Five Frugal Things
by Katy on August 4, 2025 · 4 comments
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I stopped by the Franz Bakery Outlet on Saturday to grab a couple loaves of of their $1 bread for our basement freezer. (First Saturday of the month, bay-bee!) I’d hoped to score a couple more sleeves of their restaurant packaged English muffins, as each bag holds a dozen or so muffins, but such was not my luck. Instead I picked up two sleeves of bagels, one bag of their mini-bagels, some hoagie rolls and a loaf of multi-grain bread.
All for $5!
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I had three different neighbors ask me to keep on eye on their houses and water their plants while they vamoosed town for vacation. Not my favorite timing to have everyone leave town at the same time, but I’ll still honor the unwritten neighbor agreement that we help one another. My husband and I vacation a lot less than our neighbors, but they all do the nicest things for us on a regular basis to thank us for our efforts.
“It takes a village” is not just about raising kids.
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I popped into Fred Meyer (Kroger) for a half gallon of milk. I’d already loaded a digital coupon for the $1.39 milk, but also had two paper coupons for free pints of Haagen Dazs ice cream. I pulled two vanilla ice creams from the freezer case to keep to accompany fruit crumbles, but the cashier informed me that I could only use one coupon at a time, so I told her I’d only be buying the single pint. I then got home to discover both containers of ice cream. Did she do this on purpose? I’ll never know.
I also grabbed a $1.50 bag of organic Roma tomatoes from the clearance shelf.
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I baked a mixed fruit crumble, all the more delicious with my accidentally shoplifted ice cream.
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I continue to wear my long ago thrifted clothing, maintain my own yard and garden, read library books, plan short inexpensive summer getaways, accept a less than exciting hair color, drink tap water, minimize gift giving, curb pick most “new” items that enter my house and write a blog that encourages people to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Katy! I forgot to tell you that when I visited Seattle, I bought a package of Franz whole wheat English muffins at the grocery store (Fred Meyer).
Unfortunately, mine were not $1. 😉
Love your #5 and all the reminders packed into it.
I like your #5. Thank you for your blog.
1. My middle daughter and her husband are taking a short trip. I will be dropping them off at the train station to save parking fees.
2. I will be dogsitting for my granddog while kids are out of town. We trade this chore often. My mother will feed their cats. I agree that it takes a village doesn’t just apply to children.
3. My oldest daughter sent me a photo of the toilet lid they’d repaired. They added gold powder to the epoxy. She called it very bad kintsugi. I call it genius.
4. I sent a jar of vanilla home with my youngest. It came from a large bottle I bought at an estate sale. She also took dinner leftovers, blueberry muffins, a bag of rice and a few other things I picked up at the discount grocery.
5. I am also reading library books, taking care of my own home, drinking tap water and sun tea.
And a fantastic blog it is! My favorite!
1. I have an appointment this afternoon with a new primary physician since my old one retired. I am hoping no copay because of my double insurance (Medicare and work.) I may work until I croak to keep my work insurance just because of how costly medical care is in the U.S. Work insurance is $60 a month for single coverage. I consider that frugal.
2. I walked in my neighborhood because the closest gym is 20 miles away, and it is cheap to walk.
3. I cooked at home because the simple meals I make are a lot cheaper than eating out. I made a casserole out of things I had on hand with leftover chicken, cheese, broccoli, cabbage, mushroom soup (bought the soup at Dollar General for a $1) and bread I needed to use up….not fancy but filling. I have been eating it for a couple of days. I used the $5 off of $25 coupon on Saturday at Dollar General.
4. I armchair travel by looking at all the posts on FB of my friends traveling and I do enjoy their pictures! I fly once or twice a year across country to visit grands and I am so exhausted, financially ( nonstop airplane flights are $$$) and physically that is about all I can do except for driving trips within a few hours of where I live, so I can get back home at night and not have to pay for a hotel. I know folks travel hack but I can only go across country as my work schedule allows, and I have never figured out how to do it when I am only traveling once or twice a year. Does anyone travel only a couple of times a year for a long weekend and figured out how to travel hack the plane ticket????
5.I washed my jeans in my bath tub and hung them to dry outside.