1. Surprise tax return
Ummmm…this is kind of embarrassing, but apparently I messed up on my tax return and instead of paying the government (which I did back in January), they actually owed me money….like $3000!!
When the notice came in the mail from the IRS, I actually thought it was a scam, until I looked back at my tax return I had on file and realized I somehow had entered the wrong amount of tax we owed. **I have been doing my own taxes for over 20 years and I still cannot believe I wrote down the wrong information. I think I must have looked at the wrong tax table…which is highly embarrassing…. Thank goodness that the IRS checks these things out!
2. Credit card
I know it is surprising to see a credit card make it onto a frugal things list, but hear me out. My husband had to get a separate credit card to use for business travel, so we made sure to find one that had: #1. No foreign-usage charges(it is a thing apparently) and #2. No annual fees attached to it. **We also picked the one that had the best cash back reward points system, because it is free money:)
3. Grocery Deals
Kroger had the large bags of Doritos on sale this week for $1.99 (my kids were happy), butter for $1.99, and large heads of Romaine lettuce for $.99.
4. Free Math curriculum
I have been going back and forth about which math curriculum to use for my son this fall. He is in between first and second grade levels (Late birthdays make grade levels hard to judge) and I did not want to buy two different sets this year. Luckily I found a free resource that will work perfectly for us called eduplace.com. It is basically an online text book, that allows you to access the chapters you need to work on and gives you extra practice problems as well. So I think that we will just use that this year and hope to finish our 1st grade math skills before we move onto 2nd grade officially.
5. Stain remover
I love Google! Apparently rubbing alcohol removes pen ink from clothing (I am sure I am the last person to know this!) So this helped me to salvage a pair of pants that I thought might be a lost cause.
What did you do to save money this week?
The Thrifty Educator 
I got the butter, too! 5 boxes was the limit, and I got them all. We are butter eaters around here, for sure.
I went ahead and stocked up really well during the past weekend. Then, I thought I was good for 2 weeks, but ended up down there at the store last night AGAIN! It was so frustrating, but I realized there were a few things I had not purchased enough of, such as milk. I had not realized how fast it was getting drank up. So, NOW, I should be fine for another week and a half. While I was at it, I got a watermelon to eat during this coming up hot spell. That will be a nice treat.
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I usually manage to misjudge the amount of juice we have or fail to look in the coffee canister before I leave for the store….Of course coffee is a must, so I make another trip:)
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