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Thread: August Frugals!

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    I made use of someone else's eclipse glasses also. One pair took care of everyone in the office who was interested.
    I got a pair of eclipse glasses free 2w ago at a leadership meeting. I shared with my staff (yes I'm the manager). It was awesome for so many of us to be able to step out the side door of the building and enjoy this rare event. 99.5% and no traveling or vacation time used to witness the event!

  2. #32
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Eclipse viewing was free here because we achieved no more than 80% of totality, and that was through the clouds. No glasses, no commemorative T-shirts,...

    I should catch up on this past week's dental adventures. I had two wisdom teeth extracted Monday morning. Because I tend to be anxious about needles and drills in the vicinity of my mouth, the dentist from the year's previous dental work (fillings and crowns; it's been a year) wrote me an Rx back when for diazepam to relax me on the day of the work. For whatever reason, I only had to take two but he wrote for six. Two of them came in handy for the extractions, which meant I got by without general anesthesia or nitrous oxide. On top of that, the bill came to less than they had estimated (with the ins. co. discount). So unintentional frugality to my benefit, even after the veterinary-grade ibuprofen and antiseptic mouth rinse we had to get at the local pharmacy. Which is good because what we saved with the oral surgeon about covered the amount that the dentist doing the crown ran over on his estimate.

    Got another rebate back, for oil I use in my car. Buy a gallon; get $15 or so. The oil was on sale, too, so that was nice. Tomorrow we visit the vet for some routine inoculations; looks like there's a rebate for a preventive treatment for the dog, too, so we'll take advantage of that.

    Later this afternoon DW and I are taking another trip on a paddlewheeler that offers sightseeing cruises along the Mississippi. They're only 90 minutes long but it's always nice to be out on the water there. We're using annual passes that the steamship company offers repeat riders. Using the pass just twice a year pays for itself. We could show up every day if we wanted to. It's been a great perk to be able to take friends and relatives out on the Mississippi for a little ride rather than just meet for coffee or drinks.

    I'm happy to see life returning to something resembling our "normal".
    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

  3. #33
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    I hope you are all done with dentists for awhile, Steve!
    I had picked up a book from the free rack at the library last week that I thought DH might like, and he is devouring it. This is especially cool since DH hardly ever reads books anymore (he does read newspapers & magazines, but there is something special about getting engrossed by a book). The book is Hitman by Howie Carr, nonfiction, about the Italian and Irish mobs in Boston.

  4. #34
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rosarugosa View Post
    I hope you are all done with dentists for awhile, Steve!
    Thanks, rosa! I fervently hope so, too.

    I really need to get back into reading physical books. I prefer to read on-line. But the grandkids won't easily be able to differentiate between "Ganpa's reading a book" and "Ganpa's playing a computer game". Plenty of opportunities to be frugal with physical books, though!
    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

  5. #35
    Yppej
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    It looks like I will finish August over budget, but by less than the capital expense of replacing my son's mattress set. By shifting around funds from some of the expenses I've accrued for, but which aren't due for a couple of months, I should be able to pay for it without dipping into savings, and re-accrue in time for those other costs. This sort of creative budgeting can be an interesting challenge to flex my frugal power.

  6. #36
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Well, we're trying our best.

    Courtesy of decluttering about a weekend ago, I've discovered we have quite a while until we need to buy any more bath soap, dog treats, and "ordinary" (that is, non-decorative) lightbulbs.

    We've been hitting a lot of grocery sales and stocking up. It's all stuff I know we'll use in the not-too-distant future, not Amy Dacyzyn stocking up. I know I wrote earlier that I want to quit spending so much time in grocery stores, but we're catching these on our way to other errands and I don't walk around. I'm in, I'm out, I'm done. The neighbor is still plying us with tomatoes and cucumbers, too, and I'm still returning some of them as pickles and other cooked dishes.

    We got to the Minnesota State Fair twice this year and somehow economized. The first pair of tickets were a benefit of joining the Fair foundation, so they cost us something but it wasn't the at-the-door price and membership comes with a coupon book which lets us save at some booths. The second pair came for free from an organization for which we did an hour-long demo at the Fair; the rest of the time was our own.

    We park at a free lot and take a free shuttle to the Fair. People-watching at the Fair is par excellence and we did a lot of it. Other people's lives obviously are not simple -- or inexpensive. We spent money on food, of course, but it was only a couple of items apiece. I'd say the first day we got out for under $20 for both of us. We've gone to the Fair often enough that we know where to find the coffee samples for the mornings and which booths give away free water without too much of a price in sales pitches.

    The second day was more expensive. I have been looking for a long time for a wide belt on which I could change the buckle. I found one which filled the bill at a non-exorbitant price. Done. Because this was a "want", I will "pay" for the belt by using some Target gift cards I've gotten as gifts and for surveys to buy groceries and other household items. DW bought a T-shirt for me which will be a Christmas gift. She also found a couple of free yardsticks which she will turn into one of those on-the-wall kids' growth charts along with some scrap millwork we had around the house.
    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

  7. #37
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    Steve: My husband has one of those belts and he has been wearing it for probably 20 years, so you will likely get your money's worth. He bought it a leather shop in Bar Harbor.
    Best frugal at our house this week was DH: "When I was carrying in the groceries, I dropped the eggs. One of them cracked, so when I got in the house , I made myself a fried-egg sandwich."
    I've been using the library heavily, not just for books but for "steps" to & from at lunch-time on my WFH days. Today I walked to & from my hairdresser appointment across town, which is about 3 miles round trip. This saved a tiny bit of gas, but I really do it for the exercise, both mental and physical. My head loves to go walking every bit as much as my body, and since I hate to drive, walking as transportation is something I'm really enjoying.
    I got a dollar book at the library the other day for part of DBIL's birthday gift. We're giving him a gift card, and I like to throw in something a little more personal. This is a book I've purchased retail a couple of times for gifts, and it was a pristine hardcover for a buck (Merle's Door, for any of you dog lovers, I would highly recommend it).

  8. #38
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    Home - Made Yogurt!
    I am collecting empty jars and milk jugs with which to start making yogurt (in a insulated picnic cooler) with powdered nonfat milk and bit of psyllium husk fiber, blended in to boiled & cooled filtered tap water... I usually eat 4-5 tubs of plain yogurt per month, and the usual supermarket price is $2.99 here in the Northern Highlands of Wisconsin. So I expect to save $12 to $15 per month. Each batch will consist of 3 15 fluid oz jars of yogurt (reusing Marzetti salad dressing jars.) The heat source will be 2 half-gallon milk jugs (reusing empties) filled with warm tap water. I plan to experiment with the proportion of psyllium to get the right gelatinous consistency. Oh yeah, forgot: I need to blend in some live yogurt from the preceeding batch!

  9. #39
    Senior Member flowerseverywhere's Avatar
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    Love reading all these. I did laugh out loud when Steve used the word "Spendy." Very Minnesota of you.

    We may be in the path of Irma, too soon to tell. We went over the sales fliers and went to two grocery stores to get their specials, checked batteries, filled some empty milk containers with extra water and so on. Our cars are full of gas and we don't plan on driving much. No way am I waiting until next week. I always have a well stocked cupboard anyway.

    Went to a potluck last night. I was assigned a dessert and my peach cobbler was the first one gone. All the ingredients were sale items from the cupboard as I used canned peaches.

    Researching how to do sourdough starter so I can make my own sourdough bread.

  10. #40
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    Dado: I have always wondered about home-made yogurt. I like goat yogurt which is expensive, but so is the milk, so I would have to work out what the savings would be. Let us know how it comes out!
    Flowers: Peach cobbler sounds wonderful!

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