Five (small) Frugal Things
Probably for now, my FFT are all going to be of the small variety. I don't have time for anything very impressive right now!
(Except maybe this: I am most definitely going to pass all of my first semester classes. And passing classes is a huge financial win.)
1. I spent $0 and got $5
It's cheating a little to say it that way. Lemme explain.
I picked up a prescription from CVS that was actually $0 out of pocket (yay for the time of year when the deductible is fully met!).
And because I am a member of CVS's pharmacy rewards, I get a $5 credit for every 10 prescriptions I fill there.
This $0 prescription triggered a $5 reward, so yay!
I say that the way I phrased this is cheating because the other nine prescriptions were not all $0. But still, it's kinda nice that the 10th was free.
Also, my prescription receipt included a $4/any purchase coupon, and I used that to buy a $5 item on my way out. So I only spent $1 out of pocket, and I didn't even touch my $5 reward. 🙂
2. I filled up my gas tank for $3.09/gallon
My Upside app is still serving me pretty well by beating the Royal Farms price. Of course, I filled up at the lowest price station when I was already nearby because traveling specifically to save on gas is rarely worth it.
3. I made copies at school
We have a lot of blank paperwork to bring to clinicals, and since I'd already printed out one set, I realized, "Ooh! I could just throw it all in the copier at school."
The forms are given to us in something like 8-10 separate downloads, so it's kind of annoying to print everything separately; it's faster to just put it all in the copier at once, and the copier is in the building where I have my classes.
So, this saved me paper, ink, and time.
3. I got a free drink at Panera (by accident)
I went there after clinicals to work on some of my paperwork assignments. Because sometimes it helps to go somewhere besides home to do boring work. 🙂
Once you get home there's other work that can be distracting. And also there is a cat that likes to walk on computer keyboards. Heh.
Anyway, I was gonna just buy a cheap fountain drink in exchange for the privilege of using Panera as a paperwork spot, but when the manager at the cash register saw my uniform, he said, "Ah, I'm not gonna charge you for that."
I dunno if he realized I am only a student nurse (maybe he gives free drinks to anyone in scrubs?) but I thought that was a kind gesture.
I'm not exactly serving the community yet, but one day I will.
4. I used $15 of credit to get a free stethoscope box
I don't like just throwing my blood pressure cuff and stethoscope into my backpack all the time, so I ordered a little zippered box to hold both. That'll be much easier to carry with me!
I used $15 of Amazon credit card credits, plus I picked no-rush shipping which will give me 6% back on the purchase.
5. I wore my mismatched socks
I had several pairs of Adidas socks a while back, and when one sock wore through in several places, I kept its twin in my drawer.
Then another one wore through, and I made the two other socks into a new pair.
I know my friend Katy darns her socks, but I don't know how I would with this type of socks. Mine typically wear thin in a large area, so I can't imagine trying to darn the hole. The end result would be rather lumpy, unless I could find some super duper thin yarn.
Regardless...I do NOT have time to darn socks right now. That is so far down my list of priorities, it's, like, 5 miles below sea level.
The past week has not been frugal in general. All of mine are tiny:
1. I received $1 in the mail along with a request to complete a Nielsen survey online in return for the promise of $5. I kept the dollar, spent three minutes completing the survey, and I hope receive the $5.
2. I bought some cheap healthy-ish snacks at the Grocery Outlet. The expiration date is next month but I am sure they'll be fine past that date. I also picked up cheap potatoes and onions and canned tomatoes.
3. I shopped my closet and found a warm winter coat that my daughter gave me since she wasn't wearing it. It is bright red but it is warm and perfect for walking outside in the winter. Comfort trumps fashion for me 100% of the time and saving time and money not shopping all score big for me.
4. I bought another box of apples from the local produce stand. The "seconds" did not look good so I sprang for "firsts". They are still about half the price of buying by the pound.
5. I received free shipping on a couple of items my daughter wants for her birthday by providing my email address. I already unsubscribed from promotional emails from the small company. I seem to be doing a lot of unsubscribing these days, the inundation of my inbox is relentless.
@K D,
A bright red coat is always in fashion in my opinion 🙂
@K D, its amazing how many emails I get that I am unsubscribing too. I know that's how a lot of business work, but come on. Way too many!
@K D, I think a red coat is great! It’s cheerful in the winter and makes it easier for drivers to see you.
@K D, Oh I did one of those too. I ended up with $10 for the 2nd one. Free money is always a plus.
It has never once occurred to me to even try learning how to darn socks. Kudos to those who do, though.
--I recently started running again (although plodding is a more accurate term), and it's been at least three years since I did that regularly. I still have the running pants my parents gave me for my birthday a decade ago, though, and the long-sleeved t-shirt I bought at Salvation Army specifically to run in. I did have to buy new shoes, so not entirely free, but way cheaper than most other forms of exercise.
--Despite being at a basketball tournament with all four children last weekend for three meal times, we only ate out once, and I planned for that as a treat for them. I brought all the rest of our food, and didn't go to the concession stand once.
--Yesterday I cooked and pureed one of our garden squash for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. I know cans of pumpkin are cheap, so not a big savings, but I love having something on our holiday table that I grew myself. Actually, the tomatoes in the salad and the parsnips for roasting parsnips and carrots also came from my garden, which is pretty good given the horrible garden year I had.
--I mended a small hole in one of my son's favorite shirts. Given my dislike of anything to do with a needle, I'm pretty proud of that. 🙂
--We decided to keep our old Honda Pilot for another year at least, even though it sustained significant hail damage. We will have to get a new windshield for it, but since it's going to be primarily a local vehicle for us (running back and forth to the villages 10 miles away) and a hunting vehicle for my husband, we decided against replacing the small side window in the very back that broke out entirely in the hail storm. Instead, my husband cut a thin piece of wood to fit, caulked it in there, and then spray painted it black so it's not so noticeable. Definitely a redneck fix, but then, we kind of are . . .
@kristin @ going country, The fix for the small window in the Pilot sounds like redneck engineering at its best to me. But then we have a lot of redneck fixes around here.....
@Beverly, and Kristen at Going Country,
Redneck engineering? No, it sounds really smart!
First the fail. I let a bag of Sam's Club coleslaw mix waste away in the crisper drawer in the garage. It was 5 days past its sell by date and pretty slimy. But--
*I mended two pair of jeans and one shirt.
*I made sourdough bread for our T-day dressing.
*I will bake a pumpkin/squash from our garden for the pies.
*I gathered various nuts on trees around us (hickory, black walnut) to make a pecan-like pie. JUST KIDDING! I totally did not do that, but that would be cool, wouldn't it?
*I made all the meals this week.
*I found dresses my Oma sewed for me in a deep, dark hole in our basement to see if they would fit my daughters. They do. I had to de-stink them because they still reeked of the smoky haze that always lingered in my not smoke-free parents' house. I did a decent job of that. I also found in my stash the perfect matching zipper for one of the dresses which had a broken zipper.
*I have that beef tongue in the crock pot now. I will deal with it today, whether I want to or not, and we WILL eat it in tacos tonight for supper because I am frugal, I AM frugal, I am FRUGAL! (Just don't mention the slimy slaw or the plentiful nuts outside just rotting away or being gathered by the squirrels.)
@Jody S., I hate dealing with tongues, too. In fact, I usually give them to the dogs. Also, we had black walnut trees all around our house in New York. They are so hard to shell, they're really not worth dealing with. I never did, anyway. And any time I have nuts in the shell, I thank heaven for modern shelling machines that do it for me. Such a pain. I hope that helped. 🙂
@Jody S., good for you for using the tongue. At least you don't have to eat an udder as well, unlike Parson Woodforde (see last week's discussion)!
@kristin @ going country, there are a couple of walnut trees on my property, and one year I did try harvesting and shelling them. I quickly concluded that the necessary effort expended more calories than DH and I were gaining from the nuts. So I'm content to leave them to the squirrels--except that I wish the little rascals wouldn't bury them in my garden beds and then forget where they left them!
@Jody S., apparently in WV, black walnuts are a big deal and they are used to make a Black Walnut Cake. Since I am not from around here, I just took a few to dry out and taste. If they are good, maybe I'll make the cake next year. We are finding West Virginians to be very resourceful people!
@Maureen, I am from WV, and I remember when my aunt and uncle started building their house by having a basement with a flat roof. They gathered the black walnuts and let them dry out on top of the roof. And they used them. I loved black walnuts and still do. I like them especially in chocolate chip cookies.
We do have a black walnut tree in our yard, and we've tried a few times, but it really is a lot of work. Maybe one day I will have enough time. Not now.
@kristin @ going country, I have memories of cracking black walnuts (with a hammer), so I know it isn't easy. I, too, appreciate buying the nuts in bags from the store. As a kid, I loved cracking all those nuts in a bowl on the table (the walnuts, filberts, almonds, etc.). Not so much now.
@A. Marie, I loved that quotation!
Back when we had a walnut tree in our yard, I picked them when green and made them into pickled walnuts.
@Rose, I've never heard of that!
@Jody S., They're delicious and savory, an English classic. Next year, try them! You have to pick them when still green before the shell forms.
@Rose, Does pickling work with black walnuts? They have a very distinct scent when green, and if that transferred to the pickle, I'm not sure it would be particularly pleasant.
@kristin @ going country,
My kids call black walnuts "stinky seeds" , so I too would have concerns about messing with the green ones. And black walnuts kill off other trees, so I'm not really fond of them in any case. The squirrels can have the wretched things in my yard. I just spend the spring ripping out the seedlings that spring from the forgotten nuts. All in all, my least favorite tree.
@mbmom11, My kids call them "ju-jus". I have no idea where this came from. Kids are funny!
@Jody S., I laughed out loud at the walnut comment. We grew up with them all around. They are a nuisance since you walk on them, they dent your cars etc. We did try to dry and eat them. Not worth the effort for sure.
Any frugality is good frugality, especially when you have so much going on!
--My family visited, and I thankfully had everyone's Christmas gift already so I could hand them off vs. paying postage.
--Problem: We were out of wrapping paper! What do I find at Goodwill but a $5.99 still-in-the-shrink-wrap four-pack of Ikea wrapping paper in multi-purpose patterns and colors. Score!
--On a related note, the Barnes & Noble clearance section finished rounding out my gift stash nicely: A $20 puzzle for $5, a $35 men's care travel kit for $7 (my little brother is quite the outdoors man/nomad), etc. I also found a $3 undated planner for me, which is formatted like it was meant for my brain. I liked it so much that I went back to the clearance section a few days later to grab the only duplicate planner they had!
--Habitat Restore for the win again! We've been gradually working on/shopping for the garage to turn it into my husband's tech retreat, and I found several gorgeous 2' x 4' wood wall panels for $2 apiece. Everything has to meet specific measurements so that we can fit both a car and my husband's space in there, and the panels are just perfect.
—-The same Habitat trip yielded a nesting coffee table (which I'd been hunting for) for $25 and 50 more fancy paving stones @ 50 cents each. We now have enough stones for our patio! Now I just need our mild-ish weather to hold so I can assemble it before real winter gets here.
@N, Typo alert! Two nesting coffee tables, plural, and hand-carved at that. Now my excitement over the $25 price makes more sense! 😛
First, my compliments to Katy and everyone else who has the patience and the skill to darn socks. I have neither
Now, FFT, Pre-Thanksgiving Miscellany Edition:
(1) In last Friday's WIS/WIA, I mentioned making a small chicken salad with the white meat from two Reduced for Quick Sale Cornish hens. I also included one hard-boiled egg, some sweet relish with an expiration date of early 2022, and some mayo with an expiration date of two weeks ago. That which does not kill me makes me stronger. (And I’m still here to tell the tale.)
(2) I took another Sunday morning walk (two laps around a long, skinny pond in a local park) with the ladies who have become my Sunday walking buddies: the director of the cognitive care programs DH used to attend, and the widow of one of DH’s “classmates” in these programs. We’ve also taken to bringing each other homemade treats (I contribute refrigerator dill pickles in season, for example). Yesterday, the program director brought the other two of us dried apples (Regional Market apples bought on the cheap and dried in her dehydrator).
(3) I’ll be taking the Bestest Neighbors to the airport later today for their Thanksgiving trip to Florida (and hoping that The Force will be with them, given what air travel this holiday may be like). After I drop them off, I’ll be hitting a nearby branch of our Rescue Mission/Thrifty Shopper chain that I don’t often visit–and taking advantage of the Tuesday senior citizen discount if I find anything.
(4) My next-door neighbor (NDN, the one with the cognitive issues) and I will be having Thanksgiving dinner with the other friend who takes an interest in NDN, this friend’s husband, and about 14 other folks. I’ll be bringing my kale, apple, and carrot salad (with homegrown kale, which is one of the very few vegetables I can still grow; the deer won’t eat it till there’s absolutely nothing else left).
(5) And I've moved my finished compost from my loose pile (last year’s leaves, plus grass clippings, etc.) onto a couple of garden beds. Mother Nature granted us one more sunny day.
That's funny about the socks---I do same thing. I have same problem spot. I used to buy (now ex) husband the same color/brand socks purposely for this reason. I do not have all same color socks, but still wear non holey (sometimes mismatched colors which is apparently in style!) socks after throwing away damaged match.
Small things add up to bigger things, so keep going.
Frugal things---
● Save 25 cents gallon on gas yesterday making it $2.84 gallon.
● bought $50 laundry soap & Kleenex & save $10 instantly plus my coupons for products & my (2) $10 off purchase coupon(s) made it $20 for 3 large laundry soap & 4 pack bundle Kleenex.
● found bicycle chain repair tool on clearance $3.99 & picked up for teen who bike chain having issues.
● ordered Target items & found 1 gift for teen was planning on getting from Sam's club December sale at better price. Then saw same product but waterproof & noise cancelling for $20 more with available 2 year everything/anything covered $12 including shipping each way, so I ordered from Target. That I will pick up in store later today, worried about getting through shipping as been having problems with Fed Ex delivery having box opened when delivered. Luckily nothing missing, yet. Contacted seller/shipped from since happened few times now. Not taking chances with this gift.
● Used Rakuten to order Target items & free shipping. Seems percentage cash back is lower lately, but take what I can get.
● got 30% off any item in store coupon from local Hallmark & plan to use to get another large garden pole. These never go on sale & rarely get these coupons & many people (including myself) only purchase with this type coupon & limited stock/designs. I checked designs last time in store (last week) & have 1 more design in large size I would like to get. So, maybe Christmas gift??
Frugal Fail---
● made homemade chicken bones stock in crockpot overnight & did not get to canning that day so put outside (30 overnight) with intentions of warming up & canning next day. Been outside for few days in cold & have not done yet. Thinking probably best to dump & be done with it. Not sure if still safe to eat at this point. I had good intentions but didn't quite make it.
@Regina, as long as your chicken stock has been kept cold it's fine to can. You can keep it up to 1 week.
I have darned a few (maybe 4?) socks in the last few years, but only nice/expensive wool ones! I first tried during Covid when everything was shut down and I had more time than activities.
1. I realized I needed a coffee maker since I will be hosting my church small group soon and my French press only makes about two small cups at a time. I found a nearly new, no-frills Mr. Coffee version at Goodwill for $8. Looks like they are $30+ online so I am glad to find one. Bonus: dropped off donations!
2. Used the free car vacuums at the car wash next to Goodwill.
3. Deposited a $4.37 rebate from Rakuten into my bank account. Also frugal: not shopping online much, hence the small rebate.
4. Had a coupon worth $16 for my birthday at Papa Murphy’s, so we had a pizza one night. We still spent over $7 by the time we paid the difference and tipped, but that’s ok. Not cooking was lovely!
5. Cut DH’s hair at home. Realized it had been three months since we had last done that; no wonder he was super shaggy.
6. Just ordered another four free Covid tests through USPS.
@Lindsay B, Yes-- Four MORE tests are available, even if you ordered four a month ago. Total of eight per household this go round. covid.gov
@Heidi Louise, were the second batch of free covid tests expired also? We ordered & got expired ones, as did family members in other states during last round of free covid tests.
@Regina, Mine were technically expired but they enclosed a printout of batch numbers and the website where you can check the 'new' expiration date of technically expired batches. They extended the expiration date but of course the date is already printed on the box, so this is the workaround.
@Kara, Yes-- the website and the package insert or label include information about looking up new expiration dates.
I’m not sure if you can darn athletic socks. I think Katy primarily darns wool socks. Unmatched socks work just fine.
1) I ordered free covid tests through the post office. We were down to our last one. My husband has it for the third time.
2) I made my monthly trip to Costco. I stuck to my list which is made from my Tightwad Gazette inspired price book.
3) I’m fixing up my home a bit ahead of the holiday season. I bought a pair of leather chairs for my living room at an estate sale. They are lovely, like-new and cost about 1/10th of the furniture store price.
4) I accepted some second hand draperies and a sofa from family members.
5) I have done all the usual things…
Happy Thanksgiving! May your hearts be light and your turkey moist.
Such a nice gesture to give you a free drink!
I
-bought one day old artisan sourdough, and buns, at 50% off
-found an unusally sized picture frame at the thrift shop, at 20 cents. I had been looking for one for over two years. It will need a different colour to go with my decor, but I can combine that with other painting projects
-bought a new mobile phone as my nearly 5 year old appliance was starting to give problems. It was a black Friday offer and also I will get partially reimbursed by my company. I very much dislike investigating specs for mobiles so I hope the new one will last me five years again
-got some free advice on a DIY project from a relative who owns a business in that area
-switched socks from left to right. I tend to wear them on the same foot always, but when the toes wear thin it makes sense to switch socks/feet to extend the life of the socks by a few more months.
Also I invested in a vacuum/glassware set so I can keep foods longer. I have busy weeks ahead and want to do more foodprepping in the weekends, when I have more time and feel more like chopping and mixing than at dinner rush hour. My favourite time is when the others are sleeping in!
O and I smell tested a vacuum sealed smoked sausage with a date of Feb 23 and it smelt fine. Used it for dinner and did not make anyone the wiser about the date. Everyone loved dinner and we still live.
1. I don't know how frugal this actually is, but it "feels" frugal: when it comes to Thanksgiving food items, I spread out acquiring them over a space of weeks. That is, a few weeks before, I get things like canned corn, stuffing, gravy...we got the turkey ahead of time so we could make sure to get a big one, as well. Peg Bracken said in one of her books that the way to deal with expensive food items is to drop one in a batch of regular shopping, to take the sting out of it, so that is what I do. I also feel terribly smug the week of Thanksgiving, watching people hunt for the turkey gravy, which the grocery store tends to run out of, because I got mine ahead of time.
2. Library books. And here is a Frugal Fail: I have a bad habit of reading in the bath, and normally I don't take in big hardcover books, but I did this time with a library book...and it got wet on one corner. Despite my best efforts, it was clearly water damaged and from working in a library, I know full well that they do NOT like to take back books that have been dampened. Mildew can grow even if you think the book is "dry". Now, I also know full well that people will just shunt books like that in the return, and then say "it was like that when I checked it out." Nope. I sucked it up and paid the $33 bucks to replace it and they gave me the damaged copy to keep. Sigh. It's not even a book i would have bought. To amend this error, I will refrain from purchasing any books for the next three or four months. Writing it here to remain accountable.
3. Another slightly Frugal Fail, but not too bad: when we were traveling earlier this month we stopped in a Walmart along the way to use the bathrooms. I mentioned I'd forgotten to pack lotion and DH suggested I pick something really nice while we were there. He's sweet like that. I saw an endcap of Native brand lotion, in big pumps, on sale, and was so excited they had holiday scents. I like their scents, but never splurge on Native. So I got Candy Cane and Warm Cider Cinnamon, and it wasn't until we got back to the hotel that I saw I had gotten Candy Cane Hair Conditioner and Warm Cider Shampoo. D'oh. They were in big pumps! And I was in a hurry. DH popped over to the grocery store we saw across from the hotel and got me some very nice Vaseline Smooth Almond lotion, which I'd never used before but now like very much. I'm using up the Candy Cane conditioner, even though it's not a match with my shampoo, and the boys are using the Warm Cider Cinnamon shampoo as a body wash. LOL.
4. Coffee at home. I was in a grumpy mood the other day and toyed with the idea of stopping for a fancy coffee while out running errands, but reminded myself that I can make a vanilla soy latte at home and save at least five bucks.
5. Cheap entertainment: for weekend movie nights we've been rewatching the Lord of the Rings Extended versions, breaking them up one disc per evening. It's been great fun, as my kids have Strong Opinions about how the movie diverges from the books.
@Karen A., I used to do your tip#1 when my kids were small and we were watching our pennies. I had Thanksgiving and Christmas planned down to the smallest detail and worked the special foods into the grocery trips bit by bit until I had everything I needed with no big one time expense. Plus, no mad dash for things at the last minute! Big fan of Peg Bracken here.
Waited to buy my turkey and when I went to Aldi, they were marked down from $1.28/lb to .99/lb. And I found one not so huge. Most were over 17 lbs.
My husband was in NY last week and picked us up some more apples and cider from the apple stand which are way better than store bought.
Sold something on Mercari. Now to ship it in a box I already had. My items have been hanging out on Mercari for a while. And they are not high-priced, just not of noteworthiness.
Used a coupon at one of our favorite restaurants. My husband's entrée was free and he purchased a $10. pitcher of beer (for football Sunday) instead of individual glasses. Our total was $22.00 plus tip=$29.00. We did tip on the original total bill to make sure we did not short-change the server.
While we were over near that restaurant, hubs filled his car with gas because it was $3.03/gallon.
@Maureen,
I lucked on the Aldi turkey, too. No where in my area is turkey cheap, so this was great. I manage to find one about 13 lbs- a little bigger than I want, but the others were huge.
I found a black shirt for my son for band at Salvation Army- and it was the half-price color tag. I can return the ones I ordered from Amazon. I also cashed in my emergency pizza from Domino's. Of course, I need to order several more for a meal, but free is free!
1. I took about 45 minutes to plan out a Meijer trip to get all of the Ibotta rebates needed to get a free turkey. I was pretty happy with my total out-of-pocket with how much I got back. Then yesterday I finished it off with the free sides (which I actually gained a couple of dollars on because they gave me more back than I spent). I don't often take the time to put much effort into Ibotta, but this all paid off well.
2. I thought about buying a latte yesterday morning when I was working on laptop stuff, but decided to be patient and get a free Panera coffee after I was done working.
3. We went to a playoff volleyball game on Friday that was a couple of hours away and we packed lunch and snacks so that we did not have to buy a meal or concessions on the trip. Once I saw the concession stand prices, I was super thankful that I did this!
4. My daughter's class is dressing up as turkeys today and I made her costume. I am not a fan dress up days, but I found a cute way to do a turkey, so we went with it. We made tulle skirt, bought a plain yellow t-shirt, then used felt with the sticky backing to make the turkey face on the shirt. We'll peel it off at the end of the day and she'll be able to wear the yellow shirt on non-turkey days. I saw turkey costumes (including tulle skirts like the one we made) at Meijer yesterday and that would have been easier, but it would have cost a lot more.
5. A local college is offering two 1.5 hour clinics to kids participating in the volleyball program my daughter is participating in (and I'm helping coach) at our local gym/rec center and we're going to both clinics - one last night and one tonight. It's a great opportunity and no extra cost, so we're taking advantage of both days.
Small frugal wins are still wins and they do add up!
FFT
1) Placed a pickup order at BJ's wholesale and used rewards to pay for part of the order. Not going inside the store kept me from any impulse buys.
2) Purchased gas at BJ's while I was there for $2.64/gallon
3) Took advantage of the free lunch my company provided yesterday.
4) Ordered refills of prescriptions that cost nothing out of pocket because we've met our deductible.
5) Purchased a smoked pork butt from a school fundraiser. Shared it with the kids and it still fed us all weekend and DH for lunch yesterday. That kept us from ordering take out over the weekend.
Frugal fail: I picked up buns and cabbage for slaw to go with our pork butt. There was only a single head of cabbage at the grocery store, didn't pay attention to price. and it cost over $14! 🙁
@Beverly,
A head of cabbage cost $14!!?? It must have been huge!
I don't think I would darn a sock that wasn't an expensive wool one. I would like to learn how to darn socks but honestly I mostly buy cheap Kirkland wool socks from Costco.
1. This is a repeat from NCA but worth repeating. I invited my friend who is an HR Manager over to explain health insurance to me. It's very confusing but I'm hoping this will help me save money by making a more informed decision.
2. My daughter was craving take-out so I sent her out to pick up Taco Bell for herself and I ate leftovers. A savings in calories also.
3. I made dog biscuits for my dog and my granddog who I dog sit for on Mondays so my daughter can sleep. Both dogs were waiting in anticipation for their treats. My dog loves peanut butter so if she smells it, she is right under my feet. They loved them.
4. I'm working on clearing out some of the older food in my freezer and pantry. I made a delicious veggie chili which used up the last of some butternut squash I froze last winter. It makes for a delicious, healthy and cheap lunch. I froze some to enjoy at another time ensuring that none gets wasted.
5. I'm still driving my 13 year old hybrid car. It has over 200,000 miles on it. I've been researching cars since I know it won't last forever. I would like to buy a small hybrid SUV. If anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear them. Thanks.
I think Katy darns her wool socks, which are already kind of thick and well-suited for it. Passing all your classes is a bigger thing than a thin sock. Just dust with that worn out sock!
We are spending $11K replacing our heating and air systems this week. The good news is it's a cash purchase, so no debt, and the new system comes with various rebates. It's also high efficiency and our heating and cooling bills will be lower.
The frugalities seem small compared to that expense, but this week I:
1. Cut my husband's hair (saved $15)
2. Plated up four meals of leftovers into quick freezer meals for myself (saved $14 versus buying Lean Cuisine)
3. Repaired my only black bra instead of replacing it (it was $15 on sale)
4. Rack dried a load of laundry (got no idea what this saves, but it spares our 23-year-old dryer some work)
5. Stocked up on the ground turkey we cook up to use as a kibble for our dogs (saves $9 over using canned dog food).
@Ruby, be sure to put your new furnace receipts in with your income taxes at end of year for write off/credit on your 2023 taxes.
@Regina, thank you for that info. We did not know to do that.
@Ruby, & any receipts for new windows, any kind insulation including spray can foam. The IRS changed the timeline to every year instead of 2 years limit but still up to 20% up to $2000 (I think, been almost year since doing). January start new file for 2024 taxes & any receipts.
I think mine are small too! I am going to have to be extra frugal this month and next because I'm saving up for a trip to New York!
1. I made all my meals at home (apart from one lunch out).
2. My workplace threw a holiday party for us which included a meal and drinks.
3. Bought food on offer in the supermarket.
4. Got money back from recycling bottles at the supermarket.
5. I remembered to return a library book on time so as not to get a late fee.
@Sophie in Denmark, How fun to plan your trip to New York!
I was in New York City many many years ago; what I have read is there are many free or inexpensive things or places to walk to, which are good for frugal travel adventures.
If you mean New York state, there are some charming towns and scenery to enjoy.
@Heidi Louise, thank you! I meant the city. It's my first ever trip to the states!
@Sophie in Denmark, There are tons and tons of fun, free things to do in New York City! Have fun!
1. Enjoyed free goodies from my apartment’s breakfast on the go event.
2. At a Buy Nothing pickup, there were bonus pickled green beans that could be taken. And, of course, I partook!
3. Had a packet of large hand-sanitizing wipes that we inherited from my husband’s aunt. We kept them in the car while we were traveling last winter. Now they have completely dried out and I’m saving them as dry wipes for various clean-ups.
4. Found a full tube of hand sanitizer in a parking lot.
5. Continued using half of the sugar listed in recipes for baked goods. No discernible difference in taste or texture to us, so we’re saving money and helping our health.
Not a cheap week at all.
Frugal Fail 1: I asked my handyman to toss an old sofa of mine in the dumpster. He cut it up with a Sawzall and tossed it. And then he started cutting up the one I wanted to keep. No sofas for me! So I bought one from a friend who stages houses--it was basically unused and I got it for 1/3 the retail price but it was still expensive. Lovely, though.
Frugal Fail 2: Still no heat! The piping under the concrte of my basement floor is leaking so the new furnace is not running. The guys are starting today to redo all the heating pipes by the ceiling, rather than jackhammer the floor. $10,000 more.
Frugal Fail 3: Sold some antiques. I was so late sending because I just could not get it together, I had to overnight. Ashamed to mention how much.
Frugal Fail 4: Left at 12:30 to visit my mom, which did not go well. Cleaning ladies were still here when I got home at 6:30. They did an amazing job but I owe them more money.
Frugal Bonus Future Fail: Going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving Dinner because I can. not. hack. one. more. thing.
@Rose, it sounds like you've had a lot of things going on! Going out for Thanksgiving dinner sounds like a good way to be gentle with yourself in the midst of everything right now.
@Rose,
That's a lot on your plate, but your number 1! OH NO!!!!
@Rose,
Oh, my, word! If I were you, I would probably be either screaming at the top of my lungs, or breaking something--out of frustration at all of that. I hope things calm down soon....♥♥
I fell yesterday outside a store on the way home from visiting Mom (who just told me a bunch of random nonsensical things) and could not get back up. At all. I did not have the strength. Had to crawl across a parking lot, open the driver's side door of my car, and slowly slide back in. The store clerks called an ambulance and my daughter urged me to go to the hospital but I refused. Drove back home and my son was angry with me for not going to physical therapy, which I need. I've been putting it off because of stress. I feel like I can't get a break from anyone, anywhere. And my dogs have not stopped barking since the plumbing guys showed up at 8AM.
@Rose, I wsh I could come get you, pour you a glass of wine, & fix you dinner. Dang- you need a break!!!
@Rose,
You absolutely owe it to yourself to have Thanksgiving dinner out! You're dealing with So Much right now. I know you're not a hugger, but know I'm hoping for better times ahead for you.
OH NO about the handyman sawing up your good sofa!!
@Kristen, it was a lovely Shabby Chic sofa that retails for $8000 new. No worries, though, the handyman assured me it was "old," so no problem with putting it in the dumpster! It was very deep with down cushions and I just loved it. God, I hate people sometimes. Him and the housecleaner who tossed my Parnall antique butter slab because it was cracked. WITHOUT ASKING ME. Sure, just go for it because it's not some garbage from Home Goods.
I must have been channeling Kristen because I not only kept my 40-foot long CVS receipt from picking up a $0 prescription last week, but remembered to look at it yesterday and … all the coupons were expiring! So I stopped at CVS on my way elsewhere and found all the birthday cards for 3 upcoming birthdays, all the stocking stuffer/candy/little gifts on my now completed holiday shopping list, and just for me the usually pricey Aveeno shower goop for half price. $80+ for $39.33. And now I don’t have to go into another store between now and New Year’s, which itself is so frugal it's priceless! (Pun intended.)
Passing classes is very, very frugal, since failing a class means you pay for it twice.
I think I've said this before, but my mother never darned socks even though she knew how, and never taught us how, because 1. she disliked darning and 2. my dad's feet were badly burned on the soles as a toddler when he walked into white hot ashes, so no matter how skillful the darn, he couldn't stand the feel of it. That gave her enough excuses to give up darning. We rarely wore holes in our socks, though, and I still don't, even though I keep socks forever. Why would that be? I'd never thought about that before now.
1. Although we had rain recently, the weekend was dry so I was able to hang dry all of my laundry.
2. I picked my first, but hopefully not the last, green beans from my raised bed garden and ate them this weekend. The nights are supposed to see some low 40's F this week.
3. For all of November so far and the last of October I've run no fans, no A/C, and no heat. This is my favorite time of the year.
4. Since I now know how to make a hacky sack, I've made another one to include with a family member's gift. I made it with supplies on hand.
5. I have pumpkin puree thawed out to make pies. Once again I will just use whole milk (which I already buy) instead of evaporated milk to make the pumpkin filling. I have also used half and half when I had that left from hosting coffee drinkers and I've used a mix of cream and milk when that's what I had on hand. No one has noticed any difference in the pies, and it saves a little bit of money plus time spent looking for evaporated milk at the stores when it starts selling out.
@JD, I have used powdered milk reconstituted with much less water so that it has the consistency of evaporated milk. By the time sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spices are added and it's baked, no one can tell any difference.
I do the same thing with socks for both of my teens. They are very hard on socks, and despite my requests, they wear regular socks to play soccer, which destroys them quickly. My shelf in the laundry room always has an assortment of options for the next sock I retire.
1) Bought gift cards I needed for the holidays at CVS. Used a CVS cash back offer from my credit card & also earned the $20 in CVS rewards. Repeated 2x, with two different gift cards.
2) Used up a very old package of seasoned baby potatoes in a chicken stew this weekend.
3) Noticed I had Chick Fil A rewards, when I took DS16 to Chick Fil A after a late soccer game. Redeemed the rewards for a milkshake, to go with this dinner. I also avoided getting anything for myself, which was good for the wallet & waistline.
4) I've been trying to be reasonably practical for Christmas gifts (we buy for the six teens in our family). I was able to used a $50 store credit for one of the gifts, which helped a lot. For DS17, I've focused on getting things he needs for college.
5) Gave away business class flight upgrades I had that were expiring, and my coworker gifted me with a gift card as a thank you.
"I'm not exactly serving the community yet, but someday I will." Did you really write that? What is this? Chopped liver? 🙂 I'm glad you were given that drink at Panera.
The case of Tazo Chai Latte Concentrate I got a month ago was very weak, so I bit the bullet and emailed the company regarding the quality issue. They are taking the info, the remaining three boxes and reimbursing me. I suspect there will be some reward as well. The newest case has been up to their standards so it is much more enjoyable. I don't drink a chai latte everyday, but the concentrate figures to be $1.25 per my serving. Haven't calculated the milk. The drinks at SB are much more, like $6.
Gas here is $2.98. And I will fill up on the way home from work in the morning.
Hobby Lobby has their Christmas decorations 50% off of the posted prices. Last year I weeded out what I didn't use to cut down on what I have and turned around this year and updated my "theme." I hate to get rid of much because I do like to change things up. Some years it is "stars." Some years "holly leaves." Some years "holiday baking," (with cookie cutters, dried fruit, etc.) I collected brass chambersticks (candle holders with the little finger ring) for a wedding reception and those are a nice Christmas theme. This year's is all things olive leaves.
Grove Collaborative currently has their Grove products for 30% off, so I picked up a few things I wouldn't normally and had them go ahead and ship which gave me a free bamboo cutting board. I have plenty of cutting boards, but it will make someone a nice gift.
I by-passed "driving through" for breakfast (Hardee's currently has cinnamon raisin biscuits, YUM!). Still make my own distilled water. I am reaching here...
@Chrissy,
Second your statement! "What is this, chopped liver?" ☺☺☺Kristen, you not only serve your children (even the long-distance one), your classmates, and your friends, but also this worldwide group of readers. That sounds like a heck of a lot of community to me. ☺You deserve a lifetime of free drinks--no----sandwiches at Panera. ☺
Aww, thanks for the encouragement, guys! I meant more that I'm not serving the community with my nursing skills yet. 🙂
But I would not turn down free sandwiches at Panera for life. lol
Yay for Kristen's education frugality! The payoff is going to be incredible!!
Every time I buy groceries, I descend into dark thoughts about how expensive things are and how they seem to cost more each time I shop. (How can what should be a $3 cold remedy now cost $13?!!!)
So I did a little research, going back to 2020 in my spending spreadsheets (prior to that I used an online app and I no longer have access to the data, grumble grumble). I was completely surprised, shocked really, to see that the monthly average over the last four years is almost exactly the same. The only explanation I can come up with is that the husband and I are getting older and we eat less, especially meat. To be fair, cold remedy is a different budget category so my most recent case of sticker shock is not even grocery related.
Even though I don't have any cool frugal hacks that I admire and enjoy reading about on this my favorite blog, I am here to say that somehow my grocery shopping is more frugal than I think it is.
@Elaine N, When I purchase mediation I keep the price sticker from original (last year or two) to keep track of pricing on those type things. Plus I do write in notes cheapest & next lower price as some places have stopped having available.
Pennies add up to dollars; little frugal savings also add up to big wins. So don't be upset that you're not saving megabucks this week, Kristen; getting through nursing school is a huge achievement! Esp. when you compare a nurse's salary to whatever you'd earn in other jobs.
Here are my five frugals:
1. My repainting and re-flooring project continues. Decided to paint the large living room-dining room area a bold, darker color. Found that Wal-Mart had some already-mixed Glidden paint called "Fjord Blue." It was more per can than what I'd bought at Habitat ReStore for the other rooms, but my painter said it was top quality. So much so, he only used about half the amount of paint as he had to use with the recycled Visions paint from Habitat. I'll take 2 unopened cans back for a refund. The room looks fantastic with the deep blue on the wall! It goes especially well with my late mother's mahogany dining room furniture, which was passed down to me.
2. Comparison shopping for flooring: Found some "luxury vinyl plank" on clearance. It comes with a built-in pad, so I won't have to buy padding. (Carpet padding won't work for LVP.) The store wants to get rid of this product so I got a deal. Will use that for the hallway. I'm trying to decide whether to do the bedroom in LVP or carpet. As previously reported, my original carpet padding is still good so I don't have to buy a pad for new carpets.)
3. Was able to dispose of some of the pulled-up old carpet sections without paying extra to take it to the dump. I was able to lift the smaller pieces that came out of the hallway, and I was able to stuff them into trash cans for regular garbage pickup.
4. Rummaging through a drawer, I found an old coupon. It won't expire until New Year's Eve. It was for a free meal at a local restaurant. Guess what I had for lunch yesterday?
5. Since school is out this week, there are no substitute teacher days (no work, no getting paid), so I asked the drugstore for more hours. Other cashiers wanted days off to be with their kids, and I'm only too happy to work their shifts. A win-win situation for all concerned!
Oh! I almost forgot: I also used a prepaid coupon card for a haircut. I'd bought it when I got a haircut in September. It cost $13.99 per haircut for several cuts; a regular haircut was $17.99. They are still selling those coupon cards, only the price has gone up a dollar. Yet another price hike; it seems everything is going up.
1. I made our meals at home, packed lunches for everyone, and used up foods before they expired.
2. All the kids outgrew their nice dress clothes. I was able to get everyone nice fancy clothes for the holidays at a secondhand store. It was under $30 for everyone. My husband and I can still wear our nice clothes.
3. I still haven't bought any Thanksgiving decorations, even though I keep finding cute stuff.
4. I sold some kids clothes and toys.
5. I accepted some food from my parents. They signed up for senior citizen lunches and they don't like some of the things that come with the meal. But my kids like them, so it works out.
I do darn wool socks. The socks you have are disposable. Turn them into dusting rags.
1.) I got six months of MAX (formerly HBO Max) at $3 a month. I also set a Google calendar reminder to cancel it when it comes due for renewal. I also made sure to cancel my Peacock subscription as my $1 a month deal is now gone.
2.) Pushing the easy button on dinner this week. That hasn't meant takeout so far but mostly eating out of the freezer and leftovers and such. Having a turkey in the fridge means there's not much space for other things.
3.) Since I'm buying for so few people our Christmas shopping is just about done. We're only buying for our niece and nephews and of course each other.
4.) Spending my vacation time at home instead of going out and living it up.
5.) Frugal Fail - My wife's car was over on an oil change and that is one DIY job I just don't want to do (I can't see under a car and I hate the claustrophobic nature of it.) Well I couldn't take it to the normal place so I went to another local place and they ended up being quite a bit more expensive for just a regular old synthetic oil change. Oh well. It's done so live and learn.
@Battra92, try asking if do oil change with your oil & filter for (much) lower price. I buy my own specific full synthetic oil & specific oil filter (I prefer) & am able to get on sale & use coupons to lower costs. Even dealership's/mechanics garage will do for $20(ish). Otherwise my oil change is $100+ & I pay $45-$50 plus $20 fee).
The sock thing - ha! My mother used to darn hers after she wore them for many years. In fact, she never tossed anything that was threadbare and it drove me batty. She was a frugal queen from 1930! We are entering to a very un-frugal time of year. But I am trying to be mindful of what I spend and stay within a budget for Christmas. I am eating out far less, taking my lunch to work, etc. A lot of the frugal things I do seem very second nature now!
Raked a lot of leaves using manpower instead of a gas powered leaf blower. I totally understand why they were invented but for now that was a free workout.
Accepted offers of help for making dishes for thanksgiving - we are hosting
Actually remembered to plan meals for the days that aren't thanksgiving... In the past I have often overlooked that!
@JP,
PS, I've been having problems commenting lately- it often gives me an error of "something went wrong" even when trying multiple times throughout the day... Anyone else having that issue?
@JP, yes, I have had that happen to me several times. Once I used an emoji, which is not allowed, I guess. Other times, just at random, and usually at the end of a post. Not sure why???
1. We take our kids to a hotel for a one-night stay for their birthdays instead of doing a kid's party. We signed up for a Hilton Honors credit card, which will give us 100,000 points for spending $2,000 in the first months of having the card. This should give us 2 night's free at a Hilton hotel for their birthdays this year. We bring our own lunches and drinks and typically breakfast is included in with the room charge. The kids love swimming in the pools at the hotel.
2. I left all of our kid's Christmas presents in my Amazon cart over the last few months and checked the list daily for items that went on sale. I have saved quite a bit of money by just waiting for a sale on these items.
3. My son wanted some board games for our house. We purchased 3 board games for $6 at Goodwill. As a health care worker I get 15% off at Goodwill too.
4. I purchased Panera Bread gifts cards for kid's teachers and bus driver for Christmas. Panera Bread gave me a $10 bonus gift card.
4. I went to my dental cleaning appointment, which is covered in full under my dental insurance. Preventive medicine is definitely frugal!
@Corrine,
How nice that your local GW offers a healthcare worker discount. Mine doesn't do that, but they do offer a discount if you're 60 or older (which I am).
This hasn't been a frugal week since I've been buying the groceries for our massive Thanksgiving dinner. I have shopped the sales, though, to save a little money on the food. 🙂
Not a frugal week at all as we took both daughters & their families to St. Louis and paid for most things.
1. Cut husbands hair.
2. St. Louis zoo is 100% free to get into.
3. Not buying any decorating items until our shouse is done - Don't have to move it twice.
4. USDA commodities must support nut farmers. Got almonds & walnuts from recent food distribution at the Food Pantry I work at.
5. Checking on new Part D insurance for husband as the one he's on now goes up $15 per month in January.
I darn socks, but only my hand-knit pairs. Those are the only ones I deem worth the effort.
I did some mending this week -- jeans, a bathrobe and a dress.
The local library is having a sock and hat drive and I was able to pull yarn from my stash to knit a couple of nice hats.
We hauled yet more firewood from our neighbor who is clearing to build a house. We have a good start on next year's supply.
I pulled all of this summer's garden tomatoes out of the freezer and turned them into sauce. I also cooked a couple of chicken frames and made stock.
“5 miles below sea level” lol! 🙂
Little frugal things add up!
1. I did a little early Black Friday deal Christmas shopping for planned purchases from the Gift Giving Idea List I keep all year when conversations I have give me gift giving ideas for that person.
2. I bought an electric lunch box on sale that I can plug into my car to heat dinner on the one hour drive to an outdoor Christmas village performance side hustle that opens this weekend. This will be much more convenient and allow me to eat more variety of things like leftovers than last season's soup in a thermos that got a little boring towards the end of the show.
3. I baked and dehydrated a small decorative pumpkin a friend gave me as dog treats that should hold the dog over until she most likely will get some for Christmas.
4. I went to two different potlucks on the same day so I didn't have to buy lunch or dinner. I made a double helping of my dish to take to each event.
5. Started work on a big garage storage and organization project. It was much cheaper to buy the extra utility shelves and bins on sale than it would be to rent a storage unit.
* not frugal yet, but I'm gearing up for a freezer/pantry challenge in december. I have so much food (I know, terrible 1st world problem!) and I keep buying more, really bad habit. It needs to go down. That should make for "interesting" meals....
* Got a bunch of carrots, beets and kale out of the garden
* Getting a 35$/1 hour massage today. Going to a massage therapy school, hence the small fee.
* Participating in a work gift exchange. Regifting gifts I'm not using (fancy candle, shampoo bar and body wash)
* got the most amazingly comfortable lounging pants off Temu for 15$. Hours and hours of comfort is totally worth 15$ to me.
Awww, I love that he gave you a free drink! I still remember a few times when I got free things when I was pregnant, or when I was a teacher. Little kindnesses just make the world a better place <3
I made a business choice that saved me around $5,000, so I'd say it's been a pretty good week for frugality 🙂 Here's my list:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/11/21/weekly-frugal-wins-the-first-of-the-christmas-prep/
Got frugal ( free items)
1. Square metal pan that is perfect for bacon, without dreaded teflon
2. 2 bags of embroidery floss for mending or decorating items
3. Medium size Tupperware continer with lid
4. Wooden cutting board
Ate funeral meal with family at restaurant. Will eat 21 lb turkey with same family since we need to help eat that bird anyway ( per family). Death was a shock to everyone so we need to be there for my husband's brother and grown kids.
We will bring broasted potatoes (from garden) and apple walnut salad. Only cost, salad dressing on it. But nice to share so stuff doesn't spoil.
Forgot to list all the books and audiobooks I read on Libby app and free books on Bookbub in last post.
It isn't worth darning thin socks like those. Your time and effort is going in the right place!
"...so far down my list of priorities, it’s, like, 5 miles below sea level." LOL
Gonna copy that! And I'll give you credit.
Not much frugal here other than we did Arby's 5 for 5 after 5, $2 shakes and $1 fries. We spent $11 for 2 shakes, 2 fries and 5 Arbys RB but I did not check the order before we left and we got 4 Roast Beef and 1 Beef and Cheddar. I was thrilled cuz I did not have to cook or even think of what to make for dinner.
The Business men at work left us Donna's donuts.
They are selling older logo T-shirts at work for $12. I picked one up. Now I have 3 so at least a couple of days a week I can just pick a work tee to wear. I do not plan on buying any more work clothes at this point in my life.
I did not have to buy a turkey this year.
I kept all my kids legos and now they are going to the grands. Very frugal considering how expensive Legos are right now...
Everyone's comments helps me remember some vaguely frugal things in the past week.
1. Trimmed the ends on my hair and trimmed my bangs
2. Skipped grocery shopping because still not 100% after a 12-day cold (WHAT IS THIS THING??) which means it will be 7 weeks since my previous Winco run
3. Picked the first lettuce from the garden
4. Had leftovers from the church's Thanksgiving dinner (husband helped in the kitchen and brought the leftovers home to me because I WAS STILL SICK!!)
5. Fixed soup from frozen jars of mystery broth and soup found in the freezer (HOLD WAS THAT STUFF??)
***I just wear mismatched socks-same brand but different colors. I know some people cannot do this but I consider it frugal.
***I hung all my laundry yesterday when I was tempted to throw it in the dryer. Towels sometimes get smelly if they take too long to dry, but in this new house I put clothes racks right next to the heaters in the spare rooms and they dry just fine.
***I was able to roast the volunteer butternut squash that grew out of my compost pile this summer. I actually brought the compost from my former home so that is a double win.
***I have a timer for my Christmas lights and I was tempted to use the "dusk to dawn" setting as I LOVE lights, but my frugal inner self switched it to 6 hours.
***I bought two Christmas wreaths at Thrifty Shopper earlier this year on a 50% off sale, only spending $3 for both. That is waaaaay less than the $30 I spent on a real one last year.
I was thinking I didn't have much but....
1. Got charged wrong on 12 packs of soda that was on sale. Went back today and got $6.xx back. Like I was going to pay $9.49 for a 12 pack of soda! It was on sale for 3 packs for $12.99. It pays to go back.
2. Found a penny.
3. My library is giving away some old books and National Geographics. The National Geographics that I got are from November and December 1930. The advertising is very cool. One had an article about New York City so I'll save that for my ddil to read.
4. Bought socks, yes socks, from Yankee Candle and got another free candle. Far be for me to NOT take a freebie.
5. Picked up my Bath and Body Works at the mall so I didn't pay $6.99 for shipping. I bought 6 foaming hand soaps in Christmassy scents and they were on sale for $2.95 each. They usually are $7 each. I had a gift card that I got from my credit card points so they were free. I like to give them to my sister in law and neice. The mall is about 4 miles from me and hubby and I combined it with a trip to the Costco gas station where gas was $2.89/gallon. Holy Turkey Day!
I hardly ever comment (but am a loyal reader). But when I saw the bit at the beginning about passing all of your classes being a win, it reminded me of a time with my son as he went through college.
He was a junior and failed his chemistry class. I was pretty surprised (and annoyed) because he had taken and passed AP Chem in high school and was good with science. When I expressed my surprise at this failed class, he said rather indignantly - 'I chose to fail it. I had to let go of a class'. So rather than stay on top of things, or drop before the drop deadline, he just skimmed over the class and took the fail. To illustrate the poor choice here, I did the numbers and told him how much that class had cost in tuition dollars and how taking it twice probably was not a good decision. I think he got it.
Not to sound like an unsupportive mom - he later failed an engineering class but I knew he gave it his all. The class was so difficult. In this situation, I was very supportive.
Lessons learned.
I had to do some serious thinking to find FFT this week. My best frugal wins are that I kind of hate shopping anymore, and find I don’t need much anyway, so it’s easy to not spend money.
1. In cleaning out my aunts house I have found lots of things that I have used, mostly kitchen/pantry finds. I made dinner on Tuesday mostly all from her pantry, so practically a free meal.
2. Had a coupon for a free fruit cup from my grocery store. No way would I pay $3 for it, but it made a fantastic breakfast with some yogurt.
3. Make 100% of my coffee at home.
4. Used a Walgreens special offer to print pictures of my grandchildren to update the frames.
5. Bought a pair of LLBean duffel bags, one is huge, one is medium, both are in excellent condition and I paid $20 on FB marketplace!
Just gonna recommend the Puma (10 pack?) of short socks that is currently on sale at Costco-- I've been wearing them for 5+ years and no wear like that, and I like to walk like you do plus go to the gym and use the cardio machines too!
Regarding mending socks...good wool socks are usually something you want to actually darn. I hand knit socks and they are precious resources! Crew socks may not be worth mending for many people, but socks cost money and you can save them. Keep the sock with the hole, and when another sock goes use the first one to patch it. Patch, not darn. I would use a double thickness in those likely-to-wear-thin areas. You can use a glue stick to hold them in place (glue will wash out) and hand stitch around the patch. I mend socks while streaming movies. Which is also when I knit socks!