FRUGAL FRIDAY!

I don't have anything to share this week as a crafting "finish", so there were no photos to make this post a bit more colorful.  But I am working on multiple projects and am making a bit of headway on all of them...yippee!  My crafting is in addition to reading and resting as needed. 

Instead, this week I have been concentrating on tightening our frugal belts and reducing our carbon footprint here at home. 

So what HAVE I done "frugal" this week?

I have been waking up in the morning with my phone alarm.  We have unplugged most of the old fashioned clock radios around the house...a step toward lowering our electric bill and our carbon footprint!

I take LOTS of medications every day, but I use generics whenever possible in order to lower our exorbitant medical bills.  Our local Shop Rite also provides one of my medications free of charge!  They have a program where they provide several different antibiotics and several different diabetes medications for free.  If you have a Shop Rite nearby it may be worthwhile to see if they have a similar program!

I take quick showers and use free shower gel, free shampoo and a handmade cotton washcloth.  I did buy the cotton yarn to make the washcloth...but, as usual, I bought it on sale. 

I wear my jeans more than once and put on clean polo shirts as needed.  I have had these polo shirts in my closet for several years.  I also have an additional 6 shirts, brand new with tags, in a box under my bed to switch out as my current supply becomes ratty.  They were all bought at ridiculously low prices on sale at Kohl's ($7.99 each)...with an additional 30% discount taken at the register!  

I am wearing my Crocs...saving wear and tear on my socks and my shoes.

I posted a "Wanted" on Freecycle for acrylic yarn for my queen sized guest room blanket.  If I can't score any free yarn I will check out the local thrift shops before I head to JoAnn's. 

I have turned off the lights all over the house in order to reduce our electric bill.

I have clicked through several emails to add points to my freebie accounts.  I have also done "searches" to earn points.  I have cashed in some Swagbucks points for a $5 Amazon gift ecard.

I have pieced, marked, sewn and trimmed six 5" squares for my quest room quilt.

I have crocheted about 2.5 rows on my guest room blanket, made mostly with free or drastically reduced yarn.

I have sent for and/or received a few freebies this week.

I have read 4 "trash" newspapers (Enquirer, Sun, etc. LOL) passed on to me by my mom.

I have read 8 magazines (free subscriptions to Women's Day and Good Housekeeping earned through Recyclebank, I think) and will pass them on to my mom.  

I am reading the first in the Jennifer Chiaverini Elm Creek Quilts series.  I purchased it at a ridiculously low price ($1.99 if I remember correctly...and it is a signed first edition).  I have five more hard bound books stacked in my sewing room to read while I am resting in my rocker.  Three were handed on to me by family members, and two were received as gifts.  I have several large bookcases in the basement FILLED with hard bound books that I got free on Freecycle.  I also have an enormous number of free books on my Nook for reading on days when my tremor is too bad to hold paper books. 

I have sent away for a free $50 gift card from our new electric provider.  We are saving money on the cost of our electric and the gift card "thank you" just makes the deal even sweeter!

I bought two new quilting books, original prices were $26.99 and $28.99.  My cost?...$2.97 each.  When I told Dear Hubby about my incredible bargain he told me I should not have stopped at just the two books if there were more there that I was interested in.  There were, and he is right...it is a bargain that probably will not be repeated for quite some time.  I think I will go back tomorrow and pick up two or three more books that I had been interested in!

I think that is about all I have done this week.  So, how about you?  What frugal things have you done this week?