Month #3! This month, I tried to focus my frugality lens in terms of consuming: not in the sense of buying more, but instead using up the things I have already purchased and own. What good are things, even if they are neatly organized in drawers and shelves, if you never use them? This new way of thinking has been eye-opening for sure.
P.S. I have another new blog to share with you this month: The Frugal Girl. Another great resource to inspire you on your frugal journey!
+ I took apart and then reassembled my vacuum cleaner after one of the kids sucked up a colored pencil. A most ridiculous accomplishment, but you would not believe how many vacuums we’ve been through in almost 13 years of parenting!
+ I took a yard of orange fabric (that I’ve had stored away) and ripped it into strips to use as ribbon for my Poshmark/Ebay packages. I love how cute it looks and it was free!
+ Our living room chair is almost nine years old and was in sad shape. The removable back cushion was saggy and the arms were stained. I fixed the back cushion by wrapping a blanket (this cheap one from Walmart – we used them as furniture blankets when we moved here to the farmhouse and they’ve proved to be quite handy) around the insert and then cramming plastic grocery store bags in the sides to fill it out a little. Add a $25 slipcover and I have a brand new chair! So excited about this little project.
+ I got a sourdough starter up and running again. Hoping to get into the habit of making fresh bread at least three times a week. So far I’ve made an everyday loaf, a cinnamon raisin swirl, and waffles.
+ I made a big batch of ditalini pasta to accompany our dinner one night. I froze the leftovers and will use them in a soup once the weather gets cooler.
+ I used up all the birthday wrapping paper I had left from last year before buying new rolls. I also found a few gift bags I had stored away, which I can reuse for all the kids.
+ I made my own broth after roasting a whole chicken. I’ve had a full “broth bag” of veggie scraps in the freezer for over a month! It will never fail to amaze me how you can make something so delicious from things you’d normally just trash.
+ You know me and rabbit holes…one night, I got sucked into the world of bullet journals on Pinterest. So many beautiful books and inspiring ideas! I immediately wanted a brand new Leuchtturm notebook, highlighters and pens. ($$$) Instead, I took one of the extra composition books I bought for the kids (only 50 cents!), covered it in scrapbook paper I already owned and I love it all the same.
+ I moved the potatoes from the pantry to the fridge after reading this post. It seems like commonsense (potatoes were traditionally kept in root cellars; root cellars = cool temperatures) but I never took the time to really think about it! Hoping for much less waste with this small change.
+ I bought a “soap saver” to use up all those little bits of leftover soap. Love that I was able to support a maker on etsy too.
+ I sold four bar stools (that have been collecting dust in our basement for two years) on Facebook Marketplace. I’m happy to get them into a new home and really happy to get $100 for them! That money allowed us to cash flow a little day trip to go apple picking and have lunch near our “old-old house”, which is about an hour away.
+ I made soap from supplies I’ve had for years! I made this recipe for goat’s milk grapefruit mint soap once before and still had half of a container full of the melt and pour product. I made another batch (5 bars) and loved that I could actually use up something that was in my craft “stash” as well as make something useful.
+ I redeemed Swagbucks points for a $10 Amazon gift card.
+ I borrowed and read three books from the library.
+ I started buying supplies for our emergency closet: water, snacks and canned goods. Winter (and possible power outages) will be here before we know it!
+ I went to a few thrift stores with my mom and found 12 pieces of clothing for four members of the family, two books, a big mixing bowl and three of the same Crate & Barrel glasses I own for under $40.
Such a great idea for using that fabric!
I love that it's something that the recipient can re-use too!