Five Frugal Things

by Katy on April 29, 2014 · 40 comments

  1. I was feeling like I wanted to treat my older son to something special, so I offered to take him to a movie. However, the movie he wanted to see was Thor: The Dark World which is no longer in theaters. I located a nearby $1.30 DVD through Redbox, and the two of us enjoyed a lovely evening together doing exactly what he wanted.
  2. I got a sudden craving for fish tacos the other night, so I decided to go hit up a local food cart so I could dissect the recipe. However, I didn’t make it over there yesterday and instead threw caution to the wind and made it up as I went along. And man-o-man were they good! I know any purist would have found fault that we used flour tortillas, concocted our own sauce from yogurt, lemon juice and Sriracha and had lettuce instead of cabbage and cilantro. But I was able to use what we had on hand, and they were both frugal and mouth waveringly delicious! Sadly, no leftovers.
  3. I’m starting to think about what my son is going to need for his month long trip to Sapporo this summer, and I’m happy to report that we mostly have everything we need. Luggage, clothes and gifts for his host family, and since this is our family’s 7th exchange trip to Japan, I already have my set omiyage gifts in mind. Very excited for him!
  4. I took a few minutes yesterday to re-hem my favorite pair of jeans which were looking straggly.
  5. I will be spending some time with my mother today helping her with a project, and in return she’ll feed me.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }

Maggie April 29, 2014 at 9:52 am

We’re still using cloth diapers, and I just pulled out and laundered our stash of cloth nursing pads and newborn diapers in anticipation of Baby #2.
Our family is in town, and we went to the San Diego Zoo. My husband, son, and brother in law were free (active duty military and under 3), and we got discount tickets for the rest of us. It was a cheaper option than anything else we came up with, and we brought our own snacks,coffee, water, and lunch. We went to a buffet for lunch, where the $14 per person price tag was more than justified by the pile of crab legs and sushi Hubby and his dad scarfed down. We would have gone broke if we had gone to a sushi joint for all that food.
We made dinner at home the rest of the week, and used stuff that’s already in our pantry.
I found a dresser on the curb and hauled it home on the stroller. I posted it on Craigslist and have a lot of interest already!
I gave away half a tub of formula my son is done with. That stuff is SO expensive, I didn’t want to just throw it out. Not frugal for me, but frugal for someone else!

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 10:01 am

Hooray for curbside finds!

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Koliti April 30, 2014 at 2:04 pm

Hey, did ya leave the baby at the curb in exchange for the dresser? Or did ya bring the baby home in one of the dresser drawers? Ha!

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marie April 29, 2014 at 10:02 am

I also hemmed a pair of jeans, they are nearly new, and haven’t been wearing them, since they drag on the ground.I know that’s the look, but it drives me crazy. Funny, I’ve always wore the medium length, I must be shrinking.
It’s going to be 70 today, so I’ve saved up lots of laundry to hang outside.
I’ve been fermenting chicken food for my gals, for a month now. It is supposed to be healthier, and produce less waste from the chickens with the added bonus of using less feed.Well, I think it works, they love it, and my feed that usually lasts 3 weeks is going on 5 weeks.
Went to goodwill last week. The first time this year, and I got a pair of capri type yoga pants, a t-shirt for my granddaughter that is brand new from john deere that says “play in the dirt”, which she loves to do, and 2 packets of veggie seeds. I payed $2.79 for it all. Great trip!!

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 6:33 pm

Wow, that’s much cheaper than our Goodwill!

Katy

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marie April 29, 2014 at 8:58 pm

It was 50% off pink tag day!!!

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Gina April 29, 2014 at 10:13 am

Most businesses aren’t within walking distance so I like to take one day when I batch my errands. Yesterday I returned/picked up library items, stopped at the PO to drop off mail, went grocery shopping and stayed within budget, filled up the car with gas (yikes! So expensive these days. However, a full tank should last 2 wks.) Ate last night’s dinner left overs for lunch today. Needed some khaki pants for a volunteer position and the ones from last year are too big…so instead of shopping (which I was eager to do – although not eager about spending $. I haven’t purchased anything new or used to wear in 8 mos.) I went digging through my closets and found three pair that fit perfectly and are still in style. $ saved, shopping trip averted.

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ilona Watzlawick May 1, 2014 at 3:29 pm

I identify with batching errands, Gina … I live in the country, 12 miles from town … I rarely go into town more than once a week and generally on Mondays … it will definitely be Monday next week since I have a doctor’s appointment there in the afternoon … truly working on focusing on getting my garden space rototilled … the weather has been so prohibitive …

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jill April 29, 2014 at 10:20 am

I just returned from a 5 day visit to my daughter’s, who lives in Boston. So I am unpacking, doing laundry and catching up on computer work. I realized on this trip that my vacations have changed so much in the last few years. In the past I would have bought as many souvenirs as possible ( I am the rare individual who loves souvenir shops!) and not thought or cared about how much money I spent. This time I only purchased one thing. And we went to several parks – and only one place that charged admission. We did eat out most of the time with one night in and free breakfast at our hotel. And we saved gift cards from Christmas to splurge for a dinner for her and her roommates one night. My how my traveling style has changed!

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Gina April 29, 2014 at 10:20 am

Oh, also while at the library, the local extension office was there giving out free vegetable gardening information, recipe cards and 25 packets of seeds per visitor. Jackpot! I got loads of lettuce, pepper, herbs, cucumber, radish and bean seeds! The lowest price on each packet was $1.99 and some were $2.49…so that was an unexpected windfall of at least $50 in seeds!

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A. Marie April 29, 2014 at 11:46 am

Great score on the seeds, Gina!

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 6:35 pm

I am jealous of your free seeds!

Katy

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Carolyn April 29, 2014 at 10:28 am

I darned a favorite pair of SmartWool socks on Sunday. I had been procrastinating this for weeks, and the darn (pun intended) task took only 5 minutes.

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 6:35 pm

You have to be in the right mood.

Katy

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Jennifer N April 29, 2014 at 10:54 am

1. I have cut out and pinned two table runners that will be used to decorate for my son’s 1st birthday party. It won’t take me much longer to sew them together. I found the fabric at Goodwill for <$2.
2. I cleaned my carpets with the uper-awesome carpet cleaner that I borrowed from my mom. I used a vinegar solution, and my carpets now look amazing! I probably used about $3 in vinegar plus electricity.
3. I picked up a t-ball glove as a gift for my older son's birthday in about a month from Goodwill for $2. I plan to enroll him in t-ball this fall, and I know he'll be really excited to have a real glove. It has a kid's name written on it, but I'm confident I can get that out.
4. I began the really long process of sorting through all of my older son's clothes and store them in such a way that they'll be easy to access as his little brother grows into bigger sizes. It's a lot of work now, but it will save me a lot of frustration later!

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J. Pario April 29, 2014 at 11:37 am

I did comparison grocery shopping.

Is it worth the extra time? (Note: the two grocery stores are across the street from each other.)

I’d actually say yes, with some caveats. Here’s the post if anyone is curious:
http://paintingontheceiling.blogspot.com/2014/04/saving-on-groceries.html

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A. Marie April 29, 2014 at 11:45 am

Batched errands on Sunday:

(1) Got a $14 hair trim at a Supercuts. (Unlike Katy, I don’t have anyone at home I’d trust with my hair, but this is the next best thing–and a big improvement on the $36 I used to spend when I had a higher-maintenance hairstyle.)

(2) Got $45 in store credit for books at the adjacent secondhand bookstore, and used it toward a really neat old $50 book.

(3) Hit the nearby thrift store on the way home and donated the books the bookstore didn’t want, along with another box of stuff.

And yesterday:

(4) Made a soup with chicken stock I’d made on Sunday, an assortment of fridge-cleanout vegetables, and a generous fistful of tender young garlic mustard (an invasive weed in these parts) from my back yard. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with mature garlic mustard plants, which can get pretty skanky–but the young greens were delicious in the soup.

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Trish April 29, 2014 at 2:33 pm

The conservation groups I am involved in are very concerned about garlic mustard – I think it sounds delicious, and was wondering if it were at all edible. I love the idea of foraging for food! wish I knew more about it.

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Betsey April 29, 2014 at 11:47 am

1.I sat down this morning and finished all of my mending!! Mending is one of the most frugal things we can do, yet I seem to put it off.
2. Since I decided that whatever comes through a window is not food, I have been cooking more, enjoying it more, and find when I ask people over, I enjoy the company.
3. I am throwing extra money at my car loan. Instead of 4 more years, I will have it paid off in 18 months by using frugality.
4. I wanted tickets to the local theatre, so I waited and was the last caller into the radio on a bid show to get them. I saved over $100.
5. The library, as you know Katy, is our friend. I just finished with free dvd’s of the Cadfile series from PBS. Delightful.

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Gina April 29, 2014 at 12:03 pm

Betsy, I love the second item on your list…”Since I decided that whatever comes through a window is not food…” You worded it so perfectly I had to chuckle. But it’s so TRUE! Since I decided this two years ago I am eating better, enjoying learning how to cook again and realizing preparing my own meals is fun.

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 6:38 pm

I do have a fondness for the 7-layer burrito from Taco Bell, which is my go-to food if I find myself running errands and starving.

Katy

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tammy April 29, 2014 at 12:00 pm

I created a recipe for homemade hamburger helper and it rocks! So we’ve been having that once a week for supper with plenty of leftovers to use as late night snacks or side dishes for other meals.
I balanced my grocery budget by going to the dollar store and picking up mayo, eggs, pot stickers, oatmeal, dog food (my dollar store has big cans of Pedigree for a buck!) so I didn’t overspend by going to my big supermarket.
I planted my veggie garden Sunday because our Richmond VA forecast called for cool temps and rainy weather and that is what it has done for two days! I planted my garden and used rainwater to moisten the plants a bit before the rains came.
I used scrap scrapbooking paper to create two crafts to sell at a festival in May to raise money for St. Judes.
I did buy two gift cards. One for my niece for her 17th birthday and one for my sister’s newly adopted 18 year old daughter for graduation. They were $10 each and I know that is a lot but each girl deserved something special!
That’s my FIVE FRUGAL THINGS!

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Karen April 29, 2014 at 12:40 pm

1.) I gave up diet soda a month ago. This will result in a savings of approximately $144 a year.

2.) I have been making herbal tea, cold brew. I bought a box of ” Fruit Tea Sampler” and I make up my own flavors. At the moment, I have a blueberry and raspberry mix in the refrigerator.

3.) I am re-purposing a small glass jar to hold homemade lip scrub. I wanted to disguise the lid, so I made a topper for it. I used a piece of wrapping paper and put a piece of clear shelf paper over it. All the components were things I had on hand.

4.) That’s all. I am being blown off the Internet for the third time today.

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Margie April 29, 2014 at 3:32 pm

Katy,
What are the omiyage gifts you are sending this time?
M.

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 5:54 pm

I haven’t received a family bio yet, but I generally send a retro style Oregon tea towel, See’s suckers in their 4th of July packaging and wrap everything in a Powell’s canvas tote with a map of Oregon on it.

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Michelle H. April 30, 2014 at 8:39 am

Sounds like a great gift! Now I want a canvas tote with a map of Oregon. 🙂 Future giveaway perhaps?

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Heather April 29, 2014 at 6:37 pm

I got a sourdough starter from a neighbor and have been making waffles and pancakes. I wanted to try bread, but a lot of recipes seemed complicated and time-consuming. I found the recipe below and made the most delicious loaf of sourdough bread. No kneading, no mixer required. It was super good with olive oil/balsamic vinegar, so we made it a pasta night. I made my quick and easy alfredo sauce (1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups milk and garlic salt) and I don’t think the whole meal cost more than $2-3.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/no-knead-sourdough-bread-recipe-zmrz13djzmat.aspx

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Katy April 29, 2014 at 6:39 pm

Mmm . . .

Katy

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Heather April 29, 2014 at 6:39 pm

I forgot to add in the 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese (I buy in bulk and keep forever in the freezer) to the alfredo sauce!

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Practical Parsimony April 29, 2014 at 11:53 pm

*I was given an ornate red table, high enough to hold my tv or the be used as a desk.
*My chick brooder is a box inside a plastic tub with a regular lamp sitting beside it. It works.
*The big hens, as usual, forage for part of their own food. They have ended a pest problem that has left my front yard without grass. It is some sort of grub that eats the grass roots. It took them several years to solve this problem, but I did not buy or use Bt for my yard.
*I have only bought milk and bananas during the last seven days because I have no money. I am eating what I have, which is plenty.
*For a blogger friend I was meeting for the first time, I wanted to give her things from the South. The Whole Foods bag was the container. I know it is not from the South. I put in five sweet potatoes in the bottom, sweet potatoes I bought for $0.25/lb from the farm–two 4o/lb boxes for $10. Then, I put in a carton of my fresh hen eggs. I used a store credit to buy three packs of local potato chips.

Then, I put in pink Easter grass bought for a nickel after Easter a few years ago. I went to a local store that only sells special beer and bought four bottles that were made within 30 miles from here. I saved one for friend and packed three in the bag along with a jar of banana pineapple mango rum jam that I made. All but the beer was very frugal or free. Oh, I included a tiny jar of Bama mayonnaise.

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Diane April 30, 2014 at 4:17 am

Kudos to you on your tacos. I love recreating street tacos. I think my chicken tacos are the best ever. I make my own southwest style seasoning, sprinkle it over chicken tenders, bake for 15 minutes. Saute peppers and onions sprinkled with seasonings. Brush whole wheat tortillas with a small amount of oil, brown lightly in skillet on one side, turn over, add grated cheese, chicken, veggies, fold over. Remove from pan. Add sauce made of mayo, lime juice and seasoning. So good and easy…Add cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce if you want.

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Barb @ 1SentenceDiary April 30, 2014 at 6:50 am

My big frugal thing was … staying home. Last week was school vacation week, and we had out of town visitors, so I took the week off and instead of going on vacation, we just stayed home. We took a few day trips, the kids (teenagers) spent time with their friends and had a couple of sleepovers, and we played a lot of different board games. A good time was had by all!

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Jennifer April 30, 2014 at 7:15 am

I bought 4 bridesmaids dresses from a department store, on sale, with a coupon and free shipping. These are elegant dresses they will wear again. Money spent: $164.00. Money saved: hundreds!

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Michelle H. April 30, 2014 at 8:48 am

1. Read your post and realized I never saw the first Thor movie, much less the sequel. I have a friend who buys every super hero movie as soon as it comes out on DVD, and emailed her to borrow both of them sometime soon for movie night. Since she is the recipient of all my boys outgrown clothes she is always happy to lend.

2. Brought leftovers to work for lunch today.

3. Took home the leftover fruit salad from a catered work breakfast and froze it to use in smoothies.

4. Traded free-after-coupon toothpaste from my stockpile to a co-worker for a large bottle of Cetaphil cleanser than she didn’t like. I use it daily and this bottle should last me 6 months at least.

5. Ran out of my favorite dental floss and rather than buy more I gathered up a huge pile of sample size dental floss containers from the dentist and am making it a point to use them all up before buying more.

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Cheryl April 30, 2014 at 9:12 am

– I’ve been working in the garden and to occupy my 3 year old assistant, I made a mud puddle. He made me many delicious mud pies. Best kid toy ever!
– I’m considering putting out my tomato plants (started from seeds bought last year, so free this year!) since it’s supposed to be warm this week but it still may be too early…
– I’ve been making popsicles in the dollar store popsicle molds with leftover breakfast smoothies, which are made out of whatever fruit/veg is starting to go. This avoids meltdowns when the ice cream truck goes by.
– I picked up supplies for making roman shades using gift cards saved from Christmas and my birthday. No cost for me!! Now to actually make them….

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Trish April 30, 2014 at 10:23 am

Went over to my Dad’s this morning and we repaired a wood dining room chair my neighbor was going to toss in the dumpster. Dad and I reglued and clamped, and I will have a dining chair to add to my table (I only have 2 right now) for free.
Took a pair of my Mom’s trousers home to take in for her, and a cardigan to replace the buttons. Also altering the handle on a purse for her, as it is too long. She taught me to sew, and it is nice to be able to do sewing for her now, as she cannot anymore, as she has RA in her hands.

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Megg April 30, 2014 at 12:16 pm

I’ve been taking full advantage of the sun and beautiful days to hang out my laundry. Yesterday I washed and hung out a vintage quilt, because apparently you’re supposed to do that every other year.
We also downgraded our Netflix to just 1 disc a month, because we weren’t watching what we both got in a timely manner. We made a new queue of movies we both enjoy, so now we actually take advantage of the account. It only saved $4 a month, but $48 a year adds up!
We go to trivia for free on Tuesday nights, and we used to eat there, but it got expensive fast. Last night we ate at home (bacon and eggs, cheap and fast!) and bought beers and dessert there. It was half as much as we usually spent, but I think next time we could even go without the dessert…better for our waistlines!

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Linda in Mass May 1, 2014 at 3:32 am

Not the most thrifty endeavor, but I stop into a Salvation Army Thrift store on the way back from a funeral. I just thought I would see what they had for shoes, handbags and household items. I ended up finding the most beautiful red tote bag that will carry all my stuff (book, wallet, tablet for work, etc.). I looked online and the bag retails for over $400. I got it for $30. I really had to think about this purchase because $30 is kind of expensive but it was full leather, inside and out. And if I don’t want it anymore, I know I can sell it for more than I payed. I am very happy with my purchase. I love it!

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ilona Watzlawick May 1, 2014 at 2:30 pm

what frugal things have I been up to lately? well, I hit the Goodwill store on Monday … found a Beatrix Potter book for a little friend of mine (75 cents) … also got some Valentine’s Day napkins to put away until next year for a little surprise at a meal or luncheon (49 cents)… also found the exact candle holder insert which I broke some years back … I kept the other, unbroken piece and now I can use it again (99 cents) … saving bacon fat for stir fries, etc. … not much is needed and it adds a nice flavor … planting some seeds so can grow my own salad fixins’ … offered an item for free on Craigslist and the person who plans to pick it up is very excited and says it will make a 7 year old very happy … a free smile from a 7 year old: PRICELESS!

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