Month #2! I’m really enjoying this challenge of noticing and recording. I’m trying to change my knee-jerk reaction of buying instead of making do/mending/fixing and this monthly post is helping. I’m starting to look around my home in gratitude, taking care of the things we’ve purchased, and being thankful that we have all that we need.
P.S. I have a new blog to share with you this month: The Non Consumer Advocate. Maybe this is just me, but I prefer blogs that don’t tell me what to do, but instead show me what they’re doing. I’m always inspired after reading her weekly “Five Frugal Things” and think you will be too.
+ I became very vigilant about turning off all the lights in unoccupied rooms (I’m turning into you, Dad!). I gave a reminder talk to some of the kids who were especially guilty of this.
+ I have had a small hole in one of the throw pillows on my bed for years. I’ve just propped it up on the opposite side all this time, but finally decided to sew it up! It took all of five minutes and now I feel ridiculous that I didn’t do that sooner.
+ After reading about fast fashion and different types of fabric this summer, I gave myself two goals when purchasing clothes going forward: seek ethical companies (made in the USA even better!) and look for breathable fabrics like cotton, linen and silk. These goals are tricky because the price tags tend to be $$$. BUT! While I was shopping on ThredUp for fall clothes for Sophie, I found a linen-blend black v-neck tee from Dolan (I think that’s an Anthropologie brand?), made in the USA, and only $3!
+ I collected all of the free samples we’ve been receiving in our “goodie bags” from the dentist and put them in a milkglass bowl I already own. Now they’re all easy to find and we’ll be good on floss and toothpaste for awhile.
+ I didn’t buy a single book for myself. Book Outlet even had a sale and I kept my debit card in my wallet, hah! Still working through the stacks on my nightstand.
+ The white quilt on my bed was looking really dingy from the dirty feet of my children. (Full disclosure, I immediately started daydreaming about buying new bedding from Pottery Barn.) Instead, I bought a bottle of OxyClean, washed my quilt and it looks brand new again.
+ I put out a request on Trash Nothing for a deep freezer. No luck yet.
+ Ebay had a 4-day promotion that waived the listing fees for 200 items. I listed 40 items, saving me $14.
+ Speaking of Ebay, I sold a handful of homeschooling books we no longer use and made a nice little profit…which went right into buying more supplies for the current school year. An educational circle of life.
+ I borrowed and read two books from the library.
+ One of my favorite coffee mugs has a crack inside, so I re-purposed it into a pen holder.
+ I made two banana breads with bananas that were starting to turn brown.
+ I went through my entire fall/winter wardrobe and looked at every.single.piece. Perks to being the most boring dresser ever: almost all of my clothes are navy blue, olive green, gray, white or black! I threw everything on my bed and inventoried what I had and what I needed. So for example, I noticed that I could use a new plain black long sleeve tee and a chunky black cardigan, but I’m all set on gray sweaters and anything striped. This process gave me a very specific shopping list, which will ultimately save me money in the long run.
+ I invested in a dryer lint trap brush (I bought mine locally, but it’s similar to this). So many pros to this little $5 gadget: it will help prevent fires, less lint in the trap will increase dryer performance (faster loads = money saved) and it even helps with pet hair. A worthwhile purchase.
+ I made a double batch of buttermilk waffles during our “Big Sunday Breakfast” and froze the leftovers for easy breakfasts during the week.
+ I gave some of Lucy’s puppy supplies to a lady through Trash Nothing. I’m happy that another dog will have them since they were only used for such a short amount of time.
+ Lucy (almost 7 months old) suddenly become very picky about her breakfast/dinner, turned her nose to it and refused to eat. After ruling out any illness, I did some research and decided to try the least expensive option: adding a little rice and/or chicken broth. And it worked! She’s gobbled up her meals without complaint ever since. Silly dog.
+ I made a batch of homemade taco seasoning using this recipe.
I agree that I love being observant and intentional now about frugal living has me motivated like crazy!! Thanks as always for the motivation! xxo
YES! I'm looking at my house and possessions in an entirely new light. I definitely needed a good kick in the bum toward gratitude. 🙂
This is great and I'm glad the chicken broth worked! My picky eater is impossible
Me too! We sometimes change it up with plain Greek yogurt and I think the variety is helping too. I had no idea dogs could be so opinionated!
So many great ideas! And I'm the same- I definitely prefer blogs that show instead of tell!
So glad to know that I'm not the only one!
These are awesome!! Last year we went from two incomes to one and I am still trying to adjust to our new budget. So often if something runs out or breaks I just go without it … I need to learn how to actually fix things/make my own! Thank you!
Totally understand – that's me too. It's ridiculous how empowering it feels to just sew up a hole in a pillow, hah! Those little projects have given me confidence to try fixing bigger things, like my refrigerator ice maker that's been a little wonky lately. YouTube and Pinterest have become my go-to spots for learning.
I'd love to hear what you tackle in your home too!