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

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari | shop my eBay
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

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.

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari | shop my eBay
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.*

link love

recipes I'd like to try: creamy vegan green chile casserole // tvp lasagna soup // garlic buffalo tofu sandwich // vegan irish stew // popped lentils with mashed potatoes // Polish dill pickle soup // potato garlic soup // lentil sloppy joes // orzo puttanesca 

Lodge has new DOLLY PARTON CAST IRON PANS! 

I'm loving this Mokuyobi Dragonfly Camp Bag.

Here's a great tutorial on how to make figure 8 bows.

Definitely check out my friend Jess' recipe club, thyme & butter!

Recently a (very well) targeted ad introduced me to Jiby's leash badges!

Here's a bunch of free e-cookbooks centering around mushrooms.

_________

Photo by Carol Romão on Unsplash

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.*

empties #27

It's been a while since I've used up some products. I only wear makeup on special occasions now, so I don't go through nearly as many products as I used to. I'll be marking the non cruelty free products.

Thayer's Facial Toner* in Rose Petal// I picked this up on clearance forever ago, but these are big bottles! I liked this toner and would definitely buy another bottle. I liked that it wasn't greasy or drying.

Dr. Teal's Nighttime Witch Hazel Facial Toner // I am the target market for this gimmicky stuff. I straight up do not need the burden or clutter of two different toners, so I won't buy this again.

Tree Hut Coco Colada Sugar Scrub* // These little scrubs from Tree Hut are affordable, easy to find, and non-greasy. I love them! I usually wait for a sale or clearance to make them even more affordable. I would and am going to buy more of these.

Mrs. Meyers Hand Soap* in Daisy // I'm working through a backstock of hand soap right now (when Ulta used to run their 3/$10 hand soap sale) but I like this brand and plan to add it to my next Grove* order. I especially love their Fresh Cut Grass scent.

Whim by Ulta Beauty Banana Body Wash // I don't think the Whim collection is really a thing anymore at Ulta, but if it was I'd buy this again. Banana anything is always a hit with me. It lathered well.

Mary Kay Paint the Sky Lotion // not cruelty free // I got this forever ago as a gift and finally used it up. I don't support MLMs, so I won't repurchase even through it was a decent lotion.

Bath & Body Works Hemp Seed Oil Hand Lotion // not cruelty free // When a neighbor moved she set out a box of free things and I snagged this. I work in food service and wash my hands and change gloves a lot so my hands get dry. This was a decent lotion, but B&BW isn't cruelty free.

Pacifica Wake Up Beautful Super Hydration Sleepover Mask // This mask was super thick and I loved it. I'd wake up with my skin glowing. Sadly, I don't think this is available anymore.

Bath & Body Works You're the One Hand Lotion // not cruelty free // This was a gift from a while ago. Like I said about the Hemp Oil tube, I go through lotion like crazy.

Ogden is obsessed with chewing up my lip balms (so much so that I've gotten decorative boxes for my nightstand and coffee table to secure them) and here are his latest casualties. Lip balm is one category where I buy for effectiveness instead of if the company is cruelty free because I have chronic dry lips and consider this more of a medical issue.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Shampoo // This left my scalp nice and tingly. I like Paul Mitchell products and once (if) I use up all the other shampoos I'd buy a full size.

Jason Apricot Scrubble // For a bit I had a hard time finding a good chemical exfoliant so I picked this up at TJMaxx. It took a fair amount of rinsing to get it all off my face, so I ended up just using it for my hands. I think I'll avoid any type of scrub for my face.

L'Oreal Wonder Water // not cruelty free // I bought this on a whim, not even thinking about the face that L'Oreal isn't cruelty free. Which sucks, because this was quite the wonder. This made my hair nice and silky. I have since replaced it with Garnier Fructis Glass Hair Water*.

Derma E Overnight Peel // I used this occasionally and really didn't see much difference. I kept it around so long that it eventually went off and I won't be replacing it. 

NYX Total Control Pro Foundation // I believe this was a Walmart clearance find. I just never really could get it to blend so I eventually gave up on it. It was very thin as well.

Lanolips Balm Banana* // At the height of my horrid chapped lips I was trying any balm I could get my hands on. While this definitely helped, it was just so sticky. I'd buy it again, though, if I needed it.

Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream* // When Covergirl finally went cruelty free I was so excited to use this BB cream again! I had used it when I was younger and liked it then. It still works well for me now. It's lightweight but buildable without becoming cakey. I'll keep buying this!

Ulta Makeup Brush & Sponge Cleaner // This was fine. It's cheap enough that I'd buy it again if I needed it. I admittedly don't wash my brushes like I should, so maybe I'll add that to my cleaning routine.

 Nip + Fab Viper Venom Blurring Shot // I loved Nip + Fab products but not only are they hard to find, they go off so quickly!

Pacifica Perfume Roller in Indian Coconut // My favorite scent by Pacifica. I don't think I'd do a rollerball again, but I'd definitely purchase a spray bottle of this!

Tarte Maneater Mascara // This brush was just okay. I've used better. This came in a palette and I'd use this again if it came in a set, but I wouldn't spend the money on a full tube.

essence Get BIG! Lashes Mascara // Love this! It's buildable and doesn't clump. The brush is really nice for separating lashes. I have two new spares already in my vanity.

lash flex Thickening Mascara // cruelty free status unknown // I couldn't tell you where I got this. An ipsy box maybe? The brush was nice and once the formula dried out a bit, I liked it. Who knows where to buy it again, though!

Mary Kay Satin Lips Shea Sugar Scrub // not cruelty free // This was a decent lip scrub, but I stopped buying from MLMs.

All of these were fine (cruelty free status unknown). I don't think any of them blew me away enough to buy them again, but then again I'm not the biggest fan of masks in general.

Another empties post wrapped up! I'm slowly going through more products.

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.*