I spent a lot of time away from home this week. It wasn't until Friday morning (I was gone after 2:30 pm) and Saturday that I actually got around to doing frugal stuff.
1. Butchered a deer! Tuesday morning was opening day, and Hubs brought home a button buck. The first day we dressed out the deer, and then let it hang for a while. Later we were able to cut up the meet, and then I was able to can and freeze it. This took up a lot of my time this week. Later this week I'll be putting out a post on how much we saved by getting the deer.
3. Kroger deals: Kroger has free hot cocoa in the winter months. Both of us got a cup and walked around the store looking for deals. We found some "manager's special" bacon for $1.79/lb. I have also been trying to use some of their e-coupons to save money on non-perishable goods. This week I had coupons for white sugar (the cheapest brand, which I would have bought anyway!) and brown sugar (also the cheapest brand; just as cheap as the bent 'n' dent).
My last e-coupons were for whipped topping and deodorant. Unfortunately I picked the wrong size whipped topping, so the coupon didn't apply. The deodorant was Hubs' brand of choice. Usually we buy the double-packs of deodorant, but with the coupon a single stick was $0.30 cheaper.
In the coming months, I would like to try couponing again for personal care items. I have been keeping track of how long each item lasts, so I'll be able buy enough for a year. Some of the items I'm looking for are toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and toilet paper. Ideally I'll get some of these things for free, but I have been checking prices lately just to know a good deal when I see one. Even discounted products would be cheaper than buying normal price like I have been doing for the past several years.
Some other things I bought this week were pecans, almonds and macadamia nuts ($7.57 total) for a blog post. I also found bagged brownie mix (10.25 oz) for $0.79. The cheapest brownie mix I can get at the bent 'n' dent is at least $1.00 per box. Cake mix sells for $0.75, but doesn't make as nice of brownies. If I buy an $0.79 brownie mix at Kroger and add $0.20 of bent 'n' dent nuts, it is probably cheaper than buying one of those fancy bent 'n' dent mixes for $1.50. This is probably a whole 'nother post, so I'll save it for later.
4. Sold 1 dozen eggs.
5. Gave my hair a trim. Home haircuts are pretty easy if you aren't picky about styles. I have always had long hair, most of the time without bangs. So all that is needed is a trim every 3-6 months. You can get real hair cutting scissors at Walmart, but some of my in-laws just use regular scissors.
6. Rendered venison fat. I rendered the fat from our deer in the crock pot. Now I have another source of free fat for soap making.
7. Made yogurt. After weeks and weeks of good intentions, I finally made a batch of yogurt. Lately I've been buying milk to make yogurt with, and then never getting around to it. The milk eventually goes sour and ends up being a waste of money. As we speak, there is about a pint of sour milk in the fridge that needs to be thrown out. Isn't that terrible? At least it's not a half-gallon.
8. Line dried two loads of laundry. On Friday we had a beautiful 70+ degree day, and I was able to line-dry all of my laundry outside. It will probably be the last time. On Saturday it started snowing and blowing. Michigan for you.
9. Canned 17 quarts of venison. I like canning meat because it's easy to use and you don't have to worry about using up freezer space or remembering to thaw it out for a meal.
10. Made a flower arrangement. Hubs knew I had a long, exhausting week, and he surprised me with cookies and a bouquet of flowers. He is the best!! I almost never buy flowers, and it is past the season for homegrown flowers, so I was excited to make an arrangement with the bouquet.
I used the container from an arrangement he bought me last year, as well as greenery from some of my houseplants. You can read about this project here.
What were some ways you saved money last week?
1. Butchered a deer! Tuesday morning was opening day, and Hubs brought home a button buck. The first day we dressed out the deer, and then let it hang for a while. Later we were able to cut up the meet, and then I was able to can and freeze it. This took up a lot of my time this week. Later this week I'll be putting out a post on how much we saved by getting the deer.
3. Kroger deals: Kroger has free hot cocoa in the winter months. Both of us got a cup and walked around the store looking for deals. We found some "manager's special" bacon for $1.79/lb. I have also been trying to use some of their e-coupons to save money on non-perishable goods. This week I had coupons for white sugar (the cheapest brand, which I would have bought anyway!) and brown sugar (also the cheapest brand; just as cheap as the bent 'n' dent).
My last e-coupons were for whipped topping and deodorant. Unfortunately I picked the wrong size whipped topping, so the coupon didn't apply. The deodorant was Hubs' brand of choice. Usually we buy the double-packs of deodorant, but with the coupon a single stick was $0.30 cheaper.
In the coming months, I would like to try couponing again for personal care items. I have been keeping track of how long each item lasts, so I'll be able buy enough for a year. Some of the items I'm looking for are toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and toilet paper. Ideally I'll get some of these things for free, but I have been checking prices lately just to know a good deal when I see one. Even discounted products would be cheaper than buying normal price like I have been doing for the past several years.
Some other things I bought this week were pecans, almonds and macadamia nuts ($7.57 total) for a blog post. I also found bagged brownie mix (10.25 oz) for $0.79. The cheapest brownie mix I can get at the bent 'n' dent is at least $1.00 per box. Cake mix sells for $0.75, but doesn't make as nice of brownies. If I buy an $0.79 brownie mix at Kroger and add $0.20 of bent 'n' dent nuts, it is probably cheaper than buying one of those fancy bent 'n' dent mixes for $1.50. This is probably a whole 'nother post, so I'll save it for later.
4. Sold 1 dozen eggs.
5. Gave my hair a trim. Home haircuts are pretty easy if you aren't picky about styles. I have always had long hair, most of the time without bangs. So all that is needed is a trim every 3-6 months. You can get real hair cutting scissors at Walmart, but some of my in-laws just use regular scissors.
6. Rendered venison fat. I rendered the fat from our deer in the crock pot. Now I have another source of free fat for soap making.
7. Made yogurt. After weeks and weeks of good intentions, I finally made a batch of yogurt. Lately I've been buying milk to make yogurt with, and then never getting around to it. The milk eventually goes sour and ends up being a waste of money. As we speak, there is about a pint of sour milk in the fridge that needs to be thrown out. Isn't that terrible? At least it's not a half-gallon.
8. Line dried two loads of laundry. On Friday we had a beautiful 70+ degree day, and I was able to line-dry all of my laundry outside. It will probably be the last time. On Saturday it started snowing and blowing. Michigan for you.
9. Canned 17 quarts of venison. I like canning meat because it's easy to use and you don't have to worry about using up freezer space or remembering to thaw it out for a meal.
10. Made a flower arrangement. Hubs knew I had a long, exhausting week, and he surprised me with cookies and a bouquet of flowers. He is the best!! I almost never buy flowers, and it is past the season for homegrown flowers, so I was excited to make an arrangement with the bouquet.
I used the container from an arrangement he bought me last year, as well as greenery from some of my houseplants. You can read about this project here.
What were some ways you saved money last week?
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