Five Frugal Things -- Airport Edition
1. Unlike my countless trips to New York, my flight to Albuquerque was a mere 2-½ hours and didn't require packing a meal, or even a snack!
2. I wore a mask, both in the airport and on the plane. Nothing frugal about getting sick.
3. I packed a lightweight library book for entertainment and neither wanted nor needed pay the $6 airplane Wi-Fi.
4. Portland Coffee Roasters had a table set out with free cans of their coffee, to which they'd add ice, milk and vanilla syrup. My husband and I each accepted two different varieties and shared a single can over ice. The unopened cans are now in the hotel fridge, waiting to be enjoyed.
5. Our hotel has a "complimentary evening reception" that ends at 7 P.M. This includes fruit, cheese, crackers, trail mix, drinks, etc. It was about to end as we checked in, so we hightailed it over and grabbed a few nibbles before taking our luggage to our rooms.
Of course it's not really "complimentary," as it's part of your bill.
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."
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
I love the airport edition! I'm always struggling to be frugal when I travel. How nice of Portland Coffee Roasters to provide free drinks!
I traveled to the community center twice since my last entry to get more walking done on the indoor track, and also to exchange library books.
At the little free pantry, which is on the way, I picked up a bag of everything bagels and a box of Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing mix. Because I like Thanksgiving all the time! Someone had left a penny, so I took that, too.
I had a very sad conversation with my son, who is trying so hard to get a new job, but not getting even a nibble. He is so far away, and I feel so helpless. He is looking into getting COBRA, and it very expensive for a family. Not surprising. I will do whatever I can financially, but I do not have deep pockets.
I went to the car wash yesterday when the temperature got up to around 40. It was busy, but not terribly so. The basic wash was only $5. It was $7 the last time I went there. I opted not to use the free vacuums, because the inside will just get cruddy again very fast. In spring I'll give it a good interior scrub.
Trying to get in the mood to do my taxes....
Beth, I'm sorry for your son's situation and can feel your helplessness. If he's in the United States, be sure to check out available options at https://www.healthcare.gov/ as COBRA isn't the only one.
Ditto MB to Beth!
Beth W.,
Tell your son to hang in there! So sorry he's going through this. BTW, I'm not sure if it would be a good thing or not, but have him look into US Health. I think they have reasonable health insurance. Also if you are a Lutheran or Catholic, they have some insurance for their members. Lutherans have "Thrivent," and Catholics can get Knights of Columbus, IIRC from my insurance call center days.
I didn't remember to reply on yesterday's post but congrats on the sale of the pan after a good bit of work on it! Definitely earned that cash.
I am teased by my husband for over packing some snacks even for short flights but I have been stuck way too often in the terminal or on the tarmac for hours and then he's much more open to the idea of something I've brought.
Last night we enjoyed dinner out at a nice Thai restaurant for his birthday and I used a generous gift card from a friend. We noticed they printed new menus with increased prices and my cabbage dish serving was more akin to a lunch portion. But it's not a meal I know how to make myself (pad kratiem) and while mostly wfpb eaters I suspect there is some fish sauce in there. As we say, no gold stars are given so we just do the best we can.
Picked up a DVD that was on hold for me at the library, Stealing Beauty, and when it came up for me I had actually forgotten about it and looked up the title. The book that came up was nothing I'd be interested in and thought what in the world did I reserve? Then I reread my hold alert and it was the DVD of a movie set in Italy with Liv Tyler and that's totally something I'm interested in, so a nice surprise courtesy my poor memory.
I bought two cabbages at Trader Joe's and roasted one with a smittenkitchen recipe (https://smittenkitchen.com/2025/04/charred-salt-and-vinegar-cabbage/) and served with mashed potatoes. I'd planned on boiling the other in hearty veg broth, which is a favorite of my husband's...but I might just make that recipe again, it's so good.
Enjoying streaming free winter ambience music on YouTube on TV while the snow is still piled outside. I get a kick out of the AI generated scenery mistakes with, say, the slice of cake steaming instead of the hot tea, or the clocks with four hands... Now I look closely as a mini pop quiz haha
1. We made it through the Southern ice storm (it was bad---schools have been out for 10 days so far) without falling on the ice and didn't have to buy any new implements or hire anyone to chip us out. My mom needed to get to an appt and her ramp and driveway were solid ice. I used a mattock to break up the ice on the ramp and on a path to my AWD, then used a shovel to clear the areas. We put ice cleats on her shoes and she made it safely to the appt and back. Then used our hiking poles to make it safely to and from my mil's apartment parking lot so we could deliver her groceries and fix her meds up in her dispensing machine. I got to practice driving on the ice twice which is a fear I really need to tackle at this stage of my life. Facing a fear can be so empowering.
2. Used a $10 off card my hairstylist had given me on my last visit.
3. Put my husband's entire retirement check he draws from previous employer toward paying off our newest vehicle early. Three more months and we should be done and my husband is considering going part-time at his job. I am so excited about having more time together!
4. Did online ordering for a couple things we can't find locally, turmeric in non-gelatin capsules and ceylon cinnamon. Got free shipping on both, cinnamon from manufacturer and turmeric from Costco.
5. Husband got a free coffee for downloading a new coffee shop app.
I hope you don't need your ice-driving skills again, Susan, and good for you for practicing!
My husband points out he doesn't worry about me on the road: It's all the other drivers that he doesn't trust.
So glad you were able to tend to your mother's and MIL's needs safely, Susan. And I know what you mean about confronting your fears of winter driving. I grew up in TN myself, and I still prefer to "get out while the gettin's good" and stay home when it ain't (see my comment below). But sometimes I do have to go out in heavy weather, and I just have to put my big-girl panties on and do it.
Have fun in New Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, This is the 5th time I have attempted to write my comments. First on my POS old computer. Couldn't call anything up. 2nd and 3rd times on my "burner" tracfone, also a POS. All of the sudden the writing disappeared. Twice! No. 4 was on the POS computer and all of the sudden, the writing disappeared again. So now I'm at the library on their computers, and I'm in a very foul mood!
1. Yesterday I hit the Goodwill store. Gave them a sack full of donations and, as usual, asked for their discount coupon. They've always given their donors a coupon for 20% off everything you buy, as long as it was donated merch. Anyway, I went into the store to shop. Got a shopping cart full of goodies, mostly gift baskets. (People keep the gifts and donate the basket/containers after Xmas. Right now is the time the thrift stores are putting them out on the shelves. I buy them and store them bc I'm always making gift baskets.) So, I have a shopping buggy piled high with stuff and I'm in the checkout line and I read the coupon. Good thing: Goodwill is now joining the shrinkflation craze. Instead of discounting everything in your cart, their new coupons are for ONE item at 20% off. Lucky I read the fine print before checking out! I asked the cashier to watch my cart bc I "forgot" my coupon; I then went out to my car and found an old coupon that entitles me to EVERYTHING
20% off. Whew! That saved me a pile of moolah!
1A. Next time I go to Goodwill, I will just get one thing and use a newstyle coupon, unless it's on a Tuesday which is Senior Citizen Day; will have to ask if everything is 20% off or only one thing when I visit on a Tuesday. And 2 can play the game: next time I will donate only ONE item to GW instead of a bunch of stuff. So there!
2. This morning, I went down the street: first to the diner for breakfast, then to a thrift store and then to Ollie's Outlet. All three in a row! Saved time, saved gas.
3. Anyway, I visited to another thrift store, this one benefitting a senior citizen ministry. Gave them a (second) sack full of donations -- I'm mad at Goodwill! Also browsed their store: Found a David McCullough book about building the Panama Canal for 50 cents. (I highly recommend anything he writes. He is a historian who writes like a really good novelist, and you just can't put the book down! Most famous for his Truman and John Adams books, but there are many others.) Also found some nice file/storage boxes for my income tax items, some house numbers for 10 cents each, another nice gift basket, a leather bookmark from England that they let me have for free, and a kiddie book. All for $10.
3A. A lady was also browsing the books and griping at the price of books at some other thrift stores, so I told her where some LFLs were so she could get some for free.
4. Hit Ollie's Outlet and used my 15% off coupon. Got some bones and treats for Snuggles, candy, food, heavy duty extension cords (yes, I needed more!), 48 AAA batteries for $19.99, Pumpkin Spice cereal (Funny, I love this stuff but never find this flavor at Halloween or in the fall. I get it at other times of the year from Aldi and Ollie's and the now-closed Frugal's grocery. Go figure!) and two wreaths for my double front door. The wreaths look identical to the $59 apiece wreaths I saw at Kirklands, but with my coupon they were $16 each. They really are more for spring or Easter than Valentines, but I figure I can cut out a pink heart for the center of each one and it'll be ok.
4A. Got big sacks at both Goodwill and Ollie's, which will be used for trash can liners.
5. Stopped by Harbor Freight and got 20 AA batteries for $8.99 and two of those 12-outlet extension cords for the computer room. They'd run out of the latter a few days ago.
FFT, Freezing My Fanny Off but Living with It Edition:
Greetings from Central NY, where we're enduring high temps in single positive digits and low temps in single negative digits today and tomorrow, even before taking the considerable wind chill into account. Still, when the going gets tough, the tough keep hunkering down:
(1) I went to Wegmans on Thursday, returned $4.60 worth of NY State deposit containers, and got groceries. And I passed along a frugal tip: At the seafood counter, I met a woman who was bewailing the high cost of salmon. I pointed out the packages of $2.99/lb. salmon trim as I was taking one. She thanked me profusely! (And, as always when I buy these packages, I think of our dear Lindsey and her Alaska salmon. Love to you and the husband, Lindsey.)
(2) The package of salmon trim included some of the meatiest pieces I've lucked onto yet. I sauteed some of these and had them in a salad for lunch today, along with a couple of Campari tomatoes and some aging salad greens that needed to be used. And I'll scramble some eggs in the saute pan tomorrow morning. My omega-3s must be off the charts. 🙂
(3) I washed a load of laundry today and am rack-drying it in front of furnace registers. And I'm planning to run a dishwasher load and a self-cleaning cycle in my oven tomorrow, both of which will help warm the house.
(4) I'm continuing the winter decluttering by hauling stuff out of various junk drawers and "glory holes," and discarding or designating for donation as appropriate.
(5) And I'm typing this in my heaviest pullover shirt, the wool sweater Ms. Bestest Neighbor knit for me for Xmas, jeans with long johns underneath, and wool boot socks. I'll be damned if I'm turning the heat higher than 64.