We celebrated our daughter's 23rd birthday with yet another Birthday Day of Adventures which included: A trip to Kyra's Bake Shop for a gluten-free cupcake. However, we splurged on just one for the birthday girl, as they're $4.75 apiece (plus tip) and I'm too damned cheap for that kind of nonsense indulgence. A foray into the...
Yesterday was my fiftieth birthday, so my family dedicated the day to yet another Birthday Day of Adventures. We started this tradition a few years ago, as it replaces the giving of gifts with the sharing of experiences. Neither my husband nor I want for anything in particular, and when our younger adult sons need...
I started a new tradition in my family a few years ago where I give experiential gifts to most family members who actually live in town. We all have enough stuff, and there's not one among us who doesn't struggle with keeping clutter at bay. I started doing this a few years ago with my now...
Although my 48th birthday isn't until tomorrow, we celebrated yesterday as my older son is headed back to college this afternoon. And is our custom, we marked the occasion with a Birthday Day of Adventures. Normally, the birthday person receives a day of surprises, but I learned a few years ago that's it better if I'm the...
My younger son turned sixteen today, but since his birthday fell on a Monday, we celebrated yesterday. A few years ago, I started a new family tradition where the four of us spend the day together going from one activity to another. I call it a "Birthday Day of Adventures," and it involves planning out a...
We have two birthdays just a few days apart in our family of four, which is always fun! Our traditional method is to celebrate with a Day of Adventures instead of loads of physical gifts and this year is no different. My husband wanted to go to a Yankees vs. Mariner's baseball game, which prompted...
I celebrated my birthday and as is my family's custom, we marked the occasion with experiences instead of things. I've coined these our "Birthday Days of Adventures," and they're greatly anticipated by my husband and kids. (At least I think so, if you know otherwise please don't burst my bubble.) I kid, I kid --...
Yesterday was my 49th birthday, which prompted my family of four to brave the cold and wind for my Birthday Day of Adventures. We're laughably broke since we just paid $15,500 for our sons' winter college tuition/room/board, so our day had a very specific theme of: Fun, but cheap. Really cheap. No seriously, this needs...
Yesterday was my younger son's 17th birthday, and as always we made a rather enormous to-do about it. Which for us means a Birthday Day of Adventures over the weekend, plus a celebration on the actual birthday. I know it seems like I write about nothing besides birthdays lately, but that's only because my focus has been...
Although my family's birthdays are generally spread out throughout the year, we do have a few that clump up in the middle of May. First around the bend is my husband's on May 16th and then my younger son's on the 19th. But that doesn't mean they don't each get their own celebration. And in my...
Yesterday was my 47th birthday and I worked to figure a number of great frugal activities and treats to share with my family for my Birthday Day of Adventures. We were all very excited. Sadly, every single one of my plans went bust. The frugal wow-factor restaurant I had my heart set on turned out to...
I stopped at Safeway on the way home from running errands and bought nothing more than the two tubs of Greek yogurt that were on my grocery list. I checked their app before going in the store to load an ecoupon, which saved me a whopping $1.76. I also found two dimes in the coin...
Our monthly internet bill jumped from $68 to $86 per month, so I called customer service and was able to get our bill down to $45. It helps that we're no longer four people at the house, which makes our internet usage is waaay less than it used to be. Make the call, get the...
I'm fully aware that the current advertisement configuration on the blog is the absolute worst at the moment, and I promise that I'm trying to fix it. I do want a couple of ads to cover expenses, but this is ridiculous! I've unclicked for popup ads, but it seems to make no difference whatsover. Please...
I curb picked a couple of high quality metal organizing cubes, which prompted me to attempt a semblance of order in our coat closet. You know, like the women on the Home Edit TV show. But without good lighting, bright colors or the company of friends. I've repeatedly tried to organize this coat closet through...
The "check engine light" blinked back on in my Prius, so I drove the dratted thing back to our trusty mechanic. I'm not clear on the specifics, but the issue was once again related to the catalytic converter, but it was still under warranty from last summer's theft debacle so were able to get it...
The following is a reprint of a previously published (pre-Covid) post. Enjoy! The word "cheap" gets a bad rap. It's grouped in with "miserly" and is rarely used as a compliment. "Wow, that awesome lady sure is cheap!" Nope. I used to try and distance myself from the word, saying that I preferred "frugal," but...
Hoo boy, it's getting harder and harder to write these posts. Although I'm certainly practicing the extremist of extreme non-consumerism, it's super boring stuff like "prepared all meals from scratch, most of which were bean based" and "used almost no gasoline." Far from gripping material. SO BORING! Boring to write and boring to read. I...
I sold just a few things over the past week, but since it was mostly higher dollar items, I'm stoked with the results. This included a Green Day concert T-shirt that I pulled out of a Goodwill Outlet bin, a Playmobile set, a new pair of Solmate socks and the antique doll chair that I...
Although I did earn some money since publishing my last blog post, it's still been a financially lopsided month for us. My son's college tuition was due January 1st, which coincided with the renewal of my nursing license, an unexpected car repair, leftover physical therapy bills from my husband's foot surgery, our semi-annual garbage bill...
I've sold nothing, although I did pick up a cool midcentury kitchen clock and quickly listed it on eBay. I have a big blue Ikea bag of miscellaneous thrifted items to list, and may start on that task this afternoon. I'm scheduled to help my mother clean out her rental cottage between tenants, so I'll...
My eBay and Facebook Marketplace listings found their groove this week and I sold a bunch of things! My favorite of which was the sale of my thrifted Patagonia roller suitcase, which as much as I loved it was designed for someone shorter than I. I also sold a 90-year-old cast iron skillet and a...
My Facebook Marketplace and eBay sales picked up this week, and I sold a number of items including an Arcteryx backpack, some Yakima bike rack pieces, a pair of Doc Martins, a Jonathan Adler wine stopper, a Portland Timbers scarf, one soccer ticket and the $4.99 vintage dresser that I picked up a few weeks...
My eBay woke up over the past few days, and I sold a number of things including an antique bronze griffin for $150, a $60 electric typewriter, a $21.50 mug, a $30 barkcloth curtain panel and a $15 diploma case. I also listed a few more items to keep my inventory fresh. I'll be hitting...
I sold the vintage train case that I'd picked up at Goodwill awhile back, as well as a cute butter dish on eBay and a groovy lighting globe through a local shop. I also booked a consumer opinion panel that pays $100 for two evening hours that likely would have been spent on the couch...
My mother and I celebrated her 76th mother's birthday by indulging in a Birthday Day of Adventures. (We'd gone to dinner last week, but I hadn't given her a physical gift.) We ended up at the Linn County Historical Museum located in Brownsville, Oregon. Sure, it's an hour and a half from Portland, but I'd...
My youngest son came home for the weekend so we could celebrate his twentieth birthday as a family. (Can I get some kind of medal for ushering both my kids through their teen years?!) As always, we structured a Birthday Day of Adventures to put the emphasis on experiences instead of stuff. Our main activity...
My husband and I went out after dinner for coffees and a shared dessert. The restaurant was almost empty, so we scored the best table in the house, plus were able to shift ourselves onto couches next to a roaring fireplace once our sticky dessert was devoured. (Kind of reminded me of years gone by...
I had a voucher for a "free turkey or ham," which is the annual Christmas bonus from my hospital. I do not resemble the ham obsessed Ponyo, but it's easier than having to bake a turkey. (Plus I'm still sick of turkey from Thanksgiving.) It was about to expire, so I stopped by Safeway to...
I worked yesterday and brought food from home, even though all I had for a heat-and-eat meal was half of a roasted acorn squash, hard boiled eggs and a banana. I worked my tuchus off and needed every single drop of the free crappy coffee and the free delicious tea. I came home and remembered...
I made sure to buy my Halloween candy over the weekend when Fred Meyer (Kroger) ran a special e-coupon where all candy was 50%-off with a $10 purchase. I stacked this deal with coupons and ended up spending just $13.48 on a mountain of candy. (There's enough that I'll likely return a couple of unopened...
My husband and I stopped into a Goodwill the other evening, where he scored a new looking push mower priced at just $9.99. I listed it on Craigslist that night for $60 and sold it in under 24 hours. It normally sells for $160, so it was a great deal for the buyer and nice income boost...
My son independently went though his room and decided to get rid of a large number of clothing and books. (Seriously, so much stuff!) Together we donated at Goodwill and then wandered the store without buying a single thing. Wednesday is my birthday, so I've been planning my own Birthday Day of Adventures which will be fun for...
My mother and I squeezed a couple of Goodwill trips into yesterday's Birthday Day of Adventures, and although the thrift stores had some great pieces, the good stuff had already been sold! Like this groovy midcentury Bassett dresser. I could have flipped this piece on Craigslist in a heartbeat! Although I was driving my Prius, which wouldn't have exactly accommodated the approximate...
I used up some beef broth leftover from a roast to make French onion soup. I already had a large number of onions on hand, so it was just a matter of carmelizing them overnight in the crockpot. My house smells heavenly, and since I'll substitute Tillamook white cheddar cheese for the gruyere, (bought on...
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! The word "cheap" gets a bad rap. It's grouped in with "miserly" and is rarely used as a compliment. "Wow, that awesome lady sure is cheap!" Nope. I used to try and distance myself from the word, saying that I preferred "frugal," but the...
My younger son realized that his learner's permit had expired last month, so he stopped driving. However, he passed his driver's test last May through his driver's education class, and was given the paperwork to bring to the DMV to activate the license. This paperwork is good for one calendar year, and we held off from...
I was sent $85 in Outback Steakhouse gift cards as a Christmas gift from the fine folks at Clark Howard. My birthday is next week, so I'll use them as part of my Birthday Day of Adventures. Nice to be part of their family. Thank you, Clark! I loaned a nice card table to a neighbor...
My son is required to attend a Japanese language event every term, and I wanted to make sure he'd located one before I went to New York. We found a Japanese language showing of the newest Studio Ghibli movie at the Portland Art Museum, (When Marnie Was There) so I booked tickets for this afternoon. We were able to...
I worked yesterday and brought my own lunch and drank the free crappy coffee. I know this frugal thing comes up repeatedly, but it's these dull but daily frugal opportunities that make a big difference in the long run. I took my bought-it-on-Craigslist rug shampooer over to one of my mother's guest cottages and gave the...
My neighbor posted on Facebook about having two large volunteer cherry tomato plants in her yard for the taking. I responded that I would take one, which was perfect timing as I have an empty flower pot that I'd just been thinking would be the perfect size for a tomato plant. I always regret the years when...
Last night's dinner was a black bean chili using beans cooked in the crock pot. It included a small amount of nice Grocery Outlet ground beef, as well as some leftover tomato sauce and bulk purchased spices. I served it with the last crumbles of some corn chips and leftover grated cheese from the other...