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I put a massive effort into selling stuff over that past month and it’s really paid off, as I sold over $2500 through eBay and Facebook Marketplace. I enjoy selling for the increased income, but mostly I value ensuring that still usable items stay in circulation instead of being dumped into landfills.
Here are five of my favorite sales, not just because of the money, but because these unique items would have otherwise languished.
• An empty Game Cube “Teen Titan” box. Because someone had the game disc but no box!
• A “Collette” plush from the 2007 movie “Ratatouille.” Because it went to Norway, and I love that this specific Goodwill toy was exactly what some Norwegian person was looking for.
• A pair of antique framed botanical prints that used to hang above our bed. Because it would have been easy to set them aside after my husband and I renovated our bedroom, but instead I listed them and quickly got them into the hands of someone who’d love them.
• This vintage aluminum roaster lid. Because there had to be someone out there with the bottom but not the top.
• This vintage 1980s ski suit. Because it looked like a wardrobe piece from Hot Tub Time Machine, and made made laugh. Also because it weighed almost nothing which made it a Goodwill Outlet “bins” bargain. -
I’ve been really good about cooking from scratch, as well as avoiding food waste. Being at home almost all the
damnedtime means there are few opportunities to rationalize take out meals or drive through.It turns out that never going anywhere is an insanely frugal life choice. Also boring. Super boring. Yes, I’m willing to do it for the sake of humanity. But boring.
My most recent impressively frugal meal was a large pot of delicious black bean soup that incorporated:
• A cup or so of leftover rice.
• Four or five tiny cups of leftover hot sauces from our Taco Tuesdays.
• A quart of homemade chicken stock from a Costco roasted chicken.
• Chopped pickled jalapeño peppers and carrots, also from our last Taco Tuesday.
• The last of a bag of frozen corn kernels.
• The shards from the bottom of a tortilla chip bag.Needless to say, the black beans were a bulk purchase from Winco, and we continue to hit up Su Casa Tacqueria for their $1 tacos on Tuesdays. Because there’s only so much cooking I can do before my brain implodes.
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I turned 53 last week, so my husband and I masked up and spent the day hitting different Goodwills. I scored a ton of great stuff, mostly for resale. (A rattan chair for $1.99! An entire new-old-stock bolt of IKEA fabric for $12.50! A $30 like-new pair of Doc Martin boots for my daughter!) My husband bought a “new” snow shovel to replace our broken one. You’d have thought he won the lottery from his excitement.
We also drove through Starbucks for a free birthday caramel macchiato, which I shared with my son as it was enormous and cloyingly sweet.
My husband then made dinner at home (salmon, rice and brussels sprouts) and we spent the evening watching “Star Trek: Discovery” through our free 30-day trial of CBS All Access.
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My husband built me a Little Free Library for my birthday from our basement’s never ending supply of woodworking leftovers, I hauled home an antique shelf that someone put out for free, I then used wood glue and clamps to fix the aforementioned shelf, I went for a couple walks with my friend Lise as she was dog sitting over the weekend, I finished listening to Recipe For a Perfect Wife through the library’s free Libby app and I sold the $1.99 rattan chair for $35.
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or incite insurrection from my gold plated bunker in the sky.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 95 comments… read them below or add one }
Five Frugals:
1) Watched Shetland series from my local library
2) Bought distressed produce at my neighborhood grocery and made soup
3) Drank tea when I ran out of coffee
4) Knitting All the Yarn in my stash before buying more
5) Cooked a big batch of garbanzo beans and using them in lots of different things
I love Shetland!
Shetland is awesome. Have you watched Vera? Same feel and so good as well!
I loved Shetland as well and now I am going to look up Vera. Thanks for the suggestion.
I hope you will enjoy it! Happy Valley is good but much darker. Sarah Lancaster is in it and she is fantastic.
I loved Happy Valley as well as Last Tango in Halifax.
Thank you for the suggestion, I am now enjoying Vera! 🙂
I learned that both series are based on books by the same author. Next step: look for the books.
My favorite garbanzo recipe is for peanut butter blondies. The website I got my recipe from is no longer up and running, but this looks pretty similar. I don’t use oat flour, just rolled oats processed in my food processor. I made them for my pastor and his wife and they really liked them.
I had them guessing what the secret ingredient was.
They were all shocked.
https://kalejunkie.com/chickpea-peanut-butter-banana-blondies/
Made some soup that used up kale from the garden, zucchini from the freezer, some ham sticks and out of date cream. It’s very loosely based on Zuppa Toscana.
Got paid in fibre from the person I spin and knit for, so that should keep me occupied for a while.
Picked up a pure wool sweater that had been lingering in our local free store for a while. I am going to take it apart and use its plaid colours in a fairisle pattern.
Not ebaying this month as Canada post is still a mess. Probably next month.
Having a low spend month, eating the freezer, as it was getting silly!
I don’t have 5 frugal things to share (although I did just freeze leftover ham and bean soup, as well as the remainder of a can of tomato paste in little tablespoon-sized mounds), but I did want to let you know that your fifth frugal thing made me chuckle – something I haven’t done since Wednesday. Thanks for the smile!
Humor found in the most disturbing of places.
1. Donated blood & got a long sleeve tee & 20$ gift card. Probably will use gift card for dinner for my birthday next week.
2. Got a free Dunkin Donuts’ latte for birthday.
3. Replaced my cracked vinyl steering wheel cover w/ a stretchy velour one from a Dollar Tree for one $.
4. Went to a movie after Xmas (only 1 other couple there). Theatre was cold & my seat was broken & didn’t recline. My husband complained & was given 2 re-entry passes.
5. Frugal fail: while out of town my sister came over every few days to check on my cat. Smart, gluttonous cat knocked over the 9$ tub of cat treats to get to them. He ate the entire contents in a few days instead of his cat food. Then made himself sick & vomited. No more Temptations cat treats for him.
I love hearing about your Goodwill finds!
I am cooking more than I can bear. This week I send my husband and daughters to In n Out for a fairly cheap restaurant meal, eaten in the car.
I started some seeds, a very hopeful activity. I focus on growing food.
Keeping up with food waste. I froze the last cup of milk that had turned sour. I will use it in baking. My daughter would not eat the bit of cheese that had some mold. I told her to cut the mold off and it would be fine, but she looked very dubious. I will still eat it (minus the mold).
Not driving much, so gas spending low, hanging clothes to dry, eating free kiwis, reading books from the library (and very much enjoying no fines).
Starting to work on sewing for my shop now that my husband is working in his empty classroom instead of our bedroom, and I can have the table that he was using. Our 2 young adult daughters are home for extended time and we are using every inch of our 1000 square foot house for 4 adults all working from home!
1. Your sales put me to shame. I sold $130 worth of stuff on FB the last two days and I thought I was a rock star! But I just listed a few more items, so hope to duplicate that amount this week.
2. Found a 2 pound bag of langoustines in the bottom of the freezer; they appeared a bit freezer burned. Used up an old onion, a dozen aging mushrooms and some milk that was going to go bad soon and made it all into a seafood chowder that we ate for four days. I made Texas toast every night to keep the husband interested in eating the soup.
3. Made a large broccoli frittata to use up some of the eggs being pushed out by my chickens and we had frittata sandwiches every day for lunch.
4. Made four loaves of bread, freezing three for the future.
5. Recruited a friend who gardens to order seeds with me so the total would push us over the 15% off and free shipping. Last year I waited until March to order and I had a hell of time finding carrots and onions.
That’s how my cooking as been as late.
Whatever is the oldest, or going bad soon is the new meal. Sigh!
You are a rock star, well done!
Dropping in to say Happy Birthday ! I eagerly await new blog posts not just for the good sense and humor they contain, but also for the community of commenters and their contributions. Thank you Katy for keeping this going
I just wanted to say how much I admire all of you who have been bunkering down for months in incredibly difficult situations. I can only aspire to your levels of frugality! I’m very privileged to live in a country where we are practically COVID free and life is almost normal.
Best wishes from NZ
Ugh, I envy the competence of your country’s government.
I second Katy on this! What your PM has done is fantastic.
I third this. What a difference a competent leader makes! If President tRump had not lied to the nation, made fun of those that wear masks, and held super spreader rallies for his base, we wouldn’t be living in a land where 35-40% of Americans believe that wearing a mask, being vaccinated or not being able to go to the bar infringes on their freedom and where we are rapidly approaching the loss of 400,000 lives, with no end in sight. The vaccine roll out has been poorly organized from the start, with no attempt by our “leader” to encourage people to get vaccinated and his hands off “let the states do it” attitude. He’s already poisoned the well, so even when President-elect Biden is inaugurated, it will be a steep uphill battle to get everyone to wear a mask, socially distance, and be vaccinated.
While I agree with you about our governments response to the virus, I’m not sure that we can compare ourselves to N.Z, we have over 330 million people to their 5 million.
My dad was always frugal. My mom though, told him not to bring anything other than Tide home or he would be washing his own clothes. I discovered thrift stores and vintage clothing when I was a teen. I remember the time my parents took me to the horse races and gave me 6 dollars for three two dollar bets. My dad took me down to look at the horses before the races and I picked ones that looked pretty and had names I liked. I made a killing. My dad put away his slide rule and news papers and started asking me which horses I thought looked pretty and had good names. All I could think of was the endless school clothes I could afford at thrift stores with my new treasure.
I have my life whittled down to very few expenses. Cheap phone and service, free TV, I used to love books but now I get bored or argue with them.
I don’t like coupons or offers or prizes with purchase or any of the gimmicks.
I think of Mercutio yelling “you’ve made worm’s meat of me”, covid de’rona has made a curmudgeon of me and it suits.
When I was 15 I toured all the buildings in DC and there was a bomb scare. Security then was markedly different than what I observed on TV Wednesday.
We ate take out pizza that night. Thursday it was take out BBQ nachos.
Friday drive thru mango chicken.
That was all of that I could take. I like how Katy says she ” cobbled” something together to eat. I started cobbling again on Saturday.
Way to go Katie, your sales truly amaze me! I enjoy clicking to see the items you sold. What’s your relationship like with your mail person who picks up your packages?
1. Made turkey quesadillas and soup with frozen leftover turkey from thanksgiving and used up vegetables we had on hand. Froze two containers of soup for future quick meals. If I make a batch of Jiffy corn muffins to go with it the girl is happier to eat the soup as she loads the muffins with honey. 😉 I love soup, love to make it, she just tolerates it.
2. Went to Discount Tire to get my car tire losing air fixed. Was informed it had tire rot/all my tires did and also the rims needed to be replaced because the corrosion was causing the air loss. Asked them to please fix as I am laid off no cash for new anything, said would do their best.
3. Went home and saw that the stimulus money had come through and was in my bank account and would be enough for new tires and rims, the universe provided!
4. Went forrest bathing with my daughter I.e. hiking at a local city park we had never been to and wanted to try the trails. Great cold crisp day, enjoyed the sunshine but was disappointed to see several trees spray painted with blue graffiti:-(
5. Splurged and treated my daughter to dinner after the hike by getting Culver’s cheeseburgers (coupon used) and onion rings. We drank our own water; I have been diligently doing Swagbucks while watching TV, doing dishes etc., so close to another $25 Lowe’s gift certificate; enjoyed watching the American Master’s Laura Ingalls Wilder show and requested several books about her/her letters and Rose Wilders I have never read. Just read Old Town in the Green Groves another author wrote which covers the two years in her childhood she chose not to write about.
I am too impatient to do Adult Coloring, but if I did, I would get the Laura Ingalls Wilder coloring book. It has the Garth Williams illustrations from the books, which I always wanted to color.
“The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie” by Wendy McClure is a fun description of how the author went to all the locations where the Wilders lived and described what she found. The influence of the television show is strong.
The first parts of “Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of LIWilder” by Caroline Fraser provide fascinating background into the times, things I never knew about why homesteading would never work, about Native American situations, etc. It is long and scholarly, so not a light read.
I enjoyed the American Masters program about Laura Ingalls Wider too and it renewed my interest in her life and writing. Heidi Louise, thanks for the information on Wendy McClure’s book. I will request it from the library. I have on hold already; Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life by Pamela Smith Hill, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend by John E. Miller and Libertarians on the Prairie by Christine Woodside. I will be picking them up this week when I attend to some other errands.
The adult coloring book sounds amazing!
1. I continue to cook meals at home.
2. We qualified for some money re: COVID from the BC government.
3. I put in a claim for medications through our extended health provider.
4. I walk most days on the well plowed trails near our neighbourhood.
5. I am slowly cleaning cupboards etc., and donating items to a local thrift show which raises money for our hospital. I take some clothes to the local consignment store.
Happy Birthday Katy!
I agree, its pretty boring. I’ve been working hard to find interesting things to do besides organizing:
1. I scored a free lamp on our Buy Nothing Group. I’ve been looking for a lamp exactly like this one, now I have a lamp next to my reading chair and don’t have to turn on the overhead light.
2. On CBS All Access, I discovered the Smithsonian channel. Chock full of documentaries that are actually interesting, from war planes to wildlife. Something DH and I are really enjoying.
3. While bored, took a “what hair product do you need” quiz. Results said I need a shampoo with AC vinegar, and what they recommended was not cheap. I took a small spray bottle, filled it with 1/3 ACV and the rest water, and it sits in my shower now, to spray on my hair from time to time. It really helps!
4. Found some free yoga videos online, DH and I are starting to do them.
5. Found Headspace on Netflix, a meditation show.
I cant believe the money you made last me.. I am envious of you!
Came to wish you a Happy birthday!
I have so much stuff to list on ebay, its so time consuming! I did manage to get about 10 or so up this past weekend, Let see what happens..
Hey Katy, waiting on your found change count for the year. (still need to do mine, as I know it will not be as much as most years!)
We are in lockdown where I live, so I get out of the house for work, grocery shopping and walks, and that’s about it. I need to be inside the house from 8h pm to 5h am. I’m ok with it. It does keep life frugal for sure!
* I’ve been reading like a mad woman! Thank God the public library is still offering curb-side pick-up!
* I’ve been doing my own personal shopping ban since November 27th and it’s going perfectly well. Now that all stores are closed anyways, it sure helps!
* Been eating from the freezers and pantry, and buying only fresh vegetables, fruits and milk products to complete. We are not eating from restaurants (take-out) very much eighter.
* My 40th B-day was on Jan. 5th and I did… nothing. I went for a swim at the (then opened) public pool (free), I went for a walk with hubby and kids (free), I read (free) and hubby made a lasagna for dinner. And you know what? It was a perfect day!
* I purged my closet and I now keep my clothes to a minimum and take care of them. I rotate 3 outfits for work (I work 3 days a week) and then I have 4 pairs of pants and about 15 shirts and vests for the life at home. It’s nice to open my closet and like everything in there and know that everything actually fits.
1. Our area FINALLY has a buy nothing group. It’s only been active a week, but it’s a nice group. I got to try duck eggs for the first time.
2. My boss was giving way some items she had on her bookshelves in her office. I took a few items that I think I can sell on Ebay. Though they might not sell for a high dollar, a free “buy in” makes anything profitable. I also feel this way about the clothing that is donated to me. Even if I only earn $3 from one item, its still a $3 profit for me. The time/energy I spend listing is worth the daily amount I earn.
3. After about 4 weeks of my husband and father in law working to fix our garage door openers…we now have two fully functioning garage doors! One has never worked (since we moved in) and the other one was the one that fell on my head. We only paid the cost of the two new openers. We even had some $ on gift cards for home depot, so the final cost was way less than hiring someone. Though the amount of dirty words said was WAY MORE than if we hired someone!!
4. My kids are having a blast with their present which is a annual pass to an indoor entertainment place. Each time we go, they get pizza and a snack. The monthly price is about $28. Last week we used it 3 times. The kids get lots of good exercise and sleep amazing!
5. Continue to mend my son’s clothing. I think he comes how with one hole in his pants each week. Thankfully he doesn’t care that there are random seems in his clothing.
Happy Birthday Katy and kudos on your re-saling results. You rock.
1. I have been listing items on Freecycle every week. I like knowing the things we don’t need are going to new homes. It is not frugal for me but for others and with so much Staying Home it is a good time suck.
2. We cleaned and sealed the kitchen floor (tile) and counter (granite). We already had the supplies and we’re trying to maintain things.
3. I have been reading and listening to library books, mostly digital.
4. My yoga studio (now virtual classes only) has been without a Pilates teacher/classes since Covid-19 quarantining started. I do workouts at home, either with what I remember or streaming You Tube videos from a local studio.
5. I am getting shaggy again as our case numbers are high. Savings on haircuts, driving, meals out, etc. I know some people that have been vaccinated so I hope it’s not forever before we are able to be. I signed up to be alerted, via text, when they are ready to start vaccinating the next group. We are not in any group break out so far.
To sum it up I am grateful for my frugal skills. They make getting through all of this somewhat easier and less stressful.
1. Continue to cook and eat leftovers. We are even harvesting kale from under the snow (shh don’t tell the deer!).
2. Mentoring my SIL in some health changes and cooking changes. As her retirement present I gave her lessons in selling on ebay and mentoring her for a year. She’ll use it and benefit from it way more than something she might stick in a cupboard. Have also given other friends cooking lessons-one who said she could not make pie dough (she could with recipe and specific coaching tips and techniques.)
3. Hanging laundry out. It’s sunny and 20. Laundry is blowing in the wind.
4. Continuing to use the library and cannot think the last time I actually bought a real book.
5. Our pellet stove and solar gain is keeping us warm today which we so appreciate.
6. Lost my nursing job that I held for 16 years due to a Covidized change in how we trained our patients. Sigh.
7. Keeping listing on ebay and things are nice and steady. Finding some nice MCM stuff in daughter’s room that I bought for her that she does not want,
I am so sorry about the job loss and hope you find another one soon. Covid sucks.
For my friends in the USA- I hope everyone is taking care of themselves physically and mentally after the week we just went through.
1. I have a work web event today and I’m so excited to wear a vintage top I got from a reseller in my hometown. She rummages through estate sales and lists beautifully preserved items. I got this blouse for about the same price as a new one at Target. Since beauty is only from the waist up on video, I’m excited to show off!
2. A lovely quarantine weekend meant breaking out the KitchenAid since I’m back to being excited about cooking again. Rescued a deteriorated yam from the back of the fridge to make sweet potato rolls on Saturday, then attempted a new chocolate chip cookie recipe Sunday. Cookies were good and soft, but I continue to be on the hunt for a flat chewy cookie. Google says melted butter–something to try next weekend. All baking done with ingredients otherwise waiting patiently in my pantry.
3. Actually started using all the streaming services that my partner pays for each month and enjoying the heck out of it. I’m usually a reader but have enjoyed tuning out to some good shows. I picked a hell of a time to start Handmaid’s Tale, but highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet!
4. Similarly, I rebooted an old laptop that has one of my favorite video games on it. I enjoyed zoning out for a few hours this weekend and diving back in. I love that it’s something I already paid for years ago but continue to get hours of enjoyment out of!
5. We are taking a hard look at Christmas gifts and what we will use and what we shall pass on. Our families are good about gifting what we want and will use, but can’t resist some tchotchkes. With two people and two cats in a one bedroom apartment, there literally is no space for stuff we won’t use (including some knit Viking hats from alpaca fur, which I’m very allergic to) so the Buy Nothing group in our neighborhood is going to get a large and very eccentric haul this week!
My dh was making flat, chewie chocolate chip cookies by using melted butter. I didn’t care for him so now he’s on the hunt for the type of cookie I used to make – thick and chunky.
This may be the funniest typo ever.
1. My daughter got 50% off of her dual enrollment classes thanks to a deal that our local community college is offering right now. We saved $400.
2. My pansies that I bought for $3 back in November are still blooming thru two hard freezes.
3. I tried out a new brand of Indian food-inspired sauces (Good & Gather) at Target this week that were only $3. We like it them a lot, so that will help us to liven up our meals this winter and avoid takeout temptations.
4. We rented textbooks off of Amazon for my daughter and saved between 50-75% off the cost of buying one.
5. My church gave me a substantial Amazon gift card for running our ESL classes last year. I was not expecting that, but it was so nice to be appreciated. I have been trying to find useful things to buy with it, but have splurged and bought bullet journaling supplies too. There is a balance to everything….
My kids rented textbooks too while they were in college. Great money saver and they were on the ball about returning them.
1. Watched the Minimalists’ new documentary on Netflix, first with my husband then with the kids. As a result, we have decluttered a table full of stuff, several items of which I will be posting to ebay. I will also be posting a couple of swear word adult coloring books. I picked up a package of adult coloring books for my daughter at Goodwill, and the ones in the back (that I couldn’t see) were these. She even said she learned a couple new words, paging through it…
2. Using up bits and bobs in the kitchen. Made tortilla soup again. Made overnight French toast with a leftover can of cranberry sauce and some cream cheese — yum! Also got take-out Indian once, because theirs is better than mine.
3. Watched the new James Herriot program last night on PBS. Not completely accurate to the books, but accurate to the spirit. And it’s filmed in the actual house he lived in, which we visited years ago, so that’s exciting to us!
4. We go back to school this week. I am looking forward to making money again. I will be getting a different class, and that will be interesting. I will be subbing PE starting tomorrow, and I am telling myself that I will get more exercise than sitting in an English classroom!
5. Spending a little more money on gas, teaching my daughter to drive! She’s excited to get her permit, the process was incredibly quick at the DMV, and we get to do something new! We also continue to practice our foreign languages on Duolingo, walk for exercise and weight loss, learn a new instrument, and generally try to look to the future for hope of a time afterwards.
I made enough money subbing to pay down the mortgage four months! I am really hoping to pay the mortgage off early, because we can consider retiring after the mortgage is paid off. Less then seven years left (as of this writing)!
I went for my first trip to the bins and I was SO EXCITED! I understand the excitement. I went to the “regular one” next door and not near as exciting, as no “thrill of the hunt”!
Sadly, my local area has none.
1. Meal-planned and then shopped at Aldi
2. Adding change to my penny challenge- $667 by Christmas.
3. Trying to pay off my car loan- in 10 months. It was a 48 month loan.
4. Organized all first aid stuff so I know what I need and what I don’t.
5. Packed all my breakfasts and lunches for 3 days.
1. Gave myself a haircut again.
2. Bathed and groomed all three of our dogs. They’d be prettier if a professional worked on them and I’d be a lot poorer. I consider it a good excuse to thoroughly clean the laundry room afterward. 😀
3. Used the Libby app to read a book that never seemed to show up as an e-book deal, thus saving me at least $12. Our library’s e-book offerings are not particularly good, so I was delighted to find this.
4. Rather than going out for breakfast after a blood test that required fasting beforehand, I was frugally virtuous and packed oatmeal and coffee from home. Did not know the coffee container had developed a serious leak, which it did all over my coat and in my handbag. Discovered the coat and bag are both machine washable and they came out looking great. Crisis averted.
5. My young adult son who still lives at home and I both were diagnosed with COVID-19* late last week. However, he has only mildly sick and I have barely had any symptoms — I have not run a fever so this feels just like my winter allergies. My husband does not know how to cook, but we have not resorted to take-out. And no, I do not know how we got it, since we’re very careful.
Hope y’all feel better soon!
Thank you. I have not felt too bad, mostly just had ear aches and a headache at the beginning. My son has a cough and can’t seem to shake the daily evening bout of chills and fever yet. I hope he’ll get over that in the next few days.
I did scrub my hands, mask up, put on a clean apron and go into our deserted kitchen to cook a big pot of soup this afternoon. Everyone ate heartily. It hit the spot on this cold winter day.
Sending lots of white light to all you lovely people in the US. For so long it seemed like we in sunny SA held the monopoly on crazy politics and social problems.
1. Went for an eye test, and opted to reuse my spectacle frames. This will be the 3rd prescription, and they are still sturdy and comfortable, and NOT trendy.
2. Used some marked down/short dated tomato soup as the basis for a chicken dish, using up odd veggies from the fridge.
3. Busy decluttering… passed on some clothing to our gardener. He is welcome to resell! Also putting together a box for local feral cat charity’s facebook thrift shop.
4. Delayed buying new uniform and stationery. Family meeting with Uncle Cyril (Ramaphosa) tonight, and we fear return to hard lockdown, which may delay start of school year.
5. Still reading on libby, feeding compostables to the worm farm, cooking at home (mostly), and staying out of shops (heavy 2nd wave in progress). Managed to lose a little weight after Christmas. May not seem frugal, but it’s more affordable than buying new!
Congratulations on your sales Katy! I loved your #5. If I can’t laugh about this crazy situation I’m going to cry (again).
1. Cheep thrills: I saw a flock of seven swans (flying, not swimming) low overhead as I was stopped at a traffic light, DH and I saw a small flock of bluebirds fluttering in and out of a tree while taking a walk and and a hawk landed on the railing of my deck.
2. I took a walk on a woodland trail with friends yesterday. There is very little snow left so the trail was clear and perfect. The trail meanders along swamps, ponds and streams. We saw four people on horseback who stopped to talk with us and we got to pat their horses. People were walking dogs and many stopped so we could pat their dogs.
3. Continuing to read library books. I just finished The View’s Sunny Hostin’s new memoir about growing up and living in two worlds. Her father is Black and her mother Puerto Rican. I learned a lot about insidious racism. Also the justice system and the television industry. Interesting read.
4. Made a crockpot full of Campfire Stew, an old throwback from my Girl Scout days in the 60s and 70s. I used a pound of hamburger, diced potatoes and onions and the remainder of a bag of green beans I had in the freezer. Two cubes of beef bouillon on were added to a packet of powdered beef stew mix. It was delish although one of my friends pointed out I had forgotten the stewed tomatoes. Next time.
5. I went to the pharmacy to pick up and a prescription and noticed they had Christmas candy on sale for 75% off. Yes, I bought the chocolates and no I am not giving them away as gifts for Valentines Day. They won’t make it that long.
Take care all!
5+FF: Winter Doldrums
Feeling like I have not accomplished anything novel but inspired by reading Katy’s efforts (Happy Birthday!) & those of other posters, so will dig deep to see if I can come up with frugalities.
1. Christmas was off this year for several reasons. One was that the tree ornaments/garlands were omitted & the sit around decorations not unpacked d/t DD’s young & mischievous cat. Significantly < festive but able to pack away in record time. Secondly, after days of cooking prep, the oven coil caught on fire on Christmas morning which required some menu revisions & fun items @ 75% & 90% off. My favorite is a large & delicious smelling white winter candle for $5.
5. Enjoyed a fantastic outing focused on a return that involved 8 frugalities. 1. Dropped car insurance bill @ PO using a stamp that had been saved from a cc bill that I paid via ATM versus mail. 2. Returned incorrect above stove lightbulbs @ home goods store (frugal fail – used original receipt for mail-in rebate without making a copy) but was able to use their system to find purchase – only out 35 cents/bulb as purchase > 90 days that had gone on sale. Used store credit & 2 small rebates, along with 15% off for using special bag for replacement bulbs & furnace filters as big box no longer carries correct size of either item. 3. To gas station for 1# free bananas with additional purchase & used replacement certificate for free large cold coffee. 4. To card shop & redeemed coupon for free Valentine card for DD.
6. Saved my recently laid off & non-insured DF $98 for pre-employment testing for an as-needed job. Suggested she contact local health dept. which provided service @ substantial discount versus local Minute Clinic.
7. Spending 1 hour/day exercising using home gym, as December lab work showed several improvements but 1 area that still needs improvement. Amping up weight loss & working hard to maintain good health = 100% frugal!
This was a first. Not sure what happened but this is the middle of my post above. 🙁
2. DH’s friend gifted several edibles that were enjoyed: leftover cake with fresh fruit, Haagen-Dazs ice cream & 2 specialty meat dishes, both of which were worked into meals.
3. Thanks to DD’s opening a jar of spaghetti sauce (to use a small amount) which was languishing in the back of the fridge, turned it into 3 Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake & accompanied it with the remnants of 3 loaves of French bread from the freezer.
4. Found a few edibles/drinkables on post-holiday sale @ 50% off at big box & a few > fun items @ 75% & 90% off. My favorite is a large & delicious smelling white winter candle for $5.
Here is my #1 in full. Posting today has been disastrous. Should have went with my original lack of motivation…
1. Christmas was off this year for several reasons. One was that the tree ornaments/garlands were omitted & the sit around decorations not unpacked d/t DD’s young & mischievous cat. Significantly < festive but able to pack away in record time. Secondly, after days of cooking prep, the oven coil caught on fire on Christmas morning which required some menu revisions & < inspired offerings. My Christmas present ended up being a new stove. It was one of the last original appliances & we had decided to use it until it gave out but would have preferred that it avoided December 25th. It did extend the holiday food as there was a lot to bake once the new stove was installed.
Happy birthday youngster! Always trying to be frugal myself….i do home care for dementia patients..worked for an agency for years…decided a few months ago to do private duty…which is great…more money…..I did sell my partner’s bicycle which he won for 160.00 woo hoo!
I don’t think I have 5, but here goes.
1. Watched 2 movies from the library.
2. Reading from Christmas gift books and my “want to read sometime” stash. I want to clear some shelf space by donating after reading before I check out from the library again.
3. Frugal/Not frugal/ Not sure -Daughter has been getting Hello Fresh meals and she earned some free meals for friends. Evidently I didn’t understand the system when I picked out meals. I ended up picking more than the allowed free amount and paying more than just shipping. That certainly wasn’t intentional or frugal. But in an effort to make the best of it, I remind myself that we did get food, put off a trip to the grocery, had fun trying new things and got at least one recipe that I will want to make again with my own ingredients. And the meals were delicious. I have no interest in paying for a meal service though.
4. A friend reminded me that it might be time to take down the Christmas wreath. I said I wanted to leave it up for a while, since I didn’t have a winter wreath to replace it. Then I realized I could easily make one with supplies I already have, so I will.
That’s all I can come up with right now.
I joined Costco (oops) but then decided to take their Mastercard, and cancel my “points” Mastercard, and take Costco’s internet and cancel my Shaw internet. Hardly anything worked as planned, but it all still ends up being frugal in my mind.
1. The new Mastercard has no cost. the old one cost what a Costco membership costs. When I called to cancel the old one, they suggested a no-fee card, so I took that. I pay off all my cards, but sometimes it is nice to have additional credit. the Costco card is cash back, and I have made a few purchases so it might end up meaning I am ahead of the game. anyway, saving $120 on a CC yearly fee is great!
2. As for the Costco Internet? it was going to cost me $80 Vs the over $185 that I was paying Shaw for phone and internet (don’t ask, my internet needs are “double air quote ‘SPECIAL'”). Started to set everything up, my IT guy laughed and reminded me I was “SPECIAL” and that it wouldn’t work. Meanwhile, Shaw was phoning me and trying to get me back, so I phoned them up and hoop jumped and – well, I got Shaw back at something like $70 or $80. My home phone doesn’t work yet, but I was considering dropping that, so maybe the goddess is telling me something? Anyway, it didn’t work as planned but I still have my “SPECIAL” Shaw at a huge discount. Can’t really say joining COSTCO saved me that, but in a way it did. Saving over $1000 a year in internet is a huge win.
3. I might be selling my second home because the renters are wanting to buy. Could be an idea to wait, because we are out of the city and prices are rising enormously, but if I sell now at the price I have set I will be able to pay off the mortgage at my own home. In any case, it has me thinking about my finances again.
4. I have decided to eat out of my pantry as much as possible. I’m discovering that I am not a fan of leftovers, and that I AM a snacker. Running low on Snacks. I will purchase dairy and some veggies, but not until they are gone. So far one grocery run cost $12 and $7 of that was for flower plants to cheer me up on the front step. Meanwhile, I am having fun looking at recipes for the instant pot (I highly recommend twosleevers.com for some easy but extremely interesting recipes) and figuring out what I can make that I will want to eat for more than a couple of days.
5. Two of my kids have had a huge fight so family dynamics are stressed. they were sharing a place and now that has gone to pieces, but I am trying to keep my oar out of most of it. Got my son (22) into counselling and THAT was huge – it seems to be really helping. Daughter (20) is totally pissed that I am not taking her side, so she is needing to find her own way. Sigh…
6. Am talking to the solar panel people about putting solar on my house. It rains here a LOT, but if I can reduce my electrical and help with environmentally sound energy creation, I will be happy. Might have to cut down some trees, which will cost to do, but I will get firewood out of it, and I would plant OTHER trees that don’t grow so tall. Much to contemplate.
7. My eldest son has a family Spotify plan that I really have enjoyed using, as I have projects and need musical pushes at times. Finding old albums and playing them loudly does wonders when sorting. I have had to clear a couple of flat surfaces in my living room and am astonished at how much bigger it feels. Trying to move things out, you folk inspire me as I have a few nice things that I don’t want, shall look at creating some photos and listing on Marketplace.
8. I have invested heavily in seeds again already – because I have a big garden and last year could have sold a lot more starts than I did. I was organized and sorted my older seeds, made a list, and mostly bought what I needed. Waiting for the mail will be fun during the next few weeks.
9. I pay for the family Netflix, which I was considering dropping until my eldest taught his Gran (my mom – 90 years old) how to use it. Now, it is my investment to help her stay content in lockdown. with 5 of us using it, the cost is up there, but I figure that we all need a bit of leisure and a shared account is a serious cost savings if you break it down per person. None of us has TV Cable except my mom, so streaming is the option. I got Disney + for a month but non of us use it enough to keep.
10. With access to a gym not a possibility for me, I invested in a Rowing Machine – I need to exercise my hip until I get surgery, and the machine is so simple to use. It will pay for itself in non-gym fees in short order. My #2 son has been using it a lot for stress relief when he comes home to visit.
11. I had a big 8″ limb of my holly tree come down in the snow/windstorms we have had. #1 son needs some paid work, so I will hire him to come chop it up. some firewood, and also a couple of runs to the recycle place with the cuttings… not frugal, but keeps the money in the family
1) On New Year’s Eve we listened to the 70’s funk dance party On the local college radio station while cooking our $10 dinner (with leftovers!). Big Freedia sang in 2021 in the central time zone on One of the networks we get with free antenna TV and at the end of the night my husband remarked that this was a great NYE. Yes it was!
2) I continue to dry all our clothes on my 3 racks positioned over vents
3. $2.01 total in found money for 2020
4) $20.13 found on my walks so far this year
5) $350 found on yesterday’s walk, but it was in a wallet and I was able to get it back to the owner.
I love your #5. Good karma is frugal/priceless!
Agreed. It will come back to you somehow, in some way.
Katy: Happy belated birthday and congrats on the huge sales haul!
1. Even with all the crying during the past week, I spent nothing on tissues since I use washable vintage handkerchiefs.
2. Bought several bunches of almost-black bananas for a great price. Dumped them into a large metal bowl and used the potato masher on them. Portioned into mason jars to freeze for future smoothies and banana bread.
3. Received a generous gift card to Trader Joe’s and enjoyed selecting things I wouldn’t normally buy.
4. Made croutons out of some not-great bread. Tossed cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs from the garden. When we’re not snacking on them or using them in salads, we like to put them in scrambled eggs and on top of soup.
5. I, too, can say that I did not incite an insurrection (never in a bazillion years did I ever imagine that I would have an opportunity to write such a thing). 2021 has wasted NO time and almost makes me miss 2020 (never thought I’d ever say that either). Take care, everyone!
I saw a cartoon that had people leaping from a burning building labeled 2020, right into another burning building labeled 2021.
Happy Birthday Katy
Thank you for continuing to share your experiences to help keep me moving towards my frugal goals.
Stay safe in your albeit boring current existence til it’s a safer place
Yes, happy birthday, young Katy! Your sales are remarkable, as is your frugality and sense of humor!
Happy Birthday!!
Ah, the joys of Dr Martin boots; I think everyone in the UK has memories of “wearing them in”- a process involving many sticking plasters to cover the ouchies.
Happy birthday!!!!! I made all meals from stuff at house. I go to work, get gas, and go home. Such fun….. lol. I made a sandwich from bacon, lettuce and onion because I am not going into a store for tomato . I made meatloaf from leftover bread, 1.99 cent hamburger bought before Christmas,leftover sour cream mixed with egg, ketchup, etc. Just eating stuff from the house. The dog and I shared lemon sauce covered sardines from a can. Not bad.
Cindy, your sandwich sounds delicious. Tomatoes this time of year aren’t really worth the trouble anyhow.
True, tomatoes this time of year, suck. I will be so happy when tomato season arrives!
Cindy, glad to read your life is back to normal after your hurricane adventures.
Thanks!
Happy birthday Katy!
I am 5 years older than you. It seems lots more….
Sounds like a great birthday! Goodwill hunting! A free little library! Awesome!
I’ve been driving around putting my granddaughter’s books in various free little libraries. They cleaned out their books and toys before xmas.
I got a new car! I hate car shopping, so it was a chore not a joy. But I like what I got, a 2019 honda fit with 7100 miles.
Time to go through the house, room by room, and declutter, sell, donate, etc. Ugh.
I have a 2010 Fit and just love it. So reliable and thrifty to run, and we can fit so much stuff in it with the seats laid down.
We are a 2 Fit family. My husband bought his first (a 2012) and when I was in need of a new car I bought one too (a 2013). I have 4 friends with Fits as well. As Ruby said, reliable and THE INTERIOR SPACE!
The 2020 is the last year that Honda will sell them in the United States, which is frustrating because it’s the perfect size car for me (I am quite short). My husband is already talking about making a trip to Canada to import one when mine finally wears out in another decade.
Bought a pair of jeans for myself and one for my girls from EBay. Buy used and save the difference!!! These were replacing super worn out pairs not just impulse buying.
Moved our old trampoline to the back corner of our property. Will be turning it into a chicken coop. Ordering chicks with two friends so we all get a better price.
Been getting terrible headaches lately. Going to get more faithful with my prescription and drink more water and see if I can put an end to them myself without visiting the dr. Maybe more exercise too.
Got seeds for container planting. And a little bit of in ground planting.
Neighbor gave us an outdoor dining set. Got it moved over. Looks great. Looking forward to entertaining with it!
Happy Birthday Katy!
1. When my local resale store had a sale, they offered a free scarf with purchase. I almost passed it up because so many people in front of me had already chosen, and I figured there wouldn’t be anything decent left. I looked anyway and found a Ralph Lauren Polo scarf, which I sold on ebay for $15. I also sold 2 cookbooks and a Harley-Davidson shirt.
2. Finally sold a rocking chair on FB, which has been sitting in my garage for months. Made $20, no more rocking chair flips for me.
3. A coworker brought in two big bags of yarn for anyone to take. I looked carefully and took 2 balls of cotton yarn to make dishcloths, and one nice ball of wool.
4. Finally scheduled an eye exam, for which I had a $5 copay. Thought I would be able to get a pair of frames, but the copay was very high. Requested my prescription with PD, and I will order from Zenni instead.
5. The hinge on the long cabinet in my bathroom kept coming apart. I switched the top hinge with a less important middle hinge, and I think it’s sturdy now. House was built in the 1940s, and sometimes I have to get creative with my fixes.
Working on a no spend january. Freezers and cupboards are full, so a good time to not spend. Ok, spent $1 for lentils at the dollar tree.
Still have lettuce in the raised bed. It’s gone bitter, but free food for chickens.
Good neighbor like to cook a rack of baby back ribs every couple months.
He’s retired, and doesn’t eat leftovers! (I don’t know why). So, he calls and tells me when he’s making them, and I cook up a dish, and we trade food! This time I made garlic penne pasta, with some chicken.
We bought a used elliptical last summer thinking we’d use it. Well, we dont. I much prefer free walking with my dog. She does too! So, time to convince my husband he will never use it either. Then more money back in the house.
Planning my garden for the year, and only need 1 new packet of seeds.
Life is quiet, can’t come up with anything else, wait, a tank of gas lasted me 3 weeks. That is good, since I’m 10 miles from town.
And happy birthday katy!
Oh, that’s so great about the little free library. Do we get to see a picture?
You certainly will when it’s all completed and installed!
Happy Birthday Katy!!! As far as your husband’w excitement goes I completely understand….I also am super excited when I find something on my needs list used instead of having to buy it brand new.
1. I haven’t sold hardly anything on Ebay but thrift stores have been slim pickings lately. I did sell one beautiful little cooking pot yesterday.
2. My daughters b-day was on Sunday. I picked up some nice steaks at Costco and I made a homemade carrot cake for dessert. Her gift was cash inside a free birthday card from my stash of free cards given to me many years ago.
3. We’ve been avoiding going out and haven’t eaten out except for an occasional fast food trip. We’ve been trying to eat less meat and making meals out of discount shelf produce.
4. My daughter and I have made homemade ketchup, ricotta, yogurt, sour cream, ranch dressing and Katy’s Tea Towel Dressing which is delicious by the way.
5. I replaced two outdoor light bulbs with discounted LED bulbs from Costco. Both of my younger daughters cars need new batteries. My daughters BF who is a mechanic in training replaced them for us saving a trip and the cost of a mechanic.
oh and yes, I also did not incite an insurrection…
Happy birthday Katy!
1. Made muffins from scratch twice this week for breakfasts and snacks.
2. Really wanted a mocha from Starbucks this morning. I held strong after seeing the leftover coffee on the counter and quickly add it to hot chocolate mix for my own homemade mocha.
3. Opted not to donate $10 for a fundraiser so I could wear jeans to work this week.
4. I have finally gotten around to making needed health appointments which will be frugal in the long run.
5. Ds was offered a ton of scholarship/grant money for his #1 choice college. But we were still going to have to pay $16k a year. He emailed financial aid about more scholarship money and they sent him a link to a scholarship based on community service. I read all the details and IF your school nominates you, it says you WILL get it. His counselor agreed to nominate him and it is $5k per year! That is huge! So glad he asked.
Wow, your son sounds like a real go getter!
Hello Jennifer! Can you (or an other person) ecplain me the meaning of your 3rd FFT? I am trying to improve my English reading this fabulous blog but I am French and don’t understand ! Thanks a lot !
Jennifer is referring to a charity fundraising event – if you work in an office with a rigid, formal dress code, a donation of $10 means you can wear jeans for the week.
I’m translating from England so please let me know if I’ve missed any nuances!
Merci Lynda !
Yes this is what it is. And it’s been a steady stream of jeans week fundraising since October. I decided to keep my $10
Catherine: Thank you for asking this question. I am American and I didn’t know what it meant either! I love learning something new every single day.
I have a friend who used to be a paraprofessional in a middle school. If she wanted to wear jeans on a Friday, it cost $5 per week, which was insane on the pittance she made. The money collected went to the football team. There was a great deal of social pressure on the staff to go along with jeans Friday and once in a while she would cave, but mostly not because she could not afford it.
Incredible results with your selling! Here’s what I’ve been up to:
-Helped my 13 year old learn to make easy homemade bread (The Frugal Girl French Bread recipe. Cheap, easy & awesome). He’s made three loaves this week. Perfect for filling up two growing teens.
-Listed & sold things on eBay (earrings, 2 scarves, a book).
-Used grocery store rewards to save a bit
-Tracked down money owed to us (refunds, reimbursements, a Rite Aid package that took a month to arrive & came damaged)
-Picked green tomatoes to ripen & a few straggler jalapenos for pickled jalapenos
-Meal planned, ate leftovers, avoided food waste
I’ve made that French bread recipe, it’s so easy and delicious!
1. Making due with what I have in the fridge and freezer. I made soup and quiche. Both are so great for using up bits and pieces in the fridge. I had almond milk in the pantry and used that for the quiche. Still delicious.
2. Bought some things I needed from CVS, all on sale and had a $2 coupon.
3. I have been thinking about selling some stuff on ebay. You all have luck and I take inspiration from it. I really have too much stuff.
4. I filled my gas tank in 2 weeks.
5. The usual-walking the dog for exercise, coffee from home ect
4.*I haven’t filled my gas tank in 2 weeks.
I saw a funny thing the other day where someone remarked that MPG now stands for “months per gallon.”
I’m having a decidedly unfrugal time of things lately as a pregnant stray came to our door and we decided to go ahead and take her to the vet and see if we could incorporate her into our house. We’re out $150 so far for the exam, tests, and medicine for the upper respiratory infection she has. I’ve no doubt that getting her fixed, shots, etc will be several hundred dollars. She’s very sweet and seemed so happy to be petted, though…
Eye doctor appointment tomorrow that I have put off and put off because of the pandemic. I think I surely need new glasses, though since I have no interest in reading which is unusual and makes me very sad. So that will be a couple hundred dollars.
Anyway, here goes!
1. Haven’t eaten anything out in a couple of weeks. No drive thru, no delivery, no nothing.
2. Switched coffee from the bagged Starbucks to the large canister of Maxwell house. I actually like the Maxwell house better and it’s SO much cheaper. The missus doesn’t seem to mind.
3. I’m going to apply for a support job at my school doing online training for students to help them succeed in online classes. I don’t really relish the idea of doing it but if I got it it would be temporary and it would make up for the 2/3 loss of pay for the semester. It’s one of those things were I can’t decide if I would rather have the time and write and just be very frugal and dip into savings or if I should just suck it up and apply and even if it’s not fun, it’s only till April 15th! UGH
4. Keeping the heat pretty low. I see folks saying they keep it in the 50s and I can sneak it down to 58 at night when we sleep but mostly it’s 64-68 during the day.
5. I’m making homemade bread, beans from dried, and rethinking leftovers so they seem new.
Bless you, bless you, bless you on the cat rescue. We have 1 1/2 cats that we have rescued off the streets. Our first one was once owned by somebody so he was fine moving in with us. Our second one has always been feral and will probably never let us touch her (so we call her our 1/2 cat) but she lives in our backyard where she is fed and housed in a lovely cat condo. Both have been fixed so no more kitties.
I’m firmly convinced husband and I will end up in “kitty” heaven.
Got a new boyfriend, and I find they tend to work, buy McDonalds, and forget about what’s in their fridge. We spent the last couple of days together and I was sure to rummage though there to save what I could.
I found–a half eaten whole chicken, that I turned into soup
Salad ingredients that needed to be turned into salad
The ingredients for pancakes. I like to put add-ins, so I added a little OJ, and thinly sliced carrots. Would have done a grater, but he doesn’t have one. But cooked down in the pan a little, before adding the batter, works fantastically.
He got a rebate check from the energy company for saving energy, so I’ll look out for that for my own apartment.
Using up random supplements, like vit D, that can only help me.
1. Got a $5 reward from our local pharmacy, used it to buy cocktail peanuts that DH likes.
2. Sold a Disneyland tote for $15 that I have had for years, it was in great condition. Sold two pottery casseroles that were wedding presents (31 years) ago, and I haven’t used in many years. $35 for both.
3. My sister in law who is in a wheelchair makes the most beautiful masks, and I sell them for her at the school I work at, just by word of mouth. Not frugal for me, but I like doing it for her, and the masks really are the most comfortable.
4. Used my bookstore gift card from Christmas two years ago, bought a calendar at 50% off, paid only $1.24 after using gift card. I always by my calendars in January, seems silly to pay full price two weeks prior.
5. No eating out, and minimal take out, so savings lots there.
Thinking of my neighbours to the South of us, hope everything settles down, and the hate and unrest decreases. The rest of the world is watching and is very concerned.
Happy birthday Katy!
1. Got on the waiting list for the vaccine as I am a 1B? Severe obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. I hate being in this shape.
2. Been using the re-usable straws dh bought me for Christmas.
3. Daughter’s birthday is next week. I will print out free gift cards from my credit card – saved points used – to get her an Outback gc and Panera gc. We will make her birthday cake from a box mix with canned frosting.
4. Got my Costco rebate from last year’s shopping. Next time hubs goes to Costco I’ll give him that to use.
5. Got our stimulus check. May use some of it for donation.
6. Finally using my Nextflix subscription!
1. I wrote down all the frozen meals and meat in the freezer. I won’t have to buy any meat for the next two weeks.
2. Switched to store brand milk. I’ve been drinking a more expensive one because it tasted better. It’s almost double the price for the expensive one. I will get used to the store brand!
3. We are moving and had 3 friends give us free boxes. We now have more than enough and if there are any spare, I will list them free on a local buy nothing group on Facebook.
4. I scored 7 puzzles on my local buy nothing group on Facebook. Pick up was on the way to town so no extra travel.
5. I’ve sold over $900 this month on Facebook Marketplace. I still have a few listings that I am waiting on sales for.
Happy birthday!
Only a few more days and the orange turd will be gone! Whoo hoo!!!