Five Frugal Things
by Katy on June 1, 2018 · 57 comments
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I received a phone call from the Supercuts training center asking if I had time to come in for some free highlights. Luckily my day was easily shuffled, so I motored over to indulge in some low cost no cost pampering. I had the stylist put in some red and blond streaky bits that wouldn’t look too obvious while growing out, as I’m not planning on creating an entirely new budget category for beauty. I was told that this service would normally cost $60, which I know is much less than it would have cost in a private salon. I did tip $5.
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I sold a vintage globe and mirror through Facebook Marketplace and NextDoor.com. I also picked up a guitar case and a toy to sell from the Goodwill nearest to Supercuts. I shared the details over at my Instagram account. The money will go into our anemic emergency fund.
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I’ve recently been down a deep rabbit hole of YouTube videos about income inequality. It started with episodes of the British show Rich House, Poor House, but expanded to include How The Other Half Live, as well as a myriad of other news programs and documentaries about the struggle to survive while living on minimum wage earnings. Whoever the cyber-geeks are at YouTube who set up this particular algorithm for me, I say a sincere and honest thank you.
Also . . . Star Trek Rules, Star Wars drools!
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I worked two days and brought my lunch both days, I drank the free so-so coffee, I finished a library book and started another one, I bought all the ingredients to make lasagnas, including cottage cheese, which I always mash up to substitute for pricey ricotta and I found a cute Orla Kiely toiletry kit at the Goodwill Outlet, so I gave away the one I already owned through my Buy Nothing Group. (I try to always get rid of stuff if I bring home new things.)
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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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1) I’m short of canning jars, so I picked up a couple boxes on freecycle. I’m keeping the 5 regular mouth quarts for tomatoes, three pints for jam, and 2 wide mouth quarts for refrigerator storage.
*) SPLURGE! I walked to the hardware store and bought eight plastic caps for the wide mouth jars. So much easier than lid and ring for short term storage.
2)Kept the excess moving–19 2 qt canning jars aren’t staying here. Friends picking up within the next couple days. Donated some very odd jars to a church yard sale. Good for collectors, not for me.
3) Parsley stems are a vegetable–threw them into a jambalaya. No one noticed.
4) Made collard stem pesto from the CSA cook book. very good.
5) Shoe coup. Read a library book on foot pain that advised trying larger shoes. I have a larger pair (size 10) that I wear with thick socks in winter that prove more comfortable than my 9 1/2s. However, the sole of the 10s began to peel off while I was walking home on Wednesday. Stopped at DSW and bought replacements. Then I realized I had a new in box pair of 9 1/2s at home–I should have exchanged rather than buying new. Took the 9 1/2s in on Thursday morning before the store was busy. The receipt was still in the box so the exchange was easy. I do now have two new pair of shoes, but that’s not tragic.
1. “Bought” several free ebooks for the kids.
2. Just booked a 2 night getaway for me and my husband. We’ll stay at a KOA in our new tent. The plan is for the quality tent to get used a lot, and in the long run save on hotels (as a side note, there’s cheaper places than KOAs and we don’t plan on staying at them too often). The KOA is $80 cheaper than the AirBNB we were looking at.
3. Payed a tailor less than a buck to repair some holes in my husband’s pants.
4. Ate leftovers for breakfast instead of buying bread.
5. Mixed water in the dish soap bottle to get the last of it out.
aren’t those shows great? I watched all the Rich house, poor house and How the Other half Live as well. One real eye opener was the show about the woman who was trying to qualify as a barrister but could not get an internship. Because the majority of internships go to ppl from top schools.
I thought the ppl in those shows were all amazing. Their attitudes were great.
What other shows did you watch? I am not getting any more recommendations except Wife Swap UK.
1. Friends sent us home with 3 days of hello fresh meals as they were leaving on vacation
2. Wrote a personal note rather than buying a graduation card
3. Picked up a side gig $$ going to the fund my fund fun
4. Friend making a silk flower arrangement for me with an heirloom vase I had and flowers friend gave me
5. Attended a dinner party on Wednesday night. Found a hostess gift in my closet.
1) Went yard saling with my daughter. I got a new tablecloth for .50 and we got her two new pairs of jeans and two sundresses. She also got an awesome new hat!
2) Doing laundry and cleaning today. I feel happy in my tidy space, which leads me to spend less on ” pick me up” purchases.
3) We ate tuna and crackers for lunch. Am planning to make dinner from the freezer.
4) Reading library books and reading blogs.
5) Just put out a pitcher of suntea.
It’s National Doughnut Day. Helps that Aldi and Krispy Kreme are in the same shopping center. Batch errands.
Asparagus is 89 cents per bunch at Aldi. I bought 3. I’ve read it helps with inflammation. I’m having some real issues with that, and hoping this will help. IDK though, one can try.
Getting free homeschool resources to patch together the end of the year as we’ve finished science and social studies curriculum, but still need some samples for our charter school. Love teachers pay teachers!!!
Passed up on the chocolate at Aldi. I knew we were going to get a free doughnut. It’s so hard to resist good European chocolate!
Potty training my nearly 3 year old son.
It’s donut day here and as I was out shopping I picked up my favourites, some jam-filled, some iced and some with cinnamon and sugar …yum. I put them in the trolley and took them for a long ride around the supermarket before taking them home ( back to their shelf in the shop) . They were happy and so was I xxx
1. Haircut central here this week: I cut the husband’s hair, he cut mine and shaved down both of the dogs. In earlier years, he would have spent $20 on his haircut, $50 on mine, and about $75 for each of our two giant breed dogs. $220 saved just this week.
2. As a favor to a friend, let two of their relatives stay in our spare room for a week. Their own house was full and hotels in Alaska in the summer are hideously priced. When I went to change their sheets after they left, we found a card and a $100 Safeway gift certificate as a thank you. They had also bought a bunch of fruit and left that behind as well. Very nice of them.
3. Won a free pizza in a local contest. This must be my year for winning stuff.
4. My husband does not enjoy fishing but a friend asked him to go for a day trip. He’d recently had a heart attack and I think he wanted someone along just in case…husband came home with 10 large trout and friend didn’t have a heart attack.
5. Did a shop and got a free oil change plus $40. Did a bookstore shop and made $20, plus a free snack from the café.
Win-wins for you all the way around, Lindsey–especially your #2 and #4. Me, I’d go on a fishing day trip in a heartbeat if I thought I’d come back with 10 large trout!
Great savings on your haircut central week! $220 is a lot of savings. As I mentioned before, I cut my husband’s hair and shave the cat’s mats but so far have not put my entire trust in having my husband cut mine. He tried once and he mind as well have used a hack saw. I did however, find a great hairdresser who cuts my hair for $12 and I throw in a $3 tip. So happy to have found her.
Great job on the haircut savings! My husband gives my two boys their monthly haircuts and I get him to cut mine every other month. He does such a great job that my mom and a couple of my friends have asked him to cut their hair. Saves me hundreds a year. Saves my mom big bucks as after hubby wields the shears on her locks, I do her color. She won’t trust me with the shears though, neither do my boys.
Frosty mornings and clear skies. Hello winter!! I love this time of year in Australia, bare trees, green grass, different bird life like red breasted Robins that strike a big contrast sitting on barb wire fences in the paddocks.
Baby lambs born white as snow frolic together with mums watching on. Smells of firewood in the air and occasional whiff of floral scent from gardens I wander passed. Slippers and dressing gowns, jumpers and scarves appear from the back of the wardrobe.
Frugal faves this time of year are
Soup… all sorts created from cheap vege and pantry goodies eg minestrone, spicy pumpkin, curried vege and lentils, dog bone and barley ( stock made from a really meaty dog bone ).
Porridge, French toast (stale bread and egg), pancakes.
Pies made from leftovers, mash potato fritters, custard over pudding!!!!
The umbrella has been pulled out and means I can still enjoy walks with the dog so car is left behind.
A friend who is away left me the contents of her fridge as I collect her mail ….win-win..
Blankets help me snuggle on cold evenings and my book supply from the library has grown. The vege garden is spouting with winter seeds like brassicas, broadbeans, peas and a forest of parsley…. and yes I use the stalks as well
As always, Yvette, I enjoy your unique word pictures of life Down Under!
Also, a question about your robins: Are they British robins, American robins, or a third species that’s native to Australia? The British robin and the American robin are completely different birds (the American robin is a lot closer to the British “missel thrush” than to the British robin), and you’ve now got me wondering whether there is an Australian robin!
Australian Scarlet robins appear here in winter , they are so pretty and a sign of the change in seasons. Link http://www.birdsinbackyards.net
The male in particular is a very flashy bird indeed! Thanks for the info, Yvette.
Yvette, beautifully written. Reminds me of Miss Read’s wonderful books!
Beautifully written, Yvette.
Lovely, descriptive words of your change of seasons down under. I really enjoyed reading them. I feel as if I am experiencing your world for a few moments.
1. Took bus to/from work all but one day this week, saves $12.50 each day on parking!
2. Have avoided eating out this week except for today when I took two young colleagues out for a going away lunch for one of them. I’m the “boss” so I feel it is appropriate that I treat in these situations, but we went to a reasonable place and had a great visit. Not frugal but money well spent — experiences not things!
3. Husband and DD #3 are going to the new Han Solo movie tonight. I’m not particularly interested so rather than going along just to keep them company, I will stay home and save $11 and do some chores to free up the rest of the weekend.
4. Took several pairs of shoes to Goodwill on Wednesday and only purchased a Dansk bowl that goes with my dishes. I love my blue and white Dansk dishes and snag matching pieces at Goodwill whenever I see them.
5. Going to spend the day tomorrow visiting DD #1 and DS #2 who live about an hour and a half away. DD #2 is going with. Was afraid I would have to take everyone out to eat but DD # 1 and her BF offered to make lunch for us all! We will do free or cheap things — supposed to be nice, so hope to get out and walk/hike.
1. I have been staying off the computer and avoiding the news more than usual. I’m just going through somewhat of a decompression. It feels pretty good and I have had less Amazon boxes darkening my door.
2. My kids are out of school so we are showering less and wearing most things a couple days-no socks to wash! Still using the same amount of toothpaste, though.
3. I stopped blogging. It made me check my phone more often and I just wasn’t happy with that. It’s bittersweet tho because I miss it. I did love the accountability but not the price it came with. Time is precious.
4. We are having simple oatmeal for breakfast. Nothing fancy yet fills the space.
5. We are making homemade milkshakes for a sweet treat on occasion. Much less expensive than most places…Except maybe the frosty for 50 cents at Wendy’s right now.
FFT, The Rains Came Edition:
(1) After 10 or so hot, dry days, the heavens opened up gloriously on us this afternoon. Appropriately enough, this happened when I was taking DH for an appointment with a urologist down on Water Street. Thank goodness humor is still free.
(2) Once we got home and it stopped raining, DH and I got out in the gardens with weeding tools for about an hour. We could pull weeds from now till Labor Day and we still wouldn’t be caught up, but at least I can now tell the vegetables I set out in late May from the weeds. Also, excellent exercise, and we’re both pleasantly tired.
(3) Just saw Katy’s Instagram photo of the coins she fished out from under the Coinstar machine. The next time I go to Wegmans, I’m taking the tool I use to clean out under the refrigerator to sweep under the Coinstar machine there!
(4) Not that I did too badly in May: Found change total = 2.10. Bottlepicking total to come whenever I get around to adding it up.
(5) Finally, a bittersweet item: DH finally admitted yesterday that it was time to give up his iPhone and disconnect the number. Because of his early-stage dementia, the phone has been a source of increasing confusion to him for some time, and I have been gently making the case for a couple of months that this move ought to be made. But I didn’t want to go ahead with this until he was ready for it. As it was, it was distressing enough for us both. But we now won’t be paying two-thirds of our Verizon bill for a phone that has been a glorified digital watch for quite a while now.
A. Marie, thanks for the update on your DH. The issue of him giving up his iPhone sounds truly bittersweet….like having yet another reminder of what he has lost. On the positive side, it’s no longer a source of frustration. He’s lucky. to have you, keeping him active and finding the humor in life where you can. Hugs.
A. Marie, kudos to you for your patient, realistic compassion of #5.
Never easy to watch a loved one gently surrender to the insidious effects of dementia. The positive side is the patience and understanding kindled by the love the caregiver has for the one who needs help. I know this from caring for my Dad who had dementia and my Mom who had physical limitations and legal blindness. Never easy but memories from those days are among my most treasured ones.
Thanks for the tip about Rich House, Poor House. I’m already in episode 2. What a good insight into how the other half lives, no matter what half you are in
– I made applesauce out of some apples that had gotten a bit mealy.
– I purchased an art print on vacation that needed a frame so I found one at the thrift store for $2.95 and have plans to clean it up and give it a new coat of paint.
– Also picked up some stuffed animals to be used as dog toys at the thrift store. And nothing that we didn’t need!
– Our vacation wasn’t that frugal as we were traveling with others who weren’t as frugal minded. But the last few days I did manage to get to a grocery store and stock up on bread, fruit, and cheese which saved on at least 3 or 4 meals out. I also brought a refillable water bottle with me and relied mostly on refilling that to stay hydrated.
– Delaying installing the window AC unit as long as possible!
1. Got a load of firewood so it can dry out before winter. We usually have the wood people stack it in the racks but husband volunteered to stack it this time, so we had it dumped in the driveway. That saved $70.
2. Saved .30 a gal on gas.
3. Went to Goodwill looking for shorts. Found none. But I did find a pair of pants to cut off for shorts for .99. Also hemmed husbands new shorts and altered one of his T shirts to fit me.
4. Under the heading of “not frugal but doing the best we can in the situation”:
My husband’s car was supposed to get repaired after his wreck (not his fault). But when the body shop started taking it apart, they found more damage than was visible before and the insurance company decided it was totaled. They were very prompt in issuing us a check for the remainder of the value. They had already given us a check to cover repairs. We have requested delivery of a low mileage used car from Carmax. We knew what kind we wanted because we had driven one as a rental a couple of times. I compared all those available and am confident that we got the best combination of price, miles and features. I went and interviewed our mechanic about which cars from our preferred list were most reliable. This accident will still cost us $2000-$3000 , but it could have been much worse. No one was seriously hurt, both parties had insurance, both companies were prompt and helpful, and we think the pay out was fair. They tell us that we will eventually get our deductible back because the other party was at fault. I sure don’t want to do this again any time soon though.
Life has been more pricey than frugal recently but I haven’t given up.
Pricey: needed new sneakers. My feet are in questionable shape and only getting worse, so I’m careful about what I get. Alas, careful + works for my feet = pricey. Beats surgery though and my feet don’t hurt as much.
Semi-pricey: needed new swimsuit. Semi-frugal: got a new one at the cheap store.
Frugal: eating down the freezer and pantry. This time I need to really empty the freezer because it needs to be washed, not just defrosted. Ate out only once in the past two weeks, and brownbagged lunch and snacks every day.
Hi William, I just discovered in my freezer 3 different frozen soups for I person serve, so I have dumped them all into one saucepan and added a few other bits from the fridge. Now a delicious thick soup I can eat for next few days!!
I’ve learned to cut down on the ricotta by substituting puréed white beans. Doesn’t distract from the taste and adds fiber!
1. It’s not been a frugal few days-bills, mortgage, mosquito and tick spraying, and allergies are making my eyes hurt and giving me a migraine……
2. The usual-coffee from home, cooking, library books, air drying shirts
3. Going to my sister’s house for a fun weekend
4. watching the french open for entertainment
5. I am not taking a cruise to Alaska, a trip to Europe or renting a beach house for the summer…. (I wish!)
As a combination Star Trek/Wars fan can I say “can’t we all just get along?”
It hasn’t been a super frugal week around here actually. Most of my stuff has been pretty usual. Brought coffee from home. Wore thrifted clothes. Resisted buying very expensive boots for winter even though I do need some, I’m not sure I need to spend $380. Meal planned and wrote a detailed shopping list. Did a detailed budget for the month.
That’s about it.
1. DH and I are packing lunches and water and heading to the mountain tomorrow to hike the auto rode. First, we’ll stop by the library to pick up the free parking pass for state parks as this mountain falls within one. Five bucks is five bucks. The weather looks promising for views and the exercise is needed. Five miles up and down the auto road makes for a great work out.
2. Had my teeth cleaned yesterday, free with our dental insurance. Had to rush out to pick up a grandchild at school so I didn’t get my free toothbrush and floss. Will remind them next time I stop in.
3. Made 12 salads in Ball jars. They keep well for about a week and will cover six nights with each of us having one with dinner.
4. Reading library books. Have not incurred any fines so far this year. On a roll!
5. Lowest electric bill yet…$65.
Can you tell me why you put your salads in a Ball jar?
I saw it on Facebook. Instead of making a salad every night to have with dinner, the post on FB taught a method of making “salads for one” in Ball jars all at once, saving the time of making one every night. I use 12 Ball jars with metal lids and chop up everything I would want in a salad. I then, as evenly as possible, distribute the salad fixings into the jars. I put the lettuce in last. Then when you dump it into a bowl, the lettuce is on the bottom, tomatoes, cukes, olives, radishes, onions, what have you, are on the top. Add salad dressing after it is in the bowl. I find the Ball jars will keep everything crisp for up to eight days.
My frugal five.
We’re haemorrhaging cash here as we moved into our new forever home last month. We’d been putting of most larger purchases for two years while our house was being built eg. Our one car is now 15 years old.
1. Husband saved significant $ when purchasing his much longed for TV. He did this by purchasing a 2017 model, comparison shopping and asking, “what’s your best price?”. He’s very much looking forward to watching the World Cup. I could live without a TV so paying the money hurt a bit but he’s usually a low cost guy so I can’t begrudge him.
2. Winter is coming, down here in the Southern hemisphere. We designed the new house using passive solar principles and have been rewarded with a house that warms up quickly in the morning so on sunny days, no extra heating required during the day.
3. I purchased a coffee machine with about 400 pods for $50 off FB Marketplace. This is frugal because I was starting to buy the occasional take away coffee (because I deserve a treat!). I don’t like the waste of pods but as they were already in the consumption stream I figured I may as well use them as someone else. Justifying I know!
4. We don’t eat out much but now even less since partner was diagnosed as coeliac. I’ve quite enjoyed experimenting with gluten free baking. Banana Bread has been my greatest success.
5. My mother is paying for me to travel interstate for my brother’s birthday. It will be a challenge to keep food costs down, so I’ve started to think about how to economise. I booked our accommodation so made sure breakfast was provided and I’ll take some supplies from home and find the closest supermarket for any extras.
Hi Frugal Aussie– just thought I’d mention that, once your 400 pods are used up, you can buy refillable pods. You fill them with ground coffee then empty and rinse after use. Much cheaper and less garbage.
We purchased a large screen flat TV on Black Friday, about 19 months ago. We too got a great deal. I was skeptical because our old box TV was still working and I felt guilty spending the money on a new one. I am so glad we have it! The overwhelming reason behind this is because we don’t feel a need to go to the movies anymore. We have saved so much on going to the movies. Now we rarely go out to see a movie…in fact, the only times we go are to take grandchildren as a special treat or when we are on vacation and it rains.
The only time we go to the movies is to take Grandma 🙂 It’s a favourite treat for her.
There’s so much to choose from to watch with all the free to air channels that we don’t feel the need for Netflix or any of the paid services. Our library offers DVDs but also 4 downloads per month from Kanopy. I’d rather not watch but as Winter is coming I’ll probably spend more time than I’d like in front of the tellie.
Hi Frugal Aussie,
I am passing along a gluten free chocolate cake recipe. This cake is absolutely delicious and remains moist like regular chocolate cake. I buy the King Arthur Gluten Free flour at Vitacost and wait for their 20% off on food sales. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-chocolate-cake-recipe
Our household is officially on budget lockdown. We have had two weeks of unexpected expenses, but we have been trying to remain level headed and frugal.
Here are my frugal/unfrugal things:
1) I contracted the norovirus on the first evening of our vacation to California, and I couldn’t get out of bed for 48 hours. We postponed visiting family and stayed in our hotel an extra night. Fortunately, we were able to use loyality points to “pay” for our room.
2) DH and I had planned to travel from the mainland to Catalina Island, but I could not make the trip. The Catalina Express which runs the ferry service graciously refunded the cost of our tickets when asked. This was $150!
3) For the most part, we enjoyed inexpensive outdoor activities while on our trip. (Love California weather!) We went to the Cabrillo National Monument and spent several hours tidal pooling with my great niece and nephew. I make mention of this, because I learned about Cabrillo on the NCA. I think it may be have been Bethany who wrote about it.
4) While gone, our refrigerator and freezer quit working and could not be fixed. Thank goodness our son cleaned it out for us. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of frozen assets. We purchased a new refrigerator yesterday. What an eye opener! My husband and I looked passed the extra fancy floor models to find exactly what we were looking for on sale. This saved close to $1000. We didn’t want nor did we need a door in a door, a wifi camera so we could see its contents on our cell phones from the grocery store, or a touch activated light on glass front refrigerator so we could see in.
5) I sold 3 items on eBay. Money for our now anemic emergency fund. (See above). Since our refrigerator won’t come until Tuesday, we borrowed our son’s yeti cooler so we could have a few necessary food items on hand. I am reading a book I purchased at a thrift store for $1.00. We are heading to a state park beach today and using our annual pass.
Happy weekend everyone!
Bee, I’m sorry you were sick for part of your vacation. My husband contracted norovirus while we were on vacation in Las Vegas several years ago, and it’s just the worst! I hope you were able to have some enjoyable experiences to cancel that out.
And I sure do empathize with your #4, the refrigerator/freezer quitting while you were on vacation. That happened to us one year – and it happened during a heat wave. The smell we came back to is one I’ll never forget – but I wish I could!
Thank you, Susanna. After the first two or three days, we had a lovely time. The heat and humidity have begun in earnest here in Florida, and I am so happy when I can escape it. I have thanked my son profusely for cleaning out the refrigerator. He noticed when he came by to care for the cat. I can only imagine how awful that would smell…
1. When we made our last ever car payment 17 years ago, I continued to have the amount of that car payment automatically transferred to a designated “car fund” account each month. It allowed us to pay cash for our new car 6 years ago, and our new truck last year. Since we use it for car repairs as well, it also kept me from fainting/panic/crying/wailing when our car staged a MAJOR breakdown while we were out of town for the holiday weekend (but fortunately in a big city). And this breakdown didn’t blow our “regular” budget, because the car fund could – and did – handle this unplanned and very pricey expense.
2. Found another 35 cents in a Coinstar machine. Actually, my husband did – after my finding as much as $6 at a time in Coinstar coin returns this year, he’s taken to glancing at the coin returns each time we pass one. And he was the one who said “There’s MONEY in there!” this time.
3. Found a dime on the ground in the parking lot that same day. My “found on the ground” jar has over $75 in it for 2018. It’s been a crazy year that way – normally I’m doing good if I have $10 in found money for an entire year.
4. Noticed that a house down the road from us was selling firewood for less than we’ve paid in a long time. We’ll be picking up several truckloads today.
5. We’ll get lots of free exercise loading wood into the truck, unloading wood from truck, again and again and again…and stacking all the wood. No gym membership needed, and I have a feeling we’ll sleep really good tonight – added bonus, especially for me.
1. We still haven’t eaten out. It’s been three weeks. I did attend a potluck the other day. I used chicken breasts from the freezer (purchased at a great price) to make a big pot of pulled chicken. I did buy slider rolls but I chose the brand on sale and a $1 off coupon printed at check out, which I was able to use.
2. I did not drive to the library to return one book that was due on Tuesday. I was not near the library that day nor on Wednesday. I knew I’d be close on Thursday so I stopped then to return the book and happily paid the $.50 fine.
3. My husband needs to start using eye drops. He searched for, and found, a coupon for the brand suggested. I checked online to figure out the cheapest place to buy them locally.
4. Starting this weekend our suburb has free music events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. If we feel like going out it’s a no-brainer.
5. Due to all the rain we’ve had our plants are growing like crazy. Since it’s been warm too it may be a banner years for tomatoes and the like. I’m trying to see the positive, as we’re in the area that suffered severe flooding last weekend. It’s sad to see all the stuff ruined by flooded basements.
I have used the cottage cheese trick before, but I’m so excited about an even better one. We qualify for WIC and so between my 4 kids under 5 we get 16 gallons of milk every month, which is way more than they can drink. I discovered ricotta is SUPER easy to make, and for the cost of a gallon of milk and a half cup of vinegar or lemon juice, you get a full quart of ricotta!! For the first time ever, I made stuffed shells, as well as lasagna with ricotta. It’s finally cost effective!
Ooh . . . I’ll have to try that!
What a great idea! Have you made yogurt too?
I wish I had the option to drink free so-so coffee, but my work unfortunately has a Keurig and I can’t bring myself to use it for the waste factor. I do have a reusable pod for my own grounds though, so it’s still way cheaper than visiting the cafe in the building.
I am still having to reload even for the smallest comment. I’m not trying to sound bitchy, just wanted to make sure you know it’s still happening. I don’t comment as much anymore because it’s frustrating.
Thanks for the reminder to deal with this.
1. Melted down a couple of burned out candles in a small recycled glass jar and used a wax-dipped piece of cotton twine as a new wick. It works fine.
2. Dried my laundered work slacks on the back porch clothes line.
3. My white bras still fit fine, but the iron in the water has discolored the elastic straps. Have not bought replacements because they too will turn color in a year ir so. This is hard because I like pretty underclothes, but we are paying off medical bills and saving like crazy for retirement, so gray straps are contributing to the frugal cause.
4. Packed breakfast and lunch to work every day. Drank free water from the cooler.
5. So glad we keep an old quilt over the sofa to ward off pet hair because one of the dogs was sick on it. The quilt cleaned up fine in the washer and saved the sofa.
Might try either woolite to wash the bras in or add bluing to the rinse water to rid the gray
I started buying only black, grey, or flesh colored bras for this very reason.
I just ordered some replacement straps off Amazon. Since it’s just the straps that discolored, that should keep the bras going a good while longer. The straps are detachable, so I will need to sew a connection at the top and bottom where the new ones attach.
1. My car was hit in a parking lot. Not frugal, but having a 10 year old car is. I shrugged off the small dent and lack of a note. A fancy new car would drive me crazy for precisely this reason. Plus I still love my orange PT cruiser
2. Took my son and his friend to the park and I got them ice cream. My son ordered a small and his friend a large. After a couple of bites, his friend declared he was done and threw it in the garbage. My son shot me a look. Raising a kid who gets it=priceless.
3. After they got good and dirty playing, we drove past the free local water park on the way home. Even though they were in regular clothes, I said Ok. 30 minutes later I had a couple dirty, drenched, exhausted boys in my back seat. Not a single worry about the car’s upholstery- see #1
4. Used my Sears Shop your way points coupled with coupons to make my son’s teacher her end of year gift. A beach tote filled with sunscreen and bug spray and summery stuff. Total cost out of pocket $5
5. Nothing gold plated- but I did buy brass paint to re- do a cool lamp I found for my beach house. It is a great mid century shape, and the metallic paint will make it look super chic and trendy.
1. started tracking my spending again
2. researching colleges to find the best affordability for my upcoming senior
3. making random meals with what is on hand and only went to the store for loss leader grapes and B1G1 bacon
4. using birthday coupons and freebies this week which makes the week cheap and fun
5. hiking nightly with the kids – so peaceful and good free exercise