What did you do that is frugal today???

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Country Families : One Thread

Something new! I read this at another site, but liked the idea, so thought I would use it here. Tell us the most frugal thing(s) you have done today!

I put some soup in the crock-pot, that used mostly leftovers. A small bag of left-over turkey, some mashed potatoes (to thicken) and some left-over carrots. I will add some spices, and later a cup of brown rice, and we should have a very cheap supper from things that most people would toss out.

I have also packed my husband's lunch with supper left-overs, and hung 2 loads of laundry.

What have you done that is frugal today???

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 19, 2002

Answers

I'm washing my own floors--hey, don't laugh--lot's of people hire that out. Please don't be mad for my saying so--many people are not physically able to do that--I realize.

Also I made my leftover soup last night with the leftover whole roasted chicken, a can of V-8 and assorted veggies from the freezer.

Made a couple loaves of Whole Wheat Bread Yesterday.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.


Skipped lunch and dinner? :D Didn't intend to but we had one of those extra busy days and I just couldn't seem to find time to fix myself anything.

I did manage to talk to a neighbor about starting a local Simple Living/Tightwad group and she was really interested. I am looking forward to sharing ideas, and I think it will help keep me on track.

Actually, that was all yesterday, today is just beginning. It's still dark out and I'm the only one up. Haven't thought about being frugal yet!

-- Lenette in OR (kigervixen@webtv.net), February 19, 2002.


Good thread idea, Melissa. (I'm jealous that you can hang your laundry already, LOL. Freezing rain here today.)

I've done, so far, what I normally do. Daughter's lunch contained almost nothing that was a prepared food. Sandwich, yogurt, apple, cookies. Everything is in reusable plastic containers, so there is no garbage. Yogurt purchased in a big tub, and spooned daily into a container. No plastic bags, little yogurt containers, or paper lunch bags to buy. Cookies are homemade, I'm too cheap to buy them.

Later I will plant my 3 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of peppers, and the millions of marigold seeds I saved from last year, all in reusable containers. We go through a ton of tomatoes for sauce around here, so it's high time we grew them ourselves. Regarding the sauce, we purchased a hand-crank pasta maker with a Christmas gift of money this year. While pasta is fairly cheap, and the maker about $115 cdn (about $60 US), I can make ravioli with it as well, which can be very expensive in the grocery store. So, today I will be making homemade ravioli, with homemade sauce.

I guess there are a lot of things I've done that I don't think about since I do them regularly. Like making the coffee, and immediately shutting off the maker when it's done. Using a broom instead of the vacuum, using baking soda, vinegar to clean the bathroom. Using less than half the recommeded amount of laundry soap. Preparing our own taxes (refund, yipee!). Making a concious decision each day not to buy anything. Each payday we buy what we need for two weeks, and that's it. With the exception of some money put aside for milk.

Sorry, Melissa, drifted a bit from just today. ; D

-- Rheba (rb@notmymail.notcom), February 19, 2002.


That's fine Rheba, it is just for ideas!

I didn't hang the laundry outside, (I wish!!) I have lines strung in my laundry room and in front of the wood-burner. Also I have a few of those wooden clothes racks also.

The pasta maker sounds neat. I should try to make my own. We don't eat it often, but I have been buying whole wheat pasta and it is a little more expensive, so it might be a good option. I do make homemade egg noodles which are great.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 19, 2002.


I bought a box of twenty mule team borax, use it in laundry, and for scrub water,saves on Laudry detergent. and the clothes smell so good. softens the water too.

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), February 19, 2002.


Well, I hung a load of towels on a drying rack instead of using the dryer, and I emailed a friend instead of calling her long distance.

-- Nancy (nannyb@huntel.net), February 19, 2002.

I scored an old country living magazine from the 80's yesterday at the flea market. It has some great noodle recipes. If I can find the time--I'll post in in the Cooking a to Z: N thread.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

Been reading my Tightwad Gazette and tracking my yogurt maker at the UPS website? Do these count? LOL!

-- Lisa in WI (llehman16nospam@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

The Tightwad Gazette is my favorite book on the Earth (besides the Bible!) Do you get the up-date letters she sends out?

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 19, 2002.

I fixed my husbands lunch from supper leftovers also, and am mega- cooking today .29/lb chicken, .69/lbpork roast, and.79/lb smoked pork shank since I start back to work tomorrow after shoulder surgery 10 days ago. Meal-sized portions go in the freezer after cooking today! Also cancelled liability insurace on truck we are selling today. I also made hot chocolate from powdered milk and cocoa for my son.

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), February 19, 2002.


Melissa - Unfortunately I don't get the newsletters. I have the big condensed three book version which I love to read and re-read! Never can learn too much!

-- Lisa in WI (llehman16nospam@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

Love the Tightwad Gazette. I have ALL the original newsletters and the annual letters, too. I filed them by month, and each month I try to re-read every newsletter for that month (1991-96).

Frugal things done today: Hung laundry outside, washed out freezer bags I had frozen tomatoes in. Bought 10 avocados for $1.00 (coupon) and hubby and I had homemade guacamole for lunch (homemade salsa too). It's only 1:30 her, so I'm sure I'll do more.

-- connie in nm (karrelandconnie@msn.com), February 19, 2002.


Today, I washed out my plastic bags, did laundry with homemade soap and hung them on the line in the cellar. Dinner is all made from leftovers and I made a checker-board cake from scratch for dessert.

Didn't do this today, but one of my "proudest" lunches I've ever made for Russ was homemade peanut butter, homemade jelly on homemade bread. Kinda a triple star lunch. Need to do that more often.

Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (aka Dianne in Mass) (Trevilians@attbi.net), February 19, 2002.


Ok, today I did something more active than skipping a meal, heehee. I had 5 cups of leftover rice in the refrig. Made microwave Salisbury steaks for lunch, which used up one cup, than used up the other 4 in a rice pudding, which also used up my goat milk. I had half a pound of hamburger left over from the salisbury steak, so started a pot of baked beans and used up the rest of the hamburger as well as a leftover chunk of onion and a couple pieces of bacon. I also had a couple green onions left over from the salisbury steaks, and one porkchop from a couple days ago, so tomorrow I will make pork fried rice. Which means I need to cook more rice.....and I'll have to think up MORE ways to use leftover rice, LOL.

-- Lenette in OR (kigervixen@webtv.net), February 19, 2002.

Bought 3 yards of nagahyde fabric, new, for $2 at the thrift shop-- thought that was thrifty! Also, vetoed getting pizza for dinner, and will have fried rice made with leftovers. I also have some of those wooden clothes racks, and use them a lot when it's too cold to hang the laundry outside. You can find them for a dollar or two at thrift shops once in a while. They can double as hangers to dry your homemade noodles, too! Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), February 19, 2002.


Okay, I vetoed my 5 year old's plea for Chick-fil-a for lunch and made him come home and eat a turkey sandwich instead (not to his pleasure, mind you!).

Not much for today, but I did also plan tomorrow's menu, which involves the leftover roast chicken from last night, and then I will use the carcass to make chicken broth which will go in the freezer for homemade soup or gravy later.

Now, don't laugh, I had to think really hard for these two! I spent a chunk out of the middle of the day helping a friend with her new living room furniture (donated by my sister, who bought brand new for her living room), and getting the boys to and from haircut appointments and school!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), February 19, 2002.


I also have all of the Tightwad Gazette and newsletters and her updates. I found several at a used book store for $3.00 each and gave them to several friends. I used my leftovers to make soup for supper tonight and set some aside to take to work tomorrow for lunch. I baked bread. Cleaned out a closet instead of going shopping. I was determined that I was going to go to a fabric sale and decided to check my supply of fabric and saved myself a lot of money by not buying anymore. I have enough to cover the whole house. I am seriously working on breaking the "Fabric Sale" addiction the I seem to have. This is one downfall that can be my "Budget Breaker" and lose my "tightwad abilities" with. Jenn

-- Jenn (normaj3@countrylife.net), February 20, 2002.

Let's see...I fed the dinner leftovers(after scraping plates)to the chickens,other leftovers will be made into venison stew tonight.I 'scored'several free pallets at the Lumber store,which I am using to make a hog pen.Hanging the laundry outside in a few minutes (I love the fresh smell). I guess that's it for today...so far.

-- Johna (marcnjohna@aol.com), February 20, 2002.

Washed all my clothes on a James washer! Saves a ton on water and naturally electricity. Then I opened a saavings account on the net with $10.00. They automatically gave me a $25.00 bonus!

-- DAVID Constantin In Wisconsin (cajundavid@hotmail.com), February 22, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ