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I was gifted an oak wine barrel through my Buy Nothing Group, which my husband was able to cut in half to create a nifty pair of garden planters. I’m very excited about them as I have multiple small/medium size planters, but precisely zero big ones. I’m not sure what to plant in them, but I’ll have fun figuring it out. Maybe tomatoes for one in the front yard and basil for the one in the backyard? Maybe a small tree?
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I then looked around for something to offer up on Buy Nothing, (I like to balance my giving and receiving) and gave away a sturdy outdoor Rubbermaid tote that a neighbor gave us a couple years ago. Super handy, but I’d yet to put it to use, so off it went to someone who wanted it for “camping.”
I didn’t need it, she did. Perfect!
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I took down my backyard canvas tarp to wash and mend. Back up it went and I once again have a modicum of privacy from the neighbors. Not that there’s anything specifically wrong with the neighbors, but the house is an AirBnb run by a slumlord and I’d rather not be on full display for a parade of random strangers.
Why a canvas tarp? A full wood fence would set us back at least a couple thousand dollars and the tarp was around $22. Plus I think it looks artsy and cute. Team tarp.
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• The tenth season of Alone finally became available on the Roku History channel, so I binged it over a three day period. For someone who considers herself “indoorsy,” I sure do love this show about people who go alone into the harsh wilderness to show off their survival and bushcraft skills! They forage for berries, I forage for gardening supplies.
• I lent my covered casserole dish and insulated carrying case to a neighbor who filled it with lasagna and took it to Southern Oregon and back. Happy to share.
• I pulled five matching back frames with white mats from a different neighbor’s garbage. They were in perfect condition and three have already been claimed by my son for his apartment. This family is going through tough times and I don’t fault that she didn’t have the energy to find a better way to get rid of them.
• My husband had our son come over to help him change the oil and replace a couple bulbs on the Prius, (which we handed down to him.) He then washed the car inside and out and polished the headlight covers. Like a new car!
• My recent baking of a chocolate wacky cake reawakened the knowledge of how easy these cakes are, so I cobbled together a gluten-free carrot cake version and brought slabs to both my daughter and son.
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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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{ 104 comments… read them below or add one }
1. I suppose this isn’t frugal because I went in not planning on purchasing them, but while I was at the grocery store on Saturday evening, they were having a fire sale on Reese’s Easter products. I got 2 bags of Reese’s peanut butter cups, and 2 bags each of 6 Reese’s peanut butter eggs. For $1. Not $1 each, a total of $1. I added up the full price and it would have been $25.96 I figured my family was worth $1.
2. Hosted 11 for Easter and served a tri-tip that I purchased using a gift certificate from 2 years ago for our favorite abattoir.
3. the potatoes were on sale and the duck fat was left over from Christmas. The rolls were free from a mystery shop, for the curd – the rhubarb was free from mom’s garden last year, and the eggs were free from mystery shop. Mayo for the feta tarragon sauce (for the tri-tip) was free from combo of sale, coupon, Swagbucks.
4. Opened a BJ credit card for the $.10 off each gallon of gas and got $40 credit for BJ – got 12-pounds of flour and a gallon EVOO.
5. I used my 2 tablecloths (they match) that I got as a gift some 10 years ago. It is white with variegated red stripes and it seems to work for any & all occasions. Good thing, as they are the only 2 tablecloths that I own.
6. I did buy 3 gerber daisy plants for centerpiece, so we can plant them, but my “flower” arrangement for the bathroom was made for free from daffodils in yard, sage from yard, left over parsley from the kitchen, and a few dried fern seed heads.
Ooh, Reese’s peanut butter eggs are the best!!!
I am helpless in the face of Reese’s Easter eggs. I could polish off what you bought in very short order, so I admire your self-discipline.
That is a chocolate bargain! Also, it sounds like a beautiful table.
Reese’s peanut butter cups are my favorite in any shape or form! That was a screaming deal!
Borrowed the “Gifted Hands” DVD (Story of neurosurgeon Ben Carson) for my 8th grade Science class from the library. Such a good movie! I think the kids will enjoy that when we return to school. Emailed the parents about the graphic surgical scenes, but I’ve only heard good response about it, so sounds like it’s a go!
I broke my no-buy clothes year rule for myself and got a 50¢ wool skirt that I really liked and a 50¢ Snuggie that I think was brand new. Probably an unwanted gift that someone donated. The thrift store was clearancing out their winter stash. I broke the rule but feel pretty good about it.
Switched over from my favorite Cafe Bustelo to Kirkland brand coffee. The price of CB went up significantly. That’s when I noticed I wasn’t actually buying a full pound at a time like I thought I was with CB. Ounce for ounce the price difference was substantial.
Had extra time during spring break. I prepped chopped onions and peppers and added to every single meal I ate except two during spring break. I got to thinking they go with almost every type of cuisine. I even had them in my morning scramble each day. Wasn’t expecting anything to happen, but I had a year long mild digestive problem clear up. Small price to pay to get a health improvement. I might ask for one of those box veggie choppers for my birthday and keep this thing going.
Finally ran my aunt’s “Lion of Judah” print in to be framed. When I got the print I couldn’t imagine handling the cost of framing it. Our income has significantly increased since then and the framing cost feels like no big deal now. Continuing on in our frugal ways though. I can’t forget we have 3 kids to possibly help with tuition of college, 2 potential weddings to pay for, need to save up to replace both vehicles, and about 12 home projects on the back burner. Regularly reminding myself of this helps me take my family home to eat. It would be foolish of us to discontinue our frugal ways!
What a time saver it is to have the onions prepped. I used them in so many different dishes. I’m not sure why I haven’t done that myself.
If it helps ease your mind, I wouldn’t categorize a “Snuggie” as clothing!
I love sautéed peppers and would also be happy to include them in almost any savory meal. Yum! I have two full gallon size ziploc bags in my freezer of chopped yellow peppers and I already know they won’t last as long as you’d think.
How fun to have new planters to play with! Tomatoes and basil are good companion plants, the basil supposedly keeping some pests away, if you don’t mind mixing plants in one spot.
You’ve probably seen suggestions for filling planters using less soil and so they are lighter to move. While packing peanuts can make a big mess, I’ve seen a suggestion to tightly cap plastic bottles and put them in the bottom of the planter to take up space, presuming the plant roots don’t need the full depth of the container.
I use that technique for deep planters and the great thing is if you don’t need 2 liter bottle sizes, you can use the 20 oz. pop bottle sizes. They need to be really dry inside before you cap them, though, or else you end up with awful gunk inside when you dig them up and want to reuse them for a different pot.
I’d prefer to to use plastic, especially if I’m growing food in the planter.
I don’t trust Oregon to not go below freezing at night yet, so I have a bit of time to figure something out. I already have a big pot in the front that’s perfect for a tomato plant. I actually thinking about a fig tree, but time will tell. The backyard one will have to be something that can handle shade though.
Katy, I especially loved your frugal five, which is more like ten, given your #4. Boy, lots of numbers in that sentence!
1. Made sure I used up the prepaid debit card (from a store rebate) by placing it in my wallet in front of my regular credit card.
2. Although we owed a combined $3,300 to Federal and State taxes, I’m happy that it was mostly because we earned so much interest from depositing the proceeds from the sale of our previous home until we used the funds to buy our current home.
3. Found chives growing next to our house and snipped a whole bunch. Used them in homemade dip, in scrambled eggs, and on potatoes.
4. Niece gave us three tubes of lip balm she wasn’t going to use.
5. Continue to use the quick setting (30 minutes) on the dishwasher and washer/dryer no matter what the load. I leave the dishwasher door open to dry the dishes.
While I don’t use the quick setting often (nor fast wash in the washer though I should see if I can spin on “high” not ultra-high – ultra high kind of makes me nervous), I always crack the door to dry. I cannot believe how long the dry cycle takes (even with an energy efficient unit). And face it, tis a rare time when anything plastic comes out dry.
I’ve been known to put a small post-it note on cards that read “use me first!” in that situation.
I love that chives are perennial. I have some in a pit that I think I planted at least twenty years ago!
I love the oak barrels. On the East Coast, barrels like these are often filled will geraniums and Ivy. Your climate is much different than mine, so I’m not sure I can be of much help. I might consider doing a combination of edible plants and glowering plants that attract pollinators. Butterflies and bees need our help.
Inquiring minds want to know how you make a gluten free wacky cake. I rarely get to have a piece of cake.
* The weather here has been beautiful. On Saturday, I worked in the flower beds trimming the perennials, fertilizing and moving plants. I try to do this before buying any new plants in the spring. It prevents me from over buying, and it helps me to get the biggest bang for my buck. I want all the flowers in the garden center and I have to go in with a list.
* I used a $50 gift card that my husband had earned by participating in his company’s health program to buy fertilizer, potting soil and dirt. It kills me to have to pay for dirt.
* We attended a Eggstravaganza held by a church in our community with my son, DIL and kiddos. My 21-month old grandson loved hunting eggs and putting them in everybody else’s basket. He appears to have a naturally generous heart.
* I’ve been summoned by my SIL and told that I need to come pick up some of the Easter dinner leftovers. I’m happy to help!
* All the usual things-
I am brewing my own coffee and drinking primarily filtered water.
I am walking Rescue Pup who has a tummy ache, because she helped herself to an Easter cupcake or two. (She has a sweet tooth.)
I sold an item on eBay over the weekend and prepping it for shipment with previously used packaging.
I wore an Easter dress that I already owned.
I ready and listening to library books.
Wishing all peace, good health and prosperity!
“I want all the flowers in the garden center.” Amen, sister, amen. My eyes glaze over and I fill my cart. Perhaps it’s something they spray in the air?
Flowers are my weakness. Outside the house. Inside the house. Trips to the botanic gardens. Approximately 1/2 the photos on my phone are of flowers and plants. I love them.
I am trying to learn to propagate different flowers to make this passion a little less expensive. I also try to use perennials more often.
That would be flowering plants definitely not glowering!
A few times a week, I look up some new term I learned online. I thought perhaps glowering plants were something special for pollinators, maybe things that thrive in the gloaming, or angry plants that glower. Google had no suggestions.
Same here, Heidi Louise: I thought “must be a category of North American indigenous plants”. I’m a bit disappointed, frankly!
The only plant I could ever envision flowering is maybe a Venus Flytrap as it awaits a meal. That may all be in my imagination though!
And look what I did! Hit the f instead of the g! My fingers need to go on a diet…
Well, that’s a disappointment, Bee! I had already mentally picked a couple of mean spirited recipients for them, and loved the idea of their mean little hearts feeling unsettlingly disapproved of!
That would bring a whole new category to the “language of flowers” to which so many subscribed back in the day. Just looked this up:
“ Plants could also express aversive feelings, such as the “conceit” of pomegranate or the “bitterness” of aloe. Similarly, if given a rose declaring “devotion” or an apple blossom showing “preference,” one might return to the suitor a yellow carnation to express “disdain.”
Katy: a window box facing the slumlord property planted with yellow carnations, perhaps ?.
I am imagining wooly caterpillars as eyebrows, as they are so flexible and could signal many dark emotions.
Or one could make a uni-brow.
This is the funniest plant-chat thread I’ve seen in ages. Thanks, y’all!
This thread has all brought a smile to this plant-lovers face.
Flowers can be an expression of many things. Since I made this typo, I must supply my list of glowering plants. Besides the Venus Flytrap that Christina mention, there are a few that I can think of:
• Members of the family of Bat Flowers/orchids ( I have wanted one of these for a while) https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bat-flower/growing-bat-flowers.htm
* Pitcher Plants which are carnivorous https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcher_plant and include such exotic beauties as the cobra lily https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlingtonia_californica
* The Black Dahlia which is actually is a very deep purple/red, but has some negative energy surrounding it.
* The Corpse Flower which grows to well over 6 feet and smell quite strong, but are truly remarkable. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphophallus_titanum
* The fictional Audrey II from the musical, Little Shop of Horrors, who definitely glowered.
Thank you for the list to think about, Bee!
I will add anything that has thorns to draw blood or stickers to catch on skin or clothing.
I buy a gluten-free flour mix at Winco in the bulk bins and just swap it out cup-for-cup when a cake recipe calls for flour. It helps if the recipes has other strong flavors as it will taste a bit different. Not bad, just different.
I would ideally like to use the barrel planters for growing edible plants, but there’s enough room to combine with glowering plants.
I’d love if you shared the gluten free carrot cake recipe! My great niece has many allergies, gluten being one, and we have a hard time finding treats for her!
I buy a gluten-free flour mix from the Winco bins, which used to be Bob’s Red Mill and is now some other brand. I just did an internet search for “wacky carrot cake” and jumped into the deep end. The flour works great for cakes, not so good for bread, biscuits or pie dough.
Aren’t spring bulbs just too frugal?! The gift that keeps on giving! I also rejoice in the flowering trees and shrubs planted years ago that continue to shine and show each spring. Our neighborhood was planted with flowering cherry trees so at this time of year it is a procession of flowers lining each street. It just makes my heart glad.
I did Easter Brunch this year. It was mostly make-ahead, super easy, and got raves from everyone. Some years we’ve been invited to join my son his wife and her family for Easter Brunch at a luxury hotel overlooking a lake. It is a lovely setting and the food is very good, but I prepared my whole meal for what it would have cost for one person.
I made myself a breakfast bowl this morning from leftovers from yesterday’s brunch. All I needed to do was add a fried egg and there are still enough bits left for another breakfast. Leftovers for the win!
I made all my own flower arrangements with flowers and greens from the yard and added Easter decor from years past to add a little charm. I even dressed the patio and front porch with seasonal decorations. Lots of color and playful whimsy on a dime.
I didn’t buy anything new (except food) for Easter and that made for a Happy Easter.
Frugal fail #1: I got new solar lights for the front of the house. I watched to see which of the old ones were still working. I moved them to the back of the house along the driveway. Then I ran over 2 of them the next time I left the house.
Frugal fail #2: I had lots of coupons for products we use and I knew they expired at the end of the month. But my brain couldn’t grasp that the end of the month was yesterday, even though I actually knew that.
On the positive side, today : I combined 2 other errands with grocery shopping.I stopped at the library to pick up a reserved movie. I am making a quart of iced tea right now. I hosed down a filthy door mat that also had cat vomit on it. My husband thought it couldn’t be saved.
What a perfect sounding Easter celebration! All for the price of a single entree!
I’m right there with you on the love of ‘Alone’. I have several friends and family who have applied to be on the show. I have a harder time relating to the locations that are cold (Labrador, Patagonia)
You might get a kick out of reading Ashley’s blog
https://practicalselfreliance.com/
We had too many family members out sick to celebrate Easter, so we did it “framily-style” The neighbor and I had a work party, he showed me how to give my chainsaw a tune up and thorough cleaning. Now it runs as good as the day I bought it. He taught me how to fell some big trees in his field, so I practiced on 6 trees that needed to be thinned.
Friends had a huge memorial celebration for their family as they had lost 4 family members in a 3 week span. They received too many memorial plants, so they asked me to plant them. Since I share my flowers with all the neighbors with weekly flowers, I took them and will plant 10 rose plants, 2 hydrangeas, 1 red bud and 2 dogwoods. They also gave me flower seeds. I plant the county road ditch with annual flowers because when we moved here over 50 years ago there were so many varieties of ditch flowers. I’ve convinced the road workers not to spray the ditches that are adjacent to our property, right now they are abloom with thousands of daffodils.
For tried and true Gluten Free baking I appreciate
https://meaningfuleats.com/
We have 8 members in the family who are Celiac. I have been GF for 12 years and still trying to perfect breads. I am a savory gal, but make baked goods for family and friends who are GF.
Happy April, everyone!
Blue Gate Farmgirl, I *love* your neighborhood flower gifting! What a lovely, thoughtful way to nurture community.
Thanks for the links, I’ll check both of them out! Glad to hear that are other “Alone” lovers out there. My family and friends look at me blankly when I describe the show and why I love it.
So funny you were writing about the free barrel (barrels, thanks to your DH). I was just thinking I need a couple of big pots for the planting season too. Hope to find some free or thrifted.
1. I was thinking of buying a cheesecake for dessert for Easter dinner but instead made a yellow cake with homemade frosting. A friend told me the trick of adding maraschino cherry juice to almond frosting to give it a little extra almond flavor and a light pink color. The decorations were chopped maraschino cherries.
2. We still had some beers and some unopened wine from Christmas and the chili party so we didn’t need to buy wine or beer for Easter.
3. As mentioned above, hooray for perennials which are starting to pop up all over the yard. A one time purchase (unless you’re lucky enough to be gifted some…I still have some of my late mother’s perennials so extra special to see them every year), a little cow manure every year around their bases and they just keep going.
4. I bring a large cup of tea in a travel mug with me to work on the three days a week I work. My little “aaahhh” moments to sip it throughout the day. DH and I did the math and figured out if I bought a large tea on the way to work on those three days, I would be spending over $400 a year. The impact is big when looked at collectively. I try to do this with anything “extra” as I’m sure many of you do, too. It really adds up to some serious savings.
5. Putting my Easter decorations carefully away until next year. Enjoying the sale candy the Easter Bunny brought me. Reading library book and listening to free podcasts. Walking for exercise although we still have to bundle up here in New England. We’re getting snow on Wednesday because DH decided to put the shovels away for the season. Reminds me of the movie Jaws…Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water…
Re: the last item in your #5, Christine, I explained to my Easter lunch guests (see my entry below) that no sane person in Central NY puts the snow shovel away before the middle of April!
I think that statement is 100% correct!
I would add for all of the Northeast!
Add the Midwest to that list. And even mid-April is too early some years. I refuse to dry clean any winter items until June 1. Even then, I hauled out my clean winter coat for a night game (pro ball) in early June. Ballpark sold far more coffee than beer that night.
It snowed on my prom in Chicago on May 5, so that has been my deadline for the last 30+ years.
Even if you just brought tea bags to work with you, it would be such a huge savings!
And that cake sounds amazing!
First, Katy, I’m super-envious of your oak barrel planters. My last reused half-whisky barrel disintegrated 2 years ago, and I haven’t yet found a replacement at an acceptable price. (Don’t worry, though: I saved the staves from the disintegrated barrel for kindling.)
Now, One Frugal Fail/Win and Four Frugal Things, The Hostess Who Didn’t Spend the Mostest Edition:
(1) First, the fail/win: I started a loaf of potato flake bread bright and early in my bread machine–and realized 5 minutes into the cycle that I’d forgotten to add the yeast. So I dumped this batch, threw together a second batch in record time, and got this loaf done just in time for Easter lunch with my next-door neighbor (NDN), her nephew, and his wife as my guests. I’m out the ingredients for the first batch, but on the whole, it could have been worse.
(2) The main course was a pork roast, bought on sale at Price Chopper and made according to my Bohemian mother-in-law’s tried, true, and super-easy recipe. (She always regarded me as a diamond in the rough as far as domestic talent was concerned, and I think she’d have been proud of me.)
(3) I baked four sweet potatoes alongside the pork, which I confess was a lot easier than making the dumplings my MIL would have made. And I steamed and marinated some asparagus, bought on sale at Tops by my NDN when I took her grocery shopping there last week.
(4) There were enough early daffodils blooming at the foot of the yard to furnish a modest bouquet. So no need to pay florist or supermarket prices for a flower arrangement.
(5) Most importantly, I was very pleased to become better acquainted with my NDN’s nephew and niece-in-law (we’d met before, but it was well over a decade ago), and to lay the foundation of what I hope will be friendly cooperation with them on NDN’s behalf. As I’ve noted previously, this nephew is NDN’s only blood relative who might possibly be of assistance, and I think NDN’s other friend and I are going to need his help in the future.
Would love it if you would share your MIL’s Pork Roast Recipe. I have two pork roasts that have been in my freezer for quite a while and I would love to use them up. Unfortunately, when I cook pork it usually turns out dry. My mom could make an amazing pork roast (or anything for that matter), but, alas, I don’t have a recipe as she just used “a pinch of this”, etc.
Gladly! Put a 4 to 5 lb. pork roast (mine was a center-cut, bone-in loin) in a roaster with 1 to 1.5 cups water, and sprinkle it with garlic salt and caraway seeds. Cover the roaster and put it in the oven for 20 minutes to the pound at 350 F; then uncover it and give it as long as it needs at 450 F to brown nicely and reach an internal temp of 140-145 F. Give it the usual few minutes’ rest before carving.
Note: My MIL’s original recipe called for a total of 2-2.5 hours cook time, so use your own discretion. And note also that I consulted an online recipe that called for searing it at 450 first and *then* doing the 350 at 20 minutes to the pound–but I decided to go with the tried and true.
That certainly sounds easy enough. Can’t wait to try it–thank you!
May I suggest this? The most important thing is to garlic the roast by inserting pieces of garlic clove directly into the flesh of the roast. Since I personally don’t like rosemary much, I use thyme instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz73d1zAgqc
Catherine, that sounds delicious, and I’ll give it a try when I have garlic-loving guests. But NDN (at age 85) is not a fan, and I wasn’t sure about the others, so I was conservative with the seasoning.
Bummer about the first batch of bread, but am happy that you figured it out before you had nothing to show for your efforts!
You and I both are excited about the barrels! I have so many small flowerpots in the back yard, so these will help it look less cluttery. I’ll use on in the front where I actually get full sun.
Hizzah! Another sunny Monday to begin the week ! 68F/20c today and 73F/22c on Tuesday! Of course, it will plunge on Wednesday.
Five Frugal Things:
1) I worked a short gig at a conference I had been wanting to attend for a number of years. I had breakfast and lunch at the OCC, plus I got to meet people creating the products that I have been interested in- and I will get paid! Win win!
2) Another perk of the gig was free Trimet tickets for the week, which I used to run errands!
3) I cleaned the backyard patio IKEA Runnen tiles and will restain them when we have a longer stretch of dry weather.
4) I had socialized all last week , so Easter was a solitary affair! I made lamb chops and salad and at al fresco in my back yard , listened to John Coltrane/Miles Davis cds from our newly refurbished Central library and drank a spritz made from the sparkling wine single serves I found at the closeout store- 2 cans/$1.
5) I bought 2 bunches of daffodils for $6- they were the ones NOT in water, so the buds are shut. When you place the stalks in water, the buds open up, and last longer. So now my space is filled with the subtle scent of daffodils, and they just add a cheer to the space.
I too did not buy a Lear jet.
1. We needed more clothes hangers. I persuaded our son to declutter his closet. Three trash bags of outgrown clothing went to Goodwill and there are now plenty of hangers to spare.
2. I added an additional large pot from my husband’s collection of huge garden pots to our container garden. Rummaged in the garage for partial bags of potting soil, peat moss, and gardening soil and filled up the pot while tidying up the garage. Transplanted into the pot the pepper seedlings grown from a grocery store pepper and re-rooted green onions.
3. Painted the interior of the new door in our laundry room with a sample size container of paint. It was just enough paint, though the container was scraped clean as a whistle to do it.
4. Had some cherry tomatoes and carrots that were languishing in the fridge. I took the time to peel-chop-slice and package them up for the freezer. Used the last of a bag of blueberries to add to a can of peaches and a sliced banana as the fruit layer of a big pan of baked oatmeal.
5. Refilled our collection of saved Tidy Cat litter buckets with bags of cat litter bought at Ollie’s Outlet with a 10% off coupon. This costs 33% less than buying name brand and prevents sending the perfectly good buckets to the trash. The Ollie’s litter bags make great trash bags.
@Ruby Too funny, when I run short on hangers, the first thing I do is go through my closet to see what hasn’t been worn in 3-6 months and donate — WALA! More hangers! LOL
Alas for the day when the buckets had a lid you could fully removed, not just open the front. Sooo many uses for those, I’m down to my last two.
I’ll transfer a large quantity of litter into existing jugs using a gallon milk jug cut in half. Also use the jugs for hauling water for bird baths, watering, around the fire pit etc. Perhaps next winter I’ll transfer oats to make it easier to haul to my feeders (deer and likely other wildlife eat it). Oats are pretty inexpensive when bought from a feed store.
We use a flat barbell weight to hold the fold back lid open while I pour up the discount litter. I made a scoop out of an almond milk jug for putting it into the litter boxes, as no storebought scoop will fit in the bucket opening.
I should have been more concise – the cut gallon jug goes into the jug and I have a “scooper” to transfer from bucket to jug. Scooper is a novelty plastic drinking glass.
1. We have eaten 17 of the 25 long neck pumpkins (4-5# each) that I got for 70 cents each in October. They are slightly insipid but I found a fabulous recipe that my husband still compliments every time I serve it—five lunches per pumpkin. I have gifted the extra five that the seller threw in—including the recipe. It’s only a bargain if we eat them.
2. I bought the fancy, schmancy office chair in my sewing room for $10 in 2006. The upholstery on the seat has worn through. I made a seat cover using a pair of the Mister’s jeans (black) that had gotten too worn to wear.
3. We went to the funeral of a neighbor I babysat for—and loved—back in North Dakota. No cost, as we attended via the church’s streaming service. Sent the daughter a note about how much her mother meant to me.
4. Met a new favorite author Gabrielle Zevin via a friend’s suggestion. Loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow about a couple of friends who make computer games together. Then I devoured Young Jane Young. Now I’m trying to ration her other books. Have accessed all via my public library.
5. I have aged out of being able to carry my sewing machine. I mentioned it to the Guild chair when I signed up to be a helper at one of our sewing for others days. (ICU incubator covers at present). The guild has since purchased five sewing machines for those of us who have aged out of schlepping our own to guild events.
6. Another two trees that shaded our back yard were taken down. Now we’re planning a raised bed for vegetables. We love our CSA share, but they don’t do labor intensive veg like green beans.
I loved Tomorrrow. The Storied Life of AJ Firky was quite good. Haven’t read Young Jane Young.
I’m on the wait list for Fikry at the library.
Oh, please, Mary: the recipe cliffhanger is killing me. What is it?? Every time I use an online recipe, it comes out insipid. It may be that, because pumpkins aren’t a culinary tradition in England, we don’t get the most flavourful varieties being grown, so a “tasty despite the meh pumpkin” recipe would be wonderful.
I have solved the problem of pumpkin and also the problem of insipid pumpkin. When I accidentally bought 25 4-5 lb pumpkins thinking they were butternut squash, I was disappointed with the flavor (lack of.) But when one scores over 125 lbs of pumpkin (seller threw in an extra six) for 17.50, they are no bargain unless one eats them. I adapted Robin Robertson’s Peanutty Pumpkin Soup recipe from Vegan on the Cheap to make it less labor intensive–and cheaper.
First, take one huge pumpkin. Don’t bother to peel it–just cut off anything crusty. Then open the cavity and scrape out the seeds. Don’t worry about the stringy schmutz–it’s food. Chop the pumpkin into big pieces and pressure cook them (Instant pot or not) for 4 minutes.
Then, while it’s still hot, add a quart of tomatoes and a couple big blobs of peanut butter ?1/2 cup?. Use an immersion blender to make the whole lot smooth. Add a quarter cup of soy sauce, a heaping Tbsp of curry powder, about six ounces of canned jalapenos. Robertson calls for mild, but I found that pointless. Chop and toss in an onion, a spud or two, a carrot, and some garlic. Simmer for twenty minutes and add some frozen peas. Eat. Recipe is also hospitable to parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and cauliflower stems.
This batch makes five meals for the two of us. I’ve been giving one meal from each batch to any neighbor who might like it. If they ask for the recipe, I throw in a free pumpkin. The stew is amazingly delicious-we are enjoying it despite having eaten it for 85 meals so far since October. Only forty meals worth left to cook!
Thanks – will get on it. Will trying with butternut squash too. Last few have been meh, too, even having roasted them first.
1. Made petit fours for husband’s Easter basket, which is a measure of my devotion since I don’t like them and the recipe is a fiddly one. Halfway through making the pouring fondant, I realized I was short of powdered sugar so I used regular sugar and made enough for the recipe.
2. THEN I realized I did not have enough corn syrup; I needed three more tablespoons of it. Used birch syrup, the Alaskan version of maple syrup, and it worked beautifully. The end result was, according to the husband, tasty, and according to me very ugly. I am too ham-fisted for fine decorating.
3. About once a year I need a double boiler and I refuse to get one more kitchen pot or pan. Again for those damn petit fours…so I improvised with a large pot for the bottom and a metal bowl for the top. Worked perfectly.
4. Stopped by the store this morning for milk. Boneless hams were 77 cents a pound, now that Easter has passed. Not a huge ham fan so only bought one for cold cuts and ham/potato casseroles, came home and divvied it up into reasonable sized packages, used a vacuum sealer scavenged from a friend’s garbage pile long ago, and now have 25 packages of good quality ham in our freezer. That should last us for a year.
5. Accepted 11, 50 pound dogfood bags from a neighbor who knows I reuse them. Gave the two made of that weird plastic to a friend who turns them into carry bags and sells them at the farmer’s market, and will be reusing the thick paper ones as garbage bags. Between our dogs and his, we have not purchased plastic garbage bags in a very long time.
Not frugal: I allow myself to buy one book a month brand new. This month it was: The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II . It is a non-fiction young adult book but I like this author and I want to support history books for young teens. What better than female readers learning about heroic WWII teens?
I was not familiar with Candace Fleming and took your recommendation to put that on hold. She has a wide variety of books, including “Eleanor Roosevelt Is In My Garage”, (time traveling).
1. Our Easter dinner was small..just four of us. I served ham that I bought at Christmas on a great sale, roasted asparagus that was on sale for 99 cents/lb and au gratin potatoes that used ingredients that were at the use it or toss it stage. My Mom provided a salad and dessert.
2. I tried a new vegan recipe that used a crispy baked tofu and a peanut sauce that was so good and easy to prepare. My daughter loved it. I’ve purchased more tofu and used it again with a stir fry. I’ll be using this in more recipes. Tofu is a cheap and healthy protein source.
3. I am dog sitting for my daughter. Her pup and mine are besties. It gives both a companion without getting another dog. It’s a win for both of us. Dogs are very expensive. Less than kids (no college tuition) but still very expensive. They also dog sit for me.
4. I purchased gift cards for a planned dinner out at Meijer which gave me $7.50 in rewards through their Mperks program.
5. I’m reading library books on my kindle. I just finished reading The Wager which was really good.
Thanks for the Alone tip. I will add that to my list. I like to watch The Curse of Oak Island on that channel.
I have heard The Wager is a wonderful read. I’m on the list a the library.
Would you mind sharing the link to the tofu recipe? I want to reintegrate tofu in our diet and am seeking tasty recipes. Thank you!
https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/
Tomatoes and basil are fairly shallow rooted. They would be fine in a smaller pot. A lemon tree or another dwarf citrus will do well in a half wine barrel. That’s my two cents anyway.
1. Listening to free audiobook of the Harrison Scott Key book about saving his marriage. I’m amazed he could have a marriage left to save, frankly. At least he’s honest.
2. We stumbled on a pre-Easter stash of half price eggs and bunnies and stocked up.
3. My second planting of cucumbers is producing heavily. Of course it’s now April, and this is likely a sign of climate change disaster. So frugal/not frugal.
4. I visited the local discount supermarket and found good deals on tea and snacks.
That’s it.
1. Sometimes I feel my ultra frugal ways go too far and today is one of those days. I have gone out and bought enough hand towels so that when the 2 in use go in the wash, I have 2 to replace them with. I also bought the bits of fabric that I needed to finish several projects that have been laying out waiting to be finished. It’s surprising how these little things that are a squeeze can really wear on one.
2. I also bought mouth tape to see if it helps my sleep apnea. I’d been too cheap to try the good stuff and it’s a false economy. It has a full money back satisfaction guarantee, so I won’t lose anything if it doesn’t work.
3. I dropped a lot of stuff at the thrift store, again these piles had been wearing on my nerves. I also sold our old couch this morning, to a young man with his first apartment. He got a great deal, and a clean couch, and I got a bit of money. It felt like putting good things out into the universe.
4. My husband called the dentist office which was charging us for a service they had said was free. The service was for our daughter and she had called twice and they would not help her. I am mad at the world when a man phones and it gets solved. But it is solved and I am thankful. I had signed up as a new patient at this practice, but had not had my appointment yet. I phoned and cancelled and told them why. I do have control over where I take my business, and it certainly isn’t going to be at a practice that bills for services they say are free and who only resolves issues when a man phones.
5. I travelled over the weekend to see my kids/grandson (so fun!) and I’m exhausted, but I’m eating leftovers to keep at least one part of life frugal. Easy on my energy and my wallet.
Kara
Well done for voting with your feet (and teeth?). It enrages me. I’m a retired lawyer and it’s depressing how often I have to tell retailers/service providers that fact, in order to (effectively) threaten them with enforcing my rights. Infuriating but what sends me into orbit is the sexism. Grrrrr.
Kara and Denise, I hear you on the sexism. It shouldn’t require someone with a “fifth appendage” to get things sorted! I’m the “services manager” in our family, and run into the sexism wall frequently. Tho’ it *has* gotten better in the last 10-15 yrs. But not better enough yet!
A “fifth appendage” that is not a firearm. Sorry – a bit tired of gun deaths as of late.
I forgot the really frugal thing today-I signed up for Coursera for free through my library. It’s regularly $49 a month for all access. I am taking a course that I hope will help me get tutoring jobs. A free course is my kind of price!
1. I track my income through a budget program. I spent 2500 less in March than last year’s monthly average. I have been focusing on prepping for a retirement starting in August. This is making me feel very confident that all will be well.
2. This month’s focus is NOT going out to meals. I too often use it as a “get together” entertainment rarely for just my husband and I. As a good first step I brought my niece a housewarming plant while we sat and drank tea. I was going to take her to dinner.
3. I signed up for a library card where we have a cabin. The county it is in has Kanopy. My home library does not. The librarian raised an eye but I pay taxes at the cabin just like everyone else. So yes, thank you, I will sign up for a library card there.
4. I found $15 in a forgotten drawer and was thrilled. I rarely pay with cash anymore because I want points on my IHG card. But when it gets to the end of the month, I like to just use cash to stay on budget. I make it a fun challenge. $15 bucks is a lot the last week of the month – a dozen eggs, a half gallon milk, and an ingbredient or two will make my pantry staples shine.
5. I canceled a trip to see my son in Michigan. Although I always want to see him, it is crazy busy right now in my life and he will come in May. I will save $1,000. Since it is my spring break I am stay-cationing in Tahoe in our cabin using up free ski tickets I have accumulated. I am trying to use all the food in the pantry here because it is often 6 weeks between visits and expiration dates are hard to keep track of. (see butter from 2021.)
1. Like many of the readers I source my Easter meal from the freezer & pantry.
2. I hit the jackpot at the Dol Gen dumpster today. I found many in date OTC pain relievers, antifungal spray, medicated body powder, large jugs of laundry soap, fruit & grain bars, and pretzels. I will take most of this to the local homeless shelter.
3. I also found a 30 lb bag of dry dog food. It had a slight tear in the bag. This will go to the local animal shelter.
4. Outside the dumpster there were dirty discarded blankets. I washed & dried them & will take them to the shelter w/ the med items.
5. I got a free burrito using a Taco Bell reward that would expire today.
Wow. I’m impressed with your finds and your generosity.
Texasilver, my local DG started locking its dumpsters several years ago. But I still fondly remember the 4th of July weekend I scored over 50 packets of perfectly usable vegetable and flower seeds. I shared these with the Bestest Neighbors, and Dr. BN shared some in turn with his fellow Master Gardener volunteers.
1) I caught marked down ground turkey about 75% off of the typical full price and still several days from the best by date. I bought 10 pounds and have already cooked and used or frozen over half of it, mostly as burgers and some as meatballs, for convenient quick meals later. One of us frequently comes home from work hungry in the late evening and one of us eats a sack lunch and has access to a microwave. These are popular and quick for both. The bargain price was from a grocery store that occasionally posts one or 2 really good deals on their Facebook page, frequently items close to best by date, so I try to check their page daily for stellar deals we can use quickly or store, usually frozen.
2) A family member is receiving 3 months of free cardiac rehab for free from health insurance. They needed comfy clothes for exercise (what they normally wear isn’t really great for exercise and sweat). I suggested 2 thrift stores nearby, the first of which had nothing but the second of which had most of what was being looked for in the correct size.
3) We have a local store with rummage bins with bargain pricing that declines through the week for that set of items. They had a 1 day special, $5 per item, buy 4 get 2 free. Our top 3 items were 1 pair of nice quality sweatpants ($3.33), a puzzle toy for our dogs ($3.33) and a box of 15 cans of no salt added tomato sauce (2 weeks past best by date, but is fine and will be used quickly). The canned tomato sauce works out to 22 cents per can.
4) 19 year old works in a store that was open on Easter. We had no big family plans that day, so he let his boss know that he would be happy to work that day. Boss appreciates it as many of his co-workers would want to be with their families and son was happy to get paid double time for the hours.
5) In our Buy Nothing Project group a member posted walking onions (they’re an onion that sprouts little bulbs on the end of a stalk and when the stalk falls over the plant “walks” by planting the little bulbs a few feet away). I already have some, too, received a few years ago from another Buy Nothing member, and mine need thinned out, so when I noticed her post was getting a lot of requests I asked her to let me know when she had thinned out what she wanted to and I would post mine. Another Buy Nothing Member who I received plants from last year asked if I knew that one of the local libraries had a seed catalog. I did, and checked supply when I borrowed a movie I’d put on hold. I may have saved her as a trip as it was not much except kale and squash, let her know another branch had an event coming up with free seeds, and she told me a third branch has seeds, too!
I am with ya on the tarp: cheap, effective, and very boho chic!!!! Perfect!
I have known people to play movies on hanging tarps or sheets like that (via projector) !
Of course, if Katy and her DH started using their tarp as a screen, they might get guests from the AirBnB wanting to watch the movies!
We could easily use it as a movie screen, except that we don’t have a projector.
Might a library have some kind of projector to check out? Probably would hook up to a laptop.
The Easter & Kitchen Edition
1. Our elderly relative (last one of my parents’ siblings) is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, but still lives independently. The plan for his visit was that he would go home yesterday (Easter Monday). Sudden change of plan meant that I had to host lunch at short notice. I used nearly everything from the fridge, the freezer or pantry.
Except for desserts.
My family contains three people who only want to eat these individual microwaveable puddings. Drives me insane, because they end up eating them at different points: he’s eating the first one, while she’s waiting for hers to finish in the microwave, and yours isn’t even in there yet. Doing them together results in disaster. I’ve decided that I’m just not doing it again. It’s expensive and so anti-social, so I’m becoming a pud-free zone with them. It’s actually not the expense. It’s anti-social and ends up with me feeling like I’m the (microwave) cook in a cafe, not actually part of what’s going on.
Painful as I’m the original “always good for pud” gal.
Although, as I type that, it occurs to me that I just have pud for dinner, after they have gone home. Win-win.
3. I have a bad back and the lawn needs scarifying. My back isn’t up to it, so I looked at hiring a petrol driven one . £81. For ONE day. Complained to my sister – we agreed to go 50/50 on an electric corded one for £70, so only £35 each and we will get () years of comfortable use out of it.
4. Offered to lend the scarifier to my neighbour, which he accepted. Also offered to lend him a cordless/battery powered cleaner for his driveway. He accepted. And then offered to do my driveway too, as thanks for saving him the time-intensive and backbreaking labour of scarifying and cleaning the driveway by hand. Yayyy!
5. The kitchen: I have written before about my conflict of hating my kitchen, but it being perfectly serviceable. I tried painting the hideous tiles. Better but not by much. And I have realised that my heart sinks every time I come in here, even when I’m not thinking about it. So, I’ve come to a halfway position. It isn’t the fully frugal “live with it” choice, but nor is it the £30k alternative. I’m getting rid of the wall cupboards, retiling and sanding down and staining/oiling the existing worktops. I am not brave enough to tile, but I will do the rest myself.
Oooh: no. 6: I did a power tools for beginners course with a local charity on Saturday, so I now feel confident enough to put up curtain poles, blinds and some shelving I’ve wanted done, and for which tradesmen were asking £350. Probably about two hours work for them. Probably 23 for me, but £175 an hour??? That is truly “taking the Berties”!
I would love to take a class on power tools. I can manage some things, but not others. I wish I could have taken shop way back in the olden days.
Bee, you might check with your local home improvement store. Some of them have beginner classes. It’s in their economic best interests to have more potential DIY customers.
Denise, Good for you working through the pudding escapades. As someone who has PTSD from holidays in a chaotic household as a child. I have to walk myself step by step through the minefield of get togethers. Small changes can bring big rewards in terms of my mental health and towards being of service to my family in whatever way I can.
“Pudding escapades”: brilliant!
Perhaps (to save time – frugal?) I’ll rename them Pudscapades. No one will know…
Trying to prop up a spendy time with all my frugal routines in prep for Eclipse trip.
1. Going to see the eclipse in our hometown. Flying, but short time off, so driving not possible. Splitting rental car and airport parking with best friends that are travelling with us. Staying with best college friend.
2. Will pack snacks for travel. No fancy clothes needed and have all the travel sized bottles, etc. we need for travel.
3. Will visit lots of old stomping grounds for mostly free entertainment.
4. No eating out this week. Eating up leftovers and using up last of perishables before we go.
5. Youngest son will check on our cats while we are gone. They are pretty chill and might even enjoy the time we are away! No cat sitters for us.
Katie, is your canvas fence cover a painting dropcloth? I’d love to do something similar with our fence that separates us from our neighbors’ backyard.
Yes, that’s exactly what it is.
Thank you for posting so frequently! It makes my day every time I see a new post :b
Some frugal fails this week including a car repair and booking our annual holidays to see family abroad (very expensive, but family is important to us, it’s all about perspective here)
Lots of tiny frugal wins though:
* Continue to wipe down the shower with towels we got when we got married over 20 years ago. They are super frayed and thin but they are the most absorbent towels ever and perfect for the job!
* My husband’s doctor wanted to put him on a 24 hour blood pressure monitor (he is anxious about going to the doctor and his blood pressure is always really high when there, but fine at home). Husband refused but agreed to send in a week of blood pressure measurement results taken at home with the blood pressure monitor we already own. 90 Euro saved. (The blood pressure monitor was 50 Euro!)
* My friend that has hens gave us a dozen eggs again. I gave her our stash of empty egg cartons. We go through a lot of eggs! Scrambled eggs are a lunch dish that our teens can make themselves and they frequently do.
* Continuing to boil just enough water for one cup.
* Had a bag ready for the charity shop, offered above mentioned friend a rummage through, she took a tote bag. The rest is off to the local charity shop as planned.
* Bought coarse sea salt by mistake. Ground it in the spice grinder. Lovely powdered fine sea salt was the result!
* Used up left over beans in spaghetti bolognaise sauce.
* Ordered a charger for a much loved and used tool (the charger was broken). Received two instead of just the one ordered! It is an older model so I guess they are trying to get rid of the old chargers, probably not much demand for them any more.
* My daughter had ordered a smart watch. She used it for two days, decided it was all just a hype and wants to return it and get her money back. Luckily we are still within the return period and I will post it back tomorrow. Since I co-paid for the watch that is also 50 Euro back in my pocket.
Also had one big frugal win:
Got a nice tax refund after finally submitting the form and receipts online.
1. Frugal fail, DH had a quick stomach virus and so we put off trip for a day and weren’t able to use our $27 train tickets, which had been purchased months in advance, to Baltimore. (New tickets for the next day would have been in excess of $300! Each!) However, we were able to find a flight and travel the next day. We used long term parking, and it all worked out. We were able to use the return train tickets, though, so they paid off.
2. For lunch on the way down, I cleaned out our refrigerator and made an interesting salad, and brought snacks from home. Bonus: refrigerator was clean when we got home and salad lunch was delicious.
3. For a friend’s birthday, I made her favorite cake: another friend with hens gave me the three eggs I needed. While the cake is consumable, does it still qualify as a non-consumer gift?
4. I fixed our plumbing: the pipes had been whistling and whistling (and driving me crazy) and I finally figured out the upstairs toilet needed a new flapper: feeling quite pleased with myself and with Youtube! This is my second toilet repair this year, having repaired the downstairs one a while back.
5. Brought a nice salad to a potluck at a friend’s house, and made a nice daffodil bouquet to bring, too.
Not a lot of frugal things going on in my neck of the woods. I’m hiring someone to take care of my yard including cleanup and getting rid of the swamp Yankee/white trash mess in the back by my shed. And then mowing the lawn all year. Because with my shoulder, I can’t do any of that. I’m also hiring someone to do a deep clean on my bathrooms and wash my floors once a month. I was awake all night pumping water the other day and the next day realized I have a ganglion cyst again on my wrist and it’s right at the artery. So I had to go to my hand specialist who built me a special brace to wear until we can actually take care of the wrist. my right shoulder surgery is six weeks from today. But at least I won’t really be driving anywhere or doing anything while I’m home for 12 weeks. I have been frantically knitting because I won’t be able to do that for a good six months after surgery. Sump pump should be installed in a few weeks. Then I will be able to sleep a lot better on rainy days. Here’s hoping for more frugal news the next time I comment.
Nancy, it sounds like you’re going through a lot right now. I hope things are better soon.
Wow, you have a lot going on at once, I’m so sorry. What are you knitting?
I’m working on two different projects: one is a sweater that I am making from leftover wool. So it’s just random stripes. The other is a lion brand wool kit of a wraparound shawl with sleeves. I can’t remember the name of it right now. But it’s all cables. It’s very pretty.
Those both sound amazing!
Nancy
That all sounds pretty grim, and I hope that your surgery goes well and you heal quickly.