Last Week's Frugal Accomplishments

One reason my to-do list didn't get to-done....

There was some left-over heavy cream after I made a recipe last week.  I didn't want it to spoil, so I made a big batch of mashed potatoes, and used it there.  Some went into this week's shepherd's pie, some went into the freezer for future meals.

We stopped by KMart to pick up a second prescription transfer, so we got a second $25 gift card for free.  Once we were home, I realized that I had a prescription I could transfer, so Husband dropped it off one night after work, and I picked it up on a day I was in town for other reasons, getting us a third $25 gift card (we had also gotten one a little earlier this month).  KMart's prices are not as competitive as some other places we shop, so we are looking for sale/coupon opportunities to stretch the gift cards as far as we can.  Generally, we use them for things like toilet paper, shampoo or soap and cleaning supplies.  I am going to check on shelf-liner too, to spruce up the drawers in my kitchen.

We accepted a bag of gluten-free flour from a friend - it has an ingredient in it that prevents her from using it...it will give us an opportunity to do some experimenting.

We went hiking at the nature center.  There is a really nice visitor center and lots of lovely trails, all free to the public.  We planned to go out for supper afterward, and we drank water to make it a little more affordable.

We made a menu (posted here) to use foods we had on hand and produce that was in our fridge.  I made gluten-free enchilada sauce, Mexican rice, franks and beans, homemade pizza, buffalo chicken dip, shepherd's pie, a ham and vegetable soup, Greek lemon chicken and potatoes, lots of salad, and I prepped lots of fruits and vegetables.  I have a pretty good routine for this stuff, and I made extra where I could for future meals.

We purchase groceries when they are on sale, then create a menu from those items for
maximum saving and minimum spending.

The wood stove came in very handy this week, keeping us toasty warm on cold days.

I had been pet-sitting for a neighbor, who gave me a Wal-Mart gift card as a thank-you.  We will make it part of February's grocery budget, meaning that we will take out less cash for groceries and use the gift card instead.

I received a coupon for a free beverage.  I don't remember signing up for it, but often, I sign up, completely forget, and then I'm happily surprised when I get the coupon. :)  Like any other week, we used coupons combined with sales to save on food costs.

We had gotten a gas reward for $1 off per gallon, up to 35 gallons of fuel.  We have smaller vehicles, so the tanks are not large enough to take advantage of all that savings.  Husband resolved that by filling the tank on our little truck and then filling gas cans to get the remaining 35 gallons.  We can fill our car from the gas cans as needed.

My list isn't terribly long this week, but we did have a good week.  How was yours?  What frugal things did you do?