Five Frugal Things -- Getting a Head Start on Gardening
1. I stopped by Dollar Tree for AAA batteries, which I needed for my UV flashlight. Why? Because my grandkitty most likely peed on an upholstered ottoman and I need to engage in some further investigation. (Deep sigh . . . ) I went ahead and grabbed a pair of reading glasses as well since they had the style I like in the prescription I need.
I spent $4.50.
2. I have four hanging wire baskets in need of liners that I've ignored over the past couple of years. I'd kind of hoped to passively come across some free coconut coir, but that never materialized, so I did a web search for alternative ideas and learned that people sometimes line these with burlap or landscaping fabric.
This sparked a few ideas for me, as I can certainly sew fabric into place and can likely source burlap for free from coffee shops. My spider plants have been wildly prolific and I think I have enough "babies" to fill the pots. I can even use some of free potting soil from last year's Fred Meyer's "Fuchsia Saturday" to complete the project. Of course it's too early in the year to plant outdoors, but I can at least get the liner project going.
As always, my intent is to complete this project while minimizing support of immoral businesses. Wish me luck!
3. My husband and I went out to brunch, but I made sure to eat a little something before we left the house. (Toast and tea.) This way I could order lightly off the menu to save a few dollars. I still enjoyed the restaurant experience as much as I would otherwise, so there was no actual sacrifice.
4. I made a small batch of marinara sauce for a pasta dinner, using a container of crushed tomatoes that I'd thrown into the freezer before last week's vacation. I wanted to avoid travel related food waste and had transferred a few things out of the fridge with this goal in mind.
Not an exciting meal, but it did the trick! Also, there was enough to feed us the next night as well.
5. I stopped into Trader Joe's after brunch and bought nothing more than a bunch of 23¢ bananas as I know I'll be going to Winco in a day or so for truly inexpensive groceries.
I also found a penny.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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Stopped at Aldi after visiting my younger son after work yesterday. It is on the route I use to get home from his house. I bought an avocado, sliced roast beef, and sliced ham luncheon meat, bagels, cream cheese, chips, and a large bag of fake crab meat. I noticed that the luncheon meat was $3.09, when it had been $2.28 about a month ago when I last stopped at Aldi. That is a huge increase. I think the cream cheese increased also, but not sure. It was $1.15 and I think it was around a dollar a month ago. The chips were still 9 oz for $1.50. It was a large bag of crabmeat (I think part of it is an Alaskan fish) and I forget what I paid, but it was less than a same size package at my regular grocery stores. I also bought paprika for 99 cents.
2. I walked both on the stairs at work and in my neighborhood and managed to walk an hour total.
That is all I have.
I shopped Kroger this past weekend, and the prices were/are crazy high. I wondered if I was the only one noticing the soaring prices. Cashews used to be $11.99 on sale from $12.99 now I haven't seen them drop below $14.99. Meat and fresh produce are crazy too. Luckily I am just getting the bare minimum because I am eating down our pantry and freezer inventory. Garden season can't get here fast enough for me. Our electric bill was bonkers this month too. Almost $600!! It's normally around $290. The transmission fee is more than our usage? Our state representative says prices are just increasing, but I think it has to do with AI centers opening in my state and their cost is being passed on to Ohio residents.
Sorry about that electric bill, ouch, that one hurts. Can’t live without it, can’t kill it. I have a hard time staying in budget with my utility bills also.
The imitation crab meat was &3.49 for 16 oz. It says it also has real crabs meat in addition to Alaskan Pallock. I was also wrong about the chips. They went up to $1.79. Also the bagels were $1.99.
Thanks for the plant lining tip! I have several wire baskets that hook onto a fence, and was wondering what to do. They were left behind by tenants at a rental that my husband worked at.
Putting off shopping and using food at home. Frugal
Had a new electrical box installed inside and out (50 years old and leaking water from the outside box into the inside box) frugal bc cheaper to replace than recovering from a house fire.
Happily wearing thrifted or gifted clothes. Loved my Valentine’s outfit of thrifted sweater covered with hearts, gifted black pants, and red glitter Converse sneakers that I have had for at least 14 years
Cooking at home including gluten free brownies for V Day
Library and Free Little Library books. So ready for Spring. Our snow finally melted.
I'll add my frugals later but first I want to give a shout-out to Fru-gal Lisa: Happy birthday, Lisa, from your frugal friends!
Thank you MB!!!!!
Happy Birthday, Frugal Lisa!
Thanks Blue Gate!
Another day caretaking my friend. Yesterday her PT came to give counsel and he also changed her dressing -- so I didn't have to!
Her appetite is poor so I scrabbled for things to eat. She seems to mostly want cheese and crackers and yogurt. Easy enough, but not very balanced.
I needed to get out a bit yesterday, so I went to the local Goodwill for fun. I spent $20 and I got a sweatshirt (much needed for cold nights here) two new Eddie Bauer tops with the elbow length sleeves I like, a cookie tin, and a sheet. The sheet was a great find! My top sheet at home has developed a hole, which then turned into a gorge. I have been on the lookout for a replacement. This one is the right color -- gray -- and seemingly brand-new. Score!
Quite unusual for the top sheet to wear out before the bottom, but that's what happened.
Today I'm going to CVS to pick up a prescription and I'll also get some chicken pot pies from KFC, as that seems to appeal to my patient.
The woman who had asked me to dog-sit has cancelled. Not sure why, but I am assuming a change in her travel plans. Darn. That would have been a nice chunk of change.
I had hip replacement surgery 2 years ago, when I was 51. Of course it’s different for everyone depending on health and age, but the most frustrating thing for me after the initial pain was not being able to put on one of my socks. I had to go out for PT three times a week (It’s amazing how far joint replacement has come—outpatient surgery on Thursday, on the bike at PT a few days later.) My husband went back to work after a few days so we strapped a tote bag to my walker so I could do things for myself and my mom picked me up for PT and put that one blasted sock on me. Shoes I could do because I bought slip-on sneakers. Best wishes for your friend that she has a good recovery!
She is also frustrated about the sock situation! Of course while I am here I can help. She is pretty sure there is a device that will help in her attic space, but we are waiting for her granddaughter to come to fetch that.
My DH broke his hip in December and the hospital gave him a tool to use to put his socks on. Sort of looks like half of a PVC pipe. You put the sock on it, hold the ropes on either side, put your foot in the sock and pull it up.
1) We got a first (and hopefully only) NW Washington snow. It wasn't really snow, but graupel, which is a sleet-snow hybrid. Fortunately I caught the weather report so I moved some outdoor potted plants that were starting to bud closer to the house to protect them from the freeze so we don't need to replace them.
2) I arranged to pick up a FB marketplace item at a spot along my bus route to the university, thus saving the need for another trip in the car later to the other side of town. I was picking up for my son's GF, who had purchased the item used to save money. (passing on my frugality to the next generation!)
3) I've been thinking of getting a tablet for carting around my readings for class, because my laptop is heavy and everything is digital now. Instead, I did some research and found out that there is way to sync my school onedrive account with my old digital notebook! It's e-ink and doesn't have color, but I don't need color and neither do I need to spend money on new tech. I just have to upload the readings into my one drive and then I have immediate access on the notebook.
4) Wasn't feeling dinner last night, but I still forced myself to dump some dehydrated veggies in some broth. Ended up making a good (but not jaw-dropping) veggie chowder. I also mixed up some cheddar drop dumplings and added them to the chowder, which took the experience up a notch, flavor-wise.
5) Combined errands for labwork, pharmacy, and library since they are within two blocks of each other.
We got out first 'major' ha snow yesterday and it was still only about an inch. I need to investigate why my dryer isn't working and am hoping for a frugal fix like a blown fuse or similar.
If it is an electric dryer, it has (if it is like ours), two fuses, one for the heat and one for the tumbling. Hope it is an easy adjustment!
We got our free oil change/tire rotation/recall fix which was just some programming done to the computer for the backup camera. I guess it’s not really free when we had to buy the car to have this service for the first 25,000 miles. lol
For Valentine’s Day, we met up with my mom, sisters, and nephew at my mom‘s house. We all just bring what we want to eat when we get together like that and I brought some dumplings I had made from home and my husband picked up a frozen meal. We played games we already had and my sister had made chocolate-covered strawberries. We usually don’t really do anything for Valentine’s Day, so it was a sweet surprise.
Our dog had his yearly checkup. The vet found a benign tumor inside the anus and it needed to come off. I had his nails trimmed the day of the appointment before we knew he needed surgery. (My husband is the official pet nail trimmer of our house and he’s recovering from shoulder surgery.) The tech didn’t charge me for the nail trim because nail trims are included with surgeries and he had his surgery two days later. Our dog will be 15 this year and we weren’t going to put him through surgery unless he really needed it so while he was under they took care of everything including a growth on his head and he got a dental where they found a tooth needed to be removed. He has a history of having a heart rate that slows down during surgery and I was a little nervous, but they were able to bring it up no problem with some atropine. At 60 lbs, he’s already exceeded the “typical” lifespan of a dog his size. He’s lost his hearing, his depth perception isn’t good anymore, but the vet says he looks good, his blood work was excellent, we are happy for all the bonus time we get with him, and most of all HE is a happy dog who enjoys life.
Somehow, we missed increasing our Roth IRA contribution last year by the $1000 total allowed and didn’t realize it until I was doing the taxes this weekend. We had the extra transferred into our account since we have until April to add it for last year.
It cost about $175 to use the tax program that I used, but I went through Rakuten and I’m getting 15% back plus a $30 rebate using a certain credit card. We are getting a tiny rebate but we would rather have our money throughout the year anyway, so I’m just glad we came out on the plus side even after the fee.
If you are ever interested in a very low cost tax service, FreeTax USA is an IRS approved e-file tax service. Apparently federal is free and state is under $20 for California at least. We are trying out this year. I have read reviews and it seems legit and a good way to go.
I’ve used them for 2 years now- state and Federal. Happy so far. 🙂
I agree that FreeTax USA is great. I've used it for at least three years now.
Thank you for the reminder to start pondering my container garden now so I can get a jump on it in spring!
1. We borrowed a suitcase from DH's parents for our upcoming big trip. Another NCAer mentioned there is no reason for all of us to have these items and I completely agree.
2. Learned I can download a game I love to play on my laptop for the flight, which will keep me entertained for hours.
3. Also downloaded plenty of books from the library for the same purpose without the screentime.
4. Packing a few snacks - not trying to fool myself that I can fully avoid spending dough on eating during a 24-hour travel day - to avoid impulse purchases.
5. Pulled out all my previous travel investments for this trip - a collapsible duffel bag for my carry-on, travel clothesline to dry things out, laundry detergent sheets for any quick cleaning needs. Thanks to previous LB for thinking to get these items and I love getting lots of use out of them!
1. My frugal fail is that I didn't tell the yard man not to dump my container of rainwater which is what I use to water my spider plants, since they turn brown if you use tap water. The idiot dumped all the water out, and even worse, he also took in the garbage can before the trash truck came by to empty same. So I have a very stinky trash can that will no doubt ferment in the heat for a week, making the smell intolerable. He did this Monday, didn't bother to show up yesterday as scheduled, and just now phoned wanting me to hire him today. Uh, no thanks.Go find your booze money somewhere else.
2. Past Me bought several large pump bottles of shampoo while it was on sale, so when Present Me ran out last night, all I had to do was grab another full bottle from the bathroom cabinet. And we still have 2 or 3 more bottles in there.
3. Heading out for a free lunch on my birthday ...my annual Dennys Grand Slam.
4. Also going to credit union and paying off the car loan early. Had to wait for So-So Security (as Dave Ramsey calls Social Security) check to deposit in there.
5. Got roofing company to do what they haven't done before--send me a written receipt. I accidentally contracted with a bad. business. They are suddenly very hard to get ahold of! News story says state AG is about to shut them down for insurance fraud (not from my case!)-- and I needed proof I've been paying them in case the company goes BK or into receivership or whatever.
Oh, I wish for you to find a handyman/yard person like my Wonder James or A. Marie's King James - having someone with many skills who is reliable, sensible and relatable is PRICELESS - every time you share a tale of woe I am more grateful for Wonder James.
1. My mom, youngest and I visited the Goodwill bins. Mostly for entertainment but I was hoping to find a few things for Ebay. I wasn't successful but I found a few small things on my want list and I also found a brand new Life Is Good insulated tumbler which will be perfect for carrying water in the car. I spent $3. My mom found a pair of snow pants and wool socks for my sister and a brand new door mat. My daughter found a cute ball cap.
2. We brought drinks along. My mom treated us to sandwiches from Wendy's. Nobody wanted fries. Well, I always want fries, but I didn't order any.
3. I washed a throw pillow in the washing machine that said spot clean only. It turned out great. I will put it in a garage sale or donate it and it won't end up in a landfill.
4. I found a couple sets of Pyrex Snapware at a discount store that seemed to be Costco damaged items and returns. I was unable to find these at Christmas. My daughter asked for a set and I have been unable to find a couple of mine that disappeared (I've looked for months and have finally given up). The boxes said the lids had wear but they look perfect to me. I took what I wanted from one set as did my youngest. The rest will go to my other daughter who requested them. They were priced at $19 each for 9 bowls with lids.
5. I gave my dog a bath in my shower. It's really warm today, so a good day for a bath.
But you may have been disappointed in said fries. Our go to chain for fries unexpectedly closed (read: corporate thinks the building in a good location = $). Even Culver's has been a disappointment. I'm about at the point to go to Mickey D's to see if they still can do fries. Locally owned restaurants are not any better. Perhaps I should tell the person taking the order that I want my fries crisp AND am willing to wait.
FFT, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah Edition (updated from Tuesday's FFt at The Frugal Girl):
(1-5) On Monday, NDN1, CF, and I signed the paperwork for NDN1's admission to assisted living. This is so huge, and has been such a long time coming, that I'm counting it as all five things. Now NDN1 will get the care she so urgently needs, and CF and I will sleep a lot better at night.
I'll have much more to say about this as time goes on, of course. But it's going to be all hands on deck for a while getting NDN1 ready for the move. We do have a few days, since NDN1 needs to get medical clearance (she just had an exam by her PCP, but she needs a TB test) and since we need to get the room set up--but this will be a busy time. Still, I'm more than happy to pitch in. And thanks to my friends on both blogs for all the crossed fingers!
Congralations I hope everything goes well. I hope you do not mind a few suggestions as someone who lived in an assisted living facility for two years a few years ago:
1. Make sure you do not keep anything of value in her room. Unfortunately theft is very common and even basic tolietries will be borrowed for the use of other residents
2. Visit often if you can and monitor how clean and well tended she seems to beand have doctor’s orders for everything. Even the number of showers she should have per call the agency of your state that is responsible for oversight of the assisted living facility if issues are not resolved by the facility management. Document every issue in writing with pictures (if approriate)
3. Look up your state’s policies on cameras (some states require a sign saying this room has a camera in this room on the door) in her room and install one if you suspect neglect or abuse on any kind and that will help you prove neglect or abuse if need be. You can review footage on your phone daily. I do not mean to scare anyone but I just want to warn anyone who has a loved one being cared for by caregivers in a facility.
Good advice. Sad to say while a certain faction of pols are all life is sacred, they refuse to the walk the walk of reality.
Thanks for the voice of experience, Jcp. Wise words for anyone with a loved one in institutional care. As long-time readers know, this ain't my first rodeo, because my DH was in a nursing home for two years before he died of complications from Alzheimer's in June 2023. But the advice about the in-room camera is new to me and welcome. I hope not to have to need it, but I'll keep it in mind.
When my mother in law was in a long term care facility, my husband installed a hidden camera in her room. (I don't know if there were/are any laws about posting a sign in our state, but....we didn't). We did not suspect abuse or neglect, and she seemed to get very good care when we were there (there was almost always someone with her in the evenings and on weekends; during the day was less consistent due to jobs), but it gave everyone peace of mind. Hubby just re-used the cameras he had installed at his mom's house prior to her needing long term care (she had vascular dementia).
1. I met a friend for a cup of tea at our mutual friend's indy bookstore. It was Valentines Day so I wore a red and pink floral pattern shirt I've had forever. No hearts but the flowers worked well enough for the holiday.
2. I'm having friends over this Friday for dinner. I thought I had planned well but...I'm making turkey chili and DH and one guest are Catholics and cannot eat meat on Fridays during Lent so I thought we could switch the meal to pizza but the other guest is lactose intolerant so...it will be turkey chili for me and one guest and pizza for DH and the other guest. Still works and we'll have plenty of leftovers for the weekend.
3. Using yesterday's unused water from the teapot for watering my plants. Thanks, Katy, for the great tip on using burlap to line wire plant containers.
4. I'm reading a library book, Nobody's Girl by Virginia Guiffre. Excruciating to read what she went through but it cements my deep disappointment in Bondi and her DOJ.
5. The thermostat is still set at 64 but the house feels warmer since the outside temperature has moderated in the high 30s. I haven't heard the boiler come on much either so that's less oil being used.
I'm happy to hear your neighbor will soon be in assisted living. No place is perfect but I can't imagine her dementia will be getting any better and they will hopefully provide a safer place for her than being alone in her own home. Kudos to you and her caring friend for putting all this in motion.
Meant for A. Marie...not sure why it didn't load in under replies to her post.
A. Marie, everyone needs a friend just like you! 🙂
Also please remember to put your mom’s name on the tags of her clothes so they will get returned to the proper room.
I bought a five dollar chicken at Costco and will happily get 5 meals from it for me and husband.Tonight is meal #2.Some of the sliced breast over the leftover mashed potatoes and gravy I have from 2 nights ago when we first at the chicken thighs. I roasted up a huge batch of fresh green beans,some-onions that needed cooking, and sliced carrots tossed with olive oil and garlic salt in the oven. I like making big pans of vegetables that will lats a few days.I’ll be making enchiladas and soup down the road… plus one more meal of the “parts” (legs and wings..)
Another frugal thing I do is: EAT VEGETABLES! 10 servings a day of fruit/veggies (not as hard as it sounds, a 1/2 c. is one serving— (One large salad is sometimes 5 servings!!) This is the DASH plan for keeping blood pressure normal.Mine was slightly elevated and I did not wanna start down the medication path so I lost some weight and follow the veggies plan. My BP has been normal/ low for this whole past year.It just means I eat vegs or fruits with EVERY SINGLE MEAL.This morning I had a whole banana AND a cup of strawberries with my oats! STAYING HEALTHY=FRUGAL!!
I GLEAN lemons this time of year in Arizona. Everyone has lemon trees but me boo hoo but on my walks,I can always find some strewn about ont he ground and make sure I have a small tote bag with me.I never pay for lemons! I make a mean CHICKPEA piccata! A vegetarian piccata meal you could serve any omnivore and they will love it!! CHEAP YUMMY AND HEALTHY!!
Continuing to find FRUGALITY a FUN HOBBY make it even more frugal, lol! I use some of my down time to brainstorm ways to use it up wear it out do without..etc..
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!!
Madeline, chickpea piccata sounds divine. Do you follow a specific recipe?
I planted lots of garlic in a container outside three days ago. Planted snap peas yesterday. Today is more lettuce and some iris bulbs I was given too late last year. Like in December.
1. My first frugal thing is thanks to a comment on here. Someone mentioned sending books to Thriftbooks, so I looked into it and sent off $20 worth myself. Thank you!
2. My husband bought this scrubby bag for the shower that holds a bar of soap inside. It acts as an exfoliater sponge and saves soap at the same time. I didn't like it at first, but I am getting used to it.
3. Signed up for 8 weeks of Tai Chi at my library. It's for beginners and completely free.
4. Still on my extended low buy no buy carried over from January. Still tempted by clothes and shoes, but staying the course.
5. Doing all the usuals eating from the freezer and pantry. Reading library books. Packing my lunch. Walking for exercise. Etc etc etc...all free and healthy too.
The price of food has suddenly jumped up again. It was cheaper to buy a cold cooked chicken this morning at the local grocery than a fresh one, so I did. My pup with the touchy tummy was refusing food today, so I cooked a quarter cup of orzo until it was gloopy and added finely chopped chicken breast. She ate and perked right up. The 16 ounce box of orzo was on sale last month for 79 cents -- can't beat that.
I had a bunch of small apples that were really wrinkly, and made a gluten-free apple crisp with them. It is delicious. Been using up a long-opened jar of popcorn kernels making popcorn, which hits the spot for an evening snack.
@Ruby, I discovered my rescue dog has an iffy tummy. WHEN SHE EATS CHICKEN. it isn't pretty. So we have completely removed chicken (and scraps) from her diet, it has made a world of difference to how well things travel through her digestive tract. IYKYK.
I figured a Mexican street dog would have an iron clad stomach, but it appears to be the opposite...
We previously had a dog allergic to all forms of poultry, and this little dog does not seem to have that problem. The vet recommends chicken and rice when she has these spells, but the pup likes pasta and is more likely to eat that.
My sole quick-dri short-sleeved athletic top that I bought for $1 off a Wal-Mart clearance rack 10 years ago is showing its age. Its mesh panels are starting to rip and, worst of all, it got caught in the dryer vent and ripped the neckline. I wear this seasonally during spring and fall on my daily neighborhood exercise walks, when it’s too cool for a tank top and too warm for a windbreaker. I stitched up the neckline enough to where I can still wear it and, really, no one knows nor cares that it’s repaired. But I stopped at a local consignment store to look for an option #2 and found one for $12. Not as good as $1 (and I am still wearing said $1 athletic shirt!) but this is my backup for when #1 finally falls apart.
1. Found a dozen eggs (still cool) and 3 48 oz tubs of ice cream (mushy but still partially frozen) in a Dol Gen dumpster. There were more ice cream tubs and cartons of eggs, but I could not reach them & also no room to store them.
2. Spent some of my Medicare Advantage OTC credit for items at Walmart,
3. I found one of those soft elastic type hoses that the husband said he wanted. (Not sure how they are better than the rigid ones.) He is in the process of repairing it.
4. I helped myself to the free beverages at the clinical facility where I take my students.
5. Bought a 1/2 price bag of Dove chocolate hearts. I gave each of my students 2 choc.
hearts. I surely don't need to eat the whole bag.
6. Did not drive on the express tollway even though the 5 PM traffic was bad. It gets pricey. I've decided to avoid the toll road unless I am going to be late for work. My plan is to leave extra early in the morning. Going home it does not matter.
7. I wore a pair of scrub pants gleaned from a student donation. Some of mine are getting faded. I don't usually wear the same color as my students. I am old & I think most people can tell I am the teacher even if I am in the same color.
8. Not frugal now but maybe in the future. I bought 2 fruit trees. I am hoping they will eventually bear fruit. I hope my trees grow as well as Katy's ponytail plants. I trash picked a green arched metal trellis. I plan to put a climbing rose at each end to form an arch of roses.
Too cold, indeed! I bought 4 wrought iron railing baskets that I mounted to farm fencing to fancy up a sitting area by the vegetable garden. The lady sold them to me for $5 as she said the liners were expensive. I found the heavy duty black felt garden bags at a community recycling depot. I cut them down and lined all of my wrought iron planters. I compost the soil and store the liners in the tool shed for winter.
Look at all those baby spider plants! I'm a bit envious.
Neighbor has a major power issue that started before 6 am, we were told we might be without water, power and natural gas. Ugh. They've been working on it for almost 7 hours! I hurried to get my dinner made and laundry done. Now I can work on tax prep in quiet peace.
1.Repaired a very kitschy hanging parrot planter, it has taken some thought and trying of different materials but finally found the right combination....planted the rooted spider plant babies in it and they look like tail feathers.
2. made and shared a big bowl of broccoli salad, shared with family.
3.this is the time of year I repair things, repaired the "no trespassing" sign for the end of my lane. My lane is actually a vacated section of road and if people aren't familiar they come up my lane as if it were a road.
4. 67 degrees today and some wind, windows open for some much appreciated fresh air.
5. used a restaurant sized can, pieces of an old bamboo cane and on hand wire, beads and the wooden top of an old candle container to formulate a set of wind chimes. I want to plant the can and will paint sunflowers over the base color of teal.
For those of you formulating liners for your planters,,,,if you put a disposable diaper, plastic side down and then plant on top it will wick water to the roots of your plant.
I used peed on diapers from a grandchild and it works great. Whatever is in a Pampers to absorb the pee will absorb the water and you don't have to water as often. Yes it sounds redneck but it works for me.
JC
JC, Your redneck comment and frugal diaper/gardening hack brings to mind a fantastic bóok about frugal gardening. It is called "White Trash Gardening" and is supposedly written by one Rufus T. Firefly. It is hilarious -- lots of hillbilly humor ( Ex.: a good ground cover is a '64 Chevrolet Impala on cinder blocks, or English ivy if you're too high falutin' for the former)-- but it also has some real-life frugal gardening hacks in there. The thing was first published when Bill Clinton was president but if you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend it.
I love your ideas for avoiding buying coconut coir basket liners.
1. Baked potatoes for dinner last night with kale from the garden, and tonight is twice baked potatoes. Food is often a large portion of household spending and I keep my budget at $375 per month for 2 adults, one gluten free with multiple other food allergies. And less than $20 a month for eating out. My garden sure helps. In the winter our garden costs us nothing because it rains. In the summer our garden costs us about $20 in water. Seeds are free, compost is free.
2. Listed lots of things of FB marketplace, sold 2 in the last 24 hours, with another pickup pending this afternoon.
3. Doing some extensive patching on my husband "rough work" jeans.
4. Drying clothes indoors on drying racks, since we're in a rainy spell.
5. I have a new spot for raising seedlings that means I don't have to use a heat mat or a light. It has proved to be excellent. Zero cost.
Kara, wow, kudos to you for your low monthly food and meals out budget!
Sourcing burlap from a coffee shop is a great idea!
It's been a nice run of social activities here in Arizona, albeit with higher costs.
1. Neighbors from home visited our Airbnb and for lunch we made them veggie pizza, salad and chocolate-covered cashews. They brought their own beverages. Our dogs were happy to see each other, too.
2. Husband's brother and his wife visited from MN, and we went out for lunch, each couple paying their own way.
3. Met up with girlfriends for lunch in Tucson at a Mexican restaurant. So nice to have vegetarian options.
4. Had dinner out with my husband's high school hockey coach and his wife before going to a local concert.
5. Husband went to a minor league hockey game with his high school hockey coach. Nothing minor about the ticket price though.
We have no other social plans before we leave in mid-March so costs will even out over time.
1. We had a snow day yesterday! We bundled up and played outside for a while with the kids.
2. We bulked some errands together today and made a trip to town to get a diagnosis on a faulty sensor on our car. It cost $90 to tell us that Toyota could fix it with new parts, replace soon to be failing parts, and may as well get four new tires since one had an unrepairable puncture and the other three are getting worn down, all for the low low price of $1400+! We kindly thanked them for their time and left without schedule a service. Our tires were from Les Schwab and my husband thinks they'll replace the problem tire for free.
3. While out we packed all of our own snacks and sandwiches and came home with most of them. We did make an unplanned stop at a playground on the way home, kiddos were pretty sick of sitting in carts and the car, and ran around for a bit in the freezing cold.
4. Although very tempted, we drank our coffee from home and didn't stop for adventure coffee. Our oldest daughter likes to get strawberry smoothies for a coffee shop treat and was very disappointed in us for not stopping. I told her we didn't have coffee shop money today and I could make a smoothie when we got home. My husband did snag a cup of "cappuccino" from the Toyota dealership before we left to refill his travel cup.
5. I got an email back from Scrub Daddy and apparently they've never encounter the issue I had with staining from their sponge, yay me, so they're sending a free dye-free sponge to replace it! Yay me! Whoohoo!
Good luck with the uv light. Cat pee is one of my nightmare scenarios, and getting rid of the smell is not a frugal endeavor. (Bad kitty!)
Today was decidedly unfrugal and really sad. We had to put our daughter’s 11yo cat down who stayed with us when she moved out on her own. He got very sick pretty quickly. Now I have the post crying fit headache, blurry eyes, and exhaustion.
@Alice, my heart goes out to you and your daughter. Losing a pet is always hard, when it is fast and when they aren't really that old the hurt is pretty darn sharp. Hugs to everyone!
Oh, Alice, you have my sincere sympathy. I will be thinking of you and your family during this tender time.
I'm so sorry Alice. Hugs to you and your daughter.
Sending prayers for comfort to your family. Loss hurts. Judging by your pain physically and emotionally, this must have been a very special cat who was an important family member. I am very sorry for your loss.
I also stopped by Dollar Tree for reading glasses. My overgrown puppy has a fondness for grabbing my glasses and running around the house with them, so having spare pairs on hand helps.
Did the Meatball and Zelda co-exist (detente at least)? Perhaps a thorough washing/"deoderizing" the litter box might help next time? Usually if UTI, the cat goes right outside the box (in my experience). If Zelda was fond of said ottoman, time to kill her scent. Not urinating/using the litter box can be a tough nut to crack. Meatball might have been irked (despite not previously being irked) because her routine was disturbed. Cats - who knows.
Happy investigating is all I can say.
1) I did a work trip to the office (I live far away so mainly work remotely) and packed two lunches to save money.
2) I found a hi-vis jacket on freecycle - my partner needs one (his old hi-vis got mouldy!) so he's delighted there is a free replacement.
3) We'd planned a film night to watch Wicked 1 on Prime (I don't subscribe on principle, but my partner has not yet been convinced to step away from his subscription...) Horrified to find out once we sat down with pizza that the film wasn't free with Prime as we thought and we'd have to pay £10 (!) to buy it (no rental option either). Instead, I read a book and my partner played Rocket League on the Xbox.
4) The pizza was frozen, not takeaway.
5) The book was from my local little free library!
Katy! hello! I just thought you might like to know that Portland Coffee Roasters (340 SE 7th Ave) gives out free, used burlap bags at 7 AM on Thursdays on a first-come, first-served basis. Happy gardening!