What Did You Do Frugal Today Sec. 10

[bluebird]

Today we started in on dd's closet. She has a walk in closet full of stuff.... and more stuff. We are cleaning it out, taking items to thrift store and the consignment store.... Making room for her excerse bike and a small tv. Dad has a extra tv/vcr combo. Then she can do excerse tapes and use her bike... We will cut back to one water PT a week. Gas is so high... need to cut the trips to town back.

I also found some very old, bought at the thrift store, plastic bamboo like material. It can be cut to size for blinds. I will buy some cafe hooks and make myself 'new' blind for my dining room. I have more downstairs.... I will be measuring windows this week.

I feel a good spring cleaning and fixing up feeling coming on.

[redcardinalbird]

[quote][i]Originally posted by OSI Good job on the gift bags, wish I'd seen that yesterday when I was there. They did have my cotton thread yarn on sale for $1.00 so I bought 12 of them and also finally broke down and bought a skein of that fun fur, it was on sale for $3.50. I'm going to make a hat I think (black) and use the fun fur (white) around the rim. I think it'll look nice. I have been working on stocking up for the craft shows this fall.[quote]

Anna, I actually was thinking about you when I took them out of the bag and thought they would be perfect for your candles or purses. Could have ready made gifts. Some of the tissue paper was clearanced too.

[LJsmom]

I don't think I spent a penny today!!!

Tomorrow is another day. Have to get my oil changed. I go to a neighborhood shop where they are very honest and know me by name, give me freebies some times, drive me home if its raining and my car has to stay for awhile etc. Caught Jiffy Lube trying to scam me into some $$ work to be done so even if the price is right with a coupon I will NEVER go back. They told me I needed a radiator flush and some other stuff done. Didn't have the cash at that time, but when dh got paid the next week I took it to my shop. Didn't need any of the work done that JL told me. Explained that the kids that work there have a sort of "script" and try to sell extra services etc. Whether thats true of not of all JL's who knows.

[mom2-4]

Bluebird, I think we must have gotten the same burst of wind. That is my plan for today, cleaning.

So, that will be my only frugal for today. Staying home and cleaning. Of course I will be using mostly homemade cleaners. Well, except for the Dollar Tree cleaners that I bought last week. I can't seem to keep spray bottles, they stop working right away. So, when they give out I go to the Dollar Tree and buy spray bottles of their cleaners. I figure I am saving at least a Dollar by doing it this way. As spray bottles sale from $1. up to $4. So, I get a spray bottle with free cleaner. Than I make my own cleaner and put it in those spray bottles, until they stop spraying.

Oh, I also need to make laundry detergent today. I have been using the Ivory with Aloe. It gives the detergent a fresher scent.

Roberta, hoping you get a nice tax return!

[crochet2]

Good morning all!!

Anna - using that expensive yarn as trim is a great idea. Hope the hat turns out as you would like it to.

The next car I get will be a hybrid, I believe they are part of the answer to the high gas prices and our country's dependency on foreign oil. Right now I have a Hyundai XG350. This is a great car, and I am sure the only "luxury" car I will ever have. It does everything but fly and drive sideways. In this part fo the country, Ford is testing the Liberty with hybrid insides. My sister's neighbor who is the president of the county utilities authority (it is responsible for collecting recycling - cans and paper, tree limbs that they turn into mulch, the local landfill, etc) got one because of his job to test. He loves it. I was there for Christmas and he had just gotten it. My sister and I were not allowed to go home until Rick took us for a test drive. It rode really well. But I also know that Ford owns Kia and Hyundai, so I am looking for them to also come out with good hybrids.

The problem is, is that the car companies are not tryign to sell them aggressively here in the mid-atlantic and northeast states. From what I understand, in California, there is a demand for them, as the emissions standards are really high.

Frugal yesterday, was askig at the service desk of the ShopRite about two deals involving the movie "The Incredibles". One deal is if you buy 10 Conagra products (they have 3 different products on sale this week), and the movie, a $5 coupon will spit out of the catalina machine to be used on your next grocery order, and a rebate form attached to the receipt to send in for another $5. That sounds good in and of itself. But on the front of the flier is a deal that says that if you buy 3 Danimals family packs, the movie is 1/2 price. So I asked, and found out that yes, you can do both deals together. There was a problem with this one though - the moview isn't released until Tuesday, and you have to buy everything at the same time. So I have to wait until tomorrow.

But that wasn't such a bad thing. While I was clipping and organizing the coupons, I found another coupon for danimals yogurt. So I will save a wee bit more with that.

I also bought some cookies that my uncle used to make every Christmas and she and I adore. So I took them over to her house to share. She admitted to being lonely, not wanting to drive even during daylight, and to being afraid fo being alone at the house at night. Things she said she never thought she would feel. After all, she has lived in that house almost all my life. My cousin who lives with her works all night though, so she is alone now that my uncle has passed. I think that I have convinced her to talk to her doctor about these issues, as they sound like depression to me. I think that my uncle's passing is finally catching up to her.

While I was there, she gave me a loaf of Irish bread. And she has recently been taken off iron, so she gave me her leftovers. I have been on 900+ mg per day for quite some time. My iron level was so low the doctor told me I looked "translucent" and asked if I felt faint. I was just so tired all the time. I could still take a nap everyday, but confine that to the weekends. Even then I still don't always get one.

Well ladies, it is time to get started getting myself together for work.

Have a nice day all!! Norma

[OSI]

Redcardinal

That is exactly what I would have used the gift bags for. Last year I bought some on sale at Michaels I think they were either 3 for $1.00 or 5 for a dollar, can't remember but they were the nice Kraft bags and made a really nice touch for those who bought the candles to carry away.

Bluebird

Good job on reusing something old into something new, that is a great idea.

I had the cleaning bug this weekend too. Saturday morning while we were "relaxing" at home I cleaned out our bedroom closet and put away all my flannel granny gowns and some of our sweatshirts. We have alot and these were ones that we didn't wear much but too nice to get rid of... after the 2-3 days without electricity at Christmas I am reluctant to get rid of anything warm, they were very handy.

I went to the Goodwill yesterday and bought my niece a brand new "Boobah", a silly looking yellow thing that dances and sings. I guess theres a tv show on them and my sister said she loves it. It was a Target reject and I got it for $5.99. I'll have to take it loose from it's box and make sure it works, it would be horrible for her to get all excited and it not do anything.

Well off to get ready for work. They had volunteer cleanup in the office this weekend so it's hard to say what my office area will look like.

Anna

[futureteacher]

Definitely must have been something in the air this weekend--I, too, got hit by the cleaning bug. Among other things, I pulled down light fixtures and cleaned them over the weekend. Not one of my favorite chores to do, but they sure look nice when you get done!

I spent NO money this weekend!! Yay for me! That doesn't happen too often.

I may do a little grocery shopping at Aldi's after work today--I'm out of a few staples, so I need to pick them up.

I guess that's it for the moment.

Have a good week everyone!

[leasmom]

Gotta get this stuff out of the house. I hate feeling cluttered so I am glad about Freecycle. I have two people who are supposed to be coming today for a futon frame and a twin mattress and now I'm gonna post about the clothes from both dd and me.

I have to pay a few bills today to. It feels weird watching my co-workers drive past and not being there. I had NEVER missed a day in 6 months and got two attendance bonuses because of it and so relaxing is not something I do very well-LOL! I have to go take dd to a doctors appt. and try to get ready for St. Paddy's day. Dd is half Irish so we celebrate this day, definately.

[jjoj]

Good morning! Yesterday, we had unexpected company pop in. Instead of ordering out for pizza like I usually do when I panic- lol, I remembered I had premade chili in the freezer. I put it in the crockpot and it worked out great. Frugal today is that we have just enough left for tonight's meal, then I have to shop tomorrow. Probably I'll just get everything I can from Aldi first, then pick up a few things at Walmart that they don't have. I wish we had GFS here. it sounds like they have a lot of good deals. Thanks for the coffee recipe, Anna. It looks great. I love coffee. I am a strong believer in the philosophy that life is too short for bad coffee. (ditto for chocolate) Well, ladies, have a great day and stay warm!

[Lee]

Nothing too unfrugal over the weekend, went to the grocery store to pick up a few sale items. I did have to buy honey which isnt cheap! However Evan likes it. I like it in my tea. So I suppose its worth it. My friend went to the baby bonanza this weekend, picked me up a few things for Josh (I trusted her judgement) total was 20.00 however I got lots of clothes for next winter that should fit him. Then another friend dropped off a bag of clothes for free...So now I am overloaded. I also have to start going through Evans drawers and see what he will be needing for spring and summer. Since his b-day is at the end of April he does tend to get some for his b-day but he is getting to the age where he wants toys and more toys. So we shall see! I will be needing clothes as well, will probaly be able to find some stuff at the thrift store at least I hope so. Otherwise I guess I should start checking out the sale ads. At least I think dh is all set!
Leighann