Five Frugal Things -- Donating Water Bottles
1) I took advantage of a sunny day to air dry my sheets. I'll leave them on the line as long as possible to optimize UV bleaching. Note the flat sheet, which I plan on utilizing to sew my own pillowcases.
Looking forward to laying my head on a crisp sunshine scented pillow tonight!
2) I finished reading Time Loops & Meet Cutes and then reached over to my ever present stash of library books to choose my next read. I put Beasts of a Little Land on hold after reading City of Night Birds, by the same author.
I have high hopes, as I really enjoyed her other book. The sentences were beautifully crafted, her characters were smart and engaging; and the plot flowed from page to page in perfect fashion.
3) My husband and I watched Project Hail Mary through my sister's Amazon Prime account. I actually saw a preview of the movie for free with my daughter, (gotta love those library passes!) but this was my husband's first viewing.
I do admit, it was significantly less visually arresting on our TV, as compared to watching it on a ginormous IMAX screen.
4) I stopped by Safeway to grab a couple items and made sure to buy two packages of their 99¢ eggs.
I felt like a time traveler to a bygone era of cheap groceries. What's next? 33¢/lb apples and 99¢ French bread?
These are specific examples of standard grocery prices when I started to track that kind of thing.
5) A local nonprofit that helps with food, clothing and supportive housing put out a call for reusable water bottles, so my husband and I gathered our extras to donate. My husband coaches soccer, which means he gathers forgotten water bottles in an attempt to return them to their owners.
He's often not successful, so these bottles build up.
His job puts him in this area, so my husband will drop these off tomorrow.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Sold another item and into the mail
it went.
Received my Walmart gift cards via Humana rewards so making my grocery list. We have plenty of proteins just need fruits and veggies.
I think I’ll brew some ice tea as I’ve run out of those flavored packets to
put in my water bottle
Katy, I think you will enjoy your new-to-you sheets and pillowcases. I bought pillowcases in that brand when my old ones self-destructed, and I have been very pleased with them. Sweet dreams!
We're already sleeping on the fitted sheet and we're very happy with it!
-I dropped off three bags of items at a local thrift store where 100 percent of the profits go to the American Cancer Association. They were delighted to get all the books I included.
- inspired by your embroidery projects, Katy. I found a really good looking embroidery book at the Friends sale for .25. The illustrations were clear and looked like fun. I did an embroidery Christmas stocking kit one year. Turned out cute but so much work.
- I am trying to use up art and sewing supplies that have somehow built up over the years. So far I’ve done three paintings and lots of sewing projects.
-Tried a new granola recipe today from a $2.00 huge Good Housekeeping Cookbook that I got at the Friends sale. It looks good but hopefully tastes okay.
-I am attempting to just relax today as I got steroid shots in my cervical vertebrate yesterday. No sedation - just lidocaine for pain (wasn’t enuf) and didn’t realize that the injections go through the front of your neck! Okay - I’m a wimp. So just relaxing with reading and watching episodes of Grandchester (so good!). Aside from the big granola project.
What????? Injections that go all the way through your neck? Did I read that right? Poor you!
Yes, they were on the right and left sides of the front of my neck but, of, course had to go all the way back. I nearly freaked when the doctor told me about what they were doing. I would not do this again without at least mild sedation. He is a highly skilled doctor with great credentials but still…
Yikes!l
Treats women like dirt. Yes next time minimal mild sedation. I don't care how skilled he is, he missed the boat.
Yes, I agree. Being 73 but actually pretty active I have still had to go through a number of procedures where doctors are relying on just local injections like lidocaine. Not sure why this is. Next time I have something I will ask for at least Valium beforehand. In fairness, I had to turn my head slightly during the procedure so the fluoroscope they used could see where they were going. Halfway through he did say we could call it quits and I could finish later with sedation. But I decided to plow through:(
When surgeons do surgery on the cervical vertebrae (to decompress a trapped nerve, fuse one vertebrae to another, etc.) they may use the anterior approach. That is, with your neck and face facing upward. If you had injections using the anterior approach that sounds reasonable to me. I agree, a sedation might have made it less scary & painful.
Made a batch of homemade bug off.
Baked two batches of cookies in the solar oven.
Washed the pick up. Scrubbed off some kind of tree sap from last weekend's camp spot.
Washed 4 sections of the driveway fence, will let it dry and then paint it this evening. At this rate, I should finish in 2 weeks.
Made a small batch of pickled beets, saving the greens for dinner.
Picked, washed, dried and froze blueberries, green beans and Tart cherries.
Blue gate farmgirl,
May I ask what recipe you use for pickled beets? Grew up eating them with hard boiled eggs. Can't remember how my mother made them
I know how it is with those abandoned water bottles at sports events! I saw it at all my grandsons' games. Really bugged me!
I am determined to empty my freezer some time in the near future so I can defrost the fridge! Today I took out Mac and cheese for lunch, and pizza for the next few days.
I checked the mail in my vestibule this morning, and saw that a large package had been delivered to the wrong address. It appears to be some kind of appliance, and it's way too heavy for me to move, or I would have just taken it over to the right door. I went to the vestibule next door, where it belongs, and buzzed the recipient, but the speaker was so garbled I don't think either of us could understand the other. Then I knocked on her back door, but she did not come to the door. Big city paranoia! I called another neighbor to see if she had a phone number for this person, but she did not. I just checked, and the package still there, and the person it should go to doesn't have a clue. I guess I will tape a message to her mailbox. Sigh. The trials of being helpful!
I ran a load of laundry today which included a boy's jacket that had been left at the park for several days. It was a mess but it cleaned up great. I put it in my Goodwill bag. The baseball cap I found the other day got thrown out. After soaking it, I spotted holes in the lining, and I know Goodwill would not accept it.
I got some credits on my electric bill for the couple of days I reduced my energy usage to help prevent a brownout. A little over $11 -- but the real benefit was no brownout.
The idea of donating gently used water bottles is a great one. I will mention it to my pastor as a possible mission project. There must be bottles out there waiting for a home.
Agreed! Whenever I look at the inventory at a thrift store or on Buy Nothing posts, I think to myself that all the water bottles we'll ever need have already been manufactured.
So true! Also every ceramic mug.
And stuffed animals. I believe every person should be issued one at birth, and be able to receive one more during his/her lifetime. That's all.
Gosh yes. I stIll have my 40 year old sons teddy bear. No one wants it. Our Goodwill won't take furniture or toys. I even put him in the washing machine, ( teddy bear, not son).
I balanced out the machine with a bed pillow.
So, he's freshly clean, but homeless
Marie,
I just Googled "what organizations take used stuffed animals" and several were listed. Some were for children and some were for pets. Some required mailing in but some organizations had drop off locations.
My semi-frugal activity for much of the last week was clearing out my late Mom's room & closet in the last push to declutter before I fully move to Iowa. Literally 15 car loads of stuff were just her things. 3 more were mine. (Hangs head in shame) The Goodwill half a mile from me LOVES me right now. I did send pictures of some of the better items to see if my cousins wanted anything, but they agreed that I should just donate it all instead of hauling stuff across 4 states. I do have a tote of family pictures & whatnot that I'm taking to my genealogy loving aunt.
Last thing I'm doing before I leave is loading a cooler with sandwiches, fruit, & water. There aren't many food options driving late at night, so this will prevent buying ridiculously priced items at the gas station/truck stops. At least gas has dropped slightly now that the holiday is over!
Sorry your Mom has passed. You are a good daughter to donate her things as well as yours.
My new yard man is a friend from church, and he helps me like a brother. This morning he came by with a roll of foam insulating tape and installed it onto my sliding glass door. He did this without my asking him to! The door had a slight gap, only a mere fraction of an inch, between the slider and the door frame. He'd noticed it and said its resulting air leak is costing me $$.The foam tape fills up that gap and should do a better job at keeping the cool air inside.
While here, he also installed some insulation I'd bought from TEMU on the inside of the garage door. It faces west so in the afternoon, my garage feels like an oven. I had guestimated how much to buy, and it was not quite enough, so I may need to get some more. But I'm looking to sub some other items, such as those foil windshield covers, for the few squares that lack insulation. Right now, 98% of the garage door is insulated, so I'm happy!
Yesterday I went to "Salvation Armani" and spied a gorgeous, large summer purse. The tag says Chico. It is in like new condition. Bought it for $19.99. Carried it to the dentist office this afternoon and all the ladies there noticed and admired it. I'm sure it would cost much, much more at Chico's. (That's a fancy boutique clothing store, for all you folks who haven't heard of it. Strictly out of a frugal price range!)
I also wore a thrifted shirt and slacks to the dentist.Both items were from another thrift store's bag sale, so they cost me a fraction of 10 dollars. Two different Saturdays, two different bag sales and two different clothing brands. But it all looked like it was supposed to be together. I also wore sandals I'd bought a couple of years ago from the same store. My earrings, eyeglasses, Walmart watch and underwear were the only new things I wore.
Found out the dentist's secretary is battling with the dental insurance company, trying to convince the latter to pay them more so I won't have to. Upon hearing that, I thanked her profusely and also mentioned it to the dentist, saying how grateful I was that they were trying to help. I didn't have to write them a check today because they are still waiting to hear back from the insurer. My dentist said dental insurance was first introduced in 1964 and this company has not raised its pay rate or coverage amount limits since then. Ridiculous!
Got a free cup of coffee in the dentist's waiting room.
1. My neighbors were out all day on the 4th, and invited me to use their pool while they were away. I happily accepted, since it’s been so hot in MA. I also let their dog out in the backyard for a little while. And I took her for a short walk later on that night.
2. Took advantage of some good sales. $2.50 for Dietz and Watson American cheese. $1.99 for Bing cherries. Chatted with a woman in the dairy aisle who was excited that the store had cherry and pineapple cottage cheese. She convinced me to buy one. It’s pretty good. I didn’t think I would like it. But I’m glad I sprung for a few dollars. Plus, it was a lovely conversation, suspending the extra $3 was worth it.
3. I haven’t been going too far the last few days. I’ve been kind of a blah mood, so other than going to the Y. I really haven’t done anything.
4. I have, however, finished knitting a teddy bear vest for my nephew. (With the same name) and, finished a sweater for his baby sister. And, made reversible baby booties out of quilting fabric for my son‘s friend who just had a baby. I also made a slightly larger pair for my grand niece. (Same baby as the little sweater just finished.
5. I am back to armchair traveling while watching the World Cup and baseball games. (I get the MLB network for free from my T-Mobile account, and I watch a lot of baseball because of it). I really want to go somewhere next year and I am debating on where in Europe. Copenhagen/Stockholm or take one of the tours I’ve always looked at for Rick Steves. (Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, or Warsaw and Budapest) my son was over last night to do his laundry and I showed him how I have a few hundred television channels on my LG tv. He spent hours watching old anime shows. He was very happy.
1. We saw Disclosure Day at the theater today on discount day. Tickets were $5 each. Good movie.
2. When I saw Katy's post about the .99/dozen eggs I was reminded that Market Basket has the same sale this week so I picked up two dozen also. I made the coating for eggplant parmesan with two eggs and made the Italian meatballs with one egg. I see some egg salad sandwiches in my future.
3. I went to the talk about the role of women in the Civil War at the library. I learned much and enjoyed sitting with a friend I bumped into there.
4. 65 degrees and rainy today so no A/C.
5. The usual: drinking filtered water from the faucet and making my own iced tea, using cloth napkins, planning laundry days based on good drying days, washing it in cold water and hanging it outside, wearing my old clothes and not minding it but instead feeling like I'm not contributing to the fast fashion trend, looking around at my furniture and household items and feeling happy they were passed down to me instead of ending up in a landfill.
Your #3 - women have played a big role in every war the US has fought. Rosie the Riveter gets a lot of press but don't forget Wendy the Welder. And likely a few others that will eventually perk to the top. As well as nurses and front line fighters in all wars.
Yes indeed. An older friend who has passed away had a sister, a nurse, who was one of the first medical personnel at Normandy Beach in WWII.
Have you read The Women by Kristin Hannah about the nurses in Vietnam? Fiction but based on real experiences. Kids working on kids blown apart, many who made it out ended up with PTSD. Even the VA turned them away. How they were treated back home in the states was shameful.
We had our daughter, SIL, and granddaughter over for dinner. It was brinner - breakfast for dinner, which is always inexpensive. We had everything we needed except for bacon and bread. Our eggs were a partial dozen that were given to my hubby by a customer and a clearanced 18 count. There was a bad egg in each package! I cracked one into our bacon skillet, which means we lost our good bacon grease!
My son came over for lunch today, and we ate up the supper leftovers from last night.
My hubby brought home another cozy coupe that someone had thrown away. It needs a good scrubbing, but she loves the one at our house, so she will love this one, I’m sure.
We also grabbed a Vet Clinic play center by Little Tykes off of Facebook Marketplace for $40. There was one offered on eBay for $299.99!!
So glad to see gently used, reusable water bottles finding a useful place. I've never paid for a reusable water bottle, even at the thrift store, as they always seem to come into my life even when I don't want any more. Ironically, they do seem to be one of those consumer items that has been especially overproduced.
Oh how I miss the days of $0.99 bread! That used to be a meal in our house! My husband and I ate those a lot when we worked retail and barely had the energy to drag ourselves home each night. Now I have to bake it myself if I want it that cheap.
1. Our windows are open and catching a lovely breeze, it'll have to stop soon but we'll give it another degree or two before we give up. The fans are working round the clock to keep us cool.
2. I have some bananas that are nearly muffin ready, I'm keeping a close eye on them so I can also make pumpkin muffins while the oven is on. Maybe tomorrow morning while it's cool!
3. I downloaded two more books on Libby, one is an audiobook so I can listen while I clean.
4. We cooked a package of chicken the other night and it's made two dinners so far and will probably stretch through lunch for at least one of us today.
5. We discovered a channel on YouTube Kids called "Mister Hamster" and they build elaborate mazes and obstacle courses for their hamsters to navigate. It's keeping the "we want a pet!" discussions at bay since we can watch these for free! They do look very cute though.
Frugal hack: I took one chap stick out of a newly-opened package and the little turn knob at the end to rotate it up didn’t work. It spun and spun and no elevation to the chap stick! I had a small, lidded plastic container with a little vaseline in, so I got a long thin knife from the kitchen and dug out all the chap stick material from the tube and put it next to Vaseline in the container. Waste not, want not! I use chap sticks/vaseline every day so this is a win.
Mary, excellent save!
Please ignore my post that went in twice. My fingers stumbled on the keyboard.
1. I got out the gorilla glue & secured a sole to one Sketcher's shoe. I do not remember shoe soles coming unglued 30 yrs ago. Yes, the sole wore out but it did not come loose.
2. I want to 2 back-to-back sessions of yoga for free. One chair yoga & one regular yoga. I found some other free sessions for July.
3. I found some women's clothes. I will wash them & donate to the Habitat store.
4. I for a pair of long sleeves at the Habitat store for one dollar. I wanted a pair to protect my arms from the sun. I also bought 10 greeting cards w/ envelopes for one dollar. I put them in my stash for future needs.
5. Treated myself to a SF large vanilla iced coffee at McDonalds for 99 cents plus tax. A frugal cold treat after my long yoga class.