1. I mended a potholder
I have a couple of these black potholders, which are showing some signs of wear here and there. And that makes sense; I’ve had them for years!
This one was having problems with the binding.
So, I trimmed off the extra threads.
And then I hand-sewed the holes closed.
thread and needle from the abandoned house!
Beautiful? No.
Functional? Yes.
Who cares what potholders look like, honestly? It’s not like house guests come over and inspect your kitchen linens drawer. 😉
2. I mended a drawstring
My black Old Navy shorts (the same I mended in this post!) had a drawstring that was fraying on the ends.
So while I had my black thread out, I did a quick fix by trimming the frayed bits and sewing up the remaining edges by hand.
Both of these fixes would be annoying to do with a sewing machine; it’s hard to use a machine on tiny repairs or on oddly angled surfaces like the edge of a potholder.
Sometimes hand-sewing is best!
3. I used my Amazon rewards to buy a piano book
I have had my Chase Amazon Visa for years and years, and I like the simplicity of the rewards it offers; you get 5% back on Amazon purchases (plus other percentages on categories of spending, like 2% on gas), and the rewards go straight into your Amazon account as credits. Easy peasy.
Anyway, I wanted to buy a piano book that recently came out from Austin Farwell (he writes simple little peaceful piano pieces, which are sorta along the lines of Gibran Alcocer’s series of Ideas), so I used my Amazon credits to get it for free.
(By the way, I think if you open up an Amazon Visa right now, you can get a $150 credit. You could use the gift card for Christmas purchases because you should get it instantly upon approval! But do not do this if you have trouble handling credit cards; it’s only worth it if you always pay it off every month in full and you don’t use it as a way to spend more than you would otherwise. Treat it like a debit card, I say.)
4. I bought some marked-down chorizo
I found a marked-down package of soon-to-expire chorizo at the grocery store.
Because I wasn’t going to eat the whole package before the expiration date, I divided it into little one-ounce rectangles and froze them so that it’s easy to grab one out if I want some chorizo with my scrambled eggs.
5. Zoe and I trimmed Chiquita’s nails again
Zoe scruffs her, I clip, and every time we do this, I save $18!
Plus I save the time it takes to make an appointment, load her up, and drive there and back.
We still have not managed to DIY Shelley’s nail trims, but that is not a big deal because Shelley’s nails grow way slower. Chiquita’s nails, on the other hand? Those get sharp so quickly.
So, taking her to the vet for trims adds up to a lot more time and money annual than Shelley’s nail trims do.
Becky
Tuesday 5th of November 2024
Don't forget the bonus look of scorn you get from the car for the indignity of a nail trim!
Becky
Tuesday 5th of November 2024
That would be caT
Carla
Sunday 3rd of November 2024
Eating Sunday lunch at home. (We used to always eat out -- no more.)
Waiting a week or more to buy groceries. Fewer trips often mean less spent.
Trying to watch fresh foods and use them before they spoil.
Consolidating trips to town, 13 miles away.
Saving ahead for taxes and insurance. Waaaayyy too much to pay at once.
Carla
Saturday 2nd of November 2024
I used some leftover tomatoes and onions from burgers the night before by chopping them up a little and put them in my vegetable soup. Crushed up all my stale chips and crackers and fed them to the birds.
AW
Friday 1st of November 2024
My Frugal 5’s 1) Saved an extra $1000 by shopping around for home insurance. Our previous renewal rate was $1000 more than the new one with the same coverage. 1) Kids used what we already had in our dress up clothes and at home for their school’s Red Ribbon week celebration and their Halloween costumes. 3) We handed out Halloween candy we had stored in the closet. 4) We were generous recipients of food: Received extra treats from neighbors and friends for the kids on Halloween, Got a fresh hand made loaf of oatmeal bread from my friend, Got 2 blueberry muffins from the food pantry, Will be getting a few pumpkins for after Halloween carving. 5) Got a free wreath through my BuyNothing group and decorated with things I already had at home to make it into a fall wreath for our door. Extras) - Celebrated Halloween by reading books, watching movies, and playing games we had or borrowed from the library. Kids also got a free donut at a donut shop for coloring and turning in their coloring sheets. They also went to a Lego club Halloween theme session at the library. - Got sewing and cooking advice from my friend. She even kindly volunteered to get me started on using my sewing machine next time we meet up and to teach me how to make her famous raisin cookies. She’s also given me a few of her recipes that I loved and have made a couple times now. - Mended clothes, toys and transfer paperwork to binder I got for half off at Walmart’s sale isle. -Did early voting while already at the library for my kid’s ukulele lesson there.
Amanda in VA
Wednesday 30th of October 2024
Today I have a kid's birthday edition of Five Frugal Things.
1) Last year we spent a little more than usual on birthday celebrations, so this year in general we made the decision to rein back every one's party.
2) Our daughter turns nine today, and we are having spaghetti and meatballs at home for dinner.
3) I made the cake myself--a rainbow cake made with pans I already had from a couple years ago when I made her a unicorn cake. I did have to buy a cake mix, icing, and food coloring.
4) My husband and I went to Goodwill on Monday, and I always scan the kids section. We found a precious dress in our daughter's size that was half off this week. She loves it! And wore it to school today. The perfect birthday dress for $1.50.
5) We are getting our daughter a battle pass something or other. Thank goodness for the man in my life who speaks the same Fortnight language as the kids. He was able to get some kind of deal. Something about the timing of the battle pass. He drew me a diagram. I still didn't understand, but that is fine by me.