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My hairbrush performed an act of mitosis and split into two pieces.* Kind of a bummer, but I’m always happy to work on a repair project, especially when it’s easy and requires nothing more than a tube of glue. I’d explain how I executed this grueling and formidable task, but I think you can probably figure it out.
Ta da!
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I walked into Fred Meyer while on my way to the library and scored a bag of eleven perfectly good tomatoes for just $1.50. Produce clearance shelf has been on fire lately!
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My neighbor is about to move and keeps putting random items out on her parking strip. The other day it was flowerpots and today it was food from her pantry. I grabbed two cans of soup, (split pea and bean with bacon) and left the rest for others. I never buy canned soup, but it’ll be nice to have some backups for my own pantry.
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I have a houseguest at the moment, who came to Portland by way of Seattle. My hostess gift? A lovely box of candy, plus all the teabags from their Seattle hotel room! He knows that I’m about as cheap as can be and would appreciate the gesture. Guess what? He was right!
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I also bought a couple of these Pokémon mini Hershey bars as they were on clearance for 50¢ apiece. However, I looked them up on eBay when I got home and saw that they’re selling for good money and that I maybe need to get my tuchus back to Fred Meyer to catch them all! You know it’s my destiny.
Remember when I sold all those 10¢ bags of Bailey’s chocolate chips on eBay during the pandemic?
Five Frugal Things
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Such good finds! I seldom luck out in that way!
1. I downloaded Fetch and scanned a bunch of receipts. Seemed to go all right.
2. A big noisy storm has cooled us off a bit, so the AC is off for the duration.
3. Made a large batch of vegetable barley soup yesterday. It was good, and I think it will be even better today. I will eventually have to freeze some of it. Cooking for one can be a challenge!
4. I took the (free) train to the library yesterday to pick up a book on hold.
5. I transferred some garage-sale-bought hand wash to the bottle I was already using (which was almost out). The old bottle is the right size for the top of the sink, so it gets to stay. The hand wash from the garage sale is fine, but the bottle is weird looking and bulky.
Great find on the tomatoes!
1. I made teriyaki chicken, green peas and baked potato from stuff ai had on hand. I then made rice and a teriyaki bowl with it and the leftovers and added shredded cabbage and egg for a few more meals.
2. I cleaned my house. I always feel better with a clean house.
3. I did the typical walking in my neighborhood for thirty minutes.
4. I spent time playing with the 11 yr old dog the vet gave me when my dog died. She has adjusted very well and we are a good pair.
5. I enjoyed the fresh air from my raised screened windows and enjoyed the roses I planted in my front yard in the spring. Might as well
make your home a refuge from the world and enjoy it bc you paid for it.
Cindy in the South,
So glad you and your new doggie are living happily ever after!
I like how you prevented any, “Well, ACTUALLY…” comments with your footnote about mitosis. Hehe.
Amen! Head ’em off at the pass!
Perhaps if you had left the hairbrush alone, it would have developed into two full hairbrushes? Hah!
1) I dried the tomato skins leftover from canning tomatoes. I’ll grind them to a powder to add a flavor boost to casseroles and soups.
2) We picked more blackberries!
3) We were short a window screen frame for an odd-shaped window, so we made a “good enough” frame by cutting strips from an old corrugated plastic sign. Stapled the strips together, stapled on the dumpster-picked screen material, and friction fit it into place. The sign was white on the back, the same color as the window frames, so it blends in nicely.
4) I put the brie back at the grocery store. I really, really wanted baked brie with some pepper jelly on top, but it has doubled in price since tariffs (from $3.98 a wheel to $8.38, at WinCo)! Instead I made note of the “best by” date and I’ll wait until they put it on sale, because I don’t imagine WinCo customers will be lining up to buy brie at that price.
5) I didn’t purposefully try to make life too expensive or difficult for ordinary people in order to profit my already ridiculously rich “friends.”
What a great idea to make a note of the Best Buy date! Huh
Re: your #4, you may want to be careful about brie and other soft cheeses for other reasons. Wegmans recently did a recall on some soft cheeses because of worries about listeria (https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/08/wegmans-recalls-cheese-because-of-potential-contamination-with-listeria/).
Katy–thank you for your kind comment on my comment yesterday! I never thought a year or so ago I’d be back in school, studying to be a nurse. But here we are.
Frugal:
1. DH and I took a short road trip to the next state today; I found three Kroger receipts in his car and carefully squirreled them away for my Fetch app.
2. We took water with us, and did not stop for any snacks (or gas–we were all filled up beforehand) along the way.
3. Our cat was sulking about us clearly abandoning him before anybody else was up to see to his needs, so I took pity on him and gave him a Sheba cat food that I bought on sale. He slurped it up and my guilt was assuaged for a few cents.
4. I wasn’t hungry before we left, so I didn’t bother with breakfast. I figured if I got hungry on the road we’d either stop if I was terribly hungry (we didn’t, because I wasn’t). Had leftovers when I got home.
5. I took another piece of advice from a commenter here and started turning the shower water off when I don’t need it. It’s actually very refreshing and I suspect one gets a little cleaner, because the water is not running and rinsing all the soap off right away.
Your number 5 was mine 🙂 It’s surprisingly thrilling to see a tip get passed on and adopted – Katy must feel like that all the time! And yes, you are right about the soap. It lathers up more without getting rinsed away immediately.
It’s also great for me personally because, while I like a nice hot shower, if I’m showering after a long bike ride I tend to get overheated, and with low blood pressure like mine, I can get dizzy. So turning the water off at intervals helps me cool off faster!
1. I went to Costco today to get the tires changed on our car today (not cheap) but instead of going across the street to a coffee shop to wait, I instead picked up a free coffee from my partner’s work and walked around the neighborhood. I did however, pick up a four pack of tofu for $5.49, which saved me a few bucks instead of going to our local grocery store.
2. We made our weekly dinner plans using almost entirely food from our freezer and pantry.
3. My parents dropped by to bring us a bag of tomatoes from their bumper crop garden, along with some homemade mini key lime pies and tamales! I’m glad they live nearby. I’m planning on making some tomato soup to keep in our freezer for an easy future weeknight dinner.
4. It’s been raining heavily where I live for the past few days, so I don’t need to worry about watering our garden. We don’t pay for water in the unit we rent, but it’s still nice to be able to be more eco-conscious.
5. Today, I am going to our city’s pride event with my stepdaughter. The suggested donation is $5-10 per person (which I don’t mind paying, the organization does fantastic work in our community). I’m planning on eating a roasted sweet potato I cooked earlier this week to keep me from the tempting food vendor options.
Sunday dinner- steak ( from the clearance section at the grocery store ) and chicken from flashfood ) marinated in homemade sauce ( took 3 minutes to mix it along with homemade potato casserole – sticker shock at the grocery for frozen hash browns – but raw fresh potatoes seem to be holding their own on sale , no canned soup or sour cream needed either
I’m with you on the cost of frozen hash browns, yet I am really short of time/energy. However, I know I have a tonne of potatoes out in the garden that really need to be dug.
My potatoes should be ready next month. I can’t wait.
I always plant potatoes on Good Friday – don’t care what the date is but always the risk of snow on the garden if end of March but so far so good. Generations of my family have planted on Good Friday, who am I to question their years of successful gardening? Then a two-three weeks later I plant a couple more rows.
Perhaps instead of weather, this relates to traditional planting by moon cycles? Waxing moon is for above ground crops and waning for below-ground, which I guess would be potatoes. Easter is right after the spring full moon, so often Good Friday would be waning.
But again, who is to question many years of experience?
I’ve noticed the same thing about the price of frozen hash browns lately, Karen. It seems odd, since they are kind of a simple product, right?
1. Managed to postpone shopping one day by using chicken breast from freezer, frozen veggies to make an Asian bowl for dinner
2. Washed bed pillows and put them out in sun to dry
3. Breaking out ironing board to press clothing fit work this week
Some frugal stuff.
1. Made a meal of marked down pork chops (4 for $4.30), a bag of collard greens (marked down to $1.50) cooked the greens in the crock pot with a ham hock $($2) and made a pack of seasoned rice (fifty cents). After I cooked the pork chops I made pan gravy a la The Frugal Girl and sautéed squash, zucchini and green peppers. The total meal was rated “gourmet” by DH
2 I’m at a two day Nerf event w DD. While the hotel wasn’t cheap I’ve off set it by doing mystery shops yesterday and today at convince stores for subs for lunches and using my Panera Sip Club for free drinks.
3. We hope to stop at IKEA on our way home tomorrow for some fun looking at things and some cheap eats! Also my free coffee
4. Sadly the free hotel breakfasts have been pretty bland and not so good. Everything is mushy. But I did grab some fruit and a bagel
5. DH stayed home this trip to do projects and take care of the zoo crew. Saving money and checking a few projects off of the honey do list.
FFT, JASNA BFF’s Visit So Far Edition:
As previously noted, JASNA BFF arrived late Thursday afternoon for her annual dose of what she (as a Manhattanite born and bred) considers Country Life 101, plus the annual Triple Birthday Celebration with our JASNA Panera friend. Despite several well-considered expenditures, here are our frugalities as of late Sunday afternoon:
(1) I had already prepped a batch of ratatouille and a family pack of 99 cents/lb. chicken drumsticks. So we subsisted on those both Thursday and Friday evenings.
(2) We did a round of errands on “the Blvd.” in my city on Friday morning: Ollie’s for a few things for me and kiddie books for BFF’s three grandchildren; Staples for folders for winners’ certificates (BFF is the hard-working chair of the JASNA essay contest); Clothes Mentor (where we both prudently didn’t buy anything); and Barnes & Noble (where BFF bought more kiddie books and I renewed my premium membership, bought a 2026 calendar for the annual Martha Stewart parody calendar for the Bestest Neighbors at 10% off, and got a blank book for my 2026 daytimer for 50% off).
(3) We met NDN1 and her CF for lunch at the local Panera, and CF generously treated the whole crowd. And BFF and CF got on like a house afire, as I knew they would. (One mention of the British mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers, and they were off and running. NDN1 and I could hardly keep up.)
(4) Our JASNA Panera friend came over to my city for the annual Triple Birthday Celebration lunch yesterday. We had an excellent lunch at the nearby very reasonably priced Thai restaurant, and then came back here for prezzies, lovely gooey chocolate cupcakes from Wegmans, and a solid four hours of gossip. It doesn’t get much better than this.
(5) JASNA Panera brought over a cooler full of frozen souffles and a bag full of day-old bread from the Panera where she works at the next city over. (Most of the souffles will go to NDN1, who loves them and needs to gain weight, whereas I certainly don’t.) I stuffed the cooler full (two quarts and a pint) of my refrigerator dills before JASNA Panera left.
A. Marie, I was at Five Below yesterday looking for a particular book. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a Jane Astin journal! I squealed like an 8 year old at a birthday party. It was a really cool journal. Quote from one of her classics on the left page, then reflection questions on the facing page. Quotes were awesome, questions were thought provoking. I came really close to buying one, but I do not need another journal now. Thought of you. These may be old hat to you. We’re new to me. If I still want it in 30 days I may pick it up. Enjoy you birthday weekend festivities.
Were not we’re. New phone with an autocorrect that needs a priest and holy water!
I got up intending to have an easy day but noticed/remembered that the grapes really needed picked. So I did.
1. Picked SO many grapes. Washed a lot for eating. Picked grapes off the stems, and have them out on racks drying for raisins. I could have put them in the dehydrator, but it’s sunny and warm, with a nice breeze and we have hot days forecast in the next week. I’ll save the electricity and put my racks out each day.
2. Picked raspberries, and ate a lot.
3. I had put “list one item” on my to-do list today since I’m really unmotivated and one is better than none. I’ve listed 2 so far! And one on Buy Nothing. I have 3 more I’m hopeful that I’ll list. This makes a tiny dent in the stuff that’s on my driveway waiting to be listed. But this is the week I’m getting it done because I’m not looking at it out there anymore and I don’t have any room in the house/garage and I don’t have a basement.
4. Turned my oven on for about the 4th time this summer. And I made the most of it-cooked a shepherd’s pie (used the meat and frozen veggies that I needed to get out of the freezer so I had more space there), 2 apple crumbles, and bacon.
5. Gifted me neighbors a bag of apples out of the 60 lbs that I’d been given (organic home-grown), and gifted a friend 3 bunches of grapes. Sharing when I have excess keeps the circle going, since I’m often the happy recipient of the excess of my friends and neighbors.
1.We went to visit sister #1 and her sons yesterday. We went swimming in their pool. Her ceiling fan broke so Hubby replaced it for her. It has a remote so he took the switch off the wall too. We were fed a lovely dinner and sent home with leftovers. My nephews and I played a few games too. Her birthday is at the end of the month so I brought her present with us… 8 bottles of Yoo-hoo and a Disney kitchen towel I made for her in a library class. I also brought donuts from a place by me that are amazing. We got a dozen glazed that were on the oops shelf for $6 and then a ½ of different flavored ones. Apparently they all had donuts for breakfast today.
2. Hubby picked about 22 pounds of tomatoes today. I picked 8 cucumbers, a spaghetti squash, lots of string beans, Swiss chard and basil.
3.Dinner tonight is Chicken bruschetta pizza. All meals are geared at using up garden veggies. Good thing it is one of Hubby’s favorites.
4. This morning I made the dog’s food for the week, a double batch of banana chocolate chip muffins(Hubby brought home 6 bananas from work last week), chocolate covered bananas, egg bites and I cooked one of the spaghetti squashes.
5. Hubby went to a free car show with his brother this morning. He brought his Britta water bottle with him. My youngest came over and we played some board games this afternoon. I picked more sunflowers for the house. I was fed 4 days at work this week. I hung my laundry outside. My friend and I attended a concert at our library Thursday night.
Woah, what a fabulous list of fun frugal family filled things!
Thanks.
Nice scores!
Frugal five, family birthday party edition:
1. I decided to give my nephew cash. He was turning 3 but I knew plenty of other guests would be giving him toys. This took an errand off my list for the weekend. I also used a random birthday card I had (my mother gives them to me, not sure where she gets them). They are flimsy but again, he’s 3. I think his parents will appreciate the cash.
2. There was a lot of leftover food so we came home with lunchmeat, rolls, penne pasta and meatballs. And cake.
3. I brought two books for my sister and some clothes for my other nephews to the party.
4. Delicious dinner was had at the party.
5. Ok, can’t think of anything else party related. I did score a floor lamp on FB marketplace for my son’s dorm room (freshman move-in approaches!).
Gina, that reminds me of a funny story. We gave our great-nephew a gift bag containing stacks of $1 bills when he turned five years old. He opened it, thanked us and said (sweetly), “Is that it?” His parents apologized but we thought it was hilarious and a perfect response for a boy his age.
Awww! How cute!
1. After church, they were serving a big sheet cake on disposable plastic dessert plates; we were expected to throw it all away. Instead, I took my plate and plastic fork home to reuse. The plate is clear and just the right size to be used as a houseplant saucer, and I always reuse plastic forks with my sack lunches.
2. My dog Snuggles helped me be frugal for lunch. Not necessarily a good thing: When I got home from church, he took off out of the front door. Ran right past me! So here I was, running down the street in my church clothes. I think we went 4 blocks before I finally caught up with him. His game was that he’d get half a block ahead of me, stop to pee, and then when I got closer to him, he’d take off like a rocket yet again. Anyway, he finally went into someone’s backyard, and I grabbed him there. It was maybe 12:30 or 12:45 p.m. by then; the temperature was already in the 90s and it was very humid. By the time I got home, I was too sweaty to go out and grab a bite to eat. So I ate leftovers. Then I had to take a shower and change clothes so I could go to my store job at 2. My pantsuit for church is in the wash!
3. Bought a 35-cent soda pop from the break room machine at work. I will put it in my lunch tomorrow when I substitute teach. The teacher’s lounge soda machines are $1.50 now.
4. A friend/coworker at the store needed a ride home. When we got there, her mom came out with a cooked dinner for me. No, make that a feast: Turkey and dressing, corn on the cob, a dinner roll, greens and a slice of jellied cranberry!
5. Did not leave important Top Secret notes about summit meeting with a dictator lying open on a Xerox machine.
The inadvertent frugalness of pets! Your #2 made me grin. I could just see the steam coming out of your ears, adding to the temperature increase. Sorry you had to chase the dog (and in your church clothes!!) and yet the end result is a blessing – some exercise, and a frugal lunch (and a mid-day shower to cool yourself down on a hot day, bonus!)
And the kindness you demonstrated in your #4 clearly was paid back in spades!
Good for you for taking home the plate and cutlery to re-use. I remember once telling a friend that I kept and re-used plastic cutlery and she was amusingly shocked. I think she thought it was gross somehow. lol
Good scores!
1. I had points on one of my grocery store accounts, so I turned it in for a dollar off. And picked up three years of corn on sale for a dollar. I made one tonight with a cabbage salad that I put together with a spicy satay sauce. I also thought about the fact that when I was a kid, there were be some evenings where we would just have corn on the cob for supper.
2. While taking a walk yesterday, I stopped at one of the free libraries and brought home two books about World War II. One was about a Jewish woman who is able to escape, and then changes her name, the other, was actually a teen book about the story of Anne Frank before she wrote her diary.
3. Was talking to my neighbor today who has a large garden and he asked if I would like some vegetables. He’s going to bring over a bag tomorrow. I’m very excited for this. My vegetable garden went nowhere.
4. Went to a new neurologist two weeks ago in Boston. Found out about a Brazilian express restaurant near the hospital. Got myself a bowl of amazing food for $10. Well worth the money. And I spent two full hours with the new neurologists. I really like them. They’re going to run a bunch of tests on my quadrennial migraine issue that causes memory loss. They actually think it might be some kind of a seizure and not a migraine. Since I’ve hit my out-of-pocket for the year, I told them to run any test they want which may include one test that takes 8 to 12 hours to do. Yes, hours.
5. I’m fortunate that I work for a very large company that will pay for me to fly and work on an Indian reservation for a few days next month. There’s a large group of us going. I don’t particularly have a travel budget, but the higher-ups were more than happy to grant me the money to do this. It’s something I do every year with work.
Picked the table grapes. With the recent rains, they are huge! I picked plums and apples to also share with the neighbors.
Last year, we installed a gate across the road on my neighbors Property so their children can safely come visit, crossing the road in front of our driveway. I installed a warning flag that their nanny pulls the wire and the flag warns of children crossing. They came to pick berries, plums and pea pods. So fun to entertain them. We had a tea party under the big apple tree.
they picked a bouquet of Dahlias for their mom who works the weekends as an icu nurse.
We have a huge bump on our county road, going up a steep grade, today, while walking, I found another owalla water bottle! Love those! I also picked up three monster drink cans. Last week I found a hammer.
I love a dinner of corn, tomatoes and homemade bread. Sweet summer heavenly treat.
My friend brought me a quart of smoky honey. The bees were working a clover field that was pretty close to a wild fire. I’m intrigued.
I kind of think hairbrushes supposed to come apart like that (obv not the all one piece styles)? I clean my hairbrush fairly regularly by popping off the flexible bristle part and soaking in water with a few drops of shampoo. Once its clean, rinsed and dried I pop it back on the handle and it is good to go!
Those chocolate bar finds are incredible, Katy! Chocolate prices are getting pretty insane around here lately…my favourite Cadbury Dairy Milk bar regular price is now $5.29. Gulp.