Five Frugal Things

by Katy on September 16, 2015 · 47 comments

Hydrangeas

  1. The Grocery Outlet had 12-ounce packets of ham chub ends on clearance for 50¢ each, so I bought four. I froze three packs and then chopped up the other to add to last night’s white bean soup. I should have bought all of them!
  2. I went and cleaned one of my mother’s guest cottages last night after clearing up from dinner. Although it was 9 o’clock and I was starting to get sleepy, I still drove across town to help my mom out and make some extra money. It wasn’t so bad once I got started since I had my earbuds and a good podcast, plus I was happy to just get the chore over with. The money will go towards my son’s college fund and supports a debt-free life for my family.
  3. My older son has been wearing the same pair of shoes for at least two years, and I’ve been begging him to get a new pair before heading off to college. Yesterday he walked down to the Buffalo Exchange consignment shop and picked out an awesome pair of shoes, as well as a much needed pair of pants. The best part? He spent gift cards he’d earned from selling clothing we’d KonMari’d from his room.
  4. I used my neighborhood’s buy nothing group to rehome a DVD of August Osage County, and am arranging to pick up a few extra gallons of milk from someone else. (Hooray for having a chest freezer!)
  5. I mailed the A Guide to Budgeting For The Young Couple booklet to my friend Greta, who wants it for her father-in-law, (although I scanned it first so I can share the entirety on the blog), I brought in hydrangeas from the backyard for a pretty arrangement, I returned bottles and cans for $2.20, I found 76¢ on the ground at the credit union, I dropped off plastics recycling, I walked to the grocery store and I put on a sweater rather than turn on the heat.

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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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }

Helene September 16, 2015 at 10:31 am

Katy, that’s like TEN frugal things!

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Cynthia Ferguson September 16, 2015 at 10:36 am

I counted 8 things that you did in #5;)

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Elise @ Simply Scaled Down September 16, 2015 at 10:40 am

Awesome job! I am always amazed at how frugal you can be every day! Here are a few from my day.
1) Took my youngest on a bike ride. I got exercise and she was entertained for free. win, win.
2) Tonight we have a big kick off at church and I dug out some old craft paper to make fliers for the kids to take home as reminders for next week.
3) My 4 year old and I started working on what she is going to make her sister for her birthday (spoiler…its a teddy bear). Instead of buying each other gifts they make something for their birthdays and Christmas. Bonus…I already had fleece left over from an old blanket my mother-in-law gave me!
4) I made a whole crock pot full of pulled chicken (which was on clearance for $.90 a lb!). Now I’ll divide it up into dinner sized portions and freeze the left overs. That’s about 7 dinners I don’t have to worry about cooking any meat!
5) I made peanut butter cookies last night with the almond flour I made from the pulp left over from making almond milk, and didn’t use any eggs or butter in the recipe. Super yummy and super frugal!

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cathy September 16, 2015 at 10:40 am

1. It’s pouring rain, and has been rainy since Monday so I haven’t had to water the yard.
2. We went to a wedding last night that was further than way across town. Carpooled with relatives. Even though we drove, we took the hybrid Camry so we got good mileage and put fewer emissions into the air.
3. Went in on a wedding gift with the same relatives.
4. Even though it’s significantly cooler w/ the rain, I still have the windows open for the fresh air and am wearing leggings under a skirt and a sweater to stay warm.
5. Son wanted to use some gift money for an iPad. He ordered it through the large university where my husband works, got a small discount and didn’t have to pay sales tax!
6. Frugal win for others: We had quite a bit of leftover food after son’s bar mitzvah party I was able to give A LOT away to friends and family so it wouldn’t go bad (like salad greens I didn’t have room to store and previously frozen chicken I couldn’t refreeze). It was great to be able to give back to so many people who helped make the weekend run smoothly.

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Lisa W. September 16, 2015 at 10:45 am

I have a very cranky-natured friend who has a policy regarding KonMari-ers (note, I would never implement her policy, but it cracks me up). She describes it like this:

“FRIEND: Hey, can I borrow _____?
ME: Depends. Did you KonMari your house?
FRIEND: Why yes!
ME: Then, no.”

I know, I know, not very community-minded. But she’s a grouchy introvert, so the sharing economy isn’t too appealing to her to begin with.

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Katy September 16, 2015 at 11:10 am

Funny.

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Johanna September 16, 2015 at 10:48 am

1. Cooking a pork shoulder roast I bought at the store that had been marked down by over 3$.. We bought a 3.33 lb roast for $6.50 or 1.98 per pound.

2. Was gifted a dozen pears from a lady with a pear tree-she said she would not use them. I will use them to bake something I have not baked before.

3. We returned recycling (or what we could – the bins were packed to the top!!) We will have to make another trip.
4. Brought snacks again from home, apples from the trees will keep me with work snacks for weeks, as long as I can keep them from spoiling.

5. Drinking free drinks such as coffee, hot tea, and water at work rather than purchasing expensive coffee drinks that I LOVEEEE.. (sacrifice! )

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Patience September 16, 2015 at 10:57 am

Congrats on your Five Frugal Things! Here are mine…:

1). Spent some time this a.m. with my old, second-hand Salad Shooter, grating up more garden zucchini for the freezer.

2). Made another focaccia for dinner last night, topped with potato slices, plus garden zucchini and tomato slices, and garden rosemary, all made from a bread dough that was studded with additional shredded yellow summer squash. (I am clearly making it a game of it to see how much garden zucchini/summer squash I can force my husband and myself to consume)…

3). Whipped up some Zucchini Cookies, using this recipe found on the ‘net: http://www.bakingandboys.com/2010/08/grandma-tinys-zucchini-cookies-theyre.html (Instead of the oil it called for, I subbed with a small store-brand lunchpack container of chocolate pudding leftover from my daughter’s oral surgery earlier this summer (I omitted the ginger and nutmeg, plus added cocoa powder, for “Choco-Zucchini Cookies”. Lower fat and very yummy!)).

4). Enjoyed the freshly baked cookies with coffee I made from free beans given to me by my daughter, an server for a national coffee chain (free drinks/coffee beans being one of the perks of working there)

5). Washed my hair via my usual “no-poo” method of baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

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Katy September 16, 2015 at 11:34 am

Do you sing “Salad Shooter!” whenever you use it? Because I know I would.

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Patience September 16, 2015 at 5:56 pm

Ha, wouldn’t you know I had blissfully nearly forgotten that catchy little jingle — thanks (I think 😉 ) for the reminder lol….!

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Bettypants September 16, 2015 at 11:21 am

1. Someone on my local FB group posted a big box (over 20 pieces) of vintage Fire King jadeite for $40. Not sure yet if I will keep the pieces or sell them, but I thought that was a fantastic find. Oddly, not one other person was interested.
2. A payroll company brought in Panera bagels, cream cheese, and coffee for my office this morning.
3. I sold an item on ebay for $30, which I had bought locally for $3.
4. Very annoying person on ebay filed a dispute against me because their child changed their mind about wanting the item before it arrived. I mailed it the day immediately following payment, with tracking. I did not agree to a refund, but am now waiting on paypal to decide the outcome.
5. Stopped at our local Salvation Army, against my better judgement. It was crawling with people. I found ONE Sorel boot with a mismatched mate. Fail.

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Amy September 16, 2015 at 11:33 am

We haven’t turned our a.c. on in a week. We decided that we are done with it for the year. Our electric usage has gone down to 1/3 of what it was. I have crocheted a few shawls out of cotton yarn I found on a great sale to help keep us warm this winter. I bought flannel on sale to make the 5 of us 2 pairs of pants each for the winter to wear around the house or under jeans for outside play.

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Bobbi September 16, 2015 at 11:33 am

1. Working from home today, so I’m saving on gas as well as time spent getting dressed up, driving to the office, etc.
2. I will batch my errands later this afternoon, including a daughter’s dentist appointment, bank, and grocery store.
3. Made coffee at home, versus having a much less frugal Starbucks drinks, which used to be habit but is now a rare treat. Coffee at home has become my new norm. Habit successfully changed! (It took months!)
4. Planned out our meals for today and tomorrow based on what needs to get used in the fridge (an eggplant, a tomato, some cantaloupe and watermelon) to avoid food waste.
5. Yesterday was the first chilly day after months of hot weather. My daughters suggested that maybe it’s time to turn on the heat. I glared at them (oops, I could have done this more nicely!) and “suggested” (sort of snapped) that they put on another layer, or use the throw blankets on the couch. Made a mental note to myself to watch my tone of voice.

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Ruby September 16, 2015 at 11:37 am

1. Cut DH’s hair today, for a savings of $10.
2. Used some wood stain leftover from a wood finishing project to touch up the dried-out wood trim around three windows.
3. DS and I had leftovers from the freezer for dinner.
4. It’s cool enough here to have the air conditioning off for the past four days.
5. I had bought a jug of scented laundry detergent on sale with a coupon but it was too perfumey for me, so I bought a $1 jug of Awesome detergent that has no scent and diluted the perfumey stuff. Now it smells just right and I doubled the amount of detergent for $1.

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MW September 16, 2015 at 12:07 pm

1) Finally found a fall-weight jacket at a thrift store for $10. After resewing a few buttons, it looks brand new, and a far better brand than I would normally buy.
2) While waiting for our new dryer, we managed to air dry the week’s laundry. With two boys under 5, that is no mean feat. No laundromat!
3) I’ve started doing the family’s grocery shopping at Winco. My husband was doing it at Safeway, with impulse purchases.
4) Submitted a wad of pharmacy and doctor bills to get reimbursed from my pre-tax savings account.
5) I’ve got two job applications in for a better paying job, another in the works, and a few more leads out there. Sometimes being frugal just isn’t enough, sometimes you just need to earn more money.

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Sandy September 16, 2015 at 12:22 pm

A new Wal-Mart opened near us, across the street from a grocery store. Said grocery store sent out four coupons for $20 off a $70 purchase, each coupon good for a particular week. So, first week I stocked up on discounted, organic meat and on sale frozen veggies. As I was leaving the frozen aisle I spotted frozen turkey breasts!
Last week, my husband came with me, I’d just had hand surgery. We bought two turkey breasts, which will be for Thanksgiving. We will have 14 people here for our largest holiday dinner, ever! Met the necessary $ amount with items we needed.
Have to make this week’s grocery list with an eye to other necessary holiday ingredients for more free groceries!
Made taco seasoned chicken in crock pot. Shredded and froze meal size portions.
Made waffles, ate some for lunch, froze remaining ones. Will try them heated in the toaster in a few days. If they’re good reheated that way, I’ll make a bunch more with breakfast for Thanksgiving company.
Eating from pantry and freezer while my husband has been away on business.
Remade a denim jumper into a skirt, and a lilac linen men’s shirt into a top for me.
Konmari’d my clothes and found two pair of pants that need to be shortened to spark joy for at home wear.
Returning to making an afghan, now that hand surgery has been done, for a Christmas gift. Another Afghan is planned for another gift.

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Marcia September 16, 2015 at 1:13 pm

Got free grapes from a friend’s house yesterday and today made grape juice with them. Saved a few to eat also. Not sure if I will can or freeze–it has to stay in the fridge overnight anyhow to settle. Looks like enough for a batch of jelly but I don’t need to make it yet. Still have jelly from last year that wasn’t used yet. Juice will keep, whichever I decide to do with it.

Went to farm stand and was still able to get 4 qts of peaches. Froze a peach pie filling yesterday to have in mid-winter. Peaches are my FAVORITE fruit.

Honeycrisp apples were $1.79lb at the farm stand!! NOT FRUGAL!! Only bought 4 of them for DH. I think Macs are BOGO at the grocery store this week–we’re eating those next. (3# bags) Honeycrisp are a treat, not regular fare!!

Paid ahead on DGD’s student loan today. Trying to get the smallest loan paid off completely before I give her the responsibility for making her own payments. Larger loan is federal, smaller one is state–the only state loan she took in 4 years!! I’m paying both for now, but when she’s in better shape financially, she will pay the rest. Her loan balance is smaller to start with than at many other schools. She paid the first year entirely on her own, too. No loans at all.

I guess #5 is going to have to be I didn’t buy a Lear Jet. Can’t think of anything else from today. Planned on baking something but had drop in company instead. Still on the list for whenever I have time.

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Vickie September 16, 2015 at 1:21 pm

I love that your son is frugal like you. It’s nice when kids choose used over new.
1) I received a $34 credit back on my PayFlex card from my Dentist’s office.
2) I finished up another Library audio book and started a new one during my morning commute. I signed up for the GoodReads list, so I get email suggestions on new books coming out.
3) I used some Plantain Salve I was given during a wildcrafting workshop last year to soothe the sore muscle and bruises I received from a recent fall. That salve works better than anything I’ve ever bought over the counter for strains, sprains and contusions.
4) I used some leftover liquid antibiotic from the fridge to doctor my old cat, who seems to have an eye irritation/infection of some sort. I used some of the Clear Eye eyewash I had in the cabinet to irrigate her eyes. Hopefully that will do the trick, if I can keep her medicated for the next few days.
5) Instead of eating a large meal for dinner last night, I ate two tablespoons of natural peanut butter. That did the trick and I wasn’t hungry for a whole meal.

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Isabelle September 16, 2015 at 3:40 pm

I wish I could feel full on 2 tbs of peanut butter!!

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Lucy September 17, 2015 at 2:51 am

I have had great results with Vetericyn Plus All-animal Ophthalmic Gel (thay make an eye wash too, but I haven’t tried it yet). “Ookie” eyes that wouldn’t clear up with several different treatments from the vet cleared in a couple of days with Vetericyn. It’s pricey (about $20 – 25 for 3 oz.), but very effective!

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K D September 16, 2015 at 2:06 pm

1. I was up early so I made two dozen pumpkin chocolate muffins. MY husband had a couple for breakfast (and I ate 3). The rest will be frozen for future lunches.

2, We had bought a $4.98 rotisserie chicken at SAM’S Club on Sunday. We used it for meals on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday I cut off remaining breast meat and used it in calzones. This morning I boiled the carcass. I will make soup tomorrow.

3. I had a coupon for a free small pizza (a birthday treat). I stopped to pick it up on my way home late morning. While waiting I ran into the grocery store to pick up cereal on sale.

4. A friend took me out for a late birthday lunch. I didn’t want anything heavy so we went to a local place that usually has good homemade soup and bread (my daughter thinks it is a hippy place). The food was not very good today so after I email;ed the business to let them know (we didn’t see anyone that seemed to be in charge). As we were saying goodbye my friend said that we should just eat at each other’s houses when we do lunch. That’s fine with me, healthier as well as cheaper.
5. A am awash in tomatoes thanks to generous friends. I will give some orchard pears to one friend (bought on my behalf by a friend in a half-bushel size) and I shared an extra pedometer with the other friend.

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cathy September 16, 2015 at 5:16 pm

RE your #4: A friend and I get together every couple months–usually on a weekday–to go out for coffee. We got together recently on a Saturday, though. Since the coffee shops are crazy busy, we decided to meet at her house instead. I had a bunch of Plum Coffee Cake muffins that needed to be eaten and quiche I’d baked because of cheese that needed to be used up. She made coffee. I thought it was much nicer (and more frugal) than going out.

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Isabelle September 16, 2015 at 2:32 pm

* I’ve been longing for a Bento Box for a long time. Yesterday I finally found one at Value Village, for 0.99$. It’s plastic and old style, but I don’t care, I have a Bento Box!
* Working an extra 2.25 hours tommorow
* Needed an extra curtain in my bedroom ((light peaking in ). I got super lucky yesterday and found one almost exactly like the one I already have, to add to it, for 5.99$, again at Value Village.
* Hubby is bringing our daughter to school on bike (our second car!), and then bikes to work, year round.
* Wanted to get new (used) clothes. Only found a shirt, for 2$.

Have a great frugal day!

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pattilou September 16, 2015 at 3:47 pm

1. I too was gifted tomatoes from a friend’s garden
2. I had a free ticket to see a play last night. Good entertainment – great price.
3. I was able to score a free, on street parking spot for the play instead of having to pay $10.00 for a spot in a lot. This was a real score since there was also a baseball game in town and usually you can’t get street parking on game days.
4. lunch was provided at work yesterday as well.
5. I have learned a lesson here- open your junk mail no matter what it is. I opened a piece of mail from an organization that I would normally have just tossed in the recycle bin, only to find two crisp, new one doller bills inside. It was an incentive to take the survey included in the mailing.

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Betty Winslow September 16, 2015 at 4:05 pm

My big frugal wins today were almost all at Kroger. It was senior day, so I get 5% off my purchases. They had a buy 4 Private Selection products, get them super cheap deal going (example: 12 oz bag of frozen mixed potatoes and veggies in a light herbal sauce, normally almost $3.00 a bag, for 50 cents!) and I had a sheaf of coupons for PS items. Stocked up on frozen veggies and potatoes, cheese, yogurt, and a few other odds and ends. Spent $71.65 for 66 items (almost all of which were on my list) and saved $58.59! I even ended up with two 10 packs of pens for 24 cents each, which I’ll put in my Operation Christmas Child boxes.
2. Made taco salad for dinner last night, using some ground turkey a friend gave me, the rest of a head of romaine, some tomatoes from hubby’s work garden, and two partial bags of grated cheese. Wasn’t as good as using ground beef, but hey – free!
3. Baked two loaves of zucchin bread, using 4 more cups of grated zucchini from the monster zuke a friend brought me back from her Amish country vacation – it made 23 cups of grated zuke!!
4. Treated myself to a PSL from Biggby’s before work yesterday and disliked it (I love ones from SB…) Instead of dumping it down the sink, I poured it into an empty bottle and stuck it in the frig, for maybe later baking use. Instead, I tried it at lunch and it was good cold! Win!
5. It’s heavy pickup this week and I got two small end tables off the side of the road. One is cleaned up and already listed on FB. The other one needs a little bit of work, but I like it and may keep it.

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Jamie Deangelis September 16, 2015 at 4:41 pm

1. Making my $75 grocery purchase last – 11 days in and starting to get creative! Hummus/veggie sandwiches, baked chicken and greenbeans….what will be next??
2. I’m cleaning someone’s house tomorrow and have earned up some overtime – all to go to my downpayment!
3. I went and walked my dog down to look at a house that’s for sale for super cheap – I kind of see why it’s so cheap based on the area… but I got to take my dog on a nice, long walk and found a penny on the ground!
4. Swagbucks is having an event this week so I’ve been playing their game by watching their ads and whatnot and am up to $19 in giftcards so far!
5. I haven’t bought sushi even though I have CRAVED it for 3 weeks.

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Monica September 16, 2015 at 4:46 pm

1. Target had a good deal on toilet paper. Each package of toilet paper had a $1 off coupon on each package plus I earned a $5 Target gift card. In the next transaction, I bought hairballs with the gift card & the cashier gave me the small gc balance in cash. I will be starting my found change savings.

2. Our propane company is offering a pre-buy special to lock-in a cheap rate. We’ve been making monthly payments on the budget plan since spring & those payments can be applied to the upfront cost of buying propane. So while we’ve been making a monthly payment, it will be a lot less to come up with by the promotion deadline.

3. Earned $25 Amazon gcs & $39 Paypal by cashing in survey earnings

4. Gave my oldest DD a $20 coupon a local salon sent me because they missed me. 🙂 It saved her almost 50% off for a good haircut.

5. Sold 2 things on ebay.

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Monica September 16, 2015 at 4:47 pm

Hair bands not hairballs! I get those free from my pets.

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Anne September 16, 2015 at 5:07 pm

Lol!

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Katy September 16, 2015 at 7:43 pm

Yay, free hairballs! You’re so lucky!!!

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Em September 16, 2015 at 6:17 pm

What are ham chub ends?

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Katy September 16, 2015 at 7:42 pm

The rounded ends that were too small to go through the slicer.

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AFS September 16, 2015 at 9:42 pm

Readers often comment that your Goodwill is better than theirs. I think your Grocery Outlet is better than mine. They have good prices, but nothing like 20 cent yogurt or 50 cent ham.
In fact I have a love-hate relationship with my GO. I LOVE the prices. I HATE that I can never stick to my list when I shop there

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Diane C September 16, 2015 at 9:58 pm

Oh gosh, Katie, #1 cracks me up. I have been known to do that from time to time at Grocery Outlet. Once, they had non-dairy Veggie Shreds Dairy Free Mozzarella on a screaming sale. It was such a deal (6/$1 or better, IIRC), I did buy it all, ’cause we love homemade pizza. Unfortunately, it was really, really gross. We attempted to use it on a batch of pizzas and just could not do it, and we are a pretty non-picky bunch. All that cheap, fake cheese sat in my freezer, mocking me. I kept thinking I’d freecycle them, but the memory of the first package was too pungent, alas. I finally dumped them in the trash and still felt terrible about doing it. I’m sure I only wasted a couple of bucks, but ugh, just ugh!
However, even though I’m a vegetarian, my family eats meat, so I totally would have bought up all the ham for that price, lol. Thanks for giving me a safe place to confess my terrible faux-cheese disaster.

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Ruby September 17, 2015 at 5:01 am

I got some of that “faux cheese” in the sandwich slice form back when I first became lactose-intolerant. It expensive and so foul that the only way I could eat it was to wipe the slices dry on paper towels — they were weirdly oily, and then chop them up for pimento cheese spread. The spread was heavy on the mayo, ground pepper and chopped olives stuffed with pimentos. It was okay that way, but I sure was glad to finish the last of it.

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Diane C September 17, 2015 at 9:24 am

Oh, thank you Ruby! I felt so guilty tossing it, but it really was foul.

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Brenda September 17, 2015 at 5:00 am

My 5 frugal things still include a lot of purchases, but at least I did save some money in the process!
1- I bought curtains rods, went for the white as they were $1 cheaper than the silver. I prefer the silver but they won’t show anyways so in the end, it didn’t really matter to me!
2- Had to buy a team swimsuit for my daughter who made the school swim team. Quite expensive, but if ordered by a certain date, free shipping, so I did save $8 by doing that.
3- I’ve wanted a massager thingy-I have back problems, massages are so expensive, and my friend and sister swore by this thing they use. I borrowed my sister’s to see if it would benefit me. I love it and my friend found a nice one(meaning not a cheapy that I will regret later!) on sale for $30 when I had seen them start at $50.
4-Was not really into my sandwich yesterday that I brought for lunch, and I realized I didn’t bring enough to fill me up. I wanted to buy lunch but instead only bought a couple of things to supplement my sandwich- spent $2 instead of $8-10.
5-Tomatoes- a friend from work had a bunch that she gave me so I made 4 quarts of sauce and froze it to use this winter. It’s going to be great!!

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Erin September 17, 2015 at 7:00 pm

Brenda,
I’m not sure if you’ve had to buy swim team suits before, but I’d suggest your daughter wear less expensive suit for practice her first year (if practical), and only wear the team suit for meets. Then, next year, she can wear this year’s suit for practices and the new team suit for meets. We’ve been doing that with my two boys’ suits — otherwise, they sometimes wear out and become see-through before the end of the season.

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Brenda September 18, 2015 at 1:32 am

Thank you for the advice! I posted my 5 frugal things last week for the first time and so glad I did, I appreciate the tips from others. It is my daughter’s first year in swim, she seems to like it so I think she will do it next year, too. We will do this, thanks!

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Monica September 17, 2015 at 9:19 am

Beautiful photo of your tablescape/mirror on today’s post, Katy!

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JD September 17, 2015 at 9:45 am

1. Purchasing whole chickens from an organic farmer means I cut them up myself. My husband doesn’t like the breast meat; he only likes dark meat and says the breast meat is always too dry. I use it in soup or pot pies, but that only uses some, as these chickens are quite large. I decided to slice all the breast meat off the bones into “tenders” to freeze. I thaw some then bread them in seasoning and breadcrumbs and quick fry them in the skillet. Success — he now requests them and we had another batch of them last night. I brought some for my lunch today.
2. I also grind up raw chicken necks and the livers for the pets. As long as the bones are raw and well ground up, they are safe and provide needed nutrients. Neither of us can stand chicken livers, but the pets like them.
3. Stopped in at Goodwill to look for a certain item, which I didn’t find, but I did find new women’s dress socks, a very good name brand, for less than a dollar per pair. I was in desperate straits for socks, so I bought three pair, one brown, one navy, one black.
4. My doggy door fix on our back door is still holding up, almost a year later! I re-created the curled and torn flap from vinyl and fastened it to the broken frame by eye-screws at the top of the frame. It’s used every day by our pets. I can’t believe it myself. I was going to buy a new one recently, but realized I don’t need to yet.
5. Every season I change out the wreath on my door. I use a grapevine base I made from our grapevines, ribbon, cuttings from the yard like dried hydrangea blossoms, and seasonal fake stuff that I carefully clean and put away when done with it (my door is protected by a deep porch roof). At Christmas, I use the tree trimmings, pine cones, holly and cedar from the yard, and saved ribbon. It’s time to change it out again, and I always feel so glad when I do that I took the trouble to make a good wreath form. It’s lasted almost 10 years so far. I recently made one for my sister as a gift to her and she decorates it and hangs it on her garden gate.

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amber September 17, 2015 at 11:15 am

1. Went to the library and checked out for free two kids movies for the girls.
2. I have veggie soup going in the slow cooker for supper.
3. I have my bedding and two loads of laundry hanging outside on the line.
4. For lunch we all ate leftovers from supper last night.
5. Last night while I was exercising I started listening to Robinson Crusoe for free from loyalbooks.com

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Lori September 17, 2015 at 11:49 am

1. Bought hair color at CVS since I had a 25% off and a $2 coupon ($12)…bonus was that if you bought 2 boxes there was an ECB for $4. I went back a couple of days later and bought deodorant that I realized I was low on. I also had a $1 off coupon on my card for a purchase of deodorant over $4 & my ECB of $4 so I grabbed a double pack for $6.29 – total cost $1.29 for 2.
2. Took a day trip to the beach…no beach fee after Labor Day! Packed sandwiches/snacks/drinks so the only out of pocket expense was gas.
3. Cut my sons hair. More of a saving for him but I was glad to do it.
4. Hung all laundry to air dry.
5. Only picked up essentials at the food store – $6.64 – Ate out of the freezer/pantry/garden.

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AngieC September 18, 2015 at 1:49 am

Pinned your calendar – love it – whyever didn’t I think of that when the kids were growing up and I had umpteen appointments to keep track of?! I spent ages trying to buy ones that had enough space for 7 people! But I normally make everything & anything – just never thought of this!

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Barb @ 1SentenceDiary September 18, 2015 at 7:00 am

Heat? You are talking about turning on the heat? We are having the warmest September on record (after the snowiest winter on record) and we are still trying not to turn on the air conditioner. I often work from home, and I just can’t be productive when I am sweating all over the computer.

Trying to enjoy it as the last vestiges of summer. Come February I’m really going to be missing this weather.

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Kendall September 18, 2015 at 7:45 am

First time posting here, but have been reading for about a year…

1. Planning on leftovers for dh and dd#1’s dinners tonight. We have one-portion containers of chicken pot pie, spaghetti and meatballs and a Chinese noodle dish from which to choose. Plus a green salad from last night.
2. I am volunteering at a food event today for four hours and will enjoy free samples from all sorts of local food and drink perveyors for my lunch and dinner.
3. Returning books to the library and picking up the October book for my book club.
4. Stitched up a bra that had underwires that were poking out and hurting me. I have an unusual size so I try and make my bras last as long as possible, since they tend to be on the expensive side when I buy them.
5. Found a grocery receipt from September 2014 in our reusable grocery bags last Saturday after our grocery shopping trip. We bought many of the same items both trips, but our bill was down about $40 from last year. Yeah Winco!

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Bree September 20, 2015 at 10:19 am

The comment about your son’s 2 yr old shoes cracks me up because my son has had the same and only pair of shoes since he was a high school freshman. He’s 25 now. Same with his winter coat. Same coat, same shoes, everyday. Refuses to buy new or let me buy new because he says both still work. Talk about frugal.

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