Five Frugal Things -- A Camera Miracle!
1. I came across this clip-on car mirror while organizing our toiletries and listed it on my Buy Nothing group. Almost immediately someone raised their digital hand, so it's now on the porch waiting to be picked up.
Face down, as I'm paranoid about burning down my house!
2. My iPhone camera mysteriously fixed itself, which is a welcome addition to my day. I took it as an opportunity to snap a few photos. I'm fully aware this is a temporary situation, but I can still enjoy this brief moment in time.
3. I quickly took photos of the $13.49 needlepoint bench that I thrifted for resale. (Have to make hay while the sun shines!) It's currently listed it on Facebook Marketplace for $100, which is my aspirational price, but I can always take less if need be.
The hundreds of hours that someone spent on this project boggles the mind!
4. I made myself a plate of baked potatoes, smothered with the last of the black bean chili and Tillamook cheddar cheese. I'd sliced the potatoes in half lengthwise and baked them face down and brushed with olive oil, which helped them cook quickly. Absolutely perfect combination of healthy, frugal and delicious!
5. New Seasons texted me an e-coupon for 30%-off all bulk foods, so I'll go over there this afternoon to see if that includes their bulk cookie section. Their hamantaschen are delicious and certainly not available in a standard grocery store.
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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1. I bought more dried beans.
2. I bought a huge amount of fresh vegetables for $1.00 a bag. This one grocery store that I don’t go to often due to distance, had them on sale. I happened to be driving by it. I got turnips, three large red and orange peppers, jalapeños, eggplant, spaghetti squash, mushrooms and two large bags of Dole Salad!
3. I walked an hour at the river park.
4. I purchased gas prior to walking for $2.99 gallon. When I drove back by, the gas had increased to $3.09.
5. I cleaned my house and car.
After “threatening“ for years that I wanted to start making my own yogurt, I’m doing it. It’s been a challenge finding a way to keep it fermenting at that fussy perfect temperature but I think I finally have it figured out. It took retiring this year to find time for extra activities like this. Fixed my front door latch too which was operational but fussy for years, & in another “finally” I found a way to string a clothes drying line in my basement for winter (I line-dry exclusively outdoors 9 months of the year). Cleaned my own carpet with a used Rug Doctor my daughter and I purchased together a while back.
My late Aunt Buck (real name Margaret, childhood nickname "Bucky") hung clothes outside all year round as long as it wasn't storming. In the wintertime, my cousin Larry or my Uncle George had to shovel a path to the clothesline and under all the clotheslines so she could hang laundry. In the winter, they got cold, but they did dry.
I grew up hanging laundry in the cellar on lines in the winter and outside on an umbrella clothesline during the other three seasons. This is in Massachusetts. My mother never believed in using dryers plus she was a single mother so I'm sure the electric bill was on her mind too. The lines in the cellar work well.
I have lines in my house as well. My laundry room is on the first floor and my indoor lines are in there. I dry outside as often as possible.
If you've considered buying an Instant Pot - I'm seeing them thrift for $12-15 these days - they have a yogurt setting that makes the process incredibly easy. You can make yogurt in the pot/insert, or use a glass jar on a rack in water. Either way, it scalds the milk and then keeps a perfect fermentation temp.
Some models can also be used to make tempeh and other finicky ferments.
Mended a thin spot in an oven mitt with a wad of cotton saved from a vitamin bottle and a little square of muslin from my sewing scrap box. Dollar Tree oven mitts are good but tend to wear thin on the inside were the longest fingers are.
Used up the last of a bag of whey powder adding it to a batch of carrot cake-style bran muffins. The muffins used only half a can of crushed pineapple, so I froze the remainder to use in a smoothie. Made a one pot meal in the rice cooker with Vigo saffron yellow rice, a can of store brand Rotel style tomatoes, a chopped sweet Italian sausage, and a can of drained black beans. It was fast and hit the spot on a rainy afternoon.
DH helped hold our very large but sweet kitty while I trimmed her claws, brushed her and clippered a mat out of her coat behind her elbow. Professional cat grooming starts at $90 here, so doing it myself is a huge money saver.
Ruby, you win the prize for best re-use of a wad of cotton!
I love the way that bench looks right in that spot!
I got my hair cut today. I managed to find a code beforehand that saved me 20% at checkout.
There is a Goodwill near the salon. I went to check it out, and I found some stuff. The biggest buy was a pair of Kate Spade loafers in very good condition. They were priced at $19.99 but I had a credit that brought it down to $12.77. They are too big for me, but I will try to sell them. However, there is no size indicated anywhere, so I will have to figure that out. Maybe measure the soles?
I bought a red Oster toaster for myself. It needed some cleaning up, but it works. That is, it heats up. I haven't made toast yet, so I don't know how WELL it works. We'll see in the morning. It was $5.80.
I bought a pair of Puma leggings but I didn't notice a hole near the knee until I brought them home and cut off the tag. I don't think they'll let me take them back if the tag is removed. So I guess I'll have to keep them. I don't know how to mend a hole on such stretchy material. Kind of a fail.
I bought a remote for Lionel trains and have listed it on eBay, but it isn't worth much. I will only clear a few dollars if it sells.
My other purchases were cloth ribbon, a cookie tin and gift boxes.
Kind of a mixed bag of shopping. Probably should have gone home instead.
Do you live in a colder climate? If you do, you might consider using the leggings as thermal longjohns. Your knee might be a little cold but you'll be warmer. Before I discovered longjohns I used to wear tights under my pants for warmth.
Stretchy things aren't that different to darn, and if the hole's larger you can use a bit of similar fabric to patch it. Smaller darns don't even have to be flexible, and if they're very small, you can just pinch it with a bit of fabric glue. Not as exciting as new, but still good.
I didn't start a war along with Israel to distract a nation away from my sexual crimes against children nor helped live stream a 2+ year old genocide in Gaza.
Baked potatoes are one of my favorites!
And I just wanna say, your house has so much character! I love seeing glimpses of it!
Ooh, New Seasons cookie area is dangerous for me!
1) Made a menu plan this week by asking Gemini to use up the things in my fridge & focus on high protein, easy prep options. The first recipe was last night's desconstructed enchiladas, which I highly recommend. I had cottage cheese, spinach & mini tortillas to use up. You blend cottage cheese & a jar of salsa Verde. Brown ground beef. Add garlic, cumin, S&P. Add the mixed cottage cheese/salsa sauce. Let that cook for a few minutes. Add 6 mini tortillas (or whatever you have), cut into super thin strips. Then add a lot of spinach & top with cheese. The mini tortillas become like a noodle or dumpling & absorb the sauce. So, so good.
2) Used a CVS reward to pick up a few treats for DS18's birthday, to go with his cash.
3) Used $20 of grocery store rewards to pick up the shredded cheese & salsa I needed, plus some heavy cream to make coleslaw (& use up the bags I have in the fridge). I also bought 4 bottles of wine for under $10/each. It's a mid quality drinker, but for that price, definitely worth picking up.
4) Went to yoga at the Y
5) Resisted the siren song of Chipotle when I finished a medical appointment & was really hungry.Chipotle was next door, and had sent me a free queso coupon, but I held strong & came home & made dinner.
1. We did some yoga as a family yesterday morning, Cosmic Kids Yoga with Jamie, on YouTube. She tells a story and does the yoga moves to show the actions. It's very cute and fun for the littles (and us not so littles)!
2. Unfortunately, my husband ripped a hole in his PJ bottoms while doing yoga. I had some thread already on a needle in my mini sewing kit and it was the perfect length! Now the trick will be for it to nama-stay mended.
3. The other day my grandparents were coming back from a trip and would be passing by our town on their way home. They popped in for a hug and dropped off three pounds of hickory bacon! It has been cooked and divided in the freezer for future meals.
4. It was a beautiful evening so we went on an evening walk with the kiddos before dinner.
5. We aren't going grocery shopping until Monday so we're making creative choices with our food and leftovers.
"Nama-stay" - love it!
I see what you did there..."Nama-stay"! Love it.
I have a bunch of random stuff in my fridge so it's going to be creative meals here too. I made lemon cake for my birthday. We used a whole 5 gallon bucket of lemons our neighbor gave us, which I'm quite proud of. And imaging the cost of buying that many lemons !
Kara, I'm trying to imagine **squeezing** that many lemons! Good work!
Your stairway banister is so gorgeous! Wish I had it in my house....but I live in a one-story dwelling.
I'm also inspired about your toiletries organizer project from yesterday. Gotta do the same with my stuff.
1. My leg pain has flared up again so I am prescribed bed rest along with some Rx pills. Bummer! But I am reading a book gleaned from a Little Free Library, about a Hmong family who escaped Laos and went to a Thai refugee camp, and from there, immigrated to America. Beautifully written story about people who we rarely hear about.
2. Took a tabletop appliance and donated it to the thrift store. This was a round shaped cooker from Aldi. I used it a few times but each time you open the lid after preheating to a certain temperature, the temperature would drop by a whole lot before you can finish putting in the food. Which messed up the recipe. So its been gathering dust and taking up space. Maybe someone else can figure out how to use it.
3. Free entertainment: playing Wordle once a day and then Word Guessr after that. The latter game, also online and free, is identical to Wordle -- but you can play as many times as desired, and also change up the number of letters in a word puzzle.
4. Since it is really cold today I'm using the gas space heater instead of turning on the central heat. And, in the bedroom, putting a lot of blankets and comforters on the bed.
5. Did not brag about sinking 42 ships as if it was some kind of fun children's game, instead of the cause of many people's deaths.
While picking up trash this morning, I found a dime; 10 wedding programs, which I will use for scratch paper; 13 plastic cups, which I will wash thoroughly; and not one, not two, but THREE unused poop bags, all in different locations. I also came across a raspberry which I pointed out to my dog, who sniffed it and then peed on it!
1) I need to print some things for a fundraiser I’m running at the school. I’m going to the library because patrons get 25 free pages a day of printing, and it includes color printing, such a great perk!
2) Bought my daughter some sushi for lunch (from a better place, to make up for the disappointing sushi last week)She doesn’t eat the ginger it comes with so I added it to my Buddha bowl for an extra kick!
3) Started reading a book I’d bought at a used bookstore a few months ago, Diet for a Small Planet, it’s about the impact the standard American diet has on the environment, written awhile ago but still very relevant. I’ve read a lot about the health benefits of a plant based diet, so it’s interesting to also learn about the environmental benefits too.
4) Going on a run by my house later today for free exercise (it’s beautiful and sunny too, so free vitamin D as well, maybe a stretch but I’m counting it as frugal)
5) Took a bike ride to the beach yesterday with the kids. We packed snacks and water and brought a beach tent and beach toys we already own. A free outing that was a lot of fun.
I bought a copy of Diet for a Small Planet used in 1974. She converted me to vegetarianism, but the recipes suck.
Those potatoes look delicious!
I washed windows inside and out, the weather was perfect.
Does your needlepoint piano bench have storage?
I was given a red bud tree leftover from a landscaping project,
It is now planted on the fence row.
Took a bouquet of pussy willows, forsythia and daffodils to a neighbor who landed in a rehab center after falling off a barn roof.
1. Rescued broccoli that was going brown (and that partner paid way too much money for, in my opinion [he does not have the frugal gene]). Ate half for dinner and put the rest in the freezer for quiche. Also cooked off breakfast sausage (that I got on clearance, and that partner had thawed but didn't eat) which I'll also use for quiche. I needed 1/2 cup of cream for roast beef hash (leftover roast beef frozen since the holidays) and languishing potatoes (free from farm share), and quiche is recipe #2 to use cream.
2. I have Swedish meatballs in the freezer, which I was waiting to finish when I had some cream, so that will use up the rest of it. Cream is so expensive, and we drink our coffee black, so I like having a plan to use it up whenever I do buy some.
3. Signed up for 2 mystery shops at grocery stores this coming week, and then I was able to sign up for 2 different mystery shops at the SAME grocery stores, so I'll be able to "double dip." Thinking of you, Lindsey! In the end, I'll be able to get about $100 worth of groceries for free, although the sales aren't great for what we will use, which is disappointing.
4. Needed an oil change today, and was able to use a coupon. Declined the air filter as it is so much cheaper to replace myself, and it is something that I can easily do, unlike the oil change (I live in an urban area and do not have a driveway).
5. We were looking for an inexpensive get-away for a couple of days in April. We decided to go visit partner's parents (live in Mid-coast Maine). We can easily drive, bring our cats (saving the cost of pet sitter), free lodging (yay!), and there is enough things to do/see that we haven't yet done, that it will still feel like a mini-vacation. It also falls between all of our birthdays, so we'll take out the in-laws for dinner as a thank you, as well. All in, I think we'll spend about $350 for 3 nights, which will fit the budget, and I will try to make $150 in mystery shops before we go.
My 5 frugal “still recovering from surgery” things
1. I have been using my lazy time to do a lot of research on cabinet refinishing. We have old red oak cabinets that the internet feels I should rip out or paint, but I want to try retaining first. If I can’t get the color right, I will likely paint. We already replaced the counter tops and installed a backsplash ourselves, so the cabinets are staying.
2. My husband installed a water softener a few weeks ago, and has been life changing. My hair and skin don’t get as greasy, my shampoo works again, and I’ve been able to shower and do my hair less!
3. Picked up dishwasher tabs and a new hot wheels car for my little ones Easter basket from our BN group.
4. Cancelled amazon prime. I am certain we will spend less money, and want to support pretty much any other business anyway.
5. I needed new bathing suits that are appropriate for our community pools and toddler chasing. I was able to get two bottoms from aerie that match tops that still fit me, they cover up my recent surgery incisions and don’t risk anything falling out while chasing a young child. I rarely buy new but bathing suit bottoms I’m picky about, was happy to catch a sale and only buy bottoms.
FFT, Non-NDN1 Edition:
First, I'm over the moon to report that NDN1 is adjusting to assisted living better than I'd dared to hope. Ten days of properly dispensed meds, three square meals a day, and increased social interaction seem to have done wonders. She seems cheerful and is much more "with it" mentally.
I'll have a lot (believe me, A LOT) to say about the cleanout at NDN1's house as CF and I get on with this. But in the meantime, here's what I've got:
(1) Friends sent me a belated Xmas gift of Honeybell citrus from Harry & David. I shared it with the Bestest Neighbors and with CF.
(2) Another friend took me to dinner Thursday night at one of our local Indian restaurants. I've only just finished the leftovers!
(3) I went for a long walk Saturday morning and found $2.25 worth of deposit containers. The secrets of many snowdrifts are being revealed.
(4) I went to our Thrifty Shopper chain's boutique store near the party-school university today, since (a) this is the first day of spring break and the campus is pretty well deserted, and (b) parking at meters is free on Sundays. I found a pair of pants apiece for NDN1 and me, plus several other useful items.
(5) And I haven't presented a different reason every time I've been asked for a war in Iran I didn't start.
I'm happy to hear NDN1 seems to be thriving in her new digs. It must be a load off your mind although I know you still have quite the task ahead of you with the clean out of her house. She's fortunate to have a friend like you!
Can you tell me the name of the chain boutique? I know the school of which you speak. 😉
Stretchy things aren't that different to darn, and if the hole's larger you can use a bit of similar fabric to patch it. Smaller darns don't even have to be flexible, and if they're very small, you can just pinch it with a bit of fabric glue. Not as exciting as new, but still good.
1) Sometimes thrifting... sneaks up on you. My son and I are both celiac, and one of our favorite treats for tea is the GF madeleines at Trader Joe's, which are spendy for something so simple. I realized that we could make them even better and far more cheaply by doctoring the clearance cake mix in my stockpile, but the shape is part of the fun, and I don't have a madeleine pan. I could swear I've seen one on almost every thrift visit, but now that I'm looking, they're shy. Since I'm on a low-spend, no-aimless-thrifting project, it's a bit of a fail that I went for one $3 thing, but ended up
2) spending nearly $30 I hadn't planned to. At the bins, a pair of vintage Red Wing boots, an Eddie Bauer firewood carrier, a few more linen shirts, and a Fossil purse to sell, plus a king set of apparently new Pottery Barn organic percale sheets for us; at the main store, one shirt to sell, three for myself, and two bras, new with tags. I'm trying to replace all of my bras before summer at my preferred ten cents on the dollar price point, though, so that works.
3) I *did* plan to pick up some fabric samples to finish a couple of projects at the Reuse Center, which is now charging by weight. I found just the thing, plus a leather sample to use to repair the bins duffel, a large stash of Dharma Trading procion dye, an apparently new old stock stainless Klean Kanteen coffee thermos, and vintage wooden shoe lasts, all fantastic finds at $1/lb. I bought DH two Klean Kanteens 20+ years ago (through a co-op, natch, so half price) and they've held up incredibly well, but one is pretty dented and he's a very visual guy, so new is good, and the dented one will be backup when one's forgotten.
4) Made a third dinner with the saag base, this time with chicken from the BOGO sale. DH has also used it to make naan pizza for lunch. So delicious, and just enough left for eggs in the morning. I will absolutely be making this again any time we have a surfeit of greens, and bought a packet of whole garam masala mix to grind at home for best flavor.
5) I picked up a few crafty bits from Buy Nothing, including a project I'll take apart to use the silk ribbons on a welcome home gift for a friend, dropped off spices to a neighbor to save them a grocery trip, and didn't murder schoolgirls on the other side of the world for oil and distraction.
I cleaned/organized my backup pantry (closet in spare bedroom) - found a few items to donate to the local free pantry, and a few to donate to the thrift store. As Katy stated in her previous post - being organized is frugal as it keeps you from buying what you do not need!
Had an ebay sale, and shipped in recycled packaging.
A friend treated me to breakfast, had enough leftovers to make a few lunches.
Shopped my freezer and made chicken enchiladas with leftover rotisserie chicken and black beans & rice that I had in there.
Found a dime.
The usual auto-pilot items -- Upside for gas, bring my own lunch/coffee to work, bring a water bottle and snack when out for a day of errands.
If I wasn't 1500 miles from you, I would gladly pay $100 for that bench. I think you should give it some time and patience and the right buyer will come along.
Thanks, I was just on the edge of lowering the price.