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.
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.
Selena
Tuesday 29th of October 2024
Queso fundido is quite tasty (and by no means heart healthy). Eat with tortillas or tortilla chips. Chorizo is excellent as a burger topping as is queso fundido. While I'm all for making the most of ones dollar, I avoid Amazon as much as I can. It and Walmart are my suppliers of last resort.
Dori
Tuesday 29th of October 2024
I always LOVE seeing your sewing-related Frugal Things. I just find them inspiring! It can totally save a piece of clothing or a household item and then you don't need to pay to replace it. Always such a satisfying task, I find. I just mended two of our queen sized sheets over here - they were threatening to rip along a hem, big time! I buckled down and took the time to hand sew them and now we don't need to buy any new sheets just yet! I also patched (using iron-on patches, hidden on the interior side) my comforter's cotton duvet cover which recently got a couple of small holes in it.
Jan
Tuesday 29th of October 2024
The Amazon Chase card has been great for me.
I am an avid knitter and it can be an expensive hobby. Years ago I wanted a good quality but expensive set of interchangeable knitting needles that at the time cost about $79 (now about $125!), but I couldn't justify the expense. The Chase Amazon credit card gave you a $75 Amazon credit for signing up and then 5% back for Amazon purchases, so I used the $75 credit to buy the knitting needles. Now when I want other knitting accessories (extra cords, special needle tips, primarily), I use my Amazon points to buy them. I deliberately asked for a relatively small limit on my Amazon Chase card, I use it for my Amazon purchases, and pay it off every month. They have offered multiple times to raise my limit on that card, but it's too tempting to overspend, so I have not agreed.
I have asthma and it's triggered by fragrances, dust, and mold. Especially this time of year it's hard for me to go into most retail stores because of all the scented fall and Christmas products, in addition to the scented colognes and perfumes people wear that clings to clothing they try on. I cannot do thrift stores any more at all. Because of this, of my non-grocery shopping is online with Amazon, and I have a nice collection of knitting accessories that were essentially free.
Nikki
Tuesday 29th of October 2024
1. We made all our meals at home. We brewed coffee at home. We ate up food that needs to be eaten. 2. My daughter has a concert tonight. She had to wear a specific style of clothes and thankfully we already had what she needs. No buying necessary. (My son outgrew his dress pants for concerts, so we are on the lookout for new ones before his first concert.) 3. I needed one of those 3d-printed dragons for a few hours for a specific reason. A coworker makes them and sells them. He loaned one to me. 4. We used the library to get watch some movies. 5. I put in a Target order once I had enough to not pay shipping. I only bought things we needed (e.g. shampoo). 4 out of 5 of the items had one or more discounts applied. The only item that I paid full price for was a set of socks with grips on the bottom for my kid who keeps falling on the tile. While not ideal, it's worth it if my kid stops getting hurt. 6. I put in a big order from the Girl Scout shop once I got a code for cheap shipping.