1. I made bread after a science experiment
Zoe’s biology teacher assigned a yeast-growing experiment, so after Zoe was done, I used the yeast to make two loaves of bread.
Of course, a few teaspoons of yeast doesn’t cost very much, but I felt happy not to throw it away.
I continue to divide my bread dough unevenly. It’s a lifelong pattern. Attention to detail? We don’t know her.
And I used the loaves to make panini for dinner on Sunday night, so that’s something.
2. I gave Lisey a Thinx coupon
I got a $10 coupon in the mail, so I passed it on to her. A person can always use more period undies!
If you want to give Thinx a try, go through this link to get $10 off your first order.
I’ve only mentioned Thinx in passing; I promise I will do an actual review post soon. Short version: I think period undies are great backup protection and pantiliner replacements; I’m not as sold on them as a replacement for tampons or pads.
3. I submitted a range rebate and a contact lens rebate
I almost forgot that there was a $50 rebate to submit after we got our new stove/oven!
I submitted that one and also submitted one for my contact lenses.
I seriously love that rebates can be done entirely online now. That’s so much easier (and less wasteful) than the mail-in rebates we did back in the day.
And I have to imagine that this is much simpler on the processing end; much less manual entry.
4. I got some unexpected free food/drinks
Someone on NextDoor* posted that they needed help carrying food bank boxes to people’s cars during their once-a-month food pantry day, so Mr. FG and I went over to help out.
*this proves that NextDoor is not comprised entirely of petty complaints.
At the end of the shift, there were some leftover perishables, so the people in charge asked if we could take some home so they wouldn’t have to throw it away.
And that is how I ended up with a LOT of bottles of orange juice in my fridge.
I would not normally buy individual bottles of OJ (too much plastic!), but in this case, the most eco-friendly thing to do is to at least drink the orange juice before it goes bad.
They’re even in the produce drawer!
I also got some croissants, ciabatta, and chips, which my girls will happily eat.
Of course, free food was not why I volunteered. But I am happy to help keep things from going to waste.
5. I used a Local Flavor voucher on our date night
Local Flavor (sort of like Groupon) had a $16 offer for a $30 takeout voucher for a local restaurant. So, I bought it and we used it for our takeout date night.
We had some leftover sweet potato fries from our meal, so the next day at lunch, I refreshed them in a skillet on the stove (dry heat is so important for reheating stuff like that).
And I ate the fries with two fried egg whites, which were leftover from something I baked.
It was a very anti-food-waste lunch.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
Share and inspire us. 🙂
Hawaii Planner
Thursday 24th of September 2020
Love these posts: 1) Continue to list & sell things on eBay & FB marketplace. I really enjoy matching up things we don't need/want with others. 2) Used up garden produce, and emailed neighbors to give away a ton of basil, parsley, mint & jalapenos that we couldn't get through. 3) Mailed all eBay packages with recycled packaging 4) Walked to pick up the Friday Freebie at a local grocery store. 5) Devoted all income from eBay to paying down our mortgage. It's usually not month, but I typically am able to pay a bit extra every few days. Love seeing the balance go down.
Tricia
Thursday 24th of September 2020
1) My workplace is providing breakfast and lunch for some ProD workshops today and tomorrow. LOVE not having to think about 4 meals! 2) One of the parents at our school donated 1300 boxes of medical masks, one for each staff member and student. NICE! 3)It's cooler (a bit) so my husband and I have been walking in the evenings. Cheap exercise. 4) I pulled up a vine that grows wild and stuck it in some dirt months ago. The thing cannot be killed. Free house plant.
Tracey
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
This week's five frugal things:
1. Used some of my massive supply of frozen bananas to make a triple batch of banana nut muffins.
2. I was cleaning out a closet in the bathroom and found a bunch of nearly-full Claire's ear piercing cleaning solution bottles. I googled the active ingredients and discovered they are also used in sanitizing products. I tested it out on my sinks and it works great. Yay for repurposing!
3. Our local car wash was having a special - two ultimate washes for $20 with an expiration date of 12/31/20. That's a savings of $15. Because of where we live, we have to use the car wash in the winter to get the dirt and salt off.
4. Took advantage of a great seafood sale at my local grocery store to stock up on cod and scallops.
5. I became the recipient of two, large industrial-size spools of lace-weight wool. It's a beautiful twist of black and dark pink. Lightweight, but warm. I'm pinning knitting and crocheting dress patterns until I find one I want to make. In my stash have black fabric on hand that I can use to line it with so it doesn't itch.
lisa
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
My fab five: 1) Since the refrigerator kicked the bucket, DH was on the lookout for another. Craigslist and Next Door didn't produce anything cheap, but a clearance outlet did. A refurbished one was $250 and it's now at our house, waiting to get plugged in.... 2)I was gifted a $25 GC to Target. 3) I earned a $10 GC on Swagbucks and will get DH a gift card for Christmas. 4) With the cooler weather here, we've shut off the AC. 5) I got organic flour for 50 cents/lb at Costco.
Lisa
Tuesday 22nd of September 2020
It seems like I've been busy since I got up for work this morning! Five Frugal things: While I'm not sure how much it costs without my insurance, I used my work insurance at the in store pharmacy and it was minimal for my eye drops. (I really appreciate seeing.)
I joined an online four week cooking class that our local hospital offered. I have two friends in the class too. It did cost 25.00, and takes two hours out of the week, but we picked up a box of food to make the meal! I had to provide four eggs, fish (or chicken), and feta cheese. Totally worth it! The lentil spaghetti was not awesome, but I was looking at the sauce and I think it can become a stew or vegetable soup. I am freezing it for a later time to put on my weekly menu.
I also chopped up all the extra vegetables I didn't use in the recipes today, and will freeze them or use them for parts of meals later.
Today I stopped by the clearance aisle on my way out of work, and found 2 cup measuring cups marked down for a dollar. I bought three as Christmas gifts. They will be added to the measuing cups (the multiples on a link) I found for .50 the other day! Not super exciting, but my oldest talks about moving out some times, and the more he has now, the less he'll need to go out and purchase spur of the moment.
This one didn't actually benefit me this time, but I noticed on my way in to work that gas had jumped up another 20 cents. I posted that it was still cheaper at the second gas station I pass, and two people let me know they were able to go get some gas before that price went up too.
Jenny
Friday 25th of September 2020
Do you all know about Gas Buddy? Great app.