Five Frugal Things

by Katy on April 21, 2016 · 59 comments

  1. I took advantage of Tuesday’s sunny weather to wash three loads of laundry for the clothesline. This included the grotty throw pillow covers that sit on the front porch all year long. They’re nice bright and clean now, which inspired me to both sweep and vacuum, and my porch now looks so fresh and inviting!
  2. Both of my Marimekko eBay listings have bids, which means they’ll both sell. This has inspired me to take a loop through the house for more things to sell.
  3. I worked at the hospital yesterday, and as always I brought my leftovers as lunch and drank the free coffee and tea. I also earned a bit of extra overtime as the unit was busy. I have a required 4-1/2 hour meeting tomorrow, which will bolster my next paycheck.
  4. I stopped on my way home from dropping my son home to drop a book at the library and pick up a few things at Fred Meyer. I was able to find two gallons of milk with today’s pull-date, which took the price down to $1.29 apiece.
  5. I goofed around on Swagbucks last night while watching TV and hanging out with my son. I earned enough points to order a $25 PayPal gift card, which was my second one this month. The key was to answer a short survey, plus get a few points here and there for playing games while simultaneously running videos on my phone. I generally earn $75 per month through Swagbucks, which in my book makes it worth the effort.

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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{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }

Amy April 21, 2016 at 12:20 pm

I’ve been shopping our pantry and deep frezer for the past 2 weeks except fresh produce, milk, eggs and bread I haven’t bought anything. We are moving 500 miles away in 5 weeks and I’m not taking any food with us.

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jennifer April 21, 2016 at 1:00 pm

1. I have been on an eating out binge for 2 days so tonight I will cook some reduced chicken thighs from the freezer and some sweet potatoes and bell peppers from the reduced produce bin.
2. I’m kinda irritated that I took my car to have new tires put on and they kept my nice valve stem covers. They replaced them with little plastic black ones. I know this seems petty but I have a nice higher end car and wanted everything to stay original. Not frugal but I needed to vent because I take care of my stuff… Sorry.
3.My daughter’s sleeping bag with attached pillow from daycare was looking a little bad. I brought it home, washed it up, and adding some stuffing from an old pillow then sewed it back shut so it’s good as new.
4.I french braided my own hair today. I have hardly ever french braided because I’m not real good at it but I am holding out for my daughter to cut my hair when she can. It looks pretty good and I still haven’t paid for a haircut.
5. I soaked my feet last night to attempt to do an at home mini pedicure. I spent a lot of time, scrubbing,cutting, grooming, etc. Let’s just say I still have a way to go. I have never had a pedicure and I’m not going to start now. It’s a process.

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Florencia April 22, 2016 at 8:29 am

Just go an complain. If they can’t find them. Make them pay for new ones.

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Jennifer April 22, 2016 at 9:35 am

I complained to my husband and he acted like it wasn’t that big a deal and that they always do that. He ordered me some new ones( husband not frugal at all)because I kept complaining which disturbed me even more! I didn’t want new ones, I just wanted my old ones back! Oh well, when I get this new set I will take them off before they go to the tire center from now on. Yes, I know I am being petty.

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priskill April 22, 2016 at 10:45 am

No, I don’t think it’s petty — your stuff is your stuff! There’s no need for them to switch them out so why do it? Asking politely is always okay . . .

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susan April 22, 2016 at 12:25 pm

You are NOT being petty… they should have given them to you, it is your property! I would be pissed off too!!!

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jennifer April 22, 2016 at 1:30 pm

Thanks, at least these comments make me feel a little better.

Laurie April 23, 2016 at 11:37 am

New tires come with new valve stems and I assume that means new valve covers. I’m glad you pointed this out though as I also have a higher end car and recently put new tires on. I’m going out the garage now to see if I still have my original valve covers or the basic black ones. Yikes! (I never thought to look before now.)

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Elizabeth April 25, 2016 at 3:28 am

I’m agreeing with everyone else. I would be upset, and wouldn’t be able to let it go easily. I don’t see why they would have to replace with different ones to begin with.

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JD April 21, 2016 at 1:07 pm

1. I have not bought any meat in two weeks; we are eating out of our freezer as well.
2. It took me a while to realize, because I have no brains too many times, but I realized the other day that the coneflowers growing freely in my flower bed can be made into Echinacea herbal medicine for the cold season. And the yarrow can be used in several ways, including as a poultice to stop bleeding. I even own a dehydrator, so drying them is no problem. Where have I been?
3. My planted veggies are coming along! I think I’ll cut a cabbage tonight. We use raised beds and planters since our tiller died. We were going to buy another tiller, but this works fine and is easier on my husband, who has walking issues at times. One raised bed is made from a fallen tree, cut into logs, but a woodpecker is about to finish the logs off.
4. I found a mechanical pencil on the ground in a parking lot — it works and is full of lead. I like pencils.
5. The rest of a bag of pears I bought are about to get too ripe, so pear sauce or pear cobbler is planned.

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Kim April 21, 2016 at 1:47 pm

1. I had a meeting last night and was sent home with almost a whole pizza and over a half gallon of Chic-Fil-a sweet tea.
2. Brought some of that pizza and tea for my lunch at work today.
3. Did 3 mystery shops on my way to the meeting and will do 4 on my way home from work today. College fund!
4. Bought a beautiful pot roast that was half price($2.99/lb.) so I will cut it in half and cook 1 part in the pressure cooker tonight and put the other half in the freezer. I also need to freeze the 10 lbs of ground chuck I got at $1.99/lb.
5. Husband has been lighting a fire in our woodstove each evening so the heat pump doesn’t kick on. I love when we can have those rare days with no heat and no A/C! Plus it was wood we got for free, except for labor moving it, when a neighbor had it taken down a year and a half ago. Got to love sweat equity!
5.

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PaperCraneFarm April 21, 2016 at 4:26 pm

What company do you do the mystery shops through? I’d be interested in finding out if there are any in my area.

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Kim April 21, 2016 at 5:44 pm

Email me at kstewart1127 at gmail dot com and I’ll send you the links. You must have a smart phone in order to do it. What area are you in?

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Florencia April 22, 2016 at 8:33 am

I was wondering the same thing! Mind if I email you for info as well?

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Kim April 22, 2016 at 11:16 am

Don’t mind at all!

Saryn April 23, 2016 at 10:04 am

May I email also?

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Ashley c April 23, 2016 at 10:09 am

I’m emailing you also. I’ve been trying to figure out how to mystery shop l, all the ones I find seem sketchy

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Karen April 23, 2016 at 4:41 pm

I emailed you yesterday. Thanks for any info.

A. Marie April 21, 2016 at 2:02 pm

(1) One of my favorite annual events: I hightailed it over to the local Jesuit college at dawn to do some serious can and bottle picking after yesterday’s administration-permitted party-till-you-know-what day. (Yeah, I know, St. Ignatius Loyola is rolling over in his grave.) Added a very tidy sum to this month’s NY State container deposit fund, and got some fresh air and exercise into the bargain.

(2) DH’s birthday was Tuesday. Two sets of friends gave him “experience” gifts (a donation to an animal rescue charity, and the entry fee for a stone wall building workshop) instead of “thing” gifts. Love it that our friends respect our values.

(3) Gardening is finally under way here in Upstate NY. Seedlings are growing under lights in the basement, and I’m starting to direct-seed other things outdoors.

(4) Have found almost $2 in change this month, mostly in and under the Coinstar machine at our local grocery megastore. Thanks to Katy for putting me onto this.

(5) Made a frittata for dinner, with almost the last of the 2015 garden kale. One curly kale plant refuses to quit!

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Bee April 21, 2016 at 2:26 pm

I love Marimekko prints. They were very popular – the first time — when I was a girl. I am getting so old everything from my youth is in style again.

1) Although I am not a big coupon clipper, I did save $14 at the store yesterday using digital and store coupons.

2) I made a huge pot of serendipity (clean out the refrigerator) soup. I also poached and shreaded 9 pounds of chicken breasts that were loss leaders at the grocery this week. I have frozen it in two cup servings for later use in chicken pot pie, burritos, chicken salad, etc. Lastly, I am in the process of making a double batch of granola.

3) I stopped at the Goodwill and purchased 2 cashmere sweaters with the tags on for $3.50 each. Although I may not wear them until next fall, I thought that they were too good to pass up.

4) I received a check in the mail today from Replacements, LTD. I sold some plates to them earlier in the month. Although I received a fair price for them, I may have made a little more money on eBay. However, this was a quick guaranteed sale. Better yet, I did not have to do any of work associated with photographing or listing an item.

5) I was in the market for a secondhand clothes steamer. I received a freebie from a friend who had stopped sewing and was clearing out her sewing room.
Ask and you shall receive.

I very much enjoyed the last post and all the comments on contentment, frugality, and gratitude. It was intelligent, encouraging, and at times heartwarming.

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Mand01 April 21, 2016 at 3:13 pm

1. I’m emptying out the freezer and planning our meals around what is in the pantry. Truthfully, since half the family has become vegetarian, there is not much meat left in the freezer, so it is easier than it used to be to clean it out. But there are still bits and bobs to use up.
2. We picked our first crop from our new garden, and I made a bok Choy and tofu curry. It was a hit.
3. I won movie tickets, so we went on a super cheap date. My friend watched the kids, I packed snacks and water. We did spring for coffees, but overall we had a date night for $10.
4. We are doing the next stage of painting this weekend and should not need to buy more paint to do it. Two rooms, including all gear which is reusable, for $350, using premium quality paints. I’m very happy with that – the difference it has made is huge. Next time it will just be the cost of the paint (we have half the house to do).
5. Tonight’s dinner will be pizza made last week when I was making pizza for dinner, and frozen. No Friday night takeaway for us!

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Bettypants April 21, 2016 at 4:15 pm

1. Finally found fresh mozzarella on clearance at Kroger, and bought several tubs. I love their little clearance sections.
2. Sold a half dozen little ornaments on ebay for $8.
3. Listed two more Boyds Bears on ebay.
4. Someone listed a Cuisinart programmable burr grinder on a local FB board for $15. They retail for $100. I was the only person who commented. That thing is a gem. I am astounded that nobody else was interested.
5. Now that the weather is nicer, we have been walking our overweight pugs. They are a little broad in the beam, as am I.

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Jennifer April 21, 2016 at 4:52 pm

Don’t forgetting download your FFD from Kroger tomorrow.

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Bettypants April 22, 2016 at 3:10 am

Free vitamins! Free is my favorite flavor.

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jennifer April 22, 2016 at 5:51 am

My FFD was Organic gummy bears. Guess it’s regional.This is perfect because my kids love gummy bears. Last week it was Tostito’s dipatizers.

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Bettypants April 22, 2016 at 8:27 am

Nope, all the same. I’m just a dumb ass who read the word “gummies” and assumed they were gummy vitamins.

Jamie April 21, 2016 at 4:28 pm

1. I saved my company about $200 in reframing by doing it myself – this earned me about an hour away from my computer doing something different and a free lunch. Sushi burritos!
2. I’ve got 2 piles of items that I’ve been collecting in my home: the donation and the ebay. Now if only I could get myself to actually list my items!
3. My free Miracle-Gro basil pods are starting to sprout!! I found some larger plastic potters on trash night so I plan to plant a few more of the pods. SO EXCITED FOR PESTO
4. My dry month has saved me loads of money! Not eating out as much and not spending on alcohol has been good. The only problem is I feel a bit anti-social.
5. I also use Swagbucks to earn extra!! I get the first $25 on promotion on either Lowes (saving up for appliances) or Amazon and then earn $3 and $5 giftcards for Amason.

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tonya parham April 22, 2016 at 7:39 am

Oh! The Lowe’s idea is great! Buying a new house, I could probably use some of those!

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Jennifer April 22, 2016 at 9:41 am

4. This may seem silly to some but when we are avoiding eating out but feel like we want to be social. We pack a picnic and go to one of the local parks. You can make it as fancy or informal as you want it to be.

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Florencia April 24, 2016 at 11:12 am

We usually go to each other’s houses. Just last night, my mom and I went to visit one of my friend’s parents. We had yerba mate tea, and dessert they provided. We took another kind of tea, bread sticks and chips with hummus and a scoopable salad of onions and tomato, all bought on sale or clearance.

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Marcia April 21, 2016 at 4:40 pm

1. Cut up the leftover pork roast and put it in the freezer for later meals.
2. Cooked the last four butternut squash from the basement so they would not rot in the warmer temperatures. Got 20 meals worth of squash from a half bushel.
3. Bought groceries today, sticking mostly to specials, and spent only $55.68–which included husband’s 12 pack of beer (which will last at LEAST 12 days) and a large Listerine, floss and threaders, necessary but inedible.
4. Made dinner using BOGO russet potatoes for scalloped potatoes and ham. Ham is from 99 cent a lb ham I sliced and froze a couple months ago. Broccoli left from last week’s shopping trip.
5. Bought hot dog rolls on special for 99 cents, which I put into the freezer for the future.
Bonus points: discovered it was way past time to purge ancient tax returns and associated paperwork as I have saved way too many years!! Now have a back up in recycling (only one container for two weeks) but I’m making progress. The attic will be emptier when I finish. Con: it’s taking forever and it’s boring!!

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Kim April 21, 2016 at 5:50 pm

Marcia both Staples and Office Depot are offering up to 5 lbs. of free shredding in celebration of Earth Day. A case of 5 reams weighs 22 lbs. so that’s almost a half case shredded for free. I’m not exactly sure of the dates it’s running but a quick Google search should tell you.

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kathleen April 21, 2016 at 7:21 pm

Or if you have a local investment account/financial advisor they often have monthly shredding service for their office. Ours allows clients to bring information-sensitive papers like yours to be shredded for free.

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tonya April 22, 2016 at 4:53 am

Do you stream TV (aka Ntflix or Hulu)? I always binge watch shows if I have to shred and purge old files.

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PaperCraneFarm April 21, 2016 at 4:41 pm

The hubby’s pneumonia, strep, and bronchitis trio is almost over! Him having “just” seasonal allergies now seems like a great improvement.

1. Ate leftover baked ziti for dinner with leftovers of those leftovers saved for lunch tomorrow.
2. Baked up a batch of store bought cookie dough for a work event tomorrow. Had bought the roll of refrigerated cookie dough on clearance. Not my preferred way of cooking but realistic with two toddlers underfoot “helping”
3. Made some more head way laying out the drip hoses to water the garden and orchard. Unfortunately, we have some kinks in the hoses that I’ll have to untangle somehow tomorrow. The water is coming out some places but not all places yet.
4. Realized I was wearing a shirt today working in the garden from an event I volunteered at in 2000. That was a long time ago. The shirt color is still carrot orange after all these years…
5. Have been buying lots of hot peppers off the discount rack at the grocery store and cutting and freezing them (wearing gloves of course). Thinking we might make more pepper jam this weekend. Yummy, a great homemade gift, great for adding a kick to sandwiches, and great for clearing out allergy-filled sinuses!

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Isabelle April 21, 2016 at 5:44 pm

* Exchanged PC Points for 70$ worth of free groceries in the past week
* Got a big bag of kids clothes at a rummage sale for 10$, including coats and snow pants of really good quality (one pair worth around 60$ new)
* Reading books from a free pile/library
* Not spending money on makeup (I only wear lipstick) or haircuts/hairstyles, or fancy creams or perfumes, etc. I have long hair always in a pony tail. I am as low maintenance as can be! But I still make sure I look good/presentable, wearing nice clothes (often thrifted/bought on sale) and nice funky earings (My trademark, bought cheap!).
* Walking outside on my lunch breaks and using my gym membership to take 2 aquafit classes per week. Frugal fail : paying too much for said membership, since I am just going twice a week at the moment (down from 4 times)
* Ordered our 1/4 cow (natural/organic meat) from the farm. Will cost 7,75$/pound for a variety of cuts, which makes it much cheaper than buying organic meat at the store. Also buying our organic eggs directly from the farm, 3.50$/dozen, much cheaper than buying them from the store too. We don’t buy organic for everything, but meat is a priority.

Have a great frugal day!

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Betty Winslow April 21, 2016 at 6:33 pm

1. Left the leftover apple crisp from the church potluck in the frig there, and the teachers and I finished it off. No waste!
2. Went out to a Mexican restaurant with the staff for dinner, but drank water and bought an appetizer instead of an entree – way cheaper and still very filling.
3. Used coupons to save almost $25 at the grocery store. Also bought several items to donate to the food pantry.
4. My son took a bag of tortilla chips up to his room several weeks ago, just found them today. Stale, but I’ll bake in the oven next time it’s on and they’ll be good enough to use for taco salad.
5. Remembering to download Kroger’s Friday Freebies – and then pick them up before they expire!

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Beth April 21, 2016 at 7:25 pm

1 Just started a dog vacation sit tonight staying in the clients home, earning money while we sleep!

2 Client tipped me $80 cash, sweet!

3 Turned water heater WAY down before we left.

4 Wanted take out as I worked day job, then worked my 2nd part time job till 8:30 but went home at lunch and made a tuna fish sandwich and grabbed frozen chilli from the freezer for dinner at my night job.At dog sitting job had ice cream snack of theirs once we got here.

5 Daughter packed a lunch at clients for school tommorow and we will eat some of their food as well as food we brought ours.

6 Hung several loads of laundry to air dry ,unplugged things, didn’t buy vending machine snacks, earned a $ 3 Amazon and $25 PayPal swagbucks. Got 3 year boot camp membership really cheap and got a free additional membership which I gifted to my sister.

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Florencia April 21, 2016 at 10:10 pm

1. Brought about $15 of food from leftovers at work on Monday.
2. Bought a 50 load Purex detergent and a nice nail clipper for $0.81. Used a coupon for $5 off $5 purchase.
3. Stayed at work and hour and a half later on Monday
4. Ate lunch and a snack at institute on Tuesday. I was late for the lunch today, but still had a pb&j sandwich and later my best friend treated me to 1 1/2 Jimmy John’s subs, since they were on special.
5. Attended a women’s entrepreneurial conference for free by being a volunteer. I learned a lot. I got fed good lunch and breakfast and brought home a can of Coke and bottle of water, as well as mints and really nice pens.
6. Updated my resumes for better readability and submitted them to several job listings. Wish me luck!
7. I got free tickets for my sister, best friend and myself by just signing up for it. A local car dealership sponsored an Imax 3D movie about the national parks at the planetarium, which included popcorn and a soda. We parked in the free one hour parking, which worked out great because the movie was only 40 minutes long. 🙂
8. Sold some perfume, netting $16.

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tonya parham April 22, 2016 at 6:01 am

Good luck!

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Florencia April 23, 2016 at 9:34 am

😀

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Caroline April 22, 2016 at 5:05 am

1. Made peanut butter sandwiches at work everyday for lunch and walked for the rest of my lunch break.
2. Took a box of Aldi Cheerios and Aldi soy milk to work and made cereal every morning for breakfast. These save me time as well as money as I have a long commute and a long work day.
3. Had breakfast for supper one night; this is a favorite and frugal.
4. Started tracking my calories when I realized I will need to buy new summer clothes if I don’t lose weight. I can diet to be frugal more than for my health!
5. Cancelled Netflix because of the longer days we don’t watch as much TV at this time of year.

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tonya April 22, 2016 at 5:11 am

1. Still pulling meal ingredients from the freezer. It’s already looking more organized and meals have been delicious.

2. Paid off a medical bill. We have been paying on it for several months. Daughter had a twisted knee and her doc ordered an x-ray, and it was $350!! I’m a medical professional myself, but oh my, sometimes the charges for some simple, straightforward procedure just get me. Probably took 5 minutes for the tech to take it and 2 minutes for the radiologist to read it. 🙂

3. Made quesadillas for dinner. So easy, cheap, vegetarian and filling.

4. Picked up three hold books from the library.

5. Have two phone calls planned for today to catch up with friends from different time zones. Looking forward to hearing about their lives.

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tonya parham April 22, 2016 at 5:53 am

1. This new temp job is killing me and I’m just not getting any cooking done. So, I went yesterday and got a $25 family pack of BBQ. It’s gonna be meals for three days anyway so I don’t feel so terribly bad about it. It’s meat, which I try not to eat but I just can’t even right now. I always thought working from home would be easy but when it’s hourly and logged into a computer and not task driven, no, it’s really sort of the pits. Still, it’s good extra money and will only be another couple of weeks!

2. Called about insurance for the new house yesterday and my old agent gave me a ridiculously high quote. They didn’t ask if I was married, what outside structures the place had and just said, “I will email you two quotes.” It was about $500 more than what I expected per year for their lowest quotes. So, I called another couple places and found a very nice agent who went through their coverages (Oh, you don’t have outside structures? Then you don’t need 18K of coverage for that, we can reduce that to 5k) which my current agent didn’t do. This agent even ran both me and my wife’s names as primary to see if there was a difference (there was, mine was $200 lower!) and was even very sweet when I said, “No, my spouse isn’t a husband, it’s a wife.” I think shopping around for a new agent was wise as we ended up with a quote of nearly $500 a year less.

3. I got paid for my last 2 weeks at temp job, put money immediately into savings!

4. Am working on Swagbucks right now in background. On phone as well. (Good reminder since I am tied to computer all day anyway for work.)

5. Have been enjoying my Netflix DVDs– am working my way through The Hollow Crown. The only thing I love more than Shakespeare is Tom Hiddleston. Put them together? YES, PLEASE!

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amanda April 22, 2016 at 7:45 am

1. Our weather has been gorgeous and the kids were playing at the park. They begged for Dairy Queen ice cream, but instead, I went to the grocery store and got 2 half gallons of different flavors for the same price as 1 trip to DQ, but a lot more servings.

2. My daughter’s BOG boots have fallen apart, so I contacted the company and they are sending replacement boots. They have a lifetime guarantee. I need to contact them for my eldest’s and my boots next.

3. Rattlesnake season has started on our farm, in the past 2 days, we’ve killed 3. We don’t mess with those away from the house, but when they are in our barns or greenhouse…..off with their heads! I am tanning the skins and using the rattles for jewelry that I’ll be selling.

4. I brought leftovers to work every day for lunch. We’re going out to dinner tonight to celebrate my BIL’s birthday. He passed last month, so it will be an evening of celebrating his life. Not frugal, but leftovers will be brought home for future meals.

5. We have a conference tomorrow, so I’m planning on packing lunches and drinks instead of going out to eat. I had hoped to make muffins to eat on the way but won’t have time this evening.

6. I accrued enough swagbucks for a $25 amazon gift card. I’m not sure how you rack up $75 in a month, Katy, I take as many surveys and watch videos as possible. Unfortunately, I “don’t qualify” for many, of course after I’m more than 50% through the survey. frustrating!

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Mand01 April 23, 2016 at 12:46 am

Had to chuckle at your no. 1. I do this too.

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Is it a need or a want April 23, 2016 at 2:21 pm

Me, three. Now my children are grown and deciding which of my frugal hacks to assume. While on a vacation with extended family they did this one for them all to have and save on ice cream bars.
Seriously, they love it when I take them out for lunch or a treat. They pay for there own and SO understand costs now.

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Vickie April 22, 2016 at 7:46 am

1) I attended my youngest granddaughter’s music program last night – free and fun entertainment, pre-K’ers are so cute!
We all went to communion service afterward, which was very beautiful. I didn’t eat dinner, which was good for my waistline and my pocketbook.
2) Tomorrow is the oldest granddaughter’s weekly soccer match – free fun and entertainment there too.
3) I ordered a book and another audiobook from the Library, so I’m picking those up at lunch.
4) I plan to make stew for Sunday dinner and, hopefully, get some housecleaning done.
5) I didn’t buy a Lear jet.

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Ruby April 22, 2016 at 8:01 am

1. We also had breakfast (French toast, scrambled eggs and sliced orange) for supper one night this week. I was worn out from work and it was a frugal way to deal with very hungry people at top speed.

2. Discovered a flowering quince seedling in our flower bed, so I will transplant it to the quince patch and let it flourish. Free shrubbery!

3. Had a cheap date out with my husband last night at a storefront Thai restaurant that has wonderful food at a reasonable price. I drank water with my meal. We both ate heartily for $20 total and had leftovers to bring home.

4. Used a 20 percent off coupon at the drugstore yesterday to stock up on bath soap and toothpaste.

5. Saw some very inexpensive remaindered books I wanted to read and added them to the library list instead purchasing. This is a big deal for me as reading is my only hobby.

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Beth April 22, 2016 at 8:53 am

It’s been a while since I’ve done this and I’m not even sure I have 5 things, but here goes:
1. Am drinking free coffee at home today.
2. Will eat leftovers for lunch.
3. It’s been a rough week, and I’m tempted to have my husband grab fast food for our dinner on his way home, but instead I’m going to make it my goal to walk to the nearest grocery store-fussy infant in tow-and buy some groceries. It’s not the grocery store I would normally go to as it’s more expensive than others, but it’s cheaper than eating out. And it’s free exercise!
4. Turned off the heat/AC. It’s supposed to be in the 70’s today, so I’ll open up some windows and enjoy the beautiful weather.
5. ????????????

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Chris April 22, 2016 at 10:11 am

1. Went to get my oil changed – they have updated their service waiting area with a small cafe with fancy coffees and muffins – for a price, of course! The person who I was working with pointed out a fridge with free bottles of water – guess what I drank?!
2. Our garage door opener needed repaired and the garage door will need to be replaced. I used a neighborhood social media page for a recommendation and a great guy came out today – did a quick repair on the opener which I can pay him for after he puts the door in. Checked with a neighbor who had a door put in late last year and she was shocked at the price he quoted us – it’s a go!
3. Worked an event at work with lots of left over food and brought home yogurts, bagels and cream cheese – yum.
4. We are hosting a wedding in our back yard in late summer and there is lots of work to do in the garden. I got some asters from a neighbor and will continue to keep an eye out for free plants.
5. No Lear Jet today.

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Emily April 22, 2016 at 10:48 am

1. took a last minute babysitting job last night. got to eat chick fil a for free, and watch playoff hockey! (I don’t have cable).

2. Trying to figure out how to go about allergy testing and shots frugally. I opened a new credit card and will receive tons of travel points to fly free for a trip to Texas for me and my boyfriend. I will pay off the card fully, as I have the cash saved up, but want to be getting rewarded for all the money I have to pay out of pocket.

3. Got a free blue apron in the mail today, 3 nights of dinners.

4. Plan to hit TONS of garage sales tomorrow, find things to flip for cash, and hopefully some things on my wishlist (I NEED A DRESSER TERRIBLY)!

5. Sold quite a bit on my poshmark store this week, so had that extra income. I am trying to save a ton since my shool contract is up in May and I wont get paid again until September!

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PaperCraneFarm April 22, 2016 at 4:10 pm

How did you get a free blue apron box? I haven’t tried any of those services yet since they always seemed to work out to being a lot of money. But free would be worth it!

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Emily April 22, 2016 at 6:17 pm

My brother is a chef and gets free trials to send out all the time, if you know someone that gets them they would probably get the trials too! I have seen deals on groupon and living social though for all of those kind of services for really cheap, like 20 bucks for 3 meals, which is pretty good considering the quality. wish I had a more helpful answer for you!

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K D April 22, 2016 at 11:01 am

1. I planned to make calzones for dinner last night. When I made the dough I made enough for a loaf of bread as well. We’ll use it for sandwiches. toast, and if it gets stale, French toast.

2. Continuing to find coins, mainly pennies.

3. I’ve been wearing warmer weather clothes from the closet and dresser drawers. It saves time and money.

4. Our anniversary was this week. Tomorrow we’ll do a day trip and probably eat lunch out.

5. I stopped at Aldi and bought fruit: 2 cantaloupe, two pineapples, 4 avocados, and 12 bananas about $9.00.

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Tish April 22, 2016 at 11:41 am

1. All meals and coffee at home except mystery shops.
2. Turned off the heat/AC and continuing to wash all clothes on cold
3. After filing taxes and receiving a raise (yay!) checked our 401ks to make sure we’ll hit the maximum this year without losing any employer match and the funds are balanced.
4. Entered all receipts and was under our food budget for Jan, Feb and March. This is a HUGE accomplishment for us.
5. Continuing with our regular routine – library, batching errands, buying markdown produce and dairy whenever possible, eating from freezer and pantry which is mostly markdowns and after coupon cheepo/freebies and staying out of stores.

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susan April 22, 2016 at 12:48 pm

1. Got two meals courtesy of a mystery shop ‘to-go’ shop at an account that I do regularly… so, in addition to getting paid back up to $40, I did not have to worry about what to make for dinner on those nights as well!
2. I have been going through my house and listing on ebay quite a few items that I do not have use for, and have been very happy with the results… it is amazing when I think of all the money that would have been saved by just not purchasing so much… I am so thankful that I have not been in ‘acquisition mode’ for quite a few years now! And even more thankful for my ebay customers!
3. I am planning to sell my house here in a beautiful over 55 community in southeast Florida… reason being, my ex-husband, who moved back into my house in NJ about 9 years ago, and moved here with me 4 years ago, passed away two months ago from a massive heart attack… I realize that I no longer need a 3 bedroom home, and I am going to downsize to a 2 bedroom condo a bit further north of here. Hopefully, I shall be able to put away a decent sum of money, as I plan to purchase something quite a bit less expensive that the price that my house will sell for… that is the plan, anyway!
4. Have been eating home more, recently, other than meals related to mystery shops, and meals purchased with gift cards from mypoints.com and other online sites. This is cutting my monthly credit cards by a whole lot.
5. Have been using coupons whenever I shop, I love CVS and their sales and deals… but I have also realized that I need to just purchase what I need in the very near future… a stockpile of T.P. and paper towels is fine, but so many other items were just getting lost in the shuffle.

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Karen April 22, 2016 at 2:58 pm

Do you mind telling my what companies you use for mystery shopping? A lot of companies email me to work for them but I am reluctant to give them my information without having a recommendation.

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Felicity April 22, 2016 at 7:42 pm

Random question…what laundry detergent do you use and have you seen differences in performance between different products/brands? Right now we’re using cheap detergent that does not get grotty things bright again. 🙁

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