Five Frugal Things -- Curb Finds & a Scrappy Happy Life
1) I pulled the car over for a promising free pile, as it had an upright vacuum cleaner. My daughter's last roommate absconded with hers which is super annoying. I'd just asked (like 30 minutes earlier!) in my Buy Nothing group for a replacement, so this was perfect timing. Kismet, bay-bee!
Yes, it's grubby and missing the extension pieces, but the price is right.
If I get one through Buy Nothing, I'll part this one out to sell on eBay.
2) There was also a NYU Tisch School of The Arts knit beanie, which I brought home and quickly listed on eBay. I have friends who went to Tisch, so this was a fun find.
Easy to list, easy to photograph and eventually easy to package up. Plus the entry cost of $0.00 is my favorite category to sell!
3) My husband and I enjoyed leftover salmon, rice and green beans for dinner. The two $35 food trays provided enough food for four work lunches, dinner for three (with seconds!) on Tuesday, my lunch yesterday, dinner for two last night and we still have leftover green beans.
I'm haven't been interested in cooking lately, so these meal trays have been a fun way for us to eat healthy yummy food. Don't worry about me, I just go in and out of caring about cooking.
4) I found 63¢ in random coins while going through my late in-law's storage unit, which I promptly dropped into my Found Change Challenge jar. I find fewer coins each year as more Americans switch to digital currency, so this was a windfall! A dirty windfall.
Click HERE to see how much money I've found since 2011.
5) I continue to wear thrifted clothing I've owned for quite awhile, grow out my free Supercuts training center haircut, read library books, watch library DVDs, listen to free Libby app audiobooks, sit on my Buy Nothing sofa, avoid driving more than necessary, repair and mend our belongings, source stuff to sell from other people's castoffs, use eBay to buy specific things that are hard to thrift, (bras, shoes, etc.) and generally make do with the scrappy happy lil' life my husband and I have crafted through the decades.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I have friends coming for a birthday lunch tomorrow. That will be my birthday gift to three of the guests as they all have birthdays around the same date.
Picked up library books while I was already in that area, I also combined a shopping trip, gas refill, and a carwash on that same trip.
A friend and I are going to a free concert tonight. Yea for time with my friend and sharing a concert together.
I received a notice that a landscaping crew would be in my neighborhood doing pruning and yard cleanup. I inquired about having a bank of roses pruned and two roses removed. The representative responded that they would have to look at the job, but prices started at $350. I went out and pruned all of the roses.
Chicken thighs were marked down at the store so I bought two packages and repackaged the thighs so that I can cook them individually rather than all at once. A little time now for a reward later.
I love your endnote, Katy. I, too, feel grateful for all the little things that add up to a contented life. Thanks for always nudging us along in finding new ways to be creatively frugal.
The past month has seen me cooking less as well, largely due to finishing "phase 2" of our kitchen remodel last week. That, coupled with the intense heat the past couple of days, has led to more snack-y dinners and premade options. Luckily, the change in eating hasn't affected our budget.
Since I'm on the subject of house remodeling, I thought I'd share some info on how much the kitchen updates cost us and how non-consumerism helped shape the process:
1. We have spent around $16k on the kitchen + mudroom remodel which includes constructing a pantry, moving a wall, walling in an (unsightly) water heater, new flooring, new dishwasher, sink, range, counters, and demo of a portion of our old cabinets.
2. We decided to keep our 72-year-old cabinets even though they are not standard depth and require creative solutions to work around. We removed a portion of the top cabinets to make room for a range hood and open up the kitchen a bit. We kept the bottom L-shaped cabinet with a corner sink and had the (deteriorating) old tile and grout removed.
3. IF we had replaced the cabinetry, this project would've easily cost us double what we spent. Being frugal as well as someone who values old things, that frankly were built so much better (lasting 72 years already!), it just didn't sit well with me to pull out something just because it's no longer "the standard". Plus, we got to keep the charm that accompanies delightful 1954 period details.
4. The non-standard depth required us to source a European dishwasher that was around $1k. We also found a Bertazzoni range that was very lightly used on marketplace for $600 vs the $5000 new version we saw in store. We are having it serviced next week to make sure it's all up to snuff. We also had butcher block counters installed and they pair perfectly with the age and look of our home.
5. We have original hardwood floors throughout the house, but sadly not in the kitchen or mudroom, so we had our handyman install updated/cute peel-and-stick tiles on top of the old linoleum. (These did come from bezos' site, but only cost around $200)
6. We did most of the painting ourselves including the entire dining room (as the wall removal necessitated a new paint job), the mudroom, hall, and I am finishing painting the bottom cabinetry this week.
As you may have gleaned from this long description, I'm feeling very proud of our home improvements, particularly so because we spent so much time and elbow grease on thinking outside the box. Especially when any internet search will tell you that you will spend at least $50K on a kitchen remodel where we live (in pricey Sonoma County, CA).
I kept thinking of how Katy and folks in this group question the status quo as a part of our daily (frugal) lives, and it really made a difference. Thank you all for the ongoing inspiration and encouragement!
Lindsey, that is a lot to be proud of. Your remodel sounds lovely. Go you!
Lindsey G,
Wow! I love your frugal kitchen remodel. Yay you for thinking outside the box! A friend at work recently had her kitchen remodeled - I have no idea how much it cost, but her house was built in the late 50s/early 60s, and the kitchen was the original kitchen. From her description, the kitchen cabinets were metal, and not in good condition. They ended up buying kitchen cabinets from Ikea (her hubby is from Sweden, and they both like a sleek, modern look).
I like the phrase "scrappy happy life." Thank you.
1. I went to Bingo at the senior center. Usually the prizes consist of day old baked goods from Publix. This time there was a cart w/ flea market type goods. I selected a 7 oz tube of hair conditioner & a electric mixer for my wins. My current mixer is avocado green so you know it is old. I will donate it to Restore.
2. Found 26 cents on my daily hike.
3. I donated whole blood & earned a $20 GC.
4. I donated 2 bar stools to Restore.
5. I got my 1K check from the landman in Texas. I am happy! A small inheritance from my great grandfather.
Good find on the vacuum -- and the hat!
1. I had a PT appointment today but I almost didn't get there on time -- construction turned the drive there into a maze, and I ended up having to park some distance away and paid $4.50 for the pleasure! A frugal fail -- I should have taken the train.
2. I didn't take the train because I wanted to stop at the post office to mail the pants I sold on eBay yesterday. But I could have done that on the train, with an extra stop. Not thinking.
3. I had the same lunch I had yesterday -- baked beans, cucumber-tomato salad. And I started some homemade soup by simmering onions, celery and carrots in chicken broth that had been made from a rotisserie chicken carcass and frozen. I'll finish making the soup with chicken chunks from the freezer and egg noodles.
4. I picked up a book at a little free library. The Jet-setters -- looks like a fun beach read.
5. Got a weird automated call from my electric company about restoring my lost power. Except I didn't. Taking a moment to be thankful for that!
My indoor antenna has been picking up new channels and subchannels and I'm enjoying some new-to-me programs. Late last night, I stumbled upon the 365Black network. They were running a documentary about backup singers called "Twenty Feet from Stardom." It was incredible! Although it was a challenge to view it; due to a weak signal, the sound kept going in and out. So, whenever I lost the sound, I'd have to click on another channel, then turn back, and thus I missed some of the talking and music -- a few words here, a few notes there -- which was very annoying. Still, it was an amazing show...sort of a midnight matinee for me. It was on until the wee hours of the morning, but totally worth it. (I looked it up and this film won an Oscar for best documentary.) There was some good vintage footage of Tina Turner and the Ikettes; Michael Jackson; the Stones; and Woodstock. They had Sting, Jagger, Springsteen and others being interviewed, all talking about how outstandingly talented their backup singers were.
Before that, I'd gotten off work at 8 and used Gas Buddy to find a good low price on gasoline. Turns out all of the stations were the same, $3.27, so I was able to go to the one nearest me. I went at 9, after dark, when the weather was a bit cooler so that I could get a little bit more liquid gasoline in my car's tank. As usual, the price dropped after the holiday weekend.
I love this happy, scrappy post. Cheers to you, Katy! Your blog is such a constant in my life.