Five Frugal Things -- Cat Legacies & So Much Moss!
1. We have a shady brick patio in our backyard, as it enjoys life under a gargantuan maple tree. The shade is ideal for summer months, but is apparently the perfect recipe for moss growth. Yes, it's pretty, but moss is famous for deteriorating bricks, so it doesn't get to stay.
It's an ergonomically unpleasant chore, as my method is to use a straight bottom shovel to physically scrape it away, and of course the bricks are all slightly uneven. However, it's important that I protect my investment and maintain my home and property. It costs no money to DIY this job, which makes it a satisfying "before and after!"
There, that's better! Mostly.
2. My husband and I met with an attorney to set up a trust and I had to snap a photo of this pamphlet. We don't currently have a cat, so we sadly have to leave our assets to our children.
3. I picked up a $1.50 bag of gala apples from Fred Meyer's clearance bin and have been working through them in a timely manner. This one was on the edge of mealiness, so I paired it with slices of Tillamook cheddar cheese.
Extreme frugality get a bad rap, but the above photo includes these elements:
- Goodwill "bins" Hydroflask water bottle. I paid maybe 35¢
- Fleur de lis cotton napkin that I got for free from our "neighborhood cleanup" event.
- Vintage Danish modern coffee table that I thrifted for $25.
- Hand knotted wool rug that I thrifted for $35.
- Hovel cheese slicer from my father.
- The same dishes that I've owned since nursing school in the early 1990s. You used to be able to order cheap Fiestaware through a Land O' Lakes proofs of purchase program.
4. I sautéed another apple in butter and added brown sugar and cinnamon. Served over Winco bulk bin oatmeal, it made for the perfect frugal yet indulgent breakfast.
5. I woke up to a $22 eBay sale -- a Stumptown diner mug that I thrifted for $1.99 back in November. Not going to make me rich, but I enjoy pairing random Goodwill items with the people who are looking for that specific item.
I've sold probably a half dozen of their artist collaboration mugs through the years, some for a lot for than $22. Kind of a fun niche item to keep on my radar!
Click HERE to see the listing.
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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Katy, I hope you are feeling better.
1. I brought home from my volunteer gig six small oranges. Someone else was going to throw them away but I said I'd eat them and if they proved to be inedible I'd compost them. I just ate two of them and they were delicious. I will make sure to eat the rest of them before eating any other citrus fruit.
2. We had beautiful spring like weather over the weekend. On Saturday DH and I walked to the library, using a wooded trail. I returned a couple of books and borrowed one. DH borrowed a DVD. Sunday we walked the local wooded Trolley Trail.
3. We watched season 11 of Brokenwood Mysteries through hoopla!. Our library provides the service for free.
4. I gave some Kitchen Sink cookies to a friend that has been told to "gain weight". He likes dessert but has a low income. I put them in a recyclable peanut butter jar.
5. Our russet potatoes have a bit of green under the skin. I peeled away the green, cut them, and roasted them in the toaster oven.
Your #2 is sweet. I love wooded trails and libraries so to combine them sounds like the perfect activity to me.
Kroger now sells fresh turkey thighs! Made 2 in the crockpot while I roasted sweet potatoes and baking potatoes in the oven. Add fresh broccoli to pan to roast when potatoes almost done. Made some gravy and lunch tasted like Thanksgiving dinner. Decided to put other 2 thighs in crockpot in same seasoned stock and they cooked in 2 hours. No cooking for me tonight or tomorrow with leftovers from today and yesterday.
Baked gluten free cornbread and double chocolate chip banana muffins. Boys happy bc they can eat the corn bread and hubby happy with sweet treat.
Lots of books from library. Also audio book from Hoopla while I workout.
Beautiful day Saturday so 2 boys and I picked up sticks, raked and picked up debris and leaves off the 6 drains I have in our backyard. Ready for the rainy week ahead plus I uncovered my blooming Lenten roses.
Daily make coffeeshop worthy iced coffee at home for me and my daughter. Flavor choices real ample syrup, honey, brown sugar, vanilla or hazelnut syrup with choice of oat milk or 2% lactose free milk. I also can foam milk if I want to.
Favorite thrift store clearing out winter stuff most everything $1. Daughter got glitter top, small sign about Spring while I got 3 books and a coat all for $6.
I'm green with envy over your Fiestaware, and even more so upon learning how frugally you obtained it! Your frugal still life reminds me of a feature in the old Apartment Life magazines in the 1970s where they replicated chic high end decor on the cheap --and it actually looked just as good.
1. We had several absences at work Sunday -- lots of leftovers in the break room -- so I was given a box of kolaches (sorta like Czech hotdogs) and donuts to take home. I have breakfast, lunch and supper covered for the next several days!
2. Thrifted a much-needed step stool, 2 laundry baskets and a frame for Miss Lucy Dog's snapshot (her photo was sitting on my dresser, unframed, since she died in Nov. '24) all for $9.
3. Found my missing 1 year old Spectrum cell phone. Now that it's been replaced, I guess I need to sell it. Let me know if interested!
4. Found more items to donate.
5. Did not start a war and a worldwide financial crisis/ oil shortage.
Great memory of the Land-O-Lakes butter proof of purchase discount deals! I acquired our Oneida flatware through that program. And still have 50% of that set almost 34 years of marriage later.
1. Combined a trip to the library and dropping off a bill so I neither had to mail it nor make a special trip.
2. Started another audiobook on Libby, I've been blowing through them while I do chores around the house with the headphones I got for Christmas.
3. I got a Scrub Mommy sponge in the mail after emailing the Scrub Daddy company about an issue with a previous purchase. This one is dye free and I'm excited to give it a try!
4. We moved our youngest up to the next size clothes. We saved everything from her big sister so there are only a few pieces we'll need to pick up. They were born at opposite times of year so sometimes the clothes don't quite match the season she fits.
5. I've pulled out all the clothes that are still in good condition and have them ready to go to the consignment shop when we head that direction next. We have a lot of credit there so we'll see about picking up some things to fill in the gaps in their wardrobes.
Today I am rocking a cute thrifted outfit. Bought for $18 an enormous pork butt roast and cut it up to freeze for future for meals. Also cooked more homemade kibble topper for our very finicky little dog.
Made the once every six months trip to Walmart for economy size jugs of store-brand dish detergent and glass cleaner, and a box of powdered laundry detergent. I have been refilling the same dish liquid bottle at the kitchen sink since 2018. The empty large jugs are easier to clean for recycling.
Simplicity, the sewing pattern company, is having a sale and I bought some patterns for less than half price.
That oatmeal and apples bowl looks delicious.
1. I had a few errands to do today, all in about a mile radius. First stop was CVS for a Covid test for DH who thankfully tested negative. The cashier said the $7 in ExtraCare points could not be used on a Covid test. So I went to the food section and found 3 packages of cookies, each on sale for. 99 plus 2 boxes of trail mix bars each on sale for 1.99. Between the sale and the points, I ended up saving $12.38. Free snacks to go with our Fika each day at 3pm.
2. I found a nickel on the floor at CVS.
3. On to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk. I had $1.61 in Price Chopper points and .70 in returned cans so the gallon of milk ended up being .38.
4. Next stop was the Dollar Store to pick up a birthday card for my DD. .53 for the card and it's both beautiful and sentimental.
5. I drove by a gas station where the gas is 2.99 per gallon and hit a different one on the way home where the gas is 2.85 and stopped there instead.
1. I have a significant lack of appetite post-illness but finally faced dealing with some things in the fridge today. A bit of food waste, but it can't be helped. I zested and juiced a lot of lemons. I dried the zest and the juice is in the fridge.
2. Found a whole wine barrel for free on fb marketplace. They typically sell used for $20 a half barrel, so this was a real find. Dh has already cut it in halves. Ready for planting!
3. Went out for lunch to celebrate my birthday. We asked for the to-go cups for the 2 salsas that were brought out with the chips. They just get thrown away if we don't take them, and they made a nice addition to leftover enchiladas. We split an entree.
4. Took the zipper out of a small handmade cushion cover and simply hand sewed the small opening. The zipper went into a new cushion cover that I made out of a thrifted tablecloth. It was a heavier weight fabric and a larger cushion, so I preferred the zipper in that one. The zipper was originally taken from an ugly cushion cover that I picked up from a free pile. I removed the zipper and threw away the hideous fabric.
5. I'm stepping up my economic strike. Good for my wallet. Maybe it will catch on.