Five Frugal Things
by Katy on December 16, 2024 · 11 comments
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I’ll be picking up a pair of brand new Apple EarPods from someone in my Buy Nothing group. These’ll serve a stocking stuffer for my daughter who doesn’t read the blog.
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My daughter and I went to Cost Plus World Market to pick up yummy treats for people on my gift list. I try my best to not buy anything new, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t buy edible gifts. (No used food for my loved ones!) I can’t share what I bought as my sister does read the blog.
I signed up for their membership, as it you 15%-off all purchases, although I immediately hit “unsubscribe” as my inbox is cluttered enough as is.
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I walked down to a neighborhood consignment shop as my sister’s birthday is today and I wanted to send something besides the aforementioned food items. My first thought was something small like earrings, but instead I scored a $8 kitchenware item that I know she’s been wanting. Again, I can’t share what I bought, but I think she’ll be very happy with her gift.
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• I sold a Land’s End needlepointed Christmas stocking on eBay for $40.
• I sold a trio of tiny die cast Alaska Airline toys for $15.
• I made a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup as my husband is fighting an upset stomach.
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I’m not gifting any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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1. I defrosted a container of soup and spooned it over leftover rice for a quick dinner last night. Earlier I had attended a holiday party where a full meal was served and I really didn’t need another large meal.
2. I was on the committee that helped set-up and clean-up for the party and the organizer offered me a stuffed turkey breast as we were finishing loading out and cleaning up. It is enough for two or more meals. I am very grateful for the delicious treat and will plan my meals around it for a few days.
3. A neighbor brought over a gift of fresh fruit and chocolates. I so appreciate their friendship and generosity and will in turn send over my homemade Swedish Tea Ring.
4. The pair of lamps that I listed on our neighborhood Facebook page have gone to a new home and I am glad to have them out of my garage. The piece of furniture that I had posted wasn’t picked up so I am donating it to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. A lot more eyes will see it and I’m sure it, too, will find a new home very soon.
5. I am cutting up another Halloween pumpkin to make my Pumpkin Stew. I will be taking it to a holiday party on Wednesday. I love using my pumpkin decor as the food that they are.
These are Five Tiny Frugal Things:
1. I will be retiring in February due to an idiopathic visual impairment. I met with HR last week and found out that because I was hired before 1994 I qualify for a small health insurance subsidy – I can apply it to co-pays or prescriptions. Every little bit helps.
2. I ordered some Christmas decorations – that I did not need – from Target and they arrived broken. They were plastic but they had been thrown in a box without cushioning and taped shut. I went to the nearest Target and returned them. The process was very efficient!
3. While at Target DH and I looked around for any deals. We saw nothing we needed. Or wanted. I checked on the price of canned green beans as I like to add some to my three dogs’ food for volume. Market Basket, our default grocery store, charges 99c for Libby’s or DelMonte and that’s a sale price. Target’s Good and Gather brand is only 64 cents, the same price as Walmart’s brand. Walmart is a good 15 miles away in heavy traffic and I am glad I can buy them from Target (2 miles away). DH said to “just get two cans” and “see if the dogs like them”.
4. I raided DD28 recycling barrel for cans and bottles. I only came up with 10 this week.
5. Decided not to send Christmas cards this year. Can’t justify the expense of sending cards to people I hear from once a year. Anyone I’m close to I stay in touch with via text or Facebook, if not in person.
1. I’m also a World Market rewards member. They’ve been handing out rewards left and right. They gave me 20% off for ordering a gift for pick up and an additional $10 in rewards that I used. I just used 15% off and $10 rewards last week. I don’t buy from them that often…
2. I ordered some donuts for my sister and her family. They are freezable. They are Ludwick’s sour cream donuts that she is unable to get in Texas and the grocery store here has stopped carrying. Her family loves them and we grew up eating them so it’s the perfect gift. The bakery will ship directly to her. I ordered a case of 6 dozen and they are only $4 a dozen. The shipping was almost a much as the donuts.
3. I met two of my daughters at my MIL house. One had made chili and cornbread. We had a nice dinner. We are trying to pitch in and help my husband’s family with her care. She would not do well in a care home and would hate having strangers in her house.
4. I’m adding leftover cranberry sauce with not very good cottage cheese. It goes surprisingly well together. None will be wasted.
5. I told my mom about the rewards points at Meijer for buying gift cards. She bought all her Christmas gift cards and received $40 in rewards. She was so thrilled, she hasn’t stopped talking about it.
I’m making a list of foods I eat that might go up with tariffs. Then US stuff I can replace it with. I fear I must bid adieu to avocados. I do wonder about coffee and chocolate though.
Good thought, t. You’ve inspired me to make a similar list.
In making my list everything got more complicated.
80% of potash fertilizer is imported and used on foods I like. This potash mostly comes from Canada and they are supposed to get tariffs hikes. And if immigrant farm workers get deported I guess it will raise prices on homegrown food too.
Nuts!so much for trying to avoid calamity. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die lol.
FFT, Happy “Austenmas” Edition:
(1) Today, Dec. 16, is “Austenmas”–Jane Austen’s 249th birthday. (As you can imagine, the entire Janeite world will be going out of its mind for her 250th next year.) But JASNA’s annual birthday gift to the world is the latest edition of its electronic journal, Persuasions On-Line, which is open to all (https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/volume-45-no-1/). I’m proud to say that I played a modest part in producing this issue, as you’ll see if you click on the Editor’s Note. (I’ll gently remind the editor to give me my “A.” before the Marie next time.)
(2) Being possessed of a large meaty ham bone and an urge to make soup today, I of course thought of making one of JA’s housemate Martha Lloyd’s two recipes for split pea soup. Alas, I didn’t have enough split peas on hand, so I went with this recipe (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240996/lentil-ham-soup/), substituting the ham bone for the chopped ham.
(3) And in affectionate memory of JA, Martha, and the Two Fat Ladies (who cooked with anchovies whenever they could), I put four anchovies into the soup instead of the salt. The final result should be about the same. Anchovies, after all, were the MSG of the 18th century.
(4) I’m now finished with holiday cards/e-greetings and almost all prezzies, so I’ll be moving on tomorrow to the Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors. (The basis for this year’s edition, as noted earlier, will be a History Channel “This Day in History” calendar. There’s more than enough room on the cover between “in” and “History” for me to sneak in a “Martha’s.”)
(5) And since I’ve had no luck in collecting Xmas tree clippings off curbs thus far, the BNs have given me permission to clip as many branches off the spindly yew bushes in front of their house as I wish, since they’re planning to have those bushes removed next year anyway.
Thank you for the Jane info. With greetings to Jane, and to my niece, I also add Happy Birthday to Beethoven!
When my sister was in high school orchestra, the teacher ordered a cake for the students for the event, (date is a good guess, popularized by Schroeder in the Peanuts comics). The cake read “Happy Birthday, Bethoven”.
1. I stopped at Sam’s Club to return a couple of items.
2. I stopped at Dollar Tree to buy some greeting cards. They still have some that are $.50.
3. I stopped at Aldi to buy eggs. At $2.14/dozen they are cheaper there. Aldi is next to Dollar Tree and about half a mile out of my way.
4. I gave away items in the local Buy Nothing Group. It was clutter to us.
5. I will walk with a friend in the morning. She will be working in an office full time starting next month so we are trying to fit in time to be together before that.
I sold a large lit up Christmas statuary on FBMP for the exact price I bought it for. $80, clutter out.
Purging clothes out of one of my mother’s walk-in closets, making smart decisions and simplifying her choices. She was once a clothes horse! Beautiful designer clothes will go to local consignment store after they are cleaned/steamed and pressed.
A friend re-gifted me a beautiful wool plaid shacket. It is scrumptious, I would never buy something that nice for myself. I gave her a 60″ square quilt in return. We both had mile wide smiles!
Ordered my grain, dog food and cat food by the month from the local feed store for a 25% savings, plus the owner’s son will deliver on his way home. I stopped in several stores price shopping last week and took coffee and cinnamon rolls to the feed store and we made a local deal.
Neighbor brought me 2 ham bones that he found in the freezer, I will cook up beans tonight and take him beans and cornbread.
1. Today, I got the lights on the real Christmas tree we bought and put up in the old giant stand in the living room last week. It is frugal because it smells good, and because I am using this time to sort through our holiday decorations and set some aside to pass along to others. We are fine with four strings of lights, not nine, for instance. We haven’t put up a tree for several years.
2. Got the wreath up outside by the front door, an artificial evergreen one I bought some twenty years ago and redo every year with bows from poinsettias, pine cones, odd ribbons, bells, and the like. I picked up some extra evergreen branches that had blown down and added them for more fullness.
3. Found a very large poinsettia at Walmart that had been partially broken off and was marked down to five dollars. The rest looks ok, and I will cut off the red-leaf-blooms and put them in a vase if I get tired of the giant pot.
4. Presents are pretty predictable: Food and books we know the person likes.
5. Canada Post ordered the workers back in after a month strike. I will still wait a while before I send cards north.
Thank you to whoever mentioned “Man on the Inside” on Netflix, with Ted Danson trying to solve a theft in a senior living home. Husband and I are enjoying it, (though HOW much must it cost to live in that place?).