Frugal Friday File 2017, week 7...

Successes:
1.  Several months ago I put a book on hold at my library.  I was #1 in line, so I figured it would be ready immediately.  Waited and waited.  Went in library and searched the shelf...no book.  Asked librarian and was told they would look into it.  Next time I was at the library, I asked again and was told they would look into it some more.  Yesterday I got an email that my hold was ready for pickup.  I think it was lost and they finally just reordered it.  Went by today, and it has a 'new' sticker designation on it.  Then earlier tonight I was reading a blog where two commenters recommended a book so highly that I went to library website to see if it was available...yes, and as an ebook.  I have already downloaded it, and am looking forward to it as well.  Love my library!

2.  Recently I put some green beans on to heat and got distracted...burned to a crisp...and to the pan.  I scraped out what I could and put about an inch of water in the pan and added a little bit of dish liquid and put it on the stove to boil for a few minutes.  After awhile I used a metal spatula to scrape as much of the burned part off the bottom as I could, and then rinsed the pot.  Added some Bar Keeper's Friend to the pan and gave it a scrub.  It didn't take much effort at all to have it completely clean again.  The most frugal part of this story is that those pans are 40 years old...a wedding gift from my mother that I am grateful for every time I use them...which is daily.  She knew that in the long run, buying a practical gift of great quality is the frugal choice.

These are just the saucepans.  The set also includes a Dutch oven, a skillet, 

a double boiler, an electric skillet,and a really great set of knives.  Thanks, Mom!

3.  I postponed making 15 Bean Soup last Friday, because the temperatures went up and I didn't really want soup.  I made it this Tuesday instead.  Then we ate it left over.  Then last night I used what was left and added ground beef (already browned and in the freezer in recipe-size portions), corn, hominy, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and a package of dry ranch dressing mix.  Not exactly the way I usually make Taco Soup, but it was really good, easy, and fed us all without feeling like we were eating leftovers again and without needing to make a trip to the store.  Had enough left to put one serving in the freezer for Carey to take to work, and a small bowl in the fridge for somebody's lunch tomorrow.

4.  I was paying bills yesterday and noticed that the phone/internet/cable bill was not as low as I thought it should be.  I posted in December about calling to request an adjustment to a price hike and was told that they would lower it by $15 a month for a year.   Yesterday it looked as if it was only about $9 lower, and after having internet outages both last month and this month, I was not happy about the high price of unsatisfactory service.  Got back on the phone and spoke to a customer service rep, then I was transferred to a supervisor who explained that the cable fees had gone up by $6 as of January, but agreed that the person I spoke to in December should have known that would be happening and explained it to me.  Uh-huh.  The manager offered to add an additional $5 monthly credit to our bills for a year so that it was more in line with what I agreed to in December.  I verified with her that this did not constitute a contract, and in the event I continue having issues I can cancel service without penalty, and she assured me that there was no contractual obligation.  Okay then. 

5.  Not needing to heat or cool inside air.  It was warm enough to open windows and air the house out one day, and cool enough at night to still need my wool socks on before crawling under the flannel sheets and down comforter.  Wearing wool socks is more frugal than turning up the thermostat.  :)

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *baked potato w/ barbecue
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey's
Monday:  Tuna Casserole
Tuesday:  15 Bean Soup and Cornbread
Wednesday:  leftovers
Thursday:  Taco Soup
Friday:  ???

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)