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Just went to the community garden plant sale and also assessed our own seedlings and thinned them. We will save a lot of $$ in plants this year, yippee! Now just to figure out where to put all of them. :)
I picked up two tomato plants, two jalapenos, rosemary, and two squashes plus four packets of seeds and pack of cookies for DH for $15.50. And it all goes to the garden. Whee!
We are going to put on our long underwear and go garage saling in Bryn Mawr. Curse you, 37 degrees on May 4!!!!! IT IS GARAGE SALE SEASON NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY.
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We had a fun afternoon garage sale-ing and I was even able to take off my long johns in the car part way through. :)
We got:
9 pr. brand new department store underwears + 1 t-shirt for DH - $1 each. Tags still on them (anywhere from $18-$30 new) and still in the box = $10 total. The score of the day!
Router table, needs bolts (big deal) = $1
Waffle iron = $2 (I figured if it works out, great, if not we will still stick to the cast iron plan)
Frilly scarf = 33 cents
Gro light fixture (but needs new bulb) = 33 cents
Tongs for kitchen = 33 cents
4 skeins of yarn = Free
2 paperbacks for the beach or campground this summer = $1
Bought a hot chocolate for $2.50 and shared it.
Spent up $40 in B&N gift cards on Mother's Day cards and a gift for DMiL. Still need something for my mom, but was nice to be able to use those up for something we'd be buying anyway. We also got some of that tea for ourselves, cdttmm. I look forward to enjoying it.
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Iforonwy: Congratulations on your new car!
Kelli: So sorry about your crappy weather; I hope spring finds you soon!
Today was the maiden voyage for the bread machine and it was a success, so will now have to incorporate breadmaking into the routine. It was quite simple though. The roofers are almost done and it's looking really good. Although it was a major expense, it feels good to take care of something so essential. DH is making tilapia with fresh mango, asparagus, and rice for dinner. Nothing like fine dining at home!
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Ooh rosa, yum!
I blew all frugals with the purchase of several items on Amazon as well as a Waterhog mat from LL Bean. Oh well, I justify them by the fact that: 1) they were not impulse purchases 2) one is a reasonably priced gift and 3) in the case of the mat, it shouldn't ever have to be replaced.
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Yard sales in small town, we got a $1 all cotton shirt for me and a pair of $2 shorts (guy didn't know whether to charge $1 or $2 and seemed so lost that $2 didn't seem fair. Then a $5 office chair for DH--really comfy, and he apologized for having made fun of me for wanting to stop at the sales.
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Congrats on the raise AZURE!
I love the idea of using up the B&N gift cards on useful items besides books. The teas and chocolates sound so fun and indulgent!
Fidgiegirl-I always admire your garage sale finds. I can't wait until I have the time to treasure hunt like you do!
I don't have much to report myself other than having 2 no spend days-yeah!
So can anyone fill me in on what is going on with Stella these days? I remember her telling us that she had gotten sick and been hospitalized a couple of months ago. I can only recall seeing one post from her since. Is she just busy with family or is she having health problems?
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Stella did mention something about trying to minimize Internet time when Lent started, and I haven't seen as much of her on FB, Pinterest or here since then . . . so I'm guessing she found some success in her endeavor. Hopefully that's all! Stella, if you are seeing this, we miss you on the frugals thread!
larknm, congrats on your garage sale finds as well!
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Congrats on the raise, Azure! That is great!
I am so jealous of all of the good garage sale finds you all have been posting! I haven't made it to many garage sales of late.
Well...things have yet again taken an unfrugal turn around here. I am being watched for pre-eclampsia now; my feet and legs are so swollen that I have been advised by my doctor to stay off of them and rest for the remainder of my pregnancy (about three weeks). I am not on "bed rest," mind you--I am just supposed to rest more as I am able. This is very, very hard for me to do as I like to be productive. It is also largely unfrugal because DH doesn't cook much and our tendency has been to eat out when I don't feel well. We seriously need to stop doing that. My plan is to get things in the crock pot in the morning or at least have stuff for sandwiches around.
Today I rode along with DH to an appointment in a city about 45 minutes away. We needed to get gas, so we stopped here in town before we hit the road (since gas is cheaper here). That is where the frugals end, though! We ended up eating out (only $12 for the three of us, though, so not so bad I guess) AND took DD shopping for a new toy. She has been so, so good about shopping for the baby and seeing all these presents come for him...but we think she is still feeling a little left out, so we let her pick out something special. We don't have any boys in my family--my sisters and I are all girls, and we have all had all girls. This is the eleventh grandchild and only boy! So people are excited, and I appreciate their generosity...but I don't want to see DD get lost in it all, either. So I have been planning some special things just for her--places for us to go, things for us to do/try, etc.--and will carry through on those even if some of them do cost a little money.
So...I figured since I had already blown it for today, I would finish up my planned shopping, too. I ordered the entryway furniture I have had my eye on. I also got a new diaper bag along with a tranquil turtle for Little Man's room. While I was at it, I ordered season 1 of DH's favorite TV show (a used copy). That last one wasn't planned, but he is very much a "gifts" person and has been working so hard trying to get the nursery done. I keep trying to tell myself this is all okay since most of it was planned. I did save $200 on the furniture with a 10% off code and will get $200 back in store credit as well...and the turtle was paid for with gift cards earned from Swag Bucks...but still....there was little about today that was frugal, and I need to get back on track starting tomorrow.
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Yard sales are not the norm here in the UK but car boot sales are. I hope to visit local one in the coming week if the weather stays dry.
We think we got a good deal on the car. The salesman was very tuned in to our budget and although they ususally like to make a bit for themselves on the finance deals seemed to understand the words "cash sale". He showed us one car that looked like a good buy for us but I spotted another and asked about it. He said it had only half the milage and would do it for the same price if we were interested. We left our old car there and took a test drive. When we came back he said "your poor old car!" We thought oops no deal on it but we had been up-front saying that it was unwell. But he came back with a generous figure for it and so the deal was done.
DH is in the garage at the moment re-arranging things so that it will fit in.
Our cushion still looks OK and with some effort we will be able to build it back up again.
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Take care, Kat! Pre-eclampsia is scary.
Frugals:
We were given a long-term loan of a violin by one of DH's coworkers, for DD, who is now tall enough for a 4/4 size. Also found a buyer for her 1/2 size, which will more than pay for the bow, case, and shoulder rest that we need to buy.
I have worked out an MP3-based solution to DD's music-in-bedroom (well, mostly audio books). She's been using CD players which only last about a year before the laser goes out of alignment. Last year I found one at a yard sale for $1 in which the CD player actually worked for about 8 months or so, but that is not the norm - usually the CD players at yard sales are nonfunctional. With a portable speaker we already have, a Sandisk expandable MP3 player with power adapter and expansion microSD card (36 GB total - audio books take up a lot of space), at less than the cost of 2 portable CD players, we have something that should last a lot longer and result in less electronic waste.
I expect that it might be possible sometime in May to turn off the heat and begin hanging laundry outside. I'm not holding my breath though, since it was snowing furiously on Friday morning.
