MARCH’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ I replaced a missing button on a hand-me-down shirt.  My mother gave me a soft flannel shirt but it was missing a button right at the belly button, ha!  Nothing a quick search through the button jar couldn’t fix!  I quickly attached a similar-sized one and the shirt is ready to wear out in public again.

+ I sold a few things on reselling sites like ebay/Poshmark/Pango. I keep and reuse the packing materials I receive (boxes, bubble wrap, tissue paper, even Amazon envelopes!) so my shipping costs are kept at zero.

+ We made a compost system using pallets and wire we already had on hand.  Love the eventual free compost for the garden and love that we no longer have a stack of pallets taking up space in the yard.

+ I saved the bones from a whole chicken to use for broth.  I later froze the broth in my Souper Cubes (affiliate link) for future recipes.

+ When working on sod removal for the new potato bed, I accidentally whacked myself in the face with the shovel.  (Don’t ask…) Fortunately, my glasses received most of the blow, but unfortunately, now one of the “arms” is wobbly and will have to be fixed.  Thank goodness for the inexpensive back up pair I bought last year!  They saved me a trip to the eye doctor for now.

+ One of my boys is quickly outgrowing his sneakers, so we dug around our “big brothers hand-me-down bin” to find a pair that fit.  I used a Magic Eraser to whiten up the soles and they look good as new!

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FEBRUARY’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ We bought a new washer and dryer.  After months of sort-term fixes, we knew our money would probably be better spent just replacing them.  We found a pair in our price range that also fit a specific need: no fancy parts!  No touch screens, glass tops…just your run of the mill, all metal, no frills machines.  They are a little smaller than the last pair, but I’m hoping their lifespan will be considerably longer than the last ones.

+ I cooked dried beans to use in recipes.  So much cheaper than the canned variety and it makes a ton!  I use this recipe to cook the beans and this one to make refried beans.  Oven baked tostadas are a delicious and quick meatless meal we’ve been loving lately.

+ After months and months off, I went back to making our daily homemade bread.  I’ve gotten into a good routine with the bread machine doing the mixing and first rise, then I separate into two loaves for the second rise and bake.  I’m also considering doing a big “baking day” and making a week’s worth of bread/bagels in one swoop.  Maybe next month.

+ I cleaned the coffeemaker with inexpensive vinegar and water.  We’ve been terrible about doing this regularly, but I want to be better about it in this new year.  Better tasting coffee and a better working machine = win/win!

+ I used some of last year’s garden produce that we saved in the freezer.  So nice to eat something fresh in the dead of winter!

+ I’ve been selling a few things on ebay, Poshmark, and Pango.

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JANUARY’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ I had two unopened bags of flour tortillas in the pantry that I knew we weren’t going to use soon.  Turns out tortillas are very freezer friendly!  I wrapped them up in foil, popped them in a freezer bag, and they’re ready to use in the future.

+ We’ve fallen into a weekly dinner routine that tends to have three of the same themes: a soup/chili, a breakfast for dinner, and a Refrigerator Clean Out Night.  The other four nights vary based on what we have.

+ Due to the hens starting to slow down and/or lay in mysterious and inconvenient places, we broke into our water-glassed eggs stash from last fall.  I’m so thankful that I saved them back in the days when we were drowning in eggs!  (And in case you’re curious, after a thorough washing, the appearance and taste is exactly the same.)

+ I had a dress to sell but discovered some pilling along the sides.  Since that would drastically reduce the resale value, I took out my handy fabric shaver (affiliate link) and it looked good as new!  A good reminder that we can keep our clothing in great shape with just a little upkeep.

+ I made homemade chicken broth from chicken backs we saved from last summer’s processing day.

+ A fun DIY kitchen curtain project: I moved a curtain rod from another room and spray painted it matte black. I then found fabric I liked (originally a shower curtain!) and cut and sewed it to the correct size.  And bonus: I purchased the shower curtain on Poshmark and used the profits I had earned from selling our unneeded items to purchase it, so the only money spent for this project was the spray paint at $5.98!

+ I reduced the amount of laundry I do, making sure I have full loads.

+ I’ve mentioned many times before that our first floor has a textured wall treatment that I would like to have skim coated.  It will require a professional, so I’m saving my pennies!  One way to get closer to the goal is to use our credit card’s reward point program.  We use our credit card almost exclusively (and then pay it off in full at the end of the month) and whatever points I earn, I redeem for cash to be transferred to a special savings account.  Baby steps, but I’ll get these walls done one of these days!

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November’s Frugal Accomplishments
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without

+ We had a bag of potatoes that were just about to go bad, so I decided to practice a new skill and dehydrate them.  The process was a little tedious, but my little kids helped peel and slice and spread on the trays.  It was a family event!  I ordered an attachment (affiliate link) for my Food Saver that seals mason jars so I can keep them in the pantry for a rainy day.  (I found a recipe for scalloped potatoes that I printed to use them up later on.)

+ When we process our chickens, we keep the backs of the ones we cut up into breasts/thighs/wings.  (We try to use everything!)  I thawed one of the bags of backs and made a big batch of chicken broth.  I kept some in the fridge and froze the rest for future soups and stews.

+ At the grocery store, I stocked up on vinegar and baking soda to make homemade cleaners.

+ I made puree from little pie pumpkins I bought at the store.  I also roasted the seeds using this delicious tutorial.  It’s so awesome to use every part of a vegetable.

+ I saved the seeds from one of the last peppers grown so I can grow them again next spring.

+ When we moved to the farmhouse four years ago, our cell phone reception was very spotty and unreliable so we got a land line.  Thankfully, in the years since, the reception has greatly improved (not great, but waaay better than before) so we felt comfortable letting the land line go.  That saves us $35 a month and bonus!  We just received our final bill and it was actually a $13 credit.  I’ll take it!

+ I amended our garden soil with ash from the fireplace, last year’s compost pile and leaves from around the property.

+ The biggest win of the month goes to my pigs.  Those little guys eat all of our scraps.  Between the pigs, the chickens and our compost pile, we have almost no food waste at this point.  Huge!

+ J needed a new pair of sneakers. I had the hardest time finding the style he wanted that was also in his size! Thankfully, a quick search on ebay found just what I was looking for and at a comparable price. And bonus for being able to support a small business!

+ I used up all of the old, leftover wrapping paper I had saved from last year before buying new rolls.

+ I cleaned my dishwasher with vinegar using this tutorial.

+ I unclogged both of our master sinks and one of our bathtubs with my go-to recipe.

+ We turned off our air conditioning on the first day of fall (September 22) and I am anxious to see how long we can go before having to turn on the heat!

+ We have a bad habit of keeping cell phone and laptop chargers plugged into the wall.  Apparently these still use “phantom energy” so I’ve tried to change my habits and unplug them when not in use.  (We now unplug the toaster and other kitchen appliances too.)  Not sure how much we’ll actually save on our electric bill, but every little bit helps!

+ I’ve been asking myself, Can I get one more use out of it?  I’ve seen the benefit of this simple question both from a frugal standpoint as well as just general waste reduction.  A couple of examples:

• I cut a notch on the back end of my toothpaste and got three more days of use!
• I use almond milk in my morning coffee.  One morning, I realized that I was nearing the end of the bottle, so I used a little less than normal in order to give myself one more serving later on.

+ I buy Bonne Maman jam so that I can wash and repurpose the glass jars.  They are the perfect size for little bits and bobs.  Also, did you know that Classico pasta sauces are poured in mason jars?  You can wash them and then add your typical lids and bands for further use.

+ We weren’t planning to buy our pigs until the spring, but couldn’t pass up the great deal!  While they were already a great price, if we purchased three or more, we could save even more.  In other pig news, we took apart our chicken tractors (we have a new plan for next spring) and reused the lumber to build a pig shelter.  It’s not particularly pretty, but it’s free.

+ I bought little pumpkins to decorate my kitchen, but went with the pie version so we could also make puree later on.

+ I had some points and store credit on ThredUp so decided to check out their clearance section for next year’s clothes for my daughter.  I was able to find nine pieces of clothing (all name brand bottoms, tops and a hoodie) for less than $50.  A great deal.

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+ I have used the same purse for the last six years. Just one purse!  She has served me well, but I knew it was time to retire her when my four-year-old starting peeling off flaky pieces of faux leather during Mass.  Because I’m the most boring person in the world, I found a similar replacement (same brand, same size) on Poshmark for less than $20!

+ Mark gave haircuts to three of the boys.  I gave my daughter a big trim – about four inches off and she looks so cute!

+ I shredded junk mail to add to my compost pile.

+ I listed and sold a handful of books I’ve finished and don’t see myself reading again.

+ I used the water collected from our basement dehumidifier to water my plants.

+ I bought a new skirt (secondhand) and found a small hole in one of the pockets.  Two minutes and a quick stitch later, it’s good as new!

+ Our well-used fitted sheet got a rip in it, so we had to buy a new set.  The flat sheet of the old set is still in great condition, so I’m keeping it to use as a quilt backing or for some other project.

+ The hens are laying more than 90 eggs a week and we are loving the free protein source!

+ I started working on a little homemade Christmas present for each of the kids.  I even found a coupon to use at Joann’s too!

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+ My son had a broken button on his collared shirt.  I removed the broken one, replaced it with the last button (which won’t be seen since the shirt will be tucked in) and voila!  Ready to wear.

+ Mark made a brisket and, after removing a lot of the fat, decided to try his hand at making tallow!  Super easy process in the slow cooker and it was nice to get one more use out of something that we would normally just throw away.

+ I used my handy dandy declogger recipe to fix our utility sink.

+ The seam on a pair of Sophie’s leggings ripped open, so I hand sewed it back together.  (My little sewing basket is getting a lot of use!)

+ We gave haircuts to three of the boys.

+ I made chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass (from one of our own chickens!) and veggies scraps I keep in the freezer.  Per usual, I used my favorite Souper Cubes (affiliate link).  Later, we used the stock as the liquid for cooking pinto beans.  Delicious!

+ We fed the hens some of our kitchen scraps and the rest went to our growing compost pile.

+ I chose a few books to read and review on Netgalley.  Gotta love new books without spending any money!

GARDEN SAVINGS:
+ As of this writing, we have picked 244 strawberries from our little strawberry patch. In our area, 2lb. of organic strawberries cost $5.56, so we’ve saved about $20 by growing our own!  Not bad for just ten bareroots.

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We’re working on two big financial goals right now: saving (a little more than) six months of expenses and paying down our mortgage!  I’m happy to return to intentional frugal living as we chip away, little by little.  Here’s what we’ve been up to this winter: (Linking up with Rosie again too!)

+ Last year, my husband and boys chopped up a bunch of fallen trees from our property.  Even though they aren’t completely seasoned yet, we’ve still been able to keep our heat quite low when we burned the wood in the fireplace.  Other frugal fireplace accomplishments: I sprinkled the wood ashes around the driplines of our fruit trees and we tried a DIY firestarter from toilet paper rolls and dryer lint.

+ I gave my daughter a haircut.

+ I buy a lot of used books and sometimes they are hardcover rejects from libraries.  I carefully cut the plastic cover off the dustjacket and boom!  Looks like a brand new book!

+ Groceries seem to be getting more expensive, so I worked on incorporating a little more rice and beans in our dinner rotation.  I even learned how to cook dried beans – so easy and makes a ton!

+ I took advantage of ebay’s waived listing fees (I get 200 a month) and posted a bunch of unneeded and outgrown clothing.

+ I made chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass and a bunch of vegetable odds and ends that I keep in the freezer.  I used my beloved Souper Cubes (affiliate link) again.

+ I started browsing ThredUp for deals to get a head start on spring/summer clothes for my daughter.

+ After almost a decade, I finally bought new glasses last November and now I wear them almost every day!  (Ironic since I hated glasses with a passion when I was in high school, but here we are.)  This is saving me lots of money in contact lenses and solution.

+ I took out my soap keeper (affiliate link) once my bar of soap turned small and unwieldy.  This has proven to be quite a handy purchase for stretching soap even further.

Your turn!  What did you do to save a little money the past few months?

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JULY’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

+ Summer seems to be a great time to sell old school books on eBay and I’ve been having a lot of luck.  I save boxes and packaging from my own online purchases and reuse them to ship out the books.  Frugal and environmentally friendly – a win/win!

+ I am in the process of sewing a scrap quilt completely by hand using a variety of fabrics that I’ve been hoarding forever – some given to me from my late grandmother, a few I purchased over a decade ago, even a couple pieces of clothing and an old pillowcase.

+ I made cutoffs for Sophia from a pair of her jeggings.  They had big holes in the knees and would have ended up in the trash.  Turned out so cute!

+ We had summer squash coming out of our ears this month!  I cut a handful of them up in rounds and froze them for later.  A few recipes we’ve made:

• a side dish similar to this: Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Zucchini, Squash and Tomatoes
• this one was a big hit and will be doubled next time: Cheesy Bacon Yellow Squash Casserole
• will make this one as soon as my new plant starts producing again: Mexican Squash and Ground Beef Casserole

+ I purchased two new dresses for church on ThredUp.  I had credit from sending in a clean-out bag along with enough points to get $10 off of my order.

+ I used the water from the kids’ kiddie pool to water my wildflowers in the front beds.

+ We harvested and shelled our “crop” of dry kidney beans.  (This post was helpful.)  We had quite the laugh since it ended up only being enough to feed us for probably two or three meals.  Oops!  We’ll definitely have to increase the amount we grow next year.

+ Mark gave four of the boys haircuts.

+ TJ needed new sneakers and I found an outgrown pair of J’s in the hand-me-down bins.  They were still in good condition but were a little dirty around the bottoms.  Nothing a Magic Eraser and a little elbow grease can’t fix!  Now they’re back to white and ready to wear.

+ Ebay had a monthly promotion that waived the listing fees for 200 items.  I listed 19 items, mostly books, saving me almost $7.

+ I replaced our very outdated family photos with pages I pulled from a vintage painting book.  I love how unique they are and that this short-term solution was free.  I’ll get those professional family photos redone someday.
Your turn!  What did you do to save a little money this month?
P.S. I pin frugal ideas to this Pinterest board if you need some inspiration too!