by Kayla K on March 10, 2010
Previously known as Thrifty Threads. I found a new (to me) blog, My Year Without Spending, by Angela, a fellow Compact-er. Apparently, Angela has been hosting Thrifty Thread Thursdays for much longer than I have. They feature guests from some of my favorite frugal-living blogs. Definitely fun to read! So if you can’t get enough of thrifted/compact-friendly clothing, check her out on Thursdays, and come on over here Wednesdays to see what I’m wearing for my new installment,
Frugal Fashion
(or Kayla’s attempt thereof)
Today’s frugal fashion, teacher-clothes style! No, I’m not student teaching yet. Bummer. But I do get to observe at the high school in town, which I enjoy very much. Today the students made monkey bread, calzones, fry bread, and pancakes. I’m going to need to learn some self-restraint or none of my teacher clothes will fit anymore. Not very thrifty…
But oh so tasty!
So, for the breakdown:
Gap v-neck tee via thrift: $3.89
American Eagle polo via thrift: $3.89
Gap denim jacket via thrift:$5.89
Old Navy khaki pants, actually from Old Navy: $6
For $20 total
Not bad. Especially when you consider that my necklace and watch were dime-box buys. And the belt was less than fifty cents. I did pay full price for the Birkenstocks, but I’m not going to include those or it would quintuple the price of my frugal fashion.
Again, not so thrifty.
But oh so comfy!
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by Kayla K on March 8, 2010
Just in case you were wondering how my Midterm-Week Meal plan worked out…
I did quite well today. I even had time to make cookies! More on that later.
I was a good little student and got to bed at 10:00 last night, ready to wake up at 6:00 to go observe at the high school. Two hours later I still wasn’t asleep. I was not one bit tired, and I really needed some sleep! I worked on my portfolio for a bit and canceled my observation for this morning and finally dozed off at about 2:30 am. What’s the deal with that?
Finished my portfolio a little sooner than I thought I would and made it to Fareway for some groceries. Want to know how much $27 can buy?
Not bad, hey?
The best part is that I won’t even be consuming all of this in the next week. Canned vegetables were on sale 5/$2, so I stocked up. I plan on making cream peas and tuna in the weeks to come. Also, frozen vegetables were only $.88! I got broccoli, because I eat that all of the time and some corn to go in my egg drop soup.
Are you wondering what the heck I’m doing with cake mix? Don’t judge, you will love this!
This is the tastiest, easiest cookie recipe ever!
You will need:
- One egg
- One stick of butter
- One package of cream cheese
- One cake mix
Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the egg. Mix in the cake mix.
Drip the dough in spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
That’s it! That’s all!
I made these for work and they were gone very quickly! I’m looking forward to the same response at my Family and Consumer Sciences club meeting tomorrow.
These are a great recipe when you don’t have time for something elaborate, but still want to bring a homemade treat. I used a carrot cake and a dark chocolate cake for delicious results.
I’ve tried them made as a red velvet cake mix before. Also quite good.
I hope your week is wonderful! I know I am really looking forward to Friday. It’s only three papers away!
by Kayla K on March 8, 2010
Monday Meal Plan.
Yikes.
The only way I will make it through this week is if I can make lots of plans. I have a very loooong to-do list that I need to take care of before I can leave on Spring Break. One of the items is to buy groceries, which, at this time, seems like a very daunting task.
I will survive!
This morning I woke up to a very lovely batch of split pea soup, magically cooked overnight in my slow cooker. I love that thing! Off to observe at the high school at 7:30 until I leave for class at 11:00, lunch will a breakfast of overnight oatmeal and fruit salad, I have to work on a course portfolio at school for a few hours, and be to work by 5:00. Somewhere in there, I will buy some groceries.
Aldi’s was very good to me last week with a grocery total of $22.70, including a lot of nuts and fresh produce. This week I will be shopping at Fareway because of their awesome sales on my favorite yogurt, frozen vegetables, and canned vegetables.
I’m keeping it simple this week with:
7 Breakfasts of: Overnight oatmeal, coffee (!), and fruit
14 other meals of:
- Cheesy rice with tuna and broccoli, not much different than last week, except I will be using rice with a flour/milk/cheese sauce using the shredded cheese that is on sale at Fareway this week. Frozen broccoli also on sale, tuna and rice on hand.
- Split pea soup um, of course! It may seem like I eat this all of the time, but I actually didn’t have it last week. I spent a good portion of my time dying in my bedroom, avoiding the kitchen so as not to infect my roommates, so my last week plan was shot to heck. I have everything for this on hand, which is why I love this stuff. It cooks overnight in my slow cooker, and all of the ingredients are fairly stable- carrots and onions keep forever (almost) so I don’t have to really plan for it. But I am, because this is Meal Plan Monday after all.
- Cheesy rice with canned chili and broccoli, because my life is just that exciting.
Snacks will be fruit, almonds that are dirt cheap from Aldi’s, and string cheese.
Whew.
I can’t wait for next Monday’s meal plan, because there isn’t one! Next week at this time I will be enjoying the company of Mom and her wonderful cooking, including her newest adventure in homemade yogurt. Yum!
But first I have to make it through today. And this week.
Here I go!
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by Kayla K on March 5, 2010
Spencer took this picture of Tony when I was home last weekend. It makes me laugh, I hope you like it too!
I was looking for some peanut butter to fill Tony’s “Kong” ball, but found an “empty” jar. Seeing as the point of the toy was to have a treat for the dog to lick, I just handed him the jar. He did a better job cleaning the jar than a rubber scraper ever could have, saving me about two servings worth of peanut butter that I would have put in the toy.
Tony doesn’t seem to mind!
Another good way to use up “empty” peanut butter jars is to fill them with hot oatmeal and raisins. The warm oatmeal will melt the peanut butter from the sides. I haven’t tried this yet, and probably won’t anytime soon with this guy around.
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by Kayla K on March 4, 2010
What!?
I ate my last package of Ramens yesterday, and I don’t plan on buying any more. How can you be a frugal college student and not eat Ramens?
Easy! You find all sorts of great Internet resources for cooking inexpensive, filling, feel-good food. Like…
You plan your meals ahead of time,
You take advantage of sales,
and before you know it, you find that you don’t even need Ramens to keep your grocery budget small.
I may indulge in Ramens occasionally, but only because I want some sodium-laden crap food, not because I can’t afford better.
Because I can!
And so can you!
Say “no” to bulk-packaged Ramens. You deserve better! 
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by Kayla K on March 3, 2010
I am sick.
Yuck. Sore throat, fever, running nose, achy, the whole bit. I left class early today and stopped for “sick supplies.”
- Generic DayQuil/NyQuil
- Generic Tylenol
- Generic Gatorade
- Ricola- straight up.
For a grand total of $17.45. That’s more than I spent on groceries last week!
Not to complain.
I’m totally complaining.
Why can’t colds/flu/whatever coincide with snow storms? On months when you don’t need your work shifts? On weeks when course portfolios aren’t due?
“Sick” is never convenient, but I have something that is:
Egg Drop Soup!
Remember the meals I had planned for this week? Scratch that! I’m sticking to quick, simple, comfort food.
I am quite lazy feeling today and took no pictures and wrote no directions, so I’ll point you to the tutorial at Iowa Girl Eats.
In my bowl:
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 vegan herb & sea salt bouillon cube
- 2 diced carrots
- Chopped broccoli
- 2 sliced egg roll wrappers
- 2 scrambled eggs
- Soy sauce
This is just the stuff to eat when you don’t feel like eating anything, but tasty enough for not-sick days too, and ready in five minutes!
I’m off to get haucked up on NyQuil and take a long, peaceful sleep. Hopefully when you’re reading this, set to post at 8:00 am, I will still be sleeping. Hopefully.
Question: What’s your “get well soon” secret?
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by Kayla K on March 2, 2010
Oh, how I love thriftiness! I made myself a new “toy” this month; a spreadsheet to track my expenses. Instead of using my old method of pen-and-envelope tracking, I now have a calculate-as-I-go miracle machine! I made several columns with places I usually spend; gas, grocery, etc. Each row on my spreadsheet is a single expense. So, if groceries cost $25 on the third, I would make a row, “3- Fareway” and enter “25″ under the grocery column. At the end of the month I hit auto-sum for each column and tra-la! Itemized expenses. Want to know how I did? Here’s my results for my first month.
Totals for the Month of February, 2010
- Rent, $250
- Car Payment, $250
- Utilities, $23.78
- Groceries, $132.60
- Gas, $79.83
- Dining Out, $35.38
- Entertainment, $20
- Business, $87
- Clothing/Personal, $36.22
- Other, $5 (Library Fines!)
Total Expenses: $919.81
Goals for March, 2010
- Rent, $250. Can’t change this, unfortunately. In fact, it may be more next semester!
- Car Payment, $350. I hope to pay extra on principal this month.
- Utilities, $15. I double-paid last month.
- Groceries, $100, which equates to $25 each week.
- Gas, $20, thanks to a gas gift card from my sweetheart!
- Dining Out, $40, because it’s Spring Break and I’ll be visiting friends for lunch, having a special date with Spenc, etc.
- Entertainment, $20. This used to be where I justified my crafting habits, but we all know I don’t buy those anymore! I will probably treat myself for Spring Break… see a movie in the theater…. can’t think of much else to spend money on. Last month’s $20 figure had to do with a bill that was lost to drinks and fried food, which could have been a “dining out” expense.
- Business, $0. Last month I splurged on the new theme for my blog (pretty, huh?) to better accommodate advertising. I can’t see anything else that I would need…
- Clothing/Personal, $20. So excited to visit the Depot with Mom!
- Other, $0. Last month was paying library fines. Blah! Not this month!
Total Anticipated Expenses: $815
I would like to get my spending whittled down to $800 each month. This just sounds like a good number to me. I’ll track in March and make some goals for April.
Wish me luck!
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by Kayla K on March 1, 2010
Last week was Dine-In-Week challenge, and I am happy to say that I made it through. This meant no soda from the vending machine, no ordering food after work, and no not-from-home coffee Monday through Friday.
Friday night was so much fun! We had friends over for fish tacos made from a tutorial found on SamsterMommy. It was delicious! I served salsa and chips and fresh pineapple as an appetizer, homemade Mexican rice and refried beans as sides, and chocolate cake with coconut frosting for dessert. We were all very full, had plenty to drink, and lots of leftovers for just $35 in groceries, including some stuff that we didn’t need for the meal. Not bad for feeding four people appetizers, drinks, main dish, and dessert!
Saturday I blew dine-in-week challenge. Spencer and I went out with his cousins and a $20 bill disappeared with drinks and fried food. Later that night we went to dinner- $28 more dollars on more food and drinks. That’s almost as much as I spent on food all week, doubled in one night!
Not much has changed this week. I don’t plan on dining out this week, but I have changed the format for my menu plan a bit. I will be feeding only myself this week, so that makes 21 meals.
7 of these meals will be overnight oatmeal with yogurt, fruit, walnuts, and raisins, and coffee.
The 14 other meals will be some combination of the following:
- Mac & Cheese with Tuna and Broccoli: The college student staple. I need to start using all of that tuna that I bought on sale. I have Velveeta in the fridge that needs to get used. It scares me what must be in that crap, it’s been open for like, 3 weeks, and is still as “fresh” as ever.
- Coconut Chili loosely based on a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I’ll skip the chicken and increase the amount of beans used. I’ll use dry beans instead, as I already have them on hand.
- Fish & Asparagus because fish is cheap during lent, and I’ve discovered how easy it is to make! I’m craving some asparagus, too. Yum!
- Split Pea Soup, because that’s how I roll.
Snacks will be carrot sticks, string cheese, fruit, and almonds. Maybe some Luna bars to snack at work if they aren’t outrageously priced.
I’m also giving Aldi’s try this week! I’ll let you know how that helps me in next week’s meal plan.
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by Kayla K on February 26, 2010
Featuring the simplicity of garter stitch with the visual interest of mitering.
You will need:
- Small amount of variagated crochet cotton, I used Sugar n’ Cream Lily Cotton
- US Size 8 knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge of 4.5 knit stitches/inch
To Begin:
CO 36.
Row 1: (WS) K 18, place marker, K to end.
Row 2: K to marker, slip marker, K 2 tog, K to end.
Repeat Row 2 until 4 stitches remain on needles.
Next Row: (RS) K 2 tog, drop marker, K 2 tog. Pick up 16 stitches along garter stitch ridges. CO 18.
Row 1: (WS) K 18, place marker, K to end.
Row 2: K to marker, slip marker, K 2 tog, K to end.
Repeat Row 2 until 4 stitches remain on needles.
Next Row: K 2 tog, drop marker, K 2 tog, slip last stitch worked over first stitch, tie off.
CO 18. Pick up 18 stitches along other garter stitch ridge of first square worked.
Row 1: (WS) K 18, place marker, K to end.
Row 2: K to marker, slip marker, K 2 tog, K to end.
Repeat Row 2 until 4 stitches remain on needles.
Next Row: (RS) K 2 tog, drop marker, K 2 tog. Pick up 16 stitches along garter stitch ridges of this square. Pick up 18 stitches from garter stitch ridges of second square worked.
Row 1: (WS) K 18, place marker, K to end.
Row 2: K to marker, slip marker, K 2 tog, K to end.
Repeat Row 2 until 4 stitches remain on needles.
Next Row: K 2 tog, drop marker, K 2 tog, slip last stitch worked over first stitch, tie off.
Please comment with any questions or clarification!
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by Kayla K on February 25, 2010
So happy to be featured in Almost Frugal’s series: This is What Frugal Looks Like. You can read more on that over there.
You probably want to visit Almost Frugal more often anyway, it’s a fun read.
And if you already read Almost Frugal often, but are new to my blog, welcome!
If you’d like to learn more about me, I have a page for that!
And if you’re interested in something I wrote in the interview, I’ve compiled some sample posts for you.
My parents are my friends, not my ATM:
Visit my mom’s blog:
Things I do that are typically frugal:
Make meal plans:
Eat oatmeal:
Shop for secondhand clothes:
Love my library:
Frugal things that I do that are unusual:
Crochet with plastic sacks:
Rip apart sweaters for yarn:
Thanks for visiting!
