Frugal Accomplishments

Just as the month was coming to a close, Husband transferred a prescription to King Sooper and got us a $25 grocery credit.  We had some cash left, but that just made the rest of the month easy!  We used coupons and sales to get some things with zero out of pocket - fresh strawberries, a 2L Sunkist orange, sour cream, tortilla chips and some TP.  All of that, after using coupons, was just over $5.

I used $13.50 in coupons toward groceries, including a coupon for a free 20 oz. coke.

I found a special on deli ham $3.45 for a 2 lb. package.  That is a large pack for us, so it will get divided up into 4 packs, 3 of which will be frozen.

We are timing the purchase of the paint for the garage workshop so that we can get a Memorial Day rebate at Home Depot.

The garden is coming to life.  The tomatoes I started indoors have to be protected from the cat, we've learned - I've re-seeded the one she ate, little stinker.

We got one of Daughter's most favorite books at the library book sale for 25 cents.  She is really happy to have her own copy.  Another day, at another library, I found a book that I know she'll love.  Fifty cents, and I'm setting it back for her birthday in October.

I had all our various spices in these fairly lightweight, stacking, plastic bins.  They sort of crumpled to the floor on Friday, so I guess the spices were too heavy.  We had this little shelf on hand, and really, it was just a catch-all where it was being used.  Now it is the spice shelf, and sits at the end of the pantry.  It is much easier for me to find what I'm looking for.

We used items we had on hand to repair a kitchen cabinet door that needed a little help.  Free!

We had to hire a plumber 2-3 years ago to do some maintenance on our tankless water heater - mainly, flushing the copper assembly where the water gets heated.  It was about $270 at the time, and I considered a 'class fee', because I watched, and helped, the whole time (whether he wanted me to or not!  He was great about it, though.)  Our water heater was starting to show signs again that it needed to be flushed, and this time we were able to do it ourselves.  Our only 'cost' was about half a gallon of vinegar that we used to soak the tubing to loosen the deposits that have to be flushed out.  We also cleaned the screen filters in a little bowl of vinegar.  The whole process takes about an hour and a half, and most of that is waiting time while the vinegar sits in the assembly. 

We used various items we had on hand to create an outdoor space for relaxation and play.  Most of the plants were ones we had on hand, and I planted flower seeds so that this area will evolve over the course of summer into a really colorful, fun place to be.  The cushioning on the swing fell apart years ago, but has been replaced with a quilt.  I may try my hand at making cushions for it.  Daughter had three pair of boots she had outgrown.  Two of them had holes, so we used them for planters.  The other pair will be donated since they are still useful boots.   We dug a hole and Daughter put river stones around the edge, so we can build a little fire to roast marshmallows or hot dogs.  There are still some things we'd like to do, but it's a good start!  I did spend a little of my allowance money (about $5) for some geraniums and some trailing plants to add a little color until the flowers grow in, but everything else was 'stuff on hand'.

I doctored a cake mix, mostly because we have a brand of mayo we don't care for and I'm trying to use it in things where it won't be obvious.  The cake was tasty!  I also made Lo Mein, mashed potatoes....but most of our meals this week were things I'd made ahead, so I didn't cook as much as usual.  Still, we had a menu and ate home-cooked food - just not cooked this week. :)

We planted more garden - borage, oregano, moss parsley, cilantro, plus I planted some coleus seed for color/show.  We  found a home for the ducks, so now we have more plant-able space.  I had to re-plant the green beans because the seeds had been eaten.

Our big garden is lying fallow this year.  The main reason is because the deer jump the fence and eat whatever they please, so the gardening we are doing this year is in sheltered, covered areas.  That said, I discovered about 20 potatoes that have come up in the garden, where we missed a potato when we dug them last fall.  We will eat them as 'new potatoes' through the season, and dig any that remain when fall comes. 

When we were planting some things in the garden at church, we ended up digging up some Tansy (it is everywhere) and I was given permission to bring some home to put in my herb garden. 

I picked up my free $10 order from JCPenney - a pack of socks for Husband. 

I dropped off yet another prescription, for yet another $25 grocery credit at King Sooper.  I also transferred one to Kmart to earn a $25 gift card there.  I used some of it to get some Lime Away - the only thing I've found that will remove the minerals from our porcelain - for $1 a bottle.

We visited the library for a summer reading kickoff program and checked out some books, a Wii game and media for the coming week.

There was a one day sale on organic blueberries, and I bought a case - 12 pints.  Most of them are being frozen for use year-round.  The final price worked out to $2.60 a pound.  That's really good for organic, at least in our area.

Husband is priming and painting the garage workshop, and soon it will be ready for us to move in his tools, workbench, etc.  It's coming a long!  We have saved by doing as much of the work ourselves as possible.