Five Frugal Things

by Katy on November 24, 2015 · 45 comments

  1. My friend Lise dropped off a half-bag of litter that her cat didn’t like. I’ll mix it into what I’m currently using.
  2. I stopped off at my father’s house to help myself to some firewood. (It’s an open offer that I only take advantage of a couple times per year.) It’s nice to have a fire in the fireplace during Thanksgiving, so nice and cozy. I don’t have any kindling, so I’ll forage in the backyard for windfall.
  3. My favorite fleece gloves are looking super grubby, so I’m going to soak them in knockoff Oxyclean to brighten them back up. They’re in otherwise perfect condition, so this avoids a new purchase.
  4. I baked up an organic pumpkin and then pureed the flesh for pumpkin pies. (I got the pumpkin from my buy nothing group.) I roasted the seeds, supposedly to put out on Thanksgiving, but someone is finding them too delicious. For those wondering what variety of pumpkin to use, it was a normal pumpkin. I always bake our Halloween pumpkins, and they’ve always turned out great. It doesn’t have to be a specific variety.
  5. I brought a work lunch of scratch cooked black beans, rice and toppings, I dropped off plastics recycling, I found a dime from the ground and I worked a full 12-hour shift yesterday by choosing to stay to do dull but well paying online education.

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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{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }

Jan November 24, 2015 at 1:14 pm

1. Saved myself from buying a new winter coat by taking over my wife’s castoff coat from a couple years ago. No waste, no buying!
2. Pulling extra shifts for the holidays over the next few weeks.
3. Found 2 holiday gift books I can give 2 writer friends that I’m done with & they will love.
4. Thought of ideal gifts for co-workers – free passes for the conservatory where I work part-time.
5. On a whim started drinking tea I’ve had for a while & found I really like it.

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Jan November 24, 2015 at 1:15 pm

See #3 above – I meant to say, I’m done with the books, not my friends!

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Cheyanne November 24, 2015 at 1:27 pm

HA! 🙂

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Jennifer November 24, 2015 at 1:33 pm

too funny, I needed that

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K November 24, 2015 at 1:33 pm

I did pause for a moment on that one!

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Beth Anne November 24, 2015 at 1:26 pm

1. Hung up a load of clothes to dry.
2. Been eating leftovers.
3. No vending machine treats.
4. Waiting for gas to go lower to fill up. 🙂 Just checked out gasbuddies.com and seems to still be going lower.
5. Used the office phone for local calls to save on phone minutes.
6. Went to the grocery store and picked up food to take with us on our dog vacation sit this week so we don’t eat out. Bought a few holiday things on sale to use later i.e. cranberries for bread.

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Beth November 24, 2015 at 9:25 pm

Forgot to mention I earned $25 PayPal card through Swagbucks, woo hoo!

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Cheyanne November 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

1. Finished all of the squares for my boyfriend’s Christmas throw blanket (made almost entirely from my existing yarn stash) and put the first vertical row (5 12-inch squares) together during my lunch break.

2. Last night I finished a hat and scarf set for my mom’s boyfriend (yep, made from my existing yarn stash!).

3. Forgot my lunch at home, and instead of going to get fast food I ran to Vons for a half-off best-by-today salad. At $2.50 it wasn’t as inexpensive as a burrito from del taco or a slice of greasy pizza from the pizza place, but arguably tastier and significantly healthier.

4. Going to start making a vegetarian gravy recipe I found tonight as it takes about 13 hours to cook and I have plans to make greens in my crock pot for Thanksgiving. Even though there will just be two of us at Thanksgiving this year I’m making a whole batch so some can be used for lentil shepherd’s pie! 🙂

5. I’m listening to a new book on Overdrive called “A Tale for the Time Being” which is WONDERFUL. Just listened to a passage where one of the main characters’ mother went shopping at the “Free Store” that was charming and delightful. It makes me wish my city had a “Free Store!”

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Ruby November 24, 2015 at 1:50 pm

1. Checked the waste basket beside the coupon dispenser at Food Lion yesterday and snagged discarded coupons for $1 each off a basket of grape tomatoes and a jar of peanuts. Each item was 59 cents after applying the coupon.

2. Turned a worn-out pair of wool socks and three tennis balls into a trio of wool dryer balls. It took a few minutes of hand-sewing, but it worked. Now I’m all eager to see how much they cut down on drying time.

3. Today I used up the last of a package of weather stripping and a package of thumb tacks (both bought at the dollar store) repairing the areas where our middle cat claws at the doors to be let inside from the back porch. Also used up a small roll of clear skateboard tape putting it on the door to stop him from scratching at that spot.

4. The soup I made a few days ago did not go over well with my husband. He liked the flavor but not the lentils, so I portioned it out in containers and put it in the freezer. Once it’s frozen hard, I’ll run hot water over the containers and pop out each “soup puck” into a labeled ziplock bag and put it back in the freezer. Stuff takes up less room that way.

5. Also today, I took a couple of small cardboard boxes, stapled them together and covered them with some leftover Con-Tact paper to make a holder for cat treats. One side is for the medicinal treats for hairball control and the other side holds the fun treats. This freed up some space in our pantry and will make things much easier to find when there’s a trio of cats wailing at my feet. 🙂

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Beth November 24, 2015 at 1:53 pm

#4 is genius! I just made/froze 30ish cups of chicken broth-wish I would have thought of using this method because now our freezer is full of space-sucking broth containers. I’ll have to remember this for next time 🙂

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Annette November 24, 2015 at 3:38 pm

I divide my broth into 2cups and use freezer bags lay flat to freeze takes less room

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Jennifer November 24, 2015 at 3:45 pm

Could you pop yours out of the containers that are taking up space in the freezer now and minimize space or are the containers you use too big? Just a thought..

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Katie November 26, 2015 at 8:27 pm

I’ve been on a major cleaning bender the past couple weeks and feel like I’m finally making progress.

1. Finally finished cleaning out my closet and brought another stack of stuff over to the consignment shop. Found out I have over $40 waiting for me from the items I dropped off a couple weeks ago! (I changed jobs last year and it just kills me how many business clothes I had for my old job that I don’t wear anymore).

2. I donated several bags of clothes to Goodwill that have been sitting in a pile in my guest room for months. Literally months. Judging by the drop off line at Goodwill, I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea.

3. Sold a bunch of home decor items I no longer want on facebook for CASH!

4. Found good homes for winter gear (coat, hats, mittens) that I don’t use or want any more.

5. Made more room in the garage by finally dropping off the box of electronic waste (batteries, CFL bulbs, blender, old keyboard, etc.) at the hazardous waste recycling center instead of tossing it in the trash. A win for me and for the environment!

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Beth November 24, 2015 at 1:51 pm

1. Flying out tomorrow for Thanksgiving: the plan is to bring my own (empty) reusable water bottle as well as several nutrient-dense snacks so that I’m not tempted to buy airport/airplane food.
2. Drank free coffee today at work, and ate the breakfast I brought with me even though I REALLY wanted to stop for a chocolate-covered cake donut.
3. Eating leftovers for dinner tonight
4. Did not buy cheap gloves for a high price at a department store, even though I had a gift card. I’ll keep looking until I find something good quality for the right price-maybe at a thrift store.
5. Purchased a wallet for my dad’s Birthday present. It was cheaper than what I could find in the stores, and it’s made in the USA from real leather.

Now for the not so frugal 🙁
1. Ate Chipotle for dinner last night-first time hubby and I have eaten out in a couple weeks. It just sounded good. And I was too lazy to heat up the leftovers.
2. Was randomly invited to go out to lunch with my sister and niece today for my niece’s Birthday. Tried to order healthier food, but still paid $8 instead of eating my already-purchased food from home. But, it was for her Birthday, and I’m trying to be frugal, not downright stingy!

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Mand01 November 24, 2015 at 2:14 pm

1. Have not purchased coffee out for some time. This is a big achievement for me. I use my budgeted ‘blow’ money to do so, but I want to start using that for more fun things than five minutes worth of coffee.
2. Working from home for two days. This saves money on petrol and wear and tear on work clothing, although obviously I do use my own electricity and Internet.
3. I’ve started my Xmas baking, finally. The fruit was purchased on sale over the past six weeks, so all I needed to buy was butter and a small bottle of brandy. I bake mini cakes in old fruit tins as they are the perfect size and shape.
4. My father met me for lunch at work yesterday, and paid for it. It was just lovely to spend time with him.
5. As I work from home I do the washing, so I can combine jobs. I am working on a large project and as I complete certain tasks I need a five minute break. I take the breaks now and then to swap loads. This means that my weekend is not filled with laundry like it normally is.

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janine November 24, 2015 at 3:04 pm

1.Went shopping for Thanksgiving hostess gifts this afternoon – remembered to bring along my own water bottle but succumbed to $1 Taco Tuesday offer.
2. Purchased a sale top – 85% off at a clearance center – less expensive but not absolutely needed!
3. Am baking holiday cookies for friends to take with them on a holiday weekend trip instead of buying goodies.
4. Resisted the urge to take another look at the book store offerings
5. No Lear jet this week – enough jumping “off the frugal wagon” – see above- not quite able to afford it right now.

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Kay November 24, 2015 at 3:10 pm

I never bother to take the pumpkin seeds off the roasting pan – they get eaten too quickly.

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Betty Winslow November 24, 2015 at 4:23 pm

1. Continuing to use up bits and pieces from freezer and pantry to make meals for four instead of two.
2. Took an overflowing box of books to the used book store and used some of my credit to buy 6 Catherine Coulter books in the series I’m currently reading. They’re ones from the end, so they’ll be handy when I catch up to them and it’s too cold to go out, and they cost me nada! (Plus, most of the books were from a friend’s huge pile of stuff I took to GW for her…)
3. Continuing to carefully tend my celery and basil plants – despite my well-known black thumb, they both look pretty good!
4. My son was gifted an Eddie Bauer down parka ($300 value) that was filthy from being balled up in a friend’s storage unit for several years. Took it to dry cleaner, used 20% off coupon, got it clean and brand-new looking for $10.68! He desperately needed a coat, since he will be walking to work this winter, and this one is super warm.
5. Gifted the local Xmas Elf program with about 50 new hardcover books that were sent to me in hopes I’d review them in my column. I can use 40-50 a year, but I get (no joke) about 400. A year. I’m selling a lot of them for less than half price in my Half.com store, but I still had a lot more and I’m happy to help the program that gives to those who have not. (Anyone want to buy some books for Xmas gifts? I can help you LOL)

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lauren November 24, 2015 at 4:37 pm

Ok, let’s see what I did over the past few days:

1. Resisted take-out urge tonight by sending hubby for a rotisserie chicken while he was out running errands. $6 well-spent for a family of 5 with leftovers for tomorrow.
2. Checked tires and noticed they were below the recommended PSI. Had hubby fill them up while he was out (hmmm, I’m sensing a trend today!). My gas mileage will immediately improve. Although I did rock out a sweet 47mpg earlier today!
3. My 10yo daughter made a delicious vinaigrette for our salad tonight without any supervision. Passing down cooking skills = priceless.
4. Received a new re-usable mug as a gift at a conference last week and used it on my commute the past two days.
5. Got a package of potato buns on the clearance rack for 76 cents. Hubby and kids ate four of them with grass fed beef burgers (marked down to $3.50 for four organic patties!) for lunch while I was at work. The remaining four buns will become french toast tomorrow morning. Want to use them up before they go bad.

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Anne November 24, 2015 at 4:54 pm

1. Husband is slowly painting the kitchen cabinets. He’s 73 so I told him he could take as long as he wants. I have a friend who is currently paying $1400 to have hers painted. I am so thankful for a handy husband.

2. I was going to buy an apple pie to bring to a Thanksgiving dinner. Turns out host does not eat pie and hostess w0uld *probably* not so there was no point in bringing an entire pie that will simply be returned to us. (And we would end up eating over the next few days at home.) She asked us to bring rolls instead. I also am bringing her a hostess gift.

3. I was going to buy a bulletin board to hang notes/pictures from the grandchildren, but I decided what’s wrong with taping them to the fridge like the rest of the world. 😀

4. I am wrapping Christmas presents and using comic sections (free) to wrap the grandchildren’s gifts and pretty magazine ads for some of the other stuff. I decided I would wrap all gifts without a trip to the dollar store.

5. This isn’t money saving but I am seriously decluttering the office. Lots of financial records are being shredded and a few bags of things taken to the thrift store. I have even gotten rid of a huge pile of stuff I thought I was to sentimental to toss. I always feel euphoric with less stuff.

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Kathleen November 24, 2015 at 5:31 pm

1. I am almost done crocheting one Christmas present (all from leftover bits of yarn) and have started making a scarf out of old t-shirts for my niece.

2. My goal is to get through Christmas without spending any money on wrapping or tags or cards. Between the kids’ craft supplies and my fabric, we should be able to make everything we need. It’s frugal, environmentally conscious, and much more fun than shopping.

3. We have been eating down the contents of the fridge and making room in the freezer in anticipation of Thanksgiving cooking and leftovers. Today’s lunch was a small piece of beef with leftover rice, kale, and fermented green tomatoes. Yum!

4. My husband started a new job and his old job owes him several weeks of unused vacation time. Woohoo!

5. We are planning on spending Black Friday at home eating leftovers for lunch with friends. The only thing that is more frugal than getting deals on Black Friday is not shopping at all on Black Friday.

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Lazyretirementgirl November 24, 2015 at 6:45 pm

Kathleen, there are lots of printable tags on the Internet, free from graphic designers. If you google printable gift tags, you likely will find a lot.

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Jennifer November 24, 2015 at 8:26 pm

I saw a cool idea the other day. Put foam stickers( or something similar) on an old lint roller. Let the kids roll it in paint then roll all over newspaper, paper bags, butcher paper, etc. for wrapping paper.
You can cut little foam designs in the shape of trees, stars, or wreaths then glue on. Just thought I’d share.

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Lucy November 26, 2015 at 5:42 am

We just use a silver, red, or green Sharpie, depending on what contrasts with the wrapping, and write directly on the wrapping. I’ve been doing this for years!

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K D November 24, 2015 at 5:56 pm

1. I had the day off so I attended a morning yoga class. I pay for a monthly membership.

2. I bought a Thanksgiving turkey. Because I spent $25 (mostly produce) it was only $.99/#. They had pumpkin spice baking mixes marked down so I got eight of them free by using coupons. I’ll give them away.

3. I listed several items on freecycle. Some have already been picked up. Go decluttering.

4.I was able to buy a one year weekend subscription to the newspaper for $7.20 for a friend, through Groupon. It was an appreciated gift.

5. I found a quarter in the street, while walking in my neighborhood.

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Bettypants November 24, 2015 at 6:10 pm

1. Sold four items on ebay this week, for a profit of $56.50. I had bought all the items locally from a rummage sale or the local FB boards, with the intention of relisting on ebay. Pleased to see that were all smart buys!
2. Bought a nice brand name down coat, a drink mixer, and some drawer pulls – all to list on ebay.
3. Sold a pair of boots, a set of China, and two stuffed animals on local FB boards for a total of $72 this week.
4. My office had a lunch for everyone last week, which was generous. Pumpkin pie included.
5. Last but not least, I found a quarter in the grass while I was out for a walk.

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Marcia November 24, 2015 at 6:27 pm

1. Went Christmas shopping today. Found two gifts at Tuesday Morning (a close-out store) at really reasonable prices.
2. Went to Target for an item son in law wanted—prices on their groceries are HIGH! Must remind DGD not to shop at Target for food.
3. Made dinner at home despite being tired. Frozen salmon portions in spicy sauce, re-doctored up leftover couscous from last night, and tossed salad, with fruit cocktail for dessert. Fast and easy–and avoided take out!
4. Decided against buying an ironing board for DGD when I saw the $100 price tag! (Joanne’s) I have an iron for her for Christmas and won’t spoil the surprise by asking if she wants a full size board or a table top size. I’ll find one after Christmas—for less than that!!
5. NO shopping for the rest of the week,unless it’s on line!! No Black Friday for me, although I may go to the grocery store on Friday, since Thursday is my normal day for that.

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WilliamB November 24, 2015 at 6:42 pm

Too bad we don’t live close. I buy dozens of boxes of clementines over the winter. Rather than throw out the packaging, I break them up for kindling. Apparently I like clementines even more than I like fires and would be happy to share.

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Kim November 24, 2015 at 7:02 pm

1. Finished up the last of my 24 CE credits that I need to renew my insurance license by 11/30! Took a very interesting online class that gave me 4 credits and only cost $16.15. All the rest of my credits I got from free classes that were sponsored by carriers or restoration companies. I realized when double checking my transcripts, that I had not received credit for a class I took in Sept. I made the necessary calls and she is looking into it and calling me back tomorrow morning. If I hadn’t realized it in time and had to renew even a day late, there is a $100 charge in addition to the $69 license fee. Don’t want to pay an extra $100!
2. Went to the mall to collect all my birthday bonuses since they expire on Monday and we are traveling for the weekend. Also, I have no intentions of entering the mall in the next month, not that I ever really go there! So I got free makeup at Sephora, my free monthly truffle at Godiva and a $10 birthday coupon that I used to buy a can of hot chocolate mix and a free dinner at Noodles! Husband had to work and DS is at a Wizards game with his BF so I didn’t have to cook dinner for anyone and enjoyed my free pasta!
3. Went to the grocery store that has turkeys for 68¢/lb. with no purchase needed. It’s a limit of 1 so I got a 16 lb. bird. Tomorrow I will be near there when I go to renew my Drivers License so I will pick up another and throw it in the freezer.
4. Sold 4 things on Amazon in the past week including a DVD that sold for $70! It’s a very rare documentary that was New, still sealed and that I had listed for the lowest price.
5. Picked up 2 sealed multi-packs of HP cartridges at a church sale last weekend. They are the size that fits one of the copiers at work so they are going to pay me for them at the retail price. I paid a total of $2 for both packs which has a total of 5 cartridges. College fund!

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Kim November 25, 2015 at 7:56 am

One more I forgot! Yesterday I stopped at Safeway on my way home with my receipt and 2 coupons I didn’t have with me when DH and I popped in after church. One was $1.50 catalina for Diet Coke and the other was 10% off total purchase. The catalina had been given to me by a co-worker and the 10% off came in the mail and was expiring yesterday. Walked out with $6.46 which was well worth the stop!

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Florencia November 25, 2015 at 10:15 am

Do you have to buy anything to get your Sephora birthday gift?

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Laure November 25, 2015 at 12:33 pm

If you want the free Sephora gift shipped to your home, you must purchase something. If you physically go into a store to pick it up, no purchase is required. I do it every year. They give you a month or so to get your free gift.

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Vicki November 24, 2015 at 8:10 pm

1) Picked up a turkey for $.58/lb, and got awesome deals on pretty much everything for Thursday’s feast. Used a gift to get most of it, so total out-of-pocket was $10 for everything, including the cat litter I needed to pick up.
2) Utilized the medical transport service my insurance pays for to get to/from my appointments today. Bus fare saved, to the tune of $5.
3) Didn’t stop at Jim and Patty’s Coffee, even though I was two blocks away and seriously craving coffee and a scone.
4) Playing computer games I already have, instead of picking up Fallout 4.
5) Sadly, no Lear Jet. 😛

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Jennifer November 24, 2015 at 8:17 pm

1. Baked four sweet potato pies. Two for my husband,because there are his fave,and 2 for my husband’s friends because they routinely help him out all year long at our business. Kinda still bothered by the price of eggs since it took 6 of them for the pies.
2. Feeling not so frugal because I am sick so I seem to care less about what things cost in exchange for how I can make things easiest for myself. Will get back on track soon.
3. Wondering if I am going to get better without having to see a doctor. Gonna try to stick it out a while longer as most illnesses go away eventually.
4. Enjoying getting to spend time with my kids since they are out of school. I have the best kids, I gues we all do.
5. Happy with the cost of my new roof. I got the roofer to come down $900.00 from the original quote with an upgrade to a 30 year roof. Will be so happy to not have anxiety every time it rains. Drip, drip…drip

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Jennifer November 25, 2015 at 4:55 am

And one more thing. Walgreens has a free 8×10 deal with the code 1FREE8X10. Great to pair with a cheap thrift store frame for a super frugal gift!

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Florencia November 25, 2015 at 3:28 pm

Thanks for the code!

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Jennifer November 25, 2015 at 4:21 pm

Yw☺️

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Lauren November 25, 2015 at 12:49 am

1. We have a friend staying with us and is cooking and cleaning for us as a thank you. Great timing too because we are flat out with uni, work and looking after 3 kiddos.
2. Picked up some baby goods I received off a buy nothing group. I kept the wraps for my stepson and passed the headbands, booties and baby sunglasses on to my work mate who is due in feb.
3. MIL dropped off a full can of formula for stepson.
4. Got $18 off of 2 boxes of bulk nappies for the 2 still in diapers.
5. Free lunch at work. Free babysitting from grandparents. Extra shift at work this week. Eating from the freezer. Eating strawberries from the bush. Watching out shows on Stan streaming for cheap and cancelled unused gym membership for an annual saving of $400!

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Kim from Philadelphia November 25, 2015 at 6:12 am

I really love the comments here and have gleaned ideas from everyone!

– I’m trying hard for zero food waste; yesterday’s saves included an avocado that was overripe, half of a pb and J leftover from the day before that I are for breakfast, and a small chunk of hard cheddar that I grated atop our rice and beans last night.

– now that our attic is insulated (yeah) the house definitely retains heat more efficiently and the heat kicks on much less than before. It’s usually a little chilly here- daytime its set at 65 and 61 overnight.

– we’re having a very low key holiday break so far- hanging at home recovering from colds, hosting tomorrow at our place, local hike on Fri instead of shopping, catching up on reading and schoolwork for my son.

– mended my best friends coat for her while she was visiting. She knows I enjoy it and like a challenge. In exchange she treated me to breakfast.

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Cristie Glasheen November 25, 2015 at 6:14 am

I’ve been taking advantage of the food savings this time of year.
1. I usually shop all the stores in my area for their turkey specials and get 6 turkeys to store in my deep freezer. I cook one every other month. All of them have a minimum purchase so I stock up on things I would buy anyway – especially because a lot of them are on sale.
2. Stocked up on roll-out pie crusts (BOGO) as part of the minimum purchases. (I know this is cheaper to make myself but I work a full time job and run a small business part time). I’ll freeze them and use these for pot pies, shepherd’s pies, and quiche crusts as a way to use up food scraps throughout the year.
3. For one of the minimum purchases I got 24 jars of pasta sauce (BOGO) because my tomato crop was paltry and I didn’t have enough to can this year. 24 should get me through to next summer’s tomatoes.
4. For another minimum purchase I got jam making ingredients for all my holiday gifts. I make unusual varieties of jams each year which are between $1 and 3$ a jar. I make different types each year and everyone looks forward to it. This year is Banana Jam, Blackberry Vanilla Basil Jam [made from home grown blackberries], Pineapple Cranberry jam, and Honey Lemon Apple Jam. I also set aside enough to keep myself with plenty of Jam for the year.
5. 2 bushels of apples (yes full bushels) for 35$ a piece at the farmer’s market, which I will make into jams and applesauce for the year. I may even dehydrate some, although I tend to nibble on those too much.
6. I bought 20lbs of sweet potatoes (29 cents/lb – probably the lowest price all year) that I am going to pressure can for a quick side dish throughout the year.

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Isabelle November 25, 2015 at 10:36 am

* Will use shampoo and conditionner samples found in a magazine (that I did not buy, just found at work).
* Will stay under budget this month again for groceries (budget of 500$, will have spent about 425$)
* It’s the time of the year when we gather all the winter gears for us and the kids to see what still fits. I am happy to say that we can all just reuse last year stock, so no need to buy anything, yay!! And all that stuff was mostly bought used or on sale.
* Was able to make enough $ with extra work hours this month to cover the fees related to thr old unsold house. Now that our real estate agent contract is over, we are taking matters into our own hands. This way we can afford to lower the asking price and hopefully sell soon!!! This is such a waste of money, time and energy…
* Hubby and I are really good at entertaining ourselves at a low/no cost. We have 2 small kids and free babysitting is an occasional thing only, so we mostly spend time together at home playing board games or cards, doing puzzles, watching movies, cooking special meald. Sometimes we go to the city gym to play (free) badminton. I am really lucky to have a husband that share my frugal tastes.
* Starting next Christmas, we decided we will start a new tradition for the kids gifts (too late this year): one need, one want, one wear and one read. So four gifts each, period. And I have nothing against finding free stuff/second hand/on sale!

Have a great frugal day!

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Tish November 25, 2015 at 11:44 am

*Made freezer breakfast burritos, a batch of stock from a ziploc of saved chicken bones in the freezer and a big batch of ranch dressing for the next few weeks.
*Signed up for an oil change mystery shop, my car is due.
*Shopped primarily loss leaders and markdowns, ate all meals at home except for mystery shops 🙂
* Tried making apple chips from markdown apples for a healthy addition to my teen’s lunch, score – she LOVES them
*Checked out books from the library, I can’t remember the last time I bought a book.
* Used Katy’s trick for the B1G1 Redbox codes when you reserve online to just get one for free. Weirdly my new county libraries do not have movies to check out, first time I have lived somewhere where the libraries do not have movies.
*Upped my 401k contribution as I noticed I won’t hit the max if I didn’t go up a couple percent. Sent some money to mine and hubs IRAs. His 401K was good to go for the max contribution this year.
*In the middle of staining an ugly oak bathroom cabinet espresso instead of replacing and got a sample of General finishes milk paint to try on my hideous 80s scuffed oak kitchen cabinets. Hoping to save them!
*Only turned up the heat to take the chill out of the house, then kept the temp at 67.
*Washed everything on cold water using detergent bought on sale with a coupon.

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Miss ID November 25, 2015 at 1:03 pm

Throw some hydrogen peroxide in the Oxyclean soak with your gloves (if they are white)! Easy peasy.

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Chris November 25, 2015 at 6:32 pm

– Walk the dog for exercise – my husband has to worry about getting to the gym xx number of times each month to get a reimbursement. The dog will walk as long as I am willing to – podcasts keep us moving!
– Next week is the next big library sale that I coordinate – books for almost nothing and this time we are also accepting donations of games and puzzles – we are overwhelmed! But guess what my niece and nephews are getting for Christmas?
– Making both a turkey and ham for Thanksgiving hosted here – leftovers for all of us!
– No work this week – so no cash but no driving back and forth, no dog day care for longer work days, lots of errands/stuff taken care of around the house.
– We are spending Black Friday getting eye exams in the AM then my daughter is coming over to bake cookies. Spending Saturday at the library prepping for sale. Sunday – sleep, glorious sleep! Will go to the post office on Monday to send son and family some cookies – otherwise they will be gone before Christmas.

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Rachel H November 26, 2015 at 7:38 am

Frugal things:
1. I have been recovering from knee replacement surgery I had on Nov. 9th. So being stuck at home has saved money I would otherwise spend just running around.
2.Made a list of sell items at Winn Dixie and matched up with the coupons I had. My husband did the shopping, but reminded me when he got home that I did not give him the shoppers card. The cashier used hers, so she got the fuel points. oh well, we got a few good deals.
3. Ordered some Christmas gifts on-line using discount codes. Most of my grandkids gifts have been bought on deep discount sales and from thrift shopping all year.
4. The first meal I made was bean burritos from leftover refried beans, along with Spanish rice from a box. Otherwise we would have ordered pizza. I still want some pizza though.
5. For my recovery entertainment I am reading books loaned to me from friends and watching t.v. using our antennae, and Netflix, only $9 per month.
Happy Thanksgiving!

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