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 - 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

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.*

library haul

I recently got a card (again) for a huge library system in the city I work in. It's a little easier to access than my county library and I was eligible for a card since I have one in a surrounding county. Well, I checked out their online catalog and holy cow. SO MANY TITLES. I'm ecstatic! I put a ton of hold and on my to hold later list, but this is my first haul. I've already finished one of these.

Alllll of the graphic novels. They have such a selection and I'm trying a ton of new ones. I've already finished Rat Queens, which was amazing, and I'm going to start on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen next. Y: The Last Man has been on my list for quite some time, and it comes highly praised, even by Stephen King. While I was browsing graphic novels, I stumbled upon The Hospital Suite and added it. Last but certainly not least, A BOOK ON BIGFOOT.

I have so many books I already own and need to read that I tried to stick with graphic novels as they're quick to get through when I want to read but don't have time to sit down for hours like I'd like. Luckily I have a few people to pass my books onto when I'm finished, so hopefully that motivates me to knock out my TBR list.

As usual, all links are Thriftbooks and not affiliate, but use this link* for 15% off and I get a discount, too!

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birthday savings 2017

Last month I turned 27. Ugh. However, I'm in quite a few rewards programs and on what feels like hundreds of email lists. Check out some of the great birthday "gifts" I got, including this delicious cupcake that Jess gave me!

• I used a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon at Kohl's. I actually ended up using this to buy a birthday gift because I didn't need anything.
• On Sephora's website, I redeemed my free Tarte set, along with using some of my points for a redemption and purchasing a $3 item to have it shipped.
• When I met up with Jess, we had dinner at Not Your Average Joe's and I redeemed a $15 (!!) off coupon they sent me via email. My delicious pasta dish was less than $2! We split the final bill and ended up only paying $9 and something before tip.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe sent me a FREE 24oz smoothie coupon and N and I redeemed it and had it split into two cups so we both had some.
• Starbucks sent me a free drink, but I didn't go by there before it expired. Booooo.
• Au Bon Pain sent me a very generous free sandwich or salad coupon.
• I was sent a free drink coupon from Dunkin' Donuts.

There are loads more awesome birthday perks from stores all over the place, so be sure to seek them out! I personally only redeem offers from places I frequent, and I was so grateful to have such a great birthday.

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thrifting tips

I'm a big fan of thrifting. Not only for the savings but for the opportunity to find some great quality items that are sometimes unique. If you've ever wanted to start thrifting or just get a bit more efficient at it, here are some tips that I utilize whenever I go.

Keep a running list and know what you like.

I typically keep a mental list of things I'd like to look for at the thrift shop. I've been hunting for a denim jacket for forever, but I've yet to find one I like, so that stays on the list. It's a lot easier to go in with a plan than to wander around looking at every piece in the store (unless that's what you want to do). I know that I tend to go for oddball patterns, stripes, and sweaters, so I visually scan and find most things that way. I do have days where I just go through the racks, but on quicker visits I've gotten it down to an art.

Learn your fabrics.

If you're looking for clothing, learn to identify fabrics just by sight. When I was sourcing for vintage a lot, I'd learned what polyester and linen looked like just by walking by and seeing them. Granted, there are exceptions as rayon can look really similar to cotton, but with a general knowledge of knits and such, you can easily find things you're looking for.

Have a buddy.

I'm fortunate that my two best friends are thrifters, too! Jess and I meet up for thrifting trips and always find some amazing stuff. It really helps to have someone with you for when you pick up that odd piece and want an opinion on it, or you need someone to talk you out of an absurd wall hanging.

Don't always go by the tag size.

Clothing sizes vary wildly and so do folks' laundry habits, so don't always go by what the tag says. Don't be afraid to try things on or hold them up to your body. Look through all of the size racks and remember, especially if you're looking for vintage, that a size 14 could really mean a modern size 4.

Follow thrift store etiquette.

Don't take things from others' carts, replace items where you got them or on the fitting room return rack, don't bombard the workers that bring new carts of merchandise out, don't eat in the store and then touch merchandise with your greasy hands, and be polite.

If you have any more tips, leave them in the comments! :)

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