Five Frugal Things -- Ralph Lauren & Falafel
1. I went back to Goodwill and bought both of the Ralph Lauren tartan comforters for $7.99 apiece. My initial impression was that they had a few condition issues, (loose threads) but closer inspection showed them to be in excellent condition. They're 100% cotton, which is quite nice. It looks like similar new ones sell for around $200 apiece.
My next issue is that they're too bulky to fit in my washing machine, but my mother offered to let me launder them in her high capacity machine. Thanks, mom!
Our house guests don't arrive until the beginning of April, so there's no rush.
2. My husband and I treated ourselves to takeout from Gyro House on S.E. 82nd Avenue. Their $12 falafel sandwiches are the best in town, with crisp falafel balls, plenty of veggies, garlicky pickles and the fluffiest pita bread. They're big enough to feed two people!*
We normally don't eat out so often, but when we do it's for things we don't/can't make at home.
3. I stopped at Walgreen's to pick up an over-the-counter medication, but balked at the $22 price tag and walked right back out of the store. I later walked to Fred Meyer (Kroger) and picked up the same medication for $7.29!
Not today, Satan.
4. Yesterday was a rare 71 degree day here in Portland, and the furnace was off and the windows flung open!
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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* Author's note: I ate an entire one by myself!
I'm so happy you sold your piano bench for the full amount you were asking. It really was a work of art. I know this was a few posts ago..
1. I picked up a brand new Bodum french press at an estate sale for $6. I've been on the look out for an extra for when I have a crowd. I can now put my old drip coffee maker in a garage sale. I also found a replacement side table and a three step ladder that looks new. Prices were very good and I found three things on my wish list and one on my mom's wish list.
2. I had dinner with my mom, daughter and sister. We shared a take out pizza and grinder from a local restaurant. My daughter had a $5 coupon on the app. The weather was crappy and nobody wanted to go out. This is our weekly "girls night" get together and worth every penny.
3. I canceled my subscription to Consumer Reports since I have purchased a car which is the reason I subscribed in the first place.
4. Today I will be listing a couple of items on Ebay. I haven't sold anything in a couple weeks.
No school yesterday due to bad road conditions. Ds and I picked up his room and gave it a good vacuuming. We colored and played farm set. Ate left overs, did laundry, washed dishes. He was getting stir crazy, so we checked cows.
I still had to chore, so he stayed in the house to "excavate" an dinosaur egg. It's an clay egg that you soak in water then take a plastic tool to dig out a plastic dinosaur. There is a guide to determine what you unearthed. These were passed to us by a friend whose son out grew them. Ds loves them!
If your trashcan needs scrubbing, the next time you mop, use the trashcan instead of a mop bucket. The hot, sudsy water will do most of the cleaning by the time you're finished (;
I'm glad you went back for the comforters. That was a good deal!
I envy your weather. We are supposed to have real feel temperatures in the single digits. Really? It's March! And more snow later. I'm so over winter.
I finished the book that is due today, and later I will put on my heavy coat, clean off my car, and drop the book in the outdoor return bin. I was hoping to not use the car until the snow melted off of it, but needs must, as they say in British novels.
I could take the train instead, but that would involve walking for about 40 minutes all together, and I'm not sure I want that much exposure. Also not sure how slippery the walks might be.
Now that I've written all this out, I'm coming to the conclusion that I should probably just wait for the thaw that is inevitable and pay the fine, which will be small. Thanks for listening!
I asked Copilot to recommend recipes for the perishables I have in my fridge. The top choice was a Swiss cheese omelet with sauteed greens. So I think I will do that today. Not sure yet whether it will be breakfast or lunch.
My other big plan for the day is to glue the leg back on my toaster oven so it will be suitable for donating. Hope the super glue will do the job.
Glad you went back for those comforters - they look really nice.
1) It has also been really warm here, so we have all heat off at our house. It's going to be high 80s today! Unseasonably warm for northern California for sure. My line dried clothes (they sit in the sun on a drying rack, but inside) are getting dried very quickly, which is nice.
2) DH & I had leftovers for dinner last night, and DS19 got back late & availed himself of the pizza I'd pulled out from the freezer.
3) I made breakfast for both DS19 & DS20 (a rare treat from mom) with the hidden motivation of ensuring they ate through the bagels I'd defrosted from the freezer. Served with fruit & yogurt, for a more balanced meal.
4) Verified that I had two credit card offers for Turbo Tax. One was for $5 off a purchase, and the other was for 30% off. The 30% one was a way better deal, so used that credit card to pay the Turbo Tax fee. Also, taxes are submitted & processed! Paperwork is filed in our cabinet & out of my way until next year.
5) Optimizing car usage by ensuring whomever is driving the furthest is taking the electric car, between myself & DH.
Ralph Lauren uses very good fabric, which is becoming a rare thing. You got an amazing deal there.
Yay on the comforters! I would have done the same thing! Also, your sandwich looks yummy!
1. I packed my breakfast and lunch to work.
2. I am topping off my gas to work daily because the gas prices keep rising! Ugh.
3. I am eating the last of the corned beef/onions/cabbage/turnips/carrots, potatoes today for supper.
4. I am getting the cheapest estimate for the power pole electrical hookup to the mobile home for my kid. It pays to shop around.
5. I am calculating social security estimates as to if I can retire. With inflation, I think not at this point. It is frugal to have a grip on what is a realistic approach to retirement when in your mid 60's. Medicare actually costs more than my work insurance so that goes into the equation.
I'm with you Katy, on getting food while out that we don't cook at home. In our case, it's Chinese food to go. The restaurant we go to get it makes meal specials that are actually "2 to 3 meal" specials.
1. I made a large pan of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips and onions yesterday which will feed us for 3 days. DH will more than likely make a sandwich or two from the corned beef. That guy is a sandwich fiend and can make a sandwich out of anything.
2. We've been enjoying the banana cake I made from my plethora of ripe bananas.
3. I stayed in yesterday due to the east coast rain and wind storm so no money spent. I had plans to walk up to my neighbor's house...up the hill a couple of hundred feet and into the neighboring state of Connecticut...but every time I got ready to go, a new batch of showers let go so home I stayed.
4. DH drove to the gym and told me the gas price at the gas station he went by went up by .04 from the time he spent at the gym to when he went home. So he topped it off before it went up more.
5. A friend lended me a book she thinks I will enjoy.
So glad you went back for the cotton RL comforters. What a steal! High quality and classic plaid. I found myself wishing you would go back for them long after I read the blog post. 🙂