June frugals

[early morning]

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

[SteveinMN]

Not too many frugals yet this month.

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

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

Sunday was a no-drive day.

Beyond that ... I got nothin'.

[fidgiegirl]

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

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/sho...t=june+frugals

[Blackdog Lin]

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

[try2bfrugal]

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

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

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

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

[cdttmm]

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

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

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

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

[catherine]

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

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

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

[Florence]

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

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

[Blackdog Lin]

Good on everyone for our little frugal victories.

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

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

It's the little things.

[fidgiegirl]

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

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