Four Frugal Things (and a fail!)
1. I submitted an $80 contact lens rebate
This is always an annoying process since you have to upload photos of your receipt + all the UPCs from each box. But for $80, I'm willing to spend a few minutes.
Also, I am old enough to remember when rebate submission involved physically mailing the actual UPCs and forms, so I can appreciate that this new online submission method is a huge improvement.
2. I handled an insurance issue
Oddly, our health insurance began showing Sonia as ineligible for her allergy shot serum (from the allergy office) and her allergy shot appointments at the pediatrician, so we got two bills in the mail.
I verified our coverage on the website, spoke with Cigna to verify eligibility, made phone calls to both doctor's offices, and I think we are all straightened out now.
This is why I always say it's important to approach medical bills with a suspicious eye, and also why it's good to know what you ought to be paying (Have you met your deductible? What's your copay? Is this provider in-network? etc. Knowledge is power! )
3. I am getting free peppermint milkshake coupons
MoneySavingMom posted a link where you can get a free peppermint milkshake coupon for yourself and someone you love. I don't like milkshakes that much (I like to have flour and butter with my sugar, so give me cookies instead!).
But Zoe likes them, so I went through the process and the coupons are coming in the mail.
4. Mr. FG and I used a LocalFlavor voucher last night
Our date night schedule is all off-kilter, and that's why we did one on a Monday night. A local sandwich place keeps putting their $10/$20 deal on offer (which I figure means it must be profitable for them overall!) and I keep on hitting the purchase button whenever I get the emails.
(Local Flavor is a little like Groupon, except it's basically all local restaurants. You can see deals in your locale right here.)
5. A water bill fail
Our county charges a fee for paying our water bills online, and so I have never switched over from paying via mail. I know this is kind of petty of me, but I have always felt super annoyed that they charge extra for this; like, you would think that if more customers paid online, it would save them money.
Well, this mail-in habit came back to bite me this month!
I mailed our payment in plenty of time, so I was very surprised to see a red overdue notice come in the mail. Apparently, the mail service was so slow, my check didn't get there in time.
So then I had to log in online, pay the $10 late fee, and pay the county online bill pay fee.
To prevent this in the future, I have set up my water bill using the online bill pay feature from my credit union. This way, I should be able to pay online without having to pay the fee (my credit union offers this service for free), so I will have the best of both worlds.
Your turn! Share your frugal five.
And if you want to swap one out for a fail as I did, be my guest. 😉
Insurance is a never-ending adventure. Having once spent a month trying to solve an appointment that insurance insisted we had twice and that everyone billed us for twice (and by twice, I mean we were marked as having seen the doctor *twice over the exact same hour on the exact same day*--we bent physics! :P), I truly appreciate your efforts to straighten out your daughter's allergy shots. Ours ended up being a clerical error, and it took calling EVERYONE multiple times to figure it out. Insurance phone calls take a mind-set, patience, and kindess--and preferably a fancy coffee splurge and something to do while on the inevitable hold! 😛
FFT, kitchen overhaul edition!
After the discovery of pantry months in my husband's popcorn kernel tin, I launched into “MUST CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!” mode. This top-to-bottom deep clean also proved the opportunity for some positive changes, many of which were overdue given that we cooked daily even before the pandemic.
—I reused small woven baskets from elsewhere in the house to replace the plastic baskets our kitchen towels and rags had occupied. Everything was washed in a rare load of HOT water before the transfer.
—I went through our socks, claiming any holy ones for cleaning rags I could just chuck afterwards. There is a threshold of “Eeeew” that I will not cross/try to wash, especially when potential bugs are concerned! For nice reusable rags, I cut up a two pairs of worn out flannel pajama pants.
—My fleet of recycled glass jars went from "someday I'll transfer things" to "Today is that day!"
—Thankfully not too much needed thrown out: the offending popcorn kernels, an open bag of prehistoric rancid breadcrumbs, REALLY old spices that we thankfully had newer versions of (my husband is a spice fanatic), and some matcha green tea that was no longer green (blech).
—I did have to purchase new cleaning gloves (the previous pair had holes), but they were from the dollar store will last through several more jobs. All other cleaning supplies were already on hand. The cats helped, naturally.
@N, Sorry to hear you have pantry moths. They are so hard to get rid of once they invade your kitchen!
@Beverly, I bleached and scalded **everything**--cupboards, containers, you name it--so here's hoping! We have three cats, so I'm hesitant to use anything resembling poison. Suggestions are welcome!
@N, Bob Vila on his website recommends just what you've done: discarding, thorough cleaning, and putting stuff in pest-proof jars. For prevention, he recommends a sachet of bay leaves, peppermint or mint leaves, or cedar chips. Since cedar is a traditional moth deterrent, I'd lean toward that myself. You can buy little blocks of cedar to put in closets. When they lose the cedar scent, you just sand the surface of them to expose fresh wood.
@Ruby, thank you for reminding me of cedar!!! I actually had some cedar balls in the car that I'd forgotten about. (They were to combat funk after a rainstorm heavy enough to leak through the windows soaked the carpet--to their credit, they worked!) I found them, sanded them, and now they're in the cupboards!
1. I needed more printer paper (we homeschool and I print out a lot of worksheets!) and we had Amazon card points available. We use our Amazon card for every non-grocery purchase, which earns us on average 50 bucks a month, which is my "mad money". I put the points towards printer paper, some of my favorite tea, and a book. I ended up spending about 5 bucks for a 55 dollar purchase, not bad.
2. I cut everybody's hair in this house except my own--though now that I have a short hairstyle my oldest son has said they could probably cut it for me, ha!--I walk (saving gas money) to a local salon where the stylists all set their own prices. The stylist I was going to wasn't available on the day I had free, so I went with a stylist I have never had before. Not only did she do a better job (in my opinion!), she charges less!
3. We recently revamped our diet big time, and I've noticed that by not buying desserts our grocery bills are staying pretty decent, even with rising prices. We did buy Halloween candy, and I've been using that for "dessert" for the youngest, who does miss dessert. It's been easier to track our food purchases since we only use our grocery store rewards card at the grocery store.
4. My husband wanted to get me a bow for Christmas, as well as some archery equipment for the kids, so we all went to the local outdoor shop so they could browse. One of the kids found a beautiful recurve longbow. He already has a recurve bow, and I said if we got him the new bow for Christmas, I would take his old bow as my present. So we'll be saving by regifting to me. 😀
5. One of my sons made sloppy joes last night, using leftover ground beef from taco night to make sure we had enough (people love his sloppy joes around here!). Fighting food waste! I also cleaned out the fridge and put out some stale bread for the birds and squirrels.
@Karen,
Over 10 years ago, I saw a YouTube video on a man who practiced shooting on the go similar to what the ancient Greeks and Romans did. Impressive! I think it is called running archery.
Found- Lars Andersen
@J NL, I'll have to check that out! My husband is a very good archer, and the kids are following in his footsteps.
Oh, I forgot--we got our Thanksgiving turkey super cheap--$8! My husband was in shock when he saw the receipt, he thought it was going to be nearly 30 bucks.
1. Traveled for early Thanksgiving with family. While home, submitted opt-out requests for a few junk mail catalogs and charitable requests that my parents don’t want to receive at the Catalog Choice website. The service is free and easy, and I think it’s frugal to not have to deal with junk mail (spending time wisely) and also to remove temptation to buy unnecessary things.
2. Gratefully accepted some hand-me-downs from my mom: cloth napkins, vintage handkerchiefs, a few tshirts, etc.
3. Also gratefully accepted some items from one of mom’s younger friends who had massive piles of clothes and baby-related items.
4. Took a pile of old photos to scan into digital format on my parents’ scanner. It’s great to have the backup, and about half of the originals can be tossed. Decluttering = free peace of mind sometimes.
5. Mom will help me mend some king-sized pillowcases into normal size, as well as help repair a thrifted fleece and a few other items. I may need a sewing machine eventually, but for now it’s frugal to use hers.
@Lindsay B, Yes! Free-peace of mind in decluttering. I always thought de-cluttering was somehow a frugal skill, but never have articulated in the true benefit I feel after!
1. My parents live about 4 hours away from my family, so we try to meet up halfway in between once a month to visit, which usually involves lunch out. We got together on Veterans Day so my husband and father, who are both veterans, got free meals at the restaurant we went to. They also got free meal coupons from another restaurant to use during a future visit.
2. I took advantage of a buy 1 get 1 free gift card deal at a local spa to get Christmas gifts for some hard-to-shop-for family members.
3. We haven't used Ibotta in years, but I saw that they had a $15 rebate on frozen turkeys at Walmart. Don't mind if I do.
4. My husband found a 3-pack of fancy scented candles at a thrift store that we'll split up to give neighbors for Christmas. (Frugal fail: I did not mean to buy myself all sorts of clothes at said thrift store, but I did.)
5. I completed a depression research study that came up on my Facebook feed in return for a $5 Amazon gift card. I looked into the organization doing the research before getting involved. Depression, anxiety and mental health deeply impact my family, so I'm grateful to be a part of the study.
@Renee, ooo, love your #4 - I thrifted 3 packs (two of them ) of sweet coloured glass candle holders - one package had red wax candles poured in, the other was three green glass holders with three tea lights. and an unopened package of (?24?) red tea lights from ikea. I love the idea of using them as gifts!!!!
and I, too, struggle with not buying at thrift stores, but I am not into their clothes so it is usually kitchen stuff. I managed to not, this time, but did get a sweet cotton sweater for my 22 year old son for $1.50 (wacky Wednesdays - all clothes $1.50!!) and a nice unusual basket that I can add to my random baskets for things.
I feel decidedly unfrugal as we just replaced the carpet in 3/4th of our house yesterday. It was expensive, but the old carpet was 23 years old and beyond needing replacement. I am so pleased with the new carpet. As a bonus, we had to pack a lot of things and decluttered in the process, so I feel like our house got a new lease on life, and the decluttering was free so maybe there was a little frugality tucked into that expensive house update! 🙂
I am hosting thanksgiving for the first time in many years because 2 of kids were diagnosed with celiac since last thanksgiving. Baking gluten free is tricky, so I opted to order some desserts for them. GF desserts are pricey, so I am having my sister bring dessert for the gluten eaters to save the budget. We will keep the GF stuff separate. My mother-in-law is also bringing a side dish that will not be GF. I am strategizing how to serve so my celiacs are safe, leftovers are available to them and no one feels deprived of their holiday favorites.
We are continuing to not replace a car for me. This means I am home carless 3 days a week when my husband goes to the office. Generally, it has been fine. We'll wait to buy one until the car supply returns to normal levels and prices. As a result, I'm drinking coffee at home most days, not eating lunch out, not doing any quick trips to the store, etc.
@Susan, might I suggest a dorm-type fridge for the GF foods/ leftovers and a separate prep area with its own ingredients and utensils.
@Susan,
I'd like to suggest a few easy, GF desserts, pumpkin pie or pecan pie using GF pie crust (Trader Joes carry's them), meringues, cheesecake is GF, if you want a crust on it, use GF graham crackers and make a graham crust. Dump cake recipes are GF if you top them with a GF yellow cake mix. Most people with celiac disease (at least our family) do not have to use separate utensils or fridges, we just make sure everything is clean to avoid cross-contamination and we use blue tape to label everything before it goes in the fridge. Cooking GF is actually really easy with all the ingredients available now. Even creamy soups are mostly GF with just a bit of flour substituted for GF flour. Most Mexican food can easily be made GF. GF stuffing is easy to make for turkey but you can also buy it in a box (Trader Joes carries it too). Good luck, just don't feel intimidated, it's easier than you think.
I've been calling both my insurance and the provider for NINE MONTHS NOW about a COVID test that was supposed to be covered and was billed twice due to a mistake the provider made the first time.
So now when I call about a mistake that was not mine to start with, I wait while a recorded voice tells me that "As always, we cover all COVID tests and vaccinations 100%, no co pay."
I'm really sick of it.
@kristin @ going country, Oh no, that's a special kind of telephone torture; hope it resolves soon, before it drives you totally crazy!
@Suz,
If you don't get anywhere after the next call, reach out to your State's Inspector General Office. They have an insurance department (well, mine does and I learned in a medical coding class most states do) to see if they can help. If not, reach out to the employee HR department to see if they have a customer service number for your insurance company to see if they will help straighten this out. Nine months is way to long to fight their mistake. Good luck!
It was a cheap week in groceries and an expensive week in spectacles and kitchen appliance replacement.
1 we only bought produce and highly necessary groceries, since fridge/freezer were up for replacement. Meanwhile the new appliances have been installed and we have a no frost freezer and a fridge with a nicely sized crisp drawer.
2 I bought new multifocal spectacles and my bankaccount is still groaning. On the up-side, I was able to upgrade my computer glasses at half price as a "second pair" offer, so I should be fine for a few years
3 became premium buyer at our national green grocer. You can buy "stamps" there and when the booklet is full, you can redeem against a higher price than you bought the stamps for. The interest rate is way higher than what the banks currently offer. Premium buyers can buy twice the amount of stamps so that makes it worthwhile for me.
4 we were gifted vegetables by a neighbour
5 I started buying my 5th December gifts and redeemed a voucher when I ordered one of those gifts. I intend to start early on the Dec 5th poetry as well! Plenty of inspiration this year!
@J NL, I don't know exactly what you're gifting for on Dec. 5th, but since it's my birthday I'll be dropping by, especially if there is also cake involved. 😀
@Anne,
It involves chocolate, marzipan and spiced cookies!
In the Netherlands we celebrate the feast of Saint Nicholas (bishop of Myra) which includes gifts and bad rhyme. In the poems you look back at the past year or playfully chide people for bad habits, for example, in the name of st Nicholas. The preparations are as much fun as the actual evening. Our children are older now, but we prefer exchanging gifts with poems to gifts without any. Some aspects of the feast are slowly changing: the bishops' aide used to be of colour but general public no longer finds this acceptable. I fully support this change. However I deplore the consumerism that is also part of the feast these days. I think you can have as much fun with less expensive presents, just being together.
I feel your pain, Kristen. I no longer trust the mail for my bills that have a hard deadline, and haven't for a while. I pay them through my credit union's billpay or go directly online to the vendor's site. Since I also hate that some vendor websites charge a "convenience fee", I always pay those vendors through my credit union's billpay, which is free.
1. I knew I needed some outdoor stick-on letters for a project, but I kept putting off buying them. Enter Goodwill -- I got a big unopened pack for 79 cents plus tax.
2. Since the weather has cooled for a few days, I roasted a chicken in the oven, which helped to warm the house. I also roasted cubed sweet potatoes and fresh asparagus at the same time, saving energy.
3. I ordered a Christmas gift from Amazon using Swagbucks to reduce the price and choosing slower shipping, thus earning a digital dollar. I think I owe Battra92 for the digital dollar tip.
4. Instead of hiring someone, I re-installed the two pulled-loose balusters from our staircase railing myself, drilling larger holes in the tread and baluster and joining them with a new, sturdier dowel pin that I cut from a dowel instead of buying a whole bag of pre-cut dowel pins. I used Tite-Bond glue to make it fast. Cost for the dowel was about $2, and I have almost all of it left for further repairs or projects. We already owned the glue, drill and Forstner bit.
5. I continue to walk right on past the store displays of special tablecloths, plates, napkins, and serving pieces for the holidays. I'll use my wedding china from the 1970's and the washable tablecloth and napkins that I bought about 15 years ago. And of course, there is nothing wrong with using the everyday dishes, but I love my china, so I like to use it for special occasions.
I am 100% with you on mailing in checks to avoid the online surcharge! It drives me nuts.
This week most of my frugal things have been food related...
- I ate some leftover creamed corn as a snack yesterday because well, I was hungry, and there wasn't enough of it left for 2 people anyway.
- I made my own trail mix which has to be way cheaper than buying pre-packaged trail mix.
- We went to a small get together on Friday and I was in charge of dessert. I made 3 types of cookies using all ingredients I had on hand.
- Cooked all meals at home this week.
- Pulled 2 different dinners out of the freezer for dinner tonight because each one is enough for 1 person and it gives me space to start stocking up for Thanksgiving. AND it's another night of not eating out!
@Julie, I wonder if the online surcharge is really the company's way of getting you to send in a check. Credit Card processing fees are sometimes as much as 4% so for the company you're paying, a check is actually better. Then they don't lose $ on the transaction.
That is quite a face, Kristen! Is there anything more aggravating than being on endless hold with one's insurance company and hearing that recorded loop of what a valued customer you are? It does nasty things to my blood pressure.
My FFT this week:
Cut my husband's hair. Made a casserole for my work lunches out of pantry, freezer and fridge items that needed to be used up: it came out surprisingly yummy. Mended a shirt for our son (he is hard on shirts) and hemmed a pair of thrifted pajamas for him. Made a plant hanger for a spider plant out of some recycled bootlaces and a caribiner clip from my stash of saved useful objects. Found a free e-book on BookBub.
Health insurance can be so frustrating. I have to give kudos to Cigna, though...in the last year or so, I have not had to sit on hold for super long. In the past, sometimes it took FOREVER to get someone on the line, so I am grateful if I only have to wait a few minutes.
1. The parents club I’m in had their clothing swap last week, you drop off clothes your kids have outgrown and can pick up new clothes for them in the next sizes up. I volunteered at it so I got to shop early for one bag. I dropped off 8 bags and only came away with 1 (which I also saw as a win, I got the few things my kids needed and decluttered my house!)
2. I was using Instacart a lot at the start of the pandemic but stopped as I became comfortable going into stores again. I found they randomly send me money off to try to lure me back. Last week they sent me $30 off for an order of $125. I used it for a pickup order at Sprouts which costs $1.99 so $28 in free groceries (I used it to get a turkey since I didn’t need $125 of groceries otherwise)
3. Trying to eat more plant based meals, for health and environment but also money. I haven’t imposed this on my family, just one vegetarian and one vegan dinner a week for them. For myself though I made some sweet potato oatmeal for breakfasts this week and have been bringing the leftovers from our last vegan dinner as my lunches this week.
4. I like having coffee at work but it’s a bit of a hassle because they only have a keurig machine (and you need to supply your own pods which I won’t buy) and there’s no cream provided. I found some instant coffee that has milk powder mixed with it. Not nearly as delicious as real coffee and cream but it works well enough and prevents me from going out to get coffee.
5. I do have a minor frugal fail. I had picked up another free toy to give my kids for Christmas. I left it on the floor of the passenger seat in my car and forgot to take it out. My son climbed into the car the next day and saw it and got so excited. I guess I could have said it was for Christmas but for a 3 year old that’s a difficult concept plus seeing how excited he was, I ended up just giving it to them. I won’t necessarily be buying another toy for Christmas to replace it though so I guess it’s not too much of a fail.
@LB,
to your number 4 item, you can buy a reusable Keurig pod made for your own coffee. I have one and rarely use it since I buy a case of pods from Sams Club. But I have some already- ground Starbucks in my freezer that needs to be out of there. It might be worth the investment for you to have in the office.
@Barb F., good to know! Then I could have my favorite coffee at work!
@LB, We have a single cup French press. We take it on vacation with us. You could keep it in your desk with a bag of grounds.
1. Turned down the heat on days that were sunny or when I was doing a lot of cooking/baking.
2. Cut up raw veggies and made homemade dip (plain yogurt, mayo, and dried spices). Great way to use up various spices.
3. Refilled spice jars at the natural foods co-op for literally pennies.
4. Used an old, soft toothbrush to clean the laptop keyboard.
5. Removed a portion of our front garden to make space for our garden bench that will sit on some pea gravel that we already have.
1. Harvesting from the garden. All manner of greens, bok choy, a few peas, some kale. Veggies added to a great stir fry for dinner one night. New seeds sown in the garden this week so that I can hopefully continue to harvest lots of great green veggies for us during the winter.
2. Combining laundry loads and errands. Anything to save on gas, time, and electricity costs....yes please.
3. HVAC turned off for the season and heat is only being run in the morning if we absolutely have to. Flannel sheets on everyone's bed & warm pajamas. This resulted in my electric bill dropping over $100. Yay!
4. Called insurance company and added a new feature to our policy which saves us over $140 per month.
5. Made chili, cornbread, and apple cobbler for dinner with some friends with pantry ingredients we had on hand. Made chicken noodle soup that fed us all two dinners and several lunches - again pantry ingredients on hand. Bought grapes on sale and made jam. Bought turkey, a turkey breast, and a ham...all on sale & all in the freezer for upcoming meals.
I too don't understand why any business would charge you for paying online. It has got to save them money!
We have all of utility bills on autopay directly from our checking account. I saw the potential for disaster this week when we got our water bill. Last month it was $42, this month it was $6200!! I typically do not keep over $6000 in my checking account. haha
1. DH called the water company and they said the large bill was an error and they have already mailed us a replacement bill (for $54), whew!
2. After spending hours cleaning out closets at Mom's house, we realized we missed lunch. On our way back into town we pass Costco so we stopped and the $1.50 hot dog combo for lunch.
3. Also picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco for dinner that kept us from ordering takeout.
4. Used last of the rotisserie chicken to make soup
5. Exchanged an expensive pair of workout shoes I purchased myself because after walking 2 miles in them, my toes went numb. The business happily exchanged my shoes for a different size and let me use a $15 reward to cover the price difference
Oh my word, a $6200 water bill. Can you even imagine??
@Kristen,
I almost fainted when I opened the bill and paced most of the rest of the day. My DH kept saying, relax it's a mistake but I could not stop fretting about it!
@Beverly,
You are lucky to only have had to fret for a day! This happened to my sister and before they adjusted the bill, they said we have to send out a guy to check your pipes because you might have a leak somewhere and not know it. It took a week before they finally adjusted the bill.
1. I also did the free peppermint shake thing! I loooove them.
2. I got a coupon for a free pack of gluten free crackers in the mail.
3. I thought “light” when Xmas shopping for my military son and his family. Gift cards and small meaningful gifts to save money on postage.
4. Bought a bunch of forever stamps on a deal site. Small savings!
5. Continue to cook and eat at home. Borrrrrring but saves a ton of money over a month. And year!
Our DMV here in Florida charges you for paying on line. Especially during covid, you would think they would rather have people paying on line instead of going to the DMV and standing in line. I also hate that charge, but it's better than taking time away from work to stand in line in a crowded DMV.
Tried my hand at an actual craft and tag sale, selling some of my crafts and it was a fail. Lost $20.00 of the $30.00 registration fee, but it was frustrating that nobody was looking for Christmas presents yet. They pretty much made a bee-line for the tag sale items, rather than looking at people's crafts. I guess I'm just not a pushy seller (had that problem when I worked as a sales associate in retail - didn't push enough!) Then again, this is Florida and it is still warm. For a previous NYer, it's hard to get used to a warm Holiday season and start shopping early.
You would think every DMV everywhere would do everything they can to help people not come in; those offices are always crowded, with long lines.
Biggest frugal decision ever. We were “thinking” about eliminating one vehicle and when an offer on our mini van came in for more than we paid for it after having it for 4 yrs. We decided right then to do it and did it! 20-some thousands of $ in our bank account, less insurance, less maintenance. Huge win!
Ooh, this is such a good time to offload an unneeded car. Good for you!
@Abbott- Foster Connie, When we were first married we had one car for years.No issues. I drove husband to work one day a week and kept the car and that was my laundry mat and grocery shop day. I worked tow evenings a week and my husband was home with our boy.I had the car when I needed it. Years later, now ,in retirement, it was quite easy to give up a car and go back to one.It’s been a few years. We coordinate our schedules,which is not hard. We get so “spoiled”… and it can cost THOUSANDS of dollars!!! Cars are especially wasteful!!
The reason that many governments (local, state, and federal) charge for you to pay your bill online is because they have to pay a processor to process those transactions. The processor either charges a flat rate per transaction or a percentage of the charge (or both in some cases).
For the water bill, did you try calling them? With a history of on-time payments, they may have been willing to waive the fee. We've literally set a bill aside and forgotten about it (it was for a toll charge and we don't have them very often) and we called on the off chance they would waive the late fee and they did, even though it was 100% our fault.
My 5 Frugal Things
1. Shopped around on Craigslist for rabbit hay and bought directly from a local farmer, which cost half of what I usually pay.
2. Stuck to the meal plan last night, even though I didn't feel like it, and saved money from going out to eat.
3. Purchased an item on my Amazon wish list that I had been price stalking for months (was 25% off the price from when I added it to my list).
4. Invented a homemade hot drink mix to replace my husband's Starbucks Chai habit.
5. Judged film festival submissions for a local film festival. As a member of the selection committee - not only do I get free attendance at the festival, but I get many hours of free entertainment reviewing the selections.
I did hop on the phone, and part of the message they played during the hold time specifically said that they do not offer accommodations for late mail. So I figured, what the heck, why stay on hold only to hear the same info?
You'd think that if a bunch of people switched to online payments, they'd save on the costs of processing physical payments, and then it would be an overall wash in terms of money. I don't know if maybe not enough people do online payments for that to work?
@Kristen, At least you tried 🙂
It probably depends on how expensive it is to process the physical payments and if anyone has actually bothered to do a cost-analysis.
@Cristie, my guess is even if they save money through electronic payments, they have found an additional way to [in essence] keep more of their money, by having the consumer pay the fee, while they do not have to pay for the labor. And, I think we have all seen plenty of people will pay money for convenience...
1. I was going to eat out at a place for $20, but decided to do 10 for $10 chicken instead. That's two meals for half the price of the one! (I add some cheap veggies to go with).
2. I bought the most adorable Christmas item for $4. I found out it was worth a bit of money, so decided to sell it. I am making around $35 profit from it!
3. I carpool every day to work with my hubby. That counts, right?
4. I had a buy one get one free for a nice breakfast place over the weekend. Then Dad bought the rest (drink, tip). 🙂 I rarely let him pay for me, but thought, why not?
5. My birthday is coming up and I am choosing my particular "special restaurant" because I have a coupon to go there. We rarely eat anywhere expensive anymore, so this is a big deal! I hope it's yummy!
I use my bank's online bill pay. No stamps or envelopes needed. I once had my landlord say I was late. I was able to look online and give them the exact date I sent it out.
1.) Had a 5% off Target Circle coupon for my birthday month and a 5% off Red Card discount and I bought my daughter her new booster seat. So we'll see how this works out for us.
2.) Got a bonus in the form of some gift cards at work so I got some for places my family enjoys so we can treat ourselves a bit this winter.
3.) Doing my best against inflation. I'm not stockpiling but I'm also trying to not be caught without anything for the future.
4.) This morning I got a warning (lucky!) about some lights that were out on my car and I immediately pulled into the garage by work and they are getting me fixed up. Replacing bulbs costs less than a ticket + replacing the bulbs ...
5.) This is a "cut off my nose to spite my face" but it worked out to be frugal thing.
I had to go to Walmart on Sunday for something and on my way there I drove right by it to the next closest Walmart as that one does not require masks. So I drove probably an extra 20 miles round trip to avoid wearing a mask. BUT ... I was rewarded while being there because there were some good things on sale, on clearance or just haven't been available locally to me.
Of course I was cold leaving the store and decided to stop and get a hot chocolate at Cumby's on the way back (which I haven't done in ages) so that was $1 on something frivolous but hey, hard times are coming and I can treat myself a little.
I have never heard of Cumby's!
@Kristen, Cumberland Farms. We are not blessed with great convenience stores here in New England so this is the best we have. No Wawas, no Sheetz, no Royal Farms, Quik Trip or Buc-ee's.
Oh, I have seen some Cumberland Farms convenience stores when we've traveled!
1. I went through my employer's "health benefits" site and did every single thing I could reasonably do to earn points (obviously, a requirement to sign up for something that's going to take weeks to complete is a no-go right now). Should net me almost $100 for just watching a bunch of videos, doing a handful of surveys, etc., before my last day this Friday!
2. Completed my yearly "wellness check". It's basically an online survey, and completing it means we receive a credit that covers my entire portion of our health insurance premiums. My husband did his, too, so we are only paying premiums for our kids again this year. It takes about 20 minutes, and is absolutely worth the time spent.
3. I laid out my Christmas budget, and I think we're actually going to have some extra money to put towards our 15th anniversary trip in May! I'm really excited - we're hitting up a destination neither of us have ever been to, but both of us have always wanted to go.
4. Repaired a wall in our house we though we'd have to hire someone to fix. Apparently, given the right motivation, I'm pretty good at drywall repair. 😉
5. Asked my library to buy a $60 book my son wanted to use to play a role-playing game with some friends. I love our library! They have a pretty straightforward way to request the library purchase a book, and the purchasing person is really kind and creative. She knew her supplier was experiencing delays that would make it impossible to get the book on time, but when I mentioned that my son had seen the book at our local board game store, she contacted the owner (who donates board games to the library regularly for their check-out collection) and ended up purchasing one of the copies he had, so my kiddo and his friends will be able to check the book out in time for their game "date"!
Oooh, I'm so glad you have extra dollars for your anniversary trip!
Mr. FG turned 50 last February, and we'd planned to go on a fun trip to celebrate. But, given that it was still high pandemic times, it didn't happen. So, he will have to have a belated 50th birthday trip.
1. Used Shoe Goo to repair my husband's best shoes. I do believe I first learned about it here from Kristen.
2. Husband called the insurance company and got 10% taken off a bill. We just have to call and ask. Yes, non-Americans, our health system is ridiculous.
3. Took a car to our local trusty mechanic to fix the horrifying noise it made upon starting each morning - $66 total, including an oil change. We have saved so much money over the last 20 years by going to this garage!
4. Made my 4th Ebay sale, so far all things my kids (19 and 22) picked out from their childhood toys for me to sell. It's slow going, but pure profit since everything we've sold so far was gifted to them. The fact that they can still find all the pieces to their many Playmobil sets is mindboggling! They'll get any profit, I'm just happy to get stuff out of my house! 🙂
5. And as always, keeping the thermostat low, the layers of clothing I wear many, leftovers eaten, freezer food used, etc.
@Kate, I am so impressed you can find all the pieces to the Playmobil sets!
1. Mended a nightgown for my daughter.
2. My oldest needs new snow boots and I bought 2 pair in BLACK! She needs one for school and one for home, so I'm assuming that they will have enough life left in them for at least one of her siblings to enjoy. Kid #2 is a boy, so getting black instead of something girlie will allow me to use them for all of the kids. I wish I had gotten the black snow pant memo earlier in my parenting life! But later is better than never.
3. I'm refraining from going to postseason sporting events. My daughter's school is in the state playoffs for a couple of sports and I would like to go, but postseason tickets are expensive. (We have a pass that gets us into regular home games for free.) I know that I have years ahead of me where we will be paying to get into my kids' games no matter what, so I'm saving the ticket money now while it's optional.
4. I bought my first two turkeys!! Turkeys are 33 cents per pound right now (no minimum purchase required) and having 5 in the freezer last year worked out to be just right. I defrosted my freezer, rearranged, and am using up things like zucchini bread and veggies to make more room for turkeys.
5. Making food from scratch when I can, avoiding unnecessary purchases or trips, seeing what I can do with what I already have in the house... just trying to keep costs down in this time of rising food, gas, and energy prices.
I dont have anything super "frugal" just kind of funny. My son was watching me as I was scrolling down your post and then he said. "mom, havent you been following that lady for a long time?" I said "yes" he said "your stalking her"...I said "shes a blogger, I am suppose to stalk her"...Thank you for all these years, he said its 10. I am not sure...
Thanks!
Sandy
Haha, most bloggers are perfectly happy for people to "stalk" them, if we're using this definition of stalk! 🙂 I mean, we put our stuff out there in the hopes that people will read it.
So, "stalk" away. 🙂
Kristen, I can totally relate with having to deal with insurance error and paying bills with online payment charges.
My 5 Frugals
1) Got a free Colombia coat for my girl, a pair of like new sneakers for myself and a thick stack of colorful printed paper off our Buy Nothing group. The coat needed some major lint removal so got my fabric shaver out and went to work. It looked like new after I was done with. The shaver pays for itself literally and many times over with the amount of times I used it.
2. Sold 3 of my girls’ outgrown winter gear off Facebook Marketplace and got $15.
3. Got $4 through Ibotta from my grocery purchase.
4. Brought some bookends and laces for my girl off Amazon and clipped their 5% off coupon they had. I also price watched through camelcamelcamel to make sure I’m buying at one of their lowest prices instead of when they’re at their highest.
5. The usual - Using up food we have, Combing trips and Mending kids clothing and toys.
Oh, so many not frugal things this week, but I'll limit myself to one.
1. Not frugal - Like Kristen's chicken adventure, I've been looking for evaporated milk & another canned good. Both took four grocery stores (different brands) to find despite being abundant last year. Unlike Kristen, these stores are nowhere near each other so most were designated trips. Slight upside - both were on sale when I did eventually find them.
2. On the last of said grocery trips I did remember that the store across the street had an item I wanted for Christmas for a child. So I stopped in there and picked it up vs buying online.
3. One of said grocery trips was to Target because I dropped my car off across the street for its oil change. Didn't have the two canned goods, but they did have some socks that we needed. And, I bought nothing else despite having plenty of time to wander.
4. I snagged 10lbs of unopened flavored whey powder listed free in town. We use 5lbs of this flavor a month so very happy to have gotten it.
5. A friend came to play on a school half day. She didn't want to eat the free bagged lunch from school so I gave her something else. The free lunch turned out to be a chicken salad roll up that I ate and which was quite yummy (minus the croutons). The croutons tasted fine, but why do you leave those in a sandwich?
1. Redeemed Swagbucks points for a $25 Target gift card. Normally 2500 points, it was on "sale" for 2200 points.
2. Used that gift card and a $5 Target Circle digital coupon and got a Christmas gift for my older daughter for a few cents out of pocket.
3. Picked up 3 more Sprouts freebies: parmesan crisps $3.99, roasted vegetable crackers $3.49 and frozen cheese bread bites $5.49.
4. Still keeping the thermostat on 60 and layering for warmth.
5. Only bought loss leaders at the grocery stores, including 10 pounds of russet potatoes for $1.97. Lots of potatoes in my future!
Question: Has anyone used a hot water tank blanket? I read that using one can save money, but I don't want to buy one if the savings aren't worth it. Anybody have experience with this?
@BarbG,
I have in the past and I think it helped the electric bill, but let me first warn you what I was warned, that some, not all, electric water heaters can overheat with a blanket, and it messes them up. I would try chatting with a knowledgeable person or you can always google it... I am certainly no expert.
@JD, thanks. Mine is a gas one.
@BarbG, I do't have experience per se, but I DO have a brand-new hot water heater and it is guaranteed for life, along with looking like a bomb (I think the walls are at least 3 inches thick. I am having trouble doing any comparisons to anything considering my last tank was gas, we now have Solar panels to assist with our electric bill, and I have not yet HAD a bill since we put the panels in so have no idea what $$ savings am getting. I CAN say that
a) we have had to turn the temp down on this continuously until I could get it to not-scalding (discovered, during this, that there are two elements (doh) but even so, took lots of trial and more dial turning down to get it so we weren't heating water really hot only to burn our hands in the sink, and have to cool the water for showers.
b) I am very suspicious that the tank is holding the heat well.
So, I would suggest that you consider lowering the temperature (with gas I have no idea how to do that) and wrapping... you likely will see savings on both counts.
@BarbG, in that case, how old is it? Modern water heaters typically have "blanket" insulation built in. A Google search of your model will tell you if it is already energy efficient. If it is, you'll get little return on your investment.
@Dicey,
It is brand new - had to have it replaced this past summer and moved because the placement didn't meet code requirements. Very expensive job!
* Got a free Booster juice (smoothie) for buying a 25$ gift card
* Still buying only produce/dairy/eggs/bread for this month, supplementing all the food we already have on hands.
* Husband is on sick-leave. Very grateful that he has enough sick days accumulated to cover this time off. (I don't get any, so this is not taken for granted!)
* Yoga class for charity, 6$. Regular price : 25$.
* Using public library for tons of books and board games.
Kristen- Insider tip from a local government office…if you call the water department they will more than likely remove the $10 late fee one time!
1) I packed food for our flights over the weekend because I really hate having to buy food in the airport. Also remembered to bring my travel mug so I could refill water airside. I know sometimes buying food on the run can't be helped, but it's nice when you don't have to.
2) I was accepted for two different medical research tests for colon cancer screening that will pay $200 and $250. (If you have a scheduled colonoscopy and are interested in making an unpleasant task a little easier to take, check out science37 .com and colonscreeningstudy .com.) I already got $50 for doing the paperwork for the first one; more money will come later.
3) We stayed at a friend's beach house in SC for 2.5 days, with the friend. The flights were free with points, and she is an excellent cook and made most of our food. (I had specialty pizzas delivered one night). It was such a nice getaway. It reminded me that generosity is always returned to you one way or another.
4) I got a free turkey at BJs club for participating in a deal they are running.
5) And a not so frugal thing: As we were driving home from the airport last night, I was feeling pretty great about NOT hitting 4 deer that I saw and letting my hubby sleep the whole way (it's a 4 hour drive), when about 3 miles from home BAMO WHAMO, I hit a porcupine who had decided the middle of the road was a nice place to rest. MAJOR damage to the bumper. The bugger was like hitting pile of rocks. BUT, still grateful because it could have been much worse and we were only 3 miles from home and were able to crawl home slowly with lots of squeaks and groans. Not looking forward to going to the garage....
I have the exact same issue with my water bill! I have resorted to dropping my check in the night drop box, although it is in a part of town I don’t frequent.
A word of caution: when using Bill Pay through your bank, check to make sure when your payment goes through that they aren’t also mailing a check. Bill Pay services can utilize varying forms of payment and an ACH debit on your end doesn’t guarantee an ACH delivery on theirs. You can talk to someone who specializes in Bill Pay at your bank to be sure 🙂 I am in banking and deal with Bill Pay through CheckFree often.
FFT, Fire and Rain Edition:
We've had a cold nasty drizzle (occasionally mixed with snow or sleet) going on for a couple of days, so I've lit my second fire of the season in the wood-burner. Frugalities here :
(1) I use paper towel/toilet paper rolls, and paper egg cartons that are beyond reuse by the farmers I buy eggs from at the Regional Market, as fire starters.
(2) As a foundation for any fire, I use a paper lunch-size bag stuffed with twigs and pine cones. The fire starters in (1) go on top of this bag. Works first time, every time.
(3) Kindling comes from several sources. One is herb twigs that I roll up in newspaper after I've stripped the herb leaves off the twigs. (And I've got a lot of twigs, since I'm pumping out bottles of dried herbs for Xmas presents like mad.) Another source is fallen branches off the numerous old trees in our neighborhood, broken up to the proper length.
(4) A neighbor from whom I didn't expect this brought over four wheelbarrow loads of scrap wood from his various woodworking projects for more kindling. (We were formerly not on good terms with these neighbors, but have patched things up in recent years. Thank goodness for reconciliation.)
(5) And, of course, I'm still working on the 2- to 3-year supply of logs I have remaining from DH's years as Urban Logger Extraordinaire. Even under present circumstances, my darling hubs is keeping me warm.
Aww, I love that the wood he stockpiled is keeping you warm!
1. Giant has whole turkeys for $.39/# as long as you spend $25. I picked up a small one last week. I also purchased cranberry sauce on sale. Over the weekend I discovered that frozen organic chicken breasts are almost 50% cheaper than the fresh breasts (same brand at the same store). Not only cheaper but there's no gloppy chicken juice to deal with. It takes a bit longer for them to cook in the slow cooker but that's okay
2. Today I walked to/from yoga. After lunch I walked to a friend's house to give her some masks to use on her upcoming trip. Walking is good for the planet, the body, and the pocketbook.
3. I went out with some friends Friday afternoon. Rather than ordering a coffee drink I ordered a cup of Moroccan Lentil soup (much more my speed). It was delicious and I'd love to make it at home so I will look for a recipe.
4. Last weekend I helped a friend that had gotten behind on general household tasks due to her horrendous schedule and a series of unfortunate events. She was feeling overwhelmed but a few hours of assistance allowed us to spend time together and make a big dent in things.
5. Last night I got together with a couple of friends for charity knitting.
I have a similar service charge dilemma going on. Our bank has initiated a $2 service charge for paper statements. I cringe when I see it every month. The only solution, however, is online banking and statements...which we don't feel comfortable doing. We've had our identities compromised in the past and avoid putting that type of information out there for fear of another data breach. I guess, in the end, there's a price ($2 a month) for my choice.
Here's our Five Frugal Things:
1. My sister came for taco night bearing gifts. The first was a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a huge pumpkin cheesecake. Leftovers stayed at our house because she didn't want the temptation at her's 🙂
2. She also gifted a large garbage bag filled with her unwanted yarn. I'll be able make many things from it.
3. Speaking of the yarn, I am neglecting my Christmas project pile and started a new sweater from some if the gorgeous navy yarn.
4. We double dated with another couple for local fish fry dinners. They paid! We'll get the next round.
5.While at a beauty supply store for some special face lotion my daughter uses, I found a display of some cute and girly items for $1 each. They will top off the girls' Christmas stockings.
Here's how I think about the online info quandary: regardless of whether you access online banking, your personal information is most certainly stored in your bank's computer systems, and thus, it is vulnerable to data leaks or hacking.
In this day and age, there's really no way to use a bank while keeping your information out of an online system. So, if it were me, I'd probably go ahead and use online banking...if your info is going to be out there anyway, you might as well save the $2! But if paper statements still bring you peace of mind, $2/month is not a huge expense. 🙂
I agree wholeheartedly with you. But the bank is only one sources where data breaches happen.With online banking, there's also the vulnerability from the multitude of devices that access the accounts that are not necessarily as safe. When I had one, my debit card was compromised through a transaction at a big box store purchase and then again at a gas station. My husband's was stolen after he was hacked online.
1. Repaired and mended several items (socks, towels, sheets...)
2. Used up the last of 2 packages of lentils and rice and ate it with tomato sauce for several lunches
3. Made a cucumber salad with cucumbers found at a nearby food sharing station
4. Cut open a tube of skin cream - the remaining cream lasted for 2 more weeks
5. Used a bonus from my health insurances to pay for dental cleaning
1. It was 22 below zero and I left the car outside too long and the engine froze up. My husband was not home and I could not find a cord long enough to plug in the block heater (every Alaskan vehicle has one, the plug hangs outside the front of the vehicle and you keep things from seizing up by plugging it in when it gets very cold) so that the engine could thaw. I finally swallowed my pride and called the next door neighbor, who sent over her son with a very long cord that reached from my car to the outlet on our porch. I had considered calling a service station for help but it would have been over $100 and I really did know that an extension cord and a few hours would fix the problem. I consider swallowing my pride in this case to be a frugal win. Next time I pull into the garage as soon as I get home.
2. Sold a Christmas quilt that we have never used because it is too small for our bed. It is so beautiful I put off selling it for years but finally decided it was idiotic to have it in the closet when someone else would be thrilled to own it.
3. Someone on the buy nothing group had 50 pounds of dog food to give away so I jumped on that deal because it is the brand my dog will eat. (For a pound hound, he has turned into a picky eater and I choose to indulge him because it makes me feel good to think that he is now in the lap of luxury after years of abuse.)
4. Library for books and a puzzle.
5. My husband's sewing machine died. He found the same model on FB, broken and being sold for $10 for parts. He bought it and was able to fix his machine by using parts from the $10 one. A new machine with the extras he likes would have been several hundred dollars. He is so handy, I cannot imagine how much he has saved us over the years.
You would join the chorus of readers who have said their biggest frugal win was marrying their husbands! 🙂
@Kristen, I was in a long relationship with a guy who thought he was Mister Fix-It but was not. I spent loads of money calling in repair people to fix his repairs. He was a great guy, but this is a man who decided to do some electrical repair and ended up grounding the stove to a bathroom water pipe. I did not know you could do that, thus electrifying the bathtub. Not enough to kill anyone, but if you were taking a bath when the stove got turned on, you could feel a buzz. The first time my not-yet-husband said he would fix something, I dreaded it, mentally watching money fly out of my bank account.
I completed my phone check up for a vaccine trail I am enrolled in. They paid $26.
My husband and I treated ourselves to a homemade cookie after the disappointment of losing a house we tried to buy. (We both wanted a more expensive treat but settled for stuff we had in the apartment.)
I got prescriptions delivered for free. This is more of a time savings than a gas savings, but saving time gives me the energy to save money other ways like cooking.
Oof, house-hunting in a hot market like this is so hard. That's how it was when we bought this house and man, it was exhausting. Lots of sympathy to you!
1. Friends invited us to stay at their cabin in the mountains since the kids had Veteran's day off - the only expense we had was food costs and most of that was groceries because we ate in most meals. Oh, and I guess fuel but we drove our electric car and charged at night so it wasn't that bad.
2. Procrastinated in buying my nephew's birthday gift and was feeling stressed about what to get him. Thought of a toy he might like but it was more than I wanted to spend. BUT Target had a 25% off promo and coupled with my 5% red card discount, it put it right into the range. So I picked it up, wrapped it in the car and dropped it off for him.
3. Have been working to use up food that I already have. Trying not to be lazy about this.
4. Convinced my side of the extended family to do a secret santa exchange this year - while we might end up spending more on one person's gift, the amount of mindspace and running around needed for seven gifts will definitely be a savings! And really, none of us need more stuff.
5. Assumed that the store I bought one of my nephew's Christmas gift wouldn't have discount codes but googled it to be on the safe side - turns out there was a usable 25% off coupon available!
6. I had never really done Amazon returns before (I know...weird). My friend said returns were super easy so instead of keeping stuff around to give out as gifts later, I returned a sweater that wasn't the color I was expecting and two games that I had purchased for prizes for a friend's halloween party that my kids ended up winning - they hadn't looked at them once since the party so I figured it was safe to return them.
The late bill fee happened to me twice! Once it was a water bill, which got "delayed" in the mail by about 2 months. I paid the overdue bill with a modest late fee, and then the next month saw we had been credited an amount for the late arriving check. I called to get the late fee refunded, which was a "one-time courtesy". Since the water company also charges a fee for auto-pay, and I no longer trust the post office, I drop off the bill in person whenever I am passing by the office, which is close to our Costco and other places I run errands.
The other time wasn't so lucky. It was our property tax bill for our rental home in another city, and also got "delayed" in the mail by 3 months. I forgot to check our bank account to see if the check was cashed and then got a late notice, which came with a $500 late fee! I paid it and called to tell them that I had indeed mailed the check long before the deadline but it obviously never arrived. They said they might consider refunding the late fee if my first check showed up and noted my file. Well, 3 months later, my first check did arrive, but the envelope was only postmarked in April, not January, despite the date written on the check. The county returned my first check, but since they couldn't prove it was mailed in January and not April (and disprove that I wasn't trying to scam them), they refused to refund the late fee. And I had decided to mail it originally to avoid a $2.99 online pay convenience fee. My husband said next time we are paying the convenience fee!!
1. I made 3 week's worth of pumpkin muffins for my son's school snack. The pumpkin I had roasted and froze. I made 2 pans of baked french toast for my kid's breakfasts this week. It used bread a friend made. I used homemade/frozen chicken stock and leftover potatoes to make baked potato soup, which will feed me the whole week for lunch. I used some homemade/frozen tomato puree to make pasta sauce.
2. Patched a pair of jeans for my son
3. Realized my son is almost in the next size shoe. I found 3 pairs of shoes in "the shoe bin" in my basement that will fit him. These shoes I have collected from Buy Nothing over the last 2 years.
4. I am attending an online focus group for our local science museum tonight. They will pay me $40 for my time.
5. Hiked at our local park and used our zoo membership this weekend
This probably fits better in the comment section for Thankful Thursday but I just have to say how grateful I am to live in a country where health insurance is more or less no concern.
The one and only time my city water bill was late was when I used my bank's online bill pay option. I was told that our city is not a big company so instead of paying the bill online, the bank cut and mailed a check. But they do the checks in batches, so by the time they cut the check and mailed it, it was late! Luckily our water department is in our town and only five or so blocks away, so I just write a check and put it in their dropbox.
1. We met up with our youngest son and went to a local arboretum. It's free, pretty quiet and has many beautiful plants and trees.
2. My husband fixed a pocket door that came off the track. It is a heavy solid wood door, and it wasn't an easy job, but he got it fixed.
3. I stocked up on $1.99 butter on sale at Aldi. I put most of it in the freezer.
4. I signed up for a business and personal Southwest credit card. I will time my year end purchases so all my points and bonuses will hit on the January statements. I will then have enough points for a free companion pass, so anytime I fly in 2022 and 2023 my husband can fly for free. I pay off the cards each month and don't carry a balance, so no interest charges.
5. We all received our free booster shots, we're trying to stay healthy.
Yes! It is $1.99 Aldi butter sale season!
1. Bought 6 lbs butter last week (in freezer).
2. Bought 6 lbs butter this week (in freezer).
3. Mom was going to Aldi's and didn't need/want butter so got me 6 lbs of butter to bring to mother-in-law (no Aldi where she lives).
4. Stayed with parents this weekend and had sister/bro-in-law/nephew over. Made a lovely 3-course meal with all food that mom already had in house.
5. Dad is both generous and frugal and he wanted to donate a case of wine to his senior Thanksgiving luncheon. He requested that I bring him a case of TJ wine as CT grocery stores cannot sell wine and I live in MA. In both paid for the case of wine, took me out for pizza, and I got to spend the weekend with my family and it cost me nothing.
1. Was charged a No show fee for a doctor’s appointment that we HAD cancelled.Saved $50 by calling and straightening it out.
2. Eating down the freezer. I am a bit over stocked.
3. Lost a bunch of weight and none of my winter clothes fit me. Accepted THREE PAIR of nice jeans from a girlfriend who was recycling.They fit great! Bought 5 new tops at local resale/consignment store. No supply chain problem when you buy consignment and nicer quality for way less money. I paid $9- 11 each for the tops. Ann Taylor,Marc Jacob,Chicos.I love good brands but will not pay retail.
4. Accepted Thanksgiving invitation for dinner for our family of 3. I will contribute a dessert.Saving a ton of money over the big feast I usually cook and I will be seeing people we have lost touch with..a nice reunion!
5. I don’t wear makeup every day anymore. Saving money on my Revlon and also I get a $75 times two (me and hubby combined) allowance on health insurance for OTC items every three months so my moisture cream is now free.Also get free bug spray, floss,toothpaste, electric toothbrush heads, vitamins!!
Frugal fail: My husband and I ate lunch out twice these week and I also went to a happy hour with girlfriends! Spendy!! ! But it has been almost 2 years that I have not gone out much and I needed it for my mental health. I am shocked at how restaurant prices have gone UP!! I won’t be doing that often!!
Boy, I would contact the county, explain that I had mailed the bill and it should have reached them in time, and argue for the late fee being credited.
If you explain this in a reasonable tone of voice, I'm betting they'll credit you! It's worked for me before with credit cards...same reason.
I agree that checking insurance bills are important! And reading up on the coverage is vital as sometimes, the insurance agent will deny a claim, despite it being written in the policy..I used to argue for 30 minutes every month when I had Cigna, regarding pharmacy benefits...They would deny that I was covered and we would go round and round and I'd be put on hold, etc... It was a nightmare.
My frugal five:
1) We got an email that our college aged kid has received another scholarship from the school... Savings- $2,000
2) I earned $8 so far in Swagbucks but will save it for a holiday gift. Savings- $8
3) I purchased a Christmas item from a retail shop while on vacation. It had to be sent to me since the last one was purchased before I could get to it! Unfortunately, the item was in bad shape when it arrived, so I sent it back. I did get word that it was received and was refunded. Savings- $0
4) I made another purchase for a new phone but it didn't work out. I mailed it back with a prepaid label for UPS. My lack of attention caused me to drop it off at USPS...Ugh. I made some phone calls and was told it may be lost in the mail. I thought I was out of $ but weeks later, I received an email that UPS found it and is processing the return! WHEW Savings- $0
5) I had a doctor appt and was told that it would be FAST. The doctor said that all she would do is a 5 minute test and then I could leave. Before this appt, I stated that my copay and cost for this quick test was too expensive...I could get the test done through a walk in lab for cheaper than the total cost of my copay + her test thru my insurance...So, she let me go get the test done on my own and send her the results..... Savings- $33