frugal friday - february

The year is flying by! Somehow my Frugal Friday post for January got deleted, so here's starting the year with February. 😑

• Grocery deals: $1.49 blackberries, $2.99 strawberries, $1.44 markdown spring mix, free bag of Cheetos, $3.99 Freschetta pizza, $1.99 bag of Thomas bagels (into the freezer), $1.49 two liter of root beer, 99¢ tube of Colgate toothpaste, $3.99 bag of Totino's pizza rolls, $1.88 markdown bag of butter lettuce, 2 red peppers for 99¢
• I redeemed a free ebook from Amazon First Reads 
• After months of searching, I finally thrifted a push-lever salad spinner for $10!
• While I did order delivery food, I stayed in to watch the Super Bowl via Paramount+'s free trial week
• Over a four-day weekend, I only ordered one meal for delivery
• I picked up a second job that's part time. I really like seeing the number in my high interest savings account go up.

I'm still decluttering!

• A book on Pango - sold and mailed using recycled mailing supplies
• I unsubscribed from a bunch of email lists
• A slow feeder that was just a little too deep for Og, a Clarisonic facial brush - sold on Facebook Marketplace
• My old hair dryer that I had upgraded, four Yeti stickers - given away on Facebook
• The table and six chairs I borrowed for Friendsgiving - passed back to my dad when we met for lunch one weekend
• The 12 belly bands from when I had my two late elderly dogs - mailed to a senior dog sanctuary

I've done really well with food waste lately, so hopefully I can keep it up into February

• I used up a bunch of leftovers from work - cheesy mac, some delicious soup, salad toppings

Frugal Fails:

• Ogden has now chewed through four phone cases since the beginning of December, I'm on number 5 now

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frugal friday - november

Here's to this month's savings! (And another month closer to Christmas!)

• November's no spend days: 11!
• Grocery deals: $3.99 Freschetta frozen pizza (when did pizzas get so expensive??), free bag of Lay's ranch chips, $1.99 bag of petite potatoes, $1.99 strawberries, two bags of salad for 85¢ each, $1.99 package of snacking tomatoes, 25¢/pound sweet potatoes
• I checked out I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy as an ebook from the library

• I redeemed three offers via Ibotta and got 85¢ cash back for my regular deodorant, Og's food, and the receipt.
• My employer offered us our choice of fish, turkey, or ham and choice of pie for the holidays - I chose six pounds of fish and a pecan pie

Here's what I decluttered!

• Another couple bags of recycling, to the proper bin
• An over-the-cabinet plastic bag holder, my coffee table that ended up just too large for my space, iced coffee maker, bookshelf, a muzzle that I bought for Tucker and ended up not needing, three Lego sets, - all sold on Facebook Marketplace
• Six books - sold on Pango Books
• Two tote bags - given away on Facebook
• A pair of heels - one of which Og chewed up, thankfully they were a cheap pair I didn't love
• Four spools of destash ribbon - sold on Etsy

And again, how I saved on food waste!

• I brought home two and a half quarts of chili, some greens, and some diced tomatoes from work - all destined for the bin, but still good!
• Og helped me finish up a red bell pepper before it spoiled

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - october

(the little menace himself)

I decided that I'd keep Frugal Friday to a monthly feature

• October's no spend days: 12!
• Grocery deals: 99¢ can of Campbell's chunky soup, $3.99 Digiorno pizza, $1.99 4lb bag of sugar, a 10 pack of instant potatoes for 80-ish¢ each
• I made two returns to Amazon for items that didn't work - $24 something back in my account
• A false charge from Kroger finally went back into my account after a week
• My rental company had added a $38.50 charge to my account and I didn't know why. I disputed it and after a few emails back and forth, they admitted it was an error and it was removed from my balance due
• I mended one of Og's toys where he'd torn a hole. Luckily it was at a seam and I just quickly sewed it back up
• I redeemed a coupon for a free coffee at Royal Farms
• During a hectic time, I had forgotten about hanging clothes to dry. Now that it's almost time to turn the heat back on, I've pulled out my drying rack (similar!) and I've been air-drying clothing again

Here's what I decluttered!

• A little llama dog toy that fell apart beyond repair in the washer
• Four empty jars from Dayum This Is My Jam (from some pickles and my favorite salsa), dropped off at their booth at the vegan festival
• A big bag of recycling, to the proper bin
• Six planters of various sizes, sold on Facebook Marketplace

And again, how I saved on food waste!

• I baked a frozen pizza instead of ordering one for delivery (I always end up tossing dried out delivery)
• The last time I made curry I had frozen a few portions and thawed one out for lunch one day
• I brought home a container of pasta salad, some peas and green beans for Og - all destined for the trash at work, but definitely still good
• While I'd used up all of the delicious fresh black pepper pasta, I used up the last of a jar of my favorite Tomato Basil pasta sauce on some boxed capellini 
• Instead of buying a bottle of ranch, I made some at home for $2.78 (already had the mayo). Not a huge savings, but it tastes so much better than storebought

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

Just a few more ways I've saved and made some dollars

• I managed to snag a $350 Ikea coffee table for free from NextDoor and then listed and sold my little almost new Walmart coffee table for $15 all in one day
• A few items sold on Poshmark and I shipped them out using recycled mailing items
• My sister sent me home with two trays of vegetarian ziti after my nephew's birthday party. I ate it for a couple days, then froze it in individual containers for easy lunches
• I went to cancel my Paramount+ subscription after the free trial and they gave me two months free
• I earned 50¢ via Ibotta on an online Walmart grocery pick up
• One evening I dropped by my good friend Rae's house and after a tour of their beautiful new home and garden, she sent me home with some freshly picked basil (pictured above)
• I started my new job and fortunately have the clothing and shoes needed, although they are supplying me with a uniform once it comes in (and also free lunch every day!

I'm still on a decluttering journey. I hadn't been vigilant in a while, but really tried to buckle down recently

• Eleven plant pots, sold for $25 for the lot
• A K cup holder, sold for $7
• Four gift bags/tissue paper from my gift wrapping stash, to my nieces and nephews for their birthdays
• Small, but I brought another candle to my sister because I'm paranoid to burn them because of my anxiety 🙃
• While not intentional, I broke a baseball candy dish when I was moving the trash can

I've been dilligently trying to avoid food waste while eating through my pantry and freezer, so here's what I've used up:

• Some rainbow rotini, frozen fresh kale that I sauteed, and two chicken sausage links I don't remember picking up, tossed together with some vodka blush sauce.
• The rest of the rainbow rotini for pasta salad
• Finally used up a bag of tortillas - now only one bag left that I bought when I thought I was out
• The last of a forgotten bag of chicken tenders that I don't even remember buying
• I accidentally picked up a jar of Tomato, Onion, & Garlic pasta sauce and there were soooo many onions! I can't stand the texture of onions (I usually puree mine to still get that necessary flavor) so I ended up straining it and using the rest of it up!
• Also at my newjob, I was prepping hundreds of grilled cheese sandwiches and brought home a back of bread heels. I'm going to show my best friends how to make croutons when we do meal prep

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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frugal friday

Yet another week of how I've saved and made a few dollars!

• I never used to be a person who returned things, but now I am (within reason, of course, and never to a small business). I bought a $3.99 block of fudge from The Fresh Market that, after one bite, was just really really not good. I looked up their return policy and returned it and got my money back.
• I didn't renew my BJ's Wholesale membership, but I did redeem the $10 Sam's Club offer a bit ago to make up for it for laundry detergent and dog food.

• I earned $3.60 cash back via ibotta on a small little grocery shop. I don't eat meat, but those Deliwiches will be a nice little snack for friends. Between the ibotta deal, a sale, and a Kroger coupon, I only paid $1.49 for the frozen sandwiches.

• In another trip, I earned $8.05 via ibotta on things I would've already purchased, so I stocked up on razors, Febreze, Triscuits, and soup

More decluttering

• My office was looking for some greeting cards and I had an extra birthday card so I brought it in. I don't send them anymore, so it saved the card from the landfill. Small stuff, but it helped out!

Ways to avoid food waste:

• I made some croutons (pictured above) out of the last few stale slices of a loaf of bread
• Lately I've been really good about finishing leftovers and food I've made and haven't thrown out much at all, though I did lose a bag of hamburger buns I forgot about
• There were some miscellanous snacks in my pantry so I took them to work and I've been finishing them up so they don't go to waste
• I don't eat breakfast at home so I took my value bag of vegan sausage patties, some folded Just Egg, and a bag of slider rolls into the office. I keep them all in the freezer and just microwave as I get hungry. I break the Just Egg in half since it's a little too big for sliders and I can get two sandwiches out of one.  

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

As usual, here are more ways I've made and saved a dollar.

• For April, my birthday month - I redeemed 5¢ off per gallon at Sheetz, got my free Ulta gift of a travel size cleanser from Peach & Lily, the free Sephora's gift of a Glow Face travel size skincare kit, 25% off an order at Arby's (love those curly fries), had a coupon for a free bag of white cheddar popcorn at Lidl, and a free rice crispy at Noodles and Co. 
• Other freebies lately have been a free carwash from a local place, a free bag of Doritos with coupon from Kroger, a free bag of chips from 7/11 using rewards, and a croissant from Starbucks using rewards.

• I logged in to my Noodles & Company account to check my rewards and discovered a free bowl coupon, so I ordered a Penne Rosa and picked it up for free. In the same trip, I redeemed a buy one get one free coupon at Starbucks and paid for the first drink with a forgotten $5 gift card. I got the second drink with no ice so I could have it the next day.
• I returned a set of curlers that did nothing for my hair, I sold some clothing to Uptown Cheapskate and made $16, and I returned two unopened aquarium items that wouldn't work in my tank.

More things I've decluttered since I moved in:

• A mug, tumbler, three jarred candles, some hot pink tissue paper, a wall hanging, a trinket dish, and a hand food chopper - all to my sister and her family when I visited for Easter
• I sold a full embroidery kit on Facebook Marketplace and shipped it in a recycled bubble mailer
• I started on my borrowed book pile so that I could get them out of here and back to their owners
• Four bags of stale inventory, donated

Since I'm making my own meals again (finally! I've missed cooking!) I've had to be careful about food waste; here's how I've avoided it:

• I regrew some romaine from some cut off ends. They didn't get very big before the tips started browning, but I added them to my big container of lettuce. My regrown leeks and bok choy are coming along nicely, too.

Frugal fails:

• I made my lunch and then accidently left my lunchbox out all night so I had to toss what I'd made (luckily only some pre-frozen cooked sushi, potato salad, and some salad dressing)
• Accidentally parked in a tow zone on the street, but the attendant graciously gave me two parking tickets instead of having my car towed (which would've resulted in work time loss AND a higher fine)
• Tucker, though 14, has his spry moments occasionally. He used one of those moments to break into the pantry and chew open a carton of vegetable stock and a small carton of pasta sauce

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

Regrowing romaine hearts. They're already about two inches tall!

Another week (or months with how my blogging is) of how I've made or saved some cash.

• The electric company sent over a refund check for a span of a few years or something and I got back a whopping $1.02
• I picked up a free 40pk of water with coupon at BJ's and a huge bottle of Gain for $16.49. With coupon, BJ's Gain was 11¢ per load (146 loads) compared to Target, where I normally get my detergent, at 14¢ per load (107 loads) for $15.99. Pennies make dollars! 
• I batched errands and all in one day took off my rather accumulated pile of recycling (the facility is only ten minutes away but it's out of the way), utlizied the last few days of my health insurance until the new kicks in to get three more months of my prescription for free, shipped a sold Poshmark item using a recycled polymailer, redeemed a free order of breadsticks with rewards points from Pizza Hut, and then worked my gig job for a bit and made $125 in five hours. While out, I got gas at BJ's and it was significantly cheaper than other stations.
• My first day at my new job was Wednesday and I love it so far. I finally have my nights and weekends back! 💃
• While I no longer have a balcony, I have some huge windows. I planted some basil seeds and I'm hoping they come up. We'll see. 
• My best friend let me redeem her free year of MLB TV from TMobile 😍⚾
• I redeemed a coupon for a free bag of Tostitos tortilla chips at Kroger. I've gotten a free bag each month since I moved to the area in 2018.

Things I've continued to declutter since I moved!

• A piece of art I didn't want, to a coworker who loved it
• I went through a bunch of my plant items and sold three plants stands for $35 total, four small pots for $10, and gave away a few small terracottta pots
• A few more sold items on Poshmark, shipped in recycled bubble mailers

How I avoided food waste!

• I've been eating through my freezer and I just thawed a large bowl of chili - it's as good as the day I made it!
• Even though I overbought on produce, I finished all but maybe a cup or two of romaine. 

frugal friday

my $3 thrifted umbrella 

As always, here's ways I've saved and made a buck (here and there in the last six months)!

• My Verizon anniversary came around and they sent me a $10 Amazon giftcard (it's only been 19 years, no big deal *eye roll*)
• I had an absolutely wonderful coworker save me a TON of boxes at work, and between her and my pilfering of boxes that otherwise would've gone on to the landfill or recycling, it saved me pretty penny on moving boxes
• At the end of September I signed up and received my second Covid booster shot for free at Walgreens and today I received my free flu shot from my place of employment
• I received a $50 Visa giftcard from Xfinity and applied it to my credit card balance that was due. I also deposited a $4.89 refund check from my insurance company for overpayment of premium!
• I sold several items on Poshmark and a bunch of furniture and flower pots on FB Marketplace
• I worked on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day and made time and a half along with a few bartending shifts that pay more per hour.
• There was an issue with my cellular data so I called Verizon and we got that straight while upgrading my plan and saving me $14.99 a month as Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ is now included in my upgraded plan for free
• I redeemed a $10 coupon off a $10 order at Ulta, and redeemed $3 in rewards
• When I moved I changed my renter's policy's coverage and they sent me a $77.80 premium refund check (what! I'll take it)
• Amazon Prime gave me a seven day trial for HBO Max, so I finished the third season of His Dark Materials for free

Things I've decluttered in anticipation for my move/after I moved:

• A bunch of jars and lids I'd been hoarding ("that's a good ass jar!"), recycled
• I've used up a BUNCH of condiments, sauces, and skin care
• Several Poshmark items and recycled polymailers
• A large ceramic pumpkin, a stack of Dollar Tree organizers, sold & given away on FB
• My entryway table, desk, and large plant stand, sold on FB marketplace
• A small space heater, to someone in a free FB group
• A stack of books and cereal bowls, to two friends
• A dozen or so planters, sold on FB

And how I've avoided food waste:

• I had a cooler full of frozen food that I wasn't going to eat (hashbrowns, half bags of vegan chicken nuggets, some spring rolls I didn't like) and my best friend went through it and grabbed what they'd eat
• Even though I get free lunch at work, I don't have a microwave at my new apartment so I take meals in because I'm more inclined to eat leftovers if I can easily heat them vs. using the oven

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*