Five Frugal Things

by Katy on November 12, 2015 · 58 comments

Team thrift!

  1. I noticed that Safeway had overcharged me for a bunch of bananas, so I brought in my receipt while picking up a few extras. I also had two pasta coupons and around $3 on a leftover gift card that my husband was given for working an extra shift. I ended up spending 41¢ for the bag of groceries which included new bananas, three bags of pasta and a pound of white beans. Forty-one cents!
  2. Yesterday was Veteran’s Day, which meant no school for my 12th grade son. The two of slept in and then picked up my mother for an ole fashioned afternoon of thriftin’. (Yee-haw!) The stores were hopping, but I still scored four items that I’ll put up for sale on Craigslist. (A rug, a Marimekko duvet cover, a bridal veil and a child’s NASA jetpack backpack.)
  3. I worked a 12-1/2 hour shift and went immediately afterwards to a one-hour class. I could have gone to one last night, but it wouldn’t have been overtime. I was beat by the time I got home from work at 9:45, but I’ll be happy when I get my next paycheck.
  4. I stopped at The Grocery Outlet on my way home from dropping my son at school and bought a large bag of groceries for ten bucks, I photographed and put together three Craigslist posts this morning, I hung a load of laundry indoors, I made a large pot of chicken noodle soup using half of a rotisserie chicken from my out-of-town neighbors, I’m tracking my budget like a hawk, I found a penny on the ground at Goodwill, I drew large calendar pages for December and January using stuff on hand, I bought nothing that wasn’t consumable or for resale and I transferred $25 into my credit union account from using Swagbucks.
  5. I didn’t 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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{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }

A. Marie November 12, 2015 at 12:31 pm

(1) Admirin’ you and yo’mama! You’re a handsome pair!

(2) Have spent nothing this week for the simple reason that I’ve been too brain-dead from work either to get in the car and go anywhere or to manage online ordering!

(3) Am currently constructing another of my “practicing voodoo without a license” soup stocks, from the remains of yesterday’s pot roast, some beef bones from last year that I saved in the freezer, and assorted remnants from refrigerator and garden.

(4) High winds here today are blowing a lot of apples down out of a neighbor’s ancient apple tree (one of the last survivors from when our street was an apple orchard). Salvaged six usable ones this noon and will head back to check for more before dark. Completely OK with the neighbor (she rarely has time to collect them herself and would rather we got them than the local out-of-control deer population).

(5) One of our local thrift chains is having a canned food drive this weekend. I have a tendency to overbuy canned food at the warehouse clubs, so will pack up a box to donate. All the food goes to a local interreligious food consortium.

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Katy November 12, 2015 at 12:32 pm

Can you believe that she just turned 73?!

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A. Marie November 12, 2015 at 12:44 pm

You may have to produce proof of her age. Nobody, but nobody, is going to believe this.

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Su Mama November 12, 2015 at 4:41 pm

Why thank you, A. Marie!

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Diedra B November 12, 2015 at 7:03 pm

Nope

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lori November 13, 2015 at 10:16 am

No Way!!! Proof! 🙂

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Johanna November 12, 2015 at 12:54 pm

1. Our boss bought our lunch yesterday, and so i dined graciously, and took the other half home to my other half to enjoy..

2. Just cancelled my 2nd Amazon Prime trial membership, and was refunded the 99$ fee that appeared.. I am surprised they allow multiple free trials, but a gal I work with has done the same thing as well.

3. Utilized our Hy-Vee gas card savings and filled the gas tank with 2 cents off per gallon … Hey its something…

4. Made some cereal and peanut butter bars ( from our WIC spoils) .. My 8 year old LOVES them. will make these again..

5. Started sorting through more out-grown baby clothes to hand me down to my Brother’s family.. who are caring for two foster children, and three of their own.. (God Bless them) 🙂

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tonya parham November 14, 2015 at 11:32 am

Do you have a recipe for those cereal and PB bars?

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Nancy smith November 12, 2015 at 1:00 pm

Wait. You don’t have to get gift cards from swagbucks!? I just redeemed my first ones for a visa gift card and I just have a code which isnt great since I rarely shop online. I didn’t know here was a cash option to deposit in the credit union!

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Lauren November 13, 2015 at 2:45 am

I didn’t know this either.
Thanks for the share!

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MommaSue November 13, 2015 at 6:28 am

I use mine to get a Paypal gift card, which can then be transferred into your bank account.

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K D November 12, 2015 at 1:08 pm

1. I walked to the grocery store (to get my pedometer to 10,000 steps) and check out the gluten free pasta they have (the son of a friend was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease). I found a bunch of change in the CoinStar and bought a box of macaroni for my friend to try.

2. I put out butter to soften. I’ll make ginger snaps in a little bit. They’re pretty cheap since they contain no chocolate and no nuts.

3. I stopped by the grocery store to pick up my free World Menu frozen item. Of course I went for the most expensive item.

4. I was up early so I went to an early yoga class this morning. Since I pay a monthly fee this was kind of a bonus class.

5. I will make a couple of pizzas for dinner. Leftovers will be used for a few lunches.

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Isabelle November 12, 2015 at 2:15 pm

I eat gluten-free and the best pasta I tried so far are the Catelli ones, a blue boxe here in Canada.
They are a mix of 4 non-gluten grains and taste like the real thing.

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K D November 13, 2015 at 7:47 am

Thank you for the recommendation. The child is a very picky eater and will only eat macaroni and cheese, Spaghettios, and yogurt.

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Beth November 12, 2015 at 1:09 pm

1. I was sorely tempted to stop in at a bakery on my way to work for some sugar therapy (It’d been a rough morning). But, I didn’t, which was healthier for me and better for my wallet 🙂
2. Bought nothing new this week, except for two gas cans when I ran out of gas this morning (read: rough morning). I am extremely bummed though because if I would have been prepared and had a quality gas can in my car already, I wouldn’t have had to pay the inflated price of $10/one-gallon gas can at the gas station. To top it off, they were cheap plastic and didn’t even work all that great. I probably could have found them cheaper somewhere else, or found better ones for the same price, if I would have just been more prepared 🙁
3. Have not eaten out at all this week. I’ve been eating the food in my fridge and taking leftovers to work. As a result, I’m eating better, spending less money on food, and preventing food waste, all of which make me feel pretty good!
4. Washed a freezer bag for reuse. I know this seems small, but I don’t normally do this and I’m trying to cultivate more frugal habits.
5. Drank free office coffee and then switched to water in my refillable water bottle.

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Mand01 November 12, 2015 at 1:26 pm

1. I’m working from home this week, so I’m saving on petrol, wear and tear on my work clothes, and all the other little costs that add up when you are at work.
2. I was out of bread so I baked two loaves yesterday. I have a bread maker that use to make the dough, and then I bake it in he oven because I don’t like the texture of the machine baked bread. So I put the machine on in the morning before work, shaped it in my coffee break, and baked it at lunchtime. Another working from home perk.
3. Hubs and I sat down last night and reviewed our budget, retirement contributions and salary packaging options. I have not been paying extra into retirement and it is time to be a grown up and just do it. He works for a registered charity, which means that he can salary package. Truthfully, I didn’t take the time to really understand it before but now I have, wow. What a difference. Grown up time!!
4. We have also started planning for Xmas. Normally I have all my gifts organised by now, but this year I am way behind. Too much on, but time to budget and write a gift list. I have been saving for it at least. We are doing homemade for one side, and I am making Xmas cakes, but they also need to be done soon or they will not be as good.
5. I got hubs to cook a delicious osso bucco last night, and there is enough left over for me to throw together a pie tonight. Easy dinner and delicious cold weather meal – probably one of the last as summer is just around the corner here.

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Carol M. November 12, 2015 at 1:33 pm

1. Now that the holidays are here, I’m developing quite the caffeine habit. So proud that yesterday I was tempted twice to get a holiday drink at Starbucks, and twice I avoided it, saving $5.
2. Stretched my takeout Thai curry into three meals.
3. Splurged on a secondhand copy of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People for $4, but haven’t been buying a lot lately, so feel pretty guiltless. I’ll also refer back to it, I’m sure.
4. Using some peppermint lotion that I got five or so years ago, that I try and only use around the holidays.
5. Haven’t bought any new clothes for my winter wardrobe–the old ones are just fine.

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kathleen November 12, 2015 at 1:35 pm

Hey! I had a top exactly like your mom’s. I loved it through hundreds of wearings, and finally donated it after leaving my job and not needing as many dressy items in my closet. I love it all over again seeing it on your mom. 🙂

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Su Mama November 12, 2015 at 5:08 pm

Needless to say, it came years ago from Goodwill — very possibly the As-Is! It has long sleeves, I believe is made of rayon challis, and covers, as we say, “the whole truth,” so I can wear it with leggings. I just rediscovered it in the upstairs closet.

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Krystal November 12, 2015 at 2:02 pm

Katy–I know you have mentioned Swagbucks in the past, have you ever used Ibotta? It’s an app that I occasionally use (I don’t often shop or buy products that are on their coupon list), and it does allow for gift cards or cash back, and they can be product or store specific. Sometimes it’s like $5 off a specific brand of tequila (you can bet I’ve used that one), or more general 20 cents off of any brand of yogurt, for example (again, heck yes I’ve used that).

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Katy November 12, 2015 at 2:19 pm

I downloaded the app, but it seemed like a pain to use.

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Janelle November 13, 2015 at 7:05 pm

I’d suggest you give that app, the app Checkout51 and the app Receipt Hog a try. Based on reading this blog the last month or so, and your scrimping tendencies, I think it would be worth it

Receipt Hog is the easiest, but takes the longest for a payout. Basically you snap a quick picture of any receipts from any stores where you bought stuff (gas doesn’t count). Receipts from grocery stores earn you points, and receipts from other stores (including Goodwill and other thrift stores) earn you “spins” on their hokey slot machine, where you get the chance to earn more points. The more weeks you submit receipts, the better the bonuses are. I haven’t earned my first gift card yet after probably 10 weeks of using it, but I also only go to 1-2 stores per week.

Checkout51 is really only useful for the minimal discounts on produce, but I’ll take 20c just for snapping a pic. It’s an easy app. I’ve earned $30 the last 14 months.

Ibotta can be a pain, but there are so many rebates on things I already buy, like milk, yogurt, cheese, green peppers, cereal and other produce. I’ve earned $85 on it in the last 14 months probably, and haven’t gone out of my way to purchase anything that isn’t already on my grocery list. Worth it if you ask me.

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Stacy November 15, 2015 at 9:49 am

I agree! I use all 3 of these apps as well as others! I usually transfer $15-20 at a time into my PayPal account. Every little bit helps!

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Isabelle November 12, 2015 at 2:30 pm

* Really wanted to go eat out today. Instead I ate leftovers at home.
* We bought a quarter of a cow a while back and received the heart. Too me that sounded so gross… Even thought about giving it to someone else. Hubby decided to make a chili with it last night, putting the heart in the food processor first.. Well… taste just like ground beef! And it’s supposed to be good for us, so there you go. No food waste!
* Won another pair of movie tickets, going tonight with a friend. Will leave my wallet in the car, so I won’t be tempted by popcorn.
* Bought 2 used pair of pants for 7$. It’s too long so I will bring to the seamstress (7$x2). So 2 new pair of pants for 21$, which is really cheap since pants are pretty expensive when you wear Plus Size.
* Will buy the minimum at the grocery store this week and use what we already have to complete.

Have a great frugal day!

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Tina November 12, 2015 at 3:16 pm

I’m not sure I have a whole 5 this week, but here goes;
1) Eating leftovers all week. The fact that the cabbage has been fermenting for a few days may have some undesirable side effects :/
2) Bringing the out-of-date newspapers home from work to use as kindling for our open fire. It’s not been anywhere near cold enough here in the UK yet but we’re getting ready for our first winter in the countryside!
3) Using Christmas gift money to treat myself to a new craft book and materials for a needlework project.
4) Investigating plastic film to seal our draughty windows for winter. We have mullion windows in the cottage and as it’s a listed building we aren’t allowed to change them.

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Lauren November 12, 2015 at 3:21 pm

Cute photo!

1. Made overnight oatmeal for the first time in crockpot. Added some homemade applesauce. It was good! Learned two key lessons for next time: double recipe and grease crockpot.

2. Brought home a bag of pennies that were scattered in my office desk from the previous occupant, who left the office years ago.

3. Been driving my hybrid efficiently to maximize gas mileage. Being aware and slowing down help tremendously.

4. My daughter broke the plastic top to her nice glass water bottle. Replacement kids are $10 but were out of stock online. I emailed customer service and they are sending a new one for free.

5. Bought a $5 groupon for an 8×10 photo canvas. Plan to have a photo of my kids put on canvas for my inlaws for Cmas.

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Lauren November 12, 2015 at 3:25 pm

Replacement *lids*, that is. Replacement kids are much more expensive!!

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Theresa P November 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm

I never thought of greasing the crockpot to prevent foods from sticking. I’ll do that from now on–thanks,

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Joyce November 12, 2015 at 3:25 pm

1. Used on hand materials to make a “kitty house” for the outside kitty that will not come in the house.
2. Hang laundry in the house whenever it’s too awful outside (now until March).
3. Will make 2 pumpkin pies for the church funeral lunch from pumpkins that were given to us. 3.1 will make crust from scratch-no buying pre-made.
4. Requested a free iphone 4 charger from co-workers who upgraded so I didn’t have to buy one.
5. Froze a long baguette that was left at a work luncheon so we can make baguette pizzas. Yummy.

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janine November 12, 2015 at 3:36 pm

1. passive frugality – attended a swearing in ceremony for our neighbor who has achieved American citizenship. Husband and I were treated to a celebratory lunch by his family.
2. Son is taking a week off without pay (switching jobs) so I bought him groceries and sundries – most of which were on sale, and from discount outlets, including “Halloween” Cookies marked down to $.60 per box from $3.
3. Have been using up pantry items and cooking from scratch including a yummy blueberry coffee cake – will freeze half for later.
4. Keeping strict account of my expenditures so I know when I hit my budget limits.
5. Needed to send thank you, congratulations and condolence cards. Found them in my stash instead of spending time and $$ shopping for additional cards.

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Ruby November 12, 2015 at 3:45 pm

You and your mom are so lovely together. I see where you get your great bone structure from. 🙂

1) Am suffering a bit from seasonal allergies and treating the stuffy head with some OTC meds we had around the house. Been sipping some cranberry-cherry juice that my husband did not like to help the sore throat.
2) Did grocery shopping yesterday and used $12.85 in coupons. Most of those were for pet food, and $4 was for produce.
3) Bought a short-sleeved cardigan sweater at the local consignment shop on half-off day and altered it into a long vest with outer pockets, using one of the removed sleeves to make the pockets. It was a bit challenging to figure out, but it came out really cute. The sweater was not flattering, but the vest is and I will wear it a lot.
4) Got my teeth cleaned and declined the free toothbrush because an adult-size brush is too big to clean behind my molars. The hygienist gave me an extra tube of free toothpaste instead. Awesome!
5) Bathed and groomed our dogs myself. All it takes is some time, the willingness to get drenched, and washing a load of dirty towels afterward.

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Bettypants November 12, 2015 at 4:01 pm

1. Sold two large framed pictures and a bowl today on a local FB site. All had been bought at garage sales years earlier.
2. Someone in my office brought in doughnuts for everyone this morning.
3. Finally sold the boy scout uniform I have had listed forever. I thought for sure it would go super fast posted on local FB boards, but no love. I finally listed it on CL.
4. Went for a walk at lunch today (short one due to weather) and found a Free Little Library a couple blocks from my office. I’m going to drop some books off there tomorrow.
5. Found an identical pair to my favorite work pants in a different color on ebay for $7, free shipping.

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Beth November 12, 2015 at 4:14 pm

1. Worked.
2. Worked.
3. You get the theme, kidding aside just took on a PT job after my day job so pulled two 13 hour days tonight and yesterday – getting time and a half for the 8 hours over – yeah!.
4. Hung a load of laundry to dry inside my house.
5. Went home and grabbed stuff from home to take back to work instead of buying lunch even though I was pressed for time. Ate so lunch (2:30 pm) looks like it was dinner as well.
6. Daughter is at a make your own gingerbread house free event with a friend and the other mom is driving, win win.
7. Doing Swagbucks while at work (shhhhh!) tonight. I forgot to do it so I don’t earn a lot of points but I tell myself every little bit helps.
8. Decided to have my child support re-evaluated today, going to send in the form tonight.
9. Decided to take the max for my employers med flex account – will mean having $125 taken out of each check since I am taking the max but will also mean big savings since my daughters braces are going to cost me $3700 next year and more the following year.

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Marilyn November 12, 2015 at 4:31 pm

1. Spent more than an hour on the phone (5 phone calls) with insurance company, optician’s office and medical billing office to try to sort out a bill I just received for new glasses which I purchased last July. It was worth the time spent because the bill was not correct and I do not have to pay the $53.
2. Cleaned and organized my purse and found 48 cents at the bottom. Don’t know how long that change has been resting there. I am going to have to clean out my purse more often.
3. Borrowed videos of the final season of Mad Men from the library and am now watching one episode every evening. It’s a real soap opera, but I am hooked on it.

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Marie-Josée November 12, 2015 at 5:57 pm

Beautiful picture of you and your mum. I can’t believe she is in her 70’s – she looks fantastic.

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Brooke November 12, 2015 at 6:18 pm

Signed up to work a couple of hours of overtime on Black Friday – money in, not out!

Been doing Swagbucks like crazy to get $25 in paypal credit (cash). I believe I will reach my goal tomorrow.

Sticking to a tight grocery budget. Challenging but necessary.

Earning gift cards to buy a few modest Christmas gifts. It will be a zero-dollar (out of pocket) holiday!

Driving 40 minutes tomorrow to use a coupon and gift card to stores we don’t have locally. Using up gas isn’t frugal, but it will be a fun outing for me before I work the whole weekend. Plus I just found out there is a GW Outlet where I am driving! Score!!

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Robin November 12, 2015 at 7:03 pm

I went the exact opposite direction. Sigh.
One of our dogs peed on our comforter and blanket which required dry cleaning (damn dog). $100
Then my son (5) locked us out of the house. At night. While he was naked (he was supposed to be showering). I was clothed. All our hideakeys and keys given to the neighbor were for our OLD locks, not the new ones recently installed. Had to call a locksmith who drilled out a lock. $300
THEN I got a nail in my tire and the whole damn tire had to be replaced. $300

It has not been a good week.

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Amanda November 13, 2015 at 10:47 am

So, I honestly laughed out loud about your son being naked and locked out. I have a four year old son who loves to be naked, and has more than once arrived out of doors this way. Sorry about the icky week…it has to get better now, right?

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auntiali November 12, 2015 at 8:18 pm

Ouchie Robin!

Katy I swear my girlfriend had that same shirt that your mom is wearing. I finally nagged her to get rid of it. She used to wear it to church every Sunday and she taught Sunday school so maybe it was the stained glass effect? I’m sure she never got rid of it.

1. Didn’t go anywhere today – 2 days in a row
2. Hung the bath rug to dry rather than stick in the dryer.
3. Made appointments to get my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed. Can’t see the eyebrows the way I used to. I bought a pre-paid discounted package for that.
4. I had $50 from my weekly ($100) allowance left so I tucked it away. Dh and I both get an allowance. Since the price of gas has gone down I’m saving lots of money…and I don’t really go anywhere.
5. I was sick last night so I ate lightly all day. Dh picked up his supper on his way home from work – bought using his allowance.

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Vicki November 12, 2015 at 8:33 pm

I recognize that sign…you were out near me today! 🙂

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Vicki November 12, 2015 at 8:34 pm

Yesterday. I can type…really I can…

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Katy November 13, 2015 at 12:27 am

The Red, White and Blue in Milwaukie!

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Lauren November 13, 2015 at 2:51 am

1. Sold a couple of items on out Facebook buy sell group.
2. Gathered about $80 worth of junk from around the house for our garage sale next fortnight.
3. Scored a free dog kennel to sell in said garage sale.
4. Received a $25 gift voucher in the mail for our supermarkets rewards program.
5. Received a free swim nappy from Huggies (I only need a few more to get through swimming lessons before toilet training)!
6. I was gifted a car seat from my sister for my stepson.
7. Was given free cherries from my mum.
8. Picked a few strawberries off the bushes this week. Won’t be long and we will getting around 4 per day.
9. Sorted the kids stocking presents and realised I don’t need to buy another thing for them.
10. Found their “Santa” presents for $10 off each at Target (I also found on sale a present their grandparents can get them).

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tonya November 13, 2015 at 5:17 am

I didn’t drive anywhere yesterday.

I walked to the library to return and check out.

I made chicken in the crockpot, saving leftovers for lunch today.

I baked banana bread.

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Amanda November 13, 2015 at 6:09 am

1. Picked up two bags of pantry items from my free group. Many of the items we won’t eat or use (Will donate to local food pantry) but in there I found a pie crust, butterscotch chips, couscous, organic coconut milk, some evaporated milk and some infused olive oil! I already made a pumpkin pie with the crust!
2. Vacuum died on me this week. Dad is coming to visit and always asks if there is anything we may need that he may have lying around in his vast basement of stuff. I asked if he happened to have a vacuum and sure enough…he did. Now I can wait on that large purchase for a bit. He also is bringing a Rachael Ray pots and pans set. If I can’t use it I will sell it and put the extra $$ in savings.
3. Took all my loose change to coinstar and got a $12.24 credit for Amazon. Using that towards the few Santa gifts our son is getting.
4. Found $5 in a bag I haven’t used in a bit. Put it in savings.
5. Ran out of soap and instead of running to the store I used some extra bars we made as holiday gifts last year and never gave out. 🙂

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Kim from Philadelphia November 13, 2015 at 10:36 am

Your mom is stunning!!

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Amanda November 13, 2015 at 10:44 am

1. Girls attended their weekly art class and their teacher’s apple tree was full to the brim. Each one brought home a huge bag of apples.
2. I have a business trip this weekend, so I get paid mileage, food, and lodging. I can eat out and not feel guilty!
3. Found a penny on the ground and picked it up.
4. Oldest daughter needs a new winter coat, so while on my trip to the big city, I’ll be hitting up the thrift stores.
5. My oldest’s birthday is on Monday and she dreams of being a cake decorator, so I invited my wonderfully talented friend over to teach her how to decorate!

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Kim from Philadelphia November 13, 2015 at 2:17 pm

– I used a family member’s discarded gift card to a fancy bakery. Of course I studied the options to figure out the best way to get my money’s worth. I contributed $0.25 for 6 lovely, fancy pants cupcakes. Dessert over the weekend
-my sweet elderly uncle gave me several stacks of cloth napkins that aren’t getting use at his house. Some of ours are headed for the rag bin. I’ll give a stack to my neighbor and spread the wealth.
– diligently packing lunches and making all dinners. Stocked up at Aldi this week. My splurge was a $1 pomegranate. Though I love the flavor I wasn’t enamored with the fruit itself.
-started to plan ahead for the holidays. I detest shopping, so the few things I’ll buy will not need to be done in a crazy, last minute, pay for shipping type fashion. I’m going to make some homemade breads and simple treats and tuck them away in the freezer.
-our son spent several hours at an older neighbor’s to make a few holiday cards and have pizza ( we have great neighbor’s!) my husband wanted to go out to eat, but we agreed to compromise and get Indian takeout (cheaper) and open some wine we already had at the house

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Betty Winslow November 13, 2015 at 4:26 pm

1. Gave my extra parka to my older son who badly needed a coat, since it’s threatening to snow and he’s broke. It’s a very masculine design and he seemed ok with it.
2. Picked up some free toothpaste samples for said son, plus a couple of chapsticks for me and daughter, when I went to the dentist yesterday to get my night guard worked on. They were able to rebuild it for $60, rather than replace it for $500. Whew!
3. Did some shopping on Wed. to take advantage of the senior discount.
4. Went to a Taste of Home Cooking Show last night, and in the process of the evening, got a free spatula (which I’ll pass on), a free bottle of Torani (sp?) vanilla syrup, several cookbook magazines, a packet of yeast, some coupons for local restaurants, and two good leads on a job for my unemployed son. The evening wasn’t free (tickets were $12 each), but my GF and I had fun, I learned a few things, got some good loot, and the job leads were worth their weight in platinum….. 🙂
5. Let husband take car, so I could sleep in today, so I didn’t leave the house and didn’t spend a dime.

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Lucy November 13, 2015 at 4:26 pm

1. “Rediscovered” some old sweatshirts that now fit after a bit of weight loss, saving me from buying more as I was down to just one.
2. Got a nice big (4′ x 8′) dog crate for free. It will replace my old “puppy pen” that is too easy to escape.
3. Scored some used tire chains for my ancient tractor for about 25% of what they are new. Son got the fasteners working for me.
4. Found a quarter under the bed – you know, my Aldi’s quarter!
5. Found $6 in the pocket of a jacket I haven’t worn for about 10 years but now fits again.

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Betty Winslow November 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm

Oops, forgot to mention one more win-win: I’m a companion for the local foster care group our church started, which means I make meals, run errnads, and go shopping as needed. I picked up a whole trunkful of stuff one family needed taken to GW and when I repacked it for ease of transport, I was able to rescue a few things for some other programs I’m part of, as well as a hardback copy of The Collected Works of the Brothers Grimm. They were happy to get rid of the stuff and regain garage space, and I’m happy with the things I rescued.

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Betty Winslow November 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm

ummm – errands…. LOL

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Lauren November 14, 2015 at 2:09 am

Ooh I had to post again because the last 2 days have been great for the house savings!

1. Made $145 (in my pocket) in 2 hours selling food at work, plus a free meal.
2. Worked a 4 hr shift today and partner did 2, both scored a free lunch and some biscuit crumbs to make a dessert one night next week.
3. Went out for dinner with my parents and visiting sister and nephew and was shouted a meal and a drink. Only spent $6 in total for my partner and I to have a 2nd drink.
4. My partner remembered he had 2 dressers, 2 bedside tables and a TV at his parents he could put in our upcoming garage sale.
5. Skipping our usual Sunday lunch out as partner has uni and I have exam study to do. I will pull something out of the freezer for lunch and dinner.

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tonya parham November 14, 2015 at 11:40 am

1. Reading lots of books from the library. Went yesterday and picked up Stacy Schiff’s _The Witches_ and was super thrilled to get it! (I debated long and hard buying it at Barnes and Noble last week because I had a 20% coupon and it was already 40% off. Still, $15 is $15 and I saved that by JUST WAITING A MINUTE!

2. Had a $2.80 fee at the library (sometimes I get forgetful) and while I normally don’t mind paying them because they do help purchase new books, the library had a canned food drive going on with fees being waived– $1 per can with $2 for cranberry sauce. I took canned goods…so I feel like that’s good, right?

3. Have been a swagbucks fool– watching videos while I write other things. Am aiming for $25 a month to use at Sam’s for hummus and tomatoes. (I have a deep love of fresh tomatoes!)

4. Did groceries at Aldi and made my meals at home. The desire to eat out is something I have to fight quite often but it’s getting easier.

5. Got a free Redbox movie yesterday!

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tonya parham November 14, 2015 at 11:47 am

Oh– also was at the international market the other night and they were giving away free pumpkins….I really wanted to get 2 but my partner said– “NO. You have two sitting on our porch.”

I was a little pouty about that, but she’s probably right. I have a tendency to try to do too much or take in things that end up wasted. So, that might not be frugal but it’s at least a step for me, realizing that I don’t have to take things just because they are giving them away. (I mean, I probably WOULD NOT have froze them like I said I would!)

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Florencia November 14, 2015 at 12:44 pm

1. On the way back to my car from returning the cart at the grocery store, I saw what looked like a receipt and potentially a Catalina coupon on the ground. Walked over the few steps to pick it up. I felt kinda embarrassed by doing that, but once in my car I looked at them. There’s was a $3 off your purchase coupon in there! I won’t ever again feel embarrassed for picking up stuff. I regularly pick up coins, and this is the equivalent of $3 bills!
2. I’m sick and haven’t had to run our ro buy cold medicine because I bought some on clearance a couple months ago.
3. Went to work yesterday for a few hours and used my $10 meal allowance to bring breakfast, including leftover cookies and apple pies, for my sister and brother-in-law. They were so happy! And my dad even scored a little burrito when they got home.
4. Bought clearance pizzas at the grocery store. $2.50-$2.75 per pizza versus the price of take out or eating out.
5. Started my Christmas shopping at thrift stores. Bought three books for my dad, a Spiderman mug for my best friend, and a instruction car for painting for my mom.
6. Will cash out from Checkout51 today. $20.50 just from scanning my receipts. 🙂

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Mairsydoats November 16, 2015 at 9:42 am

Is the Marimekko duvet cover still available? And full/queen, perchance? I’d love to pay you for sourcing same!! And contribute to the college fund.

Well, depending on the pattern. Email me?

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Katy November 16, 2015 at 11:02 am

Sadly, it’s a twin.

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