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I received a $2.21 “Peak Time” rebate on my electric bill for decreasing my electricity usage from 5-8 P.M. on a specific day. Portland General Electric sent me a head’s up text the day before, so I knew to be deliberate with my electricity. It just so happens that we was going to be out of town that day, so it was no sacrifice.
However, I’d somehow not earned that same rebate on a day my husband and I were also at the Oregon coast, so I thought about what to do differently this time. I turned off the air purifiers that we run 24/7, as well as the whole house fan that we also run all summer. (Asthma gal likes the cleanest air possible!) Apparently this was enough to make a difference. I’ll remember these changes for the next peak time notification, as I’m perfectly fine to go without them for a couple of hours every now and then.
As a reminder, we have simple window unit air conditioners and only run them if we’re cooling off a bedroom for sleep. So there’s not actually that much to cut from our normal electricity usage.
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I made another batch of blackberry jam from the berries that I foraged during our overnight anniversary trip to Astoria, Oregon. I now have fifteen jars in the basement, which should get us through until next year. Lucky that I stashed a couple big zip-top bags in my purse for the 4-1/2 pounds of berries that I gathered!
Considering that a single jar of Bonne Maman blackberry jam is $7, I dub this a frugal win of the highest order!
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My husband and I stopped at a Home Depot that’s directly off the freeway on our way home from the Oregon coast. My husband and his brothers are madly working to ready his late parent’s house for sale and the light is finally at the end of the tunnel. The carpet needs to be replaced, so we stopped in to choose the style and arrange for installation without it being an extra errand.
There was a lot of delayed maintenance that created unnecessary problems with the house and it’s all extra complicated by there being no will or financial cushion. My husband and I are paying for everything out of pocket and getting the house sold is how we can repay our savings.
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• I sold some pretty silver upholstery fabric* that I’d listed on eBay at least two years ago. (Forty bucks, minus fees!) I love selling fabric as it takes up almost no space to store and is the freaking easiest thing to mail out, as it slips into a mailer bag and there’s zero chance of it breaking en route!
• I used the cooled down canning water to water my backyard plants.
• My husband and I shared a plate of fish-and-chips for our anniversary dinner.
• I batched errands, which allowed me to stop by a specific garage sale, bring my husband the packed lunch he forgot at home, pick up my library holds and stop into Fred Meyer for sugar. These stops created a logical loop to avoid going back and forth for single errands.
• I bought a $1 pair of kitchen tongs at the garage sale.
• I froze the additional blackberries.
• Our next door neighbor fed the cat while we were out of town. We took in their mail and watered their plants when they were out of town last month. No money changes hands, just neighborly good vibes. -
No Lear Jet and I didn’t fly myself to France to show off my awesome break dancing moves.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
Very envious of lunch at the Bowpicker! Love that place. Also, sending good & expedient thoughts for getting your ILs house ready to sell, netting a good price & being able to get yourself repaid in a timely way.
1) FINALLY agreed on how to use our United flight credits. (We were supposed to go to Turkey to visit my ILs this spring, but a family member was ill.) We can’t corral the teens for a family trip due to different college/high school schedules, but DH & I are going to Europe together. Which, we’ve never done before! We aligned on Spain. We booked two business class tickets to Madrid for $785 out of pocket (after the credits), which is a pretty smoking deal. We’ll be using hotel points for much of the hotel cost.
2) I’ve been very creative with meal planning, as many nights I’ll expect it to be just me + DH for dinner, and my teens will randomly show up, sometimes with bonus guests. I’ve managed to feed everyone, and avoid takeout. Winner. Winner. Sometimes I just make a caprese salad (so much basil & tomatoes from the garden) & other times, I get a loaf of garlic bread out of the freezer.
3) DH convinced me to switch to a smart alarm (he got one for free at work). I noticed my old alarm (which was his and pre-dates our 20+ year relationship) is now an “antique” & was worth over $100 on eBay! Listed it & sold it in a day.
4) Had DS18 go through all of his clothes before he gets ready to leave for college. He has basically outgrown everything. Gave it all away to a neighbor, who was incredibly happy to have two giant bags of clothing for her teen. Frugal for her.
5) Signed up to do 3 hours of volunteer work with DS17’s soccer club this weekend. Three hours will earn me $100 off of my club fees for the month.
I love caprese salad
How fun to have this trip in your future!
I’m envious of a soccer club this discounts their rates when you do volunteer hours. My husband and I endlessly volunteered and there was no such program.
Katy, I’m glad that the end is in sight on the sale of your father-in-law’s house.
1. Reused an empty dog food bag to line our garbage can.
2. Came into some food – which is just as good as coming into some money! Made sure to use every bit of it up even if it meant having huge salads for breakfast for two days.
3. Went to the discount food store and got incredible deals on fresh fruit. It was a bit out of my way, but I more than recouped the cost of gas.
4. Used up ingredients from the fridge/freezer/pantry in imaginative ways.
5. Instead of paying for another year of Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), I am going to try the free Web-based version. Has anyone had experience with this – good or bad? https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web
I don’t have experience with that one. At home I use Open Office, which is also free and plenty functional for the things I need to do.
I second using Open Office.
Thank you for letting me know about Open Office. I’ll check into it!
I have not tried that but have used LibreOffice, which is free. The other approach is to buy a lifetime license of Office. Google CNET and “Pay Just $xx For a Microsoft Office Lifetime License and Advanced Training Bundle” and check to see if there are good deals available. You buy the software instead of paying an annual fee. A friend did this after I told her about it and she has been using Office for more than a year. DH tipped me off to this.
K D, thanks for sharing these additional options! I’ll look into them.
Yes, it’ll be amazing to have my in-law’s house in the rear view mirror!
Free food really is like free money these days!
Aww, Katy, I’m soooo terribly disappointed that we didn’t get to see you break dance in the Olympics! LOL!
1. This weekend was our state’s tax-free weekend for Back to School. Most years, I go stock up on underwear and school/office supplies. This year, I don’t really need anything, so I avoided the Black Friday-like crowds and didn’t spend any money at all.
2. Tree man finally got around to bringing down the dead oak tree (after a months-long delay) but left a mess. So I got my trusty old lopers (bought for $5 at a tool thrift store, where they sharpened them for me), cut up all the branches and brush, and stuffed it all in the yard waste dumpsters, regular trash can and some trash bags. Had to work in early morning and late evening (due to 100 degree heat), and boy am I sore! But this saves me paying him (or someone else) more $$ to do it. So all the smaller tree waste is at the curb today, which is Garbage Collection Day. Having the city pick it up also saves on landfill fees.
3. Called neighbors asking if they need firewood for the bigger limbs and tree trunk pieces. One neighbor’s son-in-law is building a treehouse for his kids; he may want the logs for lumber. If not, I’ll ask more folks. Again, this saves me from landfill fees and also from paying to have it hauled off.
4. New, smaller refrigerator is working well so far. Although it has an automatic icemaker, I’m going to wait before having the repairman come hook it up. I hauled out the old ice cube trays, thus saving a $95 service call charge.
5. We got some rain and I didn’t have to water the yard. Thank you, God! That saves a bunch on the water bill.
You can also offer the logs for free on Nextdoor or Marketplace. When I cleaned out my parents house to sell the estate they had a lot of old firewood. I was dreading having to haul it away. I offered it free on Marketplace and folks came and hauled it away to burn.
Julia, yes! I just gave away a lot of firewood via my Buy Nothing group to three different people. They were thrilled.
Good for you for dealing with the smaller branches yourself. It’s hard work, but satisfying. The money saving aspect of it ain’t too shabby either!
Not so frugal, but a win for me. My diesel farm truck needed new batteries (2 heavy duty), the original batteries were 11 yo, lol. I found a discount code, ordered online with local store pick up and I saved over $300 over what the dealership quoted me.
Picked 4 gallons of black berries for my hairdresser, she gave me a free haircut. I only get my haircut twice/year on average.
Watched a stunning display of the Aurora Borealis last night, stayed up late as it was also the beginning of the Perseid meteor showers and it was quite the show!
Made 4 batches of freezer ice cube pesto (garlic, basil, walnuts, olive oil).
Making freezer applesauce and apple cider vinegar with gravensteins.
BGF, I’m hoping to catch a few glimpses of the Perseids myself this week, as we (unusually) are supposed to have mostly clear skies in Central NY for much of the week. And I’ll be doing treks to the bathroom in the wee small hours whether the skies are clear or not. 🙂
P.S. to preceding: I did indeed get up at 1:40 Tuesday morning for a bathroom trek, stopped at my south bedroom window on the way back to bed–and was transfixed by the biggest and lowest-in-the-sky meteor I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I thought it was going to come down on our hill!
Blackberries for a haircut! That’s so smart of you!
Ebay, why oh why won’t you let me see the auction withthe pretty fabric? I need a visual and you used to let me see it.
1. I calcuated the pool membership and the amount of visits I have had this year. So far at 18 visits for $$40 each visit is 2.22. I am hoping to go 4 more time and each visit will be 1.82.
2. I saved the oldest of my babysuits to go on vacation and use just in the hot tub. I believe after 11 years I have gotten my $2 worth from it. (It was a rummage sale find. I knew the lady who bought 5 suit all different sizes to try on and she never sent them back.) The hot tub bleached it. It can go now.
3. All produce last week was used up before new produce was bought. This is so difficult to do at this time of the year.
4. I traded a candle making kit with a friend for a bucket of elderberries.
5. I did not go to the mile long yard sale this year. I don’t need anything at this time.
Weird, I checked and the link works for me.
Does this work?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133710492610?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5338238310&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
No @Katy, we can’t see it. you likely still can because it was your listing. I noticed this a time or two ago when you posted the link but nothing was there (we are offered many ‘similar’ items, though!)
I’m able to see it by scrolling past the similar items!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133710492610
This one should work.
1. Work overpaid me 12 hrs. which means no pay checks for a couple of weeks.
2. I called off work on Sunday due to heavy rains like 5 in in 12 hrs
3. Binge watching The Resident
4. Enjoying hair care products my sister gifted me
5. Mailed two birthday cards from my stash
Can they spread it out over a couple paychecks?
1. I volunteered at the church’s thrift shop last Saturday. I didn’t need anything, and I didn’t see anything I wanted so I left empty handed except for the summer squash and eggplant my co-worker gave me from her garden.
2. I washed and trimmed the loose threads off my purse/small backpack. My granddaughter gave me this a few years back. Her great aunt brought it back to her from a trip to Italy. Granddaughter didn’t like the style, so I quickly accepted when she offered it to me. It’s a gorgeous tapestry of Italian scenes. Not only beautiful but I can wear it on my back while shopping and have both hands free.
3. We’re using the water from the dehumidifier and rain to water our plants. We pay for our water, so we need to be aware.
4. The heat and humidity have finally left (at least for now) so we’ve used the air conditioner minimally. Like Katy, we’ve only used it at night to cool down the bedroom which happens to face West and heats up in the afternoon and evening.
5. Eating down the freezer and cabinets, hanging all laundry, making our own iced tea, tea and coffee, eating all meals at home, baking my own sweets (if and when I crave them) walking and swimming for free exercise, reading library books and looking forward to an upcoming free musical program, Roots of American Music, at our wonderful library.
Now you can say that you thrifted for veggies!
1. Bought grinder to sharpen hedge trimmer blades which were no longer working. Most probably would have bought new hedge trimmer in the past. £15 and from a local store (not straight to Amazon!).
2. My 13 year old daughter made veggie mac n cheese as I was too hot to cook. Would definitely have gone for a takeaway if she hadn’t kindly offered!
3. Created two purses from denim jeans that had been spoilt. Not going to landfill.
4. Sent old but very wearable clothes to the Red Cross using their parcel system.
5. Used the grey water from washing up to water outdoor plants. First time I have thought to do this!
Thanks frugal people for showing us the way!
4.
And now you can use that grinder to resharpen again!
I wish there was an option for you to share photos of your denim purses.
FFT, “Belts Will Be Worn Tighter” Edition:
(1) First, the big frugal fail/possible win: I took my beloved 2010 Honda Element (odometer reading = only 76,800+) to my go-to garage last Wednesday for state inspection, oil change, and 29-point check. It needed a new set of rear struts before it would pass inspection, and my friends at the garage have informed me that although the exhaust system did pass inspection, the whole shebang is seriously rusting out and needs to be replaced. $$$$ (and hellooo, Central NY winters and salty roads!).
But I spent more time than usual with the local rag’s auto section on Sunday, and I still think I’ll be coming out ahead, considering what a down payment and monthly payments on a new car (or even a good used Honda or Toyota) would be. So I’m taking this leap of faith.
(2) Because I’m taking this leap of faith, “belts will be worn tighter this winter” (as the Ruth Hussey character, Liz Imbrie, says near the end of The Philadelphia Story–one of my favorite movies). So I’m starting by working on the grocery bills, through using what’s in the freezers and buying dirt-cheap local produce (luckily, it’s a good time of year for the produce).
(3) The one type of produce I didn’t buy at the Regional Market this weekend was cucumbers. But my neighbor up the street has just come by with three cucumbers from her garden. (This is the neighbor with Stage 4 ovarian cancer, for which she is finally having long-postponed surgery on Friday; she’s doing a kitchen cleanout before she leaves for the cancer center two cities over for the surgery. Please join me in wishing her luck.)
(4) With the produce I did buy at the Regional Market, I (a) have blanched and frozen a quart of seriously overripe tomatoes, and (b) have made a bigger batch of ratatouille (with my own garlic and basil) than usual. I’ll freeze some of this, since some of you have assured me that ratatouille freezes well.
(5) And my friend (DH’s last and best employee) who cuts the enormous hedge between my and my next-door neighbor’s driveways came over today to do a hedge cutting. He has heretofore refused payment for this, but it’s become a huge job. So I gave him 20 pounds of beef from my 1/4 steer, and gave him carte blanche to take as much of DH’s enormous stash of scrap lumber as he wants (since he expressed an interest in that). Good old-fashioned barter lives.
A. Marie
Loved “belts will be worn tighter this winter”
I’ll join you by strapping on my No Spend or Low Spend helmet in anticipation of a month off work post valve replacement and medical co pays
So we have run into the same car issue. Dh’s car has only 130k miles and in otherwise good shape. Took it in for a regular repair and they said it wasn’t worth repairing because at this point it is not worth anything! Way too expensive to replace the undercarriage – which could fall out at any time, though it doesn’t sound as severe as yours. I’m in OH with salt on the roads. I always get my car washed after big storms and do the undercarriage wash. Dh NEVER gets his car washed. I’m hoping the car washes help prolong my car – it did with my old car.
Best wishes to your neighbor with her upcoming surgery. Here’s to a successful surgery and a quick recovery time.
I love how you and your neighbors take good care of each other. What a wonderful neighborhood. A microcosm of what our world should be.
Sorry about your vehicle but sounds much less expensive than purchasing another one.
A.Marie – take your vehicle to a you-wash car wash periodically during the winter and flush underneath your car. And give it a bath periodically too get rinse off road salt (when it gets that “whiter shade of pale” dirge of salt spray on it).
Selena, my father always aimed his car toward puddles after a good rainstorm. He claimed it washed the undercarriage. I still do it when safe to go through one.
It’s obvious that you are well loved in your community and that makes me very happy.
I think many of us are tightening our belts this season. My sister and I are both very cash poor right now and she’s coming to visit for a couple of weeks. We often give our visits a theme and we’ve decided that this trip will be titled:
“Two thin dimes”
A.Marie I have a 2010 Honda CRV with 77K miles on it. Dh just brought it in for an oil change this week as it was a quart low. I’ve had the TWO catalyticc converters replaced on mine with aftermarket parts. I know it will need some more maintenance soon but it’s my little run around town car. The way I see it is to take the amount of the repair and compare it to how much a month a new car would be. That and the high car insurance. I’m happy with mine. Hubs and I will rent a car if we are going long distances.
Northwest NJ here so I get the road salt.
1. Grocery Outlet had a $5 off a $25 purchase coupon. I bought marked down chicken (I bought the smallest packages since they were all $3.00 off), produce, yogurt, and a few other items.
2. Meals at home. We made “meaty” nachos to use up some Southwest tempeh. I added avocado and a chopped tomato to mine.
3. I cut a watermelon. You get a lot of fruit for less than $5.00. I shared some with a neighbor that enjoys it but will not go to the effort to cut one. There is always enough to share.
4. I arranged for a friend to go with me to Costco in lieu of going out for lunch.
5. It is tax free “back to school” shopping week. I can’t think of any clothes or shoes we need let alone want. We may not take advantage of the “opportunity”
You know I love a friend date that incorporates running errands!
Did you lunch on samples or spring for a $1.50 hotdog?
I keep reading that everyone was either taking advantage of “tax free” back to school shopping, which is totally off my radar as oregon doesn’t have sales tax.
A. Marie, I will cross fingers that your amazing Honda gets through many trouble-free years after its garage stay.
I had to spend actual money on a car wash today after DH left my car parked under a tree all weekend. It looked like it lost a poopy paintball fight. However, on the way there I stopped at Ollie’s Outlet for raisins, rice, apple butter and M&Ms. Finished reading a book as part of therapy, did some knee exercises for free at home, picked a bunch of tomatoes from our garden, and happily wore a cute top from Goodwill all day.
I call that “parked under a bird sanctuary!”
I thought that ds did that when he had our mini-van while he was in college. Turns out somehow, someone splashed paint all over it. He took off every last splash with nail polish remover. He didn’t mention it was paint though.
We spent most of the summer in CO with my dh’s dying father. Glioblastomas are no joke. We just drove back and were able to save some money on the drive.
1. Used coupons for a Subway lunch for 2 for $11. Actually ate fast food the whole drive to save time and money over a sit down. I paid for it the day we got back lol.
2. Drove from CO to OH in 2 days with 1 hotel stay – opted for fairly cheap and with a free breakfast. Drove I-70 to avoid tolls – this was also a much less traveled route than I-80 and an easier drive. Will do this route again for sure. Saved $40 in tolls
3. Both of us used Starbucks rewards for venti drinks to go with our breakfast from “home” on the road. Also packed snacks and what I need to make hot tea on the road.
4. We filled our water bottles along the way for free. We ate packed snacks for the 2nd nights dinner as we were closish to home and wanted to not spend money.
5.Came home 15 minutes prior to our basement flooding when our town got 7 inches of rain in 2 hours. Thankfully we were here, although we could not stop it. We grabbed the important things and moved them to the first floor. 4 inches of water in our basement, which is way better than many people in my town had. We have been cleaning non stop since Friday morning
My thoughts are with you. You have lots going on with a dying family member and a flooded home. Good luck!
We had a good friend who unfortunately had a Glioblastomas too. He’d barely been retired when diagnosed. It is not an easy row to hoe for your FIL nor your family.
I’m so sorry to read about your difficult summer and the death of your FIL. What a comfort it must have been for him to have you and your DH there. Such a hard thing. Hugs.
I’m so sorry to read about your father in law and your basement. Sending a big virtual hug your way.
My oldest has a spot for wild blackberries and she makes jam too.
1. My oldest daughter visited us Friday to Monday. She takes Amtrak as she doesn’t like flying. She uses it for work so she had enough points to get a free roundtrip ticket. She also eared lounge passes and used one on her way here for lunch.
2. We cooked all of her favorite meals while she was home. We had biscuits and gravy, blueberry pancakes, chicken marsala, chicken souvlaki and lots of BBQ. My other 2 kids were here most of the weekend too. The only thing I needed was fresh mushrooms.
3. Windows have been open, A/C is off. It rained again so no watering the garden. Laundry was hung inside.
4. My library had a challenge for the summer. I completed it and got a $5 GC to Starbucks. I will save it for a BOGO day to use with my youngest. I grabbed several books while I was at the library.
5. I am overloaded with cherry tomatoes which is a good thing. Plum tomatoes are starting to come in. Cucumbers need to be made into pickles. I have been dehydrating my herbs. Swiss chard is still going strong. String beans are delicious. Lettuce went to seed but I have a new batch that should be ready soon.
My local Safeways often have a coupon in the app for $2 Starbucks drinks, you might want to see if yours has this as well. I know you can use Starbucks gift cards, even though they’re physically in a Safeway.
Sounds like you’re quite the gardener, well done!
We don’t have Safeway’s near me.
With the standard for break dancing now a days….I say we all hop on a lear jet together and go to the Olympics. Let me just tell you, I would absolutely fail to impress.
1. This week I have knocked out the back to school shopping game by…
-Shopping at Staples with $21 dollars in promo credits, on tax free week, and asking for and getting 10% the purchase ending in a roughly $2 purchase
-We found out we had credit for a pre order of a game we never picked up at Gamestop two years ago. My son got new headphones with a speaker port. I paid about $3.50 after the credit.
-My son was given a gift card at Christmas to Dick’s Sporting Goods, we went there and he picked shoes and I paid the difference of about $70.
-We ventured to a local barbershop with free haircuts for students. We tipped the barber $10 and left with a great fade.
-My son needed a new back pack. My boyfriend had one in like new condition he gifted to my son.
– No clothes have been bought. My son has a ton of clothes and there is a very loose dress code. I plan to go through his clothes and weed and see what he really needs before we go shopping if at all.
2. I continue to do a yard clean out for a neighbor and it’s starting to look good. She made gave me another green handshake this weekend.
3. My friend asked me if my shoe size was still 8.5. I said yes, and she let me know she had an almost new pair of sneakers in my favorite brand she found while cleaning her closet. She gifted them to me today. I am wearing them right now. Thank you similar sized friend!!!
4. My neighbor cleaned out her pantry and more and asked me to take what I’d like. I ended up with food and more. I gifted some to my neighbors and some to the free table at work.
5. I took home a meal tray from church for our Tuesday night homeless outreach and filled it with three lbs of meatballs bought bogo and five cans of sauce from my pantry. Giving to others is always a good thing!
Trying to keep it frugal and money conscientiousness.
Hooray for free shoes, backpacks, cheap haircuts and giving to others!
We went to two MN Twins baseball games using tickets from HH’s employer.
HH harvested garlic from our garden. We also received kolarbi, zucchini, and purple string beans from our neighbor’s garden.
At Goodwill, I bought a pair or earrings for a Christmas gift and a two white dishes at Goodwill to use as houseplant saucers.
HH repaired a garage door and removed a large branch from our tree himself rather than calling professionals.
My birthday was last week. I received many consumable gifts and several gift cards. We enjoyed several treats and froze the rest to enjoy later. HH and I scheduled several day dates in order to use the gift cards before they are out of sight and mind. My friends and family are generous, and I do not want to waste the time or money they put into such wonderful gifts.
Happy birthday!!!!!
1. Still harvesting something every day and processing it for winter. It was 45 last night and is hitting the high 50s during the day, so things are slowing down. Now, what to do with 17 heads of purple cabbage that are waiting for me to pick them…the neighbor will take some and I will make sauerkraut but I don’t have much luck trying to keep them edible in the fridge.
2. Found a badly mangled Firehouse Subs gift card in the grocery store parking lot. Took it home, cleaned it up and pressed it between some heavy books. Took it in today and we got a large sub and there is enough left for two more!
3. Brought home 5 empty fifty-pound flour bags from the food bank, plus 2 thirty-gallon black plastic bags that had been used for some sort of food so could not be reused by them. All of these will be given a second life as garbage bags at our house. I am thrilled and the food bank is happy not to be throwing reusable things away.
4. I feel like I am walking through the Valley of Death this week. One friend had such a severe stroke that her husband cannot care for her (he is 80) so she is going to assisted living with hospice services. Another’s husband is entering the tunnel of dementia, just like another mutual friend of ours. Another friend has been diagnosed with bone cancer. I feel helpless so I am cooking, bringing meals and lots of cookies. Except for the cookies, I have been able to make everything from garden produce or freezer, using the multiple chicken carcasses our bachelor friend gave us a week ago as stock for soups and pot pies. Making all this food is cheaper than buying already made meals, so frugal.
5. Trying yet another new medication that should be easier on my one remaining kidney. Yet again the doctor was thoughtful enough to give me a three month supply from their samples closet.
Lindsey,when I have the excess purple cabbage I cook up huge batches of sweet and sour cabbage..can even do in a slow cooker. I then cool completely before freezing in meal.portions. Just thaw when ready to eat and heat up.
@Linda M, do you have a favourite recipe you can point us to?
I’m not Linda, but I have the following simple and yummy recipe for Sweet ‘n’ Sour Red Cabbage:
1 head red cabbage
2 tbl. butter
1 tbl. caraway seed (optional)
2 tbl. flour
2 tbl. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/4 c. cider vinegar
Remove outer leaves and core from cabbage; cut cabbage into thin slices. Melt butter in large pot or Dutch oven. Combine caraway seed (if using), flour, sugar and salt. Layer half of the cabbage in pot; sprinkle with half of the flour mixture. Repeat layers. Pour water over cabbage. Bring to a boil; reduce hit. Simmer, covered, until crisp-tender (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.
Enjoy!
I’m sorry to hear what several of your friends are going through. It’s tough when you’re in the midst of it. I like what you’re doing instead of standing by helplessly: Cooking. Food is always so welcome when one is sick. A loving act.
Nice to find a GC with some $$$ still on it. Like finding free money!
Lindsey, I’m very sorry for all of your sorrow. Food is love, and I’m sure the recipients can feel and taste it in your meals and cookies.
Lindsey, I’m sorry for all the woes in your #4. (And, Jennifer, I’m sorry about your FIL.) As Christine has suggested, the help and comfort you’ve both offered may be the best medicine for all parties.
Hooray for your free sub sandwiches — I’m sure they’re extra tasty this way!
I’m so sorry to read that your friends are going through such hard times, I’m sure they appreciate the love that comes with your meals.
1. Middle kid needed shoes and pants for school, hit the store when it opened Friday morning to take advantage of tax free weekend and avoid the rush.
2. Was able to scrounge enough school supplies from what we had on hand that we only needed a few things to finish out the kids’ list this year.
3. Reusing backpacks, lunchboxes, and anything else that is still functional/fits.
4. Husband and I have a vacation scheduled for next month, and I keep checking rental car prices and rebooking at a lower rate. So far I’ve been able to drop it from $430 to $275!
5. Batching errands, drinking tap water, and making my own coffee to enjoy with a library book
I applaud your efforts to lower your rental car price, most people wouldn’t bother even though it’s a fairly simple thing to do.
Gold medal!
My husband rents cars through Costco and gets them at a better price than AARP.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
1 head of red cabbage cut in small pieces
1 to 2 Apples cut up
Dash of salt
Optional: 1 Tbsp butter or bacon grease
Put all in kettle or slow cooker
Add the following three mixed tigether:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
Cook until tender. Will freeze,well after cooked if you desire.
1. Funny thing is I just made a batch of blackberry jam yesterday, eight jars but as the blackberries are still full of fruit and I pick the ripe ones every day I may make more. We will not use all of the jars, some will be going in the Christmas gift baskets I make up for family instead of buying gifts.
2. Each evening I go out and pick the ripe berries in the yard, raspberries, everbearing strawberries and blackberries. My husband uses them on his cereal and what doesn’t get used I freeze (or make jam see item 1). I also pick peas, beans, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes.
3. Hung my laundry on the line to dry instead of using the dryer.
4. Substituted reconstituted skim milk powder in the muffins I baked instead of whole milk. I worked it out it is half the cost.
5. Repaired my husbands torn t shirt. My new sewing schedule is repair one item between every new project.
6. Sewed a top for my niece for her birthday. The fabric came from a purchase at the craft fair, a lady that was getting out of sewing sold me all of her fabric (there was a lot!) for $40 CAD. I had most of the supplies on hand already, the buttons were in an inherited stash of buttons from my mil. Vintage still on the card.
7. My sister brought over a stack of books that she was done with for me to read.
8. Mulched my garden with grass that my neighbour kindly leaves in a pile beside one of my garden beds.
9. Free admission to the craft fair, my sister won the tickets.
10. Lunch at the craft fair was an Indian sampler of three items for $5 CAD. I was very full when I was done.
Wow, I love your TEN frugal things!!!
I’d much prefer a jar of homemade jam to almost any store bought gift.
1. Went “deal shopping” at the grocery store near our friend’s house and the fridge, freezer, and pantry are full of staples again! The challenge to clear out was fun but I was running out of ways to integrate frozen corn…
2. Finished booking a lovely weekend trip with our friends and their new baby for September. Was able to get a good deal with “status” on Expedia. I also offered to babysit for the new parents one night so they could have a break. Frugal for them to avoid having to find a sitter or leave the baby home with family, and I get a night hanging out with the cutest baby around (I don’t think I’m biased!)
3. Practicing my manicure at home to keep my nails looking good but keeping me out of the nail salon. This is particularly handy as I’m traveling a lot this summer/fall and want to be able to feel put together without adding another time and financial commitment!
4. Positively abusing my Libby account. So many books on hold have come available in the past few weeks – I am awash in good stories!!
5. Charging my EV at free spots to avoid additional costs and keeping fuel costs down
Did you know that you can delay the delivery of Libby books when they all come in at once? Just tap “manage loan” before you tap “borrow” and you can choose how long to wait for your book to circle back to you.
Maybe time to stop buying frozen corn. 😉
The thing to know about the Peak Time is that it’s how much you save on YOUR average (which is basically impossible to know). So if you are like the person who posted on NextDoor that they unplugged multiple vehicles, let the house warm up to 70 degrees, and didn’t use the oven or clothes dryer then you might save $40. If your usual pattern is more like mine then you might get 51 cents back 🙂
I went to the Goodwill Bins for the second time since I moved here. I have to take two buses to get there but it’s worth it! It’s a lot of fun and I bought many things I need (and some I don’t…)
I like to save in ways that are comfortable for me.
1. Used water collected in dehumidifier to water a newly planted bush.
2. I have a soft spot for home decor, but with two kids in college & hopes of retiring someday, that is not in my budget. Shopped for cute home decor on Buy Nothing. Also gifted several items to keep a fair give and take.
3. Posted items from my 2+ year doom pile for sale on eBay, thereby improving my sales algorithm. I don’t have many big money sales. I mostly sell items that we no longer use. It’s a year round tag sale and the earnings add up over time.
4. Scan reciepts on fetch to earn gift cards for money I spent. Did I learn about fetch on here?