Five Frugal Things
by Katy on February 13, 2018 · 99 comments
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Our mechanic called yesterday afternoon to review all the things we’re having fixed on our 2005 minivan. This included a non-functional seat belt switch for the air bag circuit. However, she suggested that I call a Honda dealership to investigate whether this repair would be covered under the original warranty as it’s a safety issue. Unfortunately the dealership where we bought the car is no longer in business, so I left messages with a couple other ones. I got a call back, and after a few phone calls I got the good news that yes, Honda would pay to repair this issue. This saves us $238, which is always a “frugal thing.”
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I sold a pair of vintage boxing gloves and a Build-A-Bear Workshop outfit on eBay, and am also negotiating on a pair of 1965 Snoopy waterskis that I picked up at Goodwill awhile back. The buyer doesn’t like the shipping cost, but they’re solid wood and heavy which is out of my control.
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I spent an hour or so raking leaves and doing general outdoor landscaping maintenance. Very few people hire this out in my neighborhood, which is a different story from where my parents live. I really didn’t feel like exerting myself and getting dirty, but the sun was out, the driveway was empty due to car being at the mechanic and I told myself that sometimes “being an adult means doing things you don’t want to do.” Of course the hardest part was getting myself to start the chore, which ended up being benignly pleasant and satisfying in the end.
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I walked to the grocery store and bought grocery staples without succumbing to any impulse purchases, I physically mailed my younger son’s rent check as the money somehow didn’t automatically come out of our account as it normally does, (and I talked to someone to let them know that I wouldn’t be paying the $50 late fee as the problem is on their end) I put together a couple of new eBay listings and I’m using up a small bar of hotel soap that I brought home from dropping my son off at school last month.
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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
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 99 comments… read them below or add one }
Katy, love your list. Your number 3 could have been my motto recently–taking care of lots of not fun adult tasks revolving around interior painting. So much adulting in progress here!
But like your gardening time, I find the outcome of most of my tasks satisfying. Even though I know that as soon as I check off one task another gets added to the list…
See yesterday’s F.I.N.E comment about this being an adult business.
I’ve added FINE to my own list of abbreviations. And I also release my original FIF (F**k, It’s February) to the universe.
1) I had received a coupon from PF Changs to get a free appetizer when you purchase an entree. My plan was to eat the entree for lunch today and then take lettuce wraps with me to school tonight. But the more I thought about it, the guiltier I felt – Even with the deal, I’d still be spending around $14 for lunch & dinner. I finally talked myself out of going there and instead packed a frozen meal that I got for less than $2 and will hit up McDonald’s on the way to class because they have a mobile deal right now where any sandwich is only $1.
2) Tomorrow I leave for a work trip to San Francisco! I’ve never been there. I checked the weather and it looks like it will range from 50-60 degrees. This will sound crazy but it feels like it’s been winter forever here in MI and I can’t remember exactly how to dress in moderate temps! I assume layers will be my best option so I headed to Kohl’s and got a light jacket that was $6 at 70% off, plus I had a 30% coupon making it $4
3) I decided to stay an extra day beyond my work trip to be a tourist. This means paying for my own accommodations for 1 day. I booked a hostel that’s in a great location and got a private room that is less than half the price of a cheap hotel. I saw on a local blog that people use Costco Travel for rental cars and get great rates and when I checked, it was 30% lower than my original lowest quote.
4) We are switching my dog to a cheaper food. We were previously using prescription food because it was helping with his tummy issues, but we found a brand that can be bought off the shelf that has similar ingredients and breakdowns! Hope it sits well with his stomach.
5) I had a rebate for Chobani in my ibotta app that I was positive expired 2/17. On 2/10 I bought 5 Chobani yogurts (you could use the rebate up to 5x) and when I went to redeem the rebate was gone! I emailed ibotta support and I’m not 100% sure if they believe me about the 2/17 expiration date, but they credited my account as a one time courtesy. Free yogurt!
I made a batch of egg noodles yesterday in homemade chicken broth, but since i wanted to butter them I drained the broth out and put it back in the fridge for soup later.
I have a batch of navy beans going in the crock pot. I think we’ll have Pioneer Woman’s baked beans tonight with the substitution of dried beans over the canned version to make it more NCA.
Schlepped together some leftovers today for lunch. Some of it really needed to be eaten or thrown out soon.
Thought about getting my husband some candy for valentine’s day, but he has free candy at work, so it didn’t seem special. Bought him some quality granola instead. I know he really enjoys it. Hopefully he’ll like it.
It’s a stay at home day no gas used no spending day.
My husband and I have the tradition that he buys me Valentine candy on the way to work the day after. We used to have a store near here that was called The 1/2 Price Store. The clerk thought he was smart to buy himself 1/2 of 1/2 price candy but when he said it was his wife’s Valentine she said he was a cheap___. He called home and put me on the phone to the clerk and I told her how smart and thoughtful I thought he was!
Lol. That was really sweet of you and your husband to support the frugal ways of the clerk. It’s always amazing to me how differently people can view spending money as frugal vs cheap. I would have totally called it a frugal win too, but that’s probably why we read Katy’s blog 🙂
I completely misread your post the first time, I thought the clerk was saying he had done the same thing (purchased discount candy) for his wife, but that she objected, not that she thought it was cheap of the customer to do so! I can’t believe she said that; I think I would have had to go with a “Wow, that’s an interesting thing to say” kind of response. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have thought to call my spouse to tell the cashier she was wrong…
Cheers to all of us who are planning to head out tomorrow to cop the discounted candy! And your “intervention” was amazing.
Since I am backwards, and posted my frugal five on the last post, this will be my frugal fail and it is massive. I bought a new car last fall. I bought a Toyota Yaris for $17,000 despite the fact that it depreciated the minute I left the car lot…and I do not care. I am beyond frugal, I am cheap. I live in a $37,000 house (no, not $370,000, you saw that right, $37,000), which is cheap, even for here in the boonies. I can squeeze a nickel till it squeals, but I bought this car and have had it about three months…love it…. lol. Yup frugal fail….that I do not regret.
$17K for a new, reliable car is still a good deal. I remember the bad old years of used cars that might not start, and it’s worth every penny to have peace of mind.
We buy new cars because we have had the most awful luck (all of it bad) with the few used cars we’ve owned. The last used car we bought – a relatively late model car – cost us so much in car repairs that it actually would have been cheaper if we had bought a brand new car instead. I think it can be frugal to buy new cars – we bought a new truck in 1991 and finally let it retire in 2017 – 26 years with basically nothing beyond normal wear and tear expenses. If the body hadn’t been falling apart – and I mean that literally and in several places – we’d probably still have it. Sounds like you made a good decision with your new car, and I’m glad you love it!
Cindy, you sound just like a dear friend of mine, who claims that she is “cheap” as well. Thank you for the laugh! But she will only buy new cars as well. She lives where the average snow fall each year is close to 300 inches, so she insists that reliable transportation is a must. But she is cheap, she keeps her house at 58 degrees!!
We have a 2009 Yaris with almost 200,000 miles on it and love it. We don’t mind going out for a ride knowing that we are still getting almost 40 miles to the gallon. Husband and I were just talking yesterday and commented we have not put anything into the car other than routine maintenance. We absolutely dread the day it dies. You made a good choice.
I thought I was being frugal and wise to buy a used car over New a year ago and I very much regret that decision. I think you did well!
(1) Paid postage for a free packet of seeds to do succession planting for a 28 day greens garden.
(2) Have been achieving personal goal of 10,00+ steps, Monday-Friday . This is partially due to finding out the newly opened outlet mall less than 3 minutes away has 900+ steps for one loop.
(3) Have been able to consult with dietician about health concerns recently identified. Dietician 100% covered.
(4) Myself and another family member were able to receive seeds through a seed savers group that had set up a give away in a local library.Some amazing heirloom varieties I can hardly wait to plant.
(5) Won a silent auction prize from a local artisanal/ organic bakery. Some of the baking is Valentine themed. Have frozen and will save for upcoming wedding shower for daughter and/ or as treats during the wedding festivies. Best of all the funds raised support a cause near and dear. Win/ win situation for all:)
1. Found three cents in the work parking lot. I almost never find money, so this was a thrill!
2. Talked the Mister out of going out to dinner on Sunday night, when we went to a concert. We ate a light dinner at home beforehand and then came straight home and had ice cream sandwiches from the freezer as a treat.
3. One of my fave online clothing stores is having a massive clearance sale. This morning I nearly succumbed and had $50 worth of stuff in the cart when I snapped out of it and removed all of it.
4. Ran out of the special wipes I use to get muddy doggy footprints off the leather sofa. Rather than to spend $5 for a package, I used a barely damp rag. Looks good so far.
5. Did buy some pajamas, as I definitely needed a pair, but found a great deal on a new pair on eBay that were exactly what I wanted and $13 less than buying a brand on clearance that I wasn’t familiar with. I am picky about pajamas and stick to familiar brands.
1. Right this minute I’m doing my frugal hobby…catching up on my frugal blogs. 🙂
2. Today I remembered that tomorrows Valentines day (its not a big deal here), so I cut out 2 big hearts from paper, one for each of my kids and wrote words that describe them. I plan on putting them somewhere they’ll see when they get up.
3. Like usual we cooked lots for lunch to have supper leftovers.
…I’m running dry, so I’ll just leave it at 3 for today.
Katy, what other blogs do you read? I’m always looking for another one to add to the list.
http://www.thefrugalgirl.com
https://thefrugallist.wordpress.com
https://thepeacefulmom.com
http://www.theprudenthomemaker.com
http://moneysavingmom.com/mobile
Me too, I love reading frugal blogs!
See above
1. We attended a fund raising ball, something my husband was obligated to do because of his job. We did not have to pay for the tickets or parking. He wore a tux he bought years ago (it was not very expensive). I wore a long black dress I bought several years ago. I borrowed a scarf that had red in it from a friend.
2. We have not been eating out. I joined a co-worker for lunch at a cafe for lunch one day last week. A cup of soup and a side dish set me back $4.
3. I cashed in some Discover points for a Bed, Bath & Beyond gift card. Recently they have had very discounted food stuffs so when we’re near there we sometimes stop.
4. I’m walking outside every day. The fresh air and exercise are good for me. So far I have stayed healthy this year (knock on wood). Yesterday I walked to the grocery and received three free items and bought a few bananas.
5. I rented Wonder with a free Red Box rental code. I’m excited to watch it tonight.
1) While walking the dogs to the coffee shop this morning (only one cup–for the mister–half price because he brings his own cup) we found a bunch of pennies on the street. 40 cents.
2) A friend gave me a couple cups of mixed beans. I don’t much like most bean soups, so I made them into a mixed bean dal from Richa’s Indian Kitchen. They are delicious.
3) When I do craft shows potholders with cat fabric go very quickly. I had been thinking of buying cat fabric online. However, this morning I went to help some women in my quilt guild sort a donation for the yard sale. We don’t sell anything smaller than a quarter yard. The donor had included a huge ziplock of “dog and cat fabric–scraps.” I brought them home and washed them–because many collectors of cat fabric have cats–to which I am allergic. Many cute cat and dog pot holders in my short-term future.
4) FAIL or NOT? The bodega in the hood sells 4 pounds of tofu for $4 and ten pounds for $5. I can’t resist buying the larger size. I took 3 pounds as a house-warming gift to a frugal friend. We had fried rice with tofu last night, and will have vegan palak paneer and vegan lasagna before the rest goes bad. Also, the larger bucket is more useful.
5) Someone gave me a trash bag of scrap batting–actually pretty big pieces. Potholder innards…
6) Eating at home, hanging laundry, not shopping…as ever. Thinking of helping a 40 yr old asylee we know from meeting with college tuition.
>>from meeting<< Another thing we have in common! 😀
Tofu – have you tried freezing some? We love the chewy texture that gives it, and the spongy holes soak up flavorful marinades and sauces. Not everyone likes the texture, tho'.
Where in MD do you live? I lived in Solomons in Calvert County for 35 years. Moved to Myrtle Beach almost 5 years. Love where I’m living but do miss certain things in MD.
Hi!
I’m continuing to blog, eat found fruit, use free t-bags at work, stay home reading and going to bed early. All frugal and el-cheapo!
OOOPs sorry, the wrong addresses, please read below!
Hi!
I’m continuing to blog, eat found fruit, use free t-bags at work, stay home reading and going to bed early. All frugal and el-cheapo!
1. Brown bagged lunches all week for work.
2. Intermittent fasting reduces the need for an evening meal. Weight loss as a bonus.
3. Found $1 on the ground.
4. Found Valentine’s gifts for my son and niece for $2 each on clearance. Originally $18 each.
5. I have been using my drying rack more. Not only saving electric, but also the wear and tear on my clothes.
I’m always one to pick up loose change, and my family makes fun of me! Last week, I found a dollar bill in the Walmart parking lot! No one made fun of me for picking that up.
I almost always pick up money. If it’s a lone penny, and I’m carrying a lot of bags, I might leave it for the next frugal person. But for a nickel, dime, or quarter, I’ll make the effort. My all-time highlight was finding a $20 bill on the street near where I work!
I loved how Colbert asked John Oliver about picking up change, on a recent show. Oliver said he would not walk past a quarter.
1. I need to get back going to a gym, and while i was bemoaning paying each month, a coworker told me about a free gym program with multiple locations within driving distance of my neighborhood! I registered and got my card today
2. In the same vein, I found a fitbit spark on craigslist that was under the budget I had set for it ($75) and it works fantastically! (Also, I’m obsessed)
3. Sunday I learned that a fresh whole chicken at my local grocery store is only $7 so I now have tasty roasted chicken for the week!
4. Instead of making reservations at a restaurant for mediocre food on valentine’s day to satisfy some bizarre capitalist romance requirement, we have made VERY strict plans to sit on the couch and eat takeout thai food (all reusable containers immediately enter the tupperware rotation)
5. I am taking the bus to work on Mondays and Wednesdays to stop putting so much unnecessary wear and tear on my car!
I typed out a long post, then the instructions said to refresh page to submit post, but it’s not showing, so here it is now, hopefully not again: (I’ve learned the hard way on various sites to copy post contents to the clipboard before submitting).
1) Made a big pot of residual-heat-cooked black beans in the pressure cooker, started with organic dry black beans bought in bulk and on sale.
2) Used half the beans to make refried beans for soft tacos made with pot (i.e., cooked v. salad) greens and fall-purchased garlic & onions, bulk-purchased herbs and spices. Bought the avos at Aldis.
3) Bought the greens for #2 with a gift card purchased during Christmas, paid $100 for $120 in gift card value. That’s a 17% discount.
4) Used most of the 2nd half of the black beans to make a stew that included the garlic & onions, gift-card carrots, fall-purchased butternut squash, and more gift-card greens.
5) Placed and picked up my bulk foods order from a buying club I’m in, which included 2-3 items at once a year sale prices.
6) Used a rewards card to get 6% back on grocery store purchases, and another card to get 5% back off warehouse club purchases. We pay cards off in full each month.
6) Cleaning out the sewing room, getting rid of some long-stored items that need new homes. This will make for less stuff to take care of (saves on dusting costs?) 😉 and more space for utility and pleasure sewing.
7) Worked on a “mug rug” gift for a friend, made almost entirely of scrap and salvaged fabric, trims, embroidery thread, buttons, etc. I’m loving the way it looks – very sculptural, but with an eye to washability and easy care.
8) Still resisting the call of the blue corn chip sirens. :covers ears: Seriously, I want to lose weight and get fit as a way to avoid later health care costs, stay independent, avoid buying higher-cost plus sizes, etc. Forbes had a good article on how much money you can save losing weight: (hope the link is ok to post) https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/09/27/how-much-money-you-can-save-from-losing-weight-at-different-ages/
Leve’, hang in there re the sewing investments (previous thread – no pun intended!). A good quality machine can last 40 years or more if cared for. Don’t let yourself be talked into buying more tools & notions than you need – start slow and build once you’re sure you can’t satisfactorily improvise. Thrift stores are a good source for 2nd hand fabric – sheets, shower curtains, and especially duvets offer yards and yards of material for very little $.
Thanks for hosting this community, Katy!
1. We were out of town for an event and stayed in a budget motel near the venue.
2. It offered free breakfast and free pet stay, both very frugal.
3. We were able walk back and forth, leaving the car and saving gas and hassle with parking.
4.We also brought drinks and snacks with us so were able to get by with just one purchased meal a day and we often shared that.
5. A nice get away trip to refresh our spirits and it was pretty frugal.
I also have tried to post my FFT, but I only have time for 3 before I have to refresh.
If I write it out and see the notice to refresh. I just copy and then paste immediately after refreshing the page.
I had the same experience when trying to post. The website timed out after just a couple of lines and I had to try again. The next time I copied my FFT and then was able to paste it after the request for a refresh. A little frustrating, but once you know that it is going to happen you can save and copy.
Crap.
Same here. I had to copy and paste my comment after refreshing the page because it timed out.
i had the same problem last week….i was waiting for my long post to upload and it disappeared on me. i had not saved to the clipboard and i didn’t feel like re-typing.
1. A few days ago returned from a one week vacation. Husband was sent by work and I tagged along, using miles for my ticket and also to upgrade his ticket to first class (when you have a hard time sitting and standing, it is easier to be in the front row of first class so husband can help me). I was reluctant to go but husband insisted that we could throw the wheelchair on the plane and it worked wonderfully. He got the hotel paid for, so free for me. And he gets $60 a day for food (!?? Who eats that much?) and whatever he does not use he gets to keep. We ate hotel for large breakfast and then nothing until dinner. And each night we tried a different franchise that we don’t have in Fairbanks: Chick-fil-a, Cracker Barrel, In-N-Out, Sonic Burger, Taco Time, Red Robin and Outback. We managed to find a few coupons so kept costs well below the $60 per day. It was fun to try places we keep hearing about or seeing ads for. All in all, the trip cost was all covered by his work, so a very frugal vacation.
2. Brought home unused shampoos and soap. I am not picky, so just add the tiny shampoos to my existing bottle of cheap shampoo.
3. Found 12 cents in the hotel parking lot.
4. Entered a contest and won a free audible book by a favorite author. I am more of a paper than audio person, but a free book is a free book. Husband spent 69 cents on some part and was able to put two sets of headphones together so we could both listen to the book on the plane ride home.
5. Dog sitter is a friend we trade dog duties with, so that cost us no money, although we did bring her a few edible treats from various places. Still more frugal than boarding a dog.
6. Good neighbors are frugal. It was 26 below zero and the oil was refilled, which kicked up some dirt in the tank that ended up shutting off the furnace. Our sitter did not know what to do so called the neighbor’s number we’d left. He came over at 5 am, bless him, and flipped a few switches and all was well and back on. Saved up hundreds in a house call from furnace company and thousands in broken pipes if dog sitter had not been diligent.
Glad to be home, even through there is a ton of snow.
Great trip for you! and what wonderful neighbors to come over so early and help.
I think your listening to the same book on the plane sounds kinda romantic – you two created your own private shared experience sitting there surrounded by strangers. Sweet!
1. Sold a nonworking Bose radio/cd player on eBay for “parts or repair.” I also sold an old computer cord, and a Land’s End jacket on eBay, and two books on Amazon. After fees and expenses, I netted $87 for debt repayment.
2. Vet bill for my cat today was $75. I had budgeted $125, so that’s $50 more to put toward debt repayment.
3. Eating from home, carrying lunch, and drinking free coffee and tea at work. Hanging laundry to dry.
4. I am giving up alcohol for Lent, which should save about $150. Found a penny in the parking lot at grocery store. Cashed in reward points for a gift card to a company that sells Darn Tough Socks. I need socks, and I’ve heard these are the best. A new pair will be coming my way.
5. 10c day at my favorite thrift store. Every few weeks a color tag that’s been around for awhile, then been slashed to half price, goes on sale at 10c each. I got three merino wool sweaters, all with flaws but 90% good fabric, to sell on eBay for felting. And a Redskins pennant with the Indian on it. I’m glad they are changing the image. But I think the old paraphernalia might be worth something to collectors.
Wondering: should I grab discounted Valentine stuff after tomorrow to resell next year on eBay? Part of me doesn’t want to buy new stuff. The other part says it’s going in a dumpster otherwise.
I’d say if you don’t want to buy the Valentines leftovers, don’t! If it ends up in a dumpster, that’s not on you, it’s on the store that bought too much, and maybe next year they will place a smaller order.
I ask my husband to not buy flowers until the day after Valentines Day. Then I get 3 dozen roses for the price of less than one dozen before Valentines. I love flowers…
1. It has been an absolute kick butt month for found money – $45.00. $20 found in the woods on a trail (free exercise is good; getting paid to exercise is even better). Another $20 was found in a park in a different part of the state . And I found $5 in a store parking lot. I’ve never found $45 in an entire year, let alone the first half of one month. If I don’t find another penny this year, I won’t complain.
2. I’ve been tracking every penny we spend, and it’s made me so much more conscious of our spending. And last month, there was a lot more money left over than there has been in a long time.
3. Baked “valentine” cookies with my grandchildren after realizing that my cookie press has a heart shaped form and spritz cookies don’t have to be just for Christmas. The grandkids loved it, I had all the ingredients to make the cookies so I didn’t have to buy anything – and it goes without saying that every single family member loved eating the finished products.
4. Skipped my weekly grocery shopping – we didn’t need a thing, and I continue to work on breaking my habit of grocery shopping once a week whether I need to or not.
5. Cut open two “spent” tubes of toothpaste (which gives me two more weeks of brushings) , poured a bunch of hotel shampoos into an empty shampoo bottle (which is now half full) and dumped a hotel conditioner into a spray bottle, adding water to make leave-on conditioner.
Great job on the found money !!
I started tracking my variable expenses about 3 years ago. I have several categories: pets, personal upkeep, clothing, groceries, household spending, household maintenance, special occasions, dining out, and health. Over time I managed to cut my expenditures in half. There is no denying it when you are looking at in black and white.
You win the Found Change Challenge!
This is the third time I’ve tried to post comments.
1. We have made a plan to pay off our mortgage early, and hopefully also retire early. This will require a few changes to our budget and some discipline (as well as staying employed for the next ten years).
2. We are working towards a zero waste kitchen so we can maintain a reduced grocery budget (see point 1). So far so good. A compost pile and freezer are important aspects of this.
3. Taking lunch, snacks, and coffee to work daily. Lunch is a delicious curry made with homegrown veggies.
4. I spent some time on the weekend preparing for the autumn and winter garden. We still have Summer veggies but it’s time to prep for next season so we can keep getting low cost veggies. I got seeds half price and used a voucher I got for doing surveys so they were free.
5. Entertainment is books and DVDs from the library and Netflix.
1 – Toasted a slice of stale whole wheat bread and crumbled it into my lunchtime bowl of bean soup. Discovered I like this toast option better than crackers.
2 – Wanted a picture frame for a photo print I’d bought at a craft show (a lovely fall scene from the park DH and I visited on our first date). I made a note on my thrift store wish list, but then re-discovered a frame in my basement storage area — exactly the right size and a style well-matched to the print’s colors.
3 – DD wanted to spend a mall store gift card she’d gotten for Christmas, so we went to the mall on a weekend afternoon. I sat at a table in the corridor and moodled in my sketchbook while she shopped, instead of browsing the stores myself. Afterwards we went to the food court and got fancy lattes (a very rare treat for us) with a $10 Starbucks gift card I’d received for the holidays. Total out-of-pocket for the drinks was a whopping seven cents.
4 – Told the kids they could have whatever they wanted for dinner this evening, so long as it came from the fridge. That was my gentle nudge to get them to eat down our abundance of leftovers. Sometimes when I call “fend-for-yourself” night, my two will ignore all the goodies in the refrigerator and eat ramen or boxed mac-n-cheese instead.
5 – Drove family members to the airport, so they didn’t have to pay for long-term parking. They gave me a full bag of perishable food that was going to spoil before they got back.
Good call on the Honda warranty! We saved a bunch of money by paying attention to and asking about recalls and warranty extensions on our 2005 Toyota Sienna that we recently sold. We felt very well treated by the company and purchased another Toyota as a result.
1. Cut my son’s hair myself
2. Did our taxes using the free version of TurboTax. In year’s past, our situation was more complicated any my husband was using the $80 version. Not this year!
3. In preparation for an all day event, we made a large ‘Breakfast for Dinner’ at night, used the leftovers to prep breakfast burritos, prepped sandwiches, and planned a meal for our return. Busy day and no meals out.
4. Finished a favorite lipstick. Collected up enough empties to get a new lipstick for free from MAC using their recycle program.
5. Frugal Date Night! We are having unseasonably warm weather, so we went on a walk by a local lake that borders a trendy downtown. Looked, but didn’t buy anything downtown. Went to a matinee movie and did not purchase the seat reserving tickets online with added convenience fee. The only thing that sounded good for dinner was vegan sandwiches from Whole Foods that we’ve been excited to try. Perfext date for us. Grand total: movie $16 + dinner $18 = $34.
Coincidentally, my brother and sister in law did basically the same date on the same night. As my SIL told me every detail, I know that their dinner cost $100, they went shopping as well and spent who knows what, went to a non matinee movie and paid the convenience fee for Tix (total $24.00).
I’ll take our $34 date over their $124 date any day! Plus I kinda like my date. 😉
1. Instead of buying $9.50 “Badge Magic” for my son’s merit badges, I diligently sewed them all on. Years ago, I used to embroider. I was thankful I still had those skills. Also, it was way cool to soak in my husband’s amazement that I could knot thread with one hand.
2. I stopped in at our local thrift store and found a pair of Merrell sandals for $1.50 and a some new cream pants for $.50.
3. I found an awesome Goodwill on the island. I’m going back for 20% off day on Wednesday.
4. I bought a new skylight for our rental house. I’m not thrilled with the $650 price tag but it is so much cheaper than a water leak and a new roof.
5. I’m on day three without using my A/C! This is a big deal in Hawaii where utilities are ridiculously priced.
Utilities are ridiculous in Alabama also. I do not know why the warm states think they have to jack up the electric bill. I mean, we have plenty of rain, and lots of rivers…sigh
1. Went to the goodwill bins and spent just $1.57. Do you know that electrical is now sold at the same per pound rate as glass? They changed it a couple months ago.
2. Pulled my kids’ jeans out of their laundry baskets and determined that they aren’t noticeably dirty, so I folded them and put them back in their closets.
3. Home cooked dinner.
4. Baked cookies to give as a birthday present.
5. Found a book to read on the “free” shelf at the library.
1. Watching the olympics for entertainment.
2. The usual-coffee and lunch from home.
3. Won’t go to grocery store until Saturday as I am eating down the fridge and freezer.
4. Brought honeydew melon that I was given to work to share as I don’t care for it.
5. Was sick and had sale purchased CVS brand dayquil and nyquil on hand.
@Linda Gertig A cheap what ? Sorry I am french .I like to improve my english/american and i am not sure to have understood.Is the seller thought that it was a cheap present ? In France Valentine’s day isn’t such a consumerism festival than in UK an US.
Catherine, I read the blank to mean a profanity, which Linda Gertig decided to leave out. Here in the states Valentine’s Day is a *very* highly celebrated holiday, with a lot of expectation that people will spend a lot of money to demonstrate affection. Being “cheap” is too often taken to mean a lack of affection. Thus, people are pressured to overspend on dining, jewelry or stuffed toys. It is a holiday with expectations for everyone — not just lovers. Small children celebrate in the classroom, and boys and girls in middle school (12-13 years old) expect a grand display if they are dating (balloons, stuffed toys or flowers). No surprise, my family does not celebrate that way!
It’s not a big deal in Australia at all. I didn’t even know it was Valentines Day
I have never liked Valentines day because of the pressure people feel to ‘go all out’. I may make some cookies later (even though it’s Ash Wednesday) to share with DS.
the ads to ‘please your valentine’ rank right up there with the Christmas ads depicting people buying 75k cars for their loved ones. Really? you bought me immense debt? thank you! (sarcastic tone)
My husband would be in SO MUCH TROUBLE if he surprised me with a $75k car for Christmas!
I love how the commercials are like “buy her what she really wants”. Pretty sure i DON’T want a Mercedes or Lexus for Christmas. How about washing my interior car windows or a new squirrel proof (HA) bird feeder. That’s what I REALLY want.
Made me laugh, that. Thanks!
Here, we play “I’m showing you how much I love you by saving our $ for when we’re old together so we won’t be impoverished then.” Accompanied by lots of free silly Valentine’s jokes, etc.
Tonight I’ll make a small batch of cherry-almond bark using ingredients on hand. That’ll do.
1) Kids normally pack their own lunch and lately have been throwing together snacks or asking to buy. I whipped out the peanut butter today and made everyone sandwiches.
2) We have 4 kids and suddenly found ourselves with no one at home last night so we went out for an early Valentine’s dinner. Went to a local restaurant where I had a $20 gift card from last Christmas. Total was $7 out of pocket.
3) Bought strawberries on sale and will be making our own chocolate covered strawberries to share with the kids tonight.
4) Used a menstrual cup and Thinx for my cycle.
5) Dug out my random leftover Valentine’s from when my kids exchanged them and patched together enough for the 50 students I work with. No money spent and several partial boxes are now out of my house.
1. Took breakfast and lunch to work both days so far this week.
2. Made daughter’s school lunch.
3. Bought half price Valentines cards for DDs and DH.
4. DIDN’T buy anything on line! (Even though I was tempted, really need to break this on-line browsing habit which occurs when I am stressed, am going to give up even browsing online for Lent)
5. Going out of town this weekend for another Volleyball tourney. Staying with family to avoid hotel costs (and to spend time with them).
1. Finished up a no spend week on Thursday (It was a great idea, because the rest of Frugal February will feel like a breeze compared to a no spend week)
2. Bought butter for 1.99 and a few more stock up deals at Kroger
3. Made a “fun” meal at home instead of buying pizza for family game night. A fun meal involves no veggies:) ***aka the kids idea of what makes a great meal!
4. Found a new series to read next for my 6 yr old (He just finished his learn to read program, so instead of buying a new book, I found a series called “I read to you, you read to me” at the library..so far he likes it.)
5. Did our taxes myself…good times…
I really liked the “I read to you, you read to me” series when the kids were little. There was also one or more books called “stories to read to your dog” or something like that, that we really enjoyed. It included stories like “the dog was brave and barked at the front door, and no one was there. Obviously, the dog scared away the person” or something like that. My daughter loved the books, the dog didn’t care, and there was nothing scary in it (actual burglers, etc.)
When my son was in the 6-7 age group he liked the Hank the Cow Dog books. Just an idea if you’re looking for a series.
1. The new tax rates take effect this coming paycheck and I will bring home an extra $80 each pay! I’m not a political person, so I’m not “giving the credit” to anyone in the government but I will give the credit to God. It’s been a rough few years for us financially and prayer has gotten me through. God gave us this just in time.
2. Today was both of my kids valentine’s day parties at school. I was able to easily take out homemade frozen cookies from the freezer last night (that we made last week) to take for my daughter’s party & because I had donated to my son’s Halloween party, I was off the hook for this party. This may not be frugal, but it sure did make last evening easy! Another “stand” that I am taking about class parties is to not fall into the “temptation” of making gift bags for each kid. We made valentine’s for each child and that is all. If other parents don’t like it, then too bad. I have nothing to compete for when it comes to classroom parties.
3. Because money has been tight lately, I’m making the gas in my van last as long as I can. I have just enough to get me to Costco tonight (which is right down the road from Church) where gas is 20 cents cheaper. I’m combining as many trips as possible.
4. Hubby is working a second job three times a week to help make a bit more money. A few unexpected issues with our truck has put us in some debt and the extra income will help. It’s been very hard keeping this second job a secret from our families, but we’re not really interested in their comments.
5. I tried to make Valentine’s day as fun as possible for my kids this year without spending much. I knew that they would bring lots of candy home from their school parties, so I only bought each of them a box of conversation hearts. For decorations we hung up art & the cards that they made at church and school.
Jenelle:
Yes, God does answer our prayers and even uses politicians. ;). Sorry to hear you feel you have to hide the second job from family as they would not be supportive. Fortunately this community applauds frugality and doing what it takes to stay ahead. Be encouraged and hang in there. It will be worth it.
Thank you Debbie for your kind words.
1. Went to the Dr on monday to get a flu shot and have her check my lungs (feel/sound like i’ve been running laps sometimes). lungs are fine. she normally doesn’t give the shot after having the flu, but this year is so bad, she did it. She also said “did you go into work today? you look exhausted”. when i said yes, she asked if i could not work this week or WFH because, although i’m not contagious, it had only been 10 days since i had been diagnosed and that wasn’t long enough to fully recover.
2. wfh yesterday and today (see #1). less gas used. Will be working in the office tomorrow for a special celebration for my favorite boss – his 30yr anniv.
3. taking friday off – it’s DH 1yr anniversary. Donating platelets in his memory since he received them many times during his illness. after, DS and i are going to take a ride somewhere and grab a bite to eat.
4. have been parking my butt on the couch watching the Olympics. I started a sweater for myself during the opening ceremonies and hope to have it complete by the 25th during closing ceremonies! I’m already about 55 rows in.
5. uploaded everything to my accountants’ portal to have my taxes done. hopefully i will get a large return since just the medical bills alone were 34% of my gross income!
on a side note:
have been researching flights from boston to phoenix for a late spring trip and the prices have gone from 307 to 455pp in a week!!!! :0 WTF?! how can i be frugal with a 150pp price hike!?
I am a recent widow too ( 2 years this March). I send you my love.
thank you.
A bummer about the plane tickets. I have been in your shoes. It is a bit frustrating. I have had to buy a lot of plane tickets over the years. I have learned a few that may help. Of course, you may already know all this. But just in case….
Although it is usually cheapest to buy plane tickets 30-50 days out, Spring Break, Summer Vacation, Thanksgiving and Christmas flights can be expensive. Since demand is high, buy early to save. I started tracking my variable expenses about 3 years ago. I have several categories: pets, personal upkeep, clothing, groceries, household spending, household maintenance, special occasions, dining out, and health. Over time I managed to cut my expenditures in half. There is no denying it when you are looking at in black and white.If you can go another time, it is usually cheapest to fly in January and February, after Easter thru May 15, September 15 – thru November 15. And the first two weeks of December. It is also cheapest to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. This is a generalization. Sometimes local events can push the cost of tickets up. For example, flying to Albuquerque during October’s Hot Air Balloon Festival.
If you are using a site like Kayak or Travelocity, don’t forget to check other airlines that don’t sell tickets through these companies such as Southwest, Jet Blue, or Allegiant. I also make sure to factor in extra costs such as baggage.
I prefer to buy directly from the airline. Airlines and hotels will not always honor requests and reservations made through a 3rd party (personal experience with Radisson and United). I have always been given the same rate when booking directly.
One last thing. If you have been watching prices, clear your search history ahead of buying.
Oh one more thing, look at flights from Manchester and Providence.
I tried to use the clipboard to post this and it insert what I previously posted too. Not sure how that happened. Sorry the second paragraph probably doesn’t make sense. I give up.
Bee: I had to post three times to get mine to take….lol
Bee, I hope you meant that just as a figure of speech! I’d miss your posts, as would others, I’m sure.
I’m guessing the refresh to submit feature has something to do with the security changes that’ve been made to the website recently.
OMG!!! I just posted a long reply and lost it. Grrrrrrr
I am flying in mid May, on a wednesday. i have tried all the sites including hotel sites too (sometimes they have bundles available). if i had any idea that the price would increase 50%, i would have bought the tickets on thursday night. I thought they would go down more on tuesday (that’s usually what happens) but they went up instead.
Flying out of providence usually increases the cost about 50/ticket and there are very few flight time options. Manchester is about 1h40m north of me so that is not convenient.
i’m going to keep searching….it’s not like i’m flying next week…i have 3 months.
thanks for the tips.
‘ll try my hardest to come up with 5….
1. Hubby has been toying with the idea of getting a different vehicle for himself due to an ongoing problem that he and dealers are having a hard time trying to fix. I finally got DH on board (after years of trying) to keep a vehicle once paid off and keep for as long as we can. Instead of getting a new vehicle he wants to baby this one along (since he likes having no vehicle payment). He’s a mechanic and can do most repairs himself saving us lots of $. He needed new tires and rims which would’ve cost us about $1900. He shopped around online & found tires that only had 25 miles on them with brand new rims and were balanced, all he had to do was put them on himself. Plus he saved over $800 on the deal with what he paid for them!!
2. Our daughter is going on a 8th grade trip with her class in a few months. Some parents just shelled out the $350 for the trip. We decided to fund her trip thru fundraisers and earned everything +, minus the $50 we had to put down before the fundraisers started with!!!
3. We like to celebrate Valentine’s day with our girls but decided to forego eating out at a restaurant. We purchased some of our favorite steaks at a meat market and will be eating an awesome dinner at home as a family for about 1/4 of the cost of going out.
4. Last weekend the girls wanted to get pizza for dinner. Hubby gave me a lottery ticket he won $20 on to help pay for it, plus i used a coupon on our order, so i ended up with some cents in my pocket by using the coupon plus his winnings.
5. My mom gave us goodies for Valentine’s day, so i didn’t have to purchase any extra treats, plus we don’t need much extra as we’re trying to watch our weight.
Happy Valentine’s day everyone!
1. My neighbor gives me her copy of our local newspaper when she finishes reading it, I have never outgrown my love of comic strips (.especially like “Zits”), so this is free laughs.
2. On latest trip to library, found video copy of “The Big Sick.” DH and I watched it last night and both enjoyed it. More free laughs!
3. I took on a five-month-long project at work. I am only one month into it and I am not liking it at all. I guess I needed that reminder to be an adult and do it anyway!
to the person learning English. She called my husband a bad word be cause he was buying his wife candy on sale.
Which your husband handled very generously. I’m old-fashioned enough to think insulting a customer is grounds for disciplinary action, possibly even termination. Customer service is one area where bricks & mortar stores can really outshine online competitors, making it a valuable survival strategy.
“Being an adult means doing things you don’t want to do.” I’m going to have to keep that one tucked away for later! I’ve been blogging my frugal accomplishments every day at my blog, The Frugal List. Yesterday, I went to the Grocery Outlet and hit breakfast cereal pay dirt, 99 cents a box. I bought 20.
Great sleuthing on the car costs. It’s always a good idea to check with the manufacturer on those things.
This week:
1. My husband and I gifted DIY Valentine’s gifts to each other. I made him macarons, bath bombs, and decorated the house with “I love you notes.” He made me a really neat hand-cut origami piece with my initials. He did such a good job on it; it looks laser cut!
2. Hubs gifted me an Instant Pot as an early bday present, so we’re playing around with that this week. 🙂
3. Yesterday we rented movies for free from the library.
4. This weekend I plan to apply for more freelance work to increase my side hustle income.
5. We submitted our taxes and had to pay $90 for TurboTax self-employed. Fortunately it came with a $120 credit for their self employed accounting software. I was actually going to buy it anyway, so it was a huge win. 🙂
– We’ve been really good following our no eating out month! This past weekend I made large batches of 2 dinners, which is more than enough to feed us during our nighttime classes this week and next. Most of the ingredients came from our pantry. We also had 2 apples that had gotten really wrinkly/soft so I made them into an oatmeal apple bake using ingredients I had on hand.
– My partner needed workout clothes and a thrift store was having a 40% of activewear sale so he got 3 shirts. This is awesome because he NEVER can find anything that he likes/fits/is in decent shape at thrift or consignment stores. He almost didn’t even both to go!
– Usually, I spend a lot of money on locally made beeswax candles (better for you to burn and support a local business) but the budget is a bit tight this month. I love burning candles to get me through the dreary winter and was running low so luckily, I found 2 new pillars and 6 tapers at the thrift store for very little money.
– Also at the thrift store, bought multiple stuffed animals for our dog to use as toys
– Using up hotel soap from business trips at home and hotel lotion from trips in my office (which is ridiculously dry).
1. Bought a Groupon for a $30 dinner for $17 for my honey for Valentines Day. We’ll use this at a later time.
2. I have some Valentines Day cards to print out for my honey also.
3. Honey and I decided to make something with chicken for dinner tonight in honor of the holiday. I hope it’s Orange Chicken, as he does a great job with it!
4. Bought two warm weather shirts from Thred up. Total cost 18.00 with shipping.
5. Walked to the library and got 3 books and a magazine.
1. We’re going out tonight, for the first Valentine’s Day that I can remember. We won tickets to a local playhouse, and last night when we called to book the tickets, they had an opening for tonight — third row! We will be having dinner at home, and then go to the show.
2. Washing sheets to hang on the line today. The upside to a drought is being able to hang all my laundry out.
3. Ran out of bread, and stopped by grocery outlet and ONLY bought bread.
4. Eating oranges off the tree, even though we prefer apples.
5. I am receiving five free hens from my dental tech, who is moving and needs to rehome her chickens!
1. Continued to line dry our laundry (we keep the rack inside the house during the winter in Texas due to rain and pollen).
2. Gave my sons’ haircuts at home.
3. Kids prepared valentines bought super cheap post-Valentine’s Day last year for their card exchange at school, added a Hershey’s kiss on each one which was also bought super cheap post-holidays.
4. Borrowed books from the library and renewed or returned on time to avoid overdue fines!
5. Had to see the eye doctor for my annual checkup and order new contacts as my prescription has changed. Even with insurance, I have to pay OOP. Checked in on Facebook to get $10 off my OOP expenses. (every bit helps!)
Five Frugal Things Valentine’s edition:
1. Since we are participating in a church project tonight (serving chili and grilled cheese to homeless people) we will be doing our Valentine’s tomorrow and avoid the crowds. No flowers, balloons or expensive dinners will be bought.
2. We are planning to eat lunch tomorrow at a moderately priced Vietnamese restaurant and in the evening see a free monster movie at the library.
3. We subscribed to Movie Pass, which is supposed to let us see a movie a day if we want for $9.99 a month. We have friends who say it works. They love it. We have not been able to test it yet because my husband couldn’t get into his account. My Valentine present to him was calling customer service and being on hold for 40 minutes to try to get the problem fixed. It seems to be working now. We will test it soon.
4. I am refilling my pantry after the remodel . It may have a little less room than before but I can see and get to everything. Even with the purchase of 6 lazy susans, the cost was at about $250. The handyman reused the shelves that were already there, just cut and reconfigured them. I can see what I need now when I am making a grocery list. Nothing will get lost at the back of the shelf. I don’t have to take everything out searching for an elusive can of tomato paste. It was money well spent.
5. Some people may think this is yuck, but I have found large cat treat containers to be great for food storage in the reorganization. I used to always use glass jars but after I dropped a couple on the tile floor and lost jars and contents, I started looking around for a substitute. These jars are heavy plastic, have wide mouths and built in handholds. So far, they work great.
1) Had a crummy day at work yesterday but came home, packed the house, and made healthy dinner vs going out somewhere to buy something and not think about it all. Actually cancelled after-work drinks, come to think of it.
2) Needed a furnace fix, which was free because we buy the annual maintenance package. Feels expensive every September, but a single visit is more than the cost of the package, so it’s worth it.
3) Working from home, thanks to the snow. No gas and working in unlaundered sweats.
4) Reheating coffee every other day, taking leftovers for lunch, cooking at home, continuing to pack slowly and steadily for the move.
5) No Lear jet or gold-plated anything.
1. Earned a $25 gift card for Walmart from doing surveys.
2. Earned a $25 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks. I am giving this one to my GS in his V card as he wants to buy a new microphone for his game set to replace the one that broke over a month ago. I made him wait in hopes he will take better care of his equipment. He does enjoy playing games and talking with his friends from Texas.
3. Worked hard on Swagbucks and have enough to buy a $25 Walmart gift card. (We do most of our grocery shopping at WM.)
4. Remembering to take a bottle of water with enhancer on my way out the door to run errands. Avoids being really thirsty and tempted to buy a drink.
5. DH and I went to Tuesday matinee at the theater where we have a loyalty card and pay only $5 per movie ticket.
1) Free cupcakes and doughnuts today, provided by my Supervisor and a co-worker, for Valentine’s Day.
2) I spent a whole $2 at Dollar Tree yesterday for a card and a small box of Truffles for my Sweetheart. We do not spend a bunch of money on each other. I’m good with a sweet card and a nice relaxing dinner at home.
3) I had a nice lunch and chat with my daughter today, my treat. We haven’t had lunch out together in a long time. It was nice to spend time with her – not expensive, but money & time well spent.
4) I have a baked potato left in the fridge here at work. I think that will be lunch for tomorrow.
5) I didn’t buy a Lear jet, a yacht or anything gold plated this week.
We have been tracking every single penny since the end of January. It has been a real eye opening experience and I am glad we are doing it but man we spend a lot of money on groceries like a whole lot…yikes. I have two sons who are in university and since the university is close to home they still live with us. Feeding them home cooked meals and the fact that they brown bag their lunch every day saves so much money in the long run so yes my grocery bills are high but I get to see them and talk to them every day and that makes me very happy
Tracking our spending has made me push the pause button when I have wanted to do some retail therapy or pick up a hot beverage. Just knowing that I have to write it down has made me walk away so it’s making me more observant of those little money bleeds
Continue to take transit to work I only slipped up one time since the beginning of the year.. The tank of gas in my car is going to last a really really long time
Took my car in yesterday for an oil change and I had nothing else that needed to get done. My car is a 1999 and it has served me well
Entertainment has consisted of lots of Olympic watching on the tv. I love watching the Olympics
1. Sewed up a sock with a hole in it.
2. Considered buying a few basics for a spring wardrobe, then took a look at my closet and realized I had plenty.
3. Easing up on the take out and making more pasta and sauce for an easy dinner.
4. Brushing the cats’ teeth to avoid an expensive teeth cleaning.
5. Eating applesauce out of little containers that my husband’s students don’t eat during school breakfast–sometimes he brings them home instead of throwing them away.