Q&A | back into a proper routine

Guys, I almost had to resort to doing a Five Frugal Things post on a Monday again instead of our usual Tuesday. But then I remembered I had some questions in the queue!

Sooo, here we go.

1. How does one get TopCashBack for Chewy subscriptions?
2. What does Facebook pay you for? (when you learn)
3. Are you doing Meet-A-Reader anymore? (couldn’t find the stuff on your website)
4. Did you finish your free on-line personal training program? Do we get to hear an evaluation?

-Jana

one

I’m not sure you can use TopCashback for Chewy subscriptions. But when I used it recently, it was for a ship-it-now order, and that works just fine!

I always try to figure out how to time the subscriptions properly, but I never seem to get it quite right. I either have an excess of litter here or I run short. So I often end up doing a ship-it-now order.

two

As far as I can tell, they pay me for people viewing regular posts on my page (as opposed to views for stories or reels). But I am not terribly pressed about it, at least not enough to change the way I use Facebook. These social media payments never really amount to a whole lot unless you have a seriously large following.

I’ll just keep linking to my daily blog post as always, probably.

three

Yes! I would still be happy to publish Meet a Reader interviews; I just don’t have any in the queue right now. I will email YOU the questions since you are interested. And anyone else who’s interested, just shoot me an email (thefrugalgirl@gmail.com) or leave a comment and I’ll send over instructions. 🙂

four

You already know the answer to this one because I posted after you submitted this question! Anyone who missed it: here’s how things finished up with my personal training trial. 🙂

Are those Calphalon pots? I think I have the same set, use them all the time. Stainless steel and cast iron, so very satisfying to cook on.

-Sam

Sam asked after seeing this photo!

Yes! I own three Calphalon pots and one skillet. The pots I already had from my last house and the skillet was a gift from Book Club Elaine.

I like having a pretty minimal set of cookware, so even at Calphalon prices, my cookware doesn’t break the bank. And I love how well-made their pans are.

Incidentally, now that I have discovered how easy it is to scramble eggs in stainless steel, I use my skillet almost every day.

(You heat the pan up until it’s so hot that water immediately beads up on the surface, then add a little butter, then your eggs, and voila, your eggs slide around like it’s the best nonstick pan in the world.)

I am curious to know why you have to attend AA meetings & Al-Anon meetings for mental health? Is it to try to have knowledge of this disease & effects on person/people?

-Regina

So, partly it’s to expand our awareness of resources in the area so that we can offer ideas to patients and their families. And partly it’s to widen our horizons and to learn by listening to people who are on a sobriety journey (and at Al-Anon, listening to families affected by drinking).

I actually have really appreciated this assignment; I thought it was beautiful to see the way people come together to support and help each other. The vulnerability and lack of pretense also really touched me, and I was encouraged to hear the success stories of people who have achieved sobriety.

I’m curious if you are taking creatine? I started a couple weeks ago, it has many benefits, especially for peri/menopausal aged women.

-Jen

It’s funny you ask this because I have a container in my cupboard and just last night, I dug it out and put it on one of my open shelves so I will actually remember to use it!

I’m not a big supplement person, but this one does seem to have some solid scientific evidence behind it (and also, Dr. Mike Todorovic, a gym rat, but more importantly, one of my favorite A&P podcasters, recommends creatine.)

Do you track other nutritional components of your food intake? Calcium, D3, B vitamins, etc.

-JD in NM

I do not! The food tracking apps do let you know things like how much fiber you’re getting and My Fitness pal tracks potassium, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.

But I discovered that without really trying, I was usually hitting at least the minimum RDA for all of those, and generally I surpassed the Vitamin C goal by quite a bit (which is fine; it’s a water-soluble vitamin so you just pee out any extra!)

So basically I think my usual diet is giving me a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. Yay!

Do you have a template for how you make stray veggies into a soup? The one you show looks like a “cream of …” soup.

-Kathy

When I made the asparagus soup I loosely followed a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, and that was mostly helpful because they suggested cutting off the tips of the asparagus, browning them in butter, and then setting them aside to add to the pureed soup later. That way the soup isn’t just puree.

But basically, to make a “cream of” soup, I’d brown veggies and onions in a pot with seasonings, add some chicken broth, simmer until everything is tender, puree it all in the blender, add it back to the pot, and stir in cream.

This is sorta how I make butternut squash soup too, except in that case, I steam the squash in the pot.

Got any input on these topics? Do share!

And if you have a question you’d like me to answer, you can email me (thefrugalgirl@gmail.com) or leave a comment here. 🙂