Five Frugal Things
I'm switching ad networks for the blog, which required me to update the blog template, which was long due as I've been running the same one since 2008. I'm still tinkering with it, specifically I want to move "recent posts" up to the top, switch out the titles being in all lower case letters, (what, why?) and somehow add "archives" back in. Also, I need to add a "subscription" button, which is annoyingly showing up on the mobile version, but not the web version.
Here's what I need -- I want your feedback on both the functionality and visual aspects of the blog. Thank you in advance and back to business as usual:
Five Frugal Things!
- I cut hydrangeas from my backyard to make bouquets for both my mother and a friend who's been helping with the blog updates. They turn from blue to green and burgundy this time of year, which I think is actually prettier.
- I visited with my mother and ended up helping her declutter an area of her living room. I came home with another mug to slot in my neighborhood's free mug exchange.
- My husband and I ran into one of his work friends and we walked with him to our that mug exchange. The two of us then walked around the neighborhood for an hour or so to take full advantage of the sunny Portland weather. Once again, I am world's cheapest date!
- My husband's been receiving promotional emails from Skamania Lodge since we stayed there last January. (Check out the view from our room!) They're normally out of our price range, (we used credit card points last time) but they sent out a $99/night offer, so yeah . . . we reserved a couple nights in January for my birthday. Seriously, check out their normal pricing:
Frugal me previously figured out that they'll bring a free microwave to your room, plus there's an awesome taco cart and grocery store the next town over. I also learned that they have Keurigs in the rooms and a free coffee station for guests next to the check-in desk. This'll keep us on budget and out of the their onsite restaurant.
- I might be #cheapaf, but I'm not cheap enough to take this abandoned brassiere home. It wasn't my size.
Great deal on the lodge. Normal hotel rates are crazy and that's before they add in the various taxes and fees.
1. DD was having problems with her clothes dryer. DH checked to see if there was lint build up and was there ever. He cleared the easy to reach lint and will buy a new vent hose to make it safer and more efficient.
2. I was walking in our neighborhood yesterday and ran into a neighbor that loves books. We walked together for a while and caught up on our lives and also exchanged book title recommendations. I placed a couple on hold at the library.
3. We are scheduled to have our old concrete patio replaced (not the least bit frugal). DH removed the wood from the steps that go to the patio from the breezeway so he can repurpose. Otherwise it would be destroyed.
4. I put together a bag of clothes for someone that is helping needy people through her organization. I had hand me up items and a few other things I just didn't need. I'd rather give with a warm hand than a cold hand.
5. Speaking of warm handed (while alive) giving I will make donations to both the large food bank and our local suburb aid organization today. People in our area are suffering both from federal government job losses and the loss of SNAP funds.
Love the new layout! Good luck on working out all the kinks!
I'm not getting the email notifications I normally would. Do I need to resubscribe? I love the new format. The recent posts at the top would be good. Is it possible to have the reply to another person's post bigger and at the bottom of their post?
1. My mom came over yesterday. We sat on the front porch with the dogs and enjoyed the sunshine. I made a pot of jasmine tee and we bundled up in warm blankets and had a nice afternoon visit.
2. I'm giving the last of the rotisserie chicken to my daughter's dog who has a sad tummy.
3. I sold a couple more items on Ebay and listed another. I'm still working on listing the small pile of items I have accumulated. Two of the items I sold recently were easy to list and ship. They sold quickly and I made a really good profit, so I guess I should be working a little bit harder on this goal.
4. My mother sent me home with a bag full of cleaned fresh vegetables that were more than she needed. Thanks Mom.
5. All the usual stuff....
Still bugs to work out on this new site: when I went to write this comment, the title bar dropped down and obscured what I am typing. There was no easy way to scroll up past it, so I could not see if I had any errors. My workaround: I went back up (blindly) to what I figured was the start of my entry and hit return to drop the first line down (whew, no typos). On the other hand, it IS a crisp banner. The blog titles are crisp. The photos are good and clear. The text size for the content seems to have shrunk, though, and almost minimizes what you are writing about. Just some thoughts!
On a non-review-the-style note, I have enjoyed your observations and humor and content for years. Please keep it up! I get out to the greater Portland area all too rarely to see my children/grandchildren and I told my husband after we were out there this July that I felt I should have cruised the Goodwill on SE 82nd to see if you were there so I could run up to you and RAVE about you!
I wonder how much the layout is affected by type of device. I find the type bigger than before, working on my lap top at 125%, and don't have any problems with other lines creeping down over what I am typing.
I still like the blue logo with the four jars!
Move the "recent posts" section to the top and you're gold.
Yes!! Love that that is in the works! Great job overall. Looks like it took some work!
Ditto to what MW says.
...and Bonnie's comment.
Love the new format!
I think the bold headlines of each blog topic overpowers the pretty picture/logo of your canning jars and I LOVE THAT LOGO!!
Love love love your blog..faithful reader for a loooong time!!
Love the idea of moving recent posts up to the top of the page. Thank you for whatever tedious (painful?) work you have to do to keep this blog going. It is the only one I have kept since its inception!!!
PS the brassiere beneath the leaves ... you'd think someone would have noticed that go missing! Wonder what the story was.
Maybe the neighbor’s dog stole it off clothesline? Ha!
What a great deal for your birthday getaway!
The bra reminded me of a recent conversation with friends. We were discussing where we drew the line at being frugal. (We all share a frugal mindset.) One woman works at a local hot springs with lodging and much of her and her husband's clothing comes from items people leave behind (My husband and I have shared in this bounty as well.) One man said he drew the line at used underwear. The hotel worker's husband said "Most of my underwear comes from Name of Hotel. That's what washing machines and Lysol disinfectant are for."
I definitely noticed, and thumbs up. I'm a fan but kept missing your posts til I found blogtrotter, which sends your posts to my email. But they're displayed so small, I click through and read on your site - which is fine, it'd be ludicrous to complain about a click. But now I don't have to 🙂
Katy, I appreciate all of your work redesigning (and maintaining) this blog. Additional suggestions:
1) Align the commenter's name on the left margin with their comment. This would help visually and would make it easier to spot replies to comments and follow a thread.
2) When replying to a comment, would it be possible to have "@name" automatically fill in at the beginning?
3) Identify the two dates appearing at the top of each post. For example, "Published: November 2. New Comments: November 3." (I think that's what those dates indicate.)
4) Consider removing the "Hey, I'm Katy!" section from the main page since "About Katy" is already clickable from the banner.
I liked having a note of the number of comments appear next to the article on the home page, without having to click the article, so I would know if I had read them all or if there were new ones.
Love the new layout - feels so clean and fresh! I will say I have always loved the "newsfeed" format so I agree with your desire for recent posts to pop up first.
1. Spent a lovely weekend in town, avoiding any hotel or toll costs (although maybe I would have felt differently if I had gotten as good of a hotel deal as you locked in!)
2. It was the NYC marathon this weekend! We posted up near a brewery that opens their restrooms to spectators. Minimal spending to enjoy the day cheering runners on.
3. Also very frugal - I did NOT run this year 🙂 saving money on energy gels/fuel, electrolyte tablets, compression socks, race entry, and orthopedist visits.
4. Went to a friend's Halloween party this weekend that insisted they did not want folks to bring food and drinks but instead bring canned food for the local food pantry. We brought a bottle of wine we had already as a hostess gift and two cans from our pantry for a total cost of $0 out of pocket for a lovely evening.
5. Attended a local clothing swap on Saturday. I gave away a few pairs of shoes that have never fit quite right and they got snapped up. I walked away with two lovely sweaters and a work top to supplement my winter wardrobe. I hope they do another one soon!
But would you have taken the bra if it was in your size? l'd have been tempted!
That's a great deal on your hotel, enjoy your birthday trip! That view is gorgeous.
A major advantage to being retired is having the flexibility to take a trip when it's cheaper, rather than having to plan around your work holidays. Hubs and I are headed out on a birthday celebration trip tomorrow, even though our birthdays were months ago.
My frugal 5:
1. Called to cancel my introductory 8 week newspaper delivery before the expiration date so it doesn't auto renew and charge me the full price.
2. Meal planned this past week to use up stuff before we leave. Grandma is staying with the kids while we're gone, but I know from past experience that anything fresh is not likely to get used.
3. Made an apple pie to use up some apples that had gotten a little soft, already had a pie crust in the freezer I'd picked up on clearance last month.
4. Used the peels and cores in a recipe I found online for apple tea, but which we thought tasted like a hot apple cider. Super easy and delicious, will definitely do again. Used crystallized honey instead of brown sugar to sweeten it.
Husband teased me that it was the most delicious boiled garbage he'd ever had.
5. Picked up a jug of laundry detergent on clearance at the store, was able to stack half off clearance with sale, coupon, and ibotta cash back to bring the price from $16.99 to 99 cents.
Michelle, thanks for the tip for making apple tea (aka boiled garbage). Sounds delicious!
The blog is looking good!
1. Had about two dozen trick-or-treaters, the little kids being the cutest. The most creative costumes were two pre-teens wearing black turtlenecks and pants, masks, etc., yellow-and-orange safety vests, and diamond tiaras and necklaces. They were the Louvre Heisters.
Put the leftover Halloweens pencils and tiny notebooks away for next year.
2. Moving my flower pots under cover so hopefully they don't get rained/snowed in and freeze and crack over the winter.
3. Son's electric fan cover slipped off. I took it apart and cleaned out hair and dust before putting it back together. Electric fans don't always follow the "righty-tighty, lefty-loosie" rule. Sometimes, the parts are screwed on in the reverse way.
4. Need to make another batch of laundry detergent, using up strange bars of soap I grate in the salad shooter. I follow The Prudent Homemaker's recipe for that: She's back to blogging!
5. Prowling the grocery aisles very carefully for bargains, mark-downs, and things to stock up on. My regional grocery chain was bought by a larger group, and the bigger chain has a senior discount one day a month. That hasn't come to my local store yet, but I will keep asking. The baggers already know me because I bring my bags, not as common as it should be.
Forgot to write-- Those lamps in the picture with the hydrangeas are fascinating! Is that a mirror so it looks like a matched pair? I must have seen something similar at my grandparents', but not in pastels.
Long time fan here, to say for me the new layout feels very clunky, and was a bit of a harsh change. but others may be seeing something different, so maybe it's my browser? I'm on Chrome on a desktop. I see the categories (with the circle photos) in 2 lines at the top, under the banner, then your bio, and that's it for the screen. I have to scroll down to get to Latest Posts. Not a fan at all of having the first screen not show posts at all 🙁 Once I click on a post, the categories move to a column all along the right side, which works fine. If you could work some magic to have the categories always be on the side, I think it would be much more welcoming; it would be good to see both the latest posts right away, and the categories on the side.
thanks for checking with your adoring audience Katy! 🙂
Love the new format. I subscribed even though I already read your posts every day. What a great deal on the hotel room. I love experiences for presents. I asked a neighbor for his old feed tubs and he gave me 10. They are great big black tubs that cattle minerals come in. I am going to share with my step daughter and use them for raised bed gardening. My pepper plants in the garden this past season did not do well, so I am going to try this. I will have to punch some drainage holes but still the perfect price to try out. My husband and I went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate our anniversary three months ago. We were waiting to we had to go to a dr appointment in the city. We came home with extra rolls and 5 bags of roasted peanuts for free. We had the best server that offered them free.