View Full Version : August Frugals
awakenedsoul
8-1-14, 11:58am
I was about to post in July, and realized it's already the 1st of August. I've been eating corn on the cob, too, cdtmm. It cooks quickly, and they gave us four ears in last Saturday's box. I did a lot of knitting on my linen/cotton tank top yesterday. I had to rip out several rows because of mistake. Feels good to have it corrected. I picked some sumac berries in the backyard for my chicken to eat. She loves them. I also gave her some leftover lettuce, and she gobbled it up. She doesn't seem to want to eat anything but fruits and vegetables in this heat. She free ranges in the early evening, so hopefully she's eating lots of bugs in the orchard. Went to the bike shop after swimming yesterday. I stopped on the way and returned a library book. I've been renewing things on line and avoiding late fees. That was my weakness a couple of years ago. Turns out my bike didn't need a repair. I replaced my four year old helmet. It had finally fallen apart. The new one cost $50.00! Yikes! But, he's a really sweet man, and I'm happy to support his business. He does excellent repairs. Chatted with my mom on the phone yesterday. Felt good about my new, less expensive phone plan. Am going to trim back the hollyhocks and sunflowers and spread the seeds in the garden for next year...
Gardenarian
8-1-14, 12:21pm
rabbit rabbit.
My summer off work has been frugal at home (trying to eat everything in the pantry instead of going out to buy food, foraging and swapping with neighbors, and so on. No retail shopping.) But I've been doing some traveling and that is anything but frugal.
This week-end is the Homeschool Conference, which will involve a lot of driving. I'm happy bringing my own snacks and drinking water, but dd will want to buy sandwiches and drinks.
We're going to Cape Cod next week, so I'm feeling quite spoiled. Most times I stay-cation, so this summer is an aberration.
Still, this summer is supposed to be (for me) about healing and mindfulness, and I feel I've met those goals, so all is good.
I'm in much better condition, physically and psychologically, then I was in May, and that is invaluable.
I've also made the decision to sell my cabin while the market is high in order to retire early. (I'll probably sell in the spring.) I wouldn't have come to that decision had I not given myself this summer off from work for breathing space. (I'm keeping my eye open for a real fixer-upper or some land so I will still have a forest getaway. Haven't found it yet.)
Sometimes things that looks spendy, like $50 for a bike helmet to a nice local guy who does good work - or taking time to travel and ponder the meaning of life - pay off enormously in the end. It's good to take the long view at times and spend that life energy in the right direction.
awakenedsoul
8-1-14, 2:06pm
Gardenarian,
Congrats of the decision to sell the cabin and retire early. That's exciting! It sounds like you've done really well in real estate. I'm happy for you. I agree with what you wrote about the helmet. This man is very caring and sincere. I get the vibe that he's having a hard time making money with his shop right now. He's very hard working, and nearing retirement age. (I would guess.) I'm thinking that when I do replace my bike, I'll buy one from him. It must be hard to sell bikes in this economy when they are so cheap at Costco and Walmart.
iris lilies
8-1-14, 2:18pm
I'm going to try out Black Box wines. I've heard on several fronts that there ARE decent box wines and I saw tv advertising for Black Box so I will try it, being the slave to ads that I am :~)
My dog MAY be able to cut in half his daily medications. Now they cost $108 monthly. I've been forced, due to limited supply of this drug, to experiment with half doses, and now I can see that while half dose isn't quite as good, it may be good enough. And this cut is entirely with the encouragement of my veterinarian.
I have started reading and working my way through the Road Map, so I haven't actually DONE anything frugal yet but I am starting to drum up some motivation in myself to do raise my financial awareness and maybe even do some tracking.
I bought some thank you cards, they came to $1 each which is not at all frugal. I toyed with making them but I don't have card right now and I feel it's more important to get these out quickly (party was a week ago already).
I will be looking at this thread for ideas through the month.
Oh hooray, someone else was paying attention to the date and started a new thread. Thank you, awakenedsoul!!! :)
I'm excited to have another frugal month ahead. I'm looking back at our grocery spending over the past two months and...WHOA...it has dropped significantly as a result of my eat-everything-we-have-mission. YES!!! Not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep it up...we will eventually run out of food. But so far, so good.
I have this fabulous pair of running shorts that are in desperate need of replacement. They are 10 years old and are finally just falling apart. I'm a little sad to see them go. I stopped at the local running store today -- combined that stop with the volunteer work I was doing this afternoon -- and HOLY SMOKES!!! New running shorts are at least $30!!! ACK!!! Of course, if they last me another 10 years that's only $3 per year, but still...I can't bring myself to part with that kind of money. Guess a stop at the thrift store is in order. I could also just lose another 5 or so pounds and that would mean that two pair that I already own would fit well enough for me to wear... Plus, I swear there are two more pair somewhere in a drawer... A shall stage a massive search because it's gonna take a lot for me to part with $30 for a pair of some of the shortest shorts I have every seen!
iris lilies -- good luck with cutting back on your dog's medication. I'm very familiar with the expenses associated with the beloved furry four-legged ones so it's great that your vet is onboard with this solution.
Aroha -- looking forward to your contributions as you find little (and big!) frugal things to post about going forward.
Gardenarian -- enjoy your trip to Cape Cod -- it sounds lovely! I haven't been in several years, but I have found memories of summer trips to the Cape!
August 1 has not been a frugal day. Just booked $600 worth of airline tickets for a fall get away. Now out to a spendy restuarant for our anniversary. I promise to return to my frugal ways - tomorrow.
Awakened: I love the idea of supporting small local merchants. Good for you.
Gardenarian: Congratulations on your decision. Funny, I just heard about the "rabbit, rabbit" thing for the first time yesterday, and here it is again. I hope you enjoy your visit to New England!
Pinkytoe: Frugal isn't just about not spending money. It's about spending wisely and mindfully and getting good value for your money. Happy Anniversary!
IL: You may decide differently, but my extensive field testing (in the interest of science) brought me to the conclusion that Black Box Malbec is the best :)
Cdttmm: Do you have Ocean State Job Lots in your area? They are advertising activewear shorts for $5.00.
Aroha: I too look forward to your future contributions!
I did some shopping at the Farmer's Market yesterday. Things are a bit pricey there, but everything I bought was so delicious that it was money well spent in my opinion. We skipped our weekly grocery run, and I certainly spent far less than that at the market. I also scooped two tickets to Sweeney Todd for $35.00 each at a special one-day sale at the theater beside my office in Boston. It's where we went to see Into the Woods, and it is a great little theater. Tickets usually go for about $75.00 each, so this was a good deal. We saw Sweeney when it first came out and loved it, but that was so long ago that we're happy to see it again. Have a good weekend everyone!
rosarugos -- we do have an Ocean State Job Lot nearby. Thanks for the tip on buying shorts there -- I will check it out tomorrow when I'm in town!
pinkytoe -- I'll second what rosarugosa said, it's about spending money wisely and mindfully. I hope you have a great fall get-away!!!
I was spendy yesterday, too, but it was planned. I bought my plane ticket ($436) to fly to MN the first weekend in September for a 50 mile race. However, I did not plan well when it came to booking a hotel and that is costing a bit more than anticipated. Boo. But I'm using airline miles to rent a car so that will almost even things out since I had originally planned to actually pay to rent a car. Now I just have to make sure I'm well prepared for the race so that it's not a total bust. Extra bonus, I'm flying into MSP so I will get to see my Mom and spend a night at her house. And I'll get to see my younger brother and eat at his restaurant before my race. Assuming I can get up early enough the day after my race, I'll be able to stop and have brunch there as well before going to the airport.
After a thorough search, I found one pair of the missing running shorts -- woo-hoo! And another pair that does not quite fit. Really got to get on that lose-another-five-pounds thing. :D
Discovered a little sample sized packet of hemp hearts in the pantry. I've been sprinkling them on my peanut butter toast for breakfast. They don't seem to add much in the way of flavor, but do add a little texture and perhaps there is some nutritious goodness in there, too. And I discovered a bag of wheat germ in the pantry, too. Must make a plan for using that.
Today I'm going to make a huge batch of popcorn so that we just have it around to snack on throughout the day. We need to eat the rest of the corn on the cob since yesterday's cooking plan got a little off track. So it will be a multiple varieties of corn kind of day. :~) I'm also contemplating making up another batch of black beans in the crock pot today since I have time. Or perhaps lentils.
With luck it should be a no drive day. We've got plenty to do here so staying home and staying focused on getting some chores done would be a plus (and frugal, too!).
Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!
awakenedsoul
8-2-14, 4:17pm
Sounds like everyone is doing great with their frugals.
pinkytoe, Hope you had a wonderful anniversary dinner. I love to splurge now and then.
rosarugosa, That's a great price for theater tickets. I've got my eye on Pippin when it comes to town...
Aroha, The tracking is what has helped me the most. I need to tally up July's expenses. It's always eye opening.
cdttmm, Glad you found your shorts!
I baked a loaf of bread this a.m. This time I used half whole wheat pastry flour and covered the loaf with sunflower seeds. It came out really well. It tastes totally different with these additions. I've got some whole wheat berries in the freezer that I may add next time. I was afraid I was going to have an expensive vet bill today. Last night one of my dogs was crying for hours. I thought it was because she was hot, so I turned on the air. Unbeknownst to me, the dogs let themselves into the living room, and slept there. (It's cooler. I had the window open.) The dog that was crying is fine now. (She had an accident that seemed to heal her pain on the carpet.) Cleaned it up with vinegar and water. Am still knitting my summer tank top. It's a nice way to pass the time, and the colors are beautiful. (Hand dyed linen/cotton yarn.) Woke up with what felt like a broken wrist yesterday a.m. It really limited me, and hurt!!! I researched it, and it sounded like a pinched nerve. Did some deep breathing last night, woke up, and it was as good as new! Such a relief. I didn't want to pay for an xray. I plan to total up my July expenses today. Have been cooking all meals and taking the bike and the bus six days a week. Keep up the great work everyone!
After our dinner last night ($120), we vowed not to eat out anymore this month. We will make up for it on vacation when we visit the PNW and BC where I plan to eat as much seafood as I possibly can.
Bought a whole chicken today which dh will BBQ tonight. The leftovers can be made into tacos tomorrow night with corn tortillas, avocado and salsa. I haven't bought salsa for years now as we make our own from scratch. I guess that's frugal at least.
...IL: You may decide differently, but my extensive field testing (in the interest of science) brought me to the conclusion that Black Box Malbec is the best :)
...
I, along with the rest of the world, appreciate the sacrifices you made in your studies! haha.
At this moment I am sipping Black Box Cabernet at $24/box. It's supposed to be the equivalent of 4 bottles. I am counting the number of glasses I get and since I do very heavy pours, I suspect I will be surprised when it runs out. That spout allows the stuff to pour out with such ease that I am now also worried about drinking it up too quickly which is less of a financial issue than it is a borderline-drinking problem issue for me.
I don't love it, but I like it well enough. It's easily comparable to the $10 - $12 bottles I buy of California wines.
After our dinner last night ($120), we vowed not to eat out anymore this month. We will make up for it on vacation when we visit the PNW and BC where I plan to eat as much seafood as I possibly can.
Aww, I hope that you enjoyed your dinner out, regardless of the cost.
We had a big blow out dinner in June to celebrate a financial milestone (and then the stock market dropped this week so likely erasing that milestone! haha) but anyway, I ordered a glass of wine that cost $25 and boy, was that good! the rest of the dinner was really nice, too. It's a place that's a few blocks from my house and has been quietly in the top ten of St. Louis restaurants for two decades. The physical space is unpretentious and even a little dated, I'd say. The food is great although perhaps, lately, a little too experimental. But then, no one needs to go the experimental route if they do not wish to.
Back at it with more of the usual frugals. Making homemade bread this morning since I ate the last two slices with peanut butter (and hemp hearts!) for breakfast. Also, made a pitcher of iced green tea for my beloved. Going to sweeten it with the spun honey bits that our friend gave us. Iced tea is so much cheaper to drink than the orange juice/carrot juice combo that he was into drinking for quite some time!
Today starts a week-long conference for me on contemplative practice. It's local so I'll be driving to and from each day, but otherwise will be experiencing a frugal week (I hope!). And, because it's local, I'm volunteering for a few hours to help the organization out. They granted me a scholarship both last year and this year to attend so it's totally worth a few hours of volunteer time -- and I like what they are doing so there's that, too!
Took a container of squash soup out of the fridge to thaw. We'll eat that tomorrow night for dinner after our outing in the kayaks on the local river. We haven't had a chance to go yet this year so I'm really looking forward to it!
I'm continuing to make progress with using up the last of the toothpaste from the nearly empty tubes and the bits of lotion/moisturizer in the various bottles in my bathroom. I feel so victorious every time I can truly consider one empty and toss it in the trash/recycle bin!
Next week I'm hoping to score a free gym membership for the semester at the college where I teach since I'll be teaching Tae Kwon Do there this fall. If I can work that out, then I'm going to actually try biking to and from work some days. If I can make it work, this could be an epic frugal!
awakenedsoul
8-3-14, 11:36am
Hope the bike commute works out for you, cdttmm. I've been thinking of making iced yogi tea, too. Most of the day I drink water. I dilute lemonade or juice with a half a glass of water as a treat. Last night I did some research on line to find an excellent vacuum cleaner. I had my eye on the Miele, but it's $649.00 on Amazon. I also was considering the Dyson. They have them at Costco. I've fixed my Hoover wind tunnel several times, but it's time to retire it. (It's 15 years old.) Settled on the Shark Professional. Macy's is having a special, so I got it for $100.00 off. It's less than half the cost of the expensive vacuums, and it got excellent reviews. I paid for it on line last night, and will pick it up at Macy's today. ($285.00) With two German shepherds, I do a lot of vacuuming. I'm excited to clean house when I get home. Cleaned both the living room and bedroom yesterday. My goal is to make my cottage like a welcoming bed and breakfast. One thing I loved about hotel life when I was on tour was having housekeeping come in and clean every day. So, I try to give myself that same atmosphere now. Today I'll clean the bathroom and kitchen. I still have some whole wheat sunflower bread left for sandwiches. Will eat up the last of the tuna with it today. There is more to harvest in the garden: cherry tomatoes and zucchini. I'm going to tidy up the flower and herb beds this morinng. Since I'm driving to Macy's to pick up the vacuum, I plan to stop at Sprouts and buy some lettuce and fruit. I decided to cut down my box at the co op to once every three weeks. I think I can spend less by just picking up a few things in between at Sprouts and Costco. Plus, the garden is supplying a lot. I also need to total up my expenses for July. I'm keeping each month in my notebook. It's helping me to stay on track.
I have never been to Cape Cod.... would be interested in hearing where you stayed, what you did.....et al. Ditto for the PNW!!! I am looking forward to vacation myself in a few weeks to a place I have never been.... Glacier Nat'l Park. So fun to have something to look forward to!
IL: Haha, my contribution to society! I too consume more than my share of wine (kind of the opposite of the shoe-shopping thing; I'm probably consuming some other peoples' bottles of wine while they are buying most of my allotted 17 pairs of shoes). I found all the reds to be only acceptable until I tried the malbec. I really like that one. I know you don't do white wines, but I keep a box of chardonnay in the fridge and a box of malbec in the cupboard, so I have warm and cold running wine at all times. The chardonnay is also just OK, but DH cooks some great stuff with it. It's drinkable, but nothing to write home about.
I have never been to Cape Cod.... would be interested in hearing where you stayed, what you did.....et al. Ditto for the PNW!!! I am looking forward to vacation myself in a few weeks to a place I have never been.... Glacier Nat'l Park. So fun to have something to look forward to!
Now I'm the jealous one. I spent a week every summer for about 20 years hiking in Glacier. Hiked most of the peaks. Wish I could still do that!
Today I bought a microwave. I think this was indeed a frugal action. My old one died a month ago (after 29 years faithful service!) and we have had a trial period of going without, which brought home that while we can indeed get by, we have genuinely missed it and would like to replace it. Meanwhile, the homeward store was having a 60%-off sale. So while out getting my groceries this morning I popped into the shop and came away with new oven for just $160 which I know I can afford. It makes me feel good to buy something I know will be useful, and at such a good price.
Good for you, Aroha, for waiting on the purchase to make sure it was something that really adds value to your life. This is a great example of mindful spending and it sounds like you also got a good price!
I always try to buy used when possible. Yesterday, I bought a used stationary bike for $40 on craigslist as it was recommended for my knee issue. With all of the thrift stores close by and craigslist, we can usually find what we are looking for. Now to find a lawn edger as our 15 yr old one died. Speaking of lawns, we are probably the only people in our hood that don't have a lawn service. Most folks hire out their lawn care and then go to the gym for exercise.
Speaking of wine and science, here's a short snippet of life: I am experiencing the "unintended consequence" of frugality in that I switched medications and the new stuff says to AVOID ALCOHOL. Guess it's back to Friday night "Virgin Greyhounds" for me, and grape juice for Kiddush! (A "greyhound" is a drink DH and I acquired a taste for when we met a friend who'd lived in the Florida Keys for years: freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice and a shot of vodka, on the rocks! Heaven...)
In other frugal news, yesterday I helped a friend clear out her deceased mother's closet. In exchange for taking photos, writing ad copy, and posting a bunch of Craigs List-type ads in online groups for the immigrant community here, so she could sell off her mother's furniture, and shlepping the clothes out of the house (seriously, a car-load full), I was able to keep what I wanted, give to another friend what I thought she could use, and donate the rest to charity. Whee...new-to-me clothes, a pair of leather gloves (mine fell apart last winter), some belts, and even a red Italian handbag! Such a deal!
I stopped buying ice cream and instead have switched to making my own frozen yogurt popsicles, flavored with cherry juice. Less costly and fewer calories--I am trying to lose weight by making a bazillion tiny changes and switches to healthier alternatives, rather than "dieting," which I can never do successfully, and ALWAYS makes me anxious and crazy. If I'm not careful, I can very easily get very freaked out about food, and anxiety for me these days triggers eating binges! So now I'm looking simply to change my habits, one at a time, and go for healthy, homemade, unprocessed, simple foods. Happily, these tend to be much cheaper in Israel than the processed stuff is! Even more happily, I'm very slowly starting to see some positive results--both in our budget and in my waistline!
This is going to be a spend-y month for us - our son is getting married at the end of the month in DC. Air fare for 3 is paid for. Got a good deal (the best we ever have found in the 5 years he's lived there) at an Embassy Suites where we start the day with a hot meal that covers breakfast and lunch (mostly). It is a very small wedding - 18 including the bride and groom - and relatively stress free.
Going to start counting how many no spend/no drives day I can amass before we leave on the 27th!
awakenedsoul
8-4-14, 2:07pm
Picked up the vacuum yesterday at Macy's. I got it assembled and used it on the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. It works really well. I cleaned up the old one, put the extra bags with it, and will drop in off at the Salvation Army tomorrow. It always feels good to me to fix and donate old appliances if I can. Ran into an old friend at Sprouts. Since I last saw him, he and his wife have gotten divorced, so I got back in touch with her, too. It was fun to catch up, and free. Worked on my songs and cleaned the kitchen. This morning I tried running the dogs earlier. I was able to get home from the pool by 10:00 a.m. It was cool enough to cook, so I seasoned and browned some ground turkey. I'll make some sauce and have that with leftover penne pasta. I can use the rest for tacos or stuffed peppers. We had some rain last night, so I don't need to water the garden. Nothing like free water!
Went to the city indoor pool for my water exercise class, which I try to do MWF. It is close to my favorite thrift store so I stopped. I got 3 DVD series (season 1 of Being Served, season 1 of Miss Maple and another one which just slipped my mind!) for $5. I also got a beginning yoga DVD for $1. The Being Served Dvd was especially funny because I had just been thinking about that series and wondered what those actors were doing now. I also got 4 magazine for 50c, 2 were Aug 2014 and 2 were July 2014. It was 1/2 price on media today. Then I stopped at one closer to my house, they were having 1/2 off every thing. I spent 53c with tax and got a piano book I didn't have and a little dish to hold my bobby pins. There were several pairs of brand new men's size 12 shoes for $4 each. They were brand new. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anyone who could use them. I keep a size list for family members so I can pick up deals for them. Nothing pleasures my more than finding what I need/want for cheap.
awakenedsoul
8-4-14, 5:21pm
Aqua Blue, Wow! You got some great deals! I forgot to write that I watched some free Youtube videos last night, for entertainment. The Full Monty number was fantastic. (There's an audition here, and I wanted to study it.) Then I watched Susan Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream on Britain's Got Talent. I just love that clip...
This morning I listened to a podcast by a doctor from Stanford. He was talking about the link between childhood abuse and adult diseases like: migraines, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, etc. It was fascinating. There is so much free entertainment on the Internet! Time to knit and listen to Suze Orman's podcast.
Wow, so many reports of frugal activities! Go us! I just love reading what everyone is doing -- it's very motivating for me!
A minor not-so-frugal moment last night...my dearly beloved requested that I bring home a Friendly's ice cream cake. It was $22 so not the worst thing in the world and he was very happy, so there's that! He's been a good sport with my whole attempt to eat everything in the pantry and fridge. While I was ate the conference yesterday he happily ate rice and beans -- my meals were included with the conference fee. But we had ice cream cake together last night before going to bed. This morning I made tea at home and brought it with me to the conference along with some snacks even though I knew there would be meals and snacks provided -- having a back-up plan is always a prudent move, IMO. When I arrived at the conference this morning there were no open parking spaces near the building. Last year, I just parked at a parking meter and paid for parking each day. This time I realized that parking in the parking garage with my conference parking permit is free and is only about an 8 minute walk to the building. This will save me a few dollars each day.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to drive to the conference and be there all day right up through dinner because then I will head over to the gym for my Tae Kwon Do class. It will make for a very long day, but last year I drove home and then back again and I spent a lot of money on gas over the span of the entire week.
On Wednesday, I plan to make a trip to BJs to stock up on a few items. I have some good coupons to use that will expire this weekend so I want to take advantage of them. Also, one of this gas stations near BJs has 20 cents off per gallon of gas on Wednesday for rewards card members and I want to take advantage of that! It's amazing what a little bit of planning can do when it comes to saving money!
awakenedsoul
8-4-14, 8:40pm
That's true, cdttmm. Being mindful and responsible about what you spend seems like a small thing. But, over time it makes a huge difference. I just added up what I spent in July: $1,216.00. My goal is to spend $20,000. or less for 2014. Total spent this year: $10,231.00 for 7 months. It really is all the little things. I'm spending more than I planned to on groceries, but it's working out okay. I'm making up for it in other areas. This month I bought a lot of meat. I took food with me to cook for my parents, and left some groceries and meals there. Also, part of that was a four pack of ground turkey at Costco that should last me a while. I'm amazed that on this budget I've still been able to take an audition trip to Las Vegas, (spending the night at Planet Hollywood and seeing a show,) and take a trip to the Bay Area. (No hotel costs there.) I used to think I couldn't afford these things. I just had to shift where I was spending. The cuts and public transportation have helped, too. Oops! I forgot to add on my bus pass. I'll edit that total.
I love hearing everyone's frugals, too. It's inspiring.
I called my insurance rep this afternoon and reviewed my homeowner's insurance. By going over the whole thing I was able to decrease my yearly premium by a little over $1000. I think we are adequately covered but not over insured.
Florence, That is a huge win! Would you mind sharing the general picture of where you were spending more than you needed to spend?
I'm so inspired to participate. I've been making so much food at home lately (for a short time before that I felt like I kept constantly going out and getting ready meals or getting takeout because I was sick, then husband was sick, then activities, events and everything else). But now I'm back in the swing of things and I have a pantry full of stuff that needs to be consumed. It will be nice to restock with new things.
I also have pretty great in laws. My sister in law is a stay at home mom so she constantly is baking, and doing things, and whatever extra she has, she walks over to mine (only a 5 minute walk) and gives it to me. My mother in law is the same and always makes extra everything. Sure there are a lot of times where I have other meals planned and don't eat everything they give us, but I suppose I can't complain much. They are just being nice.
I really want to spruce up the house a bit. Everything is just so blah to me now. I want to paint my bedroom, get new curtains and new bedding. Hope I can find some great deals without getting too crazy with the funds.
OwlGirl, welcome! It sounds like you have lots of frugals you'll be able to share with us and I'm glad to hear you are inspired by others (I feel the same way!). As for home improvements, paint is one of the least expensive ways to make a room seem fresh and new. If you're not too particular about the color, then ask at your local home improvement store if they have any paint that was returned because a customer didn't end up liking the color. Sometimes they have a gallon or even 5 gallons of a color that they have to discount as a result of that so it's a good way to save money.
Florence, That is a huge win! Would you mind sharing the general picture of where you were spending more than you needed to spend?
Sure. I have USAA for Homeowners Insurance.
1. I kept the Dwelling Protection level as it was.
2. I dropped the Other Structures Protection from $103, 350 to $41,340. $250 saved.
3. I dropped the Personal Property Protection from $310,050 to $206,700. $250 saved.
4. I kept Personal Liability & Medical Payments to Others at the same level.
5. I kept the 1% Deductible.
6. I dropped the Slab or Foundation Coverage. $120 saved.
7. I dropped the Microbial Organisms Coverage. $380 saved.
I am assuming more risk but would rather self-insure by holding more of my cash.
Sure. I have USAA for Homeowners Insurance.
1. I kept the Dwelling Protection level as it was.
2. I dropped the Other Structures Protection from $103, 350 to $41,340. $250 saved.
3. I dropped the Personal Property Protection from $310,050 to $206,700. $250 saved.
4. I kept Personal Liability & Medical Payments to Others at the same level.
5. I kept the 1% Deductible.
6. I dropped the Slab or Foundation Coverage. $120 saved.
7. I dropped the Microbial Organisms Coverage. $380 saved.
I am assuming more risk but would rather self-insure by holding more of my cash.
Most people have too much insurance. But then, most people cannot afford even $5,000 to correct an event so I guess they are better off paying the smaller insurance bill.
We have liability-only coverage on our tiny houses. My only real worry is that if they one was partially destroyed, the city's historic properties ordinance would be a stumbling block to bulldozing it down. While it's highly unlikely that they would be destroyed since none of them have functioning electrical systems and there is no gas going to them, ya never know. Also, one of them sits literally 4' from the street and if a drunken driver in a big truck crashes into it, that would be pricey to fix. Yet it has sat there for 140 years with no such damage so I'll take that risk.
This isn't a real savings but it represents a shift in my attitude: self catered places in Europe.
I am now open to renting an apartment for a week in a city in Europe. Until now, I had no interest in cooking and wanted to stay in Bed & Breakfast Inns. But now I could see staying in an apartment would be fun.
Prices in Romanian cities are $200 for a week--yes that is for an entire 7 days! whoh. Prague is a little more expensive, but not a lot.
Prague is a little more expensive, but not a lot.
Do you plan to come to Prague? :)
awakenedsoul
8-5-14, 1:44pm
This morning I made a batch of enchiladas with some of the leftover browned and seasoned ground turkey. I plan to sautee some carrots, leftover bell peppers, and homegrown zucchini to have with them. I had a can of enchilada sauce in the pantry, and used up some tortillas in the fridge. Today I'm going to trim back the front cottage garden. Everything is going bananas, and it looks kind of messy. I have a coupon for a carwash and a smog check. I plan to use those together and then mail in my car registration.
OwlGirl, Welcome! How nice to hear from someone who has great in laws! Good luck with your bedroom. I am off to wash my pillows now. (I've been meaning to do that for ages!) I'll hang them out to dry in the sun.
Oh, Webs is having a huge yarn sale. I've been studying the best deals. I may make my dad a blanket out of Misti Alpaca yarn for Christmas!
Good for you, Packy! Hopefully you can keep up your frugal ways long enough to charge us those Bonamassa tickets. It's always helpful to have a goal. :)
awakenedsoul
8-6-14, 8:03pm
Stopped by the Salvation Army today and saw a fabulous vintage bicycle. I've been riding the bike I got at Walmart for the last four years ago. I paid $70. for it. I've repaired it several times. I wanted to see if I was going to stick to biking before spending too much money. I have...I've been riding every single day. So, since the old one (made in China) feels a little rickety and wobbly, I've been keeping my eyes open for something vintage. This one is gorgeous! It's a beach cruiser. It just has one speed and a foot brake. I LOVE it! It was marked $80.00, but he gave it to me for $70.00. It feels really well made, like it will last forever. Four people in the store stopped and made a fuss over it. I'm an antique freak, so I feel like I have a new toy. Can't wait to go for a bike ride tonite!
P.S. I really appreciate the people who post sincere frugals on this forum. It's so helpful. I hope it's not going to become a sarcastic and mocking type of thread.
rodeosweetheart
8-6-14, 8:21pm
Yesterday we took two old metal tanks from the barn and the yard and dragged them into the truck and went to the metal recycling place and got a check for $46.
We then went for a half day at the county fair.
I also cashed in my penny jar and bought two gift cards for dinners out.
I went to a VERY trendy little restaurant the other day, to celebrate paying my card debt off just enough to charge the restaurant bill to it. I had to make reservations 6 months in advance, and they are only open from 4-6pm, every other thursday. The total bill, just for one little plate of food, The Bologna Sandwich Au Constantinople, was $225, and a glass of wine was $105. But it was very good wine. I took photos of my plate of food, and posted them on Facebook with the caption: "Yummy, scrumptious, delish", and of course," Awesome". I don't go there very often, because it is an extravagance. Usually, only three or four times a month. I am VERY proud of being so Frugal. How do you like that?
You ARE joking right?
I was going to say something on the thread about shoes, that I would never buy that many shoes in a year....but I might have to eat my words, lol. In the past few days, I have bought a pair of red Ked like leather shoes for $1, a pair of super comfy Clark sandals that I have worn all day today for $2, and a pair of canvas Mary Janes for $1. I had a pair before and they finally wore out, so it was nice to find a replacement pair. I also bought a super cute(to me anyway) burnt orange colored purse for $3 and a felted coin purse for 50c. I also bought a peasant top for 50c. I had some earrings I liked but no longer had something to wear with them. That top fills the bill. I love thrift stores and garage sales.
My sister moves around a lot and like things that compact down when she packs up. I found a pop up book of a nativity scene at the Salvation Army thrift store for 50c. I was so excited I want to give it to her early, I will wait, but say to open it before Christmas. I think she will really like it.
This morning I made dog biscuits, since I had the oven hot for something else, I try not to heat the oven for just one thing, so I made date bars, perhaps I should heat the oven up for just one thing, lol. Harley has been standing by the frig(where I keep them) quite a bit this evening, so they must taste good.
Sweet find on the bike, awakenedsoul!!! Have fun riding it!!!
And great job with the metal recycling, rodeosweetheart!
A few frugals over here today. Made a lovely breakfast of quinoa -- cooked with milk -- and dried apricots. Essentially a variation on oatmeal and raisins, which is a common breakfast for me. But I'm almost out of oatmeal and raisins and I have lots of quinoa and dried apricots! :D I got creative and sweeten it with palm sugar. I have no idea why we have a jar of palm sugar in our pantry. It's mostly empty -- there's maybe a third of the jar left -- but it is quite hard. I softened it by putting it in a bowl of water and then putting that into the microwave. It softened it enough that I could chip out some chunks of sugar, which quickly dissolved when I dumped them into the cooking quinoa. I slightly labor intensive breakfast, but it's using up things in the pantry that have been there far too long!
Tonight I finally broke down and went on a true grocery shopping trip. Not so much because I wanted to or felt that I needed to, but because the timing was right. I had a stack of coupons for BJ's and several of them were ready to expire. They were for things that we actually buy at BJ's (lowest prices) and that we use. So with my (hopefully comprehensive) shopping list, off I went. I ended up spending almost $250 (GAH!), but $51 was for $60 worth of iTunes gift cards, which we will use in fairly short order. So that means I spent just shy of $200 for groceries. I got a lot of cheese, which accounted for about $50 (what can I say? we like cheese!), and a bunch of pantry staples (flour, sugar, salt, butter). Oh, and ice cream. Because that's kind of a pantry staple. Right? :~)
Then I went across the street and filled my car with gas using my fuel rewards card and saved $0.20 per gallon! Woo-hoo! And I discovered that I have enough fuel rewards points to get $0.10 off per gallon on my next fill up, too.
I ate the leftover butternut squash soup for dinner. Still have some other leftovers that need to be consumed so that will be tomorrow's meal plan.
And, I've got the whole house fan instead of the A/C.
Tracking no spend/no drive days - so far for August yesterday and today. Yesterday we had kitchen tile installed ($$ saved for this and done by a great craftsman) and today DH took the car for his weekly golf event. Walked the dog 4 times today. Read library books. Am watching "The Wire" via Amazon Prime - addictive!!
Will drive tomorrow to help DD take the last load stuff out of the apartment - I'll score a swiffer wet jet and assorted cleaning supplies.
Have to have a tutorial on how to use the soda stream for tonic making - she was going to throw out a bottle of gin!!! Learned to drink G & Ts over Easter so there's that!
Aug.06--so far this month
--as usual balanced last month budget and year to date sheets and set up this month....tracking is what has helped me more then
anything else.
---thought the rug attachment for the central vacuum (was in the house when we bought) was broken but, I got
out the instruction booklet and figured out there is a reset button on it....working much better now, I think the belt
may be worn so I will pick one up when I am at that end of town. Amazing what you can learn when you read the instructions
--now eating lovely mixed greens from my very own garden...it has be years since I had one and I am enjoying it for food and exercise.
--reading and have watched a movie for free from the library this week.
--got notebooks for grandson and myself for .05, stockpiled enough for the next year and 150 sheets of loose leaf paper for .10 a pkg.
--Just generally trying not to waste food and use up...buying on sale/with coupons/in season
frugal-one
8-7-14, 11:50am
Edited to add: AFAIK, I am joking, but not trying to be funny. That is probably why I succeeding in not amusing you. Ha. But, this is true: I bought a bike last year, made in 1988, from a schoolteacher who worked summers doing odd jobs. He picked it up cleaning out a garage. I paid $120 for it, took it home and disassembled it, and replaced everything but the frame with new parts--except for the handlebars, which were used. By the time I had it rideable, I had over $800 in it. How do you like that?
Over $300 for a meal and $800 for a used bike... definitely NOT frugal unless you can sell it for MUCH more or will ride it for MANY years and absolutely love it. You are right in that I do not get your humor at all.
awakenedsoul
8-7-14, 3:58pm
cdttmm, Thanks. The bike is working out great! Met a nice guy on the bus today who also was biking. We talked until he got off at his stop.
rodeosweetheart, That's a nice check! Congratulations.
danna, The greens from your garden sounds delicious. I bought some mesclun greens seeds to plant.
chrissieq, Glad to hear you got the free cleaning supplies. Very frugal!
I took the bike and bus to Panera today. I had a pastry for $3.00. I used to go there once or twice a week. I haven't been in ages. It was a splurge. I sat and knit my tank top. I also biked over to the credit union and deposited a teaching check. Found a beautiful bike path on my way. I'll go back another time and explore it.
Yesterday I ran into a former yoga student at the carwash. We sat and chatted for a while. It turns out we are neighbors. She said, "I keep seeing you riding your bike everywhere..." It was funny. I didn't realize how many people recognize me when I'm out and about...even while wearing my bike helmet!
awakenedsoul
8-7-14, 8:51pm
Almost forgot...made albondigas soup. It was a great way to use up the parsnips, turnips, and other veggies in the bin. I made chicken stock from part of a chicken carcass I had in the freezer. Used up the leftover ground turkey in place of meatballs. I had cilantro that I had dried from my organic co op. It's a little hot for soup, but it's delicious. It also feels really hearty and healthy. I'll have more with some homemade bread and butter for dinner.
Got my electric bill. Even with running the air when it's uncomfortable, the total was only $28.92. Not bad for August. My usage has dropped from last year. I've been showering at the gym to save water. I use the jacuzzi instead of taking a bath every night. I've still got more straw that I can spread as mulch in the garden. It's breaking down rapidly...
How's everyone else doing with their frugals?
Another no spend day - though did drive to finish the clean out of DD's apartment - took some small usable items that neither of us needed and left them outside the dumpster for someone else to use - brought home a few of the same to sell at our Sept garage sale.
DH is golfing with cousins from out of state tomorrow - he will get the University discount at the golf course - we are having a mini family reunion here on Sunday. I'm defrosting a turkey to grill for sandwiches so only need to buy some buns and make a salad. Others are chipping in with fruit and dessert. I told DH if the golf dudes asked what they could bring, the response should be beverages. Otherwise it's $3 Chuck for everybody - that and tap water!! Though I may play around with the Soda Stream and make tonic water to go with the cheap gin I inherited from DD - party on!!:D
Panera Bread!!!!!! Thank you for reminding me of the awesomeness that is Panera, awakenedsoul!!! I have not been there in ages because I've been on such a frugal kick, but you just reminded me to log in to my Panera rewards and I discovered that I have a free treat waiting for me! Even if you don't go to Panera very often, sign up for their free My Panera rewards card. When you do go, show your card when you order and periodically they give you free treats. They expire pretty fast -- every 60 days -- but you get one for your birthday automatically so it's totally worth it IMO! Since my birthday was in July, I have a free treat reward for my next trip to Panera. Well, I probably wouldn't have just randomly stopped in there, but now I'm definitely going to pop in and take advantage of a free tasty treat. Woo-hoo!
I attempted a frugal today that didn't work out the way I planned... The local pet store has a membership/rewards card and if you buy 10 bags of certain types of cat litter, then you get one free. Well, I was sure I was close to my freebie...but when I checked out today with my cat litter, no dice. I had to pay. Okay, fine. So I asked the cashier if she could tell me how many bags I was at and she looked back through the records and said it was only 4. Ummm...pretty sure that's not the case, but I haven't been keeping my receipts so I couldn't double-check. Darn. I shouldn't complain. The store has always done a good job with their automated system of giving you the right coupon/discount/free item when it's due so I'm sure it's coming. I was just really hoping it was today. :moon:
Ate the rice and beans that were in the fridge for both breakfast and dinner. I love rice and beans.
At the conference I'm attending, the entire group took up a collection in order to buy flowers and gift cards for the two organizers as thank you gifts. Since I'm local I got tasked with taking the money that was collected and buying the gift cards and flowers. I paid with my credit card and kept the cash. I figured that I might as well get rewards points on my credit card for my trouble! :D
Got an email back from HR today about my teaching rate. Turns out I was right -- they had sent me my contract with the wrong rate (too low) for two of my classes this fall. They changed it and sent me a new contract. So glad I asked! Of course, 10 minutes later I heard from the dean of the dept that they were cancelling one of my classes due to low enrollment. <Sigh.> You win some, you lose some. At least it was a 1-credit course that was cancelled and not a 3-credit course so the loss of income is minimal.
On my Panera rewards card I can get a free hot or iced coffee every day this month. I'm not going every day but DH and I are using that as our excuses for dates this month.
awakenedsoul
8-8-14, 11:30am
Float On, Every day? Wow! How cool. How did you get that? How nice that you and your husband are going there for dates.
cdtmm, I love Panera, too. I have a rewards card. They are very generous. I used to go once or twice a week with knitting groups. I've gotten lots of freebies over the past year: pastries, coffees, etc. It kind of reminds me of Europe...
I'm off to Costco and to the gym. I'm driving today, which is a big deal. I'm happy to have a clean car. Those car wash coupons are totally worth it. They do a much more professional job than I was doing! Thanks for posting your frugals. It keeps me motivated.
rosarugosa
8-10-14, 9:17am
I got my first senior discount yesterday, for which I had definite mixed feelings. However, I decided that paying more wouldn't make me any younger, so I might as well embrace it :)
Okay, I've got a new frugal -- it's a little crazy, but it's definitely frugal! On Friday evening and all day Saturday, the Tae Kwon Do school where I train was having it's summer black belt retreat. It's my first official retreat since I just earned my black belt in June. It was being held at a local tree farm that is owned by the family of some of our (adult) students. It has a pretty elaborate permanent camp site on it so we were used that. I couldn't stay and camp out because I had to be home for my dogs/cats. So I drove over on Friday evening for a few hours and then drove home. Turns out it's only 8.5 miles away, but I hate to drive and use gas if I don't have to so I ran there on Saturday morning and then ran home at lunch time to let my dogs out! I'm a long distance runner, but I usually run on trails -- never on the road. But it was mostly back roads without a lot of traffic so I figured I would give it a shot. Everybody was pretty surprised when I showed up on Saturday morning. I felt pretty hardcore and I saved on gas! I did have to drive back over after letting my dogs out at lunch...I was not prepared to run that far a second time in one day.
For other frugals, my dearly beloved got a very small inheritance and he decided to use it to buy himself a new laptop -- a Macbook. I'll get his old laptop,which is a PC, as a hand-me-down and I couldn't be happier. My laptop is nearing the end of it's life and I really did not want to have to pay to replace it since I can use my iPad for most things or my computer at work.
I got a new book via paperbackswap.com in the mail yesterday. It was a book mentioned at the conference I was at this past week and I thought it sounded interesting. Always happy when I can find books for free (or very little cost!). I know, I know...there's this thing called the library...I need to work on using it!
And of course there are the usual things. Eating home-cooked meals (including produce from the garden), drinking tea or water (for the most part), keeping the A/C turned off and using the whole house fan on a limited basis, washing full loads of laundry (still a challenge around here some days!), and most importantly, not shopping for pleasure (not that I generally consider it pleasurable!) or entertainment or for things that we don't really need.
I think today I will use up the milk that is about to go bad to make chocolate tapioca pudding. YUM!!!
awakenedsoul
8-10-14, 10:23am
rosarugosa, Congrats on the discount! I'm kind of looking forward to getting there and being able to ride the bus for free.
cdttmm, Wow! You ran all that way! And before Tae Kwon Do!! I'm impressed.
I've been using recycled flannel sheets that I cut and sewed into squares instead of t.p. I very rarely have to buy toilet paper now. I think the last batch I got has lasted for a year. I've been watering the cottage garden less, and at the crack of dawn. I'm so glad that I mulched over my front and back lawn when I bought this house. 7,000 square feet of grass is not doable in a drought. I was never very good at mowing the lawn, anyway. It's helpful that most of the trees are established. I do like tree trimming.
Now that I have the "new" Salvation Army beach cruiser, I can ride my bike in a sun dress and sandals. I have some summer dresses that I've had for years. I really cherish them. I wash them by hand, and they still look new. I used to love the way people dressed in Europe when they were bicycling. They just wore their regular street clothes. They were so nicely dressed. It's such a different attitude than here. In my area, most of the cyclists wear black tights, special shoes, and a shirt that looks like a cycling competitor. I look very "different" in my flowing flowered dresses, pale green beach cruiser, and with a German Shepherd happily running beside me. I get a lot of smiles from people my age as they drive by me in their cars. I'd like to get a wicker basket. Kind of like a cottage garden on wheels...
I look very "different" in my flowing flowered dresses, pale green beach cruiser, and with German Shepherd dog happily running along beside me. I get a lot of smiles from people my age as they drive by me in their cars. I'd like to get a wicker basket. Kind of like a cottage garden on wheels...
awakenedsoul, I would love to see you on your new bike with your dog -- that would surely make me smile!
rosarugosa, love that you are embracing the discount! When my mom was visiting earlier this summer we went out to eat at a restaurant that offered a senior discount and I thought it was awesome that she was taking advantage of those discounts. I figure, you've earned them so you might as well use them!!!
Okay, I made the chocolate tapioca pudding and used up the milk, the almond milk, and some hot chocolate mix that I didn't like all that well. The pudding will make a nice treat for the next week (because we all know that I really need to eat more sugar!).
I took a second look at my receipt from my shopping trip to BJ's last week and discovered that I could go online and fill out a survey and get entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card. So I spent a few minutes filling it out because a $500 gift card would be pretty awesome!
My dearly beloved is leaving for Oregon today to visit some friends. I'm going to challenge myself to not buy any groceries while he's away. Now granted, I just went to BJ's 4 days ago, but there was not a whole lot of real food buying in that trip. Well, there was a lot of cheese... He'll be away for 12 days so I'm going to have to get creative. Especially because I just used up the last of the milk and the almond milk. And we have only 2 eggs left. But I think I can still cobble together some respectable meals.
Here's what I'm thinking:
Pancakes (using the remaining gluten-free pancake mix, 2 eggs, and yogurt thinned with some half-and-half) -- enough for 2 meals
Rice and beans with cheese -- easily enough for 10 meals, but that would be a very boring diet!
Mushroom risotto (from a mix) -- enough for 2 meals, probably
Pasta with frozen peas and cheese -- enough for probably 6 meals
Pasta with frozen mixed veggies and marinara sauce -- enough for probably 6 meals
Butternut squash soup (from the freezer) -- enough for 2 meals
Mushroom soup (from the freezer) -- enough for 2 meals
Cabbage soup (from the freezer) -- enough for 2 meals
Wow, I just realized that I'm almost covered by that list alone and I haven't even gotten to the more creative meal planning that I was considering undertaking. I find it amazing how much food we keep in our pantry/fridge/freezer, yet still feel compelled to go grocery shopping every week or so. This is really helping me flex my frugality muscles!
This isn't a real savings but it represents a shift in my attitude: self catered places in Europe.
I am now open to renting an apartment for a week in a city in Europe. Until now, I had no interest in cooking and wanted to stay in Bed & Breakfast Inns. But now I could see staying in an apartment would be fun.
Prices in Romanian cities are $200 for a week--yes that is for an entire 7 days! whoh. Prague is a little more expensive, but not a lot.
I definately want to visit Prague in the next few years!
rosarugosa
8-10-14, 8:44pm
Today was a spendy day, no getting around it. DH said all his sneakers are pretty worn out, and he hates to shop or buy clothes, so if he says he needs clothing, he really does. He also said he needed some dark socks. So I at least got some good deals. Famous Footwear had a buy one/ get one half price, and I was able to find the only two pairs of sneakers there in his wide size from the brand he likes, and I got two six-packs of socks (made in USA) for the same deal. I signed up for a loyalty card, and got 5% off everything. So I spent $121., but got him 2 pairs of sneakers and 12 pairs of socks, which should hold him awhile. He's a big guy who is on his feet at work and he has a bad back, so he needs decent footwear.
chrissieq
8-10-14, 10:12pm
We hosted a mini-reunion for DH's family. Had a turkey in the freezer which he grilled. Lots left over for lunches this week and just as much in the freezer for casseroles/soups in the fall. I did over buy sandwich buns but am providing a lunch at church this week so will use those. I made broccoli salad - yum! - and a cousin brought fruit. I forgot about it til everyone left. There is so much left over. I wish I would have thought to send it home. Not sure what to do with it all except have fresh fruit at every meal til gone! One cousin brought dessert - a brownie bar!! Brownies, whipped cream (doctored with pudding mix) and toppings - mini peanut butter cups, crushed oreos, chopped peanuts, chopped Andes mints - it was so fun!! It had been over 6 years since we had seen one cousin, so really had a great time catching up. My expenses/groceries were less than I expected and I have a mountain of food to use this week for lunch and dinners.
I've been using recycled flannel sheets that I cut and sewed into squares instead of t.p. I very rarely have to buy toilet paper now. I think the last batch I got has lasted for a year.
I look very "different" in my flowing flowered dresses, pale green beach cruiser, and with a German Shepherd happily running beside me. ..
I'm sure you look perfectly lovely and feel it too.
As for the flannel sheets, that is hard core recycling. I'm just wondering, is there really any need for sewing at all? Wouldn't little frayed edge squares be adequate?
fidgiegirl
8-10-14, 11:04pm
We are going to work on some rearranging this week. I debated whether it was more of a declutter or a frugal but decided to just put it here. :) We are going to break down the bed in baby's room since we're only using it for a laundry folding area now. I was anxious about letting this go but with it up we have to block one of the doors to his room with his crib, and I don't like that. He's sleeping fine in his own room so I think the adult bed can go. Our compromise idea for if we need an extra bed for a sicky or a guest is to keep our air mattress inflated in the attic so if we need it we can just bring it down quick and top it off. Since the mattress on the guest bed is fine (it's a Sleep Number mattress, and we like it) and our mattress is getting old but still has life left in it, we are going to donate it to a local furniture bank, move the guest room mattress over to our room and voila, just saved ourselves several hundred dollars. We'll store the Sleep Number base, so that's additional clutter, but it doesn't make sense to get rid of only part of a Sleep Number bed. We're just going to put the on our boxspring/bedframe in our room. Someday maybe we'll set the bed back up for the baby when he's a bigger boy - we'll worry about acquiring an additional mattress for ourselves at that time.
I also plan to wash the rug in his room. I thought we'd have to get rid of it because it's really dingy, but have been researching how to wash it, and am going to give it a whirl if we have a clear day since we'll have to do it outside. I only paid $20 for the rug quite a while ago and it's got fun, bright colors . . . it would cost a lot more to replace it and there's really no reason.
Downstairs we plan to buy one more larger rug for an area that has one that's too small right now and shift the smaller one into the sun room, which will eventually become a play room. I am ready to chuck everything in that room right now, it's so full of crap! Little by little . . . little by little . . . we'll get there . . . repeat . . . repeat . . .
fidgiegirl
8-10-14, 11:11pm
Thought of another . . . I am being restrained on my DH's birthday gift. I am getting him a duffle bag used off our local garage sale site, looks to be in great shape from the photos. He's been wanting one and he's going on a trip soon so he'll like that. Since he will get the duffle early I plan to make him a photo collage of the baby for his desk/wall in his classroom. I'm just going to do something simple like modpodging on some pretty paper/lightweight board since it's hard to hang anything on those classroom walls and have it stay up. He can have that on his actual birthday.
My biggest frugal is a reverse frugal, I guess . . . bringing in more money in the first place. I got a new job. I will be making a chunk more per year and with better benefits! That was a surprise to me, I thought the higher salary was bc the benefits wouldn't be equal to what I was getting at my former employer. Plus it is closer to home and a shorter contract. Woo hoo! Planning to max out our 457s with this raise so take-home won't most likely be higher, but savings will go up!
iris lilies
8-11-14, 12:26am
fidgie, that is certainly wonderful news about your new job!
rosarugosa
8-11-14, 4:37am
That's great news about the job, Kelli, and it's good to hear from you again!
Chrissieq: Fresh fruit salad at every meal sounds wonderful! My Mom used to make a big bowl in the summer sometimes and we would eat it at every meal until it was gone. :)
Kelli, congrats on the job! That is great.
fidgiegirl, congratulations on the new job -- that is awesome!
First frugal of my day: I picked blackberries last night -- not a lot as the birds had gotten to most of them. I ate some while picking and was debating what to do with the remainder. I decided to make a blackberry crumble this morning, which allowed me to use up the palm sugar (finally!!!). :cool: I think of all the crazy things I've been trying to use up from the pantry or fridge, the $*%& palm sugar was the most annoying. But it's in the crumble now and will soon be gone, gone, gone (of course, this assumes the crumble is edible...)
Now to declutter!!! Gotta have something to post on the August 100 Things thread!
Yesterday I dug through my 'started-but-never-finished' pile of sewing projects. I have been wanting a new dress, and found that I had most of the pieces cut out for a lovely dusky purple wrap dress. So I cut out the rest of the pieces, and started sewing them together. Another night or two of work and I should have a new dress for much less than the cost of ones I've been looking at in the stores.
The sad part of this is I'm sure I bought this fabric at least ten years ago. Good thing wrap dresses have stayed in style!
awakenedsoul
8-11-14, 6:06pm
I'm sure you look perfectly lovely and feel it too.
As for the flannel sheets, that is hard core recycling. I'm just wondering, is there really any need for sewing at all? Wouldn't little frayed edge squares be adequate?
Thanks Aroha. It's cooler in the summer. As I get older, I prefer dresses. They're easier to put on, and the ones I have were all inexpensive. Nobody seems to know they were from the Salvation Army or Ross. As far as the flannel sheets, yes, frayed edge squares would work, too. I actually have some of those, as well. But, I had to justify the $500. I spent on a gorgeous vintage Singer sewing machine! So far I've made flannel t.p. and curtains. Next will be an apron out of vintage fabric from the church thrift store.
chrissieq, Your description of that meal made my mouth water. So glad you had such a great time...
cdttmm, Thanks! Your tapioca pudding sounds delicious! You sound so organized with your food preparation, cooking, and baking.
awakenedsoul
8-11-14, 6:11pm
fidgiegirl, Good for you for laundering the rug. I just got a new vacuum on sale and my rugs look like they're new. That's great news that you are making more money!!!
Oceanic, Your dress sounds lovely. Even better that you're using up fabric from your stash! I'm doing the same with my knitting. Instead of buying yarn, I'm using what I bought on sale last year. Endless fun at no expense! When I'm finished, I'll have a linen/pima cotton tank top!
cdttmm, Thanks! Your tapioca pudding sounds delicious! You sound so organized with your food preparation, cooking, and baking.
The tapioca pudding was delicious -- I managed to eat all 6 servings of it in 2 days. :D As for being organized when it comes to food prep, cooking, and baking...not really! I've just been really motivated to use up everything that we have on hand. My income is lower during the summer and, although I could easily tap into savings, I choose not to. Instead, I've just been working really hard to keep the grocery shopping in check. It's so easy to just go to the store and spend $100 on food every week -- it's much more challenging to look at all the pantry staples and figure out what I can eat based on what's already on hand. No quickie trips to pick up this or that to make an "ideal" meal. I have to say, I've enjoyed the creative outlet and I've also learned that I do not feel deprived in the way I thought I would. So great lessons all around! The biggest surprise has been my dearly beloved...I thought he would totally rebel when he realized I wasn't grocery shopping on a regular basis. Instead, he's been totally fine with it as long as there is coffee and cream. :D
kimberlyf0
8-11-14, 9:12pm
I'll play! I love keeping track of my daily frugal activities.
This morning I received a last minute invitation to the park; I quickly put on a pot of beans for our main meal, ground flour and put on bread, and then got ready, grabbing muffins from the freezer, my knitting, and a full water bottle before I left. Yes, we ended up eating almost the exact same main meal as Sunday, but it was still food eaten at home, and I was able to correct the mistake I made Sunday in not making a double batch of beans so we would have leftovers for our Tuesday burritos.
The watermelon that I cut for our main meal was not quite sweet, so the boys ate less of it than they usually would have, and indicated that they would not want it later for a snack. I pureed the extra and made a double batch of watermelon sorbet for the freezer.
On Saturday the vet recommended an over-the-counter medication for our dog, to help with his stomach issues. On Sunday the chain drugstore ad had the exact medicine recommended on sale for free after the rewards program rebate, and they had a coupon, so they basically paid me to take it. I planned to buy the medicine in bulk at Costco, but this gives us a chance to try it without outlaying any funds. They also emailed me a coupon to get a free seltzer water, so I did that too.
There was a free movie code from Redbox so I rented a movie for DH and I to watch. I reserved it from the kiosk outside of the drugstore so that I wouldn't use any extra gasoline to get it.
As far as the flannel sheets, yes, frayed edge squares would work, too. I actually have some of those, as well. But, I had to justify the $500. I spent on a gorgeous vintage Singer sewing machine! So far I've made flannel t.p. and curtains. Next will be an apron out of vintage fabric from the church thrift store.
Ok, then, the perfect project for practising sewing with. The apron does sound like it could be very cute, maybe you could post pix? I made aprons for my nieces and was pleasantly surprised how much they loved them. I'm planning to make some pot holders with the offcuts, to replace those I tossed yesterday. That will be frugal.
fidgiegirl
8-11-14, 10:00pm
Thanks everyone!!
Welcome, kimberly, thanks for joining us and sharing your frugals!
I have a few of the usual things for the day. There were leftover rice and beans in the refrigerator so I warmed them up, covered them with cheese, and ate them for breakfast. There's enough left for a little late afternoon snack, too. Took the rest of the blackberry crumble to work and ate it for lunch today. So good!!! I picked more cherry tomatoes and more blackberries last night so I need to figure out a plan for consuming all of them! I still have some homemade bread left from the weekend and that should be part of the plan, too.
Since my dearly beloved is in Oregon, I'm driving the car that gets better gas mileage. So -- hooray! -- less money spent on fuel. On my way to work this morning, I stopped to return a glass milk bottle and got back the $2 deposit. Later I found a penny under the seat of the car and another penny on the floor at work. So I'm up $2.02 for the day -- woo-hoo!!! :cool: Tomorrow I will combine my trip to work with a trip to the bank to deposit a check and a stop at Panera Bread to claim my free (belated) b-day treat.
Washed a load of laundry yesterday and hung everything to dry. Then got our monthly electric bill and discovered that we now have a $107 credit. We usually accumulate a credit during the winter months due to our solar panels, but over the summer it gets slowly depleted as our solar panels don't generate enough energy to keep up with our needs when we are running the A/C. But the weather has been sunny and warm, but not too hot or humid this year -- which means much less A/C usage -- so our solar panels are still generating enough for us to get a small credit every month. Awesome!
awakenedsoul
8-12-14, 7:20pm
kimberlyfO, Welcome. You sound very domestic. That was very clever to make the watermelon sorbet.
Aroha, People have been asking me to post pics for years. I am embarrassed to admit I still have no idea how to do it. I take pictures with my Jitterbug phone, but that's it. I have to call Jitterbug from another phone and learn how to upload a photo. One of these days I'll do it. (I don't have a landline anymore...I'm too frugal.)
cdttmm, Your posts always make me so HUNGRY! I just walked away from the computer to make a grilled cheese sandwich. That blackberry crumble sounds so good!!!
This was a weird day, I had some frugal setbacks. I decided to try riding my bike to the gym. It's five miles each way. After about the first four miles, the chain came off my bike. I tried to put it back on, but I couldn't. So, I walked the rest of the way. After my swim I ran into a former yoga student, and she offered to drive me to the gas station or bike shop. Instead we went to Jiffy Lube, and he put my bike chain back on for me in about on minute. He didn't charge me, which was a good thing, becaus I discovered I had somehow I have lost my wallet between Sunday afternoon and today. I rode all the way home. (My bus pass is in my wallet. So is the $100. emergency cash I just got at the credit union.) I checked my account, and no one has made any charges. I called the credit union and the bus lost and found. I've searched everywhere and I can't find it. I went to my vocal coaching session and my car conked out on the way. AAA picked me up and the car is now being fixed. One of the mechanics gave me a ride home. So, I've been trying to be frugal, but I will have a car repair bill. It's a "new" engine. The car is a 2004 Kia Rio. Chatted with my mom on the phone, on my $19.99 a month Jitterbug plan. She gave me several suggestion where my wallet might be. I still haven't found it. Made grilled cheese sandwiches on leftover homemade bread. Had some cubed watermelon for dessert. (plus a Haagen Daz ice cream bar that I bought on sale at Costco.) Worked on a skit for my nightclub act. Next I need to run my songs and choreography. Robin Williams' death inspired me to create and set goals every day. Now I'm going to keep looking for my wallet...wish me luck.
awakenedsoul
8-12-14, 9:16pm
I just found my wallet. It was right where I'd left it. (almost.) It had fallen out of my purse while in my backpack. (must have been the bicycling.) That's the first place I looked. But, it had slipped up behind a seam back where the straps were. I felt it, but couldn't see it.
Called the mechanic and the engine is still covered. It's not that old. Things are looking up. I feel much more organized and much more frugal.
awakenedsoul - is your vintage Singer a Featherweight? Just bought one at an estate sale for $20!!! My sister who sews costumes for the Seattle Opera had told me no matter the cost, grab one when you get the chance. The one I bought has a taped together cord but sews like a dream so I will be taking it to my local sewing machine/vacuum store for a repair.
Today the wonderful women I work for gave me a Kitchen Aid Mixer that did not meet the standards for the Health Dept - I have dreamt of a stand mixer for years and today it fell into my lap - along with a George Foreman grill which I will give away - they just wanted them out of the cafe.:cool: Really, I've been doing a happy dance since 11:00AM.
kimberlyf0
8-13-14, 5:21pm
Thanks cdttmm and awakenedsoul. Yes, I am a homemaker and I focus my frugal activities around homemaking.
chrissieq, congrats on the Kitchen Aid and on the Featherweight!
Tuesday was a low-key frugal day for me. I baked muffins and french bread, and made tortillas to go with our leftover rice and beans for our main meal. The french bread and tortillas were new recipes for me and while the bread was good, the tortillas weren't really what I would call tortillas; I should have trusted my gut that the recipe had too much fat in it. I can make great tortillas but I was searching for a recipe using freshly ground whole wheat. But we will eat them anyway.
We usually have salads and sandwiches for our dinner meal (we eat our main meal at lunch), but the french bread didn't lend itself to that, so I set out a little picnic type meal of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, olives, fresh cantaloupe purchased on sale, little salads, and sweet potato muffins. The kids really enjoyed it.
Today I made muffins with some zucchini that I had precut a few days ago; I had planned it for a main meal side dish but we ate leftover vegetables instead. Since the zucchini didn't go with today's main meal I decided I had better get it used, hence the muffins.
The morning was cool enough that I opened the windows, turn on the A/C fan, and cooled the house down by 4°. Because I baked it warmed up again by lunch time, but every bit counts.
As usual, I hung our clothing to dry. I'm down to using the dryer for underthings and a towel load every now and then (but I hang most of the towel loads).
I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge that I bought a little over a week ago, and I was worried that it was starting to spoil, so I used it in today's main meal. I steamed and sautéed it, then added it to scrambled tofu. We had scrambled tofu, vegan chorizo sausage, and roasted potatoes; the tofu and sausage were at their sell by dates and the potatoes had been in the freezer for most of a year (they were purchased as there's nothing to eat "emergency" food but we hadn't used them). I am pushing hard this summer to use all the food in the pantry and freezer that was purchased and not eaten. DS#2 didn't want cauliflower mixed with his tofu so I set some cauliflower aside for him and he ate the leftover scrambled tofu from last Friday.
I figured out that I don't need to add soy lecithin or rice bran extract to my bread recipe if I am baking it in the bread machine; it is a help when shaping dough and it helps it keep a bit longer, but we eat each loaf within a day so that isn't a concern.
I need a gift for Saturday but realized that I don't have time to make what I was planning, so I looked in my gift box and found three dish cloths that are finished except for needing a little crocheted edging to make them pretty; I will get that done today.
Not much for frugals today. Stopped by Panera Bread and got a free pecan roll. YUM. Combined that stop with a stop at the bank to deposit a rent check. And, of course, both those stops were on my way to work. So very little extra gas used -- yay! Brought lunch to work. Made popcorn to snack on when I got home from work. Yes, I know, most of my frugals pertain to food. :D I'm not working tomorrow -- woot!! And it's supposed to be sunny and beautiful so I'm going to do laundry and hang it outside to dry. Love some laundry dried in the sun! Will do some gardening and some house cleaning and generally have a nice quiet day at home. I won't get many (or any!) of those once the semester starts so I am taking full advantage of them right now!!!
awakenedsoul
8-13-14, 7:58pm
chrissieq, Yes, mine is a Featherweight. It looks like new. I love it. $20.00 is a great price! Congratulations! The Kitchen Aid mixer sounds great! You are magnetizing prosperity!
kimberlyfO, You sound like an excellent homemaker. Such attention to detail.
Today I took the bus and bike to Sprouts. I bought some organic melons on sale for 88 cents a lb. and green grapes at the same price. I try to buy fruit on special for $1.00 or less per pound. Made a fruit salad with the honeydew, cantaloup, grapes, and some bananas when I got home. I usually don't buy bananas in the summer because with our heat they turn to mush. This way, I can slice them, cover them with lemon juice, and still get the taste and the nutrients. I love bananas!
Talked with my mechanic and the bill to fix the car is going to be $1,500. He said that the radiator had been leaking, the car overheated, and there's a crack in the head gasket. I wish I could have prevented it. I've done all the servicing and even had the oil changed 1,000 miles early for a trip to the Bay Area. (just to be on the safe side.) Fortunately, I have the money in my emergency fund. Several years ago this would have bumped me into worse credit card debt.
I was inspired to cook today. I made a beef stew with grass fed beef. I also baked a macaroni and cheese with a cheese sauce that I made from scratch. Bought some blackberry sorbet on sale at Sprouts. I'm working on adding more variety to my diet. With all the bulk shopping I do, my eating habits were getting a bit monotonous.
I'm still knitting my tank and will do some singing and yoga or pilates later. Once it cools down, I'll run the dogs.
Cooked a yummy meatless dinner last night: "spiralized" zucchini pasta (raw zucchini cut with a special hand-cranked machine that turns root vegetables into twisty, spaghetti-like noodles) with leftover red pepper, onion, spices and scrambled eggs, over rice. I LOVE my spiralizer! You can use it for potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, apples--all sorts of things, as it has three different blades. DH has celiac, and I need more green vegetables in my diet and less processed white carbs in my diet, so this is the perfect solution.
SteveinMN
8-14-14, 10:19am
I really want/need to get on this. It seems like the last few months have been anything but frugal: replacing flooring after the basement flooded in summer rains; new eyeglasses (could barely see out of one really scratched lens); a couple of good-sized repair bills on my car (though they were the first serious bills in two years).
I suppose some frugal behavior has been internalized -- I do it without even thinking about it anymore. But I know we've made several choices based less on frugality and more on just getting a task or project done. Time/money; a classic trade.
awakenedsoul
8-14-14, 10:54am
Steve, That's so true. Some of the frugal activities I do are so time consuming. Sometimes I spend hours a day on food preparation. But, it's worth it at the end of the year when I tally up my expenses. Taking the bus and riding the bike isn't as fast as driving, but it's enjoyable, good for the environment, and saves me mileage on my car.
So far this year I've been about $2,000. under my goal of spending $20,000. So, even with this radiator bill, I think I can still come in under budget. If I had to, I could use the Internet at the library, and save $50.00 a month. But, I really enjoy having it at home. (Especially since I don't have t.v.)
Selah, That machine sound wonderful.
How's everyone else doing?
kimberlyf0
8-14-14, 11:40am
I think a lot of times the frugal things we do are really what we aren't doing, and thus are more passive ways of being frugal. I think that is why my active frugals are focused around food and homemaking, as there really isn't any way to go through life not eating, not washing clothing, etc.
I don't run my kids around from activity to activity to entertain them in the summer, even if the activities are free or very cheap. If they want to go bowl (using Kids Bowl Free) they can ride their bikes. If they want to go to the weekly $1 movie they can walk or ride their bikes. We don't make frequent summer beach trips; we don't go to the beach unless we are camping there or visiting family nearby. We could; it's about an hour drive and I know plenty of families who make a weekly beach trip, but it doesn't fit in with my frugal mindset. We get our dose of nature in the summer by driving to the mountains for races, trail maintenance, and pre-riding courses.
Likewise, we don't shop as entertainment. We don't go to the mall or bookstore or Target as a way to get out of the heat or pass time. I hate when a friend tells me that they went to the bookstore for the afternoon to save on electricity, but then their child is holding a new toy or book that cost a lot more than they would have spent on the A/C for a couple of hours. To each his or her own, of course, but it doesn't work for me.
Today is going to be another low-key frugal day. It should be a no drive day unless we decide to go to the pool this evening. We opened the windows this morning as it was cooler than usual; already the temperature in the house has dropped 3°. I am making a pot of heirloom beans (using up what we have in the pantry) for our main meal, using a pressure cooker, and they will be served with sautéed cabbage and some cornbread muffins from the freezer. I'll bake bread in the bread maker.
DH needed tea; what he drinks isn't cheap, but he does get it in bulk (1# packages). Today the company had an offer for a free tea system (cup + strainer + lid) so I ordered his tea. The cup will be a nice gift for someone at the holidays; probably my BIL as he buys loose tea. I did the same thing last year and gave the cup to my SIL.
Yes, for me it's really the little things that I need to continuously focus on or I end up with lifestyle creep. I can always be working to lower our utility bills and our grocery bills because they definitely aren't at the lowest possible level just yet. Other things are much harder for me to cut back on at this point. I'm not in a position to move closer to work as a way of cutting down on my transportation expenses. Both of our cars are paid for and well-maintained (by us whenever possible). Sure, we could sell one car and buy another one that is even more fuel efficient, but the ROI would be years and there are many other variables that could make this a moot point in far less time. Which means that most of what I have to report is pretty repetitive stuff and rarely something wonderfully newsworthy. But I like hearing about all the little things other people do because I find it inspiring and it helps to keep me on the right path. So keep on posting, everyone!
My exciting frugal of the day once again involves food. Surprise, surprise! I found an unopened box of ice cream cones ("old fashioned sugar cones" to be exact) on the top shelf in the pantry. Oddly, there was no expiration date printed on the box, but I'm pretty sure I bought them in 2010. And I'm pretty sure I bought 2 boxes. And I'm pretty sure they weren't all that good, which is why there is still one box remaining 4 years later... But I know that y'all know how much I hate to waste food and how I'm refusing to go to the grocery store unless absolutely necessary... So this morning half of the ice cream cones got crushed up and mixed with oatmeal to make the crumble topping for yet another blackberry crumble. Let's just say that this was not the best random concoction I have ever created in my kitchen. Fortunately, it was also not the worst. :~) I will eat this blackberry crumble and then I will make another because there will be more blackberries to come and there are still 6 ice cream cones in the box...
I swear, I will never, ever complain about a lack of food again in my life. This has been one of the more interesting challenges I have imposed on myself.
kimberlyf0,
I like the reminder that sometimes it's what we don't do that's actually a frugal savings.
In my case I don't get manicures and I don't have expensive jewelry.
I'll travel for pleasure once/twice every few years, not an annual blow-out vacation.
I'm not a foodie so a simple diet is fine for me, including cafe food if I'm out and about - a burrito, a sandwich and soup, etc. is just fine.
I don't buy fancy clothes, purses, shoes, or home decor.
I have a short hair with a basic style that costs about $12 for cuts every 2 months to maintain.
On the other hand, I admire those who are more aggressive in their frugality - growing and canning or freezing their own food, for example - but I know that's not for me, especially for a one-person household.
Many different roads to being frugal ...
kimberlyf0
8-14-14, 8:33pm
I swear, I will never, ever complain about a lack of food again in my life. This has been one of the more interesting challenges I have imposed on myself.
I am right with you there! I'm kind of disgusted with myself for ever having gotten to a place where I could look into a full pantry, full refrigerator, and full freezer and declare that there is nothing to eat because there was nothing that appealed to my entitled palate at that moment. It's not like I grew up privileged; there was a period of time when I was a child where my most nutritious meal was the free lunch at school and my mother was serving popcorn for dinner on the 30th of the month because she wouldn't get more food stamps until the 1st and there really was no food for us to eat.
I love reading the small frugals! I think they are so important, and now if I ever have leftover ice cream cones I will know I can put them in a crisp topping. This afternoon I used cocoa butter (not deodorized, intended for human consumption) to make no-bake cookies. I bought 5 pounds of the stuff last fall thinking I would make vegan white chocolate and I found that it is really hard to do (it tastes fine but doesn't really temper). Rather than waste the cocoa butter I try to use it in sweet recipes that call for coconut oil.
I hear you on the cars! Someone suggested to me that we should sell my van and buy an electric car to save money. While it is true that I don't drive a lot of miles each year and that most of my trips are short, the reality is that my van is paid for, and even if I sold it private party I would have to pay more to have an electric car. Plus, since I don't have solar yet, the charging of said car would be at very high rates during the summer. I know it would still be cheaper than gas, but it would take a really long time to get the ROI. Plus I would bump up into higher registration costs since the car would be newer.
rosarugosa
8-15-14, 6:54am
Selah: Your spiral slicer sounds very cool :)
I am on day two of a four-day weekend. We were supposed to go to a concert last night, but it got cancelled, so that will be a $120. credit back to us (although we would have preferred to go to the concert, obviously). We went for a walk in the woods and to a local farmers' market yesterday. We spent about $40. at the market, but got some really fresh haddock from local fisherman which DH transformed into a wonderful dinner. We also got peaches and tomatoes and great baked goods for desserts last night and tonight. So not the cheapest of groceries, but good value for some pretty delectable dining. I also walked to the library and got three free movies for us to watch. I ordered tickets earlier in the week for "Cannibal, the Musical," from the writers of Book of Mormon. This is at the small theater in Lynn, so tickets were $25 each, and if you booked for opening weekend, they were $5 off per ticket. We're taking DSIL and DBIL for DBIL's birthday, so four theater tix for $80. = good deal, and spending money on experience vs. stuff.
awakenedsoul
8-15-14, 10:50am
Yesterday I cleaned the bathroom with baking soda, and a vinegar and water spray. The toilet is an American Standard from many many years ago. I've had it rebuilt rather than replacing it. I don't flush often, to save water. The sink has a crack, so I plan to buy a matching used American standard to keep the vintage feel. I've seen a few on line. Enjoyed the pool, sauna, and jacuzzi yesterday. Had a nice talk with a man I see there regularly. Ran into some friends on the bus. It's always the same group of people. They're frugal and friendly. Am realizing that I prefer the bus and public transportation to driving these days. But, I do need the car for things like transporting the dogs and shopping at Costco. Doing all that cooking the other day provided lots of tasty leftovers. I've been eating up the fruit salad, macaroni and cheese, and reheating the beef stew. The fresh, chewy bread from the NY Times recipe has become one of my favorite staples. It's so inexpensive to make, and it's everything I look for in a loaf of bread. Since I cut my caffeine intake in half, my supply of coffee is going a lot further. I bought some organic coffee beans on sale at Costco and put them in the freezer. I really love gourmet coffee; this is from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It's a splurge and a luxury.
Today I will give the kitchen a good cleaning. It's amazing to me how much better my outlook is when I keep up on the housework. Same with the car. I get cranky if my car is dirty or if the seats have a layer of dog hair. Those car wash coupons have made all the difference. This morning I'm going to make taco meat out of some ground turkey that I defrosted. I like to get the cooking done early in the morning. Once the sun is up, I'll lower the curtains to keep the house cool.
kimberlyf0, That's how I feel about my car, too. Registration costs are still pretty high for my 2004 Kia. A new car would be too expensive to insure, register, etc. I may start renting a car for the longer trips. I can just use mine for short errand runs and auditions. I'm looking into taking the train and bike to my vocal coaching sessions. The station is near her house, and I can take my bike on the train. I have a bus pass, and it stops near the train station...may as well.
Well, today was a combination of frugals and not-so-frugals. My three beloved dogs cornered and, sadly, killed a groundhog yesterday. It was awful. And although none of them was bitten, they all had scratches on their faces as a result of the fight. I called the vet to be certain their rabies shots were up-to-date, which they were, but the vet's office kindly informed me that any contact with a wild animal means that they should, technically, get rabies boosters. Ugh. Not planned for. Then they told me that one dog was due for an annual exam. I was pretty sure this was wrong, but I was a bit distraught so just scheduled everything for today, since the rabies boosters need to be given within 24 hours. I was supposed to take them to the appointment right after work. Turns out there was a huge traffic delay and I ended up having to call and tell them I would be late and that I was fine just seeing a tech to give the rabies boosters and that I would reschedule for the annual exam. I finally get to the vet clinic, the tech is very sweet and efficient and we get the shots. I go to pay the bill and schedule the annual exam appointment and it turns out they were mistaken! We had done the annual exams in January, but somehow they read the records wrong yesterday because all the dog needed was a distemper vaccine. So we got that taken care of, too. Totally unfrugal to have your dogs battle giant groundhogs, but it could have been so much worse so I consider us lucky.
On the frugal side of the house... Ate the last of the homemade bread for breakfast (as toast with peanut butter), packed a few snacks for work, which I didn't end up eating because we were training students today and provided food so I got free lunch. I have to work tomorrow, even though it is Saturday, because we have an event happening and my co-worker is otherwise engaged. So it means I'll get extra hours this week -- woo-hoo (it'll help pay the vet bill!). After the vet visit and associated shenanigans I was so ready to just go out to dinner and treat myself tonight, but I resisted. Instead, I made the last batch of pancakes from the gluten free pancake mix (fyi, pancakes should never, ever be gluten free -- gah, it's like eating cardboard). But I gussied them up by mixing in a container of full fat plain yogurt (that was waaaaayyyyy past it's expiry date, but it's yogurt, so...what? it's gonna be a little "tangy" -- totally edible!), some homemade applesauce (in place of the vegetable oil), and some cinnamon and nutmeg. Still pretty bland tasting and we're out of frozen blueberries...so I added dark chocolate chips instead. Now that's the ticket! Not only tasty, but there are enough left for breakfast tomorrow!!! :D
Items used up in this cooking extravaganza:
pancake mix
eggs
yogurt
maple syrup
Soon I shall be forced to grocery shop! Ummm...okay...not really. I still have an embarrassing amount of food in this house. :|(
Tomorrow I will make another blackberry crumble, complete with crushed ice cream cones & oatmeal for the topping.
The rest of the evening will be a relaxing adventure involving reading a good book, cuddling with the crazy pack of dogs and the cats, and perhaps a little movie watching via Netflix. Hope everyone had a fabulous Friday! Share your frugals -- I love the motivation it provides me!
Went to the movies, which is a bit of a non-frugal splurge for us, but well worth it to see a genuine kiwi film (The Dark Horse).
Came home and made pumpkin bake and fruit crumble for dinner using our own rhubarb and passionfruit, so that was more frugal.
This morning juiced fresh grapefruit, the more I can do that the less juice I have to buy.
rosarugosa
8-16-14, 7:32am
Cdttmm: Sorry to hear about the dog - groundhog incident. I would have been pretty distressed too. They're so destructive in the garden, but so damned cute! DH sometimes makes pancakes from 2 eggs and a large banana in the blender, with a bit of vanilla. They're actually pretty good and something you might like - naturally GF, and high in protein and potassium.
awakenedsoul
8-16-14, 2:58pm
Donated my car to Kars4Kids. Made arrangements to transfer the title on line. They will pick it up at the mechanic's on Monday. Picked two week's worth of produce at the co op. I was able to coordinate it with the bus, bicycle, and backpack. That's a huge relief. They ordered me a lg. insted of sm. package of grass fed pork spareribs by mistake, and didn't charge me the difference. Very nice! I put the extras in my freezer. Picked up a new library book and returned my CD's and old book yesterday. Fed my potted annuals homemade compost tea. It's that "time of the month" so I will use flannel pads and give the blood water to the plants. No need to buy blood meal at the nursery. I finished up the last loaf of homemade bread so I'll make another this afternoon. I'm eating up the rest of the stew and the macaroni and cheese. Next few days I'll be eating homemade tacos with ground turkey. I seasoned the meat instead of buying taco mix. I bought the spices in bulk. I'm adjusting to being a homeowner without a car. It's a weird feeling. I was worried about getting my dog to her clinic for her rabies shot this month. I didn't want to run her in this heat when it would be 10 miles, RT. Then I realized, I can take her to the vet. It's only half a mile from home, and she LOVES him. A rabies shot can't be that expensive...
cdttmm, Hope your dogs are okay.
I made lunch for a group at church on Thursday and made too many shortcakes so brought them home and froze them in packs of two. I realize I have frozen blueberries, raspberries and cherries (either from our yard or bought in season and put away for later) so we can enjoy those later in the year.
My freezer is nearly full to the top! I made a turkey last weekend and froze the carcass so I will make soup from it in the fall. I've been buying meat when the price is the best I can find and freezing in 8 oz portions (there are only 2 of us at home now).
We have green beans from the garden, potatoes and beets from the farmers market. The first tomatoes are starting to ripen - looks like a bumper crop. I don't think I will have to go to the grocery store for quite awhile.
Which is good because I just got my new "budget plan" from the utility co and our heat cost is going up $20 per month from last year. I know it is due to the fact that I was home all day this past year and got a little too comfortable keeping the house warm all day. From DD's move, I scored several pairs of tights and leggings and 2 great shawls that will help me keep toasty warm with the heat lower this fall/winter. Plus I now have the dog to cuddle up with during the day!!
Pleased to report that the dogs seem fine after the groundhog incident/rabies shots.
awakenedsoul: the rabies shots were $25 per dog + $15 to see the tech who administered them. I would recommend calling the vet clinic near your house to find out what they charge. If you're just getting a rabies vaccine, they will probably just have a tech do it rather than the vet. Cheaper for you! But I know some vet offices won't do that unless you are a regular client and they know the dog's medical history, etc. My dogs got the three-year vaccine, so if we're lucky, we won't be getting rabies shots again for some time. Of course...last year we had incidents involving porcupines and the year before possum, so who am I kidding? We'll be getting rabies shots every year. <sigh>
Not much else to report. Picked a whole lot of cherry tomatoes this morning. Looking forward to eating them for dinner tonight!
rosarugosa: thanks for the tip on the pancakes. I just read a very similar recipe the other day that used pumpkin puree instead of bananas and I thought it sounded delicious! Not that I have pumpkin puree or bananas in the house at the moment...or eggs, for that matter! But I was thinking of actually trying it with applesauce since we have quite the stockpile in the freezer that needs to be eaten before this year's crop of apples!
Bought a couple yards of high end fabric sold as a remnant for $4.99 to make new covers for sofa throw pillows. Finally finished and they really updated the look of the room. Also bought a couple of books at a garage sale this morning for $1 each. One is collectible and I can probably resell for at least $20. Our neighborhood library has a magazine exchange area so I grabbed a stack of newer Architectural Digests. It is incredibly hot today so I am sending dh out to buy some bbq brisket to make tacos with - $8.00 a half pound which will be more than enough along with avocados. DH made salsa from scratch to go with it. Need to use up some older feta so will make a watermelon and feta salad to go with the tacos.
Washed a load of laundry and dried it on the line yesterday. No need to run the A/C as the weather has been quite beautiful. But I've still been diligent about closing/opening the windows and shades to keep the house at an optimal temperature. I figure every little bit helps when it comes to using (or not using) electricity!
Picked a whole lot of blackberries yesterday and turned them into yet another blackberry crumble this morning. Used up the last of the ice cream cones as part of the topping. I'm starting to run low on oatmeal, so I will need to great creative for toppings if I'm going to keep making these various fruit crumbles. In using up a bag of brown sugar, I discovered another container with some type of dark brown sugar in it. Used some of that as well and then discovered a bottle of molasses and a bottle of corn syrup, too. Hmmm...do those ever go bad? Because I'm pretty sure we've had both bottles for a very, very long time. If they could possibly have gone bad, I guess I'll just chuck them. But if they are still usable...well, any ideas? How is it possible that we have this many forms of sweetener in our house? We're beekeepers. Shouldn't we be using honey for pretty much everything?!? :|(
Met up with a few local people who hang out on the Mr. Money Mustache forums. It was fun to meet some other people interested in simple living, financial independence, and early retirement. Best part of the day was discovering that one of the other people on the forum was someone that I've known IRL for years!
awakenedsoul
8-17-14, 1:49pm
Got up early, watered the garden, and took the 8:00 a.m. bus to the gym. It feels good to beat the heat. I'm going to make some chicken stock from bones that I have in the freezer. Our co op gave us cauliflower in our boxes yesterday, so I'll use that to make cream of cauliflower soup. I have all the ingredients in my stockpile. I've got homemade bread on its second rise. That'll be nice with the soup. I can make a salad, too. Am doing laundry today and will dry it on the clothesline. Tomorrow I've got to figure out how to transport the large bag of charcoal briquettes, the two large bottles of white vinegar, and my down parka from the trunk of my car to my house. The car will be picked up at the mechanic's for donation tomorrow afternoon. I'll have to start buying a few things here and there from Costco, now that I'm going car free. No more monthly stock ups! Fortunately, it's right across the street from the gym, not far from the bus stop. I can fit things like milk, cheese, and juice in my large backpack. I'll just have to go more often...
cdttmm, I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!
Sold my old microwave, vacuum cleaner, bicycle and beach umbrella for scrap. I was expecting to have to pay to dump them so I am feeling more than frugal.
I'm on a mission to not spend money unnecessarily. Mondays, my day off, is usually spent going out with my mom to thrift stores, Target, Michaels, etc. just to get out for the day. She's stuck with my dad all the time so it's a treat for her. But I somehow manage to find something to buy each time. So, this Mon., like last Mon., I'll be going for a nice long bikeride on some railtrails here. The weather has been perfect this summer; usually I ride mostly in the fall.
The only thing I'll need to buy that I know of is toothpaste. My riding boots are splitting and I'll need a new pair soon but in a few months I'll be wearing my winter insulated ones. If I find boots at a great price, fine, but I'm not in a rush. Oh, I'll have to pay $8 for a tube of haircolor but someone at work will apply it for me. If I use color from the supply at work, it costs me $10; I can get two applications from my one tube with my short hair so I'm saving $12.
Skipping thrift stores is tough; how many bargains will I be missing?? Tons of nice nearly-new clothes just waiting for me, usually just what I'm looking for. But honestly, I've got more than enough turtlenecks and sweaters for this fall/winter (and I love ALL of them!). Maybe I'll just be fashionable and wear them while biking.
kimberlyf0
8-17-14, 11:36pm
I'm super wiped out after a day spent in the mountains with my mountain biking guys. Race days are exhausting. On the way home I realized that I was so consumed with making recovery drinks, smoothies, and sandwiches, and packing snacks for the day that I didn't put on rice and beans. Uh oh! Plus we switched to shopping every two weeks; today was day 13 so we are very low on produce, and yesterday I had us eat all the leftovers so that we'll have room for the new shop tomorrow. The extra loaves of bread were frozen solid and not pre-sliced so that wasn't an option. What to do? The siren song of take out food was singing in my ears (and both teens were calling out where they might want food from), but I sucked it up and made waffles (I even ground the flour for them). Standing in the kitchen at a hot waffle iron wasn't what I wanted to do after a long day, but eating out just doesn't feel like an option anymore. I even said out loud that it would feel like a failure to get food out.
I realized that I need to get some cooked rice into the freezer; I have canned beans so I could have put together beans/rice/cabbage if I'd planned ahead. This week I will take the time to get that done!
At least we didn't need to buy any food at that race! I had packed our lunch and snacks, plus the recovery drinks, and we brought a 2 gallon Igloo full of ice water. The racers can also have free Gatorade and fresh fruit, so we were set. We took an extra racer with us; it didn't save us money to bring her, but it did mean one less car went up the mountain in terms of gas and emissions.
Oh, and DS#2 hurt his wrist; I would have needed to take him to urgent care but they have a first aid tent up there. The medic heard me talking to my son and he and another medic checked him out and proclaimed it a sprain. I have my splint from my broken wrist a few years back, so we put that on him when we got home. The medic recommended that we get an X-ray tomorrow if things are worse tomorrow or if he can't sleep because of the pain, but it probably isn't broken (and already hurts less). So that saved us the co-pay for urgent care.
awakenedsoul
8-18-14, 2:13pm
Glad your son's wrist is healing, Kimberlyf0. It sounds like you are really disciplined with your food preparation!
Yesterday I took the bus in the afternoon to the bike shop to pick up a bike trailer. It turns out the one they have is for towing a child, not one that folds into a shopping cart, like I want. So I ordered the correct model, and gave them a deposit. This morning I went to pick up my stuff from the trunk of my Kia. Kars4Kids had already towed it, but the manager had put my stuff in a box. They saw that I was going to have to make a few trips on my bike, and offered to give me a lift to my house. I live about 5 miles from their shop. It made a huge difference, especially in this heat! I got everything home and unpacked.
I was freaking out, because I had put my bus pass in my pocket this morning, and then I couldn't find it. I used a dollar to ride the bus to the mechanic, and rode the bike home, skipping the bus. Turns out, the bus pass had fallen out of my shorts when I went to the bathroom. It was sitting there on the floor. Phew! It's not frugal to buy a bus pass and lose it!
I told my mechanic that I'm trying going car free. He looked stricken. The mechanic who drove me home said that they have been really slow at the shop. All they are getting is oil changes. The other mechanic told me the same thing a few days ago when I dropped off my car. I probably won't use them anymore, (if I get another car,) because they recommended I put a new engine in my Kia, when I really shouldn't have...
The new bike trailer should arrive some time this week. It's an excellent design for taking on the bus and doubles as a shopping cart. That should solve my dog food transport problem...
Today I saw a guy riding his bike with a boxer sitting on the seat in front of him. The dog was so well trained. It's amazing what dogs can do, with practice.
kimberlyf0
8-18-14, 5:52pm
I've never seen a bicycle trailer that can be used as a shopping cart - that sounds really neat! We have a Burley Nomad trailer so I can't justify a purchase right now, but as we get better at "car lite" we may need a trailer behind both bikes so I will keep that in mind.
I'm glad you found your bus pass!
No drive, no spend day today -- woot!!!
Ate the leftover blackberry crumble for breakfast. Hey, it had oatmeal and fruit in it -- it was healthy!!! :D
Spent several hours working in the garden weeding, pruning, and generally cleaning things up. A good day's work. Of course, took breaks along the way so that it didn't feel like drudgery. On one of those breaks I baked a loaf of English Muffin bread using the recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. I was out of milk so used powered milk instead...that I later discovered had an expiration date back in 2011. The bread didn't rise quite as much as it was supposed to, but I don't think it was due to the milk...probably some other baker error. But it tastes fine so there will be peanut butter sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu this week! I did decide to ditch the rest of the powdered milk, though...just can't bring myself to use that up. Fortunately, there wasn't much left. But...gah...
Picked a whole load of cherry tomatoes. Will have to eat those up tomorrow as I'm sure there will be more to come! Also picked a huge bowl of blackberries. You know what that means...I'll be making another blackberry crumble (or something else, if I'm feeling truly inspired!) tomorrow.
I made a huge vat of homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. Was totally craving it for some reason and decided not to eat my emergency box of mac-and-cheese that I keep on hand for, well, emergencies! :~) I improvised the recipe and it came out pretty good, but not great. I did get to use up a hunk of cream cheese that was just hanging out in the fridge and one of the TWENTY-ONE boxes of pasta in my pantry. Why on earth did I have twenty-one POUNDS of pasta in my pantry?!? Geez. Food hoarding issues, perhaps?!? :|(
One of my classes for the fall semester just got canceled due to low enrollment. Boo. There goes $3k in potential earnings. Oh well, easy come, easy go. It does make my schedule a bit less crazy and it does mean that on Tuesdays and Thursdays I definitely won't need to hire a dog sitter to let my dogs out in the middle of the day. And who knows what other random opportunities might present themselves now that I have some more free time!
Blackdog Lin
8-18-14, 9:51pm
and one of the TWENTY-ONE boxes of pasta in my pantry. Why on earth did I have twenty-one POUNDS of pasta in my pantry?!? Geez. Food hoarding issues, perhaps?!?
cdttmm: been there done that. :) I've been low on pasta in the kitchen pantry, and needed to check before we went to the city for our stock-up trip last week. Found 15+ packs of spaghetti, sealed for long-term storage. No macaroni, no rigatoni, no linguine, no rotini, no any other pasta that I may want to have on hand.....just scads and scads of spaghetti.
Well, I'm set there at least.....but what was I thinking when I put this stuff up?
We lose track, don't we?
Have had several no spend days - though have driven down to the Lake to walk the dog in the early AM - it's about a mile to the lake and 2.8 miles around it. Frequently I'll walk the neighborhood - thus saving the drive - but I want him to be able to be around other dogs and not freak out - he's doing great!
I've been cat sitting for a friend of a friend and am glad they get home tonight - one less thing to factor into my day - but, supposedly, they are paying $10/day for bringing in the mail, feeding the cats, and emptying the litter boxes. Some days I have stopped by as part of my errands. A few days I walked the dog over and tied him up in their yard while I ran in.
awakenedsoul
8-19-14, 12:40pm
kimberlyf0, Thanks. I'm glad I found my bus pass, too. I had been pricing shopping baskets, so this bike trailer is the perfect combination. It's more of a vertical design. Now I won't need to purchase a basket. Would like to hear about your bike trailer and how you like it!
I took the 6:30 a.m. bus this morning to swim at the gym. I was home by 8:30 a.m. I realized that we have a fruit stand up the road from where I live. That's a real convenience, now that I'm car free. (I never used to drive that direction.) I rode up there this a.m. but they weren't open yet. I'd like to pick up a watermelon. I may go to Food For Less instead, since they have them on sale for 19 cents a lb. May as well use my bus pass! I'm going to cancel my auto insurance. I should get a nice refund to put in my emergency fund. I'll pick up a couple of dog poop bags on the bike path when I run errands today. My zucchini plants look like they're about finished. I'll pull those out and plant the seeds I have for lettuce and mesclun mix. I've got leftover turkey tacos and from scratch cream of cauliflower soup with homemade bread. No need to do any cooking today. Did some weeding in the orchard last night. The evenings are getting cooler. It's starting to get dark earlier. I'm looking forward to winter, my favorite time of year!
Not so frugal today, except for doing some creative scheduling involving a car ride. I needed to go to Haifa, DH needed to drive a friend to a clinic further south. He dropped me off and picked me up on the way down and back up, thus saving train fare. We also made a point of all eating hearty breakfasts, so we could make it back home without being tempted to stop for lunch.
The purpose of my visit to Haifa was to meet with an American social worker who'd been in Israel for 30+ years, and whose sole job is to help American and Canadian immigrants navigate the Israeli system in all aspects. My meeting with her, which was free because of my (discounted!) membership, was invaluable and may have just "earned" us significant future earnings in the form of correct retirement planning, pension contributions, etc. She is also going to troubleshoot a major problem DH is having with the health ministry here, and we expect good results. If we can resolve it, we won't have to move at all, saving us bazillions of dollars in moving fees and giant hassle and disruption in our lives. Fingers crossed!
Oh Selah, that sounds like very good news indeed, I hope it works out for you that you can stay.
Yesterday I didn't buy a dress. I'm still not sure if that was actually frugal or more of a missed opportunity.
I'm so much in the swing of paring down, not building up, that I forgot I only have one long-sleeved dress which I have been wearing for two years and am in fact on the lookout for a new one. This was very cute, and on sale at a very good price, but I was in my tramping gear and not in a position to stop and try it on. Still thinking about it, and don't think I can get back to that shop for another week.
early morning
8-19-14, 10:55pm
Hi all - you guys are really rocking this month! I'm trying to stick to my same old strategies but sometimes.... I'm making too many "planned" purchases and not planning enough to NOT purchase, if that makes sense. Last week I had to go out of town for a training, which actually ended up bringing me in more than I spent (thanks to mileage reimbursement!). This past weekend DD and I went with my sister for her birthday "event" - we don't do presents, we just do a trip, or a play or something and each pay our own way - which was pretty inexpensive - 70 total for a hotel w/ breakfast included, 20 each for entrance fee for the tour we took, and we paid for part of the gas. I spent another 50 on food for 2 of us, but that included some fruit I brought home. Still hanging laundry, and feeding scraps to our sole remaining hen. Using the library for books and movies, staying out of stores except for Dollar General for necessities. Aldi is our primary food store, and they are the cheapest around here, by far. Helped our son move (again) and bought him dinner, but the last time we were there he gave us a desk that DH sold for enough to have covered most of the gas for both trips. DS is working but struggling so we help where we can without making him feel bad. Bought a quart of local honey at a garage sale for about half of what it would cost at the farmer's market. Planning my birthday weekend away with my twin cousin. The cabin we generally get for free was sold, but we have borrowed a trailer from another cousin. We will pay him gas for hauling it to and from, and the site rental for 2 nights, but still cheaper than a hotel and much better for our purposes - we cook and eat cheap things we like but our families don't, and watch a lot of corny DVDs, and laugh, cry, and talk each other's ears off. I've saved my coins for two years, so I'm going to use that to help cover the cost and have spending money. I haven't counted or rolled it yet but it should be close - I'm hoping my cost will be less than 100$..
rosarugosa
8-20-14, 4:55am
Early: I know just what you mean. I've made some good purchases myself recently, but it's still money spent rather than saved. Aroha, sounds like you just did the reverse. :)
I just found out I can request a DVD movie or book from another library branch, and they will send it to my library branch for me. That opens up so many more possibilities! There's an older movie I want to see and was going to buy from Amazon, not too expensive, but still free is better and then I don't have to worry about storing or decluttering it after I watch it!
RosaRugosa, I love inter library loan! It's like magic and no clutter.
awakenedsoul
8-20-14, 4:06pm
early morning, I'm doing that with my hen, too. She's very elderly. I think she might be blind. She seems to prefer lettuce, tomatoes, homegrown sumac berries, and homemade cookie crumbs. I figure she gets her protein from free ranging in the early evenings.
Today I took the bus to the water store. Refilled my five gallon jug and checked out our version of the dollar store. Bought a carton of soy milk for $1.99, and will return to buy organic milk later in the week. Their prices are better than Costco and Sprouts. It's also right on the bus line, ten mins. from my house. I'm going to see what else they have, since it's so convenient.
Had more of the leftover tacos for lunch. Just finished baking a loaf of Artisian bread. I haven't bought a loaf of bread in at least three years now. It's so inexpensive to make! I'm using up my bargain lettuce by making salads for dinner until it's gone. I've got lots of avocados, red peppers, and carrots from Costco.
I've still got leftover cream of cauliflower soup to eat up, as well. Looks like I'll be able to continue to keep a stockpile while going car free. Once winter is here, I don't think I'll have to buy fruit.
Washed my sheets yesterday in homemade laundry determent, and hung them on the line to dry. I made some more washing soda this morning. I'll mix up another batch of laundry powder this afternoon.
I still have lots of little gold finches eating the sunflower seeds on the sunflowers in my front garden. I can see them from my window. I have baby sparrows enjoying the birdbath, too. Free entertainment, and they're so cute!
Hmm. Still doesn't seem like we've experienced much frugality around here lately.
We have had a running battle with water in our basement this summer. Excessive rains in June clogged a drain-tile system we didn't even know we had, soaking the basement carpet and pad and anything porous that was sitting on it. Thank goodness it was just rainwater but it still did a number. I suppose we had a peek at frugality in replacing the flooring, this time with carpet tile we could install ourselves (I didn’t want carpet there, but that's a long story for another thread). We saved ourselves about $500-600 going that way and getting better carpet in the process -- carpet we will not have to rip up to check on the drain basin in the future.
Anyway, no sooner had we finished that job and put items back in the basement when a graywater drain that has blocked a few times in the 12 years I've been here blocked again. This time neither of us was home to catch it early and greasy gucky water spread throughout the laundry area (one of the very few areas not touched in the rainwater backup). DW tried to snake the drain, but couldn't. So we called the sewer-and-drain guy (yeah, we have one of those). Luckily, he offered to come out that night. Even more luckily, his "emergency charge" was a whopping $20 :cool:. Not like I wanted this to happen, but solving the problem so cheaply was better than I expected... We are still scrubbing the floor with degreaser, washing clothes that got wet, and pulling out items which were sitting on the basement floor.
At least that's on the mend. Good incentive to either use this stuff for the purposes for which we bought it or to admit to ourselves we're not going to get there and move it on. And move on we must. A bird strike on our big front window actually put a huge crack in one of the double-insulated panes. I had a repair company estimate the cost to fix it. Owing to the damage and the age of the window, it'll be expensive. And then we'll still have a 40-year-old window that a) is showing other signs of age; and b) was "builder-grade" (for those who understand what that epithet means). Time to start replacing windows. We knew this was coming; we just really can't postpone it any longer. But it will be an effort staged over a few years, so we need to shop carefully.
This morning I was working at the food bank (trading time for a monthly donation I was making in higher-salaried days) when I stopped at a supermarket to pick up a few items we'd run out of. This market recently changed hands, so there were several shelves of clearance items, including some supplements my wife and I take -- probably at around 75% off and expiring well into the future. I stocked up with enough to get through the expiration date. (For the Twin Citians on the board, it was the former Rainbow on Arcade; maybe this is happening at other former Rainbows in town.)
DW and I are going out for a date night on a restaurant Groupon which was bought some time ago and which expires in a week or two. That's only a semi-frugal as I'm not sure we would have chosen this restaurant anyway. But half-off is better than paying full price, and it's a sunk cost now, so why not?
So, yeah, frugals have been thin on the ground here lately.
Okay, I'm going to dig deep and see if I can come up with a few frugals to post since y'all have been so kind to keep this thread interesting this month!
I did not go to work yesterday, so I saved on gas, but didn't earn anything since I wasn't working -- so that could be frugal or unfrugal. Since I got a lot done around the house, I'll consider it frugal!
I picked a huge load of cherry tomatoes and ate them last night for dinner with some of the leftover homemade macaroni and cheese. I finished off the mac and cheese today. I've got everything I need so I'll make up another huge batch over the weekend. My dearly beloved arrives back from Oregon tomorrow so I need to do some meal planning or there will be way too much grocery shopping happening in the near future!
I'm making a huge blackberry crumble out of the blackberries that I picked the other night. I used up the last of the random dark brown sugar that was in the pantry. While I was emptying out the package I noticed that the "best by" date was sometime back in 2007. Geez. What goes on in this house?!? I also used up 1-1/2 cups of the random package of wheat germ that's been in the pantry, too. Oh yeah, there's a "best by" date on it sometime in 2010. Seriously. I need to work on my random food accumulation issues! I'm hoping I can get enough blackberries in the coming weeks to make a few more crumbles and finish out the bag of wheat germ. Otherwise it's going to have to go into some random bread concoction.
Made a pot of tea and brought it to work in my travel mugs today, but neglected to pack lunch. We had ordered lunch for our student leaders who were on campus today for a program and usually that means free lunch for me. Alas, we somehow forgot to order vegetarian lunches so I was out of luck. I used a $5 gift card (that I've been carefully hoarding) to buy lunch in the cafeteria. Had to pony up 19 cents, but I can live with that.
Picked up ~25 gallons of waste vegetable oil from the little roadside ice cream shack/restaurant in town. We'll filter the oil and then use it in our car (which has been converted to run on veggie oil versus diesel). After all is said and done, it should provide us with about 800 miles worth of driving! :D
At my Tae Kwon Do class last night, I got a new t-shirt that our teacher had made up for school members. He only charges us what it actually costs to have the shirts made since we're not a profit-making venture. Fortunately, that means I can barter for my t-shirt and trade him honey for mine! One of the second degree black belts handmade a bo for me. (A bo is a staff-like weapon used in various martial arts.) He gave it to me as a gift for being promoted to black belt this summer. Quite awesome as a bo would have set me back between $40 and $100 if I had needed to buy one. I'll have to buy a carrying case for it, but that should only be about $10.
Rescheduled my appointment to have my hair cut. Was way too busy today and also didn't want to make the extra trip back to town (no way to combine trips, unfortunately). Going an extra week between haircuts is always a frugal thing! :~) And I'm still working my way through the ridiculous stash of hair products that I have. Some of them have some truly awful scents, but I've figured out how I can use smaller amounts of two different products to mitigate some of the hardcore scented factor. But I'll be very happy when some of them are gone, gone, gone!
Okay, I think that's all I've got for now! Keep up the great work, everybody!
kimberlyf0
8-20-14, 6:55pm
kimberlyf0, Would like to hear about your bike trailer and how you like it!
I am enjoying reading about you going car free because it keeps me inspired to at least be car lite!
We really love our Burley Nomad; I think we've had it 7 years or so and the only issue we've had was the safety strap breaking last spring, but that was due to a teenager not attaching it properly. DH solved the issue with a small bungee cord, so it's fine. It has a lot of cargo space; we can fit in a full grocery shop with careful packing. The down side is that it is meant for home-->errands-->home and isn't suited to public transportation at all. That isn't an issue for us as the bus system here isn't that great and we are close enough to bike almost anywhere. Heck, DH and the boys could bike to Costco which is at most 6 miles one way, but we've switched that errand to once a month so they wouldn't be able to bring it all home in the trailer (I guess that means if we did a car free month we'd have to go more often). And parking it can be a pain; not only does it take up space, but we want it to be safe. I suppose that would be true of any trailer that we couldn't take inside with us.
I don't think I've done anything exceptionally frugal the past few days. Same old stuff, really -- bake bread, cook from scratch, make sun tea, hang laundry, run the A/C as little as possible, open the windows when it's cool, etc.
Aug 20....Hi all....I have been reading but, not posting so I will try to catch up you have all been busy and
doing a great job!
--gave myself a pedicure and manicure...looks very nice if I do say so myself.
--very little shopping but, did one amazing order that came to $115.. (between both Dd and myself) for
this we got a whole bunch of fresh fruit/veggies, enough meat for about 30 servings all bought on sale, and much more
and then we got bonus points for a total of $45.00 to use later. Very pleased with ourselves.
--still eating salad from the garden...tomatoes not ripe yet but lots of green ones.
--cooking at home every day
--I did an inventory of the big freezer last month and have actually marked things off as used and now added on
the new items bought. It is great to just look at the list and decide what to have instead of rummaging in the freezer.
The freezer is staying much tidier I can put my hand on what I am looking for in a second. It is not frosting up as much and
I am sure saving some in hydro.
--like someone else mentioned earlier I have been leaving my hair go a little longer between cuts and finally just got one
at a place that gives a nice cut and only charges seniors 14.99 with tax...a do give a $3.00 tip I know the women is not making much on that.
That is all I can think of for now just a lot of the same old, driving as little as possible, eating at home, using rags instead of paper towels,
free entertainment from library/and friends, not eating out, shopping from the flyers, with coupons, price matching and in store mark downs,
enjoying the company of friends and family just walking, chatting, playing games/cards, lots of exercise from gardening.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the dress is still there in a week for you Aroha, sounds like a sensible buy!
Awakenedsoul homemade laundry liquid is something I keep on meaning to research, well done on getting that and the bread under your belt of skills. I make bread at home but must admit that I definitely might buy bread once a month when I haven't gotten around to making it!!!
Steve hope you get some no spend days coming at you!
Did roast chicken yesterday for dinner, so have the carcass in for stock at the moment. Budget and shopping list done for the next 2wks (Other half gets paid biweekly). Will be hanging out clothes to dry and sawing some timber for the fire today. Have turned off all the lights and plugs around the house and tea is holding in flask (so that i don't have to be boiling the kettle all the time - I have a wee problem with tea, love it :D ) Will be making picallili for my pantry later.
I'm going to have to research some led bulbs for the house, I've bought the new cfls but they have blown a lot, making them a very expensive investment that hasn't paid for itself. My other goal for the day is baking bread and pasties.
When I moved into this house about 18 months ago I bought all LED lights and have been really pleased with them. During the winter my electric bill is low. It is harder to see in the summer with AC, although this year even that has been pretty nice with cooler weather.
This whole month has been a high spend month. My brothers are building a pavilion for me and I have fed them usually 2 days each weekend. I also bought bottled water and pop and ice to have in a cooler for them. Things I don't buy otherwise. Then of course there were trips to the home store for stuff to build it. There were also a couple of birthdays. My sister and her two grown daughters are coming at the end of the month. One of them is getting married and this is the fling before the ring, which I bet will mean more money to be flung. haha.
But, I guess to some degree that is why I am frugal, so I have the money to spend on things I really want.
awakenedsoul
8-21-14, 1:11pm
It sounds like everyone is being really conscientious with their frugals. The little things really do add up to savings.
kimberlyf0, Oh, you've got a nice trailer. My friend on the bus said that he used to ask the clerks if he could leave his trailer inside. I do that with my backpack. I leave it behind the counter.
Mentes, Thanks. I love baking. I have all the supplies in bulk in my stockpile. It's so cheap to make all of those things. It just takes time.
Aqua Blue, It is nice to have money to as you say, to spend on the things you truly want. I remember times when I felt like I couldn't afford anything. It was depressing.
Today I found out that I can get my dog vaccines very cheaply at our feed store. Now I won't have to pay for a vet visit. I can ride the short distance in the cool morning weather. Those were my two main concerns: the distance and the heat. Everything seems to be falling into place. I talked with the guy at the feed store about having dog food delivered. He said they don't usually do that, but that we could work something out. Costco is still by far the best deal. My neighbor offered to give me a ride with her. She shops there once every two weeks. I can give her $10.00 for gas and make it a good deal for both of us. Now I have all kinds of options. Will see how it goes on the bike trailer once it arrives.
awakenedsoul
8-23-14, 2:10pm
The purpose of my visit to Haifa was to meet with an American social worker who'd been in Israel for 30+ years, and whose sole job is to help American and Canadian immigrants navigate the Israeli system in all aspects. My meeting with her, which was free because of my (discounted!) membership, was invaluable and may have just "earned" us significant future earnings in the form of correct retirement planning, pension contributions, etc. She is also going to troubleshoot a major problem DH is having with the health ministry here, and we expect good results. If we can resolve it, we won't have to move at all, saving us bazillions of dollars in moving fees and giant hassle and disruption in our lives. Fingers crossed!
I forgot to say Selah, congratulations! That's fantastic news. I know you've been wanting to stay there.
This morning I used some of the cookie dough I made earlier in the week and kept in the fridge. I baked another dozen snickerdoodles. I got them in the oven before the sun was too high in the sky. Turned the oven off early, and let them bake while it cooled down, to save gas. I bussed and biked to the gym. I'm amazed at how much stronger my hip has become. Soon I'll be able to swim for an hour. When I first started, it hurt to do breast stroke or elementary back stroke. Now I'm fine...enjoying the movement and gliding through the water. Yesterday I went on line and made sure my tap card was registered. That way, if I ever lose it, they will replace my bus pass for $5.00. I can also use it on the train for my vocal coaching next week. I'll be taking the bus to the Metro, the train to Hollywood and Vine, and biking the last few blocks to my coach's house. I've got to plan my route today. It's amazing what you can do on line now. I think I can even renew my bus pass and pay for it on line at home. I used to have to take cash to Mail America. I'm still eating up the rest of the tacos. I'm going to use some of the leftover homemade chicken broth to make Mexican rice. I've got plenty of white rice in the freezer and the other ingredients in my stockpile. Yesterday I bought some fruit on sale at Sprouts. They had organic cantaloups for .48 a lb. I bought three. I also got some organic green grapes. They taste so much better without the spray! I've been using canned tomatoes from my stockpile instead of buying fresh ones. My heirloom tomatoes in the garden will be ripe in a week or two. They're good sized, and very beautiful. I've been letting the seed heads on one of my giant sunflowers in the cottage garden dry out. I'll be able to harvest those seeds very soon. I may plant another patch of them for some color in the cottage garden in the fall. Yesterday I did a home manicure and pedicure. I feel much better when I'm well groomed. Today I'll do a Nair session.
How's everyone else doing?
iris lilies
8-23-14, 2:38pm
Our rescue coordinator scored some free low allergen dog food, 120 lbs of it, for my bulldog. He has severe skin problems. He is not officially on a low allergen diet under the board-certified skin doctor's care, but we give him corn-free food. This new score is fish and potato food, and while it may not help him, it's not likely to hurt him. He of course gobbles up everything, being a bulldog, so I never worry if he "likes" it because he "likes" everything.
Also included in the score is an entire case of canned food made according to a formula for "bland." It will come in handy for him when sick or for our elderly Frenchies.
Tomorrow we go to the MN State Fair and I have the $$ I made cat-sitting a friend of a friend's cats - very easy duty for more than enough $$ for the Fair!
Used the Famous Footwear 20% off coupon but did not get a second pair for half off because I only really needed one pair. Though the clerk did say you can use the BOGO coupon through 9/14 if you change your mind (probably not).
We leave Wednesday for our son's wedding in Washington DC. I am wearing the same Pendleton black linen sheath dress I have worn for every fancy occasion over the last 8 years - still fits! I paid .99 for it at Savers that many years ago. That's for the first dinner with the other set of parents. Bought a Lands End wrap dress on clearance for the actual wedding which takes place outdoors in a city park - very low key - only 20 people attending - including the bride and groom.
We got a great rate at an Embassy Suites that is on 3 metro lines and we still have our metro cards from our last visit. They are thinking of having cake and champagne later in the day post-ceremony and brunch and I offered them the suite for that - her dad is in a wheelchair so they can't use their second floor apartment.
I love DC for all the free museums - we have Thursday til dinner time and all day Saturday to spend in the city - hopefully it won't be too ungodly hot and humid!
I am especially excited - not that the wedding isn't very, very exciting - but my niece who lives in Alexandria will be there with her family - including the new 6 month old grandniece that we will meet for the first time.
Our daughter has been on tour with her band (sounds much more exciting than it really is) and will join us on Thursday evening. She has been gone a month and I can't wait to see her too!
WOW this is going to be AMAZING!! :cool:
awakenedsoul
8-24-14, 7:48pm
chrissieq, That sounds fabulous! Have a wonderful time...
Today I took the bus to the gym again. They have redone the routes, and now I don't have to bike on the dangerous part. I can hop on a second bus quickly and easily. Chatted with one of the girls who works at the gym while I was in the jacuzzi. She's really sensitive and sweet. I was the only one in the jacuzzi, and had the pool to myself, too. I'm so glad I joined...$15.00 a month!!! It's been totally worth it.
Came home and worked on the tank top that I'm knitting. I'm almost finished with the back. Once it's done I'll sew the two pieces together. I cut it down a size. I can return the extra skein of yarn and buy a skein of sock yarn instead. I slow cooked the grass fed spare ribs that I bought at the co op last week. I used my chicken roasting pan with a lid instead of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. I had pre made the rub and had molasses in my stockpile. I simmered a pot of homemade bbq sauce on the stove with ketchup, worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and salt. I left out the oil, since there was plenty of fat in the meat. The ribs came out really tasty...the meat was falling off the bone. I had some leftover homemade bread, as well. Went on line and planned my trip to Hollywood on the bus and train. It turns out it costs half as much if I take the bus to North Hollywood Station, so that's what I'll do. I'll use my bus pass to get to the transit center, where it departs. It's a long trip, so I'll pack my knitting, a thermos of coffee, and a sandwich. I worked on my songs for my vocal coaching session, and researched an audition for Rock Of Ages in Las Vegas. Later tonite I'll run the dogs on the Walkydog and do some yoga.
How's everyone else doing?
rosarugosa
8-24-14, 8:37pm
Have a great trip Chrissie. It sounds like that linen dress is probably the best 99 cents you ever spent!
Good score on the dog food, IL.
Sounds like you are getting your money's worth from your bus pass and gym membership, Awakened.
I stayed put this weekend, gardened and walked in the woods for recreation. I've really been enjoying peaches from the farmer's market and I will be very sorry when peach season is all over.
rosarugosa, I too will miss the peaches. They've been wonderful this year.
Only six days left in the month and I couldn't stay out of a thrift store. But, it was worthwhile because i found a pair of much needed shoes. My black loafters were very old and shabby and today I found a newish unbroken-in pair of Bass loafers for $4.23!!! Huge score. And, I've been looking for a striped rugby shirt for quite some time and found one in the boys' section, XL, for $2.13. Did I need this shirt....no. But it's been on my list from the start and I couldn't pass it up. Also got a Lands End shirt and LL Bean polo, both new, for a song.
My horse is on a compounded medicine for Cushings disease, which is common in older horses (he's 29). Vet has been trying to have me switch him to the much more expensive FDA approved drug because he's on a high dose of the compounded one and his levels are still too high. Supposedly, the FDA drug will do the same at 1mg as my compounded drug at 6mg, which I think is impossible. My vet called the drug rep, discussed my case with them, and they're giving me a free 60 day supply of the FDA drug plus a free bloodtest at the end of the trial. I'm hesitant because if this drug isn't as effective at a low dose, his levels will go through the roof, which can cause some serious complications. I'll be switching him over next week and fingers and hooves crossed that this drug really does work better and he'll be fine. My savings--$120 in drugs and $80 in testing. Hopefully I won't lose my baby over this.
pony mom, I'll light a candle for your horse. Great buy on the shoes and shirt!
I've replaced 3 lights in the house with LED ones, & taken my esb reading to track my usage. Today is a spend day, my son started back to school and my other kids are back on monday so must get some last bits and pieces. I cleaned the chimneys yesterday so looking forward to a nice fire this evening. Busy doing a major declutter on the house and it's starting to feel lighter :)
Hi,
i picked a few of pounds of redcurrants today and boiled them up with sugar to make a super tangy jelly. We shouldnt need to buy any cranberry sauce or jams for the rest of the year!
Great work, everyone!
Welcome, Davidwd, and thanks for joining us here on the monthly frugals thread!!!
chrissieq -- I miss going to the "Great Minnesota Get Together" -- growing up in MN, I went every year for the first half of my life. Then I moved away and every year I think about taking a trip back to MSP just to go to the state fair! Of course, this year I'm coming to town just a few days after the fair ends. Darn!
Not much of excitement on the frugal front over here, but trying to stay focused!
We've had new student orientation happening at school the past two weeks so I've gotten a lot of free lunches. :D
I made another batch of homemade mac-and-cheese in an attempt to use up more of my pasta stockpile. I'm now down to only 19 pounds of pasta in the pantry...
Last weekend, my dearly beloved and I made a huge vat of corn chowder. We ate some for dinner one night and the rest went to the freezer for future enjoyment. I think we're going to do the same this weekend if we have the time.
I've been harvesting tomatoes and blackberries most days. Must keep eating them...or find a way to preserve them. I'm starting to think I need to freeze some blackberries for the winter.
Been managing to keep the A/C off as the weather has been pretty cooperative. Hope it continues!
Trying to keep the laundry loads minimized. And hoping to do some of the linens and other large items over the long weekend and hang things on the line while the weather is good for line drying.
awakenedsoul
8-27-14, 5:50pm
Hi David. Welcome to the forum. Your jelly sounds delicious.
Today I picked up the Burley Travoy bike trailer. This morning I took the bus and bike to the gym for an aqua fit class. From there I cycled and bussed to the bike shop. The guy who assembled it for me greeted me heartily when I walked in the door. "You must be Awakenedsoul!" he boomed. He was SO enthusiastic about the trailer. He told me, "I am so impressed with this. It's brilliant!" He's from England, and has a great personality. Most of the guys there are really upbeat and friendly. I think I'd like to date a bicyclist. He showed me how to use the Travoy. It folds into a shopping cart, and reduces down to the size of a briefcase. I brought it on the bus, and it worked out really well. I stopped at the fruit stand on the way home and bought some watermelon, strawberries, and bananas. Used the trailer to cart it home behind the bike. It's so much easier on my back! Now I can buy a 40 lb. bag of dog food tomorrow! Yay! Costco has the best prices, so the dogs won't have to change brands. My neighbor stopped by and asked me, "What happened to your car?" She's in the same position with her truck. She had the engine rebuilt, and now it's smoking...we had a nice chat. The Gas Co. came by and installed a new meter. It felt good to get that out of the way. Two women did the job! I was impressed and told them so. Next I have to call a repairman to fix my washing machine. It's backing up. Sure am glad I have my emergency fund. I'm eating leftover ribs with homemade bbq sauce, salad with homemade dressing, and veggies from the garden.
Great hearing everyone's frugal news...
Hi viz vest for @$2 from the op shop.
I perhaps should not have been browsing there, given that I am trying to DEclutter at the moment, but it's just what I need for a factory site visit this weekend. Now all I need's a hard hat.
Also I picked up denim shorts, sleeveless top, and a lacy shrug for another $3.50 total. I am wearing two out of the three right this minute and spring is just round the corner so I'm sure to get heaps of use from all of them now that I've let go so many things I don't love any more.
Aqua Blue
8-27-14, 10:00pm
It has been an awful month for frugals. I do a line by line for every item as I buy it. It usually is under one page. This month it is almost at two pages. We are going away this weekend to the state fair and will be eating out, have auto gas expenses, and I will need to pay who is sitting my dog. Ouch. I have found some good deals from garage sales and thrift stores. I also have been buying some things for my nieces wedding in early Sept. It is just how things are sometimes. Maybe after the wedding things will get back to normal.
I was about to post in July, and realized it's already the 1st of August. I've been eating corn on the cob, too, cdtmm. It cooks quickly, and they gave us four ears in last Saturday's box. I did a lot of knitting on my linen/cotton tank top yesterday. I had to rip out several rows because of mistake. Feels good to have it corrected. I picked some sumac berries in the backyard for my chicken to eat. She loves them. I also gave her some leftover lettuce, and she gobbled it up. She doesn't seem to want to eat anything but fruits and vegetables in this heat. She free ranges in the early evening, so hopefully she's eating lots of bugs in the orchard. Went to the bike shop after swimming yesterday. I stopped on the way and returned a library book. I've been renewing things on line and avoiding late fees. That was my weakness a couple of years ago. Turns out my bike didn't need a repair. I replaced my four year old helmet. It had finally fallen apart. The new one cost $50.00! Yikes! But, he's a really sweet man, and I'm happy to support his business. He does excellent repairs. Chatted with my mom on the phone yesterday. Felt good about my new, less expensive phone plan. Am going to trim back the hollyhocks and sunflowers and spread the seeds in the garden for next year...
cheap helmets are poor economy, I was cycling with my daughter in Spain earlier this year and she had a nasty accident. I believe the helmet saved her life. Her head hit the road so hard it broke the helmet in to 4 pieces but it stayed together. She had a few cuts and grazes and a headache but it could have been much worse with a cheap helmet!
I believe the helmet saved her life. Her head hit the road so hard it broke the helmet in to 4 pieces but it stayed together.
A good friend of ours had a bike accident and, without doubt, the helmet saved his brain (if not his life). Time for a new helmet for him! Actually, time for a new helmet for several of his family and friends. I had a really old one, but apparently, like car baby seats, they "expire" after a while. So several of us replaced our helmets and those who never wore one started to do so. Great illustration!
Few frugals here lately. I went to the State Fair already. We typically don't buy anything there but food and drink, so we don't worry too much about the price of one or two visits. We do get some discount tickets and some "freebies" (I belong to the Fair preservation foundation) so that saves some. And we looove the Fair. So be it.
We've been watching a neighbor's dog this week; in exchange the owner will take us out for dinner and help me with a couple of home-repair projects I can't do by myself (one involves the "right" tool he has that I'd have to buy or rent). The dog does not like to be left alone for long, so I haven't ranged far from the house this week, which cuts down on spending some.
This weekend I'm joining some friends at one of their cabins. I've become the cook of that group, so, aside from small quantities of odd ingredients that I'll bring from home out of convenience, the weekend will cost me nothing but fuel (about four gallons worth) and maybe a couple of beers or a share of a boat rental. DW is going to DSD's bachelorette party but otherwise is looking forward to having the house to herself.
Then after that it's September and the schedule thickens. Won't be too many opportunities for unplanned spending, but there will be lots of planned spending... :0!
Thank you frugal people for helping to keep me on track!!! I almost committed a non-frugal, but y'all reminded me not to go there...thank you!!! Here's the story: I went to work today expecting that lunch would be provided. However, I forgot to eat breakfast. Ummm...I have no idea how that happened! Then it turns out that there were no vegetarian lunches ordered so unless I wanted to eat potato chips and a cookie, I was out of luck! Ugh!!! So I went to the cafeteria with my second to last $5 gift card and used it to buy a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries. Not the healthiest of lunch options, but I can live with it occasionally. But then I started thinking, hmmm...., maybe I should put $50 on my faculty ID for use at the cafeteria because if you put $50 on your ID, you get a bonus of $5 with it. That's a whopping 10% return on my money -- awesome, right? No!!!! Not frugal!!! Because for $5 I can't even buy a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries and the other options aren't exactly healthier (or less expensive!). So I resisted. And what I need to do is bring some quick emergency meal items to work and stash them in my office. So now I will get organized and do that. And I'm quite sure that even my most elaborate emergency meals will still be less than $5 a meal. I'm shocked at how many of our students pay these prices for lunch every single day!!!
Anyway, that's my not-so-frugal, frugal story for the day. Thanks for helping me think this situation through, because without all of you, I'd have put $50 on my faculty ID and later this semester I would have been kicking myself!
awakenedsoul
8-28-14, 7:19pm
This morning I called the appliance repair service to fix my Kenmore washing machine. It will cost $279. to replace the timer. It wasn't filling up with hot water, which he fixed today for free. The machine is over 20 years old, and has been excellent. I bought both the washer and dryer, used, back in 1997. I think I paid $100.00 for both of them! If the washer breaks again, I'll have to replace it. I'm crossing my fingers. The drain is also clogged, so I used a coupon to call Mr. Rooter. He's on his way to fix that.
I took the bus and bike trailer to Costco today. I was worried that the 40 lb. bag of dog food might not fit on my Burley Travoy bike trailer, but it worked. I ran into an old friend/ballet student at Costco. We had fun catching up. She's a real upbeat English woman. I also bought a box of soy milk while I was there. It was a long, slow ride to the bus stop. I accidentally tipped the trailer over on the first corner. I stopped, reloaded everything, and made it home. The dogs now have a month's worth of food. Also, the bus driver put the ramp down for me, so I was able to just wheel my cart on to the bus. I feel like I lifted weights in a sauna! It's in the 90's here. I walked the bike up the hill, and coasted home.
I ran into a neighbor at the bus stop. He just had eye surgery, so he can't drive or work right now. We compared our public transportation stories. I ate up some leftover salad for lunch. I've been having a lot of fresh fruit. I cut it up, and store it in glass containers in the fridge. Made a quesadilla with homegrown organic tomato slices. I'm so pleased that I'm finally having success with tomatoes!
Keep up the great work with your frugals, everyone!
Hooray for more food frugals, everyone!
I baked two loaves of homemade bread this morning. Used up some more of the "ancient grain" flour. And my dearly beloved, who came home from NYC in the midst of my bread baking, said that now that we've established a regular bread baking schedule that he will grind some of the wheat we have so that we can use it up. Woohoo!!! I love it when he really gets on board with this stuff!!!
I ate some more of the blackberry crumble that I made last week for breakfast this morning. It wasn't that excited about eating it again...there's just been so much of it lately...but this is a first world problem if there has ever been one so I ate it. With vanilla ice cream. :~)
Then I went outside and harvested more tomatoes. There are so many. We had tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and fresh baked bread for lunch. I chopped up a bunch of the remaining tomatoes along with some Egyptian onions and some garlic and covered it in olive oil, salt, and pepper and stuck it on the smoker for an hour or so. When it cools down I'll toss it in the blender and it will become a tasty pizza sauce that I can easily freeze for future consumption. I'll make another batch tomorrow because there are still more tomatoes on the counter and in the garden.
I've got to pick more blackberries, too. I think this time they will go right into the freezer, though. Might as well have some for the purposes of making blackberry crumble in the dead of winter!!!
awakenedsoul
8-30-14, 6:39pm
This morning I took the bus to Sprouts and took advantage of their specials. They had watermelon on sale for $1.88 each, so I bought two. I also got a dozen free range organic brown eggs. I think I'll start eating a few eggs a week again and less meat. The bike trailer worked out perfectly. Now I don't have to lug all of that weight on my back.
I did some research on a couple of eco washer and dryers. I ordered the Wonder Wash and Nina Soft dryer to use for small, light loads. The dryer is more like a spinner. It will be ideal for my hand knits. I make all of my sweaters and socks. Now they won't take as long to dry. With the drought, this will use less water. I'll reuse the grey water for my potted plants. I can save my older Kenmore top loading washer for larger loads of sheets and towels. I don't have that much laundry... now that I'm not teaching ballet or taking daily dance classes.
Researched the beach bus and I plan to try that tomorrow. It's only $3.00 each way. I'll pack my bicycle in the luggage compartment. I plan to bring a lunch, a thermos of coffee, a paperback book, and my knitting. I've been wanting to do this for ages. When I moved to LA I thought I'd be going to the beach all the time, but I never do! This is much cheaper than paying for gas and parking. (I don't do that anymore, since I'm car free. I like exploring my options.)
Washed my sheets in homemade laundry detergent and used white vinegar in the rinse water. Hung them out to dry on the clothesline. It's in the 90's, so they should be dry very soon. Yesterday I cleaned my bedroom really well. Today I'll do the bathroom. I made a cleanser with vinegar, water, and lemon peels from my Meyer lemon tree. I'll use that to disinfect the bathroom. It feels good to give one room in my cottage a good cleaning each day.
How's everyone else doing?
It's almost the end of August. Where has the summer gone?
I've got a crock pot full of black beans cooking away right now. I've got the crock pot set to low, so they should be done by the morning. I'll freeze them in small batches and we'll eat them over the weeks to come. We made 2 dozen ears of sweet corn on our smoker today. Tomorrow they will become corn chowder. I was planning to make the chowder today, but we really wanted to go kayaking and I was too tired when we got home to finish making the chowder (I also ran 21 miles this afternoon so it was a big workout day!). We'll also roast another crop of tomatoes tomorrow for pizza sauce. And I really need to pick more blackberries tomorrow. Wow -- so much to do tomorrow!!!
So obviously we've been eating at home. :D And otherwise just trying to minimize any spending we might need/want to do. Our dog, Heidi, was really squinting one eye the other night and I was afraid I might need to take her to the vet. But I looked both eyes over carefully and I couldn't see any actual injury so I decided to wait one day. Fortunately, she seemed perfectly fine the next day -- phew. So saved both the time and money.
Yesterday, my dearly beloved really wanted a Frappucino, but instead of going to Starbucks and buying one, he looked up a few recipes online and figured out how to make a homemade version. Good thing I keep dark chocolate chips in the pantry -- they came in handy because I don't keep chocolate syrup of any sort on hand.
Hope everyone else is enjoying their Labor Day weekend!!!
Crock pot black beans are finished and cooling off in preparation for the freezer.
Tomatoes are harvested, chopped, and mixed with Egyptian onions and garlic, some olive oil, and salt and pepper and on the smoker cooking away.
Sweet corn is ready to become corn chowder.
Bread is in the oven baking.
So much accomplished and it's not even Noon! I may need a nap...
early morning
8-31-14, 12:10pm
Where has the summer gone, indeed!? cdttmm, I'm in awe of your accomplishments. It's almost noon here, and all I've accomplished is getting DH to take a shower so we can run some errands, puttering about a bit, and eating breakfast. AND I've been up since 6:45! Yesterday was expensive but still a "sort of" frugal - DD, Dsis and I went shopping for items to put in the gift baskets we make and donate for a raffle for a favored non-profit. So we spent money, but our donation will bring in more money than if we had just given the money spent on the basket items, if that makes any sense. AND it's fun, and the baskets look really nice when DD has them finished. We did pick up some good deals on specialty groceries we could have lived without, and a 6 pack of our favorite chocolate stout for an uber-treat. I'll count that as part of my birthday celebration, lol. Otherwise, I'm still taking my lunch and coffee to work daily, hanging laundry on the line or in the house, although it's been so humid I've taken to turning a fan on the indoor laundry rack. We prepaid our propane bill for the season and earned enough points to keep our 4 indoor cats in dry food for about a year! Bought some plants a couple weeks back for 75% off and hope I can winter over the two annuals (well, annuals in this climate!) and put them out next spring. I have some cuttings started in water, and will pot those up this week. The holly is trying to overgrow the porch but I'm determined to hold off cutting it until December, so I can decorate with it - I love holly! It seldom has berries but I'm not above adding my own vintage fake ones and taking them off when I compost the branches...
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