Five Tiny Frugal Things -- Dining Room Decor Tips!
1. I happened to be at my computer when an email came in asking for Supercuts Training Center hair models, which meant I was able to successfully book an appointment for a free haircut. These opportunities are competitive, so it's better to reply as quickly as possible.
I don't spend money on girly stuff, for example I don't wear makeup. This saves me a ton of money, but it's nice to be pseudo pampered every once in awhile.
2. I spent an hour or so rearranging and organizing our downstairs spare bedroom, which now looks, but more importantly functions much better. Unrelated, but our dining room table currently looks like this:
I'll work on it today and likely tomorrow and life will be back in order.
3. I got a text that our local schmancy grocery store is running a deal for 50%-off bulk food, so I loaded the e-coupon into my account. I rarely shop there as their prices are comical, but I figure that their "half-off" brings them down to standard, maybe normal sale pricing. My friend Lise and I are going to scope it out later this afternoon, where I'll most likely likely pick up some bulk coffee beans.
4. I treated my daughter to lunch at an amazing pho restaurant in the neighborhood. The portions were large enough to provide leftovers for our entire dinners, which I even shared with my husband!
5. I asked in my Buy Nothing group for a cat tree for my daughter's new kitten. No offer yet, but someone did message to let me know that standard Facebook Marketplace often has free cat trees available. This'll be my next step.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
We took a trip to Nashville that cost us $1200 for everything. (Flight, food, accommodation, car rental) So now our FULL FRUGAL MODE is back on!
1. I am watching Greenland using a HBO max that is included in our Xfinity. Greenland 2 in now in theaters and I plan to go today for our theaters $6 all day special. (No snack will be purchased and I will bring my own water)
2. All meals were prepared and eaten at home. I packed breakfast, lunch, and set my coffee pot for going into the office tomorrow.
3. I measured 5 tablespoons and marked a line lower down on the cup that comes with our detergent. So now my family can see we only need to fill it half way with soap for a full load in our washer.
4. When I’m bored and want to scroll my phone, I am playing a bingo game through fetch that earns me points.
5. As of today, I have completed 26% of my weight loss goal.
Congratulations on your weight loss! 26% is more than a great start. Happy for you or anyone on this journey.
Congrats on working toward your goal.
Your #3 reminds me of the time my dear gramma was staying with us and doing all the laundry. We were going thru detergent like crazy, until I realized she was filling the ENTIRE CAP to do a load. That's enough for what, 6 loads?!
Since then I always mark it with a sharpie so anyone doing laundry at my house (which is now my 3 teens) know how much to use.
for the very first time, I got a bag of Ranier cherries at Kroger for $1.50 in the marked down section. Wowee! I frequent about 10 Krogers regularly, for years, and have never seen them marked down like that. Sadly they were small and not sweet though their texture was good. They're normally $6.99/lb and the bag was FULL.
Brought a whole bunch of stale ebay clothes to a new consignment store in town, they are only buying now. I walked with over $120 and I was pleased!!
Dana,maybe you can stew those cherries with a little sugar and make a kind of syrup to use with pancakes,french toast, and over ice cream!!
1. Our realtor messaged last night about a showing for this afternoon. The house was still mostly cleaned up from the no-show the other day so that was awesome for me! Spent the morning doing touch up cleaning and now I'm going to bask in the glory of a cleaned house.
2. Since our library is closed and my husband took the car to work, I bundled up the kids and we walked to the park while the house was being showed. We didn't eat many of the snacks I brought, probably because it was freezing outside, so they made a fun snack-cuterie plate for a late lunch at home.
3. My husband has a yearly clothing allowance through work to buy work attire. He just got an email that it's ready when he wants to use it. He has a button on a pair of slacks that has been... Well.. slacking. It has fallen off a few times and been mended a few more. We'll scope out some sales and go maximize his allowance.
4. I won the prestigious award of "worst mom ever" because I recycled my kids' cardboard fort. No cash prize, unfortunately, but the recycling bin is now full enough to justify lugging to the street for pickup this week.
5. I haven't lobbied to take away anyone's rights.
As someone who once made the mistake of getting a secondhand cat tree from Buy Nothing, make sure it is completely free of fleas. It scarred us enough that cat trees are now on my list of something not to get secondhand unless I personally know the person it is coming from.
Ooohhh I wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks for the heads-up!
Yes! And also there's a chance that your cat will mark it if other cats have done so, and then start marking other areas.
I will pick up most anything second hand, but cat items I'm very particular.
1. My partner and I had the day off of work today, so we checked out a sandwich shop that I had a gift card for. We also walked around in a nearby nature preserve after eating.
2. I made a Middle Eastern dip from a recipe I saw on Instagram using an eggplant I got in a .99 cent bag of mixed produce from my local grocery's quick sale aisle. I was also able to get ingredients like sumac and pomegranate molasses for free from my partner's work.
3. I had therapy today and was able to pay for it through the HRA my work provides. $130 that is staying in my pocket!
4. I made the mistake of scrolling through Depop and found a super cute pair of Doc Marten sandals for $34. However, after shipping, the price rose twenty dollars so I abandoned ship. I have sandals at home that are perfectly good and stylish.
5. I finally put away Christmas decorations and used old, discarded newspapers from our apartment lobby's garbage to wrap fragile items. And of course, saved all of the gift bags, tissue paper and ribbons to be reused next year.
Nothing much, really. Desperately trying to get DH into a better rehab facility than the one he's currently in. He could have received better care at "Bates Motel." He needs to get rehabilitated and be able to come home around our daughter's birthday (the 27th) to stay in that 30-day Medicare window. He's had 2 hot meals since he's been there and that's only because I took them to him from home. Witnessed first hand a nursing home codes violation which I happily reported to the PA DOH.
Since I'm at home by myself, I get everything done as early in the evening as possible and turn out all the lights. I've bundled up and kept the heat at 60 to conserve oil.
Since he went to stay with our friend on Dec 17 (broke his hip on the 30th), I unplugged the coffeemaker (I've gotten away ftom drinking it, DH uses it religiously.) I turned off the power strip on his side of the bed. He's not here and I don't need it. I also unplugged everything that isn't necessary for just me. We haven't had tv for 7 years, haven't missed it, and saved a bundle by not having it. Did the "price to compare" with the electricity provider and locked in a low fixed rate for the next 12 months.
Gal from church announced she's going to do a "love" display in the front of the sanctuary for Valentine's Day and requested pictures. Rather than printing them myself, I emailed 5 pix to her. She can choose what she wants to use and order prints or print on her computer. Let it be her expense...not mine.
Staying home after work tomorrow. DH will survive without me. May make some cookies, if I am ambitious enough tomorrow night. Definitely need to do some major tidying before DH comes home.
1. I made mushroom pizza using naan as a crust. The naan was free, but I liked the pizza well enough to buy naan next time.
2. I made spaghetti sauce using the Aldi brand marinara sauce and some leftover ground beef -- and mushrooms! The mushrooms have now officially been used up.
3. I went to the gym and in the parking lot I was approached by three different young people trying to get me to sign up for some kind of alternative supplier of electricity. I managed to politely fend them all off.
4. I went to Sam's to buy Always Discreet -- however, they had nothing between "moderate" and "extra-heavy." Neither is acceptable. So I saved some money. And I found two receipts on the way out. Of course I still have to get the pads, somewhere.
5. I watched the first episode of this season's "All Creatures Great and Small" using PBS passport, which I get by donating $5 a month. It looks like all the episodes are available, but I stopped at one.
1. This isn't frugal but it's really important “Financial self-care”. I had got behind in my tax Filing, although I've been making Quarterly Payments. Then when I contacted my accountant, several months ago, he told me he had retired! Which was disconcerting. Then it was hard to find an accountant who could take me.
Today was the day though, and I went to meet a nice man (who is at least 30 years younger than I am so hopefully will still be around when I'm aged). I had hired someone to sort through masses of paper so I had two banker boxes full of paper (for my company and for myself). I managed to get them in the truck with my broken arm, but that was more than I should've done. So when I got to the accountant he kindly got two of his employees to bring the boxes in
2. I cleverly had put the tin box for my dishwashing detergent into the truck before I left for town. I was able to take it to the fill-it-up place. One of the kind staff there filled it up for me.
Saving in packaging is really important to me - remembering to take the box in feels like a big win.
3. Not frugal, but a real treat: I went to the local framing store, because they had a lot of prints created by a long time printmaker in my community. She died last Summer, and this store have received boxes and boxes of prints, which were for sale at really decent prices.
The indulgence is that I invested in PROPER frames for them, because I think these are pictures that I will enjoy for the next 30 years and I want them to match what I'm currently got on the walls.
I bought a prints of chicken, a sheep, and a tiny little image of a logging clearcut: I felt like each piece was speaking to me. I came out of the frame shop feeling as if I really had done some self-care. And anyway, my mom had given me money for Christmas! Spending some of it on a new door knob is one thing; she's happier that I spent the rest on Artwork
4. I went to the insurance agent with the plates from my poor car that is a ratty-write off. I did not actually manage to leave the plates with them, but the agent was able to get some communication with the insurance underwriter who hasn't returned my calls for 10 day.
Eventually he sent the important papers to her, which she then was able to print and witness as I signed. So I am REALLY close to getting the money for the car. And then I can also get my insurance rebate back.
The price they offered for the car is in the range, ish, and I just don't have the spoons to go to war for a couple hundred more dollars. (This broken arm really does take the stuffing out of me.) But I'm very very pleased to have persevered to the point of almost being there! I just need to take all the spare keys to the insurance agent and again take in the license plates, And Voilà! They will give me a check!!!
5. I was tempted by takeout after al the things I did in town, but had food at home so managed to self talk and dodge that bullet.
In the end I ate (doggedly) some of the sheet pan lentil pancake that I had enthusiastically made (from the cooking for peanut site). It is full of protein, but needs a lavish slather of yogurt to make it vaguely enjoyable. I will finish it off, as the Roommate and #2 son haven't come back for seconds. No surprise there.
I have been craving veggies, so managed, with 1 ½ hands, to chop up a small head of broccoli which I cooked up with some ramen noodles. I just needed a green food for the win, and this was an easy fix. I look forward to the days when I can cut up veggies with abandon, though! ARGH
1. We are still working through our pantry challenge and it is truly shocking how much food is actually in our cupboards, fridge and freezer. This has been a big lesson for me in overshopping and I can see why our spending had gotten so high each month.
2. We skipped our usual Friday takeout night for chicken fingers and fries from the freezer. It saved us $50+ and felt indulgent enough since we don’t usually eat that kind of food. We’ll repeat that this week.
3. Our teen soon has started getting into fashion and while I’m supporting his vision and interest, I continue to talk about wants and needs. It’s hard!
4. My husband went to the Restore and got some lumber and items he needs for the laundry room storage cabinet he is making. We are trying to get that area of the house more streamlined he’s doing it on the cheap!
5. I’m still working like crazy and stashing away as much savings as we can. It was such a crazy year with the move so I’m trying to make sure we don’t get hosed by an unexpected tax bill!
I am serious about getting my freezer and pantry cleaned out. My husband is on board so that's good. I told him we have to eat it or we are getting rid of it. There has to be a reason, a WHY to it never being eaten or used...I think there is a lot of taking one for the team in using some of the stuff up!
I've decided to build a weather proof top on my gravity flow wagon. This will allow me to purchase feed in bulk and save on delivery fees.
Combined checking cows on a far away farm with a lumber and grocery run. Ladies were well and I gave them a fresh strip of stockpiled forage, plus a little treat for good behavior.
Continued on to town. Stopped at the cheapo grocery store, then aldis, and finally lowes. Scored two pairs of ladies wool socks for .99 ea. They will be a gift. Hunted around lowes for the 2x6x12's. Finally found some in the pressure treated section. I didn't want longer boards because my truck is a short bed w/o a tailgate. I happen to have broken out the passenger side rear glass and have been too busy and distracted to get it fixed. I slipped the boards through the hole, rested them on the dash with a cushion so it wouldn't mar the dash, and strapped them tightly into the bed. Problem solved! No longer over legnth! Hwy patrol I met seemed uninterested, so I puttered home. Dh patched the window last night 🙂
Bought cream and a baguette at aldis. Made squash soup for supper. Froze the extra cream so it doesn't (delightfully) disappear into my coffee. .69 canned tomatoes at the cheapo store for the pantry. I have a tendency to stock up for the zombie apocalypse. I'm trying really hard to not over buy and have a more abundance mindset.
Cashing in some credit with my chiropractor. He likes my beef and I like to be pain free.