Five Frugal Things

by Katy on November 7, 2016 · 68 comments

eBay watch

  1. I finished washing up and mending the cashmere scarf that I literally scraped off a nearby busy street. (It was laughably nasty, and imbedded with soggy leaves!) It cleaned up so nicely that I’ve decided to give it to my older son as a Christmas gift. Although I may need to wash it one more time as I’ll likely mess it up by caressing its unbearable downy softness.
  2. I sold another one of my Goodwill watches on eBay today. I underestimated the shipping cost and ate around 79¢ of the profit, which is sadly my signature move. I still made a bit of money though.
  3. I pulled a used padded envelope from the recycling bin that we share with our neighbors. I also let them know that I would accept any used packaging materials in the future, as I reuse them for eBay sales.
  4. I walked to the grocery store as it was a rare unrainy day here in Portland. I bought nothing more than the dull stuff on my list. (Cauliflower, peas, bananas, eggs and avocados.)
  5. I had a great idea for my older sister’s birthday gift. Unfortunately, it was more than I’m currently able to budget for, so I outsourced the idea to our mother. (I do this fairly frequently, as I have no problem coming up with gift ideas!) My sister gets what she wants, my mom doesn’t have to scramble for an idea and I get to stick to my budget. This may sound mercenary, but it works out very well within our family.

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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{ 68 comments… read them below or add one }

Mand01 November 7, 2016 at 2:06 am

My stuff is boring today:
1. Took leftover delicious curry to work, along with homemade muffins and other homemade snacks. Brought my own coffee and tea.
2. Came home late to find the kids had snaffled my share of dinner so I had a roll and a leftover pancake. I figured it would happen as their dad made mac n cheese from scratch, so not annoyed.
3. Got up early and watered all my new plants. Very excited to see the carrot seeds have germinated – home grown carrots are the best. Looking forward to lots of summer garden bounty.
4. Wore a thrifted dress and cardie to work today and received many compliments on my five buck outfit.
5. Bought my daughter’s birthday gifts using cash I saved from last week’s budget, and noticed vouchers at the register and asked if I could have one. I saved another $6 off already reduced shorts and dresses for her.

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Brenda November 7, 2016 at 3:16 am

1-shared a meal out with my sis yesterday, still way too full after so good call on our part!
2- wanted a soda, $2.50 for a 20oz in the hotel vending machine., walked to a nearby store and bought a 2L for $1.19 and it lasted a few days.
3- my daughter chose one activity over another, totally her choice and she has no idea about the money involved in either because we would’ve supported either one, , but she happened to pick the cheaper of the two!
4- heading home from a vacation, lugging my carry on around so as not to pay for baggage. Luckily every time I go away I’m learning to pack less!
5- last day of vacation yesterday and I spent $13 for breakfast, pricey but that is all I spent for the entire day. Enjoyed the free hotel that my sis’ work paid for, and the pool and relaxing all day, which is rare in my world. Also her work said I could come along for dinner(which we shared, See #1)which they paid for it and the ride to the restaurant.

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Jill A November 7, 2016 at 4:09 am

1. Listed a ton of stuff on ebay last week. I sold most of it over the weekend. I will also be reusing shipping boxes and supplies.
2. Raked leaves with my husband and daughter, although I guess it’s not really saving anything when we always do it ourselves.
3. Daughter was invited to be in Honors College at two colleges. Hope this means some scholarships will be coming.
4. Went out to dinner for my husbands birthday….. not very frugal but it was a new fun restaurant, the food was great and it was not too expensive.

Frugal/not frugal – on the way home from the restaurant my husband hit a deer. I don’t know if my car will be totaled. I was hoping to make it last ’til the last one is through college or it died. If it’s totalled we will hopefully buy a more fuel efficient, used car. So sad.

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Kristen November 7, 2016 at 4:46 am

So sorry about your car!

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Denise November 7, 2016 at 5:12 am

So sorry about the deer!

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Jill A November 7, 2016 at 7:29 am

Me too. He did walk away, so we couldn’t tell how badly he was injured, because he took off so fast. I’m hoping he survives. It wasn’t an area where we could follow him. My daughters saw a deer walk run back the other way a little while later, so I’m hoping that was him. Apparently they have many deer/car accidents in that area every year.

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Jill A November 7, 2016 at 7:26 am

Thank you Hopefully it can be fixed.

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Susan November 7, 2016 at 6:23 am

Sorry about the deer/car. It is tough with the car situation going into college years. We have a HS senior and a sophomore driving and would like to add a 3rd car to save me from all the driving or not having a car available (live in the Chicago burbs where public transit is non existent except to get downtown). Not sure yet what the college costs will be, so have been holding on pulling the trigger.

Congrats on the Honors invites. We are hoping for some good merit scholarships as we will not qualify for need based aid. With 2 following behind the senior, maximizing scholarship opportunities is key for this family!

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Jill A November 7, 2016 at 7:32 am

Thanks. We will have two in college next year. I’m hoping for scholarships, but not counting on it. We also won’t receive anything need based. Hopefully my car will be able to be fixed. They should be sending an adjuster soon. I’d like not to buy another car right now.

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Jill A November 9, 2016 at 3:22 am

Looks like my car should be able to be fixed. Very Happy!!! Just not up to car shopping/ spending money.

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K D November 7, 2016 at 4:54 am

1. I needed to travel to help out my mom last week. I packed a small amount so I could carry on my luggage. Everything in O’Hare was so expensive that I ate the apple and bars that I packed for dinner. On my return flight the airline tried to scare me into paying for an exit row seat (all that was left and $34 apiece), I waited to check in until I arrived at the airport and they gave me the seat for free (two can play that game).

2. I made applesauce in the slow cooker. I also threw in some mature pears.

3. We walked to the bread store to buy a half-price loaf of sourdough bread. I didn’t know they made varieties such as raisin-pecan, my husband thinks it’s wonderful. We passed on the sauerkraut rye.

4. We wanted to put a motion sensor light between the garage and the back door. I bought it from Home Depot online (with free in store pick up), going through an airline shopping portal. My daughter will earn a few miles, thereby keeping her previously earned miles (some airlines require activity in your frequent flyer account every 18 months or you start to lose miles).

5. My husband spotted an abandoned Blender bottle in a parking lot. We figured it was more likely to be run over than reclaimed so I got out of the car to pick it up and there was also a quarter near it.

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Alison November 7, 2016 at 5:08 am

Can you share some gift ideas with me? I love seeing recipients happy with the gift I give, but am having a harder time of it these days.

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Rith in Australia November 9, 2016 at 3:32 pm

I also hate deciding on gifts, it’s my dad’s Birthday today and mums in a week and I have nothing

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Bettypants November 7, 2016 at 5:28 am

The only shipping supplies I pay for is packing tape. A friend saves all her shipping bags from Target/Kohls, and I get used boxes and bubble wrap from work.
1. Bought a used (like new) copy of Nintendo Land for my sister’s kids for Christmas, after confirming they don’t already have it.
2. Took advantage of the warm weather yesterday to sort out my bin of Christmas lights, which are stored in the garage. Untangled, replaced all the blown bulbs on the good strings from a non-working string, and rolled them up neatly for storage.
3. An auction house opened near my house. We went Sat morning and I’m hooked. Everyone there was super nice and welcoming. He liquidates estates, and everything sells – no price minimums. They hold auctions twice a week, and we’re definitely going back!
4. Listed a lot of Boyds Bears on ebay, and a few other random items.
5. Stocked my freezer with $2 butter from Kroger. Might go back and buy a few more because we love our butter.

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JD November 7, 2016 at 6:08 am

1. We went grocery shopping after church again — as long as we’re in the city, we might as well grocery shop, t00– and we ate from the grocery store’s hot bar instead of eating at a restaurant. This one was a real win for me, because I was really craving a big Smashburger.
2. I’m wearing a new Coldwater Creek shirt to work that I got for $2 at a Goodwill near my sister’s house.
3. I was talking to my daughter recently and she mentioned that she and my son-in-law were headed to a local consignment store to get some winter outerwear for their toddler and baby. I felt so proud.
4. The usual stuff — leftovers for lunch, hung out some laundry before work.
5. I used up the last of my old store-bought floor cleaner and have switched to vinegar and water. Sometimes I think I should just order a tanker truck of vinegar and have it back up to my house and unload. I use vinegar for so many things, I buy 2-3 gallons of it at a time. One good thing is we almost always find ways to re-use the jugs, since my county won’t recycle them.

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BJS November 7, 2016 at 1:20 pm

#3 – Good job, Mama!

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chris November 7, 2016 at 6:43 am

I am just now starting to think about frugal things in this way…as separate events I can point to, rather than normal stuff I do automatically. It’s rewarding, a little pat on the back.

1. Our boys love Pokemon Go so we drove downtown (too far to walk, unfortunately) to walk around and find stuff. It was lots of fun, gorgeous weather, we got a couple of mini history-of-our-state lessons from public art.
2. My husband has holes in all of his sweatshirts but continues to wear them until he can get to Goodwill to find some new ones. He has a small build so Goodwill is full of practically new stuff in his size.
3. We are making our 1400 sq. ft Silence of the Lambs basement usable space on a budget of < $2k, including ~$800 in plumbing repairs. Lots of painted cement block, flooring from Habitat ReStore and repurposed furniture. Paint all the things!! It looks great and my wrist hurts. Ha. It is a lot to spend but it will double our living space and the reno involves necessary repairs to the walls and the plumbing.
4. I turned some holey towels into dishtowels.
5. I have sorted all of our summer clothes for items to sell to our consignment stores. I should make enough to buy a winter coat for myself (I wore a fall coat with layers last year!) and my ever-growing teenage son.

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Mand01 November 7, 2016 at 12:38 pm

My husband is the same – hardly changed size in 20 years. Being a small size makes it easier to find good clothes for him at thrift shops. I find that the most common good finds are shorts, jeans and button up shirts.

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chris November 7, 2016 at 2:50 pm

I do too! Last year he found several tshirts for his favorite football team, one of them from their Super Bowl win, new with tags. I thought he wouldn’t ever stop crowing about it. He needs jeans, as well, so I should add that to the list.

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Emily November 8, 2016 at 6:30 am

My parents didn’t finish the basement in our house until we were older and we had lived in our house for almost 15 years, but my brother and I loved to play down there anyway. Plus I could paint and do what I wanted since everything was concrete. And we used to roller blade down there ha!

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chris November 8, 2016 at 7:02 pm

Ha! My kids had trikes down there when they were little. It used to have carpet but it flooded in 2010 and has been bare ever since. This update, while simple, will give our boys a place to get more space…from us, from each other. It will be nice. We already have a ping pong table down there, so that is fun.

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kathy November 7, 2016 at 6:57 am

1. Visited with oldest son’s girlfriend, h.s. science teacher and her mom yesterday. I took up a box of school supplies (bought on sale w/coupons) and odds and ends I’d accumulated from events that will go into backpacks for low income students at Christmas. Girlfriend and mom had bought the backpacks
2. Son’s girlfriend sent me home with flowers and homemade lavender/lemon scones.
3. Girlfriend’s mom gifted me some succulents in pots.
4. Hubby didn’t want a big dinner so we had a salad with salmon on top. I wrote a complaint email to fresh express about 1/3 of the lettuce being brown.
5. Clipped coupons and sending balance to a low income senior. She clips for her family and friends.

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BJS November 7, 2016 at 12:51 pm

Kathy, your son’s girlfriend sounds like a keeper!

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LisaC November 7, 2016 at 7:00 am

1. Made chicken/rice soup with the broth made from rotisserie chicken leftovers, its in the crock pot waiting for me to come home after work today. Hubs has directions for when to add the rice.
2. Got some really current styles of sweaters at GW yesterday, our GW charges a set price for items, i.e. every sweater is 4.59. Makes it easier to just focus on quality.
3. Stayed home all weekend except for grocery shopping. Needed some peace and quiet to recoup from a hectic week.
4. Using junk mail envelopes for grocery lists, putting coupons inside.
5. Bought chicken breasts (boneless) from the butcher counter at HT for 1.99/lb. Never thought to look in there, I’d always passed it to go to the wrapped meat section. Who knew it would be cheaper to get it from the counter? A friend at work tipped me off about that.

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Betty Winslow November 7, 2016 at 7:22 am

1. Washing bath mats, towels, and shower curtain this morning, to try to make the curtain last a bit longer. I buy super-cheap white plastic shower curtain liners at Dollar Tree and they last a long time if you always pull them closed after a shower, to let them dry. I’m hoping the scrubbing action of the towels and the Oxyclean will freshen it and the rubber may up a bit. If not, I have a back-up stashed in the linen closet.
2. Went to Meijer last night with hubby to pick up a prescription (free – I love it) and found a bottle of tea tree oil marked down from $9.99 to $3.99. I’ve been waiting to use coupons at CVS, but for that price…. nab!
3. I’ve been Xmas shopping since the summer, so pulled it all out and made lists, so O could remember what I had and what I needed to look for. Delighted to see that, for the most part, I’m done!
4. My SIL bought me a large ziploc of discarded jewelry (mostly single earrings) at a garage sale, which I dismantled while watching football on Saturday. I’ll save the random earwires of various styles, for repair work, and use the dangles as material for some new jewelry for my Etsy store.
5. Going to have coffee with my adopted daughter’s mom today, at Starbucks, and already have my SB to-go mug ready, to save a dime. Eh, not much, but every dime counts! And a pumpkin spice latte with good company – yeah!!

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Mrs. Picky Pincher November 7, 2016 at 7:28 am

This week:

1. I picked oregano, basil, and rosemary from our yard. I also picked a few more chile piquins, which we’re drying to eat later. Yum!

2. I baked homemade muffins with a cinnamon crumble using just ingredients we had on hand. The big plus here was that Mr. Picky Pincher, an inveterate muffin-hater, loved them!

3. I used up pureed pumpkin from my freezer to make the Pioneer Woman’s pumpkin ravioli recipe. I made over 50 ravioli, which I froze for fancy quick-fix meals in the future. I also made a sage brown butter sauce with walnuts, which was also frozen for later.

4. We used our home warranty to fix our A/C. It turns out that we needed a new motor. The whole thing only cost us $75 for a service fee, since it was covered by our policy. We saved several hundred bucks!

5. Our bonus room is now cleaned out and usable again, so I’ve started my workout routine once again. Feels good to get in shape!

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nancy from mass November 7, 2016 at 7:36 am

1. Hubby just got out of the hospital (5 days). thankfully, he hit his out of pocket for the year so it wont cost us any more.
2. my SIL and 2 of her kids came down on saturday to visit. I made a batch of HM pizza using what i had on hand. everyone loved it and it only cost me ingredients! (also made rice pudding with LO rice for dessert)
3. my MIL and FIL came down yesterday to visit and i took shredded beef i vacuum-froze, put it in the crockpot and served that on rolls with chips and pickles. made a chocolate cake (scratch) with what i had on hand for dessert.
4. Just found .11 in the 1st floor bathroom. just sitting there waiting for me to find it. (i work on the top floor, but walk down to that bathroom for extra exercise)
5. won an award at work (i get to choose from different gift cards). this is the second award won in the past month. Last time I chose a panera GC for SIL and a Longhorn for MIL/FIL. this time I’m choosing an amazon GC to go along with the other amazon GC i received for a survey and will buy a Christmas gift with the money. ($25 for each card!)

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nancy from mass November 7, 2016 at 7:41 am

the first thing is really a win/lose….win because this would probably end in a $40,000 bill going to the insurance company that we won’t have to pay a dime on….lose because he hit his out of pocket and it added to the money already owed and being paid on budget plans. (I feel i will NEVER get the medical bills paid off). Funny thing is, the hospital we owe the most money to (there are 5 in all) keeps sending us letters asking for donations for others who can’t afford their medical bills! Makes me laugh every time.

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Ethel November 7, 2016 at 7:42 am

Your birthday gift arrangement doesn’t sound mercenary to me at all. I am terrible at coming up with good gift ideas. I get very stressed about it too, because if I’m going to spend money on someone, I want it to be meaningful to them. I wish there was someone in my family that was constantly coming up with good gift ideas for me to give!

Anyway, FFT:
1. Cooked dinner at home for the most part this weekend (ate McDonalds once and ate at our church café Sunday morning).
2. Started a couple of projects in order to declutter our house. Art on the walls takes up much less space than art pieces stuffed into closets 🙂
3. Didn’t go thrifting. Didn’t need anything, so didn’t buy anything.
4. Brought lunch to work today-added some odds and ends from the fridge together to a)avoid waste and b)keep me from eating out.
5. ???

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Is it a need or a want November 7, 2016 at 7:45 am

(1) A friend gifted me a bag carrots from her garden at a meeting. At same meeting someone brought a leftover apple pie from a fundraiser and sent an email to the group saying she had the refreshments covered.
(2) A new volunteer to a charity I belong to took it on herself to sew drawstring gift bags out of scrap and donated fabrics. We sell items made from a woman’s cooperative overseas and have never used bags for purchases. Wow , were they a hit . Everybody loves something free:)
(3) Had a bit of a snafula with dinner plans on Friday evening. Gift cards received for a birthday saved the day.
(4) Purchased an electronic device from a big box store on Friday. Realized Saturday that I needed a bigger size and went to a different location to exchange it.
I had checked online and saw the larger model had a sale price.
The second store had no sales tickets up and proceeded to ring through the regular price until I mentioned it was on sale.
Moral of story, always check to see if stores have items on sale. Appears sometimes sales don’t appear in a timely manner in store.
(5) Found canning lids on sale for an awesome price. The till I was at got caught up in a price check stall . Started talking to person behind me about the awesome deal. She went and purchased some while we waited for the line to move:)

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Vickie November 7, 2016 at 8:20 am

1) Ate the oatmeal and berries I have here at work for breakfast and drank free Starbucks coffee a coworker brought in.
2) I picked up more audiobooks at the Library.
3) I get to exercise at the gym today – yay!! First time in over 3 weeks, since my husband had surgery. I’m anxious to get back on track.
4) I enrolled in our new Insurance program at work and reworked a few of my other choices, so it looks like I’ll save over $38 per month now.
5) I will be eating the frozen lunches I have here at work and don’t plan to eat out this week.
Frugal Fail: I lost my car key while shopping for pet food at lunch last Friday. It’s a chipped key, so the car has to be present at the dealership to get a new one. Fortunately, my auto insurance covered the tow over there. The new key cost $188, because of the computer chip- apparently that’s the standard price, since I compared it with another dealership. Totally ridiculous and proves why the new cars are so expensive. Then I get home and find the key I thought I lost in the bottom of my shopping bag – the one place I failed to look. Sigh.
Well, at least I have another key in case it ever happens again. God forbid. 🙁

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chris November 7, 2016 at 9:54 am

I thought my husband had lost our extra key, so I used the one with the broken fob for a year. It meant that my alarm went off EVERY time I unlocked the car. Very annoying. We had just started a business and the budget was tight so I just put up with it because bills and food came first. The business started to really make money and we saved up to replace our decrepit sofa. I flipped over one of the sections (it only fit through the door upside down, lol) and the long lost key fell out!! The whole family cheered!

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Bettypants November 7, 2016 at 12:58 pm

Too late for this to be helpful, but the car alarm won’t go off with a manual unlock if you: lock your doors but pull up lock button on the driver’s side before you close the door, then close the door, open it and press the lock down, close the door again. All locked, but the driver’s side can be opened with the key and the alarm won’t go off.

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chris November 7, 2016 at 3:00 pm

Really? Most of the time I would have still just let the alarm go off…lol. I might be a bit lazy. But..at night or close to houses? That would have been great. I didn’t mind the alarm going off at Target.

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Julie C November 9, 2016 at 1:50 pm

I always just manually hit the lock button on the door before shutting it and after a few seconds all the doors lock and the alarm sets. Then I manually unlock with the key and never have any trouble with the alarm going off.

I lost the fobs a long time ago. Last year, my son lost the key at football practice. We searched high and low, in the parking lot, the locker room (gross!), the grass, etc. Finally broke down and had a locksmith come out to rekey it for about $300. Once he unlocked the door, we searched the car and found nothing. About a year later, while vacuuming the car, I guess I hit the right combination of moving the seat around and the long-lost key dislodged from the tracks. It was a little rough around the edges where it had been caught on the tracks all that time. It still opens the car, but won’t start it.

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Vickie November 8, 2016 at 11:26 am

Oh wow, that would be annoying! Glad you found the other key. I’d be cheering too!!

I felt SO stupid. I just bought this car off my niece in September. The only extra key that came with it wasn’t chipped. It worked to get into the car, but it wouldn’t start the car, since it had no chip.
I searched the car more than once, went back in the store and retraced my steps and checked with Customer Service twice – nothing. The ONLY place I didn’t check was my shopping bag.
I did find out, when I was at the dealership, there are apparently some recalls on it. I guess my niece didn’t know, because she inherited the car last Spring from her Dad’s estate. They were moving and didn’t need 2 cars, so she decided to sell it to add to their moving stash.
So, I’m trying to look a the bright side of things – now I can get the recalls taken care of and I now have an extra key, so I won’t have to go through that again!!

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Jill A November 9, 2016 at 6:49 am

Not exactly helpful to you now, but I think you can buy a chipped key and program it yourself if you have a second key. It is quite a bit cheaper than the dealership price. I think you can also get them at a locksmith shop. I checked into it when we bought my daughter a car and wanted a new one. I just ended up buying the regular key to unlock the door, just in case she locks her keys in her car, because I didn’t want to pay the extra cost.

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Sheila November 7, 2016 at 8:48 am

Let’s see if I can make it to five –
1. Went to a Pilates class yesterday that we’d purchased through Groupon with my hubby. Much more reasonable than another club we were considering. We both got a good workout and realized how much we need to get in shape!
2. Started refinishing the mirror from our bathroom. The finish was just coming off so we figured we’d give cleaning it up a try. Fingers crossed that it turns out okay!
3. Invited a friend over for lunch instead of going out as that’s been my frugal fail lately.
4. Put away a bunch of clothes and “found” several pair of underwear. I kept thinking I would need to buy more so that’s a win.
5. Drove our old car instead of getting a new one. My car was totaled last year and we discovered how easy it is to share 3 cars between 4 people!
Whew, I’ve been feeling the frugal fails so much lately that it’s a relief to list some wins!

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BJS November 7, 2016 at 12:43 pm

1. Hadn’t done a bit of work on my 9/30/16 money chart entries, so I worked on it a little this weekend. It’s a spreadsheet I’ve kept since December 1994 (!) that tracks how much money I have, quarterly.

2. My daughter cut my husband’s hair for the second time. Last time I did 90% of it and she watched, but this time she did 90% of it and I just gave her a couple of pointers here and there.

3. Continuing to use up a large bottle of mouthwash that I bought for my son, but that neither he nor I like. It’s citrus-flavored which sounds great, but I prefer the harsh, medicinal-tasting one!

4. My husband and I went out to dinner with another couple. Not frugal (although we did both just drink water), but a lot of fun. The frugal part is that my kids are old enough to stay home by themselves now, so no babysitter fees. It wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t imagine leaving them home alone … time goes fast.

5. Came home from the dinner and had a family movie night (the movie was DVR’d from the TV).

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Shannon November 8, 2016 at 5:29 am

How old are your kids? I know mine are getting close and we have left them for VERY short times. I think soon they would be fine for a couple of hours if we went to dinner. They are about to turn 12 and 9 within the next couple of months. They are both responsible boys. Our state has no laws for ages as I know some do.

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Emily November 8, 2016 at 7:49 am

I babysit/nanny and people will leave 9-10 year olds home for short periods of time during the day or early evening. I had a babysitter until I was 13-14 because I was scared and my brother and I argued a lot lol. I would just make sure rules are clear and they have a way to contact you, maybe notify a neighbor as well! 🙂

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BJS November 9, 2016 at 6:02 am

Shannon, my kids are almost 14, and 10. My husband and I have low expectations for them when we leave them alone (for a few hours at a time or less, usually) — don’t destroy each other or the house. 🙂

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Nancy November 7, 2016 at 1:00 pm

1. Didn’t leave the house yesterday, except to go to the yard and neighbors’ house – so no gas used and no money spent.
2. Cooked a crockpot of calico beans (kind of like kidney beans) for chili and pasta and bean soup this week. These are from my garden and the original seeds came from Italy when my DH’s grandmother visited over 40 years ago. We have been passing the seeds through the family and replanting them ever since.
3. Picked thyme, rosemary and the last of the cilantro from the garden. We are in Eastern Washington and have had one frost, but not a hard enough one to kill the herbs yet Put the thyme in the dehydrator and chopped and froze the cilantro in 1/4 cup portions.
4. Made two lasagnas out of ingredients we had on hand.Made
5. Had popcorn for a snack last night, made applesauce from apples I purchased from a grower for $14 for a box (about 42 pounds) when I visited my mother a couple weeks ago.

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Mand01 November 8, 2016 at 12:42 am

That’s so cool that you have bean seeds passed down through the generations.

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Ruby November 7, 2016 at 4:34 pm

1. Asked the hospital last week if there was a discount for paying upfront for our part of the bill. Tbey said no. At least I tried.
2. Bought my husband a brand new G.H. Bass sweater at Goodwill. It’s his favorite style too. Also bought a flannel sheet to protect the sofa from the dogs for 99 cents.
3. Packed my lunch and drinks to work and wore a mostly thrifted outfit.
4. Puppy chewed the toes of my work shoes, but I think the shoe shop can get the gouges out of the leather.
5. Made a delicious supper out of bits of leftovers from the freezer.

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reese November 8, 2016 at 1:35 pm

I have a cat that likes to chew on leather shoes. I’ve NEVER thought of bringing it in to a shop and see if they can fix it! Will add this to my “a-ha!” list 🙂

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Lide November 7, 2016 at 4:45 pm

I love FFT – look forward to reading every post!
1. Added to my “found change jar” – $1.55 – school hallways, LOL – kids drop stuff but they don’t pick it up.
2. Had extra coffee – bought it on sale at Sam’s for a great price & stored it – knew my dad would want it when I wasn’t planning a trip so I was ready!
3. Take lunch & drinks to work everyday- avoided expensive catered lunch last week because of this.
4. Been watching for a pair of sketchers in brown since last May – finally snagged a new unworn pair at GW for $7.99!
5. Picked up stock up items at grocery store this weekend – need some of them for Thanksgiving. Got some lushious chocolate at Aldi’s – 5 bars for $1.99.

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katie November 7, 2016 at 5:52 pm

1. Picked up an insane amount of eggs for $.40 a dozen. This sale hits about once a year and I always stock up. I will have enough eggs to meet all of holiday baking needs.
2. A family member cleaned out a linen closet and gifted us with over 30 bath towels and more hand towels than you can imagine. I will only keep enough to replace our see-through towels and give the rest to a needy family in town. I will turn our old towels into rags.
3. We took the kids to pick up a free taco for the World Series promo at Taco Bell. They were so happy and excited about this treat that it made me realize that grateful children are a byproduct of frugal living. Thanks Taco Bell!
4. Went to lunch with a high school friend who I haven’t seen in years. Chose the $5 lunch, drank water and enjoyed catching up.
5. Found $.13 on the ground and added it to the found change jar.

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WilliamB November 7, 2016 at 6:47 pm

One notable Frugal Thing: I decided to make rice bags for my family’s holiday gifts. They’re long tubes of fabric filled with rice, that can be hot packs (microwave) or cold packs (freezer). Estimated marginal cost is $1.50-$2 per gift. Inputs are:
– 16″x23″ piece of fabric; taken from the scrap pile at my maker space;
– embroidery of recipient’s name; done at maker space on embroidery machine, thread included in membership, backing from scrounging around;
– sewing the tube shut; done at maker space on sewing machine, thread included in membership;
– rice to half-fill the tube; about $.50/lb, est 3 lbs per tube.

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Bee November 8, 2016 at 2:58 am

These are such wonderful gifts. I am on my third. Love them! May I offer a suggestion? I made a cover for my last one. Allows you to keep it clean. I use mine so much it can get a bit yucky looking.

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WilliamB November 8, 2016 at 9:03 am

Thanks for the idea, Bee. But I’m not there yet – I don’t even know how to sew a zipper. To clean mine, I pour the rice out via an opened seam, launder the tube, and replace the rice.

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K D November 8, 2016 at 11:25 am

I made a replacement rice bag for a friend and made pillow case like covers, with a bit of Velcro to keep them fastened. I figured they’d last longer that way.

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reese November 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm

I had just a sleeve of fabric, sewed in a circle, slightly bigger than the bag, on mine. Then it can come on and off without velcro or zippers. Easy to put in the wash as well! It’s not a high-movement activity to use one of the bags… so it stayed put just fine!

kathleen November 8, 2016 at 2:17 pm

That’s a great gift! I made rice-filled hand warmers once for a coworker whose hands were always cold. For at home I just fill cotton tube socks and tie them closed with string. 🙂

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Bee November 8, 2016 at 9:25 am

I wish that I had FFT. I don’t think that I have had one over the last few days. I have been functioning in a wave of chaos. But today is another day.

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BJS November 9, 2016 at 5:53 am

Bee, I hope things get better soon. Your comments on here are always so uplifting and kind. I just wanted to give you some encouragement and tell you that I’m thinking of you. I’ll look for an update from you on Katy’s next FFT post!

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Gina in KY November 9, 2016 at 6:02 am

Bee, I hope the chaos subsides soon for you! I know how it feels and it’s not fun. {hugs}

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Bee November 9, 2016 at 8:12 am

Thank you!!! ! I always appreciate your kind words. I have just been really busy, but today I am catching up with things. 🙂

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rebecca November 8, 2016 at 9:45 am

1. I had this morning off so I cooked a bunch of healthy food to have on hand for the next few days.
2. Windows are open as it it a balmy 60 degrees here in the Boston area. Love fresh air!
3. I have cauliflower, onion, and broth in the crockpot for a healthy soup.
4. Looking forward to coming home tonight to watch the returns and feel grateful this election is over.
5. Feeling grateful that no matter who wins tonight, our country will survive and weather any storms that occur.

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Emily November 8, 2016 at 10:01 am

I love your number 5. I think it’s important to remember that our country makes up 4% the world, which means 96% of the world has their eyes on us today. We are an extremely influenctial country and our turmoil negatively impacts the rest of the world. A podcast I listened to today reminded me that no matter the outcome, we need to remember those who disagree with us are our adversaries, not enemies. Our enemies lie beyond our borders, and are wishing this election brings more conflict within the US. So, watch what you say out of anger and disappointment; because it reflects poorly on us all.

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Emily November 8, 2016 at 10:12 am

1. Found a few nice things at goodwill to resell and 2 sports bras for myself that are much needed.

2. Put together a box of items for a friend of someone I work with. She left due to domestic abuse, and was not able to take anything. Times like this I am so thankful for my mild cocooning and stockpiling! Was able to give a lot of new personal care items that would have cost well over 50 dollars new, and I definitely don’t have the cash to do it right now.

3. Ordered the year supply of contacts. 480 dollars *instert long string of mumbled swear words here* but I get a hefty rebate, a lower price, and possibly have spent enough this year to claim some on taxes.

4. I really wanted a peppermint mocha , but experimented with my nespresso machine. Put a shot of espresso in a cup of packet hot choclate with some peppermint flavor. Was it Starbucks? No. But it also wasn’t overpriced and possibly disappointing so, win.

5. Using a free trial of sling tv to watch the election. Put a reminder in my phone to cancel next week before they charge me.

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Emily November 8, 2016 at 10:13 am

Couponing** lol not cocooning?

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kathleen November 8, 2016 at 2:52 pm

1. Husband is out doing maintenance on our ten-year-old car. So glad he is able and willing.
2. Stopped at the Container Store on a whim, browsed, left without buying a thing.
3. Baked a huge tray of large potatoes last night. Had some with dinner, and scooped out rest, made twice baked, and froze for easy future meal sides.
4. Cooking from pantry and freezer still.
5. Mild weather = low electric bill. 🙂

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Zippy November 8, 2016 at 5:33 pm

I have to ask, why are you listing anything on Ebay with only a two word title?

Vintage, silver tone, silver, wristwatch, ladies, analog, oval, working, that’s a quick mix off the top of my head without handling the watch.

You get 80 spaces, use them!

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Katy November 8, 2016 at 7:21 pm

This watch had been part of a “lot,” so I put this listing together for a specific buyer. She bought it as soon as it was listed.

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Gina in KY November 9, 2016 at 6:10 am

I’ve had a rough past month and my frugalness seems to be suffering. On top of that I have visitors coming to my city and I will need to entertain (I have been looking for cheap items to do and stay). Anyway…

1. I did my first self-infection of B12. I had to summon all the gods of courage to send that needle through my thigh. I have a condition that requires monthly injections and I had been going to the Drs office to get them. They talked me into learning to poke myself and I did! Anyway, saves the office charge which is mostly insurance covered; however, any insurance savings will hopefully reflect for lower costs for us all.

2. Found an inexpensive hotel to stay at while my friend is here. It is a left-over “Wigwam Village” style motel that was once cool in the 50s. There were once hundreds and now, I think, only three exists: Here in KY, one in AZ and CA (I believe). I am looking forward to the kitchy-ness of it.

3. Eating food I have like eggs from my hens and lots of rice and beans.

4. Drinking lots of water and I am dropping pounds and feeling much more hydrated.

5. Cutting my coffee consumption in half. I will never quit entirely unless forced to, but by cutting the number of cups I drink will hopefully help reduce costs.

Guess that’s it for this boring edition. 🙂

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Bee November 9, 2016 at 8:19 am

It sounds like we are having the same type of month. Too bad we can’t have lunch. Wishing you the best. BTW, you are brave to give yourself injections, and I would never voluntarily give up coffee!

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JD November 9, 2016 at 9:14 am

My husband remembers staying in the Wigwams when they traveled back home to Florida from north Ohio and north Illinois, in the early 60’s! He LOVED them!

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