- My son wanted something expensive, so he went through his room to find things of value to sell on eBay. Included is a $20 thrifted pair of sneakers that he listed for $200. It’s getting tons of traffic and has a number of watchers, so I know he’ll get them sold.
- I drove my son down to school yesterday, which is an achey five hour round trip. However, the trip down had good company and he handed over a couple textbooks from last term so I could list them on half.com. I love selling with half.com, as it’s as easy as inputting the ISBN number and then a quick description. I stopped on the way back for a hamburger from Burgerville. Although Burgerville is generally pretty expensive, (think $5 burgers) I have a hack, which is to order the $1.75 child-sized burger, but have them add free tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions.
- April 1st began the switchover from 5¢ to 10¢ Oregon bottle deposits, so I’d been holding off from recycling. However, today is April 2nd, so I gathered up all our bottles and cans, which are now waiting patiently in the back of the car for their payday.
- My husband took a promotion, which sadly switched us over from good to crappy health insurance coverage. (He’s now management, so he no longer enjoys union member benefits.) I got a phone call on Friday from our pharmacy confirming the renewal of a medication for the low, low cost of $750! I had them halt the process and got in research mode. I did discover that the manufacturer offers a $60-off coupon, but that hardly makes a dent. I’ll make a few more phone calls on Monday and continue my investigation. Kind of deflates the satisfaction of having saved $535 from my son’s wisdom teeth surgery.
- I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.
Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
How exactly do you find the ISBN number?
It’s on the back cover or in the small print in the front of the book.
It’s also on the verso (back side of the title page), in with the library information. Check near the bottom of the page.
I remember when Burgerville hamburgers were .29 and cheeseburgers were .39! I worked there later on when I was in high school and even then everything was good and fresh! They used to do a Christmas buy $20 gift card and get an extra $5. My husband and I would use them as stocking stuffers for each other but they didn’t offer it last year.
1. As a book review columnist for a certain magazine, I get 400-500 books a year sent to me, in hopes I’ll review them. In my column, I can use 40 a year. Period. The books pile up, I donate them to schools & libraries, I use them as trade-in at a local bookstore, I give them away as gifts, I sell them on Half.com, and they just keep coming. So, this past week, I had a book sale open house. I sold them for super-cheap & made $200 so far, and when I’m done, the end of this week, I’ll box up the rest and sell them to a local used book store. And they’ll just keep coming….
2. Went to a meeting on Saturday, catered by Panera, and was able to snag a scone for a snack later that day.
3. Continuing to use up bits and pieces from the frig & freezer, as well as stock-piled canned goods.
4. Cleaned out the bathroom linen closet the other morning when I could not sleep, found some things I’d misplaced or forgotten we had, and got rid of some more towels and washcloths that we don’t need now that there’s only 2 of us.
5. I have a spot in my kitchen where I wanted to hang a banner, but the ones I liked were too expensive. So, I bought some die cut blackboard material pennants, twine, and a chalk marker and am making my own, for about half the price!
1. My daughter needed 20 drops of an essential oil for a school science project. I’d never bought essential oil before, so I asked at the store where they were. There were different flavors of it but only one brand. I asked a store associate if there were by chance any other brands to choose from, and she took me to an aisle about five aisles away … it had essential oils that were three dollars a bottle cheaper, for about the same size bottle. I was confused as to why the same product was in two different locations, but thankful that I asked.
2. Getting so excited about the new Goodwill that’s opening just five minutes from my house. The first thing I want to look for is a glass 9×13 pan. I have two now and use them a lot. Even though I dislike “stuff,” a third one would be helpful and has been on my shopping list for a few months.
3. I was tapping the bottom of a bottle of ketchup to get the last tiny little bit out, and my son said, “that’s the sound of Mom saving money!” I often wonder if my kids are picking up my frugal ways. As they’re getting older they’re teasing me about it more … I’ll optimistically take that as a sign that they are.
4. Found a dime and then a penny, at two different places on the same day.
5. Paid our auto insurance for the year. It can also be paid in quarterly payments, but there are fees with each payment to do it that way. I’d rather avoid paying those and get it all over with at once.
“Getting so excited about the new Goodwill….”
I hear you, BJS! My friend and I are always on the lookout for new thrift stores in our area — and when we find one, we’re like kids before Christmas, giddy with the possibilities. But a new Goodwill?! Oh my, we REALLY get excited!
Best wishes on finding a third baking pan! For some reason our local stores price Pyrex near or at the price of brand-new pieces — but hopefully you’ll have better luck! (If not, Amazon and Wally World have good prices, and I’ve really appreciated the new design with cut-out handles and a snap-on lid.)
1. Yesterday, my husband and I took our daughter out for a special day out, since her brother was away with his grandparents at a 4H competition. Hit the matinee of Beauty and the Beast (much better than the animated version), brought our own snacks and water (and I don’t even feel bad, since she can’t have popcorn with braces). Brought a picnic lunch for after.
2. Having a quiet day at home today. Ordered more library books online, and finished up a couple to return.
3. Loquats are ripe on my neighbor’s tree, so my husband picked a bunch of them for fresh fruit around the house. We dropped off eggs as well. I will dry a bunch of the loquats, and use them in lieu of raisins for the next while. Our tree won’t be ripe for a while yet, but that will extend the season.
4. I will make sloppy joes for dinner tonight with a half jar of leftover tomato sauce and a half bag of leftover hamburger buns. I might throw in some leftover cream of tomato soup as well, so that can get used up. Or I might freeze the soup for lunches when I don’t have other easy food to send to school.
5. That’s it for today. Not doing anything is frugal, but it’s not exciting enough to write about! It makes me so impressed that you’re able to write something interesting all the time, Katy!
I think that “interesting” is a bit subjective when it comes to my blog posts. 😉
1. We have been preparing to sell our house and the target date is this spring. There have been many repairs and updating not done while we were paying for our 3 kids’ college. Unfortunately, a friend and his wife split up so he’ s staying with us until his apartment is ready. In exchange for room and board, he has been helping my husband with projects. My husband doesn’t do plumbing and the shower faucets had been leaking – and backwards – hot is cold and vice versa. Our friend fixed it for us and even paid for the parts. We had to go without water for a day but hey, it was worth it.
2. I have been sifting through boxes and boxes of kids items – mainly toys – and have now listed a few on ebay. My husband just sold a small fishing boat on craigslist today. So crap out, money in!
3. I usually purchase experiences for my kids for their birthdays. My daughter lives in NYC and has found many fun things to do for free or discounted with her college ID. So she asked me to pick out some things for her birthday next month. I have had several months to find things I think she’ll like – and have used coupons and thrift stores. I’ve actually enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.
4.I”ve been reading my library books, using my Sam’s card for gas, trading books also with a friend and enjoyed my monthly potluck with friends.
5. I took advantage of several Shutterfly photo book offers to make photo books for my kids for Christmas already. I don’t know if I’ve ever been that organized ahead of time!
We recently had a job and insurance change also. My son’s usual Rx was being priced at $800/month on the new insurance! He was taking 30 mg of the med which involved taking one and a half of 20 mg tablets. After talking to the pharmacist and doctor, we were able to change to taking three – 10 mg capsules for $10/month! Crazy!
1. Went to Aldi and scored chicken cutlets on sale for $1.49 a pound. Got 3 big packages.
2. Was looking at the cakes and pretty baked goods at a local bakery. Went home and made brownies instead.
3. Had the oven on so I made my husband blueberry muffins (his favorite).
4. My husband and son cleaned up the yard today. I planted my peas in my garden.
5. Found a step stool that someone was throwing out. My husband checked it out and said it is safe to use. I’ve been wanting one for a while but refuse to pay $50 so I just have been using a chair.
1. Advantage of having grown children: Sunday dinner cooked by someone else! We brought a mashed potato casserole. Afterwards a free movie enjoyed by guests. Bonus: We were able to bring our dog who loves being part of the group.
2. Thinking/meditating: many projects need attending to – spent part of the afternoon trying to decide priorities, advantages, costs, time commitment etc.
3. I am part of a transition town group in my neighborhood. This can be a heavy time commitment so must evaluate how much time I can afford to spend on this activity. Our city is hosting a national conference and I am serving on a subcommittee.
4. Sent off hand-written get well and birthday cards which I found in my stash. ‘Get well’ was a card my husband found in a gift shop and ‘birthday’ card was part of a set to benefit Rwandan women – both had been purchased at an earlier time.
5. In the Midwest we have Culvers. Ordering a single burger with “everything” nets you a large filling sandwich for a reasonable price. Sometimes treats are a good mental health investment.
1. Everyone was tired of the huge pot of chili I made LAST Sunday so I froze the last three servings individually to take for my work lunches instead of wasting them.
2. Mended a small hole in a favorite top.
3. Used up some leftover rice and salad ingredients that were in danger of not getting used in time, everyone liked dinner, no complaints! (Failed with a bag of spuds that were growing in the cupboard though)
4. Grocery shopped with coupons, buying less now that my 22 year old son has moved out…
5. Was able to get a plane ticket for my daughter who will be doing a 5 month stint backpacking to do trail and conservation work in California with Americorps using miles, only took 5000,
I totally understand…my chronically ill son ages out on my insurance. My payment was $350 a month..going up to $1,000….sigh
Cindy have you double checked with your insurance company? My adult daughter (age 29) is able to remain on our insurance with an annual letter from her doctor. I realize all insurance companies are not the same but it’s worth checking because of your sons’ condition. Good luck!
Katy have your sons investigated renting text books from Chegg.com or their school’s bookstore? My daughter (who works for AmeriCorps too!) was able to get most of her college textbooks this way as well as my son. You may be able to rent through Amazon.
Dh put down grass seed where he dug up the yard to waterproof our casement exit from the basement. We have no stairs in it and it was taking in lots of water. Glad to have a handy dh.
I’ve talked to them about this option, but I don’t think it sank in. I’ll give them a reminder, thanks!
Try Costco when pricing the medications!
I’m sure it’s not necessary to mention this again but I will just in case. I have insurance but it doesn’t pay well on meds so we use the GoodRX app. It won’t save money on all meds but it does on many of them if you aren’t loyal to any particular pharmacy. I have no clue exactly how much money it has saved us but I know for sure that it has been at least $20-40 per med every single month. My husband takes several. It always saves us more than my crappy insurance savings card.
You can even go to Costco’s website to check their prices. You can also use the hack of seeing if ordering it in different strengths will save you money.
I completely agree!
Got home to bedlam tonight as husband was cooking dinner, autistic daughter in full meltdown mode and hungry teen was trying to do homework.
1. Calmed autistic teen while husband continued to make dinner. No takeaway to ease the stress.
2. Dinner was burrito bowls with leftover pork from last night’s roast, a can of salsa beans purchased half price for the vegetarian teen, and tomatoes gifted from a friend’s garden, along with a killer chilli pickle I put up yesterday from our homegrown chillies in a calmer moment. Husband was so excited by the pickle he texted me at work to tell me how good his lunch was 🙂
3. Calm reigns now all are fed. Now to pile of dishes and a pear tart tatin for dessert, made yesterday from pears just about to turn. Phew!! With homemade whipped cream, except for me because I’m on a diet.
4. I’m continuing to save for our holiday in two weeks. We don’t have any credit cards, so what we save is what we will have.
5. Two books I wanted have come in for me from the library; one about the abdication crisis and an Australian book by Helen Garner called ‘This House Of Grief.’ If you haven’t ever read her, I recommend her highly, although she can be tough going, emotionally speaking. “Do yourself a favour” as we say, and giver her books a go. She’s one of our national treasures.
Thanks for the tip — I love finding new authors and will eagerly look for books by Helen Garner at the library!
1. I am going to Plato’s Closet today to see if they are interested in buying some of our gently used closed. I haven’t been there before, so I am interested in seeing how this turns out today.
2. I haven’t left the house since I got off work on Friday, and I didn’t buy anything online.
3. My uncle died, and instead of buying a sympathy card to send to my aunt, I wrote a letter on stationery I had on hand.
4. I have had the same $6 in my purse for a week and haven’t spent it yet. I am going to try to make it until Friday without spending any money.
5. I cooked all weekend, so we have plenty of leftover for the entire work week.
3. I’m sure she will find more comfort from the handwritten letter. I know I would!
Thank you, I think so too!
* Took a written inventory of the chest freezer, fridge freezer, pantry and cupboards to see what kind of food we actually have in the house. OMG, we have so much… I’m a small-scale food hoarder, oops! So if we just stick to fruits, veggies, milk and yogurt for the next month’s groceries we will still be good.
* City offered a free workout session outside yesterday to promote a health challenge. Went with hubby and the 2 kids
* Bringing my lunch to work every day despite the mouth-watering pizza sold at the cafeteria.
* Been coughing like crazy for 2 days. My colds always turn into some sort of bronchitis. I was tempted to go grab some cough syrup, but I know it does not work for me. So I passed. Instead I grab old inhalers I still had (still good) and using them to help.
* Kindergarden pictures for my 5 yo this week. We don’t take them, never did. (we take the school ones)
Have a great frugal day!
I know it’s been a few days, but I’m barely getting to reading this. I have the same problem with respiratory issues and am at risk for getting bronchitis often with every little cold. Last time I was sick my mom made me boiled milk with garlic and honey. It worked so well! It cut my sickness in one day. The previous winter I was so sick, for over three months and was seeing the doctor for antibiotics practically every other week. I wish I had known about this earlier.
We move out of our house and start across the country on April 14 so my frugal things reflect that.
1. Using packing paper and other moving supplies I got from free through neighborhood list serve has saved us $100+
2. We are going to try to be a one car family. Sold our older car and cancelling insurance today.
3. Eating down the pantry and frig. Few groceries bought although will be a high bill at the new location.
4. Getting in all my annual Dr. & DDS visits. Probably doesn’t save money but does save scrambling for new practitioners.
5. Giving away stuff not buying it.
I love selling on Half.com also! I listed a few of my textbooks from my college years in 2007. Ten years later, there was still some interest in them and I sold them for some nice change in my pocket. I love that there is no fuss and the funds just deposit in your account!
1. Kids were on spring break last week. Took them to Helen Keller’s birthplace which was beautiful. We then had a picnic lunch in a beautiful park down the street before heading up to Nashville.
2. Sold a book on half.com
3. Found eggs for $.50 a dozen.
4. Prepped garden for planting.
5. Did a lot of walking instead of driving, cooked at home, and enjoyed the lovely weather!
This is a great way to start a frugal week, Katy! Thanks!
1. I found a honeysuckle turkey breast for .99 a lb. I cooked it Saturday and it will be lunch and dinner all week.
2. I decorated our huge wrap around porch for spring using items from the old house. I repainted a few things using paint I already had. I did “spring” for a bag of yellow crinkle paper from the Dollar Tree. To keep it from blowing out of the basket, I dribbled Elmer’s glue on a piece of tissue paper that came in a gift. It’s working great. And, yes, I’ll fold it up and reuse it every year!
3. My husband has been hitting the jackpot on new dvd releases from the library. We’ve been very well entertained with home popped popcorn.
4. We’re continuing to adjust things in the new house, reusing what we have. It’s taking awhile but it is coming together. And what doesn’t work or we no longer need is becoming a huge pile in the garage that will be sold at my sister’s garage sale in June.
5. I needed something to hang my necklaces on and dug around in the garage yesterday to see what I had. I have two good options. Two small shelves that I can screw cup hooks on or a large picture frame I can paint and and use a piece of burlap covered wood in the center where I can screw the cup hooks. All materials I already own.
1. Since he was three years old, our grandson has loved making things out of wood – with his grandfather’s help, of course. Bonding time, learning skills, and creativity are among the many benefits. Recently he wanted to build a robot. My husband had him draw up the plans (grandson is now 6 years old) and they built it together. Our grandson then took it to school for show and tell. Which resulted in his teacher asking my husband if he would please do a woodworking demonstration for her class the next time we’re in town. Hopefully this will inspire the “creative build bug” in a few other children. My husband developed his skills from childhood on, growing up in a family of builders – and it’s saved us many thousands of dollars over the years. Our son grew up helping with remodels and other things and as a result, made quite a bit of money during his summers off from college by working in the construction field. And he saves quite a bit of money now on repairs and updates to his home.
2. With regard to the teacher’s request, above: We asked if she had a specific project in mind, and she said “a bird feeder” since they have school gardens and green spaces. We had saved a bunch of cedar boards from a cedar wall we took down in the house, and we spent the weekend sanding, cutting and building two bird feeders. We’ll take them apart and assist the children in assembling them. Cost of project = free, since we had all the materials to begin with. Really looking forward to this!
3. Used up all 8 of my “$1 worth of free gasoline” coupons last month. We get four coupons from two different gas station chains each month, and there’s no minimum that has to be spent to use the coupons. So when we’re in town, we top off the tank, even if it’s just 2 or 3 gallons that we need. $1 off three gallons of gasoline cuts the per-gallon price very nicely.
4. As I enter month 9 of living dryer-free, a lightbulb went off in my brain. I’d thought that maybe I needed one more drying rack, since things get crowded if I go more than a couple of days between doing laundry. But I realized I have a tension rod we no longer use, and put that up over the tub in the guest bathroom. I can hang a lot of clothes to dry on hangers this way. And when we have out of town guests (like we will next week) the tension rod comes down (and can go back up) in less than a minute.
5. While checking the mark-down produce, I found bags of apples (6 or 7 large apples per bag) for 99 cents each bag. Decided to buy a bag and see how they are. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why these are marked down to begin with – the apples were crisp and relatively unblemished. Since they have marked down bags of apples quite often, this could be a real find.
Building a Lending Library could be the next project if your town doesn’t already have one!
I love this idea! While there are a few little lending libraries, there aren’t any right near where we live.
Wedding in Southern California!!
1. Drove instead of flying to Southern California for a much anticipated wedding. This saved the cost of airfare for four and rental car in exchange for the cost of gas and two 6-8 hour travel days. We copied a list of the free Rest Stops ahead of time so we could avoid the inevitable temptation /pressure to purchase things on our bathroom breaks. We had to use them 3-4 times in each direction, in addition to stops for gasoline, etc.
2. All three nights in hotels were paid for with points from credit cards AND they provided hot breakfast.
3. After the hotel breakfasts, only one meal each day was a purchased meal out. The rest were made up of groceries from home or a quick stop at the grocery store.
4. Avoided the expensive theme parks and went to the San Diego Safari Park instead, with a 10% discount by showing our AAA card. The kids are finally old enough not to beg for every item in the gift stores, thankfully! We also went to free public beaches and enjoyed the amazing weather.
5. This trip was supposed to be four nights long, but the friend we were going to stay with came down with the flu. By rearranging our travel we’ve avoided getting the flu and still had a great trip!
Does a pay increase equal to or greater than the higher medical costs come with the promotion? If not I might have declined the promotion. If so its still irksome that medical costs are so outrageous but there really is nothing to complain about.
1) I downloaded the Ibotta app. I’m going to see if it saves me any money.
2) We got our taxes back, so now it’s time to get things done I’d put off since last Fall. March was much more frugal than April will be.
3) I had leftovers from Saturday’s dinner, so I brought it for lunch today.
4) Friday was payday, so now I can order the replacement part for my broken curling iron.
5) I took my granddaughters to see Beauty & the Beast on Sunday. The matinee price was cheaper, since we went before 5 pm. We had fun together and that part is priceless!
How terrible to move up and get worse health insurance! Good for you for researching options. My husband got a new prescription once that was going to be several hundred dollars. I called the doctor back, and she gave us a generic substitute that wasn’t exactly the same, but has been just as useful in limiting his migraines. (His mom had lent him a few of her expensive migraine pills, so we know they worked just the same.)
Here are my frugal things:
1) My flight home from Denver was at an awkward time for meals yesterday, so I just packed along a yogurt and a granola bar from the pharmacy down the street before I left. This hearty snack kept me from having to purchase anything in the airport. Then I had a fuller late lunch when I got home.
2) I made it through my entire trip without once purchasing liquids. Evidently in Denver you are supposed to drink tons of water anyway, so I just kept refilling my water bottle, then turning it upside down to dry out at night.
3) Our entire family of five needed a wardrobe refresh, so we budgeted $600 in March to make it happen. We shopped Goodwill, ThredUp, and DSW, got clothes and shoes according to what each person needed, and actually came in at about $500!
4) Even though I really needed to go to the grocery store yesterday, I still haven’t gone, and we have been able to make due with what we have. I will need to go before supper tonight, but it will be to Aldi with a meal plan and a list.
5) Our Airbnb renters this weekend left behind an unopened Chowbanni yogurt and a tray of croissants, which has helped our “empty fridge” situation.
Check goodrx.com. I found a prescription of mine at about $95 at Walgreens, as a cash pay customer (vs. using my insurance). Through the mail in pharmacy, with my insurance, it was going to be $600/ quarter. I don’t get it…but, totally went with Walgreens.
1. Took advantage of super doubles at Harris Teeter yesterday as well as a lot of other sales and promos to stock up. Trying to go grocery shopping only 1x a week.
2. Having a no take out/no out to eat week. This is difficult for us since I work 60 plus hours and the boyfriend is in engineering school.
3. Exchanged a birthday gift of bean boots for a pair of Birkenstock sandals. I live I. The south, so bean boots are unnecessary. My other pair of birkenstocks I have had for 10 years so they are a much better option!
4. Updated my “shopkick” app for my debit/credit cards so make sure I got my points . Love this app!
5. Have been using the tiny bottles of Lancôme makeup I got at the mall last time I went. Going strong for almost a month. Crazy!
Frugal help- going to a bridal shower Saturday. Any frugal gift ideas? I’m not going to the wedding, but plan on sending a gift. Weddings are too much I tell you.
Sentimental plays well at showers! Maybe a collection of your favorite recipes with a few of the ingredients or supplies needed. Include a little story as to why you chose each one…
Anything thoughtful that shows what you know about the bride/couple – like sunscreen and beach towels for their honeymoon, etc.
Or use a hack such as use Ibotta credits to purchase a gift card, etc.
1. scored some free Daves Killer Bread tonight! the store had a ‘get free bread’ deal going on but they didn’t have any of that brand left. so they let me choose what I wanted!
2. we are down to 3 loads of laundry a week from 6. can’t wait until I can hang my laundry.
3. paid all the medical bills from my DH. we owed A LOT of money to one hospital and they dropped the total by 25%.
4. new vehicle goes ~540 miles before a fill up! Yay! much better than the jeep! 🙂
5. eating from the fridge, freezer and cupboards.
I know there’s something else, but I can’t remember what it is now.
RE: frugal shower gift. If you have some time between now and then, I have a friend who puts favorite recipes on 4X6 cards and inserts them in a photo album with 4X6 sleeves, and these always seem to be cherished gifts. You could always add some pretty dish towels or pot holders. My daughter loved a set of work gloves–his(the brown jersey ones) and hers (flowered and ruffly latex)–she got from her husband’s elderly great aunt with sweet note about working together to build a strong marriage.
I have a half.com question–I thought maybe the site assigned the price at half of retail, but when I looked the book prices were all over the place. How do you determine your selling price? I’ve never sold online before but have a lot of books that I wouldn’t mind making some money on rather than donating!
Thank you for the suggestion!
RE: Gifts
If you decide to buy a gift for the shower or the wedding from the couple’s registry, two ways you can save money are to 1) search the Web for the same item at a lower cost at another store and 2) buy the item using a discounted gift card. Sites like giftcardgranny.com will search various sellers — including eBay — for specific stores’ gift cards.
RE: Pricing items to sell
I usually search the site on which I want to sell — Half.com, eBay, what-have-you — to see what others are asking for the same item in similar condition. If you primarily want the books out of your house, price on the lower end if not AT the lowest price; if you think the books are of lasting value (like leather-bound Franklin Library volumes) and they’re in exception condition, price them near the higher end.
I hope you find this helpful!
Oh how I miss burgerville. I’m in Florida and I’ve tried repeatedly making their sauce, I refuse to buy it. I cant quite get it how I remember it. I swear, put their sauce on a show and its taste good.
I haven’t tried this recipe myself, Ashley, but here goes:
BURGERVILLE SPREAD (copycat recipe)
1 cup Kraft Premium Mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sweet relish
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. white sugar
Mix thoroughly to dissolve sugar.
The person said he/she used “the ingredient info from Burgerville website and tinkered with proportions” to arrive at a sauce “close to a dead ringer.” Good luck!