Five Frugal Things -- Back at The Goodwill Bins!
I didn't have much on yesterday's schedule, so it was the perfect day to hit the Goodwill bins. My $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge sales have slowed down, so it was time for scout for fresh merchandise.
Although I've bought used Sonicare toothbrush handles off eBay, I just couldn't pull the trigger. It could have been sanitized at home, so I suppose it's just selective squeamishness.
I switched up my scheme of buying lightweight by-the-pound items and grabbed this pair of $3 knockoff Eames dining chairs. I've successfully sold this style of chair in the past and know they'll sell for more than $6. Midcentury style furniture sells very well in Portland. They may look a bit grungy, but cleaned up perfectly.
I've got them listed on Facebook Marketplace for $50, but will accept a reasonable offer.
The originals sell for $577.50 apiece, so these ones were a bargain!
I also picked up four baby blanket stuffed animal "loveys," as they sell for around $20 apiece on eBay and weigh almost nothing. I ran them through the washer and dryer and will get them properly photographed this afternoon.
I recognized this pair of goodr glasses, as they're the same brand of sunglasses that the American Red Cross gave out last summer. Again, they weigh nothing, so I spent maybe 15¢ on them. I'll list them on eBay for $15.
I also picked up a few items for myself, although I paid for them privately. so I'll share them in tomorrow's blog post.
I spent $11.36, which means I only have $18 left on the $100 gift card. I feel like there's an item or two that I'm forgetting though. If so, I'll mention them in tomorrow's blog post.
All profits from sales go to the Oregon Food Bank.
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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1. I returned Yellowface to the library and picked up another book I had on hold: Fire Exit. About 30 pages in and it's a good read so far.
2. Market Basket had their store brand 1 pound packages of butter on sale for $1.99. I bought 6 and froze 5 of them when I got home. I stuck to my list for the most part. I deviated when I remembered we needed cheese and then remembered we still had potato chips at home so I picked up a 16 oz. store brand container of sour cream and some store brand onion soup mix to make some dip. When I got home I had some chips and dip for lunch.
3. I put out my Easter decorations which includes a few bunny tchachkes and a couple of door hangings. No need to buy new ones. DH told me he does not want any Easter candy this year as he is trying to lose weight so I won't be spending money there. I, on the other hand, would like a chocolate bunny or chocolate of some kind and let him know. I need to lose weight too but will take Easter off.
4. Spring does not seem to want to come to New England this year so I am still wearing sweatshirts and slippers around the house. My heat is still set at 64.
5. Gas prices are a horror show so I'm still batching errands and going out only when necessary.
I liked "Fire Exit" very interesting. Different from what I expected.
The chairs are a great find!
My goodr sunglasses came from the bins. Why do yours have clear lenses?
I’ve been organizing my linen closet and getting rid of items that I’d be embarrassed to have a guest use. The raggedy towels and sheets are going out. I’ll look for a pet shelter that might want them. I’ve discovered that I pick up way too many cute pillowcases at the bins. I’ll add that to my list of forbidden items, along with Christmas decor, gift bags, coffee cups, thank you notes, etc.
1. Went to our community playgroup today with the kids. As usual, they were fed a generous snack in with a couple extra items to take home, made a craft (an Easter egg and bunny painting using shaving cream), and played outside for a while.
2. We picked up our holds from the library on the way home, saving ourselves a trip later. We've been flying through the books and movies lately!
3. We contacted Pacific Power as they have a low income program that can reduce your monthly bill by 20%. They took our income from last year and it was below their income level! It's much more generous than some other programs so it's worth looking into!
4. Lunch was leftovers and some of the snack from the playgroup. Dinner is a mostly ready, pre-prepped and in the freezer, just gotta warm it up and make a side.
5. I've kept up on my Duolingo and am a little over 250 days now! My husband and I really want to be able to visit Europe some day and be able to speak Dutch to order food, navigate, etc. So this is a fun way for us to work towards our dream and exercise our brains.
Grocery shopped yesterday at local Walmart. Spent $209 which included liquor however no cleaning products, tp, paper towels, detergent or dog food as I made a Costco run 2 weeks ago. Other than dog food we get about 2 months out of the other items
Now have $70 in Amazon rewards from a trial I’m participating in. Used part of that for a new razor, lash conditioner and hair styling product
Still have $$ left
Spring cleaning this weekend
All the throw rugs into the washer and dried outdoors in the sun
One great big frugal thing - Our home is 23 years old. The upstairs hall bath, son's bathroom til he moved out 6 years ago has unpainted maple cabinets, which somehow through the years luckily remained unpainted. But they were scuffed up and very, very dry. You could see the dryness, minor surface cracking and they felt very rough. Typical tile floors with dark grout and woodwork with cracked caulk. I sanded the cabinets (doors and drawers in place since I was not changing the color of the wood) and applied 2 coats of satin poly. They look and feel like silk and we love the natural wood. Scrubbed and painted the tile grout a lighter color and it looks like a new floor. Removed all dried woodwork caulk, recaulked (which I have never done the correct way til now) and painted. Everything is exactly the same except it looks like a new bathroom. Cost nothing - grout paint was purchased a few years ago and I couldn't figure out til now how to use it. Had the caulk and woodwork paint. I am ecstatic!!
That sounds like a job well done.
I love that little Cookie Monster lovey.
1. I went to my bi-yearly dental appointment and paid for it with my HSA account.
2. After my appointment I went to an estate sale with my mom and sister. I bought an extra set of queen sheets for $8. They look brand new. I only have one set of sheets for each of the queen beds in my house. I always just wash and put them back on. I've been on the look out for a nice set. I was just about to buy some new ones.
3. We also stopped at a couple thrift stores. I bought a like new pair of Altra Trail Running Shoes. They were $10. My daughter just paid $120 at REI for a pair on sale. These feel like heaven on my wide troll feet.
4. I also picked up a lidless Pyrex Snapware bowl. It's my favorite square size and I have extra lids that I picked up in the Goodwill bins.
5. Dinner tonight was leftover soup and a grilled cheese sandwich made with Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar, slices of an apple and the remnants of a tiny jar of orange marmalade. It was delicious and I think I deserve a Michelin Star.
I always say I have Fred Flintstone or Hobbit (minus the hair) feet - they are square and flat!
Still don't have our car back yet. It's been sitting at the garage since Monday night. Enjoying all of the gas (and money) I'm saving!
Had my appointment with my psychologist this morning. Session went well and we talked about the article I posted the link to. She suggested I make a list of things I want to see/do (a.k.a. "bucket list"). She also suggested making 2 lists...things that are free vs. things that have a fee. She suggested googling "free things to do in Pennsylvania." I knew there were some "free" things, like the Flight 93 Memorial and Hershey's Chocolate World - next door to Hersheypark which will quickly drain your bank account dry. I just didn't know there were SO MANY FREE THINGS TO DO in Pennsylvania. (Try googling "free things to do in _____. [Your state]." There are a lot of farmers markets and state parks; however, there's also museums (such as Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum), historical places (such as Gettysburg), monuments and points of interest (such as Jim Thorpe, Perry Como, and Mr. Rogers), gardens (Allentown Rose Garden, Jenkins Arboretum and Gardens), hiking trails, sports (Little League Baseball which was founded in my hometown of Williamsport), Gravity Hill - there are several of those, "Read Between the Signs in Meadville (an art mural along a PennDOT fence made from old and damaged highway signs) and other "oddities" like The Coffee Pot in Bedford County and Bill Rhoades' House in Hamburg (house decorated with and yard filled with sculptures made from recycled materials). I already started making my bucket list!
For those of you who are "road pickers," I remember something I've seen along the road which could be a way to make money. There is a man who has hundreds of hub caps from cars of all kinds that aren't damaged he picked up along the road. He even has complete sets of 4. Need some hub caps? He sells them. If you've never thought about it, you might start picking up hub caps. I bet they'd sell on ebay.