Five Frugal Things

There is a blog I follow that I really enjoy and get a lot of great frugal ideas from. The Non-Consumer Advocate is based on the concept of use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. One of her frequent blog posts is five frugal things and I find I get so much motivation from reading all the comments and different frugal tips.

Keep in mind that it’s the small things we do daily that make a big difference. It’s not just about saving big bucks on a new car or a home loan because how often do you do those things. It’s the day-to-day opportunities and choices we make that make the real difference in being frugal. So, while they may seem repetitive and just a small savings, those are the most important. It also creates habit in us to keep frugality in the forefront of our minds. I like to make a game out of it. See how long I can hang on to that $20 or altering a meal plan to use up what I have on hand already.

Here are my five frugal things.

I brought leftovers to work for lunch. Actually the Z Man and I do this 99.99999999% of the time.
I made / reheated last nights dinner on the wood stove, saving on electricity by not using the kitchen stove.
Made a February challenge with some friends to reduce the number of days I spend to 4 days a week. Last week was 3 days, and so far this week there have been 0 spend days. This challenge does not include the spending of monthly bills, medical, or work related expenses. I’m feeling that 4 days isn’t really a challenge for me, so I think I’ll lower it to 2 or 3 days a week. What this challenge does is helps you plan all your purchases and prevents those quick trips to the store just because.
I did my monthly meal plan for February and purchased all needed ingredients (that wouldn’t spoil) for all meals in one large grocery shopping trip. However, even though I planned all our meals for February, I’ve decided we are going to do some major freezer and pantry meals because we have plenty on hand.
Returned my books on time to the library and checked out three more. No late fee and free reading / listening to books on cd in the car too.

Now it’s your turn. What are your five frugal things?

Till Next Time,

Lori

A Thought and A Funny

Do you ever need to remind yourself… “nothing you’ve done well was done perfect the first time”

Salvaging the out going trash that is full of empty hanging file folder boxes because you are sure you can use them for something.

You decide which is which……

Till Next Time,

Lori

Wednesday Waste – Is Anyone Listening?

Well this week wasn’t bad at all. This was all I had to toss out…..

Some lemon and lime wedges. I did save the plastic bag and washed it for reuse.

Clearly I didn’t drink enough wine spritzers this week… 😉

Oh, note to self… I need to pick up some seltzer water… thanks for reminding me. (am I talking to myself now, through my own blog? and did I answer? weird!)

The ZMan and I set up our recycling system and our compost system and it’s really working out well. This system makes the amount of garbage we have now very minimal. So much so that we’ve cancelled the trash pick up service and now it’s just a matter of tossing a garbage bag into the bin a couple of times a week.

We have to take our recycling to the same location as the garbage bin, so it just made sense to save the additional cost of trash pick up.

I am a little disappointed that our county doesn’t recycle glass though. I mean hello… wine bottles! Do I need to say anymore? Am I really going to have to go back to drinking boxed wine?

Well, yes… yes I am.

I found this great red that I’ve been enjoying. Even the ZMan likes it. Not that I ever expect to convert him from beer, nor do I want to (share that much, lol), but it’s nice to enjoy a glass of wine together every now and then.

The problem with a boxed wine is that you can’t “see” how much is exiting the box. You have to rely on the pour level and glass count. (yes I said glass count, and yes I “sometimes” have more than one glass) Oh, wow excuse me while I pull myself together, that was just too funny!!!! One glass!!! LOL!!! Really!!!

What I mean is you can’t look at the box and say, oh half the bottle is gone (already) and pretend to be shocked. 🙂

Anyway, if you like a full flavored but lighter side red then you should try it out. Actually, boxed wines have come a long way and there are some really good ones out there now.

And, isn’t that just grand for me now that I can recycle the box and not worry about the glass bottles piling up on me.

Did you have any waste this week? Have you checked?? Is anyone listening???

Y’all Take Care!

Lori