Thrifty Finds and Happenings Recently

I feel like I haven't been doing much in terms of saving money, so thought a little ponder to remind myself I am mostly careful, and the benefits of doing so, are still present in my life. It seems even though we thought we planned well for our kids college, the inflation rate and the pending total for DD2 will exceed what we previously had set aside, so know we will need to keep plugging that hole. Thrifty ways will help. If she ends up choosing the lower cost state schools, we will be fine with what is set aside and some limited cash flowing of expenses. Something tells me to figure the higher priced option, though still with a cap. Here's a few thrifty actions the last week.

1. Packed a few snacks and bottled water to avoid expensive snacks on the road for both DH and my weekend getaway and college trip.

2. At restaurants, we ordered just the right amount of food-no wasteful oversized portions.

3. Made a humongous pot of chicken noodle soup for the lake. I roasted a whole $4 
chicken, splurged on frozen egg noodles, but still came in under $12. This fed 10 people at the lake (with other sandwiches), plus I'm getting two lunches from it this week, and it  was supper last night for the three of us. DH even had a thigh and drumstick Saturday night before I shredded for the soup, but there was so much chicken the missing pieces weren't noticed. I'll need to watch for deal on whole chickens.

4. Received hand me ups from DD1 on a ski jacket she bought last year that is way too big for her, plus two wool jackets. She herself is looking for replacements at Goodwill. Using these coats will extend the life of my outerwear indefinitely. All are basic styles-not likely to be outdated.

5. After she had exhausted sources for a second hand, I did buy DD1 a combo food processor-blender for her birthday that is the end of the month. Layered with coupons and bonus buys, we got her model of choice for less than half of original price. It's the Ninja brand, same as my super blender which I use for tons of things. She has embraced whole food cooking, makes pretty much all her food from scratch including items she used to buy like granola and protein bars and veggie and bean burgers. 

Pennies and dimes help. Dollars saved will do more. I'm reffing one volleyball match tonight,  a bit more to set aside. I'm not a super thrifter or a coupon queen by any stretch. My strategy, if it could be called one, is trying not to waste and be intentional when I do spend. This is always a work in progress.