- My husband and I hiked around an area nature preserve to take full advantage of the beautiful Portland weather. Although it’s only ten minutes from the house, it was the first time the two of use had ever been there together. It’s on the Reed College campus and not well known, so I’d kind of forgotten about it.
- I ran into an old co-worker at the Goodwill Outlet and asked her to share any recent impressive finds. She told me about a framed piece of Prince Valiant artwork she sold for $1800 and a “pin up style skirt” that garnered a $900 eBay bid! Keep in mind, both of these items were bought by-the-pound! I just love stories of how professional dealers, (of which she is) who are able to recognize specific things and get them into the hands of people who appreciate them. Without the work of resellers, these items would have been forever lost.
- I listed a few items on eBay and Craigslist. No action as of yet, but the effort is minimal and the possible payoff will be worth my efforts.
- I hung laundry on the clothesline and let evaporation work its magic.
- 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
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi sherry, see previously posted feijoa recipes and comments. https://feijoafeijoa.wordpress.com/category/jams-jellies-preserves/
Yvette
Thank you!!!!!
My first FFT:
1. Burners were getting pretty rusted on our 12-year old gas grill. Thought about replacing the grill (even picked one out and added it to my online shopping cart), then decided to check out replacement burners. Got a set of 3 on Amazon for $27.00. They arrived today and work great. Saved $162.00 by resisting the temptation to buy the new grill.
2. We’re traveling this weekend, so cleaning out the fridge. Cooked up some Italian Sausage I bought on sale last week to have with Spaghetti tonight. Have enough for leftovers tomorrow night. Used a “copy cat” recipe for our daughter’s favorite Panera Cheddar Broccoli Soup. Much more frugal than buying it at Panera, and was able to use up some other items in fridge to avoid food waste (celery, half and half).
3. Submitted our healthcare reimbursement to get back our tax-deferred contributions.
4. Making a list of foods to pack for weekend trip to avoid wasting beach vacation time shopping for food, and save money by eating in for breakfasts and lunches.
5. Have been cleaning out our spare bedroom that has become overrun with clutter. Bought a curved Flex Steel sofa with a huge ottamon for $80 last year from a friend who was moving. Recently bought 160 sq. feet of hardwood flooring, that is currently selling for over $6 a sq. ft., for $200 on a local Facebook Yardsale site. This is the incentive I needed to get the room decluttered so DH can install the flooring! Will have a nice study when completed.
Welcome, Debbie. Good job on the grill burners!
Thanks for posting, Debbie. We love new people(and old ones too!)and new ideas here..I lurked for a long time before I ever posted, but when I did, I found posting to be so helpful in keeping with my goals and this group is great at problem solving. I’ve learned so much here. Anyway, I so agree with #4, not wasting vacation on shopping for food. I especially loathe long wait times to eat at touristy restaurants. Again, welcome!
1. I went to work and earned my dollars.
2. I’m working from home tomorrow, saving petrol and 2.5 hours of commuting.
3. My husband made a delicious stir fry for dinner using a packet of ALDI noodles, frozen veggies and about 200 grams of steak I sliced up and threw in the freezer for a quick meal just like this. We all enjoyed it.
4. The fire is going and keeping us cozy for almost nada.
5. I’ve been thinking about Gretchen Robin’s ‘Happiness Project’ and decided to start reading more and filling in my lunch breaks with a writing project rather than wasting my time on Facebook and twitter. I’ve decided to write a YA novel as a gift for my daughter. Hopefully she’ll enjoy it and I’ll have fun writing it. I’ve also read two books and listened to an audio book on my long commute, all from the library. Better than blowing my very minimal spare time feeling grumpy because I don’t get to do what I want.
If you are reading other YA novels to get in the mood, be sure to try The War That Saved My Life. Set in Britain during WWII. By Kate Saunders. Excellent on many levels. I have been giving it as gifts to all the young teens I know.
What a wonderful gift for your daughter- and what a wonderful gift to yourself in exercising your creativity. I am doing the same thing this summer-using my lunchtime to learn new skills instead of passively reading news or articles, all design to get me riled up.
1. My daughter graduates this week and her open house is on Saturday. I am catering it myself, shopping at Costco, Meijer and Aldi to pick up groceries. Costco crossaint sandwich platters are $30. I’m buying their crossaints from the bakery for $6 and buying meat and cheese to make myself, grandmas are helping with salads. I’ll make my own salads, veggie platter & dips etc.
2. Will reuse leftover balloons, streamers, cups and silverware leftover from her sisters graduation parties and bridal shower.
3. I will wear a dress to her graduation that I already own.
4. Borrowing platters and bowls,spoons and tongs from my Mom to serve the food on and with.
5. My husband nailed boards and stained our deck to make it last another year or two.
5. Years ago, I pulled up all the boards on my large, aging deck and turned them over to reveal the beautiful, almost new looking wood on the the underside, then screwed( instead of nailing them, like they were)them all back down. My deck is now needing to be replaced due the the failing framework but soon this got me almost 9 more years out of my deck.
Ugh, typos!
Wow, that’s awesome. My hubby replaced the boards on our deck two summers ago – the original boards had rotted out, after about 6-7 years…..and I mean, stick your foot through. We think the contractors who built the house just used whatever lumber was laying around for the deck.
Probably…..what bad business to use cheaper untreated lumber but, unfortunately, I have heard this before.
Yeah….found out after we’d lived here for maybe 6 months how poorly our house was constructed (new house used as a “model home” by the builder). They cut corners pretty much anywhere it wouldn’t show or be too obvious. It’s just a shame that companies do that, but it does happen. Live and learn – sometimes the hard way.
1. My daughter traded bags of no longer wanted clothing with a friend. The friend’s clothes she didn’t want were given to me. I kept some pants (I have a terrible time finding pants that fit me right) and a few tops. The rest I will pass along to a friend that has daughters that may be able to wear the clothes.
2. All meals at home the past week. I keep it simple and often make enough for more than one meal. We are not fussy.
3. Today I’ll take a friend to an appointment and then she’ll buy me lunch. We’ll have time to catch up and she’ll accomplish something important.
4. The weather is warmer so I’m walking early in the day, with my husband if he is up. Staying fit is healthy, as is being outside.
5. I spent last evening with friends that do charity knitting/crocheting. Cheap entertainment (often we are able to use donated yarn) and wonderful company.
Oh wow! I love hearing about how professional pickers can sell their wares for big bucks. 🙂
This week:
1. Today’s dinner consists entirely of ingredients from our pantry and freezer. We’re making a cornbread taco bake.
2. I baked goat cheese leek muffins and froze them for easy weekday breakfasts.
3. I make chicken biryani last night and froze extra portions for freezer meals. Aw yeah.
4. I turned old produce into protein smoothies. I froze them in silicone mini muffin tins so I could have the smoothies whenever I want.
5. I started doing workout videos on YouTube for free. It took me a while to find ones I liked, but I finally did, and I’m having a ball while working off a little bit of extra chubbiness lol.
Goat cheese leek muffins? Do you have a recipe?? (I got the goat cheese, I got the leeks, I got the motivation…)
Would you be willing to share the names of some of the videos you liked?
I would love to know the names also!!
Me, too, about the videos, please??
1. We reconsidered some of our purchases for our new home and were able to do without some and find less expensive versions of others on sale. Also used discount coupons every time we could.
2. Decided to try taking our dog with us to visit son’s family instead of boarding her. Will see how it goes LOL.
3. Using a dog groomer who works out of her home in our new town made for a less expensive, calmer and better doggie haircut.
4. Have committed to using our community yoga classes at $5 each instead of finding a new Pilates studio that would be much more expensive.
5. We are finding that we can happily live with one car so far!
1. I bought a Pampered Chef stoneware baker in excellent condition at a yard sale for $5 and sold it for $35 through a FB sale site.
2. Both of my hoses had leaks/misshapen ends. I fixed both with $2 replacement parts from the hardware store.
3. I bought a house with a very sad yard. My friend dropped off a big box of irises for me yesterday.
4. Moved a mid-century matching credenza and china cabinet out of the basement, abandoned by the old owners. Scrubbed them down with a vinegar solution, but they still smell of mildew. They look great, hoping the smell improves.
5. Have been walking to and from work nearly every day.
Try putting a dish of baking soda in the drawers of the credenza and china cabinet. Kitty litter may also work.
Or charcoal, even used charcoal will work.
Also, try putting crumpled-up newspaper in the drawers, and changing it frequently. I don’t know how hot it is where you live, but if it’s sunny and not too hot, I’d put the drawers out in the sun for a few hours for purifying UV. If it is very hot, I’m not sure I’d do that to the wood.
Both great ideas. I will try newspaper and baking soda today! Thank you both.
I’ve also read that used coffee grounds can help eliminate odors, though not sure about furniture (maybe put a pile of grounds on a plate?). I’ve nevet tried this myself.
Never tried this, I mean…. {sigh}
Liz B. – I love the smell of coffee. I should just rub a bunch of grounds right into the wood. What’s the worst that could happen?
Bettypants, sounds worth a try to me!:-) Maybe try it with dry/unused coffee, so you get the smell but the wood doesn’t get wet….? I love the smell of the coffee, too – while it’s brewing, when it’s in my cup, the smell of the grounds before you brew….:-)
1. We’ve been staying home as much as possible – 4 days out of the past 5. Passive frugality at work! It does help that we’re both retired and have a lot of flexibility in when we do things. We stay out of stores, and we don’t use any gasoline – win/win in my book!
2. Made another batch of leave-on conditioner – basically I squeeze a small dollop of conditioner into a small spray bottle, add water and shake it up. Conditioner lasts so much longer that way.
3. Since we’re trying to use up what beef remains from the last purchase, I made chili yesterday (we buy grass fed beef from a local farmer by the quarter – fantastic quality and everything is $3.69 per pound that way, including steak) . Put the crock pot in the screen room so it wouldn’t add heat to the house – not having air conditioning, we just don’t appreciate the extra heat in summer the way we do in winter. A couple of quarts of chili have been added to the freezer.
4. We have a ridiculous amount of lawn considering we live on the edge of a national forest. The house came with a lawn tractor, but that thing scares me on the hills. Used the old walk-behind mower to cut some of the lawn yesterday. Uses way less gasoline than the lawn tractor, and I got lots of free exercise – an extra 10,000 steps worth. Another double win.
5. Spent some quality time organizing the two storage bins in the bathroom – the ones that contain all the drugstore type items. It was a mess, but everything’s in its place now. No buying duplicates of things I don’t need, and I won’t “need” to buy any replacement items for at least 4 months.
#5 – That’s what I love about organizing with baskets and storage bins – no duplicate purchases! I found those plastic baskets w/handles in the front at the Dollar Tree and they are perfect for organizing bottles and jars. It sure tones down the clutter.
This week, it’s WilliamB’s Long-Term Savings edition.
1. Packed for vacation in advance, including snacks. No wasting money buying things at the last minute or whilst away. I joined all the hotels’ clubs to get free wi-fi and other goodies. As necessary I will ask for fridges and microwaves for the room. Some of my reading material is mindless mysteries bought for $.25 – $.50 each, which I will leave behind when I’m done.
2. Checking credit card to see which offers the best deals on purchases abroad. General rule of thumb is that a good credit card deal has lower exchange rate costs than exchanging cash.
3. Roommate and I are switching off taking care of the dog on our various vacations. Some days I will need a dog walker; other days are covered dog-loving neighbors are doing that for us. The same neighbors are taking the dog for the weekend that both roommate and I are away. This will cost me a nice souvenir from my vacation and is much happier for the dog than a kennel.
4. Deep freezer is absolutely stuffed with on-sale meat and inexpensive buys. Deep freezer is now organized and inventory list is up-to-date. Managed properly, it should provide main dish food – other than chicken – for a couple of months.
5. Continued to use toiletries bought in volume and on sale. Note to self: look for deals on toothpaste.
Life Happens Event: my ancient, hand-me-down Kindle 2.0 finally gave up the ghost. After much pondering I decided that it was worth replacing it. I chose the second-cheapest option and successfully downloaded all previously purchased or downloaded books.
1. Our neighborhood had a power outage this past week due to “animal interference”. I put out all our candle holders which held stubs of old candles that I collect to burn just at times like this. We spent the night reading. My neighbors spent the night riding around in their car charging up their cell phone.
2. We had a water outage yesterday (strange week!) due to a pipe break. We continued our daily lives and cooked a full meal last night. We were unable to wash the dishes but I was able to rinse them with water we had in the refrigerator (we keep water bottles filled). Today the water is back on and I have washed the dishes. Proud we did not use no water as an excuse to eat out.
3. We ate our first summer garden vegetables last night! Not sure if it is frugal or not, but nothing beats homegrown.
4. This week I sewed a kimono from a vintage sheet that looks very 1970s. Have worn it three times and received compliments each time. I also am repairing my husband’s jeans and making pillows for a friend who will pay me.
5. In the past three weeks, I have read two library books that will help my frugal journey (“The Curated Closet” and “Making It: Radical Home Ec”), listened to “Zero Waste Home” while I did my housework, finished the bestseller “A Man called Ove” borrowed from a friend, and read another book I picked up at a thrift store which I am now returning for someone else to enjoy. Mostly free entertainment and learning!
Patti – thank you for listing the books! I have just written down Making It to request via inter-library loan next time I am there.
Geez, Patti, your neighborhood sounds just like my neighborhood. Squirrels semi-occasionally commit squirrelicide on our street’s electrical transformer, so I keep an assortment of thrifted candles on hand–and I keep multiple gallon jugs of water on hand in case our sad old Rust Belt city’s aging pipes fail on us yet again.
(And at the rate it’s been raining on us lately, our rain barrels are overflowing, so we could flush and wash with the contents of those. Wish I could ship some of this H2O to you folks in drought areas.)
I definitely need to head to the Goodwill Outlet! My frugal activities include:
1) Last week, I concentrated on getting the refrigerator cleaned out. I planned meals to use up the bits and pieces that were hiding in there. Unfortunately, there was a casualty or two. :-(. I really hate to waste food! This week, I am working on the freezer and pantry. As I dug around the freezer, I found 6 chicken carcasses. So, I took down my pressure cooker and made 3 batches of stock. I froze 9.5 quarts to be used later. I picked all the meat from the bones and made a chicken casserole of my own invention. It was not my favorite but edible. There is some broccoli in there. Mane I will turn that into soup like Debbie from Delaware.
2) I had some bananas that were rather ripe, so I made a huge batch of banana nut waffles and froze them for future breakfasts. I also made some granola using up the honey and nuts.
3) DH travels for business and has a ton of loyalty points. I made reservations for a wedding that we are attending in September. Our accommodations will be free!
4) I am reading Lab Girl which I checked out from the library. I also checked out a couple of episodes of Foyle’s War. Free entertainment!
5) I went to the farmer’s market this weekend. Fresh cantaloupe, tomatoes and cucumbers. What could be better?
Bee – I love Foyle’s War! Initially I chose it knowing virtually nothing about it, except that the library had MANY seasons of it. We had just gotten rid of cable while living in DC and I was hoping for something that would last awhile. What a great show…
I haven’t watched (yet), but I’ve heard good things about Foyle’s War. Will have to check my local library….thanks for the reminder!
1. My sister and I had a garage sale and I only brought back into the house some things I had not yet tried on etsy – everything else to the thrift store.
2. My best friend’s son is having his graduation party this coming Sunday – I will go as the kitchen helper as she did for me at our daughter’s wedding last fall. Her plan was to buy all ready made food at Costco but we priced out doing at least some ourselves and we are splitting up the prep to save her some $$.
3. My husband needs new athletic shoes and was going to go out yesterday to shop but stayed home when I pointed out we had plans for today that is in the same neighborhood.
4. I have 2 nephews – 16 and 12 – coming to spend the weekend. I am shopping today for meals while they are here trying to avoid any takeout. Now I just have to think of things for them to do so they are not tied to their phones!
5. Have a giant stack of library books both here at home as well as waiting on the hold shelf at the library – I have to do some serious reading!!
1. I finally cleaned out the deep freeze, and turned it off. I am happy not to be using the electricity if we don’t need it.
2. Found a couple more things to post to ebay, and I continue clearing out space in the sheds. It’s getting to the point that I wouldn’t be ashamed if someone else saw them! (Except for my ebay piles.)
3. Going out to a Chinese buffet tonight, free, as a banquet for our 4H club. Fundraising over the year has contributed to this event, so we have no cost except for the time we’ve put in to petting zoos.
4. Our loquat tree is producing way after all the other ones in the neighborhood, and my family is no longer excited about loquats. So I am drying them to use in lieu of raisins the rest of the year.
5. Nothing exciting to mention, as we spent the last few days at home. Sunday afternoon we competed for turns to sit in the hammock and read our library books. I bought the hammock and stand roughly 10 years ago at a garage sale, and it’s still comfy!
#2: I don’t see why piles of things to ebay would be a cause of shame. Look at all that stuff you’re extending the useful life of!
Mine for the week:
1. made 2 batches of Vegan Banana Bread with very ripe bananas. Brought one to work (lasted about 35 minutes) and froze the other one to bring another day in the future.
2. Spent saturday afternoon/evening watching my twin grand-nieces in a dance competition not far from my home. They are amazing dancers and their group won 4 ribbons, 3 trophies and the grand prize. Brought my niece, her 3 daughters and their 3 friends out to dinner at a diner not far from there. Wow, 5, 14-15 year olds can EAT!!! worth the money though. (haven’t been able to treat anyone for years, so this was definitely worth it!)
3. my son graduated last sunday and we are having a taco fest on saturday with immediate family. i already had the ground beef in the freezer and the cheese bought on a ridiculously low sale price as well as refried beans on sale. only needed taco shells, tortilla chips and soft tortillas.
4. Since i do not like using paper plates for anything and only have 8 dinner plates (with 12 people coming), i remembered something…i have my mother-in-laws parents’ china – a set of 16. Best thing is….my sons’ middle name is her maiden name, so i’m using Dixon China for A. Dixons’ graduation party! I have more than enough cotton napkins for wiping the taco sauce off our chins. Dessert will be ice cream novelties bought on a special weekend sale with coupons. Total cost for the celebration will be around $25. 🙂
5. Jeepy needs over $1000 in work (and it has 237k miles). getting too expensive to keep it going – for me anyway. transferred money into checking and picked up a 2015 civic with 6,000 miles on it ($1k below KBB value) for the boy. He gets free lifetime vacuum/washes and can help himself to anything at their ‘cafe’ for free while waiting (sandwiches, salad, soda, ice cream, desserts, it goes on and on). if he goes on a wednesday, he can also get a free shoe-shine in their dealership.
I hope #5 doesn’t make me sound like i bought a gold plated apartment in the sky! I wouldn’t want one of those anyway….i don’t think they would appreciate my clothesline 😉
Nancy – #5 sounds awesome! And like a longer term frugal investment in getting the car serviced. Enticements can make tedious things WAY more pleasant. And who couldn’t use a shoe shine every once in a while??? (I noticed I could on Sunday during church – oops…)
Thank you! I didn’t want it to sound like i’m fake-frugal! But sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet and buy a newer car. I mean, it was actually my Jeepy for 12 years before i bought myself a used car.
A Honda Civic will last forever! A good buy for your son. Congratulations to the both of you on his graduation.
Thank you, Nancy, for almost causing me to bust a gusset laughing over the thought of a clothesline dangling off the triple penthouse balcony of You-Know-Who’s Tower. DH and I have been a little short on laughs here on this aad rainy day.
especially when i hang the older, not-so-nice-looking underwear i keep for certain days! :O
Heh. I was imagining vintage sheets and soft calico things strung across that revolting living room – er, “grand salon”.
1. I finally won a years-long battle over the bill resulting from a medical coding error. Victory is mine! Take that universe!
2. Caught our internet service before it reset to the higher, non-introductory rate. Called and received the “deal” rate.
3. The wooden slide on the play set we bought used a few years ago had rotted out the bottom. We bought the wood to fix it at Lowes with a 10% off coupon, and my husband fixed it himself.
4. I go through phases where I really don’t want to plan meals. I’ve been in one of those phases for the past week. Luckily my family has happily eaten a collection of sandwiches and salads that have been easy for my husband and me to pull together.
5. I haven’t been grocery shopping yet this week, mostly because we have been eating sandwiches and because I went on Saturday night. I’ll have to go in the next day or two, but it is nice to feel like I am spending less money this week.
Glad to hear the good news on the medical bill! I had fought many a medical bill in the last 5 years and if you don’t back down, you eventually win.
Congratulations about the medical bill. I agree about fighting and staring them down. The range of “mistakes” my insurance company has made over the years is appalling. My least favorite frugal job but sometimes one of the most lucrative.
I fell off the cooking and meal-planning wagon a few months ago. My current meal plan is : hunk of meat; raw, steamed, or sauteed veggie; plain fruit. The hunk of meat is decided by what I want to pull from the freezer, having been previously bought on sale. Options include sausage, shrimp, ribs, pork chops, ground meat (which gets a bit of cooking into Chinese, burgers, or tacos), top round, and dumplings. It’s not exactly cooking but it is frugal.
My young teen son plays on a baseball travel team and between games, tournaments, and practices it’s a lot of driving around, late dinners, and catch as can meals. I have totally fallen off the meal planning and cooking wagon, too. I feel like it is a victory when I can get dinner on the table at home. We eat lots of sandwiches, burrito bowls, and quick pasta.
1) Tenants left an astonishing mess when they moved out of our rental home. Hubs and daughters dropped unopened food – boxes and boxes! – at a local teen shelter, clothes at Goodwill, and packed books up to sell. We kept a bunch of toiletries, including several unopened packages of razor blades. Don’t they know how expensive those are?? I can’t imagine throwing them away.
2) Got all the veggie starts planted – this is a rarity for me. I like to support local greenhouses, but it’s no good if the plants dry out before I get them in the ground. Worked well into the dark a couple of evenings after work and got it done.
3) I’ve taken to freezing the really good leftovers for another night’s dinner, especially when there are mediocre leftovers in the fridge. Double frugal score: dinner is ready to thaw and eat, and the mediocre stuff gets eaten when it’s the only choice.
4) Stopped at Grocery Outlet for veggies but the selection was a bit meh. Found 5lb blocks of provolone and mozzarella cheese for under $2/lb. Bought one of each plus some salami and have been making AMAZING sandwiches instead of eating vegetables.
5) 4 of the 5 kids had minor crises yesterday. The temptation to fix them by spending $ was overwhelming! But instead of jumping on a plane or transferring $ to their accounts, we gave 3 of them encouragement (hours and hours of encouragement – thank goodness for text and IM) and they solved their own problems. #4 we did intervene, as hers was medical and she needed a ride to the doctor. Then we took #5 out for half-price Sonic slushies after her end of year elementary band concert. It definitely worked out in her favor.
1. Thanks to lessening foot pain — yay! for health insurance — I’ve been able to cook a lot more lately at home. Savings plus better nutrition than everyone eating sandwiches and store-bought frozen stuff.
2. Did all the usual: brought my home-cooked lunch and drinks from home, along with reusable containers, a homemade cloth napkin, and my own Spork; hung laundry to dry on the rack & pole in the laundry room; wore cute thrifted/secondhand stuff every day.
3. Mended several blouses and a pair of slacks. Sewed a patch on my son’s favorite jeans using some fabric bought on sale last year.
4. Refurbished a pair of battered-looking natural leather sandals by carefully applying a dark brown liquid polish. The leather soaked up the new color and looks great. Now I can wear them to work, which is great because they’re very comfortable.
5. My favorite thrift shop is moving way across town, but on my final visit this weekend, I snagged a big pillow sham made of heavy-duty fabric for $2 to turn into a dog bed for our oldest dog.
I was on vacation last week, so I’m only partly frugal 🙂
1. Brought snacks/lunch to the airport for our flight on the way to our destination. Also stopped at the store and bought staples to cut down on eating out.
2. Drank mostly free coffee and water while on vacation.
3. Purchased a couple of meals for my parents when we went out-frugal for them and happy for me.
4. Cleaned out my fridge before I left and ate most of the elderly inhabitants to avoid food going bad while I was gone.
5. Planned a new grocery list for this week to stock up on things while sticking to our budget.
1. I went to yardsale this past weekend and found tons of name brand, stylish clothes that were new with tags for my kids to start school in. I have to be careful about my yardsale purchases for kids clothes because last year my daughter was made fun of for wearing a North face jacket( very awesome jacket, btw) that had someone’s name written in it. I know I should teach her to be strong and assertive against issues like this but I just want to avoid this altogether.
2. We purchased a coop for our chickens. Not frugal at all but after we figured the cost of what it would probably take to build one that was similar, it was a deal. Hopefully, we will get fresh eggs soon.
3. I have been holding out on buying a couch for awhile. Approximately, 9 years to be exact. So I finally purchased one yesterday that was 75% off and had a promo code that took off another $74. The couch I have is huge and is terrible condition because my cat scratched off practically all of the faux leather. So I finally got what I wanted for a good price.
4. I got a can of sloppy jo sauce on clearance to go with ground beef I froze a few weeks ago. There should be enough leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, too. I usually make sloppy jo sauce myself but dumping a can into already cooked meat then spooning on a bun and done sounds so easy with all the housework I have planned tonight. Whew! That was a long sentence, lol.
5. I have been very puzzled lately because I lost some chicken. Not a live chicken but a family pack my husband bought. I specifically remembered cutting it down into meal sized portions then wrapping them to be froze individually. I refused to buy more because I felt like they were somewhere. We have 2 freezers, including the refrigerator/freezer so things can become somewhat misplaced. I looked in all freezers, several times, and had others look behind me. I became convinced I threw them away. Then last night, I looked one last time and they had somehow slid down inside the freezer all the way to the bottom. I literally had to go diving to retreive them but at least I didn’t have to buy more chicken.
Is there a way you could put something over the name in your daughter’s jacket (or similar attire) to disguise the previous owner’s name? Maybe even get some of those “this belongs to” tags. I know they are pricey for what they are, but if it allows you to buy used clothes it might be worth it.
It was written at the edge of the tag so I was able to cut the name off, unfortunately, only after I discovered it was a problem. This then cause more problems because the kid noticed it had been cut out***sigh. I learned this hard mommy lesson, though. Also, I have never been a fan of cutting tags off of clothes because I have a younger girl so I will need to know the size in the future, how to clean,makes them harder to resell, etc. I will cover a name with some of these suggestions the future, thanks!
You can buy bias tape or ribbon to sew over the name in the clothes.
1. I drove 3 and a half, or four hours north (I forgot to look at the clock when I left), and visited with relatives, decorated the graves of our other set of relatives, and drove back. I had decorated, the weekend previously, another set of relatives’ graves (those relatives were buried closer to where I currently live). My cousin bought me lunch, since I bought the grave flowers, and drove up there. There were leftovers from lunch, so I brought them home with me and ate them for supper. I went through two beautiful national forests so I enjoyed the drive, but I was pooped when I returned home. However, I did not have to spend money on a hotel, nor on a meal, so I was happy to spend on gas only. I did spend on an oil change and a tire check before my trip, but it was worth the $35.00, and it was time for an oil change, so that worked out perfectly.
2. I bought a $3.00 blouse, for work, at the Salvation Army. I wore it to work and was complimented on it…lol.
3. I walked at the park by the river and enjoyed the Spanish Moss hanging down from the trees, and the shade the trees provided, because it is so humid now.
4. I bought chicken thighs for 44 cents a lb. I also made free crispy dandelion leaves in the oven, while the chicken was cooking. Eggs are expensive here, I bought them for 69 cents a dozen. I have seen them, recently, as high as $1.40 a dozen.
5. I washed out the filter for the air conditioner, and let it air dry, rather than buying a new one. I turned it on for the first time this year, yesterday, because of how humid it was here, and it worked fine.
Last month, my sister and I took our mom to visit the Rhodie garden over by Reed. Soooo beautiful! It was absolutely lovely, AND they had a wheelchair to loan out so we pushed our mom around since there’s a lot of walking. On a frugal front – if one isn’t borrowing the wheelchair, there’s no charge for visiting if you show up before 10am.
1) In prep for a LONG road trip with two small kids, I visited the county library’s used book store. $0.25 per kids CD? $0.50-$1.50 for kids books? Yes please! I don’t want to have to worry about leaving books behind at rest stops, or kids destroying things- hence not from the library or borrowed.
2) In prep of said road trip, I hit the Dollar Tree for coloring books, bubbles (rest stops) and sun glasses. Since they’ll probably lose the sun glasses before we hit the second state line, I didn’t want to worry about higher-quality glasses. Once they can prove that they can not lose/ abuse things for at least a summer, I’ll spring for better UVA/ UVB blocking glasses.
3) Poked my husband to apply for childcare reimbursement from the fund he set aside before he was laid off- $713 pre-tax dollars and I’m feeling better about making it to the end of the month.
4) Participating in a health care study that should result in a $75 gift card to a local retailer. Woo hoo!
5) Continuing to take the bus, pack lunches, make my coffee at home, and clothe the family primarily in second hand clothes.
In the past we’ve downloaded audiobooks from LibreVox (sp?). They have free stories that you can load to your ipod (or whatever) for listening to. We loved the Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit, and there are a bunch of classics. Everything is free and the books are all in the public domain.
On a recent car trip, my teenage son decided to bring a frisbee and attempted to throw it over each state line as we crossed (some weren’t possible, as they were on bridges). He then wrote the new state in Sharpie on the frisbee. It gave us a chance to stretch our legs and created a frugal and small memento of the 4,000-mile trip!
1. Reading library book.
2. Attending a crochet class at library tonight.
3. Attended our quilting group at the library yesterday.
(See a common theme here? Our library is the best asset
of our community.)
4. Brewed a large pitcher of iced tea, much healthier and more frugal than sodas.
5. Made a favorite pasta salad meal last night. Made a great lunch today. And will be for at least another lunch or two.
1) Commuted to work today on public transportation. My monthly pass is just $7 through my employer.
2) Made stovetop popped corn, much cheaper and yummier than microwave.
3) Picked up a season of Modern Family from the library. We adore this show!
4) Read a library book on the train today ( and every day!!).
5) Drank iced tea at home instead of stopping for iced coffee. Iced coffee is my Kryptonite on the summer!!
1. Sold 6 books for $50 to a friend for her grandson (each retails for $23, so it was a deal) and the remaining 26 are going to a librarian who’s part of a FB group I’m part of, for $125. Not bad for books that were given to me in the first place!
2. Went to a local all-day festival which features dozens of yard sales – bought two brand-new Magic Tree House books for 50 cents each, which will be good birthday/Xmas gifts for the future. We were in town for a party, so had dinner there, but we did buy some food truck food for lunch. Not frugal, particularly, but we love food truck food and it was a nice treat!
3. Bought my granddaughter 6 pieces of cute summer clothes for a total of $3 at the humane society rummage sale.
4. I put out the word at school that any books that were put out on the teacher freebie table (where the teachers put anything they’re giving away at the end of the school year) and left over on Friday could go in my mailbox. I’ll take them in for credit to the local used book store and use the credit on more books for the collection. Frugal for the school!
5. Kroger had marked-down packages of silicone baking sheets out the other day, 2 sheets for $4. I bought 2, one for my kitchen and one for a Xmas gift.
1. I went to a local church’s Strawberry Festival last Saturday. I got a tiered worm bin for $4. I had freecycled the one I made from a plastic storage bin, as it dripped worm water on the basement floor and I had difficulties separating the worms from their castings.
2. I bought a sturdy rolling grocery cart for $6, as I can’t carry anything without my legs going to sleep. It needed a cotter pin and new tape for the handles, but still a bargain.
3. Ate another 21 meals without visiting restaurants. Hung laundry outdoors. Walked to the library.
4. A friend gave me a 5 pound cauliflower from her garden. Consulted my Vegan Richa cookbook and made roast herbed cauliflower and radish for dinner last night and tonight. A great recipe. I have more pounds and will make Richa’s Indian caul/potato dish for my quilting potluck tomorrow.
5. I’ve been seesawing between anxious and depressed, so I washed 20 of my 25 windows, and laundered the sheers in our bedroom–it feels like a new and brighter house. And it’s hard to be really down while washing windows.
I love Vegan Richa’s recipes! Her GF Sweet Potato Blondies are a favorite snack bar recipe!
1. Worked in the garden three hours every night and finally got everything transplanted or direct-seeded.
2. Peaches were on an astonishing sale, for Alaska: 99 cents a pound. Bought 25 pounds and made peach amaretto jam and peach peel jelly with the peels I’d removed for the jam. After making the first step of the peel jelly, I strained out the cooked peels and put them in a bowl to take out to compost. While I was in the bathroom, my Dane knocked the bowl off the counter and gobbled up the cooked peels. The only thing wasted out of the 25 pounds was the pits! That dog will eat anything and never seems to have an upset stomach. One time I made real lemonade and he knocked over the bowl of rinds headed for the compost and ate those. (He is over 6 feet tall when he stands up, so can reach as far as the kitchen wall behind the counters. Sometimes I forget and leave stuff within his reach.)
3. Husband and I had to get our teeth cleaned. Waited an extra month so that we could have it done at the same time—hard to get both hygienists free at the same time. By going together tomorrow, saves us gas money.
4. Have not purchased pop in a month—pretty much a record for us. Drinking home made iced tea.
5. A friend who is always telling me my hair is cut poorly (husband cuts it), won a gift certificate to a hair salon and since her daughter is a stylist so she has no need for it, gave the certificate to me as an early birthday present. I finally dragged myself there (I hate wasting time driving to and from, listening to aimless talking and hearing a rock radio constantly playing…) and was horrified to find out that $50 would only pay for one appointment. I told the owner so and she said, “Well, you look old enough to qualify for social security (I don’t but I am totally grey) and we have an old people’s rate (needs some help with public relations) plus if you let one of our students cut your hair, and don’t want a shampoo or styling with a dryer after the cut, I’ll give you two hair cuts for your $50 certificate. Sold! She made a note on the card so at Christmas I’ll go back for a holiday cut. The student did a great job. $50 for a cut!!! Am I out to lunch to think this is excessive?
Frugal fail: I wanted a new book and the library has not acquired it yet and has a rule about not getting inter-library loans on books less than six months old…so I bought it. I had a 20% off coupon but I would have paid full price. I am not good at delayed reading gratification.
I don’t know how much a haircut costs in the US but in Australia that is not excessive at all. Also considering it was a gift certificate and they were donating the service, and you didn’t pay for the certificate in the first place, it seems strange to me that you would argue the cost of a (to you) free service.
Because even if it is a gift, $50 is excessive to my mind for a plain old haircut. If I were getting my hair washed and cut and styled, it might be more reasonable, but cutting already short hair is not worth $50. I’ve gone to a barber in town and he charged me $15 for the same service, and this place charges a man only $22 for a haircut, so why do they charge $50 for a woman who has hair short as a man? But I had not thought of the donated part of it, I have to admit. Good reminder if this sort of thing happens again…
Women’s and men’s short hair cuts are different (I have short hair). A women’s style cut is not a ‘short back and sides’ like a men’s cut. It’s fiddlier and is harder to make look good. A longer hair cut is actually quicker and easier than a short cut from my observation (from watching my daughter get her long hair cut). My short hair takes more time. Generally speaking women with short hair want more effort and time than men to make their hair look good. I’m making some sweeping generalisations on behalf of my gender, I’m aware.
I think it really depends on the salon and the location. The price of a haircut here ranges from $20 (small town) to $50 (larger town) and I live in a poor, rural area. I usually cut my own hair because I am cheap…..lol.
In my area, like Cindy said, it is variable. Some salons here charge $20, or even less, for a simple cute with no wash, style, etc. Across town, at a higher end salon, $50 will only get you a simple cut. Cost is all over the place for hair care services.
Katy, I love a good pickers story….who knew Prince Valiant would fetch such a price?:-)
I had a pretty spendy week….got sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis….doctor’s office visit co-pay + $80 in meds (!!). Hubs didn’t want to cook along with juggling everything else, so lots of carry-in meals. There were a few frugal moments, though:
1) Found some shorts and pants for my son (that he can wear next year) in the thrift store clearance bin, $1.50 per pair.
2) Did finally make a home cooked dinner on Sunday night, with mostly foods from our freezer, frig and pantry (I did buy fresh green beans).
3) used a coupon to save on frozen custard from our favorite local shop. Decided it’s still a bit too expensive, so hubs and I have vowed to try making it ourselves (I already have an ice cream machine). Strawberry is hubby’s favorite, so that’s the first flavor to try.
4)Bought an inexpensive pot of flowers for my son’s math tutor, who was just inducted into our local school district Hall of Fame. My son was so excited to give it to her, and she was surprised and delighted, which makes me happy.
5) I didn’t buy ANYTHING gold plated or vulgar.;-)
1) Batched errands the last two days. Yesterday was bank, vet and two family visits. Today was hair cut, farther away library and Staples.
2) Roasted chicken from Sunday became Monday’s chicken pie (aka”chicken and biscuits” in some parts of the USA) for us and for lovely neighbors. And two quarts of chicken broth for freezer.
3) Cleaning our rental unit today I found the grocery receipt from the most recent renters. They left quite a few groceries behind so I was actually able to calculate the value with their receipt. Total of what they left was $18. 45! I was looking forward to telling you all that since Dear Wife was supportive, but not nearly as excited about this calculation as I was…
4) The down side of the most recent renters is that they did not recycle or compost ANYTHING during their stay. How can you spend all day enjoying the beauty of the outdoors while mountain biking and not care about the environment??? This boggles the mind. The upside is that I was able to sort their garbage (ick) and now have a bag of recyclables and a bag of cans/bottles to return for money. And half the amount of actual trash – which we pay for by the bag.
5) Crossing our fingers that tomorrow will actually be warmer and dry (days and days of unseasonably cold rain here) so that we can plant the garden. The flat of starts is patiently waiting outside and the packets of seeds have been calling to us for days.
Hurray for free groceries! My other half would not get overly excited by the prospect of free food either, but I love him anyway. 🙂 I wish I understood why some of us are more frugal than others.
A
1. Used a coupon for a free mini bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes which just opened up. It was SOOO good. And I waited until I had to go to Costco to go as the cake place was right across the street from Costco.
2. Hosted a transition luncheon for the new board members of the Newcomers group that I’ve been president of for the last two years. Got a bunch of food and drinks from Costco which was paid for by the organization. There is a lot of stuff left over so I’ve been eating stuff for lunch and snacks, etc. That just reminded me that I’ve got some leftover key lime pie in the basement refrigerator!
3. Our neighbors moved and were getting rid of some bikes and clothes. We don’t need them but there are some refugee kids that are in my son’s soccer club that could really use them. The bike just needed a tube for the tire and a cleaning so my husband got the tube at the store and will deliver the bikes and clothes to practice tomorrow night.
4. Project Use it Up: Bath and Body Works Georgia Peach candle, another hotel lotion from our spring break trip to Ireland
5. Have been looking on Instagram at the hashtag “shop your closet” for inspiration on wearing the clothes I own and putting together different outfits. And making a point to wear ALL my clothes other than the handful that I typically reach for. I spent money at one point on these clothes, I’d like to actually get use out of them and not feel like it’s wasted money just sitting in my closet not being used. Use it or get rid of it! That’s kind of the theme I’m going with through a lot of areas of my life!
3. So generous and lovely of you!
Most of my stuff is what I’ve already read from other contributors, but here goes:
1, Made big pitchers of iced tea and lemonade for inexpensive summer drinking. Lemons are expensive but had a bag on hand.
2. Noticed a couple of themes that runs through these posts and I would be remiss not to point them out – support for public parks and libraries. They are wonderful community assets – need to make sure elected officials fund them properly. It is often easiest to cut these services first. They are the most fun, frugal and educational activities around. They really represent good use of tax dollars.
3. Made a cake for DH today even if it is hot. Gourmet Bakery cake is better but way too expensive for everyday eating.
4. Stayed home today for a no spend effort.
5. Trying to get into the routine of making sure I have menu plans in place along with enough flexibility to make use of leftovers – they are not always a popular choice.
Not sure I’ll be able to come up with five, but posting just to keep myself honest:
1. In Philly for work this past weekend, took train to/from center city hotel saving taxpayers $70-80 off cost of taxi (I’m a public employee)
2. Had a little free time, did mostly free walking to see the (beautiful) city, had pre-booked a free ticket to Independence Hall (so cool); frugal fail: did splurge $25 (my own money of course) to see Barnes Foundation art collection
3. While in Philly also splurged on a pair of summer linen shorts, frugal(ish) because purchased at consignment store for $12 (85% off retail)
4. Took bus to/from work yesterday
5. husband wanted to go to our neighborhood restaurant (and I was totally pooped after work) but tried to keep it frugal by sharing a small nachos with daughter — kept the cost for the two of us down to $8.50 for dinner (husband alas not so frugal in his choice of shrimp tacos)
I would love to go to Independence Hall. I have been to many other historical sites and landmarks. I always find it a moving experience.
I went to college in Philly. It is a great city!
I think a $25 splurge that enriches your mind and soul is well worth it.
1. Made a 1/2 gallon of cold brew coffee concentrate with my Toddy brewer which I bought years ago at a church sale for 50¢. Used Aldi fair trade coffee so $4.99 for many afternoon treats of chilled happiness!
2. A new GW opened near my friend’s house and I was going to be in the area so we met there. I found a few needs, a few wants, several items for resale and some items that will be gifted. I was thrilled to find to curtain panels that had large wooden drapery rings with clips. The panels were $2.50 each and I will probably use the fabric for reusable grocery bags as I was after the drapery rings. There were 22 in all and the retail on them is $8 each at Ethan Allen. Now I can make my draperies that have been on my project list for quite some time. Also, my friend and I exchanged items we had for each other. I came home with 4 new athletic shirts for DS#1 that her son received for being in pro tennis tournaments and didn’t need. She went home with 4 yards of bubble gum pink light weight canvas that she will sew into things for her granddaughters.
3. The cherries on the sour cherry tree at the gas station near our community entrance are ripe. This is the third year I have been able to pick the cherries. I’ve picked about 15 lbs. so far. I will pit them later today, using a paper clip, which is the best cherry pitter. Then let the pie filling and jam making begin. Yummy!
4. Saturday was on my calendar for weeks to go to a church sale, the annual yard sale at our community college and the community sale at the neighborhood next to ours. All within 2 miles of my house. My purchase highlights were a rope hammock for $5, new much needed heavy duty floor mats for my car for $2, new 5 piece setting of Fiesta for a gift, a NWT apron for $1 that will be a bridal shower gift. I also met the new owner of the house where I picked pears years ago. She invited me to come pick all I want when they ripen and apples too! I will give her some of my pear cinnamon jam in exchange.
5. Took 2 bags of books to used bookstore. They took half and I got $25.25 credit. The rest of the books will be donated.
The best sale I ever made was for a set of hideous porcelain kitty cat spice jars. My husband’s late aunt was a hoarder and would buy things and never open the packages. My MIL gave us the spice jars after she died and I was shocked to find they were highly coveted on Ebay. One person’s hideous schlock is another person’s treasure!
Hello All!
1) Bought sofa for my house via Craigslist. It’s, a big cream colored, feather and down wrapped sofa that I got for $550. Barely used for two years, and originally retailed for $1200. I need to Scotchguard it but otherwise the sofa is in perfect condition! Next up- a leather armchair I have been stalking for a couple of days.
2) I half tamed the yard using manual implements and borrowing my neighbors lawn mower!
3) Instead of a movie for Cheap Tuesday, I went for a neighborhood bike ride in the beautiful early evening we have in Portland.
4) No take out month is off to a great start. One of my favorite dishes, chicken nachos with guacamole & salsa, was easy to make and cost maybe $1.50/serving whereas buying the same amount in a restaurant would have cost me $8. I made saril/Jamaica in a big jar and that maybe cost a $1. I have packed lunches – yogurt carrots salad boiled egg green smoothie- and all of that is like $3-4/day. Also: discovered a store called Grocery Outlet, where I bought super affordable yogurt for 2/$1 or 3/$1 and bags of mini avocadoes for $3.49, so I can have all the avocado toast I want and not lose my house. I also bought 3 pounds of butter for $0.97 per pound- putting the excess butter in the freezer.
5) I also bought day old bread from a bakery in town- a sack of challah and sourdough rolls for $2. French breakfast of homemade cafe au lait and a challah roll with a tartine of butter is wonderful luxury.
1. Mowed the front yard this morning; there’s still edging & trimming, but I’ll get the weed-whacker out this evening when it cools off.
2. Have been eating out of the freezer for the past couple of weeks. More freezer room for this year’s garden, plus using up older things and no letting them get past their prime. (Also no additional expense.)
3. Sold a lot of culled-from-my-shelves books – the interesting thing was that all my high-end volumes sold, and only the cheap ones were left behind. I let some friends pick over the remains, and take what they liked; the rest can go into the next charity pickup.
4. A friend gave me some fancy canned cat-food that her cats wouldn’t touch. Mine thought it was great. (I gave her some fresh catnip in return, as I have tons growing.)
5. A friend gave us a lot of venison chops for a club barbeque – we decided that they’d work better as kabobs, so I will thaw them, cut them up, and marinate them, and use the bones to make stock. (The friend’s mother’s neighbor loves to hunt, but his wife hates game meat, so he gives much of it away to friends.)
Thank you so much for seeing that, without re-sellers like myself, good stuff would actually go completely & utterly to waste! We often get told off here in the UK for “ripping off” the charities (similar to Goodwill) by acquiring stuff fairly cheap then selling it on in the right places. But I’m not stopping them doing the same, just taking advantage of opportunities they’ve missed! And I put work into the things I sell on; clean them up, make sure they’re working properly, present them carefully, find the right market for them. I also have no quibble with people who buy from me, then take things elsewhere & sell them for more; they’re using their knowledge & connections to their advantage, and that’s the absolute essence of trade.