Five Frugal Things -- Goodwill and a Hotdog
1) I spent $8.34 at the Goodwill Outlet bins and brought home the following items, both to keep and to resell:
- Two large pieces of burlap/hessian to line my wire hanging baskets.
- A University of Oregon T-shirt for my kid to keep at the house, as they often shower here after exercising and have nothing to change into. The graphic is vintage and kind of cool.
- A pair of quality lil' pointy scissors.
- A faux classroom map.
- A pair of Boden cotton shorts, which I'll list on eBay.
- A pair of Rag & Bone brand bike shorts, which'll also go on eBay.
- A single rubber gasket for a ratcheting lid glass jar.
- Seven needlessly gendered clothespins.
- A quality cotton dish towel to keep.
- A Cuisinart food processor pusher thingy, which I've already listed on eBay for nine bucks.
No home runs, but still still a worthwhile trip.
Especially since I've been keeping an eye out for burlap.
I won't get rich off selling this Cuisinart piece, but I can help it get back into useful rotation and out of the landfill. Plus the money I get from selling it will cover the entire cost of this shopping trip.
2) Afterwards I stopped by Costco for a rotisserie chicken and a hotdog. The Goodwill bins are already about halfway to Costco, so it wasn't that big of a schlep.
Unrelated, but I really miss the era when they had sauerkraut!
3) I'm figuring out how to form fit the burlap into the wire basket, but in the meantime the clothespins are coming in handy. I'll for sure double up the fabric so the potting soil won't completely wash away.
My recent binge watch of the The Great British Sewing Bee has convinced me that I can tackle any sewing project.
I'll cut the babies off my spider plants and transfer them into the baskets. They should fill in nicely to make nice bushy baskets.
4) I dropped off this turquoise necklace to be restrung, as I accidentally put it through the washer and dryer and then had to gently pick apart the string to get it untangled. I live in fear of breaking this necklace, as the beads are graduated in size and it would be a nightmare to place them back in order.
My husband purchased this necklace for me in 1991 or so while visiting his parents in Albuquerque and paid all of thirty bucks from a flea market vendor. That was a big purchase at the time and it's my favorite piece of jewelry. The cost to have it restrung at a local shop will be $20.
5) I listed the faux classroom map on Facebook Marketplace for ten bucks, which'll put it in the hands of someone who'll appreciate it. The map itself is not actually old, even though it includes the U.S.S.R. I'm guessing it's just a recently manufactured poster.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
1. I dropped off a pile of egg cartons at a food pantry that also has a small thrift store. I picked up a few items to sell and they let me pick a free item. I chose a box of tissues.
2. I made a large dish of scalloped potatoes and ham. This used up some sprouting potatoes and a partial onion. I shared it with my mom. She and my sister will have it for dinner tonight.
3. I portioned the ham in washed out freezer bags and froze what I will use later. I saved some out for my daughter to take home.
4. I took a bottle of sherry vinegar and a Bonne Maman jar from a free box at a garage sale.
5. I found a shirt on the ground while out for a walk. I washed it and will donate it.
For the burlap planters my mom taught me to line a small portion of the bottom inside the burlap with plastic reused from a bag or something similar. It helps with a bit of water retention without drowning the plant.
Those are some nice finds. Did you sell any more of your challenge stuff?
I’m still hanging out in a rural setting, but yesterday I got a day off from caregiving, so I went into Portland to water my plants and pick up a few things, and I took advantage of the nice-ish weather and went for a walk. I miss being somewhere with good walking opportunities. In the rural setting, there are no sidewalks — just narrow-shouldered farm roads with reckless drivers in dualie pickups.
I digress.
When I was walking around Portland, I noticed a pickup truck that was swooping about and cleaning out the free piles. Maybe it’s someone who sells at a flea market? I know that free piles are fair game, but taking everything seems like poor sportsmanship!
I can’t wait for my next chance to visit the bins!
An idea on the burlap: turn the planter baskets upside down, get the burlap wet, and drape the burlap over the upside down planters and let them dry. That should get them into the approximate shape they need to be to go inside the planter baskets.
That is a great idea! I watched a gardening YouTube video today where she used big burdock leaves to line the baskets.
1) I continue to enjoy making recipes from the forks over knives magazine I have on Libby through my library. So far all 3 recipes I’ve made from it have been some of the best food I’ve ever made! This week I made green goddess soup, which also used up a ton of salad greens (don’t know what I was thinking when I bought a container of greens at Costco!)
2) This didn’t save me money but saved the school PTO money. I needed to place a large order of custom items (shirts, hoodies, etc with the school logo) I started the order but there were a couple more people I still hadn’t heard from as far as sizes needed so I didn’t finish it. A few days later the site sent me a coupon for 15% off if I completed the order. Given the size of the order, this ended up saving over $100! I will need to remember that going forward, start an order way ahead of time and then wait awhile before placing it.
3) Listening to the last book in the Thursday Murder Club series from the library. I’ve really enjoyed this series.
4) Hosting my book club tonight. I already have some unopened red wine left from a previous book club. I’ll make some bruschetta with tomatoes that came in my produce box this week and a sliced baguette I already have in the freezer. I did have to buy some basil for the bruschetta but otherwise a pretty low cost to host. It also helps that everyone attending always brings food or drink to share so I don’t need to provide a ton.
5) Safeway gave me a coupon for a free box of their O organic herbal tea so picked that up today on my lunch break (I can walk to Safeway from my office so no gas used either)
I love the occasional Yiddish , my teen years were spent in a very Jewish suburb in Sydney , Australia in the 1960’s, I was Shabbas goy for my very frum neighbours, whose grandchildren I went to school with.i still have a pretty good Yiddish vocabulary for a shiksa! It’s a shame it’s slowly disappearing from use as that generation dies, it somehow encapsulated so much about them as people.
I sold a similar map at my yard sale a couple of years ago. Same price you're asking and a grateful teacher bought it for her classroom.
1. A bit chilly outside today, only in the 50s, but we kept the heat off. A sweatshirt to the rescue.
2. We had a couple of hotdog buns left from two previous meals of hotdogs and Boston Baked Beans. I made a batch of tuna salad to utilize them. Does anyone else think tuna rolls taste better than tuna sandwiches? I do, for some reason.
3. I save the water from the cans of tuna for my cat Bear.
4. My son took me out to lunch for my birthday. We picked a spot halfway between our houses we both like. After we ate, he urged me to get a dessert...well, okay, if you insist...
5. I have a library book on hold: "Labor" about a doctor's experience working as an obstetrician/gynecologist. What would I do without our local library?