A Practical Walk

We got a dog! Getting a dog in and of itself was not frugal, however, we did multiple things to make it cheaper. First off, we got him from a shelter. I like shelter pets for 2 reasons:

1. It’s cheaper.
2. These are pets that need homes. Taking one in gives it a home and frees up another space at the local shelter.

Our yard is not fenced in. We’d love to fence in the whole back yard at some point, but right now house money is going towards more pressing projects. We decided to just put up a fence in part of the yard, so we could go ahead and get a dog. My husband found a chain link fence for sale on facebook, and then only had to buy some of the material brand new.

The shelter does not charge for the dogs, you simply make a donation. We got some coupons and free dog food.

Cooking at home continues to be a huge way we save money. My blender started having problems, but I discovered my immersion blender can do an okay job of making a smoothie.

I tried a new recipe this week. These 3 ingredient granola bars turned out fantastic and they were quick to make. I didn’t have any maple syrup so I used honey instead.

Strategic shopping. This one goes hand-in-hand with cooking at home. While I may spend a lot at the grocery store, that means I’m spending less at restuarants. I put a lot of thought into my shopping, often pulling out my phone to calculate which eggs are cheaper (lately the 12 count have actually been cheaper than 18 count). I have our store’s app on my phone and use it for coupons. I almost always “save” money by shopping sales and using the app coupons.

Today I spent $174.38 and saved $60.90.

Gardening. Some of my little plants have died, but I started plenty from seeds, so hopefully at least some of each kind will make it. While I do need to water them frequently, I’m able to supplement the water with leftover kitchen water, like the water I rinse rice and potatoes in.

My husband has a job replacing a bathtub. They didn’t want to keep the old tub, so he brought it home. We think we might use it as a second raised bed.

I wanted to have some aloe vera growing. While at Wal-Mart I picked up a little potted aloe plant and walked around with it. But before leaving decided to put the $4.97 plant back. When I got home, I asked on our local fb page if anyone had some and would be willing to give me some clippings. And multiple people answered! Now I have a $0 aloe plant instead of $4.97 one! Yay for community!

Thrifting. We’ve purchased more used items this week, including a really nice vintage silverware set to replace our not-so-nice silverware. The set did have way more spoons than we think we’ll ever need, so I posted the spares ones ebay to sell.

What did you do this week to save money?