1. I’m using up some baby shampoo.
Not from when my kids were babies, mind you (my littlest baby is about to turn 12!).
No, I bought this when I got my ear piercing, per the instructions.
But I ended up finding saltwater soaks to be way more helpful in the healing process.
(Seriously, almost magical. It’s amazing how much that helps.)
So, I had this almost full bottle of shampoo on my hands, and I’m using it up on my own hair.
I don’t really love it because it’s not very sudsy or all that fabulous at cleaning, but I’m making it through. 😉
2. I shopped American Giant’s post-holiday sale.
Every year after Christmas, AG clears out some colors and styles, and the prices are super duper good.
They sell very, very quickly, though, so once you get the email, you have to shop right away.
I got two sweatshirts and a tshirt for a little less than $40. Yay!
3. I ordered a car battery online with in-store pickup.
Like most of the country, we’ve had some SERIOUSLY cold weather. The other day, I went to take the girls and a friend to a donut shop, and my van was a little slow to start.
I was like, “Eh, it’s very, very cold. That seems maybe ok.”
But then when we tried to leave the donut shop, my van wouldn’t start at all. Ugh.
We tried to jump-start it, but no luck.
So, one of my kids drove me back home.
Later, we went back over, cleaned off the terminals, and THEN we were able to jump-start it.
But the battery is original, which means it really is probably time to replace it. So, I called around to find what store had the battery I wanted in stock.
Oddly, the online price was WAY cheaper than the in-store price, so I paid for the battery online, selected in-store pickup, and off we went.
Happily, this store offers free battery install, which is fabulous when the weather is freezing cold and you have no garage to work in.
So. My van has a nice, fresh battery and I do not have to be afraid of winter cold or summer heat now (my previous van’s old battery died on a blistering summer day!).
4. I listed a bunch of books for sale.
I am not a natural-born seller (it always seems like a big headache to me), but yesterday, I listed multiple books for sale, some on eBay and some on Amazon.
I’m giving myself serious gold stars for this.
5. I inquired about a rentable college textbook for Lisey.
I noticed that a book she needs (which costs over $100), is available for rent for a mere $30. The rentable version doesn’t have an online access code, but in our experience, sometimes the professor doesn’t even have students use the code.
So, we have an email in to the professor to ask if renting is a viable option. Fingers crossed!
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Profesora H-B
Friday 5th of January 2018
1) We stayed an extra two days with my in-laws in Indiana. Instead of driving home to Texas and cranking our ill-prepared furnace at home, we thought it seemed like a better idea to stay in their house with their excellent furnace. I would have been more hesitant if I had seen folks posting on our neighborhood Facebook page about frozen pipes. No one did, and we arrived home to running water last night.
2) We do our long trips overnight. My husband prefers to drive at night and doesn't mind me sleeping. We save $$$ on road trip food since I'm sleeping.
3) I got a new fitness tracker for $23.95 on Amazon. It's marked $69.99 on the package, but it's a recently discontinued model.
4) While visiting the in-laws, my mother-in-law took me to the Half Price Books outlet for their $20 bag of books sale. I got tons of books (audio and paper), greeting cards, and movies for $20 plus tax. I usually don't purchase books, but the greeting cards alone were worth $20. And we needed an audio book on CD for our return trip.
5) Instead of being completely neurotic about our budget, I have a set amount of $ for eating out. I am exhausted and was easily talked into 50% off pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner tonight. There's room in the budget and it's less expensive than normal. Not the frugalest frugality, but it feels good for us.
Beth H.
Friday 5th of January 2018
Not sure if you know this, but a lot of the big retailers will give you a refund if you return your old battery.
Susan
Thursday 4th of January 2018
I'm not sure if I have five frugal things, but I'll try: 1. I won the local Chick-Fil-A New Year's Resolution contest on Instagram, and I'm waiting for an envelope of coupons to arrive. 2. I worked at my part-time online job this week and last week when I didn't feel like it and could have cancelled my hours. 3. It has been cold here this week for South Florida, and we haven't turned on the heat. It was 42 degrees outside this morning and 64 degrees in the house. I'm originally from New England, so I can live with it! The kids don't mind very much either. We're warm enough with extra blankets. I love the fresh air when I air out the house. It's too hot and humid for most of the year. 4. We're going to eat out of the freezer and pantry as much as possible in January. We have way too much food, and we're only going to buy vegetables, milk, and fruit. 5. I have been reserving and reading books from my local library. It has a great selection, and the reserved books arrive relatively quickly as well. I can't remember the last time I bought a book. That was easy!!
NatalieC
Thursday 4th of January 2018
Depending on where you live. If you take your parking ticket to the store you were shopping in they will take care of it.
Deidre
Sunday 7th of January 2018
Wow, that's amazing, I don't think that happens in Australia but it was my fault I wandered around to some other shops and just forgot, but thanks for the suggestion.
Deidre
Thursday 4th of January 2018
1. Decluttering; feels so good to finally make progress (it's been a long term project for me) & getting more organised to save time and money 2. Going through all my statements too for 2017 and updating my budget 3 Keeping a brief frugal wins/frugal losses list on each left hand page in an exercise book I fill out expenditure on pay week, inspired by this blog to track how i'm doing and to motivate me to keep innovating 4. Had some frugal losses - forgot I was in a 1hr park & got a $79 parking fine getting a dress I waited to go on sale to buy that was $70 cheaper, got sick so couldn't go to a potluck party & had to throw out a cream based cake I made that won't freeze - & no-one wants food someone with gastro made & I was too sick to eat any of it either, forgot about a bag of avocados that were way overripe and could only eat one. 5. Even though I was exhausted I made chicken curry and a chicken and veg risotto to freeze in portions totalling 10 dinners for me & made banana bread with two over-ripe bananas & some plain yoghurt I bought my mistake thinking it was vanilla
And big blessing to me - I hadn't bought a new calendar yet & a friend gave me a great one that I have already started using