Four Frugal Things (and one non-frugal thing)
1. I submitted my summer 2026 tuition for reimbursement
It is a rather tedious process, but I got it done. Yay me! The reimbursement should show up in my next hospital paycheck.
As you know, I am not delighted to be in a BSN program, but I console myself by remembering that at least I am not paying for most of it.
My attitude would be even worse if I were paying out of pocket for all of this!
2. I got some free cranberry bread from Panera
I remembered that my free birthday pastry didn't expire until a couple of days after my birthday (yay!), so I got a slice of their cranberry bread, which was actually super tasty.
I haven't made cranberry bread in ages, so this was a nice little treat with my coffee. 🙂
3. I ordered a Figs scrub top on eBay
I have a pair of black Figs scrub pants but no top that matches (I've just worn t-shirts with these pants so far.)
Sooo, I hopped on eBay, found a listing for a basic v-neck scrub top, and now I have a matching set.
4. I used some very dry bread
There were two neglected slices of 100% whole wheat sandwich bread on the counter, and they would have made a terrible peanut butter or ham sandwich. So, I used them to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
It was slightly drier than usual, but not super noticeable; way better than a peanut butter sandwich would have been!
5. Non-frugal: I hired a lawn mowing service
I have done all of my lawn-mowing since I moved here four years ago (goodness, it's wild that it's been that long!), but this year, I'm giving it up.
I do not get a school break for the summer, and given that I am already feeling overwhelmed, I decided something had to go.
A guy dropped off a flyer in my mailbox, I messaged him, he came and gave me a reasonable estimate, and I said, "HIRED".
And I felt immediately better. Maybe I'll mow again next summer, but summer 2026 is not my time to wear a landscaper hat.
I think you were very wise to hire the lawn mowing service!
Frugals:
1. I went to a local town at the weekend and found a great charity shop. I needed some summer dresses and bought two from there, as well as a winter dress. This is probably cancelled out by accidentally buying the wrong train ticket and not being able to refund it, but it's still cheaper than buying new dresses, right? 😉 I also took a bus to the local beach there.
2. I watched the film Winter's Bone and wanted to read the book, and I was able to borrow it from the library.
3. I had a plumbing issue last week and, because I rent, a plumber was able to come and fix it at no extra cost.
4. I packed a lunch for work.
5. I used my gym membership and went running outside. I wanted a smoothie when I got back and made one rather than buying one from the shop. It was delicious!
I have never known anyone else that watched Winters Bone. The friends I watched it with didn’t really care for it but I loved it.
Winter's Bone is so well done and Jennifer Lawrence is amazing in it! I've seen it once before. Have you seen Dopesick? That's set in Appalachia instead of the Ozarks but it takes a similar look at the meth crisis and general poverty.
I really liked Winter's Bone, too!
Dopesick, too!
I loved that movie and didn't realize it was from a book! Thank you - heading to the library now 🙂
I loved it! 🙂
I've seen it - I wanted to see JL's performance. I thought it was well-done and well-acted.
Good for you for hiring a lawn service. You can afford it and it will make your life easier, a win-win. Also, you hired a local person not a big corporation, that is my favorite way to spend money, in the community.
1. Our neighborhood held their semi-annual yard sale on Saturday. We put out items, including trash picked items (we're trying to keep things out of the landfill), with a "free" sign then walked around. There were a lot of shoppers and quite a few sales. I bought a package of dryer balls. I already had three and now I have seven and the package recommends six for a full load. Our electricity contract recently ran out and our new price is 60+% higher. Hopefully the dryer balls will help. We also picked up some puzzles and I bought some yarn. Some sellers had free piles or made everything free.
2. A friend came over to pick up glass spice jars, the larger warehouse club size. She is making sweetened lemons and wanted something to put them in for giving them to friends. I had an overabundance but I hate to put nice jars in recycling.
3. I was asked to make cookies for an event and Snicker Doodles were requested. I don't think there is a cheaper cookie to make. They have no add ins (like chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, etc.) and the recipe doesn't include vanilla. I saved the parchment paper I baked them on and will use it when I bake potato cubes.
4. There is a billing snafu with my medical insurance. I will work it out as I am not anxious to pay $240 for my annual physical.
5. Not frugal: we ordered kabobs for lunch on Saturday and added hummus to the order. None of it was cheap but we enjoyed every bite. And we supported a local business.
I just noticed that kabob is what we call a kebab in Britain!
I can't see the word "kebab/kabob" without thinking of Roy Kent in the show Ted Lasso. 🙂
i only use one dryer ball per load. but somehow i have lost some balls. i live in a large apt building. it must be like shampoo when they tell u to shampoo twice so they can sell more shampoo. my dryer balls look like ladybugs. i love them.
I love snickerdoodles! You are right-- so easy and my recipe makes a ton. When I was a kid, a family friend always made a smickerdoodle cake, which was yummy, too.
KD, Two things about drying your clothes that may shorten the drying time: put them through an extra spin (not rinse, just spin) cycle on your washing machine, and then throw in the towel -- ie, put a dry towel with them in the dryer. (I use a big beach towel that's seen better days.) The spin will help spin out a bit more of moisture. The towel also will absorb a bit more moisture. This, along with the wool balls, may help some more.
Lots of times, I just put my clothes in for 10-15 minutes to de-wrinkle them, and then hang them up to air dry. With the hot summer weather, they dry fast.
Snickerdoodles were always my brother's favorite. He was the only one in the family who disliked chocolate (my grandmother used to tease him horribly about that!), so when he'd come home and find me baking snickerdoodles instead of chocolate chip, he was so happy. Thanks for prompting a nice memory for me. 🙂
I use a local laundromat and use 3-6 per double/triple dryer load. I run 3-4 dryers at a time depending on heat and time needed and have 12-15 balls. I love them and find they work great even in the coldest NC days.
Snickerdoodles! Delicious and never considered how frugal they are.
A mowing service is a widse investment- saves you time and stress! So I think that's frugal!
I've been non-frugal lately. Clothes for kids for summer weather added up quickly. The four at home all needed new shorts or dresses, and thrift store finds were minimal.
Frugal-ish: I lost my expensive graphing calculator at work and offered a reward. One of my students found it a week later and returned it to me. A small reward costs much less $$ compared to buying a new calculator.
Frugal- I did not let my competitive side reign during the school silent auction fundraiser, and I only bid on a few useful things. I won only small stuff I can use. I walked away from the bidding on a couple of wants once the bids got too high.
- Trying to pick a new electric supplier for the year. The rates are posted, and I think I'll be going with the main utility company. Their rates go down during certain seasons of the year, where most of the others are fixed. I just need to call and get this set up.
-Husband ordered new brakes pads and parts to do the brakes on my main car
-I filled up with gas after a long trip for forty cents cheaper than locally at the last exit before mine.
Money well spent! No danger of stings, and more time to prep your food. It is always wiser to spend time on frugal tasks that you are actually enjoying.
No line dried laudry for me this week in spite of the sun: I am suffering from the pollen more than usual. Laundry gets to be dried in the house, and I have to close the windows and stay inside for quite a bit. The pollen radar determines when I go out for a stroll or on errands.
Whenever I have laryngitis I switch toothbrushes, but this time the brush was only a week old. I put it in a pan of boiling water with baking soda for 10 mins, and now it is germ free again (hopefully).
We are enjoying window sill sprouts (is that what you call them?) of radish, broccoli and oats, taugé too. A little extra in our salads.
I sold an aroma diffuser on Marketplace. I need to be careful with aromatherapy, due to my asthma.
Mended husband's trouser button.
Borrowed a library book (Heart of Darkness - why did I never read this classic before?) and put books on hold.
The geraniums that I kept over from last year are almost in bloom. Delayed gratification!
Thankful that my medication is free.
I have hayfever too; miserable stuff. I never had it as a kid!
Same herr. The last three years or so I have been suffering increasingly and it is triggering my asthma.
My voice has gone now for over 2 weeks, but thankfully the splitting headaches and shortwindedness have stopped. There were a lot of plants in bloom at the same time, a few weeks back.
Oof, yours sounds worse than mine. I have a dry/itchy throat and runny nose, but no headaches. I don't have asthma so that probably helps. Either way, I'm religiously taking antihistamines!
I and during a quick thrift shoperrand I ran into beautiful good quality cotton hankies. I bought about 25 since I use them intensively, at peak times. I washed them on 95C with my bedlinen since I wanted to give those a post-fever clean up any way. Now they are ready for use.
(For good measure: I keep a small lidded diaper bucket for used cotton hankies. So I do not lie and inhale the germs from my handkerchiefs by my bedside)
I used to be a bookkeeper for a lawn service. My boss did the estimates and I sent them out. I have some reason why the lawn service can be frugal although not cheaper than DIY. So first if I remember right you borrowed a neighbors lawn mower so my theory probably doesn't match. But here it is. You do not have to buy and maintain your equipment and pay for gas and finally store it. You do not have to "find the time" to actually mow, and your time is valuable. My guys also took care of the weeds (either by wacking them or pulling them.) Many times by having them come out other issues were found quicker (overflowing septic, pest problems, broken basement windows, broken pipes.) Yard maintenance like trimming trees and leaf pick up can be cheaper. In this season of life you need a little help and paying for the lawn service for a year isn't the worst thing that can happen.
I lost a sentence. We own all equipment so with gas and maintenance my lawn costs us 29 a mow for 1.3 acres. The last time I paid to mow it, it was 50. But health issues, broken equipment, and not having enough time may change a lot of things.
Amy, the phrase "health issues, broken equipment, and not having enough time" sums up DH's and my situation in a nutshell when we hired our guy to do our lawn and snow back in 2017. DH couldn't do it because of his Alzheimer's; he'd already ruined two riding and two push mowers because he could no longer handle the maintenance; and goodness knows I couldn't look after DH, do my own work (even though I'd cut back to 2/3 time by then), and mow too. So I'm with you and everyone else cheering Kristen on for hiring a service.
Good for you, hiring a lawn service! You're being frugal with your time! 🙂
You've got to choose what's most important for now. I can identify!
Since my work schedule changed within the last year to 5 days per week instead of 4 days, (oh how I miss that 4 day schedule!) I have hired a young mom to deep clean once a month for me. She spends about 3 hours at my house while I'm at work and I come home to a clean kitchen/laundry floor, clean bathrooms etc and it's worth every penny to me! She has 2 young children, and she enjoys getting out on her own a bit. Grandma, who is a friend of mine, watches them while she cleans so it's a win-win for everyone. I keep after in the in-between and it feels manageable to me.
I'm still trying to be more frugal with things like my dry bread...I did follow your lead and cut up some cubes for future croutons or stuffing! Luckily, my new flock of chickens can help with leftovers that we just can't get used up. They turn them into eggs!
Good on you for recognizing your limit re: the yard. You've other places for that time and energy right now!
--The vegetable garden was protected from cold nights with old towels and blankets I keep for just this purpose. My tulips look pitiful from all the surprise freezes, but at least our future food has made it through thus far.
--$76/month was added back into the household budget this past weekend! We switched internet providers ($40), switched our phone plan to a lower tier ($20), and my husband suspended his Audible subscription indefinitely ($16). We agreed at the start of his new, local job to revisit his usage habits after two months--our sample set sweet spot. As suspected, his lack of a long daily commute means FAR less data and need for Audible; conversely, his home internet usage has stayed the same because he's reading more.
--Free bricks = landscaping over the weekend.
--I took advantage of a PetSmart promotion for 20% off our boys' soft food. I've grown to prefer ordering from PetSmart over Chewy because of the frequent promotions, rewards program and faster shipping. Our closed Chewy warehouse is several days away vs. PetSmart arriving the next day. I never run the boys' supplies that close, but I also don't like things hanging out on the porch all day if I've somewhere to be.
--Our petite 1890 castle needs only one AC to stay comfortable, but my husband and I are tired of installing it and taking it down every year. I designed a permanent frame (think a shallow box with an AC hole) to fit/hold up the sash windows so it could be easily reversed and do no harm; however, I haven't the tools, nor the hand strength to build said frame. I asked our family-owned hardware store if they could, and did they deliver! The resulting frame is built like a brick and only cost $35, including materials and labor!!!
I'm pushing the easy button today (and picking an easy target) with my FFT, Met Gala Edition:
(1-5) I didn't pay an obscene amount of money for a costume that makes me look as if I just dropped in from outer space (even if I didn't look like that to begin with). Frankly, I'd rather be trashpicking! 😛
On a less snarky note, happy late Star Wars Day to all who observed it. Among those of us who are fans of the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, May 1 is Colin Firth Day ("May the Firth be with you").
I thought of you yesterday when I ordered flowers to be sent to my mother-in-law this weekend - I picked a bouquet called "Austen Translation," entirely composed of assorted shades of blue delphinium : )
The bouquet sounds lovely, Suz. Along similar lines, JASNA BFF once sent me a card called "Flowers from Jane Austen's Garden," with pressed flowers of types JA mentioned in her letters. I've framed it and put it with the rest of my collection of JA books and ephemera, which occupies three tall shelves in my bedroom.
A. Marie,
I'm a long time fan of the Colin Firth P & P. I adore him.
I’m with you, although I might describe the outer-space drop-ins as NAKED aliens. I saw some of the “fashions” on the Today Show this morning and sat there shaking my head. I know it’s supposed to be over-the-top; but please.
A.Marie,
Everyone talking trash (quite accurately, IMHO) about the Bezos Ball has inspired me. (Evil smile.) I think it'd be a fun thing to have a non-Met Gala party in which the attendees try to outdo each other in dressing tacky. Their attire could be outfits put together by wearing frugal garments they have around the house, borrowed things, and/or trash-picked items. (A rag mophead as a blonde wig, perhaps?) Come dressed as your least-favorite billionaire/oligarch/politician/Kardashian. This event could be held anytime, but it'd be especially good at Halloween, New Year's, Friday the 13th, or on the date of the next Met Gala.
Sounds like a plan, Lisa. I'll dress as the bag lady some folks already think I am. 😛
I am trying like heck to get a friend of mine to hire a lawn service! It is clearly getting beyond her, but she is stubborn.
1. I am utilizing my ride-free card for the train instead of driving. I went to the doctor yesterday, and will ride the train for a lab appointment and PT this week.
2. I air-dried bread heels to make crumbs, which I keep in the freezer.
3. I tested and learned how to use my tabletop ice maker, which was a gift. My freezer is too small to give space to ice.
4. I just performed my coffee-stretching trick -- put the basket of used grounds in the fridge for next time, when I will add one scoop and get perfectly fine coffee.
5. Planning an Aldi trip today with the goal of sticking to my list but also allowing myself to buy bargains that will benefit my future self.
I had some great wins this week!
I sold some old Wild Kratts toys for $185 on eBay. I was researching price info for my garage sale and am very glad I checked on this one! Apparently, Wild Kratts toys are in high demand!
I sold an old Little Tikes house for the same price I paid someone else 9 years ago! It’s going to its third home of kids now.
My garage sales total was nearly $500 and I now have more room in my basement. It was really a fantastic turnout.
I got tons of free mulch! My neighbor’s got ChipDrop, a truckload of free mulch, delivered and they offered leftovers to anyone who wanted some. I happen to be redoing the walkways between my many raised garden beds, so this works out perfectly. I’m not even sure how much it’s saving me. A lot! Between me, my kids, and two of their boys, we got a lot accomplished. All my free buckets added to the win.
I also picked up some more free (leftover frosting) buckets from the bakery. It’s almost time to more the peppers and tomatoes outside 🙂
so glad you are doing so well. you deserve a break from lawnmowing for sure.
1. We edged our yard and I used the pieces of turf to fill in holes in our yard.
2. My aunt gave my daughter some brand new clothes and sneakers that didn't fit her grandkid.
3.My mom gave us apples, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes, berries, eggs, and peppers. I used the mushrooms, some leftover pasta sauce, leftover artichokes, and leftover mozzarella to make a pasta dish for my lunch this week. I made 5 jars of applesauce from the apples. I made rice pudding with some of the eggs and some leftover milk.
4. My husband and I had a date night. Instead of going out, we grilled steaks and shrimp at home and worked out at the gym together. It was very relaxing.
5. I picked up some free new baseball pants for my son for this season and next year.
Good for YOU! On hiring someone do take care of your lawn for this summer. There is nothing wrong with noticing when you are overwhelmed and knowing it will cause you to have something aggravating while you finish school. You work hard and you also still have some more school to get through. Like you said, maybe next year you will do it and that will be because you want to do it!!!
Not Frugal, Very Fun:
I took a couple of classes in (knit) sock design, one about fit and one about heels. Now I grok socks and can make - and modify - at will.
I can't think of any big wins so it's the usual:
- saved and used the water from waiting for shower water to get hot;
- brown-bagged my food and soda for my classes;
- used leftover bits of yarn for the class, rather than buying new;
- walked most of my errands;
- (mostly) kept on top of food to minimize waste.
William,
You probably already know this, but when I got thrifting, I often see a lot of yarn for sale cheap. Right now, our local thrift stores are full and running over because of more organized efforts to collect items from college kids moving away for the summer or after graduation. You might be able to find oodles of yard cheap!
(Also, try estate sales, Grandma may have knitted but the kids don't...I often see big bags of yarn and knitting and sewing supplies at such sales.)
Thanks - I have oodles. I might even be approaching SABLE (stash acquired beyond life expectancy).
LOL!I think a lot of grannies were SABLE, and their stash then goes to estate sales and thrift stores.
I love that you value your time and energy enough to hire a lawn service.
Frugal things:
- We have a lawn service to take care of mowing and edging but I'm trying to clean out the extra-large flower bed myself. I feel like I've pulled up about 1000 horseweed plants. I'm slow but making progress.
- Bought a book on Amazon for $0. While I liked it okay, I did not enjoy it enough to spend $5 on the next book in the series. So back to finding a few books a week on Kindle Unlimited or from the library.
- Baked many loaves of bread this weekend. I share with our kids and this week I took a sourdough loaf to my BFF. In turn, she gave me: a brand-new copy of America's Test Kitchen's Bread Illustrated (which I plan to gift my sister for her birthday), a brand-new pair of sandals she did not like, and unopened bag of cat food and cat litter since her cat escaped the house and has not returned.
- Made egg bites for us to have for breakfast this week. Also made tuna salad for my lunch.
- DH cleaned out the electric smoker and plugged it in to test and ended up tripping the GFCI. Not frugal that the smoker is not working but frugal that I found the outlet for the garage refrigerator was out due to the GFCI fault before anything spoiled.
My big Frugal wins this week were for other people.
I helped two friends hold a garage sale. Friend #1 has struggled with a shopping/hoarding addiction for years. She was a "buy one in every color" QVC type. She has really made progress but it is slow and scary. I took over 70 of her clothes, listed some on Poshmark and held the rest because I knew they wouldn't sell. She had a garage sale for stuff ( like a broken pilates machine) that she has been trying to release for 10 years. I encouraged, teased and praised. She released many items and earned $500 over 2 days. Her husband thanked me profusely.
Friend #2 is being evicted from her house. She had a lawn full of items and told me she needed $271 . Friend #1 advised to wait for a respectful price. With Friend #2 blessing I played hawker/charmer, bundled big items, spoke my broken Spanish to many of the visitors and moved a bunch of items. She made $584 in one day and was thrilled. She thanked me profusely.
If it was Thursday, this would be a gratitude post that I things simple do not have a hold on me. I was born to send objects onto their new home.
How wonderful that you helped 2 friends out like that! You made a nice difference for both of them. And now your hoarder friend may feel better letting more things go.
wish my hubby and 2 kids had that gene.
The weekly payment to our lawn guy is the best feeling payment I make each week. He's a new father who lives in our neighborhood, so I feel like I'm helping him support his family and he is helping me stay above water with my yard. Win/win!
It's true there's frugal and then unnecessary punushnent- great call on hiring law mowing out. I'm trying to think what makes sense to hire out and take more substitute teaching jobs.
My husband used to mow the lawn at our rental property. I'd mowed myself before so I know it’s not an easy yard to mow ,-+ the yard is big and it has thick grass. I finally convinced him a few years ago that hiring someone to do it each year was worth his time and energy. Good for you for making that choice.
It's fine to find things on E-bay once in a while. A few years ago I found a piece of vintage well-known jewelry I had regretted not buying and got it for less than the original price. I smile every time I wear it.
Here are my 5 FFTs
– I feel guilty throwing out plastic bottles and glass jars thinking I might be able to use them. But how many do you need? However, I recently used a saved plastic mayonnaise jar and used it for extra liquid detergent when I had too much for detergent bottles I use. It held enough for at least two loads so none was wasted.
– I used up leftover rice from a takeout dinner; I saved a very ripe banana and an avocado.
– I deleted tons of emails! This is frugal because it saved my brain from all the chaos. I don't know how we got thousands of emails that weren't deleted! But they are now gone. I have vowed to clean up emails at least once a week.
– I cut out the beautiful flower heart from a Brighton jewelry gift bag to do something “artsy” with it. It was too pretty to throw out and I don't like reusing branded gift bags if the gift inside it is not from that company.
– I gave a few things away. I feel like we have too much “stuff.” So I picked a few decorative things I hadn't used in years and put them out on a main table at my senior center with a little note that said, “Take me home!” 🙂 They were picked up immediately. I'm going to start setting things aside to donate to a church or community rummage sale.
I also feel guilty for throwing away glass jars! I use to keep them until decluttering one day I realized I hadn’t used any. I did donate them to a local thrift store.
Let's see...I haven't commented in a while so these are frugal things over the past couple weeks.
1) Brought some holey Darn Tough socks up to Vermont on our recent trip in order to use the lifetime warranty. This was I just showed up at the store they were at and handed them over instead of paying to ship them. They gave me codes and now I just need to hop on-line and order some new ones.
2) Used Rakuten when ordering new shoes from Brooks. I think it gives me something like $4 back.
3) Hit up Neighborhood Produce for their Dollar Deals for some discounted produce.
4) Got the early bird discount on my pre-orders for summer peaches.
That's about all I can remember at this point...
1. I made double batches of dinner and froze the leftovers for future quick meals for short on the road gigs.
2. Made and froze enchilada casserole for future quick meals for short on the road gigs.
3. Returned a pair of shoes I treated myself to for a wedding because they didn't fit. Yeah I'll save money wearing what I have, but they are a historical shoe I've been lusting over forever and it hurt to return them.
4. Found a Vrbo that's cheaper than a hotel room for my next gig. It's going to be too cold and possibly rainy to tent it.
5. Used Meijer 's scan and shop on my last grocery shop to find coupons and sales on the stuff on my list.
Good for you for hiring a lawn service!
As frugal folks its hard to justify paying someone to do a job you can do yourself, but in this season of life you're coming out ahead saving your time for more productive pursuits.
What worked for me was multiplying my hourly wage by how long the job would take me to do, and then comparing that to paying someone. If it takes me 2-3 hours to do a job, and I can pay someone to do it for less than I would earn in that time, then pay a professional and find another way to cut costs.
Or pick up a few hours of overtime (which was constant at my job) to cover it, and that also increases my retirement contributions.
Yay for hiring lawn service! I’ve hired out lawn service for over a decade and it’s been wonderful. I only think about it once a month when I pay what I consider to be a reasonable amount to the very nice man who takes care of it for me. As the wise Gretchen Rubin says ‘sometimes it’s ok to throw money at the problem.’ Enjoy!
That is excellent news about your lawn chore, knowing how much you dislike the task. This is an excellent use of your hard-earned money, a reason to be frugal in other areas. Good decision!
*I'm not shopping for clothes anymore. I've saved ones from yrs, and I mix them together. I don't care if i look like the hottest celebrity. I still get compliments.
*Try to cut back on shower time and heat / AC. Just use lots of blankets! Haha.
*I wish I could show you my last Christmas gifts. At the time it was a big thing to by smaller boxes, cut them down then corners, fill them with gifts and tie it together. Have the person untie it and all sides open and, the small colors of the "holiday" bc it can work for any, are then shown with many gifts. I made mine by hand. Left over cardboard boxes, scrap Xmas paper- we all have it!- to line every side, and all ends of the strands of ribbons that end up after wrapping other gifts. Filled boxes with 1 nice gift that each sister and my 6 nices/nephews would like and healthy treats and some yummy ones. THEY LOVED IT! As I made them all open at once! - SORRY SO LONG!
*look for sales when grocery shopping, though tough trying to eat healthy.
-made this long, so I'll stop with my other ideas! 😉
1. Made a large amount of coffee and stored it in a large mason jar to pour from all week.
2. Neighbor recommended a professional electrician for our rec room light woes. Side hustle for him so a more reasonable rate. We were bracing for bad news about our electrical problem, so we were relieved to spend just $200.
3. Due to my fractured knee, I had to cancel my non-refundable flight to Sacramento, where I was going to stay with my niece and her young family this week. I requested and received an eCredit from Delta to be used on a future flight within 10 months, so I'm happy not to be out $700. Delta was very accommodating. With the recent price increases, that same flight is now over $1,000.
4. Received a large vase of gorgeous flowers from my sister-in-law and family. Later I will return the vase to the local florist for them to reuse. Our florist is happy to take any vase, which is a nice alternative to donating them to the thrift store.
5. Made a big batch of mashed potatoes for economical meals (as a side, as a base for sauteed veggies, and with an egg on top a la The Frugal Girl). Used half of a $2.89 5-lb. bag.
Hiring a lawn service isn't necessarily monetarily frugal, but it's certainly time frugal. We have periods of life where we have more time than money; and periods where our free time is more valuable. It's wise to recognize this and to lean into it.
I am sorry you aren't enjoying your BSN course-work. As a retired college professor, I always feel sad when people have the opportunity to take classes and the classesa aren't as amazing to them as I wish they were.
Is it because the classes aren't challenging enough? I know you are an amazing student. Or not topics you want to study?
Good for you! Being a full time employee in such an active, on-your-feet all day, job and also taking college-level classes (not to mention writing a blog), you have enough on your plate to worry about. Kudos for delegating the yard work to someone else! You don't need any more stress. Frugal or not, it's important to take care of Kristen. (OK, end of lecture. But we care about you!)
Here are my frugalities:
-- I bought a new-to-me computer monitor for $9 at Goodwill. Looks brand new! Used my 20% off discount to get it. It's bigger than the old one, which had a messed up VGA plug. (Disclaimer: I was looking for another VGA cord, couldn't find one, but happened upon the monitor, a wide screen monitor at that!. The old [15- or 20-year old] monitor had one VGA plug and the other end of the cord was permanently attached to the screen, so it would've been a challenge to fix that. But for only $9 bucks, I replaced the whole thing....) The new monitor did not have a VGA cord attached, but it had a place on it where you attached one.
-- Looked all over town for a secondhand VGA cord. None. Ended up having to buy a new one at Office Depot bc Walmart didn't stock them. Frugal fail: it was $23. Ouch!
--I had earlier gotten a refurbished CPU unit to use as my new computer. When I hooked it all up it didn't work. Had to call a computer tech in on the case.
-- Tech guy discovered the computer I bought was pretty much a brick. Frugal fail.
--But he noticed my old, "dead", computer and said, "I can fix that." He gutted the "brick" computer for parts and installed them into my old computer. I now have a full functional computer. (Hey, I'm writing this on it!!!!) Somewhat of a frugal fail since I'm out $300 for the service call, but...
--Also let him look at the $85 laptop I'd bought last winter. It had a weird deal where it was reading aloud all the keystrokes and stuff, and I couldn't get it to work normally. But it didn't take him five minutes to get it working and going. This was included with the service charge, at no extra charge, so in a way it was a frugal win.
--Meanwhile last Saturday, as I was going from thrift store to thrift store, I found a free Sanyo flat screen TV at the curb of one such store. (They don't sell TVs or electronics there.) It had a note on it that said it was free and that it works. Who am I to pass up such a bargain? So I got it.
--When I bought the monitor at Goodwill, I also spied a Stephanie Plum murder mystery. (That's a great series by Janet Evanovich and if you want to laugh out loud a lot, get these books! Stephanie and her pal Lula are the 21st Century versions of Lucy and Ethel.) It was number 29, called "Going Rogue." So I got it, and that brought my Goodwill bill up to $12, including the 33 cents I rounded up as a donation. Started reading it last night. This is weird: it wasn't until the last few chapters that I realized I've read this book before. OMG. (I thought some of it was vaguely familiar....)
--Gave a big box of my old history/Social Studies teaching materials and texts to my friends, who will take it to New Orleans for a young soon-to-be American history teacher there. My friends came by yesterday and we had a great visit. They had just come back from out of town to visit his sister Rosalyn, who is about to undergo cancer treatment, so please pray for her. And for the people donating blood for her rare blood type.
So smart to hire help. Just think of the benefits of stress relief. So worth it!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Which just happens to fall on taco Tuesday. I made a huge pan of beef enchiladas, veggie rice and pinto beans for tomorrow's community dinner. We are hosting May birthday dinner at our local Chinese restaurant as it is mom's birthday.
The former manager of my manufactured home park mows my lawn for $20 a week (personally I think it would be cheap at twice that especially considering that I work nights and have no desire to mow lawns at any point in time). He doesn't know it yet but I intend to pay him quite a bit more this week as he fertilized the yard, trimmed my HUGE Oregon Grape bush, pulled weeds in the non-yard part, and disposed of all the yard debris.
1. I baked two half pans of blondies as thank you gifts for two coworkers. I cooked them in disposable foil pans that we keep on hand for food gifts/deliveries. I had all the ingredients on hand and it felt really good to day thank you!
2. I made sure to fill up my gas tank at Costco – our area is over $4 a gallon now.
3. A couple of friends asked if I wanted to join them for bingo later this month. The date doesn’t work for me but I suggested that they join me for volunteer work as another option – it’s free, gets us together, and gives back to the community.
4. We had lots of leftovers when we hosted my husband’s students last week so we packaged everything up and sent them home with a second meal – I’m always happy to send a college student home with another meal because you never know.
5. I’m happily downloading audio books from Libby to enjoy while doing chores around the house, walking the dog, or driving to work.
Very thoughtful to send leftovers home with the students! Food banks at colleges/universities have become more prominent in the last few years, and they help a lot of people.
When we had college students baby sit for us, if it was going to be several hours, I would tell them they could bring their laundry to do, which is a big time-and-money expense for them. College students just like to be in houses and around children and pets sometimes.
After my son and his wife left to fly back to California, I made a list of all the leftovers we had in the fridge. We went to restaurants sooo many times, as well as cooking some meals at home and had sooo much. The list helped us eat them all, without wasting any. There were some strange food pairings but food is food. 🙂
I am waiting until this rain stops to wash all the bedding from their stay so I can hang it outside on the clothesline. We have no visitors waiting for the room so it's frugal to wait.
I’ve been so busy I have been behind on reading the comments. I wanted to thank you A. Marie for letting us know about Lindsey in Alaska. I read everything you linked. I always enjoyed her comments and hearing about her life.
1. I made an eBay sale! My first time. Thanks for the advice you gave me to get started.
2. I mailed the eBay item in a padded envelope I already had.
3. I am working in a venue that we don’t normally use. It is in the middle of the city and parking is expensive. Event parking can be anywhere from $30 and up, especially since my city has hosted a marathon and a very big National event in the last two weeks. My employer finally figured out a free parking situation for me and is providing a small stipend to pay for a garage if there is any issue. Originally they were only going to provide the stipend and I was very unhappy about a good chunk of my pay possibly going to parking.
4. I have not eaten out in the past two weeks, even though my coworkers are bringing back takeout from the many restaurants that are in the area.
5. I have been working so much I haven’t had time to spent any money elsewhere.
Great job on the frugal scrubs matching! Is that a thing at your work as well to have matching scrubs? My beautiful mind finds this lovely, my frugal mind doesn't know what to do with this :).
1. Pulled weeds (aka dandelions) and fed them all to our chickens.
2. Got leftover fresh parsley and dill out of the fridge before they got soggy and also fed them to the chickens.
3. Finished some leftover lamb roast with tzatziki on wraps. Pretend shoarma...it was yummy!
4. Hubby bought a tool so we can change our own tires from winter to summer.
5. Took a packed lunch to a doctor's appointment to avoid take out.
BRAVO! When I worked, many hours, I paid for some services.BALANCE is key!! And, health. (Mental and physical!) You’re doing so much right now, handing off the mower is a great idea this year!!!!!
This week in . . .
1) Food: I continue to eat up the free food my mother-in-law passed along to us. The meal plan this week includes some crowd pleasers and a thing I wanted to try. My husband and I made sandwich bread and rolls in the bread machine yesterday. We packed lunches for the two kids that require lunches. My lunches this week are leftovers; my husbands are a basic salad he makes himself. I grocery-shopped for everything at Aldi.
2) Clothing: My husband loves the Expensive Brand, new-with-tags shorts I found for him at Goodwill. I finally completed a full clean and polish of the leather oxfords I found a while back; I suspect the person donated these high quality shoes because they needed a wash and polish and they didn't know how. Now they look great. I found three bathing suits at my last Goodwill stop that will fit our daughter (and one was half off!). I took the time yesterday to launder the gentle cycle clothes I had been just letting pile up. That meant reading labels, running small loads on appropriate temperatures, and drying or hanging clothes as required. You gotta take care of your stuff when it is worth it, even if it comes from Goodwill.
3) Shelter: I have both of my sinks ready to install, and the plumber is scheduled to come on Thursday. We took the time to see if we could fix these dripping sinks on our own, then when we realized we couldn't, we looked around for coupons and deals on good quality faucets. We made sure we had the right ones before we called the plumber. I know the easier I make it on him, the easier he will be on the bill.
4) Entertainment: I walked a couple of the kids over to the school's spring festival on Saturday. I did buy them $10 worth of tickets so they could jump in the inflatables, but otherwise we didn't buy the piles of food and junk they would have preferred. I read library books and listened to free podcasts. My mom loves having a puzzle to work on when she comes to our house, and my husband and youngest son found a puzzle in a little free library. We will let Gran complete the puzzle and then put it back into the library to share. I accepted a home exchange request for September that I know we will be able to accommodate; we will use these home exchange "points" for our own free stays in others' homes.
5) Transportation: I got gas at Costco when I was out that way and before Costco opened to avoid the lines. I fixed a car door handle that was giving us trouble. We made a plan for my husband and kids to give the car a good clean themselves as my Mother's Day present. I batched errands to save me on running around.
Good for you! Time and energy are commodities just as much as money is, and it’s smarter you to hold those three in tension.
Good for you! Time and energy are commodities just as much as money is, and it’s smarter you to hold those three in tension.
Has anyone watched the YouTube videos posted by SB Mowing? This young man apparently does a free mowing once a week, picking out homes with long grass and general neglect, and cleans up the yard (front and back). I find his videos kind of soothing, plus that instant gratification feeling, even though I didn't do the work. Heh. He seems like a nice guy. (Not saying *your* yard would ever qualify, Kristen.....most of these homes are abandoned, though some are owned by overwhelmed people who just can't take care of it all. Which I 100% get. My DH has hired people at times to mow or remove snow when he is unable to take care of it).
I got a shoe repair for 3 Euros!
My favorite super comfy/light boxer boots have a zipper, and I broke the zipper part so completely that they couldn`t be zipped any more.
Now I frequently see a dressmaker who alters my clothes when I can not do it myself (wintercoat etc.) to fit better.
She changed the broken part for 3 E. My husband picked it up from work because it is nearby (next frugal win) and gave her 5. (still super frugal) I hope she stays around forever!
My husband ordered a toolkit he needed for some repairs on his bike. His friend has an other complementing toolkit so they can exchange the tools they need.
Yes, we repaired or lawnmower and are still mowing ourselfs - due to location, this is possible outside the timelines set by most cities here. My husband finds it relaxing after stressful days, so win-win.
I have not used lawn care services, but my snow removal service was worth every penny. Took the load off my shoulders and made it so I could get to work on time no matter the snow amount!
My frugal things:
1. Prepped lunches for the whole week last night. No eating out for me.
2. Used both my insurances (ex hasnt removed me from his policy yet) to cover treatment and meds for knee injury. I figured the old insurance wouldn’t work (not knowing he hadn’t removed me) but it did!
3. Shopped my storage bin for work (school) clothes after losing some weight and found several “new” outfits
4. Found an $89 dress marked down to $35 for an award cocktail event this week that I was nominated for (3 days from notification to event!). Ended up paying $13.35 for the dress due to hitting a sale on the clearance stuff.
5. Fail: paid full price for the shoes for the dress, since none of my shoes worked nor did my friends have any shoes that work in my size. Still…outfit total cost less than the original price of the dress.
Paying to get a bit of your time back is money well spent.
1) Used a free night awards to stay in Boulder & help DS19 & his roommate move out from their dorm. Bonus that I saved $25 in parking thanks to my Hyatt status.
2) Showed DS19 & roommate how to do a speed clean, after their room was emptied. Also demonstrated these tactics for their friends. A vacuum, container of Clorox wipes & some elbow grease saved them all money. It only needed a passing clean, as the dorms are being remodeled. This saved $300 in fines/fees.
3) Not renting a storage unit, because my BFF is a gem & is letting DS19 & some of his friends store stuff in her garage. (I treated her to a few meals out as a thank you - we treat each other's kids like our own.)
4) Managed to get all of DS19's items home (minus what was stored) in our free checked bags. I get two free bags thanks to my airline status, so it was well worth it to consolidate.
5) I pay all of my medical bills on my reward generating credit cards & then reimburse myself from my HSA. I have an autoimmune diseases, amongst other standard "getting old' challenges, so I spend plenty on health care costs. At least this way, I'm getting a little something back for my money.
Echoing others- hurray for lawn service! I grew up in the woods and when I bought a home with a lawn I had no idea how much time it took to maintain it. Part of frugality to me is knowing what my time is worth and where I want to spend it.
My 5 frugal:
• Froze some soft bananas and used them for homemade popsicles.
• Used my apartment water refill station. Water is not potable here and it's most convenient to have water delivered, but for a fraction I can walk to the other end of the complex and use their filtered refill station.
• Bought a fan, which will cut down on air conditioning.
• Re-used rubber bands. Everything here comes with rubber bands and packages don't have self-seals, so coffee and spice bags get rubber bands.
• Went to a tiny thrift store that's open one hour a week and scored on used books! I can get 5 books for the price of 1 at the other store. I am not into e-readers and there's no library, so this is a good option.
Time is money so I consider hiring someone to mow your lawn a frugal win!
My Frugal 5+
•Returned blades, spigot, and an extra toy we don’t need to Walmart. Got half priced action figure set and clock at their discount aisle for my girl. Also picked up a few things we needed at home.
•Got reimbursed $92 for the Cat & Jack pants we got the girls from Target through their 1 year policy since they got holes in the knees and the elastics became loose.
•Got a 6 month checkup and cleaning on my wedding rings at Kays as part of their warranty we purchased initially. While there, they also cleaned my other gold jewelry for free.
•Brought 3 pairs of Crocs for my girls in like new condition off EBay for $15 each. Shipping and taxes already included. They usually run $30-$40 each new so that’s a deal.
•Packed a broken snow shovel into the trash can and a bunch of cardboard which I broke down and packed tight into the recycling can during our usual garbage pickup day. Saved extra by not making an extra trip to the dump and paying an extra fee to dispose.
•Used hand made play dough and other materials we already have at home like pebbles, rice & dried noodles to make a model of a nearby lake for my girl’s school project.
Econ class - time is your most precious resource. A recurring true/false question on quizzes/tests was "if a lawyer offered his/her services at no cost, it would be free". False as you would burn time waiting for the service. You can't make more time nor can you make more land.
During a stretch of both of us working and kids, we hired out a various services. Two helped locals and the one saved us a boat load of physical labor (think 8 ft X 12 ft sheets of dry wall on a vaulted ceiling). Both of us could make more money than hiring out.
And who knows - your landlord might be happy with the work and it becomes not your responsibility.
Personally, I think hiring a lawn mowing service is extremely frugal. You have only so many hours in a day, and the fact that you work odd hours and will be in school this summer leaves very few hours left to sleep, meal prep, go to the gym, grocery shop, keep the semblance of a clean house, spend some time with your daughter, AND write your blog. So, you'd be able to mow the law when? between 4:37 and 6:02 AM every third Tuesday? Nope, sometimes hiring someone (especially if it's helping the local economy) is an extremely frugal move. I commend you on your decision to prioritize your time, health, and sanity -- a very frugal move indeed!
I love that you're giving up the lawn mowing. That is exactly why we're frugal. So our money can go to the things we really value.
Hiring someone to mow the lawn may seem unfrugal, but it frees up your time to do other things and it supports local business. Money well spent for mental and physical health.
1. I wanted to use a merchandise return credit at Target for some needed basics. I clipped a $3 coupon into the Target app but when I got to the car I realized it didn’t get deducted from the total. I almost didn’t go back in because I’d already packed up the stroller and my littlest kiddo in the carseat, but I went ahead and did it. Customer service issued me a new merchandise credit for the $3.
2. I found a very dirty nickel in the Target parking lot.
3. I bought some needed medications with my HSA card, and I also used my healthcare employee badge to get a 20% discount on the OTC items.
4. I walked to pick my kids up from daycare rather than driving twice last week. I’m really trying to be mindful of not using the car when I can avoid it, partially because gas is expensive but also because I’m starting to read about a possible fuel crisis as the world uses up the stored gas reserves and the Straight of Hormuz remains closed.
5. Our daycare provider offered us some magnetic tiles that she was going to get rid of, but which she knew our boys really loved. We happily accepted! Those things are probably worth $100.
6. I brought home some taco bar fixings from work as I knew they would be thrown out. I’m bummed I forgot to grab the few strawberries that were left too.