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Thread: August frugals

  1. #21
    Yppej
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    Well I guess it is frugal that I never got another pet after our last dog died. Family is visiting the area this weekend and it should be low key. They drove a long ways and I think based on past experience won't want to go places/spend money.

  2. #22
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Not a very frugal month. Had the tree guy out again to take care of a big limb of our walnut that went down in a storm. Not two weeks after he was out here to trim back the walnut from the neighbor's roof (that would have saved a couple hundred). Lots of visitors, too. It's great to see them, but you can see the effects on the food and utility bills.

    - We have been the recipient of the bounty from others' gardens and it's produce we've been able to use.
    - Got yet another rebate check from our insurance company; turns out their eyeball house replacement cost estimate was off by a bunch so we got some $$ back.
    - I finally broke down and bought an electric string trimmer. I had had terrible luck with string trimmers before this so I got what is essentially a pair of shears on a waist-high metal tube. But I couldn't use them for very long before my hands blistered, especially when I worked on my other property. So I tried a different brand that seems to get good reviews, and I bought their least expensive model judging that it would be good enough. It is. I still have other pruners for the volunteer trees that this trimmer won't handle.
    - Been filling our freezer again with produce and food on sale. Looks like we may get a second freezer from my mom, who can no longer keep hers full. Not sure if we'll keep it; it's no bigger than the one we have though it is newer. I've learned the key to freezing food at lower risk is to diversify where you freeze it...
    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. #23
    Senior Member Selah's Avatar
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    I've been participating in a clinical trial for a new medication and get $75 per weekly appointment. It goes on for ten weeks. It's nice...I get out of the house, away from the computer, and get paid far more for doing virtually no work at all. Plus, they gave me a free, enormous tee-shirt that I've repurposed as a summer nightgown!

  4. #24
    Yppej
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    This is sales tax holiday weekend in Massachusetts. I stocked up on toilet paper.

  5. #25
    Yppej
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    This week I stocked up on paper towels on sale. I know they are bad for the environment but I am tired of ruining my dishtowels with grease stains that I can't get out in the wash.

  6. #26
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    Yppej Instead of paper towel I use what I call "Last Use Rags". They are cut up squares of
    very old cotton shirts/t-shirts/flannelette Pajamas that I keep under the sink.
    They work great for cleaning out pans and frying pans that need some cleaning before letting
    the grease go down the sink. Then they are garbage and I don't feel bad about that one bit.!
    I still keep a roll of paper towels around just in case but, these rags make in last ages.

  7. #27
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    Danna, I do that too--have not used paper towels since about 1988.

    Did more Christmas shopping at yard sales this week. Best score was last week, a copper fish pan for my brother who loves to fish, three dollars. Would have saved it for me but I already have one. Now am looking for a seafood cookbook to wrap up in the pan with it.

    My son likes record albums and found him Morrison Hotel, a Creedence Clearwater, and Joe Cocker, A Little Help from my friends. Also one of my favorite novels from the 40's. Found my DIL a wooden pencil box very ornate and will get her some new drawing pencils.

    Yesterday found a tiny tea set for my gd for a dollar fifty, along with some beautiful velvet brown ribbon for 50 cents. I collect old ribbon and then use it to wrap Christmas and birthday presents, sometimes with just brown paper.

    I am hoping to save money this year at Christmas on family gifts, since I no longer work ft and cannot afford what I used to do. I cut down birthday gift amounts this year by about half of what I used to spend. It felt okay.

  8. #28
    Yppej
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    I am getting ready to try growing my own scallions. I found a flower bowl I was not using and got dirt from the backyard rather than buying potting soil.

    Spent $2 less on groceries than the week before and I am going to see how long I can keep this trend going by stocking up on nonperishable items when they are on sale, which I had gotten lazy and wasn't doing.

  9. #29
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    Went to more estate sales this weekend. DH bought two reels of trimmer string for his new trimmer for a dollar each. Packages were unopened.
    I bought some notecards by a local artist for 3 dollars which I need to send letters to my parents in the nursing home, so that was good.

    Bought a fish and game cookbook for my brother for Christmas for 50 cents to accompany the copper fish poacher I found him for 3 dollars.

    Bought a memory foam bed topper which I have folded in half and covered with a washable sheet to make a big dog bed for my big dog who needs a mat to sleep on as we are doing mat training. They wanted 35 and I bargained to get it for 10.

  10. #30
    Yppej
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    My goal for August was to pay all monthly bills upon receipt and I did that with 2 of the 3. The electric bill was high as it was the hottest and most humid August on record. That and my November 1st real estate bill are going out Tuesday. I was slightly under budget.

    Excluding these two bills my goal for September is to spend no more than $700.00. There are five weekends, which is when I get groceries, but I am still getting some produce from my and my parents' gardens. I think I can do it. This will likely also involve paying monthly bills early the following month due to the RET expense. Gas prices will also be a factor.

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