Frugal Friday

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“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
~ Plato
 
I haven't done a Frugal Friday post in a long, long time. I'm trying to get back on top of our spending and thought this would be a good way to start. We generally don't spend money on frivolous things, but it's easy for it to slip through our fingers if we aren't careful. 

Between all the travel I've had to do and the fact that our car bit the dust, we've increased our debt some. So it's time to tighten our belts and get on top of it again.

Dan and I have learned to be content with what we have and don't have a lot of "wants." It's a lot easier to learn to be frugal when your desires match your pocketbooks. :-) I actually enjoy doing my best to save some money because I like a challenge.

So challenge on! Here are some ways I've saved recently.

$ Today was such a good day and I had a friend over for tea this morning. It was nice to fellowship and laugh with someone. I had planned on making date bars but then when I opened the cupboard realized I didn't have enough dates for the recipe. However, rather than run to the store, I improvised and made do with what I had on hand. I made raspberry-date bars which required less dates. They were so good. 

$ I made two batches of meringues - lemon and maple-walnut. These freeze well and I have them on hand for when I need a quick cookie. Meringues take egg whites and I didn't really have a plan for the egg yolks but I saved them anyway and decided to think about it a bit.

$ Dan bought me a pasta machine a couple of years ago and today as I was contemplating about what to do with the yolks, I decided upon homemade pasta. With modern day equipment, it's not difficult to do. I made homemade tomato sauce to go with it and added a salad and that was our dinner.

$ I received some extra money as a gift and was able to pay off three of our outstanding debts.

$ One of the things I brought home with me from my mom's house was a bin full of thread. Thread is expensive and I ended up with about 60 spools of it in all different colors. I also brought home about 30 yards of home décor fabric that she had. Because of all that I haven't had to purchase anything for my sewing business in a while.

$ My mom also had a sewing machine that was still in the box. I was able to bring that home as well so I now have a back-up machine for when I have issues with mine.

$ Dan pays our bills and he always tries to pay extra on them to whittle them down faster.

These are just a few of the ways I've saved over the past few weeks. It helps to list them because it helps me see how well I've done!


Comments

  1. JanFJanuary 30, 2021 at 11:11 AM

    The tea party sounded great and I like how you made sure to have beautiful china and cloth napkins with which to serve your friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriJanuary 30, 2021 at 1:03 PM

      I love being able to pull out the china and have an occasion to use it.

      Delete
    2. JanFJanuary 30, 2021 at 4:34 PM

      Another way to use up cooked egg yolks is to chop several of them finely with a chopped hard boiled egg, mix in a little mayonnaise and sautéed chopped mushrooms. You can make a delicious Baltic mushroom spread for tea sandwiches!

      Delete
    3. TerriJanuary 30, 2021 at 4:49 PM

      Ooh, that sounds interesting, Jan. Another thing is I could make mayonnaise with them.

      Delete
  2. BlessJanuary 30, 2021 at 3:56 PM

    Making the pasta was a good way to use up the egg yolks. Well done on all the frugal activities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriJanuary 30, 2021 at 4:27 PM

      Thank you! It was only the second time using the pasta maker and I was so pleased with how it turned out.

      Delete
  3. TheresaJanuary 31, 2021 at 2:39 AM

    The Raspberry bars look and sound delicious. Glad you are able to visit with friends. We here in Ontario are not able to do that. Still in lockdown but our numbers are going down so there is hope :).
    Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriJanuary 31, 2021 at 6:56 AM

      It's definitely been a difficult time. We can have no more than 10 in private gatherings so rather than not have anyone come, I started trying to have just 1 or 2 here or there. In some ways that's better so I can concentrate on the one rather than spreading my attention so thin.

      Delete
    2. TheresaFebruary 8, 2021 at 12:50 PM

      That is wonderful. It would make a visitor feel so valued as well :).

      Delete

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