Three Frugal Things -- Am I Being "Grinchy?"
1. I used up every single apple that my neighbor Erin brought over from her tree. This was accomplished through last week's pies, additional apple pie filling for the freezer and many apple snacks. (Feeling peckish, may I suggest this bowl of cut apples?) Now I just need to figure out something nice to do for her in return.
2. I sold a Coca-Cola Christmas sweater on eBay for $20 that I listed back in ye olde times of 2021! This is actually the very last Christmas sweater I had up for sale, which is fantastic as holiday specific things really only sell for me in November and December. Good to clear out all my stale inventory!
3. I continue to pick up consumables for holiday gifting. Sure I've thrifted a couple items, but the majority of what I've bought so far has been food or gift certificates to restaurants. I'm hyper aware that my loved ones are in zero need of another random "thing" for their homes, however cool that item may be. I know this sounds Grinchy, but there's no reason to support overconsumption culture just because the dominant culture tells us to.
It helps that my husband and I no longer exchange holiday gifts, plus we've winnowed down how many people we include in gift giving. It's pretty much just our kids, niece and nephew, their partners and my mother and step-father. We'll also give money to the kids and their cousins so they can just buy what they want and need.
Now your turn, 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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I don't think you are being grinchy at all. The gift mill is a capitalist construct and one that I am happy to not participate in. We gave our young grandchildren actual gifts they would love, our grown children get cash, my mother gets a repeat magazine subscription, usually I make my dad food. I exchange small practical gifts with one aunt and one close friend. Neighbors and other friends get homemade cookies. I send chocolate to both of my sister's families. That is it. My husband and I also do not exchange gifts.
1. We stopped at Winco while visiting out kids 4 hours away. Bought $61 worth of staples, including bulk spices, the price of which cannot be beat.
2. Got a refund on a bag of satsumas that turned to liquid in 5 days. Gross. I am diligent about doing returns and tracking that I received the refund.
3. Skipping food shopping today, though there's quite literally only prunes, eggs, bread and homegrown apples in the fridge. It will be easy mexican dinner from freezer and pantry tonight. Thankful for kale and swiss chard from the garden.
4. AAA membership is cheaper if you bundle extended family members, so we've done that for a few years. I've requested payment from all the people on our plan, as it renews this month.
LOL, I read your second sentence as "grift" mill.
You're not being grinchy in the slightest; you're being generous, smart and thoughtful.
1. Bought a pair of red boot laces to brighten up my old gray suede boots. Spent $7 at the local shoe repair shop. The pop of color brightens my spirits every time I have to put on my boots, which is every day around here. Will give away the previous laces on Buy Nothing.
2. Took my winter jacket to the library’s sewing circle where I was able to use one of their machines to repair a hard-to-reach seam.
3. Walked inside a shopping mall with a friend. It was cold and snowy here, even by Minnesota standards.
4. Gave away a dog kennel and a miter box on Buy Nothing. I was one of two people interested in the miter box, so I passed it on to the second person when we were done using it for a project.
5. Saved $15 by spending $60 on an online grocery order via a Target Circle bonus. I picked it up when it was below zero and the employee was so hard-working, helpful, friendly, and possibly a target of ICE, that I gave him a $20 tip. That felt good and was the least I could do.
No grinchiness at all. DH and I send food gifts to a few relatives who live far away and then gift cards to nieces and nephews. I make chocolate sauce and we give those (in thrifted or reused glass jars that can go in the microwave) to some service providers we see regularly and a few co-workers... my elderly parents like it, too!
My frugal today were:
Making ginger tea with fresh ginger. The real frugal part here is that the piece of ginger was small and did not register on the scale at the self checkout. I needed the store manager to clear the scanner so I could scan the rest if my items. I asked what I owed for the ginger and she told me that if it did not weigh enough for the scale, I should just put it in my bag. Not worth the trouble! Now, the ginger probably would have cost 20 cents. Still, I'll take free!
Not being Grinchy. The Grinch wanted to stop others from celebrating. You are just celebrating the way you want.
1. I found a nickel.
2. We fed a cat on our porch for weeks and brought him inside when the weather got cold. Took him to the vet for some shots. Then we saw a FB post with his"lost cat" picture and contacted his owner. They were so glad to have him back . They gave us a generous gift card for Chewy's. The cat, on the other hand, showed no emotion . He was busy stuffing his face when his owner came for him.
3. We will be giving cash to family and cookies to neighbors. I don't have the energy to track down "things". Maybe they can get some good deals on the things they want at after Christmas sales.
4. We also treat for a weekend in the city that is the most convenient destination for all, so kids, grandkids and grandparents can spend time together and cousins who live far apart can hang out.
Ava, your #2 cracked me up. That cat, living his best life. 😉
The owner said they recently cut back on his wet food. That explains everything.
Picked more Winter pears to make a spicy pear and walnut cake using my estate sale Nordic ware fancy loaf pan. Will make fresh whipped cream to serve tonight at community potluck dinner.
Made a basket with hone canned marinara, noodles, parmesan cheese spaghetti dinner for the white elephant exchange.
I was gifted 3 bottles of wine (I do not drink), donated it to the New Years Eve wine and chocolate auction benefit to raise monies for a women's shelter.
I would love to win that white elephant gift, Blue Gate Farmgirl! That sounds delicious.
I don't think you're being Grinchy. My husband and I haven't exchanged Christmas gifts in a long time--unless you count stockings, where I usually put in a few socks for him. He always forgets to buy himself socks. Most people don't need 95% of the things that are advertised as presents and stocking stuffers this time of year.
Frugal things:
1. Scanning every receipt I can nab into Fetch. My oldest goes to the same grocery store we do, and sometimes I find his receipts lying around and I just scoop them up and scan them.
2. My youngest DS is taking the same class as I am this spring semester, so I rented the digital textbook just once and will have him read it on my computer when he needs to. I see no reason to a) purchase it or b) rent two copies.
3. On a similar note, I did purchase the online textbook for the Nurse Aide training course I recently took, as there was no rental option. I have a friend who went through A&P 1 and 2 with me who is taking the same course this coming term, and I sent her my log-in details for the online library so she can access it. I see no reason for her to purchase a $100 dollar textbook for a 4 week course!
4. Planning our trip down to Florida in January, and DH found out there is a military base in Georgia along the way (we break the drive up into two days) where we can stay in their lodging. This is much cheaper than an AirBnB, and significantly safer–some of the rentals we looked at were in very dodgy neighborhoods. If you’re a civilian DoD employee, many military bases will allow you to bring family members in through the Trusted Travelers program. We got a two-bedroom apartment for about $100 a night, which is not bad!
5. I needed to buy mozzarella cheese for lasagna tonight and was very happy to find that the large blocks of cheese were $2 off. I stocked up for future pizzas as well; home-shredded is best for melting.
I love consumable gifts!
1. I'm making a beef stew recipe that uses bacon fat, but not the bacon. Because I'm making it for 25, I need a good amount, so I asked a chef (who cooks brunch) if he could save me bacon fat & he did! The recipe also calls for button mushrooms, but I came into wealth via some free shiitaki mushrooms, which I sauteed and have had in the freezer.
2. We made an excellent chicken & feta meatball, spinach, and lemon soup (NY Times recipe). We get chicken thighs free from a mystery shop but my partner wanted to buy ground chicken. I convinced him that we could convert one into the other, and it was a success.
3. We found a "yesterday's" rotisserie chicken on sale for $2.99. I'll use it to make chicken and dumplings, chicken stock, and use the extra chicken for salads for lunches.
4. I've been enjoying my $2.99 per month subscription to Britbox while I have it.
5. I reserved a cultural pass to the JFK library from my local library (for 1/2 price ticket) for later in the month.
1. I pulled out the turkey wings I had frozen separately and made a pot of broth big enough for our potato soup for dinner. Delicious and frugal!
2. Having leftovers for dinner 2 nights in a row.
3. I cashed in my CC points for gift cards for my kids stockings. Their stockings are going to be that, socks and candy. I'm keeping it simple this year.
4. I have been much better about using up our produce and milk before it goes bad.
5. Organized and used up a bunch of old wrapping paper, gift bags and gift tags this Christmas. I will be shopping the after Christmas sales though. And I saved the plain red paper that came in a set to be used later in the year for birthdays.
I give experiences whenever possible, and certainly prefer that as well. For our teens, they sometimes have more needs for "things" (e.g. DS18 needs some hiking gear for safety, which supports an experience /activity, DS19 needs a pair of black work pants, etc).
DH & I bought each other a mesh net that goes over your hat when hiking, to keep the sand flies out. When we are back from our trip, we have friends who have already requested the netting. We are pretty exciting gift givers. 😉
I think we all need to chill and determine what our holidays should really be about, then stop buying random crap to fill unnecessary guilt trips! Money, consumables, books, or specifically needed items, those are my go-tos (and usually I gift throughout the year). I think I became a bit grinchy a few years ago!
1. Cooked up a mess of discount chicken thighs using my homemade shake and bake (used bread crusts from the freezer that I had dried and ground up and various herbs I have dried from my garden). I had a couple of aging potatoes to use up so peeled them with a knife (a bit green) and sliced them thick, gave them an oiling and baked in the oven along with the chicken. I also pulled a delicata squash out of my squash pile, scrubbed and sliced it, and used a super sharp 1-1/4” cookie cutter to punch out the seedy centres, lightly oiled the 'donuts' and stuck them on another cookie sheet in the oven. Some steamed broccoli and dinner was delish.
2. I've avoided buying snacks but that doesn't seem to help with my wish to nosh. Found some english muffins in the freezer (pre sliced by yours truly) so I toasted some up and spread with some unopened and aging hummus and thin slices of the tail end of some cheese. Not QUITE what I was craving, however a much more satisfying and healthier option. I'll call it a win, and quit whining.
3. Did a garden waste run, and errand stacked by including a drop off of many cans and other returnables to one of the church folk who will return them – the money is used for a variety of outreach purposes. I also dropped off grocery receipts at another church person who can take them to the grocery store to redeem – the church gets $50 for every $5,000 of tapes, and I have several friends saving them for me so they add up. I told my friend that I will just buy the $50 grocery cards back from her (how the church actually accesses the money) once she has collected them. Circular economy!
4. Frugal fail (I think)...My little ratty car might be a writeoff due to rats throughout the interior (under everything – eeewww). I am looking for a positive and one is that I have been keeping another car that my daughter returned to me after she was given her grandmother's car. It is a peppy little toyota echo, fun to drive but with not as much room as the matrix (and more Kms, and no AC). But I already have it, so there is that. Sigh. I hope to hear from the Claims adjuster tomorrow.
5. Had an extremely busy few days with 2 meetings (with snacks!), a day of baking with #2 son and his girlfriend (sweets!), a dinner at my (chosen) #3 son and his fiance's place (gourmet meal thanks to #3 son!), my usual hospice volunteer time (goodies in the kitchen), a visit from my daughter (hugs!), and time with my physiotherapist (um, ouch?).
Whew. Writing it all out explains why I am feeling kind of tired. The physio took the stuffing out of me, and has suggested we give it a few weeks, which is good because this visit clearly used up all the funds in that account for this year and I had to pay the difference.
6. My #2 son and his girlfriend braved the rainy weather and helped with the tricky job of moving the new-to-me freezer into my basement into the spot cleared by my cleaner. It was a bit epic mostly due to the tetris challenges imposed by the space and the stairs, however we succeeded with no injury and it turned on when plugged in. Now I get to take a few trips from the barn freezer and bring some things over that I want in the more accessible freezer!
7. We had a HUGE windstorm on the day my daughter came to visit, so I couldn't even offer her a coffee. We visited and as it got dark I had her put on a headlamp and help me sort two of my junk drawers (how long does it Actually take?). One more task on my list of 26 things to do before 2026, time with my daughter, CHECK. Also, we played a game of crib before she went to see her dad, under the electric light of the one lamp plugged into the one outlet upstairs that is sourced from my solar panel's batter power bank. The majority of the power from those is reserved for my freezers and fridges, and my well pump. I made a point of showering while the power was newly out and used up most of the hot water in the tank, as it was already hot so I might as well use it!
It is not just Christmas that people overspend on (although it is the motherlode). I am old and I do not remember as a child that there was a card and something to buy for every single holiday. Nowadays it is a never ending parade of merchandise & food. For St. Patrick's day the stores are loaded w/ green trinkets & apparel. I think the beer companies use this holiday to pedal beer. Easter, which is a somber holiday for Christians becomes a chocolate free-for-all. Stuffed animals, baskets of candy, Easter bunnies, etc. I remember Valentine's Day was celebrated w/ valentines for classmates, candy hearts, maybe some chocolate. As a teen I got a box of chocolates or a bouquet from a boyfriend. A few simple things. Soon after Christmas the retailers will start gearing up for Valentine's Day with lots of candy just repackaged for a different holiday. I don't think the retailer's like Thanksgiving because all they can pedal is food. I have noticed more Hanukkah merchandise being marketed & sold in the last 20 years. Enough already!
I was in CVS yesterday. They already had lots of Valentine's Day merchandise out. Disgusting in my book.
Texasilver,
My holiday gripe is Grandparent's Day. Whoever heard of that one? I think it was engineered by Hallmark to sell cards. We just include the grands on Mother's and Father's days.
Valentine's, Easter and Mother's Day is often celebrated in my family with garden bouquets put in jelly jars being reused for vases. The flowers, of course, are from our backyard gardens. Works great!
Meanwhile, do not forget the old Tightwad Gazette trick: buy Hershey's Kisses packaged for Christmas on the Dec. 26 sales. Separate them by the color of the foil wrappings: use the silver ones for New Year's; red ones for Valentine's; and green ones for St. Paddy's Day. I've used this for a long, long time. Although I have to admit, the last couple of Decembers, there seems to be a lot fewer of those packages left. Do you think Hershey Co. is on to us?
And, Katy, my greatest non-consumer Christmas gift was a trip to the dentist for my granny.
Several of us went in together on this one; it was before Medicare started covering dental insurance and Gran was on a fixed income and couldn't afford a dental visit. Poor little Granny had lost so much weight her partial dentures were slipping around in her mouth and it pained her to eat. (Which caused her to lose more weight....) So we paid the dentist to fix the problem.(We actually had Gran go prior to Thanksgiving so she could enjoy the holiday feasts.) Granny said it was the greatest present she'd ever gotten bc it no longer hurt when she chewed. ...and she enjoyed that gift every time she ate something!
Ecoterri,
You have a ratty car and I have a ratty attic, so we're both in a ratty mess today!
In case anyone missed it, I want to copy you all on what I posted on yesterday's blog early this morning because it may save someone from having a ratty or squirrelly experience:
I just had a MASSIVE frugal fail! Early this morning, I heard something scurrying around above my bedroom ceiling. I also heard animal chattering. Thinking it was squirrels, I called the pest/wildlife control company. The guy just left.
Oh no! It wasn’t a squirrel; it was a rat. I had to write a big fat check to get rid of the big fat rat.
Oh, and it gets worse. (Sorry for grossing you out, but this info may help you to avoid the same problem.)
This is something the exterminator told me: if you have plumbing vents, rodents could fall into those vents and down into your plumbing pipes. He said he’s gotten calls that ended up being dead squirrels underneath someone’s toilet. (Told you it was gross!)
Usually, the home’s occupant smells something stinky in the bathroom. The plumber is called, and finds a dead squirrel deteriorating under the potty. It would have fallen to its death some time before.
Per the exterminator, roofers do not commonly put screening on the plumbing vents. Screening prevents such things from happening.
The pest control company is going to plug up the places where the rats got in, and they are going to put screens and guards over all the vents on my new roof. I’m about to call the roofer and let them know that I am extremely displeased about paying them a ton of money for my metal roof and not having any vent guards installed! (Update: I phoned and politely expressed my dismay, and the guy was clueless and had a couldn't-care-less attitude.)
It may be something for you all to check on at your houses. The exterminator said mine was the 5th or 6th call in a row he’s had that has turned out to be rats. They're coming in to get warm.
PS--Apologies to those who read this yet again.
Jeesh, I kinda wish I hadn't just read this, because I've just heard two or three weird sounds coming from my chimney stack. Hope there's not a bird or small animal in there. (Shouldn't be, since the top of the chimney is screened and protected, but you never know.)
We’ve pared our gifts back substantially over the years. Adult sons and daughter in law get a small gift and cash. I do have a few friends I still exchange with..postage was a killer.
Hubby and I don’t exchange gifts as our anniversary is 12/14. We prefer to take a mini trip.
It's been FRUGAL FAIL MONTH at our house.
Since October, we have had to sink roughly $3,000 into our car, some routine maintenance, some repairs. So much for Christmas.
We did send our daughter $50 cash and a $15 Doordash card. With her health challenges, it is necessary for her to order delivery on occasion or she wouldn't be able to eat.
Before the last of the car dung hit the fan, I bought DH 2 leather belts. The only one he has is about to give up the ghost and I don't need his jeans/trousers falling down in public. Considering he forgot my birthday last week (didn't even say "happy birthday" to me), I don't expect anything for Christmas (besides, the money we had went into the car and heating oil is our next big bill to tackle.) He DID buy 2 books for a friend in Canada and sent several "nice" (expensive) holiday greeting cards to people from his Facrbook group. He did all this in early November (his $) while I thought of HIM and got something he needs for HIM. Guess I've gotten knocked down on the totem pole several notches. 🙁
He left today to take care of a friend who had bunion surgery at the end of October and still isn't getting around very well. She and her DH were supposed to leave together tomorrow to go to TN and see his son. She's not able to go and I can't stay with her because my Amish kids don't have off school for the holidays like the other kids do, so I have to work. Therefore, he is staying with her (no danger of inappropriate behavior there guaranteed). Since I'm home by myself until January 4, I have the thermostat at 60, the faucets dripping, the blankets out, and am wearing sweats to bed. My DH is like a blast furnace, so I don't normally wear anything heavy to bed or I get too hot. Otherwise, he'd have the heat cranked up to 70 (not unreasonable, but he'd still be crabby.)
Our niece invited us for Christmas. We are taking dessert as we had most everything we needed to make it. DH made 8 quarts of homemade vanilla ice cream, which is in the freezer. I will be making homemade peanut butter fudge sauce and warm cinnamon apples as two options for toppings. There will be 6 humans and 5 dogs. Will definitely be an interesting day.
If you’re grinchy, then so am I. When I walk through stores at this time of year, I see so many “thoughtless” gifts — things like scented candles and fancy soaps and novelty socks, that are destined to end up, forgotten, in the recipient’s cupboards. I rarely went into Toys R Us when my kids were little, but the one time I went at Christmas, I was shocked at the number of people checking out with huge carts piled high with plastic crap! The types of toys that kids tire of after a few days. Don’t get me started on the Christmas decorations. I had a neighbor who bought new lights every year because she didn’t like taking them off the tree. Goodwill is full of discarded Christmas crap year round. There’s too much!
Yes, I sound like a crabby old lady!
I can hardly classify that last sweater as falling in the ugly category. I have seen much, much (and much) worse. Trouble is ugly sweaters are now fueling production of yes, more ugly sweaters.
I guess folks think I am grinchy. I did get all the boys and ex husband a matching local college sports team long sleeves tshirt bc the thrift stores around here do not have good men’s clothing for the most part. I sent the grandchildren lots of coloring pencils and paper so they can draw, at my daughter’s request, and gave some money for some needy kids and money to my kids for bills. My little blue table top Christmas tree from Dollar General was destroyed in the fire last year, so I got a little table top white one from Dollar General right before Christmas last year to try to perk me up. I pulled it out and put it in the living room. I am decorated… lol.
Cindy, giving an ex-husband a present is definitely not grinchy!
I suppose everyone here could be called grinchy by someone who buys into the commercial excesses of Christmas. I think it is better to celebrate thoughtfully.
1. I bought some sour cream because it was on my list, but I can't remember why it was. So I'm trying to figure out how to use it before it goes bad. I made a sort-of ambrosia salad with fruit I had on hand. Not crazy about it, so I'm planning on turning it into a smoothie.
2. I walked to Walgreens yesterday, which is kind of my general store. It's my closest store, and it does carry quite a variety of items, though most of them not cheap. Anyway, I bought Always Discreet, two packages on a BOGO offer, and batteries. I bought the Walmart brand in the smallest package, because I don't use them too fast.
3. My grandson is home from college for Christmas break, so we are sharing my car again. This is forcing me to exercise, plus the walk to the car takes me past the little free pantry and several little free libraries.
4. I was planning on meeting my Indiana friend at the halfway point for lunch today, but she has unexpected company, so that plan has been cancelled. While I'm disappointed, I'm also glad that I'm not spending the money at this time.
5. After I brewed my coffee this morning I put the basket, with the grounds, in the fridge to use next time (with one fresh scoop on top). This is one of my usual things. Another usual thing -- I put the coffee I didn't drink in the fridge to have tomorrow, and probably the next day, as a frappacino.
Not Grinchy at all!
The number of people that get gifts from us has also declined over the years. My kids, my mom, and my best friend are the only ones that get actual gifts anymore.
Out of town relatives got a "12 days of Cheesemas" box this year - consumables for the win!
Husband and I stopped exchanging gifts several years ago, we have everything we want or need.
Husband cold smoked about 10 pounds of cheese that will be given to various neighbors and friends (purchased on sale of course). I used to give out tins of homemade Chex Mix but the price of ingredients (and tins!) has went up so much I just can't do it this year.
1. Took advantage of my final days of vision insurance to fill a prescription, I'm using an old pair of frames and just updated the lenses.
2. Had a dental appointment and they asked if I wanted any dental supplies. Uh yes please! I ended up getting a little of everything and two toothpastes.
3. My husband and I attended his company holiday party over the weekend and enjoyed a very well catered dinner. We did pay for drinks but we used cash from a birthday and they were delicious, totally worth it. They had so much food leftover that my husband was able to snag a very loaded second plate, and we won a gift basket toward the end of the night!
4. Finished wrapping gifts for our kids using wrapping paper we've had for several years and bought on sale. We repurposed some brown packing paper for tissue paper in a few gift bags. It looks surprisingly good!
5. My kids seem to have an unspoken pact to only eat half their food so lunch was a mix of leftovers and scrounged food from the kids.