- My son came home for the weekend, so the two of us spent yesterday having fun about town. Our first stop was to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant for lunch, but you know that we were deliberate with our spending. Part of our frugal plan was to order bowls of udon noodles as soon as we were seated, as they’re just $2, yet very filling. In the past we’ve waited farther into the meal to order the udon and ended up too full. The total for the two of us was $12.50.
- There was no choice but to stop into the nearby Goodwill as it was walking distance from the restaurant. Neither of us found anything to buy, although I was tempted to pick up a $10 Specialized bike, but changed my mind as the chain was super rusty and I’m not in the right mindset for a new project.
- We then walked over to The Dollar Tree where I bought three 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, ginger snaps, knock-off Nature’s Miracle and two 7-ounce containers of “Steakhouse Seasoning.” I don’t remember why I ever bought this stuff in the first place, but I’m glad I did because this mix is the best! It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it in the stores, so I stocked up. The same amount of Penzy’s brand steak seasoning would be $36, so this stuff is a screaming deal! (I use this in almost all my savory dishes, and it really livens up the flavor.)
- The two of us then wandered around the mall as my son wanted to see the new sneakers in person. However the only thing we bought were two 90¢ lollipops from See’s Candy. The man behind the counter was feeling generous and gave us four fancy chocolates, which my son happily enjoyed.
- The last stop was to New Season’s Market. (Like Whole Foods, but local.) I needed a half-pound of ground beef for spaghetti as were having my mother and step father over for dinner. My definition of frugality is to be deliberate and thoughtful with my resources. What that looks like is the illogical combination of canned tomatoes from a dollar store, but ground beef from an expensive source. The one choice creates the room for the other. The evening was topped off with ginger snaps and an episode of the new Mystery Science Theater 3000. No Lear Jets were harmed in the making of this blog post.
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.”
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
1. I signed up for our power company’s time of use program today. Hopefully that will lower our summer electric bill.
2. My husband picked up several pounds of beef brisket. He smoked it and it was delicious. We have a couple meals worth left. Used up some baked potatoes that were leftover in the fridge, we fried them in butter.
3. My daughter decided to go to prom. Dresses are picked over. We only found two in her size. They were marked half price. I negotiated a 10% discount for minor damage on the one she chose. Not super frugal but we are out of time since prom is next weekend. If she’d let me know sooner, we could have maybe found one used (doubtful because she’s is extra tiny). My sister has one that would possibly have worked, but I didn’t find that out until after we’d bought her dress and she would have had to ship it across the country to find out. I don’t feel too bad. She’ll only have one senior prom.
4. We went out with friends yesterday. They like visiting the casino. We both spent $20. My husband was up $20 and I was down $20. We broke even. Also not that frugal, but it was cheap entertainment. Our cost for our fun time was lunch.
5. I’ve been doing my exercises for PT (vertigo) and have improved quickly enough that I hope I won’t have to go much longer. We have an HSA to use for this, but I still don’t want to spend it.
Oh, Jill, have been there with the vertigo. I feel for you.
1. I have put off replacing the dishwasher as long as I could stand. We purchased a new one today; it will be delivered Thursday. We did not pay the $100+ installation fee. Husband will be gone, but I am hoping son and/or son-in-law can install it. If not, I will just wait for hubs’ return.
2. I have not purchased any quilting fabric in almost a month.
3. Last night’s leftovers made three meals packaged for the freezer for hubs to take for work meals. So thankful he prefers home-cooked frozen to meals out. We keep a supply in the freezer (about 20 on hand at the moment), so he can choose from a variety and doesn’t end up eating the same thing repeatedly.
4. I’m sitting here looking at our sofa. It was purchased off of Craigslist about eight years ago. It is not my dream sofa, but it is in good condition, and is a nice style in a neutral color that does not easily show lint or pet hair. It will eventually be replaced, but I’m okay with delayed gratification.
5. Our ‘puppy’ turned one year old on Thursday. No party or presents. 🙂
#1 – We always considered our dishwasher to be the reason our family had few colds.
1. Got caught up with my checkbook, which was woefully behind. This doesn’t save me any money but it lets me know where I stand.
2. I found a shirt in a parking lot and took it home. As cheap as I am and have always been, I wouldn’t have done that before reading your blog, Katy! It’s in my laundry basket now. It looks like it might fit my daughter, but if it doesn’t or she doesn’t like it, I’ll put it in my “donate” bag.
3. At work, someone brought in a tray of muffins and I had one. Why does free food always taste so much better?!
4. I was asked if I could work an extra 45 minutes last week, and gratefully said yes.
5. Went to a wedding shower yesterday and won a food item by guessing the ages of the bride and groom in childhood photos. I was so happy that that was the prize, and not a “thing”!
I think that food is especially enjoyable when it is made with love by someone else. I tire of cooking and this is a special treat.
Bee, you’re so sweet! I’m with you … I like to cook but the never-endingness of it wears me out sometimes.
My grandmother always said that cooking for a family was like stringing beads without tying a knot at the end of the string.
Back to work today after two glorious weeks off. I am so sore after all the gardening and yard work that I’m actually looking forward to sitting down for a day.
1. I was going to spend yesterday cooking but I was not in the mood. So I made a pesto pasta with pesto from the freezer that I made last weekend,and a salad from the garden. Delish and almost entirely free.
2. My husband has a day off today so he is going to cook what I didn’t so I come home to home cooked curries tonight. Yay! Plus he’s making school lunches for my daughter.
3. I ordered free gardening catalogues to be delivered in the mail. I’m going to be buying roses and fruit trees soon so the free entertainment of reading the catalogues will be a bonus.
4. I bought zero winter work clothes. I have heaps already, all secondhand of course.
That’s all
I love that you like MST3K. I’m a fan from way back in the day with Joel and the bots. Keep circulating the tapes.
We just found out that MST3K is a thing. We always watched the old ones and they were just hilarious, but it always seemed no one else had heard of it. Saw the new version and watched the first one. As always, the commentary was hysterical.
1. My husband was able to get into the website about his pension and discovered that at retirement age his pension will be about $1000 more a month than what we originally thought! That will be a tremendous help with retirement planning.
2. Have a number of things listed on eBay and have mailed a number of eBay items (already made $340 off my son’s Star Wars toys he no longer plays with). Have some bigger items listed on a Facebook buying site and someone is coming tomorrow for one of the items. The money that I make from selling things on the Facebook sites I’m saving in an envelope to pay for a program at the gym in the fall that I did last year and it was life changing. I want to do another round. And hopefully have enough time to make most of the money before the fall by selling stuff sitting around my house!
3. April was a spendy month with a number of big expenses that aren’t normal…a new air conditioner, the repair for the lawn tractor, a new grill, license and registration for the car for the year, two volleyball clinics for my daughter, and eating out over our spring break trip. Ugh! Starting out May with excitement to keep costs down this month (no huge expenses on the horizon).
4. Project Use it Up: Arbonne hand cream sample, Jante sandalwood rose candle, hotel lotion sample.
5. Have been steadily and consistently decluttering. A number of things I sell, a number I donate, and a number I give to family or friends. By not accumulating more stuff, it let’s me appreciate and be aware of and use what I currently own. Plus, everything I get rid of I think that that is one less thing to move when we eventually retire down south (not for over a decade…I’ve got a good ten years to consistently decluttering things!).
I have had a crazy busy week but still managed to save some money.
1. Thursday was free cone day at Carvel so after work I picked up the kids(with friends) and we all got our free cones.
2. Friday was Accepted Student Day at the college my son will be attending in the fall. He and I went.(Hubby worked) They said light snacks would be served so I packed sandwiches and left them in a cooler in the car. They had hummus and chips, veggies, potato chips, cookies ,coffee ,tea and water. We called that lunch and saved the sandwiches.
3. The college had lots of handouts. I only took the forms that I needed to fill out to save on ink. Other things, such as lists I can just read online. I don’t need the paper .
4. They also were giving out lots of goodies. We received 6 pens, a lanyard to put his school ID on, flower seeds, herb seeds, a date book, lollipops, sunblock and hand sanitizer. They were also handing out plastic bags for everyone to put stuff in but I thought ahead and brought a sinch sack.
5. Saturday my church was having a fundraiser. My kids and I helped out. When we arrived another group was just finishing up a breakfast. They were going to throw all of the extra food away. I came home with 4 dozen rolls and bagels. That was after everyone else took what they wanted.
6. After our event, there was a ton of food leftover and they were going to throw out whatever people didn’t take. I ended up with 12 pieces of hero, half a bag of croutons, 6 donuts, and a bag of cookies.
7 My daughter ended up winning a prize: a crock pot with a gift card. We already have 2 crockpots and my friend mentioned she was looking for one since hers just broke. We gave it to her. My daughter only wanted the gift card anyway.
My daughter from Portland Oregon is in Australia visiting me to renew her visa, so this has been a busy time with visiting family and doing stuff together.!!
1. Daughter wanted to buy apples for juicing, we discovered heaps of windfalls on the ground so used them for free!
2. My daughter wanted to go through her old stuff that’s been stored here for years, we discovered many items to pass onto my grand daughter, sell or donate.
3. My daughter needed to travel 2 hours to big city to US consulate, found I still had money on my rail pass so she was able to go by train instead of my driving her and using up petrol and time.
4. Daughter and I went to supermarket, I demonstrated how to get food on special or marked down to half price. We bought a leg of pork for half price, cheap white fish and smoked salmon for half price. At home I showed her how to cook from scratch using what’s already in the pantry or garden, and make different meals planned around what was cheap and at hand. She was amazed at what was produced and how delicious it all was.
5. Daughter found a retro recipe book that I’d bought in the 70s , we used to pass them round our friend circle and get people to write in their favourite recipes. She has left it on my table for me to write down the recipes we have been doing to create great meals while she’s here !!
Great frugal time had by all….
1. marched in the DC climate change march, brought our own drinks, carried signs somebody else provided.
2. Went to the movies and used a gift cert someone else gave us at Christmas.
3. Went to Aldis, was able to score whole chikens on sale. Bypassed by self editting what I knew I already had at home. My possible temptations in the seasoanl aisle were out of stock, so no impulse buys!
4. Came home and sorted separated and froze the meat and yummy homestyle bread, and made dog food for Mr. Dog. It is cheaper to pressure cook, mix with leftover rice and freeze, because he tires quickly of store dog food, and this is a far cheaper way to go than Cesars, which costs $4 a pound and he may or may not eat that. He has no teeth, and will glady starve himself rather than lower his standards.
5. Organized some records into curb acquired binders.
Thank you for marching!!!
Great job saving money this week!
I:
1. Got free seeds from a wedding I attended.
2. Bought a HUGE amount of seeds from a farmer’s coop for $5. Aw yeah.
3. Got free food and wine at said wedding.
4. My father-in-law gave us a jar of pickled watermelon rind to try out. I think it’s a wonderful way to use up a “trash” part of watermelon.
5. My mother-in-law gave me six sets of press-on nails for free, which means I won’t need to buy any for, oh, at least the next few years, hahaha. 🙂
My family LOVES pickled watermelon rind! They would eat it with a fork! I serve it on the side of sandwiches. (It’s a sweet pickle, the white part not the green. I had questions when I first heard of it.)
1. Got 10 overripe bananas for $1. They went into the freezer for banana bread.
2. Convinced DH to take apart our pressure washer (which didn’t have much pressure!) to see if he could find the problem. He did, and has ordered a part.
Not cheap, but better than $300-400 for a new washer.
3. Went to a potluck dinner for a friend who is moving to China to teach, with two teenage sons. Contributed wine, cheese, chocolate milk for the boys and a huge green salad for not too much cost, and enjoyed everyone else’s contributions.
4. Above mentioned friend expressed interest in receiving some of my home made dish cloths, so I took her 3, even though I didn’t think she would make room in her suitcase for them, but she did.
5. Still running dishwasher on express with little soap, still drying clothes on rack, still wearing clothes I bought YEARS ago.
1. Attended a thank you brunch on behalf of an organization I volunteer for (and that employs my husband) so yesterday breakfast was free, filling and tasty for both of us. I won the raffle for $50 gift card at a local bakery!
2. I picked up an extra yoga front desk shift for trade.
3. I went with my friend to watch an 8:30am soccer game at the local pub this morning, he drove (he has a cool EV, so yay for environment), and I didn’t buy anything, made breakfast when I got home which was also a much healthier choice.
4. Signed up my husband and I to volunteer for a beer festival on behalf of a local pet organization that helps those experiencing financial difficulties keep their pets, provides spay & neuter surgeries, etc. The organization gets $50 for each volunteer, we like pouring beer, and we also get free attendance and beer tickets to visit the following day.
5. Spent a Sunday gardening together, walking the dog and most importantly–napping. All free.
1. My daughter flew 2,000 miles to visit her brother for one day. I guess that was not frugal for her but was frugal for me. She would not tell me how much her ticket cost when I tried to reimburse her. So, I bought her sushi and prepare salad at Publix to eat. While not cheap, it certainly was cheaper than what she spent on a round trip plane ticket. We are all meals at home so she could visit easier with her brother. 2. We walked in the neighborhood and talked…free entertainment. 3. She was also very tired after such a long trip, so she napped, and so did everyone else. 4. My car is scheduled to be fixed for free, tomorrow, because it is still under warranty. 5. When we drive her to the airport, she did not want us to come in with her, less drama, so we unloaded quickly in front of terminal, said good by and left…no parking fees. She took a bunch of science books back with her that her father gave her sobfrre books for her, less clutter for him. They both love science.
Excuse typos…lol
1. Looked in the trash basket under the grocery store’s coupon machine and snagged $4.50 in store coupons for stuff on my list.
2. Turned five too hard but sweet apples into an apple crisp for my family.
3. Spent several hours today baking goodies to take to work to feed the phone volunteers. (Public radio fundraising week.) Was able to use just stuff we had in the pantry to make a cherry jam coffeecake and pumpkin bread.
4. Hung most of my laundry to dry this weekend.
5. Stretched a month’s supply of contact lenses by wearing my old glasses around the house thix weekend.
I haven’t posted much lately because nothing much changes here from one week to the other, but we’re still thrifty as always. I cooked three meals last week, each making enough for two night’s meals. I do change the sides when this happens. The 7th day we used a gift card to go to dinner at husband’s favorite BBQ place. I cooked spaghetti with meat sauce, pizza made at home, and sausage and Swiss quiche. I made about three quarts of applesauce because apples were buy one bag get one free–I used one bag for the applesauce plus a few wrinkly ones from the crisper that contains husband’s “eating out of hand” apples. Sadly, we did lose our cat this week, but that’s not going to save us money for long because husband misses her too much and I think there will be another cat before long. I’d like to wait until summer is over. (On second thought–it should save some money, as the cat who died has been ill for months with frequent trips to the vet and monthly bloodwork. She had cancer, hyperthyroid and more recently kidney failure and anemia. She was a couple months short of 16 years old.) A new cat will only require a check up and neutering with any luck. I do enjoy our “retired” lifestyle—I go to the next town twice a week for my yoga class and can do errands afterwards on my way home. I pick up prescriptions, fill the car with gas, buy groceries on Thursdays, go to the bank, etc. All that is is easily done on weekdays, and on weekends, if we have no social engagements (and we often don’t) we stay at home and do our chores and leave the stores to those who can only get there on the weekends. I have a busy week of errands scheduled again this week, but I need to get some housework done as well. The next couple weekends we have family parties to attend. It’s dance recital time, and graduation time, and both my sisters were born in May as well. Not to mention it’s gardening time here–I planted some new perennials and a bush last week and they seem to be doing ok. I have 6 more perennials to plant but I have to weed a spot for them They were free with my purchase. I picked up some radish and beet seeds this week at the supermarket–they sell Burpee seeds for 20% off so I buy them there. They could get planted now as well–if it doesn’t rain all week.
I also save by cooking from scratch, mending and recycling. My husband and I are having a standoff on a couple pair of his underwear. A small rip in one pair which I say is not worth fixing because both pair are paper thin from constant wear. He continues to wear them and they are washed every week. He has plenty more in the drawer but always wears these two pair first. I am not quick to toss things–believe me, these are thin to the point of no further use. This week I mended a dress for my granddaughter, one pair of underwear of mine, and another pair has since sprouted a hole and is waiting on the machine for it’s turn. I also notice one of his favorite shirts is worn out in the collar–which I could turn, but the pocket would still be ripped! I will have to check with him to see if he wants me to fix it. I know it’s a favorite but will see how badly he wants to keep wearing it. We just went through the closet because we had so many clothes we couldn’t wear them all–so he donated other shirts and kept the worn one, apparently. He gets quite a few as gifts so he isn’t always equally fond of them all. And that’s the news on the retired folks’ front for now.
What is it with men and worn out underwear?!
If you adopt a kitty from a shelter they are fully vetted and neutered when you adopt! It’s usually a small adoption fee of $75-100 which is a huge savings for all of the medical care they’ve received. I’m sorry for the loss of your old friend.
Marcia, I hear you on your DH’s clothing preferences. My DH was once chewed out at age 11 by his mother for throwing some clothes into the laundry before she thought it was time, so naturally I now have to wheedle him into laundering anything. (MIL was a Great Depression survivor and all that, but still…) And he shows the same loyalty to the tried and true as your DH does. In particular, he’s got an old Carhartt jacket that, IMHO, is fit for nothing except a bonfire–but it may be easier to walk on water than to get an older fella with mild cognitive impairment out of an old Carhartt!
My family (husband, sister, brother, sister in law) had an intervention for me when they decided my Carhartt was too reprehensible for wearing in public. I was a gal in my 30s, at the time!
So sorry about your cat. Losing a pet is tough.
I found an exact match for hubby’s favorite shirt a few years ago at a thrift shop. Rather than make a surreptitious trade, I gave him the new one for Xmas, and then turned the old one into ear cleaning rags for the pups. I do like to tease him about it not being men who are supposed to wear sheer underpants. Sometimes I stick my fingers into the largest wholes and rip them off him. Mostly it makes him laugh.
1. I asked a young friend with more tech savvy than myself to scan and e-mail some documents for me, which she did, saving me internet cafe fees.
2. Went shopping at my local small market, and stuck to the list, apart from 3 chocolates for R10 – a thank you gift for tech savvy friend.
3. Went to the mall to find new jeans, a size smaller. The few pairs I saw in the style I wear were beyond the budget, so I decided to make do for this season, and wait for the next size down before buying (finally losing the baby weight).
4. My husband stripped the shower head and fixed the pressure problem. No plumbers for us!
5. Tweaked the meal plan to make better use of freezer and pantry stock. No need to buy more groceries.
1. Our utility company offers a free energy use check up. I scheduled a visit and they replace about a dozen light bulbs with LED bulbs and offered some tips on saving energy.
2. I took one of our vehicles in for an oil change. They recommended several other things that should be done. I asked them to put them on paper and I’d look at it and let them know. It turns out that some of them were not necessary yet and we suspect some of them are unnecessary (we have seen no evidence of an oil leak). We will probably be looking for a new garage.
3. I made a triple batch of pancakes for dinner. Most were frozen for future breakfasts.
4. Working on my social schedule for the week. It will include walking with a friend while we catch up. It may also include lunch with a friend that does not get around well. I consider that a worthwhile expense.
5. Tomorrow I will put out coupon inserts from the last three weeks of newspapers. I don’t use many coupons but have been getting a lot lately (they are now coming with the local weekly paper). Someone I “met” on Freecycle years ago picks up coupons about once a month.
1. Making a honey bun cake with things on hand for end of the semester treat for colleagues.
2. Getting more clients so more $ in.
3. Picking my parents up from the airport to save them on more traveling fees.
4. Friends, unexpectedly, picked up the whole check for dinner last night.
5. Collecting twigs and branches around the neighborhood for the fire pit.
1. Was sick last week, so barely ate for one day-I guess the frugal silver-lining would be that I saved on food costs 🙂
2. Decluttered my toddler’s room/toys/clothes and gathered 2 bags of things to donate and a large box of things to sell.
3. Ate at home this weekend and tried to eat up some leftovers/use up some veggies about to go bad. Had some food waste, but not as much as I would have otherwise.
1. Went to a neighborhood garage sale with a couple friends during my daughter’s dance class. I shouldn’t have, because I’m trying to get rid of stuff, not buy stuff. My friends asked what I was looking for: a fish bowl for a betta for my son, and a beach umbrella. My friends were getting rid of those things, so they offered them to me!
2. I found a deck of Mensa brain puzzles, like new. I will include them in a Father’s Day gift for my dad. ($1)
3. Brought home one and a half onions from a lunch at church. Brought veggie burgers from the freezer for my kids who were working the lunch (instead of picking up burritos). Brought home other scraps from the lunch for my chickens (lettuce, tomato cores, macaroni salad that spilled) and kept it out of the landfill.
4. Dog-sat for my daughter’s piano teacher’s dogs. They are adorable, and it makes my daughter money (for college and spending money I don’t give).
5. Drying more loquats off my neighbor’s tree, especially during this dry weather down here.
Love these posts – keeps me thinking about how to cut costs and think ‘creative frugality.’
1. No Spend weekend – had a meeting on Saturday morning then spent the remainder of the weekend cooking and reading.
2. Budget awareness – have a high spend week ahead so need to figure out how to keep expenses in line for the rest of the month – son’s birthday, expensive meeting cost, lunch with friends etc. A budget = no surprises and offers the chance to plan for cutbacks in the following weeks.
3. Happy May Day. This morning the neighborhood 4th graders are out delivering their hand-made baskets to the neighbors who surround their school – a nice gesture to those of us who put up with increased noise and traffic. Construction paper in original configurations!
4. Making hummus from scratch. Found an unopened jar of tahini that I had purchased and forgot about, and have all the other ingredients on hand. Pays to keep track of what lurks in your pantry!
5. No purchase in sight for Lear Jet or sky-hi apartments in Manhattan.
1. Saturday, we had a yard sale. I made $145. A friend of mine made over $400! I’m pretty happy because I got rid of a lot of clutter. It was a lot of work but was also nice to visit with my friends and family.
2. After being so exhausted from working Saturday plus having a yardsale, we spent Sunday at home. I mostly just did housework and we all just grazed all day. I really wanted to order Mexican food but I made a grilled cheese instead.
3. I am planning a weekend of birthday surprises for my youngest daughter. She is in the Toys R’us birthday club. They sent a coupon for $3 off a 3 dollar purchase so that’s a free toy for her to pick out. The also give a free birthday plush giraffe, a Mylar balloon, and she gets to participate in a birthday parade. We love free fun!
4. My goal this week is to not buy any groceries. I have so much in my freezer. I am going to get creative and see what kind of meals I can come up with. I have a lot of andouille sausages so tonight I am making toad in the hole.
5. A friend of mine brought some things to the yard sale that I was able to purchase from her for a few dollars. A cute little painted dresser for my daughter, some sun dresses, a fossil purse, and some room decor for my kids.
What is toad in a hole?
It is basically sausages baked inside a Yorkshire pudding batter so when the batter pops over the sausages I suppose they resemble a “toad in a hole”.
It’s actually a very British dish but I thought I would try it way down here in Mississippi since the name seems to have a southern undertone to me, lol.
1) My husband and I made a Brunswick stew on Saturday. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of this particular Virginia tradition, but you start with a great big iron pot (like a witch’s pot). Into the pot goes chicken, corn, butter beans, tomatoes, fatback, and seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, until your paddle will stand on its own. We put forty seven quarts in the freezer, which will feed our little people lots and lots of suppers. The ingredients worked out to less than $4 a quart. An added bonus is that we have enough to give away to friends and neighbors. That’s part of the tradition too.
2) Covered dish luncheon at church yesterday meant that we didn’t have to cook (saves us a few bucks) or clean up (priceless) after lunch.
3) Our oldest needed a few items to finish out his summer wardrobe. (I just bought him clothes–he is growing like a weed!) I will look for things at Goodwill coming up, but my favorite Goodwill is all the way out in the ‘burbs, and I hate the traffic out there. Instead while the boys were swinging in the back yard last night I ordered a bunch of pieces from thredup on my phone. The prices are significantly higher than Goodwill, but it was nice not to leave the house. And it is nice to know that he will have something he can wear to church this coming Sunday.
4) Our local paper back home has a NASCAR contest with a cash prize. You enter by naming three drivers. If those drivers come in 1, 2, 3 you get the money in the pot, which increases by $100 every week no one wins. My mom collects entry forms from her coworkers and enters different combinations each week under the names of family members. This week I won! And it is $400! I will of course hand the check over to my mom, but it is fun to think that we won.
5) As a special birthday treat we are mailing my sister in law, who is based in Japan with her husband, a couple of quarts of the stew we made this weekend. We will use an insulated bag we already own, two large ice packs that came with the Blue Apron meals my brother gifted us for Christmas, and a cardboard box from where we bought the stew ingredients. We’ll pay an arm and a leg for overnight shipping to Japan, but at least the shipping materials are free. We plan to also include homemade birthday cards. Sarah is going to love it!
I love brunswick stew. My grandmother used to make it but it was little less “homemade” than yours as I remember it had lots of canned vegetables in it and it seems like it had a little ketchup in it, too. I think the recipe was meant to be a quick version of your Virginian favorite. Yum!
I’ll have to see if our DT carries those seasonings. I have one like it I bought at Big Lots and I use it in all my beef dishes. YUM!
1) I bought $54 worth of food a the Tribal grocers on Saturday and received a coupon code for .05 off gas at their convenience store. I promptly filled up for $2.04 per gallon.
2) I made chicken & cheese quesadillas for dinner Saturday. Those always fill up my grandkids and they’re easy to fix.
3) I fixed layered pot roast w/potatoes & carrots in my crockpot yesterday, so we had a yummy dinner that was cheap and easy with a salad I tossed together. Now we have leftovers from both dinners that will feed us for the next two days.
4) I’m excited to have over $1K in my HSA account, which i will use to pay the deductible for my Vision appt today. I plan to have him write me an RX for eyeglasses. I’m going to buy a pair online. It looks like I can get them for less than $100 and I can use the pair I have as an extra.
5) Some of the free swag I got during Staff Week included a small drawstring bag that’s perfect for stashing my iPhone sports earbuds I use when I exercise.
The Campus print office gave me two nice Football posters I plan to give my neighbor, who collects them for his Rec Room. When I stop he invites me in for a beer and great conversation and often times, free eggs from his chickens.
I so agree with your philosophy of being deliberate and thoughtful with your resources! So my deliberate and thoughtful spending/not spending since we moved into our new home:
1. Found a good deal on needed frying pans as we had ditched our worn out ones before our move. Same Kyocera ones our DIL carefully researched before purchasing. They should last years.
2. Family came over to see our new home and, although my FIL was hoping we would go out to eat, with 3 using walkers and our budget we brought in food from the grocery store to make a deli spread for lunch. Everyone enjoyed it for a fraction of the cost (and hassle) of going out.
3. We have been fixing as many small things ourselves as we can. Put in a doorstop for the front door ($1.39), bought towel hooks for the bathroom with NO towel bars (what did they do with their towels?), etc.
4. No spending on entertainment so far partly because we are recovering from moving ourselves across the country (huge savings there).
5. Did not buy anything not needed.
1. I had a younger, more able friend vacuum my house while I fixed her sewing machine.
2. I sent her home with some of my excess sewing notions.
3. I drink water with every meal.
4. Someone from the time bank is coming by to show me how to list/sell on eBay.
5. I’ve made fraternal quilts from precut scraps for the identical twins my neighbor will be delivering any day now.