1. Home remedies
We caught an awful cold virus last week that felt like the flu complete with fever, chills, and aches. Luckily we were able to treat it at home with a few home remedies (and over the counter meds) that work well for us. My usual routine for a bad cold involves Advil, hot tea, and Mucinex during the day. At night we put on thieves oil (wrists, neck, and feet), turn on a humidifier in the bedroom, and take Benadryl to help with the sinus drainage. I consider this as frugal because we did not have to pay for a doctor visit!! **For the past three years, I have really noticed a difference in the length of the cold if we use this regimen, so that is what we will continue to do:)
2. “New” pajamas
I was happy to find a nice pair of pajamas in great condition at the thrift store this week for just $4. **Since I am trying to buy only used items this year, I was extra happy with this purchase.
3. Stayed home….a lot
We stayed home five days last week (mostly due to illness) so we saved on gas money and prevented those pesky impulse buys by not visiting any store. I also decluttered more and actually dusted a bit (which is a rarity at my house!) **The only downside to staying home is that my inner hermit begins to take over, so I had to force myself to go grocery shopping on Thursday. Does that happen to anyone else??
4. Christmas cactus
I bought myself a Christmas cactus this year over the holidays and noticed that it needed to be repotted soon. Luckily I have a collection of pots for just this purpose and also had just enough potting soil left in a bag that I did not have to buy anything else to complete this job. **My mom had the same Christmas cactus for almost 30 years, so I have fond memories of watching it bloom every year. I hope my kids will have those same memories with this cactus:)
5. YouTube=free personal trainers!
I am embarrassed to say that I had no idea that there were so many exercise videos on YouTube!! I was telling my husband that he should go onto YouTube and look through all of the great workout exercises they offer. (He just rolled his eyes!) So in case you are in a workout slump or just want to get moving a little, YouTube is filled with great, free resources and the variety is basically limitless as well. **My favorite channels so far are Body Fit by Amy and Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone.
What did you do to save money this week??
The Thrifty Educator 