- I took my son up to Mt Hood yesterday which was completely and perfectly enjoyable. We didn’t make this decision until around 2 o’ clock, but I’m so glad that we did. We ate a delicious dinner with my father and step-mother at their cabin, and then drove home around ten. Sometimes it’s very complicated to get away from the city, but then I remember that it’s only slightly more than a hour’s drive to change our urban surroundings and outlook. I reset the meter on the Prius to track our mileage and was pleased to see that we got 67 miles-per-gallon during the ride home. If only every trip was downhill from a mountain!
- I sold a thrifted wool rug through Craigslist this morning for $40. I have three other Craigslist items still awaiting customers, but there’s no hurry. #collegefund
- I worked Friday and brought leftovers for lunch and drank the free crappy hospital coffee. I also brought home a free framed print that used to hang on the wall. The brass frame is outdated, but it’s but the work of a moment to spray paint it black for an updated look. It’s nicely matted, so I’ll probably use it to frame some kid art.
- My father gave me a loaf of his homemade bread to bring back home to Portland.
- I was gifted two gallons of milk through my Buy Nothing Group, and in return I gave the woman a large bouquet of hydrangeas as a thank you.
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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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
What a wonderfully spontaneous way to spend the day. I love the quote from one of my favorite movies, “it’s but the work of a moment” to describe a task that will repurpose the frame. I am mostly a reader not much of a commenter but I do wan to thank you for all your wise words and helpful ideas.
We’re hosting guests most of this month and we’ve done a pretty awesome job of cooking for them almost every night, and finding frugal fun in the city. Only paying for parking when we go into SF is a pretty good deal.
Also I’m excited to share some discount codes for TinyPrints with my readers in this week’s upcoming link love post.
I love that Katy always gives back when receiving things. On Wednesday we got together with friends at their place. Our place is a bit too small for 3 adults and 4 kids (his wife was at work.) I brought aides to share with friends and after the meal we cleaned up so my gf did not come home to a mess. Did I mention she is upgrading from an LPN to a RN. I am supporting her every way I can. She has been a world of support to me over the years.
Sounds like a lovely day on Mt. Hood–and I hope you were able to see the mountain. The day DH and I were there during a visit to the Portland area, the fog was so thick that we were standing right on Mt. Hood and couldn’t see it. In fact, we could barely see our hands in front of our faces.
Now the FFT:
(1) Made an apple pie last night with the windfall apples I mentioned in my previous FFT comment. The flavor of these apples is so good that I skipped the lemon juice altogether and could have used less sugar than I did. Yum!
(2) Took two boxes of books today to our favorite local secondhand book store. Got about 2/3 of them accepted, and DH and I were able to spend the credit immediately. (Having leftover credit is rarely a problem for us, in fact.)
(3) Stopped at a nearby thrift after leaving the bookstore. Donated the rejected books, plus two boxes of other stuff and the box of canned goods I put together for the store’s canned food drive.
(4) Wound up the errands with a stop at a warehouse club. Didn’t discover leak in bag of sugar till we were through checkout and in the parking lot. DH’s quick action kept us from dribbling a lot more sugar than we could have, however.
(5) Planning to make more kale/apple/carrot/radish salad (from a recipe I discovered last week) with garden kale, windfall apples, garden carrots, and the radishes I overbought at the farmers’ market last week.
1. Used up the last of the shredded spiced chicken in quesadillas for lunch today. Not wasting food is a real challenge for me.
2. Found Noosa yogurt on clearance at Kroger. A friend had mentioned this is her favorite yogurt and I have been wanting to try it. I bought 2 four packs of Sour Cherry and wish I had bought all they had. Now I will be a Noosa clearance hawk.
3. Sold a Coach purse on ebay that I had bought on a local FB board, which netted me a $53 profit.
4. Clearing up around the house today, listing more items on ebay and my local FB boards. My goal is to sell $190 of items on local FB boards by the end of the year.
5. Had two friends sign up using my Thredup link, so I ended up with a $60 credit to spend. My first order arrived unwearable due to a hole in the garment they overlooked, and I had to fight to get a credit for the shipping charge I paid, which I am not happy about. I feel apprehensive about this order, but I wanted to use that credit.
Noosa is the best! It is hardly every clearanced at my Fred Meyer, but I buy it all when it is 🙂 The pumpkin is delicious if you ever find it marked down.
Ha ha. I’m glad you don’t live near me. Noosa fight! My Kroger clearances the best stuff. When I bought mine, they also had honey, and blueberry marked down.
1. My work afforded me a lifetime (okay, like a year’s supply) of free movies passes through Fandango. We had a date night last, and although we splurged on that good-idea-at-the-time movie popcorn to split, we filled up our reusable water bottle inside the theater.
2. For a second date, we have a 2 for 1 Starbucks coupon we will use this afternoon. Using it in-store with “for here” mugs will save us a bit of change too.
3. Meal planning and strategically shopping. Our food co-op affords us 2- 10% off coupons this month, plus 5% off on the 15th and 16th. We’ll be shopping today to maximize savings, shopping only on days where we can use discounts for the month! Also batching this errand with our afternoon coffee date.
4. Refining our budget to finish Baby Step 3 by end of the year. We are only a few thousand off, and my twice-a-year contract owes me almost that, though with a plumbing issue needing to be fixed, and a few side trips this year, I need to clamp down to “give every dollar a name!”
5. Finishing projects around the house. It doesn’t seem frugal, but it keeps me from impulse spending outside of my budget on NEW household projects, that would require a trip to a second-hand store or Home Depot.
We have almost finished Baby Step 3 as well. I’m getting impatient!! But I know it is a wise thing to do, so I just keep plodding along at it.
I hear ya! We messed around on the step for so long–we got complacent once we got out of debt and I regret it! I should have had this done a year+ ago, so I’ll not let myself get lax again until it’s done!
1. We had a group of friends over for brunch yesterday. They ended up staying for the whole day. We had homemade rolls, eggs, bacon, homemade sweet potato hash browns, mushrooms. All either homemade or purchased on sale. It was a lovely, relaxing way to spend a day with people we love, and I estimate the total cost was the same for all of us as it would have been for one of us to eat brunch out.
2. Afterward my friend and I dropped into grab some groceries before the week starts. After I grabbed a couple of loss leaders and some milk, I realised there was actually nothing else we needed, so we left.
3. I ironed our whole ironing basket, which was overflowing. I always think I hate ironing, but when I actually do it I find it quite relaxing. I streamed a couple of programs I had been wanting to watch for a while, and ironed the creases away.
4. Made a kilo of homemade yoghurt.
5. My husband replaced the thirty year old dripping taps in our kitchen, that we had been trying to fix since we moved here (replacing the washers didn’t work) with a new mixer tap. It was expensive (over $200!!) but the tap no longer drips, so no more water is being wasted, and it is a modern and more functional goose neck tap. He is quite handy, so he can do these jobs himself, thankfully. I helped
I can see that the hat is good for another winter. Thank goodness.
I’ve been wearing that hat since 1991!
I would LOVE a post on how you organize your for sale item . . . and listing.
You asked?
https://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/reselling-for-profit-through-etsy-ebay-craigslist-lessons-from-the-non-consumer-advocate/
Looks like you had a lovely day at Mt. Hood.
1. We went to a very large city park to take a brisk fall day walk as our nature fix and entertainment for the day.
2. I made a big pot of chili and threw in the leftover sweet potato from last night. Will use the last of the pita bread in the frig to make parmesan pita crisps to go with it for dinner.
3. My husband finished repairing and painting the inside of our greenhouse window that had wood rot due to a leak. He is almost done on the outside too.
4. We are planning inexpensive fun activities for Thanksgiving week when one son and DIL will visit. An urban hike, using our art museum membership and guest passes one day, a challenging puzzle, movie matinee, and I should organize a leaf raking party one day but probably won’t!
1. Although having both grown sons temporarily living with us has bumped up our grocery bill, it’s also given me a chance to use up bits and pieces in the frig and freezer.
2. Had a free donut and cup of coffee before church.
3. In reorganizing our storage area to make room for son’s stuff, I found some books that I can sell and some other books that I can donate to the Christmas Elf program. And more storage space free!
4. Had a friend make a slew of teddy bears for my great-nieces and nephews, out of my late parents’ fleeces, flannels, and demins, and gave one to my brother and SIL to take with them when they drive to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with their son and family. No shipping!
5. Hauled a bunch of stuff to GW for friends and scored a box of books to trade in for credit at the used book store.
Is this the same woman with whom you did the milk-hydrangea exchange in the past?
Why yes, yes it is!
67 mpg! Sweeeet! And what a sweet photo too.
1. On the theme of gas mileage, I cleaned out the garage last night so that I can park my Ford Fusion hybrid inside for the winter. It really affects the mpg I can get. I also spent a few minutes reading a good website about hypermiling last night. It always help to keep the right driving habits front of mind! (And I learned a new tip — always park in a “pull-through” spot so that you don’t have to back out and manuever forward. Love “micro” tips for saving, which is why I love your blog & the FB page, of course.)
2. Took the kids to a local, restored theater today to see the Peanuts movie. $3 per person! We skipped the refreshments, and my Mom treated us to Dairy Queen afterwards. We rarely go the movies, so this was a nice treat and I love supporting local business owners.
3. Happy to have leftover chili for lunchboxes tomorrow. Always a winner.
4. Decided to run in my neighborhood this morning rather than driving to a park. It’s challenging with the hills but that’s the point, right? Decided to do that after reading a Mr. Money Mustache post about driving less. Every little bit counts.
5. Baked up some oatmeal chocolate chip peanut butter cookies for the week. I like to have a healthy homemade baked good for lunches and snacks on hand.
Always so encouraging to read what you all do!! Every little bit helps and I love to read about each one’s journey! And I love having others to share my frugal with.
My 5:
1- went to a baby shower, with a gift I went in on with my sis. They had a couple of games of which my daughters each won, so they each got $10 Dunkin Donut gift cards! I had paid $25 for the gift, so almost broke even on that! They also asked instead of cards to give a book, my girls picked one of theirs they had outgrown and put a nice message inside of it. Books can be pricey, so I was thrilled of their idea as it saved money and was still thoughtful.
2-brought my lunch to work everyday last week . Hard to do, as I sometimes like to go to the cafeteria just to get away, just once a week. Stressful job, so I was stuck eating at my desk in between doing different things for work, so not much of a break but at least I saved money.
3-I’ve decreased my soda consumption. We almost always buy on sale at the store and it is my caffeine since I don’t drink coffee. Trying to cut it out completely but down to one a day from 3 or 4. I’ll get there!
4-went to a high school play last night. Had to pay but the $10 ticket is worth it for great entertainment. Those kids are so talented! And much cheaper than local theater productions around here.
5-it was almost 60 degrees(in central NY in Nov. is not the norm!) today so went for 3 walks. One was with my kids to take their friend home. Her parents always drive to drop off or pick up, but it’s only about a half mile. Put on your sneaks, kids, we are walking!!
Can you eat your packed lunch in the cafeteria?
Brenda, I love #5. We just went out for a night walk in our neighborhood as a family. Fresh air & exercise is good for the soul! Because we live in the far suburbs, I think we default to thinking that we need to drive everywhere. It’s probably the case that we need to drive most places around us, but I am trying to challenge myself. I work in the city. I can walk on some errands at lunch or to take a break during the day. That means less driving at home on the weekend, etc. I’m trying to constantly challenge my mindset.
I’m trying to stop the Dt.Dew. It’s really hard since I don’t really drink coffee or tea. Just letting you know your aren’t alone.
That is a sweet photo of you and your son. So nice that you could get away and enjoy the outdoors on the spur of the moment.
For the Frugal Five:
1) Did some baking today to make bread and other things for my husband’s brown bag lunch and our suppers.
2) Used up some leftover roasted pork from the freezer to make a delicious stew with sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
3) My husband organized his desk — a huge WWII German Army surplus desk we got free from a friend — and made drawer organizers from scrap wood in his big trash can filled with odds and ends of lumber.
4) I ran out of shredded coconut for a cookie recipe. Since it’s not a major ingredient, I increased the amount of oatmeal and added a drop of coconut extract. The cookies still taste great!
5) My husband is also working on building a better barrier to keep the dogs out of the cats’ litter boxes. (It’s in our favor that the dogs are dachshunds and can’t jump very high. :-D) Plywood is much less expensive than buying a fancy pet gate and I can paint it to the match the room.
1. Celebrated daughter making goal from mid-field with a buy one get one free frap from Starbucks.
2. Daughter and I watched Cinderella through a free Redbox code.
3. Did three dog walks on Friday which will go into daughters braces fund/Mom car repair.
4. Sent in a list of events I can work for the school system also making extra $$$ for braces/car funds.
5. Took advantage of the Meijers 5% off on grocery/ 15% off of merchandise this weekend plus other coupons, sales and deals saving over $59!!!
6. At Meijers got a 13 pound turkey for $6 with the half off sale and 5% discount.
7. Washed two loads of laundry today drying upstairs and downstairs.
1. Stayed home today – no $$ expended
2. Cooked at home all weekend including burrito bowls – big hit; will do them again when I have the ingredients on hand. A squeeze of fresh lime juice improves the flavor.
3. Husband has agreed to help me take a large carton of books to the half priced book store for either a small amount of cash or store credit. Extras donated to GW.
4. Packed a lunch for my husband to take to work tomorrow. Made due with food from the freezer/pantry/refrigerator.
5.Made a Resolution to cook with dried peas, lentils and beans at least once a week for a frugal savings coupled with good nutrition.
My Five:
1. Bought a thermal-backed curtain panel from Target via Goodwill ($3.50)and made three smaller curtains to replace old sun faded ones in master bath.
2. Bought large “body” pillow from Goodwill and covered it with a decorative case also purchased at Goodwill and remade to fit.
3. Purchased another curtain panel from Target on clearance ($7.50) and will remake into 2 smaller curtains for Master bedroom. (Can you tell I’m trying to re-do our master bedroom/bath on the cheap?)
4. Enjoyed a “Linger Longer” early Thanksgiving dinner after church today.
5. Sorted through coupons, making lists and bundling my errands for the week. Love to be all organized by Monday morning.
We had a hard day here : discovered my youngest and myself have lice (arghhhhh, gross!!), so went to get the hair stuff for the 4 of us (120$), washed everything in sight (15 loads? All in hot water+dryer for 1h each load), bagging stuff, vaccuming everything, throwing out anything hair related (I have two girls plus myself, so you can just imagine how much stuff…)… Loads of fun, I tell you!! So, nothing frugal here, but needed to get it out of my system!
Now, on to frugal things
* Bought 2 chickens from reduced rack for 14$. Will have at least 3 meals for my family with that + using the broth for soup.
* Revised my 2015 personal budget and I am happy to see that I am under budget in every category except for 2 (junk food/restaurants and gifts), so this is good news
* Used a prepaid card to go to a yoga class. While not cheap at 12$, it sure beats the 20$ one-class fee.
* Went to the dollar store to get new hair accessories and brushes for the girls and myself. Got the cheapest stuff for a total of 14$. Stored them in Ziplocs (each her own, no sharing!!!)
* Borrowed a bunch of magazines from the library
Have a great frugal and lice free day!
Have you tried vinegar to wash your head with?
No, I bought Nyda. This morning all was gone… Hope it stays that way!!!
I’m glad! As a kid, with my mom and sister in the hospital, my aunt just cut my hair instead of de-licing me!
My frugal weekend:
1. Grocery Outlet trip today. Love that store! Scored some ridiculous deals, like $1.99 jars of Classico marinara sauce, 99-cent 12-oz. bags of gluten-free pasta, and lots more. Plus I used a “$3 off your purchase of $30 or more” coupon that was on the receipt from my last trip there.
2. Used a $1 coupon off admission to the Portland VegFest yesterday. I heard a great speaker, and had fun walking around to all the booths trying food samples. Didn’t spend any other money besides admission ($7 after the coupon).
3. Watched the documentary Cowspiracy on Netflix. I consider it relatively free entertainment, since I’m paying the monthly subscription anyway. I loved this movie!
4. Exercised at home with my dumbbells, and walked the dogs despite it being cold and windy. Rain is supposed to set in again soon, so I’m trying to get outdoors when I can.
5. Frugal and cozy Sunday evening reading at home, cuddling with dogs, and making a batch of chili to use this week for work lunches, and maybe for dinner tomorrow night because my schedule tomorrow is sort of overbooked.
We were hit with $1900 in repairs on our 20 year old truck this week and it still needs some work. We’ve had it for 11 years & it hasn’t given us trouble.
So we’re tightening the frugal belt a little more fora while.
1. My youngest had friends over for the weekend. Our stocked pantry & freezer provided them with cereal, snacks, spaghetti & frozen pizza without having to spend extra.
2. I switched cell phone service providers which will save us $15 a month. I will be shopping around for my oldest a phone plan as she will be getting my old phone that I got for free a couple years ago. I’m hoping to drop our cell phone bill almost in half.
3. Signed up for paperless billing on 2 bills and used Catalog Choice to get off a mailing list.
4. Put together a bag of items to consign this week.
5. Watched a show on Netflix with DH.
1. I baked two loaves of whole wheat bread, using The Frugal Girl’s recipe. I substituted brown sugar and a bit of water for the honey and I added toasted sesame seeds that had been lingering in the refrigerator. The bread is delicious, and so much cheaper than at the bread store (I don’t like grocery store bread because of all the preservatives).
2. I discovered that Bank of America credit card holders qualify for free admission to many museums on the first weekend of the month. It’s one free admission per card holder. That would be a cheap-ish date, even with some driving. Here is a link:
http://museums.bankofamerica.com/
3. Yesterday I walked my errands: eyebrow threading (using a Groupon with a discount and a rebate), buying bananas, picking up paint color samples.
4. Friday night I made two Buffalo Chicken pizzas for dinner. Leftovers served as meals throughout the weekend.
5. Yard work is providing plenty of fresh air and exercise, between leaves, pine cones, and branches dropped by the neighbor’s enormous tree. I’m trying to spend as much time outside as possible before the cold days of winter arrive.
Thank you for the BoA museum link! I use one for work and will take advantage of this when traveling (my state is unfortunately not on it yet).
1. I bought 3 DVDs at the secondhand shop – R20 each , R27 to hire at blockbuster. When we’re done , I’ll sell them back for R10 each.
2. Planted a tray of tomato seeds – even seedlings are pricey.
3. Installed a water saving shower head , we have water restrictions due to a drought here in S.A.
4. Tidied up my garden this morning, rather than paying a service.
5. Bought bulk chicken drumsticks and mutton chops, for a great price, to repack into family size packs and freeze.
1. Sort of frugal, sort of not — bought a grow light to start veggie seeds, which my husband does each year and sells the transplants in spring. It was on sale at 1/3 the normal price and the packaging is all earth friendly and re-usable — the light and its parts were wrapped in muslin bags and muslin sleeves, not bubble wrap and peanuts. I’ll reuse them, of course.
2. Replaced another incandescent light with an LED light bulb.
3. We finally have some cooler weather, so the house’s temperature was in the 60’s this morning. Still no need for the heat yet, and the a/c has been off for a few weeks even though it got hot, so that’s all good for the electric bill.
4. Used a 20% off everything coupon at the health food coop and shopped the loss leaders at Earth Fare and saved about 30% off the bill there.
5. Looking forward to a visit from a sister and her husband and she’s bringing some of the Thanksgiving dinner with her, which means no one has to bear the whole cost of the meal. I’ve stocked up on stuff in the freezer and pantry so no need to default to restaurants for the other meals while they are here.
I have to say, posting on this site is keeping me accountable. Every time I want to do something impulsive with my money I think, “but then what will I post about for FFT?” LOL!
1. Eating leftovers and food from my fridge/pantry for meals today-haven’t eaten out in about a week and a half!
2. Did not buy anything new this weekend except batteries
3. Went grocery shopping and stayed within my budget (which was hard because we are in charge of a meal for a group of about 10 on Wednesday and I hadn’t budgeted ahead of time for it)
4. Reused the freezer bag that I washed out last week (hooray for follow-through!)
5. Resisted the urge to go to my local thrift store this weekend and browse. Instead, stayed home and cleaned/prepped food for the next week.
1. Made a big batch of Amish apple butter yesterday to use up the remaining apples my husband and daughter had picked at a local tree farm. Was able to can 11 jars of it, many of which will be given out as Christmas gifts!
2. Still haven’t turned the heat on in the house (though I probably will next week, with temps in the low 30s at night). We just dress warmly, and cooking/baking on the weekends warms the house up enough on its own.
3. Brought oatmeal from home, which I cooked in the microwave at work, for breakfast this morning. Plain old fashioned oats topped with a tiny bit of brown sugar and dried blueberries – it was delicious and filling!
4. Had friends invite us out for dinner this weekend – I instead suggested they come over to our house. Already had the menu planned, and it was enough for 6 instead of 3 (I always plan for leftovers!) The adults played a game after dinner, while the kids watched a movie. Cheap, fun entertainment for everyone!
5. Took my daughter to storytime at the local library this weekend. It’s fun for her and me, and it doesn’t cost us a thing!
Not a frugal weekend for me. I gave my grandson a birthday party at Andy Alligator’s for his 18th birthday – but the kids had a blast and you only turn 18 once!
However, I didn’t buy a Lear jet and I stayed home all day Saturday and enjoyed reading a book. For me, downtime is a precious commodity.
1. My husband sold his used monitor that had been sitting around since the summer.
2. We opted out of dental insurance because it was cheaper to pay cash for the cleanings. Then I found out that basic checkups are covered under our health plan! I have submitted the claims.
3. We had our payroll turned off while we were on vacation and I almost paid Virginia’s $10 late fee for not filing a return before my husband reminded me that the payroll company is responsible for it. I sent the bill to them.
4. I shopped at Aldi.
5. We have so far kept the thermostat at 68. I think I might go put on a sweater now.
1. For the dinner guest, I made spaghetti ($.25/box) with sausage meatball marinara (homemade, natch), homemade bread + homemade garlic butter (garlic $5 for a gallon of peeled cloves, butter on sale for $2/lb last year), asparagus (not on sale but tasty), and fruit for dessert.
2. Sauteed up some slightly slimy mushrooms, but I have a cast-iron stomach and won’t get sick from them. Did not serve them to the dinner guest, lest ze have a touchy stomach.
3. There were only two boxes of the eggs I like at the store, and both had broken eggs. I switched around the eggs so all were in one box. So at least one of the boxes was salable (to me), otherwise the store would have thrown out both boxes.
4. Used the mushrooms and eggs to make lunch omelets for the next two days.
5. Checked books out of the library.
1. Performed Argentine folk dance and bachatango at an ethnic event Saturday night. Didn’t get paid, but my best friend, my mom, and I all got fed. We also got some free bread and empanadas to take home to my dad. More than paid for gas money, since it was 45 minutes away and the food would have cost $30+ if we’d bought it.
2. Carpooled with my best friend Saturday and Sunday. His car Saturday, mine Sunday.
3. I’m helping a guy with his folk dance group. I can’t commit to teaching dance every week, but I contribute my dance knowledge when I can. In exchange, he’s teaching me how to play traditional Argentine drums.
4. Submitted a check request to Checkout 51. $20.75.
5. Stayed almost three more hours at work today. Will write my name in on Thursday to get called if they need me.
6. Paying more attention to using Ibotta rebates. I am about $3 away from an Amazon certificate, which I use to buy the pressure socks I use at work. I got my last 4 pairs practically for free this way.
7. Almost went for fast good with my mom for lunch yesterday. Decided to instead eat some noodles and jarred sauce. While we waited for a prescription we got first pick of marked down sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Got several and from that took lunch to my dad at work. We’d rather he eat a little healthier, even if the pizza at his job is free.