I am posting this a little late but I’m still sharing because I’m proud of my efforts to save money!

Extra Income

– I agreed to cover another professor’s class for one session while she is out of town, apparently I will be paid for this

– I redeemed enough Swagbucks.com points for another Free $25 Amazon.com gift card

– Going to do another $10 online job that will take less than 5 minutes

– I need to work on some eBay listings, maybe I will have time today

– I relisted some unsold eBay listings for free

A Few Frugal Things-

– Watching The True Cost on Netflix which is all about the fashion industry and it’s negative impact on our planet and our people, it has reaffirmed my commitment to not buying any brand new clothing for a year. Even after this year is up I will continue to buy almost exclusively second hand but I may also expand to occasionally supporting companies that create new products with their workers and the environment in mind, like People Tree.

– I have also been thinking lately about how I can throw a couple of baby showers more sustainably and also have a more sustainable Christmas. One of my friends recently commented on reusing gift bags which is something we also do but this year I want to master making reusable gift bags. I’m going to start looking for Christmas colored sheets at the thrift shop to use as fabric.

– I just cleaned the cat box by emptying it into a large plastic target bag instead of a trash bag I would have had to pay for, I wanted a cleaning face mask since I am allergic to the cat so I cut a large strip off of a cotton shirt and tied it around my face instead, I sprayed it out with rubbing alcohol and will refill it with ALDI cat litter that is less than $3 a jug

– I needed some dry erase boards that I couldn’t find at the store but I found them on eBay 5 for $7 including shipping and I get to support another eBay seller

– One of my students told me that she couldn’t afford to buy dress pants that she needed for my class and I encouraged her to buy second hand

– I have needed to get a few things for my new offices on two different college campuses. These items fall into two categories: 1) items I need for teaching and 2) decorations so that it actually looks like someone works there instead of just an empty office. I was able to bring many of the items from home such as little knick knacks that I already owned that help to make my office more welcoming to me and my students. I also have been adding small items that my students have been giving me like origami and printing a few inspirational sayings. I bought a few minimal things like coffee bags from Amazon and a few storage containers from Dollar Tree.

– The college I work at continues to frequently feed us free lunch which is always a nice treat

– I lent my father my rolling personal item bag that is free to take on an airplane.

– I have been trying to do better about making copies at the school instead of using my own ink and paper at home

– I continue to bring work lunches from home which is a huge savings

Not So Frugal-

– Having my tablet and phone bite the dust in one week is not especially frugal but I was able to replace my tablet which I needed for work with a Kindle Fire for $49! It’s fantastic! I really can’t believe the price! Who needs an iPad?

– I replaced my phone with one I bought on the way to work from the Metro PCS store. It was very affordable and my unlimited everything plan is only $30 a month and works great in our area. Who needs an iPhone?

– Needing two of many items to leave at two different college campus offices isn’t the most frugal (although not very expensive either). The small cost has been worth the huge benefit of not hauling all of my stuff back and forth which has been affecting my feet and back.