July Frugals

[Yppej]

I am trying to get 40 or more miles per gallon by hypermiling. Got a new windshield wiper at Auto Zone as it's cheaper and they install it for you. Only got the one I needed and not a pair.

[SteveinMN]

Recent frugals:

- Dinner tonight, which was a Persian stew made of items hanging around the house. Meat and rhubarb from the freezer (I love rhubarb in savory dishes) and all the spices and flavorings from the pantry or fridge. A little short on a couple of items (ended up using too little dried parsley to replace the fresh herb specified in the recipe). But it was more than just edible, it cleaned out a few dribs and drabs, and it will feed us at least once more.
- Earned a $10 Target gift card from the Red Cross for donating over the July 4th holiday. A couple of weeks ago I rounded up all my other TGT gift cards; there seems to be enough of them to buy something truly useful -- or maybe even just fun, sparing our regular income for expenses.
- Went to a free concert Sunday at a local amphitheater -- guy I used to work with. Beautiful night out with some good music. OK, i bought his new CD, but Sunday's concert was also the release party, so everyone got a discount on buying the album. It could have been less frugal. We didn't buy any beverages or treats, though.
- Another no-drive no-spend day today. Rarer than they should be, but...
- Found a pile of my clothes that had been set aside for stain treatment -- and then forgotten. I re-treated them and let them soak in the washer for an hour or so before actually washing. Everything came out clean -- no new rags.
- Shopping for winter tires since DW's are 5 years old and one fell victim to a sidewall bulge this spring. Saw a set on craigslist this week that looked good, but in shopping around I found I can replace the old tires with new tires of the same brand for less than the cost of buying these used tires with no warranty. I'll keep looking; we have a month or so until I need to think about winter seriously lol

[Yppej]

I love it when stains come out.

Bought a winter coat at pre-season sale price. I have not had one for years, only casual jackets, and would go to interviews and holiday parties shivering because I had nothing appropriate to wear. This one is to my pleasant surprise machine washable. Also went to Walmart and found a gray sweater which I have been looking for since February. I wore the one I had before all the time but it had the logo of the company that kicked me to the curb after almost 16 years, so I got rid of it. Also got 2 cheap pairs of silver earrings at Wally World as that is the color scheme for fall.

[Teacher Terry]

I make scarves for the homeless and also for low income families that live in motels etc. The local Salvation Army puts them out with other things for them to take at their xmas dinner each year. My best friend gave me a ton of yarn to use. She did this 2 years ago too. She still works so does not knit as much as me but is glad to donate to the cause. This saves me a lot of $. Through the years I have spent a ton of $ on these scarves. I sometimes find yarn at garage sales and thrift stores too. I had labels made that I sew on that say: Handmade with love By Terry.

[Gardnr]

2 nights in a row I've cooked dinner again and enough leftover for lunches for today and now tomorrow. Last week was a bust as i was working ridiculous hours. We're getting back on track

[nswef]

We've switched from the bagged lettuce to bunches of lettuce, half the price, with the salad spinner (circa 1980-orange plastic) it is as easy and the lettuce is better.

[Yppej]

I am minimizing A/C use as much as possible in the 90+ degree heat. It helps that I am in the office all day where my employer pays for it.

[SteveinMN]

Interesting ways to spend money saving it. Most of the week was spent driving in and out of town, which is kinda frugal when you get 50+ mpg and get to stay with relatives. But it was not a great occasion for saving money.

I had to buy a special battery for a cordless phone, so I ordered it from BatteriesPlus -- if you ordered on their Web site for store delivery, they took 10% off. The store wasn't that far from where I had to do other shopping, so ... done. This BatteriesPlus also is near a Big Lots. Never been in one before, so I took a look. Some of the items were not such great bargains IMHO. But I did find jars of pickled vegetables from a brand I like that is not widely sold here, at about half the price I usually pay. I bought all they had; they'll keep until I eat them (probably long beyond that, actually). I just "bought ahead".

The grocery shopping, which was my original goal, was not riven with great deals or impulse buying, so nothing to report there. I'm still working through the freezer (I'd like it empty since I need to defrost it this summer) and both DW and I have been low-carbing (me more than her) so I'm using the starches in the pantry for DW and not buying more till they're gone.

The mail brought coupons for credits at both Target and Ace Hardware, places at which I shop often, so I'll stuff them in my wallet for the next time I'm at either store.

Temperatures have been in the low-80s with low humidity, so the AC has been off and the windows open. A fan takes care of the late afternoon heat. Gotta get to some of those outside projects. It's almost August...

[Meezer_Mom]

I adore pickled vegetables. The only ones I usually see are beets. Need to look a little harder. I need more veggies in my diet.

[rosarugosa]

Well July did not turn out to be a frugal month at all for us, let alone uber-frugal. Maybe we will do better in August. A few small wins:
Switched a recurring bill to a credit card that offered me $25 for doing so.
Received a $150 gift card from my employer for taking advantage of wellness incentives.
Went to a free showing of The Tempest by our favorite local theater group yesterday. It was a perfect day and at a park right on the ocean. We made a donation of course, but still pretty inexpensive entertainment, and we resisted the temptation to eat out afterwards.
I adopted the subscription for Horticulture magazine at the public library. I'm including this as a frugal because it was a mindful expenditure that I feel really good about. I do love the library and get so much value from it.