Our 2 young cats are scratching the furniture, breaking things and destroying our blinds. We figure at this point it could only help to get them a cat tower as a distraction. We priced them everywhere and Amazon was 1/3 the price so that is the one we got. B spent about 1 and ½ hours putting it together today but the cats are using it already.

A Few Frugal Things
– We moved a few months ago and there is nothing like moving and having to haul your stuff around to make you want to get rid of junk. The picture above is of even more stuff I added to the yard sale pile the night before. While I will never be a minimalist, I have been collecting stuff in the garage to donate. I was already considering if it was worth the effort to have a yard sale when I received a notice for a neighborhood yard sale where we live. I decided to go for it because it would save me from having to put out signs or advertise.
– We had the yard sale this Friday and my mother and friend joined me. Collectively we made about $175 which isn’t bad at all for stuff we were going to donate anyways. We also didn’t have any large items. It was all small stuff. We had fun, got rid of junk, got to hang out, got some exercise and made some money.
– We had to cancel the second day of our sale after some traffic events beyond our control. My father is going to try to have a Sale next Saturday so this is motivating me to go through the house even more to try to find even more stuff to sell.
– We also had some great finds at the other neighborhood sales. I purchased a black, knee length, winter pea coat that I have been searching for at the fantastic price of $3. I also purchase a Sunbeam kitchen mixer for $5 with all the accessories. I also got some great clothes from my friend for $1 each and a set of matching lamps for free!
– My mom needed toilet bowl cleaner and I had some I could give her so she didn’t have to buy it. We also needed more face wash and then I found a large, new container of it in the back of a cabinet. I needed tights for work in the cold weather and my mom found a pair for me that she wasn’t using. I love figuring out ways to get things for free that we would otherwise have to pay for.
– We have been cooking a mix of awesome and simple meals at home rather than getting take out.
– I found out at the vet that they now have some 3 year vaccines for dogs instead of every year and they are a lot cheaper, not to mention not having another vet visit to schedule or pay for.

– I found my sister a Baby Magic Bullet in the box for $8 so that she can use it for my nephew. Her and my brother in law use their regular Magic Bullet constantly so I bet they will use this one all the time too.
Not so Frugal
– I tried to drive my mother home and we ended up getting stuck in traffic for 3 hours before realizing that there literally wasn’t an option to get her home that wouldn’t take the next 8 hours when it should have taken 30 minutes. Luckily, I filled my gas tank as soon as we left or we might have run out of gas. But it also stinks to spend that money on gas and then have to waste it on traffic before heading back home to the house we just left to stay the night and start over in the morning. However, I am grateful that we all made it home safe and sound when we saw so many accidents.
– We spent hundreds of dollars fighting fleas on our pets and in our home after the hurricane. Thank god, we finally seem to have it solved but I have learned my lesson, I will go directly for the expensive treatments first in the future. This is one area that trying to save money just cost more in the long run.

Extra Income
– I made $100 at the yard sale.
– I sold a book on eBay that, no lie, I had been relisting with all of my other listings for at least two years.
– I bought a vase at the thrift shop for $5 that I think will sell on ebay for $80-$100. I love these finds!
Harmful Chemical Free Living
– The chemical free options for flea treatment didn’t work and caused so much chaos in our house. I’m still sad that we had to use some selective chemicals in the end but soooo grateful to have that plague *hopefully* over with.