Five Frugal Things

by Katy on September 27, 2024 · 51 comments

  1. I was extremely frugal over the ten days that my mother was in the hospital for her cardiac surgery. I made sure to eat a filling breakfast before leaving the house each morning, (bulk purchased bowls of oatmeal, sprinkled with homemade brown sugar!) and I packed boring but serviceable PB&J sandwiches for lunch. Dinners were either $6 Costco food court chicken Caesar salads or I just waited to eat until I got home around 9:30-10:00. I carried my ever present reusable water bottle. Most days I also threw a banana into my purse.

    When I was a hospital nurse, my motto was “I’m here to make money, not spend it!” and I guess that mindset lingers on.

    My mother is now recovering at a skilled nursing facility that’s conveniently located around ten minutes from the house. Perfect for shorter and spontaneous visits.

  2. I mixed up a batch of no-knead artisan bread last night and molded the dough into four small loaves instead of one big one. I wanted to bring fresh bread to my mother without it being an overwhelming amount. It turned out exactly as I’d envisioned and I’ll absolutely repeat this process. Homemade bread always feels like alchemy, as such humble ingredients, (flour, salt, water and yeast) transform into absolute perfection!

  3. • I started listening to Kalaine Bradley’s The Ministry of Time audiobook through the library’s free Libby app.
    • I used my garbage picked GEM canning jar as a vase for flowers.
    • I gave my free-from-the-library Connie Chung tickets to my friend Lise, who then used them with her daughter.  I’m relieved these tickets didn’t go to waste and that she said it was a really fun evening. Apparently Connie Chung is super funny. Who knew?
    • I gave my son a hand broom and dustpan that I garbage picked a couple months ago. I ran it through the dishwasher with a few other grody items first though.

  4. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }

Megan September 27, 2024 at 5:16 pm

Glad your mom is recovering and that she has you by her side!

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Jennifer September 27, 2024 at 5:24 pm

I’m so happy your mom is on the mend at a SNF! Your bread is beautiful.

1. Our school read The Wild Robot (5th grade only) and today is opening day of the movie. All of 5th grade went. It was fantastic and wholesome – and free for me as a para in the school.

2. Packed a lunch of random items around the house – it made no sense but it worked and I was not hungry.

3. Spent time going through the grocery ads, the store coupons and my ibotta app to make a detailed list of the best deals as well as stuff we need. Clearly based on #2 I need to go grocery shopping.

4. We are in the no AC and no heat season and I’m loving it. After a very high electric bill last month (flooded basement and had to rent industrial fans to dry everything for days) I really need a low utility month.

5. We cooked at home all week long. I have been very good about eating at home since being gone so much of the summer and fall and having to eat out a lot. I have no desire for restaurant food.

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Val September 27, 2024 at 6:11 pm

I’m glad your mom is recovering well and has moved to a skilled nursing facility that is closer to you and will be easier for visits. I hope she continues to improve every day.
You did really well staying frugal food-wise even with all the stress of your mom’s hospitalization. Kudos! You rock.

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Selena September 27, 2024 at 6:13 pm

Despite the supposed absolutely horrid economy, apparently there is a gullible market for $100K watches courtesy of our resident grifter.
Glad to hear your mom is doing well. Bonus that she’s recovering so close to your house.

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Fru-gal Lisa September 28, 2024 at 7:32 am

I had some frugal fun at that grifter’s expense: I forwarded the online articles about the watches to some friends and we had a big laugh. Of course, you can also get a lesser model for $499. I think I will stick with the plain one I got ages ago at Walmart, esp. since it is not supporting the convicted felon.

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Christine September 29, 2024 at 5:04 pm

I saw the ad too. Dignity has left him if indeed it was ever there. I guess just a mule in a horse’s harness.

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Merry Schiff September 27, 2024 at 6:28 pm

Glad your mom is recovering well. Its not easy for the parent or child no matter how old
Have you posted a recipe for the bread? My wrists are fused so can’t knead. I’d love a recipe that I can make easily.
Thank you so much for your teachings

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kathy September 27, 2024 at 6:34 pm

Glad your mom is on the mend near you
Not especially frugal however this past week we’ve eaten out several times wit poor quality food. So I’ve nicely shared it and have had it taken off our bill

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Kara September 27, 2024 at 7:32 pm

I’m on my monthly visit to grandkids, my son is out of town for part of this visit (planned for me to be here so I could help his wife). I bring my own food, so that’s frugal. I usually go to Costco and buy them a few things, which I did today. No plastic toys or dollar store junk for the kids, but I’m happy to pay for some food. I also brought some free printed worksheets and activities which my grandson loves. I got the color ones printed for free at my library.
2. Drove the cheaper-to-run car, though it’s much less comfortable.
3. My husband exists on eggs on toast or Costco pizza while I’m gone, so that’s pretty frugal too.
4. Told my son-in-law about cost plus pharmacy where his meds would be a quarter of the price he pays through Amazon pharmacy.
5. Brought plants for my son and daughter. I’ve raised all of them from cuttings or I’ve dug up volunteer plants. Frugal for me that I no longer have to water all of them. Frugal for them because they just got over $100 worth of plants for free.
I’m glad your mom is onto her next phase of recovery!

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Cathy September 27, 2024 at 8:17 pm

How good you were able to spend so much time at he hospital with your mom, and I hope her recovery goes really well so she can be home soon.

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Co ra l Clarke September 27, 2024 at 8:47 pm

Glad the hospital bit is over for you, I have had a lot of that in the last year with my daughter, so I know how stressful and tiring it is.So good to see her on the road to recovery! Is it your house or her house she is currently close to?One of my favourite frugal comforts is damp cellulose kitchen sponge, with a drop or two of lavender in a ziplock bag by the bed, so refreshing!

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Marilyn September 27, 2024 at 11:19 pm

So glad to hear your mother is out of the hospital. Hope she will be home soon. I think a bowl of oatmeal (with raisins in my case) is a really satisfying breakfast. And PB&J sandwiches are true classics. My one frugal success this week: I found the new Richard Osman book (We Solve Murders) on the Lucky Day table at the library. Can’t wait to read it.

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Heidi Louise September 28, 2024 at 10:30 am

My husband regularly watches Richard Osman’s “House of Games”, game show, on YouTube. Makes us feel smart to beat the celebrities. New season just started. Osman was previously the co-host on “Pointless”, also on YouTube, but left that show a year ago. Perhaps obviously, I am writing from the U.S., as this would not be news to those in the U.K.

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KathyP September 28, 2024 at 2:35 am

So glad your mum is recovering and now easier to visit. Bread as a get well gift, perfect. May you all keep well and frugal! Xxx

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Jean C September 28, 2024 at 3:41 am

So glad to see your post and the positive news it contains.

Yes – something magical about homemade bread for sure.

Good bread and cheese is my idea of a gourmet meal.

I have been making a big batch of steel cut oats and then using a little each day. Is it my imagination or are steel cut oats more fulling than regular or old fashioned oats? We have apple trees, but don’t spray them so our apples are not at all pretty but are still delicious once peeled, sliced and sautéed with cinnamon and sugar. I add the apples to my oatmeal and it is a treat.

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Peg September 28, 2024 at 4:47 am

So glad to hear your mom has been discharged and is recovering nearby! Something I recently learned is it’s not necessary to preheat the Dutch oven when making no-knead bread! I read about it in an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated. Who knew? I’m not a think outside the box baker and it would have never dawned on me.

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Christine September 29, 2024 at 5:14 pm

Thanks Peg. I will skip preheating the Dutch oven next time I make no-knead bread. My recipe calls for it to preheat for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. That’s a lot of electricity!

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Elizabeth M September 28, 2024 at 5:35 am

I’m so glad your mom is recovering well! And it’s wonderful that you were able to be by her side in the hospital.

1. Used up over ripe bananas by making muffins; reduced the sugar in the recipe by a third.

2. Made enchilada casserole using half chicken and half lentils, plus made sauce from scratch instead of buying. Used a reduced amount of cheese in it.

3. Made bread instead of buying.

4. Accepted gifts of food from my parents for housesitting.

5. Got $5 cash back on my credit card for using it through Paypal.

6. Got $2.75 cash back from Ibotta.

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Judi September 28, 2024 at 5:37 am

1. The biggest frugal find this past week is I got a free piano from my buy nothing group. I did have to pay $300 to have it delivered but I don’t think that’s bad for a piano. There’s a saying that there is no such thing as a free horse (because said horse probably needs training, feed, veterinary visits, etc) and I was thinking it may be the same way with a piano but outside of tuning I don’t think there will be a lot of added expenses. I can already read music and have lots of music books for voice, piano and guitar and I’ve been picking away with those. I plan on taking a few lessons to get me started and then working on my own.

2. Canning more pear pie filling to be used this winter. Organizing my storage in the cold room. Because our water heater works on the same principle as a heat pump, it releases cold air which my husband has ducted into our cold room. So beside heating our water, it also cools our cold room.

3. Found a pear, zucchini bread recipe in one of my Christmas books, and it turned out very good. I did not have the right size pans but made one smaller one and a large one for freezing.

4. After several days of rain I ventured out to the garden where I picked more pears, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and ornamental popcorn. We had broccoli soup for supper, made with skim milk powder and served with my home made baguettes.

5. Left the thrift store with no purchases, nothing there I needed.

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MB in MN September 28, 2024 at 6:40 am

Good news about your mom!

1. Thanks to Kara’s tip, I went to Whole Foods to buy my favorite soap that’s being discontinued. Bought 20 bars at $1.47 each so we should be set for quite a while.

2. Baked sweets for the guys who installed our new roof and gutters. It was a four-day job during an unusually warm week. Made banana bread using old bananas and the easiest (and yummiest and frugalist) peanut butter cookies. https://thehappierhomemaker.com/easy-gluten-free-peanut-butter-cookies/

3. Used up bottled creole sauce from the discount store by mixing it with mayo for sandwiches and with sour cream for dip, in addition to its original purpose of jazzing up fajita bowls.

4. Friend gave us a bag of produce from his garden – peppers, cukes and cherry tomatoes. Making sure to use it all up.

5. Made $30 from Half-Price books for bringing in LPs and a turntable we were no longer using. They doled out money on the spot so that felt good. Now I’m eyeing my CD collection…

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Ruby September 28, 2024 at 7:07 am

Katy, that’s great news about your mom. That is such a big surgery and I hope she is fully healed and back home soon.

For frugal things, I bathed both my dogs at home and also combed out, clipper trimmed and clipped the claws of our sweet, big kitty girl. Cat grooming starts at $90 here, so I feel very accomplished every time I get her spiffed up.

Made up a bunch of reusable K-cups to use up an open bag of coffee. The cups were bought years ago on various sales and save about $23 a month for a little bit of work. Bought some boneless beef on sale and turned one-quarter of it into beef for soup to put in the freezer, then cooked the rest in the slow cooker with barbecue sauce, some herbs and carrots. Apples were on sale this week, so I bought a bag and made apple baked oatmeal to portion up for this week’s breakfasts.

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Marybeth from NY September 28, 2024 at 11:41 am

My son got a kitten a few weeks ago and I have been helping him clip his claws. We have been going slow as not to overwhelm my son or the kitten. We groom all of our dogs so he will groom the cat as well. He will get the hang of it soon I’m sure. It saves so much money.

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Fru-gal Lisa September 28, 2024 at 8:10 am

Adding my get well wishes for your Mom. I hope she is recovering nicely and is out of pain. Meanwhile, that bread looks yummy!

1. Not frugal for me individually, but as a member of the church congregation: our parish was blessed by a lady who was downsizing. She wanted her beloved Steinway piano to go to someone who would use and appreciate it, so she gifted it to the church. It looks beautiful and sounds absolutely heavenly! All of us will love and appreciate it (and her, for her generosity) for generations to come. And it’s going to be used and enjoyed at every service and every rehearsal.
2. Had to drive out of town to get a cancer checkup; it’s been 2 years since my surgery. Doctor says everything looks great, and I’m healthy! Praise the Lord! He wanted me to come back in six months for the next exam. I made a face and he said OK, then, come back in a year!
3. Did not go to lunch in that town or buy things from the vending machine. Waited until I got home. I took along a commuter cup of coffee, and a bottle of chocolate milk to keep me feeling full on the drive back.
4. Traded some paperbacks to the used bookstore and got $18 in credit. Sadly, none of the used bookstores in our region pay you money, only store credit. But it is what it is.
5. Leaving the above store, I saw two paperbacks in the “free” box outside and took those home. Will read and enjoy them before passing them on to a Little Free Library. Left a book of mine the store didn’t want, so someone else can enjoy a freebie.

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MB in MN September 28, 2024 at 8:56 am

Fru-gal Lisa, congratulations on your cancer-free checkup! That has to be such a relief.

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Christine September 29, 2024 at 5:23 pm

Great news on your cancer check-up! Can’t get any better news than that.

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BettafromdaVille September 28, 2024 at 8:27 am

I’m glad to read that your mom is on the mend!

1. Partner ended up with extra free CSA boxes from work, which included a lot of cauliflower. I processed it into “rice” and froze it.
2. A friend joined me for 2 mystery shops – at the first, a restaurant, we ordered as much as we could that stayed within budget and I took home the extra food to eat the next night.
3. We also did another mystery shop at a fancy soap shop and I chose items that I will give as gifts at Christmas.
4. I purchased a box of taco shells from FlashFoods, and for 1/2 the price even at Aldi
5. Partner gave me a bouquet of flowers (I think this was the 4th in 19.5 years?). He got them free from work from a flower CSA that was not picked up. (he knows me)
5.

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Lindsey September 28, 2024 at 12:14 pm

I envy your wider array of mystery shop possibilities. A fancy soap shop? I get grocery store, gas station, post office, cellular companies and only every once in a while a restaurant shop. On the other hand, you probably don’t get paid large amounts to go to small villages for gasoline shops…

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Ruth September 28, 2024 at 1:39 pm

Hi, what’s CSA?

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BettafromdaVille September 28, 2024 at 5:26 pm

@Ruth: a CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. A person buys a “farm share” at the beginning of the season (when the farmer needs the money) and then you get a weekly box of whatever produce was harvested on the farm.

My partner works at a retail shop that is a pick-up for these and in addition to the produce farm share, this particular farm also sells flower farm shares.

@Lindsey – I find that I’m usually jealous of YOUR mystery shops!

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A. Marie September 28, 2024 at 8:32 am

Katy, I add my huzzahs to the general chorus of cheers that Su Mama is out of the hospital and in rehab. I also hope that there have been a few bids on your in-laws’ house, and that life is getting a little easier in general for you.

Now, FFT, Weekend Miscellany Edition:

(1) Not frugal for me personally, but very frugal for my next-door neighbor (NDN) with the cognitive issues: Her other close friend (CF) and I **finally** persuaded her that it’s time for her to donate her elderly Subaru–which she is under doctor’s orders not to drive, and which is now undrivable for various reasons–to charity for the tax break. NDN has agreed to the idea of donating it to our local PBS station. And after NDN, CF, and I did a predictably fruitless search for the title in NDN’s house, CF (who is a whiz at this sort of thing) got onto her iPad with the NYS DMV and is having a replacement title sent. (My job will be to keep a discreet eye on NDN’s mail to make sure it arrives.) When all this happens, not only will NDN get the tax break, but she can stop paying for the insurance on a car she hasn’t driven in over a year.

(2) I took NDN grocery shopping at her favorite Tops supermarket on Thursday. While we were there, I had her use her Tops card to get me two Springer Mountain all-natural whole chickens Reduced for Quick Sale, and then I reimbursed her. (Incidentally, I noticed that one chicken marked down to $5.13 was bigger than another marked down to $6.77. When I looked more closely, I saw that these two chickens had been labeled in error: The bigger one should have had the $6.77 label. So, of course, I bought the $5.13 one plus a correctly labeled $6.62 one. )

(3) I roasted one of the two chickens yesterday, using a new-to-me vertical roaster ($1 at the Salvation Army a while back) and a new method of vertical roasting: I turned it upside down on the roaster, with the drumsticks above the wings. This kept the wings from turning into little cinders and resulted in beautifully juicy white meat, since the breast meat got the drippings from the drumsticks. Nom nom nom!

(4) I just enjoyed a chicken sandwich for lunch (with my homegrown arugula, which is still going strong in the Easy Washer tub under the fire pit lid). And I’m about to make a chicken noodle soup with the remaining breast meat, plus some fresh dill that’s coming up from this summer’s self-seeding.

(5) And to wind up this Weekend Miscellany, RIP the great Dame Maggie Smith, everyone’s favorite Dowager Countess: “What…is a weekend?”

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MB in MN September 28, 2024 at 9:09 am

A. Marie, I love Maggie Smith! She was a great dame. I looked up the weekend quote and found myself laughing at a compilation of her best Downton Abbey quotes (I’ve never seen the show). Thank you for that!

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Lindsey September 28, 2024 at 12:19 pm

We saw Maggie Smith live in Lettice and Lovage. That was my favorite theater experience…until I managed to see Alan Rickman live. I told my husband I was sorry, but if Rickman asked me to move in with him, I was going to have to get a divorce. Just to wake up next to that voice would be too much for me to resist.

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A. Marie September 28, 2024 at 1:31 pm

Probably the biggest missed opportunity of DH’s and my numerous trips to London back in the day was that on the night we were scheduled to see Maggie Smith and Michael Jayston (on whom I had a mild crush because he played Rochester in an early BBC Jane Eyre) in The Way of the World, DH came down with such an awful case of the flu that I didn’t feel comfortable about leaving him. Greater love had no woman…

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Rose September 28, 2024 at 3:38 pm

I win. I saw Maggie Smith play Lady Bracknell in London (my favorite character in my favorite play).

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Heidi Louise September 28, 2024 at 10:57 am

Great news on your Mom!

1. Free Covid tests, four per address, area available again in the U.S. https://covidtests.gov/
That also links to the site to check old tests and see if the expiration dates have been extended, as many have.

2. My library had a two session beginning watercolor class and I feel very accomplished for having taken it! And the small fee provided a good number of supplies from a very generous and enthusiastic instructor. Now to clear out a working space for myself in my house to continue my artistic momentum.

3. Took the old gas can with about two inches of ancient lawnmower gas to the hazardous recycling event. We now officially have neither a mower or gas can and, though it was “free” to mow our own grass, having someone else do it has really made life easier. Recovery time after pushing the mower was getting longer and longer.

4. Found Hanes and Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear, brand new, at a yard sale, for a quarter a pair. The seller and I commiserated about having to buy a whole package and then not liking the style or fit. I spent $4.75 on nineteen pair, checked all the sizes, set aside several for a charity, and am now set for a good many years at about 75% off.

5, Watching news from Ukraine, in particular for family. That has gone on much too long.

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A. Marie September 28, 2024 at 1:55 pm

Re: your #4: I see London, I see France, I see frugal underpants! 😀

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Heidi Louise September 28, 2024 at 2:02 pm

Ha! And fortunately only a few of them are wild prints, which, in spite of the rhyme, no one will ever see unless helping do laundry.

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Ruby September 28, 2024 at 4:09 pm

Thank you for the link to the free tests. I just ordered some. And that is awesome about finding new underpants at the yard sale!

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Marybeth from NY September 28, 2024 at 11:35 am

I’m glad your mom is recoving well and closer to you. Make sure you take care of yourself too. Love a good PBJ. The bread looks delicious. When things calm
down please share the recipe.
1. My kids and I went out East to several of the farms. Our favorite stand had all cauliflowers for $3 each. I weighed a bunch and got the largest, 10.2 pounds. My son took some. I cooked some with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. The rest got blanched and vacuum sealed and frozen.
2. They also had weird potatoes for $2 a bag. I weighed a bunch of bags. They weighed between 4.5 lbs and 6.5lbs. I bought 5 bags and they were all over 6lbs. 2 bags were russet and 3 were yellow harvest(like Yukon gold). I also got a bag of assorted onions that weighted 6.8lbs for $2. My son got a bag of $2 potatoes and $2 hot peppers. My daughter got a bag of the $2 potatoes. The only thing wrong with them is they are weird shaped.
3. We used a free library pass to go to one farm. We feed the animals($1) and my daughter got corn$4. We brought lunch and drinks with us.
4. We stopped at a seafood store that we love and splurged on some scallops, shrimp, and salmon. I cooked it for dinner that night. My son stayed for dinner.
5. I had 2 art classes at the library this week, flower pressed bookmarks and wood burning ornaments. I had fun at both and made a few stocking stuffers while I was at it.
6. Hubby and I went to my FIL’s to get the rest of the red wine he made last year(24 bottles). They already started this years wine but it won’t be ready until Christmas. He gave me 2 bottles of red wine vinegar that he made since I’m the only other person who will use it. We use it in all of our salad dressings. A little goes a long way. He gave hubby some tools that he was cleaning out. They are thinking of selling their huge 6 bedroom house. It will be a ton of work but better now while they are with us then after they pass. The house is just too big for them to handle anymore.

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Cindy in the South September 28, 2024 at 11:53 am

I am so glad your mom has been released from the hospital. Continued prayers. The bread looks fantastic!

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Marie-Josée September 28, 2024 at 12:09 pm

I’m glad to read that your mom is on the mend and nearer your home. I really admire your dedication to frugality, even during trying times. This is definately not a frugal period for us, as we are planning a retirement kick-off trip for my husband, to celebrate this new chapter in his life and all his hard work. We’re taking The Canadian train accross Canada to Vancouver, going for a seven day Alaskan cruise and then visiting Vancouver, Vancouver Island, another train ride accross the Rockies from Vancouver to Jasper and then Banff National Park. We’re flying back home from Calgary. We’ve saved for this and we are leaving for this trip at 5 PM the day of his retirement (a Tuesday).

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Lindsey September 28, 2024 at 12:21 pm

Your trip sounds wonderful! Hope you have a great time.

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Lindsey September 28, 2024 at 12:36 pm

Serious surgery and then hospitalization…I hope the worst of it is over for your mom and she has a nice calm recovery.
1. Made $400 for two mystery shops in remote locations, plus some product.
2. Did another in-town mystery shop that netted me four bottles of pop. We no longer buy pop, only get it from these shops so I love that they come up once a month.
3. Did a medical appointment by Zoom, saving myself time and gas money. It was just for results of tests, and the fact that they let me do it by Zoom meant I knew in advance the news was not going to be awful.
4. Came home from my food bank stint with a tray of vegetables. Working late on the last day they are open for the week is a shift no one wants but I always come home with something that won’t make it until they reopen.
5. Took the contents of the veggie tray, boiled them in chicken stock, used an immersion blender to make they indistinguishable and thicken the stock, added some left-over chicken and it was dinner. For two nights so far and one more to go. I also had a few cheese odds and ends in the freezer, so threw them in for the second night to change the taste a bit. Vegetable hating husband loves it when I make this soup, which is the easiest soup I make.

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A. Marie September 28, 2024 at 2:01 pm

If my mother had been a soup maker (which she definitely was not), she’d have appreciated your #5. She did make noble efforts, considering her lack of interest in food prep, to “get more vegetables into the kids” by sneaking veggies into tuna salad and meatloaf, but all this did in my case was to give me a lifelong distaste for tuna salad and meatloaf. (I have since found a jazzed-up meatloaf recipe I can tolerate, but it took decades.)

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Lindsey September 28, 2024 at 4:48 pm

One day the food bank sent me home with a prepared meatloaf from Safeway. It was one day past the sell by so I, who never ate or made a meatloaf that I liked, decided it was to be dinner because not really caring (as opposed to hating) a food is no excuse to waste free food. Damn if that meatloaf was not the best I have had! We ate it for several nights and I was sorry to see it end. I would not pay $10 for it but if I saw it on clearance and a few bucks cheaper, I might actually buy one.

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Ruth September 28, 2024 at 1:55 pm

1. Updated my budget where I track my money which while not really adding money or saving money made me feel more in control of my money and not like I’m going to over spend. Life can be so expensive it’s overwhelming sometimes .
2 . Again didn’t save me money but put a free pile outside my house Which included Some uglyish succulent potplants I will no longer have to water and a few other odds and ends , all plants taken and the couple of other things left behind aren’t worth anything .
3. No outings this weekend which would have cost me money
4. Eating from home, no need for grocery shopping yet
5 . Recently killed the worms in my worm farm , this is the second lot of worms I’ve killed, not sure what I’m doing wrong. I decided to empty out the compost inside the farm into some pots and now I have about 10 tomato plants self sowing in with my strawberries etc, will have to move them but considering the free plants a win.
**Any tips on worm farms welcome

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Marie-Josée September 28, 2024 at 3:16 pm

I’m glad to read that your mom is on the mend and nearer your home. I really admire your dedication to frugality, even during trying times.

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Michele September 29, 2024 at 10:25 am

Glad your mom is recovering well.
My sister and I went on a “Sister Cruise”, which is not frugal, but I’m frugal all year round so I can spend money on things I value. Alone time with my sister!
1. Parked at a lot away from cruise port. Cheaper.
2. Sister and I split all expenses.
3. Didn’t buy any souvenirs.
4. It was shortened due to hurricane, so will get a refund.
5. We did all included activities- didn’t pay extra for “exclusive” activities.

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texasilver September 29, 2024 at 8:03 pm

1. I volunteered to teach a 3 hour class for a faculty member who needed off.
2. Used some Old Navy points I earned for a credit card spend to buy hubby some underwear & myself a few tee shirts.
3. I discovered that Tri Rail in south FL is again offering Uber & Lyft vouchers for travel to and from the train station. They are also offering a 15$ to travel to or from the PBI airport to the train station. I will surely be using one of these vouchers in December.
4. I have hubby drilling holes in my washed tin cans to make a design. I will then spray paint the cans in different colors & insert an electric tea light in
each. These will be Xmas gifts for friends. I am putting crosses on some and a scattered design on others. (Or should I say the husband is putting these on the cans.)
5. I found a nice black canvas gym bag which I gave to the husband. I also found a greenish khaki messenger bag for his computer.
6. I reorganized the pantry & removed canned goods we would not eat or items we have too many cans. These will go to the shelter. They are all in date & hopefully the creative cook can make something with them.
7. I used some odds & ends to make one of those impossible pies using a baking mix. I found some gluten free baking mix in the freezer and added frozen broccoli, cheese, sauteed onion, eggs, & some milk that was beginning to go off.
It turned out reasonably tasty. I ate some for breakfast.

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LM September 30, 2024 at 7:24 am

Glad to hear your mom is on the mend!

1. I received a facebook message from a girl I had sold a bundle of kids clothing to last winter asking if I had any for sale in the next size up. I had just started pulling the next size out of my youngest son’s drawers, so her message lit a fire and I gathered all of my 4T stuff together. She picked it all up this weekend (3 large garbage bags full) and I made $150. I’m so happy to have all of that stuff out of my house.

2. I also made 2 sales on Poshmark ($23) and 2 on ebay ($89). Crap out, money in.

3. I redeemed a bunch of birthday coupons to include: 1 free drink at Starbucks, $5 off my grocery purchase at Shaw’s, a free burger at Red Robin, a bagel at Panera and a candy bar at Cumberland Farms. I also had 2 free drinks loaded on my Cumberland Farms account, so I picked those up too.

4. Last winter I got a $500 mastercard gift card as a rebate on new kitchen appliances. I happened to notice the other day that the card was set to expire on 9/30 – today. I used it to purchase a chest freezer we’d been eyeing as well as groceries and other household items.

5. I found a dime at the football field. (My kids have both found money there over the past few weeks also – I’m going to have to start looking at the ground more while we’re there)

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texasilver September 30, 2024 at 7:22 pm

A good “save” on the 500$ gift card!

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