Five Frugal Things
by Katy on November 25, 2024 · 5 comments
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Kristen from The Frugal Girl texted to let me know that “creator passes” for FinCon 2025 were just $99 until midnight on Friday. This is superior to the standard amount of $599, so I snapped up that ticket faster than you can say “Katy wants to hobnob with other frugality/financial writers!” Add in that next year’s conference is right here in Portland, Oregon and this was a no brainer.
I purchased a pricey ticket to attend FinCon 2020 in California, but received a refund for that ticket due to a certain worldwide pandemic.
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We set the heat for 64° F during the day and 58º F at night. We can always turn it up if we’re cold, but we’re bad about remembering to turn it down when away from the house for extended periods. My husband and I both rock sweaters this time of year, as it makes more sense to heat ourselves instead of our drafty 110-year-old house. There are plenty of warm lap blankets to cozy up with and even heating pads if we’re in the mood for extra indulgence.
Flannel sheets also play a main character role.
We’re warm, the house isn’t.
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My husband’s been working to sell some of the bulkier items from his late parents’ estate, such as their car and a large kiln. (Which both sold over the past week!) He’s putting The Big Effort into trying to sell their run down camper van, but it’s an uphill battle with flaky potential buyers. This’ll be a relief when it finally sells as it costs the estate $40/month for storage, plus it’s a heavy weight on my husband’s shoulders.
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• Kristen will stay with me during the conference, which’ll save her a ton of money.
• I did sell the pair of dining room chair for $40, which was satisfying since I paid just $3.98 for them.
• I sold a needlepointed dog Christmas stocking on eBay* for $35 and used secondhand packaging to mail it out. HERE’S the blog post from when I thrifted it for $2.99.
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I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh I can’t wait to hear about the sleepover at Katy’s house!
You two are my favorite frugal writers! I love that you have a long-running friendship IRL.
My frugal things are fun. I am taking a few days off of work and just reorganizing my house in an anti-container store way. Just using what I have in terms of storage to reorganize and declutter.
I’m actively listing on our neighborhood Buy Nothing group.
Making delicious gluten free pie crust for Thanksgiving instead of buying expensive gf premade pies.
Raking leaves. So. Many. Leaves. I have hired out this job in past years because I have three enormous trees on my property. But I’m just doing a few bags at a time.
Love that you are able to host Kristen for the conference.
1) Picked up a new Pokemon beanie one of my neighbors made on BN. It will be one of DS17’s Christmas gifts. He wanted some pricier items for college, so it will be nice to have something free to unwrap under the tree. Also, he’s obsessed with Pokemon.
2) Hosted DS17’s friends for a poker night. While hosting isn’t the cheapest, we love that his friends want to hang out with us. I set out chips that were purchased for a previous party, and we picked up some Costco pizza & cookies. I have leftovers, which I will conveniently bring to a soccer meeting tonight at the school, where we were asked to bring snacks for the players. We kept the cost reasonable, & were able to host 8 teenage boys, which is not a small feat.
3) Sold a pair of shoes on eBay. I’ve tried to sell these shoes for YEARS, but the sizing is unknown because they are handmade, British & there were very confusing markers on the shoes. A guy really wanted them, so he made a lowish offer, with the caveat that he would accept the sizing regardless, given I’d done everything reasonable to attempt to find out the correct sizing. I put the listing live again, added the sizing disclaimer & got them sold for $80. On the way to him in recycled packaging, & they are out of my house. Woohoo.
4) Chatted with DS18 on the phone yesterday, attempting to sort out a college registration issue. We didn’t get it sorted (fingers crossed for today), but I don’t take talking for free for granted. My phone bill was a huge part of my college expenses (the colleges/dorms ripped off the kids by charging exorbitant amount), so I’m grateful we have other options.
5) Helped a student I’m volunteering (with the college process) with her scholarship essays. She’s a top contender for a full ride scholarship, so this would be huge if she won. VERY frugal for her!
What a great savings on your FinCon ticket and so nice that you have a friend who looks out for you and you her.
1. I used gorilla glue to adhere the outer rubber handle back on to a hairbrush.
2. I took a nice walk with a friend, my mom, sister and DD#3 yesterday. It turned out to be a beautiful day and it was a beautiful nature preserve. Free exercise and entertainment for people and dogs.
3. I combined an errand with the walk and picked up my granddog. I keep him overnight once a week. He and my dog are best buddies. This saved my daughter gas and time in not having to deliver him and I was halfway there anyway. Bonus, my son-in-law made a delicious coffee cake which they shared with us.
4. It was later then expected when I got home last night and I didn’t have a dinner plan. I was tempted to get takeout as my daughter and I were starving. I made grilled cheese and canned tomato soup for dinner instead. It was quick and filled the hole.
5. I gave my son-in-law a grease gun that belonged to my husband and that I would never use. He’s a mechanic and will put it to good use. Crap out of the house and my children benefit.
1. I was able to combine a sale on butter + a $10 off $50, so I bought 15 pounds of butter to make it to $50, and after sale, coupon & 6% back on credit card, I paid $2.65 per pound of butter, and my freezer stash is back up.
2. I combined errands with my mom and stopped at BJ gas to fill up. Mom saved $147 on $100.62 at Kohl’s & I bought her some food that she wanted on FlashFood.
3. Chewy has 30% off cat’s favorite treats (tuna tubes) so I stocked up. I went through Swagbucks to get 2% back.
4. Mom & I split one lunch special at a pizza place, so total was $8.50
5. Mom and I figured out Christmas Eve dinner. An 80th birthday party was canceled last minute, but I had already made pulled chicken and bought large cans of B&M baked beans (.50) so our meal will be based on that same menu and cost nothing. I’ll also make a mac n’ cheese, using mystery shop cheese and milk, pasta that I bought for .62 per pound on FlashFoods, and breadcrumbs made from stale bread, free from mystery shop.
Bonus #6. Our dishwasher is leaking and not cleaning properly. As it is more than 15 years old, and with potential tariffs coming, we decided to replace it. I found one in the clearance section with a dent (which, because of our kitchen layout, will not be easily visible), saving $400.