View Full Version : October Frugals
I haven't been posting much as of late, but I figured I could at least start this thread as a place for others to post! You guys are my inspiration so keep it up!!!
Zach and I got some extremely nice birthday gifts for our upcoming birthdays (Oct 9 and 13). My parents bought us a new vacuum cleaner and a new iPad. The vacuum cleaner will be frugal because this one doesn't need replacement filters. The filter is permanent and you just wash it out.
Last night Zach and I started some iTunes University open courseware classes for fun. We are working on a physics class from MIT and a class on mathematical models. We thought it would be fun to do them together, and it's free. I am definitely thinking of using some of these for the kids when they get to high school.
The kids' were also watching some drawing tutorial videos on YouTube yesterday. There were some good ones and it really seemed to inspire them. I know nothing at all about drawing techniques, but they were really into it. More FFF.
I got an invitation in the mail for a neighborhood meet-up of moms for friendship and sharing of creative ideas. It meets in two weeks. I am definitely doing that. That is right up my alley.
FFF?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFF_system
FFF is something we came up with on this board. IIRC it means Fairly Frugal Fun or something similar.
SteveinMN
10-2-12, 10:10am
Last night Zach and I started some iTunes University open courseware classes for fun.
Very cool, Stella! I think iTunes University is one of the hidden gems of iTunes. I used it to study Italian art and architecture before our trip to Italy a couple of years ago; very helpful, available whenever you have time, and free Free FREE!
Came back from a few days in Maine R&R. Made a delish applesauce bread and cut it into thick slices for breakfasts...I am seriously not going to make muffins anymore! brought our own juice and coffee fixings. We also brought sandwich stuff BLTs and tuna fish.
Spent very little on the two meals out. Did get my seafood at a cool little place in Portland called the Porthole and spent waaaay less for really terrific food because it was set up more for locals than tourists. Was very happy with the trip expenses. Got to spend quality time with our little dog and hubbie! No sun, just rain but still great. Selling really well on etsy and getting some $$ for my efforts. Hubbie thinking of dropping book sales and devoting more time to my sales.
I finally (it's been years; I have little idea of what happened to my time since 2006) submitted the paperwork for "missing money" -- abandoned property. There were several hoops to jump through -- log in to the Web site, find out it was coded poorly for only specific computers, contact support, print a form, get it notarized ...) and it just was never near the top of the to-do list. But as soon as the wheels of bureaucracy grind a little further, I will be sent a check for more than $500! :cool: (Actually, if I had known the amount was that high -- it only tells you over or under $100 -- it probably would have been much closer to the top of the to-do list.)
Not exactly "frugal" since no money was spent (well, a postage stamp), but adding $500 to the bank account is pretty much as good as earning it frugally, isn't it?
I am trying to transition into working less, so I think participating in this thread will be good for me!
Stella--That is cool about the vacuum cleaner and the ipad. I hadn't heard about the itunes courses--will have to check them out. :-)
SteveinMN--awesome little windfall!
I made a new budget for us based on my new income (which is lower). DH and I are planning to sit down tonight and make a list of meals that are cheap and relatively easy to make to help manage the grocery budget and keep us from eating out. We also started planning for Christmas, which is always a stressful time for us financially.
We always go out for sushi with DH's best friend and his girlfriend for his best friend's birthday...and we foot the bill. We simply cannot afford it this year; the meal itself is usually in the $80 range, plus we have to find a sitter and pay for gas (the restaurant is an hour away). I asked DH if he would ask his friend if we could make them a nice meal here or at least do something inexpensive locally, and he agreed. We love these friends and want to celebrate with them...but we just cannot afford to continue the sushi tradition (as lovely as it is).
Originally posted by Merski.
Made a delish applesauce bread and cut it into thick slices for breakfastsOMG, does that ever sound yummy!
rosarugosa
10-3-12, 7:10pm
Stella: Nice - I love practical gifts, contrary to the female stereotype. Why would anyone not want something she needs?
Merski: We love Portland - glad you had a good time! Where is the Porthole? Sounds like a place we should check out. Great news on the Etsy sales too.
Steve: Nice score!
Welcome back Kat - missed you!
I don't have much interesting to report. We splurged on dinner out Sat night because it was our anniversary. We also checked out a new bakery Sun, but only spent $8.00, so that wasn't bad. So that's all about spending, not saving. DH did roast a chicken Sun and we got 3 dinners out of it for the two of us. That was a good value.
We love these friends and want to celebrate with them...but we just cannot afford to continue the sushi tradition (as lovely as it is).
There is a lot to a dinner outing besides the food, but if you live near one or two good grocery stores (not a Walmart) or an Asian grocery store, it's not that expensive to put together a decent sushi meal (rolls, not so much nigiri) and assembling the meal could be a lot of fun to do with another couple who will enjoy the results.
Simpler at Fifty
10-3-12, 7:20pm
StevinMn - We just got $20 back from the State and were happy about at that. $500 is even better. Good for you for checking into it.
Rosa- the porthole is right on the wharf so you go down an alley. Not too far from the ferry terminal. Perhaps it's listed online. They made beer battered fish that was great with FFs and coleslaw was about $12.
fidgiegirl
10-4-12, 8:36am
Hi Kat!
Steve, you inspired me to go take a peek. Didn't find anything for me or my DH but my niece has something from a former employer. So thanks!
In other frugals we made supper last night even while I reaaaaalllllly wanted DH to stop for Leeann Chin . . . then we went and spent $300 on an Sleep Number bed from a friend of ours. I didn't want a big ol' mattress taking up a ton of space in the guest room, nor did I feel comfortable putting guests on an air mattress (though, of course, this one is, you just never would know it because it's so firm like a bed). If we decide we want to use the room for something else, we can disassemble the bed and store it. Plus it will hold some resale value - all the ones on CL were at least $500. So while it was a chunk of change, it was thought out and it's what we want and it's a quality product. Spending less on an air mattress would have been a waste and I think we both knew that and that's why we couldn't take action. So yeah! That's done!
I'm enjoying reading everyone's frugals.
I have had such a lovely, frugal day. Today is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, which is kind of a big one to our family. In celebration, but in keeping with the spirit of poverty, I made a bread pudding for breakfast this morning for the family and another for my church women's group brunch. We have a table at church for free bread from a local bakery that anyone can take, so I got a package of french bread last night and used that for the puddings. Delicious, simple and very frugal.
The brunch was so amazingly lovely. It was a potluck and the speaker for today was a very gifted poet doing a poetry reading. Her words were so moving and deep. The food was good too; fruit plates, breads, chicken salad, devilled eggs, cakes and coffee. It was the perfect way to spend this chilly fall morning.
We came home and had lunch and the little kids went to sleep. Bella wanted to watch the movie Into Great Silence on Netflix. That was beautiful too. It's a silent documentary, but Bella was asking so many questions it was acutally kind of noisy. :) Tonight I am making stir fried chicken and veggies with the free chicken we got a while back. Yum!
Tussiemussies
10-4-12, 10:31pm
Hi Stella, sounds like you always have very meaninfgful or FFF things to do. You are so creative!:)
Hi fidgie and rosa! It's good to be back. :-) My life has just been crazy busy--at home all day with the baby and then work from 8 PM-1 or 2 AM every night. Up again at 6 with the baby. Repeat. Working less will make things tight financially, but I hope to be happier (and better rested! :-) )
Well, DH did ask his friend, and his friend still really wanted to go out. DH felt it was important to his friend, so he (DH) said he would be paying for the meal out of his own allowance (we each get a little blow money each month, and he has been saving his). I am fine with this, but I do think our friends need to understand that we are not in the same place they are. They are DINKs and think nothing on driving a couple of hours to a good restaurant and dropping $100 or more on a meal. We are living on 1 smallish income (with a tiny supplemental income here and there) and have a baby to consider. I hope this doesn't put a wedge between us...but we just can't keep up with them (nor do we want to try).
I made a menu plan today and went shopping with a grocery list. Came in under budget! :-) Baby and I had some FFF this afternoon. I put some Cherrios in a plastic bottle and watched her try to figure out how to get them out. Then afterwards we snuggled and read a big book about animals. I have the best kid ever.
SteveinMN
10-4-12, 11:54pm
I do think our friends need to understand that we are not in the same place they are. They are DINKs and think nothing on driving a couple of hours to a good restaurant and dropping $100 or more on a meal. We are living on 1 smallish income (with a tiny supplemental income here and there) and have a baby to consider. I hope this doesn't put a wedge between us...but we just can't keep up with them (nor do we want to try).
You've probably already heard this, but don't feel that you can't guide your friends' behavior. It may not even occur to them that spending even $50 on dinner out is a big deal to you at this point. If you (or DH) can initiate and suggest activities that are fun but do fit into your interests, values, and budget, rather than just hoping your friends catch on to the idea, you may find yourself less stressed about it. Humor can work, too. "$100 for dinner! Why, that's two months of food* for Baby!" said with a smile is a gentle way of reminding your friends that you have different priorities now.
* just picking figures out of thin air. I have no idea what baby food costs. :)
I have been wanting to repopulate my home with houseplants ever since I had to give them all away when we moved from Nevada to Florida two years ago. In Florida, we didn't get any because we knew we were moving to Israel. After being here for nine months, a friend gave me a pot full of potting soil that was stuffed with lemon verbena cuttings. They rooted in about a second and a half, and now I've got a giant plant from which I can take other cuttings. However, I went to a local nursery last week to investigate the cost of potting soil and plastic pots, and went into sticker shock.
Walking to the grocery store yesterday, I noticed that a lot had been cleared, but a lot of landscaping rubbish had been left in the corner. In it, I found fourteen perfectly good plastic pots, complete with drainage holes. I gathered them up, took them home, washed them out, and they're ready to do. Now, if I can only find some potting soil, I'll be good to go. I have a friend with a gorgeous container garden on her balcony, and she's offered to give me all the cuttings I want. If I go all-out and buy the potting soil, I think I can get about fifteen plants, made with free pots and free cuttings, for about 70 NIS, or USD$17.50.
This just in:
DH: "I'm going to go to the grocery store before it closes at noon today."
Me: "Great! Could you please take back these two empty beer bottles for recycling there? They'll give you money back for them."
DH: "Nah, it isn't worth the trouble to just take back two empties. I'll buy more beer so we'll have at least a six pack to take back later."
Gentle readers, what would YOU have said? LOL!
Hahaha! Selah, that is great. I'm with your husband. That sounds like a good plan.
Kat, your work schedule sounds exhausting! I'm glad you are cutting back. I'm so happy you are back here! We've missed you!
Today is not going to be super frugal since we are going out for our birthdays, but we are using a coupon for dinner, so that's something.
Other than that it's pretty much business as usual around here, except that the movie we watched yesterday inspired us to try eating like monks today and we had a frugal, but nice lunch of bread and cheese and fruit. Breakfast was "apple pie" oatmeal with chopped apples, apple cider, apple pie spice and a bit of vanilla sugar. That was yummy and frugal too.
Thanks, Stella! :-)
SteveinMN--Thanks for your suggestion! That is pretty much what we tried to do this time around. We offered to cook him a nice meal or suggested trying a less expensive local place...but he still wanted sushi in the city. I don't mean to sound like a jerk--I mean, it is his birthday; he should be able to celebrate it however he wants. We just aren't always going to be able to join them for things like that. They are nice people and good friends. I hope that they will be okay with doing lower-key things in the future. We do enjoy spending time with them.
Took the baby to visit her grandpa (my dad) at the nursing home today. Dad saves all his snacks throughout the week along with his Bingo prize (usually a beanie baby) and then gives them to her. It's so sweet. Today he sat down with her and read through her animal book, making all the animal sounds as he went.
DH and I are planning to have an at-home movie date tonight after the baby is in bed. I got some ice cream on sale for 99 cents yesterday, so that will be our little treat.
fidgiegirl
10-5-12, 6:18pm
It's a little weird, tho, Kat, it seems to me . . . If a friend tells suggests more economical meal than what they have treated in the past, wouldn't a friend "get it" and not tell the friend, "no, I really want the expensive meal anyway"? Was the option somehow left on the table? Perhaps next year it needs to be taken off the table - "hey Friend, this year we'd like to treat you to a gourmet meal at our place. Would you like steaks or _____?" Maybe doing sushi at home, if sushi was always done out, couldn't compare and it should be something different. The whole thing strikes me as a little weird. The gift recipient doesn't get to demand the gift.
Our main laptop (this one is tiny and hard to write on) died for good this week. It had been touch and go for some time. DH wanted to immediately get a new one. I thiink we should really minimize expenses until our smaller mortgage is paid off--in April or May if nothing goes wrong. So I said why don't we wait until after we've paid off the 2nd mortgage and then get a new laptop then--we can use that as incentive. To my surprise he agreed. He has a hard time knowing the future exists, but I think this reward idea helps him with that.
Today was big spend day. Started early when I went to Trader Joes for staples. Today, I went to Costco for soy milk and gas (seriously 9 cents per gallon off really isn't anything to write home about.) Will probably not renew next year.
Also met the Forensics/Debate team from my school that I'm assistant coach for @ Lazer Quest and played one game to the tune of $8.5 for 13 minutes. I am not one of those shoot 'em up kind of people and I thought that 13 minutes would never end. While I did get a headache, it was kind of fun.
Went to the thrift store for books and a stick blender and came out empty handed. Was going to buy a mug but it wasn't worth it as there was nothing else I wanted.
Did remainder of grocery shopping today @ Mart-Mart. I hate that store but it is cheap.
rosarugosa
10-7-12, 8:19am
We did the additional repairs on the car for $1200 - ouch. I'm hoping this will be ultimately be a frugal if it permits us to hold off on replacement for at least a couple more years. I'm not eager to get a new car; I'm very fond of this one.
We took a nice hike yesterday morning. We've been eating our meals at home other than anniversary dinner on 9/29. I've been bringing my lunch to work every day and have spent hardly anything in the cafeteria for the past few months, and I like what I bring from home better.
Oh - and I just redeemed my E-reward survey points for another $25 Macy's card, so that will total $100 in Macy's cards from E-rewards this year.
Kat, how is your dad doing?
Rosa, car repairs are the worst!
Bunnys you definitely sound like a fun teacher! That sounds awesome!
As expected it has not been a frugal weekend, but I'm OK with that. I got Zach his birthday present this weekend, a case for his iPhone that protects it from damage. We have the same case for the iPad and it has saved it numerous times from destruction.
Most of my birthday presents from Zach are practical and cheap. Zach is getting the house in good shape for me for the week and installing locks on doors so I can keep toddlers out of various areas. He is also getting the family room finished, except for painting, this week as a birthday present to me. These things have a big effect on my day-to-day life, so they are an awesome gift.
A friend dropped off a bunch of hand-me-downs for Charlotte. It was really cute stuff in good condition. I don't save Bella's clothes for Charlotte because there is such a big age difference. It's not worth keeping things around for seven years.
I am finally feeling recovered enough from babyhood that I am ready to get back to some frugal things I had let slide, like baking my own bread and making yogurt. With the family room remodel done and a ban on new projects until February I will have time for more of that kind of thing. Tackling a remodel at the same time Zach was finishing school and we were having baby #5 was...ambitious. :) I am very much looking forward to having things be a little calmer.
The girls have been wanting to learn some embroidery and I found some free printable patterns online. I have an iron on transfer marker, so I went over the patterns with that and ironed them onto pillowcases I had gotten ages ago for $1 each and they have been working diligently on them.
One of the things I bought for my birthday was a couple of board games for the iPad. They were cheap, all $6 or less, and I think we will get a lot of family fun out of them. We can airplay them from the iPad to the TV. We haven't played many games lately, even though we love them, because there are just too many little hands around that like to get into the game pieces and lose them. This solves that problem. Someday, when the little kids are bigger, I'd like to go back to our stash of actual board games, but for now this seems like a good solution.
Made burritos today to freeze. I frequently eat Amy's burritos as a meal when I don't have anything available. They are $2.28 each at Mart-Mart. Today I made my own. The recipe I made up made 12 burritos that were approximately 1/3 larger than the Amy's version and the entire recipe cost me @ $8, about 66% less than it would have to buy 12 Amy's burritos. Threw them all in the freezer. They should last me about 2 months. I think that's pretty frugal. They taste better than Amy's, too!
rosarugosa
10-7-12, 8:19pm
Happy birthday, Stella & Zach!
Bunnys: Isn't it great when you make something that is cheaper and also tastes better? That's how I feel about the salads that I bring to work from home.
Groceries came in well within budget this week. We want to squeeze as much of the car repair cost as possible from the monthly budget and minimize what we withdraw from our savings account. We also have a property tax bill this month, so we will definitely be tapping savings to some degree. We don't keep separate accounts for e-fund, sinking fund and irregular expenses, they are all in one savings account.
I'm building up my allowance stash again post-vacation, currently at $800. I always seem to start spending down by the time I get to $1000, but I used to do that at $500, so I'm trying to increase my "threshhold" and I seem to be gradually succeeding with that.
Of course, cleaning out the closet invariably leads me to believe that I need some things. . .
try2bfrugal
10-7-12, 9:15pm
Today we had a bike repaired with a 1/2 off labor coupon from REI. We made over $100 from our neighborhood garage sale. We went out a Mexican restaurant for lunch last week with an Entertainment coupon.
Grocery shopping was centered around the meat and organic produce on sale at Sprouts, filled in with other stuff from the local pack it yourself warehouse store.
... Today, I went to Costco for soy milk and gas ... .
Felicitous pairing!
http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/mother_goose/MG_11.gif
fidgie--I agree! I wasn't present when the conversation took place, so I can't really comment on how it went. I do know that these are genuinely nice folks, though, and suspect maybe they just didn't get the hint. I think we may need to be a little more direct in the future. Anyway, I am trying not to worry too much about it. Just want to go and celebrate and have a nice time.
stella--Dad is doing pretty well--thanks for asking! His speech and cognition have greatly improved over the last year, and he now walks around with his walker unassisted (meaning he doesn't need a CNA or someone to help him). The doctors thought that would never happen! Anyway, he has a private room and is happy and he can be given the circumstance. Of course he would rather live independently, but...he is making the best of it.
DH and I have been Christmas shopping and have so far stuck to our tiny budget. We are also back to using cash only for groceries, gas, and dates. Today we bundled up the baby and took a long walk to a convenience store where we treated ourselves to some $1 candy. We snacked on it while watching Netflix tonight. :-) Oh, and I have been planning more crock pot meals. It is easy to just dump everything in while the kiddo eats breakfast and forget about it til DH comes home.
I was a little naughty and ordered some fabric for some sewing projects. I think I mentioned that I made a quilt for the baby's first birthday. Well...now I am sort of addicted to sewing. So I bought some fabric online BUT it was on sale and I had a 20% off couple with free shipping. I also paid for it out of my own allowance, so I guess it wasn't THAT naughty. And even if it was...I am not sorry! ;-)
Tussiemussies
10-8-12, 1:02am
We had a very frugal weekend. DH went food shopping but otherwise we stayed home and didn't spend any money. I treated myself to tapioca pudding, that I made with soy milk, which I really enjoy. This was my weekly treat since I am on WW.
Oops forgot, did some clothes shopping this weekend and saved lots. 40% off the most expensive item and free shipping at land end, so I got a $ 100.00 pair of shoes for the special and bought a pair of needed pants. Then today ordered some much needed tops at LLBean, a lot of them were on sale and then there was10% off with free shipping, saved a little over$100.00 for four tops! So that was frugal for me! :)
Paver1951
10-8-12, 11:01am
Its a great idea, thanks for sharing your links.. I think it was an interesting topic to discuss.
Once again everyone is doing a fabulous job of their frugals this month! Not much to report here. We've been doing a pretty good job of cooking meals at home, of course, we've both been traveling for work and so are eating out during those times, which makes wanting to cook and eat at home when we're here pretty easy! I need to get more organized with laundry, though, because I've been using the dryer way too much lately. I need to get back to hanging laundry to dry. We've not yet turned on the heat this season and haven't had to use the A/C for a number of weeks -- so hooray for that! Aside from that, all I can claim as a frugal is the fact that I've avoided updating my wardrobe for the season so far. I've been checking out a number of items online, but have so far not actually bought anything. Normally I wouldn't be all that interested in shopping for clothing, but weight loss has meant that, once again, I've got very little for the fall/winter that actually fits. Hopefully I can wait until a few things actually go on sale and perhaps find a few things at the thrift stores so that I can make the outlay as small as possible! :)
October is not a frugal month for us at all with the wedding and honeymoon....but I am still trying to make sure that we keep our other spending down by cooking/baking more.
Big weekend for cooking so we are not even tempted to eat out. We share stuff with live in MIL. Applesauce, DH made 2 loaves of bread, I made roast chicken and the fixins' and have already stripped the carcass and made broth. Pulled beets from the garden cooked and will grate and freeze. Made in my new crockpot a sort of deconstructed gulumpky casserole and it wasn't bad. Next time we'll cook for shorter time and not shred the cabbage so fine. Made 2 batches of wild grape jam from last years puree which we froze. Baked a cran-orange bread for DH's lunch and will round out the weekend's work by making a lemon sponge cake for MIL and DH...maybe I'll have a slice.
I am exhausted. Thank god I can go to work tomorrow and rest up!
Enjoying everyone's frugals!
Baked banana bread this morning with some bananas that were heading south quickly. Also got dinner thrown in the crockpot and a load of laundry done. Cold water, small amount of detergent, no softener. Did machine dry about half of the load but put in a dry towel to cut drying time. Hung the other half. I think it will be nice enough for DH and I to take a walk with the kiddo tonight. Then after she is in bed, we will probably play a game or watch a movie.
Oh, and DH has been making his own coffee in the morning instead of buying it. We have a programmable coffee maker we got free years ago, so we put it to use. Much cheaper (and the house smells nice while it's brewing, too!)! He also packed a PB and J for lunch today. He usually packs his lunch, but when we don't have leftovers (like today), he usually buys something. Not today. This is a big step forward for him. :-)
My parents are visiting. I'm baking bread, and my mom is making an apple pie today. Warming the house with the oven. The days of line-drying laundry are ending, as it is getting too cold for my fingers and also the laundry simply takes too long to dry.
We're repairing various things around the house that I had saved up for their visit. My dad is helping me fix an old chair that I got for free - it will be a perfect desk chair for DD. So our main frugal this week is staying home, visiting, cooking, and doing things around the house instead of driving.
What a lovely frugal day! I got up early this morning and watched the sun rise. I baked some homemade wheat bread and we had that for breakfast with apple butter and homemade hot chocolate. My dad had the day off and took the bigger 3 to a local indoor play place. I packed them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bananas and the babies slept while they were gone.
I had leftover soup and crackers for lunch and I ate them out on the front stoop so I could look at the leaves over the pond and enjoy the fall air. It was so nice. I have chicken cooking for tonight's wild rice casserole. I added some veggies to the water as it cooks to make chicken broth. I'll freeze that later for some future meal.
Stella: Sounds like a great day. I went to work.
Rosa: Homemade salads are always the best.
Nothing too exciting to report. I've been trying to open the over door a bit after I am done baking so that the warmth doesn't go to waste. I figured I paid for it, I might as well use it. Also, it seems as though I am always finding half-empty glasses of water around here. Rather than dump it, I've been putting it all in one container to water plants with. Other than that, just trying to stay home, cook from scratch, etc. Lately I felt like "getting out" (which leads to spending money), and I know it is because my house is cluttered and messy. I am going to try to do some major "fall cleaning" and decluttering after I finish teaching these classes and maybe light a yummy smelling candle. That should help.
Blackdog Lin
10-9-12, 6:47pm
Just a small frugal victory to report: we've been battling fleas all summer, and I took Her Highness' bed outside just in case, where it's been broiling, baking and getting drenched for 2 months. I finally got a bad case of the guilts (I mean, she's having to sleep on THE FLOOR!), and decided I had to take the bed to the laundromat to hot-water-and-bleach it (which my research says will render it clean of fleas, eggs etc.). Figured it would cost me close to $10.00, which seems silly as that's 1/3 of the cost of the thing new.
Then it hit me, have you tried to fit it in the washer? No, I have not. Maybe you should try that before you spend the money (and gas - nearest laundromat is 10 miles away) and hassle. Well, it fit and washed up fine in our home washer, no hassle and only the cost of one of our regular loads of laundry.
awakenedsoul
10-9-12, 7:20pm
I enjoy reading everyone's frugals. Went to my knitting group at the library yesterday. Rode my bike to save on gas and wear and tear on the car. Sat next to the cutest little 6 year old girl. I really enjoyed her company. Started a dishcloth there and finished it yesterday. Did all of my errands in one trip today. Got my new Jitterbug phone and the $20.00 a month plan. Folded the laundry that I washed in homemade washing powder and had hung on the line. Picked up a few books at our brand new library. It's quite impressive! Made some yogi tea from scratch and ate up the lasagne leftovers. Bought a replacement hummingbird feeder. The old one lasted 15 years!
I had a fabulous, frugal 34th birthday today. We had some friends over and one brought me cake and the other ice cream. We had a nice time together just talking and hanging out.
The only unfrugal of the day was that Bella wore white pants to go fishing in the pond today. The pants are no longer white. Still, any day in which a lost pair of pants is the biggest drama is a good one.
I seem to kind of be stuck in nuetral when it comes to being frugal. There have been a couple of opportunities that I've kind of thrown away for the greater good. There was a man standing near the local grocery store with a "Will work for Food" sign the other day and I gave him a gift card for the store as well as all my free item coupons. The other situation was when I over paid a new employee while training her because it became obvious that she really needed the money.
I recieved that $500 sweeps package in the mail. It consisted of a $150 pair of Rayban sunglasses, a $145 Kate Spade tote bag, a watch (not sure of the value yet), a $165 Olive and Emily scarf, coupons for music downloads, a coupon for a free box of ice cream, and a lip stain in a shade I will actually use. I think I'm going to try and sell the bag, scarf and sunglasses-they just aren't me.
Fidgiegirl-any thoughts on how much these items might be worth on Craigslist? They are all in the original packages with tags on them.
Sunday the 14th is my birthday. Its usually when I reflect and come up with new years resolutions. Usually some version of 'this is the year I get really healthy'. Yeah right. Anyways, I think this year I want to focus on new ways to spend less and prepare for retirement. Finding new ways to live what I consider a quality life without the focus on spending money. being more consistent with my stockpiles and coupons. Participating in more sweeps and learing to sell the things I don't want/need. June of 2017 ds graduates and we would like to begin the next phase of life right along with him.
So that is my goal for the next year of my life. Find ways to cut corners and save more money while improving my over all quality of life and not depriving myself. Frankly, for me its mostly about just accepting who I am and not trying to improve myself. I am guilty of always trying to predict the worst possible outcome in life and trying to avoid and/or prepare for it.
So, today I am doing sweeps, and swag codes. I am also going to go through several emails I've recieved for free birthday items and decide which I want to use. Ie: free pizza, coffee drinks, desserts and apps at restaurants, etc.
I'm drinking free coffee this morning and using free laundry soap. Tonight I'm making a birthday treat to enjoy since the weekend is busy. Mississippi Mud Cake. I haven't had it in years but its been on my mind lately.
Blackdog Lin
10-10-12, 11:54am
Happy Birthdays, Stella and bke. Today is DH's, and I just took 4 mini-loaves of pumpkin bread out of the oven for his birthday treat. I told him he could pick whatever treat he wanted, as long as it involved a can of pumpkin. :) (left over from last year's Thanksgiving sales, and needed to be used.)
Thanks Blackdog Lin! And Happy Birthday to both bke and Blackdog Lin's husband!
Happy birthday, everyone! :-)
bke--I smiled when I read the part of your post about the homeless man. To me, that is the very purpose behind frugality--not to be cheap, but to save in areas that don't matter as much to you so you can splurge in the areas that do. May you be blessed for your generosity!
We've been enjoying the banana bread I made for breakfasts this week, which is waaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than the $5 a box cereal DH likes. Last night I wasn't feeling well and was tempted to order out, but I forced myself to make a creamy garlic pasta which was quick, delicious, and frugal (especially since I used homemade chicken stock from the freezer). DH raved about it and wants it put in the rotation. :-)
Yesterday I used a $10 of $10 coupon for Kohl's my sweet MIL gave me. I used it to buy a little shirt and some hair pretties for my niece's upcoming birthday (only $3 out of pocket).
I got my last big paycheck today and was able to save almost all of it (minus what we put aside for giving). I am thinking about putting some in my daughter's college fund and keeping some in general savings.
This next part isn't exactly frugal per say, but as I mentioned, I am wrapping up a couple of classes and then cutting way down on work. We are, essentially, going to be "poor" (well, at least by this country's standards, which I guess isn't saying much). I'm nervous about it. But today over lunch, he called and said, "I can't wait to be poor again! I am so looking forward to all of the time we are going to have to spend together. I know we'll all be so much happier when you are working less!" It made me so happy to hear him say that! I am so fortunate to have a husband that supports and encourages me and appreciates the things that I do. Makes me determined to be an even better steward with the money he earns and find ways to live big on very little.
Tonight I am making biscuits and gravy for supper with some sausage from the freezer and some milk that is about out of date. I'll only use half the sausage and save the rest for another meal. I'll make some easy scratch biscuits to go along with it. Cheap. Hot. Goooooooood.
early morning
10-10-12, 10:28pm
I have been feeling very unmotivated and unfrugal so far this month. I haven't really beenthat unfrugal, I'm just not feelin' it... I can't even decide if reading all y'all's great frugal happenings is motivating or depressing. I think I have a bad case of the blahs. Hopefully posting a few positives will help me refocus! So, in that spirit - I've spent the last two days attending a free seminar for work about mental illness and kids involved with the court system. Lunch, snacks, good coffee, presentation by a dynamic, well-regarded authority in her field, conversation with other people who work with our kinds of kids - I may even get paid mileage. Work-wise, it was extremely interesting. While it's not information I will use teaching, it's great background to aid in understanding my students and I was thrilled to be able to attend, at no cost to my workplace. So it wasn't just frugal for me, lol. Other than that, I'm still hanging out our laundry, eating at home as much as possible, taking my lunch and morning coffee, etc. I did buy two new pairs of shoes for winter, but it is going to get too cold and wet for my little cloth clogs. The new shoes are of a much better quality than anything I usually buy (and were on sale), so I am hoping for several years of wear, at least. I threw away a bag of old shoes with home made insoles, heels stuffed with plastic, tops reattached to bottoms with Shoegoo (more goo than shoe, actually...), spray painted because they were too scuffed for polish, etc.- and after visiting quite a few thrifts, I just decided it was time for new. Anyway, I'm hoping that it will turn out to be a frugal purchase, but only time will tell. I stayed out of the half-price day sale at my fav thrift on Columbus day. We always drag home things we plan to turn into something else, but we've not been doing well at actually accomplishing any transformation lately. So, no new old things until we do something with some of the OLD old things! I count that as a frugal, as it is money not spent.
Originally posted by Early Morning.
I think I have a bad case of the blahs.Sending a warm and caring hug your way. I know cyber-hugs don't offer anything compared to the real thing, but in speaking for myself, knowing that others care never fails to help pick me up. Hope my hug has the same effect on you.
Tussiemussies
10-10-12, 10:45pm
Happy birthday BKE and Stella!
Bke, I just love how generous you were to that man and the new employee. It is people like you that give hope that this world can be a better place. Thank you for what you did.
Kat let us know how it goes with your staying home situation. In my mind time with DH is so fulfilling, I hope you get to enjoy it and your worries are calmed...
Early morn. Sounds like you are really keeping up with being very frugal! A big pat on the back to you.
Sounds like you really enjoyed that seminar. Do hope you find something to pull you out of the doldrum...
Christine:)
Kat, your husband's comment is so sweet. We've been various shades of broke for ages now. It's always scary pulling the plug, but you get used to it. Enjoy your time together!
Kat, I second what Stella said about your husband. Its wonderful that he feels that way. Some of the greatest memories that dh and I have of our life together are from when we were at our brokest. Consider the fact that you and dh know how little you actually need to be empowering. I always felt like I had this magical little secret that everyone around me failed to recognize. We don't/didn't need all those things everyone else was making a priority in life-and we were HAPPY!
On the other hand, I'm really starting to see how fortunate dh and I are financially. Things that devastate others are just minor set backs for us at this point. I'm not wealthy, I'll never be wealthy but I can persevere through a lot just because we've always settled for less material goods than those around us. Thank God for all of you and the things I've learned here over the last 12 years! Dh and I are thankful every day for our emergency fund and all the hard times its gotten us through.
This isn't exactly a frugal but I'm bursting at the seams with excitement that dh and I have decided to go home for Christmas!!! We are going to close the restaurant for an entire week. (We haven't had an entire week off together in over 11 years!!!!) 4 nights and 5 days indulging in and loving the hustle and bustle of the city. Dh has 2 brothers that live in Palatine. We'll get a hotel room there. Ds doesn't even remember ever seeing these two uncles. He was born in Schamburg and doesn't have a clue about this part of his life. I can't wait to share it with him. The size of Chicago is beyond his comprehension.
To offset the cost we will skip our tradition of getting a hotel room for Thanksgiving and just do something frugal and fun. We're also skipping all Christmas presents and will enjoy shopping for things we really want/need instead while in Ill. Dh is looking forward to buying shoes, I'd like a new coat and ds wants to find a good art supply store while we're there. If I have the time, I'll probably make a bunch of christmas cookies and candies to take with us and share with my two bachelor brother in laws.
So Freakin' excited!
Yesterday I went to Rite Aid and bought 6 pks of gum for the guys at 50 cents each. I also bought 12 king size candy bars at 67 cents each. Total savings: $17-18. The candy will be saved for any trick or treaters we might get since we've decided ds is too old to go.
I'm off again today. I'm going to enjoy my free coffee, do my usual moneymakers on line, clip some coupons and relax.
Oh, and I might play some old music while I'm at it. I've been digging out some of my old favorites lately and reminiscing while singing along. Time for some Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
"I've been working too hard.."
Blackdog Lin
10-11-12, 8:57am
Another little frugal this week: I made homemade bread crumbs.
We have biscuits-n-gravy every 3 weeks or so, and never eat all the biscuits, and I always throw them in the freezer. Never really thought of a use for them other than in meat loaf, which I don't make all that often. Yesterday while online bringing my memory up to speed on how to fry green tomatoes, several recipes used bread crumbs as an outer coating for them. I don't have any bread crumbs in the house but.....hmmm.....biscuits?
It worked great. I crumbled 'em and let 'em set out, then put the pan in the turned-off oven for a few hours after I took yesterday's pumpkin bread out, then ziplocked and crushed with a rolling pin, and then let set a few more hours. At the end of the day I ended up with a couple cups of really nice dried fine crumbs.
Haven't tried using them yet - maybe tonight is the night for our fried green tomatoes.
(edit: and bke, congrats on your exciting travel news! We must have been posting at the same time, so I missed it. Too cool that you have something so nice to look forward to for your holidays.)
Lin, maybe I'm misunderstanding your post but why don't you use the frozen biscuits as biscuits? We bake them and freeze them all the time at work. They defrost and are just as nice as freshly baked biscuits.
Great posts, everyone! Just love reading everybody's updates -- definitely helps to keep me inspired! Now if I could just perform some frugal activities of my own... :~)
My biggest frugal at the moment is not turning on the heat! It suddenly got COLD here!!! The thermostats in the various zones of the house are showing indoor temps between 60 and 62 degrees F. Okay, not all that bad, but I am feeling chilled and am so tempted to just put the heat on. But, it would have to be the back up heat, which is oil, because the outdoor wood boiler is not yet ready to go for the season (waiting on a replacement part which should be here shortly). I hate to be a wuss and it's not even Oct 15 so I am hunkering down and dealing with the cold. Of course, here's the kicker, once we actually turn the heat on, we'll keep the house between 60 and 62 degrees F. :D I'm clearly just having difficulty adjusting at the moment. So the past few days have involved wearing hooded sweatshirts (with the hood up!), lap blankets (complete with cats in my lap), and an increased consumption of tea and hot chocolate. Today I broke out the lined slippers. Yep, I'm cold. I'm blaming it on the fact that I weigh 15 pounds less than last year at this time. Clearly weight loss was not a wise strategy! ;) I think that today I will purposefully make something for lunch that involves using the oven so that I can benefit from the residual heat.
Okay, enough about my heat issues. Other frugal activities of note. I picked up a new consulting gig that should net me between $2000 and $3000 between now and the end of the year. Woot! I'll be stashing that cash somewhere as part of the retirement strategy. Picked up the last of the waste veggie oil from the local seasonal restaurant yesterday. That will make some fine fuel for the car and in the spring we are going to sell that car along with the waste veggie oil filtering set-up and buy a new-to-us car, most likely a Prius, but we'll have to see what's available. The car has almost 250,000 miles on it and we had purchased it brand new back in 2005 so it has served us well. But the veggie oil filtering project is getting to be too much of a chore so it's time to move on.
Other than that, just doing the usual, eating at home as much as possible, trying to avoid buying things I don't need (particularly challenging lately for some reason), and trying to declutter and simplify a few things.
Keep up the great work, everyone!
Gardenarian
10-11-12, 3:50pm
Joyeux anniversaire BKE and Stella!
It's been a good week. Though I didn't get much from the garden this year, I made a lasagna last night using home-grown tomatoes and chard.
For lunch today at work - lasagna, of course!
DH (who is a professional musician) has formed a new band and they got themselves a gig right away, for this Friday, and it's a place where dd and I can go and have fun too - and no cover charge, cause "we're with the band."
A neighbor put out a free pile and had a whole sack-full of candle ends. DD and I are going to have fun melting these down and making our own candles.
Blackdog Lin
10-11-12, 4:54pm
bke: no, you're not misunderstanding - I just never felt like they were as good the second time around. Don't know why we'd care that much, just going under some good homemade gravy. What is your preferred method for reheating them?
You're right, next time I get enough in the freezer I'm going to try them on DH.
Thanks, everyone for your kind comments regarding the change in our situation. I will still be working part-time from home, but hopefully only for an hour or two three days a week with nights and weekends free. Many folks here have such rich and full lives without spending a lot of money--I am confidant that we can, too. :)
We fell of the eating out wagon already. We spent money AND I feel gross! Oh well, will try to do better this weekend.
I usually visit my Dad on Fridays in a town half an hour away. I will be up super late working tonight, though, and have just been really tired this week. I think I will just take it easy tomorrow and stay home with the baby. We can play in her toy room and snuggle up in the sun room, looking at books. We can listen to music, too, and have a dance party in the living room. She loves that. :-) Then maybe when she naps, I will, too! Will save some gas money and catch up on some much needed R and R.
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
I baked a loaf of English Muffin bread for breakfast. I had my slice with a poached egg and a hot cup of coffee in the quiet this morning as everyone else slept. So nice.
My Dad bought me a membership to a homeschool curriculum site that I am really enjoying. It has a free student planner that you can print, so I printed some key things for the girls and assembled them in 3 ring binders we already had. I think I'll get a lot of use out of this membership. The binders could really use some pockets, so I'm making them out of some pink and white polka dot duct tape I have on hand.
Tomorrow is Zach's birthday so I am baking him a chocolate cake with cookie dough frosting. He'll be 30 years old. Tomorrow evening is Cheyenne's first time singing in the church children's choir, so that is her present to him. So cute. It should be a nice, simple celebration. He doesn't want anything huge since we just had a party on Tuesday.
Happy Birthday to Zach and belated birthday wishes to Stella!
Lin- we bake large batches of biscuits, cool them to room temp and freeze them. We thaw them in the cooler in large quantities and then microwave them for up to 30 seconds before covering them in gravy. You would never, ever know they were frozen. We do the same thing with cinnamon rolls. I think the trick is to freeze them as quickly as possible so they are really nice and soft when you thaw them. Our biscuits/cinnamon rolls will remain fresh for a week after thawing. Both items remain refridgerated until consumed.
We went shopping last night for work and home. I bought a total of 3 things for the house: 2 cans of pumpkin to make cookies in the near future and a pan of frozen lasagna that ds wanted. It cost $6 but he will get 3-4 meals out of it and feel like he's getting a treat.
I used coupons when purchasing dinner last night and actually got the lunch prices since we ate early. It saved up about $9. I budget roughly $150-200 a week for gas/food/restaurants/misc. Today is the end of the week and there is still $70 left. Yeah!
Stella--That bread sounds good!
bke--so happy to read about your Christmas adventure! How exciting!
Not much to report here. I took a roast out of the freezer last night and have the meat for french dips simmering away in the crock pot. Will have that along with peas for dinner. Stayed home as planned and am contemplating a nap. Tomorrow is our lunch out to celebrate DH's friend's birthday. I am looking forward to some chicken hibachi!
A friend of mine says she has some stuff for my daughter that hers has outgrown. So maybe next week or the week after we'll meet up for that purpose. I want to do something nice for her as she is SO GENEROUS. Maybe I will bring some cookies and a Halloween treat (like stickers or colorbooks or something) for the kids.
I was thinking DD needed some more jammies in an 18 month size, but I am waiting a week or so to see if we can't get buy with the ones she has.
Blackdog Lin
10-12-12, 8:31pm
I froze chicken fat for the first time ever tonight - looking forward to experimenting with using it.
We boiled up a 10 lb. bag of chicken quarters (this one from May was $.78/lb., just bought another one at $.58/lb.!) and cleaned all the meat off it. Got enough for 3 meals in the freezer. And have the broth, of course, which is going to chicken-noodle soup tomorrow night. But I've always just skimmed the fat off the top of my chicken-boiling and disposed of it. Did a little reading and realized that maybe I was throwing away a great flavor-booster. So I skimmed it and put it in an ice-cube tray, to be emptied into a ziplock tomorrow for a kind of bouillon-replacer ingredient in beans and soups and gravies. Healthwise, well, bouillon=salt, fat=fat, I figure it's a wash. Really I'm not afraid of a little real fat when I'm cooking real food. Better than the processed type of cooking.
Anyone else done this? What else might I use little chicken-fat flavor boosters for?
Blackdog Lin, I usually save chicken fat and freeze it in a small container (the chickens we buy don't generate much fat). It adds an incredible amount of flavor - just a tiny bit is needed, for instance, to saute the veggies for making soup. Could also use it in place of oil when making a stir-fry.
early morning
10-12-12, 9:00pm
Thanks for the kind words, Mrs. M and Tussie - feeling a bit less blah today. Happy birthdays and anniversaries to everyone:)! I'm off for the next 5 days and am looking forward to getting some much-needed chores accomplished. Blackdog Lin, unseasoned chicken fat makes the world's best peanut butter cookies - almost like peanut butter shortbread. Honestly, I won't eat them any other way. Bke, the Chicago holiday sounds wonderful! How exciting! Kat, I worked part time when the kids were little - I didn't quit all together as I didn't want to abandon my SIL/boss - but the time with family was certainly worth the loss of income! Glad you have the opportunity and ability to work from home! Not so frugally, my car was acting up a bit and I had it looked at - but it was still missing off and on. I had planned to take it to a dealership to see if they could figure it out, but I decided to see if a couple more cans of injector cleaner and a little time for it to work through would be helpful. It ran fine today, so keep your fingers crossed for me, ok? I am so hoping to avoid a repair bill!
Early Morning. So happy to hear you are feeling better. http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/yaysmilesa-smiley.gif?1292867704
Enjoy your 5 days!
Originally posted by Kat.
I was thinking DD needed some more jammies in an 18 month size, but I am waiting a week or so to see if we can't get buy with the ones she has.Try your best, that's all you can do. Too small clothes, etc (baby/kid stuff), was a major pet-peeve of mine, especially pyjama bottoms over a cloth diapered/rubber panted bottom! For bigger jammies (bottoms in particular) I would pin them back (using a diaper pin at the waist) to make them fit.
Dressing/changing babies using more roomier items is so much easier than fighting with everything, stretching it, peeling it off, trying to push/cram/thread tiny little arms and legs into it, etc.
rosarugosa
10-13-12, 7:27am
BKE: Your xmas plans sound great. You certainly sound like you are extremely disciplined and the splurge is well-deserved!
DH made a great dinner last night: chicken thighs with tortellini and tomatoes from our garden. The chicken and tortellini had been in the freezer for awhile, so it was a frugal dinner and delicious!
Tussiemussies
10-13-12, 1:38pm
Early Morning, glad that you are feeling better and that you have some time off, maybe you can pamper yourself a little bit...:)
fidgiegirl
10-13-12, 2:23pm
Fidgiegirl-any thoughts on how much these items might be worth on Craigslist? They are all in the original packages with tags on them.
Hi bke and all!
I would say that these particular items would be better suited for eBay - larger audience and easy to ship (you can charge the shipping to the buyer or offer it included, it's up to you).
But if you want to do CL, search your local CL to see if any are listed and how much people are asking. If the ads have been up for a while, not a good sign. But if there are a lot of recent ones, you can try to do about the same.
If you do eBay, sign in and do an advanced search. Search the handbag and choose "completed listings." Then you will see what they have been going for and if you should try it there.
Good luck!!
fidgiegirl
10-13-12, 2:28pm
Everyone, a decidedly unfrugal week, but have been following you all and glad it's going well. Kat, especially glad to have you back, and Blackdog Lin, it's good to see more of you on the frugals thread!
We had our first houseguest, a visitor from Costa Rica. I have been involved with a Costa Rica-Minnesota school project for the last several years in connection with a local Rotary Club, and finally we were able to host a visitor. It was fun but exhausting. I am reminded of how important life balance is to frugality. I ate out a lot, used a ton of gas, and am worn out today (we just got home from dropping them all at the airport). I had to kill an hour or so yesterday afternoon and just wandered around Cub Foods looking for the gluten free section but I'm sure I looked like a zombie. Took me 45 minutes just to shop for 4 items! So anyway, nothing to report other than that reflection. Today we'll clean up and wash some laundry, maybe we'll have dinner out tonight.
Stella, happy b-day to my b-day buddy Zach :) It's mine today too. The best gift is that the family photos we had scheduled for this afternoon got pushed back to next week due to the weather. I needed a day off more than anything! :)
The chocolate cake with cookie dough frosting I made for Zach's birthday was fantastic. We had some last night since my dad was here and some after lunch today. I went to make it last night and realized that I was short an egg, so I borrowed one from my friend/neighbor. She sent the girls over with the egg and some small cups she was getting rid of that matched my bigger tumblers. Those will be nice for the little boys. I brought her and her family each a piece of cake as a thank-you.
Last night was movie night for the kids. They watched Harriet the Spy on Netflix. I had my weekly Girls Night at my friend's house.
For Zach's birthday dinner I am making burgers for the kids and sending them to bed and then he and I will have a candlelit steak dinner by ourselves. My mom had actually bought the steak when she was here, so the cost of the meal is just the baked potatoes and salad.
The girls had their first Little Flowers Girls Club meeting of the year. It's a girls group at church. It costs $20 for each kid for the whole year, so it's pretty reasonable and quite a few of their friends are involved. It's good FFF for them.
Tomorrow I am going to a get-together a couple of neighborhood grandmas are hosting for the neighborhood moms. The idea is to continue to foster community amongst the parents and grandparents of our neighborhood and share creative ideas. I am really looking forward to it. That's my weekend FFF.
I've got some chicken legs taken out to make a big batch of chicken, veggie and rice soup and I'm going to make a big batch of granola for the week. I went to get groceries for the week and only spent $30. I am happy with that.
Tussiemussies
10-13-12, 2:55pm
Happy Birhtday Kelli, hope your day is special!:)
Tussiemussies
10-13-12, 2:57pm
Stella, your life always sounds so fun and filled with creative things you are doing. It must be nice to have such a great community with your neighborhood!:)
Kelli, we must have cross posted earlier. Happy birthday!!! Enjoy your day off!
Tussiemussies, thank you! Yes, it is absolutely wonderful to have such a great community. I am truly blessed.
Happy birthday, fidgie! :-) A sweet gal like you sure deserves a wonderful day!
Mrs. M--too-small clothes make me crazy, too, and they can't be comfy for the peanut, either. I hate when her jammie legs are too short and ride up during the night. Then her little ankles and tootsies are cold when I pull her out of her crib in the morning. She is in an awkward place right now where 12 month is a little small and 18 month is HUGE. So...most of her clothes are just a little big. ;-) I do have enough pairs of 18 month sized jammies for her, I think. I just need to be more disciplined about laundry. Now that I am gearing up to work less, I hope that I can be! :-)
Nothing much to report here. DH and I went out for sushi with friends yesterday and had a lovely time. Afterwards, we came back here and played a board game until the baby woke up from her nap.
We resisted spending money pretty much all day. First, we wanted to go to the pizza buffet for lunch but came home after church and ate leftovers instead. Then I almost ran to the store for laundry detergent but decided I could make do until shopping day. THEN we both wanted something a little sweet--brownie for DH and cupcake for me. Instead of going to the bakery, though, I made some oatmeal scotchies with stuff on hand. They will be a nice dessert with supper--sloppy joes and scalloped corn. Was able to use up a lot of odds and ends and things from the freezer, so that made me happy. :-)
The neighborhood mom's meeting was so lovely! The lady who hosted brought out the china and silver and we had sponge cake and coffee and grapes and small chocolate mints on a silver tray for afterwards. It was so elegant! We have a million ideas for community building. A sample:
-Bocce ball on the lawns
-"Music on the Green" in the summer. We want to set up some folding chairs on one of the lawns, light some luminieres and have a musician play. Maybe a neighbor who is a violinist. I was thinking it might be nice to have it at Midsummer and have people bring picnics if they'd like.
-Craft days at the neighborhood office for the kids. Maybe two different ones, a preschool craft day and a bigger kid craft day. Older kids could do more complicated things like embroidery or building something with wood or knitting.
I'm energized. The lady who hosted is going to give my name to the neighborhood communications chairperson to share ideas further. Lots and lots of potential FFF here.
I also made a big batch of chicken spaetzle soup today. I have been cooking the stock since yesterday, so it should be really yummy. I also made a second batch of spaetzle and I am attempting to freeze it. The big hassle with it is the mess, so I figured if it works it would cut the mess in half making two batches at once, and combined with some frozen stock and frozen veggies would make a very easy dinner some night.
Hope you had a happy b-day yesterday, Fidgie.
rosarugosa
10-14-12, 8:37pm
Happy Birthday Kelli!
Kat: Sounds llike you're doing great with the meals at home :)
Stella: You folks have a lot of fun ideas!
One small frugal for me: I asked DH to drive me to Target for some nail polish, and he needed some baking powder. We found those two items, and I asked, "Do you want to look around? Do we need anything else?" DH said, "No, we came for two things, we have them, so let's get out of here." He hates to shop. So we did. Got just what we needed and left. Frugal DH :)
fidgiegirl
10-14-12, 9:19pm
Thanks all!
Stella, sounds lovely. You have a great community, and you are a big part of making that happen.
Rosa, awesome for DH. Mine is frugal as well, and I count my blessings for that! He keeps me in line a lot of the time. :)
Happy birthdays Stella, Zach, and Kelli!
I am having a fun and frugal visit with my parents. Last night my dad and I had a long conversation about the foods that his mom used to cook. I will be assembling a family cookbook as my winter project this year and will include some of the notes I took alongside a photo of my grandmother in the kitchen.
I'm making a baby gift for a friend - a fleece sleepsack and hat. It's nearly done, just have to make and sew on an applique. It feels very warm and cozy, perfect for a baby to be born in November in Minnesota. Total cost was about $6 for material, zipper, and pattern.
My dad helped me fix the chair that I got for free and now it's DD's desk chair. Looks great in her room! I also got the new upholstery fabric for free, so just had to pay for the batting ($5).
Rosemary it sounds like you are having a wonderful visit with your mom and dad. Enjoy! I love the family cookbook idea. Sleepsacks are a great baby gift. They do such a good job of keeping them warm.
Our DIY family room remodel is finally done!!!! Well, I still have to paint it, but the hard stuff is done. It was frugal, even if it was a bit of a thorn in my side while it was being accomplished. I think now that it's finished I am going to be very pleased.
Last night I was sorting through the boys' clothes and pulling out the too-small clothes or clothes that would be too small when summer comes back around when my friend stopped by with a load of boys' clothes her son has grown out of. Her timing was perfect.
The girls really want to make some of their wardrobe for this winter. We are doing a unit on sewing at their request. We'll start with simple stuff and work from there.
Stella--wish I lived in your neighborhood! Also, it's great you are teaching your girls some sewing skills. I am just now learning and wish I had started a little younger. ;-) It's a great skill to have!
rosarugosa--way to stick to your list. I have a hard time doing that at Target!
rosemary--sounds like a lovely baby gift! I loved sleep sacks last winter when my DD was an infant.
Same old boring stuff today. Cooking/eating at home, laundry in cold water, hang to dry blah blah blah! ;-) My mom is coming for a visit this morning. Haven't seen her in a couple of weeks, so that should be nice. I may work on some sewing projects today while the baby naps, too--I have all the supplies, just need to get them done!
SteveinMN
10-15-12, 4:14pm
Not a frugal day here. Had lunch with buddies of mine. Not like we go to expensive restaurants, but it is cheaper for me to eat lunch at home.
Then I wanted to fill up the car. Diesel at my preferred station was 4.4999 :0! . I know this happens every year when heating systems kick on (diesel is a close relative to heating oil and everyone uses more diesel, heating oil, and airplane fuel in the colder weather, so the price goes up). I take comfort in knowing that I'm still ahead. I can go 600 miles on $50 worth of diesel; for a gas-engine car getting even 30 mpg all the time, 600 miles would cost close to $70. So it's sticker shock until I do the math. But it's still a bit of a shock.
Had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items. I haven't priced meat in a regular store in quite some time. I think it will be a while longer before I do that again. I bought a chicken and some other recipe ingredients. I try not to stop at the grocery store more than once a week, but, well, schedules and all.
Back to frugal tomorrow. :)
My partner came home last night after being in NYC for work for the previous 6 days. It was so lovely to have him home! We were both very happy to celebrate with a homemade dinner and a few downloaded episodes of TV shows. We had both worked over the weekend so didn't feel badly about not working full days today and we went to the movies instead. We very rarely go to see movies in the movie theater for a wide variety of reasons, so this is a special treat for us. He really wanted to see "Looper" and I generally enjoy sci fi flicks so was game for an outing. We went to a mid-day show which meant the tickets were only $5.50 per person as opposed to $8.50 per person. Of course, I consider popcorn a necessity so splurged and spent $7.00 on movie theater popcorn. The movie was great, the popcorn was predictably mediocre and much fun was had by both of us. :~) We then came home and took afternoon naps. What a way to spend the day! Tonight we'll stay in and make dinner at home from what we've already got in the house and probably watch some more TV. He'll be headed back to NYC at some point this week and I'll be headed to Philly so it's nice to spend some quiet, frugal evenings at home just relaxing together.
I had such a productive day! I sorted through the girls' clothes and realized that Isabella has enough of almost everything and Cheyenne is only missing a few sweaters, a few skirts and a few pairs of tights. Dad had been willing to buy Cheyenne a new coat this year, but a friend of mine has one to give me, so I asked him if he'd get tights and a couple of cardigans instead and he said yes.
Tonight's dinner was pulled straight out of my ear, and my pantry. I made a taco pasta bake with macaroni, ground beef (the free ground beef I got a while back), taco seasoning, a jar of black bean salsa I needed to use up and some sour cream and monterrey jack.
Our first sewing lesson was a success! The next lesson will be making themselves a skirt, followed by some Christmas gift making. Dad is donating some of his old shirts to us for practice fabric. We're going to use them to make some baby and toddler pants and maybe a few other things. Today they made a fleece sleeping bag and pillow for their friend who just had a birthday.
pony mom
10-16-12, 12:13am
Scored at the Salvation Army today. I got two Ralph Lauren sweaters for $3.49 ea., and two L.L. Bean sweaters, one for $3 and one for $7. All were classic designs, either ribbed turtleneck or cable knit. Don't really like the RL logo though. I needed to replace some older sweaters that looked fine from a distance, but were very nubby looking close up, and not the kind of knit that could be shaved to look new again.
I had an Orvis sweater in my hand ($4!) but it was a bit too worn looking so I left it.
cdttmm--so glad to hear your SO is back! It is hard being apart. DH and I have been married nine years, and I still miss him terribly when he is gone. Oh, and I consider movie theater popcorn a necessity, too. :-)
pony mom--what a great score!
Yesterday was a very nice frugal day. DD and had a "use it up" lunch that was just some odds and ends from the fridge. Then we made scratch biscuits yesterday afternoon. She wanted to stick her hands in the dough, so I let her. She really enjoyed "kneading" it. My friend said it was gross to let her stick her hands in there, but they were clean and we were the only ones who were going to eat the biscuits, so...who cares? ;-)
Then one of DH's co workers bought Winter 5 little boxes of animal crackers--you know, the ones with the string handle. We gave her a box, which she thought was a purse and loved!
Frugal day planned today. I have a doctor's appt. this morning, so my MIL very graciously agreed to come watch the baby (who is now almost 14 months--I should probably stop calling her a "baby"). After I get home, I am going to make a big batch of pasta fagioli in the crock pot for dinner tonight. If I can manage it, I might also make a loaf of bread to go with (since DH likes to eat the leftover biscuits with jam in the morning). I love that I have time to bake again. This working less thing is shaping up to be pretty nice. I will miss the extra money, but not nearly as much as I have missed my sanity! It feels good to enjoy life again.
Forgot to mention that last night, our very thoughtful neighbors dropped off a two pumpkins for our DD. It was Pumpkin Sunday at their church, and they had leftovers. I thought that was really sweet! We've been wanting to take her to a pumpkin patch, but it's been so cold on the weekends. But now she has two pumpkins! One is about as big as she is. The other is much smaller--"just her size!" my neighbor's daughter exclaimed! ;-)
fidgiegirl
10-16-12, 4:54pm
Kat, how wonderful that you have your sanity back. If we had kids, I don't think I could do the full time thing. I can barely do it now and it's just the two of us. I think I have MMM on the mind lately, since this post (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/10/15/the-tyranny-of-having-a-real-job/) really hit me hard the other day. And I kind of found solace in its message . . . thank God I'm not the only one who finds full-time employment taxing. And yet in our society, it's not even allowed to be said . . . I hope all of you get where I'm coming from: happy to have the resources from the full-time job, but envisioning (and working toward, with both successes and steps back) a day when more of my time is my own.
MMM???
Mr. Money Mustache
He writes a personal finance blog and several of us from SLN, including Kelli and me, hang out over there as well.
Here's the URL in case you want to check it out: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/
WARNING: he uses profanity regularly, which some readers my find disturbing. :)
fidgiegirl
10-16-12, 7:18pm
cdttmm, I didn't know you were over there! I have run across several of our SLF friends (presumably, since they have the same handle) so that is always fun.
rosarugosa
10-16-12, 7:40pm
The profanity is one of my favorite parts!
For people that are cold, wanting to make gifts, or doing sewing lessons, consider making quillows. For smaller children, it can be fun to do a conversation starting print on one side and flannel on the other.
For people doing embroidery lessons, a fun combo is to do it in conjuction with the Bayeaux Tapestry.
Does anyone have suggestions for good free online class sites?
fidgiegirl
10-16-12, 9:34pm
Craft classes, or classes in general?
In general, check out iTunes U (through iTunes on your computer or mobile device) or Coursera.
Crafting classes, no idea :)
Tussiemussies
10-16-12, 9:40pm
For people that are cold, wanting to make gifts, or doing sewing lessons, consider making quillows. For smaller children, it can be fun to do a conversation starting print on one side and flannel on the other.
For people doing embroidery lessons, a fun combo is to do it in conjuction with the Bayeaux Tapestry.
Does anyone have suggestions for good free online class sites?
Hi Amaranth, have never heard of quillows, or Bayeaux Tapestry. You'll have to fill me in... Thanks:)
Thanks, fidgie! I feel the same way about full-time employment. Even before I had DD, I found it exhausting! When I first returned to work after DD was born, I felt like such a failure. I know so many parents who work full-time and manage to still spend time with their kids and keep their houses in order. I was only working part-time from home and couldn't seem to handle it all. Finally, my sister confided in me that yes, she works time and tries to stay on top of the kids and the house, but she isn't happy and doesn't feel she performs any of her life roles well. She said she is exhausted and miserable as is another one of our sisters trying to "do it all." That was kind of when I realized I can't compare myself to other people and just need to do what is best for me and my family. Things are looking up, but I agree with your sentiments regarding full-time work. A family member of mine lived in Europe for awhile and said that over there, they work to live but here (in the US), we live to work. It is sort of "taboo" to say anything against working full-time in our culture. It is great you are planning to make the transition into a simpler life career-wise if that is what you ultimately want. :-)
Okay, I am in danger of de-railing the thread, so I had better post my frugals now. :-)
amaranth--our old church had a sewing group dedicated to making quillows for deployed soldiers. They were fun to make and well-received.
I did follow through on my plans to make a big pot of soup yesterday and also made my first loaf of French bread. The soup recipe made so much that I decided to bring some to my neighbor (the one who brought over the pumpkins). She seemed really happy to have it. She works full-time with a long commute and was just getting home; she mentioned she wasn't feeling all that great and hadn't even thought about supper yet and that they'd probably eat it right away! They are such good neighbors and are always doing nice things for us; it made me happy to be able to do something nice for them. Anyway, even with sharing the soup and eating our fill last night, we still have enough for four more meals! I packaged those up in containers along with baggies of bread so DH could grab and go for his lunches. Afterwards, we took DD for a walk.
My MIL is coming over again to play with the baby so I can get some grading done. I think I will make a menu plan then, too, based around what's on sale this week (new flyer comes out today). Not sure what I will make for supper. Maybe mini meat loaves. In any case, we will be eating at home.
Kat, I can't believe your daughter is 14 months old already-gosh how the time flies!
Kelli-I cannot even begin to express how much I related to the things that you and Kat said about full time work. Its just not right. I never have enough time, feel like there is constantly a stop watch pushing me on towards the next project and there are tons of things that never, ever get done properly. I really resent wasting my life energy on working for money. Of course, then I waste money on stupid stuff like the $5 worth of cheese danishes that I bought last night that are stale and taste lousy but JUST HAD TO HAVE because I deserve a treat even if they're expensive! When will I learn?
On to the frugal sucesses...
Sunday was my birthday as you all know. I actually passed up the opportunity to have a nice dinner out with my guys. It just didn't seem necessary. It probably saved us around $70-80.
I recieved 3 nice packages of organic coffee in the mail yesterday.
Last night we had our usual cheap chinese dinner out and went shopping. I had a $10 off $30 coupon for kmart and dh needed work shoes. At the cash register I found out what I thought were $32 shoes were only $20 so I still have my coupon to use.
Ds wanted a pair of lens-less glasses for holloween. We started to look for a pair then dh remembered all the glasses that are left at the restaurant. He popped the lens out of a pair and ds has the finishing touches for his coustume at no cost. I should add that ds is using costume items from previous years to come up with something new for this year.
Krogers had a ton of good deals last night. I bought 18 2 liters of soda for 67 cents each. I brought home 10 boxes of free potatoes, a ton of rice and noodle mixes for little cost, cake mixes for 50 cents,and frosting for 67 cents. Last week I bought 3 cases of canned veggies at 50 cents a can.
I know I could do even better if I could...just...get....organized!!! We rushed through the stores so fast that we missed things like the actual price of the shoes. Plus I left my list at home. This won't happen after I retire and slow down right? LOL
Amaranth, those are great ideas!
Kat, can you post your French bread recipe? It sounds yummy.
Today was a weird, but frugal day. The girls started off the day asking me questions about the War of 1812 (there's a new American Girl doll from that era), which led to watching a documentary on it, which somehow led to a salt dough and toothpick model of Fort McHenry. Which is to say that I got absolutely nothing done today. :) Still, all of us know quite a bit more now about that war and it was cheap.
By the time dinner came around I was thinking of ordering a pizza because I was tired and totally not in the mood to make the rather complicated meal I had planned. Zach reminded me that I had ingredients for a casserole, so I tossed together a double batch so there will be some leftover for lunch tomorrow.
fidgiegirl
10-17-12, 8:26pm
Stella, lots of commemorating this year in Canada for the War of 1812. Interesting, I wonder that % of the US population even remembers it ever happened. I couldn't even tell you what it was about without looking it up! Terrible! (I bet you could . . . LOL)
BKE, that's what's great about SLF, we can put those things out there and work towards them in a safe place. And forgive yourself the danishes. Mmmmm, danishes . . . you are a frugal ninja in my opinion. Hey, did you ever sell your house?
I am remembering that I got $10 of Kohl's bucks from buying a pair of jeans and a sweater last week for our family pictures. I will try to remember to zip in there and pick up some socks or a scarf or something using the money.
We ate at home tonight even though I had it in my head that I would pick up a rotisserie chicken. DH reminded me we had potatoes and pork chops. An evil headache grabbed me in late afternoon, so I really didn't want to make it, but I managed to get the potatoes tossed with oil/salt/pepper and into the oven and then laid down. It's still hanging on, but the Excedrin is working its magic . . .
A frugal weekend is planned. Every fall we have two days off for teacher union conference and it's this Thurs./Fri. I have a funeral to attend for a coworker's father on Friday, and we are going to mount our garage door opener ($40 on CL) and maaaaaaaybe attempt to install a glass block window in one of our basement window openings. We'll see if we can get to both. I would also like to get our tulips in the ground and maybe do some sewing. We got the fabric at a good price last weekend at JoAnn.
Blackdog Lin
10-17-12, 8:52pm
I can't really take any credit for being frugal today.....but there it is. I stayed in, didn't leave the house. No fuel useage. No shopping. Cooked our main meal homemade (well, semi) from what was on-hand. Didn't run to the store for anything. Had a nice nap. Went for a small walk, with the dog, and we both enjoyed the activity. October so far is.....well, the weather is hit and miss, but overall it is wondermous. A little hot or a little cold.....it's still weather I can get outside and enjoy.
fidgie--isn't Kohl's awesome? My MIL gives me $10 off $10 coupons for there sometimes, so I can usually get little outfits or jammies for the kiddo for free and, depending on how much I buy, earn Kohl's cash on top of it. Last time I was there, they had hard covered children's books and stuffed animals for 2.50, which I thought was a pretty good deal.
stella--I followed this recipe from King Arthur Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hearth-bread-recipe It turned out pretty well, but my loaf wasn't as light and hole-y as the picture. It was much more dense. I am wondering if I maybe over-kneaded it? I am still fairly new to bread making.
Went to the store yesterday while MIL sat with the baby. I missed having DD at the store with me, but I was able to take my time and therefore save a little money by price comparison, etc. Usually DD gets fussy halfway through and I have to rush to finish. I came in $15 under budget which is good since I have to buy diapers yet. Would have done better, but I spent $12 on stuff for DH's "Dip Day" at work.
My MIL stayed for lunch yesterday, and we had leftover soup and bread. Then last night DH and I had "EMG" for dinner (Everything Must Go) and used up a lot of odds and ends.
Will take the baby to Target today to get diapers and cat litter, which DH failed to mention we needed until this morning Side note: this drives me crazy! I always ask him beforehand if he needs anything, if I forgot anything, etc. and he always says no. Then, after I spend all (or almost all) of our budgeted funds, he remembers a million things we need. Gah! I am going to have to start putting a little extra aside just in case, and if he says anything about fewer snack or beverage choices, I'll (nicely) tell him why.
The good news is that I have a $5 off $25 coupon for Target I can use today. That will cover most of the cost of the cat litter.
Kat, dense bread is most likely due to under-kneading or insufficient rising. Rise times in recipes are usually not enough if you live in a cool climate. It is very, very difficult to overknead bread dough when you are making it by hand.
Frugals -
Aside from fresh produce, we've been eating largely out of the freezer this month.
While my dad has been here I've gotten many tasks accomplished around the house, as he does not like to be out and about much. I'm fully caught up on cleaning, laundry, and almost fully on garden chores. Today DD has off school and we're going to a planned lunch outing, though.
SteveinMN
10-18-12, 8:44am
Then, after I spend all (or almost all) of our budgeted funds, he remembers a million things we need. Gah! I am going to have to start putting a little extra aside just in case, and if he says anything about fewer snack or beverage choices, I'll (nicely) tell him why.
What works for us is a piece of paper affixed to the refrigerator with a magnet; on it goes the consumables -- food, toiletries, laundry soap -- that we need to buy "next time you're there". I find if I don't write it down as soon as I use the last of it, I tend to forget. And that's a pain at best and sometimes surprisingly expensive at worst.
fidgiegirl
10-18-12, 10:40am
I don't have a cat, but surely there are less expensive cat litter solutions? Although having scooped a lot of boxes as an extra moneymaker over the years, I can definitely appreciate that some perform better than others.
Okay, less than frugal week here. I'm in Philly for a conference and due to scheduling craziness with my partner I ended up flying here and buying a plane ticket at the very last minute. Ugh. Probably cost me about an extra $400 as a result. So I am trying to find creative ways to be frugal to at least make up for some of that. I figured out how to take public transportation from the airport to the hotel, which saved me at least $25 so that was a plus! And now I can take public transportation back to the airport on Sunday (unless I can cab share with several people), which will also save me some money. I didn't grow up in a big city so I am not that used to taking public transportation except for taking the subway in NYC (and it took me YEARS to really get comfortable navigating it by myself!) so being able to figure this out today was a big win for me. Most other times I've come to Philly I've been pressed for time so taking a cab was always quickest and easiest so that has been my excuse up until now. Well, NO MORE!!! I feel very empowered by this new knowledge. :D
A bunch of people are gathering for dinner tonight before the conference begins tomorrow, but I have not yet decided if I will join them. It might be a nice way to meet some people that I might not otherwise meet, but the restaurant has very limited options for a gluten-free vegetarian and it is not the cheapest place to eat so...I'll have to think carefully about that decision. I don't drink alcohol and very rarely soda so it's hard for me to even go and just hang out and have a drink with them. Decisions, decisions...
I did remember to pack tea bags and my insulated travel mug as well as snacks for the weekend so that should minimize my impulse food/drink purchases! Hooray for being organized while packing this morning!!!
I have to fly to Kansas in a few weeks for another conference. I priced out the plane tickets and even well in advance they were nearly $1000 -- WHAT!??! I discovered that, fortunately, due to my insane travel this year for my job I have more than enough frequent flier miles to get a free ticket -- HOORAY!!! And I should still have enough miles left over for a free ticket to go home to Minnesota at Christmas time. Woot!
Wow -- apparently I just have travel on my mind today. :~)
Blackdog Lin
10-18-12, 8:58pm
Welcome to Kansas in a few weeks, cdt. I'm sure you'll be nowhere near my (frugal) location - but I hope you find some enjoyment in our state. There are some lovely parts.....
This is a great thread. This past week, I've made some great dinners, including chili and chicken and dumplings. Also baked apple spice bread and banana bread, chocolate chip cookies for husband and kid's lunches.
On the frugal front, daughter had a great braces report. I discovered that her upcoming retainer (braces come off soon) is part of the pre paid course of treatment, which is something I didn't realize. Nice.
Daughter and I made packs for homeless at a Mission class that we attended. There's a regular guy that walks our area with his dog. He's been around for a year. He really has not been doing well. I was able (and in a safe location) to see him and pull off quick enough to give to him.
Consignment shop yielded several things that we needed replaced. A long sleeved light sweater that looked like it was from an Anthropologie type store for $6 and two long sleeved shirts for son, two for daughter at $4 or less each.
We walked to church, this past Sunday. I've not been well to do any more walk/biking this past week. Hopefully, next week will be better!
Rosemary--thanks for the bread baking advice! I wonder if the dense bread had to do with rising, then? I let it go for the amount of time stated in the recipe, but it is cool here, so maybe it didn't rise right. I kneaded it in my Kitchen Aid for 5 minutes with the dough hook when the recipe said to do it for 5 minutes by hand. That is why I thought maybe I over kneaded it! ;-)
SteveinMN--thanks for the tip! :-) That is what we try to do, too. We have a magnetic pad of paper on the fridge...it's just that stuff doesn't always get written down. I remember what I need to buy, but I don't always know what DH needs. He is a great husband, and I am not a fan of nagging. So I think maybe I could mention the pad of paper again but will set a little aside each week in case he forgets something he needs. Then he can just pick it up after work with no gas wasted.
fidgie--There are cheaper cat litter solutions--newspaper, wood shavings, clay litter, etc. We used them when I was a teenager still living at home, and I was not impressed. Even scooped a couple of times a day, our house always smelled like dirty litter. Plus, our current cats are sensitive to change and rebel when we try something different. Our home now is smallish with three litter boxes. It is worth it to us to pay for higher quality clumping litter that performs well and is accepted by the cats.
Well, my plans to cook dinner last night fell through, but we did still manage to eat at home. Normally we'd just order a pizza or something, but instead, we had sandwiches, chips, and fruit. I will try to get dinner cooked tonight or we probably will cave and get a pizza! ;-)
I did go to the store as planned. The cat litter was on sale, so that was nice. I resisted temptation to buy a new scarf (which was only a want and not a need), but I did spend 79 cents on a little chocolate treat for DH. :-)
Today I plan to take the baby to visit my dad. Not really frugal since gas is so expensive and he now lives half an hour a way, but we all enjoy the visit! This afternoon I hope to take a nap when the baby does or maybe get some sewing done.
If anyone's interested, I did a blog post today called "How We Built A Home Recording Studio out of Gifts and Garbage"! DH and I got work-at-home narration jobs doing voiceovers for an Israeli company that develops apps for mobile television devices. Seriously, we built the entire studio out of stuff that we'd either found on the street, in a dumpster, lying around our storage room, or had been given to us by friends. The one thing that actually cost us money was the piano stand, which I think cost about $20. My blog link is in my signature line. I'm feeling quite proud of our thriftiness, I must say! :)
Kat - a couple of bread tips
- I think that Kitchen Aid recommends kneading bread dough for 4 minutes on speed 2. When I make 100% whole grain bread that is not enough, however. Once you've made bread a few times, you'll be able to feel the difference. Generally it is close to being done when it starts "cleaning the bowl" - it will all clump around the dough hook in a cohesive mass.
- Test to see if the dough is done rising by poking it gently with your finger. If the indent fills in, it's not done. Let the first rise go as long as is convenient for you - you can slow it down by putting it in a cool place in your house, or in the fridge if you want to bake it much later. Long rises and cool temps build flavor. For the second rise, in the bread pan, don't let it over-rise. You'll get some "oven-spring" from the last of the yeast activity as it heats up rapidly in the oven.
- I like to start my bread in a 425 or 450 degree oven to maximize the oven spring, regardless of what the recipe says. I usually turn down the oven after about 15 minutes.
- Bread is done baking when the interior temp of the loaf is 200 degrees. It is worth measuring if you're making whole grain loaves, especially ones that aren't just flour but contain actual whole grains, as those hold a lot of moisture and can take significantly longer to bake.
Frugals today
- we're having a calm, slow day at home. DD is off school and she really needs a day like this as 4th grade has been a big step up from previous years in terms of work and activities. I'll use my time to catch up on cleaning and organize a few spaces that have been building clutter (kitchen drawers, bookshelves). Also DD and I are going to work on a craft project later - for which we already have all supplies.
fidgiegirl
10-19-12, 4:22pm
DH is finishing up mounting our new garage door opener, a CL find that cost $40 + $25 for the mounting kit. We had a free one laying around but I really wanted one that would take sensors (actually I heard it is illegal not to have sensors now anyway) and looking back, that "free" one would have cost us a lot of $$ in parts - it was not complete. The guy we bought this from on CL was meticulous about keeping all the parts - even the nuts and bolts - needed for this installation. Only 2 parts were missing, and they were included in the mounting kit from Menards. So very soon, we will be in business! We will have paid a total of about $200 for a new garage door, installation, and opener. And we'll be able to park a car inside in winter! Plus we have learned how to mount an opener! Yippee!
Actually, we had talked about building a two-car garage, but with our one-car one organized, it doesn't feel like nearly as much of an issue. It's a distant future project now. I like that.
I got my bday gift from DH - a little late, but that's ok. The whole week leading up to my bday he was holding down the fort here at home with the doggies while I was out having fun with the visitors from Costa Rica. He got me a beautiful pepper grinder and coarse salt shaker set. I love them and have been eyeballing some since summertime.
Oh, we just scored a big frugal win, and DH was so excited about it when we did the math that he insisted I post a bragging announcement to my "cheapskate friends" online!
When we first got to Israel, we bought roasted, ground coffee at the cheapest grocery store we could find. The house consumption was six cups a day, total...three or four cups for me, two or three for DH, plus coffee for the occasional visitor. This cost us, on average $12 a week (not including milk and sugar, which remains a constant) for the coffee beans, or $624 a year.
A month later, we discovered we could buy roasted coffee beans in the old city of Acco, which was a few miles down the road. Buying in bulk amounts that took us three months to consume, our weekly coffee bean expenditure was $8. If you factored in the cost of transport to and from the next town, it was slightly more; however, we scheduled our trips to coincide with necessary trips to visit various government offices. At $8 a week, annual coffee expenditure was $416.
Last month, we discovered a store on the outskirts of our town that sold green (unroasted) coffee beans. After studying a few YouTube videos on how to roast your own coffee beans in a pan on your stovetop, we gave it a try. Our total cost for coffee beans is now the grand total of $1.75 a week, or $91 a year!
If we compare what would have been our annual coffee bean outlay had we just stuck with the pre-roasted beans bought locally, to what we are doing now, and multiply that by ten years, we are saving $5,330! Of course, the price of coffee will probably continue to rise, so these are based on today's figures. And, my figures don't account for the cost of the natural gas used for the fifteen minutes worth of stove flame required to do the roasting, which we do weekly. However, those numbers look pretty darn good to me! Plus, we get completely fresh, home-roasted coffee that tastes exactly the way we like it.
Insert victory dance here! :)
Aqua Blue
10-20-12, 9:17am
I would be doing a victory dance too!! Good for you.
fidgiegirl
10-20-12, 9:53am
Selah, have you been reading this (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/15/getting-started-3-eliminate-short-termitis-the-bankruptcy-disease/)? ;)
Awesome work. You are rocking the frugals, and so is everyone!!
We are going to make some crockpot meals today (spaghetti sauce and bean soup). I sat down last night and did meal planning for us and for the dogs. Gussy was puking again yesterday. He really has no reason to be doing so. I think they both need to be on different food. Won't be a frugal outlay up front (or also on an ongoing basis) but hopefully they will both feel better.
I felt bad posing the cat litter question somewhat inquisition-like to you, Kat! :) I get the pet expense thing. I was just surprised!
Fidgiegirl, yes ma'am, I have indeed been reading Mr. Money Mustache, since so many of us on these boards suggested it. This forum and his posts and forums keep me thinking, questioning, and experimenting all the way, even now that our debt is paid off and we have OK-ish savings in the bank. Now that we're both earning again, it's very exciting to see how much we can save and avoid the dreaded "lifestyle creep," which sounds like a Saturday Night Live (SNL) character, rather than a Simple Living Network (SNL) character! :)
try2bfrugal
10-20-12, 10:49am
Last month, we discovered a store on the outskirts of our town that sold green (unroasted) coffee beans. After studying a few YouTube videos on how to roast your own coffee beans in a pan on your stovetop, we gave it a try. Our total cost for coffee beans is now the grand total of $1.75 a week, or $91 a year!
Good for you Selah. Coffee is one of the things we are trying to figure out how to lower our cost of at our house.
Originally posted by Kat.
I came in $15 under budget which is good since I have to buy diapers yet.I gather cloth diapers didn't work for you? Sigh... :)
try2bfrugal
10-20-12, 11:24am
We are refinancing for the third time this year with another no cost, no point loan. Our credit union sells the loan and then every few months as long as rate go down we just start the process all over again. This time we will save 12K in interest over the life of the loan.
The local bank kept creeping up fees on the kids account since they have low balances so we all opened credit union checking accounts so we can pay them their allowances via online banking. That will save a few hundred a year in bank fees and we got $50 as a signon bonus for each new account.
We slip covered a recliner with a $35 cover instead of buying a new $400 chair.
I bought a new printer than can use the Sophia Global ink cartridges ($2 each!) so I returned the name brand ink cartridges I had for the old printer to Amazon. They don't widely advertise it but you can return stuff there past 30 days for refunds less small restocking fees. I used the refund money to buy solar lights for outside. They look work great and won't use any electricity. I also got a Staples rewards coupon for recycling ink cartridges ($2 each - the same as they cost). I will use the money to buy staples like TP or maybe small electronic Christmas gifts.
We bought some new garden tools at Tuesday Morning that were less than half of even the Walmart price since they were clearing out their summer outdoor merchandise. It is strange they clear out garden stuff in fall since we live in California we will use pruners all year long and so will anyone else here with a yard.
REI had a sale on bike repairs so we took in a couple of the bikes that needed work.
We continue to weather strip and look for ways to save on energy. Our electric bill was almost half of what it was a year ago this month.
I got a bunch of really cool, new to me books, mostly on how to save money and DIY projects, at the local library book sale for $1 each. I sold some books I had at the local used book store so that helped offset the cost and keep down the clutter.
I bought a Yosanas to make soft serve banana ice cream at home so we don't go out and spend money on frozen yogurt.
I used a coupon and switched to longer term hosting for a couple of web site so that saved $70 over the previous price.
Last night was my monthly women's potluck. So much fun! I made a chocolate pear cake that was quite well recieved. We had so much fun! Really, it is such a cool group of women. The conversation with that group is just first rate. It reminds me of us here on SLN.
I have developed a serious reputation for desserts amongst my neighbors. I have thought that possibly some year in the future I might think about selling some pastries or baked goods for parties, holidays, etc. Apparently MN has a cottage food law that allows you to sell homebaked goods as long as you don't make over $5,000. I wouldn't come anywhere near that, but it could be a fun way to make a little cash.
Lunch today was leftover pizza and dinner tonight will be leftover chicken stew with biscuits.
I hit a discount food store today. I had been really hesitant to try it because I'm a bit squeemish about nearly-expired food, but a friend of mine assured me that there were some gems among the produce and that they actually have quite a few organic products. I decided to give it a shot and she was right. I got a huge clamshell package of organic salad mix for $2, 4 bunches of organic spinach for $1, organic winter squash for $69/lb, organic honeycrisp apples for $2.50/lb and several other awesome deals. Most of it looked exactly like it would at any grocery store, with the exception of the peaches, which were ripe, but not overripe. I'll use the things that really need to be used up first and when things look like they're reaching the end I'll either toss them in a smoothie or juice them. Between that store and Aldi I got almost everything I need for groceries for two weeks for $120. I'd estimate that I can probably do the whole two weeks on $150 and we'll be eating healthy and well. Over the summer I had been spending about $500-$550 a month on groceries for the 8 of us. I have gotten that down to $400-$450 over the last month or two and I think I might be able to get it down closer to $350-$400.
My next-door-neighbor had a garage sale charity benefit and the girls took a bunch of change from the change jar and raided the $.25 books. A bunch of the neighbors donate their stuff to this charity sale every year and it's always a good one. I got two cookbooks on tea party cooking. My neighbor said when she is done she is going to call us over and let us pick whatever else we might want before she donates it. She had a ton of fabric, so if that is leftover, I might take some of that.
Another neighbor's daughter had just gotten married and had a bunch of favours leftover filled with popcorn seeds, with a recipe for kettle corn attached to it. She gave them to my next-door-neighbor as a give-away for people who came to the sale and they gave me a ton of them. We're going to have kettle corn tomorrow in celebration of the Canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Bella's patron saint and the first ever Native American saint.
My mom gave me money for Halloween stuff. I was able to get most of the stuff for Cheyenne and Bella's costumes at the thrift store. James and T's were storebought, but I know they'll get a ton of use out of them. The nice thing about Cheyenne and Bella's (Firestar and Wasp, the superheros) is that the base of them are regular clothes that they can use for everyday wear after Halloween. I also got Cheyenne the most adorable paisley skirt for $2 and a Christmas dress for Bella, who outgrew hers, for $3. The Christmas dress is so well suited to her colouring. She is a redhead, so some colours work really well on her and some really don't.
Thanks, Rosemary! Those bread-baking tips were really helpful! I'll get it figured out eventually! ;-)
fidgie--what a great birthday gift! Oh, and I wasn't offended at all by the cat litter questions. I learn a lot through discussions like that here. :-) This is just one area where doing the cheaper thing doesn't work for us. We do keep the litter we buy clean and mix in baking soda, so at least that helps stretch it a little further. ;-)
Mrs M--I WISH the cloth diapers had worked! They give the peanut a horrible diaper rash! I've tried absolutely everything in terms of washing them, stripping them, extra (extra) rinse cycles, different detergents, etc., but DD always has a diaper rash within hours after using them--even though I change her frequently. The disposables seem to do a much better job of keeping the moisture away from her skin. The cloth diapers seem to just kind of hold it there. I guess she just has extra sensitive skin. So...I put the cloth diapers away to try to use with future babies. Hopefully they work the next time around.
DH really felt like Chinese food last night, so we ordered in. It wasn't really that bad because we have a budgeted amount of cash for eating out, and we got two meals out of it. But still, I'd like to cook at home for the rest of this weekend and next week.
DH is working a lot of overtime right now, so we are hoping to be able to put a little away for Christmas.
This afternoon, DH and DD took a nap and I sat in my sunroom next to the fireplace and wrote. I covered up with an afghan my mom made me years ago and was able to complete a whole chapter. That was really, really nice!
re: cloth diapers and rashes. We had issues with rashes as well, and I had to use disposables at night but was able to use cloth during the day (when changes were frequent). Fleece diaper liners help to wick moisture away from the skin, if you want to try that - just get a remnant of fleece and cut it into pieces for lining the diaper.
Stella, please share the location of this discount grocery! Interesting about the cottage food law - I wasn't aware of that and will have to look into it, as I've also considered various forms of cooking as potential income. I'll have to see if a commercial kitchen is required.
Today's frugal: I sorted through the items that I already have for holiday gifts so that I could determine what I still needed to make or purchase. DD and DH are doing the annual winter prep in the yard and shed so that's keeping them busy.
rosarugosa
10-20-12, 6:23pm
Selah: That's a great savings on the coffee! I wonder if my DH would be interested in doing this, since he likes to cook and is a bit of a foodie. We buy pre-roasted beans at Costco, and I think it runs us about $13.00 for almost two months, so we're lucky that it isn't too expensive and therefore our potential savings wouldn't be as dramatic. Still, there are often benefits beyond financial to DIY stuff.
DH is getting a lot of use from the cupcake pan I bought for his birthday (Nordic Ware, which I believe is made in MN, if I'm not mistaken). He made me cupcakes to bring to work this week, so that was much cheaper than if I had bought something, and so much better. I know it sounds like a weird gift, but he had been saying he wanted one for a long time, and he loves Nordic Ware.
Kat: We buy scoopable clumping kitty litter at Costco. It costs about $7.00 for 40 lbs. We have two cats and one has chronic kidney disease, so he probably uses the litter box 2 or 3 times as much as a healthy cat, and we still get almost a month out of the 40 lb box. I think our Costco membership is worth it just for coffee, kitty litter, and frozen berries.
Rosa, you are right, Nordic Ware is made in MN. In St Louis Park, I think. We are quite proud here to be the home state of the bundt cake. :)
Rosemary, the discount food store is Mike's Discount Foods on University and Osborne Rd. The produce made it worth the trip.
Another frugal for today is that the kids decided to make a tablescape using stuff from outside. They collected some pretty grasses from near the pond and the lake and some fall leaves and arranged them with two of the squashes and a white candle on a pretty yellow placemat in the middle of the table. It looks beautiful and it was free.
Sigh, Kat... Some kids are just born with touchy skin. Diaper rash was rare in our house, but it occasionally paid a visit and made it's rounds, and plain pin-fastened diapers (sans waterproof pants) always did the trick. The diapers sagged and drooped hilariously on their skinny little bottoms, but it left lots of room for air to circulate in and out of their pants, helping keep their bottoms dry and cool.
I wonder with the new modern cloth diapers, if the fit isn't too tailored, to the point of holding wetness too close to the skin... With the old-fashioned (like I used), the fit is looser (baggier), and the fabric/material much thinner.
P.S. Rosemary's advice sounds super!
try2bfrugal
10-21-12, 11:31am
Sigh, Kat... Some kids are just born with touchy skin. Diaper rash was rare in our house, but it occasionally paid a visit and made it's rounds, and plain pin-fastened diapers (sans waterproof pants) always did the trick.
I started using a diaper cream with zinc on both our kids when they were babies and that worked like a miracle for diaper rashes. I had read in an ancient edition of the What to Expect books back then that not using any cream was best, so I remember tossing that book after I tried the zinc cream anyway and it worked so great.
I started using a diaper cream with zinc on both our kids when they were babies and that worked like a miracle for diaper rashes. I had read in an ancient edition of the What to Expect books back then that not using any cream was best, so I remember tossing that book after I tried the zinc cream anyway and it worked so great.
I'm convinced that zinc oxide cream (with A & D a bonus) is the cure for just about everything. I'd never be without it.
Rosemary--I read that about the fleece once, and also that microfiber works similarly. The lining of DD's cloth diapers are microfiber, though, and still give her diaper rash.
Mrs M--I kind of wondered that, too, about the design of modern cloth diapers. DD's are fitted just like a disposable, and they are adjustable in size. They do not leak at all, which is great, but they are tailored to fit close to the body and are (once I add in the liners) somewhat thick.
try2bfrugal and JaneV2.0--Okay, this will probably sound really dumb, but I did not know you could just use plain zinc oxide cream for diaper rash. I found some diaper rash cream that works well, but it is like $5 a tube. eeek! I'll grab plain old zinc oxide next time. Thanks for the tip! :-)
rosarugosa--I am so jealous of folks that have Sam's/Costco nearby! The closest one to us is like an hour and half away. Still might be worth it to do a big stock up once in awhile, though. Seems like the prices are pretty good.
DH and I totally fell off the frugal wagon this weekend. After ordering Chinese for lunch yesterday, we ordered pizza for dinner. We tend to do this when DH is working overtime. Ugh. BUT he did bring home a ham that a co-worker gave him. I fried some of that with some eggs for breakfast and we had sandwiches and fruit for lunch, so at least we haven't eaten out today.
I am almost out of laundry soap and am going to give making my own a try. If it works, it will be much cheaper than the Tide we normally buy. I'm a little nervous about the skin sensitivity issues in our house (not just the baby, but DH, too) but figure the homemade stuff probably has way fewer weird chemicals and scents in it than the stuff we buy at the grocery store.
Spent the entire weekend doing errands. DH is working pretty much full time so we ended up doing lots of stuff. We will start doing some of these things at night during the week so we can have a real day off. Made applesauce bread and cranberry bread, DH and I filled a 4 gallon crock with the start of what we hope will become sauerkraut. Several loads of laundry line dried in the crisp autumn breeze. Made a pot of sausage bean and kale soup and will have home made pizza tonight and for leftovers.
I finally figured out my halloween costume for work. A wiser, healthier Paula Dean with white wig and apron! Ha-am it's what's for dinner ya'all!
Try2bfrugal. I also tried a few diaper rash cremes/ointments... Diaperene, Penaten, and a third one, which I can't remember for the life of me right now, however, my biggest success was allowing the kid's bottom to air-out/dry. I do think it all depends on the kid's skin. With a couple of my kids, ointment worked OK, while not so OK with the others.
Leaving off the rubber pants and letting them run freely in a double diaper, seemed to chase away the redness/irritation/soreness, best, as did changing them frequently, even when they didn't actually need to be changed, i.e. just prior to bedtime/etc.
JaneV2.0. I agree, zinc oxide is magical for so many things, but as with many things, there will always be the exception/kid who's skin simply does not respond to cremes/ointments, etc. It's a crap-shoot with every kid. Trial and error, has always been my general rule of thumb.
Kat. I know old-fashioned cloth diapers can be a hard-sell for some moms, but if you can find a half dozen prefolds or a handful of traditional flats at a thrift store, and they are in good condition, scoop them up and try them.
The pinning part comes easy after a few days (if you've never pinned diapers before), and you can even go with one of those funky rubber-fasteners, whatever they are called... as for covers, you don't have to use rubber pants anymore (if you don't want to), as there are all kinds and sorts of modern wraps and things nowadays, albeit I always used the old, so I have no experience/advice to share Re: modern covers.
Kat. Just finished scrounging-up an old baby-needs supplies catalogue I remembered I had from when my kids were babies. As an option to expensive diaper covers, you could go the half-measure, and instead of using old-fashioned pull-on rubber/plastic pants, you could use these (http://www.kidalog.com/products/Snap%252dOn-Longlife-Pants.html), waterproof nylon snap-on pants (still old-fashioned), however, they breathe better/let more air in/circulate than standard waterproof pull-on pantie pants. Just thinking of options for you in case you ever decide on trying old-fashioned diapers.
P.S. If I remember correctly, Early Morning, used snap-on rubber pants, so you could always ask her for info, etc, Re:.
Kat - Mrs. M's post reminded me what I used to do for severe diaper rash - let DD run around in the back yard with just some thin cotton pants or shorts on - no diaper. Of course, that only works when the weather is nice!
Today's frugals... prepped lunches for a few days, dinner yielded extras for 1 meal in the freezer, put together some items I need to return to the hardware store. I bought more bulbs than I could possibly plant this fall, apparently on an overly optimistic day.
fidgiegirl
10-21-12, 8:25pm
Hi all!
Well, I feel so good about this long weekend (every fall there is a four day weekend in October for teacher professional conference, which DH - also a teacher - and I did not attend). We got done two of the big tasks hanging over us before winter - hang the garage door opener (http://ourfairabode.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/open-sesame/) and install a glass block window in our laundry room. (http://ourfairabode.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/a-chip-off-the-old-glass-block/) We were blessed with a 70 degree day to get the window done today, luckily on a day off from work. And because we DIYed it, we have the knowledge for future projects. Love that. The glass block supplies cost us $100 compared to the roughly $250 Menards had quoted us to pre-fab a custom one for that odd-sized opening (which we still would have had to install ourselves). Yippee to no more winter air in the laundry room! Follow the link to see the before and after shots!
Had a big pot of ham and bean soup yesterday and today. Many lunches still left in the big pot. Cost us $9 for the beans and ham bone and can of diced tomatoes, and some cents for the spices. Yum.
I enjoyed the most gorgeous run this morning, and feel so lucky to be alive.
Big hugs to all my frugal friends entering the week ahead!
Kelli I saw the wondow thing on Facebook. Very nice!
The family room is painted!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zach did it today. Tonight we are going to clean up the floors and arrange the furniture and then we are done!!!!! Now that it's done I am so grateful we did it ourselves. It looks good. It's so much brighter and so not horrifically pink. :) The shelves made from the old paneling are an amazing storage asset. That paneling has actually almost all been used in other places of the house as shelving, painted white of course, so we minimized the environmental impact and saved the cost of hauling it away. My next-door neighbour came over to see it and wants Zach to do the same thing for her. He's considering it.
I made a really nice Chinese Chicken Salad for dinner tonight with the organic lettuce I got for $2. I only used about 1/3 of it to feed 6 of us. I also used some of the 4/$1 cucumber, some red onion I had leftover from something else and I made the dressing myself. Even James, who doesn't eat much, ate two helpings. I was shocked.
We had pasta with homemade alfredo sauce for lunch and peach oatmeal with toasted coconut for breakfast. All yummy and cheap. Tomorrow we are going to use up the last of the peaches making brie and peach quesadillas.
My next-door neighbor gave us some stuff from her yard sale that didn't sell and we let her toss a few things in our bagster.
Tomorrow's FFF is a different kind of girls night for me than usual. My friend is going to be induced on Wednesday with my Goddaughter, so tomorrow night I'm going to go over and help her get her kitchen in order and make some meals for when she gets out of the hospital. I enjoy that kind of thing, and I know better than most people what the post-partum period is like, so I'm all over this. :)
Chinese chicken salad sounds delicious!
We were at the shed/cabin, this weekend. As for Frugal Finds, an uncle had a dining room sized carpet remnant stored away. When their manufactured home was delivered, the company customized the flooring incorrectly. They corrected it and left him the remnant. And there, it had been rolled up for months. So, he offered to us to take it off his hands. It was more than we needed for our bedroom!
Aunt's chickens are also producing fantastic, so they sent us home with a dozen eggs (including some 'Easter Eggers' which are a light blue color)
She also had some extra plants that a friend gave her, that she won't be able to use (she has so many now).
In reverse, I brought a few shirts that daughter no longer wears, for a younger cousin. :)
SimplyL I am jealous of your eggs. I like all of the different coloured eggs. My FIL always brings eggs from his chickens when he visits and they are so pretty.
Now that the family room is finished I am getting it all set up. It's mostly going to function as an indoor gym/rec space. We have all of the stuff for it. We've got a basketball hoop, courtesy of Rosemary (thanks again!), a foosball table my mom had bought Zach at a thrift store several years ago, hoola hoops, balls and trikes. I am going to try to talk Zach into putting eye hooks on the walls so we can string up our volleyball/badminton net once in a while. I also have building toys like blocks and lincoln logs down there. I think the only things we bought ourselves were the volleyball/badminton set, for $15 one Fathers Day, and the hoola hoops, which were about $5 each. Everything else was secondhand or a gift. With five kids in a cold Northern climate it's good to have indoor space for active play. The only thing I may get for that room still is a small rug for the lincoln log corner.
I'm organizing the room in a way that the couch and coffee table can be easily moved aside for active play and the active play stuff can be easily put away when the room needs to serve quieter functions. I'm making a "trike parking" area in the closet under the coats and the balls, nets and rackets can be stored in the coffee table, which is actually a lightweight bamboo trunk. The room is actually doing triple duty for a while, since Charlotte will be moving into it as her bedroom at night. Her pack n play is nestled in an alcove on one side of the fireplace and the bookshelf is nestled in the other, so they are flush with the front of the fireplace. I am please with the amount of usage I am getting out of one single room.
I made ginger pear muffins for breakfast today. Those were yummy and cheap.
Thanks everyone, for sharing your cloth diaper/diaper rash experiences. I must have jinxed it, because the peanut woke up with a horrible diaper rash this morning. It looks awful. I did stick her in the bath and let her crawl around her room bare-bottomed for a bit afterward. Poor thing.
fidgie--that ham and bean soup sounds delicious! My dad always used to make that with our Christmas ham leftovers. He was such a great cook when he was still able to get around. I miss eating his food!
Well, I managed to make salisbury steak, roasted potatoes, and veggies last night. DD gobbled up the potatoes (she is her mother's daughter) and even ate some of the meat. We all had leftovers for lunch. I took the meat for the rest of the week out of the freezer which should help contribute to eating at home. On the menu for the week: sticky chicken, Australian goulash, and Italian sausage sandwiches.
DH got his profit sharing check today. We were planning to buy a bunch of meat for the freezer with it, but we're going to have to talk about how to best spend it when he gets home. We have some other expenses coming up, and I'd like to be able to save a little and give some to our church, too.
We also need to go over insurance plans for next year. A new company bought DH's workplace, and even though they are larger and promised better insurance, the cost (at least for us) will go WAY up and continue to increase with each child up to five children. So we are researching our options.
This coming weekend we are planning to take DD to Boo at the Zoo. It is basically trick-or-treating at the zoo during the day. Some friends of ours graciously offered to share their free passes with us, and if we pack our own food, it should be pretty inexpensive. I think DD will like it.
early morning
10-22-12, 9:48pm
Kat, my mother always swore by browned flour, used like talc, as a remedy for diaper rash. It worked on my kids too.... and remedies don't come much cheaper, lol.
Early Morning. Yes, browned-flour or cornstarch. Breast-milk, is supposed to be the bomb! Never did try it though...
Thanks, early morning! Didn't think of breast milk, Mrs. M. That stuff has AMAZING healing properties!
Yesterday afternoon, I really needed to get some dishes done, so I put DD in her high chair and gave her a loaf pan filled with a bit of corn meal along with a plastic cup and spoon. She loved playing with the new texture, digging around with the spoon and filling the cup. It kept her busy for 45 minutes! Of course it made a big mess, but...45 minutes!!!
Then my sister sent a little Halloween package for her. It contained some artwork her kids drew (so cute!), a Halloween sippy cup, and a Halloween board book that has all these little flaps you can look under. I suspect the book will keep her occupied for half an hour at a time (she loves, loves, LOVES books!) Need to send my sister a thank you today.
Last night was decidedly un-frugal as we went to the store to get some art supplies for DD. She loves them, though, and they encourage creativity, so I'm not sorry. We did spend a little extra on the color wonder markers and paints that only show up on color wonder paper. To me, it was worth not having to scrub her hands, her clothes, the couch, the walls, etc. every five minutes. Not exactly frugal on the outset, but I think she'll get a lot of use out of them and they'll allow me to get some stuff done around the house every now and then!
It really does, Kat. If ever you try it for diaper rash, do let me know. Even though it's been a couple of years since I've dropped a diaper in a pail, it would be a great tip to pass along to others, knowing it actually works.
Tussiemussies
10-23-12, 11:37am
Hi Kat, think it is great that you bought your daughter those art supplies and are fostering her creativity. :)
I have the windows open and air off. I had my treatment this morning, so am taking it easy until I get the kids. Laundry is running, and having a simple blackeyed peas and rice with some of the ham husband smoked and corn bread - so easy dinner.
Funny that as I lay up here in bed, dog is looking outside for birds, other dogs, whatever moves.. and I'm listening to everyone around me - their air condish turning on. It's still 70 degrees in my house with the air off, so they must be a work and their house must feel like a freezer!
Now, in our region, by late afternoon there's a few hours that I may need to turn it on. Anyhow, the fact that it's only been running for a few hours a day is a major frugal share for where we live.
I made more homemade muffins for breakfast. I used up the last of the pears, but there wasn't quite enough so I added some frozen blueberries too to make blueberry pear muffins. Yum!
Lunch used up some bananas that would be overripe soon. We had peanut butter banana roll-ups on flour tortillas. Snack used up some of that $.25 a bunch organic spinach in a strawberry, raspberry and spinach green smoothie. I also used some of the spinach to make a spinach and cheese quiche for dinner. In retrospect, I think this will end up being a meatless day. I only have one bunch of that spinach left, so in four days we've eaten 3 bunches of spinach. That pleases me.
I'm planning to make tomorrow's dinner tonight and use up the last of it. We'll have pho with chicken, spinach, mushrooms, carrots and snow peas. It's going to be kind of an Asian themed day as we are having veggie fried rice for lunch. I am kicking butt and taking names when it comes to using stuff up this week.
Apparently I've had the heat off for a week now and didn't even realize it. I remember turning it off, but completely forgot that I did. I had meant to turn it back on later that evening. I did turn it on last night.
SteveinMN
10-23-12, 7:08pm
Today's frugals: The chili I made for dinner called for putting whole cloves and allspice berries (I happen to have both on hand) in cheesecloth as the chili is cooking. Hmm, no cheesecloth in the house. Frugal solution -- put the spices in a coffee filter and twist the end shut. I still wanted to tie it up, though, so the filter didn't come undone in the pot. No cotton string, though, and I didn't think anything I had on my workbench was "food grade". Unwaxed (unused) dental floss to the rescue! It worked just fine.
The other frugal was a trip to Target to take my mom (who can't reach the store without a ride). I felt like the country cousin in the city, browsing the store while she shopped. I mean, I've bought things at Target, but usually it's get in, pick up item, check out, and get out. This time I had time to see those little muffin thins cut in the shape of those famous goldfish crackers (at a proportionate increase in cost considering they're removing dough); Election Day greeting cards (what the ... ???); fashions of the month (many of which were multiple times more expensive for the eight cents of embroidery indicating the heavily-advertised brand); and all kinds of Halloween and Christmas stuff which will be appearing at a Goodwill near me sometime in the next three months or so, having not found enough gullible buyers. I am happy to report that my mom didn't pick up any of that. Stuff like this stiffens my resolve to not spend money on cr@p.
try2bfrugal
10-23-12, 8:27pm
and all kinds of Halloween and Christmas stuff which will be appearing at a Goodwill near me sometime in the next three months or so, having not found enough gullible buyers. I am happy to report that my mom didn't pick up any of that. Stuff like this stiffens my resolve to not spend money on cr@p.
We say that often when we go in stores these days - we'll buy it later at a garage sale. We went to a play a few months ago and and walked by an expensive gift store on the way home. All the vases and other stuff in the window just looked a lot like the stuff that ends up at Goodwill except at the upscale store it was arranged nicer and the prices were ten times as high.
Thanks, tussiemussies!
Stella--That is great about the spinach! My friend gets her kids (and her husband!) to eat spinach by making sweet potato bites. Mashed sweet potatoes mixed with spinach or other veggies (like broccoli), rolled into balls, topped with a bit if cheese, and baked for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melty. They love them.
SteveinMN--I feel the same way when I go into stores. Like...people actually buy this? I don't mean it in a judgmental way, just sort of surprised. People probably look in my cart and think that, too, sometimes, though! ;-)
Yesterday while DD napped, I started sewing a trick or treat bag for her with a free tutorial I found online. It is looking pretty cute so far! I should be able to finish it today or tomorrow. After DD woke up, she colored in her high chair while I made supper. Then DH came home and we ate. Plenty of leftovers for lunch today.
My MIL is coming this morning to play with the baby. This is frugal, of course, because I get free childcare, but really, you can't put a price on a fabulous mother-in-law. I am thankful for her everyday! I really, really need to clean the house, so I am hoping to get that done while she is here.
I noticed the other day that two light bulbs are burned out in my living room light. Just going to leave it for awhile. Uses less energy and forces me to stay within budget.
Will turn the heat off today as it is supposed to be 80! Good chance to take DD for a walk also.
Been using homemade laundry detergent and like it so far. Clothes seem to be clean, and it is cheap to make.
Everyone is doing so well this month. I'm drooling over all the yummy foods mentioned!
I felt really under the weather Sat and skipped out of work early to take a nap. It cost me money to have someone work for me but I figure it was cheaper than a doctor bill.
I booked our room for Christmas and it was about $50 less a night than I expected.
I used swagbucks to request a $50 amazon.com gift certificate. I'm not sure what I'll use it for but I have about $115 in my amazon account now.
I did pretty well at the grocery store this week spending $19 and saving over $40. This includes 3 free men's deoderant and 4 free toothbrushes. We were low on both of these items so it was an especially good find.
One of my servers is moving on. Its a bit of a relief frankly but its going to make me short staffed for the next few weeks. Her position was ending as of about the 25th of next month so we'll just try and make do for now. This will be the last week I get 2 days off for awhile so I think I'm just going to relax and enjoy them.
Fidgie-no I haven't sold the house. We lowered the price last month but aren't finding any takers. Sorry that I didn't answer your question before. Also, thanks for the feedback on the ebay vs craigslist situation.
I'm enjoying reading about everybody's frugal successes this month! So many tasty meals -- you all inspire me to cook at home more!
Not much to report here. I got put on a dairy-free diet for a month in an attempt to determine whether I have some sort of dairy allergy. I'm starting to run out of foods I can eat (already vegetarian and gluten-free), which makes me think it's going to be an expensive month while I test out some various diary substitutes (almond milk, soy milk, etc.). But you can't really put a price on good health, so I'm going to just roll with it and try to not fret over the temporary increase in my grocery spending. I did make some garbanzo beans in the crock pot yesterday and some hard boiled eggs so I've not completely fallen off the frugal wagon! :D
Still keeping the heat off, which is great. We might make it until the end of October, which would be fantastic! And we're trying to be very cognizant of our energy usage as we've still got a credit with the electric company from the summer months when we were generating a surplus of solar energy. It would be nice to go another month or two without an electric bill!!!
Got my plane ticket for my trip to Kansas and used my frequent flier miles so the ticket cost me a whopping $10. Now just need to book my hotel room and reserve my rental car. Oh, and I guess I should actually write the speech I'm giving. :~) Pretty soon I need to start looking for plane tickets to fly home to Minnesota for Christmas. I'm hoping I'll have enough frequent flier miles to get another freebie.
Not much else to report. The rest of you have far more interesting lives when it comes to frugal stuff than I do. I'm feeling a little frugal envy, I think... :|(
SteveinMN
10-24-12, 9:56pm
Today's frugal: my wife mentioned wanting to buy a new food vacuum sealer because our old one was no longer vacuuming and Target has one on sale this week. I asked to at least take a look at the old one first. Today I took it apart (six screws; no big deal) and cleaned out the vacuum tubes and orefices. I put it back together again and -- it sucks! :laff: No idea how long it will last, but that's almost $100 we're not spending this week!
Rosemary
10-24-12, 10:56pm
I potted several herbs from the garden to bring inside for the winter: lavender (purely for the aroma - I love it), rosemary, chives, and parsley. They may not last the entire winter in our dry house but hopefully I'll have fresh herbs for at least a few months.
Yesterday was a nice and frugal day. MIL came over to play with the baby while I cleaned, and FIL brought sandwiches over for lunch. Then I worked while the baby napped; when she woke up, we read books until DH came home from work and then we took her for a ride in her wagon. We ate leftovers for dinner and watched hulu after the kiddo was in bed.
Today will be less frugal as I need to go to the grocery store for milk, fresh fruits, and veggies. DD is a fruit monster! I also need to place my meat order with our farmer for the next six months (ouch!). Will try to compensate by cooking dinner at home and trying to save a little of the paycheck I am receiving today.
DH and I have been invited, along with our daughter, to attend the Moose Lodge's Halloween Party and parade. It costs $11 for a huge homemade pizza piled high with toppings. We've not decided if we are going yet, but DD loves pizza, and it sounds like it might be a nice frugal night out.
Welcome home (soon) cdttmm!
Rosemary, the herbs sound lovely.
Great job on the vacuum sealer Steve!
We had such a nice frugal day yesterday. I made homemade pizza and decided to save the pho for today.
Cheyenne had choir at the same time that I had a meeting at church, so I saved some gas driving back and forth. I got done earlier and decided to walk the loop around the basment classrooms, which are arranged with one room in the middle with a hallway around it and the other rooms on the outside, so it has a looped hallway. I was thinking about it, and except on Wednesdays when I have to get everyone ready to get back to church later in the evening, I think I'll just stay there during choir practice. I can have some quiet prayer time in the chapel and walk the loop for some exercise or bring some needlework and work on it. There's no sense wasting time and money driving back home only to have to come back 40 minutes or so later.
In related news, Cheyenne asked the choir director if Isabella could join. It's technically for 3rd grade and up, but another second grader recently joined, so we thought it was worth a shot. She said yes! It's going to be a good, free activity for both of the girls and, by participating in an activity together instead of separate activities it reduces our driving expenses. Bella is so excited.
Last night after the littles went down for bed Zach messaged me to come join him at church for Youth Adoration, which Zach is sacristan for. The big girls were still up, so we all went. It was beautiful. There was a young guy, maybe in his late teens or early 20s who was playing music on his guitar in the candlelight and singing. He was very talented. At various points others were asked to join the singing. The girls were all over that. It was so quiet and pretty. Just the perfect capper to the night.
Today we are staying home. I normally have my weekly women's group on Thursdays but James is overtired and Charlotte is ready for a nap and I've learned better than to push tired babies and preschoolers. That never ends well. Instead we are saving gas and staying home. The girls and I will work on their Halloween costumes. We have a skirt to sew for Bella and duct tape boots and gloves to make for Cheyenne.
DD is a fruit monster!
LOL, Kat. My kids are the same way. I feel like I'm shopping for the monkey hut at the zoo when I hit the produce section.
Well, here's a frugal, if I needed or wanted it (which I don't). Our elderly neighbors are constantly leaving things (I don't want or need) on our doorstep. The latest are two broken lamps that I don't even think that Goodwill will take. I'm going to bring it down there, anyway.. and see what the guy that unloads thinks. This time, because there's 4 neighbors that do this, I don't know which one set them out there since I wasn't home. lol. I appreciate that they think of us.. but would much rather they wait until they see us next time, to ask if we need/want whatever it is. Beginning to feel like they don't know where to give or throw these things away, so are letting me handle it! ;)
They're all very sweet. Yet, have to say - they're packrats. So, they probably come in my sparsely decorated house and think, 'Oh, they're broke and only have one lamp'. When, I actually have a unit with the most windows (natural daylight) and kids go to bed at 8 (when sun is down) and we just go up to bed around 8-9 as well.. and watch tv (no lamp needed). I have and need only one lamp in the living/dining room. And that is just on low with that energy saving bulb. Used as a nightlight, because sometimes we have to go downstairs in middle of night and/or husband gets up at 530 in the morning.
LOL, Kat. My kids are the same way. I feel like I'm shopping for the monkey hut at the zoo when I hit the produce section.
Haha! Tell me about it! I spent $50 on fruit and milk today! Granted, that is organic, but still! Sheesh! She is only a year old and eats at least 3 pieces of of fruit a day! Oh, well. She eats lots of veggies, too, and her doctor says it's fine. At least she isn't begging for cookies or chips all the time or something (though sadly, that would be cheaper)! LOL
LOL. Produce and milk are probably my biggest expenses too. BTW I like the idea you had earlier for using up spinach. I might have to try that.
Blackdog Lin
10-25-12, 10:24pm
Enjoying everyone's frugals. Y'all rock.
Washed sheets yesterday and took DH's (sweat-soaked nasty gross there-are-no-more-words) pillow out to air with Febreeze like I do. But then it didn't dry and so I took it in and put it in the dryer. And then went to get it out and 1/6 of the stuffing was laying, and had to be cleaned out of, the dryer. Two large rips. And then I told him "we have GOT to get you a new pillow."
The thing is though, that he is still happy with the pillow. He doesn't notice that it's old, or only semi-stuffed, or semi-stinky. And I realized why spend the money to buy a new one, if he's still happy with this one? So got out the sewing box, whip-stitched the 2 large rips (I can't and don't sew - whip-stitching is about all I can do to mend and repair stuff - it's quick, easy, and the average idiot like myself can do it) and we're good to go. Don't know how long it will last, but he's sleeping happy on his pillow and we didn't have to spend any money to replace it.
A small frugal victory for the end of the month - but other than cooking-at-home - it's all I can come up with.....
Tussiemussies
10-25-12, 11:25pm
Black dog, you can wash the pillow in the washer with detergent and bleach if you sew up these rips and then thoroughly dry it in the dryer making sure the middle is dry. We do it all the time, and even when we had a top loading machine...
:)
I celebrated the arrival of winter by encasing our windows in plastic. It makes a huge difference in the comfort level of the house in winter. I leave the kitchen window as is so I can vent that room if needed.
fidgiegirl
10-26-12, 8:25am
SimplyL, that's a hard situation about the lamps, and that there are several people so you don't know who to give it back to. My SIL did that once to us and I was so mad . . . she'd come in our house, no less, and left it!! Argh!! Anyway, we knew it was her, so we gave it back, even though she told us to give it away. That is not fair to do to people. Trust your gut - you know what's going on, even if it's masked with charity and kindness and maybe they aren't even doing it consciously. If they give it to you, YOU have to figure it out, not them. But they'll never know that you don't want items left on your doorstep if you don't tell them. Or maybe just put the lamp out at the curb with a free sign! Then whoever left them, no matter how good the intentions, can see that you don't want them. Now I'd say if you sometimes do take items and can use them, that's nice to get rid of what's left, like say if there is a box of kid clothes and you only want half. But on the big, broken, anonymous stuff? Hmmmmm, it's fishy.
I've had that free ham sitting in my fridge for awhile now. Yesterday at the store, I saw a brown sugar glaze and almost bought it. But then I thought, "I could probably make one." So I got home and gave it a shot. It was really easy and really good! So we'll probably be eating ham for the next several days. I want to make scalloped potatoes and ham and maybe bean soup with the bone (fidgie, you gave me a hankerin'! :-) ) I usually make potato soup, but DD doesn't like meat too well, and beans provide her with some protein.
I have been trying to be very intentional about using up food. It isn't frugal to let it go bad, but also, it really bothers me to waste it when there are so many people without. I have been doing a better job lately!
I brought DD to the library yesterday to sort out an issue with a book they said I did not return. I knew that I did return it, but they said I hadn't and kept sending late notices and finally a replacement fee ($10) and "processing fee" ($5). Now, I am all for supporting the library. It is important to the community, and I do make donations. However, there was no way I was going to pay for a book that I didn't lose. I went to the library, checked in at the front desk, and convinced one of the workers to come with me to where the book was shelved. And there the book was! Apparently it had been re-shelved without being checked in (which I am sure happens sometimes--it's a big place). They didn't apologize (which I thought would have been the nice thing to do since they weren't all that nice when I tried to resolve the issue before), but they did remove the fees from my account. So $15 saved.
I think today I will take DD to visit her grandpa and try to finish her trick or treat bag. My sewing machine is acting up, and I can't figure out what's wrong. Hopefully I can get it working again while she naps!
Rosemary, we have gotten a start on that too. The boys' room is next. It's so drafty in there.
Kat, your ham sounds yummy!
I went over my inventory of food and realized that all I will need for groceries this week is bananas, sour cream, milk and cheese. That's pretty darned good. Our total for two weeks will be around $150. I am pleased with that. Our total the following two weeks may be a bit higher because we'll need meat.
James and I made pumpkin bread yesterday. The recipe we found was good, lighter than other recipes I've tried, in a good way. It made 3 loaves from one pie pumpkin, so I let Zach take a loaf for his breakfast and lunch. I would make that again, for sure.
I made some hard-boiled eggs this morning for egg salad sandwiches for lunch. I'm on a food budget kick lately. Time and energy management is a huge piece of frugality for me, and I'm finding the more I prep things ahead of time, the better off I am. Dinner time is just not when I have the time and energy for big, complicated stuff, but if I've gotten a lot of it done when I do have the time and energy, it's no big deal. I usually get some kitchen time every morning and I glance at the days ahead and see if there's anything that I can easily prep. For example, I'm making a wild rice dish next week, so today I'm going to make the wild rice and just toss it in the freezer. It's funny because my strategies for cooking have changed a lot over the last 8 years as we've added to our family, had shifts in schedules for everyone and dealt with a variety of factors, but I think I've actually come full circle and gotten back to how I was in the beginning, just on a larger scale.
I have pinned some "banana ice cream" recipes on Pinterest, made from just bananas and some add ins. I like a little dessert now and then and that is both healthy and cheap.
Isabella sewed her first skirt yesterday to go with her costume. It was made from a $1 pillowcase from the thrift store, so it doesn't get much cheaper than that.
Zach and I were talking this morning about an idea he has. He is an electrician and, in general, works in big, fancy houses on remodels. The company he works for tosses the old light fixtures, which Zach says are usually pretty nice and in good working order. He asked and they don't care if he takes them, so he's thinking of taking them, polishing them up a bit and putting them on craigslist. Since they were free to us to begin with, whatever they would sell for would be free money. Anything that doesn't sell could be donated to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which is maybe 2 miles from our house. It's a low risk stream of income. If it even covered his cell phone bill every month, I'd be a happy girl and it has potential to do more than that. I looked on craigslist and fixtures go for anywhere from $5 for a can or simple sconce to over $100.
early morning
10-26-12, 7:15pm
Blackdog Lin, you can simply sew the pillow into a pillowcase to recover it (cut down the ends to fit, turn them under and whip-stitch closed). It can still go into the washer and dryer, if you want, and will be much sturdier.
Stella, Zach's idea is great! Extra cash, trash diverted from waste-stream, and bargain fixtures for others - that's a triple win!
Frugals here, not so much. Same old same old... although I did put in for free tickets to a Christmas play, I don't know yet if we got them. Packed my lunch for a training I had today - since it didn't specify, I figured lunch was not included, and I was right. Since I didn't know if there would be a fridge (there wasn't), I froze my water bottle and it kept my sandwich nice and cold, plus I had cold water to drink also. Had to stop at the car dealers to correct a problem they caused, and got a free gourmet coffee drink while there.
fidgiegirl
10-26-12, 7:34pm
Kat, hope you have a nice visit, and that your machine gets working soon.
Stella, awesome idea on Zach's light fixtures.
Big score here. My work will reimburse me for cell phone - $90 a month. Woo hoo! I rely on my data plan for timely communication when I'm out of the office, which is a lot. I only regret not asking sooner! My coworker told me about this 3 months ago. Oh well, I did it now!
rosarugosa
10-26-12, 7:47pm
Stella: That is a great idea about the light fixtures. Yay for Zach; he should join the frugal forum! Seriously, my DH is always a little pleased when I tell him that I posted about a frugal that he did :)
We've been eating a lot of portobello mushrooms lately. I'm trying to move us away from meat to some extent, and we really like these, even Humphrey the cat!
Today I felt like going out at lunch time (which I haven't done for weeks). So I thought about a store as my destination, did the internal dialogue back & forth because I didn't really want or need anything, and went to the Boston Public Library instead. Came out with a couple of good books, one for DH and one for me, and I felt so virtuous!
fidgiegirl
10-26-12, 8:08pm
Awesome, rosa! You got your little lunchtime escape, but no $$ spent. Woohoo!
rosa, too funny about the cat. Mushrooms are one of the things that I cannot leave out of the refrigerator when I get home from the store, or my cat will get into the package and eat them.
Frugals - a no-spend day. Kid night at our house tonight - watching the kids while our friends have a date night, and we'll get a date night next week in return.
SteveinMN
10-26-12, 9:51pm
Stella, Zach has a really good idea there! However, I would suggest he make a trip to the ReStore first and ask them specifically if they will take old light fixtures. We had a few from remodeling my mom's place and ReStore didn't want them -- they already had dozens of similar lamps (literally) hanging around and they didn't want any more unless there was obvious vintage value to a fixture (e.g., old-style crystal chandelier) or they knew it was a kind of lamp they moved a lot of.
Not to burst the bubble -- if Zach is getting the lamps for free and can sell them for even minimal amounts on craigslist, you are still ahead. But I know I had a problem getting rid of perfectly-usable fixtures and would hate to see Zach embark on this and find out that avenue is closed.
Steve, that is a good suggestion. We will definitely do that. He brought the first lights home tonight and is going to list them this weekend. Thanks for all of the encouragement everyone!
We scored on clothes today at a local thrift store. They have been so overrun with clothing donations they had a $.50/lb sale on clothes, books, purses and shoes. I got Cheyenne a cute Columbia coat in good condition that came to approximately $.10. That's right, cents, not dollars. :) It was the last thing on the scale, so we could see how much it weighed. I was quite pleased. I also got her Donna Karan jeans that fit her extremely well, two pairs of shoes, four or five shirts, a pair of pajamas and a skirt. I got Bella a skirt and five shirts, Charlotte two pairs of pants and two dresses, James and/or Travis a suit vest and Zach a pair of pants and a sweater. I paid $5 for the whole lot. Zach is going to go back tomorrow and dig around a bit more in the mens clothes and shoes. The boys have a lot of clothes already.
Zach is at the sale this morning having a good time and hopefully finding some bargains.
I made myself a quick rose broach yesterday with a scrap of pink t-shirt and a scrap of lace. It was pretty, but it was missing something, so this morning I made another rose out of a scrap of chacoal jersey fabric I had cut off of some yoga pants. I'm 5ft 2 and I always have to shorten yoga pants. Its super cute and free.
fidgie--We did have a nice visit! I also figured out the problem with my sewing machine--the thread I was using was upholstery thread. Oops! Someone who has been sewing awhile probably would have noticed that out right away...took me awhile to figure it out, though! ;-)
stella--great score on the clothes and neat idea about the light fixtures.
rosarugosa--we love mushrooms, too! I have heard that some people grill those big mushroom caps and eat them on buns like burgers. Supposedly they have a hearty, "beefy" quality to them. I've not tried it, but it sounds good!
earlymorning--great trick with the water bottle!
I finished DD's treat bag yesterday in time for the zoo. We got in for free and brought food to snack on and water to drink. So no money spent except for gas. Had a lovely day!
DH and I also figured out our insurance for next year. It will cost us about the same for slightly better coverage. Happy about that!
I was about to take DD out to get a halloween costume this afternoon. She wants to be a witch. DH reminded me we had a witch's hat we got for her a couple of years ago. Then I started thinking what else we could piece together with what we already have in the house. She has a black top from a set of long underwear that was too small for me, and black leggings. I asked her what else she needed and she said a cape. So I found a piece of raw black silk that I bought ages ago intending to have something made, but never got around to it. Cut a piece of that to make a cape. Decided the easiest thing would be to pin it, but couldn't find my set of pins. So she took an old cartoon motif pin she had and we covered it with foil. And we covered a chopstick with foil to make a magic wand. She looks like a pretty snazzy mini-goth now!
We didn't spend a cent AND we didn't take any taxis this weekend. Score.
lhamo
Fun, Lhamo! I love pulling together costumes from stuff you have on hand.
We had our card night with our friends last night. We had a fantastic time. I made white chicken enchiladas and a pan of Diana in Wisconsin's famous brownies and they brought chips and beer. It was fabulous. The kids went and played basketball in the family room while we played cards. These friends are very frugal and working towards early retirement, so we always have some good Simple Living type conversations.
fidgiegirl
10-28-12, 10:46am
lhamo, I think the inventing of costumes is one of the most fun parts of Halloween. I don't recall ever buying one - we had a "dress up" box that we drew from, and then had it for the rest of the year as well. My brother had some purchased ones and enjoyed them, too, though. Fun stuff!
We had a good score yesterday at a garage sale. We had been eyeballing an extension wand for our vacuum to get under the fridge, behind the radiators, etc. DH's sister has one and we've been borrowing it and like it. But when we priced them online it was just a little more than we wanted to pay so we hadn't pulled the trigger. But we spotted the exact thing - brand new - at a garage sale for $1 yesterday! Lucky!
But then DH gashed his forehead open and had to go to get stitches. Boo.
And then we went out to dinner.
So all the frugalness of the wand was undone (he's ok, BTW. Just kinda Frankenstein-y).
early morning
10-28-12, 11:06am
he's ok, BTW. Just kinda Frankenstein-y Perhaps he's just getting into the "inventing costumes for Halloween" spirit, fidgie! ;)
Had to pass on an opportunity for a free concealed carry class (because DH couldn't go, and I wouldn't go without him, *sigh*). Oh well, that would have likely lead to new handguns, and more ammo, so perhaps it was more frugal to NOT go, lol. And I would mostly choose to not carry, anyway. DSis came over last night to pick up a glass counter/case for DD at work, and wanted to go out for dinner, but I had stroganoff started, so we ate in. This morning I have laundry on the line, leftovers to serve for lunch, and have brought my plants in for the winter. Some might not winter over in the house, but those that do will save me a little outlay next spring... I have nice light in my room at work, so I think I'm going to take two of my ferns there for the winter. Did a little mending this morning, too.
Great costume, lhamo! The chopstick wand is genius. :-)
DD had been playing with some toys she has been given recently--a baby doll her friend outgrew and a wooden car made by my FIL. DH has really been wanting to buy her a train set, and the one he has been eyeing finally went on clearance. We deliberated about buying it as it was still a little pricey, but in the end, we bought it. It is something that she and future brothers and sisters can play with for years. It also promotes fine motor skills development and encourages creativity. We think she will like it and are excited for it to arrive. Her friend has a train table, which she loves. However, we don't have the space for one, and this was much cheaper.
I think I cooked too much the last few days, so we'll be eating leftovers for awhile! Today was egg casserole for breakfast and ham with roasted cauliflower for lunch. I think tonight will be Italian sausage sandwiches with tomatoes and peppers on buns from the freezer.
Leftovers again today. Went shopping with my mom for diapers and bought nothing else. Had fun looking, though, and did use a coupon for the diapers. $1 is $1! :-) As we were leaving, we thought about going to Payless as it was BOGO 50% off. We decided against it, though, and I am glad we did. Probably would have been tempted to buy shoes for DD (which she does not really need).
I don't have to work this week, so I think I will work on cleaning and organizing while the baby naps. It needs to be done!
fidgiegirl
10-29-12, 4:22pm
Our refi is done! Yeah!! We combined our first and second and got 3.25%. Woohoo!
We will be missing two months' payments (wow, that was good timing) so the money will go to paying off our Home Depot bill from the appliances we put in when we did the house. We have 0% left on that CC until next November, but I want it gone. Awesome.
Then we can focus: car fund, e-fund, and mortgage attack.
Actually, I'm working up to posting my budget since DH and I are at kind of a crossroads of kinds. We can choose to go many directions from here. It's a good place to be.
Gardenarian
10-29-12, 4:28pm
We have some painting projects, and rather than getting new paint I went through all the paint cans in our shed (they are breeding in there) and opened them up, threw out the dry ones, stirred up the good ones and put them in jars with labels. I found plenty for our current purposes - and really, we shouldn't need to buy paint for a couple of years!
Also got a bunch of seed packets for ten cents each - and these are things I can plant now - lettuce, cilantro, some flowers.
Well one kind of weird frugal last night is that I stopped myself from panicking and taking Travis to the ER. James smashed T's finger really badly in the door and the girls and Zach were freaking out so badly that I was ready to pack him up and send Zach to the ER with him. When I calmed everyone down a bit and got it cleaned up and dealt with, I realised that while it was bleeding a fair amount, it wasn't the kind of thing the ER would be able to do anything about and it really just needed to be bandaged and allowed to heal. I had my neighbor come over and see what she thought and she agreed with my assesment. I gave him some baby tylenol and let him watch Blue's Clues on Netflix to distract him from the pain. He seems to be feeling a lot better this morning.
I had a few things I "needed" at the store, but I am holding off on getting them until they are 100% needed. I live 1/2 mile from the store, so it's not like it won't be there when I need it. I'm thinking I may make it until my next grocery day without most of it. I can make substitutions and find other things to make instead.
I am crocheting a pretty heart garland to go in the girls' book nook. I think I'm going to do a star garland for a Christmas decoration. I got all the yarn for free when a neigbor lady passed away, so it's entirely free.
try2bfrugal
10-30-12, 12:22pm
In the life imitates board games category of frugals.......one of our kids actually got an unexpected check in the mail for $50 due to a bank error in his favor.
We got several $50 signon bonuses between us for opening checking accounts at the credit union. Our local commercial bank kept either adding sneaky or incorrect monthly fees to our kids' accounts. We got tired of going in and getting some dubious fee reversed every 6 months, and switched their accounts to free checking accounts at the C/U.
I been coming in under budget lately so I'm using the extra money to fund some urban homestead gadgets from Amazon. This month I bought solar path lights (they are way cool), a couple of drying racks for clothes, and a mandoline to use with the dehydrator and for making home made potato chips.
Instead of buying a new chair the dog damaged we got a slip cover ($35 versus $400). It looks pretty good.
I got a cart full of of tissues, paper towels and TP at Staples with my Ink recycling rewards and some other coupons / sales and instead of having to pay anything I got a credit slip for 50 cents back.
We are going cold turkey on going out for frozen yogurt it was costing too much on an annual basis. I am trying to keep snacks in the car so we aren't tempted to stop. Yesterday I got ice cream off the dollar menu at McDonalds for a soft serve fix when we were out doing errands. Last night I went to the local Hispanic market and got a bunch of inexpensive produce to dehydrate in my thrift shop dehydrator for some healthy car snacks.
This past week's frugal entertainment was a buy one get one dinner free with an Entertainment book coupon, a hike along the San Francisco shoreline, a hike at the local state park, numerous dog park visits, and a visit to a pretty public garden with a stream and Redwood trees.
We are refinancing again this year with another no cost, no point loan. Between the refi, using drying racks, no more frozen yogurt, getting rid of an old energy inefficient TV and cutting some other bills I hope to cut $2.4K off our annual budget. We decided we may not downsize after all for awhile and instead decided to see if we could just cut our expenses by the mortgage amount where we live now. Home prices have been going up by us so our current house seems to be a good investment to keep for now.
flowerseverywhere
10-30-12, 1:56pm
we moved across country recently and we did really well to keep our expenses low throughout. I have been extra careful to shop the grocery sales to replenish our pantry.
I did not read all of the postings this month, but I am looking forward to posting more about our downsized, one car (that we won't be using much) life.
After a move I can say that there will be little I will be buying for a long time. After all the stuff we sold and gave away I can say the urge to shop is totally gone.
For frugals, I fell and ripped a pair of pants so I am making them into shorts. Also, a bathing suit had a rip in the lining, I figured out how to repair it so that I don't have to buy a new one.
Stella--glad Travis is okay! It's always so scary when kiddos get hurt.
flowerseverywhere--looking forward to hearing more about your "downsized" life. :-)
We've just been eating up leftovers, trying to use things up before shopping day. All the weekly ads for our grocery stores come out online tomorrow, so I will make a menu plan and shopping list based on what is on sale. Other than that, just taking it easy today. I think I did something to my neck; it is really stiff and sore. I'm going to rest with a heating pad while the baby naps. When she gets up, I will make scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner.
I made a low tunnel over one of my raised vegetable beds today. I think it cost under $15 in materials. If it extends the season by 6 weeks on either end, it will be well worth it. I've got some chard, kale, and kai lan already growing there; the chard has been there since spring and I've harvested leaves all summer rather than the whole plants. Will be interesting to see how long they last in the MN winter. I just hope the tunnel doesn't become a mouse habitat.
DD and I are getting back into our craft routine now that it is cooler outside. I set up our downstairs craft table and whenever we're looking for something to do, there is plenty available. I also organized my yarn stash and pulled some knitting and crocheting patterns to start off the season with. First on the list, some wool hats and mittens.
Lastly, I went shopping in the freezer and pulled out some leftovers that I froze last month. Need to clear some space before Thanksgiving and it will be nice to have dinners made tonight and tomorrow night. Also allows me to postpone groceries.
fidgiegirl
10-30-12, 6:43pm
Last night I went to the local Hispanic market and got a bunch of inexpensive produce to dehydrate in my thrift shop dehydrator for some healthy car snacks.
Thanks for this idea. My BiL gave us a dehydrator last summer to prep camping foods for the Boundary Waters (hard to find packaged stuff that is GF, since the highly processed stuff does best for that trip) and we never used it. I was contemplating getting rid of it, but this is a good idea. And it's the second time an ethnic grocery has been mentioned lately in my online readings as a money saver. Will have to give it a try.
Also, a bathing suit had a rip in the lining, I figured out how to repair it so that I don't have to buy a new one.
Big save! Bathing suits are pricey, not to mention it STINKS to shop for them. :) Double win, flowers. And welcome back.
James smashed T's finger really badly in the door
Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow poor Mr. T!!!!!! Glad you didn't spend money on an unnecessary doc visit. Man those finger smashes hurt. I pinched mine this weekend, though no bleeding, and I thought I was going to puke. So he was a trouper!
I made a low tunnel over one of my raised vegetable beds today. I think it cost under $15 in materials. If it extends the season by 6 weeks on either end, it will be well worth it. I've got some chard, kale, and kai lan already growing there; the chard has been there since spring and I've harvested leaves all summer rather than the whole plants. Will be interesting to see how long they last in the MN winter.
I will be curious to see how this project comes out, Rosemary.
Not much here! But wanted to respond. Tonight I think I will carry on with cleaning out and setting up the basement for exercise, and Rosemary's post reminds me that I wanted to set up a shelf (currently in pieces) for seed starting. Might as well set it up now so its spot is reserved.
Happy frugalling, all!
Made French Onion Soup today. Also spinach, olive oil and garlic.
Two weeks ago I left the freezer open for 18 hours and there was a big time melt-down. I had just been to Trader Joes and purchased 4 quarts of soy ice cream. I just closed the door and let it freeze again. Tried the ice cream for the first time tonight and it's fine.
Also, drove to a nature preserve 1/2 hour away today to take a long walk in the woods as I am so sick of being stuck in this house for the past two days. The gasoline was expensive but I had to get out. So I'm ok with the expense.
Mmmm. French Onion Soup. That is one of my favourites.
I am interested to hear how your project works too Rosemary, it sounds interesting.
Kelli, I've been wanting to set up a shelf for seed starting too.
Kat, I hope you feel better! I had the same thing happen yesterday. Not fun.
Flowers, I'm glad your move went well!
I am making a tasty, not especially expensive dinner tonight. I am trying the Rosemary Olive Oil Bread from that Prudent Homemaker blog someone posted last week. It looks like it's going to be delicious. I used rosemary I grew this summer. I am also making baked tilapia in an herb cream sauce with zucchini. That sounds fancier than it is. I'm combining a couple of recipes I liked into one that uses what I have on hand. I'm on a bread baking kick.
try2bfrugal
10-30-12, 7:59pm
Our refi is done! Yeah!! We combined our first and second and got 3.25%. Woohoo!
That is a great rate. Good work.
bunnys--sounds like money well spent to me! :-)
stella--thanks! It's weird; I don't remember doing anything to my neck, but it was tight and sore for a few days, and then yesterday and today it really hurts! I can't even turn my head all the way.
The scalloped potatoes and ham turned out fabulous last night. I had a few peas sitting around, so I through those in, too, and made a salad as a side. DH had seconds and packed some leftovers for his lunch today.
I've already combed through the ads and started making my menu and grocery list. Tonight we will go trick or treating down our block and then head over to friend's house to hand out candy.
Wow is it just my imagination or has October been an exceptional month for frugals between the refinancing, selling free stuff, and all the great cooking that is being done? Good stuff!
Ever wonder how much we all save as a group over the course of a month?
I've had an sucessful few days myself. I used my 10 off of $30 kmart coupon combined with manufacturer's coupons, sales and my kmart card savings to get over $40 in stuff for just under $20. The main item was a set of cast iron pans that I've been wanting for quite a while. Dh also got 2 large bottles of lotion that should last him at least a year if not 2. He has sensitive skin and needs to be a bit fussy about what he uses. The lotion alone would have set us back over $16.
I still have money on my Family Dollar card from last years sweeps win. We went there with the intent of using it up. We figured prices are going to continue to rise so buy now to get the most bang for our buck. We filled a cart with staples like baking soda, lemon juice, bleach-all things with very long shelf lifes (lives?). Anyways I still have $30 left on the card after purchasing a ton of stuff.
Kroger's was good to us too-we saved 56% and got 3 more free deoderants as part of our trip.
But the biggest news of the week is that the employee who traded us canning jars for the car jack brought us 66 more canning jars and a PRESSURE CANNER for free!!!!! She and her mother are moving and cleaning out a storage unit. This stuff was going into the dumpster so she brought it to us. We won't discuss the wastefulness of trashing stuff-it makes me nuts. Anyways, before I realized how much she had brought I sent her home with $30 for her mother as a token of my appreciation. Now that I see just how much I recieved, I feel a bit cheap but oh well.
DH wants to learn how to can actual meals like soups with meat in them or mole. This way restaurant leftovers can have a second life. He also plans on buying things like chicken leg quarters when they are really cheap and prepping and canning them in actual meals.
I want to be more diversified and learn to can all kinds of things so that we don't have to depend on the grocery stores so much in the future. I dream of a huge garden being preserved each year after we retire from the restaurant business.
I'm drinking free tea and doing laundry with free laundry detergent today.
I haven't won any good sweeps lately but am going to give it a shot today.
Happy Halloween, everyone! And great job on the frugals this month -- this has been an impressive thread!!!
I don't have much to report except the usual. We've been eating from home and tonight I'm roasting some potatoes that I got a good deal on last week and some garlic that we grew ourselves. In addition, we'll have a big green salad for dinner topped with chick peas (bought in bulk and cooked in the crock pot-- yay!) and hard boiled eggs. Our grocery spending has been on the high side because I'm on a temporary dairy free diet (in addition to being gluten free and a vegetarian). So I've been splurging on things like coconut milk ice cream and probiotic drinks, which definitely gets expensive!
My partner's birthday was this past weekend and he had no interest in going out to dinner, which would be our usual way to celebrate. Instead we stayed home and rented a movie on Netflix. I felt bad about not doing anything special for him so I bought him a slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting the next day when I was at Whole Foods and brought it home. He was totally stoked and ate it as soon as he came back from a trail run. Frugal birthday win! :D
Aside from that, we had our hands full preparing for Hurricane Sandy. It did force me to get organized and bring all the plants that I want to overwinter indoors. So far so good, if they all survive the winter it will make our container gardening project very frugal next spring!
SteveinMN
10-31-12, 7:35pm
Oh, forgot yesterday's frugals:
- a no-car day, though I really don't make plans for them; and
- made chicken fingers out of the freezer, breading them with saved-up cracker crumbs.
And a note to myself about frugality. I needed to pick up some aluminum foil. I was at the grocery store near our house and the choice was Popular National Brand and what I call Y&B brand (Yellow & Black; generic) for much much less. I figured "aluminum foil is aluminum foil, right?" Wrong. This cheap stuff feels like Mylar, and I find myself doubling up on it to avoid holes. Not enough of a savings for me. An attempt at frugality; a fail.
A no-spend, no-drive day. Pulled food from the freezer and have it thawing in the fridge for the next two days.
thinkgreen
10-31-12, 10:45pm
Finally I have a frugal to report.
We have satellite television and as part of the service they provide a free PVR (video recorder). This month they billed us $15 for a month's rental of the PVR. I phoned them up & chatted awhile. Turned out the initial three year period was up and that's the period that the PVR is free. So I enquired, and hemmed and hawed, hinted about other tv suppliers. End of story, they refunded the $15 and said there would be no further rental fees for the PVR. Savings $180 a year plus taxes. It took me about half an hour of chatting but that's pretty good pay for it.
fidgiegirl
10-31-12, 10:51pm
Score, thinkgreen!
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