Five Frugal Things -- Curb Finds & a Scrappy Happy Life
1) I pulled the car over for a promising free pile, as it had an upright vacuum cleaner. My daughter's last roommate absconded with hers which is super annoying. I'd just asked (like 30 minutes earlier!) in my Buy Nothing group for a replacement, so this was perfect timing. Kismet, bay-bee!
Yes, it's grubby and missing the extension pieces, but the price is right.
If I get one through Buy Nothing, I'll part this one out to sell on eBay.
2) There was also a NYU Tisch School of The Arts knit beanie, which I brought home and quickly listed on eBay. I have friends who went to Tisch, so this was a fun find.
Easy to list, easy to photograph and eventually easy to package up. Plus the entry cost of $0.00 is my favorite category to sell!
3) My husband and I enjoyed leftover salmon, rice and green beans for dinner. The two $35 food trays provided enough food for four work lunches, dinner for three (with seconds!) on Tuesday, my lunch yesterday, dinner for two last night and we still have leftover green beans.
I'm haven't been interested in cooking lately, so these meal trays have been a fun way for us to eat healthy yummy food. Don't worry about me, I just go in and out of caring about cooking.
4) I found 63¢ in random coins while going through my late in-law's storage unit, which I promptly dropped into my Found Change Challenge jar. I find fewer coins each year as more Americans switch to digital currency, so this was a windfall! A dirty windfall.
Click HERE to see how much money I've found since 2011.
5) I continue to wear thrifted clothing I've owned for quite awhile, grow out my free Supercuts training center haircut, read library books, watch library DVDs, listen to free Libby app audiobooks, sit on my Buy Nothing sofa, avoid driving more than necessary, repair and mend our belongings, source stuff to sell from other people's castoffs, use eBay to buy specific things that are hard to thrift, (bras, shoes, etc.) and generally make do with the scrappy happy lil' life my husband and I have crafted through the decades.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I have friends coming for a birthday lunch tomorrow. That will be my birthday gift to three of the guests as they all have birthdays around the same date.
Picked up library books while I was already in that area, I also combined a shopping trip, gas refill, and a carwash on that same trip.
A friend and I are going to a free concert tonight. Yea for time with my friend and sharing a concert together.
I received a notice that a landscaping crew would be in my neighborhood doing pruning and yard cleanup. I inquired about having a bank of roses pruned and two roses removed. The representative responded that they would have to look at the job, but prices started at $350. I went out and pruned all of the roses.
Chicken thighs were marked down at the store so I bought two packages and repackaged the thighs so that I can cook them individually rather than all at once. A little time now for a reward later.
Read: they didn't want your job unless you paid at least $350. Oldest trick in the contractor book.
I love your endnote, Katy. I, too, feel grateful for all the little things that add up to a contented life. Thanks for always nudging us along in finding new ways to be creatively frugal.
The past month has seen me cooking less as well, largely due to finishing "phase 2" of our kitchen remodel last week. That, coupled with the intense heat the past couple of days, has led to more snack-y dinners and premade options. Luckily, the change in eating hasn't affected our budget.
Since I'm on the subject of house remodeling, I thought I'd share some info on how much the kitchen updates cost us and how non-consumerism helped shape the process:
1. We have spent around $16k on the kitchen + mudroom remodel which includes constructing a pantry, moving a wall, walling in an (unsightly) water heater, new flooring, new dishwasher, sink, range, counters, and demo of a portion of our old cabinets.
2. We decided to keep our 72-year-old cabinets even though they are not standard depth and require creative solutions to work around. We removed a portion of the top cabinets to make room for a range hood and open up the kitchen a bit. We kept the bottom L-shaped cabinet with a corner sink and had the (deteriorating) old tile and grout removed.
3. IF we had replaced the cabinetry, this project would've easily cost us double what we spent. Being frugal as well as someone who values old things, that frankly were built so much better (lasting 72 years already!), it just didn't sit well with me to pull out something just because it's no longer "the standard". Plus, we got to keep the charm that accompanies delightful 1954 period details.
4. The non-standard depth required us to source a European dishwasher that was around $1k. We also found a Bertazzoni range that was very lightly used on marketplace for $600 vs the $5000 new version we saw in store. We are having it serviced next week to make sure it's all up to snuff. We also had butcher block counters installed and they pair perfectly with the age and look of our home.
5. We have original hardwood floors throughout the house, but sadly not in the kitchen or mudroom, so we had our handyman install updated/cute peel-and-stick tiles on top of the old linoleum. (These did come from bezos' site, but only cost around $200)
6. We did most of the painting ourselves including the entire dining room (as the wall removal necessitated a new paint job), the mudroom, hall, and I am finishing painting the bottom cabinetry this week.
As you may have gleaned from this long description, I'm feeling very proud of our home improvements, particularly so because we spent so much time and elbow grease on thinking outside the box. Especially when any internet search will tell you that you will spend at least $50K on a kitchen remodel where we live (in pricey Sonoma County, CA).
I kept thinking of how Katy and folks in this group question the status quo as a part of our daily (frugal) lives, and it really made a difference. Thank you all for the ongoing inspiration and encouragement!
Lindsey, that is a lot to be proud of. Your remodel sounds lovely. Go you!
Lindsey G,
Wow! I love your frugal kitchen remodel. Yay you for thinking outside the box! A friend at work recently had her kitchen remodeled - I have no idea how much it cost, but her house was built in the late 50s/early 60s, and the kitchen was the original kitchen. From her description, the kitchen cabinets were metal, and not in good condition. They ended up buying kitchen cabinets from Ikea (her hubby is from Sweden, and they both like a sleek, modern look).
You kitchen remodel sounds great! Makes me want to see before and after pictures! LOL!
I like the phrase "scrappy happy life." Thank you.
1. I went to Bingo at the senior center. Usually the prizes consist of day old baked goods from Publix. This time there was a cart w/ flea market type goods. I selected a 7 oz tube of hair conditioner & a electric mixer for my wins. My current mixer is avocado green so you know it is old. I will donate it to Restore.
2. Found 26 cents on my daily hike.
3. I donated whole blood & earned a $20 GC.
4. I donated 2 bar stools to Restore.
5. I got my 1K check from the landman in Texas. I am happy! A small inheritance from my great grandfather.
Good find on the vacuum -- and the hat!
1. I had a PT appointment today but I almost didn't get there on time -- construction turned the drive there into a maze, and I ended up having to park some distance away and paid $4.50 for the pleasure! A frugal fail -- I should have taken the train.
2. I didn't take the train because I wanted to stop at the post office to mail the pants I sold on eBay yesterday. But I could have done that on the train, with an extra stop. Not thinking.
3. I had the same lunch I had yesterday -- baked beans, cucumber-tomato salad. And I started some homemade soup by simmering onions, celery and carrots in chicken broth that had been made from a rotisserie chicken carcass and frozen. I'll finish making the soup with chicken chunks from the freezer and egg noodles.
4. I picked up a book at a little free library. The Jet-setters -- looks like a fun beach read.
5. Got a weird automated call from my electric company about restoring my lost power. Except I didn't. Taking a moment to be thankful for that!
My indoor antenna has been picking up new channels and subchannels and I'm enjoying some new-to-me programs. Late last night, I stumbled upon the 365Black network. They were running a documentary about backup singers called "Twenty Feet from Stardom." It was incredible! Although it was a challenge to view it; due to a weak signal, the sound kept going in and out. So, whenever I lost the sound, I'd have to click on another channel, then turn back, and thus I missed some of the talking and music -- a few words here, a few notes there -- which was very annoying. Still, it was an amazing show...sort of a midnight matinee for me. It was on until the wee hours of the morning, but totally worth it. (I looked it up and this film won an Oscar for best documentary.) There was some good vintage footage of Tina Turner and the Ikettes; Michael Jackson; the Stones; and Woodstock. They had Sting, Jagger, Springsteen and others being interviewed, all talking about how outstandingly talented their backup singers were.
Before that, I'd gotten off work at 8 and used Gas Buddy to find a good low price on gasoline. Turns out all of the stations were the same, $3.27, so I was able to go to the one nearest me. I went at 9, after dark, when the weather was a bit cooler so that I could get a little bit more liquid gasoline in my car's tank. As usual, the price dropped after the holiday weekend.
Thanks for the recommendation - I passed it on to my dad, too, who's researching for a new seminar on rock and roll history.
I love this happy, scrappy post. Cheers to you, Katy! Your blog is such a constant in my life.
I love the phrase scrappy happy life and it really ties in with something I’ve been thinking through today.
We (husband, 2 kids and me) live in a 3 bedroom, 1,090 square foot home. This is “small” compared to most people we know with kids in our area but personally I love the size. Right now the 2 kids share a room and the other bedroom is an office, because husband works from home a few days a week and uses the computer for leisure too (and the kids desks are in there for homework or computer time). Although the kids haven’t asked for their own rooms, eventually they will likely need that (a boy and a girl so may start to have privacy concerns as they get older, along with teenagers just generally wanting their own space) So husband and I have been seriously discussing what we’d like to do this week. We were focused only on whether to buy a bigger house (we love our houses location, neighbors etc plus interest rates now are way higher than our current mortgage so this option isn’t super desirable) or if we should add onto our house (still expensive and also very stressful from those I know who have done it, you often can’t live in the house for months while the work is being done) So we were kind of stuck with two undesirable options (and a 3rd of my husband moving his desk to the living room to free up the other room for a kid but the living room doesn’t have a ton of space and it would be hard for him to work if anyone else was home)
So today I started researching ways to make a smaller house work for a family and I loved everything I found! It all clicks together with my values, as the advice was generally things like owning less stuff and being vigilant about decluttering, thinking through your purchases, getting things with multiple functions and built-in storage. There was also larger ideas like maybe fixing up the garage to put an office out there. We also have a nice covered patio and mild weather year round so getting nicer patio furntiture (like outdoor couch) could make that another hang out space, and setting up an art space for the kids out there. My mind is buzzing with ideas now and mostly I just love the idea of fixing up and making what we have work. It will be so much cheaper but also align with the cozy, scrappy happy life values. I have not shared this with my husband yet though, hoping I can get my enthusiasm to spread to him!
My first piece of advice was automatically, reno the basement. Then I remembered not everyone has basements lol
Yep, no basement here (and I don’t know anyone that has one, must not be common, I’m in Northern California) That would be a good solution though!
Lisa,I have seen apartments on lifestyle blogs that spit a large bedroom into 2 spaces, via loft beds, a wall, etc. Perhaps consider whether this is an option, by moving master bedroom into a smaller room. Or, do you have a dry and warm basement where a bedroom could be built? I love your enthusiasm about finding small ways to have your house change as family life changes. I don’t know whether houses in your county have basements, though.
No basements here unfortunately. I did see the idea of putting bookshelves or some other barrier down the middle of a shared room though which is also an option. I should look at pictures of small spaces for inspiration though!
Hi Lisa,
I applaud your efforts to find a solution that doesn’t involve a huge financial outlay. Do you have space for a little “she shed/office in the back of your home? Like an 8/10mini office. Usually those don’t need permits under a certain square footage. Running some electric out there and insulating it might be a longer term answer.
Just a thought from another frugal internet friend. 🙂
Reader Lisa,
I would really love to know if you've found any sites/blogs that have been particularly helpful for you with this! I have a very similar situation-- we have a split level, three BR home and three boys currently 4, 2, and 4 mos. I am feeling so short on space already and can't imagine when they are teens! Eventually two of the boys may share a room but our rooms are all really small. While we have a basement that is partially finished, it is not really liveable space despite a dehumidifier running 24/7. I don't have a pantry, a linen closet, or any storage closets. I've been mulling over how to try to make things work in our current space (at least for now) versus the two options you mentioned, either buying a bigger home or adding on to ours in some way.
All that to say, you are not alone! And please share your inspiration-- I could use some! 🙂
So far I was just reading discussion forums with people sharing ideas on what’s worked for them, some photo inspiration would be helpful though.
It seems a lot of it comes to mindset shift too though and ruthless decluttering haha
I just googled “how to make a small house work with kids” and then started taking notes from what I found.
Thank you for your response! I will take a look. I'm already relatively minimalist (as much as one can be with kids), and regularly declutter. I want to work on the mindset shift part!
Reader Lisa,
I am behind in looking through the blog and just came across your posts…search YouTube for videos on small spaces. I’ve seen more than one video on the Homeworthy and Apartment Therapy YouTube channels that show families of 4 or 5 living in under 700sf in NYC. Those NYC apartments are tight and they maximize every square inch. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration there.
I grew up in a 3 bedroom house with a basement suite - usually filled with a University Student. My sister and I were the 'middle' kids, with a brother on either side. My parents chose to take my brothers' bedroom (which was NOT large) and divide it in half with a wall that included a cupboard for each side. My older brother had to walk through the younger brother's room when he went to bed, (and the younger brother's bed was fitted into the original clothes cupboard, built on top of an old dresser so it was raised up high, we were all so jealous!) . It worked out fairly well for everyone, and once my big brother moved on (first he got the basement for a year, then he was gone) my Mom moved her sewing machine into the back bedroom and they kept a folding cot in the cupboard.
So that might be another option for your family? dividing up one bedroom and keeping the third room as a very useful office. Even if you need to put another window in or punch another door entry through your other bedroom, it could give your kids the privacy they need without an enormous financial outlay?
If the work is done right, you should be able to live there. Better half put on a two bedroom, 3/4 bath with full basement while we lived in our prior house (as well as a couple of other renovation projects after that).
That’s true, I guess in theory they could build the addition first and then not take down the wall between the addition and the new house until the end. I was imagining us having a missing wall exposed to the outside for months!
My vacuum cleaners are curb finds. I have a two story house, so I have one on each floor, which seems very schwanky for the price!
I spent the morning weeding my garden. One of the weeds was a tiny blackberry seedling. (Curse you, Oregon blackberries!!) It is very satisfying to see these things growing and know that I’ll barely need to buy produce this summer.
1. My son's family moved recently . My husband and I spent a day helping pack and further helped by taking away several boxes of things they wanted to donate. We found a couple of things we can use and one item I think I can sell for them. We dropped off the other items along with box of items from our house.
2. I made 3 puppets for a birthday present for a young neighbor.
3. We are already enjoying potatoes from my garden box and will soon be having green beans.
4. We have an invite to a friends' house, along with another couple, for a TV show not available to those invited. Everyone will provide snacks for the group.
1.It was 91 degrees today so I had to put the AC on. I closed the stairs gate so the dog would stay downstairs and only turned on the living room one. I closed the office and bathroom doors too. Hubby and I were at work. I just turned the AC on in our room at 9 pm. We will shut the living room one off when we head up to bed around 10. The dog sleeps in our room on her own bed. I bring water in for her. I'm not cooling the whole house when it is only Hubby and me here. Electric rates just keep going up and up.
2. I picked a bunch of lettuce and washed it. I poured the dirty water into my potted plants. The dogs bowls get dumped into them too. I hardboiled 6 eggs. I am letting the water cool down and then it will water a plant.
3.Yesterday I made chicken fajitas with some of the clearance peppers. We had enough to have them again tonight. I chopped and froze the rest of the peppers for easy future meals.
4. Hubby had a free breakfast at work. They get bagels every Monday and Thursday. He also had a banana and coffee. His office always has food and he is happy to eat it. We signed up to do a company walk. We have done it 10+ years. They provide dinner, drinks, snacks, t-shirts, and activates. It is a fun evening. Family and friends are invited. I'm always shocked at how few employees come.
Live the inspiration this section of the internet provides!
I made sourdough bread.
Thrifted a shirt my (adult) son had been looking for for his new job
Used credit card points to buy a shirt my dad wanted for Father’s Day- at an unexpected great sale price.
My friend and I take each other out for our birthdays each year. We went early enough for the happy hour menu (still crazy expensive to go out, but it’s a treat.
Not frugal- my mom gave me a gift card for $35 for a pedicure. I haven’t had one in years- don’t really enjoy them that much and resent all of the time sitting there - BUT they do a nice job. She kept asking me if I had gone yet, so today was the day. I assumed it would be a bit more than $35, but it was $68.25. WTF. It was nothing special- she didn’t ask about any extras like a fancy design, etc. so I think it was a basic pedicure. And it was just at a typical strip mall type of place. I paid it with a reluctant smile, and will never be getting another pedicure!
Dawne,
Where do you live? That seems like an exorbitantly high price. Even in NJ where the cost of living is high a regular pedicure is only $35. Gel is more though. Did they do anything extra like wrap your heels to get rid of dry skin? I don't blame you for never going back.
Hi NancyNJ. I live in Alberta, Canada. No heel wrapping, etc. (Shrugs shoulders). My friends who go regularly told me that they usually pay 55 or 60, so it’s not a lot more. I have the money for it, and am happy that my mom thinks she bought me a beautiful pedicure so will go with the flow, but I can’t imagine spending that much regularly. I think this group is making me evaluate what is worth spending on and what isn’t. Good shoes for my toes - 100%. Pedicure, not so much.
It's a shame that pedicures now cost so much, because they are so helpful to older women -- men too! -- who have trouble caring for their feet. My nurse practitioner friend is adamant that her older family members get them.
Sometimes insurance or Medicare will cover ones termed "medical pedicure" for certain folks, especially those with diabetes because it's wellness and preventive care. My MIL is diabetic and gets them every so often through Medicare.
The Senior Services in my Dad's home town had some kind of monthly foot care day. Not sure if there was a charge; minimal if it was. Just bending over to get to one's toes gets harder as one gets older.
Agreed! It would be worth the money if necessary, and hopefully a better price for one that was more functional than fun.
For all the library lovers that read ebooks or listen to audio books this free website tells you if your library cards partners with any other libraries so you can access more in Libby without having to get a new library card. www
reciprocard.com
Thanks for the tip!
There is also post How to get a free or paid nonresident library cards on http://www.Everydayreading.com (Depending on what state you reside or own property you may be able to get several library cards for free.)[
Cleaning out my parent's storage, I have a coffee can full of change that will I'm planning to dump into the machine at the grocery store and get as a gift card. We just kept finding more little jars of change in various boxes. Checking everything closely to be sure there's no paper bills stashed, but no treasure so far.
My husband keeps joking that we may singlehandedly solve the penny shorter when we get these back in circulation
Yes, always check. When my uncle died, my aunt found lots of money hidden, in clothes pickets, shoes. Thousands of dollars.
They were quite well off, and we thought he did that to keep her from paying taxes on it.
A suggestion based on CF's and my experience with the preliminary cleanout at NDN1's house, Michelle: Rather than using the coin machine at the grocery store (the one at my Wegmans imposes a service charge of 11% plus), CF took all NDN1's loose change (which, like you, we kept finding in cans and jars) to her savings and loan, which let her cash in the coins for free. Worth doing if you have a savings and loan account, or you might even see whether a regular bank would do this.
1. Our tiny dummy cat had to get 5 teeth pulled yesterday (thankfully covered by insurance). I know pet insurance can be controversial but given that he's had upward of $4,000 in tests and procedures this year alone, I'm grateful we have it.
2. Since he needs monitoring, we cancelled our planned weekend trip. while it was hardly going to be the vacation of a lifetime, this will avoid costs on food, bringing drinks to the parties we were traveling to and such.
3. Last night I cobbled together pasta with some leftover andouille sausage, last year's canned tomatoes from a friend's garden, and lots of fresh herbs from my garden. It was so satisfying and really lovely!
4. Drinking iced coffee at home from hot coffee we made yesterday. This is my favorite trick in the book and makes me feel fancy.
5. Using appliances during the lowest peak we can. Here our cheap electricity is only available 12 am to 8 am which is rarely when we are doing any sort of chore. Instead we compromise and avoid any "super peaks."
We use the built-in timers to run appliances off-peak when possible.
Almost $300.00 in 14 yrs. is so cool! It all adds up! I think I may have posted this comment to the Jan. 2026 post as well. I need to pay better attention to what I'm doing!!
Growing out a FREE supercuts bad haircut? Seems like the free things from a “professional” can cost you more. We go the DIY route at home, I cut my husband’s hair and trim his beard, about every 5-6 weeks and he trims my long hair every 3-4 months. Never a bad haircut. Seems that every time I see someone with a bad haircut, they got it at a salon or barbershop. We bought good tools and supplies, well worth the investment, plus we avoid the hassle, expense and the bad haircuts from the salon and barbershop.