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My son and I meandered through a nearby neighborhood that had just closed shop on a community garage sale day. Many residents had just shoved their stuff to the front of their property with a “FREE” sign, which worked quite nicely for me. We scored so much amazing stuff including a large amount of newborn clothing, (which I’m gifting to a very gravid co-worker) a complete Yakima rack, three boxes of labeled fossils and minerals, vintage jewelry, a fitted twin sheet, two matching pillow cases, two pairs of jeans, a pretty lampshade, hangers for my clothesline, two great towels, a shrink-wrapped blu-ray of Julia & Julia, a fancy Italian drawer organizer, a new-with-tags West Elm pillow, two life vests and then more Yakima rack components! This is only about half of what we brought home. Worry not that I have developed sudden onset hoarding, and I’ll be selling most of what I took, although I am keeping the sheets and towels for our own personal use. Sadly, we didn’t have room in the car for the above wobbly, but fixable mission-style desk.
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My sister and niece are visiting from New York right now, so I put together a burrito buffet for last night’s dinner. This worked perfectly to accommodate everyone’s individual food restrictions, as people could assemble exactly the burrito they were craving. The day had been hot with a peak temperature of 102°, so I placed the bubbling crock pot of pinto beans on my front porch to avoid heating up the kitchen. (It’s my summer trick and likely confuses the poor mail carrier.)
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My son is taking two community college classes this summer, which he’ll transfer over to the state university where he’s a student. These classes are much cheaper and work perfectly to give his summer some structure. Sadly, the store where he’d worked for four (five?) years shuttered its doors, so he didn’t have a job lined up.
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I earned some extra money by helping my mother clean her rental cottage. The place had been not well treated, and it took me over two hours to clean the kitchen, which is the size of the interior or my Prius.
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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.”
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{ 111 comments… read them below or add one }
WOW! sounds like you scored some great stuff from the free piles. What a great bonus towards the next tuition bill. Please do a post about how it all works out.
I loved the interview, Katy, how awesome. I think you have a new convert in that host.
What a score on all that free stuff – that’s amazing!
I’m a huge proponent of Community & 2 year colleges. My daughter rec’d her 2 year degree a few years back and she’s working on her Bachelors now. You can save a lot of money on college that way, if you don’t have scholarships or grants to work from.
1) I had a frozen meal here at work -which was handy for lunch today. I’ve decided I really like orange chicken and rice. It fills me up and the sweetness of the chicken soothes my sugar cravings.
2) My friend offered me her copy of The Shack to read, so I’ll pick it up next week when we have our monthly lunch together.
3) I found out Lemongrass essential oil is a flea & tick repellent, so I bought some to use on my two indoor chihuahuas – however, I found out you can’t put it on them “neat”, like you would flea & tick drops. It does work, but you have to dilute it. Fortunately, it didn’t burn them too bad, but just enough to leave a scabbed over sore and make me feel like a bad Pet Mom! 🙁
4) I’ve been listening to “Drop the Ball: Achieving More By Doing Less” by Tiffany Dufu on audiobook, during my work commute. I recommend this book for stressed out Moms, or anyone who feel they can’t keep up.
I discovered in the mean time I’m not as much of a perfectionist or overachiever as what I thought. I love to make lists and get things done, but I am by no means nor have I ever been as hard on myself as poor Tiffany. G
5) Our HE washer has been having issues with the spin cycle. I know it must be the computer board. Anyway, I had looked up a fix for it on YouTube once before, so I repeated the steps and it’s functioning again. I’m determined to figure it out myself, or wait until it goes completely out before I hire a repairman. It’s only about 5 years old and I refuse to replace it. I wish appliances lasted as long as they used to. In my book – they should last at least 15 – 20 years before they break down. Buh!
Ouvickie, thanks for that book recommendation. I’m putting it on my “to read/listen to” list!:-)
1.We ate homecooked meals all week
2.I won Laura Vanderkam’s abondoned books giveaway that I’ll be getting in the mail soon!
3. I used all the 10 coupons we saved for a free pepperoni pizza last Thursday
4. I got a few free health magazines from the library. I’ll be using them for my references for my second book writing!
5. Our friend gave us $50 Applebee’s gift card for our 9th wedding anniversary and we’ll be using them on Wednesday!
Wow, great score from the free piles! And that was a wonderful interview the other day.
1. My big one of the week was refurbishing our Mission armchair with $24 worth of upholstery fabric. Since what I bought used up the roll, the store charged me the sale price for the first yard and the rest was charged at the remnant price. Non-sale price would have been about $80.
2. Our chest freezer contents are getting low, and some stuff that’s been lost in the bottom is surfacing. Since it was down deep, it’s not freezer-burned. I turned some boneless pork ribs bought a year ago into a delicious pork in garlic-peanut sauce entree.
3. The Mister and I put up a bamboo fence ourselves. Free labor — yay!
4. Fished some discarded coupons from the waste paper basket at the supermarket and saved $2 on stuff I was already going to buy.
5. Brought home-cooked leftovers to work last week for my lunches.
I had a sick week last week, but I did manage to think of five frugal things. Mine are on my blog today: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2017/06/can-i-even-think-of-five-frugal-things/
1. Had accumulated enough points to get $1 off each gallon of gas, up to 25 gallons. My tank is only 20 gallons and I still had some in there so I figured I’d only use about 17 gallons. Dragged two gas cans with me and managed to use up all 25 gallons (dang, those cans are heavy when full!). I’ve done this before and later I just empty the gas cans into my car as I use up what is in the tank.
2. Finishing a back porch project, replacing rotted wood. Figured out how much I needed, called Home Depot to find out the cost of the lumber, went to Safeway and bought slightly more than that amount worth of Home Depot gift cards, thus earning more gas points for the next fill up. I bought enough that I already have 50 cents off every gallon next time around. The project is necessary for safety but at least getting some lower gas by using the gift card route makes me feel like we are getting the best bang for our buck.
3. My romaine lettuce needed to be thinned. We ate some of the thinnings in salad and some of the others I dug up instead of yanking out so I could transplant them into some bare spots in the garden. Not enough room (or desire for lettuce) to transplant all of the thinnings.
4. Made more yogurt out of some milk that was coming up to use by date. My husband swears he can taste the milk turning days before use-by, so I end up making a lot of yogurt just to keep from throwing milk away. The dogs love yogurt if we have had our fill.
5. Two summer dresses had shrunk from washing and were too short for my taste. Shortened them a bit more and now they are cotton summer shirts.
Ha ha ha on your husband and the milk! Have you had many milk fights?
“Milk fights”? Bettypants, you’re putting ideas in my head that shouldn’t be there.
Your comment cracked me up!
Some people are what they call “super-tasters” and some are not. I swear I can tell when the milk is turning a full week before my husband can. I think it may be an ability to taste more subtle notes than others can. It’s not always a “good” thing. My bananas taste “overripe” when my husband is barely ready to eat his. I like them just after they turn from green to yellow. Not a brown speckle on them yet! He will eat them after I can’t any more.
I’m like that with fruit – it has to be just ripe – especially bananas. I can’t stand that overripe taste. Bleagh.
That’s smart with the gift cards. We are about to embark on a lot of diy renos on our new place. I will try this.
We do this, too…..whenever Krpger’s offers 4x gas points on gift card purchases, I try and buy cards for places we will go anyway – Target, Amazon, certain restaurants, Fandango for movies, etc. My hubby renovated our deck almost three years ago, so I stocked up on Home Depot cards in anticipation of that. The gas points always get used!
I mean, Kroger’s….. (sigh)
Wow, you found a lot of free stuff. Too bad you couldn’t fit the desk in.
1. I bought a really pretty embroidered blouse at a yard sale this week for $1. Holy carp, is it ever unflattering on me, flaring out through the midsection. I listed on ebay and it sold this morning for $8.
2. I went to pick up a table and chairs for my brother, and the guy gave me a Jeep tow package, new in the box, for free, because I was driving a Jeep. I will sell it on ebay or CL.
3. I had picked up some free perennials, but decided I didn’t care for one after it bloomed. My mom liked it, so I dug it up and sent it home with her.
4. My dad helped me replace the part on my broken saw. $9 part bought locally, and I can get back to cutting my beadboard.
5. I submitted three receipts to The Home Depot paint rebate, for 5 gallons of paint. I should have received $50 back. They sent me one $10 card. I had to call customer service twice to get it sorted out. Not very happy because I did everything correctly – it was an error on their part. I now have $40 coming, supposedly. Ugh, rebate programs. I dislike them.
Oh, I soooo agree about rebate programs. I went round and round via email back in November with customer reps related to an offer by Arm & Hammer baking soda (if you bought two boxes, you got a code for a discount at gifts.com, which I had hoped to use for some Christmas shopping). I did everything right – resubmitted my receipt twice – they insisted I didn’t have the appropriate purchased items. Then had the nerve to ask ” were they able to resolve my issue”. A resounding NO. Poor, poor service on their part.
Thank you for validating me! I like coupons, where you can immediately verify they are working correctly. Not wait 6 – 8 weeks and then realize you didn’t get what you should have, dig out the paperwork, and try to figure out why. Sorry Arm & Hammer was poor to work with.
I have had a rebate several times with a company where all of a sudden I think this is way past due. So like you said, you dig out the paperwork and call and the CS rep. always acts like I don’t know what the problem is I will put that right through. And in about a week I receive my rebate.
After this happened twice with the same company I thought they are really trying to rip people off and not give them their money. I buy generic now and avoid the hassle.
It was very disappointing. The rebate was being handled by some sort of third party (I assume hired by A& H), but A & H really dropped the ball, regardless.
1. Son is coming over for lunch instead of going out on his day off. DH and I took our other son out for dinner on Saturday evening . The soup was so filling that I skipped the entrée and brought it home for DS#2. I don’t love restaurant prices but at least there was enough for two meals.
2. Expensive June but have pulled in the reins with 5 no spend days last week. The other two? Not so good.
3. Skipped alluring garage sales over the weekend, but got some good bargains in the clearance aisle at half-priced books to use for future gifts . This included note cards marked down 90% and a cute baby photo album.
4. Going to yet another memorial service for a friend on Thurs. Will donate to the ERA effort in our state in her honor. (She was an early feminist leader.)
5. No large unconsidered purchases such as a Lear jet or gold plated apartments.
I haven’t posted in a while. Life has been busy, but with plenty of frugality.
1. We went to new England to visit family. Our flights were booked using Southwest points, we stayed with relatives, and paid about $60 for a rental car for two days. We bought a few meals but that’s all we spent.
2. A friend invited me to go to the beach with her for a few days. We packed most of our food, buying just a couple items at the local grocery store. I did take her out to dinner one night, as a thank you, to a place she had not been/was unlikely to dine at. It was worth the money for a really good meal.
3. I attended a retirement open house. I waited until about half-way through to make an appearance. Not only was there food in the late afternoon but the leftovers would have been thrown away so I worked to make sure just about everything was taken by someone. No one wanted the roasted vegetables so I happily took them home. They were delicious re-heated.
3. All meals were at home this weekend. We worked on the house/yard, took walks, and generally spent little, if any, money.
4. I walked to the grocery store this morning to buy bagels and found a couple clearance rack item for 75% off that I will use soon. It always pays to check. I also picked up four pennies, spread throughout the parking area.
5. I’m still driving the car I bought in 2002.
3. I have a hard time stopping when I start eating roasted vegetables!
** Warning: this frugal five may be too graphic for some readers, please scroll if you are at all squeamish. **
1. Went for a beautiful ride yesterday to a fun little beach town about an hour away. We drove there in our hybrid saving gas. We took a nice walk along the waterfront and then did a little window shopping. We skipped buying dinner and bought some ice cream cones instead. My daughter bought a book with money given to her for graduation from a friend who wanted her to use it only for ” fun and frivolity”.
2. We ate some ribs last night for dinner that my husband had smoked before we left which is why we didn’t eat dinner out.
3. The college my daughter is going to in the fall has sent my daughter a brochure with linens etc. but we’ll use what we have and fill in the rest. We have plenty of pillows, twin blankets and two sets of twin xl sheet sets from band camp and my other daughters college dorm stay.
4. I went through the linen cupboard looking for a twin xl mattress pad and sheets from my older daughters college dorm. Unfortunately the mattress pad looked like someone had been murdered on it. My husband told me to toss it, but instead I treated it with hydrogen peroxide on the spots and let it sit for a few hours, then I soaked it in bleach for a half hour before washing and it looks brand new.
5. My daughter walks a friends dog everyday when she’s at work. The dog has had some problems with allergies and must have sneezed too hard and broke a blood vessel in it’s nose. By the time we got the dog to the vet my daughter was covered in blood. My daughter wanted to throw her dress out. We came home and I immediately washed it in a bucket full of cold water and it looks to have all come out.
Girl you find the some great stuff… That desk looked good, it is a shame you didn’t have a cheap pair of suction cup metal roof racks you could have thrown on top of the roof of your car and the snagged that desk.
Maybe next time.
Take care,
George from Philly
It sounds like you struck gold, Katy! I am sure these treasures will quickly be converted into college cash. Not sure that can come up with a list but I’ll try.
1) When I awoke this morning, there was a text message from my son who is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail. Attached to his message was a beautiful photo of the sunrise . The first light of day was just coming over the mountains. It was a lovely way to start my day. It is also a reminder that the best things in life don’t involve mone.
2) I stopped at the library for a 2 more episodes of Foyles War. I enjoyed the Air conditioning for a bit. Summer is here!
3) I found that the Dollar Store carries the high-calorie honey buns that DS is eating on the AT. This makes each one $0.79 cheaper than they are at other stores. So I bought enough for several resupply boxes. They are nearly 800 calories a piece, have a ton of carbohydrates, and weigh only a few ounces. I can’t believe I am actually buying something this awful. However, when you are hiking 25 miles a day, you burn some calories. Everything else in that goes into box is nutritious.
4) I am wearing a $10 thrifted summer dress today. I have had 3 perfect strangers tell me how cute it is and ask me where I got it. 🙂
5) I am doing all the usual stuff drinking water, cooking meals at home, brewing my own coffee, reading library books, walking the dog, enjoying the beach, and going to the YMCA to run indoors ( not getting heat stroke is frugal).
Have a great week.
I love all of yours! Thanks for the updates about your son … I’d been hoping you’d give us another update. It sounds like I need to check out Foyle’s War! And your dress must look lovely on you.
Thank you! I meant to say that the best things in life are not about money. My son is having the adventure of a lifetime. II am going to meet him in two weeks. We will stay with my cousin who lives near the trail. He will be hiking it next spring after retiring.
I bought those same honey buns from DG for my mom, when she had cancer, needed calories, and refused to eat anything (she also had alzheimers). They are great for folks who need calories for different reasons. I hope he is enjoying the awesome Trail!!
What a cool adventure for your son! My hubby hiked *part* of the AT when he was in college (summer break, ahem, 25+ years ago) and has happy memories of that trip.
Hi Bee! What state is he in? I’m heading to the White Mountains next weekend and will leave some trail magic somewhere…..
so glad you are keeping us informed about his journey 🙂
He is in the Shenandoahs in Northern Virginia — almost 1/2 way there. Virginia accounts for about 25% of the trail. . I hope you get to hike a bit yourself in NH. The hikers really appreciate the kindnesses shown them along the way.
Re #3: standard summer backpacking ration for the average adult is 3500 calories. At that level, you’re eating gorp by the cup and putting butter in your coffee, just to cram in some extra calories. Those buns are a good idea and a nice find.
Your #5 made me laugh.
It is difficult to keep the calorie count up in those conditions. I hope he can adjust after he completes the trail. He will definitely won’t be able to eat those Honey Buns!
Let’s see…
1. Today, I used a Shutterfly coupon code I’d received via email to purchase $20 in photo prints – mostly 4x6s, which I usually buy using their frequent 101 Free Prints, but also an 8×10 and a few 5x7s that I had been putting off printing because of the increased cost. All I had to pay was the shipping!
2. On Saturday, I had a stay-cation, spending the day at my apartment’s pool, snacking on healthy fruits and veggies from my fridge, enjoying a book I’d checked out from the library. It was a delightful way to relax.
3. I remembered to renew the library books that were almost due, so I avoided late fees and gave myself the opportunity to return the books on a day when I can combine errands.
4. Last week, I sold a few pieces of clothing at the local second-hand store. In the past, I’ve opted for the higher-reward store credit; but since I don’t really need any clothing items right now, I went for the cash option. It’s nice being paid to “recycle.”
5. When I made this week’s meal plan and subsequent grocery list for my shopping trip later tonight, I took into consideration what we already had in the fridge and cupboard; and was able to combine that with the personalized coupons that I get from Kroger to make what I hope will be a wi$e list.
1. Working from home two days this week with all the savings that entails.
2. Hosted a big family potluck event over the weekend and all the leftovers are now in our freezer for lunches and a dinner. I had some yesterday for lunch.
3. Being bossy about lights and other power suckers after a $600 electricity bill (for the quarter). My kids are hopeless with turning off the lights around here. We have LEDs but still.
4. My winter vegetable plot is doing pretty well considering we seem to be having a low rainfall year. Onions, carrots, kale, lettuce, silverbeet (chard), peas, cauliflower are all surviving. Rocket was decimated by caterpillars.
5. In my lunch break today I’m making minestrone soup for dinner and lunches.
It’s interesting that you pay for your electricity by the quarter instead of by the month.
Mand, I’m glad the big family potluck left you with leftovers. And re: your #4, I’m always intrigued by the differences between UK/Commonwealth and US names for vegetables. I already knew aubergine/eggplant and courgette/zucchini, but silverbeet/chard is a new one for me.
Even more consuming thant the lights, there are also the chargers (phone, tablet, etc.) still pluged in the wall when the device is finished or removed…
You can also put a set of appliances on a strip, then turn the strip off when you’re not using those appliances. For example, the TV, game consoles, DVD players, and so on (but not anything set to record) can all be turned off when you’re not watching.
We had an energy audit about a year ago and had a bunch of energy saving items installed: timers, LEDs etc. Unfortunately energy prices in Australia, which supplies energy to much of the world, are extremely high. It’s crazy.
1. I had some apples that were leftover from a fruit tray. I put them with a couple large peeled, cut up sweet potatoes that were needing to be used soon and a pork loin in the crock pot.
2. I spent most of my day cleaning and organizing. I was pretty sick yesterday so I had to take a lot of breaks in between. The more organized I am, the more aware I am of what I have, which keeps me from buying unnecessarily.
3. I kept my kids out of daycare which saves me money.
4. I made a big batch of protein breakfast balls. I, like another reader, had an abundance of oatmeal and a small amount of coconut that I needed to use. My kids have snacked on them all day keeping me from having to come up with something else for them to eat. I am low on groceries right now.
5. No Lear jet for me.
Great idea to take summer community college classes! I wouldn’t do it for major classes, but if you need to get gen eds out the way it is perfect. You could save yourself a semester of tuition that way.
I took some of my major classes in night school during the summer. Talk about fast work!! The semester was about 6 weeks long and classes met twice a week for a couple hours. It was intense, but you could really only take one at a time. It’s very concentrated study but I sort of liked taking a few courses like that. (I had 2 kids and housekeeping to do during the daytime.) One I took was a course of novels–you literally had to read one a day–the day between the two classes for the week.
One frugal thing only, but it’s a big one. My daughter is part of a school organization and is attending the national conference this week. There is a color coded, very specific, business casual dress code for the conference. We had none of the required items! (I find this super annoying and pretentious, but what can I do).
My girl and I found everything but two items at the Goodwill. We spent $65. Which is still a lot of money, of course, but for a week’s worth of business wear not too bad.
Word on the street is that next year the dress code is matching blazers. My girl is so turned off by this that she may be out next year.
Jill A my advise is to stay away from those college catalogs. They are misrepresenting themselves by saying it’s from the college. It’s a vendor that may give a small percentage to the college for anything that’s bought. They will send out brochures when it’s mid terms or finals with boxes of junky food in them. Make sure your young adult uses up all the money on her cafeteria card. At the end of the year she can purchase things like protein bars, candy bars, etc and either bring them home or donate them to the local food pantry where her school is. Wonder if you could write off the amount she spends on the donation food on your taxes?
Bee, my daughter did the Appalachian Trail too. She had granola bars and snickers bars for her quick pick me ups. I wonder if your son has experienced any “trail magic”.
My frugal 5:
1. didn’t go anywhere this weekend. Hubby did the grocery shopping and didn’t spend too much or use too much gas.
2. ate meals from fridge
3. watched Doc Martin on PBS Saturday night.
4. I wear the same shorts & shirt for 3 days and then switch. It’s not like I’m sweating in them and they are my stay at home clothes.
5. Using up a jar of Body Shop’s peppermint foot cream. My feet get very dry and being a diabetic I have to take extra good care of them.
I can wear a pair of shorts or pants for three days but I’d have 9 meals worth of slobbers if I tried to do it with a shirt. I have some slightly stained shirts for around the house. I wear a bib apron when I cook, and usually when I eat also! I still manage to miss the apron and get food on my shirt. Or I’ll mess it up when I clean up after dinner if I managed to eat with spilling.
Marcia
We must be food-sisters! The number of times I miss my mouth when I eat, you’d think I was a one year old! I’ve been going through a phase of tipping glasses of water/wine/beer before it gets to my lips. But it gets to my lap plenty fast that way!
We have been spending lots of time with family so far this summer and trying to keep costs down while making sure everyone has a good time.
1. Cooked Father’s Day dinner for 12 and served water, coffee or cheap Trader Joe’s wine as drink options. Gladly accepted the offers from 2 couples to contribute dessert and some wine. Succeeded almost in not being annoyed that the 4 family members who would have been able to contribute something didn’t even offer lol.
2. Spent this past weekend 7 hours away with baby granddaughter and her parents. We ate most meals at their house, slept on an air mattress and took homemade sandwiches for lunch in the car both ways. We and they did spend on 2 meals out, baby swim open session, and merry-go-round and steam train rides but that is what being frugal is about for us. DH helped our son complete 2 small home repair projects while we were there.
3. Took our dog with us on the above trip saving on boarding fees.
4. DH continues to follow up with HVAC contractor about finishing items required to complete city inspection. Supposedly they are coming tomorrow to do the one last thing. Saves haggling over having to pay more fees for extending the permit if they aren’t done and confirmed in time.
5. Didn’t buy any material goods for ourselves, the house or the grandbaby!
I had relatives like that, who would come to my mom’s house, stay and eat for what seemed like forever, and never contribute a dime….lol
That is being cheap and not frugal! We pay for meals out, etc. and then they come and stay with us too. A family tradition of staying with each other.
When I host a group dinner for a huge number of people ( and 12 is a huge number to me!), I ask people to bring various things. It is hard for someone to say no when you say, I am providing X,Y,Z, so I need you to bring A and B. And now I am really specific: once I asked someone to bring “a few fruits” to share among five people. She showed up with, I kid you not, four single strawberries and a tangerine. Now I say, please bring a pound of strawberries…
Honestly, an autistic person might make that mistake. My daughter probably would. If you were to say “bring a plate” – meaning “bring a plate of food to share” – and didn’t specify that it would have to have food on it, she’d turn up with just the plate. Specificity is our friend 🙂
But I bet she wouldn’t forget to bring that empty plate, lol. I have enjoyed reading about your family. Very insightful and interesting. Thank you for the glimpse into autism.
1. I made my first sale on Craigslist. A set of outdoor chairs.
2. I listed 3 items on eBay. I am new to all of this but was inspired by you all. I’m not sure I have figured out the proper pricing yet but hope to get better. For example, I took the first offer on the Craigslist item but probably could have asked more money based on the response I got from people wanting the chairs. On the other hand, I have had no response for any of the eBay items yet and wonder if I have asked too much.
3. I cleaned part of my Mother’s basement. I found several things that have gone into the craft box and now we know where things are in case we need them. No more buying any screws, nails or other small hardware because we can’t find any in the basement.
4. Went to an estate sale and left with 7 nice drinking glasses, three Pyrex bowls, a small, really pretty rosary which will be a gift to my niece when she receives 1st Communion, and 2 plastic sleds which will be Christmas gifts – all for $8.00
5. Doing all of the usuals: line drying, cooking all meals and generally staying at home.
Pattilou, pricing for eBay can be tricky. I use the advanced search option which allows you to look up sold prices on items. This helps me determine a market price for an item. Sometimes it takes a while to find a buyer especially at first. Seasonal items also can take some time. I hope you have very good luck.
Thanks Bee. I will keep trying!
1. Signed up to convert to solar power.
2. Will hopefully be able to give friends a$500 referral fee from the solar company.
3. Windows are open and were all day. The weather was gorgeous!
4. Reading library books.
5. Went to a concert with friends last night. One friend drove and the rest of us paid for parking.
Only one thing… I got a Miele vacuum with parts and bags for $10 at a garage sale. Maybe I already wrote this?? I am so jazzed, because I have very little $ right now and the upright sweeper vac I have is getting too heavy and makes my back hurt. The new Miele is over 10 years old, but it looks like they didn’t vacuum much so it’s basically in new condition. Yay! The “I’m so Happy” song is playing in my head. 🙂 Oh, one more thing… had guests three weeks in a row, all of whom provided food or gas so I had lovely company (my own mini-vacation), didn’t have to buy much and still have food left over! It has been a good week.
Oh, you lucky person, snagging that Miele. My Miele vacuum is the only high-end appliance I own, and it’s worth every dime. I get kind of goofy with joy when dusting the books on the shelves with the little round dust brush attachment. 😀
I love Miele too! Washing machine, vacuum cleaner and tumble dryer. I may have gone overboard with the vacuum though: at its most powerful setting, the suction is so strong that the carpet is lifted off the underlay! And the noise is unbearable, so I use a lower power setting. Could have bought the cheaper model in their range. But brilliant items.
My Miele canister vacuum is almost 25 years old and has never need a repair.
What a score Katy!
1. Pruned down rosemary, basil, chives and parsley. Oven dried them and packaged them for winter use. While I was at it cleaned our nightmare of a spice cabinet. We have a bad habit of rebuying things we already have. Married duplicates and arranged everything. Now we know what we have and what we need.
2. Found dry dog food 75% at Petco. Was a brand my dogs haven’t tried. But, ingredients look good so why not change it up.
3. Stopped by my consignment shop to drop off a few dresses and to pick up a check for $55!!! Groceries for the week.
4. It’s been cooler here the last few nights. Turned the AC off and opened the windows. Nice to have a whole house airing.
5. Continuing to sell stuff on eBay. We have an alley way that backs up to our house. Everyone puts their recycling out, I walk around and get boxes and bubble wrap for shipping.
Have a frugal week everyone!
Did all of the free stuff fit in the Prius? Hehe. Good score! I would buy that table from you on Craig’s if you lived closer. Thanks for getting me interested in the Goodwill Bargain Barn. I love the hunt and the deals are great.
1. Painting my daughter’s bedroom today. My grubby painting jeans must have shrunk in the drawer, because they would not fit today. I’m wearing a pair of running shorts my son doesn’t like. If they have a few paint splatters, he can run anyway.
2. We’re going camping later this week, and I have the first of two crockpots of beans soaking, rather than using canned. I also have a gallon of water (recycled from a milk bottle) in the freezer so we won’t have to buy ice.
3. I made dinner tonight after painting, even though I would rather have had takeout burritos.
4. This is my big one: my husband and I agreed to give up soda for health reasons. I’ve tried often to give up soda and failed, but I’m really hoping it will work this time with both of us doing it. My husband is making iced tea out of the Red Rose for his mid-day caffeine fix.
5. We had to turn the AC on today, but only for a few hours. We kept the house closed up in the morning and didn’t need to turn it on until after lunch. We did keep the window open in the bedroom we were painting.
Roberta, re #4, it often takes lots of tries to make a big change like this. Great job giving it another try!!
Good for you with giving up pop! I tried and tried, failed a bunch of times, but finally the husband and I are drinking iced tea that we make in one gallon batches. I found that if I added the juice of a real lemon (not jarred juice), I could tolerate it. Now I seem to prefer it but, I kid you not, it took about 2 years of trying. I used to smoke but quit that cold turkey and never smoked again–over 17 years now. It was harder for me to give up pop!
I gave up Diet Coke 2 years ago by drinking cucumber water. It only takes a minute or two to infuse, so you can still eat the cucumber slices when you’re done. I am still surprised every time I drink it at how refreshing it is!
I had to re-read your post (I got distracted the first time, reading on my phone because I had to look up ‘gravid’). I see now that you did not get the Mission desk. Oh well. I have a lot of experience having and shopping garage sales and have noticed that sometimes people overprice their items, but then at the end of the day they are tired and don’t want to deal so they leave the stuff out for free.
1. Picked the last of the sour cherries from the gas station tree. Twelve more pounds to pit and freeze tomorrow.
2. Sold a board game on Amazon that I shipped today. Tonight I sold a book about Perfumes and Oils of Ancient Egypt. Shipping it tomorrow to a university in Japan.
3. My blow up pool chaise developed a tiny hole in the shed over the winter. DH wanted to buy a patch kit and couldn’t find the specific one he wanted. In the meantime I covered it with a piece of Gorilla Glue tape. Several days later it’s still holding air. Skeptical husband who didn’t think it would work admitted that it was a good idea.
4. Picked up a free microwave from another FB yardsale member. Got it for church kitchen that doesn’t have a microwave.
5. Pulled together another bag of books to take to the used bookstore on Wednesday when I’m in the area.
Cherries are an expensive luxury in our area. Lucky you with the gas station tree!
What great finds! People in my neighborhood sometimes put out furniture for others to pick up but seldom any other items. I have a tall thin cabinet that holds my extra canning jars. I got it off the side of the road.
1. We continue to get abundant free exercise thanks to the puppy we took from my cousin before he started chemo treatments. He had his first chemo yesterday and said it went better than he expected.
2. I planned a menu and shopped for ingredients but due to puppy, I was too tired to cook. We ate ramen noodles, which are very frugal if not very nutritious.
3. We are continuing to get retired husband’s out of state house ready to sell. The agent informed us that the cleaners did a very poor job. They are supposed to return today to finish. They charged for what I believe was a very unreasonable number of hours to clean an empty house but I wasn’t there to check. If their charges are accurate, I saved us a lot of money by cleaning all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets inside and out myself, and de-cobwebbing the basement.
4. We continue to distribute duplicate items from his house to family and friends. We were able to give daughter’s family a much needed printer and son’s family a coffee machine and coffee pod holder. I would rather share than store the extras. The house already looks like we took off the roof and emptied another house into it, which is basically what happened.
5. I am continuing to donate unwanted items to Goodwill and document them for tax deductions. I have 2 big boxes ready to go now. There will be more.
1. Haven’t bought anything except groceries for 4 days. This doesn’t sound like a biggie but when my work stress amped up I fell into my bad habit of “stress reduction shopping” which is of course a very temporary fix that only increases stress in the long run! Back on the frugal, buy nothing new bandwagon. Off to P.O. today to return some ill-advised and unneeded purchases. (Sometimes I feel that you all have a frugal gene that I missed but I figure practice makes perfect and baby steps are better than no steps).
2. Took breakfast and lunch to work yesterday.
3. Stopped at Dollar Store to stock up on cards for upcoming birthdays etc. SO MUCH CHEAPER than regular cards (I mean really, $5 for a card?????)
4. Walking dog after work for free exercise and a nice transition from work day to evening.
5. Wore thrifted Banana Republic T and linen shorts to a family birthday dinner last night.
Tracy, do not feel bad about the stress relief shopping….I tend to do that – I call it retail therapy. Lol! Probably why I now need to declutter so much now. I certainly didn’t inherit any frugal genes….my mom is one of those people who “shows her love” by buying things, gifts, etc for people. She is constantly buying things for my son, which is fun for him – however, he associates seeing that grandma with “getting presents”. I’d prefer she spend time with him, experience things with him, take him to the movies, etc….but that’s not gonna happen. Whole ‘nother unhappy conversation there, and hours of real therapy spent discussing it.:-(
Thank you Liz!
1. I went to my conference at the beach , and, of course, Tropical storm Cindy made landfall, and I was not able to get in the water. This was not that big of a deal to me since I do not like to waddle around in front of my colleagues in a bathing suit, but my frugal side says I am not gonna waste an almost free beach trip. Instead, I walked on the beach after my conference, in between the deluge of rain and wind….free exercise….lol.
2. The hotel where the conference is held every year had the audacity to pull the microwaves out of the rooms. So, the cooler full packed on grilled hamburger and hot dogs I brought, was eaten cold, until on the second day I discovered a microwave by the drink machine. I think the microwaves were pulled out of the rooms so more folks would go to the on site restaurants. Obviously, they do not understand Nonconsumer Advocate readers. We will eat cold food to save cash…lol. I happily microwaved my food after I discovered the hidden microwave.
3. The conference provided a free breakfast, which was crappy, but I ate it anyway. My grown kid stayed in the room with me, and so he had a free beach trip, although he could not swim in the ocean due to the storm. Still, I think he enjoyed relaxing.
4. A vendor at the conference had free sunglasses and I took a pair.
5. Lots of free pens were given out by the hotel every day, and I happily took one a day, even though they had the hotel logo on the side. We also reused the hotel towels and did not get fresh towels every day to save the environment. Every little bit helps…..
Frugal Fail: We ate lunch at a bayside restaurant on the way back from the conference, and I almost hyperventilated at the cost.
Just to make it clear, we reused the towels so that the hotel did not have to launder them every day, so that conserved on water and electricity. We did not take the hotel towels. We left them at the end of our stay, as always. I am tired and did not proofread before I posted…lol
I am sorry that the weather didn’t cooperate while you were at the beach. However, I love to be at the beach and watch the ocean when it is stormy. Witnessing the power of nature firsthand is an awesome experience. Of course, I always proceed with caution during this type of weather and never, never go near the water. Super dangerous!
True, Bee, it was beautiful to watch the crashing waves in the storm, from the safety of my room…lol. Apparently, if there is not a mandatory evacuation, the conference costs would not be refunded so the conference went forward. One of my other sons works on a barge, and had to be evacuated off of it as he was near the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River. I am glad his company took safety precautions. The force of theses storms is not something to play with.
1. I put a roast and potatoes in the crock pot before church on Father’s Day. So no temptations on eatinf out on the way home from church.
2. Our kids blow up pool had several holes in it…..and after patching many times, we tossed it and hubs bought a new one. $40 pool on clearance for $16. Kids are happy and it is 2 inches under the height limit for our town ordinance without a fence around the yard. Score.
3. We plan on enjoying the kids readong program this week at thr library. I will go ahead and return any books and videos the same day. Free.
4. A dear friend is pregnant and had her baby shower this last weekend. I told her I couldnt make it, but did bring her present Sunday at church where I gave it to her. She was delighted with a slightly used mirror for the backseat so you can still see baby while driving.
5. Big dinner at a friends house this Friday for our family and several others. We are taking a side dish and our lawn chairs and will have free entwrtainment for us and the kids. Really looking forward to it.
6. Selling some clothing online this week. Any money coming in will go towards entertainment fund.
Amy Jo
I’m in England, so I don’t always “get” some US stuff – apologies for asking, but why is there a town ordinance about fencing for a children’s paddling pool??
I ‘m not Amy Jo, but probably because if it’s any higher, the water would be deeper, and it would be considered unsafe for children unless it was fenced in so they couldn’t climb in if they were unsupervised.
I am lucky that my little town has ‘bulk’ pick up 2x a month- I simply can’t believe my finds that people throw out because they are too lazy to call one of the charities for pick up! I’m on the rural side of town, so I have chickens and goats (lowers my property tax by half + great eggs!) On the ‘high end’ part of town (ie
Pro sports players)- they throw out amazing stuff! This year I got a complete Ben Franklin cast iron corner stove, and darling bistro set (perfect condition) and a grandfather clock that is beautiful!!!!
wow! You’re pretty lucky!
Frugal fails for you guys:
1) Attended a book launch for a guide to Portland, OR called “True Portland”. The guide was originally published in Japan! Filled with beautiful photographs, I simply had to get it (books are my weakness- espeically niche books!) Cha-ching!
2) The launch was held at Reverend Nat’s so of course I bought a pint of cider. Cha ching!
3) There were makers of tasty Japanese food products there and small scale craft. Of course I had to buy handmade and homecured miso! Cha ching!
4) I made new Japanese friends so I took them to low cost places NOT mentioned in the guide: community center pools where you can cool off on super hot summer days, directions on how to take affordable buses to the Gorge and the Northwest coast. After splashing in the pool (SouthWest Community Center for PDX peeps) we all went to Ecliptic Beer Hall, using buses as low cost way to get bearings (instead of cabs or biking in 100+ heat). We all drank too much delicious beer. Cha-ching
5) Free: One of the new Japanese friends is a man so handsome and elegant looking that he looks like he step out of a fashion magazine. I mean, really ridiculously beautiful. Plus smart. Plus kind. Plus ambitious in his artistic leanings. Crushes are free, yes?
Oh!
Also, for those who think about visiting Portland OR and want to exlore a bit of countryside:
http://columbiagorgeexpress.com/ – this will take you to Multnomah Falls.
http://oregon-point.com/northwest-point/ This will take to the cities on the Oregon Coast.
We only stop at Multnomah Falls when we’re heading into or out of Portland when we visit Oregon every few years. But really good to know there’s a bus that goes there from Portland. Parking at the Falls is always a nightmare.
The bus service to Columbia Gorge is a brand new, pilot service. It just started last year and it is a HIT! Great for families and individuals without cars or who do not want to drive by themselves out there for the parking reasons you mentioned.
Your free crush made me laugh.
Lol about free crushes! I have a number of what I call TV boyfriends….gorgeous actors who I enjoy viewing from afar.
Oh yes- all of the aesthetic appreciation, none of the headaches!
I LOVE that phrase, TV boyfriends. Alas, Alan Rickman died and now I have to find a replacement for the #1 spot. I think the vicar guy from Grantchester…
Have you seen “Truly, Madly, Deeply” with Alan Rickman? Might not have to give up on him yet!
Me too. They are called the Hemsworth Brothers 😀
My current list has Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser on Outlander), Tim Olyphant (from Justified), and the actor who plays Stringer Bell on The Wired (I can never remember his name for some reason!!).
Idris Elba!!! Mee-yow!
Pam E-P, yessss!! Thank you! There was a really cute video going around (maybe 6 months ago, or more) of Idris asking little kids for dating advice. It was hysterically funny! Which only endeared him to me more. 🙂
1. Re-did my inventory of pantry, fridge and freezer. Now making menu for rest of week. Today is an easy day (work at home) and next 3 days long and hard. Gotta get dinner plans together so don’t get tired and eat out.
2. Planning a big birthday party for soon to be 6 year old grandson. Have been inspired by folks going to parties/events and taking home food. I will be at event this week that I KNOW will have leftovers for ice cream sundaes. Will put myself front and center of clean up crew to share in the leftovers!
3. Been working with 10 yr old granddaughter on saving and frugal ways. She got $65 for birthday money and 2 gift cards. We talked about spending some, giving some, and sharing some. She decided to put all cash in bank as she has 2 gift cards to “spend”. VERY proud of her. She has $175 in account now. She made a goal to get to $500 by 12th birthday. Now we need a “giving” plan.
4. We live 20 min from Atlantic ocean. Had date night with husband yesterday. We brought beers and snacks and beach chairs for happy hour at the beach. All for $5 parking fee. Worth every cent.
5.Husband developing side business in repairing furniture. 4th job was repairing marble table top that movers broke. Homeowner already had check from insurance company. He fixed it and it is now perfect! So proud. Homeowner gave him $250! That went straight into loan payment. Already under $2K. Can’t wait to be free of it. So proud of DH!
Awesome! I love the cheap date night! I am trying to replicate this with friends when going out.
3. Alexandra, your granddaughter is a girl after my own heart. Love her goal, especially at such a young age.
Wow, what an amazing haul of yard sale leftovers! In my local neighborhoods, any yard sale leftovers consist of worn out plastic things, the odd (truly ugly) 70s era mirror, and the like. I clearly need to meander in better neighborhoods! That Mission style desk is killer. That leave-behind would be haunting me for a long time.
Am currently away on a beach vacation with my family. Have had a few frugal fails and a few wins thus far:
1) biggest frugal win is that the resort condo, airline flights, and car rental was all “paid for” with credit card rewards points. We pay for almost everything with our credit cards, then pay it all off at the end of each month. Hubby had heard that rewards points have been losing value, so thought we should use them before they lose further value. If it involves a beach vacation, I’m all for it!
2) Went grocery shopping so we are eating breakfast, lunch, and snacks in our condo. Bottled water for drinking is a necessary luxury, as the tap water here tastes terrible (no, I’m not being a water snob – it tastes swampy-moldy).
3) Took advantage of the free pool-side family movie last night (Trolls). Will take advantage of the free kid’s activities (including bounce house) Wednesday night.
4) Bought Groupons for a dolphin sighting day cruise tomorrow, saving about 40% over full price for the three of us. Frugal fail: DS was talking loudly and excitedly in my ear while buying said Groupons, so I forgot to buy them through ebates.com. Oh well.
5) Will not be buying a gold-plated vacation home in this lovely part of the US, nor a Lear jet to transport us back and forth from home.:-)
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Oh, forgot to mention – our rental car is a Nissan Rogue. Really nice!! I will be keeping this one in mind when I need a new-to-me used car.
And yay to your son for taking community college courses….very smart. One of my sisters works as an adjunct professor at a community college in MN, though I was a firm believer in the community college system long before she started working there.
Your online forum is so much fun to read. I am very glad that I found it. Thank you for frequent updates that encourage all of us to think before we spend and to use what we already have before we consider shopping. My frugal saves this week include:
1. Drying herbs from the garden to use in cooking.
2. Taking advantage of grocery coupons for eggs and butter.
3. Made a quart of chicken broth with carcass from roast chicken and frozen vegetable scraps.
4. Picked cherries from our trees and canned 14 quarts also pitted cherries and made 2 pies. One for now and one for later.
5. Made salads using lettuce, arugula, and fresh herbs from our garden. We are also eating peas and asparagus from the garden.
I dried herbs this summer (oregano, sage and thyme) and gave jars as gifts to my friends. I was at a friend’s the other night and she was cooking for her kids using my jar of dried herbs. I felt illogically proud for some reason.
1. since the inchworms are finally done and most of the pollen is gone, i hung my towels on the line (and a quilt too) the other day. Everything smells so good!
2. had a ‘field day’ at work yesterday. played kickball, cornhole, frisbee, etc and bbq’d. a few packages of hot dogs were left over, so i brought one home for the boy.
3. neighbors are on vaca this week so we have full use of their pool! great for cooling down at night (yes, they give us permission plus we clean it and make sure no one else goes in their backyard)
4. wfh tomorrow and friday – no commuting costs – yay!!! plus, i get to wear shorts, no shoes, make a healthy lunch instead of heating something up…
5. even though i would love to buy a macbook, lakefront cottage or a trip around the world, I wont. I’ll keep my money in the bank, use my small ideapad (kinda slow), dream of the lake and armchair travel.
1. A friend gave me two dozen eggs from her chickens. Quiche for dinner tonight using odds and ends that need to be eaten.
2. Husband photographed & posted several sporting goods our kids had outgrown or that he no longer wanted. Over the weekend, he sold one kids’ bike and two sets of golf clubs. The kids’ clubs were originally purchased from credit husband had in the pro shop; winnings from the city men’s association can only be given as credit, not cash. I put all the money into savings.
3. Keeping the house open as many hours in the day as possible, but usually have to put on the AC in the afternoon once it’s in the 90s. I notched up the thermostat to 81 as that seems to be when it feels too hot in the house. (Whatever the temp is is usually what it really feels like. The humidity today is only 5-10%).
4. One of my hobbies is family history. I discovered that there are two Family History Centers within 5 minutes of my house and went to one to do research when it was too hot to work in the yard. This means I can continue to not purchase expensive subscriptions to online genealogy sites. It also saves me going downtown to research, where there is only metered parking.
5. Cooking/baking mainly when I have to close up house and put on AC. Using up bits of this & that. Today will be asparagus for tonight’s quiche, slightly hairy carrots for Balsamic Glazed Carrots, and the ends of green and purple cabbage,
cilantro (and one slightly hairy carrot) for a slaw salad. My kids are happy because I also made chocolate sorbetto (all ingredients on hand) 🙂 .
cathy, one of my hobbies is family history, too. I have to admit, I do have that spendy subscription to ancestry.com. I figure I do get my money’s worth from it as I spend so many hours looking up relatives, plus, I’m able to pick up a few $$ here and there doing quick records searches for others. I don’t make enough yet to pay for the subscription, but it helps. I love puzzles, and the thrill of the hunt, so genealogy is a perfect hobby for me.
I’m very interested in genealogy, though I haven’t done much research into my family tree. I do know my mom’s grandparents emigrated from Sicily, and I have info she got on a tourist trip to Ellis Island years ago.
I recently found out our local public library has an ancestry.com membership that is available to their patrons for free, though you can only use it on their computers. I love love love our public library for so many reasons.
This week:
1. My friend visited us from out of town. Instead of grabbing food, we cooked nice meals at home for everyone.
2. I had a conference for work this week and packed my own snacks, coffee, and water.
3. My job will reimburse me for parking and meals I bought during the conference, which means I get to reap credit card rewards for free. 🙂
4. We cooked a healthy dinner on Monday with items from our pantry.
5. Dinner tonight will be from our current freezer meal stock. 🙂
Katy, I’m still crying that you couldn’t get that beautiful desk. I’d love to have taken it off your hands, lol – it would be worth the drive down and I have a truck. 😉 I’d have strapped it to the top of your Prius to get it home, if that’s what it took. Any chance it’s still there? 😀
Let’s see if I can come up with five:
1. Bit of a frugal fail – the hose to the filter came loose from the pool and drained about 6″ of water out of the pool before I discovered it. Thankfully, we have well water, so it didn’t cost me more than electricity and salt (for the well filter system) to refill it. Still, it seems like such a waste of water. Then I found out the pump isn’t working, so I’ll probably end up having to buy another pool just for the pump, since I need it NOW. At least I can hold a 2nd pool in reserve for when this one is toast. They don’t last forever. I will write to the company to complain about the pump. It was used for about 2 months last year – it shouldn’t have failed.
2. I continued to defrost freezers – the larger upright is now completely defrosted and the food returned to it. Without the ice, it sure looks like there’s more room in there! I didn’t get to inventory it or put most of the food in crates, as I was running late for my Eagles Aux meeting. As a result of having to run out the door so quickly, I also forgot to turn off the house to the pool – meaning I had to run back home after the meeting to turn it off, rather than going into town to buy the pool and the groceries on my list. Will need to do it tomorrow, as I’ll be halfway there again. I try not to make special trips, as it’s 60 miles round trip. I guess that’s kind of a frugal and a frugal fail, both.
3. Got the chicken stock and the chicken soup canned, so 2 more entries for the fair (might have already listed this one). Took another rotisserie chicken out of the freezer and defrosted it. Will do the usual 3-4 meals from it and then make more soup.
4. Realized I have at least 50 lbs of on-sale or gifted-to-me chicken hindquarters and 6 homegrown roosters in my freezer. Time to do a marathon of cooking and canning! If I can clear enough from my freezer by canning it up for the pantry, I may be able to turn off at least one freezer. It would be nice not to need to run the freezer that’s outside in the pumphouse – it gets hot out there in the summer, and I’d like to save the electricity.
5. Making jam and canning blueberries and cherries today while it’s cloudy and fairly cool. Again, this is saving me freezer space, giving me fair entries, and saving food from possible freezer burn. Waste not!
1. My parents sent me a package of Penguins paraphernalia after their stanley cup win , and my mom included a shower curtain for our second bathroom that I needed, as they have remolded and no longer need curtains on their fancy showers!
2. I gave my porch a mini makeover with a clearance target rug, 4 dollar ikea chair pads ( that I sprayed with water proofer), and ikea “lill” curtains that run at 5 dollars a pair. The curtains keep out mosquitos. I tried to find a rug and chair cushions second hand, but have had no luck, so I coughed up the 20 bucks for new stuff.
3. Bought a parking pass for our nearby White Water Center . Its 5 dollars to park per day, or 40 dollars for a year. They have hiking trails, yoga, live music, outdoor movies that are all free.
4. Having lots of company in this weekend, and have been stocking up on snacks and drinks when they are on sale.
5. Not feeling well today, and my boyfriend has a late final, so I am shamelessly making ramen for dinner, garnished with a bit of siracha and green onions that I have been regrowing for weeks.