I don't need them staring me down. 😉
I never, ever put my watch in my pocket, for that same reason - I just know I will toss it in the dirty clothes and end up washing it. Now, having said that, I'll end up doing it after all.
I don't feel as though I have much in the way of frugalities this week, other than the normal "pack my lunch, cook at home, etc., etc., etc.," but I'll try.
1. Easter was cooperative lunch, so it wasn't too expensive for anyone. I brought a gallon pitcher of lemonade using frozen juice from my tree and ambrosia/fruit salad, for which I had to buy ingredients, but they weren't very expensive considering today's grocery prices. I made enough of the ambrosia to have leftovers, which I'm enjoying.
2. I got a ride to church, to the Easter meal and back home with my daughter and granddaughter. It's an hour's ride to church, so that's a nice savings for me.
3. I made loquat jam using new jelly jars, rings and lids given to me by someone who had great intentions to make her own jelly and never did. I gave some of it to my daughters for Easter. The jam takes loquats, sugar and a little lemon juice, all of which I had.
4. I removed some more sod from my garden area for more raised bed areas. I found manual kick-style sod cutters online but they are $350 (!) so I will keep on with my spade and shovel. If nothing else, my back should be getting stronger.
5. I bought zero Easter decorations, cards, candies, pastries or desserts.
Sorry about the watch. I hate it when that happens.
1) I've continued to use my free time to declutter, give things away & sell things on eBay. Sold four items this week. Nothing is a high ticket item, but it's nice to get it out of the house.
2) The teens applied for scholarships. Not sure if any will pay off, but it's actually good essay writing practice for DS 17, as he needs to be starting college essays anyway.
3) I haven't had a corporate phone plan in over a decade. I need one, now that I'm not employed. I priced out options, and by joining myself + the two teens on a family plan, I'll be saving $10/month on what I was paying just for the two of them. Saving money & adding myself is a win I'll definitely take!
4) Picked up the "April Fools" one day sale items at the grocery store yesterday: strawberries were $.99/lb, bread was super cheap & cantaloupe was $1.99. Win!
5) We've been on a really good eating at home streak, as well as using up items from the freezer & pantry. We'll be out of town this weekend (final college tour!), so we will eat out on Friday for dinner, Saturday for lunch (my parents are bringing dinner for us that evening) & Sunday for lunch, so we're trying to make sure there's no eating out ahead of those splurges.
I threw my iPad in the front load washer last year. 🙁
@Lisa
Had buffalo plaid sheets and a red Kindle,you can guess what happened next,washer & dryer!
I found it when I was folding the laundry,after hunting high & low for it.
@Lisa, That sucks! I washed my passport once, it didn't like it. 🙁
I made carrot puree! A pound of carrots costs the same as about two jars of carrot puree. And the baby seems to like it.
I made a dessert to take to the Easter potluck. I probably should have just bought something from the bakery given the time I had available but then I would have missed a frugal win.
We decided not to replace the oven this year. It's annoying that it doesn't always hold a temperature but we don't want to put money into it right now.
I used my hansen safety razor with it's .08 replacement razors.
@Rebekah in SoCal, Have you bought a thermometer to use in your oven? I don't know much about them, but it might help you keep an eye on the temperature at very little cost.
@Rebekah in SoCal, we got along for a (kind of ridiculously) long time with an oven thermometer. It is super annoying, but totally workable. Good luck.
For us, the more annoying part was when the thing caught itself on fire. Sadly, even stuff that's built to last 60-70 years won't last forever.
@Karen., @Heidi Louise,
We have one of those $10 oven thermometers which is one of the ways I figured out the problem (the other was my food wasn't cooking in the appropriate time window). The oven gets up to temp and then thinks it is at the right temp but really the temperature drops. I make do by turn to oven off and on every 15 minutes which is a real drag if you are cooking anything that takes longer than 30 minutes. We think it might need to be calibrated or need a new part or we might have to replace the oven entirely. At any rate, we need to upgrade our car in the next 12 months so I will do more slow cooker cooking this year and make do with the oven.
* I'm being very diligent with my efforts of not buying extra groceries right now and eating what we already have at home. Starting to make a significant dent in my freezers, finally.
* Didn't buy much chocolate for the kids for Easter. A small one (2$ each), plus microwavable popcorn in pouches (a treat for them) and flavored peanuts. I like to think outside the box when it comes to seasonal gifts. Total for two.... 20$?
* I asked to come in to work an extra day today, since I was off (unpaid) yesterday. Making up for the unpaid day.
* I snagged second-hand (?) tickets for a sold-out concert of my favorite artist, TALK. The prices for them went from 40$ to 130$, but the lady sold them to me for 25$!! I was scared of a scam but took my chances, and then the venue confirmed the tickets are legit. SO Excited!!!!!!!
* I try to have my prescription medication prepared for 3 months at a time, paying the service fee only 4 times a year instead of 12 times.
I didn't do much frugal this week with Easter...seems like I was running around last minute getting things (like Easter egg decoration kits and stuff). I did use a ham from my freezer. We did a pulled ham (like pulled pork) instead of spiral sliced this year and everyone at the table agreed it beat spiral sliced ham. The hams are also half the price of a spiral sliced.
I needed some bushes in my backyard, but rather than buy some I dug some up that the last owner had around the sides of the house (and near water pipes). I think landscaping is officially done.
I completely cleaned out my pantry/freezer/fridge/cabinets yesterday. Donated a lot of items and got a good idea of what needs to be used this month.
Hey, I quit using the Dollar Club razors, but I still have lots of the refills. Maybe they would fit your handle? I would be glad to send them to you!
1. We received 7 pounds of sugar and a bag full of snacks from Buy Nothing. Just in time to make more Meyer lemon marmalade with free lemons!
2. Sewed curtains for our daughter, using fabric from a previous pair of curtains, and the fabric started out as a drop cloth. As I sewed I thought about the miles and miles of curtains that I must have sewed in my life and what a massive savings it has been.
3. Finished re-doing a free kitchen island. Listed it on FB marketplace.
4. Opened up the house and got the indoor temperature up to 67 degrees! Highest it's been in a long time.
5. I do Pinecone surveys and it seems they are looking for more participants. They are super quick and easy and pay $3 each. Not a ton, but over time those $3 add up. If anyone is interested, here is a referral link https://join.pineconeresearch.com/#/signup/?CampaignId=2128&LANG=9&SID=2869272
I love sandwiches too! I would eat sandwiches and salads all day if I could.
My 5 Frugal Wins are ...
1. Did a lot of Easter activities with the girls mostly with things we already had like read easter books, sing worship songs on YouTube, go through resurrections eggs, set up my mother in law's nativity that she passed to us and put up decorations.
2. Cooked a semi-Easter dinner of bangers and mash with food we already had. Also included some canned green beans and frozen acorn squash we had. This was a simple meal for my family before my husband headed into work the night before Easter.
3. Didn't have to cook the main Easter dinner since we were kindly invited over to my brother-in-law's for it. We did contribute a $50 leg of lamb since they couldn't find one at their grocery store.
4. My sister-in-law generously gifted my three girls Easter baskets with goodies. It was really nice of them and one less thing for me to do.
5. My church held an easter egg hunt in which I volunteered at and got some free balloons and real live butterflies. My girls and I are learning how to keep them alive. We're hoping they last until later spring when it's warmer so we can release them.
Spring Break edition:
1. We found a new walk/fishing spot we had never been to for some free, outdoor fun.
2. I got treats for the kids Easter baskets/plastic eggs at a local discount grocery. (Most were 3/$1)
3. We had several meals with friends this weekend in which we all shared food responsibilities.
4. We rented a power washer to clean our decks instead of paying someone to do it.
5. I did free trial to watch a basketball game we wanted to see. (We don't have any paid TV subscriptions.) I will cancel so we are not charged.
6. I made ham fried rice with leftovers today, and I will freeze the rest for later meals.
I can remember collecting watches as a Medical Assistant. My favorite one was a Mickey Mouse whose arms formed the minute hands. It also played a tiny bit of music.
It is possible a jeweler/watch repair person can salvage your watch. I have been death on watches since a teenager. My Mom gave me new watches for graduations (I had three, actually four). My sister bought me two Minnie Mouse watches for nursing later in my career. But by far, the one I've been most pleased with and have had the longest is a Victorinox with military time and second hand. Has a calendar date, too, but it's so little I can't see it. I purchased it on eBay. I guess that makes a frugal watch purchase as I've had it over ten years.
We have brush/limb pickup in our community this week and to use the service is more frugal than having someone haul it to the drop off. I saved money by cutting a big barberry bush away from the front of the house by myself with my handy reciprocating saw with the pruning blade. I maintain a "perpetual" limb/stick pile since I have several trees and bushes in my yard. I combined that pile of limbs with the neighbor's to the south making for one very large brush pile at curbside.
The nursing home laundry department is the recipient of many donated clothes usually from families that have no use for their loved ones things. The things that cannot be used or not needed are set out out for employees. I found the cutest pair of lightweight print pants that will make for summer pjs. I ordered an inexpensive cooridinating t-shirt from eBay that with shipping was about $10.00. Still makes a new set of pjs for less than a new set. I live in pjs a lot because of working nights. It's good to have ones that I don't mind being seen in for when I take the dog out, or answer the door. Also found a summer popover dress/nightgown.
@Chrissy, I'm glad that your nursing home's laundry does this for employees. I left quite a few of DH's things at his nursing home after he died, and I'd like to think that some of the taller, bigger male employees could have used some of my Gentle Giant's stuff.
EBay is a real money-saver when it comes to finding discontinued items. It has become the first place I look.
1. My slippers are worn through on the bottom. I spent $40 (OUCH!) on yarn to make a new pair, and then saw that I made the old pair in 2010! (OF COURSE yarn was cheaper then—everything was.) Fourteen years out of these cushy felted clogs is quite a frugal win in my book.
2. I realized that there are no Church Ladies any more to decorate for Easter, so I gathered up 3 little homemade crosses that I have (who gave me these?? when??) and made a little display for the foyer at church using terracotta pots with colored rocks to secure them upright. No magical Church Ladies appeared with potted Easter lilies, but a friend brought me a fabulous bouquet of flowers, which I added to the paltry decor at church (while thinking of Kristin at Going Country, a true Church Lady).
3. A friend shopped at Costco, called to see if I needed anything, and picked up a couple of essentials that will postpone a Winco trip for me for much less than I would have spent at Winco.
4. A friend is going through a hard time; we are very much alike in the things we enjoy, so we drove down the hill with our bikes to where there are flat roads (she is new to bike riding using gears), rode through the orange blossoms (best smell in the entire world) and then gleaned oranges in a friend's grove.
5. Our local food pantry needs our entire town to show up in order to keep getting bimonthly deliveries; last week they had flats of raspberries, so now I have many raspberries in my freezer.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, It sounds like a lovely little display you put together, and I'm so glad you did. When no magical Church Ladies appear, we become the next generation. At least, I did. 🙂
1. I'm working overnight, so I'm bringing dinner: the end of the bag of rice, some tofu pockets and frozen dumplings from the freezer, and sauteed green vegetables. Takeout is just not agreeing with me like it used to.
2. Mr. B is doing our taxes. Cheaper than hiring an accountant.
3. I sat on my my credit card points until I had enough to buy myself a $50 gift card. Once it arrives, I'll be able to buy some nice-quality t-shirts for the summer.
4. We continue to make bread. I bought a basic breadmaker (Hamilton Beach) in early 2022 and wow, it just works for us. Lately, we run it 3-4 times a week.
5. Mr. B and I are hosting our long-belated wedding reception in the summer; I used WithJoy (a website) to make free e-invitations and generate an online FAQ. I enjoy beautiful stationary as much as the next person, but doing it this way saves us $200 in postage alone, never mind the cost of ordering paper invites or the time and material cost of making them.
It has been a spendy week (vacation, ER trip, birthday prep), but I hope to come up with 5!
1. We have kept our EZ Pass active from when we moved from Virginia 9.5 years ago. We used it both on my trip to NC a couple of weeks ago and to our trip to PA last week and it's super helpful (and cheaper!) to have an EZ Pass.
2. We packed all of the food for our return trip from PA to MI. Most of this was my mother-in-law's doing, but we went with it rather than opting to buy food.
3. I booked the kennel for our dog for our camping trips in June and August. We have two kennels we have used and there's a substantial price difference between the two (the one near the bigger city costs quite a bit more) so I booked early to get the cheaper one that's real close to home.
4. I asked my friend to order a gift for my husband's birthday. I had something particular I wanted to get him, but the only ones I could find in town were $70-$100. Amazon had it on sale for $30, so I gave my friend $35 to order it for me (my husband and I share an Amazon account and I wanted to keep it a surprise).
5. Well... I got nothin'. I'll leave it at 4 for today.
1. This is the same as many other weeks, but I finished yet another skincare sample (I used it on my legs instead of my face, ha!) and cut open a tube of hand cream to get every last wonderful drop out. I did order a replacement, but made sure to combine it with a few other needed items during a 25% off sale which is the best that this particular website offers.
2. My above purchase will also come with a free moisturizer which I will happily use as I currently only have one with SPF in it. I prefer not to put on SPF before bedtime. I am usually greasy enough to not need a moisturizer, but hormones have shifted postpartum so here we are.
3. People have kindly given us some gift cards after Baby #2 was born. I recently used a GC at Target buying needed household things, and another at our local grocery store.
4. I found multiple varieties of fair trade dark chocolate on sale for $1/bar in the organic section of the grocery store, and bought probably 30 bars. Dark chocolate is my preferred treat and this is an amazing deal! Now I just need to resist eating it all immediately…
5. Nothing else out of the ordinary! Just the "maintenance" frugalities of washing on cold and line-drying laundry, cooking at home and avoiding food waste, etc.
Had a friend whose child swallowed her watch, a Timex. When it came out the other end, it was still ticking. Just like the old commercial promised: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
@Lindsey, John Cameron Swayze! What a voice. But they wouldn't have wanted to use that real life example in the television commercials. At least the Timex commercials. Maybe the laxative commercials....
Kristen, don't feel too badly about your watch. Once I was trying to be efficient and bringing my laundry to the laundry room, I had popped my phone in the basket, since I had no pockets for it in my leggings, and it didn't dawn on me until I heard the loud thumping in the washing machine that I had just dumped the laundry in the washer without taking my phone out. Ouch.
1. Line -dried a few loads on a cool, but dry and windy, day
2. My kids Easter clothes were from consignment and/or handed down from an older sibling
3. Easter meal was shared with my in laws and one other couple, and we each brought a few dishes
4. Lands End had a good spring sale, and I got some swim wear for myself and my daughters for a big discount (kids swim bottoms for less than $3!)
5. Took all the kids to the library yesterday (no school). I even got myself a few books - I've been trying a few medical memories, Kristen!
Kristen, I thoroughly soaked the watch that was my college graduation present while visiting my in-laws at their lake cabin. (Lest you think we are rich, it was literally a cabin that they built themselves. It had indoor plumbing going for it, but that was it on amenties.) I got the bright idea to set the oven on the lowest setting to dry it out. Did not realize the oven there had a lowest setting of "melt your watch's innards" instead of the just above warm setting I would have at home. *Sighs*
For frugal stuff:
Altered a thrifted blouse to fit better. It was massively too large, apparently a fashion look, and I took ten inches out of the sides and reshaped the arm pits. My sewing machine has saved me thousands of dollars every year.
Stopped at Aldi in a no/low food sales tax area and bought a few groceries. Groceries are taxed where I live, so I make it a point to buy food when in the state next door, which has only a small local option tax on certain items.
Used coupons at the local grocery store to buy almond milk, canned beans and dog treats.
Bought some red wine on clearance at the grocery store that turned out to be pretty good. Also made some vegetarian tacos with various freezer items that came out yummy with the addition of some salsa from Aldi.
1. I started a quilt using material I already had.
2. We fixed the toilet... but it is a temporary fix until my husband can replace it.
3. We enjoyed free entertainment, mostly movies from the library.
4. I made all of our Easter dinner from scratch. Because our kids and my parents ended up being sick over Easter, we had too much food. So leftovers and freezing some, it is.
5. We took leftover Girl Scout cookies to a potluck. So, not exactly frugal, because I had to buy the leftover packages of cookies. Between snow and sickness, we had a larger number of leftover packages than normal. So I paid for them... but we as a family can't eat that many. (Most are in the freezer, but food allergies...) Some boxes made their way to a potluck full of teenagers who enjoyed the cookies.
1) I got some free/discounted veggies and cheese for my volunteering at the Farmer's Market
2) Our seedlings are started and growing. This is our first year trying to grow seedlings so we shall see how it goes.
3) Borrowed an audiobook for my walks...here's hoping this becomes a habit
4) Found the extra large egg dying kit we bought last year so we didn't have to buy a new one this year.
5) Made ham stock and chicken stock w/ leftover bones.
My brother brought a large Focaccia bread from a restaurant that no one wanted to eat. I cut it up and made bread crumbs, they were delish.
For a family get together on Easter everyone brought a dish to pass, we always have so many leftovers. We all ended up taking food home.
Our dear neighbors moved and he had a very large assortment of tools due to being a woodworker and offered us to 'shop" his garage in case we wanted anything free of charge. We passed as hubs does not need anymore tools but so kind of them to offer.
Meijer had marked down packages of romaine for $1, I bought several packages. I managed to use it all.
A friend of ours gave us all kinds of snack packs & candy bars. Chocolate is so expensive!
We will freeze most of the candy bars.
--I got an insurance payment for being in the hospital for a week earlier this year.
--Easter "dinner" was granola cereal since I'd eaten a late lunch.
--I cleaned out some of my costume jewelry I don't wear. Some went into the "donate" pile, and I listed the nicest bracelet on ebay.
-I got 2 books coming from Paperbackswap.com. One was on my wishlist, and the other was free from the person I ordered the first from. They are free since I have about 15 "free swaps" right now. Membership is about $13/year for the basic one.
--I didn't spent a ton at the grocery store but got a lot of veggies for salads for lunch this week--all on sale except the avocados. I WFH and really like good lunches that are fresh & can be tossed together quickly. Dinner is sometimes easier than lunch.
--I started horseback riding lessons at a barn 20 minutes from the house instead of over 90. That will save on gas! (Yeah, it's an expensive hobby, but I love it...been riding and showing since I was 5. I don't own a horse-just take lessons and occasionally show now.)
--I did not buy a new bicycle.
1. I did use the library for our book club book, BUT chose to by a new book from my now favorite author Abby Jiminez. Her story is lovely.
2. Brought home bread from work that would otherwise be thrown out.
3. My husband made stuffing for our Easter turkey from the last time I brought home the bread from work. Note to self from husband: no whole wheat bread in his stuffing as he isn't a fan.
4. washed out the ziplock baggie from a coworker's banana bread she brought to share.
5. Thawed some bean/kale soup for lunches this week.
i have a frugal fail. in judaism 18 is a lucky number. my last frugal fail was $18 cherries, this time the fam and i were in central park with australian friends who came to visit us.
they treated us to lunch at the boathouse restaurant. as we left the park we were still hungry. we stopped at a nathan's truck and we ordered one order of fries for the four of us to share. the fries were $18.
we spent a lovely weekend with these friends and did all sorts of touristy things that we don't do enough.
Trimmed my own bangs and ends instead of going to the salon.
Used the library for a bunch of free books for the kiddos.
We hosted Easter dinner for my husband’s family, which isn’t particularly frugal but I did make the rolls and the cake from scratch, so I guess that saves some money over store boughten? Also we are using up the leftover ham for sandwiches and tonight we are having homemade ham and pineapple pizza.
Made homemade peanut butter energy balls with the kiddos as a spring break activity. Homemade snacks are always cheaper and more nutritious.
Portioned and froze a bunch of chicken thighs and ground beef to help avoid having to stop at the store in the future. It’s easier to avoid spending if you don’t go to the store as often.
1. Libby app for free audiobooks.....love the library
2. Use up leftovers
3. Free donuts and muffins in animal feed box
4. Get free bread for animals...they get limited amount
5. Potatoes starting to go bad so put in slow cooker with beef roast and carrots