Frugal Friday File 2018, week 19...

Successes:
1.  I haven't used gasoline to shop.  This is a really lame stab at frugality, because I can't say I haven't shopped, I just stayed home and did it online.  Something rather large is due to arrive this afternoon, and Carey may kill me...so if you don't hear from me, it's been real.  

2.  I purchased a sewing machine from Amazon.  It's not an extravagant one...well, not greatly extravagant.  Someone in my quilt group got one within the past year.  She has fabulous machines, and she likes this one for traveling.  It also has good reviews.    I finally decided that I've been working a lot and wanted to spend some of my hard-won pay on this since parts are no longer made for my current machine (which is 40+ years old) making it irreparable if anything goes out on it.  I've been watching the price and thinking about it for awhile.  Recently it was $399...then $425...then it was down to $375, and I bit.  So not really an impulse buy, as I've done some homework and had the money saved up for it.

3.  I made four cards so far this week from items in my stash (and wrote letters and mailed).  At the price of store-bought cards these days, I'm counting this as frugal.  It also feeds my creative soul, and makes the recipients happy.  One of them phoned me immediately upon receiving hers, and we had a nice catch-up visit.

4.  We finally had to turn on the air conditioning.  Every year I say we aren't going to turn it on until May, and every year it goes on in early April.  So making it to May this year feels like a real win.  Of course, I can't pretend that it was a sacrifice, it's just that the weather stayed cooler and dryer longer this year.

5.  Reading library ebook, filled out survey for a free soft drink at my favorite place, still haven't gone for a haircut (though I can't say I couldn't use one, and I'm thinking of going really short again which will mean I have to go more often in the future), using up overripe bananas in smoothies, and doing cleaning chores myself but wishing I had a hired helper.

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  skipped supper
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday:  *barbecue
Tuesday:  grazed
Wednesday:  scrambled eggs
Thursday:  *Chinese
Friday:  *late lunch out, no supper

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)