- My son had a dental appointment yesterday, so I brought along a mending project. (A duffel bag with split seams.) I could easily have spent the time leafing through magazines or goofing around on my smart phone, but instead I chose to be deliberate with this chunk of downtime. I was able to complete about half of the job, but kept with the momentum and completed the project as soon as I got home. The dentist gifted my son with a hardback copy of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go as this was his very last visit to the pediatric clinic. Which to everyone’s surprise, prompted me to burst into tears. Sorry, kid.
- I’d cooked up a batch of navy beans on Tuesday, which I turned into a pot of white bean rosemary soup for last night’s dinner. Simple and yummy, we’ll have leftovers for days.
- Today is my stepfather’s 66th birthday, and we’ll go to a nice restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Normally we’d have them over for dinner, but my day is busy with scheduled requirements. (Annual evaluation at work and an event at the local university honoring my father for his 50 years of teaching!) It’s nice to have a meal out once in a while.
- I did treat my son to a rare restaurant meal, as I had some Living Social credit from when I wrote about that amazing Costco deal. I was able to buy a $20 restaurant voucher for only $13, which was actually free to me. Our bill came to $19.98, so no money out of pocket, although I did leave a $5 tip.
- I sat down with my younger son and taught him how to file his federal and state taxes. We used the Absolute Zero version through Turbotax, as his taxes were pretty straightforward. (Both the federal and state taxes are free to file of you’re using the 1040EZ or A forms!) I feel confident he’ll be able to independently file his own taxes from here on out.
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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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
1. Ran our of “ceramabrite” for my flat-top stove. My husband experimented with toothpaste and it worked just fine.
2. Made my friend a fancy Birthday Cake after work yesterday. It was probably $5 with all the ingredients v. $25 for a bakery cake. She was so excited…. totally worth it!
3. Have been meal planning and bringing lunch to work. Beat February 2015 by $102. Don’t expect to do that every month, but it should help on other high months.
4. Have really been watching my mileage indicator……. a little obsessively. Finished up last tank at 26.2 mpg.
5. Watered down my Cetaphil face cleanser as long as I could, then bought a new one with the lowest unit cost.
That’s a good tip about the toothpaste. Thanks.
I have heard toothpaste also can clean the headlights on a car (you remove the cover and use it on the inside of the plastic)! I have yet to try, though. But the mechanic charges about $120 for a “headlight restore” which I am certainly not paying for!
We used it on the outside of the headlight to clean the lens, which was fogged from being scratched by micro-sized road grit over the years. One of my friends who used to work in a body shop said toothpaste is essentially a rubbing compound. The headlight buffed up nicely and looked nearly new.
I’ve also heard to use Mr. Clean erasers to clear up fogged headlights.
I had not thought of that. It probably would work well and not be as messy as using toothpaste.
Toothpaste or a paste of baking soda and dishwashing liquid also works a treat to get paint transfer off cars. We were once gifted an old Toyota that had a rainbow of paint transfer from parking lot incidents, and we used both to clean up the spots. Once the car was cleaned up and waxed, it looked amazingly better and my husband drove it for several years.
More uses for toothpaste – my son put a wet glass down on a very old wooden dresser and it left a white ring. I was soooooo annoyed that he got on Google ASAP to find a fix. Rubbing the mark very, very gently with toothpaste did the trick much to my amazement! Might not work on every kind of varnished surface but it sure as hell cheaper than re-French polishing or whatever.
A long time ago, the trick for rubbing out white rings on furniture was a mix of cigarette ash and mayonnaise. (Can you imagine how awful that must have smelled — gag!) But I guess now that not so many people smoke, toothpaste is a lot easier to use.
1. I missed the free burrito day last month at Chipotle, but then a week ago, I got a coupon in the mail for a free burrito or bowl. I selected the chicken burrito which is really large enough for 2 so my husband and I split it for lunch.
2. Along with the burrito, we had a Starbucks mocha which was also free because my neighbor gave me a coupon she was not going to use. This was also split between the 2 of us, so we each had half a mocha.
3. To round out our free lunch, we each had half a Free Meyer blueberry yogurt. This was the free Friday download. It all added up to a pretty good little meal. Who says there is no free lunch?
4. Went to the library to tell them I felt sure I had returned a book which was now showing up as overdue on my account. I was so persuasive and they were so nice that they decided to take my word for it and they agreed not to charge me for the book. Now I find that the book somehow slipped under the seat of my car and it was not returned! I plan to go the library today and apologize. I really do feel bad about this, but I guess there was no real harm done (except they will not be so quick to believe me if this happens again).
5. Did not send any money to the guy who keeps calling telling us that a police officer is going to arrest us within the next few hours because we allegedly owe money to the IRS. (It’s the latest scam, of course).
4. Correction- your honestly is the reason they will always believe you no matter what from now on.
Yes, this happened to me years ago when I insisted I had returned the book/magazine (?) and I later found it buried at home. I think I might have been a tiny bit strident about it as I am incredibly responsible and organized.
I changed my tune after that, and am careful to admit there is a ‘possibility’ I could be mistaken. 😀
Here in Oregon, the Attorney General’s office wants us to call them give them the phone numbers these people are calling from. We got a call the other day from “Kevin” — with a suspiciously un-Kevinish accent — telling us that there was a warrant out for us for a felony crime, and that we would need to appear in front of “a federal magistrate.” But he, by golly, could help us with this. You could clearly hear the other voices similarly conning people in the background. When I told him we don’t have “magistrates” here, he hung up, of course. I do feel sorry for the probably-poor people somewhere out there who had to do this to support their families. But, but, but . . . .
I had number 5 happen to me also. As a wife and mom of 3 younger kids, I told the “IRS” guy to come and get me. I could you a mini vacation !!! Someone else would be cooking and cleaning for me. I did ask him if they had a good library so I could get some reading done and then hung up on the scam artist. Wonder what he thought about that!?!
Hahh!! :))
Ditto on the honesty. And man, those IRS scams! A friend fell for it and secretly funneled thousands to the “IRS” — curiously, someplace in Africa. Cuz that’s how the IRS rolls. To a guy with a really strong accent who threatened and bullied her several times a day for months. And told her that the IRS wanted her to sneak the money out of different banks in amounts less than $10,000 a piece. My good friend is smart! but fear and ignorance ruled — she was confused about the family taxes and inheritance shared with other family members and thought, heck, we must owe taxes. All to a guy threatening over the phone. Guys threatening over the phone are never on the level.
So, good for you for resisting! The IRS (or police or any legitimate organization) NEVER calls, threatens, or funnels money through foreign countries. Or tries to sneak stuff by the banks. So anyone calling and threatening you is an immediate hang up. I am belaboring this because it’s something we all need to repeat to ourselves. I was able to fend off a polite guy claiming to be from the IRS because of my friend’s cautionary tale.
And thank you for bringing this up — you may have saved people some heartache!
1. Went grocery stopping and stuck to the list. I like to buy our meat in bulk and freeze it, so I carefully picked through the sale prices at Whole Foods, and it saves us a trip since there isn’t a WF in our neighborhood until next year.
2. Completed our March budget.
3. Received $1.50 rebate on Ibotta. I am really disliking this app but I am .80 away from being able to cash out, and I am NOT going to leave $19.20 on the table. I only buy things I would generally (I make the list before I check for rebates).
4. Our start knob broke on the dryer. Our dryer is old and works fine, I bought a replacement knob as pliers would eventually strip the metal and break even sooner. It was $55, but we will likely have a longer life than if we didn’t replace it, AND it’s cheaper than getting a new one, AND we don’t need to retire this and buy a new one just because. Repairing is important for being frugal and the environment! Excited to start hang-drying our clothes again in the spring/summer/fall.
5. Enjoying a Kindle loan from our library. They auto-expire so no risk of fines, and they save a trip to the library to pick up/return.
Our start knob broke on our dryer and I looked for a replacement and could not find one so we have been using the pliers for 7 years.
When my son came home from college and saw a broken knob he said aren’t you going to buy a new dryer. I looked at him and said are you kidding me, there is no way I am going to get rid of a perfectly good applience because of a knob.
Sometimes my husband (who is frugal like me) and I look at this son and wonder where he came from. He is such a consumer. But I must say as he gets older he is learning. Baby steps, baby steps.
It skipped a generation in my family. My parents are still suffering through debt and payments well into their 60s for overspending issues. Both sets of grandparents, one wealthy and one middle-class, both came into their situations through frugality and responsible spending and investments. My grandparents inspire me!
1. Had lunch at institute today. Huge plate of mac and cheese and chili with a slice of bread with peanut butter and jelly for desert. I also got gifted a donut as I was about to leave.
2. Didn’t make it to the oil change yesterday, but I’ll be going today after class. Literally down the block from school.
3. Before said oil change, I’ll go to a scholarship workshop.
4. Went to leadership workshop at the U yesterday. I paid $5.20 in parking, but the training will definitely bumo up my resume. They even gave me a little certificate.
5. Will entertain at home tonight, with things on hand. My friend will come with his Abby and wife, along with his mom and dad. We’ll serve them ribs and chicken from the food bank with mashed potatoes and salad.
6. On the way home from the U, I drove by nearby streets and will be parking there and take my bike to save on parking. Will definitely get some exercise and save money in more ways than one.
7. Only thing I’ve spent money on this month has been parking.
Forgot a couple!
8. Went to the dentist and got a goodie bag. I’ve been driving to be more diligent in not using a too worn toothbrush, so I had to buy one at the dollar store last month, making me suor happy I don’t have to go out and buy one next time.
9. Got fed snacks at the workshop: pretzel chips with hummus and donuts holes.
10. Bumped into my counselor’s daughter at the U workshop. She asked if I was going to a diversity dinner. I’d forgotten to register, but she said to go anyway. I did. I loved it. We got to know diffent people at our table as we had a tasty chicken fajitas dinner with rice, beans, and dessert. I brought two slices of chocolate cheesecake home. 🙂
Florencia, I so love you posts! You are so different to my very non-frugal college student daughter – sigh…
Bursting into tears about your son’s last pediatric dental visit warmed my heart, thanks! Thanks for mentioning the navy beans too. I have a big bag I got super cheap that I think I will throw in the crock pot to supplement our weekend.
1. I found some huge,beautiful, orange peppers in the Kroger reduced bin. I also found some big tomatoes, squash, and bananas. This excites me because my meals have been lacking in fresh veggies lately.
2. I’m sipping on iced tea and enjoying it more than usual. A guy that came into our business made a comment about his wife not liking to make tea at home. She apparently always gets it at restaurants. Mine costs just pennies to make a large amount perfectly suited to my taste at home.
3. Took my daughter to the dentist yesterday. She is going to have some extensive work that is going to cost $1700!!. We do not have dental insurance and just put a extra money “in the shoebox” for dental care. She got a cute toothbrush, floss, and a mini tube of toothpaste. The goody bag hardly softened the blow.
4. I am using half the amount of detergent that the directions call for and I can’t tell a difference at all. Clothes are still clean and fresh. It seems like I hardly ever have to by detergent anymore. I have also stopped buying special stain removers because pretreating with a little of the detergent seems to work just as well.
5.I am scheduling dental cleaning appointments for my daughters and myself. There is a local dental school that is very reasonable so we are going to get all our dental care done there to hopefully prevent any costly visits in the future. I have to be honest, I have put regular cleanings on the back burner which is now costing me more money.
I used Care credit to pay for dental surgery. If you pay on time each month for a year, you get 0% interest.
I was able to pay off the surgery in less than a year so no extra money spent on interest.
I have the money to pay for it because we do keep money aside for this kind of thing. We started putting money aside for dental care when we decided to drop our dental insurance plan. Where I messed up is not doing the proper maintenance such as cleanings, etc.to find little problems before they got more expensive. I thought we just had one small cavity which is not the case.I have used care credit in the past and it helped me tremendously.
When my health insurance dropped dental or add it for an additional $50/month I had one implant and several iffy cavities taken care of before the insurance expired then started a dedicated dental saving account (no shoe box for me)I deposit $50 each month. I now need a second implant and have plenty of money in the account to pay cash for the dentist bill.
1. School was cancelled again yesterday, so I stayed home with my mini-me. I will have to work the weekend now, so I made the most of my day and stocked up on groceries, returned cans, deposited my paycheck, returned library books, and mailed off my ebay package. Errands were more fun with company.
2. Baked a loaf of bread for breakfast and brought in leftover slices for toast today.
3. Sold two copy boxes of vintage Christmas decorations. I haven’t used them in years and it seemed silly to hold onto them.
4. Found two bins of Noosa yogurt on clearance at Kroger because they were dented. Both were pumpkin, which I have been wanting to try.
5. Starbucks coffee was on sale at Kroger, and I just happened to have three $1 off coupons. I think whole bean coffee is worth spending my money on.
* I forgot to factor in a good amount from our taxes return, so with this extra we will be able to double our mortgage payments until July. Yay!
* Used PC points to get 20$ of free groceries
* The kids received a recordable book a couple of years ago recorded by grandma and grandpa. Very precious to them. But the batteries leaked in it and it no longer worked. I was about to buy a new one and have them record it again. Hubby goggled it and was able to save the book (turns out you need to wipe the acid with vinegar).
* Old car still running fine at 240 000 km. Makes wird noises from time to time, but still works. Cheap on gas, cheap insurances, all paid for. That’s how I like my cars!
* Bringing the kids to a play this weekend. Cost : 3$ each.
Have a great frugal day!
1. Had a kind of a rough week at work trying to straighten out a couple of other people’s errors, but I did not give into the siren call of the cookies at the Subway shop next door. Brought a homemade lunch, iced tea and brownie every day.
2. Got compliments two days running from people on my winter sweaters, both of which came from the Salvation Army.
3. My office needed a coat hook and an electrical outlet cover, both of which were in my box of useful junk here at home, so no money spent.
4. Concluded, along with my optometrist, that the fancy progressive tri-focal glasses I’d been wearing for a couple of years can no longer correct my vision well enough to be worth the very expensive price tag. So we’re doing a lower tech, 30 percent cheaper solution by combining contact lenses with reading glasses. It won’t be as convenient, but I already appreciate having much sharper vision.
5. Took advantage of a sale on $4.95 flat rate shipping at Dollar Tree to order two cases of doggie dental chews — peanut butter and yogurt flavored ones made in Ireland — for my pup with food allergies, and saved $13 on shipping. (One does not immediately think “Dollar Tree” when looking for hypo-allergenic foods, but she’s allergic to all poultry and it’s a rare thing to find any treats safe for her.)
1. My husband and I gave up some beverages for February, more for our health and self-discipline, but we saved by not consuming beer/cider and sodas. The scale is finally moving in the right direction so I’ll not be returning to my sugary habit.
2. I gave haircuts to my 5 children. There is grumbling every.single.time. But I save no less than $60 each time I do this. They’ve never been to a proper salon so they don’t know what they’re missing.
3. When I was at Costco I spotted their protein-rich (23g in 1 cup) Greek yogurt for $1/quart and filled my fridge with 70 quarts. I’m a little embarrassed by that number, but 5 growing kids and 2 adults who are trying to eat better will finish it off before any spoils. Quite a treat for us, with homemade cranberry syrup.
4. We’ve eaten at home. This seems boring since I don’t love cooking but it is the biggest, most regular way we save.
5. I sold a few more items off my porch for $15. My goal is to sell $1K this year, but without big ticket items its going be lots of $5 and $10 items, and some even smaller. Every bit helps get me to my goal and streamlines our home.
I love your goal! How much have you made so far? I think I’m setting that same goal. So far, from helping a lady host her birthday party and a university language study, I’ve made $90. I also got a $50 gift card for attending a university family health history study. Thanks sharing and inspiring me to post stuff for sale. 😀
Target gift card, I should say. And I bought perfumes and lotions to sell. I broke even, so I’ll keep selling!
I’ve sold $218 so far. Last year I sold about $1500 plus $500 for a couch (we used up some of that to buy different seating for our living room). The selling is up and down, some weeks people want lots of what I’m selling and other weeks there is no interest.
Good for you! 😀
I also keep a running total of my sales. I find it motivating when I feel discouraged about selling items for small amounts. It all adds up! I’m at $394 so far this year.
1. I’m on my 3rd month of being “self contained” at work. I bring my lunch or I do without (I probably could do without a little more..I seem to be bringing in more than I need but still eat it all!)
2. I have been brewing all of my iced coffee at home and then I bring it to work. On March 1st I bought 4 bags of Coffee for $14.00 (huge sale!) I can’t wait to see how long these bags will last!
3. Because I’m not spending much, every few days I transfer extra money that I have to my debt. It’s slow going but it’s going!
4. Reading a lot of free books on my Nook.
5. Still not smoking since Jan 1!!
Good for you on being smoke-free for so long! 🙂
Congrats–keep that smoking habit kicked! I can only imaging how much $ you are saving by not buying smokes!
Congratulations on keeping on with not smoking! Such an awesome thing you are doing.
And not smoking will save you money on your health down the track, and on cleaning and dry cleaning costs for your home and clothes – go you!
Must second everyone — yay for not smoking!!! Hear you on the lunch at work, too!
Thank you all I appreciate the encouragement!
As a former heavy smoker who quit years ago, I can assure you that the hardest part is behind you — physical nicotine addiction. You may already be regaining your wind, and if not, you will soon. Keep up the good work!
1. Still using a tube of tooth my hubby left for dead five weeks ago (he’s using a new tube). He tried to throw it out again this morning but I told him there were at least a few days left in it.
2. Hubby is working on the moldings in our kitchen. Borrowed the chop saw from my Dad and we already had the other tools. Cheaper than paying someone to do it.
3. Eating out of the freezer and pantry all week.
4. Rewatching DVDs we already own for entertainment. Borrowed books from the library. Enjoying free podcasts.
5. Went running everyday this week with friends. Free fitness in good company.
1. Last night I started to feel much worse than just the head cold and dealing my asthma that I’d been dealing with for a week. Woke this morning and knew I had bronchitis. I was able to get in to PA today and she prescribed strong antibiotics and steroids. Frugal because no trip to the ER and she volunteered a refill on my steroids.
2. Got notice that my check from Snap for $67.75 is on it’s way. College fund!
3. While waiting for prescriptions to be ready, I popped into Aldi’s to pick up some needed items. Found packs of pork chops with $4 off stickers. Bought 2 packs, about 7 lbs. for $7.
4. Also popped into charity shop while waiting for scripts and found The Happiness Project for $1, like new Dockers for DH for $3 and a piece of vintage fabric for 65¢ which I will resell.
5. I’ve shipped 9 items this week that I sold on Amazon. I’m made over $500 in profit since the beginning of the year. College fund!
Can you tell me what and how you sell on Amazon?
Teri I sell a variety of things but mostly vintage patterns, children’s books, DVDs that are not movies and nonfiction books. Not sure what you mean by how.
That’s such a sweet thing that the ped. dentist does!
1) I browsed the west side Goodwill yesterday, hoping to find a nice pair of black flats to wear to church. I haven’t found a pair yet, but i did find a folding Barbie playhouse for my granddaughters for $3. I like to have a few toys they can play with at my house. Once they outgrow them, I donate them to the local shelter.
2) I picked up frozen organic blueberries and walnuts at Aldis for my morning breakfast mix.
3) I’m taking this afternoon off to shop at an A – Z store on the northside of the city with my daughter. It’s mostly stuff the owner gets from Rite-Aid stores that has expired. I figured maybe I could pick-up some of the supplements I use for $1 or less each. She gets her stuff there about every other month.
4) My entertainment for this weekend is free – my oldest granddaughter’s first Soccer game and a church banquet we’re all attending.
5) I found a bottle of pink tinted Hard As Nails polish at home Wednesday evening. I’m glad I didn’t buy any when I went shopping the other day. Nothing like shopping at home for free!
1. We spent more than usual this week, because we had a darling new granddaughter arrive this week. We ate out twice, while waiting/visiting, but we chose cheaper places at least and carried drinks with us. The hospital is over an hour from our house and there’s just no way to know how long one will be there when it comes to babies.
2. My husband is starting to really get with the program on being frugal. He was all set to buy a used truck, when he decided the old SUV (which was a gift to us) and trailer would be a lot cheaper to keep — it only needs about $300 in repairs and we don’t need it often anyway, so it’s worth it to fix and keep it.
3. Re: the zip tie post. I’ve fixed two broken toilet flappers by using zip ties instead. We currently have zip ties holding fencing to an old swing set frame to make a lightweight trellis for cucumbers.
4. We need a section of heavy trellis to support a heavy Confederate Jasmine vine. The support won’t be seen, so I’m on the hunt for any kind of good used metal support that will work instead of a fancy piece of iron fence work bought new.
5. I saved my daughter some money by caring for her pets while she’s away on business again. Not the daughter who just had a baby, obviously!
Not the business of birth? 😉
Congratulations on the new grandbaby!
My slightly over 1yr old Dell stopped working and I brought it in to a repair dude he said ” you need a new hard drive, 370.00″. His estimate was free so nothing lost there. He said ” might as well buy a new laptop”. I just bought that one in Nov 2014. I called Dell, no warranty( after 1yr). My spouse said ” get a new laptop”. Huh? I emailed QVC where I bought it. They were no help either. Posted on FB and spouses cousin walked me thru a diagnostic using Facetime. He sent me the link to a new hard drive for 60.00 and told me to call Dell for recovery disks. They wanted to charge me 20.00. I REFUSED to pay for those disks and after my call being refered to the “escalation team” I was sent the disks for free. Now I just have to install the drive myself, the recovery disk. I do have to pay the original computer dude 52.00 because he recovered my date( if I want my pics and documents back).
Good for you for not accepting that your computer was garbage after a year and a half. Best of luck on the repair!