Frugal Friday With Marsha -- From Rugs and Rags to Riches

My title is just my silly play on words.
As you know, I have been trying to work through the clean your house in 30 days in just 20 minutes a day list.  One day was bedroom.  I spent my 20 minutes starting to clean off my dresser.  Along the way I hung up some clothes, sorted some clothes, started a donation box, and ran across a pile of t-shirts that I had put in a sack at a rummage sale.
I pick them up that way super cheap.   I cut strips in rounds, then take the tops to make rags.  I'm stocked up on rags again, and eventually I will get to making a toothbrush rug with the strips.  (Still working on another rug right now with cotton fabric strips.)

Today's 20 minutes was surface clean living room and kitchen.  I didn't make it to the kitchen as I actually spent more than the 20 minutes dusting wall decorations as well as dusting the entertainment center and cleaning all the devices and glass.

I got in the black soap from Recyclebank and have given it to the granddaughter I intended it for.  This week I ordered One Twine Full Circle Home Tidy Dish Cloth Set.   I also happened to see that I could get a years subscription to Modern Farmer for 0 points!!!

If you aren't a member of Recyclebank, first click the link in the above paragraph to join, then check out these ways to earn some points.   I am finding it well worth my time with the merchandise I am now getting, plus you learn a lot about the planet and recycling along the way too.

5 Free Recyclebank Points

5 Free Recyclebank Points


Don't forget your Friday Freebie!

Free Chobani Smooth Yogurt at Kroger & Affiliates


I have been a member of MyPoints for just over 20 years, yes, you read that right, 20 years!  (December 8, 1997).   Only recently I am stepping up my game and making sure to get the daily 5 list done each day for the bonus points.  I'm in hopes this will net me a $5 amazon gift card each month.   I will be able to cash out tomorrow or Sunday, so I will know for sure next month if it's possible.

I am giving another app a try.  I'm almost to $3 PayPal payout.  I will post results and the link and such next week after I see if it really does pay.

Our mortgage went down $60 a month, but unfortunately my hubby's car quit and he had to re-do a loan to get another one. That loan payment went up $60.  hhmmm
I plan to get rid of all cable except internet.  I have Hulu and Amazon Prime both, which will be more than enough to find things to watch.  The problem has been that we didn't have a working controller for the PlayStation to use them.  I cashed in 1000 sb with Swagbucks and ordered a set of 2 brand new controllers.  I paid $6.75 after the $10 was taken off, plus I bought through the ibotta app for an extra 36 cents back.  (Yes, could have also shopped through Swagbucks for the same amount back in sb, but I'm also working towards getting my ibotta to the $20 PayPal payout) (And, I did a deal on Hulu with Swagbucks and earned back 2000 sb for taking the $5.99 a month deal)

Well, I better close this post for this week.  Don't forget to link up any frugal, simple living, deals, savings type posts you might have to share!

Frugal Friday with Marsha-- What's Been Going On

Things got crazy last Friday and I didn't get my post done.  More about that later.

Let's see how this week has been.

1.  I found out when my daughter bought some that Dollar Tree sells anti-freeze.  Yes, they are small bottles--14 oz.  It comes out to be about the same cost of buying a gallon, but it's a lot easier for me to come up with a few dollars to buy a few small bottles at a time.  It's also all I can add to my radiator anyway as there is a leak somewhere.  (Much more frugal if I had the money to have a mechanic fix the leak, but I don't have that money all at one time.)

2.  We went to the Salvation Army to have our taxes done free.  As long as you earn less than $50,000 a year you can get them done there free.  I'm sure glad I finally talked my husband into stop paying H&R Block over $200 each year to get them done!

3.  Speaking of my husband, that is why I missed last Friday.  Thursday night our cable was shut off for non-payment of the bill.  Friday I did some needed housework, then packed up my things and "moved" over to my mom's house to use her internet.  Thankful that she had just put internet at her house the week before as it's my way of earning.

On this subject, hubby has finally came to the conclusion that we've been paying too much for cable.  Yep, he's one of those men that unless he thinks he had the idea, it's a no go.  I've been telling him for many months that $277 a month for the cable bill is just WAY too much!!   I don't even know why it's that much.  It used to be $150 a month and that included internet, home phone, and the DVR.   I just wish it hadn't taken it being shut off and me leaving the house for him to finally decide it was his idea to do something about it.  It will be awhile before he can pay what he currently owes.

4.  How about hand me downs?  This past week my tennis shoes had a blow out.  I was wearing the last pair I had in the closet.  Oh gosh.   I hadn't had a chance to check the Goodwill store or Salvation Army for a pair, but my middle daughter gave me a pair of Puma's that were my step grandson's.  They didn't fit him and had been laying around their house.

I've probably went on longer than I should, so will stop for this week.  I wonder what this week will bring to report next week.

Have a happy and frugal week!

Frugal Friday with Marsha 3/14/14

Hubby did pay the cable bill last Friday after work, so I am back to the world of internet from home.
He came home and I asked him about returning the cable box and getting rid of the home phone. He claims that they told him that if we do that and just have the channels and internet and not the bundle package that our bill would actually go up $30 more a month than what we are paying now.
I am having a hard time believing that. I heard him on the phone the day he ordered it saying $30 to add the other channels that I wanted.
I'm going to have to stop by the cable office and ask for myself.

However, when we got our new bill, which we got the day after he paid it, the monthly charge is now $21 more than it was anyway. He also told me that day that we were locked in for another year on the price we've been paying.
Wednesday, his day off, went by without him going to the office with the bill and asking about the increase.

I've been thinking of going ahead and doing Amazon Prime once my 30 day trial is over.
I've already cancelled netflix.
Amazon Prime is going up from the $79 a year to $99, but that won't effect me, I still get it for the $79. I would have to worry about the $99 next March.

Let's see. No, you don't get near the choices of what you can stream free with amazon prime compared to netflix, but still more than enough to always find something to watch. With amazon prime you also get access to free ebooks. And, you can't forget the free 2 day shipping.
I know lots of people online who only have a prime account for the free shipping.

Netflix would come to $95.88 a year at the $7.99 a month......and no free ebooks or free shipping from amazon. With that, I think amazon prime would still be well worth the $99 a year.

I'm curious as to what my readers think about Amazon Prime. This increase in price comes after years of it staying the same price per year, despite the continual rise in cost of shipping.

Your turn! Please share posts this week.....as well as your thoughts on what I have written.

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