A Perfectly Timed Free Pile!
I was walking home yesterday from mailing a package to my sister, when I came across this tasty free pile. Mind you I'd just written a blog post about how I already have enough, but that didn't stop me. Why? Because I've passively been keeping an eye out for a cake stand for a very long time. Plus yesterday was my daughter's 30th birthday and I happened to have a cake cooling on the kitchen counter!
I love the serendipitous timing and also the tidiness that the homeowner displayed ... gives the appearance that things were cared for, etc.
I laughed when you mentioned the tidiness that the homeowner displayed - because of course I saw all those delectable cake crumbs on the counter under Katy's new-to-her cake stand.
then I realized you were talking about the free-pile homeowner..... LOL
The stars definitely aligned! The cake stand is a fabulous find. I own one like it but without the dome (sadly) and have it on my counter for storing fruit or onions. I agree with Lesley that the homeowner clearly took care to keep the free pile clean and nice-looking. So great!
A match made in Heaven!
Is this perhaps one of the clearance gluten-free cake mixes we found together??
Yes, and it's the worst cake I've ever had!
I made pizza not too long ago with gluten-free dough, thrifted from the little free pantry. It was almost inedible. I'm sorry for the people who have to use gluten-free products, and I wish I had left it for someone who needed it!
I can't speak to box mixes, but I can tell you that you can definitely make GF baked goods and other items that are just as delicious as those with wheat flour. I've been at it for over 20 years for my kids with food allergies. That said, I bake from scratch so I have the ability to really tweak the seasonings.
Agree Cathy! I am newly diagnosed Celiac, and there are so many awesome flours and recipes on the Net now for GF crowd. The store bought pre-made items are usually terrible, but homemade goodies are soo good other people don't even realize they are eating my GF baked goods 🙂
That is an awesome find! DS18 took a cake to his friend on his 18th birthday this summer, and somehow, my cake plate never came back. I was impressed with the frugality of him + his friends baking a from scratch cake, but had no idea that they "borrowed" my cake plate. I've advised him to get it back over the holidays.
Preferably with a cake inside!
A very nice find. The cake looks extra fancy on a cake stand.
Rescued a tarp off the road today, got ran over by the truck in front of me, barely scuffed.
Congrats on the perfect timing of the cake stand. Happy Birthday to your daughter!
For anyone with a bumper crop of tomatoes that needs another way to use tomatoes, here you go:
Wash and core tomatoes. Slice in half horizontally. Place on baking sheet cut side up.
In a pan, saute some diced celery and diced onion in some butter until tender. Add salt and pepper if desired. Put celery & onion mixture on top of tomatoes. Top with crushed cracker crumbs (preferably a "buttery snack" cracker like Ritz or Town House, but use what you like). Dot with butter and broil until tomato is hot through.
That's how my mom did it. I do it slightly differently. I slice the tomatoes horizontally in about 3/4 inch thick slices and put them in a baking dish. I then do the celery and onion like my mom did. (I use pepper only, no salt.) I put that on the tomato slices. Then, I top with the cracker crumbs and a tiny amount of extra sharp white cheddar, grated. If I am taking the dish to a potluck, I will layer it up like lasagna, repeating layers of everything, except cheese only goes on top layer. I bake it at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the tomatoes are hot through and the cheese is bubbly.
Makes a nice side dish, or a light lunch/dinner.
That sound like a good end of tomato season dish!
Fantastic on the cake stand!
What an awesome find. You will enjoy that for years to come and many "Happy Birthdays".
Happy birthday to your daughter.
1. Yesterday I ran around and did some errands. My daughter gave me coupons for CVS. She had picked up a prescription. I got a bottle of shampoo and a bag of Doritos for 8 cents. Another receipt printed for $3 off so I grabbed more chips. I paid $0. I found a penny in the parking lot.
2. I then went to Stop & Shop. I always check the coin machine. It was full$18.64. There are a few coins that I have to look up, wheat pennies and an old quarter.
3. I got a pack of stuffed chicken breasts for 50% off and a pork loin for 50% off. I also grabbed English muffins from the old bread shelf for 99¢.
4. Washed and hung 2 loads of laundry. Did them in the morning before the energy rates went up.
5. Our kitchen is very old. We are in our house 25+ years and it was here way before that. Hubby fixed one of the cabinets that really needed it with stuff he had. Eventually we will have to redo the whole thing. It will be a major project and we are not looking forward to it. If we do it ourselves, it will be months to do it. If we hire someone it will cost a small fortune. For now we just keep fixing things.
That is some haul on CVS, the food, and coin machine!
So envious of your free piles! What a find!
I have been painting my bathroom, since I figured out my grandson doesn't want to do it and doesn't know how to tell me. It's a little bathroom, but has the challenge of high ceilings and awkward things in the way, like a sink and a toilet and a bathtub. I have managed the walls but the ceiling is defeating me. Anyway, the frugal part of this is that I won't have to pay my grandson, though I may have to convince him to do some touchups in high places.
I pulled something in my leg while strength training and had a pretty miserable day yesterday. This had the advantage of making me stay at home, though I did go out to Home Depot to buy more paint (and scored another receipt for Fetch). I have spent more on painting supplies than I expected, so I'm wondering if this DIY project is really frugal.
Still working on reducing my stock in the freezer and pantry. I am avoiding the grocery store. So far, so good.
I'm so sorry to hear about your pulled 'something' in your leg - particularly when done while strength training. Geek.
I have 'done something' to my lower back - not while strength training, but while sleeping. it is muscular, and mostly a strain, but it is a total bummer as my activities have been reduced to a chair and a bed and muscle relaxants. Since my DOL had back surgery I am trying not to complain, but I am also supposed to be helping out and it isn't feasible to be with a grand baby who likes interaction including on the floor. Sheesh
As for your painting efforts, you ARE saving $ and you are also ensuring you have the gear you need if you decide to paint anywhere else! Congratulations for taking the bull by the horns and doing the job yourself. But these darn kids!!!
All things come to she who waits! I have found that PATIENCE is the most important frugal trait to acquire.
I can wait for almost anything.
My 40 year old SCHWINN bicycle, my old lady bike,is truly falling apart and cannnot be fixed any longer.I am nursing it along as I peruse the fb marketplace and offer up for a high quality bike that will last me another 40 years (I won’t live that long,I am 72!! but still…). Bicycling is my JOY ..I only go around the couple of miles near my home,through farms, through streets and parks, flat, but the exercise is soo good for my hip replacement and just adds so much to my mental physical and spiritual health. And I bike for at least 30 minutes approx 4 days every week.
Soo..I wait.I have a certain two brands in mind,I won’t purchase a cheap shoddy bike that will require repair.
I am not in a hurry.I can baby along the Schwinn till it appears..and I know it will!! I live near several colleges, and those kids move and sell, a lot..that’s where I got the Schwinn, in 1985!!
Such joy in your post about your bike! Have you considered posting on a Facebook Buy Nothing group, asking for the bike (and saying you are asking for leads, not a free bike?)
Some groups permit this. Also I think Marketplace has some way of posting ISO (in search of ) however I don't recall how that works.
1) During a renovation project, a framed wall hanging fell to the floor, breaking the frame glass. I went to my small stash of thrifted/garage saled/curbside trash picked pile of wall art. To my dismay, I had to replace it with something very close in size as the wall paint color around the original had faded, it had been up that long! (Years! LOL) I found a candidate but it had no hanger in the back. I took the original frame, sans glass, and a hammer and needle nose pliers. I measured the center of the back top and marked, carefully pried the hanger off, held each of the teeny tiny nails with the pliers, and hammered them in. I had a replacement wall art, for free.
2) I curbside trash picked a long handled broom/dust pan combo that attaches to each other. I never had one and have wanted one. In perfect condition. Another freebie!
I like the concept of a cake stand, but I don’t like how much space it takes up in my cabinet. I have a janky setup, where I balance a dinner plate on a bowl!
That sounds like it also does the job.
That's a beauty of a cake stand, Katy. Sorry the cake was a disappointment. More Icing? I'm with @Li, though, I don't have storage for a cake stand, beautiful as it might be (and my counter space is always crowded....)
1. Took my car in to get the chewed off windshield wiper hose replaced. Decided to also get some under-carriage work done that I was quoted on in the spring. Also had a weird muffler/exhaust sound. Took a deep breath and decided to just get it all done.
Well, frugal win! I guess I got that Under Carriage work done in the spring, after it was quoted. Smart (and forgetful) me! And the exhaust thing was just something loose that they tightened. So the end cost was about 5% of what I thought I would be paying. Yippee!!
2. Win for my room mate – I went to pick her up after work in my truck, so she could drive me to get the car. It was her 6th day in a row of working a physically demanding job (and walking 40 min there and back each day). She hadn't seen my text, so when I honked at her as she walked along she just about burst into tears, she was soooo tired.
Perfect day for me to go get her, and yet I was the one who benefitted, too, with her getting me to the repaired car.
3. No food waste with two hungry workers needing suppers and leftovers for lunch. I am enjoying the challenge of ensuring there is something healthy for them when they need meal prep in the fridge or on the stove. I am eating better, too. Trying to use up some frozen veggies – put some peas on under the fresh broccoli I was steaming, and dumped them both together when they were cooked. Room mate is wanting to be eating more veggies and I have no problems with that goal! The fridge is beautifully empty after everyone leaves for school/work. Time to do a bit more food prep! A challenge I am enjoying!
4. One of my BB brought me a huge stack of cookbooks (she is purging with an intent to move). I will sort through and pull some old chestnuts out that I have been missing (or have worn out), read a few for pleasure, and take some of the better ones to the used book store for credit.
She also brought me a sheep fleece that had been exposed to wool moths – I will spread it on one of the raised beds, as the wool will eventually degrade and meanwhile it is great mulch.
5. Our New-to-Us rescue dog came with a booked appointment to get a tooth removed. They came today to take her to the dog-dentist. Frugal for me times two, as the rescue organization is paying for the dentist, and also driving the dog to-and-from. I am sure the dog isn't going to be feeling great after the surgery, and I have suggested that the rescue lady keep her until later in the evening if she is released in mid-afternoon as the traffic on a long weekend can be terribly backed up for about 4 hours. It does put me into waiting mode, however my back is so sore all I want to do is nothing.
I love it when that happens - gorgeous cake stand!
PS. King Arthur GF Flour very good substitute for regular flour in recipes.