Five Frugal Things | free nail polish!

I'm late to the party this week!

1. We’ve all been sick for a few weeks. I tested negative for Covid with one of the free USPS tests, and then drove to my clinic to get a flu test (also negative) rather than pay for an express care visit to test. I wish there were home flu tests available!

2. Despite everyone in the house being sick, I managed to make a veggie soup rather than buying something at the store. I also managed to sort through some of my free veggies and either use or compost them.

3. I’ve cut open both a regular toothpaste and a travel size toothpaste to use the remaining bits.

4. I mended the sleeve of a sweatshirt.

5. While running errands in the vicinity, I picked up my free monthly card from Hallmark.

6. I used my “health rewards” debit card to cover some medical expenses.

1. I cut my teen boys' hair, although this time I didn't do as good a job on my younger son's hair so he's miffed at me. But at least he still lets me cut his hair!

2. Bathed and groomed the dog, who was in need of a haircut but hates being groomed. He'll tolerate my husband and I doing it, but I accidentally nicked his leg so we weren't able to finish and still need to cut his nails. He is a small, 20 lb dog, but it takes 2 of us to groom him (1 to distract and 1 to actually do the grooming).

3. The local cottage baker I buy my sourdough bread from had leftovers from the weekend farmer's market and was giving them away for free, so I was able to snag a loaf. I frequently buy from her and she only lives a few minutes away from me so it was a nice treat, especially since I missed out on buying a loaf earlier in the week. They are worth $15 for a large loaf of specialty sourdough.

4. Spent a day at the hospital in the medical center undergoing testing to see if I can be a living kidney donor for my husband. They validated my parking, so I saved $12 for parking for 7 hours. Packed a lunch to eat later since I was fasting for labs. A friend brought over dinner that night since all that testing was mentally and physically draining. Grateful for such thoughtful friends.

5. I attended the symphony a couple weeks ago (and thought of Kristen!) as a chaperone for my son's orchestra class outing. It was their opening night so it was fun to dress up a bit and see all the kids in their nice clothes for once. The school bus took us to the hall, so we didn't have to worry about driving and paying for parking and we got discounted tickets for $25! It was very minimal chaperone work for a nice evening out.

FFT

Most will probably be moving related this week as I've just sold a home and bought and moved into a new one. That entire undertaking was incredibly expensive - real estate fees, legal fees, movers, painters, etc. - and tiring.

1 - I listed a number of items for sale as I prepared for my move and was happy to put a few hundred dollars into my pocket while getting rid of things that I no longer needed or had room for (I've downsized).

2- I moved a number of car (SUV) loads of boxes over myself rather than having the paid-by-the-hour movers move them.

3- After the significant expenses that come with selling and buying real estate, I came away from the sale with a fairly substantial amount of money that I've promptly parked in a HISA for the short-term.

4- I redeemed some points for a few hundred dollars in grocery store (multiple banners) gift cards.

5 - I have a few boxes of items packed up for consignment and will take them in on November 1 when the shop begins accepting Christmas related items (not everything is Xmas related but I don't want to make tw0 rips).

1. We made our meals at home. We planned meals that use up food we have and that let us eat at a reasonable time during a busy week. And I got my act together to make the slow cooker meals the night before. We brewed coffee at home. 2. I ate the free dinners at work this week instead of packing an extra meal. Was I pumped about pizza and cold cut sandwiches? No, but it was free and I didn't have to plan ahead. 3. I bought a new pair of jeans at half off. I wanted some dressier pants for work but I couldn't find any that I liked in the store. I went online and found some clothes on sale. I had some rewards to reduce the price further. 4. I found some boots for my youngest that we already owned. I also found enough hats and gloves for everyone in the house. One kid still needs a coat and snow pants. Two kids need boots. 5. I put some old musicals on hold at our local library instead of paying to watch them right away. One is ready today, so it wasn't even a long wait.

We are traveling this week. Most nights we are staying with family, but the nights we needed a hotel, we paid for those with points. I bought 4 Boling chairs at a church flea market this weekend for $15! I've seen them online for $150+. They have great lines. I am refinishing them with stain I already have. I think they will be a great addition to the eat in area of my new house. I also bought my mom some quilt books and magazines at $1/inch for books. I bought 5" worth. DH had ripped his old yard work shorts and even after I mended them...they ripped elsewhere even worse. He found 2 great pairs of yard work shorts at the church yard sale for $1/each and a pair of nice work pants for $1. I have been keeping my eyes open for rubbermaid roughneck bins. I like how they stack and the lids are tighter than some storage tubs, but they can be pricey. I found one this week at goodwill for $2.99 and another at a thrift store for $3.99. I think 2 or 3 more and I'll have enough to swap out all my old bins.