Five Frugal Things -- Butthole Pillows & Boob Lights
1) I spent $13.14 from my $25 Ikea Fetch app gift card and treated my husband to lunch. I chose a $1.40 veggie dog and the free coffee and he chose the $9.99 meatball platter and a $1.75 soft serve ice cream cone. Enough money leftover for a second lunch date!
I thought they'd stopped offering recyling services, but it turns out that they'd just moved it. Good to know.
2) My husband's had his grandfather's small dresser siting unused in our basement for at least twenty years and was finally ready to let it go. He listed it in our Buy Nothing group and even delivered it to the lucky recipient.
We also donated a load of random tools and miscellaneous items to the Habitat ReStore, which was wholly unphotographed so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Our basement is slowly but surely becoming clean and organized.
3) It's been awhile since I've hit the Goodwill Outlet pay-by-the-pound bins, so I stopped by for a short visit. I grabbed this filthy insulated Hydroflask tumbler -- I think it was actually brand new. It reads "Subaru Ambassador" on the back, but that bothers me none whatsoever. They sell new for $24.99, so it was a bargain.
I know we just donated a bag of reusable water bottles, but I didn't have a tumbler and know I can put it to good use.
I have a few blue and white enamel darkroom trays, which I use under potted plants, so I was happy to add this one to my collection. I may just be me, but I think there's something timeless about enamel.
You know I like to clean things up and remove stitched monograms, so this filthy waxed canvas toiletry kit was right up my alley. My youngest has some travel coming up, so I'll give it to them after I've worked my magic.
Of course, not everything is worth buying, like this pack of expired Mucinex.
Or this space age "butthole pillow." No it's not the official name for it, but Sherry from Young House Love adores this pillow and recommends it whenever the subject of pillows comes up. I. DID. NOT. BUY. THE. BUTTHOLE. PILLOW!
I also didn't buy the Vladamir Putin: Life Coach book. Shocker, I know.
I got back out to the parking lot and noticed an anonymous gift of three unopened tampons under my car. I suppose this would be a miracle find after the apocalypse, but I'm not there yet.
Here's everything I bought:
- The Hydroflask tumbler.
- The enamel tray.
- The toiletry kit.
- A pair of OXO tongs, as I have one exactly like it and feel like a second one would come in handy.
- A pair of NYDJ Alina ankle jeans that sadly didn't fit, so I'll list them on eBay. This brand starts at $99, so I should do okay selling them.
I don't have the receipt on me, but I spent a bit more than $12. The tongs alone would cost around $15 new, so I think I did all right. Sadly I didn't find any true diamonds in the rough.
4) It's been awhile since I last browsed The Prudent Homemaker's blog, so I spent a bit of time catching up with Brandy. (She and I live very different lives, but she's also extreme with her frugality, so there's occasionally a fresh cheap hack to add to my repertoire.) She recommended the book The Seamstress of New Orleans, by Diane McPhail, so I put it on hold at the library. It came in the next day, so I picked it up while out and about running errands.
I do need a "set in the distant past" book to complete another row on my Powell's Summer Reading Challenge bingo card! I'm not sure how "distant" this book is set, but that's a vague enough word to be open to interpretation.
5)
- I reheated some of Tuesday's leftover frittata to use in breakfast burritos.
- It rained last night, which'll help my feral blackberry patch to continue flourishing.
- My husband changed the oil in our car.
- I didn't buy any "boob lights" at the Habitat ReStore.
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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I love the Good will bins, find all kinds of good things. I think yours are better than ours in Central FL. Thanks for all your frugal tips. Stay cool
I love how you ended your comment with "stay cool," it's like you're signing my 1985 yearbook!
Well after reading the title of today's blog, I was really curious about the content. Now I get it!
The Canadian wildfire smoke has made an appearance in my neck of the woods. It is visibly hazy, it smells, and it stings my eyes. That banished any thought of leaving the house today. Still wishing for rain. I have the air on. The only thing frugal about this is that staying home limits my urge to spend.
I had some soup left from yesterday, so today I added other leftovers -- tomato, lettuce, cheese, chicken broth -- to make a full serving. I can't say it was the greatest, but it was another cheap meal.
Today I saw that Xfinity withdrew my final payment, after sending me an upsetting email suggesting that I needed to pay and also return the equipment. I took the equipment to the Xfinity store when I cancelled. I have to assume that the email was a mistake, but this bears watching.
I finished reading a library book and there is another waiting for me on hold. Since today's weather makes a trip to the library unwise, I will hope that tomorrow is better, and maybe more holds will come in!
I listed another item on eBay, and I'm waiting patiently to make another sale.
I am sorry about the wildfire smoke. As a Coloradan, I know it all too well! I hope a shift in wind or rain helps soon.
I use those enamel trays in my refrigerator to corral my condiments. They hold any spills and are easy to pull out to look for things.
Last of our garlic scapes being sauteed for dinner tonight.
Reading library books,making coffee,keeping car parked for days at a time.
Enjoying summer in Maine.
I hope that you post a picture of the waxed toiletries bag once you've done your magic.
The sum total of the food I ate today is half a piece of toast, one cup of homemade chicken broth, and 1 oz of rice noodles. It is very frugal to not be able to eat, but I don't recommend it. My husband, meanwhile is eating the free salmon, and loads of cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. Life is not fair.
Home Depot does free delivery in my town and I've ordered a number of things to do house maintenance projects. It saves gas, 20 minutes worth.
I made it to the library yesterday for another pile of kids books to read to my grandchildren on video chat. I'm positive I've saved several thousand dollars on books over the last 2 years.
My one outing today was 5 minutes to the local independent bookstore. Since I'm moving slowly I noticed a sign in the window of the cafe that is at one end of the bookstore that I hadn't seen before. It read, "This is a community space and we are happy to have you gather here whether you make a purchase or not." I absolutely love that a business would provide a 'third space.'
And your time - time is our most precious resource. As with land, you can't make any more of it. There have been a few things we could have done ourselves over the years but it was less expensive paying someone else to do it - we made more money using that time.
I love the third space offer! And reading books on video chat is such a lovely idea! My family is no longer in the same state as my mom and it's been hard on the kiddos to not be able to visit her. We've done some video calls, "faceytalk" as my kids would say, and stories are a wonderful idea!
Where is IKEA’s recycling area now? I have a couple free meatball dinner coupons burning a hole in my pocket and that sounds like an exciting date night - meatballs and recycling!
Instead of 5 frugal things, I am submitting 5 “observations”:
1. The shocking thing about the Putin book is that he kept his shirt on for the cover art!
2. Maybe you can keep the “M” on the toiletry kit?
3. My favorite jeans are NYDJ from the bins.
4. Maybe your next project can be repurposing a boob light as a succulent planter. It already has a hole drilled!
5. The book must be historical since the word “seamstress” is in the title!
I thought the shocking thing was that someone thought Trump wrote beautiful poetry. But it's satire, of course!
He really needs to be shirtless and sitting on a bear.
Maybe the bear could maul him! And thus end the war with Ukraine.
1. Packed a lunch to take with me to the hospital--while I don't mind getting my son something extra from the cafeteria to supplement the food they provide, and I certainly don't mind my other son getting something to eat while he comes along and provides extra support to his brother, I decided with my multiple food allergies it would probably be wise to avoid having my own medical crisis, plus it saves money. I refilled my water bottle at the drinking fountain as well.
2. My recycling-bin-picked insulated lunch box developed a tear along the seam of an inner pocket (where one puts an ice pack) so I got out my sewing kit and used my admittedly Mickey-Mouse skills to reinforce it.
3. Hanging laundry to dry is a no-brainer during this heat wave.
4. DH found an old recycling bin in the garage that, when spray painted a bit, served perfectly to replace the falling-off wire basket on his bike trailer, which he uses to haul home groceries. He was delighted to find it fit exactly where he needed it to, and plus the color complemented his bike trailer color scheme nicely.
5. Never will I ever again purchase mayonnaise in a squeeze container--to get the last bits of it out I put in some apple cider vinegar and shook it up to make a salad dressing of sorts. Jars are much easier for getting the last bits.
You're lucky that you're not in the smoke zone. No hanging anything outside for me today.
While I agree with you re: squeeze mayo containers, you also have to watch if in a jar. If you don't scrape as the amount of mayo goes down, what is left gets "odd looking". And once that happens, use up what is left, no scraping of sides.
FFT, "Smoke on the Water" Edition:
(1) "Smoke on the Water" has been my earworm of the day, thanks to the wildfire smoke. This song by Deep Purple was one of the jukebox favorites (hey, anyone else remember jukeboxes?) in the pizza parlor where I worked the soda fountain and the salad bar in the summer of 1973. (I also poured beer, even though I wasn't yet 18--but driver's licenses were more easily altered in those ancient times. Ah, my misspent youth. 😛 ) Anyway, here's Deep Purple's official video of the song, for your entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2FzZSBD5LE
(2) For the most part, I've been staying indoors out of the smoke and heat, catching up on laundry, grinding dried herbs, and so on. And along with others, I hung the laundry on my indoor racks--as I do for everything except sheets.
(3) I've also been getting as far as I can through Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey before tonight's Zoom discussion group in which I participate. JASNA BFF, who chairs the group, assigned Agnes Grey as the topic--and though I've been avoiding Agnes Grey for decades and still find it milquetoast by comparison with Jane Eyre, I admit that it has its moments. Geez, BFF will be making me read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall next!
(4) Katy's recent mention of cornmeal pancakes has made me dig out my copy of Marcus Samuelsson's The Rise (purchased online from Powell's), which includes Fred Opie's very similar recipe for hoecakes.
(5) And I'm not about to go on prime-time TV and spew a lot of lies about "stolen" elections that really just didn't go my way. If life were fair, Orange Julius would have a nose longer than Pinocchio's.
When I saw your mention of “Smoke on the Water”, I thought to myself that it is a song I don’t recall, but then a tune emerged in my head. Clicking your link reveals that it’s the one! Crazy!
Oh they still have "jukeboxes" but most are digital, small enough to hang on the wall and likely don't even accept cash these days. I do miss the colorful ones of my teenage/early 20s years (aka late 70s into early 80s).
I didn't expect to see Fred Opie's name here! We sometimes end up at the same academic conference - he is a lovely person and a great historian.
Speaking of, Amelia Simmons, author of the first cookbook in America that was not first published in Europe, included a recipe for johnnycakes. YUM!
Ugh...I couldn't even watch the Pathological Liar on TV tonight. It's too disturbing. Ditto that for the Paid Liar (Leavitt) who was on TV earlier today. Again, too disturbing. Something about how she smiles as she says mean things to the reporters who don't bow down to Trump. Just ick.
All while wearing a cross necklace and lecturing journalists and everyone else.
And Orange Julius’s pants would be on fire!
What a fine haul from the bins. I picked up an enamel tray and A pitcher with basin. The tray was $1, the basin & pitcher was $14. It was kind of chippy, making me want it more.
I love NYDJ! They will sell well. I pick them up regardless of the size to consign.
It has rained all the live long day, at least the thunder and lightning stopped. I washed down the walls of the mud room, pantry, laundry and mudroom bathroom. Contemplating painting.
Cleaned out the kitchen and garage refrigerator and freezer.
Made a batch of granola.
Friend who manages the bees in our orchard/garden/berry/grape spot brought me a pint of blackberry jelly. OhmyYUM.
I use those enamel trays in my refrigerator to corral my condiments. They hold any spills and are easy to pull out to look for things. And easy to clean.
Last of our garlic scapes being sauteed for dinner tonight.
Reading library books,making coffee,keeping car parked for days at a time.
Enjoying summer in Maine.
We bought a house that had been on the market for a year. We got a considerable discount from the original asking price, which the out-of-state seller wasn't happy about. It had a several high-end Craftmade ceiling fans. I know the brand and love them because they are lovely, sturdy, and quiet. I have some in another house that are quietly going strong at 23 years of age. Imagine our shock when we viewed the house post-closing and discovered that they had been removed and replaced with cheap big box store boob lights!
Not only is this illegal in our state, but she had to pay someone to 1. Buy cheap boob lights, 2. Remove the lovely fans, and 3. Install the cheap boob lights. What she did with the fans from several states away is a mystery. Probably trashed them just so we couldn't have them. What a waste!
Note to self to always do a pre-closing walk-thru. You should have filed a lawsuit against the seller.
By design, our rentals are all in the same Senior Resort Community. It happens to be 500 miles from our primary home. We did a pre-closing walk through about ten days before the closing. She must have been really bitter and took these actions afterward.
The seller is dead now, plus it was cheaper and far less hassle for us to replace the fans than file a suit against an out-of-state seller.
Fun fact: When we first looked at the house, we asked the Realtor why he thought it had sat for so long. He responded that there had been FIFTY cuckoo clocks in the living room when the house was first listed.
Ooh, I love the enamel tray and the OXO tongs are the best and most long lasting. Nice job on the Subaru hydro flask. I also agree that a water bottle is not the same as a tumbler. Does the travel kit have a brand tag? Waxed canvas is usually a higher end fabric in my experience…
I did not want to do anything today. Tired of the extreme heat which not only makes being outdoors unpleasant, you risk dehydration pretty quickly. But, I adulted anyway.
1-2-3-4-5 frugal things: Made my own mocha at home using Abuelita Mexican chocolate. Crossed off a bunch of stuff on the TO DO list, including shipping out 4 eBay items that sold. Hooray. Stopped by the bank to have a fee reversed that shouldn’t have been charged in the first place, and it was next door to the post office. Cashed in rewards toward credit card balance that gets paid off monthly. The card is running a cash bonus deal for something I need anyway, so that will be $10 back in my pocket. We did get rain last night, so no need to water my potted deck plants.
Bonus-My friend offered us her condo next week in a nearby resort area for no charge as it was a week she couldn’t use. I am excited for a pool. It will be worth boarding my pup a couple days. We will eat in, which is our natural preference.
Love the enamel tray! I have a few enamel pieces from my grandparents which I treasure!!
The wildfire smoke was very thick here today, so alas, an indoor day.
1. I took apart our box fan to clean it, since we cannot have the windows open until the smoke clears. It looks so much better. I am trying to keep the house cool with minimal AC.
2. Our neighbor gave us her old hot water tank. We will take it to the scrap yard for a bit of cash.
3. DH and i finished our last jigsaw puzzle that we borrowed from our local senior center. I packed them into a tote bag to return next time we drive past.
4. I used up extra marinara from leftover cheesy bread on my grilled provolone cheese sandwich. Yum!
5. I cut a few perennials from my garden to brighten my kitchen windowsill.
1. The garden has been doing great with all the rain we got last week. I have picked 8 zucchini, lots of lettuce, basil, parsley, spinach, Swiss chard and quarts of raspberries. All of it is not diarrhea inducing. This has helped keep the grocery budget down. I made 2 zucchini pies. Mine is a regular one. Hubby's is dairy free with fake cheese and jalapeno. They are delicious. This weekend I will be mass cooking with zucchini to use them up. Good problems to have. Our local kids are happy to help with the eating.
2. I ran to Aldi for a few things and looked for red stickers. I got 2 packs of Italian sausage at 50% off and 2 packs of artisan flatbreads with $2 off. We use them for easy pizzas.
3. Hubby has been working late all week. He asked could I grab Chinese and bring it to him. I got us a combo of beef and broccoli. It comes with an egg roll and a side of rice. We shared it. His office has free drinks and cookies so we had that too. I brough home the extra duck sauce.
4. With all of the smoke from Canada, I haven't been walking in the morning. Since I brought hubby dinner twice this week(once was leftovers) I walked in his office building.
5. Over the weekend we went to my sister's house. We went swimming in her pool and had a BBQ. She gave me 2 bags of clothes that she has outgrown. I fit into a few things but I still need to lose more weight for the rest. I put it in the guest room closest with other clothes that are still to small. I have piles of different sizes. It makes it easier this way. I'm trying not to buy any clothes for the inbetween sizes. Belts help with the pants and shorts. Hubby needs to add more holes to the belt this weekend for me.
1. Partner not only received the free CSA box from work, but he got to take home the fruit share that someone didn't pick up. It had 3 pints of local blueberries, 1 pint of raspberries, 1 pint of blackberries, and 1 pint of black raspberries. At the store, this would have been over $42. So, not nearly as reliable as a secret patch, but I'll take it!
2. I did 2 grocery store mystery shops where I had a list of items that I must buy. I kept what we will use, and I gave my colleague/friend a bag of bananas, Chinese cabbage, milk & zucchini. My cousin was gifted baby formula.
3. My plan for dinner (with a friend) that we were both contributing part of the meal) last night was cancelled, and I only brought food for one night to the work apartment, so I cobbled together a meal from ingredients that I was going to bring - watermelon, avocado - along with some leftover zucchini-corn fritters with a yogurt sauce.
4. My AC is no longer working, after friends who used my work apartment saw that the water tank was full and they emptied it. No luck fixing it yet, but I think I know what the issue is. I just can't seem to get the back off of the unit to fix it. (I've watched a LOT of videos, but none are quite the same model.) I've been using 3 fans as my apartment was 88 degrees. BUT, I didn't go out and just buy another AC, so that is something.
5. I picked up a mystery shop to do for dinner tomorrow night while doing my 3-hour commute back home, which will feed me dinner and net me another $12.
No matter how sexy the photographer tried to make Vlad look, he just could not pull it off. Egad!
1. I found a really nice sharp point pen in a parking lot.
2. Coming out of Walmart today, DH ran over a penny with the shopping carriage. After I picked it up I told him he had just run over someone. I then held up the penny and said: Abraham Lincoln.
3. I made my own tartar sauce to go with our fish and chips. Gorton's makes pretty good frozen, battered fish so when we want fried food we often turn to frozen fish and French fries.
4. I went to the Paul McCartney show at the library and met up with two friends there. Excellent performance and having two buddies to sit with made the night great. These concerts are paid for by The Friends of the Library and are free to the public.
5. I found a marked down package of about twenty sugar cookies in the shape of soccer balls for $1.24 at Walmart. The odd thing is the date says they don't expire until September 7. Maybe soccer fever has ebbed since the US is not in the playoffs so no one was buying them? Anyway, they're fresh and delicious.
1. I'm scheduled to have a tooth pulled Monday, sedation dentistry, so I went to Aldi and stocked up on pudding , chicken salad, yogurt, cottage cheese, bananas, mashed potatoes, etc. -- all kinds of soft foods I will need for several days afterwards. I already got popsicles and ice cream from our store.
2. My yardwork/ handyman pal came over and we found some (thrifted) window film I had stored in the garage. Yes, I have enough! Yes, it is super dark! Yes, it will work just fine! He will install it on my west-facing bedroom window that gets the afternoon sun full blast --and therefore causes my room to get too hot. He also will find some insulation board to go between it and the thermal drapes. Which are always closed.(I never look out that window so I don't need the view.)
3. Used my Medicare Advantage health savings card to get OTC pain meds.
4. Installed a LED light in my kitchen, over the sink, after existing fluorescent tube light burned out. Very bright, does not make the room hotter and uses less electricity. Went to specialty bulb store to find the correct size since Walmart didn't have it. Although I got 2 tubes, I will take the 2nd one back because one tube is sufficiently bright.
5. Did not waste billions of taxpayer money and order testosterone tests and treatments for millions of military men who probably already have too much of said hormone.
Love that attention-grabbing blog title!
Just today I picked up an enamel tray from Buy Nothing. I have three vintage enamelware pieces that I love. They have higher sides so one is used for washing dishes (we have a large single sink), one is for soaking my feet, and the other has a lid which I use for keeping salad greens fresh.
1. I went into the Barn Loft that #2 son has moved out of, to check what needs touching up. Then I went into the barn to look for paint. I was really excited to see I had a bucket marked “wainscotting paint” – until I saw that it was from 10 years ago and #2 son and I changed the colour 4 years ago when we painted the place. GAH.
I'm going to have to research the colour, and get some more paint, as there are definitely a few bumps and dings. I know the wall paint is what I have everywhere in the main house, and I suspect the wainscotting is on that same paint chip strip. But where, oh where, did I 'carefully' put that paint chip strip?
2. The new tenant's father is a retired flooring specialist (it's not what you know, it's WHO you know!). I sent him a photo of the gaps in the wooden flooring in the barn loft, and he offered to drop in to 'see what he can do'.
He was able to magically whack together the offending 'rows' of flooring - with the use of a pry bar and hammer. We had to uninstall a baseboard heater, however that's going to be replaced, so it was a helpful thing to get it done now. I offered to pay him - he blew that off; I will get to pay him with eggs and appreciation.
3. My BB invited me over for homemade rhubarb ice cream. She didn't think it was her best effort however I gobbled up my share. She and her husband have a tonne of home building experience, and did much of the work in the Loft when we did the renovations, so they are a font of information.
I thought I needed to get some grout for the sections of tile that are looking a bit tired, and hoped that they had a bit to give me (after I checked pricing at our local hardware store – EEK!). However, after reviewing the photos that I cleverly brought them, they figured that silicon was the solution. YAY! I know how to do that!
We also discussed the butcher-board counters that they installed in the loft 12 years ago, which are looking a little worse for wear. I was thinking that I should sand them down, and we all threw ideas around. However, I am now thinking that an hour of elbow grease - with some good inspiring music and an SOS pad - will do the trick, and avoid the dust storm that would be a huge pain to clean up. Wish me luck!
4. In the Big greenhouse more tomatoes are now tied up. This could be a tedious job, however I listen to a podcaster who I love, which makes the process very enjoyable. I've been shoving the cuttings into a bucket of water, I might try to root them. Although it is getting late in the season to get much of a crop, cuttings really do well and faster than equivalent sized plants, in my experience. Just to find the time!
I'm committing myself to doing a thorough job of eating what I harvest – there were some broccoli heads ready to cut, so some were cooked up and inhaled– yum. The rest were left soaking and cooked up the next night.
I cooked up a meagre handful of beans, too – our plants are behind, thought starting to catch up, so this was the first harvest (Whoot!). I've also chomped through a big handful of snap peas (almost the last of them, sadly), and a couple of cucumbers.
5. While Wonder James was here, I was trying to do many mini-projects. I kept getting side-tracked, but one result of that was about 3 pounds of teeny-to-medium potatoes from a couple of volunteer 'hills' that had died off on top. If I don't harvest the random gift potato hills soon after the tops lie down, I forget about them.
I gave some potatoes to WJ (along with two sweet yellow zuks) and cooked up some for my dinner, along with the broccoli (above) and half the chard picked during the side-tracking adventures. YUM, homegrown potatoes, fresh from the field.
Let's see...
Here in Italy the go-to app for selling is Vinted. This month I scored some serious sells for a total of 177 euro, which is quite rare for me. 75 euros came from a vintage pen I didn't even know I had in the family stuff.
Next week i'm going to visit my SIL and she'll make me a new cover for my beloved ass pillow *erm* the one I use when I'm working at my computer (I'm short. Or the table is too tall).
i used an app – TooGoodToGo – to get a huge bag of bread and pizza for 8 euros, it was my dinner yesterday and i froze most of the rest. I gave some to my neighbors, who often give us cake made by their children or eggs from their hens.