Offline Things I've Done This Month + 10 Things I No Longer Buy as a Frugal Girlie

Hiiiii friends! 👋

Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA here. I’ve been spending lots of time offline these last few weeks. I went from opening my laptop first thing every morning to checking my email once or twice a week. And while I’m not earning as much money as I did when I had my silly little corporate client, it feels kinda refreshing to check out a bit.

Offline Things I’ve Done This Month

Started making my own kombucha.

I’m not a big soda or juice girly, but I love kombucha. I got a SCOBY (that stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast for you noobs) from a friend and decided to try my hand at making my own. It’s in its first fermentation and I’ve been using this site as my main resource for all things kombucha brewing. Hopefully next newsletter I’ll have a fun update for y’all!

Planted seeds for vegetables to grow in my garden.

In a neighborhood that feels very urban and full of apartment buildings, I somehow managed to score a spot in a super sick 100-year-old house. Which means I get access to all the fun perks of living in an actual house, including a driveway, front porch, and a yard! In the middle of the city!

I started sprouting seeds indoors for basil, dill, cilantro, spinach, chives, carrot, garden bean, heirloom tomato, cherry tomato, parsley, broccoli, green and yellow summer squash, and sweet peppers. I’ll transfer them to my outside garden once the weather gets warmer.

Visited my grandparents.

I am one of MANY cousins on my mom’s side of the family, which means I don’t get a ton of alone time with my grandparents. My family made plans to get together for my grandma’s birthday this past weekend, so I decided to fly back to the Midwest for the party and stay a few extra days with my grandparents. Those few days I spent alone with my grandparents were completely invaluable and those memories will be cherished for probably the rest of my life.

Walked into Sephora, admitted that I have no clue what I’m doing, and asked for help.

I’m not a huge makeup person, but lately I’ve been wanting a little something to cover up the discoloration that years of severe acne has left on my face. But I’ve always been way too intimidated by places like Ulta and Sephora because I have NO FREAKING CLUE what I’m looking for.

Thankfully, the salesperson was so kind and patient with me and pointed me in the direction of my new favorite cosmetic product: the complexion stick.

What’s a complexion stick? Good question, I didn’t know either! The packaging literally says:

“Its not a foundation or concealer. It's both. Use it only where you need it so you get compliments on your skin, not your makeup.”

Huge slay. And huge shoutout to the Sephora employee that put me onto it. I’m a little less terrified of the place now.

Here’s what my skin looks like as a little reminder that social media isn’t real!

10 Things I No Longer Buy As a Frugal Girlie Just Trying to Survive in This Sh*t Economy

I’m choosing to consume less for a ~variety~ of reasons (more on that here), but most importantly because I’d rather spend my money on things like travel and experiences instead of more stuff. So here are some things I no longer buy as someone just trying to survive.

🍪 Any foods I can make better homemade.

Baked goods, breads, sauces/dressings, seasoning blends, I’m even trying my hand at kombucha (see above).

My favorite thing I’ve made so far is these English muffins. They’re stupid easy to make and waaaaay tastier than store-bought.

🛠️ Repairs I can do myself

I’ve learned how to replace my car’s headlights and battery on YouTube, and I mend most of my clothing myself.

👚 New clothes

I’m not perfect but I also only bought ONE (1!!!!) new clothing item last year. Anything I could possibly want, I can buy secondhand. There’s literally tons of clothing being sent to landfills each day, the least I can do is give some items another life.

💻 New electronics

I loooove a Macbook but I’ll always buy them refurbished. Same with iPhones. And when my beloved AirPods stopped charging this year, I bought a refurbished pair of Jabra Elites instead.

🍸 Alcohol

I rarely drink, if I do it’s a special occasion. I don’t remember the last time I bought any sort of alcohol to consume at home and I save so much money.

📚 Books

The library is free and needs our support now more than ever! Plus the Libby app is awesome for eBooks and super easy to use on a phone, tablet or Kindle.

💅 Nails & hair dye

Just not a priority for me! But I totally understand that these things help boost some people’s confidence and I consider that valuable/worth the expense if that’s for you.

🫙 Plastic wrap/baggies

I use reusable alternatives like Stasher Bags and Beeswrap. Of course there’s a bit of an upfront cost for these things, but I end up saving more once I don’t have to replace single-use plastic products.

🍂 Seasonal home decor

Not very festive of me, I know. But I love to craft, so if I feel the need for seasonal decor there are usually tons of cool projects available online. Also what’s the point of buying something that’ll sit in a closet for 3/4 of the year?

What are some things you’ve been doing to cut back on unnecessary spending? I wanna know!

Rad Reads

Here are some books I’ve been enjoying lately.

👁️ 1984 by George Orwell

This English class classic is super popular right now, and I totally get it! Because the USA is starting to feel like this totally fictional dystopia written over 75 years ago!!!

🌈 Diary of a Misfit by Casey Parks

Advertised as part memoir, part mystery, the author does a fantastic job of exploring their own queerness while investigating the story of a local legend. I loved the way that they told two different stories simultaneously while still having them make sense together.

💬 Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

Written only in Slack messages, I’ve never read anything quite like this. There were several times I laughed out loud because it was a ridiculously accurate portrayal of corporate life.

Meme of the Month

@shityoushouldcareabout

As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate you all so much. I promise I’ll be better about sending these out more consistently.

💛 CJK