Five Frugal Things -- Anne Frank & Free Blueberries
1. My friend Lise sent a text asking if I wanted to run a walking errand with her this afternoon. My answer, of course was "yes," as "running errands with a friend" is my first and second favorite way to socialize.
Her errand is not too far from a New Season's Market, so I grabbed a coupon off the front of the fridge for a free pint of blueberries with a $10 purchase. I'd already been thinking about doing a bangers and mash dinner, as we have potatoes that need to get used up. New Seasons makes their own sausages and they're worth paying up for.
2. I keep coming across this Anne Frank quote, which reminded me that's been at least twenty years since I read "The Diary of Anne Frank." I remedied this by going on the library website and putting the book on hold.
3. Today was our garbage and recycling pickup day, so I rolled our yard debris bin out from the backyard to the neighbor's house. We share the cost of pickup with our next door neighbors, which is a bit of extra effort as I have to walk an extra house width to put out our refuse. We still own a own yard debris bin leftover from when we had our own account, which is a bit of a pain to thump down the front steps, but the savings add up enough to soothe any annoyance with the process.
This saves both households $252 per year!
4. I was feeling really low energy yesterday and ended up doing pretty much nothing whatsoever. However, there isn't anything much more frugal than going nowhere and doing nothing. My husband made dinner and we both just took it easy.
5. I put a bunch of random books on hold at the library based on an Instagram stranger's recommendations. I filed this under "doing a favor for my future self."
I like to have huge pile of library books at all times.
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. Had some free entertainment yesterday by going to a neighboring community for an ICE Out demonstration. They needed the bodies and I had fun.
2. I stopped by a Bonne Volonté (Goodwill) on the way home and did not buy anything but had fun looking at all the weird, weird stuff that someone once bought and wished they hadn't.
3. Then my husband and I went for a walk in our local botanic garden. I plucked a couple of dried seedheads (the plant had a good 75, so my two were not a problem) and we'll see if we get any flowers next year.
4. Today I made two giant bread loaves. I'd gotten the flour on a pretty good sale, so the ingredients were about 1/2 of what *one* loaf of artisan bread would cost at our nearby grocery store. Add back 1/4 for electricity & water use, and my bread still cost way less than the grocery store bread.
5. Today I went back to the grocery store with a $10 off of $25 coupon and got a lot of organic chicken that I would not normally buy, but 40% is a whack of savings.
I stayed home and basically did nothing today, too. This winter is getting me down, though I have to admit that this week is much better than last week. I had big plans to get out and walk, but somehow it didn't happen.
It was laundry day. I did my sheets and towels and am enjoying the freshness.
I finished reading a library book and I am just ready to start another.
Three of today's meals were pulled from the freezer. No cooking, just warming.
I remembered to take out the garbage between laundry loads, thus saving myself an extra trip up and down three flights of stairs.
I gave myself a very basic pedicure so I won't wear holes in my socks.
Like I said, not much going on.
Doing errands with a friend is super special.
Started the day with technological catastrophe, causing me to be on constant phone calls for 4 hours. Granted, most of the time was listening to hold advertisements. Got a great deal of tax doc prep done, so that's positive.
Made a batch of lemon bars to add a little sunshine to the Monday of all Mondays. Can't wait for them to cool. Not frugal, just yummy.
Invited back door neighbor to tea on the back porch full of sunshine. She's on her way!
Started pea pod seeds to transplant by President's day.
I’ll have to look for the blueberry coupon. My husband has the bad habit of throwing out the New Seasons coupons since “we never shop there”.
1. I have dough rising for a pizza that will have random toppings from the fridge!
2. I’ve been clearing out junk drawer rubble and discovered $50 worth of balances on gift cards. I can use it to buy candy and ice cream in places like Wilsonville. I’ve written the balances on the front and put them in my stupid gift card trove. I think gift cards are horrible gifts!
3. I patched a pair of jeans that wore out in the crotch area. This is the first time a pair of my jeans wore out like this, and I wonder what’s different? I used some iron on patches I sourced from the bins.
4. I didn’t drive today or yesterday, and ran errands on foot.
5. I don’t have a clever joke about Trump because he isn’t funny anymore.
Found a winter coat in storage closet that didn’t fit my daughter but fits me. So warm.
Cooked large pork loin, large package of chk thighs, and many potatoes making enough for lunches and dinners for many days. Will make pork soup tomorrow with last bit of pork and random veg in the fridge.
Instead of buying a $5 pack of cookies I made double chocolate banana muffins. Also made gluten free corn bread from scratch.
Found oral surgeon who accepted our son’s Medicare to remove tooth costing only $334 which is frugal for that procedure.
Read 3 library books: The Correspondent, The Last Chance Library, and The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Kip. All excellent.
Snow everywhere and very cold here in Ohio.
My library hold list is always maxed out - libraries are fantastic.
1. We have as usual been eating all leftovers. Sunday dinner was a reheat meal - no cooking required.
2. I have a bag in my closet for collecting clothes only worth going to textile recycling. Not frugal for us except that it shows we got good value out of our purchases.
3. Walked to little corner market to buy a bag of carrots and only carrots. I usually succumb to the bakery bread (so good) and/or wine but not today.
4. I am building a habit of brushing the dog's teeth daily. He doesn't like it; I'm thinking of future vet bills!
5. We know we need to replace our water heater sooner rather than later and are doing our research to find the highest rated one that will fit in the space. Future me will be thankful we didn't wait to replace it after it failed and then not having the time to make careful decisions.
Necessity always makes a poor bargain. We bought our water heater (gas) during the Great Recession when a deal was to be found. Didn't have it installed right away. Do read up on draining your tank - better half doesn't completely drain it mind you. We have a well with a well filter which we change. Recent draining was clear so no sediment building up in the tank. We have a close by drain which makes it easier.
Reminds me I should check the life of a gas water heater - I'm looking to either replace or mark money for retirement expenses once I retire.
Yes, we are researching heat pump water heaters. The rebates are good, and ours is 26 years. But difficult decisions
1. Another day of cold and snow. I walked inside with a friend after work. Our school is large and there are 2 floors so it was a decent workout.
2. I did some meal prepping on Sunday with some good meat deals I found at the store. Today I am very grateful because I can tell I am getting sick. At least the next couple of days will be easy dinners.
3. When I got home I did all my immune boosting tricks. Drank a vitamin c drink, ate a grapefruit (for more vit c), took minced garlic and honey and drank hot tea.
4. I finished a library book and picked up 3 more that I had on hold. I also worked on a puzzle that I got second hand last summer.
5. Had my DS and girlfriend over for dinner and a game of euchre. It was a very relaxing and cheap weekend.
1. Had a long day at work but still went on my usual 4 mile walk. While walking I went past an Extended Stay Hotel. By the dumpster were 4 small upholstered benches. After my walk I took my car to retrieve 2 of them. They will make a useful seat to sit on when getting dressed. They are sturdy & the upholstery was in good condition. I will find a use for the 2nd bench. One of the cats was lounging on it when I last checked.
2. Went to Bath & Body works to redeem by b'day offer.
3. Went to a so-so pizza place to redeem a free bday offer. Not the greatest but the salad bar was pretty good.
4. Found around 2$ in change this past weekend.
5. Got a large iced coffee at McDonalds for 99 cents plus tax. An economical treat.
Frugal Fails: when driving home last week one of my windshield wipers flew off. Husband went to look for it but it had been run over. I had to buy a new one.
Had to buy a new dishwasher. Husband tried for a week to repair the one that broke. Finally gave up. It was 12 yrs old. Sometimes you have to replace things. (I did look on Craigslist for a free one but to no avail.) I hate washing dishes by hand!
I join the crowd who had a low energy weekend - definitely frugal being a slug. The local weather was frightful and dreary so that contributed to the malaise.
My husband made a “clean out the fridge” batch of soup that was delicious. I had oatmeal for dinner and it hit the spot. I did bundle up and take a walk in the late afternoon.
I too have maxed out my Libby holds and am slowly moving up the waiting lists.
I am learning to play American Mah Jongg which is proving to be fun and a nice way to be social. I have watched some great short helpful videos that explain the rules and found a terrific book at the library that has also been helpful.
I did some paperwork that I had been avoiding.
1. Made beef broth in the crock pot with neck bones and veggie scraps. It smells “weird” so I’ll give it a taste test tomorrow before making soup. lol
2. Took some canned goods to a local little free pantry and traded them for three containers of cut up fresh fruit! I was able to check fresh fruit off my shopping list!
2. Found 3 pair of the military pants my daughter likes at the thrift store. Looked never worn. 6.99 each.
3. Made ham and cheese quiche all from ingredients on hand with enough ham leftover for dinner tomorrow.
4. Had my dishwasher repaired no cost, under warranty
5. Coming back from errands I found a metal folding three panel room screen. Not sure if I’m keeping it or selling it. While loading it in the car I also found a clean trash can with flip lid.
1. We took a drive up to Wildlife Safari in Winston and used our first set of passes that we got from Groupon. We did have to pay separately for the train ride ($15), but it was a beautiful day and our kiddos were THRILLED with the experience, and we had already budgeted for it.
2. We brought our own drinks, lunch, and snacks, and used their outdoor tables to eat before walking around and then driving the park. We still have probably half of our snacks left and 1 sunbutter sandwich.
3. We had filled up the car while we were doing errands yesterday and when we drove past the same gas station today it had gone up from $2.86 to $3.05! Thanks, past self.
4. We did fill up again today, our '08 Prius doesn't like the freeway, but were able to get back to a full tank for about $14.
5. Dinner tonight was pancakes and yogurt. We normally have eggs with our pancakes but were too tired to also make eggs. Not eggs-actly a lot of savings, but I think I'll use the extra eggs to make some mini quiches and use some of the spinach in my freezer. I think it's breeding in there, I don't remember how I came to own FIVE bags of spinach and am determined to use it up.
1. I wrote out and mailed notes to each of my state's senators in Washington thanking them for their hard work protecting democracy for us all. I got their addresses online.
2. DH and I had our second meal tonight from our 6 pound chicken. We had eaten all the mashed potatoes last night so DH suggested we put the chicken and gravy over the leftover stuffing. Delicious along with the butternut squash and cranberry sauce. Tomorrow I'll be making a chicken soup from what's left of it.
3. I woke up with a painful lower back so spent the morning on the heating pad. Although I felt better in the afternoon, I made myself stay in and take it easy as to not reignite the pain. Frugal in that I didn't step foot outside.
4. I got an email from the library a book I put on hold was in. I'll pick it up while batching errands tomorrow.
5. We finished the homemade pumpkin pie after dinner tonight. I said to DH: "This stuff tastes like Thanksgiving." A nice memory.
Theres a free phone app 5 calls that I use to call my US representatives about issues I care about its so handy!
Also I sign online petitions at http://www.EveryLibrary.org to protect my right to read and library funding. I do ignore the requests for $ since I am on a fixed income but I also call my representatives to ask them to support library funding instead.
Katy, I read her diary in high school and it left an indelible mark on me. I reread it every couple of years.
I'm feeling as bummed-out and draggy as many of the rest of you, for what I'm sure are similar reasons. And I don't think I have FFT this week. (I feel I've reached the statute of limitations on "bundling up, chowing down, and staying home.")
But I do have a question for the Commentariat (which I've just posted on The Frugal Girl as well) about a frugal fail: I made a batch of cornbread over the weekend that disintegrated on its way out of the pan, for whatever reason. (I was using a new-to-me brand of corn meal and a bigger-than-usual cast iron skillet, both of which may have had something to do with it.)
Anyway, I'm trying to think of something to do with the cornbread crumbles. Apart from cornbread stuffing (the holidays are over, folks) and some sort of breakfast casserole (all the online recipes I've found for these sound like death on a plate), I'm not coming up with ideas. Suggestions are welcome.
Maybe give the crumbles the crouton treatment? Toss with some olive oil, spread out on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 until you have some crunchies to top salads and soups.
I recommend using them like you would bread crumbs or sprinkle on chili instead of crackers.
My grandfather loved cornmeal mush made with buttermilk. I think I would make little fried corn cakes or fritters. Mix some buttermilk and an egg, add the crumbles and some baking powder and maybe some corn kernels then drop spoonfuls in butter to fry, flip and fry the other side. Drizzle with honey.
If you enjoy chili (and living where you do in the winter you are having), how can you not love chili right now? What about freezing the crumbles to use when you have chili or beans, or bean soup?
Also feeling those winter and *whatever we're calling this dystopian timeline we're living in* blues. But trying to look for the glimmers. I have a dear friend coming to town this weekend, so I am looking forward to that. And the full moon was reallllly pretty Sunday night. Ok, here is what I have:
1. A coworker suggested we go out to lunch today. I have some meetings, and want to save money, so I suggested we stay on campus. That way she can grab something from the dining hall and I'll eat the salad I've packed for myself.
2. Healthy, made at home smoothie for breakfast (my go-to breakfast that makes sure I get some veggies and fruit every day, no matter what else happens).
3. My partner and I were going to get my brother hockey tickets for his birthday, but his partner already got him some! So I got him a knife sharpening, which is something he's wanted, is incredibly useful, and ended up being cheaper than the tickets.
4. Leftovers for dinner tonight.
5. Did a free strength training workout this morning, using weights I'd bought on FB marketplace a few years ago.
1. Tossed two pairs of old sweatpants into the textile recycling pile. They are too tight and, even before the fitting problem, I blew out the knees in both and have repaired them countless times. Satisfying to have them worn out.
2. I wear sweats/joggers every day that I work from home, so I replaced them with two pairs from a facebook swap group, avoiding buying new and saving money.
3. Put together a list and managed to get about 80% of it at local discount stores instead of buying from Mr. Amazon himself. I ended up having to put in an order for a few things that simply are not in stock nearby (special kind of deodorant; silicone water bottle), but significantly reduced my purchases and costs.
4. I am on the hunt for a new ski/hike backpack as mine is reaching the end of its life. I can keep it going with using a few other items as well, but needed one size larger to start backcountry touring. Pulled a cotopaxi backpack I got from a free pile (!) last year out and it will do the trick!
5. Using my candle warmer to get the last bit of fragrance out of a favorite brand. Consistently grateful that I nabbed this thing to keep my candles in rotation longer AND warm my coffee when needed 🙂
1. I received a few freebies recently: 4 pair of readers (2 for hubby & 2 for me), a pocket calendar (i keep track of paying my bills this way), a bag of ground coffee that my hubby and I like (from a co-worker), a Shapermint bra (brand new with tags in my size).
2. I used a coupon on my haircut, saving me $9
3. A resident in our township gifted me a bag of sponge candy when he stopped into our office. A nice surprise!
4. I did an inventory of our multiple freezers and am making a plan to use that food and shop minimally for months until we make a big dent in it.
5. I returned a few items online from Christmas and am waiting on the credits.
I mad art with supplies already on hand. A nice way to spend a morning at home with my own home brewed coffee!! Am taking some art classes on zoom, from a course that I WON in a contest at a facebook page last year, you get free access to the whole $150 multi-class package course forever!!
Took walks with husband in local park for our exercise.
Have decided,with. dear husband, that we want to eat MOSTLY plant based.This means the meat and fish I have in freezer will last longer, and oveall grocery bill will drop as we will eat more beans lentils, legumes, whole grains,potatoes,rice, all great bargain “BIN” foods I can purchase at winco.I get a farm box delivery every 2 weeks, for $40 filled with organic produce. AND lowering health costs by being as healthy as we can be is frugal too!!
I keep reminding myself of my overall commitment to frugality and the idea of “enough.” I am grossed out by overconsumption even more so,lately and am enjoying simplifying even more,wherever I can.
Keeping my gratitude journal really reminds me of my much I SAVOR the “small things..” First hot cup of strong coffee in the morning, deep meditations in the dark living room before everyone else gets up, good soup in refrig for lunch, many books in a “to be read pile.”!! When you are easier to please, life is much more “full” of goodness!!