Five Frugal Things -- A Cheap Date
1) To learn that I am a "cheap date" should surprise absolutely no one on this great green earth. Yesterday was yucky hot in Portland, (97 degrees Fahrenheit!) so my husband and I decided to get out of the house.
Did we go to the movies? Nope! We went to Ikea.
My choice -- a $1.40 fully loaded veggie hotdog, which I bought at the downstairs kiosk and carried to their upstairs "Swedish Restaurant and Bistro." My husband? Less of a cheap date. He chose a meatball platter, which set him back a whopping $9.99. At least there's no tipping.
2) My beverage was a freebie iced coffee, as coffee and tea are always free when you scan your Ikea Family card. I brought an insulated travel mug from home for this express purpose.
Free ice + free coffee + free milk + free sugar = a halfway decent iced coffee.
3) As always I had my trusty deck of cards, so my husband and I played three hands of gin rummy. You can see that he also enjoyed an iced coffee, although he didn't think to bring a travel mug.
It would be a total dick move to play cards for an extended period of time in a normal restaurant, but Ikea is far from a "normal restaurant." Plus, there were dozens of empty tables.
My husband absolutely obliterated me in gin rummy, which destroyed my ego. I might not be as smart as I think I am.
4) I noticed this signage about their Buy Back Program on our way out and took a photo to do some later research. I'm constantly finding abandoned Ikea furniture on Portland's curbs, and it would be simple to start picking it up to sell back to Ikea.
Unfortunately they don't accept broken down furniture, which is a shame as it would be enjoyable to make them take responsibility for some of their lower quality items that are designed for the landfill.
It does seem to be a simple process though and even a "lightly scratched" Lack side table, (the most common abandoned Ikea item in my area) can earn you six bucks!
Here are the guidelines:
I'll give this a try and report back.
5) The last leg of our "cheap date" was to stop into the nearby Costco to grab a couple items. Of course we enjoyed some tapas to round out our gourmet adventures.
Are you a cheap date? I love figuring out free and almost free things to do about town. Often they're outdoors activities, but a 97 degree day called for some creativity.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
My DH is going through a cancer "journey" so we are looking for field trips that he can enjoy from the passenger seat of the car. Today we are heading to a venue with lavender fields in a small town nearby. No cost to us if we don't buy anything in the gift shop. We've been playing a lot of Rummikub, eating leftovers, and I read library books and old magazines while he naps. One day at a time! Your posts are a highlight.
Sending healing thoughts to your husband. What a lovely idea to find adventures that he can enjoy from the passenger seat.
Thank you!
I second this. Lesley, I'm sorry you and your husband are on a journey that no one wants to be on. The lavender fields sound lovely.
Positive thoughts are being sent your way for strength for both of you during your husband's journey and you who are "traveling" alongside him.
Sadly, we don’t live close enough to IKEA to take advantage of it. And, in all fairness, we do have AC.
Several years ago, before they remodeled our Fred Meyer to increase the aisle space to allow for the online shopper carts to traverse side-by-side, the furniture section ended up towards the back of the store in a not frequently traveled section. I was on my way to the garden section, when I noticed a lady (not an employee) calmly sitting on one of the couches, drinking her fountain drink (from Fred Meyer), and reading a book. At the time, I hoped she didn’t spill! And, she wasn’t on a phone. Perhaps, the book was from Fred Meyer, too. Who knows!
We love a cheap date in our house. Usually it involves bringing our own snacks or combining errands with a little treat (with or without the kids). Today we had a "family date" and walked with the kids from where we are staying at (on vacation in Europe) to a bakery and then next doors to a cafe for a loaf of bread, a donut for each of the kids, an eclair for my husband, and then he and I each got a cappuccino. It was probably the best coffee I've ever had!
We sat at a small table in the shade and people watched and admired the architecture for a while. We then walked to a package pickup location before heading back to our (very quirky) rented apartment. We brought drinks for the kids in our bag and when we got home I had a snack since the bakery didn't have any dairy free pastries and the cafe had already sold out of their vegan item. I made a pb sandwich out of the bread we bought and it was delicious.
It's the little things in life.
1. Our library has free lunches for kids during the summer, so my kids enjoyed make-your-own pizzas, carrots, apples, and milk.
2. Afterwards my kids played at the library and I got to read my new book for an hour, uninterrupted! It's called "The Amish Greenhouse Mysteries." I picked it up at the local pharmacy, as it was sitting in a pile under a sign that said "Take as many as you want." They were all books the employees had read and wanted to share with others. I took a few books!
3. I hung the wash outside to dry and made it home in time to save it from the rainstorm.
4. I am currently doing one of my favorite things- snuggling under a blanket and listening to the rain.
5. My friends bought a new vacuum and are bringing me their old (but perfectly good!) one tonight. I needed one so this is a blessing. They won't accept money, so I'm feeding them dessert when they come by.
What a resourceful mother you are! I love how you take your kids "out for lunch" at the library and then give them some playtime while there. What better place for kids to be than the library.
We also are having 90 degree weather here in Central Texas; we consider that cooler than normal! Folks here have AC and if they don't, lots of them visit the public library all afternoon.
1. I found the giant print study Bible I wanted on eBay, and I got free shipping. Thanks to Central Calif. Artist Jana on Frugal Girl's blog for suggesting eBay. Although it's a used book, I paid only $34 for a Bible that originally sells for $100 or so. (Much better than the $27 offer on Amazon, where the third-party seller wanted to slap me with a $73 shipping charge; I wonder if he planned to deliver it via a limousine, a Rolls Royce at that. What am I, a Rockefeller?)
2. Telephoned the IRS and at long last got a real live intelligent human being on the phone. Mrs. Garcia in West Virginia. She could not have been any nicer or more helpful! Turns out the amended return has not yet been processed, and she fixed it so my required payment is delayed until it is. So I don't have to write out the big fat check, at least not yet. Might not have to pay it at all because the amended return just might be approved. Thank you, Mrs. G.! (But... Before I got her on the phone, I wanted to throw something at their AI robot call answering system; it was totally horrendous.)
3. Thought Snuggles had eaten a cardboard container from a microwave supper last night. Very happy to report he only hid it under the kitchen table! No vet bills, no sick puppy-dog. And he ate his (leftover Shepherd's pie residue) supper!
4. Got some old dried coffee grounds and sprinkled them over the roses; put the coffee filter in the yard waste recycling can.
5. Hardboiled some of those 89 cents a dozen eggs in the microwave => no heated up kitchen, deviled eggs for snacks.
I have noticed over the years that when you actually get a person at the IRS they are inevitably friendly and helpful.
West Virginians have a reputation for being friendly - I am glad you were on the receiving end of our niceness!
@Fru-Gal Lisa Fingers crossed you don't have to pay the IRS!!!
1. I truly miss the free concerts in the park we had when we lived in Southern California. I’ve yet to find anything near us in Central Oklahoma.
2. We are enjoying watching tv outside under the pergola we had built a couple of months ago
3. As I work a part time job it’s hard for us to take advantage of actual bargain movies at the theater
I am looking forward to your report on the IKEA sellback.
1. We made our most recent outing cheaper by only buying movie tickets and no concessions. We live in a small town and to see a movie in 3-D is $8.75 each so not terrible for two of us. We saw the Mandalorian movie and enjoyed it.
2. I placed an order for vitamins with iHerb using Rakuten (10% back), on a credit card that had an offer (10%), and because I ordered $60 worth, I got 10% off the top of the order. I'm very happy with my 30% off total.
3. I went by the library today and picked up a book for myself and one for my husband. I got the 2nd Thursday Murder Club book and my husband got the newest Dresden Files novella.
4. At Kroger I was able to get maitake mushrooms and orange bell peppers on clearance. The mushrooms will go in a greens dish I'm making today and the peppers will be chopped and frozen for future chili. I also saw my husband's Private Selections tea bags were 50% off so I bought the last 3 boxes they had and will hope they are just changing the box design and not discontinuing the product.
5. I used GoodRx to get a med that's not covered under insurance for about 35% off. It's still expensive, but I'm glad for the discount. Btw, if anyone has thought of using Cost Plus Drugs (the Mark Cuban company) but thinks it must not be real because it's so much cheaper, it is legit. My mom needed a cancer drug, the VA said nope they wouldn't cover it, and the cash price for one month was $19,000. (Not a typo.) At Cost Plus she got it for $300. Exact same medication. (My husband is a clinical pharmacist and is appalled just like everyone else at the prices of meds.)
Mark Cuban gets my nomination for sainthood bc of his Rx plan!
I got a callback from a different Astound employee and finished the arrangement to switch over to them for wifi from Xfinity. It will be so much cheaper. And I will get free installation and a $200 gift card. I don't think I will miss cable too much.
I slept very poorly last night, but I pulled myself together enough this morning to drop off an eBay package to the post office. I found a free parking place, too.
In the alley (our version of the free pile) I found two sofa pillows which I will probably donate, a vinyl picnic blanket, some remodeling hardware (brackets?), unused in the bag, and a vinyl tote bag big enough to tote laundry.
The weather continues to be cool enough to leave the air conditioners off, always a win at this time of the year. Looks like a storm is brewing, so a free car wash is in the offing
My grandson has returned from his West Coast college. I was pleased to learn that the belongings he couldn't fly home, he donated to a program that allows incoming students to shop for free.
What a nice thing for your grandson to do! I'm sure the items he donated will be very much appreciated by the next group of students.
Yes, I'm proud of him!
I love Costco for a cheap date.
Hit day frugal entertainment is challenging.
We go hiking/fishing & pack a picnic
Going to a large library. Exploring new releases.
Botanical gardens
Photography with subject prompts. We do this as a family.
Pioneer Living. No electricity.
Test drive a fun car.
My favorite is detailing the car together. Get wet, have fun and have a clean vehicle at the end.
Would you rather Jenga (we wrote questions on each stick)
Bowling or Darts.
Corn hole in the shade
I have taken curb picked items to Ikea for the sell back program and it was super easy. Sadly we don't have an Ikea close by, so I have to plan my trip more carefully.
1. Cut a massive amount of Kale. Added veggie fertilizer and free compost to my tomato plants. I have a few ripe tomatoes already, which is a full 2 weeks earlier than I've ever experienced.
2. I attended yet another appointment with my mother, but by video, saving me a total of 4 hours and a lot of gas.
3. Friend gave me tomato and corn salad, and some dates. So yummy.
4. Enjoying the World Cup with my free trial of Youtube TV. I have 2 different school email addresses so I'll sign up for another free trial once this one is over.
Kara, you are the kale queen! It’s fun to trad about everyone’s gardens. I should try potted plants on lanai that receives less sun.
Oops…read about
One of my favorite dates is to gather books from my house that I no longer want, and my hubby drives me around to all the little free libraries in our town.
I recently had a positive IKEA experience. My IKEA coffee table is about 18 years old. It has two shelves, and the lower shelf came loose - the bolt (holding the shelf to the leg) had snapped. I looked for the part on their website, ordered the missing piece, and it was mailed to me promptly without charge - not even shipping. I was pleased with how easy it was.
When DH and I were first married, we lived in Georgia in an unairconditioned cabin. On the hottest days, we'd go to the mall and walk around slowly for a couple of hours, and sometimes get a scoop of ice cream.
Today I stayed home and cleaned my house because maintenance is frugal. Trimmed up the vines on back fence that give us a free privacy screen in the summer so that they look tidy. Ate a serving of homemade chicken-black bean soup from the freezer for lunch that was made with homemade stock. Did laundry before 3 pm when the residential kilowatt rate goes up - it almost doubles from 3 to 9 pm. Line-dried all the dusting rags and reusable mop pads from cleaning. Found the next book for book club free online.
A small town near us has a free summer concert series. They have a free concert every Friday night. It's so great. You just bring your chairs. It's on the river so there's usually a nice breeze. It's also right next to a local brewery. We have already been to one, and have plans to attend 3 or 4 more. We always invite friends and family to tag a long. The more the merrier.
I would totally do the vegan hot dog for $1.40!
1. My ex husband and I are both equally cheap. Our idea of fun is eating peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches with a 2 liter Publix ginger ale, chips and apples from Aldi for lunch. We have a mutually mooching relationship regarding food, office supplies now that I am back in private practice and so is he although we don’t practice together, etc. We buy office supplies and split between us so as to save $$$$. I also have been answering the phone for him since he is between having office help. In turn I get to use his WiFi, air conditioning, etc.
2. Along the same lines we walked in the neighborhood around his office and in the nearby park for exercise.
3. I did not mow my grass this week before the rains cementing so deemed it unnecessary. So I saved on gas there.
4. Gas is now $3.23 a gallon in the University town so I fill up there rather than where I actually live where it is still $4.00’a gallon. Ugh.
5. The twins have cooled things down significantly so windows are up and the air is off!
I am going to quit typing on this phone and start using the laptop… lol
1) Repaired a chipped watch clasp with matching fingernail polish bought on sale.
2) Took advantage of the two cool days in the past week by turning off the AC and walking to the nearby pharmacy. I filled up the clothesline on the one breezy day.
3) Combined Fetch & Ibotta rewards to get some great deals on groceries and a baby shower gift. Did not fall into the trap of buying items just to use the apps.
4) Realized due to another poster that my car's registration was expired! Got online and renewed it for two years with minimal fees. Tickets are not frugal.
5) Really craved pizza for dinner. Not the $4 frozen pizza in the freezer, but Dominos. Reminded self that I cooked a lot of food this weekend for meal prep. Banged a bunch of leftovers and tiny garden onion into a fake Chipotle-ish thing that was so delicious I promptly banged the rest of the ingredients into a travel bowl to take for lunch tomorrow. I put the bowl and some fruit in a bag in the fridge so that all I have to do is grab it in the morning.
Bonus: snuggles from my sweet pets who are exhausted from letting themselves outside to frolic in the yard unsupervised for an hour. They know they've been naughty and are remorseful but undaunted.
I had no idea IKEA bought back items. Pretty cool.
1. With my ExtraCare coupons and rewards, I saved $27.41 at CVS today, a whopping 88%. Aveeno bodywash ( doctor's orders ), Suave hairspray and a 52 pack of CVS pads for $3.66.
2. I worked a three hour shift at my old job for someone who had to leave early for an appointment. Extra $$$ is always welcome.
3. A friend gave me a copy of Henry by Katrina Shawver, a champion swimmer who was imprisoned in Auschwitz and Buchenwald as a Polish political prisoner. She told me to pass it on after I finish it. I will read it as soon as I finish The Women.
4. I made nachos for dinner, our meatless meal of the week.
5. I found a beautiful table runner made in Sweden in with my tablecloths that I had forgotten about. After ironing it, I decided to use it as a covering for a bench I have in my front hall. It fits perfectly.
An electric fan makes a nice housewarming, shower, or wedding present. (Or housecooling).
1. I too went to Ikea this past Monday. I got a child's plate of Swedish meatballs & 2 sides for $4.99. I am trying to lose weight & the child's plate was enough. I had a mug of hot tea which was free. I got a plant based hot dog w/ sauerkraut to take home for the next day's meal. It was just ok. They were out of veggie dogs so those must taste better.
2. I looked around the store but did not buy anything. Wandering thru the maze that is Ikea is a good way to get some steps in via the a/c comfort.
3. I brought my insulated mug which I filled w/ brewed tea & ice to make an ice tea.
4. I earned enough points with Dunkin Extra to get a $10 GC. I added this to my Dunkin app to get a treat occasionally. If you order on Monday in the app, you earn an additional 150 points.
5. I think I earned some Ikea points from my kid's meal. It takes a few days to get the points added. You can get some free food items w/ a small number of points.
Very bad experiences at Grocery Outlet and Dollar Tree, which are next door to each other. I was in line at Dollar Tree and two 16(?) year old girls came running in with their barking dog and open bottles of water. They stated screaming and racing around the store while throwing water at each other! One of the girls threw her bottle, it exploded on the floor and drenched my legs! The seemingly unconcerned manager cleaned up the water mess on the floor. I couldn’t believe it! Next at Grocery Outlet, we were just up to the cash register when the bottom of the bag of sugar I was buying started leaking sugar. I asked the cashier if she had a paper or plastic bag behind the counter I could transfer it to. Just shook her head ‘no’ and seemed very unfriendly. I think these places have lost a customer:(
On the good side of life - we went for a wonderful hike in the forest and out to dinner at a very inexpensive pizza place. Really outrageous pizza for a $20 dinner.
I am jealous of people who live in places where gas is $3 something. Yesterday I counted three stations with gas for $6.19!
Very excited that a new Ikea that is easy driving distance for me will open tomorrow in Chantilly, VA! Finally a store that doesn't require hours in traffic!
Lesley sending healing thought to your husband and strength to you. Cancer is a family disease and all must be cared for in his or her ways.
For those of us who live in rural areas we are living through your Ikea visits. Have never been I believe closest one is around 6 or 7 hours away. We don't have access to most of the places that I read about but frankly that is fine by me.
Laundry is underway and will be hung out. Coffee made here and enjoyed without a hefty price tag. When we travel we do seek out local shops.
Parking car and staying home most days. That helps.
Waited 6 hours for a marketplace person to appear who never did so I ended up blocking her. Enough already. Ebay has been slow.
Our grandaughters are visiting next week and I already have bins full of fun things to do and a list of things to do as well. We are near a lake that will give them countless hours of fun. I also reserved tickets from our library for the children's museum and free bowling. Should be fun.
We don't have air or heat pumps. It only gets hot here a couple of times a summer so no need.
Hooray for finding a cool spot to hang out and enjoy each other's company for part of a hot day.
1. We got hang out with both sons, DILs and grandchildren last night. Dinner for 8 was prepped ahead and not too pricey. A make your own salad bar with sautéed chicken strips, hard cooked egg slices and cheese for protein. Lots of veggies, garlic bread and little chocolate biscotti from Trader Joe's for dessert. It was great to have it all prepped in advance.
2. I am thawing homemade pumpkin pecan and cherry almond muffins as I write. One son & DIL are visiting town so these help with snacks.
3. I was invited by a friend to see a live show at a local theater tonight. She was given two tickets from a friend who couldn't use them. We will take BART to avoid parking fees and driving.
4. My cleaning efforts paid off - the freshly scrubbed patio and front porch are looking good.
5. Inadvertent money saving: the dog groomer was ill on appointment day so we had to wait 3 weeks for another appointment. Pup is very fluffy but we saved a bit by the increased time between haircuts. Pets are not frugal but the return on investment is great.
I am a VERY cheap date. We went to Applebees for dinner last night because 1. I had $15 in Fetch gift cards to that restaurant and 2. Upside was giving 23% back to that restaurant. And love a good $1.50 Costco hotdog and soda.