September Frugals

[Nella]

Made a great trade today. I'm tutoring a senior gentleman in how to use the new computer his kids gave him as a gift (how to get email, access the internet, etc.) in trade for a Singer Featherweight sewing machine that his wife hasn't used for decades. Great frugal day for me!!

[Stella]

Nella that is a good score!

Azure that kite festival sounds lovely.

I am feeling restless this afternoon and I am tempted to go to the fabric store. Instead I think when I drop the girls off at faith formation I will take my computer to the patio overlooking the lake at the park and do some writing. I need to get the creative juices flowing and I know that's why I'm tempted by the fabric store. That and my utter determination to add colour to my living room. But my birthday is a week and a half away, so I can spend birthday money on fabric if I still want to. I might just go for a walk soon too. The boys are napping, the girls are out playing with their friends, Zach is working on his own project and I appear to have some time all to myself on this lovely fall afternoon.

[fidgiegirl]

Hi all

Long time no visit. I don't feel like we've been so frugal, but I guess we have been doing the same stuff, so all of that is good. We have not eaten out all week. Last week we ate out like seven times! So biiiiiig improvement.

We might be getting the house we've been trying to get since April. I don't want to really get too into it, because I feel like it would be jinxing it. If we get it, we will be spending some money here coming up. We both have mixed feelings, but want to get into a different place, too. So . . . here we go. Anyway, I got some materials at Menards today. I saw they were on sale when I was researching online yesterday, so I got my butt over and got the supplies. Saved about $12 and spent about $25.

DH saved us from going out to eat tonight. We have been eating squash from the garden, too.

I put a sweater on eBay. The sell pretty well. It is a Smartwool sweater that I got carried away with on sale and it isn't truly the right size for me. Dang it. Would have been a lot better savings to never have bought it at all!

[flowerseverywhere]

. Would have been a lot better savings to never have bought it at all!

Almost any of us could have written this! In my decluttering I often say "what was I thinking, just throwing money away." Hard to get over this hurdle, isn't it?

For the whole month of September we ate one lunch out, every other meal drink and snack at home.
As I wrote in the decluttering thread, I have been using my fabric stash and patterns I had to make items. I love quilting and have made beautiful presents for my children and grandchildren, really the only ones I buy for. And they love what I make.
Finishing up the last of the garden produce freezing soups, I have made a half dozen recipes that are really good, along with tomato sauce and lots of frozen corn and peppers, to stock my freezer. I have been paying a lot more attention to the sales at the store to fill my pantry. When I have a nice variety of food in the house we don't get tempted to go out.

[Bastelmutti]

Stella - I do most of my sewing (mainly bags, purses, smaller household items) with remainders. Does your fabric store have that option? Also, lately I have been picking up cheap clothes at the thrift shop - think t-shirts, sheets, fleece blankets and jackets - to use as fabric. I can usually get a t-shirt for $0.50 and some of the other stuff for $1.00, especially if I go on 1/2 off day. Last night DH wanted a tea cosy to keep the kettle warmer, so I whipped one up from an online pattern, outer and lining fabric from my remnant stash & part of a fleece jacket for the padding. It maybe cost $2.00 in all. Oh, and I avoid looking at yummy sites like Reprodepot so I don't salivate over the super-cute fabric and concentrate on my pretty cute remnants instead!

[frugal-one]

A few days ago while walking I talked to a neighbor who was feeling poorly. She said she had a sore throat and pain all the way up to her ear. I came back later and gave her a natural antibiotic that I made and a sore throat tea bag. She was really appreciative and gave me a half bushel of pears from her yard that she had sitting on her porch. So far I have canned pears and made fruit leather. I went and got two more sheets to make more leather. Strange how you do something just because and it comes back fivefold!

BTW I talked to her yesterday and she said the "antibiotic" did the trick. She now feels better and the pain to her ear is gone. If you are interested it was called 'tried and true cold kicker' recipe from the Keeper of the Home website. It has ginger, onion, rosemary, sage, horseradish, cloves, cayenne pepper put into apple cider vinegar.

[chrissieq]

I did not work this summer - and unlike previously summers did not have a big tax refund (the kids/young adults are out of college thus no tuition write-offs) - had more than enough thanks to hard-working DH. We met all bills including auto savings and retirement investments. But there were not a lot of extras - eating out, in particular. Back to the school year and work, suddenly one dinner out each week, lunch on Sat and Sun. He felt "broke"over the summer so I feel like I have to give a little now. I feel like it's up to me to plan at least one lunch during the weekend - and have to be willing to go along with the other 1 or 2 meals each week.