Tag Archives: A Few Frugal Things

Yes, you read that right I just bought the above flat screen TV at the thrift shop for $20 and I’m very excited about it.

Here are some other frugal things recently

– I paid off my car this month! It was about a year early and in one lump sum. This increased the amount of mortgage we would be approved for as we continue to search for a new home.

– At one of the college campuses where I teach they are constantly offering free food. My work bestie and I have had pizza twice, Popeye’s once and we are having Publix subs tomorrow. So much fun!

– I bought the puppy a doggie car seat because he doesn’t want to stay in the passenger side of the car. It’s hard to drive with him in my lap and not safe because of the airbag. The car seat I bought him is pink because it was $5 cheaper. Technically, it was free because I had a gift card.

– On half off day at the thrift shop, I bought a few $2 Maxi Dresses and Skirts at the thrift shop (the same day I bought the TV) and I plan on altering one myself to wear to our friend’s wedding later this month. All of what I bought together, including the TV, was cheaper than buying one new dress!

– I was able to reschedule some faculty development work for today after I get off working my normal hours instead of having to drive 40mins each way on Friday. This saved time, energy, gas and toll money and it allowed me to combine a trip to my mother’s house with another errand so that will also be a big savings.

– We needed another doggie carrier for the puppy and instead of buying a new one I bought a bag of similar size at the thrift shop that is going to work great. He won’t be in it for long and I can sew in mesh sections if needed.

– My father moved last weekend and I spent a good part of Saturday helping him move. He gave me two nice, matching night stands (pictured above) and two lamps. I was able to help him find people to take his other furniture using Facebook Swip Swap groups. The people came and got the items, we didn’t have to move them and we avoided throwing more stuff into the dumpster.

– We are going to be moving in a few months and helping my dad move reinforced my desire to go through just about everything I own and get rid of as much stuff as possible. I immediately started grabbing things I no longer wanted and donated a trunk load to the thrift shop.

– I got B involved in using Swagbucks and he has dived right in and is earning gift cards already.

– I continue to keep taking free faculty development courses for two certificate programs. This will eventually lead to a small pay increase.

– The puppy was having some stomach trouble and instead of an expensive vet visit we did our research, spoke to some friends and gave him canned pumpkin. He loved it and for about $1 a can it’s a huge savings.

– I figured out how to get 1.5% cash back through my PayPal debit card. The money gets deposited directly back into my PayPal account.

– I am now avoiding my debit card in favor of my credit card because I am paranoid about identity theft. The added bonus is that I receive reward points toward gift cards. Now I just have to remember to pay off everything I charge. 😉

– On the same note of identity theft, I also bought a paper shredded for $2.50 (see above) at the thrift shop and have been shredding our credit card offers. Also, since we know we will be moving in a few months I’m going to be shredding old paperwork etc.

– I am avoiding paying to mail some things to my sister and nephew who live in another state by meeting up with my mother who is going to bring them on her flight to visit.

– We met up with B’s mother at the farmer’s market and then went to a local art festival. The puppy behaved himself and she treated us all for lunch.

– My mother and her partner treated us to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Then we went to some thrift shops.

– While thrifting I found a new style cat carrier that I needed to take the cat to the vet in a couple of weeks. It was $6. She is also getting fixed at the local human society and that will be inexpensive. I am also getting her shot updates and getting her microchipped. All of this will be less than $100.

Income Earning

– I sold another item on eBay and listed several more

– I have earned another $25 Amazon gift card from some small online work

– I picked up another summer class for a total of 4 classes. These are outside of my full-time contract so all pay is extra.

Not So Frugal

– The boots I bought to teach in last semester, because I was having trouble with my feet, did their job! My feet are doing much better but the boots are looking terrible. I’m thinking about investing in a pair of well made, real leather boots to see if they will last longer.

– I am getting my wisdom teeth and I believe I’m going to have to pay for some expensive dental work. Thankfully I have free dental insurance but I’m not sure it will be covered. I’m trying to make it through the last month and a half before summer to schedule this.

– One of my tires blew and shredded on our way to the airport. We barely made the flight but thankfully we did. However, I now need another spare tire to replace it. I know I’m playing a risky game by waiting.

A Few Frugal Things-

– We planned a trip to Austin to visit my brand new nephew!!!! By switching our visit from December to a 4 day weekend (MLK day) off of work in Jan we saved over $500!

– We booked our own hacker fare by flying there on Frontier and home on Southwest to take advantage of the best prices and times.

– We didn’t pay for any bags or snacks on the flight. We only took free personal item bags on the way there and we were able to bring a few extra bags home for free because of Southwest’s free bag policy.

– Instead of booking the closest hotel for $110 a night we price shopped and stayed a few minutes farther away in a Hyatt House Suite style room for $75 a night. We loved it and would definitely stay there again.

– The hotel included the amazing continental breakfast pictured above! So every day of the trip 5 people ate a huge hot breakfast included in the price. We also ended up with a lot of free fresh fruit including bananas, apples and oranges, free tea, creamer and togo cups.

– I forgot my toothbrush so the hotel gave me one. It was the second worst toothbrush I have ever used but I made it work for the weekend. They also gave us free bottled water at check in.

– Entertainment while we were there was not expensive either as it mostly consisted of spending time together as a family enjoying the new baby, trips to various thrift shops including the $1.49 per pound Goodwill and we also ate out a couple of times enjoying famous Austin tacos and BBQ.

– My mom made a huge pot of amazing split pea soup to feed the entire family while we were there and my brother in law made spaghetti and meatballs. My mom also made us ham and egg sandwiches so we saved a lot of money eating out and the ham was given to them by some friends.

– Almost our entire family sells items on eBay so it’s really fun to see what everyone is buying and reselling.

– We bought a Jeep brand carry on rolling bag at the Goodwill outlet for $2.99 to bring our purchases home.

– It was a horrible weather weekend during our trip so B ended up having to buy a jacket and I bought some sweaters (for $1.49 a pound at the Goodwill Outlet) and we borrowed some stuff from my sister and her husband. Still not even a small fraction of what we would have paid to bring more luggage not to mention the pain of hauling it around the airport.

– Because the hotel was like a little suite we ended up with left over paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, coffee, etc. I loaded it all into a bag when we checked out and brought it to my sister’s house. I showed her the bag of loot to which she replied “Awesome!” That’s why we are best friends!

– My dad got my sister a free sewing machine when a friend moved. I slowly and frugally bought her everything she needed to start sewing. With a brand new baby she doesn’t have much time but I taught her to use the machine and we made her reusable nursing pads that she liked a lot better than the disposables.

– We enjoyed free snacks and drinks on our flight home with Southwest but unfortunately their free cable wifi wasn’t set up on that plane so we didn’t get to watch free cable.

– When we returned to our car at the airport our tire was flat and after a short wait Airport parking services put air in it for free.

Not So Frugal-

– Traveling isn’t cheap but it’s so worth it!

– We blew a tire on the side of the highway on the way to the airport!!!!!!!!! Thank god we had an extra tire under the SUV and YouTube to show us how to lower it to the ground. We didn’t miss our flight but we did have to skip the cheaper satellite parking and park directly at the airport for almost twice the amount per day but this was a good call because we arrived at the gate as the plane was boarding.

– I now have no spare tire and need to get a new one. The good news is the ‘spare’ tire wasn’t a spare but a full sized tire.

– I finally mailed myself an ancient Milk Crate that I had bought in Austin a year ago and my sister had been storing ever since. I wanted to take it home for free on the plane but the ancient nails proved a deterrent. We underestimated the price of shipping. Oh well it’s a really cool décor piece (according to me, not B).

– We didn’t remember snacks for the flight home so I treated us to ice cream at the airport that actually was a very inexpensive snack before a long flight.

– I am very thankful that one of my best friends watched Gimli our puppy while we were gone and we paid her the going rate for in home pet sitters even though she said she would do it for free. He had two loving people to play with and take care of him and I consider it worth every penny. They even bought him snacks and a toy.

Extra Income

– I sold a couple of things on eBay right before our trip and had to mail them out at the last minute. I wasn’t excited about adding the post office to my list of stops but extra income is always appreciated.

– I made a mistake in the title of an eBay listing saying there were 7 books instead of the 5 listed and pictured and didn’t realize until after someone bought it. I told the person and they wanted a refund. I ended up relisting them for more money and they resold right away so I made more in the long run.

Chemical Free

– I had to bring some of my own products to the hotel like shampoo and conditioner. Then we used some of the hotel’s non-chemical free stuff. This doesn’t bother me because it was only for a few days.

(In the picture Gimli is modeling one of the dog shirts that I made next to two other shirts I made for gifts)

I am feeling very frugal right now! By changing the dates for a trip we were going on we saved over $500!

A Few Frugal Things-

– We booked our trip to see my sister’s new baby who is due in December. By changing the date by a couple weeks (which actually worked out better for everyone) we saved over $500. I can’t wait to meet my new nephew!!!

– I’m taking advantage of MLK day so I don’t have to take any days off.

– We were also able to take advantage of a $50 one-way Frontier discount airline flight where we will only bring personal items as luggage and then we will fly home on Southwest which gives you 2 free bags so we will be able to shop at the Goodwill Outlet until our hearts are content without having to pay to bring anything home

– I used fabric scraps and a 2 inch by 2 inch square of brown felt to make a new baby gift for my soon to arrive nephew. I may make another one for the puppy and my friends baby.

– I joined a sewing group on Facebook called Fluff Love Sewing and I am so inspired by what everyone makes! I am sewing up a storm here and while I’m not good enough to make everyone’s Christmas presents (yet!) I’m happy with the new skills I’m learning.

– I’m having great luck finding free sewing patterns online! So excited by my new creations.

– My father is having a yard sale so I am using it as motivation to get rid of junk in the house

– We are moving ahead with our plan to purchase a small farm. We have a new relator and we are going to see some places on Sunday. He has warned us that it might take a while to find what we are looking for but I’m still extremely excited.

– Next week is finals week which means my hours are much shorter. I have adjusted some of the things I’m doing this semester and it has meant hours upon hours usually spent grading that I have saved. I’m excited for a shorter work week hours wise and then a long Christmas break.

– Yay to getting three paychecks this month! More money to save for a house down payment.

– Our family is doing a toned down version of our usually Christmas gift giving. In fact, we are all giving very few gifts. We really don’t need much anyways. The gifts we do give are going to be mostly small and practical.

– We bought food for dinner instead of going out to eat while my mom was in town. We also bought a few ingredients for dinners this week so that meals will be cheap and easy.

Not So Frugal-

– We got Panda Express last night to celebrate the end of the semester. However, each meal is two meals for us and it was worth it!

– I got some unexpected news from work which led to me leaving early for the office and in the process forgetting my lunch. I bought lunch instead. Oh well.

– I had to buy something from Kohl’s because I was worried my card might be deactivated otherwise and could find nothing I wanted to buy. I ended up buying chemical free chap stick and I really like it.

Extra Income

– Found out I will be paid for the extra class I picked up in one lump sum. The Dean rushed the payment so it will all arrive before Christmas! Yay!

– I just did $20 worth of online work in 5 minutes. Great bonus!

– I diligently keep relisting my eBay listings that haven’t sold (currently 39 of them). Experience has taught me that they will sell eventually and at the most random times. My strategy is to list my items fairly but on the higher side. Because I don’t mind waiting for them to be purchased I end up making more money off of the same items than had I listed them to sell instantly. I guess you could say I play the long game. Last week I sold some Sperry shoes that had been listed for a long time. While I find that Sperrys do sell, they seem to take a long time to sell with my strategy.

– Just sold two more random items on eBay that had been listed for a while. Makes me think I need to do more listings over winter break so I can keep renewing them into the Spring semester for extra income. I love extra income!

– I have $25 in free Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks and I’m expecting $50 more

Chemical Free

– I finally bought Chemical Free nail polish. It arrived at my house today but I’m still at work. I can’t wait to try it.

A Few Frugal Things-

– We just got off a plane back from Texas and my sister’s baby shower the night before Halloween and then I worked all day today and we had no desire to go out! This means we didn’t have to pay for anything including costumes. And because our neighborhood isn’t the type that hand out candy we saved money there too.

– I didn’t bring anything extra home from Texas so I didn’t have to buy an extra bag. We did carry on a couple of things we ended up with that we wanted to bring home.

– I needed new mascara and my sister gave me one in an expensive brand. It works great!

– We were exhausted and had way too much to get done so we really wanted take out but I was too tired to pick it up and we have way too much food in this house after stocking up before the hurricane. Instead I made wings and pierogis that we had in the freezer with canned peas.

– Gimil was a skeleton for Halloween. His costume is handed down from our cat Pickles who wore it last year.

– I got the stomach flu and then B got it. If I’m being honest I would rather have been at work but if there was a silver lining it was that the one day I missed of work was my longest day of the week that required the farthest drive. So I did save a small amount of money on gas, tolls and food.

– I had a ton of laundry to do and our dryer was running behind. I ended up hanging at least 7 rugs and one blanket to dry so that it would speed up the process. I didn’t want to wait for them to air dry but it worked out great. I hung more rugs to dry the next day.

– It’s getting cooler in FL so we are saving money on our electric bill

– The puppy has had some accidents in the house so I steam cleaned all of the floors today. It’s chemical free and dirt cheap since all that is needed is water and the steamer. This has worked well for us.

– We are working hard on potty training the puppy which means we are getting a lot of exercise walking and we had a lot of fun running around on our apartment tennis court since we don’t have a fenced yard

– Bought a new shower head for $20, the old one was spraying odd ways. I didn’t think this was frugal until I realized how much longer my showers had been because I was having trouble rinsing my long hair. Yay for saving money and making life easier.

– Went grocery shopping today at Publix. ALDI is definitely cheaper except for their sales and B1G1s but they are a great employer in our area and “Shopping is a pleasure” so we still shop there when we need items that ALDI doesn’t carry. Well we got lucky and almost everything we had to buy was on sale, B1G1 or as cheap as ALDI.

– Got plastic shopping bags with our groceries so I can put off buying doggie bags for the puppy.

– Made a crockpot meal Sunday night so we have dinners for next week and won’t be tempted by takeout.

– We early voted so we don’t have to miss any work next week.

– Our snake was having trouble shedding so I bought her a pumice stone and she loves it! It came with a two pack so we got one too!

– Ate leftovers for lunch Sunday so that we could clear the fridge for new groceries and waste less food.

– I bought puppy stairs from a friend on a local Swip Swap Facebook Group. I saved money, helped a friend and she even delivered them.

– I joined a new Facebook group called Fluff Love Sewing and I’m enjoying getting a lot of inspiration from their projects!

– I was able to skype in to a meeting instead of driving to campus on my usually work from home day which saved time and gas money

Not So Frugal Things-

– Buying stuff to make our lives with the puppy easier like an outside play pen since our yard is not fenced, puppy stairs so he can reach the couch, a better leash, etc. The kind of things we could do without but can afford not to have to. We are careful with our money so that we can afford items that make our lives easier.

Frugal Goals-

– Save up the money for a house down payment and then pay off all remaining debt

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.