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I combined a few necessary errands with Goodwill trips over the past week and came home with some nifty items to sell both on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. My favorite flips were a trio of Rockband Guitar Hero controllers. I’d seen other sellers do well with them, so I took a gamble as they were priced at just $6.99 apiece.
I like to think of this as “market testing a category.”
All three sold in under 48 hours for $60, $60 and $55. So yeah . . . I’ll start picking these bad boys up whenever possible.
Oh, and for those who wonder how I ship such unwieldy items, I used the free USPS large flat rate boxes that are designed for board games.
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I’ve started making a deliberate effort to always have a tub of homemade soup in the refrigerator. All four of us enjoy soup, so it never gets wasted. Plus it’s my favorite trifecta — delicious, healthy and cheap as hell!
Want to know the secret to my delicious soups? I sauté chopped onion and then purée it with chicken broth before adding the other ingredients. This imparts a deep layer of flavor that only intensifies the savory goodness. For anyone who may wonder about “the why” behind this step, my daughter has a lifelong aversion to the texture of onions, so we purée whenever possible. It being tastier is an accidental side effect.
Here’s my recipe for Red Lentil Soup.
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I cross posted a couple of eBay items on Facebook Marketplace, which I always think is going to be a pain in the tuchus but actually takes just a few minutes as the photos are already taken and the description is written. This resulted in one quick $65 sale.
I also looked through my expired Facebook Marketplace listings and put together fresh new listings from otherwise stale merchandise. This resulted in quick $30 and $20 sales!
Minimal effort with a $115 reward.
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I’m listening to an audiobook of Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate through the free Libby app after having finished Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid; I borrowed a manual air pump from someone in my Buy Nothing group, I made a Costco trip and bought just the cat litter, olive oil and roasted chicken from my list without succumbing to any impulse purchases, (I’m talking to you, $1.50 hot dog!) I found two dimes and six pennies while out, masked and about, I picked up two big bags of free packaging supplies from a local business, I finished reupholstering a thrifted midcentury foot stool that I’d started and apparently lost interest in completing, and lastly I sold two curb-picked items — a wooden planter for $10 and then a cupboard that garnered me a sweet hundred bucks!
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 103 comments… read them below or add one }
There are free boxes for board games through the USPS? Or did I misread that??
Yes, there is a free USPS Priority board game box, if you can find it. Larger municipalities may have them at the post office. It is NOT free to ship, however…
I don’t offer free shipping, so the buyer pays. And yes, your post office doesn’t have everything, but you can order them from the Usps website for free.
The post offices don’t seem to keep these great boxes out with the other freebies. Me, I ask for them, and someone trots off to the back and fetches them. Sort of how shops once kept the girlie magazine under the counter!
I learned you have to order them in bundles of 25, which is stoopid! I keep the 1 or 2 I need, then give the rest to my local post office. That could be why sometimes your post office has them and sometimes they don’t.
I use them to mail delicious (I’m told) Costco Salami from CA to Arkansas once or twice a year.
1) Moved my college kids back to their dorms. Frugal- not having to buy 2 million dollars worth of groceries every week, since now it’s just me!
2) Taking leftovers for work lunches like it’s my part-time job.
3) Drinking box wine instead of bottles…..I’m drinking a good amount of wine during COVID, so this is a frugal option.
4) My fridge died. Am waiting for the part on back-order since it’s a covered repair. So tempted to buy a new fridge….but I’m holding out.
5) Walking for exercise and doing HIIT workouts on YouTube at home.
6) I’m COVID vaccinated!! Yay.
Oh, lucky you! I can’t wait for my turn…almost (almost) makes me wish I hadn’t retired as RNs are top of the list. Still, since I have the luxury of choosing to self-quarantine, I will wait my turn, semi-patiently.
I’m happy you were able to get the vaccine. I can imagine it must feel like a relief. It’s good to see others getting vaccinated although I have to admit I wish DH and I were too. But that’s okay. The larger percentage of us who are vaccinated means the herd immunity pool keeps getting larger. So yes, YAY for you!!!
Lucky you! (vaccine)
Healthcare worker here, still waiting for mine 🙁
Saving 25% on Stevia by cutting back. I do love my coffee as sweet as dessert, but I can make this concession.
Husband had been put back on work-at-home status. Saving gas and enjoying more time together. He also stopped work to fix our fridge after lunch today. The fan was covered in ice and burning up the motor. I found him the YouTube video and he fixed it.
Sold a dress on Varagesale. It didn’t look as good on me as I thought it did. It was one item of a fill-a-bag for $5 at the thrift store. Sold the dress for $5, so that makes all the other items free and we got 20 pieces for the family!
Checking out estate sales on estatesales.net. We live adjacent to a retirement community so this is a frequent option. I’d love to find a generator. I like checking them out online so we don’t waste gas on a dud. Estate sales are the bomb! It’s not junk that someone duck tapes together to con you into taking home their problems. It’s good stuff that’s just not needed anymore.
Been watching Frugal Fit Mom on YouTube. Finding recipes using rice, beans and chorizo. Going to start saving even more on my grocery budget and still enjoying saving on our cable bill. I’ve never used Chorizo before. Looking forward to trying it. She raves about it!
I find your success at selling stuff such an inspiration! Having inherited a lot of stuff, and dragging it all over the place, your posts finally pushed me into trying to sell some of items. Have had some good success, so thank you!
5FF: Dullsville Winter
Is it just me or are we in a time warp? It seems like everything except politics is on hold, just waiting for vaccinations to roll out & for assemblance of normality to return. Not sure that I can come up with even 5 frugalities this post but will make some minimal effort.
1. With not going anywhere or doing anything, have launched into post-holiday food prep efforts: Surprise Slaw, White Chili, Creamy Mushroom & Rice Bake, Pasta with Ham & Peas which used up the last of the holiday ham from the freezer, & have been pulling other items out of the freezer that have been frozen awhile. Thank goodness I enjoy cooking @ this stage of life. We love to eat so can almost always do some type of food prep.
2. Mended my gloves (again), as well as DD’s cute little sparkly dress recently purchased @ Goodwill. The material around the spaghetti straps pulled lose after washing & required reinforcing, so will try laundering individually or handwashing next time.
3. My former boss arranged for me to work 2 days in early March. Hoping that accommodating her schedule could potentially lead to more hours as the pandemic eventually starts to abate.
4. Saved my uninsured DF $78 (not $98 as previously reported) on her 2-step TB Skin Test. My original idea of utilizing the local health dept. did not pan out as they have suspended the test d/t Covid but I was able to read the test & provide documentation for her. Minute Clinic would have charged $39 per reading.
5. Stretching out grocery shopping even though it results in some sporadic shortages, in the long run always end up spending less.
1. Made refrigerator mulberry jam with my free frozen mulberries. 2. Made fig sauce with my free frozen figs. 3. Cooked a turkey breast with carrots, potatoes and figs (I removed the figs and processed them with free apple juice, and sugar to make the fig sauce) and made sliced turkey for sandwiches, turkey salad for more sandwiches, and turkey noodle soup. I finally, yesterday processed the leftover turkey carcass and the dog has been enjoying turkey broth on his food. 4. I walked. 5. I took a nap, always my favorite. 6. Had the cars ( my car and a kid’s car) serviced. Maintenance, although expensive, is cheaper than a new car in this case. I also had tires installed on kid’s car.
Oh, and I also made a Tightwad hot cocoa mix using sugar, dry milk, and cocoa. I do not like the taste of instant milk and this was a perfect use for it. Amy put a similar recipe in the Gazette back in the 90’s and it has taken me this long to figure out what to do with powdered milk. This recipe was on the internet and was two cups of powdered milk, one cup sugar, and one/fourth cup of cocoa. Mix and store, Put about a fourth of a cup of the mixture in a cup, add hot water, and stir. I am kind of slow sometimes……Geez.
1. Packed supper leftovers for my work lunch every day this week.
2. Used up the last of a carton of oatmeal and some leftover coconut making blueberry-coconut baked oatmeal for workday breakfasts. Frugal and yummy.
3. Found a dime on the kitchen floor. Since I hardly go anywhere, dropped change is a rare thing.
4. Made an organizer box for the laundry shelf out of a recycled dog medication box — it has cute printing on it — and the last scraps of a roll of Contact paper.
5. Been cooking a lot from the pantry and freezer: chili, beef-veggie-barley soup, chicken-spinach casserole, and had the lowest grocery total in a while last week.
Hmmm….I *always* see these guitars when I’m out thrifting but am always wary that they’re never the “right” ones. Maybe I’ll do some additional research and test one out just to see what happens. Also, thanks for the LFRB tip-never would have guessed they fit into one of those!
1. Signed up previously for free Denise Austin website and workout challenges. I don’t want to sign up for a monthly membership so I have saved her free stretch and tone 5 minute workouts I received in emails and alternate doing them daily along with going on a “free” 30 minute walk with the dog who is really enjoying it.
2. I posted on our local free site for the first time : Ask- pinking shears/scissors ✂️ with zig zag edge for cutting fabric with. ❤️ Had to talk myself into posting as my parents brought us up never to ask for help etc., but trying to watch expenses and I Have always wanted a pair of these for sewing as my mom had a pair. A friend is moving, saw my post and gave me a pair she didn’t want.
3. Made cranberry apple crisp using cranberries of a questionable date from the freezer and old apples I needed to use up- turned out the cranberries were just the thing it needed as the apples were kind of bland, so good and the house smelled of apple and cinnamon baking – the best aroma ever 🙂 Next up was cranberry orange bread with orange glaze and man was it good, loaf was gone in less than 24 hours!
4. Making a full teapot with one generic black tea bag and one tea bag of the fancy stuff we like making it last longer. The fancy stuff is pretty strong flavored so we still get lots of flavor with our tea.
5. Daughter went in for checkup. Doctor wanted her to start a probiotic- mentioned I was laid off so she gave us a big handful of samples to try.
6. Library again came through for the frugal win! Watched the entire first season of Yellowstone and picking the second season up tomorrow, apparently I’m going down the binge rabbit hole again this weekend, lol! I have over a half dozen of books checked out, just finished library audio book “Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe” and have several other books to listen too, yeah! (Can you tell I’m laid off?)
7. Just listened to a free extension program about funding college. Daughter starts university in the fall and I am contemplating getting a second degree – picked up a few good tips, key deadlines, etc.
8. Just earned another Swagbucks $25 Lowe’s gift card. I have videos running while I’m doing dishes, reading or watching TV.
9. Frugal fail- took daughter to two doctors appointments in the same day so I treated us to Culver’s concrete mixers. I did use a buy one get one free coupon.
I’d love my family to all take probiotics, but I can’t afford it. I do homemade ranch (made with Greek yogurt) and veggies at almost every meal. Gives you a prebiotic-probiotic combo. I also made my own fermented mustard this year, but none of us liked it. I keep trying to sneak a tad into this or that like deviled eggs and such, nubby the family us into me.
Bethany, my daughter is taking an antibiotic for her skin and no longer will eat yogurt, etc.:-( I need to look into it more, thanks for the ranch tip 😉
1. Since I’m not going in the store I don’t make any impulse purchases. I do curb side pick up and delivery for groceries. Things are looking more bare in the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. There is no chance we’ll starve but we might consume some languishing food stuffs.
2. Socializing is limited to masked walk with various friends.
3. I am uninspired by the (Zoom) yoga classes offered by my local studio so I have cut way back. I pay by the class (with a discounted pass). I have been focusing on other fitness activities that don’t cost money.
4. We exchanged bed frames between our bedroom and the guest room. Our mattress feels much better and the frame is lower so our room looks more spacious. We decided we don’t need to buy a new mattress after all.
5. I double masked and went to my annual Gyn and mammogram appointments. Everything checked out fine but I’d rather catch problems early than put it off.
I had my Pap smear during Covid too. My mask fell off while I was getting naked and I totally forgot about it. Didn’t realize until I was leaving. Nothing quite as all-encompassing my focus like being nervous about my nakedness.
I hear you there, Bethany! I had my first mammogram and the mask actually help me ignore my nudity… I couldn’t see myself below my nose! 🙂
Regarding your yoga classes, look on Eventbrite. They offer a TON of free classes on anything and everything, and yoga is there too!
Isa, thanks for the heads up on evenbrite – hope I spelled that right. Off to check it out.
Eventbrite! Aargh.
1) My office continues to be shut down so all this working from home has resulted in ONE tank of gas in the past 5 weeks.
2) Making some Poshmark sales cleaning out my closet. I deleted the app then reinstalled when I started on this project.
3) Found 4 pennies
4) Didn’t buy a $70,000 crocodile Birkin bag to carry while moving out of “the nicest house in public housing.”
It’s been quiet since my last FFT so all I got is 3 + 1
Loaves and fishes could come from that bag…
Yep. My thoughts exactly.
love #4!! 🙂
1. Avoiding takeout coffees by making silly fancy espresso drinks at home. I can guarantee I’m somehow still consuming less sugar than I would getting the same things out. Current obsession is a maple latte–which is literally just a latte sweetened with maple syrup. Hardly groundbreaking.
2. Found a bathrobe on Poshmark that met my interests. The seller did not respond within 10 days, which means I could request a refund. What a bummer! But I took it as a sign that I do not actually need a bathrobe, and to take that refund money and put it in my savings account. $17 transferred.
3. Absolute sticker shock at the price of takeout meals, especially since we refuse to order out if we can’t tip generously. A good reminder that food tastes pretty good when you make it yourself, yikes.
4. Had a friends’ postponed bachelorette canceled officially since the Airbnb host canceled the reservation for many months from now. That refund in my Venmo account felt really great! I know I will likely pony it back up in some form when the event is rescheduled once it is safe, but for now it feels good to put it towards debt.
5. The freezer is getting a workout as I did not muster the energy to go food shopping. Frozen dumplings, noodles, and chili are all on the menu this week and are hitting the spot!
LB, I happily discovered how easy it is to make a maple latte at home too. There is a coffee shop in the town we visit in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. One reason I actually visited the town was to go to this coffee shop and order a maple latte. Back home again…no maple latte to be found. So I said “It can’t be THAT hard to make.” I have a frother so frothed up some half and half, poured it over coffee sweetened with real maple syrup (always bought on sale) and voila! So easy and pennies to make. Can’t go to NH now anyway…sigh.
Christine, that makes me so happy that you’re enjoying this at home as well! I miss NH and the White Mountains as well. My milk frother is getting a workout since we’ve been home. I’ll be thinking of you when I sip my next one!
I love love love your last point. Four years that it read otherwise and now it’s back to normal again.
Would that normal also returns in the offline world.
Amen!
I picked up free kiwis-some for us and some for the food bank.
I listed a bunch of stuff on ebay, and put some better pictures into some older listings. I have sold a few things this week.
Cooking beans and greens tonight, as my collard trees are very productive. Picked and dried rosemary. Got some plant starts from my mother.
Printed a coupon for free dog food. I will list it on FB to sell. The store is less than 10 minutes walk from our house.
Picked up 2 bags of coffee from Buy Nothing group. Our daughters have been with us for a month and they do go through the coffee!
Found bulk twill ribbon for a great price. I have orders for some aprons in my sewing business and needed this for the ties. Thankful for the orders!
1. Did a fearless inventory of the food in the house. Need to incorporate 3 cups of dried chestnuts and 3 cups of barley into meals. Have been subbing barley for kasha in hot cereal. Very creamy. Will use chestnuts in soups that have long pressure cooks—also add creaminess, calories, and little taste.
2. Got 25# each of kasha and limas from the co-op via contactless pickup. Left a big tip.
3. Sold a folding 6ft table I rescued from a neighbor’s trash for $50. Like picking up a $50 bill.
4. Gave a neighbor a spaghetti squash as she wanted to try one. I promised to take it back for dog treats if they don’t like it.
5. Same neighbor gave me 2 grapefruit, 3 pears, an orange, and an apple.
6. Bought the Mister a Land’s End fleece zip jacket for his birthday. On ebay, for about a third of the cost for a new one.
7. MY NEW TRICK—when I’m buying something on line, I pause and exit after inputting my contact info but before giving my credit card number. About half the time they send me a coupon to come back and finish the transaction.
#7 — ingenious!
I tried your #7 and they emailed me but no coupon. Shucks darn.
1. My husband and I continue to carpool to school together. I start an hour earlier then he does, and he works an hour later than me, but it’s worth it to carpool. I also got called in to sub that last hour for a teacher who had a conference, for extra money.
2. My husband and I are both trying to lose some weight. We walk together during lunch, instead of eating, then eat when we get home. A late lunch causes us not to be as hungry for dinner. I have lost a couple pounds already!
3. Freezing avocados for guacamole later in the year. I refuse to buy Mexican avos, so we have to take advantage when we can.
4. Knitting washclothes for next year’s Christmas presents, out of cotton yarn I got at Goodwill. Since I’m subbing I have a lot of time sitting in class, watching the kids and not doing much else.
5. Watched the inauguration live during class, then showed it to the kids last night. Great free entertainment!
You’re so lucky to have a lunchtime walking partner! I used to frequently walk at lunch with a coworker at my last job. It felt great to get out and move after sitting for half the day, and it gave me a boost for the afternoon.
1. I made a pan of brownies from scratch last weekend to take to a socially distanced campfire with friends. I frosted it with frosting made from confectionary sugar, a stick of store brand butter, a splash of milk and a teaspoon of almond extract. The almond and the chocolate flavors together are deliciously different. I made a zucchini bread using some of the zucchini that I shredded and froze last summer and frosted it with some leftover frosting from the brownies. our hosts made chili in a crockpot and served it outdoors.
2. I’ve been finding painted rocks on the trails I hike and leaving ones I’ve painted for others to find. I also rehide the ones I find so others can find a little joy in this Covid winter.
3. I’ve decided to keep my library receipts from 2021 in an envelope so I can see at the end of the year just how much I’ve saved by borrowing library materials instead of buying. The library in my town prints the price of the materials on the receipt. I’m already at over $70 for the month of January with another ten days to go.
4. I figured out why the Lands End winter coat I purchased at Sears a few years back was only $10. The pockets are sewn in backwards! At least that’s the only thing I could see wrong with it. It’s super warm and really pretty so I see backwards pockets as a small price for the amount of $$$ I saved.
5. Doing yoga on an Amazon tv channel. On days I don’t do yoga, I walk trails or the neighborhood. My very soft New Years Resolution was to try to do this. I say soft because on the days I don’t get to do yoga or go walking for whatever reason, I don’t beat myself up. I feel better when I do either so I try.
Shona,
re: #4: love and love and love. All safe?
♥️ Yes, all are safe. Thank you.
1. Altered 2 pair of pants for better fit.
2. Reused a slice of lemon from my tea to clean the microwave. Steamed it in cup of water for 2 minutes and all the dried on splashes wiped right off.
3. A friend was trying to duplicate butternut squash soup that she had in a restaurant, but she failed. She gave me a container to diagnose and advise her on. I tinkered with it, added salt, brown sugar and sage. The end result was delicious.
4. My craft partner gave me a bag of ribbon she was getting rid of. That inspired me to go through my own ribbon. I kept what I wanted from her bag and got rid of a lot of mine. I ended up with 2 bags of ribbon to donate to a local art supply store, and I have ribbon I am more likely to use in my own supply.
5. I asked my husband to cut my hair. I have had 2 pandemic haircuts but I didn’t want another so soon after the holidays. I also asked him to show me with his fingers his idea of an inch. He was very accurate. Then, on his first snip of the scissors, he cut off at least 2 inches. I was afraid it would be unfixable. But he kept cutting and it turned out ok. He did the back and I did the front and I am satisfied with the result.
Re: #5 Something similar happened for me this past weekend. My husband had given me two haircuts since the pandemic, and both were amazing. I did the same thing as before – cut the layers around my face, then asked him to take two inches off the longest part. Snip, snip – four inches gone instead of two. Oops. My hair grows like an invasive weed so one thing’s for sure – it’ll grow back. Fast. I cut the face framing layers back in. It’s shorter than I’m used to but I like it. Since I quit dying my hair at the start of the pandemic, I’m now that much closer to having my hair more, um, uniform in color. Bonus.
Re: #5 in my house it went like this
Me to my husband: would you feel at all comfortable cutting my haaa…
My husband: NO!
Katy’s #5: I see what you did there. 😉
Good eye.
Losing that weight off your shoulders? Priceless. 😉
1. Brought our bulging bag of papers that needed shredding to our financial advisor’s office. They don’t charge us anything as they put everything in one large container for weekly pick-up by a document shredding service.
2. Purchased an orzo dish from restaurant takeout that contained way too much sauce. Once home, I extended the meal by adding two cups (!) worth of our own orzo to improve the sauce ratio.
3. Checked out Jill Biden’s memoir from the library. So engaging, thoughtful, and fun to read about her teenage shenanigans. And here I thought I did some bold stuff back in the day!
4. Used my trade credit at the local bookstore to purchase Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land.”
5. My friend has an artisan soap company and I help out in her workshop. I do it for free, but she enjoys giving me products. And I enjoy receiving them!
I’m jealous of your artisan soap work trade arrangement.
1. Trying my hardest to do a No/Low Spend Year. I’ve done pretty OK so far, but room for improvement. I have nearly paid off my car 1.5 years early and paying down the rest of the debt. I want to buy a piece of forest by year’s end. These are my whys.
2. Started a new raised bed at my garden lot. I’m edging it in spent wine bottles and I’m going to try to use a sort of hugelkulture method to fill it on the cheap. My beloved dahlias will live there. Also garden related, I am attempting to grow sweet potato slips from some organic sweet potatoes with developed eyes. I plan to start seeds soon too. I organized and took inventory of seed collection and I’m all set for 2021.
3. Blogged about the greenhouse I built out of old windows last year. It costs nothing to blog and it’s enjoyable. I should do it more.
4. Reading a stack of library books on wild-crafted fermentation and one on brewing (both by Pascal Badour-highly recommend!), mushroom hunting and the novel by Neil Gaiman called _American Gods_. Our libraries are still closed here, but they offer curbside service.
5. Eating from the pantry and shopping for groceries using a list. We are also huge soup fans and I will try your lentil soup recipe. I moved a chalkboard from another room into the kitchen and I’ve been using it to write down fresh veg (vegan household) that needs used up. I also use it to remind my 13 yo of his chores. It’s working nicely.
I loved American Gods! I need to read more Neil Gaiman.
Liz B have your read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman? It’s a YA book really but it’s a real favourite of mine.
I love The Graveyard Book too!
I had half a box of instant vanilla pudding mix left over from some cinnamon roll treats we made Christmas morning. I finished off the mix by adding it to blueberry pancake batter. The batter was very thick, but the pancakes were tasty.
Several people gave us gifts of cheese for the holidays. Today I excavated a few blocks that had gotten buried in the cheese drawer, sliced them up, packed them in clear containers, and put them back in the fridge on an eye-level shelf. My family will probably eat it all inside of a week, since it’s visible and the prep work is already done.
I signed up for a four-week free trial subscription using a virtual credit card number from my Citi account. A few days before the trial period ended, I sent in a request to cancel my subscription. They tried to charge my card anyway — BUT, since the virtual card number had already expired, the charge was declined.
I passed along a treadmill that had bounced around households in our family for almost two decades. Frugal for the recipient, because I gave it away for no cost; frugal for me, because I didn’t have to pay someone to haul it off.
I’ve been taking a moment to breathe in the good scents of my hand lotion and bath soap every time I use them. Appreciating what I already have is VERY frugal.
What a week! 🙂
1) A neighbor had hundreds of Meyer lemons from her tree, and asked us to take as many as we could. I made a triple batch of lemon curd, and limoncello, & still have so many lemons. I’ll juice the rest this weekend.
2) I picked oranges from our tree in the yard & used them to make cranberry orange muffins
3) All meals made at home. Menu planned, made the most of each ingredient. Did have a bit of food waste (a container of soup we brought back from a trip & I didn’t notice until it was too late).
4) Sold some things on eBay & FB. Achieved my January goal of $200 in side hustle.
5) Used a Target gift card to buy some household staples, helping to keep our grocery budget in check right now
6) Bought ground beef on a super sale, for $1.50/lb. Bought the max of 15 lbs, and divided it up & put it into the freezer
If you have not tried Katy’s Red Lentil Soup yet, it is to die for! We don’t have an immersion blender, so I just leave it chunky. We frequently add chopped celery at the saute point, and whatever leftover veggies are in the fridge at the end. I have substituted ground ginger when I didn’t have fresh. When I take leftovers to work for lunch, people will drift into my office asking “what smells so good?” Seriously, try this-it’s quick, budget friendly and delicious!
Katy, thanks for sharing this, it’s one of my favorite recipes.
It is certainly a very versatile soup. My son likes it with small chopped potatoes.
No regrets cutting out cable and wifi over 2 years now. Money saved. So now I’m cutting my generous phone data down to 3g. I’m sick of news, information, and endless opinions.
I want a little more joy in my life. I can’t stop the world from doing what it wants but I’m not inviting it into my home anymore.
House guests have earned enough to move on when/if covid dies. Most tech companies aren’t planning to go back to their offices until June/July though. Will save money on electric and water when they go.
Plan to shop house and car insurance and cut that as low as I can.
I have clothes and shoes that should last a few years.
My dish washer sounds like ocean whales cavorting in the deep, and may kerplunk any time so might be an expense this year or I could hand wash and put shelves in the empty space.
Food. I love fresh apples and grapes. Crisp and juicy. I love to cut the apple in skinny round slices not wedges. That is my budget recipe for the week
Pulled out my little yellow Switch and put unused animal crossing in. Lol they are so cute bedabedabee! Beach life, diving for pearls and shooting balloons in the sky happy escape
Well best laid plans and all.
Some good deliberate moves here!
If/when the dishwasher goes, you could also use it for storage if you don’t mind the look of the front of it. It might hold more than and be more accessible than shelves, and it’s paid for already.
That’s what we do with our dishwasher. It’s functionnal (I think), but we never used it (came with the house), so it’s a nice atorage space. I love to see people’s look when they open it and see Kleenex boxes in there, ahah!
Hi there. I am a lurker from a galaxy far, far away. Actually South Africa but it feels like it sometimes. I have mixed feelings today. For four years I have loved your snark on point 5 and will miss it but at the same time I am so relieved that decency has prevailed and there is no longer a need for snark. Keep on resisting that Lear jet though.
Funny… as a longtime frugal reader, I was happy not to read this snarky comment. Because I believe strongly in Katy’s mission to live frugally and to tread lightly upon the planet, I managed to just skip over it for 4 years. With so much negativity in the world, I can do without that sort of thing. However, I noticed others decided to add a bit of snark themselves.
Why are these types of comments reserved only for the Trumps or Republicans? There are no comments about President Biden’s Rolex. There have never been comments about Nancy Pelosi’s expensive wardrobe or $10,000+ Sub Zero Refrigerator. There were no complaints about First Lady Michelle Obama traveling abroad with her daughters on the taxpayers dime. Furthermore, there have been no comments about Governor Newsom’s trip to The French Laundry – one of the most expensive restaurants in the country – during a shutdown.
Frankly, Bernie is my hero. I may not always agree with his politics, but he practices what he preaches. I love that!
I totally agree, Bee! I could actually write a whole book on my Governor’s white privilege. It’s Gov. Newsom, if you couldn’t tell. I’ll be pretty satisfied when we recall his buns and slick-willy mane. Gathered 1,500 signatures just myself.
Bee: Thank you for sharing your perspective. Thoughtful and respectful as always. I’ve been pondering your comments and question, and here’s what I came up with:
I look forward to whatever Katy chooses to write about because I enjoy and share her views, mission, and sense of humor. Since her #5 is a brief poke at the end of a full post about frugality, it’s not there to generate comments. When it does, the writers are in solidarity. We’re in her home and should be reasonably well-behaved guests. Snark has its place. There is no shortage of leaders of all stripes behaving badly or setting a poor example, and there are plenty of online forums where one can engage in criticizing these leaders. Luckily Katy’s blog isn’t that.
Since you’re a Bernie fan, I hope that you’re enjoying the creative and hilarious memes of Bernie and his mittens at the inauguration as much as I am!
Well said!
I’m Canadian, and I LOVE the memes of Bernie and his mittens.
Feels good to laugh at something so harmless.
I get a chuckle from Katy’s #5 every time!
Yup! And a Lear jet or a tacky gold-plated apartment in the sky evoke a stronger visual than the less obnoxious examples listed.
Yes, number five was a snark that got old years ago.
Yes, What a week. And inspirational on so many levels.
Had a rare road trip to my favorite thrift yesterday about 2 hours away…they have been closed for a month and all their inventory was fresh and wonderful. Spent a lot but will make a lot on the items when listed. Packed lunch and ate that in the car and stood in line for around 45 min in 20 degree weather. Worth the planning.! And by the time they opened there were 15 people in line and they only let 10 in at a time. There was a method to my madness!
On the way home bought seeds and potting soil for our garden–40% off at Ocean State Job Lot. While we did order seeds through our Maine seed company there was an article in our paper saying that there would be shortages. Don’t want to have order that arrives in March without a lot of what we ordered not available as we will be starting seeds inside. And the local places may also be sold out like last year. If this is the case we are covered and can always return the items for a credit. Felt like I had won the lottery yesterday!
Came home to home made pasta fajool soup and stuffed poblano peppers which are both very adaptable recipes and vegetarian.
Still hanging clothes out on our laundry line. While cold here the clothes do dry.
Have signed up to give flu shots through our Maine Responds. Not sure how that will roll out but used to run flu shot clinics so lots of experience in injections. Looking forward to getting ours!
Belated Birthday Wishes Katy!
Jann, you might want to germ (germinate) test your sale seeds to make sure they’re fresh and were stored properly. 10 seeds from each packet laid out on a damp paper towel, fold the towel over the seeds and slip the whole thing inside a plastic bag. Stick them on top of the fridge or some other warm spot, then come back in the allotted time and see how many have sprouted. Using this method, we were able to learn that a few of our properly stored seeds needed replacing sooner than we would’ve thought.
Hope your thrifty seeds perform splendidly!
Oh, and be sure to label them so you know what’s what. Ask me how I know! (e_e)
1. My daughter who is visiting from out of town has learned some new skills. She re-caulked a bathtub and shimmed a rocky toilet.
2. My daughters and I went thrifting and went to a discount grocery store that sells expiring food.
3. Middle daughters boyfriend changed her brakes for a huge savings.
4. I’ve been treating everyone to take out but have managed some home cooking. I made a nice breakfast of homemade waffles, leftover bacon and heavily discounted sausage, eggs and a hash using odd potatoes, leftover onions and peppers and leftover sweet potatoes from a previous meal.
5. My daughter used some Amazon shipping credits to buy some textbooks for kindle.
I hate onions too, the texture is terrible for me. I do puree them into things when I get a chance, but never thought to do it with chicken broth, but I will now!
1. Didn’t eat out all week until tonight and then I used a Chipotle gift card bringing dinner for 3 to $5.35. Also didn’t get Starbucks all week until today and used a reward so it was free.
2. Been doing a bit of a pantry challenge and focusing on using up randomness from our summer and fall CSA.
3. Still plugging away at a puzzle from Christmas for free evening entertainment. that and Netflix that was a gift are perfect for the small bits of time I have at the end of the day.
4. made homemade muffins this week, one day was meatless, one night was breakfast for dinner – salvaging a loaf of bread that had been stepped on.
5. Going through the sale ads to see the best place to shop tomorrow and also going through my fridge to come up with a meal plan and see exactly what we need before shopping. This is something I have been trying very hard to be better about in the new year.
Five frugal thing1 1. . Took my lunch to work every day this week
2. Bought chicken cooked already 1/2 price paid $2.30- very yummy
3. Used digital coupons at local grocery for frozen French fries paid 99 cent for each bag and also bought navel oranges 49 cents per lb with digital coupon
4. Bought a pair of Demin jeans in fashion 1/2 price at thrift store paid $1.84.
5. I got Danielle Steele’s latest books from our local library
1. Sold a Pottery Barn duvet set, 3 aprons, 9 books, and a Coach wristlet on ebay. I had bought the wristlet at a yard sale for $5 and used it one time.
2. Someone at work brought in a large snake plant (mother-in-law tongue) they didn’t want. I happily took it home and am pleased to have a nice floor plant.
3. Trying to sell the stuff I already have, but I ran across a great deal on FB that I couldn’t pass up. Queen duvet with shams, shower curtain, 2 bath towels, 4 hand towels, and 2 washcloths, all Pottery Barn for $15. Picked up to find it was all in new or like new condition.
4. Made chili on Sunday and took it to work for lunch every single day this week. I’m chilied out now.
5. I ordered LED shop lights to replace the ancient fluorescent lights in my garage. Huge difference. I mounted the extras in the basement to make a little photo area for listing on ebay. Much better than taking photos in a main area of our house and schlepping stuff up and down.
Your #3…nice score for $15!
Thanks! Marketplace is weird. Sometimes I will find a really good deal that had been posted days or weeks earlier and nobody jumped on. I think it’s their weird algorithm of what gets bumped to the top.
How do you do a safe transaction on FB Marketplace? Do you let people come to your home? I’m a bit concerned about doing that as I am alone and don’t want to get robbed (have heard of that kind of trouble) but I think it might be faster than ebay. Just curious what everyone does to remain safe.
Our police department invites people to make FB Marketplace exchanges in their parking lot, which has security cameras. I know folks who do it in the McDonalds and Joanne’s parking lots. My favorite solution is a friend who lives next door to a weight lifter and his wife. He is happy to come next door and be the one who answers the door at her house when someone comes to pick up an item. At about 6’5″ and over 300 pounds, this guy would make anyone think twice about messing around.
Our local police department has two spaces directly in front of their station that are marked designated for buyers and sellers of online items. They have cameras trained on them. I have made a rule I follow and that is for all transactions to take place there. My three exceptions were the sale of a two large dressers and a canoe. The buyers came to my house when my DH was at home. Like Lindsey’s friend, I would make sure I was not alone when someone comes for an item pickup at your house.
If you aren’t selling an expensive item, you could leave it on the front porch for contactless pickup. I’ve done that a number of times, and either the person leaves money under the mat or pays me electronically beforehand. I’ve only been scammed once when someone left me $5 instead of the posted price of $10. When I tried to follow up with her, she ignored me. But otherwise it’s been fine. Easier on both parties as I don’t necessarily have to be home or meet at a certain time.
1. Count me in as happy, hopeful and relieved as I laughed and cried through the Inaugural festivities. Corny, traditional and wonderful. I appreciated Lady Gaga singing the beautiful Star Spangled Banner and the phrase: “Our Flag was Still There.” Now doubly significant in light of the insurrection on January 6th.
2. I am also trying to use up pantry items which resulted in “enchiladas” last evening. As I reviewed my efforts, I had literally substituted everything except the sour cream, and probably never will reproduce this exact dish again . Tasty.
3. Not exactly frugal, but am looking into insurance coverage for a relative we found out hasn’t got health insurance. Terrible year to be in that position. It will be cheaper for her in the long run if problems develop.
4. Free trip planning in our family. Dreaming of days down south with warm and sunny weather. DH’s vaccine is scheduled and I am hoping that I will be able to get the shot soon!
5. Continue to stay home mostly, and trying hard to appreciate that our gas bills have gone down and the air is cleaner due to fewer fumes in the air..
1. I scored 6 free puzzles from my local buy nothing group on Facebook. Pick up was on my way to work.
2. On the same page I also got a framed Trolls poster for my nephew’s upcoming birthday and ink cartridges which I sold for $35 on eBay.
3. I sold some items on Facebook Marketplace; a $150 trampoline and a $40 desk.
4. Eating down the freezer. Pumpkin soup, burgers, spaghetti bol and heaps more.
5. We are moving house and I am doing the cleaning myself (with some help from family) to avoid paying for cleaners. My dad who is a gardener by trade will do the lawns for me.
1. Went dumpster diving (well, not quite literally– just opened the regular trash can outside the grocery store marked “food waste”)! For a quick 30-second look, I rescued and we ate: a cantaloupe, 3 apples, 4 fish burgers (Scandinavia, lol), two cracker snack packs, a bag of cut veggies, salami, and a Thai curry. Everything was in good shape and delicious! It helps that it’s below freezing here. 🙂
2. Mended a backpack that I’ve used for years. Inside it has my brother’s name and a phone number from at least 20 years ago. Just this year starting to show some signs of wear.
3. Mended some black pants that had been losing thread along the seams in the crotch. I guess biking everywhere isn’t good for clothes, as I’ve already lost at least one pair of jeans to un-repairable seat wear.
4. Darned a pair of wool ski socks that I wear around the house because they keep my legs so much warmer than regular socks. They are probably 10 years old? Maybe more.
5. Continue to try to use up miscellaneous pantry ingredients in preparation for moving. Turns out you can substitute some chickpea flour in baked goods with no flavor changes– made a delicious blueberry baked oatmeal with a little chickpea flour. Will try to use up the rest of the flour in this way too.
Frugal fails: ignored a cucumber in the fridge for long enough that it disintegrated within its shrink wrapping, and a few other food-waste fails I don’t remember.
Dumpster diving isn’t really mentioned a lot round here. I have a bin I peek in depending on the weather and often will find items on my list so I get to cross them off for free! Like you, diving isn’t actually involved, if I can reach in, great, but no huge effort is made. I’ve never gotten sick off any of my finds.
Your #2 makes my heart smile.
Cheers
Bin peeking sounds much more benign than dumpster diving. 🙂
Ruby, I agree- I may have to switch to bin peeking! I also like urban harvesting, after an Instagram account I follow 🙂
Shona, I appreciate that you “bin peek” too– I was a little nervous to post it since it’s a little more on the fringe. Most of the stores seem to lock their dumpsters here, but when I found one the other day I was amazed at how much food was there! I follow @anurbanharvester on Instagram and am floored at how much food he sees/saves.
When I was on IG I followed @anurbanharvester as well, and his partner @sustanimalism even though we didn’t know they knew each other at the time I was following. It’s crazy the amount they recover. Most of the bins are locked where I am too, in fact the bin I peek in ( love “bin peek,” thank you Ruby) is at a grocery store and that same chain locks their bin up at the location closer to my house. People are essentially in bread lines in this country and we throw perfectly good food out.
Anyway, happy peeking.
1. Sold a vase I curbed picked for $10 on Marketplace.
2. Took my lunch to work every day, as always.
3. Used air miles cash rewards for $50 in groceries.
4. Bought 2 pairs of kitchen shears for $1.99 each, using grocery store stamps, gave a pair to DD.
5. Received 3 packages of wild caught salmon from DD’s partner’s parents who fish.
1. Mended a small hole in a NWT thrifted smartwool sweater and sold on poshmark days later
2. Washed and sanitized lots of doggos toys and sold them in bundles to make room for more that grandpawents spoiled him with. They really need a human grandchild!
3. Put small bundles of free items on FB marketplace (no buy nothing group in my area). I would much rather do this than give to goodwill for items to possibly not get sold or become damaged/trash.
4. Despite having 1/2 vaccines, we are laying low and continuing to avoid many outings or social gatherings. Saving for a house and a wedding and taking advantage of this time to save as much as we can.
5. Making lots of chili , soups, and stews.
My #1 son has come to stay for a couple of nights – he only has part time work right now, and I have projects that I would have to hire someone to do, might as well be him. He and I tackled the holly tree that had been blown down 6 weeks ago – lots of clipping of branches, two and a half pickup truck loads to the yard waste dump (I did that ) and chainsawing of the trunk and big branches (he did that). He also sawed up some other random pruning branches that were sitting around, and hauled 6 wheelbarrow loads to my woodshed, piled them all up high in the back to cure – bonus – probably 1/4 cord of firewood! while he was at it, he loaded up my house wood boxes, as we were supposed to have snow. No snow, but I am thrilled to have lots of wood in the house again for next power outage.
My girlfriend came over 5 days in a row to work with me in the garden. every day we puttered around for approximately 2 hours, clipping blackberries back, and pruning raspberries, as well as other berry bushes and random weeds. Wheelbarrow loads to the pickup truck that was lined with a tarp – one dump (yard waste) run a day, and steady progress made in some pretty overgrown parts of the yard. The weather was astonishingly glorious for January, sunny on several days and if it weren’t for the prickles I would have been in just a teeshirt (!!) – Vancouver Island is usually very wet and chilly this time of year. Such a treat to see my friend, as her husband has a lot of comorbities so she has been very COVID careful. Outside and distanced, we were able to have great rambling talks and catch up on each other. the garden success was just an extra blessing.
#1 son and I tackled my big meat freezer in the barn – pulled everything out, and sorted, so I have the meat in ‘large size’ and ‘small size’ sections. I grew chickens for meat last year, and stored both whole birds and cut up parts, but it was chaos and I really didn’t know what I had. I also had salmon and halibut and cod fish from my neighbour, again in different sizes but not in any order. The freezer needs defrosting, but I didn’t have the energy for that – however, now everything is in boxes and bags and a defrost will be really easy (later..). Found a few items that are going to be chicken food – mostly old veggies that were at the bottom of the pile – and some chicken packages that had lost their seal. brought those into the house.
Made a lot of chicken broth out of a bag of bones I had saved from when we harvested the chickens. Cooled and skimmed the broth, then put it in the Instant Pot with a bunch of spices and an onion and ginger to make Pho broth. Got THAT pressure canned into 6 3-Cup jars, for my #2 son who loves it with rice noodles.
Made MORE chicken broth out of more chicken and bones from the freezer, picked off the meat and got around 3 cups. Used the broth to make French Onion Soup for supper plus got 5 pints (should have been 6 but one jar broke) of FOS pressure canned for later. also got a pint of broth canned.
Sorted the onions I had harvested last fall – there were a few that needed to be composted, and a large number that needed to be used (hence the French Onion Soup) and more that look like they will last for several more months. Still have about 5 pounds of them to chop and either freeze or dehydrate, as they are starting to soften. Got about a bunch-worth of ‘green’ onions from the ones that were sprouting, so was pleased I could salvage something…
Found three bags of random tomatoes in the freezer and brought them into the house, peeled under warm water and boiled them down, added some onion (natch) and celery and carrot. Not sure if I am going to make chilli or soup or what, but it is part of tomorrow’s projects.
#1 son helped me to peel and chop up a large Jahrandale (sp?) pumpkin that needed to be dealt with. I hadn’t canned pumpkin before, but researched and canned as chunks, for ready-to-puree pumpkin for muffins and loaves. Got 7 quarts and 3/4 quart jars and still have another pumpkin to prep.
Cut up three small pie pumpkins and cooked in the instant pot. they are in the fridge as I need to peel them and puree, might make a pumpkin pie while #1 son is here, he loves that!
#1 son has cleared off the workshop bench in the barn. It was a flat surface gathering far too many random items. He took the label maker out and put more things into bins with labels so I can find them. The workshop in the barn is a long-time project but it gets better all the time.
With the photographic help of #1 son, I Posted some free random light fixtures on our local used.ca site – if they don’t go in a couple of days I will drop them off at the habitat for humanity store in town.
I have been avoiding the grocery store, but visiting the local farmer market (veggie store) and trying to eat out of my freezer and pantry. Lots of options and I am really enjoying planning meals again. it helps when my sons come to visit, I can cook a meal, enjoy it with them, then send the leftovers home so I don’t get bored of the same thing for a week.
My family was the recipient of about eight pounds of onions back in the fall, far more than we could eat before they went bad. I tried something new for freezing them by chopping them and sauteing them in olive oil. When they were cooked down to translucent, I let them cool and put in heavy freezer bags. I patted them out flat and relatively thin before freezing. Now I just break off a section of frozen ready cooked onions to add to whatever I’m cooking. They take up little room in the freezer and don’t stink up the freezer like frozen raw onions do. I used to triple bag raw onions and still get that onion-y smell, but there’s no smell with the cooked ones.
That is pure genius! I have a huge supply of onions taking up real estate and likely to go bad before I get them all used up. Thanks for the idea.
Wow. That is a very impressive list of accomplishments. I am impressed. I’m tired just reading all that. Good job.
1- Rescued a small (new) basket from someone’s recycling bin. Cleaned it well and will use it to store cosmetics. It will be an update from my daughter’s Easter basket, aha!
2- No eating out, no travelling and no entertainment goes a long way for savings
3- Keeping a minimalist wardrobe and paying attention to my existing clothes, mending what needs to be, keeping it clean and organized. I’ve gave away a couple shirts to a friend and she gave me a cardigan and a jacket.
4- Hubby and I decided to only buy ingredients from now on (to do recipes), and stick to fruits, veggies, plain greek yogourt and nuts for snacks. Not sure if this will save money, but it will for sure be healthier.
5- I found out that Evenbrite offers TONS of free online activities! My kids took art workshops and I have different dance classes coming up this week too (tonight is Flamenco and Micheal Jackson classes!)
I don’t post often, but I read here almost daily. I love reading everyone’s posts, as it inspires me to keep enjoying riding the frugal bandwagon. Let’s see if I can find 5 today.
1. My younger adult daughter (who lives with me) and I met up with my older daughter and her 2 teens for a mostly socially distanced visit at our local Goodwill yesterday. Ok, I caved and hugged them hello and goodbye…oh, how I’ve missed hugs! My younger daughter is on the spectrum and is not a hugger. We did all wear our masks and used wipes frequently. Anyway, found a ton of good buys, including 3 pairs of boots, two pair of which were purple tagged for .99 each. Bought a like-new iron and a working Crups model 402 meat grinder with all the accessories except the owner’s manual, which I found free on line. Lots more. I spent about $80, which is about as much as I spent on groceries this month, but I’m happy with my finds and will be able to resell a few of the items for enough to zero out my costs. It was worth it to have a warm, dry, entertaining place to visit, lol!
2. I took 17 of our 20 roosters to auction Friday. I don’t yet know how much they sold for on Saturday, but it’s much quieter around here and I’m no longer feeding them!
3. I monitored my chicken and egg expenses and income throughout 2020 and realized I needed to be charging $5/dozen for eggs from my free ranging flock. Most of my customers already paid that much, but I had one very good customer who was still paying $4/dozen. I bit the bullet and told her I had to increase the price and why. To my delight, there was no problem and she ordered 8 dozen!
4. I met up with egg customers on my way to meet my daughter and grandkids, selling 12 dozen eggs for $60, and have made arrangements with another customer to meet up on Wednesday to sell her another 3 dozen. $75 in pays for nearly 500 lbs of bulk feed, so the girls are paying their way this month.
5. I, too, have resisted the lure of the Lear jet, am practicing my clarinet and watching YouTube and Prime for entertainment, tracking my spending down to the penny, and starting to clean up after our freak windstorm last week. We have at least 17 big firs, hemlocks and cedars down, and I’m looking either for someone with a portable sawmill or to buy a chainsaw attachment and bigger saw so I can turn most of the downed timber into lumber. Might be what I spend my stimulus check on!
Have any of you donated plasma for cash? I used to years ago, but I was younger then and not on any medications. Do any of you do this for extra money? I’m looking to find out if I can donate if I’m on Eliquis, a blood thinner. The CLS website says they pay up to $700/month, but no details on meds allowed. I can call them in the morning for more info, but I’m also looking for more recent experiences with the company to see if they are good to deal with. I remember them as a reputable company, but a lot can change in 25 years.
Thought of you today. Neighbor left out 6 mid century dining room chairs. I cannot use them and don’t have time to flip them. I totally would have called you if you lived near me. haha I am sure someone will grab them.
Ack!!!!!
Still at home, still too scared to go out. Sharing the house with my work from home hubs and my “on the spectrum” daughter who does work all day but runs back and forth in our family room in the basement. Sometimes it all gets on my nerves.
My frugal five:
1. Cashed out my Fetch rewards for a $50 Visa gift card which I turned around to buy myself a new pair of pants and new shirt.
2. Using up food in fridge and fridge freezer. Need to start working on the grocery list earlier in the week and not leave it to 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
3. Donated 2 Land’s End coats to Goodwill. It’s been wicked cold here. Big snow storm starting tomorrow (Sunday) into Tuesday.
4. Hubs got his new company car (a Tahoe). It’s part of his compensation and the insurance and gas is paid for by company. He won’t use his gas credit card as he isn’t going back and forth to work.
5. Daughter’s check engine light came on and $1,888 later it’s all good. It used to be hubby’s car and he never really took care of it so I’m not surprised all these repairs came up. But the good thing is we had the money in our freedom account to pay it. Still cheaper than making a car payment every month. She also got 4 new tires. $400 bucks there.
Is a Birkin bag really that esxpensive??? Loved Bernie’s mittens. Still haven’t got my vaccine and I’m on a no news break now.