Five Frugal Things -- Black Eyed Peas & Butternut Squash
1. I took New Year's Eve as a prompt to cook up some black eyed peas. Luckily I have an infinite free supply from my friend Lise, who panic bought a bulk tub at the beginning of the pandemic.
Here's how I prepped them:
I used my Instant Pot to cook the peas, adding nothing more than salt, bay leaves and water. I then pushed the "beans" button, which sets the pressure cooker to 18 minutes. (I love me a dumbed down process!) Then I dumped out a frozen container of chopped sautéed onions, (thank you, previous me!) and leftover cooked bacon into a pan; adding the cooked peas, a hearty sprinkle of my $1.57 bottle of Newman's Own steak seasoning, water and a spoon of bouillon paste.
I didn't have collard greens to complete the traditional good luck meal, but served it over leftover rice, which completed the perfect bowl of comfort food!
2. I picked up a $2.49 butternut squash from Trader Joe's, as their heavy produce is charged per item instead of by-the-pound. The organic ones were heftier than their conventionally grown counterparts, yet only 50¢ more.
This is why frugal me buys her cauliflower, cabbage and butternut squash from nearby Trader Joe's.
3. I stopped by my mother's house and came away with a few items to donate to Goodwill. (I was already donating my own items on the way home.) I made sure to grab a receipt for my taxes, which'll include my mother's donations.
4. I returned a couple of library books and checked out my holds. I currently have ten library books on loan, which works for me as I consider it my personal mini-library, which I then browse for whichever book best matches my mood. For free.
My own bespoke library.
5. I sold a pair of adorable Garnet Hill flannel pillow cases on eBay for $20.
Click HERE to see the listing.
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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This blog post contains an eBay referral link.
The Insta-pot really does make beans easy!
1. Turns out we don't need a router I purchased, and it can be returned, so I am kicking off the New Year $30 to the good.
2. I purchased the family meal lasagna from Olive Garden to service for New Year's Eve. It serves 12 and came with two salads and 24 bread sticks. It cost $106 after tip, but it was cheaper than eating at a restaurant, and unfortunately my oven quit working on Christmas day, and we are waiting on a part to fix it. There was a lot left over so I sent some home with guests, and we have enough for 3 or 4 meals for ourselves.
3. My eBay auction item is up to $102.50 with 3 days to go. I used my google lens to go through some books I was decluttering and this one showed a similar one had sold for $550 There is one on Etsy for $90 so....who knows.
4. Stayed home New Year's Day and decluttered so miscellaneous. Forced myself to list 4 items. Two on eBay and two on Posh.
5. Going to visit a couple we are friends with this weekend. We were going to pick up lunch, but decided to make butternut squash soup and a fresh loaf of bread to take instead. The wife is getting chemo and the husband is on dialysis and don't get out much, and we wanted to treat them to a healthy meal and a stress free visit.
Wow. Not only do you sell Christmas sweaters, but also you sell Christmas sweater themed pillowcases! They really are adorable.
I never eat collard greens. I serve my black eyed peas with spinach or kale. As long as it’s green, I’m happy.
Squash and melons are examples of things that are NOT cheaper at Winco. Hooray for Trader Joe’s!
1. We walked at the beach for our New Year's Day fun.
2. I finished 5 photo books yesterday, only 12 hours before my great coupon expired. I should have worked on these throughout the year, but I didn't. They are done and ordered and I feel good about that accomplishment in 2025. I have a complicated history with memory items, so this purchase was carefully considered and a necessity for me.
3. My intention for 2026 is to buy what I need, and to use the nice stuff. I am a chronic under-buyer and it makes life hard sometimes.
4. I bleached my white tea towels, cleaned out a kitchen cupboard, wiped out the inside of my medicine cabinet, set the rocking chair out in the garage (got for free and only used when a nursing baby is staying in the house) and brought in an antique chair I inherited from my aunt. I like a fresh start!
5. Dinner tonight was going to be take-out, but I've figured out a decent meal with what we have.
6. I order gifts for relatives in England from the dreaded A. I had asked for a refund of the one month prime membership and was told yes. However, the refund did not appear in my account. So I messaged again today and that is supposedly coming. It saves me $60 in shipping to order the 3 England gifts from A. At least I cancelled the one month of prime promptly so I could get it refunded.
7. Our daughter turned 26 and dropped off our health insurance. She is full time employed with equal benefits so that is a relief. Our premium did not go down to what it should have, so my husband has already emailed payroll about that. It pays to keep a close eye on these things.
You have leftover cooked bacon!?!?!?! Mind boggled.
I kind of forgot about it.
1. With sales & a promotion for $30 off grocery pick-up, I managed to get some groceries for $38 rather than $124! This included 1.5 lbs of short ribs, but the store only charged me for 0.81 lbs, so after all discounts, etc, I got them for $3 per pound.
2. While picking up the groceries, I need to run in & see if they had discounted meat, and I grabbed 5 additional receipts for Fetch. Sadly, they were all only 25 points, but still 125 extra points on Fetch.
3. We were invited to a friend's house for a raclette party for NYE. I was on dessert, so I made gingerbread, using free molasses (from a mystery shop a couple of years ago), on sale butter, flour, etc. I think it might have cost me $3? I made an extra for my in-laws, since they had brought some homemade Christmas cookies to serve with the ice cream that I had served for dinner while they were visiting (see #5). I topped them with the marmalade that my MIL had made and brought, too.
4. I brought a hostess gift - a regifted panettone and a jar of honey that we got free from an extra CSA that wasn't picked up. So that cost nothing (reused gift bag & tissue paper, even).
5. My in-laws came to stay with us for 2 nights. I ended up not going to the JFK library (insomnia, so I stayed home and slept but partner used discount pass from tge library), so that saved money (and I've been before) and they bought us lunch. I made a nice roast beef dinner one night, and we went out for a great dinner one night, which wasn't frugal, but I think I still ended up ahead! We also snagged free on-street parking, which was great as we thought we would have to use a lot @$20.
I love Trader Joe’s for that reason!
1. I’m made a cake for a New Year’s party using a cake mix and frosting that I bought for 99¢ each. I also used up the rest of my carton of egg whites. My husband made his signature sweet chex mix as well.
2. I shoveled my whole driveway and got some free exercise out of it.
3. I decluttered my kitchen junk drawer.
4. I went through my email and unsubscribed to all the junk emails I was getting.
5. My husband and I signed up for a 7 day free trial of Apple TV and watched The Lost bus based on the true story of the bus driver and teacher that saved 22 kids from the Paradise Fire in California. It was a very good movie.
I salute you for shoveling your whole driveway. If I'd tried to do that with the 2 feet of snow we got on Tuesday, I'd probably be in the morgue by now. (This snow made the NYT and other national news.) Thank goodness for "King James," my winter snow and summer yard guy. I've discovered that he loves garlic, so I keep him supplied with my homegrown garlic to help him keep his strength up (he claims!).
Thanks for the reminder to soak some beans tonight. They are already started. I don't have an instapot and I often remember that I wanted to start some beans when it's too late....not tonight! Thank you, Katy. Cold, rainy weather goes really well with a pot of beans. Some time back my daughter gave me a package of little smoked sausages. They went into the freezer. I probably thought I'd use them for an appetizer, but I haven't. Now I know that they are going to be the perfect savory note to add to my beans.
Last night after work, I came home and saw that instead of news, all the TV stations were doing NYE music programs. Wasn't in the mood to hear it all. So I went to bed, very tired. Mr. Snuggly Wuggly Dog sleeps in my room on the floor and he plopped himself really near the bed last night. Suddenly we heard a loud bang -- the pyrotechnic maniacs on our block popped a loud firecracker -- and I found myself with a very frightened 51-pound Rottweiler on my stomach. Poor Snuggles!
Got up and turned on all the outside lights, so that the firecracker fools will go to the other side of their property, where it's darker, to do their fireworks. Which, BTW, are illegal in our city -- but that never stops them. The cops are too busy chasing down drunken drivers and handling bar-room brawls to mess with fireworks complaints.
I own 3 CD players and not a one of them worked. I wanted to play them during the holidays. My visiting friend had tried to hook them up for me, and even she couldn't get them working. So while looking for post-holiday sales, I bought another one -- an inexpensive hot pink one that's obviously designed for pre-adolescent girls. I got it working, and enjoyed my Christmas CD this evening....better late than never, I suppose. It has built-in speakers, and I'm sure no stereo enthusiast would consider it suitable for anyone older than middle school age. But when you have constant tinnitus from working in call centers during the Great Recession, you can't really appreciate good stereo anyway. I'm playing The Essential Simon & Garfunkle right now, and also dusted off several Beatles CDs.
Tell me if this is a frugal fail or not: several years ago, I wanted a king-sized bed. So I bought one off of craigslist. Instead of the traditional brass bed, I got an IKEA white metal bed from a guy who was moving out of state. It had antique-looking curly q's on the headboard and footboard. But it was too stark white for my antique bedroom furniture. So I took off the four bedknobs and spray-painted them antique gold to match some antique light fixture trim and the metal in the ceiling fan. The painted bedknokbs looked great, toned down the too-modern start whiteness -- but the paint comes off, and I'm tired of constantly having to touch them up. Back then, I also got some gold curtain rods with ornate gold finials (end caps). Last week, I got a great idea while trying to replace the draperies: I screwed in the finials into where the bedknobs were supposed to be. Lucky me, they fit perfectly! It looks even better than what I had! So I need 4 more, in order to replace the pole ends on the curtain rods and still have enough for all 4 bedknobs. I thought I'd bought the finials at Walmart. Went there today, and they no longer have that design. I'm going to check Target, Ollie's, and other Walmart stores, but I'll be very sad if I can't get all the bedknobs and finials to match. Wish I'd thought of this when I was first installing the curtain rods a few years ago!
Update: I went to 2 Walmarts, Ollie's Outlet, Goodwill and Target.....and could not find any curtain rod end caps to match what I have. Will keep looking, but for now will have to settle on something different.
Travel edition:
1. Packed our own snacks, lunches and dinners for the 3-day trek to Arizona.
2. Bought our annual splurge of Fritos and Cheetos in advance rather than from the overpriced gas station on the way.
3. Filled a large, screw-top lemonade bottle with water for us and our dog.
4. Saved oversized pill bottles (thank you, Chewy!) for just the right amount of pre-measured food for each of our dog's meals while on the road.
5. Reserved rooms at hotels that don't charge as much for our dog ($20-25/night; in the past we've paid as much as an eye-popping $75).
6. Packed a small bag for items needed at the hotels so we didn't lug unnecessary stuff up to the room each night. Confession: We also wore the same clothes for all three days. In the past, we've had to use one of those luggage carts for a one-night stay. Never again.
7. Got cash in advance for tipping housekeeping and breakfast staff.
Travel can be stressful so some of these were more for our sanity than our pocketbook.
I love road trips. Sounds like so much fun.
1. I stayed home on New Year's Eve. I didn't wait up for midnight, but I woke up at midnight. Firecrackers were going off. So -- I didn't spend anything on partying, and I didn't spend anything on fireworks.
2. Today I walked to Walgreens, even though the sidewalks were pretty darn slippery, and I bought some body wash, Walgreens brand, for only 2.99. Other brands were 11.99. Can't imagine it's really much different.
3. I did my year-end financial reckoning and discovered I spent $400 less in 2025 than the year before. Not impressive except when you consider how prices have risen.
4. Had frugal meals today -- granola for breakfast, vegetable soup and a bagel for lunch, and a sliced apple with peanut butter and honey for dinner.
5. Uploaded my new healthcare card to my medical group website. I have left UnitedHealthcare and am joining Essence. It's a smaller company, but recommended by my doctor. No premium. A simpler plan. Hoping this will be the right move.
Those pillowcases are so cute!
Yesterday I used two hamburger patties bought on discount at Aldi, a potato too small to make a regular serving of baked potato, lots of frozen veggies and a can of Progresso tomato soup bought on sale to make a very tasty pot of hamburger-veggie soup. Herbs and spices for this dish came from Ollie's Outlet.
Used up a bag of frozen fruit making a pan of berry baked oatmeal for my breakfasts, and brewed a pitcher of tea with the last of a huge stash of tea bought last year at Ollie's.
Trimmed up my pixie cut at home with the Tinkle razor comb, which makes me giggle every time I use it. Yes, I am still 12! 😀 Earned $6 in cash doing a survey about how much television we watch. Took that $6 to Dollar Tree and bought crackers and juice.
We did not have a special holiday meal as December wore me out, but we had leftovers, salad, the aforementioned soup, and pudding for dessert, with Mac and cheese and a dish of olives for the pickiest eater.
Ruby, I attained 3-Star General rank in Ollie's Army again this year--but I'm betting that you were one of Ollie's Joint Chiefs of Staff! And you'll be glad to hear that one of my Xmas presents from the Bestest Neighbors was an Ollie's gift card. I've just come back from spending most of it on Hampton Farms unsalted peanuts in the shell (my birds love these) and bird seed.
I salute you, General! 😀 I mostly buy food, cat litter, dog treats, and the occasional paintbrush or hand towel there, but Ollie rewards me well.
Ollie's is terrific. (Don't go if a little bit of a mess bothers you.) I enjoy "hunting" for bargains.
They have a wonderful book section, especially children's books.
This year, Christmas presents for the small children in my life were a book and a $20 bill. I even saved shipping costs because I was able to mail them via media mail. It's about 1/4 the cost of regular postal charges, but only for media. You also need to send out early as according to my post office, it ships "when there's room on the truck".
I agree re: the book section, Ellie. My JASNA BFF, who has three grandchildren (10-year-old twins and a 3-year-old), now makes the children's book section in my Ollie's one of her non-negotiable stops on her visits here.
1. Went to make oatmeal and discovered we only had a little bit left. Then I remembered that I had one serving of apple crumble that I had made a few days ago. Just apples, walnuts, oats and a little brown sugar. I added it to the oatmeal once it was almost cooked, and it was delicious.
2. Made a pot of lentil soup with everything I already had one hand, including my own home grown garlic and kale, that I had chopped and frozen.
3. DH went to Costco and shopped for a new TV for my 90 year old Dad, finding one for $300 off. My dad likes to watch baseball, and with only one eye now, he wanted a 65" TV to be able to see it better. One family member seemed to think it was an odd purchase, but even if my Dad only gets use of it for a few months, it's worth it if it gives him some joy. And it's his money, after all.
4. Gave both our dogs a shower at home. When we did our home addition we added a dog shower to our laundry room. It makes showering them so much easier, and less back breaking.
5. Stayed home last night, had soup for dinner, watched TV and went to bed before midnight. Heard our neighbours setting off a few fireworks, but it was over very quickly. Gone are the days of waking up with a hangover on New Year's Day, and it's so much better!
Allie, I too have just made a lentil soup with everything I had on hand, including homegrown garlic. (No homegrown kale this year, thanks to the #$%!! deer. But we're making enough progress with the city's bait/trap/euthanize program that I may risk planting kale again in 2026.)
I hear you about the deer. Luckily I have a handy DH who fenced my garden beds to keep those guys out, although the bunnies still get in and sometime help themselves. But I don't mind so much, they are so cute.
Nice squash! I made one the other night and my mom, wrinkled her nose and said I don't like that. I made her eat one bite and she went back for seconds and thirds. Silly me, thought I'd have leftovers for soup.
I freeze dried spinach and kale this summer and Yesterday, threw a quarter cup of the powder in my black eyed pea soup. Hope it counts. I need to chop more onions for the freezer.
Drying out more firewood, it gives me a small thrill to use something that most people would discard. My kitchen and family room is toasty warm....
I gave my furnace's electrostatic filter a good soak in the tub, then dried it by the fire. Normally I just hose it off every 4 weeks, but I like to deep clean it every 6 months.
My minimalist wardrobe experiment is going well and I continue to donate tubs of clothes weekly to the community closet. I am working on my mom's closet, it is a big walk in and it is going to take time and audiobooks.
The nice work appropriate clothes are going to a non-profit that works with women returning to work, starting over, job internships.
My brother has the sheets that match your pillowcases on the guest bed. So dang cute.
sold a boat anchor and 3 ocean crab pots.
I used leftover frozen spinach dip and frozen turnip greens for my swamp soup, adding in a ham bone and black eyed peas (well, the frozen bag said field peas but close enough….. lol) The center of the pea was a little light for black eyed peas but they were definitely in the same family of peas. I also threw in leftover cooked carrots I had frozen from my Christmas meal, and a can of rotel tomatoes I had so I think I covered all the vegetables in this soup. I made cornbread to go with it but rice works well also and will add it to my soup when I run out of cornbread. There is enough in this pot of soup to last me until Saturday! After that, if there is any left over, I will freeze it for later.
2. I walked in my neighborhood bc I was not driving anywhere on New Year’s Day.
3. I packed up my dirty laundry to take to work with me on Friday bc the laundromat down the street from my office is the cheapest place to wash clothes. I will just go in earlier than usual. No extra gas either!
4. I ordered a new work dress and saved $27.00 bucks. I didn’t buy a jacket (required where I work) because I have several. I hate ordering new but I couldn’t find my size and in good enough shape in thrift stores recently. My wardrobe is still being rebuilt from the fire in late 2024.
5. I will be packing my breakfast and lunch, as usual, to take to work. I feel this has saved me thousands over the course of my work life. Often it is the day in and day out little habits that add up to a significant chunk of change.
1. I made another pan of enchiladas with the leftover chicken, black beans, yellow pepper which came in a three pack and was leftover and a sweet potato. This was two meals for my youngest and I. I took the leftovers to my mom and sister so they could have a night free from cooking.
2. I repaired two pair of jeans, a pair of dress pants and a bra.
3. I cleaned out my driveway again. The snow thrower that attaches to my garden tractor has paid for itself over the years.
4. I've also loaded up some library books on my Kindle. I love the library. It's so exciting to find a new book to read.
5. I used a coupon to buy dog food.
I love the library too! I worked at mine from 2013 to 2018, then retired completely from working to take care of my 92 year old father, after my mother passed in 2018. Dad passed 18 months later. These days I volunteer at the library every Tuesday, in Technical Services: I inprocess new books, catalog paper backs on the computer, and clean discs, replace broken cases,etc. It’s great fun and I am out of the condo once a week. I get my book holds, do my returns, and on the way home I can run all my errands. Win,win! (Then I can stay home and sew the rest of the week,)
I didn't have time to leave five frugal things but want to say we started watching Clarkson's Farm and are really enjoying it. Thanks for sharing.
I liked the synchronized drone light spectacular NYE in Vegas: free
Enjoying the bone broth packets from Walmart and most places will give you a cup of hot water free.
Free endless walking on the strip or in the many parks.
Stay in Vegas for 10 bucks a night, yes please.
bought gas in Oklahoma and Texas for under 2 bucks a gallon.
Warmer days here and funny watching people who never get rain deal with deluge.the desert is green overnight.
This year I plan to breeze past icky people.
The palm trees here are loaded with dates! How do I get free dates?
Instead of 5 frugal things, I wanted to share my resolutions that have nothing to do with my body image or social status. Maybe they will inspire you too!
1. Use the nice food items when I receive them instead of saving them for a nice occasion. The garlic infused olive oil in my pantry agrees.
2. When I'm anxious, take a dance break.
3. Rediscover old music I used to love; particularly chamber music, and blast it through my apartment's speakers.
4. Leave small gifts when I have the occasion to for my office mates, neighbors, gym coaches, etc.
5. Spend more time "understimulated" - no headphones, no podcasts, no TV, no phone in my hand.
May this year build curiosity, compassion, and community. Happy New Year, frugal friends!
I really like your Nr 5 and New Year’s wishes! ❤️
We use a calendar app called TeamUp. I just added a category to our calendar: "Melissa - Spending". I made it orange as DH's are already in green. While I did pack a lunch to take to the hospital while DH was in surgery, the surgery got delayed 6 hours. (Our hospital is the regional trauma center and, with Wednesday being New Year's Eve, there were a lot of emergencies overnight and early morning that took priority.) I had thought I'd be home early enough to fix supper, but I was tired. I grabbed 3 McCrispy strips and a large sweet tea at McDonald's on my way home. Spent $7.50. Now, on the updated calendar app, I am tracking how much I spend each day and what I spend the money on. I'm setting a goal of at least 15 days/month with a big, fat $0.00! It will be right in front of me every day; I hope it goes well.
Before his surgery, DH was sent for an ultrasound of his liver, which didn't make sense to me. He said there's a problem with his liver (must have detected it in his bloodwork from the night before). At least one of the psych meds he takes can affect the liver and the prescribing doctor is SUPPOSED TO BE monitoring it regularly. Hasn't been done. We suspect that's the problem. However, found out his niece (bro's daughter) has poor liver function, too. Since she is a blood relative, we're going to have it noted in his chart.
Melissa, I'm sorry about your DH's broken hip and all of the trouble that's come along with it. Hands across the miles to you.