Frugal Activities #35
I really like doing this post each week ... I think it keeps me a little more accountable and does make me think twice about some things...
This was a really odd week ... probably because Sunday ended with me getting home late after having to run to the emergency room for my dad ... fortunately, he was released and doesn't seem to be anything "serious" but really, have YOU ever coughed so hard that you passed out? I haven't.
Any way.
The week went by real fast, I think ... and some things were frugal, and others, not so much. I did have a moment of self indulgence (I deserve it, damn it! Anyone? Raise your hand!) but otherwise, not a very bad week!
Here are some of the Frugal Activities we did:
1. Avoided Costco, yet again! Eh, I do plan on going today though as it's our anniversary (whoops, we both totally forgot about it, is it the 24th or the 26th??) so I want to buy some nice rib eyes (not going to the $26 per pound place, sorry).
2. Shopped at Aldis ... still spent $80 BUT it was because they had the chicken breakfast sausage that Hubby loves ... $2.99 for 7 links, a little pricey BUT it's a good, healthy alternative breakfast meat ;-)
3. Only ate out once this past week, me and Hubby on Thursday night. Long day for both of us and we were just lazy. With tip, $50. The key here was we each had ONE drink only ;-) Finally, after all these years, we admit the bar tab is what eats up our dining out budget!
4. Menu Planned ... stuck with it somewhat. I had taken the ground beef, chicken thighs and bratwurst out on Sunday so that helped me to cook what I had planned. FYI ... bratwurst in the crock pot were NOT all that and more. Most likely because of the apple juice instead of the beer. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't use alcohol in the crock pot since it doesn't evaporate but I need to re-read that tip again.
5. Booked the hotel room in downtown Chicago for the Friday we are there (Hubby's birthday, we will drive to family on Saturday) using Hubby's account number for the chain (Embassy Suites) ... pretty excited to see that he's racking up the points towards another trip to Nashville for F R E E! Why am I saying that this is Frugal (room was $219 a night) ... because, we got ourselves a corner room for about $50 less than normal because he signed in to his account to book ... plus he's eligible for an upgrade ... not sure if he took that. I am looking (not) forward to the Ledge experience (petrified of heights!) and the trip to see the Bean (Millennium Park) ... having a hard time locating cool bars and places to go Friday night so if you are from Chicago and can make some recommendations, let me know!
6. Finally dropped Princess from my T mobile account ... she's had her own phone service for a month now. This will save me $25 a month on the phone bill. Need to go back and re-do Hubby's plan as he just forwards his phone to his work phone so he's not carrying two phones (don't be one of those DUDES, Hubby!). His data plan cost about $40 a month so I think I will have it knocked down to a basic line for $10 a month instead. I just need to be careful as T mobile no longer offers or even recognizes my current plan (which is why I couldn't buy a new phone) and they most likely will try to get me to change my plan. If they push too much, I might just look elsewhere for cell service.
7. Was pretty pleased to see that the gym has NOT charged me the additional monies for the small group training that I had originally signed up for ... whew. Yes, that's FRUGAL because I haven't been doing those classes and was freaking out about the waste of money!
And of course, full disclosure on our NOT so Frugal Activities:
1. Friday night manicure and pedicure. Went with the spa treatment. $80 after tip. But boy, they look and feel great!
2. Food waste ... I had forgotten about some bibb lettuce I had stashed in the garage fridge and of course, it was history by the time I found it. Honestly, if that's the extent of the food waste in THIS house, I'm thrilled!
3. Cleaning girls = $120. Not a frugal thing, more of a desired (highly) need ... punished myself and paid cash.
4. Shopped online for a few new pieces of work clothes ... 4 pairs of pants, 3 tops, a few new undergarments, grand total with discount was $254. Uggg. 3 pants went back for $108 (at the store) and then I spotted the clearance racks. What I was really looking for was cooler weather clothing but of course, grabbed a ton of short sleeve and sleeveless tops for average of $15 a piece ... This, hopefully, will make me clean out my closets a little sooner than anticipated.
What kind of Frugal Activities did you do this past week?
Looking forward to sharing over at the Money Propeller and The Prudent Homemaker ... go check them both out!
This was a really odd week ... probably because Sunday ended with me getting home late after having to run to the emergency room for my dad ... fortunately, he was released and doesn't seem to be anything "serious" but really, have YOU ever coughed so hard that you passed out? I haven't.
Any way.
The week went by real fast, I think ... and some things were frugal, and others, not so much. I did have a moment of self indulgence (I deserve it, damn it! Anyone? Raise your hand!) but otherwise, not a very bad week!
Here are some of the Frugal Activities we did:
1. Avoided Costco, yet again! Eh, I do plan on going today though as it's our anniversary (whoops, we both totally forgot about it, is it the 24th or the 26th??) so I want to buy some nice rib eyes (not going to the $26 per pound place, sorry).
2. Shopped at Aldis ... still spent $80 BUT it was because they had the chicken breakfast sausage that Hubby loves ... $2.99 for 7 links, a little pricey BUT it's a good, healthy alternative breakfast meat ;-)
3. Only ate out once this past week, me and Hubby on Thursday night. Long day for both of us and we were just lazy. With tip, $50. The key here was we each had ONE drink only ;-) Finally, after all these years, we admit the bar tab is what eats up our dining out budget!
4. Menu Planned ... stuck with it somewhat. I had taken the ground beef, chicken thighs and bratwurst out on Sunday so that helped me to cook what I had planned. FYI ... bratwurst in the crock pot were NOT all that and more. Most likely because of the apple juice instead of the beer. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't use alcohol in the crock pot since it doesn't evaporate but I need to re-read that tip again.
5. Booked the hotel room in downtown Chicago for the Friday we are there (Hubby's birthday, we will drive to family on Saturday) using Hubby's account number for the chain (Embassy Suites) ... pretty excited to see that he's racking up the points towards another trip to Nashville for F R E E! Why am I saying that this is Frugal (room was $219 a night) ... because, we got ourselves a corner room for about $50 less than normal because he signed in to his account to book ... plus he's eligible for an upgrade ... not sure if he took that. I am looking (not) forward to the Ledge experience (petrified of heights!) and the trip to see the Bean (Millennium Park) ... having a hard time locating cool bars and places to go Friday night so if you are from Chicago and can make some recommendations, let me know!
6. Finally dropped Princess from my T mobile account ... she's had her own phone service for a month now. This will save me $25 a month on the phone bill. Need to go back and re-do Hubby's plan as he just forwards his phone to his work phone so he's not carrying two phones (don't be one of those DUDES, Hubby!). His data plan cost about $40 a month so I think I will have it knocked down to a basic line for $10 a month instead. I just need to be careful as T mobile no longer offers or even recognizes my current plan (which is why I couldn't buy a new phone) and they most likely will try to get me to change my plan. If they push too much, I might just look elsewhere for cell service.
7. Was pretty pleased to see that the gym has NOT charged me the additional monies for the small group training that I had originally signed up for ... whew. Yes, that's FRUGAL because I haven't been doing those classes and was freaking out about the waste of money!
And of course, full disclosure on our NOT so Frugal Activities:
1. Friday night manicure and pedicure. Went with the spa treatment. $80 after tip. But boy, they look and feel great!
2. Food waste ... I had forgotten about some bibb lettuce I had stashed in the garage fridge and of course, it was history by the time I found it. Honestly, if that's the extent of the food waste in THIS house, I'm thrilled!
3. Cleaning girls = $120. Not a frugal thing, more of a desired (highly) need ... punished myself and paid cash.
4. Shopped online for a few new pieces of work clothes ... 4 pairs of pants, 3 tops, a few new undergarments, grand total with discount was $254. Uggg. 3 pants went back for $108 (at the store) and then I spotted the clearance racks. What I was really looking for was cooler weather clothing but of course, grabbed a ton of short sleeve and sleeveless tops for average of $15 a piece ... This, hopefully, will make me clean out my closets a little sooner than anticipated.
What kind of Frugal Activities did you do this past week?
Looking forward to sharing over at the Money Propeller and The Prudent Homemaker ... go check them both out!
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