Five Frugal Things
by Katy on October 6, 2025 · 17 comments
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I took some leftover scratch cooked black beans and combined them with a can of chili and extra spices to create a large batch of chili. The can itself was curb picked from when my neighbor was readying to move out of her house, which made this an extra frugal meal!
Tasty, cheap and healthy!
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I bought a a $10 bag of old and new marbles from a consignment store, which I’ll part out to sell on eBay. I bought a huge vase of antique marbles in 2005 or so, which led me to become knowledgable about marbles. I think I made a thousand or so dollars from that initial purchase and have sold marbles here and there ever since. Not sure how much I’ll make from this new find, but it’ll be fun to put the listings together.
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My step-mother sent me home with a pound of carrots, as she’d picked them up forgetting that she already had a bag in her refrigerator.
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My husband was able to get back most the money he’d already spent for the Las Vegas baseball tournament he’s now unable to attend due to his five broken ribs. Full refunds on the tournament fee, his share of the AirBnb and shared rental car. The flight unfortunately was non-refundable, but at least it’s now a credit we can use at a later date.
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• We finished watching season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds through our free one-week subscription to Paramount+
• I shared our family’s Spotify password with my sister so she can listen to music without commercials.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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The long version: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/10/06/frugal-five-12/
The short version:
1. Sold a sleeping bag for $45
2. Bought a turkey for 97 cents a pound
3. Got a bunch of free plant clippings
4. Took food to an event inst5of buying expensive food.
5. Found 2 pennies
Glad your husband was able to recoup most of his costs. I hope he is healing nicely.
1. While sick, I took the car out twice in 8 days. Once to Walgreen’s to buy stuff for my cold and to pick up tea bags and sipping broth from Buy Nothing. The second trip was to return to where I was on my walk when I saw Good Samaritans rescue a turtle. I wanted to make sure it was still safely off the road. (After all, I had just finished reading the book titled Of Time and Turtles.)
2. Read two more library books: Walden on Wheels and Things That Matter. Enjoyed both of them.
3. Submitted a claim for a data breach settlement.
4. Despite the heat wave, we were able to keep our AC off.
5. Fixed a ceramic cup that broke in two when I dropped it in the bathroom sink. I used some heavy-duty, waterproof adhesive that we had on hand. The break is only slightly noticeable. This cup was made by an artisan friend who passed away so I really wanted to save it.
I have actually finished a couple of library books recently. I’m not sure why, but I’ve done a better job finishing library books than books I own. Maybe it’s the deadline of returning it. I love the value I get from my local library.
1. Took crackers, humans, small bell peppers and cheese from our pantry/refrigerator to son and daughter in law on Saturday to watch college football. They made burgers with chips for dinner.
2. Getting ready for sisters garage sale in 10/17 and 10/18. I’ve sorted the good stuff and have received $87 from resale shops. Rest ready to price for garage sale
3. Sold an item on line $15 coming my way
4. Packed lunch/drink for work
5. Prepping for BFF long weekend visit
That’s hummus not humans
Kathy,
Your “hummus, not human” typo made me laugh. I used to work for a newspaper. Each summer, the local restaurants teamed with the blood center to offer free lunches for blood donors.
One year, unrelated to this, was a huge controversy about an abortion clinic. Every day that summer, someone was either protesting or writing letters to the editor or having debates turning into shouting matches over that particular issue. Big deal in our city!
OK, back to the lunch thing: Each restaurant would bring in one of their dishes and we would print the menu — several restaurants and several different main entrees or appetizers or sides or desserts. The way we would print them would be something like “Mickey’s Burgers french fries.” There was also a Chinse restaurant participating; it was called Hunan. With an N in the middle.
I was typing up the menu and I saw where this eatery was offering egg drop soup, and I also saw a typo.
About then, the blood center lady called. She was about to have a heart attack, thinking we didn’t correct anything and might print the error. Because they’d gotten one letter wrong, an M instead of the N — and the uncorrected copy read “Human egg drop soup.”
True story.
Glad your husband could get his money back for the trip! What a bummer. Hope he’s still healing well.
1. Dear friend with her baby came into town for the weekend. While not the party weekends of the past, we had a great quiet weekend at our friend’s apartment and walking in the park nearby. And it was baby’s first subway ride!
2. Got back to my apartment yesterday afternoon. DH asked if I wanted to surprise a friend at her birthday dinner. I declined after 2 full days with other pals and instead read an entire library book in one sitting (“Culpability,
for anyone looking. I think it was recommended here!)
3. I got a call that I’m eligible for a study on heart disease through a local hospital system. I came in for bloodwork and physical exams this morning and got $75 for my time. Getting paid to get updated medical information? Don’t mind if I do. Hoping I am a good candidate and can contribute to this body of work.
4. Brought a snack for post-fasting bloodwork to avoid overpaying for something at a shop near the hospital.
5. Used a teabag I got at an event to try and stay calm during Sunday Night Football last night. It didn’t work, but it was a lovely cup.
1. Slowly using up my Mom’s frozen food. She went into assisted living and we sold her home recently. I’m working hard to use it all up. Used some frozen vegetables yesterday. Using some frozen elk today.
2. Took my Mom to the community center pool. Since I bought a punch card it costs $2.25 instead of $3. Well worth it. We need to keep her moving.
3. Cooked all meals at home over the weekend.
4. Working at home and drinking tea instead of going to a coffee shop.
5. Had to stay to go to another city for medical treatment for my husband last week. Was able to pay for the hotel with points.
Hoping your husband is on the mend. Broken ribs are no joke!!
We bought a very old house years ago and found a jar of marbles. Some were uranium. Some were hand made from clay, I guess to finish a set?
1. Hubby sent off a few data breach claims, some for a decent chunk of change. Who knew we were so valuable? 😉
2. Found out that ScienceWorks in Ashland Oregon has a 50% off membership for WIC, EBT, SNAP recipients, and for families getting free or reduced lunches they have $3 admissions! Our oldest daughter has an autumn birthday and it can be hard to plan an outdoor party so this might be a good option for us.
3. I gave myself a haircut for the first time. Not 100% convinced it’s perfectly even but for a first attempt with some layering I’m very happy! The dead weight was driving me nuts for weeks. I think I might take more length off or add another set of layers but for now I’m happy. It all gets thrown into a messy bun or ponytail anyways.
4. Made a double batch of rice last with dinner. Now taco Tuesday will have one less thing to cook.
5. Attended a ‘healthy kids’ event over the weekend and all the booths had a ton of info about resources on the community but also a lot of cheap “swag” that was declined so it didn’t end up in our trash. We opted for just things we’ll actually have use for and ended up getting through the event feeling less weighed down and better about what we were taking.
I attended my grandson’s volleyball game over the weekend. Trying to be frugal, I packed a lunch, since it promised to be a long day. Unfortunately, the venue did not allow outside food, so I had to buy lunch. It was only $5.50, but it was just a granola bar, a banana and chips. My packed lunch survived. It was in a little cooler with an ice pack. It became my supper.
2. I went to Jewel for their flash sale on Sunday morning. The offered items were shredded cheese and frozen pizza. I was allowed to buy two of each. The cheese was $1 and the pizzas were $2. I also got a free can of cold brew coffee. While I was there I bought two creamers that were two for $9. These days, that’s a sale, and I can’t stand to run out of creamer.
3. I found room in a closet for my bed wedge, so I don’t have to worry about making it look more attractive!
4. My car is a former rental car. It was in great condition mechanically, but had some cosmetic issues. One was the carpeting. It is on my wishlist to replace it, but I mended one on the worst spots with duct tape for the time being.
5. I got a one dollar bill in the mail along with an invitation to take a survey about loneliness among seniors. It was from a reputable university. I took the survey and I will get a $10 Amazon card for my efforts.
Frugal things!
1) I found some deals at a local dented grocery store: massive bags of Sysco resturant chili – 2 bags for $5. I will buy 1 and divide it up in my souper trays and freeze. I will have chili for at least 2 months, if not 3 (it’s about 8-12 cups of chili.
2) I harvested 9 honeynut squashes! A few will be roasted and frozen for tea cake!
3) I am eating my way through the pantry- quinoa, rice, fornio and beans!
4) And eating my way through the remains of the garden- so many herbs and tomatoes! I need to cook up a batch of passata.
5) Deep cleaning for fall and using my squashes and reusing fall decor. I have candles left over from last year, so no need for new candles, home scents or decor!
Our latest bag of dry cat food must have either had a rough trip or was filled at the end of the production run because it had a lot of crushed to a powder food in it. The cats won’t eat that, so I salvaged the bag by shaking the kibble through a colander over the sink to sieve out the “dust.” Cats are happy and cleaning their bowls.
Re-hemmed a pair of thrifted jeans that I did not get quite short enough the first time around. Used a scrap of leather to sew a quarter holder to put on my key chain for trips to Aldi, where a quarter rents the cart. Used up a baggies of sliced homegrown sweet peppers cooking a chicken dish. Fixed a faded spot on the floor and a worn spot on a chair with furniture markers.
My 16 year old collects uranium glass – if any of those marbles are uranium glass, let’s make a deal!
Oooh, that blue/white marble caught my eye… I wish I knew more about marble values. Would you be interested in writing a post on it?
It has been very chilly here — but no snow on the mountains. Yet, that is. And somehow no heavy freeze. We keep the house temps low, but will fire up the woodstove or wear hoodies, when needed.
I buy 99-cent cans of chili at the local Amish grocery, then add a can of kidney beans (a 33-cent steal from Amazon) for a quick and tasty meal, especially if you add “cheese guys” to the mix. (Melted cheddar on corn tortillas, 450 degrees, until everything’s crunchy.)
And I’m glad you weren’t anywhere near the chaotic protests in Portland — so now you can continue to say ‘no signs of violence.’ Because, really — this is all getting a bit ridiculous. Trump’s response included.
1. My partner met up with some former colleagues on Saturday. He invited me, but there were no other spouses, etc, so I elected to stay home and eat leftovers and not spend any money.
2. I picked up 3 quick mystery shops, that were within 5 miles of each other, and resulted in a pound of deli meat + $21 in cash. While at one of the stores, I picked up two loss leaders items, which cost $3.97 instead of $9.78. I also picked up 2 additional receipts that had been left, but I only got 50 points from Fetch for them…
3. I also swung by BJ’s to get 5 dz eggs for $11.49, bringing them down to $2.29 per dozen. There is over a month to use them, so we’ll be eating a lot of Dutch babies, tortilla español, etc. I used some last night to make chili rellenos, using the following free ingredients: poblano peppers, Roma tomatoes, jalepeño, garlic, and onions (free CSA box); cheese and pork (mystery shops). Unfortunately, we didn’t think that they were delicious, but they did feed us.
4. Send in a grant. If our org gets it, it will mean that I’ll make $1,000 a year for reporting/admin work, but we’ll be able to give away over $100,000 to scholars doing good work, so fingers crossed.
5. I watched a couple of videos and signed up for a flu vaccine, both of which will earn me points toward my health insurance premiums for next year. If I don’t reach the target 200 points, I’m charged an extra 10% in premiums, which makes it worth my time, as annoying as it is. (Work: cut down on stress to be healthier! but also: here is more work for you to do so that you don’t have to pay a premium on your health insurance!)
Bonus: partner brought home a found can from work, we are going out for a mystery shop dinner tonight, I made tea from the stems and leaves of the ginger that was in our CSA box, I toasted up some freezer-burnt bread, which was unnoticeable once I put some avocado on it. Got some “free food” from Ocean State Job Lot (they give a gift certificate in the same amount that you spent) and got some low-sugar granola bars for an upcoming trip + some candy for nephew’s Christams box.