Frugal Things Every Day and Some Bad Luck Lately

The locks on our screens in our windows are breaking after 13+ years. They were flimsy to begin with. I ordered some from the company who made the screens. Hubby replaced the one that had broken and another one broke when he was putting the screen back in. It’s a good thing that I ordered many because I think we are going to need to replace them all especially since I will be washing windows and screens this fall and many more will probably break. I have not washed windows in a couple of years because they are building homes behind us and the dirt just flies so it is useless to wash them until they are done. However we just found out that they are building a model home behind us soon. The surveyors were here yesterday staking the lot out. So finally I will be able to wash them this fall. I love clean windows and it has really bugged me that they are so dirty. I wash the insides and the tracks. Hubby does the outside with a squeegee and a homemade soap solution.

I don’t know if I told you but we had to fire our landscapers. We have hired a new company and they will be coming next week to do all that the other landscape company did plus put a new garden and a large Japanese maple tree in for us. Then they will put all new mulch down. Meanwhile Hubby trimmed some of the bushes in our front garden. They needed it. He has had more and more energy as he loses weight. So he says he can do more out in the yard. I believe he is actually enjoying it. I plan on doing the weeding once the landscapers have done it and put the mulch down. If I do one garden a day and keep it up with it, I think I can manage it. If not this company will come back anytime we need them.

Last week Hubby tried to turn the sprinkler system on and it is broken so that company will be coming out the end of next week to repair that and adjust our sprinkler heads which is what we called them for to begin with. Now they have to repair the system too. Our lawn has never looked so bad because of the lack of water.

It seems like everything has been breaking lately: The screen clips, the A/C had to be replaced, now the sprinkler system. I dropped the first cup from our set of dishes that we bought years ago and it smashed into pieces. Fortunately I purchased back then 4 extra place settings that I put in storage so I have a replacement cup. My ring size adjuster broke yesterday. So I had to replace that. My wedding band is too big for me now since I lost weight so the adjuster keeps me from losing it.

Also the electronic part of our dishwasher that displays the count down time is giving us fits. Sometimes it works and other time it doesn’t so I may have to have that repaired.

Now I am not complaining. I just want you to realize that things don’t stop breaking when you are working or in retirement. So account for all of those things when you are planning. Don’t forget that besides appliances and other little things, roofs need to be replaced, painting needs to be done etc. and save cash for that next car.

Now to the things that we have been doing to save some money to replace all that we have been spending. It will take a while but little and big things add up.

I filled up our SUV with gasoline purchased at $ .20 off a gallon. I did this while I was out running errands in a circle to save on that gasoline.

We used the air fryer, toaster oven, Instant Pot, and grill for meals. I don’t use my big oven. This all saves us money on our utility bills. We have done no eating out. All meals have been made at home. It is so much cheaper than paying for restaurant or take out meals.

Lights have been kept off in the daylight. We used the air fryer, toaster oven, Instant Pot, and grill for meals. I don’t use my big oven. This saves us money on our utility bills. We continue to reuse warm up water from our showers, from washing vegetables, and from boiling anything.

I made our homemade delicious pumpkin bread for two gifts that we needed.

I mended a curtain. I also mended a pull in a sweater. I cut up some old clothes and made rags.

I washed two loads of clothes in cold water and dried them on the Eco cycle in our dryer. I had no time those days to hang them. When I use the dryer, I have been saving the lint in toilet paper tubes that I had been collecting for a while to use as fire starters in our outdoor fireplace. We also have a collection of Walmart delivery paper bags that we can use. Since we no longer get a print newspaper, these things are a good replacement.

We have been getting free Peacock for almost a year through our cable provider. That will be up soon. So we are debating whether we will pay for it or not. Hubby loves all the sports on it. That may make it worth it.

Our lower price that the cable provider gave us last year when they screwed up and cut off our phone service and then we had to switch to Spectrum from Time Warner is about up also. That is due to go up $20. a month. I will be calling them to see if they will lower that.

My doctor gave me a new drug but only gave me a 30 day prescription to see if the drug would work for me. I can get 90 day scripts for a whole lot cheaper per pill. I called him and asked him to send a 90 instead of getting the 30 day refill since the drug is working well. He sent it.

Hubby needed to purchase a trimmer to trim our bushes. Since we had a service here and in AZ, we didn’t have one. He found a deal on a Ryobi trimmer for $99. and got 2 batteries and the charger for free. Those would have cost us $99. more. Hubby has many Ryobi tools so these batteries are interchangeable in all of those.

Hubby cut some more white and pink peonies from our garden. I put them in the beautiful lilac glass vase that my son sent me flowers in for Mother’s day.

I will be doing no grocery shopping this week. We are cooking meals from our pantry, freezer and refrigerator.

What have you been doing to save a little money?