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Our last weekend of the summer was spent out of state at a wedding and then Fall Semester has started. The wedding was in a beautiful state park and the happy couple looked beautiful. We got to spend time with family and make it home in time for a brand new semester.

A few frugal things

– We purchased our plane tickets ASAP after hearing that we needed to fly to this wedding. We only spent $333 for 2 round trip tickets including bags and seats. Our flight went through a plane change so we actually were refunded about $20 as well.

– Going out of state for a wedding the weekend before Fall Semester starts was not ideal timing but the trip itself was not as expensive as it could have been. B’s mother and partner paid for our shared Air B&B and rental car. We pitched in for groceries but overall did not have to pay for much while we were there.

– We bought enough groceries at ALDI that we could get through the first weeks of school.

– I brought my lunch on the days that I work on campus long enough to need a lunch. I got a cheap McDonalds lunch (which I love) on the day I had back to back meetings and they fed us dinner and drinks which was great.

– I continue to carry around my stainless-steel water bottle everywhere. This not only saves me money but encourages me to drink more because it stays cold.

– I continue to wear thrifted clothing to teach as a college professor. I try to set a good example for my students in more than one way.

– B has been cooking healthy dinners and we have both lost the weight we gained on the cruise.

– We watched my brothers dogs over the weekend when he was out of town. They are adorable. This was frugal for him and a little bit of gas for us.

– We have had some great finds at the thrift store lately. Including new to us luggage that we needed with the amount of travel we do. We got a set of 3 for $20. We had broken or given away most of our luggage and what remained was not entirely the size we needed.

– I continue to make our dirt cheap, no cooking, 4 ingredients in a bowl and mix laundry detergent.

– Spent time over the weekend swimming in the pool, walking around the mall, working and cleaning the garage. None of those things cost us any money. It feels great to be going back to work Monday with everything that needed to be taken care of at home done and ready to take on the work week.

– Declined several invitations this week for activities that would have been quite expensive. If they were things we had really wanted to do we would have done them but sometime the ability to politely say no is a huge savings.

– We continue to buy our groceries from ALDI and Dollar Tree and then only make a small trip to Walmart/Publix.

– B tried to buy the cats more natural aka healthier food but they absolutely refused to eat it. Back to the cheap, gigantic bag of food from ALDI.

Not so Frugal

– We finally found a great pet sitter who will come to the house or take the puppy to hers but it’s not cheap.

– Our flight was delayed and I ended up buying a $12 airport sandwich. It was a good one but really! We brought snacks but not for as long as we were stuck there.

– We did have to purchase more pet flea medicine. It’s never cheap but it’s cheaper than a flea infestation.

– We are having family and friends over for dinner and are going to treat everyone for pizza. We are going with a family owned local place. It’s not cheap but they did send us a $10 off coupon. Like I said it’s not cheap but it’s very worthwhile.

– Paid to renew this website. I could save money by moving it but I just don’t have the time yet. This site does pay for itself so it’s worth it but it is a chunk of change every year to keep it.

– I think my laptop is starting to die. I need to shop for and buy another one but it’s such a huge commitment so to speak that I hope I have a bit more time for it.

Extra Income

– I listed so many items for sale on eBay and Poshmark at the start of summer that I have continued to have steady sales. B had to step in and help get everything packed and shipped after our trip.

– I’ve started a new side job and so far it’s been a mess but they are paying me well enough that it’s worth it to deal with it. I just keep saying that I’ve done worse for less LOL

– We continue to get ready to have a garage sale and get rid of junk. We are waiting until our neighborhood sale in November and we will have a ton of things to sell. Whatever doesn’t sell will get donated to the local thrift shop that fights homelessness.

– I haven’t been able to get any new items listed for sale online since the semester started back but I have slowly been getting more organized which hopefully means I will have more time to list stuff next weekend.

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

– I am grateful that we have switched so many household items from disposable to reusable (coffee filter, paper towels, napkins, plastic bags, etc.).  You never have to worry about running out!

– I used up some old green cleaners while cleaning and also used water and rags.

– I organized a rescue to come try to catch the kittens running around campus and get them fixed and vetted for free. They haven’t had any luck catching them yet but at least we are trying rather than ignoring the situation.

– We made two fresh batches of our Dirt-Cheap laundry detergent.

– I use recycled packaging to mail out the items I ship online. I save Amazon boxes and envelopes, tissue paper, bubble wrap etc. I keep a nice stash and then try to recycle or pass on the rest. Unfortunately, I still end up with more than I can use.

– My students will be giving demonstration speeches. Many of their topics involve cooking and small craft projects. I don’t allow them to be wasteful so we usually end up with some snack and small gadgets.

– The puppy is only allowed to have unsalted green beans and organic baby carrots for treats. It’s healthy for him and cheaper for us.

We bought a flushing robot litter box. No more scooping poop for us! That thing is amazing! You do have to buy sanitizer solution about once a month for $20 but that is actually less than we currently spend on litter. While the initial purchase wasn’t cheap it was cheaper than a lot of robotic litter boxes, will save us money on litter over time and saves my sanity for having to clean a disgusting litter box every day because we have 3 cats. (One of the cute cats pictured below)

A few frugal things

– We are renewing our lease at the end of the month and they wanted to raise our rent by $30 a month. It’s not a huge amount of money but over a year it adds up. B called our landlord and asked if he wouldn’t raise our rent and he said YES!!!!!!!!!!!! $360 saved in one phone call!

– Instead of going out to dinner for B’s birthday we grilled steak at home. We did go out to lunch a couple times over the 3 day weekend but it was still cheaper than an expensive dinner

– B wants new glasses as his birthday present, this is frugal because it’s money that has to be spend anyways versus useless junk

– Looks like we have a couple of tomatoes that are almost ripe in the vegetable garden.

– We had baked potatoes for dinner. It’s an easy and cheap meal and we like it.

– I remembered to refill a 3 month prescription before it expired. The pharmacy kindly reminded me to fill it as early as I possibly could so that I wouldn’t miss 3 months of medicine.

– We got our first pepper and tomato from our veggie garden! Hardly a meal yet but it’s exciting.

– Still going to my Friday class. It’s an hour away so I am still carpooling with a new friend I met the first day who lives 5 mins away. They also give us a lot of nice snacks including bags of chips and bananas and cookies.

– When we arrived at class this week the light had come on for low tire air pressure. I keep a small electric air pump in the car for just such occasions. When I added air to the tire I could see that there was a split in the side. I called the local branch of the tire place 3 out of 4 of my tires came from and they were able to order a matching 4^th tire by the time I was out of class. I got a new tire and this time I sprung for the $52 insurance on all of the tires that will cover this type of accident going forward. I have been known to hit a curb or two.

– Deep cleaned the house and outside patio area. Good exercise and I didn’t have to buy anything to do it. I love having an extremely clean house! Good for my mental health and allergies! It is a good reminder that I don’t need to buy much, besides kitchen rugs, to host a huge family party.

– I made dinner using a cabbage that was going to go bad. We weren’t so lucky with the head of lettuce but it got added to the compost so it will become food for future veggie garden crops.

– I went shopping with my friend and her mom. Had a lot of fun but I didn’t end up buying anything except lunch. We got hibachi at the local (and very nice) mall. I love the food and they enjoyed it too.

– Gave my father our old robot litter box (new costs about $85) and the extra pet fountain I bought at the thrift shop. He helps us with a lot of small household stuff because he is super handy and I always appreciate it!

– We are dealing with a family emergency and had to buy two plane tickets and go out of town unexpectedly. That part is not frugal but the timing worked out because I am already off of work and we were able to get perfect flights at a discount airline and they were less than half the price of all of the other airlines.

– We are able to watch my favorite survival show Naked and Afraid XL free live by using my father’s cable login

Not so Frugal

– The radiator went in B’s car and a while it was in the shop a few other things needed to be done and $370 later his car is drivable again

– Paying for a new tire unexpectedly

– We agreed to host a family party at our house. Another relative is paying for it but I’m sure there will be costs associated that we haven’t thought of yet.

– We rearranged our schedule and drove over half an hour to look at a farm in our ideal neighborhood. When we got there our realtor never showed up or answered his phone. His wife is claiming a minor medical emergency. I don’t know what to believe.

– The current high cost of gas thanks to you know who of the big tower

Extra Income

– I have had some really awesome thrift finds and rummage sale finds that should be solid sales on eBay or Poshmark

– I sold a few small things online on Poshmark and eBay

– I also have done some small online work and will do more if it comes my way.

– I should be getting paid soon for taking a summer faculty development class

– I have almost earned enough through Swagbucks for another $25 gift card

– I almost have enough credit card points for a $50 VISA gift card

Harmful Chemical Free and Reduced Waste Living

– The thrifted steam mop heads arrived from Amazon and that thing is AMAZING! Just in time because we agreed to host a family event at the house.

– Cleaned the whole house using the steamer, broom, vacuum, water, rubbing alcohol and rags but zero harsh chemicals