Frugal Friday - Weeks 2 and 3 of 2019

A beautiful sunrise earlier this year - the sunrises have been beautiful the days we have been able to see them.

I feel like time is just zipping by exceptionally fast this January and I am having a very hard time realizing that January is already halfway over!  I had grand plans for my time before school started up again but I realized that I needed a real break more.  So that is what I did.  And the rest was so blissful!  I read two new-to-me books and started a third.  I took a nap or two (or ten).  I also spent a lot of time planning for the things that we both hope to do and need to do this year of 2019.  I hoping that those plans come to fruition and I can share them with you at a later date.

We are watching our pennies this January - maybe more than usual, as we have had several things we need to pay for in 2019 that rise above and beyond our typical expenses.  Some are things we have put off for a time while John was in seminary/internship/residency, some are medical bills, and some just come with owning an older home and having a teenage children in the home! Either way, some really cool things have been happening and I am planning on sharing in a few weeks as plans come to fruition.

Here are the things we have done the past two weeks that may qualify as frugal:

* Made 4 loaves of French bread, corn bread, biscuits, muffins and pizza at home.

* Made chicken wild rice soup, rice pudding, chicken noodle soup, and pulled pork sandwiches at home.

* Cleaned out my clothing and donated what I do not use anymore.  My closet and drawers are much less full and I am enjoying having fewer choices.

* We have enjoyed several of our children's basketball games for free as entertainment.

* My husband and I volunteered at the concession stand for the basketball tournament our children played in, earning a small amount of money for our children's school and us free admission to the tournament.

* We received an unexpected refund from a medical bill we paid back in November.  It was a small refund but the refund was unexpected and will go toward another expense we have right now.

* The children played games we already owned and read books from the library.

* I cleaned out two storage bins of items from the guest room closet and used the bins for other uses, rather than purchasing new bins.  The original items from the bins were donated, recycled or thrown out depending on the item.

* My husband and the children attended a winter church retreat over.  I used the time home alone to sew on two sewing projects that would intrigue the children but will be given to them as gifts. I did not want the children to see these before they are gifted and this time worked out perfectly for sewing!  They are now sufficiently complete that I can work on them in small amounts of time and they should be finished for the children's birthday in May. 

* The children loved the retreat and came home with learning, many stories and new friends.  Exactly what we want!  We paid a small fee for each child and the church paid the rest.

* My husband and I each enjoyed a meal provided by our work this last week.

* I attended a continuing education opportunity at work.  This was provided free of charge and I enjoyed the refreshments and delicious tea provided to participants. 

Frugal Fails:

* We ended up spending extra grocery money for an item that we thought we already had but did not.  This was realized halfway through making the meal, so we were not able to price the item but needed to purchase it at the closest location available so dinner would not be ruined.  I am pretty irritated with myself for not realizing this, wasting gasoline, time and money. 

* I ended up adding two containers of leftover vegetable soup and the tail end of a loaf of bread to the compost bin.  Both had gotten shoved to the back of the shelf and were forgotten. 

* Our daughter misplaced a very needed item of underclothing, requiring us to purchase a replacement.  Thankfully, the replacement was on sale.  We are thinking that my mother may have taken the item home with her at the end of their Christmas visit, as she and our daughter are the same size and similar tastes in clothing.

Planned Splurges:

* My husband and I used a gift card for a date while the children were at basketball practice one day.  We used the card to purchase drinks at a local coffee shop.

* My husband and I shared a sandwich and fries for a date out while the children were at dance practice.  We added a small amount to our budget for date nights this year - something we need. We do not plan to have dates out all the time, but both this and the other occasion lent themselves to a date out rather than in and our budget was exactly for these occasions!

* A group of us from work went to out to lunch one day to celebrate a co-worker's upcoming new baby.  I used a homemade card and gift from my gift stash to give her a gift and planned ahead for the meal. It was a wonderful time and I am so glad that I made the time and set aside the money to attend!

What have you done that may qualify as frugal?