Monday, June 22, 2015

Last Week's Thrifty Moves


Ever have one of those off weeks?  Well last week was mine.  I just couldn’t quite get things in sync and to top it off I ended up breaking a dinner plate, my vintage coffee pot and a canning jar.  Definitely not thrifty moves!  In spite of everything I trudged on.

And then the youngest decided, in keeping with the spirit of breaking stuff, to break her foot of all things.  She simply stepped wrong and that was that.  My poor baby.  Fortunately it is a simple fracture and six weeks in a boot with crutches and she'll be good as new.

Nonetheless, I did manage some thrifty moves last week…


We went to the mall Sunday evening and picked up the girl's school clothes I had ordered online.  When we got home they gave me a little fashion show.  They had so much fun.

I made four pints of vanilla yogurt.

I filled the gas tank on my truck and saved 10¢ a gallon using my Fred Meyer rewards card.


I did a big bulk shopping haul at Cash & Carry which used up a large chunk of our budget for the month of July.  I have just enough left to keep us in produce and dairy throughout next month.  I bought some produce, soy sauce, asian seasoning sauce, sweet chili sauce, vinegar and a 10# chub of ground beef on sale for $2.59 a pound.  I forgot the olive oil.  Dang it, next time.


The three of us made four dozen meatballs and a couple of meat loaves for the freezer.  We froze the rest of the beef in smaller packages for future meals.  I won't need to buy ground beef for a long time.


The girls and I canned 11 half pints of strawberry jam with berries I bought for $1.12 a pound at Cash & Carry.  I made homemade labels on the computer for the jars.  I also made a bottle of strawberry pancake syrup.


During a trip to the dollar store we found ice cream cones, graham cracker pie crusts, cookies and ketchup so I stocked up.  I used a 50¢ OFF coupon on the two bottles of ketchup.  I love that Dollar Tree accepts coupons.

Albertsons had 4# bags of sugar on sale for $1.88 each so I bought four.  I also spotted 200 count bags of cotton balls for 25¢ each!  I bought three.


A family friend graduated college and was packing up to move home.  She sent home two bags of hand me downs for the girls.  Darling summer tops, sweaters and skirts for them to wear.  Several items they can wear right now and a few they'll need to grow into.  The girls were very happy to get them and, of course, we had another fashion show.

Another very thoughtful friend treated us to very nice dinner at a nearby restaurant.  We thoroughly enjoyed our night out.  It had been awhile since we'd been out to dinner.

I took the girls to the orthodontist.  The oldest got her spacers put in and will get her braces on in two weeks.  The youngest will get started in October.  Her case is more complex and will involve expanders and a lot of finagling.  I'm bracing myself.  Two at the same time.  Yikes!

I saved my banking until their dental appointment so I could make my deposit on the way home saving me an extra trip and some gas.

I composted coffee grounds, onion skins and egg shells.  I gave the chickens our kitchen scraps.  They especially enjoyed the trimmings from the strawberries.  I also picked dandelion greens for them.

I watched a few cooking shows on YouTube for free.  I also watched a couple episodes of 48 Hours Mysteries on YouTube that I had never seen before.  My youngest watched some videos on YouTube to learn how to make new patterns on her jewelry loom.


I used a 60%OFF coupon at JoAnn Fabrics to purchase a Wilton 9" square baking pan with a lid.  My final price was $3.49.  I used a gift card to pay for it so no money out of pocket and I've finally replaced the one I broke last winter.

I used a couple more coupons to buy Christmas stocking stuffers for my girls.  They love pens and since they were on sale I was able to get them each a set of colored gel pens for just $3.00.

I bought myself two tubes of Chapstick and used a coupon to save me 50¢.

We installed the A/C units in our upstairs bedroom windows.  It is expected to get over a hundred by the end of the week here.

I received a nice packet of coupons in the mail from Fred Meyer.  Everyone of them is for stuff I usually buy.  Love that!

How thrifty were you last week?


6 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your youngest breaking her foot. Hope she heals quickly. Nothing worse than being injured during summer vacation.
    Once again you have been the thrifty queen even when you had a "off" week in your life.
    I was thrifty by NOT going to any thrift stores or garage sale this past week. Instead I had to have an oil change and overall check up on the car which cost almost $50.00 !!! I've put this off for 6 months and now it was time. Ugh!
    However, this week I will be attending an estate sale in my neighborhood. I've got my eye on a "petite" wingback chair for the living room. If the price is right, it comes home with me. It sure would be nice to have more than the sofa or the floor for guests to sit on when they visit. ;-)
    Thanks for sharing your good fortunes with us. I always look forward to seeing how well you do.
    Vanessa B

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    1. Thanks Vanessa. The young one is doing great. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that you get that chair.

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  2. Poor girl! Especially during summer.

    I got a lot of free food this week and downloaded some free games.

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  3. Poor youngest one! I hope she heals quickly and well. No fun to be down with a broken foot during vacation time.
    I love to read all about your thrifty shopping trips. I have learned to stay out of the stores unless I need food. It feels so good now that I have broken that shopping habit. More time to read, sew or do crafts. I have been making boxes that can be downloaded from the blog "Don't Eat the Paste." There are lots. I am working on ones for the 4th of July. Nice for tiny gifts or a few pieces of candy or small cookies. She also has mandalas to color. I just love her blog.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the well wishes and I will be checking out that blog. Thanks for mentioning it! :)

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