1. I finished the prunes!
Remember how I told you all I was working through an extremely leathery container of prunes?
Well, many bowls of oatmeal later, I found the bottom of the container.
Whew.
In the last month or so, with oatmeal as a vehicle, I have now finished:
- the container of prunes
- half a bag of dates
- a 3/4 full bag of currants that I bought for who knows what reason
- a very elderly container of unsweetened coconut
And I’m currently on a container of dates that have been living here for quite some time.
Obviously, I need to be a little more circumspect about my dried fruit buying in the future!
Here’s how I make my one-serving microwave oats.
2. I called Cigna to fix two problems
One claim had been denied altogether, despite being in-network.
Good news: that one is the doctor’s office’s fault, and they will take care of it.
The other problem was a self-submit claim from December that’s been sitting there in final processing for a long time.
The rep and I looked over what I’d submitted, agreed that everything was as it should be, and she sent it back out for resubmission.
And since this one is from December, when our deductible was met, this resubmission should result in a check for me!
3. I took care of a $2543 dental bill
Sonia had her wisdom teeth out in October, and I just got a letter saying we needed to pay $2543 and that her oral surgeon was out of network.
None of that seemed right to me!
So, I called and found out that Delta Dental requires an EOB (explanation of benefits) from Cigna, our medical insurance, before they will pay.
I got that PDF sent over, and now our balance owed should be a tidy $0.
PSA: Know your medical plans and make it a habit to question your bills. You can save thousands of dollars this way and these savings can outpace a zillion other frugal habits in a hurry. Totally worth your time!
On a related note, here are six things I learned from submitting out-of-network medical bills.
4. I used up the last of the Nutella
My level of virtue is high, no?
I used a spatula to get every last bit out, and I spread it on banana chunks.
Bananas with Nutella make a very nice dessert, and as desserts go, this one does have some redeeming nutritional qualities.
And that fits right in with my, “Add in more of the good stuff” dietary philosophy.
5. I used some wrinkly potatoes for science
The biology class Sonia and I are taking called for another potato experiment this week.
I figured this would be a perfect use for some rather wrinkly potatoes I found on the pantry shelf, and they did indeed work just fine.
Since we do the labs at home, we have to submit photos of ourselves with our experiments, as proof.
Bonus frugal school thing: I printed this week’s lab manual pages on the back side of last week’s lab manual pages.
Tracey
Thursday 18th of March 2021
I can relate to the Prunes and Nutella. It feels good to finally use things up that have been hanging out forever.
A New Years goal here is to use up, repurpose, re-home or donate one item every day. I'm proud to say that so far we've hit the mark - even if it's just using the last drop of mustard in the bottle on a hamburger. Today I crushed up a stale sleeve of saltines to use in meatloaf. It's become a fun game.
Our five frugal things for the week:
1. My workmate and I are making crocheted hand bags from scrap yarn. We are giving them as Christmas gifts to about a dozen coworkers. They are colorful, super cute and free! We're working on them every day during lunch. We had four huge garage bags full of yarn given to us by our boss. His mother-in-law, an avid knitter, passed and he knew we would use it up.
2. Finished sewing a cardigan started many moons ago. It only needed sleeve and bottom hemming. I had put it aside when my serger decided to act up and make my life miserable.
3. Pulled three pairs of pants needing fly buttons out of the mending pile (mountain). Fifteen minutes later they were fixed. One pair for me and two for the hubster.
4. Eating down/date rotating the food stash.
5. Our anniversary is at the end of the month. I've been watching for a sale on the fancy, shock absorber, rocking camp chair my husband wants for when he goes motocross racing. It finally happened! $30 off with a sale and coupon.
Susan
Thursday 18th of March 2021
paying neighbor one hour every two weeks to help organize. That way I get 2 hours work done in one hour and don't feel so lost. She carts paper lawn and leaf bags of junk to thrift store. Right now just doing kitchen and pantry and laundry. So grateful. Getting rid of tiny never used appliances is very relieving
Julia
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
FFT 1. After 2 years of persistence all the medical, bills from my husbands injury have been paid! 2. Facebook Market started out with a bang. Most if what I sold I scored for free so total,profit. Sold two things for either what I paid for it years ago or fir more than I paid for it. So far for March $260 March Wet Jet kit $30 Tv mount $20 Vera Bradley tote. $20 Growler. $5 Electric kettle $10 Starbucks mugs. $70 Dog food $40 Vera Bradley bag. $10 Terrible Towel $10 Sound machine $20 Doll High chair $10 Blender $15 3. Found a Wendy’s gift card in the street. Checked and it had $5 left on it. Yes please! Bought two large chilies paid .70, added a .50 can of black beans, baked a .50 box of corn bread. Served it with grated cheese, hot sauce and sour cream and called it dinner! YumM 4. I’m selling Easter baked goods for a friend and will get thanked in baked goods. 5. Rescued a stack of old art canvases from a trash pile. Keeping two fir upcoming projects and giving one to a friend. 6. A bonus one! Signed our son up for a 4-H virtual program about barred owls. They sent him a kit with an owl pellet to dissect during the class, a work book and work sheets and everything he needs to build an owl house during the next class. All this counts towards his homeschooling. And did I mention it was free? If you have kids consider joining 4-H. In Pennsylvania it is only $20 a year and you can join as many;clubs as you want. This Thursday he is taking a speech prep class and next month he is attending a three day virtual civics class about how bills become a law complete with mock legislation. Just go online to your county 4-H extension office to see all the clubs. You do not need to live on a farm or have any animals/pets to join.
Heidi Louise
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
Hurray for #1! That is a HUGE relief, I'm sure!
And good points about 4-H.
Kristen
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
Oh wow, congrats on getting all those bills paid. I know medical/insurance issues take so much persistence sometimes.
Gunn S
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
Let’s see if I make five this week - and manage to write them in English.
1. Sold spare parts from my collectable cutlery and made quite a bit more than I paid for it.
2. Watched an online lecture from Avene for work and won a goodiebag. Got facial cream and eyecream I can use. The facial mist I will give away to someone who will use it.
3. Tried a new (for us) vegetarian dish. Had everything in my kitchendrawers and the recipe made three servings for us, so ate one and freezed two. It was yummy so it will be added to our mealplan rotation.
4. Earlier this winter I scored big at the local Facebook selling group. Six Arne Jacobsen 7-chairs for $25. Now I found matching screws for the ones missing so now we only need to cut the legs of the dining table. Since it’s old chairs they are a bit shorter. We can buy extenders for the chairs, but this way we save the $150 cost for those.
5. Sold some yarn that I won’t be using after all. Since I bought it at a discount I managed to sell it for the same price I bought it for.
lisa
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
It's good to hear of creative ways to use dried fruits. Maybe plumping them in hot water and then chopping them so they can be added to muffins and breads would work.
My Fab Frugal Five-
1) I signed up for a credit card and got the $200 cash bonus. 2) I'm working on getting $ from Swagbucks and have $17 so far. It will be used for a birthday gift. 3) We had a plane credit since the airline cancelled our trip in 2020. We only have a year to use the credit, so we are taking a small trip and going first class. Helloo leg room..... 4) I stockpiled lots of shelf stable items back in the Fall and decided to check their dates. I have to use some in the next 6 months and if I don't think I can, they are going to the food bank. 5) I found a silk pillowcase on ebay for $18 total. Real silk. Hopefully, it will stop hair breakage and keep my skin wrinkle free. That's the claim, anyways.