- I jumped on a special Alaska Airlines flight deal for $119 one way tickets from Portland to Newark, so I now have a week long NYC trip to look forward to in early December! (I actually clicked on the above Facebook advertisement to spontaneously buy the tickets!) My sister and her family live in New York, so I always have a free place to stay. I can work a single hospital shift and easily cover the airfare and associated expenses. I haven’t seen prices this low since the 1990’s, so I’m very excited.*
- I drove across town for a dental appointment and worked in a few errands that matched the neighborhood. You’ll be happy (or indifferent) to know that I got a clean bill of health, so I will not be looking at an enormous dental bill. (Always a relief.)
- I stopped at the library on my way home to pick up my reserved copy of J.K. Rowling’s The Cursed Child. I’m only a little embarrassed to admit that my eyes watered and my nose began to burn as I snatched it from the shelf.
- I upgraded some marinara sauce with some hamburger and a handful of secret lentils to top tonight’s pasta dinner, I have someone who wants to buy some figure skates that I picked out of a pile of garage sale leftovers, I took my son to a Lego store to trade in some mini-figures for a piece he really wanted and I used coupons to buy 50¢ boxes of cereal.
- I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
*This is not a sponsored post.
Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Hubby and I just finished a free pizza for dinner (my phone company sent a text msg with code for a free pizza). My husband was in town tonight so it was a convenient and free dinner.
I just finished HP and the Cursed Child about an hour ago. It was nice to get a quick Harry Potter fix after so many years. This copy was borrowed by a friend, so another frugal win.
I enjoyed it. My 12 year old daughter’s review: “Mind. Blowing.”
What a bargain on the flights! I was so tempted to buy airline tickets to the US from Sydney through a travel agency yesterday. We’re heading over to Cali in 18 months and they’re cheaper than my flights were 6 years ago. Still sitting on the fence for now!
1. I made dinner at home last night: hamburgers, broccoli and cheese, with cantaloupe.
2. I saved some grapes and strawberries that were just about on the brink of going bad and threw them in my husband’s lunch.
3. Laid venison backstraps out for dinner tonight: venison fajitas with rice and beans.
4. I sold $255 worth of items in the first evening of our big local kid’s consignment sale! (I get 70% of that = $180!)
Frugal fail: I went to the store at 8pm last night and bought a $4.99 bag of Oreos. I should be angry, but I’m not because it’s that time and chocolate saves me. 🙂
LOL!
Hahaha I know whatcha mean!
1. I spent my lunch break doing our budget for the next two weeks. September is the cruellest month for us, and we have a ton of birthdays and four annual insurance bills coming up before the 30th. I’ll be glad when October, a month devoid of celebrations and insurance bills, rolls around.
2. I packed lunch. But I almost always do that.
3. I drank a lot of tea and took the hated powdered coffee sachets to work to use them up. Good coffee is one of my loves in life so this was a frugal sacrifice, I can tell ya.
4. I’m holding off on a haircut for another week. I wear my hair short so it needs to be cut frequently. I let my hairdresser talk me into a longer cut last time and all it did was make it look messier sooner. But I’ll still wait a little longer.
5. Thrifted pants, shirt, shoes today – and a compliment on my outfit. I work as a corporate manager and maybe have two outfits I bought new. It is possible to have a corporate work wardrobe from thrifting (except shoes – it is hard to find good secondhand shoes – I tend to buy very good new shoes that last a long time, and get them resoled).
See, October is the opposite in our house. My birthday is the 17th, my eldest and youngest have the same birthday on the 24th and my wedding anniversary is the 30th!
Everyone has one of those months I guess! I’m going to have to start a September sinking fund – it’s worse than Christmas for us!
My wedding anniversary is October 30, too, Ash. Coming up on 37 years of legal hitchitude (38.5 years total cohabitation) for me and DH!
1) Saving tons of $ by bringing my own breakfasts and lunches to work
2) Got free lunch yesterday at an employee picnic and a free gift of a bluetooth speaker!
3) Been gifted dark chocolates a co-worker brought back from Russia. DD and DH love dark chocolate and its an easy dessert item for them to enjoy
4) Hoping to work from home tomorrow which will save a 1/4 tank of gas and mileage on the car
5) Plan to walk at the Mall tomorrow morning for some exercise and free entertainment via window shopping! Don’t need any new clothes but love to look at what’s in style and pull the looks together from my own closet
6) Bonus: Will use $15 Kohls Cash and a 30% coupon to buy DD a clearance sale priced pair of boots
Hooray for cheap travel! There are never cheap flights out of Memphis! Ever. Anywhere! 🙁
1. I haven’t been to the grocery this week. I think if I am savvy I can stay out of the store till next week!
2. Had lunch out with friends (planned) and got water and the sampler platter that had rice, three veggies, dessert, and naan (my little town finally got an Indian restaurant!) which wasn’t too bad, price wise but the portions were small, and I was still hungry after. Still, I didn’t eat anything else till dinner. (Major win because I really wanted to go to Sonic for at least a drink!)
3. Dinner at home of rice and stir fry. All dinner did was make me hungrier. So, I went and got a baguette I had, cut it in half and made some cheesy bread. The missus took one bite and said, “I don’t think I like cheesy bread!” I said, “You eat it at pizza places!” And she said, “I have marinara there!” And I said, “Go get a jar out of the pantry and dip in there!” So, she got some out, poured it in a bowl and was like, “Okay, you can make this any time!” LOL
3. I have folks coming over this evening for Writer’s Circle where we just write and talk about our writing. When we first discussed this– we talked about meeting at a cofffe place but I offered to have it here instead. I will make peanut butter cookies and offer hot tea or coffee. It’s a cheap way to socialize and I think they enjoyed it last week!
4. I may have a few extra classes soon– I’m torn about this because a.) it will cut into my writing time and b.) I think they are going to be out of town and start at 8 am. But, I think it would be a significant amount of money for a few months so if it’s offered, I will accept it graciously. (Where I work, there’s going to be an internal promotion and this person will go from adjunct to full time staff so he won’t be able to cover those classes. I was approached about taking over and I said I’d be prepared when the offer came!) Since I only have one class this semester, this would be maybe triple what I would otherwise make! (And the goal is to put much of it in savings!)
5. We go back and forth on being Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) and just eating whatever. She’s diabetic and I have (extremely) high blood pressure. We both eat badly and don’t exercise near enough– I’m less fit than she is because she works outside the home and walks more than I do. She has always wanted to do a Tough Mudder. She loves the idea of being a runner and doing that stuff. I like the idea but I don’t necessarily do well at being consistent. I’ve always pushed for the WFPB but will give in when she doesn’t want to do it. So, we are seriously discussing doing a Tough Mudder next June. I told her I would train for it if she would eat WFPB with me. (We’ve eaten this way before and feel fabulous doing it!) So, we are going to start training Monday. I’m not throwing anything out– I’m using what I have up by then.
The concession is this– we keep the Blue Apron for a little bit to see if that keeps us from feeling deprived of meat and dairy. I’ve noticed there is little dairy in the meals and that’s very good. If there is cheese or yogurt in this house, I will live on it! I also think since we don’t love eating out here anymore and eating out WFPB is very hard here, this compliments it nicely. Our grocery bills should be tiny with no meat, dairy, eggs, or processed food!
I don’t think this will be easy, but I think it will be worthwhile. I’ve always wanted to be fit and I’ve always eaten crappy when I exercise. I think between her desire to do a race and mine to be WFPB I think we can encourage each other into doing it. What we did decide was this–there will be no joining a gym or buying a special meal plan or whatever. We’ve done this before– essentially throwing money at a problem that could be easily solved by just doing the things that need to be done (and we know what need to be done, we just don’t do them or sabotage ourselves into not doing them!)
Your writers circle sounds like a lot of fun – especially the peanut butter cookies as well as the good conversation.
It was a lot of fun! This was our second week and I think it’s going to be a regular weekly date!
(And I have so many cookies left I can send some along with them and freeze some for future snacks!)
Good luck on the diet/exercise!! My kids and I are pescetarian, hubby has drastically cut down on meat. You are Both Worth It. Good luck!
1. I used the last bits of ground beef left from making burgers to make just a couple of tacos for our supper one night. I have been known to forget that leftover bit and let it go bad, but I’ve been working hard on that bad habit.
2. Looking up ways to save on my internet/phone costs.
3. The VA wants my husband to drive 100 miles each way to give him a 24 hour monitor to wear for a day, and they said they only schedule the fittings, which take 15 minutes, in the middle of the day. He’s refused and is contacting our local clinic for a better way to do this. It wouldn’t be quite so frustrating, except that he was already fitted for one at the same time they ran some other tests two weeks ago at that same far away hospital, but the monitor, unknown to us, quit working during the time he was wearing it. Plus, a non-VA cardiologist has already examined him and declared his heart fine. We really appreciate the savings we get from using the VA, but they can be a pain sometimes.
4. A distant friend lost her grandmother this week. Instead of buying a card, I’m using my stationery that I already have to write her a short note of sympathy.
5. I’m still shopping and crafting ahead for Christmas. I made two gifts this past weekend.
Ooooh, I love the lentil trick! I’ll have to try sneaking more veggies/legumes into our diet that way.
This week:
1. I’ve barely had a moment to breathe because we’re so busy, so I’m putting my lunch hour to good use by writing blogs and planning our menu ahead of time.
2. I’m cooking a few things tonight to take on my road trip to see family this weekend. No expensive pit stops for me!
3. Lowe’s confirmed a big rebate on our paint purchase last weekend, so I should be getting “free” money in the mail in a few weeks. All right!
4. Yesterday I got a lot of coupons from Target for more “free money.” It’s a few $10 off your purchase coupons with little strings attached–I think this would be a great way to get little stuff for the house or small snacks. If I get a $12 total with a $10 coupon, that just gives me a cost of $2. Not bad.
5. I went through the trash pile the previous owners of our house left for bulk pickup. I found a few cans of paint and interesting-looking wood that could be good for crafts. Score!
1. We had a very gross curbside compost pail, I will spare you the details, but instead of requesting a new one from the city for a fee, I found a way to clean it with compostable materials without having to dump it and create a stinky mess.
2. I had to stop into Safeway for something, and found some great Starbucks coupons on my app. I was going to treat myself that afternoon anyhow, so I saved $3 anyhow.
3. Renewed my book from the library to avoid fines. Was thankful nobody else was in line for it since the other copies in circulation had waits!
4. I transferred my prescription from Rite Aid to Safeway and somehow that lowered the cost by $45. Took that savings and earmarked it into our emergency fund we are rebuilding from an emergency this summer.
5. Headed out of town for a mini road-trip vacation and packing food so we don’t rely on restaurants for most of our meals.
1. Had a fun, free, delicious breakfast at work. My supervisor does that for us sometimes and it’s always a treat.
2. I made my son’s birthday cake. Store-bought ones are so much prettier, but homemade ones are less expensive. And we had one good friend of his spend the night, rather than throwing a big party.
3. I made my mammogram appointment before I had my yearly OB/GYN appointment. In addition to the mammogram, my doctor also wanted me to have a bone density test. I thought I was going to have to make a separate appointment for that, but the kind person who answered when I called said I could have it done immediately after my mammogram appointment, in the same place. Less driving and less time spent. (I think most customer service representatives really do want to be helpful, and I always try to be as nice as I can when I make customer-service type calls.)
4. Took a meal to a friend who had a death in her family, and doubled everything so that my family had the same meal.
5. Keeping up with my checkbook because on 9/30 I’ll have to enter the amount in my quarterly money chart, in which I keep track of all the money my family has (checking, savings, investments, equity, etc.). I just looked at the money chart to see how long I’ve been doing it, and my first entry was on 12/31/94!
2. I’m a big fan of homemade cakes. They are more meaningful and usually taste better.
You must find your chart very motivating. Do you keep where you can see it?
Hi Bee — it’s in an Excel spreadsheet, so I have to be on the computer to see it. I’ve kept it since before I was married. My husband didn’t think much about it at first, but now sometimes he’ll say, “how’s the money chart looking?” or “this quarter the stock market was up; I imagine the money chart will be good this time around.” It’s motivating in the sense that when I feel like we’re not saving enough, I can look back 5 or 10 or 15 years and realize that we’ve got a little more saved than we did back then. Thanks for asking. 🙂
I just started doing the same thing at the beginning of this year. I think it encourages me to save more. At first, it was overwhelming to see my financial life in black and white. I think it is wonderful that you have done this for over 20 years.
Congrats to Katy on the healthy dental exam.
This is not a FFT story, but…
Although there have recently been some news stories dissing the dental practice of faithful flossing, my dentist smiled when she told this story:
“I’m reminded of one of my professors in dental school—he always displayed a framed quote in his office that read,
‘Only floss the teeth you want to keep!'”
<>
1. We finally got some rain (hallelujah!) so I turned off the sprinklers Monday and probably won’t need them again until next week. When I do turn the system back on, I’ll recalibrate which days we water and for how long, now that it’s cooled down. Cooler temps also mean no more AC, and we’ve started wearing sweaters and layering blankets since it’s not quite cold enough for heat.
2. Bought a whole chicken at Trader Joe’s, and the one I wanted didn’t have a price sticker. Though most of the chickens were ~4.5-5.5 lbs, the customer service person asked if I’d be OK if they charged me for 4 lbs since they had no way to weigh the chicken (go figure). I agreed. When I got home, I weighed it, and it’s actually 5.1 lbs.
3. Eating tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, herbs & garlic from our garden. Got cucumbers, peaches, and grapes from the synagogue’s community garden, and pears from a friend. Now just waiting on my Italian plums.
4. Husband enjoyed a free salad for lunch at work. His colleague offered him a receipt that had the coupon on it.
5. I simmered a chicken carcass to make stock. Divvying it up as soon as I submit this. Some will become chicken noodle soup and some will go into tonight’s chicken & black bean chili.
#5 is one of my favorite frugal, healthy habits. Am making chicken for lunch to top salads (30 minutes for a whole chicken in the Instant Pot!) then broth to make chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight.
FFT, True Love and Homegrown Tomatoes edition:
(1) After a slow start due to heat and drought, tomatoes have been coming in from the garden like gangbusters for the last three weeks. I’ve frozen seven quart bags so far, which was about seven more than I was expecting.
(2) Have also been giving tomatoes away hand over fist. A definite aid to good neighborly relations.
(3) I gave two flats of tomatoes to one neighbor, who has returned the favor with four quart bags of spaghetti sauce. No worries around here re: what to put on pasta this winter.
(4) I dropped one of my bags of tomatoes on my old white Brooks Addiction sneakers (the pair I got almost new for $5 at a local thrift, which is pretty amazing, considering what they retail for). Salvaged most of the tomatoes, but had to wash the sneakers with leather wash and run the shoelaces through the laundry. However, this worked out well in the end, as the sneakers look almost new again.
(5) And then there’s the Italian Heirloom tomato I almost missed altogether. I found it yesterday, so ripe it was starting to split. Carried it in very carefully, drizzled it with basil and olive oil, and divided it with DH. “Just two things that money can’t buy…”
Do you know what variety your Italian heirloom is? One of the ones I’m growing is San Marzano, but it’s more for sauce than salads/sandwiches.
I know there are a lot of “Italian heirlooms” out there, so it’s confusing. But this is actually a variety called “Italian Heirloom,” available from Seed Savers Exchange. It won the tomato taste test at SSE a few years back–and, although it isn’t the easiest tomato to grow, it’s unquestionably the best-tasting beefsteak variety I have ever raised. Even if I were ever tempted to give up growing it, DH wouldn’t let me!
1. I printed some coupons using Swagbucks before heading to the grocery store. I combined sales with save $n when you spend $nn dollar deals with coupons (some of which doubled). Anyway, I bought 6 packages of Hormel deli meat for $7 and also yogurt for a good price, and I picked up Campbell’s soup to give to a friend (6 cans/$1). I don’t often do that kind of thing but it gave me a bit of a rush.
2. My daughter (and a friend of hers) will actually be home for dinner tonight. She called to request I make Buffalo Chicken pizza. Since I make the dough and buy all the ingredients when they are cheap it is no big deal. And there will be leftovers, which will save her money.
3. I need to get my eyebrows done but can’t decide if I’ll go back to the threading place or try getting them waxed at a place a friend recommended. Since I have a uni-brow this is money well spent occasionally. Because of the indecision, it’s been a while, so money saved.
4. The weather is beautiful so I will sit outside later with an e-book.
5. I didn’t buy a Toter but did give away several items using Freecycle.org.
* I have the night off. Felt like going out to eat and then going to the movies (where I also usually have a popcorn). Will go to the movie using a pre-paid card, bringing my own popcorn, and decided to eat cheaply at home (pasta). Saving about 40$ tonight.
* Been offered to cover half-days at the end of the month. Decided to wait and see if full days will come up instead (if not, half days will still be mine if I want them). The joys of being a casual (on call) employee!
* Really wanted a snack to round up my lunch today. I refrained from buying any at the cafeteria and got a couple saltines crackers and peanut butter from the unit’s kitchen instead (hospital) for free.
* My wardrobe for fall/winter is pretty minimal. I just feel like I “have” to go shopping because I have nothing to wear. But my next step instead is to empty my closet, try on everything, figure out what I REALLY need, and then go shopping at the thrift store for what is missing.
Have a great frugal day!
1. Made homemade granola for my cereal loving family.
2. Used a $10 off $10 purchase coupon at Kohls and got a teacher gift for $1.08.
3. Found brand new tennis shoestring in the next size up for my daughter at Goodwill for 3.99-original 27.00 tag still on them.
4. Went to Grocery Outlet and got 3 double loaves of my favorite bread for 1.00.
5. Signed up for 2 extra work shifts-anything helps while hubby is unemployed.
1. Had lunch today with a group of college friends – we meet once a month and today we decided to visit restaurants with parking lots or easily accessible on street parking. ( Today’s choice had a lot – they gave you a code to get out free.)
2. Bought several books at dollar store – will either sell them back to half price books or donate to Goodwill when I have finished them.
3. Last month found one first edition with autograph by author – probably not Dickens quality but looked interesting. Gave it to a friend’s son for a small birthday present.
4. Took son shopping for new outfit for wedding next week – he wears very large size so not easy to fit – big and tall is the term I believe – combined purchase as part of a birthday gift for him – best bargain was a $3 belt found at a lumber company!
5. Used a tip found on this blog about coloring with sharpies – took a while for this to sink in, but today noticed that my shoes were scuffed – and it worked quite well. Thanks!
I appreciated your frugal dental apt! I just ent to dentist and it will cost me 3,500!
I had eggs for dinner!
I cracked a tooth eating popcorn and had to get a crown. It was $1,300 and we have no dental insurance. Now I cannot eat popcorn because I am so afraid of this happening again I do not enjoy the popcorn.
1- packed my lunch as always
2-using up the leftovers of my parents anniversary party
3- celebrated our older son’s 16th birthday with his favourite dinner at home last evening, this was the last in a string of birthdays and celebrations so it will be nice to return to saving.
4-still harvesting tomatoes, peppers and kale. I was able to gift some kale to a friend.
5-still using the clothes line exclusively. It’s become a bit of a game to see how long we will last.
No Lear jet for me either
1. Using up everything in the kitchen.
2. Saving water by using it frugally when doing dishes ect.
3. Cooler temps mean no more air conditioning!
4. Using works works electricity to charge my phone.
5. Having family over for a bbq on saturday and will use italian sausages from the freezer, will grill vegetables I already have and make blonde brownies for sundaes as my mother will bring her homemade hot fudge.
So glad it is Friday!
1. Went to the grocery store to pick up some things before the ad ended. Total $98.13 before discounts and coupons and $27.70 after. I will also get back $3.40 with rebate apps so less than $25. Purchases included 3 packages of really good bacon, 3.5 lbs. of ground beef, 2 packages of deli meat, 5 packages of cheese, 4 boxes of cereal, 4 boxes of pasta, 2 boxes of tissues, a banana and 4 bottles of hot sauce. I also got free dental floss and 3 free 3 way bulbs that I really needed.
2. Found a dime on the floor at self checkout and 2 pennies in the Coinstar machine.
3. They were out of the soup that was on sale that I wanted so I got a raincheck.
4. I sold a set of phonics flash cards for $50 on Amazon! I paid 20¢ for them at a church sale. College fund!
5. Had a mystery shop that was close to a friend who I haven’t seen in a bit due to our schedules. Called her, she was free and met me. We talked while I did the assignment and then she treated me to an iced coffee at Starbucks. I was able to give her some fabric samples I had for her. Love when I can see a friend, declutter things out of my house, have a free coffee and make $25 all at the same time!
Simple Foods Edition:
1 – I like to serve nourishing, filling breakfasts to my three daughters before school. I came downstairs to find that I was out of eggs. Made a small pot of oatmeal with an apple – it’s no-one’s favorite around here, but I “marketed it” as Autumn Spiced Apple Oatmeal and served it alongside leftover sausage. It was a hit.
2. Eating Asian Pears from our tree. Those babies are $1 *each* at the supermarket!
3. Going to make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot (in a mere 30 minutes!) then bone broth and chicken noodle soup for another meal.
4. Harvested a bunch of butternut squashes from garden. Going to use one for Butternut Squash Biscuits to be served hot with butter alongside that chicken soup. Yum! (Bonus for extra nutrients and using up leftover buttermilk!)
5. We’re hosting a sleepover for my daughter’s bday this weekend. Breakfast for the girls will be “Dutch Boy” oven pancakes. A family favorite with just milk, eggs and flour.
#1 reminded me that when my boys were little they said they didn’t like quesadillas. I renamed them Cowboy Grilled Cheese and they asked for them all the time!
That’s great, Kim! I’ll need to use that. I often put out a spread of leftovers for lunch on the weekend and call it Tapas! Very sophisticated small plates. 😉
1) I get a free lunch today courtesy of the department. One of our co-workers is leaving and our department is paying for the Team to have lunch with him on campus.
2) I bought breakfast this morning, but I ordered a small coffee and a breakfast parfait from the dollar menu, so $2. Not feeling well and I didn’t feel like fixing breakfast this morning.
3) One of our vendors left us some free swag – little usb cords in a small zippered carrier. Perfect for keeping in my laptop backpack.
4) I have another audiobook to pickup from the Library. Joshua Becker’s book “The more of less: finding the life you want under everything you own”.
More inspiration to keep decluttering and minimizing my lifestyle.
5) Listening to my Amazon music station this morning. I love that I can listen to these on my phone at the gym with my Amazon Music App.
1. Still eating from the freezer, its almost empty, and the SALES have started at the local grocery store! Hooray for inventory sales (tourists are thinning out, so they do this every year. During tourist season the prices are high).
2. Bought a box of coffee pods on sale. When I need coffee at work, I pop one in the Keurig in the office workroom. Creates waste, but I only do this at work, and it keeps me from buying at the coffee shop down the street.
3. Paid off a credit card this month, will snowball the payment into the next debt.
4. Watching Netflix instead of going to Redbox. Cutting the cable cord soon!
5. Planted my fall garden of squash and lettuce, harvesting the last of my basil.
Question for Katie: I heard a rant on the radio this morning about people who bring their own drinks and snacks to movies. The caller claimed that movie theaters only make money on the concessions, so bringing our own food and drink was like stealing from them while watching the movie. When my kids were little, I had a “movie purse” that I brought juice and snacks in to the movies with them. What do you think?
My husband worked at a theatre as a teenager and said that is true: Movie theatres make their money off concessions, not ticket sales. However, the advent of $5 20 oz. bottles of water at our local theatre has driven even him to a compromise about concessions purchases. If we want popcorn (and generally my husband and son do), we buy that at the stand. Drinks and candy are bought at Dollar Tree and brought inside my big purse, and we’re very careful not to be seen consuming them.
Should add that the local second-run movie house here closed, and it’s usually just my husband and son who go together to the movies once in a while. About once or twice a year I will go with them. So it’s not like we’re ripping off the theatre on a weekly basis. 😀
I do miss the days when movies were a frugal date, though.
I admit that I’m a rule follower. If I don’t want to pay concession prices, I skip eating and drinking during the movie.
I mostly am too. We rarely go to the movies anyway, so when we do I prefer to just have the whole experience. I’m not saying we’ve never done it – especially chocolate bars which are just the same. But I prefer a coffee or an ice cream in the cinema anyway. Bit hard to sneak that in!
I agree with Lauren. A movie is only a couple hours long, if I do’t want to pay concession stand prices then I just go without. We go to movies infrequently, maybe once or twice a year. We’re patient about waiting for most movies to come out on DVD.
We mostly confine ourselves to the second run $2 movie theater. Concession prices are in the $5-$6 range for popcorn and pop combination so we usually splurge. Might think differently if we frequented regularly priced theaters though!
I had never heard before that the concessions are their main profit. Thinking back, we didn’t have DVDs when my kids were growing up, so this was the only option. What a wealth of choices we have now.
My frugal five:
1. Bought a sandwich at Subway using my gift card of $7.xx that I got as a rebate from Staples for buying a ream of copy paper that ended up being $1 after rebate.
2. Cancelled the Sirrius XM for dh’s car. He had it for 2 years – 1 year free and the second at a much reduced rate – and he’s over it. He downloads music onto his phone.
3. Saved a coupon from Valpack to get my sofa, love seat and chair cleaned. They desperately need it.
4. Cutting down on the AC as it is getting cooler. Autumn is my favorite part of the year.
5. My natural gas bill was zero this month as I have paid ahead on the payment plan. Usual monthly payment is $53.
1. Got a lot of free food this and last week, shared some with my roommate. Suggested cooking with a friend rather than eating out. Drinking tap water.
2. Made peanut butter cookies with ingredients I had on hand who I will host tonight. Listened to radio while doing that so learned about a port and a train line connecting Germany and China at the same time.
3. Listed some things for sale and sold one item last night.
4. Cleaned, using home made magic spray, old tooth brushes and a special cleaner for the sink which I got at a thrift store. So that is saving waste as well.
5. Found a penny in a locker.
1. Cleaned out my closet and sold some clothing plus some Christmas and kitchen items (clutter) this week and made $80.25 WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!
2. Bought some clothing items for myself to fill in some needed items in my closet for fall and winter, but bought them all used and at really good prices (all items under $5)
3. Staying home this weekend, saving money, gas, and sanity. LOL
4. The money I made will pay for the tickets for our family of 5 to go to the Science Museum in the city for my son’s bday. We try to do experience gifts instead of buying more toys and clutter.
5. Got a few more cents off gasoline for buying my groceries at Hy-Vee and we will be using that discount on our bday trip to the city to celebrate bdays next weekend.
Not too many frugal things these days it seems, but I’ll try.
Fails
1. I tried to get our $2056. House insurance payment down, no go. And this is for one house. I have a rental property that will cost about this as well.
2. DH’s mouth guard to help with snoring would cost about $2000, so we’re not going that route. Not a fail I guess because we’re not buying it, but it would have been nice to cure him.
Frugal
1. Still cooking and sharing our plentiful crop of pears. Made pear butter and pear/ apple crumble.
2. Received a large bag of apples from a supervisor. Everyone seems to have a bumper crop this year.
3. Happy that my niece doesn’t want stuff for her baby’s one year old birthday coming up, but would appreciate money to go towards swimming lessons, music lessons, etc. I love that!
4. Not participating in “fat Friday” again this year at work. Would have to provide treats for 60 staff members about three times a year. (We take turns and work with 1-2 others) Each time I do it, it costs about $40-50 dollars, depending on what I buy. I’ll Save money, and definitely many calories!
5. Still running the dishwasher on express, with 1tsp of soap, line drying when I can, only driving when necessary, not letting DH turn the heat on (” put on a sweater dear”, etc.