Five Frugal Things
by Katy on August 11, 2025 · 53 comments
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Portland hit the high nineties today, so I kept it simple and mostly hung out at home. Our bedroom gets beastly hot, so we’ll run the bedroom air conditioner tonight, but otherwise I’m surviving with strategically placed fans. I’m also running the furnace’s “summer fan” day and night, which brings cool air up from the basement.
My 111-year-old house doesn’t have air conditioning, which is pretty standard for Portland, Oregon, as these kinds of temps used to be a rarity.
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My husband and I took a nice long walk through the neighborhood last night, which was extra enjoyable due to the full moon. His work schedule normally gets him home around 10:45 P.M., but he’s taken a couple weeks off for his annual vacation. It’s fun to have a buddy to hang out with during the evening hours.
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I started reading a library copy of Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing and Longing, by Elissa Altman. A friend raved about it, so I thought I’d give it a try. I love that libraries allow us to try out a book without the burden of spending money.
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My husband and I are really happy with our curb picked dining room chandelier, so we’re going to donate the old ones to the Habitat ReStore. We already removed the matching living room one a couple years back, as I’d received a ceiling fan from someone in our Buy Nothing group.
I don’t like to hold onto things “just in case,” as I prefer to keep an uncluttered home. Sending the old light fixtures to the ReStore means they can be put back into circulation, while supporting a terrific nonprofit.
Here’s the old one:
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My husband mailed out two leftover Pride parade T-shirts to people who weren’t able to attend. (He organizes his company’s Pride festivities!) I showed him the trick to turning an Amazon bubble mailer inside out for a blank surface. These already reused mailers came from my sister, who’d utilized them to cushion her homemade marmalade. So this was their third use!
He also used Pirateship.com for discounted postage.
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 }
I LOVE the new light fixture! The old one is nice, too, and someone will be happy to find it.
1. Today is my birthday. Yesterday my son took me out to see Naked Gun 2 and treated me to popcorn and a soda as well. That was my lunch! This coming weekend I’ll go out with the whole family. Schedules weren’t right to do it yesterday.
2. Yesterday’s walk to the beach was fruitful. I found an unopened can of beer. I don’t drink beer, but I do use it in cooking. I also rescued a swim shirt that had a slight stain and was lying on the trash can. I’m letting it soak up some liquid soap before I launder it today. I also found a discarded fast food bag, with a bunch of clean napkins and several sealed sauces. And a nice washcloth, which will clean up fine.
3. I finished Pachinko yesterday and I highly recommend it. I will take it to my friend’s house tomorrow, along with two other books. She lives in a LFL desert, and she is not inclined to use the library.
4. My trip to my friend’s house will be a three-day trip. She is looking into retirement homes and wants an extra set of eyes and ears for the grand tours and pitches. I hope to make it a frugal trip but will go with the flow.
5. Even though it got a bit close yesterday, I managed without turning on the air all day. I got my electric bill, and it was not the shock to the system I thought it might be.
Happy Birthday!!!!!
Enjoy your special day, and remember to be kind to yourself
I hadn’t heard the term “close,” meaning humid since I was a child in Pennsylvania. Thanks for the memory!
“Close”…my kind of vocabulary! Also referring to green bell peppers as “mangoes,” “pop”inWestern PA, “soda or soft drink”in Eastern PA, and “lightnim’ bugs” instead of “fireflies.”
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday!!
Happy birthday! A cinema trip and foraging on the beach, perfect day
Yesterday we hauled home a wicker and metal chair that looks just like the one you sold the back of on eBay. It was at the curb of house with a For Sale sign. It was in pieces with a note that said everything was there except the nails needed to put it together. We carried it home and DH found the proper screws to assemble it. It is a nice sturdy chair and we don’t need it so onto Freecycle it will go.
1. DH desperately needed new white dress shirts for work. It is tax free week in our state so I ordered a couple of his favorites which were on sale. I also used a rebate site for a 3.03% rebate and the credit card that will give 3% cash back for online purchases.
2. A neighbor borrowed a stud finder. There is no need for everyone to own everything.
3. DH went to Costco to order a new pair of glasses. He has complicated lenses so it seems it is better to order them in person than online. They are so much cheaper than at the opticians office or Lens Crafters.
4. Safeway has a gift card offer of earning a $10 off a future order when you spend $50 on certain gift cards. We were next to a Safeway so we bought gift cards for a big box hardware store. We then bought sale items with the $10 off coupons.
5. I finished listening to The Last Lifeboat. I am reading A Physical Education and The Bastard (author John Jakes). All borrowed in various formats from the library.
That moon was so beautiful wasn’t it?
1. I made a salad (the Jennifer Aniston Salad) which used up a cucumber that was getting close to being composted. I always forget about this salad and I shouldn’t. I could eat it every day. It uses parsley and mint which I grow.
2. I picked up a few vegetables at someone’s free vegetable stand. I did donate $1. I used these and a free zucchini from my mom’s neighbor and some red pepper slices I had frozen to make a stir fry with tofu. I have at least another meal or two leftover. I froze half the vegetables for a future stir fry.
3. I sold 5 things on Ebay over the weekend. I used free packaging for most of it. I will send it off today with a free pick-up from my post office.
4. I dug up a volunteer butterfly bush that was growing between pathway stones. My mom has a spot for it. Hopefully it survives. It’s not very happy right now.
5. I’m reading Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. It’s a free library book on my Kindle. I like that my taxes help pay for my little local library. Money well spent.
I just realized I was planning to add some purslane to my stir fry and I forgot. Darn.
Jill, in addition to joining you and the NCAs in admiring the full moon, I’ve been watching some planetary canoodling in the predawn eastern sky: Venus and Jupiter are getting it on (see https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/whats-up-august-2025-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/).
And, BTW, let’s take advantage of those skywatching tips from NASA while we can. They too may fall victim to budget cuts.
I love walks very late or very early, when the town is quiet. Speaking of which:
1. I walked in my neighborhood for exercise at 6 a.m. this weekend.
2. I cooked all my meals and took my lunch and breakfast to work.
3. I ran the window unit air conditioner from about 1 p.m. to about 6 p.m. over the weekend. I did have the thermos set at 79, then 78, but I, unfortunately, lowered it to 77. I turned it off at 6 p.m. turned on the portable cheap floor fan I bought a long time ago at Dollar General with a $5 off $25 coupon, and opened the windows all night but had the curtains pulled closed. I have a screen. I also slept on top of the covers.
4. I gently washed my court jacket in the bathtub and hung it outside to dry.
5. I took a Sunday afternoon nap. Always my fav!
I feel like I just do the same thing week in and week out with no new frugality tips. I suppose it is the passive frugality that Amy talked about in The Tightwad Gazette. I have never been much of an “active” frugality person. I am more of a ” I am not going to a concert if I have to pay for it, and I will skip eating out if I have food at home kind of person. ” It kind of helps that I live in the middle of nowhere and there are zero restaurants in the town I live in although the gas station does sell cooked food…….lol
Cindy, I feel the same way. Same old thing. At least it’s saves money.
I love ready about your frugal southern life. I become worried about you when I don’t see your posts. I wonder: Hurricane, tornado – what happened to Cindy?
The old fixture is genuinely old, while the new one is a repro. I don’t get it.
Trying to decide if I want to see Metallica at our local tiny venue. Usually various local celebs come along to the headline show for the summer, like Paul McCartney and Jon Bon Jovi, but I can’t picture Paul singing along with Metallica. Unsure.
Rose, it is possible to let Katy fully enjoy her choice of fixtures without commenting on it. That would be like someone commenting on your choice of musicians to see. I hope you enjoy whichever concert you choose to attend.
That’s interesting about the lights. I imagine you having a dusty old antique store in NYC with all kinds of hidden treasures I know nothing about.
I am actually an antiques expert with a bunch of books and articles written.
Now I’m remembering a wonderful old antiques store in Manhattan called Uplift. It only sold antique lighting and it was a treasure trove. Of course it’s not there any more. Here’s a pic. Last time I was there, the owner obviously had KS. Chalk up another AIDS death. Now I feel depressed.
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/bd72b8c0-c63e-012f-5ff5-58d385a7bc34?canvasIndex=0
I’m sorry it made you depressed. I just always enjoy your informative comments. I don’t doubt you are an expert. Thanks for hanging in there
Hardly your fault I went into an AIDS funk! It’s OK, gotta get warmed up for the 9/11 depression in a month.
(hollow laughter)
Seriously, now I will think about antique lighting, which I absolutely adore. Especially Arts & Crafts which is my specialty.
1. Painted a picture frame using paint that I got from my county’s ReUse Room for redoing door trim.
2. Put a yellowish-stained pillowcase out in the sun for a few hours and – voila! – no more stain. I’ll never stop being amazed by this.
3. Went to a retirement party at my former workplace and was so occupied with socializing that I didn’t eat anything. The fabulous food service staff gave me a to-go box.
4. Friend gave me three bags of dog treats that her dog could no longer eat.
5. Sister treated me to dinner by picking up veggie hoagies on the way to my house.
OOOO, what a grand win for your #3 – I am so glad you were able to manage taking home some of the goodies, as I expect they were delicious.
And thanks for the paint-picture-frame reminder. I have a couple of older paintings in not so great frames – however they aren’t so great because I don’t like the colour. am going to scope out my own paint supplies and then check out habitat for humanity’s options.
1. Made a quiche from free eggs from sister, cream & pie crust from freezer, milk and bacon from mystery shop, and squash from free CSA.
2. We leave on vacation tomorrow and we received a number of onions from the CSA. I don’t think they will make it until we get back, so I chopped them up and put in the freezer.
3. I was running an errand yesterday and something told me to stop in at Ocean State. It is their annual “educators” sale, with [almost] everything I buy, I get a gift certificate back worth 40% spent. I stocked up on olive oil, walnuts, capers, and bird seed.
4. Ocean State is located right next to Panera, so I popped in for a free Arnold Palmer while my free sip trial membership is still active.
5. The Dawn and Oxy mostly cleaned the pillowcases that I mentioned last week. I did one more cycle of this, followed by a day out in the sun, and I do believe that they have been rescued.
Dawn and Oxy — would that be OxiClean? I’m struggling with a stubborn stain a was thinking of buying OxiClean. Did you make a paste or did you soak the items in a solution?
Yes, OxiClean (yikes, that typo makes me look like a dealer!).
I first applied Dawn directly onto the stains and rubbed it in. Then I put the pillowcases into a bucket with OxiClean and water and let it sit overnight. Washed them, and hung out in sun.
Repeated twice and they are looking 90%, which is perfectly good for me.
Betta, your free quiche sounds extra delicious. You’ve inspired me to look into mystery shopping.
1) Friends from the City are visiting – they bought a retirement place near me and are fixing it up. I’ve fed us from the fridge without extra inputs, fried rice and a pasta cheese thing.
2) We played a very small festival this weekend. Our music is a donation to a township on an island that has chosen this method of aux funding. Six of us drove in one car, we ate from coolers onsite, stopped at a beach to cool off (80F here feels like 90+ to those of us in the north!) and got home exhausted and still friends.
3) Bonus – we got to make music with friends we don’t usually play with!
4) I’ve inherited a 3-legged cat with long hair and a squished nose that requires a drinking fountain. She is a caution, and gradually discovering she’s a feline after all. But we’ve avoided that at-least-$50 grooming cost by brushing her twice a day. Now I need a use for the cat felt, besides leaving it out for birds.
5) Reading and visiting and playing music for enjoyment. And reading these posts – you are all marvelous!
I am curious to know who uses handkerchiefs. I’m in a forest / paper industry area that is rich in water. I use tissues because I produce mucus WAY better than most people. I can’t stomach the idea of washing handkerchiefs, and the alternatives are a spittoon or standing at a sink for a long time every morning. Ideas??
And thanks again. Happy belated anniversary, Katy. A good partnership is worth its weight in any precious substance you care to name!
Kathryn, my husband and I use vintage handkerchiefs. We also have a stack of small fabric squares that we use when the nasal/throat output is really gross. These squares are made from unusable clothing, etc. so we don’t feel guilty tossing them after one use.
Thank you! I have my father’s old handkerchiefs and my mother’s old handkerchiefs. I think I will use them for ordinary times and just use tissues for the rest.
I have read on a foster cat page that you can take the cat hair, put it in an old stocking, wash it a few times. It felt together and makes great cat toys.
Thank you! I have my father’s old handkerchiefs and my mother’s old handkerchiefs. I think I will use them for ordinary times and just use tissues for the rest.
Obviously, I can’t run this thing! That was supposed to say something about how amazed and delighted I was to have gotten an answer to something I really didn’t think had an answer. I love this list! Thanks!
My husband and I both use handkerchiefs. I have allergies, and switching to handkerchiefs has greatly reduced the number of kleenex boxes we buy.
5-10 years ago I bought a pack of men’s handkerchiefs at Kohls, then another pack a few months later. This has dropped our kleenex use by 90%+.
I was a bit brief grossed out at first, but the handkerchiefs always come out of the washer clean. They have also gotten softer with age, which is nice. I’ve thought about gifting a set to each of our sons.
1. Spent $50 at assistance league pop up. Already recouped $33 selling on line. Included in those purchases were 2 nwt baby gifts. 2 Christmas gifts and 2 blouses for me
2. Hit up 2 garage sales which provided me 2 vintage prints now hanging in my kitchen and a vintage book for a friend $4
3. Netted $72 off of Poshmark. This will defray costs of my judging trip
to Amana, Iowa end of month
4. Using United Healthcare rewards to replenish proteins in freezer aka old mother hubbards cupboard
5. Mailed a birthday card from my stash
Here in Australia, judging is a little side hustle that pays expenses plus a fee How do you get qualified people to do it at their own expense. By qualified, I mean recognised in their field
1. Picked up granola, kumquats and a large bag of pistachios from buy nothing. I made marmalade from the kumquats( delicious! I rode my bike for all pickups. On my way I found a free pile and picked up a zip up hoodie for myself that I’ve been needing for my gardening outfit, a short sleeve summer shirt for my husband, and several things to sell. The perfect outing.
2. Took in a pair of shorts for my husban. I also scrubbed the grease stains on the front and a mysterious black mark on the back, all with a toothbrush and blue Dawn and it was transformational. It’s like a new garment for free.
3. I replaced the elastic in a pair of homemade pajama shorts and reinforced the top edge which had begun to fray.
4. Got on chat to receive the teacher discount at j crew where I ordered a pair of shorts on sale for myself.
5. Made a card from a flyer for a local museum( has Snoopy on it) and sent it to my grandson. The joy on his face was priceless. He shows me it on FaceTime when he receives it.
Katy, the new fixture looks like it’s making your space brighter. The old one is still nice and someone will give it a good home.
I added some tofu and a handful of cherry tomatoes to an existing soup and it was delicious. Turned a discounted pack of chicken thighs into a vaguely Asian chicken and vegetables dish for my husband. We had pizza out yesterday, but a small fed us both and I made a quick half-dozen chocolate chip muffins for our dessert with cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top instead of icing. That hit the spot.
Sewed a table runner out of upholstery fabric reclaimed from the back of a chair seat cushion. Bought the next few books for book club from eBay for $3.75 each and free shipping.
I would give my eye teeth for either one of your light fixtures! Both are very nice, even the one you gave to Re-store.
1. Went to an impromptu estate sale 2 doors down from me. For once, I didn’t buy a thing. That’s because the house reeked of cat urine odor, even with the carpeting removed and the bare concrete floors showing. Putting it mildly, it was horrible, nasty and filthy. So much so that I would be afraid to bring anything of theirs into my house due to possible germs and contamination. I got out of there in record time!
2. My lunch just now was a microwaved TV dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever shared this, but I bought the microwave brand new at half price (IIRC, although it may have been an even bigger discount) from Target several years ago. Got it home and found out why: you can’t see the buttons, everything looks black, unless you shine a light directly on the control panel. So I grabbed a gooseneck desk lamp I was going to donate, put it by the microwave, and pointed the light toward the appliance’s front. Problem solved! Now every time I need to cook something, I just turn on the light. Beats having to pay more for a perfectly good, new microwave oven!
3. Changed out the AC filter. I’d bought a filter, still shrink-wrapped, from Goodwill the other day. You never know what you’ll find when you go thrifting!
4. One of my coworkers had her last shift yesterday, as she is going to leave for college. Gave her some old gift cards — one for a restaurant chain whose local eatery closed down; a couple of Starbucks cards that were Xmas gifts and one for a fast food place. Told her to check on how much, if anything, is on each card, but that I hope she could use some to help defray her costs. (Lest you think I’m too stingy, I’d previously given her a birthday box filled with dorm goodies and school supplies).
5. Did not call out the National Guard on anything.
That’s nice of you. I had to get something notarized today, and the notary at the library wasn’t busy. She said she didn’t accept payment but I forced a $20 on her anyway. Have a cup of coffee and a muffin! I said.
This is not the usual library I go to. They had a display of schoolkids’ longhouses built with twigs. Four of them looked like kids did them, but Isla’s looked absolutely perfect with tiny greenery etc. I said to the notary, “Clearly Isla is the overachiever here.” Check it out. She even built a teepee. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLXiiIAvlyf/?hl=en&img_index=1
(Of course, the Iroquois who built longhouses in New York didn’t build teepees. That’s a Plains thing. Someone tell Isla or more likely, Isla’s mommy. heh.)
FFT, Coping with the Heat Edition:
Here in Central NY, we too are heading into yet another week with no rain and highs in the 90s. I can’t imagine how people in places where “it’s a dry heat” is a catchphrase cope with these conditions. But here’s what I’m doing to stay sane:
(1) I’ve cut back to doing a full watering of my gardens only every other day. I also continue to collect water from my central AC system’s condenser drip, which comes to 3-4 gallons/day. Every little bit helps.
(2) Although I continue to run the central AC (at 75 or 76 F), I console myself with the thought that the solar panels are helping to offset the cost of this. Of course, You Know Who now wants to make it more difficult in every way for people to get solar panels from now on. Yah boo sucks.
(3) And for a creative partial solution to our US energy problems, I’d like to devise a scheme for capturing methane from You Know Who–at both ends. (Forgive me for indulging in a little fantasy here.) 😛
(4) OK, back to real life. I hadn’t hit my Monday morning thrift sources in a few weeks, so I did both this morning to cheer myself up. At Second Time Around (the pop-up in the old bowling alley), I got a practically new pair of Propet step-in shoes, two Sonoma long-sleeve tees with the Kohl’s tags still on, three canning jars (it’s still pickle season and I’m starting to run short), a high-viz vest for my early morning walks, and a children’s book for JASNA BFF’s youngest grandchild, for $13.50 total. And I liberated a half loaf of day-old Wegmans Tuscan garlic bread and a 4-pack of Wegmans kaiser rolls from the “free bread” box on my way out.
(5) And at the Salvation Army, I picked up two new sticks of Old Spice Sweat Defense deodorant (this brand has made it possible for me to take fewer showers even during a heat wave), two Harney’s tea tins (for my homegrown spearmint and peppermint teas), a pair of socks, and a pair of semi-dressy navy Skechers Goga Mat slip-ons in excellent condition, for a total of $9. (My last pair of closed-toe dress shoes failed me during my NYC visit in June, so the Skechers were a happy find–especially since I’ve got the same style in black on order from eBay!)
I’ll have to check out pirate ship since my kid forgot some items when they moved to the east coast.
1. We are cleaning out my in-laws’ pantry, so I have a box of food to use. Some of it is stuff I’d never buy for myself, like several cans of canned chicken. I suppose I’ll make some chicken soup with it? In any case, this will lower my food costs for some time, and maybe I’ll fall in love with canned chicken.
2. I found a nice belt in a free pile. Solid leather. So many belts are made from weird leather “veneer” these days. If I have to rely on free piles to find the real deal, then so be it!
3. I needed a new towel bar for my bathroom and found a nice one for $1 at a neighborhood garage sale.
4. As you might have noticed, I like to pick up redeemable cans off the side of the road whenever I go for a walk. It used to be easy money. As the economy worsens, I’m finding fewer and fewer. In the past few weeks, I’ve started noticing people who roam my neighborhood, carrying gigantic plastic bags (mattress bag sized) full of cans, and going through every dumpster and garbage can. This leaves almost nothing for me. Fair enough, but I’ll miss my bonus money. (Sad face.)
5. I had a hankering for a salty treat, so I popped some corn.
@ Li, canned chicken is very good (if its the kind like a can of tuna fish?), and high in protein — i keep it on hand for chicken salad, enchilada filling or just to top a salad!
That’s exactly the type of chicken. Enchiladas are a good idea!
During the Great Recession, I was living in a town where the main employer cut shifts down to near nothing, putting most of the town out of work. The sides of all the roads were pristine because people scavenged every can to sell to the metal recycler and no one had money for fast food. They’d also dig through trash cans outside of businesses for cans.
One of my finer frugal habits is that I act like there’s a recession afoot, even when times are good. It’s sort of annoying when times are bad and other people get in my lane – thrifting, buying the clearance produce, picking up the cans, etc. It’s annoying, but I understand it.
Sweating…but not to “the oldies.” If heat makes fat melt, why am I not thin yet? I once had a man tell me to get out if the rain (his wife was with him) because I would melt. I told him I’m not THAT sweet and, if I was, I’d stand naked in the rain until I was a size 3. His wife said if that would work, she’d join me!
1) Not terribly frugal, but I digress. When my sister called this morning, I was expecting her to tell me our uncle had passed. Those on our mom’s side of our family are too stubborn to die. Anyway, she needed to go have bloodwork done and couldn’t find anyone to take her. Dutiful sister that I am, I drove 45 minutes and took her for that and to the bank. She took me to TGIFridays for lunch and to Dunkin’ for an Iced Coffee. Also gave me $ for gas. Wasn’t a total loss. Don’t need dinner tonight. Belly is bulging.
2) DH started going to a different church about 6 months ago (long story). Anyway the church he’s now going to is the church where the local food bank is. At the end of the service, they announced there were bananas left over – help yourself. He brought home 2 big bunches (which we won’t eat that many before they go bad). I took one to my sister.
3) Trying to figure out how to.use Freecycle. HELP!
4) Hung a load of laundry outside before I went to my sister’s. Came home, took it down and put it away.
5) Thankful my sister called me to take her today as the Little League World Series Grand Slam Parade is tomorrow night. People have had their chairs set up along the parade route yesterday! 20 teams (10 US, 10 International) along with their coaches and families will be here through 8/24 and traffic will be horrendous! A city with a population of nearly 28,000 (2020 census) will nearly double for 2 weeks! Yikes! Williamsport may be my home town, but I’m content to live in the little podunk town I live in now.
I love libraries for so many different reasons. Maybe you should do a post on libraries if you have time.
1. We have been decluttering. I offered several items to my buy nothing group and they were all picked up.
2.The garden is keeping us in tons of vegetables. I brought tomatoes to the lady I help. We are having BLTs one day this week. My kids took tomatoes and cucumbers.
3.I washed our bed sheets and hung them outside. I love my clothes line.
4.I made muffins, a lemon cake, and egg bites Sunday morning. Hubby grilled chicken thighs, marinated pork and a steak with asparagus for dinner. There will be several days of meals. We cook a lot on Sunday to get us through several days without having to cook. It works for us.
5.I went to the library on my way home from work. I took out a memory kit for patients with dementia. There are several activities in it for the lady I help and a book for me to read. I had suggested months ago that they make them and they did. I also took out a kids animal activity kit. It has animal flash cards, a felt board with felt animals and people, different shaped blocks with cards that show how to make animals and a few animal books. I think she will have fun with them. I also got a free golf puzzle that hubby and I will do together. I picked up 2 sublimation puzzles that I had ordered for an upcoming wedding we are going to. They cost me $1 each. I used photos from their engagement shoot. I will add a check with them. The couple is very into doing puzzles. They were in a national puzzle competition earlier this year.
6. I cut more of my sunflowers and brought them into the house. They make me smile whenever I see them.
7. World of Books was having a buy 3 used get 1 free sale. I ordered some for Christmas. I buy gifts throughout the year.
Can you share more about the memory kit for Dementia that you recommended to the library? Did you have resources to direct them or a sample (where did you get the idea?)
Our local library does all kinds of cool things and I bet they would be interested in this if I could give them a bit more info
1. I was almost out of egg cartons and having a bit of a panic about it (after all, packing eggs in baskets with straw is SO 1899), so I posted a request on my FB Buy Nothing group. Voila – got a few hits and was able to get cartons from someone just around the corner. More to pick up because I promised, about 6 km away, and the big win was a man who INSISTED on bringing me ‘two garbage bags full’. Turns out his ‘lady friend’ was gifted them just after she bought a huge flat of cartons, and he hung on to the donated ones for just this purpose – passing them on to someone in need. He was passing by and was an absolute delight, elderly man with a twinkle and a grand view of the world. Love those folk.
Another carton donator was quick to follow up on our conversations about ‘used dogs’ and has sent me a couple of possible matches, although she also mentioned that one of hers was passed on to her from her Vet, so thats the second time I have heard the suggestion. I will follow up on monday.
2. Made another batch of sticky rice and dug in the freezer for inspiration. Found a sad package of mixed frozen ‘asian style’ veggies (think adding sliced water chestnuts to a mix of broccoli, green beans, carrots and sad snap peas makes them ‘asian style? Yeah, I don’t, either). Cooked it up and dumped a bit of soya sauce and sesame oil on top, and ate it thinking of all of you – this cleaning out the freezer business sometimes creates less than optimal meals. I added a small bowl of the black beans I had cooked up for #2 son, and discovered why he hadn’t finished them up – boy howdy did I give them some heat! So I stirred in a chopped tomato and some of what we call ‘yer favourite sauce’ which is essentially half mayo half yogurt with a bunch of lime juice – and garlic and onion powder if I am feeling fancy. Made the beans into something quite palatable, however the rest are going to the chickens.
3. Another podcast-and-picking day produced a gallon of homegrown blueberries, a gallon or so of homegrown and ‘mine’ from the road blackberries. Got the blackberries and some of the blueberries into the freezer. I continue to use the ‘Katy BucketsTM’ and wear a truly disco woven belt of my grandmother’s (think shiny silver and golden painted leather strips, woven) – I can hang the Katy Buckets from the belt and hands free picking is much more efficient. I take off the belt and thread it through the buckets to carry them home, as it does get slightly awkward to walk with two full gallon milk cartons strapped to my waist.
4. When I was freezing the berries I noticed a few items in the big chest freezer that need to be used. Am putting a bit of a list together of available proteins, as I notice that both #1 son and I are very willing to eat them up if they are in grab-and-go format. I have been pulling out some frozen cooked and chopped chicken breast for topping meals (there was a HUGE discount on nicely portioned packages a couple of months ago, and we ate them like crazy, then forgot about the ones I froze). #1 son has been enjoying them.
5. Picked up more bran in quantity to make up another batch of fridge bran muffins. I also picked up a small canoe sized zucchini (not quite free) and am trying to figure out if I can pre-make a big batch of bran zucchini muffin batter.
6. While in town I realized I was really quite hungry, so I pulled out my phone and perused my apps. I had loaded a new to me app but hadn’t yet ordered on it. There was an offer for free 6 pack chicken nuggets to tempt me for my first order, so I bought the cheapest thing on the menu (kids fries) and had a splurge for under $2. Chicken Nuggets haven’t been my favourite for decades, and I don’t think they are now, but free is good.
While waiting, I chatted with a woman in the lineup about my newly walking and shoe adverse grandbaby, I got the name of a local who makes soft shoes for children, and we have already connected.
However, that got me thinking so once home I found a lot of 4 pairs for $10 on Marketplace – and when I contacted the poster, she said she was just about to change the post to free. At that price it was worth a bit of a detour! We will test for fit/willingness to wear on Tuesday and pass on or even sell what is rejected. A couple of pairs look unworn and are very cute. I have recontacted the shoe making person and let her know that we might be able to delay for a few months.
7. I continue to make my cup-o-kefir every morning, pouring yesterday’s through a sieve and starting the one for tomorrow is part of my routine. It is far cheaper than buying yogurt, and I am not wasting milk which has happened in the past – the carton is emptied long before the best by date. I am not convinced, however the routine ensures that I get one smoothie a day, with berries and protein etc. powders, and kale if I am on the ball.
With the reading I am doing about maintaining muscle mass as I age, keeping up on the protein is important, and there is good medicine in the very alive kefir. It is just a bit weird, IMHO. LOL.
Name Brand Clothing had a good sale, getting rid of things that had been around too long.I love Eileen Fisher fabrics and simple styles and snagged around 15 items of organic Pima cotton, organic linen, and silk for 6 dollars each. Skirt, jackets, pants, and tops….a whole little wardrobe for around 90 bucks.i don’t even look at these items in other stores as the prices are so very high.
1) DH helped me clean out our bathroom cabinet this afternoon. Amazing how much we had stuffed in there. I sorted everything and put like things together (novel idea for me). I was afraid I would have to purchase more bins for “stuff,” but once everything was sorted, old prescriptions gathered to take to the pharmacy for disposal, junk hauled out (for Pete’s sake, I had a “hat” – for collecting fat lady urine samples in in there) and labeled, I had EXACTLY enough bins! No need to buy bins! They don’t all match (some people are persnickity about that), but I don’t care.
2) Had our bus/van driver’s meeting this morning and had a psychologist appointment right after. No need to make 2 trips! (I got exactly the same route/kids I had last year! Doing the “happy dance!”) I start driving on Monday, August 18.
3) Eating leftover taco salad from Sunday night tonight. Still eating the Overnight Oats for breakfast. Keeping me full and getting 4 servings out of what is supposed to be only 2 servings.
4) Have to get an oil change and tire rotation on Friday. Our punch card is full (5 oil change/tire changes, 6th one free), so this one will be free! Normally, it costs around $90.
5) While cleaning out the bathroom cabinet, we found a brand new can of shave gel. DH now uses an electric razor, so passed the shave gel on to his brother.
There is an advantage to not all storage matching. If you have family members, (who I will not name), who cannot find things being stored in their regular places in the closet, it is easier to say, “In the red bin”, or “In the Chinese box”, to point them to what is generally right in front of their noses.