Five Frugal Things
by Katy on December 5, 2022 · 62 comments
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I sold a few thing on eBay, including:
• A pair of Boggs boots that I bought for $12.99 and sold for $62.
• A Dolly Parton album that I bought for $3 and sold for $60.
• A sterling silver bell that I bought for $4.99 and sold for $150.
I also hit a couple Goodwills, but made just two purchases. I’ve become extremely picky about what I buy, as I try to only sell items with at least $30 profit and I prefer that the initial purchase price be as low as possible.
• A set of three $3.99 vintage lighting globes that I ran through the dishwasher and immediately sold for $40 to a local store.
• A vintage Steelcase tanker chair for just $4.99 that I’ve listed locally for $50.
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My husband had an eye appointment across town, so I tagged along and had him drop me at a thrift store that I rarely get to. Unfortunately the store had raised prices significantly since my last visit, but I did find a new looking Smartwool merino wool T-shirt for $9.99. (Not a screaming deal, but still $30-$40 less than the normal price.) I might’ve been annoyed if I’d schlepped across town for an overpriced thrift store, but my husband was driving there anyway, there was no waste.
My husband’s appointment lasted longer than I’d anticipated, so I explored the neighborhood, hitting up a Trader Joes for 19¢ bananas and even found a penny conveniently located in a clean-ish puddle.
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My next-door-neighbor and I enjoyed a get together that was just the two of us in her cozy living room, catching up on each other’s family dramas and drinking tea that we’d brewed in our own kitchens. We used to go to coffee shops before the pandemic, but switched to each other’s houses when social distancing became an issue. We somehow never switched back, which I actually prefer as it draws nothing from the budget and takes less time from my day.
This got me thinking about how my social life often centers on free activities, whether it’s grocery shopping with a friend or hitting up IKEA for their free coffee so my friend Lise and I can chat and co-work on our laptops. I certainly spend a bit of money socializing, but it’s nice to know that it’s not dependent on anyone’s bank balance.
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I noticed that there were Black Friday streaming deals to watch certain pay channels like Showtime and Starz for free, so my husband and I finally watched Everything Everywhere, All at Once, which lived up to the hype, I got a second free uncut pumpkin from a different neighbor, my Winco cashier realized that she’d forgotten to credit me for bringing my own bags and handed me 36¢ in coins, I raked leaves for a neighbor as a thank you for letting us put out extra yard debris cans with their pickup, I put up the Christmas tree that my husband and I garbage picked from a shuttered real estate office in Medford, Oregon maybe five years ago and I brought my mother over for a day of snacking and cozying up on the couch to watch Resident Alien, which is her favorite TV show.
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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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1. I have not sold anything but I have passed along many items in the past week. I used Freecycle to give away a variety of items. I also gave a friend a few items for her college students, black tee-shirts from my SIL that her son will use for his restaurant job and a thin “wallet” that was a gift to my daughter that she didn’t want (her in-laws “love language” is buying gifts).
2. I just repaired the handle on my laundry hamper using duct tape. It resides in the basement laundry room and does not need to look fancy. It is a Rubbermaid product I bought at Caldor (they have been closed for at least 20 years). The duct tape is from 2001, when we were advised to have large sheets of plastic and duct tape on hand after 9/11 (I guess we were somehow going to protect ourselves with those items.
3. I stopped at a neighborhood Little Free Library to donate a book and discovered a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle wedged on top of books. I took it home since my husband loves to build puzzles. I will return it after he builds it.
4. Savings on food. Safeway gave me another $5 off offer. I was across the street from the store so I stopped and bought the last box of clearance priced RxBars. Sam’s Club had Keto granola on clearance for $.91/bag (the regular price was $10+ and it had been half price for a while). I bought a few bags. Lidl did give me $20 for buying a gift card the week before so I used that to buy sale priced bags of clementines for a basket of food we gave to an organization, clearance priced Pumpkin Spice oatmeal to donate, and a few items for us. My out of pocket was $.88.
5. We had to attend a fancy event for my husband’s job. I wore my “little black dress” and a jacket I bought at a thrift store several days ago. No need to buy something new.
1) Sold some furniture we weren’t using, & made $150. Had lots of interested folks, so I under priced it. But, it’s out of the house.
2) Helped my 16 y.o. clean out his drawers & closet. Found a bunch of stuff to donate/give away on BN, & a few things to sell. Listed all of the sell items on eBay. Didn’t procrastinate, and wait weeks or longer, as I usually do.
3) Picked up the Friday Freebie at the grocery store, & noticed it had an iBotta offer, so made $.75 to take home a bag of crackers. While I was at the store, I picked up two Home Depot gift cards, which earned me $20 in future grocery store rewards. We’ll use the Home Depot gift cards for spring yard stuff & the garden.
4) Called the airline we booked our Christmas flights on, as they were having a CyberMonday sale last week. Earned $550 of flight credits, as the flights were so much cheaper than we’d originally paid.
5) Meal planned, shopped from a list, used things from the freezer/pantry, ate leftovers..
6) Bonus: Helping the 16 y.o. teen apply for a job, while he has a break between sports.
I had a antique booth for years, on occasion a piece would fly out the door. This would start me thinking that I underpriced an item or I missed something. However, I began to reframe that over time as my confidence and repeat clients grew. If my items sold and people were interested in them, they must be exactly the right price. Leaving a little money on the table is much better than not having any at all.
I always smack my head when something sells immediately.
1. Received $15 in annual dividends from our natural foods co-op. As a member owner (a one-time $80 investment 20 years ago), we receive an annual dividend based on the percentage of our purchases from the co-op’s profit for the year.
2. Recouped $189 that my husband was charged at the airport for a service called CLEAR (like TSA precheck, which we already have). He unwittingly signed up for it as he was unable to clearly understand the representative and thought he was getting a one-time free trial. Easy to cancel via their website, thank goodness.
3. Saved $1.50 by not buying water chestnuts for a recipe, instead substituting celery that needed to be used up.
4. Substituted some baking soda and vinegar in place of the baking powder I had run out of. Actually worked better than baking powder!
5. Tested positive for COVID so didn’t drive anywhere, didn’t lunch with anyone, and didn’t spend any money for 10 days. Mild symptoms meant that I could use my downtime at home productively on move-related tasks.
A CLEAR rep got me once too, they are fast talking slick salespeople and before you know it you’re through the gate without realizing you’ve signed up for something. While in the terminal I immediately canceled the service.
Wow on selling that cute little bell and the Dolly Parton album! You have such a good eye.
My FFT:
1. Mended yet another pair of pajamas: this makes three in two weeks. While the sewing machine was set up, also hemmed a pair of thrifted trousers and added some stuffing to an old pillow. The stuffing came from an estate sale at a house on our street, where I paid $1 for a large bag of it.
2. Found a loaf of my favorite sandwich bread marked down to 75 cents on the last day of sale. It was still nice and soft.
3. Used a $5 off anything coupon at the hardware store for a bottle of leather conditioner for our sofa. That brought the cost down to $7.99. That size bottle will treat the sofa three times.
4. Took advantage of a sunny day to dry my laundry on racks outside.
5. Used some marked-down beef, sale frozen mixed vegetables, and some frozen beef broth leftover from another meal as the base for a big pot of beef-barley-vegetable soup.
Those are some nice sales. I’m also trying to be more picky about the items I sell. Ebay is a lot of work.
1. I requested a price adjustment on a Christmas gift I bought and found was on deeper discount the next day. I’ve already received the credit to my card.
2. I picked up a few items at Estate sales to sell on Ebay as well as a couple things for me including dusting spray, WD-40 and printing paper.
3. I visited my Mother-in-law and brought a lunch of homemade soup (made with leftover turkey) and egg salad sandwich instead of picking up Panera.
4. My friend requested no gift exchange for Christmas this year which makes me very happy and I asked the same of my brother-in-law who has also agreed to no gifts.
5. I’m reading library books on my Kindle. I just finished Honor by Thrity Umrigar which was very good. I tried a homemade Chai Latte recipe which was good but not worth a second try.
1. Cobbled a dinner of meatballs, penne pasta and veggies last week before pay day
2. Attended a free holiday concert by the 395th Army band.
3. Numerous items listed..no sales
4. Joining friends in Kauai at their time share next month. Had enough air miles for free ticket.
5. Donated 2 bags of clothing to local clothes closet
1. Filed ýet another claim for towing due to a flat tire. Same tire. Obviously the previous repair was not good. We have since replaced that tire. At least we were reimbursed for the towing.
2. With the arrival of December, Etsy sales have jumped. I am mailing out things I have had for ages.
3. Cashier forgot to subtract coupons on my last big shopping trip. I think she hoped I would save them for next time but I was glad to wait while she collected my $10+ from customer service.
4. Tonight will be movie night at home with friends. The only cost is snacks.
5. Put my fake pumpkins in the shed, took down the yard sale fall wreath, and got out the already owned Christmas wreath, tree and decorations. No money spent and as much decorating done as I want to do.
I love no-spend (or almost) socializing! Going for walks or local park hikes is one of my favorites.
This week I:
1) shopped the distressed vegetable shelf in my local corner market and then made a pot of delicious broccoli potato soup with a few spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s green Thai curry sauce for zing
2) Followed the NYTimes recipe for challah bread instead of buying the 6.99 loaf at corner market that my son was craving. It was a nice Sunday project and the two loaves turned out beautifully! Might have been $1.50 per loaf with ingredients?
3) Stocked up on fun reading books at the library by browsing new fiction and “lucky day” shelves
4)Did Yoga with Adrienne at home. Have not set foot in my local Y or at a yoga class since pre-pandemic. I liked the social aspect of in person, but prefer the saving and flexibility of free exercise with videos and outdoor walks
5) This one is hard, but trying to switch my preferred hot drink from coffee to tea, which is cheaper and delicious in its own right. Plus herbal teas can even be grown loose leaf (mint) and I heard that you can grow black tea plants in the PNW
6) Still using my nice flannel “tinkle towels” instead of TP and trying to practice the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow “ maxim.
Regarding your #5, it can be done. I gave up coffee earlier this year moving over to loose leaf herbal teas, many of which have been foraged (mullein and stinging nettle), grown (oregano and mint) or bought in the bulk herbs section (I mix lavender with camomile). Good luck to you, I completely understand.
1. We took down a trampoline that our kids have outgrown. As we bought it used 9 years ago, it was definitely end of life. We gave the metal pieces to a friend who collects metal for recycling, the ladder went to a neighbor, and the mat and netting were picked up by someone from Facebook Marketplace for repurposing.
2. 500 feet of horse fencing and metal gates also needed to come down. Another friend offered to remove it for us if he can have the materials. Sold!
3. I’m trying really hard to eat down our pantry and freezers.
4. I’ve decided to be a football fan this year and it has been so fun to watch or record a bunch of the games. Free entertainment!
5. Didn’t buy a small head of iceberg lettuce for $3.98 – what is with that price!
Great job on recycling the trampoline pieces. I’m not sure if I would have thought about putting the mat and netting on FB.
A big plug here for recycling trampoline parts! We actually have had to buy a net and mat for our trampoline 2x and always look for local used first. There aren’t a lot of options available and I think they would be very popular.
Think I have read of people using the netting for berry and fruit trees to keep birds and animals out.
1. Substituting in recipes—one of my favorite soups calls for onion and baby spinach. At this stage of my CSA share, the soup is just as good with a leek and kale, as long as I put the kale stems in earlier than the greens.
2. I don’t buy souvenirs but do enjoy mementos of places I’ve lived. I have a Co-op tin for cayenne that I purchased in 1977 in Oakland, CA. The price tag says 53 cents. I’ve refilled it a few times but emptied it on Saturday. I priced buying an ounce (a year’s worth—about 6 bucks) and decided to ask for some on Buy Nothing. Ten minutes later my favorite neighbor knocked on the front door, handed me her cayenne, and said “Take half.”
3. We adopted the last foster (our 32nd!) We signed up for an online dog training course. He’s training in a familiar environment, and we don’t have to drive anywhere.
4. The Mister has trouble with deadlines—so much trouble that I usually ask for a home improvement with a deadline when he asks what I want. As part of practicing gratitude, I try to thank him for one of these historic gifts a couple times a week—the coat hooks near the front door, the fabulous kitchen lighting in my sewing room, the shelves in the basement for canning jars. Yesterday he said he’d seen a sign for a BOGO at the hardware store—would getting the kitchen knives sharpened be a good birthday/Xmas present? Absolutely!
5. Some years for Xmas gifts we have each allowed the other to pick one of our garments they hated and get rid of it. I was surprised to hear he hated my raggedy jeans, but I let them go.
Love your number 5.
Your resales are impressive Katy!
1. I’m making a pot of soup using Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup. Cost $2 for the bag plus the small amounts of garlic, chili powder and 1 can of diced tomatoes to be added at the completion of cooking. This will be supper with the free sandwiches my boss sends me home with on the 3 days a week I work.
2. I won a linen dishtowel/calendar wall hanging in a free raffle I entered on Plaid Friday (Black Friday for small, independent businesses).
3. I took two tags off a Giving Tree at my church, one of which my neighbor wanted. I was telling DD about my neighbor’s kind offer to take a tag. DD then offered to contribute to the tag I took…for a little ten year old boy from an inner city school whom the school staff deemed is in need…offsetting the price of the gifts for him. My two big hearted elves!
4. DH found a dime in the road.
5. Yesterday DH and I went for a walk with clippers and a paper bag in hand. We walked to a local swamp where we clipped red berries to use with the greens from DD’s yard for Christmas decor.
My friend gave me her stash of locally made tempeh when she found out how much I love it and she does not.
Wanted to get back into needlepoint and borrowed some hoops from a friend. After completing my first project I bought my own 6” hoop for my next project.
.25 bunches of organic radishes at Sprouts. Radishes were on my grocery list.
Set up my drying racks over the vents.
All my library holds are coming in at once. I’ve turned off Grantchester now that Sidney has left and settling into some not so light Rebecca Solnit essays.
It seems there is a little-known basic rule of life: all library books on reserve will come in at once! Happens all the time.
I agree!
Katy, you have such a good eye with resale. I really admire it.
1. Watching the world cup for entertainment.
2. Working at getting organized. My office is a mess and I am shredding paper. I had hoped my neighbor could bring to the cat shelter she volunteers at but unfortunately, they don’t use it there.
3. Found free street parking instead of having to pay to park.
4. Didn’t use my car on Saturday.
5. The usual-coffee from home, buying store brands, keeping my heat at 65 degrees and hanging some laundry.
The Staples near me accepts shredded paper for recycling.
Thanks, Bee. I will check that out.
FFT, Great Minds Running in the Same Directions Edition:
(1) Along with Katy, I just did some free socializing. In my case, I took a long walk in a local park with a friend who is, I hope, on the mend after a really rough last 3 years. (Her late husband was a “classmate” of DH’s in the cognitive care programs DH used to attend.) I’ve just discovered that she already has a membership in the small nearby gym I’m thinking of joining, so perhaps we can meet up for winter workouts. We were very lucky in our sunny, mild weather today.
(2) Along with K D, I stopped at a Little Free Library on my way to the park. I dropped off two books and picked up two.
(3) Along with Ruby, I made a beef barley soup this weekend, with a stock made from the remains of a pot roast plus some beef bones I’d put in the freezer earlier.
(4) Along with Danielle, I’m working on eating down the pantry and freezers (I got out some chicken drumsticks for a sheet-pan dinner tonight), and am avoiding buying groceries that seem ridiculously overpriced.
(5) And along with Christine, I won a prize in a raffle (not free, but very reasonably priced); this is part of our local Peace Council’s annual crafts fair. My prize was an unusual brass llama, which I’ve added to the small herd of llamas on my living room mantel.
I’m English but currently on self-catering holiday here in Florida. Yikes. I went to Publix, bought a trolley’s worth of food. None of it was spectacular – nothing organic, eg for meat, just some chicken pieces and some ground beef.
$345.
I nearly fell over at the checkout when the cashier announced the total. Same items, from the most upmarket chain (Waitrose) in England would be about £180. Allowing for a 30% increase for currency conversion, that’s about $235. The produce quality was nowhere near as good. The prices in the UK are rocketing but if Publix is anything to go by, Americans are being absolutely robbed. So grateful that I don’t have to live with those grocery costs permanently. I truly feel your pain now.
Wow, that is crazy!
Publix is very nice but very expensive. The clearance rack is about the only spot in it I can afford to shop.
There’s not any fantastically good produce right now in the US, I think. The weather was not good for the growing season for much.
I found food prices in England were very reasonable even when the exchange rate was taken into consideration, I would imagine US prices would be shocking.
As a Florida Native, I always shopped at Publix just as my mother did before me. The company’s first store opened in Lakeland, Florida in the 1920’s. The store’s cleanliness, it’s customer service and food quality were legendary. Their BOGO deals were irresistible. But best of all, they were known for treating their employees well and giving generously to the local food pantries.
Although I always found the company’s price were competitive, a few years ago things definitely began to change. Publix prices have increased dramatically. I now shop there rarely even though I have 3 within 3 miles of my home. I do check out their weekly specials and use a price book.
Publix also uses too much plastic and treat those of us who bring our own bags or ask for paper with disdain. However, I must say there are few things that are enjoyed more by my kids than a Sub from the Publix Deli.
1. I rescued a huge amount of free baked goods from a Craigslist posting. I held back a few items I knew my husband liked. The rest of the items went to a local homeless shelter that feeds 500 people per day.
2. Made a pot of veg beef soup from odds & ends in the freezer & pantry.
3. I had a large bottle of flavored coffee creamer that I don’t like. I made a pumpkin pie & used the creamer to sub for the evaporated milk. No sugar needed as creamer was sweet. My pie turned out delish!
4. Found a cheap airline ticket to travel to Florida next month.
5. I did purchase a pair of black dress shoes on Cyber Monday. My old pair were 15 yrs old & the heel cap had come off. I did shop around to find the lowest price & free shipping. The new shoes are comfy & stylish. I’m ready for events for the next 15 yrs!
1. I took a substitute teaching job for today, even though I’d rather stay home. Since I mostly drive my husband in (and pick him up after), working both makes me money and saves gas.
2. I wanted some more colored Christmas balls for decorating. I hit up the historical society’s rummage sale, and got the balls, tins for delivering cookies and some red ribbon for making a wreath. And that’s it.
3. A while ago I bought a ton of emmer farro because I thought it would be good for lunches. It wasn’t a hit. I’m making some for dinner tonight, with gravy on top. Anything will be welcome with gravy on top, and I’ll eventually use it up, to prevent waste.
4. Working on the second sock in the pair. It will be knitted in time to go into a stocking this Christmas. I’m using up free wool.
5. Checking in here for inspiration. I really, really am ready to retire — but my husband’s pension is not ready to support us. I’d like to be able to take a couple of years off teaching before his pension kicks in, which requires a different source of financial support. (I’m hoping to spend a year or two teaching English in Europe, but that will pay less than full-time teaching, so we need padding.)
Are there any sabbatical arrangements you could make? Time would have to be paid back with time, but it would give you a break.
If you are in Indiana, check out the grants from the Lilly Corporation for teachers. Again, it would give you a break.
1) Went to get our Christmas tree this year (we go to the mountains to a tree farm and cut a fresh tree). While there, he threw in two green wreaths free as he has too many and they are not selling well. I will put those on my Buy Nothing group.
2) While getting our tree, I always visit a thrift store at the local orphanage. I found some Christmas ribbon for my wreath and a book of games for small children.
3) Used what we had on hand to make a dish for a potluck dinner. Sweet potatoes and cranberries cooked in the crock pot for an easy dish and we certainly ate more than that cost us.
4) Today I am cleaning out my fridge to keep from having any food waste. I made two cheese balls to get rid of the leftover pineapple. Will give these for Christmas gifts. I cooked a chicken breast we had thawed but did not cook. Will use it for a chicken pot pie tonight, adding peas, carrots, and a mushroom soup base. Will eat the rest of the fresh broccoli I found while cutting up carrots.
5) Went to purchase an ornament for a friend’s Christmas gift and the store was closed today. Made me look around my home for a suitable gift as I need to get it in the mail. I found a Christmas dish towel and an ornament that I bought last year but never gifted. In the meantime, I found a couple of other items to use as gifts for other friends. I also finished knitting an ornament to give away tomorrow. I used yarn and beads left over from another project. I am using some old Christmas cards to put money gifts in instead of purchasing something. It is eye opening all the possibilities of using what I have instead of buying something new. I think knowing I would be out shopping in the pouring down rain helps.
Patti I too have been deep diving to find gifts for the holidays. I don’t send many however using up what I have
Love the globe! 1. I walked in my neighborhood, 2. Kept heat off ( high in 70’s) 3. Took sandwich to work 4. Ate at home otherwise, and used up spinach in a homemade spinach dip. 5. I took a nap this weekend, always my fave. Also gas prices vary across the state from $2.76 in northern part where oldest lives, to $2.76 to $2.83 in central part, to $3.29 in Southern part of state in rural areas.
Thank you for letting us know about Everything Everywhere, All at Once. I really want to see that movie and I have a three day weekend coming up. I’ll spend it enjoying that movie with a free Showtime trial, which I will cancel Sunday night.
Let us know if you like it.
I wish we had resale stores here for things other than clothing, I love how you salvage things and make a buck quickly.
1. Made a menu! I’m determined to cut my grocery trips to once a week and the first step is planning a menu.
2. I worked a professional hockey game. Ate free dinner, made money to go towards my kids college and I came home with a huge meatball sub and 2 personal pizzas.
3. Bought tape for cheap at $5 Below and am using wrapping paper from years past. No money spent on gift wrap this year. We also reuse bags as much as possible.
4. Dh is getting a coffee grinder for his birthday. This way I can buy the cheaper whole coffee beans from Costco – whatever is on sale. Inexpensive gift that will save us money in the long run.
5. Borrowed books from the library. Ordered a gift on Etsy (t-shirt) that was messed up when I received it. They are sending me a new one for free. I can keep the old one and I don’t care if it is messed up. Canned cranberry sauce from clearance cranberries – enough to last the year.
Sometimes it’s quickly, but mostly not. The bell took over a year to sell.
1. Didn’t sign up for a $60 wreath making workshop fundraiser because my girlfriend wasn’t going to go. At the last minute she texted to ask if I was going – and I figured I didn’t want to. Miscommunication for the win?
2. Went to said friend’s house the next day to return her citrus press (borrowed 3 weeks ago – !! – our lives have become far too complicated) and give her a couple of dozen eggs – frugal for her and clears out space in my fridge, the chickens are producing and my usual egg clients are away. She had made muffins and made me a cup of coffee, we had a lovely visit and walked our dogs, no $ spent and very precious friend time was had by us both – far better than we would have had at the wreath event.
3. I found a recipe to use up some aging rice and salmon from the fridge, plus the last of the broccoli from the garden. Ate some for supper and packed the rest into two lunches for #2 son and me. It wasn’t awesome and it wasn’t wasted.
4. I roasted a chicken along with two sheets of veggies (beets, carrots, celery, potatoes, radishes). That was meal #1. Meal #2 was enchiladas stuffed with chicken, with my roasted tomato sauce from the almost-last of my slowly ripening final tomatoes, some aging sale ricotta, aging yogurt, home called tomatillo salsa and roasted tomatillo saucer. froze a second casserole as well as three smaller recycled aluminum trays, stuffed and froze some crepes with more chicken and gravy. Future Teri will be very happy.
5. Made Pho with broth from the chicken carcass, it is in the fridge for a meal with #2 son tomorrow.
6. Bought oranges for $0.33 /pound – 5 pound maximum. That is a tenth of what we usually get them for ON SALE. will try to go back for more tomorrow, and put oranges on rotation.
7. Bought only celery and a handful of beansprouts (for the pho) and two mandarins rather than my usual over-purchase at the discount veggie store. didn’t buy fresh herbs for the pho and will make do with some frozen mint from my garden, sad cilantro from the crisper, and a jalapeno that I have saved from the garden
Take the win.
Socializing with friends at home is a great frugal activity.
I needed a new blow dryer. Although I have found these secondhand, I WANTED a very specific one. The one I wanted was on sale at Costco the last few days of November. Unfortunately, Costco is quite a haul from home, so I did a quick search on my phone. I found that a nearby Target also had them on sale too. Although they were slightly more, Target is much closer to home saving gas and precious time. However, when I went to purchase it, the blow dryer rang up at regular price. I simply told the cashier that I thought this blow dryer was much less expensive online. It was. I did not realize that it was a cyber week special, but they honored this price in the store — a savings of $25. It never hurts to ask. I also had a $15 gift card from a previous Target promotion. All in all, it was cheaper to stay close to home and out of Costco!!!
2. I sold two lovely scarves on eBay this week. I shipped them in recycled Amazon envelopes saved for me by a friend. Like Katy, I am very careful about the items that I buy for resale. Since eBay calculates its fees on the selling price plus shipping, I try to buy things that aren’t too heavy and fit in a standard box – not larger than 12” X 12” X 12”. BTW, that Sterling bell was a great find!!
3. The Goodwill near me has closed for renovation which is expected to take over a year. 🙁 I tried the St Vincent DePaul Thrift Store. I found a beautiful antique Nantucket Basket signed and dated for $4. I don’t think I will sell this treasure. I also found two vintage ornaments for my tree, but not much else. A frugal splurge!
4. Enjoyed going through NPRs list of the best books of the year. https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2022 I put several that I was interested in reading on hold at the library. The wait is rather long on many of them, but I always seem to have something to read. I am currently reading, The Last to Vanish. It is not my favorite thing that I have read, but I want to know how it ends.
5. I had my appointment with the nutritionist this week. This is covered by health insurer without charge. It has been very helpful, but not in the way I thought. I have really been exploring our company benefits over the last few months. There are lots of things that we were not taking advantage of. We can get a health insurance rebate for exercising — up to $1000 a year. Who knew!!!!
I have been doing all the usual frugal things and trying to get through my holiday to-do list.
Wishing everyone peace and love this holiday season!
Wonderful find on the Nantucket Basket! I live in Massachusetts and have yet to see one in a thrift shop, consignment store or yard sale.
What Christine said about the basket. I’ve found a few “name brand” baskets (Longaberger, Peterboro, Basketville) and a few locally made Amish baskets secondhand, but never a Nantucket.
I’ve looked up Nantucket basket on Ebay. How do you tell it’s a Nantucket basket?
They are faked often now — Made in China. Generally speaking, they have a wooden bottom, a very tight weave, round or oblong, and have a moveable handle held in place by whale bone pegs. Most, especially the older ones, are signed and dated. The Nantucket basket purse has a top with some sort of decoration. You can check to see if the pegs are bone or plastic by heating up a needle. If the hot needle slides into the peg, it is plastic. I hope this helps.
https://www.pbs.org/video/antiques-roadshow-appraisal-nantucket-baskets/
This is actually a good overview!!!
Bee, thanks for the Antiques Roadshow link. I always enjoy it when a Keno brother gets so excited his hands shake.
Thanks Bee!!
1) Cooked a whole bunch of marked-down chicken thighs. I ate a couple and then put them in tupperwares for lunches this week. Marked down meat is always such a win!
2) I’m working from home today, which is not often something I can do, I’m a diabetes educator, so that’s the kind of work that usually needs to happen in person. Enjoying a cozy house and a cat on my lap!
3) Used my Kroger fuel points to fill my gas tank for $2.69/gallon. I was shocked to pay this little for fuel.
4) Walked in my neighborhood and said hi to a bunch of dogs who were out on walks. 🙂
5) Gave my college kids a bunch of groceries (that I had purchased on sale) to take back to their kitchens. It’s such a mom move, but I almost always send them back with some food or toiletry items.
5)
Love your #4! I thought I was the only one to say hi to dogs (and cats).
I have an elderly friend whose main social outlet is sitting on her porch with dog treats as children are walked to school by parents and dogs. They all stop for a treat and a pet.
Something I loved about the job I just retired from was that my office looked out on the main street through campus and I would see everyone from the surrounding neighborhoods walking their dogs. My standard greeting when I was outside was, “Oh, what a pretty pupper!” Since it’s sometimes especially hard to see if the dog is male or female.
Most dogs aren’t fussy about their personal pronouns.
1. I used the Flashfood app and shopped sales for groceries this week – saving over $80.
2. I talked to my partner about setting a goal to cook through the freezer and pantry over the next few months – he is on board.
3. I’m visiting my parents and a friend for my birthday in a few weeks – they live in my hometown, about 85 miles from where I live now. I researched the cost of taking the Amtrak vs. driving my car and decided to take the train. I’m really excited – using train transport isn’t the go-to for most people in this area. And I don’t think about it often bc usually I’m bringing our dogs with me and Amtrak only allows small doggos. They’re not coming this time, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try out train transport between these cities.
4. I “walked” away from multiple impulse purchases online over the past few days. I’m sick, which is when I tend to aimlessly scroll and buy.
5. I had a work trip to Miami last week with multiple, high profile events. I managed to shop my closet for all but one event, and for that one, I found a great dress on an online thrift store. On the same site, I also found the perfect dress for my job’s über fancy gala that will take place in June next year (I’m a fundraiser for a nonprofit). It is a black-tie gown…with pockets, for $50. I’m very excited.
1. had a roof repair on my garage done and gifted the roofer some honey, and various nuts from my trees. The owner called and refused to charge me because the repair was so small and because of the goodies I sent back with the worker. He only asked that I think of them if I need anything else done and to share their name. Of course I will!
2. Made a loaf of cream cheese cranberry tea loaf using the leftover cranberry salad. I drained it first and the juice is frozen to be mixed with mustard and brown sugar for a ham glaze. The tea loaf is awesome!
3. Drying laundry around the wood stove. Crunchy towels for the win LOL
4. Found a little over 22 # of ground beef marked down and it was needed.
5. Spent about 2 hours grinding 80# pork loin into pork burger and then made 40# of it into breakfast sausage. It was 1.00 per pound and we have an electric grinder. Well worth it!
I’m always extra nice and considerate to workers, (not to try and get something for free) but to try and balance out the grumpy rude people who they’re otherwise interacting with.
That’s exactly why I’m extra nice to sales people and servers.
1. We are moving from our outrageously priced downtown apartment (we are here because it’s where our son lives and we needed convenience to take care of our grandson after his wife died) into our own home next week. And though I feel like we are hemorrhaging money with this move, it is actually frugal as we will own our house instead of paying rent. (purchased outright from the sale of our former home so no mortgage)
2. Joined the local botanic garden in May and have been trying to visit weekly or every other week. Also bought some handmade, local stocking stuffers there.
3. Have been eating down the pantry – less to move – even though we have a fantastic pizza place next door. My husband is so much better at this than me so he is a good influence. ( He has talked me out of pizza just about every weekend for the last few)
4. My husband’s birthday was last week and I wanted to purchase Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche tickets for him. Unfortunately, they were priced at Stanley Cup Champion prices. So I gave him my next best – he didn’t have to change any diapers for the whole day. He liked it.
5. Still enjoying our library (current book: Cassoulet Confessions), travel youtube videos (A t K, Steve Marsh, earlyretirementwanderlust, Kinging-it, Nicki Positano) for some great armchair travel.
After finishing a gallon of olive oil, I almost washed it out, but decided rather to tip it over into a jelly jar. Got 2 extra tablespoons. Probably enough for a salad.
Bought a greeting card at my closest thrift store. Can’t beat their price and I love that someone took the time to donate instead of trashing and that the store took the time to organize them according to occasion.
We had a puker the day before traveling. Didn’t want to be held hostage in the car with a sickie for 16 hours. Canceled our trip. Hotels said they would not charge. Using the gift cards we had saved up for traveling food to treat the kids so they’re still having a fun time despite the canceled plans.
My kids have been destroying shower curtain liners. I don’t get it. Not sure what’s happening in there, but this time I just fixed it with duck tape and a puncture with a pencil. Ugly it is.
Needing to cut my expenses from my egg lady. Hated to do that to her, but she’s gotten picked up by a lady that retails them. So egg lady has her needs met and we’re buying cheaper eggs.
Dogs don’t care, but sometimes owners can be offended. My friend who has a solid white standard poodle gets miffed every time someone calls the male dog a pretty girl. I told her he needs a camouflage collar or a black bow tie.