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I finished refurbishing my adult daughter’s old bedroom, which’ll continue as her personal space in the house. We already have a designated “spare bedroom,” so both kids get to keep their childhood rooms to chill out in when they’re here. We let our daughter take all her childhood furniture to her apartment, so I had to start from scratch.
My plan was to not spend any money and with the exception of a $2 thrifted frame, I met that goal.
• I curb picked the IKEA dresser.
• I scored the cozy rug for free by driving around a wealthy area after they’d completed their neighborhood garage sale day. It had a couple stains, but I used some spray-on Folex rug cleaner to remove them.
• I was gifted a tall bookshelf from my Buy Nothing group.
• The antique twin bed had been in our spare bedroom, but we no longer needed it there after friends handed a hide-a-bed couch down to us.
• The full length mirror is from a free pile.
• I found some organizing cube parts in a free pile.
• The vintage end table came with the hand-me-down couch.
• The vintage armchair is also from Buy Nothing, although it needs a few repairs to be functional.This room was a messy disaster after my daughter moved out and I’m really happy to have it be a usable space again.
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I took the cardboard base from my four-pack of Costco cat litter and covered it with white Contact paper I already had on hand. I then cut a piece of foam to size, which I tucked it into a pillow case. The foam was leftover from when I cut a knobby mattress topper down to twin size, which made this a zero dollar project!
Voilá — free cat bed!
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I spent a couple hours cleaning and reorganizing the fridge in preparation for Thanksgiving. I only tossed a couple things, one of which is too funny not to share — a jar of Heinz relish, which expired back in 2016! I got it for free from my step mother, whose real estate agent gave her a three-pack of condiments branded with cutesy stickers reading:
“I ‘relish’ your referrals!”
“Just popping by to ‘ketchup’ ”
“From your real estate agent who really cuts the ‘mustard.’ “Ick.
I’m never one to turn down free food, but apparently we don’t eat that much relish.
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• I foraged two New Seasons grocery coupons in a parking lot that were good for a “free 12-ounce bag of Portland Roasting Coffee with $5 purchase.” I used one, gave one to my friend Lise and handed the bottom half of the coupon to woman in line behind me, which gave her $5 off her $35+ purchase.
• I also found a carabiner on the ground in that parking lot. They’re handy to have, so I tucked it away for future use.
• It turns out that the turkey in our deep freeze is smaller than I remember, so I’ll buy a turkey breast to supplement the meal instead of purchasing an entirely new turkey. -
I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
Five Frugal Things
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1. Completed another survey=$25 Amazon gift card
2. Sold two items=$22
3. Local Starbucks has 3 families they’re collecting items for Christmas. I’m gathering up some things to donate
4. Work is providing 4 side dishes that each dish feeds 4 plus a pie. I’ll pick up tomorrow
5. Returning some items to Amazon
That’s a nice work perk!
Your daughter’s bedroom looks great and I can’t believe you managed to do that for $2. I really like the wall color.
1. I invited a friend over who works as an HR manager and had her explain health insurance to me so I can make a more informed decision. Health insurance is always so confusing to me especially the deductible vs. total out of pocket costs meanings.
2. I continue to try and use up older items in my freezer and pantries to try and keep my food costs down and eliminate over buying. Sometimes I don’t know what I have and I end up buying more. I invited my Mom and sister over for dinner and made them a casserole using leftover rotisserie chicken and a stuffing mix from my pantry. I also used up a bag of frozen veggies. Nothing spectacular but tasty and saved my Mom from having to cook.
3. My daughter and I helped my Mom clean out her eavestroughs and carry her christmas tree upstairs. She fed us a dinner of take out pizza.
4. I made a solution of eyeglass cleaner from rubbing alcohol, water and a couple drops of dawn.
5. I also didn’t buy a lear jet.
Thanks, we chose the color when she was a baby. I think we all need your HR friend to explain our own benefits to us.
I am “into” insurance – worked it for over a decade (individual life, small group, Medicare supplement, AD&D, annuity). I so enjoy helping those with open enrollment questions/choices. And yes, I read tax code too (individual/sole proprietor only mind you). Did our estimates a number of years – best year came within $17 year which I considered a huge win. We never owed money and refund was basically the cushion I estimated. Better to get a refund than to owe.
The goal of the insurance or tax game is to take advantage of what benefits you and avoid what does not!
Is that wall color “Rocker Girl” purple? If so, it’s what my daughter’s room has been as well. So great 🙂
We chose the paint color in 1997, so I couldn’t say. Either way, your daughter is a lucky girl!
As is yours, Katy. We have had similar journeys! (from what I can read between lines)
That is such a lovely room and a testament to the power of frugal persistence.
1. Gave my husband a haircut.
2. Did a lot of handsewing to vanquish the mending pile.
3. Tidied up my closet for the change in seasons and pulled out several items to donate to Goodwill. Tidied up our pantry and bagged up the items I’ve been getting super cheap with coupons — pasta, spaghetti sauce, mac and cheese, canned beans, canned fruit — and took the bags to the Episcopal food pantry.
4. Did a clean sweep of the fridge and plated up leftovers to make frozen quick lunches for myself.
5. Used the curtains setting on the vacuum cleaner to clean the tops of the curtains, as it’s so difficult for arthritic me to take them down for laundering and ironing. It worked quite well.
Thank you! The key was not trying to source everything in a hurry, which gave me the space to find everything without resorting to shopping.
Your daughter’s bedroom is beautiful. Well done!
1. Enjoyed free goodies from my apartment’s breakfast on the go event.
2. At a Buy Nothing pickup, there were bonus pickled green beans that could be taken. And, of course, I partook!
3. Had a packet of large hand-sanitizing wipes that we inherited from my husband’s aunt. We kept them in the car while we were traveling last winter. Now they have completely dried out and I’m saving them as dry wipes for various clean-ups.
4. Found a full tube of hand sanitizer in a parking lot.
5. Continued using half of the sugar listed in recipes for baked goods. No discernible difference in taste or texture to us, so we’re saving money and helping our health.
Thanks, I’m really happy with how it turned out.
You “foraged” a tube of hand sanitizer! 😉
Super impressed with the room for (basically) free! Well done.
1) Gave away United upgrades that were expiring to coworkers, and received gift cards as a thank you. Saved coworkers a bunch of money, and avoided them going to waste.
2) Gave away a ton of stuff on Buy Nothing, including quite a few NWT items. Maybe they will save someone from buying a new gift.
3) Took advantage of CVS rewards to use a $5 coupon for toiletries, combined with a credit card cash back. Also picked up gift cards at CVS, which generated additional rewards. I tend to stock up on needed toiletries, and donate the rest. The gift cards are gifts for my teens.
4) Tracked down missing hotel points from a credit card. We’ve had a lot of traveling, so I opened up a hotel credit card, and somehow never got the points. (They were going to the wrong account). This is now resolved, and I’ve used one of the free night credits for an upcoming college tour in January.
5) Used some really old potatoes & carrots to make a chicken stew. Froze some fruit that was no longer crisp, but still fine to eat. We used some in smoothies.
Wow, super impressed — well done on everything!
First, Katy, I join everyone else in saying “wow” at the ultra-cheap bedroom refit. Me, I’d have counted this as all five of an FFT!
Now, FFT, Pre-Thanksgiving Miscellany Edition:
(1) I made a small chicken salad over the weekend with the white meat from two RFQS Cornish hens, one hard-boiled egg, some sweet relish with an expiration date of early 2022, and some mayo with an expiration date of two weeks ago. That which does not kill me makes me stronger. (And I’m still here to tell the tale.)
(2) I took another Sunday morning walk (two laps around a long, skinny pond in a local park) with the ladies who have become my Sunday walking buddies: the director of the cognitive care programs DH used to attend, and the widow of one of DH’s “classmates” in these programs. We’ve also taken to bringing each other homemade treats (I contribute refrigerator dill pickles in season, for example). Yesterday, the program director brought the other two of us dried apples (Regional Market apples bought on the cheap and dried in her dehydrator).
(3) I’ll be taking the Bestest Neighbors to the airport tomorrow for their Thanksgiving trip to Florida (and hoping that The Force will be with them, given what air travel this holiday may be like). After I drop them off, I’ll be hitting a nearby branch of our Rescue Mission/Thrifty Shopper chain that I don’t often visit–and taking advantage of Tuesday’s senior citizen discount if I find anything.
(4) My next-door neighbor (the one with the cognitive issues) and I will be having Thanksgiving dinner with the other friend who takes an interest in NDN, this friend’s husband, and about 14 other folks. I’ll be bringing my kale, apple, and carrot salad (with homegrown kale, which is one of the very few vegetables I can still grow; the deer won’t eat it till there’s absolutely nothing else left).
(5) And I’m about to go move my finished compost from my loose pile (last year’s leaves, plus grass clippings, etc.) onto a couple of garden beds. Mother Nature has granted us one more sunny day.
Please, what is RFQS? And NDN? I need more coffee. . . .
Sorry. RFQS is Reduced for Quick Sale, which is how I buy much of my meat these days (other than beef, since I still buy 1/4 steer from a friend who raises his own, though I share much of this with others). NDN is how I refer to my next-door neighbor after the first use of the full phrase.
I’m so impressed with your daughter’s bedroom! Absolutely beautiful and to think it cost you only $2. Your decorating skills, both aesthetic and frugal, are admirable.
1. My stepson was part of the crew who brought Thanksgiving turkeys around to each employee at the hospital where he works. For this, he was gifted three turkeys. He is away for Thanksgiving so he told my husband to go into his house and take a turkey out of their freezer. Please and thank you!
2. DD is coming with her family for Thanksgiving. She is bringing an appetizer, a side and a dessert. Again, please and thank you!
3. Inspired by Mary Ellen’s choice of a Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece on a long ago episode of The Waltons, I purchased three little sugar pumpkins to use as my table decor. I already have artificial autumn leaves to scatter around them. After Thanksgiving, I’ll cut them up and freeze them for future use.
4. DH and I walked on the Midstate Trail yesterday for free exercise and beautiful views of the forest in autumn. Here in Massachusetts, there is no hunting permitted on Sundays so we try to take advantage of this whenever we can and get ourselves out there.
5. I recycled every plastic bag I have that could be recycled by bringing them to the grocery store when I shopped for Thanksgiving on Saturday. I use my own cloth bags, but these inevitably creep into my house, including bread bags. I dropped off four bags of clothing and cloth at the St. Vincent de Paul box where they recycle every bit of material. Picking up deposit cans and bottles to keep our roadsides cleaner and to add them to my stash of deposit bottles. A. Marie, I never do as well as you in New York but I keep going!
I recently mildly shocked a friend by saying that I consider roadside bottlepicking one of my three retirement side hustles. The other two are dog walking (the neighbors who own my dear Bailey dog pay me more for this than something that’s such a delight is worth) and acting as a sort of “picker” for a new friend who runs a secondhand-housewares shop and doesn’t have as much time to go thrifting and garage saling as she’d like. And, thank goodness, the Feds don’t need to know about any of this. 🙂
All three side hustles sound fun and lucrative (especially walking Bailey).
I love your idea for your centerpiece. Not only will it have a simple beauty, but you will be able to consume it afterwards. Love it!
Thank you Sarah! Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Not sure how far of a drive you’re daughter has but we have our “traveling guest” bring items that are *not* must haves for the dinner. This way if weather or other unplanned events happen, we’re not scrambling.
Thanks Selena. Good point! I’m lucky in many ways to have this daughter and her family live only one town away, about 6 miles by highway.
I’m not sure there has been much frugal the past several days.
1. DH had a birthday and we went, with family members, to see an enormous aquarium store in the metro area. The number of living creatures to see was unbelievable. We ordered takeout for lunch then had apple crisp for dessert. I used a variety of inexpensive apples to make the apple crisp and used GF oats to make it a GF dessert.
2. We hiked again in the local state park on the last warm fall day. Being outside is good for my psyche. I am not a big fan of solar winter (the darkest days of the year) and being outside in daylight is beneficial.
3. I borrowed Doc Martin DVDs from the library. We are late to watching the show but the final season was just released and we started from the beginning a few weeks ago. It’s nice to see a show that is not homicide related.
4. Our mail included a Nielsen survey request and a dollar bill was included with the request. I completed the online survey in three minutes and that is to earn me an additional $5. I did not include a phone number with my contact information.
5. I helped a friend put together supplies for her granddaughter’s Girl Scout troop by providing her with nice looking pine cones I’d picked up in our backyard.
Doc Martin is one of my favorite shows. I agree, it’s nice to watch something that isn’t homicidal/violent/sexually-explicit. The characters in Doc Martin are all so unique and it’s fun to see them change incrementally throughout the series.
Doc Martin has been a long time favorite, am sad to see it go
I am beyond impressed that you redid that bedroom for $2!
1. Scheduled grocery mystery shops for today/Tues/Wed this week. Between this week and last, I will have procured all our Thanksgiving supplies for free. I thought last week would take care of it, but, as usual, I realized there were other last minute things I needed to complete the feast so I am forced to send the husband out to the insanity of pre-Thanksgiving grocery stores.
2. We have a single friend come to Thanksgiving every year. His contribution is always several pounds of butter, and he always buys that British butter that is too expensive for my blood. This started years ago, after he brought something he cooked and even the dog would not eat it. This is safer for all of us. (This is the same guy who eats only the breasts when he buys rotisserie chickens and freezes the rest, giving the still meaty carcasses to us when he has a few collected. He always gets some of the soup I make from them.)
3. A friend’s sister buys new counter top appliances every year, and gives the barely a year old ones to my friend. My friend didn’t want the color of the new appliances so offered us a four slot toaster and a toaster oven. Yes to both! Even better, they are the ones given top ratings by Consumer Reports in their recent yearly roundup.
4. Pound Hound will not let us touch his nails for trims. We have a friend who comes over for a meal every few weeks and she brings her toenail trimmers and manages to get Pound Hound’s cooperation to trim those claws. This week she came by and did her magic again. She loves shrimp and bacon so, as usual, I made bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner.
5. The library continues to supply most of our reading needs.
Lindsey, give my regards to Pound Hound and his mani/pedi specialist. (NB: Are you sure she isn’t slipping PH some of the shrimp and bacon when you’re not looking? This might be the secret of her success.) And regards also to your various fussy friends. Although my various friends and neighbors are wonderful, none of them are quite that picky.
Great score on the toaster and toaster oven! It’s hard to comprehend why someone would get rid of a still functioning appliance after only one year but to each their own. Glad you benefited from it.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Only one side of my toaster is toasting. I can’t believe I may have to replace it! It’s only 20 years old.
Your daughter’s redesigned bedroom looks fabulous. I can’t believe that you accomplished that for $2 out-of-pocket. Amazing!!! Your patience has paid off.
I have also been working on some home projects, but I have not been as thrifty as you have been. I made several estate sale purchases which became the cornerstone of my living room redo.
1. I now have moved on to my family room. I accepted a sofa from my sister. It had been in a little used office in her old house. When she moved, it no longer fit her aesthetic. (She did not get the thrifty gene) Although I painted and did a few thing to make it work, it was worth it. It has an expensive frame and wonderful down-filled cushions. Today, I’ll be hanging some hand-me-down custom drapes from my sister-in-law who is an interior designer. They were rejected by the client. I ordered some slip covers for my thoroughly unstylish and comfy wingback chairs.
2. I stopped in Costco yesterday when doing an errand nearby. Costco the Sunday before Thanksgiving can be a bit chaotic, but I did not want to take an unnecessary trip into the city later this week. I stuck to my list and resisted all temptation which can be difficult this time of year. The poinsettias were beautiful, but I did not put them in my cart!!!
3. I had my annual mammogram. I hate getting this done, but preventative medicine is a thrifty choice as well as a healthy one.
4. I took advantage of the grocery store BOGO deals and made a Thanksgiving donation to the food pantry.
5. I did all the usual things… home-brewed coffee, filtered water, home-cooked meals,and library books!
I found a NWT Ashley black metal bed platform. It did not have the hardware kit so I may have to go to Ashley’s furniture store to get that. My current bed frame is rusted in places & creaks when you move the slightest. I’m happy to find a new one. I think you put the mattress on the platform & do not need the box spring. My bed is not that comfortable. Maybe the platform will improve that. It will also be a modern look & sturdy (I hope).
More decorating w/ little to no OOP.
1. I am preparing our small house (1000 sq ft.) for 6 more people to come, one of whom is a toddler. It takes some real organizing to get everything put away, counters cleared, dangerous-for-a-toddler things put up, cabinets locked, kid dishes out, etc, etc,. The frugal part is that I source or buy one item per visit of this toddler (my grandson!) so that over time I have all that I need and it’s easier on my wallet to do this gradually. I’ve found a free slide, cheap high chair on FB marketplace, free bed guard rail, I saved books and toys from my own children, free water table, free stickers, etc.
2. Organized my still ripening green tomatoes. A few bad ones were tossed, ripe are on my kitchen windowsill, unripe are on window by table.
3. I just ate a free persimmon.
4. Rode my bike (in the rain!) to get loss leaders at Safeway (butter!) and drop a return at UPS store.
5. Got a gift for my in-laws wrapped (nice mitered corner cloth napkins that I made from free fabric) that my daughter will take when she goes. Saves me the postage. Yay!
Love that you made cloth napkins and esp. with free fabric. I use them daily and think that they are the best. I bet that yours turned out beautifully!
Thank you! We have a whole collection at home-I like them all different so people can remember which napkin is theirs. They are so easy to incorporate into life, though I know some people feel like it’s a huge step. They make a wonderful gift. (If I am allowed I would put a link-I sell on ebay-but I do understand if that’s not ok).
My family uses an ridiculous amount of relish. It gets put into egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad. We eat them often. Cold cuts cost too much.
1. Hubby and I cleaned up the whole yard. 18 bags worth. Our daughter did come over and help for a while. It took about 4 hours. Most of our neighbors pay to have it done. Hubby said a leaf cleanup like this goes for $250.
2. After an ice cream party at work, employees were offered leftovers. I had a some on Saturday and some today. They is still some left.
3. My sister picked her dog up while I was at work. I came home to lots of goodies: a new to me iron and ironing board, 2 dozen duck eggs, a dog advent calendar, 6 giant pumpkins, 2 butter dishes and 2 jewelry boxes. She also gave me some jars back and coupons.
4. Hubby brought 4 bagels and a muffin home from work Friday.
5. Hubby cooked dinner since I work Saturdays. He took some of our home made apple syrup and sliced apples and cooked it with our pork chops. They were amazing. He also cooked 8 potatoes and frozen green beans from the garden. We used some of the leftover potatoes for easy home fries Sunday morning. Does anyone else over cook to save time and avoid turning the oven on constantly?
The cook in my house does. Three of the “smallest cook could find” potatoes baked at the same time with another item. One potato fed both of us. We’ll eat these potatoes for two more meals. Often multiple/same meats are grilled at the same time. What is not for that days meal is sealed, packaged, and labeled for future meals. Honestly, it is just as easy to cook multiple chicken tenders, bratwurst, etc. and freeze what you don’t eat.
1. I’m trying so hard to reduce food waste by prepping, chopping and freezing fruit and veggies before they are bad.
2. Took many piles to the compost pile before the weather changes.
3. Mended a towel and sewed a new dustrag out of scraps today.
4. Cooking many meals from home and freezing extra portions to eat on busy work days.
5. Trying to keep on top of tax receipts, etc. for next year so that I don’t have to scramble at the last minute searching for everything that I need around the house.
Just an FYI for those who may not have heard this: Four free Covid tests may be ordered once again on the USPS website as of November 20th. They will begin shipping on November 27th.
Good you posted this. The news release says these four are In Addition to four you might have ordered a few weeks ago.
Thank you! Thank you!!! We are on our last test, and we are enduring another bout of this stupid virus this week!!!
Hope you’re all feeling better soon Bee!
Thank you so much. I just ordered and it worked fine! I got the free ones a month or so ago as well. I’m always glad to have tests around.
1. I had two very profitable but exhausting craft shows. For various reasons, my craft partner/friend and I will probably drop one of them next year. We are hoping to find a replacement event closer to home and more welcoming of our efforts. The show management is not satisfied that we sell most of our inventory. They are looking to fill our spot with something that appeals to a wider group of shoppers. The stress of fighting to keep our spot after 24 years of being vendors there has made us quite grumpy.
2. I picked up a baby blanket in a parking lot. It had obviously been there for a while . I washed it and added it to our bag of pet supplies headed to animal control.
3. While dropping off glass to be recycled, I noticed an almost full scented jar candle on top of the pile. I pulled it out and am enjoying it in my bathroom.
4. At the same recycling center, someone had left clothes, pillows, games, etc, none of which are recyclable there. I picked up a couple of children’s’ puzzles for the school where my daughter works. I also picked up a Scrabble game, thinking to use the tiles for craft projects. But it turned out to be complete, vintage from the 50’s and a version that people are looking for, so I will be listing it.
5. I helped my husband figure out the very confusing instructions to return a defective medical device for replacement.
And Katy, that room is a work of art & frugality.
Love the room! It turned out so nice.
I guess I had a frugal week. I hosted 4 college friends (all big guys) to stay so they could go to a big football game. I fed them for 4 days and only spent $11. They provided their afternoon special drinks. They did not eat the rotisserie chicken, so I will make chix pot pie for Thanksgiving and save the turkey for Christmas.
the room looks lovely and it’s so satisfying to have a nice cozy space that costs next to nothing to furnish and decorate.
1. like someone mentioned above, i also found some free hand sanitizer on the street. there was a free pile across from my apartment building and i retrieved 3 small bottles as well as a swiffer dusting thing with many replacement dusters. (which is serendipitous because i was recently wanting one. i love when the universe reads my mind.)
2. i listed some stuff on buy nothing recently that i no longer really needed, and then just made another listing today.
3. i’ve been really clearing out some collections lately and have been listing a lot on ebay.
4. most days i cook at home and my entertainment is taking long walks, which are usually fairly frugal.
5. i bought tires at america’s tire and am going to get a free pressure check and tire rotation tomorrow.
I’ve thought this before, but just wanted to say it: you seem like a really good mom!
Yes, she does!
That room is lovely, Katy!
Thank you for sharing.
Lea