1. I tried Altra Provision 6s
So, the Altras I’ve been wearing are the Provision 7 model, but as I’ve been looking for deals on eBay, I keep coming across super cheap Provision 6s, which are the previous model.
I read a comparison article that said they’re pretty similar, so I added a pair to my watchlist.
Then the seller sent me a discounted offer, and I accidentally let it expire. Whoops!
I submitted an offer for the same discount the seller had offered, along with a note explaining, and the seller accepted.
Sooo, I got a pair for $30. I tried them on and they feel very similar to my other Altras. I’ll wear them for a shift or two, and if they feel fine, then I will know that I can keep my eyes peeled for Provision 6 deals.
This is sort of an example of my “try it and see” frugal philosophy. I wondered if the 6s would work, and I bought a cheap pair to test it out.
It’s possible this could have backfired, but I knew it was equally possible that all would work out.
As you make a habit of experimenting like this, you’ll probably have more wins than losses. And besides, every win AND every loss gives you frugal information that you can use in the future.
2. I went to a symphony
The other day, I was feeling a little bummed that the symphony season is largely over in the summer…but then I looked and saw that there was a one-off concert happening, and it included Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which I do not think I’ve ever heard in person before!
So, I got my free ticket and my $15 parking and I wore my stripey blue Target dress. 🙂
Also of note: those earrings are from my Buy Nothing group. 🙂
3. I used GasBuddy and Upside in tandem
On the way back from an appointment, I needed to get gas. I was near Sam’s Club, but I wondered if I could get a better deal with Upside and then also avoid sitting in the Sam’s Club gas lines.
So, I used GasBuddy to check what the current price was at Sam’s Club, and then I used Upside to check and see what the price was at regular gas stations near me.
And happily, Upside won!
(Also, I just realized that it used to be called GetUpside and now it’s just called Upside. I wonder why.)
I love that GasBuddy shows me all the local gas prices; you can check deals on Upside, but they only show stations that offer a cashback deal, so I can’t see what the Sam’s Club or Royal Farms price is on that app.
4. I used my dehumidifier water to water my plants
My landlords instructed me to keep the dehumidifier on in the basement during the summer, and boy, it sure does take a lot of water out of the air in these hot months, even with the AC running!
The bin holds a substantial amount of water so when it’s full, I try to take a sec to haul it upstairs and outside to dump it in my various plant pots out there.
Water is super cheap here, so this doesn’t save me much money at all. But it feels satisfyingly not-wasteful to do it. 🙂
5. I charged my annual car insurance bill to my Amazon Visa
I have had my Amazon Visa from Chase for EONS. I’m sure I opened it because of a welcome offer many years ago, and I’ve kept it ever since because as a Prime member, I get 5% back on Amazon purchases with that card.
Anyway, my annual car insurance bill is rather hefty due to having what they politely call a “youthful driver” on my account.
Erie offers to let you pay it via your bank, but I opted to charge it to my Amazon Visa and then pay it off with my bank account. I won’t get the 5% cashback since it’s not an Amazon purchase, but still, I’ll get the base rate of 1%.
And that’s nothing to sneeze at on a big-ticket bill like this.
AW
Thursday 18th of July 2024
So many great ideas! I love the Frugal 5’s.
Mine are … 1) Glued a broken arm off a toy figurine my girl broke. 2) After being on the waitlist and there being cancellations, my youngest went to a Lego event at the library. She came home with a free Lego kit and activities. 3) Brought out a bag of free legos I stashed away for my other 2 girls to play with. Hours of fun so far. 4) 2 oldest girls are finishing up their gardening camp at the library this week. They can home with free modeling clay and will be coming home with homemade herb butter today. 5) Mended holes in a dress for my youngest.
Lindsay B
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
A little longer this week due to being on vacation last week and not posting!
1. I picked up some free Havarti cheese through Social Nature.
2. We were on vacation with my in-laws this past week– at a very expensive beach location. Not my preferred way to spend vacation money! But I found two quarters and a penny at our beach house… I think from my little nieces and nephews, but they had already left so I picked them up.
3. Unfortunately there was a ton of food waste. My MIL prefers to reuse cool whip containers for leftovers but then no one knows what’s inside. At checkout time we were the last people in the house and we had to throw away a huge amount of food (including a huge amount of chicken meat) that people didn’t take home in their coolers. It was frustrating because we could have eaten the chicken multiple times during the week… if we’d only known. It’s so frustrating for me to see that aspect of their life– they don’t have much money and think they live frugally but they don’t understand how much money they are throwing away, literally, when they throw away food.
We were flying home so we were limited with what we could salvage. However, we took what we could and only bought one sandwich in our day of travels.
4. DH grinds his teeth, and our dentist recommended a mouth guard for him at night. He has since ground through one mouth guard, but it came with a warranty that they would replace it if it didn’t last a certain time period. So he spoke with them, emailed a picture, and they sent us a coupon for a free one. The brand is Dentek, if anyone is curious.
5. On our flight home I held the baby while DH amused our toddler. I was able to watch two movies, which was fun because we rarely stream movies.
6. I filled out a survey after we bought Papa Murphy’s pizza recently (with a gift card and BOGO!) and had to wait an hour past their stated pick up time due to poor staffing. In the survey I made it clear that the two guys working were doing their best but that they just couldn’t cope with the amount of orders they were trying to fill. The owner said they will send me a coupon for a free large one-topping pizza.
7. Filled up the car when it was running on fumes and remembered to use my grocery store savings card, saving about $3. It’s not much but it feels good anyway!
Fru-gal Lisa
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
I'm a day late commenting bc my internet has been offline since this weekend. Turns out there was water in the outside line from the telephone pole to my house, no doubt from recent storms, something I could not fix by myself. The cable guy (I don't have cable TV but I get my internet and landline phone service from that co.) did more than expected, replacing the line and otherwise helping me get my computer and phone back working. I wonder: was it because he was just a super nice guy, or did he see the 2 advertisements for this company's 2 rival internet providers? (I left them on my desk, by the computer, on purpose, knowing that they don't ever want to lose an account...) -- Went through my stash of greeting cards (mostly bought super cheap from thrift stores and estate sales or obtained via free samples sent to me) and found a good one with a 4th of July motif -- a group of little kids holding flags and sitting on the curb waiting for a parade. It was blank inside. Wrote a thank you note on it, and hand-delivered it to my neighbors' mailbox; they were the folks who hosted the block party/swim party/picnic on the 4th of July. -- Shopped a Habitat for Humanity "Re-store", a specialized thrift store that sells mostly building supplies and household maintenance items. Found an unopened package of 4 LED nightlights for $1. They use less than a watt of electricity, per package instructions, and they have a sensor so they turn off in the daylight or if other lights are on. Put one in the bathroom so I don't have to keep the shower stall overhead light turned on every night. This saves on electricity and also ensures the built-in shower light will last longer; this is my 2nd such light and it was the devil to find one to replace the original, burned-out light. I like to leave a light in the bathroom to prevent falls. -- Hired 2 teen boys to mow the lawn yesterday since my regular yard man hasn't shown up in the past couple of weeks. --In the process of cleaning and de-cluttering, rounded up miscellaneous pens, pencils and notepads and grouped them all together. Come the start of school, I will have all the materials I need.
Karen L
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
I got a Wells Fargo card last year that had a $200 sign-on bonus and pays 2% rewards on all purchases. I still use my Amex card for groceries since it pays 3%, but I use Wells for most other purchases. I pay all my cards in full every month.
Isa
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
* As an avid reader I always try to get my books from the public library or free piles. But there was one book I could not find in physical form at the library (I much prefer physical books). I was ready to buy it used for 10$ but finally found it online for free, yay!
* Used a 0.99$ 7 days Prime membership offer to order proteins bars I usually pay 25$/box, for 15$/box for Prime members. I will also use this trial to watch a couple movies I don't have on Netflix, then will cancel just before it renews.
* Switched my Netflix subscription to the one with adds, for 6$/month. So far there is very little to none (adds), so it's a real deal. This is the only paid subscription I have.
* No grocery shopping this week except for milk. I have sooooo much food already, and I still buy more.... it's a problem.
* Daughter needs braces. It's 9000$ (canadian), over 2.5 years. We budgeted for it, fortunately. So while it's not frugal at all, the frugality makes it possible to have such a big expense and not go broke over it. Insurances will pay 3000$, which is also a big help.