Five Frugal Things
by Katy on December 2, 2017 · 48 comments
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Yesterday was a full-on travel day from Portland, Oregon to Newark, New Jersey. And although the flight itself was a dreamy non-stop endeavor, the day itself was long, long, longity long, as my hostess-with-the-mostess sister lives in The Bronx, not Newark. She had classes at her college in the aforementioned Bronx that afternoon/evening, which meant that my public transportation adventure included the tram, the railroad, the subway, the subway, the subway and a wee bit of walk just to meet up with her. So yes, a loooong day! However, hooray for New York/New Jersey’s amazing public transportation!
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I had an odd assortment of almost empty NYC Metrocards, which I consolidated into a single card totaling $5.49 which was enough for two subway trips. The crazy thing is that they all expired exactly yesterday! So random.
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I was able to assist with a fellow passenger’s medical issue during my flight from Portland to Newark, which I was happy to do. In return I was issued $50 in airline credits as well as four adorable bottles of gin. (Is there a name for a grouping of gin bottles? If not, may I suggest a “genius of gin” or “gerbil of gin.”) I didn’t actually drink on the plane as A) I like to keep my wits about me when traveling alone, B) I rarely drink and C) It’s a terrible idea to identify first responders and then get them drunk. However . . . hostess gifts!
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I prepared all my own food for yesterday’s flight and packed it in my handy Goodwill Outlet lunch bag. (It’s super light, so I probably paid around 20¢ for it.) I overpacked food, which worked out well as my sister’s classes didn’t end until 10:10 P.M. and I like to snack. Of course I brought my own reusable water bottle and coffee mug which saw their fair share of action throughout the day.
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky. Even though I did walk past one today, and I do have to say that my creaky 103-year-old bungalow trumped its vulgar opulence.
Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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Thinking of you on Black Friday, I kitted us out with a cast iron fry pan to replace our nonstick pans that were basically trash. These should last us forever! No more waste, yay!
1) We ate at home, as we always do!
2) Adopted cats, brothers Fred and George continue to adapt to our house. Both are recovering from colds they got at the shelter. I’m avoiding a vet visit for now, as my cat motto is, ” if they are eating and pooping they are fine”.
3) I stocked up on holiday alcohol at Costco. I think we will save about $100 this month by not popping in to the liquor store every weekend.
4) We had a dishwasher failure, and it couldn’t be repaired. We bought a new one and got some reward points, which is handy since our DVD player also crapped out this month.
5) Went to hot yoga with a friend as her guest and bought her Mexican food for lunch in return. Experiences not stuff at the holidays.
I’m very happy to hear Fred and George are doing well and recovering from their colds. Those upper respiratory infections seem to run rampant in shelters…I think it’s just that there are so many animals in a confined space that the germs have nowhere to go except…another cat! I’m with you on the vet visits. Eating and pooping are a good indication of their health. Have fun with them!
1. Just bought Les Miserables tickets – no cost savings here! But hopefully memerable moments for my daughter and I. I saw it years ago and had the music loaded to my ITunes account, DD has been listenting to the soundtrack since she was about 10 and REALLY wanted to go so this will be our birthday gift. I debated on tickets -getting the cheapest but went with going on a Wednesday night performance which allowed us to get better seats at a better price.
2. Doing Swagbucks as I type and just earned another $25 Walmart gift card- saving them up to purchase a carpet cleaner.
3. Participating in the Kroger 25 days of Christmas coupons/free items as well as the free friday item. Also picked up a free Hot Wheels car from Meijers MPerks which I will use as a Christmas gift.
4. Used JC Penney $10 gift certificate to purchase new black work socks. Not exciting but necessary.
5. Asked to walk a dog at the last minute last night – we used the money to purchase a pizza, win win.
It has been a long, long week:
1) Ate dinner at home all week, which I consider a major win as most nights I wasn’t home until after 8 and my commute takes me past dozens of drive-throughs. I just kept thinking I’d have to come up with a different FFT if I ate out and made it work. Last night was stale chips and leftover artichoke jalapeno dip from Thanksgiving. . . but I didn’t spend a penny.
2) Friday was our last yard garbage pickup until spring. Even though it was VERY cold and late and dark, I raked and filled it 3/4 – we pay for a pickup whether the can is out or not during the season. Then – frugal fail – I topped it with food garbage from a pre-Thanksgiving family gathering at the beginning of the month that didn’t make it into the freezer while I was out of town the week following. Hate wasting food! But happier to send it to the composting facility than a landfill, I guess.
3) Drinking hot fresh coffee one day and reheating cold the next day or two rather than throw it away.
4) Not going anywhere but work and back, so saving gas. (I don’t actually get much credit for this one, as project deadlines have me working such long hours there’s nothing open during my time off but the bars. . . which are pretty darn tempting.)
5) Another house I loved – not vulgar, not gold-plated – that was probably unwisely expensive for us sold while we were trying to get an offer organized. Unintentionally and disappointingly frugal, but I’ll take frugal however I can get it right now because it is a slog.
1. We have been eating at home. I did eat a bowl of soup out with a couple friends on Monday ($3.50, no tipping because it’s a cafeteria type restaurant). I tried cooking with tofu, it was okay.
2. Stopped at COSTCO to pick up frozen berries and a few edible gifts.
3. Continuing to walk for exercise, despite dark, cooler days. Also attending yoga and Pilates classes. I feel being active helps me stay healthy.
4. Entertainment is watching shows from networks (no paying for access to network shows) and Netflix, and reading and listening to books borrowed from the library.
5. Same old, same old. Wearing clothes I have, cooking with what I buy at a good price, using what we have, being grateful for what we have, etc.
Hey KD, do you want a little guidance on how to make tofu that your family will enjoy? It’s a staple of our diet, so we have some tricks learned from long experience! Just let me know-I don’t want to bombard you with my ideas if you’re not interested.
1. It’s all of 68° (cold!) here in Southern California and my little dog is sitting in my lap, kinda melting into me for warmth (he chose this over food!) So my day started with this free and lovely cuddle therapy. Awww. He’s so cute. Thank you little dog.
2. Turned the last of Thanksgiving into Turkey Tetrazzini which I shared with my son. Thanksgiving dinner is the gift that keeps on giving.
3. Checked my Xmas calendar for free local holiday events. Love the holiday season and want to make the most of it.
4. Emailed an Xmas letter to an elderly uncle in Germany who has vision issues. The pdf will allow him to enlarge onscreen and read easily. Got a few more cards with my Shutterfly coupon codes, so I only pay shipping. I don’t normally send cards but this year I started to feel that life is short… I want to remind people that I think about and love them even though we don’t talk regularly.
5. Still laughing at Katy’s comment about the airline identifying first responders and then getting them drunk. Yes, it is a terrible idea! Very funny… Thank you for the laugh. My daughter would call those bottles “a gang of gin…” 😉
I was wanting to keep with a soft “G.”
A “gentling of gin”?
A “generosity of gin”?
A “jollying of gin”?
A “jiggling of gib”?
A “jackel of gin”?
A “gibbering of gin”? Or, of course, picturing you deplaning with your newly-awarded little bottles, ” jacketful of gin”?
Am I correct in understanding that there is a nice prize for the winner of this contest?
Given the size of those bottles, that is only a jiffy of gin.
This may seem a bit of an old and overused term but how about a ‘covfefe of gin’ ? Not a soft ” g ” but since we can stick this non-word into anywhere surely I am in the running for the prize, eh?
I vote for a jiffy of gin or a jollying of gin.
First, Katy, kudos to you on your in-flight medical assistance! (Although I must agree that rewarding first responders with hard liquor may not be the best idea.)
Now, my FFT, Early December edition:
(1) Last library book sale of 2017 at the FFL today. I saw fellow commenter Barbara, who volunteers at this sale; she has been following my autumn misadventures (the ankles and so on) through the comments, and gave me a consoling hug! So sweet of her.
(2) And DH and I picked up the usual good haul of books at the sale, including several for holiday gifts. (What male golfer, for example, would not appreciate a book titled “Lost Balls”??)
(3) The ankles are much better. I’m able to do without the brace on the left one for longer and longer now, although I did wear it this morning for my Regional Market/FFL expeditions. I may even be able to get out and do some bottlepicking before serious winter weather sets in. (My 2017 bottle deposit total isn’t going to set any records.)
(4) Stopped off at a jewelry store on the way home to use a coupon for a new watch battery. I’ve been going watch-less for the past six weeks or so till I could work this errand in–and when you’ve been wearing a wristwatch for 54 of your 62 years, using a cell phone as a timekeeper doesn’t cut it.
(5) Using this afternoon to write holiday cards and get presents ready to ship to the out-of-towners on my list. I may be even shorter of time than money these days, so every free afternoon helps.
(3)
Katy, I read a book about a doctor who flies constantly as his work as medical director for a non-profit, and he said a call for medical personnel averages once every eight flights he’s been on. Thank you for your service to your fellow passenger.
1. The non-profit I work for is literally living hand to mouth right now. Yesterday I surveyed the unused furniture it has in storage, looked it up on the internet to discover it was fairly pricey stuff when bought a couple of years ago, and came up with a plan for having an online yard sale. Junk out to money in!
2. Had a big plastic bottle of honey that had begun to crystalize. Poured it up into a recycled glass jar and that alone made it partially reliquify. I guess the glass conducts the warmth of the room better?
3. Organized my little desk at home and took a no-longer-needed stacked in-box to work, where it will be used daily.
4. Subscribed to a free trial of Amazon Prime just long enough to cover shipping on something large. The year I had Prime, I spent way too much money, so we’re not going down that road again.
5. The Mister and I are thinking a lot about early retirement. With that in mind, I am looking around at what we have in the way of possessions (we have never lived lavishly) and decided it is more than enough.
Ruby: #1=practical Christmas spirit. Innovative solution for pressing problems!
That always happens with my Costco honey vat. When the last third starts to crystalize, i transfer it to a canning jar. A quick zap in the microwave returns it to the perfect consistency, for complete consumption.
yay for #1! Good luck with the sale.
Katy: Have a great time in NYC! Good on you for helping out on the airplane.
1. We picked up our free Xmas tree this morning. Will reuse decorations from many years of collecting.
2. Purchased a large jar of Vitamin C at Costco and divided it between my husband and son who is prone to colds.
3. Invited to lunch by a friend – we split a salad and ordered water to make an expensive lunch fall into the “reasonable” category.
4. Frugal Fail =renewed goal. Just threw out last of turkey leftovers that didn’t fit into the freezer. New Year’s goal is to lessen food waste.
5. Bought a Frosty gift card for $2. Proceeds donated to help find adoptive families for children in foster care. This is a Wendy’s project. You get free Frosties for a year with any purchase. Will add this to other gift cards for son who likes to receive them.
1. Ate at home all week, despite looong work days and no energy to cook.
2. Went to three stores yesterday to stock up on food stuffs for every day and for holiday at bargain prices. Still stockpiling goodies for week at beach right after Christmas, have also started buying ingredients for family party for 20+ I am hosting on 12/10.
3. Got some great gifts — 3 bottles of truffle oil at Costco and 3 bags of Himalayan pink rock salt at Grocery Outlet together with the 3 packs of Marimeko napkins I purchased in Stockholm will give me reasonably priced gifts (under $20 per friend) for my three closest women friends for our 25th annual Christmas season lunch at a local restaurant. And the gifts are mostly consumables…
4. Bought my wreath at Costco for half of what I could get it for anywhere else.
5. Been having coffee at home not at Starbucks…
Good job helping on the plane!
1. We went to a wedding today, but my only nice pair of sandals were broken. So instead of buying another pair, I was able to stitch the broken strap, and I stitched the other sandal in the same spot to reinforce it as it was seeming loose.
2. At the wedding they handed out food in containers with a rubberband to hold them closed and keep the fork on it. I made sure to bring home my rubber band…very useful and my daughter’s leftovers that she didn’t finish.
3. My husband went to order a GPS, he noticed the older model was about $180 cheaper. He called up his dad who said he has the older model and it works just fine…so the $180 cheaper one it is!
4. The first stove gas tank I tracked lasted 5 weeks, the second 5 weeks and 2 days, and this last one over 6 weeks!
5. I’ve been putting off buying another box of hair dye…I can’t decide if I should keep dying it or not. I see the grays, and I turn 30 next week.
Just some encouragement to let the grays show. I started going gray at 21 and have never dyed mostly because of the cost and time involved. Also because my Dad was white haired by 50 so I saw it as fine. I’m now 68 and still slowly turning gray although the gray is winning at this point. Think of all the time and money I’ve saved. To each what works best for them though.
Don’t bother covering the grays! They are shiny and thick and a badge of survival! I love all of my silver hairs at 39, they are my favorite hairs! They are thick and wild and shiny and I love them!!
Those stray grays are called “sparkles.” There are Facebook groups that support going gray. I stopped coloring my hair and love the freedom as well as time & money saved, not to mention less chemical exposure.
I have just made the decision to go grey. I really resent the time it takes to colour, as well as the chemical and plastic waste. I was going to go blonde on the way to growing out the grey but my last cut got rid of most of it. Now I’m just going with it. My husband really didn’t want me to go blonde (I’m a natural brunette) so he prefers the natural grey to the blonde plan!
Let’s take back the grey!
Btw I’m turning 43 in two weeks. I’m almost entirely silver. Our family turns grey early unfortunately…
1. Picked up things from Meijer yesterday and was bummed that they were out of the TP that was on sale, as well as the chicken breasts (and I had coupons for both) …. wasn’t planning on going back but a friend asked me to run an errand for her, since 2 of her kids are sick, and I could do it at Meijer, so – they had the TP and chicken today! And using a coupon and buying store brands, I was able to get everything on her list for less than $10! (and the mouthwash was BOGO, so she’s stocked up!)
2. Invited to a work Xmas party and was asked to bring a pair of Xmas socks, stuffed with goodies and tied together with a ribbon. Bought socks (on sale for $3,50) and a few items (spent less that $4) and will fill in the rest with Kroger freebies and extra office supplies I have laying around, tied with leftover ribbon from the wreath I decorated for a recent fundraiser.
3. Making stir fry for dinner – a piece of beef off the roast, chopped up, chopped veggies made from a marked-down veggie tray and bits of leftovers, and a can of broth that was on sale, over rice. Yum – and cheap!
4. I tend to get UTIs, despite taking cranberry pills (fewer, but still get them), so I bought an OTC UTI test kit and pain pills, to add to the RX my doctor prescribed so that I could treat them at first appearance. Used them today to discover I have one and saved on a $30 trip to the doctor to have them tell me, “Yes, it’s a UTI!” Already treating it, which (on a Saturday) would have had to wait for Monday or required an even pricier trip to the ER!
5. Bought three 4 lb bags of sugar on super sale today and packaged the bags in ziplocs (to keep them from clumping) for future use. Last yr’s jams were made with Xmas baking priced sugar and I’m planning on doing it again!
Betty: I used to get UTIs nearly every single month. Sometimes I ended up getting bladder infections. My doc finally put me on a low grade antibiotic, permanently. It sounds extreme, but I had to take antibiotics, stronger ones, each time I had an infection, so a permanent low-dose doesn’t seem extreme. Anyway, I have not had a UTI for over 10 years now. Worth taking one pill a day…Something you might want to consider.
1. Swapped out one of my gifts I selected in my Amazon cart. The item I picked out went up in price on Cyber Monday, but a similar item went down in price, so I saved a little.
2. Went through my son’s clothes. Selected some to list on varagesale.com and snipped off the buttons of the grotesque ones. Hey, they were thrifted before they were passed down and then my son used them. I’d say they’ve been through at least 4 boys now.
3. Handed down a cute little jacket to my friend’s girl. I almost hated to, because the buttons were so incredibly cute that I wanted to keep them. I saw her wearing it to church on a cold evening, and I felt better knowing her mom didn’t just junk it.
4. Been really focusing on combining trips lately. I have nothing going out to the library, so I renewed the books online, until I have another errand calling me out that direction.
5. Didn’t want to go out buying addition flashcards for my girls, so I’ve made a bunch of pages with 6 random order facts. I can recycle them, and there will be little out of pocket. 6 seems like a good amount to work on at a time. I think they are enjoying going off to work on them and then coming back to be quizzed.
Christmas shopping:
1. Found 2 “fishing shirts” on sale, with an additional % off for my son in law and his son. I know they will wear them over and over again, and they are a good quality shirt.
2. Bought at a silent auction for 1/2 the value: gift certificates for dinner and a taxi. Will give my in laws a “dinner out” using these for their Christmas gift.
3. Rooted and potted some spider plants to give to my office staff. Found some nice pots for very little at a hardware store. Bought extra pots for future plant gifting.
4. Re-gifting some liquor we don’t like and never opened for a “white elephant” party.
5. Bought a blouse from Poshmark using credit from clothing I sold. No out of pocket expense, updated wardrobe.
1) My husband, son, and nephews went fishing today. I am cooking fresh fish and grits for dinner this evening — a favorite.
2) My extended family celebrated a special event last night at an upscale restaurant. Surprisingly I was able to find a $20 coupon to use for our meals. I did not order a cocktail or glass of wine — just drank water. It was a lovely evening, and the food was very good. However, our dining out budget for the month — maybe two months — was eaten up. 🙂
3) Although I did not need a trim, my hair color needed to be touched up this week. I went by the hair salon and my stylist mixed my color and applied it. I drove directly home and washed it as soon as I arrived. My stylist only charges me 1/2 of the normal service charge to do this. I know many of you DIY this, but I just have never had any luck with box color. I have tried with frightening results. I suppose that I am not ready to admit that I’m gray or for that matter old enough to be gray.
4) We won’t be home for the holidays, but I want the house to look festive while we are here. My neighbor had her magnolia tree trimmed. I decorated the fireplace mantles with some of these magnolia leaves, free trimmings from the Christmas tree lot, and some ribbon that I had on hand. It is pretty and didn’t cost a thing.
5) There are always so many little things. I have purchased a few items for resale from the thrift store. I started the new season of Broadchurch on Netflix. I am reading a book that I purchased at the library book sale. I continue to walk the dog and go to the YMCA to excercise. I mended a beautiful, secondhand, cashmere wrap sweater that I bought for $4.
1. Spent the day with a friend who had some shopping to do in the city. I drove, so she paid for lunch…and it was a late lunch, so won’t eat dinner. And I didn’t buy anything while tagging along on her shopping.
2. Gave friend her Christmas present when I saw her. Part of it was the gift I was not able to get to her last year, and part of it was one of the little toilet paper snowmen that I’m gifting this year. Used recycled gift bag and tissue.
3. Friend complimented my hair. Frugal because I haven’t had it cut since the first week in August. While I wasn’t crazy about the style at first, I have to admit that it is super easy to maintain, and no way does it look like it has 4 months of growth since being cut. Happily tracking time between needing another visit to stylist.
4. I mailed a ‘gift’ to another friend who lives out of state and just sold her big house so downsizing and moving is imminent. I know she doesn’t need something else to pack, so I sent her a tp snowman (consumable), 2 loaded packing tape dispensers plus 4 more rolls of packing tape to refill them, a package of jumbo Sharpies (for labeling boxes), and one of my to-do list/bullet journals that I print on my home computer and have spiral bound, and I tucked a note inside that said if she finds it useful, fine, but if not she should pass it on or dispose of it however she wishes without guilt. All of it fit into a small recycled box with zero room to shift, so no extra padding needed. Not frugal is in cheap gift, but hopefully one that will help her with her packing, not give her one more thing to pack.
5. Spending the rest of the day doing little chores. Trying not to leave a room empty handed, as many things need to be returned to their rightful spots around here lately. Sitting by the shredder and going through junk mail. Mending an item of clothing to return to son-in-law when I will see him tomorrow. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. (Does anybody else hear that in Yule Brenner’s voice? LOL)
I would like to see what your bullet journals/to-do things are like, if you’d care to describe!
Nice that you were able to help during your flight. But, hmmm, you mentioned getting 4 bottles , but only show 3….wonder what happened to the other…
1. Bought 2 gift cards to a local restaurant chain for Christmas gifts and the restaurant gave a 20% discount. Plus, free shipping.
2. Spent the day raking the leaves and putting up outside lights. Never decorated that much and it looks great!!
3. Found .30 today, one dime, one Canadian nickel and the rest were pennies.
4. Got some free stuff today at the store. Free package of natural choc chunk cookie dough to make 12 giant cookies, a twin pack of yogurt, a large package of chicken rice (to serve 8-12), a pack of sour cream and a pack of soft tortillas.
5. Didn’t buy a Lear jet, gold apartment or a covfefe.
Where in Mass is there a store that gives free stuff? I have yet to locate it! Unless it’s a BOGO deal. Hope it’s near me anyway. Thanks.
Shaws and Stop & Shop have free weekends where you can download ‘coupons’ to your mobile device and get things for free. S&S had a coupon for regular refrigerated cookie dough but was out of stock all week. i asked at the service desk and was told i could grab any brand (no more than the 16oz that i would have gotten for free) and i chose an natural dough. the rest came from shaw’s as either coupons or bogo (the sour cream and tortillas).
Bravo for frugal travels indeed! I had no idea that airlines gave vouchers for assisting in in-flight medical issues. That’s nice. 🙂
This week:
1. We received a lot of oranges from family last weekend. I used them today to make a healthy orange dessert, instead of say, going out to get ice cream.
2. I pre-cooked a batch of bacon and froze it for easy weeknight cooking.
3. I went to the beer supply store and bought yeast to make more homemade wine. I bought apples on sale for 87 cents a pound to make apple wine. Hope it’s good!
4. I planted herb seeds today so hopefully we won’t have to keep buying cut herbs at the store.
5. Last night we treated ourselves to a rare night at the bar. I opted for the cheap $7 pitcher of beverages instead of getting a few $6 beers.
Nice job on helping out a fellow passenger!
1. Used my Kohl’s cash I earned on Black Friday to purchase Nike shorts, Nike shirt, 2 aloe gloves, sunglasses and an ugly fly fishing shirt my ds wanted – for only $11.99 OOP. Finished up the remains of my Christmas shopping.
2. Worked at the Christmas tree sales all day and brought my own lunch. But when the scout troop ordered pizza on them I ate that and brought my leftovers home for a different meal.
3. Paid bills online.
4. Used a reward on my Starbucks card to enjoy a rare venti Peppermint Mocha while selling Christmas trees. Rare because I never order ventis and because it is a holiday drink.
5. Realized recently that my dd needed a new winter coat and she had nothing on her Christmas list. I mentioned it to my in-laws as they want to know something very specific to gift and they bought her a coat. yay! This coat should last her well into adulthood – she is 17 and done growing AND is very responsible and makes her clothing last.
Blessings to you, Katy, for helping out the passenger with a medical issue on your plane. As a former flight attendant we were always very appreciative to medical folks who identified themselves when an issue arose, but I do not remember gifting them with liquor although they might have needed it.
1. Used coupons, sales, and loyalty rewards for purchasing a few Christmas gifts.
2.Used Ebates for some Christmas shopping online and have a Big Fat Check coming for $15.38.
3. Double cooked meals the last week so the freezer is full with meals for those days I am not up to cooking. (As long as I remember to defrost!)
4. Frugal fail: Did my CVS shopping when Black Friday sale was extended to Monday. I missed my goal of saving 40% ~ only saved 38%, but DH needed an item which was not on sale and I had no coupon.
5. Our little, old, blind dog found milk chocolate chips. Even when he was young and could see he never got into any food including food on a plate left unattended. We looked up chocolate poisoning of dogs and decided we would watch him carefully. Lots of vomiting and drank water bowl after water bowl, but after a couple hours the chocolate was diluted. I washed several loads of towels and rags and by early evening he was much better. I got up several times during the night to check on him and make sure he had a full bowl of water, but the drinking and being sick had stopped. Vet bill averted.
1. I downloaded my Free Friday Download from Kroger and will pick it up soon. It’s yummy jello pudding that I can use for banana pudding over the holidays.
2. I am down to one pair of jeans, ….again. It really doesn’t even bother me because I only wash them every of few days. However, I am concerned about having some sort of mishap that would require me to have to change pants so I am on the lookout for a pair soon.
3. My kids and I have been having fun nights at home with ABC’s Christmas specials. They have some sort of Christmas movie or cartoon on most nights so we hurry up and get showers, food, clean up, and homework done and make a big deal out of it. It’s the little things in life…
4. I invited some extra guests(family) to my home for Christmas. I have to admit I am freaking out a little about our ‘very lived in’ mess. I am not home all that much. My husband and I own a business so I don’t get as much cleaning done as I would like. Instead of hiring someone, I am making a list of things to accomplish each day then putting each task on a calendar. I’m organizing them so that the more difficult jobs are on the weekend after we get home from work. Hopefully, if I break it all down into the next 23 days, I can get it done without killing myself.
5. We watched a local Christmas parade last night for good free fun. A dentist had a float in the parade and threw out toothbrushes. Luckily, my kids got two of them so we are set.
1. I purchased some socks for SIL with my JcPenney coupon making them .50 for two pair, I also picked up some Essie nail polish as a stocking stuffer using Kohl’s cash that I shared with my mother (we combined purchases to get it) and an Amazon $5 credit for beauty supplies to purchase another nail polish.
2. I used some more coke codes to get a $5 Target Gift Card.
3. Walked dogs with my husband and daughter at the SPCA to get our dog fix.
4. I picked up my Christmas cards that I ordered at Costco which save me so much money and while we were there we also got gas and had a cheap lunch.
5. I went for dinner with my husband and mother. My husband and I shared a plate of nachos and we had a side salad making it a cheap dinner out.
Could you please share how you are able to get the Target gift cards with the Coke codes?!
Honestly this week hasn’t been super frugal. My car needed new tyres, I have an almost $800 insurance bill to pay, and I am only just starting Christmas shopping. On the plus side, I’m cashflowing these things and taking no money from my savings so I guess that’s frugal?
1. Got a $500 bonus from work. See above for where that’s going.
2. I’m hanging all my washing.
3. I attended my staff Christmas party in a thrifted outfit. One of my colleagues was wearing a $600 dress. My dress was $10.
4. I framed my degree in a $12 frame (finally, I graduated a year ago) and it looks great. Framing on the day was about $80. Now to dig out the others and frame them too and then I can hang them all fancy schmancy.
5. The tomato and eggplant seeds I planted the other week have all come up and are growing like crazy. I already have some in the ground but these are some sauce tomatoes. Hoping for a big batch of pasta sauce at the end of summer.
For sure frame those others! Will look great all together. Congrats to you for all you have accomplished!
My daughter used some of her birthday money to frame hers and it was such a boost to see them all !
Thank you 🙂
My frugal five:
1. used credit card points and MyPoints to get a $100 gc to Nike for my ds.
2. bought ds an Instant Pot on Black Friday from Walmart at 12:30 a.m. He’s received it and cooked with it and likes it.
3. hubby and I pre-purchased our cremation contract/plan. Hubby got his bonus so about half of that is going to the cremation contracts. Merry Christmas honey! Did it so the kids won’t have to worry about anything when we pass. Both of our plans were about half of what my friend paid to cremate her father.
4. I’m sick this weekend so no shopping or anything exciting – which is most weekends anyway.
5. all dinners were made at home even though they may not have been the best. I had to throw out a small package of shrimp as it had gone bad.
1. Chose not to spend an obscene amount for tix to a concert of one of the world’s biggest bands at 180.00 a pop even tho they are my favorite. Plus, I don’t like what I have heard from their new album.
2. Reheated coffee from yesterday.
3. Re-gifted a lovely holiday hostess gift as I didn’t have anything else to bring to friends’ for dinner party last night.
4. Roasting a chicken for meals this week with an old lemon, orange juice and and open wine from Thanksgiving
5. Renewed my BJ’s membership with a coupon for $25 a year for this year and next year. Bought a few things while I was there and feel that I already made up that $25.
1) We attended a spectacular Women in Technology Gala Friday evening. We shared a table with another of my co-workers, so $30 per ticket wasn’t bad at all. The food and drinks were wonderful and the speaker was a hoot – she’s a retired female Air Force General from our local AFB. A great night of chatting with friends and hubby went along too.
2) I’ve spent the rest of the weekend at home. The 5th birthday party for my great niece today was cancelled, due to her running a fever. Since she’s here on a visit with her parents and flying back to Oregon in a few weeks, I bought her a bag of creative gifts at the Dollar Tree – coloring books, activity books, an erasable drawing pad, bubbles, etc. Things they can take on the plane with them or just leave at her grandparents house, if they don’t want to bother taking them back. I think I spent about $10 for everything.
3) I used an online Amazon gift card to buy my granddaughter a Spirograph for Christmas. She loves to draw, so that’s perfect and inexpensive.
4) I went to lunch with a friend/coworker on Thursday and he insisted on paying for it, since he’d invited me. So – free yummy lunch, yay!
5) I need to go to the grocers, but wasn’t feeling well yesterday. So, I cut some potatoes up with diced onions poured some oil and garlic salt on them and microwaved them for about 20 minutes. They are just like fried potatoes, only easier. We had the leftovers with eggs and sausage this morning.