July 2018 – Frugal Things Every Day

Some Frugal Things That We Have Done This Month

Here are the frugal things we have been doing:

1. Our rug shampooer stopped working. Instead of buying a new one, Hubby did some research and determined that it could be one of two parts. He ordered both. The pump ($27.) fixed it and the trigger assembly($ 6.) has been put away for when that goes. It seems the trigger is usually one of the first things to go in these machines. Since our machine is no longer made, parts are hard to come by. The pump was the last one that I could find online for ours. For a few dollars, our shampooer is working like brand new and has already cleaned our great room carpet. The carpet is white and looks brand new instead of being over 8 years old.

2. The handle on one of our bathroom toilets cracked. Hubby got a new one at Home Depot and it only took a few minutes to install. No fees or inflated parts from plumbers. Our cost was $ 5.98.

3. I cooked enough boneless fried chicken for three meals yesterday. The chicken was on sale for $ 1.69 a pound. I used 2 eggs, seasoned bread crumbs and flour for the crust. We had a piece of chicken, some stuffing and broccoli for one dinner. The other meals will be chicken parmesan with noodles and homemade sauce.

4. I washed and detailed our SUV instead of spending a fortune at the car wash to have it done.

5. My sister was going to donate a lot of paperback books including James Patterson ones. I asked her if I could have them instead. She is bringing them next week when she visits. That will save me many trips to the library to borrow them. Since I love James Patterson, I will enjoy these all summer and fall. Thanks Sis!

6. We have gotten rid of another prescription drug with good healthcare habits. By being taken off that drug, it saves us $200. a year.

7. I no longer buy K-cups for me. I started filling my own reusable one a number of months ago. I buy coffee in bulk on sale and use coupons. I have cut our coffee costs in half. Now I am going to try to persuade Hubby to get rid of his and I will buy bagged decaf coffee for him.

8. I don’t buy coffee out while running errands. I have my coffee at home and also have a refillable to go cup to bring if I want some. Right now in this heat, I just bring a refillable cup of water.

9. My grandson let me borrow the game “Ticket To Ride” for when my granddaughter visits so that I don’t have to buy it.

10. We have spiders this time of the year. I hate them but instead of hiring an exterminator to keep them out of the house I use spray that I buy at Walmart and spray the foundation outside the house. I also use cheap glue boards in the garage and basement that I purchase from Amazon. All of this does the trick.

11. We were getting low on wine glasses. Over the years, we have broken a few. With company coming, I found these wine glasses at Dollar Tree. So for a total of $4.00 they do the job and are kind of fun.

These are all easy things that save us money. Saving money is a necessity when you have been retired 17 years on a fixed income.

I will pop in again before the summer is done.

Are You A Shopoholic?

While I am taking the summer off, I was thinking about why people shop every week or so. Why do we get the urge to spend, spend and spend?

So I am going to give you some things to ponder over the next couple of weeks in the form of questions for you to think about. Oh no, it’s a test!

No, it’s not. It’s just to get you thinking about what you spend your money on. Are they necessities or do you shop because you want to? Does the urge hit you to go to the mall or the local Kohl’s, Dollar Tree, or your favorite grocery store? Is that urge because you need something at those stores or is it because you want something from those places? So here goes.

Do you shop once or twice a week at the grocery store or drugstore even though you have plenty of food, HBA, personal care products and cleaning products in your home stockpile? Do you continue to make those purchases while your stockpile languishes in your pantries and things expire?

Do you stop on the way to your shopping at Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds or Starbucks for a coffee and perhaps a donut or muffin? Could you just as easily bring a cup of coffee in a to go cup and a home baked muffin, donut or slice of quick bread with you?

Do you order in or stop for fast food a few times a week because it is easy? Do you think about how healthy that fast food is or don’t you care? Could you have whipped up a quick easy meal at home instead?

Do you make a weekly browsing trip to Walmart or Target because you want to see any new items that they might have? Do you realize that you will most likely buy something? We all do the same thing at Dollar Tree.

Did you buy a lot of things on Amazon on Prime Day? Did you do that because you thought they were a great deal or because they were an absolute necessity?

Do you pay cash for those items you shop for all week? Or did you whip out your credit card? Will you pay that credit card in full when it comes due? Or are those cc purchases being added to your credit card that you owe interest on each month? Those good deals that you had to have are costing you more than you think if you have to pay interest on them.

Have you purchased a new or new to you car this summer even though the car you traded in you still owe money on? Did you have to take out a loan with high interest to do this?

Do you coupon shop for almost free items each week even though you won’t use them? Do some things in your stockpiles purchased with coupons sit in your pantries for years without being used?

Do you buy new clothes every season even though you have a closet full of things to wear?

Are you replacing carpeting every couple of years because it’s not getting shampooed enough? Do you change your furniture and decor every few years?

Do you throw parties, dinners or cookouts that you can’t afford to impress your friends?

Do you contribute money to every party, gift, etc. that your co-workers ask you to whether you can afford it or not?

There are a million more questions that I could throw at you but I think these are enough. However I do have a couple more very important questions for you to think about:

Do you do all or some of the things mentioned? Then when an emergency comes up, you don’t have the money to deal with it? Some think that an emergency won’t happen to them. But we all know that they have a way of rearing their ugly heads! The furnace, A/C, plumbing or appliances break. The car breathes it’s last breath. You or a family member needs expensive medical or dental work and you don’t have the money. I could go on and on but you get the idea!

Last questions, I promise. When a crisis hits like those mentioned, would you like to be stress free about it and have the money to pay for it? Then go back and really put the time and effort in to think about all the questions I gave you before the crisis hit. Can you change some things so that your financial life will change?

Continue to enjoy your summer and we will discuss a lot of these questions come Fall. I may pop in when the urge hits me and I have some free time.