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Thread: August Frugals!

  1. #1
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    August Frugals!

    I think this time we really don't have a frugals thread yet, but if I'm wrong, you can (gently) throw fresh, garden-ripened produce at me, and I'll put it in a salad
    I have this one admittedly lame little frugal to report. The heat killed our bananas, so I needed a banana for breakfast. DH suggested we go to the grocery store last night, but I said no, because what are the chances we would walk out of there with just bananas, right? So I went to the cafeteria at work today, and dug out a gift card I had received when my department moved into the building a few years ago. I got my over-priced banana, but it was free to me because of the gift card, and I still have $2.80 on it. The reason I still have this relatively large balance on a $5.00 gift card I got about 3 years ago is because I am so awesome about bringing my own food to work each and every day.

  2. #2
    Yppej
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    Bringing your own food is not only frugal but probably healthy too.

    My AAA membership has been a good deaL Not only do I consistently save on auto insurance (which I shop around every year) but on a trip my college age son and I are planning we were able to reserve a car earlier this week without the under age 25 driver surcharge, cutting the cost in half.

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Hmm. August has not been terribly frugal. Or it has been a little.

    We've had a house guest for the last week, though we had to drive about 400 miles round-trip to fetch her, so fuel and some roadside snacks (the price of roadside rest rooms). Guest has been good about taking us out for coffee and buying some groceries and such, so it hasn't been too spendy. Guest also left her favorite streaming service logged in so we'll be able to watch a few shows exclusive to that service before we get bounced off it and back to Hulu.

    Defrosted the downstairs freezer so now I know exactly what we have and what's close to a year old and should be used. Some of it was eaten this week. Other items will be used on this week's menu. Also scored some sales at the local grocery store because they were sloppy in removing the signs from last week's sale. Cheap week for eating.

    I completed a survey for one of the credit cards we use and was rewarded with a $10 Amazon gift card. I'll just bank it until we think of something we need/want. Also gathered up all my Target gift cards to buy some new clothes as I lose more weight, including a $5 card that Target sent for living through a several-months-long remodel of their nearest store. :-)

    It's been cool outside so the air conditioning has not been on since early Tuesday of this week. Makes up a little for the lights which some people in the house have left on (Don't they teach people about light switches anymore? They go on but they seemingly never go off.).

    Nothing special. But I guess it adds up.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  4. #4
    Yppej
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    A lot of lights now have motion activated sensors and timers.

  5. #5
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    Ugh! Good timing on this thread as I need to step up my frugality. Hit with some unexpected bills, and know of some big ones coming up in September, so I need to get the entire family to NOT SPEND MONEY! Irony is, mil's birthday is tomorrow and, since she lives in a small apartment, all she ever wants is gift cards to go do things with her friends. LOL. Can't blame her there, just finding it a bit ironic at the moment. Good luck to everyone in their frugal endeavors.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

  6. #6
    Yppej
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    Finally the garden is producing a little, and my generous parents' garden a lot. I am feasting on tomatoes, herbs/mints, chives, broccoli, califlower, zucchini, Swiss chard, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries and green beans. The tiniest eggplants have started and also some butternut squash.

  7. #7
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    August has been pretty unfrugal so far.
    Three birthdays-- gift cards to out of town kids, an orchid for my mom. Vet costs and signed up for obedience class for new puppy. Yesterday bought ticket for Sept to go see new grandchild-- six hundred dollars. Ouch. But will be wonderful to see new grandchild, and that's what you save the money for. But still, cannot spend like this with frequency.. .

  8. #8
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    A lot of lights now have motion activated sensors and timers.
    True. Philips, I think, used to sell bulbs that had internal circuitry which would time them out after, say, half an hour. But those have been off the market for a while. I've looked at timer or motion-sensor switches in the past; might be time to revisit that.

    Part of my problem is that switching off a light when it's no longer needed is, to me, one of those "everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten". Switch it on? Switch it off. Took it out? Put it back. It's why I wonder why it's so hard to turn off a light that’s not doing anyone but the electric company any good.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    We've had NO vacation expenses this month Our November vacation is all paid for except food and rental car.

    We actually did not go out to breakfast this morning-it's usually our Saturday routine. $22 saved!

    No grocery store purchases this week. Yippee! Love garden and CSA season!

    I found a nice professional looking briefcase online and took the risk. $40 delivered while list price was $160! I'm glad I took the risk. It's really nice leather. My current briefcase is a $12 FILA athletic cross-body bag. It's good for everyday work when I'm wearing scrubs but business meetings when dressed up, it's just not quite an appropriate image and it does matter. (Coach and DouneyBurke are going to have to find other customers for their 4 digit bags!)

    I'm still wearing the dressy/comfy sandals I bought 5y ago. They were definitely worth the cost and support my feet well.

    And then I blew it for dinner tonight. The ground beef I took out of the freezer? I put it in the fridge and not on the counter. DH doesn't last without protein for dinner so off to BBQ we went. But we did share a meal.

  10. #10
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    Continuing to just plug leaks and making every effort to save every red cent without sacrificing lifestyle. Today I went to CatCon. Best deal I could find was a $5 off code, and after ticket fee it was only a savings of $2.84. Still something. I got several food and treat samplers, though, and a dose of Frontline, so I got back some of what I spent on my ticket. It only comes once a year.

    Eating out less. Am trying to eat what's in the cupboard. No major creations but I have realized I have become conditioned to large, oversized meals when smaller ones are quite satisfying.

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