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I scored the cutest box of bookplates from a Little Free Library. Sleepy lil’ mouse sleeping under a homemade fan quilt? Check. Stack of teeny books? Check. Adorable mousey family pictures on the back wall? Check. Company named after the obscure college that I went to in Yellow Springs, Ohio? Check!
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I was laying on the couch with a library book and kind of wanted a snacky snack, so I ambled to the kitchen and rummaged around. I located an unopened packet of trail mix from when I donated platelets to the Red Cross last month, which is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m all out of their snacks and rapidly spending down my Kroger gift card, so it might be time to make a new appointment.
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I spent yesterday at the house going nowhere and doing just about nothing. Mind you, I feel 0% guilty about this as there’s no reward for a toxic productivity mindset. Lounging about with a good book while enjoying delicious food is not wholly reserved for those who travel to resort-style vacations.
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My husband and I watched a couple episodes of Supernatural through our Netflix account last night. This is the only streaming account that we consistently pay for, as it’s used by both of our kids, plus our niece and nephew. We mooch HBO, Prime Video and Hulu from family members, so this is our contribution to the group. I’m aware that Amazon is clamping down on account sharing, but I welcome the opportunity to consume even less of Schmeff Schmezos’ stink.
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My youngest used my eBay account to list a couple of items, as they’re about to pay double rent for the month of September. One thing sold within a few hours, so they stopped by after work last night to use my packaging supplies and printer. I’m so proud of my kid’s frugal hustle, which I drummed into both my kids from the very beginning.
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
1. I made a dinner for a family for a medically fragile child last night – it was simple, just a casserole and some muffins, but all I spent was $3.75 at Dollar Tree for cream of chicken soup, muffin mix, and Boost Protein vanilla drink to make the muffins and the cost of 2 throwaway pans at our grocery store (not sure how much they cost). I had everything else I needed.
2. My hubby found 18 count eggs for $1.93. We are having all the kids over for brinner, using these eggs, freezer sausage and bacon bought on deep sale, and a loaf of Texas Toast bread bought last night.
3. I drank a pop and saved the bottle – I filled it up with water to drink later. I don’t think you’re supposed to reuse plastic bottles, but I didn’t want to pay $2 for a bottle of water at work.
4. Our dinner last night was also a casserole, using chicken leftover from the other casserole and ingredients from pantry.
5. I’m going on a girl trip this weekend. I have been saving for this, and thankfully my friend is not a big spender, either. We have plans to visit a state park, and I’m taking Pumpkin Apple Butter Bread and egg bites for breakfasts. I’m sure we will eat out, but I will look for the cheapest option.
6. I sold or gave away 5 decorative signs I had bought years ago on super markdown. Don’t ask me why I bought 6 (I had already given one away). I had some grand plan, I’m sure, but at this point, I just wanted them out of my house.
Sometimes I think I don’t have anything exciting to add, but then I remember y’all talking about passive frugality. I am mostly just frugal by staying at home, not buying stuff, and doing things we always do.
Blessings on you–and the family you helped–for your #1, Alice.
Thank you. I felt bad mentioning it – I was raised with the “let not the right hand” mentality, but I hoped it would be encouraging to others to know you can be giving without spending much.
What a wonderful gift to that family! I have a few recipes I use when asked to help that way. They aren’t super fancy, but are easy for me, adaptable to many food needs, and easy for the family to manage usually.
I try to keep a few recipes in the back of my mind for those needs. A dessert that I’ve given before that looks fancier than it really is is banana pudding! Especially when using instant pudding. ☺️
Those book plates are so sweet!
Today I cut my husband’s hair, bought chewies for the dogs and paint brushes at the clearance store, bought jeans, a shirt and a Columbia rain jacket at the nearby thrift store for a total of $15, and found a package of sell by today chicken thighs marked down at the grocery store. Have the chicken in the crock pot right now with onions, peppers and fajita seasonings. Have had several loads of laundry drying on the back porch today.
1. Declined an invitation to a yoga retreat in Costa Rica that a friend is hosting. I went in 2020 just before the world shut down, and I would love to go back. But it is not in my budget at the moment. I’m thinking of taking a week off in the winter and creating my own little staycation retreat.
2. I’m taking advantage of a free weekly yoga class that my job is hosting this fall. It has been a great way to spend my lunch hour once a week.
3. I’m stopping by FedEx on the way home from work to drop off a roof rack that I am returning, because despite its claim that it is universal, it did not fit my car.
4. Dinner last night and tonight will be leftovers.
5. Feeling snacky at work, but resisted the urge to buy something. I’m not actually hungry and I don’t need to spend money.
@Katie from Buffalo – staycations or visiting like minded family/friends (aka vaccinations) is a smart thing if you ask me. Your health is important.
1. Used a $5 and $10 digital gift card on groceries, then spent $20 in cash on Sunday. My goal is for us to eat in this week and start the month off being tight with our finances where we can make a difference.
2. Made appointments to better take advantage of my medical plan with offerings they have for free virtual appointments and yearly visits.
3. Made my way to Costco for better gas prices this week.
4. Brought items into work for the free table everyday so far this week in an effort to declutter and freecycle.
5. A neighbor came over and helped fix and reattach a cabinet door for me. He didn’t want payment so I sent him home with a loaf of homemade bread.
Katy, your toxic productivity comment struck a chord. I just read this yesterday.
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/remembering-what-truly-matters-in-a-world-chasing-success/
Sugar Cat Farm, thank you for sharing that link. Fantastic article.
Sugar Cat Farm,
Wow, what a great article. The line about healthcare being measured in efficiency, etc., really struck a chord with me (I work in a hospital) and had me nodding my head. Also, a friend of mine suggested I sell my photos of birds….she mentions all kinds of marketing ideas, none of which interests me. Its a fun hobby, and I feel no desire to monetize it, or turn it into a side gig.
FFT, Political Irritation Edition:
(1) Katy, not only are those bookplates adorable, but I confess to being envious that your small quirky liberal arts college is still doing business according to its original mission (I just looked up Antioch online). I will never, ever forgive any of those responsible for the hostile takeover of my beloved New College of Florida. At this point, I’d honestly prefer to see a hurricane flatten the place. (Somebody from there called me up trying to raise funds recently, and I confess I used language unbecoming a lady and a Janeite. But letting off a little steam was frugal–as was getting my name off the mailing list.)
(2) And while I’m on a rant, I have to say that I have to be careful about perusing even the headlines on my preferred news sources these days. My blood pressure is high enough as it is. Not having a stroke is also frugal.
(3) OK, enough ranting. I went out yesterday with two new friends (the significant other and another friend of a neighbor who died recently) to our local friendly and reasonably priced Thai restaurant, and brought half of my entree home.
(4) I then extended the leftovers into several more meals today by adding shrimp from the freezer, rice from my stash, the last of the snow peas I bought a while back, and garlic and a scallion from my garden.
(5) And I haven’t had to have the AC on in two weeks now. I expect to see considerable improvement in the September National Grid bill.
@ A. Marie I badly wanted to go to New College but was forbidden by my parents (as in they said they wouldn’t pay…), my mother claiming it would make me “weird”. Duh, that was sort of my goal, to become weird according to the hillbilly mores of my small town. I fixed them though: went to a rah rah Big Ten University and came home weirder than weird ever was!
I am so sorry about what has happened to your alma mater. I have been following the story closely, as I have relatives who live nearby. It is truly a horrible chain of events — just shows what the conservative mindset is capable of — nothing good. I commiserate with you.
A. Marie,
I live not far from Yellow Springs, where Antioch College is….its a wonderful small town that retains its hippy/boho vibe. It’s also not far from Young’s Dairy, a local spot for homemade ice cream. 🙂
1. Picked up a super-easy mystery shop. I just have to walk two blocks to a nearby gas station after dark, take 2 photos, and upload it. $10 payout.
2. My fall sabbatical officially began this week, so through the end of the year, I will save 9+ hours of commuting weekly, which also means a saving of 1.5 tanks of gas and $12 in tolls weekly (plus oil changes and wear & tear on my car).
3. I needed new “unmentionables” and used gift certificates to pay. Part of the gift certificates came from Fetch.
4. I am on the lookout for when Fetch does the “play” promotions. I always download a new game, as the goals are much simpler to reach and so it takes very little time, and this time it was for 8,000 points (I then delete the game). I rarely buy name brands, and so all of my receipts are only for 25 points.
5. Partner wanted one more New England shore food meal before the end of the summer (frugal fail) but, we did bring our own water to drink (so I’ll count it as my #5). I ordered the much more reasonable haddock sandwich; my goodness, whole belly clams have become prohibitively expensive.
Bonus 6: the weather has been beautiful, AC is off & windows are open.
Accompanied husband to meet his new endocrinologist, now we have moved to Scotland. Another really engaged specialist, such a change from when we lived in Canada. I have to go with him as he has an ABI and his short term memory is shot.
As this appointment is in the nearest big town, we combined with with a Lidl grocery trip. We don’t have them in our town.
Also visited the carpet store. We recently had the carpet in our new house replaced. There was no choice, the carpet in situ had literal holes in it. We paid a bit more for wool carpet and hope it will last. Today’s errand was to take the offcuts of carpet into the store and have the edges bound to make mats. We have a wood fire and I do a lot of crafting, so am hoping the mats will help keep the carpet in good shape.
It was my turn to make dinner, so I emptied the veg drawer into a frying pan and added some smoked sausage and a few fried potatoes. It was a simple and tasty dinner, with low carbs for my Type 1 husband,
I have finished knitting a circular scarf for my daughter in law for Christmas. It’s very artsy and I think she will love it. About to start on my son’s traditional, silly hat. This year it’s a huge, snail shell hat. They are both using up a lot of my handspun yarn. It’s good to see it go where it will be appreciated.
There’s a free Forest festival in our little village this weekend. Looking forward to seeing what that brings. Lots of free music is scheduled, so that will be something different.
Ah! You donated platelets. That might explain the difference in swag. I always donate whole blood.
Went to my oil change place to get the top off service. Needed air in one tire. I’m driving much less, so it will be many months before I need another oil change, but I’ll continue to get windshield fluid and air in my tires as needed.
Did a shift at the food pantry warehouse, on my way home I stopped for otc meds and on sale coffee. A bit of research this morning showed me the best place to get the meds. Saved $24! That’s almost half! Coffee on sale was also half of the brand I used to buy and tastes just fine.
Otherwise, I’m with everyone else on passive frugality by just not shopping!
I am so jealous of all the folks that are turning off their A/C. Still up in the 90s here so ours is on all the time.
1. Gave blood on Monday and got a pair of socks, some points to go towards a gift card, and several free snacks. My poor DH had a funny turn giving his, first time ever. He had a not very skilled blood taker who rummaged around in his vein and left a lot of bruising. Hasn’t put him off, but we won’t go to that location again.
2. Went to my library using our publicly funded ride share that only charges $2 a ride (we are a one car family and DH has taken it to work.) Unfortunately our house is outside the catchment area for getting a ride, so I had a 10 minute walk before getting the lift and same coming back, but worth it as an Uber from the house to library would be $17 each way.
3. Eating our way through the freezer/fridge/pantry and having fish with potatoes and broccoli for dinner later. I had some salad for lunch followed by some home-made cookies from the library.
4. Put some things on ebay that have been lying around gathering dust.
5. Did a Kroger survey to get extra fuel points. We got $1 off a gallon last month – it’s a really good points scheme. Hope my local hangs in there as they are closing a lot of Krogers.
The Morgan family – who owned the bookplate business for so many years – were old socialist/Quaker friends of my mom’s. Ernest did go to Antioch, too.
We’re having a quiet week, mostly frugal, as Dh has had an unexpected health issue that means he can’t drive (and I never have.)
1. I haven’t spent a dime in the last 3 days other than for gas to drive 3.5 hours to help with grandchildren for 3 days.
2. We got a short trial of fubo to watch some of the US open and have successfully canceled it before being charged. I hear the free trial train is coming to its end.
3. I left an item on my doorstep to be purchased. They left money under the mat. Sort of passive income!
That’s all I’ve got
Hello! I hope you all are having a good week 🙂
1. My partner’s boss gave him a gift card for a one hour massage, which he gave to me! So that’s what I did today, and felt very spoiled.
2. On my days off, I always feel tempted to buy myself lunch or go out for expensive coffee. Instead, I asked my partner to bring me food from his work, since he gets a free meal every shift.
3. This week, I am planning on making some pumpkin bread with a can of pumpkin that’s been sitting in my pantry for ages. Last weekend, my mom dropped off a homemade birthday cake for my stepdaughter with some really yummy cream cheese frosting. Since I have excess, I wanted to use the remainder to frost the pumpkin bread.
4. I didn’t have ground cloves for the pumpkin bread, so I went to the co-op down the street to get the amount I needed from the bulk aisle. I don’t use cloves hardly ever, so, I felt justified paying $0.39 versus paying more for a full bottle. (And okay, maybe I did buy a treat–a maple maple donut from a local vegan bakery that I split with my partner )
5. The weather in WI has been blissfully cool and we haven’t had to turn on the air conditioner on in two weeks. For once, I’m excited to see the electric bill.
The bookplates are so cute.
1. I ran to my local Meat Farms to get garlic and bread crumbs this morning. Their clearance shelf was full. I grabbed a pack of 8 colored peppers for $2.49 and 3 pounds of mushrooms for $2.49.
2. I then went to the bank and then Stop n Shop after because they are near by and I like to batch my errands. M&M’s were on the clearance rack, red, white and blue. Cheap chocolate makes me happy. I also grabbed a few Burt’s Bees products and a few Match box cars that were on there as well. They went into my gift closet. I got a slightly dented can of cat food for my sons cat for 41¢.
3. I washed sliced and cooked the mushrooms up. They are now in little ramakins in my freezer for future meals. The plastic containers were washed and will be passed on to my kids kindergarten teacher. Mushrooms have gotten very expensive by me.
4. We are at 112 pounds of San Marzano tomatoes. I made another huge pot of sauce today. 7 quarts are in the canner right now. We had pasta with Italian sausage and salad for dinner. Our son ate over.
5. Tomorrow dinner will be sausage and peppers.
I love little free libraries! Some have some interesting stories about their origin or who maintains them.
I did some volunteer gardening this morning for a couple hours in a public space and then walked my son’s dog. I got plenty of steps in.
I dropped off donations at the thrift shop I volunteer at – mostly clothing I haven’t worn this season, books and a few household items. I love shedding unneeded stuff.
We have a surplus of tomatoes right now. I made a basil vinaigrette (basil, parmesan or asiago cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil and a tiny amount of sugar and salt). My kids call it “green slime” because it looks like pond scum but it really is delicious drizzled on garden tomatoes.
I have four books waiting for me at my local library – i requested them through our statewide inter library loan program because my local library does not own them. I also discovered that Spotify has audiobooks and not just music. I feel like I am the last to know that ?
Jean C,
Nope, not the last to know that! I had no idea Spotify has audiobooks. Do you have to have a subscription to access them?
1. I went to the library this morning to print off my rebate form and receipt from Menards. I had to get help, and even the young man who helped me had trouble. Honestly, this rebate is only $3 and change. It’s been way more trouble than it’s worth. I haven’t mailed in the documents yet because I’m tired of the whole thing. Manana.
2. I rode the train using my ride-free card, and I also rode the bus to the gym. Also free.
3. I walked to Dollar Tree after working out and I bought two boxes of Monet crackers — original and wheat. I’m doing Fetch, I’m buying Monet — I’m turning into Katy! Next thing you know I’ll be donating blood!
4. I also walked to Goodwill. There I found a cereal bowl matching my set, and a tiny frame for displaying the four leaf clover I happened to find weeks ago.
5. I bought a Powerball ticket. Not really money wasted, as I so enjoy the dreams of what I would do if I won. I only buy tickets when the payout gets huge, so it’s a rare event.
1. Received a nice steady rain yesterday so Mother Nature provided free water to our gardens.
2. Weather has been lovely and I can’t remember the last time we had the AC on.
3. Husband went out to lunch with some friends and he brought home the leftover spinach-artichoke dip and bruschetta. He wouldn’t dream of taking my kit of containers for leftovers without me along, so I will add the restaurant’s plastic container to my stash for sending food home with people after gatherings.
4. Enjoyed savory and sweet snacks with herbal tea at an early afternoon book group gathering so I just had fruit for lunch to save room.
5. Decided to start growing my hair out.
1. My husband had an errand to run in a town over an hour away. I went with him and was able to shop at Aldi while there. We also went to Goodwill. We each made some purchases, and used coupons from donating items.
2. I had to take my daughter to art class today. While she was there I shopped at Walmart. I bought multiple items including clearance peas, bread and jelly. Then I went to Goodwill and got 2 items for reselling.
3. I requested a $3 gift card from fetch rewards.
4. Had a cheap diner of baked potatoes and lentils.
5. Husband fixed the Honda Fit, so we can once again use the little car, which uses less gas than the van and work truck
Love our 2009 Honda Fit..other than maintenance it has been in the shop only twice!
My five this week are not necessarily peak frugality but are high-value, worth it vacation moments:
1. Bought a crappy kite marked up for $10 and flew it on the beach. My mom got the biggest kick out of it. Worth it.
2. Working from our vacation rental to preserve PTO while the fam is out. I’ll be done right around when they get back.
3. Bought my favorite candle from a local shop here to enjoy at home. It’s refillable and lasts a long time so we can bring it back next year to refill.
4. Watching movies my sister already had downloaded every night. For anyone wondering, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar holds up!
5. Lunches are sandwiches on my favorite sandwich bread my parents brought from home and seltzers out of the fridge. More time to read!
As a voracious young reader, I was gifted those same bookplates as a child. What a sweet memory your photo gave me! 🙂
Trying something new. I have left over chicken that I shredded, left over oven roasted potatoes, left over gravy. I dropped it into a plastic Ziploc and into freezer. I plan to use the Campbell chicken pot pie recipe. Just add veggies left over, Campbell cream of chicken soup into a casserole.
With Bisquick topping.