Five Frugal Things

by Katy on May 5, 2025 · 53 comments

 

  1. I went to my youngest’s soccer game and came home with two 10¢ returnable water bottles and a discarded soccer mom chair that looked to need nothing more than a handful of stitches to repair.

    Seriously.

  2. I spent the afternoon prepping meals from the random food in my refrigerator and pantry. I made:
    • Red Thai curry with tofu, broccoli, cabbage and peppers.
    • Rice.
    • Pinto beans, which I smashed up for refried beans.
    • A dozen or so chicken drumsticks, which I marinated in gochuchang, soy sauce, honey and garlic.
    • A batch of sweet chili sauce.

    The tofu was a couple days past the sell-by date and the veggies all needed a mission, so this was a very frugal endeavor.

  3. My neighbors put another Bonne Maman jar in their recycling, which was good since I’d just used these two jars for the sweet chili sauce.

  4. My Japanese iris started blooming today, which is the beginning of a very beautiful couple of weeks. I think I planted just a few of these flowers in 1998 or so and they’ve slowly but surely spread throughout the front garden. There are now so many that I’ve been able to share with neighbors for their gardens.

  5. I’m not using AI to create insane images of myself.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }

Val May 5, 2025 at 5:15 am

That chair is in such great shape. I’m glad you saved it from the landfill.
1. Found a receipt on the ground to scan into my fetch app. I now have 34,000 points to eventually cash in for a gift card of my choosing.
2. Made a lunch of rice topped with sautéed onion, carrot, zucchini and yellow squash. All of the produce was marked down and the overall cost was $1.30 per serving.
3. Took a weekend trip to Holland, MI with free lodging and free tickets to see the tulips gardens for my husband, daughter and I ($17 a piece). My husband is on a business trip there and his boss said his family could come for the weekend. His boss bought us to tulip field tickets. So all it cost me was gas and food for my daughter and I. His food was expensed through work.
4. Found a nickel and 2 pennies.
5. I listened to my Libby audiobook while I mowed the lawn, planted seeds I collected in the fall as well as a few from dollar tree, cleaned the litter boxes, and did a load of laundry.

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Jill A May 5, 2025 at 5:24 am

I love the tulip festival.

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Lynda May 5, 2025 at 12:27 pm

Me too! The tulips are gorgeous!

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Beth W May 5, 2025 at 3:50 pm

Me, three! I went to high school in Holland and I was one of the world-famous Klompen dancers! Great exercise!

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Katy May 5, 2025 at 7:17 am

What a fun trip, made extra fun with your frugal creativity!

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Jill A May 5, 2025 at 5:33 am

1. I visited my niece and her SO up north where they are now living. It’s wonderful to have her so close. Well, 3.5 hrs drive but who’s counting? They put us up in the AirBnb they had leased short term for the winter and had just moved out of. They have a few more weeks before the lease runs out. I did buy them dinner as a thank you.
2. Their town was having bulk trash pick up. I found a brand new looking laundry rack in a pile. I’ll give this to one of my daughters or list in on FBMP.
3. I visited the Goodwill and found an All-Clad spatula that I’ll list on Ebay.
4. We brought drinks, snacks for the road and bagels for breakfast. I also brought coffee and creamer.
5. My daughter and Son-IL watched my dog for me. We always trade dog sitting. I bought them a small gift as a thank you.

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Katy May 5, 2025 at 7:18 am

How fun to get out of town and visit with family!

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Kathy May 5, 2025 at 6:01 am

1. Helped my sister with her garage sale as it was citywide weekend. She made $2100
2. With her permission I took some art work, a new springform pan, and some clothes. I’ll regift the spring form pan as a gift. Art work to refresh my walls
3. Received $22 in class action settlements
4. Attended Derby Day party and won $40
5. Off to cardio rehab for free exercise and water

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Katy May 5, 2025 at 7:19 am

Whoa, you sister must have had a lot to sell!

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Kathy May 5, 2025 at 1:43 pm

My sister is trying to reform her compulsive shopping
She had 6 rolling racks of clothes and 20 tubs of holiday decor plus plus plus

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Selena May 5, 2025 at 6:36 pm

Holy crap – do your best to help her through this.

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Laura MO May 5, 2025 at 6:53 am

Ate food from home during the weekend shifts.

Scavenged 6 pieces of heavy plywood from a Dumpster.

Washed up winter carhardts and will store until.winter comes back.

Dh and ds planted Cole crops and tomatoes. Topped them with milk jugs to soften the transition from house to garden. Our potatoes need hilling.

Found .02

My free iris from last year are blooming. The oak leaf hydrangea is still alive. I will share the extra garden plants with coworkers.

Batching errands.

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Katy May 5, 2025 at 7:19 am

Plywood is super expensive right now, that was an excellent score!

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LB May 5, 2025 at 7:51 am

1. Spent a lovely weekend at my in-laws, including family photos. Wore an outfit I knew I liked, did my own hair/makeup/nails, and the pictures were taken at a free spot outside. These all may seem like givens to the more frugal fans here but add up quickly if you prefer them!
2. We stopped at a grocery store on the drive home with better produce and cheaper prices and stocked up. While the bill was high we found incredible prices on both chicken and pork so it was worth the expense to fill the fridge and freezer.
3. Stopped by Marshall’s and got good deals on some needed outdoor clothes – we are doing a camping trip in a few weeks and I was missing good long pants for warm weather. Found a pair that fit well and was on a steep discount. Very relieved to have a solution for mosquitoes at night!
4. Found a free pilates class for this Friday that I’m going to with a friend. Free entertainment and some fun!
5. Frugal fail – DH didn’t realize the bag in the freezer was for soup scraps, not compost, and dumped coffee grounds in it. Didn’t feel like making coffee broth. Oh well. It was taking up a lot of space and I hadn’t gotten to it in months so at least it’s out of the freezer and into the compost bin.

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Gina May 5, 2025 at 8:03 am

Love those irises.
1. Had a yard sale this weekend and made $186!
2. My parents had the five of us over for dinner yesterday for my birthday – no cooking for me and we came home with leftovers too. Including birthday cake, which I should freeze for a future treat.
3. Gifted my excess tomato plants to my SIL.
4. Scored free wood chips from a neighbor’s excessive “Chip Drop.”
5. Husband finished building a fence around my garden. Materials were nearly all free. Just labor (of love). I’m so happy that everything is protected from the dog now.

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Selena May 5, 2025 at 6:40 pm

Lesson learned to label what you put in the freezer (that is not already labeled that is). Took me a LONG time to get better half to label what he put in the freezer. Half the time a good look will tell you if it is tomatoes or strawberries. And if in reusable containers, will save wear and tear on the lids (don’t ask me how many lids were rendered useless due to the lack of a label).

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LB May 6, 2025 at 7:50 am

In this case it was the lesson to label both sides! A bag laid down on its front meant it looked identical to our compost bag. Lesson learned!

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Reader Lisa May 5, 2025 at 8:03 am

I have that same curry paste in my freezer, it makes very tasty curries!

1) I made red lentil almond curry and a vegetable farro soup to use up some vegetables and replenish my freezer meal stash.

2) I’ve stopped buying all meat at this point. I don’t eat it myself, and I grocery shop and cook for the rest of the family so they aren’t getting many meat dinners either anymore. My kids can choose to get lunch at school which usually has meat and my husband can buy meat and prepare it if he wants it, which he hasnt opted to do yet, his desire to not cook wins out over any desire for meat apparently!

3) I’m restarting our weekly beach picnics now that it’s slightly warming up. We ride bikes to the beach after I get home from work and play and eat a picnic dinner there. The kids get so excited, it’s free, good exercise and a night off cooking for me, since I pack the picnic in the morning.

4) My daughter is extremely extroverted (which is quite challenging as an introvert myself) She wanted to invite her entire class(which is a nice sentiment but costly), plus some additional friends from outside school to her birthday party. I worked with her to narrow it down since the place we booked for a party has a limit (if you go over, you have to pay more for each additional kid). I told her next year if she picked a public park or something for her party, it would be possible to invite more friends, so something to keep in mind for next year.

5) My son asked for a new book series that he’d read at school , I’m going to check out a bunch from the library for him.

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Gina May 5, 2025 at 8:04 am

Ack, I don’t know why my posts come out as replies!

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Ecoteri May 6, 2025 at 8:56 pm

@Gina, to post ‘standalone’ you need to scroll right to the bottom. If you post right under someone else (ie, you aren’t at the bottom yet) you end up doing a reply, as I have done here…

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A. Marie May 5, 2025 at 8:04 am

FFT, “Better Than a Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick” Edition:

“Better than a poke…” was what DH used to say when he’d encounter modest pieces of good luck (a sort of “ward off the evil eye” thing, I suppose). Anyway, I’ve had several modest–well, OK, some not so modest–pieces of good luck this morning:

(1) I started the day with a bang by finding a $20 bill and a $10 bill in the middle of a street on my Monday morning walk route (as well as a penny and $1 in NY State deposit containers on the rest of the walk). So, as Katy would say, I’ve come into some money–and I may have taken the early lead in the 2025 Found Change Challenge.

(2) My first stop during a morning out was my local bank branch, where I was able to roll over a 6-month CD at 4.00% (which was better than I did last time). I still may put much of my regular savings account there into a higher-earning online account, but I left the CD where it is, since it’s also important to me to maintain local customer relations. (The branch manager went to high school with DH’s nephews.)

(3) Next stop was Second Time Around (the pop-up thrift shop that operates out of a vacant bowling alley on Mondays in aid of a local food pantry). I scored a like-new Vera Bradley bag for my JASNA Panera friend (who has only two requirements for purses: they must be VB and they must be big enough to accommodate the ton of stuff she schleps around), and a new pair of Vermont Country Store adjustable-wrap bedroom slippers, for $8.

(4) Second Time Around also had the usual freebies at the end of the checkout counter. Today’s were a pair of LED light bulbs suitable for enclosed fixtures, and a 4-pack of day-old Wegmans Portuguese rolls ($4.25 if bought fresh from Wegmans).

(5) And for lunch, I will be luxuriously dunking one of the rolls into the sort of clam chowder I made yesterday, with more homemade stock, a couple of potatoes that needed to be used, and a couple of cans of minced clams. As DH also would have said, “Could be worse!”

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A. Marie May 5, 2025 at 10:38 am

(6) And this just in from the wilds of Central NY: a personally witnessed turkey vulture mating! I saw two of them alight on a neighbor’s rooftop, and, thank goodness, had binoculars handy to grab. The male sidled up to the female for all the world like Arte Johnson as Tyrone F. Horneigh sidling up to Ruth Buzzi as Gladys Ormphby on Laugh-In (see my earlier “RIP Ruth Buzzi” comment)–and then, unlike Tyrone and Gladys, they actually did go at it. I almost fell out of my recliner laughing!

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Jane May 5, 2025 at 10:55 am

Lucky you! They roost communally this time of year, then disperse to lay eggs and raise young. Nature’s cleanup crew

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Fru-gal Lisa May 5, 2025 at 11:58 am

I used to work at a school that was on the edge of a big nature reserve type park. It was also a mile or 2 down from the zoo. We had turkey vultures frequent our alleyway, near the cafeteria building. They had learned to swoop in after school let out and get into the cafeteria dumpster. Those big black buzzard birds feasted on all the good (home-cooked quality) food the kids, who preferred junk food to veggies, threw away. They also knew which enclosures at the zoo to land in, so they could eat the animals’ feed without getting killed. Amazing how wild critters learn to adapt to various situations!

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Selena May 5, 2025 at 6:46 pm

@A. Marie – is you walk near a dry cleaners? I used to score the occasional $5/$10 bill when my office was near a dry cleaners (and I forgot which parking lot I parked in!)
I prefer to *not* see the current year’s fawns from the point of conception. Which is easier to avoid than squirrels, birds (no vultures), and chipmunks.
Are there less comedians these days or do they have less opportunity for the masses to enjoy?

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Julia May 5, 2025 at 8:07 am

My latest:
1. I keep getting ads or suggestions to buy expensive and complicated items for my garden, but I am fully able to move chunks of chicken wire, tomato cages, sticks, and pinecones around to protect my seedlings from cats using the garden bed as a litter box; crushed eggshells, to protect from snails; used coffee grounds, sprinkles of cinnamon and red pepper flakes to protect from squirrels, and my homemade chili oil spray to protect from beetles or whatever is nibbling at my seedlings. So far it’s all working. So far, it is all “garbage” that I put to use.
2. I continue to make my own hummingbird food without the use of red food dye. They like it just fine as is.
3. I have been planning to make dandelion jelly, because it is supposed to taste like honey. But I missed the first flush of dandelions because I didn’t have all of my equipment and prep. Now I have everything I needed, but I still have to collect 3 to 4 cups of dandelion blossoms. I will report back. Needless to say, isn’t it, that dandelions are free?
4. I have reached the time of year when I can open my windows at night and the air is deliciously fresh and cool, not freezing cold. I absolutely love waking up to this free “air conditioning.“ It reminds me of sleeping in the backyard as a child.
5. I don’t see many butterflies, but I do get a lot of dragonflies and damselflies in my backyard. I also have an impressive number of pollinators. I absolutely love the free show of carpenter bees, bumblebees, honeybees, other native bees, plus beautiful sapphire blue damselflies and metallic red Dragonflies. I take my morning coffee outside and enjoy the flying jewels.
6. My new hens have given me four eggs so far, indicating that at least two of them are laying. I’ve switched them from the “kibble“ they had been eating in town to my fresh clover, dandelion greens and grass, sunflower seeds, crushed eggshell, and table scraps. I don’t know what’s in the kibble, but I prefer that their food looks like food. Why should their diet be any different than mine? And aside from sunflower seeds, which I am growing as well, you can see that it is not a big expense for them to eat healthier and produce eggs.
(Note: I also put in two ceramic eggs to encourage them to lay. Those are Antiques from the chicken ranch I grew up on.)

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Jill A May 5, 2025 at 8:30 am

I’m intrigued by the dandelion jelly. I have a ton of those things. The ceramic eggs for laying is very interesting. I wonder who thought up that idea?

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Julia May 5, 2025 at 6:58 pm

We’ll see if it happens and if it tastes as promised.

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Sugar Cat Farm May 7, 2025 at 4:35 pm

Julia,
You need to feed kibble because laying hens have different nutritional requirements than humans. They need a certain level of protein, grit for digestion, and calcium (usually in the form of oyster shells) for eggshell health. You can certainly supplement with scraps, and they will love you for it.
I’m in Georgia, and we have a wonderful resource at the University of Georgia. Here’s a link to thier chicken information. Enjoy your fresh eggs!
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C969&title=management-guide-for-the-backyard-flock

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Julia May 9, 2025 at 12:43 pm

Thanks for this — I am definitely feeding them grit, calcium (crushes egg and oyster shells) and protein. They were getting the cheapest kibble available and I don’t think it agreed with them. They were not laying at all before I got them. Now I’m getting 2 eggs a day from 4 hens. So 2-3 of them are producing (egg colors vary).

MB in MN May 5, 2025 at 9:07 am

1. Retrieved and planted 35 more perennials from Buy Nothing which brings the total this year to an amazing 75 (35 hosta, 20 sedum and 20 ferns). Then I attacked the weeds in all of our landscape beds. My whole body is sore.

2. Scheduled my pup’s ophthalmology and vet appointments back to back so she only needs to take her sedation meds once.

3. Menu planned around what we needed to use up: Southern Creole sauce went into a concoction of brown rice, sauteed peppers, onions, corn and kidney beans. Vegetarian Reuben sandwiches with mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Quesadillas with avocadoes, salsa, corn, black beans and sour cream. Noodles with peanut oil, tofu, peas and carrots. Broccoli mushroom casserole (the only dish with a recipe to follow).

4. Made iced tea using tea bags received from Buy Nothing.

5. Made muffins for a friend in need with supplies on hand – one batch of lemon blueberry and one batch of almond poppyseed.

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Selena May 5, 2025 at 6:49 pm

@MB in MN – ferns gross me out – gives me the vibe of prehistoric times. Thankfully none at the current homestead. Far too many at our prior homestead.

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Fru-gal Lisa May 5, 2025 at 7:28 pm

Oh, I love fern! When I lived in Florida, I was able to retrieve some “rabbit fern” that a neighbor had put at the curb, having thinned out his garden. I had enough to fill up my car’s trunk! Talk about frugal landscaping! I planted it under trees where grass would not grow. Unlike grass, fern is a shade-loving plant, and I loved the fact I didn’t have to mow the fern. I still remember my little dachshund hunting among the green fern; you’d see the plants shake from one side of the flower bed to the other –and then the wiener dog would emerge from the other end, having sniffed out whatever prey he thought might’ve been there. (Lucky for me, he never caught anything!)

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Claudia May 5, 2025 at 9:14 am

Great chair find! Those are easily $50-$100 new!

1. I was craving takeout burgers, so I watched a fun YouTube video to distract me. Then I ate my leftovers for lunch.

2. Deposited a paycheck I received for covering a family member’s business while they were away.

3. Filled a generic prescription for less than $5. Love me some generics.

4. Cleaned the connectors of my sporadically-sputtering electric tea kettle. It’s working again.

5. Gave my dog a bath, cleaned her ears, brushed her teeth, and trimmed her nails at home.

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BettafromdaVille May 5, 2025 at 9:41 am

1. While visiting my parents (2 hour drive away), I went to a local greenhouse that sells wholesale and retail. Prices are MUCH better than my local ones. My uncle also gave me 4 tomato plant starts.
2. I also went out for dinner one night with my parents while I was staying with them & I shared an entree with my mom; we both drank water. My parents paid. I paid them back by making dinner for them one night. All of the food came from their freezer or produce drawer (and was wilting!).
3. Bartered cleaning supplies (free from mystery shops) for free-range eggs and 2 tomato starts from my sister. I also shared with her some basil starts, as our garden is tiny, and hers is giant, but the greenhouse only sold basil in 6 packs.
4. I was able to get some Solomon’s Seal from my mom’s garden. I also was able to harvest from rhubarb from their garden, which I cut up and froze for when I want to make rhubarb-raspberry crisp. I also shared cleaning supplies with them.
5. Back home, I made chicken stock from scraps, and then I made parsnip soup, from parsnips from the free CSA box. Free lunch for two plus dinner for me tomorrow night! Partner also brought home a bouquet of tulips, as someone with a CSA flower subscription didn’t pick them up.

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Marie May 5, 2025 at 3:02 pm

May I ask what you make from Solomon’s seal? I have some on my property

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Ecoteri May 6, 2025 at 9:04 pm

Oh you have been very busy! I love all your barters, particularly with things you acquired for free. And the bouquet of Tulips is such a lovely unexpected joy.

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Kara May 5, 2025 at 11:42 am

1. Drove 7 hrs round trip for our grandson’s 4th birthday. Totally worth it! We took a collard tree for our daughter and daughter-in-law, free compost for both of them, a houseplant for our daughter, and a free basketball hoop for our son’s family. Our car was very full. They usually ask me to be on the lookout for certain things and I love finding them for free.
2. We had odd grinding noises in our Subaru and we took it to a local place that had been recommended. It turns out someone had detached the fuse that makes it all-wheel-drive (as it should be) and that caused the noises. They diagnosed and reattached the fuse for fee. I saw there Krispy Kreme was offering $5 donut dots today (pack of 24) and I got those and took them as a thank you to the repair place. Good relationships with good service providers= money saved.
3. I’ve been spiffing up my house for mostly free. Today I needed command hooks and bought them using my Staples points. $1.09 out of pocket.
4. Mailed locally-made organic granola to my mother for Mother’s Day. Bought avocados 2 for $1 at Lucky which is right next door to the PO. Walked to both. Sent my son a couple of craft ideas he could do with his kids for his wife for Mother’s Day. He’s having surgery 3 days before and won’t be up to anything on the day.
5. We found our FSA money will roll over between $5 and $600 of unused funds from each year. We may not use it all this year, though we will certainly stock up on eligible items, if necessary, to get it down to the $6oo. Nice to know that amount will roll over. We hadn’t been told that before.

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Selena May 5, 2025 at 6:54 pm

FSA $ eligible for roll over varies by year (and by this I mean plan for less that rolls over next year). So do keep an eye out this fall for the roll over amount (bearing in mind the current admin couldn’t decide to stay or go if the building was on fire). Limited FSAs are more of a challenge (meaning you have an HSA for a HDHP). A pox on the employer that does *not* communicate roll over amounts.

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Fru-gal Lisa May 5, 2025 at 1:24 pm

1. Took the box of discarded 1960s ceiling light fixtures to Habitat ReStore and got a tax receipt for my donation. I might not itemize my taxes, but I got their receipt just in case.) I figure if they can’t use the fixtures, they can take the metal parts and sell ’em for scrap. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the lights that replaced this old set, esp. since I bought them before the tariffs went into effect.
2. “Shopped” my garage: Used the old screen meant for the patio door for a doorway barrier to keep Mr. Snuggles Dog from invading the living room. It’ll have to do until I can get something more suitable. This is Day 3 since his adoption and he’s adjusting quite well.
3. Meanwhile, I think ol’ Snug is a frugal dog: He didn’t really take to the big fancy pouffy dog bed I bought him, but when I brought out a very well-worn (or worn out) doggy pillow that Miss Lucy Dog had used, he flopped right down on that and went to sleep. Go figure! I’m also re-using a lot of Lucy’s stuff for him and he occasionally sits on the pouffy bed for a few minutes. Right now, he is quietly lying near my desk as I type this. He has yet to bark but he chased a squirrel yesterday. Oh, and I’m sure he sends his puppy-dog regards to all y’all who sent greetings yesterday.
4. Having been inspired by A. Marie’s efforts at recycling, I scavenged some aluminum cans from the classroom trashcan today and put ’em with my stash in the garage. I’d originally intended to donate them to a worthy cause, but I’m told the scrap metal place is paying 70 cents a pound now. I figure with the tariff thing, metal prices will go up — and so will the scrap metal payments. So I will continue to collect. Sadly, my state does not pay a 10 cent per can deposit….or any deposit at all, so I have to go to the metal recycling company. (Maybe I should drive to a state that does pay deposits and take along my cans!)
5. I did not act like the Anti-Christ and say I want to be named Pope! Nor did I Photoshop a sacrilegious photo of myself as the Holy Father and post it on the Internet, thus insulting/offending/upsetting the 1.4 billion people worldwide who are followers of the Pope. Diplomacy is not Trump’s strong suit, but he hit a new low.

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MB in MN May 5, 2025 at 3:11 pm

Good dog, Snug! I look forward to more stories about your new pup. He’s a lucky boy!

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JDinNM May 5, 2025 at 6:46 pm

Ditto! More Snug!

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Fru-gal Lisa May 5, 2025 at 7:38 pm

Snuggles has finally decided he likes the pouffy bed. He was snuggling in it while I watched “The Voice” on TV. I put it by my bed, and hopefully he will not decide to jump on my bed. But he has discovered my dressing table: he stands up on his hind legs, puts his front paws on the table surface and wags his tail at the “other” dog he sees in the mirror! He’s also already mastered the fine art of sitting in front of me and looking hungry so I will feed him a “cookie;” my previous dogs have me well-trained!

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Jean C May 5, 2025 at 7:33 pm

So glad you have a furry companion again!

As to driving to a state that pays for returns, I think it’s not that straightforward. I recall I couldn’t get a deposit refund unless I actually had purchased the can and paid the deposit. Somehow the can machine “knew” one from the other.

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A. Marie May 6, 2025 at 12:51 am

Containers returned for deposits in “bottle bill” states must be purchased in “bottle bill” states. They have different UPCs from containers purchased in other states, which is how the can machine could tell the difference in Jean C’s case. They also carry a listing of the states and their deposits somewhere (on the top of the can if it’s a can, somewhere on the label if it’s a bottle).

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Coral Clarke May 6, 2025 at 7:10 am

Brisbane, Australia.When I saw “Trump as Pope” photo, I genuinely thought it was someone poking fun at TRump! It wasn’t until his office started downplaying its intent that I started to believe that something so insensitive could really have emanated from the Oval Office.We have just had state elections, and our local Trump- lite, Peter Dutton was deposed, our returning State Premier, Anthony Albanese, invited the opposition to join him for drinks, as “we can’t afford to waste brains”, and reminds that we are, first and foremost, Australian.

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Beth W May 5, 2025 at 4:08 pm

1. I walked to Walgreens this morning and got my COVID booster. It’s still free, at least for me. My doctor told me it was available. I had heard nothing about it. RFK Jr’s doing?
2. Had some baby carrots getting old, so I boiled them. Haven’t decided yet how I will use them. May freeze them.
3. Donated small amounts to NPR and my local PBS station. Just wanted to let them know I care.
4. Ate leftovers all day.
5. Didn’t pay anyone to deport themselves.

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Katy May 6, 2025 at 8:25 am

Thank you for the reminder about the Covid booster, news we can all use!

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Priscilla May 6, 2025 at 3:55 pm

Time to clean out the freezer andplan the meals around the pantry and freezer. Will get interesting in a week or so.

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Allie May 6, 2025 at 8:33 am

1. Attended a birthday lunch for a long time friend who asked for no gifts. So I made Nigella Lawson’s “Guiness chocolate cake”. Very easy to make, and was absolutely fantastic! Highly recommend, and you don’t taste the cup of Guinness that’s in it. The idea is to frost the round black cake to look like a glass of Guiness with the white foam on top. I used my $10 worth of grocery reward points to buy the tiny container of double cream imported from England that was required for the icing.
2.Frugal for my Dad: DH spent around a total of 2 hours on the phone with Dad’s TV/Internet provider to clean up the TV channels, etc. saving my 90 year old dad quite a bit every month, and getting a credit of $330.
3.When I bought my Subaru Crosstrek 7 years ago, we purchased an extended warranty for $2500, paid over two years. Now that the 7 years are up, we can get a portion of the premiums we paid (up to $2000) back, if we didn’t use the warranty, which we didn’t. Contacted the insurance company for what to do next, but they don’t want to hear from me until the date of expiration, in about two weeks. Fingers crossed there are no hitches in getting all that money back!
4.Sold a couple of items on FBMP that I had purchased from an on-line auction.
5.Frugal for a friend: lent her a small backpack to use on her European vacation as her “personal item” on the flight.

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Li May 6, 2025 at 11:20 am

It annoys me that Winco sells cantaloupe by the pound. I definitely keep an eye out for big produce sold by the piece, and I don’t buy cantaloupe at Winco.

My $1.99 Winco tomato was repotted, rapidly outgrew its new pot, and now it’s in the ground. With blooms!

The Guinness cake sounds great. I’ll have to try it one day.

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Ruby May 6, 2025 at 1:09 pm

I had a medical appointment that took me by the big Goodwill and popped in long enough to snag a Lucky brand shirt on half-off, and an insulated wine tumbler from the local historic theater foundation gala. Spent only $5 and some change.

Bought a beautiful dress inexpensively on eBay and was dismayed that it had a strong moldy smell. There was no damage to it, so I laundered it with some white vinegar added to the detergent and hung it up to dry. That seems to have done the trick on getting the smell out.

Eating at home, watching PBS Passport for entertainment, and organized the pantry using various bins we already owned.

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Pat May 6, 2025 at 4:03 pm

I haven’t used paper towels in 38 years. I use dish towels that are dried outside. I have dish towels that are 40 years old. Same for cloth napkins and hankies. I’m a 0 waste gal, so all kitchen veg waste and what little paper we get is composted or used for my worms. I grow our citrus and herbs and many perennial veges and fruits. At 74 I’m not looking to acquire but distribute out what I’ve accumulated, but saying goodbye to all my cake baking supplies was hard. I loved making them, and it was extra income!

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