1. I mended a towel.
Promptly, too, so I give myself two gold stars.
When I took my bathroom’s hand towel out of the dryer this week, I noticed that the seam on the one end had come almost completely apart.
So, I got out my sewing machine and sewed it right back up.
I’m a little bit proud of myself for not putting that off. Yay, me!
2. I gave Joshua a haircut.
I haven’t got much to say about that. I cut his hair. It was free. The end.
3. I stopped at Costco when I was close by.
And then I turned this into a rather frugal fail.
So, the first trip was all well and good (I stopped by while I was in the area to pick up some things we needed. And I got gas.)
But then the next morning, I started to make some rolls and realized I had no yeast.
(After desperately searching thru my chest freezer.)
I’d even been in the BAKING aisle at Costco the previous day. Ugh. I may have been a little bit crabby with myself about that.
Anyway, I made a quick run out to Costco which wasn’t at all time or gas efficient.
I did make some yummy cornmeal buns with my freshly procured yeast, though, so all was not lost.
4. I started painting my patio.
I stopped into Home Depot and decisively picked a color without trying a sample.
(This is unusual for my household. Remember the time it took 8 samples to paint Sonia and Zoe’s room?? Oh man, I’m glad that’s over.)
The only thing is, I’m sort of wishing I tried a sample because this color is a bit pinker than what I think I want.
I mean, it looks really brown in this photo, and it looked rather brown on the color sheet at the store, but it’s a bit pink on the patio.
I’ll do a second coat and see how I feel after that. I mean, I already have the paint, so why not? I might as well give this color a really fair shake.
(I did successfully manage to pick a charcoal color for my front door without getting a sample, so I’m 1 for 2 with the no-sample thing.)
5. I returned my library books on time.
This is a big improvement over the time I got $18 in late fees.
Especially since I did that right after writing a post about how to accrue library late fees. Ahem.
Full disclosure: I did forget one book. But I can easily drop that by a library tomorrow, and it’ll only cost me a few cents in late fees.
Way better than $18. 😉
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Your turn! Share your own five frugal things in the comments.
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P.S. I don’t blog about politics, which is why I haven’t said anything about the election. It’s not that I’m opinionless or don’t have thoughts; I just feel like this is not the space to share them. Love to you all.
Kate
Friday 11th of November 2016
Hi, just a note to let you know that for some reason I have not received your blog in my email. It has been a few weeks. I miss you. Kate
Kristen
Friday 11th of November 2016
Oh dear, I'm sorry about that! I just went into my email settings and according to that, the emails are getting delivered to you. Usually when that happens, it's because my emails are going into your junk or spam folder (not sure what it's labeled on AOL). Could you check there and make it not as spam/junk and then see if you start getting my emails again?
Kat
Friday 11th of November 2016
Thank you very much for keeping your blog political free. I love your blog.
Stephanie L
Friday 11th of November 2016
Because I've kept my weight stable all of my winter clothes. I need to buy anymore or do any alterations – and of course, that's better for my health.
Business dinners all week, so our grocery bill was minuscule. Unfortunately, the dinner at last nights event was fillet and shrimp – i'm allergic to shellfish and haven't eaten red meat for 30 years. I frugally brought a protein bar, which I ate on the way home.
Purchased a Groupon to take our niece out for a celebratory dinner. She has accepted a call to ministry, and we are so proud of her.
Barbara Ferguson
Thursday 10th of November 2016
1. Saved wasting another sheet of printer paper on your roll recipe. I have that cookbook, too, and need to start using it. Have had it forever, and this is the second time you've inspired me to look at it. Now to bake them.. 2. Raked leaves today with 4-yr. old grand who THANKED me for letting him rake. 3. Took above-mentioned grand to library storytime (free), and didn't go to Chick fil-A after. 4. Boiled down a 1/2 gallon of apple cider that wasn't being consumed. This after buying some from King Arthur at Buy one/get one half off. 5. Made a small crockpot of applesauce with some questionable apples, with a few good ones thrown in, and some of that boiled cider. Delicious!
chris
Thursday 10th of November 2016
1) Our middle son and I worked out a fun plan for his birthday party. We are teaching our boys to value fun living over possessions. To this end we are inviting every single friend he has to come over and have a giant Nerf War (we 3 sons we have plenty of nerf guns, lol) and trampoline jumping with brownies and ice cream but requesting no presents. He already has more stuff than he can manage due to years of 3 birthdays every year. This is frugal for the other parents (whether they care is none of my business) and brownies and ice cream for twenty kids is pretty cheap. 2) I made the world's most random lunch boxes today. I need to go to the store but I wait until it is desperate because, overall, I spend less when I go less. 3) I wore a thrifted outfit to visit with my mom and MIL. That is every day, though. Except for jeans. I have a small waist and big arse. Finding cute thrifted jeans is nearly impossible since only a couple of brands sort out properly on my frame. 3) I made breakfast out of some bits of veggies and Aldi's eggs. 39 cents/dozen for weeks now! 4) A Target run for invitations turned into determination to print some out on my own for pennies.
Frugal Fail: Chronic lack of sleep, the drier late fall air, allergies and who knows what else has resulted in a dull headache and slight fever on and off for days on end. I caved tonight and sent the boys and husband out for pizza while I crashed on the couch with HGTV and honey tea. My sweet husband brought me a nourishing salad and I actually feel better now. So, not frugal but within our budget, which is set up to give us grace when needed.