- I shopped at The Grocery Outlet after dropping my son at school yesterday. Among other things, I picked up a bag of 99¢ mixed produce from their clearance shelf that included five apples and five tangerines. I also brought home some guest cottage food leftovers that included an egg, a carton of herbed cream cheese, most of a half-gallon of milk and half a lemon. The tenants had been from another country and they left behind a pile of American coins which has been added to my Found Change Challenge jar.
- I washed all my family’s bed pillows in the washer and dryer rather than buy new ones. They were looking mighty sad and now they’re all fresh, clean and perky again. Hooray for fixing what’s already manufactured rather than creating new stuff from virgin materials!
- My older son is having his wisdom teeth out next week, and I’m going to take his prescription to Costco today to have his meds ready ahead of time in a frugal manner. Poor guy, he’s having all four out in a single day. (Plus. I’ll fill up the Prius with the cheapest gasoline in town.) Again . . . poor guy.
- Although I continue to spend nothing on anything that couldn’t be categorized as necessary, (pending college expenses, you know?) I did take my son to Popeye’s the other day. This particular guy looooves fried chicken, and the $5 I spent was worth at least $10 of joy to him. He kept talking about how it was the “best food I’ve ever eaten,” and he savored every bite of his chicken, biscuit and sides. We rarely get fast food, which makes it all the more special.
- I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
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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{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
1. Listed more stuff on FB for sale.
2. Sorted out stacks and stacks of books, some for keep, some for sale, some for donation, and already took a big box to the local public library’s kids’ dept.My husband will be so pleased to discover the boxes gone from the sunroom!
3. Leftovers for lunch.
4. Took a pile of my late parents’ clothes over to a friend’s, for her to turn into teddy bears for Xmas gifts, plus a special Xmas pillow for me.
5. Bought some baked goods on super mark-down and have been enjoying sandwiches on ciabatta rolls and mulitgrain wraps that we usually don’t buy.
What a great idea for a pillow! I have some clothes of my Mom’s that I can’t wear, but can’t bear to give up. . . And a pillow might be within my crafting abilities (unlike a quilt).
I feel for your son and the wisdom teeth ordeal and wish him well. I can still feel that pain when I think about it.
I also laughed and enjoyed your son’s enjoyment over Popeye’s chicken. How
great to appreciate something that only happens occasionally!
Maybe he’ll be lucky with his wisdom teeth removal. I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed at one time when I was in my early 20’s. I had a Pap smear the next day because I was unaware that that was poor planning and with 3 kids under 4 at the time i had to plan those things when my husband had time off. While doing the pre interview for my Pap smear the doc asked if I had recently had surgery. I asked if wisdom tooth removal was considered surgery. She said yes, when did you have that. When I told her “yesterday” she stared at me and said, “wow, as in, the day before today?” I had no swelling, no pain, nothing. I’m the biggest wimp known to man, had I known wisdom tooth removal was supposed to be this big deal I would have milked it for all it was worth. Instead I was one of the “lucky” ones, lol
Thank you for sharing your story. People are usually only too happy to share their nightmare stories, so this helps to balance things out.
Mine came out in my 30s. The procedure itself was unpleasant, because the dentist went old school yanking and refused to knock me out or have laughing gas. But actually there wasn’t much pain later. The dentist told me it would have been much easier if I’d been around your son’s age. So, really it may not be that bad.
I too had no issues afterwards, except for barfing in my mom’s car on the way home.
So perhaps a barf bag or bucket would be a good thing to have along.
Thanks for the tip. I have a hospital-grade barf bag at home already, so I’ll just tuck it into the car.
I had all four done at once, had only local anesthesia and drove myself home. I did it on the morning after Thanksgiving, because if ever there was a day a person can skip a meal or two, that’s the one*. That night I had a huge craving for pizza, so that’s what I ate for dinner. Very carefully.
I think the horror stories involve impacted teeth and/or stitches. I had neither, so it really was not a big deal.
I hope your son’s surgery proves to be a breeze.
*Yeah, it’s also a great day not to shop, lol!
I too had no issues with swelling or excessive pain. Its not always the horror story u hear about.
Make sure to make up lots of pureed soup, mashed potatoes and gravy!
I’m going to add my 2-cents worth on the subject of wisdom teeth. I too had all 4 removed at once (many years ago), had only novacain for the procedure and had no big problems afterwards. I went back to work the next day with no swelling or pain issues. As I recall, I did keep follow instructions about using an ice pack for a few hours after the procedure. Maybe that helped.
my daughter was 17, and they used laughing gas on her. She loved the laughing gas, and sang the whole way home!!!
Another voice for the “sometimes it’s not that bad” club. Best wishes to him.
I had no problems with my wisdom teeth. Only local and went to work the next day. It was an easy procedure for me. Good luck!
I had my wisdom teeth out in my early twenties. An oral surgeon pulled all 4 very quickly. They put me under, but not for long. If I took any pain meds they were over the counter (i am 55+ an still have never taken narcotics). I did ice the jaws but had no trouble. I know I ate cinnamon rolls that day and pizza the next. I’m hoping it goes that smoothly for your son as well.
I had all of mine out at one time as a teen as well. It was more uncomfortable than true pain (and I am a wimp with tooth pain). The only part I had an issue with is I have a huge problem with textures…having to keep the gauze in my mouth for a few hours after surgery was not doable once I could feel again. That was the only thing that made me sick, so I took it out and just dealt with it. Good luck to your son. He will bounce back fast!
Well, I just got back from a trip to Europe, but it’s experiences like that that my normally frugal lifestyle pays for. I did, however, travel fairly frugally. My five frugal things, travel edition:
1) I stayed with a close friend who lives over there for most of the time (the trip was mostly to see her). In return for free lodging and many meals, I brought her grocery items from the states she’d been missing
2) When not at her house, we stayed in YHAs.
3) We split the cost of a small rental car when we couldn’t use public transportation, and we got a diesel because it’s cheaper than petrol
4) We used the least expensive transportation options we could, including Ryan Air, buses, the Tube, etc. I got fairly inexpensive tickets over there by planning early, being okay with a long layover, and not purchasing food or entertainment on board. We also mostly walked when in small towns.
5) We took advantage of free museums and buildings, ate fairly simply, and loved every second of our vacation.
I must say that I look forward to your Five Frugal Things every week! Makes me wish we had a Grocery Outlet store in our state, but I try to make do at our local Aldi.
I do feel for your son and his wisdom teeth. I had all four of mine done at once with just Novocaine. I was a little sore, but ice cream always makes it better!
The last of your list, I didn’t buy a Lear Jet always hits home because my husband owns a business that stocks and cleans people’s and corporation’s private jets. Lots of Lears in his work. The up side is that we get lots of goodies from those planes. Many of the owners redecorate once a year, so I haven’t bought a glass, plate or piece of silverware in over ten years. The guest beds in our house are twins, so are covered in high end sheets and beautiful down duvets. We are spoiled without spending a cent plus we are keeping good stuff out of landfills and not making more waste. I’ll always leave the Lear and keep the stuff!!
And I wish we had an Aldi!
Lear Jet hand-me-downs? I love it!
Wisdom teeth- blech! Hope it goes well.
I had 4 put at once with just local. Not pleasant but manageable.
I also like to sun bleach my pillows. Noting seems to get the surface as white as a day in the strong sunlight.
Umm . . . Oregon in September.
I love your #4. Our boys think Jason’s Deli is the absolute best restaurant in the world, and it’s super fancy to them since we rarely eat out and even more rarely take them to restaurants.
On the frugality front, I’ve done horribly lately since we just bought almost $500 of new light fixtures, and my hubby’s bday gift will be a used iPhone 6. I guess in the long run the lighting will be frugal because it’s much cheaper to replace light fixtures than it is to do major renovations.
My mother-in-law fell on Mother’s Day and broke her hip – her fourth fall in as many years – and was then diagnosed with dementia. She was my father-in-law’s caregiver since he was diagnosed with cancer last year. They live 12 hours from us so this summer has been a rough one (and that’s just the short version – there’s so much more ) We now have them settled in assisted living and even though some other things have come up recently I am trying to get back on the nca bandwagon. But I am happy to have Five Frugal Things to list for the first time in a long time.
1. Found not one but two ponytail holders on the ground at the grocery store.
2. Took photos and am getting my craigslist and ebay items up and running again.
3 put 3 books on hold at the library and have received and read 2.
4.A friend is coming to visit next week and said she would pay hotel for a road trip if I provide the vehicle. Deal!
5.Was able to donate 4 pieces of furniture to my daughter’s apartment and help her with not buying new.
You’re having an even rougher time than DH and I had with his parents: His father did get cancer, and his mother did break her hip and then get a dementia diagnosis–but not at the same time. But I do have a sense of what you’re going through. Hang in there.
Thanks! One day at a time – or one crisis at a time I guess!
Positive thoughts headed your way, Jill!
When my children were growing up on their birthdays they could pick a restaurant (within reason) or pick a meal for me to cook at home.
When my son was 5 or 6 I he picked Burger King. I remember standing in line to get served thinking, WOW this birthday celebration is cheap.
Your “within reason” made me chuckle. My kids know when I say they can do or have something there will be a pause and they’ll now say it before I can in a sing-song voice “within reason!” I told them I want it on a tee shirt.
I contacted the customer service department of a diaper company because two of the diapers in the pack I purchased had missing or defective tabs making them unusable. They’re sending me a free package as compensation.
I listed some unneeded school books on Amazon which quickly sold. I listed a few eBay auctions of unneeded kid stuff. I bought my three and five year old daughter’s winter wardrobe in lots on eBay. My 14 year old son repaired 3 of our bikes.
I rescued half-eaten apples chop them up and put them on top of pork chops. They were delicious. I ate ceftover oatmeal for lunch.
1. Picked up an adult bicycle off the neighbors curb, will need a new bike chain, but a steal just the same.
2. A co-worked knows my thrifty ways, and tossed a couple of work-appropriate shirts into my car for me that she couldn’t use anymore.
3. I picked 4 HUGE tomatoes from the four plants we have, and made an awesome, homemade pasta sauce that provided for dinner and lunch today.
4. We had my niece babysit for our newborn, and saved 20$ on babysitting fees, as she LOVES babies, and refused my money. Sweetheart.
5. Let a friend borrow our mower in exchange for gasoline in the mowers tank. Tonight my guy will mow our house, and two others in exchange for beer from one of the owners! LOL ( whatever works right?) We own two out of three of the houses, one is a rental, the third offers my guy a sixer if he will mow for her.
What is it about fast food? My husband likes to be treated at McDonalds for his birthday. For dessert I make him a Big Mac cake. There was a recipe in a magazine years ago and I made it for him as a joke. The minute he walked into the kitchen he said, “That looks exactly like a Big Mac. Can you make me one every year?” We are now on year 33 of McDonalds birthday meals and year 15 of the Big Mac cake. He is a terrific husband, so as I am standing in line at McDonalds or frosting the huge Big Mac cake, I remind myself that the important thing is that this makes him happy. And the rest of the year he eats whatever I put in front of him without complaint. (I love cooking and he likes to clean, so a meal every night is a fair exchange for a guy who vacuums every other day and cleans the bathrooms.)
We try not to eat much fast food. When my son was about 4, he kept asking if I would take him to The Restaurant. I had no idea what he was talking about. One day we passed a McDonalds and he pointed and screamed “That’s The Restaurant! The one grandma took me to.”
And speaking of wisdom teeth being pulled, my memories don’t contain any pain, but I was a single mother and I drove myself there and planned to drive myself home even though they told me to bring a driver. I simply didn’t have anyone.
What I remember is that I came out of the general anesthesia crying. It was for just a moment, I didn’t know why and I was hugely embarrassed. One of the dental assistants told me it was not unusual to come out of anesthesia that way.
Perhaps she was just being polite as I have never heard anyone else say they cried coming out of anesthesia.
Anne, I have a history of getting overly emotional when I’m coming out of anesthesia. You aren’t the only one who has cried. 🙂
I am right with you. I cried too so you are not alone 🙂
Anne, I’ve had surgery twice and both times woke from anesthesia crying. I just assumed I was in pain and crying as a reaction even though I was unconscious. The nurses just comforted me and reassured me all was well. I was embarrassed too.
My daughter cried too. The medical assistant said people often cry…it is a side effect of anesthesia. Other people laugh…again just a side effect. Weird, right?
My son breezed through having all four wisdom teeth extracted.. Went out with his friends that evening and had Taco Bell 🙂 Teens have amazing recovery skills!!
If he gets motion sickness, see if the Dr will give him a patch behind his ear, like people wear on boats. My recent surgery went well due to this!
I get such satisfaction from this sort of thing, so thanks so much for sharing…! Here are mine…:
1.) Went out to a generous friend’s country garden yesterday to pick a bounty of green bean, zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, kale, collard, apple, and cucumber abundance.
2.) Cooked up said green beans with some chopped potatoes (that were getting a little on the old/wrinkled side but were perfectly fine with peeling), using some leftover broth that I had made and frozen a few months ago. Made a salad with the cucumbers and tomatoes, plus a homemade salad dressing using pantry ingredients and fresh herbs from my herb garden. I also baked a loaf of homemade bread from dough I made using the ‘Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day’ method, and which I had grated nearly a whole yellow summer squash into (have a mountain of zucchini and summer squash to contend with and so I’m sneaking it into everything!)….
3) Bottled up a batch of DIY homemade Kombucha Tea, which I have been brewing myself now for several months with GREAT success ($$ to buy, so making my own saves a ton). Two of the flavors I made today: ‘Lime-Mint’ — using lime juice from a bag of discounted limes purchased at the grocery store for .70 cents, plus mint from my garden (kind of like Mojito, without the rum), and ‘Sour Green Apple’ using free apples picked from my friend’s tree.
4.) Started a new painting upon an old, second-hand wooden plaque purchased for a few cents at a garage sale (as an artist I try to buy as few new retail art supplies as I can get away with)….
5.) Will be setting out tonight before bed some homemade zucchini muffins to thaw, baked from garden zucchini a few weeks ago and frozen, for me to take to work tomorrow for breakfast.
My frugal things:
Spent the long weekend at the coast, 1 hour away. Instead of $300, we just paid for gasoline, since we have friends that weren’t using their beach house
Been eating from the garden, roasted tomatoes are awesome with garlic, thyme, and olive oil, been picking cukes, zucchini, green beans. Waiting for the fall lettuce, spinach, and peas to produce.
The neighbor girl needed an egg to make cookies, well I have eggs, 10 dozen ahead!! I gave her an 18 pk, and she brought me freshly smoked salmon, and the next day, six peanut butter cookies. What a deal
I’ve been posting on-line to get rid of 7 gal bags of frozen berries. My freezer is way too full, and these were from last year. I wanted to barter, and after 3 weeks, I am trading my berries for a small stained glass piece. win, win. she can make jam, and I get a pretty!
It definitely has not been a frugal time for me the last few weeks so I am trying to get back on track. Thanks for the constant inspiration.
1. made jam over the weekend with a friend. 95 % of the ingredients were given to us so we had to buy very little. Now I have 24 jars to use as gifts.
2. I stopped at a near by Aldi on my way home the other day and discovered that their organic milk is a dollar less than the store where I usually shop. I will be working an Aldi’s run into my shopping routine from now on.
3. I was invided to a party and was able to make an appetizer with what I had on hand already. The host then gave me the left overs since she was heading out of town the next day. Yum.
4. Have been snacking on pretzels and crackers that my brother left after his last visit.
5. I’ve been sticking close to home the last few days to save some gas since that was one of my biggest expenses this summer. I also plan on walking to work the next few days since it is going to be much cooler.
I’m impressed that you had success washing the pillows. Mine always seem to come out unfixably lumpy. What is your secret?
Perhaps adding tennis balls to the dryer?
Just stumbled across your blog recently & have subscribed & LOVE it! Look forward to reading daily! My daughter & I are planning on starting our own found change challenge! Makes me laugh reading your guest cottage left behinds! We always rent houses when we travel & typically leave behind tons of food & beverages, hopefully someone makes use of our leftover goods too!
Have faith for your son, it might be not so bad. I had my 4 wisdom tooth taken out at the same time and the next day I was back on my feet, eating solid food and off meds!
My 5 frugal things:
* I had a “girls night” with my daughters tonight (they are 3 and 5!). We stayed in, ate cherry tomatoes from the garden, bruchettas made from bread, cheese and bruchetta mix that I got on sale, popcorn made in my popcorn popper, and drank water. And we watched a movie that we own on DVD (Frozen. They saw it 10 000 times, but first time for me).
* Had a craving for Mexican food at lunch. Skipped it and got the (unhealthy, granted, but cheaper) 3$ grocery special of fries and 3 chicken wings.
* Used a prepaid card to go to an aerobic class yesterday. I can’t say that I love the classes but I paid for the card so I will use it all.
* My mom’s birthday is coming up and my husband suggested we treat her to a seafood restaurant. Being 2 adults and 2 kids, plus my mom, it would cost a fortune (why is seafood so expensive???). Today I received an offer from Groupon and was able to get a 80$ voucher for 29$, towards a different (cheaper) restaurant. Will be using this to take her out instead. I will also bake a gluten-free cake (instead of buying one. Gluten-free cakes are expensive too) to be served at home afterwards with a couple of guests. And her (other) gift from me is a scarf that I knitted for her. The kids will make cards and drawings. And I will get 5 big helium filled balloons for free with a coupon I have, to decorate. Frugal birthday celebration!
* My friends are going on a trip that will probably cost around 1000$. I could maybe make it, but forget it. As tempting as it is, I don’t have that kind of money to spend right now. So I’ll probably just plan a weekend visit to my friend soon, 5 hours away, costing me only gas for the car.
* My daughter’s school is offering catering services twice a week for lunch, for the price of 5.25$/meal. While tempting for convenience reasons, I will pass and make all her lunchs. I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper, and it’s definitely healthier.
Have a great frugal day!
Katy teenagers usually bounce back from wisdom tooth surgery. My two did and didn’t take the pain killers after day 1.
My 5:
1. Kept the insulated living room curtains closed all day as it was 90+ outside and I get the sun almost all day in that room.
2. Turned the AC down to use less of it.
3. Dh and I scrounged around for dinner at home.
4. Dh got an excellent report back from his recent bloodwork. He’s been eating fruits, vegetables, and twigs as he calls it.
5. Went to my eye dr. appointment and hypermilled most of the way there. I live on top of a hill and his office is down hill.
6. Glad I didn’t spend money on getting glasses. Eye dr. is going to laser my eyes instead. Clear up the blurry edges from my cataract surgery 3 yrs ago. Will be covered with insurance.
7. Wondered if Gulf Stream is more up to date than a Lear jet???
Never!!!! #LearJetsForever!
Another survivor of 4teeth at once under local here. Doc told me to keep brushing around/on the stitches and “holes” to keep food debris out while they healed, with a really soft brush. So maybe source a cheap kids/toddlers brush while you are frugal shopping! Or a friend may have a spare…?
Alas, I’m in my mid-sixties and I’m having eight teeth pulled in a couple weeks (all in one appointment).
My oral surgeon said to be sure to have bags of frozen peas in the freezer…to keep down swelling. I jokingly asked if I had his permission for seven guilt-free days of Wendy’s chocolate Frosties. He just smiled and said, “Permission granted…just be sure to use a spoon and not a straw.”
Am taking 7 days of vacation so I can be lazy without being a martyr at work.
Love the blog and I check it every day (from my corner of inner-SE Portland).
when my son had his teeth out, I went to the drive-thru at the drugstore for his meds. They said it would be 30 minutes so we drove around – oh my gosh, funniest 30 minutes of my life. YouTube videos show exactly what I am talking about. My son was hanging out the window oogling people while I was trying to keep him in the car. Hope you have a good experience and it goes well!
My frugal week:
1) received a bag of okra so fixed a great meal of tomatoes,okra, green peppers, and onions over rice. Still have more to freeze or use up.
2) fixed a pork tenderloin (actually half of one because I had already cut it in two when I froze it). Made it into 3 meals – the roast, fajitas, and bbq sandwiches.
3) was taken out to lunch 3 times by my work as we interview candidates for a position. Have another “free lunch” next week – still haven’t found the right person for the job so we are all benefitting with nice food.
4) was given a free dinner of spaghetti by a friend who cooked it for our youth group and had massive leftovers.
5) our gasoline in SC is $1.79/gallon but my grocery store gives discounts – I had accumulated 55cents off so I waited until I was driving on fumes to fill up. Can’t believe I got it for $1.24!
That’s like a time traveling price!
From my own and my daughter’s experiences with wisdom teeth and sinus surgery, please be SURE to do the ice packs as recommended. My DD had very little swelling despite a sinus operation that did 5 separate procedures at one time.
My teeth were impacted, I had general anesthesia, and you can be glad he’s not in that position. Half my problems were from putting the surgery off too long–so you don’t have to worry about that. My DD had hers out in her late teens—good thing her boyfriend came with us, as he and I practically had to carry her down the elevator and into the car because she was so loopy!!
I always wash our pillows multiple times. When it is time for replacement they are used as backup pillows, you know those extra ones on the bed behind the regular pillows so you can sit up in bed and read? I only buy new pillows every 2-3 years by washing ours every few months or so.
My five frugal things:
1) I gave away some clothes last year to a friend’s teen. Yesterday she gave me a bag of clothes to donate. Some used to be mine. Score! As I have lost weight and have been looking for a few “new” pieces!
2) I am going camping this weekend. I wanted to have a campfire but hate the thought of buying wood just to burn it. I collected some along my morning walk, then this morning my occasional walking friend was there and offered me her entire chopped down last year apple tree wood! Free!
3) checked the marked down racks at Smiths and got milk for $1.79, sourdough bread for $1.75, and my favorite dip mix for $.99!
4) made chicken, corn and potsticker soup for dinner with enough leftover for at least 10 more servings.
5) making my own breakfast sammies instead of buying fast food ones. Cheaper, bigger, tastier!
1. Ate leftovers from the freezer for lunch…rice and black beans, jazzed up with some fresh tomato, lettuce, cilantro and cheese.
2. Made chicken casserole from scratch for DH. Chicken was from the freezer – chunks taken from our last roast. Even made cream soup from scratch!
3. Scored 4 pr of new to me courdoroy pants from my sister.
4. Decorated our mantle for fall with a new combination of items we already owned.
5. Went to the scrap yard to redeem cans and a bit of scrap metal…$10 richer!
I found your blog recently and really am enjoying your articles. I’m trying to get back into a frugal mindset and your blogs sure are helping. Thank you for linking your “found change challenge” in this article. I am going to do the challenge in 2016. But since it’s never too late to begin a good thing, I’m going to start one as of today and see what I can find between now and the end of the year.
I’m so glad to have found your site! Thanks for sharing!
1. Found a dime in the parking lot at work.
2. Brought leftovers from home for lunch again. I can’t remember the last time I ate lunch out or ordered in.
3. Had a very rainy week, so I’ve hung laundry on the drying rack, shower rods, etc. No dryer use!
4. Looking for frugal gifts for Christmas — planning ahead to avoid the last minute panic buying.
5. Refusing to throw money at a storage issue at home, and trying to use my head instead. It’s taking awhile, but I will beat this thing!
My granddaughter had hers out at about the same age. Her reaction to the anesthesia was belligerence to the nurse trying to help her wake up..Fists poised for fighting!
Her cheeks swelled up so she looked like a chipmunk. She invented a contraption made from 2 bags of frozen peas and a bandana tied over them around her head to keep her feeling more comfortable. She spent a few days in front of the TV and then was fine.
Wishing your son an easy surgery and recovery.
1. I made a big pot of food for lunches this week: onions and garlic about to go bad, peppers and ground turkey from the freezer, brown rice, a big can of tomatoes, beans and spices. I just made it up. It is delicious and I look forward to lunch today.
2. I found a couple packages of almost out of date deli meat in the refrigerator. I froze the slices in meal sized portions. That plus homemade muffins, fruit and a nut bar will make for future lunches.
3. I need to get off the computer and hit the specials at Giant this week and stop at Aldi for produce.
4. I made cupcakes for a couple people for their birthdays. I have a lot of pumpkin so I made an applesauce cake recipe but used pumpkin instead. Delicious (of course buttercream icing really makes a cupcake).
5. I was up early so I walked to an early yoga class (with a monthly fee I attend as many classes as I want). I found $.26, but I have not found much money the past several weeks.
PS Al Copeland’s Popeye’s from New Orleans will forever remain a favorite in my heart. I’m with your son that it is the best fast food ever. He has good taste!
1. Made my lunch for work even though I really didn’t want to.
2. Carpooled to the office with a friend.
3. Decided to sell the buyer’s-remorse elliptical
4. Went out to dinner with a friends last night and bought the cheapest appealing thing on the menu (bowl of soup) – and realized that I was just as satisfied as if I would have bought a more expensive entree.
5. Did not buy a jet – I can’t even imagine the maintenance costs on that.
My son had all four of his wisdom teeth out at 19 under general anesthesia. He was uncomfortable and grumpy for several days, but he did way better than I did having mine out at age 37. I put it off too long, had two impacted teeth and had a couple of weeks of pain and swelling after the surgery. Even though I’m fairly tough, it was not an easy experience.
I would love to recount any recent frugal triumphs, but have had a small series of frugal failures lately:
1. Windows 10 upgrade blew away a couple of apps I had paid for.
2. Saved a grand total of 13 cents on the cat’s prescription after sending my son across town to try to get it at a lower price. His car ran out of gas while doing this, so I bought him $18 in gas.
3. Have had a houseguest the past two days. We accompanied him to a venue downtown last night, parked in what was supposed to be free parking, and got a parking ticket. The ticket blew away in the rain, so my husband will have to go back downtown to pay it.
So let’s hope that thing about stuff coming in 3’s is correct and the rest of the week will be less costly. 😀
I had an utter failure of a week. 2 weeks ago, our clothes washer died. Hubby tried finding a new control panel, ordered it to find it was backordered with NO idea of when it would get to us. On the website, he found that people were waiting 3 months with still no idea of arrival! So, we waited until Labor Day and scored a good price on a new one, it was only a little bit more than the control panel part would have cost, too! I did ask on Freecycle and scouted out Craigslist to no avail (leery of purchasing a used one in case those controllers went out, too).
Yesterday, hubby texted me that our garbage disposal went out. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal since we compost everything, but it’s down ‘river’ from the dishwasher and we have to have one.
We don’t eat out and we cook completely from scratch, mostly from the garden or critters we raise.
I walk every day at lunch, so no gym membership needed!
Tonight I’ll be canning a huge harvest of tomatoes, so we can have yummy tomato soup in the dead of winter.
I have a business meeting this weekend, completely paid! Woot!
I’m in the same boat with my clothes washer. I’ve been using the laundromat which is the opposite of frugal! We have to repair water damage to the floor first so I have to be patient. Good luck on finding a replacement!
Oops! I should amend that to, hope your new washer lasts a long long time!
1. Cooked beets in the solar cooker. We’re having a heat wave in NorCal
2. Ate leftovers for lunch even though we were wandering around downtown and were enticed by all the heavenly food smells from the restaurants.
3. Hung towels outside to dry and they literally held the shape I dried them in.
4. Caught my shower water to water some potted plants outside.
5. Turned a ketchup bottle upside down to get that last 1/8″ stuck to the bottom.
1. Found a quarter in the cart at Aldi again.
2. Walked to a yard sale on my lunch hour yesterday and scored a set of vintage lawn jarts, with the circular targets. I know they are not allowed to be sold on ebay, so not sure where I should post them. Has anyone sold vintage (dangerous metal tipped) Jarts?
3. Bought a collectible GI Joe locally and sold it on ebay within a few days for a $31 profit.
4. Bought a Tervis tumbler 2 years ago at a rummage sale for a dime, and I am still using it every morning for my coffee. That’s one sturdy cup.
5. It’s finally cooling down here, so I can resume walking on my lunch hour.