This has been one of those weeks where I don’t have a tremendous amount of frugal things to share with y’all, but accountability and all… And you know what, its totally fine that there are weeks like this, because what isn’t shown is that in addition to just being frugal sometimes you end up doing things to make more money, and this past week with my pre Christmas rush at work, I worked triple or quadruple time, staying up till 3 am many nights to work, so even if I did less to save money, I did more to earn, and overall my bank account was still happy with me…
So here’s what I did to save money this past week:
- I made gluten free vegan sfinge, Moroccan donuts… three times already. It’s so easy and delicious and great and I think I’m obsessed. Thinking how the price would compare with store bought donuts that are gluten free- this is ridiculously cheaper.
- I threw a holiday party for some friends, using all things I had around the house or otherwise bought cheaply, and no expensive ingredients or foods served.
- I took the kids on a trip and found online sales for the places where we went, so I paid only a fraction of the regular price for those trips.
- I picked and used some sea beet (wild swiss chard) from my yard.
- I bought day passes for my kids for the public transportation system which ended up being much cheaper than paying for individual rides.
- I skipped the whole gifting expensive things to everyone and kept gifts minimal.
- I made homemade salad dressing.
- I cut off yucky spots from some sweet potatoes and used the rest for a soup.
And… that’s it! But I’m totally ok with that!
What did you do to save money this past week?
I gave myself a haircut.
I continued to work on my homemade carpet: I crochet it in rounds from strips of old clothes.
I bought a deep freezer, so I can cook in advance and freeze meals because I cannot rely on convenience ready-made meals (I cannot eat gluten, and cooking my own sauces, goulashes etc is cheaper and healthier).
I made and froze a big batch of Italian tomato sauce.
I made my own gluten free sweet pastry – nothing special, just banana pancakes and fritule but these were my firs gluten free sweets and I am really proud (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritule).
Thanks for another great post. I didn't shop the sales this week at Kroger or even go to LIDL, instead I got the basics (eggs, milk, bread, etc.) That alone saved me $100, since I usually spend $150 a week for groceries. I'll continue to do this as I work on my pantry challenge.
I got a check for $577 from my sick leave buy back program at work. I didn't call out sick all year and elected to take money instead of accumulating more sick time (don't worry I have 6 months sick leave built up for emergencies).
I got another check for $285 from my mortgage escrow account since they didn't use all the money this year.
I made a 2nd payment on my mortgage this month using the extra money I got to help knock down the principle and save on interest. Now I’m 2 months ahead of my payment plan.
Oh yeah, I've decided to fix the issues with my home's siding and paint it instead of hiring a painter (actually my husband will be doing the fixing, I'll do the painting.) That will save us a few thousand dollars and keep our HOA happy.
Oh and I made me some chili to eat a work for my lunches using the pantry & freezer foods.
Lastly, I gave my little dog a pedicure instead of taking her to groomer. She wasn’t happy but it only took about 2 minutes to clip her nails.
Thanks for another great post. I didn't shop the sales this week at Kroger or even go to LIDL, instead I got the basics (eggs, milk, bread, etc.) That alone saved me $100, since I usually spend $150 a week for groceries. I'll continue to do this as I work on my pantry challenge.
I got a check for $577 from my sick leave buy back program at work. I didn't call out sick all year and elected to take money instead of accumulating more sick time (don't worry I have 6 months sick leave built up for emergencies).
I got another check for $285 from my mortgage escrow account since they didn't use all the money this year.
I made a 2nd payment on my mortgage this month using the extra money I got to help knock down the principle and save on interest. Now I’m 2 months ahead of my payment plan.
Oh yeah, I've decided to fix the issues with my home's siding and paint it instead of hiring a painter (actually my husband will be doing the fixing, I'll do the painting.) That will save us a few thousand dollars and keep our HOA happy.
Oh and I made me some chili to eat a work for my lunches using the pantry & freezer foods.
Lastly, I gave my little dog a pedicure instead of taking her to groomer. She wasn’t happy but it only took about 2 minutes to clip her nails.