Five Frugal Things -- Yard Debris Bin Wars
- My husband and I were craving something yummy, so I called in a falafel order from our favorite spot, but made it frugal by ordering a single serving with an extra pita, as their portions are enormous. I then split the singe entree into two and it was perfectly filling.
- I raked my neighbor's leaves, which is something I sometimes do in exchange for them allowing me to occasionally put our yard debris bin out with their pickup. (We share garbage pickup with our next door neighbors, which is only an issue this time of year when the trees have lost all their leaves.) They have mobility issues, so it's something I feel good about either way.
Plus it's good exercise.
- My husband and I went for a walk through the neighborhood and passed by someone who'd also repaired their yard debris bin. However, they did so in a much more professional manner than me, with my ever present stash of duct tape and zip ties. Now I'm envious and perhaps not "keeping up with the Joneses" as well as I thought I was.
It might not last as long, but it does keep a huge hunk of plastic out of the landfill. - I tore the handle off our Yankee's reusable bag by carrying a 17-pound turkey, but was able to repair it using, yes -- duct tape! (Duct tape, what can't you do?!) This isn't going to transform us into multi-millionaires. but it's one more thing that stays in circulation and out of the landfill.
Before:
After:
5. I hate scrubbing the tile in our shower surround, which means that I procrastinate the job until the mildew and pink bacteria take over. It's gross and I count on the steady stream of house guests to keep me on track. However, it's been awhile since the last house guest, so I added it to my to-do list and decided to set the stop watch on my phone see quantify how long the task actually takes. For the record, it feels like hours, maybe even days.
The answer was fourteen minutes and nineteen seconds, which is a reasonable amount of time. So next time I ruin an entire day dreading this chore, I can remind myself that it takes less than fifteen minutes.
Have you ever employed this motivational method to time yourself doing unpleasant tasks? I've also done it for emptying the dishwasher and scooping the litter boxes.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I also hate cleaning our bathroom and have dedicated a trusty bottle of white vinegar and blue Dawn to liberally spray over everything to make the job much easier. I still procrastinate, but hey at least it's easy to scrub away.
1. Not feeling well today so I'm snuggled in bed doing as little as possible. I managed to cross 'fix a stuffed animal' off my "I'll get to it when I have time" list.
2. My husband walked with our kids to the local library for the free story and craft time today. They're returning our previously borrowed books and will probably come home with some new treasures.
3. Yesterday he made back $11 from recycling cans and put it towards some groceries.
4. I made bagels for dinner last night, breakfast sandwiches, and have enough for another 1-2 meals left over. They went straight to the freezer once they cooled so we wouldn't be tempted to snack on them.
5. I have made it to day 141 on Duolingo! My head feels so fuzzy today that I'm sure I'll have to redo my lesson from today later as I didn't retain anything, but I'm proud for making an effort to learn a new language! And it's for free!