Successes:
1. I worked a full five days this week.
2. I finally finished up the tube of toothpaste after using it a month after anyone else in my family would have thrown it away. Each time I think it has to be almost all gone, I lay it flat on the counter, and lay my toothbrush handle flat across the tube, starting at the seam end, and squeegee the toothpaste inside up toward the cap end. That always works to get another few day's worth. :) I do not subscribe to cutting the tube open and using your brush head to get the very, very last bits, because I don't like the idea of...well, I just don't like the idea. Usually I'm half asleep at night or too rushed in the morning anyway. But next time I will cut it open to see if there is a dab left. Maybe I'll take a photo to share. Exciting stuff, that!
3. I ate lunch at Sonic quite often this week, not frugal, but it is directly across the highway from the branch I was working in (which doesn't have a refrigerator or microwave to store or heat lunches from home). It amazes and aggravates me how many people leave their cars running the entire time they are eating their lunch there. Yes, it is getting quite warm here, but it is not unbearable in the shade of their awning-covered parking with the car off and the windows all open...unless there is someone sitting next to you in a huge pickup leaving it running and blowing hot engine air in your windows. When that happens, I move to the end spot on the row. It's cooler and quieter, you don't waste gasoline when the car is turned off, and secluding myself from people as much as possible and reading my book for an hour helps me relax and face the afternoon. Oh, and most of the receipts I got for my orders had free-drink-for-taking-a-survey offers. I made sure to complete all the surveys to get the validation codes, and now I have free drinks coming with no other purchase required and no expiration dates.
4. I wore work clothes and shoes all week that, with the exception of one blouse, have lived in my closet for a looooong time. I've mentioned before that I don't keep a big work wardrobe since I usually only work a day or two or three at a time. I have been working a lot this year though, and it's been challenging when working a week (or five!) at a stretch. I take things off at the end of the workday and hang them up if they are wearable a second time. I pre-treat stains before I put them in the hamper. And after washing I hang them to dry if possible, or remove them from the dryer and hang them before they get over dried. Now there are a couple of items in my work side of the closet that I am so tired of that I'm tempted to 'accidentally' spill a big old glass of red Kool-Aid on them, but so far I have restrained myself (mostly because I never buy or drink the stuff).
5. We are keeping the a/c thermostat a little warmer than we used to. We use ceiling fans, and turn them off when we leave the room and don't expect to return soon.
Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday: *pizza
Sunday: Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday: leftover pizza
Tuesday: *I don't remember which probably means takeout
Wednesday: salmon, seasoned rice, green beans
Thursday: *Chinese
Friday: chicken curry pasta
(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)
Great week! I do the same trick with the toothpaste tube and don't like to cut it open either.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your frugally posts. I get the last drop our of my toothpaste too.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to limit the A/C. We are fortunate that our house seems to stay pretty cool downstairs but upstairs can get quite warm so I turn on the air a couple of hours before we go to bed. We'll see what next months' bill looks like.
ReplyDeleteHa! Guess there are lots of us who are frugal with getting the last bit of toothpaste... I do the same! Sounds like you've had a great week.
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