Five Frugal Things ~February 23, 2018

Whooooowheeee!  Lawd have mercy!  Our weather has changed from chilly/cold/wintry to warm and muggy.  All in a matter of ONE DAY.  I had some Michigan in-laws that came to visit years ago, and after experiencing our high humidity, said they felt like they were suffocating.  Said they literally felt they couldn't breath easily.  So, if that gives y'all any idea of the dripping-sweat-before-you-can-dry-off-fresh-out-of-the-shower ick I am currently experiencing, there ya go.  Or, it could be hot flashes.  No. NO!  Dripping-sweat-before-you-can-dry-off-fresh-out-of-the-shower ick has been a thing the whole of my life living here.  But, I'm not complaining (as much as I could be if I really let loose). 😉

I know from reading instagram posts (@tjssweethome should you be inclined to check it out) that there is such a wide range of weather conditions everyone is experiencing, and it seems everyone is "over it", no matter what they're weather is like.  Even though I grouse a bit, I do realize how fortunate we are here in our climate (the giant fire ants hills and mosquitoes that are already staking their claim to co-exist with us notwithstanding).

I'll let that be a segue into my Frugal Five this week:
•  I saved money by not having to go to the sauna for my steam bath and facials.

Just kidding...

•  I took some bananas that were getting all freckly and froze them, along with some apples that I "baked" in the crock pot with some cinnamon.  I'll add them to my smoothies at some point.  Or a dessert.  It all depends on if I'm feeling healthy or "in the mood for something sweet".  I also placed a small amount of leftover fresh cilantro in an ice tray and filled them with water until they were submerged.  I will throw the cubes into soups or some other yummy dish at some point.  I froze some homemade yogurt, before it got to the aforementioned "lactic acid face mask" stage, in my handy dandy ice cube trays.  They are also destined for smoothies or whatever recipe might call for yogurt (or even sour cream).

•  I have been using some expired homemade yogurt for lactic acid facial masks.

•  I have been leaving the blinds and blackout curtains closed during the sunniest and hottest parts of the day so the a/c doesn't have to work as hard.  Our weather has been in the 70's lately which doesn't sound bad until you add in our high humidity. Being a "lady of a certain age" (😂😭) hasn't helped endear me to our weather either! I follow the strategically placed fans that are throughout our home, only turning them on when I am in the direct path of their glorious breeze. #followthefans

•  I picked up three cans of wet cat food using the last of the coupons that was included in Galahad's (our kitty) adoption kit.  I also had three coupons for free items at our local Randall's grocery store that I received playing their Monopoly game.  And let's not forget the free Chobani coupon I took advantage of to get a plain yogurt to start more crock pot yogurt. (I know I could've used some from my last homemade batch but...it kinda got away from me.  Hence the frozen yogurt cubes and lactic acid face mask.  Sometimes, no matter how diligent I try to be, I miss the mark.  What can I say?

•  And last but not least, making shopping lists and sticking to them! I am getting better at not allowing myself to be distracted by all the pretty shinies that like to capture my attention like so many, trench coat clad, back alley "watch salesmen.  "Pssst! Hey, sweet-hahhht. Wanna buy a... ____fill in the blank_____".  Taking deep breaths, and thinking purchases through, before my trembling-with-excitement hand places said unlisted item in my cart has been my strategy.  My recovery even includes sometimes removing items after taking the item on a happy, breezy tour of the store.  Yes, it means I have to backtrack to put them back in their rightful place, but I try to look on that as the exercise that I so desperately need.

Now your turn!  I'd love to hear how you make those pennies, nickles and dimes clink in your change jar.

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ