View Full Version : March 2013 frugals
Woo hoo! I went to the end of winter sales to get some good quality work clothes for next autumn. I got trousers, a cardigan and two tops. The original ticket price would have been £220 for all four items. How much did I actually pay? £58!
Great start to the month, dogmom!
We used a gift certificate that we had for a local sporting goods store that is going out of business. It was actually kind of frustrating finding stuff to buy as there was nothing that we truly needed. In the end, we got a Leatherman tool for my beloved and a book for me. We had to pay $16 total for the two items because we couldn't find any thing to use up the gift certificate perfectly...but we'll get far more than $16 worth of value out of these two items so it is not a big deal.
Since we were already out and were in the vicinity of the thrift store, we dropped off the bag of stuff I had decluttered last weekend. I thought for sure that my beloved would suggest going out for lunch after those two errands, but to my surprise he didn't say a word. We came home and he's making himself something to eat and I'm having some tea.
A good frugal start to the month!
Hmm, yes it's easy to feel like a little treat - you have your partner well trained. Tell me, what is the difference between a thrift store and a goodwill store? Are they the same as a charity shop in the UK (people donate their stuff for free and the shop sells it to fund a charity)?
Hmm, yes it's easy to feel like a little treat - you have your partner well trained. Tell me, what is the difference between a thrift store and a goodwill store? Are they the same as a charity shop in the UK (people donate their stuff for free and the shop sells it to fund a charity)?
Yes, a thrift shop is the general name for a shop to take your old items. Goodwill is a specific charity...St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army are a few more names...Like Oxfam in the UK :)
We were given 2 free tickets to the Home and Garden Show here in Mpls - given to us by a window company from who we are ordering a new sliding glass porch door. We had never been before and agreed that we would put our names on nothing - no vendors coming out to give us quotes, no chances to win (fill it the blank)-and we stuck to that easily.
We were sorely tempted to buy some very nice aloe-based hand lotion - the very nice young salesman gave me a great hand massage - but for $40(!!) we walked away, decided to go back cause it was nice lotion, but he was busy with someone else - time enough for us to say to ourselves "no thanks".
We did get ideas for a new floor in the garage and got the name of a service to clean our gas fireplaces. We'll be looking for references and more info on line.
We did sign the contract with the window company cause as we talked to other window vendors about their products and the warranty, we realized we had a good deal going. The current door is original to the house (60 years old) and the windows are scratched and the door doesn't lock - one of those things that I think we will say "What took us so long?"!!
A friend gave us 2 tickets to the local middle school's musical performance tonight. We wanted to go but it was sold out. But now DH and DD ended up going for free.
It's time for us to really focus on cleaning out the freezer so we can turn it off by mid-June, so I anticipate low grocery bills for the coming weeks. This is my annual routine; our freezer is in the garage, which gets very hot in the summer -- plus we eat so much from the farmers market, and so much salad, in the summer, that we don't need the freezer capacity.
I've been wanting to go back to a round kitchen table for a long time but really couldn't justify the expense of a new table. Plus our kitchen chairs are long in need of replacement. Scored last night and just down the street! Looks like someone cleaned out the basement and set a round table and six heavy wooden chairs out for the taking! Chairs still out on the deck as they need a good cleaning and hope to get the table set up and cleaned today! Definitely my kind of frugality! :)
D
Something I'm doing that gives me helpful feedback is that in my Excel budget worksheet I created a row for every day of 2013 and filled them all in as no-drive, no-spend days. When I do spend I put that in. By having no-spend as the default my mind is slower to disrupt that by spending.
I junked my car last fall. I knew I would save all the money I had been spending on car expenses but what has surprised me is how much less I spend on other things too, since I can't just hop in the car and go buy something.
I received a loaf of gluten free bread from my friend who visited Bam Bam Bakery in Portland, ME last weekend. I think it was someone on these boards who mentioned Bam Bam, but can't remember who... rosarugosa, perhaps? Well, it resulted in a free loaf of bread for me so I had some last night with the frittata we made and some more this morning with peanut butter. Since I'll be leaving for Austin, TX on Thursday I need to be sure I eat the whole loaf before then.
My big frugal for today -- even though it's going to involve spending a fair amount of money -- is getting my piano tuned. Well, it's not actually happening today, I just put in a request for a quote and an appointment today. I'm hoping the piano tuner can come soon as having a tuned piano means I have a very frugal creative outlet. Of course, I'm already thinking about taking lessons so maybe this won't be so frugal! :|(
Our other frugals for the day are the usual stuff. We're cooking at home and just hanging around the house doing some chores and generally relaxing. I made a pot of tea this morning and used my travel mug method for keeping it warm. We'll eat leftover fritatta for lunch and I think I'll make popcorn for a snack this afternoon.
I have my all day meditation class tomorrow so need to pack a lunch for that. I don't think we really get much of a lunch break so there's not much choice but to bring our own lunch. This is a good thing because otherwise I might get lazy and buy take out. :D
Tussiemussies
3-2-13, 1:17pm
I received a loaf of gluten free bread from my friend who visited Bam Bam Bakery in Portland, ME last weekend. I think it was someone on these boards who mentioned Bam Bam, but can't remember who... rosarugosa, perhaps? Well, it resulted in a free loaf of bread for me so I had some last night with the frittata we made and some more this morning with peanut butter. Since I'll be leaving for Austin, TX on Thursday I need to be sure I eat the whole loaf before then.
My big frugal for today -- even though it's going to involve spending a fair amount of money -- is getting my piano tuned. Well, it's not actually happening today, I just put in a request for a quote and an appointment today. I'm hoping the piano tuner can come soon as having a tuned piano means I have a very frugal creative outlet. Of course, I'm already thinking about taking lessons so maybe this won't be so frugal! :|(
Our other frugals for the day are the usual stuff. We're cooking at home and just hanging around the house doing some chores and generally relaxing. I made a pot of tea this morning and used my travel mug method for keeping it warm. We'll eat leftover fritatta for lunch and I think I'll make popcorn for a snack this afternoon.
I have my all day meditation class tomorrow so need to pack a lunch for that. I don't think we really get much of a lunch break so there's not much choice but to bring our own lunch. This is a good thing because otherwise I might get lazy and buy take out. :D
Hi cdt, was thing after reading your post that taking piano lessons doesn't seem un-frugal to me. You will be gaining a skill and enjoying yourself. That seems very important to me! :)
Hi cdt, was thing after reading your post that taking piano lessons doesn't seem un-frugal to me. You will be gaining a skill and enjoying yourself. That seems very important to me! :)
Thanks, Tussiemussies! I am trying to think of it as a frugal hobby. I took lessons for about 20 years so one would think I would be able to play well enough without more lessons. But I've not played for a number of years and I think that taking lessons will help me get back up to my previous ability level faster than what I can do on my own.
Getting back on the frugal track here. Yesterday DW wanted to make it a movie night. DW rarely wants to watch movies, so I'm all for it. She suggested downloading something from the Apple TV. I suggested getting a movie from the Redbox a few blocks from our house. It's a fraction of the price of an Apple TV download and you get all the goodies (director's commentary, etc.) that come on the CD. Even better, a "deals" site I check pretty much daily had a promo code for a free Redbox rental, so we watched "Flight" last night for $0.00. That and some real pan-cooked popcorn made it an enjoyable frugal date night.
Of course, one disadvantage of Redbox movies is that they don't vanish into the ether after 24 hours like Apple TV movies do. We could walk to return the DVD, but I will be out today anyway; I'll drop off the DVD after meeting someone who is decluttering on craigslist. They're selling compostable bags (starch and vegetable oil, not plastic) for maybe 25 cents on the dollar compared to buying them from Amazon. We use them in our countertop composting bucket, so we'll get our use out of a few boxes worth at that price.
It's nice to be getting back to the frugal track.
I am finally beginning to emerge back into the world after two solid weeks of being sick. Ugh. That was not fun. I've had about three days now of actually being a functioning human being.
Today is our 10th anniversary and because of all the illness we've had this winter, we decided against our original plan of having a big party. I just wasn't up for it. Instead two of our friends took turns taking the kids yesterday so we could have an entire day off to have fun, just the two of us. My dad gave us money to go out for brunch as an anniversary gift.
Then we went to Como Park Conservatory, which is free (sort of a free will offering at the door if you want to donate). We sat in the sunken garden and just talked for quite a while, then walked around and got a cup of tea at the cafe. All of that made me want to look at gardening stuff, so we went to the garden center and looked around, drinking more tea and sitting for a while discussing our garden plans in their coffee patio area. We didn't buy anything. It's not quite gardening season yet.
We went out for Mexican food for dinner, which isn't super frugal, but it wasn't all that expensive either, considering it is our 10th anniversary. Then we went to Half Price books and the only thing we bought was a set of The Chronicles of Narnia for our daughter who turns nine next week. It was only $10. That's a pretty good price for a set of 7 books. Today we had a blessing done after church and have just spent the day napping and eating the leftover lasagne we had left for the kids and babysitter for dinner last night. Overall, it's been a pretty fun, frugal weekend.
On Friday I did a whole bunch of food prep for the coming weeks. I made Swedish meatball mix, meatloaf mix, Italian meatball mix, lemon dill turkey meatball mix, garlic sherry burger mix, Asian turkey meatball mix and I chopped up meat from three previously cooked chickens into ten 2 c packages and made stock from the bones. This week I am going to make tortillas, biscuits, rice and wild rice for freezing.
early morning
3-3-13, 6:21pm
Congrats on #10 Stella - and glad you're feeling better. Lots of illness this winter, all around. We've been so lucky-knock wood- no colds/flu/etc here. DD has no insurance, and we try to take care of ourselves, but some good friends of ours, in super shape and eating only the most healthy foods, were stricken and down for weeks! Co-worker's wife is a GP and he says it's been the worst year health-wise for many of her patients. Your day out sounds divine, and your food prep is making me hungry, and guilty for all of my time-wasting, lol. Not much new here -today I have laundry hanging and DD and I looked through our food supplies and decided that with milk and butter, we could put off a grocery trip for another week. I picked those things up on my way to check on Mom, so no extra trip or gas. DD's museum reopened for the season this weekend, so she is back at her (one day a week, *sigh*) job. She made it through her two months off surviving on her holiday gift money and her savings. Of course she lives with us so no real panic; however she buys all her own personal care items, pays her car insurance, repairs, and gas, buys the food stuffs only she eats (soy milk, greek yogurt, cereal, etc) so there is no cost to us for her staying here, either. And she does most of the cooking, yay! But I digress... got my mileage reimbursement for Jan and put it and the Dec mileage check in the bank. Keeping the heat down and planning to add some insulation to the attic this spring, before it gets too hot. Remembered to turn in my Feb. mileage. Trying to decide if I should open a new charge account for a "free" $125.00. I need to re-read the fine print and make sure I understand the strings... but free money is tempting, lol. Not much else here. Have a great week, everyone!
Tussiemussies
3-3-13, 8:02pm
Thanks, Tussiemussies! I am trying to think of it as a frugal hobby. I took lessons for about 20 years so one would think I would be able to play well enough without more lessons. But I've not played for a number of years and I think that taking lessons will help me get back up to my previous ability level faster than what I can do on my own.
Hi again cdt, I too took lessons as a teen for all my teen years and would love to be able to have a piano. I too would need lessons to get to where I was too. I don't think it is frugal to deny yourself any type of education. You will have to post how it goes! :)
Welcome back Stella. Glad you are feeling better, and Happy Anniversary to you & Zack.
Early: I got a new credit card last year with a free $150. after first purchase enticement, and it was indeed free, no strings attached. It's a decent cash-back rewards card with no annual fee, so we have decided to keep on using it (and of course paying the full balance off every month).
Tussiemussies
3-3-13, 8:39pm
Hi Stella, glad you are feeling much better! Happy 10th anniversary. Glad you really got to enjoy yourself with your husband! :)
Annual church auction today. We made some things to donate and also are hosting meals (services go well) this summer, and we bought nothing. So we earned significant money for the church without actually spending much.
This is DD's non-party year for her birthday (she'll have a small party with me and DH, but not a friend party). On these non-party years we usually do an activity with a friend. I had suggested roller skating but she decided she wanted a slumber party instead. So that's free and even less work for me - all I have to do is make them food.
Bought a 90-day supply of my vitamins and signed up for auto shipments saving 20% off my order. Considering that I can cancel anytime, I figured I would take the 20% discount. This saved me about $25 (yes, I buy expensive vitamins, but I am a firm believer that they have helped to resolve or at least to mitigate some of my health issues).
We ate leftovers for dinner last night and will have leftovers either for lunch today or for dinner tonight as well. If we eat them for lunch, then I think we'll make nachos for dinner so that I can use up a sweet pepper that is nearing its end and the remaining half an onion that is in the refrigerator. We've gone fairly well with the meal planning this past week so we'll try to keep that up. I was going to make macaroons as a treat, but my dearly beloved is leaving for NYC tonight or tomorrow and I am leaving for Austin on Thursday so there's no real need to make sweets this week. But if it looks like we're not going to use up the milk we have on hand that might become tapioca pudding. And I'm on track to finish off the loaf of gluten free bread before I leave. I don't think I need to buy gluten free bread on a regular basis. It's just not that good and I do better, in terms of healthful eating, when I'm not eating bread all the time.
Not much else to report. But I was just wasting time on the computer this morning so figured I might as well post something and then get myself motivated so that I actually do something productive today!
I love the idea of keeping track of "no spend, no-drive" days. Those are my favorite days and sometimes they seem to far in between my "drive and spend" days. Must have more of them!
I haven't been on here since the virus threat of a few weeks past. We have had a tumultuous two weeks. Dear MIL has has seizures and then strokes and so we took her home (we have been sharing the house with her for over a year) for hospice care until she died last week. She was almost 94 and very tired of being alive. We promised we'd do everything we could to keep her out of a nursing home, which we did.
As for frugals, we downgraded our dish tv and hubbie signed up for hulu which is still less than dish package we had. I have been bringing all kinds of things, given and found to consignment to clear the house out and to make money. I make about $45 a month. I'm taking vintage items that have expired in my etsy shop and I'm setting them aside for a flea market this summer.
Went out of town to do several errands, called home and hubbie had one more for me so I did it and asked him to heat up soup for us for lunch so I wouldn't be tempted to eat out.
I've missed you all and what you are doing. Hope everbody is OK.
Merski: I'm sorry for your sad loss.
Merski: welcome back. So sorry to hear about your MIL.
Stella: welcome back. Congratulations on your milestone anniversary!
Just the usual frugals today. Eating at home, watching some TV shows that we downloaded from iTunes (with gift card money) as our entertainment, combined errands on the first trip to town today. The second trip...not so much. See my post in the un-frugals thread. Still keeping the thermostat turned down even though the wind made it a pretty raw day outside.
Tussiemussies
3-4-13, 7:26pm
Hi Merski,
So sorry about your loss. I am so glad that your MIL did not have to endure going to a nursing home. Christine
Merski, Sincere condolences.
Merski, my condolences as well. You can feel good that you honored DMiL's wishes and made her last days as comfortable as possible.
Merski: I too send my condolences. What a wonderful gift you gave your DMIL by taking care of her at home.
Merski--So very sorry for your loss. How wonderful that you did your best to uphold your MIL's wishes and care for her at home in her last days. I hope you and your family are able to find comfort and peace in the days to come.
Stella--Happy anniversary! :-) Our 10-year anniversary will be this year, too.
I am joining in a little late this month. My grandmother passed away last week, so we've been busy with the memorial service, out of town family, etc. Things haven't exactly been frugal, either, mostly because I was sad and didn't feel like cooking. We had three meals out--eek! Oh well. Today will mark the beginning of a fresh start. I've already done a couple of loads of wash and will clean the kitchen while DD eats breakfast. We are expecting up to 10 inches of snow today, so I think I will cancel my doctor's appts. for the day and just hang out at home with DD. My favorite place with one of my favorite little people! :-)
Yesterday I did manage to freeze half of the pizza casserole I made and well as make some sour cream enchiladas. Lunch today will be leftovers, and dinner tonight will be sausage gravy over biscuits as well as some scrambled eggs. Should be easy enough, and it will allow me to use up the leftover sausage from the casserole. I'll make some jello for DD, too, since I have some in my pantry but am out of fresh fruit. Canned fruit will be fine in that! I also took out some meat from the freezer for tomorrow's supper so I won't forget.
While DD naps today, I'll grade a few papers and then maybe cut some quilt squares for DH's quilt. DH went back to work today, and I need to stay busy.
Kat, don't be so hard on yourself about the meals out. We were so worn out emotionally during our hospice time with MIL that we didn't eat well and didn't want to cook. People offered to help but we didn't want to be flooded with too much food. Someone did bring us a few days worth of tasty bean and kale homemade soup and we could actually taste comfort and kindness. We ate a lot of sandwiches....now we're getting back on the bandwagon.
Thnking of you both - Merski and Kat - do take care of yourselves as this sad time.
Focusing on eating up what we have in the refrigerator since both of us will be gone for a few days. I ate up the last of the leftovers yesterday for lunch. I had a banana for breakfast and have two more to eat before I get on a plane tomorrow morning, which is totally reasonable since I normally eat at least one banana each day. I also want to eat up some of the stash of oranges that we have. Plus the vitamin C is a nice bonus as I battle this cold or allergy attack (not sure which it is at this point). Last but not least, I have a sweet pepper that needs to be eaten. Other than those few things, we are in good shape. I'm thinking of making another round of the mixed rice noodles for dinner as that will leave at least two servings of leftovers for my dearly beloved to eat before he leaves for NYC again.
Other than food related frugals, I just need to concentrate on having no frivolous spending during my last minute preparations for a 6-day business trip. And, of course, I need to focus on not having any un-frugals happen while I'm traveling (i.e. buying random stuff that I don't really need).
Merski-if your hospice provided you with any grief education materials, generally they tell you to do exactly what you did do regarding the meals (you too, Kat) so congratulations on good instincts. Grieving takes a lot of energy, you have to conserve it from other life endeavors.
My frugals so far this month: worked last weekend and ate all my meals from packed food, except one drive through meal.
Bought one pair jeans, one pair cool red straight-leg pants and one work outfit (skirt and top) in my new, slimmed down size--all from Goodwill.
And AT&T has finally ticked me off enough with their random adding of fees that I have dropped two cell phones from our family service. One I will get a pre-paid cell phone for myself, who doesn't use a phone much. The other is DD's phone and she is having her number added to her father's AT&T contract. When the boy's contracts expire, they will get pre-paid phones too.
Today, I am driving to St. Louis to finish helping my mom organize her financial papers. I bought her some hanging folders (consider it a Christmas gift, mom) and she is taking me out to lunch. Then tonight, adult beverages, a fire in the fireplace with scavenged wood, and snacks that I bought a Aldi. A nice visit with a friend for no more than a dinner at home would cost me anyway.
Originally posted by Kat.
Yesterday I did manage to freeze half of the pizza casserole I made and well as make some sour cream enchiladas. Lunch today will be leftovers, and dinner tonight will be sausage gravy over biscuits as well as some scrambled eggs.Does that EVER sound delish!
Thanks, all, for your kind words. Mrs. M--it was delish! :)
DH and I will both be having leftovers today. I will make meat loaf, roasted potatoes, and veggies for dinner tonight. Leftover jello for dessert. I have been trying to be mindful about using up the last little bit of food in the fridge, too. Yesterday I gave DD the last of the peas, and I will give her the last serving of applesauce sometime today. For whatever reason, those last single servings seem to get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten about!
We got a ton of snow yesterday, and I don't feel like shoveling out my car to go to the store (which I usually do on Wednesdays). So I am going to take my time writing up a menu based around what we have here and then maybe just do a light shop on Friday. I'll skip quarter day at Goodwill, this week, too. Just don't feel like the hassle today. Staying home, playing with DD, working, cleaning, and organizing will be much more fruitful.
I just realized that I only have time to finish one more class before the baby comes, so I only have three more paychecks until next fall. Eeek. Anyway, I am thinking about trying to save as much as my income as possible until that time. This means we will start living on my non-working budget now. That budget is really, really harsh--no extras whatsoever, and barely enough to keep our heads above water. But if I could tuck an extra $500 away, I would feel better (especially since our medical bills have been so horrendous and we are still waiting for an estimate for the nursery re-do). Don't know if that is really achievable or not, but I'll try!
Merski and Kat, I am sorry for your losses. I will keep your families in my prayers.
Thanks for the anniversary wishes everyone! It was a good one. It's been a good, frugal week so far. I've been home except for a free event at church on Monday night. We had the lemon dill turkey meatballs that I froze for dinner on Monday and the rest for dinner last night. They were good. I was thinking as I made them that I was cutting it pretty close making dinner and getting to my event on time, but because the meatballs were already made it ended up taking about 10 minutes. It takes longer than that to get fast food. I will be doing freezer cooking more often. I haven't gotten the scones, crepes, twice baked potatoes and tortillas made yet. FIL is coming this Thursday night and I am trying to get things ready and trying to catch up on a few school things we missed while we were battling the flu, so I've had other stuff going on. I'll get to it eventually.
I found some fun, free math games on Pinterest. We've been playing Fraction Memory a lot this week and the kids are getting pretty good at it. We needed a break from math workbooks.
Tussiemussies
3-6-13, 2:53pm
Kat, so sorry that you lost your Grandmother. It must be a sad time for you...very sorry. Christine
Thanks, stella and tussie. :)
Thank you all for your wishes thoughts and prayers. We are moving toward a better space and even are thinking of cooking.... oh! and cleaning the house. We are calling this "the new normal".
DD had a doctor's appt today. Usually I have to shell out $30 for her co-pay, but there is no co-pay with her new insurance, so I didn't have to! After her appointment, we resisted temptation to go to Goodwill (which is right next door to the doctor's office) and instead went to the grocery store armed with our list and a few coupons. We spent $68, and that should tide us over meal-wise. We'll probably pop by again next week for milk and fruit and such, but I should be able to stay well under budget. I was proud of myself, too, because while we were at the store, I crossed something off of my meal plan that is very expensive to make and replaced it with a lower-cost (but tasty) meal.
We have also been back to using mostly cash. This seems to help me spend less, and I am better at saving the "overflow" from each category this way.
When I arrived home, I found a refund check in the mail for $107.10. I didn't know this was coming, and it was a nice surprise. I have it earmarked for savings. I also received a box of checks that my bank sent for free. They recently changed their name and all account numbers and want their customers to have the new checks. I thought it was nice they replaced my old checks for free. They didn't have to do that.
The rest of today should be pretty boring. I have to grade papers this afternoon and will probably color with DD when she wakes up from her nap.
I don't have much to share on the frugal front but I wanted you all to know I'm around. I feel so bad about all the terrible things everyone seems to be going through lately-all the illness, deaths and lost jobs. Hang in there folks-it will get better.
I don't have much to share on the frugal front but I wanted you all to know I'm around. I feel so bad about all the terrible things everyone seems to be going through lately-all the illness, deaths and lost jobs. Hang in there folks-it will get better.
It is nice to hear from you, bke. I have noticed, too, that a lot of people really seem to be going through it. Totally breaks my heart to see so many I care about (and I do genuinely care about the folks on this forum) going through such tough struggles.
I was going to go shopping with DD this morning but instead decided to invite my MIL over for a visit. We chatted for awhile and played with DD. Then after she left, I fed DD some leftovers for lunch and then we did a paint with water page. Huge hit! :-) Now that she is napping, I got started on supper. I made mini meat loaves and roasted potatoes, which allowed me to use up meat and potatoes bought on sale as well as a less than fresh green pepper and a very small onion that wasn't quite big enough for anything else. I also tossed in some random leftover cheese and subbed ketchup and brown sugar for BBQ sauce since I was out. At one time in my life, I would have run to the store to get the BBQ sauce, but I decided to just make do instead this time. Tonight I will heat all the food back up and add some veggies from the freezer. I have every kind imaginable, all bought for 58 cents a pound.
I should clean this afternoon but I think I will work on cutting some squares for DH's quilt. I would love to surprise him with it for his birthday, but that might be a little ambitious. :-) Since I already have the material and the batting, though, it is a frugal project. I decided to just use a sheet for the backing, too, since that will be waaaaaaay cheaper than buying yardage.
Tonight is family movie night. We will watch a little bit of a children's movie we already own with DD, and DH will make some popcorn on the stove. It is so cheap, but DD LOVES it (well, she loves the popcorn and the snuggles--her attention span doesn't really allow her to watch the movie for very, and that's okay!)!
Mighty Frugal
3-8-13, 8:46pm
Kat, your day sounds so cozy! What a great day! And those mini meatloaves sound super good
early morning
3-11-13, 6:37pm
Managed to get 4 loads of laundry dried outside this weekend, even if I did have to slog through snow to hang things Saturday! It was mostly melted by Sunday, though. It was nice to be able to wash my sofa cover and a bunch of throws and blankets - they are so hard to dry in the house. DD went to Aldi's on Friday for the first grocery run in 3 weeks, and only spent $20 or so over our usual 2 week food budget. Saturday AND Sunday were no-drive, no spend days - I think I'd have to go back to last fall for the last weekend I didn't have to drive someplace! Other than that - same old stuff.
Thanks, Mighty Frugal. It was cozy. I have a nice life!
I have had to buy a lot of things lately, it seems. I sent flowers to a friend who lost his mother, and my foundation brush broke. I did manage to keep spending within our budgeted amounts, though, so that is good. I also joined ebates, so I should get a Walmart gift card (bonus) along with a refund check in a few months. I was also able to score two free, full-sized products with my brush purchase. I should be able to use them both.
Gymboree sent me a coupon for a free body suit (7.95 value) with any $10 purchase. Shipping was free, too. So I got a body suit for the Little Man and a shirt with kitties on it DD saw at the actual store. The good thing is that the shirt (which was like $25 at the store) was on sale for $11 online. More than I would usually pay for a shirt, but the cut of it will allow her to wear it for a long time. I also found another shirt on clearance for her for in her next size 3.89.
A couple of things I ordered from another store didn't work out, so I am returning them. That should help balance out all the spending! I arranged for the USPS to pick my package up from my house instead of spending gas to drive to the post office.
I need to buy an assortment of cards for various occasions coming up, so I think I will make a run to the dollar store with DD this morning. We should be home in time to eat lunch with her daddy and then play awhile before nap time. Then while she can nap, I can make dinner--scalloped potatoes and ham with peas. This should be a cheap meal. The potatoes were 10 cents a pound, the cheese was on sale for $3 a pound, the peas were 58 cents a pound, and the ham was free! I am also going to use up some milk I bought on sale and froze. It was 99 cents a gallon because it was so close to expiring.
Mighty Frugal
3-12-13, 11:45am
I whipped up a yummy dinner using leftovers yesterday. Sort of a carbonara pasta. I cut some bacon dh had made earlier in the week and threw it in a pan with half an onion that has seen better days. Then boiled the pasta and drained. Then threw in about 4 cups of cauliflower dh had steamed earlier in the week. Added the bacon, onions to the pasta and milk and Lipton's cream of chicken cup a soup (bought on sale)
mmmm...was it ever heavenly!
Dh's Employment Insurance payment has just begun (he had a package before this) and we are planning on saving all of this into our saving account. We've been living on just my salary for about 18 months now with no problems! He'll look at re-training in the fall or whenever they have classes.
Oh, I had a birthday party for my youngest who is turning 7. We had it at home which dramatically kept the costs down! For his gift from us we only spent about $20 because we gave him the party and the only thing he really wants is 'Skylanders' which are figures for a video game and every other boy bought him one so dh and I each bought him one. I don't think you must spend a ton on a child for his birthday. In fact, we didn't start buying our children anything for bdays or Christmas until they were either 2 or 3-before then they really don't care!;)
I got a new bath towel for about $1.60. It does have a snag in it but it doesn't bother me.
I finally noticed that we had an extra charge on our cable bill so I called and got that taken care of.
We took Ty back to school on Sunday but didn't stop and get dinner on the way home. We came home and cooked instead. I have been in a bad I-don't-want-to-cook funk for a couple of months now.
I've felt that way lately, too, Azure, about dinner.
I did a little shopping today and am really pleased I was able to stock baby #2's changing table with name brand name diapers and wipes (since the cloth ones I have are too big until maybe 12 pounds or so) for less than it would cost for generics. I also got several health and beauty items for my stockpile for dirt cheap (some great coupons out there, and Target stacks store AND manufacturing coupons) along with some free cleaning wipes and some low-cost items for DD's Easter basket. I got some free Crayola crayons and some free kid's toothpaste for the operation Christmas child box I started, too.
I had another great coupon for shoes (30% off) that was good for clearance, too, so I got three pairs of shoes (one for me, two for the kids in bigger sizes) and a pair of snow boots for DD for next year for $25. The shoes for me are these REALLY comfortable flats I had been eyeing for awhile, and the boots for DD were waaaaaaay down from 29.99. The shoes I got for her were light up shoes, too, which she wanted. But I wasn't going to pay $45 for Twinkle Toes at Kohls. These have Disney princess on them, and she loves them. Shoes are one thing I cannot seem to find in good used condition, so I am happy to find news ones everyone loves for around $6 a pair. My receipt had a $2 coupon in it I can use the next time we need shoes, too (no expiration date).
Since it is looking like I will be out of work for half the year, I am really happy to be able to stock up on things now and have them set aside for the kids to grow into. I hate paying full price, and shopping with two kids under two won't be something I will want to mess around with very often. Better to get stuff now for cheap. :-)
I've been doing pretty well on the frugal front. Much less fast food (McD, Subway), which is better on the budget. I've been stretching out my more expensive tea with store brand black tea, which is what I drink at work. I've not been buying soda from the machine at work for almost a week. Better on my stomach, too.
I sang (with three others) at a baptism on Saturday. I was astonished to open up the thank you card on Sunday to find a $20! That's half a tank of gas or so.
I've been using my drying rack for all laundry besides towels and sheets. I do throw things in the dryer on the air setting for 5-10 minutes, to get the crunchiness out. But other than that, nada!
Six years ago, I went to the Salvation Army to cruise for for my vintage pottery addiction, and that end of the store was closed. So I wandered around a corner, and there was a sweet Schacht Baby Wolf floor loom, on wheels, for $100! I bought it, and when I picked it up the next day, a huge box of weaving tools came with it. All told, it was about $1600 worth of equipment. I've loved & used that loom, but have been hankering for a bigger one to pursue my desire to weave rag rugs & weft faced surface design wool rugs.
In order to afford the rug loom I found last week on Craigslist, a very cool 60 year old Murphy, a locally made, hard maple, sturdy loom for sale for $450, I had to sell my loom first. Today I did, to the first person who inquired to my CL ad... For $900!!! As a friend said, "that's good math"! Sunday we bring the rug loom home, and I am stoked. Now I have $$ available to buy the warp I want, which is linen, and pricey, but perfect for high tension rug weaving.
My experienced weaver friend will be coming for a visit in late April, and I should be recovered enough from surgery to get a large warp on this loom with her... I am thinking 35-40 yards. That should give me enough to weave fifteen 60" rugs. I already have lots of fabric for rags, & wool to spin for wool rugs. That warp should last me two years or so.
I am over the moon to be able to pursue my art by leveraging a fantastic thrift store find lo these many years ago.
Tussiemussies
3-12-13, 11:58pm
Six years ago, I went to the Salvation Army to cruise for for my vintage pottery addiction, and that end of the store was closed. So I wandered around a corner, and there was a sweet Schacht Baby Wolf floor loom, on wheels, for $100! I bought it, and when I picked it up the next day, a huge box of weaving tools came with it. All told, it was about $1600 worth of equipment. I've loved & used that loom, but have been hankering for a bigger one to pursue my desire to weave rag rugs & weft faced surface design wool rugs.
In order to afford the rug loom I found last week on Craigslist, a very cool 60 year old Murphy, a locally made, hard maple, sturdy loom for sale for $450, I had to sell my loom first. Today I did, to the first person who inquired to my CL ad... For $900!!! As a friend said, "that's good math"! Sunday we bring the rug loom home, and I am stoked. Now I have $$ available to buy the warp I want, which is linen, and pricey, but perfect for high tension rug weaving.
My experienced weaver friend will be coming for a visit in late April, and I should be recovered enough from surgery to get a large warp on this loom with her... I am thinking 35-40 yards. That should give me enough to weave fifteen 60" rugs. I already have lots of fabric for rags, & wool to spin for wool rugs. That warp should last me two years or so.
I am over the moon to be able to pursue my art by leveraging a fantastic thrift store find lo these many years ago.
Redfox that is so fantastic. So glad for you that selling your loom worked out so well, your purchase went so well and that you have materials for two years!!! Everything fell into place for you! :)
redfox--that is awesome! I love it when things fall into place like that.
Kat--good job on the stocking up now. You are right, you will not want to have to drag two kids out to go shopping in 6 months.
My frugals seem to include a lot of disputing charges lately:
1) oral surgeon for DD wisdom tooth removal knew in November 2012 that they had to bill 2 teeth under dental part of plan and 2 teeth under medical part of plan (due to impaction of 2 teeth), but they didn't do it at the same time, but sequentially. So now they are trying to charge me $27 interest because the insurance hasn't payed for the dental part yet.
2) I pay the County Circuit Clerk for the Child Support/Maintenance fee. They are billing me for this year and last year, so will take them my cancel check from last year to get them to remove that charge.
3 Successfully had AT&T remove a random charge from DD's account, and DD is switching her phone to her father's plan
In more fun frugals, made chocolate tapioca pudding from site here using hot chocolate mix that the kids have not eaten. They liked the pudding though.
I am experimenting with going to the grocery store just every 2 weeks instead of my previous weekly trips to see if it saves money. Of course, I make a menu plan, use all leftovers either way. It will be interesting to see if it makes a difference.
We did pretty well on our shopping trip last night. I managed to get 7 items for free at the grocery store including a gallon of milk and a jar of peanuts. Dh used a $10 khols rewardbucks to get a clearanced $50 dress shirt for free-we didn't even have to pay sales tax!
Redfox, that's incredible! Wow!
We had breakfast for dinner last night. Used up the last of the chorizo.
We did the recycling last night. Today I will return bottles. And drop some boxes off at Goodwill.
try2bfrugal
3-13-13, 1:30pm
We received some unexpected royalty earnings for $80. We got some random $12 charge on the car insurance removed. Canceled a credit monitoring service for $5 a month. Sold a DVD back to Amazon for $8. Sold collectibles for $300. I got $80 worth of free stuff from Staples so far this month combining their ink recycling and rewards program offers.
We switched around our cable and phone plans over to U verse and Ooma, so that should save $77 a month once the new services are installed. Plus we are getting free installation with U verse and a $100 gift card.
We used an entertainment coupon to save $10 on a nice lunch out for Indian food. I'm following up on a couple of checks I forgot to cash and having them reissued. I know the forgetting part is not very frugal, but for this month it will be an extra $110 once the new checks arrive. I made about $75 this month from credit card rewards programs. I got an LED light bulb for free for doing product reviews. With the rates we pay for electricity the bulb should save $300 over its life time.
Tussiemussies
3-13-13, 4:49pm
We received some unexpected royalty earnings for $80. We got some random $12 charge on the car insurance removed. Canceled a credit monitoring service for $5 a month. Sold a DVD back to Amazon for $8. Sold collectibles for $300. I got $80 worth of free stuff from Staples so far this month combining their ink recycling and rewards program offers.
We switched around our cable and phone plans over to U verse and Ooma, so that should save $77 a month once the new services are installed. Plus we are getting free installation with U verse and a $100 gift card.
We used an entertainment coupon to save $10 on a nice lunch out for Indian food. I'm following up on a couple of checks I forgot to cash and having them reissued. I know the forgetting part is not very frugal, but for this month it will be an extra $110 once the new checks arrive. I made about $75 this month from credit card rewards programs. I got an LED light bulb for free for doing product reviews. With the rates we pay for electricity the bulb should save $300 over its life time.
WOW, you did really well in a lot of different areas!:)
I was traveling for the past 6 days so that always cuts way down on my frugals. But I did bring my travel mug with me and I used it at Starbucks a few times, in which case they gave me 10 cents off the price of the beverage and since they have to guess at the size they tend to price it at the lowest priced size as opposed to the largest size, which it is probably closer to. And on one of my receipts there was a coupon for a free beverage and I used that one day, too. I also kept the small bottle of water that I had from the flight and carried it around in my backpack until the day when I didn't have access to a water fountain and drank it. I also grabbed a few bottles of water from the party we through and used them the next day so that I wouldn't have to buy water. I thought about bringing my water bottle, but I was short on space and since I didn't end up having to buy any water this worked out pretty well. Before I flew home I went to Whole Foods and bought some snacks for the trip so that I wouldn't have to buy overpriced airport food. Granted, most of these expenses will be reimbursed, but I like to exercise my frugal muscles anyway.
Now that I'm back home I have jumped right back in to cooking and eating from home, which is always hard after I've been spoiled by not buying groceries or cooking for a week (although I do prefer home cooked meals so that makes it easier). I also jumped right back in to making tea at home in my Bodum teapot as opposed to stopping off at Starbucks.
We went to the gym last night as I had a Tae Kwon Do class and we're going again tonight so that I can go to a yoga class. Since we have an annual membership this works out to be some pretty cheap entertainment. Later we'll watch a show using the HBO app through our Apple TV because my dearly beloved's parents pay for HBO and this way we can get access for free since they don't use the app for themselves.
One good thing about traveling, since I tend to travel pretty light, it helped me to see where my priorities are. It is not a priority for me to have lots of clothing options. I was perfectly happy to wear the same thing twice (or even three times), but I neglected to bring books to read on the plane and before bed and as a result I ended up buying first a magazine and then two books. Fortunately, I found a Barnes & Noble near my hotel so I was able to get discounts on the two books.
try2bfrugal
3-13-13, 7:48pm
WOW, you did really well in a lot of different areas!:)
Thanks! Many of these are just one time frugals from selling stuff to declutter and getting my paperwork more organized. Hopefully I won't find any more uncashed checks next month.
Try2bfrugal and Redfox, nice job! ;)
Ooooh, a few more frugals to report.
Got two rebate checks in the mail. One for paper I bought from Staples and one for cat litter for a total of $23.97. Woo-hoo!
Didn't feel like cooking anything elaborate last night so we made a huge batch of popcorn on the stove top and ate that while watching a few episodes of Boardwalk Empire. Good frugal fun!!!
flowerseverywhere
3-14-13, 2:44pm
haven't posted much but I am chugging along doing all the usuals. DH was going out of town for a long day so I surprised him and packed a lunch, drink and snacks. Much healthier and way cheaper.
continuing to sew down my stash, three quilts made for charity this month. I am really getting down to the bottom of my fabric and I started with huge piles! Feels great and my sewing area looks fantastic too.
Tussiemussies
3-14-13, 3:26pm
haven't posted much but I am chugging along doing all the usuals. DH was going out of town for a long day so I surprised him and packed a lunch, drink and snacks. Much healthier and way cheaper.
continuing to sew down my stash, three quilts made for charity this month. I am really getting down to the bottom of my fabric and I started with huge piles! Feels great and my sewing area looks fantastic too.
Wow Flowers, 3 quilts in a month is amazing!!!:)
Today was a no spend day. One of my customers brought me 7 books! They are all things I should enjoy reading and are mine to keep!
fidgiegirl
3-15-13, 6:23pm
Hi all, back from my trip and scanning what's been going on, sounds like a lot and I just love being able to come home and ground myself in this thread.
Thanks to generous friends we had a relatively frugal trip. We got our tickets for about $650 total by using a $99 companion voucher with our Delta Amex. We pay a $99 annual fee for this card, so it's pretty much a wash. (ETA: Wait, um, no it's not . . . I must be dizzy from the temperature differential between San Diego and MSP). We might upgrade to Platinum since this is the last year they are offering the companion voucher with the Gold card. We earn a lot of miles on everyday purchases, plus the Platinum has a *free* companion voucher yearly. But the annual fee is $150 so I figure it's like paying $150 for an airline ticket - almost impossible anymore. But we never had an annual fee on any card prior to this one. I wonder if there is another rewards card we'd feel as awesome about with no fee. Should research that. Ideas welcome. :)
Our friends let us stay with them, saving on hotel, and lent us their car twice during the week, saving on a rental. The other day we used public transit/went with another friend, and the other day we took a trolley tour of the city. My friend also gave us free passes to the San Diego Zoo that come with her membership! That was $90 right there! They also had food for us to eat and took us to dinner one night, and we bought dinner another night. They mainly were working/studying so we were mostly on our own but we really appreciated their generosity and bought them a $50 Trader Joe's card for wine and treats. :)
We are off now to engage in one of those non-frugal frugals. I really like buying spices at the co-op in bulk, but hate putting them in mismatching plastic containers, not so much because of the mismatching, though that is kind of a pain for organizing the cupboard/seeing what's on hand, but more because the plastic jars take on the odor of the spices so much that if I decide not to refill that certain spice, I can't really reuse the jar. So we are going to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and get some glass spice jars for $1.00 each. I was going to start start replacing our spices as they run out with an initial purchase at Penzey's in the glass jars, but that ain't cheap, so we're going to buy the jars at BB&B and then get them at the co-op. We'll still buy some things at Penzey's, just not everything. I expect to make better use of our spices this way, have them keep longer, and be more motivated to continue to refill at the co-op, which is super economical as spices go.
I just realized it was a no spend day today! I was so tempted to stop off at Trader Joe's for some treats and a frozen pizza for the boys (they love TJ's pizza) after work. It has become a bad habit for me on Fridays after work to stop at the grocery store even though we have plenty of food at home. So glad I resisted even though it was hard. I think I am just so tired by Friday and hubby usually isn't home Friday nights that somehow it seems easier to buy an easy convenience food (TJ's has lots of those :)) vs. just making even a simple PBandJ for dinner.
try2bfrugal
3-15-13, 10:01pm
We are off now to engage in one of those non-frugal frugals. I really like buying spices at the co-op in bulk, but hate putting them in mismatching plastic containers, not so much because of the mismatching, though that is kind of a pain for organizing the cupboard/seeing what's on hand, but more because the plastic jars take on the odor of the spices so much that if I decide not to refill that certain spice, I can't really reuse the jar. So we are going to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and get some glass spice jars for $1.00 each. I was going to start start replacing our spices as they run out with an initial purchase at Penzey's in the glass jars, but that ain't cheap, so we're going to buy the jars at BB&B and then get them at the co-op. We'll still buy some things at Penzey's, just not everything. I expect to make better use of our spices this way, have them keep longer, and be more motivated to continue to refill at the co-op, which is super economical as spices go.
I think that is pretty fugal. I like that idea. I need to buy spices in bulk at just the amounts I need. Otherwise I always end up throwing out a lot of expired and hardly used spices each year.
try2bfrugal
3-15-13, 10:20pm
I checked out the unclaimed, online property databases for every state we have ever lived in and found a check for me for $70. So I filled out the paperwork today and have that ready to send in and reclaim.
DH got an unexpected bonus from his last job. That was a nice surprise since he doesn't even work there any more. We took the check to the bank and deposited it right away.
I used a 20% off coupon to buy the loss leaders and a few other things at Fresh and Easy for groceries this week. I think with 20% on sale prices that is cheaper than the warehouse stores. I am trying to cut the annual grocery budget this year and so far this week stayed within the new budget. I had to cut down on the organic produce to make the numbers work out. I am buying more frozen produce so we don;t have as much produce spoil before we find time to cook it up.
I sold an old text book back to Amazon for a $15 gift car.
The technician came to hook up U-Verse to the house today. On Monday they are supposed to do the inside wiring. We are waiting for the land line number to be ported to Ooma. When those two are done we can cut our cable costs and drop two land line phone bills completely.
early morning
3-16-13, 3:09pm
Plodding away at the same old, same old. Our insurance at work is increasing but our "incentive" offsets are increasing by the same amount, so I will for sure take care to do the requirements for those - already started the paperwork. Finally got the schedule for the place where we get our taxes done for free, and put in for a vacation day to get that taken care of. Brought home some stale stuff from my mothers to feed to the chickens. Found some lettuce that froze in the veggie drawer of the fridge, which will likewise go to feed them. Need a camo shirt for some team thing at work next week. Many people are buying new - I borrowed one from my brother. Found a new thrift store last night and bought a really cool picture in a great period frame - like a class photo of individual faces, but Masonic - it says 93rd class, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, 1926. All the men pictured are from this area, with the names and hometowns of all listed on the photo. I think I can make a few bucks on it - if not, it can grace my walls; it's the sort of oddity we love. But - I'd rather sell it, lol.
Been working away on the usual frugals over here. Did not succumb to the urge to buy snacks while out today. I had run a 10k race for St. Patrick's Day and really wanted some post-race snacks, but convinced myself to drive home and eat there instead. Made pasta with pesto and have enough leftovers for at least one more meal. Should be able to put off grocery shopping for a few more days and just eat what we already have in the house. This will give me a chance to prepare a comprehensive grocery list and make one trip. I'm hoping to be able to get everything we need for another 2-3 weeks in that one trip.
We finished watching the most recent season of Boardwalk Empire. So we'll need to find another series that we can watch as our evening entertainment. I've budgeted $30 per month for entertainment -- not a huge number. We spend $8 per month for Netflix so that means we have $22 per month for renting movies or buying a season pass for some TV show on iTunes. Granted we have a huge iTunes credit right now, but I want to make that last as long as possible.
I've been trying to fine tune our use of electricity and was pleasantly surprised to get an electric bill in the middle of the winter that was for a negative amount. Our solar panels do generate a fair amount on cold, sunny days, but the days are so short that we've never had a month when we've used less electricity in the winter than we generated. So we must be doing something right with limiting our electricity use!
fidgiegirl
3-16-13, 10:20pm
Uffda . . . been wasting a lot of time running around and in stores. Went to Joann with my mom and held off on buying any yarn, my latest craft temptation. But then I bought a clipper at PetSmart for the dog. This is going to sound weird, but luckily, it wasn't charging right - wouldn't light up. So we drove back up there to return it as well as another item we bought from BB&B that was a piece of junk. Well the reason the clipper not working turned out to be lucky is that we ran into one of the PetSmart groomers on the way in and she told us it would not be sufficient for our needs, so I did not get another one. Instead she recommended exactly what and where to buy online (:0!) so we did! Unfortunately, it was a lot more than $60 - more like $200!!!!! Eeeeek! But the clippers I've been using on Gus are not enough, and I plan to continue grooming him. It's gone well so far, even with the crappy clippers. I see it as an investment. In five grooms I will break even on the equipment. I already more than paid for the scissors and other items I already bought for home grooming.
We had a lovely pork roast in the crock pot with my parents and brothers this afternoon. Last night we went to Byerly's (upscale grocery, love shopping there but it is kind of cha-ching) and they have their BOGO going on. We saved $46.00 on our bill so got about $150 worth of groceries for $100. They have great BOGO on meat so we like to take advantage when that's going on.
Busy day but not all of it frugal. Called Comcast to order digital adapters for our two TV sets. Because we have the mandated "Limited Basic" cable, they're free. Frugal. We haven't needed one to date, but I spoke with an actual Comcast installer and he says you need them now. I'm hopeful it does not screw up the signal we get from the wall; if it does, we may be looking at putting up an antenna. Maybe more frugal over the long haul, but it would increase our cable Internet bill by about $8 a month.
Called our trash provider and told them there would be an extra bag waiting for them at pickup tomorrow. It's worth it to get that junk out of the house.
Cancelled lunch with a bunch of guys I normally meet with (frugal); one of the four was busy; one was stuck in North Dakota (Interstate is closed); and I have this thing about spending more time driving to lunch than I spend eating lunch. We'll reschedule.
Refilled an Rx locally that normally would be filled by mail at one-third the price (not frugal) but the mail-order company we get to use is the slowest in Christendom, and moving both my health provider and them to refill in time just is not going to happen (aftermath also not frugal).
The dishwasher repair guy just left; yesterday one of us tossed something ill-advised down the garbage disposal, clogging the drain. I disassembled enough of that plumbing myself to clear the clog (frugal) but the effort left a pool of icky water in the dishwasher and it wasn't pumping it out. Didn't want to burn out the pump and couldn't find any applicable assistance on-line, so I called the pro (not frugal). He fixed the problem and now I know how to fix it for next time (frugal). He also gave us some advice on getting the crud out of the discharge hose (two packets of unsweetened citrus drink mix; frugal) and told me that the average dishwasher of this model (10 years old) is good for at least another five years (frugal).
Now it's out to blow away the snow that Kelli and Rosemary and dado and some others here got in the Twin Cities. Then it's on to the local grocery store for what we need to buy for a day or two (I can walk there [frugal] and can't buy more than I can carry home [also frugal]). Then cook at home (frugal). And, before you know it, another day gets writtten into the history books....
I have a loaf of french bread baking right now. I just used the regular french bread recipe only made it 3 cups of unbleached white flour & 1 cup whole wheat flour. Instead of 4 cups of white. It smells sooo good. I'm going to serve it with fried rice which will use up some leftover brown rice, frozen asparagus, and leftover pork loin. We'll probably eat the last of the kimchi with it too.
Didn't buy anything today but I did go to the chiro. I started taking $5 out of all my paychecks & when I get to my co-pay amount of $20, if I need to I go to the chiro. I REALLY needed to lol My cousin recently started working there so when I saw her I gave her a $20 donation to give to her daughter & family. They are missionaries in New Guinea and they need to raise some cash to move to a different location. The families had a Walk on Saturday but we were tied up and couldn't go. BUT other than that I didn't spend any money.
I was tempted to buy a delicious mouth-watering gooey cheesy piece of pizza from work as I left (I stayed late today to try and make up for some of the hours I lost last week), but I "Just Said No", remembering that I have a bunch of packets of Ramen noodles I just bought, for the first time in a long time. My soup was actually pretty good - I only use half of a flavor packet (it has very high sodium) with 3 cups pf water for the broth, then added a little broccoli, green onion, carrot and colored pepper shreds. A tiny dash of sesame oil and Soyaki sauce and VIOLA! A pretty good, pretty filling, very cheap meal!
Plus, I just had two no-spend days in a row. Work'll do that to me; I'm too tired when I get off to go anywhere and spend money.
Guess I'm going to have to go grocery shopping today. My dearly beloved returned from NYC yesterday afternoon and discovered that we are out of orange juice and half-and-half. Two things that, in his opinion, we should never be out of. :D I've managed to put off grocery shopping longer than I thought and it's not resulted in going out to eat or buying convenience foods so this has all been quite frugal, but now it's time to stock up again. We're baking bread today, too, so that is another frugal. Not much for frugals to report otherwise, things have been pretty low key around here as of late.
The frugals thread has been quieter than usual lately, so I'll try to add a halfway interesting post and hopefully that will lure some of you out of hiding! :D
My other frugals are less noteworthy. I went to the store and bought only half-and-half and orange juice last night because I want to do a big grocery shopping trip to BJs tomorrow. We managed fairly well yesterday even though my dearly beloved grumbles about the fact that there is no ice cream in the house and not much to cook with for dinner tonight. We did finally decide on the mixed rice noodles dish that I wrote about before because we have everything on hand except an avocado. I am permitting him to buy milk and a single avocado in order to see us through. :~)
Surprisingly, as far as I'm concerned, we've done just fine on the eating front. He had goulash and freshly baked bread last night and I had a bowl of peas (frozen), an apple, and a hunk of cheddar cheese. I don't require "normal" meals -- I'm totally fine with the "a little bit of this, a little bit of that" approach to eating. Hmmm...perhaps this is why I'm also participating in the Weight Loss Challenge thread... :|(
I had a sample size of a new moisturizer that I had gotten in the mail. I decided to use it instead of my usual moisturizer and managed to make the sample last 3 days. Woo-hoo! It's the little things, people. :) The other little things that I've been doing are my usuals. I've been keeping a close watch on the amount of laundry detergent that I use when washing a load of clothes and the amount of dishwashing detergent that I use in the dishwasher. I used to be less concerned with these things, but now I treat it like a game and think about how much money I could save over the year if I bought one fewer of everything: bottles of shampoo, boxes of dishwashing detergent, bars of soap, jugs of laundry detergent, bags of kitty litter, bags of dog food (not that I let them go hungry, mind you!), and so on. I know that a lot of you probably all ready to this and it is just second nature, but for me it is still in the habit-forming phase of things. I figure if I can reduce all of these things by 1 per year it will save me between $100 and $200, with the dog food and kitty litter being the biggest ticket items, of course. I'm trying to apply this same concept to haircuts, too. If I just go a few extra days between each haircut, it means I get 9 or 10 haircuts a year instead of 11 (I have short hair, so it requires frequent haircuts -- too bad it's not a style I can duplicate on my own with a pair of clippers!).
The other places I think I could apply these concepts...eating in general. I'm definitely eating too many calories on some days so if I eat less I'll save money. Of course, we all know that this is easier said than done. :D Drinking water instead of something else, even tea costs something. But I've developed a bad habit of having a hot chocolate most every day. Same with snacks...just familiar habits that I should work hard to change in some ways.
Okay, that's all I have folks, without just rambling on senselessly. Hope some of you will be moved to post something...anything! Otherwise you'll be doomed to read my really lame updates on a more frequent basis. :~)
Umm, frugal, umm, ...
Well, yesterday was a no-drive day. So was Sunday. That's frugal.
Last night DW and I finally watched "Argo" (very good movie, btw). DW wanted to see it first-run and we just never got around to it, and she's hinted she'd like to watch it on the cruise (the show outside was worth passing by???) or download it from the Apple TV (wasn't available till yesterday). But we reserved it at Redbox and spent all of $1.29. Well worth it!
Today was grocery-shopping day. Not terribly frugal though I did what shopping I could at ALDI and impulse buying was kept to a bare minimum and used for dishes I'll make next week. I batched all my errands on this one trip (except for one I forgot) and, except for a volunteer opportunity I will drive to tomorrow (and the errand I forgot to do today), I should not have to move the car again till next Monday. :)
Beyond that, though, there's not much else. We just keep on keeping on.
cdttmn--Congratulations on the Excellent severance package. I am dreaming of something like that someday. Actually, begining to plan my exit, which likely won't happend for another 4 years. This is always one of my favorite threads, even when I am not good and contributing. It keeps me inspired to see what you all are doing and keep me mindful of unintended waste. So, with that in mind....
~finally got all the information together on my daughter's wisdom teeth insurance run around. Provider had billed medical and dental sequentially, and now 3 month later the provider was billing me for $1,648.20, when the insurance company was telling me it had all been paid. AND provider is now billing me $24.71 in interest charges. Insurance had sent check 2/1/13, provider rec'd it (they say) 3/15/13. (This is a little hard for me to believe. I think someone is lying about these dates.) Anyway, provider has rec'd all moneys due them AND I am due a refund of $121.40. Yippee!
~bought my pay as you go phone, got it activated today and DD got her number transferred to to her dad's bill (along with him buying her a smart phone and data package) So immediately, my cell phone goes down $20/month. I asked the boys if they wanted to get a smart phone from their dad's plan, and they both replied, "From him? No!" Smart kids.
~I went grocery shopping Monday, with a list and a menu planned. Except for one run next week for eggs, milk and fresh produce, we have enough food to get us through till we leave on our college visit trip.
~entertainment has been through the internet, the library or volunteering opportunities--so free.
~I continue to lose weight and am in an "intermittent" size, i.e. not my goal weight. I have enough "make do" clothes for work and home that I am not buying anything until I get to goal weight.
~The college trip will not be cheap, with 7 nights in hotels from Chicago to Rhode Island, but we are packing some of our foods and I am looking for places that have a complementary breakfast.
~not a one of us needs a new swim suit this year. Yeah! And likely only DS#3 will need some summer clothes (shorts) due to growth.
~this is kinda silly, but it is really working for me: I put a card in my wallet, in the portion with the bills that says: Buy Nothing But Simple Foods. Clothes Only from Goodwill, Entertainment is free. It really helps me to see it, every time I pull out a bill. It keeps me mindful of my goals.
rosarugosa
3-20-13, 7:56pm
Thanks to the folks who keep this thread going. I haven't contributed much lately, but I do read every day and think of you all as my support group!
We got our annual bonuses in work last week. I was my manager's "Top 10% Nominee," so my bonus was more than double what I was expecting, which was an excellent surprise. I put most of the money into savings, made a donation to my favorite feline rescue group, and gave DH and myself permission to fritter away some of it (I know this is the frugals thread, but I did put most of it in savings!)
DH has picked up a weekend job at a local hospital in the transport dept (they're the ones who wheel the patients from point A to point B). He really likes it, and he's been picking up a lot of extra hours covering for vacations, etc. so that is good for the budget too.
We've been buying a grocery store rotisserie chicken every week for the past few weeks, and that works really well for us. It's easy, inexpensive and we usually get two or more low cost/low effort meals from it. On the subject of food, I will once again sing the praises of my salad spinner. I continue to eat a salad every day for lunch, and sometimes for supper too. I don't think this ever would have come about without my nifty spinner :) DH is trying to shed some pounds, so we're both eating a lot more produce, which is also a good thing. I think that's all I have for now!
I did really well at the grocery store this week, buying over $100 in groceries for under $38, including several half gallon containers of Silk soy milk for 1.44 each!
flowerseverywhere
3-21-13, 8:59am
worked on pantry, fridge cleanout meals the last few days. Rice and beans in homemade tortillas, lentil soup, black bean soup and a batch of vegetable soup with homemade breads. Less and less animal products as time goes by.
biggest frugal is resisting the beautiful nursery flowers, instead sowing some seeds and selecting a few choice favorites to add to the garden. Marigold seeds after all only take a few weeks in the sunshine I live in and a packet is certainly way cheaper.
I waited until the sun came out late to wash clothes because then the solar modules take care of the electricity. I turned off breakfast cereal stove burner once I've added it (combination of teff, amaranth and sprouted quinoia) to the boiling water, cover with plate and let the heat from the pot and dying-down burner do the rest. I need to also wait until sun out before I start cooking a couple days-worth of beans and rice. A frugal thing that didn't work out: DH loves celebrating special days so for the first year he wanted to celebrate the spring equinox, but had no ideas because he's gotten more into saving to pay off our smaller mortgage (probably two months to go) so I suggested two free things and he told me jokingly I was "scraping the bottom of the barrel." He picked we take the dogs together (usually on a weekday it's only me) to run, and therefore could take them to the place where they really get an interesting environment--bones of all sorts of animals, prairie-dog holes to sniff in, rabbits to chase, sticks and logs and dumped stuff to explore). This is where we go on weekends, but to go after DH's work, event though it's only part-time work, he's too tired really and I was too and it wasn't fun. My other suggestion had been for us to get started budgeting together for when he stops work; that's when he said the bottom of the barrel thing. I responded that we could look at the spring equinox as the beginning of the year, and we'd feel good when we finished, and could watch a DVD. No go.
So pleased to have coaxed some folks to post what they've been up to. Like others here, I read every day and this thread is a huge source of inspiration for me to keep-on-keeping-on with all the same old frugals!
Today I went to BJ's and stocked up on a number of things. I made a grocery shopping list and remembered to bring my coupons, but when I got there I realized I had forgotten to bring the info for a $10 rebate card. I needed to buy certain items in order to get the rebate, but I had neglected to write down the overall number and couldn't remember if it was 4 or 5. I asked at the customer service desk if they happened to have copies of the mailer that contained the rebate info and they did -- hooray! -- so I was able to buy exactly what I needed. I came home and immediately put together the stuff for the rebate request and will mail it on my way to the gym this evening.
I put some black beans in the crock pot this morning so we'll have plenty of beans for meals this weekend and more for the freezer. I'm thinking about making another huge pot of vegetarian chili because I think we ate the last container from the freezer earlier this week. If so, I'll need to make the cannellini beans and the garbanzo beans in the crock pot over the next few days. I love my crock pot, which I got off of Freecycle years ago.
Last night we made the mixed rice noodles, which used up the remains of a mostly empty container of peanut butter. It was very delicious and there are leftovers for tonight or tomorrow. For lunch today I ate up some of the wild rice that was in the fridge. There is still plenty left so I'll get a few more meals out of it. I'll have to try to think up something creative to do with it -- perhaps some sauteed garlic, onion, and mushrooms.
I've been very good at not eating out. Did yesterday, but only because it was my birthday. Keeping track of spending. That alone is a big change.
try2bfrugal
3-21-13, 2:25pm
I've been very good at not eating out. Did yesterday, but only because it was my birthday. Keeping track of spending. That alone is a big change.
Happy Birthday! (a day late)
try2bfrugal
3-21-13, 2:31pm
~this is kinda silly, but it is really working for me: I put a card in my wallet, in the portion with the bills that says: Buy Nothing But Simple Foods. Clothes Only from Goodwill, Entertainment is free. It really helps me to see it, every time I pull out a bill. It keeps me mindful of my goals.
I think that is a great idea. I looked at Goodwill clothes last week. I was surprised at how many of the items looked like they had not been worn much, if at all.
Haven't been on much due to work and the amount of snowfall we've had (we have drifts that are 5 to 8 feet deep) and we still are getting snow 3-5 more inches today. Anyway frugals for me -- a friend raises chickens so I get tons of free eggs (I help sell her eggs at work at a lower cost than anyone around who has organic free-range eggs for sale). Her husband had to go out-of-state as his father was in ill health (he did transition over), she had to stay here to work the farm animals, so she gave me the leftover chicken that she had, some romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. She doesn't eat a lot as she had that gastric bypass surgery. I've been eating that up as chicken salad. Still have chicken left and will make cheesy chicken enchildas for the weekend -- I have all of the ingredients. She is also a soapmaker using her goats milk (yes, she raises a few goats as well), and I have been helping her sell that at work as well. She has given me free bars of soap and I'm also her "guinea pig" for some of her experimental soap creations!!!!!
The Upper Peninsula Spring Craft Show is this upcoming weekend (her husband is still gone until Fri, the 29th), so I plan on paying her admittance fee - if there is one. Also will buy her breakfast or lunch. I will say that she is one helluva best friend.
I may not like next weekend as on the 30th, I take the dog to the vet for her heartwork/Lyme disease test and may pick up the med for heartworm at that time. I know that I will probably be reprimanded as well as the dog gained back the weight she lost -- due to this extreme winter and not enough exercise. She is a French Brittany and definitely overweight due to our spoiling her with "treats" (him feeding her cashews, probably one of the worst). It started when she was being chased by another dog and it ran her into the side of a moving pick-up. She had to have a plate put in her shoulder as it was fractured in 3 places when she was about 2 (she's now 8). I would have to give her the meds in a Goetz's carmel (one that has a white creamy center - where the pill was pushed). I kept that up even afterwards and cut giving her those 2 or 3 years ago. But it's hard for that weight to come off. Now I'll be back to peg one again.
Tussiemussies
3-21-13, 5:14pm
I've been very good at not eating out. Did yesterday, but only because it was my birthday. Keeping track of spending. That alone is a big change.
Happy Birthday Tradd! :cool:
Blackdog Lin
3-21-13, 5:53pm
I am also one to not post on this thread very often, but I read it regularly and take inspiration from y'all.
We are back from our big trip - decidedly NOT frugal. But it went well and it is blessed to be cozy at home again. And I'm ready to settle in and get back to my normal frugal ways. I went to the grocery store upon our return and spent $25.00 for milk, veggies, and a couple of loss-leaders, which should do us for most of the next week. Made egg salad to use up some of the eggs that accumulated while we were gone. And most of my days anymore are no-drive, no-spend, so it will feel good to get back to that. Back to same-o same-o.....
I purchased a cooked ham this week while they were supercheap for Easter and broke it into one-pound and two-pound chunks and the bone. Most will be frozen for future use -- the bone for a mess of greens and the rest for ... ??? DW will be using some of it for a hot dish she'll be making for some friends coming over tomorrow.
Also my volunteer opportunity today came with a free lunch. I didn't expect that.
I had two servings of cooked pasta left over and had to think of something to do with it. I beat in two eggs, laid it out in a small oven pan, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly. It was yummy and made two lunches.
Working in a school, I sometimes buy a school lunch for $3.50 which I am sure sounds cheap for a lunch out but since I usually bring a lunch, a school lunch is a splurge. On Thursday, taco salad is served - my favorite. So yesterday I got a taco salad that came with a carton of milk and 3 sides - I chose a bag of cucumber slices, about 12 cherry tomatoes, a side salad of romaine with croutons and a container of dressing, and a bag of taco chips.
Yesterday I ate the taco salad. Today I had the side salad with the croutons, 1/2 of the tomatoes, and all the cucumbers. My husband used the milk for his cereal today. We ate the chips for a snack with some wine today. The dressing went in the fridge for next week's home salad.
Not a bad deal at all for $3.50!!
I think that is a great idea. I looked at Goodwill clothes last week. I was surprised at how many of the items looked like they had not been worn much, if at all.
Oh, indeed. I got my beloved a pair of flaming skull flannel jammie pants with the tags still on and they're his absolute favorites. I wasn't sure he'd go for the motif, so I called him from the store. I've found all kinds of new and nearly-new treasures.
Thank you for the birthday greetings! A great incentive to save is the crappy atmosphere at work the past day or two.
Had one of those obnoxious long days yesterday....On-call from midnight to 8am (thankfully did not get called until 6am, when I was already awake) Worked from 7a-7:30pm, which meant that I didn't have time to make the chicken pizza for dinner that I had planned. So kids heated up their own leftovers (homemade chicken and noodles for the track athlete who is supposed to eat carbs the night before Indoor State tomorrow and homemade beef and vegetable soup for everyone else. I got done with work in time to make it to the "Swing Into Swing" jazz concert that two of the kids were performing in....and (not frugal--but a fundraiser) while I was there I bought a Tootsie Pop for 0.25. Since the rest of my food was packed from home, I forgive myself.
I bought a tank of gas ($28.66) while out seeing patients, but at 56 cents/mile reimbursement and driving 136 miles for work yesterday, it's a wash. Technically a positive cash flow, but still, there is the wear and tear on the car.
Other than various school fees ($15 for three entry fees for the district Solo & Ensemble Music contest and $267 for three advanced placement tests) and groceries bought on Monday, and the above tank of gas, I haven't spent any money this week. Woo Hoo.
fidgiegirl
3-23-13, 11:45am
Fawn, I think if your kids and I had gone to school together, we'd be in the same group. :) They sound so fun.
Busy day already! My friend invited me to go run at the rec center where I have a membership ($30 for the year! A bank-buster. :D) and we ran 3 mi. on the track and chatted. Then I grabbed a fill-up, wiper fluid and a car wash the I'll go back and use later since I have to take ski racks off my car. After that I dumped the coffee grounds at the community garden. Man, they are messy! And heavy! But there's one free source of organic material.
Today I plan to make up some food to use some things before they go bad, do some cleaning/organizing (things are in a state since coming home last weekend from our trip), going to go back out later for a library book and to fill my new spice jars that came yesterday. Yeah! And of course, the neverending task - laundry. :) Gus is also going to get groomed. I bathed him yesterday and am excited to use the new clippers on him today. Should be a lot more powerful than our old ones, and sharper. He needs it so badly!!
Happy Saturday to all!!
Kelli--they are a lot of fun. They describe themselves as geeky nerds. And proud of it too. :~) You might get to meet DD someday. If she doesn't go to UChicago, she will likely go to Macallaster, as they are offering her a better financial aid package at the moment.
Considering all that was going on yesterday, not too much money was spent.
DS#2 went to Indoor track state. He rode the team bus there and I gave him $7 for a sandwich and he packed Cliff Bars and apples and water.
I followed later in the car. I ate before I went and DS#2 came home with me. I bought me a coffee and him candy for the trip home and I ate one of his apples.
DD went with another kid from her class and his parents to St. Louis for a reception for students accepted to UChicago. She made them cookies as a thank you, but other than that, the trip did not cost anything.
DS#3 spent the day practicing drums and guitar and in the evening went to a party. He bought a Monster drink with his own money.
Today will be spent close to home, I'll make the chicken pizza I didn't get to on Friday and pick up just a few things at the grocery store to get us through until our trip.
edited to add: my son's 4 x 800 team came in 8th with a time of 8:09, which is one second off their school record for the event and one of our runners won first in the 400 and 2nd in the 60. Not a bad day. :cool:
An accidental frugal: my debit card number got hacked, although fortunately my bank declined the purchase and alerted me right away and got it cancelled. New debit card doesn't arrive for 5-7 business days, so everything til then is cash or check. Sure cuts down on those purchases that were easy when all you had to do was swipe a card!
p.s. first fraud situation with me and banking, ever. I know of 3 others in my extended circle whose accounts were also hacked recently. I think these hackers are getting so bold and sophisticated I wonder if banks will ever find a way to permanently protect our accounts.
fidgiegirl
3-24-13, 5:19pm
Kelli--they are a lot of fun. They describe themselves as geeky nerds. And proud of it too. :~) You might get to meet DD someday. If she doesn't go to UChicago, she will likely go to Macallaster, as they are offering her a better financial aid package at the moment.
Well, maybe so! We could walk to Macalester. :) She really IS a geeky nerd if she is lookin' at Macalester. Awesome job to anyone who can get in there!!
rosarugosa
3-24-13, 9:05pm
DH made great restaurant-worthy meals for us last night and tonight, which makes it a pleasure to eat in. Sat: steak tips, rice, & asparagus. Sun: sea scallops with fresh spinach. I feel like we're finally working the freezer to our advantage by keeping such staples as tilapia, salmon & scallops for high-quality dinners, and also my beloved frozen berry medley. We find that the quality of frozen seafood at Costco surpasses that from the grocery store and the prices are very good as well.
fidgiegirl
3-24-13, 10:51pm
Lainey, glad they caught it. Eeek . . .
Rosa, yum yum yum yum
I just inventoried our seeds. Wow! So many! And since I got so many as gifts from people, there are many items included that I never would have bought to try, but am excited to try to grow, like kale, or beets, or Brussels sprouts. Even though we are in the crappiest, ugliest time of year, little signs of spring are showing, like more bunny activity - it's coming! It's coming!
try2bfrugal
3-25-13, 1:59am
I sold a couple of text books for $60 in Amazon gift cards. I got a couple of LED bulbs for free to review.
I've been taking the time to shop at ethnic stores for produce. I bought blackberries and organic blueberries for I think a dollar a pound. One store had oranges for 25 cents a pound and asparagus for a $1 a bundle.
We realized the warehouse store we shop at has some kind of meal specials every day if we look for a special sticker. The meat is about half or a third of their normal low prices, or a fraction of the meat prices at the retail stores. It seems to just be overstocks and not anything about to expire. This is really cool for us because over a year's time, if we can keep this up, between the ethnic produce and the daily special meat it will really lower our annual grocery bill.
We used a 20% off coupon to buy clearance foods and snacks at Fresh and Easy. At Staples I got copy paper and paper towels for free with my ink recycling rewards.
Today's frugals:
I was scheduled for lunch out with friends and was planning to run some errands after that, but lunch was rescheduled to Friday. So for today's lunch I ate salad leftovers I had from yesterday.
One of the errands had to be run anyway, so I combined a little shopping at the place I had to stop. Not the cheapest versions of the extra products I bought, but it got the immediate shopping done and saved the fuel I would have burned running to two or three places. Though I really wanted to, I did not stop to get a cup of coffee. I made a pot at home and I'm sure the entire pot of coffee cost less than I would have spent for just coffee at the coffee shop (plus the paper cup I would have been given).
I handled a silly task (see the Daily Peeve thread if you're interested) that will be worth $300 a month to DW once I shuffle off (years and years from now, I hope). And I filled out another form for my insurance company that will result in money back to my photography business because they re-assess risk at the end of the insurance year and ... well, there really was nothing to insure. No idea how much it will be, but something's better than nothing. :)
Then home to reheat dinner.
Switched smartphone data plan down to 1GB. By comparing usage since I got phone in October, I've not gone over .85GB (which was this month). Did have 2GB plan. This will save me $10 a month.
Ordered AT&T U-verse internet only. $29/month (special for a year) + $100 for wireless modem. Self installation so that's free. I've been paying $60 a month for landline I never use plus slow DSL. So I'll be saving some.
Had leftover tomato-mushroom soup I'd made over the weekend for dinner. Yum. I think it's better the second day! :) I spent $0.75 for a soda at work. So, almost a no spend day. Lunch was a PB&B (peanut butter & banana) sandwich & some applesauce. I eat instant oatmeal every day during the week for breakfast. Two envelopes, since one just isn't a decent breakfast. At just under $2, that's a pretty good price for five days worth of breakfast. :)
ETA: I also requested a doctor's appointment via group practice website. Among a few other things, I'm going to ask for a prescription for my allergy meds (generic Zyrtek-D), so I can get a month's supply at once (since it's the stuff you have to show your ID for) and save some money in the process.
try2befrugal--you always do an awesome jobs with the frugals! Side question, do you have a lot stockpiled, of the free and frugal stuff you get?
Great job, everyone! Way to keep this thread going!
I'm still feeding the birds for a few more weeks (until I run out of bird food -- I won't buy more until the fall), but the darn squirrels broke one of the bird feeders. Duct tape to the rescue! :D This will be the temporary fix and I'll investigate a more permanent, but still frugal, repair when I have time.
Used up some more soap from my soap stash. I did finally have to ditch the one bottle of really horribly scented soap as I just couldn't use it. I've also been using up more samples of moisturizer for my face from my samples stash.
Added toothpaste and floss to my samples stash after visiting the dentist yesterday. Hooray for genetically good teeth -- a simple cleaning and praise for my brushing habits and I was on my way. Good timing, too, as I'll be losing my dental insurance after this month due to my job change.
Combined my trip to the dentist with a trip to see my friend at the community college where I've applied for a job. Got a little bit more of the inside scoop on the interview process and the hiring process. It was lunch time and I was prepared to pay to have lunch with her, but fortunately, she had another meeting scheduled and that meant I couldn't stay too long and I was able to just come home to eat lunch.
Ate up some more of the leftover wild rice. I need to remember to freeze it in smaller batches next time as I'm getting a little tired of eating it at this point. Ate up a small batch of the vegetarian chili for dinner. Doing well when it comes to eating at home! I think I'll make a frittata tonight because my dearly beloved will be home and making frittata is quick and easy.
A frugal update for those of you who follow this thread regularly. You might remember that a few months ago I fixed a small rug by gluing a piece of rug gripper to the back of it. I just realized today that it is holding up quite nicely and that I haven't thought about having to buy a replacement run since fixing it. Frugal win!
try2bfrugal
3-26-13, 11:28am
try2befrugal--you always do an awesome jobs with the frugals! Side question, do you have a lot stockpiled, of the free and frugal stuff you get?
Thanks, I think you are better at simple living than we are. We just started following it more recently so we still have a lot of expenses to scrutinize and cut leftover from our less frugal years.
Actually I do not have much stockpiled right now except for copy paper from Staples. Some of the money I am making now comes from decluttering and selling stuff more than stockpiling. We do have some shelves in the garage and laundry room with extra staples like toilet paper and ketchup bought on sale. I recycled the stand alone freezer to cut back on stuff plus electricity use from freezing and reheating, and we try not to eat too much canned foods, so we do not have a lot of food stockpiled.
We live near a variety of warehouse, overstock, dollar and ethnic foods stores with really low prices compared to the retail grocery stores like Safeway, so we buy most of our food fresh each week from the low overhead places.
We live near a variety of warehouse, overstock, dollar and ethnic foods stores with really low prices compared to the retail grocery stores like Safeway, so we buy most of our food fresh each week from the low overhead places.
try2bfrugal -- thanks for posting this, I needed the reminder to check out the ethnic food stores that we have nearby. I suspect I can find some stuff there for less than I've been paying elsewhere!
try2bfrugal
3-26-13, 1:25pm
try2bfrugal -- thanks for posting this, I needed the reminder to check out the ethnic food stores that we have nearby. I suspect I can find some stuff there for less than I've been paying elsewhere!
I think the key is to find stores that do not advertise much, if at all, in low rent (but still safe) parts of town. That way you are paying mostly for actual food and less for advertising and location overhead.
Blackdog Lin
3-26-13, 9:34pm
My little frugal-for-today: leftover management. We eat our main meal of the day at noonish, and have leftovers/knosh in the evening. Tonight I saw that the fridge held (1) a cup or so of leftover spaghetti/meatballs sauce from Sunday; and (2) a cup or so of leftover squash medley (it's kinda Italian) from Monday; and (3) a cup or less of taco meat from today's tacos. Mixed that all together, and put on a pan of curly noodles (what is in the pantry that needs to be used the most) and voila! Squashish-spaghetti sauce over pasta. It was.....really good. DH enjoyed it with his salad of the leftover lettuce from the tacos, that I added celery and red onion to (all that was in the fridge that was salad-like). A win-win - using up stuff in the fridge, and eating pretty well.....
My main frugals have been food-related - made ribs in the crock pot on Sunday and stuffed peppers on Monday with enough leftover for lunch each day this week (including Friday when I have the day off work).
Stopped today at a thrift store I rarely visit and was very impressed by the quality of the clothing sold there. I bought 2 shirts for work and will stop back there again - they have 75% off each week on the "color" of the week. Didn't find anything on that rack but was amazed by the quality of what was there.
flowerseverywhere
3-28-13, 7:03am
I have buckled down to cook cheap and healthy again. Sometimes I slip but I did really well the past few weeks.
We have a farmers market here and I buy whatever I can at a good price. The last two weeks I came home and made some keep in the fridge and freezer food including roasted butternut squash soup, lentil vegetable soup, Minnestrone, peppers stuffed with beans rice and veggies, split pea soup and vegetable pasta sauce. I also did some stir fry with a little chicken and veggie quiche during the week and I add some fruit, cheese, milk, nuts and oatmeal and we have several weeks worth of food. All I need this week is some fresh fruit and milk. averaging about $75/week for very healthy food for two. We never eat out or buy beverages and always pack food when we go somewhere. That saves a ton of money.
I have bought a big roll of brown paper and some florists curling ribbon for wrapping gifts. I think it will work out a good deal cheaper than buying giftwrap. Has anyone else done this - has it worked OK?
Yesterday's frugal:
Lunch was composed almost entirely of leftovers: the remains of a head of lettuce, a few grape tomatoes and a cucumber left over from snacking, a few sun-dried tomatoes that went into another recipe, some corn, and a half can of tuna fish. A little EVOO and balsamic vinegar and a tasty lunch ensued.
Other mostly-frugals: ran a bunch of errands all at one time, including picking up a new CD by my favorite band (can't be bought used yet but at least it was bought on sale); stocked up a bit at ALDI on stuff we seem to always use and picked up about 20 pounds of ham (tasty ham at $1/pound) for a charity brunch we're offering on Easter.
try2bfrugal
3-28-13, 12:22pm
I have bought a big roll of brown paper and some florists curling ribbon for wrapping gifts. I think it will work out a good deal cheaper than buying giftwrap. Has anyone else done this - has it worked OK?
That is a good idea. I have been buying assorted colored bags with handles in bulk packages at the Michaels for the past few years. Those have been our frugal version of reusable Easter baskets, Christmas stockings, and gift bags. I recycled or donated most of the gift wrap we had stocked up earlier this year as a part of decluttering the house. I used to have stacks of all different gift wrap for different occasions in big, long boxes under the bed. I gave away the boxes, too.
dogmom- I do something similar with the wrapping paper. When the kids were little, it was brown paper and cloth ribbons (somehow, I am a magnet for cloth ribbon.) Now, I use silver paper and cloth ribbons. Silver seems to work for every gift giving occasion.
Frugals from the past couple days:
Tuesday: Packed breakfast and lunch for work. Dinner was $25 for the family at the Speech dinner/award banquet. I had put together a slide show of photos taken throughout the year that other parents had e-mailed me. I hadn't taken any pictures myself, as I do not have a camera (although, I occasionally borrow my daughter's.) Anyway, bonus for the night--I have several photos of my son for free.
Wednesday: All meals eaten at home, from leftovers as I am cleaning out the fridge, preparing for our trip. Entertainment was either books or movie from the library. Or a nap. In the mail came a thank you card and gift card to Chipole's from a friend whose dress I had altered for her. I will buy a veggie bowl, which is two meals for me. I was going to buy some more hangers, as we seemed to be running low. But I got the idea to check my son's closet first, as he forgets to bring them down when he does laundry, uses the ones hanging in the basement.....anyway, there is a bonanza of hangers in the basement now. ;)
Today-washing clothes with my energy efficient washer and hanging about half to dry in the basement. Another nap. Another library book. Today is the first day in months that I haven't had multiple projects hanging over my head with deadlines, and I tell you it feels Good to be lazy. (Referring to the And Then thread above, I would not want to be lazy for the rest of my life....but boy it feels good to get a day off every couple months.) Also, preparing for the upcoming trip: I am planning on bringing some foods from home and I found a plastic bin that is just the right size to put in the car. Right now, it has DS#3's stuff in it, but because of a decluttering he and I did a couple months ago, there is room to move his stuff from this bin into another of his storage containers.
Not much to report. Baking bread today and eating at home. Collected the wood from tree limbs that the DPW cut yesterday that were near the end of our driveway. It will need to dry before it will be of use as firewood, but it will mean free heat for the house for a day or so next winter. :D
chrissieq
3-29-13, 12:07pm
Had a bottle of mouthwash from CVS that neither of us could open - took it in and the super buff manager opened it for me but agreed that it was super-tight. In other days, I might have just left in the back of the closet. From CVS, I went to Aldi's where I had a pack of cheese that had mold on it - unopened and a June expiration date - happily exchanged. Again, something that maybe I would just have tossed out back in the day.
Last stop, Lund's (more upscale grocery than I normally shop) but I had a coupon for a free dessert topping (like I would ever spend $3.99 on topping!) with a $10 purchase so got some asparagus, jarlsberg cheese and phyllo dough - all on sale and needed for Easter dinner. The receipt included a survey for 5% off my next purchase - will combine that with sale prices.
The only other outing today is a walk to the library to pick up my holds - a great day!
Helping with coffee hour after church on Sunday, so I picked up chips and salsa at Target and the ingredients for homemade hummus. Two cans of chickpeas turn into a nice-sized bowl of hummus. I didn't want to spend $$ on tahini, so I subbed a bit of peanut butter, which I'd read about years ago. Very tasty. :)
I took breakfast and lunch to work every day this week. Today was payday, so I treated myself to a $5 meal from Subway at lunch.
My new, cheaper internet will be turned on Monday.
fidgiegirl
3-30-13, 3:16pm
I have bought a big roll of brown paper and some florists curling ribbon for wrapping gifts. I think it will work out a good deal cheaper than buying giftwrap. Has anyone else done this - has it worked OK?
I have enjoyed doing this myself, dogmom. The paper is fun because you can stick stickers on it, draw a design, or just leave it plain. It's also nice for other projects where you might need a big piece - especially if there are any kids in your life. :)
fidgiegirl
3-30-13, 3:20pm
We got some "new to the neighborhood" coupons from a service that is a little behind the 8-ball as we moved over a year ago, and in the same neighborhood, but we'll take it. Usually I just recycle those kinds of packs because the coupons are usually garbage but this time I was compelled to open it and good thing! There were coupons for a free pound of beans at Dunn Bros., which would have cost $14 so I got them for my FiL, and $10 at my neighborhood pharmacy, so I got a card and some toothpastes.
But the big score for today is I called the Petco customer service line because last time I was in the cashier told me they can reissue past, unused Rewards coupons, which are $5 each. I knew I missed using the last one so thought I'd go for it, and to my surprise I had 5 unused ones attached to my account and as a one-time courtesy (*wink wink*) they are reissuing all 5! Wow! Now it remains to be seen if the store will let me use all five at one time, but that's what I'm going to try for, since they are only good now for another 45 days. Nice!
Nice score with the coupons, Fidgie.
I didn't make a total frugal score today, but I badly needed some interview/work clothes. I hit Talbots near me to at least get an idea of size to order online. 30% off everything in the store, plus an extra 10% since I signed up for their rewards thingy. Ordered at home and got the 30% and free shipping. I ended up buying more than the bare minimum, but I'm thrilled with my gorgeous new clothes that fit wonderfully.
try2bfrugal
3-30-13, 11:04pm
I got a free router and solar charger for doing product reviews this week. Friday we had a cheap date night at an inexpensive Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. Afterwards we went shopping at a fabric store for an applique to patch a hole in a pair of my jeans. Pre-simple living I would have thrown out some otherwise perfectly good jeans but I actually think now they will look cute with the applique. For free entertainment this week we walked around a lake at a local park, went walking along a view trail, grilled out in the back yard and took the dog to the dog park.
I needed a new pump for my yoga ball. My local sports store had extras in opened packages for some reason so they gave me one for free. That was really nice and unexpected. In the same trip I also got some books and DVDs from the library.
Our phone number got ported to Ooma this week so today we officially dropped the two landlines. I'm happy about that because that will be one less monthly charge forever.
I went shopping at a local ethnic market for produce again this week. I had a hand basket filled with fruits and veggies for $16. So far from the basket I've made crock pot yams, roasted parsnips, steamed beats and steamed asparagus. I also bought a pineapple from Fresh and Easy on sale for 99 cents.
I chatted with the butcher at the local warehouse store and found out when they put out the daily special meat. For future groceries I think as much as possible I will try to just get whatever is marked down, since usually it is at least 40% and sometimes 85% cheaper than their regular prices. Over a year the discount meat and the ethnic produce market should really save a lot of money compared to how we used to grocery shop.
rosarugosa
3-31-13, 8:27pm
Tradd: As has often been discussed on the Forums, frugality isn't always just a matter of the lowest price tag. It's about mindful spending that's in alignment with your values. You seem to be quite disciplined with your resources. I think the nice clothing for interviews and other special occasions will be money well spent. Enjoy, and good luck with your job search!
I took a vacation day Friday. DH & I had a great walk in the woods, and then DSis & I spent time helping Mom with some decluttering and then dropped stuff off at SA. We did some shopping in the SA store, and I scored a pefect pair of jeans, nice T-shirt, four white bowls, and a great terrarium container for $15.00 total. I don't usually have any luck with clothes there, so I was lucky.
Afterwards, I took my DH, Mom, & DSis out for dinner Fri night. We had a nice time together, and I used money I had stashed from my allowance, so no harm to the household budget.
I also got a bit of yard cleanup done yesterday and today, so overall, it was a really great weekend. It was especially nice to be able to spend so much time outdoors :)
I noticed that we haven't heard from Stella in awhile. Does anyone know if she's OK?
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