Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

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frugalmom
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:52 pm

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by frugalmom »

Great thread!

Yes,my cast iron pans are on top of my list-use that for baking,cooking on the stove,etc-great non stick pans! Plus it adds iron and for women that is good being we tend to sometimes be anemic. Also great for cornbread! I love my cast iron pans-only thing is due to my neck and back injuries I have to be careful as it is heavy for me to carry so I have to ask my dh to get them for me and lift it or it can trigger spasms,etc.

Fluffy socks-yes-those are usually my favorite presents-I don't care if it is from the dollar stores or where as long as it is soft and fuzzy and keeps my tootsies warm! Plus good to slather my feet with lotion to keep them soft(bc you know how my feet are-ugh!) and the socks help keep it from going everywhere and helps it absorb I think(lol I was thinking maybe it absorbs to the socks instead of my feet!).

My daily notebook where I do my to-do lists, keep track of my spending everyday,and anything else I need to track. That and my free calendar I get from my sister with her kids pictures on it (which I am waiting for now). I keep track of calls,things I need to do,appts,etc on those calendars and it is sturdy and hard(not like flimsy paper other calendars are made of) so I can write on it like cardboard.

My Nike sandals (flip flops) which really are not cheap in my eyes (normally 32.00 which is a lot for sandals-I usually get it on sale for about 13.-15.00-best place to buy these Ross,Marshalls, JC Penney and Kohls when they have coupons off sales). I wear these year round-well til freezing cold and I would still wear them but my dh keeps lecturing me to keep my feet warm. I know, I know,still a shlumpadinka-I admit I must look a bit funny all bundled up and you look down and I have sandals on. I told you all I live in those sandals!

OK, Cuddleduds from Walmart and Kohls- they have thick and warm microfleece V neck shirts and leggings! They have thinner material too but I like the warm thick fleece ones-you can put them under clothes but since CA is not that bad I wear them like a black shirt under my polar fleece jackets which keeps me really warm(only wear them together when it is freezing cold-otherwise my menopause hot flashes kick in and it gets too hot). I live in my polar fleece jackets during the winter too-goes from season to season too and that is my coat or jacket which is cheaper than a regular heavy jacket. (Oh btw I just bought a heavy parka jacket for Preston from 70.00 went down to 13.00-SCORE!). Add my scarf (freebies) and 1.00 mittens from WM and Target or the Dollar store-I am good(again only used during icy conditions-rarely gets that cold except maybe in them morning).

Thick rubber bands from broccoli stalks and other items. saved me many a time! Currently used to keep my car key intact as remote case is breaking and it is expensive to replace the car key(it was like 135-160.00 at different places-so forget it). I also macgyvered broken items into working with rubber bands,paper clips and water bottle tops.

You tube and dyi fixit apps that teach you how to fix broken items. I don;t always understand it b ut it gives me some idea to work it out! Most recently light fixture went out but was not sure if it was light switch or fixture-instead of hiring an electrician we got the app(free) and looked up what to do. Went to HD and instead of buying the fixture we fixed the bulb socket where the brass clip was not working and fixed it for 8.00! Now we are not diy people when it comes to fixing things usually bc basically we are dumb and I make things work sometimes Idk how but I rig it somehow and it works-may not look great but hey it works!

Whenever someone travels here like my brother or my mom and sister does a lot of traveling they bring back the soaps,shampoos,etc and hey give it to me bc I love those! I have used it for birthday parties spa kits to give as party favors-it was a hit party for my daughter when she was at the tween age! The kids loved that stuff! I love to use it myself too and currently using the ones my brother brought over. And I used these samples/travel sizes it for one of my dd's spa basket I made for a tired mom to treat herself for Christmas.

My flowers from the garden-my dh brings them often and makes bouquets for me or to help the house smell nice like jasmine or honeysuckle,beautiful,romantic and free from my garden. Same with my fruits and vegetables from my garden-esp my lemons I use everyday(drink with water in the morning especially sometimes with ginger or make lemonade, or as salad dressing or with tandoori chicken or kebobs,etc-use all the time and best thing it is a Mexican lemon lime tree-juicy!). Oh and my tomatoes from my .99 store plants-grew so many and I love the taste of fresh tomatoes and eat it all the time esp for breakfast on Eng Muffin with provolone or gouda cheese.

My PBS channel -since no cable I have that and have lots of good shows like recently saw The Six Wives (of King Henry) which is good history. This Wed will have the second part at 8 pm.

Library-if I like a book I go there to find it and get it. It gives you museum tickets,book contests for kids and you can get pizza coupons for a free pizza,school items like pencils,baseball game tickets, we have seen puppet shows and magic shows,movies. You can rent movies,exercise tapes,music dvds,read magazines or newspapers use their computers if you don't have it at home,etc-love my library and if they don't have it you can get interlibrary loans anywhere in the US that is associated. It is like my special magical place even when I was young I spent many hours hanging out there by myself. Now I go to Barnes and Nobles and feel like a kid again bc you can find a quiet chair to read,etc. It is my fun place too-and they have shows for kids too.

Oh and my cell which normally is not frugal bc Iphones are expensive-but I get mine free (well had to pay for this last one since it glitched after an update and they charged me like 160.-something like that which I was upset about-but my original one was free from my brother). But you can play games,entertainment free,watch movies or you tube or get answer and google,etc. You tube has provided me with exercise tapes, and fix it info,etc.
chocolite
Posts: 1444
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 8:11 pm

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by chocolite »

NoisyPorkchop wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:08 pm Just love my cast iron skillets I received as a birthday gift several years ago from Hubby. I told him in passing conversation that I wished I had the cast iron that my Mom used when I was a kid. He made a mental note :lol: I know he probably paid a pretty penny for them because they are the Lodge brand but they are superior to a set of non-stick Kitchenaid pots and pans I once paid a small fortune for and they didn't last much more than 4 to 5 years before they were shot. And I took good care of them, they just didn't last. I know with my cast iron I will never ever have to buy another set of skillets and will have my cast iron until I can't cook no more. The newest 'member' to my cast iron family is a 5 quart ceramic coated Lodge dutch oven that Hubby bought me for Christmas. There is something to be said for good, solid cookware!
Yes! I could not live without my cast iron. What I love about them is the more you use them, the better they get.
Patty
BevMoore
Posts: 1012
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:04 pm

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by BevMoore »

6. This is definitely not frugal, but the features of a heated seat and steering wheel in my car has been so nice while I have been traveling. I don't even have to get out and walk around after driving long distances with the heated seat.

Little Miss, in spite of the comfortable seats I strongly recommend you still get out of your car about every 2-3 hours to walk and stretch your legs to avoid dangerous blood clots. Please be careful.

Bev
littlemiss63
Posts: 2516
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by littlemiss63 »

BevMoore wrote: Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:47 pm 6. This is definitely not frugal, but the features of a heated seat and steering wheel in my car has been so nice while I have been traveling. I don't even have to get out and walk around after driving long distances with the heated seat.

Little Miss, in spite of the comfortable seats I strongly recommend you still get out of your car about every 2-3 hours to walk and stretch your legs to avoid dangerous blood clots. Please be careful.

Bev
Thank you for that tip Bev, I hadn't even thought about blood clots.
BeckyO
Posts: 926
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:32 am

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by BeckyO »

Yes, Littlemiss, please get out every 2 hours. Those blood clots can be lethal and your muscles need to be exercised every few hours to prevent cramps.

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I love those fluffy socks, don't care where they come from , either, I loved my crockpot, dinner ready when I got home from work.. oh, yum
My wooden clothes drying rack, my sewing machine
My fans, ceiling, box and small ones.

My cast iron skillets.. I don't think anyone mentioned anything that I haven't used and appreciated. My ereaders and reading aps that I've stuffed with free ebooks. I receive about a dozen emails with free offers every day. Amazon Prime has been frugal for me, too.

I don't have too much motivation to be frugal in most of my life, now. I have a pretty little apartment, with a balcony in an Independent Living building. My rent includes utilities, cable, Wi-Fi, weekly housekeeping, changing the bed, laundering the linens, washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, floors, replacing the TP, LOL, etc, three meals/day served in the large dining room, "help I've fallen" pendant, community activities, transportation- with a lift for my scooter, Free lodging and meals when traveling, at other centers, free use of washers and dryers, etc.

The rent is not cheap but is the same every month
Grannysewstoys
Posts: 4156
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:37 pm

Re: Favorite Frugal Items / Must-Haves

Post by Grannysewstoys »

My most frugal item not already mentioned is my kitchen timer. I use my timer all the time.

I have limited energy, so I set the time to do things around the apartment and again to rest.

Since I live alone, I put leftovers into the freezer in one meal size portions. I rarely buy the frozen meals that many of my neighbors do. I save those for the times when I really need the connivence of the prepared meals. I used them after my surgery.

Penny
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