Friday's Frugal Roundup

Sometimes a notion strikes and you just run with it. Sometimes it turns out to a good frugal thing!

Today's notion was to clean and organize the cupboard that holds most of the bathroom stuff.

BEFORE
(sort of, I began and then remembered to take a photo)

One benefit of cleaning and organizing was that I found five rolls of toilet paper that I had forgotten about! FRUGAL FIND! I promptly put those in the teenagers bathroom. (Have I not said we have two teenage boy exchange students with us this year? Well, we do.)

AFTER

Second benefit was that I could adjust the shelves a bit and fit a full case of TP on the top shelf, thereby freeing the space taken up in the hallway by the box of TP.

Definitions of FRUGAL:

From The Random House Dictionary 1980: economical in use or expenditure
From Oxford American Dictionary 1980: careful and economical
From Webster's Dictionary 1828: Economical in the use or appropriation of money, goods or provisions of any kind; saving unnecessary expense, either of money or of any thing else which is to be used or consumed; sparing; not profuse, prodigal or lavish.

According to Webster I'm pretty darn frugal in my use of this cupboard. I moved a few things to a tub in another closet; and moved a few things from a cupboard inside the bathroom to this cupboard so I can see exactly how much I have all together. After all, being frugal means not buying more because you can't find what you thought you had, somewhere.

Other frugal activities this week were eating up leftovers creatively; making Valentine's Day greeting cards instead of buying them (well, actually that was last week, but I didn't report it); making Cranberry Bread for a birthday present; trimming my husband's hair; picking up some small gifts for upcoming birthdays while they were on sale (the gifts, not the birthdays).

Front of Valentine card

Inside of Valentine card

Friday's Frugal Roundup

Okay, so there's not much frugal about Legos, unless you get them at a thrift store or yard sale, but they are sure fun. This is the set "Santa" gave me for Christmas this year. I thoroughly enjoyed putting it all together and can fully understand why our boys love them so much, even as adults.

On to the roundup--

• I stuck to my menu plan, including a "clean out the fridge" dinner. 
• I used thrifted wrapping paper for Lt. Lehi and Jellybean's birthday presents.
• Used cold water for laundry
• Made lunches each day for TopDad and Mr. Movie
• Took a snack and water with me for my day of errands and shopping
• Stuck to my shopping list, except for a couple of unadvertised deals on stock up items, such as Potatoes 5 lbs. $.99; eggs $.50/dozen; 
• Enjoyed glorious sunrises and sunsets
• Enjoyed seeing the full moon veiled by misty clouds

It doesn't look like much, but every bit adds up over time.

Thrifted gift wrap

What have you done to save money or not spend this week?

Friday's Frugal Roundup

Long time no see . . .

Happy New Year! I've got some plans that I'll reveal along the way. How about you? I do want to get back to doing a regular post about all my frugal activities. Particularly as I'll be working harder on that this year. I have a goal to reach and I need to be more serious and creative about not spending.

So here's the roundup:

• My husband and I had a little get away for my birthday and stayed two nights at a AirBnB which was much cheaper and way nicer than any hotel we've ever stayed in.
• I used cold water for most of my laundry this week (whites do better for me in warm)
• Cleaned out and organized 2 refrigerators with freezers and 1 chest freezer; inventoried the food for menu planning
• Made bread crumbs from all the collected ends and crusts from the freezer
• Bought navy blue shoe polish so I can maintain my expensive dress pumps
• Made lunches for my husband and son to take to work
• Got out my cloth handkerchiefs to use instead of paper tissues
• Made next week's menu plan using up items from the fridges and freezer
• Returned library books on time to avoid any fines

One of my goals this year is to have a No Spend year--meaning I won't spend on any of my vices such as books, patterns, fabric, movies, music, dishes, pretties, etc. I don't need any clothes either, except the ones I'm going to sew from patterns and fabric I already have. I have a goal to save a specific amount for a specific project (to be revealed later) so I'm motivated to stay disciplined and deliberate in my spending this year.

I also did all my usual things of keeping the thermostat low and wearing a sweater or hoodie; opening the curtains to let the sun in, closing them when the sun isn't shining to hold the heat in; planning errands to minimize gas usage; turning off lights, and water, etc.

What did you do to save money or not spend this week?

Friday's Frugal Roundup

First, my Thrifty Thimble and Thread as promised last week:

Neckline

Hem

Pocket

My new nighty!

This sweet nighty was made from a $5 sheet purchased at a thrift store and a small square of purple paisley quilt cotton from my stash. The sheet is pure cotton with that lovely lavender trim. Just right for summer romance. No one can convince me that making my own clothes is more expensive. Look at these pretties, and their prices!

Other items of frugality include using up leftovers for lunches and second meals to avoid waste. I've had to work harder at this as there are no longer any hollow legs (aka sons) living with us.

I combined errands and used lists to complete all my shopping in one afternoon.

I took my lunch and water with me on above trip.

I turned off the heater this week as the temps have warmed enough to not need it. Of course, then we had two overcast days in a row so I turned it back on for one evening to take the chill off the house, and then it was back off. Today has been sunny!

What have you done to be frugal, thrifty or provident this week?

Friday's Frugal Roundup

Weather here has been much better and almost all of the snow is melted away; there's just a little bit on the north side of the house where the sun doesn't shine much.

This week's frugal roundup isn't extensive; some things are just so habitual I forget to write them down. But I did manage a few good frugal practices this week.

Purchased the DVD Jumanji with a $10 loyalty coupon at Shopko.

Made my own condensed cream of mushroom soup to use in Porcupines in Beef and Mushroom Sauce. (Next time I'll just do plain meatballs, but the sauce was very good.)

Made a large pot of Taco Soup and froze three containers for future use.

I ate supper leftovers for lunches all week. (Various meals)

Made a summer nightgown for myself from a $5 sheet purchased at a thrift store. (I'll blog about that next week.)

Purchased books at AbeBooks.com for a fraction of new.

Today I discovered some tulips growing in the yard, in a weird spot to say the least, but I can transplant them to a more suitable spot. I was hoping I'd find some remnants of a garden or bulbs or something.

What frugal, thrifty or provident things did you do this week?

Friday's Frugal Roundup

Favorite Tools in the Kitchen

Many who advise on de-cluttering, or minimizing will say something like "Get rid of duplicates." "Have multiple use tools, instead of single use ones." To which I say Hogwash! At lease for me in the kitchen.

I spend too much time in the kitchen to have only one spatula that has to be washed or rinsed off so I can use it on the next task. I enjoy having multiples of my favorites, different sizes, different flexibility, different uses. I like having lots of wooden and bamboo spoons and implements. I really like having the correct knife for the job at hand.

I have lots of measuring cups (gotten at yard sales and thrift stores), lots of measuring spoons (acquired similarly) and plenty of metal mixing bowls in all sizes.

Acquiring things at thrift stores and yard sales means I can have the finest quality tools in my kitchen (patience in a factor here, don't settle for less than the best) at a fraction of the price.

Confession here: The only exception to that in my kitchen is my Cutco knife set. I bought that brand new twenty years ago from a niece who was earning money for college. (Not sure I'd do it again, but they have served me well over the years.)

Another confession. My husband worked while going to college at an upscale cabinet shop where he built cabinets for million dollar homes. He'd come home and describe these lavish kitchens he'd worked in. Once in a while he'd meet the owners and usually would ask the wife if she liked to cook. Not one of them said yes. They didn't spend much time in the kitchen at all. Generally they just used it for making coffee and microwaving something. I had to tell TopDad to stop telling me about these spoiled women and their fabulous kitchens. I enjoy cooking and baking, and throughout our marriage have put three meals on the table each day, especially when we were homeschooling and all five children were around. I've had to make do with some pretty cramped and humble kitchens.

I'm optimistic that someday (maybe my mansion in heaven, if I ever get one) I'll have a well laid out, commodious kitchen fit for entertaining all our children and yet to be, grandchildren. A girl can hope!

Friday's Frugal Round-up

I honestly can't think of anything I did this week, out of the ordinary, to spend less.

However.

Another part of frugality is taking care of what you have and planning ahead. Thursday I spent some time in the warm sunshine cleaning out my flower bed.

Before

After

Sweet William and Daffodils

Daffodils

 At least I hope they are daffodils. I planted some mystery bulbs in the fall of 2014; all they produced last year were green leaves. I'm hoping they produce flowers this year.

I'm working on a landscaping plan for the whole yard so I can beautify our grounds and put in some edible plants too.

Friday's Frugal Roundup

I’ve been keeping track of my frugal accomplishments, or the things I’ve done this week (actually the past two weeks) to spend less, not spend at all, or otherwise save money. In no particular order here goes.

Gave TopDad a haircut

Fixed a pair of reading glasses (the arm had fallen off and the hinge was tricky!)

Turned down the heat

Found three future birthday presents at the thrift store (can’t show or tell because the recipients read the blog)

Ground wheat, baked five loaves of bread and made a quadruple batch of cookies.

Froze six bananas that were overripe to use in smoothies

Ate out only once! (TopDad likes to eat out more than I do)

Used up all the leftovers, didn’t waste any food

On sunny days opened all the blinds and curtains to let the sun warm the house

Turned the laundry detergent bottle upside down to drain the last of it, then rinsed it out to get the very last of it for another load; did the same with the dishwashing soap (or detergent)

Some frugal things are so habitual for me that I don’t even think about them, such as measuring dish detergent instead of simply squirting it in the sink; or squeezing the toothpaste tube for a week past when I think it is all gone, then cutting it open and using the very last dregs; drinking tap water instead of bottled; using a silicone spatula to get all the food out of a pan, bowl or container; turning off lights when I leave a room.

I like to read what other people do because there is always some new trick to learn. 

What did you do to save money this week?