1. I got some free nail polish
When I lived with Sonia, I used to just borrow some from her extensive collection when I wanted to paint my toenails.
part of Sonia’s collection!
Nail polish on the right side of the desk
I only personally own one bottle, so when I saw someone offering a little collection of nail polish on my Buy Nothing group, I raised my hand and happily picked them up.
Now I have a nice selection of colors to choose from.
And while it is getting to the time of year when I rarely paint my nails (feels a little pointless when they are always covered by close-toed shoes when I’m out and about), I will definitely use the polish when spring rolls around.
SPARKLES!
And of course, I will share with Zoe.
2. I decrystallized some honey
The last of our bottle of honey got rather crystallized, so I used the same method as I did last time:
hot water in the measuring cup, with the bowl on top to weigh the honey bottle down
And then the honey was pourable enough to transfer to a glass Mason jar.
3. I wore free earrings and a secondhand dress to the symphony
I got my free student ticket of course, and since it was an unseasonably warm day, I still dressed like it was summer.
I wore a pair of earrings I got on my Buy Nothing group a while back.
And I wore a black knit dress I got on Ebay a few years ago.
Chiquita had already cuddled with me by this point, which is why there’s cat hair on my dress!
This time around I purposely picked a ticket that is right by the string basses because I really love to hear their low notes.
4. I bought a discounted Panera gift card
Sometimes on days when Zoe and I are both working, I pick up some Panera takeout for us for dinner. To plan ahead for such a future situation, I got a discounted gift card through my Citi credit card, paid for entirely by points.
The card would be paid for in points regardless, but when I can get them on sale, it makes my points go further.
This Citi credit card gives me 5% back on groceries, so I am always careful to do all my grocery purchasing with this card.
5. I…
- got some breath mints for almost free at CVS
- continued my streak of never buying food/drink at the hospital (How long can I keep this up? We shall see!)
- got my free flu shot at the hospital (required both for work and for school)
- printed my pediatrics papers at school (the schedule and all the pages of pre-work assignments)
cc
Tuesday 15th of October 2024
Your nail polish story reminded me of when I was a kid(5 or so in the 1960’s) I used a red crayon to “paint my nails”. My mother was really worried.lol
It makes sense to me now. Because ever since then I have look for ways to have what I want in a more creative way by using what I have. Some things worked, some not so much.
Meira@meirathebear
Tuesday 15th of October 2024
Congratulations on your streak of avoiding hospital food! It's a big accomplishment. This week:
1. I got free museum tickets through the public library
2. I got a raise, negotiated by my union
3. I sold my wedding reception linens on Fb marketplace!!! A huge win, mostly for avoiding wastefulness. I sold them for 35% of what I paid, but some of them were second hand and frankly I just wanted them GONE. I've now sold everything I bought, in terms of decor.
4. I'm trying to intentionally cook from the freezer and pantry.
5. I tried making banana muffins (the whole wheat/no added sugar kind) for my toddler. I thought they were delicious; she didn't like them ("I like chocolate." She's my kid, alright.) It was a cheap thing to try, and I thought they were delicious, so I'll eat them!
Karen A.
Tuesday 15th of October 2024
Some very tiny frugal things here....
1. Biked to the library, and on the way out of the parking lot of a church where I was dropping some food off at their Little Free Pantry, I found a penny. I love finding pennies. My best found penny was at Disney World, on the way out--DH said he was surprised Mickey Mouse didn't appear and tackle me for it!
2. Library books, of course.
3. DH fixed our garage door with hinges he found on Amazon--yes, we had to buy the hinges, but the labor was free! Plus he was able to fix the tension rod, which he's never done before.
4. Also DH--while he was cleaning up the garage he found an old plastic bracket we'd used for building a candy cannon (for Pandemic Trick or Treating). He used it to revamp Clark's water fountain, which is actually really awesome now and less prone to leakage. And we didn't have to buy any parts.
5. I did cave and order a new analog CrockPot--but I waited till it was super on sale and then used Amazon reward points. Should arrive today and will be 7 quart, a little larger than the one we have! No annoying brackets sticking out to hold the lid on, and no beeping! Yay. Hope it works!
Theresa
Tuesday 15th of October 2024
I rarely post on a FFT or elsewhere, but here goes! 1. I revived some cilantro (this was the thing that made me think: FFT!) 2. Coffee at home - always & forever, unless I’m traveling. 3. 95% of meals at home & the 1 lunch out was HUGE & became lunch the next day. 4. Gas savings of 0.50/gallon thru grocery points + cell phone promo. 5. “Bundling” errands - time is valuable.
Regina
Tuesday 15th of October 2024
You look.so cute for the symphony! :) Lucky you for nail polish. I only own 1 bottle of nail polish (also) that I bought last month at Dollar Tree because nail polish is expensive! Other stores start put at $5-$6+ (saw some for $10-$15 & it was solid color, nothing special).
Frugal things--- ● 10 free 4×6 (photo) prints (TMOBILE REWARD) ● saved $0.25/gallon on gas & filled up my & teen vehicle ● got free medium glass square jar with lid from recycle ● going through pantry I pulled out some cake mixes (flavors don't eat but were gifted), frosting containers, cookie mixes, mac & cheese (I picked up wrong one & didn't return it) & decorative tin with Peppermint hot chocolate mixes (got on clearance) to put with (old I purchased years ago) new cloth bags for teen to take to school for upcoming food drive. Everything free or on sale. ● storm other night the power went out because the metal box on electrical pole looked like 4th of July fireworks. (2 days later) Last night teen went to (stand alone) freezer & came & told me that freezer says no power on control screen. I push appropriate buttons & fix to quick freeze. Nothing was defrosted. ● apparently that zap shocked my freezer control screen which had not been displaying for months (& now does) & the refrigerator display screen that occasionally goes on fritz. ● got my free Sam's cash earned from last month purchases ● No Amazon prime days, Target sale, Wayfair sale, or anything not food related. Don't need to buy any gifts, Christmas already done for people we gift (including service people) & have stash available if need for unexpected gift.
Frugal fail--- ● composted some apple pie that didn't get eaten
**people in Florida check Gas Buddy app before wasting time driving to see if have gas at stations. I messaged Gas Buddy after Milton & asked to add NO GAS OR NO POWER to report for stations. This is available (looks like Florida only, nothing shown on other states I have saved for stations/places. I'm not taking credit for this, as not sure if was done because I asked or if was coincidental. Just glad is available right now. Would be great permanent option as different areas have run out of gas for various reasons.