2025. clothing

January 

-0-

February 

-0-

March

Sandy.    One scarf and one top from New Zealand op shops.  $6.00

April.     New watch for Mike.    Walmart.  $10.98

May

Sandy, 4 tops (cold water creek, Talbots, j. Jill, ).      $10.20

Sandy      sundress.    Goodwill.     $6.16

Sandy.       Summer skirt.    Goodwill. $4.83

Sandy.       Summer skirt, 3 summer dresses.    Goodwill     $29.95

Sandy.        Summer dresses.       Goodwill      $3.35

June

Sandy.       Wool blazer.        Norway thrift store      $20

Sandy         1 skirt for summer, two tops     Salvation Army.       $2.97

July

Mike     New sneakers       Costco      $35.99

Sandy     Sneakers        Costco         $19.99

Sandy      Top        Goodwill             $3

Sandy       2 tops       Goodwill       $6

Sandy        2 tops and  1 sweater     $6

Sandy        Summer skirt     $1

August

Sandy Dress slacks (2)  $5     Salvation Army 

September 

Boxer shorts for Mike (6)       $14.98   Sam’s 

Sandy     Two nightgowns, sweater, shoes    $20     Amvets

October 

-0-

November 

Sweater dress.  Thrifty shopper.   $8

Leggings (3).     Goodwill.        $17.97

Blazer.      Salvation Army.     $1

New watch.   Kohl’s.           $32.84

December 

Sandy.     Long winter coat.     Amvets.      $15

Total Mike.     $61.95.     GREAT!

Total Sandy.    $212.26.    Not great but still under budget of $250

The budget for 2026 will stay the same at $250/person.   Mike may need to buy more and Sandy needs to buy less.

2025 Linus and Such: October-December

 Linus:     8

Pet blanket:     2

Chemo Squares :     32

One pound yarn.      $3.       Amvets

Year End Totals:

Chema squares.      79

Operation Gratitude Scarves.         23

Linus Blankets         37

Pet Blankets          13

Chemo Caps          56

Dishcloths          8

Total          216 Items

Yarn     

Skeins Purchased     285

Skeins Donated        104

Cost   $270.28           $0.95/skein

Next year I will continue trying to help one item at a time.    I will also work on using up more of my stash.

2025 Household and Personal Care: October, November and December

 Personal Care 

Hair cut for Mike.    $9.99.  Great Clips with a coupon saving $

Hair ties for Sandy     $2.50     Dollar Tree 

Pedicure      $40

Purple conditioner, purple shampoo, pain relief ointment    $4.94  plus $30 from coupons 

Mike haircut     $14    Great clips 

Total     $61.43 for three months.

  $30/ month budgeted   So under budget by $28.57

Household

2026 calendar.     $1.25.      Dollar Tree

Kitchen drawer organizers.       $11.        Dollar Tree 

Shower curtains.     $41.50.      Walmart 

Poinsettias for urns.   $21.       Dollar Tree 

Artificial wreaths for porch.    $6.       Salvation Army 

Total.    $61.43 for three months

$30/month budgeted So under by $28.57

YTD Total 

Personal Care      Under by $180.95

Household        Over by.   $98.69

The two worked to balance out on the plus side.

For 2026.  The Personal Care budget will be reduced  and set at  $2O/month.

                   The Household budget will be increased and set at $40/ month.

                   The category amounts have changed but the budget is unchanged.

2025. Frugal Things in December

 1.  I drained the broth off of homemade vegetable soup, made mashed potatoes and created a cottage pie very inexpensively.  The broth, with crackers, will be my lunch.

2.   Once again, we used points for a hotel room.

3.  I made white bread, soda bread, cinnamon rolls, rustic rye bread , Irish barm brack and English muffins       all much cheaper than buying them.

4.  We continue to rely on the stockpile for our meals.

5.   We used our 50 year old artificial Christmas tree again this year.   Still looks fine.   Some of the ornaments and decorations also go back that far.  Because we still use them, memories are everywhere.

6. Using coupons, we saved $30 on four health and beauty items.

7.  We saved $14.50 on cat litter by using a coupon.

2025. Buying and Eating: December 1–20.

 Allocation:   $260   

Cushion $1139.74

End of December Number of Days:   314

The 20th on we are on vacation and meals are provided.

What We Ate:     Pork fried rice, pineapple and cottage cheese salad, apple cider muffins;     Ham and bean soup with grilled ham and cheese sandwich;     Soupa Toscana, garlic cheese bread , yogurt ;        Philly cheese steak with fried potatoes;      Bleu cheese pasta with Italian sausage, tomatoes and spinach, garlic bread(2);.    Cottage pie, Waldorf salad, fried cabbage;       Chili with cheese and crackers;     Cheeseburger casserole, butter beans, cottage cheese with onion and sunflower seeds ;      Chicken piccata with pasta, mixed vegetables, applesauce ;          Turkey pot pie, cabbage, butter beans, apple sauce ;       Welsh rarebit, cheesy potato rounds, roasted carrots, applesauce;     Sausage with bleu cheese pasta, garlic bread;     Macaroni and cheese with crab, Waldorf salad, glazed green beans, marmalade bread ;     Beef stroganoff over wild rice, butternut squash, grapefruit and yogurt;      Philly cheese steak with popcorn 

What We Bought:

Tops:   Pasta(2), apples    $2.77

Tops:   Pasta, butter, cream cheese(2), Swiss cheese, Jiff pb, green peppers(3).     $10.63

Aldi:   Greek yogurt   $3.69

Sanders:   Strawberry Yogurt, butternut squash    $4.68

Tops:  chicken breast(8), eggs(18).   $ 14.49

Aldi:     Mushrooms  $1.69

Total    $37.95

Eating Out:

Lunch with Ginger.    $10.59.      Honey Baked ham

Lunch to NY.      16.18.         Burger King 

Mike breakfast with Gannon guys.    $6.46.    McDonald’s 

Total.    $33.23

Grand Total.  $71.18

YTD 314 days   I don’t budget for vacation days.

Grocery.    $1437.55.         $4.58/day.         $2.10/person/day 

Eating Out.      $660.36.      $2.10/ day.       $1.05/ person/day

Year Grand Total.         $2075.21.          $6.61/ day.        $3.31/person/day 

We had a very successful year.  Our daily allocation will remain at $13/day.  Or.  $6.50/person/day.  

I look forward to the challenge.

2025. Frugal Things in October and November

 1.  Mike used a coupon to get $5 off his haircut.

2.   I made no knead artisan bread, cinnamon rolls and raisin/ cinnamon bread and saved a lot over buying them.

3.   I have taken on the challenge of eating from the stockpile, more rather than less.  It is working well.

4.  We stayed in a hotel while we were changing addresses.  All paid for with points.

5.   Buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh.  They last longer, no waste, and often cost less.

6.    Turkeys never really got inexpensive this year, so I used chicken thighs from the freezer and made crockpot chicken with cranberries.  Yummy and easy and stockpile focused.

Frugal Fail:  While changing address I Couldn’t find the motivation to make English muffins or bagels so I bought them.   We will survive.

2025 Buying and Eating: November 16-30

 Remaining Allocation    $315.16

Cushion    $927.58 

Days    294 as of the end of November 

What We Ate:    Homemade macaroni and cheese, mixed vegetables , plums;     Baked pasta and sausage , fried zucchini , garlic bread, apple carrot slaw;     Pasta with sausage , peas, garlic cheese bread;     Chicken pot pie, apple and cabbage salad , pear sauce, banana bread;     Vegetable soup and  tuna and egg salad sandwiches ;        Kraut casserole, fruit and yogurt, fried green beans;      Mongolian beef casserole, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, stir fried Napa cabbage (2);     Olive cheese bread,  pasta with sauce, broccoli, baked pears;      Ribs and baked beans with fruit salad;      Cheese fondue, bread cubes, apple slices, crackers ;     Leftover steak , beef and onion rice, fruit salad, cheesy bread.      Marinated pork loin , stuffing, plums, dilled carrots;       Chicken piccata, roasted California vegetables , smashed sweet potato , Napa cabbage with poppyseed dressing, cheesy biscuits ;         Thanksgiving Eve:   Cheese and crackers, spicy ranch oyster crackers, crab meat and cream cheese with cocktail sauce, Megen’s cheesy things,     Thanksgiving:  Crockpot Cranberry chicken , stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, pumpkin pie

What We Bought  

Tops:   Eggs, pasta, onions, sweet potatoes    $4.13

Aldi:     Frozen vegetables (5), sour cream, cottage cheese, russet potatoes (10#)    $16.10

Aldi:  Greek yogurt    $3.69

Two Week Total    $23.92

Eating Out:

Sams   Pizza for two     $4.75

Two week grand total     $28.67

Monthly grand total $103.51        $3.45/day        $1.73/person/day     The stockpile really helps.

YTD:   294 days

Grocery.   $1399.60           $4.72/day          2.36/ person/day

Eating Out.    $627.13          $2.13/day             $1.07 /person/day

Grand Total.    $2004.03.         $6.81/day.          $3.41/person/ day 

New Cushion.      $1139.74