January 2013 UN-frugals... [Archive]

Mrs-M

1-22-13, 8:52am

Where there's frugals, there's un-frugals, and so this thread was born!

Here's hoping to see this thread adopted. It's OK that we strive for frugal-perfection, yet even the most staunch of frugal-practitioners need an out (sometimes), and that's where this thread comes into play.

Will be fun (I hope) in airing our dirty laundry, i.e., frugal-cheats and weaknesses, we cannot refrain from.

MamaM

1-22-13, 9:01am

We've been eating out too much but I have a major surgery on my wrist and hubby's cooking..well.he tries. :) We have done better this week...just 2x.... Will keep working at it.

razz

1-22-13, 9:03am

Cute idea!

OK, I confess that yesterday I went into a store and bought two pashima scarves on a 2 for 1 special. Did I need, really need, these scarves? No, but they are so lovely that I know that I will use them.

Azure

1-22-13, 2:14pm

We made a spur of the moment trip to the Detroit Auto Show to see DS at the U/M solar car display. Ate dinner out on the way home. Korean food. mmmmm but ~ UNFRUGAL.

decemberlov

1-22-13, 2:22pm

It just started getting really cold here, snowed last night and is currently 22 degrees. We spent $375.00 on oil this weekend (the cost for a minimum 100 gallon delivery). We use the wood stove a lot but when it's this cold we supplement with oil because the kids bedrooms don't get much of that heat. I really, really, really hate the cost of oil :(

early morning

1-22-13, 2:24pm

razz, I am of the opinion that we NEED to feed our souls - the part of us that loves and appreciates beauty, culture, great thought, etc. Maybe you DID need those scarves! I, however, bought two storage boxes at IKEA for 12 bucks a pop yesterday. NOT a frugal thing to do! While I like them, I could have easily done without them. We ate lunch there too (but I gave the lunch receipt to my sister and she got that amount taken off of the rug she bought!) It's probably a good thing I don't get out much, actually!

Dhiana

1-22-13, 4:35pm

One week in Australia created a cell phone bill 3X higher than 3 weeks back in the states =0 Ouch!

Gardenarian

1-22-13, 5:34pm

Our fence collapsed and we needed a new one fast (2 crazy dogs) - and here's me with a broken finger and a bad cold.
For what it cost you would think it was made from virgin koa wood. And one of my goals has been to do all my home maintenanxe - oh well.

Tighten the belts - the property taxes just came due as well.

Jilly

1-22-13, 5:43pm

The temperatures here have been zero or below, with wind chill -20/-30F, so I caved and have been turning the thermostat up to 57 whenever I cannot feel my toes.

Gregg

1-22-13, 5:56pm

The temperatures here have been zero or below, with wind chill -20/-30F, so I caved and have been turning the thermostat up to 57 whenever I cannot feel my toes.

57? As in degrees??? Wow Jilly, I have no where near that level of discipline (or sweaters). It's colder than a witch's you-know-what here, too, but our thermostat looked like a roulette wheel until it stopped on 70*. On top of that I bought a latte and a brand new cookbook at Barnes & Noble. No comparison shopping, no inter-library loan here, just a pure, unadulterated impulse buy. Yea, it was un-frugal, but it was also a guilty pleasure!

cdttmm

1-22-13, 6:42pm

Count me in as another who has committed the unfrugal of turning up the thermostat the past few days (and I will continue for the next few days while it is brutally cold here in New England) -- 64 balmy degrees in the house as opposed to the usual 59 or 60. :D

And it gets worse...it was cold outside today and I was running late to an appointment. I went to the full service gas station to fill up the tank. So sinful. But it was so worth it. :D

Jilly

1-22-13, 10:06pm

57? As in degrees??? Wow Jilly, I have no where near that level of discipline...

I actually like it on the cooler side, and I do have to prioritize things in my budget

Heat...computer...heat...computer...tick-tock...tick-tock...Yay! Computer wins (and the crowd goes wild!)

I usually have it set to 54/55.

Rosemary

1-23-13, 8:01am

Last August we bought air tickets on sale to visit friends in California for a few days in January. And I can say it will be worth it!!! It's been really cold the past couple of weeks, the darkness is getting to me, and when we return after thawing out for a few days, it will seem like spring isn't so far away.

SteveinMN

1-23-13, 10:01am

Heat...computer...heat...computer...tick-tock...tick-tock...Yay! Computer wins (and the crowd goes wild!)
Nowadays a lot of laptop computers throw off enough heat to fulfill both functions! :~)

Mrs-M

1-23-13, 12:39pm

Ohhh... this is great, seeing the jump-start this new thread is off to! Thank you everybody!

P.S. My UN-frugals are-a coming! LOL!

Mrs-M

1-23-13, 2:40pm

Kat

1-23-13, 3:14pm

I bought DD a bouquet of tulips yesterday. We were there getting some ibuprofen for her. The poor little thing is getting molars on both sides and is just miserable. She saw the flowers and really wanted them; she kept saying, "pretty flowers, pink flowers" over and over. I hadn't seen her smile like that for days, so I bought them. They are in her room now, and she loves them. She requests to see them several times a day and says, "happy flowers." She is definitely my kid. ;-)

So...I spent an "unnecessary" $5, but I think that is a small price to pay for a thing of beauty that is good for DD's little soul. DH said I was spoiling her. I told him she loves them, and I'm not sorry I bought them. Ha!

Gardenarian

1-23-13, 6:09pm

Kat - that is so sweet!!

rosarugosa

1-23-13, 7:33pm

Kat: I think it is a wonderful thing to cultivate her love of flowers! I always buy tulips in the winter; they are so cheery!
Mrs M: Finally a thread for the likes of me - lol!
I actually don't think I've done anything too bad lately. I did buy a fleece shirt from LL Bean which I could try to rationalize as a frugal. It was a $40 shirt and I'm getting it for $14 with sale and promo gift cards. But if you put it to the wants vs. needs test, there is no frugality here. It's a very pretty color though. :)
Programmable thermostat is set for 70 when we're here & awake, and 60 when we're asleep or away. I'm unwilling to be needlessly uncomfortable in my own home.

Dhiana

1-23-13, 7:38pm

Turning the heat up, and I do mean, way up! We enjoy the comforts of home, and to do that you need to be comfortable, so consequently, even though our heating bills are higher over the course of December, through to the end of January, we're happy with it.

+1
Another reason we have a small, simple apartment. Easier and cheaper to heat to a comfortable temperature :) One can only drink so many cups of tea to get warm!

pony mom

1-23-13, 10:20pm

I had a job interview last week and after hearing I'd be getting a 2nd interview, I bought a pair of super comfy Aerosole shoes that look great with pants, vowing I'd return them if I don't get the job.

Second interview this morning, and the job isn't what I was expecting (much more phone work than I was led to believe, and I HATE phones). Probably won't be offered the job but I LOVE the shoes and may keep them. They were only $30 and I may give a nice nearly new similar but higher heeled pair to a coworker (one out-one in).

Wildflower

1-24-13, 6:00am

Turned up the heat this morning. It is just so cold!!

treehugger

1-24-13, 12:03pm

Well, I'm considering a $20,000 program at a local private university to finish my BA in 2 years. That is pretty darn unfrugal!

Kara

Mrs-M

1-25-13, 10:10am

Originally posted by Rosarugosa.
Finally a thread for the likes of me - lol!LOL! Being UN-frugal (once in a while) is chicken soup for the soul.

Mrs-M

1-25-13, 10:14am

+1
Another reason we have a small, simple apartment. Easier and cheaper to heat to a comfortable temperature :) One can only drink so many cups of tea to get warm!LOL! Small(er), definitely has it's perks!

Mrs-M

1-25-13, 10:15am

Lovin' all these!

Jilly

1-25-13, 5:14pm

Well, I'm considering a $20,000 program at a local private university to finish my BA in 2 years. That is pretty darn unfrugal!

Kara

Education is always frugal. Even if it is the Social Manifestation and Impact of Half-Aprons in mid-1950s Horror Films.

BA, two years? Brava!

Probably the wrong thread/section for sharing this, but I am going frugal again with the heat. I adjusted, this past weekend, the thermostat from 58 back down to 55. If it warms up, it goes lower. The impetus was yesterday's receipt of my heating bill. Just those few degrees tripled my bill. Yes. Tripled. Three times what it was in November. I am knitting long underwear, with carefully placed drop-seats for my cat this afternoon. He wants flannel, something with mice on it, but he is getting magenta yarn.

JaneV2.0

1-25-13, 5:30pm

... I am knitting long underwear, with carefully placed drop-seats for my cat this afternoon. He wants flannel, something with mice on it, but he is getting magenta yarn.

I'd rethink that. Remember, you have to sleep sometime...

Mrs-M

1-25-13, 5:33pm

Originally posted by Jilly.
I am knitting long underwear, with carefully placed drop-seats for my cat this afternoon. He wants flannel, something with mice on it, but he is getting magenta yarn.Sounds adorable! I'm surprised he didn't request traditional waffle-knit! LOL!

ApatheticNoMore

1-25-13, 5:34pm

Well, I'm considering a $20,000 program at a local private university to finish my BA in 2 years. That is pretty darn unfrugal!

Yea my own bias is nothing is worth doing unless I can pay for it out of earnings not savings. 20k a year out of earnings, that would be well ... extremely difficult ... (bordering on impossible yea). Of course I have zero confidence that most degrees are actually an investment financially (ie will produce positive return on investment, that you'll earn back what you paid and then some).

Jilly

1-25-13, 7:51pm

I'd rethink that. Remember, you have to sleep sometime...

Forgot about that. Better trim his claws before bed tonight.

Sounds adorable! I'm surprised he didn't request traditional waffle-knit! LOL!

You would think, but he has seen me knit and knows the sorrow that comes from trying above my abilities.

Azure

1-26-13, 4:07pm

larknm

1-27-13, 12:38pm

For Christmas and DH's bday we got the softest nighties ever from Vt. Country store, and they cover from neck to feet. Also got a pair of their longjohns, heavier than silk, lighter than most cotton ones--and they help keep me warm so much that I bought another pair for when those are in the wash. Heaven.

Also got a pair of flannel-lined jeans from Carhartt that are great--fit waist better than ones I already had, plus fit over heavy boots. It's all about warmth this winter.

Thank you, Mrs. M for starting this.

LilyB

1-28-13, 7:38pm

I have several pairs of perfectly functional earbuds, but I hate the way the darned things feel. So I treated myself to a set of noise-cancelling headphones...lovely! They fit comfortably and the music on my iPod sounds amazing. I can' wait to try my audio books on it. Definitely not a frugal purchase but so enjoyable.

Tussiemussies

1-28-13, 7:47pm

We haven't been frugal since we bought our house. DH is re-doing the kitchen and we bought a cheap microwave for frozen food to heat up. A lot of times after a few days of frozen food, we order out. Looks like the kitchen won't be done for another 2-3 weeks. So we won't be able to get frugal in this area until then...trying to stay frugal elsewhere. Timer on lights and motion sensor hallway light.

Mrs-M

1-29-13, 11:17am

LOL, Jilly!

Totally enjoying this thread!

Float On

1-29-13, 11:49am

I've totally bombed on 2013 already.
DH bought me flowers. They died. I bought me flowers.
Frozen easy meals. Eatting out.
I joined 365project and now I'm wanting another new lens for the camera.

Jilly

1-29-13, 6:43pm

I had to give up on the no-spend thing for January. Most likely for the rest of my life, but I do intend to try again next month...February, fewer days, greater chance of success.

My unfrugal today is the present for the student I mentor. Is that a verb? I am the mentor for a student. Better, much.

Anyway, her birthday is next week and when I was doing my regularly scheduled shopping today, I bought a nice cosmetic bag thing and filled it with nail polishes (in what I hope are colors she will like) and all kinds of emery and nail boards, clippers and all that stuff. She is a wonderful person and I love doing things for her. I usually give her gifts of art materials, but thought that she would like something different.

The only thing I could not find is those foam things that go between your toes. A short trip to the dollar store Thursday should take care of that. Ah, man, I could have shopped for just about all of that stuff there. I guess that exponentially increases the un-frugality. Man. I am such a doof. Oh, well, she will like the fancy stuff just as well.

Mrs-M

1-30-13, 7:45am

Float On. I don't think you bombed at all. Try and look at from the standpoint of, your spending and cheats are all part of life's extensions to happiness and contentment. :)

That's great, Jilly!

This thread is chicken soup for my soul!

Rosemary

1-30-13, 9:17am

Jilly, every no-spend day counts!
I haven't done great this month, and I stopped keeping count. But I mentally reward myself every time I have a no-spend day.

Our un-frugal trip to CA was completely worth it. Sunshine and 50-60 degrees vs ice and 5 degrees... for just a few days, rejuvenated us for the remaining months of winter. And we re-connected with some friends we'd not seen in several years, had a great time.