Five Frugal Things
by Katy on May 8, 2023 · 60 comments
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Spring has finally sprung in Portland, Oregon which means our rhododendron bushes and azaleas are in glorious full bloom. I live not too far from the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, which normally costs $5 for admission but is free on Mondays. Take a wild guess which day I prefer to visit.
So when my next door neighbor and I were planning a get together, it was the perfect Monday destination. It wasn’t raining (always a consideration in Portland!) plus we arrived nice and early, which granted us the opportunity for the very bestest park benches.
I used to take my kids there a lot when they were little as there were always ducks, geese and even the occasional nasty rat tailed beaver nutria! I even hosted my son’s second birthday party there with a “duckling” theme. Knowing me, it was 100% on a Monday!
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My husband and I replaced the footing part on an outdoor wooden lounge chair that had a single disintegrated piece. It was a simple 2″x4″, which made it an easy project. It’s not hugely a brag worthy repair job, as the skill level required was pretty low, but it’s still an accomplishment as it kept a functional item in circulation and out of the landfill.
I imagine that a lot of people would straight up toss a broken chair, but I feel that there’s an inherent responsibility to maintain and repair your belongings whenever possible. Not only is it a monetary issue, but it’s also an environmental act as overmanufacture of consumer goods is damaging our dear planet.
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I brought my mending basket into our living room, where it unceremoniously sat unloved and ignored for at least three weeks. I finally dumped it out as I was sick to death of its’ judgmental stare and spent an evening watching TV and darning nine individual socks.
The basket also contained my son’s dress shirt with not one but two shattered buttons. (How? Why?) I didn’t have any matching buttons, but my friend Lise is a seamstress and offered to bring over a jar of potential mates. I was able to locate two close matches and quickly sewed them into place. Lise received the password to our Peacock account as a thank you, and my judgmental mending basket is finally out of my eye line.
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• I read library copies of Growing Up Poor: A Literary Anthology and started reading $2 Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America.
• I dug up overgrown plants from my garden to fill spots in undergrown areas.
• I mailed a birthday card to my cousin’s aunt as they were trying to arrange for her to receive 85 cards for her 85th birthday. I didn’t have a birthday specific card, so I used a pretty thrifted Marimekko postcard that I already had on hand.
• I set two perfectly good empty plastic gas cans on the curb with “free” signs. We’d somehow accumulated three cans, (Again . . . How? Why?) which was wholly unnecessary as we don’t own any gas powered machines and I’ve never once run out of gas. They were nabbed by morning.
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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. Sold $13 of books online which also offers free shipping
2. Reheating 15 bean soup
3. Listed a few more items on line
4. Paid natural gas bill which is less than last months online
5. Got laundry done and will iron the 2 blouses I need for work this week
1. Picked a huuuuuge crop of limes from our tree (still another bowlful on the tree) and will make marmalade and pickle if I can find the time. Also have a full bowl of pomegranates in the fridge from our tree – largest crops we have ever had of limes, pomegranates and apricots this year.
2. Picked three last pumpkins and made a delicious Moroccan style pumpkin and chickpea soup
3. Received a refund of $122 from my health insurance company for being a loyal customer since COVID.
4. Made a big batch of veggie stock from peelings I have been saving in the freezer, and now have single cup batches of stock in the freezer for soups and curries.
5. The chickens are still laying like crazy, even as it is getting cold, so we have all the eggs we can eat (considering the price of eggs right now the hens are paying for themselves).
You are 100% in a different hemisphere than I am!
I was thinking the same thing!
Hi, Mand. It’s always good to hear from Down Under. And it’s a pity there’s no way to ship some of those limes from Australia to the US; I’d be glad to take some!
Wasn’t it Amy who brought pickled limes to school in Little Women? She had to throw them out the window two by two and went home to tell. Her mother withdrew her from that school and bully schoolmaster.
That book looks really interesting! 1. The eternal lawnmower saga: middle son finally completely took it apart with a friend and used u tube to get it back together and the thing is running… for now. 2. I made fresh greens and made a pot of beans from dried beans. 3. I walked in local parks. 4. I read two free books from the little free library at the local park. 5. I cut my hair myself, not well but I cut it. I will just tilt my head sideways for about a month… lol . The office assistant at work said no one would notice because I always have my glasses perched on top of my head anyways and my hair is always a mess…. I laughed because it is true!!!
Your office assistant is certainly a truth teller! I’m now picturing you tilting your head like an inquisitive dog.
That is the look I am going for, think of it as that meme with glasses on the dog… lol
Cindy, if you look at Facebook, look up Noodles.
She’s a cute (and salty) office dog. I think I’ll be
Her for Halloween.
Jane
That is where my glasses “live” when not in use. Whenever I get new frames, those that won’t stay on my head don’t make the cut.
1. Mended my bathrobe. Replenished a bed pillow that was becoming too flat.
2. Organized our little chest freezer and inventoried what was in it and the fridge freezer. This led to making a spaghetti supper with Italian sausage that needed to be used: it was frozen in November.
3. Made breakfast for supper to use up some reconstituted powdered milk in pancakes and scrambled eggs. The last of some applesauce made a nice side dish.
4. Dried two racks of laundry on the back porch.
5. Caught a sale on store-brand toilet paper at the drugstore that worked out to 40 cents per mega roll.
It’s been a busy and expensive week. I have been away from home. My dear daughter received her doctorate last Friday. II spent time visiting with her and gave her gave her a graduation party. We then travelled together to visit my son, a grad student at another university, before he goes to Alaska this summer.
1. It is an 8.5 drive from where I live to the University town where my daughter lives. I downloaded multiple books on my hoopla and Libby apps to listen to while on the road. My husband and I listened to “Who Killed Jane Stanford?”. This is an historical account of the murder of Jane Stanford and the intrigue surrounding the founding of Stanford University. My daughter and I listened to The Louise Penny mystery, Still Life, on the way to visit her brother. I love this free library service.
2. I packed healthy snacks and water for the trip. No convenience store capers!
3. My husband had to be home much earlier than I did, so he used some of his frequent flyer miles for his ticket home.
4. Although there was a wonderful coffee shop next to the hotel, I drank the free coffee, tea and water offered by the hotel. I ate the free breakfast and slept in the free room purchased with our loyalty points.
5. I have a library book with me to read before bed as well as a stack of shared magazines.
It had been a very special but expensive week.
Saving where I can, but we will be buckling down the rest of the summer.
Wishing everyone peace, good health and prosperity.
Congratulations to your dear daughter. Those PhD degrees are no joke!
Congratulations!!!
That was a Frugal Frolic! A major reason for frugality is( in my view) that we can we can afford to celebrate the joyous occasions in life! A life without joy and gratitude is a life half lived!
Thank you! She has worked very hard. I’m proud of what she has accomplished. Coral, I agree whole-heartedly.
Congratulations on your daughter’s graduation. Enjoy your time with your kids. It sounds like a wonderful trip.
Congratulations to your daughter! Such an accomplishment!
Congratulations, Bee, on both your daughter’s doctorate and your family’s frugal celebrations!
1. Paid my MasterCard bill by phone, saving the cost of a stamp.
2. Got a bubble envelope from Buy Nothing to mail a book to a friend.
3. Passed on several jars of peppers (pickled) that I had received as part of a huge dump from Buy Nothing
4. Took quarts of three different stews to friends who are having a very hard time with Parkinsons. Failing cognition bites.
5. My canisters are empty 9 pound mustard tins. Alas, their more than twenty-five year-old plastic lids are in bad shape. Some targeted trash-picking revealed that three-pound coffee can lids are a perfect fit. I found two and am having others saved via Buy Nothing.
6. Someone gave me some old books they couldn’t bear to throw away. I checked them out online. One goes for 200-400 dollars. I’m trying to get an acquaintance who sells on eBay to list it for me.
7. I have a very good recipe for began bouillon that calls for nutritional yeast. I bought a ten pound bag online and now have two quarts of the powder in jars.
8. Same old, same old–drinking water, eating at home, mending, walking.
@Mary in Maryland, would you be willing to share your recipe for the vegan bouillon? I would very much like to try it!
Vegan Bouillon Powder
2 cups nutritional yeast
¼ cup sea salt
2 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil)
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp thyme
Run it all in the food processor for a bit. One tablespoon to on cup hot water to make broth.
Thank you! I’ll try this today.
Sometimes I make it without the salt so I can use it to cook dried beans.
“I imagine that a lot of people would straight up toss a broken chair, but I feel that there’s an inherent responsibility to maintain and repair your belongings whenever possible. Not only is it a monetary issue, but it’s also an environmental act as over manufacture of consumer goods is damaging our dear planet.” I couldn’t agree more.
1. Our neighborhood held a yard sale on Saturday. We walked around and socialized. DH picked up 6 jigsaw puzzles for $2 total. On Sunday we found a nice glass bowl in a pile of freebies in an adjacent neighborhood.It looks great after a run through the dishwasher and is on the counter to hold fruit.
2. The grocery store ads have been meh lately so other than buying some produce and chicken we have been eating from the freezer and pantry.
3. I had some very ripe bananas on the counter so I made a double batch of GF muffins. Most went into the freezer for DH’s breakfasts.
4. We have been watching BBC programs using Kanopy, which the library provides access to for free.
5. I have been reading and listening to digital books courtesy of the library. I just finished Maame and Velva Jean Learns to Drive.
1. Two of the grandkids came over for supper and requested Swedish pancakes. They have always loved breakfast for supper and still do at 15 and almost 19. I have my great grandmother’s Plattar (Swedish pancake) cast iron pan and made up a big batch, enough to send a good amount home with the kids.
2. I’m reading a library book, mentioned on this page, Nella Last’s Peace, second in a series of three. This written as a diary by Nella and submitted to Mass Observation, an English organization dedicated to archiving the war and post war experiences of the English people during and after World War II. Interesting are the frugal ways that Nella held her home together, kept herself and her husband clothed and put nutritious meals on the table on a very tight household budget with rationing and shortages going on.
3. While at the library, I picked up two free packages of heirloom tomato seeds and Chinese Cabbage seeds they had put out in an old wooden card catalog filing cabinet. I’ll plant these in pots on my deck as we have hungry Mr. Woodchuck living in the banking and he doesn’t do stairs.
4. While at the grocery store today, I requested and received the $1.13 I was overcharged last time I was there. I had kept the receipt to show the mistake. Not much money but with the price of groceries I felt it was worth the few minutes and I didn’t make a special trip to do it.
5. Saturday night DH and I hiked a couple of hundred feet up the road and visited with our wonderful neighbors on their deck. We brought beer and they provided snacks. Good conversation and lots of laughs.
I love WWII books from the woman’s point of view and when I heard about Nella Last I went to Thrift Books to try and order them. I was able to get her war years but they didn’t have the others. I love the woman, she is brutally honest about relationships and marriage for a woman of her era.
I hope you can get a copy of Nella Last’s Peace. It picks up right after the war years. Shortages were still such a problem though, something I don’t think we experienced so much here in the US. At least I never remember my parents or grandmother talking about it. I agree…in many ways, Nella really was a woman ahead of her time. I think I will miss her when I’m finished with Peace.
Not anything especially frugal here.
1. Found a penny.
2. Made a stir fry and also made shrimp fajitas at home. Of course we ate the left overs.
3. Attended a free concert.
4. Visiting granddaughter took pictures for my Etsy shop so, with her help, I ended up listing more than usual. One item sold in three days.
5. Completed another thrift store jigsaw puzzle and will pass it on.
I have read the 2$ A Day book. It was written by 2 social workers doing field work. I found the book a bit depressing in that the situations the people found themselves in were sad. My family did not have much but my parents had an education & that surely helps.
1. My front tire was slowly losing air. Hubby took it to the place where I bought the tires & insurance for them. I got a new tire for the 18$ I paid for the road hazard warranty.
2. Found a new in-network dentist. Got a cleaning for no charge & full xrays for no out of pocket $. I still need 2 fillings. I hope no cost for that too.
3. I starting a looking for change challenge Jan. 1, 2023. I have found around 26$ so far.
4. I am driving to FL soon with 2 friends. I got one of the hotel nights with hotel loyalty points. One night we are staying at a casino hotel that my husband got comped for us. I did have to pay 20$ to make sure we got a room with 2 beds. One place has a free hot breakfast. Splitting the gas 3 ways will save too.
5. I trash picked more clothes. Some were wet from the recent rain. They are washed & dried & ready for donation. In the 2$ a Day book I don’t remember that any of the people profiled did any urban foraging. Perhaps they could have provided some items for their family doing this. Not judging just a thought.
Do you know how expensive gas cans are? I find it absurd but I guess it has to hold a dangerous fluid so maybe that explains it. Regardless I am not surprised yours were snapped up quickly.
1. I have 3 graduates to buy for. My dd, their fiancee (college) and my ds’s girlfriend (masters). I am not buying them stuff. I asked my ds and he said GC to Starbucks so that is what she got. My dd will have her local tax bill paid by me and the fiancee is getting cash. Finding out what they really need or want is the best way to give a gift.
2. I did not get the summer position I was going for so I need to buckle down and channel my frugal ways if I am to cover everything that I need to/want to over the summer. I already have peas growing in the garden and will plant more once the frost date is past.
3. Donated a huge trunk full of stuff to Good Will from my kids rooms. I still have a large box of trophies that I don’t know what to do with though, I really don’t want to throw them away, but we really don’t want them. Ideas everyone?
4. Dh has been gone a lot of evenings reffing lacrosse. I have been eating minimally with a focus on using produce up before it goes bad. He has been grabbing homemade meals from the freezer before he leaves (which is before I get home from work) When he is home for dinner I have been making large meals that generate a good bit of leftovers. This is keeping our food budget lower than normal.
5. Last week was our teacher appreciation week and we had free lunch twice. A candy bar, a donut and coffee bar, and received gifts. I got a cute little succulent that I potted where a succulent had died last fall. We also got giftcards to Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. Yum! I ate well last week lol
Jennifer– Trophies– Urgh!
My Dad was an elected government official, and he had several boxes of recognitions, mostly wooden with metal inscribed plaques. He tried to give them back to the local trophy-making store, but they said they could not or would not reuse them.
After Dad died, I did find a trophy-recycling website online for a charitable place in Madison, Wisconsin. They take trophies, not plaques, and charge a fee plus shipping, and I did not use their services. I appreciate the idea of what they do, though! http://www.awardsmall.com
I would try posting the old trophies on a buy nothing group, or local free or cheap sites on Facebook, maybe a neighborhood Facebook. I recently saw someone post asking for old trophies in my neighborhood in SWFL. I think she was doing a craft with her kids.
Years ago i had a boss who picked up trophies at yard sales. He repurposed them to give out humorous “awards” at an annual get-together . The “award” was accompanied by humorous stories as to why the recipient was being awarded the trophy. Very clever use of something that would otherwise be tossed.
My Mom was very anti-trophy or plaque. Whenever we’d leave for a competition (mostly science projects or public speaking) she say, “Win the savings bond or a colored ribbon–not the trophy, not a plaque.
Your mother sounds like a very practical woman!
Special Olympics used to ask for trophies and plaques. Also, schools sometimes reuse them. The just replace the name plaque.
Try posting them for free. My nephew is homeschooled and the group he is in is always doing races, art shows and other activities. They give out old trophies or medals that they get online. The kids love them.
1. I spent some time on the phone straightening out a problem with a EZPass transponder I purchased for trips to my daughter’s house. My transponder was mis-labeled at the factory and I was paying someone else’s tolls. I received a credit for the difference.
2. I’m eating cheap meals…oatmeal, homemade yogurt and jam, pasta with frozen homemade pesto etc. etc.
3. I took my mother on a nice drive to another town for a tulip festival. I drove my hybrid car and she treated me to a drink and we picked up a cheap take out meal instead of finding a sit down restaurant.
4. I’m doing my own yard work although my tractor is waiting on a new part so I’ve had to hire the lawn mowing out for the time being.
5. I picked up some very discounted canned cocktails and hard ciders at the grocery store to enjoy this summer. I’m reading many, many library books on my kindle, hanging my laundry to dry….
That’s terrible about the transponder. How did you find out? Did you receive a bill in the mail?
Bee, I did. I had only used it once on the way home from my trip but there was an auto refill on my credit card. I checked my EZ Pass account and it had trips on there that weren’t mine but not my own trip. There are two numbers on the transponder and the sticker on the inside was switched with the other one. The person helping me had never seen this problem before but apparently his co-workers had. My trips were on the other persons account and theirs were on mine.
1. Brought a box of books to a bookstore and received $32 in cash. (I could have received $50 in trade credit but opted for cash since I’m flush with books and won’t be near this bookstore in the future.)
2. Purchased three high-quality counter stools for $25 (for all three) from Craigslist for our temporary apartment that doesn’t have a dining table. If our future house doesn’t have a place for them, I plan to relist them for $50 or more.
3. Experienced a thrill when I went to the thrift store and found EVERYTHING on my list. Extra thrilling since they were all “they probably won’t have this” items.
4. Used $14 in Target Circle Earnings toward a new vacuum. And chose free delivery rather than picking it up ourselves.
5. Continue to use the quick wash cycle for all of our laundry. Haven’t noticed any difference from a longer washing time. Not only does this save energy, but it makes laundry seem less arduous.
I checked out $2 a Day a few years ago. It was an interesting read about poverty in the US. I often think that our country has great propaganda that we are the best country in the world, but when push comes to shove we have a lot of social and economic problems without a great commitment to working on them such as homelessness, drug addiction, poverty, and abuse of vulnerable populations. I try to always start at home regarding my households circumstances to make sure I am in a good place where I can help others as I can and dont become part of a vulnerable population.
1. I decided to get a second job doing DoorDash part time. I was able to earn $500 dollars last week. This will help with some unexpected expenses we had lately. I’m very thankful that I have the ability to do this as debt it something I always want to avoid.
2. I decided to deep dive into Colleen Hoover this weekend and listened to her entire audio book of It Ends With US while dashing. I borrowed the CD book from my library for free. I went into the book blind and didn’t realize that the book was intentionally written by Hoover regarding domestic violence. It was hard to listen to in parts and halfway through I was pretty committed to finishing it. I’ll be working on the sequel It Starts With US soon.
Someone suggested the book Recipes from the Dump by Abigail Stone on your blog recently. I borrowed it through interlibrary loan from my library. I read it and got quite a few laughs at the humor in it. Thank you to whomever suggested it.
3. I have been shopping at Aldi’s and rounding out meals at home with just a few ingredients for the last few weeks. I have been keeping meals simple as well with more simple and less expensive ingredients. We have only eaten out once in over two weeks, I kept that low cost and intentional. My son also was able to get free kids meal at a burger place this weekend, which was a nice treat.
4. The water bill came in $10 less than last month. I have been intentionally trimming down on my water usage and am so happy to see the results.
5. I didn’t buy a leer jet.
Yes, The United States had really good P.R. back in the day.
It was me who mentioned Recipes from the Dump, one of my favorites. I’m glad you found it humorous, too!
1. Our neighborhood school third grade celebrates May Day by delivering baskets to near-by residences. In addition to cute (and original) baskets they included a seed packet for flowers which was much appreciated.
2.Inventoried my overflowing refrigerator freezer and found a few forgotten items.
3. Made a spinach lasagna with a white sauce from scratch for dinner tonight from ingredients on hand.
4. Visited discount grocery store and scored a large bag of Caesar salad mix complete with dressing and croutons for $1.
5. Mailed political contribution refund form – $100 back in our bank account.
1. I enjoyed a salad for lunch for free one day due to too many being ordered for a department luncheon meeting.
2. I craved a certain snack one evening, but I didn’t feel like running to the store to get it. Instead, I found something we already had at home to satisfy my hunger, saving gas, time and $.
3. My husband signed up for Schwan’s (a food delivery service where you can purchase frozen items). While their food isn’t bad, it’s pricey. I talked him into cancelling the service as we can get those items much cheaper at the store.
4. I made cheeseburger soup last weekend and it made a lot. We had it for dinner as well as a few lunches. I also took some to a widowed neighbor who appreciated it. I also saved some wrinkly apples and the last of a bag of walnuts and incorporated them into an apple crisp, thus saving food from being wasted., I shared this with the neighbor also.
5. We have a membership at Sam’s club and we earn 2% cashback in rewards for everything we purchase there. Theis last trip we redeemed those rewards towards our purchase.
Many high schools look for old trophies they just change out the plaque. I would try there!
1. We finished the latest season of Great British Bakeoff, so we will be dropping Netflix until we want to watch something on there again.
2. Participated in the neighborhood garage sale this weekend. I made a little less than $100 for 3-4 hours work, but got rid of a lot of things, especially things that wouldn’t necessarily have been utilized by a thrift shop. One guy came by at the end, and we ended up selling things that we hadn’t thought to put out. Win-win!
3. Bought my daughter’s birthday present from the independent book store near the college she will be attending. They will ship it to us by her birthday! That’s the only *thing* we are planning to give her. We are hosting a birthday party for her friends, but we will be making most of the food ourselves.
4. Doing a lot of ordinary stuff: walking for exercise, cooking at home.
5. The drain in our bath tub corroded out. We got a quote to fix it, $900! We are waiting for another quote, and I have a friend with a handyman we will be talking to. Worst come to worst, my husband will cut through the drywall in our bathroom and try it himself. The worst that can happen is, he loses his time, and we still have to pay someone $900 to fix it. Thankfully, we have a raised foundation, not a slab, so it’s not damaging the foundation if it leaks.
Hi Roberta, On the Roku channel they now have the Great American Baking Show with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. We watched the first episode, it’s not exactly the same as the British version, but we really enjoyed it.
That’s really good to know, since Roku also has Countryfile, our other favorite, happy program. Which is not offered for 2023 on BritBox. So maybe we’ll be dropping both in favor of Roku!
I have been so busy I can’t remember the last time I post 5 frugal things. But I know I have done them LOL
1. Have been getting so many eggs from my hens, boiling and beet pickling some, boiling some and adding them to salad and just eating boiled eggs as a pick up and go snack.
2. Made 6 dozen into noodles, dried them all over tables set up in a closed off guest room.
3. Planted up landscaping pots and gardens with free to me seedlings. DD dumpster dives them from the greenhouse where she works.
4. Crockpot cooked chicken leg quarters and made a pot of chicken and noodles to share with family, DD working long hours at the greenhouse and Lord knows I have the noodles LOL.
5. Needed very little from the grocery store but have been jonesying for breadsticks and salad like Olive Garden, Aldi’s had cheesy breadsticks marked down and I have the Aldi’s brand Of OG salad dressing so with the addition of some marked down romaine lettuce salad, my wish was fulfilled. It was awesome!
1. Not something that would have occurred to me but when the guy came to install our new dishwasher he needed to replace a hose and asked me how long it had been since we bought the now dead dishwasher. When I said 12 years, he said, “WOW! On average they last only 6 to 8 years, so you really got your money’s worth out of this one.” Tha made me feel marginally better on two counts: we really did have to replace it, and, second, the every Friday wipe-down of the door gasket and weekly emptying and washing of the filter must have been worth it.
2. Spent $72 on groceries, all paid for by two curbside pickup shops.
3. Did two restaurant shops that were also drive through and each one had enough food that it provided a dinner meal for me and the husband, so two free dinners this week. My goal is to spend only $50 on food all month, which will be milk since the husband drinks that nearly every day.
4. I ripped the bottom of a dress nearly off when I caught it on a nail, on the way to a funeral yet. It was mid calf length. Now it is a shirt, which I will probably wear more often than I did the dress. Although lately I have attended four funerals in a month so perhaps I will need another subdued dress. Most of my clothing is various shades of yellow or orange, my favorite colors, and even I am not so feral that I want to arrive at a funeral looking like the sun.
5. Arm wrestled the insurance company into paying for the ambulance ride I took months ago when I managed to fall out of my wheelchair. They had the nerve to tell me that my husband (who is 74!) should have been able to get me into the car to take me to the ER.
A hats-off salute to both your old dishwasher for lasting so long, and the husband for keeping it lasting so long. And good job on arm-wrestling the insurance company. I already know that this is one of your superpowers, but the company’s claim that the husband should have been able to transport you was outrageous.
For cards, it’s extremely rare for me to buy a themed/event specific card. Instead, I buy large packs of colorful cards (I think the most recent package was $5 or so at Michael’s craft store, and came with 25 cards in five colors + matching envelopes). I write out our messages on our cards & go from there. It’s particularly useful, as my teens are in the habit of writing messages on cards (Mother’s Day, for my mom, as a recent example) & my parents far prefer the funny things they come up with. I estimate that this has saved us hundreds over the past ten or so years. I do typically buy graduation & wedding cards. Why those occasions? They are rare for us, and just feel right. I recently bought two graduation cards, & was shocked by the cost. I’ll be buying the larger packages next year, when I have a son who will be graduation, and we are likely to attend a lot of grad events.
1) Found a substitute for my expensive iced tea habit. I bought a package of drop in tea sachets (designed for cold water) & love them. They last for several water bottle usages, and one package is 1/2 the price of one iced tea from Starbucks.
2) I ran out of time to make the last of our meal delivery dinners. However, I repurposed all of the ingredients, & froze the meat.
3) In kitchen wins: used all of the naan bread that had been lingering, kids ate all of the berries before they went bad, used BN freebie oatmeal packets to make protein bars. And, used the last of a bag of Trader Joes Easter treats in said protein bars.
4) Helped teens with job paperwork (tax & banking forms), which is frugal in the long run (summer employment)
5) As usual, meal planned, shopped from a list, gave away stuff on BN (lack of clutter is freeing), organized our pantry, charged our electric car for free at work, ate free lunch/breakfast/snacks at our office 3x (my non WFH days).
I pick up boxes of greeting cards when thrifting, but I somehow used them up.
1. A friend is playing in a concert this weekend and offered me a free ticket. Yes, thanks.
2. I found roses for my garden for $19.99 compared to $39.99 elsewhere.
3. I needed a wading pool for my dog and found one for $12.99 compared to $28.99 elsewhere.
4. A friend gave me an extra medication that she had that my million $ baby uses. Saved me $82.
5. I returned 2 shirts and got a refund.
All in all it has been a pretty good financial week.
That does sound like an all around excellent frugal week!
The pop-ups have gotten so much worse and run longer, can’t be x’d out of. This has rendered reading the page almost impossible as it leaves about an inch of reading room even on a laptop.
I know you mentioned doing something about the pop-ups, and it seems as if it might be time.
Has anyone else noticed that they are getting worse lately? I don’t mind ads if they are needed and support the page, but these are intrusive and difficult/impossible to deal with. My settings allow me to opt out of as many pop-ups and ads as possible, so I have done all that I can do from this end.