June frugals [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

early morning

6-3-13, 7:57pm

Hey, I can't believe we don't have this yet! Did I miss something?? Are we tired of frugals? OH N0 - it can't be! :0! Well, I have the same old bunch (hanging laundry, mostly cold-water washing, commando showers, taking lunch/coffee/drinking water, shopping at Aldi, DD uses swag bucks for our cat food, etc) and one for DH,which is big! Once a month he goes to a movie or some such with his elder (and crabby) brother. DH pays for tickets and snacks as a thank-you for his brother helping out with a monthly clinic appointment. So today, DH talked crabby into a matinee of the movie they had chosen, and they split a value pack snack (drinks, popcorn, candy)! Now we don't go to many movies and we never get popcorn and a drink, but for crabby, that is mandatory - so this was a huge step. DH managed to get his brother to believe it was sort of his idea, even! Yay DH!:cool:

SteveinMN

6-3-13, 9:04pm

Not too many frugals yet this month.

We had a houseguest staying with us for the past two or three weeks and she finally was able to move into a place of her own, so we no longer have extra electricity/water/food being used. The furnace has been off for a couple of weeks now, so there is that.

I got my bicycle back from the shop today; it was a not-unreasonable amount to spend for a tuneup and a couple of new parts which should make riding far more comfortable, and I could not buy a bike of that quality now for what this cost (although the bike is almost 30 years old now). Assuming no other major repairs, this should be cheap exercise and maybe even a way to run some local errands sans car (now that I can pick and choose when to ride). I also bought a new helmet (mine was older than dirt) and found the cheapest one they had fit well and met my other specifications, so I saved at least $30 I didn't spend on the next level of helmets there.

Sunday was a no-drive day.

Beyond that ... I got nothin'.

fidgiegirl

6-3-13, 9:27pm

A never-before-precedented duplicate monthly frugals thread! I thought the same thing on 6/2!

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8331-June-Frugals&highlight=june+frugals

Blackdog Lin

6-3-13, 10:00pm

Same-o same-o around here on the frugal front.....but it does occur to me that here it is already June and we have had the air conditioner on so far this season for.....4 hours! (Friday afternoon before the storms hit, the humidity just got unbearable. Once the storm hit we were fine.) In fact, we've only run the attic fan overnight for 2 nights. That's just pretty darn frugal for us, even though it's a function of the weather and not really anything we're doing ourselves. Still, I'll take the savings.....

try2bfrugal

6-4-13, 1:59am

I got my check from the State Controller to day for an uncashed check I reclaimed. I found it in on one of those unclaimed property online sites.

Last month I lowered the monthly grocery budget and still actually came in a bit under budget so I was happy about that. We been trying to manage leftovers better so we have less food waste.

We went out for Indian food using a half price coupon on Friday. Our last grocery trip was to buy food on special and clearance at Fresh and Easy and then use a 20% off coupon, too. Over the weekend we bought steaks on special and made them in a cast iron grill pan on the stove. I think they taste better that way than when we use the outdoor grill plus using the stove doesn't use up any charcoal. I bought another LED bulb as a part of our ongoing bulb replacement program.

Other than that just the usual frugals like hiking and the dog park for free fun, cooking from scratch when we can and line drying laundry.

cdttmm

6-4-13, 9:14am

We made it through our first official heat wave of the summer without turning on the AC -- woo-hoo! We did use our whole house fan at night to make sleeping more comfortable, but other than that, we just toughed it out. Now that the thunderstorms have rolled through, the weather is beautiful and we won't even be thinking of needing the AC!

I'm on week 3 of my new job and starting to get a few things dialed in. Been taking tea in two travel mugs, a water bottle, and lunch each day for the past 4 days (I only work 3 or 4 days per week). So far, so good! I picked up some extra hours last week, which was a nice plus, and will get a stipend for attending a PD session this week. So an extra $200 in income for not much extra effort -- I'll take it!

Made a bean salad and grilled asparagus for dinner last night. We'll have leftovers for lunch today. I'll make a cold pasta/veggie salad for dinner tonight and lunches tomorrow. Trying to keep the grocery bill in check and doing okay so far this week/month.

Other than that, it's the same basic stuff. Washing full loads of laundry in cold water, line drying when possible, eating leftovers and minimizing food waste, driving as little as possible (and driving the more fuel efficient car whenever possible), and simply trying not to buy anything that we don't need!

catherine

6-4-13, 9:21am

Once a month he goes to a movie or some such with his elder (and crabby) brother. DH pays for tickets and snacks as a thank-you for his brother helping out with a monthly clinic appointment. So today, DH talked crabby into a matinee of the movie they had chosen, and they split a value pack snack (drinks, popcorn, candy)! Now we don't go to many movies and we never get popcorn and a drink, but for crabby, that is mandatory - so this was a huge step. DH managed to get his brother to believe it was sort of his idea, even! Yay DH!:cool:

lol.... love the crabby brother story--I totally relate.

Frugals: We're really trying to be create and learn how to cook EVERYTHING in our CSA box. This week it was learning collard greens and kale. I've used kale before in soups, but we experimented with cooking it up with garlic and fat. (I must admit, bacon fat worked the best--even though I don't eat bacon, I can cheat and make use of the fat, can't I?). Bought a huge bag of rice at our local Indian supermarket.

Florence

6-4-13, 4:48pm

The summer heat and humidity has begun in earnest so the air-conditioner is on. I keep it around 82 and use our ceiling fans. It is a balance trying to use it as little as possible. We installed solar screens several years ago and they really do help but I also close off the blinds on windows on the side of the house getting the sun.

I combined trips to the grocery, pharmacy, library, and gas station. I will not be taking the van out again until Friday.

Blackdog Lin

6-4-13, 8:14pm

Good on everyone for our little frugal victories.

My little one this week: realized that the mouse pad on the desk was just.....GROSS. Truly filthy. How did I not notice it? Gave it a good wipe down - nope. Still gross. Gave up and wrote "mouse pad" on the shopping list.

Couple days later I'm thinking that well, it's just foam-y kinda stuff. Maybe I could scrub it in a sink full of suds? Maybe.....I could put it in the dishwasher? !!! Yep, folded it into the dishwasher and it came out looking great. Had to air-dry it for awhile outside, but it worked! Looks brand new. And as it's a souvenir mouse pad (commemorating a trip to the Caribbean in '06), I get to continue to enjoy looking at it, and saved a few bucks too.

It's the little things.

fidgiegirl

6-4-13, 10:35pm

Blackdog Lin, I love that!! And if your mouse is a laser mouse, you don't even need a pad. But after that success, well, how could you not use it?! :)

My DH has sold two rain barrels that we weren't going to use (one we already had, and one we picked up for free at the side of the road) for a total of $115. Yeah, DH! And yeah, they are out of my yard, along with the cinder block they sat on.

bke

6-5-13, 12:33pm

I needed to register the deed to the restaurant today. It was a 30 mile trip one way so we ran several other errands in the process including getting the oil changed and stocking up ds with library books now that summer is here. We watched gas prices jump from 4.00 to $4.30 a gallon while we were out. I filled the tank at $4.03 and felt happy to do so.

I received coupons in the mail for 3 free yogurts from a sweepstake that I keep winning little prizes on.

Dh cut ds's hair last night saving around $15 dollars.

I'm going to try and do some sweeps if I get the time this afternoon.

flowerseverywhere

6-5-13, 12:55pm

Used my crockpot on the screened in porch so did not add heat to my house. I put all the leftover fresh veggies I had (zucchini, mushroom, onion, peppers) had and put a few sliced chicken breasts and tomato sauce on top. Delicious. I have a hard time cooking in this heat. I wrapped some potatoes in foil and they are in the crock for tonight's meal stuffed with broccoli, salsa and cheese.
Have not driven since last Friday. Lots of biking and walking.

early morning

6-5-13, 10:48pm

bke, I saw that price jump here in Ohio, too! I pass several stations to/from work that are generally cheaper - the one on the way home last night was a bit higher so I held out in the hope that the one on the AM loop was still lower, and it was this morning - 3.74 instead of 3.86 so I filled up. Tonight they were both at 3.99! I only have a 10 gallon tank and try never let it get really low, so I don't save a lot even at 25 cents a gallon savings, but still! Got my oil changed and had a can of additive to put in. My oil-change guy put in a third of the can and said that should be plenty, since it treats 10 quarts and I only use 3.5! So instead of the oil treatment being $10 each time, it will only be $3.33. And it really helps with the lifter ticking. Washed up a winter chair cover and line dried it yesterday. DD had $20 Kohl's cash given to her, and she didn't see anything she wanted so she passed it on to me. I got a cute shirt for work for $4 after using the "cash"! That was fun. Then I blew half of my savings on coffee drinks for the two of us and some ice cream for DH, who is feeling poorly after installing the dishwasher. :~)

Stella

6-6-13, 8:29am

Yesterday I watched my friend's kids, so I had 8 kids here, 5 of them age 3 or younger. I had thought about this beforehand and decided to have dinner made ahead of time. I figured I might be a little tired after that. :) We had cheesy potato soup with bacon.

Zach and I went on a walk for our date last night. I got some sad news about my sister's situation (her fiancé left her) and I needed to clear my head. It was really helpful to just get some fresh air and talk to Zach about it all. I am so grateful for him. He really is my best friend. We are trying to really minimize how often we go out to eat for our weekly date nights.

I am starting a new history curriculum I really like. It is good books based, so for the sake of saving money I am starting off with just purchasing the core and highly recommended books. The suggested reading books I am having a lot of luck finding at the library. There are a couple I might end up buying eventually though, just because they are so awesome. We will see. I have an easy time talking myself into buying educational materials, especially for the big girls because they will be used by five children. On the other hand, they will most likely still be at the library when the littles are older.

chrissieq

6-6-13, 10:33pm

I'm taking care of my niece and 2 nephews (ages 12, 11 and 9) while their parents have their first adult vacation since they got married 13 years ago! We started the 4 day visit with a trip to Aldi's for meals to be made at home - cereal and eggs for breakfasts, lots of fruit, a few treats for snacks, and dinner stuff. Spent $53 which could be the cost of one meal out for the 5 of us so I'm good with that.

We walked to the library near my house - at their request. My nephew found books he hasn't been able to get at their library and my niece got some craft books for us to make things from.

Tomorrow I don't have a car so we will hang around in the AM - maybe hit the playground near me - and then another sister will take them to the Y for family swim and have dinner with them.

No set plan for the rest of the weekend but they are very easy going and relatively easy to please!

bke

6-7-13, 10:33am

We had a good shopping trip last night saving close to $100 between what we bought for work and for home. Deals include free shower gel and deodorant, inexpensive Gatorade ( a must for us at work!), brownie mixes and mac n cheese.

Hopefully, we won't be doing any driving this weekend. With gas prices so high, I feel wasteful going anywhere that isn't absolutely necessary.

I continue to play scrabble on facebook for free entertainment. I use free shampoo and conditioner samples in the shower saving the free large containers to fill in around the little samples. Soaps and deoderants sold at my yard sale so I'm saving them to be used only when necessary.

I keep trying products at Aldi's but just don't like them! They're cheaper but the quality just isn't right to me. I bought coffee creamer this time and well its almost oily to me. The produce is lovely but I just don't like the other stuff.

Jilly

6-7-13, 11:35am

Chrissie, all of that sounds like so much fun. I just love stuff like that.

bke, I like Aldi so much. They often have better quality produce that the regular markets, and their fair trade dark roast coffee, at $4 for 12 ounces is as good as the regular markets where the good coffee is more than twice the cost. I recently found a great chair for the porch there, too. :)

bke

6-7-13, 3:07pm

fidgiegirl

6-7-13, 6:09pm

Made lunch in even though my sister was visiting. We used up some corn that needed to be used and only bought a pound of hamburger to grill up and one ear of corn for her. She was happy and so were we. :)

Taking DMiL out for a dinner tonight.

Not much else! I just wrote in the finishing thread that I've had a breakthrough in my craft room organization project due to my sister giving me some organizational items that helped shift my thinking. They are nice items and I was happy to get them. For my new approach all I will need to get is a few boards that will become shelves in the closet. This will save me from buying a freestanding shelving unit and help to be able to use the small dresser I already have, just in a different way.

Also in a decluttering mood because of this, so my eye is looking around for things to purge/sell. It's ongoing!!

Jilly

6-7-13, 6:24pm

Jilly, I'm going to have to keep trying products one by one and see what I discover. I never thought I was picky-I used to shop at sav a lot when it was open. Not that you're suggesting I'm particular! I'm just surprised I don't like the products more!

Thought I would add that I received coupons for 4 full-size jugs of juice and postage stamps in today's mail.

If you are particular, then I am pathologically so. And, because of that, I am not surprised that so many of the products have disappointed me.

We still have a Save a Lot, and that is my first stop for groceries. The meat section is great for turkey parts and chicken, which is usually 65-69 cents a pound for quarters, and it is the only place where I can find chicken legs. The beef products are not to my liking, and I do not eat pork (unless someone takes me out for breakfast and there is bacon to be had). Some of the produce can be decent, and they must have some weird supplier for some things, because there is often 8 pound bags of russet potatoes for 89 cents; although they are not first quality, they are fine for soups and stews and casseroles. Not so much for mashed or for baking.

I have found that I need to watch the sizes of canned goods there; the price can seem great until I see that it is not the standard 16 ounce that is in the regular markets. SAL is also one of the least expensive places for some seasonings, especially dried chilis, and Mexican specialty foods like tripe and cactus and a nice selection of other ingredients, as well as dried legumes and rice.

Lentils are cheaper at Aldi. I only risked trying the coffee because a friend told me about it a few years ago.

I have $50 each week to spend on food, cat food and litter, and any other household things, like toilet paper, stuff like that. I have to be careful about what I buy, and on good weeks I can toss a bag of chips into the cart without any stress. Being really frugal means that I get to keep things like my Trakfone and the Internet.

chrissieq

6-7-13, 9:27pm

Took my niece and nephews to the Central Mpls library and through downtown skyways, glass elevators and escalators today - they live in a small town and haven't seen these things except in the Minneapolis. The youngest (9) was fearful about bank robbers so we left DT earlier than I had planned but were then able to use the bus transfers vs paying full price again. After family swim at the Y and dinner with my sister who lives in town, they are now snuggled into bed.

Tomorrow's plan - neighborhood park/wading pool, the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden and the 2 story Menards!!! Free, free and free!!

fidgiegirl

6-7-13, 10:47pm

Fun, chrissieq! I love those kinds of mini adventures - and the best part? Free!

cdttmm

6-8-13, 10:51am

Excellent job on all the frugals, everybody!

It looks like I've hit a frugal groove with my new job at the community college. I'm only allowed to work 18.5 hours most weeks and I can choose my own schedule for the most part. I've been managing to put the hours in over 3 days each week, which keeps my driving for work at a minimum. I've also been doing well with bringing my own lunch. Last week on 2 out of the 3 days there was lunch provided for different events so that was great! Not necessarily the healthiest lunches as they included chips and soda, but we never eat that stuff at home so I figure a few meals here and there with chips and soda won't kill me. At one of the lunches they had leftover food so they encouraged everyone to take stuff with them afterwards. I grabbed two bags of chips and three sodas to keep in my office at work in case I have a food emergency! :D The lunches usually consist of sandwiches and pasta salads and since I'm gluten free (and vegetarian) it means I'm usually eating the sandwich fillings only, so lots of vegetables. That makes me feel less bad about eating the potato chips! There are also usually cookies for dessert and those are off limits for me, too, so I keep a bag of little dark chocolate bars in my office to eat as my treat for the day. I've also been really disciplined about making tea at home every morning in my tea pot and bringing two big travel mugs of tea with me to work. I probably look a little strange walking across campus with my two travel mugs every morning, but who cares? My office mate buys a large Dunkin' Donuts coffee almost every day on the way to work -- at nearly $5 a time I can't imagine dropping wasting that kind of money every day/week/month/year. I asked her the other day why she didn't just make coffee at home and she admitted that they have a Keurig coffee maker at home but that she just doesn't like the taste of the coffee. Which makes no sense, because we have a Keurig in the office and she makes coffee there throughout the day. Strange!

I've been asked to do some teaching at the college during the fall semester, which is awesome. It means the fall semester will end up being closer to a full time job (or more than a full time job if they assign me to 4 classes). It will make for a crazy 15 weeks, but the extra cash will be awesome and considering that it will mean I have to drive to work 5 days per week, I might as well get in as much work as possible while I'm there! I spent enough years working 60-70 hours per week, putting in 40-50 hour weeks for 15 weeks should be a piece of cake. :D

Most of my other frugals have been little day-to-day stuff. I used up a free sample moisturizer the other day and have been experimenting with the various hair products in my bathroom cabinet to find a combo that works for my hair. I am determined to not buy any moisturizer or hair products until I have used up what I already have. I've been at this for several months already and I'm making progress on reducing the stash, but I've still got a ways to go. I've been getting a lot of cheap entertainment out of our Netflix subscription by re-watching various TV series. I did decide to spend $5.99 last night for a movie. I watched "Silver Linings Playbook" which got great reviews, but I was unimpressed. Next time I'm in the mood for a movie I will save myself the cash and watch something I haven't seen on Netflix instead of going for a newer release. We were planning to go see the new Star Trek movie in the theater, but it has gotten such mixed reviews (and generally bad reviews on all the serious sci-fi websites) that we are going to wait for it to come out on iTunes. That will save us about $15 over going to the theater.

My biggest frugal challenge as of late is figuring out how to combine more errands and reduce the use of the car. We live too far away from things for biking to be a truly realistic option at this point and the closest public transportation stop is 4 miles away, so that's not helpful either. Lately, so many of my extra driving trips have involved taking our elderly cat to the vet for regular appointments for arthritis treatments. I can't really leave him in the car because of the summer heat so I can't combine those car trips with other errands. Perhaps I just need to accept that this is, sadly, a temporary situation and that I shouldn't stress about the extra driving.

catherine

6-8-13, 11:40am

Jilly

6-8-13, 4:02pm

... Doubles as something to read if I'm waiting for a download :)

:D:D:D

Blackdog Lin

6-9-13, 8:30pm

What a great idea catherine. Something to remember for when this pad gives up the ghost for good.....

Kat

6-11-13, 4:14pm

Hi everyone! Great frugals so far this month!

I am bummed to report that I lost my online teaching job; my position is being eliminated, so the contracts I was offered for August are now void. I am still reeling a little bit as I thought I would have a job to return to after my maternity leave was up. DH and I were prepared to live on just one income for three months, but now it looks like it might be a permanent thing. I have never been let go from a job before, and it feels really crummy. I know that focusing on my family while the kiddos are so small is probably what is best. DH is actually really happy about it as he knew I was not happy working and has wanted me to quit for some time. So...I guess frugality/simple living is more important now than ever. It just feels so strange not working. I have always worked (though taking care of a household along with two kids under two IS work!).

Anyway, I have revamped out budget and made it a point to use up the food we have sitting around here. We haven't wasted much and have not eaten out. I'll keep up the couponing and the free activities--walks, playing at the park, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc.

For Father's Day, I took some pictures of the kids and edited them on ribbet.com. They look great and--dare I say--borderline professional! I'll print some copies on my printer and stick them in some frames sitting in our basement. Won't cost anything, and DH will love it. DD is also making him some artwork, and we'll make some sugar cookies, too. Should make for a nice day.

fidgiegirl

6-11-13, 5:51pm

Kat, super bummer. :( PM me if you want me to keep my eyes open for other online gigs for you.

rosarugosa

6-11-13, 6:17pm

Oh Kat, I'm sorry to hear that. It is so much nicer to be in control of these changes. With that said, I'll mention that we had a similar non-volitional change in our lives a few years ago, and it turned out to be a bit of a gift. It was the boot in the tail that we needed in order to make some changes for the better, and indeed we did. So I will hope that this turns out to be the gateway to better things for you and your family as well. Sending hugs from New England :)

Tussiemussies

6-11-13, 10:27pm

Kat, sorry to hear about your job and the timing, although it could wind up being a very nice time to be able to spend it with the baby and your other child...

SteveinMN

6-11-13, 10:51pm

:(, Kat. But it sounds like you've got it together in approaching this situation. Take advantage of the good things this brings you and your family.

fidgiegirl

6-12-13, 5:35pm

I took a page from bke's playbook today and saved some leftover coffee from our event to make iced coffee. It was leftover at the end of the day when everyone was gone. I brought an empty jug specifically for this purpose, as I was in charge of the coffee and had a good guess there might be some left, and there was. I got a few, "yup, that's cheap" comments, but came here to get my strokes. :) It was good coffee and would have gone down the drain! :) I will enjoy it for several days. I might even have to freeze some in coffee cubes.

SteveinMN

6-12-13, 6:42pm

I got a few, "yup, that's cheap" comments, but came here to get my strokes. :) It was good coffee and would have gone down the drain! :) I will enjoy it for several days. I might even have to freeze some in coffee cubes.
Kelli, do you know how much Dunn Bros. charges for a growler of iced coffee? Lots more than it cost you. Great frugal!

fidgiegirl

6-12-13, 10:18pm

Kelli, do you know how much Dunn Bros. charges for a growler of iced coffee? Lots more than it cost you. Great frugal!

Wait - it gets better - it was a gallon jug!!! :laff:

chrissieq

6-12-13, 10:23pm

Decided to buy myself a super cute daily planner that begins whenever you choose to start it - like not in January - you just write in the month, etc. Walked to the "pretty little things" store near my house, debit card in hand, looked at the super cute planner and thought how many similar things I had at home - so walked home empty handed and pretty happy too!!

I love making lists and crossing things off them but I really don't need at $15 item to do so.

I'm re-working my craft/art/time alone space and spend time both AM and PM putting 2 coats of white paint on an old doll house that I use to store craft supplies. It had one coat of primer on it when a friend gave it to me about 10 years ago.

Ate all three meals at home and had a piece of cake left from my retirement party last Wednesday - when they asked if I wanted the cake, I didn't even hesitate! After 21 years in the school district, I figure 1/2 of a 1/4 sheet cake wasn't being too greedy. The great thing is you can eat it out of the freezer with about 10 minutes of defrosting time!

Blackdog Lin

6-13-13, 6:22am

chrissie - congratulations on your retirement! I hope you love it as much as I am loving mine.....

bke

6-13-13, 10:20am

Congrats Chrissie! I missed this news some how.

Kelli- Awesome job. People are so quick to wrinkle their noses at leftover coffee but its good as long as it didn't burn before its taken off the heat. Coffee is an expensive indulgence to be poured down the drain!

Kat-hang in there. It sounds like things are pretty under control even if its not what you had planned. We're here to cheer you on and support you all the way.

I had an awesome shopping night last night. I bought $35 worth of stuff at Krogers for $2.23. Plus I left with a rain check for 99 cent coffee creamer to be used at a later time. Hopefully I will get my hands on some coupons before it expires and get some really cheap coffee creamer down the road.

I had received coupons for 4 free bottles of Langer's juice in the mail. I had to make a second stop inorder to find it but brought home four large containers of 100% juice. Ds has recently discovered the cranberry/grape juice combination. These are all cranberry/something combos that I think he will enjoy.

We are really limiting our driving. I don't think we did any from Thursday until Wednesday.

There is a couple in the area that are um, a bit slow. They basically live on social services and whatever odd jobs they can handle. The husband gets disability for mental health reasons. Anyways, we've known these people for years and have loaned them money from time to time. The wife gets a ton of coupons from somewhere and has brought me her leftovers the last two weeks which is a major score for me. My mother had told her that I donate a bunch of stuff when I have it and see a need. Well bless her heart, this woman brought me a bag with 2 deoderants, 2 shampoos, toothpaste, shower gel, and 2 bars of soap. I thought she brought it for me, thinking we were struggling to provide for ourselves and was a bit embarrassed at the misunderstanding. Nope, she knew there are people worse off than she is and wants me to give the stuff to whomever I see fit. It was kind of a humble reminder to be thankful for what we have and to be as generous as possible when I see a need.

Float On

6-13-13, 10:42am

Kelli - great on the coffee. I always save our coffee in the fridge for iced coffee or I use it in place of water in brownies, etc. I don't take home the leftovers from church because I don't like the brand they use.

Chrissie - congrats on the retirement! My parents still have left over anniversary cakes in their freezer - I love frozen cake!

I'm leaving the boy's "to-do list" on junk mail envelopes every day. I love summer.
Renewed my core of engineers pass yesterday. $30 for the year gets me into any core property in the USA. This gets me into areas that have a daily fee like some of my favorite spots to go kayaking, we also go to the local lake beach almost every evening for a quick swim.

Today's goal (if we have water when we get home) is to get the boys to wash/detail our cars. I'm not going to pay $9 a wash at the local car wash anymore.

I have a free gallon of milk to pick up at one grocery store and a $5 off coupon at another grocery store. Going to try and limit my grocery shopping to just a few items.

SteveinMN

6-13-13, 1:39pm

Random selection of frugals:

My car didn't move Monday. Boy, did it move on Tuesday (very closely-spaced commitments several miles apart)! It would not have moved yesterday but for lunch with a friend that she thought she had re-rescheduled, which made yesterday's trip superfluous. The car is not moving today. It will move tomorrow for lunch with other friends and some errands, purposely bundled together.
I've been responding to more surveys and the like. Most times, of course, I come up empty, but I've won two $100 Amazon gift cards and a $10 JC Penney gift card so far, so I'm not doing badly at all on effort/results.
Lunch today was scrambled eggs made with leftover fried onions and sliced fresh mushrooms that DW said she was going to use up but has not -- and toast. Tasty!
DW has been saying "things" about updating her iPad. It's the original model (bought when the second gen came out) and we're starting to find more things she'd like to do with it but can't. I've been keeping my eyes open for a screamin' deal on a replacement and for the best way to monetize the old one. But she's discovered her newer iPod Touch can do some of the things she wanted the iPad to do, so her wishes are being met and we've pushed back when we need to look at a trade-in/purchase.
No heat and no A/C here even in the height of the humidity. A fan worked just fine.
I gave up on the straw-bale gardening idea, at least for this year. We weren't going to grow very much that way (or any other way), it's easy and cheap for us to get to the big local farmer's market for the things we weren't growing, and it's not like whatever we grew was going to be particularly inexpensive (economy of scale). It was going to be a hobby; I don't need to spend money on another hobby right now.
I've been trying to use sales to stock up on some non-perishable foods I know we will use over time. Lots of eating out of the freezer. Did you know there's a light in there?? :D

Jilly

6-13-13, 7:37pm

It has been too cold here for me to put any plants in the ground, followed by laziness, so when I was at the bank today I stopped at the garden place. The guy there told me to wait when I went in a month ago, that they would still have what I want, and even if it stayed chilly, the plants would be bigger.

They were a very nice size for transplanting and the bonus is that they have been completely acclimated to the outdoors in the past week and a half. Plus, they were on sale for half price. So, in the ground are Black Krim (my absolute, most favorite tomato), some kind of hybrid cherry tomato, sweet peppers, parsley, zucchini, and I bought a pumpkin plant for the graduating-from-preschool-boy's celebration tomorrow. I love these guys like crazy and I am fully in support of all of their milestones, but I cannot get my head around preschool graduations. We had one for the older guy last year, and I know that I can expect really fabulous cookies at the reception afterwards. I am such a crank today. I am sending myself to my room. Man.

early morning

6-15-13, 11:32am

It was kind of a humble reminder to be thankful for what we have and to be as generous as possible when I see a need. bke, thanks for that. I try to remember that when I find myself complaining about my lot in life...my disappointments and losses are quite trivial, compared to those of many others.

Everyone is doing so well with their frugals - and I have to admit I'm a little envious of those who are able to cut back on car use- that's one of our major expenses. DH doesn't drive much, nor does DD - it's always me, lol. But we made the choice to live "here" and work "there" and it was the right one for us, so we just have to live with the additional issues it raises. At least I have 200K miles on a car that cost 10K new and still gets 35 mpg, which has helped tremendously!

Today I have laundry on the line, and I'm "rescuing" some lilies from spots that have become too shady and overgrown for them to bloom nicely - or in some cases, at all! I love lilies and it's rather silly to buy more, until I put these out where they can thrive. I'm not sure how many are hidden around in the overgrowth. I'll let you all know how many we find! DD and I are also cutting back some of the oriental honeysuckle (planted by birds, it spreads terribly!) which is threatening to overtake the house and yard. I'm not sure about the frugal aspect, but we won't be paying any yard-guys, lol.

nswef

6-15-13, 11:53am

Early morning, Not only are you not using any yard people, you are having time with your daughter, getting exercise and making your home " here" more pleasant so when you come from "there" you can enjoy it.

Rosemary

6-15-13, 4:34pm

Drying laundry outside on the rare days without rain.
DD and I made several birthday gifts today from materials we already had.
Eating at home, limiting driving, not buying stuff we don't need.
Switching our online banking to Discover Bank's new checking account which pays 10 cents per debit, online bill pay, or written check transaction.
Working on eating down the freezer so I can do the annual summer defrost.
Sometime in the next week we'll be eating a lot of greens from the garden. Picked our first strawberries today.

Got DD a new-to-her bike in great condition in the next size up for $20 at a yard sale. I think the net we've spent on her biking supplies since she was a toddler is about $30 (counting this one). We've had a bike trailer, a tagalong, a tiny bike with training wheels, a small bike, and then she's just outgrown the next size... but her legs aren't quite long enough for an adult bike yet. So this will be the last one before a bike that should last indefinitely. We bought all those bikes used and resold them or given them away.

rosarugosa

6-16-13, 9:01pm

There's been nothing frugal about the past couple of weeks at our house. It seems like we've been in a spending trend, cat euthanasia, cat adoption, basement flood requiring replacement of water heater burner assembly. New cat is going to need a vet visit because it seems like he still has ear mites (stray rescue kitty) :(
In addition, I was on vacation this past week and we spent a lot of money eating out, which was really just recreational spending. It rained almost every day, so we couldn't doing the gardening and nature walks that we wanted, so we did this as a lame and expensive substitute activity. I'm a little disappointed with us concerning this little spending spree and I'm determined to go into extreme frugal ninja mode to offset it!

SteveinMN

6-17-13, 11:17am

Yeah, we've been rockin' the false-frugals here lately. Well, not really false, but not really frugal either. At the moment, I'm in a hotel lobby. DW is at a work-related conference for which she got last-minute approval to go. I suppose the truly frugal thing would have been for me to not go, but it's nice to get out of the house and I may take some pictures to make it worthwhile (skies are really leaden here so good outside pics will be hard to come by). At least the hotel room is 2-for-1 with breakfast included. I can entertain myself fairly cheaply and DW won't be spending much money at the conference.

I was smart enough to freeze the stuff I'd bought for meals this week; I didn't want to come home to four-day-old fish and leftovers which would be fine eaten yesterday or today but not Wednesday. I suppose that's frugal.

Other than that, we're just looking at expenses again. I had stated earlier that I thought our food budget could use a little more discipline. And we're looking at cancelling the disability insurance I've carried on my own for years. It's there to protect income, but if I'm not making any income, what is it protecting? OTOH what I do around the house would be worth something if DW had to hire someone to do it, so there is some cost avoidance involved. It would cost more to hire help than the monthly premium on the DBL insurance. I'm going to reread my policy and talk with our financial advisor about this.

Carry on with the frugals, folks!

Kat

6-17-13, 2:25pm

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words and encouragement. The job loss came as a shock, but honestly, it has turned out to be a real blessing. We are all so much happier when I am not working. I guess the thing that was hard for me was not having any control over the situation. But that is life, I guess! :-)

Same boring stuff around here. We've not eaten out, which is really good for us since DH likes to eat out so much. We've been planning our grocery trips using sales and coupons. DH comes with me now to help with the kids, and while we have managed to stay under budget, I think we *will* need to work on only buying what is on the list! ;-) I printed some more coupons this morning and will work on cleaning/organizing this afternoon while the kiddos nap. I needed to write a couple of thank you notes but ran out of cards, so instead I just printed some nice stationary on my computer. It looks pretty and was free and got the job done.

rosarugosa

6-17-13, 7:34pm

Kat: I don't know how I missed it, but I didn't realize that your newest family member had already arrived. Congratulations!

fidgiegirl

6-17-13, 8:32pm

I am pretty pleased with my frugal self these last 10 days or so. DH is on his annual fishing trip and I am making a concerted effort to use up food, as you may have seen in the Use-It-Up thread. So far I have only picked up some eggs, almond milk, peaches and bananas at the store. All the rest of my food has been made from the freezer and cupboards. How blessed we are to have all those options.

I made some shelves for my craft room closet and am very happy with them. All they are is boards nailed to the wall with a shelf sitting across the top of them - it's a super shallow closet so this construction will work just fine. I used plywood that we had in the garage and picked up another board for free one night on a walk. I painted them with paint we had from another project and they look great. They are all installed now and loaded up with fabric. I am thinking of how I would like to use some of that fabric for placemats, which we need but are not cheap.

Lastly, I am presenting two sessions this week for a professional development event for educators, and will earn $700 doing that.

I sold a chair for $60 on CL and have another item up, though my hopes aren't high for it. I also returned a shirt to REI that I liked, but as soon as I put it on again (DH bought it for me in wintertime, so I only just tried it on quickly then) I knew I wouldn't actually wear it, so sadly I returned it, and got about $15 back for that.

Keep on keepin' on, everyone!

larknm

6-18-13, 12:12pm

I ran into a well-to-do chiropractor who worked on dogs we had when we moved to NM in 2001. She was very expensive then, but worked on 3 dogs (I had a much better income then). She used some loud,snapping thing that freaked our dogs out, so we stopped. Now she's got 12 years more experience and I've heard has gotten much gentler and no more snapping thing. At the farmer's market, where my bird was singing along with a saxophonist, the chiropractor saw us and remembered me. I told her that recently I'd taken one of my dogs to the country vet who'd said the dog's back was a mess and needed chiropractic. I told her we couldn't afford it and she got the picture. I told this story to the chiropractor who then said she would see the dog for cheap. I said we don't even do cheap these days. She said we could give $2 to our favorite charity, and I said we don't spend anything. She said well, the dog needs help, she'll do it for free. When I called to make the appointment, I asked if it would be too pushy to see if she would work on my dog's littermate too. She said yes. We have an appointment for Saturday, no cost and not putting new costs in our budget. And because I know she's wealthy, I feel not taking advantage of her.

Kat

6-18-13, 4:37pm

DH and I put our Hulu Plus subscription on hold for the summer since the shows we like won't be back until the fall. This will save us $8 a month. DH thought his work hat (a baseball cap) was ruined and wanted to buy a new one. I asked him if we could try washing his old one first to see if we could get it clean. I washed it twice, and it looks great! Good as new! That should save us $20 or so.

fidgiegirl

6-18-13, 5:16pm

I biked today! It felt great! I biked 11.43 miles according to Map My Ride, and spent only $2.50 on a special donut. :) This next thing isn't really a frugal, but I have been working on some of the exercises in the Right Brain Business Plan book and discovered that movement is really important to me. This from the girl who was the quintessential phy ed class hater all through my youth. I was surprised to discover this about myself. When I think about it, when I am hiking, biking, running, anything, I really feel alive. So I'm trying to do it more often, and having moderate success.

I also got a bunch more yarn from the coordinator of Team Yarn. I made a shawl that was a hit with some scratchy yarn combined with Fun Fur, which some of the other gals don't like because they say it's hard to work with, but it's easy when put with another yarn. Anyway, I'm making another one with the rest of the Fun Fur that was donated to us. I am glad I mentioned it to her and she offered up the rest because I had used all that I'd already taken and was going to buy the rest of what I needed at JoAnn.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/1005043_543934302319899_1451666163_n.jpg

LilyB

6-18-13, 7:23pm

Kelli, That is a beautiful shawl. The Fun Fur really makes it special.

fidgiegirl

6-18-13, 7:27pm

Thanks, LilyB! It is so soft.

rosarugosa

6-19-13, 8:39pm

I love those colors, Kelli!
Haven't spent any money this week other than the anticipated vet visit, which was less than expected. Think we need some work done to both cars though :(

Tussiemussies

6-19-13, 11:44pm

Kelli, Just love the shawl you made! The colors and textures are so pretty!

bke

6-20-13, 10:56am

We've been staying close to home most of the time and its making a real difference in the amount of gas that we use. I went exactly 2 weeks between fill ups and then only needed a half a tank. During the school year, we buy gas twice a week.

Yesterday we did our weekly shopping and had Chinese for dinner. My parents wanted to join us and I talked them into going early like we usually do, saving about $10.

We had promised ds that we would do or buy something special for him after paying off the restaurant-his choice. He didn't come up with anything that he wanted, believe it or not, so I suggested that we get him a new game for his Nintendo ds. I bought him two games with the machine a year and a half ago and that is it until now. I was planning on buying a brand new game or two but we found a used game store. We managed to get him 3 games for $54. The new games are $30-40 each.

We went to the library yesterday and got several books for free entertainment.

Today will be a no driving/spending day.

chrissieq

6-20-13, 11:25am

Kelli, What a lovely shawl. I have never learned to knit and a friend offered to teach me - my first reaction was to start buying yarn at garage sales/wherever but am trying very hard not to do so. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

I did a market research study yesterday (earning $100 for 1.5 hours!) and took the bus since DH had the car. I had to wait 25 minutes for a bus home and almost went to Starbucks to buy an iced tea while I waited but decided to instead stand in the shade and read my book while waiting. The $ went in the bank today - I like that they give you a $100 bill rather than smaller ones - it would be too easy to spend otherwise!

redfox

6-20-13, 11:34am

Making treats put of the garden... Hazelnut sorrel pesto, which I have put on pasta, fried eggs, and roasted veggies. Cobb salad with strawberries, peas, parsley, nasturtiums, pansies, & chard. Beautiful cut flowers in our house -- peonies, roses, lilies, campanula. Sitting under the fig tree on our patio, having a cold beer after work, surrounded by the beauty we've worked so hard to create over the years is just such a joy.

Selah

6-20-13, 12:32pm

I saved a little money by having DH pick up some things at Wally World when he was in America last week, which he carried back with him. His trip also allowed me to order some used books from Amazon.com that I need for work, thereby saving loads of cash--both on the books and on the shipping. DH wasn't happy being a "mule," but at least we saved some money!

I also invested a little money on the staples needed to make sushi at home: rolling mat, nori, pickled ginger, wasabi, roasted black sesame seeds, sesame oil, etc. Although my rolls are more like vaguely cylindrical wads at this stage of my learning curve, at least they somewhat taste like sushi from the restaurant, which is saving us loads of money and giving me lots of happiness and, hopefully, better health.

By the way, Kelli, that shawl is GORGEOUS! Wow! :)

Kat

6-21-13, 3:37pm

Love the shawl, fidgie! Such pretty colors, and it looks soft and cozy, too! :-)

Nothing too exciting here. Been eating at home and trying to be mindful about waste. I cleaned the fridge today, and while a few things did get away from us, I tossed much less than I have in the past, so that is good!

DD keeps running of with the baby's pacifiers (she uses them to "feed" her baby dolls), so DH suggested we buy a few more. We decided to wait a week or so to see if DS would even continue to like pacifiers. He has started refusing them, so we won't be buying more. That will save us around $6-$8 or so.

A couple of people sent us some financial gifts for the baby, and we put them straight into his college fund.

DH's family and mine have been asking about getting copies of the baby's newborn photos. Well, we really can't afford to get everyone professional prints (they are crazy expensive!), so I have been printing off some of the Father's Day photos I took of the baby at home. They turned out nice, and this will be much, much cheaper.

rosarugosa

6-21-13, 4:51pm

Redfox: Sounds like paradise!

Kat

6-24-13, 3:45pm

Pretty frugal weekend here. We ate at home for most of it, though we did eat out once (hit the dollar menu and the total came out of our budgeted fun money). DH's sister was in town, so we visited with her on Saturday. She brought a lot of things for the kids--some clothing in larger sizes for DS and a few clothing items and toys for DD. Some of it was new, and some of it was stuff her kids had outgrown. We were thrilled with it all. The generosity of people just amazes me. We ate dinner while we were there and just had a really nice time watching our children play together.

Yesterday we cleaned and organized a bit and ate leftovers for lunch. Supper was a frozen pizza I bought on sale with a coupon and some ice cream bars I got for less than a dollar with coupon (plus, there was a redbox code inside the box for a free rental!). We had a movie night and watched a movie we already had.

DH and I also hit the grocery store. We have been price matching at Walmart and using some high value coupons. This has allowed us to do well with our tiny grocery budget (though I am still not fond of Walmart in general).

pony mom

6-24-13, 9:14pm

I went to a new thrift store looking specifically for a pair of khaki chinos, either LL Bean or J. Crew; just a classic basic style. Found J. Crews in my size and perfect fit (even around my waist!) for $7.99!!!! Unbelievable.

Lately I've been finding exactly what I want at thrift stores and I now have a list describing just what I'm looking for.

creaker

6-24-13, 10:15pm

I found the agitator in my washer was broken, the part that twists and pulls the clothes down was stripped. I was able to go online, order the part and replace it myself, for cheaper than it would have cost to have someone just look at it.

fidgiegirl

6-24-13, 10:36pm

Score, ponymom and creaker!

try2bfrugal

6-25-13, 2:26am

Our dog had what looked like a bleeding hemorrhoid. I looked up natural cures on the Internet and found bulky foods and vitamin K cream for treatments. I didn't have any vitamin K cream so I made him soup with lots of leafy green veggies with vitamin K. The bleeding stopped within an hour. I gave him the soup a couple more times and he has been on the mend since then. I think the soup saved us a $300 vet bill, plus I am sure our dog feels a lot better.

For product reviews this month I ordered a free Ipod clock radio / docking station and a book on edible lawns.

I got another Visa gift card for $100 for signing up for U-verse. The state sent me my check for $70 that I found on their abandoned property database. I had a royalty check that was made out to our old company name reissued to our new company, for another $60. I found out from the title company that I had an unexpected $60 check coming from our last refinance, that we never received in the mail. That check was reissued this month, so I had some nice surplus in the budget between the different extra checks.

We used a buy one get one free coupon to have brunch at a buffet on Sunday.

My son cleared out all his teen and children books and sold them at the used book shop for $34.

We refinanced our house again with a no point, no fee loan. We signed the papers last week a day before the lock ran out. Otherwise our rate would have gone up another .7% for the same loan since rates went up during the lock period. We got $250 back for at closing for signing up for auto pay.

We live near the factory that makes our bar soap, so I went and bought a case again at the wholesale price.

I've been using the store coupons I get in email for Safeway and Fresh and Easy to save money on groceries. I use the self serve checkout at F&E to get all the monthly debits done in a day or two on a bunch of low priced items to meet the monthly debit requirements for our high yield checking account. Otherwise I like to to use the 2% cash back credit card for the rest of the groceries.

redfox

6-25-13, 3:27am

The dryer quit getting warm, and since it is a stack unit, and inseparable from the washer, I called in a repair person. He was great! Even though it was a $200 repair -- broken heating element -- it was far cheaper than a new set. And since it is raining, raining, raining in Seattle, a load is taking over 24 hours to dry on a rack inside... My entire house was draped with damp laundry!

SteveinMN

6-25-13, 8:26am

Recent frugals:
- My car has been parked in the garage since Saturday.
- One dinner this week is a fish dish for which I bought tilapia rather than cod. It's less expensive and just as tasty.
- I visited a dollar store (a real dollar store, not the kind that prices everything in whole-dollar amounts) and found a few food items we eat that are a true deal at $1 (and a few that aren't a deal at $1; I didn't buy those) and some soap we really like that's a bargain at $1 a bar.
- Continuing to use up what's in the freezer and the pantry. I have started refilling as I see bargains on stuff we will use. Often I can substitute something for whatever is requested in the recipe.

rosarugosa

6-25-13, 8:12pm

Steve: We buy frozen tilapia regularly at Costco and it's become a freezer staple for us. The quality is great and the price is good. The frozen tilapia from our grocer isn't as good.

SteveinMN

6-25-13, 10:07pm

rosa, thanks. DW occasionally tags along with DD (who has the Costco membership; go figure); I'll ask her to remember to buy tilapia next time she goes.

Stella

6-26-13, 6:01pm

I'm back from my trip to see my sister in California and I am having fun reading all of your frugals! Kelli, that shawl is lovely!

I am in the process of planning some frugal mini-trips for us this summer. I am sick of being stressed out and I think a couple of weekends of camping might help to clear my head. We are going for just one night over 4th of July weekend to a place that is less than an hour away from our house. I planned a pretty frugal, easy camping menu, so it won't really cost us much to go.

One thing I had noticed the last few years was that we tended to spend more than I thought was reasonable going out for ice cream. It's fun, sure, but so is eating ice cream on the deck. I bought some Costco ice cream treats that were 40 for $10. We are lucky to spend only $10 on the entire family going out for ice cream, these days it's more like $20 with all of the kids. I also got some regular ice cream and I have been making my own fudge sauce with chocolate chips and milk when I want something a little more special.

We sold a dresser that we used to use for the girls' room, but don't anymore, and our old bed frame. We got $85 for the two of them.

Our family reunion was canceled and rescheduled. This will end up being a frugal thing for us because the new location, Chippewa Falls, WI, is only about half the distance of the old one in Wausau, WI, so we will save on gas. We may or may not camp, but even if we do it will be three days less than it was going to be. I wish we had more time, actually, but maybe next year, and I might as well look on the bright side. :)

Zach's paycheck was less this time because he had to go in late when I was in California and we didn't want to use vacation time to cover it. I am trying to make up some of the difference in the grocery budget for the next two weeks. I managed to come up with a pretty decent menu that should cost about $80 less than my usual grocery budget.

Rosemary

6-26-13, 6:08pm

fyi, on Costco tilapia: at our store, the frozen is from China or Vietnam and the fresh is from Honduras. From what I've read, the farmed fish in the Western hemisphere usually have better water conditions. I think the cost per pound is about the same. Trader Joe's has the best price on frozen wild Pacific cod, and it's not much more than the Costco tilapia.

rosarugosa

6-26-13, 8:14pm

Rosemary: Our Costco has Indonesian tilapia which is supposed to be good. I had read something to the effect that Costco changed it's sourcing after hearing lots of concerns about tilapia from China. Thanks for the info on the cod from TJs. We love cod, and we love TJ's too. Will have to check it out!

SteveinMN

6-26-13, 9:02pm

fyi, on Costco tilapia: at our store, the frozen is from China
Thanks for the info. I'll ask DW to look at the country of origin when she gets to Costco. Chinese fish is a no-no in this house. I see lots of it at ALDI at prices that are quite attractive, but I just won't do it.

Rosemary

6-26-13, 9:06pm

I asked TJ's about country of origin on an apple-based product about 6 months ago and was informed that they had stopped sourcing any foods from China, fyi. I am guessing that some foods might contain ingredients that come from China, but the foods themselves are not manufactured there.

early morning

6-26-13, 9:51pm

Stella, welcome back, been hoping things were going better with your sister - so sorry to hear about her illness and overall situation. Your camping trips sound like fun! I loved camping as a kid and single adult, not quite so much as an adult with family in tow :~). But I'm starting to get excited about my upcoming conference in DC.... it will cost a bit up front but will be reimbursed and have a small per diem also, so I am trying come out ahead! We will be on our own for dinners, but I'm hoping to find some small eateries or mini-marts. We will have to use a taxi from our hotel (in Virginia) to the conference (in Maryland) but can take a train from the hotel to the museums and the Mall in Washington. Our flight is paid for but has a bag charge so I'm trying for just a carry-on and my largish handbag. I'm only going to be there for 5 days/4 nights, so that should work. Other than that opportunity, it's been the same old stuff around here. We haven't put the air conditioners in the bedrooms yet - fans are keeping us from total melt down. My car is clunking along - we thought he was on his last legs several months ago, but he seems to have pulled through OK. The alternator went out on DH's truck, but it was still under warranty (the alternator, NOT the truck, lol) so that was a free fix. Seems like there should be more, but if so, I'm too tired to remember it!

Blackdog Lin

6-26-13, 9:55pm

DH repaired our old watering can, that we use EXTENSIVELY - okay, it would only have been a $20.-$25. replacement purchase for the same one, but he was able to replace the broken handle for $3.50 in parts and a half-hour's work. I absolutely love this old watering can - and was entirely happy he was able to repair it thriftily.

SteveinMN

6-27-13, 1:12pm

A few frugals:

I mentioned a week or two ago that I was reviewing some insurance policies to determine if we still needed them. Well, one of us still thinks they're needed, so we won't be saving that money right now. But that could change. And it's given me the push to shop around our car/home/umbrella/business policies. This is a little hard for me because I like the agent and company we're with; they have not given me a reason to take away the business and I value loyalty. At the same time, however, we've taken a look at every other recurring bill we pay so it seems inconsistent to ignore these.
I did a little reporting off our financial software and learned we are spending at least 15% less on groceries now than we were at this time last year. :cool:My suspicion is that it has to do mostly with being able to take the time to cook more (instead of buying food pre-made or processed for quick cooking) and with wasting less food. But I'm not so interested in confirming that answer that I want to document it. :)

My car has remained in the garage, so no consumption there. I only wish "no-drive" meant "no-spend"!

Stocked up on some favorite soap (Yardley, made in the U.S.) at the dollar store and picked up another couple of food items we'll use. This particular store appears to have bumped its food selection beyond pop, snacks, and heavily-processed meals. They even have a refrigerator and freezer case. It's not terribly convenient to visit that store, but if I'm in the neighborhood, I'll stop by.

As I've winnowed through hundreds of LPs and CDs, I've decided I'm no longer keeping the ones on which I want only a song or two. At 99 cents, it was cheap insurance (I don't download music if it's commercially available). But I'll take the $$ (okay, $) I get from Half-Price Books or Cheapo and buy the tunes in digital form to cover myself and save the space. I hope it's a wash.

Rosemary

6-28-13, 8:47am

The month's roundup of frugals:
Serious garden harvest has begun. Picked mache, strawberries, and snow peas yesterday to make a salad for lunch. Also ready for harvest whenever we need it: kale (2 kinds), kai lan, lettuce. My squash plants finally germinated after the cold, wet spring, and with the onset of warm weather this week, my tomato plants grew at least 6" on a particularly hot, humid day.

A friend gave us their CSA share this week if we could pick it up. I did, and while the produce was really good, there wasn't much of it - we have more variety and quantity in our own small home garden this week. Looked up how much these shares cost, and wow, my garden is saving us even more than I had estimated, when compared to other local, organically grown foods. My fruit plants and trees are loaded and so, barring disastrous weather, we should have a great harvest this summer of gooseberries, currants, tart cherries, native plums, raspberries, concord grapes, and apples.

DD and I have been riding bikes to one of her activities every day... saving auto miles and gas.

I am nearing completion of the first part of one of my summer landscaping projects. I had a bid on the labor alone for this project at over $1000 so am feeling good about doing it myself. I bought a few perennials at 50% off for my reward.

Dried 3 loads of laundry outside yesterday (that one's for you, Mrs. M!). It's been so rainy this season that there haven't been many ideal outdoor-drying days. It's easier to squeeze in a bike ride on a rainy day than 4-5 hours of drying time (more if it's damp, cloudy, and still).

Whittling down the extra freezer's contents. Should be able to turn it off and defrost in a week or two. Always do this for the hottest months of the year since it's in the summer. With the garden as our food storage, we don't need it and it saves significantly on the electric bill since the freezer is in the garage.

Some good yard sale finds this month. A couple of vintage kitchen items for 50 cents each (that will outlast new $12 "equivalents"), a couple of 1940s cookbooks (a particularly frugal era for cookbooks, reflecting both Depression learnings and wartime rationing), bike for DD, a cooler for camping, some jelly canning jars, a CD player for DD.

DD and I made several birthday gifts. I've got one more, a crocheted cotton summer scarf, in progress, and need to finish it in the next 3 weeks to ship!

I had an all-day class this week and a friend watched DD, saving me about $50 in babysitting fees. Today I'm swapping childcare with a friend so our girls can play together all day, here this morning and in the afternoon at her house, which will give both of us a little free time. And we have some date night exchanges on the calendar as well.

Switched our checking account to the new DiscoverBank checking, which pays 10 cents for every bill pay, paper check, and debit transaction. We were getting nothing from our old bank and I didn't have any sentimental attachment to it; it was a megabank that had acquired the local Tucson bank where we opened the account originally, and their online billpay webpage was really annoying to boot.

With DD's summer band and orchestra (through her school) lessons nearly every day, I am going to get lots of book reviews done this summer while I wait for her.

SteveinMN

6-28-13, 9:16am

A friend gave us their CSA share this week if we could pick it up. I did, and while the produce was really good, there wasn't much of it - we have more variety and quantity in our own small home garden this week. Looked up how much these shares cost, and wow, my garden is saving us even more than I had estimated, when compared to other local, organically grown foods.
My understanding from talking with farmers at the St. Paul Farmer's Market (where everything sold must be produced within 75 miles of the Market) is that growth in this part of Minnesota is running about a month behind normal. I would not feel very confident about judging the value of a CSA based on one box that you normally would see at the end of May.

cdttmm

6-28-13, 10:26am

I haven't been posting much as of late, but that does not mean I haven't been trying to keep up my frugal ways! It's mostly been the usual stuff: bringing tea to work in my travel mugs, bringing my lunch to work, putting in all my hours at work in three days to minimize driving. We've been pretty good about cooking at home, with the exception of one lunch this past week from the local, summer-only, burger and ice cream shack.

The biggest frugal was figuring out how to fix my laptop after it went on the fritz a few weeks ago. I thought I might finally be forced to retire my old laptop and buy a new one, which is not an expense I want to incur right now. But I figured out how to fix it -- woo-hoo! So I'm going to try to limp along for as long as possible.

We were able to hold out on using the AC until just this past week. And even now that we've been using it, we've been keeping it set to at least 74 degrees if not warmer. And we've been diligent about closing all the blinds and opening our awning over our south-facing windows. Those few simple steps definitely go a long way in keeping the house cooler throughout the day and that means the AC runs pretty minimally.

I got accepted to attend a conference in August on contemplative pedagogy. Fortunately, I am local to the conference site so the fee for the week is only $600 as opposed to $950. They want to encourage attendance by community college faculty and since community colleges often don't provide faculty with funding to attend conferences I applied for financial aid through the conference itself. But they had already distributed all of their available monies by the time I applied so I thought I was out of luck. But I followed up at the registration deadline and they had money available so I received $275 in financial aid to attend -- woo-hoo! Very happy about this because I will lose out on my hours at work that week and that plus the conference fee would be a good sized hit. Now it's been mitigated slightly and I'm going to ask if I can make up the hours the week before and after the conference and see if my boss will approve that, which would be pretty awesome.

That's all for the moment. Will try to get back to posting more regularly!

Rosemary

6-28-13, 11:38am

I understand that Steve, since I am growing veggies too -- I'm comparing the CSA box to my own garden, and I know that the established farmers at the local markets usually have produce well before I do. Perhaps this particular CSA is running even later for some reason.

Selah

6-28-13, 12:31pm

Unintended but welcome consequence of being sick and not leaving the house for the past week: DH did the grocery shopping and so our food bill is a LOT lower!

redfox

6-28-13, 12:54pm

Since I emptied the freezer to defrost it, I have made cranberry jam, and have grape jelly & zucchini brownies & bread in process. All rescued produce I had completely forgotten about! And, gave my unemployed neighbor six gallon bags of more frozen, shredded zucchini. Bless her for taking it! Freezer goes to another unemployed friend today, gratis. I love the Love Economy.

try2bfrugal

6-28-13, 1:57pm

Unintended but welcome consequence of being sick and not leaving the house for the past week: DH did the grocery shopping and so our food bill is a LOT lower!

That is interesting. When DH goes grocery shopping with me, it always adds $10 - 20 to the total bill.

Kat

6-28-13, 3:45pm

Same old boring stuff here. Eating at home, hang drying laundry, blah, blah blah. :) A couple of new things:

1) Found out I can pay my mortgage online instead of sending a paper check. Will save me a few minutes each month as well as the cost of a stamp, envelope, check, and ink.

2) My cat has *another* urinary tract infection--his second one in five weeks! I called the vet clinic to see if they would just write us another prescription without us having to crate him, bring him in, and pay for another exam, xray, urinalysis, etc. I really thought they'd say no, but they said yes! So we'll be still be getting him the care he needs but saving around $60. It will be much less stressful for the little guy, too, which makes me happy. He is traumatized every time we have to shove him in that crate.

3) I asked my neighbor (who has a beautiful yard) if she would be willing to help me beautify my yard, too. I offered to pay her for her time and talent, of course. She refused the payment but said she would be happy to help. We were planning on hiring a landscaper this summer, but then I lost my job. I figure my yard can look nicer than it does now without hiring a professional. My neighbor is super talented and really nice. I enjoy spending time with her, so a yard re-do should be both frugal and fun! I will have to re-pay her for her kindness somehow. Perhaps with a meal or some baked goods...