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.