View Full Version : August Frugals!
rosarugosa
8-11-17, 7:56pm
I think this time we really don't have a frugals thread yet, but if I'm wrong, you can (gently) throw fresh, garden-ripened produce at me, and I'll put it in a salad :)
I have this one admittedly lame little frugal to report. The heat killed our bananas, so I needed a banana for breakfast. DH suggested we go to the grocery store last night, but I said no, because what are the chances we would walk out of there with just bananas, right? So I went to the cafeteria at work today, and dug out a gift card I had received when my department moved into the building a few years ago. I got my over-priced banana, but it was free to me because of the gift card, and I still have $2.80 on it. The reason I still have this relatively large balance on a $5.00 gift card I got about 3 years ago is because I am so awesome about bringing my own food to work each and every day. :)
Bringing your own food is not only frugal but probably healthy too.
My AAA membership has been a good deaL Not only do I consistently save on auto insurance (which I shop around every year) but on a trip my college age son and I are planning we were able to reserve a car earlier this week without the under age 25 driver surcharge, cutting the cost in half.
SteveinMN
8-12-17, 11:09am
Hmm. August has not been terribly frugal. Or it has been a little.
We've had a house guest for the last week, though we had to drive about 400 miles round-trip to fetch her, so fuel and some roadside snacks (the price of roadside rest rooms). Guest has been good about taking us out for coffee and buying some groceries and such, so it hasn't been too spendy. Guest also left her favorite streaming service logged in so we'll be able to watch a few shows exclusive to that service before we get bounced off it and back to Hulu.
Defrosted the downstairs freezer so now I know exactly what we have and what's close to a year old and should be used. Some of it was eaten this week. Other items will be used on this week's menu. Also scored some sales at the local grocery store because they were sloppy in removing the signs from last week's sale. Cheap week for eating.
I completed a survey for one of the credit cards we use and was rewarded with a $10 Amazon gift card. I'll just bank it until we think of something we need/want. Also gathered up all my Target gift cards to buy some new clothes as I lose more weight, including a $5 card that Target sent for living through a several-months-long remodel of their nearest store. :-)
It's been cool outside so the air conditioning has not been on since early Tuesday of this week. Makes up a little for the lights which some people in the house have left on (Don't they teach people about light switches anymore? They go on but they seemingly never go off.).
Nothing special. But I guess it adds up.
A lot of lights now have motion activated sensors and timers.
happystuff
8-12-17, 1:28pm
Ugh! Good timing on this thread as I need to step up my frugality. Hit with some unexpected bills, and know of some big ones coming up in September, so I need to get the entire family to NOT SPEND MONEY! Irony is, mil's birthday is tomorrow and, since she lives in a small apartment, all she ever wants is gift cards to go do things with her friends. LOL. Can't blame her there, just finding it a bit ironic at the moment. Good luck to everyone in their frugal endeavors.
Finally the garden is producing a little, and my generous parents' garden a lot. I am feasting on tomatoes, herbs/mints, chives, broccoli, califlower, zucchini, Swiss chard, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries and green beans. The tiniest eggplants have started and also some butternut squash.
August has been pretty unfrugal so far.
Three birthdays-- gift cards to out of town kids, an orchid for my mom. Vet costs and signed up for obedience class for new puppy. Yesterday bought ticket for Sept to go see new grandchild-- six hundred dollars. Ouch. But will be wonderful to see new grandchild, and that's what you save the money for. But still, cannot spend like this with frequency.. .
A lot of lights now have motion activated sensors and timers.
True. Philips, I think, used to sell bulbs that had internal circuitry which would time them out after, say, half an hour. But those have been off the market for a while. I've looked at timer or motion-sensor switches in the past; might be time to revisit that.
Part of my problem is that switching off a light when it's no longer needed is, to me, one of those "everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten". Switch it on? Switch it off. Took it out? Put it back. It's why I wonder why it's so hard to turn off a light that’s not doing anyone but the electric company any good.
We've had NO vacation expenses this month:cool: Our November vacation is all paid for except food and rental car.
We actually did not go out to breakfast this morning-it's usually our Saturday routine. $22 saved!
No grocery store purchases this week. Yippee! Love garden and CSA season!
I found a nice professional looking briefcase online and took the risk. $40 delivered while list price was $160! I'm glad I took the risk. It's really nice leather. My current briefcase is a $12 FILA athletic cross-body bag. It's good for everyday work when I'm wearing scrubs but business meetings when dressed up, it's just not quite an appropriate image and it does matter. (Coach and DouneyBurke are going to have to find other customers for their 4 digit bags!)
I'm still wearing the dressy/comfy sandals I bought 5y ago. They were definitely worth the cost and support my feet well.
And then I blew it for dinner tonight. The ground beef I took out of the freezer? I put it in the fridge and not on the counter. DH doesn't last without protein for dinner so off to BBQ we went. But we did share a meal.
Meezer_Mom
8-12-17, 9:04pm
Continuing to just plug leaks and making every effort to save every red cent without sacrificing lifestyle. Today I went to CatCon. Best deal I could find was a $5 off code, and after ticket fee it was only a savings of $2.84. Still something. I got several food and treat samplers, though, and a dose of Frontline, so I got back some of what I spent on my ticket. It only comes once a year.
Eating out less. Am trying to eat what's in the cupboard. No major creations but I have realized I have become conditioned to large, oversized meals when smaller ones are quite satisfying.
happystuff
8-15-17, 6:17pm
Miserable fail... several hundred dollars yesterday on son's car. I'm grateful for the "stash" I've been saving. Now it's time to start again. Crossing fingers that September will be better, but I know it won't... tuition.
Okay, and as depressing as the above sounds, it all really does make me laugh, as it is always something and we always seem to survive. LOL.
Wishing a good August to everyone else!
I am helping my son with back to school expenses - haircut, parking pass, etc. So far it has not been a budget buster. I am on a diet to hopefully avoid having to buy more clothes for myself. Right now I am pretty well set for fall, though I lost my winter gloves last spring and have a few other items to get. Back to school coupons are helping.
Uggh. Spent a good chunk of today in dentist's offices, consulting. Two cracked teeth (one a wisdom tooth; the other from an encounter with what is now the world's most expensive jar of mixed nuts). And no more insurance left this year. At this point I could soldier on till next year (coverage resets); neither tooth hurts. But that's still more than four months away. So now the thinking is to bunch up this work and previous dental work for both DW and me and some other medical issues we attended to this year and see if we can get the medical deduction out of taxes. I wonder what else I can bunch into 2017... :(
The interesting frugal: on the way out of one office, I asked if there was a cash discount since there wasn't even a point to their filing insurance paperwork. Turns out there is -- about 20-25% of the bill. The other office refused a cash discount, claiming that if you already had insurance, they couldn’t give you a break even if insurance wasn't going to pay. Sounds like nonsense to me, but some is better than nothing. And I can ask again when I get there.
Stopped at a nearby grocery store I never go to for a couple of fill-in items and found stock-up items on sale, so I grabbed them too. I also shipped off some camera gear I never use anymore. I won't get much back compared to what I paid for it back in the day, but the day was almost 12 years ago and it beats paying someone to take it as electronic junk.
Today is the first day the air conditioning has gone on in more than a week. It's just too humid and there are thunderstorms in the vicinity, so that won't change soon.
And our neighbor has started gifting us with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. :cool: Nothing like 'em! Once I have a steadier supply from him I will turn some around into tomato sauces and pickles for him. But we'll enjoy them, too.
Tired. Gonna get ready for one dental appointment tomorrow. I need to look for the checkbook...
rosarugosa
8-17-17, 5:12am
Steve: I think spending $$ on your teeth instead of crap is very frugal, if not inexpensive. I am always amazed at people who have $$ for new cars, fancy phones and TVs, but don't have money for this sort of thing.
The other office refused a cash discount, claiming that if you already had insurance, they couldn’t give you a break even if insurance wasn't going to pay. Sounds like nonsense to me, but some is better than nothing. And I can ask again when I get there.
Having done insurance contracting for my healthcare facility, it's true. They cannot discount you below the contracted insurance rate. BUT they ARE obligated to give you the contracted discount.
Went to a store that was going out of business and found while their prices were low most of what they had was junk. Spent $10 on socks and other basics. This will be my clothing purchase of the week. I am also comparison shopping for linens for when I have company. My towels have holes and my sheets are discolored, so I will benefit when the guest leaves.
SteveinMN
8-17-17, 10:17pm
Having done insurance contracting for my healthcare facility, it's true. They cannot discount you below the contracted insurance rate. BUT they ARE obligated to give you the contracted discount.
Thanks, Gardnr. I asked again today, got the same reason for declining, and said nicely that I thought it was kind of lame. I'm guessing that people coming in with no insurance get a different price. But that's just me guessing and my assumption that the cash price would be lower because I cannot believe it could be higher. For what this cost they should have sent for me in a Rolls-Royce.
The other place did tell me they take a "haircut" with my insurance provider and gave me that discount from their "rack rate". It might have been more neighborly of the other place to explain that they had done that, too. Unless they didn't. I should look at the bill I got for the other crowns (same place) and see what I got charged. They kept trying to add nitrous oxide to the bill, too, even though I didn't get it. So it's worth a review. Tomorrow.
rosa, I'm with you. DW and I could have taken a nice cruise on what we've spent on dental work for both of us this year. But it hardly would be worth taking the cruise if all we could do was gum our food. Gotta take care of ourselves. We're old enough that things fall apart on their own; we don't need to make them worse by neglecting them.
Some sandals of mine have the color wearing off. I touched up two pairs with exactly matching nail polish I had, less than $1 a bottle at Walmart, and will try a third pair this weekend with some black glossy paint I have in the house.
Yppej, that's a great idea. I was watching a youtube about touching up leather on Coach purses, and they used furniture touch up sticks. That might work well for other shoes or sandals.
Bought new grandbaby 12 articles of clothing at Goodwill for 14 dollars total. included onesies, t-shirts with those mits, a great cotton shirt size 9 months for later, 2 pairs of pants, and two gorgeous dresses--one smocked purple dress and my favorite, a vintage white muslin dress with a Peter Pan color and eyelet sleeves.
Unfortunately, shipping was very unfrugal--13 dollars for the one price box that is about 8 inches by 11 inches.
Shipping is insane these days.
I was out walking and saw an estate sale. Got an end table for $5 for when SIL visits. They were $200 to $300 on up at furniture stores when I was mattress shopping with DS yesterday.
Also got a matching 3 piece towel set on sale at Target yesterday for $10. I am all set for when she comes now except for food and some money for whatever activities we do.
rosarugosa
8-20-17, 3:37pm
I really haven't been very frugal this summer, but today we had a great frugal. We went on a mushroom walk in Lynn Woods with the Boston Mycological Club. We aren't members, but it was open to the public. We all searched for mushrooms and then gathered together and some of the club's experts identified and discussed what we had found. Free geeky fun, and it was a perfect day to be outdoors!
Yesterday went out of our usual breakfast. Dinner was grilled chicken, roasted squash, and a piece of grilled/buttered 10gr bread I made last Sunday.
Breakfast today: fresh farm eggs (I pay a whopping $2/doz) with ham/cheese on toast (more of that bread) and a piece of toast with jam-the bread is now gone.
Dinner will be: smoked pork loin (we bought a big one in March and sectioned it and vacuum sealed the pieces for the freezer). Alongside will be roasted potatoes and green beans from our CSA.
I'm trying VERY hard to keep up with CSA foods and now our garden is starting to produce fabulous food as well. It's a tough time for eathing at our house:~)
I didn't know there were mycological clubs. Cool.
Participated in an all-day focus group Sunday and got paid for it. We were running behind (lunch arrived late), so the organizers offered us an extra $20 if we agreed to stay late--all but one were able to do so, so whee, extra money! I didn't even have to miss work to do it, so I didn't lose money on the other end.
Opted for the cheaper bathroom caulking at half the price. It looks grungy before it loses its waterproofness due to our semihard water, so I redo it regularly.
I packed my breakfast and lunch yesterday (and DH packed his) and we had leftovers for dinner;)
Stayed home to watch eclipse rather than driving to national park to watch eclipse (they had glasses, we did not.)
Ate leftovers for lunch, then went out for dollar ice cream cones for dinner.
I made use of someone else's eclipse glasses also. One pair took care of everyone in the office who was interested.
rosarugosa
8-23-17, 5:02am
We did that in my office too, Yppej. My manager had a pair and shared them around, which was nice of her. I believe she had gotten them free from a local eye wear store, so frugal points to her as well!
I'm in a 3-day series of all-day meetings, and they have been providing a ton of food for us. I checked with the meeting organizer at the end of the day yesterday, and she told me it was fine to take whatever I wanted, so I brought cookies home to DH. He had an unpleasant medical procedure yesterday, and was very happy to have cookies!
I made use of someone else's eclipse glasses also. One pair took care of everyone in the office who was interested.
I got a pair of eclipse glasses free 2w ago at a leadership meeting. I shared with my staff (yes I'm the manager). It was awesome for so many of us to be able to step out the side door of the building and enjoy this rare event. 99.5% and no traveling or vacation time used to witness the event!
Eclipse viewing was free here because we achieved no more than 80% of totality, and that was through the clouds. No glasses, no commemorative T-shirts,...
I should catch up on this past week's dental adventures. I had two wisdom teeth extracted Monday morning. Because I tend to be anxious about needles and drills in the vicinity of my mouth, the dentist from the year's previous dental work (fillings and crowns; it's been a year) wrote me an Rx back when for diazepam to relax me on the day of the work. For whatever reason, I only had to take two but he wrote for six. Two of them came in handy for the extractions, which meant I got by without general anesthesia or nitrous oxide. On top of that, the bill came to less than they had estimated (with the ins. co. discount). So unintentional frugality to my benefit, even after the veterinary-grade ibuprofen and antiseptic mouth rinse we had to get at the local pharmacy. Which is good because what we saved with the oral surgeon about covered the amount that the dentist doing the crown ran over on his estimate. >8)
Got another rebate back, for oil I use in my car. Buy a gallon; get $15 or so. The oil was on sale, too, so that was nice. Tomorrow we visit the vet for some routine inoculations; looks like there's a rebate for a preventive treatment for the dog, too, so we'll take advantage of that.
Later this afternoon DW and I are taking another trip on a paddlewheeler that offers sightseeing cruises along the Mississippi. They're only 90 minutes long but it's always nice to be out on the water there. We're using annual passes that the steamship company offers repeat riders. Using the pass just twice a year pays for itself. We could show up every day if we wanted to. It's been a great perk to be able to take friends and relatives out on the Mississippi for a little ride rather than just meet for coffee or drinks.
I'm happy to see life returning to something resembling our "normal".
rosarugosa
8-24-17, 5:09am
I hope you are all done with dentists for awhile, Steve!
I had picked up a book from the free rack at the library last week that I thought DH might like, and he is devouring it. This is especially cool since DH hardly ever reads books anymore (he does read newspapers & magazines, but there is something special about getting engrossed by a book). The book is Hitman by Howie Carr, nonfiction, about the Italian and Irish mobs in Boston.
I hope you are all done with dentists for awhile, Steve!
Thanks, rosa! I fervently hope so, too.
I really need to get back into reading physical books. I prefer to read on-line. But the grandkids won't easily be able to differentiate between "Ganpa's reading a book" and "Ganpa's playing a computer game". Plenty of opportunities to be frugal with physical books, though!
It looks like I will finish August over budget, but by less than the capital expense of replacing my son's mattress set. By shifting around funds from some of the expenses I've accrued for, but which aren't due for a couple of months, I should be able to pay for it without dipping into savings, and re-accrue in time for those other costs. This sort of creative budgeting can be an interesting challenge to flex my frugal power.
Well, we're trying our best.
Courtesy of decluttering about a weekend ago, I've discovered we have quite a while until we need to buy any more bath soap, dog treats, and "ordinary" (that is, non-decorative) lightbulbs. :)
We've been hitting a lot of grocery sales and stocking up. It's all stuff I know we'll use in the not-too-distant future, not Amy Dacyzyn stocking up. I know I wrote earlier that I want to quit spending so much time in grocery stores, but we're catching these on our way to other errands and I don't walk around. I'm in, I'm out, I'm done. The neighbor is still plying us with tomatoes and cucumbers, too, and I'm still returning some of them as pickles and other cooked dishes.
We got to the Minnesota State Fair twice this year and somehow economized. The first pair of tickets were a benefit of joining the Fair foundation, so they cost us something but it wasn't the at-the-door price and membership comes with a coupon book which lets us save at some booths. The second pair came for free from an organization for which we did an hour-long demo at the Fair; the rest of the time was our own.
We park at a free lot and take a free shuttle to the Fair. People-watching at the Fair is par excellence and we did a lot of it. Other people's lives obviously are not simple -- or inexpensive. We spent money on food, of course, but it was only a couple of items apiece. I'd say the first day we got out for under $20 for both of us. We've gone to the Fair often enough that we know where to find the coffee samples for the mornings and which booths give away free water without too much of a price in sales pitches.
The second day was more expensive. I have been looking for a long time for a wide belt on which I could change the buckle. I found one which filled the bill at a non-exorbitant price. Done. Because this was a "want", I will "pay" for the belt by using some Target gift cards I've gotten as gifts and for surveys to buy groceries and other household items. DW bought a T-shirt for me which will be a Christmas gift. She also found a couple of free yardsticks which she will turn into one of those on-the-wall kids' growth charts along with some scrap millwork we had around the house.
Steve: My husband has one of those belts and he has been wearing it for probably 20 years, so you will likely get your money's worth. He bought it a leather shop in Bar Harbor. :)
Best frugal at our house this week was DH: "When I was carrying in the groceries, I dropped the eggs. One of them cracked, so when I got in the house , I made myself a fried-egg sandwich."
I've been using the library heavily, not just for books but for "steps" to & from at lunch-time on my WFH days. Today I walked to & from my hairdresser appointment across town, which is about 3 miles round trip. This saved a tiny bit of gas, but I really do it for the exercise, both mental and physical. My head loves to go walking every bit as much as my body, and since I hate to drive, walking as transportation is something I'm really enjoying.
I got a dollar book at the library the other day for part of DBIL's birthday gift. We're giving him a gift card, and I like to throw in something a little more personal. This is a book I've purchased retail a couple of times for gifts, and it was a pristine hardcover for a buck (Merle's Door, for any of you dog lovers, I would highly recommend it).
dado potato
9-2-17, 7:24pm
Home - Made Yogurt!
I am collecting empty jars and milk jugs with which to start making yogurt (in a insulated picnic cooler) with powdered nonfat milk and bit of psyllium husk fiber, blended in to boiled & cooled filtered tap water... I usually eat 4-5 tubs of plain yogurt per month, and the usual supermarket price is $2.99 here in the Northern Highlands of Wisconsin. So I expect to save $12 to $15 per month. Each batch will consist of 3 15 fluid oz jars of yogurt (reusing Marzetti salad dressing jars.) The heat source will be 2 half-gallon milk jugs (reusing empties) filled with warm tap water. I plan to experiment with the proportion of psyllium to get the right gelatinous consistency. Oh yeah, forgot: I need to blend in some live yogurt from the preceeding batch!
flowerseverywhere
9-2-17, 11:22pm
Love reading all these. I did laugh out loud when Steve used the word "Spendy." Very Minnesota of you.
We may be in the path of Irma, too soon to tell. We went over the sales fliers and went to two grocery stores to get their specials, checked batteries, filled some empty milk containers with extra water and so on. Our cars are full of gas and we don't plan on driving much. No way am I waiting until next week. I always have a well stocked cupboard anyway.
Went to a potluck last night. I was assigned a dessert and my peach cobbler was the first one gone. All the ingredients were sale items from the cupboard as I used canned peaches.
Researching how to do sourdough starter so I can make my own sourdough bread.
Dado: I have always wondered about home-made yogurt. I like goat yogurt which is expensive, but so is the milk, so I would have to work out what the savings would be. Let us know how it comes out!
Flowers: Peach cobbler sounds wonderful!
happystuff
9-13-17, 8:07am
Researching how to do sourdough starter so I can make my own sourdough bread.
I've had my own starter for... hmmm.... now that I'm thinking about it, it must be 10 or 15 years now. I've almost killed it several times, but it's hung on - lol. If I recall correctly, I used the very basic version found in the Tightwad Gazette to create mine. And the general recipe I used is also from there.
Good luck! But be aware that it's like having a "pet"... needs to be fed, used and cared for.
Our last week or two have not been frugal.
- the cr@ppy-refrigerator's freezer had a lie-down last night so a good chunk of what was in it had to be tossed. Some raw food will be cooked and refrozen. The silver lining is that a good amount of what was in there was odds and ends -- a third of a loaf of bread we hadn't finished, bones/skin/trimmings which eventually would have become chicken soup, a few chili peppers we use sparingly, etc. And we have another freezer downstairs that still works like a champ. I'm thinking the key to freezer "insurance" is to never keep both freezers full. I know they keep cold better when they're full, but this way we can switch between them if we have to and not have a near-total loss.
- got the bill for DW's urgent-care visit a month ago (which led to the Dx of exhaustion). Out of network. A cool grand for the visit and tests. :0! They told her to call them and they'd figure out what they could do about submitting for insurance. If we get nothing out of that, I think we're well past the medical deduction for this year...
- got an estimate to repair DW's wedding ring, which, apparently, had been hit hard enough against some thing(s) that one diamond fell out and another cracked (hardest material known to man; how do you not remember doing that?).
- spent the weekend at a friend's cabin. Because I'm eating ultra-low-carb, I brought some food I could prep and eat for myself. I also bought the shrimp for shrimp dinner. But I got to drink all kinds of expensive scotch I never would buy on my own and the rest of the visit didn't cost any more than fuel (see below). So I'm calling it a fun weekend at the cabin.
There have been some bright spots:
- our cabin host raided his garden before arriving and brought lots of veggies which went uneaten. He wanted guests to take them home, so I scored eggplant, leeks, peppers, and onions, and could have brought home a ton of tomatoes (except that our neighbor keeps supplying us). I have to manage the swell of produce at this time of year; it all looks so good but we can only go through it so quickly.
- 49 mpg on the trip up and back from the cabin. (!)
- some more rebate checks came in.
- we had to replace a special-format LED bulb via warranty. It came in a couple of days agao -- a two-pack. So we won't have to be without a bulb when the next one (of 8) blows.
- I chose not to renew some Web site memberships, opting for their "free" tier instead. It's good enough for what I do with them.
Ugly, ugly month financially. *sigh*
rosarugosa
9-24-17, 10:19am
I had said I would report back on my Thred-Up experience. I ended up earning $9.94, which is better than nothing, but I don't think I would bother again. The effort wasn't particularly onerous, but the gain was so minimal, I don't believe it was worth it.
I did recently redeem my earnings from TopCashBack, which I think is a worthwhile site. I got about $28.00 from that one by just clicking through their site when making online purchases. I've earned a little over $60 in the 1 - 2 years I've been using them, so it isn't ever going to make me rich, but it is pretty effortless.
I had a similar experience selling used DVDs. I only netted $9.00.
After my unfrugal August it's good that so far September is on track. I am considering some home improvements including new windows in one room. Since I have no cell reception at work DS will call some contractors this week to see if they offer free estimates. They are local guys with good BBB ratings and no complaints with the state agency that licenses contractors.
Has anyone gotten laminated windows? Our motivation is greater security since as we understand it to recoup costs in heating savings takes decades, although the windows are old and drafty. If it's too much we are also thinking about security film. Has anyone installed that? Were you able to do it without getting air bubbles?
With the opiod epidemic I have seen an increase in panhandlers and other desperate folks so this has been on my mind.
If it's too much we are also thinking about security film. Has anyone installed that? Were you able to do it without getting air bubbles?
We had security film installed. It went on invisibly (some of it; some of it was frosted to obscure) and has held up for more than a decade now with only the slightest bit of pullback in the corners. That's one of those projects for which I would regret a halfway job every time I saw it, so we hired it out to someone with lots of experience avoiding air bubbles rather than DIYing. Of course, filming the glass is a waste of $$ if the handlesets and locks are easily defeated, so I'd spend a few dollars on that (DIY is fine there) to beef them up if need be.
August frugals:
- I got a check back from my oral surgeon; apparently I overpaid somewhere. $25 and change back. :)
- I found a lot of meat we actually will eat in the soon-to-expire bin at a supermarket I don't usually go to but was convenient for some other shopping. I scooped it up and put it in the (downstairs) freezer. The upstairs one is still on probation...
- ... although the tech came out to look at the upstairs fridge, said after three minutes that there was nothing else he could look at, and did not charge us for the visit. "Call us if it happens again." Uh huh.
- Apparently if you fill out the survey on your Target checkout receipt often enough you get invited to their on-line focus groups. And if you participate in enough of those, they ask you to review products for them: products which they ship to your home and which are yours to keep in return for an honest (and segregated) review on their Web site. So a TV wall mount awaits our installation. This has the benefit of making it impossible for grandkids to pull the TV down on them and lets us tilt the TV easier for when the sun comes into the room at a certain angle.
- This week's project is to round up all the hazardous and hard-to-recycle stuff around the house; the city is collecting and I volunteered for a shift this weekend in exchange for bringing in one load for free. I am hopeful it is not still summer by then...
Yesterday after a lovely afternoon of free swimming in glorious Lake Michigan, we stopped at our favorite abandoned apple tree and picked two more bags of apples. I am cutting them up for pies today and have a bag and a half left and six gallon bags of apples already in the freezer for pies.
On the unfrugal side, bought a new violin bow and a new violin because my brother talked me into both. As a rank beginner, it's hard to think this will improve things too much, but it is wonderful to be learning a new instrument.
Car broke down last week, serpentine belt and airconditioner tensioner, so that was four hundred dollars, which in the world of car repair is not that bad.
Kind of unfrugal, but it was an old violin, I offered lower than list price and they accepted, and it is a 2001 car, so that's pretty frugal.
Thanks Steve. DS is still researching options and I gave him your feedback.
I have been avoiding temptation lately. I did not beat the 90 degree heat by going to an air conditioned store yesterday although I had money in my pocket. Today I did not stop at the liquor store to soothe myself for the commute from hell. I looked up the price of kitchen renovations and crossed them off the estimate list for if/ when we have contractors do something with the windows.
I worked a half hour of overtime.
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