Springtime Frugal Accomplishments

Spring is in the air....at least, sometimes.  The robins are back, and there are tiny bits of green peeking out from the brown tufts of grass.  It is still very dry here, so we are praying for rain to help green things up.  Like most everyone, we are eager for springtime weather.  Here are some things we did this past week to save:

We got two cans of Marie Callender's soup for free through a supermarket promotion.  I also got four more 32oz. containers of yogurt for free with sale and coupon.  We are going to figure out whether or not it's possible to make frozen yogurt at home.  Some of the yogurt is flavored - vanilla or strawberry - and some is plain.  If you have 'yogurt ideas', I'd love to hear them!

I got my coupon for a free 20oz. coke and used it as well. 

I used $8.25 in coupons.

We went to the used bookstore and got some books using our store credit...and we still have plenty of store credit!

We used some of our stock-up funds to get 25 lb. of oats, 4 lb of butter, a #10 can of instant frijoles and some meat (six chickens and a ham).  Some came from the LDS cannery, some from Sam's Club, some from Walmart.


25 lb. of Old Fashioned Oats - LDS Cannery


I took all the wee bowls of odds and ends from shrimp taco night (cilantro, onions, some salsa, lime, radish, chopped tomato) and tossed them together to make a pico/salsa.  Combined, it was still less than a cup, but at least it wasn't wasted.  We used it as a sauce on chicken fajita quesedilla night.  Yay!

As a family, we shared and enjoyed a vanilla bean frappuccino from Starbucks - free with the gift card I was given last week.

Husband and I are taping the drywall in his workshop.  The supplies are really not expensive at all.  Two rolls of drywall tape and a 5 gal. of bucket of mud is about $18.  We already own a taping knife and a corner tool, so it's mostly about time and patience.  And later, sanding things smooth.

There were a few articles of clothing that seemed to have some funky scent attached to them, even after washing.  I soaked them in a bucket of water with about a cup of vinegar added - for 2 days - and after laundering, they were good as new. 

We live a couple miles from a grouping of stores.  The area where we live is rural and not safe for walking/biking (no shoulders or sidewalks).  It's a little thing, but I've started driving over to where the stores are, parking in one place on nice days, and then walking to do whatever errands need doing.  It gets us some fresh air and exercise and saves a tiny amount of fuel.  It also makes me reluctant to buy anything if it's heavy!

I wrote down free library activities for the month of April on the family calendar so we know what is coming week to week.  We've also gotten some fresh books, movies and music to enjoy.

I planned a menu from our pantry (it is here if you're curious) and items we had on hand.

I propagated some little houseplants from my big houseplants.  So happy! I have a baby African violet and some jade plants that have rooted and allowed me to have more green in the house.

On my laptop, that's bigger than life size.



In the center of the photo you can see teeny, tiny jade sproutlets.

Home-Rooted Jade plants.  Yay!

It's been warm/sunny enough to wash blankets and hang them on the line to dry outside.  I also put our pillows out in the sun during the day to freshen them.

A friend gave me some 40% and 50% off coupons for JoAnns and I was able to get crochet hooks in sizes I don't have.  I bought little sets of three, and they ended up costing less than individual hooks!  Another friend gifted me with an ergonomic crochet hook handle that has made it possible for me to crochet longer (sometimes my hand would get numb).  I am so blessed!

We dyed a few eggs for Easter with food coloring and vinegar water.  We just made red, yellow and blue, and I saved the dye for daughter - she has been using it for watercolor paintings.  For paper, she is using the partial pages I sometimes have when I print a coupon.

I cleaned out the bunny barn and put the rabbit droppings into the garden as fertilizer.  It works very well and is good for the plants.  When I rinsed the bins that catch the droppings, I poured that water onto the roots of our cherry trees. 

We have turned off the furnace, but we're still using the wood stove sometimes to warm the house at night.

I added more soap slivers to my homemade 'sliver saver', and I'm using it for my bar of soap when I shower.  (It's just a knee-high nylon that I put the soap bits into, and then I do a loopy knot at the top so I can hang it on a hook in the shower.  Easy!)

I downloaded some free Kindle books from Amazon (I don't have a Kindle but they have a free program so I can read them on my PC) and also some e-books from the Time Warp Wife website.

I started a few small batches of microgreens (mesclun mix, mung beans and alfalfa) to see what we think of them.  I used seeds and dirt I had on hand and  recycled containers.


The alfalfa is already sprouting....

I tried a new pancake recipe that we like, now I'm trying to convert it to a ready-to-make mix.  I made meatballs from scratch, also cole slaw, macaroni salad, chocolate sauce and teriyaki. 

I accepted a stack of Sunday School teaching materials from a friend who knew I could use them at church for my Sunday School class.

Husband transferred a prescription to Kmart and used our loyalty card and a coupon they sent me for a free $25 gift card with transfer.  We will watch their sales and use that money to stock household items, most likely.

I switched out the shower curtain liner in our bathroom because it was getting icky.  I get the ones at Dollar Tree.  I put it in the wash with a load of whites (it is a white shower curtain liner) and it cleaned up beautifully.  It is so thin that I didn't think it would hold up to washing, but it did.  Once it had dried I folded it up to use again.

I've been playing along at Money Saving Mom doing the April cleaning activities.  As I'm cleaning up and clearing out some things, I'm finding some stuff I may well be able to sell on craigslist.  If not, I can donate the items, which will help someone else.


The Kitchen Catch-All



Much Better! (for the moment)

We did our usual laundry things - homemade laundry soap, drying on racks or clotheslines.  We also combined errands and price matched items as much as possible in order to save time and fuel.

I got a lotion sample in the mail - it will go into one of the blessing bags for church.

I also got a Choffy sample.  I cannot wait to try it, and tell you all about it.  Stay tuned!!!

Last minute:  I found a Staples receipt.  Hm.  I had this nagging feeling that it needed attention, because it wasn't where I put them after I go online and do the Easy Rebate thing.  Sure enough...it was a 'live' receipt!  So doing that means there's a $7ish check coming our way in a few weeks.  Whew! 

How was your week?  What did you do to save or cut spending?  Leave a comment - I'd love to learn from you! :)  Also, don't forget to pop in on Friday for the Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest (you don't have to be afarmer, or a girl, either!).  Lots of great ideas and inspiration from all over the world!