Five Frugal Things -- Space Needles & Baked Potatoes!
1) I stopped at Goodwill to donate a few things from my mother's house and stopped in for a few minutes. My eye was drawn to this Space Needle pepper grinder, as A) hello . . . Space Needle! and B) it looked brand new and was priced at just $3.99.
There are no other ones currently listed on eBay, but similar (but branded) ones have sold for $45-$60. They only sell for $40 in the Space Needle gift shop, so I priced mine at $30.
It's goofy and I love it!
Click HERE to see the listing.
2) I planned another Family Dinner Night and although it ended up just being our daughter, I still went all out. Someone at the Timbers soccer game from few days ago was eating a fully loaded baked potato and it both looked and smelled amazing.
A plan was concocted.
I made a batch of black bean chili from scratch and splurged on big "baker" potatoes from Winco. (As opposed to the randomly sized potatoes you get in a bag.) I oiled and salted those taters and even wrapped them in foil. As I said, I went "all out!"
There are enough leftovers for multiple more meals and I'll doubtfully ever tire of this dish. Frugal, tasty and delicious -- the trifecta!
3) I woke up to the eBay sale of this vintage peignoir nightgown that I listed back in 2021! Easy to pack up, it was in the hands of my trusty mail carrier within hours of selling!
Slow to sell, fast to ship!
4) I somehow missed listing the black puffer coat that I bought for the Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. Remember, It's one where I removed a corporate logo? Anyway, I finally pulled it out from the closet and got it photographed.
It's not a known brand, so I listed it locally through Facebook Marketplace instead of eBay.
My thinking it that someone in Portland is more likely to want a nonspecific coat, rather than someone far away scrolling for an upmarket brand. Plus Marketplace takes zero fees, so the entire amount can go to the Oregon Food Bank.
5) The glass screen protector on the bottom right hand corner of my phone is cracked to the point where it hurts to run my finger across it. It's not a spot I'm looking at all that much, so I cut a piece of clear packaging tape to cover it up/protect my precious digits.
Is it pretty? Who cares, it's a cheap fix!
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 an eBay referral link.
That potato looks delicious!
My husband and kids love a baked potato bar for dinner, and it's in regular rotation when the temp in Texas is not a thousand degrees. Hard to justify running the oven for an hour when my AC is running nonstop, and while you can make them in a crockpot, my crew doesn't like the texture.
Twice baked potatoes are also a hit around here- I think we're all part hobbit.
I love loaded baked potatoes. Because I live alone I do mine in the microwave.
I put a lot of things on them, leftover broccoli and cheese and bacon bits are one of my faves, but just about anything will work.
JC
I'm avoiding caffeine on work days and since my caffeine source was Dutch Brothers I am saving anywhere from $6.00 to $9.00 5 days a week. Added benefits are sleeping better and fewer "calls of nature" ROFLMBO.
Preparing for the great flooring experience soon, freecyled a metal TP holder (1 of 2) a 2 drawer metal filing cabinet, and 2 large cat carriers. Still have a lot to do but every little bit helps. I may just shove everything into the kitchen and office areas as they already have flooring.