Yesterday was spent with my mother and a few of my aunts shopping at a community garage sale. Although we spent several hours shopping we didn’t see anywhere near all the sales. I bought an air conditioner for $30. (My apartment doesn’t have central air so this was a necessary purchase.) I also bought a TV for $10. I didn’t really need this but replacing my 13″ TV with a 25″ TV for only $10 seemed like to good of a deal to pass up. I’ll probably sell my 13″ TV for more than $10 and make a profit on the deal. I also got a George Foreman grill for free and some silverware and a Chiefs t-shirt for a quarter each. Garage sales are probably the best places to get a bargain.
Grocery Challenge-Update 3
I spent a little money on food again. I spent $2 on a milk shake bringing my food total for the month a little over my $5 goal. I should be able to go the rest of the month without spending anymore money unless I need to buy some more ice cream. I’m still eating only soft foods and ice cream is providing a lot of my calories right now so if I feel like I still need soft food when I finish my ice cream I will buy more. My food total for the month should still be under $10 at the end of the month. More than my goal but a pretty low number nevertheless.
Funky Frugalities
These are some frugal things I do that others think are weird. They don’t really save much money but I like to do them anyway. If you are a frugal person though they probably seem pretty normal.
Reusing paper towels-If I use a paper towel to cover something in the microwave or as a plate for a sandwich I use it again if it didn’t get dirty. I know I shouldn’t be using them at all and I could save even more money. I read somewhere about using newspaper for covering your dishes. I might try that.
Unplugging the microwave-I keep the microwave unplugged when I’m not using it. It doesn’t save much money but it is easy to do so why not.
Using grocery bags for trash bags-I don’t see any reason to buy trash bags when plastic grocery bags work just fine. Of course I should be using a reusable bag at the grocery store. I’m trying to do that now but I still seem to be accumulating plastic bags.
Cut my own hair-Since I keep my hair buzzed it doesn’t really take any skill. Why should I pay to get it done?
Walk places-If I need to go somewhere close by I’ll walk. This seems logical but lots of people drive everywhere even if it is close. A few years ago I was with my sister and we were going to eat at a restaurant that was at the other end of a parking lot from the store where we were at. She wanted to drive there. Granted it was a big parking lot but I thought she was crazy for wanting to drive there. Of course she thought I was crazy for wanting to walk there.
The next one I don’t do but I just want to show there are limits to my frugality.
Reusing Kleenex-I read somewhere online about a frugal tip of saving your used Kleenex to use as TP later. That tip is a little too disgusting for me and it seems unhygienic as well.
Study Spanish Abroad
Learning Spanish abroad is a quick way to learn the language and can also be a frugal vacation. The immersion technique allows you to learn the language much faster than conventional classes. Plus you get to experience the culture on a deeper level than most tourists.
There are many good Spanish schools out there but my recommendation is Madre Tierra Spanish School in Quetzeltenango, Guatemala. At the school you receive five hours a day of Spanish instruction from trained and experienced instructors. You also receive a homestay with a local family which includes a private room,hot water, and three meals a day. The cost is only $135 a week. That would only add up to $540 if you wanted to go for an entire month. You could quite possibly go on vacation for less than staying at home. My time spent in Guatemala was one of the best times of my life and I highly recommend it.
This is not a paid post. I just think this is a great deal and want to help out my friend at the school.
What I’m Doing with My Money
A couple weeks ago I asked what I should do with my money. I received several suggestions and took them into consideration when making my decision. This is what I’ve decided to do for now. I’m getting health insurance first. I’m also going to open a Roth IRA and contribute $50 a month. With my surplus money, which should be a few hundred dollars, I’m going to put half towards my emergency fund and half towards debt repayment. When the emergency fund is fully funded I’ll divide the surplus between debt and fully funding the IRA. I may temporarily put more towards debt repayment to make sure my credit card is paid off before the 0% balance transfer offer ends.