1. I ate leftovers for lunch.
We had leftover Japanese Pork and Ramen soup, so I heated it up for lunch.
And I had the end of a loaf of molasses oatmeal bread, so I cut that up and toasted some for us to eat with our soup.
2. I activated a rebate card.
When we last bought tires, there was a rebate for a $70 prepaid card, which I filled out online. The card just came, so I activated it and I’ll use it when I buy groceries this week.
Prepaid cards are a little bit annoying to use, but oh well. It’s not like I had the option to choose a check instead. And $70 is $70.
3. I lined up payment for two unpaid jobs.
I realized I hadn’t been paid for two instances where I worked with companies, which is kind of a happy realization, in a way! Both payments have been taken care of now.
(Earning money is kind of an important part of being frugal, after all. Increasing income + lowering outflow = key to saving more.)
4. I did the January money email.
(Here’s how I do the monthly money emails. HIGHLY recommend these if you share finances and having trouble keeping both people in the loop.)
I don’t love the process of taking care of bills/writing up the monthly report, but I am always glad I did it.
It’s kind of the same way with menu planning. I hate the process but I love the result!
5. I….
made yogurt, cooked dinner at home, packed a lunch for Mr. FG, bought only what I needed at the grocery store, and used the last bits of lettuce to make a salad.
Your turn! Share your own Five Frugal Things in the comments.
P.S. Sonia’s got a post up today about some hedgehog mittens she knitted.
Linda
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
1. We ate dinner at home all week. No eating out. This also gives me leftovers for my lunch. 2. I began a new craft project which I will be saving for a gift. It's a pallet hanging. 3.I took some clothing to the consignment shop. 4. I pulled a book off my bookcase at home to read. 5. I called my cell phone company to dispute a bill and won.
Overall, it was a quiet week. I have not even been in a store in over 10 days at least.
lisa
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
Some weeks are really frugal for me and some are more unconventional. I don't spend much money on clothes or disposable items, so it can be tough to figure out what I did to be frugal, other than not buy anything...Here's my list:
1) We're going to a free day at the Art museum. The youngest will take a selfie while there to submit it for a school project and the oldest is bringing his girlfriend. I've only met her once so it should be fun. 2) Worked on a school project for the youngest. It was a sculpture. A robot made of aluminum. Using foil pans that we had, and soda can tabs, other items had to be purchased, but not much. A roll of aluminum wire and 2 washers ($5). I splurged and got a trophy base from ebay ($7.25) as it had to look like "museum quality." Hot glued the bot to the base and he moved like a bobblehead, but DS2 said it was a hit. Hope he gets a good grade for it. 3) I got free magazines from airline miles and a website that lets me take surveys called rewardsurvey dot com. The selection isn't huge and some are digital mags, but hey, it's free and I like to read. 4) We refill our printer cartridges at Costco for $10 each. 5) My paycheck from my job didn't come through. I had to let the HR department know so they could do an inquiry. So, i started looking at my pay stubs and noticed one was missing from December. Which means, they'll be re-issuing 2 checks to me pretty soon. Kinda cool. Found money is always good.
Lydia
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
How about a post on big frugal fails? I just had to lend a family member 1500 dollars on a loan I will never see. But it is a tough situation. I saved so hard for the money but she is in dire straights. Wondering how I make it back up. Not to mention I feel resentful as I have never asked my sister to borrow money and she seemed to expect it.
Emma
Friday 3rd of February 2017
Lydia, you are probably going to have to decide how to handle this for the future because it almost certainly will come up again. I don't know your sister but it's possible YOU could be her backup plan for life. You need to take care of yourself first. Decide what you are going to do the next time she asks and realize your decision may not make her happy.
Kristen
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
Oh, that is so hard! Especially if you are like me and have a terrible time saying no.
Hopefully someone else will have advice for you.
WilliamB
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
That is a very hard place to be in. There aren't many good answers to that.
TamaraR
Wednesday 1st of February 2017
1) Remembered to turn off sprinklers prior to last week's series of storms, which will lower our water bill significantly. 2) Used a $10 off $10 coupon at JC Penney to purchase an item I needed anyway. 3) Used a BOGO coupon for a cheap date night with hubby at a fast casual place we both really enjoy. 4) Used a TravelZoo dining deal to enjoy a very romantic dinner at half the listed menu price. Plus it included a bottle of wine. :-) 5) Made all other meals at home, with enough leftovers to freeze for several more meals. Also planned my Super Bowl menu around what's currently on sale near me, so it looks like we'll be munching on guacamole, then eating BBQ'd short ribs. Yum!
Lorraine
Tuesday 31st of January 2017
1. Saved $5 at the craft store by NOT buying something I was pretty sure I needed before checking my stash at home. Turns out I had twice as much as I needed in my supply closet.
2. Delaying my perscription pick up until February 1st so that the debit on my card will count towards February. My bank waves the $10 monthly account fee if I have 15 debit card purchases per month. When I am really focused and sticking to my budget it is hard to reach 15 sometimes. For January I had exactly 15.
3. Instead of buying sandwich bread, I pulled hot dog buns and a hunk of a baguette out of the freezer and used those instead. Speaking of which, I made a freezer inventory at the beginning of January and it has made a huge difference in my budget by building around things I already had. I will definitely be updating it for February this weekend.
4. I renewed my museum membership and my amazon prime which cost a lot up front but save me soooo much in the long run because I use them both All The Time.
5. I was down to one cat food bowl and considered looking in a thrift store or the dollar store for new ones instead of using my good dishes. Then I remembered I had some small asian style bowls that someone gave me in my Goodwill bag and dug them out. They are the ideal size for cat food and have little fishes painted in the bottoms of them which seems just perfect for the cats' dinner. Yay for shopping in my own Goodwill bag. I didn't even have to leave the house. Haha.