View Full Version : August Frugals
Aug 1:
1. Saute 3 bunches of kale with onions and garlic. These are 4 baggies in the freezer for winter.
2. Saute 2 bunches of beet greens with onions and garlic. Ate 1/2 for lunch yesterday and will finish them tomorrow.
3. Cooked and sliced 4 bunches of beets. These are frozen for later eating.
Aug 2:
Ate 1 large meal at 1230 today. Yum and yea!
We're in the mountains at our cabin for 2 days. I brought loads of fresh veggies to saute with onion (out of garlic). We've got smoked pork shoulder in the freezer. This will be early dinners.
Brunch: day 1 is toast (finishing Monday's homemade 10gr WW loaf), and eggs. day 2 is pancakes and sausage
A neighbor gave me some squash.
Wild Jerusalem Artichokes! Yum!
Last night: cooked up the last of the veggies from our CSA. Cooked up some older chicken sausage from the freezer, used an old cube of pesto and cooked some pasta. Dinner!
Gave away 8 larger zucchini from the garden over the last 4 days.
I didn't get in my car yesterday (ahhhhh, retirement!). i excersized 80 minutes!
I landed up getting blonde highlights, so the gray roots should be less noticeable when they grow in and I shouldn't be tempted to get my hair colored as often. The place I went would not do white and silver highlights because it is too much of a change from the existing color. I also had a coupon I used.
Dinner: zucchini (from the garden), ratatouille from the freezer, cooked sausage/turkey combo I keep ready in the freezer.
I'm making stuffed zucchini for dinner! I don't have Moz so using cheddar. It'll be fine.
Kappydell, I grow these but we didn't like them the only time I cooked them. How do you prepare them?
TIA
Last night's dinner was zucchini from the garden with rice. Tonight's will be a gluten-free vegetarian lasagna from the freezer, cooked a double batch 2 weeks ago.
I prepaid for my home heating oil for the winter to lock in a lower rate.
rosarugosa
8-16-19, 9:40am
I was at a cookout last week at my cousins' house, and they have wonderful garden beds. They said one of their tricks was a mix of eggshells and coffee grounds. We produce both things daily, so I thought I would give it a try. I was looking for a good wide-mouthed container, and I noticed that my neighbor had put out a large box of plastic coffee containers with really wide mouths for recycling pickup, so I grabbed one and it is perfect for the job.
We are having a sales tax free weekend in Massachusetts this w/e. I was trying to think if there is anything we need that would be worth buying this weekend for the tax savings, and the answer is a big fat no. So I won't be buying something I don't particularly need and wasn't planning to buy just to "save" money on sales tax.
RR you could stock up on things like toilet paper.
I've always thought this would be fun, to stock up for a year of things like soap and dish detergent and paper products--figure out how much you use in a year and then hit a sale weekend like the no sales tax weekend.
It would be fun to figure out how much you use of the non perishables you buy over and over.
Went to two estate sales and bought nothing at all. Only thing that appealed was a Japanese screen but it will be 30% off tomorrow, so maybe go back if I decide it would be worth it to me.
Went out to lunch to celebrate a landmark event and shared one fish fry special--there was plenty for both of us.
DH made 7 containers of homemade dog food, helping to clean out the freezer of chicken, squash, and apples before summer produce. The dogs do much better on the food he cooks for them, no allergies.
rosarugosa
8-17-19, 6:13am
Yppej & Tybee: We buy things like TP in bulk at Costco. Right now I have about a 3 month supply and my house is small, so it would be tricky to store a year's worth. However, you do raise a good point since we are about due for a Costco run, and all things being equal, we would save a few dollars if we do it this weekend instead of next weekend. We need paper towels, charcoal and kitty litter, which are all taxable. (Groceries and clothing aren't taxed in MA, and booze unfortunately doesn't get exempted during the tax-free event). Our savings would be less than $5.00 though, so if it doesn't happen, that is OK too. The weather is supposed to be good, so I want to take advantage of that for weather-dependent projects.
Tybee: I have never been to an estate sale. How does one even find out about these? I don't see ads for them like I do for yard sales.
We live in a very very small city, and they are advertised in the local paper. There are also local companies who do estate sales, and there were three going on this weekend--on their website, they will advertise all summer about upcoming sales.
We have bought so many household items at garage sales, such as a woodstove for 300 dollars which retails for 1500. I try to stay practical--bought 4 tubes of unopened caulk for $2 this summer, bought life jackets for a dollar for the visiting grandchildren, that kind of thing.
Teacher Terry
8-17-19, 11:15am
Estate sales are usually advertised in the newspaper.
I've always thought this would be fun, to stock up for a year of things like soap and dish detergent and paper products--figure out how much you use in a year and then hit a sale weekend like the no sales tax weekend. It would be fun to figure out how much you use of the non perishables you buy over and over.
In our early days I thought it would be great to get 1 paycheck for the year. Pay all the utilities, mortgage, car payments (yes back in the day of mega-debt).
My theory was that we would have a big chunk of leftover money to do something with rather than the 10s and 20s we had.
Then we could buy a years' worth of everything nonperishable. I try to do this with toilet paper. We use 7th Gen and it goes on sale 40% off each April at Fred Meyer for the President's sale. I also buy 4 bottles of the dish liquid. That's about it though for annual stocking.
Teacher Terry
8-17-19, 9:15pm
We stock up on things but not a years worth. We have done well the last few months and absolutely stuck to our dining out/fun money budget. We did this by pulling out the cash at the beginning of the month versus using our debit card. It keeps us honest:))
rosarugosa
8-18-19, 2:36pm
FYI: estatesales.net
Thanks, NewGig! I will check it out!
DH's blackberry patch is producing nicely this year. He's been picking and freezing in 1 gallon bags. Today I've started our 1st batch of jam. I found a low sugar "french" recipe so we're trying it this year. https://www.bakingoutsidethebox.com/low-sugar-blackberry-jam-french-recipe/
Step 1 is in the fridge. I'd call it steeping, but it's cold:~)
At this point we'll get 24 jars from what's already picked and there are many berries still underway out there!
Jam at Farmer's market is running $5-7 per jar. I have the jars and only needed to buy the lids. I'm calling it $100 saved! Plus low sugar instead of the full sugars sold at market.
Definitely NOT frugal today: I put on my credit card (which is always paid off every month) a stackable washer and dryer, a room air conditioner, and two twin XL mattresses to put on top of a king-sized platform bed frame. The other day I bought a wooden kitchen cart/counter, and the days before that I was buying paint, painting supplies, cleaning supplies, curtain rods, etc, etc, etc. This is how I am paying down my share of the down payment of the house, by getting all the stuff we need to create a home.
Tomorrow a guy is going to start on fixing the roof leaks. Later in the week an electrician is going to come and fix a few important things.
I am so glad I have been frugal and saving for all these years!
So much progress in so little time!
I have always wanted a stackable washer dryer. Tell us how it works out, I'm curious if you like it and can get a lot in it.
I have always wanted a stackable washer dryer. Tell us how it works out, I'm curious if you like it and can get a lot in it.
We have a midsize front loader stack here in our main home. We have an apartment sized "attached" stack at the cabin. They both work great. The biggest difference: the front load washer spins the cloth much dryer than the old top load apartment stack.
I went to Dollar Tree and got bargains on things I need or will need in the next year such as deodorant and paint brushes.
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