Flynn Rider, beef bones, and more (It's an FFT day!)
FFT = Five Frugal Things, of course. 😉
1. I fixed Mr. FG's costume.
As I told you all, I'm dressing up as Rapunzel from Tangled (post-hair chop), and so of course, Mr. FG is going to be Flynn Rider.
We ordered his costume on Amazon, and while it's a decent costume, it had a a small problem, which is that the buckles wouldn't really close properly.
It's a little hard to explain, but the loops on the left were just too long, so there was no way to close the vest all the way no matter how hard you pulled.
So, I undid the stitching on 'em, and resewed them properly.
Top one, not fixed, lower one, fixed:
Bonus: the ones I sewed look a little neater, without exposed seams.
Not that that really matters on a dim October evening, but hey, it makes me happy.
2. I'm working through the last of my local beef.
Typically, I do pretty well at using the meat, even the odd cuts, but I neglect the beef bones.
I'm pleased to say my maiden foray into beef broth went pretty well, though, and I think I'll have no problem using up the other two bags of bones.
I have some ground beef left, and I discovered I also have two briskets. Sweet!
I'm going to try a Cook's Illustrated recipe for barbecued brisket to use up one of them, and I'm still thinking about what I'll do with the second.
3. I'm using up my Hungry Harvest produce.
I roasted the cauliflower (lower right) last night, so, yay me!
We ate the tomatoes as a snack, I'm using up the potatoes and red peppers in a corn chowder, and I'm adding spinach to smoothies.
I'm not super excited about the Brussels sprouts, but I'll probably either roast them or use them in a CI recipe that involves shredding them and adding bacon.
The garlic is no problem to use, of course, and we'll snack on the fruit.
4. I called about car insurance coverage.
When I got the statement, I noticed that one of our older vehicles (2007) had some coverage that seemed like it was meant for a new vehicle. And I also noticed that the mileage category was wrong.
So, I called and got those two things fixed.
Bring on the lower bill!
5. I...
...cooked dinner, shopped at Aldi (easy way to stay within my grocery budget!), packaged up leftovers for Mr. FG's lunch, and ate leftovers for lunch myself.
How about you? Share your FFT in the comments!
Sounds like amazing frugal wins to me, especially the costume for Mr. FG! I can't wait to see a picture of you and Mr. FG in your Halloween costumes. I'm already picturing it in my head 😀
Mr. FAF and I didn't buy a costume for ourselves, but we bought a little lion costume for Baby FAF. We're going to join our community Halloween parade today. I can't wait!!!! ^.^
1. We've been stopping at a Krogers on the way home from church that has incredible bargains including produce bags for .99. This week I got lemons and apples. They also discontinue organic items regularly. Our grocery bill has been insanely low the last few months as a result of these stops.
2. I'm doing a craft show with my sister this weekend. I didn't want to spend money on supplies so I used what I had here. A .99 bag of wooden thread spools from the thrift shop, pint mason jars, a 1.00 Christmas garland from a garage sale and some sticks and greenery 'sticks' I had. I bought two bags of epsom salts at Dollar Tree and went to work. I have 13 primitive stick trees, 15 snowy pint jars and some holiday prints to go on a dozen chalkboard clipboards I bought at Kohls using a 20.00 anniversary award. If I don't sell everything, I'll have Christmas gifts and table centerpieces for any event the church has this Christmas.
3. We don't have trick or treaters at our house but we will put on funny hats and go to Chipotle for 3.00 burritos tonight.
4. I received my two yearly free bodycare item with any purchase from Bath and Bodyworks. I'll stop this week while I'm out to pick up two for my oldest daughter for a Christmas present.
5. The thrift store has been providing lots of goodies. Pottery Barn chalkboard tags, a really old hand thrown vase, a three dimensional horse pillow for a nephew for Christmas and some really, really cute Dept. 56 pieces to put in my fairy garden for Christmas. I love thrifting this time of year!
Happy Halloween, Kristen!
Sounds like a nice 'n' frugal start to the week! Mr. Picky Pincher loves beef broth and he's made it a few times. Beef bones are a little hard to find at the store; we need to go in on a cow with our rancher again.
And there's no brisket quite like surprise brisket! 🙂
This week:
1. Our seedlings were ~mysteriously neglected~ (cough cough) while I was away from home last week. I'm frantically trying to bring them back to life. If they don't perk up, I'll see if I can find some extra seeds to start them over. Fortunately the fall/winter growing season is pretty long here in Texas.
2. I took photos with my DIY lightbox.
3. We went grocery shopping since I was out last weekend. We managed to use several coupons to save about $10 on our bill. I also returned an unused SD card to get our $15 back.
4. Today I'm wearing a DIY Halloween costume. I'm going to be a Crazy Cat Lady! The people at FinCon loved the costume so I think it'll be well-received. 🙂 A few of the cats did fall off, so I'll need to frantically sew them back on before tonight.
5. I'm using an Amazon gift card to order a birthday gift for Mr. Picky Pincher.
Can't wait to see a photo of you and "Flynn Rider".
I'll get someone to snap one of us together!
1. We carved pumpkins and made homemade pasties for a frugal weekend family activity
2. Revamped an old costume to make an awesome pumpkin costume!
3. Met up with friends for a final trip to the beach instead of going out to eat!
4. Cooked my first butternut squash soup of the fall with veggies grown in the garden!
5. Defrosted some chili from the freezer for my husband to eat while I travel for a work conference this week!
1. Last month we paid our kids' school for a month's worth of snacks (1 sandwich, 1 juice and 1 water). However, our daughter never eats the sandwich and we send water in our kids' bottles, so unless they drink it all, they don't need to buy more. So this month we'll try just sending some money with them to purchase what they will consume and/or sending some snacks from home.
2. Used spinach from the garden in our peanut sauce today.
3. I reused yesterday's laundry rinse water to water our poor drying plants. I had soaked some whites in bleach water, so I went ahead and used that leftover bleach water to mop the bathroom floors.
4. I want to try doing the same meals each week, while we already have a handful of meals we eat, I want to try doing it more organized, hoping this way I'll save time menu planning as each week will be pretty much the same. While this is more of an organization/minimalist thing, it can also be frugal.
5. I cooked up enough meat for a week and a half and wrapped them individually in the freezer. I cut off the fat for the cats and dog, and got some broth out of it that I'll probably mix with their food.
1) I had a major frugal win for my kids’ costumes this year. My aunt sent me some dress-up clothing her grandkids had outgrown and my son decided he wanted to use the pirate costume for Halloween. For my daughter’s costume, I managed to get some free scrap material from a neighbor that I temporarily attached to an inexpensive sweatsuit to make her purple kitty costume, as requested. I did buy the sweatsuit and a kitty ear headband, but she had already been wearing the sweats prior to kitty adornment and everything will be reused afterwards for regular wear. Other than that, my expenses were a cheap eye patch and a little makeup pen to draw on kitty whiskers (I have no makeup to borrow from).
2) I am bringing home-popped popcorn for my son’s school party today, which costs almost nothing. Last year, I brought grapes, which got pricey for 20+ kids.
3) We just got an Aldi that is so close I can almost see it from my house! I’ve been buying some of my regular grocery items for much less there.
4) I stopped gorging on the Halloween candy before I had to buy more. That saved some money :p
5) Overall, I have also been working on a price book for groceries, toiletries and other household items so I can plan ahead when/where to buy things.
Your #4 resonates with me! I purchased our Halloween candy a few weeks early because I had a great coupon - and my husband has put a HUGE dent into it! I may have to buy some more before trick or treaters come around tonight!
I think they trick you to buy candy early with sales, knowing people will eat it and need to buy another round! I will admit, I ate too much of the first bit of candy I bought. I was “stress chocolating” with my husband out of town for several days. This week, my goal was not to go through the second batch before Halloween! At least I succeeded the second go around 🙂
In our house, we buy Halloween candy when there is still a good selection and hopefully on sale, then I HIDE IT! There is no way anyone can find it right now, and it's out of my sight, so I won't be tempted to eat it. This strategy took many years to master.:-)
JennRR, what's this price book?
1) Two of our childrens’ costumes came from a consignment store. Our oldest wanted to be “the Hindenburg,” so my husband shaped a giant Hindenburg out of cardboard, masking tape, and paint we already had. It helps to have a husband who is an artist when it comes to Halloween.
2) We invest in regular 529s for the kids, not the prepaid tuition kind. But my aunt called yesterday and offered me the year of prepaid tuition that she bought for her daughter twenty years ago. My cousin has made the foolish decision to forgo college (the first year at least would be completely free!). We have been offered the year of tuition—worth about $15K now—for the cash value of $7K. By the time our oldest starts college I expect a year of tuition at UVA will be $20-$25K. It’s a big check to write, but we will really thank ourselves in ten years.
3) Our daughter turned two yesterday. We celebrated at home quietly with a birthday cake from an Aldi mix.
4) Dinner last night was homemade pizza. I packed up leftovers for lunch while I listened to an audiobook from the library. Sunday night’s dinner was even cheaper. It was vegetable soup a neighbor gave us with grilled ham and cheeses made with bread and ham my parents passed along to us.
5) Sunday was the end of an era as I finally tossed a pair of tights that just got their first run even though I’ve been wearing them since my mama bought them for me in 1997! Luckily I have a matching pair, so I decided not to replace them yet. The surviving pair has holes in the big toes that no one sees and a few pills. I will pick off the pills and keep trucking.
Major score for your kids 529 accounts !!!
1. My oldest wanted to be Darth Vader for Halloween. Instead of spending $30+ on a costume he will only wear for one night, I ordered him Darth Vader pajamas from Amazon (cape included!). I also bought a size bigger so he can wear them for a long time. He loves his new costume and has been wearing it around the house all weekend. We borrowed a mask and lightsaber from one of his soccer friends. Costume done!
2. My younger one is going to be a turtle for Halloween. It's the costume his brother wore when he was his age so no money spent. And it's a super-cute costumer. 🙂
3. We carved a pumpkin this weekend. It was my kids first time doing that so it was a lot of fun and they love the end result.
4. I cooked enough food for the week for the family this weekend so we won't end up buying lunches this week.
5. My in-laws wanted to watch the kids Wednesday through Friday (free babysitting!) so we are planning a date night this week while they are gone. We are going to use some money we got as a gift for our wedding anniversary so free dinner for us. 🙂
Costumes that work as practical clothes are the best! Zoe was Wednesday Addams one year, and we used all regular clothing for that.
Our 4 year old wanted to be Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony and instead of buying a costume, I picked up a Rainbow Dash dress as Target and a Rainbow Dash hooded sweatshirt (complete with rainbow hair and ears). She will be able to wear both of these things on days other than Halloween!
You could make homemade corned beef with one of the briskets. It sounds crazy, but it's really easy and it's so good. You just need pickling spice and pickling salt, which you can find at the grocery store (some people use saltpeter to keep it red, but I've never bothered) to make the brine, and then you leave the meat in it for ten days. That's all.
I don't know that I've ever had corned beef! I should probably buy a small bit from the store to see if I like it first.
Store corned beef does not taste like homemade. It tastes like a chemical salt lick. In my admittedly biased opinion. I used to love the store kind, until I tried making it myself. And then, as is so often the case when tasting the homemade version, I was all, "Ohhhh. So THIS is what corned beef is supposed to taste like!"
Well, darn. I wish I could have a bite of yours to test it out!
I've been making Martha Stewart's recipe for corned beef for years now. It's delicious! I do brine a piece of brisket larger than recipe states, usually anywhere from 5-7 lb and I leave it in a few more days sometimes. Pressure cooking is faster, but on the stove is easier to add veggies at the end of the meat time. Frugal tip: save the broth (de-fatted) to cook vegetables in (or as a soup base), or for creamy corned beef/veggie soup. If there are any leftovers 🙂 Daughter who gets migraines from sulfates/sulfites/excess sodium doesn't get a migraine from this recipe.
Umm, I guess it's been frugal in that I've been staying at home a lot for the last couple weeks due to family illness and stuff but let's see what else I can come up with.
1.) Attempted to get a used phone for Ting off eBay but the SIM card kept locking. Ting support said it was an issue with the phone's hardware so I sent the phone back for a refund. Always make sure to take advantage of those return policies when something doesn't work properly!
2.) We found an old gift card to the 99 Restaurant and decided to use it. It's not a place that wows me all that much but it was dinner on someone else's dime, I guess.
3.) Made two loaves of crusty no-knead bread. Not saving me a bundle of money but nice to have in the house for lunches.
4.) Wife is hosting her friends and is making a pasta dish which is relatively inexpensive to make. I'll probably eat before other people get there as I don't eat pasta.
5.) Keeping my porch light off and not participating in Halloween, but that's normal for me. My mother thinks I'm horrible but I'm an adult and I really don't care.
I hope you all are back to health now!
1) I bought road trip snacks at the grocery store instead of at a gas station. I was driving by myself for 8.5 hours, so I definitely needed some munchies to help me stay awake.
2) I stayed within my travel budget, meaning I will be reimbursed for everything I spent PLUS a big chunk of mileage. Woo-hoo!
3) I vacuumed my car out (after dogsitting my colleague's VERY sheddy husky) at home instead of tracking down a car wash with a vacuum. I *did* wash the car in the car wash after driving across very dusty and buggy West Texas. Obviously it is going to rain today. {sigh}
4) I whipped up a one-pan pasta meal last night, even though I really just wanted to be lazy and order pizza.
5) I am going to the Houston International Quilt Festival this Friday. My money is pre-saved and pre-budgeted. Hooray! I can spend my $$ guilt free.
1. I started a new job this week in another town so I spent time on Sunday pre-roasting veggies, washing and trimming greens and actually writing a weekly menu which I never, ever do! Leftovers go to work with me. No stopping for fast food for this girl.
2. We had cool, dry and sunny weather so a lot of stuff got hung out on the line.
3. The coolest night so far was 39 degrees F but we aren't turning on our heat yet. It's warming again anyway. I refuse to go straight from a\c to furnace! We were running the a\c week before last with temps reaching 90 and 91 and 70 at night.
4. I did not go buy a new wardrobe for the new job. No one here has seen these clothes before.
5. We never get trick or treaters so we don't buy candy. Zero for candy and decorations is cheap.
1. I roasted a $3 pumpkin that my oldest daughter and I bought a few weeks ago during some mommy-daughter time. The purée became a pot of pumpkin/black bean soup for supper last night, a 9x13 pan of baked oatmeal for this morning's breakfast, and a double batch of pumpkin muffins for the freezer.
2. I've committed to at least two homemade soups per week, to work through the huge amount of chicken and beef bones in the freezer. Yesterday was the pumpkin/black bean soup, and on Thursday we'll have beef/cabbage soup.
3. My lovely SIL sent up a huge back of clothes for my oldest daughter. I have two nieces on the East Coast who are two years older than my oldest, so they share handmedowns with us. I'm so grateful!
4. I did most of the laundry on the weekend when electricity is cheapest.
5. I cancelled my subscriptions to some very expensive MLM products. I love them, but they were just too expensive for our budget. I'm glad to have made that decision, and to now be seeking alternatives for the benefits those products gave me. 🙂
After a 5k run at our school they had a ton of fruit leftover. They asked if we wanted a tray (as in GIANT) tray of apples and some bags of bananas. I made lota of homemade applesauce in the crockpot. I ended up with several large mason jars of sauce which freeze well and should hold us over for a few weeks. The bananas are in the freezer and are destined for banana chocolate chip flax muffins.
My only frugal activity lately was making my own flour tortillas. Even then, I did it to avoid hydrogenated fats, not to save money. But they were delicious!
I want to recommend a great brisket recipe for the pressure cooker, Mom's Brisket from the Fagor website:
https://www.fagoramerica.com/my_fagor/recipe_library/pressure_cooker/meat/mom_s_brisket
I will say that if your brisket is lean, I would cook it longer, maybe 55 minutes at pressure. Cook's Illustrated recommends that you cook and slice your brisket the day before you serve it, so it can sit overnight in the juices. I never have Lipton Onion Soup mix around, so I make a substitute using online recipes for which I have most of the ingredients. It's a little different ever time, but always good.
About the brussel sprouts - check one of the Cook’s Country magazines for a recipe card with bratwurst & brussel sprouts. It was fantastic & so very easy! They can be done w/o cooking bratwurst.
The Halloween costumes look great, and it has been fun to read all the creative ideas from those who have made comments.
1. I made a few birthday cards. It was fun to be a little creative and make each one personal.
2. I usually buy a cheesecake at Sam's for a birthday cake- for those who choose this as their birthday cake, but I baked one this time. I calculated the difference and it was worth it!
3. I have been finishing up projects. Actually, Kristen, all your projects on your summer bucket list has been, and still is, my inspiration to finish some things up. Some have cost a bit, but an unfinished project is just wasting my initial investment and will hang over my head until it's done.
4. I have fresh strawberries to cut up for some smoothies. I have been using parsley from the garden in my smoothies and I really like how it tastes!
5. I made my own cleaner to clean the bathtub with Dawn dish detergent and vinegar. I made just enough for what I needed and the results were amazing!
Though I'm not a fan of Brussel sprouts, my hubby loves them oven roasted with garlic powder, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. If cooked correctly, the bitter taste is often cooked away. I'm still not sold, but the rest of the family is good with it.
Great, now I'm craving beef! ----> off to the grocery store.
I just love Tangled and can't wait to see your pictures! Great job on the costume fix!
1. Yesterday I pulled an individual-portion of leftover soup out of the freezer and today I ate it for lunch.
2. I'm drinking coffee that I made at my house as opposed to some that Starbucks made for me. I'm not a coffee snob so I'm fine with Aldi brand (though I hear lots of people rave about the Aldi brand). And I think I've decreased the amount of creamer I put in over the last few months, so that seems frugal.
3. I canned all of the apples I purchased!!!!!!! All in all for the season, I spent $24 on apples and canned over 50 quarts of applesauce. YAY! I purchased drops from an orchard (they label them "animal apples") because they're super cheap and then just cut out the bad spots. It was exhausting at times (I have 2 small kids, so managing the applesauce and kids at the same time is a work of art) but I'm super proud that I finished it and didn't throw out the apples because I didn't get to them in time.
4. My dishwasher isn't getting dishes clean right now, but instead of calling a repairman right away, I'm being patient until my husband has time to look at it. So while I'm struggling to keep up with washing all of the dishes by hand, I'm fine with being patient.
5. Last week I ordered a couple of curtain rods to replace one that broke. I used a 65% off coupon plus free shipping and I'm pretty sure I counted this on last week's post, but I'm counting it again because they came in yesterday and look great and it was a quality, long-lasting purchase (as opposed to the cheapo, bending curtain rods in my son's room.) I'm really excited about it!
I love reading these posts but don't always do well with reporting my own even though I think I'm pretty frugal, so here goes...
1. Switching between summer and winter clothes and managed to wind up with two huge bags of donations for Goodwill, now just need to find time to drop off.
2. Scored 22 cans of coffee, 28 boxes of rice and 8 boxes of cereal for the food bank for a mere $4, another drop-off will be required.
3. Found a ton of cheap yarn at a thrift store which I will turn into hats for the homeless and donate to my Mom's church's mitten tree.
4. Ran out of shampoo and resorted to using some motel bottles until I get to the store.
5. Made a dozen pumpkin spice donuts for less than the cost of buying a single.
Whew, think I did it! 🙂
I over baked sweet potatoes on Friday and then with a busy weekend we never got around to eating them.. Made 2 batches of Sweet Potato Muffins. quite tasty...
Used lots of paper coupons, Ibotta, Saving Star and Store digital coupons to save $$ on things I needed to stock up on..
brought home leftover pizza from work party and packaged up for kids lunches tomorrow! 🙂
I did NOT buy the Target Beauty Box this month! lol
I am going to pull things together and make dinner instead of convincing Husband we should go out since martial arts class was cancelled!
1. I took back a costume my oldest had changed his mind about wearing ($50 and change after tax!). This was the first year I bought a brand new costume for any of us and I'm glad he didn't want it after all. I made PacMan and ghost costumes from T-shirts (on sale at Michaels) and adhesive felt instead.
2. We didn't do take out or delivery for dinner once this week.
3. I made Ghostbusters Slimed popcorn from microwave popcorn we already had on hand, rather than buy Halloween treats for the kids' class parties.
4. I bought some Aida cloth to teach my oldest son to cross stitch (not the frugal part, although I bought it on sale) to use with the many embroidery floss skeins I already have.
5. I rented a 3D cake pan to make my youngest son's birthday cake, rather than purchase a brand new one I may use only once.
Side note: our family's current favourite salad has kale, sliced brussel sprouts, broccoli matchsticks, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and green cabbage. You can use the brussel sprouts in a salad, if you don't roast them (which is delicious!).
Love these posts!
1. Decided to shop the pantry and freezer for myself for the week. I allowed myself to purchase produce so I got lettuce, tomato, carrots and even found some potatoes on clearance. So far I have made mini pizzas, corn and lentil tacos, egg burritos, and stir fry.
2. Avoided stopping and getting lunch on my way home. I had about 30 minute drive home but was so thirsty and hungry, mostly thirsty. Decided to wait it out until I got home.
3. Passed on an invitation out to dinner with a girlfriend.
4. Passed out candy bars that I found on clearance for super cheap. We had trick or treating in our neighborhood on Sunday.
5. Managed to put a good chunk of money in the savings, kept me from spending it and that is as frugal as it gets.
1. I continue to use shampoo and body wash abandoned by other family members for whatever reason. I can't remember the last time I have bought either one.
2. I continue avoiding food waste by cooking and/or eating things before they go bad. I made beef and cabbage soup for the first time to use up some cabbage. I already had the beef/broth and tomatoes in the freezer and we liked the soup. It was perfect for the cool weather we had last weekend.
3. I found a dime and a penny this week.
4. I have avoided stopping at thrift stores because I know I will find something I "need" or to resell, but I already have things that I need to list before I buy others.
5. My husband and I used 2 coupons for a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich and a calendar card for a free drink so our bill was $3.62. My receipt included another free sandwich by completing the survey.
6. I am planning a yard sale in a week so have been pricing the stuff. Hope the weather is nice.
I love Tangled, also look forward to your photo sounds like a great costume choice and kudos for fixing the buckles. You have inspired me with a pile of clothing I have always meant to fix but never got around to - my sewing skills are very basic but I can at least change a button and fix some of the other minor issues on some items I still really like and will wear.
- Don't know that I did anything that different the last few days but I did achieve my goal of leaving earlier for work and enjoyed much less traffic and got a great park in to the bargain.
- Got stock cubes and a few other staples like vinegar on a great sale
- Bought a 'the odd bunch' capsicum bag of about 8 (red pepper) that was $2/kg cheaper that the perfect ones and taste the same and did a big pot of shakshuka and put in the freezer for the base of 3 meals later on.
- Found a tax agent closer to home so used less petrol getting there and went to the supermarket and pharmacy in the same spot so felt very efficient.
- Oh I forgot, I did find a bargain store and got a lot of good 'stocking fillers' for Christmas including ultra discounted word-find, sudoku, and crossword books that the whole family love to do and I bought couple for me to cover in contact and keep in my handbag for the next time I'm in a waiting room.
I need to exercise more and there is a public oval next to my work and it only just occurred to me that I could get to work even earlier and go for a walk around the oval. Well, that's my next goal to start next week we'll see.
I am afraid there has not been many frugal wins have been few and hard one. We have laid in stocks of food for Christmas. Hence the blowout which included a new car battery and renewing my Costco membership. The cats have several months of food in store too. I guess although this week has been hugely expensive I will appreciate having the supplies for Christmas etc on hand in a few months time.
1. Received the $500 rebate for buying an Energy Star furnace. I'd been watching my mail, to make sure this came through.
2. Bought about 45 lbs of "seconds" bananas for $3. Immediately sorted out the good ones and started freezing the rest. Considered giving out squashed bananas as a trick and keeping the candy for myself as a treat.
3. Will hit the stores today for half price candy. I do this every Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, and get enough candy for the year for me. One year, a combo of deep post-Xmas sale + coupon meant big bags of minis for $.25 each.
Not much else here. Been dealing with a family situation and so eating out, getting sick/losing appetite & resultant food waste. This month's goal is keeping head above water.
I love reading all these!
1. A new convenience store sent out a grand opening flyer. I went and got the free soda, free pound of bananas, and cheap milk (froze the extra milk).
2. Found two Christmas presents on clearance.
3. Used coupons for shopping for the first time in forever. I used to do extreme couponing then got too busy.
4. Remembered to use up a Walmart store credit that’s been riding around with me for months in the car
5. Our local grocery stores have “dent and bent” sections with discounted foods. I found discounted summer squash, kiwi, pasta.
1. Mended two towels to stop the fraying edges.
2. Put out milk-jug Halloween luminaria "pumpkins" with pictures found on the internet, cut and taped down. Several people comment every year on the recycle aspect. I add more yearly. Cost: $0
3. Used batteries/tea lights (after reassembling them) to light the luminaria pumpkins.
4. Cooked two frozen cuts of meat that were languishing in there.
5. Added some of my own stash of supplies to Operation Christmas Child packing party rather than shopping for more.
We love love love Halloween but try to keep our expenses down.
1. Bought Halloween candy on sale for Trick r Treat
2. We pick a theme for our costumes. This year was DC Comics with Batman, Batgirl, Batbun(ny) and Robin. Since we end up wearing our costumes 3 times (our trick or treat night, we hand out candy another night at our churches trunk or treat, and we truck or treat another night in a friend’s neighborhood) we use a mix of bought and homemade costumes and props.
3. Cooked 4 nights worth of meals in the beginning of the week so we didn’t need to feel rushed about cooking on busy nights.
4 Scored lots of leftovers when out to dinner with friends. I used them as lunches this week
5 caught up on wash when the weather was nice so I could hang it up outside.
Not my best week -- but here are a few things I can think of:
1. Dinner tonight is a party sized frozen lasagna that is ginormous and on serious markdown (44 cents per serving) and will provide several nights of dinner. Served with leftover salad using tomatoes from the marked down area and cukes and peppers on sale.
2. Checked Sprouts earlier this week for veggies and grapes -- very cheap!
3. Kept Halloween to a dull roar at school -- reused decorations from other years and did crafts that required a minimum of expense -- popcorn for the "spooky" hands and small packets of candy corn for the finger nails -- or just made things from what we had on hand. A wonderful mom donated tons of cookies to decorate with all the frosting and spooky sprinkles - we used and shared many leftovers with another class. Very fun day on the cheap.
4. Spent Halloween at the $1.75 theater -- Loved the new Planet of the Apes -- my goodness, there's an actual story, characters you care about, something at stake, and awesome CGI. It was actually about something for a change! BUT, our frugal fail was --
** Went out for make your own pizza beforehand. Sigh. We had planned to eat something at home but just didn't. So, on to better FFT's next week.
Also, slipped up a bit on lunches and breakfasts from home -- had been doing so well! But meetings, planning parties at school, and just general cussedness on my part took their toll. Next week WILL be different! 😉
Thanks for all the inspiration!
Our family actually likes Brussels sprouts, or at least they do the way I make them. You start by melting bacon grease (1-3 T) in a saute pan or skillet on med high and then throw in halved Brussels sprouts, stirring every couple minutes to get some good coloration. Then turn the temp to medium low, add a couple tablespoons of water and cover, stirring occasionally until they are soft. We season them with kosher salt and pepper. It's simple and at least our family loves them!
Come to think of it, some of our pickier relatives have enjoyed them in Thanksgivings past
We put solar panels on our house this summer and used Sunrun. We received a gift card from Costco for using Sunrun. We've used this for all groceries ,gifts, and gas for the past three months and our electric bill went from 300.00 a month, southern California!, to .52 cents. Yes that big of a savings.
That is AMAZING.
We are ranchers in MT, and eat our own beef... so it's our primary protein -- talk about frugal!! But this is the BEST brisket recipe that I've found, barring smoking it, I also use it on my roasts.
http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/bbq-beef-brisket-1/