View Full Version : December Frugals!
rosarugosa
12-4-16, 6:27pm
This is surely one of the most challenging months to be frugal!
We did good on groceries and Costco this weekend, but Trader Joe's and PetSmart tipped us into "over budget" territory.
A friend from Colombia is in town for a few weeks, and we spent a few hours walking the woods yesterday, her, me, DH and another old friend. We had such a good time and we all remarked on how it was healthy, fun and free! I thought this was the ultimate in low stress, frugal entertaining. The friend from Colombia had specifically asked if we could do this. We are FB friends and so we can see that we like to do much the same sort of things for fun, she just usually does it in a more tropical area. :)
flowerseverywhere
12-5-16, 7:13am
We only put up a few Christmas decorations, a small tree with lights. When we were getting them out DH noticed we had an extra string of lights. We have a space above our kitchen cabinets where there is a plug connected to a light switch. Apparently it is intended to put up expensive lights for effect. DH put a strand of lights we had already up there and it gives a nice glow in the evening for no money. A silly thing but it looks nice and no expense.
I was asked to be part of a clothing exchange. A group of women started one where you get a couple of big bags of clothes. You go through them, take what you want and put back in the equivalent number of pieces. They have two groups of bags circulating, one medium sizes, one larger sizes. I now have a new dress, two new shirts (one with the tags) and I put back two very nice shirts but I really did not like the color, and a sweater MIL gave me which never fit right. Everything was nearly new. I delivered them to the next person on the list. I should get the bags back in a month or two so it will be fun to see if there is anything interesting in them.
WE HAVE TO EAT AT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I keep losing/gaining the same 10pounds.
Yesterday I made a big pot of Chicken Enchilada soup for dinner. We had it again tonight with some fantastic gluten free crackers. After dinner I:
1. Cooked up 1 pound of ground beef and taco spiced it for salads and wraps.
2. I made 13 individual turkey meatloafs-baking now.
3. I cooked up a pot of Quinoa to side for the week.
4. I boiled a dozen eggs for snacking.
i stopped at the store for apples/mandarins and yogurt for DH. We should be set for the week!
I echo others - eat at home and pack my lunch for work. I hate to admit it, sometimes I will swing by McDonalds for breakfast and then Subway, or Burrito, etc for lunch. Not healthy and expensive. Plus I have auto savings for every debit transaction -so that $ 5.00 fast food lunch now just took out $ 8.00.
Also communication - I pay the bills, then we divide what is left over by days to next paycheck and know what our daily budget is - so my wife and I try and keep to that so we don't over spend. It keeps us both on the same page and we have the same goals. This month will be more of a challenge. Thankfully we had a good reserve to work off of for Christmas so it should be an all cash Christmas :-)
rosarugosa
12-6-16, 9:12pm
Hey Gregg, nice to hear from you! I think food is one of the more flexible spending categories, but that helps to make it one of the most challenging. We did well this weekend with using some things up that might have gone to waste, and by DH cooking at home. Fri night he made clam cakes (a first). Sat night we had lemon pepper pappardelle with some remaining clams and fresh parsley remaining from another recent recipe. Sun night we had homemade fish cakes with the last of the frozen hake we had bought at Costco (lousy for eating steamed or poached, but wonderful in the fishcakes). We ate the last of the clam cakes Mon night.
Just bought 25 lbs of carrots that the gas station sells as deerfood, ditto 25 lbs of apples, total cost 10 dollars.
Husband just spent a couple of hours in kitchen processing carrots to freeze in freezer. They are very, very good.
I will have to get to work on the apples.
I am glad that I have a store similar to Aldi right up the street, I went across town tonight which was a waste of time and gas money to a fancy store that offered a sale that wasn't one. A little pack of grated cheese was three times as much as the other store and their ground turkey was 9.99 compared to 2.59 at the other store. I only bought some clam chowder and cans of vegetables and margarine there. I doubt I will go back there for several months. Not worth my time. I looked at the meat counter and they wanted almost 18 dollars a pound for beef roast! Event the markdown packages that were expiring were over 13 dollars a pound. I know all that meat will end in their trash dumpster too cause NO ONE will buy it!
Sounds like you went to a Whole Foods. Totally different sourcing of product, more organics, more specialty product. Many people call it "Whole Paycheck". I dont know any city where WF is the only store. Just another option for those who want the product. I usually only get their fresh pizza by the slice.
I went online to research a flatiron for my increasingly frizzy hair--turns out certain medications, vitamin deficiencies, and menopause can do that to you, and I have a hat trick. I went to WallyWorld dot com and found what I wanted. Here's what's weird. If I bought the item online and paid to have it shipped, it would have cost about $21. If I bought it in the store, it would have cost $18. But if I bought it online and had it DELIVERED to the store where I could pick it up, then it cost about $15! That shelf space must be expensive!
I ordered it online for store pickup. I picked it up three hours later. Whee!
rosarugosa
12-12-16, 8:56pm
A trip to Trader Joe's blew the grocery budget out of the water again this week - must stay away from TJ's! This was on top of an expensive dinner out on Sat night, but I covered dinner from my saved allowance and it was very mindfully spent, and we hadn't eaten out in over a month, so no regrets on the dinner. DH baked wonderful cookies today and we had chicken legs with a squash that had been part of the autumn decor, so we ate very well for short money today.
Meezer_Mom
12-13-16, 3:22am
Hi Everyone! Hope your holidays were good. Here, quiet.
I am trying harder to rein in food costs. I have curbed my 7-11 chicken wing habit and have been more conscientious about taking my movie theater snacks. Breaking some life-long habits here.
sweetana3
12-13-16, 7:22am
This December we have started a more meatless eating habit. Steel cut oats with almond milk and added fruit for breakfast was a hit. A friend gave us a black bean burger recipe and it was a hit also. Husband is going to break them up and use them as a meat substitute in his lunch bowls and we are going to experiment to make them in different flavors. So my frugal is beans and oats instead of turkey and chicken.
ps: we took advantage of the $49 heart scan at a local hospital. While the results were kind of scary, it did provide valuable information to our doctor and we know that we need to be more careful of health which includes eating.
If you would like to share the Black bean burger recipe I am all ears. Husband deathly allergic to red meat now and looking for an alternative to turkey burgers.
sweetana3
12-13-16, 12:31pm
It is super easy. Take a can of black beans (or cook up some like we did). Mash with a fork until a sort of paste like consistency. We did not go quite that far. Now add the following: 1/2 Chopped fine green pepper, 1/2 chopped fine onion, 3 mashed fine cloves of garlic, 1 T. cumin, 1 T. chili powder, one egg, 1/2 cup of fine breadcrumbs (used purchased ones). Mix well and form into patties on a greased baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes each side in 350 degree oven.
Note: We used 2 T. southwest seasoning from Penzeys and probably 1/3 of an onion. No green pepper since we don't like it. I did not chop the onions or garlic very fine. The burgers came out well, held together, and had a nice spicy taste from the seasonings. Hubby is going to use them also as a crumble and we are going to experiment with various seasonings and beans.
It is super easy. Take a can of black beans (or cook up some like we did). Mash with a fork until a sort of paste like consistency. We did not go quite that far. Now add the following: 1/2 Chopped fine green pepper, 1/2 chopped fine onion, 3 mashed fine cloves of garlic, 1 T. cumin, 1 T. chili powder, one egg, 1/2 cup of fine breadcrumbs (used purchased ones). Mix well and form into patties on a greased baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes each side in 350 degree oven.
Note: We used 2 T. southwest seasoning from Penzeys and probably 1/3 of an onion. No green pepper since we don't like it. I did not chop the onions or garlic very fine. The burgers came out well, held together, and had a nice spicy taste from the seasonings. Hubby is going to use them also as a crumble and we are going to experiment with various seasonings and beans.
Thank you so much!! just sent recipe to dh and we will make these this weekend after going to the grocery. He will probably be the chef for these!
sweetana3
12-13-16, 2:13pm
Note: I drained the beans and the can was about 16 ounces. You can save a tiny bit of liquid in case you think the mix is too dry. We did not. Checked original recipe and they ground up the gr. pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor. I did not because it was so little that I did not want to clean the processor.
We will probably use the food processor and maybe even try to make extras and freeze the patties. . .
William Davis, cardiologist, used heart scans as a matter of course in his practice. Which led him to research, which led him to write Wheat Belly, a grain-free, fat and protein rich program designed to reduce inflammation, a cause (with chronic stress) of heart disease. Another voice heard from.
As a person who doesn't buy canned beans, what is the measurement of black beans you get? Thanks.
We are headed out for Christmas with my oldest sister/fam next Wednesday. So, we are eating out of the fridge/freezer as much as possible.
Last night for dinner, roasted the last of the bag of broccoli and grilled the last piece of fish we had. Grilled 2 chicken breasts as well and those will be the foundation of dinner tonight. Add some green beans or corn from the freezer.
lunches continue to be turkey meatloaf made last week (the remainder reside in the freezer), on a bed of peas/corn from the freezer.
We will make an abbreviated store run as I won't do frozen veg for an entire week...we are out of fresh fruit as of yesterday afternoon and that just won't do!
sweetana3
12-14-16, 12:07pm
I think we got about 2 cups of cooked beans with about one cup of dried. Or we started with one cup of dry and got what we got since we did not want to waste any. We are newby bean cookers.
frugal-one
12-14-16, 5:09pm
It is super easy. Take a can of black beans (or cook up some like we did). Mash with a fork until a sort of paste like consistency. We did not go quite that far. Now add the following: 1/2 Chopped fine green pepper, 1/2 chopped fine onion, 3 mashed fine cloves of garlic, 1 T. cumin, 1 T. chili powder, one egg, 1/2 cup of fine breadcrumbs (used purchased ones). Mix well and form into patties on a greased baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes each side in 350 degree oven.
Note: We used 2 T. southwest seasoning from Penzeys and probably 1/3 of an onion. No green pepper since we don't like it. I did not chop the onions or garlic very fine. The burgers came out well, held together, and had a nice spicy taste from the seasonings. Hubby is going to use them also as a crumble and we are going to experiment with various seasonings and beans.
I use spicy black bean burgers on pizza. Makes a wonderful alternative to meat!
frugal-one
12-14-16, 5:10pm
William Davis, cardiologist, used heart scans as a matter of course in his practice. Which led him to research, which led him to write Wheat Belly, a grain-free, fat and protein rich program designed to reduce inflammation, a cause (with chronic stress) of heart disease. Another voice heard from.
I tried and this is VERY DIFFICULT to follow. I gave up! Wheat is in everything!
I tried and this is VERY DIFFICULT to follow. I gave up! Wheat is in everything!
i buy organic whole wheat flour. I believe the problem with today's wheat is the pesticide/herbiside/processing before bringing it to the shelf. We are asymptomatic using organics!
I found an app looking for a shopping list for my phone. It's called "out of milk", I like it. You can build a pantry list out of the items you usually have (it'll also scan the barcodes if you don't like to type), and then you can check them when you need to put them on the shopping list - or you can enter random items in the shopping list. You can also filter for the local stores you use to see what they have on sale, and add items to shopping list.
printslicker
12-16-16, 2:59am
Well, in most cases like this holiday season, we must try budgeting to be able to accomplish everything and have gifts to all. It is not necessary that we have to buy an expensive presents to our loved ones. Remember that thoughts counts more than anything else.
Chicken lady
12-16-16, 7:02am
I took ornaments to the Ceramics studio to sell and they had cut the branches off the bottom two feet of the display tree - free decorations for me! Then after Christmas, free goat food.
also got permission from my boss to bundle my glaze order with the school glaze order - getting us both a quantity discount and saving shipping.
i put books in the (grown) kids' stockings. Yesterday I found a great one for son in law for 50 cents st goodwill. (He will like that it is "reused"). Also bought two in new condition for heart grandson at half price books, one on clearance. And when I went to ace to buy him needle nose pliers, they had an 8 pc set of pliers - including their needle nose and a set of diagonals I also wanted to get him - on sale for less than just the needle nose! He's currently into making jewelry, so, two nice books on bed making and wire jewelry making, colored wire (clearance, Tuesday morning), and the tools he needs for the wire (plus more) under $25!
Aqua Blue
12-16-16, 10:29am
Well, in most cases like this holiday season, we must try budgeting to be able to accomplish everything and have gifts to all. It is not necessary that we have to buy an expensive presents to our loved ones. Remember that thoughts counts more than anything else.
MyMom used to say gifts were a token of your affection, not your whole affection.
rosarugosa
12-17-16, 9:16am
Aqua Blue: That is brilliant - your mom was a wise woman!
Meezer_Mom
12-20-16, 2:54pm
Have gotten all my shipped gifts out the door. Compared prices between USPS and UPS; UPS was cheaper on one AND I had a 10% off coupon!
Am off to pick up a bag of rubber stamps and inks from a freecycle member, then $6 movie day at Regal. Plan to see Rogue One.
Have fun with the rubber stamps! I buy all of mine from the thrifts: and I've gifted a number of them.
This is not a frugal "win," because it really goes in the "well, duh!" category. About a month ago, I found a woman on CraigsList who was selling a box of a random assortment of men's and women's colognes, eau de toilettes, and perfumes--all for $20. Some was rubbish, but other bottles were of a very high quality--Van Cleef & Arpels perfumes, for example. Anyway, I bought them.
DH really like "Tsar" (how apt, given the current political climate!) by Van Cleef & Arpels, and specifically said, "If you're going to get me anything for Hanukkah, I'd really like a bottle of that." I was tempted to grab a bottle of it when I was out shopping, for close to $40, because it was easy and convenient. But I restrained myself, went home, did a little online research, and found the same brand new bottle for @22. Fortunately, it'll arrive on the very last day of Hanukkah--just in time!
ETA: I should note that the original $20 box was basically her and her husband's personal collection of half-used or unused small bottles, perfume samples you get in department stores, and so on. Most of it was legit...some was awful! Truly a grab bag (or box), but really a great deal for us!
Meezer_Mom
12-24-16, 9:19pm
Happy Holidays, SLN Friends! (((GROUP HUG)))
We were not at all frugal this December. Moving to a new state where groceries cost more and warmer clothes had to be purchased pushed our normal spending way up. We did try to use the thrift stores when possible for clothing. For the new year, I have prepared our spending spreadsheet to log the majority of our expenses each month. Utilities, savings, groceries, eating out, pets, etc. In the new year, I am going to try the grocery stockpiling thing where you list your top 20 grocery items and purchase multiples when their prices are at their lowest. So if we see an item for less than its usual low price, will buy multiples. Supposedly, one can trim the grocery bill by 20% in a year doing this. I think my main frugal win in December was buying a large box of glass jars with lids for $4 at Goodwill which I use to store and freeze food.
That stockpiling thing sounds interesting. We are trying to do something similar by only buying food that is on sale. We def. buy butter, for example, or cheese on sale and freeze it.
I am going to try the grocery stockpiling thing where you list your top 20 grocery items and purchase multiples when their prices are at their lowest. So if we see an item for less than its usual low price, will buy multiples. Supposedly, one can trim the grocery bill by 20% in a year doing this. .
Good for you on hitting thrift stores for winter clothing. Better yet? Hit a ski swap sale if there is one? Sale items tend to have a cycle at stores. like every 6-12weeks so you can spread it out over the year. IE: We have 1 store that has our preferred 7th Generation goods on sale annually. I've figured out how much dish liquid and toilet paper we go through in a year and I buy a year's worth at the 40% off sale.
For my frugal of the day, I used my credit card points for a Target gift certificate which I will apply to my monthly prepaid phone card.
I really wanted a Panera gift card so we could buy sandwiches while we were out shopping.
Oh well, I chose frugality.
Meezer_Mom
12-26-16, 1:55pm
I agree with sale cycles. My needs are few but years ago when my cats ate Friskies Buffet I noted they were on sale at practically 50% off every 6-10 weeks. I'd get 120 cans when on sale. Others in line would exclaim, asking how many cats I had?! Only two, but they ate every day. I never understood people who would see a sale and buy 1. Anyway, this went on for years until, quite literally, my girl passed and my boy went on a special diet. Over those many years I figured I'd saved in the upper three digits, if not more by using this technique.
Teacher Terry
12-26-16, 3:47pm
I also stock up on certain items when on sale. With butter I just freeze it.
frugal-one
12-26-16, 5:55pm
Just checked YouTube on SmartTV for exercise workouts. Just did one using weights for upper body strength. Stopped taking and paying for a class. Nice variety and can do at my leisure.
Haven't spent a penny since arriving at my sister's for Christmas vacation last Thursday except $40 for a much needed pedicure/treat for myself. On the drive over (450miles) we filled the gas tank, bought a soda, and later stopped for lunch-sharing a single sandwich.
When I wanted to pay for something sister said "I don't pay you when I'm at your house". Fair enough.
Hi All and Happy New Year!
Sorry I have had many frugal and not so frugals this past month but, have NOT
taken the time to write them here.
I will be back for Jan. 2017
Yesterday was a good day
--Ate up the leftovers from company and cleaned out fridge ready to start the new year.
--Did sell 4 old cans of paint and 2 large elevated garden beds I bought but, realized this is not
something I would use. And, I got back the money I had spent plus some win. So that helped the garage. My goal needs to be to buy less...
which is always frugal.
At least Christmas did not bring to much into the house I received mostly Gift cards...and they will save me money in the new year.
And, have made the decision Christmas will be an even smaller affair next year 2017.
early morning
12-31-16, 3:33pm
Happy almost New year! Just a few frugals... yesterday I pulled out the free-to-us food saver vacuum thingy and put the almost too old bagels in the freezer after sealing. PIA, but saved them for future eating. Today we made french toast from a loaf of home made cinnamon/fruit bread DD was gifted with. Stale bread = great fried bread, lol. Today we're staying in and prepping stuff to take to our booth and mall case to sell on Monday, my last day off.
rosarugosa
12-31-16, 6:57pm
Lobster for dinner, or as we say it here, lobsta fa dinna!
The burning question is whether we give ourselves demerits for blowing the grocery budget to hell this week, or pat ourselves on the back for not going out to eat.
I haven't had lobster in years! I need to add that to a to-do list this year I think.
I did cook a big meal tonight but have leftovers for tomorrow.
It was easier this year to be frugal as we vacationed with my family during December. I did not give gifts to my parents or sister/brother-in-law, just niece and nephew. We spent time with the family, and that was gift enough...Plus we are staying in FL at an RV park, and keeping expenses down by staying and doing things in the Park rather than going out.
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