Time for Five Frugal Things, people.
1. I used a cereal bag to freeze turkey.
I saved the enormous plastic bag from a Costco-sized box of Cheerios because I thought it might come in handy. And it did, yesterday!
I had to cut some turkey breasts off the bone for pulled turkey sandwiches, which left me with some turkey bones, plus a neck (perfect for a future batch of broth.)
I put them in the cereal bag, closed it with a chip clip, and put it in the freezer.
I kind of hate to use brand new plastic bags for freezing meat because that’s kind of a one and done use.
But a cereal bag? I don’t mind parting with that once I thaw the bones and make broth.
2. I avoided an umbrella group price hike.
The longer you wait to submit your registration as a homeschool family, the more the price goes up.
So, I had my end-of-year review yesterday and sent the forms off the same day.
No sense in paying more for the same thing!
(An umbrella group is an organization for homeschoolers to report to. The umbrella group then sends records to the country homeschool office.)
3. I froze some annoying bananas.
I got a batch that did the get-spots-before-turning-yellow thing.
Which means they go from green to overripe while completely skipping that delicious just-turned-yellow stage.
Which is weird because I bought two bunches from the same store, and one ripened just fine.
Anyway, I froze them for either use in smoothies or in this strawberry banana ice cream.
4. Sonia got a pair of vintage-style shoes at Goodwill.
She’s gotten very into the vintage look lately, and she was thrilled to find a pair of perfect shoes for $6 at Goodwill.
And she suggested that they would be perfect for a Five Frugal Things post. 😉
5. Vintage looks from ThredUp.
Sonia’s also been faithfully searching ThredUp for items that will work for a vintage look.
(ThredUp is an online consignment store, and you can get $10 off your first order through this link.)
A result of all this vintage fashion shopping is that Sonia’s always walking around the house looking very fancy while the other girls and I are hanging out in tshirts and jeans. Ha.
Alrighty, it’s your turn! Share your five frugal things in the comments.
P.S. If you want some laughs, check out my post showcasing the box of failed rescue items from ThredUp.
Auntiali
Saturday 25th of May 2019
My FFTs for this past week: 1. My daughter made my husband his birthday brownies using a box mix that was $1.00. 2. Received a notice that my former cable company owes me $8.37. I will call next week to find out when I can expect my refund check. 3. Policing electricity use by following my husband around and turning off the kitchen lights which he always forgets to do. It is going to be hot this weekend so the AC will be on and I'll need to offset the cost of that. 4. We ate at home this week except for one night when daughter and I went to our local hot dog stand. My mother worked the French fryer there when she was pregnant with me 58 years ago. Last summer was suppose to be the last summer but the owner didn't get his land sale deal together so he opened again this summer. I bought the dinner from my allowance. 5. Have to get super frugal as there have been a lot of money going out for bills. Medical bills for husband's angioplasty, car insurance bill for 3 people, property taxes which are insane for my 1954 house, and a new cap for my tooth. Two burners on the stove went out and now the agonizing decision to either replace them or get a new stove.
Jen
Tuesday 28th of May 2019
Please, tell us the name and location of this iconic hot dog stand! Can’t it be saved?
Effie
Friday 24th of May 2019
Sonia looks lovely, you must be so proud. I had a pair of shoes like hers in green in college for wearing to fancy black tie events. I loved to wear vintage back then. I am more of a T-Shirt mum these days.
A couple of frugal fails for me. On Friday our babysitter cancelled so I ended up having to take our kids out for an early dinner before my sons school fundraiser ( the babysitter was supposed to collect my daughter and give her supper at home until my husband got home from work, while I took my son to the fundraiser). I also took a cab to collect her as I was exhausted from work and couldn’t face rushing across town on foot to pick her up in time. Because of the cab I ended up at school an hour early with 2 hungry kids so I took them for pizza.
On Wednesday I had to work late and bought a bunch of peonies (which were reduced) to cheer myself up; then left them on the train!
The weekend was better.
I shopped for my sons First communion outfit in the GAP 40% sale; he was very pleased with the choice.
We went to a cheap supermarket and I bulk bought lots of cheap produce; rice prawns and vegetables.
I used up an old bag of potatoes for jackets for Saturday lunch and used the spare ones to make gnocchi for supper.
I mowed the lawns and weeded the patio (just by pouring leftover boiling water on the weeds).
My husband made my sons school costume rather than buying something on amazon. They made a lots of mess with papier-mâché in the kitchen but had a lovely time together. Next time I am going to make them work outside the papier-mâché was even on the ceiling!
Kristen
Friday 24th of May 2019
Ooh, I'd forgotten about the boiling water trick! I have some weeds growing in the stone around my fire pit that I was weeding yesterday and I think I will just pour boiling water over them next time.
Hawaii Planner
Thursday 23rd of May 2019
It wasn't a frugal weekend at all (house guests, I ran a half marathon, so my desire to cook was low but my appetite was high ;-), but we had a few wins during the week: -Drove our electric car to Santa Cruz & back, saving on gas -Ate leftovers from delivery for 2 additional dinners + 2 lunches -Called about a $25 incorrect charge on my credit card -Continue my "use it up" freezer challenge. I've achieved my May goal of using up 15 items in my freezer. The freezer is starting to look bare! Love it. -Made homemade protein balls as a post run snack, vs buying something similar that I love
Shannon
Thursday 23rd of May 2019
Day late on my five frugal things.
1) I've been sick for 2 weeks and our eating-at-home has taken a hit several times because not only do I lack the bandwidth to actually cook, I'm also forgetting to plan ahead, so we've had quite a bit of carry out (not frugal), but we did find out that the nearby Thai restaurant offers a 10% discount if you pay in cash - which my husband was able to do when he picked up dinner last night!
2) I was able to get $15 back on Ibotta from buying 3 things we definitely needed and 2 things that we didn't necessarily need, but will get used for more at-home meals.
3) Asked for a discount on landscaping services and the company was able to do it.
4) We needed an electrician to come out and fix a couple of things for us - I asked lots of questions about what he was doing/how he was checking the different things, so hopefully that will help us to be more self sufficient with small things in the future.
5) Forgot I had a 40% off coupon at CVS that I was able to use on some much need OTC medicines.
Amanda
Thursday 23rd of May 2019
Sonia is such a beauty! I love the vintage look on her.
1) We used a gift card for dinner last night. It now has $6 left, which will be a nice discount off of a delicious future lunch.
2) We originally thought we would book airbnbs for part of our Pacific North West vacation, but we were able to pull together homeexchanges to make the accommodations for the whole trip free!
3) Now that I am 38 I realized that my feet were looking like they might need a pedicure. I've never had a mani or a pedi, so I researched online how to do my own. Then I assembled all the things I needed. Some came from the cupboard, but I did buy some things. I sprang for the expensive polish (with base and top coat!) but still kept the materials under the price of a pedicure at my local salon. Now I have enough supplies to keep my feet looking sandal-ready for a while.
4) I assembled leftovers for lunch. We were out of cookies (a no-go for this breastfeeding mama). Instead of going to the store, I made cookies from ingredients on hand. I had to use ghee instead of butter, but it was fine. I also used up a bunch of oats in the process. Speaking of breastfeeding, because I need the extra calories, I've been eating up the cereal left by some airbnb guests. I don't buy cereal--I don't love it and my kids love it too much--but I hate for it to go to waste. (I would feed this cereal to my kids, but it is "mom cereal" not "kid cereal," if you know what I mean.)
5) Our business is getting an award tonight, so we are going to a free dinner. We have to pay babysitters (babysitters with an "s," because our four kids ranging in age from six weeks to eight years are a handful for one person), but we do get to enjoy a very fancy free dinner.
Julia
Friday 24th of May 2019
I’m 54 and just treated myself to my first pedicure this week. It was a special treat after a really horrible week. I decided I could also replicate the same thing at home and continue to keep my feet summer ready. The part I liked the best about the pedicure was the hot water soaking and massage. I found a deluxe Dr Schols foot bath massager with heat and bubbles for $2 at our local thrift store. I have everything else so I’m set to go. I tried out the foot soaker last night and it was lovely!