Four Frugal Things -- Pumpkin Bread & Jeopardy
1) I sold a jumble of Fisher Price toy cars that I've been trying to offload since 2023! I accepted an $18 offer, because . . . duh.
This is what I'm talking about I mention that I'm getting better at choosing what I buy for resale. I still made some money, (I probably paid $4.99?) but I'm still filing it under "Every experience is a life lesson."
2) I pulled some homemade pumpkin puree from the basement freezer and baked up a pair of gargantuan pumpkin bread loaves using this recipe.
I then sliced some warm slabs for the neighbor who recently gifted us a loaf of challah. My next door neighbors declined their share, as two of them "don't like pumpkin bread" and the other eats a gluten free diet.
Is it a freezer challenge fail if I end up sneaking the second loaf into the freezer?
3) I finally photographed the pharmaceutical pens that I thrifted last week. I've been procrastinating the task for no damned reason whatsoever some unknown reason and am relieved to finally cross it off my to-do list.
Some will be listed as a "lot," while others will be done individually. I've learned that three of the pens don't work, so I removed the cartridges and am giving them a short soak in warm water to hopefully break up ink clots. We'll see if it works -- might as well try!
4) I've been watching episodes of Jeopardy through a friend's no-ads Peacock streaming service. The show is 22 minutes without commercials, which makes it an enjoyable way to sneak in a lil' breaky-break from less exciting endeavors.
I'm doing better than I would've expected, as the apparent key to winning is to possess 58 years of random knowledge, just chomping at the bit for the opportunity to be run wild.
I've learned that everything I ever learned is still in house, just waiting (sleeper agent style) to jump into action.
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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When I switched from cable to streaming, I lost Jeopardy. I miss it.
I didn't walk today, even though the weather is beautiful. I did laundry, and making three trips up and down three flights of stairs is enough exercise. Three trips = put the clothes in the washer, put the clothes in the dryer, bring the dry clothes upstairs. It's a lot.
I took my air conditioner out of the window today, setting it down on the floor below. I cannot carry it to the closet where it is stored; that will be a job for my son or grandson. But I needed to be able to close the window now that the air is getting cooler, especially at night.
This morning I spotted a box by our dumpster that looked like it would be good for shipping. But to my surprise, when I picked it up, I saw that it contained what looks like all the parts to replace a doorknob and lock. I'm going to donate it to a Habitat ReStore. There is no longer one where I live, but there is in the town where I visit a good friend. It looks like a brand new set.
1. Husband is out of town, staying at a Drury Inn and Suites. Reasonably priced and includes a fresh hot breakfast with real dishes and silverware, and an evening dinner with three drink coupons. He may never leave.
2. Splurged on two days of boarding/play dates for our dog while my husband is gone. I had many activities where I was coming and going that would have been hard on her (e.g., being put in her crate five separate times), plus it was a nice break from being a mom for two days.
3. Gave blood today and enjoyed the free snacks. I brought the Cheez-Its home for my husband as I'm vying for Wife of the Year. Points were lost when I ate the chocolate I saved for him from another event.
4. Declined the free pickleball paddle and ball that Red Cross offered as a gift. Will not be doing that in this lifetime.
5. Checked our redeemable points with the Red Cross (these are in addition to the gift cards that are offered after every donation). Before today's donation, I had 800 points and my husband has 700. A $10 e-gift card is worth 500 points. We'll wait a little bit longer before cashing in, but before any points expire.
That window above the TV! So beautiful. There's nothing like an older home. I miss my grandmother's house, built in 1914.
1. I made chicken vegetable tortellini soup with a leftover rotisserie chicken carcass I froze awhile back.
2. I will grocery shop tomorrow after getting to the bottom of the stuffed freezer. I have to say I don't own a chest freezer so my challenge wasn't as um...challenging...as some of you.
3. While the freezer is nearly empty (full bag of chopped spinach, partially filled bag of peas, partially filled bag of breakfast sausages and two sticks of margarine I cook with when a lactose intolerant friend comes to dinner) I gave the interior a good scrubbing.
4. While searching for my father's WWII photograph albums, I came across three rings in his possessions. I'll have them appraised and make a decision on what to do with them. I suspect they were my great aunt's, who looked at my father like a son. No kids of her own.
5. DH found 45 cents while out walking and I found a penny in a parking lot. Headlines read: Local couple comes into money!
Booked a hotel room at $199/night then unbooked it getting the $84/night
Sold another item online. Eating the last bonafide dinner from what’s on hand. I do have points I can use at Walmart for $25.
Took advantage of the free food at the dog show. Came home with 2 bottles of water for the frig.
1. DH went through our big (acquired through having four boys) stash of Playstation and Playstation 2 games, to see if there were any multiplayer ones we could all play together. I was amused to see how many were bought used at the Half Price bookstore or GameStop. He found a very old Playstation Scrabble game, and though we only have a refurbished Playstation 3, it works! Part of being frugal is using what you already have, or revisiting what you have on hand.
2. We've been exploring all the bikable stores in our area, and happily there's an Aldi and Goodwill right next to us, about 3.5 miles away. We have discovered that many of the foods we routinely buy at Kroger are cheaper or the same at Aldi...today we made a little trip and spent $52 on what would have been $87 at Kroger. DH calculates if we do this regularly we'll save $500 a month on groceries. Note to self: Sunday is PACKED at Aldi.
3. Reading library books, trying to focus on subject areas that are relevant to my current studies. Right now reading Michael J. Fox's book, "No Time Like the Present." I just finished a module in my pharmacology book about Parkinson's and dementia drugs and he writes very well about how he lives with his disease.
4. Ground a batch of rice flour from whole long-grain rice. This is waaay cheaper than buying pre-ground rice flour! All you need to do, if you're picky, is sift it a bit afterwards. But my Vitamix does a great job.
5. Keeping windows open all day to catch the fresh air; not having to have the AC or furnace on is lovely.
Bagged stuff for donation (1 bag), Plato's Closet (not good payout but it's all stuff I received for free and hasn't sold in my allotted time) and the local consignment shop. I ready to have less stuff in my space.
Listed a few items on fb marketplace/Vinted.
Dh gave the wooden swing and wood table a coat of boiled linseed oil. It gives me great satisfaction to maintain our stuff and prolong its life.
My dad told me to buy Indian food on his credit card, so we had that for lunch. I have leftovers for tomorrow. Dh went to pick it up on his motorcycle, saving a good bit of money on gas vs driving our car.
Made small batch of sauteed apples with apples from our own tree. They had more coddling moth than I hoped. Boo.
Organized the fridge and had to relegate 3 cucumbers to the compost. We just aren't eating them as fast as we did at the beginning of the summer. We have 3 large good ones in the fridge and 3 more on the vine.
Packaged 30 swimsuits to go to J Crew for recycling. They give $5 store credit for every swimsuit piece. I have another 19 pieces ready to go after I mail the big bag in. Apparently no limit to how many one can send in. I do occasionally shop at J. Crew because they're one of the few stores that sell tall women's clothes.
I'm working hard on organizing digital photos. Gives me little time for anything else. I'm in a cooking funk, so meals are pretty sketchy.