Five Teeny Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on February 14, 2025 · 66 comments
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My neighbor went to the grocery store during a snow storm, but texted first to ask if we needed anything. She ended up picking up Valentine’s Day candy for one neighbor and a half gallon of milk for me. Supported my indoorsy plans for the day.
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I made a huge pot of white bean rosemary soup with spinach and a bit of found-it-in-the-freezer sausage. I even had enough to share a quart with the neighbor who’d picked the milk up earlier.
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I ended up darning seven pairs of socks, although a couple of them needed repair to just a single sock. It was actually kind of fun and rationalized watching a bunch of first season episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.
Saves money to mend your clothing, plus it’s deeply satisfying.
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The slippers that I bought off eBay a couple years ago are falling apart in a non-repairable manner, so I found a new looking replacement pair off eBay for $21 plus shipping. Choosing to buy used whenever possible is both harder and easier than you’d think. But somehow there’s almost always a way to figure it out without having to buy the things I need from Schmeff Schmezos, Target or Temu.
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Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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Happy Friday! The snow from our last winter storm is melting. My foolish garden bulbs keep trying to sprout, but maybe this time they’ll make it.
1. Made my own garden aerator out of a mop handle rather than handing $50 bucks to a big box store.
2. Borrowed three audio books from Libby for an upcoming road trip. I’m working my way through the Captain Fantastic reading list, so up next is Guns, Germs and Steel.
3. Trimmed my own pets’ nails, although I need danger pay for the cat.
4. Kept my money local by hiring my cute tiny neighbor to cat sit, rather than a service.
5. Used my buy nothing group to give away a few items my neighbors were looking for, saving them a few dollars.
GG&S is a great book. It really changed how I think about who has what natural resources, evolution, civilization, and the like. What struck me most is how the man from New Guinea was illiterate in books/letters, but he knew every kind of plant and had an incredible sense of direction, and the author, Jared Diamond, said he felt stupid out in the forest and didn’t trust the man’s mushrooms. It cleared up a question I have long had about “how does reading/literacy translate into the before-times — what did we use this ability for?” and it was for knowing all the plants and things that were good to eat, etc. I’m not expressing it well, but it just kind of blew my mind. We are the same as we’ve been for 10K years. This book is in my top 10. Enjoy it!
Guns, Germs and Steel is a favourite of mine! I recommend “Factfulness”, by Hans Rosling, a book about the things we have been doing that are working, the things that are slowly raising those with the most tenuous grip on survival.His message is NOT that all is well, but that it’s important that we recognise our wins, so that we know how and where to focus on useful initiatives.Well worth reading.
Yes to # 3. I got bitten while saving money cutting the young cat’s claws. Older cat was more cooperative.
Duct tape works great on slippers! Will give you some extra time with them!
Yes, Jann, you can repair almost anything with duct tape. Except a broken heart.
Found a pair of BROOKS sneakers for just $40 on ebay.I have to wear certain brand shoes due to foot issues, but not willing to pay price of brand new.These,however,,came with tags on and ARE brand new.WOO HOO.
Free entertainment this week: Met with my bead making group at church.Fun volunteer work plus camaraderie and good visits with the women friends.Canasta with the neighbors next week- pot luck lunch and no driving. Plus, we solve the problems of the world with our kvetching about politics.
Planning AT HOME Valentines’ celebration ( of course!) with vibrant red,orange and green stuffed peppers (on sale from winco!) and Dean Martin and Pink Martini on spotify for the win.Crock pot meal=don’t have to run the oven.
Cut breakfast down to 1 egg instead of 2, and adding in small amt of cottage cheese side dish for extra protein.
Grocery shopping in my freezer and pantry.
Pool guy said we needed an $1800 new motor to run the waterfall in the pool .I get a lot of stay at home plesure by sitting oout on my own patio with iced tea or coffee, reading a book from the library..with waterfall running… (Most homes in Az. have pools) Handy husband investigated..and it turns out the OFF AND ON switch is bad… total cost $10. Yikes.
More at home days. No spending and no driving.
Kept my husband from browsing amazon.
My previous house had a pool with two waterfalls–I would clamber in my hammock and think how heavenly it was. Such a relaxing sound.
Wow! Good job on getting the $10 fix!
What type of bead are you making? What is their purpose?
I belong to St.Mary Magdalene’s catholic church and we have a rosary making group that meets every Thursday morning. We chat, make our beads, and they are packaged up and give away at local churches for free, and also sent to other countries with priests who travel.So prayer beads.My Dad is Greek Orthodox, they have “worry beads” and Indian faiths have mala beads..prayer beads are a lovely tradition in many faiths!!
Oh, I have plenty of rosaries around here. 🙂
So, you’re making the rosaries, and not the individual beads? I used to make beads out of rose petals, but haven’t done that in a long time. (A frugal way to make beads!)
Do you feel pleased with the longevity of the original pair? Or did a couple of years seem too short?
Either way, I’m curious what the brand was, so we can either look for it or avoid it!
1. I found a quarter on the sidewalk.
2. I made bread to go with homemade soup.
3. I didn’t do any panic-buying in preparation for a possible Portland ice-a-palooza.
4. I found a glass soap dispenser in a free pile. This is something I’d fleetingly considered spending money on. It’ll sit next to my kitchen sink filled with dishwashing detergent and looking cute. The jumbo economy-sized jug can hide under the sink.
5. I haven’t doomed any children to certain death by abruptly pulling aid.
I love having a soap dispenser with dish soap in it. The big jug of Dawn is too heavy to squirt onto a sponge. It also does look very cute. Score!
1) I replaced the elastic in some 15 year old PJ pants that my mom made me. They should be ready for another 15 years. Right?
2) Shoveling snow with my free-pile shovel. Thankfully I pulled it out of the shed before the shed door got snowed shut.
3) I thrifted a solid wood dresser for my fabric stash. The drifts and piles of fabric have been put away, and the unwanted bits were passed along. I have a better sense of what is in my stash and I’m dreaming up several years worth of projects based upon that.
4) The snow kept my husband from impulse buying (unwanted) Valentine’s presents. I’m too old to pretend I’m comfortable in polyester satin anything.
5) Still making my coffee, packing my lunch, taking the bus, rocking my thrifted wardrobe and not cos-playing as American royalty.
1. DH had dinner at work last night and I ate a salad with lots of miscellaneous bits in it.
2. I chopped walnuts instead of buying chopped walnuts. It just takes a few minutes and large bags of walnuts are reasonably priced at Sam’s Club. DH likes to have chopped walnuts with his breakfast.
3. I found a Valentine’s Day card in my stash and will give it to DD and SIL. The card came in a multi-pack many, many years ago. It is good enough.
4. I have a pineapple washed and ready for cutting. It should provide a lot of fresh fruit for not a lot of money.
5. A group I belong to had a tea bag exchange for Galentine’s Day. I brought two boxes of tea that I had bought on sale/clearance. I brought home a variety of teas to try.
1. Mended an unraveling seam on pajama bottoms.
2. Made minestrone as dinner for family arriving for weekend.
3. Bought 99 cent Valentine cards for granddaughters and Hubby.
4. Postponed dog’s grooming appointment 2 weeks and brushed/combed him out even though he hates it. It is cold here and we will save money.
5. Thoroughly cleaned the house myself before family arrived.
Is the bulletproof truck to protect those in government who kept their job at the expense of those who lost their jobs? I can see how they might feel the need for such protection. I also read about contracts to build underground transportation with his boring company(as in digging tunnels). He’s already got some tunnels in Las Vegas and plans more. He’s a busy little beaver.
My frugal is by avoidance.Buying stuff takes time and effort which I don’t enjoy.
And can you imagine if a woman had brought her kid into a press conference like he did? Sbe’d be attacked for being a bad mother and for poor judgment. Always a double standard.
Yup. Totally. My loathing for them both is boundless. Also take off your cap–you’re inside the White House, you choade.
@Rose – calling him a choade is far too nice. And do notice the bunch of pukes trotting out their child for photo ops, here or on foreign soil.
Remember Bum Phillips? When his team played indoors, he removed his hat. Good manners are rare these days.
Same. It’s hard to choose which one is more horrible. They’re like two parasites, feeding off of each other’s sick energy. I have to say, Orange Man did not look too thrilled to have Elon’s son picking his nose and muttering at him!
1. We had homemade pizza for dinner last night
2. I have been very good about making mocha’s at home with coffee, milk and hot chocolate mix.
3. The drain/plumbing company is here replacing all our pipes under the house at the 2nd estimate of $6500. They noticed our shattered utility sink with corroded pipes (sink was busted when we tried to snake the drain ourselves) and they are replacing them for us at no extra cost.
4. Our Valentine’s Day plans consisted of me buying dh his favorite candy (twizzlers) and him buying my once a year treat of chocolate covered strawberries. Under $10 spent and we are both happy.
5. Staying home today and not spending money
1) Took the kids and my Mom to Tarpon Springs to walk at the sponge docks. We had a light lunch of delicious Greek food and left without spending a penny in overpriced tourist focused thrift shops.
2) Watched Space Maker Method channel on YouTube for free while sorting and organizing small areas of my home I’ve neglected to pay attention to in months.
3) Boiled some water and cleaned old wax out of older candle jars. I have some emergency candles that needed a home and now they have them at no extra cost to me.
4) Aired the house out with some open windows during an unusually breezy morning saving on a/c and helping the hanging clothes to dry.
5) Repurposed some of my son’s soft t-shirts in his donate pile into rags and handkerchiefs.
I might have to check out that YouTube channel!
1. Saving my sanity by only sneaking an occasional peek at the news. This saves me thousands in therapy bills.
2. Continuing yoga daily at home, saving me the cost of a class or gym membership. Going on 30 years now, and I’m not much better at it, but I am limber and balanced at 61.
3. Keeping the main gas heater at 66 and using the ceiling fans to distribute heat + using appliances before 4 pm or after 9 and it brought the utility bill down by $100.
4. Making just 4 cups of coffee in the morning instead of 6 saves coffee and I am not reluctantly trying to reheat, reuse, or save the dregs.
5. I just asked my neighbor if I could have his Wednesday sale papers. I have been buying the newspaper ($2) once a week to see all the sale papers, then I reuse the papers to pack my eBay sales. But this saves me $8-$10 a month, or $108 a year. Tickled at the win!
6. I haven’t been toying with the fate of millions when I let a pack of Lord of the Flies incels into the Treasury database.
Oof . . . your #6!
I love that your neighbor’s sale papers are getting so thoroughly utilized.
@Julia – your #6 is *so* spot on. It will never get so bad that those incels will find a mate. Since they haven’t found one so far, I’m 100% sure a woman would rather starve to death than stoop so low as to demean herself to be with an incel.
1. Used birthday freebies for burger at Red Robin and breakfast at Black Bear diner. Hubby bought his meals and we considered these are Valentines Day celebrations
2. Resisted Assistance League pop up boutique. I donated several things so didn’t feel guilty not spending $$
3. Used up balance of United Healthcare HABA/OTC benefit for first quarter
4. Used Hallmark rewards for a couple of birthday cards
5. Hot water heater repair $536 plus free part under warranty. We were without hot water for3 full days. We went to son and daughter in laws house to shower
How fun to use birthday rewards to sneak in some fun dates!
1. When my finger went through the washcloth, I decided it was time to turn some of them into rags. My sister gives me washcloths almost every year for my birthday, so I won’t have to buy replacements.
2. Brought home another dozen large empty rice bags from my food bank volunteer day, so I now have an excess of garbage can liners.
3. A friend mentioned that she was going to the store to get halibut to make halibut chowder for her husband for Valentine’s Day. I have a ton of it in the freezer, so offered her some. She said if I wanted to give her enough more that she could make a pot for us, too, she would. So, gave her more and threw in two king salmon fillets to compensate for the money she will spend on the other ingredients in our share of the chowder. We each through we got a good deal.
4. Quilled a Valentine’s card for the husband, a bouquet of roses. He loves roses, in fact any flowering plant, so he will appreciate the card. Quilling is a pain (esp if you have sausages for fingers) and I had to do it in snippets while he was gone for this or that errand, since we are usually around each other 24/7.
5. Neither of us likes rice. We had two large peppers that had reached geriatric status, and stuffed peppers sounded good, so I made them with pasta that had been given to me about a year ago by a friend moving out of state.
Do you fish? Is that why you have so much in the freezer?
I used to but now I just have friends who fish all summer and never have enough room in the freezer so give it to me. My main supplier is a writer who has me read his first drafts…I think of the fish as sweat equity fish. The other guy is someone I went to college with about 10,000 years ago and we have remained close. I keep telling him we are frugal because we want to be, not because we are poor, but I think he believes I am trying to save face so he is always giving me fish. At my age, you don’t have many folks around who knew you before gravity had taken its toll on one’s boobs, so you value the ones who are still around (whether or not they give you halibut and salmon!).
We love fish. Salmon is now $11.99/lb
“At my age, you don’t have many folks around who knew you before gravity had taken its toll on one’s boobs,”
HAHAHAHA
OMG Lindsey, when, oh WHEN are you writing your memoirs?
I am seconding that motion!
My mom would use crumbled cornbread to make stuffed peppers.
My mom often used a meatloaf type mix to stuff peppers. My dad could be iffy about rice–anything that triggered his “poor” switch. Mom usually used red sauce but sometimes cheese sauce. I do love stuffed peppers with rice, though.
Now that she’s gone, I would give anything to re-create her dishes.
@Rose corned beef hash makes an excellent pepper stuffer, with our without an egg on top.
And yes I agree with you re: re-creating some dishes my mom made. Though she claimed her fried apple pies weren’t as good as her mom’s but from what I remember, they were pretty damn good.
Never thought of that! My dad loved canned corned beef hash and often fried some. I like the roast beef kind better but I bet it’s hard to find now. Perhaps I shall try it.
1. Returned a pair of jeans before the “return window” closed. Return approved, and $30 was credited back to the card. The jeans looked nothing like the picture, which showed a normal pair of jeans. Oh, no, these were more like elephant bell bottoms, except that the elephant part was the entire legs, not just at the bottom. If that’s a trend, it’s one I’m gonna skip.
2. Cashed and deposited $40 worth of rebate checks.
3. Went grocery shopping and spent just under $70. Realized that was the amount of the rebates plus the return. So with some mental gymnastics, I’m calling today’s grocery purchase free. I’ve done things like that before. It’s frugal entertainment for me.
4. Speaking of frugal entertainment, we’ve been letting nature entertain us for free whenever we can, and nature has been delivering lots of little free thrills. The latest gift was seeing an otter playing in the snow in our yard. We’ve seen otters on the lake a lot, but never in our yard. It looked like the otter was body surfing, sliding around on the little snow mounds, and really having fun doing it. So cute!
5. I also did not buy a Cybertruck, armored or not. Someone up here has a Cybertruck (I’m assuming it’s the unarmored variety) and the first time I saw it, I was actually speechless. Seriously. It was a full minute before I could choke out “What in the heck was that thing?”
1. Altered another thrifted shirt so that it fits better.
2. Stretched out grocery shopping: last went two weeks ago, although I did spend $6 on some treats at Dollar Tree. As we have had Noah-levels of rain, not going anywhere has been easy.
3. Got a load of laundered cleaning rags drying on a rack in the sun room.
4. DH and I quit celebrating Valentine’s Day many years ago when we were adopted by a magnificent cat who loved to eat cut flowers. Kitty passed away last year, but we did not resume spending money on the holiday.
5. Gave a bunch of decluttered household stuff to my friend whose annual church yard sale supports a mission for widows and their children in Africa.
1. For any dining out, we’re going to the restaurant where we purchased gift cards before Christmas. We bought two “buy a $100 gift card and get a $20 gift card” for ourselves.
2. Letting others drive when they offer to.
3. Maximizing one-month Netflix subscription before cancelling.
4. Contacted our housecleaner to update her on the status of our remodeling and about reducing the frequency of her visits once the work is complete.
5. Dreaming of the day when we’ll have our house back after the remodel. For the living room, I’m thinking of having a rotation of coffee table books from the library.
We’ve had new flooring laid. New baseboards installed, new furniture delivered plus a water tan repair
Finally housekeeper comes back after a month
FTTFT, Endless Winter Edition:
(1) Since the winter weather here is still not letting me get out much, I’m still not getting out and spending unnecessary money. An unenjoyable win.
(2) However, I did get down to my Goodyear shop (my go-to garage for most things) for a free winter car care check plus an alignment from my prepaid three-alignment package. My trusty 2010 Honda Element is thus good to go for a while longer.
(3) My friend Mr. Fix-It is here as I write, to address the kitchen faucet issue that didn’t get fully resolved in December (in other words, he’s installing a new faucet from his considerable stash). I’m going to force him to accept some money this time, although I may have to put him into a half-nelson to do it.
(4) I’ve been spending this morning decluttering, and I’ve asked Ms. Bestest Neighbor–who has two friends who are fabric artists–to put out the word about my mother’s well-used, well-loved 1950s Quaker Lace tablecloth. This is worth about zilch on eBay, etc., and it’s of no use to me, since my dining room table is round and the cloth is rectangular. But the fabric artists may be able to make some use of it.
(5) And I haven’t spent the last 3+ weeks doing my best to destroy the United States as we know it.
1. My 10 y.o. HP desktop computer has lost a drive and will probably be giving up the ghost real soon. So this morning, I bought a refurbished HP PC from Walmart online for $74 + tax= $81, delivered free to my house. Bought just the CPU, and will keep using my present keyboard and screen. Bonus: bought it online so I didn’t have to go out in the cold today.
2. Backed up the memory on my ailing computer; my stuff is now in the cloud. Would hate to lose the photos of my late puppy-dog, among other things.
3. Picked up the lights I’d bought from a small Mom and Pop electric supply co., and thus saved the delivery fee. I’m replacing the circa mid-1960s recessed ceiling lights in the den, and the big box stores didn’t have the right sizes; neitehr did I find what I needed online. This place didn’t have it in stock but ordered it for me from their warehouse. Hooray for small businesses!!!
4. Only bought one Valentine card, and it doubled as a thank-you for the friend who let me come see her foster dog. (She’d offered me the dog for free.) The card’s front was a cartoon that showed a lady and a dog sitting at a bistro table with glasses of wine. The lady was telling the pooch, “Your online profile said you were very loving and loyal, good at cuddling, love to play ball and go on walks –but you are not what I expected.” Since I probably won’t adopt the huge foster dog, I thought its msg. was just right! The frugal part was that it was 40% off.
5. My other Valentines were practical gifts: a large hanging shop calendar (designed for businesses to write in orders, projects, deadlines and such) for a friend who has a small business (a freebie from the electric supply store); a case of her favorite Big Red brand soda pop for my friend and cleaning lady, on which I’d written “A Big Red Valentine for you”; a start of house ivy for another friend who admired my plant (in a re-used container). I emailed most other greetings, or used cards I already had (many bought after V-day, and some were from thrift stores.) I will phone my out-of-state friend later today; her mom died on Feb. 14.
I always feel like my slippers should last longer, I go through them so fast. I don’t even wear them outside much, although whenever I am home, including working from home, I do wear them so I guess they get a lot of indoor use.
1) My SIL and her family are visiting, including my 2 year old niece who will need a car seat. My kids are in booster seats so we don’t have car seats anymore, I asked a neighbor with younger kids if she had a car seat I could borrow and she happily lent me one.
2) I’m helping with the read a thon for my kids’ school, it’s the school’s biggest fundraiser. We try to give the kids prizes for raising certain amounts, I was able to get a restaurant here to donate a bunch of free kids meal vouchers, I think it will be a popular prize and it didn’t cost the school anything.
3) No one in my family eats eggs so I guess that’s saving us quite a bit at the moment, not sure how much credit I can claim for that though, ha
4) I pay for a parking space at work but I only go in 3 days/week. I’ve had someone paying me to use it on Tuesdays when I don’t need it but it’s just been sitting empty on Fridays. I finally found someone who comes in on Fridays and is interested in using it so that’ll offset the cost a bit more.
5) Going for my walk now, free exercise.
I splurged on nice furry alpaca slippers last year. This year….the puppies were sure to break the necks of those maraudering slippers (when a dog shakes a toy back and forth it’s trying to break its neck) and I eventually gave up. Puppies 1, Rose 0.
1. Getting ready for a weekend trip. Packed light, because I’m getting a ride, but I did pack my restaurant leftovers kit.
2. Using up perishables before I leave home. I had a cheese and spinach street taco for lunch. Put grapes in the freezer.
3. Picked up cash at the bank rather than buying groceries and and getting cash back. Don’t need groceries when I’m leaving home!
4. Used just one egg this morning to make French toast sticks, which were made with loaf ends.
5. Packed a library book to read at my weekend destination.
1. Used aquafaba for the first time in brownies, rather than eggs or my standby, flaxseed meal…I think they turned out even better, and I roasted the chickpeas for my lunch.
2. Actually saved and washed and dried three gallon ziploc bags. I always mean to, and get lazy. This time I’m going to see how long I can make these last. (Also, sometimes other family members toss them, but usually I’m the culprit.)
3. Library books, always seem like a tiny frugal thing but are actually great.
4. Actually reviewing what we have on hand meant I spent less at the grocery store this week. Also, switching to a set menu each week makes it a lot easier to make the list.
5. I didn’t make my husband feel obligated to buy me a $30 bouquet of roses at the grocery store for Valentine’s Day. (Seriously, THIRTY dollars for flowers that will just die…I cannot.) We haven’t done much for Valentine’s Day for years, and we’re still married, so I guess we’re not doing anything too wrong. 😉
Karen A., as noted over on The Frugal Girl, my DH and I made it through a very happy marriage (until Dr. Alzheimer’s evil discovery reared its ugly head) without doing anything other than looking for half-price chocolates on the day after. So I’m with you to say it can be done.
A. Marie, if any couple can be said to be aspirational in their devotion and caring for each other, I’d say it would be you and your DH.
Good job on the reusing Ziploc. I just bought a new box after reusing mine to death for 10 years. Trick is Ziploc. Store brands don’t hold up as well.
1. Made my husband a Valentine card for $0 money spent.
2. Didn’t buy a Sumo orange for $7. The store had a big display. I couldn’t help wondering how many they would sell at that price and how many would end up thrown away.
3. Fixed a nearly new pet fountain that stopped working. I took off every movable part and gave it a thorough cleaning and it is functioning again.
4. Just finished a Little Free Library book . I will pass it on to a friend. Stopped at the library and picked up my holds-2 books and 2 audio books.
5. We were given a badly scratched leather chair that was headed to the dump. I have applied a couple coats of leather paint and it looks almost new. The paint was inexpensive, easy to apply and quick drying. If anyone has been in doubt about using it, I found it to be a great product . I have to do a couple more coats on the arms , which had the most wear.
5.
Ava, please give us more details about the leather paint you mention in your #5. I’ve got several pieces of furniture with badly aging leather upholstery.
A. Marie, I used Angelus Acrylic Paint for Leather, $10 for 4 oz bottle. I got it from Amazon (a little money to them to save a chair & footstool from the dump). The paint is very thin and doesn’t look promising but it is amazing. I put it on with a sponge brush. 4 oz was enough for 2 coats over the whole chair. I am still putting multiple coats on the arms which had the most wear. Each coat makes an improvement. Reviews say a lot of people use it on purses and shoes with good results.
Ava, I’d love to know what leather paint you used as well. It would be so nice to be able to repurpose the blanket I use to camouflage the badly scratched couch in our family room and let the beauty of the couch shine once again.
1. Had to return some library books and my library has a Keurig where you can make yourself tea or coffee. I made a matcha green tea.
2. On the way home I passed McDonald’s and had a reward for a free cheeseburger or McChicken. I got a McChicken.
3. This month I am writing down all the things that I considered buying but didn’t. Can’t wait to see the total at the end of the month. So far I’m at $206.
4. Bought a pair of trousers at the thrift store on sale for $4.50. They were a tiny bit too long. I don’t have a sewing machine but I have my hands, a needle and thread. Spent some time hand sewing them. Saved my self maybe $25 or $30 it would have cost to take it to a tailor.
5. There was fraud on my daughter’s credit card (I’m the account holder – she has a card under mine). It’s taken so many calls to get it sorted out and it’s not quite sorted out entirely yet. I’ve got notes on my calendar when it is due and I’m checking every few days to see if the credits have been applied. I won’t be paying for someone else’s purchases!
Elizabeth, your #3 is a fun and interesting concept!
It feels kind of like a fun game right now! I don’t buy much anyway but really was considering buying those things but I’m doing a bit of a Low Buy this year. When I really questioned whether I needed those items or just wanted them – it was obvious I just wanted them. It will be kind of inspiring to see the total at the end of the month. And the habit of questioning why I want the thing and if I have something else that I can use instead of purchasing whatever it is will be a good habit to be in.
Good job on the socks!
1. Found a penny.
2. Driving all day today. Ate sausage sandwiches for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Refilled water bottles at rest stops. Only thing we’ve bought is coffee.
3. Hauling leftover Chinese take out food with us to eat later.
1. Used $10 birthday reward at JCPenney.
2. Used my solar dryer for laundry.
3. My grandson has flu. I wanted to send him something and opted for a homemade pop-up card and a sheet of stickers. He’s 3 and getting mail is a huge treat. Saved me buying a trinket AND the shipping to mail it.
4. Going to bed early these days, saving on heating. I’m extra tired-I’m waiting for iron infusion, plus my mother is very ill.
5. My husband charged the electric bike at work and also rode his motorcycle 2 days this week. Costs all of $11 to fill it’s tank (in California!)
1. Came home from visiting my elderly father today to find that DH had totally organized our pantry/closet. He moved the freezer, and added his kegerater (which previously was housed in his woodshed), and using existing shelves, got everything much more organized. He did buy a single metal shelf unit from Home Depot, which works great. He did a super job!
2. Visited my step daughter, her DH and her kids in another town, ate all meals at home except for two (we paid). It was very cold, so mainly just stayed at home and played with the grand kids. We don’t live close so it was very nice to spend time with them.
3. Am now in week 4 of this horrible cold, so not spending any money really.
4. While we were away, DD and SIL stayed in our house, and looked after our dogs, costing us nothing. They used my car, and filled it with gas when they left.
I left them money to get take out while they were here as we have a really great Indian place nearby.
5. DH and I didn’t exchange valentine’s cards or gifts. We really never have and don’t feel the need to.
1. Said yes to a work dinner last night and had foie gras and oysters, followed by lamb pappardelle, both paired with wine. (no cost to me.)
2. Had a free mushroom shawarma bowl from work today, and free grilled salmon lunch on Wednesday.
3. Picked up a quick-ish mystery shop today that has a $30 pay out.
4. We haven’t been to the grocery store in 10 days. Partner started suggesting that I should go out and get some chuck to make stew (a storm is a-coming) but convinced him that we could make a chicken stew, as we have plenty of free chicken in the freezer from mystery shop and we have a lot of free root veg (including parsnips!) from free work CSA. Partner ended up with a free mushroom CSA box, so we sliced up a number of shiitake and are drying them.
5. For years, I worked in restaurants on Valentine’s Day. As such, partner and I give wide berth. We do not buy presents/flowers/cards on V-day, either!
Frugal fail: made tacos tonight using free beef, cheese & cabbage + discounted taco shells. Went to cut up an avocado only to find that we waiting too long to us it & I had to throw the entire thing out.
1 – no food waste – leftovers from previous meals were side dishes tonight.
2 – not so much frugal but defiant – 0% of my bonus is going into my retirement account. I have plenty in my IRA (thou shalt NOT leave monies in prior employers 401Ks – regardless of balance – nor cash benefit monies. I know damn well the administrator and fund manager contributed money to the white slug.
3 – again not so much frugal but we were gifted with a homemade apple pie from our elderly neighbors. Better half plows trails, assists in providing firewood, and we pass along newspapers and magazines.
4 – used methods for congested infants on our cat with a kitty cold. Saved the cost of a vet visit during snowy/cold weather.
5 – don’t have one except we won’t suffer from the white slugs stupid EO. And will continue to support local needs.
We are still cleaning out the house in prep for our international move. DH has made a start on the garage, which is a relief.
We have sold a few things on FB locally. Lots donated to our rural free store.
My son is coming today, he has said he wants a lot of the stuff, so fingers crossed he still does!
Our buyer is moving from a relationship breakdown, so we are able to leave some stuff that they want. This is super helpful, as it includes the bed and the sofas, so we can be comfy up to the end!
Continuing to eat down the cupboards and the freezers. May even have to meal plan for these last weeks!
We have a couple of nights in a hotel before we fly out, due to the banks and their crazy holds on your own funds! I have booked myself a very not-frugal massage for one of those days. I did save a bit by booking a few minutes walk from the hotel and not at the hotel spa! I figure I will need it by then.