Five Frugal Things | You guys, I gardened (a little bit)
It's always somewhat noteworthy when I do something plant-related. 😉
So three plant things is VERY noteworthy.
1. I planted some green onion ends.
You can do this indoors in colder weather (in a glass of water), but I always forget to change the water in mine, and they end up getting stinky.
But it's pretty warm outside now, so I stuck two onion ends into a pot.
2. I planted some marigold seeds.
It seems somewhat unlikely that a trip to pick out flower flats will happen at all this spring.
But I did find a package of marigold seeds on my laundry room shelf, so I planted those.
Better than nothing, I say.
And even I can grow marigolds.
(If you are a non-gardener like me, here's a list of frugal plants for black thumbs.)
3. I bought three peony plants
I did a grocery stop at Aldi (hopefully enough to last us two weeks), and I noticed they had peonies!
I bought one there years ago, and it's done really well in my front border.
I haven't seen them at Aldi in recent years, so when I saw these ($1.99 apiece), I put some in my cart.
They're just a root right now, but I don't mind patiently waiting.
(Remember my hydrangea that started out as a lowly stick with a bud? I'm super patient if it means I save money. 😉 )
4. I cut up some veggies for snacking.
Our love for fruit usually compels us to grab it out of the fridge and wash/slice/peel it.
But veggies are not quite as motivating to us, and they tend to sit, unloved and uneaten.
I noticed the carrots and red peppers had been in the drawer for a little while, so I cut them up to make them easier to grab and eat.
I do still have two bags of carrots, though, so I think some roasted carrots might be in order.
(The silicone cover on the red onion half is from a Food Huggers set that I got in my Mighty Fix. They're really awesome for when you have half an item of produce to store, like an onion or a lime.)
5. Because of the current situation:
- We're spending almost nothing on gas
- Our cars are getting less wear and tear
- Mr. FG is not spending money on work lunches
- We're doing almost no shopping (even Amazon isn't tempting, since it takes weeks for things to arrive now!)
- We are using basically no cellular date with Ting because we are always on home wifi.
- Our regular retirement account contributions are buying more shares now (I wouldn't know how many more, because I have steadfastly refused to log in and look at our stock market accounts! I'm happier not knowing where they sit.)
I'm home with pay, if that stops I have 2 months vacation saved. My plan is to only use 2 days a week so it last longer and my insurance and retirement can be kept up.
I'm doing a deep clean and painting my kitchen. Walls and cabinets with paint given to me.
I'm trying to use a bit less of everything. Having 5 eggs left in a carton use to mean I cooked 5 eggs. Now it means I cook 4 and save 1 for another time. I'm looking at everything I use in this way.
It's hard for me to try new tech. I only use my phone for calls and texts. But I learned how to download the Sam's club app then tried scan and go. It worked really well. I also tried ordering online and picking up, liked it. And their new concierge services, which was nice also. I now have enough items for a couple months.
The Dr wants to do face time for a once a month appointment. My phone doesn't do that, but they said I can still do it. I have h2o pay as you go and have been using it more. I had checked out a new hot spot from my library before they closed. It was supposed to be loaned for 1 month but has been renewed for 3. I used it at Sam's, to help my dad do the census, and several other ways, saving my money on data.
Ooo, peonies. I LOVE peonies. We're slowly figuring out what and where to grow more-decorative things here (the food stuff we've mostly got down :-), and I think I will have to add peonies to my list of things to get. Eventually.
Funniest frugal thing lately: I made tallow balm lotion with some of the sheep tallow rendered from our butchered sheep. It was really easy--just soft tallow (tallow is really hard at room temperature and liquid when hot, so you have to get it kind of warm so it's about like room temperature butter) and a bit of olive oil whipped with a hand blender. I was very happy with how well it absorbs and moisturizes. The only problem is that I decided to try this with the less-pure tallow rendered from the bits left after butchering, so it, um, smells like roasted sheep meat. Ha.
I decided to let my sons use it to grease their dry cowboy boots and I'm going to try the balm again with some of the leaf tallow, which is much less pungent. I don't think "Roasted Meat" would be a popular scent at Bath and Bodyworks.
You have me laughing so hard with the roasted meat aroma (or shall I say Perfume?) that I'm crying. Thanks for the giggles. Pretty sure it would be a popular aroma at any animal shelter holding dogs.
1. We too are spending almost no money. We are mostly eating food we have, in an attempt to leave more for others and to stay out of the store. Food that had been languishing is more attractive and being eaten.
I am not ordering online either, except to order a birthday present for my future SIL. I could use a new pair of tennis shoes but I found a pair of inserts and sterilized my kind of smelly pair and will make do until stores reopen.
2. We are cleaning out the house. Less stuff means it feels better to be home. I am recycling and shredding old files. I have given stuff away on Freecycle. My husband found a jigsaw puzzle that was unopened that we don't remember acquiring and started it last evening.
3. We had a couple cancelled trips so we did not spend money on rental cars, hotels, dining out, etc.. Southwest will let us use the value of our travel funds through June of next year.
4. I continue to pay for a monthly membership at my yoga studio. They are streaming classes and I can continue to support the owner and teachers. Not frugal but good for both the local economy and my physical and mental health.
5. I am reading e-books borrowed from the library as well as physical books checked out before the shutdown. I am using yarn that I have to make chemo caps, for donation. It's fun to figure out how to use it all up while making attractive items. There is plenty more yarn for other items going forward. I'll be meeting virtually Monday evening with friends I usually see in person for crafting.
Our friend who works at our Y is not getting paid while laid off.
1-cooking at home - no eating out
2-watching free classes at home
3-not using a fitness membership
4-not using the car
5- not buying gas even though it is under $2 a gallon!
Thank you for allowing us to focus on normal, every-day life. It is good for my mental health.
1) Our washer was making a horrible sound and then quit working. Thank goodness for YouTube. We were able to diagnose the problem, purchase the part locally and fix it. The total cost was $35.
2) With the library closed, I am reading from the stack of books that I purchased at the Friends of the Library sale. I usually re-donate these when I am done or pass them on to family and friends.
3) I have cleaned out my closet. I sent a few items to ThredUP, set several aside for donation, a small bag for fiber recycling and a couple of items for friends.
4) I have been staying in contact with family and friends — text messages, phone calls, Facebook, and Instagram. This week my book club will be having a Zoom meeting!
5) I have been all the usual things. Now the new normal for many. I am drinking primarily filtered tap water, brewing my own coffee, cooking from scratch and eating at home.
The YMCA is closed, but I have been taking long walks and exercising at home.
Stay strong. It looks like social distancing is having a impact!!!!
Woohoo for your dryer fix! Didn't you feel like a superhero??
Yes! It is snack g what can be learned on YouTube. I’m sure we saved at least $100 and our sanity.
That is supposed to say, it’s amazing
We are doing much the same - not looking at our retirement account. Last I checked mine I was in a "low risk" mode. Hubby and I continue to eat lunches at home, he's not wearing suits so there is no dry cleaner expense, and we are making the most of time around the house to clean, rake leaves, do little projects. I make a pot of coffee each day vs. Keurig cups. His truck doesn't budge out of the driveway and I have virtually no traffic to contend with getting to and from the hospital. And I made my own bleach wipes since I couldn't find them in the store: my usual white terry cloth rags with a ten percent solution in an old Tupperware sits out on the counter. Life goes on...
1. We are also refusing to look at retirement accounts. So we are also buying “ on sale “ stock monthly.
2. Using no gas
3. Eating up very random odds n ends so not to go grocery shopping
4. Planted some seeds. ( I never have luck starting seeds). We shall see
5. Freezer challenge still ongoing!
#1-yes. Knowing will not change anything I do; it'll just make me upset! I'm keeping our money in there no matter what, so I'd just rather not know.
DITTO
Thank you, Kristen! FFT makes my life feel almost normal again!
1. Spending basically nothing since we are home. Including for gas since they're not leaving the driveway either.
2. Being really diligent about meals. Using everything as carefully as possible so it lasts as long as possible. I don't want to do a pick up order or go to the grocery store until absolutely necessary.
3.Although I have made cards in the past, I usually buy Dollar Tree holiday cards for our adult children and our great nieces and nephews. This year, I dug through my supplies and made a bunch of really cute Easter cards for family and friends who are stuck inside. The envelopes were odds and ends I had saved and I had green frogs stamps and cute spring return address labels we had received in the mail.
4. Meat is scarce in our parts but I heard of a local meat company who was getting grass fed beef last week. I called and checked safety measures. It took a bit longer than originally stated because of the rush on meat but I got grass fed ground beef for 4.25 a lb. They called yesterday asking for our address. They were so grateful for all the business, they're sending something in the mail. Wonder what?
5. I had a 10.00 off 30.00 at Christopher & Banks plus 15% off for my birthday. Both expired the end of March. I hadn't planned on ordering online and all the stores are closed. I got an email with 15% off clearance. I looked through and found several things I liked that were really marked down. I got 2 sweaters and two shirts for 19.00 total including tax. Then I used a gift card they were selling at Christmas for over 15% off. Those are cheaper than Goodwill prices! And I have mail to look forward to in a few days!
Please be safe, everyone! And wash your hands!!
1. We also did some gardening and planting over the weekend. This year we only planted seeds left over from previous years instead of buying news ones, so I think that counts as frugal as we always end up overbuying.
2. Eating up leftovers even more efficiently than before, since we have the whole family at home now.*
3. My kids buy lunch at school, so we are saving in not having to send more money into their lunch accounts *but they eat more at home!
4. I had some CVS dollars about to expire but I didn't want to go in to the store. Checked that I could use them online and placed an order for some toiletries.
5. My husband finally decluttered his clothes, and my 18-y-old was able to do some closet shopping from the discards. Lesson, if you procrastinate long enough, your old clothes will rotate back into style with the teens!
1. Still saving over $300 on childcare weekly while schools and daycares are closed
2. Picked up a toddler bike for my daughter for next year and a pair of brand new sneakers for my son off Buy Nothing Group
3. My sister gave me a down jacket, which will be nice for playing in the snow with the kids next winter
4. Redeemed points on Ibotta for a $20 gift card on Amazon, some of which I used to buy my son a spring jacket
5. Suspended our YMCA membership saving us $80 monthly
I've thought about suspending the YMCA membership, but so far have kept it going thinking it will cause more harm to the community if I don't pay. I wish I knew for sure it's making a difference for employees receiving pay during this time, or for the charities Y supports.
I haven’t suspended ours yet bc they are caring for first responders children at our local branch & they offer sack lunches to our local low income housing. I know it isn’t a lot but I feel like I’m contributing somehow
So locally, our YMCA is not paying it's employees while they are closed unfortunately. The YMCA is still open for daycare, but this is a fee-for-service. I personally would prefer to donate my money to local companies that are not making any money at this time.
Our friend who works at our Y is not getting paid while laid off.
This is a letter I found for the Y in Maryland. Even though they can't pay local associates, the membership money is still helping many services, and can be counted as a charitable donation:
https://us11.campaign-archive.com/?e=&u=25b1cf4d4e45b1511ab1dedb1&id=d60035ade0
It's certainly a weird life, particularly when you're "essential" and there's only like a dozen people in your office.
1.) Bought a bunch of digital manga on sale for $1 each on Amazon. I used Kindle credit so they were free and I got more with my credit.
2.) Planted some radishes ... then a few days later it unexpectedly snowed. So I haven't been out to check on them (it's been raining since) so we'll see if I have any sprouts.
3.) Working on my sourdough starter and whilst it's not quite ready for prime time, the discard has been used for things like crumpets and even bread. Speaking of, I finally figured out how much dough goes in my Pullman loaf pan and now I have a perfectly shaped bread.
4.) Working overtime since, ya know, society has to function and everything. Not all of us can stay home on Netflix. 😛
5.) Like you I'm also saving tons on gas (even though it's cheap as free here) though I'm making up for it with having the heat on at home all day. We're also not paying daycare. We're trying to give extra to our church and buy takeout from local places when possible and just save what we can.
Ah, so you can't do your work remotely. Mr. FG is considered essential too, but he has been able to get access to work at home now.
I do hardware support so nope, I'm on site for the foreseeable future. The janitor and I will be the last to leave.
" I finally figured out how much dough goes in my Pullman loaf pan and now I have a perfectly shaped bread."
I hear a lot of joy in that statement. Hurrah!
As a teacher, I'm also working from home right now. I can't believe the amount of time I am now sitting in front of the computer. TV? What's that?! Hardly time to cook dinner. Of course, I've learned to take a break now and again for my own sanity:)
You would think it would be just a matter of simple mathematics but bread dough is a strange thing. Turns out it was just my standard two loaf sandwich bread.
Kids out of school, My work is closed, Husband working from home....
I created my sour dough starter on Saturday... figured yeast is hard to come by right now and this gives me something to do! lol
No out to eat or ordering in right now so we are eating ALL the foods we have already paid for!
Organized the freezers and made lists, meal planning supper a few days at a time.. breakfast and lunch is a free for all- all the leftovers are being eaten!!
using up all the random personal sized products from under the bathroom sink, and from all the beauty supply boxes we have received over the past months! lol ( Not b/c we don't have full sized products... just clearing out space!
This is a great time to use up all the odds and ends you have, whether it's food or toiletries. The more you use what you have, the fewer store trips you have to make!
I poured all sorts of odd ends of bubble bath and liquid soaps into the large handpump partial bottle of liquid soap I got for a gift and do not like. I added some water and shook it well. It is an interesting scent, quite personalized, and I will be glad when it is gone. But in these days, it won't go to waste!
1. Made sun dried tomatoes from three Roma tomatoes that were getting close to expiration (), which I will now use in a pesto, peas and white bean pasta later this week. The homemade pesto, half bag of peas, and canned beans, are already in my freezer/pantry, , so a win on that side as well.
2. Repaired my gardening straw hat by replacing a broken bead that secured the hat onto my head, with a large button instead, from my stash.
3. Went through my needlepoint Christmas ornament projects, all bought at least ten years ago if not longer, and started working on several for giving away in December.
4. Continue to change out dishtowels that I wrap around vegetables in order to extend their life, so as to avoid having to go to the market during this time. I can keep lettuce fresh for up to three weeks this way. The key is to keep swapping out damp dishclothes for dry ones.
5. Likewise compiled the many small size toiletries we've accumulated over the years in order to use them up now and put off having to go shopping/purchase more. On this list is toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, bar soap, asperin/Tylenol, sunscreen, bandaids, shampoo, and conditioner. So many little items!
Great tip for the veggies! I use reusable mesh bags, but could probably sneak a towel into the lettuce one.
Check out this blog post for storing greens. My greens have stayed fresh for weeks this way with no effort and no waste. http://www.carmellarayone.com/blog/2019/08/30-simple-living-storing-fresh-greens-ezxyr
Thank you just sooooo much for a post about normal life! Yes, we've been gardening with things we already have at home, and I bought a blackberry bush when I was grocery shopping at Aldi this week.
Oh boy, keep an eye on that blackberry bush or it will take over your yard. It's like mint - it travels everywhere!
#1 I learned how to cut hubby's hair with a electric razor from watching several YouTube videos and cut it. I went slow going from high setting to lower ones and he said I was better than he usually gets so that's a good thing!
#2 learned how to trim nails of animals (never had before)
#3 eating in more so less money for take out.
#4 Using up my fabric stash making Christmas gifts and sewing face masks for people, keeps me busy and already have fabric.
#5 planted our garden with seed this year. I usually buy the seeds then buy the plant but not this year!
I made bread yesterday rather than run to Trader Joe's for bread and be tempted to purchase other items we don't really need. I started stocking up in late February, but that extra expense then won't resolve itself if I keep buying.
Yes, with the stay-at-home orders, spending has gone way down as well. And driving...I ditto all of the cost avoidance measures that has impacted everyone.
With the youngest in college and now doing on-line classes, the cost of online classes is always more...….So, the Summer will see an increase in tuition, unfortunately.
Here are my fab five:
1) Dried out 4 lb. of walnuts from our tree and the squirrels will have something to eat.
2) Got some deals on ebay/Amazon for, you guessed it, Christmas. They're not in production anymore and the youngest wanted a dvd badly....I also got him a digimon figure set.
3)Gotta support local business. And the Door Dash driver! The bakery lowered their bread prices to less than what the grocery charges! I make artisan bread myself, but it's good to eat theirs, too.
4) We finally condensed our mortgages into a single mortgage with a 20 year fix at a great rate and the first payment isn't due until May....That money will go towards paying off another bill.
5) My insurance company lowered the price of one of my monthly prescriptions by $25. Cool.
Both of my sons are also doing online classes for college. The colleges are not charging the online course supplement because they started out as in-person classes. They are also refunding the unused months of their housing fees for most of March and all of April. Is it possible your student’s college would waive those extra fees if he/she asks, claiming financial hardship?
1) Spending almost nothing on gas since I'm working from home
2) Saving $200/month with no preschool to pay for right now
3) Starting all my garden & flowers from seed this year as I assume bedding plants will be hard to come by so MUCH cheaper (if I don't kill the tiny plants though)
4) Absolutely no eating out, all meals made totally at home (WHY DO THEY KEEP EATING?!?)
5) No random trips out of the house places to keep the kids entertained in cranky periods, which always equate to small additional costs. Busy playing around the house instead - and also learning how to make it through the cranky periods WITHOUT external assistance.
A lot of folks are still paying their preschool tuition according to a friend of mine. The teachers won’t be paid if there is no money and if it’s a non-profit they can’t get unemployment either.
NOT thrifting/shopping.
Cooking all meals.
Decluttering/taking stock of possessions
NOT thrifting
More reading/studying the Bible
NOT thrifting (there’s a Goodwill just down the road)
Joyce, I'm with you on the "NOT thrifting" (mentioned three times, lol). For those of us who find great joy in treasure hunting, this current situation is a bit of a challenge. One day we'll be out there again!
Well I don't know what you're doing about your guinea pig situation. But every fresh veggie morsel is being eaten by humans and hay is out everywhere even local stores and online. So my husband is building them (our 4 guinea pigs) an outdoor hutch so we can reserve our laundry soap and vinegar for our cleaning needs and they can graze on grass to fill some void of missing veggies. My daughter planted many "Guinea Pig pots" of lettuce from seed this weekend just for them and thankfully our raspberry bushes are coming in fast, so we'll eat the berries and the pigs can devour the leaves. Now this is a creative frugal pet adventure.
Brilliant ideas!
I really wish I had started exact spending in February rather than March, so I could compare a normal month with a socially distant month. We're usually pretty unspendy so maybe it won't make much difference; OTOH I am spendy about food so maybe it will.
1. I got take-out once last week, which is about typical except it was from a less-pricy place.
2. Neighbor gave me the cornmeal I needed to make No Knead English Muffins.
3. I made the No Knead English Muffins because they don't require tins (that I don't have) for shaping. Either I'd need to buy some or eat some canned food I wouldn't otherwise eat to get them.
4. Couldn't buy the on-sale coquettes from Sur La Table that I wanted = $50. Maybe when they reopen?
5. Getting books from a Little Free Library.
6. Going outside daily and exercising most days. Dunno if this counts as frugal but it does count as a good idea.
Not Frugal: I found a pet-friendly getaway place that consists of tiny houses (and firepits!) located several dozen yards away from each other. I booked two weekends already. I'll be using a discount and bringing all my food to avoid buying at the usual on-site exorbitant prices. I *will* pay the exorbitant prices for firewood so as not to transport invasive insects.
Paying it Forward:
- Gave an excess bicycle I have to a neighbor family, now all of them can bike together.
- Gave a bag of bread flour to my friend.
- Bought a couple of things for an older, recently bereaved neighbor so she didn't have to go out.
- Dropped off many books at a Little Free Library.
- Collected all the toiletries samples, personal products give aways, unused office supplies, and a random backpack. Now all I need is to find the right place to donate them to; maybe a local church or a Little Free Library near the public school?
William, would you mind sharing where your pet friendly cabins are? I keep a list for future travels that allow doggo's !
I am also interested in pet friendly cabins. Thank you
Love your paying-it-forwards! Local women's domestic abuse shelters or homeless shelters would welcome your toiletry samples, personal products, etc.
It seems easier to do 5 frugal things now that we are not allowed to leave! 1. I also started green onions in the window and planted tomatoes and pumpkins and zuchinni seed inside.
2. I sold a 1950s greyhound tv lamp I found at the local thrift store on Ebay. Sold it for $99 plus shipping! Ebay sales are slow so that was nice 3. I am also not making my 2+ times a week thrift store circuit which is hard. 4. Earned a $5 swagbucks gift card, am almost to $10 on my Fetch app and Inboxdollars is at $18. You cant cash out until you reach $30 but i am getting there! 5. Ordered dry eye drops from Amazon and they are offering $3.00 for No Rush shipping right now so took advantage of it so i can rent a movie later.... Its kinda gloomy which is unusual and we had a 6.5 earthquake here in Idaho yesterday. Add the Coronavirus to that mix and i have to tell myself that at least we are safe and healthy! Happy April 1st everyone, summer is coming!
I sympathize with you missing your thrift store circuit, as I was mentally getting ready for a yard sale season that will be quite delayed.
But keep in mind that thrift stores will be overwhelmed by donations when people can finally get out and drop off their cleared-out stuff! So the bargains will be there waiting for you.
I too am missing my usual thrift store circuit, not to mention my annual itch to check out local flea markets and church yard sales as the weather gets warmer. I'll be raring to go when this lockdown is over!
1. Both hubs and I are working from home, so no gas is being used.
2. Limiting our out to eat to 1-2 times a week for pickup/take away for small pizza and coffee place we love and don't want to see close.
3. Our studio apartment has never been more organized and clean. We have been enjoying the space and rethinking how we can update our organization in certain areas (ie. bathroom/closet/kitchen).
4. Walking our dog daily 3-4 times, gets us out in the fresh air and helps us decompress from everything in the apartment. Since we live in a 600 sq ft studio, it's hard to distance from work to home, we're trying to make the effort each day to disconnect when 5pm rolls around. This is when I envy people who have larger apartments and can close the door to the office at the end of the day!
5. Cooking and baking oh my! My husband has been perfecting his sourdough bread recipe and we've been trying to make easier meals that are filling. We've always used a variety of spices but feel like we've been using much more interesting combos as of late.
Thanks for unintentionally giving me some MUCH needed perspective on my cabin fever. I can't close the door to my home office, but I don't have to be in that space once I'm done working for the day. We have two spare bedrooms and a fenced-in yard, so there's always room to escape. Hang in there!
Made lots of springtime crafts with the preschooler from paper plates & supplies we already have.
Made three batches of muffins with berries and rhubarb from the freezer to use for breakfasts & snacks for the kiddos.
Trimmed my own bangs.
Went to the state park for free social distancing entertainment and exercise.
Did a bunch of workouts at home so we don’t need a gym membership.
1. Just not going out..... we are on day 18. Which means we are saving up mileage on our lease car that we can use in the summer.
2. Took several extra packages of baby wipes that we had gotten on sale before Covid19 to my daughter in law.....since we are social distancing because our son is law enforcement, we left a bag on the front porch with candy for our grandsons.....they are only 2 minutes away...the boys made funny faces out the window
3. Our daughter is doing our grocery shopping because of our age and compromised health issues, so she sticks to the list, and doesn't spend any more.
4. We are spring cleaning and preparing for a garage sale in June..... assuming life returns to normal
5. Watching the daffodils coming up by the front door
I love peonies, mine are the exact same colour as your Aldi ones!
Patience is definitely needed when you bring home those uninspiring bare rooted twigs. I hope they flower beautifully for you
It’s a bit too cold at the moment here in the UK to risk much in the garden as we are still having night frosts, can’t wait til it warms up and I can get out and garden properly.
Man, turns out I can 'make do' much better than I ever imagined.
1.) I didn't order a zero gravity chair for yard lounging. I took our kitchen stool and a camp chair outside and soaked up some sun.
2.) I bought marked down chicken leg quarters (no limit!) and baked them to have for chicken salad and King Ranch Chicken Casserole.
3.) I'm cutting back on how much diet soda I drink every day. Ice water in my faux Yeti is cheaper.
4.) I subscribed to chewy.com for my dog's food and joint supplements and imperfectfoods.com for groceries. I am TERRIBLE at impulse purchases, especially right now when I think, "what if I can never get chocolate chips again?" If I can cut back some grocery visits, the slightly elevated cost of grocery delivery will more than pay off.
5.) Like you, this situation is making my regular expenses super low: haven't filled up my gas tank since March 11 (and still have more than 1/4 of a tank left...); I don't care what my hair looks like, so I'm not bothering with dry shampoo; I'm not usually wearing makeup; I'm not buying convenience foods for work lunches; I'm not out making impulse purchases or even ordering things online. This is a strange, new normal for sure.
1. We canned 2 kilos of beef.
2. Bought a 50 kilo bag of rice (we eat rice almost every day).
3. Should be getting a pretty hefty tax return.
4. I found DIY Bible homeschool curriculum idea online that I think we'll do next year.
5. Reusing a cleaned mayonnaise jar to keep salt in. Less spills than the plastic bag it came in.
Peonies are my favorite flower. Our house has a bed of them and it was such a pleasant surprise the first time they came up!
1. My moisturizer comes in a pump bottle and once there was not enough for the pump to work, I took off the cap and turned it upside down into a cup. I've been using it for about 2 weeks so far.
2. We took advantage of a week of Prime for $2. We ordered a number of things that we don't want to go into stores to purchase and the Prime will give us faster shipping than without.
3. I thought about getting some activities for the kids during the weeks at home, but couldn't think of anything. Turns out that they're doing just fine with the toys they already have and have even been playing with things they haven't played with much in a while. I may still get a couple of things like window chalk or some puzzles for next week (spring break - no remote learning) but it's nice to feel like I don't need a lot of "stuff" to keep everyone entertained. I'm sure that as the weeks of isolation drag on that a few new things here and there can help with morale, but I don't need to go crazy with it.
4. I've been walking outside on my husband's lunch break, even if it's 40 degrees and misting. He's working from home and can eat with the kids while I walk and get some alone time. I tried a few Beachbody at-home workouts and it was a disaster to do it while watching my 3 littles, so I'll just walk for now and maybe start running or biking a bit until my gym can reopen. And when my friend asked me about joining Beachbody I didn't have any guilt for saying no. I tried it and it's not for me.
5. We got a great start on seed planting for my garden this year. I remembered to look at what seeds we had so I didn't duplicate and end up with 3 packages of zucchini seeds. I've also been repurposing milk jugs and coffee creamer bottles into pots to start the seeds in.
Regarding your comment about not spending on gas: I read a CNN article saying the world might run out of places to store crude oil because people aren't buying gas. It's really amazing how this pandemic has changed things in just a few short months. Some industries are being gutted while others have more business than they can handle and are hiring thousands. Sorry, that's COVID-related talk! But gas prices should drop, and that's frugal for us. 🙂
1. Another couple who does puzzles (we all lived in villages together and picked up the habit there) asked us if we had any they could have. We left a bag with four hanging out on the front door knob and they left us a bag with three. They also left us a dozen duck eggs, since they cannot keep up with the output of their flock. Free entertainment and food.
2. Made brownies that hid grated squash in them, plus used up another cup of the shredded coconut that has been hanging about in our freezer. Husband did not even notice the squash until I told him.
3. Sprouted seeds for sandwiches, since we don't want to go to the shop for just greens. I always have seeds on hand for winter sprouting, so I just had to find them and get back in the habit of making them.
4. Sorted through three HUGE bags of yarn from former sheep flock, my grandmother's stash, and stuff I have purchased over the years. One of the villages put out the word that they would like yarn so I am packaging up all the colors I don't really love and as soon as I figure out how to use USPS pick up from my house, I am sending it off to a group of older ladies who will put it to good use.
5. Husband is a wood worker and suddenly realized he had a box of N-95 masks sitting in the garage. Turned out he had five unopened 12 packs, so dropped them off at the local nursing home where they have had the virus show up. We kept the open box with eight left for ourselves.
6. Signed up for a month's free trial of Hallmark Movies Now and also a month's free trial of CBS Access. We won't keep them but it does expand what we have to watch while I am knitting and husband is working away on making face masks. I feel like something out of Little House on the Prairie only, you know, with food, warm shelter and television!
I change what my favorite flower is based on what I see blooming, but peonies are always near the top of my list! I haven't been able to get them to bloom where we live now. I have read that they need to be buried shallowly, barely covered, and perhaps mine are too deep.
My Mom said that peonies are a sign of a "settled neighborhood." It's funny to think about, yet true, as once they are established, they last for decades and come up reliably every year.
Here's where we're at, in the land of frugal things:
1) Have started to list 1 item on eBay a day. It works nicely with my decluttering around the house efforts.
2) Making all meals & snacks from things we have around the house
3) Cleaned my freezer today, wiping down a spill & organizing. I now know what I need to rotate into the kids lunches this week
4) Used the last of a Costco bag of spinach, which is always an accomplishment
5) Applied the extra eBay money towards our mortgage
We are on week 4 of isolation at home.I have a friend in Rome who sent me reports and told us it was coming--so we hunkered down early!
1. I have a pricey nail habit, yes, acrylic nails ,which have to be filled every 3 weeks.Well, I soaked them off and I actually am happy to get rid of that expense for good.It was a silly luxury.
2. NO FOOD WASTE. Being VERY MINDFUL of our eating and cooking.
3. I am saving money on shampoo as I am only washing my hair every other day instead of daily I can get by since not going out anywhere.
4. USING every inch of our home-- my husband has a home office no longer being used to see chiropractic patients, it is now a music/yoga/ man cave. I have a spare bedroom which houses my art and craft supplies..am using them, not buying ANYTHING new in that department in the long forseeable future.
5. Also not using our cars.Filled the tank 4 weeks ago and there is sits! Not going out except for bike rides in neighborhood very early morning when no one around.
Stay safe and cozy!!
1. Make our bread 2. Started seeds saved from last year's harvest 3. Mended my purse 4. Canned cartots, dehydrated celery, apples and carrots 5. Feeding the rabbit grass grom my messy yard instead of mowing
I've been in a frugal mode for months. Since I work in healthcare, I'm lucky enough to still be going to work and getting paid in this pandemic time.
This wasn't really frugal, but I had a trip planned for this month that was canceled. I paid my pet sitter double what I would have owed her. Her business is suffering and she deserves to be paid.
I'm not looking at my 401k either.
This too shall pass.
1) A local coffee shop gives free lunches for kids right now. We go 1-2x/week & support the business with a muffin/sandwich to go.
2) Then we go to a walking path for free exercise & occassionally see people we know. Emotional health win!
3) I needed a birthday card, so I made one with supplies on hand.
4) So much baking from scratch. It's math class, right?
5) Created a sensory bin with dried black beans, sequins, small rocks, beads, and plastic easter eggs. This has occupied my girls for hours. Hours. So great!!
Love the list!
Just a reminder to everyone who isn't driving much any more - make sure you take your car out for a 10-15 minute drive at least once a week, and be sure to use the brakes! Letting a vehicle sit, especially outside in a driveway, without using it can actually end up damaging it.
When I was pregnant with our first over the winter of 2007/2008, we ended up deciding to sell my car (DH's was paid off, mine wasn't, but we could get enough from the sale to cover what was left on the loan plus a little bonus to help buy needed baby stuff). Once we made that decision, we stopped driving my car. It took about 2 months to sell it, in late fall / early winter in Minnesota. By the time we found a buyer, the brakes had gotten rusty, and we ended up having to give a $$$ discount because the buyer's mechanic (and ours) said the discs would have to be replaced due to the rust. Our mechanic said we could have avoided this by just driving the car for 10-15 minutes once a week (long enough to warm everything up and remove any rust that had formed on the brakes.).
I made homemade corn bread today , which was gone by days end! I also planted marigold seeds left from last year, and transplanted some wildflowers to pots to spruce up the deck. Best thing: I cut up some donated curtains and am making two tablecloths for outdoor tables.
1.Going no where except for bike rides and walks so spending no money on gas.
2. When I went to the store over the weekend,there was lots of celery and onions. Bought some extra and chopped them up for the freezer. They work great in cooked dishes.
3. Planted more seeds. I had everything so I figured I could always give out plants if I have too many.
4. Got a check from my daughter's college for a small rebate on fees since they put everything online.
5. I have cooked every meal at home for over 2 weeks. We usually get take out once a week but with everything going on we are not right now.
We were at an out-of-town doctor appointment yesterday, so I'm late to the comments. It's funny how some appointments are cancelled while others aren't.
1. Driving an hour each way for the appointment wasn't frugal, but I filled the tank of our truck while there, at 25 cents per gallon less than if I filled up in the town we live in.
2. Got a happy email telling me that the survey work I submitted earned the $50 payout and I was able to go online and choose a gift card for that amount. Sweet.
3. I'm staying home as much as I can since I'm working from home, and waiting until we really need to go to the store to drive anywhere. Working from home is a little awkward, but at least I'm saving a ton on gas.
4. We ate out yesterday since the appointment was at 11:30, with an hour's drive to get there at 11:15 for check in. The rest of our meals this week are cooked at home.
5. Texted the girl who cuts my hair. We are in shutdown mode, now, and she isn't allowed to work on anyone. She's single and this is her only job. I paid her the base fee for a haircut today, for a haircut scheduled - hopefully - in May. I got the idea from the comments, and I thought it would be good to help her out now, since our payment assistance website is busily crashing right and left at all the claims, and people are having to wait to apply.
1. We're eating all meals at home.
2. I've been getting creative with meal planning around what I have on hand, so I haven't had to do a major grocery shopping in a few weeks.
3. Because I'm working from home, I didn't have to pay for a monthly commuter pass for April.
4. A relative is letting my family share his Hulu account, so we're saving on entertainment.
5. We have a zoo membership that we're not able to use. While it's disappointing, at the very least we haven't spent extra money on day trips to visit the zoo or museums.
1. On top of Amazon taking too long to really appeal to me when I'm tempted toward an impulse buy right now, our street has been under construction for the last two months, so we have had to park a block and a half away. So big shopping trips out are unappealing, since we have to do several treks to get stuff home, and we're never sure if a delivery person will actually make their way to our door, so we are pretty much buying the bare necessities right now.
2. There is so much free homeschool stuff being offered right now, which as far as I can tell those of us who were already homeschooling are more excited about than anybody else. 🙂 So I've gotten a number of really useful things for free.
3. We are starting our garden this weekend. Our city has a fantastic program where for $15/year you get a ton of seeds and transplants and access to a lot of gardening workshops (which will be online this year). Last year we only made it to two of the four crop pick-ups and we still got way, way more than our money's worth.
4. This isn't really our doing, but my husband filled our car up today at BJs and gas was $1.19/gallon. He filled his car for $15. He called me from the pump because he could not believe it.
5. I have been sewing fabric masks for family/friends/neighbors out of leftover fabric and elastic I have in my craft stash.
Would you be willing to sell some? My middle son is a police officer and my youngest daughter is a 9-1-1 dispatcher. There is such a shortage here in New York that I fear they will bring this virus home to their families.
If so, please let me know
Late to the FFT party here, but this is what I've got, in common with many others:
(1) No gas expenditures, since you have to burn gas to buy any.
(2) Very little extra spending, since you generally have to leave home to do much. I confess to having bought a new pair of slippers at LL Bean (the kind without laces) for my DH with Alzheimer's who can no longer tie shoes. Free shipping, though.
(3) Continuing to work on the "dribs and drabs" use-up. Since our housecleaning service isn't coming in "for the duration," I've been using up a lot of odd bits of cleaning supplies. Working on the food pantry as well.
(4) Trying to make contact at least twice a week with older neighbors living alone.
(5) And trying to stay in cheerful email contact with my friends and family living elsewhere, many of whom have problems as bad as mine or worse. We're all in the same badly leaking boat here.
(5)
It's never too late to join FFT!
1. Working from home is saving all things mentioned and since I'm working in my dinning room I can make tea and preheat the oven for dinner while in "my office" and no temptation to visit Hy-Vee across from work for Starbucks or on my way home for dinner take out.
2. Using this time to do project 333 in my spare bedroom.
3. Our library is hosting a junk drawer craft challenge on Instagram and I made a heart for our front storm door.
4. Saving wear and tear on my fancy work clothes by wearing my casual lounge wear and it's still cold in Iowa so sweaters are great for work meetings.
5. Using my years of Frugal readership to use what we have and fix things ourselves
1) Same as you we are spending $0 on gas right now. Our biggest expense each month (even more than our mortgage) was daycare and aftercare for our four kids. So it is nice to get a break on that.
2) We haven't bought any homeschool supplies. We've got lots of books, science experiments we got for Christmas and haven't had time to use until now, and crayons. I even have the Sweet Pickles set that my mom used to homeschool preschool me eons ago. I used it with our oldest, and it has since been gathering dust waiting for me to ebay it.
3) Our youngest turns one on Tuesday. We made a smash cake from an Aldi box cake mix and used our business zoom account to bring in our relatives to watch him carefully poke holes in the cake while our four year old tried to be stealthy and sneak pieces off of his high chair. 🙂
4) Today is my birthday. My husband gifted me a full quiet Saturday in our office (which is of course now empty of people) since I have spent the last month with our four children touching me every second of the day. I sincerely appreciate the privilege I enjoy to stay home during the pandemic to care for and educate my children. I also don't mean to imply that I in any way judge folks who choose to homeschool. (I am a huge fan, Kristen!) And I love my children dearly. But I am also an introvert who isn't really a kid person. I usually spend my workday quietly working on my dissertation. So after a month I was ready for a perfectly free break.
5) I don't keep a lot in the freezer, but I did intentionally buy less at Aldi last weekend so we could eat the pantry down a bit and be sure to eat all the produce before we get more this weekend.
Take your carrots and celery and cut them snack size and put them in two containers each of water in the fridge and they will keep a long time...plant the root ends and grow your next batches...youtube...