Five Frugal Things | Yes, on a Wednesday!
So you know what's funny? All semester long, I pretty much didn't miss posting a day! But now I've missed a couple while on break.
I think the reason is that while Lisey was home for winter break, I didn't have access to my usual desk setup, so I got all out of my groove! She's back at school now (boo!), so I'm back at my desk (a small consolation prize. Ha.)
It wasn't even until yesterday afternoon that I realized I hadn't published a post. So that's why we are having a Wednesday Five Frugal Things.
1. I helped Zoe get $40 of Amazon credit
Her orthodontist has a rewards program that she'd never logged into because she figured it wouldn't be very good.
But you know how I feel about rewards programs, so I registered her card number, and lo and behold, she had quite a few points racked up! I helped her redeem for $40 worth of Amazon credit, which is nothing to sneeze at especially if you are 15.
(Orthodontic patients get points for things like brushing their teeth, being on time to appointments, and so on.)
2. I used YourTurn rewards to get a venti frappuccino for Zoe
Speaking of rewards...I wanted to get a celebratory treat for Zoe after her brace-removal appointment, so I redeemed some of my Erie YourTurn rewards for a Starbucks credit.
(YourTurn is the Erie Insurance app that rewards you for safe driving.)
3. I helped Zoe get free shipping
Huh. This is turning out to be kind of a Zoe-themed Five Frugal Things! She was buying a gift online for a friend, and I noticed that you could skip the $8 shipping fee if you made an account.
So of course, that's what we did.
4. I helped Zoe modify two skirts
Again with the Zoe-theme! One of her skirts needed to be shortened and one needed a waist adjustment, so I got out my machine and pins and we made both of the skirts fit better.
5. I made baked ziti with a combo of pasta shapes
I wanted to go to the grocery store on Monday, but we got a bunch of out-of-the-blue snow (see the photos at the top of this post!)
So, I needed a pantry meal, and baked ziti fits the bill.
I did not have enough ziti, though, so I combined several packages of pasta to make it work. I also used up the last bit of a jar of tomato sauce in combo with the canned tomatoes the recipe calls for.
This week I made lasagne using zucchini slices instead of noodles because they were there. It wasn't too bad.
I am reminding myself to look at home before buying.
Today my son and I went out for lunch we tried a new place and it was so much cheaper and still tasted good. Bonus was that my boy paid for my lunch.
Made sure to use up points and offers that expired with the new year.
I was at the supermarket at the right time and was able to buy meat on 40 to 75% off just as it was being marked down. Today that supermarket announced that they are rationing some of the meats I bought then.
The huge Covid surge in our state combined with the snowstorm on Monday have made for a lot of not spending.
1. I have mostly been making do with the food we have on hand. We are a little low on fresh fruit so a quick trip might be coming up but it has been good for using up what we have in the refrigerator, freezer, and "pantry".
2. Some of my gatherings have returned to Zoom, both because of Covid and weather. It saves on driving and time but I look forward to being out, in person, more going forward.
3. I did place a Vitacost order after they sent me a coupon to save $20 on a $50 order. Of course I ordered $49 worth (after coupon application) to qualify for free shipping. They have a good selection of organic staples like oat bran, ground flax seeds, shredded coconut, and gluten free flours. I also bought some Tom's toothpaste.
4. I requested a piece of furniture on Freecycle that is something my daughter can use in her dining room. It's an old Ethan Allen cabinet. We will pick it up this weekend.
5. Our meals have been at home, our entertainment is PBS streaming and I have read and listened to a lot of books borrowed from the library (no clutter and no cost).
Two non-frugal things, just to shake things up. 🙂
1) My eldest son has for years made "potions," which are mixtures of various things in bottles that sit and get gross and eventually need to be thrown out. Now he's moved on to "chemistry," in which he goes into the kitchen and puts various things together, all culminating in the ever-popular vinegar and baking soda fizz eruption. For years, this has driven me kind of crazy--especially when it takes place in the kitchen, and then I find I'm out of a baking soda--so my husband suggested we buy him a chemistry kit. Oh. Yeah. Should've done that years ago. Now, did I NEED to spend $28 for a kit that probably has many of the same ingredients he messes around with in the kitchen? No. But it will keep him out of my baking cupboard and hopefully teach him to be a little more systematic (scientific?) in his approach, so I'm counting that money well spent.
2) I found out Misfits Market delivers to me. To me! In the literal middle of nowhere! So, again, did I NEED to order $30 worth of organic produce? No. I could wait until we go to an actual store. But it will save me having to drive to the store (and, at 180 miles roundtrip to a "real" store, that gas is adding up to $30 pretty quick) AND they offer things I can't even find at the stores here, like fennel and golden beets. So again, totally worth it to me.
@kristin @ going country, I'd avoid real stores too if it's an 180 mile drive. It's great that Misfits Market delivers to you.
@kristin @ going country, Misfits is saving me while my house has Covid! I can’t get organic produce by me anyway so that’s an added bonus!
Ok, I am in serious shock that Misfits delivers to you. But yay!!! That is so awesome!
@kristin @ going country, I love your number one. God bless the future scientists. 😀
@kristin @ going country,
I love that!
@kristin @ going country, I had a child like your son, we called her Lotions and Potions Ella. She just turned 22, won a full scholarship to Queen's University in Canada and will graduate in the spring with a dual degree in engineering chemistry and chemistry. She also did a years internship in Calgary between her 3rd and 4th year and was offered an amazing job a year before she graduates. It's great that you celebrate this in your son and I'll ask her if she has any tips for you. How old is your son?
@kristin @ going country,
I was that child who used up all my mom's spices and such making "potions" and the chemistry set definitely helped!
@kristin @ going country, I love the story about your son. I wonder if he will be a chemist of some sort. My middle son built sculptures out of trash in our garage. He once built a giant robot with pizza boxes for feet. (I miss those days.) Fast forward 25 years, he is still an artist.
@Leann, I love that your daughter is a professional potion-maker now 🙂 My eldest son is 11. He starts middle school next year, and that means he gets to actually do science. The fact that science isn't part of the Common Core elementary curriculum is a great source of frustration for many teachers and kids now. Including mine, obviously.
@kristin @ going country, My parents gifted me a chemistry set as a child 35+ years ago (before all those bottles of chemicals were deemed to be not "safe" for a toy!) and it is the #1 best gift I ever received! I've been a clinical pharmacist for 20+ years now, and I still get an absolute nerdly THRILL over all things medicine/science! I'm sure, at the time, that my parents also wondered if they needed to spend that money on a "toy" but it brought me hours of joy and was part of the beginning of my path to a career I really enjoy! Kudos to you for encouraging a love of science!!
I am trying to do a no/very low spend for January so a lot of what I've done the past week involves food.
1. I froze the rest of the Christmas roast for later meals. I used some sad apples to make baked oatmeal and baked apples. I used leftover cheese sauce to make macaroni and cheese. Very limp celery and two sprouted potatoes went into a pot pie.
2. I used a lot of butter to make sweets during the holidays. I saved all the empty wrappers in a bag in the fridge to use to grease baking dishes. I used two of them for the baked oatmeal and mac and cheese dishes.
3. I made a meal plan for the entire month of January based on what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry. I've never done this before, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
4. My new Medicare Advantage plan includes $40 every quarter to order over-the-counter products from their web site. I got three bottles of the daily vitamins I take, eye drops and two containers of floss for free (I don't pay a monthly premium).
5. My daughter didn't have time to use the free Chick-fil-A peppermint shake coupon while she was here. I used it the day before it expired. I had a free birthday Redbox code so I got the latest James Bond movie to watch while I drank the shake. Fun!
Happy New Year!
@BarbG,
Drinking a peppermint milkshake is a very happy way to be frugal!
@Kathy L,
Definitely, as long as it's free. The cost would have been $4.55 for a pretty small shake! I don't think I could ever buy one at that price.
1. Wearing the same old clothes I've had for years. Haven't bought anything new in many months. Why bother? Because of Covid I never go anywhere.
2. Skipped the adoption fee for a new cat because I found an abandoned kitten in my garbage can on Sunday morning. Poor thing had been out being rained on all night and was trapped in a pool of water. Thank goodness it wasn't too cold. I brought it in, bathed it in warm water (it was absolutely filthy and matted), fed it and handed it to my daughter to keep warm in her room. We took it to the vet on Monday, found out he's a boy, about 8 weeks old and underweight, and we named him Gus. He is probably a Himalayan. The cutest little fluffball ever. So now we have a new kitten in our house.
3. Made a delicious beef and mushroom pot pie for dinner last night, until my son tried to take a piece and the Pyrex plate exploded, sending shards of glass and beef shrapnel all around the kitchen. Corralled the dogs into another room while I cleaned up. (Gus is staying in my daughter's room for now while he de-stresses and until he's vaxed.) I'm never using new Pyrex again.
4. Of course we have to pay for vax for the kitten and eventual neutering, but NEW BABY KITTEN!
5. 🙂
@Rose, congratulations on the new kitten! And thank goodness it was your garbage can and not someone else's.
@Rose, New Pyrex vs Old Pyrex will get into a lot of internet debates that quite frankly I'd like to avoid. Both have pluses and big minuses.
Personally, I've just opted to go for a 13x9 metal baking pan (USA Pan but the Nordic Ware ones are nice too) and an enameled cast iron one I got from Aldi a few years back which has since chipped. The Pyrex pan is now more fridge storage than bakeware.
@A. Marie, I can't figure out how he got in there. Some of my friends think someone dumped him there. Poor little thing--he was underfed and filthy. I can't think about it too much because it's too sad. But he's hit the jackpot now.
@Battra92, I do love my set of colored Pyrex bowls, which my mom got as a wedding present in 1963. I don't bake in them, though. From now on, you're right, metal pans only.
@Rose, I have had the same happen with Pyrex TWICE now - and I am done with it as well. Total nightmare to clean up on top of the food waste!
@Rose, was it a Pyrex baking dish or Corelle plate? I've never had a Pyrex explode (except the hot one I accidentally ran cold water into, oops!) But I've had two Corelle dinner plates explode over the years. Definitely not a great experience, I sympathize!
Oh my word, that's awful about your pot pie. I would be seriously made my dinner got ruined; probably more mad than about losing a pie plate!
And I am so glad the kitten found you. Poor little guy!
@Rose,
That's so sad about the kitten, but so happy that he was found by you!
Rose! If you are a member of my Facebook group, you could share a photo of the kitten there. I personally would love to see him. 🙂
Here's Gus. https://ibb.co/DWyDKDH
I am a member of your FB group but I'm in Facebook Jail for another two weeks.
(On another group, I said "Europeans are weird sometimes" in reference to art nouveau. Apparently that's hate speech. Eyeroll.)
Ohh, he is so cute!
@Bobi, Pyrex baking dish, 9 x 13. Grrrrr.
And yes, much more annoyed about losing dinner. I used red wine, bacon and dried mushrooms along with the beef. It was going to be so delicious.
@Rose, I'm so glad you rescued that kitty. I, too, think someone put him in there, may they rot in (someplace bad.)
@Rose, awww, Gus! He is so cute! Thank goodness you found him. He's going to have a great life.
@Rose, Too cute. Glad you were there to save him. I hope he brings you many years of joy. Thanks for sharing the photo here. I am not on Facebook so I would not have seen Gus. Nice name. All the best for the New Year for you, your family and Gus.
@Rose, I am a firm believer that a cat always chooses his human. Kittens are wonderful!
@Anita Isaac, It's short for Gustav Klimt. (aka My Daughter Goes to Art School)
@Rose, Gus is adorable. I'm so glad you found him and are taking such good care of him
@Rose, kitten is adorable. Licorice agrees. He was a stray kitten who found his way here. My cuddly boy!
@Rose,
Great save!!! We all need positive stories like this with likeminded people who care for vulnerable animals. I've decided that there is really nothing better than a kitten. I mean...a kitten. So perfect. He looks like a Birman. AND you took him to the vet right away!!!! You sure win the gold star. Now he doesn't have to suffer with worms and fleas and all sorts of misery. Thanks for sharing his pic --it sounds like he won the jackpot--and deservedly so.
@mary, the vet couldn't believe it but he has no worms at all! Amazing. He's going back on Monday for shots--the vet didn't want to stress the baby this week. Just wanted him to put on some weight, which he will no doubt do as he is eating like there's no tomorrow.
@Rose, definitely a Persian. Looks just like our cat Catnip. Love the long hairs 🙂
@Rose, new kitten is such a win for you AND the kitten! Sweet boy.
Replaced a significant dishwasher part. Turned out that the reason the dishwasher wasn't working well was the upper-rack hose was chewed to bits. Since the rack was also rusted in spots, I replaced the whole thing. I've now replaced both racks, at a cost of about $325. Not cheap but much less than a new dishwasher and kept an entire dishwasher out of the waste stream. This is the third time I've kept it out of the waste stream: first when I got it as a hand-me-down, second when I replaced the lower rack, and this time. I wonder what's next?
Used discounts on my mini-vacation to save money on museum & park entrances. (I spent most of the savings on chocolate.)
Bought my usual souvenirs of a locally-themed Christmas ornament and fridge magnet. Very inexpensive for souvenirs, not very cluttery, and pleasing to my eye.
Bought travel gas on discount Thursday using a weekly app discount.
Forgot the food savings!
Bought a boatload of organic chicken parts because Perdue had peelies out. $2/2 pkgs. I bought the smallest packages I could find - 20 of them! (There were a lot of peelies available.)
Stocked up using the many coupons that expired on 12/31, including $5/bag dog food. I now have about 15 bags of dog food (again, a lot of peelies available) and a lot of snacks and drinks for the delivery guys. I get good delivery coverage now - they all know they can take a snack even if they aren't delivering something to me.
Brought food with me on my mini-vacation. This covered breakfasts, some lunches, and snacks.
@WilliamB, I have a Bosch 300 series that I bought just before Covid that was much better than the 20 year old GE model that came with my house. At some point there is a breaking point on appliances but good for you for keeping this one going for so long.
@WilliamB, I do the magnets as souvenirs as well. I never thought of ornaments. Thanks!
@Battra92, yes, this has been a question for us, too. Those racks seem to rot and are ridiculously expensive to replace. We have been "painting" our rust spots with some product. Our dishwasher is almost 20 years old and since we're laying new flooring we decided to replace it now. We bought a Bosch. Now, if I could just get Lowe's to deliver it. :C
@Anne, Love my Bosch. Will have to see how long it lasts.
@Laurie, Our Bosch has lasted 10 years with only one repair that my husband managed to do after looking it up on You Tube. I love Bosch.
Thanks everyone for the information on dishwashers. Our garbage disposal broke a month ago and decided not to fix it. I compost.
But last week the dishwasher water backed up and came out on the floor. Anyway apparently you need a working garbage disposal for the dishwasher to work properly.
When we told the plumber our Kichen Aid was 21 years old with one repair he said it is going to break, they don't last much longer, and then our subfloor will be ruined so we are looking for a new dishwasher. Thanks for the recommendations.
We did that with the dishwasher at our old house: touched up the racks with some kind of liquid plastic and put new tips on the prongs that separate the dishes. A set of new racks would have cost almost as much as a new dishwasher. I left the fix-it kit for the new owners, just in case they ever needed it.
@karen,
It sounds like the dishwasher hose loop wasn't re-routed or high enough after the disposal died? I don't have a garbage disposal, never had, and I have a dishwasher. In fact, this is the case for both of my daughters as well. Did I misunderstand you perhaps?
@WilliamB, my lower rack in my dishwasher started to come apart years ago. I kept my eyes open and when someone put an old dishwasher out at the curb I grabbed the dish racks out if it. To my amazement they fit in my dishwasher! Save me $$ in not having to buy replacements.
Now that the holidays are over and we've spilled the beans to our kids about our upcoming Disney trip (their Christmas present) I feel like I can get back on track with saving. We've made a family pact that we will try to spend as little money now until our trip at the end of this month.
1. A coworker lost a good deal of weight and has graciously offered me some of her bigger clothing. In among this has been some men's items that fit my husband. And to make it even better, they are Disney freaks...and have given us more than enough for our trip!!
2. We swore up and down that this would be the last year of our artificial tree that must be at least 30 years old. But after looking at the clearance trees (because we would only buy a clearance tree) I was not impressed at all. Not because of the lack of selection, but the lack of fullness that fake trees have. I want a nice full tree and our oldie but goodie we have at home is a full tree. I guess we'll suffer through another year of itchy skin when fluffing the tree!
3. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to fill my parent's freezer with home cooked meals as our gift to them. Which we did and they were very happy with. During my clean out of their freezer, I found a very large bag of pre-cooked chicken breasts that they received in a food donation box. My mom was very happy to let us take the bag of chicken home. So, my food savvy husband has been creating some pretty good dishes with those little buggers! Free to us!
4. I've continued bringing packaging supplies home from work for my Ebay. Fridays, everyone puts there trash out in the halls and I browse on my way out the door!
5. Found a new YouTube channel about a two ladies that dumpster dive and then donate what they find. Its crazy the stuff they find!
@Jenelle, Enjoy Disney. I used to work there during the summer of my junior year of college. And I got engaged there and we took our kids there twice.
@Jenelle, can you tell me the name if the Youtube show? I love dumpster diving and would love to watch it. Thanks
I'm glad it wasn't a power outage that had you missing a day!
1. My husband's wheelchair ramp at the house has railings that ended in U-shapes, which interfered greatly with making the right angle turn onto or off of the ramp where it intersected the sidewalk, so he pulled out the U-shape ends, leaving the pipe railing with open ends. After a fruitless months-long search for the right sized black end caps, I discovered some PVC end caps we owned that slid into the pipe ends almost perfectly. I spray painted them black with paint we had, used our Gorilla glue on the caps and put them in the pipe ends - after evicting the rain frog from one pipe, first -- and now the ends look nice and can't catch fingers or clothes. This also will keep the wasps out next summer.
2. I bought a Paypal card with Swagbucks, transferred the amount to my bank from Paypal, and used it to pay extra on a bill.
3. I had five of my good knives sharpened. I pay money for this, but getting them professionally done is much better than I can do at home, and I consider the $17 spent to be better than having an emergency room visit from trying to force a dull knife through a firm sweet potato.
4. I had to put up the breakables in the recent past because my husband accidentally would break them. I realized after putting up the Christmas décor that I can put breakable stuff back out now. Instead of buying new things to decorate the house with, I am digging in cabinets and finding things that go way, way back, and using them again.
5. I keep an eye out for toys for my younger grandkids, and found a very nice condition Fisher-Price rolling vintage-style toy telephone for $1.99. I cleaned and sanitized it, and it went into the toy box I keep for them when they visit. I made the purchase just before January, which is to be my no-spend month, except for necessities or items I have been actively looking for and/or waiting for a price drop for a while.
FFT, Grinning and Bearing It Edition:
(1) I used various leftover ingredients from various recent dinners (part of a bottle of red wine, half a can of tomato paste, half a bag of frozen pearl onions, etc.), plus stew meat from our 1/4 steer, to make a passable variation on boeuf bourguignon.
(2) Another plan derailed by COVID Omicron, to add to those mentioned by others: Our Jane Austen group's annual Jane and Cassandra's Birthday luncheon, which we were going to try to have in person this January, has been replaced by a Zoom gathering. On the one hand, I'm saving the cost of the luncheon plus NY State Thruway tolls plus a Thruway drive in iffy winter weather. On the other...bummer!
(3) I'm scheduled for a routine colonoscopy on Friday, so I'll be enjoying the ritual fasting starting tomorrow a.m. followed by the ritual purge starting tomorrow p.m. On the one hand, that's a bit of money saved on food, and I can think of worse times than right after New Year's for a good thundering cleanout. On the other...well, you know.
(4) Something like typical Upstate winter weather has finally set in. But I'm trying to use the extra indoor time to tackle various tasks (decluttering, putting approximate values on some things I'll be donating to a charity auction later in the year, etc.).
(5) And I'm continuing to use DH's stockpile of free firewood plus the free kindling recently supplied by a neighbor to run our wood-burning fireplace insert.
@A. Marie,
Your #3 - I entirely sympathize with you. I find drinking the stuff they give me is the very, very worst part for me. Good luck!
@A. Marie, I had to laugh at the phrase "a good thundering cleanout." Next time I have one, I'm insisting on a prescription for Zofram to quell vomiting, though. My poor body thought I'd been poisoned last time and was behaving accordingly in the middle of the night. It was gruesome.
The holiday season is behind us, and I’m looking forward to a brand new year. I am hopeful that the negativity that seems to have dominated our lives in 2020 and 2021 will soon be a distant memory. The last 3 months of last year were chaotic, so I’m using the first week of January to plan and organize myself for the year ahead.
My FFT include:
1) I set up my spreadsheets for 2022. This includes my budget, personal balance sheet and spending log. I paid my bills using my bank’s bill pay system and adjusted my auto payments. This should help me reach my financial goals this year.
2) I donated several higher end items to my favorite, nonprofit community thrift store. It is amazing how many people make donations at the first of the year. I went inside to look around. I purchased a pair of PJs that were NWT. I love it when I can get something I need and support my community at the same time.
3) I had several odd items that I needed, but I couldn’t find locally - a leather upholstery repair kit, black shoe polish, and a new band for my out-of-date Fitbit. I ordered these things from Amazon using credit card rewards points to pay for them.
4) I placed an order for household items from Target and received a $10 gift card when I spent $40. I took advantage of the curbside pickup. Oh how I wish this was available when my kids were little!
5) I have done all the usual things brewed my own coffee, eaten at home, menu planned around freezer and pantry items, listened to a book using the Libby App from the library, and scanned receipts to Fetch and Ibotta
1. We used up all the party leftovers which resulted in less waste AND a $20 grocery bill this week.
2. I cooked up a bag of blackbeans in the instapot. Dinners with blackbeans as the base are pretty frugal. I should note that my family eats a lot of beans, so our digestion is used to this. I wouldn't recommend this otherwise :).
3. I managed to returned all the things that needed returning after Christmas with my receipts no less ensuring I got the full refunds.
4. Treated my husband and daughter to the free Chick-fil-A shakes we got thanks to The Frugal Girl!
5. Used up the last of our $1 Frosty coupons at Wendy's before they expired!
1. I used to feel bad getting rid of or returning a gift someone gave me but now I’ve come around and feel it’s better to get something I actually want or need or at the very least give it to someone who will actually use it. So I’ve been going through some of our Christmas gifts with that mindset. My kids received a toy that I knew would not get a lot of use(we already have many similar toys) so I sold it on fb marketplace (it was from Amazon with no gift receipt and I couldn’t find any other stores that sold it). The money will go in their piggy banks since it was their gift. A gift I received was also from Amazon but it looks like a store here also sells them and this store will allow returns for store credit with no receipt so I’ll use the store credit to get something I really need!
2. I’m not sure how frugal this is overall but I used a $10 off coupon at LL Bean to buy new flannel sheets for our bed. I could find flannel sheets cheaper elsewhere, even without a coupon, but I really like their sheets so at least I got $10 off.
3. I successfully purchased my kids matching Christmas pajamas on clearance for next year. I’ve tried before but I usually can’t find anything in both their sizes, as once it’s clearance, the size availability is very limited. Hopefully one of them doesn’t have a huge growth spurt in the next year, although I erred on the side of ordering them bigger.
4. My husband was home alone for dinner a couple weeks ago and ordered a pizza delivery from Domino's. He ordered it from my account because we use one account to accumulate the reward points. I received an email from Dominos later saying they apologized for the bad delivery experience and gave us a coupon for a free pizza. My husband had no idea what they were referring to, the pizza and delivery both seemed fine. We enjoyed the free pizza last weekend though!
5. Picked up a free play dough toy on buy nothing for my kids. I’ll be saving it for later though, as they are very overloaded with new toys right now.
1. I sold DVD series on DVD for $50 bucks on Facebook Marketplace.
2. I've been sewing up a storm! I made myself a dress for NYE and am almost finished a cardigan. The dress fabric was new (got it on Black Friday), and the cardigan fabric had been kicking around for about a decade.
3. I used a gift card to order diapers.
4. I have been trying to call the bank to get them to cancel the silly credit-card insurance that they automatically signed me up for; today I'm committed to getting through to an actual person who will cancel it for me.
5. I'm planning on using some freezer stuff this week. Last night we had beef stew with beef from our last Costco run; tomorrow we'll have tomato soup that I'd made and frozen.
1. Gathered all the potatoes too small to be baked potatoes and made myself a pot of chicken corn chowder. Froze it for my work lunches in our collection of reused glass peanut butter jars.
2. Picked out all the apples from the fridge with nicks and dings and turned them into a big batch of apple-oatmeal-flaxseed muffins for snacking this week. Yum!
3. Did the math and realized the "looks too expensive" canister of steel cut Irish oats makes 20 servings for one dollar less than the 14 provided by two boxes of shredded wheat cereal. The Irish oats are now my breakfast. Also yum!
4. Because I buy socks in batches, they tend to all wear out at once. Suddenly all my socks were worn thin and not keeping my feet warm, so after a diligent search on Poshmark, I bought 10 pairs of new with tags Goldtoe socks for a total of $16, after the bundle discount and 5% make an offer discount. The batch included winter and summer colors, so I'm set for another eight or nine years. 🙂
5. In refurbishing an old quilt that's covered in solid fabric on both sides, I discovered that one side is in much better shape than the other. So I removed the fabric from the most worn side -- it was just tack-quilted -- and cut patches from the best sections to mend the other side. The now bare side will be recovered with a complementary fabric bought on sale. It's been an interesting project because the solid fabric covers the original quilt. So I'm refurbing someone's refurb. I paid $1 for the quilt maybe 25 years ago at a yard sale and repaired the binding. The fabric to "re-face" it cost $16. Not much money at all to keep something going for who knows how long.
What do you do with your Irish oats?
I cook them according to the package directions for four servings and add a tablespoon of raisins per serving. Near the end of cooking, I add a half cup of ground flaxseed. This is just for me, as I need a lot of fiber to help cut cholesterol.
Then I just stir it a bit as it cools, divide it up between five Rubbermaid containers and freeze. The night before, I take the container out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. It thaws enough by morning to knock out into a bowl and heat up in the microwave. I put almond milk on mine. You can dress it up with sugar, butter, syrup, whatever. The raisins are enough sweetness for me.
Steel-cut Irish oats are nutty tasting and a little bit chewy. They are quite different from regular oatmeal, but really good.
I love the texture of steel cut oats. Here is my favorite way to make/eat them: https://food52.com/recipes/32707-nordic-oats-with-pumpkin-seed-oil-booster-topping
@Ruby,
I eat steel cut oats every day and batch cook them ahead of time and freeze them like you do. I actually like them cold as overnight oats with chia.
We also have had a Covid surge in our state and snow on Monday so we haven't been out to shopping this week.
1. I picked up my husband's insulin prescription that was filled last year when our deductible had already been met so no out of pocket expense for that this month.
2. The HVAC unit at my office is out and it was 58 degrees in my office yesterday. The small space heater I had for my office was not doing enough to keep me from freezing but instead of buying a new one, I brought in the one we use at home for emergencies. Now it's up to 61 degrees in my office!
3. Our son has lingering symptoms from Covid and we wanted him to see a doctor. We were able to get him a tele-health appointment so that saved time and gas.
4. We have making meals from what we have on hand in the freezer and pantry this week.
5. Placed a Walmart+ delivery order that was canceled without them notifying me. I complained to customer service and got a $10 credit.
1. I have changed phone carriers a while ago. This week, I remembered I had paid a 100 euro deposit to the old carrier (due to lack of credit history in a new country), which was never refunded. I contacted them to let them know I no longer am a customer, and they are returning my deposit. I have no idea if they would have eventually paid it back, but it pays to be proactive.
2. Bought a TV secondhand and got the TV stand off freecycle for our new apartment. The apartment is now almost fully furnished and equipped with around 2000 euros spent and very few Ikea furniture 🙂 Couch, bedding and mattresses/box spring were bought new but discounted.
3. After I bought some lamps, I noticed a week later that they went on sale. I was able to get a gift card for the price difference as they have a price guarantee for 30 days.
4. We were staying in a temporary furnished apartment when we first arrived in our new country. Cleaned it ourselves when we moved out instead of hiring a cleaner, and left it much cleaner than it was when we moved in. The owners also paid back our deposit.
5. Enjoying sledding and skating as Covid safe and frugal outdoor activities over winter break. Tomorrow I will pay for ski passes, but otherwise we haven't spent on any experiences or trips.
Five frugal things the moving version.....
1. I spent over an hour on the phone with PODS and had them completely redo the order for the two PODS they delivered today to ensure that they applied the military discount. This saved several hundred dollars but it did take a good bit of time.
2. Two phone calls and 30 minutes spent with the movers to ensure that they honored their quoted price rather than a mandatory flat rate that should have been given to me because of the location of the move being outside a certain mileage radius.
3. I have literally gone through every closet and drawer in the house. Several loads of things have been taken to Goodwill, other items sold on Marketplace, & still more that will be left behind for the new homeowners to enjoy. This reduces the amount we are storing and lets other items go to families that can use them. Clutter out. Yay!
4. We got stuck because my hubby got COVid and we could not go back home. We have been camping in the house that is packed up which is not frugal at all since we cannot cook. We made a trip to the grocery store and have been eating simple meals using the microwave and toaster with some take out thrown in.
5. We have packed the entire home ourselves rather than hiring it out - we only paid for muscle to load the Pods. We have used linens that we had to wrap furniture and other breakable items. Boxes, paper and bubble wrap will be used to pack a second home and then I will advertise the supplies to hopefully get as much use as possible from them before they are trashed.
A bunch of little things add up substantially over time....
1. I've been trying to be more conscious and use coupons if I have them plus promo codes, etc. In the past few weeks I've saved $75.70.
2. When I scan my receipts in to Fetch and Receipt Hog, I keep track of my grocery spending totals to try and stay near my grocery budget. I recently noticed that I wasn't charged for a jug of laundry detergent. I was already home, so I happily used free laundry soap.
3. Before Christmas, hubby and I were driving and looking at Christmas lights. We stopped beforehand to buy 2 hot chocolates. The clerk said someone had paid it forward and we didn't owe for our drinks. That was a nice little surprise!
4. We've been trying to limit our eating out....recently we went 9 days straight with no takeout which is a huge feat for us.
5. We were invited my daughter's boyfriend's family out to dinner to celebrate the boyfriend's birthday. His parents paid for our dinner (we tried to pay).
6. My daughter gave me a free pair of earrings that wouldn't work for her super-sensitive ears.
Extra...frugal for others.....I had a store code for $10 off a $25 order (I couldn't find anything I truly needed) so I gifted to an older couple that was shopping, plus saved myself from unneccesary spending just to use the coupon.
1) So. Many. Leftovers.
2) Self isolated = no shopping = low spend January.
3) I found a box of hats/mittens, etc in the very back of a linen closet that I had long forgotten. So excited, especially since I had planned to pick up some extras on clearance this year.
4) I asked for and received mostly practical gifts, like coffee and cheese.
5) I remembered to cancel 2 free trials before I was charged!
1. Bought a $100 gift card at a local restaurant that came with a bonus $25 gift card. They are both for me!
2. Received a pair of Snoozies Sherpa Socks that I don't care for and cannot return or donate. Decided I could use them inside my Sorel boots so if you see someone with fuzzy, garish hot pink and purple socks poking out of brown boots, you'll know it's me!
3. Mitigated a frugal fail: Drove 20 miles round trip to the nearest store for cold medicine. Purchased some food items at the same time so the trip wasn't a complete bust.
4. Confession: I am terrible at stain removal. After reading the educational and entertaining book "Laundry Love" by Patric Richardson, I signed up for one of his free remote Laundry Camp classes coming up in a couple weeks. His book contains some seriously sound and frugal tips for all things related to textiles and laundry.
5. Splurged on a car wash (and by that I mean one level up from basic). My car was so encrusted with road salt that my husband joked that if I parked it outside the deer would think it was a salt lick.
It's always so hard to know when to wash a car in the winter and I imagine this is particularly true in Minnesota!
I was wondering what had happened with you yesterday. I had assumed the snow had knocked out power or something. Glad that wasn't the case.
1.) The joys of having a gremlin in the house are never ending. It turns out that not just the burner was destroyed in my Christmas fireworks show but the control knob has gone as well. I think I have ruled out the receptacle and honestly, that's all that's left of the circuit (coil top stoves aren't all that complex.) Sadly this wasn't a part carried at my local hardware store (at least not for my brand of stove) so I had to venture out on the Information Superhighway in the Jungle to order one. Luckily for me it was only around $21, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things when a stove is several hundred dollars.
2.) Bought a new battery to revive my long dead iPod. I bought myself a fancy iPod speaker as a sort of Christmas present to myself. Yes, the tech is old (it's like 15 years old at this point) but it still sounds great for what it is and new would've cost me around $350. It also beats the pants off of any $30 Bluetooth speaker.
3.) My wife's mouse developed issues with the left mouse click. Basically it would either not click properly (double clicks would register as a single click or vice versa) or not at all. Since I'm one of those people I had some microswitches left over from another repair I did and luckily they were of the same type. So she has two new (and much louder) switches in her mouse. I should also add that this mouse was scavenged from a "to throw away" pile at work a few years ago so hey, money saved and a piece of tech is saved.
4.) Used up all of the Christmas ham! It did require a bit of creativity toward the end but we did it ...
5.) Doing the usual New Year's stuff. Made my Roth IRA contribution, started to collect tax information, etc. All the fun stuff!
@Battra92, re No. 3. I am stunned that anyone would even think of trying to repair a mouse. I don't even know what a microswitch looks like, except perhaps a very tiny wall switch. 😀
Battra is a very good electronics repairperson!
@Anne, They look like these. Easy enough to solder at least.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/220923770794-0-1/s-l1000.jpg
First of all, I wish you Kristen and all your readers a very happy New Year! May the year abound in good things.
Then I also did not have an opportunity of commenting on Trish's lovely post yesterday, but I read and enjoyed it!
For FFT I can only state the general and recurring small actions of eating leftovers,
and sewing on buttons etc. And I received a gift certificate and used it to buy some creative stuff.
However this is all a bit overshadowed by my frugal fail of mislaying/losing/whatever my wallet with bank card and drivers licence when running an errand. I renewed the card/licence promptly as I am not taking risks with theft of identity. The odds are I will find the documents or get them returned by an honest finder in the next weeks, however this gives peace of mind. I can't drive now, until I can pick up my new licence (by bike) so there is a frugal silver lining to this cloud!
My pickup order got cancelled due to lack of staffing so I went IN to shop and came out 30 dollars OVER budget. Also noticing a lot of totally empty grocery shelves at two grocery stores yesterday In metro Detroit. Are you noticing empty shelves?
I could not get any steamed frozen veggies of any brand, lite coffee creamer and my usual 93 percent lean ground beef.
Frugal: made a lasagna from many odds n ends. I did not have mozz cheese so it was interesting. But not bad.
Went to Chili’s with a 20 dollar gift card from a grocery rewards app.
Got a gentle exercise app for 50 percent off on New Year’s Eve.
Scanned all December receipts into rewards apps yesterday. I only do two rewards apps.
Pack my lunch every day!
@Stephanie, I've definitely been noticing some empty shelves. I've been told a lot of the issues is the trucks just don't come in.
@Stephanie, I'm noticing empty shelves at Aldi, some apparently are supply/delivery issues but according to the employees, the main issue is lack of stockers. I find it a bit irritating to know that what I came for is in the warehouse and no one can retrieve it for me.
@Stephanie, I've noticed the same as well. The most unexpected one is that sugar-free Coke products are hard to find. Not only that but they're a lot more expensive than the equivalent Pepsi products. Usually they're about the same price.
@Stephanie,
Bobi is right that not having enough employees and stockers is one reason, at least in my area. I’ve asked the stores and was also frustrated that the goods are nearby.
Also, schools in the area had to close for a day this week due to lack of substitute teachers to fill in for vacation days. They’ve now advertised $225/day pay to entice applicants.
Yup, there were a lot of empty shelves at my Aldi last night!
Very quick FFT:
I've been using up some leftover quinoa in a variety of ways: on a salad, mixed in with leftover taco meat, in some pizza dough...
Used up the last of some mushrooms and mozarella in a pizza
Cleaned out the closet which helps me see what I HAVE and therefore don't need to buy!
Used up some dried apricots and GF flour mix to make a galette for a friend's birthday.
Used gas reward points to fill up the van this week!
Instead of the expensive steak dinner I envisioned for New Year's Eve, I opted for frozen pizza at home. Still a treat, my favorite brand of frozen pizza is one of my favorite indulgences.
I resisted a slick deal on clearance Moose Munch yesterday. I would have had to buy five containers for free shipping, and I almost talked myself into it!
I have a thrift date planned with my hubby for Friday (we are traveling to a big city to go to thrift stores about two hours from home). We get to eat at a restaurant we don't normally get to eat at and have two choices. I have chosen the no tip plus cheaper in general option! Ahead of time, so I can look forward to it.
My mom is still having issues with her accident several months ago. Upon buying bandages for her yesterday, my husband scored a substantial amount of Extra Bucks at CVS. We're not quite sure how to use them, but I'm going to figure it out to hopefully get some free toiletry items?
We use Clear Care (the generic) solution for our contact lenses at home. We don't change our cups very often and they are worth money on Ebay. I have collected six cups to sell for extra money and they are ready to list. We do this whenever we can save some up.
Ok, it has never occurred to me to sell them on ebay! That's wild!
@Sarah C., Use the Extra Bucks like cash, with the caveat that you won't get change back. So if you buy 4.25 of goods and pay with a $5 EB, you'll lose the $.75.
I turned leftovers into bagel pizzas! We went to a New Year party and the host sent us home with leftover cheese and meats slices. I whipped up pizza sauce and we had a fun dinner.
I listened to a free audio book from the library: The Sun Does Rise by Anthony Ray Hinton. (I would highly recommend this book.)
One frugal fail: I bought some skin products because they were on sale . . . only to realize I already had then in storage. I'll still use them but didn't need to spend the money.
@Rebekah in SoCal, Thanks for the book recommendation, I read Just Mercy, written by his lawyer, which was also excellent!
@LB, both books are extraordinary!
1. My daughter received an 18 pound turkey and a large spiral cut ham as a holiday bonus from work. We enjoyed the ham for dinner on Christmas Eve, I made a ham and swiss quiche, and I froze lots of cut up ham and the ham bone for future meals. We roasted the turkey on New Year's Eve, enjoyed left-over turkey sandwiches on New Year's Day and then I made a huge batch of stock and froze it to enjoy in the future. I have turkey soup on the menu for this week. That was a ton of free protein and it was delicious!
2. I organized and cleaned out all our snow and ski gear. I donated some and sold some that were not sizes we use anymore. I found a full snow suit in very good condition that I gave to my neighbor for her daughter. I used the money from selling to purchase new snow pants for my 14 year old. She has never had a new pair, only hand me downs, and was very thankful. She is not growing very much anymore so she should get several years of use, at least.
3. Our town was doing a free recycle day for electronics right after Christmas. I often forget about this day (I did last year) but this year, I remembered to bring all the items that needed recycling! Cleared out a nice space in the garage to have that gone and it was nice not to pay the electronics recycling fee.
4. When I did our bimonthly freezer organization, I was very excited to discover 2 packages of bacon. Bacon has been very expensive lately. I don't have a specific plan for the bacon yet.
5. My older daughter needed some school supplies for her 2nd semester classes and my younger daughter needed a binder for the script for her school play. We had exactly what they needed in our "school supply bin" so no need to shop!
1. My biggest save this week was remembering, at the very last minute, that Lowe's gives veterans 10% off. We shop there all the time, but since we were buying a big ticket item currently, it just slipped my mind. We got $50 off our new dishwasher. I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back.
2. I travel a long ways to a used bookstore because they have a huge $1.00 section. For the very first time I brought in a box of books to sell back to them. I got a hilarious $2.00 for them. Oh well, that's a hot dog at Costco.
3. I am being quite frugal with my flower garden and moving things from one spot to another in hopes that more or less sun will help them. In the past I have tossed lots of poorly thriving plants.
4. We finally had some rain here in the southwest so we turned off our automatic sprinkler system for an entire week.
5. This hasn't happened yet but has the potential to be really big. I mentioned on another blog that I will probably buy a traditional looking grandfather clock this year. I have been looking at the price of new ones, it varies widely. Brandy, at The Prudent Homemaker, mentioned looking for a used one. I had never thought of that. I will probably save hundreds even if it needs some repair.
Re: Rewards programs: My health insurance company has one. I logged in yesterday and saw they had "activities" for me to do, which involved watching mini-videos introducing the program to me and showing me the online account.
It didn't seem to matter to them that I was a returning "member", (anything in parenthesis is sarcastic on my part), and already knew this from last year. Easy $100 for me!
Also, when my husband and I had the same insurance company, we could each earn rewards. Even though we had a family plan, our log-ins were individual, so we had two rewards programs.
Yum, your baked ziti looks fantastic! A good reminder that sometimes for pasta recipes, the shapes aren't the most important thing and can be an excellent way to use up bits of random pasta shapes you have left. Also, just a note that Five Frugal Things posts are welcome on ANY day of the week! Hope you had a wonderful holiday break.
My neighbor and good friend just moved to California-- great for her, sad for me.
the day she moved out, she gifted me with a bunch of groceries that just couldn't quite get used up-- eggs, a ham, bread, olive oil, etc. I've already used them for multiple meals.
Our Christmas holidays were off due to covid, and I had bought a few things that we didn't use up-- like buttermilk, too many eggs, extra bacon. I've shopped my fridge and pantry this week and just made one small trip to get necessary groceries.
I have been brewing coffee at home. I usually do, but often will treat myself to a hot drink once or twice a week. None this week, I've just planned ahead better.
We are going to have our bathrooms remodelled. Not even remotely frugal, but we are working on getting multiple quotes/estimates so that we can make the best possible decision. We live in a modest home, well below our means, which translates into having the money we need for this project.
I'm getting my books from the library, which helps my budget and helps with clutter.
I love it when people move and they give me all their extra food. It's like a fun pantry challenge to incorporate them all!
Happy New Year Everyone!
I signed up for Bed, Bath, and Beyond+ because they were offering a gift card rebate for the $29 annual fee. I patiently waited for my emailed e-card and it had been 3 months. Ha, apparently that is my limit for patience. I then texted with a very nice employee for one hour to get it straightened out. I spent the hour for 2 reasons. I have learned from this website that being frugal can mean taking action, and while texting I checked emails, read an ebook, and listened to Christmas music. I am happy to say this paid off because I got the $29 annual fee rebate, plus $10 more. I gave a good review for Mark, the super kind and helpful employee. Then I used the money to buy a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and 2 boxes of coffee. And, I get free shipping and 20% off every order for a year. Win Win!
Reading books on my Kindle, free from the library. I do not mind waiting on a list for new releases which saves me a ton of money. I am an avid reader and I have loved books my whole life.
Froze some grapes that were going to be bad. I prefer eating them frozen anyway.
Eating lots of leftovers.
Taking a cue from MB in MN, I believe, and eating fruit and popcorn for supper about once a week.
@Vicky Mac, yes! Frugal and healthy, especially if you pop your own corn.
@Vicky Mac, We used to have popcorn and apples every Sunday night growing up, while watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on TV. (I know, I'm showing my age). We lived on an apple orchard, and even grew our own popcorn.
@Nancy in Eastern Washington, we did this, too! Popcorn, apples, and chocolate milkshakes on Sunday night, in Iowa, watching Walt Disney on a small black and white TV- what a treat! I’ve heard of several other families that did this- how did our Moms know that this was a thing?
@Nancy in Eastern Washington, Mid Michigan here, we grew our own popcorn while I was growing up too. We would be watching Detroit Tiger games while eating the popcorn.
Good to know that I'm not the only one who combines differently-shaped pasta. As my mom would have said, "It's all the same in your stomach".
Used $10 worth of free Starbucks cards that my husband got through a credit card rewards program to treat my kids to hot chocolate (and me to coffee).
Lots of beans this week. Made a rosemary/bean soup (budgetbytes.com recipe) for my son and me for dinner Sunday. Husband and daughter ate dinner at youth group so I needed something easy and that filled the bill. Then, last night, my son, who is home from college on his break, had friends over. I made a big crockpot of the world's easiest chicken tortilla soup--basically, it's cut up chicken, salsa, beans, cumin, and cheese. I wasn't sure how many people would show up and the beauty of this soup is that you can add more salsa and beans to quickly accommodate extra diners. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese as a topping, and Greek yogurt (my substitute for sour cream) and voila, dinner is served. Everyone was fed and happy and there were enough leftovers to serve for lunch today.
Took son to eye appointment. He needed an updated prescription--the end cost was pretty reasonable as our insurance covered a good amount of it. Oh, the benefits of younger eyes that don't require progressive lens ......
Happy New Year to everyone!
FFT: the work edition.
1. Was given the option to teach in a hybrid model this semester. This means I can cut down on exposure and save gas.
2. Picked up an overload class and scheduled it to be on the same day as the rest of my classes. Still only one trip to campus and I now get overtime for the day, in addition to the overtime for the entire course as per contract I'm over an 8-hour day.
3. This means I only have to stay in work apartment one night a week, allowing me to keep heat at absolute minimum 6 days a week rather than 4 if I was teaching in person twice a week.
4. Needed to rent a film for a class. I was able to use Swagbucks reward $ for it.
5. It is the annual "Can can" sale at the grocery store near my parents. I gave them my grocery list for the items that are priced lowest for the year (and for my colleagues - we live/work 2 hours away) and they not went shopping for us, but they went on the day of the week when senior citizens get an extra 5% off. (They are the ones who taught me frugality.)
Oh wow, that's so many wins at once for the teaching. Yay!
1. I cut up old clothes and wrapped my breakable Christmas ornaments in them for storage.
2. My car died (it’s -35C, I don’t blame her) but I live close enough to work so I’m walking. Haven’t spent any money because I can’t go anywhere! Forced frugality!
3. I used an old red and white quilted curtain as our Christmas tree skirt this year.
4. I couldn’t go to grocery store (see #2) so I used Instacart and spent considerably less than I normally would.
5. I made a meal plan and I’m using what I have for meals. I firmly stick to grocery shopping only once a week.
Tacos, Butter chicken, Pulled pork & roasted potatoes with salad, Pasta & meat sauce with salad, Chicken & rice soup with grilled cheese & raw veggies, Hamburgers with salad, raw veggies & spanakopita, and leftovers one night.
Happy New Year Kristen and the rest of the FG community!
That rewards program through your orthodontist sounds awesome! The place where my son does speech therapy is starting to give coupons for free ice cream if you keep all of your appointments in a month. Yay!
My FFT:
1. Our old and crappy carpet has hardwood floors underneath. Over the weekend my husband, brother, and I ripped up the carpet and worked to sand and finish the hardwood. We did all of the work ourselves and only had to purchase materials and rent a power sander. The little sanders we already owned. One room down, 3 rooms and a hallway to go! (Not sure when we will do the others.)
2. Another big one... We've discussed getting a large capacity washing machine (aka... I told my husband that I wanted one) as the kids keep getting bigger and laundry has become more time-consuming. The bill for running our dryer has been really high this winter, so my husband was interested in reducing how frequently we need to run it. When he was at Lowe's on Saturday getting something for the wood floors, he saw a large capacity washer in the clearance section because someone had returned it. We ended up buying it and it was almost $200 less than any other one we had seen on sale. We hauled it ourselves (no delivery fee) and plan to sell our old one since it still works. I can fit a lot more in one load and it also spins a little more water out of our clothes than our old one did. I am loving it.
3. Cancelled my MyPanera+Coffee subscription before the free trial expired.
4. Shutterfly offered me another free calendar (just pay the $8 shipping) so I ordered one for myself since I didn't have a wall calendar yet this year. I used some Christmas money to pay for it. I've now purchased calendars for two different family members and for myself and only paid for the shipping for the three!
5. I kind of destroyed my earbuds yesterday while trying to use them while on a rowing machine - whoops - and I remembered that Aldi had earbuds as a special buy a few weeks back for $3.99. I was already planning to go to Aldi and they still had a pair when I got there! Since I don't like the ones at the Dollar Tree, I was very happy to find the ones at Aldi.
1. I made all of our meals at home.
2. I substituted ingredients instead of going to the store.
3. I dug through the clothes box to find bigger pants for my toddler.
4. I borrowed a rarely used tool from a family member who owns one.
5. I mended my kids' clothing.
1. Redeemed a coupon for free crackers.
2. Systematically eating leftovers to (hopefully) avoid food waste after having family in town.
3. Polished hiking boots and other leather shoes with homemade beeswax/coconut oil conditioner and polish. Helps keep leather looking new and is water resistant.
4. Over the weekend, prepped for baby coming in less than a month! Crib, clothes, blankets and burp rags… all given to us as hand-me-downs by friends and Buy Nothing. We are so grateful!
5. Still systematically using up various miscellany, for example skin care samples, various unusual foods we have on hand (gifts, samples, etc.). Also trying to systematically simply and declutter things that don’t “spark joy” before baby comes, for example a few succulents that I just have a hard time keeping looking nice.
@Lindsay B, can you please share your recipe for the leather conditioner and polish? I have both beeswax and coconut oil, and hate to pay for the stuff at the hiking store... but the boots sure appreciate it when I take care of them.
1. I’m having chemo treatments that go through lunchtime so I ate the free sandwich lunch provided even though I knew it wouldn’t be great. My husband took a sandwich from home while he waited. (The previous week he got fast food.)
2. We bought a rotisserie chicken ($4.98 at Sams Club - loss leader). The two of us had two regular meals each from it; I made a big bowl of chicken salad; and I froze a meal’s worth of chicken.
3. I combined the rotisserie chicken carcass with other saved bones and skin and made chicken stock; I used some of the stock to make chicken and rice soup, and froze the remaining two quarts of stock.
4. From very ripe bananas I made a banana pudding using an out-of-date package of instant pudding in my pantry. It was delicious.
5. We signed up for Peacock streaming because it contains several shows we want to watch. We got it at a good deal, less than we were paying for Netflix. We canceled Netflix and won’t restart it until our Peacock run is over, if then.
1. Picked up some decorations, off Buy Nothing, for my son to decorate the house for NYE (he loves to decorate). My son's birthday is next week, so I will use them to decorate for that too. Our NYE dinner was a cheese tray and a frozen pizza. We also made homemade party hats and party blowers.
2. I used a Target gift card, I earned by purchasing a certain amount of hygiene products, to pick up some groceries for NYE.
3. I used a gift card from completing a survery ($30) to pay for some of our groceries this week.
4. I picked up 2 boxes of chocolates that are produced locally and a large bag of other chocolates off Buy Nothing. They will be for my kid's for Valentine's Day and Easter.
5. I used almost-bad apples to make an apple crisp. My kids loved it.
I don't feel like it was a very frugal few weeks, but here goes:
1) We had to adjust our vacation plans (for unfun reasons, due to COVID, but all is well & everyone is healthy). Canceled the rental car, one flight & took one night off of a vacation rental. I would have much rather spent the money, but nonetheless.
2) My husband largely ate from the pantry while he was stuck at home in quarantine. He had one grocery delivery, but made a dent in our freezer/fridge items as well.
3) I was upgraded (for free, due to status) on United on the way home, and enjoyed a (free) adult beverage. It was a wild trip, filled with lots of twists & turns, so I enjoyed the drink & quiet. 😉
4) I listed a few things on eBay, after a brief hiatus.
5) A neighbor was giving away riced cauliflower, which I've actually been looking for & couldn't find (multiple stores are out near us). She gave me a few items (including the cauliflower rice). I already made blueberry muffins out of one of the mixes, and will put the chicken broth to good use. I need to incorporate the other items before they take up space on my pantry shelves.
The only things I'm really doing to be frugal lately are trying not to eat out and instead using up what I already have in the freezer, staying off Amazon!, waiting until the dishwasher is FULL before I run it (ditto for the washing machine), and keeping the thermostat set very low and dressing more warmly. Today I plan on sewing myself a jumper, converting some old jeans into a skirt, and eating up some dibs and dabs of stuff I have in the fridge. Hooray for mental health days!
Our insurance carrier offers weekly Wellness virtual meetings.
My boss was really understanding due to some time I will need to miss from work.
It took me about a 1/2 hour to clean out my freezer and fridge. Now I know exactly what I have. Mission accomplished.
That everyone around me has caught Covid, most all had their vax and all are doing ok.
Honestly it is like a tsunami of covid cases here.
I am not a fan of snow, I will be thankful when it melts, my youngest pup loves it. It is fun to watch him run and jump in that cold, wet white stuff.
Washed and sorted a bunch of hand me down clothes from my sister in law for future use when the kids grow into them.
Made tapioca pudding with milk that was several days past it’s date, made rice crackers with leftover dried out rice, and mini muffins with the pineapple juice from a can of pineapple.
Instead of buying a gift, had my parents over for a brunch for my dad’s birthday. Made homemade caramel cinnamon rolls which are his favorite treat.
Went to the cheaper grocery store and scored a bunch of clearance produce and a ton of super cheap clearance chicken thighs.
Picked up an extra shift at work for bonus pay.
Was not especially frugal this week!
Spent some money on post holiday sales: mostly food items. Also trying to eat more whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables. My grocery budget is creeping upwards but I have to remember money spent on healthier food options is an investment in myself/my family.
1. Making weekly lunches on Sunday so I have no excuse to pack a lunch. Overnight oats with apple, chia and cinnamon.
2. Drinking more water. Filtered tap water.
3. Using a very inexpensive exercise app for workouts. 30 dollars for six months. If you are out of practice I HIGHLY recommend JA. Justin Augustin. For true beginners.
4. Saving change again!
5. Cooking and eating at home.