Sorry I was MIA yesterday! I was out of town last week, and the previous two weeks, I was under the weather. So, it’s been three weeks since I’ve been doing all my regular tasks around here, and I’m busy playing catch-up.
But at least 1/3 of the three weeks, I was out for a fun reason!
1. I got a bag of oranges for free.
I was at a grocery store and noticed that 4 pound bags of oranges were on sale.
But when I scanned the bag at self checkout, the price didn’t ring correctly. So, I finished my transaction and brought the receipt over to the customer service desk.
At first, the employee was only going to give me the difference between the ringing price and the sale price, but I politely pointed out that the store’s policy is to give you a free item if it rings incorrectly.
(She was a new employee, whereas I’ve been shopping at this store for 17 years.)
So…free bag of oranges for me!
2. I bought a shower curtain liner at Aldi.
The one in my kids’ bathroom has had a rip for a while, and I kept meaning to stop by Home Depot or some other store to pick up a new one.
But fortuitously enough, Aldi had them on special purchase this week. Woohoo! I got a good price on a shower curtain liner and this saved me from having to make a separate stop.
Double yay.
3. I paid Sonia’s allergy shot bill with my FSA card.
We’re taking the plunge and getting Sonia started on allergy shots for her tree/grass allergies.
This won’t help her during the spring allergy season this year, but hopefully by next year, she’ll be starting to notice a difference (and maybe she won’t need her inhaler and other meds!)
We haven’t met our deductible yet, so the first serum was kind of expensive. But luckily we had plenty of money on our flexible spending card to cover it.
AND we have a much smaller deductible this year than last, so I think we will actually meet it and get some coverage.
(Last year we met our deductible in December. Kind of useless!)
4. I planned out a menu and made a grocery list.
This isn’t exciting or unique, but hey, it bears mentioning. Deciding on meals ahead of time and basing a grocery list off of that plan can save you so much money!
You’re less likely to get takeout if you have a plan, and you’re also less likely to overbuy groceries (and overbuying usually leads to food waste.)
5. I batched errands.
I had to take Lisey in for a vaccination, and I stopped by a nearby post office on the way home to mail a package.
And after that I had to take Sonia in for her allergy shot, and I stopped by the library on the way home to drop a book off that’s due soon and also to pick up a job application for Sonia.
She’s 14 now, so she’s eligible to work at the library if they get an opening. And she’s hoping hard that they do! She’d love to have a part-time job, and there aren’t a lot of places to work when you’re 14.
Carol
Saturday 10th of March 2018
1 - Used coupon for ½ off exterior car wash.
2 - Applied for Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and was approved. Will earn 50,000 points to use for travel after putting $4,000.00 in charges on the card in the first three months from account opening. Out of pocket medical expenses from husband’s surgery and church tithes will go towards meeting the minimum spending requirements.
3 - ALWAYS pay credit card balances in full each month to avoid paying interest.
4 - Booked airline tickets to and from Canada and five hotel nights using previously accumulated credit card points.
5 - Will use Chase Sapphire card in Canada because it has no foreign transaction fees. Will also put car rental charges on this card because it provides primary coverage for rental cars.
Carla
Thursday 8th of March 2018
I loved my part-time job at the library! Sonia might consider volunteering at some library events. It would get her some exposure and a big step up if a position did become available.
AN
Thursday 8th of March 2018
Let's see...
1. Skipped grocery shopping on Monday due to a winter storm. Weather-forced frugality made me eat down the food I had at home. Turns out spaghetti and peanut butter sandwiches work out fine. 2. I realized I'm much more likely to let salad go to waste if it's a boring iceberg/carrot combination. So when I did make it to the store, I picked up a slight more expensive combo of kale, sprouts, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Though it cost a couple of dollars more, I know we'll eat the entire bag instead of letting it rot in the bottom of the fridge. I call that a frugal win. 3. Returned some windshield wiper blades that didn't fit correctly on my car. Did quite a bit of research to figure out what I needed to buy instead, and will order them this weekend. 4. My last two bananas were going bad, so I stuck them in the freezer for future banana bread. 5. In the freezer this week, I discovered a box of Girl Scout cookies that had been in there for far too long. Rather than buying more this year, I just opened that box and started enjoying them finally! Aldi also has some cookies that are very similar, so I try to remember that when I get the craving to buy $4 boxes of cookies.
Kristen
Thursday 8th of March 2018
Oh yes...Aldi's version of Thin Mints is SO GOOD. And so cheap. I try very hard to buy them only every now and then because I have no self control when they're around!
Deidre
Thursday 8th of March 2018
Sorry to hear Sonia has allergies; hope the shots work really fast for her, I love multitasking with errands it saves so much time & energy & bargain with the oranges! I don't know if I have 5 frugal things but here goes: 1. I have been trying to make myself go to bed early to get up early for quiet time & do stuff before work & sometimes succeeding & I realised this actually means using less lights/heating/cooling so extra motivating 2. Massively reduced my takeout expenditure in the last 2 months taking all food to work except yesterday when I forgot to put it in the fridge so bought steamed vegies at the cafe & pushing myself to use up pantry/fridge/freezer items 3. Redeemed 12 wholemeal bread rolls from my bakery rewards card for the freezer 4. Took a nut bar in my handbag to snack on when I met up with a friend for coffee 5. Drying clothes on the line or clotheshorse instead of the dryer
there, I did it:)
Kristen
Thursday 8th of March 2018
Reducing takeout costs is so smart! That's an area that can add up so quickly.
lisa
Thursday 8th of March 2018
Terri- I haven't gotten chicken any cheaper than $1.49/lb from Zaycon, so your price was a fabulous one!
Tricia- Glad you got cash back from the new CC!
Profesora- Congrats on the weight loss! I've heard of YNAB but haven't used it. I'm glad it's working for you!
Here's my Fab Five for the week:
1) I got secretly shopped last night at my retail job. My manager told me about it and apparently, the shopper really liked me. Whew! I got 100% and the manager gave me a $5 gift card for the kudos. Savings- 100%
2) My hours at work have been crazy and I have a Subway GC that I used with any specials that they were running. A 6" sub of the day was $3.50. Score. Savings- 42%
3) The market had k-cups on sale for $2.99 a box. Savings- 57%
4) The market also had chocolate (Kit Kat/Hershey/Reese's mix) Valentine's candy on clearance. I got 10 oz boxes for $1.71. Savings- 66%
5) I used CC rewards pts to get 2 gas gift cards. Savings - 100%