Week 4 of the no- or low-spend February has come and gone – long gone, sorry about that – and what I suspected was true: Most of the readers of this site are already frugal. But just about all of us need a reminder now and then to spend intentionally. Even diehard frugalists can backslide.
During the no- or low-spend February, I was:
Not tempted to buy clothes, because I dislike shopping.
Not needing to buy books; instead, I went to the library (or to our own bookshelves) for reading material. I also chipped away at a backlog built up courtesy of the Amazon First Reads program, in which Amazon Prime members get a free e-book (sometimes two) each month. (As an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a small fee for items bought through my links.)
Able to hit the movies without paying cash, thanks to discounted gift cards I bought last December. I stretched those cards further by going on pay-one-price Tuesday and using my Cinemark Movie Club membership to get 25% off refreshments; it also brings the ticket cost down to $5.
Staying home due to lousy weather. We had snow, then a chinook brought in warm temps and rain, then cold temps that froze all the melt into peaks and valleys, then lots more snow, and just blech blech blech. Although I have wonderful Icebug shoes and the car has studded tires, I just did not feel like setting out across the frozen wastes. If I’m home, I have no opportunity to spend.
Focusing on no- or low-spend February. Although I technically could have spent money, I had a specific reason not to do so. Taking a sharper look at how (and why) we’re spending is good for us, and good for our financial goals.
Here are a few takeaways, based on your actions over the past month.
You better shop around
A reader named Ruby saved $17 on her prescription by switching pharmacies. That reminded me that I need to check the price of my own maintenance meds at a supermarket pharmacy, which is offering a gift card to switch over. If the cost is more or less the same, then I’ll do it.
Other readers did comparison shopping, checked thrift stores and, in some cases, specifically avoided shopping in February. Hey, if you can do it once, you can do it again.
Sunk cost salvation
That was Jenzer’s personal theme for the month, i.e., using what she already had. This is a great way to keep from spending impulsively. Reader after reader talked of getting their grocery bills way down. Which is a good thing, given how quickly food prices are rising.
Sunk cost salvation, part 2
I’d like to point out that using what we have means those sunk costs don’t go to waste. For example, those UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) at the bottom of the freezer could eventually become so freezer-burned that you can’t bring yourself to serve them.
Or a canned product that’s several years out of date might suddenly turn your stomach: I can’t use it because what if it’s POISONOUS?!? Fact is, it’s probably okay. But don’t set yourself up for failure. Keep those products rotating through the cupboard.
Be ready for luck
Marie bought a freezer, which is a huge money-saver if you have the room. But it gets better: She was offered a bunch of free roasts and hamburger from a farmer who raises his own meat. “We could not believe our luck,” she writes.
If Marie hadn’t gotten the freezer she wouldn’t have been able to receive as much of the free meat (which she intends to share with others, incidentally – major frugal karma points). So take a tip from Marie and position yourself to take advantage of any frugal serendipity. A few examples:
- Stocking up on freezer bags, canning jars and lids means that you’ll be ready to take advantage of peak fruit/vegetable products. This also works if you’re offered the chance to pick someone’s overflow produce. (Or to glean it from somewhere else.)
- Keep living/storage spaces tidy. Maybe you’ll see the snow tires or building materials of your dreams on Buy Nothing at a yard sale. Perhaps a co-worker will ask if you’d like a stroller now that her toddler refuses to ride. In order to take advantage of free or cheap items, you need a place to put them.
- Pay attention. A couple of readers have noted mistakes at the check-out counter, which resulted in refunds and/or free products. Cheryl paid attention to the office fridge and noted that half a rotisserie chicken and a container of organic salad had been left by a co-worker who wouldn’t be back in the office for a while; she contacted the worker, who told her to use it or toss it. (Guess which one she did.)
As they say, “luck” is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Set yourself up for success.
Got gift cards?
Ecoteri tracked down some prepaid Visa cards and restaurant/coffee gift cards. Those are great for things you need (the Visa cards) or want (lunch, dinner or frou-frou hot drinks) – and too often we lose track of these cards.
Readers also recounted using rewards: birthday freebies, auto dealership loyalty points, cash-back sites like Mr Rebates and Rakuten, and rewards programs such as Ibotta and Fetch. Paying for any overflow with a rewards credit card is just the free icing on the frugal cake. Use what you’ve got!
Bring your own
Folks brought their own water, coffee, snacks and lunches to work and to fun activities. One of them did the math and calculated she’s saving $3,250 a year this way.
To be clear: No one is saying you can’t have a damn Starbucks. (Especially if you’re using the rewards points or freebies noted above.)
But consciously limiting the number of Starbucks you get, rather than relying on habit so ingrained you’ve stopped noticing how often you sip, is the way to go here. A former MSN Money colleague helped a co-worker go over his finances because he couldn’t figure out where all the money was going. Turns out he’d been spending almost half his monthly food budget at the burrito truck. He was surprised by this.
Divest, de-clutter and cash in
BethC sold an old kitchen hutch for $250 on Facebook Marketplace. Lindsey sold a purse for $60.
If you can’t get paid for your stuff, put it out on Buy Nothing, Freecycle, OfferUp or LetGo. Catseye donated clothing to Goodwill and books to the public library.
No matter how you de-clutter, just do it. You’ll have more room, and a less-cluttered living area is conducive to mental health. It might also make more space for those serendipitous frugality moments, should they happen.
Readers: How was the last part of your no- or low-spend February? Will you try this again next year?
I had a new pasta recipe I was trying majorly flop, but I was able to scrap the sauce and still use the noodles mixed with some roasted broccoli. No- or low-meat recipes have saved us a ton recently, and I’m proud of myself for not just grabbing dinner when the original plan didn’t work out.
I’m proud of you, too.
And given how expensive meat has become, those meatless or low-meat recipes are going to save a lot of budgets.
I would do it again next year. For this year, will continue on. So much still here that a) somewhat insulated from some of the rising costs of food, and b) will be able to donate some within date food to Ukrainian relief local request.
I will continue on in March. Still eating out of the freezer. Lots to through there. With hubby working mostly from home his work clothes – Dockers and golf shirts – will last longer as well as his work shoes. He wears sneakers when he works from home with nice pair of work out pants on. Since I had gastric sleeve surgery in December I’m not eating much of anything so the grocery bill has been lower. My town is 2 square miles so I can run errands in a circle and not use too much gas, especially when I life my foot off the gas when going down hills.
I continue to do this, but your posts tracking it weekly (and reading everyone’s ideas), made me mindful all month that *maybe* I didn’t need to go to the store as much, and could create meals from what I had on hand in freezer/pantry! Saving myself money at the grocery, and gas station!
My final week went well, the office fridge continues to be a food treasure chest LOL, co-worker made pea soup and brought in for all – enough for 2 days of lunch!
My BFF and her Hubby were going out of town for a week and sent me home with any “perishables” from their fridge! Bag of fresh spinach and a few fresh broccoli stalks made a few lunch salads, and the rest was added with some ham from freezer to a make a quiche which fed me dinner for 4 days, her husbands leftover pizza was a nice treat for lunch one day! I sent them pics via our group text to show them how nothing was wasted – which they enjoyed! 🙂
I agree, these posts of what folk are doing (and where we are failing!!) have been lovely weekly reminders. I am becoming much more aware of how I have been grocery shopping for the fun of it – we don’t need much for a while, as my pantry is stocked with many lovely options. I think I forget what I have far too frequently, and the weekly menu in my head is clearly not working.
I would love it if you keep poking at this as a year-long project, @donnafreedman, I intend to keep working at it and doing my best.
As for failures? Um, I was growing some sourdough for bread and kept running out of time to make the dough, so I would add more flour and water (essentially making a ginormous starter). Then I went on a trip for 5 days with some friends, so in the rush to leave I just added more water and flour and put it in the basement fridge. When I got home I was lazy so the questionable starter stayed in the fridge for too long. I pulled it out and added MORE flour and water, as well as a bit of oil and some ‘real’ yeast – which, now that I think about it, wasn’t so healthy as I proofed it. anyway, I eventually made a dough, and formed some bread in pans, as well as tried some pizza dough in frying pans. THAT was a TOTAL fail – the chickens got those flat pancaked. The bread was / is pretty questionable, however #2 son and my daughter both happily have eaten it with soup, so maybe it it me being hyper critical. it is very sour, very dense, hard crust. Makes tasty toast, so need to put more soup on the menu to ensure we eat it quickly. Sigh.
As for other things, I have avoided my local grocery store and kept my purchases to fresh fruits and veggies at the discount farmers market – where I buy based on price, on the most part. Made an enormous stirfry yesterday which will be dinner tonight, as well. and #2 son has asked for asian salad, so I am going to be doing more chopping this afternoon. Trying to increase my veggie consumption, and the best route is to have them prepped for cooking or eating. Time for a good podcast, huh?
I used one of my Visa cards that had been used (and I had calculated with sharpie what was on it). Now I need to pull it out and do more math to ensure I get the final drops out of it.
I also used my Tim Hortons coffee app, which has money on it from some kind of promotion . You all would be proud of me, I just spent $0.99 on a promo muffin, didn’t get anything else. that is my current plan – to use the stored money on these apps for only promotions.
My houseguest and I did very well until we received our utilities/water bill for $300!! Pride goeth before a fall.
We’ve been dialoguing on how to save. Any suggestions?
We have been lowering the thermostat to 65 in the day, 63 at night (C-pap machine). We watch the wash loads and use the dryer all the time, so we can work on that. Any more suggestions?
We live in the chilly Midwest, and it does get cold here. And hot in the summer. But I have lovely shade trees, so the air conditioning bill is less.
One suggestion I can think of is to check the electric company rates for your area. Here in my New England area the rates go down between 9 pm and 6 am and all weekend. If you are using your dryer to dry laundry, it would be less expensive to use it during the lower rate hours.
After daylight saving time is over, I hang the laundry outside, which is another option. The days become long enough to dry everything. I’m lucky enough to have an umbrella clothes reel in my yard. During the colder months I combine using the dryer during the off peak hours (9pm to 6am) and hanging things around the house. Hope this helps.
Christine mentioned peak utility rates; definitely check to see if that’s a thing where you live.
DF and I have an outdoor clothesline, but several clothes racks as well. If we tumble the clothes for a few minutes before putting them on the racks, they dry faster; usually we just hang most of them up as-is, except for heavy towels. Everything dries eventually. Cotton shirts go on hangers and do their drying on the shower-curtain rod or on some hooks attached to doors. Would this work for you? It sure cuts down on the electric bill.
When you say “watch the wash loads,” do you mean “run full loads”? Another tactic, if you can do it, is not to wash things so often. During my childhood we washed towels after one use; I don’t do that as an adult. Some people throw jeans/slacks in the hamper after one wearing; I don’t do that, either. More at:
https://donnafreedman.com/how-often-do-you-wash-your-jeans/
Yes, I did mean full loads. My houseguest smokes. Whereas I washed maybe 2 loads a week (sometimes 3), she washes every other day to freshen her clothes. Our bill is separated into electric and water/sewer, and it’s the electric that shot up. We do not have a senior discount here as there is so much poverty that would force poorer people to pay more. As a matter of fact, the town has a fund that helps those who cannot afford basic necessities. I’ll donate this summer when bills go down (hopefully),
Thanks for the tips. I think the main problem is my guest was married and now has to live on one income which she has not mastered yet. Everything but my house is paid off and no credit card debt. She, on the other hand, owes so much money! I turn off lights and watch all energy usage; she does not. I’m trying to teach her, and she does listen a little. After the divorce is final, she will move out. But I fear that she will have to hit bottom before she learns. I am trying to get her to see your frugal Youtube videos and a few others. That’s how I learned to do it. Thanks, Donna!
Sounds as though you have your work cut out for you. I wish you luck. And pardon the long poking nose, but…Is she contributing her (however meager) funds to your household bills? Electricity and/or gas, water/sewer, food — these things add up. (As you well know.)
Are you able to separate out which part is water? Not long ago our water bill was unusually high. It turned out we had a leak in our sprinkler system we were not aware of. We got that repaired and things returned to normal So maybe a leaky toilet or something? It’s amazing how much water a small leak can use. The nice thing about our county was when we got our leak repaired we emailed the water department a copy of our repair bill and they prorated our future bills. We did not have to pay a bill for the next 3 months! So worth checking if that’s the case Just a thought
Marie, one thing I forgot to mention: When my husband turned 62 (I’m a bit younger), we qualified for a senior discount on our water bill. Something you may want to look if your town offers it and if your age applies.
…look into…
In Anchorage, there’s a senior discount on property taxes. The first $100,000 of valuation isn’t counted.
Nice! That’s a great discount.
Marie, I put my washload through an extra spin cycle to wring out even more moisture. Then when I plop it in the dryer, I put an extra clean, dry towel in there to sop up more moisture. In the winter, I only keep the towels in the dryer for the full cycle. For everything else, I put it on “De-wrinkle,” which is about 15 minutes on medium, then take out the load. I hang clothing on coat hangers and let dry over night. Underwear goes on drying racks (usually won’t put anything with elastic in the dryer). Having items air dry indoors keeps moisture in the air during winter. In summer, the drying racks (and towels) go outdoors or in the garage, since Mother Nature provides hot air for free. This saves on electricity and doesn’t wear out your clothing and linens quite so fast.
What LynnB said.
We did really well with the no-spend challenge. I spent more on groceries than I wanted to, but we were also restocking our pantry and some good sales on grain-based products did come along in the middle and near the end of the month. We had zero food waste this month, including some meals that were less than great. The tough manager’s special thin-sliced beef that my husband didn’t like went into my brown bag work lunches with the addition of gravy and green peas to up the chew-ability and flavor. It wasn’t bad, but I’m glad it’s over!
I got better about not letting “money” expire: I used some Walgreens rewards that were about to expire and bought a bottle of acetaminophen tablets for 45 cents out of pocket. Used four store coupons from our local grocery store right before they expired for bacon, oatmeal, canned goods, and cat litter. I had to meet someone after work at Starbucks one day, and used a gift card I’ve been carrying around for several years to buy a drink while I waited.
I also benefited from some goodies in the work fridge: some bottled water left over from an event, which was great with powdered peach tea mix added, and some strawberry Nutrigrain bars from the same event that no one wanted.
At the end of the month, I looked at the list of things I’d made to buy when the month was up, and didn’t need them! 😀 This is proof that so many purchases are passing fancies and benefit from cooling off period. (Do still need to mend one the pot holders since I’m not buying new ones, though.)
The month did serve to put a sharper edge on my frugal skills. I cooked more, did less laundry, slept more, read a lot (hooray for a library card!) and spent time only at the grocery store and two trips to the gas station for only gas. It was very refreshing.
Hooray for a library card, indeed. Also for sharpened frugal skills.
I actually did the low/no spend for both January and February and plan to continue it through March, as well. I both was and was not successful. I doled out some serious cash for a vehicle repair. A) I didn’t have to panic about paying for it because I have an emergency fund, plus I was cutting out so much other unnecessary spending, and B) it was still cheaper than buying a new vehicle. In addition, a month ago I got an upsetting medical diagnosis which has resulted in some medical bills, paying (very modest) amounts for new meds and a total revamping of my food consumption. My well-stocked pantry has been streamlined (and donated to the various free pantries in my town) and I’ve been restocking with foods that are a much better choice for me. With the need to change quickly (so not really able to wait for the best sales) plus the increasingly high grocery prices, I went over my food budget in February. Again, with less spending in other areas and having an emergency fund, I didn’t have to worry about paying for this. And my health is improving daily and that is worth the cost! Otherwise, I bought nothing extra and overall consider myself to have been successful.
That sounds like a challenging time for you. It was kind of you to think of others (re food pantries) when so much was going on. And as you noted, your emergency fund and intentional spending reduced the pain at the pump.
Glad your health is improving. Thanks for sharing this story.
Along with other participants, I found that the February challenge kept me on my frugal toes, and I plan to extend it into March. Especially now that (a) food prices are going crazy and (b) I just got my own long-term care insurance bill for 2022, which is up $800 over the already high 2021 bill. (Still, I don’t dare drop the LTCI. As described in my Meet a Reader profile at The Frugal Girl, having the LTCI for DH’s nursing home care has been essential. And his premiums are being waived while he’s in care.)
And although I’m not a hoarder, I am a stockpiler–so I plan to keep drawing on the stockpiles for the foreseeable future.
Finally, thanks to whoever recommended the UNHCR for donations to help Ukraine. I’ve made one.
The estimated cost of an upcoming plumbing upgrade/repair is keeping me on the frugal straight and narrow.
Still eating down the freezer contents in preparation for hunting season (elk). Fingers crossed DH is lucky this year and gets an animal.
Watching the register at the grocery stores saved us a total of $5.14 this past week. Incorrect shelf price, sale price not ringing up at the register, etc. My budget spreadsheet has a line item labelled “drip savings” where this and other savings bits (e.g., senior discounts) are added up and then transferred to a savings account once a month.
We are doing good! Still below my grocery budget every week since beginning of Frugal February. We have been trying to cut our meat consumption for health reasons and this has been a good time to work on that with meat being so high. Even though our grocery bill has been below our budget I have been able to snag a lot of good deals to replenish the pantry and freezer. It helps that we live in an area with many grocery stores. Of the 3 main ones we frequent 2 are actually in a reasonable walking distance so it’s easy to take advantages of specials at each store. I study the ads and try to plan meals around the deals.
I am also trying to be cognizant of small things…like do we really need that extra light on? can I wait a day to wash a load of clothes or dishes? Since it’s just the 2 of us I often just wash or rinse off lunch dishes . They are small things but better for us and the environment and really it’s just getting in the habit of being aware and following through.
Thankfully, we don’t have to drive much since gas prices are high. That’s another thing to be cognizant of. Do we really need to go out or can we combine errands?
So I’ll keep at it!
Due to home repairs, my overall February wasn’t as good as I would have liked.
However, our overall expenses were lower than January by a good amount.
I did try to shop in my freezer, make ahead breakfast meals, and have lunch at home.
I also emptied our hot tub and turned off the power source since we haven’t been using it much.
A broken ankle is a very effective deterrent to staying out of stores. I don’t recommend it, though. 😉
I’ve been using my evening feet-up-in-the recliner time to catch up on financial data collection, tweak some spreadsheets, and do some digital decluttering. Making lemonade out of lemons. I haven’t done any pity-party online purchasing since my injury, though I’ve been tempted.
I’m still pleased at what I was able to accomplish the first three weeks of February, at your invitation. Thank you, Donna, for providing this space for your readers to be each other’s accountability partners.
Thank you — and all other participants — for sharing your stirring tales of thrift.
And I hope your foot feels better soon. Ow.