Five Frugal Things
by Katy on June 11, 2019 · 77 comments
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I sold a few more things on eBay including a vintage frame, a stack of older art magazines from last weekend’s garage sale freebie haul, a wifi enabled scale I got for free and an unopened pair of Rosetta Stone earphones that I picked up at Goodwill.
I finally met the requirements for a health promotion program I’m doing through my insurance and earned a free FitBit. (You already know that my plan is to sell it.) The scale was also through this program.
“You want to send me some free stuff?”
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I received a robo-call from Fred Meyer (Kroger) about a recall on frozen mixed berries that my husband had bought. The instructions were to dispose of the berries and bring the packaging back to to store for a refund. I was stopping in for eggs and milk anyway, so I made sure to swing by customer service for the refund. $4 back into our pockets, and hopefully no Hepatitis A.
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My bedroom has a tendency to get very dusty, which triggers my asthma on a regular basis. The cats are already banned from the room, which helps some, but hasn’t eliminated the issue. So this week I’ve spent a number of hours decluttering the room, organizing the closet, mountaineering the mending pile and then sweeping, vacuuming and wiping everything down.
I’m left with a satisfyingly large bin of Goodwill donations as well as stack of old Mary Engelbreit magazines which got listed on eBay.
The air feels cleaner and the bedroom looks much better. Without spending a dime.
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I used Powell’s credit to pick up the Ursula Leguin’s Catwings series for a friend’s baby shower, I nabbed a gallon of 50%-off milk that doesn’t expire until June 23rd, (woo-hoo!) I listened to a Marian Keyes audiobook through the free Libby app, I reread a library copy of Cait Flanders’ The Year of Less and I’m heading out with my husband to stuff ourselves with 2-for-1 pizzas from Mod Pizza, (they sent an e-coupon through their app) and then enjoy 2-for-1 admission to see Spirited Away at a second-run theater which brings the price down to $2 apiece.
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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 took my daughter garage sale-ing on Friday. She picked up a small drying rack for her college apartment. I bought a new to me watering can which I’ve been in need of and waiting to find at a garage sale. Unfortunately it was used as a planter and had three holes in the bottom. I cut up a wine cork and stuffed it in the holes. It’s working for now and I’ll keep a look out for a better one.
2. I brought lunch in a cooler with us to the garage sales to avoid eating out.
3. I purchased a few things to sell on ebay. I’ve listed those as well as my daughters textbooks. I sold another piece of my broken pool vaccum.
4. I made a gallon of weed killer using vinegar, epsom salts and dawn.
5. I bathed the dog outside using a cloth hose I purchased for that purpose. I hook it up to my laundry room sink for the warm water. It will save me $10 each time ( my bathtub is too deep and hard for me to get her into).
6. I got my hybrid car repaired and can now drive it This will save me money on gas. Hint: hybrids apparently don’t store well. I put my van into storage for now.
1. Spending much time evaluating spending lots of money on progesterone from a compound pharmacy vs CVS. Insurance won’t help with the non CVS drug. Am I being duped into thinking more expensive is better? Common trap to fall into. More research! Comments welcome!
2. Birthday is Friday, sadly I share it with-he-who-shall-not -be-named with orange hair. Friends and family are trying to help me through this difficult day by doing nice things for me . I get a picnic and a boat ride.
3. Found a new pair of running shoes for $39. Had a coupon for $10 off 50. Looked around in the store for a few moments before I smacked myself and paid for shoes and got the heck out of there.
4. Enjoying a free 4 week class at university nearby in starting a business. Very well done.
5. I’ve lost 11lbs and continuing to use SparkPeople app for food and fitness tracking. Exercising with free YouTube videos, walking and biking
As you research your pharmacy options, take a look at the recalls list that the FDA puts out — there’s a category specifically for compounding pharmacies. There are some repeat offenders on there that you would want to steer clear of. Hopefully the ones that you are considering haven’t had issues…
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-inspections-recalls-and-other-actions
Thanks JJ, they ARE on this list. Research time!!
Appreciate the link.
My sympathies re: your #2, Alexandra. But you’ve just let my already wild imagination off the leash with party ideas: Imagine all the “anti-you-know-who” themes you could use! My mind is buzzing.
A. Marie, lol! That would be so much fun! I like the way you think.
A couple of years ago, I saw a you-know-who pinata…
I’ll bet he is just as discouraged he has to share a bday with her.
Have you checked prices on GoodRx.com? I know I get some prescriptions cheaper than what I pay with insurance.
I’m sure he who shall not be named would be equally disappointed to learn he was stuck sharing a birthday with you.
If it’s any consolation, I share a birthday with Adolph Hitler. See….things could be worse…not much…but worse.
1. Stranger Things Frugal- This may seem weird butI have/had several skin tags that bug me by my neck. I can’t stand how they look in the summer with summer shirts on. Several years ago I went to the doctor to have them removed. Currently I don’t want to pay to have this done again and my insurance won’t cover it. Over the years I have tried various homemade remedies to make them come off which can take along time and were not very effective for me dabbing on rubbing alcohol, apple cider vinegar, peroxide at night and in the morning. Just read about dabbing clear nail polish on it and have been pleased with the results. I do it at night while getting ready for bed so it can dry; over a week has been much more effective than the other methods.
2. Washed clothes in cold and on the quick wash setting as we hadn’t really done anything to get dirty/sweaty. Checked on clothes in the dryer 10 minutes early – they were done saving on electricity.
3. Driving daughter around picking up job applications – Saturday dropped off three completed ones and picked up three more – routing it out to save mileage. Sunday drooped off two and she had two job offers, both grocery stores. Very excited for her and should mean a nice discount on groceries for us.
4. Offered to treat daughter to a B1G1 free cheeseburger at Culver’s with a coupon I had while running around after school today doing errands (took daughter to another interview at a pet store who pays more than minimum wage) she turned me down on the burger and said she wanted Mac and cheese, had box at home. 🙂
5. I like to snack at night while watching tv/movies – switched to air popcorn and Crystal light saving money and calories 😉 and I’m not feeling deprived.
6. Very excited I got a bag of peat to use in the garden for half price because the corner was slightly torn, savings of $6 and the store didn’t have to throw it out because the packaging was damaged.
7. Very muggy/humid can hear the neighbors air conditioners humming in use when I take our dog out into the backyard this past week or two. We are using ceiling fans and floor fans, it’s fine. Will turn on with the really high heat/humidity. Weather is so weird yesterday got super hot then super cold, closed all the windows and baked cookies which helped warm the house up and daughter was excited about the cookies, win win! 😉
1. 3rd no drive/no spend day in a row
2. No AC on for over a week now, this is a stroke of luck in the muggy mid Atlantic region this time of year
3. Trash picked a snow shovel from a neighborhood pile by the street
4. Found $1.02 while out on walks this weekend
5. Made a birthday dinner at home with a $5 whole chicken I roasted. It will provide 4 meals for the 3 of us, and countless servings of soup. We also had cake that my MIL sent over for us, along with some potatoes, veggies and biscuits that we provided
Double+ 5FF: Returning to “Normal” Edition
1. Before commencement hoopla commenced, used up gifted ice cream as well as pasteurized eggnog & yogurt that were past their expiration dates & lived to tell about it.
2. On evening of ceremony, was cool enough to bake a take & bake pizza with no prep time. Took previous survey for free cookie dough, stamp card & completed another survey for free item with next purchase.
3. Having a part-time job with no benefits, was VERY surprised to see that my employer provided 1.5 days of vacation time during the week of graduation festivities when I did not work.
4. Visited pet store & used $2.50 perk points on little dog’s grooming & later realized that clerk had not given 20% discount for nonviable insects for geckos’ treats, so trotted back into store & requested refund much to the chagrin of DD. She is a NCA-in progress with some learning ahead of her.
5. Ate party leftovers for the better part of a week with no cooking.
6. Made haste to assemble & return unused/unopened commencement items to Dollar Store for exchange while those items are still in season & on the shelves.
7. Gifted DN (dear neighbor) with opened/unused graduation items of her choice, as well as those received free courtesy of Next Door for her DD who graduates next year.
8. Resisted turning on AC until 6-6 when the outside temp. reached 84 & inside temp. climbed to 80. Turned off AC & opened windows at night once it cooled down outside & only using AC when interior temp is 80.
9. Combined errands & realized I had some type of deal at nearly each stop: Lab work & immunization for DD that should be covered by insurance (part of well child exam); visit to bagel shop as DD had been NPO & used coupon for free bagel with purchase of a beverage for her (I had ice water), along with receiving coffee company points as they sell that particular brand of coffee & participate in their perks program (now have free bagel with cream cheese at coffee shop) ; to PO to pick up new keys to mailbox (NOT frugal) but DD received cards with $ totaling $145.19 when we were finally able to access our mailbox; to Dollar Store to exchange 11 graduation items for food (carefully selected only those items that had value in excess of $1); to card store for Father’s Day cards & used coupon; to gas station to vacuum plant dirt from car trunk & used electronic coupon for free donut on National Donut Day & lastly headed home for lunch & refueling before 2nd leg: return to Dollar Store for exchange of outdated item & used opportunity to purchase 50 cent grad card; to Aldi & big box store (where I found 2 items on bakery clearance rack) without stopping at local grocer & wrapping up at gas station again as they were out of ice previously but able to get a 2nd visit point in one day – 2 points away from earning 3 hamburgers/chicken sandwiches with fixings that will make a meal for DH & myself.
10. Received home store rebate for store credit from recent purchase. Not a huge amount but placed on fridge as memory reminder.
11. Combined trip to metro (40+ miles round trip) for 3 appts. (1 eye/2 dentist) between DD & myself, utilizing new vision & dental insurances.
Lisa, your #4 (about the insects for the geckos) reminds me of happy times back in the early 1960s, when as an 8-year-old tightwad owner of a pet store “chameleon” (actually an anole lizard), I used to go into our local grocery’s produce section and swat the abundant supply of flies for the lizard’s care and feeding. As you can imagine, the produce manager wasn’t too happy about me or my fly swatter.
A. Marie, your fly story is hilarious. When DD & her neighbor friend were younger, they went through a phase of keeping frogs during the summer with eventual release back into nature. The neighbor attempted to capture fruit flies around bananas to feed her frog. While certainly thrifty & creative, darned near impossible d/t the fruit flies’ microscopic size…
We are on vacation this week, which started with a 9 hour drive.
These FFT helped us get there:
1. We made breakfast burritos the day ahead. We packed sandwiches and sliced fruit for lunches.
2. I let the teens pick out an unusual amount of candy and snacks ahead of time, so no begging for food on the road.
3. We stopped at public rest stops for bathroom and stretching breaks. (No temptation to buy food there)
4. The kids downloaded entertainment ahead of time to keep them busy on the road.
5. We had planned to stop for dinner on the road, but we made good time and went straight to the condo. By the time we got unpacked, no one wanted to get in the car again so my “just in case” meal of pasta and sauteed veggies came in handy.
1. i went to visit my mom over the weekend and i told her i wanted to visit winco after reading about it i here, so we went and i stocked up there. the town my mom lives in is cheaper and has lower sales tax than where i live so i often stock up there.
2. used an amazon credit to buy a new bra which i really need. the price had gone down about 40% since i added it to my WL.
3. last night i made a cheap meal with beans and fixin’s and i am having the leftovers tonight.
4. currently reading a library book on my kindle.
5. bought a $45-50 bottle of foundation for $20 on ebay when my nearly empty makeup bottle broke recently.
1. It has been very hot here last couple of days. Have been spending more time at home midday, puttering around house, moving things around, deep cleaning, pulling things out for upcoming garage sale. I even cleaned out the freezer and made a list of meals I could make from forgotten foods buried below. It was soooo nice having my face in that freezer.
2. Walked Chihuahua twice at the beach in exchange for 2 free Pilates classes. Love the classes but would never pay the $35 per session, so the barter works for me. Walked a neighbor’s dog, along with my dog, in the redwoods one day. Neighbor paid me with a very, very nice bottle of wine.
3. Picked up bottles and cans around elementary school near my house (while I walked my own dog). Trash cleanup and will turn them in for some cash when the bucket is full. Free money.
4. Reading ‘Little Book of Hygge’ from library. Enjoying it very much. Signed family up for Library Summer Reading Program to win prizes. Listening to free Podcasts while I putter around the house. Loving “By The Book” Podcast.
5. Using water from full rain barrel to fill bird bath daily and to water potted plants, water compost/worms, and tomato plants. Oh, found some Wool Balls at the grocery outlet store and bought them. Not Non-Consumer but Frugal. Shortening Dryer time for clothes. Trying to hang some clothes, too.
1. Participating in the public library’s summer reading program. While I’ve already earned a notebook or paperback, what I’m really angling for is the 2 free baseball tickets. I already know who I’m going to give them to.
2. Seeing how little canned chicken I can add to the dog’s kibble. He liked the kibble so when it was cheap I bought about 100 lbs of it. Then he had to go on a chicken-and-rice diet and now he no longer wants the kibble. I think that once he got a taste of the good stuff, he’s holding out for it.
3. Listed lawn furniture I haven’t used in years, on Craigslist. This is a big deal for me – I talk about selling things but dislike the process so much I rarely do it. So far people have offered me ONE-THIRD of my asking price on several items. I know people try to bargain but is asking for 67% off really a normal thing?
4. Packing my breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverage for a week-long class. You can bet that I’ll be submitting for mileage reimbursement as well.
5. Made dinner tonight instead of buying, despite being really rushed for time.
WilliamB: We had a dog who did that but I found that if I poured some chicken broth on his kibble he was just as happy as if I had used real chicken. We always have broth in the freezer, so was a much cheaper alternative.
Ditto adding some chicken broth to the kibble
WilliamB, same here on the chicken broth: little dog goes crazy & always finishes her kibble if broth is added.
Re #3, I have been amazed what customers will offer at a garage sale, especially since my neighbor & I price items ridiculously cheap to move them out of our garages. I’m talking like 75% – if something is $1, they will offer a quarter. It got so extreme, that we now have a policy that we will lower prices on the final day only (excluding large items, definitely more flexible on those prices).
I sometimes get low-ball offers on FaceBook selling groups. I simply tell people I can’t accept it at this time.
It is weird though!
I have an old dog who refuses to eat unless we put a little something on his food. He also loves broth, chicken and rice. However, he will eat most things except fruit.
Dogs do develop eating habits that are hard to break. My son found our sweet boy roaming the streets of Savannah. He appears to have spent his early life unloved and subsisting on whatever he could find. I think he developed a taste for “human” food.
Bee – thanks for rescuing this dog, all of our dogs have been cocker spaniel rescues. Awesome dogs and we have loved every one of them. Our of previous, now deceased rescues, would not eat his kibble without some wet food and broth would not do. It’s funny, but dogs are often like humans. We have 2 rescues now and one eats any type of food (dog or human) and the other is so picky.
I sold a washer recently, and for a couple of weeks I only had lowball offers. Then I suddenly had a guy who was really excited about it, offered full price, showed up right away. Hang in there!
A friend of mine swears she will never had a yard sale again….at her last one (before moving to a new home), a woman asked her about kid’s clothes. Friend dug out the bin of clothes she had already put away, as it was near the end of the sale. She was selling the clothes for 25 cents apiece, and the woman turned up her nose, because the clothes were “used”. Really??
Liz B., I think what your friend & I have encountered at garage/yard sales is when the fine line is crossed between frugality & loving a great deal to just plain outright being cheap & wanting something for nothing. Then it is insulting. Sometimes I need to reign in my frugal tendencies to avoid going to the cheap side. I totally get your friend’s irritation as many of my basic kids’ clothes are priced at 25 cents as well.
Lisa M., so true. My friend was quite offended by this shopper….and annoyed that she went to the trouble to dig out the bin for nothing. I always have to curb my impulse to go to the cheap side, but am always grateful when a seller *offers* me an extra-good deal.
I buy some canned food for our dogs just to make kibble topper. A heaping soup spoon of canned food stirred up in some warm water and mixed in their dry kibble does the trick.
One of our dogs has multiple food allergies, so we will do whatever it takes to get her to eat and not waste her expensive food.
Ruby, we do the same thing with little dog’s breakfast. It is extremely important that she start eating first thing in the AM, otherwise unpleasant gastrointestinal issues ensue. We give her 4 small meals to keep her tummy full for the same reason but she will often ingest later meals without needing canned food that has been warmed mixed in with her kibble. It is true that dogs are unique & diets may need to be modified for each individual dog.
1. We had a three day weekend (Queens Birthday Holiday). My husband and I used it to build a retaining wall. Doing this large job ourselves saved us in the realm of $12,000 AUD. I’ll be posting pics about how we did it at my gardening blog at https://parttimegardener.wordpress.com if anyone is interested.
2. I’ve made a big decision to work from home as a freelancer. My teenage kids require more attention than I can give them as a full-time working mother. Expect many more interesting frugal tales than “I didn’t buy coffee today.” I’ve dragged out my old copy of The Tightwad Gazette on preparation.
3. I divided a bunch of rhubarb plants and have some away. I replanted many extra plants. I cooked two big rhubarb crumbles over a couple of days.
4. I made a delicious pork and Jerusalem artichoke casserole from the artichokes my neighbor gave me, and used the leftovers for pies the next day. It was a big hit.
5. I struck some indoor plants from spider plants and devils ivy. My brother has had to move from his beloved garden and wants some greenery around him. I want another devils ivy inside. Free plants!
Mand: Good luck on your decision to freelance and work from home. I also love Amy D and her practical thinking books!
Cheering you on, as you begin this new stage! Looking forward to reading your updates. Go team go!
Patricia/USA
And twice for effectiveness! 😀
Thank you 🙂 I hope it works. Thanks to general frugality over the years I know we can manage on my husband’s income if need be – but I am pretty confident I can also contribute with my own skill set. I am looking forward to the new challenge, and to being more available for my teens than my 40-60 hour a week job could allow me to ever be.
1. Doing some extra grading so as to earn vacation money. Taking a nerdy trip to VA to Monticello, Williamsburg, Mt Vernon, then up to Gettysburg and Antietam. Should earn enough to cover the whole trip so savings won’t be touched!
2. Started cooking at home. Part of me wants to be vegan for health and ethics but another part of me really does find meat and dairy to be something that when I have and cook it at home, I don’t eat out. I enjoy cooking with them. I have to make a decision (at this moment) if I want to be ideal me or real me. I’ve tried this on and off for 8 years and I don’t think I’m any closer to being 100% vegan than when I began and I’m just tired of beating myself up about it.
To that end, in the last three days, I have had homemade beef stew and cornbread three times.
2. I also signed up for Blue Apron which I have tried before and did enjoy. Since we do like fancy food, I figure cooking three sort of fancy meals together is still cheaper than eating out and it is quality time spent together.
3. using Ibotta. I think in about 3 weeks, I have gotten $4 but that’s just from buying things I normally would buy anyway.
4. It’s nice out so I have the AC off and windows open.
5. Watching stuff on Hulu and Prime so I don’t go out to the movies. Also listening to an audiobook from the library on James K Polk and the Mexican War.
I started using Ibotta the first of April and I just hit the $20 mark. I too only buy what I use regularly. I wonder if there is a secret. Regardless, I figure that it was money that I didn’t have before. Good luck!
I’ve been using Ibotta for maybe 3 years now, and have earned maybe $250. Which I’m not complaining about at all, because it’s all stuff I would’ve bought anyway. I pretty much only use it for grcoery shopping, and the very occasional Groupon, so I earn pretty slowly.
Our library has a book called VB6 and the concept is that you eat a vegan diet daily until 6pm….
1. One more room’s screens and windows washed. Several left to go but we will make it around the house eventually for free.
2. Returned 2 items we weren’t going to use – $7.25 back in pocket. Ordered sunscreen for a savings of $4.25 of going to CVS and buying.
3. Washed the dog myself and for good measure brushed her teeth. She loves baths so I should do it more often.
4. We went to see Rocketman on $6 Tuesdays which is even cheaper than senior price. Really enjoyed the movie!
5. Planning a home cooked meal for Father’s Day with son and DIL. Hubby gets to plan the menu and do nothing.
FFT, Old Folks Keeping Busy Edition:
(1) DH and I picked up 27 pennies from where some passing high school kid dumped them in the street. Hey, punk, if you don’t want those pennies, we do.
(2) I made an excellent tuna salad from one of the three 12-ounce cans of Bumble Bee albacore we recently trashpicked–and we’re not dead yet.
(3) This past Saturday, DH and I drove up to a town on the opposite side of the county, where we (a) walked a trail at the nature center there, (b) attended a plant sale at the nature center, and (c) scored several excellent finds at this town’s branch of the Rescue Mission/Thrifty Shopper chain. (Two pairs of Lane Bryant jeans in my hard-to-find size at $8 each, and a case of Ball 12-oz. jelly jars with lids still in the shrink wrap for $5, were the best scores.)
(4) This past Sunday, Dr. and Ms. Bestest Neighbor offered their showplace garden as one stop on a garden tour benefiting a local park. They also had a “free garden stuff” table of pots, plants, and supplies they were offloading, and invited us to contribute. I cheerfully donated several superfluous hand tools, a number of metal plant supports I no longer use, and other things. C**p out of the house, at any rate.
(5) My front yard “urban farm” across the street from the BNs came in for some attention from the garden tourists, and I had to explain to several folks my use of stinky deodorant soaps in plastic berry baskets as a deer deterrent. (None of the plants with this protection have been nibbled so far. Thank you, Irish Spring…)
$8 for Lane Bryant jeans! Wow! Excellent find!
1. All meals have been at home the past week. I’m not buying much more than produce when I stop at the grocery store.
2. We’re giving things away on Freecycle.org. My husband trash picked a boom box at work that generated a lot of interest. I’m so happy it stayed out of the landfill, as well as several items.
3. I mended some sweaters before washing them and putting them away for the summer.
4. We attended a local concert the other night. The weekend concerts are free but we always donate to the venue, to help with maintenance.
5. I hung out with a couple friends this afternoon. We had an informal lunch and were entertained by the 18 month old one friend is nannying once a week.
1. I’ve been on a decluttering mission since hubby left last Thursday. With the help of a friend’s grandson I dejunked the garage and loft. The back of my SUV was filled with things for the assistance league thrift store which I dropped off today.
2. Through dejunking I was able to consolidate items and have 3 plastic tubs I can use for the remaining decor
3. I have a few items on FB marketplace with no buyers yet. I did sell 3 dog crates for a friend
4. I’ve been eating breakfast and lunch from the pantry. Finally went and picked up some veggies, salmon patties and hamburger patties.
5. Started a bag of garage sale items.
I need to do a good bedroom/house cleaning like you, but it is not happening anytime soon….lol. 1. I love my couch. I am like a kid in a candy store. Turns out the men who delivered it are my neighbors so I feel even better about buying local ( as local as you can get since I live 20 miles from the store in the boonies)….. I am just glad I helped in a small way to keep my neighbors employed. 2. I mended the small torn part with a very small piece of black duct tape. It was worth the $250 discount. 3. My neighbor gave me lots of cucumbers and I passed some on to a co-worker. 4. Took my lunch to work, as always. 4. I am eating the homemade potato salad, BBQ beans with hamburger, and, of course, cucumber salad for supper this week. 5. I took a nap on my new couch. Ok, I will shut up about the couch.
Obviously, I cannot count, type on phone, nor make complete sentences at the end of the day. I mended the small torn spot on the couch, which was the reason for the discount.
Glad to see you so happy with your couch purchase. I waited along time to get a great deal on one myself and I just love it.
It is great that you were able to buy locally and support a small business. Love it!
Not sure what your couch is made of, but I had good results repairing my black naugahyde with a bike tire repair patch.
Fabulous idea! Thank you!
1. Cooking wins: Made supper the last couple of days from leftovers – goal not often reached is to use them all up!. Chef salads from the last of the lettuce plus lots of raw veggies and a little cheese and cold cuts. Also last night potato pancakes with homemade rhubarb sauce i instead of applesauce. Big hit!
2. Added food scraps and leaves to compost barrel.
3. I am also in the process of cleaning out my bedroom, but unlike Katy and others, am not finished and still living in the midst of chaos.
4. Looking forward to bathing our rather large dog in the kiddie pool when the weather warms up a little. In the meantime he received a “spit bath” when he got too close to a decaying squirrel carcass.
5. Another food win: Bought some hard and sour apricots on sale. Left them out for a few days and voila – soft! Added a little sugar and everything turned out better than I expected.
Addition: Library finally got “Putin’s World” in stock so I will read it for my book club next week.
I don’t have a large dog. Once our temps are in the 90s plus like today I just use the garden hose as the water is solar heated to wash our dog. I put her back in the crate to let the medicated shampoo do it’s thing. Then back out to the driveway to rinse her and back into the crate to air dry
She’s a 42 lb bulldog so short hair
When we had our 168 pound Irish wolfhound, my husband would take him into our walk in shower and the two of them would shower together. I would stand guard in case the dog tried to escape. Both of them had curly grey hair and sometimes I could not tell which head I was looking at through the curtain!
By this weekend hopefully there will be really warm weather here in Minnesota and dog can get his bath. I am just thankful he doesn’t stink!
You had a productive week!!!
1. For the past few years, I’ve had all my skirts and dresses packed away in a Sterilite tub. If I wanted to wear one, I had to iron (not an easy feat when you have a daughter who is a cross between a hurricane and an earthquake). With my back and hip pain, pants often hurt, so this weekend, when I finally had the perfect storm of energy, time alone, and less pain, I spent three hours ironing everything in the tub, then hanging it all up on the clothing bar my husband hung for me earlier this year. My wardrobe has practically doubled overnight to stuff that’s far more comfortable for me to wear, and for only the cost of some time, a few bucks for the brackets and bar, and a really nasty next day for me because standing for that long hurts like crazy. But hey, clothes!
2. I now have an empty Sterilite tub, which I will move my jeans into and free up some space in my closet!
3. My refrigerator is practically empty. We only spent…about forty dollars on groceries last week, which is not bad for four people.
4. I spent a good portion of the weekend reading Living More With Less by Doris Janzen Longacre, author of the More With Less Cookbook. It’s a fabulous book on the ethics and ideals of living more sustainably. It gave me the kick-in-the-attitude that I’ve been needing lately.
5. Dropped two books off at Little Free Libraries near us. My daughter brought one home. 🙂
Have a great week, everyone!
1) We went to the Pride parade. Free. Found $10 on the ground. Skipped the festival. Been there, done that. Saved $20.
2) Received a quality reusable grocery bag and a coupon for Blue Bunny ice cream won in sweepstakes.
3) Worked with hubby and have a plan for going through boxes in the garage. The previous plan of someday we will go through boxes never happened so it was necessary to have a plan. Some things will be listed for sale, some will be donated, and some will go back in boxes for another time.
4) Hubby’s garden has been bountiful and we have been able to incorporate fresh picked veggies into our meals. Blanching and freezing the rest. OMG the snap peas are so sweet it is like eating candy.
5) Drove about an hour away for a three mile round trip hike to waterfalls. We ate before we left, snacked there on homemade trail mix, and ate lunch when we returned home.
Bonus frugal: Reading library ebook Girl! Wash your face.
Could someone curate a list of suggested books I see people posting about? I don’t know if its been done here, but I would appreciate having them all in one post.
Thank you
Agreed – please! That would be awesome.
I loved The Year of Less. Cait Flanders certainly transformed her life. It is inspiring. After an uninspired week, I am wondering if it is time to read it again.
1) I am doing some work for a friend this week who needs my help with her business. I will make a little extra money which will be maximized because I will car pool as well as bring my lunch and drinks from home.
2) eBay has been rather slow. However, I have acquired several items for resale which I plan to list today. I am afraid that I spent a little too much on these items and my profit margin will not be impressive. 🙁 I have been reselling for 20 years and I still occasionally make a mistake.
3) I saved an old silver trophy in the shape of an urn from the landfill yesterday. I saw it gleaming in the afternoon sun when walking the dog. After I get it cleaned up, I will determine if I will sell it or keep it. It would be beautiful with a white orchid in it.
4) I am still reading my copy of The Goldfinch which was 20 cents at GW. At nearly 800 pages, it is taking a while. I am watching Last Tango in Halifax on Prime. I missed it on PBS the last time around. I am running and exercising at the Y almost exclusively now other than the early morning and evening walk with the dog. Summer weather in Florida can be just awful.
5) I don’t have a 5th, I have really fallen of the frugal wagon this week. My confession –I had an expensive lunch out with a friend followed by a trip to the thrift store where I bought some lovely clothing items that I did not need. (Clothes are a weakness, but I am working on it.) Then I came home to my house where I keep the AC down really low, because as I mention before, summer weather can be just awful in Florida. ( 99% humidity and 80 degrees at 7 am this morning). I did, however, eat leftovers for dinner.
Have a great week everyone!
I work in South Alabama, and live an hour north of where I work, in South/Centralish (if that is even a word…lol) so I totally understand about the 99% humidity and 80 degrees at 7 a.m….some days it is hard to even think. I work, I think it is about an hour and a half north of Pensacola so…..
Bee
Don’t feel bad about falling off the wagon from time to time, or spending money for things you really want. While I try to be the non-consumer, recycler, reuser, repurposer, etc., I do spend money on things or experiences we want to enjoy. Case in point, recently spend several hundred dollars on concert tickets to get awesome seats, although I could have bought less expensive ones. Why? We wanted them and wanted to truly enjoy the show. Our family worked hard for many years and there are things we want to do. But, we pick and chose those most important to us. We can’t always be a non-consumer and should not be as consumerism is what drives our economy.
1) Bought a wedding gift card at the grocery store that gives me $$ off the price of gas.
2) Bought the wedding card to put the gift card into at the Dollar Tree for 50 cents.
3) My wonderful sister gave me a hosta to plant (free!).
4) We rearranged outdoor furniture and ended up with a metal table we no longer needed. It came with the cottage when we bought it. Put a free sign on it and the neighbor next door took it.
5) Checking the Ibotta app more regularly to ensure I am earning as much as I can. I only use it for items I was going to buy anyway.
But if you keep the fitbit, you can pair it with the Achievement app and get paid for walking! http://tinyurl.com/y7sr4bn3
Of course, it would take longer to get the amount of steps necessary to match the price of selling it, but still! It’s a nice little incentive.
Good to know!
I wear a fit bit all the time. My husband’s company puts money in our HSA when we reach step goals — up to $400 annually and we get a rebate on our health insurance. Are there in incentives for walking? Those walks to the grocery store could be worth $$$$. If you don’t mind being monitored.
You can also link a FitBit to the Walgreens app. Steps=Balance Rewards points.
1. Closed up the house in the morning three days this week, to keep the AC off during our heaatwave. On the really hot day, the family went to the library for a couple of bouts in the afternoon.
2. Got free pain meds for the dog, after his neuter surgery. He was uncomfortable yesterday morning, and I called. No response from the vet. I called back 6 hours later, they gave free meds. Now he is back to his old self. 🙂 We got the official word yesterday that no community groups want him, so out Guide Puppy is officially ours!
3. My husband has been working on fixing the landscape water. The timer wasn’t working for one area. After a couple of trips to Home Depot, he figure that he can run a short stretch of wire to a shed, put the timer there, and call it a day, instead of buying a new wireless timer. (The old wire went under a wall that wasn’t there when we started watering, all those years ago.) This is two major wins for him this week!
4. Eating out of the pantry this week. I didn’t have time to run to the grocery, except for milk last week. We still have plenty of food!
5. Drying and freezing loquats off our tree. I planned to make jam out of the frozen ones, but my daughter found out they make a great snack frozen, so I’ll be freezing even more while they’re still in season.
Bonus: Watched all 6 episodes of Good Omens yesterday, while avoiding the heat and cutting up loquats. Used my mom’s Prime account.
We binge watched Good Omens too! Very enjoyable!
1. Wrote out a check and mailed it for our water bill, instead of paying online, which adds about $2-3 cost to the bill each month. Since they provide the envelope (which I have plenty of anyway), the only cost is the stamp and could walk to the mailbox. Years ago, I was able to snatch from the trash a lot of white envelopes with the wrong return logo when my former employer changed names and have used them ever since.
2. Again, before running errands, I was tempted with getting a Starbucks Cold Brew. But we had left over coffee after breakfast, so I made my own latte version before I left home. Used some milk (found a Kroger brank quart of milk for 50 cents, due to a quick expiration date) and on hand sweetener and probably saved $3-5 on a Starbucks purchase.
3. Returned an item back to Kohl’s that only cost $6.50, as I was running errands.
4. Had to get something notarized, and our bank does it for free and consolidated this errand with a post office trip, which saved both gas and time. Bank also has free coffee, however, I had my iced latte so I passed on that. Next time.
5. Stopped at Goodwill to get some blank greeting cards for a friend, which they occasionally have. No cards, but instead got 2 books for 25 cents each (one is a travel book from 2014 and has info on a place where my husband will be going out of the country), a package of pencils for 79 cents (we never have pencils at the house) and a gardening tool for $3.99, which normally sells for $10-15.
Having a staycation vacation week this week and getting a lot of heavy housecleaning and chores/repairs done. Our vacation spending thus far has been a dollar for a locking nut to repair the garage door. The Mister and I have cleaned and organized the garage, using what we had on hand, cut a huge pile of brush out of the backyard, painted some things using our awesomely organized stash of paint and brushes, and used our collection of old towels to wash windows. ETA for finishing the chore list is tomorrow, so that we have a few days to rest and enjoy a beautiful yard and sparkling clean house.
I really need to declutter an dust my room too, thanks for the inspiration.
1) No-spending day today. Plus found a dime and a penny on the ground over the past 24 hours.
2) Dh needed to get to the airport and the timing didn’t work for me to come home and get him from where I was working. We exhausted options of other people taking him. He was going to Uber, but it would be $60 from our house! Wow! He ended up driving close to where I was working and then I drove him to the airport. My dd and I went to pick up his car later. Yes it was time and gas money, but way cheaper than $60.
3) My nephews spent the night last night and I cooked from scratch for dinner (even getting them to eat a few veggies). I dropped them off downtown and they spent their own money on junk food to go with their Netflix movie watching last night. Cheap entertainment and I was glad they could get together.
4) Meijer opened up near me and is quite the competition for our other high priced grocery stores. I am going to either Meijer or the competition that is trying to keep up and scoring lots of deals! 1/2 gallons of milk for $0.78, Yoplait yogurt for $0.45 each, pints of blueberries for $0.99, bananas for $0.28 a lb, etc. I am loving this and so is my wallet.
5) My dd is traveling out of the country and needed some vaccines. I was shocked when my insurance did not charge me anything for them!
1. We took a small vacation to an indoor water park to celebrate our 10 year anniversary as well as celebrate the end of the school year with our kids. The frugal part is that we packed our own food and drinks. I also purchased souvenirs for the kids ahead of time on Ebay. I was shocked at the price in their store for the same thing.
2. The frugal part of being married for 10 years is that over those 10 years my hubby has become a couponer and saver. When we were first married, he bought only name brands and never would imagine buying the store brand! Wow how things have changed in 10 years. He has even agreed to a few thrift store clothing finds!
3. Saved ourselves some serious cash by asking a simple plumber to come in and help us with replacing our bath/shower. One company quoted us $11K while this plumber is only $4K! We have some serious demo work to do on our own but that will help us with saving on labor costs.
4. Sold some of the new/vintage Barbie doll clothing on Ebay. It’s amazing what people collect/cherish.
5. Summer is upon us and thankfully our town pool is amazing. I had to buy summer pool passes for my kids summer camp, so we just purchased a family pass. We’ve already spent hours enjoying our time there. (and maybe we’ve spent some money at the snack stand!)
1) Leftovers from lunch. The very empty fridge yielded a surprisingly healthy and delicious lunch.
2) I got an email about the health insurance waiver from my university, and almost immediately trashed it because I am moving on in the fall for a fellowship at another university, through which I should get health insurance. Then I remembered the horror story you shared about missing the waiver deadline when one of your kids went to college and that I will technically still be enrolled in the first college. I saved the email and made a note of the deadline for when we are pricing health insurance.
3) I sucked it up and cleaned our bathroom really thoroughly last night. For years we have airbnbed our house, and so a cleaning person or myself has been forced to clean it before guests. Now that we have stopped offering our home on airbnb there is never a time it has to get done, so it doesn’t. I will always choose “work on dissertation” or “sleep” over “clean bathroom.” But it had gotten bad, and I really want to save money on not having a cleaning person this summer.
4) Our internet agreement was up. I’ve always been able to politely reason with Comcast about why their rate should be competitive with Verizon, but they couldn’t match Fios this time. So we switched and will save about $30/month. Now we have to deal with the pain in the butt of situating internet boxes and getting all our devices on the new network, but we’ll get it worked out eventually. Then I put a reminder on my calendar a few weeks before my introductory offer ends to call and politely remind them that I would like a low rate.
5) I admitted that the adorable heels I bought from ThredUp don’t fit, which means in reality I won’t wear them even though I want to think I will. I’ll return them for store credit, which will cost me the reasonable $2 restocking fee, and keep looking for a pair of heels to wear to a wedding this summer.
I’m happy that my family’s unnecessary health insurance nightmare prompted good for others! If I can’t be a role model, at least I can be a cautionary tale!
1. Found $1.43 in change so far today (and, it’s only 10am).
2. My 17yo son is commuting to work with me this summer as an intern in my office.
3. Hand washed a turmeric stain out of my favorite shirt. I didn’t think it would work, but Bath & Body Works hand soap for the win!
4. Sold a Delta Airline gift card on eBay. Got it as an incentive & won’t use it myself.
5. Found a bunch of snacks (trail mix, cereal, Kind bars) at Walgreens for 90% off. Hello, Father’s Day gift basket 🙂