Five (tiny) Frugal Things

I did not intend to make a collection of tiny frugal things, but when I sat down to write this post, I realized they were all tiny.

So…

1. I cut Chiquita’s nails for the price of a Churu treat

Some of you kindly informed me that scruffing a cat is not the best way to get them to hold still for nail trimming, so I got some Churu treats and I was able to get Chiquita’s front nails trimmed all by myself with careful squeezing of the Churu treat.

Hopefully she will become accustomed to this and it will get even easier.

(I recognize that it is equally possible she will catch on and decide not to cooperate. She is a cat, after all.)

The scruffing explanation: the tech at my vet showed me how to scruff a cat because apparently that is how they do nail trims at the vet. So I had no idea it was considered to be not-so-gentle. But at least we were not being any rougher than the vet techs were!

Hopefully the Churu treats will continue to work…

2. I used TopCashback for a Target purchase

I also used my Target debit card for my little 5% discount.

And I redeemed my existing TopCashback rewards for a Visa gift card because that got me a 5% bonus.

I’m just over here stacking up the 5%’s. 😉

(5%’s do make a very short stack, but hey, this is 5 tiny frugal things.)

3. I got my free birthday cookie

It’s actually the first birthday freebie I’ve snagged this month: a free cookie from Panera.

I picked it up when I was already in the area, so no gas wasted. 🙂

4. I used some bacon and cheese from the freezer to make protein bites

I have to be at clinical and clocked in a little before 6:30 am. Which means I have to eat breakfast very early.

It’s hard for me to be hungry during the 5:00 am hour, but I have to eat something because our lunch break is many hours in the future!

heading to a clinical shift in the dark

For some reason, though, the little imitation Starbucks egg bites (which are kinda like a mini quiche) are fairly easy to get down.

So, I found a partially-used bag of cheese and the last of a package of bacon in the freezer and I used them to make a batch of Once Upon a Chef’s egg bites.

Odds and ends used up: win.

A protein-filled breakfast I can get down in the early morning: win.

I also usually eat a piece of toasted Dave’s Killer Bread and some fruit, and that gets me by until lunch.

5. I installed an app to get points from a local coffee shop

They have kept track of my points using my phone number, but I had to install Cash App to redeem them.

Lo and behold, I had enough for $10 off my next purchase. Yay! That was worth checking.

Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately? Tiny and not-tiny both work.

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Julia

Friday 18th of April 2025

1. Went to a book club event and had juice and a cupcake, then came home and had cereal for dinner. My husband fed himself from the pantry. 2. Took off my makeup with reusable cotton pads that I wash and reuse. 3. Cleaned my whole house because I was expecting my parents this weekend and they canceled so I have a clean house and several empty hours. I consider this a gift although I’m sorry they’re not coming. 4. I was feeling very stressed out so I had a couple of mini chocolate bars that I got on mark down after a holiday, took a nap with my cat and felt better. 5. I had purchased two Easter hams, one to feed my parents and the other for the freezer, but I realized I was charged full price instead of the Raleys sale price of less than a dollar a pound. I will be going back tomorrow to get the difference refunded: $18 versus $50.

Joyce from Arkansas

Thursday 17th of April 2025

Those egg bites sound so good! I'm going to make them and pop them in the freezer. I never go to Starbucks (too frugal for that, so I'm not familiar with those.) The recipe said a serving is one bite, but it's only 150 calories, so 2 or 3 sounds like a better breakfast to me!

Margaret

To do my cat's nails I have her on my lap and put part of my blanket over her head. I can then pick up her paw and do a quick clip. I can get all three paws (she only has three) in less than two minutes.

Kimncats

I’m so happy to hear the treat trick worked for clipping Chiquitas nails! Just like us positive reinforcement works for cats too!

My 5 frugal things – I found a long-forgotten gift card mashed in between cards in my credit card holder and discovered it had $34 still on it! I used it for a lunch date with some old friends from work this week. – Hubby and I went to a free U.S. Air Force jazz band concert (that I saw announced in the Sunday paper) and invited another couple to join us. The four of us had dinner together before the concert and it was a wonderful evening. – We’ve been paying more attention to our finances during the turmoil of recent months. So we moved some money to a credit union from our regular bank savings account and got a good special offer interest rate on a 13-month CD on the very last day it was available. Hubby wanted to move some $$ to another bank to kind of diversify. We are both retired. – I went to Kroger on Saturday to pick up a few things we needed and used the double points digital coupon good Friday- Sunday to earn double gas points. – In my quest to eat better, I again made a batch of oatmeal on Sunday that I will eat during the coming week. It's easier to microwave a bowl when I want it for breakfast. I usually pair it with a low fat yogurt cup and add protein powder to both.