1. I sold an outgrown bike on craigslist.
Unlike my pal Katy, I am not big on selling things. I am okay at it, but I hate the process, which means it’s something I tend to put off.
So, I’m giving myself a big gold star for selling a bike this week. 😉
I cleaned it up, took photos in good light, and wrote up a detailed listing.
(Because when we were shopping for bikes, we came across a bajillion listings without wheel/frame sizes listed. So frustrating!)
2. I returned Lands’ End items at Sears.
I ordered multiple swimsuits from Lands’ End for Sonia (because glory be, they sell suits for super slender children), with the plan to return what didn’t work.
Lands’ End doesn’t offer free return shipping, so I stopped by Sears on the way home from taking Joshua to work and did my return there. Free, and almost no extra driving.
3. I bought two clearance swim shirts.
While on said errand to Sears, I spotted a clearance rack and found a $7 swim shirt for Sonia and one for Zoe.
This is perfect, because we recently discovered that they’ve outgrown our small swim shirts and aren’t big enough for the larger ones we have.
4. I planted basil outside.
I’d started a bunch of basil seeds in a pot a little while back and had been meaning to transplant the now-medium sized plants outside, where they can get nice and big. But the weather has been so hot, I’ve been nervous about their survival post-transplant.
Luckily, the weather promises to cool down a bit, so I distributed the plants in my borders last night, and I think they’ll be fine.
5. Miscellany
I cooked at home all week, dropped clutter off at Goodwill, bought clearance flip flops for my girls, mailed back an Old Navy swimsuit bottom with a free shipping return label, and took Joshua’s car in for a free airbag replacement, as it was part of a big recall.
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Your turn! Share your own Five Frugal Things in the comments.
Cinbadcin
Friday 5th of August 2016
5 Frugal things I did this week
1. Went to the office to turn in work then went to the library until 8:00 p.m. so I did not turn on my air conditioning until after 9:00p.m. and it was off just after midnight. My house usually stays cool. I did this all week.
2. Returned some library books by the due date.(Hard for me sometimes to do.) Found 6 books I wanted from the library Book Store( 4 Hard Back and 2 Soft Back) Total costs for them were $5.00. I know I spent money but I wanted to keep them for a very long time and I probably can sell them later for what I paid( or more) at a Yard Sale next year.
3. Ate lunch for free at the office 4 of the 5 days and the other day I ate leftovers from some things I had from dinner. We buy food for clients and I was able to eat leftovers they didn't eat. Paid for my gas/wear and tear to get there and I had to turn in work anyway.
4. Made dinner from some chicken I had bought and froze(made 3 meals already and it cost $5.00 from Sam's Club) with leftover rice from work. Ate it cold at the library and the library is just up the street from the office. Groceries for the week were just under $20.00, so far.
5. Tomorrow I will visit a friend and will do things she needs done in exchange for lunch. I get to spend time with her and I won't again be spending money on air conditioning. I will probably get dinner out of my leftovers as we go out to eat and she insists on paying. I never order a drink as water is always provided for free so her bill isn't that high either, a 'win win' situation for us both.
Sheila McVicar
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Good morning, Kristen! We are still traveling in Australia and this is what we did this past week: 1. Since my pants were attempting to fall off, I bought 3 pair of pants (2 in size I am in now and one size smaller and all in great condition) for $9 in total. 2. We took the train into Melbourne and got the best hotel rate as it was on a back lane that was under construction. 3. We hiked to the Thrift store, Chemist, Bank and Post Office 5 km round trip from home base, dropped off the stuff in our backpacks, then hiked another 4 km round trip to the grocery store. Packs were stuffed full of veggies, so got in some weight training for free! We also hiked to the Melbourne Market and got some deals on shoes (hubby sorely needed runners and sandals and runners for me as I wear them out every 6 months if I'm lucky) for both of us, saving about $200.00 by not going into shoe stores. We hiked or took the free tram service in the Central Business District 4. Made a double batch Nut Loaf and a huge Apple Slaw with Lemon and Lime juice for dressing. Made a Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup and a Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup, enough to freeze and serve us for 8 meals. Made a large container of Oatmeal Mix with dried fruit, seeds and nuts spice with homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice. Made an overnight Oatmeal with Nut milk and fresh fruit. 5. Took a big container of Slaw with us to Melbourne, including 2 forks and had that for a late meal. Only got rained on a few times and hardly got wet :)
Katy Wolk-Stanley
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Great job on selling the bike! You know what I say, right?
"Crap out of the house, money in!"
Kristen
Monday 1st of August 2016
Yes, indeed!
Mary
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Free veggies from my sisters garden . Went to Goodwill on Sat for 75%off color sale on Sat(I never knew until a few months ago that every Sat was 75%off the color of the week Made breakfast at home instead of going out Rain last night so I don't have to water flowers Got Lowes gift card at Giant which gave me gas points will use gift cards in the fall for a few house items
Anonymous but regular reader of your blog
Saturday 30th of July 2016
This is one of my favourite blog categories :-) I love to read the responses, adding mine here as well: 1 Sold one of my books. Books are so difficult to let go of 2 Ate home cooked meals healthy all week in spite of extreme temperatures and kids being away all week 3 Tried on all outfits that would be suitable to wear to work in said weather; discovered some options in my own closet and bought an additional office wear top, on clearance 4 Received a 20 euro coupon for participating in a survey by one of my favourite local linen shops. Without expiry date, and also valid on clearance. A very good reward, that! 5 Cleared out a closet, finding back some loved items, as well as some items that will be loved by others (goodwill or sale)
Also we had some repairs done to our home, which counts as semi frugal in my book since neglect will always cost you more in the end.
Have a great weekend all!