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I had a couple free hours in the middle of the day, so I drove over to my secret spot and picked some more blackberries. Not as much as usual, but enough to make it worth the effort. I cannot get enough of filling my freezer with this delicious fruit!
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I finally “sold” the frame to the above broken curb picked chair, after having actually sold the back piece for $35 on eBay. I hated to see the rest of the chair go into a landfill and figured that there might be someone out there who needed the last frame bit. I was right and now have one less thing in my house!
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Yesterday was National Thrift Store day, so I stopped at Goodwill after picking berries. I came across nothing worth owning or picking up to resell, so I walked out empty handed. Zero dollars spent will always be a bargain!
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I started reading a library copy of Back After This, by Linda Holmes. Like many of my holds, I don’t remember who recommended it, but it seems good so far.
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My house guests went the Adidas employee store and brought back a pass for us. I try not to buy anything new, so I’ll offer it up on my local Buy Nothing group.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Don’t you just love nature’s bounty! Last week, I picked enough blackberries to make my son’s requested birthday handpies, plus a freezer-sized bag to store for later. You’ve inspired me to go out picking again this week!
Also, re: your #5 – when one of my twins and I visited Portland earlier this summer, my sister’s friend (who works at Nike) graciously gifted us employee store passes. My teen was very excited about the visit, but was astounded by the prices. We typically shop for our kids’ shoes at the Nike (or other) outlet(s) near our home, or search eBay for like-new shoes, so the sticker-shock was real. He had saved up $100 from his summer job to shop, but ended up only buying a pair of shorts and a t-shirt — at a whopping $62. He loves what he got, but his comment when leaving the store gave me a proud mom moment — “that stuff is WAY overpriced, mom!” 🙂
I volunteer at a nice thrift store. In honor of national thrift store day (who makes that stuff up?) every thing in the store was 50% % off on Saturday and it was crazy bananas on Saturday. In all the years I have volunteered I have volunteered U have never seen anything like it.
Hah! I stopped by the same Goodwill yesterday and scooped up several great finds. I had just been ready to pull the trigger on purchasing a new turtleneck but found exactly what I was looking for at Goodwill.
1. I gave my husband a haircut. He likes it very short all over. My lack of hair styling abilities can just about handle that.
2. I got a haircut for $9 on half price day at the beauty academy.
3 . I signed up for Fetch.
4. I keep finding over grown cucumbers that I missed when picking. I peel them, slice them thin and cook them with mixed veg to supplement the dogs’ dinners. They love the vegetable additions.
5. I thrifted a book for a craft project. I have been looking for that particular book for a while.
I went away for the weekend with my youngest daughter. We stayed in The Postcard Cabins that are owned by Marriot. It was a very relaxing weekend.
1. I brought along food for our stay. The cabins have no microwave. Just a small refrigerator and two stove burners. We had dinner on the way up and lunch on the way back.
2. We visited free parks and let the dog swim and we took a nice long walk on a scenic trail.
3. We brought along a picnic and had lunch at one park.
4. The cabins had s’more kits and firewood and each cabin had it’s own fire pit. I had brought wood and s’more supplies along but since they provided them we used what they had.
5. We relaxed and read our books. I finished Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and it was so good.
A response from a Goodwill store manager responding to a bad review that I read online was that prices are higher because Goodwill is a work training program and they pay their employees a living wage. I understand that and especially here in NJ were their rent for the retail space must be astronomical. Thrift stores run by volunteers definitely have cheaper prices.
That’s my usual experience with Goodwill these days. The prices are out of control, and the inventory isn’t great. It’s a weird development since I used to buy everything there!
1. Saturday there was a community yard sale in my neighborhood, so I went out and took a look around. I came home with a $5 bench that I’ll put next to my front door so I can sit to take my shoes on and off. We have a shoes-free household, and I have to believe that it’s frugal in some way. (Less wear and tear on the flooring?)
2. It was my son’s birthday, so I baked a cake. It’s much cheaper than buying a cake, and I’ve reached a level where I am pretty sure that my cakes are tastier than bakery cakes — and just as attractive!
3. I found 8 cans and a dime yesterday.
4. I did a “big shop” at Fred Meyer yesterday. My trip occurred when the markdowns were happening. Most of my cart consisted of marked down items, including some of the fabulous clearance veggies you’ve written about!
1. I don’t have any European leaders rushing to my house to dissuade me from acting like a fascist.
I think shoes free houses are cleaner, meaning fewer germs, so fewer illnesses. Maybe. Less time and products for cleaning perhaps? Less wear on rugs certainly.
On one of the roads in my community there is a handwritten sign along the road that says “Real men aren’t fascists.”
Melissa N.,
Amen!
I’m finding better luck at estate sales and garage sales lately.
I agree that GW prices have gone up. The Habitat store has higher prices also.
When my sister got divorced her ex took a lot of the home goods, etc. I curb picked most of her household items & some of the furniture. I found silverware, pots & pans, bar stools, a crockpot, Ethan Allen end table, & so on. She did have her sofa & love seat. I got her a fireplace insert for 10$ at a garage sale.
We are downsizing & moving to a new house. I have furnished the house w/ furniture from previous house, curb picked items, got bedframes off craigslist. My goddaughter was redecorating & she gave me several prs of drapes & a matelasse w/ shams. I think if you are patient, you can usually find what you want on a curb or on the free section of craigslist.
1. Scanned in three receipts to Fetch (one I got today at the store, two I found in the truck the other day).
2. Inspired by Kristen at The Frugal Girl, I finally broke out a set of furniture repair markers I got with reward points and went to work on my desk. This desk has been around for a while and seen many moves and gotten its share of knocks; it was quite thrilling to finally cover up some of the gouges and scratches. I also touched up my wooden filing cabinet and the repurposed nightstand I use for my printer. Everything looks a lot better–which makes me more content with my nicely lived-in furniture. Now if I could get Clark, the cat, to stop nibbling on the corners of things…
3. A while back DH had noticed that there was a space for a spare battery in our Silverado truck. He put one in there, and yesterday we actually had to use it, as the original battery (we bought the car used in 2021, and the battery was from 2017) decided to up and die. He jumped it from the secondary battery and our road trip proceeded with no trouble. When we got home he took the old battery out, put the secondary (now primary) battery in its place, and rooted around in the garage and found ANOTHER new battery to keep as a second battery in the car. Blessings to anybody who followed that tale. We ended up not having to buy a battery charger while we were on the road, or a new battery for the truck. DH is a little like a squirrel when it comes to keeping power sources around.
3. Tyson chicken packages were buy 1, get 2 free at Kroger. I’m no fool, so I told DS#2, who was shopping with me and wants to make chicken tomorrow, to get six of those.
4. Took a short bike ride to drop some items off at the little free pantry near us.
5. Library books! Finished Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge–sort of cozy, a quick read, required a bit of suspended disbelief, but very readable.
Your Nr. 3 – so clever, and that saved you a lot of time and hassle for sure!
1. Drove to my parents’ house on Sunday to celebrate my grandmother’s 94th birthday. I thrifted her a cat planter and put a spider plant in it that I had rooted. She loves cats, loves thrift stores, and gave me her green thumb.
2. Gram’s birthday dinner was at home – my parents got pizza and hotdogs, as these are her 2 favorite foods. I brough veggies I bought at my local farmers’ market, and my aunt and uncle brought the cake. My brother took care of meal prep and clean up. We hung up the fabric birthday decorations that I bought over 5 years ago.
3. It has finally gotten cool enough to go a few days in a row without running our AC!
4. Lunches this week are sandwiches made from bread my partner baked, tuna I had stocked up on during a sale, and free tomatoes from the pantry where I volunteer.
5. Dinners this week are tacos because the food pantry where I volunteer had an over abundance of tortillas that were going to get tossed. So I grabbed a pack and when I told an employee of my plans to used some frozen turkey (which I had received free from a friend when she cleared her freezer out before a move) to make tacos, the employ handed me a can of refried beans. I added shredded zucchini to the turkey to add moisture and bulk, used homemade taco seasoning, and topped the tacos with sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese we had on hand. Oh, and my dear friend and neighbor found out we were making tacos and gave me an avocado because she had extra. Incredibly frugal and tasty dinner that will get us through a few days. Probably will then move to quesadillas using the beans and cheese when we run out of turkey taco meat.
1. Rode my bike to the library for books for myself and my grandson.
2. Stopped at Soma and got 2 bras in their “All bras $30 sale. I now own 4 bras, the most I have ever owned at once. It feels quite luxurious. I rotate wearing them, I read that the elastic lasts longer if they it’s given some rest in between wears. It makes sense.
3. Called Jansport because I hadn’t heard from them regarding a repair request I had put in. Apparently they are behind in replying to repair emails, but the representative looked at the pictures I’d submitted and strongly suggested that the backpack was unrepairable and the damage ( the entire bottom detached from the top) was normal wear and tear, not covered by the warranty. Since this is a spare backpack, I am mending it myself. I’ve already sewn on a double strip of the ground-sheet my dad was issued in the Army in 1969, and will use an upholstery needle and thread to hand sew that strip to the suede bottom of the backpack. It will be good enough for many purposes still. That ground sheet wears like iron and appears to be able to last forever.
4. Set my grapes out for day 2 of becoming raisins. Brought in the bread my husband had started in the breadmaker before work (breadmaker is in the garage as we had a truly tiny kitchen). Ate cucumber and tomatoes from the garden.
5. I recently watched an old interview with Vicki Robin (author of Your Money or Your Life) and she said something along the lines of, “My frugality buys my freedom.” I’ve repeated that to myself a lot. It makes doing without, or making do, feel very intentional. I like buying my freedom.
The things the military makes seem to last forever. I worked at a school that had some items donated from a military base. I was making beds in the nursing lab. I needed a blanket & found one in the closet. The label said 100% wool made in 1942. This was around 1998. Will the blankets we have now last 50 years?
I literally just went back to my favorite blackberry patch and filled TWO of the gallon jug-buckets invented by you. I came home with almost five pounds of berries that will soon become freezer-crisps for later in winter and next year. Thanks for your shared genius.
xx
Yes, I love this!!! Although I surely did not invent the milk jug berry containers.
1. Requested and received a dog cone from Buy Nothing for our dog’s recovery from eye surgery.
2. The powder in my Bar Keepers Friend container kept clumping up. I put a lid on it by repurposing the top of a small to-go condiment container. It fits perfectly and now no more clumps!
3. Found a medium-size zucchini inside the dumpster at the food scrap drop-off site. It was on top of everything else and in perfect condition, so I think someone put it there hoping someone would take it. And that someone was me!
4. Noticed on a recent Aldi excursion: bag of spinach increased from $1.49 to $1.79. Still a good deal but a 20 percent increase nevertheless. Mayo actually decreased from $3.49 to $3.19. Big bag of frozen berries for $5.54 is still the best deal compared to other stores here at almost half the price. Four bananas for 77 cents, less than even Trader Joe’s 23 cent bananas. Used a free cart and then left it for someone else when I was done.
5. Made muffins out of pumpkin that I had frozen. They tasted great but looked ridiculous and couldn’t sit upright due to my botched attempt to put the batter inside cut-up squares of parchment paper in lieu of muffin liners. They’re so misshapen I call them Dr. Seuss muffins.
1. Water/sewer bill was higher than expected this month, because the city charges from between 26-32 days, and this was a long month in their mystery calculations. Did not get a break from whatever water we used when the part of the meter that electronically transmits usage broke and had to be replaced, (by Ninja Turtles underground). The meter must have kept working, just didn’t report the amount.
2. My Granny Smith apple tree has apples! This is too long to write in detail, (WalMart clearance purchase, $9.95 about ten years ago; broken by animals and weather; has no nearby pollinator tree that I know of). So far, the apples don’t have bad spots, are almost tennis ball sized. I hope I can enjoy them before racoons, deer, or other varmints find them.
3. Big storm with overnight thunder and lightning, so I didn’t have to water my outdoor potted plants. I have bachelor’s buttons blooming for the first time this year and hope they self-seed.
4. Received an email notice at an account we almost never use about the AT&T class action settlement. We think it is because we once had DirectTV, as their phone service is not available around here. Not sure if we will put in for what will probably be less than three dollars eighteen months from now.
5. Manipulating cash back reward categories to get 5% back on utilities this quarter. However, when I stopped by the city office to pay today, I couldn’t do it because I had my husband’s card, not mine. I guess I will appreciate their looking out for fraud, did not make a fuss, because I’m sure those clerks deal with more bad customers than I can imagine. Good week to all!
Re: 1 the meter is a mechanical contraption that water flows through to measure your water usage. The transmitter is a separate device that attaches to the meter and sends your usage to either a passing meter reading truck or via wifi to billing. Ninja turtles live in the sewer, not potable water (;
Ha! Thank you for clarifying the terms.
When you mentioned the settlement, I searched my old email account and found notices from a settlement for $50 per pair of prescription glasses purchased from Lenscrafters over 10+ years… this would have been hundreds of dollars! It’s too late now, and I have no idea how I missed it, since most of these big settlements are widely publicized. Oh well!
I am jealous of your black berries! I can’t find any rogue bushes here in CO.
1. Picked up some toddler toothpastes from our BN group.
2. Sold a few 5 dollar things on marketplace. I typically wouldn’t spend the time but being a sahm now I’ll throw things on there here and there for fun money.
3. Our contractors are almost done with the basket. They need to tape and mud the drywall then we take over! Bought gift cards from King Soopers for Home Depot so we would get the gas perks. We needed door knobs. I’ll repeat this when we buy doors and trim as well.
4. Making a list of all the projects I need to finish that we have materials for (paint little book shelves for little ones room) as well as all the things we have leftover from previous projects that can be used in our basement. My husband has a tendency to over buy for projects!
5. Redeemed free breakfast sandwiches at chic fila . Now I have a free chicken mini. I will probably take little one there to play and snack sometime this week.
1. Had my first school run today of 5 Amish kids. Tomorrow, I add 2 more to go to the Catholic High School a few towns over, then Thursday, I get to add another 2 special needs students. Same as last year – 142 miles/day when I have everyone. Will be glad to be bringing in more money. Unemployment is less than half what I make in a week, so frugality has been the name of the game all summer. Also, I’ve had tremendous pain in my right hip/butt. I have a lumbar cushion, which helps.
2. Not enough leftover Peachy Pork Picante from last night for both of us. I gave it to DH and I fried up some pierogis with a side of peach ctisp.
3. Neighbor is single mom of 8th grader. Mom grew up in Detroit, extreme helicopter parent. (When she first moved here, she saw “eyes” in the woods and called my husband because she was terrified – thought someone was watching her. There were eyes all right…DEER EYES.) She got a new job and asked my husband to take her daughter to the bus stop (I’ll be gone before that.) Said she’d pay him for doing it. Little extra pocket money
4. I have to go to bed at 7:30 to be awake at 5:15 to start my school days. Lights out early saves electricity which saves $.
5. Made a loaf of banana bread with 4 very overripe bananas on my counter. Warm a slice in the microwave a minute and slather on the butter. Nothing like warm, buttered banana bread.
Wow, Katy, that was an amazing save with the broken tubular chair. $35 and keeping the fame out of the landfill. You had real vision with that one. I drive all over town for my job and never pass up a Free Pile. I thought I was good at this but you are the Queen
Or . . . court jester?
Haha!
Our Goodwill closed years ago. We have Savers but they are more expensive than the church thrift stores.
1. It is a high of 76 degrees today. All windows are open and I am enjoying every minute of it. We are supposed to get some much needed rain on Wednesday thanks to Hurricane Erin going out to sea. We will just have low winds and rain. My garden will be happy. Our Water Authority is asking that everyone stops watering their lawns and cuts water usage. We rarely water our lawn. We are careful with our water usage already. I will put the dog’s pool out to collect some water for my potted plants.
2. Today is bagel day at Hubby’s job. He brought a hard boiled egg with him. He enjoyed his free bagel and coffee.
3. I stopped at a free little library on my way home from work. It had a Boxcar Children’s book. I haven’t read them since my kids were little. I’m sure I will enjoy it. I will then return it to the free little library.
4.Hubby and I didn’t spend any money today, only gas.
5. I’m wearing a thrifted shirt and hand me down shorts. Hubby is wearing a thrifted shirt and clearance pants.
Your blackberries remind me of the time I picked rogue blueberries from an abandoned patch next to a church — where I was attending a wedding reception! Hey, I wasn’t the only one. I picked enough berries to make two delicious pies.
1. I took a walk today to several little free libraries and to the little free pantry. I got three books, but I was especially lucky at the LFP. It was packed, so I didn’t feel too bad about my nice haul — maple syrup, Dinty Moore, canned pineapple, and two frozen corn dogs.
2. I made pumpkin bread pudding, using up stale baguette. I didn’t have quite enough eggs and I used 2% milk instead of a blend of whole milk and cream — and yet it came out just fine.
3. Planning to grocery shop tomorrow so I got on the app and clipped virtual coupons.
4. Cooler weather is giving the AC a rest.
5. Ran the dishwasher after ten PM last night.
6. Signed up for text alerts for when water conservation is recommended. I live in an area where flash flooding is a concern.
That is such a good book
I’m happy I have a couple of frugal things to add after some not so frugal things going on.
1. Sold a chipper/shredder for my husband on Marketplace.
2. Volunteered for the local mobile food pantry and got to take home enough leftovers for us and 3 other families with little kids,
3, Made a really tasty pineapple cobbler from pineapples from said food pantry
4. Scanned Fetch rewards.
5, Used Fetch rewards for $25 off Chewy for the rescue pup’s food.
Unfrugal was having to travel to visit family and pay for a hotel and meals. These aren’t fun family visits as my mother has Alzheimer’s and my husband’s step=mom has lots of health issues so it’s mostly hand patting and listening. But still, we had some fun adventures after visiting so that was good.
Those blackberries are gorgeous!! They just look so plump and ripe and delicious. Yum.
1. We had college friends over for dinner. Grilled out chicken kebabs and they brought cupcakes for dessert. Lots of laughs and fun at home.
2.We live an hour and a half from Rocky Mountain National Park. During the current season, you need to make reservations until 2pm to enter the park. I always say that we’re so close – and we have a national park pass – that we should visit more often. So we did. Drove up on a weekday with our grandson, packed food and took a short hike -or walk – that we’d not done before. All for the cost of fuel. (Oh and a $2 reservation fee)
3. Frugal fail: I purchased Peacock streaming to watch Le Tour de France and then went out of town and forgot to cancel. So watched as much Peacock as we could in August and made sure to cancel. Done.
4. I had a free birthday burger coupon – with purchase of one – at a chain restaurant so my husband and I used it Saturday night. He got a beer and I got ice water and voila, dinner is served. Not the most healthy but dinner for 2 for $20.
5. Friends hosted us at their lake house – which is also their full time house – and I know that our friend had a favorite hat that is no longer available where he bought it. He has searched the internet to no avail. I found one one on ebay so brought it to him as a “hostess” gift. He was thrilled.
Made a batch of granola, with ingredients already in my pantry, to pair with the free yogurt my work provides – easy lunch!
Eating free fruit that my work provides.
Bring my own coffee/water whenever I go somewhere.
Used Upside to get gas.
Needed a Toaster Oven, Buy Nothing produced ..Nothing (no pun intended)…have been watching prices to see if I wanted to actually spend the money because they are not cheap, and the ones I had seen in thrift store weren’t in good condition….and I happened to mention the need when out with friends and one of them had one sitting in a closet not being used! So my patience was rewarded with a Free Black & Decker Toaster Oven that looks new – and is the exact model I wanted!!!
Thank you for mentioning Linda Holmes’ new book. I have loved her others.
Sometimes I need breathing strips to help me sleep. I cut them in half lengthwise and voila! They are still strong enough to keep my air passages clear and stay on my nose. Save a lot of $$$
I put my cooking oil in a thoroughly cleaned out squeeze condiment container. (Ketchup/mustard/relish)
Much easier to use than a big jug.