Five Frugal Things -- eBay Sales & a Company Retreat
1. I completed my twine hanging basket, which as you can see still requires a full liner. I have four wire baskets, all in different patterns, so this'll be the only one like this. My goal is to get them all lined and ready to hold potting soil by the time Fred Meyer holds their "Fuchsia Saturday" event. Either April 4th or April 11th?
I'll be able to take advantage of their free potting soil promotion, which is always my goal!
2. My husband and I started watching Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat through my sister's Prime Video account. Very silly and very fun.
The premise is that a single person in this "documentary" is unaware that everyone they're interacting with is an actor, while shenanigans gets increasingly odd. It sounds cruel, but I promise that it isn't.
Sadly it doesn't appear to be available on Freevee, which allows you to stream content without a paid Prime account. However, the hilarious first season of Jury Duty is still available to watch for free.
Click HERE!
3. I woke up to an eBay sale, which is always a nice start to the day. I thrifted these Restoration Hardware curtain brackets plus the matching curtain rings from the Goodwill bins in January. (I quickly sold the rings for $85.) It's hard to say how much I paid for them as they were quite substantial and they charge by the pound. Maybe $4?
Click HERE to see the eBay listing.
4. My new iPhone actually works with all my apps, which means I was able to download a Safeway milk coupon! It's been awhile since the Safeway app functioned properly on my phone.
5. I didn't spend money to buy ill fitting shoes for my sycophants.
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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This blog post contains eBay referral links.
Wow, Katy, that basket looks fabulous!
1. I picked a huge mess of volunteer Arugula that has come up in my greenhouse, and took the time to wash and salad spin the lot of it before stashing in the fridge. This ensures that I have the spoons to make a proper salad, which doesn't happen if the greens still need to be cleaned.
I had cooked up and fridge stashed three different varieties of lentils - as an experiment in both cooking styles and the kinds of lentils - so I made a salad with arugula, lentil and feta cheese, with a lemon/olive oil/maple syrup dressing. Made up two lunch style containers for the 'kids' and ate at least four times that amount myself. YUM.
This salad was so good that I made a repeat later in the week with a different jar of the cooked lentils and leftover dressing. More arugula has been picked.
2. During the salad dressing making, frugal-fail me found a number of gone-bad citrus. I haven't been buying it so forgot I had some in the depths of the crisper drawer. oops.
I used up all the salvageable sad lemons – grating zest off them all and putting half of that aside to dry, and juicing them into the salad dressing. While I was farting around with citrus, I also zested and juiced some limes and proceeded to make 'yer favourite sauce' which is a simplified version of dressing from Budget Byte's Taco Cauliflower bowl. (Essentially equal quantities yogurt and mayonnaise, juice and zest of lime(s), some garlic and onion pwd and chopped cilantro (all optional). If too tart I add a bit of maple syrup).
Having dressings already made feels like having a meal half done!
3. Earlier in the week, the scratch and dent veggie store didn't have a single thing on their discount racks, so I picked up only a few items on sale. I was already driving by during my trip to town to the gym, so stacking this errand didn't cost me more gas.
Then I got my grandson for an afternoon, and because I knew I needed limes and lemons I whipped in just before closing time after dropping him off. The discount rack had lettuces and big bags of coloured peppers, plus more really steeply discounted lettuces on the regular shelves, I picked up a 5 pound bag of beets for $4.50 rather than pay $1.87/lb for the loose ones, and got out of the store with three grocery bags for $20.21. I'll be making more arugula salads and am excited to add some lettuce and roasted beets for a change of pace.
4. Of course then I went to the regular grocer, since I was already in the car. I did stick with loss leaders and case-lot sale items all of which I had already put on my list of needs – and I talked myself out of buying ice-cream, as there wasn't any on sale. Sigh.
Ice cream has gotten so expensive! And shrinkflated!
That show sounds like The Truman Show, which we just watched with our kids last night! I'd been wanting them to see this for a while, and they enjoyed it.it was free family fun
The basket looks great. Very impressive!
1. Another book on hold came in at the main library. I used my ride-free card to take the train there. Taking the train does guarantee a thirty-minute walk.
2. I used leftover fajita filling, salsa, tortillas and cheese to make chicken tortilla soup for lunch. Just enough left over for another bowl tomorrow.
3. I found two receipts.
4. Got some free birthday cards in the mail from one of the children's charities (St. Jude?) They are pretty generic, but I will use them.
5. I'm watching "The Count of Monte Cristo" on PBS Passport, which I get with a $5 monthly donation.
Made a double batch of hummingbird nectar, they are slurping a half gallon per week.
At first light I buried my old man cat. He was 22+ years. He loved to sleep under the blueberry bushes on the South side of the house, so that is where I buried him. I split a Sunrise echinacea and planted that on top of his grave. He came to us 5 years ago, when my friend sold her farm, bought a van and hit the road.
Neighbor gave me a 300 gallon Rubbermaid trough, it lost its plug, I ordered one from my friend who has a ranch supply business in Montana. Plug cost $24. I will make a cover for it and use it to collect rainwater in the garden.
I sold 2 vintage aprons and shipped them in a reused padded envelope.