Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Sunday proved to be far busier than I was expecting.  Our house guests, my daughter and her roommate, were preparing to leave and head back to their dorm and I had plenty of laundry to do.  I washed sheets and a boatload of towels.  Once they had lunch they started packing up and my daughter ran a load of her own laundry as she'd brought it all home with her.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

I gathered up all of the fall decor and put it away in the totes I keep in the garage.  Then my youngest and I pulled out some of our Christmas decor and set a few things out.  I swapped out my fall hanging kitchen towel for a Christmas one and removed our fall table runner and replaced it with a Christmas themed runner as well.  The girls hung up their stockings from the mantle.  It is sure starting to look more like Christmastime around here now.

I sold one of my vehicles to a co-worker and he came by to pick it up that afternoon.  After he left I raked up a huge pile of leaves that had blown in our front yard after a big storm.  I used our leaf mulcher to chop them up and filled the trash can we keep in our backyard.  The leaf mulch will most likely be used in our chicken coop.  It keeps them busy and they love scratching around in it.

After the girls headed for home the youngest and I went to run a couple quick errands.  I needed to fill the fuel tank on my car and there were a few items on sale at Fred Meyer we wanted to get.  While we were there we came across several really good markdowns.  

I found seven boxes of 70 ct and 80 ct Snuggle dryer sheets for 99¢ each.  The regular price for these is $3.99 a box.  I now have enough dryer sheets to last a couple of years.  My daughter spotted a huge 250 ct bag of triple size cotton balls on markdown for 79¢ and a box of pumpkin spice K cups for $2.99.  Among some other things we also found BBQ sauce marked down for 25¢ a bottle.

I picked up five packages of sausage links on sale for $1.49 each and crackers for 99¢ a box.  Grapes were 99¢ a pound and bananas were 49¢ a pound.  I also found some summer squash, cucumbers and a zucchini bundled together for $1.  It was a pretty lucrative shopping trip to say the least.

Tuesday morning I was in clear out the refrigerator mode.  We had been working on leftovers since Thanksgiving so I took what was left and made our lunches and then put together a pot of turkey soup in my medium size slow cooker.  I plugged it in as I left for work and when we got home the soup was ready.  I made some rice for my daughter and a big salad to go with the soup and we were all set.  Other bits of leftovers were put in the freezer or given to the chickens.  Afterward I felt like the fridge was no longer bursting at the seams and could breathe again.

Albertson's was having a pretty good sales ad last week that ended on Tuesday.  A sneak peek at the next ad wasn't as tempting so off we went after supper to get the items on our list.  I was really interested in some NY strip steaks on sale for $4.99 and was thrilled to find a large package of those and a smaller one that had just been marked down.  I also found pumpkin spice whipped cream on markdown so I grabbed a couple of those as well.  I was most excited to be able to get fresh raspberries for 99¢ a pack so I bought two of those.  I had a $5 OFF $50 Purchase coupon which shaved even more off my total bill.

I picked up six full size candy bars on sale 3 for 99¢.  I was able to get my girl's their favorite candy bars and I plan to tuck those in their stockings.

Wednesday my daughter had practice in the early morning and a basketball game to cheer that evening so it was another one of those marathon days.  I dropped her off at 5:00 for the game and then went stocking stuffer shopping while I waited to pick her back up.  Although it made for a long and busy day it worked out perfectly and I feel like I've got Christmas pretty much handled.

Thursday was another marathon day with early morning practice and ending with my daughter's beautiful Christmas orchestra concert that evening.  The stage was decorated with nine big trees all lit up and fake snow.  They wrapped fairy lights around their instruments and that really added to the magical atmosphere they created.  The music was top notch too.  It was a magnificent concert and so well done.

We collected fifteen items, food and hygiene products, from our pantry and linen closet to donate for a Christmas drive at my daughter's high school.  I pulled out one of the new backpacks we bought on clearance a couple years ago and we filled it up.  The backpack was also donated.

I used up a cup of leftover pumpkin puree I had in the refrigerator to make a loaf of pumpkin bread Friday morning before I went to work.  I sliced it up, put it on a plate and took it into work.  It didn't last long at all.

By Friday evening we were ready to cool our heels a bit and we were able to do exactly that.  After I got home from work we made nachos for supper and watched Christmas movies.  It was a great way to decompress from a very busy week.

Saturday morning I slept late.  I must've been really tired because this girl does not sleep in well.  I got up at 8:40 and decided I'd better get my day started.  My daughter had a basketball game to cheer at and needed to be at her school by 11:00.  While I waited for the game to finish I popped over to the Fred Meyer near her school to pick up chocolate chips and bratwursts that were on sale.  Afterward we braved a trip to the mall.

$4.24!  Whoo hoo!

I was able to pick up a final Christmas gift for my oldest daughter at one store before using some Bath & Body Works coupons I had and my gift card to pick up a few things there.  I was able to purchase two shower gels, a candle and two hand sanitizers for only $4.24 out of pocket!  Yay!

At the Yankee Candle store as well as Bath & Body Works I was given free item coupons good after the 20th.  They are really good coupons and I definitely plan to take advantage of those and use them for my freebies.  I'm really excited about them too.

After our trip to the mall the hunt was on for an ugly Christmas sweater for my daughter's cheer and dance team Christmas party coming up.  No way were we about to spend $40 on a sweater or even $20 at Wal-Mart so we hit the thrifts stores.  Goodwill was a bust, nothing ugly enough there, but at the second thrift store we tried I found a pretty sweater in lime green for me to wear to work.  I've been wanting one in that color for quite a while.  It is in really nice condition and is from Coldwater Creek for $4.99.  Yay me!

Oh baby!  That's an ugly Christmas sweater!

Onto thrift store number three where we hit the mother lode and found the best ugly sweater a girl good hope for.  It even has a goose on it!  My daughter also found another Christmas gift for her sister there, which we are sure she will love.  All of the things we bought were either on sale (for a really good price), on clearance (even better), free with coupons (the best!) or gently used from a thrift store.  We didn't spend much and we had a really nice time.  My youngest is super thrifty like her mom so she really enjoyed herself, especially as she didn't have to bust the bank to get what she needed.

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order:

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed & mopped floors, cleaned sink & toilet, washed rug.  Daily swish & swipe.

Dining Room - vacuumed floor, cleaned windowsill, baseboard heater & dusted.

Kitchen -  vacuumed & mopped the floor, cleaned stove & range hood.

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed tub, cleaned sink & toilet, washed the bathmat.  Daily swish & swipe.

Other - three large loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry.  Mopped entry way floors.  Swept front porch, raked up & mulched a huge pile of leaves.

How was your thrifty week?