Last week’s frugal friday was so much fun! At first I thought no one would play along and then the comments rolled in. That made me REALLY happy. You inspired me to look for new ways to exercise my frugal muscles this week.
If you’re new here: On Fridays I share a few frugal things I did during the week. Then in the comments you to share a frugal thing or two you did during the week. If you are a blogger feel free to link to your Frugal Friday post in the comments and we’ll come check it out.
I’ve been suffering with all over body hives for more than 2 weeks now. My preliminary blood work shows “numerous active allergies” with more details to come. In the past I’ve had an allergy to cats so they tested for that agin. When the test came back negative my first thought was, “I need a cat.” My friend was giving away kittens on facebook—it would just take a second to send her a message….Then I saw this video on facebook.
- We didn’t get a cat. Does that count as frugal? Pet food, litter costs, extra cleaning, vet bills…..I’m saving big on those. I really do love cats though. We’ve been enjoying the friendly farm cats up at my in-law’s place. There always seems to be a couple of kittens around there. I’m reserving the right to splurge and get a kitten at some point…but for now, we are being frugal. We also open our doors to family and friends for pet sitting. Pet sitting is the joy of a pet for about as long as my kids have an attention span for them.
They are soooo cute though.
2. Homemade hamburger buns. I plopped a rump roast (bought over the weekend on a sale for $2.99 a lb) in the crock pot with a pinch of cloves, tons of garlic salt and a splash of red wine vinegar, for shredded beef sandwiches. The original recipe is here at Taste of Home. I was planning my day and how I would get to the day old store to buy buns and I thought—why not just bake my own. It only takes a couple of minutes of hands on time. Here’s my favorite recipe. I saved around $5 and a whole lot of driving time.
3. When I didn’t feel well, Instead of eating out we used some frugal convenience foods (Deli roast beef $5 lb, 3 cans crescent rolls $.99 each, and sliced provolone $2.50 for 12 oz) plus garden bell peppers to make Philly Pepper Steak Bundles. I served it up with finger fruits and veggies on costco paper plates (bought on a coupon sale.) I keep the plates on hand for the days I can’t cope with one more thing–on the wanna be takeout nights. The best part is the kids saw me making them and it looked so fun that they came over to help.
4. I used the library. A blogger I really respect recommended a couple of books. I was not sure if these books were ones I’d want to read once, or refer back to over and over again. I requested copies from my library. Once I read them I can decide if they are ones to buy for our forever library. Money saved $25
5. I used a discount prescription card. With my Melaleuca membership, I could get a prescription drug discount card. Our health insurance dropped prescription drug coverage last January to try to reduce costs and keep up with the new government mandates. The discount card costs $5 a month ($60 a year) and covers all 8 of us. I needed 2 prescriptions to fight my allergies. Normally one was $40 and the other was $30. With the discount card the new prices were $10 & $9. $50 saved and we’ve only had the cards 2 months so far :).
It’s your turn! Inspire us with one of your frugal activities this week.
The library is my favorite. LOVE it. My kids and I read so so so many books every year, we’d be in the poorhouse without the library.
And I also love that when we’re done with books, we can give them right back. No clutter!
Amen on the lack of clutter! Unless I know it’s a reference book I’ll want to look at over and over, I rarely buy books.
Stuck to weekly grocery and household budget by careful frugal shopping, purchasing the majority at Aldi.
Needed several packages of hangers..we moved recently and with our larger home, acquired much more closet space. Found that the local DAV thrift stores sell bundles of 10 gently used plastic hangers for between .45 and .95! This beats Walmart price of 1.97 per package! Bought 8 bundles at a terrific savings.
Found 5 pennies–new shiny ones that my 2 youngest were tickled about!-on the ground in parking lot of aforementioned DAV! Not much, but every little bit counts!
All books and media/entertainment are borrowed from the library. I did give in and purchase a cookbook new last week,but only after I had borrowed it from library for 2 weeks and determined it would be extensively used..so a good investment!
All meals have been prepared at home all week, including lunches for my two older children who are in school.
Sorry to hear about the awful hives you are dealing with! Hope you get some answers and relief soon! Really enjoy your blog!
You rocked the frugal this week, Sarah. It’s so encouraging to read what other people do. When I read about it it gives me the strength to keep doing frugal for another week.
I’m so glad you did this again. I totally forgot to check back for the comments. It was a busy week. I find it inspiring to hear what others do to save money. I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary to save money last week. I will pay more attention this week. With Christmas coming, I’m really trying to watch my spending.
Maybe we could share stocking stuffer ideas one week??
I love getting your emails each week.
Nicole! I love your stocking stuffer idea! Doing this next week and then I’ll compile everyone’s answers in an organized list.
I forgot to mention….your ranch dressing seasoning mix is AMAZING!!!!!! Dill shouldn’t be an option in the recipe! Total yum!! I need to grow herbs next year! Specifically dill.
I’m glad you like it! I’m not a fan of dill in ranch either, but my in-laws really like it that way.
We are away from home, still. Cooking meals since where we are staying has a kitchen. Bonus, we are using up food in the freezer here. We have been away from home since Wed morning. I bought eggs, milk, bread, cheese, yogurt, salad, and some fruit. On the trip we bought the previously mentioned lunchables, one treat, and a cup of coffee. Not bad for traveling.
Awesome, Elizabeth. You are doing really well, especially for traveling.
We live in a small town with 2 grocery stores. One of the stores does price-matching if you bring in a different store’s ad. If you bring in reusable bags, they give you $.10 credit per bag. If you pay with cash you get a 5% discount. Between these, price-match and our school’s Sports Booster coupon we were able to save $52 (we spent $48 out of pocket).
Yay Jenni! I always count it a win when I save more than I spend and you rocked that!
Thanks for giving me a new way to look at shopping, Angela. I love the save more than you spend idea. Thanks to freezer meal cooking I am stocked for the first time ever. Who knew you could save so much by simple things like using the crock pot and planning meals. Can’t wait to try that next week.
Yes, not getting a pet is frugal. If you are still pining for a furry friend you and the kids might want to volunteer an hour a week at a no kill shelter if you have one near by.
That’s a great idea, Liz. The kids are campaigning for both a dog and a cat 🙂