KEEPING UP THE FRUGAL (2/8/15)...

It has been a really bad, really crazy week here at the cottage.  More than I can go into right now.  Suffice it to say, I have been totally overwhelmed physically and emotionally and haven't been concentrating on "frugal" as much as I would like.  But I have accomplished a little bit.

I'm still doing the usual frugal things that have become a habit (turning off lights, quick showers, free toiletries, etc.).  Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to really "think" frugal...though some "making do" was definitely frugal in nature.  

Friday night a local shop was running a Quilter's UFO sew in.  The cost was only $5, which would be returned in the form of a gift card, and included dinner and snacks.  That was FRUGAL!  It was a sew-in from 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM.  Dear Hubby volunteered to take me and pick me up since he knows I usually turn into a pumpkin around 9:00, lol. 

I pulled out the FREE travel bag and matching toiletry case (not shown) that I got as a gift with an order from Woman Within.  I LOVE it.  The toiletry case holds all of my "notions" and there is still plenty of room for all kinds of fabric, etc.  

I took all of my "already cut" HSTs  (half-square triangles) in containers left over from takeout food.  I consider them FREE as most people would probably just toss them into the trash.  It was a great way to keep all of my HSTs separated and stacked right side of fabric facing up. 

By 10:00 PM I had finished the HST blocks (36) necessary to complete one "large block" of the quilt.  I even got some of them sewn together into rows.  My row markers are a pattern for "tea tags" that I found online.  The pattern was FREE and I printed out a bunch of them on a single sheet of card stock, cut them out, and used a hole punch to make an opening I could pin through.  They work GREAT to keep similar looking rows organized!

But, by ten o'clock I was BEAT.  I hurt too bad to continue and was so horribly fatigued I was glad Dear Hubby was picking me up.  I called him and asked him to come right away instead of at the end of the sew-in at 11:30. Bummer.  I was really having FUN and hated to leave.  Dang body...

One thing I DID forget to take with me? A thread catcher!  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?  I sell the pattern for my Collapsible Craft Container on Craftsy...and I forgot to bring one with me to class! 

I got a few parts of the thread catcher sewn together today, but my hands are shaking too bad to continue.  I should have it completed before the next sew-in and will store it in my purple toiletry bag permanently!  I used stash fabric and old index cards to cut out the hexie papers.  They will never show, so it doesn't matter if they have writing on them.  I use magazine inserts and junk mail to make them, too.  Frugal. 

Yesterday Dear Hubby and I did some shopping at Target.  They had Tide on sale and it is the type of laundry detergent I usually use.  In addition to the good price, they were giving away a free Target gift card with the purchase of two.  Now that J is living here we will go through Tide even faster, so buying two was no problem.  Dear Hubby also picked up the tax program he needs to do our taxes.  That also had a free Target gift card with purchase.  So, I came home with much needed items, at good prices, and two $5 Target gift cards.  I'd say that is frugal, lol. 

I know there were a few other frugal things that I did over the past week, but my mind is too overloaded to remember them all.  No matter.  As long as I am TRYING to "frugal" I'm ahead of the game!

Toodles...

FRUGAL FOCUS FEBRUARY (2/1/15)...

My goal for 2015 was to live a more deliberate, "thinking" lifestyle in order to reach our long-term goals.  Well, that was the INTENTION beginning January 1, 2015.  Unfortunately, an overabundance of family health issues, and feeling like "donkey doo-doo" most of the month, meant that my focus was otherwise occupied.  But, NO MORE!  It is time to FOCUS on FRUGALITY, paying down debt and increasing savings!

To keep my "eye on the prize" I made my own little vision board...my "dream house", my "dream studio" (Marcia's studio at grammyquilts.blogspot.com) and my "almost dream sewing machine".  I say "almost dream" because there is a newer, INCREDIBLE machine put out by BabyLock, but I question if I would spend the amount of money necessary to purchase it even if I had MILLIONS!  For now, a few steps up the sewing machine ladder will be my "dream".  

 

Yesterday morning I began my day with a quick shower.  I take a shower every day, and since I was not doing any physical labor...how dirty can I be?  I took the equivalent of a Navy shower with a hand made cotton washcloth (which is wearing like iron...much better than terry washcloths) and a shower gel that cost me $.25 for the bottle.  CHEAP!  I washed my hair with free shampoo and after drying off completely, slathered my dry skin with free lotion.  I then brushed my teeth with a free toothbrush from my dentist and toothpaste I had gotten free with a doubled coupon. 

Next, I made my breakfast...free coffee in a reusable K-cup (I turned the Keurig off immediately after brewing to reduce phantom draw) and a free pastry (a snack given to us by a relative). 

Since the weathermen were calling for another snow storm, Dear Hubby and I made a trip to our local Shop Rite to restock the house with food and other necessities.  Although I find some of ShopRite's  prices a bit high...their sales are PHENOMENAL!  Our best buys of the day were a pound of coffee for 8 cents, a package of napkins for 8 cents, a free prescription refill for Dear Hubby and one for me!  There were tons of other items on sale, but these were the true stand-outs.  Of note, Dear Hubby and I did the shopping ourselves because of the impending weather system.  In the future, no matter the weather, we will PAY to have the order delivered to our home!  The pain we suffered after our shopping definitely warranted the cost of delivery!  Frugality is saving money to spend it where you want or need... and delivery is definitely a NEED!

When we got home I scanned our receipt into ReceiptHog.  ReceiptHog is an online app that gives points for receipts scanned.  When I reach 1000 points I will qualify for a reward.  I have to shop anyway, so why not spend the few seconds needed to scan in the receipt?  Even if it takes a while to achieve, the reward in my pocket is still FREE!

 

Last evening I spent a couple of hours searching for the "bunny" in the 111 shops participating in the Fab Shop Hop.  For every bunny you find, you are entered into a drawing for a gift from that shop...in addition to some other wonderful prizes.  I have been participating in the Fab Shop Hop for several months now and have won several prizes.  I am very thankful to the shop owners who participate and give away such great prizes, especially when those prizes help me to continue sewing/quilting for the least amount of money possible.  

As soon as the Superbowl was over (sob, Seattle lost, sob) I climbed into bed...exhausted...but proud of my frugal accomplishments.  More tomorrow...

Toodles...