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My son and I hit one of my favorite Goodwills on N.E. Broadway and hit pay dirt, as someone had just donated:
• An entire set of stainless steel Calphalon pots and pans.
• A Filson waxed twill briefcase, which normally retails for $325!I hadn’t been aware of the Filson brand, but the quality of the bag stood out with a capital “Q.” Gorgeous leather accents, solid brass hardware and I knew there’s was no way it came from Target. I pulled up my eBay app to check “Completed Items” and knew to throw that bad boy into my cart.
I listed everything on eBay and began making sales in under 24 hours. As you can see, my $12.99 bag was a worthy gamble.
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My kids had been asking for meatloaf, which can be a frugal meal, unless yours needs to be gluten free. Luckily I had a loaf of bakery outlet gluten-free blueberry bread languishing in the freezer. Perhaps not the most obvious choice, but I picked out the blueberries and counted on there being enough strong flavors to hide the “notes of blueberry.”
I love, love, love when I’m able to incorporate bits and bobs of fridge/freezer contents into a recipe, and meatloaf is the perfect opportunity to flex this muscle. Leftover “taco Tuesday” hot sauces, fast food packets and the last of some spicy pickled veggies all found their way into the meatloaves, (yes, plural — meatloaf is all about the leftovers!) which served well to hide any lingering blueberry flavor.
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My aloe vera plant fell off its perch on the mantle, but I took it as an opportunity to split the plant into two pots. This plant was a curb find from at least ten years ago and it was high time that I dealt with it crowing the pot. I guess I have a cat to thank?
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People continue to put books into my Little Free Library, I was gifted a scrappy Pendleton wool blanket from my Buy Nothing group, I enjoyed a couple of front porch visits with friends, I thrifted a case for my iPhone 6 and I’ve held off from buying anything beyond perishables as my fridge and pantry are overly full of miscellaneous stuff.
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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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{ 102 comments… read them below or add one }
Down under the autumn weather continues to grow the grass and provide a harvest of tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and other delectable treats. The cooking peaches and apples and pears are falling off trees and I cleaned up the last of the wild blackberries in my area. Apple and blackberry pies, apple cakes, pear and berry cobbler , yum yum.
Bargains a plenty this week, gourmet cheeses marked %75 percent off and sausages half price. FREQUent rain has preserved the water in the tanks and I am collecting pine cones ready to use as firefighters
The thrushes and kookaburras join in the musical chorus outside my window as
THE kangaroos dance down the street into the bush. Yes a beautiful time of year.
Are the pine cones to be fire starters, or is there something I’m missing?
DH gathers pinecones to use as fire starters for our fire pit outdoors. As they are usually very dry they work well.
Nice!! But I have to wonder what you did with those dried blueberry bits? I KNOW you did not let go to waste!!
Actually I think a few blueberries might be tasty in meatloaf!
These pinches of defrosted blueberry bread went into the compost.
Here in northern BC, Canada, we are waiting for the snow to melt. It is melting slowly. As spring approaches, we are dreaming of planting our gardens in about 6 weeks time.
We continue to make and eat our meals at home. We are trying to eat from our pantry and freezer.
My husband is cross country skiing to get one more ski out of his pass, which he has already used more than enough times to cover the cost.
I am knitting mittens (for next winter) using wool I already have. It keeps me entertained while I recover from foot surgery.
1. Stopped my produce box for a week because we had too much food.
2. Made a couple of small sales on Etsy and listed more items.
3. This might count as more than one. We got a much needed new expensive recliner with the idea of testing it for a while to see if we liked it before getting a second one. Delivery fee would be $79. The salesman assured us it would fit in our car. We had doubts. Salesman put it in for us. $79 saved. We loved the chair so much that we went back the next day to get another. Our color was not available and I noticed that this other color , otherwise identical chair was marked $100 more than the one we bought the day before. I questioned the price, the salesman gave me some explanation I understood not at all and then he said “but that doesn’t apply to you.” $100 saved. He put the chair in the car for us again. $79 saved.
1. My niece has been a contributor to our local Tot Trade sale for years but doesn’t purchase much now as her kids are getting into their teens. She gave me a pass to attend this year – we are expecting our first grandchild – and I was able to get some like new baby gifts for him.
2. We have had the same porch furniture for years. Every year I unzip the cushion covers and soak them in my dollar store oxyclean – sometimes it takes several soaks but it is lengthening the use of this furniture a year at a time.
3. My husband and I were able to get a vaccination appointment next week – it’s about 45 minutes away from our house – so we will combine errands before our shot.
4. Like Katy, I have been only buying perishables and trying to eat what is in the pantry and freezer. And I’ve been making good progress. You can actually see what’s in my freezer now. Lots of crock pot meals happening – pot roast, crack chicken, bbq chicken and meatballs.
5. My daughter turns 30 next month and since we don’t live near each other and can’t spend time together I have decided to buy her 30 items – I started several months ago . Some gift cards, some used items and a few new. Hopefully we’ll be able to still celebrate some time together this year.
Aw, I love that idea for your daughter’s birthday! Mine just moved away and what a nice way to connect — may steal this!
You’ve had an amazing frugal week! I had to tell you that when I first saw that picture of your bag, I thought it was going to be one of those weird Goodwill finds. Because at first glance it totally resembles a black hissing cat with long eyelashes to the right. I can clearly see the cat eyes, nose and wide stretched mouth…
Yes I see this too and it would have been an interesting story to see who purchased it for $200!
2 Week 5FF: Spring on the Horizon
1. Worked 3 days last week to fill in & took lunch/snacks/coffee/pure H20 daily. Bonus was a free car wash d/t torrential rain courtesy of Mother Nature while my car was parked in the lot. Goodbye winter salt! And luckily the hail waited until after work when my car was safely back in the garage.
2. Made use of downtime @ work with mending: Sewed a button on a pair of shorts & stitched an open seam on DH’s sports pants. Also had a major workout with the Super Glue over the past few weeks repairing 3 items belonging to DH that suffered some past damage, most of which occurred during her frenetic move home. One was a minor fix but 2 required major re-work with many pieces.
3. Recent kitchen creations: Prepared rice with pinto bean cooking broth to go with burritos, Penne Rigate with Eggplant & Mozzarella Cheese, Rueben Casserole, Theresa’s Authentic Italian Spaghetti & Meatballs, Beefy Taco Skillet, Parmesan Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes & 3 Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake. Enjoyed DH’s friend’s gift of half of a chocolate caramel walnut cake. Took 3 very wrinkly apples left in the fridge from long ago when DH took his lunch to an office setting & made Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples.
4. Shopping day savings for 2 weeks: $11.77 due to multiple purchases from big box bakery clearance rack & their close dated marked down take & bake pizza, gas station perks including free items & card shop perk for free card for friend’s May b-day.
5. Substantial savings d/t switching to a data monitoring security service that is part of a comprehensive perk plan offered by Best Buy that allowed cancellation of other monitoring services.
I saw that we have a new-Bee commenting. So hence forth, I will identify myself as Bee from Florida. Welcome to the newbie!
Katy,Your second frugal thing made me laugh. I don’t think it would have occurred to me to pick the blueberries out of the GF bread. I am GF for health reasons. I use GF Oats in my meatloaf and meatballs. I have also used leftover rice.
1. I have slowly begun listing on eBay again after a very rough holiday season. I just finished listing 30 pieces of costume jewelry that I bought in bulk. I have reused Amazon envelopes given to me by a friend to ship the jewelry items. I’m still having some issues regarding USPS shipping, but things are improving.
2. After allowing food waste to get out of control, I have buckled down. I am doing meal planning, eating leftovers, and triaging food. Tonight’s dinner was corned beef hash made out of last night’s St. Patty’s supper. I’ll dig through the freezer tomorrow and decide what needs to be used next. Waste not, want not.
3. Many years ago, we created a garden bed edged with rock that I had to purchased. ( we have to buy our rock in Florida.) Over the years, the rocks sunk into the dirt and were partially hidden by grass. My husband wanted to buy new rock to put on top this increasing the height. The cost would have been approximately $100. I refused to do this. We dug up the old rock and washed them, dug up the grass, added dirt, and rebuilt the landscaping edge using the old rock. The cost was about $10 for top soil and 2 Advil.
4. I bought a 16” vintage, pressed glass, cake pedestal at my favorite thrift store yesterday for $5. I believe it was made for wedding cakes. Since I don’t make these, I had planned to sell it. However, it looks wonderful in my cake plate tower in the kitchen. I’ll have to think about this one for a while.
5. I am doing all the usual things. Brewing my own coffee, drinking primarily filtered water, walking rescue pup and reading library books. I just finished our book club selection — A Gentleman from Moscow which was just wonderful. ( This was on Bill Gate’s book list along with Educated.) I am now reading a novel by Ann Cleeves the British mystery writer. It isn’t a ground breaking work, but entertaining just the same.
Wishing everyone, peace, health and frugality.
I’m trying my daughter on gluten-free sugar free diet to help with her primary nocturnal enuresis, chronic canker sores, and acne. I’d totally love any resources you could throw my way!!!
I went GF nearly 10 years ago on the advice of my GI specialist. There were not as many speciality items on the market then as there are now. I knew that I needed to avoid bread, crackers and baked goods. I soon discovered there were so many commercially made items with hidden gluten, so I avoided many processed and prepared foods. I ate items that were naturally gluten-free and made most of what I ate from scratch which made this lifestyle affordable.
For the most part, I continue this today. There are so many foods and resources available. I have learned to bake and substitute gluten-free ingredients in recipes. I make my own stir fry using Tamari sauce rather than soy sauce. We have Mexican with 100% GF corn tortillas. I make spaghetti with chick pea pasta.
I suggest that you use the local library to check out some cookbooks. Learning to bake was the hardest thing, because gluten is what binds together the ingredients.
Eating out also can be difficult. I have learned to ask questions and be very specific when I order. I once ate at a restaurant that had little on the menu that was GF even the salads. However, they had gluten-free fish tacos listed on the menu, so I ordered those. The server brought me a few small pieces of fish arranged on lettuce leaves with a side of mango salsa and cabbage. They claimed the lettuce leaf was a GF tortilla. Really?
People eat a gluten-free diet for many reasons now. Everyone’s journey is slightly different. You will have to decide what works for you and your daughter. It improved my health immensely. Good luck!!!!
Thank you for the info!
Bee, La Choy makes soy sauce that is gluten free and normal price. Every time I’ve bought it, it has been with the regular soy sauce and not with specially produced and priced foods in the health market.
Every one I know who read AGFM loved it, including my book club, and it was a rare 100% vote. In fact, my friend’s book club also loved it. And maybe the cake pedestal has found it’s new home 😉
It is a beautifully written book and a wonderful story. Everyone in my book club enjoyed it too.
Your #3 gave me a chuckle…”$10 for top soil and 2 Advil.” I love it!
We forget that we are no longer 20-something. However, in our hearts, we haven’t aged a bit.
A Gentleman from Moscow was such a fantastic book! Glad you enjoyed it as well.
1. The same old, same old. The big news is that I will be eligible to sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine starting next week. The state changed the lower end age for those without special circumstances. I suspect that once vaccinated I will go back to chasing good prices on groceries and other items.
2. My social life is walking with friends and visiting outside. Very frugal.
3. Meals at home. My husband used some old buttermilk and crushed Rice Chex to make a crispy oven baked chicken. I also made chicken that I coated with a variety of stuff we had. Today I baked two dozen gluten free pumpkin muffins using ingredients on hand. Most were frozen for future breakfast/snack consumption.
4. I walked to the library to return items that were due. It was good to walk a different route.
5. I did order new underwear. There was a great sale and instead of filling my cart to qualify for free shipping I paid the small shipping fee. Less out f pocket cost and only what I needed.
Rice Chex to make oven fried chicken is brilliant! Did you use other type of seasoning?
1. Made dinner for extended family instead of buying takeout. I roasted a chicken, potatoes and asparagus. So delicious, if I do say so myself.
2. We played a lot of board games and laughed a lot
3. On my drive back, I stopped at a less expensive market and bout most things on sale.
4. Lowered my heat while I was away.
5. We had a covid safe visit as we all quarantined before we got there. I can’t wait for 75% of us to be vaccinated. So we all can be safer.
oops *bought not bout
Katy,
I, too, am gluten-free. When I make meatloaf, I use oat bran or rolled oats as my binder. Works like a charm!
That was my thought, rolled oats.
But, I’m not educated on gluten free, other than some weird bread, someone had me try! Lol
I have 2 teenaged daughters both recently diagnosed with celiac. The dietitian told them not to eat oats as the ones marked as Gluten-Free generally aren’t. I think if you are eating GF as a choice and not a necessity, they are fine, but if you have to be concerned about cross contamination, it is a problem. Specifically the “GF” oats sold at Costco cause many reactions in her GF patients. Apparently there are no clear guidelines for GF purity in oats. I am just sharing because this is all new to me, and I find the available information confusing at times. Maybe it will help someone else!
I hadn’t heard that about the Costco oats. Thank you for sharing.
I have not had any problem with Aldi’s certified GF oats (they may have been a special offer and not offered all the time), but I will never trust Cheerios’ GF cereal again. They do not use certified GF oats. They use regular oats and sifters and optical scanners to attempt to remove other stray grains. Oats themselves are GF, but cross contamination with other grains blown in from neighboring fields or from shared transportation or processing equipment is common.
Thanks for the tip!!!
My weekly long walk and several parking lots and I’ve found over $3 in change. At some point I stopped counting.
Congratulation family of grads!
I’ve really enjoyed your blog and you’ve done an amazing job raising a family frugally, even being able to retire with kids in university. Im curious to see what happens in this new phase of your frugal life.
My frugal 5ish
I get grocery flyers in the mail and they won’t stop delivering them so i look at them and have found one local grocery is cheaper and better than Aldi. 50¢ honey mangoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, cucumbers. 88¢ lettuce, celery, Bella mushrooms. 59¢ per pound tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash.
I eat a lot of chicken and broccoli and I get those frozen at big box store along with fresh pineapple spears that I freeze. I have to eat gluten free and make quick bread buns from brown rice flour, egg, oil, baking soda, and water. I have made meatloaf using any cooked grain like rice or quinoa plus an egg.My electric bill after the deep freeze was amazingly low. So blankets on all the windows and doors worked.
All the vacationers are back big time. And even fewer are wearing masks. The news says I may be able to get vaccine in May. Until then I’ve learned how to tie my paper mask to form a better seal and use washable cotton mask over it. Hopefully frugal way to avoid medical costs.
Water bill less than half now.
Cat had great sunny day on deck but had bad asthma attack 4 am. Now I know she is allergic to spring pollen I can make sure she avoids it and save vet bills. I wish cats could take allergy pills.
Check with your vet! My old cat had to take a 1/4 Benadryl for two weeks because she ended up being allergic to the corn kitty litter I had switched her to. So to help her the vet told me to try Benadryl. Maybe it will help your little one!
Yes, cats CAN take Benadryl. A half tab (12.5 mg) for a large cat, a quarter tab for a smaller cat.
Fluffy Butt’s did some research a couple of years ago on benadryl and told me it wasn’t FDA approved for cats and that vets mostly give it a try on skin itches and rashes not asthma. Thanks though. She is so sensitive to stuff we didn’t try it, the anesthesia when she got fixed kept her up two days and super hyper, even her prednisolone makes her hyper. A really cute and sweet kitty just wound a little too tight.
Received a gallon bag of frozen blackberries from a friend-she picked them on her property last summer. We will enjoy those!
Working in my garden, planting seeds for veggies, free water (in the form of a whole rainy day) for my seedlings in the ground, and all our water barrels full. Such bliss in California!
Spring napkins are selling well in my Etsy store. Though a purchase up front, they are such a money saver in not buying paper napkins any more. I wish I had started sooner. Love that all of my kids are using cloth napkins in their own homes. I gave them a good start!
There seems to be a GF theme going here, so I’ll chime in. My breakfast is GF, egg-free pancakes using GF flour and water to make a sourdough starter. They just use 1/2 cup starter, 1 TBSP oil, 1 TBSP GF flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Just the easiest, cheapest things, and SO good. I buy GF flours (a variety) from Vitacost-the cheapest place I’ve found. I buy enough to get their free shipping and store the flour in a 5 gallon bucket with gamma seal lid.
Kara, did you use the King Arthur sour dough starter or do you have your own?
I made my own using the Cultures for Health website instructions for GF sourdough starter. Now that I’ve been using it for several years I’ve figured out the shortcuts. I just feed it enough to make enough for the next day’s pancakes, rather than feeding it as much as Cultures for Health says.
Thank you for the info. I will look into it.
Checked out the clearance from my favorite thrift store while I was there to pick up petitions for the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. Awesome deal on some chapter books for my girls and a warm shirt for my son. Submitted my $3 receipt to fetch.
Son got a deep gash in his thumb. My first thought was he needed a couple stitches. Then I wondered if they could do stitches at Urgent Care, because yeah, it’s cheaper than the ER. Then I remembered my friend’s dad is a doctor and usually recommends that they use liquid bandaid for this kind of thing. Saved ourselves a bundle, didn’t clog up the ER, and stayed away from germ central station.
Turned over some dirt after recent rains. Chickens devoured the worms. This helps make our eggs a tad cheaper because they eat less of the feed.
Sold some Lincoln logs and a few clothes on Varagesale. My wallet is $25 happier.
New recipe called for 3 cups of cream and decided to go ahead and purchase it at Costco. Did another cream recipe back-to-back. For the cost of the 4 cups of it at Winco I got 1/2 gallon at Costco. Will be adding milk and turning the remainder into half and half for coffee and promptly going on a diet. Haha!
Didn’t appreciate how you slipped in the Gavin Newsom recall effort. Not appropriate for this site. And there are plenty of us Californians who think he has done a decent job, considering the fact that we had NO leadership at the top. Pro-gun anti-maskers, anti-vaxers, q-anon and election validity deniers are behind this pointless recall effort which will end up costing the taxpayers a pretty penny.
Slipping in politics is very very much the flavor of this blog. And your response fits right with it too. Thanks for sharing your political views. I did enjoy giving people the opportunity to have their say. I often talked with people like you. I enjoy hearing all perspectives.
Annette, I had to look to my governor in Massachusetts too for guidance during the ongoing pandemic due to no guidance or leadership coming from 45. Gavin Newsom has had six recalls already under his belt in CA. I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
…meant to say “recall efforts”…
There may have been recall efforts, but none that were heavily funded by Republican groups before and none that have resulted in the qualification for a special election before. We are now facing an expensive special election and months of vitriol and uncertainty. Those who are focusing their energy to recall our duly elected governor would be better served to wait until the next election cycle.
Not all governmental policy is meant to be set at the federal level. There are reasons that we have state governments and states’ rights. The Covid Crisis emphasized just how much each state differs geographically, economically and demographically. The needs and concerns of the populations also differ. Wyoming is nothing like California… New York is not like Indiana… Alaska is nothing like Hawaii. North Florida isn’t even similar to South Florida.
It appears that some state and local officials made decisions that were more sensitive to the concerns of the populations that they govern than others. I may not know why Bethany would like to have Gavin Newsom recalled. However, I believe she is exercising her political rights as are 2 million other Californians. This country is deeply divided. As long as we continue to berate and hate others with differing opinions, the schism will certainly get worse. Open your hearts. Open your minds. Analyze the information feed to us. Separate fact from opinion. Extend an olive branch. Ask why. The existence of our democracy depends on it.
Agreed. Politics is such a hot button subject, even now. Although I believe it has cooled down somewhat as the new administration in Washington has taken over, the emotional holdovers on both sides still very much exists. While there is nothing wrong with exercising one’s political rights, perhaps we should all strive to keep meanness out of our statements, here and everywhere. If we don’t it usually turns into…excuse the language…a regular pissing contest with no end in sight and hurt feelings. While I do recognize that politics do effect our economics, I’m going to stop commenting on posts with overt or subdued political comments. Not speaking for everyone here, my comments only.
I love great bargains
this week i fond an all leather black Sak purses at a charity thrift shoppe. Marked down to $.99 but half price day got it for $2.84 including tax. Great condition just needed to be polished. looks like new. Original price $199 plus tax
At local grocery store I got 3 bags of reduced large navel oranges for 99cents per bag.
Picked up a reserved book from the library
I used $6.99 hair cut coupon saving $9.00
I got a marked down container of dishwasher pods for$2.79 saving 6 dollars..
Ooh, excellent score on the Sak purse. That is a wonderful brand.
My frugal 5:
1. Daughter bought me some scratch off lottery tickets – $20 worth – and I won $100! Gave her a $10 finders fee.
2. Today my car got a rain car wash. Yesterday hubby took his to the car wash. But he has a brand new company car.
3. Yesterday 3/17 we both got our first Pfizer vaccine at our local county super center. It’s housed in the old Sears building at the mall. Well run machine as we have Guardsmen/women there motioning us through. I think we were in the old shoe department waiting our 30 minutes to leave. I had to wait 30 minutes as I have a penicillen allergy. While in that area had our next and final appointment made. I was happy to get our text about scheduling as I was getting so frustrated trying to get an appointment at the pharmacies.
4. Eating our way through our freezer over the fridge. Found a recipe for 5 ingredient brownies.
5. My sister in law bought a house and now with both vaccines I will feel safer visiting her outside on her deck.
That is a great bag. I’m always amazed and a little jealous of your thrift stores.
1. I received my first Covid vaccine yesterday. Yay!! I dropped off my Ebay packages at the post office on the way. Very happy and relieved to have gotten vaccinated. Here’s hoping it does the trick and enough people get vaccinated before some awful vaccine resistant variant takes over.
2. I purchased a small battery powered chain saw. It uses the same battery as my hedge trimmer so I purchased the tool only saving myself $30 and more clutter.
3. My daughter continues to bring home free food from work. She works at a very fancy kitchen/cafeteria at a great company that takes really good care of their employees. Since they don’t work weekends she and others get to bring home lots of food that would spoil. Recently it was sushi, pizza crusts, taco fixings, bagels, corn muffins, dessert calzones…. This has provided several meals and I’ve been avoiding the grocery store as much as possible.
4. I filled my car up with cheap Costco gas and while I was there I asked for a refund for some Jelly Belly’s that went on sale right after I bought them. I also picked up some steaks and we had a great birthday dinner for my Mom. She and my sister are both completely vaccinated and can now visit safely. I made a carrot cake from scratch which was inexpensive and delicious and eating at home even with steaks is much cheaper than eating out.
5. I’ve been steadily selling on Ebay. My Mom has given me her boxes and packaging material so I continue to use free stuff to ship. I’ve been finding some items to list and sell at thrift stores. I also picked up a new to me pair of jeans that normally retail for $90 for $6. I don’t need a lot of clothes but my jeans are getting very sad and it’s time to buy more. I try to not think about all the money I could have saved if I’d always bought used items.
1. Picked up a few masks off of our buy nothing group. we can ALWAYS use masks in our house. It seems like the kids lose one every day. The girl scouts also sent me a mask because I am a leader!
2. Ebay is providing me an opportunity to start setting money aside for a Disney trip next year and for a camping trip this year. I am so thankful that my little side hustle has picked up! You get out what you put into it!
3. My boss is clearing out her MIL’s house and is allowing me to go through it and take what I want for my Ebay store! (I can’t wait…it will be like christmas!)
4. All the normal stuff of packing my lunch, making iced coffee at home and resisting the urge to run to the store at lunch time for something sweet!
5. I also realized that I have not bought any Easter candy this year to “snack on” I normally buy one of those blessed little containers of Reese’s PB eggs. OH, that sounds so good!
1. While buying some coffee and creamer for work at Dollar Tree (with a gift card purchased at Christmas), I noticed that the little Goodwill store in the same shopping plaza was not busy. I made a high-speed dash through it and scored a lovely blouse for work. Due to Covid, that was only the second time I’ve thrifted in a year.
2. Did a patch and mend on the elbow of my husband’s favorite flannel shirt. The shirt was thrifted a few years ago. The interior patch came from a thrifted t-shirt my son wore out. The thread used to sew the patch and mend the tiny hole in the elbow was gifted to me.
3. Husband and I received our first Covid vaccines this week. I also look forward to doing bargain scouting again when I’m fully vaccinated.
4. Still in use-it-up mode and can see glimpses of the bottom of our little chest freezer, just in time for summer vegetable bargains.
5. Glad you mentioned meatloaf, Katy, as that happy conjunction of frozen bread heels and manager’s special ground beef has happened at my house. Guess what’s for supper? 🙂
Katy: That bag is a beaut. You find the best stuff. And I, too, LOVE to create meals with bits and bobs from the fridge/freezer. Some of the strangest combinations turn out to be quite delicious.
1. Transformed a pair of sunglasses with a business logo imprinted on one side by removing the logo with mineral spirits.
2. Cut open several tubes of sunscreen, scooped out the remainders, and transferred into several small plastic film canisters. Placed them in several locations so they’ll be easy to remember to use.
3. To decrease the chances of produce going bad and to increase the number of servings I eat, every day I put several pieces of fruit at my spot at the kitchen table as a reminder to eat them. For veggies, I often prep, store in mason jars, and place front and center in the fridge so they’re not out of sight, out of mind.
4. After using parchment paper for baking, I wiped off to reuse again (and again).
5. This might be TMI: Used dental floss more than once.
Frugal fail: Went grocery shopping before doing other errands. Thought the food would be OK in the car (30’s at the time), but no… about half of the eggplant and green beans got too cold and became unusable. Now I keep a cooler in the car to keep purchases from freezing (or overheating in the coming months).
MB, I have to do the cooler thing in the summer, as we are in the Deep South. Dairy products can’t withstand even a short errand home from the grocery store at the height of summer.
I love your idea about prepping veggies for the fridge. Currently everyone has an assigned spot in the fridge and I put what they need to eat in their spot, but it’s kind of hit or miss. My husband seems to have a rare form of blindness that descends when the fridge door is open!
Ruby: My husband has the same affliction and it’s not limited to the fridge!
Film canisters– Are they very old and reused? Or do you have a film camera?
Heidi Louise: The canisters are those plastic ones that came with small rolls of film and have caps that snap down tight. I’ve probably had them for 20 years and I reuse them for all sorts of things. No longer have the camera.
1. I threw leftover spinach, leftover sweet potatoes and a few grape tomatoes into a quiche for breakfast. 2. I cut up radishes and carrots for my snack at work. For some reason, I do not like the small carrots in the grocery stores and prefer to peel the large carrots. They just taste better to me. I also took my sandwich to work, as always. 3. I pulled leftover spaghetti (which the sauce had been made from leftover meatloaf a while back) from the freezer and have been polishing that off this week. I use leftover sandwich bread with garlic and olive oil, as my garlic bread. 4. I made bbq beans from dried beans, and potato salad from leftover potatoes. I also made coleslaw from pickles and cabbage I got cheap. 5. I walked for exercise.
Concerning your #2, we also don’t like the baby carrots in the store. We prefer to buy regular ones and just peel and chop them ourselves. We, too think the flavor is a little different.
Ditto. They smell and taste like mold to me.
I guess I never realized that the baby carrots in the store are just cut and peeled larger carrots. I agree that freshly peeled and cut large carrot sticks are much more flavorful.
Actually the small carrots are soaked in bleach water. Just FYI…….
1. Scheduled for second vaccine at the end of the month, then back to bargain hunting! I’ve really missed my thrift store habits.
2. Thanks to Bee, I have decided that tonight’s menu will include leftover corned beef scraps featured in a hash.
3. Husband has decided to retire at the end of the summer so am looking into strategies that will keep us happy and still feeling we have the opportunity for an abundance of good experiences. He now works part time and closed his downtown office before before the pandemic in a “more luck than forethought” move. I retired several years ago at the first opportunity so can’t complain about his decision.
4. Weather has provided us with free opportunities to comment on and experience a heavy snowfall followed by warm spring time weather in the space of a few days.
5. Shopped my pantry and found two large jars of peanut butter, several jars of spaghetti sauce and lots of canned veg. and fruit. No need to add any of those items to an already large grocery list. I also found dabs of three flavors of jam in the refrigerator which should see us through another week.
I finally have a few FFT to post:
1. In order to prevent some food waste, I put 5 overripe bananas in the freezer for future baking. I froze the remaining cheddar broccoli soup for future lunches. I had enough for 2 portions. We had dinner with friends at their house & we were asked to bring salad to share. I brought the leftovers home & still had enough for 2 lunches.
2. Those same friends had purchased hubby’s favorite beer and our friend is on a diet and he said he won’t drink it, so they sent us home with the remainder of the 12 pack.
3. Received a bill from chiropractor from over a year ago. We had paid all of our co-pays, so I called to ask about it and was told insurance had just paid it, so we didn’t end up owing it.
4. Our dog had to use vet tape on her leg due to surgery. We over bought and I ended up returning unused rolls. Money back in my pocket.
5. Sold 2 end tables on FB marketplace that were collecting dust in our storage room. $40 back in my pocket. The buyers were thrilled with the condition of our 20 year old tables.
1. Online sales via Facebook marketplace and Mercari going strong
2. Spring cleaning was actually spring flinging my closet. Gathered up items for consignment and on line sales
3. Heating bill down $50
4. Both hubby and I got our vaccines
5. Wrote a letter about a product and got another product in return
Wow — you hit the motherlode at Goodwill — excellent!!
Here’s a couple things —
Using my VONS (safeway) points to take dollars off my grocery bill, along with coupons and sales.
Using up all my old clothes and burrowing down into the depths of the drawers and closet to find stuff I forgot about. Losing a bit of weight, so it is like a whole new wardrobe. Have only bought a pair of sneakers and some foundational undergarments since COVID. And not needing anything else 😉
Scavenged my daughter’s massive apartment purge as she moved cross country (wah!). She put so much stuff on the curb, after giving away as much as she could. I kept thinking about how you all would have sold it and I just didn’t know where to begin and she was in a great rush to move. Luckily, everything was quickly picked up so little waste to the landfill. It was good stuff! I took a bunch of little things — bowls, wine glasses, towels, random pantry items, etc. and my favorite — baggies full of pennies and nickels. She said, “I know how you love to find loose change!” How well she knows her mother!
1. A friend recently replaced the elastic in the waistband of an old favorite skirt of mine that seems to go with almost every blouse or sweater I own. The other day my granddaughter was here at my house and was going through photographs. I noticed one picture was from her mother’s baby shower when she was pregnant with said granddaughter. I happened to be in the picture and there I was, wearing the favorite skirt. This would be of no significance except my granddaughter will be 17 in May. The skirt has seen a lot of use and although I know I’m heavier, it’s nice to know it still fits.
2. I found a quarter in the Dollar Store parking lot.
3. Our Firestick bit the dust. We were forced to buy a new one as 20 year old granddaughter said, Amazon makes them last only so long and they don’t do upgrades to them. Makes me mad but I do like Amazon tv so I bought it. We did get the new Firestick for half price so a little savings there, I guess.
4. Still hiking for exercise with DH or the group of friends I walk with on Sunday afternoons. This group decides on a different trail each week and we all live in a about a three mile radius as are the trails we hike so it’s not a hardship for any of us to drive a long distance. Last week we walked a trail that runs through the woods and backs up to an alpaca farm. The animals are happy to come close to us and show off as they roll around in the grass. Delightful!
5. I put up my Easter decorations, none new or any where close to new come to think of it. I guess using them for a few weeks a year keeps them in good shape. Happy Spring to all!
1. Middle kid turns 12 next week, and asked to go thrift shopping for his special solo day with mom. He wanted Subway for lunch – we split a footlong and used a coupon to get it for $5.99. His other request was a Starbucks frappucino, and our grocery store has been doing a $5 Friday special for a drink and pastry. Paid for his with credit from Kellogg’s reward points, and got a free drink for myself using stars that were about to expire anyway.
2. Kid wanted a pair of Vans for his birthday, and we found 2 pair at the thrift store that don’t even look like they’ve been worn. One is in his current size, and the other pair was the next size up. Paid $30 for both pair – he is wearing one now and the other pair is in the closet until he grows into them (which at the rate his feet are growing, won’t be long at all)
3. Found him a pair of Columbia hiking boots for $9. (We hike a ton in the summer, and he had outgrown his old boots last fall.) Boots were dirty but the soles look barely worn – cleaned them up when we got home and they look like new. He checked online and this exact pair is on sale for $90 at the sporting goods store down the road.
4. Was lucky enough to be standing in the appliance aisle at Goodwill when an employee plopped a like new Kitchen Aid bowl-lift stand mixer onto the shelf priced at $25. Channeled my inner Katy Wolk-Stanley and had that mixer in my cart so fast the employee was laughing at me. Already posted to Marketplace and hopefully a new owner will be picking it up soon.
5. I am attending an outdoor wedding in a few weeks, and found a cute dress with cardigan at Goodwill for $8.
My kiddo is turning 12 soon and has asked for a thrifting day too! It was just too funny a coincidence not to mention. 🙂 Great deals on the shoes! My kiddo wants to update his room and is looking for a couple of small furniture pieces. Hoping we have good luck.
1. I filed my tax return online for free, and also did my brother’s for him.
2. Finally sold a Thirty-One tote bag that I had listed on Marketplace that several people no showed on. So glad to see that go. Also sold a stack of Nancy Drew paperbacks and a lot of board books on Marketplace, plus a pullover sweater, a bird book, and a lot of old clothespins on ebay.
3. Have been watching Grantchester on Prime. My work pays for the subscription, but it ends in May and won’t be renewing. Although I have enjoyed it for free, there isn’t enough there to entice me into paying for it myself.
4. I found a round dishcloth pattern that is fun to knit, and have been using up my cotton yarn. Knitted a stack of dishcloths and gave them to the ladies at work.
5. My sister sent me a coupon code for a free week trial of Blue Apron. I will cancel after we receive our free week.
I got my 2nd dose of the vaccine 2 weeks ago. Dh and ds got their second dose yesterday. Yay! college dd gets hers next week. 2 more kids and we will all be vaccinated. Phew!
1. Paid the deposit for ds’s college choice before March 15th netting him the required ipad from the school for free. $550 savings.
2. ds 22 mentioned he was heading to the grocery store and asked if I needed anything. He doesn’t pay a set amount towards groceries to live here (he pays the gas bill only). I jumped up to look at the weekly sales ad and gave him a small list of items that were on sale this week. Saved me around $20 I’m guessing.
3. This is the year I am taking care of my health. I have been seeing a therapist for my back issues. I had a skin check today at the dermatologist. I made a mammogram appointment with the mobile mammogram van that will come to my work to do it. And I borrowed a book on food and eating tips for middle age women from the library.
4. Opted not to buy the yard sign for ds’s rugby season. He doesn’t care, it is his last year and it saves me $35 not to buy it.
5. Instead of booking the week long vacation I would like to take over spring break, I booked a 2 night stay just a few hours away with outdoor activities that we can enjoy on our own. It will be so good to get away and will cost a fraction of what most people are doing.
1. My child keeps getting frozen bean and cheese burritos from the USDA provided lunches. He doesn’t “like” them so I had accumulated quite a few. I made a casserole with them and they were eaten up without question!
2. I went for my first vaccine dose yesterday. It was a 1.5 hour drive so I went just after two other doctors appointments I had in the area. I made a follow up doctors appointment in the area for the same date as my second vaccine dose. Combining trips when I can.
3. I subscribed to CuriosityStream during their birthday celebration. It was $12 for the year and it includes unlimited screens. This will be wonderful for my child’s homeschooling lessons, and my parents and I both love documentaries so we’re all pretty happy with the price point.
4. I asked my doctor to please consider that I’m a self pay patient and he discussed two concerns with me during one appointment and then asked his nurse to research the best price points on prescriptions. She called into two separate pharmacies to save me over $100.
5. I sold my first item on ebay this week. It was a book my ex had left behind and it sold for $36! I was pleased and may try to list some other items this coming week.
I love your #5. I did the same think years ago.
1. Used my local buy nothing group to gift some baby spider plants. Soon our little free plant library will open for the season, I’m excited about that.
2. Went to GW for the first time in months and months. I was looking for a windbreaker and found a very nice one, plus a denim shirt I’d been looking at online at Loft for ages. We can’t try things on in our GW right now so I looked at brands I know fit me already.
3. Put my stimulus check right into my student loan. I’ve been able to pay it down to half of what it was a year ago by throwing all I can into it. Seeing that balance drop makes me feel great.
4. My cabinets are packed full with loss leaders, but now I need to discipline myself that I don’t NEED ANY MORE FOOD right now. Hard to do when the grocery store sends a 20 off of 100 coupon! This week I’ll try to only get fresh food, I have enough of everything else.
5. Celebrated birthday with my pod friends. They asked me to bring a dessert, I planned to make something, but at the store was a giant, decorated cookie that was marked down from $12 to $5. I was so exhausted from work that I bought it. Saved me time and everyone enjoyed it. Plus it was pretty.
I long to have houseplants, and did especially so during this past Covid winter, but we have a big gray cat who can’t leave greenery alone. The idea of a free plant library is incredibly awesome.
Regarding No. 2. I sometimes feel very guilty that I stopped selling my excess years ago, and now donate all to my local thrift store that supports the food bank. A few months back, pre covid, I tried to place stuff on my Buy Nothing group and after two no shows, I realized I got so mad there was no point in doing this. So I’m back to donating to the thrift store.
However, I do love reading about others who do well on sales. It speaks to my Scottish soul.
The above was for Bettypants.
Your comment made me curious so I googled…According to a study, “Genetic Effects on Judgement and Choice,” published in the Journal of Consumer Research, spending habits aren’t just learned. They are genetic.
Scotch-Irish here
I believe the study was talking about the willingness (among other risks) to take financial risks, not shopping specifically, and that these genetics can be enhanced or subdued by environmental factors. “These results do not indicate that genes determine risk taking behavior—the relationships that we find are nothing more than predispositions. Genes cannot cause people to engage in risky behavior, but they may increase the probability that they will do so.”
I share your frustration with the lack of consideration from people on internet groups. FB has changed things a bit where you can block someone on Messenger but not on Facebook. So someone who has previously no showed on me can still SEE my new items and comment “Interested!” but they have no way of contacting me. It’s so satisfying to me.
Same!
I used to give. A lot. On Kijjiji mostly. And people would not show up and not give notice. So I stopped. Now I give everything to thrifts stores.
Correction. The thrift shoppe price should have read $9.99 not 99 cents
I picked up two cloth masks in the parking lot, washed them in a mesh bag with other masks and they are ready to be used.
Bought a heavy duty apron for kids craft time at a thrift store for under 2 dollars. Figured it’s frugal as saves money we would spend cleaning or replacing stained clothes.
Had a bunch of naan bread, used them to make mini pizzas with pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese from Winco. Very yummy!
Work provides free keurig coffee pods and they have a keurig in a break room so I don’t have to worry about my morning coffee.
I’ve picked up a few masks off the ground over the year. Using a ziploc bag to pick up, it gets a good sqirt of hydrogen peroxide in the bag when I get home and stays there until washing day. It goes through 2 washings, so this is a several week process. These masks are in my glove compartment as back up and have come in handy a few times.
One very nice mask I found was still in it’s packaging, never opened.
My daughter’s favorite mask was picked up in the Winco parking lot. I picked it up with my fingers and flung it in the pickup, then used my ever present Lysol wipe to disinfect my fingers. It went to the washer the same way and was washed with a load that required bleach, dried on high heat. I don’t think any virus could survive that, lol!
FFT
1. The same three people seem to snag everything on my local Buy Nothing FB group. However. I was the first person to comment on five white patio chairs. They are somewhat dirty but I clean one each day with Barkeeper’s Friend and Mister Clean magic eraser. They look good – not pristine – but fine. When I power-wash the deck later this Spring I’ll give the chairs a blast or two.
2. Yesterday I was the first to comment on a different post and picked up a brand new pair of Naturalizer leather flats in DD24 size – 9W. Also picked up a long sleeve white VS Pink tee for her.
3. I had saved the broth from our corned beef and cabbage and yesterday I made 15 bean soup in the crockpot with the broth, some scraps of leftover corned beef, a pint of beef bone broth, some carrots and a can of diced tomatoes. I thought it was excellent and I am not a “bean person” by any means.
4. I continue to make my decaf cold brew in my French Press – overnight in the fridge.
5. Not frugal but a good investment – DS26 has gone from a 29 waist to a 33 – still tall and slim though. I purchased some shorts in his new size from Land’s End. I tried Poshmark and Ebay first but their prices for used shorts were the same or more than the new ones.
6. I agree abut the “baby” carrots. Some marketing genius came up with the idea to create the baby carrots by tumbling regular carrots to whittle them down to size. Then selling the shreds separately. Two over-priced products from one.
Buy Nothing is not a first come, first serve group. Givers can use whatever criteria they wish. They may state their criteria but don’t have to. Random selection, someone they know has a need, someone they’ve received from before or who they’ve noticed gives generously to others, I’ve seen tell me something good that’s happened recently, etc. I tend to offer a bunch of things at a time to limit how much time I need to be available to set things on my tiny porch for pick up, so for less in-demand items I tend to give to first asker, but for highly requested items I try to wait longer (24 hours or so) before selecting recipient. And I tend not to choose the few people in my group who ask for everything.
Our group has so many rules I have a hard time keeping up. Our group leaves it up to the “gifter” if they want to do first to respond, first to pick up or select a name at random if there’s multiple interest. Another rule is you can’t re-sell something you got for free. You have to send it back to the group if you no longer need or want it.
I’ve only got one new one I can think of. My teen wanted to do some filming, so we planned Film Camp at Home for Spring Break. He’s learning to edit it with Avidemux, free software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are lots of free tutorials on YouTube, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSXq0xrSUlo is my favorite so far. He explains things slowly and clearly. Good one to start with.
If anyone is interested in Avidemux, it also includes color adjustment, some filters, sound editing, and more, although we haven’t worked with that yet.
1. Was able to cancel a prepaid subscription and receive a refund for the unused portion- $735 back!
2. After the cancellation, I received an email to pick a small thank-you gift for having been a subscriber. I happily picked out a glass KeepCup and am looking forward to using it or passing it on to someone else (like tote bags, it’s easy for me to accumulate reusable mugs).
3. Finishing up food before moving in a week. Last year’s final frozen apples turned into apple cake recently. I’ve been able to use ¼ cup of chickpea flour in each cake without issues, but will likely end up composting some. I’ve made some not-great falafel with the chickpea flour, so I was hoping to use it up some other way. Any other ideas?
4. Mended a glove and a pair of DH’s underwear.
5. We sold multiple things on the local Craigslist, and I am so grateful to recoup a little money. Anything left will be donated before we leave.
6. Our biggest win was that we will sublet our apartment for the remaining 4 months of our lease, and the tenants have already put down a deposit. So grateful to not have to lose 4 months of rent.
Lindsay, that’s awesome that you found someone to sublet. 4 month’s rent is a huge chuck of cash to lose, or in your current case, to save!
Lindsay,
I like to make soccas with chick pea flour. I put my cast iron flat griddle under the broiler to heat it up. Oil the pan, add 1 cup of mix … 3 minutes under the broiler and out it comes. I then put the pan back in for 1 minute before starting over. You can find the recipe online. They’re best fresh, but I’ve warmed them up. Just use as a wrap or eat like a flatbread.
Gluten-free meatloaf can be made pretty cheap. I make it with the meat, then add quick oats soaked in milk (to bulk – and it makes it really moist), 1 egg and my seasonings. No flour or bread crumbs in there. Then top with a mix of ketchup, mustard and more spices.
Yum!
My favorite aunt, who was a frugal queen, made meatloaf that way and it was always delicious. I make a tangy sauce to top meatloaf of ketchup, a little brown sugar, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. It thickens as the meatloaf cooks and is very good.
It seems like I do the same frugal things pretty much every day…makes it hard to think of 5FFs. I love reading all Katy’s posts and all the responses. I always, ALWAYS, learn something new or am reminded of something that I once knew (as one of my neighbors likes to say, “But I’ve slept since then!”, lol. It’s good to be reminded or to learn, either one, and I really appreciate this community.
1. My bff called yesterday and asked if I wanted to go to Costco with her. Yes, please! We’ve both had our first Covid shot and will have our 2nd very soon, plus we don’t either of us really go anywhere, so we opted not to mask up for the drive, as it takes an hour to get to Portland. I hope I don’t live to regret this decision. I did, of course wear an N-95 mask in the stores.
2. While I did spend more than normal on this Costco trip, it was a stock up trip for supplements, which I’d recently inventoried, so I knew what I was low on. I added a few that were recommended by my doctor and pharmacist to lower blood pressure or to supplement the blood pressure med I was recently started on. I did splurge on spring bulbs and perennial gardens in a bag. As long as I actually plant everything, it will be worth the cost. And, of course I had to buy a couple of rotisserie chickens. My bff’s shoe fell apart as we approached the register, so we skipped the hot dog and drink line in favor of taking everything to the car and taping up her shoe with the duct tape she carries in the trunk.
2. Stopped at the Goodwill on 122nd to look for a pair of shoes for her. I found a bag of canning flats and bands for 1.99 (final count was 8 narrow mouth flats, 8 narrow mouth bands, 15 wide mouth bands, 1 all in one wide mouth canning lid, and one odd sized all in one which still didn’t quite fit my odd sized jar at home, but that will work fine on it for storing bacon grease), 3 books (one was actually on my list on my phone – I keep a list of books I’m missing from series by my favorite authors), and a long handled campfire cooking fork for hotdogs and marshmallows, new in package. That one was marked 4.99, but was yellow tagged, so it was half price. I’ve been looking for a 2nd roasting fork since last summer, so I was pleased to find one. It will be firepit season again before we know it, and I won’t have to share with my dd now.
3. By the time my bff finished looking for shoes, my knee was hurting and we were both tired, so we decided to skip the bins and head home, which meant she decided she didn’t need the shoes after all, saving her about $15. Frugal for her, as she couldn’t try them on first, and both of us are too spoiled by the prices at the bins to think that $15 was a good price for used shoes!
4. I ate a couple rotisserie chicken legs for lunch, which was cheaper than even the hot dog and drink combo at Costco, and it was a tasty alternative to fast food. I brought filtered, half frozen water from home to drink.
5. Not going to the bins saved me who knows how much money, plus the parking lot was full and we’d had enough of crowded stores already. After a year of not going there, I’d have loved to check it out if it was less crowded and I wasn’t tired and in pain. I can wait.
I haven’t been to the bins since Covid started, as I worry about how uncontrolled of a environment it is. Miss paying by the pound!
1. Spent a great weekend at my future in-laws’ house. We took each morning to do some deep cleaning tasks that recent surgeries have made unfeasible for them. They got a cleaner living space, we didn’t have to book cleaners for them, and we got to do this as a thank-you for them cat-sitting for us for a month.
2. They sent us home with leftovers for (literally) days. Excited to dig in for another evening!
3. Managed to get a COVID vaccine appointment yesterday and boy, what a relief. Celebrated last night with a bottle of gifted champagne I put aside for the occasion and takeout sandwiches from our local spot that we had 25% off on.
4. Put aside my most recent stimulus check to pay off debt. I am officially down to one credit card and one loan! Extremely relieved to continue to drive down these payments so I can begin saving for the future.
5. Clearing out extra stuff in my apartment with a keen eye that it’s been an additional year that I’ve been holding onto these things. It feels like a relief to reduce my belongings and if I’m being honest, opening up space to shop for some new items that make me happy. I’ve been scoping out poshmark to buy a few items I’ve had my eye on to avoid buying new.