Five Frugal Things
by Katy on November 2, 2024 · 43 comments
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I went onto the library website at 12 A.M., November 1st to see if they’d loaded fresh “Cultural Passes,” which has worked well for me in the past. (Fresh passes load on the first of month.) Unfortunately the only passes that popped up were for OMSI, (The Oregon Museum for Science and Industry) which is mainly for kids and be best left for young families.
I did notice that they had Oregon State Park parking passes available, which are normally $5 per vehicle/per day. This is great information to tuck into the back of my brain and I’ll definitely be coming back for a free parking pass!
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My husband’s friend gave us four Portland Trailblazer tickets for last night’s game, but we were too zonked after our adventure day to brave a dark and rainy 8:30 P.M. basketball game. He didn’t want them back, so I passed them along to my friend Lise, whose husband follows the team. I’m always happy to make frugal opportunities for other people.
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My neighbor put out another Bonne Maman jam jar in her recycling bin, which I brought home and added to my stash. They’re perfect for the random food items that I buy in bulk at Winco.
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I finished reading my library copy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin last night. A really enjoyable read, I feel like I’m on this streak of fantastic books! I hadn’t realized until just now that it’s also a movie and available to watch on Hulu, which we have through an old college friend. Free book and free movie? Cool.
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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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{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
1. At Trader Joe’s, I bought a bunch of 23 cent bananas, another box of $3.49 graham crackers (they don’t carry them all year round so I stock up; in my opinion, they are the best graham cracker around and two squares sub for cookies in our house), and a cucumber for 99 cents. I squirted a few free spurts of hand lotion from the pump bottle at the cash register.
2. Cut up manila folders to use for scratch paper, grocery lists, and the daily Spelling Bee. In grade school, I called them vanilla folders for obvious reasons.
3. With inspiration from The Frugal Girl, I created my own weekly planner page to consolidate my many daily notes and logs in these categories: appointments, tasks, food and fitness. I created a template in Excel, printed it on the back of some bright orange paper, clipped it to a clipboard, and then used a pen to fill in the info as the week progressed.
4. Cut up leftover Halloween chocolate candy bars to use in cookies and quick breads.
5. This weekend I will be roasting the pumpkin we bought for Halloween decor and freezing the guts for future soup. I add roasted carrots for another layer of flavor in the soup.
1. Was tempted but did not buy Christmas themed dog collars.
2. The same feed store had some sort of catastrophe when unloading dog food, with many ripped bags. The bags were resealed and re-weighed, with the price adjusted to 50 cents (!!) a pound. That is about one fourth the price. We now have 207 pounds of dog food in the garage, with plenty left for other customers. This will last us about 2 months. Dogs themselves are very unfrugal but they are worth it.
3. When I reached the point of adding clams to the clam chowder I was making, I realized I had no clams. This has never happened before, we always had a stash. husband offered to go buy clams, but instead we just had potato bacon soup for dinner.
4. Did a mystery shop for a delivered pizza. Free pizza, plus some money for doing the shop. They did not reimburse for a tip so we paid that out of the cash paid for the shop and still came out ahead.
5. Usually we get about 200 trick or treaters and we give out full sized candy bars, so we ordered 200 candy bars for this year. Fewer than 100 kids came, so we ended up with 120 candy bars. Dropped them off at a place that hands out packed lunches to the homeless, and are always short of something to throw in for dessert. Got a tax receipt. (Our neighbor 4 blocks away kept track and they had 813 kids come by!!)
Lindsey, I’ve always pictured you out in the country, but you had way more kids than we did (only 24 and all between 5:30-6:30). It was a cold and wet night here.
We did live way out of town but moved into town the banner year when I ended up in the ER 53 times; that cut down on the ambulance rides which insurance hated at $3000 a ride (they paid each time but I had to fight). The ambulance guys and I actually knew each other by name by the end of that year. We have a really large lot on the river and because Alaskans hate any restrictions, the zoning is so minimal that I have had chickens, geese, sheep, and giant dogs roaming around the yard. The Russian boar we had when we lived out of town and they are pretty stinky so I didn’t want to drive neighbors here nuts.
Lindsey, may I repeat my usual message that you ought to write three or four books (at least) about your, the husband’s, and the animals’ lives and adventures?
This morning (mid-morning our time and super early your time), I posted some comments on your Nov. 1 blog, but I’m happy to see you have another day’s worth of frugalness up online!
1. Started gathering up stuff to take to Salvation Army; trying to declutter. Took a box full of miscellaneous to the charity and in the process of cleaning out cabinets and closets, unearthed items that I’ll need this winter. Also found an unopened package of plastic forks, left behind by the former roommate (who moved out 2+ years ago, never to be heard from again). Will take that to church since they can use it for the next parish luncheon or some other event.
2. Ate some free meals: hot dogs at Trunk or Treat and was given a leftover hotdog at the end. That became today’s breakfast. Yesterday, I attended a mandatory training at work and they put on a breakfast buffet.
3. Went to the dollar store and bought a bottle of glow-in-the-dark Halloween nail polish, marked down after the holiday. It’s now in my tool chest. Comes in handy for marking light switches, remote controls, and other items you may need to locate in the dark.
4. Found several paperback books and traded them to the used bookstore. I now have over $30 in credit that I can redeem in merch at any time. Sadly, none of the used bookstores in our region give you cash; needless to say, I would have greatly preferred getting money instead of store credit.
5. Resisted the temptation to buy marked-down Halloween decorations. Figure I can re-use what I already have if I participate in Trunk or Treat next year. I may even do the same trunk decoration again — one wreath, one tablecloth and some baskets and lanterns, all scrounged from throughout the house. As one of my buddies said, the kids are mostly interested in the candy. So minimal trunk decor is OK.
The glow in the dark nail polish reuse is brilliant!
I have about a bajillion dollars in credit at the local used bookstore. When my mom moved about 7 years ago, she gave me boxes and boxes of books, many of which were happily taken by the store (and sold quickly). I have also taken boxes and boxes of books over the years.
We get to use the credit toward HALF the price of a book, which is (I believe) a clever way for the poor-as-churchmice owners to keep the cash flowing. I too would prefer cash, but I prefer more to have our little local used bookstore thrive.
Well, our local stores always give us credit to use for the full price, if we have that much in credit. So at least that’s good! I also take them my plastic shopping bags so they can reuse them. A lot of these bags are from the fast food places, and some are from the stores that frown on you bringing in your own bags. And yes, I have to admit it, I often forget to take my canvas bag in with me when I shop.
Dang me, Katy, I can’t keep up with the pace of your posting these days–but, along with everyone else, I do appreciate it!
Now, FFT, A Mostly Passive Frugality Edition:
(1) I remain mercifully distracted (on this weekend when we all need distraction) by proofreading papers for the upcoming edition of JASNA’s electronic journal. The less time I have to brood about what might happen from Tuesday onward, the better. And the less time I have to go out and spend money, also the better.
(2) I continue to save money on doing laundry by not running a load in any of my three categories (darks in cold water, lights needing cold water, and lights needing warmer water) until I have enough of any type to fill my front-loader. And, as noted in previous comments, I rack-dry everything except sheets.
(3) Same goes for the dishwasher: No matter how long it takes me to fill it as a single person, I wait till I have a full load to run it. I like to think that I’m driving National Grid crazy. 😀
(4) A bit less passive: I’ve been raking up leaves in my own yard and from the Bestest Neighbors’ splendid pile of leaves on their curb, because I want a real compost heap again. The composter I bought at a Rescue Mission store earlier this year didn’t work out for me. (And the BNs are as adamant as I am about not using lawn pesticides/herbicides, so no worries on that score.)
(5) And a culinary experiment I’m planning: At Wegmans this morning, I found a couple of packages of salmon trimmings at what, for salmon, is a ridiculously low price. I’m betting I can get enough from these for a salmon salad or two–and if not, I’ll do what the package recommends and make a fish stock. (I also returned NY State deposit containers at Wegmans for a total of $11.70, which also helped with the Wegmans bill.)
(5)
Salmon patties also work when you have a small amount of salmon.
Lindsey, I’ll keep the patties in mind for future use, since I intend to scope out Wegmans for salmon trimmings when I’m there on Saturdays from now on. And one of your many books–see my comment to you above–could be “101 Uses for Salmon and Moose: An Alaska Cookbook.”
But I got enough salvageable salmon from yesterday’s trimmings for not one but two salmon salads (my favorite type of chef’s salad)–plus some lovely oil from sauteing the trimmings, which I am saving for making scrambled eggs. Nom nom nom!
Used a customer loyalty coupon at the hardware store to pay only 63 cents out of pocket for a bottle of daily shower cleaner and three little caramels. This purchase inspired by spending two hours yesterday scrubbing our shower from top to bottom.
Gave my adult son a long-overdue haircut. He in turn helped me put the panes back in the bathroom window after I washed them. I am slowly getting all our windows washed by myself. Used up some ground beef that had been in the freezer a while to make a beef-pasta dish with beans and frozen veggies from my garden. Gathered up all the little frozen bits of various berries to make a big pan of baked oatmeal.
OOO, @Ruby, you deserve 6 gold stars for the shower scrubbing! Like my refrigerator last week, it is a chore and a half – and so un-visible to the naked eye when you are done.
Those pesky invisible cleaning jobs…. I guess we can always share them here so we can crow about our efforts, as nobody who comes over is going to notice!
I inventoried my kitchen and pantry. I focused on the following to help the budget and avoid food waste:
Dates
Walnut
1 pound bag of Kale
last day red and white cabbage
dried bean inventory
Here is what I came up with:
Sweet and Sour German Red Cabbage
Instapot Van De Kamps Pork and Beans Copycat Kinda
– I used cranberry beans and the ham shanks I picked up at Grocery Outlet
A huge salad of Date, Kale, chickpea and walnut
– This salad with balsamic pear vinegar and Meyer lemon olive oil lasts a week just getting better because the kale maintains it’s structure
Pumpkin Date and Walnut bread
– This was made from my bargain pumpkin puree and .99 spice cake mixes.
I made three boxes worth and froze to have for easy breakfasts
Parboiled Kale
– frozen in cupcake pans for later use in soups
I also asked hubby for pecans which we do not commercially harvest. I have two big bags to start and then I’ll go pick some more. I can roast them for Christmas gifts.
I am so going to look for your lasting kale salad…. thank you google.
I’m a regular long-time reader and seldom poster, but I wanted to say, I know I’m in the minority of this particular frugal group that is not voting the same way, and I’m feeling a little discouraged. I respect everyone’s right to make their decision on a candidate. Am I still welcome in this group? I’ve known Katy’s views for ages, and although I often disagree, I love her personality and her frugal ways and her posts often crack me up. So, I’ve read you for ages, Katy. I just feel bummed, based on comments this last week, I guess.
I feel that you’re welcome here. With the election looming on the horizon, tensions can be high…probably on both sides of the aisle…but the main point of this blog is frugality. It’s an open forum for frugal ideas. I love to share what I know and I welcome new ideas, some of which I use, other ideas maybe not as much. Please stay. You are welcome here.
Dawn, I agree with what Christine said and how she said it. Also, while we may disagree with each other’s choices, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we don’t respect them. Frugality is our common thread and right now there’s some more politics in the mix leading up to the election. When I recently shared something political, it was intended to vent not to divide. I’m glad you shared your perspective.
I hope everyone feels welcome regardless of their political persuasion.
We all have something valuable to offer the discussion. I so enjoy reading and learning about the diverse lifestyles, locations and frugal activities that readers share. With that comes political diversity too.
Interesting that I recently had a similar conversation with a couple people in an organization I belong to (that political preferences bleed into and potentially compromise the mission of the group). I appreciate that most make an effort to keep that way in the background (although I too slip, thinking I am being subtle but probably not).
>We all have something valuable to offer the discussion.
I DON’T! All I have is flippant remarks.
I admit I am trying to distract myself from the sense of impending doom I’m feeling right now.
@Rose, your flippant remarks make me laugh, so you are making a positive effect on at least one person. sometimes we need that mood altering laughter to get us back into our compassionate hearts, broken as they may seem to be.
@Rose, don’t stop making flippant remarks! I adore them. Laughter is much needed these days, no matter how the election turns out.
And @Dawn, I can only echo what others have said. Everyone is welcome here.
I think people on both sides of the aisle are frightened of what is going to happen, not just on Tuesday but in the days after. I think anyone who wants to huddle under the frugal umbrella Katy is providing with her extra posts during this time is welcome.
Thank you so much everyone! I feel so much better and truly appreciate all the replies. I’m certain it’s stressful for many, all across the board. Thank you, thank you!
1. I took myself out to lunch, which was free as I found a gift certificate in my wallet.
2. Today, I’m watching 2 videos that will count toward 10 points toward my 200 wellness points to not have to pay a 10% premium on my annual health insurance contribution.
3. I cancelled Netflix which I needed for a research paper, but will be complete by the end of the month.
4. I didn’t drive home (from work apartment this weekend), saving a tank of gas.
5. Still haven’t turned on the heat.
1. I used the same, fabulous costume I had from last year.
2. Drain maintenance with baking soda, Diamond crystal salt and vinegar.
3. Walked a zillion steps which saved my transit funds for later and helped my health.
4. Continue brewing my own coffee at home.
5. Can’t think of a 5th right now.
Tuesday hubby and I attended the army field band America the Beautiful free concert at local community college.
Friday we attended a wedding. I gifted a $50 visa gift card I received as a gift for dog judging assignment.
I worked my 4 hr shift (7-11 am) Packed my breakfast bar, water bottle and to go coffee tumbler
Inventoried under bathroom sink: hair care products for at least 6 +months (my sister gave several she didn’t want), skin care/cosmetics for 6 months (I only wear make up when I’m out of the house=3x/week).
Inventoried pantry and made a list. Inventoried cleaning supplies go for several
months
Made appointment for yearly vaccinations (FREE)
Looks like you have been having fun for cheap! I need to figure out our library passes. We did go to the zoo for free in September and it was fun. Thanks for the reminder to look into more things.
1. We usually have a coffee date on the weekends. We tried a new one today and even after tip it was under $9 for 2 drinks. And we sat outside along a river which was very relaxing. Coffee dates are cheaper than dinner dates.
2. Dug through the freezer to help me figure out a game plan for dinners this coming week. I need more meat but meat is pricey, ugh
3. We went grocery shopping last night – I took the time to match coupons with sales and ibotta deals and saved over $50 on my order. She kept ringing up the apples wrong and voiding and doing it wrong again and voiding. Eventually gave them to me for free. The store was quiet which helped.
4. I paid a bill online. I cashed in ibotta money for a Starbucks GC. I cashed in CC points for 2 GCs for Christmas for my kids.
5. Bought clearance candy for our work chocolate drawer. Chocolate gets us through our days with special needs kids with challenging behaviours.
Travel day home today.
1. I filled up with gas before I left the lower COL area where my kids live.
2. I was at the end of the food I’d taken for the week and didn’t have lunch and I o stopped at In-n-Out for fries only, which were delicious!
3. Set up a meet for a FB marketplace sale tomorrow. Sold 1 item while I was away, which my husband set out. Sold 2 things on ebay today. Love making money while I’m away having fun.
4. Brought home a bush that may be dead but I’ll give a go to reviving it. If it lives, it’s a bush I’ll be happy to have.
5. Brought home more to sell for son and DIL. They’re good with money but I’ve seen some new frugalness from them lately, which makes my heart glad. They receive WIC and my DIL is working to incorporate the beans that they get through that. She wasn’t raised eating beans but she’s sure keen to find delicious ways to use the free food they get.
@Kara – while I am all for using the WIC food received, please gently assure them that if they received food they find is just not palatable, it is okay to pass along the food to someone who can use it. I don’t expect people to eat free food that they just don’t find palatable. I do hope that such food finds a home where someone does find it palatable.
Thanks for the book recommendation! Another library book ordered online – which will eventually show up and I will wonder where I heard of it (and will enjoy just the same).
1. I brought home leftover rice and vegetarian beans from last night’s Day of the Dead ‘dinner and a movie’. I had loaned my crockpot (almost free for me) for the beans, and my Instant Pot for the rice, so I got to bring home the filings when I brought home the pots. I even got everything put away AND the pots washed last night, go me! Had a delicious dinner tonight of reheated beans and rice, some of my home canned salsa from the fridge, with a big side of the shredded cabbage that I had processed last week. Leftovers for the win!
2. Today, Wonder James finally could come by. He spent much of the day moving many many lawn-tractor trailer loads of broad leaf maple leaves down to the field. We had a huge rain event on the last day he was to come, so it has been a month – and it showed! He cleverly drove different routes around the yard on his delivery trips, mowing as he went.
James also helped me move some plants to winter storage in the big greenhouse (which really needs to have the plastic replaced, now). And he cheerfully helped me with the ongoing pot tidy, sorting and collecting and putting flats of pots away in the ‘dairy’ shed.
The tractor trailer has been a godsend for all of the schlepping we have been doing.
3. I pulled up a bunch of geraniums and put them into a cardboard box, and stored them in the grow-op room in the barn. I have watched a few videos about this method of overwintering geraniums, and figured it doesn’t hurt to try. While I was at it, I also tried a few winterizing ideas for my Canna lilies, who have NOT been hit by frost so they aren’t dying off on top. I cut some down, dug up the corms, and have them in the grow-op. Others I left in their pots, either cut or not, and put them into the greenhouse. Who knows which method will work?
4. I also dug 3/4 of my dahlias – getting lots of tubers for most, which is almost like digging potatoes for the excitement of the reveal! I’ll let them air dry in the grow-op for a few weeks then pack away in dry peat for the winter. One sad Callah lily corm completes the dig-ups.
Today I finally (finally!!) planted over 60 different kinds of Garlic bulbils. This has been a process!
I had filled the gallon pots almost 2 months ago, and have been working on the labels for about that long.
Growing bulbils up, from start to full garlic bulbs, is at minimum a 3 year process, so I am needing labels that can withstand the weather, and be large enough that I don’t lose them during the harvest and replanting process. I had been given some lath, which we cut into pieces just over a foot long, painted white with a throw-away mini roller and the tail end of a bucket of exterior trim paint, wrote on them with sharpie, then sprayed clear-coat over the sharpie to hold the colour (suggested by a garlic growing friend).
The filled and labeled pots have been set out in a 4-pot-wide row, everything covered with some curly wood spirals that I had picked up from the local garden-pot store (packing material). The wood will partially insulate, reduce impact of rain, and most important keep the darn chickens away.
I have to ask – why don’t you ask the neighbor to keep the Bonne Mamam jars for you?
They have a lot going on in their lives and I don’t want to add even a single thing to their to-do list.
Love the Bonne Maman jars for single serve overnight oats – they feel so fancy and European. The jam is delicious too! A double win.
You may love them even more when you read about the history of the family. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bonne-maman-holocaust-shelter
Thank you for all of the posts this week.
1. My daughters and I made dinner using mostly items on hand and took it to my MIL’s house. We were going to help her with her trick or treaters. She was convinced she was going to have a lot of them but she unfortunately had none. I think she was remembering past times when her boys were little and trick-or-treating was what you did on Halloween. We enjoyed a nice visit with her and she enjoyed the dinner.
2. Two of my daughters and I took my Mom on a beautiful drive up north. The plan was to spend the night but because of a complicated dog situation we ended up driving right back after a late lunch. This saved a night in a hotel. My daughter set her google maps to avoid highways and we had a beautiful drive in areas we’d never been. Unfortunately we missed the color up north but it was still a great day. My other daughter let the dogs out for us. We trade dog sitting.
3. I’ve been keeping an eye out for art work for my walls at thrift stores and estate sales. I found a beautiful oil painting that looks great on my bedroom wall. It was only marked $10 and it was on sale for 50% off so I got it for $5. I may paint the frame because shiny gold doesn’t really fit my house.
4. I found a penny in a parking lot.
5. I made a couple of huge salads from the only head of lettuce that thrived after attempting to grow veggies in pots.
1. I haven’t turned the heat on since April 1 here in Greater Boston. The house hasn’t gone below 68 degrees. We had some very warm days in October and I opened windows and drapes during the day – my husband says our house has “thermal inertia”.
2. I raided DD28 recycling barrel for her returnable cans and bottles. In Massachusetts its currently 5 cents for cans and bottles of beer, and carbonated water and soda. I earned a whopping $1.50.
3. Washing most laundry in cold water on the 15 minute “speed wash” cycle. Dry everything on racks except sheets and towels.
4. Hand washed a week’s worth of foam earplugs I need to wear in order to sleep.
5. One of my three dogs is on a very special diet and the food is insanely expensive. She has a severe form of GERD and was vomiting every morning as soon as she woke up. A cast of Vets ruled out the scary stuff (via endoscopy and biopsy) and the challenge was on to find a food she can tolerate. DD is a Vet Tech and is able to get a 50% discount on the food from the manufacturer but she had to watch an on-line module first and pass the “quiz” before they would send her a code.
MEM– Some years ago, a friend had a dog with some kind of gastric upset, which was partly addressed by how feeding was done. The dog would have a small meal, then he would hold the dog upright, maybe on its hind legs, maybe with the dog’s head on his lap when he sat, for several minutes. Then more food. I don’t know details or know if this kind of manipulation is part of typical care.
Interesting idea – I have a friend whose human child, as an infant, had to be held a certain way while eating (like ramrod straight) and for an hour after, due to severe reflux. The child did outgrow it.
There are so many possibilities for my middle dog’s issues. All 3 are rescues and of the 3, she suffered the most from anxiety. Prozac worked brilliantly and then we weaned her off of it a few years ago. The Vet thinks its time to reintroduce it so we are but it can take 30 days for full effect.
The Vets are thinking maybe its an allergy to poultry. She can eat lamb and venison so we are sticking with that for now. I did make a batch of lamb and rice from scratch but apparently I didn’t drain the fat well enough and she developed lower GI issues.
The only food one of our Irish wolfhounds could tolerate was one with kangaroo meat. Insanely expensive, but it worked. Our vet did tell us about having the dog held sort of upright during and after eating for a half hour as a technique that sometimes works—apparently some folks have put smaller dogs in a highchair for feeding and the half hour after. But Alistair weighed close to 200 pounds, despite being so skinny he looked like we were starving him, so holding him in any position was a non-starter.
1. I put a bunch of ketchup packets in my ketchup bottle. Hubby brings them home from work ortherwise they would get tossed.
2. My daughter and I went to a free library class and had a great time.
3. Hubby and I did our budget/bills. We paid 4 bills online saving us the cost of stamps.
4.Hubby did a yard cleanup yesterday. Lots and lots of leaves. I cleaned the house. Most of our friends, family and neighbors pay to have 1 or both done. We consider it a forced workout.
5. Hubby is watching football with our paid for antenna.
1. Parked at a meter and got in extra steps instead of using parking lot when I had a doctor’s appointment. This saved me $7.
2. Haven’t needed to use my heat as much as I usually do in October.
3. Instead of going out, I cooked for 4 of us using ingredients on hand and spending under $20 for everything else. It saves me so much extra to buy a few things to have on hand. I did have to buy chocolate chips and couldn’t believe the price. I hope November baking ingredients sales start soon.
4. Saving some loved ones $ by dog sitting and driving them to the airport. Let’s me spend more time with them. Priceless!
5. Working on holding off to go to the grocery store by using all the protein in the freezer and produce in the fridge before doing a big shop.