Four Frugal Things -- Library Books & Household Repairs
1) I was so drawn into my library copy of The Light Pirate, that I ended up reading past midnight and then creeping downstairs at 7:30 A.M. to finish the book.
It's not normal for me to finish a book in under 24 hours, but this novel drew me in without a chance for escape. In the very best way!
Luckily I had a full half dozen library holds ready to be picked up. A wealth of fiction!
I think I should start with Time Loops & Meet Cutes as a palate cleanser.
2) I found a missing broken piece off our entryway table when I organized the drawers last week. It was a clean break, so I wanted to glue it back into place sooner rather than later.
Taking care of bidness for the win! Nothing more frugal than taking proper care of the belongings you already own.
3) I grabbed this pair of sandals as long as I was in a gluing mood. They're truly in terrible condition, but it couldn't hurt to try. They won't complete any Met Ball ensemble, but they'll still work for less formal occasions.
Glue + clamps are a powerful combination in the fight against a throwaway society.
4) My husband and I went for an evening walk and came across this neighbor's Ikea castoffs. We left them in place, but later got the idea to check Google Lens for identification.
The piece on the left is a $49.99 Kallax Unit, and yes, it's one of the pieces included in Ikea's Buy Back program. The piece on the right is a Kallax as well, it just has some add ons.
I chose "minor scratches" as it seemed to be in great condition and got this quote. You know -- to satisfy my curiosity.
$15.69 -- Maybe I should go back and see if it's still there? Just to follow the plot. It would cover the cost of a dozen Ikea veggie dogs . . . .
Great, now I'm craving an Ikea veggie dog!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
1. Although I could eat at home ahead of time, decided to go ahead and take the offered beverages and meals with my daily hospital infusions. (I need to drink lots of fluids anyway). The "check what you want on the list" meals were surprisingly good.
2. Cringing at the amounts of plastic wrapping and un-re-usable tubing and gloves and so forth used in an American hospital. I understand; I don't want unsterile equipment. I humbly recognize my privilege.
3. City worker came by today to tell us our water usage was way up and tell us to check toilet flappers. That wasn't the problem, but appreciated the visit.
4. 5. So much is routine and focused on "enough": Generics when possible. Combine errands. Library books. Fans to boost AC. Not terribly new but still usable, colorful, fitting clothing. New Forever USPS stamps before the first class increase next week.
Keeping things out of the landfill is a great objective for you, & Ikea!
1) Made lunch out of the last of some yogurt, granola & berries. This is normally a breakfast for me, but food waste doesn't care about "proper meal" timing.
2) Sent out a couple of eBay offers.
3) Caught up on laundry during the non-peak hours.
4) Worked out at lunch using our elliptical machine, which we bought during COVID using an employee discount & I've used hundreds of times.
5) Made lunch for DS19 to take to work today. It helps clean up leftovers from the fridge, and saves him money.
Picked up two 100 gallon metal water troughs to use as planters at the barn parking area. Used free box stainless steel mesh to block the drainage hole. Used milk jugs, to fill up the bulk of the trough so only 1/4 of it will be soil. Planted coreopsis black eyed susans in the back and zinnias in the front.
Used the tractor to unload a beautiful dresser that I bought for $10. It has a marble slab inset in the top. It will go in the heated shop for whoever needs it first.
Today is a very low energy day after big weekend. Reading "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult. Drinking sun tea. Laundry and line drying.
It is a day of kitchen prep/avoid food waste.
1. I hadn't been home for almost 2 weeks, and somehow, we accumulated 4 sets of bread heels. So I made croutons (in the air fryer). The bread, oil, and "buttery herb" spice blend were all free from various mystery shops, making the croutons free except for my labor & the electricity for the air fryer.
2. I made a small batch of chicken stock, all from scraps. Chicken bones were from chicken that was from free from mystery shops, and carrot peelings were free from CSA box. Parsely was from the garden.
3. I made a batch of chilled soup: zucchini, bibb lettuce, cucumber, and avocado & herbs. The zucchini, lettuce, and cucumber were all from free CSA box, the avocado free from mystery shop, and the herbs - parsley, basil, mint & tarragon, all free from our garden. A small amount of the free chicken stock thinned it out to the right consistency.
4. I chopped up an onion and froze it (It was on its way out), but I did have to throw out 2 onions, which were too far gone.
5. At the grocery store today (Market Basket!), I found breakfast sausage links for .99 for 10 ounces (or $1.58 a pound) so I grabbed 4 and threw them in the freezer.
BONUS 6: My partner only drank 1/2 pot of coffee yesterday, so we just heated it up and split the remainder today.
My AC wasn't keeping me cool, and I didn't want to set it way down, so I hopped over to the public library and used their computers earlier in the afternoon. I did a crossword puzzle and an online jigsaw puzzle and read Frugal Girl's blog; you hadn't posted yet. I also dumped a bag full of old hardbacks in their bin, donating them for the annual book sale. On the way out, I eyed the "Lucky Day" bookshelf; OMG! there was the book "Nobody's Child" by Virginia Roberts Guiffe, the lady who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, wrote her memoirs and committed suicide. Of course, I checked it out! I have 7 days to read it before it's due back. Librarian, who has read it, said to have a big box of Kleenex beside me because I will cry a LOT.
I also read a news article about Bruce Springsteen; the "Boss" has a wonderful new term for what a lot of us are: "critical patriots." He said it is our patriotic duty to be critical of the things that are not working in our government and in our society, so that perhaps our outspokenness will cause a chance for the better. He also said what a lot of us are thinking/posting about the Orange Ogre.
My patriotic July 4 activity was to write out a big beautiful check to the Democratic party for them to use in turning my red state blue.
Otherwise, over the July 4 weekend, I read a large print Danielle Steele novel. I was excited to give it to a friend in assisted living, so I called her. She has read the same book already. So I traded the book into the used bookstore and am now up to almost $30 in credits. Yay!!!
My friend also told me about a mutual friend who has had to go into the memory care part of another nursing home. If anyone would please remember our friend Shirley in their prayers, I would appreciate it. She has dementia and no close family.
One of my coworkers worked with me on July 4. Neither one of us went anywhere special for the holiday. But her sister got a 3rd row seat at the outdoor concert and took video of the singing group......some ex-members of the Jackson 5ive and their new co-stars. I've been promised a peek at the cell phone footage. Although we got off work by 6, there is no way I could've stood the heat, even assuming I could've gotten in.
A customer came by, one of my regulars, and asked me what size I was. She then told me she had some blue jeans she thinks might fit me if I wanted them. Her friend lost a lot of weight and wanted her to take them in, but she said she went to the bag sale at the thrift store I'd told her about and bought her friend some in the newer, smaller size instead.
Our city has decided that instead of allowing us to have 96-gallon yard waste trash cans, that we can rent them for $11+ a month. Every month. Whether we use the cans that month or not. (Or we can simply use the large paper bags designed for leaves, up to 20 bags at the curb at a time, but we have to buy the bags - -and lotsa luck if it rains and the bags rip apart. Yes, that has happened -- many, many times.) Outrageous! I called the Solid Waste Office and told them what I thought. I have 15 months before they switch to their latest ripoff scheme. After they do, I will no doubt either sweep ALL of the live oak leaves into the street, or become the Queen of Illegal Dumping. (Wonder if I can rent a dump truck and pour out the leaves in the mayor's front yard? No, wait -- his swimming pool! Or would city hall be more appropriate?)
Ok, now ya got me! Did you go back and get the Ikea freebies?
FFT, Last Tango at NDN1's House Edition:
(1) The estate sale/cleanout guy to whom NDN1's CF and I talked last week wants to start his work at the house on or about 7/13. So tomorrow, CF and I are first treating ourselves to the lunch buffet at our favorite Indian restaurant, and then making one last giant pass through the house. Conveniently, tomorrow night is trash setout night, so we'll probably fill NDN1's trash and recycling carts one last time before letting the guy take over.
(2) We'll probably also be moving the 19 (at last count) boxes and bags of old financial records into my garage for temporary storage, since we're having some difficulty locating a shredding service that will still do a residential call. We're not about to (a) run this stuff through a home shredder or (b) wait for a public shredding event, since these events around here usually limit you to 3 bags or so. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be hoarders. 🙁
(3) In somewhat better news, the fireworks enthusiasts in the apartment complex behind me took Sunday off and have limited the action to sporadic pops today. And rain is predicted for this evening. Both Betty cat and I appreciate all this.
(4) The temperature was down enough today from the heat-dome highs that I was able to get out for some serious weeding without drowning in sweat for the first time in a week. I can actually tell the plants from the weeds (the useless weeds, of course, not the edible ones) in a few garden beds now.
(5) And I didn't infuriate most of the rest of the world by getting a penalty decision reversed in the World Cup. Is there no rule whatever that Orange Julius won't bend? (I think I already know the answer to that, alas.)
You worked from home for years, so could you fudge the circumstances a bit and tell a shredding company that it's an office clean out?
Big ugh to all the papers. I hate this for you and want to help! I wonder if your or your neighbor's financial advisor's office would take the shredding for free like ours does, even just a couple bags at a time. Or enlist neighbors to each bring three bags to the public shredding event.
Does someone you know have a fire pit? An outdoor burn barrel? Something in which leaves were burned? Sounds like you could burn the financial records, a little at a time, as long as there are no burn bans in your county. Might be cheaper and quicker than shredding
If you have a UPS store nearby they do shredding for a fee. I do not believe that there would be a limit as to how much you could bring.
Husband and I were both in town at the same time and got to use the same Kroger gas discount of .50/gallon. We both let the gas get pretty low (he was around 80 miles and I was at 20) to take full advantage.
I redeemed my free birthday meal at Qdoba.
Sold 3 items on Ebay.
Bundled my errands all in one trip to town: picked up mil's meds, paid my dr's bill in person, paid mil's rent, stopped by her apartment to clear out her fridge and take out the trash, returned a library book and got another one that was on hold, helped my mom go through bunches of old medical EOBs and put them in order so we can be sure ChampVA is paying secondary like they are supposed to be.
Cooked the last of some very old chickpeas in the instant pot and made chickpea salad (like tuna salad) with it, and sharing with my mom and sister.
Found a nickel in the Kroger parking lot.
I found a very cute denim house dress at the homeless assistance thrift shop for $4. It fit perfectly except that the short sleeves were a bit tight, enough that it would be annoying to wear. Today I used some very close matching blue scrap fabric to insert a little gusset in the seam on each sleeve. Ahhh, much better!
It's still quite hot, so I rack dried a load of laundry on the back porch.
Used another piece of scrap fabric to mend a rip in an old fitted sheet that my son was discarding. It's the fourth time I mended that sheet and it is truly no longer fit for use as bedding. But we use old sheets as drop cloths or to haul piles of weeds to the street for pick up, so I made it whole again and put it in the garage.
Used a handful of store coupons to buy a few extra food items for my son, who has been stretching his dollars by eating a lot of ramen and could use some more nutritious options.
Made the family an unconventional July 4th meal of pancakes with all the fixings, as we don't cook out.
1. Neighbor brought over a delicious meal. I washed the two foil pans and will reuse them as I don't own an 8x8 baking pan.
2. Brought our boombox and an outdoor chair to our county's fix-it clinic. Both were able to be fixed and saved from the landfill.
3. Made a quick, colorful and frugal salad out of chopped red cabbage, shredded carrots, raisins and honey-mustard dressing.
4. A bunny was gnawing on our wood siding so we placed deer netting along the base of our home in the section that the bunny can reach. Unattractive but effective.
5. Signed up for a movie theater's rewards program that offers a $5 movie and free popcorn on Tuesdays. Took advantage of this promo and saw The Sheep Detectives with my sister. We loved it! I booked our tickets online and her ticket was $5, too, even though she's not in the rewards program.
Took 15 Trashie bags with QR codes to FedEx. Without even processing the contents I have over $80 in rewards to use for gift cards.
Received $45 in Walmart cards from
Humana for logging in my wellness visits and tests
Used BOGO for dinner at PFChangs last night plus a $50 Visa gift card
Had a couple of online sales
Scanned receipts into Fetch