Frugal Finding Friday

 

It took me a little extra time to get out of the house today because a certain little girl just wanted to cuddle. It's not unusual for my day to get off to a slow start because Frankie has climbed on my lap or plastered herself to my side.  There is no way I am going to cut off any sort of display of affection, so it's no hardship to just wait it out.

First on my to-do list, was to go back to Big Lots to see if there were any hangers left.  Alas, they were all gone.  Not to worry, there were other bargains to avail myself of.  I do not shop with a list or a budget. I look for things I know we will use but are normally a little bit more than what I'd like to spend at full retail.  Perhaps these are impulse buys, but the way I am able to have nice or high quality stuff without spending too much, is by exploiting these markdown opportunities.

Here's why I chose the items I brought home. Tommy goes on hiking weekends, usually renting a cabin at a state park with a friend. The complete pancake mix is just the type of thing I send him off with so they can make a tasty breakfast and get right out on the trail. Each box was 81 cents.  The best price I found for this brand and item on-line was $2.99 on sale, regularly $5.99.  So this was a great deal. I did also grab a large water jug for those hiking weekends too -- for $2.59.  I will also bring this to dog shows or hunting events. Brining water from home is a good way to avoid digestive/intestinal upsets that sometimes catch up with Frankie when she's away from home. Especially at state fairgrounds.

We've needed two pairs of blaze orange knit hunting caps, which are usually around nineteen bucks or more.  Discount stores sometimes have a two pack for $9.99, but you get one black and one orange.  We don't need black.  Big Lots had loose orange hats that they charged me the marked down price of $3.59 for the pair. This was a huge savings and now I have something we've needed.

There are three sets of black scrubs. Two are for Tommy, and one is a size to big, which I plan to take apart to use as a pattern for making more. A little over four bucks for all three. Plus a small package of cocktail napkins for 36 cents.

I also got a nifty 89 cent patriotic bow to wear while I am protesting, and an initial pillow I plan to make part of a birthday present for my sister (also an "A").  Not a bad haul for a little over twenty bucks.

The store I picked for Flashfood was not far from the History Museum & Japanese Garden where I walked Frankie today. My expectation is that decent coffee is going to get prohibitively expensive when tariffs kick in.  Getting a good quality stash for $4.80 a package when it's normally $11.99, was worth a trip to the store. Bacon is never bad to have on hand too, and this was half price, so I figured I'd claim that deal as well. As per my usual plan, I also checked out the manager special cart at the front of the store and found more good markdowns.  We are setting the backyard up starting this weekend, which means we'll start grilling. Getting non-stick grill spray at half off, is a worthwhile spend.  I grabbed the two bottles of sparkling grape juice for making mocktails because we like to sit on our patio and sip something tasty at the end of the day.  Today I mixed the sparkling juice with lemon seltzer, some gin, and a splash of creme de casis. 

It was cool enough this morning that I needed to wear my 99 cent Columbia vest. The blue and off-white Banana Republic cardigan was also 99 cents.  Banana Republic is too pricey for me, even when I check out their outlet stores.  The jeans were a buck, made by Denim and Company, a QVC product.  My leather backpack was a full-priced thrift find for seven bucks. It was worth the price because it's all leather, also a QVC product, and just so convenient to carry.  My jewelry was pearl-centric with mixed metals. I actually strung the glass beads/pearls myself.  The T-shirt is Lands End, (99 cents) and the shoes G.H. Bass ($2). I did buy the belt new for nine dollars, otherwise, it was an eleven-dollar thrift wardrobe day. I don't remember what I spent on the jewelry, but know it was on sale!

Not only did I not need the vest on our walk this afternoon, but I also ended up tying the sweater around my waist.  It was sunny, warm, and our walk was wonderful.

This arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. I was looking for an orange/citrus scent moisturizer through Walmart and came across this.  It was $25.99.  Since I decant everything, I don't need a small size. Buying at this volume saved me a lot of money -- and it was the only scent I found that met my criteria.  It works out to 4.92 cents per ounce -- which is a great unit price and the reason I decided to buy it.

Last night's dinner was Beer Brats, cabbage and peppers in gravy over cheddar bacon biscuits.  The brats and biscuits were Flashfood. There were three links and veggies left. I also set one uncooked brat aside to use tonight in a soup base (along with 2 slices of bacon).  Working with what I had in the refrigerator and some fresh herbs from my windowsill, I was able to make a delicious soup.  There's a big portion of soup and a biscuit left for tomorrow.   The big spend for these two meals were the brats and biscuits -- $7 through Flashfood.  

I guess I save money by spending money.  Do you go looking for finds like these?