Pages

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Water

Image Credit
Yesterday I worked all day and then came home to a good dinner cooked by my sister who is in from Illinois to see our Mom. Afterwards, we went to the hospital to visit with our Mom. My sister left from the hospital to go back home to Illinois while my daughter and I went to Walmart to pick up a few supplies we were out of at home. 

I was so thirsty when I got to Walmart, so I went to one of the drink coolers located at the checkout to see if they had a bottle of water. They did and they were priced at $1.58. Now I was thirsty, but I was not that thirsty. 

What to do, What to do? 

I put on my thinking cap and took a $5 bill out of my wallet and went to the bank inside Walmart and asked for change. Then I walked around to the entrance of the store and found the Walmart water machine. I was able to buy a bottle of water there for 50¢, which was a much better price than $1.58 at the checkout. 

Now the most frugal thing to do would be to carry water with me or have a container with me and use a water fountain in Walmart, but as busy and tired as I was, I did the best I could and at the very least spent less than I could have. I just had to put a little thought into the process, so that is my frugal tip for today. Try to brainstorm when you are confronted with a  similar problem where you need to spend money and see if you can find a way to save at least a little bit of money.

Mom remains in SICU today and her doctors have called in a neurologist who may order  a spinal tap to rule out meningitis. They've ruled out her having a stroke, but there is still something wrong with her. They just haven't figured it out yet. She has been in the hospital 26 days today and it has been difficult on all of us. Your continued thoughts and prayers for her mean so very much to me. Thank you.

Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

10 comments:

  1. Belinda, I just love your blog and website. I had found your site years(?) ago...am I right that you've had that awhile? Anyway, I am a christian lady and will be putting your mother on my prayer list today. I am a NY'er and while careful to be thankful in the Lord for where He has me living, can say you have a very soothing way on sharing frugality. Because of where I live, I travel a little (Long Island) for Walmart, but having travelled upstate and to NC, can tell you they are not the warm welcoming Walmarts found elsewhere, nor is there a water machine. NY (near the city) has a 'snob' factor about it, sadly. Anyway...I have been reading you now several months.... Prayers for you, your daughter and your sister as well as you deal with this situation in your mother's life. Prayers God's wisdom in the doctors' minds to open.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Gramemaw. Yes, I've had my website for a long time, since 2000 I think. Thank you so very much for including my Mother on your prayer list. She needs all the prayers she can get right now and we appreciate them so much. I'm so glad that you are here and reading my blog. I love to share tips about frugality and love to hear from those who read my blog. I have a friend who lives in NY and she too says Walmarts are a long way for her to travel and shop and they didn't have them for a long time either. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and commenting and for your prayers for my mother. :)

      Delete
  2. I am your newest follower, btw.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Belinda, great tip on problem solving and getting an affordable solution. So sorry that Mom is still in the hospital, that can be so taxing on a family. DO something good for yourself, as a distraction, take in a matinee, rent a movie, go for a walk, visit a friend for coffee. You need a break. : (

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Carol. It has been 26 days today and it has been hard. I've been doing my best to take care of myself. I'll be sure to do something good for myself soon. :)

      Delete
  4. Hi Belinda,
    you're right, sometimes are circumstances are such that we can't do the absolute cheapest thing, but we can still have a "win". I've done that with getting a pizza from the take and bake place ($5 w/coupon) when we had unexpected company. Not as cheap as making at home, but far cheaper than buying a ready to eat pizza ($10-15 w/coupon). In the end, we wind up doing much better than if we'd not put any thought into how we spend our money, and that's what counts.

    I feel so badly for your, your family and your mom. You've been on my prayer list, and will continue there. take care,
    Lili

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lili. That is a great tip about the pizza. And thank you for your prayers. Mom needs them so much.

      Delete
  5. I'm glad your sister made it to see your mom, I remember you said she was worried. I hope you and Bailey have a nice weekend and try to squeeze in a bit of fun with her.

    Hopefully, the doctors will figure out sooner rather than later what is going on with your mom. You must be getting frustrated.

    Good thoughts still coming your way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Mary Lou. Yes, my sister was so worried with her being so far away and all. It was good for her to see Mom even with all the sadness involved. It has been frustrating and I am hoping and praying for some answers soon. Thank you again. Your good thoughts mean a lot to me. :)

      Delete

I’m so glad you’re here, taking time out of your day to comment on my blog.

Frugal Workshop is designed to be a source of information, encouragement and inspiration.

Negative comments will not be published. If you’re in the mood to troll, keep on scrolling.

Comments are moderated manually, and may take a few hours for them to appear. Thank you for understanding.