Thrifty and Frugal
This is the last Thursday of the month, and while I have been thinking and working on new ways to be thrifty and frugal I seem to be stuck on the old tried and true ways.
1. Hung clothing on lines downstairs to dry.
2. Making sure I have full loads in the washer.
3. I have been trying to fit as much as possible into the dishwasher as well.
4. Using up bits and bobs when knitting those mittens for Kurt's school.
5. Turning off lights in rooms not in use.
6. Making sure the oven is full before using.
7. Walking for free exercise.
8. Trying to get at least two meatless meals a week in.
9. Harvey has been working on repairing some of the garden decor.
10. Decluttering my jewelry.
11. Saving the plastic bags and plastic veggie containers to use to plant on seedlings.
12. Putting off errands where I need to drive until I can do many of them together.
Life is getting a bit more complicated now that the cost of fuel has gone up. Also winter seems to want to stick around much longer than usual which means the furnace is running a bit more.
Groceries keep going up and so I am going to cook up and freeze some kidney beans, black eyed peas, and some other beans I seem to have collected dried. Really thinking of adding another meatless meal at some point during the upcoming month. Showing Harvey the prices of meat since he came with me shopping has been an eye opener for him and I believe has made him a bit more open to the idea of meatless meals as long as they are filling.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
Our gas has gone up a lot - but still not as bad as a few years back. I will be making the rounds when driving and do less of that (not that I go much). At least our weather is getting warmer - so not a big need for any heat for much longer.
ReplyDeleteDoing the same things every week just means you’re a pro at what you do! I’ve heard of others keeping the oven full when baking . But, that’s one i never seem to accomplish. Or, rarely. If you’ve never tried making sloppy joes with lentils you may enjoy them. Recipes are all over the internet. The one i tried was too sweet but so delicious otherwise. And, it made so much. I was able to freeze several meals worth.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading what you had to say about increasing the items in your pantry and have since seen several well-respected people discussing the same thing which has led to us making a list of the items we use that will keep well and today, when we placed our grocery order, we added multiples of some things with the goal to have our shelves full within a few months. Not frugal in the short term, but I feel it will pay off over time.
ReplyDeleteHubby does our cooking, I've been suggesting (nagging) him to use less meat for each sitting as well as going meat free at least once a week. Before he would make a curry for two meals, now it's for three.
ReplyDeleteThe meatless meals really do help to save money. I'm making a bean and cheese enchilada dish this weekend that helps me save money.
ReplyDeleteI'm going for at least one meatless meal per week too. Also, eating out will be rare, particularly after a vacation. I have a dinner in April as part of a civic group and that might be my " outing" for a meal for April. I feel bad though for restaurants and staff as more people eating at home impacts their livelihood. It's just tough out there.
ReplyDeleteWe do have two or three meatless meals per week, which isn't too bad, but we could do better.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by the cost of groceries at Safeway when I returned from Yuma. Prices have definitely increased during the three months I was away. The increases in fuel prices are only going to make prices rise higher.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm hoping the sno and cold ends soon.
Your tried and true frugal tips are very sensible and I'm sure many of us use them as well in our own households.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on decluttering. I don't know if this is true or not so please take what you want and toss the rest. When the washer guy came to fix our washer he told us that most folks over-fill their washers and that contributes to damage and a shorter life to an already short life cycle of some of today's washers and dryers.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I cannot confirm this. Just passing it along.
However I no longer overstuff and the clothes dry MUCH faster, making me use less heat to dry. Can't wait to hang them out soon.
Happy Weekend. Happy Savings.