Frugal Moment: Ink Refills and More!

I haven’t done a Frugal Moment in a long while. I think the last one was on bottle feeding. There isn’t much to write about because my basic rule of thumb is not to buy anything. Period. This doesn’t seem to work at Christmastime, however.

Anyhow, my Mom graciously spent time with my children last week while I ran errands as fast as my legs could carry me. This was wonderful because it meant I was able to spend extra time with Si that evening.

Cartridge World
My first stop was Cartridge World. This place is a dream-come-true! Printers, you see, are sold to sell ink, which is why a replacement black ink cartridge for our HP Officejet All-in-One we use in the home office costs approximately $25. I won’t even tell you what a color cartridge costs. Anyhow, with my handy dandy coupon, my total was a tad over $12, otherwise known as half price.

Vitamin C
We had an awful cold that is just now tapering off. We {except for Super Si} were all sniffling and sneezing and basically miserable for days. I had it on my list to stock up on Vitamin C. Vitamins in general can be difficult in our house because of our son’s sensitivity to chemicals.

As an aside, I find it pertinent to mention that though we as a culture think of vitamins as “healthy,” these pills are often full of dyes, chemicals, and fillers that can be hard on the liver.

I was on the lookout for a safe Vitamin C at good old Trader Joe’s when I spied something I’ve never noticed before: powdered Vitamin C. Putting powdered vitamins in drinks is another option when considering vitamins for children incapable of swallowing a pill. When I read the label, I was astonished to find that ascorbic acid {aka Vitamin C} was the only ingredient. The bottle even boasted that there were no dyes or fillers necessary for a powder.

I bought a pound of it for around five bucks! Little sixty-serving bottles were going for the same price, but my giant bottle contains over 450 servings! And those are adult servings. It would be even less for a child.

So…lessons learned are that powdered vitamin C is both healthier and safer. As a final note I must mention that, like most vitamins, C is more easily assimilated when allowed to be synergized by the presence of other vitamins. So, take it during or right after a meal to get the most for your money.

Handmade Gifts
I am making most of our gifts this Christmas. This is a extreme cost-cutting measure, and yet I think it will work. I would share what I’m doing, but certain people {Hi, Dad! Hi, Granddad!} read this blog, so watch sometime in January for photos. And, by the way, I have already learned that some homemade gifts cost more than their retail counterparts, so beware. If you are handmaking items to save money, make sure your project is cost-effective!