Category Archives: Uncategorized

The pups have been making sure that we all get some exercise. We are glad they are feeling a lot better. 

Frugal Things

– I found generic Allergy Medicine Claritin, which I take every day for $13 for a year supply, a huge savings over $20 for 90 days if it works

– Selling more items on Poshmark, I have so much fun with it and I’m making decent money on thrifted items

– The dogs being back on Trifexis is important because it’s way more expensive to treat a flea outbreak or heartworms than to prevent them in the first place. We love our fur kids.

– I had to help run a meeting at work and WAY too much food was ordered. My colleague divided it up and sent me home with a big foil pan. It was enough for 3 BBQ meals.

– We went hiking with my brother and our collective 4 dogs. He sent us home with water and snacks. We wanted to get take out after but resisted.

Wild berries! Anyone know what kind?

– Spending time in the Florida Sun and visiting with family, it’s free and good for the soul

– Our vacuum is a $20 thrifted Dyson, it got clogged but I know how to fix it and it will run great again. If it doesn’t I got another Dyson vacuum for $14 that also works.

– We wanted to go to dinner and a movie but there was nothing at the theater we wanted to watch. We decided to go to happy hour at a restaurant near our house. Unbelievably cheap prices for drinks and good food. We walked 5 min home and got some exercise.

– Our cats continue to use their Cat Genie litter box which has saved us so much money. B fixes it when it clogs. One of the cats has been chewing on the extension cord. It took me wayyyyy too long to find a heavy duty replacement but I did and a cord cover and it saves us so much time and money over traditional litter.

– I’m still bringing my coffee, breakfast, snacks and lunch to work.

-We went to a reasonably priced local restaurant for our Friday night date. We used a free appetizer coupon and took advantage of happy hour. Still not cheap but cheaper than it could have been.

– Living in Florida means that going on cruises can be very affordable vacations for us but like anything else you can easily spend double what you need to. We compared and compared and compared prices and ports and cruise lines and found a great deal. We are leaving from the closest port so no additional travel expenses and we will figure out how to get there so we don’t have to pay a port fee. We didn’t choose the idea destinations as we are more interested in sailing on the ship (and eating!). We are forgoing the expensive drink package and will bring some drinks of our own. We picked a 4-5 day trip so that we don’t have to pay a pet sitter even longer. No doubt vacations cost money but we saved ourselves at least $1,000 by booking this way. This trip will also double as a birthday and celebration trip.

– We booked a weekend trip to visit my sister, her husband and my nephew. We will stay with them so we avoid the cost of a hotel and rental car. We are leaving from the closest airport so that we don’t have to park there and we are only staying the weekend. We are only taking backpacks we can put under the seats in front of us so we don’t have to pay for baggage. We will do a lot of fun activities while we are visiting.

– We waited to watch the movie On The Basis of Sex until we could watch it at home rather than the theatre. We are huge RBG fans and feminists so we appreciated the movie.

– I have been watching a lot of streaming TV shows while working on Poshmark and grading for my day job. I am thinking of getting streaming cable for $16 a month with a DVR but haven’t had time to look into it yet.

Not So Frugal

– The dogs were both sick and our vet was in the middle of an emergency so we tried a new vet open til 10pm, the price was very affordable for 2 dogs, they will now refill their Trifexis for fleas and heart worms and the vet recommended a new dog food we can buy at the grocery store vs. the pet store prices and inconvenience, vets are never cheap but at least they are well again and we got great information.

Extra Income

– I have been selling more items than ever on Poshmark but I know that will slow down as I won’t have much time to devote to it until the semester ends.

– I don’t have time to list much on Poshmark but I’m still sourcing inventory, washing it and organizing it so that when I have more time to list and pack items for sale I will have plenty to list.

– My second job didn’t need me again this month but Poshmark has picked up the slack so far and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the break.

Sustainability Living (Eco Friendly, Harmful Chemical Free, Reduced Waste, etc.)

– We continue to clean the house in eco friendly ways. That does make it harder to get rid of mold and mildew for long.

We are officially more than halfway through Fall Semester and on Spring Break. Unfortunately, while we started break having fun with some friends who live nearby, then our poor little kitty got very, very sick. We had to take him to the pet ER and he was treated and sent home with orders to follow up with our regular vet. He was not doing well at home but it got us through the day and a half until our regular vet opened. He still had to be hospitalized but at 1/4^th the price of the pet ER. We are really hoping he will be okay!

Frugal Things

– I continued to bring my breakfast, coffee, water and lunch to work every day with few exceptions.

– I continued to wear my thrifted business casual wardrobe. I proudly tell my students that most of the items cost $2.

– I found a really nice pair of Nike running shoes for B at the thrift shop.

– We accidentally ended up at a farmer’s market we happened to drive past. We were able to purchase some produce and incorporate it into our meals to get us through the end of Feb saving us money on groceries.

– We have been buying minimal groceries and so far it’s going well. We still need to do a big grocery shop but we are doing well using up and eating what we already have here.

– I got too sick to attend a work event. This actually saved me money on gas and tolls to get there and back but I would rather not have been sick.

– B’s car was still not fixed after having the mechanics replace a $200+ part. The same auto shop wanted $300 more to *try* to fix the car again. Needless to say, we were not happy about it. B was able to purchase and replace the suggested parts for about $100. This was a $200 savings!

– I went on a work trip to IKEA and I was able to pick up some items for family members. I was also given a couple of gift bags each including organic coffee, a USB light, dark chocolate, a coupon and the bag itself. They also fed us free Swedish Breakfast.

– We wanted to get together with my brother when his wife was out of town but didn’t want to cook or go to an overpriced restaurant so we went to our local mall to hang out and eat. It was fun and we didn’t spend much on food or other items we didn’t need.

– Our friends had us over for a BBQ and we brought beer and wine but they fed us tons of food. It was fun to see them and play with their new baby.

– While we are spending time with family and friends over spring break but we aren’t going on a big trip which is saving us a ton of money but also has left time to rest and recharge and relax.

– We are taking advantage of the lovely Florida weather to take the dogs out and about for exercise.

Not So Frugal

– Our poor kitty is so sick.

– B finally fixed his car himself but it still cost us over $300 in the long run.

– I got a migraine so bad that B had to drive almost an hour to pick me up from work and go back with me the next day. This probably cost at least an extra $10 in gas and tolls.

– Our little pup needs a prescription refill for Trifexis. He is otherwise so healthy I do not want to take him to the vet but need the prescription. Hmm, what to do! There is a shot clinic that travels but all of their locations are at least 40mins away. If we can wait 2 months until summer we would probably be able to do the shot clinic.

Extra Income

– I have had some good sales on Poshmark in the past couple weeks. I am on track to my goal of $500 profit by the end of the school year.

– eBay has changed some of their policies lately that I’m still trying to figure out.

– I got good news about my second job. My boss left but it turns out I met his replacement at a social event.

Sustainability Living (Eco Friendly, Harmful Chemical Free, Reduced Waste, etc.)

– We don’t have much trash at the house but have a lot of recycling. We are trying to reduce both but it’s a long process. I am trying harder to decline plastic bags and straws when out and about.

(In the picture- He was very cold. We can’t wait for FL weather to return to normal. His sweater was purchased at the Goodwill Outlet bins. Even dog clothes can be thrifted!)

We had wonderful holidays that included 4 different visits from family in the month of December. We had a very fun and relaxing winter break. Now I am getting ready to go back to teach for Fall Semester tomorrow.

Frugal Things

– Although we do purchase some fun Christmas gifts we do a really good job of also asking for and buying practical gifts as well. I know a lot of people opt to skip gift giving but I personally LOVE it.

– When our relatives came for Christmas day, we purchased the bulk of the Christmas dinner and breakfasts and lunches for almost 10 people. However, everyone else also contributed. My MIL gave us money towards the groceries (not expected at all but very much appreciated), bought all of the alcoholic drinks for our celebration, and brought us expensive coffee and chocolate.  My mother helped by purchasing a few grocery items we forgot and helping me clean up the house constantly. Everyone helped cooking Christmas dinner so that was completed quickly.

– I did have a decent number of people to buy Christmas gifts for but I spent several hundred dollars less than I budgeted by buying some items ahead, using Amazon Prime to find the best deals, getting lucky with Target clearance, stopping at two wonderful closeout stores near the house called Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Old Time Pottery. We were able to purchase exactly what everyone asked for at about half the price we expected. I do almost all of my shopping at normal thrift shops but there are some really nice discount stores around here.

– I purchased slippers for a relative for $23 for Christmas. Then we found a nicer pair at ALDI in their houseware section for $8. I returned the first pair.

– My Aunt and her BF treated us to a really nice dinner for New Year’s Eve.

– My mom and I went to Super Target and their Christmas clearance was up to 90% off. I was able to purchase a few remaining gifts, stocking holders that I had been unsuccessful in finding secondhand for 90% off, and I also purchased a Christmas Kit that had my expensive EOS products for clearance prices. EOS is never that cheap!

– I purchased new clearance kitchen rugs for $12 that don’t show pet hair when you walk on them. Our old ones were memory foam in dark navy from the thrift shop that showed every speck of dirt. I realized I was washing them more often then necessary because they looked crappy. I buy very little brand new because we have great luck at thrift stores but these rugs will save me a lot of money, time, water and energy over washing rugs that don’t need to be washed.

– I saved Amazon gift cards from my birthday and Christmas and Swagbucks and I was able to buy a new phone because mine is starting to go. I’m excited about the new phone and it’s a practical purchase since I use it for work.

– I go back to work on Monday and I’m very ready. I had a back to work faculty meeting and they fed us lunch.

Not So Frugal

– It’s not frugal to have 4 sets of company in one month but there are certain things we did to make it more affordable including using our own dishes instead of buying disposable, only washing full loads of laundry (like sheets), not needing to use the AC because of the cold weather, making most meals at home, buying groceries from ALDI, etc. It was frugal for our family because they didn’t have to pay for a place for us to stay together.

Extra Income

– I continue to do small online work

– I am purchasing items to sell on eBay and Poshmark but now only items that will sell for over $30. The reason is that I don’t have enough time to list all of the items so I might as well focus on the items that have the greatest profit margins.

– Fingers crossed I am hoping to teach some extra online classes in Jan.

Sustainability Living (Eco Friendly, Harmful Chemical Free, Reduced Waste, etc.)

– I was able to purchase reusable bags that were Christmas themed for .50 cents each. We got one for everyone and it worked out great because they were able to take their gifts home in them if they wanted or they could give them back to me to pack up for next year. This created much less waste and saved me a lot of time not wrapping.