Frugalities of Last Week

 

  In no particular order:

 -- I cooked a large batch of blueberry waffles and whole package of bacon.  These were to serve as breakfasts for several days.  I baked brownies for my family rather than do a doughnut run.  We did a "clean out refrigerator" meal for supper.

 --  I cleaned out my closet and took stock of what I have for fall.  I'll need winter skirts and perhaps some tights, but nothing too major. I've made my thrifting list and I started looking.  (I found one velvet maxi skirt, a floral midi skirt, 2 blouses, and a jacket for $20.28.  I'm hoping to find a few more skirts and a heavy,neutral cardigan.

-- I hung a load of dress clothes to dry.

--Our supper came from the freezer and pantry.  If I am careful I think we can make it all week without grocery shopping for even dairy.

 -- I checked all the winter blankets and found one that needed mending.  I canned 4 quarts of lentil soup, which used up lentils I had on  hand and some celery/carrots/onions that needed using.  I also canned Mayacoba beans (7 quarts) and black beans (6 quarts).  I canned 12 quarts of salsa as well.

 --  My daughter had a gastroentology appointment so we combined errands while we were out.  I picked up library books and we picked up her student ID.  It was so hot walking around campus that afterwards we picked up 2 iced teas from McDonalds.  Last year the school had almost 30,000 students and we could not find parking within miles of campus.  Even worse, the school had coned off many of the streets in an attempt to control traffic flow.  Needless to say it was a crazy morning.

 --  In preparation for school, we made a Sam's Club run to pick up bottled lemonade....my daughter's go to drink.  The cost is far less and the bottles fit well in her backpack.  While there I stocked up on a few bathroom supplies and bought an extra bottle of laundry detergent.  In my recent "use up" things I have opened my last bottle.  While we were there we found her a t-shirt and some socks for this fall.

 --  We found ourselves back on campus for an 8:00 AM meeting and we packed coffees to go. 

 -- We took advantage of J.C. Penney's back to school sales and bought bras.  Our preferred brand was buy 1 and get the second for 1 penny.  I bought 4 for myself and 2 for my daughter.

 --  We went to Sears and found the rest of my daughter's fall school clothes.  Our best finds were winter peacoats for $21, a blue cardigan for $5, and several other tops in the $10 range.  We even found jeans to fit her -- they prove to be quite elusive at times.  We also bought one nice dress and a nice pair of flats (dress shoes) because I am big believer that everyone needs a go to outfit if the needs arises.  While that outfit was not frugal, I considered it to be an investment kind of like a suit is for a guy.

 -- I took advantage of Sears' sales and found 4 neutral skirts marked 40% off.  Since we have mild fall/winter/spring seasons I will be able to wear these through each.  In fall and spring I will either go bare legged or wear lighter hose and in winter I will simply use fleece lined tights.  These skirts are in a style that will allow the blouse/jacket/cardigan to determine how dressy the outfit feels so I am confident I will get a lot of wear from them.

 On the surface, I don't feel like the week was horribly frugal.  However, we were careful to not do anything that wasn't alloted for. Sadly on the utility bill I cleared my $200 mark.  The amount was $209, which still isn't bad for summer in the South.  I've also had the added usage that canning entails.  I'm hoping August will be in the same range, but I am not sure.  It has been extremely muggy and hot.