The Big White Farmhouse

You know how good habits beget good habits?  I feel like frugality is similar.  All it takes is one tiny win (like getting a stain out of a sweater that you thought you had ruined) and the wheels start turning:  What else can I fix?  There’s got to be a way to keep this looking like new.  I wonder if I can get a few more uses out of this thing.  It’s addicting!  Breaking my materialistic, wasteful habits has been tricky and I’ve experienced a steep learning-curve, but I’m so glad I was brave enough to take the first step.  

+ We started the process of growing two avocados from seeds.  I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of growing new plants from scraps, so on a whim, we decided to give it a try!  We’ll hopefully start to see some growth in a couple of weeks.

+ Sophia had four well-loved pairs of leggings with holes in the knees.  I considered patching them (doing something like this) but ultimately decided to chop them into shorts.  I cut the first pair a little too short, but I think they’ll still work under dresses.  The rest turned out better!

+ A few of the kids were a little…boisterous when blowing out our Advent candles last December and spilled dark purple wax all over my table runner.  I’ve been chipping away at the hardened wax, but didn’t really know what else to do.  Thank goodness for a little Internet research!  First, I tried the paper bag method: “Place a paper bag over the wax. Put your iron on a low heat setting and run it over the bag on the waxy spot. The wax will be absorbed by the paper.”  I then spot-treated the stains and threw it in the wash.  It took a few tries, but I did get most of it out.  My biggest frugal accomplishment of the month!

+ I needed tomato paste for a recipe, but had more than half of the can left over.  I measured out one tablespoon blobs onto parchment paper and froze them, then combined them all in a freezer bag for future use.

+ I machine washed most of the bed pillows using the instructions from Clean Mama.  I’m embarrassed to say that I never even knew this was a thing…when our pillows started looking a little worse for wear, I’d just toss them in the trash and buy new ones.  Definitely adding this chore to the regular cleaning cycle from now on (I read that twice a year is sufficient).

+ We buy the big tubs of peanut butter, but it’s always tricky to get the last bits at the bottom of the jar.  When looking for frugal inspiration, I found a tip recommending the use of a spatula…and it’s a total game-changer!  We got out at least three more servings.

+ During this same time, I found an article listing some “extreme” frugal tips and read one about cutting the bottom of the toothpaste tube to get out a few more portions.  My first thought was “Hmm, that does seem a little extreme…” followed by, “Maybe I should see how that works.”  Don’t knock it ’til you try it, right?  I snipped off the bottom at an angle (like you would with a pastry bag) and squeezed the toothpaste down and out that way.  And you really do get a few extra portions – I think I counted five?

+ J and I made a homemade hot cocoa mix together.  He loves his daily cup almost as much as I love my coffee, but I had this gut feeling that something in the store-bought mix wasn’t agreeing with him.  We used this four-ingredient recipe and he says it’s delicious!

+ I started on Sophia’s spring/summer wardrobe.  Being the only girl, I don’t have many hand-me-downs to rely on!  I challenged myself to see how far I could get by choosing secondhand first and wanted to start early so I wouldn’t feel rushed.  Boy, did I hit the jackpot!  Using this graphic as a guide, I browsed ThredUp and was shocked to see how much I could find.  I even found a coupon code to sweeten the deal!    (If you sign up with my link, you get $10 to spend on your first order!)

+ I borrowed and read two books from the library.

+ I roasted a chicken and then made broth from the bones and veggie scraps I keep in the freezer.  I also got to use my Souper Cubes (affiliate link!) again, which made me happy.

Your turn!  What did you do to save a little money this month?
P.S. I’ve been pinning frugal ideas to this Pinterest board if you need some inspiration too!