Five Frugal Things — Moonshine, Filtering & No Lear Jet

by Katy on February 25, 2014 · 20 comments

  1. I took my older son and one of our former Japanese exchange students to go hear my sister’s band The Moonshine last night. It was a special free gig that fit perfectly into our schedule, and the owner told us that our non-alcoholic drinks “Were on the house!” Sweet!
  2. I read on Pinterest that you can put your vacuum cleaner filter through the dishwasher. I was a bit skeptical, but since I’ve simply been cleaning ours with a rubba-scrubba since 2001, I thought I’d give it a try. And it worked great, and looks as good as new! And since a new filter costs $15, this was a great discovery! (Note, I did not wash any dishes with the same load.)
  3. Sunday was a very busy day with soccer and errands. Not to mention that I was still ridiculously exhausted from having driven nine hours the previous day. It would have been sooo easy to order takeout for dinner, but instead I pulled a pan of restuffed potatoes from the freezer and all was well. I gave last week’s Katy a little thank you, perhaps even out loud.
  4. I took a pot of red pepper hummus back to New Season’s for a refund. The texture had been weirdly pasty and everyone (including me) refused to eat it. Yes, it had been bought for Super Bowl Sunday, but that made no difference. I left with $3.50 in hand, which I promptly popped into the boys’ college fund.
  5. I did not buy a Lear Jet.

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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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

tracey February 25, 2014 at 2:44 pm

Oddly enough, I also did not buy a lear jet today. 🙂

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WilliamB February 26, 2014 at 9:19 am

What a coincident – I didn’t either!

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Jan February 25, 2014 at 3:05 pm

Yesterday I cleaned out a basket that was full of all sorts of interesting things and found a $25 Amazon gift card that had been forgotten. Too bad, so sad for someone who is off to college… 🙂 I magically turned it into 12 glass tumblers for the kitchen and paid no shipping. The total cost came out to $3.oo… This makes me very happy. I was tired of trying to figure out how to serve drinks to guests in old coffee mugs.

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Tracy Stone February 25, 2014 at 3:18 pm

It’s so cool that you have a rubba-scrubba too!
(and I’m sorry you didn’t get your Lear Jet)

I was very frugal today as I had a tummy bug, so I did not go anywhere or buy anything.

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Maggie February 25, 2014 at 4:47 pm

I shipped a flute I sold on eBay. I bought it secondhand for $30, used it for 6 years, and upgraded, so I’m glad to have the money in my account and one less thing in my house!
Yesterday I sold a baby carrier I found on the curb. It was in great condition, and I made $5 for carrying it home and washing it.
I visited Victoria’s Secret and used two coupons I got in the mail. I walked out with two pairs of panties for a whalloping 54 cents! That’s cheaper than buying a multi pack of panties, so I’m happy as a clam. I have one more coupon for a free pair of panties, so I’m planning on going back tomorrow for that pair.
I swung by McDonalds and got a large coffee for $1. I paid for it with three quarters I found on the ground, one quarter rescued from the crack in the washer drum, and eight pennies I located in a purse I haven’t used in YEARS.
I visited Target for baby wipes, one pack of NB disposable diapers for our bun in the oven (I refuse to use cloth with meuconium. Will not do it.), dishwasher soap, Tide detergent, and noodles. I saved $28 using manufacturer’s coupons, Target coupons, and Cartwheel! We even got a free sample of a fancy Tide with one of the bottles of plain old Tide.
We continued using cloth diapers and washing them in the aforementioned Tide, all bought with double coupons and Cartwheel.

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Jen February 26, 2014 at 4:32 am

Awesome job Maggie!!

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jennifer February 25, 2014 at 6:02 pm

1. Rather than running around to multiple stores, I did a one stop shop at Target. With coupons, Carthwheel, Red card and gift card, I saved over $50.

2. Remembered to renew my son’s movie that was due at the library today.

3. Used a $1 credit I had at Amazon and got a song for .29.

4. Scrounged around the freezer and fridge for dinner for my 7 year old and I. My husband works Tuesdays so it’s a no fuss meal, usually leftovers or stuff hubby doesn’t like. Tonight: hot dogs, fries and cottage cheese.

5. Remembered to scan my Target receipt for Checkout 51! Made $3.50 today!

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K D February 26, 2014 at 4:55 am

1. A blogger I follow (Tiny Green Elephants) is trying to help stock a classroom library so I purchased a Used – Like New book from the wish list. It was less than $5 total (mostly postage) and I used Swagbucks to pay for it.

2. I took a walk with a friend while we caught up on our lives. Because I was meeting her after lunch I packed a lunch and a reuseable water bottle.

3. I stopped by Safeway to stock up on the items that were both a good sale and that I had coupons for. I spent less than $25 for three large reuseable bags full of stuff.

4. I made Butternut Squash soup early in the morning, using butternut squash from the freezer. It will be my lunch the next few days.

5. I am sending back charitable donation request forms with the message that I’d like to be removed from their mailing lists. I am receiving solicitations from charities I have never heard of and I am trying to save them money (and reduce the environmental impact). I have made $.23 from three of the mailings over the past week (it is ridiculous when they send pennys or nickels).

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kris February 26, 2014 at 5:06 am

1. Getting to eat lunch (free!) all week at work. I finally got a new job and left the hospital! (whoo-hoo) I’m working at a Camp & Conference Center and we have a couple of groups here all week that we are feeding, so when they eat, we eat, lol.
2. Bringing home from work the leftovers I brought in on Monday (forgetting we were eating this week) so I can use them tonight for our ‘dinner of leftovers’ before church.
3. Did all my laundry on the ‘cold’ cycle.
4. OH! My biggest frugal thing was I got rid of my cable!! I had a bundle with Comcast (internet & cable), so I shopped around and found out with no bundle, AT&T offered the lowest internet so I went with them (I did have to spend $99.00 for the router) I bought a Roku from bestbuy.com because I don’t have an HD TV, so I had to get a special one ($47.00) then I ordered Hulu ($8.00) and Netflix ($8.00). I normally pay between $150 and $180 for my cable/internet with Comcast, so for $162.00 of upfront costs (the cost of 1 average month), I’m all set. My internet & paid tv services will cost me roughly $50 a month, so I will be saving anywhere between $100-$130 a month. THAT makes me a HAPPY girl!
5. Have to make the snack for our 1st/2nd grader group tonight at church, so I’m going to make Monkey Munch ~ and I have all the ingredients on hand, so no spending at the grocery store. 🙂

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marie February 26, 2014 at 2:34 pm

is monkey munch, like muddy buddies?

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kris February 27, 2014 at 4:29 am

Yes! And it was a hit, lol. Some of the kids had never had it and they all left the room looking like they’d been in a baby powder fight, lol.

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Linda from mass February 26, 2014 at 5:34 am

I made 12 freezer meals in a little over 1 hour. They are in the freezer for nights when I am not home or too busy to cook. Easy and quick!

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Diane February 26, 2014 at 6:00 am

I gave away all my unfinished craft projects and most of my supplies, donated finished projects and organized the remainders. This way I have just enough. Purging like this took such a weight off my shoulders. Now I am using up soft yarn a friend gave me knitting baby hats.

Today I’m making honey wheat oatmeal bread, banana muffins and zucchini boat pizzas….all from ingredients at home.

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Taylor Dickinson February 26, 2014 at 6:32 am

Hi Katy! Been a follower for a while now, love it when your blog updates appear in my inbox. Not sure if this article is fully in the spirit of non-consumerism, but I came across it on Fast Company this morning and thought of your blog.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026869/why-the-new-american-workforce-wants-better-consumption-not-just-more?partner=newsletter

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L. Carrie February 26, 2014 at 8:05 am

1. Modified a king sized duvet to fit a queen goose down comforter. The large cover was a Company Store design I particularly liked. Stalked it at the local Company Store Outlet and ultimately purchased it 65% off the outlet price. Enough left over material to make 2 pillow cases.
2. Health and beauty supply maintenance – washed out makeup brushes, sharpened eye liners, cleaned containers, etc.
3. Repaired holes in a nice sweater (on the seams, easily fixed.)
4. Spread free sand Spouse picked up at the local fire station to combat the terribly icy sidewalk and steps.
5. Roasted a chicken and made stock from the carcass. It was a scrawny stewing hen purchased from a local farmer, but there is still enough meat for one or two meals. Picked the bones completely clean and the cats got little meaty and gristly bits. The cats love stock day!

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Joanne T. February 26, 2014 at 12:15 pm

1. Finally made a new batch of laundry detergent.
2. Cut up a badly stained t-shirt for rags.
3. Worked on a knitted stuffed animal I’m making for a friend’s son’s birthday.
4. Returned a skein of yarn for store credit. It was my son’s favorite color but it’s too scratchy for him (I think it is beautiful but we might never use it).
5. I was going to take my sewing machine in for service but I think it just needs some oiling so I’m going to research how to do that myself, maybe. The guys at the shop are always pressuring me to buy a new whatever-it-is that I bring in for service (sewing machine, vacuum).

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stephanie February 26, 2014 at 5:47 pm

I organized the girls’ closet over vacation and inventoried their clothes/shoes. I was feeling good so went to the thrift store and found a few items on their list including rainboots for 99 cents. I managed to find some basics that never show up at our thrift stores online with free shipping and 40% off. Other than some shoes and a few odds and ends they are set and I am significantly under budget. A friend announced baby #3 and they are getting the last of the baby/toddler stuff lying around- they are happy and it gets out of my house. A bag of hand me downs went to another friend with girls. I used a gift credit to get a breadbox, I have wanted one for years but it has been low priority- this store didn’t have anything I needed/wanted except the breadbox so I am quite content. We had friends over for brunch and they all left food behind so the kids have been eating cream cheese and homemade jelly on homemade bread and random veggies for lunch everyday and juice to drink none of which we purchased. Homemade oatmeal bread is fabulous!

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Megg February 26, 2014 at 8:20 pm

Tonight I resisted the lure of takeout and had my husband make homemade mac and cheese instead (I forgot to defrost something).

I finally convinced my husband to sell some of his models that he wasn’t playing with (role playing games) on Ebay. He made over $200, which he’ll invest in models he does use, and I got more stuff out of the house!
While he was at the post office, I had him mail 3 other packages that were waiting to be mailed for a couple months (not things sold online!) We spent around $20 to mail them, but it’s clutter out of my house and my mom and MIL will finally get their birthday presents!

This isn’t exactly frugal, but it made me happy…I reached my goal for our annual campaign at work! Money going to a good cause!

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Lauren (in PA) March 5, 2014 at 10:00 am

I’m glad you were able to wash your filter, but I just want you to know that you were lucky!

I work for an industrial vacuum company, and many time, more often than not, if you was filters they become misshappen, or shrink and then are unsuable.

I just wanted do share that for anyone else who may try, that it might not work.

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Katy March 5, 2014 at 12:27 pm

I knew it was a gamble, but since I’d never replaced the filter, I was willing to roll the dice.

Katy

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