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| My gel manicure that I got cheaply |
I had such a hectic day yesterday that I didn't manage to write what should be my weekly post, where I write up my frugal accomplishments to keep me accountable, whether or not I have so many things to share. This is a week where, to he honest, I didn't write down my frugal stuff as they happened and I was like oh no, I have nothing to write, I wasn't frugal, so now I embarrass myself with having nothing to share in this weekly post, but as I was writing I saw more and more and more things after all and I realized there was lots to be proud of.
So here's what I did to save money this past week:
Frugal in the Kitchen:
I picked mint from my garden.
I made homemade Sprite and seltzer many times.
Needed to bring a nice dish to a communal meal and repurposed leftover rice into a nice majadra.
Thanksgiving:
For my Thanksgiving dinner I chose to keep down the budget by only buying turkey wings on sale instead of a whole turkey which is quite pricey here.
I made my pumpkin pie from butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin (expensive and hard to find here).
I made cornbread.
I made stuffing with stale gluten free bread bought on sale at a discount store.
I picked sage from my garden.
Frugal Transportation:
I got a lift into the city instead of paying for a bus.
I rented a van together with a friend for our Ikea trip after price comparing how much it would be with a cheap private Ikea transportation service or delivery, and it won out by far.
We used the same van for our Ikea trip and to pick up something second hand, even though it meant a late day, so we could get it all done in one day.
Frugal Shopping:
I bought a pretty large spare freezer in perfect condition second hand after price comparing on lots of different second hand sites and new, for a terrific price. And it was light enough that I didn't need to pay movers. This freezer will help me buy more things frugally on sale or in bulk. Or prepare meals in advance to not need to spend more on convenience items.
I bought myself spare pairs of glasses and prescription sunglasses on ZenniOptical to have as backups so I don't need to pay retail price if anything happens to my only pair of glasses.
My son mentioned not seeing well so I took him to the eye doctor which ended up being free covered my insurance and then he needed glasses, which were also covered by insurance and I only needed to pay 8 dollars for everything.
Ikea:
I went to Ikea with a friend and made a strict shopping list beforehand of exactly what I needed, and stuck to that, with a few exceptions, and stayed within my budget. (See below.).
After planning my Ikea trip I was trying to decide if I should only buy the urgent things now and buy the less urgent things later, but spoke to a few mentors who advised getting it all now, so I saved myself a future trip and said expenses there.
There were a few things I've needed for the house and for my foraging cooking classes and priced them in different places like Aliexpress and locally, but didn't buy them yet, then found them at Ikea for the same price or lower and much better quality so I ordered those.
I brought home all the Ikea things myself without paying for delivery even though it meant lots more time and physical labor, to save a bunch of money.
I'm building my Ikea things completely by myself.
I took advantage of the free play area at Ikea for my daughter.
I ordered the meal of the day for myself at Ikea which was super cheap and filling and healthy.
I bought some second hand books on sale from Book Depository and it was so cheap (under $5) including international shipping!
One of the mugs I ordered on sale 11/11 arrived broken and I contacted the seller and they are sending me a replacement free.
A local manicurist was having a sale so I got a gel manicure for so cheap that she honestly probably didn't make a profit on me after paying for a babysitter.