Five Frugal Things — $658 Table for $25!
by Katy on September 21, 2025 · 40 comments
-
My husband and I stopped into normally pricey New Seasons Market and happened upon an excellent sale on Portland Coffee Roasters beans. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but my husband is and this is one of his favorite brands, which is how we ended up buying eight pounds of coffee!
-
My youngest just moved from a studio to a one-bedroom apartment, which is fantastic as they can once again enjoy a healthy amount of elbow room. However, they were a few furniture items short, specifically a kitchen table. Luckily they have a thrift savvy mother with an eye for bargains!
This drop-leaf table caught my eye, as it A) has a small footprint, B) is stylistically neutral; and C) was priced at $24.99, including two chairs! I texted a few photos and got the go ahead and made my way to the register. Our Goodwills have a “Plus” card, which gives you a 5% discount on purchases over $25, So I added a 49¢ Tootsie Pop, which earned me a $1.27 discount. Mama’s no fool!
Here’s a photo of the table and chairs, which currently sell at Lowe’s for $658.51!
-
I stopped by a garage sale while my husband was running an errand across the street and came across multiple boxes of reproduction fruit crate prints. After leafing through the boxes I ended up spending a dollar for two different sets, one of which was “Tom Cat” brand and the other was a “happy,” umm “rooster.” I’ll let you click here to see what I mean. I think there were three of the Tom Cats and probably twenty of the Happy Roosters. I’ll try my luck with them on eBay.
Seriously, how cute are these old prints?
-
My husband and I stopped into IKEA to check out their wall hanging hardware kit for our youngest’s new apartment. (Didn’t buy one.) I considered picking up this Trixit tool kit for our daughter’s birthday, but instead added a Facebook Marketplace alert to get a “push notification” if anyone in my area lists one for sale. This a great tool for finding second hand versions of specific items. Will it work? Maybe, but it can’t hurt to try.
-
My friend Lise texted to ask if I wanted to walk with her to Fred Meyer and I was quick to answer in the affirmative as I’m currently obsessed with their produce clearance section. Hello, three packages of raspberries for $1.50! I grabbed two of them.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
Like this post? Then please share it with your friends!
Like this:
Like Loading...
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
1) My DH fished coins out of the washer that I accidentally left in my jeans pocket. I’m short, he’s tall. Thank you, dear. Added them to my coin jar. (Is that considered “laundered” money?”
2) DH dogsat our friends’ dog at their house (our landlord has a “no pets” policy). Saved on groceries this week as a result.
3) Spent from May until September crocheting an afghan I call “Ocean Waves” which is shades of purple, blue, and seafoam green with a touch of white. The white is to represent the foam as the water hits the shore. It has 11 colors and the chevrons (points) are not all the same size as is typical in this type of afghan. There are 11 different size chevrons. The afghan fits a KING SIZE bed and weighs an estimated 25-30 pounds. I am trying to sell it after the fair.
The afghan took FIRST PLACE in its category. The prize is only $10, but the recognition is worth it. I have $220 worth of yarn in it. (Some of which I got BOGO, so I really didn’t pay quite that amount for the yarn.) A friend who used to own a craft store told me how to calculate the price I should charge for it. Based on that, I should charge $660, but I am asking only $500. I’m willing to negotiate within reason. I’m just glad it’s finished. We only have a full size bed, so it is of no use for us.
4) FRUGAL FAIL: Went to the fair to see my blue ribbon. $16 admission (2 adults) and $5 parking. The only thing I purchased at the fair was 2 sodas at $1 each.
5) Continue snapping receipts into my money saving apps. Getting close to cashing out $50 on one of them.
Congratulations on getting first place. Your afghan sounds beautiful.
Thank you.
Your afghan sounds gorgeous. Congratulations on the win!
Melissa N.,
Congratulations on the afghan win! It sounds amazing, and $500 is a STEAL. I hope you get a buyer soon!
I dont think attending the fair to see your blue ribbon counts as a frugal fail, because *of course* you wanted to see it! A frugal win was not succumbing to the siren song of fair food….looking at you, fried Oreos on a stick. 🙂
Finally, I read an article yesterday about the price of yarn going up, due to tariffs, as it is no longer immune to tariffs as a low cost import. (Not sure that’s the correct terminology, but was my takeaway from the article). I will keep looking for yarn at yard sales, estate sales, and on my Buy Nothing group.
Congratulations on your award winning afghan
Melissa, congrats on the first place win!
1. I sold another item on FB. Crap out, money in. Getting rid of things I don’t need is addicting.
2. I made a huge pot of minestrone which will be my lunch until it’s gone. I will share with family. I was able to use some mirepoix that I’d cut up and put in the freezer a few weeks ago.
3. I’ve cleaned enough out of my chest freezer that I’ll soon be able to transfer the rest to my refrigerator freezer. I’ll give the chest freezer to one of my daughters. I found a hamburger patty and bun which was last nights dinner.
4. I listed a couple more things on Ebay yesterday and I see this morning that I have a new sale.
5. I’m doing laundry and hanging my clothing up to dry. I’m reading a library book. All the usual things.
Getting rid of things is addicting! I’ve listed a few things today, and sold one today.
I love dejunking to sell. My no spend activities
1. I bought an airline ticket yesterday to visit my son in Oregon. I went through Priceline and got a decent price. I considered a hotel stay the first night, because of late arrival and a lengthy drive for my son to pick me up, but he said the pickup time was fine for him.
2. One of my nephews was in town with his family, and the local relatives and I got together with them for pizza. It was a free dinner for me, as my contribution was not wanted.
3. Made carrot cake using a number of free ingredients.
4. Unearthed a quilt I have rarely used and realized it coordinates beautifully with my bedspread, so I have a new look in my bedroom.
5. Organized my jars and plastic tubs and realized I shouldn’t save any more for a while.
Saving jars is one of my biggest issues. I try not to but sometimes I can’t help myself.
Marybeth from NY,
I have a jar saving issue myself. “But its a GOOD jar!!” 🙂
Oh my goodness, what an amazing find that table was!
I know, right? Perfect for their apartment, which is still fairly small.
That is such a nice little table. You did very well, Mama!
My free entertainment has been going to two library book clubs in two days. Will attend another tomorrow night. I had to buy the books, but they cost less than $4 total by using BookBub’s wishlist feature to send me a notice of when a title I wanted had gone on deep discount.
Yesterday I did some pantry and closet organizing and had a box of stuff to go to the thrift store and a bag of shelf stable food to go to the Episcopal church’s food pantry. Have not had much to donate to the pantry lately because we’ve been very efficient about eating what we buy.
Ruby, Thank you for the info on BookBub wishlist. I had never heard of it, but am looking into it today. Just thought of something. Are you in U. S.? That could make a huge difference!
Yes, I am in the US. BookBub can do sales on Kobo, which is Canadian, if that helps. I boycott Amazon and have my retailer notifications set to Barnes and Noble.
1. Bulk pecans were on sale at the natural foods co-op so I purchased more than usual and froze them.
2. Noticed a microfiber cloth that had been left in the park for several weeks, so I took it home, washed it and put it in the car for wiping the dashboard and the inside windshield.
3. Wireless mouse was acting up so I tried some things suggested by YouTube – and one of them worked! My backup plan was to take the broken one to Best Buy for recycling and receive 20% off a new one, but it looks like that won’t be necessary.
4. Had a bone density scan and for $10 (co-pay) I learned that I have osteoporosis. Oh joy.
5. Have been enjoying watching free YouTube videos by Rajiv Surendra – who Katie recommended some time ago. He’s a delight.
Katy, not Katie. So sorry!
Nice finds! Do you have a big car? Something I struggle with in picking up cheap furniture is how to transport it! I can’t rent a van for a goodwill find :/
Me too! Isn’t it so frustrating?
Jane F., and AZ Lynn,
Same problem here! We have a Toyota Highlander (hybrid), so we can transport *some* furniture if its not too big. More recently, my husband volunteers to tow a trailer for our son’s school marching band performances, so he has access to the trailer if we need it (the powers that be love him, and have given their blessing, knowing we will not abuse the privilege).
I saw a cute sweatshirt that was for sale for Halloween – it had a cute ghost made from fabric sewed on it. I took a 50 cent sweatshirt, had my husband draw a ghost shape on the back of a piece of cutter quilt he brought me from the garbage that someone was throwing away, and made it myself! I added a piece of recycled ribbon for a bow on the top of the ghost, and I think it’s adorable! Definitely less than $2 for everything, and that is much less than buying it from someone else, and much more satisfying!
That sounds adorable, I wish you could share a photo!
Amazing how the language has changed over the years. Once upon a time, the name of the fruit company did indeed mean a happy rooster. I think the novelty will allow you to sell all your “fowl” prints…..probably for a lot more $ than just “chicken feed.”
1. Had a chocolate-covered doughnut and cup of strong coffee at church for a free breakfast. Frugal fail: not sure it was this, but something gave me a very upset stomach, vomiting and gas, making me sick enough to have to miss work this p.m. Slept all afternoon and now I probably have enough gas to fill a Macy’s parade balloon.
2. Friday at my store job, I sampled an energy drink on sale for 49 cents a can. (Energy drinks normally sell for over a dollar.) It was good but ultra caffeinated, making me wide awake all night. Saturday, I bought a case (24 cans) of it for the house. Won’t drink it a lot, and I certainly will drink it earlier in the day, but 49 cents for something that sells for $1.84 was a price I couldn’t pass up. (Stock up quick! Before the price increases!)
3. Now that I’m not teaching, I gathered up a large bunch of map pencils, paper, notebooks and other school supplies for the church outreach. A “Title One” (poverty area) school district asked us to collect some.
4. For entertainment, I followed the link that one of our fellow non-consumers recommended and read articles on Mr. Money Moustache. Hadn’t seen his stuff before. A big thank you to whoever posted about it. I know I will have to bring my lifestyle back down a couple of notches (at least) now that I’m no longer substitute teaching, and this MMM stuff made me feel better about it. Big disappointment but I WILL survive! I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.
5. After waking up from my nap, I was “bed rotting” — a new term I learned from Frugal Girl, which basically means you’re in bed doom-scrolling on your cellphone. Amazing seeing the fallout from the Jimmy Kimmel thing. (They said $3.4 billion and counting — losses ABC has suffered since their axing his show.)
But the most remarkable FB thing I saw was the lady who asked Chat GPT about Felon 34’s ear injury from last summer. She fed the video footage into the thing (I’m not sure how bc I’m unfamiliar with AI) and instructed it to do a detailed analysis. Result: (quit reading if you are squeamish) the Chat GPT said that had Trump really been injured by an AK47 type gun, his ear would not have looked like an ear anymore, would have shattered into many bloody pieces, would not have healed to look normal like it has; there would’ve been an explosion of blood and it would not all be the same color, with bright blood at first and darker blood later; and there would be lots and lots of blood and tissue all over his clothes and hair and face, splattering in many different directions. It concluded that this was likely theatrical fake blood and suggested that perhaps he didn’t actually get shot or grazed. (And yes, I know that, tragically, a man got killed and others were injured; this poster just asked about Trump’s supposed injury.)
Another guy is feeding texts from Trump’s speeches into AI and getting the statements fact-checked. It is demolishing a lot of Trump’s claims as being false. (We knew that!)
Hmmm….Suggest this can be our new hobby going forward! Not just for Trump but for all politicians. Should be interesting.
That’s a nice table and chair set! Good find! I’m *very* jealous of the clearance raspberries.
I followed the link for Goodwill+, where I see information about it, like “free to sign up”, but I don’t see a way to sign up. I guess I have to do in the store? Does it work at the bins?
I have one of those IKEA tool sets that I curb picked. It’s in the staging area of items my kid is moving into their first apartment. Soon!
Yes, you have to sign up in the store and I don’t think it works in the stores. And I love that you curb picked the specific item that I’m wanting to source second hand!
Holy cow, that is a SCREAMING deal for those raspberries!!!! Nice score!
Amazing deal on the raspberries! Did you freeze them or make something?
1. Our first experience with the monthly puzzle exchange table at the farmer’s market today brought 4 different puzzles into the family while passing on 4 others. 8 year old granddaughter had a great time donating and picking out the new to her ones.
2.Enjoyed the music from a live jazz group while at the market. Did leave a tip for them.
3. Happily Trader Joe’s accepts returns readily so I was able to exchange the wrong coffee grabbed by mistake for the beans we like. Their coffee prices have gone up though – no surprise. Your coffee deal was quite a find!
4. Granddaughter slept over and we enjoyed food at home, finding a book for her little sister in a Little Free Library while we walked the dog, and watching a movie on Netflix which is the only subscription we have.
5. Same ole everyday stuff!
Great finds! I’ll add myself to the very jealous list of folks here… But I’m jealous of you finding the box of paper items. I LOVE running into that at estate or garage sales. I’ve lucked out with all sorts of vintage gems that I resell or attempt to.
1. Eating blueberries I froze earlier in the summer when they were on sale. I would have picked up the raspberries for sure.
2. Health insurance company sent a significant check for “overcharging” me in 2024. This is an ACA requirement, that if they spend more than 20% of funds on administration/marketing and less than 80% on actual health care, they must provide a refund. Third year in a row I have had this nice surprise.
3. Was wondering if it was worth shopping to fill in any bare spots in my potted plants before frost. Stopped at one yard sale and found a very large planter with soil and two geraniums. When I paid the five dollars, the woman said I should take the table it was sitting on, too, so I now have a very nice collapsible wooden end table for outdoors as well as another pot to spray paint next spring.
4. Husband has a very early morning medical appointment in a different time zone this week. We are going to use motel rewards points and go a day ahead to make it a bit of an outing.
5. The $1.25 bagged Dollar General chocolate and sea salt caramels taste really good! And with six in a pack, a good buy compared to more gourmet chocolates.
Here are my five frugal things –
48 boxes of 24 ounce Honey Nut Cheerios
24 bottles of 2lb. Heinz Ketchup
12 bottles of 26 oz. Heinz Relish
12 Bottles of 28 oz. Heinz Mustard
For $189.48!
The fifth thing would be that I didn’t realize there was a limit on the cereal. I asked very politely for an exception and explained why. They agreed!
I bought them for the food Bank, at their specific request. It’s pretty fun when you can exercise your frugality muscles for the benefit of others. Bonus: It wasn’t my money, nor was it the Food Bank’s. It’s part of a larger food drive effort. The FB wanted a guarantee that all the barrels they picked up would be full, which is logistically impossible. This was our workaround solution.
Great deal on the table and chairs. I am envious of your Fred Meyer clearance produce and happy for you that you are able to enjoy so much produce at such reasonable prices.
1. I made Tortilla soup using the remnants of a rotisserie chicken and other ingredients on hand. Years ago I discovered it tastes much better if you add rice and it also stretches it.
2. We walked past a yard sale about a mile from our house. there was nothing of interest but the purveyors were friendly.
3. DH found a dime in the CoinStar at the grocery store.
4. I am listening to Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. I’d forgotten what a talented author she is. Thank you Katy for the reminder. Of course I borrowed the digital version from the library.
5.My tomato plants continue to produce cherry and grape tomatoes. I have loved having tomatoes every day.
1. I stupidly ran over the hose to my cannister vacuum. My husband bought it for me 15 years ago & it was $350. It still vacuums but the crushed hose limits the suction. On the way to work last week, I saw a similar vacuum on the curb. I picked it up. It works perfectly & has all the attachments. Perfect to vacuum hard surface floors & a car!
2. I made a chicken soup from on-hand ingredients. I used veg broth I had in the freezer. I had some vacuum packed rice & canned veg I curb picked. Had a bit of chicken strips in the freezer. Chicken bouillon cubes from Dollar Tree. Tasty, healthy meal (or should I say many meals).
3. Found 3 nickels in the change slot of the vending machine at school.
4. Donated a box of unneeded curb picked lighting to Restore. Helped clean out the trunk of my car & eliminate unwanted items.
5. Have another large box of metal coat hangers to drop off at the dry cleaners. Frugal for them. Helpful for me to get rid of unwanted junk.
6. I found a wrought iron decor item with intertwining leaves & rings to hold votive candles. I plan to have husband nail it to a board & use as a trellis for a climbing plant. I will place it horizontally on back fence.
I love the cat picture. So cute.
1. Hubby and I went apple picking on the way home Thursday from our vacation. It is a place him and his dad have gone many times. We still have lots of applesauce we canned last year so we only got 30 pounds. They were 99¢ a pound. Apples at farms by us were $18 a 1/2 peck last year.
2. We got a half gallon of honey from a small farm. $35 which I thought was a great price. The lady offered us each a Seckel pear for free. I had never had one before and they were very good. We bought a dozen of them. We talked to the 2 ladies for a while. They don’t grow corn which we were looking for but knew someone who did.
3. We then went to the other farm stand and got a bushel of corn(51 ears)for $25. It is so sweet and they are huge. We have already decobbed 1/2 of them and vacuum sealed 12 2 cup portions. I made a double batch of corn chowder. I cooked the cobs and have 3 quarts of corn stock. Hubby grilled 4 also. My 2 younger kids were offered corn, maple syrup and apples. When we open the honey they are welcome to some too.
4. Our son stayed at our house while we were gone and picked my garden. There was a lot to use up. I made another batch of sauce and canned 7 quarts. I had seen a video of taking the puree and putting it into a container with a spout at the bottom. You let it sit over night. The water goes to the bottom and the pulp goes to the top. Well in the morning that is what we found. We strained the water(kept it) and the cooked up the pulp. We tasted the water and it had a nice tomato taste so I made a pot of minestrone with it and other garden veggies. I have 2 quarts to use for future pots. We will be doing it this way in the future. I saved us 4 hours of cooking.
5. Hubby has the smoker going with a turkey breast that I got a while ago for 49¢ a pound. He is using cherry wood from our SIL and oldest daughter. We will eat one breast this week and the other one will be vacuum sealed and put in the freezer.
6. A co worker of Hubby’s had some trees cut down and offered us some of the wood. Hubby and I filled the truck up. It will be good for our fire pit next year. He told us if we want more we can have it because no one else wanted it. You have to pay to have it hauled away near me. He lives on a dead end so no one will see it and the garbage men won’t take it. I gave him some figs as a thank you.
7. Our friends offered us their old Premo smoker. A band broke on it. Hubby offered to fix it but they already bought a new one. Hubby is very happy. I brought them figs too.
8. Laundry is hanging out side. Windows are open and it is beautiful out. The fridge is full. God is so good. Peace to all of you.
Marybeth, wow to all of this!
Thanks
1. Made tomato paste with tomatoes from my garden and gifted it to my dad, who will use it in spaghetti sauce (gravy, as we call it).
2. Was in desperate need of a new chair for my home office and found one on FB Marketplace for $40.
3. My friend offered us her vanity table with chair and a light-up mirror — something my daughter has been wanting for years! We picked it up tonight.
4. Went to a craft fair downtown and bought locally made dog treats and a candle. Not cheap, but I’d rather support those small businesspeople than Target. Once in a while, anyway. The dog treat company is called St. Rocco, after the patron saint of dogs, apparently, and that’s also my dog’s name, so of course I must buy them.
5. I am currently drying herbs from the garden in the oven: parsley, sage and marjoram.
Combined a BOGO sale with Digital coupons and Ibotta rebates to get 4 boxes of General Mills cereal for $1.43 each.
Found 12 cents on ground.
Used a 40% off deal in McD’s app to treat myself to a double cheeseburger and small diet coke for $2.21. I halved the double and got 2 meals out of it.
Went to a free 3rd Friday event and spent a lovely evening strolling the main street people watching and window shopping with a friend.
Same friend treated me to dinner after.