Four Frugal Things -- Potato Time & Cheap Bread!
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I scavenged a pair of stuck together pennies from the Coinstar return at Safeway. Free money, people!
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I also pulled a dozen or so thick plastic bags from the Safeway recycling bin, as they're the perfect size to line my small kitchen wastebasket. (It's hard to get ahead financially when all your money is tied up in bin liners.) Plus I needed a bag for my groceries, so I saved myself a dime.
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Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month, which meant I got my tuchus down to the Franz bakery outlet to peruse their $1 "Bargain Wall." I bought:
• Two sleeves of bagels.
• One bag of sourdough hoagie rolls.
• One loaf of their faux Dave's Killer Bread.
• One loaf of their Seattle "Waterfront" Sourdough bread.
Five bucks total, which is not too shabby considering that a couple of these loaves sell for more than $5 apiece. My freezer is full and we're set for a couple months.
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My house was a big hit on Halloween, as lucky trick-or-treaters got to choose between Hi-Chews, chocolate coins, Taki chips or . . . a potato! I probably gave away five pounds of potatoes, which was super fun as kids of all ages got a kick out of the absurdist humor. (Worry not, each potato kid got an additional handful of Hi-Chews!) There was a lot of "Mom, I got a potato!" that I could hear right through the walls of the house. Even kids who chose the standard candy looved the offer.
1. DH loves to build puzzles so we stopped at a local church sale. He selected nine puzzles and we paid $20 (I told them to keep the change since it was a fund raiser for charities they are supporting).
2. We are preparing the yard for winter. It received a final mowing. I picked up a boatload of branches and pine cones after the strong winds on Friday. Today we will add the leaves that have gathered on the patio to the compost bin.
3. We are watching season 12 of Alone on hoopla! We access it for free using out library cards.
4. A friend finished a library borrowed copy of Twice, by Mitch Albom, long before it was due so he shared it with me. I finished reading it last night and will return it to the library when I am near there today or tomorrow. I didn't appreciate the book. I recently listened to Tuesdays with Morrie (I had read it years ago) and there is a reason it is a memoir bestseller. The author is still sharing 50% of profits from the book with Morrie's family.
5. I made a pot of chili and a pan of GF corn bread. The chili included the last of a jar of marinara sauce that had been opened for a while. With all the spices it is undetectable.
I love the new format! The font is larger & clearer - easier to read. Also love that you can quickly go to/see earlier posts at a glance.
We're on a mini-vacation at high altitude. I couldn't sleep, so I popped in to see what was going on here. What a surprise! I've been a reader since the very early days. The change, especially at 4am, was disorienting. However, it's a wonderful way to introduce newer readers to your massive back catalog. As much as I love FFT, there's a ton of KWS gold from the early days. I'm glad you've found a way to make it accessible to a new generation of fans.
I agree-- Putting the catalog and index up top is a good move for new readers in particular.
I am disoriented (in small ways) by having to scroll down before I can find the latest posts, and having to click on them to see the number of comments, which previously was with the title.
However, are there no longer ads? Certainly a good trade-off there. I work on a laptop, not tablet or phone-- Must be amazing amounts of maneuvering to get all the different parts working!
I'm actually switching ad networks, so there will be ads again within the next couple of days. This is my income, sorry.
Your blog, your rules! Of course you should be paid for your work, writing and hosting. (What are you, a Rockefeller?).
You had mentioned a few weeks ago that you were switching ad networks.
I love your staircase and your Halloween potato treats.
1. I don't get trick-or-treaters at my house, so I didn't buy any candy. I did get to enjoy watching all the kids visit my mom's house though. Free entertainment.
2. I moved the rest of the items in my chest freezer to my refrigerator freezer. I will be giving the chest freezer to one of my daughters. I don't need all that space for one person.
3. I signed up for the ACA yesterday. I chose the high deductible option since I rarely go to the doctor except for the yearly visits which are covered. Knock on wood that this continues to be the case.
4. My mom invited me for dinner yesterday. I was using her kitchen shears that she bought at an estate sale we went to together. She never was a thrifter, garage sale or estate sale person in the past but she definitely sees the benefits now. It's nice to see her keep more of her money in her pocket and of course helping the environment.
5. I picked up a few bulk spices and made my own Everything but the Bagel seasoning. I'm reading a library book on my Kindle. My laundry was washed in cold water and is hanging up to dry. My thermostat is set very low and I'm wearing warm clothing. I'm drinking fancy coffee I made at home using Grocery Outlet coffee beans.
Katy, your platform changed? Navigation is different for me on my iPhone.
I know. I like it.
Me too! So much nicer!
Easier to read and a cleaner look!
1. We are car shopping, which I find deeply unpleasant. But thankfully we're agreed on budget. And neither of us have any fear that we'll be swayed from our budget. To be prepared I'm re-reading a book on negotiation called Never Split the Difference.
2. Curb picked a set of shelves that I've already listed. FB marketplace sales have been great. Ebay sales have been abysmal.
3. Picked up 2 bags of cookies from buy nothing. Gave away 7 yarrow plants. One person that picked up yarrow said they were eating BLTs with tomatoes from a start that I gave her in the spring. That made me happy!
4. Donating extra coats and thick sweaters to the library's "Take a coat, leave a coat" rack. With thrift store prices being so high, I like to donate where these winter essentials are free to those who need them.
You gave out potatoes, but Charlie Brown only got rocks for his Trick or Treat. So I guess a potato is a step up! LOL!
I heard that in some hard-hit places, people were giving out cans of soup to children of SNAP recipients. That caused me to think: I should've gotten either small cans of fruit, some peanut butter or cream cheese/chives packaged crackers or those individual-sized little boxes of cereal to give out! (Actually, I was working, so I put up a sign on my porch saying our candy was being handed out at Trunk or Treat. Which was true: I gave them a couple of bags.) But I hear a couple of federal judges told the Orange Monster off and are requiring him to start up SNAP again with emergency funds. Good for those judges! (Let's all pray that the Trump-backing un-Justices on the not-so-Supreme Court don't overturn this ruling.)
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I haven't been doing a lot of frugal-ing of late, but I am reading a great book: "Coming Up Short," by Robert Reich. Katy, toward the book's end, he is touting a non-consumer economy! I believe he is also one of us, a real NCA!
For those of you who want to cut to the chase, there is a section on pages 324-326 called "Recirculating Stuff," which sounds very familiar. He praises curbside piles, Buy Nothing Groups, and says he was thrilled to get a set of exercise weights he needed from a free pile. Around year's end, he'll drop off excess items at Goodwill and Salvation Army. Like us, he doesn't need so much stuff.
As an economist, Professor Reich urges a "recycling system in which all the stuff people no longer want is recirculated to people who want it." He says life in such a "recycled economy" would be a lot cheaper, would result in less waste/a cleaner environment -- and also help ease poverty. Most importantly, it'd allow us to work less and have more time for things that really matter, chiefly our families!
Reading all this made me wonder if he's an NCA subscriber. If he isn't, he needs to be!
If I recall correctly, Reich was in Clinton's Cabinet, and actually did DOGE right! He charged department heads with considering their own expenditures, including cutting staff, putting them in charge of decreasing staff with retraining and phasing projects out, and making other Very Reasonable moves that proved government spending can be decreased without terror and chainsaws.
He is still actively writing and speaking.
Just put the book on hold at my local library!
We're also getting the yard ready for winter. I rebuilt my compost pile, layering in free horse manure from a neighbor. And I filled a bunch of pots with finished compost, ready to plant in the spring.
We had dinner on Halloween with neighbors. We don't get trick-or-treaters in our very rural neighborhood, but as a joke I printed off moustaches, which my husband and I wore when we rang the doorbell at the neighbor's house -- good for a laugh.
I turned in a half-dozen printer cartridges that had been piling up in my home office for $12 credit at Office Depot.
I also returned 4 produce boxes to the stand where we buy produce in the summer. These are from bulk purchases of apples and tomatoes. The farmer has to buy these boxes, so he's always grateful to get them back and they're no longer cluttering my garage.
I'm on a mission to use up odds and ends around the house -- the last bits of moisturizers, condiments, odd seasonings, scrap paper -- whatever I find. I'm sewing a quilt and using up all the spools of odd-colored thread I know I'll never use for garments (These came in sets of thread I bought on clearance years ago -- all the lime green, bright orange, acid yellow and pink have languished.) I've emptied 6 spools so far. I'm saving the empty spools to make cat toys for friends.
Office Depot is closing some (not all) stores, so keeping up on returns is a good idea!
1. Every year I post on Nextdoor that I am willing to take pumpkins after Halloween so they don’t just end up in the trash. I compost the cut Jack O Lanterns and share the un cut ones with a farmer friend. We use them to feed our animals. Last year we saved over 500lbs of pumpkins from the trash.
2. Three days ago all my pantry shelves collapsed. They were old and the wire kind. Nothing broke. We are opting for a no spend solution. We have two empty bookcases that will fit and do just fine.
3. I’m going to a carrot harvesting party at my friend’s farm today. All food is to be carrot themed. I made a carrot, cabbage, apple slaw and chili with carrots with items I already had.
4. We reused costumes to hand out candy rather than buying new ones
5. DS who doesn't drive wanted to watch 2 movies yesterday at a theater 45 minutes away. I was the taxi. So I brought my dog, did some thrifting, ate my packed lunch and took me and the dog on a lovely hike.
Katy, I have not been able to access the archives since you have changed your format. Please help. Sandy S
Yes, that feature didn't port to the new template, but I'm going to figure it out.
Thanks!
I've been a bit absent from the NCA lately due to the press of other business, and I confess it was a slight shock to touch base and discover that the blog has had a facelift. However, I agree that the old site needed a refresh, and the new one seems quite streamlined. And I also admire Katy's Halloween potato giveaway. 😀
Now, Four FTs, Dealing with Bureaucracy and Other Tricks/Treats Edition:
(1) I've been pulling paperwork together and dealing with puzzling forms this past week for two reasons, the first being to get what I hope will be a considerable senior discount on my city property taxes. I'll be marching this set of paperwork down to City Hall tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.
(2) The second reason has been to get NY State to cut me a replacement check in my own name for the inflation refund check that was issued in both DH's and my names (based on our 2023 tax return, the last year I filed for us jointly). My bank wouldn't let me deposit the original check because I'd already taken DH's name off all our accounts (who knew that this inflation refund was gonna happen??). This process has been worth its weight in indigestion, but I've hung tough, and I am about to mail this paperwork to Albany.
(3) I got 17 cloves of garlic for next year planted Wednesday afternoon, just before the heavens opened in the wee small hours of Thursday morning and pelted us straight through Saturday. Fortunately, the weather removed any worries I might have had about trick or treaters on Friday, and I spent Halloween evening cozily reading in a back room by flashlight--as I've done for the last four years.
(4) And I've otherwise been keeping the NCA faith by making all meals at home (best recent effort was chicken and mixed veg simmered in a tagine sauce that a friend gave me), hanging all laundry except sheets on my collection of vintage indoor drying racks, getting a bag of suitable foods together for a local food pantry, and making an extra donation to my local food bank. (The latter two while You Know Who throws extravagant parties, Nero fiddles, and Rome burns.)
I also had a few late checks in my husband's name delivered well after removing his name from our accounts. I recently received a couple settlement checks that were sent with only his first initial. Luckily one daughter has the same first initial so that solved that problem. I wish there was a good step by step guide for widows.
Katy, your new blog format is fantastic! So streamlined and colorful. Love it!
I feel like I'm in the minority here because I loved the old format as I am an old-school PC gal and it was easier to see the older entries and browse the archive in the old version.
A semi-frugal weekend for me as I did a mystery shop for lunch yesterday and donated blood so got reward points and a free t-shirt from that, but off to the cinema today to see the new Bruce biopic. We will smuggle in our own water and not buy any snacks there, so a bit of a saving.
I love the new platform! It's so much easier to read on my Android phone!
1. I am still visiting with my son's family. Last night we went to see a spooky play (he treated), and then we had dinner at a casual restaurant (I treated). We brought home a lot of food that we'll be eating today while we watch football.
2. Yesterday we went to an extravaganza birthday party held in a community gym. Two big bouncy houses, pizza, cake and ice cream. The grandkids had a great time. I was relieved to see that the gifts were not outlandish (so our soccer ball was appreciated). And later I learned that the father of the birthday boy actually owns the business that rents out the bouncy houses, so that explains that. I enjoyed the free lunch and watching the kids.
3. I finished the book I brought and passed it along to my DIL. My son took me to a local bookstore and I bought a used book to read for the rest of my vacation.
4. I did finally get the aspirin and Voltaren at Walmart, but I neglected to use the coupon attached to the Voltaren box which would have saved me $2.50. Oh well. I will use it before it expires, because I have a lot of arthritis.
1. I've been sick off an on for the last few weeks, which feels like an eternity. We were able to stay on top of eating through our leftovers even though I had very little appetite.
2. I dug through our box of birthday and holiday decorations and found almost everything we'll need to decorate for my daughter's birthday. It doesn't cost much to get a few rolls or streamers or balloons, but over time it saves so much using what you've already purchased. We'll be able to cobble together most of what we need and just had a few things to fill in the gaps.
3. I braved WinCo yesterday to do our monthly grocery shopping and get the last few supplies for my daughter's upcoming birthday party. There were noticable shortages in the produce section and the price of cocoa powder made me very glad we're opting for a vanilla funfetti cake. I shopped the bulk bins for fun cupcake toppings and treats, in addition to the usual items we always get from the bulk section rather than pay for the luxury and waste of extra packaging.
4. I made sure to scan my receipt into Ibotta when I got home and managed to get $6.35 in cash back! I qualified for a bonus which then got me another $5 back!
5. A little late but again I've been sick, for Halloween we took the kids up a couple of streets near our house. They went as a cow and a duck and both of them have worn their costumes so many times since I got them a few months ago that I'm already getting my money's worth. They're neutral enough that they can be used for play time rather only for trick or treating.
Ooh, the new format is easier on my eyes. Thank you!
Yesterday I sewed a snap (leftover from making baby clothes for my now 35 year old son) on the scrap leather quarter holder that lives on my key ring for trips to Aldi. It looks very uptown now. 🙂 My sewing stuff stash actually is rather small, as I keep only what I am certain to use.
Also cooked two packages of discounted chicken drumsticks for DH's lunches for a few days. I made a dish of red beans and yellow rice this morning. The pack of rice was 19 cents after using a coupon. Found two half-used bags of shredded mozzarella in the freezer, wacked them with a cutting board to get them crumbly again and incorporated them in one bag. Tidied up a cabinet and put several mugs in the thrift shop donation box.
Gosh darn it, Ruby, have those mugs of yours been multiplying *again*?? And that leftover snap from your son's baby clothes is awesome.
I still have eight for me and however many my son has, but have thinned the herd a bit. There are three of mine that could go and may because it's been a dozen years since we had that many people over for coffee.
1. I have a man's gray flannel shirt with gray plaid lining I wear. It got a bleach mark somehow on it. I took some gray thread & covered the mark w/ cross-stitch. My gray shirt is ready for cooler weather.
2. My friend gave me a small zip lock back of choc candy that she did not pass out on Halloween.
3. My husband & I split a meal at a restaurant gathering for my SIL birthday.
4. My SIL b'day gift was a bottle of champagne I curb picked. A nice brand of Veuve Clicquot.
5. Husband found a large bottle of chardonnay in the Doll Gen dumpster which I gave to a friend. We are not wine drinkers.
6. Husband also found 4 bottles of Barefoot Moscato. I think my BFF will drink these.
7. Husband found a bag of Doll Gen brand cat food. The cats don't really like it but will eat if I mix it w/ some wet food.
8. I hear the crows cackling outside my window. I found a can of stale popcorn & sprinkled it on the grass for them to eat.
9. Found 21 cents in the change return at the register at Walmart. I am adding it to my change challenge for 2025.
10. Katy must have stayed up late on time change Saturday night to change her format. It greeted me Sunday morning!
You curb-picked a bottle of Veuve Clicquot??? You rule, texasilver! (But did you reveal its origins to your SIL? I'd love to know.)
Veuve Cliquot goes for at least $35 or higher around here in Colorado...nice curb find!
I appreciate the bigger font in the new format!
1. Had 24 kids for Halloween; gave away the leftover Tootsie Pops on Buy Nothing.
2. Used black craft paint to touch up some black metal pipe thingies that support the mantel on our mid-century modern fireplace.
3. Noticed the battery on our car fob needed to be replaced. Attempted to do it ourselves with an extra battery we received from Buy Nothing and the help of YouTube. It was too tricky so I took it to our Subaru dealership where they finished the job for free without wrecking the fob like we probably would have. A few days later, I noticed that our local hardware store is advertising replacing fob batteries for free so I will take it there next time.
4. Received $32 from the consignment store for things I dropped off a while ago, none of which I remember, so they're clearly not missed around here.
5. Used up the last of our distilled water from the store. Has anyone distilled their own? YouTube makes it look easy but I'm not sure it's worth it.
We used to distill water with a water distiller but then electricity got so expensive and we stopped using it. I was also concerned about drinking water that has no minerals in it, I could never figure out how bad this really is for you (most people seem to think it’s fine as we get most of our minerals from food). The reason why we distilled water was that the local water supply is using too much chlorine and fluoride, both of which we need removed due to health reasons. However, I have since found a filter jug that filters out both.
GK, thanks for that info! We use distilled water solely for ironing - which doesn't happen a lot around here, so a gallon lasts a long time.
A Marie, the trash picked champagne was my little secret. I did sanitize the outside of the bottle with a wipe. My husband knew I found it (outside a dumpster in an apartment complex along with some other booze). He kept his mouth shut too. I put it in a drawstring bag with a card from my stash. Easy peasy.
Amazing new blog format!!! Also, I pay almost $5 for a loaf of bread so your bread score is awesome!
1: I made The Prudent Homemaker bean chili from dried beans I cooked and from cans of diced tomatoes I have. I did add a couple of carrots just to boost the nutritional value.
2. I made cornbread to go with the chili. When I run out of cornbread I will go to crackers.
3. I bought a huge box of turnip greens from a local farmer for $10 and spent the better part of an afternoon cleaning them outside. I will have enough greens to last me a month. I love greens and should get about two to three large servings a week for four weeks from these.
4. I took leftover roasted potatoes and diced them and added eggs for breakfast over the weekend.
5. I replenished my peanut butter and jelly so I can have those sandwiches for lunch this week. Every penny counts with car insurance, and house insurance going up and taxes due at end of year for house. I also got a letter saying my co pay and deductibles will increase on my health insurance next year and unfortunately my salary is not going up.
New layout, I don’t like it. (Six seconds later) When did it change?
I spent €7 at the thrift store on a book on medieval city planning. First spend in a week.
Ate my potatoes. Visited the cemetery for All Saints Eve. Everybody still buried. Had a little cry for free. Got coffee by a volunteer. Will probably spend nothing this week, freezer is full. Unless I decide to go to Japan in December. It’s an odd time of the year.
The new website looks great, and it’ll be interesting to look at some of your older content. My only suggestion is that maybe the newest content should be closer to the top of the page. I feel like it’s a long scroll to see whether there’s anything new.
One of my recent frugal activities involves gleaned fruit. I’ve made applesauce, membrillo and quince jam from neighborhood fruit. A gift to my future self! And for friends!
A positive observation about this site is that I’ve gotten this far typing out a post, without it getting eaten. This was unheard of on the old site, where I had to type anything longer than two sentences in my notes app and cut and paste it into the comments. If the site remembers me from post to post, I’ll be even happier.
I like the new format. Much easier to read!
Our family is finally feeling settled after 10 weeks back in Ontario. Our new house had an “open concept” bathroom, which raised some privacy issues LOL. My husband hired a plumber for one day to do the hard stuff and he is doing the rest of the work himself. Between materials and the plumber her hired, we are only out $6000 CAD. It usually costs $17,000+ around here for a similar sized bathroom!
Our grocery bill was astronomical last month so I vowed to cut it in half. I purchased only raw ingredients - zero conveniences - and we will eat down the fridge, freezer and pantry. It’s fun to feel creative again with simple ingredients.
Our house in NY is finally closing. It was delayed by several weeks due to the government shutdown, which meant we had to pay for two houses at the same time, which was KILLING us.
I am desperate to lose the stress weight I gained this year, but I’m not convinced I would take advantage of
A gym membership. I am committing to long walks and lifting weight at home 5x a week and if I do it for 6 weeks then I’ll take advantage of the New Year specials and spring for a gym membership.
I am trying to do a “use it up” challenge by using up all the pens, markers and old notebooks that HAD to be purchased for school in the past and were hardly used. No point in recycling them when my daily journaling can go in them first.
I’m so grateful for like minded people who care about others. I have been thinking a lot about the state of the world and keep coming back to “you either love everyone or you love no one.” You either care about all children or you care about none. I am striving for empathy and compassion at all times no matter how much hate surrounds us.
I helped my sister over the last week or so to take her clothes, accessories to 3 different resale shops. I still have 3 boxes to take to 2 different stores.
I’m watching Downton Abbey season 5. I never saw it when it came out.
A public service announcement for senior Texans (Fru-gal Lisa I'm lookin' at you). House Bill 23 in Texas was passed & signed into law in June of 2025. It increases the deduction those who are 65 or older can claim on their property taxes. It is in addition to the homestead deduction. I was looking into property taxes as I now have to pay them on 2 properties and discovered this new legislation. Hope this can save some of my kindred spirits in Texas some $.
1. We had less than a dozen trick or treaters (kids were out and about but either didn't turn up our road or just didn't come to our door). This means I have a lot of leftover candy. I stashed some for holiday games and dh has been enjoying the rest.
2. I cooked meals all weekend that generated leftovers so I will not have to cook for the next couple of days at least.
3. I made an extra car payment
4. We blew our own leaves to the curb for pick up. Most people in our neighborhood hire this task out. We look at it as free exercise.
5. I dug through the chest freezer and came up with a meal plan for later this week after we finish all the leftovers.