I baked bread.
I got 15 wood tree posts for free from someone who was giving them away in a local Facebook gardening group. I only had to drive 10 minutes away to get them and load them into my car.
I celebrated Eid with friends and made them treats using ingredients I had on hand. I also gave them flowers from my garden in a vase that I already had, and embroidered a handkerchief as a gift using a handkerchief I had bought last fall to give as a gift.
I attended Cirque de Soleil’s O show with a friend. Her husband works for Cirque and gets a few free tickets a year, so we enjoyed the show for free. I wore a dress I bought on sale for 63% off earlier this year and this rose scarf. The dress was my birthday gift to myself.
I harvested snow peas, green onions, lettuce, and parsley from the garden.
I went to the community garage sales and found several great items, including a small marble-topped table for $20 (that my mother says is a $200 table) that I put next to my couch.
I found several pieces of vintage jewelry, including earrings for $1, a rose pin for $1, a leaf pin for $1, and a more modern bangle for $2. I found 6 vintage hand-embroidered napkins for $2 and a hand-embroidered tablecloth (which I believe will fit my table in the garden) for $10.
I threw a birthday party for a child at home. I only needed to buy a few food items, and I bought store-brand ones on the things where I could.
I cut Bells of Ireland and brought them in to enjoy on my entry table.
My third child came for a short visit and while he was here, he made some repairs in one of the bathrooms for me. I gave him my $75 in Lowe’s gift cards that I had from Swagbucks and he used those to purchase drywall, paint, caulk, and other supplies. I had purchased a new shower curtain rod, shower curtain, and vanity light from Amazon using the credit I earned from my blog links (thank you so much for using my links!). He wired in the new light fixture also.
What did you do to save money last week?
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Well done this week, Brandi! Saving money doesn’t mean living a dull, dreary life! Sounds like you made your money stretch and got some incredible deals!
This week, I got my potatoes planted as well as some cold hardy veg. Finally!!
I kept about 5 pounds of the ground beef I bought last week. The other 25 pounds was split between 2 of my friends and my daughter-in-law who were quite pleased to get it for under $1.74/pound! I used mine to bake up 80 meatballs in the oven, using some stale cracker crumbs I whisked up in the blender! Oh, they are tasty! (I had to sample! lol!) I made 16 hamburger Pattie’s and flash froze those for BBQs this summer! The meatballs were also package in zip bags in freezer!
Cooked up about 5 more pounds of bacon in oven and will enjoy some fresh but will dehydrate most of it so it will be shelf stable and vacuum sealed in mason jars.
Spring has come to the Ohio and we are so grateful! My lilac bushes are huge and blooming. The fruit trees are also blooming. My rhubarb has come back and apparently loves the garden spot I moved it to last year because suddenly there are enormous leaves and stalks and we will have a rhubarb harvest this year for the first time!!
Our laundry room remodel is getting closer to the finish and Hubs found a solid wood tall storage cabinet free online and it will replace the tall cabinet he got rid of in there that was particle board. Just need to stain and polyurethane the floor and it will be time to move things back in! 🎉🎉🎉 We are shooting for our finish by the weekend!
I made homemade sweet and sour sauce for dipping chicken in. So easy, so tasty, so cheap to make!
I’m working on quilt 9 for my 2024 stashbusting (2nd one for April). https://pin.it/wsJ8kjq4y. Just need to add scrappy 9 patch borders, then quilt and bind! And two more client quilts came in so that will add a bit of income into the budget to make up for my loss last week!
The warmer weather gives us more energy but also triggers our seasonal allergies. But it brings a sense of hope, something that is needed in these troubling times!
Gardenpat in Ohio
What a charming post this week! You shared what are some of my favorite things– yard sale treasures, chewy bread, (those crust designs are fascinating), cutting flowers, spending time with friends, celebrating, learning more about a new culture. I admire you for choosing red for your dress; so many women default to black when another color would look so much better as this does, especially for a special event. Excellent birthday present!
This has been an extraordinary spring here for tulips, perhaps the right combinations of coolness without cold, and lots of rain. Husband said he didn’t know what to get me for my birthday this week, so I pointed out the grocery store has chocolate licorice, (Hershey’s Twizzler’s), which is only on the shelf a few times a year. We’ve been shopping grocery sales, as we have time to go often and cruise the sale racks.
Accidentally got unflavored yogurt and used it to make chocolate yogurt cake.
I have sweet peas and sunflowers coming up in starter pots. They might not make the switch to outside, but I had the pots, soil starter, and seeds. I also have basil and a lot of annual seeds from previous years that I will plant outside in another week when the nighttime temperatures will be higher.
Not a lot of new things here, just lots of small habits. Good week to all!
That side table is gorgeous — what a find! And I’m so glad you were able to have a visit with your third child. Having seen them grow up through your blog, it’s nice to hear that they’re doing well in life.
My frugal accomplishments:
– I was given a beautiful free orchid from my workplace. This was particularly appreciated, as I had been wanting an orchid for my front entranceway for a long time, but have other financial priorities.
– I threw a party for my youngest: there was a dollar store pinata filled with candy leftover from Halloween, Christmas, etc.; I printed out Paw Patrol themed art to colour and design as well as puzzles; lots of balloons; bought a $25 cake from Costco (served everyone with only 1/3 eaten; the rest I froze and will provide dessert for several weeks); pass the parcel, with the prizes being Paw Patrol themed party favours I had left from my eldest’s party over a year ago; held it in my sister’s condo party room, as it costs to use my condo party room. My daughter’s dress was a hand-me-down from a friend, the tights were from the dollar store and also worn at Christmas, and the shoes were second-hand and polished by me. My other daughter wore the same party dress she wears to every party (I buy one each year, a little big, and then they can wear them to any party all year round. I make sure it looks particularly good on them and is a little fancy, and then it feels special every time they wear it, even though it was purchased on sale. I also make sure the dress I buy my eldest will also suit my youngest once she grows into it). Matching hair ribbons and hair styled a little fancy make the outfit special too. I’ve only bought hair ribbons once, when my oldest was a baby, and because it was a collection of colours, they’ve served all occasions for two kids for almost 5 years to date.
– I redeemed loyalty points for $20 worth of groceries with one program, and $40 in Air Miles for food for my daughter’s party.
– I used a $50 gc card to get into Costco and get a day membership, and was able to buy my daughter’s birthday cake, as well as my usual best-price items from there (such as granola bars, dishwasher detergent, and kids applesauce snacks). It’s not worth it for me to buy a yearly membership right now, but with a day pass I can go and stock up (they’ve recently changed it from two day passes a year allowed, to one, but my mother will get a day pass in a number of months and I’ll stock up then again).
– I picked up a medication from my pharmacy and it was higher than expected. I queried, and it turns out they had given me a 3 month supply, when my insurance only covers 1 month at a time. So they redid it to only be for one month, and I saved some money.
– I cut my daughter’s hair
– I baked banana chocolate chip squares for after school snacks, only sprinkling chocolate chips on top to save on that expense. Kids were still happy.
– I ordered a missing brick from a lego kit, for free from the lego site.
Looking forward to learning from everyone else, as always!
Wow you look lovely in your red birthday dress! How nice your son could help you with your repairs. I have been making a mixed bulk tea with herbs and leaves collected from my yard and my friends’ yards, such as lemongrass, mullein, sage and mint, along with a few teas that have been in my cupboard that I haven’t used. Adding fig leaves is particularly delicious and vanilla tasting! I just dry them to add (crumbled) to the tea mix. Also good to add are bits of dried citrus peel. I steep my tea in an English teapot bought second hand, it has a metal insert that I put the bulk tea in with almost boiling water and steep for ten minutes. I also make a fig leaf syrup out of the leaves…many recipes online. It is delicious, just fig leaves steeped in simple syrup and then strained.
My adult daughter gave a free workshop on how to ferment fruits and vegetables to a group of friends. We learned that fresh grape leaves, bay leaves, or tea bags have tannin and help make cucumber pickles crispy. Fermenting is not hard, and it helps manage garden produce. We experimented with fermenting cherimoyas (a fruit) from a neighbor, haven’t tried them yet. All you need is produce, salt, water, jars, and time. The book Wild Fermentation is available on Libby.
Thank you everyone for all your tips and creativity that keeps me motivated!
Oh my goodness, cherimoyas. I love them, but so expensive! What zone are you in that they grow?
How wonderful that you were able to visit with your son and get the work done on your bathroom. And how fun that you got to go to the show for free.
I planted peas, carrots and onion starts in the garden. It is really early and still cold out, but with judicial use of frost cloth the arugula, lettuce, turnips and bok choy I planted several weeks ago are doing well and we’ve already enjoyed a salad and some chard from the greenhouse.* I made a batch of yogurt, a loaf of sandwich bread, and half a dozen bagels.* I turned stale bread into bread crumbs and baked French toast.* I shredded and froze excess carrots for a future batch of muffins, and chopped and froze excess celery to use in soup – saving veggies that would probably otherwise have gone bad. *I removed rental car coverage from the insurance for my husband’s truck (which he drives very little) and inquired about a discount for the AARP Safe Driver Course we took earlier this year. Both are small savings but it all adds up.
Looks like you had a great week, Brandy! I always look forward to seeing what you’re up to. You look stunning in the red dress. I’m so glad you got out and had a nice time. * When my daughters were young, we got them each a sewing machine for their 12th birthday. Of the four of them, two sewed a lot, one a little and one absolutely never. Well, my never girl is now 28 and starting to settle down some. She decided she wanted to make a simple baby quilt (like the ones I always make) for some of her friends who are having babies. I coached her through it and she got out that old (never used machine) and she did it! And it was so beautiful! And she loved it! I didn’t even know she had kept the machine through the years, especially since she didn’t sew, but it wasn’t a waste of money after all. Then, the next week she texted a pic of a KitchenAid mixer she bought, refurbished. You could have knocked me over with a feather. This is my girl who has a mini-fridge in her bathroom for her designer makeup and calls the door dash guy by his first name. I never dreamed she would bake or sew like she saw growing up. It’s fun to see and glad to know that the sewing machine we bought 17 years ago is being utilized!* When I knit and crochet, I always save leftover yarn in balls and put it in a medium sized laundry basket. When it’s full -about once a year- I make up some scrap projects. This year I’m doing a double thick (two strands of yarn) afghan for a picnic blanket and then as many granny square afghans as I can get. I’ll probably get two or three. These are my favorite projects since I’m making beautiful things out of yarn others would toss. * I was able to cook from scratch and utilize leftovers. * Other than that, same old around here, which is just fine with me. * Hope everyone has a great week!
What a wonderful 12th birthday gift! And I love the story!
Lovely to hear about your daughter taking up the skills she saw you using day to day.
I can remember having a discussion with my sister, who would have been 64 at the time, who decided to keep my mother’s expensive sewing machine when we were clearing out my parents’ home after their deaths. I said to her there was no reason for her to keep it because she hated sewing and hadn’t sewn anything in her whole adult life. She said to me, “But I could start, couldn’t I?”
How exciting, going to a Cirque de Soleil show. Your outfit was perfectly festive and colorful for one of their shows.
I saved money by putting off my grocery shopping by a week and using what I had. When I did go I set a limit of $80 (CAD) for what I needed for the next two weeks. My normal budget would be $120, though it can be less if I am not stocking up. I was able to get good prices on chicken – $2.27/lb on chicken drumsticks, and $5.99 on boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are often a dollar or two more a lb. I will alternate chicken meals with ones based on lentils, black beans and chick peas that I have on hand, and with half a dozen whole eggs and lots of egg whites. I was able to get the house brand of coffee whitener and ginger snaps for a very good price. This store’s house brand is general good quality, so I am confident trying these products. I also got a good price on red potatoes. Salad kits were very expensive ($6.99), so I only bought one. I will use some frozen mixed vegetables and several lbs of fresh carrots that I have left as vegetables. Mandarin oranges were $5.49 for a 2 lb bag. The oranges are small, so there will be a few extra servings, even though it is less nutrition per serving. I bought yellow onions too, which were $2.99 for a 3 lb bag.
I walked away from olive oil which was $12.99 for half a litre (about a pint). I have a bit of olive oil left, which I’ll use where it makes a big difference, and use the litre of canola oil I have in the pantry until I can find olive oil on sale. I paid $8.89 for the full litre of canola oil three weeks ago. The price difference makes sense, for once. The fields that surround my small town in rural Alberta are mostly full of canola crops, and it would be a few thousand miles of travel to find an olive tree.
Someone has opened a store two afternoons a week that sells homemade Ukrainian food, including perogies and garlic-coil sausage. It is right across the laneway from my house. I looked up the saturated fat in everything on their menu, and the only thing that fits my effort to keep cholesterol under control is their hot mustard. I was not the first person on Google to have checked all of these Ukrainian foods’ saturated fat. That made me laugh. In any case, whatever temptation I have to go to the store is tempered by the fact that the short cut that would take me across my back yard and the laneway and between two buildings to get there takes me right by my doctor’s office, only a few feet from her desk!
Now that I have my supplies, I have 10 days to spend on projects around the house before the next round of pension payments starts. It is a little cold this week, and then warms up a bit for the week that follows.
With a lot of sour cream in the fridge, I’m thinking of buying some perogies this week. I live in a Ukrainian neighbourhood in Toronto so lots of choice – might try some fruit filled ones this time.
That sounds very tasty! I imagine I will be able to work some food from this store in if I use portion control to manage the saturated fat. A few perogies or some sausage diced into small cubes along with some cabbage and onions will give me the taste of a home made Ukrainian meal without doing too much harm to my plan.
It all reminds me of a Remembrance Day spent with a group of ladies making perogies for a fund-raiser for Athabasca University. The perogy expert in the group was in charge of rolling out huge sheets of dough, while the rest of us made filling, cut circles of dough and pinched the edges of the perogies so the filling wouldn’t fall out during cooking. Being a beginner I was a lowly edge-pincher.
Elizabeth M,
Thank you for the smile you brought to me with the image of you having to go past your doctor’s office with perogies in hand! So funny!
I just know I would get caught!
Great to see your post, and wow, I really like the photo of you in the new dress. You look lovely and happy! Glad you could get to see the show and have a nice outing. Sounds like a super productive week with the yard sale finds, an outing and a bathroom update 😉
Thank you! Always such a delight to be with my friend; she is a wonderful person and I enjoy her company.
Happy birthday to the birthday child. We went to a Cirque de Soleil performance about 15 years ago. It was my sister’s Christmas gift to the whole family. It was amazing. I would love to go to another one some day. Your garden looks amazing. I have a while until mine will look as bountiful. I have been working on it as the rain allows. It does keep me busy. So far I have planted 242 plant cells. I ran out of dirt. When I get more I will do more. A friend gave my son an Ikea pull out couch from her parents house. They are getting ready to sell it since they both have passed. We helped get it to his apartment with Hubby’s truck. He then borrowed the truck and got some free yard furniture free from a friend. My friend offered me lots of other items. I only took some cloth napkins and tablecloths. We are currently watching my sister’s dog for 2 weeks while she is in Italy. When she dropped him off she dropped off some open food, carrots, bacon, blue cheese, and milk buns. She also got me my favorite cookies and Hubby’s favorite cookies too. The heat has been off and the windows are open during the day. The laundry has been getting hung up outside.
Eid Mubarak, Brandy! You look lovely and surely brought a lot of joy to the Eid celebration.
Thank you, Farhana! I hope you had a lovely Eid.
I was warmly welcomed by all the friends of my friends, asked to be in all their pictures; even though I am almost old enough to be their mother, no one minded. I had met several young women at iftars with my friends during Ramadan, and when they saw me at the park for Eid, they all invited me over and introduced me to more people. I had a wonderful time.
I’m glad you had a good time :). I wish I were in that area to meet you :D.
😊 It was nice. The weather was pleasant for the first time in months–no wind.
We just got home from picking up a load of free river rock and some other smaller stones for a drainage project. We are thankful for this for free, it saves such a lot of money.
I picked up a desk that was outside for free in our neighborhood, and sold it the next day. I love these quick flips.
I have cooked with free food from Buy Nothing-canned lentils, canned creamed corn, fresh carrots, sweet potatoes, frozen falafel and naan bread. We are working on eating down the chest freezer in preparation for turning it off for the summer. I have reorganized kitchen cupboards and freezers.
A friend offered me tomato and basil starts, which I gratefully accepted. Since I’ve been sick this year I haven’t done as much in the garden and had planned on buying starts.
I had ordered some toys for my grandson’s birthday from Target and then they went on sale. I contacted Target and I got a refund of the difference.
Our internet bill went up and I contacted them and they switched the price back to our our old price. It so often pays to ask!
Brandy, what great finds you came across at garage sales. And you look amazing in that dress!
I helped again distribute food boxes at a community center near me. The organization had a glut of food and we were invited to take some home. I brought home shitake mushrooms, green peppers, some limes, a grapefruit and some tomatoes. There was so much extra food, we were encouraged to take more. I was attending a potluck lunch right after and texted the hostess of the lunch asking if I could bring some extra produce. She said “yes!” and I brought two boxes of green peppers, a small box of limes, several bags of gourmet, raw mushrooms, and some dried chiles. There were 22 people at the lunch. It was wonderful to be able to share food that likely would have otherwise gone to waste.
I made two loaves of bread.
I added a lace border to the bottom of a linen dress. Without the border, it felt just a little short. I have another linen dress to modify the hemline on as well.
I went to my local scratch and dent resale store to buy olive oil, some pasta, and found barely out of date coconut milk for .69 a can so I bought 4. I splurged on some oat milk Lindt truffles on sale. They are almost as good as the regular ones.
I am enjoying time outside. It seems that the blossoms are at their peak and the tulips are starting to bloom as well.
I hope everyone has a good week.
I also went to another potluck dinner.
Good Morning!
1. I am on the last canister of nut protein powder. Yeah. I am determined to get rid of various smoothie fixings that impulse bought ( powdered Kale, tart cherry juice, nut protein powder which was ridiculous because I have pounds of nuts.) I have begun a smoothie breakfast campaign. it has been good for food reduction plan. It is not my favorite breakfast of greek yogurt. By May I should be finished.
2. I am officially over halfway through the month and still have $71 dollars left in April’s food budget of $200. I have plenty of protein in the freezer especially after I repackaged my discount Easter ham. This is the first time I bought the Sam’s club 5 dozen eggs and it is a game changer for me at .16 cents an egg. I have let my hubby take prepackaged things for lunch and I have been taken slices of home made sweetbreads and leftovers from the dinner. it has worked out great. It is amazing to me what I can put together with staples like rice, potatoes, sugar, butter and eggs.
3. I know this is a luxury problem but I will write it anyway. Son is graduating from college in December. I have save my whole teaching life to go on an Antartica Cruise with the three of us. Researching and sorting out what is best for us has been incredibly difficult. We are on a tight-ish budget since the third person usually has to pay almost double. We made a decision to not have a luxury large boat, but a small expedition boat. Lots of outdoor activities like hiking, camping, kayak etc. . . Well I put down 20% on an older boat and immediately had buyers remorse. I stewed and tossed and turned for two nights. then I just called the customer service to ask for a refund so I could maybe choose again. She was willing to do it even though it was outside company policy. What a great gal! I started talking to her about my concerns. One was the comfort and the other was that I had to take a berth in a quad with strangers while the boys shared a twin room. This gal found a newer ship and converted a superior deluxe ( the best room on the boat) to accommodate three people. There is an affordablevincrease in price but what a difference. Take home message: I knew the first reservation was wrong for us. Call it intuition, a high power or whatever. I am so much happier. Never settle for what you know is wrong. It never hurts to get in their and keep challenging the expected.
Antarctica! How cool!
The teen was able to take the ACT for free.
I used larger plastic bags for trash
My teen is involved with her school drama department (as crew), so this weekend I went to watch The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for $10. I love high school theatre.
My manager cleaned out her desk and gave me her bar of soap and laundry detergent sample we were all gifted a few weeks ago.
There’s a 7 Brew opening up near the school I work at and today they brought iced coffee for everyone. I don’t drink it, but I strained the ice out of one and brought it home to my teen.
Ate breakfasts and lunches at work
Redeemed a couple birthday freebies…I had a free drink and bakery item from a local gas station, then a free Jimmy Johns sandwich. I still have a few more things to get, just trying to spread them out.
Three of us had to get new phones, I turned in the old ones for credits.
It sounds like you had a great week!
On the frugal front:
I stopped at three thrift stores when out running errands and spent $3 on two books for my sister’s classroom.
I took cuttings from my pathos plant to root in water. I gave the previous set of cuttings to my neighbor.
I used the last bits of cotton yarn to knit face scrubbies. I try to avoid purchasing disposable products like cotton rounds or make up removing wipes.
We have been using up the small bars of soap which HH occasionally brings home from hotels while traveling on business.
We were invited to go out for drinks with family over the weekend. It was a beautiful spring day, so rather than going out, we invited them to our house. I pulled cookies from the freezer, made Chex mix using items on hand, and served beverages leftover from hosting Easter brunch. HH pulled the patio furniture from storage, cleaned it and set it out. The cushions were slightly faded, but he was able to flip them over. The reverse side looked good as new. In MN, a warm and sunny day on the patio in mid April is a treat!
HH used tax software to complete our taxes. As W2 employees, our taxes are very simple. As planned, the amounts balanced nicely, and we did not pay a large bill or receive a large return.
I bought a large bag of heavily discounted ripe bananas to use to bake banana bread.
I went through my password manager, and changed all passwords to my accounts. I do this periodically to prevent identity theft.
I look forward to reading everyone’s frugal feats!
What a splendid color that red is for you! I have no large frugal efforts to report, other than starting a lot of vegetable seeds for my summer garden. In August, when we harvest here in Fairbanks, I will be really, really happy for my spring seed starting, but right now it is not saving me money. I am still doing the usual, not wasting food, reusing foil and plastic, being careful with water use, and so on. I know over the long haul it all helps, it is just not very attention getting and everybody in this group is already doing those things.
The little everyday choices do matter a lot, I agree! I enjoy all the comments here and the encouragement they provide – yours included. 🙂
That is a great photo of you! Awesome find on your garage sale hunts too.
We joined a mushroom club and went on our first foray this week. I always wanted to learn fungi identification with my dad (who was well versed) unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be. This will be a great group to learn with. We wandered the woods taking in nature and learning. I packed snacks and water. I didn’t find the particular one we learned about, but did make a new friend.
We gathered to help my mom after work. Knowing this needed done before dinner, I made healthy smoothies for the car ride and threw a crock pot dinner together that was ready as we walked in the door home (instead of picking up take out due to hangry)
I used work out videos on YouTube (Leslie Sansone & FitbyMik) to attack extra pounds needing lost.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week.
You look beautiful in your red dress, Brandy. I believe your birthday is in the next few days, so happy birthday! My birthday is today. I spent the day running errands and it was actually quite enjoyable. My sister is coming over for tea in a bit. My mom’s birthday is on Thursday so we will take a homemade lunch up to her to celebrate.
– Kroger had broccoli and cauliflower on sale again for 99 cents/lb so I bought some of each. Will blanch and freeze a bunch of broccoli for later.
– Found the deodorant I use for half price in the Safeway clearance section. Bought six, so that will last me a while.
– Attended a large craft show in Seattle. The admission price was $5 but it was worth it. The local weavers guild had a booth where you could learn about weaving, which has interested me for years. The guild had crafts for kids, and adults could also try out weaving on three different looms. I tried out two of the looms and really enjoyed it. Perhaps I will take an upcoming class to learn more.
– Ran into a good friend at the craft show, so afterwards we went and picked up coffee, and then went to her house and sat on the patio. It was fun to catch up with her that way.
– Found a vintage wooden fold up sewing table at a thrift store for $7.50 – a great deal! I had been looking for an actual sewing table with a recessed area for the machine. I was thrilled to find one for a good price that would fit in my car.
– Visited a thrift store that I had never been to before, and found a pair of pants for my mom on the clearance rack for 99 cents. They offered me the senior (55+) discount, so my total with tax was 82 cents. That made me laugh.
– Used one of my Christmas mantel stocking hangers to hang something from the edge of a shelf. It was free and worked great.
Have a great week, everyone.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday, Tina! 🙂
The red roses are stunning! So beautiful.
-The large craft/material store near me is closing. I am sad as I usually was there every month or so for supplies for scrapbooking, knitting, crafting, and sewing clothes and quilts. This store was in business for 33 years. I’m afraid we will start seeing more closings with the economy and inflation and the ordering online and not going into a storefront. That is the reason this store is closing according to their customer letter. Call me old fashioned, I like to see what I am buying before I get it so I don’t have to make returns.
-I canned 6 more quarts of cranberry juice from 25 cent bags of fresh cranberries I bought after Thanksgiving and froze. I have 4 more bags and I want to can some cranberry sauce and the rest will be juice.
-Made kombucha and sweet tea for drinking along with water for the weekend.
-Used spaghetti sauce and meatballs from the freezer to make spaghetti and meatballs. Used the remainder of the sauce, breaking the meatballs up into chunks and made a small lasagne-4 servings (2 meals for us). So leftover sauce that was frozen and then leftovers used again in a different way. I am stretching everything!
-I mended the clothes that had piled up over the last few months.
-I am slowly cleaning out a drawer here and a cupboard there. I can work in small increments, so I try to do a bit each day to get something accomplished. I am being very realistic in what I am keeping. I am tired of clutter and I am only keeping what I use! Example I have a box grater, a mandolin, a salad shooter, and a food processor. I hardly ever pull out the food processor. I donated it, I hardly use it, and it is the biggest foot print and takes electricity. The salad shooter may be next, I tend to hand cut or chop things with a knife and cutting board and if I need even slices I use the mandolin. Why do we feel we need all the latest fancy gadgets?
-I made horseradish pickles from jars of dill pickles. This is a Midwest thing I think. They are sweet, tangy, and dilly. So good!!
-I placed orange peels in a quart jar and added white vinegar to make an all purpose cleaner and disinfectant that I like to use on kitchen counters and the sinks. It will sit in the pantry brewing and then will be poured in a spray bottle.
-The only groceries bought this week was a head of lettuce, 2 tomatoes, and a gallon of milk. I am continuing to try and use home canned goods to empty jars for this summer/ fall canning season.
Brandy, you look fabulous in red! Happy Birthday!! Mind sharing where you bought the dress?
I went through & stopped my subscriptions to several streaming services save for Netflix. I get Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ free through my cellphone plan with Verizon. Also cancelled my SiriusXM subscription.
Since I likely won’t be able to work during my cancer treatment, I need to cut back expenses to the bare minimum.
I had my mediport put in today. It’s sore at the incision site. I’ve been icing it. My surgeon did give me some pain medication though.
We did a lot of cooking at home.
Nothing else special really. Hope everyone has a fabulously frugal week!
The dress is from Banana Republic Factory. I paid $47 for it on sale. When it came, I saw the price tag at full price and did a double take, because I didn’t pay anywhere near that much!
Thinking of you, Kelly! One tip I learned from a former physiotherapist, was to put water in a small plastic or paper cup, then put a popsicle stick it in, and freeze it. Once frozen, you have a handy ice-r, that can maneuver into spaces that larger ice packs can’t.
Dear Kelly, I am sorry to hear that you won’t be able to work during your treatment that must be very worrisome for you. I was also given the same advice for my chemotherapy. I hope your first treatment goes well.
Love reading all the posts. Long- time reader, but rare poster. You look wonderful Brandy in red and love how you styled your scarf!
We continue our focus on eating down our freezer and pantry. I thought we would have made a bigger dent by now, but happy to limit grocery shopping.
Planted seeds in the garden this week. Usually a task my husband manages, but since I’m retired now we are doing it together. I watched a garden video about planting cilantro really early and I’m excited to see its already popping up. It’s one herb I use a lot of, but have had almost zero luck growing, Hopefully by starting early, this will be the year!
Our big project was rehabbing two outdoor loungers we’ve had for 15+ years. We pulled all the strapping off, repainted them and then replaced the strapping with new vinyl. The newer loungers we (briefly) looked at were running about $$250- $300 each, so we feel like we saved at least $400 by doing it ourselves. Plus saved them from going to the landfill.
Have a lovely week!
I love that scarf with your beautiful red dress! I’ve been to one Cirque du Soleil show and just checked the ticket prices for the show that is due here next month – yikes! Free was definitely the way to go!
I’ve been doing a lot of Spring cleaning and have finally made a dent in my paperwork and shredding! I moved an old shelving unit into my pantry and it has allowed me to group more things all in the one spot. Also moved up a few more cans to the kitchen to use up over the next week or so. I have saved up enough to order some new furniture so needed to get some cleaning done along with a bit more decluttering – it has been a good incentive.
Did a smallish grocery shop last Thursday to take advantage of some offers. Noticed that my points didn’t show on my receipt (no amount showed so they were obviously having an issue with the system). Emailed the company as soon as I got home to let them know they owed me 4500 points (equal to $4.50) – which they promptly added to my account. Went out again on Monday – again specifically targeting certain items to get the most points – mostly non food. The cashier was very impressed that I managed to accumulate $10 worth of points in one go!
I did spend money on Sunday as I took some out of town friends to brunch. I would have made it here but it was my turn to treat and – due to timing issues and their limited mobility – it was just easier to meet them at their hotel. It was lovely to see them both so worth it to me.
Otherwise it was the usual – cooking at home – too busy for much socializing – snacks and meals taken to work as needed – stretching my haircut for another couple of weeks and really thinking twice about what I actually need to order furniture wise (I’ve already saved about $300 by just waiting for a few more days and really thinking about it).
FYI to those readers in Toronto – keep an eye on the news in case the TTC goes on strike – they are in position as of this coming Monday. I plan to stock up on a few extra groceries as I don’t drive and it’s a 20 minute walk in either direction to get to a store from where I live (2 subway stops). I can do most of my work from home but some medical appointments may need to be rebooked. Sigh…. it’s always something with our transit system.
Oh! Thanks for the heads-up re the TTC! Something to think about when planning Drs appointments for me or my kids.
And awesome re accumulating optimum points! Isn’t it satisfying?
The red dress is very pretty. Brady’s gold sandals look like a pair I got a few years ago at Old Navy. Mine are very comfortable & they go w/ many outfits.
1. Had a cheap date night. We had readmission passes from a movie we had tried to watch a year ago. (The movie was a kid’s movie unbeknownst to us.) The movie we saw this time was much better. We ate tacos before the movie using some reward points.
2. I found a 1/2 full bag of garden soil & 1/2 bag of mulch behind a hardware store. Gave this to hubby for his garden.
3. I made a scalloped potato casserole using a 20 oz can of commodity pork instead of ham. I made a simple cheese sauce to go over the potatoes & pork. It turned out decently. I then made a Mississippi Mud cake using some large marshmallows w/ chocolate centers (that were drying out). I think if you look in your pantry you can often find the ingredients for a meal w/o having to go to the grocery store.
4. I helped a friend do some packing up after her garage sale. She gave me small radio/clock. I like to listen to the news when I get dressed in the morning as well as keep an eye on the time.
5. She also gave me a deadbolt lock w/keys. Hubby can install this in the condo (which has a contrary deadbolt.) She also gave me an Oster bread machine & some spare lids that fit my Rubbermaid containers. For some reason my lids wear out before the bowls. I like to use my sturdy bowls to store leftovers in. So happy to get replacement lids!
They arefrom Old Navy! 😄
We had 3 1/2 days without rain but it was very windy.
Sown peas ,beans ,carrots ,potatoes ,beetroot , runner beans and parsnips . Cut lawns and weeded. I used the grass cuttings to mulch the peas.I ached all over, I found muscles I forgot I had.
Bulk cooked mince and stew adding beans to both. Baked 36 spicy fairy cakes.
I went to the farm shop for veg on way to dd2.
Not frugal.Kitchen tap had no water coming out of it. Hubby used to do this kind of thing ,but now he can’t get down onto the floor and can’t get up again. Its a pain getting old literally. The plumber charge £120.
Got postage stamps before the price went up.
Been grocery shopping at Aldi and Waitrose. I found 2 30% off large chickens and reduced mushrooms at Aldi now all in the freezer.
Opened an ISA for tax relief on savings . While we were out we had a heavy hail storm, I hope my apple trees are OK as they have blossom on them.
Dried all washing outside, washed all the kitchen/bathroom mats.
Keep safe everyone.
Chris
Hi Brandy and everyone
Wow! This was definitely a post about making life beautiful for less. Baking, garden produce, garage sale buys, inexpensive gifts, parties, do it yourself home maintenance etc. The photo of you in your new dress is gorgeous.
Someone left seedlings on our doorstep, we think it’s spinach but we don’t yet know who to thank. We used purple sprouting broccoli and parsnips from the garden and picked tulips for the house. Tomato seedlings and cardoons were potted on. Lots of our strawberry plants have rotted in our very wet winter so we replaced them with inexpensive plants from Lidl which we have hardened off carefully.ñ
We had guests this week so I made a crumble with the first rhubarb of the season and chocolate chip fairy cakes with larder ingredients. I baked a gammon which has given us multiple meals with some to freeze and I batch cooked more Bolognese sauce.
I had a couple of limes I didn’t get round to using so I sliced and froze them and I’m popping them into glasses of water.
I compared the active ingredients in over the counter hayfever medication and saved more than £5 by buying non branded tablets.
I swam at our local leisure centre and the over 60’s price was £4, another small saving. I swim once a week in the sea for free.
I had a big declutter and reorganisation of tupperware and freezer containers and don’t need to buy anything else.
Our everyday dinner service is about 50 years old( it belonged to my parents) and pieces have been chipped and broken over the years. We replaced it with a new to us service bought at auction. It’s an odd quantity, 18 dinner plates, 14 cups and saucers etc, in excellent condition and only cost £30. We’ve stored half of it away in the pantry for replacements if pieces get broken.
Stay safe everyone.
We use Flash Foods app to purchase fresh produce. Besides some baked goods that is all that is listed on the app, but we are loving it. My kids love thinking up things to do with the random veggies we get.
We rent 2 storage units for our business. The 2 units are in the same row, but not next to each other. The unit next to 1 of ours opened up so we switched units last week. There was a one time $30 fee to switch units, this fee was worth it to now have our two units side-by-side. Bonus the unit got organized better as we moved everything.
Not so fun, my husband had a 2 month follow up dentist visit after procedures for gum disease. The gums are healing slower than the dentist would like. We now have a game plan how to proceed next.
I made a list when local community neighborhood yard sales happen, starting in a few weeks. Around here, they all seem to happen on the same two weekends. I prefer to shop at the neighborhood yard sales to save time and driving. We are continuing to reorganize our house to be able to find stuff easier.
You look lovely in your red dress! So glad you could go to the theatre – nothing like a live performance.
I commented so late last week, I don’t have much new to share. But, will add my little frugal efforts to the mix:
*I finished painting the stairs to the ground level of our house. We have turned one big room into 3 (mud room, workshop and my husband’s office which he is currently finishing.) Still a few touch-ups to do but a good feeling that I can now move onto the fun part – hanging art and arranging things. I have a few maps which are special to our family for various reasons and am framing them in thrift-store or inherited frames to hang on the walls of the stairwell. We also reused the coat hooks we had up previously – just needed new screws which we had on hand. Finishing our house ourselves has been the greatest money-saver, just takes time.
*My youngest son went to his 6th orthodonture appointment. He isn’t ready for braces yet but they have been wanting to check him regularly to see when he is ready. We have not paid one cent for any of these appointments. I know they are counting on us continuing with them for the actual braces but it is nice to not have any expense yet. We are setting aside money for braces for both boys for when the time comes.
*Sold $46 worth of items in my neighbor’s antique booth.
*Sold LOTS of eggs. My youngest son gets 1/2 the money for his work with the chickens so he is pleased, too. 🙂
*A friend from church need to clean up her iris beds and gave me a box full. Friend flowers are the best!
*The homeschool art show I mentioned in last week’s comment went beautifully. So encouraging to the artists and a wonderful evening. Thank goodness!
*My youngest son attended an acrylics class at a local arts center. The class was only $15 and he was having so much fun, he stayed an hour later than the scheduled time. Love that the teacher and fellow students were so enthusiastic they wanted to keep learning. We have two local arts councils that are a wonderful source of low-cost and sometimes free art education and we try to utilize them as much as possible.
*Been spending lots of time in the gardens and on walks in the woods with my dog. Good for the soul! 🙂
Hope everyone has a lovely week!
So many lovely photos, including the one of you! It’s good to hear about the ways you are using the Amazon credits. Last week, while canning black beans, I decided to finish cracking the pecans we had left, while sitting with the canner. A jar of honey had crystallized. I put it in a bowl of water, on the woodstove, and after a bit, it remelted. With warmer nights, we let the fire in the woodstove go out for several nights. The first cutting of nettles were harvested, and jars of glycerite started. I cut open my toothpaste tube, getting several days more use out of it. I harvested asparagus and rosemary, and foraged cat brier tips for myself and the pups. I went through Swagbucks for a purchase, for 6% cash back, and used a 10% promo code towards the total. Books were requested from the library. I didn’t see anything I wanted at a B&B’s little free library where I delivered soap, but dropped off several books while there. At a thrift store in that town, I found two canisters for my shop, along with a little summer linen dress from J Jill for $3.09. All the seedlings in the garden and containers were fed with the weed tea I made recently. I filled a six gallon bucket with weeds, to start another batch of weed tea. The first of the lemon balm was harvested, and a jar of glycerite started.
There was a frugal fail last week. After running by the bank, I stopped at Dollar General. No one was at a register, so everyone was doing self check-out. After I got home, I realized I’d been scammed, and bought a lb. of butter for someone. I’d heard that people will scan something then leave, but I’ve done self checkout so rarely, it hadn’t become a habit to check, before I leave the store. A friend planted all the seedlings she had room for, and very kindly offered the remainder to me. There are many tomatoes, of all sorts of interesting varieties, sweet peppers, borage, and a few pickling cucumbers. I brought some bars of soap for her, as a small token of thanks.
Brandy, you look beautiful in that red dress. Going to a show with a friend is always fun. Your garden pictures are amazing. What a find in that marble table. Happy Birthday. Tuesday was my sister-in-law’s birthday, so we had the family over for a fish fry. We had so much fun, listening to stories on each of the siblings and sharing news and garden tips with each other. My husband has our garden planted, and he got my sunflowers planted. Instead of buying flower starts I have planted seeds in my pots and flower bed, so I am hoping they come up. My niece and I went to a farmers’ market and had a lot of fun. We did not spend a lot of money, but we got to sample different jellies, bread, and salsa. My aunt and I went to a wedding shower Saturday and seen people we have not seen in a while. Our library celebrated library week with different events every day. Thank you for this blog and everyone who posts.
You look lovely in that outfit! And those are some great garage sale finds.
1. I got a $20 birthday discount from a clothing store. I used it to buy new underwear – not exciting, but much needed.
2. I got an offer for a year of Instacart+ for $19, which comes with a free subscription to Peacock streaming service. That will save me money in two ways – free shows, obviously, plus the ability to get groceries delivered from Aldi with no delivery fee. I typically use each grocery store’s own delivery service, but Aldi doesn’t have one other than Instacart.
3. I used up some ingredients before they went bad by making a mixed berry cobbler. Besides the berries, which were getting old, I was able to use a lot of my carton of Nutpods dairy-free creamer in it. This was my first time trying Nutpods, and it’s great. This will be my new substitute for half-and-half. But next time instead of getting the vanilla flavor, I’m going to get the unflavored version so I can use it for more things.
4. Since I still had a little creamer left, I used the last of it to make a batch of pancakes for Sunday brunch.
5. I made an agreement to split the cost of Paramount+ with my parents since we all enjoy it. We’ll make one annual payment instead of monthly, to save a little money.
6. I made a batch of biscuits and froze half of them for later since they don’t stay fresh very long.
I am a long time reader, but haven’t commented in many years. I am always so encouraged by Brandy’s posts & reader comments. I decided this was the year to contribute more.
For this week:
*Our neighbor gave us 1.5 dozen eggs.
*Packed my lunch every day
*Decided not to participate in our schools fundraiser. We are extremely involved in our children’s school, and decided we don’t have the extra bandwidth (both in time & money) to do this now.
*We have a graduating senior this year and have paid cash for all the things during this senior year. We started a “sinking fund” at the beginning of her junior year to pay for her grad party and all the extras that come along with the senior year. Thus far, we have had cash to cover everything.
*Found a good deal on Amazon for sling/fanny pack purses ($8.87) I ordered a whole bunch of these for all the girl grad parties we will be going to. I wasn’t sure how I was going to gift everyone $20+ in a gift. I was glad to find a cute, useful gift for under $10.
*Earned digital credit on Amazon for choosing delayed shipping of said gifts
* Said “no” to myself and others many times this week. (Saying ‘no’ can save a lot!)
*Did my usuals: paid bills online, washed baggies, used the library, made coffee at home and avoided expensive coffee shops (even though I love going to them)
*We are having a beautiful, early spring in Ohio. Walked outside and enjoyed the warm weather.
*Turned off my heat because of the nice weather. Haven’t had to use the AC yet either. Win Win!!
Glad you joined in, Cara. Great job managing senior year expenses which are no joke! While reading your entry, I realized I was warm and turned the heat down. Your comment has already had positive impact. Thanks!
My sister and I carpooled to funeral 60 miles away. We were going to lunch afterwards but had no definite plans. Right after funeral we shopped a little as we were in a big town. I sat in car while she was in a store. Playing on my phone an ad for Red Lobster came up. We like it and haven’t been in months and it was nearby. We shopped a little more and headed to Red Lobster. They had the exact special I had seen online so we both got that. I had a flash of memory and checked my gift card wallet. Sure enough I had a $50 gift card friends had given me months ago for my birthday. We were able to use any leftover $ on gift card towards tip so for only an additional $6 cash we had a great lunch with 2 orders of their great biscuits and I even brought food home. Also went to 🎯 and I bought some things I had wanted from the Dollar Spot. I use Target app a lot and had a couple of rewards gift cards. Didn’t really know how to use but the checkout lady helped me so it was free to me and even had gift card balance left for next time.
If you buy for children and are a $Tree shopper they currently have small stuffies from PBS shows. I got 3/4 Berenstain Bears that I will pair with favorite book for 2 yo birthday in May. Saw. Few other PBS series also.
You are beautiful i t red dress! Love your table! Gas went up to $3.13 a gallon at Sam’s and is about $3.39 elsewhere. I don’t feel like I have any frugal tings to report because grocery prices are high. I suppose the fact that we are getting new town water lines and it is free to the town residents in the small town where I live during the week, that would be frugal. Other than that I did my typical walking in my neighborhood, eating at home, and cleaning my house.
Grocery prices are extremely high. I hope you can plant some things at your house.
All the photos are so lovely, including the one of you, so stunning!
*We had a so. take down a large oak a year ago and our chainsaw broke in the process. A SIL brought his over and cut it into smaller pieces. We then had someone grind the stump ( not cheap), but it gave me lots of woods chips to put in my garden beds. It looks so tidier and helps when drier summer weather comes along. I planted a fig in the spot from the stump and a neighbor brought a load of dirt on his tractor to fill the hole!
*I have lettuce and beets that have successfully transplanted from seedlings
and am picking lettuce, kale, chard, radishes for meals. I have continued making green smoothies with dandelion, chickweed and cleavers with apple and marked down lettuce. I have planted rattlesnake green beans from seeds saved from last summer along with peppers and zinnias and marigold.
We transplanted a blueberry sucker and so far it looks good.
* The grocery markdowns continue to bless me and my family. I asked the produce manager if he would let me buy markdown not sorted yet if I took all of it, the cost was $7 for 25#. It was full of pomegranates, pears, lemons, limes and a few apples. I am drying the pears in pear leather right now as well as some dandelion leaves, that I will purée to put in smoothies come fall and winter.
* I roasted a chicken and have made four meals and I will make a pot of broth with it too. I still have a large turkey to do next month.
* There is a rec center ten minutes away where I take free senior exercise classes. They work with a local university offering free blood work and respiratory function tests. I have been doing this quarterly and got a bag with a snack, water, paper towel roll, and cleaning wipes that I use sparingly as they are so strong and toxic. A cart of free books was beside the bags and I got one on the kings and queens of England.
* I hope you all enjoy the spring weather and soak up the sun!
* Spring is my favorite season and I am thoroughly soaking it up every day!
i’ve broken my left wrist. Luckily its not my dominant hand. It happened when we were still south at our winter place and we weren’t comfortable having a repair done out of country. so we came home. The bone was put back in place and I find out tomorrow if it has shifted requiring a plate.
This is the second broken bone in 6 months.
We went through the cupboards and freezers to plan simple meals. Really only needed to buy fresh veg and dairy. Recently made a black bean soup using stock, grated carrot, cabbage and zucchini from the freezer. Shared it with two of my kids.
DH went to use the bbq and discovered a mouse nest. He cleaned it out, washed all parts and heated everything up to sterilize it.
My DD and DIL went on vacay to the southern house and didn’t need to buy groceries. Plus they invited in a neighbour to “shop” my pantry and fridge so nothing goes to waste.
I was a member of an online frugal/simple group but got banned recently for calling out rude behaviour. Oh well.
I’ve read a number of downloaded books, nothing of any great literature.
It’s pretty boring being one handed and one realizes how important elastic waist bands can be.
i’m looking forward to warmer weather and hope I can do a bit of gardening. The rhubarb is coming up as well as lots of herbs.
I didn’t shop the first week of April, and having allotted myself a lower budget this month, I did go shopping last week. I still came in under my two-week total. We’ll say it’s not so much savvy shopping as a lack of good buys. I am equally underwhelmed this week as well. I do have shopping lists for two stores and in total I will spend less than half my budget but I am not committed to going yet. We’ll see.
In an effort to redo my guest bedroom and bath, I have painted a headboard and picture frames. I think this color scheme will look nicer than the current ones.
I looked at the clearance items in Walmart and was happy to find new towels ($1.99), a rug ($8), popsicle molds ($4), and an air pump for mattresses ($4) all on deep sales. I have two air mattresses but no pump. I was not at all upset at my end total which was 1/3 of my total saved in buying these items from the clearance section.
Until the past two days, I have continued to clear my freezer of older items and make meals from those items. We’ve eaten very well indeed and used up a lot of older items. I will be going right back to my challenge. I just needed a temporary break from that project while I worked outdoors.
Bells of Ireland are my favorite and I’ve had a tough time growing them for the past few years, so I always enjoy seeming pictures of yours!
I needed some fruit so I picked them up from a small family owned grocery store. Price was about the same as the chain stores and it kept me from buying a bunch of unnecessary stuff. I baked bread, muffins with frozen pumpkin from the fall, and fruit bars with wrinkly apples. I made a big pot of cabbage soup and shared some with family. Also gave away some ham I froze after Easter because were all sick of it and I have more left in the freezer. My mom shared some rhubarb cake. We enjoyed our first asparagus of the year and first fresh salad. We’ve had unseasonably warm weather and have had the heat turned off for a week.
We did some painting around the house. I found nightstands that fit the space on Marketplace and sold ones that didn’t fit well. I used decor we had on hand to freshen up the space, although I’ll look for deals on a few items like new curtains. I passed along a lot of kids clothes to friends. I picked up some kids clothes in the next sizes at a garage sale for very cheap. I’ve also been selling items regularly on ebay. I needed a stove and fridge for a rental house and found a great deal on a used set.
I was able to find some great unexpected clearance deals at big lots. They had nice name brand undershirts and underwear on clearance, and the clearance had an additional sale, plus I had a coupon. I was able to get several packs of undershirts and fancy underwear (my husband is picky) for less than one pack of undershirts at target. I also got lots of organic snacks on clearance.
I used to have trouble growing them, but now they are self-seeding all over the garden! I need to give some away, I think.
It sounds like you’ve been having good times, Brandy!
I pulled the last of my beets and roasted them in the toaster oven on the porch , since the house was warm already. They were sweet as can be.
I also harvested more carrots.
I picked mulberries and have other berries on the verge of ripening. It costs money to plant fruiting plants but they can pay us back very well for years.
We are getting hot weather but the nights are still coolish so I haven’t touched the A\C yet.
I took an online energy audit for free and received a kit that includes LED bulbs, faucet aerators, weather stripping, outlet gaskets and more.
I have valences that are dry clean only. However, I take them down every so often and brush them thoroughly with a stiff brush so they always look clean, saving on dry cleaning costs.
I kept some of my late mother’s costume jewelry and wear it once in a while, so I was intrigued by the jewelry here. I am the only one of all the people I know personally who wears brooches.
I love vintage jewelry! Because most people don’t wear brooches, I can sometimes find them for sale at garage sales. I love wearing them.
Count me in regarding wearing brooches and pins too! I’ve liked them since I was a child. Now I have some that were my grandmother’s that make me smile whenever I wear them. I don’t know anyone else that wears them either.
I wear brooches too! I also don’t know anyone else who does but I often get compliments when I wear one. Most of mine have a story to tell – they were given to me by family or friends, I inherited them from my mother, or I bought them in different countries. I love to see Brandy wearing them. Wish I could see yours too Lynn and Jo!
Another vote for vintage jewelry! I have pieces from both my grandmothers and some from my husband’s grandmother. I especially love the pins/brooches on the lapels of my (usually vintage) coats. People always comment and compliment me on them. 🙂
You look so beautiful all dressed up! What a lovely night out for you!
We are still on low spend here at our house. Everything is just so expensive.
*My husband did the most amazing frugal thing recently. I love collecting fashion items from thrift store. I have a collection of watches that I love to wear. I used to take some each year to the jeweler to get the batteries replaced, but it just became too expensive at $15 per watch. My husband has a nice watch that takes a special battery, it costs $75 to replace the battery. My husband decided to take matters into his own hands… he bought a $7 watch tool kit on and some of the watch batteries that we needed on Amazon. Some of the batteries only cost .50 each, so it’s all labor that you are paying for to get the batteries changed. He taught himself how to change the watch batteries. Now, I can have all my favorite fun watches working and wearable. I am so thrilled! The battery for his watch, that cost $75 to replace, was only $2 on Amazon!!!
* I have been working hard on meal prep and using up leftovers. Last week we had a snack tray night for dinner with lots of bits and pieces of meat, cheese, veggies, bread. I have been making a point of freezing any leftovers that I know we won’t use right away. That gives me “fast food” in the freezer.
*My son was on a school trip to Paris last week, so my husband and I took a “staycation”. We took a day trip to our state capital. I packed snacks, drinks and lunch. So, it only cost us the gas. We also enjoyed driving around our local area and taking walks. I didn’t need to grocery shop at all last week, so money saved there!
*I prepped my garden area and filled all my pots with soil. I was about ready to start planting, but I just saw that we are still expecting a freeze this week. We invested in a very small greenhouse with money that I set aside from my business. I’m in Washington State, so it will definitely extend our growing season and allow me to grow a few vegetables that don’t usually do well here. Hoping to get that assembled and up and running this weekend. The greenhouse will also allow me to have extra vegetable starts that I can trade. It will absolutely pay for itself!
*
I used the crockpot to make a meal on a day that I wouldn’t be home til late. It was so nice to come home to a nice dinner. I made a meal plan for the week. We went shopping and spent way too much money, although we bought things that were on sale and healthy. No processed food at all. Well, we did buy some condiments. I was happy to get tuna for 78 cents a can, grape tomatoes for 68 cents for a small box, a small bag of limes for 68 cents, arugula for 98 cents, red peppers, 88 cents each. Earlier they cost $2.98 each. I didn’t buy the red peppers at that price. Our electricity was out one morning. There had been a tornado touch down less than a mile from us. We prayed that morning and we were fine. No one was hurt. I was really happy when the electricity came back on. Our electric bill was less this month than last year. We used quite a bit less energy. I noticed that all our bills are going up. I have to be on the look out for free entertainment for us and when we see our grandkids. I may pack a picnic next time I get to see them. They always have enjoyed picnics. I can pack healthier food for them that they enjoy as well.
We are making stuffed poblano peppers instead of eating out today. We are enjoying relaxing at home. We are saving so much money! I’m glad we are on the same page about eating out.
You mean E has moved out too! Wow that makes me feel so old. I remember when all of your older children were so young and now they are all adults. Time flies doesn’t it!
Growing up is part of life. Excited to see them move on in life.
I always enjoy seeing the “ goods “ Brandy brings home. I rarely spend any actually money , so this weeks purchases feel like I spent the week wheeling and dealing . So after spending $400.00 on the dogs ear infection , I am feeling particularly stingy. On one of the coupon blogs I read , I saw an Amazon deal. Spend $100 and get a $30 gift card. It just happens that sweet dogs dogfood is $100.00. Kangaroo for missy who has horrible allergies. I buy 3 to 4 bags a year and always seeking a discount. I ordered it and found that it had a 35% subcribe and save discount that stacked with the gift card. So, only $35 for her food. I saw an Audible deal. 99 cents each of three months. I checked each of my kids accounts to see if any were eligible. I then googled to see if it was possible to transfer all our books to one device. It is possible but may take me a few months to accomplish it. I drove to our cell phone provider to see why we are being billed extra money after requesting 3 times to have the extras removed. I might not want to visit them again but I do believe the charges were removed. I also discovered that sugar cookies identity has been stolen. It’s impossible to get through to the IRS , so I’m not sure when it will be resolved. I checked all the kids Amazon accounts and canceled all subscriptions. They often intend to and don’t. I’ve filed a complaint with my postal inspector and now ,we are receiving no mail. Small town politics are not unusual. I recovered my usual fruits and vegetables on my daily dumpster visits. I found 2 large bags of cat food and a case of swimming goggles. The neighbors have a summer pool and the little girls are happy. The mom is out of work now so the little extras help them. I brought home a small case of planters. Rectangular shaped. I stopped and spoke with an elderly lady about the beautiful lavender she grew . She is trying to get rid of it. I came home today and found a bag full of small plants. I took 12 and gave the others to the other neighbor. I cannot afford or perhaps it’s unwilling to spend the money on a lavender garden. She said it spreads like crazy , so here’s to good luck for us. My favorite thrift store is closing. The manager stuffed a bag full of baby stuff and marked it $3.00 . I washed it and passed it on to a baby born yesterday. There were 2 outfits , 12 muslin blankets and a summer car seat cover. Bibs and burp clothes. 1 nightgown. I figured the swaddle blankets were well worth the 3 dollars. My most exciting find this week was a bag of hard avacadoes and 5 heads of cabbage. Cabbage is actually a rare find. Each day I put apples out on my cherry tree and the birds love them. I cut them in half and the next day they are scooped all out. I’m not filling up the bird feeders but every other week. They love the fruit. Happy week friends , you will find me under the cherry tree. It’s my happy place.
I need a new computer. I have spent a lot of time speaking to Apple on the phone. I compared models. I have no problem with getting an Apple certified refurbished model but most did not have the specifications I need for bird photography. One refurbished model was $2,900 (reduced by $500) but even this model was lacking in one spec. The prices are high, in part because $1 US = $1.30 Cdn. Two months ago, I had a nice chat on the phone with a fellow from a store (not the Apple store). I had seen their ad about a computer that fit my budget and had the specs. Alas, it sold before I could buy it. Anyway he said that he’d keep his eyes open.
In the meantime, I had concluded that I did not need the latest (M3 chip) models that are even higher in price. I had my heart set on a 2021 model but it is discontinued and hard to find. It doesn’t end up on the Apple refurbished site. Two days ago the phoned. He had found one. It is the 2021 model. It is new and in a sealed box. It is priced in my budget. I looked online to see if anyone else was selling it – ironically Walmart is – for a thousand dollars more than mine. I have to wait a week before it arrives. The store said that they can migrate my data to the new computer for $45.00. I have to go to the Apple store about my old computer which I am keeping. I asked if they could migrate my data if it’s an Apple computer bought elsewhere and they said yes. No charge. I will have the other store put in more storage capacity so it is 1TB. I was previously told by Apple that my old computer could not be upgraded; that turns out to be incorrect. Apple itself won’t do it but a store can. If I had known that I would not have bought the new computer but it is ok because my old computer is obsolete and I won’t be able to get parts for it. So here is what I learned:
1) Don’t get drawn in by the hype for the latest model (ironically my model actually has a couple of features that are better than the
most recent models which have been downgraded in those features for some reason known only to Apple);
2) Do pick a computer based on what you are going to use it for; (Photography editing doesn’t need lots of the bells and whistles
the more recent models have;
3) Make sure if it’s a Mac that you find out what free services the Apple store will provide you;
4) Tell the sales person what you need it for – the model I chose turns out to be beloved by photo editors, the more recent models
have great video editing capacity and functions for gaming but I would probably never edit videos at that level or game;
5) Look for reasons why something might be on sale — my model has a French Canadian keyboard. I’m sure I’ll adjust.
I have been amazed at how often I have to put accents and tremas on my letters; this will make it easier and for the $1000
difference I’m willing to adapt. It seems store or stores in Quebec had a surplus they couldn’t sell until now;
6). read articles about whether you should bother upgrading to the most recent model and Watch YouTube videos addressing that
question. Don’t get overwhelmed by the technical stuff; (every YouTube I watched about this said not to trade the 2021 model
for the 2024 models);
7) Don’t get sucked into thinking “oh that model is only $300 more, then more and more” So easy to do!
I hope this helps someone. And finally, PCs are often cheaper and may be just as good for your purposes. Remember
Chi cerca, trova. (Look and you will find).
I have had an incredible week, apart from all of the time searching for an affordable computer. One afternoon, I went outside and sat on my bench. A pheasant with its beautiful colours arrived. I got many lovely photos and learned a lot about pheasants. They are so sensitive to noise and also vibrations on the ground that they were used as guards during WWII.
Thanks for the computer info Ann – my Macbook Pro is ancient and I need to see about replacing it soon – but – I am not prepared to pay what it would cost to replace like with like – just don’t need it. I will keep searching and see what my options are – especially with a reserviced one.
I’m having trouble posting comments. Just seeing if this will go through.