1. I made sweet potato chocolate chip muffins.
I had some wrinkly sweet potatoes, so I peeled, boiled, and mashed them, and used them in this recipe, which is just a minor variation on a pumpkin muffin recipe.
Not the most virtuous way in the world to use up sweet potatoes.
But definitely a delicious way.
2. I gave Sonia a haircut.
I gave her her usual post-dance-recital haircut this summer (must have bun-length hair for recital time!), but she decided she’d like even more cut off.
So she put it on the “I need mom to…” list, and I finally got it done yesterday.
Sonia has blonde hair, but she’s currently rocking this temporary hot pink hair color (applied via shampoo). More info about the colorwash here.
(Here’s how I do an at-home bob haircut.)
3. I sold three of my Halloween costumes on eBay!
Remember how I was worried they weren’t going to sell?
I guess I just needed to be more patient, because the Mrs. Incredible Costume sold for my full asking price, and so did the Snow White costume.
(I bought it on eBay last year for $9, and I sold it for $12.99 this year. SWEET.)
I lowered the prices on the Alice and Dorothy costumes, and Dorothy sold just yesterday.
So, all that’s left is Alice in Wonderland. Yay!
Naturally, I packaged up all of my eBay sales in reused padded envelopes, because free packing materials are the most fabulous.
4. I used up two of my Hungry Harvest veggies.
Fruit is never, ever a problem for us to use up.
My kids snack on fruit, I pack it in Mr. FG’s lunches, and if worse comes to worse, there’s always fruit salad, or freezing for smoothies.
Vegetables, though? I have to be more intentional about them.
So, last night I roasted some pork, and I also roasted those mixed potatoes and sauteed the green beans.
Still pondering what I want to do with the zucchini. And of course I will use the lettuce in a salad.
5. I…
- emailed a contact about getting payment for a sponsored post I did this summer (getting paid is TOTALLY frugal)
- made the Pioneer Woman’s overnight French toast to use up a bunch of random bread odds and ends
- had a date night with Mr. FG at the taco truck ($2.50 tacos make it easy to stay in our $20 budget)
- baked up some leftover pizza dough into a garlic flatbread.
Your turn!
Share your own Five Frugal Things in the comments.
amanda
Wednesday 11th of October 2017
1) I planned to buy a life jacket for each member of our family now that my brother has a river house. I was all set to buy a bunch off Craigslist when my aunt informed me that she has tons in child and adult sizes that we may use. Free is even better than cheap!
2) My husband and I are both from the tradition of Brunswick stew making. We don't make Brunswick stew a few quarts at a time--our recipes start at five gallons. (We make it and freeze it to last for months. We also compete in local cook offs.) We have been through several standard kitchen choppers. This time we decided to buy a commercial grade french fry maker to process all the potatoes and onions. The $50 price tag was more than we usually spend on that kind of thing. But this will be the only french fry chopper we buy the rest of our lives, and we can pass it on to our little stew masters in training.
3) I listened to a library audiobook during kitchen chores tonight. It is a biography of Alexander Dumas and his father. The context of the biography is the history of France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which is new to me as I study American history. What a treat!
4) I moved $500 out of savings to checking yesterday to make sure our credit card bill being automatically debited tomorrow doesn't overdraft the account. We had some unexpectedly high medical bills last month, so this shortage falls under the category of "emergency" instead of overspending. (Even though I am on our health insurance like a dog on a bone, their reviewers find every reason under the sun to deny everything they can.) Now looking back at the debits about to come out of our account I realize we should be fine. But I'm going to keep the extra cash in there just until everything clears.
5) We made a dinner of leftovers, I popped stove top popcorn to add to the kids' lunches, we read library books to the kids before bed, I drove the more fuel efficient vehicle on my longer commute, I accepted another airbnb reservation, we switched our company payroll to a cheaper company, and my husband and I both worked crazy hard today (like, way harder than we plan to work after we get these kids through expensive daycare and have built our company and re-padded our savings accounts).
Kristen
Wednesday 11th of October 2017
I like to cut zucchini in 1 1/2 inch long sticks (about a 1/2 inch wide), throw on a backing sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for 6-7 minutes. It's good to check them at around 5 minutes to flip them so the other side gets browned.
Jeethah
Tuesday 10th of October 2017
In the last several months, I've gone back to basic punjabi cooking. I make fresh roti, rice, lentils, vegetables and curry almost daily. I have really cut back on the western food plan. Not only is my new menu made from fresh ingredients it's also so very cheap. I'm so surprised how much we are saving.
Family of 5: Western food bill at least $350 per week. Indian food bill less then $60. Saving: $290 per week.
Jem Horwood (formerly Jan Elizabeth)
Monday 27th of November 2017
Wow!!
Rachel R.
Tuesday 10th of October 2017
1. Made chicken noodle soup with veggies that we needed to eat up.
2. Also instead of buying packaged snacks, I've been offering fruit or homemade peanut butter energy bites for after school snacks.
3. Made a new batch of pretty blue play dough. Added some essential oil for relaxation:)
4. Also added essential oils & Epsom Salt to a bath. I'm learning that self-care doesn't have to be expensive.
5. Finding joy in God, my friends, my family and community, even in financially challenging seasons.
priskill
Tuesday 10th of October 2017
And zucchini was one of the many things I tossed into that blasted soup, to no avail. Maybe you can make a good soup and throw them in ?