Five Frugal Things
by Katy on March 24, 2025 · 54 comments
-
Today is my niece’s last full day in Portland before heading back to college and we’re both feeling/not feeling the urge to make the most of it. She has a paper with a looming deadline, so we looped back to Tabor Space so she could focus enough to make her deadline. We brought our own coffee/tea, but slipped a couple bucks into the tip jar.
-
Breakfast was cheesy grits with sautéed spinach, topped with reheated frittata, which was so delicious I’ll definitely add it to the rotation. Frittata is no longer the Cheap Eats meal it once was, but it’s still cheaper than hitting a restaurant.
However, last night’s dinner was pizza, courtesy of my mother and stepfather, which was full-on frugal as it was their treat and we ate at my house. We then watched a couple of vintage Twilight Zone episodes through my niece’s Paramount Plus subscription. Quality programming + pizza never grows old.
-
My niece complimented my kale pesto, (recipe HERE) so I grabbed a frozen jar for her to take back to school. She lives in an off campus rental and does her own cooking, so it’ll actually come in handy for her. I love having a jar of pesto in the fridge at all times as it’s infinitely versatile.
-
• We stopped by the library so I could pick up a book to read while my niece works on her assignment.
• I put out a request on my Buy Nothing group for a travel mug, as my niece has a loooong travel day tomorrow and doesn’t actually own one. Our backup plan is to hit a Goodwill, but free is better for her every-dollar-counts budget. *Update — I got an almost immediate reply from someone who has “several to choose from!”
• I printed out a page of official two-letter Scrabble words to keep with the game, which is an example of “other people have had this problem, surely there’s an easy solution.” Not every wheel needs to be reinvented.
• I cut some forsythia from the garden for my mother.
-
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
Like this post? Then please share it with your friends!
Like this:
Like Loading...
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
1. Brought my lunch for a day trip to give a lecture in a different town. Treated myself to a visit to a new-to-me Goodwill store (in my quest to visit 12 new thrift stores this year).
2. Knew I would be away overnight on a girls’ weekend so I made a casserole for Mr. Husband to eat while gone. He loved it.
3. Made an appointment to get our taxes done by the volunteers from AARP at a local church. Last year we paid an accountant $1200 for this service but it’s off the table now. (Update: this was a fail because I have the wrong kind of income and they couldn’t help me. So I still will aim for H&R Block or something cheap.)
4. I’m still trying to source some corrugated roofing for my second hand chicken coop. 10 foot sheets are $25 and up at the hardware store. Asking specifically for second hand on my various platforms.
5. On my girls’ weekend, I brought along some sparkling water, lemonade, chocolate and a tea loaf from the freezer. I did not shop new, but shopped my pantry and freezer.
6. Still working on my shade garden, moving plants from shady nooks here and there to a nice collected shade garden.
7. I also figured out how to tap my black walnut tree for sap and have about 2 cups collected so far. I’m using purchased tap and tubing, collecting into a used empty gallon jug. (Vinegar)
Hooray for shopping your pantry and freezer!
Julia, I haven’t heard of tapping walnut trees. Do you make syrup from the sap? Or is it medicinal?
I tap trees and make syrup, mainly maple but also walnut, shagbark hickory and just about anything but those in the oak family. It is too late in my area to tap…if a tree starts budding do not tap because the sap will be bitter and have a bitter taste.
I cook my sap down on top of my wood stove and finish in an electric stock pot.
Mine is always maple flavored because that is the strongest sap I collect.
Too bad I am the only one in the family that likes maple syrup. The rest of the family likes boughten pancake syrup….I make it with brown sugar, water and vanilla and refill the jug. They haven’t had boughten syrup in years and have no Idea …..
I also refill the chocolate syrup jug with homemade, they have no idea.
TeeHee
JC
I refilled the Mrs. Butterworth’s bottle with homemade pancake syrup until the label faded and cracked. The family never knew. By the time the cat was out of the bag on that issue, they were willing to try store brand syrup, which probably was made by one of the major companies.
@JC, this is my first time but we have not budded yet. The ants have arrived so I resume it is sweet. We shall see. I like to know what my potential materials at hand are.
@Fru-gal Lisa, chicken or egg? I won’t have chickens until I get a roof on the coop because of the critters. They won’t survive the week. I could owe somebody. But I don’t like to be in even pretend debt. I might have to bite the bullet if I run out of time (when my brother brings the coop).
Julia, that is the exact reason I started tapping my trees years ago.
I want to know what is edible around me and I want to know what things are, how they can be used and how/when to pick/harvest.
I figure it’s out there, it used to be used and I want to know how and why.
JC
Maybe you could trade “egg futures.” Print some certificates that say “good for [X number of] eggs. How long does it take for hens to lay eggs?
Hey, Julia!
Maybe you can trade some eggs for the roofing materials on that chicken coop! LOL!
Day 1 of our spring break completing house projects. This is the first time period we have had off work (both in education) that we stayed home in well over a year as all breaks we were traveling across country to take care of dh’s parents.
1. We painstakingly took apart the very old and very broken piano that has been taking up too much space ever since we brought furniture back from the in-laws. This took around 9 hours to complete but of course we did it ourselves.
2. we took all the inside metal pieces to a metal recycling place and netted just over $7
3. I kept the keys. I see you can sell complete sets on eBay as well as make projects out of them. I will try to upcycle them and make some money but haven’t decided how yet
4. We are keeping the bench to use for extra seating when we have a crowd over (aka my extended family)
5. DS came to help carry the heavy parts. He is getting married in June and they will be furnishing an apartment for the first time. He looked at the old kitchen table that my dad bought and finished for my mom when THEY were engaged 54 years ago. He wants it for their apartment. Yay! it will stay in the family, though we might need to replace a couple of the chairs.
I LOVE that your son is going to use his grandparents’ kitchen table!
I had a neighbor who was a designer and the chic thing was to have mis-matched wooden dining room chairs. So she built up a set of eight — two of each kind of chair — and painted them all a distressed antique white, to match her old table and buffet. She also had a distressed antique white hanging light fixture above the table. She told me she got all the pieces of furniture for almost nothing– some as low as $2 each — bc they were just junk that was falling apart….until she rehabbed/painted it all. She used matching fabric for the ones that had cushioned seats, and it all made for a wonderful dining room suite!
I hope your niece has safe and easy travels back!
1. Finally feeling up to the task of meal planning. Hard boiled some close to end-of-life eggs (we ain’t wasting em at this price or any price!), made protein balls out of ingredients on hand, banana muffins from some very tired bananas, mason jar salads, and some mexican bowls for this week. I will -always- reach for the easiest and fastest food option so taking 3 hours to watch trash reality TV and cook is always my best bet.
2. Spent the weekend attending a friend and her husband’s concerts on back to back days. She had a comp ticket to hers (to see Mahler’s 4th in its entirety, for any classical music buffs) and she treated me to the ticket to her husband’s. A weekend of music at no cost to me!
3. Another friend found an Open Data Week event for free on Saturday – truly not worth describing because the event was terrible. However, it was great to see my friends and be out and about with them, even if the walking tour we were on was an absolute waste of time.
4. Started clearing out years of clutter crammed into drawers during grad school. Found items include:
-4 journals
-a National Parks calendar for 2025
-my husband’s batteries for his heated ski socks
-a citrus juicer (in the office, no less)
-3 chap sticks
It is truly baffling what my stressed out brain did. I am grateful to be able to manage my stress better now and be more mindful!
5. Replaced the air filters in the apartment. I am always shocked at how disgusting they are. With allergy season upon us, it’s great to help breathe cleaner air inside.
Frugal fail: my cats have been at each other’s throats for months. I’m fed up. I bought feliway and more cat toys off Chewy on Friday and plugged in the diffusers today. Definitely not in the budget but hoping the sanity it restores is worth the price.
Feliway really helped my old and very cranky orange tabby boy make the transition when we moved to a new house late in his life.
Feliway was very helpful with our high-stress kitty. Well worth it for us and his quality of life.
1) Well right off the bat, we saved 73k last night haha We use TurboTax and it allows you to upload documents and it pulls in the data. Apparently it’s not always accurate though. It pulled a huge amount of money into a “tips” field (neither of us work at a job with tips so that field should have been blank) and showed we owed 73k to the federal government, I guess because of all these untaxed tips we supposedly received. Before we caught the error, I thought perhaps we were just being penalized by the current administration because we live in California. So a good lesson to double check everything!
2) I did some food prep yesterday to make the week run smoother. I made some beans n greens to bring as lunches this week, chopped some green onions since I like to sprinkle them on whatever I’m eating, cooked some coconut brown rice in the instant pot to use later in the week in a coconut fried rice recipe and sliced some cucumbers and bell pepper since they’re favorite snacks for my son.
3) Checked out an audio book this morning from the library, Sea of Tranquility. I’ve been reading a lot of nonfiction lately, time to get back into some fiction.
4) I usually get groceries on my lunch break every Monday. I realized I didn’t really need anything today though so I went on a walk at lunch and didn’t buy anything.
5) I had a coupon for a free item at Safeway so I stopped to pick that up yesterday. It was Gatorade water, not even sure what that is (brings Brawndo to mind though)
I really enjoyed Sea of Tranquility – but I’m obsessed with anything Emily St. John Mandel writes!!!
My knife skills are terrible, so I don’t precisely chop green onions, but cut them with a scissor.
My Safeway never has the free items. The Gatorade water was no exception!
Katy, you always manage to make your frugal hostessing include so much personal attention to your guests. That makes all the difference.
Today was one of those days spending money to take care of what we have: annual shots, check-ups and lab tests for our older dog and youngest cat and a repair to our dishwasher. Both critters are in sound health and the repairman expects many more years for the dishwasher. It was money well spent.
1. I went to visit my friend in the local nursing home. I like to bring her a treat so I made her a cup of lemon ginger tea in a travel mug and bagged up some ginger snaps I bought on sale. She loved both.
2. I made myself a delicious lunch using Greek yogurt, berries from my freezer bag and store brand maple granola. So good I’m planning on having it for lunch all week.
3. I got my hair cut. My hairdresser still only charges $15 for a cut, no wash or blow dry, so I tip her $5 each time.
4. It’s raining cats and dogs here in Massachusetts today so on went my $8 LL Bean Goretex raincoat, bought at a thrift shop.
5. DH and I plus two friends went to Boston yesterday to take part in a rally to protest the USPS from privatization. As one speaker said, it’s also a fight for our nation’s democracy due to the current administration. My first protest and I’m only 65. Ha! We packed water and granola bars, our friends drove so we paid for the parking. They were also handing out free t-shirts with the letter carrier’s union logo and the words: FIGHT LIKE HELL. We are and will continue to do so.
Thank you for your actions, #5.
On a lighter note, one of my favorite quotations: “As long as there are postmen, life will have zest.” William James
Our house must be pretty zesty since there are two of us living here…retired ones, anyway. DH and myself!
Thank you for an idea of what to bring to a friend in a nursing home. I visit a friend in one frequently and can never think of what to bring, but tea and an associated cookie treat is one I will be adopting.
Lindsey: ask them? For my mother it was Forbidden Excedrin tablets (the only thing she said fixed her headaches) hidden in Tums bottles and Forbidden Bailey’s Irish Creme hidden in Ensure bottles. Because God forbid my adult mother in her 70s could be treated like an adult now and then.
Just please no balloons or stuffed toys, like the inmates are fricking five rather than adults. Mom hated that crap.
Rose – your mom sounds like she was a firecracker! Thanks for sharing
Rose, your lucky mother having you to smuggle contraband in! I love this!
Thanks, guys, I miss her every day. That said, I am so glad I had her and my dad for parents. They were fab.
I asked but she always says she needs nothing and not to waste my money. Yet she seems delighted when I do bring a treat, even if it is something like stamps and postcards for her to mail to her young grandchildren (pictures of cards being more interesting to them than a letter). I love the Bailey’s idea!
Back in the dark ages (1960s) I would often accompany my grandmother to visit her mother, my great grandmother, in a nearby nursing home. My grandmother always made a thermos of coffee and a sweet treat for her and I remember those times and how happy my great grandmother seemed with a coffee and a sweet in hand. I guess you could say I learned from the best.
1) Friends have invited us to go with them as their guests to an upcoming concert with a fun mix of styles of music. Thoroughly looking forward to this!
2) I’ve picked up 3 different cuttings in unusual color variations of Wandering Dude and Pothos (very easy plants that grow well in my kitchen). The total for all 3 was $14 from local individuals, less than for one plant in a store.
3) My common variety plants of Wandering Dude and Pothos have both gotten huge. I received both originally as a plant or cutting from Buy Nothing Project members. Now that the weather is warmed up to the point they won’t freeze on the porch during the day, I’m looking forward to rooting cuttings to share and will do so with my new, fancy plants, too, when they get bigger.
1. I replaced a minor part on my toilet, but while putting it back together, a different piece broke. Three trips to the hardware store still beats paying a plumber. In all, I spent around $30.
2. I sold several sets of books on FB Marketplace, all with porch pickup.
3. Petmeds had a coupon for $50 off a $50 purchase, which I think was an error, but I got my order in before they fixed in. My flea & tick meds have already shipped.
4. I got an offer to get a $10 Amazon gift card by completing a work survey for a company we regularly do business with. I rarely order from Amazon, so I will just save it until I need it.
5. I have been diligently listing all my $1 thrift clothing. I have been considering not flipping anymore, because it’s such a time suck. Might be harder to sell too, if USPS privatizes and prices rise.
I made a stab at reselling clothing and my results were: Poshmark had zero success, ThredUp has very low actual revenue back to me, and eBay was the best. So I am wrapping up my ventures at Poshmark and ThredUp and walking back to eBay. And clothing will not be my powerhouse.
1. Raked my own leaves this weekend instead of hiring someone else to do the job. I have 1 or 2 inches of downed live oak leaves, which fall in the spring instead of autumn. I had hired someone 2 weeks ago; they did an excellent job and there was scarcely a leaf left on the ground. But two windstorms later — and here we go again.
2. Filled the (three 96-gallon) trash cans full of above-mentioned leaves so I didn’t have to pay to haul ’em to the dump. Saved several buckets full to stuff into the big planters so I don’t have to use so much potting soil.
3. Started reading a book, “Too Much But Not Enough” by psychologist Dr. Mary Trump about her (in)famous orange uncle. Got the book from a little free library. Funny fact: Trump’s elder brother dumped a bowl of mashed potatoes on The Donald’s head when the latter was a bratty 7 y.o. harassing their baby brother.
4. Printed out dogfood coupons for the dog rescue lady.
5. Not exactly frugal but fun: attached a DEPORT ELON! magnet to my car bumper.
1. I returned a bottle of caulk remover to Menard’s since I couldn’t use it on my shower.
2. I made a large pot of tomato bisque and some chicken salad to bring to my MIL’s for lunch. She’s 90 and can only eat soft foods. I divided the rest of the soup up between her, my mom and my middle daughter for later meals.
3. I made another large pot of minestrone. It used up some aging produce and some mirepoix I had in the freezer. I sent some home with my mom and middle daughter.
4. I stopped into an estate sale. I noticed someone had dropped a handful of drill bits in the road and left them there. I picked them up and took them home.
Frugal Fail – I hit a large pot hole with my car and broke a spring. I’ll have it repaired this week. They estimated about $800. I love you Big Gretch, but please fix the damn roads!!!
1. Did a mystery shop for an Asian meal so scratched the urge to eat out for free, plus $10 cash.
2. Still working on using up a quart size container of a very pricey shampoo that a friend left me when she moved to Nevada. I hate the smell of it but I cannot in good conscience throw it away.
3. Husband glued a rip in his very expensive winter shoes. They are the best he has ever owned for gripping on the ice, so he will try anything to save them. Probably one of the most frugal things he has ever done was take a college class on how to fall, just to get his P.E. requirement taken care of, designed for people who were interested in stunt work. It is over 50 years later but his muscle memory is impressive—I have seen him fall a number of times on ice during the last 42 years together and he somehow manages to reposition himself midfall so that he is touching down on parts least likely to be injured.
4. I am on iron IV infusion number 6 of 10. Each time the hospital offers bottled water and nut snack packs, and I always take one of each. Water to put into the earthquake emergency pack and nuts to throw on salads.
5. Husband trimmed my unruly hair.
6. The Dane stopped liking the food prescribed for him when he was so underweight when we got him. He signaled this by taking mouth fulls, and then staring right at me as he opened his cavernous jaws and just let the food drop out. (Which the rescue lab eagerly vacuumed up.) The new food is much, much cheaper and more to his liking. I have to remind myself that he is a 185 pound toddler…
I go for iron infusions too!
That dog is hilarious. I can just picture him doing that.
That dog IS hilarious. I love reading his adventures.
Re: shampoo. I’ve used up dregs of unloved shampoos to clean the toilet (important not to use too much at one time!) A capful in the bowl and I leave it to soak until the next flush. I realize it would take a very long time to use a quart however!)
OMG!! What a perfect way to use it up! Thank you!
It took me about 18 months to use up a bottle of way too perfumed shower gel as a toilet bowl cleaner, but I got it done. In the midst of that, the relative who inflicts this stuff on me gave me another bottle, which was donated unopened.
1. Organized our linen closet using items already on hand. My favorites were 1) repurposing my dad’s small metal toolbox as a carrier for all my foot supplies and 2) using a pantry shelf extender to organize lotions and potions.
2. Bought books at the library sale shelf. Ten for $25. These are going in the bin for next year’s winter trip.
3. Participated in the library’s puzzle swap. These are also going in the bin for our winter trip.
4. In the latest issue of the AARP Magazine, I found a $5 coupon for an eye vitamin that my husband takes.
5. Saving on printer ink by using a crossword puzzle book from Buy Nothing rather than printing daily crosswords. (I don’t like to use my phone or pay for puzzles and games.) Since we don’t use our printer very often, I’ll make sure to print a small test page occasionally to keep the ink flowing in the printer.
1) Not ordering from Amazon or on-line anything
2) Bundling up and turning heat way down at night
3) Had been away for 3 months so reduced insurance coverage on car that sat in garage – remembered to call and add coverage back
4) Postponing starting garbage service up again for as long as possible
5) Had turned water heater way down while away, remembered to turn the temperature up to avoid a cold shower
6) Reacquainting myself with contents of pantry and freezer and trying to find uses for same. Some pleasant surprises in there, others, not so much
7) Made a trip to my wonderful library (my happy place) and have a fresh stack of books to enjoy
8) Will be volunteering at a plant sale in May (proceeds go to local charities/needs)
9) Was tempted to grab lunch out because I was hungry and it was late- but went home instead and made a meal with food on hand
Sitting here enjoying the sound of rain this evening, a super-frugal and relaxing activity.
1. Going strong on taking my breakfast (overnight oats), coffee, and lunch to work each day. Today, I had pineapple chickpea salad sandwich (which I prepped on Sunday). Tomorrow, it will be Thai curry (also prepped on Sunday).
2. Because I am eating on a regular schedule again (something I did not do oddly enough when I was remote working), I am not very hungry in the evenings. Tonight, I had a pho Raman bowl (instant type) and some tea (from tea samples from a local shop I had lying around).
3. Finishing up Witch of Hebron and moving on to another physical book soon. Each morning on my way to and from work, I listen to How to Love a Forest. I need to return library books and switch out some books this week.
4. Received my annual blood work back and I am normal in all categories. This one is part genetic, daily walking, eating a (mostly) whole food diet and probably some luck, but I am grateful to know I have no major health issues to worry about at the time being and grateful I have insurance (although I do wish healthcare was not tied in with employment).
5. Walked with dog, did not stop at the thrift or any other store I pass on my commute, turned off the news when I needed to, and made a new to do list for April.
1. A friend brought over a kitchen butcher block island for me to sell. It went in a day for $50. I get to keep the money. I curb picked a mirror that is currently selling at IKEA for $160. I listed it for $50 and someone is supposed to be picking up tomorrow. I have a very small house so I price things to sell.
2. Met a friend for coffee. We take turns driving the 20 minutes between our houses. Friendship is priceless!
3. Went to the once-a-month $1 sale at the very nice thrift store (Welfare League which seems to be run by wealthier older women and is super clean and has absolutely no items in poor condition). I bought one sweater for myself and 3 items to list on ebay. I have the $1 sale on my calendar and go the first day of the sale each month.
4. We have an unseasonably warm day and it is a very lovely 75 degrees in my house with all the windows open. Friday is back to the usual mid 50’s. I have my tomato starts out in the sun.
5. Eating portions of past meals that I freeze in quart containers. Best way when time and energy is short.
I have the same dollar sale and it’s on my calendar too!
Was gonna make a nice soul food dinner of steaks smothered with onions, cornbread, and collards, but got clobbered with a migraine. Pizza to th rescue. When I get to the point I can barely stand, time to call the pizza place.
However I did finish my monthly column for a local magazine. For some reason I was feeliing frisky so put a lot of Chaucer quotes in. Surely I can’t be the only one who had to memorized Whan that Aprille with its showrs soote the droughte of March hath perced to the roote. Etc etc. As George Orwell noted, “What difference does spring or winter or any other time of year make to the average civilized person nowadays? In a town like London the most striking seasonal change, apart from the mere change of temperature, is in the things you see lying about on the pavement. In late winter it is mainly cabbage leaves. In July you tread on cherry stones, in November on burnt-out fireworks. Towards Christmas the orange peel grows thicker. It was a different matter in the Middle Ages. There was some sense in writing poems about spring when spring meant fresh meat and green vegetables after months of frowsting in some windowless hut on a diet of salt fish and mouldy bread.” (Sorry if my favorite author isn’t girly enough with cutesy actors to appeal.)
So I guess collards and cornbread and smothered steak tomorrow.
Love this.
1. It was a beautiful day, so I walked to and from Bible study. And I found a penny on the way!
2. Yesterday I picked up a quarter and 6 pennies!!
3. I planted some more seeds!! I’m so excited about the sprouts starting in my kitchen!
4. Cooked at home.
5. Cut open my lotion bottle to get more out
1. I decided to declutter my bathroom closet and found I have an abundance of toiletries. Doing this lets me shop my pantry and not buy unnecessary items at the store.
2. When cleaning the bathroom closet I found that I hoard candles. I’ve made a box to give to a neighbor who likes candles and will just keep a few.
3. I brought some items in for the free table at work. I’ve noticed one or two have already found new homes.
4. Two neighbors gifted me with 4 bags of clothing. I have given sizes that fit to three friends. I’ve sorted the rest and will give the ones I dont want or dont fit to a second hand store.
5. A friend a few states away listed shoes she was selling for cheap on Facebook. She posted Brooks sneakers in my size, worn twice, for $20, plus shipping. I sent her $30 and she put them in the mail the next day. I’m excited to save the difference and have a good new pair of sneakers.
Thanks for mentioning your frittata recipe. I used it to turn some leftovers in my fridge into a delicious breakfast this morning.
Yay!!
Hi–I’m hoping to crowd-source some recommendations from the commentariat. I have been given an InstaPot. It came with very basic instructions and I was wondering what instapot cookbooks are good. I am a good cook, and even used a pressure cooker back in the old days when I was a hippie and made a lot of soybeans… But apparently this thing can do a lot more than brown rice and soybeans.
I checked on Amazon (I take great pleasure, since breaking up with Amazon, in using their listings and descriptions to find books and then buying or borrowing them elsewhere) and there are dozens if not more books listed. Any favorites here?
Thanks in advance.
My chapstick would not twist up anymore, most would toss, but around here we get a cotton swab and continue using it for a full week and counting….each time I use it I think of Katy’s quote…..”what am I, a Rockefeller?”