I’m always looking for ways to save my family money to help us get through current higher food and gas prices and achieve our big financial goals. Some months are more successful than others. There was nothing too special about my frugal shenanigans in September, other than just trying to be better with every purchase that I make.
My Frugal Shenanigans!
1. Garden Harvest
I planted a small garden this year: 2 tomato plants, 1 cucumber, 1 pepper plant that sadly didn’t make it, and 1 butternut squash. I had enough tomatoes to make a batch of my Roasted Red Plum Tomato Sauce for the freezer.
My butternut plant yielded nine beautiful squashes. Way more than last year. I roasted them and put them in the freezer for future use. I use them in pasta sauce, soups, and in place of pumpkin in a lot of recipes. Read: How to Roast Butternut Squash
I have toned down my gardening in recent years. At one time I planted quite a bit, but weeds overtook my garden and turned my favorite hobby into a stressful mess. Now I just plant a few favorites, but I’m given quite a bit of my friends’ abundance.
2. Sunday Prep
On Sundays, I wash and chop vegetables and fruits, make hard-boiled eggs, and bake healthy muffins for the week. There’s a better chance the healthy food will get eaten if it’s prepped, and it saves time on weekday mornings. Everyone just grabs want they want for the day.
Examples below are of my and my husband’s snacks for work. The black container is from Thai takeout food. I like to reuse them for lunches/snacks.
3. Transition to colder weather.
We ended September will cooler than usual temps, so I switched out our lighter-weight bedding for our heavier winter bedding. I also pulled out all of our colder-weather clothing and packed away our summer stuff. And I pulled out our throw blankets that I keep in the living room.
My husband also cleaned our gas fireplace and turned on the pilot light. This is our primary heat source during the colder months. My family accuses me of keeping the house too cold. They’re not wrong, but when they complain that the house is too cold as they’re wearing a tee shirt and shorts, I kindly ask them to put on some layers. I think we can handle a few degrees more than we think and I struggle with turning the heat on in September.
4. Miscellany
- It’s homecoming season, also known as the most stressful time of year for mothers across the U.S. I found one daughter’s dress at David’s Bridal and saved $10 for becoming a member, which made my daughter’s dress $50. I saved $5 on my other daughter’s dress just by searching online for a coupon. To be honest, I expected dresses to cost more than they actually do. My daughters are both 5’10, so finding dresses that fit them appropriately is no easy task.
- Grocery Freebies: During October, I scored a free frozen apple pie, a free salad mix, and free pop tarts from Giant of PA. I donated the pop-tarts to a food pantry and I’ll save the apple pie for Thanksgiving.
- Thursday nights continue to be an eat-from-the-fridge-night, much to my family’s dismay. I’m throwing away less uneaten food, so it’s staying for the long term.
- I mixed up a fresh bottle of my very cheap window cleaner that costs me just a few pennies.
Show me the money! Found money in September: $179
- Transferred $66 into each daughter’s 529 account from our Upromise Mastercard. Total $132. For more info, read: How We’re Saving for College with Upromise
- Plasma donation: $47. I only went one time in September. The line has been really long, but one Saturday morning, my husband called from the donation center telling me that no one was there, so I ran over and made a quick $47. I was out the door in about 75 minutes which is perfect timing. For more info, read: My Honest Review: I donated plasma to earn money!
Share in the comments how you frugal-ed in September. Check out more How We Frugal-ed posts.
