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I took advantage of a rare non-rainy moment for a walk around the neighborhood and was mentally prepared to not come across any “free piles” in such soggy weather. This proved to be incorrect, as I found an abandoned knit cap. (Okay, not officially a “free pile,” but it was to me!) I pincer grabbed it and carried it home, where I gave it a progressive series of washes until it came out nice and clean. I then gave it a once over with my sweater shaver to complete its spa treatment.
I actually know someone who lives near where I found the cap, so she’s going to ask her neighbors if it belongs to them.
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I pruned the candytuft in my front garden and saved a couple dozen to propagate on the kitchen windowsill. I have a big yard, but prefer to not spend any money to keep it up. These flowers go back to 1996, when we first bought our house and dug up some up from my father’s house.
Sharing is caring. Thanks, dad!
By the way, I’ll never stop loving my collection of trash picked sake glasses and Pokemon jam jars!
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I got a class action settlement for $8.74 from Verizon wireless. So yeah . . . I recently came into some money.
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My son and I walked to Fred Meyer to pick up some motor oil for my husband who spent the afternoon changing the oil in both of our cars. I made sure to walk past the clearance section, where I grabbed four bags of Ghirardelli peppermint chips for $1.57 apiece. A nice addition to the pantry for some later date when we’re craving a sweet treat.
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Like President Carter, I washed out and reused my zip-top plastic bags.
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s some high-quality frugality ❤️
I mended a thrifted coat last night. I *could* have bought a new one. But I like that this one is warm and has got to be about 40-50 years old. It even has a union label inside!
“Look for … the Union label!” I haven’t heard that song in ages….
I remember that song and the ads!
I still think that ILGWU (the acronym for the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union) stands in my case for “I Love Going Without Underwear.” 😀
Yes! The No Underwear Gang.
First time sharing, but here we go:
1. Kept my eye on the Free Stuff Alerts app and was rewarded with some beautiful free wood chips from a nearby neighborhood. Used these for the chicken run and doggy area and had a bit left for mulching a beautiful Seviceberry I was gifted two months ago on Marketplace.
2. Sold a wool sweater on Poshmark and sent it out with used box and a pretty thank you sticker I received from a local artist when I purchased her art.
3. Bought two kinds of salt from the Winco Bins instead of in plastic shakers.
4. Purchased chocolate Advent calendars for the kids for next year at 80% off at Walgreens (0.39 cents each).
5. Bought the cheap TP ( Scott’s Comfort) at an even more frugal price of BOGO 1/2 off. ( $7.50 for two packages) Even though it’s the cheap stuff it’s actually not bad!
6. Washed out a baggy I received a shipment of Walking Onion bulbs in from Etsy, hung it on the fridge with a magnet to dry 🙂
And also, nice cost per wear on your coat Jessica! That might be some kind of record!
JC – If I had bought the sweater, I might not have noticed the box but certainly would have received a little positive boost from the thank-you sticker. Such things do make the world a tiny bit better!
That’s exactly where my mind went!!! Now I’ll be singing it all night!!
I was singing a song in my head.
Jessica,
That is some impressive mileage on the thrifted coat! I grieved two winters ago when I finally had to let go of a down coat I bought (new) in 1978. Finally the fabric just gave way beyond mending, but I sure was proud of that coat. Which to be fair looked terrible for its last ten years but good enough for the woods.
I pulled out my thirty-ish year old one when I realized it was easier to put on because of limited range of motion from my bad shoulders. The more modern fuzzy microfleece would catch on my shirt and not lay down in the back without lots of extra tugging. But the (highly faux) satin lining in the old coat slides right on and off
I also understand now why elderly women and witches are pictured in artworks with capes and cloaks and shawls. Arthritis.
Poor people generally wore cloaks because they’re simpler to sew and require less fabric than something with sleeves. Plus, since not fitted, others could wear them if needed.
Rose, you’re probably right but I love Heidi Louise’s revisionist history–those witches had arthritis! Gave me a good laugh which is worth more than facts.
@Cynthia @Heidi Louise – I too have my “woods” coat. It too has the faux silk lining which I really don’t like – I am a high static person and even the hood is lined. But it is warm.
I love your Foster Care for Lost Hats effort. 🙂
At my house our frugal stuff was of the small but persistent variety:
1. Inventoried our small upright freezer and made a meal plan based on what we have that needs to be used up.
2. Stayed home and spent no money during our snowed in days.
3. Improvised seasoned home fries and grilled frozen onions for snow day hamburgers at home. We had ground beef and buns but no French fries or fresh onions. Potatoes and the air fryer to the rescue.
4. Mended another chewed up stuffed dog toy.
5. Trimmed the dog’s nails and groomed the cat myself.
Foster Care for Lost Hats!
1. I cleared the snow out of my driveway by myself. I think this is the third time this winter. I want it to at least be worth changing out the mower deck with the snow blower. I don’t know what it would cost to have someone plow but it’s a long driveway so probably worth it to keep doing it myself.
2. My daughter wanted hibachi for her birthday. We went at lunch time and the price was so much better and it was plenty of food.
3. I made yogurt using Kristen the frugal girl’s method. It always turns out great and tastes really good.
4. I uploaded all my receipts to the Fetch app and Ibotta.
5. I read two more library books on my kindle. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah and The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. Both books were really good.
I also am a proud baggie washer. Jimmy Carter, what a good man.
1. I found a penny while getting free exercise on a walk.
2. Spent $67 at the grocery store and “saved” about $30. I shopped a lot of sales and coupons in the app. At first the coupons didn’t ring up, so I said something and she re-rung them and got me my lowered total.
3. An old t-shirt my daughter wasn’t wanting anymore went out for the cat to sleep on…he didn’t thank me, but I assume he’s thankful. 🙂
4. We crunched lots of numbers and decided to drive on an upcoming trip instead of fly. Several hundred dollars cheaper.
5. NOT FRUGAL: I burned the beans.
1. I found a penny on the ground in a parking lot. Into the found change jar it went.
2. I used my $10 off per month at CVS. Today I have another $4 off so you can be sure I will pop in while out doing errands and spend it.
3. I borrowed three New Yorker past issues and am reading a great article about the late writer Alice Munro. I prefer novels to short stories so am not acquainted with her writing but it’s an interesting albeit heartbreaking article.
4. I roasted the turkey I bought on sale before Thanksgiving and had #2 Stepson over for a mini Thanksgiving dinner. DH and him watched football and talked and laughed all afternoon.
5. I’m happy to say I washed out two plastic food storage bags all the while not knowing Jimmy Carter was a baggie-washer-outer too.
Is anyone else of my way of thinking that Alice Munro should have her Nobel Prize revoked, if that’s even a possibility??
That crossed my mind since so much of her fiction was apparently about her skunky husband Gerry and the relationship he had with her poor daughter. After reading this article, I would never pick up an Alice Munro piece of literature. It’s exceptionally hard and frustrating to know that parents do this to their children. Her ex husband swept it under the rug too. Shameful at the highest level.
Christine, Hard agree here! No, we can’t take her Nobel Prize away but we can vote with our dollars (not that it will hurt her now that she is dead).
And Wood Allen is just awful. My final word on the subject.
I totally agree, Christine. It was horrifying to learn about what their daughter went through. Just a gentle suggestion – I’m super conscientious when it comes to language around this stuff. I’ve made an effort to change terms like “relationship” to abuse or rape. I feel it is important to call it what it truly is.
They were discussing this in NPR the other day. I was appalled.
1.I enjoyed hearing of President Carter’s frugal ways and I have also always washed Ziploc bag. I do hate having them out drying so I’m trying to find other sustainable storage solutions.
². I mended my one pair of overalls, and both knees on a pair of jeans of my husband.
3. When I first made cloth napkins I made some double sided. I never liked them and yesterday I took the layers apart and made single layer napkins. Somehow it was very satisfying.
4. I made butternut squash soup which I reckon costs less than $1 to make since the squash was homegrown.
5. 2 loads of laundry dried using the solar dryer.
I dry my plastic bags on the baker’s rack I found in the trash thirty years ago.
FFT Pre Vacation Edition!
1. Followed my packing list as closely as possible. I use the strategy of chucking everything into the suitcase a few days in advance to visually take stock of what I’m bringing. This helps me realize what I might have forgotten and also think about what I really need.
2. Traveling for 12 days with just a carry-on to avoid fees/hassle checking a bag. Bringing laundry sheets and grabbed a travel clothesline to hopefully keep everything mildew free in some tropical destinations.
3. Remembering my little travel pharmacy (standards of anti-diarrheal, NSAIDs, vitamins) to avoid having to pay resort prices for convenience items. Same goes for tissues and reef-safe sunscreen.
4. Deep cleaning my water bottle to bring with me! This will help me avoid single use plastic and also stay hydrated enough to enjoy our adventures.
5. My teeth have started shifting again post-adult braces. I was able to dig up my original retainer from when I first got them off–I had it replaced because it was starting to get beyond-gross and I read that they have a shelf life of about 2 years. The original one is much more substantial than the once I use now. I de-grossed it and have been using it for a week and my teeth are already looking better. My dentist estimated ~$2500 to “Fix” my slightly off teeth, so I am looking at this as a savings of over 2 grand!
I got a whopping $14 and change from the Verizon settlement. I’ll try to not spend it all in one place.
1. I also got money from Verizon-$14+ and bought half price Christmas candy. Katy, we are practically twins.
2. I had 5 Etsy sales and packed them with used bubble wrap that I liberated from the community recycling bins. (That’s not even a material my city recycles .)
3. I turned the thermostat down 2 degrees.
4. I sewed up a tiny hole in a sweater sleeve.
5. We had a Chinese lunch out and brought home the enormous amount of bland fried rice. The dogs had some. I took the rest and added sautéed peppers, onion, cauliflower, peas and eggs to make re-fried rice. It was much better than the original and made four more meals.
Long time reader, first time contributing. Frugality has always been my thing and I am grateful for Katy’s inspiration and the community here! Here’s my Saturday:
1. Received settlements from Verizon and health provider security breach for all family members, totaling $49.88.
2. While on a 3 hour snowy hike on public trails adjacent to home, found: 1 Ruffwear dog bootie (put on trailhead sign post for hopeful owner find), 1 grocery receipt (to submit for points), 21 aluminum cans (to recycle at $0.10 each in MI), plus 1 full unopened can of beer (delightful local craft brewery IPA my partner will enjoy once it unfreezes, $2.45 value, certainly more $ if served at local brewery), and 1 YakTrax buried deep in snow/ice so it has been there for a long time (will replace one we have and can no longer repair after many years of repair).
3. Gave son a haircut.
4. Sewed/stitched: son’s shirt with rip on side seam, partner’s wool sock with hole at heel, my wool sock with hole starting by toe, wrist/cuff run on my wool base layer top (just received as “hand-me- down/new to me by dear friend). Shoe glued the heel of son’s favorite shoes (already a hand-me down from other daily).
5. Used Target app deal to receive 20% off on grocery pick-up order, which included many B1G150% or 25% off (items like fresh spinach, tofu, tempeh, frozen chicken), while also earning $5 rebate from manufacturer for Mac & cheese items(bringing down to $.43/box vs $1.59). Paid for using previously purchased gift card that was 10% off plus 5% cash back rewards.
Tia, wow, that’s a great first list!
Welcome, Tia!
Tia, your walk was a treasure hunt! Well done on all the mending + smart couponing
Is there a link for the Mac n cheese rebate?
1. It’s my housekeeper’s birthday and she wanted some ivy. I got a basket (designed for houseplants) from a thrift store (50 cents), a bow from my stash of holiday ribbons and a little (already rooted, nice big and full with pretty colorings) ivy plant I bought at Wallyworld (aka Walmart for all you non-Southerners). That, plus a bit of tape and a twist tie, made the plant look like it came from the florist. I just plopped the ivy, flowerpot and all, into the basket. (Yes, I know it is not frugal to buy a plant, but I don’t have a green thumb and I wanted the ivy to be showier than the scraggly plants I’ve rooted from my own ivy.)
2. Neighbor brought me some banana bread. Enough for several days’ of breakfast, as soon as I finish the German bread loaf another friend baked for me. Saved the gift bag in order to re-use it someday.
3. Kept the faucets streaming during the hard freeze we had. Better a bigger water bill than broken pipes and a MUCH bigger plumbing bill!
4. Read another free book obtained via a Little Free Library.
5. Although I’d purchased some boxes of candy canes for 25 cents a few days ago, they were 12 to a box. Store now has 25-per-box candy canes on sale for the same price. So I bought 4 of those, figuring the candy canes will keep for 11 more months.
Has there ever been a case of candy canes going bad? I heard they found an unopened box in King Tut’s tomb and they were fine. They were alongside some Hostess Twinkies, also fine.
Given the amount of preservatives in Hostess Twinkies, no wonder King Tut lasted so long. 🙂
That made me laugh out loud!
Candy canes would never make it a year at my house. DS and I are both major peppermint lovers.
A. Marie,
You gave me a good laugh! King Tut mummified in yellow cake and fake cream…
Cynthia, ROTFL!!!!
Marie,
ROTFL!!!! Were Twinkies a thing back in Jane Austen’s time, as well?
I bet before “Twinkies” there was an actual cream-filled sponge cake people made, and it was probably delicious.
1. We took a long walk to celebrate snow melting/compressing/evaporating. We left a the curb the small refrigerator (maybe 3′ tall) with the “Free” sign on it.
2. I refilled the windshield wiper fluid reservoir in both our vehicles. A lot of salt has been spread on the roads over the past week. It’s safer to be able to see out the windshield.
3. I went to Giant and used a $10 off a $50 purchase coupon from a competitor grocery store. I bought sale items. I also earned about 400 points which are worth at least $4.
4. DH was a money magnet yesterday. He found almost $3 at a CoinStar then later found a quarter and then a couple of pennies in a few different places. It was added to the found money jar.
5. Like President Carter, I washed out and reused my zip-top plastic bags. Some of my most reused bags contained baby carrots.
I did not know that about President Carter, though certainly am not surprised.
Billionaire Warren Buffet is also a very frugal person, living in the same house for decades and using coupons at fast food restaurants, (he eats an amazing amount of junk food, including Utz potato sticks and Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s drive-through breakfasts or Dairy Queen lunches).
Heidi Louise, I believe Warren Buffet’s company owned Dairy Queen at some point. I wonder if his accounts figured out a way to deduct his lunches?
Dairy Queens are franchises, and he owned some.
1. Bread is baking as I type this.
2. I’m trying to reduce food waste as much as possible, so as a recent “empty nester”, I’ve been experimenting with halving recipes. Tonight we are having half a batch of chili. I have a 1/8 teaspoon and 1/8 cup measuring cup, and these help out. I got them at the goodwill bins.
3. I thrifted some swanky Paul Green boots. So so comfortable!
4. I found some interesting woo-hoo clearance deals, realized that I don’t truly need the items, and put them back on the shelf. Yay for me! Just because something is a good deal doesn’t mean I should buy it.
5. When the bread comes out of the oven, I’ll head out on a walk and keep my eyes open for cans and free piles! At the very least, I’ll get a free workout.
Does anyone else lose posts before they are finished? I had to write this elsewhere and the cut and paste.
Li, I have a separate document that I add things to throughout the week. Then I copy and paste from there.
If I feel like I am taking a long time to type, I will “copy” what I have written, (right click and menu comes up). If I lose it, I can “paste” that, so not all is lost.
@Li yes I also lost a few posts. I think the web page (and form) reloads if someone else posts a comment while you’re typing so now I type in the Notes app and copy paste
Loved the reference to President Carter’s reused Ziplocks. His funeral was balm to my soul. So many delightful stories.
We live in a desert climate and have never turned on out heater. I cheerfully walk around our 40 degree house in the morning reminding myself that Katy says to just ‘throw on an extra sweater.’
Your house is at 40 degrees?? I like a sweater as much as the next guy, but you are next level.
If you can’t be comfortable in your own house,what’s the point?
1. Made a simple dish on the fly of black beans, rice, corn, green pepper and onions mixed with salsa and sprinkled with cheese.
2. Made a simple tomato soup using tomato puree, sauteed onions, coconut milk, veggie broth and seasonings.
3. For my 5-week trip, I packed my daily supplements in those small plastic film canisters, which have to be at least 20 years old. Each week I transfer the supplements into my 7-day pill container. Without that, I wouldn’t remember what I had taken and when. It also reminds me what day of the week it is!
4. Shout out to my sister who is doing our weekly Adventure Club outings by herself while I’m away. She lacks self-esteem and doesn’t get out much and I’m so proud of her. No outings save me money, but then I miss out on the fun.
5. Does anyone remember the author Elaine St. James? She was so instrumental in my simplicity journey back in the 90s. When I return from Arizona, I’m going to check out her books from the library and take a walk down memory lane.
I first encountered voluntary simplicity in the 90s and I thought it was for people who’d grown up upper middle class. I said I wanted complexity in my life, as I’d grown up with involuntary simplicity. I still basically feel that way.
I just looked up Elaine St. James and my library has a copy of one of her books, which I will check out. Also, I will look to see what is shelved next to her book and might find something related to frugality that I like! Thank you for the recommendation; I don’t recall hearing of her before.
Her book Simplify Your Life is one of the group I consider required reading for a frugal life because so many of her tips also are frugal. (Tightwad Gazette and Your Money or Your Life are the other two.)
FFT, President Carter Edition:
(1) I’ve been rinsing and reusing Ziplocs since Amy D recommended this in the Tightwad Gazette, but I’m delighted to hear that President Carter did it too. One of the many, many ways in which he was a role model for us all (and a welcome antidote in these troubled times to those who shall remain nameless).
(2) I’m still enjoying the lamb stew that I made with the last of the Wegmans Reduced for Quick Sale lamb from last week. It only gets better as it goes along.
(3) I was able to slog out through the snow to my current compost heap and dump the overflowing bucket of kitchen scraps I’ve been saving for the last three weeks. I ripped open one of the bags of leaves I filched off a neighbor’s curb last fall and dumped it on top of the scraps, to try to keep critters out. (This won’t be totally successful, of course, but it will build up the heap.)
(4) I’m about to try a new method of making croutons from stale bread, described by Donna Freedman over at Surviving and Thriving. I’ve got a whole loaf of Panera bread (passed along by my JASNA Panera friend a while back, and currently in the freezer) that’s ripe for this opportunity.
(5) And since today was a milder day, I was able to nip out for a well-batched bunch of errands. Among other things, I made it to both the pop-up thrift shop in the old bowling alley and the Salvation Army superstore, and found a couple of gifts for friends at each. (My next-door neighbor’s 86th birthday is tomorrow, and I found her a Talbots top.)
1. Going to work I garbage picked a beautiful wreath and a basketball. When I got home I took the wreath apart. I now have a huge bow, 8 little bows, 12 bells, and 18 ornaments. I also keep the frame. All of the pine branches went on top of one of my garden beds.The price was still on the wreath $49.99. That is crazy. I think the basketball has a hole but my daughter’s 90lb dog won’t care.
2. I went to ShopRite for a few items. They had digital coupons for a free pack of GF crackers and GF pizza. My daughter doesn’t like this brand but my neighbor’s grandkids have celiac and eat anything GF. My neighbor gave me a bottle of mayo that she was given and won’t eat.
3. I got tuna that was on sale 12 for $12 and a pack of razors for 99¢. I also grabbed bananas 49¢ a pound, ground beef $2.99 a pound and broccoli was 99¢ a pound. The store is on my way home from work.
4. I cashed out a $25 GC from Ibotta.
5. Yesterday was my meal prep day. I made a chick pea salad. I kept the aquafaba. I used it when I made muffins. I made pasta fagioli soup. I made greek chicken. The extra aquafaba went into the freezer.
1. I reused two ziplock bags (different sizes).
2. I made a pasta dish with ingredients I had on hand – diced tomatoes, sausage, cream, and Italian seasoning blend. I put two servings in the freezer for future easy dinners.
3. I am exercising for free by walking around the neighborhood and using Youtube videos at home.
4. I sold some old magazine clippings on Ebay.
5. I put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat.
1. I trimmed husband’s hair.
2. Husband trimmed cooperative dog’s nails. The Dane is still resisting the procedure and even the vet could not get him to cooperate. Drugs have not worked to calm him enough to trim them…he may have to be sedated. You never know what some of the animal shelter dogs have gone through so I try to keep that in mind when I get frustrated. It took almost 10 months for him to let us touch his face or head; before that he would rear back like a wild pony if you made any motions toward his head.
3. Someone moving had given us about a dozen cans of corn. I don’t like canned foods; I always feel like I can taste the metal, and they always have too much sodium in them. However, I found a recipe that involves washing the corn and drying it off, and then browning the kernels in butter that eventually turns to a brown butter flavor. Add milk, salt and pepper, and use an immersion blender on it so you have thickened soup but still with some kernels intact. High carb, obviously, but tasty and will let us slowly make use of the corn.
4.Resisted buying a book and put it on hold. Only 7 other people will get it before I reach the top of the list but saved me 22.95.
5. Sold a piece of amber on eBay. Mailed it for free using a pot office mystery shop.
Poor Clobber Paw!
As I’m sure you know, though, some dogs are just nervous and flighty. My beloved beagle could act bananas sometimes, and I sometimes said, “If she were a rescue, someone would say she was abused.” But she wasn’t. She came from a loving breeder and we adored her. She just had her issues, is all.
Also: I don’t generally like canned vegetables but I do like canned corn. It still is recognizable, unlike some veg. I’M LOOKING AT YOU, PEAS
I just attended to black-dog’s nails. when we got her she was a ‘used’ dog and clearly had had a BAD experience, however after years (12, to be exact) of gentle persuasion and many kibble enticements, she permits me to manhandle her feet – I sit on the floor with her lying and sighing between my legs, and use the grinder I purchased for less than the cost of one visit to the groomers. She gets lots of words of appreciation, pets and kibble treats, and we get the job done. It has, however, taken a lot of time, and she is only border collie sized so I do think she will eviscerate me if she panic. Clobber paws would be much more dangerous if placed in the same location and panicking!
and well done on the resisting buying a book. the challenge is real!
*DON’T think she will eviscerate me….
I had two great finds on my dog walks this week. One was a small metal garden table that needs to be sanded and repainted. Today I found a kids trike in a trash like and brought it home. Once a month, we have big trash pickup and you can put out just about anything that isn’t toxic waste and the city picks it up. It’s the best time of the month lol. My husband refurbishes bikes of all kinds for refugees so he was happy to have another bike for his project!
Katy you are truely a knit cap savior!
1. I got a 200 € gift card from my health insurance company. I get points from being a longstanding customer, physical activity tracked by my watch and doing little quizzes on their app.
2. I promply exchanged the gift card against cash with my BF who needed to buy computer parts
3. I made mussels croquettes using leftover cooked mussels amd their broth. The mussels were 10€ for 2kg. We had the croquettes with salad and celery root remoulade.
4. My BF cut up another quarter of goat, which is currently slow cooking before being shred for the dogs’ dinners
5. I made a batch of yoghurt with the next door farmers cow milk. It’s good but always a bit lumpy, does anyone have tips for smooth yoghurt? I use the yoghurt function on my ninja cooker
*Raises hand* I wash bags, too! Drives my friends and family crazy. lol
I have a signed thank you note from President Carter for my work in Habitat for Humanity. Cherished.
Saw an author interview, put the book on hold at local library (after they order it).
Went to a funeral, car pooled with 6 family members, made my sympathy card out of cardstock purchased at an estate sale (graphics from Greetings Island.com). Took 2 pies and platter of brownies for the reception.
My mom’s dear friend gave me a gym bag full of smart wool socks that do not have mates. There were 20 pairs made from unmated socks. My feet do not care if they match!
Found 2 $20 bills in a school parking lot, folded up into an origami heart. A great start to the found money jar.
Carter appointed more women and people of color to the federal bench than anyone before him, including RBG. “Before Carter took office, only eight women and 31 people of color had ever served as federal judges, according to the progressive legal group the American Constitution Society. Carter surpassed those numbers in just four years by appointing 40 women and 57 people of color, including eight women of color.”
Plus his years of humanitarian work, to me, is worthy of tribute.
For us, it is the washing of plastic bags, remaining in modest household, and gardening!
1. Took my dad out for a burger & fries, courtesy of a mystery shop. He ate a free burger and fries, and I made an additional $20 to fill out the report.
2. This was on the way to our annual shop at ShopRite’s can-can sale, where we did a year’s worth of stock up on beans, tomatoes, and (for him) soup. We both saved 50% off of the total cost of groceries.
3. My partner is going to watch his niece and nephew, and they asked for mac & cheese for dinner. I made them a batch using free milk and cheese from mystery shop and pasta that I got on sale for .50 per pound. Breadcrumbs were free, made from bread that came in partner’s free CSA that he gets from work.
4. I bartered with my sister. I gave her free dish soap from mystery shop (I have a great stockpile) and a spaghetti squash that we grew and she gave me garlic from her great harvest.
5. Making coffee from home/drinking free crappy coffee on days when I go to campus.
To those who did not live thru the Carter presidency OR have not been a student, he was a stellar president. Nixon started it, raygun lied thru his teeth in addition to crawling in bed with the “religious” right. We’re seeing the pinnacle and may be all resist, survive, and thrive. It will not be easy but our pocketbooks are our most lethal weapon.
Thanks for all the posts, Katy – due to your encouragement, my yearning for takeout pizza has been consistently foiled by the “I have food at home” mantra. And a tight wallet
Following your lead, I picked up a dropped toque (watchcap) conveniently dropped right behind my car. it was soaking wet, yet not too dirty. A good wash later and will be gifted to someone.
Another squash has been roasted, soup on the menu tomorrow.
I dug up four more hills of potatoes (why yes, I did plant far too many potatoes, thanks for pointing that out) and washed them in my wheelbarrow. I figure there are at least 20 pounds.
Guess what will be on the menu for the next few weeks? Spuds-R-Us. Cut three big honkers into thick slices, stirred them around in a bowl with some olive oil and random hot Japanese seasoning that was languishing on the spice rack, then roasted them to crisp and browned. Presto – uber thick-cut homemade chips – guilt free (and almost free)!
No luck, yet, getting a reflective dog coat on Buy Nothing – to be totally correct, I got two, but they are two small so I will repost. I did, however locate two “trade-show freebee” reflective wrist straps with velcro closures (in the pocket of my reflective vest, clever me put them there at some point). With some careful adjusting, I can use these as a reflective collar for my very black dog. Frequently achieving my 10,000 steps goal, even when I need a headlamp to finish. Go me!
Our library is having a winter adult reading club and I am trying to remember to record all the books I am reading – there are apparently some fun and even nice prizes, and since I am reading anyway….
1. I forced myself to eat the healthy no sugar added ice cream that has been sitting in the freezer the other day instead of running out to get ice cream.
2. I have not done a major grocery shopping trips in two weeks as I want to wear down our food at home for a while first. I’m starting to see space in the freezer.
3. I received a receipt bounce back coupon for $1 off a lb of butter at WD. Their butter was on sale for 3.99, making the butter 2.99 for a lb. I absolutely bought the butter at that price.
4. I didn’t leave the house for five days due to illness. Major gas savings.
5. My bf and I went out and we split a dinner plate together at a nice restaurant. It was more than enough food for both of us.
@A. Marie-I loved your reference to Donna Freedman. I love her writing, and I actually had the pleasure of meeting up with her for coffee on 2 occasions when she came back to NJ to visit family.
My list:
1. I’ve been hitting the birthday freebies like a beast. Got a free Nothing But Bundt cake, Cold Stone Creamery ice cream which was a dollar or so after $5 birthday coupon, 6 free wings at Buffalo Wild Wings (which made for a nice lunch), and a pound of fancy-looking pasta and candle from Kohl’s which cost me all of 18 cents after the $5 birthday coupon.
2. Got an additional gift card from an Experian (or Equifax) class action settlement. Have had issues trying to add it to my mobile wallet which is annoying.
3. Eating from our food assortment at home. I always splurge and hit up the Whole Foods 12 Days of Cheese around the holidays. We managed to finish the last variety tonight in fancy-ish grilled cheese sandwiches.
4. Hit up our local Shoprite can-can sale for $1.50 cans of Progresso soup. Regular price here is now over $3 per can, I remember when they were a dollar per can at the can-can sale (sigh).
5. Kept my hybrid car charged to save on gas and filled up before a long trip so we can have a full tank when we return home after 1/20 I figure gas will be higher after that date (quadruple sigh).