Frugal Accomplishments - Christmas Week

I hope this is coherent.  I have a cold, mostly in my chest, and I am spending a lot of my time napping and coughing.

Husband transferred a prescription to Kmart, which earned us a free $25 gift card.  We picked up some TP that was on sale for a good price and a pair of house slippers ($5 off!) to keep by the back door for when we have to take puppy out to potty.  (If you don't watch her, she will just run and play and 'forget' why she's outside.)

We had a really nice Christmas!  From the beginning, we have taught Daughter that second-hand gifts in good repair are perfectly fine.  She did some of her Christmas shopping at Goodwill this year.  I got some of her gifts from a local buy-sell-trade page on Facebook.  Grandma and Grandpa sent her an amazing electric keyboard they got from a friend.  What really amazed me was the small amount of packaging we had for recycling - yay!

Daughter got me this box of crayons for Christmas - she found them at Goodwill,
and they were just what I had asked for!.  Only a few of the crayons had been used,
and those had been used very little.  As it turns out, there were 144 crayons - we think
someone had added a 24-pack to the box.

I made lots of different treats for Christmas - cookies, cheese balls, an onion tart, jalapeno poppers, egg rolls, etc. Most things, I made 1/2 to 1/3 of a recipe.  This worked out really well, because I didn't use up a lot of butter, cream cheese, etc., and we were not overwhelmed by leftovers.  I needed baking mix (think bisquik) for a couple of items this week, so I made a half batch, using unbleached flour, sea salt and coconut oil, in hopes of making it just a little bit healthier.

When we were in the Kroger affiliate store, we picked up this week's and last week's freebies - a 2 liter of Sierra Mist and a double-size bag of Malt-o-Meal cereal.

We used a coupon for a free combo meal when we went to lunch on Friday.  We shared the side and drink - the three of us had a nice lunch for less than $4.

When we were in town doing errands, we stopped at Harbor Freight and picked up some freebies that were available with coupons - two flashlights and a 12-pack of batteries!

We needed some cough-suppressant (there is a head and chest cold working its way through the family).  When we went to the store, we saw that there was a mail-in rebate for Delsym cough medicine, making it free except for sales tax, so we purchased that and sent in the rebate.

Meanwhile, I was getting nowhere with healing this cough I have.  Some Facebook friends suggested I try Thieves Oil Blend of essential oils.  I didn't want to go out, but I did a web search for recipes.  I found one I could make from essential oils I had on hand (mostly - it called for cinnamon bark and I used cinnamon leaf).  I am still coughing, but feeling some better each day.  I smell a little bit like dark fruitcake!

We heated with wood to save on propane use.  We normally use wooden clothes racks to dry the laundry to reduce electricity usage, but this week, I used the dryer.  The colder temperature aggravates my cough, and the basement is unfinished - cool enough to set off a coughing fit.

I printed a simple arrangement of Ode To Joy for free from 8notes.com.  It is a challenge, but do-able - perfect for me!  I have not taken lessons, but I am trying to learn piano.  Daughter is teaching me some, since she is taking lessons.  There are free lessons on the site as well, according to the heading at the top of the home page.

I added some soap slivers to my soap sock.  It's a toddler sock from when Daughter was little, and I put all the little soap scraps in it, then  use it as my bar of soap in the shower.  I sewed elastic into the opening, so the scraps don't fall out.

My youngest hens have begun to lay eggs.  We went for a few months without any from our hens, and we are enjoying them very much.  Right before they began to lay, I bought 3 dozen eggs when they were on sale, so I need to figure out something soon that will use more than one or two.

I hope your Christmas week was wonderful, and everything you wished for!  Thanks for reading - if you're feeling chatty, leave a comment and let me know how your week has been. :)