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It was very difficult. I was holding it in my hand, staring at it for not less than 5 minutes. Now I am out of regular coffee and will use my $2.50 off coupon at Costco for 3 lbs of Folgers bringing my 3 lbs of good coffee for less than $10, compared to 2/3 lbs of great coffee for $7. I like my decision, but it was tough at the store.Quote:
Originally Posted by Float On
When I left the hospital, they gave me a voucher for 20 free birth announcements for DS. They came awhile back and look really nice! I used one of the newborn photos I took myself. I decided not to send too many out, though. Stamps are expensive, and I think most people on my list would just toss them. So I am really just saving a few for his grandparents and his baby book.
Made banana bread yesterday out of some bananas that were past their prime. I took some chicken out for dinner, too, and found that I was missing one ingredient for most of my chicken recipes (annoying!). So I just seasoned the chicken instead, browned it in my Dutch oven, and finished it off in the oven. So, so good! I used up a couple of cans of beans from my pantry for a side. I will be taking some deli ham out of the freezer for sandwiches for lunch today. Not sure what dinner will be yet--maybe tuna and noodles?
Later today I hope to finish up my menu plan. DH and I hope to head to the grocery store tomorrow. With two kids under two, we really only want to go to one store...so I will go to the one that price matches and accepts all my coupons. :-)
July 11
--free 1.75 litre of good orange juice with coupon
--a few fresh fruit and veggies on sale and that was all for groceries.
--I have let my hair grow out all one length and now the longer sides cover most of my gray so only colouring hair very 8 weeks.
--also, longer hair doesn't get oily so fast, only showering and washing hair very 2-3 days....save water and products.
--again leftovers from supper for lunch
--bought a new mircowave and got it on sale....for me I think it saves money and effort when rewarming food.
--really not wasting any food...yeah
Thats all for now
Well, I went over budget at the grocery store by $3. Annoying, but I made up for it by using a coupon when we went out to eat after (eating out was a planned and budgeted expense).
I've been focusing on using food before it goes bad. The lone celery stick, the last few slices of bread, etc. Those are things that used to get away from me, but I am getting better. I have about a half a gallon of whole milk that is getting close to date, too. I am thinking about making some ice cream out of it as a special treat. It's been really hot here!
The other day, I stopped at Goodwill for quarter day. I found two pairs of very nice shoes for DS, two shirts, and a pair of pants for me. I was especially excited about the pants. They are White House/ Black Market brand. I could never afford them new; finding them for a quarter was unbelievable.
Other than that, same old boring stuff. Just been trying to stay on top of the housework and get a little organizing done here and there. It seems like one or both of the kiddos are always awake, though, and it is hard to get stuff done when your children are that little (six weeks and not quite two), especially when one of them is a nursing baby! I am trying to be kinder to myself this time around; I am just enjoying our time together here at home, doing domestic things as frugally as possible. I don't even attempt shopping without DH anymore, so that helps, too! :-)
Same-o same-o around here too on the frugality front. Today's lunch will be.....frugally interesting. Found in the freezer 2 c. of leftover beef stew, not really enough to do anything with, but then remembered the c. of zucchini/tomato dish, and then remembered the few c. of ham/green beans/potatoes. Intend to heat it all on the stovetop (to not have to use the oven too long), add herbs as needed, then bake it with biscuits on top. It SHOULD work.....:)
So how WAS lunch, Blackdog Lin? DD and I hit Aldi yesterday- they had much nicer veggies than usual so we bought a bunch. Spent $135 for 1 weeks for 2 adults and one week for 3 adults (I was out of town most of last week), which I thought was terrible, then DD informed me that had actually been 3 and a half weeks since she'd been, so I felt a LOT better! We had 2 loaves of artisan rustic Italian bread gifted to us last week and had planned to freeze one (in slices). Didn't get around to it and the last half of the last loaf got really hard. Stuck it in a bag with a slice of store-bought wheat bread last night, and by breakfast time it was back to its normal half-crunchy half-chewy goodness! Mowed Mom's yard tonight and she gave us some money which will go into the "coffee when we're out" fund. Paid DS's hopefully LAST tuition bill for his undergrad. Saved 35$ by paying it all at once instead of breaking it into payments. Since he only needs 2 classes that was more easily do-able, lol. Wanted a treat tonight, so we made our own frappuccinos with coffee cubes - great use for dabs of leftover coffee- and flavored creamer from Aldi. They were wonderful! It should be nice tomorrow, so - hopefully - clothes on the line! It's been so rainy here I've had to dry in the house, and even once resorted to - *gasp*- the dryer! :~)
Consignment store, clearance rack, Talbots fully lined Irish linen capris, $1.
Woohoo.
Yesterday's frugal: For whatever reason, the chrome toilet paper holder in our downstairs bathroom was missing the roller. Rollers are a dime-a-dozen -- except for this kind of TP holder, apparently, which kind of reverses the normal telescope-out-to-fit. Instead this one requires the roller ends to telescope in. I bought a telescope-out roller and applied a hacksaw and Surform rasp to it so the ends were big enough to accommodate the nibs that applied tension to the original roller setup. TP now rolls off that holder just like it should. $1.06 to fix a (mildly-)vexing problem.
We also made an ALDI run yesterday to stock up. We have a college friend of DW's and his toddler (!) son visiting this weekend, so the schedule and budget will be a little off. The day's entertainment should be a free-/low-cost local park/zoo. Tomorrow is a free concert at the same park, featuring a jazz band run by a former co-worker of mine. I just hope the rain holds off....
We went to the first movie of the day at the local theater, which is the lowest price showings on Thursday. On Friday we went out for lunch with a 2 for 1 Entertainment coupon.
I ordered a low flow shower head to try out from Amazon and three more LED bulbs that were on sale for half price. I paid for the Amazon order with credit card rewards points and money leftover from a gift card for switching to Uverse, so it only cost me $10 out of pocket.
I made my own orange vinegar cleaning solution by letting orange peels sit in vinegar in a Mason jar. I think someone posted that idea here.
I noticed some of my clothes are actually fraying, so I think that means I have been doing a good job of letting them wear out rather than replacing them before their time is up. It has been hot so the drying racks have been put to good use. I can get a few cycles of clothes done in a day because they dry so quickly out in the sun.
We are still looking at houses for downsizing. That is our next really big frugal.
For groceries, I'm stockpiling loss leaders each week and getting the fresh produce from a local Hispanic market. The produce prices are still about about 75% less than the local Safeway.
Keeping up with the usual frugals here.
We got our electric bill and still have a credit from the electric generated by our solar panels, despite the hot, humid, cloudy, and rainy weather, which has resulted in more A/C use and less solar electricity being generated.
Been cooking and eating at home pretty consistently. Although, the pantry and refrigerator are looking a little bare, I managed to pull together a salad and cheese quesadillas for lunch and a frittata for dinner. My dearly beloved leaves for NYC for another four days tomorrow morning so I'll put off grocery shopping for a few more days and get creative with eating whatever odds and ends are in the house.
The weather got a little better over the past few days so we took advantage of the opportunity to do some gardening, mulching, mowing, and weed whacking. Frugal activities in the sense that it kept us from going anywhere and spending money unnecessarily. :D
Finally remembered to submit the last receipt I had for expenses at my previous job. Will be happy to get reimbursed the $500+ that they owe me. Now I just need to remember to follow up with my accountant about my taxes to see if there is any possibility I over paid and will get a refund (I filed for an extension, which is why this is happening in July and not April like it normally would). Trying to be more assertive about following up on these little financial matters. :)