1. I made a quesadilla to use up some elderly tortillas
We had two tortillas that had been sitting around for a while, unloved and unwanted.
So I made a quesadilla for lunch, and I added a sliced jalapeño.
2. We DIYed some closet shelving for Zoe
When we bought this house, the closets all had wire shelving, which is serviceable, but not fantastic.
The main issue is that it’s annoying to not have a solid surface to set small things on.
And Zoe’s closet had a particularly poor set-up, especially when it came to places for hangers.
Mr. FG bought a board to use as a shelf, cut it to size, and we primed and painted it. He looked at some of those melamine-coated closet shelf boards, but they seemed less durable than a regular board, plus it’s hard to find the coated boards in the correct size.
Simple for the win!
(What paint did I use? Benjamin Moore Advance in Cloud White OF COURSE.)
Then we ripped out all the old shelving and installed new brackets, the new shelf, and a closet rod.
This is much more serviceable for Zoe, and all we had to buy was a board, a rod, and the brackets.
I’m still in the process of filling the zillion holes left in her walls, but I’m almost done.
3. I fixed a small fan
I’d been using this tiny fan to help the bookshelf dry overnight, and it suddenly stopped working.
I noticed some hair was wound around the blade, so I took the fan apart, removed the hair, and now it’s working great again.
Yay!
A small fan is not an expensive item, but I am always happy when I can fix something instead of throwing it out.
4. I used up some sticky marshmallows
Using up marshmallows is not exactly the most virtuous thing to do, but I am going to count it. I mean, I did pay for the marshmallows, so if I threw them away, that would indeed be wasteful.
I had two bags of marshmallows in the cabinet that had gotten sticky and formed a large lump of marshmallow.
Luckily, their combined weight was right about 10 ounces, so I made a batch of Rice Krispie treats and my girls were seriously gratified.
Rice Krispie treats are stupid delicious for how simple they area. So good!
(And in my opinion, the pre-made ones in the packages are seriously inferior. I dunno what they put in them, but something tastes really weird.)
5. I…
- made coffee at home (I have a lot! Ha.)
- soaked and washed all my painting supplies for future reuse
- made fried apples to use up some bruised ones from Hungry Harvest
Regina
Monday 17th of January 2022
my 5 frugal things for the week-
1. Had some leftovers in fridge that didn't get eaten before safe zone time & took outside to compost (frozen right now) so the birds loved that they got some veggies & bread to eat since didn't put out winter feeders. 2. Doctor ended up giving me more prescription so went to store/pharmacy few times so did groceries/errands while out & earned $ reward for groceries & $ reward for medication, which used to get more almond milk (seems to go quickly at store) & sale items for extra. 3. Earned enough points on shopkick app to get paypal $ & had enough purchases on kasasa checking (last month) to get $ back so was able to get vera Bradley laptop bag/pouch on poshmark (free after all said & done). 4. ordered Lego online & got free chinese new year lego when purchased few items (been waiting to become available) for Valentine's/easter (& free shipping as usual). Had trouble on Raketen app so was not able to earn any cash back since had to call to order. But now have enough lego vip points to get $ off next purchase which will be combined with another free lego with purchase. 5. continuing to go through stuff/downsizing & bagging donations for free store & animal shelter. Since moving soon (& don't want to pack/take since not sure where going) trying to pay it forward. Love the free store where anyone can get items for free. Trying to remember not very much prepping for gifts/food since moving. Luckily not much sales that intrest us.
Jen
Tuesday 1st of December 2020
We have that same wire shelving in our new house. I loathe it, but new wooden shelves all over aren't in the budget right now. So we went to HD, measurements in hand, and bought a huge piece of very thin flat white paneling. They cut it to the sizes we needed for free, and we were able to lay it on all the wire shelves for a smooth surface. It's not perfect, but it's much better than wire shelving, and it only cost $27!
Lisa
Thursday 19th of November 2020
In looking at the picture of your closet, I see that you use wood hangers. Since those are more expensive than plastic, I'm wondering if it's because of longevity? Do you have a recommendation as to where the best place to buy them would be?
Thank you!!
Kristen
Monday 23rd of November 2020
I love wooden hangers for multiple reasons. I think they look nice, for starters! And I like that they get less tangled than wooden hangers.
Also, they are less prone to breakage; I think in the decades I've been using wooden hangers, I've only had one or two break. My plastic ones broke much faster!
Ikea has wooden hangers for very affordable prices, but Aldi does sometimes too. And Target has in the past. Amazon may be worth a look as well!
Becca
Thursday 19th of November 2020
Got a bunch of free sub bread loaves from my husband’s work. We keep them in our deep freezer and use them whenever I make garlic toast, croutons, french toast, meatloaf or chicken patties, etc.
Made stock with the bones from the ribs I made last week. Used it for ramen bowls.
Made a homemade wedding card instead of buying one.
Steamed and puréed another pumpkin we got free with admission to a kids fun farm. Used to make pumpkin waffles and muffins.
Doubled my hours at work the next month. I am pool so I only work 4 shifts every 6 weeks but my hospital has been CRAZY so I am doing 8 shifts instead. Time and a half plus bonus because we are so desperate right now.
Also talking about work reminded me: Kristin if you are reading this I have advice for nursing: be a CNA first. Get your CNA and work in the hospital. It will be invaluable in teaching time management, critical thinking, knowing what a truly sick patient looks like, and getting you familiar with bodily fluids and uncomfortable conversations. Plus you can decide if it is really what you want to do before you spend a boatload of money on a nursing degree.
Joyce
Thursday 19th of November 2020
Great idea! CNAs are invaluable and make great RNs. I’ve seen many mske the progression as I’m an administrative assistant in an ICU
Hawaii Planner
Thursday 19th of November 2020
1) Sold four items on eBay. It's still been really slow, but at least I have a few more items out of the house. I use recycled packaging to mail everything. 2) Bought a gift card we needed via Swagbucks. I prefer Raise, but it can be hard to find all gift cards there, and Swagbucks had what we needed (Home Depot). Although it's a tiny discount (2%), it's a discount off of a purchase we need to make, so still adds up. 3) Ordered an item on Amazon, and then remembered I had an extra, tucked way back in our cupboards from 5+ years ago. Was able to return item to Amazon. Clutter now being used, and no money out of pocket. 4) Price matched an item we needed for our gutters, & saved $50 by shopping around. 5) Used grocery store rewards before they expired. I bought a few thins, and made a large food bank donation with the rest.