Hi there! This week was a pretty frugal week for us, despite mitigating circumstances that made it harder to be frugal. I would say the biggest frugal accomplishment this week was our not using the AC and barely even the fan, despite extreme heat.
Here's what we did to save money this past week:
Sunday-
Made mujaddara for lunch.
Made some homemade kombucha.
Mike had an at-home workout session using exercise bands he bought cheaply.
Kids did yoga at home following a youtube video.
Monday-
Got hand me down steamer from my friend.
Bought a set of second hand chairs from another friend for cheaply (and got free transportation, since my mom was in the area anyhow with her car).
Figured out how to fix the rickety chairs so they're perfect.
Mike painted some walls at home, using paint we had already at home.
Made coffeebucha.
Mike and I had an at home workout session.
Made homemade chili powder.
Made vegan red bean chili cornbread casserole.
Tuesday-
Made homemade gluten free vegan tortillas.
Made homemade vegan mayo.
Used leftover water from steaming fish and pumkin as fish broth, and froze it for later use.
Lee completely broke his sandals to the point of them no longer being usable. I bought Lee sandals from a cheap store. There was a sale of buy one, get the second half off, so with the store's permission, another lady in the store and I combined our purchase to get the sale, and we split the savings.
Lee had no shorts he'd agree to wear (sensory issues) so I bought shorts for Lee and Ike, on sale also, with the second pair $2. So I got 6 pairs of nice, brand new shorts for $25.
Used left over fish to make fish jambalaya, using super soft tomatoes that needed to be used ASAP.
Went to the grocery store and bought produce, which I needed desperately. Other than a few onions, I only bought reduced rack stuff- tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, zucchini, peaches, nectarines, and mangos.
Started the process of making carob powder.
Got my iherb order in the mail.
Foraged yucca and passion fruit.
Set up chickpeas to soak.
Wedneday-
Picked up a bulk order from abroad, in another city. Timed my trip so I could get a ride back with my dad who was driving in my direction then anyhow.
While in the city anyhow, stopped at the farmer's market, set myself a limit of $5, and got a bunch of cheap produce- melons, pumpkin, butternut squash, fennel, and corn. Got free mango, cucumbers, cauliflower leaves that otherwise would have been tossed.
Bought the cushioning needed to finish making our couch.
Foraged purslane and lambsquarters.
Made a legume supper, using up some super soft tomatoes.
Brought along food with me on my trip so I wouldn't need to buy while out.
Cooked and froze some corn that needed using up immediately.
Thursday-
Cooked 2.2 lbs of chickpeas in the pressure cooker.
Made lentils as the protein for lunch and supper.
Saved the water from steaming veggies to use for broth.
Finished making our homemade couch/shoe box.
Kids foraged a lot of passion fruit and grapes.
Made chilled mango soup from the super soft mangos.
Froze chickpeas in two cup portions to be used for recipes calling for cans of chickpeas.
Got a hand me down backpack for one of my boys.
Friday-
Made homemade hummus.
Made homemade tahini dip.
Made 2 chickpea based, egg free, grain free cakes- brownies and chocolate chip blondies.
Mike dumpster dived a laptop.
Kids foraged grapes and passion fruit.
Saturday-
Made homemade kombucha.
What did you do to save money this past week?
Tags
don't throw that out
don't throw that out yet
dumpster diving
extreme frugality
foraging
free things
frugal shopping
frugal strategies
grocery shopping
legumes
made from scratch
proteins
reduced rack
sales
"...dumpster dived a laptop..." - for parts? To repair? Did it work? was it full of old data? It's illegal to throw out computers where I live - they must be taken to authorized recycling collection places - so I am curious. In what condition was this laptop? It would be a great find if it was in good condition!
ReplyDeleteIt works. :-D Certain parts that make it more asthetic and user friendly are broken, (so the screen doesnt stay up, for example, but needs to be propped up) but it works and my husband is using it as I type. :-D I dont know if its illegal to throw out laptops where I live.
DeleteA really impressive week! (and a dumpster dived laptop, awesome. Were you guys able to fix it? I'm assuming nobody tossed a functional laptop.)
ReplyDeleteWe're eating our way through the Asian-style sprouted lentil salad you posted awhile back. It's excellent, and I've been soaking vegetables in a massive batch of the dressing to make a sort-of pickle. Otherwise still eating our way through the Eternal Food Storage, I swear it's reproducing when we aren't looking. Scrounging boxes for the move. And a friend and I are trying to come up with comfy cat pillows to fit in the carriers so we can move the three cats along with the stuff, with minimal disruption to the cats. (Stuff is hopelessly disrupted.) Right now we're making a version of the cat burger pillow, a brilliant idea, just can't afford to buy one (or three) from Amazon Japan.
Really glad you liked that sprouted lentil salad! The laptop is usable. :-D
DeleteNice about the laptop! I do poke around the glass recycling depots, because people leave stuff they don't want there, but I've never seen a laptop.
ReplyDeleteWe had chicken wings this week, so I saved most of the bones. Combined with a frozen carcass and a few odd bones, it made for a lovely broth. My husband also asked our butcher if he would set aside some bones for soup for us, and he agreed. I don't know what he'll charge for them, but I don't think it'll be nearly what the supermarket charges for soup bones. I may never have to buy bouillon cubes again!
don't know if you care, but passion fruit vines generally only produce fruit for three years after they're planted, which is a real and serious problem in your area, and impossible to do anything about.
ReplyDeleteActually, I've heard that before, but its a myth. I've seen passion fruit on their 7th or 8th year of fruiting intensely.
DeleteThe one that we get from is on its 5th year, minimum.
Deletei love when you get produce for cheap or free at the farmer's market. i am too shy to ask around at our farmer's market, i live in southern california. do you have any tips on how i'd go about it?
ReplyDelete