1. I used several strategies to save on white tees
Now that it’s colder, my short-sleeve white scrub tops are feeling a little too breezy.
Luckily, we ARE allowed to wear a plain white long-sleeved tee underneath our scrub tops. Yay!
Unfortunately, I only own one white tee. Boo.
Soo, I logged onto Lands’ End to take advantage of a sale, and I found several marked-down tees that would fit the bill.
My one current tee
I added them to my cart and then remembered to go to TopCashback to get 4% back on my purchase.
My cart total was only $5 away from free shipping (which otherwise would have cost $9).
That was a no-brainer, so I added a 3-pack of clearance socks to my cart.
Then I made sure to select the slow, free shipping at checkout. My stuff won’t get here for a bit, but that’s fine. I will patiently wait in order to save $9.
In the meantime, I will just strategically plan my laundry to wash my one tee. 😉
2. I used Upside to get gas for $2.99/gallon
I was going to fill up at Royal Farms, which is my usual spot, but then I noticed that my Upside app had an offer that made the Shell gas $2.99/gallon, which was even cheaper than Royal Farms.
SWEET.
My gas tank was pretty low, so I got to take full advantage of this sub-$3 price.
In case you’ve never heard of it: Get Upside is a gas savings app that gives you cash back on gas purchases. As with many apps, it gives you super awesome deals at first, and then the deal quality goes down a bit.
But sometimes they send good offers, even for older customers like me!
Which is how I got my $2.99/gallon price.
I have an invite code that will give you an extra $0.15/gallon discount when you sign up (and I will also get a $0.15/gallon discount). Just use code 97N2J when you make your account.
Or if you click this link to download the app, the code should already be embedded.
3. I ordered a backup pair of walking shoes
I recently told you guys about the Altras I’ve been wearing for walking. Well, I paid something like $140 for my first pair, from a local running shop, and when I looked up the link for you guys recently, I noticed that they were on sale on the Altra site for $112.
As I thought about that, I wondered if maybe they are going to discontinue this shoe!
So, I decided to order a backup pair. $112 is a much better price than what I paid initially, and this way I’m guaranteed to have another pair of the shoes I like.
And since I’m still managing to walk about 100 miles each month, even in nursing school, I know my current Altras are not going to last me forever.
4. I got a rotisserie chicken for $3
I was at school from 8:00-5:30 yesterday, and I knew I wasn’t going to feel like cooking after that. So, when I made a menu, I planned to get a rotisserie chicken.
Before I went into Safeway, I opened my app to do a quick scan of the deals and I found a $5/$5 purchase coupon in my account.
SWEET.
So, my chicken only cost me $3.
We ate it for dinner last night with sweet potato fries, and tonight I will make a small batch of chicken and biscuits with the leftover meat.
Annnnnd of course I will use the bones to make some of this chicken broth.
5. The usuals
I…
- made coffee at home
- made a batch of this granola
- packed my lunches
- I used up odds and ends for breakfasts and lunches
The last piece of naan, heated on the stovetop, and filled with scrambled eggs, hot sauce, and shredded lettuce
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
P.S. If you open a new account with TopCashback through this link (or the one earlier in the post), you should get a little sign-up bonus, and so will I!
Suellen Roley
Sunday 22nd of October 2023
On staycation this week and yesterday was the first full day of said staycation. Since I work nights and am flat worn out when I get home from work things have not been getting done. I cleaned out my onsite storage area of all the stuff for donation, garbage, etc. SO Yesterday I donated several things that I've not used in years to Habitat ReStore. Friday I'd donated unused reusable drink cups and a pair of pants (purchased on clearance, so not returnable) that swam on me to a local thrift store called Super Thrift. Anything that wasn't acceptable to either went to the landfill, which since I got a rebate for having less than 75 pounds cost me a whopping $14.00. Took my cans and bottles to the redemption center and got $13.60 (also tidied up house and storage area of said cans and bottles) so I figure the day was almost a wash financially and I felt so good getting all this done
Rebecca in MD
Friday 20th of October 2023
Kristen's recipe for homemade chicken stock is excellent. I have also recently learned to make chicken stock in my Instant Pot, which is very easy. Here's a recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/make-instant-pot-chicken-stock/
I usually get about 3-1/2 quarts and I pressure cook the stock for 2 hours. The small amount of vinegar keeps the stock from getting cloudy, and the end result is gelatinous and delicious.
Debbie H.
Thursday 19th of October 2023
Frugal … not frugal? We are in Maine right now and I made the most delicious lobster stock from the shells of five lobsters we ate! It’s now in the freezer for lobster risotto or bisque.
auntiali
Thursday 19th of October 2023
My frugal 5 where: 1.hubby fixed my two back break lights with the two bulbs he had left over from 2013. The are working as good as new. 2. Trying to avoid turning on the heat. I wear sweaters but some mornings I just got to push it up for a bit to get the chill out. 3. frugal fail - dh made homemade pizza but forgot the parchment paper. The pizza was stuck on the pan. I had egg bites and he sawed away at the pizza. 4. Dh made chicken soup in the crockpot using the chicken thighs that were in the freezer. He used the crockpot. 5. Using my teeny tiny spatular I was able to scrap out enough butter from the all but used container to cover my high protein waffles this week. 6 Tuesday we at out at Outback for their steak and lobster tail deal. Dh and I split. The deal was $25 plus dh had a $5 Blondie Beer. My lobster tail was not cooked and I sent it back. Got a cooked one in return. Used our AARP discount to get $2.70 off plus we used our free gift card from our credit card points to pay the balance. But, unfortunately the meal wasn't all that.
Juhli
Wednesday 18th of October 2023
Hmmm, let’s see if I can think of 5. 1. Gave away lots of dirt through Buy Nothing instead of paying for it to be hauled to the dump. 2. We are shopping rates for all of our insurance except medical and it looks like we can save $100 on the next 6 months of auto insurance. So far homeowners is pretty much the same price as we have. 3. Remembered to use my REI coop member credit from buying a wedding gift before it expired. Spent it on a pair of warm socks. 4. Trying to cut our spending on food, toiletries, household products and alcohol by making a list of possible dinners and only buying what is needed vs stocking up. I am still maintaining our emergency supplies as we live in a fire and earthquake area. This month is looking really good compared to the last few months. 5. We are being careful to return any home improvement supplies that we end up not using within the return window.