Five Frugal Things
by Katy on July 6, 2025 · 80 comments
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Remember when I planted sprouted grocery store garlic back in November? I’d read somewhere that you’re supposed to harvest garlic on 4th of July, so I pulled it up and was very excited to find that I had indeed grown garlic! This was a very passive effort and for that reason I’m calling this a success. I now have my massive harvest (Four! Heads of Garlic!) drying in the cool dark basement and will make sure to plant much more come fall.
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My sister and I went to the Franz Bakery Outlet, as they sell their “Bargain Wall” bread for $1 apiece on the first Saturday of the month. I ended up with eleven loaves, as you get an extra loaf when you spend ten bucks. Plus I filled my punch card!
My favorite find was the gluten-free hotdog buns, which normally sell for seven to eight dollars apiece. Good thing I have a freezer!
Bonus photo of my entire haul:
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The neighborhood pigeons who like to roost under my eaves are back, so I roped my sister and mother into accompanying me to Dollar Tree to buy helium mylar balloons. Why balloons? I fly them outside our front and back windows, which gets in the way of where the pigeons like to hang out. It physically blocks them, plus it freaks them out a bit.
I also bought panko bread crumbs, Monet wheat crackers and ginger snaps.
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I curb picked these chairs back in April and had yet to refurbish them, so I set them out at the corner last night. They were gone by morning. I could’ve recovered the seats and painted the metal, but I either get right on a project or not at all. Perfect time to pass them along to someone else with fresh energy and creativity. Buh-bye!
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I checked the library website to see if any fresh cultural passes had been posted, and lucked out on a free three-day pass to Rose City Comic Con! I’ve only once been to a comic convention, (mid-1980’s, and only because my father was speaking on a panel) but think this should be super fun! The normal cost is $99, so this is an especially good bargain. Thanks, Multnomah County Library!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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{ 80 comments… read them below or add one }
@Katy,
Small rubber snakes that you can find in the toy section dollar stores can also be placed in the eaves to deter birds. They can be secured with small nails.
The problem is that there’s no way to physically reach the eaves, which is why helium is a genius hack.
It is brilliant! Pigeons are nasty..they carry some scary diseases.
Well done on the shopping! Our bread outlet store is, sadly, not nearly so affordable and also not very close.
1. Another trip by the little free pantry yielded a can of refried beans. Yay for free protein and fiber!
2. Another trip by the little free libraries yielded two more books — I’ve already almost finished the David Baldacci.
3. I’m losing the fight to restrict the use of my window air conditioners. I can manage without in the morning, but not afternoon/evening/night. My electric bill will not be pretty.
4. I walked at the community center, which is so cool, especially the track around the ice rink! On my way in, I picked up a little sundress that was lying on the sidewalk. It was in excellent condition. I turned it in to the lost and found because I’m sure someone will claim it.
5. I used up the whole container of cream cheese I got free — with toast and jelly, on tortillas with fajita filling, and I also baked about 3 dozen cream cheese cookies. Half of those are in the freezer.
This one is only this cheap one day a month! This bread will last for months, so I don’t have to worry about getting there on a specific day until at least September. Yum, you are welcome to come use up my cream cheese at any time.
Wow, that’s a great deal, and such a good one for the gluten free bread! Yaaaaaaaaaaay for you!
Katy, not terribly economical, but the Franz bread store in Longview Wa, is every Saturday
OK! You’ve convinced me that I need to start planting garlic! Thanks for the nudge.
1. We’ve had our grandchildren this weekend (7 and 1) and inadvertently saved money by hearing the ice cream truck outside and scrambling to get shoes on them and out the door … Only to find it was the fastest moving ice cream truck I’ve seen. We walked around but no luck. Grandson is the most roll with the flow kiddo and was like maybe next time. He enjoyed a homemade non-dairy cone later last night and was planning what he’d get the next time. It is on my list to let him enjoy something from the ice cream truck as it’s been a few years since he has had the chance.
2- Made a plant based pineapple upside down cake for the weekend but I only had crushed pineapple and wondered if the topping would hold firm when flipped. Fine and delish. Not truly frugal but I’m not going out to get slices, I’m counting it
3 – Husband installed a blind on the living room transom window to help with heating/cooling and it has really made a difference. It is a bit darker in here which is fine for summer but I think I’ll be adjusting it more in winter once day breaks if it’s not frigid. He found one for $16.
Looking forward to reading all the positive comments!
Smart and handy husband for the win!
You wouldn’t have to buy anything!
Bonnie, garlic is actually very easy to grow. I’ve been doing it for nearly 30 years now, with only occasional purchases of garlic heads for fresh stock (most years, I use the biggest and best cloves from the previous year’s harvest). Last month, I dug 18 beautiful heads of garlic from the cloves I planted last fall. I’m not self-sufficient in most other things, but by gosh, I’m self-sufficient in garlic.
Being self-sufficient in garlic would save me a fair bit throughout the year as nearly all of our meals seem to have onions and garlic. But still the mosquitoes attack! Now I feel IUST start planting it. I am bummed that I completed a sprouted bulb a couple of weeks ago. I missed my free, easy opportunity! Thanks!
@Bonnie – I would buy seed garlic from a reputable source then save. Store bought garlic is a crap shoot. I’ve been using reneesgarden.com – based in a democracy friendly state.
When I make pineapple upside down cake, all I ever use is crushed pineapple. We prefer the crushed pineapple because every bite gets pineapple in it and not need to break up the slice as you’re taking a bite.
OK, Katy, people really dress up at those Comic Con events. So I want to see a photo of you in a non-consumer character costume, LOL! The wilder the better! (Uncle Scrooge McDuck, perhaps? Or a Ferengi from Star Trek TNG/DS9?) (If it’s the latter, what are the Non-Consumer’s Rules of Acquisition? That would be a good post!)
Yesterday, I single-handedly hauled 16 boxes of luxury vinyl plank from the (attached) garage to inside the house. I opened several boxes and would carry a few at a time, and I also dragged some full boxes up the steps and inside. Miraculously, my back is not sore today. They’re supposed to “outgas” for at least 24 hours, and the flooring installers are coming tomorrow. Although they are highly recommended, the crew’s boss only gives his nickname and I have to pay in cash. His first language is Spanish, and I need to get this project done asap; it may be that they are going to have to leave town at some point. Sign of the times. Very sad. But they will do all the work in one day.
I was reminded to bring the LVP inside by the handyman, who had to come re-repair the electric breaker governing the overhead lights in my bedroom and 2 bathrooms. Although he has successfully installed the ceiling fan/light kit, there’s something wonky about either the bedroom light switch or the breaker switch, even though he replaced the latter. So the ceiling fan saga continues….
Do you not remember that female Ferengi were fully nude at all times?
I love this one.
https://midlifecrisiscrossover.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/balok.jpg?w=768
Moogie!
Going nude would be the most frugal outfit, except for the potential penalties for public nudity.
OMG, no I didn’t. Maybe you should think about Scrooge McDuck instead. It might ruffle fewer feathers than if you showed up in your birthday suit. (Although that WOULD be frugal….until you got arrested and had to pay a fine, and/or hire a lawyer, LOL.)
Recycled flour sack?
Dug out a dress I bought for my mother’s funeral a couple years ago. She never had a funeral so tags were still on it. I’ll wear it to church this morning. (Son is begging me to go to church with him. Whatever. Strikes me as a waste of time because I have no faith but this seems important to him, blah blah.)
That was a giant mistake. Dress way too heavy and hot, despite spaghetti straps, as this was “Mass on the Grass” outside. Also it smelled like dog pee somehow. Oh well, can’t win em all.
Especially since the rector’s wife was wearing the most adorable 1930 red tennis dress and I was seething with envy.
This evening, trying to explain to Son what AIDS was like in Manhattan 1980s. Feeling miserable about people I loved who died of AIDS. That’s a cheery subject for Sunday night.
(No, I don’t know why he’s suddenly so interested.)
Rose,
I really hope it wasn’t *the dress* that smelled of dog pee, and maybe just where the “Mass on the Grass” was held? Though neither sounds pleasant.
AIDS was/is such a horrible scourge, but especially back in the ’80s when it killed so many people and had no known treatments (other than treating some of the symptoms as best they could), or a cure. I didn’t know anyone personally who died of it back then, but I do remember having an HIV+ patient at the hospital where I worked. I think he was telling me something personal, and I picked up his hand in sympathy – and he tearfully thanked me, because basically everyone was afraid to touch him.
I wasn’t especially brave or anything, but I knew that it was not transmitted by casual contact like that.
Liz B. I had a very similar experience at a hospital I worked in during the early 90’s. It was so very sad to me that everyone else was too scared to gift my patient with comfort through the physical touch of holding his hand. He was a very kind young man in a very sad, scary situation.
@Rose @Liz B. – until “important” people contracted HIV and died from it, the so called “christians” considered it punishment from their “god”. Then when Mary Fisher contracted the disease, all bets off.
Noope, the dress smelled like dog pee. Somehow a dog got to it and peed on it. It’s a nice dress, just completely inappropriate and stinky.
https://cdn.modesens.com/availability/72362888?w=400
Also, a family friend died of AIDS and MIL was given a really nice teak bookshelf of his. FIL wouldn’t allow it in the house so we took it. Put it in my son’s room.
I don’t have anything particularly frugal to add.
1. We had a family cook out yesterday. Steaks from Costco, grilled veggies, potatoes… We brought home plenty of leftovers for me and my youngest who will be heading home today. We all have enough for another meal or two.
2. After dinner my kids came over to swim and we made a very sad little fire and roasted marshmallows for s’mores. Cheap entertainment.
3. I’m reading another library book on my kindle.
4. I turned my lotion bottle upside down to get the rest out of it.
5. I used a $10 coupon to buy dog food.
I love roasting marshmallows, but Portland has a burn ban right now, even for small fire pits.
Score on the garlic and the con pass! Our library doesn’t offer cultural passes but we are small town vibes!
1. We had a family board game night with family.
2. I’m washing and prepping all of our leftover glass jars to fill with filtered water in preparation for hurricane season to kick up. Instead of buying bottles of water I fill every container we already own.
3. There was another local class I was interested in but could not attend so I spent some time looking for experts and watched some (You)tube videos and took notes in my handmade notebook. Information acquired and $0 spent.
4. I asked my bestie if the school she works for was getting rid of any curriculum that I could use to teach my niece. She gifted me an entire years worth of curriculum for Math and ELA. An ebay search revealed she saved me over $100!
5. I’ve been watching a lot of Creativebug tutorials through my Hoopla Bingepass thanks to the library. I’m really enjoying the free inspiration to craft/create using things we already have in the house.
What fun, I love board games!
1. I made 4 jars worth of garlic scape pesto for the freezer. I like my homemade pizza with the pesto instead of red sauce. The scapes came from free CSA box, the cheese had been gifted to me, and I substituted walnuts for the v. expensive pine nuts. I had bought the olive oil from Ocean State using a gift certificate. As such, the pesto was practically free.
2. I’ll go get lobster from the grocery store and have them steam them. My partner has been really wanting lobster rolls, and this will be far cheaper than going to a restaurant. The rolls are free from mystery shop, and the corn was 5 for $1.
3. I went to the Fancy Food show as a trendspotter. While there, a vendor of French jam gave me 4 jars (which retail for $20 per jar!!!). I gave one jar to a friend as a thank-you, and the other 3 jars are in the closet for Christmas gifts. Today, I’ll write up my receipts for the trip to get reimbursed for work. Out-of-pocket, the trip to NYC for the weekend with a friend, was a out $70, a total bargain.
4. Our 40-year old dryer finally died. But then I saw someone giving one away in our Buy Nothing group, so partner went and picked it up. All we needed to buy was a vent tube (I don’t know the technical word!) for less than $10. Hopefully, this one will also last 40 years!
5. Our “bread-and-butter” mystery shop changed its requirements, so I no longer can buy a dozen eggs (as I have for the last 3 years!) but now I must buy strawberries and avocados, and chicken soup. If anyone has a suggestion for turning chicken soup into OTHER meals, please let me know! (For today, I’ll make chicken and dumplings, for example).
Whoa . . . you are on a roll! Very impressive!
Maybe drain the broth and save for something else and use the solid soup bits for chicken pot pie?
You could also change the chicken soup by adding Asian flavors, or even just some cream or cream cheese, or some beans and chili powder to make chicken chili. Or maybe add canned tomatoes, etc for chicken tortilla soup?
Betta, could you thicken the soup and use it as a pasta sauce?
BettafromdaVille,
How does one become a trendspotter at
a Fancy Food show? Asking for a friend. 🙂
You can thicken up some of the soup and use it as a base for a casserole (called hot dish in my neck of the woods).
I think Campbell’s and other such companies have recipes for using their soups for casseroles, main courses and other such things. If they don’t print ’em on the label, search for it online.
Meanwhile, I think you got your money’s worth out of that 40 y.o. dryer!!!
What a score on those comic con tickets!
1) We stopped by an estate sale and picked up a pair of hedge shears, a t-handle edger, and a leather punch/grommet setter for around $8. I was planning to buy the two gardening implements new this week for a couple of jobs I have booked, so they were quite the score (and they saved me about $60)!
2) I built three cedar planters for the free berry bushes I got a few weeks ago, using cedar fence pickets so the project was inexpensive.
3) A plant vendor at work offered me free strawberry plants. I took two, but when I wasn’t looking she put four more in my car!
4) I picked up two boxes of night-quite-perfect strawberries and cherries from a local farm for $1 a pound. I will be spending today canning them for winter use.
5) I made a couple of loaves of bread. I pinched off two smaller balls and made buns with them, as well, which were perfect for the tuna burgers we had for dinner.
– Tuna burgers: 1 can tuna, 1 egg, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs, seasoning to taste. Mash together, make two patties, and place each on a square of oiled foil. Set in air fryer and cook at 390 for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 10 minutes. You can sub canned or shredded chicken for the tuna, too!
A dfollar per pound for strawberries and cherries is a screaming deal, even if they’re not quite perfect!
Beautiful Bread!!! Freezers certainly pay for themselves.
Fft
1. Running my air conditioner. Its less expensive than a trip to the ER for heat stroke or exhaustion. Temp raised at night for house, window unit in bedroom only at night.
2. Cold water laundry on the line. I haven’t used a dryer in 38 years and don’t even own one.
3. 80 ears of corn harvested from first picking to be cut off cob and frozen.
10 pounds of green beans picked to be canned.
5 gallon bucket of tomatoes to be frozen for sauce production during cooler weather.
4. Catching cold water for cats and chickens while waiting for hot water to make donkey mash for 30 year old toothless donkey.
5. Praying for Texans who may have had better warnings if the person at NWS who’s job is to communicate with emergency managers hadn’t been deemed unnecessary.
That’s impressive that you don’t even own a dryer!
It went out in 1986 and I paid sears to come fix it. They replaced the wrong thermostat (and we were lucky that I caught it when clothes started scorching and didn’t start a fire) and wanted another $70 to come back. They did me a huge favor. No telling what I’ve saved over the years. In addition clothes last forever without the dryer abuse.
SCF, your last sentence (“clothes last forever without the dryer abuse”) is one reason I’ve rack-dried everything except sheets for decades now. The energy saving, of course, is the other reason.
@A.Marie,
I am spoiled with line dried sheets. They smell so good.
Sugar Cat Farm,
Thank you for thinking about the folks in Kerr County, Texas. I just found out late last night that my college roommate/freshman year best friend is in Hunt, Texas, the town that was most affected. Heard it on the news, and still waiting to hear form them. Those of you who are praying folks, please say a prayer for Cindy and her family and everyone affected by disasters/war/poverty everywhere.
@Fru-Gal Lisa,
Prayers going up continously for all involved in Texas, victims, families, friends and rescue crews alike.
Such an overwhelming situation for everyone.
Please let us know what you learn about Cindy.
1) DS18 & I went through his list of required classes for his degree, as well as his AP test results. Oddly, the AP company hasn’t released scores to the test takers yet, but they are released to the colleges, so we were able to back into his scores this way. He did really well, and received 20 credits from Boulder. That is a HUGE amount of money saved, given we are paying out of state tuition. The physics & calculus credits are towards his degree, and the rest save him general Ed credits.
2) We also went through the large bin of things DS19 brought back from his college dorm, and I washed & organized when he returned. There is a lot we can re-use, making the list of what we need to purchase net net for D18 much smaller. Once he’s out of a dorm, we will hand all of this off to another college going student. DS18 can be pretty picky, so I was grateful he liked all of the neutrals I picked for the dorm.
3) Made an easy dinner last night, using a rotisserie chicken, rice, black beans, salsa & cheese. Topped it with green onions & tomatoes from the garden. The tomatoes are incredible, and elevate any dish you make.
4) Will debone the rest of the rotisserie chicken today, and turn the bones into broth for the freezer.
5) I ate leftovers from Friday’s lunch yesterday, which was the bonus of cleaning out the freezer, and avoiding food waste. I bought some fruit at an orchard stand, & it was absolutely delicious. I’ll prep some easy breakfast & lunch options for the week ahead, as well.
I agree about home grown tomatoes being the pinnacle of any meal!
1. For the fourth day in a row I found money. Oh, it’s not a lot, but I don’t usually find money, other than the occasional penny. I have found a total of $1.20, four quarters and two dimes.
2. My daughter gave me two jars of salsa that she bought on sale for 38 cents each. I was almost out of salsa so the timing was perfect. She works near a discount grocer and I am the fortunate beneficiary of her bounty.
3. Before my company arrived I went through the leftovers in my refrigerator to make room for meal materials for the week they would be here. All leftovers were put into meal containers for the freezer and now I am beginning to take them out a couple at a time. No heating up the kitchen with cooking during these hot summer days and using up food I had already cooked.
4. I cleared out extra dishes and glassware and then reorganized my buffet. I am so happy to have more room. I was thinking of buying another cabinet to store things, but with some purging and rearranging everything is neatly stored with room to spare. Money saved and no need to spend any money.
5. Thanks, Katy and all of your contributors for keeping it honest.
Hey, you recently came into some money!
So smart to go through your fridge before having house guests.
1. Had some friends over for lunch yesterday and made lunch for everyone. We made WAY too much food but it’ll keep us from having to heat up the house again for several days, and we won’t have to think about what to make either. Win win to me.
2. Picked up two books from the library. My kids love going with me so I’ll try and read one or two during the days the library is closed and then we can all go together to enjoy the library (and the free AC).
3. Made our laundry detergent, should last us at least 6 months and took very little for my husband to put together.
4. My husband and I started using Duolingo, free version, to try and learn Dutch.
5. A friend gave me some leftover yarn. Not sure what I’ll use it for yet but I’m sure I can find something! Gave her a wooden train set that my girls never play with since her son loves playing with trains.
The pup found a blueberry dropped on the kitchen floor and ate it on the old quilt on our bed, leaving a big purple spot. Fels naptha soap and washing soda scrubbed in with an old toothbrush took the stain out. A bar of fels naptha as a spot remover lasts for years.
Been eating a tomato sandwich every day thanks to the Early Girl tomato plant in the container garden. After losing a tomato to the birds, I made a fake snake out of a piece of knotted Venetian blind cord colored with Sharpie markers. It gets moved around a few times a day to keep the birds wary.
Mended the slipcover for the dogs’ bed. Found a nickle in the dirty clothes while doing the wash. Saved up enough dingy and stained white rags and clothing to have a bleach wash and dried the load on a rack on the porch.
Love that snake idea!! How creative!
Ruby, thanks for the tip about Fels Naptha and washing soda; I’ll get some of both when I run out of Spray & Wash, since I’m sure that these are more cost-effective. (And see my comment on an earlier post re: 20 Mule Team Borax as both a laundry aid and an ant killer.)
Ruby,
I loooove those Early Girl tomatoes!! Yum, lucky you! I didn’t get any Early Girls this year, so all of my tomatoes are still green.
And thank you – I’m pretty sure I have a Fels-Naphtha bar and some washing soda hanging around. I was gonna try making homemade laundry detergent (years ago), and never did after friends told me their clothes came out dingy.
Impressive haul from the bakery outlet. I love that you are able to buy GF products. I think it has been many years since we’ve had a bakery outlet in our area.
1. I counted 2Q found change: $1.21 and one was an old penny that DH kept.
2. It smelled like lighter fluid outside when I ran the clothes dryer. I helped DH clean out the hose.
3. I bought Dollar Tree OXYDOL and used it to soak stained pillow cases and smelly SPF shirts. It did a wonderful job on everything.
4. I cut another watermelon.
5. I noticed ripe cherry tomatoes towards the bottom of my over crowded tomato plants. I harvested several. We also have figs for the first time. We’ve had the tree several years but this is the first year we have had fruit. Some of the figs were already ripe and have been consumed.
1. DH installed two mini blinds in our short term rental as one of the last guests somehow broke one of the slats on the old one. The blinds were new, but the store cut them down to size, and they were only $30 each. They looks much better, and are safer than the older blinds that have the long, dangling cords. It’s nice to have a handy hubby!
2. Made a large pot of soup yesterday with almost all ingredients on hand. We ate some, I froze some, and some I will take to my 90 year old father who loves soup.
3. I still have been drinking black coffee in the mornings, which I thought I’d never be able to do, in order to help with intermittent fasting. Aside from the money saved, bonus is I have lost around 10 lbs in the last month and a half.
4. Will be going on a mini vacay to my cousin’s island home this week, staying over one night. He will host me, and we like to cook together go for walks, etc. I will take him out for a nice lunch as a thank you.
5. I received superhost status again from Airbnb and with it comes a $100 voucher to use in the next year on an Airbnb stay.
1. I offered to buy the construction guys whatever beverages they wanted, and they opted for unsweetened iced tea. These guys are so easy and cheap to feed and water! They do drink a lot, so with them and me and the husband, we are going through more than two gallons a day. I feel like I do nothing but brew tea all day! Frugal though, so I am happy to do it.
2. Was able to borrow instead of buy a dry wall tool they needed.
3. Accepted another dozen eggs for free.
4. Have now harvested 32 tomatoes, 12 scallions and 2 zukes from my garden, thanks to the efforts of my past self.
5. Took on three mystery shops that will help cover food costs.
We have 100 mile yard sales every 4th of July. I scored a Coach bag in excellent condition for $1, a Dooney & Burke bag and matching wristlet for $3 and my favorite was 2 king size quilt blankets, one from Pottery Barn and 1 Martha Stewart for $10. A visit to the laundromat and air drying on the deck cleaned them up nicely.
1. Took a mini trip to Dallas to help out at a dog show. Hotel was complimentary however $97 to park.
2. We got senior admission to see the 6th floor book depository and the John Wayne experience.
3. Committed to using up protein powder for breakfast
4. Scanned receipts for fetch
5. Using Katy’s terminology I Franken packaged a sale
1. Drinking sparkling water that our daughter left here, with homemade rhubarb syrup added. It’s delicious and a lovely change from my usual tap water. I love it that being frugal most of the time makes even a small treat feel special.
2. Went through a tub of vintage stuff a friend gave me to sell/donate. Sold 2 things for $150 total within 24 hours of putting them on eBay.
3. Baked a rhubarb ake in solar oven. Yes, I have a lot of rhubarb.
4. Picked up sale cherries at Safeway.
5. Returned an expensive bathroom mirror and bought one on FB marketplace for $15 instead. Yay!
1. Restaurant spending in June was way down over previous month/year/decade/life. I went out with my sister once, my husband had lunch with a high school friend, and husband and I went out for ice cream cones. For 50 cents more, I got a medium cone and put the extra in a pup cup that I had in the car. Pup was ecstatic over this rare treat.
2. Husband came up with the great idea to clean out the cottonwood tree detritus from our window screens using a hair dryer.
3. Our street had its annual 4th of July parade, fire engine and all. From my friend’s mom’s clear-out, I had a flag bandanna that I put around our pup’s neck. It was blazing hot so I carried an umbrella and enjoyed water and ice set out along the route.
4. Substituted orzo for Israeli (pearled) couscous as it was half the price.
5. Had to reschedule a get-together after a guest was called in to work, so I set up an impromptu get-together with neighbors to ensure no food waste. Plus the house was already clean.
1. I was on Grandbaby duty, and my Daughter Outlaw brought him to my place as she was passing by anyway. Saved me close to an hour (half hour each way) of driving, and I get to be at my own place with him.
He was so chill, he really just sat on my lap on the back porch, staring at all there is to see (for over an hour!), while we listed to an upbeat playlist that I have for walking and energetic house tidying. It felt good to have him in my space, and once we came inside he certainly assisted me in figuring out all the places I get to baby proof!
2. More boxes into the car for the used book store and the thrift store. Stuff out. Go me
More books that I am keeping sorted and shelved or piled (TBR) or tucked into two flats on a shelf under my coffee table. Getting the themes together and accessible will be really helpful when I am perusing my shelves/flats/stacks, as before it was higgledy-piggledy.
3. Pulled a huge sauerkraut crock out of a corner of my kitchen. A friend had given it to #1 son, who stored it at my house. He doesn’t want it anymore. I sent my friend a message asking if she wants it back for her son (our boys are friends, and her son has been out of the country working on his PHD, but is now back so might? want his crock back). Turns out the crock I have is my friend’s, she doesn’t want it back, and her son has one to get rid of too…. I am going to explore on FB Marketplace to see what kind of price these go for and perhaps list it.
4. A couple of weeks ago I cashed out my Prolific account (thanks to whomever on this blog gave me the heads up for this!) for £6.25 and $17.77 USD – which will work out to be $11.51CDN plus $24.12 = $35.62CDN, not bad at all for a lot of little dribs and drabs of surveys over about 3 months. It showed up in Paypal and I moved it to my savings account.
I already am almost halfway to that amount, again. I think we get more surveys when we are successful at completing them, at least it appears I am getting offered more each week.
5. Had a mini oopsie, as I forgot to hang the laundry out until late in the evening – grandbaby helped me misplace my rememberer, LOL.
Anyway, when I hung it out, or tried to, in the dark night, I discovered that I had left a clothespin on the top section of my line – and my clothesline pulley line-holder-together thingie ran into it before I got all the clothes out. Instead of pulling half the laundry back in, in order to access the clothespin, swearing at my stupidity as Past Me might have done, I allowed myself a little laugh at the situation, then proceeded to pin the last of the socks on the bit of top line that I could reach, instead.
I didn’t get the line all the way out, of course, but did I hang everything and it was dry by morning. I for sure collected that pin when I pulled in the clothes!
6. Following my Beau Miles ‘run a marathon in 24 hours’ approach to getting things done (youtube Beau Miles – marathon. So funny and inspiring), I set the phone alarm for hourly prompts, and put on shoes to walk up and back the short road across from my place. The dog came the first time, after that she was locked in the house as she is getting too old and it was hot.
Second hour, I ended up in a long conversation with the young neighbour who lives kitty corner from me. We dove deep into the fentanyl crisis in the trades (!!) as well as the challenges of talking about hard things with your friends when you are a man. (He is the most astonishingly mature 24 year old guy, owns his own heavy equipment construction company and works (and plays) really hard. For some reason he and I have connected and he loves to have conversations that are deep and thoughtful).
When I finally continued up the road, trying to get in my steps, another neighbour with whom I have deep conversations stopped me to chat. That engulfed the rest of an hour!
I give myself a pat on the back, for letting go of my initial plan of getting the walk in and rushing home to do chores, and instead remembered that my mental health is best maintained when I strengthen connections with others. There will always be chores, these random magical neighbour conversations are much more ephemeral and fleeting. Pausing to welcome and explore the extended hands of friendship is something I clearly need to practice!
1. I got bacon marked down to $2.29 a pound. I grabbed 12. There was a whole freezer full. I texted several friends so that they were able to get some too. Soon my tomatoes will be ready so lots of BLTs in my future.
2. I worked yesterday. Because it was a Saturday they treated me to pizza. I picked it up. I almost fell over when it was $23 for a pepperoni pie. They told me to take the extra home.
3. We went to a BBQ for the 4th. I brought a salad(lettuce from my garden), home made dressing and a bottle of home made wine. We had a great time.
4. Had our neighbors over today for a BBQ. They brought a bottle of red wine and 2 containers of cookies. We had corn on the cob that was 5 for $1, coleslaw, marinated chicken and sausage links. I have plenty of leftovers for the next few days.
5. Sent the neighbors home with a gallon bag of lettuce from the garden.
1. We walked through the farmer’s market this morning, but didn’t buy anything. Our dog desperately craves attention from strangers, and I took him for the free pets. We were hugely successful.
2. I sold an embroidered table runner and a coffee grinder on FB Marketplace.
3. My friend just moved into a new house. I walked over and helped her paint the living room. She had a big pile of boxes to get rid of, so I picked out 6 smaller ones that I can reuse for shipping out ebay items.
4. Matching the print was tough, but I managed to scrounge up enough using my wallpaper scraps to do one bathroom wall. I feel confident to wallpaper again, but I would choose a smaller repeating print.
5. Unlike a lot of the people living near me, I didn’t spend a shitload of money on fireworks.
Hi there, I found your website about a week ago and I am obsessed! I have been going through your archives a bit a day. I am feeling so inspired, and the most amazing thing happened. I have been looking for a patio set, but I really didn’t want to buy something new for hundreds of dollars. I was reading your blog, and saw you mentioned the Buy Nothing groups. I immediately signed up and the very first thing I saw in my area (literally 8 minutes from where I live) was a patio set! I was able to pick it up the same day. Thanks so much!
Do you have any advice for back-to-school shopping? I have a 6 year old about to start first grade, and would love to not spend hundreds I honestly don’t have.
What a nice post! I love reading the archives, too. I don’t have a lot of back to school ideas, other than thrift, garage sale, hand-me-downs. My kids wore uniforms & there was always a pipeline of items passed on
How much clothing does he actually need right now? That’s the first thing to figure out.
Growing up, my mother took us kids back to school shopping. But we had far fewer clothes then than kids do now. By the end of June (school year here) we’d often outgrown our clothes. Much of it was chopped up into cutoffs.
Kids’ clothes are way cheaper now and more likely to be purchased year round.
It took me a while to realize times have changed. When my son was quite young, I flipped out because he didn’t want to go back to school shopping. “What are you going to wear to school then?” I yelled. The kid calmly said, “Uh….my clothes?”
I remember one summer day in the 70s where I was sweltering in my cutoffs. My grandfather took me aside and said, “Sis, why not wear something cooler than corduroy?” I remember resenting that he didn’t seem to understand that was all I had. How could he not see that? I visited my grandparents twice a week or so. Why didn’t he understand it was not my choice?
If you have a Once Upon A Child store in your area, check them out. They resell clothes/shoes/backpacks/games etc… at a fraction of the cost. A LOT of clothes still have tags on them.
I know that kids like to have character backpacks, but they don’t last.
If you can get a kid sized one (Lands End, LL Bean or similar) they will last until they need to “up grade” do to size.
Hope this info helps and good luck!
There is no hard and fast date for harvesting garlic – when the leaves start to die down is the time to harvest. Which is never the same date in my area – dying down has started, will be another week before ready to dig. @A. Marie has already harvested hers, not her first garlic planting rodeo. So if you’ve planted garlic – usually fall of prior year – please read up on harvesting, drying, and storing.
A easy inexpensive way to remove berry stain is to pour boiling water on the stain. I never thought it would work until my then 5 yr old daughter sat on a strawberry in a white dress. Tried the boiling water and it worked like a charm.
I really enjoy reading these wonderful ideas! Thanks Katy and all who add more tips and tricks. I am becoming more frugal day by day. I grew a small planter garden and had okra, cherry tomatoes, lots of basil and sage. I hang out my sheets, blankets weekly and want another drying rack as mine fell apart a few months ago. We went to my son’s new house for the 4th. I brought ribs, son grilled them perfectly. There was so much food, we brought some home for the next few days. I look for sales and clearances, or free stuff all the time. I raised 2 kids by myself and had to make due with what we had so I’ve been doing this for a long time. 45+ years of working on my frugality. Use it up, wear it out or do without is my mantra. I live in florida but do not have a tent obliette in my back yard to hold folks who mostly have done nothing but be the “wrong” color. I dislike it here very much. The current administrations, both state and fed, are ruining this once shining light on the hill. I also swim in the gulf of Mexico. No Kings!!! Many blessings to all of you! ❤️
I met a friend’s husband at the tip one day last year. He was just about to dump a metal patio set just like the ones you let go.
I was recommended a product called Neutrarust which is genius. It’s used by the Royal Navy and the US Navy. You only have to brush off flaking rust – leave the rest of the rust on the metal. Paint it on and it chemically reacts with the rust and alters the rust into a rock hard metal finish. It was so little work and easy to paint over.
Good day Kara. You used your head that speaking water and that mirror, lol. What were the items that sold on eBay?
We have been working through our freezer/pantry and supplementing with purchased items. My husband and I decided to do this after too many trips to the grocery store and a full refrigerator when we were leaving on vacation. I thrive in this environment of figuring things out within limits — but my husband does not. But we have been having fun with the challenge, and he mentioned yesterday that he noticed a definite impact in our checking account. Positive reinforcement for both of us!
@Carla
I use this site often for inspiration
https://www.reciperadar.com/#search