Last Week's Thrifty Moves

First thing Sunday morning I put on a pot of pinto and black beans using my slow cooker and let them go on high for six hours.

I used up stale bread by making French Toast for breakfast.

I took everything out of my drawers and closets, did the seasonal shift, did a little purging and then put everything back all neat and organized.  I was happy to discover I still have plenty of good clothing and even found three pair of underpants and a pair of socks that had managed to maneuver themselves all the way into the back of the drawer where they didn't belong.  Now I have a much better idea of what I actually have.  I bagged up the items I purged to drop off at a thrift store next time I'm nearby.

After lunch we headed to the corner market for a gallon of milk and to take advantage of their loss leader sale on ice cream bars and sandwiches.  I bought four boxes for 97¢ each.  I also bought two containers of ice cream and used a $1 coupon which made them only $2 each.  I also picked up a dozen eggs for 98¢ as well as a family pack of their freshly ground lean beef.  It was $2.99 a pound and I bought 4.75 pounds of it.

On the way home we stopped at Walgreens to pick up vegetable oil for $1.99 and tissues for 99¢.  I grabbed up a bottle of dish soap on sale because I also had a coupon making the final price 74¢.  I shouldn't need to buy dish soap again until fall.

My girls and I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon doing some investment cooking.  We made up a big batch of refried beans.  Then we browned up some ground beef and mixed in some of the refried beans for beef & bean burritos to freeze for quick lunches this summer.

While we rolled the burritos we refilled the slow cooker with the ingredients for chili without beans.  My youngest isn't very fond of beans but she loves this chili.  We use it to top nachos, make chili dogs, chili & cheese omelets, top a baked potato, make tamale pie, queso dip and sometimes I add beans and we have a big bowl of chili with cheese and onions sprinkled across the top.

I divided what was left of the ground beef and put two packages of meat away in the freezer for future meals.  I may add one of them to one of the packages of ground pork I have and make meatloaf later on.

I also had enough browned meat leftover from the chili and the burritos to add to a partial leftover package of taco seasoning.  I simmered it for awhile before putting it in a container and ground beef already.

On the way home from work I stopped at the dollar store for four packages of freezer containers in two sizes, a box of gallon zipper bags and a box of two gallon zipper bags.  I plan to use those for my investment cooking.

Wednesday I did some Christmas shopping at Bath & Body Works.  The sale I'd been waiting for finally arrived so I hustled on down to the store with my gift card I ordered for free using the rewards points I'd earned last year with my business credit card.  I got what I needed as well as a birthday gift to put aside for my oldest.  Total spent on Christmas so far - $0!

I watched TV online using my Amazon Prime membership.

Thursday I stopped after work at Fred Meyer to replenish our produce and stock up on rice, canned tomatoes and tortillas which were on sale at a very good price.  I also turned in my rain checks for two 5# bags of whole wheat flour and two 4# bags of sugar.

I used coupons to save money on cat food, both canned and dry.  I was able to restock the kitty pantry for the next two months for $12.

Instead of going out to for hamburgers on Friday night I stopped at the corner market on the way home for a package of buns and some mushrooms.  We grilled up some mushrooms with sliced onions and made mushroom swiss burgers.  They were absolutely delicious.

I was very proud and honored to join 12 of my dear friends on Saturday to play Bunco at the nursing home where one of their moms live.  She was able to see us all and enjoy a great time playing with her friends.  I was reminded of what a terrific group of ladies I have the pleasure of being associated with.  I am truly blessed.

What thrifty things did you do last week to save money?