Five Frugal Things
by Katy on December 30, 2024 · 85 comments
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I signed up for two months of Paramount Plus for just $1.99 per month. My husband and I are suckers for anything Star Trek, which makes this channel one of our favorites. The plan will renew at $12.99/month, so I added “Cancel Paramount Plus” into our calendar, complete with a reminder alert.
This ain’t my first rodeo.
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I’m still in the midst of a nasty head cold, but am treating it with nothing more than fluids and an extra strength dosage of taking it easy. I’ve never been one to take cold medicine, as I learned in nursing school that at best you’re just managing symptoms and at worst you’re wasting your money.
The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that they’re beginning the process of pulling all medications containing oral Phenylephrine, as it’s been found it to be completely ineffective in treating the common cold and its symptoms. Phenylephrine is the active ingredient of common over the counter medications such as Nyquil, Robitussin and Theraflu. Save your money and instead drink a cup of tea and maybe go lay down.
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I sold a pair of 1994 Lillehammer Olympics mugs* on eBay for $23.50. I’d had them up for sale for over two years, so I was happy to accept the offer down from the $30 asking price. Sometimes I thrift with the goal to earn an impressive amount of money, but other times it’s just because I want to put an unusual item into the right set of hands. It was unlikely that someone in this random Tacoma, Washington thrift store had a 1988 Winter Olympics connection, but me putting the mugs up on eBay meant a specific person was able to find these precise mugs.
Consumer goods are grotesquely over manufactured, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily easy for the average consumer to source quality used items. That’s where eBay sellers and thrift stores enter the picture. Helping consumers avoid Amazon, one to two mugs at a time.
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• My son sent me a picture of his meal prepping for the work week and I spied that he was wearing the apron that I got him from my Buy Nothing group. I also noticed that he’s using the huge mortar and pestle as a fruit bowl. Happy mom!
• I started researching inexpensive places to eat that are near where my husband and I will be enjoying next week’s mini-vacation. I’ve found a couple of well reviewed Mexican food carts, which is promising. Their on-site restaurants feature $19 taco plates, $22 omelets and $18 burgers, so I’ll continue to figure out tasty options that won’t break the bank. No point in scoring this very-cheap-with-airline-miles schmancy vacation if we spend hundreds of dollars on restaurant meals. Luckily they have in-room refrigerators.
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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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Recovering from aortic valve replacement surgery
1. Hubby took my suv in for its free oil change
2. Sold an item online ready to be sent out
3. Organized tshirts and have 4 to donate
4. Watching movies on Netflix, Prime
5. Next up put up Christmas decorations
Wishing you a speedy recovery, Kathy!
I hope everything went well and you are resting and recuperating. Best wishes for good health in the New Year!
May you heal quickly! Happy New Year with a new heart valve!
Hope you are feeling much better, Kathy, and that you enjoy a happy and HEALTHY new year!
Preparing for a no-spend (other than groceries and any necessities that run out) January!
1. A dear friend and neighbor is moving in a few days. She invited me over to go through the food she isn’t taking with her. I couldn’t take it all, but I took home: shallots, garlic, almonds, sunflower seeds, a few different jars of jams and condiments, one egg, a few frozen meals, lots of frozen berries, and I’m sure a few more things I’m forgetting. With all this food – we should be set for the month!
2. She also was clearing out some items from her former wedding planning business so I snagged lots of lavender tapers and glass candle sticks, as well as table numbers. No idea if we need them, but we’re getting married in May and our colors are lavender and sage!
3. I returned a pair of pants I’d bought new online from Nordstrom that didn’t end up fitting. I took that money and drove to Savers (a thrift store) and spent $10 more than I’d got from the return, but walked out with 4 pairs of slacks and 4 blazers. A much better deal, and now I won’t need business clothes for the year.
4. I am making a plan to declutter, deep clean, and organize every room in my apartment in 2025. I’m contemplating dipping my toe in the water of selling things on Marketplace or eBay.
5. My partner and I have season tickets to the Bills. We decided we didn’t want to sit in the rain yesterday (and we’ve been to almost every other game all season) so we gifted our tickets to a friend of ours. Made him happy, and saved us food, parking, and gas money.
Katie, congratulations from the second city to the east of you on your upcoming wedding! And I’d say that your #1 and #2 = major scores.
Thank you, A. Marie!! I haven’t been out your way in a while, but used to frequently for work!
Every one of these things resonated with me! Go Bills!
Go Bills!
What a score for your pantry- and your wedding! Congrats!
And sometimes the frugal thing to do is gift something to someone.
I have not commented much for a while because I feel that I never have anything dramatic to report.
1. I had some good sales of Christmas items on Etsy. In previous years, Christmas has continued to sell through January. We shall see if that happens again.
2. Somewhere, sometime we acquired a stack of large sheets of paper. Every month I use a sheet to make a calendar for the next month. The savings over buying a calendar is minimal. But the paper is already here, it takes me 3 minutes to make, and I don’t have to think about picking the best calendar to buy.
3. We dropped a box of items at Goodwill. We have a box waiting to go to animal control and another box for the donation art and craft supply store. No money saved but a little more breathing room acquired.
4. I hate to make salads. It seems to take forever to pull everything out of the fridge and cut as needed. I also hate bagged salad mixes because they taste like chemicals to me even when they have been washed again. The last half of a bag usually gets thrown away. In an effort to get us to eat more salads, I precut ingredients and stored them in individual containers. We have shredded romaine, grated carrots, radishes, cauliflower, sliced peppers, boiled eggs, and grated cheese ready to use. I find I don’t mind putting the ingredients together when they are already sliced and waiting. Several salads have been eaten and nothing had been thrown away. I hope this system will continue to keep us better fed with less waste.
5. We are continuing to use the library for books and movies. We are pleased to see that our new library now has puzzles too.
Make pesto with those half bags of salad. Just throw a dessert spoon of olive oil, two garlic cloves and some basil in with the salad leaves and blitz in the blender.
Denise, some of those bagged salad left overs look pretty undesirable by the time they get thrown out. I keep hoping someone (not me) will eat them.
Ava, kudos on your salad prep!
@Ava, being frugal is rarely dramatic! I love to read the random small things folk do, and your salad (veggie rescuing!) approach is one that I might do tomorrow when I find the spoons to do a big ol’ fridge reorganize…
your homemade calendar resonates. My daughter has a friend who makes her a fridge page every month. it is a reason my daughter has to keep in touch, one that is simple and makes the friend feel valued – to be asked to make next month’s calendar is feeding into the friend’s love language..
Katy – if you haven’t already seen “Fellow Travelers” on Paramount, it’s essential viewing. The best thing I’ve seen in years and I’m still stunned that Matt Bomer didn’t win the Emmy. I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s because it’s both a love story and a political education in gay history. Too out-there in an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people and their allies. Beautiful and powerful storytelling.
1. Bought my husband a 6-pack of high-quality socks for $6.50. They were originally $22, then marked down 25%, and then applied a $10 coupon.
2. Made a soup using up some of the last of our provisions – red lentils, chipotle peppers, can of fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery, herbs and vegetable broth. Pureed into a creamy soup. It’s what’s for breakfast three days in a row!
3. Ordered a salad that came with chicken. Since I’m vegetarian but my dog isn’t, I asked for the chicken on the side. My dog is delighted!
4. Couldn’t finish everything from my complimentary hotel breakfast, so I saved it for lunch.
5. Continue to save any type of plastic bag that can be used to pick up dog poop. For those bags that aren’t long enough to tie shut, I use a rubber band.
When I worked for a newspaper 25 yrs ago, I was required to subscribe. (They gave me a big discount so it was pretty much free except for what the paperboy got.) The plastic sleeves the home-delivered papers come in are perfect for dog poop: You just put your hand in them like a glove, pick up the poop and then pull the plastic off your arm so that it covers up the stinky mess; finish by knotting the end. It worked great!
But I wonder if anyone gets newspapers anymore; I can tell you there are zero newspapers thrown on my block.
Most libraries still gets news papers, and I am medieval about recycling at mine. I would be thrilled if a patron asked us to save those bags for them!
We’ve been passing along our local paper and selected sections of the other two. What we don’t pass along we recycle.
Starting last February, our papers come in the mail. Two of the three we get are here on the day published. Third can run behind and that is due to the post office, not the publisher. In 2008 Congress should have scrapped the law whereby the postal service must pre-fund retirement (75% of it if memory serves). No other public or private sector employer is required to do this. Which is why my blood boils when I hear about “privatizing” the postal service. I remember the 80s when leverage buyouts occurred and “over funded” pension plans were raped of cash.
The post-holiday crashout is a big one here as well – after spending most of a week looking after our two nieces (6 and 3) we were shocked at how quiet our apartment feels. Worth it, but also similarly worn out from the effort.
1. After eating the pantry and freezer down to shreds, we did a restock this weekend. While it was expensive it’s nice to know that we don’t need to necessarily plan ahead as all the food we might want is available.
2. The grocery shop also included some snacky stuff/treats to eat while cleaning up and getting organized. This worked out well when we opted to invite friends over for an at-home karaoke party instead of booking a spot at a bar since no one really felt like drinking. Saved our group a bunch of money and was able to host on the fly. So satisfying!
3. I am trying to avoid Amazon but I finally hit the order button on items I’ve had in my cart for a few weeks. I had been needing them but was putting off ordering in case I could find them locally or for less. Since no opportunities had arisen, I used Amazon as my last resort. A few things fell off the list as unnecessary in the meantime, so the strategy worked!
4. Frugal for a pal – a friend has booked a ski vacation and will be going skiing for the first time. She reached out for recommendations on what she needed and since we are the same size, I outfitted her almost entirely with spare ski gear I have. I’ve been collecting gear for years and won’t get rid of any of it “just in case” and turns out this is going to work great for her! I hope she catches the bug and we can go together 🙂
5. My husband did not buy a new car with a big red bow on Christmas, thrusting us into debt. 😉 no December to Remember here!
#5 That’s the greatest SNL sketch EVER!
Amazon (then Walmart) are my suppliers of last resort. I was more than a bit p*ssed off when an item I needed (not wanted mind you) was “exclusive” at Amazon.
Here is a great message song about recycling/reusing . I hope this works. Perfect for this group!
https://youtu.be/1ZdNipkansw?si=rYdOelHqeN9s7yNm
What a great video and song to go with it. Catchy. One of my resolutions is to cut down on my plastic use even more. This was a perfect nudge…especially the part where the children were swimming in the plastic waste! The cows on the landfill was disturbing too but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. Maybe all of us who see it will move the needle in the right direction, even if slightly.
FFT, Year-End Stuff Edition:
(1) The Bestest Neighbors and I attended a delightful **free** concert last night (funded by a local community association), featuring a friend of theirs who is a fine jazz/swing vocalist and guitar player, plus a backup clarinetist and bass player. Wonderful stuff!
(2) The BNs also gave me a poinsettia that someone gave them for Xmas, but that they don’t want to worry about for the next fortnight while they’re on their annual London theatre trip. Poinsettias make fine houseplants even after they shed their red “petals,” and I just composted two ailing houseplants, so I’ve got room for it.
(3) I’ll be taking the BNs to the airport tomorrow, and as long as I’m on the northern side of the county anyway, I plan to hit at least one and maybe two thrift shops up that way.
(4) Meanwhile, the neighbor on the other side of my next-door neighbor is planning another of his monster New Year’s Day parties. NDN got so confused when I took her to this last year (she asked me on our way out, “Where are we?”) that I’ve excused her this year, but I will turn up for the occasion. (Last year there was a good deal of lobster involved, and I took all the shells home for lobster stock!)
(5) And I’m planning a monster round of downsizing/decluttering for the winter months. My mantra for this, as noted earlier, will be “How much of this do I want to take with me to senior housing when I go?” I’m not planning to go any time soon, but it’s going to be a lot less traumatic when I do go if I can get stuff done in advance.
I regifted a holiday plant (a Yule log, but not the edible kind). I was afraid the cats would feast on it while we were out of town for a few days, so it went to my friends who were Christmasing-in-place!
You may have your work cut out for you with the downsizing/decluttering but as you said, when and if the time comes for you to move, it will be that much less stressful. Have fun at the big party…the lobster alone would be the big draw for me!
Decluttering – bad enough I have my stuff but already some from my parents (of whom one is still living). And to top it off, a couple of Hall’s china bowls the kiddos *thought* they might want were spied by better half for use at Xmas.
I have a lot of items that are salable but I am not all that het up to eBay/FB marketplace (I’d have to find someone else to take a cut to do so). I may be waiting until 2027 to see if the economy improves.
This is a bit off the subject, but I would like to propose that in memory of Jimmy Carter, who died yesterday, we all donate what we can (cash OR curb finds) to our local Habitat for Humanity chapters. Habitat for Humanity builds decent, affordable housing for people who buy them at cost (ie, no interest on the mortgage and the labor is done by volunteers, so there is no charge for that, either.). And, as you know, affordable housing is becoming more and more uncommon. Anyway, when Betty White died, lots of people gave to animal rescues in her memory, so I think it’d be nice to do the same if President Carter is/was one of your heroes. Even though he was a former president, he was humble enough to put on work clothes and go do common carpentry on a Habitat build, and it did it on a fairly regular basis. He was a big Habitat supporter for many years! Even if you don’t have much to give, every dollar counts. And if you can’t give money, perhaps donate items to one of their Re-Stores, which is a thrift store specializing in building materials, or a regular thrift store supporting Habitat (there used to be one in Orange City, Fla., when I lived there — I still have the crockpot I bought from them!). Does anyone have too many tools or lumber or paint supplies or old ceiling fan parts? Or did you find something of value/usefulness being discarded near you? And they’re always in need of volunteers — you could volunteer an hour in Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter’s memories. Anyway, just a thought.
Hear, hear to the Habitat for Humanity idea! IMO, Jimmy Carter was the greatest and best ex-president the US has ever had, and I think this is a great notion. I’ve been postponing calling our local HforH in on DH’s remaining tools and equipment (I’m trying to make sure that friends get as much of these as possible first), but I’m resolving that 2025 will be the year this happens.
A.Marie,
Thank you for thinking about Habitat! I’m sure that will honor your DH’s memory, and do some good in your city.
President Carter was the polar opposite of that convicted felon who is about to re-enter the White House, so I hope lots of people will do something in Carter’s memory, so much so that tRump will get jealous. However, I must say that Trump’s memorial comment about Carter was very gentlemanly sounding, so perhaps there’s hope he will reform.
The orange pox’s post was a) not written by him and b) not typed by him. Orange pox will never change.
A bit of a cross post but Jimmy Carter walked the walk re: his faith. And remembered part of a sermon he heard – “if you were arrested for being a christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” In former President Carter’s case there would be. Can’t think of a single politician in office today that wouldn’t be found “not guilty”.
I have just a few but here goes.
1. I was gifted an Amazon gift card for Christmas and rather than buying “stuff”, I bought spices, vanilla beans and other staples. It’s not where I would choose to shop but I can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
2. My husband is out in the rain replacing the headlight in his truck rather than take it to the mechanic. It is ridiculously complicated.
3. I’m making focaccia to go with leftover soup so no food waste or purchasing.
4. I used points from our local store and coupons to get $20 off. It takes a long time to build up enough points since we don’t shop much.
5. Not really frugal, but gave our adult children gift cards to grocery stores for Christmas to help them save money. They seemed to really like that.
6. Made sure to get our ACA application in before the soon to be “leaders” get rid of it.
Did not buy a gold plated apartment or any politicians unlike some others who shall not be named.
I was also gifted an Amazon gift card for Christmas and used it to purchase mineral oil for my cutting board and Cleancult handsoap refills.
I would have loved grocery gift cards this year! I can imagine the kids were most grateful!
I also gave my adult daughter and her partner a grocery gift card. It’s always appreciated.
My mom asks for a GC to the grocery store every year for Christmas. She has everything she wants or needs so I get it for her. Since Covid she doesn’t like to eat out. It makes her happy so I get it for her. She tells me what she buys with it. It’s always extras that she doesn’t get with the grocery budget.
Hubby got an Amazon gift card for Christmas. He hasn’t used it yet.
I am the keeper of the gift bags in my family. This year I made sure to tell both my sisters and mom to not buy any gift bags. Instead my bin made the rounds. A couple of them came loose at the seams so I’m going to glue those back. I also used maps to wrap my nephew’s gifts. I’ve been using them since he was little, and since he’s a senior in high school, it seemed fitting to use the last of them.
We scaled down Christmas due to a very expensive year and also because none of us really need/want much. This year we had big medical bills, a new roof, new gutters, tree work, and a new car. Dh and I only exchanged stockings, which consisted of candy and 3 books each. I bought my books off Thriftbooks, while dh chose to patronize an independent bookstore. One frugal, one not, but both wins to us.
My 83 year old mil has dementia, and while she is still able to live by herself and take care of her own ADLs, she’s not able to drive, shop, make any important decisions independently, and of course she has memory issues. So she looks to me to buy Christmas gifts for family. This year I decided to use some of the gift cards she had been gifted years ago and would never use. This took care of 4 gifts.
I did go to WM a couple days after Christmas, but only bought ornament hooks for my mil and a box of soft peppermint candies for myself.
Husband had to work Christmas unfortunately, but at least he got paid time and a half for it. We did our Christmas on the 24th and the whole family was happy with that.
I order litter and cat food from Chewy, and I was glad to use a $30 promotional gift card and $10 promo code for sending a letter to Chewy Clause on my latest order.
Katy, I hope you feel better soon. And it’s heartwarming that your son is using his thrifty kitchen gifts.
I went to Ollie’s Outlet today and bought a half price roll of wrapping paper, tea, granola bars, shelled walnuts, cat litter and a bag of puppy pads. Did a spot of grocery shopping at Aldi and bought extra coffee. Hit Dollar Tree on the way home for toothpaste. All this was targeted at trying to avoid spending more money for the same items in the next year, as coffee is going sky high, tea is already there, and the cat litter and bran cereal are products of Canada. Colgate toothpaste is made in Mexico.
Very wise shopping at Ollie’s et al., Ruby. The BNs gave me an Ollie’s gift card (among other things) for Xmas–hey, do they know me or what??–so I’ll ankle down there in the next day or two and spend it likewise.
It was good to get to Ollie’s and not have to fight my way through the Christmas junk. The paper I bought was a double-sized roll made in the USA. It felt like a patriotic act to spend $1.39 on it. 😀
I had priced the same tea at $8.99 in the grocery store and it was $2.99 at Ollie’s. I drink a lot of tea and bought three boxes.
I’ve also been trying to stock up on coffee, peanut butter, etc for fears of the price hikes headed our way! I don’t have an Ollie’s near by but I’ll have to remember to stop in and check them out when I am near one.
It saves me a fortune just on cat litter. Ground coffee there is the same price as at Aldi, but Ollie’s has a lot of flavored varieties.
I never bother with cold medicine either. It never seemed to work. I guess I was more right about that than I knew!
1. I cancelled my free trial of Hulu before they could charge me.
2. I listed a pair of shoes that don’t fit right on Ebay. Maybe someone else will like them better.
3. I made plans to bake a dessert for New Year’s Eve using ingredients I already have.
4. I have made my budget plan for next year. Planning ahead is always a good idea.
5. I have started decluttering in advance of moving next spring. I already have several piles of books to sell or donate.
A vacay for you & Mr. Non-consumer sounds like a respite from your difficult year of 2024. Now you have a cold. It seems you can’t catch a break! (I was impressed despite all the trials & tribulations you blogged on a more frequent basis than previously. We readers, who are needy, appreciate this.)
1. My next door neighbor in FL had too many house guests. I volunteered my spare bedroom for one night.
2. The next door neighbor gave me some veggies prior to her & the house guests going on a cruise. I think I’ll make a casserole w/ the eggplant & mushrooms she gave me.
3. I needed a 2025 calendar. I found one at the senior citizen center along w/ a day old loaf of bread.
4. I have found a few dollars worth of change during my walks thus far. (I donated the 17$ I found previously in 2024 to the church across the street. They serve as the home for many 12 Step Groups in addition to church activities.)
5. I charged my Medicare premium to a credit card that will earn me 50$ in Old Navy points. I know they sell fast fashion but they also sell underwear, socks, & bras. I ordered new underwear for me & the hubby. We will start the New Year with new underpants.
Happy New Year to the Non-Consumer posse!
Hey nothing wrong with new year new pants!! I am nearly finished making my own knickers, first pair, had to do by hand as still not got the treadle machine running! Hoping for comfy fit and long term savings as the pattern goes from my daughter’s size to beyond mine….some room for expansion(although I’m trying to downsize!)
Sorry that went on a bit more than I planned, just a bit excited!!!
Happy new year to all!
Feel better Katy and have a fabulous break, you guys deserve it. Xx
I need to up my game when I go out in public. We had to go to the grocery store and I just put on a coat and the wheelchair and I joined the husband in his stroll down the auto parts section. As I was sitting there, a woman came up to me and whispered in a very kind voice that I might feel so much better if I “tidied up” my hair. She gave me her card, said she was a hairdresser and would be happy to cut my hair for free as her Christmas gift to me. Apparently being slumped over in my chair waiting for the mister to make his selection, with an old coat on and my hair standing on end, was not my best look. I did appreciate the kind gesture and told her so. I asked my husband, since he is the one who looks at me all the time, if I needed to get a professional cut. He said that he has lived with my unruly hair for four decades and is fine with things the way they are, unless I am not. He did mention that one time when I was so ill that he was thinking about a burial service, that he intended to tell the mortician not to slick down my hair because no one would recognize me.
1. Brought home two normally $10 per container cut up pineapple pieces that were on sale for $1.50 each. We ate our fill, and the rest went into the freezer; both of us like barely thawed ice-cold pineapple.
2. The entire grocery store was filled with things on sale because they were about to go out of date. Bought Jimmy Dean’s sausage for $2 per one pound roll was the only other thing not on my list. Five pounds of sausage for a total of $10 is a great buy and it freezes well.
3. Someone advertised on FB that they had a bunch of puzzles they wanted to trade for more puzzles. Turned out they lived three streets away, so she came over for coffee and we made the exchange. She expressed appreciation for the mugs we were using so I showed her my cupboard of excess mugs and she took home 2 dozen! Three days later, she dropped off one of them, having made it into a soy candle. She sells them so I now have a way to recycle mugs and in return she will give me a candle mug for every dozen of empty mugs I give her.
4. Practically seconds after mug candle lady left, I wrapped the mug and included it in a small gift box I am delivering to an ailing friend.
5. Cut husband’s hair.
What an awesome swap buddy you found! Mugs seem to multiply despite not actually purchasing them! Love that the candle made for a great gift too!
I feel driven to add that one thing I did not spend money on was having the color of my eyes changed to match the color of my dog’s eyes. Today’s Wash Post has an article on this latest popular fad, changing your eye color. One guy said he had one eye done, in case the eye he had colored goes bad—that way he will be blind in only one eye, not both. After reading the article I channeled my dead father by saying what he always did when someone did something wasteful or complained about first world problems: “They need to be flown into a war zone for a few years.”
Lindsey, your dad’s commentary is always wonderful. His version of a reality check is just what’s needed now.
Lindsey, I like your Dad!!! That applies to so many things nowadays. Thank you for sharing!
Lindsey, once a postal employee asked me if I was a surfer because I went to the PO most days with wet hair. (I have a USPS undelerable address.) I said, uhhh, no, I’m just a lazy slob and I don’t feel like drying my hair. I pointed out the flip-flops I was wearing in January. Ever since then I pretend to be a surfer as this is a big surf town.
A couple years ago when it snowed here I slid getting out of my car to feed the feral cats. I was so embarrassed at wearing a coat, pajama bottoms and Sex Pistols Doc Martens I decided crawling back to my car (damn that was cold and wet) was better than calling for help. I’m, on my way home from surfing, eyeroll.
What a great way to recycle mugs and a puzzle exchange is what I need to do. Love it.
Hope you feel all better very soon!
Nothing like doing my 2024 spending analysis and grocery shopping in the same day! Oooof! I’m working hard to maximize my savings but it’s still WAY more than I would like to be spending. Food was my largest area of expense for 2024.
1. My dear friend and I got together yesterday at my home for some $0 cost board gaming fun. She brought over food and left it here when she returned home. It unexpectedly provided my teen with a great dinner!
2. I sat and shredded all the used pages of my 2024 planner/calendar and pulled out all of the months of the year pages. I’m using them to make my young niece a months-of-the-year flip book to add into her learning lessons for the year. I’ll be using the other blank pages for scrap paper.
3. Grouped grocery stops… I used a $10 Target gift card from Fetch and combined it with the Target Circle 15% off food purchase coupon last night before it expired. I only got items off my needed list and two stock up items that were below my usual purchase price point. I did drive up pickup so as not to be tempted by any of the holiday clearance items that I absolutely do not need. I then stopped at CVS to pick up a prescription and used an in-app coupon for a $0.99 can of albacore tuna and applied my $0.15 CVS rewards and walked out at $0.84 for a $2.79 stock pile pantry product. I ran into Publix after that but they were out of the items I stopped in for so I asked for 4 rain checks.
4. I’m accidentally ordered dog biscuits that were much too large for my dog and even upon breaking them down to smaller bits I found him with them stuck in his gums/throat twice. I am gifting them to a friend-of-a-friend whose large dog can eat them and while I’m not happy about the lost funds on my end – I did get them at a great discount and I’m glad they aren’t going to waste.
5. I researched how to recycle textiles yesterday and came up with next to no options here in FL. It’s so discouraging. I will be using the items I was hoping to recycle for creating cleaning and crafting projects around here since I keep things until the thrift stores don’t want them. I am considering shipping my used bras to a company that recycles them but with the current shipping costs I’m not sure I’ll do it.
You might put a call out on FB for info on recycling textiles. Our town has a small sheltered workshop where they make rags and discarded materials into rag rugs that are then sold and the money is used for enrichment activities for the folks who make the rugs. There might be a place like that close by in your area.
That’s so neat! I’ll ask!
Do you have any St. Vincent de Paul donation boxes in your area? They will take any fabric including single socks, worn out bras, etc. and sell the material for profit. This is to support their charities. In our state (Massachusetts) it is now illegal to throw away clothing, fabric and shoes so the donation box in back of one of our local churches has been a help.
I just checked and nothing within 500 miles of me! 🙁
A lot of animal kennels, dog pounds, cat rescues, etc. will accept blankets and rugs and stuff for animal bedding, so you might ask such places if they accept old clothing. I supposed you’d have to cut off the buttons and trim so the pet wouldn’t swallow them, but I guess they could cut up the clothes for bedding for smaller pets.
Great idea! Yes, we always donate to our local shelters but this most recent pile isn’t anything they can use.
1. Hit Fred Meyer during the “markdowns golden hour” and got $80 worth of groceries for $35. Some of it was dented produce, some was marked down meat, some was out of season snacks.
2. Got eggs at Trader Joe’s for 1/3 what they cost at Fred Meyer. ($2.99 vs $8.99!!!!)
3. Went for a walk, and while I was getting free exercise, I picked up $1.10 worth of cans. I’ve added more than $300 to my BottleDrop account this year.
4. Went to bank and poured this year’s found change into the change counter thingy. $29.90, if I include the 5 dollar bill I found!
5. Started dinner so I won’t be tempted to go to a restaurant.
You get a gold medal in frugality for $300+ in bottles!
To be honest, it’s a great motivator to get me out the door and walking!
Have fun on your trip Katy. I hope you are much better by then. The only cold medicine that ever worked for me was Benadryl (and its store brand twin) and that was only to clear my sinuses and helped a little with postnasal drip. That’s not a lot of help. Plus, it made me so sleepy I could only take it at night.
1. DH successfully unsubscribed us from a Sirius radio subscription that was free for the first three months.
2. I used a $5 off coupon at Kohl’s for a cookie dough scoop. Believe it or not, I just heard about this handy gadget, and I am 65.
3. I needed more acetaminophen, so I used a 30% off coupon at CVS plus another %20 off for buying the store brand.
4. I gave DH a haircut.
5. I made a large pot of 15 Bean Soup and threw in chunks of the last of the Christmas ham. This should feed us for days.
1. I used a Chipotle gift card I was given last night for my husband, son and I. Hubby and I got the kids meal(they allow any age to get it) and got 2 tacos each. They come with a drink, rice, beans, meat, 3 toppings and a side of chips. It is more than enough food for both of us for $6. My son got a regular meal. Plenty left on the gift card for another meal.
2. I packed up all of our gift bags, tissue paper, boxes and bows to use next year.
3. I went to the library to return some stuff and borrow some more.
4. Driving to the library. I saw a pile of garbage cans and boxes. Wrapping paper was sticking out so I pulled over. I got an almost new roll of Christmas paper to use next year. The lady came out carrying more stuff. She was moving and asked if I wanted boxes of food that she couldn’t fit into her car. So I took it and figured whatever I won’t use I will drop off to the food bank. 3 huge boxes of unopened food.
5. I made eggs for Hubby and me for breakfast. I brought a salad to work for lunch. Hubby had leftovers. I grilled chicken for dinner and put homemade pesto on it for dinner with some leftover sides. .
I too am determined to make the year 2025 the year of decluttering and organization. A recent diagnosis ADHD at the ripe old age of 62 has made everything make sense, as far as my inability to complete tasks and organize as well as other things. I’ll do what I can and be happy about it!
1. Gave away 7 long sleeved tops on my Buy Nothing Facebook group to a very appreciative local woman. I told her as I continue the process I will contact her when I have more to offer.
2. I think I have found a buyer for the kingsized bed platform we no longer need. This is an $1100+ item when new, and I think I’m getting $120 for it, which is fine by me. I just need it out of my way.
3. DD and I are booked in February to visit his DD, the SIL and the grandchildren for a few days. Flights are ridiculously expensive, but they are moving to a much larger home where we can stay comfortably as well, so no hotel needed. Other DD and SIL will come and stay in our house for 6 days to look after our dogs.
4. Watched “Downton Abbey-A New Era” last night on Netflix. I loved the series, and saw the first movie, but somehow missed watching the second one when it came out. I haven’t been to a movie theatre in years.
5. Picked up an old dresser I had lent to my niece many years ago. She no longer needs it, and it goes just fine in our new primary bedroom in our house’s addition. It was in a lot better shape than I expected, is solid wood, and DH will refinish it once he has done the million other projects in this house.
6. Just picked up a little tree ornament that was 75% off at the local pharmacy. It will go on a present of books for a friend’s baby’s first Christmas gift.
Nyquil – much cheaper to buy Jaegermeister, same taste and affect. I remember the days you could by cough syrup with codeine, yes I am old per se.
$19 taco plates – where are you going?
1. Stayed home the last several days and nights and read the paperback book I got at Goodwill. It’s all about the history of the Comanche Indians and their territory and wars. Amazing stuff! All the history textbooks give short shrift to this part of the American story, and I’m learning new things on every page. Not bad for 99 cents! Yes, I used a coupon. [BTW, the book is called “Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History” by S.C. Gwynne and Amazon has it for 25 bucks. It says online they may make it into a movie or something.]
2. Used a coupon that expires on 12/31 at the store which gave me a couple of dollars off some OTC meds.
3. Re-gifted a really loud-smelling holiday candle to a friend who smokes and loves to use candles to cover up the cigarette fumes in her apartment. Also threw in a bag of snacks brought in from the teacher’s lounge the last day of school. (The PTA moms had the flavored popcorn in a huge bowl and you scooped it out into a pretty bag so that it looked like a homemade treat. )And, of course, put them all in a gift bag that is from a prior year. With some free paper (see #4).
4. Retrieved some shiny iridescent paper from the store breakroom. This was used in a box of homemade cookies for the holiday party. The paper, slightly larger than a wall calendar page, was not greasy or dirty or anything so I shook out the crumbs and took it home. It looks very nice and was used in some gift bags — the part sticking up that hides the gift.
5. Began rooting some ivy in a new “vase” — a bottle that used to contain beet juice. Just had to peel off the label. I sure do like these clear stick-on labels that a lot of bottlers use; they are easy to remove and the bottle can be used for vases or other decorative purposes. Collected some rainwater to use for the ivy and other houseplants.
I read “Empire of the Summer Moon” from the library a few years ago. The descriptions of the physical landscapes were fascinating, as well as the insights into the cultures clashing. Also would recommend it.
Katy, I have an even better trick than scheduling a reminder to cancel a free week of a subscription. Seconds after signing up for a service cancel the subscription. You always get the free week and don’t have to remember to come back and cancel.
Yes, this is great advice, thank you. However this $1.99/month deal is for two months, so I have to wait a month to cancel it otherwise I won’t get the second month.
2024 sure was a crappy year for you, following you til the end.. I hope you’re be fully healed for your trip!
I cooked goat meat in the slowcooker for the dogs, line-dried my washing, gave away a yoghurt maker I rescued from our family home, mended two dresses, played outside in the snow with the dogs, tried out my new-to-me cross country skis and only fell twice on my bum and got friendly advice from another skier (cheaper than a private ski lesson!)
Do you line dry your clothing in snowy weather outside or do you haver an indoor line?
@Katy – Sorry if line-drying was not the right word, I have clothes drying racks which I use indoors in winter. I actually don’t even own a dryer so it’s just a habit. Also our mountain air + wooden chalet house makes the air quite dry, clothes are ready to be folded in less than a day (ironing is another thing I will not do)
I rarely take cold medicine also. I was told the same thing in nursing school and as one of my instructors put it, better out than in. I know Katy knows this but your runny nose is your bodies way of ridding you of the virus. A little Nyquil at night doesn’t hurt if you are not able to sleep. Sleep is important to healing. Also I will take a little Sudafed for congestion or Mucinex but I’m rarely sick. I’d imagine I’ve saved plenty over the years.
1. I combined errands which included a stop at Costco for a few essentials. I brought a cooler with an empty half and half bottle turned into an ice pack.
2. I hurt my knee so I’ve been mostly staying home. It’s my right one so driving is difficult. I’m using up the Ibuprofen my daughter got when she had her wisdom teeth out to bring down the swelling. I’m also using an old refillable ice pack that I’ve had forever.
3. I split a pack of yogurts from Costco with my Mom. They were on sale so it ended up being a good deal for both of us. Neither one of us wanted a whole box.
4. I also received an Amazon gift card for Christmas as others have mentioned. I think I’ll use it for the biodegradable souffle cups I use to make dog ice cream and also some canning jars to use for emergency water.
5. I’m still trying to clean out my freezers and pantry. The high grocery prices are a good motivator to cook from scratch. I’m going to spend my down time hunting for recipes to use things up.
I recommend Budget Bytes – the recipes I have tried have all been winners.
Smart to bring a cooler and ice pack to Costco.
1. I forgot my lunch at home today, so I went to McDonalds. Not my first choice, but it’s the only convenient spot near my job. I redeemed some points that were expiring for a free order of medium fries and also used a 50% off a double cheese burger coupon. Grand total $1.92.
2. Sold a toy shopping cart of FB marketplace for $30 this past weekend.
3. Sunday, we had plans to be out of the house early so I skipped my usual grocery run. We’re making do with what we have on hand.
4. We are staying home tonight for NYE and I’ll make a bunch of appetizers in the air fryer and hopefully be asleep by 9:30.
5. Redeemed some points on a survey site for a $25 Chipotle gift card.
My son and daughter in law are here visiting from Korea as well as my daughter who lives in Annapolis.
Son is using his hotel gift cards that Dell gives him for some reason or another. That is paying their hotel bill.
1. I paid for supper last night – a very, very, dismal Outback restaurant meal with my free $100 gift card (cashed in credit card points) and tipped with my allowance.
2. We paid for our dinner out (4 of us) with cash as there would have been a 3% surcharge for using a credit card. Forgetabboutit I ain’t paying that. Plus hubby had tipped the hibachi chef so we only had to tip the waiter. It was on the receipt they gave us that the waiter and chef split tips. We didn’t get a great show so no big tip.
3. Used Dollar Tree large gift bags for Christmas gifts. I saved them for next year. How easy is it to wrap something in tissue paper (bought at Dollar Tree) and stick it in a bag?
4. Hubby got our prime rib from the local grocery store chain. Just as good as the fancy butcher shop and at least half the cost.
5. I got everyone ugly Christmas sweaters from Kohls and some were less expensive than others but I earned Kohls cash too.
How wonderful to have your son visit from Korea!