Frugal Choices this week:
- All meals and snacks cooked at home and mostly from scratch
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- Mended some torn sweatpants and pajama pants instead of buying new ones (can't even tell where I fixed them)
- Created Lenten crafts with inexpensive salt dough
- I won't be adding any change to our change jar, spare change is going in
Frugal Deal of the week:
I am not an Extreme Couponer, I think my highest coupon count was 20 coupons used once, cooking from scratch is still cheaper for us. BUT I read about this great deal for deodorant at Walgreens.
I bought 4
Regular Price $4.49 each
On Sale Buy 1 Get 1 Free + my coupons $3/2
Final Price: 75 cents each
Frugal Choices this week:
- All meals and snacks homemade
- Cooking from scratch, cheaper than shopping with coupons for us
- Air dried as much as laundry as possible
- Lowered the thermostat by 2 degrees during the day
- Donated some goods and received a coupon worth $5 for the Thrift Store :)
- Started taking online surveys again, earned $5 for 2 surveys, time spent answering questions 35 minutes
- Bought 10 pounds of organic onions on sale for 39 cents/lb, chopped and froze them in small batches
- Received a nice loyalty discount and a free pack of soup bones from our Rancher for our grass-fed/finished beef :)
Frugal Tip: Grow your own
Growing your one fruits and veggies is cheaper & healthier than buying them at the store.
The best part you do NOT need a large garden to grow them, many fruits and vegetables can easily be grown in containers on your porch, patio or balcony.
To save even more $$$ start your plants from seeds, it is easier than you think.
I always use heirloom seeds, since they are not genetically modified.
Here are my Heirloom Tomato Seedlings :)
Frugal Choices this week:
- Air dry as much laundry as possible
- Replaced all "old-style" light bulbs with new energy efficient ones
- Turn off lights when leaving a room
- Used 1/2 recommended amount of laundry and dishwasher detergent, same results when using the recommended amount
- Cooked all meals and snacks at home, no eating out
- Stuck to menu plan
- Saved all spare change in January & made a deposit $20.89 into our Change Jar account
Frugal Item of the Week: Coconut Oil
So many different uses and a little goes a long way:
-Baking
-Frying ( In olny use 1 teaspoon for a big pan when stir-frying)
-Hand Lotion
-Body Lotion
-Baby Lotion
-Facial Cream
-Chapstick
-Hair Conditioner
-Frizz Tamer
-Ointment for scrapes and cuts
-Smells Yummy :)
-Antioxidant properties
I keep one jar in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.
Make sure to buy Extra Virgin coconut oil!
Frugal choices this week:
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- Used only the minimum of laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent etc.
- No eating out
- Cooked all meals at home and most of them from scratch
- Enjoyed some free story-time at the library (along with lots of books)
- Stuck to our menu plan
- Saved all the change and added to the Challenge Jar
Bargain of the week:
Our local Children's Consignment Store had all their Fall/Winter clothes from last year on sale
for $1 !!!! Including sets, dresses, sleepwear and shoes!
I had saved up $100 to buy 2012 Fall/Winter clothes for Miss Munch, I was just waiting
for a good sale.
I walked out of the store with 10 pairs of shoes and 53 Outfits/Dresses and Sleepwear for the next two years for a total of $66.78!
Savings: $373.50
On January 1st we started, once again, our Change Jar Challenge. We save all of our change and deposit the coins once or twice a month into a bank account, which we opened just for the change deposits.
We have no checks and NO ATM card for the account to avoid the temptation of a quick withdrawal of the funds.
Our fund is intended for Birthday and Christmas Expenses.
Balance as of Jan 13th: $24
Frugal Choices this week:
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- No eating out
- Lights off when leaving the room
- Turned down thermometer whenever possible
- Baked and cooked from scratch when possible
- Dried apples and made applesauce for a quick and healthy snack
You can turn any corner of your home into a Reading Corner for your little ones.
These "shelves" are actually vinyl rain-gutters, we paid $5.99
for a 10 foot piece at Lowe's.
My wonderful husband cut the 10-foot piece into 3 shelves and screwed them to the wall, the third one is going in my sewing corner.
We will use the top shelf as our seasonal shelf and the bottom for Emily's favorite books.
I_s new necessary or better? I think some people go overboard with the amount they spend on gifts and the number of gifts, especially when it comes to younger children.
I admit our Teen daughter gets all new gifts for Christmas, but she does not get a ridiculous number of presents nor do they require months of paying off credit cards.
Many years ago we started a Christmas fund, back then it was an empty coffee tin, now we have a separate bank account just for Christmas purchases, to include charitable purchases.
We contribute every month via transfer and by taking our change jar to the bank at least twice a month (to avoid the temptation of spending it).
okay back to topic lol
Our little one loves blocks, I found these Mega Blocks including wagon at a thrift store for $5, I don't think my 2-year old will notice/mind that I did not pay $30 at a store.
That leaves an extra $25 to use on groceries and donations.
Frugal Friday Tip: Air Drying
I do not dry all my laundry on the rack, mostly towels and heavy items.
Don't like "crispy" towels? Fluff them in the dryer with a moist washcloth and a dryer sheet.
We bought ours a few years ago, it's available online here.
We found this easle at a yard sale for $2, since we would not be using the dry eraser side, I thought to turn into a Learn & Play board.
Roughly cut felt to match the board then stapled it to the wooden frame, a little trimming and done!
Before
Roughly match the felt to the frame
Staple felt to the frame
Done
Play & Learn
Other side
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