Five Frugal Things -- My Own Santaland Diaries
2. I woke up way too early on Thanksgiving and ended up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, which I watched it with my sister who actually lives in NYC. (We get Peacock streaming TV for free through our cell phone plan, so I share it with family members.) I've always considered the parade a cheesy event for other people, (cue image of snobby me, complete with monocle, sitting atop a pile of hundred dollars bills.) However, it was surprisingly enjoyable and I appreciated how culturally inclusive it was, especially the Native American performance.
I worked at the Herald Square Macy's location back in 1988 as a Santaland Christmas elf, which was a blast. I'm pretty sure it was the same year as David Sedaris, but it's hard to say, as there were multiple short funny gay guys and some memories are fuzzy. This experience means I know a lot more about the Macy's flagship store than the average American, including the basement jail and how all employees were forced to watch a video about how we'd be fully prosecuted and lose all our friends if we stole from the store. Mind you, there was no merchandise to steal at Santaland, but Macy's put all employees through the same training. Plus a creepy full physical exam and the store discount was lousy.
This six-week job allowed me the time to hunt for a real grown up job and if I remember correctly, paid a whopping $7-per-hour, which was almost double the minimum wage at the time. Plus it supplied the clothing, so I didn't have to spend any money on a work wardrobe, which was a huge benefit for young broke me.
Not that you asked, but my favorite Santa was "Santa Ira," who was also Jewish. My least favorite Santa was "Santa Santa" who never broke character, even when it was just the two of us in our North Pole hut, often for extended periods of time. This got old really fast!
2. I sold both the found cell phone case and a random thrifted M&M teddy bear on eBay. Neither sale will make the news, but it's still nice to earn a bit of money from the comfort of my couch.
3. Thanksgiving went off without a hitch, even though my husband was unable to help whatsoever due to his work schedule. (Health care workers don't exactly get the day off for holidays!) Although I served Costco pumpkin pies, I made two others from scratch-ish as I needed a gluten-free option for my daughter.
What the hell is "scratch-ish?" I bought pre-made gluten-free pie shells at Trader Joe's, but made the filling using my own homemade pumpkin puree. So they were half store bought, half overly complicated homemade!
4. I earned enough "points" from donating blood and platelets for a bonus $10 gift card, which I'll redeem for either Safeway or Kroger. I believe this brings my last donation up to $45 in gift cards, plus snacks my Pac-Man socks.
5. I had my husband halfway talked into going to the Leach Botanical Garden with me today, but I remembered that they have free admission next weekend for their "Winterfest." I'm excited to have a proper rain coat again, (Thank you, Goodwill) and am itching to take it for a spin in Portland's ever present rainy weather.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
1. Thanksgiving was delicious and frugal. Everyone contributed by bringing something.
2. I had my traditional leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast. Also from Costco. This was more pre-breakfast. I also made a traditional breakfast for all my sleepover guests.
3. I didn't go out to the Black Friday sales but I did order two gifts online.
4. I sent lunch over with my kids who were going to visit their other Grandma.
5. I'm enjoying some peace and quiet. I finished a library book on my kindle and started another.
Ooh . . . thank you for mentioning a library book. I'm going to curl up with one right now!
1. I walk 3-4 miles most days on our country roads. I make a point of picking up litter. This morning I found 2 unopened 16oz cans of beer. Probably teens as it was cheap, but my husband will still drink them.
2. One of my Thanksgiving guest brought a cake, and no one had any so I donated to my local historical society who is having a Christmas bazaar today and tomorrow, and asked for baked goods. They let me shop early and I picked up a gift for my mom and some other misc. super cheap!
3. Our WIFI is down, so I swung by the library and checked out a hot spot to get us through until it's back up.
4. Ate leftovers for lunch and dinner. This week's grocery bill should be less than $20 thanks to leftovers.
5. Used Costco Black Friday deal to order new tires for my Jeep. A terrible expense, but at least I managed to save $80.
I just reread santaland diaries last night! Thats such a unique experience you had.
We are eating thanksgiving leftovers and putting up Christmas decorations (that we already own, no buying new ones today) today, two enjoyable free activities!
Not the most frugal thing, but I ordered Boo Kitty's food/litter/treats online at Chewy. I usually get a 2 month supply and free shipping. Got some extra discounts (Black Friday is occasionally helpful) & a cash back reward at BeFrugal.
Started weeding out the kitchen stuff that I no longer need or had duplicates of. My coworker's son is moving to another city to start college in January, so I asked if he wanted any of it. Resounding YES! I also gave him a bag of assorted herbs & spices that I collected during a B1G1 free grocery sale. Most had gone to the food pantry, but I discovered still had more than I could/would use before they lost potency. And I threw in a handwritten recipe book of favorite cheap & easy meals.
Had my oil changed (with a coupon!) & they tried to get me to go for 2 $35 air filter replacements. Mine were filthy, but I also know that they're $10 @ AutoZone and how to replace them myself. So I went with that option.
Reading the posts here has gotten me to stop lurking & start celebrating what my family refers to as my "cheapness." Thank you!