Last Weeks Frugal Accomplishments

The frugal updates for the week are:

*52 Week Savings Plan:  Still at $10 until I figure out how much I can contribute from this pay period.

*Christmas Jar of Change: I have discovered another handful of change while cleaning and a bit more when I dumped out my purse for a total of $4.05 to be added to the Christmas Jar of Change.  The previous balance in the jar was $42.40.  With the the new handful tossed in as well the balance is $46.45. Yay!

*Favorite Frugal Accomplishments:

-That Christmas Jar of Change is going to come in handy come Christmas time but it is not the only thing that I am doing to be prepared for the end of the year money crunch.   I am already making Christmas lists so that I can look for bargains and actually make some gifts.  And I have begun making some of those gifts using items that I have on hand.  I would give you a sneak peek but the intended recipients might also get a peek and I just can't let that happen.

-Organization was a very important part of this weeks frugal accomplishments.  Not only did I organize my annual gift giving but I made three weeks worth of menus using primarily what we already had on hand.

-I did do some grocery shopping and got some really great bargains.  I purchased a years worth of pasta at $.49 per pound.  I also got 10 pounds of ground beef for $1.75 per pound and ten pounds of pork loin for $1.79 per pound.  I divided the meat into meal sized portions and popped them into the freezer.

-I scored twenty pounds of potatoes for $.10 per pound and have enjoyed getting creative with the potatoes.  I made some really fantastic potato soup and some super duper fantastic potato rolls.  Please note that I can't bake bread but I DID bake bread - its a huge accomplishment for me.

- I resumed tending to my Swagbucks and have already earned a $5 Amazon gift card.  I intend to pay for some educational resources using what I earn on Swagbucks.

-I had a "spend nothing" day which is really a big deal for me - another huge accomplishment.

-I downloaded a free kindle app for my mac.  It came with three free books and then I purchased another book for a mere $.99.  Bishop has already completed that book and he truly enjoyed it.

-My neighbors had some trees removed and I scored four large logs so that I can make these toadstools.  They have yet to decide what to do with the rest of their logs.  I am hoping that they will let me have it for firewood.

-I found a free Merit Badge University to send Bishop to.  He earned two Boy Scout merit badges at no cost to me.

-My favorite frugality of the week has to do with FREE entertainment.  On Friday evening, my sister, Roxie, and I went to our community theatre for a performance of Music Man Jr. (the Jr. means that the entire cast is eighteen years of age or younger).  We were able to attend this performance for FREE; I had two complimentary tickets because Maceo is performing in the show.
I then saw the show for FREE twice on Saturday.  I ushered two of the shows which allowed me to see the performances after getting everyone seated.
And, as a performer,  Maceo's hours of FREE entertainment have been numerous.  Being a performer is a huge time commitment but requires little financial investment, particularly if you live as close to the theater as we do.  We are only about 3 minutes away!
If you have a community theatre in your area and are interested in this sort of thing you should check it out.  There could be countless hours of free entertainment available to you.

Now I must get off of this computer and get my Superbowl party ready to go.
Go Broncos!!!!