Some of you will raise your eyebrows at what I did with my moldy Parmesan (see #4), but I promise, it’s not crazy behavior. 😉 The USDA approves.
1. I got a pair of Altras for $32 on eBay
I occasionally check eBay to see if there are any deals on the shoes I like. I wear them for the gym, for trail walking, and for working at the hospital, so I like to have some backup pairs in my closet.
Anyway, I logged on the other day and saw a pair for $32. OH YES.
I hit “buy now” as fast as I could!
By buying them ahead of time, I can afford to be picky and wait around for a super duper good deal. And then I am never in a position where I am forced to pay full price.
2. I picked up some milk crates for free
Someone in my Buy Nothing group was offering two black milk crates, so I popped by to pick them up since she lives right by my college.
I’m going to use them to organize some items on a laundry room shelf.
3. I froze/ate all of my bruised peaches
Ok, well, not counting the ones I gave to Sonia!
These last two weeks, I ate peaches like they were going out of style. And I froze about two gallon bags’ worth of sliced peaches for future smoothie-making purposes, so I didn’t waste any peaches from the box.
Here’s a little video I made four years ago (!) about how to freeze peaches. Apologies in advance for my not-so-good iMovie editing skills. Ha.
Also, here’s a little rundown of my basic smoothie-making method.
4.I trimmed some moldy Parmesan
I know some of you will be horrified, but for hard cheese, it is safe to trim the moldy parts off and then use the rest of the cheese. (see this USDA page).
I trimmed off the mold, shredded the remaining cheese, and froze it (because if the cheese has started molding in one spot, I know it’s just gonna grow more mold in the future if I leave it in the fridge!)
Frozen shredded Parmesan is so easy to use, even straight from the freezer; almost as easy as refrigerated shredded Parmesan.
5. I got another free scoop of ice cream
You know how I used the free scoop code Baskin Robbins had recently? Well, when I installed the app to use the code, they also loaded in a free scoop as a way of saying thanks for downloading the app.
So, I got myself another scoop of Jamoca Almond Fudge. 🙂
Nora8
Saturday 31st of August 2024
As the summer comes to a close and we go back to school, there's a bit of a what do we have in the house to use up theme. 1 - I used two free jump passes to take the youngest to Launch. 2 - I used some gift cards to take three kids for ice cream. 3 - I started looking through the freezer/pantry to see what needs to be used up. Thus far I have chicken fajitas and pecan cookies on the menu. A full audit of the freezer is in the plan for after Labor Day because unlike Kristen my time to get projects done is during the school year. 4 - I set aside some items to sell. See above bullet for when that might happen. 5 - I ordered a bunch of shirts on Ebay for particular boy who needs the next size.
Ginger
Thursday 29th of August 2024
I HAVE SOMETHING TO POST FINALLY! lol. Your recent post about buying shoes on EBay reminded me my current shoes are getting uncomfortable, so I bought a pair of the same shoe (I have custom expensive inserts and I didn’t want the drama of trying to get them to fit into a different brand) for 31$ including shipping. New ones were on sale for 99
Isa
Wednesday 28th of August 2024
No problem with no. 4, I would do the same!
* I did an inventory of all the frozen food I have at home and I am now determined to go through it before buying more. This means less groceries in the next month or so.
* Teen daughter did a hole in the wall (don't ask....), so she is now responsible for fixing it and repainting the wall, and paying for the material. Frugal for us I guess (not paying for it), and a good learning curve for her toward emotional regulation, I hope!
* Daughter needed shelves for her school locker, so we bought 3 (at the dollar store, for a 1/3 of the price). She brought two back home yesterday. I usually give away stuff I don't use, but I'll hold on to these ones for the next 5 years or so (until she graduates) instead of maybe having to buy new ones down the road.
* Using really cheap plans for our cellphone and the kids cellphones. It's only 15$/month/cell and the kids pay half of theirs. We don't have much data, but WIFI is everywhere.
Kim from Philadelphia
Wednesday 28th of August 2024
1) slowly and methodically cleaning out my aunt and uncles house for sale later this Fall. Will have an estate sale next week. Time is money, but I’m not working right now, so that’s a flexibility I currently have.
2) husband is back at school (high school teacher), so I’m making sure he takes a fully packed lunch and water bottle to curb any tempting McDonalds lunch runs.
3) we buy snacks for his classroom (many teens don’t grab something to eat before school). While this isn’t frugal, we feel it’s an important way for the teens to know someone is looking out for them. Typically we buy the Costco brand choco chip bars and can get 60 for $9.99. That’s a good buy!
4) signed up for CVS Care card/ extra bucks. I’m late to this party! Got some great deals/ free items 5) will be at the beach for Labor Day weekend, and plan to pack lunches and eat at home (except for one night when we are traveling for a wedding )
Teri
Saturday 31st of August 2024
@Kim from Philadelphia, see Sharon Says So for grants for school teachers. She raises unbelievable amounts of money to give to school teachers each year.
Kim from Philadelphia
Wednesday 28th of August 2024
Moldy cheese does not scare me! Huge fan of intentionally moldy blue cheese and Gorgonzola. Yum!