Sunday, December 8, 2019

My Frugal Ways this Past Week 12/8/19!

It's been dark and dreary, with little or no sun in forever, it seems like in our part of Michigan. I've put Christmas lights up (more than the picture) and that has seemed to lift our spirits up a little.  Yesterday, we were blessed with the sun all afternoon and I could tell that it just made a world of difference in our mood.  We were smiling and happy as can be.  



I've spent the last couple of days drying apples.  We bought a lot of apples for a good price and we've used a lot of them for eating and recipes.  Problem is, we still have a lot apples and they were going to go bad very soon.   

I decided drying apples was the quickest way to preserve them during this busy Christmas season.  The jar is over half filled now and I'm on my last batch today.



I crochet a cowl and in the end decided it would be for me.  It's not as perfect as I would like it so I won't gift it, but I'll be making more now that I'm understand the pattern.  

My daughter gave me her Meijer coupons before they ran out. One was for a quart of free strawberries!  I also bought oatmeal for a great price at Meijer too this week.  You can see my deal here.  

We went to a couple of estate sales this past week.  Some of the things I found were a huge bag of quilt batting for $5.00,  a pair of antique scissors that were made in the 40's for $1.00, a cooler for $2.00, 12 pint size canning jars for $2.00 (box never opened),  5 small clay gardening pots for $2.00, a new scrapbook for $1.50, and some aluminum foil for free.  There was just enough aluminum foil in the box to cover two small burners on my stove.  


My goals:


Keep working on sewing, crochet, and needlepoint projects I have.

Clean the pantry shelves.  

Start walking at the mall or the church (good reminder from my sis) 

How did you save this past week?  


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8 comments:

Cheryl Kimbley said...

It amazes me that you keep finding these estate sales. Nothing like that happens here at all in the winter months. That would be a great way to break up the monotony of winter.
Have a great weekend

Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden said...

Cheryl go to estatesales.net and put in your city. There will be a list of estate sales there. Most of the time we go on the 1/2 off days and it really is fun.

Jenny said...

I was so happy to see the sun this week as well. All last wee was rain & mud...being tracked all through my house as workers worked on my bathroom. I have high hopes that phase one will be finished this week but they can only work two days...so we'll see. Phase one is the main bathroom & trimming out the windows. They'll come back Jan. 1st to gut the master bath.

My frugal ways
We're still eating out some but not as much as the week before. I guess I'm learning how to live with strangers in my house. The days we did eat out we shared meals & even made sure we had enough for lunches the next day. And I've been able to keep up with making lunches on the days I cook at home.

My contractor saved us a broken window. The installers cracked the frame on one window when they put it in. They covered it with trim & wanted me to keep it as is. My contractor took pictures before it was covered & showed me where it was bowed on the bottom...so the installers have to come back with a new window.

The window company also did not ask for any payment at all (they installed 9 windows) until all are in & we're satisfied. So I don't know how much that saved us...the cost of one window? Around $400. So that's a big deal but we are paying our contractor a maintenance fee & that's part of the job...to make sure subcontractors are doing it right. I guess I feel better that I'm not wasting money on the fee. We've never done a remodel this way before....we've done two..a kitchen/screened porch & a laundry room add on. So far it looks like it's not adding to the cost too much & will be worth it.

No other savings really. Just lots of spending but we're spending on things we've saved ahead to buy.

Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden said...

I love that you are sharing your food with the workers Jenny. We've done that too and they love it. Who knows maybe they will do a better job because your so kind.
So glad you are covered for your window! Man windows are costly.
Have a great day.

Lana said...

I really feel those dark and dreary days too but I am sure we have far less of them here in the South. I take 5000 IU of vitamin D3 from Oct 1 through May and it really helps me since it is the vitamin that we get from sunlight. If you are a member of Sam's they have a 400 ct bottle for $10 which is a great price.

Jenny said...

I did not expect the windows to cost so much!They are just plain, regular windows, nothing large or fancy. The first window company we looked at was almost $1000 more than the one we went with. But I can say that I look forward to cold winter days without ice on the inside of my windows anymore. For 30 yrs now I've had to wipe the condensation off inside my windows every cold day to keep mold from growing.

Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden said...

Yes! our front window has condensation on the bottom too. I hate that too. They are definitely worth replacing...you'll never regret spending the money I bet!

Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden said...

It stays very dark and cloudy here for many days in a row. I take vitamin d but I don't think as much as you. That is a great price at Sam's..thanks for the tip. I'm going to go look at the bottle to see how much I take right now.