frugal friday - november

The holidays are approaching and I'm saving up to make a large purchase - here's some frugal stuff for November!

• No Spend Days: Sadly only four!
• Grocery deals: $3.79 5lb bag of potatoes, free bag of Kroger shredded green leaf lettuce with coupon, $1.49 loaf of bread, 99¢ each jarred low sodium pasta sauce, 99¢ Ranch Idahoan Instant Potatoes
• Money made outside of my job: 
• DoorDash: $41.25, $27, $28
• Ebay: $47
• Other: $15
• I used two empty dog food bags for trash - saving a bag I actually paid for
• I needed something from the store so I walked the three blocks one way instead of driving. My car rarely moves on the weekends.
• Baked potatoes in the air fryer are cheaper and quicker than the oven - I love using Penzey's Krakow Nights on potatoes
• I shipped off two Tervis tumblers to be evaluated for heat extortion via their Lifetime Guarantee. I've done this once before and while the tumbler couldn't be saved, they gave me credit and I ordered a new one.
• I'm starting a new job! While I love what I do currently, the customer service aspect is weighing on me pretty badly. I'll make $4 more an hour and I'll be in a private kitchen.
• A sweet regular who I have become friends with brought me the nicest good luck card and a $20 Petsmart giftcard - the best gift for me is one that spoils Ogden!
• I was tasked with making deviled eggs for Thanksgiving - I don't typically make these so instead of buying a portable egg plate, I borrowed my sister-in-law's

I'm still decluttering! I feel like I've been doing this forever and my belongings don't dwindle. What is happening?

• Another plant pot saucer, half roll of paper towels (though I salvaged what I could to clean floors) - chewed up by the piranha that is Ogden
• Two 32oz Hydroflasks (and picked up in a half hour!) - sold on Facebook marketplace
• A simple clip photo holder, a NWT laptop bag, - sold & shipped with recycled polymailers

I'm still trying to work through a lot of the freezer and pantry - I'm doing a low grocery month.

• I brought home a romaine end and regrew it! I ended up getting enough growth to eat it on a taco. I've got several green onion ends and more romaine ends regrowing now.
• Used up from the freezer: last of a bag of shoestring fries, a block of tofu, ten tilapia filets tossed in turmeric for Ogden, the last of a bag of Gardein crab cakes, giant ball of hashbrowns (freezerburnt) 
• I pulled a large portion of black bean soup from the freezer - I heated it up, threw in some fresh diced tomato, sour cream, and spicy ranchero sauce and it was great. I got two meals out of the bowl.
• Teriyaki sauce finally went on sale so I can use up the last of the rice noodles and a block of tofu I've been marinating
• Thanksgiving dinner was cancelled due to illness, so I just cooked here at home for me and Og. I used up so much from the pantry and freezer! A few potatoes, some sweet potatoes my great uncle grew, a bag of stuffing, a box of jumbo shells, a package of Trader Joe's beefless crumbles, a low sodium gravy packet

Frugal Fails:

• Somehow my little pot of return address labels, thank you cards, and note cards fell into a tupperware of water and plant cuttings I was soaking in the sink. I managed to salvage my sheet of stamps but had to toss everything else ☹
• Ogden chewed the corner of my phone and it spread, resulting in needing a $136 screen replacement

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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frugal friday - october

There have been some circumstance changes and some opportunities that have opened, so I really need to buckle down for them!

• No Spend Days: 7
• Grocery deals: free bag of Kroger salad with coupon, $1.49 box of Cap'n Crunch, BOGO free can of pumpkin (2 for $1.75 each), free Too Good No Sugar yogurt with Kroger coupon, $1.19 So Delicious yogurt, $1.49 jar of Bertolli Garlic Alfredo sauce, $1.99 10oz snacking tomatoes $1.59/each Smart Ones meals, free 14.1 box of Barilla Al Bronzo Fusilli with local store coupon
• Money made outside of my job: 
• DoorDash: $57.72
• Ebay: $17
• Other: $10
• I scored a fully functional basic sewing machine at a local crafty thrift store for only $15! I've wanted to pick up machine sewing for so long but was holding out for a deal
• I got an email from my health insurance that said I had $60 one week and then another $20 in rewards. I'd rather them just take that off a bill, but I redeemed it for Mastercard giftcards - I used the giftcards to make payments on my electric bill
• When back at my dad's one weekend I packed up a box of old inventory that I wanted to get listed, brought it home, and listed it. Either it sat back home, got donated, or I listed it and sold it. Either way it needed to move!
• A catering event at work rewarded me with a couple salmon filets and a large container of mushroom marsala (oh my god, this was so, so good)
• I went up to visit family and my dad's girlfriend fed me dinner while I was there. It was very tasty!
• My Kroger Cashback had a balance of $5.75 so I sent that over to my PayPal account

I'm still decluttering! I feel like I've been doing this forever and my belongings don't dwindle. What is happening?

• One heeled sandal of the pair, two plastic plant saucers, his ceramic treat jar - chewed up by the piranha that is Ogden
• Mini sewing machine - sold on Facebook marketplace
• Package of buttons, NWT bralette - sold & shipped with recycled polymailers

Frugal Fails:

• 3/4 of a loaf of bread molded, unfortunately
• I had to cancel my endoscopy appointment because they called me 6 days before the appointment and dropped the bombshell that they wanted a $750 deposit. Even if I had that in my emergency savings, this is not what I would use it on.
• I lost 96¢ on an Etsy sale because of Offsite Ads. I promptly went into my settings and opted out of these.

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - september

I've been writing these but somehow keep falling off mid-month. September came through, though!

• No Spend Days: 6
• Grocery deals: free bag of Kroger salad with coupon, 98¢/pound zucchini, 58¢/pound yellow onions, 78¢/pound potatoes, free brioche roll at Lidl with coupon, $2 markdown bag of salad
• Money made outside of my job: 
• DoorDash: $66.50
• Other:  $57
• Labor Day weekend turned out to be a four day weekend for me and I utilized some PTO to cover the days, I didn't shop a single Labor Day sale, and my car didn't move the entire four day weekend
• I've begun my journey of trying to unearth some chronic health issues and my doctor submitted the OTC medication that I was using via pharmacy/insurance and saved me 18¢ per pill
• After my (copay free!) doctor visit, I met my dad for lunch and had a coupon for the restaurant in my email and saved him $10 off the bill
• My best friend and I have "family items", which are things that we share instead of spending the money for each household to have one. So far we share an immersion blender and a trifle bowl! Bonus - the trifle bowl we got for free from another friend who was cleaning out a home, and the immersion blender was a cool $9.99 at Lidl
• While pricey, Ogden's annual vet visit wasn't a frugal fail because a yearly check up and updated vaccines will hopefully save many dollars in vet bills down the road! A less than $75 vaccine is going to be a lot cheaper than treating Leptospirosis
• A friend at work was helping a friend sell wine at an event and he brought me a bottle of blackberry ginger balsamic vinegar (pictured) 

• I went back home for my niblings' birthday party and spent some time with my great uncle afterward and he sent me home after a couple hours of great talk with some homegrown sweet potatoes and end of season tomatoes!

I'm still decluttering! I feel like I've been doing this forever and my belongings don't dwindle. What is happening? It wasn't a great month for getting rid of things.

• my practically new pair of sandals, the power cord of one piece of a lighting kit, a couple books (luckily thrifted) - chewed up by the piranha that is Ogden
• Arbor press I never used, a pair of leggings, Hey Arnold! New Season 1 DVD - sold on Facebook marketplace & eBay
• Four metal straws - given away on Facebook

I'm still trying to work through a lot of the freezer and pantry.

• Nature's Own Perfectly Crafted White Bread is so good to me that I actually finished a loaf of bread before it molded. Well worth the $4+.
• I made a large pot of black bean soup and used up some portobello caps, roasted red peppers, three cans of black beans, jalapenos, the last of a carton of vegetable broth, other meals used up a bag of Beyond chicken tendies, bottle of Zesty Italian dressing, and a bottle of ranch I didn't really care for, and some the last of my giant bottle of ketchup!

Frugal Fails:

• I lost two cucumbers to the bottom drawer of the fridge (out of sight, out of mind, now moldy)
• Bought a log of goat cheese at Wegman's for $4.29 and then noticed Lidl had them for $1.99 😑
• My coffee table (a little $23 deal from Amazon) literally fell apart when I put my feet on it one night so I'm on the hunt for a free one on Marketplace

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - may

Onto May! 

• No Spend Days: Only 3 - it wasn't a great month for these!
• Grocery deals: five boxes of strawberry applesauce on clearance at $1.49 each, markdown $1.80 asparagus, markdown $1.78 bag of salad mix, $1.67 blackberries, $1.99 bag of mini peppers, $1.99 breakfast sausage, $1.49 Mountain Dew 2 liter, $2.99 2lbs of strawberries, $4.49 Dove body polish, $1.49 Kroger makeup remover wipes, $3.99 party size Doritos, $1.49 blackberries, $1.17 markdown bag of salad mix, $1.79 dozen eggs, $1.49 bottle of Italian dressing
• Money made outside of my two jobs: 
• DoorDash $126.75, 
• Other: $339.25
• I borrowed a few ebooks from the library - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
• A Kroger visit granted me $3.50 back from ibotta
• My second job has a neat little wall of free items you can pick from if you spend $50, so I snagged the pictured 9.5oz container of onion powder
• I'm changing locations within the company and I'll keep the same schedule, but I'll be working a short ten minute walk from my apartment and will receive a parking deck spot for only $45 a month (an absolute steal in the city)
• I returned a container of already dried up Gorilla Glue and a cooling collar that didn't fit Og to Walmart and got back $8.46

• While Grove Co. ran their Memorial Day sale, I snagged some reusable cleaning bottles at a discount and can hopefully reduce more waste by using their small refill containers (when you have to walk a block to the dumpster and drive ten minutes for recycling, less waste is important 😂) along with a promo for a free bottle of Method fabric softener, Method wood cleaner, Method body wash, and two samples of laundry and dish detergent pods

I'm still decluttering! I feel like I've been doing this forever and my belongings don't dwindle. What is happening?

• Large stack of DVDs, stickers - given away on Facebook
• A paper bag of clothing and shoes - donated
• Watering can, two notebooks - chewed up by the piranha that is Ogden
• A large stack of vintage linens - sold

May wasn't great for note-taking of food waste. Whoops!

Frugal Fails:

• My local Aldi changed to those god-awful huge baskets and I couldn't get mine back into the cart return and got frustrated and just walked away from my quarter
• I accidentally left a jar of jalapenos out on the counter and tossed them
• While under the weather I racked up two parking tickets - $25 a pop, but still way cheaper than paying for a parking spot

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - april

The year is flying by! March's post somehow got lost, too, so here's April's.

• No Spend Days: 8
• Grocery deals: $1.99 NatureSweet Glorys tomatoes, free jar of Kroger pasta sauce
• Wegmans had an Earth Day coupon for a free reusable bag, which I redeemed
• I was checking out at Kroger and a worker said "you can use that coupon" - someone had left a $2 off your next purchase coupon on the machine. She said most people don't check the coupon machine
• Arby's is having a free sandwich month - one free sandwich each week in April with a purchase. I redeemed two sandwiches by buying a juice box ($1.99) while running errands. I don't normally eat meat, but I also don't turn down a free meal
• My dad was getting rid of a few bins of linens/clothing/bedding that were from our childhood, so my brother and I went through them and I brought home an 80s pastel flower Corningware, some potholders, a blanket, some t-shirts/sweatshirts, and some linens I could use at home 
• I took some clothing and shoes and such to Uptown Cheapskate and made $14.00 and they donated the rest to a local thrift shop

• Here are all my birthday month perks that I redeemed!
• A $10 reward from mezeh* (I got a bowl for 72¢!)
• 5¢ off per gallon in addition to the normal 3¢ off at Sheetz - equaling 8¢ off per gallon total
• free slice of birthday cake from Fresh Market
• free vanilla shake from Arby's
• free chicken salad sandwich meal complete with a side of pasta salad, pickle, and a cookie from Chicken Salad Chick
• free Trenta Peach Iced Black Tea from Starbucks,
• free slice of Birthday Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory (my dad took me out for a birthday lunch!)
• free McChicken from McDonald's
• free pecan braid from Panera

I'm still decluttering! I don't know how I accumulated this much junk.

• Lot of 8 embroidery hoops, a dog bucket hat, - sold and shipped with recycled shipping materials
• Two metal dog bowls found in the pantry, an insulated Grubhub bag, four unopened rolls of Christmas gift wrap, a makeup brush cleaning device, a 12x12 craft project box - given away
• A tube of Aquaphor lip balm, several gift bags, my Stanley lid, two mini tubes of Carmex - chewed up by Og the wonder-chewy puppy
• A 12-drawer rolling cart - sold on Facebook Marketplace

I've done really well with food waste lately, so hopefully I can keep it up into April

• Eating through the pantry/freezer: hardboiled the last of the eggs for Ogden, the last of some rice from an Indian delivery, a bag of frozen peaches, a vegan tikka masala from Trader Joe's, 
• I had one almost shriveled yellow squash to use up so I made a little casserole for one with minced garlic, basil paste, thyme, garlic powder, s&p, with breadcrumbs and parmesan on top

Here are some birthday offers I received but didn't redeem, for reference:

• $5 off any service at a local nail salon
• Bruster's added a $3 reward to my account
• Coldstone Creamery sent me a buy one get one free reward
• Free shipping on a $50 purchase from LTD Commodities
• IKEA sent me a coupon for $10 off a $10 purchase
• Box Lunch sent me a $5 reward

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - february

The year is flying by! Somehow my Frugal Friday post for January got deleted, so here's starting the year with February. 😑

• Grocery deals: $1.49 blackberries, $2.99 strawberries, $1.44 markdown spring mix, free bag of Cheetos, $3.99 Freschetta pizza, $1.99 bag of Thomas bagels (into the freezer), $1.49 two liter of root beer, 99¢ tube of Colgate toothpaste, $3.99 bag of Totino's pizza rolls, $1.88 markdown bag of butter lettuce, 2 red peppers for 99¢
• I redeemed a free ebook from Amazon First Reads 
• After months of searching, I finally thrifted a push-lever salad spinner for $10!
• While I did order delivery food, I stayed in to watch the Super Bowl via Paramount+'s free trial week
• Over a four-day weekend, I only ordered one meal for delivery
• I picked up a second job that's part time. I really like seeing the number in my high interest savings account go up.

I'm still decluttering!

• A book on Pango - sold and mailed using recycled mailing supplies
• I unsubscribed from a bunch of email lists
• A slow feeder that was just a little too deep for Og, a Clarisonic facial brush - sold on Facebook Marketplace
• My old hair dryer that I had upgraded, four Yeti stickers - given away on Facebook
• The table and six chairs I borrowed for Friendsgiving - passed back to my dad when we met for lunch one weekend
• The 12 belly bands from when I had my two late elderly dogs - mailed to a senior dog sanctuary

I've done really well with food waste lately, so hopefully I can keep it up into February

• I used up a bunch of leftovers from work - cheesy mac, some delicious soup, salad toppings

Frugal Fails:

• Ogden has now chewed through four phone cases since the beginning of December, I'm on number 5 now

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - november

Here's to this month's savings! (And another month closer to Christmas!)

• November's no spend days: 11!
• Grocery deals: $3.99 Freschetta frozen pizza (when did pizzas get so expensive??), free bag of Lay's ranch chips, $1.99 bag of petite potatoes, $1.99 strawberries, two bags of salad for 85¢ each, $1.99 package of snacking tomatoes, 25¢/pound sweet potatoes
• I checked out I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy as an ebook from the library

• I redeemed three offers via Ibotta and got 85¢ cash back for my regular deodorant, Og's food, and the receipt.
• My employer offered us our choice of fish, turkey, or ham and choice of pie for the holidays - I chose six pounds of fish and a pecan pie

Here's what I decluttered!

• Another couple bags of recycling, to the proper bin
• An over-the-cabinet plastic bag holder, my coffee table that ended up just too large for my space, iced coffee maker, bookshelf, a muzzle that I bought for Tucker and ended up not needing, three Lego sets, - all sold on Facebook Marketplace
• Six books - sold on Pango Books
• Two tote bags - given away on Facebook
• A pair of heels - one of which Og chewed up, thankfully they were a cheap pair I didn't love
• Four spools of destash ribbon - sold on Etsy

And again, how I saved on food waste!

• I brought home two and a half quarts of chili, some greens, and some diced tomatoes from work - all destined for the bin, but still good!
• Og helped me finish up a red bell pepper before it spoiled

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday - october

(the little menace himself)

I decided that I'd keep Frugal Friday to a monthly feature

• October's no spend days: 12!
• Grocery deals: 99¢ can of Campbell's chunky soup, $3.99 Digiorno pizza, $1.99 4lb bag of sugar, a 10 pack of instant potatoes for 80-ish¢ each
• I made two returns to Amazon for items that didn't work - $24 something back in my account
• A false charge from Kroger finally went back into my account after a week
• My rental company had added a $38.50 charge to my account and I didn't know why. I disputed it and after a few emails back and forth, they admitted it was an error and it was removed from my balance due
• I mended one of Og's toys where he'd torn a hole. Luckily it was at a seam and I just quickly sewed it back up
• I redeemed a coupon for a free coffee at Royal Farms
• During a hectic time, I had forgotten about hanging clothes to dry. Now that it's almost time to turn the heat back on, I've pulled out my drying rack (similar!) and I've been air-drying clothing again

Here's what I decluttered!

• A little llama dog toy that fell apart beyond repair in the washer
• Four empty jars from Dayum This Is My Jam (from some pickles and my favorite salsa), dropped off at their booth at the vegan festival
• A big bag of recycling, to the proper bin
• Six planters of various sizes, sold on Facebook Marketplace

And again, how I saved on food waste!

• I baked a frozen pizza instead of ordering one for delivery (I always end up tossing dried out delivery)
• The last time I made curry I had frozen a few portions and thawed one out for lunch one day
• I brought home a container of pasta salad, some peas and green beans for Og - all destined for the trash at work, but definitely still good
• While I'd used up all of the delicious fresh black pepper pasta, I used up the last of a jar of my favorite Tomato Basil pasta sauce on some boxed capellini 
• Instead of buying a bottle of ranch, I made some at home for $2.78 (already had the mayo). Not a huge savings, but it tastes so much better than storebought

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

Just a few more ways I've saved and made some dollars

• I managed to snag a $350 Ikea coffee table for free from NextDoor and then listed and sold my little almost new Walmart coffee table for $15 all in one day
• A few items sold on Poshmark and I shipped them out using recycled mailing items
• My sister sent me home with two trays of vegetarian ziti after my nephew's birthday party. I ate it for a couple days, then froze it in individual containers for easy lunches
• I went to cancel my Paramount+ subscription after the free trial and they gave me two months free
• I earned 50¢ via Ibotta on an online Walmart grocery pick up
• One evening I dropped by my good friend Rae's house and after a tour of their beautiful new home and garden, she sent me home with some freshly picked basil (pictured above)
• I started my new job and fortunately have the clothing and shoes needed, although they are supplying me with a uniform once it comes in (and also free lunch every day!

I'm still on a decluttering journey. I hadn't been vigilant in a while, but really tried to buckle down recently

• Eleven plant pots, sold for $25 for the lot
• A K cup holder, sold for $7
• Four gift bags/tissue paper from my gift wrapping stash, to my nieces and nephews for their birthdays
• Small, but I brought another candle to my sister because I'm paranoid to burn them because of my anxiety 🙃
• While not intentional, I broke a baseball candy dish when I was moving the trash can

I've been dilligently trying to avoid food waste while eating through my pantry and freezer, so here's what I've used up:

• Some rainbow rotini, frozen fresh kale that I sauteed, and two chicken sausage links I don't remember picking up, tossed together with some vodka blush sauce.
• The rest of the rainbow rotini for pasta salad
• Finally used up a bag of tortillas - now only one bag left that I bought when I thought I was out
• The last of a forgotten bag of chicken tenders that I don't even remember buying
• I accidentally picked up a jar of Tomato, Onion, & Garlic pasta sauce and there were soooo many onions! I can't stand the texture of onions (I usually puree mine to still get that necessary flavor) so I ended up straining it and using the rest of it up!
• Also at my newjob, I was prepping hundreds of grilled cheese sandwiches and brought home a back of bread heels. I'm going to show my best friends how to make croutons when we do meal prep

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

Yet another week of how I've saved and made a few dollars!

• I never used to be a person who returned things, but now I am (within reason, of course, and never to a small business). I bought a $3.99 block of fudge from The Fresh Market that, after one bite, was just really really not good. I looked up their return policy and returned it and got my money back.
• I didn't renew my BJ's Wholesale membership, but I did redeem the $10 Sam's Club offer a bit ago to make up for it for laundry detergent and dog food.

• I earned $3.60 cash back via ibotta on a small little grocery shop. I don't eat meat, but those Deliwiches will be a nice little snack for friends. Between the ibotta deal, a sale, and a Kroger coupon, I only paid $1.49 for the frozen sandwiches.

• In another trip, I earned $8.05 via ibotta on things I would've already purchased, so I stocked up on razors, Febreze, Triscuits, and soup

More decluttering

• My office was looking for some greeting cards and I had an extra birthday card so I brought it in. I don't send them anymore, so it saved the card from the landfill. Small stuff, but it helped out!

Ways to avoid food waste:

• I made some croutons (pictured above) out of the last few stale slices of a loaf of bread
• Lately I've been really good about finishing leftovers and food I've made and haven't thrown out much at all, though I did lose a bag of hamburger buns I forgot about
• There were some miscellanous snacks in my pantry so I took them to work and I've been finishing them up so they don't go to waste
• I don't eat breakfast at home so I took my value bag of vegan sausage patties, some folded Just Egg, and a bag of slider rolls into the office. I keep them all in the freezer and just microwave as I get hungry. I break the Just Egg in half since it's a little too big for sliders and I can get two sandwiches out of one.  

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

As usual, here are more ways I've made and saved a dollar.

• For April, my birthday month - I redeemed 5¢ off per gallon at Sheetz, got my free Ulta gift of a travel size cleanser from Peach & Lily, the free Sephora's gift of a Glow Face travel size skincare kit, 25% off an order at Arby's (love those curly fries), had a coupon for a free bag of white cheddar popcorn at Lidl, and a free rice crispy at Noodles and Co. 
• Other freebies lately have been a free carwash from a local place, a free bag of Doritos with coupon from Kroger, a free bag of chips from 7/11 using rewards, and a croissant from Starbucks using rewards.

• I logged in to my Noodles & Company account to check my rewards and discovered a free bowl coupon, so I ordered a Penne Rosa and picked it up for free. In the same trip, I redeemed a buy one get one free coupon at Starbucks and paid for the first drink with a forgotten $5 gift card. I got the second drink with no ice so I could have it the next day.
• I returned a set of curlers that did nothing for my hair, I sold some clothing to Uptown Cheapskate and made $16, and I returned two unopened aquarium items that wouldn't work in my tank.

More things I've decluttered since I moved in:

• A mug, tumbler, three jarred candles, some hot pink tissue paper, a wall hanging, a trinket dish, and a hand food chopper - all to my sister and her family when I visited for Easter
• I sold a full embroidery kit on Facebook Marketplace and shipped it in a recycled bubble mailer
• I started on my borrowed book pile so that I could get them out of here and back to their owners
• Four bags of stale inventory, donated

Since I'm making my own meals again (finally! I've missed cooking!) I've had to be careful about food waste; here's how I've avoided it:

• I regrew some romaine from some cut off ends. They didn't get very big before the tips started browning, but I added them to my big container of lettuce. My regrown leeks and bok choy are coming along nicely, too.

Frugal fails:

• I made my lunch and then accidently left my lunchbox out all night so I had to toss what I'd made (luckily only some pre-frozen cooked sushi, potato salad, and some salad dressing)
• Accidentally parked in a tow zone on the street, but the attendant graciously gave me two parking tickets instead of having my car towed (which would've resulted in work time loss AND a higher fine)
• Tucker, though 14, has his spry moments occasionally. He used one of those moments to break into the pantry and chew open a carton of vegetable stock and a small carton of pasta sauce

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

frugal friday

Regrowing romaine hearts. They're already about two inches tall!

Another week (or months with how my blogging is) of how I've made or saved some cash.

• The electric company sent over a refund check for a span of a few years or something and I got back a whopping $1.02
• I picked up a free 40pk of water with coupon at BJ's and a huge bottle of Gain for $16.49. With coupon, BJ's Gain was 11¢ per load (146 loads) compared to Target, where I normally get my detergent, at 14¢ per load (107 loads) for $15.99. Pennies make dollars! 
• I batched errands and all in one day took off my rather accumulated pile of recycling (the facility is only ten minutes away but it's out of the way), utlizied the last few days of my health insurance until the new kicks in to get three more months of my prescription for free, shipped a sold Poshmark item using a recycled polymailer, redeemed a free order of breadsticks with rewards points from Pizza Hut, and then worked my gig job for a bit and made $125 in five hours. While out, I got gas at BJ's and it was significantly cheaper than other stations.
• My first day at my new job was Wednesday and I love it so far. I finally have my nights and weekends back! 💃
• While I no longer have a balcony, I have some huge windows. I planted some basil seeds and I'm hoping they come up. We'll see. 
• My best friend let me redeem her free year of MLB TV from TMobile 😍⚾
• I redeemed a coupon for a free bag of Tostitos tortilla chips at Kroger. I've gotten a free bag each month since I moved to the area in 2018.

Things I've continued to declutter since I moved!

• A piece of art I didn't want, to a coworker who loved it
• I went through a bunch of my plant items and sold three plants stands for $35 total, four small pots for $10, and gave away a few small terracottta pots
• A few more sold items on Poshmark, shipped in recycled bubble mailers

How I avoided food waste!

• I've been eating through my freezer and I just thawed a large bowl of chili - it's as good as the day I made it!
• Even though I overbought on produce, I finished all but maybe a cup or two of romaine. 

frugal friday

my $3 thrifted umbrella 

As always, here's ways I've saved and made a buck (here and there in the last six months)!

• My Verizon anniversary came around and they sent me a $10 Amazon giftcard (it's only been 19 years, no big deal *eye roll*)
• I had an absolutely wonderful coworker save me a TON of boxes at work, and between her and my pilfering of boxes that otherwise would've gone on to the landfill or recycling, it saved me pretty penny on moving boxes
• At the end of September I signed up and received my second Covid booster shot for free at Walgreens and today I received my free flu shot from my place of employment
• I received a $50 Visa giftcard from Xfinity and applied it to my credit card balance that was due. I also deposited a $4.89 refund check from my insurance company for overpayment of premium!
• I sold several items on Poshmark and a bunch of furniture and flower pots on FB Marketplace
• I worked on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day and made time and a half along with a few bartending shifts that pay more per hour.
• There was an issue with my cellular data so I called Verizon and we got that straight while upgrading my plan and saving me $14.99 a month as Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ is now included in my upgraded plan for free
• I redeemed a $10 coupon off a $10 order at Ulta, and redeemed $3 in rewards
• When I moved I changed my renter's policy's coverage and they sent me a $77.80 premium refund check (what! I'll take it)
• Amazon Prime gave me a seven day trial for HBO Max, so I finished the third season of His Dark Materials for free

Things I've decluttered in anticipation for my move/after I moved:

• A bunch of jars and lids I'd been hoarding ("that's a good ass jar!"), recycled
• I've used up a BUNCH of condiments, sauces, and skin care
• Several Poshmark items and recycled polymailers
• A large ceramic pumpkin, a stack of Dollar Tree organizers, sold & given away on FB
• My entryway table, desk, and large plant stand, sold on FB marketplace
• A small space heater, to someone in a free FB group
• A stack of books and cereal bowls, to two friends
• A dozen or so planters, sold on FB

And how I've avoided food waste:

• I had a cooler full of frozen food that I wasn't going to eat (hashbrowns, half bags of vegan chicken nuggets, some spring rolls I didn't like) and my best friend went through it and grabbed what they'd eat
• Even though I get free lunch at work, I don't have a microwave at my new apartment so I take meals in because I'm more inclined to eat leftovers if I can easily heat them vs. using the oven

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*