Five Frugal Things
by Katy on July 27, 2017 · 79 comments
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I bought a framed poster for $2.50 at the Goodwill Outlet on Monday, listed it for $99.99 on eBay that night and then sold it the next morning while I was at work! I took a shot in the dark on pricing as I couldn’t find the exact same image, but I’m comfortable that I didn’t under price it. (Frankly, I thought I had overpriced it!) If all my thrift store flips could go this well, I could quit my stressful job as an RN!
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I drove my older son through Burgerville last night after picking him up from work. His food smelled absolutely divine, but instead of indulging myself I foraged/spelunked through the fridge and came up with a big taco salad which was A) rather yummy, B) much healthier and C) Waaaay more frugal. I’m not a believer in hell, but I believe it would likely resemble being hungry in a compact car while a passenger happily chomps on aromatic French fries. Man, did those smell good!
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I was able to create a “Frankenbox” for the framed poster utilizing an enormous used box, which I then bent and cut to size. I wrapped it in an impressive amount of bubble wrap, (which I source for free from a local business) and then taped the thing within an inch of its life. No need to use virgin shipping materials when used supplies are easily available. I made the decision over ten years ago to only buy used and if anything I’ve grown more adamant about this choice. Our planet and its inhabitants suffer under the new, new, new mentality and most people practice without a second thought.
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I attended a four hour mandatory meeting at the hospital yesterday afternoon and I chose to walk up to my unit and grab a cup of the free crappy coffee rather than order one from one of the on site cafes.
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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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{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m impressed with #5 because I knew people who owned those Nagel prints in the 80’s and I always assumed they were what caused all the OTHER bad decision making in those raucous households. 😉
Wow, Katy! High five for the poster sale. That is awesome!
My frugal five are the usual 1-4: packing my lunch and drinks from home, wearing cute thrifted outfits, driving slower to save gas/wear & tear on my car, using the drying rack and back porch clothesline. I did forget my lunch yesterday, but had a modestly priced salad at a cafe near work.
5. Needed a small thank-you gift for my boss, and remembered she had mentioned wanting some vintage post cards for a craft project. Found a great deal on eBay with a seller who combined shipping, making the whole selection just a few cents over $11. Had a Visa gift card with $16 left on it, so that worked out perfectly.
Ooh, your No. 3. I hoard boxes. Sometimes I have to get rid of a batch just so I can hoard more. But I have never, ever purchased a box to ship something.
I hoard boxes too. Near my workplace, on recycling pick up day, I walk around to spot bags of bubble wrap and boxes!
Were you familiar with the artist for that poster? It certainly was a find. Congratulations. Just like a “miner-49’er” you see gold where others see dirt. My Five Frugal Things are:
1. Eating leftovers for lunches.
2. Cooking all meals at home.
3. Eating fresh vegetables from our home garden.
4. Canning, freezing and drying fruit and herbs.
5. Drinking iced tea or ice water at home and taking an insulated drink glass with me when I go out.
1. Celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary today. After a run to drop stuff off at Goodwill – we are going to spring for pizza. We prefer casual eating and the company is still great, even after all these years.
2. Hubby had a work apartment out of town – he retired after 38 years in one career. He tolerated retirement for 3 whole days – found himself a local full time job that he likes – so back to work – taking his lunch, snacks and drinks from home every day. I love having him home for dinner every night!
3. Condensing 2 households into 1 – major win for Goodwill – 3 truck loads so far and #4 will be dropped off this evening. Some of it is accumulated crap our daughters didn’t want when they moved out years ago.
4. Gave a friend’s daughter 2 complete beds; including linens that were in hubby’s apartment – glad someone could use them!
5. Got a great deal on beef at our local warehouse club – canned a batch of soup for winter. Cut & froze the rest in smaller portions for future use.
6. Bought 1 1/2 bushels of tree ripened peaches at the orchard – ate a few, shared a few, put some in the freezer.
7. Found 26 cents for my found $ jar.
8. Emptied all our change jars – put over $180 in savings account.
9. Hubby replaced alternator in our car – saved $$ on labor.
Wow! Didn’t realize I had that many!
Congratulations on 32 years together and being able to downsize on households – both major accomplishments!!
$180 is shockingly good! Mega-impressed!
1. I made a list of things I need. I will have to attend a mandatory work seminar thirty miles away and there is a Dollar Tree there. Many of the items I want, I buy at Dollar Tree. So, I am excited about the meeting and not spending extra on gas….lol 2. I ate, yet again, a bologna sandwich at lunch, and another serving of the black eyed pea salad. At this point, I am pretty sick of both, but I will eat my last serving of both on Monday. I also continued eating homemade chicken (.39 a lb) salad, which I am NOT sick of, made with a free vadalia onion. I will eat it again tonight, as it is rather tasty. 3. I paid my $40.29 power bill before a late charge could be added. Unfortunately, we have had heat indexes of 105 for several days, so my next power bill, I am sure, will be a doozy…sigh. Even my cheap self turns the air on at those temps. 4. I am wearing, again today, my $40 Dansko clogs, that I purchased on Tuesday evening from a friend. She had only worn them two times, and posted on facebook they did not fit her feet and she was willing to sell them for $40. Since I usually pay over $100 for these shoes, as they are the only ones that I can wear for 12 hours and not kill my feet, I was delighted to buy them from her. As an extra delight, she is the grown child of a dear friend of mine, and I enjoyed chatting with her in the Piggly Wiggley parking lot. It was a convenient meeting place for both her and me. 5. I had dyed my hair this weekend with $3.00 dye purchased with a coupon from DG. I changed my part in my hair this morning, and a male colleague told me I looked “well rested” and asked if I got some sleep last night. I was very amused. He could tell something was different, but he was not exactly sure what….bless his heart! Being easily amused is frugal also…lol. It is better to laugh through life, not take offense easily, than it is get my dander up about stuff. I am really trying to just chill and not be so hyper about everything…..
I have to thank you. I’d never heard of Dansko shoes before, but I just bought a pair for $5 at the thrift store. They look like new. I think I might try selling them on ebay instead of keeping them!
Great!
Make sure to bend the soles backwards and forwards a few times before you list them. They have type of sole that can rot if not stored properly and they then crumble really fast when you start wearing them. Better to find out before you ship them to a customer. Hope yours survive the bending (many do ).
$5 Danskos – great find!
– Drying clothes on a rack in my driveway.
– Packing my lunches.
– Making coffee at home.
– Commuting by bus with a free transit pass.
– Making baby clothes as a gift to my sister with a $2 pattern and supplies from my stash. Now I just need to swallow my fear and learn to do a button hole.
I too hoard boxes, to use to smother/kill weeds and grass when trying to build a new garden plot. (I try to add a bed a year, with the hopes of eventually turning our entire backyard into a food factory, instead of a grass factory.)
1. A colleague was lamenting that a gift card he’d received for his birthday was to a coffee shop he doesn’t care for. I told him about the websites that let you sell/exchange cards and he said that was too much trouble, too bad there was not a local place that did trades. I offered him $50 worth of any produce in my garden and he was thrilled for the opportunity, since he doesn’t have a garden. He came over and left with a pound of lettuce and 13 pumpkins (they are usually expensive here, since their weight makes the shipping costs high). I offered more but he loves pumpkin anything and everything…I am going to make his dog a big bag of pumpkin treats, just so I feel better about the trade. I’m really happy with the trade and want him to be, too. (I still have 19 pumpkins left; we use a lot of pumpkin, too!)
2. My sister’s birthday is later this week, and I am giving her the above named gift card. I don’t drink coffee but she loves indulging herself that way. I usually spend about $50 on her gifts (always consumables, as neither one of us wants more clutter), so this was perfect. Money is tight right now, so being able to give her this present is really a blessing.
3. I sometimes review books for a small publication and this week received a book I had just requested from the library but really wanted to buy…Homegrown Pantry, From Garden to Mason Jar, by Barbara Pleasant. Often the books are not appealing but I had asked the editor to reserve gardening or canning books for me, so I was very appreciative that he had actually paid attention to my request. $22.95 book for free, as I get to keep what I review.
4. Went to a garage sale looking for hangers. No luck, but found a ten pound bag of hedgehog feed marked down to 50 cents!! That is all I found and I ran out of garage sale steam after one house (I hate shopping, even at garage sales)
5. My friend’s son is a Boy Scout and to earn some badge or another, he needed to do some volunteer work “for an old person.” When he came to ask me if he could work for me he said, “You are not that old but you are not healthy (I am periodically in a wheelchair) so I can use you.” I was thrilled to be “used” in this way. He is a strong 13 year old and spent about four hours turning my two compost heaps, which have not been touched since last fall!
6. My husband’s birthday is also this week. I am not doing much standing this week and spontaneously another friend called and said she knew it was the husband’s birthday and I was not well, so would I please allow her to make his birthday cake as a gift to him but also to me sine I like to give him homemade birthday foods. I was thrilled with the offer.
As I write this list, I am once again filled with gratitude. I mean, the gift card, the free book, the compost kid and the birthday pie. Some weeks just feel golden, you know?
So glad you are having a golden week! 🙂
I love your frugal entries.
I hoard boxes to disassemble and put under my blow up pool each year. It’s not expensive like having sand dumped and it gives the pool a nice springy foot feel while protecting it from the sharp rocks underneath. I then put down plastic sheeting( been using the same sheet for years over the top) before filling. It’s a great for those that have a fairly level area yet not very smooth.
Lindsey
I was just thinking that your post was so genuinely touching – and then I got to your last paragraph: a golden post to top off your golden week.
Thank you for sharing these touching events – it’s 8.40pm on Friday evening, it’s been a horrible week but suddenly I feel calmer.
Denise
(1) After a delay because of the cold, wet spring/early summer here, the garden produce is starting to come in, big-time. Peppers and cucumbers everywhere I look; we’re FINALLY starting to eat tomatoes; and I’ve got at least six baby cantaloupes warming up out there. (The line of neighbors who have put in requests for cantaloupes is forming on the right; melons are not that easy to grow here in Upstate NY. My secret weapon is a variety called “Hannah’s Choice,” developed at Cornell.)
(2) It’s raining, again. I remind myself that I have not had to water the garden with the hose, or water my houseplants with tapwater, even once this summer. Our two rain barrels are getting both jobs done in the intervals between showers.
(3) Applause to Katy both for the poster sale and for the recycled packaging. I too am allergic to buying new materials for shipping, and I have a stash of cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and padded mailing envelopes that stops just short of hoarding. Most of this gets used up for fall herb shipments and holiday gift packages–but then I start accumulating it again.
(4) Planning various frugal activities for my NYC BFF’s visit in August. Being a Manhattan native, she thinks that a day without a museum is a day without sunshine, so we will be running the gamut of the local museums she hasn’t seen yet (including the Stickley Museum at the FFL, Barbara!). But I have also converted her over the years to thrift shopping and our local farmers’ market.
(5) Unlike certain chief executives I could name, I haven’t randomly disrespected anybody this week.
And I should have made it clearer in (4) that the Stickley Museum is also free. So there’s yet another FT!
No. 5: but have you not-so-randomly disrespected anyone this week??
I laughed as a vision formed of you with a shortlist headed: “People To Insult This Week. Deliberately.”
I could have written a page full of those names this week myself. And a few names for the list headed “Do That Again And I’ll Smack You. Twice.”
Lol!! Planned disrespect. Love it! I need to start making a separate weekly “to do” list.:-)
No, I don’t often disrespect people–and when I do, it’s usually unintentional. But on the rare occasions when I do set about to do it, I try to make it count.
I’m also reminded in this context of a short story by Shirley Jackson (best known for her creepy classic “The Lottery”) called “One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts.” It’s been decades since I read it, but here’s what I remember: An elderly gent leaves his house in the morning and is stunningly nice to everyone he encounters all day. Then he meets up in a park with his wife, who has been absolutely horrible to everyone she’s met all day, and they compare notes.
1. Continuing to make sure I renew my library items on time, since I have several DVDs checked out. The fine for those is $1 per day and I don’t want to be late renewing them.
2. Also on the library theme, I’m trying to time when I request that a few books be put on hold so that I have them for an upcoming vacation, but so that they’re not due during the vacation. I can renew them online, but if someone else has a hold on one of the books, I can’t renew it. It’ll be a long car ride there and back and also lots of downtime there, so I want to be stocked up with books. I feel like so many others on here … lots of love and gratitude for the library.
3. Got coupons in the mail for Friendly’s, as I often do. I always recycle them because we don’t go there, except once a year during vacation. This time I cut them out and put them in my coupon bag in my purse. When we’re on vacation I’ll see if I can use them. There might be restrictions because I’ll be in another part of the country, but I can ask my server. If they say no, it’s okay.
4. Continuing with my free early morning summertime routine of folding all my laundry while I watch YouTube videos of old game shows. I’m getting way too into Match Game and Name That Tune! It sounds so silly but it’s so enjoyable each day.
5. My son asked if he could rearrange the furniture in his room. His dad told him that as long as he measured first and everything would fit, he could. I liked it because it was a good opportunity to vacuum behind his bed and dressers (those baseboards were so dusty!) and he’s happy because he feels like he has a new room. Cost = $0.
Nice score on that print, Katy. We often go to garage sales if they happen to fall in our errand path and look for items to resell. It’s fun and we often make a pretty penny with it.
My 5 frugal things this week:
1) Made cottage cheese instead of throwing out milk a little too close to its date
2) Made 1/2-gallon of yogurt with fresher milk
3) Used a jar of gifted blueberry jam (my favorite) to make it sweetened fruit-on-the-bottom style yogurt. Since they’re in 1/2-pint canning jars this makes it single-serve convenient!
4) Making applesauce today with apples my aunt gifted from her apple tree
5) Cooked from scratch all week – no meals out!
Thanks for the continue inspiration!
~Taylor-Made Homestead~
Texas
I’m amazed by that poster sale.
1. Stopped at wholesale bakery and purchased 6 loaves of bread and two pans of brownies for $7. At least a 50% savings on high quality baked goods.
2. Husband cancelled much of a vacation trip saving hundreds of $$.
3. Sale radishes, cucumbers and cantaloupe at produce store – cantaloupe was just 99c.
4. Because of high heat indexes we have eaten out more than necessary but also garnered some extra food to eat the next day. Better to have scrounged at home – always plenty on hand for hose willing to cook!
5. Congratulations on poster find! I rarely come across anything of value in thrift stores other than a few minor savings. You inspire me to look harder for overlooked treasurers.
1) Making veggie stock today with veggie scraps we’ve saved over the last couple of months.
2) A couple dinners for this week have been a big batch of Coq Au Vin that I made with chicken quarters I got for 25 cents a pound at Aldi, $2 Aldi wine, and things I already had in my pantry/fridge.
3) We had friends over last night and watched a DVD we already owned. Drinks were amaretto sours because amaretto is cheap!
4) Packing lots of etsy and a few ebay orders. I also try to use recycled packaging whenever possible. My friends bring me their packaging from Amazon orders, etc.
5) I finally hung a clothesline in the backyard, so I’ve been hanging up laundry instead of putting it in the dryer. It’s been hot enough that even though I have a single line, I can hang up and dry three loads in a day.
I’m having a major Duran Duran “Rio” flashback with that poster. Great find, Katy!
1. Found $0.18 and counting this week. My 2017 found money jar is filling up! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
2. Chopped salad for lunch at work, made at home from garden veggies & homemade vinaigrette
3. Happy hour with coworkers after work today on the company’s dime. Cheers!
4. Selling tickets to a Straight No Chaser/Postmodern Jukebox concert which I procured for free from that crazy Ticketmaster class action settlement
5. Hung clothes to dry!
Oh man!! I would LOVE to go to that concert!!
Hey Liz,
If you live in the Bay Area (CA), let me know!
Awwww, thanks for the offer! Unfortunately, I live nowhere near the Bay area (Ohio). Straight No Chaser and Postmodern Jukebox are both very popular out here, and hubs and I both enjoy both bands. I hope you get a lot of interest (and $$) for the tickets!
Katy, I just wanted to say thanks for putting yourself out there each time you post. You don’t have all those affiliate links that most do so, of course, monetary gain is minimal. Thanks for keeping on when it’s tough for the sake of frugality.
1. Used my free BBQ sauce from Kroger on some chicken from the freezer last night. It was delicious!
2. Having a yardsale this weekend. I am getting rid of everything that’s not tied down. Tired of clutter.
3. We are swimming in our blow-up pool at home for cheap fun. We have had this pool several years. As long as it keeps holding air with no leaks we will putting it up. All my friends are buying new pools so I was feeling some pressure until I got in my pool last night and realized when I close my eyes it all feels the same.
4. I did splurge on an Arby’s orange cream milkshake since they are only $1 at happy hour. Best Dollar I have spent in awhile! FYI, the chocolate is equally awesome.
5. I’m selling two coffee tables that are big, heavy, nice, and are real wood at my yardsale. My kids had marked on the tops with markers/pens and they had a few bad spots so I took time to repaint the tops last night to hopefully get more for them. Not sure what I should ask for them. I’m open to any suggestions if anyone has an idea how much I should put on them.
Maybe start at $75-100 and then see? You can always go down in price towards the end of the day….
You think I can get that much? I was thinking $50 because it’s a yardsale but maybe I should ask more. I would keep them myself but I have got to purge. Thanks for your help!
How did it go?
No advice to give on the tables…..but now I want an orange cream shake!! Maybe tomorrow after work…:-)
Do it! You will have no regrets.
Bahaha, I love the Frankenbox! Mr. Picky Pincher has done that a time or two and it’s a good skill to have. 😉 Congrats on those great thrift finds!
This week:
1. We did eat out for dinner last night (oops), but we ate only from the dollar menu and spent $6 on dinner, which averages out to our $3/meal cost anyway.
2. I ate lunch at home today like a good girl. I made a burrito bowl using bits of produce in the fridge.
3. I pre-cooked components of today’s breakfast last night so I would be wouldn’t be tempted by fast food breakfasts.
4. We paid $1,400 for a truck repair (OUCH), but put it on our rewards credit card to get a $20 credit. We pay off the card at the end of every month, so it’s sort of like “free money”
5. I was finally able to stand up for myself against a freelance client who always lowballs me. I told him I would only work for X amount on certain projects and he took it. Not bad. 🙂
Good for you in holding your own with the lowball freelance client!!!
I give in to temptation too many mornings to get a “Mocha” on my way to work. I wish I knew how to make one at home.
Do you have a machine (espresso machine)?
We have one so we can make them.
1 shot espresso
1/2 – 1 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Stir to combine
Top with steamed milk
1. All ready to hit the new Aldi’s in town as it opens today and payday is tomorrow! I did my freezer, fridge, and pantry inventory and…I don’t need to grocery shop! A little disappointed but Happy to not spend money. Aldi’s will be there next week. Proud I did my inventory!
2. Ate a “clean-out-the-fridge” salad for lunch.
3. Had a blood pressure scare and husband and I agreed to quit drinking alcohol. BIG money saver. But also a lot of free time. It feels good.
4. So grateful to have decent health insurance during all this debating Obamacare. Committed to taking care of our health as health insurance can’t fix bad diet, no exercise, bad habits.
5. Made a “clean-out-the-fridge” soup and added chopped Kim Chee from suggestion in cookbook from library. Great addition! I am buying cookbook! Called ” small victories” by Julia turshen.
1. I made homemade wheat bread to avoid consuming more plastic. Delicious! I don’t know if I save any money making it myself, has anyone else done the math? I’d love to know.
2. We’ve been needing to get a new laundry hamper, because the cats scratched holes through the old one (it was made of a basket material). But I was looking at it and feeling sad that it would just sit in a landfill. Then I thought, I could just cover it! I took an old piece of fabric and carefully pinned it around the hamper. Now to see if the cats scratch it–if they don’t, we’re in business.
3. For free entertainment–zooming through my library copy of Not Buying It, one Vermontese woman’s story of trying to go a year without buying anything unnecessary. Has anyone else read it? I love her as much as a “character”–her expensive earthy clothes, her anti-establishment tendencies–as a writer.
Re: #3…yes, I have read it and really enjoyed it. Two others you might also enjoy are “Nickeled and Dimed” and “Scratch Beginnings”. Sure makes us appreciate lots we take for granted!
You guys are awesome about referring me to great library books, thanks so much to everyone who takes the the time to mention names here.
I LOVE that book. Checked it out of the library years ago, and it made such an impact that I bought it when I came across it at the used bookstore. I’ve noticed that people refer to Judith Levine and that book quite frequently in other books about consumption.
Thanks, Jennifer! Next will be Radical Simplicity, which she mentions in the book. There was also a great website for awhile, AndThenSheSaved, where the woman did a spending fast for a year. Now it’s AndThenWeSaved–I don’t know if you can get into her archives for that year, but she was very funny.
I, too, appreciate all the book, blog, and Web site recommendations. I keep lists on my phone of all the books I’m interested in, so when I’m at the library I can look for them.
Carol, your question about the cost of making bread versus buying it reminded me of an article from The Tightwad Gazette about that topic. I went back to my dog eared copy and although it was written almost 20 years ago (1998) Amy D showed the following comparison of cost per loaf:
Supermarket $1.49
Wholesale Club $1.46
Frozen dough $.68
Thrift store $.57
Homemade $.27
Bread machine $.26
Assuming no major percentage of change in the cost of ingredients you could assume you are saving quite a bit of money by making it yourself!
Wowee, Katy! Big score on the Nagel poster. My boyfriend in college had one (not the same one as yours) that he bought from a mall store (yeah, it was the 80s). They had some sort of deal such that you could return it and exchange it for something else for ANY reason – including you just got tired of it. At some point, he got rid if it – just put it out on the curb! I reminded him of the store policy, but he had no desire to bother with it. I know he didn’t pay anywhere close to $99.99 for it! Nicely done!
My FTT:
1) Used chicken I had on hand (to use up some cilantro I’d bought for another dish) to make chicken enchiladas with salsa verde (I hope that’s right). Buying a rotisserie chicken would’ve been easier, but I saved time and $$ using what I had.
2) Taking one for the team tonight, eating the last left over chicken enchilada. They were pretty good the first night – less stellar as a leftover.
3) Cleaned out my carry-all tote bag that goes back & forth to work with me – found a $20 Amazon gift card, and a $10 Buffalo Wings & Rings gift certificate (no expiration date!).
4) Bought a few more $1 clearance perennials at Lowes, and used my free pavers to create edging for landscaping in front of our house. Small $ investment to pretty up the landscaping a bit, plus free exercise and Vitamin D for me.
5) Went through ebates.com when buying hubby a few birthday gifts. He is embracing his Scottish heritage, so I bought him a few things to go with the kilt my mom will be giving him.
As usual, did not indulge my weakness for Lear jets, or gold plated apartments in the sky.
A lot of the same:
1. Worked from home yesterday.
2. Brought my own coffee and tea into work, thereby reducing my desire to go out for a coffee.
3. Paid extra off my mortgage. Each time I do this I can feel the yoke loosening.
4. I’ve been emptying one of my freezers – by eating things in there – and I now have a drawer empty.
5. Last night we decided against eating out for dinner and we just went to the library and then I treated the team for dessert. $8.40 spent instead of $60.
4. Me too, and I love having that little bit of extra space in the freezer. Also, congrats on the extra payment!
1. Went for chiropractic, then massage this morning. My health insurance will pay for both.
2. After the massage, I felt beat up and wanted to treat myself to Starbucks. Resisted the urge, and had a delicious and healthy lunch at home.
3. Decluttering a lot of old junk from under the stairs. Found a few things to list for sale. Called my sister and we had a good laugh about the things I have been storing for 30+ years!
4. Eating apple sauce from last year that was frozen, since my tree will be producing more apples this fall, apparently quite soon, by the looks of it.
5. Didn’t buy a Lear jet or anything at all!
1. I found a penny! Found money is always exciting to me, no matter the amount.
2. Used a coupon for buy one get one half off on admission to an art museum. Went to another display by the same artist for free. Made a donation. Did not buy the T shirt commemorating the event. I wanted it, but it had a white background and all I could think about was all the spots and stains I would soon add to it.
3. Switched my oil change people and got the cheapest oil change I have had since I could crawl under the car and do it myself. That has been a while.
4. Didn’t feel like cooking so ate ramen noodles with slivered cabbage.
That’s it for this time. No brilliant thrifting schemes were pulled off here lately.
I really like the note about feeling even more motivated to not buy new. I told my colleague about buying a seasonal bulk lot of 2 and three year old clothing and she told me I give myself too much work, why don’t I go to a new store where 2 shirts are 2 euros like her?! She just couldn’t see that I’m still spending less, plus it feels good not to contribute to the same cheap fashion industry…
Fast fashion is a HUGE problem!
We have a show here called The War On Waste. The last episode was about the textiles Australians waste – he showed how many clothes we throw away every TEN MINUTES!!! It was shocking. I don’t know if you can get that show in the US at all but it was amazing. I thought I was pretty good on waste but I’m changing a few habits after watching it.
My mom totally doesn’t get that if something requires extra work but saves you money, that it *can* be worth the effort. Why paint “old” furniture you found at the thrift store…just go to Ikea! Ugh, *used* clothes?? You get the idea. My sisters and I joke that when she passes away (hopefully no time soon), she won’t leave much behind but lots of jewelry and a *fabulous* wardrobe.:-)
Not to imply there’s anything wrong with Ikea…..
1. Have not bought lunch out this week.
2. Took bus to/from work again today.
3. Found a cute bracelet on my run one morning this week.
4. Giving a friend a card from Dollar Store tomorrow to celebrate a milestone.
5. Am going to use an old gift card to buy a plant for a free terra cotta pot a neighbor put out that I dragged home. Am fixing up my back yard bit by bit.
Frugal fails: succumbed to take out this week — work continues to be crazy busy.
My only comment on this post is actually a comment on your last post, or more specifically the edit you made at the top. Thank you for being a reasonable human being – I agree that your seventy bajillion posts speak for themselves, as to your character and sensitivity.
Go you.
hear, hear! I was so thinking the same thing.
1) I have been cleaning up and out in anticipation of a lifestyle change. I photographed and listed 14 items on eBay today. I sold one item, and I have a low offer on another which I will most likely reject. Sometimes it is just insulting.
2) I have been watching “Money for Nothing” on YouTube. It is produced by the BBC and features a woman who upcycles trash picks into cash. She returns the profits earned to the original owner of trash picked treasures. Silly, but great to watch when doing chores.
3) I dropped off a load of treasures to the GW today. I took a moment to go inside, but I left empty handed. I reminded myself that I had plenty of things for resale. ( The 14 items above are only the tip of the ice berg!) What’s more, I don’t NEED anything with the exception of new running shoes.
4) DH and I had another gym date. I know many think that the gym is frivolous spending. However, I find it a necessity for many reasons. I use it often to make sure I get my money’s worth. Besides I get to watch HGTV for free when I run!
5). I have been continuing my efforts to reach zero food waste. True Confession– I did have to throw out a molded shallot, 1/2 a lemon, and two small zucchini this week. However, I have used up many odds and ends. I made Asian chicken soup using a chicken carcass and every bite of chicken. We had pasta last night and cooked two quarter boxes of pasta that were different shapes. I used the last 1/4 of avacado for avacado toast — and that explains why I am not a millionaire.
Thanks for the show suggestion!
1. Sold 2 books on Amazon- Scandinavian Artists book for $30 and a Warmans Guide to Barbie Collectibles. The art book was given to me when a friend of a friend was decluttering to move. College fund!
2. Did 7 merchandising jobs today. No cheap markdown chicken at Target. Oh well!
3. Went to the charity shop that just moved and raised their prices to crazy level, such as $50 shoes and craft store candles for $10. Bought 3 books for $1 each and have already listed them on Amazon for $20-$30 each. I also picked up an out of print food preservation book for $3. Looks like I could sell it for about $40 but am debating if I want to add it to my library. I’ve taught canning classes and want to start dehydrating more. I also picked up a 24 box Ticonderoga pencils which had 22, for $2. DS#2 goes back to college in 3 weeks. Pencils are now off my list.
4. I then went across the highway to Aldi. Got to love cheap cheese, blueberries and strawberries. I rescued and abandoned cart from the parking so I made 25¢.
5. Project Pass It On- Bag of new school supplies to a friend that teaches in Baltimore City, a new matchbox and some paint stick puppets I made to a little friend and 20 recent magazines and a book to several women at dance practice. They were all thrilled and I was happy to rehome it all!
I had to re-read those numbers to make sure I didn’t misunderstand something! Good job on that resell!
1. Now that we’re in our new house (and yard!) I’m realizing just how much I love yard work, especially when it’s edible plants. We moved some basil and spinach to where I think it will thrive better. I also made use of some aloe vera yesterday after touching a hot pot.
2. I re-used a cookie box to put my scarves in.
3. Even though I know it doesn’t save THAT much electricity, I often turn off lights and fans I find the rest of the family has left on.
4. Continuing the usual of composting, cooking most of our meals at home, and eating leftovers.
5. I also did not buy a lear jet.
WOW! Nice score on that sell!!!
1) I’m listening to Grapes of Wrath on audio during my commute and really enjoying it. YAY for my favorite shopping card – my Library card!!
2) Hubby wanted to eat out last night, so I used my BJ’s Brewhouse app to get $10 off on the meal. I love that place – yummy food and great service.
3) I’m enjoying my Bubba bottle, which keeps my water ice-cold so I can take it anywhere and stay hydrated in this heat – for FREE!
4) I enjoyed the OKWIT event downtown with the ladies Wednesday evening. They have it somewhere different every month. Free food and networking with awesome women in the tech field.
5) I did not buy anything gold-plated or ostentatious this week, including that elusive Lear Jet.
Frugal Fail: I parked in the same building where the event took place Wednesday night. It was supposed to be free after 7 pm, but alas they made me pay $6. However, I will hold on to the receipt and use that towards business expenses on our 2017 tax return.
Wow! I have seen those prints at flea markets priced at about $125 and was blown away that anyone would what them for that price! They were new to me. Great score!
That poster has such a Duran Duran vibe!
1) I am able to repair 4 curtains from an ummmmm, cat urine issue, and also add buttons to our duvet cover to keep it working as good a new.
2) I budgeted for next month which includes fixing up our bike so I can drive less. A bit of an upfront cost that will keep me healthy, the car costs down, and it’s great for the environment!
3) I noticed that my new budgeting system ( Pen and paper after so many online services wouldn’t cut it) doesn’t track our assets and liabilities, so I found easy Excel template that would do that that I could just adjust monthly. It’s important for me to see the benefits of retirement savings and see that balance on my mortgage to keep focused on my long-term financial goals.
4) Dropped of some of my husbands clothes for consignment across town. It’s such a hassle to go there, but they are one of the few places in the city that takes men’s clothes. Received $18 cash.
5) Suggested frugal events to spend time with friends that are visiting the city this weekend. They like to go out and spend a lot of money but will stick with things that work for both of us and still get quality time with them.
Yes that poster is very similar to the cover art on Duran Duran’s Rio album. Has to be the same artist!
1) Made dinner from ingredients on hand. Tuna casserole, French bread, and spinach salad will be yummy. We will continue to watch a library DVD of Modern Family tonight after dinner.
2) Bought two free items with coupons. Stopped by Target on my way home from a hike so no extra driving.
3) Said hike was my 12th day of exercise this month, which means I earn an extra $25 in my paycheck. A great incentive that pays both physical and monetary rewards.
4) Cashed out $28 from a rebate site into my PayPal account.
5) Took my dear daughter to the mall to get her free Sephora birthday reward. She was thrilled!
1. Keeping the air conditioner off.
2. Eating from the freezer.
3. Haven’t spent any money in a few days.
4. A friend is coming for dinner tomorrow night and bringing salmon he caught in Alaska for the grill and I am making sides. Healthier and cheaper for both of us.
5. I’m going to the beach for a week at the end of August. I am starting to buy food on sale for us to enjoy and keep costs down.
1. Submitted two products for warranty replacement this week. This helps with the value of large purchases, knowing they have solid warranties.
2. My daughter wanted to purchase two books at Goodwill at $3 each. I used my cell phone to search our library catalog, put both books on hold, and picked one up the same afternoon. We left the store with only the clothes we came to purchase. (Almost. And one giant “Treat Yo Self” mug for $1.19)
3. Promptly returned some clothing items that didn’t work from a recent shopping trip.
4. Successfully recreated two of three amazing meals we enjoyed on a recent road trip. So excited to have those new flavors in our rotation. (Chipotle Cream sauce, made vegan? Yes!)
5. Waited for my husband to get home from work to grill veggies outside instead of heating up the house on a 95 degree day.
My FFT:
1. Used $10 in “surprise points” at Sears to order work socks for DH. His are beyond the point of darning. My out of pocket cost for 4 pairs was $3.81. Will combine with other errands to pick up at the store, so no shipping cost.
2. Saw “Lemon Cooler” cookies at Big Lots today. I picked them up, but put them back down. As much as I love them, I certainly don’t need them, and didn’t want to pay $2.75 for 8 oz. of cookies.
3. Having a 21st birthday party tomorrow for DD. Looked over circulars to get the best deals on food for the party. Using plates, cups, decorations we already have on hand for the party, except for 21st Birthday napkins I got on clearance for $1.00 with Free Shipping at Party City.
4. Used up some celery, carrots and half and half to make a copy cat Panera Cheddar Broccoli Soup.
5. Our Goodwill stores had 2 special sale days this week, 75% off on Tuesday, and 405% off today. There isn’t anything I need, so I stayed away to avoid temptation.
Frugal fail: Bought sodas for the party on sale at Walgreens and forgot to use $10 in “Balance Rewards” toward them. But, I will make sure the reward points don’t expire. I am planning to use them to buy Halloween Candy to give out.
Typo on #5. Should be 40%, not 405% off.
1. Due to recent studies on the dangers of regular use of proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, I have weaned myself from Nexium which also saves the cost of the prescription. In order to do that I had to change my diet to eliminate acid producing foods so have eliminated the use and cost of sodas and chocolate. win/win.
2. Trying to eat at home so tried a recipe for cauliflower crust pizza. Way cheaper than a take out or delivery pizza but it was really different and just “so so”. I will go back to making my own pizza dough for crust.
3. I bought two pair of shorts on sale for vacation for $70. I took them back due to the fit and found that the shorts have been reduced even more so ended up with three pair of sale shorts for $40!
4. I am using vinegar as a washer rinse for whites instead of Clorox. Cheaper and better for the environment.
5. Rented the text book from Amazon.com for my next Master’s program class for $18. Rented from the bookstore was $36 and new about $70. It pays to shop around for text books.
Life is too short to drink crappy coffee.