I made a cheesecake for Easter and decorated it with chocolate rabbits and carrots that I made using molds and melting chips I had on hand, pistachios I had on hand, and dried rose petals from my garden.
I bought gas at Sam’s Club for $4.31 a gallon. Everywhere else it was $5.21 or higher. I am filling the car whenever it’s at a half tank.
I listened to Urdu lessons on YouTube on the UrduPod101 and Learn Urdu with Sara channels. I also listened to UrduPod lessons from e-books, using my library’s Hoopla app.
I harvested parsley, celery, tarragon, garlic chives, mulberries, blackberries, and Swiss chard from my garden.
My mulberry tree is still small (it was a rooted cutting from a friend) but next year it should have quite a bit more.
I’m attempting to root three cuttings from a different variety of mulberry that someone gave me. If they all take, I will probably grow two in pots and one will go to a friend who loves mulberries. They should be productive in about three to four years. None of these mulberry trees cost me anything to purchase.
If I can root them well, I plan to root cuttings in the future to grow and sell as small potted trees, using old nursery pots. I will just need to buy potting soil and pay to water them for a couple of years.
I went to the community garage sales with my parents. My parents have changed the way they shop lately at garage sales, and it’s opened my eyes. They are buying new things that they need or will need in the future, such as new-in-the-package toilet bowl flappers for $2. My dad already fixed a toilet for me before and a bathroom fan because he had bought these at a garage sale previously. He bought two more toilet bowl flappers on Saturday. Those always need to be replaced, and they’re a lot more money than $2! So that will save us a lot.
I found some plastic drinking glasses (my children have been breaking all our glasses lately on accident and I am down to 4 in the style I like), some nicer blue glasses that I posted on Instagram with my youngest son, some good ballpoint sewing machine needles new in the package for $0.50 (these are $6 new; I had just bought new ones last week), a bunch of metal vintage embroidery hoops (the only kind I use; I have been collecting some to pass on to my children); some embroidery thread that came with the hoops; some brand new Spanish/English board books for $0.50 each that I will give to my friend’s twins for their birthday next week; and the jewelry above ($0.25 for the airplane tie tack, which I will wear as a brooch; $2 each for the vintage screw back and clip on earrings; $0.50 for the shell earrings). The rose earrings were an absolutely amazing surprise; I had been envisioning a silver pair of earrings like this after seeing someone’s flower earrings online. I wondered what a rose version would look like. When I found these, I was shocked. They were just what I had been thinking about!
What did you do to save money the past two weeks?
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That Easter cake is adorable! And your flowers, as always, are incredibly beautiful. Glad to see you’re back blogging!
I debuted a yellow tunic blouse (with yellow lace trim and an attached silver – colored metal-and-bead necklace) during these past couple of weeks. I’d bought the blouse last January during a post-Christmas sale. It was on final clearance and apparently was left over from Spring 2025. I paid under 10 dollars for this outfit. It was new with tags still attached and had originally been priced at 63 dollars. I got lots of compliments on it and also for 2 older, thrifted blouses that had been stored in the back of the same closet. I had not worn the other 2 in quite awhile — so, wearing them, it was like having 3 new outfits… only cheaper. Plus the attached necklace can be worn with other things.
Also made progress late this afternoon getting justice for the property damage caused last March when that moving van pulled down my oak tree. Reported the company to the state Dept. if Motor Vehicles, where a very helpful government worker looked up their insurance carrier and gave me their policy number. (She also said she was impressed at how I gathered so much info on them on my own, which made me feel very happy.) I called the insurer and discovered the fly by night movers had filed a claim for themselves but if course didn’t bother to mention they owe me several hundred dollars for the damages to my tree and yard. Let’s just say the moving company owner is going to have a *very* bad day real soon. Oh, and I am also reporting them to the feds, as per the DMV lady’s recommendation. Can’t have those folks ripping off other people!
My mulberry tree has come back and has tiny mulberries! Your cheesecake looks amazing!!!! Gas prices vary here. In the town where I work the gas prices are $3.94 a gallon. The town where I live they are $4.19 a gallon. They are cheaper in the large university town, I am told. I came home from work on Friday and did not move my car until Monday morning for work bc it has become too expensive to go anywhere except work and back. I had planted my spinach, green onions, and lettuce a couple of weeks ago and at the moment they appear to be doing well. My roses are in full bloom. I have both the air and heat off. The upper temps have ranged anywhere from the 70’s to 87 degrees. It is supposed to hit 90 degrees this week. I have eaten baked chicken legs, canned asparagus, turnip greens, sauerkraut with hot dogs and used sandwich bread as the bun, homemade peanut butter cookies, apples and pbj sandwich for lunch, ham and cheese sandwiches, baked potatoes, fried cabbage with chicken and rice with soy sauce, egg sandwiches, homemade fried hash browns which are just potatoes peeled, diced and fried on top of stove in cast iron skillet and served with ketchup, old fashioned cornbread salad, without the bacon bc it is too expensive, canned green beans, and ice cream. I have walked an hour most days in the local
cemetery which I walk to from my house. I have stocked up on canned beets, and need to get more sauerkraut. Most of the vegetables I am eating at the moment are from my canned supply, except for the coleslaw, and the chicken and hot dogs are from my freezer. The only fresh fruits and vegetables I have eaten are potatoes, coleslaw, onions, and apples as I have been trying to only buy essentials at the grocery store because it is outrageously high. The apples were $2.77 for a bag of 8. The potatoes were about the same price. The chicken legs were either 79 or 89 cents a lb.
Our city has managed to fix the main water feeder pipe so water restrictions have been lifted. As well they are giving away 2 free trees and free compost to each household that requests them-a boon for gardeners. I continue to shop on Flash food for reduced fruit and vegetables. I stopped at my new local Sobeys today and they showed me a cart of reduced produce for $1.99 per bag so I will be keeping an eye on the cart when I go by.
It has been an expensive couple of weeks around here. We called a plumber to fix the master shower, we bought new tires and we made the first payment for my husband’s private hip replacement in July. The wait for a funded hip is 2+ years and he is in too much pain to wait. Not frugal but you can’t put a price on pain.
At 73 my husband continues to work part time which he really enjoys. I work occasionally when childcare is needed.
I have started to get out and ride my bike most days-as long as it is not snowing. Good free exercise as I have been a bit of a couch potato lately.
We have started 40 tomato seedlings to plant out in pots when the weather warms up.
2 years for a hip replacement, that’s horrible. What area do you live in?
Sue in MN
Calgary, Alberta
How fascinating the buds on the rooting mulberries look! I’m glad you share your photographic eye with us; thank you!
I went to the Chamber of Commerce sponsored “Home and Garden Show” at the fairgrounds last weekend. I got a few ideas, and carefully did not pick up “swag” I didn’t need. I did, however, get a couple years’ supplies of pens, a kitchen sponge, a cotton t-shirt from a roofing company, a few pieces of candy, and a package of sunflower seeds, which I might just serve directly to the squirrels instead of planting them and pretending they won’t be swiped.
This was not a good year for spring bulbs, though I picked a few flowers. Tulip stems are some of the few flowers that grow after being cut and I had some very cork-screwy ones.
We used motel points from a credit card bonus to stay overnight in another town last week. I had an early morning medical procedure and between driving an hour, an hour time zone change, and worrying about interstate traffic, it was easier to go the night before.
The weather is warm enough that I pulled out my sandals and can quit wearing shoes-and-socks for several months, I hope! Yard sales haven’t started here, should soon. The city-wide sales and clean-up week are coming up. Based on what people have written here, I have saved my glass jars with lids from pickles and such and will put them out for free. If no one takes them, they will go in the recycling. I recently learned our food bank uses egg cartons and paper grocery bags and have some of those saved.
We are watching food waste carefully, (specifically not buying things we don’t know we will eat), and are keeping track of gas prices.
Beautiful photos as usual, Brandy!
—I purchased razor cartridges that my daughter and I use on EBay for significantly less than retailers.
—Repurposing a pumpkin flavored coffee syrup that I didn’t care for. I’m now adding it to my tea (instead of honey)and really like it!
—Charging my phone and iPad at work, rather than at home.
—Filling up my gardening containers halfway with sticks, leaves, and a bit of compost to drastically cut down on potting mix.
—Picked up nice free sheets of cardboard (staple-free, ink free) at Sam’s to use in my raised beds for weed prevention. This worked well last year.
—We’ve been getting lots of free mulch from a nearby park.
—I was getting ready to sign my son up for summer tutoring in a few subjects. I found 5 books on EBay for a total of $13 that I think will go a long way. Each book retailed for about $15 new. I’m really trying to devote time to this! Lots of money will be saved by not having to pay for a tutor!
—Stocked up on butter when it was $1.99/lb at the grocery store.
—Turned a pair of stained green colored jeans into shorts.
—Purchased and potted a Chicago Hardy fig tree. I read that one tree will produce lots of fruit, so I’m hoping that’s the case. I will be able to leave it outside in my zone (7), but it will be covered.
Have a great week!
That cake looks remarkable!! Well done you!
This past 2 weeks, I found packages of chicken drumsticks on Flashfood for 99 cents a package. They didn’t have an actual photo of the packages so I went on store website and decided they were probably the 2 pound packs which would make them 50 cents/pound. I noticed that there were over 45 packages available so the meat manager just set that flat price without worrying about individual package weight variations. I texted my little network of friends and between them, they ordered 10 packs. I ordered another 4 for myself. Imagine my surprise when I went to pick them up only to discover that these were the family pack size- 4-1/2 to 5 pounds each!! That brought price per pound down to an average of 23 cents or less !! My friends were over the moon! I shared 1 pack of my chicken with another young mom for her family and 2 of my other ones with a daughter – in-law for their family of 8! Apparently, the week before, the store had a sale on the drumsticks for $1.29/pound and they were overstocked with them after the sale ended , so to get rid of them quickly, they were all given the flat price of 99 cents! What a blessing this was for so many people. Before the store closed the day of this offer, I looked on their Flashfood entry and all 45 of the packages had been sold. Which means there wasn’t a big waste for the store and many other families were blessed!
One of my younger friends that I will share my Flashfood bargains with regularly so she can save on her grocery budget told me on Monday to be on the lookout for a good price on BL chicken breast because they were getting low. The very next morning, Tuesday, I glanced at one of the stores I regularly go to for FF meats and there was a stock photo showing a plate of fried chicken but the listing said BL chicken breast FP. I clicked on the number available and it was 10! It said the FF price was $2.25 a pack. I bought all 10 because I knew that even their regular pack would be around 2 pounds and this would be a good price per pound. I was delighted to discover when I went to pick them up that FP does mean family pack which is usually between 4 and 5 pounds! So under 56 cents/pound! I texted that friend and she got 6 of the 10 packs. One of my daughters wanted 1 and another friend that I regularly share bargains with (5 kids at home including 3 teens and 1 income) asked if I would teach her to pressure can 3 packages which should give her 12-15 pints for her pantry. She’s came over on Thursday after she had sliced and cut it all into chunks so we can get canning early that morning! We are both excited. She canned up 14 pints of chicken that is shelf stable and came back the next day to take it home! So I actually didn’t keep any of the chicken but was grateful to be able to help 3 families stretch their food budgets!
One of the families that I shared some of the FF chicken breast with hasn’t done a lot of “from scratch” cooking and so I had the chance to teach her how easy it is to cut some of the boneless chicken breast into strips and bake them in the oven to make chicken tenders that her little boys devour! This week, she’s coming over to learn how to make dipping sauces for the chicken- ranch, sweet and sour and also honey mustard from basic ingredients. She is so eager and I’m am thrilled to be able to share these money saving skills and tips! When I got married 55 years ago, I didn’t know how to cook or sew or garden or do anything that would help our family (which grew to 11 children) ease or budget. I have always been grateful to those along the way who have taught me and every day I realize there is so much more to learn!
We are having 4 young men over tomorrow for dinner so I took some frozen bananas out of my freezer and made a banana cake which also used some Greek yogurt. I had a carton of non-dairy yogurt that we were given but not fans of and so I put that into the cake instead. It’s light and fluffy and I have more fridge space!!
Wow! That cake is stunning!
1. We got a free shelf off fb marketplace.
2. I’ve been more intentional to use up food that’s been lingering in the freezer and pantry.
3. I bought 2 chairs from a garage sale for $30 and a bag full of items for $5.
4. We keep adding to the garden
5. We got a good rain!!! Yay for free water for my plants!
Pictures and more details here: https://practicalwalk.com/2026/04/13/frugal-five-new-chairs/
I love the picture of the light pink roses.
As Anne of Green Gables would say, it has been a Jonah day today. Our youngest has a roaring case of mono and I took her to both ER and her primary care today. Add to that an appointment for myself with the orthopedist, and it was a day. Good news is the toe that I broke and has healed badly only needs a small surgery to correct.
We are focusing on using our one car as little as possible-friends offer to take dh to work because it gives them the advantage of the carpool lane, he also rides e-bike some days and motorcycle other days and I walk or bike everywhere. I have turned down a few invitations because of driving distance, and I’ve asked for a ride to things I know others are going to be driving to anyway. I’m also really happy at home. I sewed a small duffel bag for a dance bag for my grandson and I have the practice version of a pair of trousers cut out. And my garden takes a good deal of time. Which is my second main money saver.
In the garden I’m harvesting parsley, kale, collards, arugula. There is some rhubarb very near to being ready to pick, which makes me realize I must use up the frozen rhubarb (no hardship there!). I put down 8 bags of compost in the raspberry bed just before 2 days of rain, so that was perfect. Today I covered it all with rice straw (recommended mulch). All my seeds (free) have done very well and I have more tomato plants than I have room for. Also, swiss chard, more kale and arugula. Cucumber and squash seeds are just starting to germinate.
I’ve been stocking up on gallon ziploc freezer bags (for produce), trash bags, bike tires, laundry liquid and irrigation tubing. All except the laundry liquid rely on plastic that is going to become very expensive, or even possibly scarce. I keep a good supply of things that might be useful as they are, or might be useful for repurposing, including quilts, clothespins, newspaper, etc. I keep it all well organized so I know what I have and where to find it. Tools and diy supplies are always on my list of things to buy cheap or find free. This week I called the manufacturers of our kitchen and shower faucets. They are each sending a replacement cartridge for free and dh has watched on you tube how to replace them. That has saved us over $500. Dh picks up tutoring when he can, and I re-sell what I can. Together we make it work. I had a couple items I wanted to order from IKEA and I asked our 3 kids if they wanted to order anything with me. Separately none of us would had enough for free shipping, but together we got free shipping!
I’m trying to look at everything with flexibility and creativity and find joy in the simple things.
I love you cheesecake! It is beautiful! We saved money using cloth handkerchiefs, napkins, and towels. Doing most cooking at home. But we did eat out and I am lamenting the cost. Honestly the food was excellent, but the cost! Anyway, I did enjoy time with my husband. But I am going back to cooking at home and I need to prep picnic things to take a picnic, which we both enjoy. We watched a storm last night for fun. It was beautiful. My husband got some video. We have enjoyed playing with my son’s new dog. She came trained and is adorable. I love the rain and it has been raining a lot here. Very nice. My son and I have picked asparagus on sunny days. My husband planted tomato seeds. They are coming up slowly. But I think we will be happy to have them. My husband surprised me with some flower bulbs. I look forward to having flowers by our front door! Doing frugal and low cost things for entertainment except the day we ate out.
Beautiful cake!
I went to another craft swap last weekend and got free craft supplies across all craft types for me and my teenagers.
I rescued some food, not as much as usual. It’s enough fruit and vegetables along with a pack of bacon, 3 new packs of specialty cheese, a new pack of flavored pretzels, a pack of fancy cookies and a bottle of cooking oil and 5 cans of Poppi, so snacks for teenagers too.
I will go to one additional community swap this upcoming weekend. This one is for housewares, clothing and crafting supplies. This will be the third of the month that I’ve attended. The first didn’t have much, the second had a lot, hopefully the third works out well too. Gas is about $4.49 here also. I don’t have a warehouse membership because I don’t shop that way. I get mail order prescriptions, I don’t use many name brands of anything, I don’t have 5 kids at home, no warehouses convenient to where I go.
Greetings from Tennessee! Seems that we have bypassed Spring here and gone straight to summer! So, I am hustling to get my garden planted and additional fruit trees that I am adding to the ones I planted last Spring. Planted a cherry tree in honor of my Great Aunt who recently died at 101! What an amazing woman! I always plant something in honor of deceased family members and friends. I have two acres of plants/trees that I call by their names. Sure the neighbors think I’m nuts!
Recently visited BJ’s. It is a Box store that is locating throughout the state. I was pleasantly surprised. They carry many more brand names than Sam’s or Costco. Items that appealed to me with low prices.
Pray for all our Farmers this year. With the cost of seed, fertilizer and fuel, and with drought and high temperatures, their struggle is mighty!
Onward y’all, by all means! Take care!
What a lovely way to remember relatives and friends!
Thanks, Roberta. It eases the pain of their loss and allows me to remember them and pray for them.
Cheryl, we have an established Dogwood that was not going to make it. Thankfully, a tree guy who became a friend saved it. He unfortunately is no longer with us, and we named the tree after him. I agree, it is a great way to remember those lost.
That cheesecake is beautiful. The flowers and trees are too. I hope you are recovering from your accident. We have been doing the same things to save money and time. We continue to walk everyday and have been working in our garden. My plants are growing wonderfully. We have received two small rain showers and have been hand watering our garden with spring water.
We are hoping to sell our home in the four or five months to take advantage of tax free money to help offset the renovation of the 1912 Riverhouse that is FINALLY drawing to a close.
I am spending hours detailing around the house inside and out in hopes that showing it well will increase offers or at least decrease lowballs. The house is in great condition but was built 36 years ago with original paint and carpet. I can’t do much about the kitchen linoleum which is pocked but I going room by room magic -erasing the doors, baseboards, custom plantation shutters and little wall splotches.
I re-seeded the back lawn alternating top soil ( cheaper) with lawn soil to reduce costs.
I spent 20 hours pruning, clipping, raking, de-webbing the front and backyard. I took a putty knife to weeds in the few cracks of concrete. When we get closer to selling I will buy some some extra bark and DG. I plan on power washing the exposed aggregate patio and brightening outdoor fixtures that are over 30 years old. Suggestions?
We had an electrician come in and get everything up to code. I cleaned all the interior light fixtures. What a difference!
Brandy, you husband is in real estate. Any additional tips to get the best price?
We closed our real estate business 3 years ago after 22 years. Interest rates and prices went up so much that the number of sales went down. None of the agents who worked for us had a single sale for a year.
But I can tell you that having a decluttered house is HUGE. I used to photograph homes for sale and I had a checklist for people. Take everything off the fridge. Leave only one appliance out on your kitchen counters. Put away everything in the bathrooms (keep those counters empty except for maybe some flowers or one decorative item). Make sure your beds are all made and have matching pillowcases (a lot of people seem to have two different colored pillowcases for some reason; have the bed looking nice for photos and showings). Pack up items from your closets ahead of time so the closets appear spacious. Put away trash cans in the house (especially the kitchen trash). Make sure to air out the house each morning while the house is listed; fresh air is much better than trying to mask any odors and will keep the house from feeling stuffy. The front door is the first thing they notice so make sure it’s clean and repainted if need be.
I’ve heard of people who rent a storage unit to put their excess-looking stuff in during house selling. In a pinch, put things in your car trunk (not for long for the weight when driving).
I am most sensitive to smells, especially cat or cigarette smoke or damp/mildew. People who live with those don’t notice them, but I do, and would imagine they would linger.
Back when I lived in apartments in college, I saw that if the cupboard under the kitchen sink was in bad shape, damp or warped, it was a sign of poor upkeep overall. Not sure if that was coincidence or not.
Thank you so much!!!. Yes I have done all of those things. Brand new front door. We won’t have any furniture left in it. We are moving out first. I will keep some lawn decorations to highlight our nice landscaping, and I will have a few pictures left up and as you said a flower arrangement or two around the house. I think it will show well.
An empty house is very helpful!
Brandy, people (like me) have different colored pillowcases so you can find your pillow during the night in the dark. If you sleep with a pillow-stealer (like me) it saves many sleepy 3:00 am fights.
Jeannie
Wow. I never imagined such a thing! We each have our own pillow and no one has ever stolen it at night!
For pictures, though, its helpful to have them matching.
It’s good that petroleum prices are causing consumers to rethink burning fuel. Unfortunately, seeing the fuel depots in the middle east going up in flames indicates that the atmosphere is still getting socked.
“Burning one gallon of gasoline produces approximately 19 to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide . In addition to nitrogen oxides , carbon monoxide , particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which together cause smog and health issues, according to this EPA report.”
Those earrings are all very pretty and what a value! I am vicariously enjoying your garden, here and on instagram as our snow is refusing to melt. We enjoy our home preserved food and pantry supplies. Husband has just made a good supply of maple syrup for the year ahead. Really no need to shop for a while.
What a beautiful cake! I have been contemplating getting some chocolate molds for quite some time for Eater treats. Do you have any tips to share? Holy Week was busy with church almost every night which was not good for the gas budget but fed the soul so well worth it for me. My fellow choir members and I shared snacks each night since most of us miss supper due to the early call before the service which was money-saving and wonderful fellowship. Easter Sunday involved us singing at two services with a breakfast feast in between. In fact, the breakfast was started years ago when the choir was asked to sing at both services and a breakfast was offered as payment. It’s a huge collaborative affair with people sharing recipes and many people bringing flowers from their gardens to decorate tables. Lovely, as always. A neighbor gave me a dozen red raspberry plants from her garden. Now, with my dozen or so black raspberries we have a much more fruit to look forward to in the future. I have a spot at the edge of the woods near my kitchen garden where I put small branches and leaves in the fall. Over time, it turns into the best soil. I added this to the holes for the raspberries and covered them with mulch I made by breaking up chunks of rotten wood from the same pile. All free! Something I do all the time and never mention is to enter any receipts I get into a couple of savings apps. Takes me a long time to earn points for the maximum value of gift cards but it does add up and is a better rate than picking change up from the ground. I almost have enough for $90 toward a Chewey purchase which will help with the animals. I split a very productive bee hive so now have 11 hives. I should be able to make one more split this season. Considering a nucleus (5 frames of bees with a laying queen) now costs upwards of $200, this amounts to free bees. I have also made plans for selling some honey at a different local shop than I have sold previously in addition to the word-of-mouth sales I always do. I have continued with Spring cleaning of our home and property putting some things aside for sale. More space and some cash in hand will help. It has been warm enough to visit our local falls to swim. We took some friends who had never been before and it is fun to see things through the eyes of others. Reminds us how fortunate we are to have waterfalls and a swimming hole just down the road from our house. Free fun abounds when you look for it. Wishing everyone a lovely week!
I just use the melting chips to make them. Microwave for 30 seconds then stir. Then 15 more seconds. If you go any longer or don’t stir, they burn. Look for sales on melting chips around the holidays. Sam’s Club also carries some around Christmas.
Good advice. Thank you!
A swimming hole close by sounds wonderful.
We have a pond and 2 creeks on our property which my boys have enjoyed since they were little. But, jumping into a waterfall filled pool is definitely more exciting for teens. We are very fortunate.
That cheese cake looks scrumptious and smart thinking buying ahead on useful items like that. I hope you are on the road to recovery.
Would love to have (free) cut flowers continuously through the spring, summer and fall. Each year I plant more bulbs or perennials and this year might be the first year I will cut flowers as there might be enough for me and plenty for the bees. This is good news, since the garden budget has been reallocated for the future. Been making it a Monday morning practice to cut a small vase full and place by my desk.
Checked my stored vegetable seeds and have plenty for this year.
It has been a tradition to exchange easter baskets with my mom. This year her basket included toilet paper wrapped in tissue paper with a sheep’s face drawn on it. Her favorite tea with paper bunny ears taped on and a pink pom pom for a nose, seed packets and a small sampling of chocolate that I used loyalty rewards for. One of my most thriftiest basket offerings and she just adored it.
Collecting warm up water and use that in the tea kettle.
We traveled to Las Vegas (hi Brandy) for 60 hours. We saved up for a concert and took advantage of this probabally once in a lifetime show (we are getting to old :)!). We drank the hotel room tap water (tea/coffee were an additional expense), had one meal a day (I packed snacks to cover the rest) and took in that wonderful dry heat – my sinuses cleared and ears opened for the first time in months! All other entertainment was free.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week!
Might I recommend zinnias as a cheap cut flower option? They grow well from seed and you can collect seeds to plant in following years.
Funny, as I did plant those last year and collected their seed 🙂 They are a beautiful cut flower!
I have been losing forks. Not sure how that happens in a house full of adults. 🤷♀️
Earned $3.75 through Ibotta
Earned $4.45 Amazon Shopper Panel reward
I have been given plums, cuties, and grapes
Received a loaf of banana bread
I shopped around for car insurance. Ours was set to jump from $244 a month to $565 😱 Found one for $288 a month, and ended up being a little cheaper than that because I went ahead and paid for 6 months.
Earned a free soda from a local gas station.
April, we lose spoons in our house! All adults as well!😳
I love your cheesecake! It is so pretty! I hope you are feeling better from your accident. My biggest frugal accomplishment in the past two weeks was my Ace Hardware purchase. We received a flyer in the mail with coupons and sales which I used to purchase much needed mulch, soil and manure for the garden and yard. We paid less than $1.50/bag of any of the bags. I also bought only loss leaders at the grocery store. Gas here in southwest Virginia is $3.89/gallon. We fill up our vehicles at half a tank. We have a hybrid Toyota RAV4 which is a gas sipper. But our Toyota truck is not. We use the truck only when necessary. We have been able to turn off the heat for about 2 weeks now. The windows are open and the fresh air feels great. I found volunteer lettuce and spinach plus the asparagus is starting to come in, just enough for Mr. Fix It and me. We continue doing our usual things to reduce costs, such as hanging laundry to dry, using cloth napkins and hankies, and using up things before buying more. Wishing everyone a frugal week full of blessings.
Your cheesecake turned out so pretty and I love the story of your rose earring find. How exciting and also, how pretty they are. On a side note, I saw your IG post of you having a tea party in the garden with your son. That was the sweetest thing I have seen all week. 🙂
On the frugal front, I hosted Easter this year. Rather than making our traditional ham dinner, I invited the guests to bring either an appetizer or dessert. We ended up with plenty of food and a good variety. I made a fruit salad to which I added spearmint from my garden. Also made a carrot cake. I have been making this cake for many years, but this was the first time I made it in a Kitchen Aid mixer. Last fall my neighbor gave it to me when she was planning to move. She decided not to move, but wouldn’t accept the mixer back as she said she is done with baking. I am thrilled to have it as I have always wanted one.
I considered buying flowers for the Easter table. Instead I cut two bouquets of azaleas from my garden. They have lasted over a week and helped cheer up the house. I discovered a package of Easter napkins that I had purchased at a thrift shop. They coordinated nicely with the azaleas.
I rounded up all of the packets of seeds I had from previous years. I am going to plant them in a pot and see if any of them bloom. Fingers crossed. If they don’t, I will have cleaned out that collection. Now that I have become a caregiver to my husband, I am home a lot. I am slowly going through all closets, drawers, garage, etc. with an eye toward editing our belongings and making everyday life simpler.
I am also trying to creatively use food from the pantry and freezers.
Hi Brandy and everyone
Your photos are so beautiful, the cheesecake and roses are lovely and the jewellery buys from the garage sale were bargains. Look forward to seeing you wearing some of them. I think your parents garage sale shopping for ‘everyday’ items is a sensible money saver.
I redeemed points from my chemist loyalty card to buy my husband a good quality comb to replace a broken one. I redeemed points from my consumer research panel to buy a TK Maxx gift card to replace three bath towels, three hand towels, a bathmat and a milk pan. There is still money left on the card.
I used vouchers for money off butter and bacon, received a free bun which my husband enjoyed and found reduced price sausages. We used cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli and parsnips from the garden.
We planted the first early potatoes and planted more flower seeds.
My husband pruned a willow and used the prunings to weave wigwams which will support the sweet peas he’s planted out.
I cut flowers for the house for Easter and for my flower arrangement at church. I had plenty left over in church so I gave them to another lady for her arrangement because she felt it was a bit sparse.
We used the Easter decorations at home we always use.
My husband gratefully received four garden pots his client didn’t want. She had bought four mature trees so they’re large pots.
I washed and valeted my car saving £40 on a professional clean.
I am slowly replacing ‘sad’ underwear. Each month I buy a couple of pieces and I signed up to the company newsletter for 5 per cent off.
I decluttered a big cupboard and found a piece of foam which has become a chair cushion pad and a box of nice greetings cards amongst other treasures.
I bought two new tops and a pack of embroidered hankies in a charity shop. This enabled me to get rid of two old tops. Working on the principle of one in, one out.
Looking forward to reading everyone’s comments.
I too made a cheesecake for Easter. Got a vastly reduced price on cream cheese a couple of weeks ago, glad I thought ahead. It was good to make something special while family was visiting and our university student is home for the Easter break. Petrol too expensive to go anywhere – Our village has no public transport. We enjoyed working in the garden and having more time to cook and share favourite family meals. Making sure there is no food waste is my main frugal win at the moment. Our home is heated by oil, luckily we just refilled the tank before prices shot up.
Before Easter we went to three local stores and purchased many food items on sale. My husband and I have been walking a nice trail that is 1 1/2 miles long. The trial goes 3/4 a mile to a dead end and one turns around and goes back. Last summer we took a out a loan for SUV that is 7 years old. It replaced a paid for 25 year old Suburban. Even with the car payment, we are saving money not having to purchase fuel for the gas guzzling Suburban. This week is free dump week for our city. So we have been hauling items to the dump for free that we store in our unfinish basement waiting for this annual event. As our subscription services come up for renewal we look at if we used it enough. A couple of them got canceled this year. We have been eating a lot of recipes with rice in it. I learned how to cook rice on the stove. In the past I only cooked instant rice or rice in the pressure cooker. I was surprised how easy it was to cook rice on the stove.
Our gas in Rochester ny is $4.19 we use an app to find cheapest near by and got it for $3.89. Groceries continue to climb, beef UNBELIEVABLE and coffee prices. Restaurants are also super expensive breakfast ranging $12 to $15 per person and coffee $3 a cup at diners. We try and support local businesses and my husband and I share alot of times to defray costs. At home we do only 2 meals, coffee and water in morning and then avocado toast or something comparable towards noon then dinner 6pm ish. Snacks if needed are nuts, popcorn, small amount of cheese or olives anything on sale or reasonably priced. It’s a struggle to balance nutrition and being frugal. Soon our area will start having farm markets and locally produced fruit and vegetables that we can support locals and buy at a lower cost. We do all our own gardening, clean up, maintenance work etc
I am happy to be reading your blog again.
I cook almost all my meals at home. Friend’s took me out to dinner. We decided to cook and dine at our homes next visit.
I have decided to give up soda.
I will enjoy home brewed coffee and tea, both hot and iced!
I am Swedish Death Cleaning my home due to recently sitting with my stepdad for a month while he was in hospice, then being available for his passing. My brother and his family assisted me clearing his home for sale. Dealing with all his possessions prompted mw to edit my own possessions.
Learning to live with far less, I no longer thrift. This saves time and money.
Your cheesecake is so pretty, and your photos are gorgeous. You really have a great eye for photography.
My root canal on Monday was postponed to get 3d X-rays. Not covered by insurance, but $51 seemed reasonable. This is good, bc they decided to reassign me to a resident vs student, so the 80 mile round trip wasn’t a complete waste of gas.
Friday I’m going to a charity shop to pick up some hard to find matching pieces to my vintage dishes they listed on Craigslist for a great price. It’s about 40 miles away (I did ask if they could ship) so will stop at Costco on the way for gas. It’s the cheapest in town at $5.59 a gallon. The shop is part of the town free museum, so I’ll get to enjoy whatever that is as well.
Been mostly eating from the freezer and pasta as the bad tooth limits chewing, which saves on groceries. The charger cable broke off in my iPad, but the Apple Store fixed it for free, even though it’s no longer under warranty.
When I was little, mom broke out the vintage (vintage even then) handkerchiefs if my nose got sore from Kleenex. I’ve changed that up and now it’s all I use. No throw out Kleenex anymore. I even found a small vase at the thrift store I put them in and they pop up just like a Kleenex box. I continue to use cloth napkins and kitchen towels (no paper ones).
I am organising my chest freezer very simply, using bags. I bought one large sturdy bag for big joints of meat (UK supermarkets sell these, I bought mine for £2.50) and then for other categories (small meat, fish, packets of veg, packets of fruit) I am using some of the endless tote bags I have acquired. I hope this will stop things dispersing across the freezer and allow me to see what I already have before I shop.
I bought my daughter a second-hand bike, as the one we had intended my son to pass on to her broke terminally. I bought various children some second-hand clothes on eBay, looking for particular brands that I have found wear well. I am always pleased with eBay’s filter and search functions that let me easily find exactly what I am looking for.
As is our custom, we did not buy Easter eggs, special Easter chocolates or sweets, Easter baskets, Easter presents, Easter hats, Easter outfits, Easter decorations… We celebrated with homemade things and ordinary chocolate.
Our baby was ill, so on Holy Saturday I held him in a chair and issued instructions while my other children made a glorious multi-layered chocolate cake for all of us to gorge on the next day. I missed out on going to every single church service during the Triduum, but we sure didn’t miss out on the feasting at home!
We had a lot of sunshine so I spent time in the garden.
What a cake!
I have been eating very frugally lately for a variety of reasons. I have started to really feel my joints these days which troubles me a lot (I am middle-aged). They seem a bit painful. Probably I have cut out some foods that may have been useful to them. My diet has been very limited. Can anyone share their experiences? Thank you!
I met a lady on a cruise who told me her joints were much better if she avoided sugar-so perhaps try that.
Today I did errands-picked up 2 small packages of meat originally 11.59 but marked down to 6.59. As well a bag of mini peppers for 1.99 and 6 large oranges for 1.99. We are having some company overnight tomorrow and the menu is lasagna, garlic bread and banana bread.
In addition to limiting or cutting our sugar entirely, as mentioned in the other comment, I have had friends tell me adding fish oil and/or sardines to their diet has helped their joint pain tremendously. I think the idea of both is to reduce dietary causes of inflammation in the body. Worth a try. As a former OT and personal trainer, I would also suggest getting regular gentle movement (walking, swimming, yoga/Pilates with the caution of staying in a pain-free range of motion.) The old adage “if you rest you will rust” is very true. Hope you can get some relief soon! 😀
Dear S,
I’m very sorry that you are having joint pain! My husband and I are also middle-aged and I want to encourage you that solutions are possible! My husband was having significant joint pain and the main thing that we have done over the last year or so is to cut out seed oils and gums from our diet. Both are known to cause inflammation in the body. I will warn you that this requires vigilance as most foods (even the “better” brands) contain them. It has gotten easier as we have become accustomed to what products don’t contain these ingredients, but it took a little time. It is also not the least expensive route, though making more things from scratch has helped with that. All that said, he has experienced vast relief from hip and knee discomfort. If possible, please research this online for yourself and see if this could be helpful to you. I pray that you will find relief! Also, I second the comment from “I” about her acquaintance avoiding sugar in order to ease joint pain, as sugar also causes inflammation.
Kind Regards,
Rachel
Hi S,
I have had a range of joint disorders all my life including non ‘wear and tear’ osteoarthritis and episodes of rheumatoid arthritis. Despite managing my conditions actively and competently I have my 6th unavoidable orthopaedic surgery next month and needed to medically retire from work as an RN as my body was unable to manage the demands of this job. All that to say that I feel well qualified to share general advice however I am also mindful that for some people, a medical assessment from a primary care practitioner is an important starting point.
Firstly, sore joints have both ‘universal’ factors contributing to them as well as those that are individual to the particular person. Because of this it is worth tracking your joint pain as you introduce changes to diet, exercise etc so that you can ‘hone in’ on those that are of most significance to you personally. For example, I know with certainty that particular foods cause increased pain for me and limiting these is an easy way to increase my well-being. Different common foods can both increase and reduce joint pain but my experience is that the impact of this can be quite individual, I have identified more foods that increase my joint pain than decrease it.
Secondly – and unfortunately – weight control is important to reduce hip and knee pain in particular. I am currently about 15kgs heavier than is healthy and have knee pain much of the time. This pain will reduce if/when I manage to exert more self discipline around my diet and exercise. Exercise additionally reduces pain, promotes sleep etc.
Thirdly, informing yourself about joint pain is essential so that you can focus on the more scientifically based therapeutic approaches. I am absolutely not dismissing alternative or complimentary therapies however there are whole industries marketing supplements and equipment of dubious value – sometimes very expensive – and much time and money can be wasted on therapies that are unlikely to offer much therapeutic benefit. The various national Arthritis Foundations/Organisations are a good starting place to provide solid information on a wide range of possible management methods. I personally find three different supplements to be valuable and use a TENS machine (available on the NZ equivalent of eBay from as little as $10 NZD) alongside a range of prescribed medications.
S, I hope that you are in the Northern Hemisphere and the upcoming warmer weather will make your joints less painful.
Melanie: what do you think of Peptides? Have you tried them?
No, I have not heard of their use in a joint pain/arthritis situation. I will research this, many thanks for the information.
It’s been a great frugal week in Houston, TX!
My 8 year old daughter and I watched some hairstyling videos, and I gave her a butterfly bun.
I bought gas at the cheaper gas station.
I caught Easter items at 70% off at HEB before the signs were changed from 50%. We didn’t need any candy, but I bought some small Lego sets, markers, art kits, etc. to put aside for birthdays and Christmas. Our Chickfila does a toy drive where you can get a free entree card for the donation of an unwrapped gift, and I was able to get a lot of them last Christmas using items from said gift stash.
Tiff’s Treats had free ice cream sandwiches for kids wearing sports uniforms this weekend: we never go to places like that, but I scrounged up enough jerseys and sports shirts for everyone to get an ice cream sandwich. Each person got to pick which two cookies they wanted (could be different types), as well as their flavor of ice cream. It was fun!
I bought boxes of Clif builder bars for $1/box since they were ringing up part of the 5/$5 sale at Randall’s. I bought 14 boxes for myself and 10 for a friend. Later in the day, they changed the promotion to only the single bars being 5/$5, but it was great to score the bargains for summer snacks!
I passed on some baby clothes and items to a friend. There won’t be any more babies for us, so I’m glad someone could use them.
I took the younger kids to library storytime.
I helped my 2nd son pack for his boy scout camping trip using items we already had. He will share a tent with his friend.
We said no to the special fundraiser lunch at the school. I know it’s for a good cause, but we need to put the money toward other needs right now.
I made myself an iced coffee: a rare treat, but I enjoyed it!
Hope you all have a great frugal week!
IG: Frewgalfamily_HTX
Brandy – I get so much pleasure from looking at your lovely flower photos. Thanks so much for all your effort!
I like to shop for clothes at the end of a season when they are on sale. Even though I found some great bargains from Lands End, I waited two days before I submitted my list and then deleted all the items so I didn’t purchase anything. The best savings of all — no expense at all. I am happy that i bought clothes last year as I had enough that I did not have to do a laundry for 2 weeks – and did not have to do the stairs.
It was just as well because we had a spring snowstorm with 8-10 inches of snow so I had to pay my snow shoveller again. There has not been a week when we didn’t have snow and I’m going bankrupt because of the cost.
At this point I would just do my own shovelling but I’m recovering from surgery and not supposed to lift. I bought 3 ollas to put in my flower pots so I don’t have to lug a heavy hose around. I will use them in the pots with the tomatoes. Free shipping which was nice.
I am trying to get more than 100 photos put in albums. These are the photos I found when I sorted out 195 boxes of papers. I had not seen most of these before so I treasure them. i spent some money getting scans made for negatives for which there were no prints, then I got prints made. I am looking forward for when I can go out taking photos of birds — no cost! That is the lovely thing about digital cameras – once the initial investment has been made there are no more costs — or at least very few.
The Easter cake looks amazing and I am sure was delicious and enjoyed by your family. We were invited to a friend’s home and I made a dessert.
Savings here included:
-Washed household rugs and hung them outside to dry rather than using the dryer.
-Used a rubber shelf liner as a slip proof mat under the rug on tile floor in the bathroom.
-I was gifted an antique postcard that I put in a frame I already had on hand. I am enjoying a new little table top decoration,
-Took items to a local church run thrift store. I did not go inside the store and look around; have decided to use what we have and cut back on thrifting.
-Since the snow is gone, I can get to my compost pile thus cutting back on volume in our garbage. We do not have a garbage pick up service and take our garbage and recycling to a transfer station. I spent $11/month for a large bag of garbage and tote of recyclable (I crush and use ever inch of space in the tote box we take it in.)
-Got the leaves and sticks all raked off the yard and burned before the burn bans go into effect. Crocus popping up and blooming.
-Purchased a dozen of eggs for .99.
Hope everyone is having a good week. I really enjoy the very helpful tips and this community.