- My sister asked me to keep an eye out for a Life Factory brand glass water bottle, so I didn’t hesitate to snap up this $24.99 one at Goodwill the other day. Of course I only paid $3.99, which was made even sweeter by it being brand new with the original tag.
- I worked yesterday and brought my own leftovers for lunch, and then drank the free crappy coffee and delicious tea. Someone brought chocolates and it’s none of your damned business how many I ate.
- My husband and I planned a Valentine’s Day meal in an historic and fancy schmancy restaurant. Of course we’ll be dining in the bar and ordering from the inexpensive happy hour menu.
- I proposed and was given two new Clark Howard assignments, I’m wearing a 100% thrifted outfit, I’m wanting to get my hair cut but am waiting until my super cheap hair stylist is available, I’m not fighting the natural greying of my hair and have made plans for two frugal friend dates for later in the week.
- I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.
Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
{ 103 comments… read them below or add one }
I decided I didn’t need or want cut flowers or any jewelry. I have more than I need. My favorite chocolate is a brand at Aldi’s that’s made in Austria. It’s so good. I treated myself to some of that. We went out to our favorite buffet restaurant on Sunday as a family, in order to avoid the holiday markup.
I am a huge fan of Aldi chocolate, myself. I especially love their chocolate orange bars. They make the big bars already divided and wrapped into individual servings.
1. My husband and I have been really paying attention to portion control when it comes to eating. As a result, lately our leftovers have leftovers. And we love leftovers, so we’re happy about the extra food we seem to have. Less time spent cooking. Less money spent at the grocery stores. Healthier selves. Might even lose those last few pounds – finally! At least a triple win here.
2. The newly remodeled bathroom has open shelves instead of a closet. No closet door to close off clutter – sigh. I have a big old plastic storage box that holds all my low cost (or no cost) extra vitamins, toothpaste, etc. The clear box meant the jumble of stuff inside was all too visible. I found a way to make it prettier, despite having zero artsy/crafty skills. A magazine I received as a gift subscription is filled with gorgeous color photographs of scenery in our state. Armed with a scissors and some tape, I cut pictures to fit the sides, and taped them on the inside of the box. It looks really, really nice. And it cost $0 – can’t beat the price. If those pictures get torn up over time, I can always tape in new ones.
3. Also involving my quest for a neater bathroom, I dug up a wicker basket from downstairs storage, and I’m using it to store our spare/extra bath towels and wash cloths on the open shelves. I took this idea from a hotel where we stayed on vacation – along the top of the hot tub, they had towels neatly rolled and stored upright in a wicker basket. So pretty. I wouldn’t have thought to do this if I hadn’t seen it.
4. I sent off the annual payment to the exterminator. I never thought I’d have an annual exterminator expense, but that was before I moved to a different area and became acquainted with the horror that is cluster flies. As many as 30 of them squeezing into the house on any given day? After two years of battling them ourselves – and always losing – we gave up and called in the pros. Being cluster-fly-free is money well spent in my book. They offer a discount for paying early, which is why I mailed off my check today – yes, in the middle of winter.
5. Made a copy of the purchase agreement from our truck and will send it off to the credit card company to get the cash back that’s in my old credit card rewards account. We’ve switched over to a cash back rewards card, but there was still a couple hundred dollars built up on this card.
Great idea on the pictures taped inside the clear storage containers. I have some that need the same treatment. Thanks!
I need to follow your lead on #1 Susanna. I defrosted two lots of stew today for our dinner, as it looked a bit sparse. However, one portion would have been fine with a bit more bread, we had plenty and I’d have saved a few calories
(1) Made FFT a favorite dinner of his (pork roast with sauerkraut; pork from the 1/2 pig we buy every year). Yum for me too!
(2) The neighbor for whom we were doing dog-walking while her husband was having cancer surgery in another city brought over a bag of Valentine candy and treats, entirely unexpectedly. (The candy included the Aldi’s brand Amy K. mentioned.) They are going back to the cancer center tomorrow to meet with their team and decide what the next steps are. We’re sending major good thoughts with them. Excellent neighbors = priceless.
(3) Both DH and I managed to shovel/plow a major amount of snow yesterday without throwing our aging backs completely out. (I won’t say we’re not both a little sore, but at least we’re not in the ER.)
(4) I’m sprouting more mung beans in a mason jar, and also growing some cress in a flowerpot–two types of greens that don’t have to be grown someplace warmer and shipped here this time of year.
(5) Still hanging laundry (as always, thanks to my indoor racks) and still hanging in there.
FFT in #1 should be DH, of course. Sorry, honey!
Drooling over pork and sauerkraut… PA Dutch gal over here!
1. The kids came home with a ton of goodies today. I divided it out and will redistribute it into lunchboxes for weeks. I love the parents who send snack sized crackers and chips as their child’s Valentines!
2. Found over $.50 on my daily walks this week and it’s only Tuesday!
3. Hubby took me out to a surprise lunch today. Since I didn’t know about it I had already eaten so I snacked on the free chips and salsa while he splurged on a meal. Total $5.78.
4. Eating from the freezer and pantry this week. We will have guests this weekend and I have things on hand to make their favorite meals.
5. Favorite neighbor passed along some gorgeous vintage fabric (she is a professional seamstress). I have plans for myself a skirt and daughter a swimsuit cover. We’ll see how it goes as I’m just learning to sew.
5. I’m right there with ya! My friend’s mom died so he gave me her sewing machine. I haven’t sewn since the pillow I made in home economics in high school. I’m excited to see what I can come up with. Keep us posted on your accomplishments!
1. I’m making dinner tonight and almost stopped at Trader Joe’s for dessert but figure I have enough yummy ingredients (chocolate!) to make something instead.
2. I had my car’s oil changed this morning, along with the smog check, killing two birds with one stone.
3. I’ve had many cups of tea using one or two teabags over and over so while my water consumption has gone up, my caffeine consumption stays about the same!
4. My husband and I used a BOGO certificate for a bagel sandwich this morning. That plus using a gift card (from Costco $40 for $50 worth of GCs) to Einstein bagels made it quite the frugal win. By the way, if you have Einstein’s in your area, they do a $7 bakers dozen bagels on Monday which is about half off. You know where I’ll be next Monday!
5. Got a sweet text from my son at college thanking me for the box of love (chocolate!) I sent for Valentine’s Day. The chocolate was on sale, I had all the ingredients for these delish chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies, and the shipping was a bargain. Really, priceless for little outlay of cash.
Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all!
Too funny — my daughter just got a job as a night baker at our local Einstein’s and she was just telling me yesterday that Sunday night was the busiest for bagel baking because of $7 Monday!
Sheila – thanks for the Einstein Bagels tip! We have one opening in two weeks just a block away from my office. Excited to give them a try and nice to have a new eatery opening that’s not another expensive/fancy restaurant that I can’t afford.
In our area, Panera Bread does the baker’s dozen bagels for $7 on Tuesdays.
I ate 4, yes that’s four, Cadbury creme eggs so go ahead and judge me because I don’t give a damn!
1. I made pink tinted heart shaped pancakes for my family for breakfast. It’s a tradition that’s hardly cost anything but a tiny bit of food dye added to stuff I already have on had.
2. I am still getting up at 5:00 am to exercise to hopefully form a good frugal habit. I am suffering from a little bit of knee pain so I am having to change the exercises to lower impact. I don’t want to stop altogether because I am afraid I will fall back into my old habit of doing nothing. Clearly my goals are imbalanced as I think back to the previously mentioned creme eggs.
3. I made Parmesan chicken, sort of, from ingredients I had on hand. I didn’t have any marinara so I made some in my blender out of a can of tomatoes, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. I also didn’t have mozzarella cheese but I didn’t even miss it.
4. My family and I are going on a cruise next month so my husband and I decided to not do Valentine’s gifts, I thought, until roses and balloons suddenly appeared on my desk. I got my husband a card and later on we will do what ‘old married folk do’ and that will have to be enough. That’s all he really wants anyway!! Bonus- it’s free and it’s exercise
5. I don’t really have a number five so no Lear jet for me.
Bahahaha! Cheap and what he wants. YEP!
Does this mean I am a cheap lay? Bahahaha
I *love* the down-to-earthedness and frank talk around here!
You’re not alone.
While buying hubby a Valentine card and some frozen meals for lunches, at the Dollar Tree on Monday, I bought myself two mid-size boxes of chocolate covered raisins ($1 each). I promptly ate one box after lunch that day and the other box after lunch yesterday. They were my dessert, I know they aren’t healthy, but I don’t care right now either. I do tend to do that when I’m stressed out. Yes – “Hello, my name is Vickie and I’m a carb addict.”
I’ll just have to exercise a little longer this week. LOL!
Oh Vickie, you are making much healthier choices that me. I always rationalize that raisins are fruit!
Haha, I have to admit that I do the same thing. Raisins are fruit and chocolate comes from a tree, so isn’t that either a fruit or a nut? Healthy fats!
1. My friend made cupcakes.I ate a …..few…2. I ate leftover tomato soup and leftover cornbread for supper, a tuna fish sandwich I brought from home for lunch, and made homemade hash browns and eggs for breakfast. I drank water from my thermos at work. 3.I walked for my free exercise. 4. I texted my kids Happy Valentine’s day…hell, I even texted my ex…he texted back…I think I surprised him but I had four kids by him. Might as well be decent…..lol.5. In a high temper tantrum today, I called my life ins, cancer ins, and disability ins. Company, it was all with the same company and cancelled every.damn.policy. I had with them. Don’t ask. The good news is that I will have a couple of hundred more in my paycheck. The bad news is that I no longer have the above named insurance. I will breathe and regroup. In the meantime, I have $200 more per month in my check….
Wow, Cindy, I have to give you so much credit for your ex-text. I love your perspective on it! I am definitely not too that point, but it probably would have shocked mine as well. LOL
Yea, I think I really shocked him. He has been ill, and our kids are grown. I do not want him to be sick because it affects our kids, and I cannot stand for my kids to be worried. Plus, carrying around the emotional resentment baggage is not worth it, life is fragile, and he is in his middle sixties and I am in my late 50’s. It is time for bygones to be bygones…besides, I do not have to put up with his cheating self anymore….lol.
I really like you, Cindy! Life is short! Not only that, but it looks like you ate really healthy on top of being frugal. And, anyone who introduces themselves from the South has to be all right!
Cindy, I always love your comments. They make me chuckle and usually make me hungry!
Frugal week because of reasons beyond our control: one day last week the husband broke his ankle. This weekend I broke my leg. So, until one of us is more ambulatory, no grocery shopping and no fancy cooking. No gas used to go anyplace, since neither one of us can drive right now. (We are both waiting to see if healing will take place or we will need surgical repairs.) Whoever has the energy to use our single pair of crutches (we had a pair and didn’t want to buy a second pair) thumps into the kitchen and heats up some of the premade meals or pizzas in the oven. The other of us propels him or herself into the kitchen and the meal is placed on that person’s lap and we all make it back to our side-by-side recliners so we can keep the injured parts elevated. We are both in pain and don’t have the energy to do more than snooze or watch AcornTV.
Meanwhile, the furnace went out FOR THE SECOND TIME!!! in a weekend. We called and I explained that the door would be unlocked so the technician could just walk in, since getting to the door is such an ordeal. I explained why and she asked if there was anything they could do. I laughed and said, “Only if you deliver milk, since we can’t get to the store for that.” An hour later the tech shows up, a gallon of milk in hand. “This is on the house. You should not have had another breakdown when we were here just a few days ago. This call-out is free. We guarantee our work.” I nearly cried.
So, frugal, miserable but am reminded that there are good businesses and people in the world. It could be worse.
Lindsey, what a rough time you are having! At times, the kindness of strangers is the nicest of all! Stay strong and my best to you and husband. (If you are in the DMV, let me know)
DMV = District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia metro area!
Hope you both heal quickly and well!
Hope you both are feeling better soon.
Sending good thoughts and wishes your way.
THAT is excellent customer service! When I find a reputable company with pleasant service team members, I stay loyal. How nice for you. Feel better!
Lindsay – I feel your pain! I broke my ankle badly in 2015 and it was a learning experience for sure. I am so sorry!! The kindness of the people around me helped a lot. And if anyone is willing to go grocery shopping, there are some foods that help with bone healing. Calcium and protein are two of the things I remember off the top of my head. I ate a fair amount of greek yogurt in the first few weeks. Wishing you and your husband speedy healing!
That warmed my heart and soul! Love good people!!
I’m so sorry about your injuries. Sometimes it seems like when it rains, it pours. I love being reminded of how kind people can be so thanks for that and I wish you a speedy recovery.
Best wishes to you and your DH for speedy recoveries from the double breaks, Lindsey. In particular, hoping that you can both avoid surgery, and that one or the other of you can drive soon. Glad folks are spreading kindness your way.
1. I’m away for work in remote Australia. I’ve managed so far not to spend all of my per diem.
2. I’ve taken advantage of the free tea and coffee and snacks and cable TV. We don’t have cable so it’s been fun to watch a few movies in my off time.
That’s about it. It’s hard to be frugal when working away. Not much to do except work and sleep. I have enjoyed meeting our clients and staff out here.
Katy, great score on the water bottle!
Not frugal lately. We got a deal on an expensive amusement park for the family, so we splurged. I wanted to bring food for my daughter who just got braces, but I left it in the fridge at home. Grrr. Fortunately, there was soup for sale at the park. An exorbitant price, but it filled everyone up. The park itself was great fun, especially as I don’t think we’ll be doing this again after this year. The kids are getting older.
Today was better. I visit the dentist every three months for a cleaning, and only have one co-pay for that. Paid that today, but it is worth it for good teeth!
My husband received a box of chocolates from a student, so I will not be making brownies tonight. This is good because I am still tired from yesterday.
We are having dinner at home. Chicken-fried portabella mushrooms, cream gravy and mashed potatoes. Yum, and easy to not go out.
I did sell a couple of items on ebay today, and posted a couple others. Used free shipping materials.
Not frugal, but necessary: I need new tires on the car, but I heard an ad today on the radio offering two free tires with the purchase of two, and that’s what I need. I hope it works out, and the first two aren’t overpriced. If it does work out, I may have a new tire store.
I also found some nice water bottles at my thrift store! This week:
1. We didn’t go out for Valentine’s Day. We cooked lobster tails that we bought on sale for dinner instead.
2. Instead of a present, I hid cute love notes to Mr. Picky Pincher in lots of unexpected places. It’s more fun and cheaper than a box of chocolates!
3. Our sink was clogged today. Instead of calling a plumber, Mr. Picky Pincher cleared the clog easily.
4. I got free candy at work today for Valentine’s Day. Never say no to free candy. 🙂
5. Tomorrow I plan to hit up a few stores to score on-sale Valentine’s Day chocolates and more.
1. Made chockolate covered strawberries for my valentines and heart shaped pancakes with the frugal girls strawberry syrup. So good ! All with ingredients we had st home.
2. Have a fun friend date planned where the kids will play and the moms will hang out. My friend is hosting and we will make guacamole to bring.
3. Had two dinner invitations out this week so kept grocery shopping really light. $10 actually.
4. Used a Barnes and noble coupon today to get my daughter a box set of beginner reader books for her birthday.
5. Gifted our favorite librarians each an Aldi chocolate bar ($.99) with a valentine from my daughter.
1. Traveling to Florida with my two kids to meet my husband who was down there for work, we had a number of unexpected bumps in the road (including being on a flight in the air that had a cabin pressure issue and had to turn around and re-land). After being rebooked on four different legs and ending up still an hour and a half from our destination at midnight, we found the only hotel with an available room and a shuttle to the hotel from the airport. While it was most definitely not frugal, being conscious of our money and smart with spending before this made it not be a bank breaker to have this unexpected hotel stay.
2. While in Florida we are staying with my in-laws so no hotel fees. Though we have treated them to dinner and lunch a few times as a thank you, for the most part we are eating at their place. Have been enjoying free activities like swimming in the pool, going to some preserves to walk, going to the beach and checking out the manatee who gather at the electric plant. Other than the unexpected $200 hotel and occasional meals out to thank my in-laws, this should be a pretty frugal vacation.
3. While I’m on vacation I still have items selling on eBay including a North face coat that I’ve never really liked the fit of for $125.
4. Exchanged something at goodwill, instead of just saying, “It was only $4” and not bothering with it.
5. Packed snacks and empty water bottles for the airport to avoid spending lots of money on food and water at the airport.
Your lucky on the Goodwill exchange. My Goodwill stores do not do exchanges anymore.
Yay manatees!!!!
About the flight situation, if you email the airline and nicely complain – you may be rewarded with a voucher for future travel for each member of your group. Make sure to minimise all the flight details. Actually, I’m surprised they didn’t automatically do that? We’ve had our share of crazy travel experiences, but the airlines have given us vouchers for future flights on at least 3 occasions. Usually in the $125 range.
Yay manatees!!!!
About the flight situation, if you email the airline and nicely complain – you may be rewarded with a voucher for future travel for each member of your group. Make sure to INCLUDE all the flight details. Actually, I’m surprised they didn’t automatically do that? We’ve had our share of crazy travel experiences, but the airlines have given us vouchers for future flights on at least 3 occasions. Usually in the $125 range.
Do you happen to have AAA? They reimburse for unexpected travel expenses due to breakdowns, etc. Worth a shot, even for air travel…
1. Took my husband out for lunch today – less crowded and much cheaper than dinner. This evening I cooked a steak dinner at home for Valentine treat.
2. Still using my Half-Price Book gift card – love to choose books marked at half price but free to me.
3. Son was ill and nurse line told him to go into ER. I went with him and found that there was a wait of several hours before he could be seen. This was in the middle of the night so we opted to go home and see a regular clinic doctor in the morning. Medication dispensed and much less expensive. Only significant loss was sleep! He has recovered – not as serious as first thought.
4. Spent some time today doing “Huddle” follow up. Time to network and also make our issue preferences known.
5. February is a month of home-made sweets for us. DH finished up the peach-blueberry crisp. I will make banana bread tomorrow. Sugar is a wonderfully comforting ingredient although obviously no nutritive value!
1. Took bus to work.
2. Took lunch to work.
3. Gave hubs and kids candy I bought on sale and cards from my stockpile for Valentine’s Day
4. Had to bring treats to share at work, got 20 bakery day-old cookies ($2/each otherwise) for $8
5. Made 3rd dinner from pork roast I did in crockpot on Sunday — bought on sale for $7.50!
1. Sick with another danged cold. Used cold remedies we had here at the house, since we’ve all been sick one after the other since Christmas.
2. Packed my lunch to work. Wore a cute thrifted outfit. Drove with a light foot.
3. Made a casserole of freezer finds and pantry goods. It was quite delish!
4. Helped out our son with an expensive car repair, which he will pay us back with his tax return.
5. Bought cupcakes, marked down this evening, for the family instead of a card. I think they liked them much more too!
1. I bought a family membership at our local community center gym for my husband and me; $390 for both of us, unlimited hrs, staff on hand for questions and training help, weight machines, free weights, a walking/running track, ellipticals, bikes, treadmills, gyms for basketball, paddle tennis, etc., a Wii dance game, ping pong, and various classes. I’ve used it 4-5 days a wk since the first of the yr, hubby – has not. At all. But it was still cheaper than the other gym I looked at, with 24/7 access with a keyfob (but not staffed most of the time, so what if you dropped a weight on your foot or some weirdo came in while you were there alone?), no gyms, no track, $420 for ONE person! I at least am getting my money’s worth from it, and hopefully lowering my A1C in the process! That will mean less meds taken and less money spent on them.
2. Grabbed some of the printed out song sheets off the stage at church on Sunday and clipped them to a hanger, which is hanging next to the sink. Now I can practice them while doing dishes. Free entertainment!
3. Husband is trying to cut down on sweets, so instead of buying him a box of chocs for Val. Day, I bought strawberries and dipped a half dozen in melted chocolate (made from chips left over from holiday baking). They didn’t look very professional, but he said they tasted great and he was pleased. He bought me an inexpensive bunch of carnations and a very small box of chocs. We then had a lovely dinner (pot roast and veggies I stuck in the crockpot before work!) and watched some TV.
4. Had a cookbook club meetings last night and brought home the leftover soup I made, plus some of the leftover from a couple other cooks. We have leftover chicken a la king, too, and some of tonight’s roast, so tomorrow night will be leftovers.
5. Had some boxes of unwanted books at work I needed to figure out where to take for discard, then had a parent tell me this morning about an ACSI school in Spain that was asking for non-fiction books in English, any kind. I contacted him this afternoon and he’ll be picking them up by Friday. No more boxes sitting around in my library office!!
1) We spent $0 by staying in on Valentines day. It would be nice to do something special, but with three small people we just had a normal night. One day we’ll up the “specialness,” but neither my husband or I are really that big on Valentines Day.
2) I spent $1 on Frugal Girl’s Mighty Fix promo. I’ll cancel because it seems more than I need each month, but I am excited about the bag reducing what I send to landfills and the number of bags I have to buy.
3) I rode my bike on all errands today.
4) Had lunch out with the office, but the company paid for it, which means a tax break for us as we own the company, and we got free dessert because it was someone’s birthday.
5) Had my hair cut at Great Clips. For a long time I had this crazy idea that a $60 haircut was three times better than a $30 cut. At least I wised up!
Amanda,
There are a lot of great ideas on here for making Valentine’s Day more special for the littles without spending a lot of time or money. We have a special dinner that isn’t especially hard or expensive, but high in fat! We’ve also had candlelight with dinner or breakfast. Someone on here mentioned making pancakes pink instead of normal color. It adds a little fun without requiring you spend a lot or get stressed out!
1. DH and I went to the rental house to looks after some repairs, saving the cost of a repair person. Fixed a dishwasher that wouldn’t drain, and replaced an under the cabinet heater.
2. Had leftovers for lunch instead of going out, after doing repairs, as we had originally planned.
3. Didn’t exchange cards for Valentine’s Day. DH says he can’t afford to, now that he’s a “pensioner”. And this is the man who would buy me the most expensive card he could find! And I’m fine with not supporting Hallmark.
4. Bought 4 pieces of thrifted clothing for my 15 month old great niece. All 4 for $4. Baby girl seemed pleased.
Frugal fail: my beloved 10 year old cat has just been diagnosed with diabetes.
More testing is required, but will probably require daily insulin shots. I have no idea what that may cost!
Alison, my sister’s dog just started having to have insulin daily, and it’s very reasonable. I could be wrong, but I think my sister said $3 a month. She gets it from WalMart.
Check out the Good RX app. It helps you find the pharmacy with the best prices on the prescriptions you need. Sometimes there will even be a special. In my state, some pharmacies will even allow you to use the Good RX price for your pet. By switching pharmacies, I saved almost $6 off the regular price for my dog’s eye drops at that pharmacy (new patient discount) and almost $20 less than what the previous pharmacy charged the last time I filled one of the prescriptions. Said dog uses 3 different eye drops a day to control cataracts and glaucoma.
My much-loved cat had to have special kitty insulin. In my case, we did not have an alternative. I did control his diet which helped to keep his blood sugar under control. But that wonderful cat lived to be 19!
Happy Valentine’s Everyone!
1. We live in Washington, DC near the zoo. We were stacked to the rafters for the march last month. We received a very sweet letter of thanks and a gift cert to a local indian restaurant. We had a lovely meal there and will eat leftovers for days.
2. I found a very cheap butcher to sell us marrow bones (1.49 a lb) for our English bulldogs named Stinky and Niblet. Our vet says they keep our guys teeth clean as a whistle. When they are done, I re-stuff them with leftover bacon grease or frozen peanut butter for a cheap-ish occasional treat. Saves on vet bills and supports a local business.
3. Our english basement has been converted to an airbnb property. I continue to do the cleaning turnover myself, use the used up linens as cleaning rags, make my own cleaner with vinegar. This particular turnover I was the happy recipient of a dozen eggs gifted by the last guests.
4. I am a candle fanatic. I read from Frugal Girl that boiling water cleans the jars of any remaining wax. Most of the jars are very pretty and can be converted to nice canisters for cotton balls, etc. I boiled water and cleaned a year’s worth and are slowly filling them up with useful bulk items and giving them to friends.
5. I have saved peels, rind and zest from any citrus in the freezer. Once collected, it boils down nicely with a little sugar. This flavored simple syrup really makes plain yogurt, cottage cheese, plain club soda or tea something special. Once boiled it can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge until the end of time.
Valentine’s Bonus: I gifted my husband only edibles that we need. We are going to play a game of scrabble. Winner has to make dinner all next week. Fun, quality time and no THINGS!
Thanks for posting Katy! Your blog is such a wonderful thing!
This is a great tip about the citrus rinds. I have been wanting another use and will definitely try the syrup. Thanks!
I’m going to try that rind recipe. Thanks for sharing!
BTW – what is an “english” basement?
Just curious, I’ve never heard that term before.
I don’t know if the “english basement” term is just around here (DC area) but it’s a finished basement that’s usually set up as a separate apartment, usually in a row house. Most of them I know are a few steps down, whereas the front door of the main house is usually a few steps up.
I only know our Americanized version of the term.
They are partially below and partially above ground “basements” with separate entrances in either or both the front and the back. Many people use them to house their kids when they are in college, a nanny, students studying abroad, parents, etc.
The simple syrup recipe is awesome. You can use spices (I love rosemary and strawberry together)fruits or simply just sugar and water. Flavorless is good to offer with iced tea or sweetening dry wines if guests don’t like your preference.
5. I just made s similar syrup because I was gifted a few bags of oranges. I added some crushed red pepper and used it for a glaze for baked salmon. It was delicious!
That sounds amazing! You aren’t really “out” much if it doesn’t come out right. Fun to play around! Some simple syrups can be drizzled over cakes. Yum!
1. Took advantage of Macy’s rebate program for a couple of small appliances we needed, after using plenti points and the rebates I will actually get back $10.
2. Gifted husband one of the appliances for Valentine’s Day.
3. Finally made it to the Goodwill Outlet store where i purchased several pieces of flannel to donate to my sister in law who makes baby blankets for new mothers. The one thing I don’t understand is they sell everything by the pound and some things are so heavy they end up being more expensive than what they are priced at the regular Goodwill!
4. Found 37 cents yesterday and 25 cents today.
5. Cleaned out storage room and pantry where I was able to donate 4 bags to Goodwill, fill one trash can and add to the yard sale boxes. Still more to go, but it feels good to make progress.
Terri, at the GW Outlet Stores in Portland, if an item is not a good price by the pound, they will usually adjust the price on the item. Worth asking if they will do it… the worst they can do is tell you no.
Mary:
I told them the pillow insert (down, in excellent shape) was less at the regular store but they wouldn’t adjust it. Smaller town…less competition, maybe?
Weird. You might be onto something with the small town. Or it might be store policy in your area, or you just got a crummy cashier that day. I know in the regular GW stores, policies vary from store to store, so I guess it could be the same at the outlets. Hey, at least you tried!
1. Have had three stay-home, no-spend days in a row.
2. Hubs is working, so no Valentine crowds or expensive meal out.
3. Cool enough out to want soup for supper…made 15 bean soup and cornbread.
4. Warm enough out to have windows open to air the house today.
5. Internet problem solved by phone company tech…their equipment issue…no charge.
1.I’ve brought my van in twice in the last month for a noise. We thought it was a bearing or possibly brakes. They put on new brakes the first time and said the bearing was fine. I brought it again yesterday because the noise was louder. After wait two hours they said the bearing was fine, but the tires needed balanced and rotated. We had that done not too long ago, so I was skeptical. They charged me $50. I wasn’t happy and as soon as I pulled away the noise was still there. I went back and waited another hour. It turns out it was the bearing, noise gone and they didn’t charge me anymore. I know it would have cost me more than $50, but since it was their mistake they ate the cost.
2. Didn’t pick up lunch while I was out even though I was starving.
3. Picked up the cheaper gas at Costco while I was out. Also picked up hand soap refills that were discounted at Costco and the Kirkland brand whole wheat bread.
4. Gave my kids valentine cards that were given to me and my husband a $1 card I purchased at Aldi. Bought a cheaper Reeses heart for them instead of a more expensive box of candy.
5. Didn’t run out and buy Ivanka Trumps line of clothing.Sorry Kellyanne. 😉
Haha, good one on your #5.
1. Not Spending and Eating from the Pantry have become such habits for me now that when the BF said he was taking me to my favorite Cuban restaurant for V-Day, I almost said, “OH, no…I’ll make soup or something!” (We went out and he paid and it was delicious).
2. I feel bad (damn!), but I did not give him a gift. He knows my situation and I stood my ground on the no spending. He, of course, ignored all rules and gave me roses and a Haiku he wrote for me. Maybe I will make some heart shaped cookies for him today.
3. I was gifted several bags of pasta and too much fresh broccoli than I can eat. I plant to steam most of it today and freeze it for soup and such. The stuff starting to turn is going to the urban hens. My kitchen smells like broccoli. 🙁
4. I am going to give Dave Ramsey the credit (although, it could have easily been someone else that said this), but I have noticed that since I was able to pay off three annoying debts with my frugal ways and have stopped spending otherwise, the money or gifts I gather or am given seem to be growing. Of course, being car-free still is helping. Cars are expensive.
5. Speaking of cars, I rented one for the weekend at a great price and it was a sub-compact called a Nissan Versa Note. I loved it. The gas mileage was wonderful even in the city. I looked online at the price of a 2-year old and it is very reasonable. There are also several similar brands with Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Now I just need VW to effing pay off the loan and I can get one. Sadly, I need to break up with VW. I am pretty disappointed by their lack of concern at the plight of the “Dieselgate” car owners. Yes, I received a good payoff, but buying a car, taking said car and then sitting on a loan check for two and half weeks while I accrue daily interest is not cool at all. Today I start the bitch-calls.
6. Bonus! My spoiled, urban hens are laying again in force (three eggs a day). I am 80-90% vegan and I have a type of anemia that requires me to take B12 injections monthly, so these eggs are a good source of protein for us. Lately, I have also received old produce to feed them and they seem happy.
7. Bonus again! I am reading a book I have had on my shelf for many years. So many, in fact, that when I opened it a postcard from Washington DC fell out (this places it circa 2010). The postcard has the Obamas looking young and fresh! Anyway, the book is called “The Seven Daughters of Eve” and I highly recommend it.
A man who writes a haiku for you sounds like a keeper.
1. I picked up a new box of Hello Kitty (preferred character) Valentines for the first grader’s class at Goodwill for 69 cents!
2. I volunteered as a timer at my daughter’s swim meet this weekend, rather than pay the $150 for not volunteering this year.
3. I am planning a fall Disney Vacation using airline miles, and hotel points, so as long as we are reasonable about dining, the only major cost will be park tickets!
1. My husband made me a roast chicken for Valentine’s Day. His chicken beats any chicken I’ve ever had anywhere. Leftovers tonight, YAY!!!
2. I made him oatmeal raspberry walnut jam bars.
3. Brought my lunch to work for the last two weeks.
4. Didn’t give into the temptation to shop when I got a 50% off coupon for a quality online retailer. Deleted the email instead.
5. Re-purposed a pencil cup that I really wasn’t using for that purpose to hold my makeup brushes instead of buying a fancy new container.
1. DH left for Texas for a work trip on Monday, so no Valentine’s celebration here. Instead I came home, ate some of the leftover spaghetti he made me before he left, and watched Titanic. I couldn’t care less about Valentine’s Day so we won’t do anything to celebrate when he gets home either.
2. Resisted the temptation to use my Barnes and Noble Christmas gift cards with their 10% offer. My best friend and I go to a large book fair together in March where the books are deeply discounted, so I decided I’d wait to see if I could get the bestsellers I wanted there. I checked yesterday and saw that both A Man Called Ove and The Girl on the Train would both be available there for less than $6 each. I’ll save the Barnes and Noble gift cards for anything I can’t find at the book fair.
3. Needed some new spurs for horseback riding and a friend recently posted she was selling a number of her horseback riding items online. Bought a pair of spurs from her for half the price I would pay new.
4. Finished the Sookie Stackhouse book series last night (also known as True Blood). Thirteen books in the series and I bought all of them from either Goodwill or Second and Charles!
5. Before DH left for his work trip, I gifted him the early Anniversary present of Broadway tickets to Aladdin for our 10 year anniversary trip to NYC in April. While the tickets were pricy ($200), I felt justified in buying them because a) we’ve never been to NYC, b) we’ve never been to a Broadway show (and we love Disney), and, c) I had several Ticketmaster vouchers from their lawsuit that helped bring down the total cost of the tickets. Plus, I gifted him an experience, and not an item! Bonus points in that I e-mailed him the ticket confirmation so I didn’t even waste any wrapping paper 🙂
1. No valentine cards or gifts since our anniversary 6 days before valentines and we celebrate that instead.
2. I did buy my 11 yr old a Coca-Cola drinking glass and filled it with a baggie of gum and small baggie of kisses, all from the Dollar Tree ($3.00).
3. I went to our local votech and had my favorite cosmetology student cut my hair (she also happens to be my daughter, lol). She gets to do a couple of free services a month, so she shampooed my hair and gave me a hot oil treatment, then a haircut. I did tip her $10. She did a great job!
4. I will use the bottle of haircolor I have at home to do a root touch up. Next time I’ll pay to have her to do it at the school so she can get credit for it, but since I had the box of color at home, I’ll just use that this time.
5. Used a $5.00 off/$40 coupon at the grocery store, swipped my Plenti card and earned $$ off towards gas purchases.
6. Made my own white chocolate covered strawberries for my family (strawberries were on sale and I had the chocolate already in my freezer) and fixed dinner with extra ground beef left from another meal.
7. My lunch today is stuff brought from home.
1) Ate leftovers from the big birthday weekend for Valentines Day. Nobody complained.
2) Middle daughter booked a lucrative babysitting job for the evening – not frugal for her clients, but I was pleased to see her take a practical view. Many of her classmates give in to the pressure to do something romantic and expensive. She said, “On a Tuesday? They’re nuts.”
3) In the continuing saga of the electric bill: the current bill came in and it is tiny – the smallest we’ve ever had. I suspect I’d been getting estimated bills for several months. We are a smaller house in a neighborhood of turn-of-the-century mansions (probably cold and drafty), so any peer-based estimates would likely be wrong.
4) Bonus electricity savings: nighttime temps are back up above single digits and the electric blanket now feels too warm. So it’s folded back up in the cupboard until next year or a late cold snap.
5) Working from home this week. Saves on gas and laundry – yes, I totally work in slippers and sweatpants. What? We don’t use video conferencing. . .
Potential frugal fail: I had an incomplete root canal more than four years ago. Endodontist wanted $800-1500 to fix it – his own mistake! So I’ve just been ignoring it. Since then I’ve changed regular dentists and the new one called him and talked him into redoing it on his dime . . . which he agreed to do, but only if it’s still the original problem. I go in today to find out if my procrastination means the problem has spread, in which case I’ll need to fork over some of the cost. Having to pay for a dreadful procedure is doubly miserable, but I just can’t put it off any longer because it’s painful and, if my general feeling of unwellness is any indication, there’s a pretty hefty infection in there.
Wow, so nice that your dentist stood up for you! I hope it’s still the original problem. Sorry for all the pain you have, I have been there.
Ugh! I had that same thing happen with a dentist. I ended up using the new one (who is great!) to fix the old problem. I am sending you hope on yours! Also, can so relate to your work at home comment (LOL)!!
1. I made my husband his favorite Moroccan soup for Valentine’s. I used some gifted salsa for the onion and pepper base–boiled it for ten minutes to get rid of the raw onion taste. Recipe calls for fresh mint. I have a ton of dried mint, but used the grounds from previous night’s mint tea. Also finished off half a jar of canned tomatoes in the soup, and an eggplant that was in hospice–poised on the border between food and compost.
2. Since we turn the thermostat to 58 at night (and forget to turn it up until sunset), I was worried that the dogs might be too cold. I contemplated thrifting something cool to make a crate cover, but decided to drape the crate with the quilt that spends the rest of the time on the sofa. It’s polyester, Chinese-speaking, and falling apart–I did some machine quilting on the deconstructing areas.
3. I had a tube of lip balm that was down to the plastic. I dug out the rest and added it to a jar of another lip balm. Must do this with my remaining lipstick as well.
4. Our last 23 meals have been homemade food, including three potlucks.
5. My personal fave…last night at dinner (candlelight, cue violins, splitting a beer) my husband was listing the many, many joys of marriage. At the end he said, “And I’ve realized recently that I haven’t ever needed to take a stool softener since I started eating your cooking twenty-four years ago.” I went to sleep and woke up laughing thinking about that. Not the sort of thing a person would ever list on Match.com, and yet apparently noteworthy.
#5 – That’s classic – rolling with laughter here!!
LOL, love that Valentine’s Day sentiment. Can’t wait to share it with my DH.
1. Today I’m wearing new to me pants and a top, courtesy of my daughter’s hand-me-ups.
2. I used the tops of strawberries, leftover pumpkin, frozen pineapple cores, and a bit of juice and almond milk to make a smoothie.
3. I walked to the drug store to pick-up an Rx. For some reason it it only a dollar and change (so far this year) while it was a $10 co-pay other years. Don’t argue. I also found a penny and then a dime and I turned in a credit card that was in the parking lot to “lost and found”.
4. It is currently cold and very windy but I will bundle up and go for a walk. Fresh air and exercise are good for me. I have been blessed with good health this winter while it seems so many around me are suffering from a variety of ills.
5. I oven roasted a couple heads of cauliflower that were $.99 at Aldi. I am thinking about using some to make soup, using up carrots, celery, and part of an onion that have been in the refrigerator for a while, as well as some legumes in the freezer.
A better #5 would be to second Katy:
I’m not fighting the natural greying of my hair. I have silver highlights and I just live with them.
If I knew I would end up with a gorgeous head of silver hair, like say, Emmy Lou Harris, I would allow the grey to creep in! Right now I pull the hairs right out of my head.
Be careful doing that! My mother used to pay my brother 2 cents for every grey hair he pulled out – her hair now is very thin and I often wonder if it is because she had him pull out all her greys instead of just letting them be.
I was allowing myself to go grey, but we all go grey very early in my family (my grandmother was completely grey by the age of 30 – of course that could be because she was married to my grandfather…). One day I was walking through the shops and caught myself in the mirror. I looked much older than my years, so I decided to go back to colouring it. I feel that I look my age again. But I do understand the decision not to do it – it is expensive and time consuming.
1) Resisted the urge to see any Oscar Nominated movies–we’ll wait until they are on TV next year to watch them!
2) Eating up all the leftovers from dinners, as lunches.
3) Buying microwavable meals for my lunches at work, as they are only about $2 on sale, portion controlled and low in sodium and fat. The average cost for a salad at the cafeteria at work is $7! Drinking the free water and seltzer, tea etc provided at the office (thank you, office)!
4) Going to free yoga and exercise classes at my gym at work. I get home a little late one night a week, but you cannot pass up a free hour long yoga class at work. I want to stay moving and healthy for my family.
5) Using coupons to shop for a few new wardrobe items here and there (to perk up existing wardrobe.
Just wanted to say, I love this blog, and particularly your ‘five frugal things’. I’ve recently started blogging myself about my own attempts to live a more frugal life whilst still having a great time, and this was a massive inspiration, thank you :)x
1) Dear wife and I had our Valentine date at lunch since DS was at school and we didn’t have to pay a babysitter. Split a sandwich and a cannoli plus drinks from two different places in town. Reduced cost, reduced calories and supporting the local economy. A win!
2) DS’s Valentines gifts were purchased from consignment for .50 a piece. A brand new Max and Ruby Valentine activity book and a brand new copy of the first book in a series that we loved (originally borrowed from library) called Guinea Pig PI. If you have small kids in your life who like graphic novel format, we all recommend it!
3) Just read a great young adult novel called The War That Saved My Life. Since I spend most of my time in the library in the kids section, I have gone back to reading YA fiction which I have always loved. This book is nominated for the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award. The book list for this contest always has interesting reads.
4) Meals cooked at home, lunches packed for school, grownups eating leftovers for lunch, grocery shopping still aiming for minimalist approach. Current me is enjoying the work that summer me did to put by veggies and fruit in the freezer.
5) Filed all our supporting tax info together, reorganized several files in my filing cabinet, updated the monthly expenses list and sent our accountant all the info for our personal and business taxes. It helps greatly to have a motivated spouse since taxes are one of my least favorite things to organize.
Bonus 6) LOTS of snow so cross country skiing, snowshoeing and shoveling for free and fun exercise.
I have been trying to spread the news about what a terrific book The War That Saved My Life Is, too!! I cannot think of a better book illustrating how scary it can be to learn the new language of love when the only language you know is abuse. We had foster kids and I used to tell them that they didn’t have to be scared that they would forget how to be mean and hateful to protect themselves; they would spend their entire lives fighting that urge when under stress. But learning the language of love made them bi-lingual and they could speak only that language if they learned it or revert to the other.
A great book for teaching WWII history, too. I recommend it for anyone looking for a gift for ages about 11 to 14 or 15, especially girls.
Susie’s Daughter and Lindsey: Thanks for the book recommendation. I just checked library website. It was available as an ebook for checkout, so I did. Looking forward to it. 🙂
Thank-you, just ordered the book from my library.
Lindsey, there are many things I have learnt from this group. Your statement above was by far one of the most powerful . Thank-you. Working on incorporating it with a few people I know.
1) I had a lunch meeting today and was starved when I left, but I had a frozen meal waiting for me in the freezer, back in the office. I held out and ate my cheap lunch, instead of eating at the food court in the student union.
2) I’ve been eating cheese and crackers at home in the evenings, which saves on groceries and keeps me from grabbing something on the way home. Hubby doesn’t get home until after 8:30 pm, so we only eat a full dinner at home on his days off – Sundays and Wednesdays.
3) I used cash on hand to put gas in the tank Monday. It’s still $2.15 a gallon at the Sinclair near me, which is the cheapest I’ve found. Since it’s a neighborhood convenience store out in the rural area where we live, I think the owners are keeping it cheap so people will spend their money there an not in town. Works for me – I’m happy to trade local!
4) I picked up several University Athletic Team posters for my neighbor today – all free. I take him the current Team posters, when marketing prints them up and I’m always gifted with a dozen farm fresh eggs. Plus, a beer or two and good conversation. You can’t beat having wonderful neighbors!
5) I picked up dog food at the Feed store on Monday and it’s on sale $5 cheaper than usual right now. Woohoo!
1. DH changed the air filter in my car himself.
2. For V day, he made the exact same meal that he used to make when we were dating. Nostalgia
3. Turned down all of the treats at school, except for the meal that PTA ladies served the staff for lunch.
4. Got many donations from local restaurants to feed our bus drivers a hot breakfast in appreciation for them on “love the bus day”
5. Driving a paid for car feels so good. Much better than a new car with a loan.
Love your #5. We haven’t had a car payment in 4 years and I never want one again!
My husband is out of the country for work,so I decided to visit my sister for several days. This is always fun, but rarely frugal. I am the only sister with the tightwad gene. :-). However, I controlled what I could.
1) I packed a snack and water for my 5 hour drive to South Florida.
2) I filled up the car at a local gas station far from the interstate where it is much less expensive.
3) I listened to the biography of John Adams written by David McCullough while driving. This was purchased for a mere $2 at a recent library sale. The brilliance and vision of our country’s founding fathers ( and mothers) never ceases to amaze me. Interestingly, in their correspondence with one another, Abigail and John Adams spoke often of the importance of frugality, industry, and education. Some things never go out of style!
4). When we were out and about, I carried my water bottle with me and refilled it. What’s more, I didn’t buy cappuccinos when sis stopped for a coffee break.
5) While visiting, I sold a gold ring that I had with me, but no longer wanted. (Sis is in the jewelry business) I actually came home with money in my pocket!!!!!!!
Frugal fail: I am not brave enough to go gray. I so admire those of you who are!
1. Had work treats for lunch twice this week, saving my rice and lentils for today.
2. Rode my bike to work–in the rain.
3. Broke down and bought red wine for a little gathering of friends–but got a Bota box, which is not bad and works out to $4 per bottle.
4. Going grey (well, this is ongoing 😉 ) and received a compliment from an old friend who hadn’t seen me in months.
5. Picked up Jim Collins’ book “The Simple Path to Wealth” at my local library. Looking forward to reading it.
6. Started a book group with a few friends and used the library’s “Book Group in a Box” system. I checked out ten copies of our selected novel for 6 weeks. My library is amazing.
1. A bit of a heatwave (haha) here in the UK, so being mindful of the heat, woodburner is not going on until evening (layers used if needs must).
2. Busy using up ‘odd’ ingredients from the store cupboard, you know, the stuff you buy for one recipe and then it just lingers, resulting in a low weekly shop and…interesting meals, some of them even quite nice.
3. Found a place that gives away newspapers for free so I will be making newspaper briquettes plus they also have A4 flyers so I’ve been wrapping those up into tight rolls for the fire.
4. A Chicken is laying nearly every day now. And a neighbour asked if we liked duck eggs (yes we do, can’t really taste much difference) so gave us another 15 this week. I paid her back with sample of pumpkin recipes.
5. I’m letting my hair grey naturally too. There’s a few wisps by my ears. It’s distinguished isn’t it? 😉 I’m hoping it ends up like Mary Beard’s hair, I’m nearly 50 so maybe in 5 to 10 years time? (I have no idea how long it takes to go completely grey).
1. Using things from the pantry and freezer to fight off take out urges at 8:30 for dinner after work.
2. Coffee and tea from home.
3. A friend is taking me to the movies as a b’day present. We will see Lion. I am looking forward to it.
4. Going to use my baskin-robbins coupon for a free b’day cone.
5. Having an an at home sleep study tonight. I hope it helps figure out why I am so tired all the time.
* Our valentine was a diner at home and no gifts except cards
* Losing weight by eating less and exercising at home
* Got 43 pieces of clothes (5 coats included!) for 6$ at thrift store!
* Exhanging PC points for free groceries
43 pieces!!!! Holy Moly that has to be a record. That is only 15 cents each.
I thought my recent score of 21 pieces for $5 was an amazing deal.
I have been bested.