Recent Frugalities and Bargain Finds
My lifestyle is a mix of frugal and not-so-frugal living. I’ve had lots of experience getting by on very little, and don’t want to spend money foolishly. But I do spend more money than most people would on certain things. A long-time friend who often blogs about her thriftiness would be shocked if she ever found out what I pay to put art into archival (museum quality) mats and frames. Not that I frame things all of the time, but it is a big purchase when I do. I value art and want to protect, preserve, and enjoy it.
I noticed a long time ago the practice of selective extravagance is very common. A woman I worked for years ago economized a lot, down to using a clothesline instead of a machine dryer. (Pretty impressive for someone with a demanding job running a marketing department.) When she had a formal occasion to attend, she borrowed a dress from her clotheshorse sister. But she got herself a Starbucks coffee each day. That was her little splurge, and she still met her economic goals. She sent her children to expensive private schools and then to big-name colleges, and planned her retirement.
Here are a few bargain finds and a frugal measure of mine from the past month.
After my joyful birthday celebration the last weekend in May, I promptly came down with a bad cold. I had some small orange juice containers from our trip, which I carefully washed in very hot water so I could take orange juice with me to work. It was much cheaper than buying more individual serving-size bottles.
I paid a total of forty-six cents for this set of three clear Pyrex refrigerator storage containers with plastic lids, and the corn stripper, which will be handy for blanching and freezing corn later in the summer, when corn is very cheap. There’s an excellent Macy’s Home Store near my workplace, and I had twenty Macy’s Reward dollars that were about to expire, so I happily used them to get these practical items that were already on sale. The total was $20.46. Today after work I went by another Macy’s and paid my bill of forty-six cents.
I just got back from a trip to Oklahoma (more about that soon), where I found two informal hats that will help me keep the sun out of my eyes and off of my pale face this summer. The blue and white striped hat cost one dollar plus tax. It will coordinate well with a patriotic red, white, and blue Mickey and Minnie Mouse top I bought at Disney Resort during my birthday weekend, plus other casual outfits. The tan hat with white lace, from the same clearance rack, was two dollars plus tax.
This was fun.
