Last Week’s Thrifty Moves

On Sunday I used one large overripe banana to make a loaf of chocolate bananabread. 

My oldest daughter and I made jewelry to give as gifts.  We used items we already had on hand.  I repurposed a couple of lone earrings I'd been given.  I used them as pendants and made necklaces for the girls for Christmas. 

I also helped her to make Christmas cards for her friends and teachers using items we had on hand.  They turned out really nice. 

A friend of mine brought me a big stack of ads and coupons from the Sunday paper.  I clipped a couple coupons and used the ads to make a grocery list. 

On Monday I shopped the Albertson's ad in order to stock up the pantry on a few items.  Total spent $19.88 ($6 of it comes out of our gift budget): 

·         Four packages of cream cheese - $1 each

·         Two cans of olives - $1 each less a $1 off coupon = 50¢ per can

·         Chocolate bars - 5 for $5 (Christmas gifts)

·         Four cans green beans - 49¢ each

·         Two cake mixes - 99¢ each (one is a birthday gift)

·         Four 16oz. bags of pasta - 79¢ each

·         Two bottles cranberry juice cocktail - $1.39 each 

I made each of my girls a Christmas hair clip using items I had on hand and an artificial poinsettia bouquet purchased at the dollar store for $1.  My oldest used my leftover blooms to make three more for her friends to give them as Christmas gifts. 

I finished shopping for stocking stuffers at the dollar store.  While I was there I also found the girls each a nice scarf to wear to school and help keep them warmer.  I spent a dollar on two foil baking sheets so we can bake Christmas cookies in our toaster oven.  Our baking pans are way too big. 

The girl's used wrapping supplies we had on hand to wrap the gifts they had purchased or made for their teachers.  They raided my sewing supplies for ribbon to tie around their little packages.  We helped the youngest make handmade Christmas cards for her teachers. 

I added a little water to the dish soap bottle in order to get a few more washes out of it. Then I recycled the bottle. 

I used up all of my eye shadow.  I replaced it with another one I had bought last year with a coupon and a gift card. 

We squeezed every last bit out of a sample tube of toothpaste I received in the mail for free.  Surprisingly it lasted two weeks with all of us using it.  I replaced it with one of my large tubes of toothpaste I got for free last year at the store when it was on sale and I had a coupon.  I have one more large tube of free toothpaste and three samples left in my stash. 

I was invited to join in a gift exchange at a client's office on Friday.  I made a pair of earrings and a matching necklace for my recipient.  I added a small bottle of lotion and shower gel from my gift box stash too. 

I used the last of our Christmas budget to purchase a few extra grocery items to make cookies and share them with our neighbors. 

I went through the gift wrap tote and reorganized what I had left over.  I was able to condense everything down into one large gift bag and thus eliminated the tote.  I also did the same with my gift box.  For now they both take up much less space. 

I finally got to use up a roll of cellophane that had been in the gift wrap tote for forever.  I can't count how many times I was going to get rid of it but kept thinking I'd use it.  I finally did! 

We watched a lot of Christmas movies on Hulu for free while we worked on various projects.  The girls loved it. 

How was your thrifty week last week?