Friday, March 11, 2022

Frugal Friday- Cheap Home Essentials, Price of Gas, Live in General 3/11/22!

We went to an estate sale by us (a mile up the road) and bought some home essentials.  I got these Swiffer Sweeper pads for a $1.00 each, plastic eggs and Epsom salt were both $2.00.  Husband bought a charger for $6.00 and some oil for $1.00 each.  

This is our favorite  way to get some things we need.  Just this past week I cleaned and organized my medicine cabinet and Epsom salt is one thing I didn't have.  I thought I was out of Band-Aids but found our stash from an estate sale last year.  It pays to Spring clean to know what you have and that way you don't to buy for a higher price than last year.  My motto now is to make sure to look for it, you probably already have it!  On the cabinet above we have a lot of hand sanitizer that was bought for a great price.  I think we are good!  

The first day the gas prices went up we didn't go anywhere ..we stayed home and got over the shock.  Husband said no more rides (he is the head tightwad).  Thank goodness the next day we had to go out for errands ha ha!  We even found gas for $3.99 a gallon for cash.  We filled up.  

I think sometimes it doesn't pay to get all the deals.   For instance, milk may be on sale over here or pickles are cheaper at this store.  Now though the price of gas and time may need to be added in to the deal.  I have to ask myself is it worth it.

We would walk, ride bikes, or something but there is ice on the pavement, some deep, feet grabbing mud in the yard, and more snow has just fallen here this morning.  It is still winter in Michigan.  I can't wait for Spring!  

What are the ways you saved this past week?


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11 comments:

Cheryl Kimbley said...

Nice deals. I found several things this week that I had hid away!
UGH - snow - we have a little coming today.

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

I'm over the snow...hoping these inches are the last!
Isn't nice to find things we have hidden away?

Lana said...

We managed to fill up for 3.69 but I said no more rides up to the mountains to eat at our favorite steakhouse. But even with that our tanks of gas usually last 4 weeks so that is not too bad. Gas had been so cheap for so long that my gas budget was loaded up with extra money for which I am very grateful now.

Hubby's Medicare Advantage plan allows us to order $50 of supplies every quarter so we ordered several types of band aids. There is no description on the website so you just pick the ones you want and they ship them. We were quite surprised to receive boxes of 300 of each type. We are set for a good while. We are taking inventory of everything here and restocking before we cannot afford to do it. I had been having trouble finding a few items and thought to look on Walmart.com. I was able to order it all and ship it free because it was over $35. I am so glad to know those items are taken care of.

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

The gas prices are all worth it in the end..just hard to get used to. We fill up once a week taking grandchildren to school so it can get quite expensive but now we are using the one that has a better gas mileage more. Just an adjustment.
You guys did really well on the bandaids! In the next year or so we will have to sign up for Medicare. We have to try and figure it all out. So many different programs.

Belinda said...

I’ve never seen gas as high as it is now. $4.19 a gallon here. We will just make less trips than we usually do. $3.99 is a better price. I’m glad you were able to get it for that price.

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

Gas just blew up in price Belinda..it's averaging $4.25 a gallon now here.
I think the $3.99 price was just luck that day.
It's an adjustment that we have to get used to.

Anonymous said...

Vickie great deals on your estate sales and it pays to look out for things you need at rock bottom prices wherever you are already traveling to :) .

Well our fuel in Australia just went up today to $2.039 per litre and with discounts of 3% off for the gift cards I purchase and another 4c off per litre with our rewards for doing our normal $30+ grocery order it brings the fuel down to $1.937 per litre. We filled up 2 x 20 lt jerry cans we used and it had gone up .35c a litre from the last time we bulk purchased it so that is a big hit to the hip pocket indeed living rurally. I almost I think had a kitten when I saw the price rise on fuel today :o .

Like yourself we will be doing less trips in the car to save fuel and maximise the trips we have out to get anything we need for the home or in groceries too. You certainly do have to weigh up whether a trip is worth the savings accounting for the fuel costs more so now than ever before.

In the kitchen -
- Baked 4 loaves of wholemeal white bread in the bread making machines saving $13.96 over buying them locally in the stores.
- DH cleaned the oven and shelves.
- I cleaned the two sets of aluminium blinds in the kitchen, the windows behind and the kitchen tile splash backs. The kitchen looks so much cleaner now but still more spring cleaning to do in there bit by bit.

In the gardens -
- I replanted some corn seeds I had saved from our previous crop and another garden bed with saved broad bean seeds from our previous crop too.

Finances -
- Banked more money into our 3 month emergency fund and paid an extra part payment off our mortgage.

Purchases -
- Saved 3% by using our discounted fuel e-gift card and another 4c per litre off fuel to fill two jerry cans saving in total $4.82 on Not so normal :o fuel costs.
- Saved 4% or .55c by using our grocery discount e-gift card to top up the pantry for a few things we needed.

Have a great week ahead everyone :).


Lorna.

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

Lorna, I love that saying "almost had a kitten" LOL.
We are Spring cleaning a lot too but it's a little at a time like you. It will all be worth it when summer comes and it's done though.
I'm so glad you were able to get your fuel for a discount. Everything helps during these times.
You have a great week too!

Nancy said...

Lorna, looks like you got it together girl! Love that you are trying to pay mortgage early. Our goal was no debt living when we married 47 years ago, it's a sacrifice but so worth it. I realize it's different now and worry for the kids nowadays.
Vickie-I'm so glad you are back-missed you so much. Love hearing about your garage/estate outings, gardening, and your family.
We still have lots of snow here in Northern Wisconsin and are eagerly awaiting spring! Have a great weekend!

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

ohh it's so cold here this morning Nancy. I know it has to be cold there too! Stay warm!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Nancy yes we live debt free apart from a very small mortgage and it is the only way to do it I think :). We are currently paying double mortgage payments each month and have paid 1/4 of what we owe on the loan in just over 3 years. I do feel sorry for those just starting out in the property markets as they have mostly borrowed to the maximum of their ability to afford to get into the super expensive property market here and elsewhere around the world.

There were surveys done just recently that said if home loan interest rates went up by 1% in Australia that 20% of those with a mortgage would struggle/ not cope (have to borrow from family) or be able to pay their mortgages at all.

It is certainly a more scary world we live in with all these price rises.


Lorna.