Five Frugal Things | two hair items!

We are seeing the results of our gardening efforts. We pulled the garlic a couple weeks ago from two raised beds. I am seeing tomatoes starting to ripen, and my basil is growing like crazy. The basil plants came up on it’s own from seeds that fell off the plants last year, resulting in over 30 plants. More than we need, but we will use it for making sauce, pesto and in fresh salads. I love the smell of basil. We have been picking blueberries since the end of June, plus black currants, blackberries and gooseberries. We have over 20 gallon bags full of berries in our freezer! Plus we have made over 10 batches of wine with the different types of berries. It is more than last year, but once we get it kegged, it will last a long time. Wednesday I gave my husband a haircut. He needed one, we had been busy the last couple weeks, but finally I said that I need to give you a haircut. I got out my bag of tools and he took a seat and I cut his hair and trimmed his beard, plus his eyebrows were looking bushy. I enjoy doing it for my husband, I am very picky about his hair, and I want him to look handsome for me. After that it was my turn. He trims mine every other time that I cut his. Mine is just above my elbows and he trims off about an inch or so just to keep my ends neat. I like keeping my ends neat, I see other woman that go too long between trims, and the split and uneven ends are not attractive. I think because I cut my husband’s hair, I tend to notice other people’s hair more now. In this hot weather, I have him braid my hair for me each morning. When I am working in the garden or doing other chores, I like my hair out of my face and off my neck. So I rarely wear my hair down in the summer. I get compliments on the haircuts I give my husband as well as compliments on my different braids. So our frugal home hair care is definitely not a compromise to save money. Our bees went through a dry spell in July, but now that the golden rod is in flower, I see the workers landing at the hives loaded with pollen and I put rocks in a birdbath so that they can get water close by. The goldenrod produces a nice amber color honey, and I love the smell and the flavor. Soon it will be time for hubby to start cutting and splitting wood. It saves us thousands in heating bills, plus the wood ash is great fertilizer for our garden. We don’t skip on quality or consider ourselves misers, but we don’t waste our resources frivolously.

I'm honored I got a mention in a regular post, lol I kinda tried on how I look today, but, "tried" still means a solid colored shirt, simple gray pants, my gym shoes and my Vincent Van Gogh sunflower's necklace (which charmingly my 3 year old decided "your friend Vincent Van Gogh made"). and yes I am at work.

1. I found a penny while I was using the free vacuums at the nearby car wash.

2. My iPhone from 2016 (given to me by my parents when they upgraded) has started to really struggle, despite my having had a new battery installed about two years ago. I was able to purchase a refurbished one from Back Market (I think it was mentioned on this website, or NCA) for much less than refurbished via Amazon. Fingers crossed it works out well– there’s a 30 day no questions asked return window, and a year’s warranty. I was also able to find a coupon online to save $25.

3. I finished a partial bag of waffle mix that had been open for about 2.5 years. The waffles tasted a little different due to being old, but weren’t bad. I also finished a jar of pickled green tomatoes that had been hanging around for too long. I could have composted it, but I had the time and capacity to slowly use it up and avoid food waste.

4. We spent two nights with a friend of mine who overstocks on food and always needs help to eat things before they go bad. She buys everything on sale and gets a lot of produce from her dad who is a prolific gardener. But there’s only so much food one person can eat! We were happy to “help” eat some items, and she also kindly sent us home with some chocolate she didn’t prefer. Send all the chocolate this way, please!

5. My friend also let me tag along to Costco and restock on some of our pantry essentials that are much better priced there, like pesto and feta cheese.

Your haircut looks great and you look beautiful in your dresses.

My Frugal 5’s

1) My 2 girls attended a free 3 day space camp at the library which was hosted by our local science museum. 2) Brought school supplies early to beat the rush, on sale and mostly generic brands. Will also be reusing mostly last year’s supplies. 3) Kids had free lunches at the park this summer. 4) Ate leftovers in the fridge. 5) Return shampoo and conditioner for a credit.

I called silver in my hair "Free highlights". But now it's mostly silver/gray. I was hoping for white, but I think it will get there, eventually. I can't fathom spending hundreds of dollars dyeing my hair, sitting in a salon for hours at a time, and exposure to all of those chemicals (I have a lot of chemical sensitivities). Plus, with darker hair, roots begin to show fairly quickly. I've never had to worry about that.

You look "MAHVELOUS".