Google saved me a trip to the vacuum repair store (+4 more frugal things)
1. I fixed my vacuum.
One of my kids was vacuuming and somehow the whole thing tipped over and got stuck in the non-upright position.
I fiddled with it a bit and couldn't get it to pop back up. I was about to give up, but I did a little googling and found the answer on a forum.
I just had to push a collar back while gently pushing the vacuum into the upright position. It took me a couple of tries, but I got it snapped back up correctly. Yay!
Now I don't have to take a trip to the vacuum repair man.
(The vacuum we have is the Miele Twist, and it looks like maybe the Miele Dynamic is the most modern version? My Miele was $399 and I bought it over six years ago. Still going strong and I think it was worth it to pay for better quality.)
2. I made a Father's Day card for Mr. FG.
This is not 100% about frugality.
Rather, I sometimes decide that I don't feel like fussing with making a card, and then I go shop for one. And 9 times out of 10, I can't find one that says what I want it to say.
I like cards that aren't hyperbolic (no one is a perfect dad!), and it's super hard to find one that says what I actually want to say.
Add to that the fact that cards run $5-7 these days, and I usually find myself freshly motivated to make a card.
(Another option I sometimes take is buying a pack of simple generic cards that can be used for any occasion.)
Because what YOU write in the card is far more important than what's printed there, I think.
3. I cooked a Father's Day meal at home.
I bought shrimp and scallops, which are not exactly in the budget every week. However, if we took the six of us out to a sit-down restaurant for similar fare, we'd be well above $100 in a minute.
For $40 at the grocery store, though, I had the fixings for a seafood meal, plus enough for Monday's lunch for Mr. FG.
4. I softened brown sugar with a bread heel.
It worked like magic!
You can see more photos and videos of the process on my Instagram highlights by clicking right here.
5. I helped Joshua find a secondhand dresser.
We found one he wanted to buy on Facebook marketplace and we're picking it up tonight. Because my van is significantly better for furniture-hauling than his Civic is. 😉
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A marshmallow or two will also help with the brown sugar- in the summer I leave one or two in the brown sugar all the time!
I took a hard bag of brown sugar and hit it with my rolling pin a bunch of times. Worked great and was kind of fun.
This is a good option if you are feeling upset about something. Like, REALLY upset.
This week I 1. Bought long shorts, sleeveless blouse....name brands and perma press white and simple but tasteful powder blue cashmere cardigan for 11.00 total at St Vincent de paul. 2. Got garden mix on sale....add blue ch dressing and nuts and eat in one sitting. 3. Rescued a few lamps...tossed the shades. Fresh new shades rescue your house.... my motto. 4. Planted sunflower seeds. Just poke them in the ground in sunny spots. Buy seeds for the short ones. 5. Forgot ladies birthday across street. Will pick her a bouquet later
I love church thrift stores!
We replaced the heating element in the stove ourselves for $40 instead of throwing up our hands and buying a new stove.
I think the whole appliance repair thing is huge. I googled the error message on my washer and saved myself a probably $250 repair visit. Plus, I didn't have to wait and I felt so totally pleased with myself!
It makes you feel like a superwoman, doesn't it?? You don't need whiskers to do that. 😉 https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/you-dont-need-whiskers-to-do-that/
We did this not long ago, and by "we" I mean my 14-year-old son did it all by himself. I wasn't just proud; I was thankful that I didn't have to do it. 🙂
1). My husband cut my son’s hair at home.
2). Have been reusing cereal bags to flash freeze items before putting them into ziploc bags.
3). Rather than spending a lot on a big end of school year celebration (school ends today), I bought 3 cans of silly string & frosted animal crackers at Dollar Tree. We are going to swim at home and have ice cream sundaes or floats with stuff we have on hand. My kids are so excited and it’s costing less than $5.
4). Started a Fitness Blender program I previously purchased during a sale. I love how their programs are so low cost and can be used over and over.
5) Borrowed from the library for family
movie night and reading.
1. Celebrated Father's Day by grilling by the pool. I had arranged a potluck with some friends, so we also shared the cost of the meal by bringing different items.
2. Skipped our regular grocery run this week as we made smaller runs to the store for parties/potlucks. Using things from our garden and digging deeper in the pantry instead.
3. The kids are off school but not in camp. I created a summer bingo of activities and chores they can do to earn rewards, for a little bit of structure and fun. Some of the rewards cost a little, but I wanted to infuse some fun for all of us.
4. Going through my linen closet to organize old sheets/towels and see what I can use more, re-purpose or purge.
5. Line drying is not feasible for us in our wet and humid climate, but I have an indoor rack where I air dry all delicate fabrics, gym clothes etc. It has kept materials from stretching/shrinking, or stains from setting.
1) DH fix our broken loo with a part my FIL sourced online. I am so grateful to have a husband who will help with practical jobs.
2) I home-baked cakes and home catered my sons first holy communion party. I was super exhausted from 12 days work in a row (including 6 days overseas) so I was so pleased for the chance to be in my kitchen doing something for my family.
3) the kids made homemade cards for their Dad and Grandfathers for Father’s Day.
4) I preordered my Dad flowers online as we could not be with him because the FHC was on Father’s Day he lives 9 hours away. It was half the price of inter flora. And I picked the colours of his favourite sports team!
5) I have been doing the school and nursery run by bus and walking rather than cabs despite the terrible rain.
I bought canning jars for canning at our local thrift store and a butter dish! Got 40 jars for less than $20. Score!
1. I finally got my car fixed, after the first "fix" using aftermarket parts didn't work, by politely going back twice to explain that it might have worked right in their garage, but it wasn't working right on the road. They finally ordered the OEM parts and installed them, and it was covered under the original work guaranty, so no more money oop. Whew.
2. I stopped at my food coop to buy a couple of spices from the bulk bins. I got a good amount of each for a total bill of $1.42.
3. I also whipped up another batch of Ranch dressing from my homemade dry mix. I was out of buttermilk and started to buy some, when I remembered I had plain yogurt, so I added in the yogurt with the sour cream, lemon juice, mayo and dry ingredients. It is slightly different from buttermilk Ranch, but it's still very good.
4. Due to my husband's illness, I had to postpone the yard sale I was planning with a relative. I've since found more things to sell, though, so maybe that will increase my income from the sale when we have it. At the very least, it will mean more stuff out of my house.
5. I trimmed my dog's claws instead of paying someone to do it.
Mr. FG got minorly rear-ended recently, and the other driver's insurance company was trying to only pay for an aftermarket bumper and parts.
And we were like, "What?? Before the wreck, this car had authentic parts, and that's what we'd like it to have after the wreck."
Luckily, they did eventually pay for the appropriate parts.
For what it's worth, I don't bother buying buttermilk anymore, just using plain (whole) yogurt as a direct substitution, including for homemade ranch dressing, coleslaw, cakes, whatever. I always have yogurt on hand, since I make it. Never had a problem yet. I don't know if store yogurt is different than homemade in some way, though. Maybe that would make a difference in some recipes.
Kristen, I hear you! My daughter went through that when she was rear-ended. Her vehicle was only about a year old -- OEM parts, please!
Kristin, Ha, and I never even thought about using it elsewhere in place of buttermilk. Mine is not homemade by me, but it's homemade by a local woman who raises goats along with pigs and chickens on her organic farm. It's goat milk yogurt straight out of a mason jar, and quite good.
Good job on the card! I almost never buy cards, but instead write notes. I think it might be a generational thing because the older women in my family seem almost offended if I don't use a generic card. I've heard them talk about how much love they put into a card because they stood in the grocery store for soooo long reading every card to find the perfect one. This baffles me.
1) Our father's day gift was free. The kids and I made a children's book featuring "Super Daddy" in which we highlighted what we think are my husband's super powers. He loved it.
2) I bought some dressing online and got it half off because my Honey app found a fabulous coupon. That app has saved me a surprising amount of money this year.
3) I packed our lunch yesterday as errands would take us out close to lunch time. We had a lovely cheap picnic instead of fast food.
4) I returned a bulb to Kroger yesterday that I only realized was too bright after I purchased it. That is one less thing that we'll probably never use out of the house and $5 back in.
5) I successfully fought the urge to order a bunch of books online. When my fellowship starts in the fall I will have almost unlimited access to every book I will need to finish my dissertation. Be patient self.
That's an interesting way to think of it. I personally just lose patience with reading card after card! I'd rather just make a blank one and write what I want.
But I can see how poring through the cards is also a labor of love.
1. Spent only $42 on groceries for all 3 of us this week
2. Used a $5 off coupon at Michael's and clearance prices to buy 2 Barbies, for an upcoming birthday party, for $6 total
3. Sold the stove, bamboo blinds, and some drawer pulls out of our new house for $85. I still have the dishwasher and beautiful mohair blanket, the previous owners left behind, to sell.
4. Listed a ton of items from the new house on Craigslist for free. Most of it was construction debris. This will save us the cost of disposal, which is about $150. I also listed some plants from the garden and 8 heavy planters, that were in the gardens, on Craigslist for free. This saves me time, which is worth money!
5. Made my husband breakfast sandwiches for father's day. We took them to him at our new house, where he is putting in a new kitchen, and had a picnic on the floor. He loved it.
We're leaving on Monday to drive to New York. We'll be gone for a month. That means I'm currently working on cooking and packing foods that can be heated over a camp fire (if it's not raining, we can camp) or in a motel microwave. Last time we drove five days and didn't have to buy food once. I do this because I would rather do almost anything than take my four feral children into a restaurant after they've been sitting in a car for eight hours. I'm also working on preserving the produce currently in my garden and refrigerator. Mostly that means giving it away or freezing it. So far, cabbage, diced onion, tomato juice, and blanched beet/kohlrabi greens in the freezer and three more cabbages given to neighbors.
Made a steak dinner for Father’s Day, with homemade blueberry cobbler. Maybe $25 with filet and prime strip steaks. A splurge but as good/better than a restaurant dinner. Made one of the cards for my husband (from the dogs LOL.)
Convinced my daughter that she really can use her brother’s old twin XL sheets for her college dorm, even if they aren’t all that gorgeous!
My son bought a bed frame and mattress for his college apartment; he is using it this summer so he knows it’s decent quality. $25
1. Received a $30 gift card from Inboxdollars for Regal and took my hub to movies on $5.50 Tuesday and still almost have enough to go twice more! 2. Found a beautiful large glass garden globe at Goodwill for $1.99 3. Found sone nice pansies at Walmart on clearance for $1.50 a six pack 4. Painted rooms in a friends new house for free but she gave me a $50 Texas Roadhouse Gift card 5. Having a yard sale Saturday!
The handle on my 20 year old crockpot lid broke off. I found a replacement handle on Amazon for $6. Hubby attached it tonight.
Frugal daughter and her frugal BF found living room furniture on Facebook Marketplace (I'm so proud, sniff)
Also I made Fathers Day BBQ food for my DH, my Dad, my brother and all the family. Used new recipes, and it came out great. Saved at least $75 over local BBQ takeout
Bought Father's day cards and gift wrap at Dollar Tree, total of $4 (less than one Hallmark). I really like Dollar Tree cards. DH gift was expensive rain jacket for camping and hiking, but it was on sale and a replacement for a 20 year old one that disintegrated last season. So I see it as a good investment
1. We were out of state for an interview this past weekend. The church paid for the hotel. We saved money by packing snacks & eating the free breakfast AND the free dinner at the hotel (Drury). Our entertainment for our kids was the local park, the Hotel pool/TV & free popcorn:)
2. I've been saving plastic bags from apples, bread, potatoes & reusing creatively as bags again.
3. I've been line drying more clothes in the summer & the clothes look fresher for it.
4. I clipped online coupons.
5. We're doing a lot of free summer fun for the kids, such as VBS, library programs, play dates and splash pads. We splurged on one week of dance camp.
1) We also did a fancy Father's day dinner at home - husband wanted to try a short rib/brisket/Chuck hamburger mix. It was around $6/lb. which is definitely not in our normal budget for ground beef. Also went for the fancy cheddar on top. And fancy buns. They were fancy hamburgers. Still spent less than half what we would have at a restaurant.
2) I started delivering for a grocery delivery service, because I have a bit of unexpected time off from school. I just learnt tonight that I also get free personal deliveries as a shopper.
3) Went a little overboard on fast food over the weekend, but I did choose to pickup a pizza and use a coupon, so instead of spending $25 on pizza dinner, it was only $9.
4) Took some books to a resale shop and got a $14 credit to spend in the store. Left with a cookbook, political book, and graphic novel and spent 50 cents out of pocket.
5) Going to call my insurance company tomorrow to find out the final cost of a hospital bill. If I pay it tomorrow, I should get a 15% discount, but I really want to verify the amount before paying.
I must say, those miele vacuums are totally worth the money. I have a home cleaning business and I use a miele canister vacuum. I clean anywhere from 2 to 5 houses a day and my meile has been going strong for over 2 years. Previous vacuums have broken after only a year. I'm upgrading my personal vacuum when I get a chance!