- I called my pharmacy to renew my inhaler prescription so I would have a fresh one for my upcoming NYC trip. (Any asthmatic knows how important this is!) I was told that my doctor wouldn’t renew the prescription until I’d made a appointment to come see him. I called his office and explained that there was no change in my condition, and asked if it was possible to renew the prescription without being seen in person. And sure enough, I got a robot-call from Walgreen’s within the hour telling me that my “prescription was ready for pick up.” I saved both the $20 co-pay and the annoyance of fitting in an unnecessary appointment. Yay!
- I brought up the extra cheap-o gallon of milk from my chest freezer to find that although I’d poured some milk off to make room for expansion, it wasn’t enough. Luckily I’d removed the lid in case of this possibility. I’m currently defrosting this milk in the sink!
- I mended a spot on my son’s shirt where the seam had come apart.
- My husband is out of town with the Prius, which leaves me with our minivan, which I haven’t driven for months. I started up to car this morning to find that the gas tank was on empty with the light on. I gently drove my son to school and then bought exactly $5 of gasoline at the local gas station. I can go to Costco later this week and fill up the 21-gallon tank. The difference in price is usually around 30¢-per-gallon, which will save me $6.30 for a full tank of gasoline.
- I renewed my Craigslist posts, my son and I watched the Wallace & Gromit shorts using my mother’s Amazon Prime account, I wrote another blog post for Clark Howard, I batched errands this morning and 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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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
My Frugal Five:
1. I reposted my 10 craigslist posts. I also relisted 25 items on ebay that I’m selling.
2. I’m making re-usable produce bags for my mom, aunt and cousin for Christmas.
3. I’m making dinner from things we already have in our fridge and freezer. It sounds delicious.
4. I was in the parking lot of the thrift store and found $5 on the ground and no one around.
5. I’m listening to audio books on Overdrive and I didn’t buy a Lamborghini.
1. I sold ten items on ebay this week, for a profit of $163.
2. Ran to Kroger on my lunch hour yesterday and found a bunch of marked down yogurt. I use plain yogurt in my baking and take the smaller ones to work for snacks.
3. Also found bags of snack size KitKats and Nerds for 99 cents each. Bought several. Have eaten many, many frozen KitKats last night and today. Possibly too many.
4. Sold two household items on local FB sites, and have six more meets set up for this week.
5. Made a pot of chili for dinner Sunday night and brought leftovers yesterday and today.
1. Mad little bags of dried basil and dried rosemary for little gifts for friends.
2. I made extra strawberry jam this summer with the intention of using a few jars as Christmas gifts. I cut circles from pretty pictures on old Christmas cards to dress up the jars. I put the circles on top of the canning flat inside the ring.
3. I defrosted the freezer last week. Found several packages of things I had cooked a froze enough for my husband’s and my lunch. This week will be easy just pulling out one a day for convenience. However, I did find about six packages that the labels had came off of and they will be Freezer Surprise when I thaw them:)
4. Crrocheting dishcloths with various bits of yarn that I have as leftovers. They are actually quite colorful and pretty. They will wash dishes just as .
5.This is the year I am using up what wrapping, labels and bows we have on hand. I am not so good about surveying what I have before buying more. This year is different….so I guess I am doing better after all.
Oh, the best dishcloths I ever had were a pair of hand crocheted ones bought at a church craft bazaar. I wore them out!
We used to freeze milk but it always ended up tasting gross after it defrosted 🙁
The trick is not to use it until it is completely thawed. Give it a good shake, make sure there are no more ice crystals and no one will never know it was frozen. You could boost it with a little powdered milk from your pantry if desired. Also, if you have any expiration date watchers, a Sharpie is your friend. (What? Expired? Heck no, it’s been in the freezer, it’s fine.)
Megg, I’d like to introduce you to the concept of “Selective Squeamishness” as introduced to the frugal world by none other than Amy Dacyczyn of “The Tightwad Gazette” fame. Luckily, if you follow these steps, your milk will never taste “gross” again. Unless of course, it was spoiled before it was deposited in the deep freeze. Even then, there are loads of recipes that call for sour milk.
I was just about to try to freeze several half gallons. I have no idea how much to pour off??? I purchased extra milks because I see so many other on here doing it. I hope it works out for me or money will be wasted. Milk freezing virgin here.
Good question, Jennifer! I usually pour off about a cup per gallon. I save the almost finished jug and pour off my about-to-be-frozen gallons into it. I may or may not add water and dry milk and shake furiously before putting it back into the refrigerator. (My family never notices, possibly because I always buy whole milk, which is more forgiving.) It never hurts to shake the jug before you pour off the milk and once again before it goes into the freezer. Maybe all this shaking and complete defrosting is why mine never tastes bad. Also, if you’ve never frozen milk before, be prepared, it takes a mighty long time to defrost. “They” always say to defrost milk in the fridge, but if you do that, I swear it will take a week to defrost. Setting a frozen gallon of milk into a tub of cold water overnight and then in the fridge for the next day or so is what usually works for me. Good luck!
Oh, great advice! Thanks so much! You saved me some trouble on the defrosting end too because we can’t do without milk for a week.
1. Not frugal, but not wasteful, I ordered gift cards for my mom for her favorite restaurant. She doesn’t need stuff and I like to give consumables if I can’t come up with experience gifts.
2. My daughter and I continue so save money every month by using Ting, instead of Virgin Mobile, for our cell phone service. I have had the same (my one and only) smart phone for three years. My daughter traded an old iPod for an old iPhone (her one and only smart phone).
3. My MIL can’t get out much and has no room for more items in her life, I bought her a grocery store gift card through a non-profit (they charge face value but buy the cards at a discount). It’s a small help for them and doesn’t cost me anything.
4. It’s time for me to take a walk and maintain my health.
5. The temperature has been above average. Good for both the heating bill and the psyche.
3.
1. Made up little bags of washed and sliced fresh veggies for my husband so that making his own lunch to take to work is super easy.
2. Cooked up a pot of winter vegetable soup (potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, celery, cabbage and lentils) for me to have for lunch. It tastes wonderful with a chunk of One Hour Bread.
3. Cleaned up, de-rusted and painted our 20-year-old electric can opener. It now looks and works great after its refurbishment. We have a manual can opener that sees some use, but it’s hard on my arthritic thumb to use it now.
4. Cleaned out our linen closet and discovered our mislaid stash of Ace bandages. (We are a family of klutzes.) I laundered them and they’re ready for the next time we fall down or trip over something.
5. Am trying out some shelf-stable soy milk from Dollar Tree to use in my coffee.
That shelf stable milk is perfect for any cooking needs and the brand that I get at the dollar tree actually has coupons available on their company website at times so it’s almost free. I think I am going to experient with powdered milk soon
Thank you! That is great to know about the coupons. I became lactose-intolerant a while back and began using almond milk for coffee and cereal, but it tends to be rather expensive.
We use powdered milk for cooking and once in a while add a little reconstituted milk to the jug of regular milk if we’re running low before grocery shopping day. For turning it into liquid milk, I find it works best if a few ice cubes are added to the cold water. They help mix it up better while shaking the container.
Ruby, almond milk is easy to make at home. Soak half a cup of almonds ( I use chopped, peeled almonds) overnight in water. In the morning drain and rinse them, and put in a blender with a cup of water. Blend for two minutes, and strain ( I use an old gold coffee filter on an old coffee pot). Once the water has drained, add another cup of water to the ground almond goop and let it drain through. Press down on the goop in the filter with a spoon to extract more liquid., and you are done. You can add vanilla or sweetener if you like. You can also spread the almond grounds on a sheet pan and dry in a low oven and grind the dried grounds into almond meal.
I must say, you must have a nicer doctor than most people I know. I swear I cannot refill any prescriptions without going in to the doctor to tell them that nothing has changed. Seems that they want to earn that money regardless of what the patient’s needs our. End of rant.
Yeah, I agree. I did get my dr to refill mine earlier this year…probably because I told her I’d lost my job and had no insurance….
1. Made a smoothie for breakfast (Chocolate, PB, and Banana– am trying to use up some chocolate soy milk that expires soon!)
2. Went to Kroger to get brown sugar and ended up with a cart full of stuff I didn’t need. This new store is so huge that it takes forever to do anything. I ended up walking away from the buggy because I just felt sick and overwhelmed by all the choices presented to me.
3. I did get gas at Kroger which was about .30 per gallon less than down the street.
4. Was asked if I would do an editing job for $150– said yes so fast my own head spun!
5. Am going to go in the kitchen and find something to make for dinner instead of going out! (Always a temptation for me!)
I do that at the grocery store too. It’s technically called sensory overload. All the choices make it overwhelming and stressful. As for the refills, I used to work at a clinic before I went back to RN school.Pretty much if it was something like BP, heart, inhalers, insulin, cholesterol meds, etc. we would refill them for one month and make the patient an appointment. Some exceptions to the rule is chronic pain meds,blood thinners, and any med that requires extra close monitoring or if it’s new med the doctor just prescribed a month or so ago, don’t even ask. If you just ask for an extra refill occasionally or chronically it makes a difference too.
Used the $100 gift card and 20% off total purchase coupon from target that my husband got for purchasing his apple watch online on Black Friday. Combined that with cartwheel, sales, manufacturer coupons, and ibotta, it felt like he got the watch for less than half of the original price.
Freezing milk? Never heard of this one!
I’ve been gathering up all the leftover squares from baby quilts I have made to put them together to make more quilts. A fun patchwork jumble that will be very vintage looking. And 3 new quilt tops with no money spent on fabric.
1. I made some chicken soup a couple weeks ago from a carcass and cheap chicken thighs. Ate it for a week (I live alone and love soup). Neighbors gave me Several cups of their homemade turkey soup from thanksgiving. Added remains of chicken soup to it and ate that for several days. Today I had defrosted a pound of spicey sausage on sale because it was day before “sell by” date, fried it, cut up lots of potatoes and spinach and added it all to the end of the chicken/turkey broth. Is absolutely delicious! (Of course have been boiling soup every couple days.).
2. Doing volunteer work for arts organization. Walk to and from. Organized social practice art event during town holiday night last Friday.
3. Couple members of immediate family are seriously ill. Grateful for the health I do have. Will visit over Christmas.
4. Marched in support of climate change conference in Paris last week with 90 others in our very small town. Made my own big sign from supplies on hand.
5. Picked up trash and leaves in my street gutter clear to the street drain. Live upstate NY and we haven’t seen a flake of snow. Yet. Which may or may not relate to #4.
Yay on cleaning up the gutters! As part of a community group I volunteer for, we been trying to get neighbors to “adopt” their street drains. We live right on a major US river and keeping them clean keeps our river and, ultimately, the ocean clean. Also yay on the march!
Back at you with the drain adoptions! Besides the environmental impact which is most important, clearing drains helps with reducing ice buildup and making a safer walk for pedestrians. Or reducing puddles in the rain.
I love this idea! Our village is experiencing budget woes, so this would be a good “gateway” project for reducing street department time. We have some new neighbors who appear community-minded (they often clear our driveway with their snowblower), I’m thinking communal leaf raking and maybe even *gasp* composting could be in our future! 😀
3. I’m wishing everyone peace and healing, including you. Being a caretaker or just a caring relative can be tough, too.
4. Thanks for marching. Good karma and enviro-brownie points! Wish I had been nearby to march with you.
Good for you on your march to support the Paris Climate Conference. With so much terrorism in the news it got shoved to the second page in our local newspaper, but it is #1 in importance. I produce a local community TV program and our guest this evening just got back from the conference last night! We are anxious to get her take on how this world wide event unfolded for those who attended.
1. Redeemed myself slightly after 3.5 hours of shopping yesterday and buying nothing!! Went to yoga, got my hair cut, went to Bon Ton and got two gifts bought, stopped and picked up prescriptions on the way home and got home by 1:30 PM. Feeling a little better about the shopping to be done. Actually only need a couple more gifts by Christmas–the rest will be sometime between Christmas and New Year’s.
2. Made a big casserole of scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner–with enough left for tomorrow also. I have a lunch date with my sisters tomorrow! It was really good.
3. Got granddaughter to listen to me long enough to make a point–she has a reservation for her trip home for Christmas!! She usually waits so long she has to take whatever is still available.
4. Checking catalogs for gift to have sent to BIL and his wife. Husband’s brother—we just send something easy. They spend the winter in Florida and often send us citrus fruit, which is always appreciated.
5. Feeling a little more in control of “Christmas” but still have a LOT to do. Need to write cards and buy stamps to mail them with too.
3.
Here in Quebec we have milk in bags, which are easier to freeze. I used to buy a 4 liter bag which is divided in 3 bags. I used to buy it on sale and freeze the individual bags. When I need some milk I would pull a bag out of the freezer and let it sit overnight on a dish towel on the counter and the milk tasted the same as fresh.
1. Got my Everydollar budget back on track for December, November was a blurr and totally did not do it. This is frugal as it keeps me aware of how much I am spending/saving. A win for me is the extra dog walks, house sitting, Swagbucks/Paypal, reimbursement money I have been transferring to my savings account for my daughters braces. A surprise gift of money received at Thanksgiving I immediately transferred to my high interest savings account towards my 6 month emergency savings goal – half way there!
2. Re-upped online for Obama insurance for my daughter. To get it for her through my employer would cost $450-$650 a month. Unfortunately I don’t make enough money so looks like I won’t have to pay a monthly fee, a win and a blessing.
3. Received a Comcast Internet Essentials notice about internet for $9.95 a month which now includes a Wifi router, and free Nortan anti-virus. There are no additional fees and it can be cancelled at anytime. Scheduled an installation for Dec. 19th. I will save over $30 a month by cancelling my AT&T. Check into it in your area.
4. Patting self on back said NO! to the vending machine – day two of saying no! Had slipped into buying a pop several times a week and sometimes a snack. When I went home for lunch I made sure I returned with a travel mug of my fav holiday flavored coffee and healthy snacks this week. If I’m desperate for soda I do have $1 2 liters I bought to have with pizza or to take with us to holiday family get together. I know soda is bad for us, need to get back to keeping it to just with pizza, special occassions.
5. Hung a load of laundry each night this week to dry, I have done Swagbucks everyday during work etc., and have met my daily 1st goal. Booked a house sit visit for tomorrow and plan on using Meijer Santa Bucks during lunch tomorrow to get the Just Dance 2016 for my daughter for Christmas saving $10 and hopefully some new leggings, etc., she would like.
I am also signing us up to Bell Ring for the Salvation Army with my daughter for a couple of shifts as they generously provided her with a partial scholarship to attend day camp this summer. Not really a savings but away of thanking them for blessing us. Keeping the holidays simple but enjoying our blessings of hot cocoa in our Christmas mugs, using our holiday dishes for meals, and looking forward to a holiday orchestra concert this weekend I got through Groupon. We will also be decorating the tree.
1. Went to clearance center to look for Xmas gifts – didn’t find what I was looking for – not sure if that was frugal or not? May not find such incredible bargains elsewhere.
2. Received a scarf as a gift in a color I didn’t care for – voila – son called to see if I had something to donate to a charity that is collecting hats, coats scarves etc. It is soft and good quality and out it goes.
3. Noticed that fresh cauliflower was $4.99 (!) per head at the grocery store – bought cabbage at 39 cents a pound instead.
4. Rescued a “priority mail” box and will reuse it to wrap another gift.
5. Did not buy a Lear jet but would like to find a newer car that is reasonably priced.
I’d say a more expensive gift that will be appreciated is more frugal than a gift bought simply because it was cheap going unloved and unused.
Jenny: Agreed – this clearance center is an overstock store for a major department store and carries in most instances good quality major brand items. However, if you don’t need it why spend the money just because it is a bargain?
* Bought 3 packs of cream cheese for 1,50$ instead of 3$ (each). Wanted more but they were out, bummer.
* Hubby and kids are leaving town on the 20th (until the 28th), and I am joining them on the 24th, which means that we are now working on emptying the fridge from all food, a.k.a. not buying more food = cheaper month food wise. Will be fed by MIL on that week away (will contribute for some recipes, of course).
* Made a nice surplus in November (we keep track of ALL expenses and money entry in an Excel spreadsheet, been doing that for 7 years now)
Have a great frugal day!
About milk …. For the past years have been using low fat powdered milk which I have been mixing fresh every day! Find it totally satisfactory for all my needs! Always keep 2 or 3 packets in cupboard and have even shifted to a smaller measuring cup so less wastage!
Leave foods that need using or cooking pronto in obvious places so I can’t miss them! Doing well!
Love reading your posts! You are all an inspiration!
Forgot to say and just caught sight of a bowl of freshly harvested potatoes grown in pots! Still have others left to harvest! Will be yummy! Am a great potato lover!
Thought you might appreciate this. Not quite a Lear Jet, Malaysian airport seeks owners of three 747s. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-09/malaysian-airport-seeks-owners-of-abandoned-boeing-747s/7013424
I guess filling the gas tank got too expensive!
1) Making good use of doctors/pharmacy now that I have met my deductible and max out of pocket.
2)Hemmed a pair of black pants I inherited from my dear departed sister. They are The Loft brand and have years of life left in them. Not a perfect fit, but will more than do! I love wearing my sisters clothes. Makes me feel close to her!
3) Took lentils and rice to lunch today. My DH calls it poor people food. Hey, its frugal people food and so good! Sent some to his mom too. She loves it!
4) Using neighbors exercise bike instead of going to gym for PT on my knee.
5) Using up pantry items instead of buying more food. Sometimes I do feel like I am hording food. 🙁
Keep up the good work not buying those Lear jets. A whole month of not buying Lear jets will add up to some serious money!
I’m about to try being frugal about my de-cluttering by selling a few things that are too expensive to Freecycle. Any tips on craigslist, other than trying not to get killed by some psycho? And accepting cash only, obvs?
I just started this myself. My main tip is don’t get your hopes up until money is actually exchanged. So many say they are coming to pick up stuff then never show.
CL tips: use the email relay system that CL has set up. Don’t respond directly to an email address provided in the body of an email. It’s a scam.
Don’t hold anything.
Include photos in your listing. I really don’t understand how people think they will be able to sell anything without photos. “Beautiful rug.” Uh huh.
1. Having a Xmas ‘bring a plate’ at work tomorrow, and on the way home thought about what I had. Convinced the youngest to help me make savoury pinwheels, and as the oven was on, made a batch of muffins as well.
2. We also have a gift exchange. I got mine half price on the weekend.
3. My entire outfit today was secondhand, including shoes. All designer, excluding the shoes. It always makes me chuckle to swan into work in designer clothes that cost me $5.
4. Packed lunch, snacks, iced tea and made coffee at work. I almost always pack lunch and snacks – it’s the coffee that has previously been my downfall.
5. Listened to Dave Ramsey podcasts to and from work, and was inspired by a couple who paid off $109,000 of credit cards in 52 months. I don’t have debt except my house, but it got me thinking about how I could save more or pay down more, if they could pay that much off. I find his debt-free scream guests very inspiring to listen to.
I just wanted to comment on the milk… I’ve been freezing gallon jugs just like this for years and I never pour any off (nor do I remove the lid), and although the jug expands in the freezer, it reverts to normal when thawed. I’ve never had one break or had any other problems!
Same here. I freeze it all the time and never pour any off. I did have a jug that cracked once, but I think that one was literally tossed into the freezer by a disgruntled teenager.
I buy my milk at Costco. Most of the time the jugs have a circular motif on the sides that allows for expansion. Occasionally, I notice that the jugs don’t have this feature. My best guess is that Costco specifies this design but sometimes the producers run out and use regular jugs. The risk you run is that the jugs will split in the freezer if you don’t pour any off. Since it only takes a moment to create the headroom before freezing, I consider it an excellent payback for my time. Why take the risk?
1) The Foca powdered laundry detergent (bio-degradable) I bought a few weeks back is working just as good as the Purex powder did. It’s the cheapest price for the same amount of powder. Glad I tried it!
2) For Christmas I bought my daughter a used laptop at the pawn shop last week and paid $80 for it. It has Windows 8 Pro already installed and they offered to start the warranty on it Christmas day. I think it’s only a few years old and has 4 gig of memory. I’m so glad I bought it for her, since she’s planning to start College classes again in 2016. Yay for well priced & good used equipment!
3) Leftovers for dinner tonight. I love cooking once and getting 2-4 meals out of it.
4) Listening to Jango online music this morning. I love their selection and it’s free!
5) I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
1. monday and tuesday breakfast and lunch were free due to meetings at work!
2. went out for apps (company paid) after the meeting tuesday and since my boss and i pulled into the parking lot at the same time, he paid for my parking! (I love my boss)
3. working from home today and tomorrow so leftovers for lunch. (including leftover, sinus draining, spicy fried pickles – i had to eat them with my glasses off!) they were so good and my sinuses are happy. 🙂
4. going out to dinner tomorrow for company party at a restaurant hubby and i would NEVER be able to afford!
5. having a cat that loves to hang around me while i work. my lap, the back of my chair, the floor next to me. hearing her purr (and then ‘talk’ to the birds/squirrels she sees out the window) is an awesome perk of working at home!
I have a 6th thing! I ordered a GC for my inlaws for a small, local restaurant chain that has a couple of different locations in NH, each one with it’s own theme. If you order online, you save money. So, the $50 GC actually cost $43 and free shipping. I ordered it on monday, received it today. they like to drive around and stop to eat, so this works out great for them and me! (we bought one last year also and they were thrilled as it is one of their favorite restaurants.
As the devil’s advocate….since there are costs such as licensing, credentialing and insurance associated with having a provider refill a chronic medication as well as practice overhead, staff salaries etc., etc., maybe paying $20 to check in once or even twice a year isn’t asking too much. It is a provider’s responsibility to make sure that a current treatment is still appropriate. Having a healthcare provider is a relationship. I typically will give one refill and then require a visit after a year. It is about a patient honoring that relationship. It really isn’t about the money;)
1. Found a perfect present for a friend – a Waterford crystal ornament for her all-crystal-and-white tree. Thrift store, $1.49.
2. Bought a used book for $60. This is frugal? Why, yes – I promptly re-sold it for $120. (It’s an out-of-print specialty item.)
3. Made really good vegetable soup from garden / farmers’ market tomatoes I’d frozen in August, plus some of the last of the onions, garlic and potatoes from my own garden.
4. Put up my holiday decorations – the tree was my parents’, as were most of the ornaments and lights – the rest came from estate sales or thrift shops. No new items were purchased.
5. Brought home a stack of bricks put out by a dumpster. I’ll make a small raised bed in the garden in the spring. (I have some bricks for this already.)
6. No Lear jets were purchased here, either.
1. Mum bought a roast chicken and a cheesecake for dinner and I cooked up some veggies that needed to be used by tomorrow.
2. Dinner at a friends house tomorrow night, I’ll bring drinks I get for free at work.
3. Listed $60 worth of items on eBay and already have watchers.
4. Free lunch at work today as well as a free fruit salad which will be dessert tomorrow.
5. Picked up an extra shift on the weekend. An extra $34 in my pocket.
1) Today was the grocery and household shopping day at our house. I went to Save-A-Lot first and scored some great marked-down deals: A half gallon of milk for 99 cents, four pounds of carrots for $1.19, and six huge Pink Lady apples for $2.19.
2) Next stop of CVS, where a $5 Extra Care Bucks coupon netted us free cheese snacks and bar soap.
3) Then onto Food Lion, where I used a coupon to get a can of Purina Beyond cat food for 4 cents.
4) Dropped off two bags of stuff at the Salvation Army during the shopping excursion and did not go inside to shop.
5) Ended the shopping by using a $7 coupon at Ace Hardware on heating/air filters. Got a year’s supply for $17 and some change.