Five Frugal Things

by Katy on May 28, 2013 · 27 comments

Here are Five Frugal Things that have flavored my recent days:

  1. I planted cilantro seeds in a thrifted flower pot.
  2. My son gave me a small stack of Papa Murphy’s“Free Cookie Dough” coupons that he scavenged from a Timbers soccer game. His reward has been fresh cookies in his school lunches.
  3. I brought home a mostly full half-gallon of organic milk from one of my mother’s guest cottages today.
  4. I used a fancy-schmancy Coach Leatherware cardboard box to mail an eBay purchase to a customer. It had been left behind in one of my mother’s guest cottages. I ♥ free packing supplies!
  5. I combined a broken and bent vintage lamp with a non-electrified lamp to create one functional lamp.

What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }

nell fitzsimmons May 29, 2013 at 1:05 am

Hi Katy! What a great list!

My Hubby’s work shirts are so old now that he got some new ones in a sale the other week and today my 4 year old Bram and I are using all Daddy’s old shirts to make bunting for his bedroom – looking good so far!
N xxx

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Diane May 29, 2013 at 5:10 am

Staying out of stores! I made an entire doll quilt from fabric pieces on hand and am now knitting baby hats from beautiful cotton/modal yarn given to me by a friend. Frugal living at its best!

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Van May 29, 2013 at 5:18 am

I need to start counting all my frugal moments too! Encouraging bits to keep me sane during my moments of crippling self doubt. Frugalness lately:

1) Been picking lots of basil, parsley, and mint from my boyfriend’s backyard. The tomatoes are coming in nicely. 2) Going to plant lots more herbs and leafy green seeds next. 3) Rooting herb cuttings, saves on buying transplants! 4) Making all meals and teas at home, on a detox so there’s been no going out for over a week now. 5) Been enjoying the frugalist going out fun: trip to the beach, walk around the neighborhood, reading mags at the book store. 6) I work 1 day a week at a raw vegan kitchen. Double duty, I improve cooking skills AND get a big discount on bulk fruits and veggies. Super helpful when you’re vegan, that shit’s expensive!

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Trish May 29, 2013 at 2:45 pm

when you say ‘the tomatoes are coming in nicely’ do you mean you are already getting ripe tomatoes? am SO jealous! I live for summer tomatoes but no matter how early I plant mine don’t ripen until late July.

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AnnW May 29, 2013 at 3:34 pm

I bought some tomatoes in a pot with a cage already attached at Home Depot a few weeks ago. I have a few tomatoes already that are plum sized. You could start them inside a month earlier.

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AnnW May 29, 2013 at 3:37 pm

I bought some tomatoes in a pot with a cage already attached at Home Depot a few weeks ago. I have a few tomatoes already that are plum sized. You could start them inside a month earlier.
Gotta love that kid, picking up coupons from the floor. You ought to start saving for a trip to the World Cup next year — Brazil!

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AFS May 29, 2013 at 7:16 pm

Van lives in Florida

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Shameka May 29, 2013 at 5:59 am

Visited a family member last night who openly admits she has “too much stuff” and received 1) 3 new flower pots 2) A cute colorful basket with a top *Pier One tag still attached* 3.) Cute set of metal stakes to label the herbs in my garden *still in the Smith& Hawkins box*….Going back on Saturday crossing my fingers for more useful items!

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Taylor-Made Ranch May 29, 2013 at 6:01 am

Made yogurt this week and have been sweetening with homemade jam. Harvested and am drying thyme to pour into my existing thyme container (have you PRICED that stuff in the stores? wow) Hooked up the irrigation hoses to my underground cistern pump – cistern is filled using rainwater from our roof. Harvested yellow squash and looked up a new recipe to put it to good use. Still have kept the house cool with fans and our attic fan since we have not yet turned on our AC this year (in NE TEXAS!) but we’ll have to buckle on that one since we’re expecting company for a few days.

~Taylor-Made Ranch~
Wolfe City, Texas

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Michelle May 29, 2013 at 6:28 am

Oooh, can we see the lamp??
Ok, my frugal things, went to goodwill .99 cent sale on Monday, went to a free concert on Monday, made dinner using old freezer items and old pantry items. Had a garage sale last Saturday. I am sure there is more, but it is too early to think….

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Julia Park Tracey May 29, 2013 at 6:53 am

1) scavenged a rogue lemon balm plant from a junk pile (it was growing wild). Now it’s growing in my garden. 2) Coupon-savings like a psycho; saved 35% on everything last week with a ton of freebies. 3) Made marinades from all the ketchup-soy-hot sauce-etc packets and cut up two whole chickens to freeze in said marinades.

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Sharon May 29, 2013 at 8:41 am

Not very frugal lately, sad to say.

But today I’m hanging out clothes on the clothesline.
Making a lunch smoothie from frozen strawberries from last year. DS #1 wants them macerated, but won’t eat them if they’re a little too soft. I freeze them and wait for hot weather to make a healthy smoothie from them.
Had friends over last night and served cut up fruit and veggies, home brewed kombucha and water kefir. The highlight was strawberries dipped in Aldi brand Moser Roth dark chocolate.

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Roberta May 29, 2013 at 10:44 am

Started on my father’s Christmas present last night — knit socks with nice wool from the thrift store! On my way to the library, in a combined library-laundromat-grocery-post office run. Dropping off the recycling at the same time. Made refried beans from scratch for the kids’ lunch today.

Thanks, Katy! Listing it all out makes it seem like I’ve done so much more today!

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Linda M May 29, 2013 at 11:52 am

My Five Frugal:
1 Putting up strawberry jam and freezing berries for winter use
2 Making my own “nectar” for my hummingbird feeder instead of buying the overpriced stuff at the store
3 Hanging out jeans to dry today…nice and sunny and breezy
4 Used digital coupons at the grocery today
5 Checked out books and got books that were ordered from loan library rather than buying new at the bookstore

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Pbkmaine May 29, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Photo of new Frankenlamp, please!

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Kailey May 29, 2013 at 1:22 pm

1. My lunch yesterday and tomorrow will be made from ingredients already in the house, which includes dried chickpeas and spinach from the CSA we just signed up for. Today was lunch out on the company dime!
2. I’ll be doing a lot of laundry tonight but will hang dry most items around our tiny apartment.
3. Eating homemade granola for breakfast
4. Keeping a low profile for the next little while – we just got back from a roadtrip/camping vacation that wasn’t very frugal so we’ll be staying in to recoup

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Alison May 29, 2013 at 3:15 pm

1. Put up 8 pints of strawberry jam
2. Line dried my sons comforter
3. Purchased bread at the discount bread store, used my military 10% off discount, and purchased $5+ to gain a free loaf of bread
4. Made homemade muesli
5. Made homemade caramel

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Kim Stewart May 30, 2013 at 3:29 am

Homemade caramel? Oooh, recipe pleeeeaaase!

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Alison May 30, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Kim Stewart May 31, 2013 at 8:52 am

Thanks!

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Vivian May 29, 2013 at 5:54 pm

Oh I wish I could say I had been as frugal as you Katy and the other members. I can say I did not buy a new outfit for either the social functions I went to on the weekend but I really wanted to. Instead I wore a top I had bought years ago (yes alas new), pants bought earlier this spring for $1.25 and a pair of shoes I bought for $5.

I made a tasty but cheap slaw for potluck on Saturday night and even made the mix for my byob. I’ve been thinking of gathering up the confidence to ask some of my neighbours for a few irises in exchange for mine. That will satisfy my iris addiction.

My neighbour is also gifting me some Siberian irises, Shasta Daisies and a few other plants.

Dinner tonight (wings, baked home fries,veggies and fries) was made from scratch other than the sauce for the buffalo wings.

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Jackie B May 29, 2013 at 6:22 pm

1. Got back from a trip yesterday and found my radishes had bolted. So I cut all the radishes and cooked them to go with curried lentils for dinner.

2. Did several loads of laundry and hung it on my indoor clotheslines.

3. Requested a book from the library.

4. Took advantage of the neighborhood free dumpsters to get rid of some rotten boards and chunks of concrete. Looked for usable stuff in the dumpsters, but it was all junk.

5. Received a coupon for a free Boca product. I called them to let them know I got a back package, so they sent the coupon.

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AFS May 29, 2013 at 7:24 pm

Joined a new credit union. Opened a 10 month Certificate of Deposit at 10% interest

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Alexandra May 31, 2013 at 6:00 am

Wow! Where? I would join for that.

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Kim Stewart May 30, 2013 at 3:51 am

1) I also planted cilantro in a thrifted container! Bought the seeds at a church sale for $.25!
2) Made a half gallon of iced coffee concentrate for my iced lattes in the afternoon.
3) Split my overgrown liriope and planted “new plants” in a few bare spots around the pool.
4) Starting to pick strawberries from my plants that were started from my neighbor’s runners in fall of 2011.
5) Going to pickup 10 tomato & 10 eggplant plants this morning from a fellow freecycler!

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ani mia May 30, 2013 at 4:17 am

I needed a scale to keep track of baby weight I am trying to lose and was not happy with the prices nor ratings of ones at the local stores. I decided to check out Goodwill and found a couple of broken scales and one working one that sells for around $45 in most stores for $6.99. Success!

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Suzanne P. May 31, 2013 at 6:52 am

I’m trying to stay within my food budget. I borrow books. I “rented” some fun shows/movies from the library.

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