Month: October 2019

Categories
Every Day

Frugal Things This Past Week

This past week has been very strange frugally to say the least. I have been doing my usual clean out of every nook and cranny. These are the things I have found:

– I was cleaning out and disposing of underwear that is way too big for me. Hidden in the back of the drawer was a wad of cash. Why? I have no idea. But I counted it and it was $205. I believe that I may have started to stash it at the end of last year for 2019 birthday gifts and then forgot about it. Anyhow it will come in handy to add to our Christmas money for gifts.

– A few years ago my daughter in law gave me a gorgeous heavy cable knit LL Bean sweater. It disappeared shortly afterward. I have never been able to find it no matter how hard I looked. I finally thought that I must of left it somewhere and stopped looking for it. I was very disappointed. This week I  decided to clean out Hubby’s sweater drawer since he hadn’t gotten to it in a few years. Under a stack of his sweaters I found my sweater. It is about 4 sizes too big for me but will be terrific to wear in the house over other clothing this winter to keep me very warm. Perhaps we can lower the heat a little.

– Last June when we went to visit my son, daughter in law, and granddaughter to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday, I came home and could not find one of my new tops that I brought out with me. It was not in my luggage. So I assumed that I had left it in Albany. My DIL and granddaughter looked all over for it and they could not find it either. When my granddaughter was here to visit for a week this past summer, she and I went to J.C. Penney’s to try and find the same top. They were all gone. I was disappointed because it had been my favorite coral top. This past week I was cleaning out expired medicines and found the top in a storage box that holds my nebulizer and medicine for it. I am asthmatic and use my machine rarely for an attack. I always take it with me where ever I travel. The top of the box is a solid color and when I took it off, there was my top at the very top of the storage box. After washing it, I now have my favorite coral top back. I believe that my
luggage had already been taken to the car when I found the top on the
bed and quickly shoved it into the storage box. But I forgot that when I got home.

They say good luck comes in three’s so that should have been the end of my luck. But it wasn’t. A few days ago, we got a check for $331. from New York state as a rebate on our school taxes. I will add that to another rebate check and deposit it in our savings.


These are the other frugal things we have done:


– I cooked all of our meals from scratch. We were planning on going out for Hubby’s birthday and mine this week but it is restaurant week here in the Buffalo area. It will be so crowded so we are pushing that meal out for sometime in the future. Hubby will cook my dinner on my birthday as I did on his.

– I washed a load of towels and sheets in the HE washer and used my dryer with the wool balls to dry them. I also washed a load of clothes this week.

– We ran the dishwasher just twice this past week. 


– I read a book on my Kindle in my spare time which I did not have much of this past week. 


– We had to turn the heat on the end of last week but we have it set at 68 during the day and 65 at night.


– I went to my hairdresser and had the works: shampoo, color, and highlights. I had just had haircuts the last couple of months so I needed this badly. But the money I saved the two months I only got cuts, I used to pay for the works. Except for cuts, I will be good for the holidays.

– Hubby went to the barber for his $13. haircut. 

– I got a great deal on Amazon for corn chips, Cheez-It’s, and Doritos for snacks for Hubby and my grandson so I stocked up. 

What did you do frugally this past week?  

Categories
Every Day

Ways That Being Too Frugal Can Cost You In The Long Run

Are there times that you should not be frugal? Could being too frugal cost you in the long run? It sure can and here are my thoughts on that. 

One of the first things I learned after I got married was not to buy the cheapest appliances. If you buy the cheapest, they most likely will not last you as long as getting one that is priced in the middle. The middle priced ones are usually better quality, more energy efficient, and reliable lasting us many, many years. I have always stuck to this way of buying our washing machines, dryers, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers and some of them have lasted us over 25 years.

The only time I would consider buying the cheapest appliance would be if Consumer Reports or another reporting company rated it highly. But, in my experience, that rarely happens. 

The only time I will buy one used is if I am buying it from a relative and know the history of how it was used and for how long it had been used. For example, I purchased my washer and dryer from my son and daughter-in-law. I will have it 10 years in a few months. They had it for, I believe, 5 years. A couple of those years it was stored and not in use. 

We have done the same with automobiles. We have never purchased the cheapest model. We saw too many friends who did that and ended up spending much more on maintenance and repairs than we did with our cars. 

I have never purchased the cheapest luggage, wallets, or purses. I find that luggage that is middle priced lasts us for years. I always buy a real leather purse because they also last me for 15-20 years or longer when I take the time to clean and maintain them.

We also don’t buy cheap furniture. It falls apart in a few years. If you are going to watch a lot of TV or read sitting on a sofa or chair, you want it to last a long time so quality is important.

We have never skimped on a mattress set. Comfort is important to us. A cheap bed set would make us miserable. Right now, we have a sleep number bed. Sure it was expensive when we purchased it. However it has lasted us almost 19 years. If a part wears out, you can replace just that part. We have had to replace one part in all these years. It has been worth every dime we spent. We will have it many more years.

I buy us high quality, high thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets. We love our sleep and it you have ever slept on cheap sheets, you will understand why I choose the sheets I do.

We have never purchased cheap paint. We buy quality and always pay attention to what Consumer Reports says. Because of this, we have to paint less often or pay someone to do it less often. Better paint also washes easier when you get a mark on it or when you are washing it during your spring or fall cleaning. 

Please feel free to leave a comment and share your experiences on this topic. 

We don’t buy cheap shoes. I did that as a teenager and I remember how uncomfortable they were and the blisters they gave me. We buy good quality shoes and sneakers. Our feet are important to us.

Categories
Every Day

Frugal Things We Did This Past Week

These are the things we did frugally this past week:

– We still have not turned on any A/C or heat. The weather has been flip flopping. Some days it is warm and others it is cool. But so far we have lived without both of these things.

– I picked up my free Pop- arazzi Nail Polish at CVS with my free coupon they sent for my birthday month. 

– I went to the bank for our cash for October. I ran 4 errands while I was in that town.

– I picked up the free vanilla cinnamon bun at Panera for Hubby.

– Found a 50% off code for our tire changeover place and scheduled our appointment.

– I returned my two library books that I read but did not pick up anymore because I don’t have the time to read them in the next two weeks. If I get some time, I will read one on my Kindle.

– I received a B1G1F  birthday coupon from Bar S Franks. 

– We have been making really simple meals like shrimp cocktails, Chef’s salads and bacon and eggs for dinner. Tonight though I will be making a Hoisin Pork Tenderloin.  

– I redeemed points on Bing for another $ 5.00 Walmart gift card.  

– I baked two loaves of banana bread using really ripe bananas that were frozen. One loaf will be used for our Sunday breakfast. 

– I washed just one load of clothes this week using cold water and then hung them to dry.

– I received a birthday coupon for a free dessert from one of our local restaurants. Not sure I will use it. But if we go there, I will get it for Hubby.

– I have been using up things in the fridge including condiments and sauces, Our condiments are out of control again. I use all recipe’s ingredient search for this.

– Picked the last of our chives for this year. 

– We got our free to us flu shots. 

– On days that the weather permits, I have been continuing my 1-2 mile walks in our neighborhood. We have 5 ponds that I walk by and I am always looking for ducks or geese which are frequently there. 

– I filled the car up using gas points to defray the cost.

– I have been using up toiletries from our hotel stay and my hospital stay earlier in the year.  

– Shopped Tops on Senior Discount day to get a 6% discount.

What have you done frugally this past week?

Categories
Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week

I shopped at Aldi’s this past week. These are the items we purchased: 

2 – 1lb. pkgs. of Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef – $5.29 ea.

Hard Salami – $ 2.59

Artisan Jerky – $ 3.99

Turkey Pepperoni – $ 2.19

Goat Cheese – $ 1.99

2 Neufchatel Cheese – $ .79 ea.

1 Irish Butter – $ 2.49

2 Half and Half Creamers – $ 1.55 ea.

Pictured also is the vanilla cinnamon bun that I picked up at Panera Bread that was a free item on my card. Hubby was thrilled. He loves them.


2 Dill Pickle Sandwich Slices – $ .89 ea.

2 bags of Avocados – $ 4.99 ea.

2.41 lbs. of Seedless Green Grapes – $ 2.14

1 Sauerkraut – $ 1.69

1 Grape Jelly – $ 1.29

2 Bags of Macadamia Nuts – $ 8.99 ea.

2 Bags of Pork Rinds – $ .99 ea.

1 Bag of Pistachios – $ 5.99

2 Fudge Mint Cookies – $ 1.48 ea.

4 Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies – $ 1.36 ea.

1 Romaine Hearts – $ 2.19

Total was $ 81.93. The nuts and pork rinds are my snacks for the next few weeks. The other snacks are for Hubby and visitors. I was very happy to see the Macadamia Nuts back in our Aldi’s. An employee told me that they are seasonal. With the exception of the grape jelly, the rest of the items are things that we work into our daily meals. 

When I left the store I picked up next week’s flyer( starts October 6th) and saw that the organic grass fed ground beef will be on sale next week for $ 4.49 a lb. You must buy a large package of 4lbs. to get that price. I will be all over that since we use a lot of it.  

Did you get any good grocery deals this week?