What new frugal thing have you done?

[monkey's mom]

What did you do today/this week/recently that you didn't do yesterday/last week/ever?

Everything counts. No judgement about what consitutes frugal for another.....we're all at different places in our journey, so getting Starbucks one less time a day is just as welcome as sewing together pelts from roadkill to keep the fam warm.

Here's mine lately:

~The other day, instead of just cracking open the new dish detergent, I poured some in the old bottle and added a bunch of water. We'll see if it goes farther that way.

~I've been sweeping, rather than vacuuming, the kitchen floor.

~I bought groceries at Wal-Mart recently. Wow. Sooo cheap. And conflicting.

~I cleaned out the fridge and labelled all the leftovers so they will not go to waste. :

OK, what about you? How are you pushing your frugal comfort zone?

[captain crunchy]

The dish soap one works -- it is way more *watery* (must be all that added water ) but it totally does work.

I have also been watering down dd's milk She drinks so darn much and organic, non homogonized (sp) milk costs a TON! I figure, she is three, she isn't needing any nutrients from it per se so....

Recently, we have been going to an all cash system which is helping a lot.

I have been diligent about packing dh's lunch every.single.day because when he eats out for lunch it is like $7 a pop and we can NOT afford that!!!!

I've been using up every scrap of leftover -- so yeah, some nights we have veggie/pasta/bean suprise (or omelet lol) --- and actually, it is pretty good when freshened up with some spice and put into an omelet or casserole!

I've been making my own soap which is a process but yields A LOT for the price/cost of ingredients.

I have been only grocery shopping once a week (or trying to). We live within walking distance to our grocery store (and it is a pleasant, scenic walk too) so that would be an evening thing sometimes -- let's walk to the grocery store and see what we "need" lol. TOO MUCH MONEY SPENT!

I'll be back if I think of more!

[vm9799]

actually, i've recently been of the "spend money to save money" mind.

this month i FINALLY replaced all my old (and who knows what it was made out of) bakeware. i've been baking A LOT lately and we do a ton of holiday baking.....and this year we plan to give a bunch of it as gifts to the adults in the family and teachers, mailman, etc. so i hit williams-sonoma and spent a several hundred dollars on professional, high quality baking sheets, pans, and silpat liners.....they all have a lifetime warranty. so in the long run, this was a frugal purchase. and can i tell you what a dream they are to use?! oh my, i'm in LOVE : !!!!

the pots and pans are next!

[bellabear]

Well, I'm proud to say I am now frugal!!! Two weeks ago, I was spending like there was no tomorrow. The state of the economy has scared me &^%%%%%%. I guess it was a real wake up call for me.

What I've done in the past 2 weeks.

No more credit card spending.
I took the credit card off my pp account.

It has just started getting cold here. I have only turned on the heat once. It was 65 in here and dd's hands were cold. I don't want my baby cold, so I figure the temp will probably be between 66-69 (most likely 68) in the winter. Much better than ever for me. I really like it at at least 74!

Made grocery list, lol.
Made menu, lol.

Bought a bushel of organic apples and pears.
Apples $24./pears/$20.
Bought 80 pounds of organic sweet poatoes for $40.

Lowes is having triple coupons this wed-fri...I plan on geting some muir glen tomatoes for free.

[Norasmomma]

Let's see I have been doing a few things.

*Started making my own veggie and chicken stocks, I've done this before, but now I am committed to keeping my my good veggie scraps and chicken bones in freezer bags to later use for stock makings. I got a beautiful stock pot, so why not do this, plus the stock is so much better. Now I want to make beef stock.

*Made my yearly order of canned tomatoes at our case goods sale at the store.

*Made the most AWESOME soup with homemade black beans, some of my stock, brown spanish rice, and left over turkey from turkey dinner. It really was amazing, I didn't even need to add seasoning because everything already was. Used some of my free carrots. It used up a bunch of our leftovers. No waste.

*Right now we are living out of the freezer/pantry which is great we have a bunch of stuff.

That's about it, oh and DD is pretty much out of diapers.: Maybe one pull up a night.

[velochic]

The great thing about being frugal is there is always room for improvement and different people have different ideas. I always enjoy these types of threads.

Not a major accomplishment, but when I ordered in our wood for our woodburning stove this winter (we have no access to woods to cut our own), we saved $5/rick by stacking it ourselves. (Dh wasn't very happy about that bit of frugality, but was a good sport.) I ordered in a little extra wood because I'm going to try to supplement even more this winter. Our heating bills last year in the dead of winter were only about $50/month and I hope to keep it at that with increased gas prices. I also cook on top of the woodburning stove when it's burning. If not cooking, I have water boiling to make it seem warmer with the humidity.

I started freezing almost *anything* that was close to expiry and I knew would not get eaten in time. If something doesn't thaw well, I'm no worse off than if I had just tossed it to begin with. What I know I can't freeze, I either find a way to use it up or ask a neighbor if they could use it. We've been doing really well with not wasting food.

When I was canning this year, I made some batches in the pretty 4 oz. quilted jelly jars so that I can use them to assemble homemade x-mas presents.

I've started canning whole meals, soups and meats so that I'm less like to cop out and order in pizza when I'm tired.

I am going to try my hand at dehydrating again this fall... apples, pears, root vegetables. I won a brand new dehydrator for $5 at auction.

My dad is teaching me how to make soap... just lye, lard and water... and I'm going to try to make all of our soap from now on. He made us enough to last several months, though.

That's all I can think of right now.

[Stone Fence]

I bought 50 pounds of potatoes from a local farm. And 10 pounds of onions.

[Garden~Lover]

well I havent used a store card/cc since the beg. of Sept.
Instead of buying the dogs beds for the winter, I am taking dds old spongebob comforter and making them out of that (I bought her a new one for her birthday)
I have been using more coupons, for filling out surveys, ive gotten 4 boxes of Yogi tea free in the past 2 weeks,
2 free rotisseri chickens.
free 3 pk package of Hanes tshirts for dh

I write to companys whom I like their products or want to try their products tell them I would like to try them can they send me coupons? Ive been sent coupons for everything from the Land O lakes spreadable butter to Taste of the wild dog food.

[dancebaraka]

I have gone from washing my hair 3x a week to 2x a week.
I have been selling off unnecessary goods for cash.
I am doing less laundry by washing things less. i.e. not washing jeans for a week or two, washing sheets and towels less often.
I paid double on my student loan (the last of my debts) and am still on track to be completely debt free by 2009.

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by Norasmomma

Let's see I have been doing a few things.

*Started making my own veggie and chicken stocks, I've done this before, but now I am committed to keeping my my good veggie scraps and chicken bones in freezer bags to later use for stock makings. I got a beautiful stock pot, so why not do this, plus the stock is so much better. Now I want to make beef stock.

would you mind sharing HOW to make stock? i know it must be pretty easy, and maybe this is a stupid question , but i've never made it and would love to learn how.......we make A LOT of soups and stews over the winter.

what kind of bones/etc. do you use.....especially for beef? and what kind of veggie scraps? ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

thank you so much!

[Mosaic]

I found a thrifty recipe for Butter Bean Soup, so I went to the store to get the beans. I bypassed the canned and bought dried Great Northern beans instead (store brand, too!) to save some money. I cooked 'em in the pressure cooker to save electricity.

But THEN... I overcooked them. Badly. Instead of chucking them, I mashed them up and made a yummy bean dip. We ate it last night with some crusty bread, and today it will serve as the bottom of a 7-layer taco dip! AND I still have half a bag of beans left, so I can try again and still have my soup!

[CarsonBookworm]

Selling off unecessary goods for cash

(This isn't new....really), joined a book club where we meet once a month and the rule is "no books that aren't already in the library", so we don't have to run out and buy the book.

[holidaymama]

I am really really enjoying this thread!

Anyone in a situation where it is too warm to comfortably turn off the a/c yet? It's cool in the night, but HOT still (90s) in the day...we are gone all day, should we just suffer it out for the few hours before bed? It's still running a lot!

I have been very frugal..except in the food department...we are not wasting but spending too much money in my opinion. We will work on it next month...for now the groceries and money are spent.

I am trying to convince my hubby to let me change jobs from being a middle school teacher to working part time at a daycare...he just doesn't think it's doable, but I am going to restructure our budget to show him what life would be life on the income we would go down to...I honestly don't think he will truly notice...that is my goal anyway!

Keep the great ideas coming! Oh does anyone in Texas garden...like food? I am curious what you all grow to eat?

[kathirynne]

Originally Posted by monkey's mom

...~I bought groceries at Wal-Mart recently. Wow. Sooo cheap....

Are they really that much cheaper than, say, Albertson's? I've been thinking about doing my shopping at our Wal-Mart, but I don't know if it's worth the extra gas. (The Wal-Mart is accross town, the Albertson's is about 7 blocks away.)

TIA

[Jessie D]

I installed a programable thermostat

I'm looking at buying a vent free fireplace and I'm shopping around for the best deal, but between the programable thermostat and the vent free fireplace for zone heating, not only will we increase the value of our home, but I figure we can save about $150 a year in heating costs. We'll also have emergency heat in case of long term power outages.

We cut out meat ussage in half

We buy veggies from the farmers market, produce is at least half the price there. (bought extra to freeze/can too)

Went to a pick-your-own orchard and picked 2 bushels of apples and 3 lbs of blueberries (would have picked more, but we got rained out)

We unplugged our extra fridge

I begged borrowed and stole extra blanket from friends and family this year.

I checked my pride at the door and hit up the free uniform closet for DD's school. (other student's hand-me-downs)

I keep a list of things we need (more blankets, pots and pans, etc) and I check the clearance racks every time we go into a Walmart or Target. (but ONLY buy what's on my NEED list)

I've started making my coffee at home instead of buying it out at $1.65 a day.

We buy raw organic milk (striaght from the farm) and also make our own cheese, and I save the whey for cooking. It works for things like pancakes and bread.

We're going to be canceling our internet and taking advantage of the numerous Free Wi-Fi hotspots in our area.

I've taken clothing that doesn't fit me and repurposed the fabric to make DD clothes for winter.

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by vm9799

would you mind sharing HOW to make stock? i know it must be pretty easy, and maybe this is a stupid question , but i've never made it and would love to learn how.......we make A LOT of soups and stews over the winter.

what kind of bones/etc. do you use.....especially for beef? and what kind of veggie scraps? ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

thank you so much!

Well I haven't made beef stock before, but I am going to ask my butcher at the grocery store today. I have this pack of rib steaks from my dad and was thinking about trying with that first, because they were free and if it gross than no harm done(and no money spent). I want to cook the steaks then use the bones.

For my stock I have been taking large ziplock bags and stuffing my veggie scraps and whatever bones from a chicken(or my recent addition a turkey breast bone). I then pop my frozen bags of veggies scraps(carrot and onion tops, celery bottoms) whatever I got and then add fresh water, about a 1/2 cup of wine, some, maybe a chopped up carrot, bones(if using) and a couple bay leaves. I have a big stock pot, I think it's 8 quarts, with the strainer part. I just toss all that with a tiny bit of oil and bring up to a rolling boil and cook covered for an hour. I strain off the foam, and then let it cool and put in containers and freeze. I freeze them in quart size yogurt tubs, I know that's probably not the best, but it's what I've got. i then thaw them for use. this will make enough stock for about 6 quarts.

Sorry I don't really have a recipe, I just kinda wing it. If you have a Joy of Cooking, or How to Cook Everything-there are recipes in there, plus I'm sure numerous here and online. HTH. Plus it makes suuch better stock.

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by Norasmomma

Well I haven't made beef stock before, but I am going to ask my butcher at the grocery store today. I have this pack of rib steaks from my dad and was thinking about trying with that first, because they were free and if it gross than no harm done(and no money spent). I want to cook the steaks then use the bones.

For my stock I have been taking large ziplock bags and stuffing my veggie scraps and whatever bones from a chicken(or my recent addition a turkey breast bone). I then pop my frozen bags of veggies scraps(carrot and onion tops, celery bottoms) whatever I got and then add fresh water, about a 1/2 cup of wine, some, maybe a chopped up carrot, bones(if using) and a couple bay leaves. I have a big stock pot, I think it's 8 quarts, with the strainer part. I just toss all that with a tiny bit of oil and bring up to a rolling boil and cook covered for an hour. I strain off the foam, and then let it cool and put in containers and freeze. I freeze them in quart size yogurt tubs, I know that's probably not the best, but it's what I've got. i then thaw them for use. this will make enough stock for about 6 quarts.

Sorry I don't really have a recipe, I just kinda wing it. If you have a Joy of Cooking, or How to Cook Everything-there are recipes in there, plus I'm sure numerous here and online. HTH. Plus it makes suuch better stock.

thank you so much for taking the time to type all that! i actually DO have joy of cooking so i can look it up......it sounds pretty easy though!

[Fuamami]

Originally Posted by kathirynne

Are they really that much cheaper than, say, Albertson's? I've been thinking about doing my shopping at our Wal-Mart, but I don't know if it's worth the extra gas. (The Wal-Mart is accross town, the Albertson's is about 7 blocks away.)

TIA

Not the OP, but I think a lot of things are cheaper at Wal-Mart. However, I find the best deals at WinCo and Sak-n-Save, so if you have one of those I would go there. Definitely worth the extra drive.

[ilovebabies]

I have started doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling some of my recipes and freezing complete main meals. Even if I just triple or quadruple one meal a week, it's enough to freeze 2-3 meals at once. My freezer is filling up!

[griffin2004]

I got DD a rain coat and a winter coat at Goodwill for about $10. I always mean to shop Goodwill first, but just don't seem to get around to it. And I found 2 wool sweaters that I'm felting to make a blanket for us to snuggle under this winter.

Drinking coffee from home rather than the espresso stand. Although it may not seem like much, this is a huge one for me.

I'm trying not to turn on the heat until November. So far, so good.

I recommitted to strategic coupon shopping.