What Frugal Thing .....- Part II

[marvholly]

I did not feel like what I had planned for lunch on Wed. Went foraging in my Kitchen freezer and found a pkg of ‘mystery’ meat. I had written what it was on the bag but it wore off (now I use masking tape or labels). Turned out it was ??? but tasted ok.

I also did some food prep (marinated tomatoes, zucchini and cauliflower, defrosted berries for breakfast) for later in the week. I KNOW I eat better/healthier (less junk, more fruits, veg and salads) if I prep ahead. I already had all but the pasta cooked for Wed dinner and the entrée cooked for Thur dinner-just need to add my 2 planned veggies.

One of the new recipes I plan to make this weekend calls for pinto beans, which I am not big on. I plan to substitute black beans so I will need to soak these.

The high temp is supposed to be only about 21 today and REALLY cold on Fri so I am thinking about running errands & seeing my Dad today. It is not supposed to get back into the mid/upper 20’s until Tuesdayish.

WTF has happened to the price of soy/mung bean sprouts? I have now checked 3 ethnic markets and several fruit/veg markets in my travel pattern. They have gone from $0.59/lb to $1.29. NOT for this cheap person. I can/will wait until they are more reasonable.

I got a coupon at Great Clips for a $7 hair cut in Wed ads. I was just figuring out when I would get a 'real' cut again. Also got an invitation to a friend's (widow) wedding. I plan the hair cut to be right for the wedding so I will do it early next month. That also lets me plan my next mani/pedi at the school.

[mom-from-missouri]

Yesterday I went to town to stock up before our 10 inches of snow hit. It started sleeting while I was in town, in my little car, sliding around. I was going to buy a couple of sand tubes for weight, but thought it would be a waste. (normally the sand ends up getting dumped into the horse arena in the spring) Instead, I bought 50 pounds of dog and cat food. Since we have pets, it will get used. I will just rotate it in with the other food.

And, the weight got me home safe and sound.

They wanted $4.99 a tube for 20 lbs sand. Dog food was cut and taped, so discounted to $6.99 for 25 lbs.

[mom-from-missouri]

happened to the price of soy/mung bean sprouts? I have now checked 3 ethnic markets and several fruit/veg markets in my travel pattern. They have gone from $0.59/lb to $1.29. NOT for this cheap person. I can/will wait until they are more reasonable.

Grow your own, that is what we do. Just use a recycled quart jar with a lid that has holes in it, or cheese cloth for the lid.

Add your seeds and water, soak a few minutes and drain off the water, place jar in a sunny spot. Repeat daily.

You can get the seeds at nursery, get alfalfa from the feed store, or even sprout regular dried beans.

We use ours on salads or in with stir fry.

[elessar78]

switched to online bill pay. saving a modest $60/year on stamps.

[marvholly]

elessar
I switched to online billpay when stamps went over 0.39-not sure how long ago that actually is since I stocked up on forever stamps before the last 2 increases and still have an entire book left.

Turns out that the $1.18 pkg of 3 thigh quarters will be 5 servings. Each thigh is a serving. The 3 drumsticks = 5 oz of cooked meat. I will use this meat as a salad topper, in soup, stir fry or mixed w/pasta & veggies. That comes to <0.25/meal for the primary protein. Actually decided on stir fry and soup for the drumstick meat.

It is SOOO cold here in metro Chicago that I will not be going anywhere (or spending anything) at least today. Sat is planned as a cooking for next week day. Sun is planned as an eat junk food and watch football day; if I can BEAR (j/k) it.

[marvholly]

Today will end up being a no drive/no spend day.

Sometimes it is REALLY nice to be unemployed. It was really cold here Fri so I did not go out. It is probably a bit warmer today because even though I have not changed the thermostat setting I do NOT feel as comfortable as I did yesterday. However, I just added a fleece top and did NOT turn up the thermostat. Also, it is snowing which it seldom does when the temp is <15-20.

I may go early Sun morning. Depends on mood & weather.

I was thinking of going to get the Sunday paper and a few other things but I can wait. I have enough food on hand for several months and MANY choices. I do need to order an Rx but anytime next week will be fine.

[biff]

We got a new puppy so the plastic bags have been coming in handy for picking up poop and to use as waste basket liners. I take the trash frequently and beats having to use the full size kitchen liners...hey every little bit helps right?
I also purchased a Pur water filter from amazon so I don't have to drive to fill up my drinking water anymore.

[Aleta]

I did all of my errands in one day yesterday. I made 8 stops but shopped at 11 stores including gassing up and stopping by my bank. Preparing my lists, coupons, etc got me off to a good start. Also, one of the cashiers gave me a Publix calendar which had monthly coupons for the year. Right there alone, was a coupon for $2.00. It will go into my $20. Challenge fund this year.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Seems that all my contributions to this thread are food related. Well here's another.

Last summer we made a lot of pickles from our garden cucumbers. One batch, a gallon's worth, is just too salty. So every now and then, I fish a few out and soak them in plain cold water overnight. Next day they are very well desalted so that I can slice them up for salad. Otherwise, I probably would throw these cukes into the compost. But even for compost I would desalinate them first.

I guess you can only make use of that tip if you goofed up pickles the same way I did.

[benosayi]

My basement has about 10 ceiling lights. So I got a floor lamp from a thrift store that has 4 bulbs. I put one bright one in the center and a dim one in another. The light is great because you don't have to use all the lights. I have been hanging clothes in the basement. We have also been taking showers at the gym. My son got a job at my favorite thrift store. He gets 50 percent off clothing and 30 off houseware. I went in and got 100 percent off because I did need anything so I did not buy anything.

[marvholly]

Joan
You might want to try putting a cut potato or 2 in the salty pickle crock. Potatoes absorb salt.

I have been very frugal about driving and spending so far this month. However, I must admit it has been more due to our weather than intent on my part. I am prob going to go out early this morning as there are some deals at CVS & Walgreens that I must be there early to get or they will be out of stock.

Seems like everyone I know (even from various forums) has a bug. So far, knock on wood) I am fine but I have to wonder if that might be because I have been home so much this month.

I am invited to a friend’s wedding (2nd for both widowers) in 5 weeks. They, their families and friends are very fundamentalist in their views (although I am NOT). I do not want to embarrass my friend by dressing inappropriately so I surveyed my closet. I do have a black skirt that is ankle length. I have numerous blouses that are high necked and long sleeved. Guess I am good to go w/o any shopping. Now, I just have to figure out a gift for them.

I have done my meal plan and all the prep work for the 2 multi serving entrees I will finish making today for next week. Soup is in the fridge so I can remove the fat and I will add the veg and barley later. The beans and ground meat for the cassarole are cooked; just need to mix, add seasonings & topping and bake.

[Aleta]

Joan
You might want to try putting a cut potato or 2 in the salty pickle crock. Potatoes absorb salt.

I have been very frugal about driving and spending so far this month. However, I must admit it has been more due to our weather than intent on my part. I am prob going to go out early this morning as there are some deals at CVS & Walgreens that I must be there early to get or they will be out of stock.

Seems like everyone I know (even from various forums) has a bug. So far, knock on wood) I am fine but I have to wonder if that might be because I have been home so much this month.

I am invited to a friend’s wedding (2nd for both widowers) in 5 weeks. They, their families and friends are very fundamentalist in their views (although I am NOT). I do not want to embarrass my friend by dressing inappropriately so I surveyed my closet. I do have a black skirt that is ankle length. I have numerous blouses that are high necked and long sleeved. Guess I am good to go w/o any shopping. Now, I just have to figure out a gift for them.

I have done my meal plan and all the prep work for the 2 multi serving entrees I will finish making today for next week. Soup is in the fridge so I can remove the fat and I will add the veg and barley later. The beans and ground meat for the cassarole are cooked; just need to mix, add seasonings & topping and bake.

Maybe your friends have a registry. Is it within your area?

[marvholly]

Wedding is in my area. They are NOT registered as they have everything they want/need. I would normally do a gift card for a nice meal but they have food/health issues and do NOT eat out. I am aware of hers but not his so I cannot do a work around.

Actually, I am thinking of either a book store gift card or a charitable donation.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

TBH, I did not do this today, but something brought it to mind today:

My little bag of tricks was the hit of the playground more than once when my child was little. When going to a playground that is covered about 8 inches deep in pea gravel, I would sometimes pack a bag full of empty plastic jars, soda bottles with their lids cut off to make funnels, and large kitchen spoons or garden trowels. Most of it I'd just pull out of the recycling box before heading out. A couple toy trucks and cars added to the bag was a good addition. The kids loved to play with these things using the underfoot pea gravel as their play material, doubling the play value of the playground.

[marvholly]

Did some shopping yesterday when I went to visit my Dad. I had been planning to defrost and roast a chicken from my freezer this weekend. However, the independent market near him had split chicken breasts on sale for $0.79/lb. That is the same as the sale price has been lately for whole chickens. Either the whole chicken & the pkg of breasts I bought will equal the same number of servings. Needless to say, I will be eating a lot of chicken breast these coming weeks.

I will bone them out before cooking, and with the bones and veggie ends I already have saved in the freezer, make some chicken soup too. Since I ate the last of my already cooked & portioned chicken last night, I will wait until Sat to make these.

I was thinking of making some stuffing/dressing for a change. Have not had any since Thanksgiving and then only a single serving as I was out. However, my closest fruit/veg market has turnips and parsnips on sale this week and I have carrot, onion and potato on hand so I am going to roast a bunch of veggies w/the chicken. I can always make the stuffing to go w/leftovers I will save, freeze and eat over the next couple weeks.