Latest Frugal Accomplishments

Homemade gluten burger buns

It's been some time since I did one of these posts, and these types of posts are always fun. Here is a list of the frugal activities I've gotten up to lately. It is a long list and it makes me proud, because I've been pretty low energy lately, and if I can be doing this many frugal things when I feel yucky, then I am kicking butt.

Frugal Shopping

I bought a bunch of different things at the scratch and dent store:

• Basmati rice
• Canned hearts of palm
• Dried figs
• Canned lychees
• Soda cans
• Almond milk
• Rice milk

I made an order on iherb for nutritional yeast that is significantly cheaper than what I can buy locally. Also bought melatonin and vitamin D for much cheaper than it is here. Got free shipping. 

I bought something to improve a cell phone camera cheaply- when it arrives I'll post more about it.

I ordered books from book depository for much cheaper than I can buy them for locally, with free international shipping. 

I bought a cheaper cell phone via aliexpress. More on that in another post. 

I took my son for an eye exam for new glasses and ended up getting him really cheap glasses with an insurance discount.

Free Things

I was given some free things locally, not sure why they were being given away free especially since they are generally relatively expensive here:

• Beyond Burgers
• Jalepeno cream cheese

In both "cases" I got a few cases. (Pun definitely intended.)

Was given some catered leftovers, both lentil soul and a mix of potatoes, carrots, and zuchini.

Me with a foraged asparagus

Foraging

I foraged the following:

• Chickweed
• Sea beet
• Asparagus
• Mallow
• Cleavers
• Garland chrysanthemum
• Milk thistle
• Asphodel flowers
• Olive leaves

Celery leaf chimmichuri

Made From Scratch

I ground rice flour in my grain grinder.

I used the home ground rice flour to make gluten free all purpose flour mix.

I made gluten free buns for burgers from scratch with my gf all purpose flour mix.

I made wheat buns for burgers.

I took my leftover gluten free buns (that were stale, because most gluten free bread gets stale really quickly) and made it into bread crumbs, which I then used to make amazing gluten free, egg free shnitzel.

I made homemade paneer cheese.

Made homemade garam masala spice mix.

I made homemade vegan mayonnaise.

Made celery leaf chimmichuri. 

Made homemade horseradish sauce.

Foraged salad with garland chrysanthemum, milk thistle, and asphodel flowers

Frugal in the Kitchen

Made Korean salad with wild swiss chard, aka sea beet, growing in my yard.

Made a salad using foraged garland chrysanthemum leaves, milk thistle leaves, and asphodel flowers. 

Made palak paneer using foraged mallow and homemade paneer cheese.  

Made tea with foraged olive leaves and cleavers.

Made cheeseburgers with my free Beyond Burgers, homemade buns, and foraged chickweed instead of lettuce.

Used the free mixed veggies I got, picked out the zucchini from it, and made fake cheese sauce using the potatoes and carrots. 

From the same mixed veggies I made a slow cooker stew by adding some other cheap ingredients like beans, brown rice, etc... 

I fried up beyond sausage I got for free and made it into an easy stir fry over rice. 

I broke up beyond sausage, mixed it into tomato sauce, and made it into lasagna, using gluten free lasagna noodles that I had in my stockpile, that I'd purchased from the scratch and dent store. 

I used some corn tortillas I had that weren't so good as is, and broke easily, and made them into an enchilada type casserole/lasagna with canned beans, tomato paste that I spiced in a Tex Mex way, added some veggies and cheese, etc.

Turned Beyond Burgers into fried rice. 

Made quesadillasa using free tortillas that have been sitting in my stockpile, along with the free spicy cream cheese (and regular cheese).

I cut up whole chicken breasts into cutlets (since the whole ones are much cheaper than the cutlets).

I used up homemade laksa paste that was sitting in my freezer and used it to make a delicious soup.

I made miso soup using my dad's homemade miso.

Other

In January I paid a lot of money to get a letter I needed from my private psychiatrist in order to apply for disability. I thought that money was just gone, but I got the idea to go to my insurance and see if they'd pay me back for that, and they did, for most of it, so that felt like free money to me. 

I took my daughter to a school evaluation at an evaluator that charges half or less the going rate. So even though it cost a lot, it was a lot cheaper than it could have been.

I went to my insurance company and applied to see if I can get money back for my daughter's autism evaluation. Still don't know if it'll work, but hey, putting it on this list anyhow.

I organized my stockpile so I can find the stuff there so I have access to the frugal stuff I bought and don't need to buy at regular prices since I don't know what is there.

Whew, that is a long list! What frugal stuff have you been up to lately?