Frugal Friday

A couple of the blogs I read do a Frugal Friday post, and since being Frugal is a part of my daily life, I thought I would add one to my blog and see how it goes. Basically I will the Frugal Friday post to talk about ways I save money each week, or new ideas I have read. Here goes nothing!
This week was a very frugal week for me, not just out of habit, but also out of necessity. Even Mr. Wright was frugal this week! Here are some ways I saved money this week:

• In the mail this week, I recieved quite a few of the free magazine subscriptions I had signed up for, including Martha Stewart!
• I also received a free sample of popcorn and lots of coupons from offers I had signed up for this week in the mail.
• My sister and I went to Gardner's used books and bought well over $100 worth of books for $30. I finally got Twilight and have started it!
• My mom, sister, the prince and princess and I took advantage of the Salvation Army's 50% off all clothing on Wednesdays. I love thrift store shopping, as does my mom. We got to spend time together, have fun, and left with 4 bags of clothes for all of us and books! My mom got especially lucky with clothes for her, which was great because she really needed some clothes. When I find really, super-great deals, I will even get bigger sizes for the kids and put them away for upcoming seasons. That way they always have clothes to grow into and I don't have to run out and spend full price on anything.
• I am trying to be more aware of using only half of the recommended amount for most household items (Shampoo, dish detergent, clothes detergent, etc.) I usually try to do this, but I have not been as aware of what I am using lately. Most items like these you can get by with using a much smaller amount than most of us use.
• All of our Spring Break entertainment has been free. We went to the park at the River one day, had a friend over, played at the neighbor's house, etc.
• I am trying to make sure paper has been thoroughly used up before it is recycled. I use both sides to print on, cut used paper into scraps, and write on both sides of the paper I use for my to do list. This is not only frugal, but good for the environment, as alot of frugal doings are!
• I am being more diligent about lights. Both Mr. Wright and the Princess have a tendency to leave lights on when they leave a room. I am trying to double check for them and turn them off.
• On the hottest day this week, we left the windows open and fans on until right before bed to cool down the house. We also only used the heat for a teeny bit this morning, other than that it has been off all week.
  
• When the trash bag in the can is full, I take it out of the can, and continue to use it. There is so much more room left in the bag!
  

I would love to hear anything frugal tips you have, or your frugal doings for this past week. Hope you learned something from mine! Can't wait to hear some of yours, be sure and post some tips! Now, I am off to read more of Twilight. I think I may finish the book tomorrow. Yes, its THAT good!