Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Last week was a big one for thrifty accomplishments. 

The basket will become part of a Christmas gift.

While the oldest child spent the afternoon with her BFF the youngest and I headed out for some serious bargain shopping Sunday afternoon.  We went to four thrift stores and I managed to fill up my winter reading library with books for a song.  Five paperbacks for 12¢ each and six more for only 33¢ each.  These should keep me occupied for quite awhile.

 

Our main goal was to find a pair of jeans and a lightweight coat for the young one which we did.  At the Youth Ranch we found a nice pair of jeans for $2.95.  At the Goodwill we found a beautiful coat, like new, for $5.99.  She was absolutely thrilled about it.  We also found a darling purple plaid flannel shirt for the oldest for $2.00. 

I purchased my first Christmas gift, a really sturdy wicker basket with a handle for $1.95.  I plan to make a gift basket up for some friends and it will be perfect.  In the meantime I will use it to hold my pile of paperbacks. 

Midway through our shopping adventure we went to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  Children's meals are only $1.49 on weekends so it made for a very affordable dine out and the only one we did in September. 

At Albertsons we stopped in for bananas at 39¢ a pound for school lunches and boneless chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound.  Instead of buying the chicken we found the markdown bin full of wonderful bargains and stocked up: 

·         Two packages of boneless skinless chicken - one for $1.14 and another one for 83¢!

·         A package of three pork chops for $1.94.

·         A package of sliced beef steak for stir fry for $2.25.

·         Two packages of extra lean ground beef for $2.79 each. 

I fixed the pork chops for Sunday supper with rice and gravy and a nice salad.  They were delicious.  I put the rest of the meat in the freezer for future meals.  I figured I got more meat from the markdown bin for the about same amount I was planning to spend on chicken breasts.  Albertsons also guarantees a refund on anything that isn't satisfactory so I never have to worry about buying their reduced meats. 

I finished my last 25¢ paperback Sunday night.  I set it aside to pass on to our next door neighbor in our old neighborhood.  I still drop off books for her and did that on Thursday. 

Monday I cut up all the tomatoes my landlady had given to me and stewed them in my smallest slow cooker.  I had enough to add to a pot of soup and also a 4 cup container to put in the freezer for later. 

 

Tuesday I cut up all the green bell peppers my landlady had given me.  I put them in sandwich bags and put them in the freezer to add to future recipes.  Not a lot of winter prepping, compared to our usual, but just enough for the space we have. 

After not grocery shopping the prior week I was in serious need of it last week.  I went to Fred Meyer with store coupons and manufacturer coupons in hand and spent less than $50 for five bags of groceries!  I had over $15 in coupons.  My biggest bargain was three boxes of cereal on sale for $1.88 less $3.50 in manuf. coupons = 71¢ per box! 

I listed a few more items to sell on eBay.  I also sold some things as well. 

I watched Castle, The Blacklist and The Goldbergs last week on Hulu for free.  Can I just say the Goldbergs is too funny! 

I mended a tear in one of my oldest daughter's school shirts. 

I printed twelve coupons off the internet and filed them away for a future shopping date. 

 

I made a centerpiece for our dining table with items I already had on hand. 

I bought weather stripping and replaced the missing section along our front door. 

I used my new electric kettle all week and the end result was an extra week's worth of propane for our hot water heater!  Whoo hoo! 

At the $ store on Thursday I bought a fabric softener refill and two stocking stuffers.  I also picked up a few vanilla scented candles to add some warmth and ambiance to our tiny home.  I bought a twin pack of magic gloves for the girls to wear to school.  I found a set with a black pair and a brown pair that matched each one's coat perfectly.  They were pretty happy about that.  I also picked up two packages of crackers to put in their school lunches as well as two jars of stuffed green olives. 

I deviated from our meal plan a little bit this week and made Chinese Chicken& Cabbage using a leftover pork chop I thinly sliced in place of the chicken.  It was every bit as good as with the chicken and a great way to use up leftovers. 

We had a Family Movie Night and watched two Star Trek movies by streaming them off Amazon.  No rentals and no returns.  I really like my Amazon Prime membership.

 

How was your thrifty week last week?