View Full Version : April Frugals!!!!
Ok I'll start this month. We went to our favorite Mexican fast food joint, Taco del Mar, in the next town over last Thursday. We ordered our usual, 2 small burritos and a coke to share. When we got to the register they only charged us for the soda. Turns out it was their annual free burrito day! On the first Thursday of April the first 100 customers get a free small burrito. I have made a note to mark my 2018 calendar when I get it so we can do this again next year. Very nice surprise!
I don't know if this counts as a frugal, but I took a corporate job that starts this coming week despite being attracted to nonprofit work. For the two jobs where I had full data on pay and benefits, it was a difference of $15,000 a year. Maybe nonprofit work will be my retirement job someday.
Meezer_Mom
4-9-17, 11:40am
Congratulations, Yppej!
I am between contract gigs again. I have some nibbles so between meeting with potential clients, I'm just catching up on some things on my to-do list.
I have a gift card for Jamba Juice that's had .53 on it for a while. Went to use the card and register couldn't read it. Called them and cashed out.
Was excited Denny's had an app and loaded it. It was limited to certain stores elsewhere in the state. Somehow, Denny's Rewards saw redundancy of email, stopped getting coupons good at my usual location. Called to resolve this and learned the app program is being discontinued with a new one coming good nationwide. Yeah!
But I'll still get Denny's discounts because I finally feel old enough to join AARP. Members get 15% discount everyday. 20% coupons are better but those aren't everyday. Also re AARP, Cricket is one of their partners. Had to get a new phone, still had the receipt, submitted it as it's within the timeframe for $20 rebate. Fingers crossed.
I had four tubes of antibiotic cream that appeared empty. Cut them open and scraped the bits off and filled a little pot. Combined, practically a whole tube's worth.
Thinking through how to save here and there within my lifestyle, which is already quite simple. So many books talk about these major savings buying used cars over new, diversifying investments, etc., which is useful but not daily stuff. That's what I'm challenging myself with right now: my lifestyle, already simplified, digging deeper.
I am a Big Sister to a young girl through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and was really starting to feel the pinch of paying for outings involving "events" like movies. I did a little digging and discovered a local chocolate factory that offered self-guided tours and a free sample at the end. We went there, and afterwards toured the factory's extensive cactus garden. We used our respective smartphones to take pictures, and she was thrilled to see a few small lizards run across our path. Cheap and very cheerful!
Congrats to Yppej! You can always stockpile the extra money for a few years and then go do what you love later.
Meezer Mom: I do that cutting open the tube thing with my hand cream. It's amazing how much is left in a supposedly empty tube! Good deal on all the restaurant deals. Lately I've been going to KFC once a month. I get the "go cup" which has potato wedges and chicken strips. When the receipt comes it has an invitation to go on line and fill out a survey. Once the survey is complete you get a code good for, you guessed it, a free "go cup" with purchase of a drink. You have to use it within 30 days. So I go back, pay $1.69 for a drink, get my free lunch and another receipt with a survey on it. Lather, rinse, repeat as the old saying goes!
Selah: Sounds like a fun outing and you're teaching her the valuable lesson that fun needn't be expensive!
early morning
4-9-17, 1:13pm
Selah, bless you for being a Big Sister. For many children, the only lifeline they have out of the poverty cycle is a mentor of some type, generally someone outside their immediate geographic and socioeconomic group. It is tough to find people who are willing to take on mentor-ship and be a role model for children who desperately need such. This is especially true for young and teen males... Check with other non-profits that work with children. Some of them offer financial assistance to people who volunteer their time with kids - free passes to museums, discounts to movies/theme parks, etc. Our local library has passes to some local sites. Or maybe you could contact the manager of a local theater, and see if they have a discount program or if you could negotiate a discount on a book of passes, etc? We seldom go to movies, due to the expense, so I understand where you're coming from.
On the frugal front, it's been thin. I'm doing the same old stuff, but we've been eating out a little more, due mostly to my lethargy and not being at home at mealtimes. Last Thurs, I had an off-site meeting in the morning, and didn't have a way to refrigerate (yes, I do have a cooler bag:|() or warm up my lunch. I could have brought a PBJ sandwich, but didn't, so I spent $5. on food. After work, Dsis and several cousins when to an art exhibit (free for me, I'm a member- which is NOT free...) and then got hamburgers after. I bought Dsis's as she drove, so - another $15.00. And got coffee later, but at least I had a BOGO for it. Still, another $4. Those small expenditures are a drain! I had a wonderful time, but can't do that often! So back on the wagon, after this afternoon's regularly scheduled coffee out w/DH... Ah.
So I DID manage, w/DD's help, to get all of the plants I ordered into the ground before they died. That's a major issue I've been working on - buying plants and not having a place to put them, so they languish. Over the last few years I have improved, though! Live plants = frugal, right?? I get gas at the cheapest location on my route, as usual. I have the Goodwill stuff and the plastic bags to recycle in the car, so they can be dropped off when I go past their destinations. The furnace is turned off (for the season, I hope!!) Yesterday I washed two loads of rugs and cat bedding. I have laundry on the line now - due to the above mentioned lethargy and general laziness, I've used the dryer much more this past winter than ever before. And really, I didn't notice a bump in my electric bill. Of course I seldom have more than one load of laundry every 4 - 5 days, unless I'm catching stuff I've been holding for a full load and a good drying day - like the rugs and cat blankets I did yesterday. So, I'm headed back to the frugal track, and I'm going to get some sort of tracking software that doesn't drive me nuts! I think not tracking is really one of my biggest problems at the moment, I so miss my quicken program!!
early_morning, keep tracking simple. I use an inexpensive notebook I've sectioned off into a daily calendar. Once a month I add up my spending by category dictated by MY lifestyle. I write things in pencil so I can adjust things as necessary. Logging receipts to an online app, for me, resulted in a lot of clutter and too much time typing so I'd wait resulting in more clutter.
I'm maintaining my monthly category totals on google docs.
Simple. Simple. Simple
early morning
4-10-17, 12:39am
Meezer Mom, thanks for the advice and your thoughts on the matter of tracking. How many categories do you track in? I like the idea of simple, I'm just not sure I can handle it. I started with a spreadsheet I kept by hand years ago, and always found I wanted more and more info. How much of our grocery bill was for fresh produce? How much did we spend on coffee? Beer? How much of our vacation money did we spend on food, hotel, gas, entrance charges? How much cat food $ was spent on inside vs outside cats? Which is how I ended up with Quicken, where it was easy to add categories at any point in time, but I have to agree, was FAR from simple. When my old computer died, I was putting transactions into probably over a hundred categories and sub categories... I'm not OCD or generally nit-picky about other stuff, I just have a real hard time saying "We spent X amount on our vehicles last year", for example, and leaving it at that. My brain immediately says "but how much of that was gas? for which car? Oil changes? Tires?" GAHHHH! Perhaps I need a "therapy" column, lol.... But maybe since I've not been tracking at all, I can ease back in with just a few major categories... I'm thinking Groceries, food/drink while out, general household (cleaning, batteries, incidentals, toiletries), vehicles, utilities, home improvements, yard/garden, animals, work related, clothing/shoes, subscriptions/memberships/entrance fees, gifts/holiday spending, charity, other entertainment, capital purchases? I will let you know if I'm able to maintain at that level, thanks for the encouragement! That would certainly be more frugal than purchasing Quicken....
I've been in Boston for 8 days so nothing frugal there. I did a focus group and got $50 for my time and as I was packing I found an envelope labeled Feb 2011 that contained $80. So that's $130 of free money for my trip!!
NOW I am home. Cooking in. Yesterday we had eggs/toast for breakfast. i thawed some of my garden Ratatouille, a package of shredded zucchini and some frozen precooked meat (mix gr beef and It sausage) and let that simmer for a few hours to bring out the flavors. Then I cooked up some quinoa pasta, tossed it all together and that was dinner....and lunches for today!
There are carrots in the fridge from before I left for Boston. Will roast those tonight and we'll grill some fish. Also pulled a piece of whole grain bread loaf from the freezer. Tonight we will also grill some chicken for tomorrow night's dinner.
Back to frugal!
Meezer_Mom
4-10-17, 1:26pm
early_morning, I track between 20 and 30, just those discretionary expenses that are part of that budget. Examples: groceries, cat food & supplies, OTC health (eg, vitamins, allergy & cold tabs), coffee out, cigarettes (I smoke), vending, movies, concession, etc... things that are MY life. The hard budgeted items go on their respective spreadsheets: clothing, transportation, housing, debts, utilities, medical, gifts & donations. Think envelope method but just on a google doc.
But re the discretionary, I lump all the movies together, theater and rentals. Likewise, all coffees out go together. I *know* 7- 11 is cheaper than Starbucks, I don't need to see it on a spreadsheet. I know concessions are higher priced at the theater. When I saw how much I spent in one month, I became much more conscientious of taking my own.
It takes a moment to log it into my notebook. Maybe an hour to tally at the end of the month and enter it onto the spreadsheet.
Re the cost of product X at Target v. Kmart, it may be better to track those in a price book. I also use Google docs for that. Track the products you use most regularly so you can tell whether it's really a good sale. I've got it set up the same way as Amy Dacyzyn suggested in Tightwad Gazette but, obviously, with Google Docs it's all accessible on my phone.
I lost a lot of hours over the years, starting this spreadsheet or that. Too crazy and time consuming to maintain. A little time each day and then at the end of the month provided more useable info for MY life to make smarter changes. That's why we budget, right? To live our lives within our resources, not to sit in front of a computer contemplating whether to create another category of catfood Y and catfood Z because one may save us .00009 per morsel and in reality the cat will only eat catfood X so time and money wasted anyway.
Hope that helped.
Waited patiently...so patiently...for the "50% off on ALL clothing" sale at the Goodwill stores in our city. Got up early and went this morning. I nabbed four clearly-never-worn, sturdy t-shirts and a nice dress shirt for DH, a beautiful cotton-linen blend top for me, and a skirt to go with. Really busted the bank by paying....$13!
I got a lunchbox for my new job starting tomorrow and will be (purple not brown)bagging it. If I don't come in someplace new looking like a bag lady with cheap supermarket bags I figure I will be more motivated to pack my own lunch.
early morning
4-10-17, 9:26pm
Meezer-Mom, thanks for your input. I don't necessarily have so many categories to price compare (most of our food comes from Aldi and Trader Joe, and our misc stuff from Dollar General...) but because I have a hard time not knowing details. In the past I had everything in broken down in Quicken not just discretionary. The way you explain your system makes sense - I maybe can live with that. I appreciate your taking the time to share!
Selah, score!!! Jeppy, I'm wishing you a great day one tomorrow! :)
Thank you EM. So far so good. I am tired, but everyone has been nice.
Waited patiently...so patiently...for the "50% off on ALL clothing" sale at the Goodwill stores in our city. Got up early and went this morning. I nabbed four clearly-never-worn, sturdy t-shirts and a nice dress shirt for DH, a beautiful cotton-linen blend top for me, and a skirt to go with. Really busted the bank by paying....$13!
I love this kind of story. I haven't been thrifting lately, and I miss it. So thank you!
I have been scouring my closet for outfits that meet the dress code at my new job instead of buying new clothes, though not from any frugal virtue. I am just too tired from the commute and getting used to waking up at 4 AM to want to go shopping.
But maybe since I've not been tracking at all, I can ease back in with just a few major categories... I'm thinking Groceries, food/drink while out, general household (cleaning, batteries, incidentals, toiletries), vehicles, utilities, home improvements, yard/garden, animals, work related, clothing/shoes, subscriptions/memberships/entrance fees, gifts/holiday spending, charity, other entertainment, capital purchases? .
I use a monthly excel grid to record each expenditure and then I transcribe totals onto my monthly/annual excel grid. I track:
home (insurance/prop tax/mortgage-when we had one).
home maintainance-improvements/repairs
home utilities
Food in
Food out
Health-insurance and traditional care
Health-Alternative, selfcare (ie: massage), supplements
Clothing
Gifts
Vacations
Hobbies
Cars-all in one category, my monthly grid shows detail on gas/insurance/repair-which vehicle if I want to go back for that detail)
Taxes
Social Sec/Medicare withholdings
Retirement/Savings contributions
Toiletries/household (nonfood purchases)
Misc that doesn't fit anything above-again I can go to my monthly grid for detail
I have these grids going back many years.
The final column on my excel spreadsheet is comments. Here I record larger expenses that are not monthly so I have a quick look at those rather than going back to my grid.
i'm happy to share that with anyone if you want to post an email address.
Meezer_Mom
4-13-17, 2:36pm
It sounds similar to mine except I dont log the dailies onto the spreadsheet. Just enter them in pencil in a notebook, each page is dated. Less time in front of the computer.
It sounds similar to mine except I dont log the dailies onto the spreadsheet. Just enter them in pencil in a notebook, each page is dated. Less time in front of the computer.
My monthly grids are penciled. I put monthly totals on excel :-)
Went down to Costco on the first of the month and used my rebate check from last year. Got $143 worth of needed stuff for an out of pocket expense of just $16.65. When we go to that city about 30 miles away to visit Costco we also hit all the thirft stores there. Went to 2 St Vinnies and it was their free clothing and shoes weekend. Since it had started the day before they were pretty cleaned out but found 4 pairs of shoes between the 2 stores. I may keep one pair but the others are up on Ebay. Before you chide me for taking free stuff from them to sell remember that this was the last day of the giveaway and the racks were nearly empty. I figure everybody else had plenty of time to get those items if they wanted them and the store just wanted them gone. I've already sold one of them.
Almost forgot: toward the end of last month we went to a sale at the grange hall in a nearby town. These sales are run by the local antique consignment shop, cleaning out unsold stuff. Most items are just 50 cents because they really want to move them. I found a vintage board game in pristine condition and sold it within a week for $50 plus shipping on Ebay. Hubbie found a new in box rotisserie for an outdoor grill which sold last week for $24 plus shipping. Found a few other things that are still looking for buyers such as a brass knuckle goth purse, a pair of Orthaheel boots and an unopened can of Bill Clinton Cola (I never knew there was such a thing!)
The same day of the Costco trip we went to a church rummage sale in that town and came away with several items for $8 total including a new in box dart board which retails for $60. I've got it on Craig's list instead of Ebay because it weighs 18.5 lbs! Found some other goodies there including a nice pair of Clarks shoes and a food mill that has already sold for more than our entire investment at that sale. Also got a White Mountain puzzle still in the shrink wrap, a great mid century fish platter and a new set of 8 horse training books. At last the long winter with no rummage or yard sales is ending and I can get my ebay business humming again!
rosarugosa
4-17-17, 6:36am
I haven't contributed anything this month because I have not been frugal. I seem to have this "loosening of the purse strings" syndrome, where purchases lead to a cascade of purchases, and I have trouble shifting my mind-set to "all done for now." I needed some new clothes for work, so I waited until Talbot's was doing a 25% off deal and I had my 15% off birthday month coupon, so I got 40% off my purchases. That was certainly better than paying full price, but I bought a suit, a jacket, and 3 pairs of pants, so that was kind of a lot. I have at least so far resisted the siren's call of cute shirts. I also bought 4 pairs of shoes, which was definitely a lot, but I actually dislike buying shoes so that should hold me for a while.
I am getting rid of a lot more than I am taking in. My goal is to have a smaller wardrobe of all the right things. I've requested a bag from Thred Up to see if I can sell some of my stuff. I figure that it would be great if I get anything at all, since I was going to donate these things anyway.
Places I interviewed with are contacting me now weeks later for offers/second interviews but I am letting them know I already started elsewhere. The procrastinators all have lower compensation packages, and while the work would probably be more interesting I am thinking not just of my current wages but the fact that how much I collect from Social Security down the road will be based on my earnings.
If someone can come up with a cure for emotional eating I would spend far less. I get so so so tired after very long days at work......and I don't cook. I want to eat what I don't make at home.
Not a frugal post but am open to help, wisdom, what worked for you if you do it too!
Gardnr, I buy food from the deli section for times like that - things like taboule, grape leaves, hummus, bean salad - that don't require cooking. Or things that are microwaveable but still whole foods like Goya plantains.
Gardnr, I buy food from the deli section for times like that - things like taboule, grape leaves, hummus, bean salad - that don't require cooking. Or things that are microwaveable but still whole foods like Goya plantains.
That's a GREAT idea Yppej. Eating out without the pricetag! :thankyou:
Meezer_Mom
4-19-17, 5:18pm
Lord help me I almost fell back into the convenience ATM habit today. I didn't want to take the extra walk to mine. But then I started thinking about how much catfood the fees would buy, and how much of a haircut, and... and... It kept my mind occupied while I walked.
One walk, one giant leap for mindset. :)
Good for you Meezer-Mom. Cooler weather is keeping me from clothes shopping since I have more wintry than summery outfits. I am also working on paperwork to lower my medical insurance premiums. I need to prove I had a physical within the past 2 years which should be easy but I am dealing with bureaucracies in both HR and medicine.
Chicken lady
4-19-17, 9:18pm
I've been wanting to take a class but reluctant to spend the money. Just found out it's tax deductible based on my job, so, nice " discount" on the class.
staying under on the grocery budget so far on the running total I started March 1. Should get easier later in the year when the garden comes in, but then there will be "stock up" investments like apples for canning and berries to freeze.
staying under on the grocery budget so far on the running total I started March 1. Should get easier later in the year when the garden comes in, but then there will be "stock up" investments like apples for canning and berries to freeze.
I'm anxious for our CSA to begin 3rd week of May. I paid the total in January so it always feels free when it finally starts! >8) All we need to buy fresh once it starts is our fruit cuz the veg share is generally huge for 2....but doable if we don't go out to eat!
Teacher Terry
4-20-17, 12:10pm
We never have any problem staying on budget for groceries. However, we both love to eat out and try to do it only once/week. However, lately we have been going out twice. On one forum I belong to some of the people eat out everyday. I would love it but it would be too unhealthy.
when I eat out I like to eat things that I don't cook at home.
I kept following up with the library. They found the book mangled in one of their sorting machines so I will not have to pay to replace it.
rosarugosa
4-20-17, 7:21pm
Yppej: Good for you; bad for the book!
when I eat out I like to eat things that I don't cook at home.
That is us to a tea!
Got a surprise call asking if I would like a paid position with a great non-profit, but I looked up their Form 990-EZ and total compensation is only $26,000 a year, which is just not enough in the Northeast for a single income household. 6 of the 10 days at my new job I have questioned my ability to do the job or my desire to or both, but I am sticking with it because it does provide a living wage and good benefits.
rosarugosa
4-26-17, 4:43am
Yppej: As your tenure increases, you will surely be more confident in you ability to do the job. As far as desire goes, I guess only time will tell, but we can hope for the best!
We're about to shift to all dept members being able to work from home 2 days per week instead of just one. That is exciting because it will save on commuting costs, time and work wardrobe needs.
Ugh! Wardrobe needs. My feet are killing me from the dress shoe requirement at my new job so I stopped by Payless last night but they had no kitten heels or flats to my liking so I am wearing heels again today. Zipped sweatshirts are a no go too and my cardigans are wearing out. I picked up one last weekend for $20 and also found a winter jacket on sale for $4. This was at Sears. Not much I cared for there either. I can see why they are in financial trouble. Friday is order lunch out day at work but I am going to skip this week to help offset the clothing purchases.
Meezer_Mom
4-28-17, 9:56pm
My friends are saying nice things about ThredUp for gently used clothes. I think they have a first time discount code online. I've seen several sponsored posts on facebook because, well, friends are using it. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the suggestion MM, but I always like to try clothes on. I don't mind the clothes buying process, but the expense and time. Their prices are good though so I may change my mind if I find a brand whose sizing I already am familiar with.
Let's see frugal.....
I am shedding pounds slowly on the Weight Watchers program which means I'm eating less food and eating out less. 14.5 pounds since Feb 19.
i don't need to buy clothes because I now have more clothes that fit and look nice. aka, retained enough clothing from my weight gain momentum. I'm not a clothes horse by any means and likely wear 3 or less "outfits" each week. I have tossed 1-too large and very worn out pair of jeans to the trash bin. Yea me!
I have not stepped foot in a store of any kind, bricks/mortar or cyber, this week so no spend there. We did go out for dinner last night though.
In March I quilted 10 kiddo size quilts. Everything needed was in my stash-no purchases. Then in April I sewed binding onto all 10. All this binding was leftovers from past quilts and sitting in my binding box. Voila! Magic scrappy bindings. Saved me a lot of time and reduced the impaction of my binding box. So far I have finished the handstitching on 4 of those. These will go to a charity quilt group I joined in February.
Early this month we hit the 2" mini plant sale at our local Fred Meyer (geraniums and fuschias). These have been growing in our little portable greenhouse on the patio. This weekend I will pot them up in our patio pots and hanging baskets for the front of the house. Super savings. Spent $101 instead of a small fortune to have 12 baskets/pots to pretty things up for the "no frost" season. This purchase includes all the geraniums to "line the driveway". I like red geraniums up both sides of our driveway...great pop of color. My best bargain of the year-this plant sale.
Yppej I have had really good luck lately with JCPenny and Kohl's if I watch for sales. I got 2 bras for $40, in my unique size that was amazing. Their clothes are nicer, a little trendier and with a good sale they can be a good price. I actually started watching for sales, and I think some of the more winter clothes like sweaters should be clearing out right now. I spend real money on shoes, Off Broadway has good shoes and you will pay for it but they are great shoes. Some of the ones I have been wearing for years, I dread when they wear out. It is easy for me to try and spend nothing on clothes but I started buying one clothing item every paycheck so I can focus on some quality and building up the wardrobe. However I work in education with kids, I can wear casual most days. It is a treat to wear a skirt.
Someone at work told me about Off Broadway this week but there are no stores of theirs in my area. Penny's and Kohl's are both close and both used to send me $10 off a purchase of $10 or more coupons but haven"t for a few years now. I found out sandals are allowed at work which helps, but at some point I will gave to get a few things.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.