Second Frugal Friday of September 2023
Welcome to Frugal Friday!
My Frugal Week
Last week I paid all of our bills that are due in September and then I set up my budget for October. Having all the bills paid for the month gives me great peace of mind.
We dropped off items at the consignment sale on Saturday. It was a long and tedious task, but I’m so glad it’s done now.
I listed four things for sale on eBay this week, which were all books.
We finally replaced our main air conditioner in the house two weeks ago. It’s a big unit at 25,000 BTU, so we hired a pro from Angi to install it for us, but he didn’t finish the job. We have another pro coming on Friday to hopefully fix the issue.
I went to the orthopedic doctor on Wednesday to get the second of three shots in both of my knees. Rather than a cortisone shot, these will replace the missing gel in my knee joints.
I caught up with a childhood friend on Facebook messenger this week. Our children are all grown up now, so it’s easier to catch up with each other more often.
While shopping for groceries the other day, I also found a couple of stocking stuffers on clearance. Looking for these all year long on clearance will ensure I don’t pay full price come Christmas time.
Finally, I signed up for a free year of GrubHub thanks to my Amazon Prime membership. Details are on their website.
Freebies
From my local no spend group: a bottle of Dawn dishwashing detergent, which is my preferred brand. This will last me a few months, so I won't have to purchase any for a while.
Joy of the Week
I mentioned a week or so ago that my Dad is back in town now. He lives across the road from us, but his workshop is still here at our house. (My parents split the property in 2014 when they divorced.)
Anyway, he’s been puttering around and fixing things and weed eating and has the place looking so good, just like when he lived here before. It’s been a real source of joy for me as I see his workshop and the area around it come back to life.
Photo of the Week
Missionary Ridge, site of the famous Battle of Missionary Ridge, located in Chattanooga runs north to south for several miles with very steep, vertical sides. It was named for early missionaries who made their way along the paths to Brainard Village, an early Cherokee settlement.
Because of this geography, there are five tunnels that were created in order for motorists to travel back and forth in the city through the ridge. I travel through them regularly and on my way to and from the doctors office. This one is called the Wilcox Boulevard tunnel and has this mural called, See Me Shine!, created by Greta McLain in 2017.
Question of the Week
Did you know that Walmart did away with layaway while Covid was happening? Bailey says that I knew about this, but I don’t remember. It seems to me that layaway was a tool to help people afford things without buying on credit, but it seems like that will be part of a bygone era now.
Saving Money YouTube Videos
2 Sister Bees Hive ~ Budgeting and Saving
Rachael Resets ~ Resetting your grocery budget one meal at a time.
Saving on Entertainment
I had a red shirt on the other day when I was on the back porch talking to my Dad. A hummingbird came up to me and hovered for just a minute. It was so neat to see.
We’ve been watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime. Bailey has been wanting me to watch this for a long time now, although I don’t care for the husband in this series.
What I've been Reading This Week
Common Financial Weaknesses & How To Overcome Them
The Recipe Critic: Pantry Staples Recipes
Kale The Complete Guide to the World's Most Powerful Superfood (Amazon Link)
The Essential Keto Cookbook by Louise & Jeremy Hendon (Amazon Link)
Buy Salvage Food
Easy Cheap Dinner Ideas from the Mediterranean
Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here.
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.
BelindaMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27
Deal on the free dish soap!!!! So happy your dad is now close by and you get to spend more time together.
ReplyDeleteWalMart and most others did away with layaway long before that here in my area. It sure helped people - but it also probably caused people to buy things that they sure didn't need.
Thank you, Cheryl. I was tickled about the soap. I sure didn’t know that about layaway. I guess it goes to show how long ago I used it.
DeleteHi Belinda. I hope the knee injections help.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the visits with your dad. I miss mine and wish I'd spent more time with him.
I love humming birds. I could spend my summer watching them and box turtles. I'm glad I bought extra sugar when it was on sale a couple years ago now I can make plenty of humming bird syrup.
Good deal on the Dawn. My favorite too. I prefer some of the other scents but always have the blue for cleaning. Lol I have bathed so many cats and dogs in blue Dawn it kinds makes me sick smelling it. It has that wet dog smell lol. I bought a Dawn foam pump and love it. I've refilled it over and over with 1/3 soap to 2/3 water.
I'm glad you are getting your a/c installed. Willis Carrier who invented air conditioning is my hero!
Belinda I hope you have a great week.
Thank you, Sky. I know what you mean about wanting to spend more time with your Dad. That is how I feel about my Mom. I wish we could have had more time. I love that the Dawn foam pumps are reusable like that. It must save you a lot of money. Willis Carrier is my hero too! 😊
DeleteOops the was me, Sky
ReplyDelete👍, Sky. 😊
DeleteGood score on the soap! I also love that you get extra time with your dad. That is fabulous. Over COVID, one great thing my family did was start using Marco Polo (it's a video chat app), & even though we don't live near each other, it's helped us stay connected so much more. I usually record a quick video on my way to work, as does my sister. It's been really fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Oh, that Marco Polo app sounds like a great way to keep in touch. I’ll have to check that our for me and my sister. 😊
DeleteThat is cool that the Amazon Prime Grub Hub offer is still going on. I thought it was only for Prime Day. I love my GrubHub sub. It has really helped. They give out really great coupons all the time. I have a local diner that delivers and they give us $5 or $7 off of each order.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain about your air conditioner. I hope the second pro gets it up and running for you. My central air went out last month. Luckily I bought room air conditioners last year because DH & I knew it was a lottery when the central air would finally conk out. It is a really old unit. We are getting it replace hopefully next year. We found a sweet local company that gave us a fair price.
I am so happy for you that your Dad is back home and bringing you & Bailey tons of happiness.
I remember WalMart stopped layaway when Covid happened. They went to Affirm. I also read they are going to start locking up many of the items in the stores like laundry detergent, beauty products, craft products, etc.... It is already happening in some States. What I read it's a big hassle. Georgia is rolling out the police booths in one of their stores this year. I am glad I order online.
I love hummingbirds. They always come up to say hi to me. They are so sweet. I had a cardinal land on my foot the other day and just hang out. I had my dogs outside at the time and they were so shocked that a cardinal landed on my foot they didn't bother him, lol. His mate showed up a couple of minutes later and he flew away. Then my whippet decided to chase. The female bombed my girl and she decided to let the cardinal win, lol.
That is so neat about the Grub Hub coupons! I didn’t know that.I’m glad you planned ahead and were able to get your window air conditioners at a fair price! We still don’t have ours installed yet, but it is being worked on soon.
DeleteI’ve seen people working in a couple of different stores on the lookout for thieves. I guess it has just gotten so bad the stores had no choice but to hire security people to watch the crowds. It’s a sad state of affairs.
How neat that the cardinal landed on your foot. They are so beautiful and the males really stand out. 😊
So nice to have your Dad around. Best company there is and he works too! Me and granddaughter watched The Wilderness Family on youtube. She was really liking the movie till the dad got knocked down by a wolf. She hid under a cover and we had to change the channel. I love the movie.
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds like a good movie, Vickie. I’ll have to watch it soon. I love that we can watch free movies on YouTube.
DeleteI hope the jell works in your kness as well as the cortizone, inquiring minds want to know...
ReplyDeleteI’ve had my second injection and so far I think the cortisone works better, but I will let you all know after the third and final shot if I still feel that way, Kim.
DeleteI love that show! If you can stick it out, Joel gets better!!
DeleteThat is good to know, Nichole. Because right now he reminds me of my ex husband and I don’t like him.
Delete(Little Penpen) sounds like a great week! So happy for you all that your dad is nearby again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny. 💕
Delete