Five Frugal Things -- Too Much Stuff!
1) My husband and I spent the afternoon going through his late parents' storage unit, which was sadly mostly garbage due to the combination of insects and it not being climate controlled. This is an especially tragic combination for books and upholstered furniture.
We removed the back seats from the minivan and drove two full loads to Portland's transfer station for a grand total of 1560 pounds of Stuff. We spent $182.46, which is A-Ok with me as we've been spending $137 per month to store this Stuff.
Our goal is to empty it out by the end of the month, which is a reasonable goal as it's now mostly kitchenware and unused remodeling supplies. These can be donated to the Habitat ReStore.
There are still some difficult decisions to make, but at least we can can now physically reach everything.
2) We also dropped off some huge chunks of styrofoam to be recycled, as the facilities are on the same street. It cost $5, but we got to watch how they break down the styrofoam and extrude it out.
I didn't take a photo, as there was an employee working the machine, but it essentially looked like a larger version of the Play-Doh Fun Factory. But much much more toxic.
3) We didn't let our physically demanding day deter us from Tuesday being our family dinner night, stopping at Whole Foods for a pair of their $35 "Family Meal" trays. Even though we were filthy and smelled terrible. (Among all the pretty people.) One tray for dinner and the other for my husband's work lunches.
We chose one tray with beef, fingerling potatoes and string beans and the other with salmon, beet salad and more string beans.
I showered before putting the food in the fridge.
It turned out to be a relaxing evening as we chose to eat our food cozied up on the couch to watch a couple episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I remember the kids' preschool making a big deal about "family culture" and avoiding the whole subject at the time. I worked as full time labor and delivery nurse and had no room in my brain for navel gazing.
I now have the answer. My family culture is cuddling up with the kids, a tasty plate of food and some Star Trek library DVDs. Heaven . . . .
4) I told my daughter to bring a couple loads of laundry over, as she has to pay for laundry at her apartment complex. No reason for her to overpay for something she can do here for free.
Kids, don't waste your money!
5) I started reading a library copy of Actress of a Certain Age. The HBO series Somebody, Somewhere is in my top five (three?) favorite TV shows of all times and Jeff Hiller is big part of that.
I've probably watched it four times at this point and will never stop feeling sad that HBO cancelled it prematurely.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I'm frequently doing Swedish Death Cleaning precisely for what happened to you and Mr. NCA.
1. DH received a check for $4.80 from our dental insurance agency due to overpayment. It's not much but I'd rather have it in our bank account than theirs.
2. I worked my volunteer shift at the library putting away materials that patrons have returned and locating materials on the "requested list". It's fun to see what others are reading, watching and listening to and seeing if I'd be interested in that particular item.
3. I made a large pitcher of peach iced tea for the upcoming predicted couple of days of heat and humidity.
4. We meet up with my cousin and her significant other halfway between our homes, every couple of months. It's about 15 miles for each couple. We meet at a coffee shop so no paying for a meal, just coffee and pastry and each couple pays the bill every other time. Today we talked about relatives, gone long ago but still thought of fondly...except one great aunt with a nasty little dog who sat on her lap at the dinner table!
5. I have a tiny flower on my tomato plant and many small, green raspberries on the bushes. Looking forward to fresh fruit I don't have to pay for.
It's referred to as the "Millennial Inheritance," although in our case it's the "Gen X Inheritance."
My husband and I will not be doing this to our kids!
That is sad that the books became un-readable.
I also decluttered a bunch of books, including some old Weight Watchers guidebooks from one of their many, many new programs. They were always coming out with something new, which to me is a corporate admission that the old plan didn't work.
I took all the how-to books to the thrift store that specializes in DIY stuff; children's and teens books to Goodwill for their summertime Free Friday book giveaways; and most other books and magazines to the library bins for its annual book sale and ongoing used magazine sale.
I tried pawning off some Cliff Notes and other books to the suburban used bookstore for credit, but was turned down. No matter; I just got some books from their outside freebie bin to go with my sack of books, and took 'em right over to 2 older Goodwill stores, both located in the slums. I collected the 20% coupons from each Goodwill, so I am happy. If I don't use the coupons for myself, I "tip" the cleaning lady with a coupon (in addition to her regular payment and cash tip), so everyone is happy.
Went to Aldi for my groceries. Aldi is often not cheaper than the drugstore/general store where I work, but some of its items are. Today's bargains included a gallon jug of milk (under $3 whereas ours cost over $5) and store brand Cheerios-type cereal for $1.47. I also got items not available at my store such as cheese calzones, guacamole, and spreadable butter, the kind with canola oil mixed in. Aldi did not beat us on our 89cent dozen eggs, so I'll get that from our store.
Katy, I'm curious about the recycling of styrofoam...was it melted and made into hard blocks or something? I know that heated stryofoam smells (thinking of experience with a kids' church program).
And Fru-Gal Lisa, NPR aired a program on recent diet info, and why the new meds work when calorie counting doesn't. Maybe our future does hold the consumption of capsules which provide all our nutrients and fiber as well as inhibit hunger, so we need never eat again. (sobbing quietly to myself about possibly losing one of life's joys).
It looked like it was broken into chunks, which were then heated back into a solid. Not quite melted though.
Sounds like you and your husband accomplished a lot, Katy. With my desire to downsize to a smaller home in a year and a half when husband finally retires, downsizing now from within by purging, selling, donating, and my wish to not leave my kids with a lot of stuff, I think I have taken it to the extreme. I'm a bit obsessed with getting rid of stuff. Trying to reach a balance!
I agree, for us any time with our grown kids and 2 grandsons is the best time!
I have never heard the term, naval gazing, before. Thank you for introducing me to a new term.
1. My son is signed up for Driver's ed through the school district. This will save on private instruction and still hopefully get us a discount on insurance in the future.
2. My coworker ordered Chinese food for a late dinner last night and I picked up. She sent me home with the left overs which my son happily enjoyed. Thanks coworker!
3. In the last post I have been given items or curb picked them and resold several all on Facebook Marketplace with a quick turn around. Thought of you!! It was nice to have the extra cash for my budget.
4. I went to the recycling center in my town and scored several cans of spray paint, a half used Windex, half used ammonia bottle (which I then make surface cleaner with), and an almost full gallon of paint, and a partially used bottle of shave gel. The shave gel is not a typical find there... The one black spray paint I went home and immediately used it to brush up an outdoor patio set. Still need more spray paint but slow progress works.
5. A Facebook page I created 8 years ago became monetized this past year and I have started getting monthly payments for it's viewership. This month I made $44 and change!!! Not too shabby.
Now that I’m spending all this time out in the country with the sick relative, I’ve become very disinterested in thrifting. Things are headed in a direction where, one day soon, I will have a storage unit or two full of stuff I’ll need to process. There’s a barn, so it will be a lot. Hopefully, we will get going before the useful things disintegrate!
Good on you for making that big dent in the storage unit. I have a friend who rents three or four of them. Her house is packed, too. What a waste of money! She can't make decisions about the stuff, and so she pays.
1. Rainy, stormy day is keeping me inside. Very thankful there has been no power outage. But we're not done yet, there's more to come.
2. I sold a pair of my sister's pants. They are packed up and ready to drop off at the post office, but I won't do that until tomorrow, if the weather permits.
3. I called Chase this morning and asked them to delete the duplicate charge on my credit card for my recent hotel stay. They said it will be done, but as today is the closing date, it won't be reflected on the bill that will be generated tomorrow. I tried to work with Hampton Inn, but I just didn't get through to them. Now I have to remember not to pay the bill in full.
4. I had a simple lunch of baked beans and a cucumber-tomato salad.
5. I listed three more of my sister's clothing items on eBay. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Kudos on emptying out the storage unit and good luck with the difficult decisions that remain. That's a hard job under the best of circumstances.
I have such an aversion to extra stuff, even more so after clearing out other people's homes (relatives and parents of friends) and hearing of A. Marie's neighbor's situation, that I'm continually evaluating necessities. I don't want to be a burden on anyone, even in death - maybe especially in death - as I want my legacy to be a positive one. One night at the dinner table, I must have had a certain look in my eye when my husband said, "I like this glass I'm using, please don't give it away just yet." We still laugh about that one, he's such a good sport. If my husband dies first, my plan (if I still have all my marbles) is to move to a studio apartment rental with "just enough" stuff.
My parents made it easy on me and my siblings when, over 20 years, they sold the four bedroom family home, bought a smaller townhouse, then sold that and moved to an apartment, followed by the final move to a small assisted living unit. Each move required downsizing and was manageable. It was such a gift and in stark contrast to the burden left by my husband's parents. At times, he and his siblings were tempted to light a match, but everyone came together and got the job done without resorting to arson.