I will start the September Frugals..... [Archive]

danna

9-2-13, 10:46am

September 2

---spreadsheets all up to date and ready to go for Sept.
---Holiday here today so easy to not spend money
--supper will be leftover homefries from yesterday, zucchini and tomatoes and fried eggs.
--eggs need used bought 4 doz. last month when on sale
--tomatoes bought last week Roma for $6.97 for 25 lbs. ate some fresh and have
frozen the rest for winter
--eating oatmeal last two mornings with a fresh peach....they are Ontario grown for 10 for $2.77
so I am going to freeze some of those in individual servings for later in the winter.

That is all for now....hope everyone has a good month
I have been being super frugal has I am paying down line of credit and need a few big things done around the house soon.

Simpler at Fifty

9-2-13, 11:21am

We are putting food up this weekend. Made pickled beets, pickled sweet cherry peppers and DH is vacuum sealing corn. I cut corn off 20 ears this morning. I am going to roast red peppers this afternoon and can those too. DH made marinara sauce last week and I canned 6 pints. He wants to can tomatoes too. We need to buy those from the farmer's market next week. Ours have a disease and we cannot get rid of it. Canning is not always frugal. In the middle of the winter it is nice to open a jar of tomatoes and use our garlic and onions to make lasagna or some other dish. It is a reminder of how hard we worked in the garden all summer.

I start a new job tomorrow. Same company but will be working at home (WAH) full time. I had been WAH 3 days a week. The additional 2 days will save approx. $525 in gas and 3000 miles a year on my car. Auto ins went down because I am not driving to work each day. I won't need new work pants unless I lose a lot of weight. Will be traveling to another state a few times a year for corporate meetings.

early morning

9-2-13, 12:15pm

OMgosh, I will never remember to find this thread on this forum..... but I will try, lol. Managed to get two loads of laundry dry on the line yesterday. Our sump pump float rod rusted through so the washer couldn't pump out all the way, but DH and I managed to come up with a solution. He had more threaded rods and several floats, but the rod guide clip that attaches to the pump pipe was also cracked (I'd clamped it to the pipe with a zip-tie several years ago) and it broke completely during the repair. We managed to affix it with a piece of plastic coffee-can lid and more zip-ties. It seems to be working fine now! My washer is also having difficulty with the spin cycle, so I often have to unload half of it and spin each half separately. But it beats buying a new machine. Once upon a time, DH would have fixed it, but now he can't and it makes him quite depressed, so I just don't tell him about it, and make do. Cheaper than a new machine, or a repair man, and more angst for DH! Stabilized the binding on several cool throw rugs I bought for re-sale. When we get a nice drying day I'll wash and repair them and hopefully clear a few bucks.

Stella

9-2-13, 12:35pm

I forgot it was September! Thanks for starting this!

razz

9-2-13, 1:40pm

I want to save some extra vacation money that grows from my very frugal choices.
Yesterday, I made multipurpose tomato sauce from my garden tomatoes and my herbs and garlic and froze in portions for many dishes later.
Washed in cold water (I soak undies, socks and handkerchiefs in a bucket of hot water with a 1/2 cup of washing soda), vinegar for softening and dried all my laundry on the outside line.
I half-filled a measuring cup with water, added less than tbsp of bleach and using a soft toothbrush gently brushed some stains away on my white tops before washing them.
A friend told me to take apart a head of romaine or other lettuce, wash thoroughly, wrap in a tea towel and store in a plastic bag in the fridge using as needed - it works very well.
Lunch was 3 cups romaine with homemade dressing, a large tomato and a small pita with 2 tbsp. of peanut butter with an apple and tea.
Needed a few groceries but will wait and get them up tomorrow when I pick up some friends to take to a movie.
Supper will be chili using the fresh sauce and some leftover kidney beans and homegrown grapes.

I must remember this thread to keep myself motivated.

redfox

9-2-13, 4:22pm

On vaycay in the mountains this week. We rented a small cabin (& decent wifi!) with a kitchen & brought all our own food. We'll have a dinner out to celebrate our anniversary on Wednesday. This is a super on-the-cheap week! And very needed...

danna

9-2-13, 4:23pm

It looks like I started this in the wrong forum! Does anyone know if there is a way to move to the usual one?

rosarugosa

9-2-13, 4:53pm

I got a good offer from one of my credit cards - a credit of up to $12. on my account for purchases at GNC. I buy alcohol-free witch hazel there, which goes for about $10 a bottle. They were running a BOGO deal, so I spent $16 with tax, and I'll get a statement credit for $12. of that. I also just applied for a new card which will give me $200 in gift cards (lots of options from merchants where we shop) if we spend $1500 within three months. This will work out fine with just our usual grocery and gas expenditures.
I'm also implementing an idea I heard from someone on the forums here. I really want to cut back on our food waste, so I'm posting a list on the fridge of leftovers and perishables that need to be consumed. I think this will help keep us from forgetting about what we have.

Stella

9-2-13, 6:37pm

Danna, I asked on the mod board about how to move it. I should be able to do it once someone explains it to me, or the other mods will see my message and move it.

iris lilies

9-2-13, 7:40pm

rosarugosa

9-2-13, 8:19pm

Iris Lilies: Have you tried any of the Black Box wines? They are not my favorites, but they get decent reviews, and at $20 for the equivalent of four bottles, I can live with them. I also like the little spigots and I enjoy having a chardonnay on tap in the fridge and a shiraz (or sometimes a merlot or a cab) in the cupboard.
Menage a Trois and Clancy are two decent red blends that we get at Costco in the $8 - $12 range. I like to keep a few bottles on hand for times when I want something a little yummier than the Black Box.

Yarrow

9-2-13, 8:26pm

I was able to turn off the AC last night - a nice cool breeze here today, for a change. That will save on the electric bill. I'm hoping I can go into the fall without having to turn it on again.

I was able to buy some curtains today for half price and free shipping. I've been eyeing this curtains for quite some time, waiting and hoping I could get a better price. They will look awesome in my bedroom.

Having a good day with my MS today, so have been processing my bounty of ripe tomatoes into salsa, tomato sauce, and spaghetti sauce. Freezing them in portions, and should last me all winter long.

iris lily

9-2-13, 9:48pm

SteveinMN

9-3-13, 10:56am

We like the Black Box wines. We're not connoisseurs -- I don't know as we've ever spent more than $30-40 for a bottle -- but, at its price, we find it quite drinkable, and (more importantly for us) we don't have to polish it off in a sitting before it starts oxidizing.

SteveinMN

9-3-13, 1:13pm

I hope there are some September frugals since it didn't feel like there were many for August!

My men's retreat weekend was essentially free for me this weekend. I cook and the guys chip in for the ingredients (and cleanup). I don't count the odd things I'll bring from our stocks at home (a little kosher salt, a teaspoon of oregano, some onions which should be used up, etc.). But everything else (sans some chicken I bought that went bad before I got to cook it) was reimbursed and then some. I drove up with one of the guys and he offered to pay for the fuel, but it was only four gallons (200 miles) and he's loaned us his camper and pickup before, so I declined the offer, but that could have been free, too. Didn't spend any money at the cabin, either. Just fun.

Rather than run the car today to get groceries, I'm making chicken soup. Frozen chicken trimmings, the limp celery and carrots in the crisper, some leftover raw onion, and so on all will become tasty soup by dinnertime. Always leftovers, always different, always good. Tomorrow I have several errands to run so I can take the car out on a grand tour and be done all at once.

Today I'll be lining up a schedule of things I need to get done before frost: paint some window frames, bring in the garden hose, prep the snowblower, etc.) I suppose it will be frugal in the sense that not doing them will cost more later. I also have rounded up some gift cards which have been just hanging around. Time to declutter those either with use or by re-gifting.

Gardenarian

9-3-13, 4:44pm

My dh usually does the grocery shopping, but dd and I are taking it over for a while. I hope to see some reductions.

The main issue is that he only like to shop at Costco, and a lot of bulk food ends up going bad, and also too much processed food.
I pass by a Trader Joe's on the way home from work, and will be going to the town farmer's market once a week (he usually gets expensive stuff there, like fancy breads and fish.)
There is also a Mexican market next to dd's guitar lessons where I can get excellent cheese (very cheap!) and a lot of produce, rice, and beans.

I'll still go to Costco for dog food, olive oil, t.p., and a few other items.

I'm saving my receipts - we'll see how it goes.

Synapse to synapse

9-3-13, 6:22pm

Ok here is the ONE thing I'm working on: reducing my alcohol bill.

I am allowing myself 2 bottles of wine per week. That's 10 glasses. That's 3 glasses over the medical recommended limit for my gender. hmmm, a risk I am willing to take.

I'm not yet working on dollar cost, but am starting with bottles. Even though I've (sadly) backed away from my old standby Waterstone Cab @$27/bottle, I will be ok using another favorite at $17 mixed in with $11 - $13 bottles.

This is really something I want to work on myself. Thank you for bringing it up, though I've known I need to manage my money better for years. I budget well enough, and I never overdraw or anything. I always just get paranoid and such until my rent, utility, and internet checks clear.

Maybe tomorrow I'll write up a better budget, and a better post. I'm not feeling too swell today. :( :doh::sick:

danna

9-3-13, 9:42pm

Sept 03
--thanks to Mods &/or Stella for getting this thread moved...

--called an old credit card I wasn't using to cancel and found out I had $10.00 worth of points for Sears so they are going to mail me a gift card.
--YES, to the boxed wine it is not high end but, way better then it use to be and a really good price. I still buy whatever is cheapest I am definitely not an expert.
Of course drinking less would also be a good way to save on wine.....lol
--made quinoa and beans (from the freezer already cooked). I had never made this before, used Mexican type flavourings and it was really good for a meatless meal.
And, enough for breakfast with an egg tomorrow.
--cut the bottom off an face soap, added water and have been using it as hand soap all week.

Continuing to purge and use up stuff, part bottles, open packages, stuff that has been put in the freezer as leftovers (eating or tossing)
going through stuff to sell, toss or give to friends, family or charity. Learning it is only people and security that count, NOT stuff.

Jilly

9-3-13, 11:51pm

I would like to have a glass of wine once in a while, and even though I buy some really cheap stuff, I have the one glass and the rest gets tossed when I find it in the back of the refrigerator a few weeks later.

So, to be able to indulge in a nice sunset and glass of wine...once in a while...can anyone share how long the boxed wine lasts?

Iris lilly, do you keep the red wine on the counter after it is opened? Do you know how long it can last? Does it make any difference if it is refrigerated? I could probably only buy the little boxes that have a couple of bottles worth in them, as my fridge is tiny.

Tammy

9-4-13, 12:38am

You can buy wine in single serving 187 ml bottles

Selah

9-4-13, 4:48am

DH's smartphone died, so he did a lot of online research and found a new Chinese one for about $250, that would normally cost close to $800 if he'd bought its name-brand counterpart. In the meantime, he borrowed a smartphone from his friend to use, who had it available to loan because the friend had just upgraded his own phone. DH liked the phone so much, he realized it would be great for me to have, since now all teachers are "expected" to use their personal smartphones for classroom use.

Anyway, he called the friend and asked if we could buy the phone off him. He agreed, and now I'm getting THAT smartphone for 300 NIS, or less than $100 USD. Score! This will come in extremely handy, as the friend already had two apps installed, that will help me when I'm stuck for vocabulary in Hebrew AND in Arabic...nowadays I need both, since I work in an Arabic-speaking school and live in a Hebrew-speaking town.

SiouzQ.

9-4-13, 8:20am

Where does the time go???!!! I find that I am having a hard time "just being still" lately and having the mental space to ponder things. Don't get me wrong, everything is going quite good but for today (a day off) I would like to re-group and get a sense of what is going on in my life. Things are looking up financially, as my plan for earning extra money is going nicely. In the last month I've made $205 selling my plasma (with no ill effects), got $325 from my housemate for rent, and sold about $195 worth of my jewelry. When I get paid on Friday I feel like I can finally start paying extra on my car loan, and I will be able to pay off my $800+ on my credit card (I finally bought a new computer, the first one in 8 years)!

Big expenditures that are coming up are mainly medical stuff - I have a high deductible (which I am close to meeting). I just cancelled an MRI for my knee after finding out that even after my insurance pays the 80%, I will still be liable for about $700 of it. Then they insisted I have an ocular x-ray before the MRI because I (stupidly) told them that in 1981 I got a metal flake in my art while grinding a bronze sculpture in art school (it got flushed out at Student Health right after it happened). They WILL NOT let me have the MRI without the ocular x-ray, even though I told them I have had two full body MRI's in the past with no ill effect. I'm sure the ocular x-rays will be another several hundred dollars. So I am opting to get some cortisone shots in the knee joints to see if that will alleviate the symptoms I've been having for the last six months - the doctor thinks I may have a torn meniscus. There are still four months left in my insurance plan year; I can always get the MRI later if it is really called for. I also have to have another mammogram in October because they've been watching some calcifications. I sure hope nothing comes of that!

Some ways I am saving money are by grocery shopping more carefully, taking advantage of all the free samples from Whole Body I get from work (I haven't bought shampoo, conditioner and face wash stuff in a long time - I just take all those little sample packets that end up in the employee lunchroom). I got some cheap clothing at Salvation Army (I took advantage of the Labor Day 50% off clothing sale). I find I need less and less clothing these days - all I do is go to work (T-shirts and jeans) or work in my art studio (even grungier T-shirts and jeans). I rarely, if ever, get dressed up for anything. If I go to an open mic I just wear my *best* T-shirt and jeans!

So I plan to keep on keeping on with this track and hopefully watch my savings account start to build back up again.

Kat

9-4-13, 8:32am

Am going to try to be better about posting this month! Over the past few days:

--mended a couple of stuffed animals for DD
--resisted the urge to buy some new home decor
--packaged up four items to return via mail
--have a fifth item ready to return to the store
--trying to be more realistic about meal planning. I can only manage simple meals or those made in the crock pot right now...so that is what we are having.
--made some more banana bread
--am trying to make do with DS's summer clothes. He is starting to outgrow them, but I am thinking it will cool off in a few weeks. So we're just putting him in the few things that do fit for now plus a couple of larger-sized onesies
--am trying to do a pantry challenge the month of September
--have been spending my time "nesting"--cleaning/organizing--rather than shopping. I always get the itch to decorate and clean for fall but will do this before I do any shopping. I am positive I do not need anymore fall decorations, but it is my favorite time of year and so hard to resist!

SteveinMN

9-4-13, 3:48pm

So, to be able to indulge in a nice sunset and glass of wine...once in a while...can anyone share how long the boxed wine lasts?
Jilly, our box is kept atop the refrigerator and we've gone up to three weeks (at normal room temperatures) without noticing marked changes in the taste. I suspect the shelf life would be shorter if the room temperature hits the 80s or higher.

chrissieq

9-4-13, 4:45pm

Today is DD's birthday and I brought her a piece of cake (from the grocery store) as a little treat - we'll get together for dinner over the weekend. She works just across the street from Paper Source - a shop I have wanted to go to all summer! I ended up spending $11 on a kit to make a paper flower garland (which I have been craving!) but found a book there that had great detailed directions and stencils to make your own paper flowers. No worries - home to look on Barnes and Noble cause a sweet student and his mom gave me a gift card for B & N at year's end. The book is on it's way to me for only $5 out of my pocket. I thought about returning the kit but decided that since I have been lusting over this for several months, it was OK to treat myself.

Also getting ready for a huge garage sale at my sister's house this Friday and Saturday so spending a lot of time marking, sorting, organizing - $$ to be used for a weekend in DC in November.

happystuff

9-4-13, 8:57pm

Ugh! Need to jump back on the bandwagon.

danna

9-4-13, 11:35pm

Sept 04
Not much new to add today...just more of the same
--entrainment was a long walk to visit a friend and have coffee...free
not frugal but a friend of hers (she has done lots for me in the past) is having chemo and I made her a couple of turbans (really nice ones) from fabric I had on hand
--finished up a jar of instant coffee I had bought, not sure why before I opened a new pound of ground.

try2bfrugal

9-5-13, 12:45am

- We renegotiated one of the Internet cable bills today. We have more than one because of the home businesses. That will save $240 over the next year.
- went out to eat for dinner at a Mexican restaurant over the weekend with a buy one get one free meal coupon.
- for my last round of product reviews I got free rechargeable batteries, a back pack and headphones.
- the check came in the mail today for our health care reimbursement account.
- last night I stocked up on freezer food using the the coupons in the Safeway rewards program. I usually get pretty good personalized prices on items, I guess so that they make their profits on other items once you are in the store. Last night I just stuck to buying mainly the sale items on my list.
- we have been pretty good about cooking more from scratch. I've been making up separate ingredients in the morning we can mix and match later on for meals. This past week I have made up two kinds of soup in the crock pots and in the rice cooker / steamer I've been making steady batches of chicken, rice, quinoa and assorted veggies.

JaneV2.0

9-5-13, 12:19pm

I'm working on reducing food waste. It goes slowly, but I'm improving.

I bought a nice jacket for Fall: loden green canvas, fully lined, with rivet buttons and plenty of pockets, excellent like-new condition--$6.40.

Kat

9-5-13, 4:12pm

So nice of you to make those turbans, danna.

Not much here. Today was no spend/no drive. Requested a bag from an online consignment shop so I can send some stuff in. Some shoes I ordered for DS came. 2 pairs and only paid shipping. I got bigger sizes in white so he'd have some room to grow and they would match everything. DH and I are contemplating getting rid of the internet. It is our only luxury, but it is a stretch for us now that our utilities have risen to the tune of $60 more a month. Sigh.

rosarugosa

9-5-13, 8:05pm

I don't think I mentioned this yet, but DH was recently talking about wanting new pots and pans, because the set we have is non-stick and the coating is getting scratched up inside. About a week ago, I got an award at work for a project (one of those pick a gift website scenarios). I was able to get an 11-piece Cuisinart stainless cookware set, so that's something we didn't have to go out and buy.

try2bfrugal

9-5-13, 11:23pm

Today we went Fisherman's Wharf and watched the resident sea lions (free), went on a Rocket Boat ride on San Francisco Bay ($7 a ticket through Goldstar) and visited the Aquarium of the Bay (free with library passes).

DH thought ahead and brought candied walnuts and soda, so we didn't spend any extra money on food. It was a fun, cheap date. The rocket boats were a blast.

try2bfrugal

9-5-13, 11:24pm

danna

9-5-13, 11:26pm

Sept 05
Rosaruga that was some great gift!!

--No spend day
--ate from freezer and fresh produce
--neat thing, last year at the end of season I throw some decorative gourds I bought in a front flower bed...I now have a monster
greenery growing across and the whole length of my boxwood hedge with beauitful yellow blooms. Also, already picked 3 very large gourds
and can see many more coming. Will make great decorations for the fall.

Kat

9-6-13, 4:00pm

Hope you are having fun cooking in your new pots and pans, rosa!

Took the kiddos to the library this morning. DD had a blast running around choosing books and playing with toys. After we got home, I put DS down for a nap, and DD and I curled up and read through her pile of books. It was lovely.

Dh had a tattoo session yesterday that was mostly touch up on his existing pieces. He thought it would cost $100, but the tattoo artist said it was on the house. So DH tipped him $25. Still came out $75 ahead.

DH and I plan to do some deep fall cleaning this weekend. It won't cost anything but will feel great!

Stella

9-6-13, 10:56pm

I did some more freezer meals yesterday. I should have the next two weeks totally planned out now. Zach is getting side work like crazy, which is great financially, but can be a little tiring for both of us. This takes meals off my list of things to do.

I have started watching my friend's kids for free on Wednesday mornings. Her dad has offered to help us with some house projects as a way to say thanks. We have been planning on replacing the flooring in the living room for two years now, but other projects have made themselves a priority. I think this coming year we are going to finally get that done and her dad is really good at installing hardwood. I think that will be a big money saver.

Zach is fixing a plumbing problem in the bathroom right now, which will save us money over having a plumber do it.

I talked to my mom today and got some rough news about various family members. I have been feeling down all day, so tonight I am watching stupid, funny YouTube videos and laughing my butt off. It's cheaper than therapy or medication and probably just as effective. :)

Azure

9-7-13, 8:52am

Gosh, I've been MIA here for a long time. August was very, very unfrugal and I haven't done real well so far this month :( . In August we: got my rear brakes & rotors fixed; both boys had eye appts., physicals & dental visits; Ty got new glasses & contacts which were badly needed; bought Ian a new sleeping bag & pad & a windbreaker for OZ; 2 trips to Ann Arbor; 2 trips to Alma; a bon voyage party for Ian; first birthday party for great-niece; trip to Chicago to take Ian to get on the plane to OZ; a trip to Detroit for the Hemophilia walk; paid our portion of Ty's tuition. We had a huge scare and a few days of freaking out when we got the tuition bill and realized that Ty's FAFSA had not gone through for some reason and he had to refile. Luckily that worked out ok.

Since Ian is in Australia this term we did not have to pay tuition for him. Just a hold-my-place fee. YEAH!

After that month I did pretty much NOTHING for a week. I was so tired lol

So far in September we have made 2 trips to Alma to bring Ty home for 24 hours over Labor Day & bought DH new work shoes & tennis shoes. We still need to get him some new boots for riding his motorcycle. Work pants for DH. This is also birthday month for me & my DD. Have a wedding shower for my niece on the 21st. And I had the oil changed in my car.

I dropped my Ipod and shattered the screen. :0! I do have a warranty but I am unsure if this will be covered. We will call today or Monday to find out. I sure hope it is or DH will insist on buying me a new one. I have the screen taped together right now & it functions perfectly otherwise.

I seriously need some FRUGAL! On that front so far:

Spent $8.83 at Target for a large box of Snuggle dyer sheets, a 32 load bottle of All small & mighty, a 16 oz bottle of Nivea and something for dinner (don't remember what it was). Between coupons & my work discount & RED card I was very happy! I don't use fabric softener during the summer but it will be nice to have for the colder, dryer months. I'll cut them in half and use them more than once. I will also probably send some of them to college with TY. Oh, that reminds me Ty got ink all over his white dress shirt and I have so far been unable to get it out. He will be needing a new one very soon. darn!

Unplugged the boys PS3 since no one will be here to use it.

Made yogurt out of outdated milk before it went sour.

Turned in $24.01 of coins, mostly pennies, to be added to our anniversary trip fund.

Made Ty replace his own phone since his got wet and started acting up.

And..... I think that is about it

fidgiegirl

9-7-13, 9:57am

Nice to be hearing from more people again. Sounds like September is a time to regroup for a lot of people.

Not so super many frugals to report here, but DH and I have just talked and worked out that we don't REALLY need to buy a glass pitcher for making juice. We already have one from a garage sale, it just doesn't have a lid. That's not such a big deal. And actually, he had to improvise last time he made juice (we have some cherry juice concentrate in a bottle from Door County) since he couldn't find the plastic pitcher. He used a glass water bottle that we have (we have waaaaay too many water bottles). Funny thing is that the reason he couldn't find the pitcher was because it was in the fridge full of cherry juice. :laff: Long story short, we have plenty of adequate receptacles for juice. :D

Looking at a lazy, hot weekend. Should be nice. We might weed a garden over at the rental if we feel up to it. I would like to mulch it as well to help with the weeds so I'm going to check the local yard waste to see if there are wood chips available. We'll take some contractor bags up there and fill them up if there are.

We are going to return screen making materials to Menards. I only ever got around to making one screen, but had bought materials to make 10. In the meanwhile we ended up unexpectedly with new windows for most of the ones that had previously needed screens, and of course they came with new screens. We'll only be able to get store credit since it's been so long, but that'll be easily used for other needed items.

Looking like a good day to hang laundry. I think we've only run the dryer 3-4 times this summer.

I blanched and froze kale last week from our garden (we can never keep up with eating it fresh; it will be awesome in winter soups). It was a little putzy but not too bad. We have so many zucchinis, they have also been going in the freezer. Have banana peppers to process and most likely need to go to the community garden and pick more tomatoes. They are gorgeous. I'd like to stew some or boil it down for sauce. I like making sauce because I don't have to fuss with peeling them - can just run them through the food mill. And we do use a lot of sauce . . . so still thinking about this.

Hey! I'm feeling better on the frugals front! Thanks for indulging my long entry. Stella, hope things start to look up soon for your rellies, and Azure, hope that now that all those things are taken care of, the money front will settle down a bit.

larknm

9-7-13, 7:00pm

This doesn't FEEL frugal, but I think it is. DH realized that instead of retiring July 1, 3014, he can stay on at his part time job. I favor this because of the structure the job gives his life and he loves the work itself (medical librarian--mainly does research for doctors). He really fluctuated. We came up with the plan that if he continues at work, we can take about 3 trips a year. He picked Cloudcroft NM for our first trip (with 4 dogs and maybe our parrot). It's about 4 hours south of where we live. There's a motel 6 nearby, where you can keep any number of dogs in your room--the only motel chain we know of where that's true. This will be our first vacation trip in about 15 years. We'll look for places for the dogs to run in the forest. So, it feels wildly frivolous because it's a TRIP, but will in fact probably come to $400 max, which is a little less than 1/4 his monthly pay. And he keeps the job, with that income we need for emergency and savings.

Stella

9-7-13, 7:27pm

I took advantage of the heat today to hide in the house and do some planning and cleaning. I had bought myself a three ring binder and dividers during the school supply sales so I could make myself an organizer that would actually work for me. I could do something like that on the iPad, but if I'm going to the iPad to do things like check lists and menus, I often end up sucked onto Facebook or surfing the internet. Better to just avoid that temptation during work times. Today I got my menu, chore schedule, recipes for the month of September, celebrations for the month of September, school schedules, event schedules and calendars filled out. I have an envelope in my planner to keep handouts like colouring pages, worksheets, handouts for the Well Read Mom book club I just started and things like that and I am planning to use my three hole puncher for flyers with information I need, or assignments for my own school stuff. I printed off four colouring pages I think will be useful this month for the kids and some recipes I plan to use. I think it's going to help me keep everything sorted during this busy season and it cost me, I think, $5 total plus ink and paper used.

I also inventoried my freezer today and put the list in my new planner. I plan to update it as I go along and reinventory once a month to make sure I am making the best use of my resources. There was some stuff in there I had forgotten about that I will be making an effort to use up.

Stella

9-7-13, 7:28pm

chrissieq

9-7-13, 7:43pm

Had a garage sale yesterday and today with my sister - made just under $200 which is essentially free money!! Made a lot of folks happy cause we did a bag sale starting at noon today. Lots of stuff out of the yard and less to pack to take to Value Village. And spent no money all weekend!

I was the lead at a funeral reception at church last evening and ended up with a quart bag of lovely fresh fruit cause there was a huge overage on the food. Family took what they wanted and we split the rest between the workers. I was there for 5.5 hours and am washing the tablecloths as we speak/write to return tomorrow. Had a great crew to work with and spent lots of time getting to know each other - and maybe, hopefully, enlarging the group of volunteers!

danna

9-7-13, 8:55pm

Sep 05-06

Everyone is doing so good!!

--Pot of soup from freezer carcus and fresh produce
--The Bay sent me a spent $30.00 get $15.00 off so I managed to buy 5 Blouses (3 for gifts and 2 for me) org. price over $300.00 for $55.00 incl taxes
very pleased with them all. All women's all ready marked down clothes were an extra 50% off. I don't usually shop here because the prices are usually too
high for my budget. I will need to look closer at their sales at least for gifts. They also, now have a very large department of what they call "Above Average Sizes".
--Mac and cheese for supper using up some eggs, cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, and milk that was on its last day.
--frugal it was raining today so I didn't yardsale...lol

Stella I hope you get some better news soon...waiting is really hard. I have been going through a lot of this with my dsisters..so hard to not be
there to help all the time.

--

early morning

9-7-13, 10:16pm

Set up at a flea market today. We sold quite a bit of stuff, which was surprising as there were tons of dealers and not so many buyers. I found the exact style of small VB purse I have been wanting in a nice pattern, $10 and like new ($50!), so I bought it. I was going to have DD make me one, and still may, but now she knows exactly what I've been talking about, lol. Other than pecan rolls from our favorite baker, that was all we bought. Well, the coffee fund bought us frappes on the way home, but that doesn't count as out of my money, lol.

rosarugosa

9-8-13, 7:33am

I'll echo what Kelli said; it sure is nice to hear from so many of you on this thread!
Our town held our annual fair yesterday. DH was at work so I walked down to it myself (and probably enjoyed it more because he doesn't particularly like that kind of thing). I donated $5.00 to the cat rescue group who hooked us up with our two boys, and I bought two bouquets of alstroemeria from the garden club for $3.00 each. So I was pleased with only spending $11. and pleased with how I spent it.
My sister is coming up today for our annual crafts fair outing, which will probably be less frugal than the town fair, but something of an annual ritual that we always enjoy together. She also asked if I would help her draw up a budget! I'm excited about that. She is a really high earner who spends pretty mindlessly, so I also think she would benefit from tracking her spending for a little bit. I bet she would be surprised on what her recreational spending equals. She would like to sell her condo and move closer to me and Mom, and I would love to see that happen! She bought at the height of the real estate bubble, so getting her financial house in order would be a critical element in accomplishing this. She is really smart, but one of those people who just doesn't give money the attention it deserves. I told her once that none of those great deals from Marshall's or TJ Maxx were great deals if you pay with a credit card on which you are carrying a balance, and she had never considered it that way. She also was amazed when she realized that we had no more mortgage or car payments or other debt and that DH was going to continue to work part time, because we were in a position to make that choice. I think I'll also give her my copy of YMOYL.

Stella

9-8-13, 10:18am

Thanks for the good wishes Kelli and Danna. It's been a rough year with one thing after another.

We are having a quiet day together. I have a whole chicken marinating to roast for dinner with some potatoes and carrots. Today is the feast of the Nativity of Mary so I am also making a cake. The kids are planning to put on a little play. I think we are going to play cards when the little kids nap. It should be nice and relaxing. I am hoping at some point to take a walk, too, but the sky is looking a little foreboding.

danna

9-8-13, 10:55pm

Sept 08
--for exercise today...1 hour of pulling and cutting back English Ivy, that wants to take over my house
--food...ate leftovers and fresh fruit (last of monster local watermelon bought for $1.88) great quality and good varity
--snacks..fresh banana, walnut, chocolate chip bread made by Dd...very yummy
and a couple of glasses of boxed on sale wine while I watched
--entertainment....last of new Master Theater Mystery "Silk" free and finished a book bought at a yard sale for $.25 "Arlington Park" good read.
I think that covers most needs and wants for a day...lol

early morning

9-9-13, 12:17am

Brought home some leftovers from the family reunion for DH, who didn't go. Trashpicked some lovely large silk plants and donated them to a local historical society for their lobby; they had been looking for some inexpensive ones, and these are nicer! Bought gas this AM before the price went up. And the same old things - have lunch packed for tomorrow, coffee pot ready so I can take a cup w/me on the drive to town; will drop DH at his pain clinic appointment and then he will spend the day with his brother, who will return him to the parking garage where I work, saving another vehicle trip to town (about 70 miles round trip).

SteveinMN

9-9-13, 9:51am

Just some minor frugals lately:

- I helped a friend prep his property for a wedding reception/dance. It was a lot of work (no need for a gym those two days!) but I was fed lunch and dinner each day and got to do a little gleaning from his (vegetable) fields. Had fun visiting while we worked, too!
- Over the weekend, DW suggested going to Subway to get salads for dinner. I suggested instead making a salad from veggies and leftovers already in the fridge. I made a huge salad that left enough for my lunch the next day. Much less expensive and made with largely-local/organic ingredients rather than whatever shows up at the back door of the restaurant. I made clean-out-the-fridge chicken soup; very frugal and very satisfying. And we took a dessert to a get-together last night that required only purchasing a cup of whipping cream; everything else came out of our freezer or pantry.
- Did more research on our next mobile-phone carrier. Looks like the big decision will be how much network we want: most of the providers I'm looking at rely on one carrier's network and no roaming. Roaming costs more; wider networks cost more. Looks like we can get our smartphone/dumbphone bill down from around $120/month to about $20/month for the two of us. So maybe we'll add a few dollars a month for a Verizon-network phone which we'll share for road trips which will have coverage in far more places. DW and I are eligible to move now, but DD's part of the contract goes till spring 2014, so we have to figure if what we can save by leaving the T-Mo plan compensates for adding another phone bill for several months.

Kat

9-9-13, 10:05am

Fairly frugal weekend overall. We did eat out one night--tacos and ice cream--but it was pretty inexpensive. Cooked and ate at home the rest of the time. I've been using up what we have around here and haven't been to the grocery store in over a week. I am hoping to just swing by Aldi's and buy a few things and avoid a huge Walmart trip.

We are getting ready to start potty training DD. If we can get her potty trained, we can save quite a bit on diapers (since cloth diapers irritate her skin, we have to use disposables). I am going to give cloth diapering a shot with DS now that he is a bit bigger. Hopefully I can dig them out of storage and get them washed up this week. I wish Mrs. M was still around here. She always had such great advice for cloth diapering!

Other than that, just cleaning and organizing. DH cleaned our living room carpet himself this weekend, saving us $50-75. We are headed to our in-laws for dinner tonight. It is my MIL's birthday. I plan to make a dessert using up some of the stuff I have in the pantry. I will have DD color a picture for her as well.

Stella

9-9-13, 11:03am

I have been doing a pretty good job of getting back on track recently. Our weekend was very frugal. We got a few grocery items and a bike helmet for James, but other than that, we didn't really spend much. A bike helmet is a frugal purchase anyway since bike riding is otherwise good free fun and head injuries are expensive. :)

Mondays are my food prep day, so I have two more freezer meals to prep and then I'm done with main dishes for two weeks. Mondays are mostly a work day, except for math and spelling, so the girls and James will help me with the cooking. It's good practical life skills anyway.

I am starting to plan for Christmas, since funds are tight and I need to make some stuff. I am going to talk to Zach about the idea of building a little stage in our family room. It would be cheap to make, I'm sure, some 2x4s and plywood and we'd be in business. I have this idea, since the kids all have such a deep love of dramatic play and exhibition, that it might be fun to build some of that into our curriculum. Once a month we have a Presentation Day, where the kids work on one larger project based on whatever we have been learning, and show it off, usually to Zach and my Dad, but I have some neighbours who have expressed interest in attending Presentation Day too. Anyway, since they are always writing and putting on plays, I think it might be fun to do some of that related to various history topics we are studying or books we are reading. It could even be used for science demonstrations. For Christmas, I think we will give them the stage and I will work with them to thrift and make costumes and props to give to each other as gifts. Isabella, in particular, really wants to learn to sew. I was also thinking that we can take advantage of the Halloween section at the thrift stores this time of year to get some inexpensive stuff, and after-Halloween sales to get some things inexpensively.

Isabella has expressed an interest in learning to quilt. I don't really quilt, but my good friend, who lives in the neighbourhood, has offered to come over and give us all quilting lessons and help us make doll quilts. That should be fun and since we will use crap fabric, it will be free.

Azure

9-9-13, 9:23pm

I had a no spend day. The only extra was for gas to go visit my DD.

Brought my lunch from home & didn't supplement with anything from the store.

We had storms today and when I got out of work the air was so humid that I expected to have to turn on the air when I got home. To my surprise and relief due to the windows being closed it was actually pretty nice inside my house. Turned on the fan instead of the air and we were quite comfortable. Tomorrow however it is supposed to be 93 and humid so we will probably turn the air on low or energy save before we leave.

Put a frozen pork roast in the crockpot before I left for work. It was perfect when I got home. We had shredded bbq pork sandwiches for dinner.

Forgot to go back to the basement and turn off the fluorescent light last night. >:( Discovered that when I got home this afternoon.

danna

9-10-13, 8:46am

Yesterday Sept 09

--needed a certain over the counter medication...25 pills $3.30...75 pills $5.60.....so glad I know enough to do the the math.
--finally ate up the last of the $1.88 watermelon..that thing must have weighed 25 lbs...glad I know enough to eat in season
--lovely lunch out with Dd (Our favourite Indian Buffet so it didn't cost her a whole lot and we were stuffed so good), she paid as my birthday gift (Sept11) we have decided this is how we will celebrate instead of gifts.
--we took the bus as the restaurant is down town and parking is expensive, we got a transfer to come back so only used one ticket.

Stella

9-10-13, 1:11pm

I made a lovely breakfast of crockpot apple and pear breakfast cobbler overnight. It had only 2 T of sugar to 10 cups of fruit, so it was pretty healthy, but tasted like a treat.

Zach did a side job last night for my dad's friend and made an extra $200. Most of that is savings. I played LEGOs with the big kids anfter the littles had gone to bed.

We had tuna melts and fruit for lunch and I have a freezer meal for tonight, so pretty frugal food. We are having ants on a log as a snack. I took the little kids to play by the pond in front of out house this morning and we watched the digging equipment that is working on our street. It was good, frugal, little kid fun. Tomorrow we are going to catch water bugs in a jar and watch them for a while. I was thinking that I should organize my science stuff by season. This afternoon the littles and I are napping and the big kids are doing some school work. It's a pretty quiet day, well, quiet except for the digging equipment outside. :) I really don't think Travis is napping. I'm pretty sure he has his nose pressed to the window watching the diggers.

Kat

9-10-13, 1:29pm

That fruit cobbler sounds delicious, Stella. Would you be willing to share your recipe? I love ants on a log, too--I should make that for DD now that she can have peanut butter!

Went to the thrift store where my MIL works today. She watched the kids while I shopped. DH and I are interested in putting together a dress-up box for DD, so I wanted to check out the costumes. I found three Disney princess costumes from the Disney store. Two of them (Snow White and Rapunzel) were new and marked $45 each! The third (Belle) was in good shape but not brand new. I paid $8 for all three. The Belle costume needs to be re-hemmed, but for $2 I can do that! I am so, so excited about this. I have been watching these same costumes at the Disney store, and they almost never go one sale, and when they do, I still can't afford them. But $8 is totally do-able. :-) While at the thrift store, I also found a pair of Twinkle Toe shoes for DD in the next size up. She has been wanting a pair, but they, too, are $45 new, and the best I could do with sale and coupon is around $25. These were marked $1 and still light up. So happy to have found something she wanted.

Other than that, just shopping around for a deal on a car seat. DS has almost outgrown the infant seat already (DD was a year old before she did, but he's just so big!). Those I won't buy used just in case it was in an accident, but I do have a 30% off Kohls coupon I might be able to pair with a sale.

Dinner tonight will be leftovers with some lovely roasted zucchini I got from my neighbor's garden. I mean, she gave it to me--I didn't steal it or anything! LOL

try2bfrugal

9-10-13, 8:20pm

Stella, I would also like the crock pot cobbler recipe. It sounds tasty and healthy.

For our frugals, I saved around $20 at Fresh and Easy using store coupons and buying clearance items. DH started to freak out and thought the manager would come over and question us because i was using so many coupons, but they were all store coupons they sent me for being in their rewards program. They let you use each coupon as many times as you want, so I stocked up on items like their pasta and simmer sauces, and had to scan in one coupon for every jar I bought.

This morning I made chicken in the roaster oven with one of their apricot grilling sauces, plus quinoa in the rice cooker. With a side salad that will be dinner tonight. I am trying to use quinoa more since the news articles about arsenic and lead in rice, but maybe there's stuff in the quinoa I don't know about.

We went out for brunch on the weekend with a half off coupon.

I hurt my foot exercising and the pain initially didn't go away after even a week or so of taking it easy. I looked up the probable cause and possible cures on the Internet. I didn't want to go to the doctor because it is September and I haven't used any deductibles for myself this year yet, so insurance wouldn't cover the doctor visit or Xrays. It seemed like I had something wrong with my metatarsal bone, and one of the treatments was a metatarsal pad. So being too frugal to buy a pad, I just started wearing my Teva's all the time, even in the house, since they are pretty cushy and the pain went away after a few days.

SteveinMN

9-10-13, 10:45pm

DW and I are attending a wedding in two weeks, a rare opportunity for me to wear a suit. My tie selection, however (all of two), needed an update. Yes, I could go to Goodwill or such. But my experience is that you rarely end up with a tie from a thrift shop that looks current. So it was off to J.C. Penney with a gift card I had laying around my hard disk. I found a tie in the clearance rack, in that lilac/purple colorway that's so popular these days. In six months or so, this color will be stone-cold out of fashion, so it's not worth spending much on the tie. Great! I also found a shirt to wear with it (DW had mentioned my current "suit shirt" was looking a little haggard) on another clearance rack. When I got to the checkout, the shirt rang up for $5.97, not the $13.99 it was marked. The clerk double-checked. So I got a new tie, a new shirt, and I still have almost $10 left to my $25 gift card. :cool: And I'll look as well-dressed as my wife at an event for a change. :)

Tussiemussies

9-10-13, 11:45pm

Went out to eat at Maggiones on Sat. With a gift card we had. They had a special where you purchase one meal and then for a very minimal amount, for the two of us it came to three dollars you get a second meal of what you ordered free. So we did that and had salad left over, so we had dinner for a second night. Not all items were on this plan but the meals we had were very good.

We are having the roof replaced on our house and went with someone from Angie's list, who had all A's from customers, so I think it is frugal to be able to compare customer reviews and check out prices from the top two or three. One had poor customer service when they missed their appointment and never tried to reschedule.

My husband is of the age where he cannot do this himself so this is great for us.

Many no spend and no drive days. Although recently we bought some decorations for the house.

Have been trying to eat up the food we have in the refrigerator and we are doing better than usual. I am glad that people brought up this issue on another forum since we did have a problem with that. I used to shop for two weeks and then about a weeks worth of produce would go bad...

Chris

early morning

9-11-13, 8:03pm

We love frappes and iced blended coffee drinks, but they're kinda pricey, so we mostly make our own. I am cooling leftover coffee right now, to do just that! We are also putting together some gift baskets to raffle at our museum fund-raiser. We donate the baskets and run the raffle, and they get a lot more money than they would if we just donated the cash we spend putting them together. We average about $600 a year in ticket sales with less than $150 spent on the baskets. We would rather give them $600 than $150 and this lets us do so, plus it's fun!:) We collect things all year (pretty cups and saucers, tea sets, aviation books/movies, soup bowls - whatever strikes our fancy and is inexpensive), and add soup mixes, coffee, teas, cookies - and lots of shredded paper- to make it look nice. DD does the actual assembly, as she has an eye for such things - the baskets look very professional when she is done.

Other than that, it's been the same old stuff. Hang wash, take lunch, buy gas at cheapest station, try not to buy anything extra, or waste food, etc. OH - we replaced our battery alarm with a windup one, and it didn't work. I took it back already, and I'll just have to remember to keep check on the battery backup on the clock radio.

Liv

9-11-13, 9:29pm

redfox

9-11-13, 10:41pm

Hope I got the right area to post this, just reminded how super important it is to keep reciepts. Our Aerobed started losing air almost exactly one year after we bought it but I checked the one page 'manual' and it said Two year warranty on the pump, seams, etc. So I called, they had me write an incident number on the bed, take a picture of it and my receipt, email them the pictures and they're sending us a new bed!! Wow! :0!

I'll never throw out another receipt or manual til I'm sure it's way past warranty.

Right on! We keep all receipts for a year, organized by week, in an expandable folder sorted by month. DH does the books every Friday, balances the accounts, and files that week's receipts in the printed off balanced ledger from QB. Very easy to find a paper receipt by searching in QB, then locating it in the file. I love the system.

Tussiemussies

9-11-13, 11:02pm

Right on! We keep all receipts for a year, organized by week, in an expandable folder sorted by month. DH does the books every Friday, balances the accounts, and files that week's receipts in the printed off balanced ledger from QB. Very easy to find a paper receipt by searching in QB, then locating it in the file. I love the system.

What a great system, I am going to have to look into this!

fidgiegirl

9-12-13, 8:04am

Liv, welcome aboard! What a score! A testament to the power of organization as a tool for frugality.

Kat

9-12-13, 8:45am

Welcome, Liv! I can't tell you how many times I wished I had held on to a receipt! It sure pays off!

Well...DH and I kind of fell off the frugal bandwagon because...we bought a new van! It was kind of a need because our four-door sedan barely fit us all. The kids weren't really positioned very safely in their carseats, and we couldn't fit a fifth passenger (which means we couldn't take my dad anywhere (he is in a nursing home). So we started looking and found a beautiful, dark red 2011 Toyota Sienna. It can seat up to 7 people and is perfect for us. It is very clean and very nice! I guess the frugal part is that we traded DH's work driver and paid for the rest with a check...so no car payments, at least! But now my old car is DH's work driver, and since he gets so filthy at work, we had to buy seat covers, floor mats, and a steering wheel cover. Those things were expensive--like $75, I think. Eeek!

Another unfrugal is all the pictures we've been having done lately. DS's 3 month and DD's 2 year and family pictures. Another eek! But I know I will be glad to have those photos, and that's something you really can't put off too long when you have growing kiddos. Oh well--onward to frugality!

Things we've done well:

--DH finally got his raise. He had been promised one since January and had to hound his boss to get it. I kind of feel like it should be retroactive to that time, but the company is only going back to August since that is when his boss finally started filling out the paperwork.

--Will take DD to toddler time at the library today. It's free, and I think she will love it!

--I plan to make another pantry meal tonight.

--Will need to run to the store over the weekend for some fruit and milk. Making a list for coupons and price matching now.

--Someone gave me some canvas shoes for DD in a bigger size. They are used and were quite dirty (on the outside; the insides were fine). I washed them in the washing machine on hot, and they came out pretty nice!

Stella

9-12-13, 9:02am

Excellent news on the raise, Kat!

The recipe for the cobbler is 6 cups peeled and sliced apples, 4 cups peeled and sliced pears, 2T sugar, 2t cinnamon, 2T butter and a splash of lemon juice. Combine in the crockpot with the oats on top and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Super easy.

I got a call last night that I need to go out to Los Angeles next week to take care of my disabled sister. My aunt, who had been caring for her, had to quit and go back to Alaska because her husband has cancer a few weeks ago and the caregiver they hired for the daytime quit last weekend. They haven't found an evening caregiver and social security is hemming and hawing about paying for one. My mom can't take next week off, so I'm the only option. I've got meals in the freezer for most nights for Zach and the kids and we are managing, between vacation time and friends, to not lose income for the week. We are having to give up our weekend getaway to Duluth next week, which is a bummer, but it will save us money.

Liv

9-12-13, 7:12pm

Liv, welcome aboard! What a score! A testament to the power of organization as a tool for frugality.

Thanks but I wasn't too organized about it - spent a hour looking thru a big baggie filled with a years receipts, lol, got to try out redfox's idea, makes more sense!

Since we're retired we have just a few 'spending days' each month and are trying to get that as low as we can this month.

Tussiemussies

9-12-13, 9:18pm

Hi Liv, welcome to the forums, it will be nice to have you aboard to read about your simple living ideas! Chris

Tussiemussies

9-12-13, 9:27pm

No driving for me today. We did spend money on iced tea for the roofing crew for tomorrow, hopefully they will drink it...that was our only expense for today.

Have been eating at home a lot and plan on trying to make some almond milk yogurt so I can get closer to my vegan goal now. Yogurt is the only thing I eat a lot of that is a milk product and have also been eating a little cheese on salads when we go out to eat, so these two things will be easy to remedy...and will help us to cut down on food expenses more...

DH's royalty check was a little less than he expected so there definitely will be much less spending this month!

chrissieq

9-12-13, 11:04pm

Stella, So sorry you have to take the trip to LA unexpectedly, but how fortunate that you have meals in the freezer, money in the bank, and a great support system at home! This is a great example of how living frugally really works in day to day life - not just about saving a few cents on coupons but being able to have choices/options.

Organized another funeral reception at church and came home with a bag of fruit and a handful of bars. People don't always believe me when I say it's fun to work funerals but you really do get to know people working side by side - community building - but after 6.5 hours on my feet, I'm feeling it!!

danna

9-12-13, 11:21pm

Welcom Liv....you will find this a great site to be on!!

Stella I am thinking about you and all your family is going through...chrissieq is right how wonderful it is that your
frugal life style and close knit community is making it possible for you to help your sister. It is amazing with your
busy young family you are able to do this.

The last couple of days
--volunteered at the city run seniors home...really frugal as in no cost and a feeling of time well spent.
--Made $30.00 selling with a consignment store on ebay...stuff out of my house and money in my pocket.
--still eating from the pantry/freezer and fruit/veggies in season
--my birthday yesterday and it is a nice reminder how many people care for you....Dsil joined us here for lunch (long story)
but we used chicken bought on sale cooked with BBQ sauce (homemade) and cranberry sauce, rice and carrots for a really nice lunch.
Even sent her home with a extra meal, which she always seems to appreciate.
She bought me a tea pot for making drip tea and several bags of loose teas from a way too expensive a store...but she means well.
Is short of money all the time but, spends on really frivolous things she can't afford. Oh well there is not alot you can do to fix these things
her and I are the same age but, she has lived alone and is very set in her ways.
--I had let my hair grow longer in all one length thinking I would save on cuts and colours but, in reality it was harder to keep and very aging.
I had a hair cut today back to my shorter cropped cut and I am feeling very good about. Of course I went to the lady who works out of her house and
does not charge crazy prices.

cdttmm

9-14-13, 10:34am

Welcome, Liv!

Thanks for the crockpot cobbler recipe, Stella! It's apple season here so I look forward to trying it out!

School started last week so the past two weeks have been crazy. I've dropped the ball on bringing my lunch to work on a few days, but got back on track yesterday with a big green salad complete with cherry tomatoes and green pepper from our garden. I hard boiled a dozen eggs the other day so have those in the refrigerator. An egg made for easy protein to go with the salad. I normally keep peanut butter, honey, and rice cakes in my desk drawer for those times when I don't bring lunch from home, but finished off the jar of peanut butter and forgot to bring more so ended up having to buy lunch one day. Not my most frugal (or healthy) moment! I have been very good about bringing tea with me every day, though. So consistently that my students actually razz me for it!

When I started this new job back in May I was aching to buy some new clothes, but have managed to continue to talk myself out of that frivolous (and, truly, it would be frivolous) purchase for almost four months now. I have to give credit to the fact that I am just lazy and don't really enjoy shopping, but also I have just been diligent about keeping non-essential spending to a minimum.

We had a few hot, humid days, but now the weather has broken and we're enjoying having the windows open and no A/C running! Got the electric bill for last month: $8.33. Hooray for solar panels!!!

We picked the last of our blackberries and I cooked them down, added them to some homemade applesauce, and then put the concoction in the dehydrator to make fruit leather. Haven't tasted it yet this morning, but it looks pretty good! Hooray for cheap treats! Our apple trees are loaded right now so it should be a good apple-picking season. Not that I have any idea what going to do with all of them!!!

My dearly beloved helped out and made a big batch of corn chowder this week and we froze a bunch for quick and easy meals this winter.

Not much else to report, really. I know we have places that we could cut expenses further, but they would take some effort and we're just not there, mentally, right now. But I do feel like things have been improving so perhaps as we move into the fall we'll be able to make some more progress.

I do love reading about everyone else's successes, so please keep posting -- you are helping to keep me motivated!!!

fidgiegirl

9-14-13, 11:03am

Thanks for the reminder about hard boiled eggs, cdttmm . . . I am also falling short on the food front lately and that could be a good cheap way to have protein ready to go for lots of things - on a salad, on its yummy own, in an egg salad . . .mmmmm.

Azure

9-15-13, 12:19pm

Not a particularly frugal week. Again. I was having some eye issues and it cost me $95 to find out it is simply an ocular migraine that cannot be treated. Though I am greatly relieved it was nothing more serious - that's a lot of money!

I am down to 1 pair of work pants so I got 2 new pairs at Kohl's. I tried on many different kinds until I found the ones that I really liked the fit. I spent more money than I wanted even on sale & with the 30% discount code. But I have looked and looked at Goodwill and haven't found any that I really liked the fit. Hopefully these will last a good long time. These are Lee Perfect Fit and they are stretchy enough that I can do my job comfortably.

Today I ordered my nieces wedding gift from her Kohl's registry. The wedding isn't til October 26th but I ordered today because the items were on sale & I had a 30% coupon code. I think I saved $68. Granted the stuff was over-priced to begin with. But I'll take it! And now all I have to do is find a nice card & gift bag and I'm all set. I also got her shower gift & the 2 shower game prizes I am supposed to provide this week. They were on clearance at work, plus my work & red card discounts. I will get the shower food on payday.

We went to watch Tyler march yesterday. It was such a beautiful Autumn day. Admission is only $5 each and we had dinner at the dining hall with T. There is a new policy that says parents eat free! Awesome! Got to see T in his element being greeted by friends right & left. It confirms to us yet again that while it isn't cheap - this really is the right school for him. At this time in his life, anyways.

Brought my lunches from home all week. Except for Wednesday when I made the emergency trip to the eye dr. I stopped at Wendy's on the way back to work :|(

But this is a new week & I will try much much harder to be frugal!

chrissieq

9-16-13, 9:36pm

It's been a no spend day - returned 3 items to 3 different stores but mapped it out so I didn't backtrack. Went to a consignment store and emptied out 5 items (brought home 5 but some were Christmas that they will accept in October). Bagged up for donation the summer clothes I never wore. When DH got home we bagged home many, many items that he hasn't worn. Got in touch with a former coworker who makes/sells jewelry to give her jewelry display pieces that another coworker no longer used and gave to me (who has no use for them) so as of tomorrow, they are out of my house. Still working on house painting - scraped and primed 4 windows today - painting tomorrow.

Do have to take my car in tomorrow AM because I have a slow leak in a tire - otherwise I anticipate another quiet day.

cdttmm

9-17-13, 8:46am

Not so frugal week here. Our car is in the shop again, second time in as many weeks. And both times have resulted in us needing to rent a car for a week. We're not accustomed to that because for so many years we both worked from home so being down one car for a few days was inconvenient, but not impossible. Now a second car is pretty much a necessity. I feel like a wuss for saying that, but the solutions for getting along without two cars for several days or a week are pretty extreme. As in, one of us taking unpaid vacation time from an already less-than-secure job situation or me biking 54 miles roundtrip to work every day for a week. Okay, rant over.

As a result of the car repairs/car rental expenses, I'm going to do my best to tighten my belt even further. Not sure exactly what that will entail except for no longer buying an almost daily snack from the vending machine or cafe at work. It's generally been less than $2 a day, but right now that is $2 a day that we do not have. Not to mention, I could definitely go without eating a totally unhealthy snack every day!

I think I will also take the time to inventory the deep freezer and see what we can actually eat up over the next several days/weeks. I found a few containers of soup and corn chowder in there this week that we've consumed so it makes me wonder what else is lurking in there! A few freezer meals would definitely save a few bucks over the last minute trips to the grocery store that we seem to make with regularity these days.

The weather is supposed to be beautiful for the next few days so I'll also challenge myself to get some laundry out of the clothesline in the morning before I go to work so that we don't need to use the dryer for every load.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what else I can do this week (and every week!) to cut back, but this thread always gives me great inspiration so keep up the great work everyone and keep posted about your successes!

early morning

9-18-13, 12:05am

Put a load of laundry on the line this morning, and I have one out now for tomorrow. I have a blanket in the washer that I'll hang out before work tomorrow. Been taking lunch, but I'm buying at a fund-raiser tomorrow. $3 for lunch including a beverage, so it's still a pretty cheap lunch. cdttmm, I feel for ya about the car. We just ended up buying a new one. Thankfully, I was able to borrow DD's when I needed. Been gathering stale stuff from where-ever (Mom, co-workers) to supplement the chicken's diet. They aren't laying at the moment so it sort of feels wrong to buy more chicken feed, lol. And they like scratch.

KayLR

9-18-13, 11:40am

I was proud of hubs and myself last night--we were both tired and looking toward an evening of processing a batch of our burgeoning tomato harvest, so ... he looked at me and said, "Just wanna go out to Sabor Mexicano for dinner?"

Instead, we chopped up some leftover chicken, added celery, onion and made chicken salad, threw it on some lettuce leaves, steamed some of our last green beans, and of course, some tomato slices. Voila! Cheap, fast dinner and it was all in the kitchen already. Probably saved at least $15.

Got the tomatoes finished by 8 p.m. Still had time for my hobby.

Tussiemussies

9-18-13, 1:35pm

No drive and little out of pocket personal spending, we ordered out once, but we did have a new roof with the wood under the flashing replaced since the roof was done wrong at one point. The flashing and gutters were replaced with the protective mesh that keeps the gutters clear from debris. So this was a huge expense.

Happily though we used someone from Angie's list who got all A's from many customer reviews and they did a fantastic job and cleaned up very well too. The house looks great and now we won't have to worry about rotting wood and what that could work out costing us in the long run....

SteveinMN

9-18-13, 5:47pm

It doesn't feel like there have been many frugals lately, but I haven't posted for a while so there ought to be some:

- I am refinancing my mom's place (rental property). I wasn't planning to, but I learned I didn't need to bring DW's short sale and my (ha) income as a photographer into it. Closing costs will be bundled into the refi -- not the most frugal but I can think of better things to do with that cash right now -- and that and another $50 or so a month on the note will cut ten years off the mortgage.
- Shopping sales for treats and making sure the groceries we buy get used. This is working out quite well. I can't remember the last time I had to empty the fridge of science projects that started out as leftovers and raw vegetables.
- Got my Airvoice SIM card so I can try them out before we depart from postpaid cellular service. My locked phone so far won't unlock, so I'm waiting for yet another unlock code so I can give it another shot (more accurately, so T-Mobile can give it another shot. If they mess it up and brick the phone, it's their mess, not mine). One month -- 250 talk minutes or 500 text messages (two texts count as a "minute") and 6.6 cents per MB of data (I use about 25 MB a month over the air; the rest is on Wi-Fi) -- is $10, no taxes. If the network coverage is there, it'll be great when it works.
- I made a list of the items I needed for my window-painting project. Turns out half of what I need was already in the house ([I]woot!). No need to spend $$ on those things.
- Our stupid car passed 100,000 miles last week (while getting 51 mpg). I had promised myself I'd take it in to get it detailed (almost makes the car look brand new). I'm waffling now and wondering if I can (or will) DIY for less money. Or maybe have them do the interior, which has suffered for carrying stuff as if the car were a pickup truck, and I do the rest. Hmm...

fidgiegirl

9-18-13, 8:15pm

Steve, a quick Groupon search turned up six local deals for detailing. Something to think about - you can get your treat but get it cheap . . .

We held out on some cosmeticky kind of work on DH's car, but the reality was that I was starting to entertain fantasies about replacing it, because it looked/felt junky. Once we fixed up all those, I haven't had those thoughts. So maybe a detailing isn't so unfrugal after all, if it can keep the consumerist beast from rearing its ugly head . . .

SteveinMN

9-18-13, 10:35pm

Hadn't thought about a Groupon/Live Social deal! Thanks! It would be especially great if I could find one for the place I like. I had the car detailed at 50,000 miles (back when I was making money lol) and it looked new. Since I like the car now and there's nothing major wrong with it, spiffing it up certainly would take care of those longing looks at the newer models....

bke

9-19-13, 10:47am

Hi Everyone!

I haven't posted in ages. Its been a very long, tough summer full of family problems, work problems and health issues for my personally. Thankfully school has started and things are starting to settle down a bit.

I've gotten back into couponing that last couple of weeks. (I didn't even have time for this all summer!) I managed to pick up a couple of freebies this week: shampoo (with a free deodorant sample attached, a free jar of peanuts (25% more free included), a package of noodles for ds and a package of cookies.

Dh and I had really been considering renovating the garage into a large bedroom giving us all a lot more living space. Last night we looked around trying to figure out how we might make better use of the space we already have. By moving a dresser into the living room I am better able to get to the clothes that are in it. I put a crochet doily that my MIL had made for me on top along with a special new family photo and a stained-glass bird house that someone had gifted to me. It look really nice! You don't look at it and think "how tacky-clothes in the living room!" I'm thinking about adding a vase of dried flowers to complete the look.

The bookcase that was in the spot the dresser was put has been moved into our bedroom taking up less space and giving that room a less cluttered appearance.

We have a few more ideas in mind that we're going to work on implementing over the next few weeks. If we can control the cluttered appearance I think we'll be more content in our space.

danna

9-19-13, 10:51pm

Sept. 19
some frugals over the last week

--friend drove her and I out to a restaurant in the country for lunch (that was a splurge) but, she drove and used her gas, I do some
sewing for her so it all works out in the end. It was a lovely afternoon and we did not buy anything in the gift shop...
--have only brought a few veggies and fruits in the last week and using then all up
--checked pantry for any items that are older and put then separate to use up first.
--still using up samples and finishing containers before buying anything (that is not on sale at an amazing price and I actually know I will need it in the future)
--entertainment has been books and movies from the library and exercise has been yardwork and housework.

flowerseverywhere

9-20-13, 5:11am

http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/06/vintage-tie-apron-tutorial-and-pattern.html I subscribe to the sewcanshe e-mails and this was yesterdays project. It is a really cute vintage tie on apron, but it can be used as a pinafore and could really jazz up a simple outfit for a little girl. I made a reversable one last night for my granddaughter (from my stash of course). Quick and supercute.

also I made another king size quilt for a wedding next week all from my stash except for the batting. I got that with a 40% off coupon. Came out fabulous and I know the kids will enjoy it. My fabric stash which was my weakness has really diminished in size.

One lunch out this month with a buy one get one coupon. Every other meal at home. Normal for us to eat at home but when you only go out every few months it is really a treat.

rosarugosa

9-20-13, 7:41am

Welcome back, BKE!
Flowers: A homemade quilt is a wonderful wedding gift!
We've been on vacation this week in the Berkshires. The big frugal is that we paid for the hotel for all four nights with points from our Priority Club account. It's been a beautiful week weather-wise and we really enjoyed ourselves.

pony mom

9-20-13, 11:34am

I'm hooked on thrift stores! I found a Lands End nordic-type sweater (really heavy with snowflakes on it) and a Benetton wool-blend turtleneck, made in Italy, for $2.50 each!!! I had to wait in line for almost an hour (it was a Labor Day half price sale) but I couldn't pass them up. Elsewhere got a new RL polo for $3.

It's strange because the things I find are things I've been looking for or always wanted (like that LL Bean field watch). What are the chances, out of all the thrift stores in the country, that these things show up in the ones I visit? It's meant to be.

I'm going to attempt, once again, to make miniature flowers for my dollhouse instead of buying lifelike ones that are very expensive. My eyes aren't so great anymore and my patience is thin, but I'll give it a shot.

danna

9-20-13, 10:39pm

Sept. 20/13
It is amazing how you can go to a yardsale and/or thrift shop and find things you have been looking for. I think the
secret is we are waiting and not buying things the second we think about them.
--no spend day here...raining so a good day to stay in
--leftovers for supper
thats about it for today.

Tussiemussies

9-20-13, 10:58pm

Tussiemussies

9-20-13, 11:07pm

Had a no spend, no drive day, with just eating things from our fridge -- which right now has slim-pickin's.....need some new PJ's am tired of wearing old sweats that I wouldn't go out in anymore as my PJ's, but it has to be put on the back burner until some other things are bought...

This weekend DH is fixing a hole in the wall where an old air conditioner was in the living room. The roofers took care of the outside and did a fantastic job of matching the siding to the existing siding and fixing the outside part. So glad to have that eye-sore out of the house. They did haul it away for us, which saved us from having to pay someone to do it.

He is also going to power wash the windows and siding since there are so many spiders that have made their really messy homes there. We plan to go out to eat once this weekend since that is the only thing we ever do. We are pretty frugal otherwise....

Selah

9-21-13, 9:23am

This video brought tears of happiness to my eyes, because it made me think of everyone on these boards! At last, we've hit the big-time of mainstream culture for singing the praises (literally) of thrift-store clothes shopping! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJJvaes

The above is a link to a Macklemore video called "Thrift Shop." Warning, there are more than a few f-bombs, but the comedic value of it is more than worth it. Enjoy!

rosarugosa

9-21-13, 1:06pm

Selah: I love that video! I think it's one of the funniest things ever!

danna

9-22-13, 9:45pm

Sept 22
--two more no spend days
--a small container of previously frozen soup for lunch
--chilli made from yesterday's leftover spaghetti sauce just a two cans of beans and there is enough for lunch tomorrow
--cleaned out fridge and now know exactly what is in there, did pantry earlier and now I need to do fridge freezer and full size freezer
it is so much easier not waste when you know what you have
--sorted a few sewing projects to work on and do not need anything to finish them...just to do it....lol

Tussiemussies

9-22-13, 10:14pm

No spend days for me and no drive days for me but DH fixed the hole in the wall left by the hideous old air conditioner that didn't work and fixed a crack in the wall, so he bought those materials, at least it was DIY. And he did a great job. Still has to fix some spots but for never having done it before, he did great!

Did not eat out. Cleaned out the fridge and we are eating the last little nibbles left until tomorrow, grocery shopping!

chrissieq

9-23-13, 7:30am

We had a three day weekend and ate at home for every meal - unusual for us! I think it was due to a bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes - BLTs, salmon burgers, hamburgers, salad - anything to use up tomatoes!

Besides a few garage/estate sales to buy stock for my etsy shop, there was no other shopping.

Removed the 20 plus year old carpet from the screen porch. Thought it was a cement floor that I was planning on painting, instead it is tile and probably asbestos tile, so after scraping off the carpet backing that had separated, we covered it with a thick rug I had found at a garage sale earlier this summer. Now we have to decide what to do about tile removal. Still looks way better than before.

fidgiegirl

9-23-13, 8:09am

chrissieq, you could do some kind of floating floor and then removal would be a non-issue . . . actually, if the tile is intact/in good shape, you could probably still just stick with your painting plan.

bke

9-23-13, 7:33pm

Did well at the grocery store today. I stocked up on vitamins for ds. Regular price of $7.99 a bottle. After coupons and rebates purchase price is $2.99 each.

I received several free samples in the mail this week including cereal, shower gel, and a coupon for free pasta.

Quadreaders sent me my stamps this week too.

Dh cut ds's hair last night saving about $12 which is nice. Ds is finally at a point where he likes a style that dh can do with confidence.

We've received quite a bit of free produce this summer: kale, tomatoes, peppers, green beans and a lovely jar of raspberry jam. Oh, salmon is another item, both smoked and fresh.

A customer gave me an almost new pair of sneakers. She wore them 2-3 times and decided they didn't fit well. I can use them around the house or whatever since the fit me just fine.

cdttmm

9-23-13, 8:04pm

I didn't have to work today due to a security threat on our campus. Although it means I won't get paid for today, I consider the fact that I saved some gas since I didn't have to drive the roundtrip to work a frugal thing. :) Also, it meant I had time to go apple picking today and was able to core and slice apples and get them in the dehydrator today as well. Yay for free snacks! The apples came from our orchard and there are plenty more to pick. Saved 11 cents per gallon of gas when I filled up this evening because I used the Gas Buddy app on my phone and found the cheapest gas station that I was going to pass anyway rather than just going to the one nearest my house. My mom is coming to visit next week -- I bought her a plane ticket in exchange for her helping out with some fall garden clean up. The plane ticket cost $7.50 since I was able to use my airline miles for the flights. Good thing, too, since the going rate for the same flights was $575 and I wasn't having much luck finding anything less expensive for the same dates.

Stocked up on groceries over the weekend. My dearly beloved made a huge batch of Spanish rice so we've been eating that up along with black beans. We checked the beehives here at the house and decided to leave the bees all their honey to insure that they can survive the winter. I was a little bummed as I was looking forward to extracting honey this fall, but I would rather the bees survived until next year. It just means I have less honey to sell over the winter. Oh well, not a big deal since this is just a hobby.

Wore an older pair of running shoes today on my run and discovered that they definitely still have some life left in them. Good thing, too, as running shoes are expensive and I'd rather not buy a new pair until I can find them deeply discounted.

Lots of frugal entertainment lately -- the joys of having Netflix!

Tussiemussies

9-23-13, 8:19pm

Hi

Cdt, just love that you are thinking of the bees!!!

We had grocery shopping today which came in at a whopping amount. Living where we are it is hard. Do have to get into making bean and rice dishes maybe that will help out a lot....

No driving no other spending. Did not go anywhere...but just loving this fall weather we are having!

Stella

9-24-13, 1:26pm

I am back from my trip to California and trying to get back into the swing of things here. I feel a little at loose ends after all of that craziness.

I had my first class at the Catechetical Institute last night. A friend of mine is going too and she offered to pick me up for classes since I'm on her way. I offered her gas money but she refused it. I thought that was nice of her. My dad went through this same program a couple of years ago, so I was able to use his books. That saved me over $100.

I have my first meeting of the Well Read Mom book club I started this Friday. It's a book club where moms read quality literature. This month is a couple of Flannery O'Connor short stories and next month is The Good Earth by Pearl S. buck. I'm pretty excited about this. It should be some good, inexpensive fun. At this point most of my fun outings are just gatherings of friends instead of expensive dinners out movies, etc. My Women Who Cook group, my book club, etc. although we are thinking of doing a ladies prayer/happy hour group. :)

SteveinMN

9-25-13, 7:59pm

A couple of frugals today. I think.

I had to buy some plumber's putty so I can replace the faucet in my mom's kitchen. So I walked to the hardware store (about a mile), picked up the putty, and came back home. I'm guessing $1.89 is not the rock-bottom price one can pay for plumber's putty, but it didn't require driving and I'm supporting a good local (Ace) hardware store, so be it. A no-drive day.

On the way back home, however, I walked past a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store and decided to walk in. Typically they have almost nothing of interest to me.

Background: our KitchenAid hand mixer has a plastic (natch) part that failed. The beaters stay in to mix but come out as soon as you remove them from the bowl. Usable so far, but a pain and wasteful of thicker mixtures. In callling KA I learned that (natch) this 8-year-old mixer, which has seen no more than light occasional use, cannot be fixed. I even checked out buying a similar non-working mixer for parts. But it looked like I would be in for about $30 to do that with no guarantee it would fix the the problem.

The thrift store had a 70s-vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster stand mixer in excellent condition. I don't think it was used much, either. Plugged it in; ran fine. It comes with one of the two bowls and dough hooks but no beaters. But apparently beaters are still available (after 40 years; take that, KitchenAid). So are bowls if I care. $12.49 plus tax for the mixer. Sold. It will be a much stronger mixer than the KA and much cheaper even after buying beaters. And it's likely we'll be able to find parts for it in another 8 years if we need them.

Dinner was of the pantry category. Meh. Baked Garlic Shrimp. Except that I didn't have enough shrimp, so I threw in some frozen scallops we had. And I didn't have enough fresh garlic, so I used granulated garlic. No fresh cilantro; dried had to do. And panko? No. But I did have cracker crumbs in the freezer, so I used them. It's certainly edible. Didn't cost much overall. But I'm glad it will be gone in another meal. Way less than the sum of its parts but I can't blame the recipe for that.

Tussiemussies

9-25-13, 8:39pm

Hi Stella, hope your sister is doing okay. I think she probably really appreciated you being there. That is amazing that you were able to go with having an infant and young children to tend to.

Your groups sound like a lot of fun. Hey, are you still embroidering these days?

Had No drive, no buy day here for me. DH commutes an hour each way from and to work, although the ride home is longer since there is usually a lot of traffic in one spot. His boss who lives not too far from us, asked him if he wants to carpool and he doesn't because he feels he needs that quiet time instead of talking there and back. I am the same way so I understand, although it would save a nice amount each moth. Sometimes your sanity is much more important.

We are laying low on spending any money until my husband's royalty check comes in. We need to have a new damper replaced in the fireplace. They said the the design that most people have is from the 1900s and that the new design which goes at the top of the chimney saves much more with heat escaping. I am looking forward to some fires now, we have plenty of leftover wood.

That is all that went on today!

early morning

9-25-13, 9:21pm

Tussiemussies

9-25-13, 10:55pm

Tussie, I'm with your husband. I don't mind my hour drive; it's my planning time going in, and my decompression/review time going home. I need it! Not much going on here frugal-wise - same old, same old. We are having a yard sale this weekend, hope to get rid of lots of stuff and maybe make a little extra money. Dinner tonight was meat-free; we found a great latke recipe and that was dinner, lol. Potatoes rock! :)

I can grasp how you feel early, I would feel the same about the commute...I need my quiet time I like how you use you going home time to review and decompress.

Good luck with your garage sale. I hope you do very well!

Stella

9-26-13, 8:54am

Steve, that mixer sounds like a great score!

Tussiemussies, yes, I am still embroidering. I do it more in the winter than the summer, so I have been looking at my patterns and deciding what I'm going to do next. I'm almost done with a huge table runner I have been working on forever that I got for $1 at a thrift store. A friend of mine gave me a ton of free embroidery patterns this summer, so I'll probably start with one of those.

Early morning, I have been thinking about making potato latkes for a few weeks. I love those! I need to actually get around to that one of these days.

Zach is working on the side job for our friend tonight. He might finish up this phase and get paid, which would be excellent. It's been a lot of hours, but it's a lot of money and we really need to build back our EF after having to raid it for several emergencies. The good news is that it was there, and we didn't have to go into debt for the emergencies. It makes me nervous having it so depleted, though. It's going to be great to start getting it back into shape.

We are also selling our old car this week. It's a beater, so we aren't getting a ton for it, but $900 is better than nothing. That will be split between a few medical bills, more padding for the EF and a small amount towards taking the kids to Fall Fest at our church this weekend. That's always fun. They have rides, games, face painting, fair foods, a free concert by a well-known local musician and this year they are having a pig roast. It should be a good time.

I finally found a dentist that I like that takes our insurance. This is the third dentist I have been to this year. The first took our insurance, but had a really awful attitude. The second didn't take our insurance, and I paid out of pocket for some of our dental work, but he was excellent. This third one meets both criteria. I am so pleased! I hate going to the dentist and it is really a stress reliever to not have to worry about either the dentist or the bills.

Today I am making some meatballs for freezing. If I feel up to it I might also make twice baked potatoes with bacon for freezing. My grandma makes them all the time and they are good as a hearty side dish or as a meal, if you serve it with a salad. We're on an oatmeal kick for breakfast. I've been adding eggs to it for extra protein and sometimes peanut butter. The egg makes it nice and custardy and I absolutely need protein in the mornings to feel my best. The little kids seem to last longer before getting hungry again, too, so that's a bonus.

bke

9-26-13, 10:05am

We were tempted to go out to dinner last night but settled for a rotisserie chicken instead. It cost us $6 instead of $30.

Tussiemussies

9-26-13, 3:25pm

Hi again Stella. You are really ambitious to tackle a table runner. That is great that you are almost done with it! What is the theme/colors? I remember how you did pillowcases. I love embroidery!

Today was a no drive/no spend day for me. My car needs some work done to it, but I don't usually go out that much. Cleaned out the fridge the other day of bad food. We are doing better than we used to in a way. But the way we are handling produce means I would have to run to the store just about daily. When my car get fixed I might try it as it gets great miles per gallon, so it won't cost me much and I will be able to use things instead of planning a meal and then not wind up making it.

That is all for now. I'm sure there will be no spend days until my husband's royalty check comes in. I definitely need new pajamas and a new coat or two....

Azure

9-26-13, 8:18pm

We were down to only 1 set of sheets. Last week at work we marked down some of our Simply Shabby Chic sheets down 30%. When I went home I checked on the computer and the Cartwheel app had a coupon for 15% off all SSC's. YEAH! So with the clearance price, the cartwheel coupon, my work discount & red card discount I got a real good price.

Annnnd that may be my only frugal.

I did make applesauce last night with organic apples we got at the cider mill a couple of weeks ago. Some of them were starting to get a little soft. The apple sauce was so good! I had some warm applesauce with greek yogurt & walnuts this morning. Yum.

I did not buy the really cute silver hoop earrings in just the size I've been looking for. Even though they went to 50% off last week.

try2bfrugal

9-26-13, 8:50pm

I bought a not well advertised brand turbo convection oven from Amazon for $30 out of pocket after using credit card points. The first reviewer stated that all the various turbo ovens seemed to be 1300 watts with fans, bowls and halogen lights, so why pay more? That seemed like a good point, so I got the non-infomercial brand. So far I made a test baked potato and that worked out okay. Our range top and wall ovens use a lot of electricity, so I am trying to switch over to small appliances instead. I use the rice cooker / steamer and crock pot a lot, but I wanted something that could roast large quantities of vegetables quickly.

Today we walked the dog to the local shopping center and bought meat on special for dinner, dropped off a book to sell back to Amazon for a gift card at the post office, deposited a check at the bank and chatted with a neighbor along the way.

For product product reviews this month I ordered some free office supplies and a new baster.

To set up a reading area in the bedroom I decided instead of buying a new chair just to leave a collapsible camping chair in the closet and set it up as needed.

flowerseverywhere

9-27-13, 8:10am

Helped mil do some cleaning and she gave me a huge bag of yarn- really high quality stuff, and full skeins with many multiples I gave it to a neighbor who is in a church group that knits hats and mittens for military base kids and as a thank you they invited us to their church dinner. All around a fun time and in the end good for all. They do a lot for these kids as their parents are mostly in the Middle East for some tours. They had a huge backpack drive for the kids and the left at home moms and dads are so appreciative. For Christmas they are doing a pajama and book drive so I am keeping my eye out for pajamas with the sales, especially with the discounts some stores offer. I like the work they do, and I know it helps these young military families. For me part of frugality is being able to share. You can't buy the feeling of satisfaction that comes from it.

Tussiemussies

9-27-13, 5:44pm

Stella

9-27-13, 7:11pm

Tussiemussies, when it finish the runner I will try to post a picture. It's very pretty. It's all done in two shades of purple.

I am doing some curriculum shopping this weekend before turning in my homeschool reimbursement form to the school district. I get about $80 a kid for books, supplies, etc, so this year that is $160. I am buying a bunch of field guides for kids, some art supplies, a grammar workbook and some history books. A friend told me to ask about the transportation money too. She said that she gets $200 back because her kids attend a private school. We will see if that applies to homeschoolers too. If it does, I'm going to get a decent microscope. It sounded like she gets $200 back per kid, but that sounded high to me. Who knows. I'll admit that I mentally calculated what that would mean when Charlotte is school aged and got a little excited. :)

Our friend from South Dakota was visiting today and tonight is my book club, so lots of FFF today.

Tussiemussies

9-28-13, 12:03am

Thanks Stella, I would really like to see it....

Your schooling projects always sound so creative and useful. Do you follow any line of homeschooling? Chris

Tussiemussies

9-28-13, 12:08am

No drive, but we had to stock up on dog food and we will only feed our dog what we feel is the best dog food out there, so it does cost a lot. Otherwise no spend. I felt like take out but then made myself a vegetarian sandwich and DH, well I already forgot what he ate. LOL!

Do still need some clothing, coats and pajamas, some tips and DH is in dire need of socks and nice pants for work. I feel some spending coming on.

redfox

9-28-13, 1:14am

Today I manifested $220. My DH has been owed $100 for some months, by a rather spaced out art dealer, for some photos. DH has been calling & emailing for months with zero response. So, last night I hopped onto FB & saw complaints by others about delayed payment and a cell number. I called him, he answered, & I pulled out my stern Mom voice -- he's younger -- and he agreed to meet this morning, returning the unsold photos & paying the $100 owed in cash. This afternoon, I went to a focus group about banks, and got $120 cash for an hour of opinions. Score! All of it will be the cash DH needs to attend a photography intensive later this month, and it won't therefore come out of our monthly budget.

Tussiemussies

9-28-13, 1:20am

Wow Redfox, you did so great!

chrissieq

9-28-13, 6:54pm

Spent about 5 minutes on the phone yesterday with a very helpful service rep from dental insurance company - our DDS had submitted a claim twice and was sending me a bill for $58 because it had been denied. Turned out they were using the wrong claim #s. I had seriously thought about just paying the bill but forced myself to make the call - well worth my time!!

danna

9-28-13, 9:50pm

Sept 28
Been a few days since I have been here

--bought $21.65 and paid $1.65 using $20.00 worth of points from Loblaws
I got these points mostly buying an order of $75.00 and getting $20.00 in points last month.
Both orders were mostly sale items and marked down items...this store has great meat mark downs...
--sold $20.00 item on Kijiji and also gave away to junk guy broken fridge I was hanging on to (not sure why)
he was heading to recycling so took a large box for me and saved me a trip...
--got all or maybe I should say more then enough exercise this week getting the yard ready for winter of course there will be more to do.
--volunteering at the city run Seniors home in the Gift/Tuck shop one afternoon keeping me busy, in touch with people and feeling useful
at no cost at all....win...win
--

Tussiemussies

9-28-13, 9:59pm

No spend, no drive day for both DH and I. Although we might go out to eat tomorrow. We ate from what was left in the refrigerator instead of ordering out since we are down on food.

Last weekend DH fixed a crack in the wall and the hole left from taking out the air-conditioner. He tried to paint a stain on the ceiling but did not use Kilz so it didn't go away! He cleaned everything up before I woke up since it was a big mess from last weekend we left that way so he could reach the stain. Another DIY he will get to. I reminded him of the Kilz after he had everything back in place.

Not much else!

redfox

9-28-13, 10:12pm

The annual schlep to the mall for work clothing undergarments. <sigh> even on sale bras are too damn expensive...

rosarugosa

9-29-13, 7:23am

DH & I celebrated our 29th anniversary with a lovely walk in the woods, and then a delicious scallop mango risotto, which DH cooked at home. Mom gave us a check for $100. as an anniversary gift. We're going to use it to stock up on frozen scallops, shrimp and tilapia from Costco which will translate to more frugal luxury dinners at home, which are so much more cost effective than eating out.
I just redeemed my e-rewards survey points for a $25. Macy's gift card.
DH has started doing some necessary staining/painting work on the house, which is much more frugal than hiring someone!

Azure

9-29-13, 9:55am

Good job on the phone call & focus group, Redfox! And Chrissieq as well!

Happy Anniversary Rosa!

Tomorrow I will return some work pants I ordered from kohl's. I didn't like the fit. I stop by the store on the way home from work.

Yesterday I combined trips. Took Tyler to the music store to get a new mouthpiece & trombone book. Stopped at the health food store where I used the 15% off on Saturday to get some supplements plus bought 2 tubes of vein defense cream on clearance - 40% off. And stopped at World Market to spend my $10 birthday money they emailed me. I did go $5 over. But I got a nice ceramic rolling pin. I've never used ceramic before but I liked the look & feel of it and my old one only has 1 handle left on it.

The talk about painting has reminded me of an older frugal. Bought a 5 gallon bucket of oops paint at Lowes for $50. It looked like a good match for the paint already in the living room. Once I started painting I saw that it was a couple of shades darker. Somewhere between ivory and beige. I actually love it! I painted the one really bad wall in the LR before Ian's bon voyage party. I figured if I painted any more it would be a unfinished paint job. BUT if I stopped it would be a focal wall LOL

I also found some curtains at Big Lots, of all places. They were only $14 a panel and I really like them. They actually kind of match the paint but they have texture to them. If I had thought about it much before I bought them I probably wouldn't have gotten them. Having the room all one color sounds boring to me but to my surprise I actually find it very soothing. When work calms down some I will finish painting.

Oh, I also got $3 in CVS bucks for my birthday. I decided to use it to buy the bifera iron I take. I looked and it didn't appear to be on sale at all. Seemed to be the usual $21.49. But when I checked out the total was only $13.49 plus tax. On the receipt it looks like the price rang up at only $16.49 but I am not sure why.

early morning

9-29-13, 9:51pm

A sorta frugal un-frugal.... Today was National Coffee Day. After a hectic three days of having a yard sale (and getting rained out this afternoon) we had some errands to run and decided to go through the drive thru of a local coffee shop for a treat. We didn't know until we paid, but everything was half-price today! So coffee drinks for 4 people was $7.50 - what a nice surprise! We usually have coffee at home - and we did, just wanted more. We are of the opinion that there's no such thing as too much coffee. . . The yard sale was a lot of work but worth the effort - we took in $60 for stuff that was 25 cents MAX, in addition to some larger priced items. That's a LOT of quarter junk! We still boxed up three cartons for AmVets and 6 for Goodwill. Most of it was left-overs from box lots where we only wanted one item in the box and are left with the rest to dispose of. A lot of it was junk gifts from before we were able to convince folks NOT to get us stuff, and we had a box of cassette and VHS tapes someone finally decided to part with, lol. I am glad for the cash, and even happier to have it OUT of my house!

Tussiemussies

9-29-13, 10:30pm

Great early morning that you had a successful yard sale and then got discounted coffee!

We had a no spend/no drive day today. Thought we might go out to eat but neither of us felt like it so it was a very lazy day. We ate some frozen vegetable lasagna that we had in the freezer for so long. We got it for free when they had a special, buy so much and you will get either a ham or turkey but for us veggies we get the Souffer's Lasagna which tastes very good. I've been wanting to eat it now since it has been quite awhile since we got it. It also delayed our food shopping for one more day.

Not much else right now....someday not in the near future we will have to go through the 150 boxes of items we have piled up in 28 years of marriage and try to sell it. But for now not much else to share....

SteveinMN

9-29-13, 10:40pm

Today's frugal was successfully replacing the faucet in my mom's place. I'm typically leery of repair projects in that house because the house is old and it seems to have had a history of being repaired by whoever was most sober at the time. >8) But the job went well -- except for the step that said to turn a piece counterclockwise to loosen it when, in fact, clockwise did the trick. The (mostly hidden) piece was marred by the counterclockwise effort. But it'll be alright. The faucet was purchased through ebay as an open box but it was brand new and everything was there and it was a great deal. Much cheaper than buying the faucet elsewhere on-line and then paying a plumber or handyman to install it.

Tonight was family dinner, so I drove. My car has about 455 miles in on this tank and the gauge is just a tick past half. Should be 650-700 miles before I need to fill up again.

I've been trying to get my phone unlocked for the past three weeks. It's been a circus. What it's come down to is that my phone is defective -- it will not unlock. It's very unlikely I would have discovered that during the phone's warranty. And I don't have an extended warranty because I've never needed one before and, at $8 a month, I soon would amass enough money to buy a used phone if I needed to. A pickle. I have to admit the idea of getting rid of my kind-of-obsolete phone and paying "just" $20 or so each month for two years, to get a new iPhone, doesn’t seem like a lot of money -- until one adds up those payments as well as the cost of postpaid service (for us, twice the cost of T-Mo prepaid and about four times the cost of Airvoice, which, so far, I've liked).

To resolve this situation, T-Mobile is letting me buy a close-replacement phone on the open market, which they then will unlock, if necessary, and they will reimburse me for the purchase. So I bought a replacement phone this weekend. T-Mo really has stepped up to the plate here. I might have to run the numbers on them again as our carrier. Customer service like this is not easy to find. I need to remember that "frugal" does not require bearing the costs of going with the cheapest provider. Service when you need it is important, too.

Stella

9-30-13, 9:57am

Hahaha! Steve that is funny about the repairs at your mom's house. My mom used to do most of the repairs around here and she was not so much the sober one. :)

We had an expensive weekend, but we knew it would be. It was Fall Fest at our church, which we plan for each year. We ended up skipping the pig roast because I had overbooked myself on Friday. I was bummed. I love pig roasts, but it sold out in 75 minutes, so I'm sure they will have another one next year, and it saved us money.

Sunday we went to the apple orchard. We spent quite a bit of money, but we got a lot of apples. I splurged a little on some Honeycrisps and a new variety called Sweet Riverbelle that is similar to honeycrisp. I love them, and as far as treats go, apples are healthier than a lot of things I could buy. :) We had some for breakfast this morning as peanut butter chocolate chip apple nachos. So delicious. We will use the cheaper apples that we picked for pies, apple sauce and apple crisp. I need to call my aunt, who used to run a you-pick apple orchard, but no longer sells them, and see if we can do our usual labour-for-apples trade.

SteveinMN

9-30-13, 10:42am

Stella, who has Sweet Riverbelles? I've never heard of them!

Selah

9-30-13, 12:23pm

Went to our local thrift store and bought a gorgeous blue, merino wool men's sweater that actually fit me perfectly...for about $1.25! This will be great this winter. Last weekend, we went to a Druze village known for its funky-artsy stuff, and I bought three pairs of pants (for the house) and three GORGEOUS skirts (for my school days at the frum college where I have to wear long skirts), all for about $60 USD. I am stoked!

At the thrift shop, I also bought a ridiculous picture in a glass frame, just so I could use the glass frame for a solar oven I'm making, for about $5. The rest of the supplies needed for the solar oven includes duct tape, newspaper, and two cardboard boxes. Cool!

Stella

9-30-13, 2:05pm

Steve we got them at Aamodts apple orchard. This is the first year they are available, I believe. They are delicious!

Tussiemussies

9-30-13, 2:53pm

Steve we got them at Aamodts apple orchard. This is the first year they are available, I believe. They are delicious!

I would like to try that variety too. The only place I can think of that might sell them is Whole Foods or Wegmans. Next time I am there I will look for them.

Another no drive day...although I only think it's that way because my life has been pretty boring! DH will be going food shopping just to stock up on the essentials. Just that can be pretty pricey here no matter what grocery store you use. We have Shop Rite and Weis. Have to unpack all of my crafting stuff that is available so I can have a little bit of fun!

ejchase

9-30-13, 4:28pm

Well, I'm chiming in on the very last day.

After months of being totally financially irresponsible, I've finally gotten through a week of tracking my earning and spending. I hope I can keep it up. I am simply happier when I'm tracking. I like knowing what's coming in and out. It really reduces my generalized anxiety about money. I like to know where it's all going, and I feel much less guilty and anxious about my splurges when I know I have them written down somewhere to be included in a larger financial picture.

I cooked two big pots of soup this week, which has allowed me to avoid the temptation to spend a lot of money on lunch at work.

Also, I made a couple of big Target trips and bought stuff for my new office - teas and an electric tea kettle and coffee mugs - in hopes that having that stuff on hand will help me stop spending an exorbitant amount on coffee and tea at the coffee house at my workplace. I still need to get a coffee filter basket, coffee, and filters. I think I've spent about $15 per week the last two or three weeks on to go coffees!

Once I get my office fully stocked, I think I will be able to make it through some no-spend days, which I'm really looking forward to. I have a new job with decent pay, and I don't want to waste this opportunity to get caught up financially. I need to build up an emergency fund and buy a new (maybe new used) car. And if I'm really frugal and pay good attention, I could save up enough money to take some summers off!

Thanks to all of you for inspiring me!

SteveinMN

9-30-13, 5:55pm

Finishing a frugal...

I posted several days ago about scoring a Sunbeam Mixmaster. The only "gotcha" was that the only beaters which came with it were dough hooks and it came with only one of the two bowls it's supposed to have. It looked like we'd need to hit some vintage store or ebay for at least the beaters, but it struck me to go back to the thrift store and see if somehow the missing pieces found their way into other parts of the store. Sure enough!

For about $6 -- a little more than the cost of shipping a set of beaters from ebay -- I completed the set. Well, almost. Turns out the bowl I bought today -- even though it's the same size as the one that came with the mixer when I bought it -- is considered the "small" bowl. The "large" bowl must be ginormous. So tomorrow or Wednesday I'll go back to see if there is a truly smaller bowl which will fit. Having two larger bowls won't hurt. But a cup of whipping cream is going to look awfully lonely in one of these.

fidgiegirl

9-30-13, 8:02pm

That was clever, Steve!

fidgiegirl

9-30-13, 8:04pm

I made an amazing soup yesterday from garden veggies. It wasn't fast, but it only cost me a bit of beef base, seasonings, and a package of stew meat. We'll eat it for at least three suppers, maybe four. I put in tomatoes (had to peel them, that was a pain but they are sooooo good), kale, carrots, and banana peppers. Oh yeah, and some fusilli noodles. Mmmmmmmmm!

flowerseverywhere

10-1-13, 9:40am

We were in a town a few towns away and happened across a movie theater that had $5.25 first run movies. Saw "the butler." Loved it and a great treat to see in the theater.
A friend of mine embroidered some blocks and I put them together into a quilt. She was very thankful and gave mw a gift certificate of farmers market dollars. What a great gift. thank goodness we are so frugal, my son is set to be furloughed from the government and because we save so carefully we can help him if need be. He has two small children and lives below his means but it will be hard if he does not get back soon. Just more justification why we are so frugal.