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I signed up for Portland General Electric’s Peak Time Rebates program, where you “earn rebates on your bill by reducing your energy use during these peak times.” I looked through the small print and it doesn’t seem like there’s a possibility of being charged extra, so it’s a slam dunk win. Especially since we don’t have central air conditioning and only use an individual AC unit at night to be able to sleep comfortably.
Discount on my electric bill? Yes, please!
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I decanted all the starts I’ve been propagating on the kitchen windowsill and got everything planted, mostly in outside flowerpots as there’s still so much warm weather left to the year. I now have extra monstera, fuzzy bunny, purple heart, pothos and mint plants to enjoy — without spending a penny! Needless to say, I scavenged the potting soil from various unused flowerpots.
My favorite is the “purple heart,” which I combined with the “fuzzy bunny” and is now planted in a gorgeous flowerpot that I curb picked in early June. I really like the combination of deep rich colors.
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I accepted a pretty Venetian glass necklace from someone in my Buy Nothing group, that I’ll probably give to my niece for her upcoming birthday. It was perfect timing too, as I’ve been experiencing jet lag and it forced me to peel myself off the couch and go for an evening walk.
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• I did bring small gifts for my husband and kids from NYC, but they were simply unique Italian-food items from her grocery store. Inexpensive, tasty and didn’t add clutter into their lives.
• My son stopped by and the two of us walked to the library to return books.
• I baked a loaf of no-knead artisan bread, which costs maybe 25¢/loaf.
• My neighbors are off on an overseas adventure and they brought over a cucumber that would’ve gone to waste.
• I set a large ceramic flowerpot on the curb for someone else to enjoy. It was curb picked to begin with and I never truly liked it in the first place.
• My mother took me out to lunch and my meal was oddly greasy. I’ve ordered this specific dish in the past and knew this was an aberration, so I spoke to an employee and they agreed and remade the dish for me. I had them pack it to go, as I wasn’t actually all that hungry and then dropped it off for my lucky daughter to enjoy.
• I sold a Looney Toons Fiestaware plate* on eBay while I was away and I mailed it out using second hand supplies.
• I was out of bar soap, so stopped by Dollar Tree on my way back from lunch and picked up three $1.25 two-packs. I miss when they were 3/$1, but this is still cheaper than other places. I also grabbed a couple bottles of shampoo and conditioner since I was already there.
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No Lear Jet and no health issues from swimming in the Seine.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
1. I purchased bulk spices to refill my jars and made my own garlic salt mix.
2. I made a new batch of veggie burgers in my toaster oven. I needed to divide it into two batches but it didn’t heat my house up and I’m sure it still used less energy than my regular oven.
3. I made a small batch of blackberry jam using free berries.
4. I made sandwiches and brought them to my MIL’s house for lunch instead of buying takeout.
5. I bought a pair of never worn birkenstock sandals at an estate sale in my size for $20. I also bought a cute pair of Fitflop sandals for $4 and a pair of hemp patagonia summer pants for $3. I rarely find used shoes for my size 6 feet.
I picked buckets of blackberries for a barter w/cousin. He gives me ocean fish and I pick him gallons of berries from the farm.
I heavily mulched and trickle watered all of the orchard trees.
I started perennials to sell next Spring. A neighbor gave me a gallon of french blue paint to repaint my once former blue gate that I painted black in the early summer.
A local gas station was celebrating their 1 yr anniversary with .25 off and I filled all of the farm’s 5 gallon cans.
My credit card company sent me a “are you okay” card because of lack of spending. I think I’ll frame it.
I did not buy a new tractor or any fun implements.
Just make sure they don’t change your credit limit one way or the other.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, I want you to know how much my heart lifted when I read about the blue paint for your gate. Gotta keep up appearances, you know! Clearly your neighbours prefer you to retain your signature blue gate. Made me smile.
1. I rode my bike to pick up library books and grapes from buy nothing group.
2. I moved 2 sewing projects forward a little bit, both of them use repurposed fabric
3. Watered the fruit trees with water from rain barrels. Since we haven’t had any rain since May, I’m very pleased the stored water had lasted this long.
4. Hung a screen, saved from a previous house, in the back garage door to see if we could decrease numbers of flies entering house. Garage leads to kitchen and the kitchen door is where the flies enter, but I can’t put a screen on that door. Screen was already paid for so it’s worth a try.
5. Found a gifted bar of soap when I needed one. Used a Walmart coupon for a free pot of Cerave.
6. Gathering love-in-a-mist seeds
https://pin.it/4kjMQfTEr
1. I watched my cousin’s 3 boys at their home for her last night. She was gifted concert tickets for her birthday. She paid for pizza for dinner. I brought Yahtzee and Trouble to play with them. The little one fell asleep on me watching The Mario Movie which I hadn’t seen yet. Got home after midnight so I am tired this morning. It’s supposed to be over 90 today so I am just cleaning today.
2. While I was babysitting, Hubby returned some item’s to Lowes and got a few more things that we need for the basement project. I see the end in sight. He then went to visit his dad and step mom. He got and brought rolls(12 for $4), lots of cherry tomatoes and figs from the garden. He also got us rolls.
3. Saturday we grilled 4 ears of corn, 4 baked potatoes, 4 sweet potatoes, 3 burgers and a bunch of chicken cutlets. I made 2 batches of pesto, 1 DF, , 1 with, both with almonds that I wanted to use up. I didn’t have to cook Saturday night or Sunday. I don’t plan on cooking today either.
4. Garden is doing great. Cherry tomatoes are non stop. I’m getting about a quart a day. Figs are stilling going. Swiss chard, lettuce, parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano are being cut every few days. Dehydrator is running outside a lot. Salads are being eaten almost daily. I picked the first few cucumbers. I will be making pickles soon. We had our first meal of string beans. Still waiting on the first spaghetti squash.
5. Chicken cutlets were $1.79 a pound limit 2 packs. I also used my son’s card so I was able to get 4. I got the biggest ones they had. I vacuum sealed them. Corn on the cob was 4 for $1. I got 16. I will freeze 1/2 for the winter.
6. My youngest daughter, my friend, her neighbor and I did a puzzle competition at the library. We had never done one before. It was a lot of fun. We came in 4th place. 1st place got prizes. They had snacks and drinks so we enjoyed those. My friend is on the library board. The librarian told us to take extra snacks home. You don’t have to tell me twice.
1.July was an expensive month for me as we had family company for 3 weeks (3 different family groups for one week each) I did cook with food I had stocked up on and I didn’t buy any new items for the house but we still spent a lot on groceries, gas and a sitter for my grandson for a couple different days so we could entertain and take them sightseeing. I am now looking forward to a no spend August and lots of time at home!
2. Our grandson is starting a 3 morning per week preschool and they were offering a free morning of gymnastics (it’s located next door to a gymnastics studio) which he very much enjoyed.
3. My sister-in-law and I really enjoy thrifting so I waited until she visited and we spent an afternoon thrifting. Found a much needed pair of shorts for myself and one for my husband, a pair of boots for me and 2 pairs of pants and a jacket for my grandson.
4. One of the things we did with family was attend a concert. We got the least expensive tickets available, found free parking a little bit away and each concert goer could take in a bag with drink or food. We ate a big lunch before we went and took snacks and water in so no other money was spent.
5. I:
-refilled a spray bottle with bulk purchased cleaner
– watched the Olympics using our tv antenna
– am reading my library book of The Women by Kristin Hannah
– spent the weekend cleaning and putting the house back in order while my
husband was on a much needed “guys weekend”. He’s a winner as he took
the bus to the airport for$2.75 (I picked him up on the return) and he
traveled with only a backpack for no luggage fees. I’m pretty sure that a beer
was purchased on his long layover but I’ll give him that 🙂
I don’t have anything big or dramatic, just trying to stay in a frugal state of mind for little things.
1. I did a massive grocery shop to use a $19 off a $199 purchase coupon. That included free frozen vegetables. I didn’t buy anything we won’t use.
2. I made a meal for neighbors who had a death in the family and at the same time, a meal for college grandson, who appreciates some grandma food waiting in the freezer. The meal included clearance brownie mix (marked down because the box was mashed) from the big grocery shop and baked butternut squash from my freezer. The squash made 4 big servings for neighbors, grandson and me and it freed up a chunk of freezer space . The squash came up volunteer in my garden last year so it was free to begin with. In exploring the freezer, I found a lost bag of cornmeal.
3. I bought bok choy a while back, had one serving and really didn’t enjoy it. I cooked the rest in leftover sausage grease and added it to the dogs’ dinner.
4. Accidentally frugal- our ice maker quit working again. It is a recurring problem. I contacted our handyman who has a magic touch with it. Then the ice maker healed itself and started working.
5. Friends returned jigsaw puzzles we had already worked. We rehomed them to a couple of different places, some to a public library, some to a school library and some to a friend.
6. I started plant cuttings in 2 pots for a friend. Already had the plants and the pots.
Katy, that purple plant is perfect for that pot. They really go together. I don’t know about your area, but farther south, that one will live year round in the ground if the winter is not too harsh. It is nice to see the purple sprouts poking out of the soil in the spring.
1. I am writing thank you notes on notes that were in my stationery stash. I assembled this stash several years ago and am working my way through it.
2. I will be using postage stamps that were purchased before the rates went up in July.
3. We are using up leftovers from when we had company last week..
4. I am reinstituting my tracker for expenses and savings.
Frugal fail #1:My refrigerator/freezer once again stopped working. (We will now have a moment of silence for my dead appliance….) The repairman said since this is the 3rd or 4th time he’s had to come out about the same thing (freon leak), it’s time to replace it. I said it’s “only” 15 years old, and he told me I’m lucky it’s lasted this long. My parents had 2 refrigerators in their 55-year marriage, and both lasted 25 to 30 years. (I left the second one in the house when I sold it, so for all I know it may STILL be working.) So I was a bit miffed that my Maytag fridge was on the fritz this early. And that I had to pay $95 for the service charge.
Frugal win #1: I researched online and found a scratch and dent store that I didn’t know existed; it had a new fridge for only about $500. Sadly, it didn’t open until after I had to go to work and it was clear on the other side of town. So I knew I’d have to wait until my shift ended.
Frugal win #2: Upon leaving work, I got the idea to run by the Salvation Army Thrift Store. They usually don’t have appliances, but once in a blue moon, they’ve had refrigerators. Sure enough, there was a refrigerator/freezer for sale, plugged in and working. And it was a sale day — everything in the store was 25% off. Even more amazing, it was a GE — the repairman said he thinks GE and Hotpoint make the best refrigerators these days — and it had an automatic icemaker. Salvation Army will deliver for $25. So I bought the fridge and paid the delivery charge. Total cost was $188. (Frugal fail #1.5: Had I waited until Saturday, I could’ve gotten it for half price. But had I waited, someone else might have bought it.)
Frugal win #2: Called my handyman. He often picks up metal for recycling; he’s hauled off items for me for free if I let him pocket the money he gets from the recycling place. He agreed to do it, just one problem: he sold his truck. But he promised to find someone with a truck and do it anyway.
Frugal fail #2: Handyman comes over to disconnect dead fridge and get it out of the way so the new one can be installed. He asks “what is this skinny copper pipe?” It was the water intake tube for the automatic ice maker. He disconnect it and water spews all over the kitchen, the tube spins around like a whirlybird. It’s not even as thick as a drinking straw. but boy can it shoot out the water. It looks like something from “I Love Lucy”!
I tell him, “Go under the sink, there’s a shutoff valve.” Of course, the cabinet under my sink, like most folks’, has tons of cleaning products jammed in there and it takes him a minute to even find the valve. Meanwhile, I’m holding the copper tube and sticking it in the trash can (full of trash) to contain the water, while grabbing a second trash can for the same purpose. As soon as the first can is full, I put the tube in the second one and rush out to the back yard for the big trash can (luckily, it’s empty). I stick the tube in there and the handman says he can’t shut off the valve, he needs some pliers. Can’t find them but I have an adjustable wrench. It doesn’t work. I tell him to go shut it off at the curb. He goes outside and comes running back. Some wild bees have made a hive inside my water meter; they fly in and out of the hole on the metal cover. Handyman has suffered five bites, and while I’m running to get him some medicine, he calls a friend. Meanwhile, the big trashcan is almost full so I run to the back pa tio and grab a disconnected water hose; we put the tube in one end and put the other end in the sink so the water goes down the drain. Although we still have some leaking here and there. The friend comes over with his tools and shuts the water off. He’s a plumber; I think “OMG, this is going to cost me!”
Frugal win #3: Handyman tells his plumber friend what all has happened; the plumber does not charge me any money. He says “you’ve had a bad enough day already.” As he’s leaving, I thank him and promise to call him next time I need a plumber.
Frugal fail #3: I have to call an exterminator for the wild bees. We’re afraid they may be part Africanized/killer bees. I’m friends with the exterminator so he agrees to come out even though it’s after work hours. He puts on a beekeeper suit and blasts those buggers into oblivion. Turns out they were there long enough to produce several plates of honey, which we can’t eat bc of the insecticide. He scrapes all the dead bees off the underside of the water meter cover; there were 100s of them, and plugs up the hole with steel wool. He comes in and presents me with a $250 bill for his services.
Frugal win #4: He says it’s a discounted price and agrees to let me pay it out.
Frugal win #5: Handyman is OK except for being sore, and is not suing me for the bee stings.
I still have not gotten the dead refrigerator gone yet, but the Salvation Army folks delivered my new fridge this morning. Turns out it is a bit smaller than what I had before, but I will make do.
Oh, I almost forgot:
Frugal win #6: Salvation Army won’t take checks, I don’t carry around a big amount of cash, so I used the credit card that gives me 5% cash back on my purchases — and bought the refrigerator on the spot. As long as I pay the cc bill by the end of the month, I will be ahead a few more dollars. (If not, it’ll be a frugal fail, as I’ll be charged interest.)
Oh wow, I read your comment Faster and FASTER because I couldn’t believe how much worse it was getting. GAH. Poor you, glad you now have a new fridge, I guess your savings on the fridge go toward the handyman and the exterminator, but jeesh..
Good heavens! Dead appliances, floods, BEES! The universe owes you big!
DANG!
That’s a LOT of wins and fails- like a rollercoaster!
BTW: There are beekeepers who can relocate and work with wild bees. They may have just been a swarming from a main hive, and they tend to be aggressive. If this happens again, try a bee service first.
Fru-gal Lisa, after a day like that one, I think I’d be in the not-so-funny farm. I’m glad that you’re still standing and have maintained your characteristic sense of humor.
I have never read an entire blog entry to my husband but I did this one. You deserve a medal for not coming unglued during the incident!
Oh, Lindsey, I was coming unglued, believe me!
Fru-gal Lisa, wow! Your account was riveting (and hilarious if it weren’t so awful). I could picture all of it and yes, it would make a great episode on I Love Lucy.
Oh My. That’s all I have to say and also good job on the refrigerator purchase. I can’t believe how badly refrigerators are made now days. My last one lasted 7 years which is average. I bought a GE refrigerator and so far so good.
1. I found a penny in the Aldi parking lot which I picked up. I did not take the cart with the quarter still in it as I figured some one else could use it more than I could. At Aldi I just bought produce.
2. Lunch today was GF pasta with Southwest flavored tempeh cubes (very cheap at the Grocery Outlet a few weeks ago), with leftover corn, and a bit of cheddar cheese.
3. We took a curb picked bike to a neighboring suburb to drop it off for an organization that gives bikes away after restoring them. It was good to get it out of our breezeway. I also listed items on Freecycle that were languishing there.
4. We watched the second season of a show on hoopla! (access provided with your library card) that currently has the first season on PBS. I downloaded several audio books from the library and also just requested a few DVDs of movies that played recently in the theater. Hopefully our local branch of the library will reopen at the end of the month as it has been eighteen months since they closed for renovations.
5. It was hot yesterday so DD brought over a puzzle she had been gifted. The three of us worked on it for a while.
Topped off my gas tank with Circle K was having “Forty cents off/gallon” special from 4-7pm last week., combined with my Circle K Rewards (free, and got another nickel off!) to get gas for $2.92/gallon!
More overripe bananas taken home from work at end of week!
Reading library books.
Neighbor shared some home baked brownies!
Tropical Storm Debby sat on us all day Sunday, so no going anywhere meant no money was spent! I did some rainy day baking with things I had on hand – one of which was Frugal Girls “No stir Granola”!
Katy, the combo of purple plant and pot is just lovely.
Yesterday a noticeable hole appeared in the ankle of the only pantyhose I own as I was getting dressed to attend a funeral. I mended it with clear nail polish and some super thin light tan polyester thread well enough that it looked like a small scratch on my ankle. Potential wardrobe malfunction averted.
Using stuff from the pantry and freezer, I cooked an Italian-style meatloaf, brownies, and a side dish of quinoa with spinach and cherry tomatoes, all of which are gluten-free to fit DH’s diet, and made myself a vegetarian casserole to use up the loads of bits and bobs of veggies in the freezer. The base was a big can of kidney beans from my favorite clearance store — yum! Rack dried more laundry on the back porch, read a library book, and unearthed from a closet a big toy that had not appealed to my son’s cat and showed my cat how it works. She liked it and started playing with it.
1. Watermelon was on a terrific sale so bought four, kept the tastiest one for instant devouring, and dehydrated the other three for winter snacks. Which reminds me, I think it was here I told someone about dehydrating excess strawberries. I should have given credit to Donna Freedman’s blog Surviving and Thriving, who recently taught me this. I have done two sessions of making them for winter use and loved the results.
2. I am saving huge bucks on daily eaten produce and freezing produce for winter use, all due to my garden. Really, the money investment in seeds and water, plus the sweat equity are giving me better returns than the stock market ever has! At the end of the summer I will be able to figure out exactly what we are saving.
3. Did a grocery shop giving us $30 of free groceries. It is a pick up so takes very little time.
4. Went to a local politician’s community picnic. Husband and I had a hot dog and (more) watermelon dinner and enjoyed seeing our neighbors, as it was advertised only to five streets so a lot of us know each other by dog, if nothing else.
5. As usual, the library.
Lindsey, re: the “better returns than the stock market ever has” in your #2: They may be even better than you thought at first, given what the stock market has been up to today…
And I chuckled at “a lot of us know each other by dog” in your #4. Many folks who don’t live on our street find our quiet cul-de-sac a good place to exercise their Fidos and Rovers, and although I don’t always recognize the humans, I always know the dogs.
Lindsey, your politician picnic reminded me of a good one you and your DH may enjoy. (And yes, it’s a true story.)
Years ago, President Reagan’s program to eliminate government waste had the USDA (?, I think it was) issue new guidelines about school lunches. One of the guidelines allowed school cafeterias to count ketchup as a vegetable.
This did not bode well with one Republican in the U.S. Senate. He said something to the effect of, “I may not know about a lot of things, but I know all about ketchup — and ketchup is NOT a vegetable.” The guy’s name was Senator Heinz; and yes, he was kin to the Heinz ketchup dynasty.
I’m not even sure what happened to the proposed guideline, but…..
For years and years after that, any time there was a barbecue, fish fry or picnic among the Democrats in my state, they would have a sign on the buffet table/serving line, labeling the ketchup “Republican Vegetables.” LOL!
I have an edited volume coming out early next year and one of the chapters is on the ketchup-as-vegetable debate!
1. I picked the last of the summer raspberries this morning…only three…but I noticed there are lots of tiny, green raspberries on some of the newer canes. These raspberry bushes always put out a bumper crop of fruit in the fall.
2. I found a dime on the floor in the grocery store and a penny in the parking lot.
3. DH found a golf ball today to add to his stash. He walks along a public road that abuts a driving range and often finds errant golf balls in the road. One day he came home with a pocketful of eight golf balls. He shares his wealth with fellow golf buddies.
4. I moved a lamp I already own from a corner where light is not needed to a table beside the couch where I often read. Can’t imagine why I didn’t think of this sooner.
5. Encouraged by the Frugal Girl, I ‘m reading Amy D.’s The Tightwad Gazette again. Like this site, it’s a shot in the arm of frugal ideas and like mindedness.
Christine, some where in Amy Daczyczn’s Tightwad Gazette books IIRC, there is a write-up about some place you can trade in old, ruined golf balls for new ones. One brand has a guarantee on its product. At the time, the OP said he’d send the defective ball in and they would send him back a brand new package of 3 balls. (I believe he said he’d send in a ball that he’d accidently cut with his club or something.) Not sure what company, and not sure if they still do it, but your husband might be able to benefit from that info. Look in the index of your TG book to see if it’s in there.
Thanks for the information. I had no idea but I haven’t reached that part of The Tightwad Gazette yet! Lol.
FFT, Moving into August Edition:
(1) My July bottle/can deposit total was $60.50 (a new personal 1-month best). But my found change total was only 79 cents. Win a few, lose a few.
(2) My National Grid bill for the month (electricity and gas) was $41 and change, most of which was again for delivery charges. Gas supply came to precisely $1.20, and electricity supply to $0 due to the solar panels and an unusually sunny July. Once again, thank you, DH, for having those solar panels installed.
(3) I made an unusual find on the Depression-era brick steps that lead from the end of our cul-de-sac down to the main drag below: a full container of Goya Adobo seasoning, next to a wrapper for an individual dill pickle. (Huh???) But I brought home the seasoning, tested it on an ear of sweet corn, and didn’t die, so I’m using it.
(4) After a lengthy drought, we finally had a glorious downpour Friday evening, and I got gloriously soaked shoving 5-gallon buckets under the mini-Niagara Falls coming off the roof of my next-door neighbor to the north. (DH and I had real rain barrels for a few years–but having to set them up in the spring and take them down in the fall, thanks to Central NY winters, got to be a PITA after a while.)
(5) And I’m now picking cherry tomatoes every day off my other next-door neighbor’s (NDN’s) and my two plants in pots behind her chain-link fence. Unfortunately, a few days ago, I discovered that a woodchuck had managed to squeeze under NDN’s gate and seemed to be considering a jump shot into one of the pots. I chased him/her off with what Jane Austen would probably have described as Pride and Extreme Prejudice.
I’m chuckling at your last sentence about chasing off the woodchuck with Pride and Extreme Prejudice. Good one A. Marie! Hopefully that will keep him/her away, at least for awhile.
I have been using things I already own.
1. I had a chair cover that I bought during COVID lockdown. I didn’t use it for the intended chair. I pulled it out today, wrestled with it, & put it on hubby’s recliner. It will keep the cloth upholstery clean. It also looks better than the Darth Vader tee shirt that I was using for a chair cover.
2. My Otter Box phone case broke. Yes, they have a lifetime warranty but the shipping for the replacement is $9.99. I found a phone case I forgot I had. (I may be sorry I did not replace the Otter Box if I drop the phone.)
3. I read in a local newsletter that certain cities in South Florida get a discount on their flood insurance. I saw my city gets a 25% FEMA discount. I plan to call my insurance man to see if my premium reflects my discount.
4. I have been eating food from the freezer & pantry that I stored in my condo when I last stayed here. My neighbor brought over a large salad for me today.
5. My neighbor picked me up from the airport & will drop me off when I go home. She works near the airport so I book a flight to suit her work schedule. (I have taken her to the airport & to drop her car off for repairs. We trade off favors.)
No-kneed Artisan Bread recipe? Sounds amazing. Please share the recipe.
Katy, don’t tease us. Can’t you supply the recipe for the “no-knead artisan bread?”
@Cindy Brick and @Jen Eldredge – Katy has some great recipes if you search in the right hand sidebar under the category Cheap Eats. The great recipe is not on the first page that comes up, go back to ‘previous entries’ (link at bottom of the page) I don’t think I can put the URL in here but after the non consumer advocate URL add /cheap-eats-one-hour-bread-2/
I’m trying to focus on more plant and bean based meals to loose some weight. I made kale salad with beans and beets, rice and beans with garden veggies, and zucchini “lasagne” with some gifted zucchini. We had friends over a few times, once we caved and ordered pizza, another time we grilled burgers and hot dogs we had on hand. Back to baking sourdough after a break with the heat. I did buy some awesome produce at the farmers market, not cheap but worth it. Took a home made fruit and veggie tray to a party with what I hand on hand.
There was a business moving and they were selling all of their office equipment. I bought a few things for my office but they were throwing a lot of stuff away. Went back later and dumpster diving to find tons more office supplies, 2 monitors, a large printer stand, a laser printer, a tablet, mops and brooms. I took as much as I possibly could.
Sold a few things on eBay. Money in junk out.
Bought some building materials at the salvage store, saving us over $20,000.
I needed some magnets for a project with my kids. Instead of buying some at a dollar store, I cut up some old ones on the fridge and it worked fine.
I bought some cheap summer snacks on clearance at Big Lots. They carry a lot of organic healthier brands.
I would love some more detail on how you saved $20,000 at the salvage store.
@Jill A – if you’ve purchased lumber lately, it’d be apparent. A single “skinny” board (cedar) is $18. Haven’t priced any 2′ x 4′ (which aren’t even that actual size these days) or plywood as of late. I have no reason to doubt Susan. Windows/doors from any mfg aren’t cheap either.
5 Frugal things – or not!
1) I have been tempted by the back to school sales! The appeal of fresh new pens, markers, paints and most especially journals, with fresh paper is never lost with me! In the end, I just bought my tried and true Uncalendar (by people systems) and a few pens from Muji! Uncalendar is not cheap, but definitely frugal- you can handle your whole life from that one journal.
2) My neighborhood is bursting with plums, figs and new young apples and pears! Plus, my garden has been generous with herbs, roses, and greens! I have been buying from the farmers market to supplement and this is the time of year to eat really well of nature’s bounty.
3) I bought a dehydrator for $5 from a garage sale- perfect timing for all of the italian & japanese style plums everywhere! The Santa Rosa plums I will eat fresh every day and make a syrup for tea drinks from!
4) Cancelled my old house insurance policy and bought a new one. This will save me $2000/year!
5) My plans to revamp my bedroom has been on hold- but I will be using my discount at Parkrose Hardware for paint VERY soon!
Great score on the dehydrator! And tremendous savings on your house insurance! Good for you on both counts.
Recently, in the last month, I received an ebay order. After opening the small box, I realized that the box it was packed in was a couscous box in a previous life, that had be disassembles/unglued and turned inside out to make the mailing box. Waste not, want not!
Howdy all!,
1. The tomato plant a coworker gifted me has given me 5 to 6 tomatoes every day. I’m actually kind of tired of eating tomatoes, but I’ve been sharing them with my neighbors.
2. I volunteered over the weekend for the pan mass challenge (the largest global single event fundraiser) and we had extra nectarines and plums. So I brought home a few to nibble on as well as an extra loaf of bread. (The pan mass challenge raises money for cancer, research, drugs, etc. This year, we hope our combined donations will make $1 billion donated over all time.)
3. Very tired from working both days so yesterday, I was a sloth, but I did make it out to Aldi‘s for half gallon of milk and a quart of plain yogurt for my refrigerator oatmeal. And a package of mushrooms for $1.59.
4. I still have another 4 to 6 weeks at home before I have to go back to work. I’ve been filling up my car about every three weeks. So it has been wonderful wonderful wonderful.
5. I went to visit my son last Monday, hooked up a small antenna to his TV so they could watch the Olympics. But then his roommates cat bit me and when I woke up Tuesday, my hand was swollen and very red. So, a trip to the urgent care (but I’ve hit my out-of-pocket for the year since I had surgery, so none of this will cost me anything). Had to get a tetanus shot and then had to find out if the cats were fully vaccinated or I would’ve had to go for rabies shots. Thankfully, they were fully vaccinated, and I only needed the antibiotics and tetanus.
Stay safe and cool everyone!!
Kudos to you for volunteering for the PanMass Challenge. Thank you.
1. Savings during the house addition continues: DH has moved some lights to outside of the new part of the house, (instead of buying new ones) as they weren’t needed anymore as the location they used to be in is now INSIDE the house (if that makes sense).
2. Decided not to replace the 6 year old water tank that we are moving. I know they don’t last much longer than that, but we may get lucky and it may last a couple or years more.
3. My dad insisted on filling up my tank as I was driving him around doing errands.
4. My dad got a free pillow when he bought a new mattress, and gave it to me, it’s a lovely organic cotton one, retails for $69. I tried to get him to replace one of his old ones with it, but he said his are fine (they are not, but he doesn’t listen to me).
5. Bought a nearly new Epicure stainless steel teapot for $5 at the thrift store. I should be able to resell it for $20 ish.
@Alison, I am sure your plumber will suggest it, but with your water heater being moved, it is a great time to totally drain and sluce out the tank – often you get ‘gunk’ building up, maybe rust or whatever, and it means the tank might not last as long or has to work harder if the elements are affected. you also have the chance to inspect the elements while it is decommissioned. I remember replacing an element on an older tank once, it was much cheaper than replacing the tank! Good luck with all of your Renos – always a challenge to live in the house while the Renos are happening.
Draining out some water once a year is good maintenance. We have a floor drain not far from ours so it makes it easy.
FFT the post covid edition Jul 31
OMG people, I keep not getting this stuff posted, so voila – a veritable novel…. More to come as this only takes us to around Aug 2… LOL. thanks to everyone for inspiring and reminding me of all the frugal things I do and I could be doing.
1. I came home from my lovely Bus Trip around my enormous province (and we only covered a tiny section!!) to the expected garden-needing-big-time-weeding. I still had some family commitments, what with my sister and BIL still on this coast, so other than one madly efficient session with a friend in my sadly overgrown bean patch (bonus girlfriend time!), the garden wasn’t on my schedule and was beginning to really take off. Then I got Covid [for the first time] (likely due to my less than committed mask wearing on the trip) and I was knocked down for at least 10 days. GAH.
2. However, I have almost completely recovered, save for recurring dizziness and ongoing enervation, and have spent the last 5 days pretty well fully engaged in the garden.
3. I’ve pulled all my garlic, dried half on the lawn and brought it in before this week’s delicious rain. The other half is piled in my wheelbarrow and I Tetrissed THAT into my shed before the rain. Feeling chuffed about getting it all into dry places as the much-needed rain comes down. I figure I have close to 1000 bulbs, but some are not looking awesome, so I might spend some time peeling and slicing them and drying them – I have been so happy to have sliced dried garlic in my pantry from the last time i did that, it can be ground into powdered when I need some, and the flakes go into soups and stews when I am in a hurry. Friends and family will be benefitting.
4. Speaking of garlic, I also have carefully harvested many different varieties that I have ‘started’ with bulbils. Garlic scapes, if left to their own devices, may mean that the garlic bulbs are smaller, but the scapes themselves contain multitudes (sometimes 50 or more) of ‘bulbils’, which are small (even TINY) little garlic cloves that can be ‘grown out’ over a 2-3 year period to give you full bulbs. I am a member of Seeds of Diversity Canada (seeds.ca) and as such can request 5 varieties for $15.
This last year, I received my first 5 varieties, and planted them. I then sent a note with another $15 and suggested that, since I could plant late in the season, perhaps they could send me some ‘leftovers’ as they don’t hold over for the next year. I ended up with another 13 or so varieties (!!), that I planted in one gallon pots for this first year. One sunny day when I was recoving from Covid, I found the time to sort through each pot – each variety is now in labelled paper bags, curing and waiting to be re-planted. It is a fun project, and now that my raised beds are pretty well weed free, I will be able to continue this experiment there this winter, instead of just gallon pots.
5. I haven’t been out to stores for weeks, saving me many $ in random purchases. There are a few things I would like to have for meals, but I am making do with my pantry staples.
6. Sold 10 dozen eggs to a friend up the road who has a market stand. She no longer has chickens but her customers come looking for them, so it is a win-win deal: I have a plethora of eggs and she helped me out by buying them.
7. Speaking of eggs, frugal fail – I have discovered TWO nests of well over a dozen eggs that the hens have stashed – one in my compost, one tucked behind some garden pots. I just walked away yesterday when I saw them, but today I have pulled them all out, floated and scrubbed them and I will open judiciously into a small bowl before doing some baking.
8. Zucchini has been producing, as it does. I found an almost-canoe yesterday, so am planning some breads/muffins to deal with the excess. I’m also going to try drying some and making ‘flour’ – for a giggle as much as anything else. I am not a fan of zucchini, so often am hiding it from myself when I cook a meal, LOL.
9. I have a LOT of squash plants, so this fall is going to be a delightful time of discovering what is hidden under all those leaves… I am planning more squash based meals as they are so good for us, low in calories and high in nutrients, and anyway I am going to have a bajillion spread all over my house in October!
10. Oh, and I cut the kid’s hair, again – adult kids, that is. My daughter wanted a bang trim and I have learned how ‘springy’ her hair is, so chose to cut off half of what she was suggesting… turned out I was right, (for once). My Middle son has a wild mop that was getting annoying to him, so as well as the usual buzz cut over his ears and around the back (very cool, I am told), I took scissors to the jughead wildness and seem to have successfully tamed it for now. Both kids told me how much they love this time together, not just for the money savings (which are considerable now, considering how long I have cut their hair). They just find it to be a close intimate opportunity for us to be together, in a gentle connected way. I cut each kid’s hair separately, so this really is a one-on-one opportunity that we don’t often get.
11. I have received my online order of a dog toenail grinder, which cost half of what I pay every 5-6 weeks for the dog to get it done by ‘professionals’. We used to have to get her knocked out by the vet she was so frightened! She has had it done for a couple of years by the groomers, and if she gets enough treats she is fine. I am allowed to trim the hairs between her toes (with treats) so I think I can now convince her to let me do her nails, too. Wish me luck – if it works I will be saving several hundred dollars a year.
I just finished pulling all my onion and garlic yesterday. I’ve been pulling some every day but plan on replanting with a fall crop of peas so now I have to finish. I tie the garlic in bundles and hang them in the barn to cure. The onions go on our front porch.
Dollar Tree for the win! Love that store!
1. I found a Kwik Sew pattern for a bra for .99 at the local thrift store so decided to try making a pretty one as opposed to my usual sports bras. I used scraps of fabric and findings I had saved from old bras. I did have to order special elastic but plan on making more and the cost is minimal. It turned out ok and I will tweek the next one for a better fit. I have three more cut out.
2. Been picking berries (raspberries, strawberries and blackberries) every evening. I have a new rule, fresh produce gets frozen after 24 hours if not used up. Been freezing the berries, beans, peas and zucchini using recycled plastic containers from yogurt etc.
3. Trying a new baked zucchini recipe every day, muffins and breads. The last one was a hit as my husband ate three yesterday. Freezing these as well.
4. I used reconstituted skim milk powder in the above baked goods instead of whole milk.
5. Cut up old socks that my husband had set aside for rags to tie up my tomato plants.
6. Washed and hung up plastic bags to be reused for home made bread, and freezing.
7. Screened compost for my husband’s home grown medicinal herbs. I did an experiment last year using 1. spent potting soil, 2. new potting soil and 3. compost for growing three plants. The one that was in compost was a giant so that is what we will be using from now on.
8. I used the wrappers from squares of margarine that I save in a plastic container in the fridge to grease the pans for zucchini bread.
9. Water the house plants, outside planters and plantings around the house with recycled bath water. I collect it in empty 3 and 4 litre vinegar containers.
1.) I know this is small, but I’ve gotten like 7 different pennies just from picking them up on the street 7 different times.
2.) In addition to my regular job, I’ve been dog sitting a lot.
3.) I attended a free Money Workshop at my church, which was very helpful. I’m finally going to start managing money better!
4.) I’ve cancelled several subscriptions and am looking to cancel more.
5.) I resisted the urge to use ride share many many times.
Resisting the rideshare urge is a real struggle! Congratulations! (From someone who took an uber 10 minutes because it was pouring rain yesterday and the bus wasn’t coming)
1. Went to an incredible concert at Citi Field last night! Brought our own water bottles to refill over and over again as it was HOT. I was grateful for the water fountains everywhere too!
2. Eating through the freezer and pantry this week to stretch time between visits to the grocery store. With so much time in and out of town, there is a veritable goldmine of snacks we’ve been stashing away. Whichever one of us snagged bags of doritos from a work event – I was happy to find them today!
3. Found a wedding guest dress on Poshmark I’ve wanted for a long time at a steep discount. I am now looking forward to wearing it to every baby shower and bridal shower in between now and the event in September as well.
4. It’s my birthday next week! My friends are taking me out to dinner this week for NYC Restaurant Week. We love restaurant weeks because it lets us eat at places that ordinarily would be waaaaay out of our price range. We are looking forward to an evening of seafood and lots and lots of catching up.
5. Coffee at home every morning continues along with the rest of the usual frugal suspects 🙂
Katy the peak time rebates are great. Last month I got over $20 credit and yesterday I earned $4.
I just got a notification that we didn’t qualify for that specific rebate since we weren’t home during the hours it specified, which is confusing.
And they know that how? I have been getting the rebates since winter and I think there have been days I got home after it started.
My electric company breaks down daily usage into four six hour periods. Better half is retired, I work from home. We use 25% during each six hour period. So I suspect your electricity company is doing a similar thing and assuming your aren’t home due to good habits.
I got notice of another rebate period for today between 5 and 8 P.M., so I turned out off the whole house fan and the living room ceiling fan as we’re not going to be home. I’m curious if it’ll help.